Simple Meals for Busy Families

Butterscotch Pull Apart Bread

2010-10-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is what we enjoyed for breakfast this morning. Mmmm Mmmm Good Stuff! This recipe is a tradition at my house on General Conference weekend and on Christmas Day. It is so yummy and very easy to make. Give it a try!

Butterscotch Pull Apart Bread

24 Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls (not Texas rolls)

3 oz. pkg Butterscotch Pudding (cook & serve)

1/2 c. Butter (melted)

1/2 c. Brown sugar

Chopped Pecans

1 tsp Cinnamon

Place frozen rolls in greased bundt pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the 3 oz pudding pkg over rolls (save rest for another batch). Mix melted butter and brown sugar together. Pour over rolls and pudding. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Sprinkle cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise over night (start late at night).

In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn upside down on serving tray and enjoy!

Let me know how you like them!

Pear (or Peach) Tarts!

2010-09-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

I'm SO sorry. That was kind of a mean tease promising you a recipe like that! I really did mean to post it sooner than this. But I didn't get to it that night and then it was labor day weekend and then I had knee surgery last week. I thought I'd be able to log more computer time while I was laid up, but mostly I've just been sleeping as much as I can. Every time I try to get started something distracts my attention!

Anyway...so I got this recipe out of a baking cookbook my mother gave me ages ago. Don't tell her, but I never cook anything out of it. Oh it is GORGEOUS. There are pictures of all the food and lots of things sound really delicious, but it calls for a lot of gourmet ingredients that I don't have on hand and never think to buy. Who has ever even heard of Muscovado or superfine sugar anyway? Anyhow I had some fresh pears that I had been canning but had a few leftover that were almost on their way to the compost pile. So I pulled out the book to see what I could find.

And I found these.

And even though they called for Ready Made Pastry Puffs, I decided it was worth the trip to the grocery store just to find them.

Because they looked really good...

I did try to find a recipe to make my own Pastry Puffs, but apparently they take 2 or 3 days to make and I'm not that patient. So I went out and bought them. I found them in the freezer section. I think they were Pepperidge Farm.

As you can see from the pictures there are a few ways you can do them. The picture with the whole half pear is how the recipe called for them to be made. They were good. But they were a little too much fruit in my opinion. And that way (with the rounds) wasted a lot of the pastry puff. I did ball up the leftovers and reroll them out, but they weren't near as flaky when I did that. So the second time around I did them square (wasting NONE of the yummy pastry puffiness!) and used less fruit. I thought these were absolutely divine! Hope you find them as delectable as I (and everyone else who tried them ;) did!

Pear tart made with a whole half fruit on a round pastry.

Peach and Pear tarts made with 1/4 of a whole fruit on square pastries.

Pear (or Peach) Tarts

1 sheet Frozen Puff Pastry

1/2 C Butter

1/2 C Brown Sugar

1/2 - 1 tsp Cinnamon (depending on your taste)

2 - 6 whole fresh Pears and/or Peaches, depending on how you do the tart...

(*You could probably use canned if you really want to, but I can promise they wouldn't be NEARLY as yummy!)

OK, so to start you'll have to thaw the frozen puff pastries for about 40 minutes, or until they are workable. Then on a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry. Cut out 3-4 inch round circles OR cut in desired size squares (I think I did 16 per pastry sheet). Place the circles on a large baking sheet and prick each several times with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes (or just until you have the fruit prepared is fine!)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and add cinnamon. Set aside.

Prepare the fruit. If using pears peel them with a vegetable peeler. Slice them in half and use a melon baller or cookie scoop to scoop out the seeds. Cut out the rest of the stem with a knife. If you are doing a lot you will want to 1) do this assembly style (i.e. peel 3-4 at a time, then cut them all in half, then take out all the center, etc) AND 2) put them in cold water and/or sprinkle them with "Fruit Fresh" to keep them from browning. (You can find Fruit Fresh in the canning section. Now is the perfect time to get it. It is packaged in what looks like a plastic spice container. The brand I've seen has a lime green lid).

If using peaches you'll want to boil some water in a medium stock pot. Drop the peaches in for about 30 seconds. Place them directly in ice water. The skins should then just slip off. Cut them in half and remove the seed. Again if you are doing a lot, put the in water and/or use the fruit fresh to keep them from browning.

Take out the pastry puffs and spread a little of the the butter-sugar mixture over each.

If you want to use a whole half of the fruit as in the first picture....Slice them fruit halves lengthways - but keeping them intact at the tip. Fan out the slices slightly. (I had a really hard time keeping them in tact, it would take some practice, but mine still looked really good, so it probably doesn't really matter...ha ha!) Place the fruit half on in the center of the pastry puff.

Slice the fruit thinly. Place about 1/4 of the fruit, fanned out on the pastry puff.

Make small flutes around the edge of the pastry circles/squares or simply fold over the corners. You could even fold almost over all of the fruit if you wanted. Place the rest of the butter sugar mixture in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, enough time to melt it. Brush each tart with the melted butter mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is well risen and golden. Serve warm with a little cream, ice cream or by themselves. They are delicious any way you slice it!

Anyone want to know how to make these?

2010-08-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

Coming VERY soon.... (maybe tonight if I can swing it...)

UPDATE: So sorry to keep you waiting! It is quite simple, but I just don't have time to type it out right now. We are headed out on the open road for the weekend, so perhaps on Monday! Happy Labor Day all!!!

Chicken Noodle Soup with Mashed Potatoes

2010-08-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

So, I have not in the past done pictures with my posts. Mostly because I'm not good at presenting or photographing food. But most recipe blogs have photos of the food and so I will make an attempt. I really hope it doesn't drive all my visitors away...ha!

Have I mentioned that I love Fall? I love it when the nights get a little cooler, when you can leave your doors open and the fan on a little longer and when you can make soup to warm the soul! This soup tops the list as my one of my daughters favorite(!) meals of all time. She requests it often and praises it each time I make it. And I can't simply just make Chicken Noodle Soup anymore....I have to make mashed potatoes to go with them. In our house we put them in the bowl first and pour hot soup all over the top.

I know, it sounded strange to me at first too. This is one of those things that came from my husbands family. But trust me, it's worth trying.

Now many of you may be much experienced in the art of throwing together a "Mustgo" soup. (It's been in the fridge for a week and now it "mustgo"...ha ha!) Over the years I have become very comfortable with this type of thing. But it was not always so. There was a time when I was ALWAYS tied to a recipe. But as life gets busier, I've found flexibility is always an asset worth having. So with that in mind here's my "recipe" for chicken noodle soup.

