dinnerchatt

Spinach Salad Wraps

2011-08-29T20:36:00.004-04:00

Even though we're toward the end of the summer, I had to add this here because it was quite delicious (or delicioso as Roger would say - too much Diego in our house).

http://www.deglazing.com/deglazing/2011/08/spinach-salad-wraps.html
This is the original recipe, but since I'm a shamefully picky eater I changed it up.

Here's what you need:

tortillas
mozzarella cheese
tomatoes
mushrooms
spicy ranch dressing (I bought the packet and made it - ohmyword - good) or sour cream
couple few hard boiled eggs
bacon
fresh spinach leaves

Cook up the bacon. Cut up the tomatoes and mushrooms and cook them in a little butter (or bacon grease if you like living on the edge) toss in whatever herbs you like - I think I did a little oregano and basil and some nature's seasoning. Cook them up then drain them. Lay out your tortilla and put either your sour cream of dressing on it. Layer on bacon, spinach, mozzarella, tomato/mushroom mixture and eggs. Wrap up the tortilla and wrap it in wax paper if you're into that sort of thing (which I am) and enjoy.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2011-08-20T18:15:00.003-04:00

Hey girls!
Been awhile. Been thinking about this blog though because I keep getting into a rut. These recipes are so great, I need to spend some time looking back through all the ideas. Finding this recipe was the product of good planning, but poor execution this month. I planned to make pizza (good to have a plan), I didn't plan to buy enough red sauce (I might have said, "Dang it!" when I looked in my pantry). So, I had to get creative. I found this on a website called Our Best Bites - you really must check it out. Excellent. The original post can be found here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/08/guiltless-alfredo-sauce/. Like I said, I used it on pizza and it was delish. I was a little scared to use it with the other ingredients I had on hand - pepperoni, corn, and black beans on one half and broccoli on the other. Wow, it sounds gross, but it was actually really good - even Lena ate it with no tears!

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.
Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Stand above the pan (but not close enough to scald your face) and inhale. Ahhh…butter and garlic. Okay, now get cooking again. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

I use this sauce for so many things. Here’s a few ideas:

-Over pasta (obviously)
-As a dip for breadsticks
-As a sauce on pizza (this is the garlic cream sauce I was referring to in this recipe) and a half batch of sauce covers 2 medium pizza’s.
-Mix it with pesto for a creamy pesto sauce (so good)
-Mix it with marinara for a creamy marinara sauce

I recently was making mac and cheese and had the rest of this sauce leftover in the fridge so I thought, "what the heck?" and threw it in. Turned out great. I love recipes that are versatile like this one.

Bird's nest cookies

2011-04-05T20:11:00.002-04:00

My sister's mother-in-law makes these in their family every year at Easter. She sent some to my sister last year and she shared! YUM!!! This recipe was on the back of a bag of pb m&m's.

Prep time: 25 min (this would be considered a weekend recipe for me!)
Baking time: 12-14 min

What you will need:

- 1 bag M&M's (this bag wants you to use pb - which are awesome...but I've also had them w/ just plain m&m's)(the Easter pastel colors are pretty in the "nest")
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1-1/3 cups flaked coconut

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees, spread coconut on non-greased cookie sheet. Toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until it turns light golden, about 25 min

2. Remove coconut from cookie sheet and set aside

3. Increase oven temp to 350 degrees. In large bowl, add butter and sugar and whip until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla.

4. In medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Blend into a creamed mixture.

5. Form dough into 1-1/4 in. balls. Roll heavily into toasted coconut.

6. Place coconut cookies 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make indentation with thumb in center of each cookie. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Remove cookies and cool completely. Fill indentation with M&M's

Makes 3 dozen

Oh so good (for you) butternut pancakes

2011-03-27T21:00:00.004-04:00

So I've been making pancakes several mornings a week for at least 2 years now. They are so easy for little ones to eat and I feel like I'm giving them something substantial to start their mornings off right. Also ... the leftovers are great snacks for later in the day!

I started out using my mom's delicious recipe, but have tweaked it here and there over the years and this is what I've come up with that we all like! :)

Mix together these dry ingredients and make a well in the center.
1 1/4 c. flour (white whole wheat from King Arthur is my favorite!)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp. ground flaxseed (I grind it myself using our coffee grinder. Works great and I know it's fresh!)

Mix together these wet ingredients then pour into the well of your dry ingredients.
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. apple sauce
1/4 cup pureed butternut squash
1 1/4 c milk

Mix batter until all is combined.
I use 1/4 cup measure to pour batter onto pre-heated pan/griddle. And I use a non-stick skillet and if it's preheated then I don't have to use any butter or oil to keep them from sticking!
We also like to add mini-chocolate chips, blueberries, diced apples, or bananas (for you Ry!) etc. in the pancakes. I just put them on the pancakes individually after they're on the pan and cooking. Yum!
Makes 8-10 pancakes

**Added BONUS ** I really enjoy this blog Simple Bites and here are some yummy homemade syrup recipes to try on your pancakes! We've only made the Buttery Maple one so far and LOVED it!

Chili

2011-02-06T12:12:00.002-05:00

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 (8 ounce) jar salsa
4 tablespoons chili seasoning mix
1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans
1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and saute for 10 minutes, or until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease, if desired.
Add the ground black pepper, garlic salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning mix and kidney beans. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour.

Double-Chocolate Biscotti

2011-01-26T03:12:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine made biscotti a few months ago and told me it was actually really easy to make...and I love eating biscotti with a nice cup of hot tea. So I found this recipe in a magazine and tried it. Yum-o!

Makes: 2 dozen

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 cup nuts (I used macadamia nuts but almonds could be used)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until smooth. Sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat sugar and eggs together on medium speed until lightened. Add vanilla. On low speed, add chocolate mixture, then flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Dough will be soft. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface (I just used a cutting board). Form two 9 in.-long-by-3 1/2 in.-wide logs on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, until dough sets. Cool 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 275 degrees. Slice dough into 1/2 inch slices; place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Turn over; bake 20 minutes, until slightly dry. Let cool on wire rack. Store in airtight container. I then drizzled melted chocolate across the top...just because you can never have too much chocolate.

EASY Lasagna

2010-12-21T12:38:00.002-05:00

Is it sad to say that I use this blog all the time. I have gotten so used to a few of the recipes that I forget they weren't mine to begin with...ha! I also can not believe that there wasn't a lasagna recipe on here and as I was looking at past recipes I was inspired to keep using this blog and try some of the other recipes I haven't used at all or in a while. It is such a good reminder of dinner ideas! Love y'all! Keep posting! This is not my recipe but we are going to try it out!

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
4 cups tomato-basil pasta sauce
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup hot water

Preparation

Cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in pasta sauce.

Spread one-third of meat sauce in a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish; layer with 3 noodles and half each of ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. (The ricotta cheese layers will be thin.) Repeat procedure; spread remaining one-third of meat sauce over mozzarella cheese. Slowly pour 1/4 cup hot water around inside edge of dish. Tightly cover baking dish with 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Easy Sugar Cookies

2010-12-11T18:34:00.002-05:00

Somehow this got posted on my regular blog too! Ha! Oh well! They were a hit with the kids. I used cookie cutters instead of rolling the dough out and I chilled it for about 15 min. first.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Macaroni 'n Cheese (with Butternut Squash)

2010-10-13T12:08:00.002-04:00

So here's a recipe that I tweaked from "Deceptively Delicious". My kids (and those that I watch) ALL loved it and had seconds (which is HUGE since Jude is a bit picky at the moment). :) It's a really fast recipe ... takes about 20 mins to make (that is, if you already have the puree ready!)
*All my tweaking is along side the recipe in parentheses.

Macaroni and Cheese (with Butternut Squash OR cauliflower)
1 1/2 c. macaroni
1 Tbsp olive oil (I used butter ... LOVE butter!)
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 c. skim milk (I used whole milk)
1/2 c. butternut squash OR cauliflower puree
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (I used colby)
4 oz. reduced fat/nonfat cream cheese (I didn't use)
1/2 tsp salt (probably used only about 1/4 tsp)
1/8 tsp paprika (I didn't use)
1/8 tsp pepper (I didn't use)

1. Cook macaroni

2. While macaroni is cooking in med./large saucepan, over medium heat, heat oil (or melt butter), add flour and cook, stirring constantly until mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 - 2 mins.

3. Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then until the mixture begins to thicken, (3-4mins). Add the vegetable puree, cheese, cream cheese and seasonings, and stir until the cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Stir in macaroni and serve warm.

Serves 4

Chicken Pot Pie

2010-10-07T18:02:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited that we can now cook fall comfort foods. Actually, I make this one in summer a little, but it's so much more satisfying in the fall and winter. Ironically I got this from my sister-in-law who is a vegetarian!

1 1/2 - 2 cups celery, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 cups carrots, chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half & half (I often use whole milk)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups (2-3 chick breasts), cooked and shredded
2 basic pie crusts

Saute celery and carrots in butter for 10 minutes or until tender and slightly brown. Remove carrots and celery. Add flour to sauteed butter, stirring well (sometimes I have to add a little more butter here to make the rue). Combine broth and half & half; gradually stir into flour/butter mixture. Bring to a boil; boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Add in salt and pepper. Add chicken and vegetable, stirring well. Pour mixture into pie shell. Cover with top shell and cut slits to allow steam to escape. Bake 40 minutes @400 degrees.

White Chicken Chili

2010-10-01T16:34:00.004-04:00

Finally!!! I am getting around to posting this recipe. Sorry to those who have asked, begged, pleaded, and given up!
Here it is...

1 rotisserie chicken
3 cans great northern beans
16 oz jar of mild salsa or Rotel
2 cans of chicken broth
2 tsp cumin
16-18 oz cubed pepper jack cheese

Cook on high in crockpot for 3 hours...Serve with tortilla chips (I like the blue corn chips for color!)
Enjoy!

Healthy Cobb Salad

2010-09-18T20:27:00.002-04:00

First of all, let me say I am so excited about the new recipes just posted! Can't wait to try them all!
Thanks! Having a stalemate with my dinner menus...need quick during the week yet healthy and child friendly! We have been eating a lot of Turkey burgers, sweet potato fries, and veggies. Getting burned out!

