Tammy:
Main Dish: Mushroom Risotto
Source: Allrecipes.com
Submitted by Myleen


Comments : Let me just say how proud I was at this dish.  I am a big fan of risotto in restaurants.  It is always delicious, so I wanted to brave this scary dish myself.  It is definitely intimidating.  Something so delicious can't be easy right?  Well, kind of.  It really wasn't a difficult dish to make, but it was very time consuming.  You have to attend to the rice constantly.  I stirred until I didn't think I would be able to go on, only to find that I had another 15 minutes of stirring to go.  Was it worth it, you may ask ................

Absolutely.  This dish was amazing.  The amount of mushrooms that went into it was a little frightening, but it turned out fabulous.   Would I make this on an average night for dinner?  No way!  This is not a dish that you can make while sharing the kitchen with a two year old.  However, I will make it the next time that I want to impress my hubby on date night.    He won't know what hit him :)


Comments from Melissa:  This was great to watch but holy cow did it take FOREVER to make! LOL I enjoyed eating it and watching Sis make it - but it's not worth it for me haha, I like easy recipes.  But good job Sis, way to finally try something you always said you wanted to.  It was super yummy and the mushrooms were perfect!


Comments from Mom: Wow.  I really loved this dish.  I first thought that the whole recipe was going to be mushrooms.  Also, it took a great amount of time to put together and finish.  But, wow the finished result was nothing like I expected.  I always make up my mind before I even try a recipe and I am learning not to prejudge.  Good job Tammy as it passed the MOM test.

Janice
Dessert - Raspberry-Topped Cream Tarts
Source:  Taste of Home Comfort Food Cookbook


Comment:  This was a very light and tasty dessert.  First, I did not have a biscuit cutter so I used a glass approximately the size of 3-1/2 inches.  Then I cut the tortilla rounds with scissors.  That was okay.  I think they could have been a little bit bigger because the cups were a little too small.  The next thing was that I needed a wire rack to cool on (didn't have), although that was not a big deal.  The recipe was very easy to make.  You could use just about any fruit to top the cups.  The one last thing was the recipe said to store the leftovers in the refrigerator, but after a few hours the tortilla cups were not crispy anymore.  They became a little soggy.  Overall, good job.


Comments from Melissa: It's hillarious to watch Mom cook because she really doesn't measure anything or go by the recipe...she kinda eye-balls all the measurements and then if she's missing something, she says, "oh well" and then moves right on along. Haha It's too funny.  Somehow, most things turn out pretty good.  These were good but you could definitely taste the extract that she measured over the bowl she was mixing the ingredients in - in which she overflowed the measuring spoon and still poured it all in LOL.  Love you mom!



Comments from Tammy:  Good job Mom.  These were very pretty.  A great dessert if you want to impress your guests.   One thing that we have learned about Mom is that exact measurements are not her thing.  Ha, ha.  As a result, these had a strong flavor from the almond extract.  I think a little extra spilled over into the mixture.  You can judge for yourself when we watch the video :)  Aside from that these tasted good and looked beautiful.  I am proud of Mom's dedication to this one.  Cutting the tortilla's was no easy task.




Melissa
Side Dish: Twice Baked Potatoes
I lost the recipe...sorry!  =(


Comments: These make me look like a real chef!! I loved making them because they were challenging (for me) and involved and look so pretty once they are done.  Definitely pleasing to the eye and something I would make again if I wanted to impress.  Cutting the potatoes open was difficult for me because I didn't understand what the recipe was saying (not descriptive enough) and the skins kept craking and I thought they were going to be a disaster.  But Sis gave me a suggestion that worked and I was able to save a few.  Yummy!


Comments from Tammy:  It's called teamwork Sis.  That is why we are doing this together and not on our own.  Can you imagine if we didn't have each other's help?  Ha, ha.....  Anyway these potatoes were very pretty.  Definitely one to impress.  The flavor of the actual potato was much like a baked potato.  Not a ton of flavor.  Lissa said when she ate it that if you want to impress you make these potatoes, but for an everyday dinner for your family, this is a little too much effort.  Just do regular baked potatoes instead.  Good job Sista!!!