Kristy's Chicken Noodle Soup (or Stew, depending on ingredients)

Chicken - cubed or shredded

Chicken Broth

Onions, peeled and chopped

Carrots, sliced

Celery, sliced

Potatoes, cubed or mashed

Egg Noodles, homemade (recipe below) or store bought

Salt and Pepper to taste

Other things you could add:

Green beans (fresh or frozen)

Squash, cubed

Tomatoes, chopped

OK. OK. I know there are those ought there going "GIVE ME SOME MEASUREMENTS YOU CRAZY LADY!" But honestly, when I make my soup I really just throw stuff in until it seems right. And you too can be free from the traditional recipe. Come one. Give it a try.

So your first step is usually getting the chicken started. Last night I used a combination of left over grilled boneless skinless chicken breast and what was left from a rotisserie chicken we'd had for lunch on Saturday. The grilled chicken I cut up in bit size cubes. If you have raw chicken you can boil it, grill it or bake it, then cube it. I also used the chicken off the bones of our rotisserie. This will also give your broth a nice start. Put your chicken bones in a good stock pot and cover at least half of the bones with water. Boil the bones for "a while", probably a good 20-30 minutes. I usually cover mine. The steam helps to loosen all the meat, especially if the bones aren't completely covered.

Homemade Noodles

It's usually at this point I make the noodles. You can really make these any time before you start. Homemade noodles should have a little time to dry out before you throw them in so you could even do them several hours before dinner.

For my noodles I use the following proportions: 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, 1 TBLS milk (and YES, I used almond milk in these last night...) and about 1 C of flour. For a batch of soup to feed my family (2 adults and 2 children that eat "real food") I would make a double batch of noodles.

You want to mix your egg, salt and milk together first. Then add the flour until you have the right consistency for noodles...a little sticky, like bread dough. Roll them out to desired thickness and cut. I find it easiest to roll it up, make the cuts, then unroll. Let your noodles sit out and dry for a bit before you throw them in the soup.

Meanwhile back on the stove....

When the meat is falling off the bones strain the broth from the bones. In your stock pot heat a little olive oil and saute your onions until translucent. For this batch of soup I used a whole large onion. We like onions. If you don't, I would use a little less. You could probably skip this step if you want and just throw the raw onions into the soup, but I think sauteing the onions 1 - really improves the flavor and 2 - improves the texture. It makes them softer and sweeter, less distinct.

When your onions are nice and soft, put your water you used to boil the bones in back in the stock pot. This will be the start for your broth. Add more chicken broth until you have enough for the batch you want to make. This is where you have to use your judgement. My family loves this and will eat a lot of it. So last night in addition to the broth I had from the chicken I added probably a good 6-8 more cups of broth. I like to add ready made broth because it tends to improve the flavor of the soup. You can used canned broth or chicken bouillon. I don't really have a preference. Last night I used both.

Chop your veggies and add to the soup. You want to make sure and add your crunchier veggies right away because they will take a while to get soft. Carrots are always the first thing I get in there. If you like soft green beans (and you want them in your version) they need to go in quickly as well. Pick all the useable meat off the bones once they are cool enough to handle. Add the chicken to the soup and let it boil until the veggies are desired tenderness. Add the noodles and cook for 5-10 minutes more. Adjust the seasoning and serve over a heap of your best homemade mashed potatoes.

For classic Chicken Noodle Soup stick with the onions, carrots and celery. If you want more of a Chicken Stew that's when I add the green beans and sometimes chunks of potatoes, instead of making mashed. Last night I didn't have celery, so I just left it out and it was still delicious. Just play around with it. Put in what you have and what you like. Anyway you serve it though, there's nothing like a bowl of hot Chicken Soup to let your family know you really care!

(If you REALLY want some measurements, here is about what I would put in for a small pot of soup...enough to feed 2-3 people, with maybe a bowl of leftovers: 4 C chicken broth, 1/2 onion, 2 carrots, 1-2 stalks celery and 2 potatoes. This can be a base and then you can add more stuff as you need.)

No Bake Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats

2010-08-19T06:04:00.000-07:00

These are SO yummy! And a little addicting. I had to remove myself to the other room in order to stop eating them. My husband was skeptical when he saw the ingredients. He didn't think they would work together, but he was proven wrong! (Again ;)! Ha Ha!

Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats

3 TBLS Butter

16 oz bag marshmellows

1/2 C Peanut Butter

5 C Cheerios (Generic is fine)

Spray a 9x 13 pan with cooking spray. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in marshmallows. Heat until melted and add peanut butter. Remove from heat. Fold in Cheerios until coated. Smooth mixture into pan and let sit until cooled (if you can!). Enjoy!

Ratatouille

2010-08-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but when I saw this movie I was like "What the heck is ratatouille?" So we promptly looked it up on the internet and found a recipe. And it was actually really good! Well folks...it's ratatouille season once more! Ratatouille is basically just a veggie stew type of dish. So it's perfect for this time of the year because it uses all the yummy veggies we have coming out of the garden. Or in my case...from my Bountiful Basket this week! Since this is all in season right now you *should* be able to find this stuff at farmer's markets or the grocery store for cheap. What do you need? Another website suggested the phrase EZ-POT to remember what goes in it AND the order to put it in: Eggplant, Zucchini, Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes.

Oh and can I say that I think that Basil is just really essential in a garden? If you don't plant any other herb, plant basil. I use mine more than I use any other herbs I've planted. And it's easy to grow. Plus it's really expensive if you have to buy it in the store. I think this year I'm going to transfer mine to a pot I can keep in the house 'cause I like it so much...

One final suggestion: you can use the movie as a way to get your kids to try it. It might not look like much, BUT if you can get them to try it, they will probably like it. I also served this with my homemade breadsticks. It was a good night! :)

Simmering Summer Ratatouille

2 TBLS olive oil (I think I used a lot more than this...ha ha!)

2 eggplants, cubed (I peeled mine because I was concerned about the texture of the skin being problematic in this dish...)

2 zucchini, cubed

2 bell peppers, chopped (I used green, but other colors would be yummy too, I'm sure!)

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (I always use a garlic press instead)

5 - 8 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (peeling and seeding optional...)

3 - 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 TBLS fresh thyme, chopped (I substituted dried)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Note on eggplant: I always try to work very quickly with this. It browns quickly once peeled and cut open. If you really want to you can put it in water or cover with Fresh Fruit or lemon juice. But in a dish like this it doesn't really matter anyway. So I just work fast. So as you cut your eggplant place it in a colander and sprinkle with sea salt. Let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant if desired. Pat it dry. (I actually forgot to rinse the salt off...oops! Tasted great to me, but if your really conscious about your sodium intake you probably should rinse it...)