I found this one in my People magazine...it is from Jillian Micheals from the Biggest Loser. I haven't tried it yet but it is on the menu for this week!

1 oz. Roquefort or other blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (my sister has been eating this for breakfast and loves it)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 slices turkey bacon (another new fav of mine! don't hate til you give it a try! ;)
8 cups or 2 heads thinly sliced Romaine lettuce
1 lb poached or grilled chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
1 firm, ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced

1. Blend the Roquefort, yogurt, vinegar, water and pepper until smooth; reserve.
2. Cook turkey bacon, until crisp, about 8 min
3. Arrange lettuce on platter, scatter bacon, followed by chicken, tomatoes, eggs, avocado.
4. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Serves 6
(Sorry no picture...yet!)

Spaghetti with Eggplant & Tomato Sauce

2010-09-12T19:52:00.004-04:00

These last 3 recipes I have all gotten from magazines and I like them because 1) they taste great! 2) ingredients that are fresh and I have on hand 3) different from the recipes I usually make. Plus I want to put these on this site because I know I will lose the magazine clipping and I know I will make these again and again.

1 medium size eggplant, diced (2 cups) I use a Japanese eggplant, more skin less flesh
2 T salt (for soaking eggplant)
3 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or use a couple cans of chopped/diced tomatoes like I did...less work)
2 T tomato paste
12 oz. spaghetti
oil for frying
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (very important ingredient)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

Put diced eggplant into a colander over a plate. Sprinkle with 2 T salt; toss. Set aside to drain 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels (I didn't rinse mine and I really liked it with the salty taste). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes over medium-low heat until light golden. Add tomatoes and tomato paste; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften and sauce is slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, when water comes to a boil, add pasta and cook as package directs. While pasta cooks, heat 1/2 in. vegetable oil in another large skillet. Add eggplant and fry until golden, about 8 minutes (I found it to be longer because you want a crispy shell on the outside).
Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Stir eggplant into tomato sauce.

When pasta is cooked, reserve 2 T pasta cooking water, then drain. Return pasta to pot. Stir in sauce, reserved water, basil and cheese. Season with salt, pepper if desired.

Stir-Fried Pork in Lettuce Leaves

2010-09-12T19:38:00.002-04:00

Have you had the lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang's? Well these are just as amazing...and something a little different from the same ol', same ol' meals. Rave reviews by everyone, even my picky eater.

1/3 cup stir-fry sauce
1 T dry sherry (I just used a red wine I had sitting around)
1 t. cornstarch
1 lb. ground pork (not sausage)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 t. dark sesame oil
Iceberg lettuce leaves (green leaf and romaine work as well)

In small bowl, combine stir-fry sauce, sherry and cornstarch; set aside. Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high heat; add pork, onion, and garlic. Stir-fry until pork is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat. Add sauce mixture. Cook stirring often until pork is evenly-coated with sauce. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and sesame oil. Place 1/4 cup of the meat mixture in each lettuce leaf; wrap to enclose.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

2010-08-26T03:10:00.004-04:00

I got this recipe out of a magazine. Fish tacos was something I just couldn't imagine eating until I finally tried it...and now I'm hooked. These are amazing and so easy!

1 lb. fish 1/2 inch thick (I went with Ahi steaks because it doesn't fall apart as easily)

1 T cooking oil

1 t. chili powder

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. each of salt and pepper

6 6 in. tostada shells or tortillas

1/2 cup sour cream

1 t. chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce or packaged cabbage with carrots (coleslaw mix)

1 ripe avocado, cut into thin slices (optional)

1 cup refrigerated salsa

snipped cilantro (optional)

Preheat grill. Place fish fillets on plate and rub each fillet on both sides with the oil. In small bowl combine chili powder, cumin, slat and pepper; rub onto fillets on both sides. For chipotle cream, in another bowl combine sour cream and chipotle pepper, set aside. Grill fish until fish flakes easily, turning fish once. Top tortillas with coleslaw mix, fish and avocado slices. Serve with salsa, chipotle cream, cilantro and lime slices (if desired). Yum, yum!

BLT Pasta

2010-07-23T18:37:00.003-04:00

Pretty sure this is a world record for me - two posts in a row so close together, but this is a great summer recipe and a kill two birds with one stone type of deal. Ok, health foodies beware and change this up however you see fit. For those bacon lovers out there like me (and your name starts with an L and ends with an "isa"), I'm pretty sure you won't mind what's going on here.

16 oz rigatoni or penne (really whatever pasta you have on hand, I've even used spaghetti)
12 slices bacon
1 (7 oz.) bag spinach
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered (again, whatever tomatoes you have laying around)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, fry the bacon over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Spoon all but 1 tbsp of the bacon drippings into a small bowl; set aside. Return skillet to medium heat. Add the tomatoes (I throw in a little oregano and basil) and cook for a minute. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts. Transfer mixture to the pasta and toss. If the pasta seems dry (wait for it...) add up to 1 1/2 tbsp of the drippings. Crumble the bacon over top, season with salt and pepper and toss again. (I keep the bacon separate and put it on as a topping at the table along with the Parmesan cheese).

It's really good and simple and light and the best part are the leftovers. When we have leftovers I add some red sauce to it, toss it in a baking dish, top with mozzarella and have fancy baked ziti. Love a dinner that does double duty. Embrace the bacon and drippings and enjoy!

Baked Mushroom Chicken

2010-07-13T17:30:00.004-04:00

Hi girls, hope all of you are doing well. Just found this recipe and it is delish - you must be a mushroom lover, or at least not a hater....

Baked Mushroom Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions (obviously I omitted that one)

Flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4 in. thickness (Pounding out chicken is a real drag to me and a gross mess so I just cut my chicken breasts in half to about that thickness). Place flour in resealable plastic bag; add chicken, a few pieces at a time. Seal and shake to coat.

In a large skillet, brown chicken in 2 tablespoons butter on both sides. Transfer to a greased 11x7x2 in. baking dish. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in the remaining butter until tender. Add the broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Spoon over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheeses and green onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear.

Serves 4

** Not to go all "allrecipe.com comments" or anything, but I do add in a little lemon juice and white wine in with the chicken broth just because I like that sort of thing. Anyway, with some mashed taters and a veggie, this is really, really good. Enjoy!

Chicken Balsamic Bow Tie Pasta

2010-06-27T18:37:00.003-04:00

I've made this a couple of times and the kids really like it! Of course you can supplement whatever for your family!

1 lb.or more of skinless, boneless chicken
lemon pepper to taste
1 box of box tie pasta
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 bag thawed baby frozen peas
Balsamic dressing
1/2 container grape tomatoes

Coat chicken with lemon pepper, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min (or buy a rotesserie like me! :) Cool chicken and chop in bite size pieces. Cook pasta to al dente. Drain well and refrigerate. Drain and chop artichoke hearts. Mix chicken, artichoke hearts and peas with pasta. Coat pasta mixture to taste with Balsamic dressing. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Just add tomatoes before serving! Sorry no picture! Use your imagination! :)

Cowboy Caviar

2010-04-08T21:40:00.006-04:00

A friend of mine made this for a party she had and I had to get the recipe from her because it was so delicious! You serve it as an appetizer (or as we say here in Hawaii a "pu-pu") with chips. My friend even said she puts it on top of lettuce and eats it as a salad too. I think I will try that next!

15 oz. can of shoepeg corn (it was $3 a can here so I used regular corn)

15 oz. can of black eyed peas (they only had them with chile's so I used froze ones)

2/3 cup cilantro

2/3 cup green onions, chopped

1-2 avocados cubed

1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. salt

1 t. cumin

Mix all veggies together except avocados and tomatoes. Mix dressing ingredients together and then toss with veggie mix. Marinate for 2-3 hours before serving. About 1/2 hour before you serve it add the avocados and tomatoes so they don't get soggy.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

2010-04-08T21:23:00.003-04:00

This reminds me of Reese's peanut butter cups. You can't go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate. Plus it's super easy to make. This makes 60 bars because the measurements are for a 13x9 pan. I just cut the ingredients in half so we weren't eating this for weeks on end.

2 cups peanut butter, divided
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, divided
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

GREASE 13x9-inch baking pan.

BEAT 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup morsels. press evenly into pan. Smooth top.

MELT remaining peanut butter and morsels in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Spread over crust in pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator.

Maple Butternut Squash

2010-04-08T10:04:00.004-04:00

My mom gave me this recipe when I told her I was having trouble coming up w/ side dish options. It is really good! I tweaked it a bit, so the proportions vary each time I make it.

1 butternut squash

2-3 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

craisins (I like enough so there's craisin in every bite)

chopped walnuts (toasted)

salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400. Peel the outer skin off the butternut squash, and then cut it into 1/2 inch chunks. Put squash on baking pan--jelly roll style w/ the edges. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Add craisins and bake for 5 more minutes. While this is baking, I toast the walnuts in our toaster oven. You can toast them in the oven while the squash is baking though. Remove squash from oven and stir in walnuts. (I usually drizzle just a little bit more maple syrup on it b/c I like the flavor that adds.) I think it's really good reheated the next day too--which is good since this recipe makes a lot.

don't get too excited...

2010-04-02T21:18:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted in FOREVER!!! I wish I had something really great to post. I am sure if I stopped and thought about it there would be something...
I have been spinning recipes to my own liking these days but I don't really know that that is considered post worthy...
Anyways, I discovered a web site called www.ourbestbites.com and I have enjoyed looking at their recipes and ideas. I haven't made anything yet but wanted to share my find! :) Happy Easter ladies!
What are the menus looking like for y'all this year?
We are all bringing a side to my sister's house...this year I am bringing my old faithful spinach salad.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

2010-03-12T12:50:00.003-05:00

For Ryan (and anyone else who wants to try this :)

You could play around with these ingredients. I probably never use the same ingredients twice.

