Lefse

One of my favorite treats as a child was when my aunt Marcia would make homemade Lefse. If you don't know what Lefse is, its Norwegian potato bread. Sort of like a crepe, or a tortilla.. its made with potatoes, and rolled out very thin and cooked on a hot skillet.then eaten warm, with butter and sugar and rolled up.. I haven't had it since I was a child, but recently have been thinking of trying to make it.. So, I have searched online for recipes that seemed authentic, and easy enough for me to make for my first attempt.. My biggest fear is rolling out the dough.. I hear if the dough isnt perfect, that they'll fall apart. EEK! I found TWO recipes that seem perfect. One uses real potatoes, and the other uses potato flakes...

I will keep you updated if and When I take on the task of creating Norwegian LEFSE!

Onion rings and Chicken Fingers

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Ok, so we had a very unhealthy, fried feast last night! But, I just had to try the batter recipe with onions! And had a thought of cutting chicken breast into thin strips also, and just frying everything up! SOOOOOOO, we did it and -- OMG, yummmm what a treat!!

Ok, so I basically used the batter recipe from my sweet n sour chicken post.. But, I changed it up a little as I went.. and I doubled it, and also had to add about 1/2 cup more flour and about 1 Tsp of baking powder and maybe 1/4 more corn starch.. So, the totals are here:

Frying Batter:
2 cup cup water
1-1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
salt, pepper and season salt. *(you can add any seasonings you like)

Next, slice a sweet yellow onion, and 4 chicken breasts into thin strips. Coat the chicken and the rings with flour. Salt and pepper them before adding to batter. Dip in batter and fry. Careful not to crowd the pan.. Salt immediately after removing from oil. I did all the chicken first, then all the onions based on different cooking times...

Enjoy!
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YUMM!

Spaghetti Sauce

(this is not my picture)

So, the other night.. I made eggplant parmesan... It was kind of impromptu, so I had to throw some sauce together real fast.. And, amazingly it turned out delicious!! This is just for a small batch, you can certianly add more.. but the ingredients are the important part!

I used:
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 TBLS sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Mrs. Dash garlic and herb
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper

MMMMM MMMMM!! I may never buy jar sauce again!!

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BBQ ranch chicken wraps

This recipe is inspired from Red Robin...



2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
Sweet honey barbecue sauce (your favorite brand)
Ranch dressing
shredded cheddar
lettuce
crispy tortilla strips (I imagine broken up tortilla chips would work!)
spinach tortillas

lay tortilla on plate. spread a small amount of ranch dressing on the tortilla. sprinkle some shredded cheese and tortilla strips evenly around tortilla. Arrange a few chicken strips in the center of the tortilla and drizzle with barbecue sauce. Last, layer on some shredded lettuce and roll tortilla carefully into a wrap. Enjoy!

T O N I G H T

I am making Mac n Cheese.. per request of my hunny.. he loved it.. and wants it all the time !! Will post pics later.. :)



ohhhhhhh yaaahhhhhh

Crepes, Crepes, Crepes!

I love crepes, and they are SO EASY! The hardest part, is having the patience to stand there and cook them all! teehee!

Crepes

1 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
½ cup water
2 large eggs (or 3 small)
Pinch of salt
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 TBLS melted butter

Mix everything with a whisk in a bowl. Heat skillet with a tiny bit of oil. Use ½ cup measure for each crepe. Once you get it in the pan, swirl pan around to spread the batter as thin as possible. Cook for a couple minutes, until you can flip it easily. Loosen sides with a heat proof rubber spatula, and then carefully flip the crepe and cook one or two minutes on other side..


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Sweet 'N Sour Chicken

I DID IT!! ! !!! I conquered making homemade Sweet and Sour chicken! And you know what, ?? It turned out very scrumptious!! YUM YUM! This recipe will EASILY feel 4-5 people, so you may want to cut it in half-- or invite friend over!! lol. Can I just add, this batter is THE BOMB!! Its very light, like tempura. Would make Excellent onion rings!!