2. (Skip to next step of you don't care about the tomato skins.) If you want to peel your tomatoes: Fill a large bowl about 1/2 way with water and ice. Boil a large pot of water. Cut small x's in the bottom of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for about a minute. Immediately place the tomatoes in an ice bath for another minute. Remove the tomatoes and place in a colander in the sink until they are cool enough to handle. Peel the tomatoes. If you want to seed them also just cut the tops off and squeeze as many seeds out as you can. (NOTE: I peeled 6 of my tomatoes. Then I decided I wanted more in the stew, but didn't want to go through all that again...SO I just chopped them up and put them seeds, skin and all. Couldn't tell a difference...next time I will probably just leave them as nature intended in the first place)

3. Heat olive oil in a large pot. NOTE: While adding veggies, make sure you stir them around frequently to promote even cooking. Add the eggplant and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add the zucchini, cook for another 5-10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, cook for 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes and cook until the liquid reduces. You can create a thicker sauce by adding tomato paste if desired.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Adjust seasoning as needed to taste and serve.

Just to warn you, it really does kind of look like a pile of mush. The eggplant gets really soft and isn't a super appetizing color when it cooks. But it is really good. Really. Try it. :)

Cider Glazed Brussel Sprouts

2010-07-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Got this off of the Bountiful Baskets facebook page. We had this tonight and it was SO yummy. Now if you don't like brussel sprouts in the first place, it probably won't change your mind about them. But I do like brussel sprouts and this was an excellent way to cook them. I have only had frozen ones in the past, but had some fresh ones I had to use and this was much better than simply boiling or steaming them. You could probably use frozen as well, just cut down the baking time. Also, my sprouts were pretty old and didn't look so hot. BUT I just cut off the bottoms and peeled off the first layer or two and voila! Good as new! Hope you like it!

Cider Glazed Brussel Sprouts

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Fill a baking sheet with brussel sprouts and 1-2 chunked red onions. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until sprouts are tender and starting to turn brown. Place 4 C apple cider in a medium sauce pan. Simmer until reduced to approximately 1 C. When sprouts are finished, toss with cider. Serve warm.

NOTE: I only had about 1 C of Cider so I just boiled it down about halfway and used what I had.

Yummy, Moist Chocolate Cake...with a Twist!

2010-06-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

OK, so some of my readers may be aware that I have put myself on a "no dairy" diet for the sake of my darling baby. She is 6 months old and I am nursing her still. When I eat dairy her cheeks get red and scratchy, her nose runs, she gets a cough and she projectile vomits. She is most likely allergic to the protein in milk, which actually is quite a common problem for babies. Anyhow, it's been a TOUGH road for me. And I cheat more than I should, causing her grief. Because dairy is in EVERYTHING it seems like. It's of course in milk, cheese, yogurt, most salad dressings, cream soups (goodbye creamy casseroles and soups), ice cream, chocolate, but it's also in stuff like peanut butter chips, granola bars, some breads and cereals, doughnuts and of course all cakes. And I don't have a lot of willpower. So I cheat. And she throws up and is miserable.

But recently I have discovered the fabulous thing that is Almond Milk. And it is SO much better tasting than Soy! It costs about the same (under $3 for a 1/2 gallon carton) - you can find coupons easily and there's only 40-60 calories per serving depending on the variety you buy. What does any of this have to do with chocolate cake? Well I was using it for cereal mostly, but one day got this crazy idea that I could start cooking with it. I used it to make cornbread one day and it turned out so good. Better than when I use regular milk in fact --it was much moister and a better texture. So the other day I tried a white cake...yummy! ( I will post the recipe for that soon too!) Today, it was chocolate cake.

And now I am finally at peace :). Do you know what it's like to go without chocolate???? But plain cocoa doesn't have milk in it...so I substituted the buttermilk for almond milk and "voila!" Chocolate fix granted! I'll tell you I am in HEAVEN today! And again this is better than any chocolate cake you can buy or make from a box. I am getting to the point I might be done with milk for good just because I WANT to! Life is good today...

OK to the recipe...

Dairy Free Moist Dark Chocolate Cake (OK, so the name needs work...any suggestions?)

2 C Flour

2 C Sugar

3/4 C Baking Cocoa

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 large eggs

1 tsp salt

1 C Almond Milk (original recipe called for buttermilk, if you really don't want to try it with AM...but you will really thank me if you try it this way...I promise!)

1 C Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

1 C Boiling water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (yep! this is a SLOW bake cake). Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. Place all ingredients in a bowl. Mix on medium speed until everything is blended and smooth. Pour into your pan. It will be thin. Bake for one hour. Test by sticking with a fork or toothpick. It is done when it comes out clean. Cool and serve with your favorite icing...or by itself!

Also - Did you know you can substitute applesauce or black beans for oil? I haven't tried it with this recipe, but will let you know if I do...if you try it, let me know the results!

Crock-Pot Hawaiian Chicken

2010-06-11T10:23:00.001-07:00

This is a really easy yummy dish that you can throw in the crock pot and forget about it until you put it on the table. Serve with rice and you've got a nice summer meal without the oven being on and heating up the house!

Crock-Pot Hawaiian Chicken

3 lbs chicken breast

1 16 oz can pineapple chunks

1 15 oz can mandarin oranges

2 TBLS Lemon juice

2 TBLS brown sugar

2 TBLS corn starch (I actually used about TWICE this much because I wanted the sauce thicker!)

1/4 tsp each salt and ground ginger

Combine corn starch with cold lemon juice (if you put it with warm liquids it will clump up!). Add all other ingredients besides chicken. Stir well. Place chicken and mixture in the crockpot and stir to coat all the chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours until done.

Makes 6 servings. Calories: 370. Total Fat: 3g. Sodium 260 mg. Total Carbs: 28g. Protein: 52g.

The BEST Oatmeal Cookies EVER...even BETTER!

2010-05-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

OK guys, so I posted my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe a bit ago. I have to admit I make these every chance I get, which is not so fabulous for my diet plan. Would not be so bad if I didn't eat anywhere from 1/2 to a whole dozen cookies in a sitting. Yes, it's true. Well, I was making them yesterday and decided to try using whole wheat flour instead of white flour. The result....Yummy, healthified deliciousness! OK, so it's still a cookie, but it makes me feel better anyway. Because there is so much oatmeal in them, you can't even tell the difference when you make them with whole wheat. Oh and then I added a cup of PECANS chopped. Yeah, that's a good addition too....

So try them if you haven't yet. You will love them, guarenteed!

Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

2010-04-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

Have you missed me? Oh life has been crazy busy around here lately. I've been trying to stress less about getting EVERYTHING done and so the blog has been neglected. I am sorry. I hope this makes up for it, because it is a really yummy recipe. I literally threw this together as we were sitting down for dinner today and it was a huge hit! I love poppy seed dressing and didn't realize how EASY it is to make, aside from being much cheaper than what you can buy in the store. Lucky for me I just happened to have some poppy seeds in the pantry...who knows how long they've been there! Anyway, this the perfect compliment to our homemade spaghetti sauce, which if you are lucky will be posted in the near future as well. Enjoy!