-1 lb. chicken (you can use frozen or thawed)
-cup or two of frozen corn (I used mixed veggies that night we had it b/c that's what I had on hand)
-1 can of diced green chilies
-1 can of black beans (or one cup dry beans- soaked of course) I think I might have also put white northern beans in there too that night. You could also use kidney beans. The more, the merrier.
-2 tbs cumin, 1 tbs chili powder, 1 onion (or, you can just use a packet of taco seasoning)
-2 cloves garlic
-1 carton of chicken broth (or more if you want to stretch it- the night I made it for us, I used two taco seasoning packets and two cartons of chicken broth)

I just put all of this in the crock pot and let it go either on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. When it's finished, I shred the chicken with two forks.
Use sour cream and cheese for garnish

potato peeling made easy

2010-02-25T16:35:00.002-05:00

I thought this would go along with the soup post below. Pretty neat trick that a friend sent to me...the video is a little cheesy but a great tip.

Potato, spinach, sausage soup (from the retreat)

2010-02-25T13:03:00.004-05:00

-5lb peeled potatoes cut in small pieces
-enough water to boil (in retrospect, I didn't use enough at the retreat)- cover potatoes and a little more for a little soupier soup than we had
-1 jar of spinach dip (I used frito lay)
-1/2 jar of salsa (I used restaurant style for no chunks:)
-handful of fresh spinach
-1 pkg. kielbasa
-can add milk if you want

Boil potatoes until tender. Add spinach dip, salsa, and kielbasa. Wait until these things are sufficiently mixed and warmed with the soup and then add fresh spinach. I'd let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes so everything's hot. Enjoy.

P.S. I've eaten salad every day since the retreat b/c I bought the salad dressing we had at the retreat. Whoever's idea that was, thanks!

Unfried Chinese Rice

2010-02-13T15:22:00.007-05:00

This has recently become a favorite in our home as it's SO easy, healthy and goes well as a side with many Asian flavored main dishes! We have it almost once a week. I found it on Recipezaar.com. Sorry there's no picture for this one!

UNFRIED CHINESE RICE

2 1/2 c uncooked jasmine rice (or you could use brown for an even healthier version)
1/2 c finely diced ham or bacon (I usually leave this out, especially if it's a side dish)
1 1/2c FROZEN peas (yes, leave them frozen ... no need to thaw)
2 eggs, scrambled and chopped
3-4 diced spring/green onions
1/2 - 1 c grated carrots (I added these for color and it's healthier!)
1/4 - 1/3c soy sauce
1/8 tsp ground ginger (I usually grate up fresh ginger)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground pepper

1. Cook rice following directions on package or in your rice cooker.
2. While rice is cooking, place all other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
3. When rice is finished, put hot rice directly on top of other ingredients in the bowl and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Stir well and serve immediately.

** This recipe is a great leftover (and I don't like leftovers!) ... still tastes so fresh the next day!

Chicken Bog

2010-02-09T17:41:00.003-05:00

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a while now. This is one of those things I remember having as a kid but hadn't eaten in years. And then one day a lady at my church had us over for dinner, and this is what she served. Mmmm...good! It's really easy too if you buy a rotisserie chicken and pull the chicken meat from that.

1 rotisserie chicken

1 kielbasa (I sometimes use the low fat version)

2 1/2 cups rice (I use brown rice--extra fiber)

5 3/4 cups chicken broth

pepper

Cook the rice in the chicken broth (instead of using water). Follow the directions on the rice package. (I added a 1/4 cup extra chicken broth above the amt of water the rice directions call for because this is supposed to be really moist rice--hence the name "bog".) While the rice is cooking, I slice the kielbasa into circles and then cut those in half (I hope that makes sense). Then brown the kielbasa in a saute pan. After browning the kielbasa and adding it to the finished rice, I pour about a tbs or two of chicken broth into the pan to get the kielbasa drippings to add to the rice. Pull the chicken off the bone and add to the rice mixture. Season with pepper to taste and serve.

Warning: This makes A LOT of food, so be prepared to have leftovers or share. This is a meal I make when I need to take a meal to someone b/c there's plenty for us and to take as well.

Homemade Chocolate Cake with Buttercream frosting

2010-01-28T03:33:00.005-05:00

So I've been on a mission to find the best, most moist, made from scratch cakes and this chocolate is absolutely scrumptious! Way better than any box mix out there plus no weird ingredients. And it's super easy to make. All credit goes to Hershey's Kitchens.

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

~~I also found a really great homemade icing recipe because I just can't even eat the store bought stuff anymore. It's a white icing so it will go well with any type of cake and it's the first homemade recipe that doesn't just melt right away here in sunny Hawaii.~~

Buttercream Frosting

1 pkg. (16 oz.) confectioners' sugar

1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

4-6 T milk or half-and-half

In large bowl, with mixer on medium-low speed, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla, and 3 T milk until smooth and blended. Beat in additional milk as needed for easy spreading consistency. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until light and fluffy (this is key...blend for a few minutes at this speed).

Please let me know if you have any other homemade cake recipes that are super good. I still haven't found a yellow or white cake that isn't dry and crumbly or dense.

Focaccia Bread

2009-12-10T03:42:00.004-05:00

I posted this on my blog and had a couple of people ask for the recipe, so I thought I would post it here.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. sugar
3 T olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1 T active dry yeast
1 cup water (110 degrees...or lukewarm)

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast. Mix in 1 T olive oil and water.

When the dough has pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Punch dough down: place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and rosemary.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Red Sangria

2009-12-01T18:59:00.003-05:00

This is a Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe. It was given rave reviews both times I served it. I think it's one of the best sangrias I've had.

In a pitcher, stir together:

1/2 cup brandy

1/4 cup sugar

1 orange, ends cut off, thinly sliced

1 red apple, halved and thinly sliced

Let stand 15 minutes, then add:

1 bottle well-chilled dry red wine (I used a cheap cabernet)

1/2 cup club soda

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Serve over ice.

Delicious!

Tomato Caesar Skillet

2009-11-24T02:07:00.003-05:00

This is a super easy chicken recipe that has tons of flavor. You can't go wrong with any recipe containing bacon.

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb.)

1/4 cup chicken broth

Classic Caesar Dressing

1 t. dried basil

2 T chopped parsley

4 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped (I used a hand full of grape tomatoes...it's what I had on hand)

2 T. crumbled bacon

Cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Stir in 1/4 up Caesar dressing, broth, basil and parsley until well blended. Bring to simmer; cook an additional 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and bacon; stir to combine. Cook 2 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Cha Cha's white chicken chili (from allrecipes.com)

2009-11-17T15:48:00.002-05:00

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

I leave out the jalapenos and it's just spicy enough :)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

Mixed Berry Tartlets

2009-11-12T09:04:00.006-05:00

Getting to be with most of you this past weekend was so wonderful (even though we missed Erin and Tab!) and it reminded me about dinnerchatt -I love this website and have been far from faithful to keep it going. Looking at it again today reminded me of how awesome it is and how many new things I can make to try and get myself out of my ever-widening dinner rut.

Here's a recipe from some magazine I get - credit to family circle or bhg most likely. I used Aldi's pre-made rolled out pie crust and Aldi frozen mixed fruit and it was perfect - just in case you felt a little nervous like I did. Also, I was a little intimidated to make the lemon curd stuff so I just used a recipe I had for cream puff filling and added extra lemon juice. Not trying to go "all-recipes comments section" on you guys - now you just have options for the fancy and non-fancy days.

1 15-oz pkg rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crusts (2)
nonstick cooking spray
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 12-oz pkg frozen mixed berries
1 tbsp lemon juice

Tartlet filling
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
fresh mint sprigs (optional)

1. Let pie crust stand according to pkg directions. Preheat oven to 400. Lightly coat twelve 2 1/2 in. muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. For pastry shells, unroll pie crusts on lightly floured surface. Use 3 1/2-4 in. round cutter (I used a big coffee mug) to cut 6 rounds from each crust. (I rolled out the excess and used it too) Press rounds into prepared muffin cups, pleating to fit.

3. For tartlet filling, in medium bowl combine the 2 tbsp sugar and cornstarch; stir in mixed berries and lemon juice. Spoon filling into pastry shells. Bake about 20 minutes or until pastry is golden. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove tartlets from muffin cups; cool completely on wire rack.

4. In medium mixing bowl combine whipping cream, lemon curd, the 1 tsp sugar, and vanilla; beat with wire whisk or with electric mixer on medium speed until cream mixture mounds and is fluffy. Spoon on tarlets. Garnish each with a mint sprig. Makes 12 tartlets.

Ok, if you'd rather do the cream puff way (no pun intended) here are the directions (credit to Mrs. Crocker or Ms. Crocker):

1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk mixed with 1/4 cup lemon juice
2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir at least half o the hot mixture into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into bowl. Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until cool.

Now that I write all that out, it seems like the original recipe is a lot easier, but I was intimidated by finding "purchased lemon curd" - I can be such a wimp sometimes. Just for fun I made a bunch of apple pie tartlets this way (just put a top crust on them) for Thanksgiving and froze them - I'll let you know how they turn out.

Brownies

2009-10-31T16:50:00.002-04:00

These are probably the least fattening brownies you will ever have (without fake ingredients or chemicals to make it "low fat")...133 calories per bar and 3 grams of fiber. These aren't gooey like regular brownies but are more cake-y. But the flavor is really yummy. The purees are spinach and carrots (I didn't have any carrots on hand the second time I made these so I used applesauce instead and it still was good). Jessica Seinfeld wrote on this recipe to let them cool all the way to let the spinach taste completely disappear. We couldn't wait that long and we didn't notice the spinach taste.

3 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
1/2 cup carrot puree
1/2 cup spinach puree
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T butter
2 t. vanilla
2 large egg whites (I added a yolk just cause I didn't want to waste it)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray. Melt the chocolate either in double boiler or microwave (on low heat). In large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes (I reduced it to about 20 minutes so they weren't too dry). Cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.

Pink Pancakes

2009-10-31T16:36:00.003-04:00

This recipe is from the cookbook Deceptively Delicious and is the first recipe I've made where the puree is a little strong. So picky eaters probably won't like this one. But if you have eaters that are pretty good at trying new things, this is a good one. We thought they were pretty tasty. I always like to try something a little different. The puree in this one is beets.

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup beet puree (I just realized I put in half a cup of puree so maybe that is why the flavor was a bit strong. We thought it was still pretty tasty)

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1/2 t. cinnamon

1 cup pancake mix

1/4 cup grated apple

1 T vegetable oil

In a blender or food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla, and cinnamon and blend. Dump the mixture into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix - the batter will be a little lumpy.