Sweet 'N Sour Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Oil for frying
2 green peppers - cut into 1" pieces
1 onion cut into 1" pieces
1 can pineapple chunks - drained, save juice
salt & pepper

Frying Batter:
1 cup water
4 oz. flour
2 oz. corn starch
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
salt
1 TBLS cooking oil


Sauce:
1 cup pineapple juice 1/3 cup water
2 TBLS vinegar
2 TBLS soy sauce
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 TBLS corn starch
1/2 cup ketchup
**combine all ingredients with whisk in saucepan. stir and heat until thick. Set aside.

Prepare batter. Drop all chicken into batter (I salted and peppered my chicken before adding to batter).


Heat oil in large pan, drop battered chicken into hot oil, and cook until golden brown. You may need to separate the pieces after you drop them into the oil so they don't clump. Also, you may need to do them in batches like I did.





Once all chicken is cooked, set aside. Add onions and peppers to pan, and stir fry them until just tender. Add chicken back to pan. Add sauce, and pineapple and stir fry a few minutes until thick and Serve!!

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Brutzel Bars (English Toffee)

ohhhhh YAH! These babies turned out SO DAMN GOOD! The recipe is SUPER EASY, and quick! I actually had to bake it 13 minutes, the recipe says 10, but your oven may vary. YOU GOTTA TRY THESE!!



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Brutzel Bars

1 sleeve Keebler butter crackers CLUB Crackers)
1 cup butter (no margarine)
1 cup granulated sugar
12 ounces milk chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10-by-15-inch pan with foil and
spray with Pam. Arrange crackers in single layer over foil. In
medium saucepan, combine butter and sugar and bring to a boil. Boil
1 minute and gently pour over crackers. Spread out with rubber spatula until all crackers are evenly covered.

Bake 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately
sprinkle morsels over top. Wait 2 to 3 minutes, until morsels begin
to melt, and carefully spread melted chocolate over top. (I thought this would be hard to do, and maybe it would mix with the sugar mixture..., but they spread really easy, and the sugar mix hardens pretty fast. )

Cool and refrigerate for few hours. Remove from fridge and break
into bars following cracker lines as a guide. YUMMMMMMM

dark chocolate cherry mocha??????

Oh my heavens!! I just heard Starbucks has a new dark cherry mocha????? Oh lord, I need to try this!!!

Easy Baked Mac 'N Cheese

I just created this earlier this week, and my hunny LOVED IT!! I didn't take pics, but I will be making it again soon - teehee! Like I said, I like EASY. So, I skipped making a roux and all that nonsense! And found an EASY way to get that rich cheesy flavor in baked Mac 'N cheese! this is nothing like the BLUE BOX!!


Easy Baked Mac N’Cheese
1 package large shell pasta - or any pasta you like!
1 jar 4-cheese Alfredo Sauce (I use Classico)
1-1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
Italian bread crumbs
1-2 TLBS butter
Salt and pepper

Cook pasta until tender. Drain. Add pasta to buttered baking dish (I use Pam). Pour in Alfredo sauce and add shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well. Top with bread crumbs, and then put small pats of butter around the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Lori's Cheesy Meatloaf

This is such a tasty way to make meatloaf.

I know there are thousands of recipe's for meatloaf, and so far -- this is my FAVORITE!





CHEESY MEATLOAF

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 sleeve Ritz crackers (you wont use them all)
2 cups shredded cheddar or Colby cheese
Salt and pepper
Onion powder
Season salt
2 eggs
Plain bread crumbs
Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce

Mix hamburger with eggs, Worcestershire sauce, onion, seasonings and add enough bread crumbs to make it firm. Lay out wax paper and put meat mix on top. Spread meat mixture out so it’s in a long rectangle shape the same width as the bread pan. Sprinkle Salt and pepper on it. Next, crush Ritz crackers over the entire rolled out meat loaf, leaving about 2” on each edge. Then, cover the same area with the shredded cheese. Next, roll the meatloaf like a jelly roll, with the waxed paper as your guide, keeping the ends folded in so the filling doesn’t fall out. It should end up a perfect size and fit for a bread pan, with the seam side down. Once you get the loaf into the pan, tuck in the sides. Cover generously with ketchup. Bake 350 about an hour or until clear juices appear and loaf pulls away from the sides.

My 2nd day

HOWDY!!