STRAWBERRY SALAD:

1 head Romaine lettuce AND/OR

Baby Spinach (I used romaine because that is what I had, but it is also really good with spinach)

1/2 lb fresh strawberries sliced (more or less depending on what you like!)

1/2 medium purple onion, sliced thin (I'm sure you could use another type if you prefer)

Mandarin oranges, canned or fresh

Slivered almonds

DRESSING:

1/2 C Mayo

2 TBLS White or Red Wine Vinegar (I used red)

1/3 C white sugar

1/4 C Milk (I actually used Almond Milk, since I'm off dairy currently...)

1 - 2 TBLS Poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS: Put the "salad" together....mix the "dressing" together. Enjoy together :)

OK, so I actually didn't think to put the oranges on this salad tonight. It was an afterthought, but I am going to try it tomorrow with some california Cutie mandarin oranges I got in my bountiful basket this week. I haven't ever tried it with fresh oranges, but used to put canned mandarin oranges on my salads all the time. It can only be better with fresh don't you think?

(Side Note...I did try it with the fresh oranges and YUM!!!)

Try this and I dare you to tell me you don't love it as much as I do! Ready...set...go!

Sweet Bean Burritos

2010-02-24T12:36:00.000-08:00

Featuring the Sweet Potato! I know what your thinking...yes it does sound odd, but TRY IT! You just might like it. I think it's great! This is another recipe from the Dinner Diva over at savingdinner.com. Enjoy!

2 TBLS Olive Oil

1 onion, chopped (we used half of each of a red and yellow onion)

3 cloves garlic, pressed

2 cans black beans, drained

2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

1 tsp cumin

6 flour tortillas

6 TBLS cilantro, chopped

6 TBLS cheddar cheese

In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and cook onion and garlic until soft. Add beans, stir in mashed sweet potatoes, add the cumin and mix well.

Heat tortillas and plop bean mixture inside, add the cilantro and cheddar cheese and roll up burrito style. Serve.

(You can also serve with enchilada sauce and cheese on top, along with a dollop of sour cream...yummy!)

The BEST Oatmeal Cookies EVER!

2010-02-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

Funny that I follow my "shpeal" on veggies with this post...but I just had to do it!

Warning: These are highly addictive. My sister made them a few months ago and I have been searching for the recipe ever since. I finally figured out which one it was and made them the first chance I got. I haven't been able to stop eating them since. It's a good thing they are almost gone. I can't make them again for a LONG time, but I hope you get a chance to try and enjoy them...

This is from the cookbook "Deep Creek Creations: Recipes Past & Present, Ibapah, UT, 2000". Gold star goes to anyone who knows where this is (without googling it ;)

Oatmeal Cookies

2 C brown sugar

1 1/2 C butter, margarine or butter flavored crisco

4 eggs

4 C oatmeal

3 C flour (Whole Wheat works great!)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 C nuts (pecans are really good!), raisins, toffee chips or peanut butter chips (optional)

Cream sugar and butter; add eggs. Beat; mix in dry ingredients. Drop on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 3 dozen large cookies or 6 dozen small cookies.

For my cookies I like using a cookie scoop or melon baller. This will make a really nice uniform cookie that's on the smaller side. I've also started using my ice cream scoop for bigger cookies. If you don't have one that will push the dough out on it's own, you can just use a spoon to pull it out of the scoop. I like using the scoop though because it makes it more uniform that just eyeballing it with a spoon.

Chicken Stir Fry...another version

2010-02-20T22:37:00.001-08:00

This was put together from stuff I had to use the other day and turned out SO good. As with many of my recipes...this would be SO easy to tweak based on what you have on hand. So easy in fact I'm not even going to put measurements in. I used what I had and enough chicken to feed everyone I needed to. Does that drive you crazy? Sorry....

This turned out so great. I love cooking with red onions because they add a really nice, almost sweet flavor. I served this over rice. Good luck!

Chicken Stir Fry:

Olive Oil - Heat in a cast iron skillet (you can use non stick, but I have come to really LOVE my cast iron skillet. My non stick I got for my wedding is trashed and I find CI much more durable for what I need)

Cut all of the following in strips or cubes (to your preference)

Chicken Breasts

Red and Yellow Peppers

Zucchini Squash

Red Onions

Garlic

Saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add chicken and cook until most of the pink is gone. Add the veggies and cook to desired doneness. If you want it to cook faster you can cover it and let the steam do some of the cooking of the veggies.

This was so flavorful without adding any other spices or sauces. Once you get used to cooking with and eating fresher foods, you realize how much more exciting it is than dumping something out of a can, or even pulling it from the freezer.

Bountiful Baskets and Some Tweaks....

2010-02-20T21:53:00.000-08:00

Any of you ever heard of Bountiful Baskets??? They currently have "drop sites" in Utah, Arizona, Idaho and Washington. But I know that there are programs like this all over. It is a food co-op that allows you to buy high quality produce and other items at prices reserved for restaurants and grocery stores. I've attached some pictures of "baskets" I got on two different weeks for $15....

Can you believe it? This is SO much more than you could ever buy at the grocery store for that price. It is also really high quality, very fresh! It's also great because they always give you something a little exotic so your forced to try something you might otherwise not. We've had mangos, jimacas, pummelos, asian pears, cara cara oranges and the list goes on. You never know what you are going to get, but I'll tell you what...we eat a whole lot more fresh produce now and I hardly EVER buy fresh fruits and veggies from the grocery store anymore. BB also offers great bread add ons every week. And it is really good bread. I'm talking 100% Whole Wheat or 9 grain sandwhich bread, Olive Oil loaves, Rye Bread...good stuff! I don't buy bread at the store hardly at either now. In fact most weeks I just send my husband for milk on his way home from work and we are set. (I buy my meat in bulk as well and freeze it)

I tell everyone I know about it because I think it is SUCH a valuable asset to our community. Cedar City started with one drop site, every other week, in October 2009 and 14 orders. There are currently four sites in the Cedar/Enoch area accommodating I think 100 people each. At least one of them is now open every week. We are hoping to start another site on the west end of town and I've heard rumors of at least one other in Cedar, one in Parowan and one in Kannaraville, all close by.

So what good does this do you? If you live in one of those four states....check out the site and find a site near you. If there isn't one, you can probably start one. The founders Sally and Tanya are great to answer questions. If you don't live there...you may be able to get in on the action somehow, it's worth exploring. Or you can look for a similar program. I think the food co-op idea is gaining a lot of ground all over.

Excuses:

*We don't eat that much produce....

If you get this and have it in your house...you will eat more I PROMISE. You will find things to make with it and find yourself eating healthier because you don't want it to go to waste. Besides, even if some of it does go to waste....you still only spent $15 on the whole lot of it!

*I don't have anywhere to put it....