Coat griddle or nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil. Spoon the batter onto the griddle or skillet, using about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until the batter is set, 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2-3 minutes. Serve warm, with syrup. Yum!

Applesauce Muffins

2009-10-22T20:07:00.002-04:00

My friend gave me the cookbook Deceptively Delicious so I thought I would do a little series on the recipes we tried and liked. If you're not familiar with the cookbook it's a book based on sneaking veggies (by making purees) and fruits into recipes to add a few extra vitamins and minerals to your kids foods (Jessica Seinfeld is the creator of the cookbook...Jerry Seinfeld's wife). So if you have really picky eaters they may not enjoy these recipes because they do have different flavors that they may not like. I was looking for recipes of veggies that my kids normally don't eat...butternut squash, zucchini, spinach, beets. And since I'm making Ansley's babyfood, it was easy to use some of that for the purees. So this is the first recipe that we really enjoyed. It was a great breakfast treat!

TOPPING
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 T butter

BATTER
1 1/2 cups flour (I always add flax seed to my recipes so I put 1/2 cup flax seed and 1 cup flour)
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or carrot puree (I used butternut squash for this one)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray cupcake pan or use paper liners. To make topping, stir together the oats, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in butter. To make the batter, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. In a second bowl, mix applesauce with milk, vegetable puree, sugar, oil, and egg with wooden spoon. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just moistened. Do not overmix-the batter is supposed to be lumpy. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Birthday Quiche

2009-10-08T20:24:00.004-04:00

Jason made me this quiche for my birthday and it was the best quiche I have ever had. I think the key ingredient is the feta cheese. He got it off the Internet and I don't know what the link is. But here's the recipe:

~ 1/2 cup butter
~ 3 cloves garlic, chopped
~ 1 small onion, chopped (sweet onions are best)
~ 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
~ 1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
~ 1 (6 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled (we just used regular feta)
~ 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
~ salt and pepper to taste
~ 1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
~ 4 eggs, beaten
~ 1 cup milk
~ salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Oatmeal

2009-08-31T14:22:00.004-04:00

I just got this recipe from a friend of mine and it is delicious. It's a great make-ahead breakfast that is great for a Sunday morning because you make it the night before and then pop it in the oven in the morning. I put fresh blueberries in mine. Yum, yum!

BAKED OATMEAL

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (NOT quick)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher or sea salt

2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup fruit (fresh blueberries, dried cranberries,,,)

Mix all dry ingredients together. Beat in the milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir in the fruit. Spread into 9x9 baking dish. Cover and place in fridge overnight. Bake in preheated 350 over for 40 minutes. Cool slightly before eating. Refrigerate leftovers.
*For double recipe, use 9x13 baking dish.

flank steak

2009-08-19T21:23:00.001-04:00

Lisa,

Could you put your famous flank steak recipe on here? I just bought a steak and realized I didn't have the recipe.

Spaghetti Squash

2009-05-20T22:55:00.003-04:00

When my church family was bringing us meals after Ansley was born a family brought us a dinner of Spaghetti Squash. It was so tasty and I never got a chance to get the recipe from her. Well I was doing a bit of research on the Internet and found out that the squash is actually called a Spaghetti Squash. All this time I thought she shredded the squash into nice long strands when it turns out that the flesh of this squash naturally does that after it is roasted. So this is a sort of recipe but it's super easy and super healthy. Follow these directions on how to cook the squash.

- one spaghetti squash (recipe calls for a 3 lb squash, I could only find 1 lb squash...so I used 2)
- olive oil
-salt and pepper

- a jar of some type of marinara sauce or your favorite regular spaghetti sauce
- 2 links of sweet sausage (kielbasa) I put in pineapple sausage

Once your squash is roasted throw the rest of the ingredients together and heat it until everything is warmed up. This was great as leftovers too.

Harvest Bread

2009-04-24T20:26:00.004-04:00

This was another recipe from my freezer meals book but I didn't freeze it. It's a very hearty sweet bread which is yummy for breakfast...even with the chocolate chips. Plus it has a little veggie and fruit in it...a meal all in one. :o)

1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 3 eggs)
1/3 can of pumpkin (I just read this and realized I put the whole can in and it was still really good and very moist)
1 banana
1/2 cup buttermilk (or I used milk)
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I didn't have this on hand so I used about 1/2 cup flax seed)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground cloves
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I never thought I would say this but a few less would be better)
1/2 walnuts, chopped

Spray loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg substitute, pumpkin, banana, and buttermilk. Add the flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves; mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into prepared pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 5-10 minutes, until golden brown and the bread springs back when pressed.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

2009-04-22T21:02:00.002-04:00

I modified this recipe a little bit to make it my own - it was SUPER easy and got rave reviews from the fam.

EASY CHICKEN POT PIE

1 package of 2 premade pie crusts
dried minced onion
1 lb frozen mixed vegetables
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons water to steam the vegetables
1 can of cream of chicken soup
store-prepared rotisserie chicken

Choose diced vegetables for even cooking. Peas, carrots, and potatoes make good additions. In a pinch, canned Veg-All style mixtures may be substituted.

Bake one of the pie crusts according to the packaging directions. Shred the rotisserie chicken with a fork and remove the skin and the bones. Set it aside.

Pour the vegetables, water, the salt and pepper, and the dried minced onions in a microwave-safe bowl.

Put the bowl in the microwave until tender. Once the vegetables are done, combine the shredded chicken, the vegetable mixture and the can of cream of chicken soup in a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the cooked pie crust.

Place the uncooked pie crust on top of the pie and cook on 420°F for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 375°F and continue to bake until lightly golden (about 20-30 more minutes).

Salmon Loaf with Cucumber Sauce

2009-04-17T01:58:00.003-04:00

This is a favorite of mine that my mom used to make but I don't make very often because Jason doesn't like the sauce (the sour cream) and Salmon Loaf isn't the same without the cucumber sauce.

1 cup cracker crumbs (I used bread crumbs)

2/3 cup milk

2 T chopped onion

2 T butter/margarine, melted

1 egg, beaten

1 T lemon juice

dash of pepper

1 can (15 1/2 oz) Pink Salmon, drained flaked

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first seven ingredients, stir in salmon. Shape into a loaf in greased shallow baking pan. Bake 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve with cucumber sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 chopped cucumber

1/2 t. lemon juice

1/4 t. dried dill weed

1/4 t. salt

Combine ingredients; mix well. Chill.

Sweet Potato Fries

2009-04-13T23:24:00.004-04:00

We love sweet potato fries and they are a bit pricey in the grocery store. So we've tried to make them ourselves but they just turned out soggy. So I found this recipe and even though they look burnt and not so yummy...these are delicious!

1 large sweet potato (feeds about 3)
olive oil
salt
pepper

You can peel the skin off or leave it on...we like potato skin, so I left it on. Cut the potato into chunky slices. Throw into a bowl and add salt, pepper (to your taste) and about 1/4 cup olive oil. Toss to coat. Then with tongs or fingers place on a cookie sheet (make sure the potatoes aren't touching). Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then flip them over and cook for another 10 minutes....or if you're like me and forget to take them out when the timer went off, just cook them for about 20-25 minutes on one side. Either way they turn out great and are so yummy and sweet...without the brown sugar and marshmallows.

Summer Pasta - freezer meal

2009-04-07T16:52:00.003-04:00

Okay Jess, one more freezer meal. :o) I thought of you when I saw this because you wanted recipes for summer time. This one sounds so yummy but I haven't tried it yet.

1 lb. cooked Italian sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups mozzarella cheese in 1/2 inch cubes
8 oz. plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. black pepper
1 lb. penne

Combine all ingredients except the pasta in a large bowl. Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add the pasta and stir. Cook pasta until tender, 5 to8 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the ingredients in the bowl until the cheese is soft, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately. Hot pasta is the trick; it will heat all the other ingredients just enough to wilt the basil and soften the cheese.

*if you want to freeze it, drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Toss the pasta with the ingredients in a freezer bag. Thaw before baking. Transfer to the prepared baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes until thoroughly heated and the mozzarella is soft and just starting to melt.

Baked Spaghetti - freezer meal

2009-04-06T16:24:00.003-04:00

Okay this is the last freezer meal.

1 cup onion, diced
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 t. dried basil
1 T dried oregano
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
6 oz. spaghetti
1 16oz. bag frozen meatballs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups low-fat shredded cheese (your choice)
1 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 2.4 oz. can sliced black olives, drained

Combine onion, garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in bowl. Set aside. Place half of the cooked spaghetti in the bottom of the prepared baking dish (9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray). Layer 6 meatballs and half of the vegetable mixture over the spaghetti in the baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat, beginning with the remaining spaghetti and ending with the vegetable mixture. Set aside. In bowl, combine the mushroom soup with an equal amount of water and pour over the baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, shredded cheese and olives.

Cover with foil and freeze, or bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour covered and then 30 more minutes uncovered.

Kielbasa Bean Soup - freezer meal

2009-04-06T16:20:00.003-04:00

2 cups potatoes 1/2 inch diced
2 10.5 oz. cans bean with bacon soup
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
3/4 lb. kielbasa sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. black pepper

It can be mixed and frozen in a gallon zip-lock bag or put straight into the crock pot for 5 to 6 hours on low.

BBQ chicken pizza

2009-04-03T12:52:00.004-04:00

One night last week Mallory ordered us pizza from Papa Johns - he ordered a bbq chicken pizza and it was so good! I think I liked it b/c it tasted different. Well I decided to try to make one at home...this is a recipe I found online. We shall see how it turns out! :) I am ready for lighter meals with spring here and summer on the way. I am tired of soups and casseroles - so I am just looking for anything different.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half
1/4 cup barbeque sauce, divided
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1 (16 ounce) package pre-baked pizza crust
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken breast in the skillet, and top with 1 tablespoon barbeque sauce. Cook 10 minutes, turn, and top with 1 tablespoon barbeque sauce. Continue cooking 10 minutes, until juices run clear. Cool slightly, and cut into chunks.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a small bowl, mix the remaining barbeque sauce and marinara sauce. Spread evenly over the pizza crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Arrange cooked chicken chunks and red onion slices over the top.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from heat, sprinkle with cilantro, and let sit 10 minutes before slicing.