Today is day 2 of my BLOGGING! lol. so far, I love it! I have tons of recipes to post, so I am trying to pace myself.. hee hee. Last night was the Cubscout cake auction. My son's cake sold for $250, which is the highest in history of this pack! There were some others that sold for $180 and $190 or something? Here are some pics of other cakes. The dragon and the boy fishing are the other 2 high sellers...

Swimming Pool Cake

SWIMMING POOL CAKE

Ingredients:
CAKE
BLUE JELL-O (make according to Jiggler recipe)calls for 4 boxes, I used 3.
WHITE FROSTING

**I used white Trident Whitening gum as tiles around the edge of the pool.

DIRECTIONS:

First, bake cake according to directions. I used a disposable foil pan also. Once cake is cooled, gently and carefully carve the shape of the pool - with a very sharp knife. ***I ran into some issues here, the cake was so delicate and fluffy, that it kept tearing. I HIGHLY recommend a firmer cake, such as pound cake or devil's food. I used Betty Crocker Yellow Cake, and since it is so light and moist, it was a nightmare!! Maybe if you make it a day before you carve it, it would set up better? I carved mine as soon as it cooled.
Anyway... Once you carve the shape, you want to take a fork, and start scooping the shape of the pool out. Once its carved out, take a spoon and get as many of the crumbs out as you can. (this is very hard with box cake since its so light and delicate)
I finally got my pool carved out, about 1 or 2 inches deep. UGH! Next, take white frosting and VERY CAREFULLY frost the entire cake, including the inside of the pool. Be careful not to tear around the edge of the pool, and you will encounter lots of crumbs too. Don't worry about the crumbs too much, because the Jell-O will cover it.
Make the Jell-O according to the Jiggler recipe on the box (It was 4 boxes of Jell-o and 2-1/2 cups boiling water.. I used 3 boxes). Then let it cool in fridge until its the consistency of syrup... make sure it doesnt harden!! If it does, nuke it for a few seconds and stir it.
NEXT, I put the gum tiles on and poured the chilled Jell-O into the pool shape. I think it overfilled a tad, and got up on one side. Grrr.

Let it CHILL for however long you can before you embellish it with stuff... We plan to put Teddy Grahams in the water, sitting inside Gummy Savers, and then also have a few Teddy's laying on the sides, on pieces of Fruit by the Foot cut to look like Beach towels. And adding some palm trees or those cute Asian umbrellas!

** this cake turned out SO CUTE!! And sold for $250, the most EVER in the cake auction....

If you are brave enough to try this, please let me know!!

Coconut Macaroons

I made these once, then forgot all about them! Yeek! They were so moist and chewy! MMMM! My son loved them, and he hates most everything!! haha

Coconut Macaroons

1 – 14oz. pkg. sweetened coconut
2/3 cup flour
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla (or 1 tsp. almond & 1 tsp. vanilla)
Melted Chocolate (the kind that hardens) *Optional

Mix coconut and flour. Add milk and vanilla. Mix well.
Scoop tightly onto heavily greased baking sheet.
Bake at 325 for approx. 20-25 min. or until golden.
Drizzle with melted chocolate or dip ½ of cookie into chocolate.

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. (once again, not my picture, but they look IDENTICAL)
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Lori's Own Famous Chicken Salad

Alright, here is another one of my own wacky creations. In this recipe, I am only putting the INGREDIENTS. You can make as much or as little, and add as much or as little of each thing as you see fit. :) The only thing that you must do is cook the chicken this way, and also use Italian dressing AND mayo for the mix. Otherwise, go crazy!

Lori’s Famous Chicken Salad

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
Kojack or cheddar cheese. Cubed into ½ to ¼ inch pieces.
Green pepper – chopped medium fine
Italian Dressing
Real Mayonnaise
Mrs. Dash GARLIC AND HERB
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil


Place chicken on baking sheet. Splash a little olive oil on each breast. Salt and pepper each breast. Sprinkle Mrs. Dash generously over each breast. Bake 400 for 20-30 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken) or until cooked through.
While chicken is cooking, prepare the cheese chunks and green pepper chunks. Add salt and pepper and soak them in Italian Dressing to marinate a little.
Next, SHRED CHICKEN while its hot using 2 forks. It’s much easier to shred while it’s hot. Let chicken COOL. Add shredded chicken to the cheese and peppers. Once you mix them together, add mayo until it’s as creamy as you like it. CHILL well before serving.