My solution is seen in the picture below. Pretty sure we got this at Walmart. I love this for a few reasons. It's portable, so if I need to move it I can. It's accessible. When my kids ask what they can have for a snack I send them to find an apple. When my son is hungry, he sees the bananas and will ask for them instead of asking for something less healthy. It keeps everything right there so I can remember I have produce that needs to be eaten.

*I can't afford it....

A basket will last a normal family a good two weeks. There is a great variety of food so that even though some will need to be eaten right away, some is hardier and will last till the end of the two weeks. $30 a month spent on healthy food like this will be worth the investment I PROMISE! It will help change the way you eat, in a fabulous way.

The area I live in has an email group to share recipes for the ingredients we get each week. That is great, but if you like the recipe, you have to save the email or print it out. So I considered starting a new BB food blog, but my hubby suggested I just tweak this one to fit! So I have decided to make a few changes to this blog. I'm going through all the recipes and instead of labeling them as simply containing "veggies" I'm going to label specific produce items. So if you get the mexican pack or the italian ingredient pack with your basket, you'll be able to look up items containing specific ingredients. I'm hoping to recruit more contributors (aka Other BB friends) to the blog this way as well and get some more healthier recipes on here. Plus I'm hoping this will be helpful as it gets closer to gardening season, so if you have zucchini coming out your ears, maybe you can find some ideas here.

Anyone else totally stoked about this? Have I converted anyone yet?

Above: Dipping Pack that was offered over Superbowl weekend. Cost was I think $7.50 for all of that. Avocados on a killer sale are at least 50 cents a piece. The carrots would cost probably $1.50. Tomatoes: $2.50. Celery...I dunno 50 cents or a dollar? Cilantro again???? $1? But we are already past the $7.50 it cost me...

Above: Italian ingredient add on pack. You get a ginormous pack of fresh herbs and spices with this baby. Have you ever priced those at the store? Again this pack is $7.50 to add on your basket. You couldn't get half of this for that price!

Yummy Sloppy Joes

2010-02-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

My family loves this recipe and now they won't even try other sloppy joes because they are so used to my recipe. Give it a try.

1 pound hamburger( browned)
1 can chicken gumbo soup( Campbells)
catsup
mustard

This recipe is very easy. You just brown the hamburger and then add one can of chicken gumbo. After that you add mustard and catsup to desired taste. It all depends on how much you want. We probably use approximately 4 tbsp of each mustard and catsup.

Warm sloppy joes up and serve on buns.

Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken

2010-02-02T18:15:00.001-08:00

This is from my Saving Dinner cookbook, by Leann Ely. Love her! Check out www.SavingDinner.com for more info! Anyway, this recipe is really yummy and even "Joey approved" (my husband is incredibly picky...). Plus you probably have everything you need already :)

Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken

1/4 C Honey

2 TBLS frozen orange juice Concentrate

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 TBLS butter

1/2 tsp olive oil

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro, chopped

green onions, chopped

In a small bowl, combine honey, orange juice, garlic and red pepper flakes. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil (I just used all olive oil instead) over medium heat. Add chicken, salt and pepper to taste and brown, about 4 minutes on each side.

Add honey mixture to the skillet and cook, turning to thoroughly coat the chicken. Cook 2 more minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. (Make sure your chicken is cooked through. Mine always takes longer than the recipes say. I always use a meat therm to test as well!) To serve, place chicken on plate, spoon sauce over the top and sprinkle with cilantro and green onions.

We had this with rice and it was perfect!

204 Calories, 4g fat, 28g protein, 14g Carbs

Italian Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

2010-01-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

This was experiment. My hubby kind of hates it when I do that, but even he was pleased with the result. I did take some inspiration from other recipes. For example I never would have thought to use Italian Dressing as a type of cooking oil, but it actually worked really nicely. I think the Red Peppers really made this dish. I don't buy them a lot because they are expensive, but we got a BUNCH in our Bountiful Basket this week. BTW...if you haven't heard of them you should TOTALLY check them out at bountifulbaskets.org. I know they have sites across several western states. It is a food coop and I have been SO happy about it for the past few months since I've been doing it. Maybe I will do a separate post to give you more info in the near future...

Anyway, on with the recipe:

1/4 C Italian Salad Dressing

2 C fresh Broccoli florets

2 C fresh Red Bell Peppers, sliced

1 C cooked chicken, shredded or diced

Rice

Saute the broccoli and red peppers in the italian dressing. I cooked it on a lower heat and covered it. This helped to kind of "steam" the veggies. Add the chicken and cook until warm. Serve over rice.

A note about the proportions on this recipe: I used what I had ON HAND. The chicken actually came from a rotisserie chicken we'd eaten the day before and was just the leftovers. The more I cook the braver I'm getting about putting things together without a recipe. Don't be afraid to experiment...for example, you could probably add some squash, onions, or other veggies to this and it would be great. Or you could use more chicken if you wanted it meatier. Let me know if you can come up with an even yummier version of this...

Cafe Rio Pork

2010-01-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

I know I already posted this one, but tonight I added a picture and some updated information on a recipe I posted this time last year. To see it go HERE. It is the epitome of DELICIOUS and EASY! Happy cooking!

Peach Pie, Times Two!

2010-01-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

I love Peach Pie. It's always been my favorite. My sister has been asking for my recipe, so it seems like the perfect time to post it here.

First off...I always make my own pie crusts. They are a hundred times better than refrigerated, probably more nutritious and just about as easy. I've used a few pie crust recipes. Here is one of my favorites. The key to making a flaky, yummy crust is two fold: 1 - Use ice cold water. 2 - Don't overwork your dough. Ideally you should still be able to see some of the butter or shortening pieces in the dough when your done. With that here's the recipe I use most often:

Pie Crust Dough (For one crust):

1 C flour

1/3 C shortening

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 to 3/4 C water as needed

Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter (or two knives if you don't have one!). Add water and mix until you get the right consistency. I'm not quite sure how to describe what the right consistency is...I started making crusts when I was probably 10, so it's just easy for me. I might suggest finding a friend that can do crusts and working with them a time or two to get the idea.

This recipe makes a little more than you actually need for one crust. So if I am doing say 2 pies with a top and bottom crust, I will triple the recipe and that usually makes enough.

On to PEACH PIE. I got this recipe from Betty Crocker. Love it! Hope you do too. I actually rarely do straight peach pie anymore. One day we didn't have enough peaches to do a whole pie, so we added some frozen strawberries. It was heavenly and I almost always add strawberries or raspberries now. If you do that, just use fewer peaches and however many berries you like to make 5 C of fruit. (I usually add 1-2 C of berries, but you could do more or less depending on your preference). Also, I usually use frozen or home canned peaches. I don't really like commercially canned peaches and so don't have them around. I don't really know how they would work with this recipe. Fresh is really good too, but I don't usually have them around either, which is why I do frozen or home preserved. OK, now back to the RECIPE:

Betty Crocker's Peach Pie:

5 C Sliced Peaches and Berries, if desired

1 tsp lemon juice (I think this is mostly for fresh peaches, to keep them from browning)

1 C sugar

1/4 C flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 TBLS butter or margarine (optional)

Heat oven to 425. Prepare pastry. Mix peaches and lemon juice. In a separate bowl stir together the dry ingredients, then mix with peaches. Turn into pastry lined pie pan (this recipe will fill a 9 inch pan), dot with butter. Cover with top crust, cut slits in the top. Seal and flute. Cover edge with tin foil if desired to avoid burning the edges. Bake 10 minutes at 425, then 25-35 minutes at 350. If desired you can baste the top pastry with milk or egg whites to help it brown.