Quiche and home fried potatoes

2009-03-22T11:30:00.002-04:00

Ok - this might be cheating - I found this recipe on an easy recipe website. I decided we would try this for dinner one night this week and then I decided to post it here so it would be easy for me to find the directions later when I go to make it. Also, I haven't posted anything in a million years and thought it would be fun - but my life is too crazy to come up with anything original to post...so...you can call me "The Cheat" (remember Homestar runner?). Anyways, I often have my laptop on the kitchen counter (hubby always gets a kick out of that) when I am making dinner b/c I am making one of y'alls fabulous recipes from this blog - so keep posting! I may keep cheating or get it together one of these days and post something original...no promises! :)

BACON AND CHEESE QUICHE
HOME FRIED POTATOES

Bacon and Cheese Quiche:

1 9 in. Pillsbury pie crust
1 T. butter
12 bacon slices, crumbled
1 bag mixed cheese
4 eggs
2 C. heavy cream
3/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread crust into pie plate or quiche plate. Spread crust with butter. Sprinkle bacon and cheese on crust. Beat eggs w/ rest of ingredients. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Turn down to 325 degrees and bake 40 more min. Let stand 10 min.

Home Fried Potatoes:

4 red potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and green pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft; about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Pour remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add potato cubes, salt, paprika and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are browned; about 10 minutes. Stir in the onions, green peppers and parsley and cook for another minute. Serve hot.

Sloppy Joes - freezer meal

2009-02-27T13:28:00.003-05:00

Okay this is for those of you who have husbands that were born and raised in the South. As Jason would say "Meat -good. Biscuits - good. Cheese - good. Barbecue sauce - good." (any Friends fans out there?) Anyway, even for this non-Southern girl I really liked this one too.

2 cups biscuit mix
2/3 cup buttermilk (I just used milk)
1/4 cup egg substitute (or just one egg)
1 lb. ground beef, cooked
1 - 1oz. package of dry onion soup mix
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup cheese blend

In bowl, combine the biscuit mix, milk, and egg. Stir together to form soft ball of dough. Press dough into bottom and sides of a pie plate. In separate bowl, combine ground beef, onion soup mix, and marinara and barbecue sauces until mixed. Spread mixture evenly over the dough in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.

Cover with plastic wrap and foil to freeze up to 3 months. Or preheat oven to 375 F and bake for about 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Baked Ziti - freezer meal

2009-02-23T15:45:00.006-05:00

When my mom was here helping with the craziness of life with a newborn, she made a few freezer meals from the Dream Dinners cookbook. They have been great so I thought I would do a little series of freezer meals that we have eaten and really liked. These are great for make ahead meals or to bring to others that might need a meal. So this is the first one:

1 lb. ziti
1 t. dried rosemary
1 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cottage cheese
3 cups marinara sauce
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup onion chopped (I used dried)
4 t. minced garlic
3 slices provolone cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Spray 9x13 with nonstick cooking spray (I used the disposable tin). Cook pasta for 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to large bowl. Add rosemary, Italian seasoning, sour cream, cottage cheese, and marinara sauce, then stir. Transfer pasta mixture into 9x13. Cook ground beef, add onions, garlic until brown (about 10 minutes). Drain off excess fat. Sprinkle beef mixture over pasta. Top with provolone and mozzarella.

Cook at 350 F for 45 minutes covered with foil (make sure you remove the plastic wrap). Remove foil and bake until browned and bubbly, about 10 more minutes.

If freezing: wrap with plastic wrap and then foil. Label and date and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in frig the night before and pop into oven.

Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake

2009-02-17T13:46:00.005-05:00

Just made this last week and it was by far, the best dessert I've ever made. I thought I'd share it with you girls.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (about 16 cookies)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, lightly beaten
20 chocolate cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped

Directions: In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of greased 9-in. springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in chocolate and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in half of chopped cookies. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining cookies. Place pan on a baking sheet.
Bake at 325° for 50-60 minutes or until center is almost set and top appears dull. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Yield: 12 servings.

Wassail

2009-01-14T19:18:00.004-05:00

I know Wassail is traditionally a Christmas drink, but I ran out of time last month to post it. And since it's so cold these days, I thought it might be a nice thing to have on one of these frigid nights. Or maybe just to file away for next year.

This recipe is from Jeannie Wood, a lady we know from political circles. I really like it because all the spice is contained nicely in the oranges, so there aren't a lot of pieces to have to worry about when you ladle it up. And this is always a big hit at Christmas in Dixie.

3 medium oranges studded with whole cloves (just cloves stuck into the peel of the orange, I maybe put 12-15 or so cloves in each orange)

2 qts apple juice

2 cups pineapple juice

2 cups orange juice

11 oz can of apricot nectar (I can never find this so I substitute peach nectar)

1/3 cup lime or lemon juice

3/4 cups sugar

Combine juices and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the oranges and simmer 20 minutes.

As a variation, you could probably add cranberry juice or cinnamon sticks to change the flavor a bit.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

2008-12-18T16:09:00.003-05:00

INGREDIENTS

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Ryan, this sounds complicated, but it really isn't. Hope they turn out well!

Baked Potato Soup

2008-12-01T19:34:00.004-05:00

I jotted this recipe down years ago, but I don't quite remember where from. I love it since I usually have this stuff around, and it's easy to make a batch and a half if I want leftovers. And it's also very quick on weeknights. I just pop the potatoes in the microwave while I cook up the rest of the soup, then add the potato in. My nieces, who were here for dinner tonight, also loved it. I left out the dill for them. :)

2 large baking potatoes

3 Tbs sliced green onions (I substitute a shallot or regular onion, chopped really small)

1/3 cup butter (I usually just use 1/4 cup)

1/3 cup flour

2 tsp fresh dill or 1/4 tsp dried (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 cups milk

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

4 slices cooked bacon

Bake potatoes. Scoop out insides and set aside.

In large pan, cook onion and butter. Stir in flour, dill, salt, pepper.

Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add potato and 1/2 of the cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Garnish with cheese and bacon.

Butternut Squash Soup with Herbs

2008-11-22T16:45:00.005-05:00

I'm rather picky about my butternut squash soup. Most of the kinds I've tasted are either too sweet or too thick or taste like cream of chicken soup. But this one is the perfect amount of savory, with a hint of sweet from the squash and cream. It does take a little while to chop up all the butternut, but this is so much better than any kind you buy.

(fyi, 1 large butternut yielded a little over 6 cups, and I usually just make a half a batch for M and I)

4 Tbs. butter
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced (bottled is fine)
3 (14.5 oz) cans of chicken broth
8 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic in butter until soft. Add chicken broth and squash, and simmer until squash is very tender. A fork should go through easily.
Let cool slightly. Use immersion blender and puree soup in the pot. Alternatively, puree soup in blender and return to pot. If soup seems too thick, add a little more chicken broth.
Add herbs, sugar, salt, and cream.
Can be made one day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.

Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

2008-11-15T19:18:00.003-05:00

This may not interest all of you on the mainland because Cream of Chicken soup probably isn't as expensive as it is here ($2.00 a can). But I also thought the flavor of this was sooo good. Plus it doesn't have MSG and other additives/preservatives. Anyway I have a few casserole or chicken recipes that call for Cream of Chicken Soup and this was really easy to make.

Yield:
3 cups (about 2 cans)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)
1/4 teaspoon parsley
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour

Instructions:
1. In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two (longer if using fresh onions or garlic).

2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

Cheeseburger Soup

2008-11-07T14:41:00.003-05:00

Hey Girls,

It's been awhile, but today is my last day working so I should have lots of time to post! Got any great money saving recipes?! I know there are lots on here and I'm ready to leaf through some of the oldies but goodies. This soup may not look like much, but I am telling you it is deliciouso. I've thought about swapping out the ground sirloin for chunks of ham or sausage so let me know if anyone tries it that way, I'd be curious to know how it turns out. Here it is:

1 lb. ground sirloin

1 tbsp plus 3 tbsp butter

1 stalk celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 sm. onion, diced

basil, parsley, salt and pepper (to taste)

32 oz. chicken broth

3 cups frozen cubed hashbrowns (walmart brand works great)

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

8 oz. Velveeta cheese, diced

garnish with sour cream and your favorite shredded cheese

Brown and drain ground sirloin. Saute 1 tbsp butter with diced veggies. Add fresh basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Add all veggies to cooked meat. Add broth and potatoes to mixture. Cook until potatoes are very soft. While potatoes are cooking, melt 3 tbsp butter. Whisk in flour until paste forms. Add to soup, stir and cook 5 more minutes. Once soup thickens a bit, add milk and Velveeta cheese. Cook on low heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat and it's ready to go. Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

2008-10-25T16:52:00.006-04:00

Fall weather makes me want soup. We had this soup for lunch today and we really liked it. We didn't use a baguette though, we used portuguese rolls from the Fresh market. Yum.

4 onions, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar
3 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup white wine
1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onions in the butter or margarine for 10 minutes, or until onions are tender (I would suggest a little longer so the onions start to dissolve...our's were a little crunchy still). Stir in the flour, ground black pepper and the sugar to form a pasty mixture.
Now add the beef broth, water, parsley and thyme and simmer for 10 minutes, Then add the wine and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Preheat oven to broil.
Fill individual oven safe bowls 3/4 full with the soup. Place a slice of bread on top of the soup and cover with the cheese. Place bowls in the oven.
Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly

Pumpkin-Spice Doughnuts

2008-10-13T21:34:00.007-04:00

A friend of mine got me a subscription to Cuisine at Home and I saw this recipe in it. Since fall is my favorite season and there are no signs of it here, I like trying things like this that helps put me in the fall mode. These were so tasty! A little time consuming but so worth it. Plus if you're going to eat doughnuts, why not make them a little healthy.

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup canned pumpkin (I put the whole can in)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 T butter, melted

4 t. baking powder

2 t. pumpkin pie spice

1 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

3 cups all-purpose flour

vegetable oil

Whisk egg and yolk together in large bowl until frothy. Add pumpkin, sugar, buttermilk, brown sugar and butter; whisk until combined. Stir in baking powder, pie spice, salt and soda. Fold flour in gradually until sticky dough forms. Cover in plastic wrap and freeze 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in pan over medium heat. Pat out dough on floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut out doughnuts, dipped in flour. Fry doughnuts and holes in oil until browned, about 3 minutes, turning once. Drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Finish with sugar or glaze (I did the glaze on the doughnuts and the cinnamon sugar on the holes).

