Grandma's Fudge

Mix:
4 cups of sugar
1 large can of evaporated milk
Bring to a boil and cook for 11 minutes stirring the whole time
Take off stove
Add:
2 squares of margarine
2 pkgs  milk chocolate chips (ghiradeli or gitard chips are the best)
1 tsp vanilla
Beat with a wooden spoon till creamy.
Fold in 1 cup of chopped nuts

Crispy Belgian Waffles

Mom gave us the Belgian Waffle Maker's a while ago and we have been working on perfecting our waffle batter so that it tasks like the Waffles at Mauna Kea in Hawaii.  If you haven't had them, they taste similar to a churro in that they are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.  They also have coconut syrup that is off the heezy.

Here is the Belgian Waffle Recipe that we used this last time and it worked really good:

Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup oil
2 cups milk

Directions:
1. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Separate the eggs.
3. In small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff (use electric mixer)
4. Mix together the egg yolks, milk and oil and stir slightly
5. Add to dry ingredients and mix well
6. Fold in beaten egg whites.

Step 6 is really the most important step because you can mix the other ingredients pretty much how you want without screwing things up.  But you have to make sure that you very carefully "fold" in the egg whites as it will greatly effect  the quality/crispness of the waffle.  Do not "over fold" as it will loose its fluffiness.

Make sure that your Belgian waffle maker is turned on its highest setting.  You want the outsides to be crispy.  Also make sure you grease it with a lot of butter or cooking spray.  Pour in about 3/4 a cup into the waffle maker and close the machine and rotate it immediately.  It will let yo know when its done.

I just found this coconut syrup recipe here that looks pretty easy: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/coconut-pancake-syrup/

I give this recipe 4/5 stars.  Hoping to find that 5 star batter soon.
It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and about 1-2 minutes per Waffle

How to Poach Chicken

I was getting sick of the texture and dryness of my chicken after I'd boil it to add to casseroles or whatever, so I looked up alternative ways and found this site: 

http://www.chefdarin.com/2011/04/why-boiled-chicken-is-bad/

The gist of it is this: 
1. Make a chicken stock with whatever you have on hand (he suggests: celery leaves, onions, parsley stems, peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic). I didn't have any of that, so I just filled my pot with water, added some chicken bouillon cubes, garlic powder, salt, and a little lemon juice.

2. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. Turn it up to a boil. Once it's boiling, turn off the stove and remove the pot. 

4. Immediately add thawed chicken (I cut my chicken tenderloins in half) and cover tightly with a lid or tin foil. 

5. Let the covered pot sit for about 10-12 minutes (15-20 minutes if cooking chicken on the bone) off of the heat.

6. The chicken will be moist, flavorful and ready to add to any recipe. 

**Note, you can use the stock over and over again and even freeze it. I did this with a bunch of chicken I bought on sale, shredded it/cubed it and froze it in ziploc bags.

Boiled vs. Poached Chicken

Kylee's Rating: 4 stars

Will I do it again? Yes, every time!

Delicious, Easy Sugar Cookie

There's a little drive-through place in St. George called "Swig". They specialize in drinks, hence the name, but they also have these delicious sugar cookies. I made them last night for the NCAA tournament viewing party that was at my house yesterday. I'll be making these when I come up in May.

http://www.vintagerevivals.com/2013/03/swig-sugar-cookie-recipe-literally-best.html

Why I like them? These are drop cookies, so there is no rolling out or cooling, so they are quick. They're soft, buttery shortbread-like cookies. And the frosting is delicious.

Possible changes: If you aren't a fan of sour cream frosting, I bet cream cheese frosting would be good too.

Kylee's Rating: 4 stars
Will I make again? Yes! Easy and yummy and they make a lot!

White Chili Recipe

I got this from Brock & Arrienne and it's delicous!

The recipe card said (Emily Hall)

1. Sauté 1 medium onion until tender in big pot.
2. Add
    -1 (15 oz) can of chicken broth
    -1-2 small cans of mild green chilis
    -3 (15 oz) cans of Great Northern Beans (drained, rinsed, dried)
    -1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
    -1 tsp. salt
    -1 tsp. cumin
    -1 tsp. oregano
    -1/4 tsp. cayenne
    -1/2 tsp. black pepper
**Note: I didn't have cumin or cayenne, so I just used chili powder and it tasted great.

3. Add 3-4 cooked chicken breasts or 1 rotisserie chicken (cubed or shredded) and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Before serving add:
    -1 cup sour cream (can be low fat)
    -1/2 cup cream

Serve with lime Tostito chips and grated cheese.

I served mine with a side of guacamole.

Level of Difficulty: Easy
Kylee's Rating: 4 stars
Shane's Rating: 4 stars
Will I make it again? Heck, yes!