Finally as a bonus, I'm also including my uncle's recipe for Fresh Peach Pie. This is a little different that you usually get, but is delicious when peaches are in season and perfect for eating raw. You don't bake the fruit, so make sure it is ripe, with a good flavor and texture, or you pie won't turn out well.

Fresh Peach Pie:

One pie shell

2 TLBS orange jello powder

1 C water, divided

3/4 C sugar

3 TBLS cornstarch

5 C Fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

Make one pie crust, line the bottom of your pie pan, poke holes with a fork and cook it until golden. Answers I found online suggested 425 for anywhere from 8-15 minutes. One tip said to cover your crust with aluminum foil and fill it with dry beans while you are baking to help it keep it's shape. Just remove when you are done ;)

Mix the jello, water, sugar and cornstarch. (TIP: When cooking with cornstarch you need to make sure you mix it with COLD water first. I usually use the same amount of water as I do cornstarch. So from your 1 C, just take 1/4 C or so and mix it with the cornstarch first. This prevents it from getting lumpy.) Boil the ingredients and cook until it starts to thicken. Add to peaches and put in your COOKED pie shell. Serve with cool whip. YUMMY!

Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

2009-12-23T14:22:00.001-08:00

Hello all! You'll have to forgive my absence....I've been busy getting ready for baby! She arrived a little early (8 days), much to the delight of her parents and is as cute as ever. The story is on my personal blog, if you are interested.

So...on to the recipe. I love these. They are the perfect thing for dinner or appetizers, for the family or a big party. With Christmas and New Years coming up, it seemed like the perfect time to post this. Did I mention they are totally FAST and EASY????

Baked Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef or turkey

2 eggs

1/2 C breadcrumbs

1 clove garlic (more if desired!), chopped

1/4 onion, chopped

1 tsp Italian seasoning (optional...I usually don't add this when using with this sauce...)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all meatball ingredients and form into balls. (I use my cookie scoop - it's like a small ice cream scoop, but you can make them bigger if you prefer...). Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Sweet and Tangy Sauce:

1 C ketchup

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 C water

1/3 C brown sugar

1/4 C Worchestershire sauce

1/4 C white vinegar

Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce. You can then do one of two things: throw the cooked meatballs and sauce into a crock pot. This is how I prefer to do it. The flavors can simmer together for a bit and you can prep ahead of time this way. This is also perfect if you are serving for a party, as you can just keep it plugged in and hot. If you are in a rush however you can just heat the sauce on the stove and serve immediately with the meatballs.

I like to eat this with rice, so if you are doing that make sure you plan ahead and put your rice on to cook probably first, since the meatballs don't take long to make or cook. Also if you don't have breadcrumbs on hand you can 1)Make your own or 2) Substitute. Both are easy fixes. You can make your own by toasting bread and just crushing it up. This is a great way to use stale bread or the end of the bread that no one wants to eat. If you have a good blender that is good for making breadcrumbs. You can also substitute with OATMEAL or crushed crackers, cereal, etc. I actually like to use oatmeal with ground beef in a lot of recipes. Use the quick cooking or rolled oats (not instant). I like it because it doesn't affect the flavor or texture (that I can taste anyway), it extends and bulks up the meat (usually the most expensive part of your meal) for next to nothing and it adds whole grains to you dish.

With that I'll with you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope your celebrations are full of joy and good memories!

Kristy

MUD PIE

2009-11-21T14:41:00.000-08:00

This is a Thanksgiving tradition in my family. It is loved by all and many of these pies are made each year.

Mud Pie

1 cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

2/3 cup Flour

1/3 cup Cocoa

2 Eggs

2-1/2 cups Milk

1/4 cup Margarine or Butter

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 cooked pie crust(s)

Whipped Cream (optional)

Chocolate Shavings (optional)

Mix together well the sugar, salt, flour and cocoa. Beat the eggs until fluffy and stiff. Add eggs to the mixture Heat the milk slowly in microwave. Add 1/2 of the milk to above mixture. Mix well then add rest of milk. Cook on low heat, covered, stirring often. When thickened good (will be lumpy), remove from heat. Beat with beaters until smooth. Mix in the margarine and vanilla. Chill in fridge then add to cooked pie crust. Top with Whipped Cream and Shaved Chocolate if desired.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Nacho Bake

2009-11-17T18:21:00.000-08:00

I loathe Mac N Cheese and Hot Dogs...however this is a meal that I resort to often for daycare because: 1 - it's EASY, no oven, one pan... 2 - it's QUICK... 3 - It's CHEAP.... So yesterday I announced we were going to have this for lunch and I got at least three groans of "yuck!". I don't normally get that response, but I had to agree with them on it! So I turned over the box and found this recipe. It was still fairly easy, quick and cheap. The kids and I both loved it. I actually had Shells and Cheese on hand, instead of Mac N Cheese, but I'm sure either would work great.

Nacho Bake

1 pkg Shells and Cheese

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix

3/4 C water

3/4 C sour cream

3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 C salsa

1/2 C coursely crushed tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the shells and cheese according to basic directions. While Pasta is cooking, brown meat and drain. Add taco seasoning mix and water to the meat. Simmer 5 minutes.

Stir sour cream into the prepared shells. Spoon half of the shells mixture into medium size casserole dish. Top with a layer of meat, half of the cheese, another layer of shells and another layer of meat. Cover.

Bake 15 minutes. Top with salsa, remaining cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Bake uncovered an additional 5 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

2009-11-06T14:14:00.000-08:00

These are my most favorite cookies of all time. My Grandma Alldredge (my dad's mom), would always make these cookies and have them ready for us when we came for a visit while we were young. I made these the other day for a cookie exchange we were having in Relief Society and they turned out to be a big hit with everyone and I received plenty of compliments. So I thought I would share them on the blog. I hope you enjoy them too!

