Barley and Pine Nut Pilaf

Dale made this recipe for Christmas one year and I loved it. She wrote it out on a piece of paper that always seems to misplace itself when I need it, I am adding it to the blog so I can always find it!

1 Cup Barley

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup pine nuts

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup finely minced parsley

1/2 tsp basil leaves

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 can consomme soup

1 1/2 cups water

Rinse the barley in cold water and drain well. In a fry pan melt 2 tblsp of the butter over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and stir until lightly toasted. Remove the pine nuts with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tblsp of butter to the fry pan. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the barley and cook stirring until lightly toasted.

Remove from heat and stir in pine nuts, parsley, basil and pepper.

Spoon into a 1.5 Lt casserole dish.

Heat consomme soup and water until boiling. Pour over barley mix in the casserole dish and stir well to blend.

Cover and bake for 1 hours at 375F then remove the lid. Stir well again,cook for 30 more minutes uncovered. After 1.5 hours most of the liquid is absorbed and barley is tender.

Garnish with fresh parsley

4-6 servings.

Pulled Pork BBQ

Have you ever found the perfect recipe, just days before you needed it? That's what happened with this one. We were hosting a BBQ and wanted something different than burgers and dogs. So we thot about making shishkabobs. The idea was ok, but we were still missing something, when poof, in my email this recipe appeared from Kraft! Perfect timing. We "guinee pigged" a few Friends of ours to test it out, and it was a hit! So if your having a BBQ soon, here's a great addition.

1 pork shoulder or butt (5 lb./2.2 kg)
1 cup BULL'S-EYE BOLD ORIGINAL Barbecue Sauce
1 cup pineapple juice
2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2 tsp. grated gingerroot
16 sandwich buns, split

PLACE meat in disposable foil pan. Mix barbecue sauce, pineapple juice, garlic and ginger. Pour one-third of the barbecue sauce mixture over meat; cover and refrigerate 20 min. to marinate. Refrigerate remaining barbecue sauce mixture until ready to use. Meanwhile, preheat barbecue to medium heat.
PLACE meat (in foil pan) on grate of barbecue; cover with lid. Grill 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until meat is cooked through (160ºF). Remove meat from barbecue; cover with foil. Let stand 10 min. Meanwhile, pour remaining barbecue sauce mixture into large saucepan; cook on medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
SHRED meat with two forks or chop into bite-size pieces. Add to saucepan; toss to coat. Serve in buns.

It's Whats For Dinner: Deep Fried Coke.

We couldn't get this at Stampede 2009 and we just had to go home and make it ourselves. It is really good!

1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 Cups of Coke
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Combine all ingredients. Drop mixture through a large funnel into hot peanut or vegetable oil (365°F-375°F) and fry until golden. Remove to paper towels using a slotted spoon. Drizzle with coke syrup and add whip cream. Yuuuuuuuuuuuum!

Mexican Lasagne

I was looking thru a cookbook the other day and a recipe written on paper fell out. It was from a few years back and it sounded interesting so we tried it. very simple but really yummy!

1 lb lean ground beef
1 can re fried beans
3 large tortillas
2 cups salsa
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chili powder

Brown the beef and add salsa and chili powder
place 1 tortilla in bottom of casserole dish
spread about half the can of re fried beans
spread a meat layer, cheese layer, soft tortilla
repeat 2 more times, end with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Old World Manicotti

Another one of Maddie's faves.

12 Large Manicotti Shells ( or 1 1/2 boxes of oven ready cannelloni ) 

4 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

2 cups ricotta cheese

6 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 Tablespoons dried basil

Spaghetti sauce, ( My testa dura sauce works here )

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Cook manicotti to package directions, drain, set on a plate.( if oven ready, just stuff the uncooked cannelloni ) 

For filling: in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups mozzarella, ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan and basil. Using a teaspoon, carefully stuff manicottis.

Spoon 2 cups sauce into baking dish, arrange manicottis and pour remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake for 15 minutes,in 350 oven.

Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese, cook 15 more minutes. Serve.

Flax Bread

Our favorite recipe for the bread machine.

3/4 Cup Water
4 Teaspoon honey
4 Teaspoon vegetable oil
1 Teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tablespoon flax seeds
4 Teaspoons sesame seeds
2 Teaspoons poppy seeds
1 1/4 Teaspoon yeast

Put all ingredients into the inner pot. Set to Whole wheat. Cook and enjoy.