Comments from Mom:  Sorry you lost the recipe because I would have tried this recipe.  It was a little involved, but overall they turned out yummy.  This would be a recipe to use if you were really trying to impress because the presentation was really nice.  The recipe was a little hard to follow in some of its instructions (as far as some of the wording).  So it was a little difficut to try and figure out what was meant.  Good job Lissa for haning in there with it and ending up with a winner.

Recipes

Mushroom Risotto:

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

- In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.

- Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

- Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Raspberry Topped Cream Tarts

Ingredients:

1 tbs. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

4 flour tortillas (8 inches)

Warm water

1 pkg. (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

3 tbs. sugar

1 to 2 tbs. fat-free milk

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 cup fresh raspberries

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.  Cut tortillas with a 3-1/2 in. biscuit cutter; discard tortillas scraps.  Brush both sides of tortillas rounds with warm water.  Spray tops with cooking spray; sprinkle with brown sugar mixture.  Press into ungreased muffin cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool in pans on wire racks.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, milk and almond extract; mix well.  Spoon into the tortillas shells; top with the raspberries.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Yield:  16 servings.

You Call That Frosting?

Tammy
Side Dish
Classic Marinara
Source: CDKitchen.com

Comments:  What can I say other than this was a complete disaster.  I have had a few in the past, but nothing that left the food inedible.  Only Lissa has experienced that :)  Ha, ha!  Sorry sis, couldn't help it.  But really, what was up with this recipe?   I double and tripled checked to make sure that I didn't miss something, and I didn't.  I followed the recipe to a tee.  Did the person who wrote the recipe actually never make it before?  I know many of you can relate (or maybe Lissa and I are the only ones who have ever experienced this) to how bad it sucks to buy ingredients, spend time preparing something, only to have to pour it down the drain cause it tasted so terrible.  At least I kept positive!  (Don't tell her I said so, but I am not sure that I can say the same about Lissa when it came to her frosting flop, ssshhhhhhh!)


Janice:  Well, what can I say.  When Tammy was cooking this, I commented on how many onions that were being put in it.  I thought there were way toooooo many.  But, the proof was in the eating.  I tried to eat it and be really nice, but even I had to admit that the recipe was not a good one.  Well, we chalk it up to the learning process.  We still had fun making it.


Melissa: Okay....so, this recipe...not good.  Ahaha, sorry Sis.  Love ya!  But, seriously, yuck.  I do like mild onion flavor, but this was marinara was like, "Would you care for some sauce with your onions??" LOL  It was too strong that I couldn't take but a few bites of it.  But, nice try Sis - looks like you strike again!




Tammy
Side Dish
Italian Style Garlic Bread
Source: Cooks.com






Comments: Thank goodness I was able to have a second chance this time.  So glad that I decided to make bread also.  I think since the bread was so good, we can just pretend that the marinara never happened right?  Right Lis?  .....   Yeah, right.  She will never let me live it down!  Oh, well.  I will just have to redeem. This garlic bread was so good.  So easy.  This will become a regular dish at my house.  Now, I just need to find a marinara recipe to go with it :)



Janice: This bread recipe was scrumptious.  As Tammy said that it was sooooooooo good that we forgot about the marinara sauce.  I would definitely make this recipe again.  This made up for the not so good recipes.


Melissa: Yum Yum!  It looked super easy and I think it tastes way better than the frozen kind you can buy at the store. I will definitely make this again.  Sis, good thing you added this to your menu because otherwise you would have had nothing to celebrate ;)  Good decision.