Apple Cider Glaze

1/4 cup apple cider (or juice)

pinch of salt

3 cups powdered sugar

Heat juice and salt in small saucepan over low until hot. Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Dip one side of cooled doughnut in glaze and let stand about 5 minutes on wire rack.

Cinnamon Sugar

1 cup sugar

1 t. ground cinnamon

Toss doughnuts in bag with cinnamon sugar to coat (when they are still hot).

Shanna's Greek Chicken Pita

2008-10-07T20:42:00.003-04:00

This is actually a recipe from Shanna. A long time ago we all came up with about 5 recipes to share with each other. Actually, I think it was to make a recipe book for Tabitha before she moved away. Anyways, I was looking through some of those recipes and found this one. Shanna, hope you don't mind if I share it. They were really good, tasted healthy, and we had enough for leftovers - all of these things are essential in our house these days!

1 rotisserie chicken
bell peppers (I used orange, green, red...but yellow would be great too)
shredded lettuce
feta cheese
chopped tomato
Greek salad dressing
cucumber
pita (I used white b/c of a picky husband - but they do have a wheat variety)

Just pick all the chicken off the bone add salad dressing and heat. I also heated up the pita pockets. Then fill with whatever toppings! I even made a couple for lunch the next day - they were really good cold too!

Chicken Enchiladas

2008-10-07T20:02:00.005-04:00

This is one of those great recipes with few ingredients but lots of flavor (and very easy to make). Even my boys gobbled these down. (the picture is from the recipe card because they were eaten up before I could get a picture of mine)

1 jar or can of enchilada sauce

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided (I used cheddar and mozzarella because that's what I had and it still tasted great)

1/3 cup sliced ripe olives

1 1/3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, divided

1/4 cup chopped green pepper (I left it out because of a picky husband)

2 T chopped green onion (I used dried onion and still really yummy)

8-10 flour tortillas (6 inch) - I used whole wheat tortillas

2 cups shredded lettuce

In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup sauce, chicken, 1 cup of cheese, olives, 1/3 cup of tomatoes, green pepper and onion. Place a rounded 1/4 cupful of chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in greased 13x9 baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and remaining tomatoes.

Overnight French Toast

2008-09-29T14:39:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine made this one time and I had to find a recipe for it. So my mom's church cookbook had it. It's great because you can make it the night before and pop it in the oven the next morning.

1/2 stick butter (room temperature)

12 (3/4 in. thick) French bread slices

6 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. sugar

1 T cinnamon (or less)

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. salt

Spread butter over bottom of heavy large baking pan with sides. Arrange bread slices in pan. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Pour mixture over bread. Turn bread slices to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake French bread 10 minutes (uncovered). Turn over and bake until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Italian Pork Sandwiches

2008-09-20T14:16:00.005-04:00

I'm always looking for ways to use up the tomatoes and peppers from our garden. And this one is just about my favorite. And it's low-fat too. Of course, it's one that my mom passed along to me.

1 lb pork tenderloin, sliced on diagonal, into 1/2" slices

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 medium plum tomatoes, diced

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow or red pepper, thinly sliced

Seasoning: 3/4 tsp each of oregano, rosemary, salt

1/4 tsp each of black pepper and crushed red pepper

Mix together the seasoning. Sprinkle slices of pork with 2 tsp of the seasoning and press into meat.

Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a skillet over medium and cook the pork slices 2-3 minutes per side until slightly brown and barely pink in center. Place on a plate and set aside.

Add the onions and peppers and the rest of the seasoning to the skillet and cook for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and let cook for 3 more minutes, or until the tomatoes have broken down.

Add pork and juices back to the skillet and let cook over low until ready to use.

Toast some crusty Italian bread (it's really good if you rub it with garlic...) and top with the meat and veggies.

*I often just use 1 red pepper instead of two peppers. And I will add extra tomatoes if I want more moisture.

*The crushed red pepper in the seasoning is kinda spicy, so leave it out or reduce it if you don't like so much heat.

Emmie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-09-16T18:33:00.004-04:00

Here it is, I think. I just found this in my recipe book and I hope it's the original. I asked Emmie, but she's had a ton going on and hasn't had time to get it to me, so here is what I have. She did say that she was never able to make them as good as she did at your apartment, Erin, so maybe it was the oven or you being there! Anyway, hope this helps...

8 oz. chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. In another large bowl, mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Easy Cheesy Stuffed Chicken

2008-09-11T20:38:00.006-04:00

This is actually from a Kraft Foods magazine that I would get free in the mail (not sure if they still send these). But these magazines usually had some good easy recipes. If you want to check it out and see if they still send the magazines by mail for free, check out their website kraftfoods.com. Anyway I hadn't made these in a while and forgot how easy and yummy these were...plus they look fancy. The picture is actually from the magazine...my chicken didn't look as pretty.

2 T butter

2 medium zucchini, shredded (about 2 cups)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pkg. stuffing mix for chicken

1 cup shredded cheese blend (I use cheddar or whatever cheese is in the frig.)

2 pkg. chicken quarters (about 2 1/2 lb. each)

3/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter over medium heat in saucepan. Add zucchini and onion; cook and stir for 2 min. or until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in stuffing mix and cheese until well blended. Carefully insert fingers between meat and skin of each chicken quarter to form a pocket. Fill pockets evenly with stuffing mixture. Place, skin side up, in roasting pan. Bake 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Brush with barbecue sauce and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

Emmie's chocolate chip cookies

2008-08-27T14:16:00.003-04:00

Lisa, would you happen to know a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that Emmie has made before? I think they were Martha Stewart or something. She made them in college when Jason and I were RD's. She came down to our apartment to use our kitchen. They were so yummy and wanted to see if you knew the recipe or could get it from her. I remember they were really big cookies too. Anyway, just wanted to see.

Barefoot Contessa's Asian Grilled Salmon

2008-08-18T09:29:00.002-04:00

Wow, I haven't done this in a while! Here's a great recipe I saw Ina make on her show over this last month that I haven't had to cook (since we've had meals brought to us every other night!). I was collecting ideas of things I wanted to make once I had to start cooking again...and this one was a hit! It's so easy and SO good!

1 side fresh salmon, boned but skin on (about 3 pounds)
2 tbs. Dijon mustard
3 tbs. good soy sauce
6 tbs. good olive oil (I hope Great Value brand counts as "good"!)
1/2 tsp. minced garlic

Light grill and brush the grilling rack with oil to keep the salmon from sticking.

While the grill is heating, lay the salmon skin side down on a cutting board and cut it crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle half of the marinade onto the salmon and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

Place the salmon skin side down on the hot grill; discard the marinade the fish was sitting in. Grill for 4-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and grill for another 4-5 minutes. The salmon will be slightly raw in teh center, but don't worry; it will keep cooking as it sits.

Transfer the fish to a flat plate, skin side down, and spoon the reserved marinade on top. Allow the fish to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Classic Pot Pie

2008-08-16T16:22:00.006-04:00

This recipe is actually from the Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust box. It was one that my mom used and now I use with my own family. It is really easy and oh so yummy! But because I'm trying to stay away from hydrogenated oils, I did make my own crust (which I hate doing but this was a fairly easy recipe and actually really tasty). So I will include that recipe at the end.

Filling

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

2 1/2 to 3 shredded cooked chicken or turkey

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Heat oven to 425 F. Prepare pie crusts. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Add flour, salt and pepper; stir until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. Add chicken and mixed vegetables; mix well. Remove from heat. Spoon mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edges and flute. Cut slits in several places in top of crust. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Pie Crust

2 cups flour

1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup oil

5 T cold water

Mix flour and salt. Add water to oil. Don't stir, add oil mixture to flour all at once, then mix with fork. Roll out between waxed papers. This crust can be made in 3 to 5 minutes, including rolling it out.

Schreur's Canned Salsa

2008-08-11T14:43:00.004-04:00

This is Barb Schreur's salsa recipe. She used to bring over a bunch of fresh veggies from her garden and we would make this yummy salsa. She also taught me how to can it too. I love this salsa and haven't had it since we lived in Chattanooga because I haven't had a garden full of these fresh veggies. It's a fairly mild salsa but I'm sure you could kick up the spice by adding a little more jalapeno peppers or decrease the sugar. I think the quantity depends on the size of your produce but it's kind of a flexible recipe, so add as much fresh veggies as you want.

Barb's Salsa

2-4 green peppers chopped (I used 3)

3 qts. chopped tomatoes

3-4 chopped jalapeno peppers (I used 3)

2-4 onions chopped (I used 2)

1 T. salt

1/2 c. sugar

1 c vinegar

3 small cans of tomato paste

1/2 t. cumin

2 t. dried cilantro

Cook for 45 min. to 1 hour. Put in jars and seal. I think it made about 8 pint size jars.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2008-08-11T14:37:00.005-04:00

If you've ever had the cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster...these are pretty close to it and yummy. I always like recipes that have ingredients that I would have around the house. One, because it's expensive to always get random ingredients here in Hawaii and, two, because I'm not very good at planning ahead.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups baking mix (Waffle/Pancake mix from a box)
3 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I just sprayed Pam).
In a mixing bowl, combine the baking mix, cheese, and water. Mix until dough is firm. Using a small scoop, place dough on the prepared pan.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder and parsley. Brush over baked biscuits immediately upon removing from oven.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2008-08-08T16:20:00.004-04:00

I love using seasonal ingredients, and since blueberries are in season right now, I thought I'd share this yummy recipe. It's from Cooking Light. And it's very, very good. I actually ate it as dessert, but I bet it'd be good any morning too.

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cups sugar

6 Tbs softened butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1 1/3 cups lowfat buttermilk

2 cups bluberries

1 Tbs turbinado

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat together sugar and butter about 2 minutes or until well blended. Add vanilla and eggs and beat well.

Add buttermilk and dry ingredients to sugar mixture alternately until well combined.