Snickerdoodles

Sugar
1/2 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Margarine or Butter, Softened
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2-3/4 Cup Flour
1 Tsp Soda
1/4 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Cream of Tartar
2 Tsp Cinnamon

Cream 1-1/2 cups sugar, shortening and margarine together in bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Combine next 4 ingredients in a seperate bowl. Stir into creamed mixture. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Shape into walnut-sized balls. Mix cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons sugar in small bowl. Roll cookies in sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Wassail (Non-alchoholic)

2009-11-05T07:38:00.001-08:00

It's only November and I'm already in the holiday mood. So in celebration of that I've decided to post one of our family Christmas recipes. This is a traditional hot drink....everything about it says "Happy Holidays!" When you are making this your house will smell DIVINE. Just be careful not to let it simmer for too long or you'll end with a soupy syrupy concocotion. I find I sometimes have to water it down a little even after simmer for only an hour or so, but I really don't like mine too strong. You'll have to just experiment a little and find the best mix for you. Good luck!

Wassail

Bring 1 Quart of water and 2 Cups of sugar to a boil.

Add:

2 Quarts of Apple Cider or Juice.

From frozen concentrate and with required water add:

1 6 ounce can of orange juice and 1 6 ounce can of lemonade. (This is a small can. I don't usually see them in this size, so just use the normal size - 12 ounces - and use half of it. You could double the recipe, but that will make a HUGE batch of Wassail).

Also add a few whole cloves and 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks.

Heat to a simmer, but do not boil. Let simmer for an hour or so. Take the cinnamen sticks out after 45 minutes or until you get to your desired spiciness.

This drink is a great substitute for hot chocolate or hot cider if you want something a little different. The recipe does make quite a bit so it's really good for parties, caroling, etc.

Wild Rice Soup

2009-10-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

My house smelled divine today! I made homemade bread bowls and my homemade Wild Rice Soup to be served ~~with~~ in them. It was a really great dinner. My husband kept telling me over and over again how delicious it was.

I have made this soup recipe for many years and my family loves it, and I have received many compliments from others. So I decided to share this recipe with all of you. The bread bowl recipe I just made for the first time today, and can be found right here on this blog.

Wild Rice Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
2 cups half & half cream
2 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken (I use canned chicken and I sometimes use 1 cup chicken and 1 cup diced ham just to change it up a little)
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, saute onion, celery & carrots in butter until onion is transparent. Reduce heat. Blend in flour; cook & stir for 2 min. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 min. Reduce heat. Add remaining ingredients; simmer for 20 min.

I really hope you enjoy this soup. Its definately one of our favorites!

Whole Wheat Bread

2009-10-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is the bread recipe I have been making for my family for the past 10 years. Up until about 4 years ago it was only occasionally, but now I make all of our bread so we don't have to buy it. I actually sold this at the farmer's market last year and it was really popular, haven't been able to go this year because I work on the weekends...

Whole Wheat Bread
This recipe makes 5 large loaves and I use my Bosch mixer to mix and knead it, you can cut the recipe in half and make 3 smaller loaves. This makes good rolls too.

* 1 can of evaporated milk + enough hot water to make 2 quarts (8 cups) or 8 cups hot water and 3/4 cup dry milk powder, I have done it both ways
* 1/2 cup sugar or honey
* 1/4 cup yeast
* 1/4 cup slat
* 1/2 cup oil
* 15-20 cups of wheat flour (if the flour is from red wheat I use part white flour with the wheat. I grind all of our wheat to make bread and often don't measure the flour when I mix, so this is approximate.
* 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten (optional) this isn't necessary, I sometimes use it sometimes don't depending on if I have any in the house.

1. Put hot water/milk in a mixer and add sugar, yeast, salt and oil. Mix slightly and wait a few minutes for yeast to bloom.

2. Add about 8-10 cups of flour and mix until well incorporated. Keep adding flour and mixing until dough is soft but not too sticky.

3. Allow dough to rise until about double in size.

4. Grease 5 large loaf pans (I just spray them with cooking spray). Shape dough into five loaves and place in pans.

5. Set loaves to rise on stove top while oven preheats to 350 degrees.

6. Once risen, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Poblano Corn Chowder with Chicken

2009-10-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a good way to use some of the yummy stuff I got in the Mexican ingredient add-on of my bountiful baskets and found this recipe on Recipezaar. The overwhelming consensus in our house is that it is yummy and the recipe is a keeper! We ate it with fresh whole wheat bread right out of the oven (I'll post that recipe soon).

Poblano Corn Chowder with Chicken

* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 2 cups water
* 4 cups frozen corn, divided
* 1 cup milk
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 poblano chiles, seeded, diced
* 1 white onion, chopped
* 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 large tomato, diced
* 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I didn't have feta so I used a shredded pizza blend that I had in the fridge, I think any cheese would be good)
* cilantro, chopped (optional)
* avocado, slices (optional)
* lime slice (optional)
* black pepper, freshly ground

1. In a small saucepan, add the chicken breasts and 2 cups of water; bring to a boil and cook until chicken is tender; approximately 10 minutes.

2. Shred the chicken reserving poaching liquid.

3. Puree 2 cups of the corn kernels in a blender with the milk; set aside.

4. In a soup pot, heat the olive oil; add the diced chilies, onion and garlic; sauté 4 to 5 minutes.

5. Measure the poaching liquid and add enough water to make 2 cups, add to soup pot along with the chicken.

6. Add remaining corn and seasonings bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Stir in pureed corn, tomato and cheese; simmer to heat through and melt cheese, about 3 minutes. (I stirred in about half a cup of sour cream at the end too)

8. Ladle into servings bowls and garnish as desired.

Because of the mexican ingredient pack that I got I had fresh cilantro lime and avocado for garnish and it was so good with all of those things added.

Serves 4-5

Bread Bowls for Soup

2009-10-15T14:27:00.001-07:00

Who's been holding their breath for this one? Sorry about the delay...a million excuses, but you probably just want the recipe right? This is a very simple yummy recipe, but it is a little time consuming because like most bread...you have to let it rest and rise for some time. 6 ingredients though, couldn't be easier than that and you don't need a mixer (love that, mostly because I don't have one!) Also really cost effective. Bread bowls at the store are always expensive...plus these are better!

Bread Bowls

2 1/2 C warm water

3 T sugar

2 T yeast

1 T salt

1/3 C oil

6 C flour

Combine water and sugar in a large bowl. Sprinkle with yeast. Let soften and dissolve. Add salt, oil and half of the flour. Mix well with a large spoon. Add the rest of the flour. Stir/knead well. Let rest 10 minutes. Repeat the kneading/resting cycle 5 times. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter or board. Knead lightly. Divide into 6 or 8 pieces. Shape into balls. Place on a greased baking sheet (3 or 4 balls to a large sheet). Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool. Cut off "lid" of rolls. Pick out the soft middle, leaving a 1" to 1 1/2" thick shell. Place in bowls. Fill with soup, top with "lids" and enjoy. Don't you just LOVE fall????

NOTE: Cream soups don't soak in as much as broth-based soups.