Janice
Main Dish
Tender Turkey Meatballs
Source:  Taste of Home Comfort Food Cookbook


Comments:  Yeah!  The turkey meatballs were very tasty.  We ended up with about 38 meatballs because Devyn was making small ones and I was doing larger ones.  That was great fun.  I did not realize that they needed to be baked on a rack so that the juices could run off.  So, I had to kind of wipe off each meatball separately of any sediment from baking.  Oh well, live and learn.


Melissa: Let me just start by saying, like I did in the video, that I'm not a meatball person. HAHA because I seriously would never choose to make this recipe myself.  That being said, Mom did a good job - even though she doesn't know how to check if they are done, she just says the are!  They turned out yummy and I think the kids and husbands would love them.


Tammy: Yay Meatballs!  I love them.  I thought these were so yummy.  I do have to say that I really don't like green pepper, but all the flavors mixed together turned out good.  Good thing Mom's meatballs turned out good or we would have had nothing but dessert to eat!  Devyn really enjoyed making these with her Grandma.  This is definitely a fun recipe for the kids.   These probably would have been even better had they had a great marinara to go with them :)

Melissa 

Dessert

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Source: CountryLiving.com

Yields: 2 dozen cupcakes

Total Time: 50 min

Comments: UGH!!!  I just wanted to pull out my hair!  Sorry for all who watched the video cuz I was sooo frustrated. HAHA oh! and sorry Sis for snipping at you.  That's called LOVE ;)~  Anyways, the only thing we can think is that I didn't let the white chocolate cool completely (but the recipe didn't call for that) and that because it was slightly warm, it melted the butter and ruined my frosting.  In any case, I improvised and was able to make a different topping that worked well.  As for the muffin cups, I have no idea why people use those (can someone please explain!!) because I even made more cupcakes that night and sprayed them and the cake still stuck to them!  AHHH

Tammy: Ha, ha!  I love ya Sis!  Is it bad that I have more fun when you are frustrated?  It makes for a much better video I think.  Bad frosting and cupcakes that stuck!  Despite all that they tasted really great.  The frosting was too labor intensive anyway.   I am sure that there is a much better and much easier  recipe out there.  Don't worry Sis,  I am sure that it wasn't your fault :)  Well, maybe it was (ha, ha).


Janice: Hey, I thought that the cupcakes were great.  Yes, there was a little problem about the frosting that didn't come out right but all was fixed in the end.  As for the sticking problem, we thought that the silicon cups were non-stick.  Apparently, they are not.  Lissa was able to come up with a different frosting and all was goooooood.  The cake tasted really good and we just dug them out of the little cups.

Recipes

Classic Marinara:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive or vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped

1/4 cup grated carrot
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 ounce size) crushed tomatoes with basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon salt
Hot cooked pasta, if desired

Directions:

Heat oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions, carrot and garlic in oil about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in tomatoes, parsley and oregano; season with salt and pepper. 

Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes. Serve over pasta

Italian Style Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup mayo

2 Tbsp grated parmesan

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients. Spread on sliced french loaf. Broil until golden on ungreased baking sheet.  Makes 3/4 cup.  May be stored in covered container for up to 1 month.

Tender Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup egg substitute

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. dried marjoram

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 package (12 ounces) spaghetti

5 cups meatless spaghetti sauce

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients.  Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well.  Shape into 30 balls about 1 in. each.  Place meatballs on a rack coated with cooking spray in a shallow baking pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 13-16 minutes or until juices run clear; drain.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions.  Transfer meatballs to a large saucepan; add spaghetti sauce.  Heat through.  Drain spaghetti; top with meatballs and sauce.