Spread half of the batter into a 9" (square or round or whatever) greased pan. Add 1 cup of the blueberries on top. Spread the remaining half batter, then the other cup of blueberries. Sprinkle the turbinado on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

It's very good warm. And sprinkle some powdered sugar on top to make it look pretty. Then eat the whole pan. And sigh at the goodness of it all. :)

Tomato-Avocado Bruschetta

2008-07-21T17:06:00.004-04:00

I actually got this recipe from Erin, so we'll give her the credit. :) I've made this oodles of times now, and my man particularly loves it. It's also great to use up all the millions of cherry tomatoes that are ripe right now!

Ingredients:

3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs white balsamic or white wine vinegar (or I use regular balsamic)

1/2 tsp salt

10 oz grape tomatoes, quartered (about 1.5 cups chopped tom. well drained)

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, diced

1-2 cloves garlic

2 Tbs fresh slivered basil

4 oz chevre cheese

4 oz cream cheese

1 loaf french bread, or rosemary and olive oil bread, sliced 1/4" thick

In medium bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, and salt. Add tomatoes, avocado, garlic, basil. Toss gently.

In small bowl, combine cheese until evenly blended. Chill until ready to assemble. (I often just use cream cheese cause, well, it's just simpler...)

Brush bread slices with olive oil and grill (or toast) on both sides.

Spread cheese mixture on bread and top with tomato mixture.

It's divine!

Did you know?

2008-07-09T19:21:00.004-04:00

Did you know you can cook a whole chicken in a crock pot and get the same kind of goodness that a store bought rotisserie chicken offers? Well... it's true! My mom said that many of her friends in New Zealand cook their chicken this way and I thought I'd give it a shot.

It was SO EASY! All I did was buy a whole chicken, put it in the crock pot, sprinkled on some salt and dried basil, added 1/8 of a cup of water (which I'm not sure was really needed) and turned it on HIGH. Three hours later I had a completely cooked chicken that I can make several meals from. It was SO moist and had soaked up the flavor of the salt & basil perfectly! And a plus for the summer time ... there was no heat pouring from my oven! Hooray for crock pots!

My mom also suggested dividing the chicken pieces up into measured amounts (2 cups, 4 cups, etc) and freezing them for later casseroles/recipes that call for cooked chicken.

Thanks to my mom for a money-saver, time-saver, heat-free tip! :)

Spring greens and Rotissiere Chicken

2008-07-01T11:31:00.008-04:00

OK...so I went digging for salad recipes and this is one I made last night. I know some of you don't like nuts and some of you don't like fruit in your salad...but I thought I would share anyways.
ingredients:
1 Rotisserie chicken (I bought it in the deli for convenience)
Spring greens
strawberries
blue cheese
honey roasted cashews (or peanuts)

All I did was pull all the chicken off the bone. Next I laid out the spring greens and put all the ingredients on top (just as much or little as I wanted). The recipe called for lemon juice as the salad dressing but I used a light raspberry vinaigrette and it was really good.
We even have enough chicken leftover to make chicken salad sandwiches or whatever else and the best part - it was easy!

Help!

2008-06-30T13:38:00.002-04:00

I guess I have the summer time blues with cooking...nothing I usually make sounds good or I feel too hot to even turn on the oven. The only thing that really sounds good is eating out - but since that isn't an option every night - I was wondering...does anyone have any great summer time meals they make? I am trying to get more into salads too. I welcome any and all ideas!

Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce

2008-06-26T21:49:00.004-04:00

With Jason gone this week I couldn't get to the grocery store (because of nap time) to get Alfredo sauce in a jar, so I found this recipe on-line that had ingredients that I had around the house. It was really easy and really yummy! I cut the recipe in half because it was just me and the boys and we still had leftovers. I then added some spaghetti noodles (because I didn't have fettuccine noodles) with chicken and broccoli.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

chocolate blender pie

2008-06-20T17:16:00.003-04:00

I've made this pie for girls' night before. It's super easy, and it's a favorite around our house. Oh, wait--do I say that about every dessert I post? Probably. Well, on the night I make it, it tends to be the current favorite.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

1 small can evaporated milk
3 1/2 tbs cocoa
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 pie crust
Cool Whip

Put first 6 ingredients in the blender and mix until ingredients are combined. Pour mixture in pie crust and bake for 40 minutes or until center doesn't jiggle. Serve warm and top with Cool Whip.
I've made this with the light evaporated milk and light butter, and you can't tell.

peanut butter pie

2008-06-20T16:54:00.003-04:00

I got this recipe from a girl in my class. She made this one night when we all brought stuff for dinner, and her pies were the talk of the class. Everyone was raving about the peanut butter pies. And the best part is, they're so easy to make. I've made them w/ low fat peanut butter and light Cool Whip, and they still turn out great.

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

8 oz cream cheese

1 c peanut butter

16 oz tub Cool Whip

2 graham cracker crusts

Mix cream cheese and peanut butter with a mixer. Gradually add powdered sugar. Then gradually mix in Cool Whip and beat on high until mixture reaches a moosy consistency. Add to crusts. Her recipe says to freeze them over night, but I've found they're actually better just chilled an not frozen.

I've also made them with a chocolate crust and drizzled melted chocolate chips on the crust before adding the peanut butter mixture, and it's really good that way too (as I'm sure you can imagine).

homemade hummus

2008-06-15T19:33:00.007-04:00

I love this stuff and could eat it every meal. I get a loaf of fresh french bread and cut it up into bite size pieces and then dip it in the hummus. Yum! This is my friend Julie's recipe:

1 can of chick peas (save liquid or I just use water)
1/4 c.-1/3 c. sesame tahini (I found this in our health food store but it may be in the grocery stores there since mainland stores tend to carry random things like that. But this is the key ingredient)
juice from 1/2 lemon (sometimes I omit this because it definitely changes the flavor, so you can experiment)
salt or soy sauce to taste (I use about a dash of soy sauce)
1-2 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic (crushed)

Mix in a blender. Add water to thin it out just a little bit. Serve right away or can be refrigerated for a few days. Fresh is best though.

French Onion Steak

2008-05-31T18:08:00.003-04:00

This is a Rachael Ray recipe. It is probably one of Matthew's favorite things that I've ever made. It calls for London Broil, but I used flank steak when I made it, and we actually grilled it instead of broiling it. And yes, this is a pretty involved recipe, so I've only made it once, and will probably only make it for special occasions. But it was so good!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided plus additional
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 softball-size yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon ground dry thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 London Broil (about 2 to 3 pounds, one that is large enough for 4 people)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to broil.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO and 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter is melted, add the sliced onions, bay leaf, thyme, salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes, or until melted down, brown and sweet.

While the onions are cooking, place steak on a broiler pan and generously coat it with EVOO, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Broil under the broiler for 10 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. When done, remove and let the steak rest to let the juices return to the center of the meat, about 5 minutes.

In a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add flour to the melted butter and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in chicken stock and milk and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let it come up to a bubble and thicken then turn off the heat. Add the cheese and stir in a figure-eight motion until mixed.

Slice the steak and place on a platter. Pile the onions on top and pour the cheese sauce over the top.

Green beans are a great side dish for this!

Fresh Corn Salad

2008-05-27T16:37:00.005-04:00

My hubby found this in a farm magazine we get. I tried it over the weekend and it was SO good. You can change the proportions however you want (and K, you can leave out the onion...).

5 ears fresh corn

4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

3 Tbs apple cider vinegar

4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

6 Tbs fresh basil, finely chopped

salt

pepper

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes or until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse the corn in ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with tomatoes, onions, vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, toss in fresh basil. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Pizza Dough (Whole Wheat if you want)

2008-05-13T20:53:00.003-04:00

1 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup warm water

2 T oil
2 1/4 cups flour (1 cup whole wheat and 1 1/4 cup white)

Put yeast, sugar and warm water in mixing bowl. Let foam for about 10 minutes. Then add rest of ingredients and mix with dough hook (I have a KitchenAid mixer so I don't know if all mixers have a dough hook. But you can just knead it by hand too) Mix until a dough ball forms that doesn't stick to the side. Let rise 30 minutes to 1 hour. Take dough out. Roll into whatever shape you want for you crust and put on pizza sheet. Add toppings and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*I found it better to bake the crust for about 5 minutes first and then add the toppings and bake. That way it didn't get soggy.

becker barbequed shrimp

2008-05-07T18:14:00.004-04:00

This is the recipe I mentioned in the post I did about shrimp being on sale. The recipe says that you should use 16-20 medium-to-large shrimp, but I used 2 lbs, and I didn't double any of the other ingredients. There was still plenty of sauce/broth for the shrimp.

2 tsp dried rosemary (I only use 1 b/c I'm not big on rosemary)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp sweet paprika (I used regular--not sure if it was sweet)
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
shrimp (however much you want to make)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup beer
2 tbs minced parsley (I didn't add this)
2 tbs fresh lemon juice

Grind the first 6 ingredients in a spice mill or coffee grinder. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add spice mixture and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan and add chicken broth and beer. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and return the shrimp to the pan to heat through. Season with parsley and lemon juice. Serve. (Be forewarned that this recipe packs a bit of heat. We don't like really spicy foods, and we don't think it's too bad though. It just might make your nose run just a bit.)
Now I'm off to make Erin's Mexican Polenta Pie. Mmm....

grilled bananas

2008-05-07T10:27:00.003-04:00

This recipe is a new-found personal favorite of mine. I'm not sure when this started, but I now have this very bad habit of needing something sweet after dinner. I have found that I often end up making a dessert when I'm home to cook, especially during the school year since homemade meals were somewhat rare, and I wanted to go all out. So I've been on a hunt for healthy-ish dessert options. My work friend Yvonne introduced me to this little gem. So good, so easy, and not too bad for you....

