Best Clam Chowder Soup EVER!

It was always my family's tradition to eat soup on Christmas Eve.  Clam Chowder and French Onion.  Brad and I have decided to continue on with that tradition!  We usually serve the clam chowder in sour dough bread bowls and it is soooo yummy.  I just found this recipe in a pile of papers from last year and I have to write it down so I don't have to call my Mom or sister when we make it again this year!

Clam Chowder

2 6 oz cans of drained clams, chopped
1 Cup of chopped onion
1 Cup of diced celery
2 Cups of cubed potatoes
3/4 Cup of butter
3/4 Cup of Flour
1 Quart half/half
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Chicken Croissants

This is Heather's recipe.  I made it for Blake's baby blessing.  It is a great recipe if you need to feed a crowd!!

2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 cup green onion
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
2/3 cup mayo or miracle whip
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/2 cup purple grapes halved

Spinach Salad Dressing

This dressing recipe is from Krystyn and it is soooo yummy! You will love it.  I usually put it with spinach, strawberries, grapes, pecans and craisins, but you can put it on any salad!  i have put it on a lettuce salad before too and it was yummy.

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar
1 TBSP poppy seeds
1 TBSP sesame seeds
1 TBSP worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup apple cidar vinegar

THE BEST and EASIEST chocolate cake/ cupcakes OF ALL TIME!!!!!

ok, super built up title. but  NO lie i have tried many many variations of your basic chocolate cake, and this one trumps them all by FAR!! even better than any ive tried from scratch. I've made it now at least 3 times for Dicks birthday, and gretas and mothers day. LOVE.

1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips (or substitute with chopped up reece peanut butter cups- awesome)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into cake pan of choice (I normally use two 9-inch pie pans). For cooking time, I use the cooking times on the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and usually add 10 mins to whatever it says. Then I do the toothpick check, and if it’s not done, I check on it every 5 mins after that. It usually takes around 45 mins for two, 9-inch pie pans.

Cornflake cookies

My sister gave me this recipe for cornflake cookies and at first I was pretty skeptical but I needed a little excitement in my life so I thought I would give it a whirl. Turns out these are so yummy! A nice change from the usual chocolate chip. Beat until light and fluffy: 1 cup shortening (I just used butter) 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla Sift together and stir in by hand: 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp soda 1/2 tsp salt Then stir in: 1 7 oz package FLAKED coconut 2 cups cornflakes Chocolate chips as desired Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes until barely done

Bread

I make this bread a couple times a month and freeze the loaves. It is an awesome recipe. So healthy and yummy!!! I got it from my sister-in-law, Louisa, who got it from Sarah's Mom and just tweaked it a bit.

I grind my own wheat, so I use more white flour than this recipe says because otherwise the bread doesn't rise very well!! I read on a package of a case of flour that I bought once that if you use 1Tbsp of lemon juice per 5 cups of flour it helps rise the bread and interacts with the gluten or something or other. Anyways, it helps make a yummy loaf!! Also, this recipe is so versatile. If you want only white bread, than just use white flour and you don't have to use red river!!

I have a convection oven so I put all 5 loaves in at the same time at 350. Enjoy!

Bread recipe for Bosch

5 cups warm water

½ cup honey

2 Tbsp yeast

­Pulse twice

6 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp lemon juice (optional)

2 cups dry Red River Cereal (you can also use Sunny Boy cereal or sometimes I use just oats)

6 cups whole wheat flour (or 3 cups ground whole wheat flour and 3 cups white flour)

1 cup white flour

4 tsp salt

Put on medium (2) for 8 minutes

2 cups whole wheat flour (or 1 cup ground whole wheat and 1 cup white flour)

2-5 cups white flour (add until the dough pulls from the bowl sides and add ½ cup more)

Put on medium (2) for 8 minutes

Take off bosch base and place a tea towel on top

Let dough rise for 15 minutes

Punch down

Let dough rise for 15 minutes

Form loaves (5 loaves)

Let loaves rise for 1 hour

Bake at 350°C for 30 minutes

Beef and Broccoli

Krystyn told me about this recipe. It is soo good. The sauce is great. I think we will be adding this to our Chinese Food favourites. The only thing I didn't have in the recipe was peanut oil. Olive oil worked great.

The Best Broccoli Beef

printed from melskitchencafe.com

*Serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth

5 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Beef and Broccoli:

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut into 2-inch-wide strips with the grain, then sliced across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices

6 medium cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)

1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon peanut oil or vegetable oil, plus extra for cooking

1 1/4 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/3 cup water

3 medium scallions, sliced 1/2-inch thick on diagonal, optional

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, combine beef and soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a liquid measure or small bowl. In another small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon peanut oil. Set aside.

Heat 1-2 teaspoons peanut oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and rippling. Add half of beef to skillet and break up clumps; cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until beef is browned around edges and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Don't overcook the meat - cook until just barely cooked through so the meat stays tender. Transfer beef to a medium bowl and cover with a lid and tin foil. Heat another 1-2 teaspoons peanut oil in the skillet and repeat with remaining beef.

Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to now-empty skillet; heat until rippling and hot. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds; add water, cover pan, and lower heat to medium. Steam broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Push the broccoli to the sides of the skillet and add the garlic/ginger mixture. Cook, mashing the mixture with a spoon, until fragrant, about 15-30 seconds. Stir the mixture into the broccoli. Add the beef back to skillet and toss to combine. Whisk the sauce to recombine and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with scallions, and serve - or be like me and serve it straight out of the skillet!