Next you can do one of two things… This recipe is the bomb on sandwiches, OR you can make it extra saucy (add a little extra Italian and mayo) and add pasta to it for a delicious pasta chicken salad (chill well before serving).
ENJOY!

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.will post pics soon!
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Bacon Wrapped Sausage Balls

Pork FAT RULES!! According to Emeril haha. The same friend who brought Oreo truffle balls into my world, brought these into my world. Can you say "Party in your mouth??? " Let me just say, after trying these - yes you can! Once again, another HUGE hit here at work for Pot Luck day..... Everyone had my balls in their mouth that day!! (I also brought the Oreo balls that day). teehee!

Bacon Wrapped Sausage Balls

1 package sausage (Jimmy Dean)
Italian Bread crumbs
2 eggs
Raw bacon - sliced in half as one piece is too long.

Mix raw sausage and eggs until smooth. Add in bread crumbs until
the mixture is thick enough to form 1” balls. Wrap balls in bacon.
Bake at 350 for approx. 30 min.(on slotted pan) or until
bacon is cooked.
*** put drip pan underneath to catch drippings***

SO GOOD!

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.(the pic is not mine, but that is what they are)

Oreo Cheesecake Truffle Balls

OH MY HECK these are sooooo amazing!! A friend's husband brought these to one of our gatherings, and my life has not been the same since! LOL! Just kidding, but for REAL, they are so scrumptious! They literally melt in your mouth. Make these for your next gathering, and you WILL be the hit of the party!!

Oreo Cheesecake Truffle Balls

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg. Oreo cookies – ground up in food
Processor – (whole cookies, including the cream)
1 – 8oz. pkg. cream cheese. Softened
Melted chocolate. (the kind that hardens when it cools – such as choc chips)

DIRECTIONS
Grind entire package of Oreos and mix well with
softened cream cheese. Put in fridge to get firm.
Shape into 1” balls and dip into melted chocolate.
Let cool on waxed paper. Enjoy!!

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Thai Soup

Yum Yum! This is one of my favorites too. Heck, they all are or I would not be putting them on here, hahaha. So, this is a very mild, yet very flavorful and delicious soup that is SUPER easy to make.. you could very easily add some heat to this soup as well to spice it up! Once again, this recipe has a lot of wiggle room for variation - so add whatever you think will be good! MMM, I want some right now!!

THAI SOUP

1 onion chopped
1 can bamboo shoots - drained
1 can water chestnuts – drained
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms cleaned and sliced
Cilantro chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Green onion – chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 pkg (4) precooked Chicken sausage – chopped into bite size pieces (I use garlic and herb flavor)
1 large can chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 pkg frozen spinach – thawed and drained
1 TBLS vegetable oil or olive oil

Sweat onion and mushrooms in large dutch oven or soup pot in oil until soft. Do not caramelize. Add sausage and cook about 5 minutes. Add broth, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, cilantro, spinach and cook on low heat until heated through (you can add water or more broth if needed). Remove from heat, add more chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions and coconut milk. Stir and serve. ** shrimp can also be added to this recipe. Enjoy!

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.this is not an actual photo of my soup, but it is EXACTLY the same :)
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Island Meatballs

OMG, these are mine and everyone's FAVORITE creation of mine. My honey requests these more than anything else!! This is 100% my own creation too! Which is something I am proud of :)

Island Meatballs

1 package ground chicken
1- 8oz. can crushed pineapple. Drained, save the juice
Chopped cilantro – about ¾ cup
Plain bread crumbs
2 eggs
Ground ginger
Crushed garlic (about 1 TBLS)
Onion powder
Salt and pepper
Mr., Yoshida original sauce

Mix chicken, eggs, cilantro, pineapple, and spices together. Add bread crumbs until mixture is firm enough to make balls. Sautee in oil in large skillet or wok with high sides until golden brown and cooked through. May have to do in batches. Salt meatballs again once they are out of oil. Once all meatballs are cooked, add them all back to the pan. Add pineapple juice and enough Yoshida sauce to coat them. Stir fry in skillet on high heat – stirring constantly until sauce becomes thick and glazed over meat balls.