4 bananas (or however many you want to make)
1 tbs veggie oil
1 tbs butter
3 tbs honey (the recipe calls for molasses, but I'm just not a fan)

Slice bananas length-wise in the peel. Brush both sides w/ oil to prevent them from sticking to the grill. Place on grill banana-side-down first for 3-4 minutes. Turn over and grill for another 4-5 minutes. (My grill said the heat was about 350 degrees.) Melt butter and honey together in the microwave. Remove bananas from the grill and drizzle honey mixture over them. I served them in the peel, and we just scooped them out as we went. This will sound weird, but they were so juicy!

chicken pesto pizza

2008-05-06T20:43:00.004-04:00

I made some yummy pesto (Jocelyn's recipe) and was trying to figure out what I could make with it besides my Pesto Ravioli with Chicken recipe. So this is what I came up with...Chicken Pesto Pizza.

ingredients:

one whole wheat homemade pizza crust (if you're interested in the recipe I can post it)
pesto
grilled chicken cut into thin slices
chopped fresh mushroom
chopped fresh tomato
mozzarella cheese

Just top the crust with a thin layer of pesto. Add chicken, mushrooms and tomato. Then top with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

7-Layer Mexican dip

2008-05-06T12:22:00.003-04:00

The Deans had us over for a Cinco de Mayo celebration last night. I brought this dip, cause it's one of my favorite fiesta-type indulgences. I'm sure that all of you foodies have made the 7-layer dip before, but mine is a little tweaked for more flavor... and I'm also just posting it here so I can be reminded of it, if I need an idea!

Layer in a dish:

1 can Refried beans- mixed w/half a packet of taco seasoning
1 can Green chilis
1 can chopped black olives (I always leave these out... cause I just don't like 'em)
Sour cream- enough to cover
Guacamole - enough to cover (sometimes I just chop up avocado if I don't feel like making it...)
Chopped tomato - mixed with salsa and/or taco sauce. I always add a bunch of salsa cause I really don't like a dry dip!
Grated cheddar cheese- enough to cover

Refrigerate and serve w/chips.

Sorry I forgot to take a picture...

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad

2008-05-04T22:01:00.005-04:00

This is a salad at O'Charley's that I just love...so I decided to try and make it at home.

1 bag mixed greens
3-4 pcs. of skinless, boneless chicken
1 small can mandarin oranges
craisins (however many you want)
1 (4 oz.) container feta cheese
candied pecans
chopped pecans
buttermilk
flour
balsamic vinaigrette

First I cut the chicken up and dredged in the buttermilk and then the flour with the chopped pecans. I cooked the chicken in oil on the stove in a large non-stick skillet. Then you pretty much toss everything into a bowl - toss some more and serve. This would make about 3-4 servings.

To make the candied pecans I used a large non-stick skillet
first line a baking sheet with tin foil and butter the foil.
Put the following ingredients into the skillet
1 1/2 cups of pecans
1/2 tsp. of vanilla
2 tbls. butter
1/2 cup sugar
Cook over med-high heat, shake skillet occasionally, until sugar begins to melt. Do not stir.
Reduce heat to low. Continue cooking until sugar is golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat. Pour nut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Cool completely. Break into clusters. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

This turned out so yummy! I do wish that I had a fryer - I think that would have made the chicken taste more like O'Charleys...mine turned out pretty good.

Appetizer Ideas

2008-04-30T15:29:00.003-04:00

Hey girls,
Been awhile....It was wonderful to see everyone on Saturday (Erin, we missed you!)!

Okay, so Laura's graduation party is on Sunday and I wanted to make some fun appetizers for her. Problem: she doesn't like anything that's white. Yeah, and some people think my onion aversion is annoying. So, no sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ranch dressing, or anything like that. Any ideas? The only thing I've come up with so far are sausage balls (technically she doesn't like sausage, but she did try these one time and liked them...). All ideas are welcome, but I am in a bit of a time crunch. I'm leaving to stay up at the cabin tomorrow night (G's going out of town this weekend to O-town with work) and may not have internet. Let me know. Thanks girls!

Minted Melon Grilled Chicken

2008-04-17T21:14:00.007-04:00

One of my friends here just had surgery and I took her family a meal. She asked for meals that were light, low-fat & with chicken. Hmmmm... I was going to have to search online. I found this one on Better Recipes (betterrecipes.com). It was a hit at her house & here in ours too! We really thought it was a great summer recipe because it was really refreshing with the relish. Hope you enjoy too!

Minted Melon Grilled Chicken
(by roxiechan submitted on Betterrecipes.com)

Rub:
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 pound total
Glaze:
1/4 cup mint jelly, melted
1 Tbsp lime juice
Melon Relish:
1 cup small dice cantalope melon
1 cup small dice honeydew melon
2 Tbsp minced red onion
2 Tbsp snipped mint leaves
2 Tbsp minced crystallized ginger
1 small stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 tsp grated lime peel
garnish- mint sprigs

Method

Combine the ingredients for the rub and coat the chicken. Combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl. Put 1 Tbsp of the glaze into a medium bowl along with the ingredients for the relish. Mix well and place on a serving platter. Place the chicken breasts on an oiled grill rack over medium high heat 4-6 inches from the heat source. Cook 5-7 minutes per side or till the chicken tests done (165 degrees). During the last 2 minutes of cooking brush each side of the breasts with glaze and cook 1 more minute per side. Arrange the glazed chicken on top of the relish. Garnish wit mint sprigs.

Notes:

Number of servings: Serves 4

Leftover Goodies

2008-04-17T13:39:00.004-04:00

I just had a fabulous lunch with some leftovers just now. And it was something that hadn't occured to me before, so I thought I'd pass it along in case you all need some new quick ideas!

We had taco salad for supper two nights ago, complete with meat, black beans, corn, and all the regular veggies. After supper I combined the leftover corn and beans and stirred in some store-bought salsa and taco sauce. Today for lunch I heated it up with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top. It was SO good. It was easy, and pretty healthy too! (although I'm sure it'd be fabulous with chips too- like a good corn & black bean salsa). So simple-I just wish I'd thought of this before!

shrimp on sale

2008-04-16T08:51:00.002-04:00

Last night on my way home from work, I stopped by BiLo to pick up something to make for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to find that bags of shrimp were on sale for $5.25 each. The sign said 2 for $10.49, and my receipt said they were each marked down $7.00 each! So I bought two and cooked them both last night (yes, two lbs of shrimp for dinner--as you can imagine, my man was in heaven). One bag just isn't enough for his liking, and two leaves some for him for leftovers since I won't be home tonight. Anyway, I just thought I'd share the tip that they're on sale in case anyone else is interested.

Oh, and I'm planning to post the recipe I used to fix them. They were so good! If you have The Joy of Cooking cookbook, it's in there. It's called something like "Becker's Barbeque Shrimp"--if you know me, you know I don't like barbeque, but this wasn't your typical barbeque. It's a bunch of spices all ground up together, some butter (I used low-fat), and some beer. I'll post the whole thing soon--just wanted to give you a little taste of what's to come. : )

starter question

2008-04-10T15:24:00.001-04:00

Ok, I think I messed up! Yesterday on day 10, I was all ready to make my bread, and in keeping with how I usually do things, I sat down to print out the recipe and realized I didn't have the pudding! So, my question is, can I still make the bread on day 11? Or do I have to toss it out?

Brown Sugar Meatloaf ... dee-lish!

2008-04-07T19:01:00.004-04:00

I got this recipe from the Easy Recipe link (thanks to who ever put that link on!) and made it tonight for dinner. Yummy! Josh really liked it ... he is a meatloaf lover. It has simple ingredients but a great taste.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf:

1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C ketchup
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3/4 C milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt (it was a little salty so I think next time I'll use only 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 C finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs (about 10-15 crackers)

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 5 x 9 loaf pan.
Press the brown sugar into the bottom of pan and spread with ketchup.
In a mixing bowl thoroughly mix all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf.
Place loaf on top of ketchup.
Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hr or until juices run clear.

Question

2008-04-07T14:36:00.002-04:00

How do you all freeze bread? Since I have my little "starter," I want to freeze one of the loaves, but I'm not sure about the best way to do that - wrap it in plastic and foil? or a zip-lock bag? Then, how do you thaw it - in the fridge or just on the counter? Thanks guys!

New recipes ...

2008-04-07T11:24:00.003-04:00

I finally posted a new menu ... truly I did cook in the month of March! ... the menu making just didn't really come together very well and I had nothing to post. But it's the beginning of April and I feel like I have a fresh start on this springy Monday morning!

I plan to make a couple new recipes I found ... after this week I'll let you know how they were and if they're worth posting.

Website for amish bread directions

2008-04-03T15:10:00.000-04:00

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,194,159178-231205,00.html

Basil Pesto

2008-03-31T16:29:00.003-04:00

This makes about 3/4 cup of pesto.

3 garlic cloves (I sometimes toast it!)

2 cups packed fresh basil

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Blend first 5 ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

(You can substitute walnuts or almonds for the pine nuts if you can't find them. And to toast the nuts, just place them in a stainless skillet over med heat just until they start to brown. Usually just a few minutes. Be very careful not to burn them. But it IS an important step!)

To freeze: I usually add a little bit less oil, and put it into my containers, then cover with a thin layer of oil and then plastic wrap. Then straight to the freezer. When I want to use it, I'll add a little bit more olive oil just to loosen it up.

I have some friends who make tons of pesto every summer, and she freezes it in ice cube trays, then when they're hard, puts them into a ziploc bag. I just put mine in small disposable tupperware containers.

I've heard people say not to freeze it with the parmesan cheese in it, but I've never had any issues.

Does anyone want a starter for cinnamon amish bread?

2008-03-30T17:17:00.004-04:00

I have three of these babies, ready to be mashed by you. Anyone interested? It makes two loaves of pretty tasty bread every ten days or so.

Basic Scones

2008-03-28T17:17:00.004-04:00

I posted this on my blog at one point but I just made them again recently and thought I would post the recipe here. I found this recipe online after I tried two others...this one was my favorite by far. In fact, I think I'll go make another batch since I have some cream left over.

Blue Goose Inn - Basic Scones

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2-1 cup filler of your choice
1 large egg
1/2 cup heavy cream

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into dry ingredients with pastry blender. Do not allow the butter to melt or form a paste with the flour. Stir in chips/filler of your choice. In a separate bowl, mix together egg and cream. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Mix lightly until just combined.

Gather dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of bowl 5-10 times. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and pat dough into an 8-inch round about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 to 12 wedges and place at least 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425 degrees until the tops are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

My favorite combos are Chocolate Cherry Scones, White Chocolate Cranberry and just Plain with fresh whipped cream on top....yum, yum!