Yield:  6 servings

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cake

• 1/3 cup(s) cocoa
• 3 tablespoon(s) red food coloring
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup(s) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 4  egg yolks
• 1 cup(s) buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 2 1/4 cup(s) sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon(s) white vinegar

Frosting

• 1 cup(s) milk
• 3 tablespoon(s) flour
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) salt
• 8 ounce(s) of either 62 percent dark chocolate or white chocolate
• 1 cup(s) butter
• 1 1/2 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoon(s) cocoa (for white chocolate frosting, omit cocoa)
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Directions

1. Cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 standard 12-cup cupcake tins with baking papers and set aside. Mix the cocoa, food coloring, and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl, using a mixer set on medium-high speed. Add the yolks and beat for 1 more minute. Add the cocoa mixture and beat to combine. Stir the buttermilk and salt together and add it in thirds, alternating with the flour. Mix the baking soda with the vinegar and blend into the batter. Fill each cupcake tin with 3 tablespoons batter, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the cupcake center tests clean — about 15 minutes. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Release cakes and cool completely before frosting with Cooked Chocolate Frosting.
2. Frosting: Whisk milk, flour, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble — 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.
3. Melt either dark chocolate or white chocolate. Set aside to cool.
4. Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa (for white chocolate frosting, omit cocoa) together until light and fluffy. Beat in the cooled chocolate and add milk mixture and vanilla extract (dark chocolate frosting only) until smooth and fluffy. Use immediately.

Tilapia Dump

SEE BELOW FOR RECIPES

Melissa

Entree Tilapia and Vegetable Packets
Source: Woman's Day Magazine April 17, 2010

Comments: Wow, this one was definitely fun to make because it involved so many different ingredients. Many that I had never heard of or worked with. You should see us at the grocery store, the three of us, looking for these (what we think are odd) ingredients. We finally asked the manager of Stater Brotherswhere to find the capers. HaHa! But this really wasn't a difficult recipe and it turned out deeeelicious!! The fish was sooo moist and tender. We all agreed though that it might have too much salt with the salt on top and the capers as well. I recommend just a dash of salt on top before it cooks and then adding more to taste afterwards. Definitely a dish I will be making for years to come. The fish was so yummy and the presentation was beautiful! I was proud of myself. Thank you Sis for finding this recipe for me =)

Janice: Wow Lissa, I am so proud of you. I am not sure I would have attempted this as of yet. It seemed liked this recipe took a long time to make, but I know it wasn't. I love the idea that this was really a meal in itself. We had a lot of fun watching Lissa make these. This was a very delicious meal. I really will try it someday, ha ha!

Tammy: I have to say that I loved watching Lissa make this one. There was so much to it and it just looked like fun. I can't wait to make this one for the family. Impress your guests with this one for sure :) The fish was fabulous! Beautiful andso healthy!! Lissa had to use a shallot (just fun to say), capers and thyme for the first time with this recipe. We learned a lot about the ingredients. For one, shallots are not any fun to cut. They sting your eyes just as an onion does! Maybe I shouldn't laugh at one's pain, but it was quite entertaining to wat

ch Lissa cut these. Also, this recipe called for asparagus and Mom doesn't like them. Well, really, Mom doesn't really like many things. And my husband thinks I'm picky? Shhhh! Don't tell her that I said that :) Ha, ha!!!!

Janice

Side Dish:Grant Street Pilaf

Source:

Comments: I liked the rice dish, although it did not go over so very well. It was very different and that is what we are trying in endeavours for our cooking trials. I made a mistake because the recipe called for the can of chunks of pineapple, but it was supposed to

be in heavy syrup. I bought the one that was in pineapple juice so I think it made the rice a little too sweet. I am not sure I would try this recipe again. Oh well!!!!!

Tammy: This recipe was a little weird for me. Not really in a bad way. Just very different. I can't decide if I really liked it or not. I think I might have liked it better without the big chunks of pineapple in it. Just the rice with the sweet syrup. Yeah, that would work better for me. The rice on it's own was good. Have I said yet that Mom is picky? She doesn't like green onions either. However, she picked a recipe that called for green onions. She is trying things though. I have to giver her that :) Love Ya Mom!

