Catherine's Recipe Box

Note:  It's salad season!  I dare you to make this and not love it.  And the ingredients are so much better than what you will find in a bottle from the store. Ingredients 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 3 garlic cloves, minced generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper 2 tablespoons fresh herbs or 2 teaspoons dried (basil, oregano, chives, and thyme are all nice) scant 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil Directions 1) Mix together all ingredients except the olive oil in the 2 cup container you will store it in. 2) Add the olive oil and shake. 3) Serve over your favorite salad or use as the base for a pasta salad! Store in the refrigerator. source:  http://www.simplebites.net/three-homemade-salad-dressing-recipes-better-for-you-better-for-your-wallet/

Note: This is so rich and decadent!  With the nut garnish, it also looks a lot more difficult than it is.  Make sure you incorporate the eggs into the cake mixture very well or your cake will rise in very strange ways. Ingredients Cake 1 cup butter 16 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped 2 teaspoons vanilla 6 eggs, lightly beaten Glaze 1/4 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon light corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 oz. dark chocolate, chopped Garnish 2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts (filberts), walnuts or almonds Directions 1)Grease 8-inch round cake pan. 2) In medium saucepan, melt butter and 16 oz. chocolate over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Gently stir in eggs until well combined. 3) Pour into greased pan. Place cake pan in 13x9-inch pan; add warm water until 1 inch deep. 4) Bake at 350°F. for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Remove cake pan from water bath; place on wire rack. Cool 40 m...

Note: This is easy and comes together quickly.  Fresh lemon makes a difference! Ingredients 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp. vanilla 2 eggs 1 Pre-Made Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6 oz.) Directions 1) Beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and juice until well blended.  Add eggs and stir until incorporated. 2) Pour the mixture into the pie crust 3) Bake for 40 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees.  Cool and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight if possible.  The longer it sits, the better the flavors will meld! source: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/ recipes/philadelphia-3-step- luscious-lemon-51354.aspx

Note:  We mainly call these Icebox cookies or Cinnamon Sticks.  They are excellent for breakfast, lunch or dinner (especially if egg nog is present!). Ingredients 3 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tbsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup butter or shortening 1 cup brown sugar (packed) 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 cup finely chopped walnuts Directions Sift or whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt together.   Work butter until soft & work in both sugars, add eggs which have been well beaten.   Mix in dry ingredients & nuts until well combined.   Divide dough in thirds.  Make a long oval loaf of each third and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Chill overnight or up to 3 days.   Cut loaf in half long way to make small cookies, leave loaf in one big piece for "plank sized" cookies. Slice loaf in 1/4" pieces.  Bake on a cookie sheet and bake  @ 350. About 7 minutes for small cookies and 10 minute...

Note:  I made this for a church gathering and it was a big hit.  It also reheated well as I made it the night before. Ingredients 3 cups quick cooking oats ½ cup brown sugar 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter 2 eggs 2 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ginger ¼ teaspoon cloves ¾ cup canned pumpkin ¼ cup brown sugar (for the top) Directions In a large bowl mix together all ingredients except the ¼ cup brown sugar for the top. Spread into a greased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup brown sugar on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve with milk and enjoy! source:   http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2010/11/baked-pumpkin-oatmeal.html

Note: Amazing.  That is the only way to describe these cakey muffins.  Okay, "muffins".  They are much more like cupcakes that just happen to have apples in them, so that makes them healthy, right?  The batter turned out more like dough for me, but that might have been because I totally just mixed all the ingredients into one bowl and ignored the stepped process.  I'll try to stick closer to the recipe next time to see if it ends up more batter-y.  Sorry, no picture for now, but check out the picture on the source site if you like. Ingredients 2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup butter 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract 1 ½ cups chopped apples Cinnamon topping- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon all purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon butter Directions 1) Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. 2) Prep a 12 cup muffin pan by greasing the cu...

Note:  This "pie" was easy to throw together and gave me some downtime while it was in the oven.  It has the veggies and the protein all mixed right in, so no need for side dishes or lots of extras.  It's great leftover, too. Ingredients 1 pkg. (14 oz.) macaroni & cheese dinner (with sauce packet) 2 cups small broccoli florets (frozen or fresh) 4 eggs 1 cup of cubed or chopped ham (could be ham steak or deli meat, whatever you have!) 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey jack works) Directions 1) Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9in pie plate with cooking spray. 2) Cook macaroni noodles as directed.  Steam broccoli in your preferred method 3) In a small bowl, beat eggs and stir in the cheese sauce. 4) When macaroni is cooked and drained, add cheese sauce mixture, ham, and broccoli.  Mix well. 5) Spoon mixture into pie plate and top with shredded cheese 6) Bake for 30 minutes or until macaroni is set and the t...