Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

Ingredients 2 cups grated carrots 1 (14.5oz) can bean sprouts drained (we bought fresh and weighed them) 1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped green onion 1 clove garlic, minced 2 cups finely diced cooked chicken 4 tsps cornstarch 1 tbsp water 1 tbso light soy cauce 1 tsp vegetable oil 1 tsp brown sugar 1 pinch cayenne pepper 16 egg roll wrappers nonstick cooking spray Directions 1. Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. 2. Coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat; cook and stir carrots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, green pepper, green onions and garlic until vegetables are crisp, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken until heated through, 3-5mins 3. Combine cornstarch, water, soy sauce, 1 tsp oil, brown sugar and cayenne n a small bowl; stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir, cooking until sauce is thickened, about 2 mins; remove from heat. 4. Sp

Well, you may have heard about it this week, you may have even got a chance to taste it! So for those brave souls who want to try it for themselves (or JUST the cheesecake or JUST the cake or JUST the yummy icing) Here you go: The cheesecake takes the longest to bake and cool, so it is where we suggest you start. CRUSTLESS CHEESECAKE 1/4 pound of salted butter 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 - 8oz bars of cream cheese cut into cubes (regular was used not light) 1 package of vanilla instant pudding (we used Neilsons) 2 eggs 1 tsp baking powder 400g of melted chocolate (we used Waterford milk chocolate from WalMart and it melted beautifully) ***the recipe actually calls for 2 melted Hershey's bars and 1/2 cup of ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips Preheat your oven to 325. Grease 1 - 9" pan (we used a springform pan) with shortening. Line the pan with parchment paper and then grease the paper. It then says to "butter the pan and set aside." Cream

Ingredients 1 cup salted butter (melted) 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1 cup peanut butter 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 (11 oz) bag milk chocolate chips Instructions 1. Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy. 2. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. 3. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave (at 50% power) for 1-2 minutes. Stir chocolate and pour over the peanut butter mixture. Spread chocolate with a spatula. To even out chocolate, tap pan on the counter. 4. Refrigerate bars for one hour. Cut while bars are still cool. "BON APPETIT!"

Hal loves pork roast and is always asking me to make it.  I'm not usually a fan of pork roast and I definitely do not eat gravy . . . until now . . .  Prep time:  30 minutes Cook time:  8 hours (I cooked this on high for 4 hours) Makes 8 servings 2-3 lb (1.5 kg) boneless pork shoulder roast 2 tbsp real maple syrup or maple-flavoured syrup 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 tsp dried sage leaves 1/2 tsp beef bouillon granules or 1 beef bouillon cube 1/2 cup water 2 cups 1-1/2 inch cubes of peeled butternut squash (I used white turnip) 2 cups baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise 2 small onions, cut into wedges 3 tbsp cornstarch 1/2 cup water Spray 4-5 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.  If pork roast comes in netting or is tied, remove netting or strings.  Place pork in cooker.  In small bowl mix syrup, garlic, sage, bouillon and 1/2 cup water.  Spoon over pork.  Arrange squash, carrots and onions around pork. Cover and cook on low heat s

2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix 4 tablespoons cold butter 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated 3/4 cup cold whole milk 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 1 pinch salt Directions: Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine Bisquick and cold butter. Don't combine too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter about the size of peas. Add cheddar, milk and 1/4 tsp garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix. Drop 9 equal portions onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops are light brown. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a bowl. Stir in 1/2 tsp garlic powder and parsley flakes. Use a pastry brush to spread garlic butter over tops of biscuits.

In a large bowl mix 1 lb hamburger and 1 package of sausage (meat removed from casings) or any ground meat really with 1 chopped onion, 1tbsp SUNSET GOURMET onion seasoning and 1tbsp of SUNSET GOURMET garlic seasoning and a couple dashes of worchestershire sauce. Add one cup of water/stock liquid and allow to simmer on medium until cooked and liquid has evaporated. Drain only if there is a LOT of grease. Pour into a PAMPERED CHEF pan (no greasing for those - your option if you are using pyrex or metal itin) Top with 1 cup of shredded cheese. Now set into fridge for meal next day. 1/2 cup of BISQUICK biscuit mix 1 cup milk 2 eggs ******As I never have BISQUICK on hand: 2 cups flour 1 tbsp baking powder 1/2 tbsp salt 1/3 cup shortening 1/2 cup milk 1 egg Avoid lumps and pour over meat mixture. I topped with some cheese or you could add it to the biscuit mix. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I served with fresh green beans and homemade fries. "

So I hate finding leftovers in my fridge that people "said" they were going to eat and then didn't. Such a waste. With john coming home every night soon, I am going to have to start cooking more. So leftover stews are going to be a staple. I have already posted the gumbo recipe John made this weekend. After sending a sample out, We still had some left which would have been lost in the back of the fridge. So instead I made this veggie style soup. IT IS NOT VEGETARIAN... but could be In a large crock pot: 2 cups of leftover gumbo (chicken and sausage) I broke down the meat to very small pieces! 1/2 box of bouillion liquid (500ml) 1/2 box of water (500 ml) 1/2 tub of leftover Helluva good onion dip or sour cream 1 lg stalk celery diced 1 ex lg carrot diced 7 small potatoes diced 1/2 small turnip diced onion and garlic seasoning lots of black pepper shot of soya sauce shot of worchesteshire sauce Stir well, and refrigerate till needed. Then cook on high s

When John announced this was what he was cooking, I rolled my eyes and knew I could always make a sandwich. I immediately thought spicey or fishy. NOT SO! Actually with a little tweeking, this could become a staple at the Shannon house! 2 tbsp cooking oil 1 lb sausage cut up (personally used mild italian & next time would remove casings using just the ground meat) 1 1/2 lb of deboned chicken In a large frying pan heat the oil and add meats over medium heat. Stir often, remove meat when thoroughly cooked and put in large mixing bowl. 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup oil Add to frying pan and make a roux (paste). Do not scorch but cook until a tan color. You will need to stir it constantly. THIS will determine how pale the final product will become! When it reaches the color you like, pour into large pot. 2 cups bouillion liquid (it called for 4 but John misread it) Add to large pot. Keep heat medium to low to avoid the "gravy" from burning on the bottom. 2 cups chopp

I know it's a little late in the season but here it is anyway . . . Filling: 2 lbs rhubarb, cut into 1" pieces 1-1/4 cups white sugar 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp ground cardamom Crumble: 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup of butter, cut into cubes Preheat oven to 375F.  In a medium sized bowl, mix together the rhubarb, white sugar, 1/4 cup of flour, the vanilla extract, and the ground cardamom.  Spoon into a 9 x 13" baking dish. In a food processor, pulse together 1 cup of flour, the salt, and the brown sugar.  Add the butter and pulse until the pieces of butter are pea-sized.  Spread topping mixture over rhubarb mixture. Place in oven and cook for 35-45 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the topping is lightly browned.  Let cool for at least a half an hour before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 8 From www.simplyrecipes.com