..**Photo to come next time I make them!
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Easy Potato Pancakes

So, my guy.. he is Polish and asked me to make him something called "Plotsky's". Well, after a little research, I learned that meant POTATO PANCAKE. lol. So, I looked online at a few recipes, and then combined them in my head and whipped them up.. and BAM! They turned out SOOO GOOD! The measurments are really vague, because I just eyeball almost everything....... BUT, you can figure it out, I have faith in you!!

Potato Pancakes

4-5 cups shredded russet potato – peeled.
DO NOT RINSE
2-3 eggs
2/3 cup shredded or very finely minced onion (about 1 small onion, depends on how much onion you like! LOL)
Flour to thicken – about ½ cup give or take
Salt and pepper

Add eggs to shredded potatoes and onion. Salt and pepper generously. Mix. Add flour until batter is thick enough to hold form when put onto griddle. Scoop mix onto oiled griddle and flatten and spread it out with the spoon. Cook on medium high heat until golden and firm enough to flip. Keep cooking until both sides are dark golden and center is cooked through. Salt while hot. Serve plain or with sour cream and applesauce!

Enjoy!

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mmMMmm Cake Cookies

Ok guys. These are THE BOMB! The absolute easiest cookies EVER! AND, they are super soft and you can make any flavor combination that your crazy imagination can come up with!! I made these using strawberry cake, and added candied cherries and chocolate chunks. Then I made them again, used white cake, with the cherries, chocolate chunks and pecans. OMG, yum! I really love this recipe, and you will too!

Cake Cookies

Ingredients:
1 (18 oz.) package cake mix (your choice)
2 eggs
1/2 C. shortening
1 tbsp. water
1/2 C. chopped nuts, dried fruit, or chips (your choice)
powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. With a wooden spoon or mixer, combine all ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Chill in refrigerator about 30 minutes.
2. Shape into 1" balls. Roll in powdered sugar, if desired.
3. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, 10-12 minutes.
4. Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies

ENJOY!!!

..((this is not a pic of my batch.. but they turn out just like this!)
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My First post!!. Turkey and Veggie Patties

Ok guys, bare with me! This is my FIRST EVER recipe post!!

This was a recipe that I just made up one night with ingredients that I had around and MY GAWD -- its delish!! Everyone I serve this to loves it! They are super easy to throw together, and you can vary the ingredients as much or as little as you want based on your preferences... Just have fun with it!

TURKEY AND VEGGIE PATTIES

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey (one package)
1 can mixed vegetables - drained. (Potato, carrot, corn, mix etc.)
5 slices whole wheat bread crumbled
2-3 eggs depending on size
2 teaspoon onion powder (amount depending on your taste)
2 teaspoon garlic powder (amount depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste
Seasoning Salt to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (enough to coat skillet)

Directions:
Preheat skillet to medium high and add oil.

1. Mix all wet ingredients and spices in bowl with your hands. 2. Add as much crumbled bread as you need to make mixture firm enough to make patties.

3. Form patties about 1 inch thick (they will be very wet still).

4. Cook in skillet in a small amount of cooking oil until golden brown and cooked through (about 5-6 minutes per side). I usually Sprinkle with salt and pepper once or twice throughout cooking.


TIPS: The wheat bread is key.. it makes the recipe have a sweet undertone and keeps the patties moist. (Hint, wetting your fingers with water keeps the mixture from sticking to you when you are forming the patties) ENJOY!

WELCOME!

HI!! My name is Lori.

Welcome to my blog "Yummy Tummy!" This is my first EVER blog, so its a constant work in progress! Well, to sum it up... I love to cook (and eat)! So, I decided I wanted to create a blog sharing my creations and my experiences with you!!! I also love to eat out and try new things... and if I am brave enough, try and reproduce some recipes on my own! I am always trying to make new things, and using my friends and relatives as my guinea pigs!

I will add recipes as I make them, or as I try new ones. I will post them all and let you know of any changes I make to recipes that I try!

(RECIPES AND POSTS ARE LISTED TO THE LEFT UNDER BLOG ARCHIVE<<<< )

So, without further ado..... Let the FUN BEGIN!!

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