Lissa: First of all, mom bought the pineapple chunks in juice rather than in syrup like the recipe calls for. In the end, I thought this rice was very different, in a good way. I love pineapple and I really like brown rice so I loved the combination - however I don't think it would be for everyone. The pineapple made the rice sweet and might not satisfy all tastebuds. But, I really thought it was tasty and I'm curious to see how it would have turned out if mom had bought the pineapple chunks in syrup rather than in juice. It is so hillarious to watch mom cook because she really doesn't prepare and doesn't measure precisely, she just goes with it. LOL

Tammy

Dessert: Easy Dump Cake

Source: Easy Everyday Recipes Cookbook

Comments: Yay!!!! I have finally used my bundt cake pan. What an accomplishment. It has sat in my cupboard collecting dust for years, never used. What a shame. Especially when you see how pretty a cake looks when it comes out of this pan. I am a fan of the bundt :) It looked like a cake bought at the store. Not only was it pretty, but it was delicious too. I loved this recipe. So easy and the Chocolate Glaze for the top was to die for. It stayed shiny and hardened up a little. Perfect presentation. Lissa said that she could have done more of the frosting. That is a call of preference. If the glaze is too much for you you can leave it off and just put powdered sugar on it. I am no longer afraid of the bundt !!!!!!

Janice: This dump cake was very very good. I am not sure why they call it a dump cake because it was a real cake. I am a very very big chocolate person and the fact that it had chocolate chips in it made it even better. Tammy added the drizzle of chocolate to the top which was great too. I think you could add several types of toppings to this cake although it did not call for it in the recipe. Great job.

Lissa: Seems like the theme for us saying, "I'm really not a ______ person." But I truly am not a cold cake or just really cake person, in general. However, I love love sweet desserts and chocolate so I liked this dessert very much. Sis served the cake warm with the chocolate sauce on top and it was delicious. The chocolate chips in the middle were supper yummy too! I would like to try it myself with a few variations...yup peanut butter =) I was thinking either peanut butter chips in the cake or adding peanut butter to the melted sauce on top. Yum Yum!!

Recipes

Tilapia and Vegetable Packets

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ready in: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 cups baby spinach

4 tilapia fillets (6 to 7 oz each)

8 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

8 oz thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into lengths about 2 in. long

4 tsp each capers and shallots

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

8 to 12 thin slices of lemon

Directions:

1. Place oven rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 425 degrees. You'll need a rimmed baking pan and 4 pieces of parchment paper or nonstick foil (each about 16 in. long).

2. To make each packet: Place 1 cup spinach in center of parchment paper. Top with a tilapia fillet. Brush fish with 1 tsp of olive oil. Scatter 1/2 cup of the asparagus on and around fish. Scatter 1 tsp each of the shallots and capers, and 1/2 tsp of the thyme over top. Drizzle with another tsp of oil; sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of the salt and 1/8 tsp of the pepper. Top fish with 2 or 3 slices of the lemon.

3. Bring long ends of paper together and fold down 3 times to make a seam. Place on baking pan and tuck ends underneath. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 4 packets.

4. Bake 15 minutes until packets are puffed. Open 1 packet to test doneness. If fish isn't opaque at center, reseal packet and return to oven. Check again after 5 minutes.

Grant Street Pilaf

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

20 oz can Dole pineapple chunks, in syrup

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp grated ginger root

2 cups water

1 cup long-grain brown rice

1/2 tsp rosemary

2 tbs butter

2 tbs chopped green onion

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Drain pineapple syrup into sauce pan. Add water and bring to a boil

2. Stir in rice and rosemary. Cover and simmer 35 to 45 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

3. Mix in pineapple chunks and remaining ingredients and heat through.

Dump Cake

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Ready In: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (5.9 ounce)package instant chocolate pudding mix

4 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup water

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flower Bundt pan

2. In a bowl, mix yellow cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and water. Gently fold in the sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan.

3. Bake for 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Chocolate Glaze for Cake:

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla.
2. Spread warm glaze over top of cake, letting it drizzle down the sides.