My Grandma's Clam Chowder

2009-10-07T16:00:00.001-07:00

It is FALL and that means...soup to warm up the cold afternoons. This is a really YUMMY and fairly mild recipe for clam chowder. It also happens to be very easy and really is my grandma's recipe. Enjoy!

Clam Chowder

3 - 6 oz cans of clams (I get the minced clams so the chunks are smaller...personal preference)

1 C chopped onion

1 C chopped celery

2 C diced potatoes

1/2 tsp sugar

3/4 C butter

3/4 C flour

1 qt half and half (recipe also says you can use milk, but I don't think it would be as thick...)

1 1/2 tsp salt

Dash of pepper

Place your veggies in a pan, add just the clam juice and enough water to cover them all. Simmer for 20 minutes or until they are all tender. Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and salt. Cook 2 minutes on a medium heat, stirring constantly. Add half and half. Cook on medium high and stir until bubbly and very thick. (Be careful here or you'll burn the cream sauce!) Add undrained veggies and clams. Season and serve hot. This is really yummy with bread bowls...which I happen to have a GREAT recipe for. I'll try to post that tonight too if possible...

TIP: I had a busy afternoon and needed this ready by a certain time this evening. So instead of preparing it all together I chopped the veggies right after lunch and threw them in the crock pot on high with the water and clam juice. They cooked all afternoon and then it took me about 20 minutes to put the rest of the soup together later. I was then able to keep it warm in the crock pot without worrying about burning it on the stove. For me splitting it up made it a little more manageable with two smaller pieces of time to get it ready, but it did require planning ahead.

Like it? Come back and let us know!

Another cooking blog

2009-10-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

My cousin also has a recipe blog. I have got a few good recipes off there, but haven't had a chance to look at it much lately. Check it out and see if there's anything worth trying! It's at quickandhealthymeals.blogspot.com.

Happy cooking! One of these days I'll get some more posts up. Just no energy right now :(

I see I have a lot of visitors from the tracker that I added...how come no one comments? Come on guys....share the love ;)

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

2009-09-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is one of my favorite's and my family really likes it too. Serve it with a salad you have yourself a meal!

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

4 oz. cheddar cheese shredded

1 C. Cooked Rice

1/2 C. Sliced Mushrooms (Fresh or Canned)

1/2 C. Diced Onion

1/2 C. Evaporated Milk

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

10 oz. Pkg Frozen Broccoli

1-1/2 Tbsp. Margarine

1 tsp. Salt

5 Chicken Breasts boiled & diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 qt. Casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In saucepan combine all ingredients except broccoli, cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cheese & margarine are melted.

Add broccoli and cook until broccoli is heated.

Spoon into casserole dish and bake 30 minutes. Top with a little more shredded cheese and let melt.

Grilled Veggie Panini

2009-09-11T20:17:00.001-07:00

If you've ever wondered "what the heck do you do with eggplant????" here is a GREAT recipe for you. I saw this recipe on food network a few years ago. We had it for the second time tonight and let me tell you it is SO DELICIOUS! Even if you are not a vegetarian or if you are a picky eater I think you will like it. Joey thought it was great which is saying something! Most of the ingredients came from my garden also this year which was extremely satisfying. If you don't have a garden you will have to plan ahead and get some things at the grocery store, but it is well worth it...believe me!

*A note on eggplant. I've found, especially if you are buying your eggplant, that it's best to use it within a day or two. It goes bad quickly. What we've picked from our garden seems to last a bit better simply because it's fresher. Also don't slice it open it until just before you are ready to cook it. It gets discolored quickly once cut.

Grilled Veggie Panini - from Giada De Laurentiis

1/4 c olive oil

2 small japanese eggplants or 1 medium to large regular eggplant cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices

2 zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 small red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 baguettes (each about 2 feet long) or other speciality bread (I used Oro Wheat Sandwhich Thins, 100% Whole Wheat)

1/2 C Basil Pesto (recipe below)

8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, sliced

2 tomatoes, slices

1/2 C roasted red peppers

8 large basil leaves, optional

Basil Pesto:

2 C fresh basil leaves

1/4 C toasted pine nuts (I used slivered almonds because it was what I had and it was GREAT!)

2 garlic cloves, peeled (I just put mine through a garlic press and toasted it with the nuts)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/3 C (about) extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 C grated parmesan (I just used the regular old stuff you buy in the bottle and keep in the fridge, nothing fancy)

If your nuts aren't already toasted, heat a skillet over medium heat, add a little olive oil and toast your nuts and olives together for just a few minutes. In a blender (I used a small hand blender we have because it seemed to be better for the amount I was making) pulse the basil, nuts, garlic, salt and pepper until finely chopped. With the blender still running gradually add enough oil to form a smooth and thick consistency. Transfer to the pesto to a medium bowl and stir in 1/2 C of cheese. (The recipe doesn't call for it, but I then had to add more olive oil because the cheese soaked up all the moisture in the original mixture!). Season with more salt and pepper if needed. (The pesto can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate).

Directions for the sandwich:

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Drizzle the oil over the eggplant, zucchini and onion slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill these veggies until they are tender and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Cool completely. (I tried to use our George Foreman grill and it worked OK, but didn't make really nice grill marks and I had to do it in small batches. I ended up giving up and just broiling most of my veggies, which seemed to work just as well!)

Prepare your bread (this size of recipe is made to serve 12), spreading with pesto and adding the slices of eggplant, zucchini, onion, tomato, mozzarella and roasted pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If your bread is really soft I would actually probably toast it before prepping the sandwich.

*Other options: We actually didn't have any mozzarella so did without the cheese and it was still REALLY good. The cheese probably adds a bit more heartiness to it however and would be a delicious addition. We also added Roasted Red Pepper hummus, which gave it a totally different flavor, but was a really nice compliment to the other flavors in the sandwich.

Despite all the "fancy" ingredients and what appears to be kind of a gourmet sandwich, it was actually really easy to put together and really delicious.

Up soon...a few more eggplant recipes. I had them coming out my ears this year so experimented with a few things that turned out nicely. I will share soon...hopefully :)

Homemade White Bread

2009-08-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

I have tried MANY bread recipes over the years. This one has gained almost universal approval from my husband, kids, friends, family, etc. I kept trying to find a recipe for the breadmaker, but when I found this one decide this was almost as easy and 10 times yummier. It does take some time. If I'm making bread (it can also be used for scones, rolls, cinnamon rolls) I usually plan on 3 hours. Most of that time is taking with rising and so it's not really labor intensive, just a lot of waiting. I am still in the market for a killer Wheat Bread Recipe, so if you have a great one...Pass it on!

Mom's Homemade Bread

2 pkg yeast (4 1/2 tsp)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 C lukewarm water

3/4 C sugar

1 C powdered milk

4 tsp salt

2 large TBLS shortening

4 1/2 C warm water

13 C flour

oil

Put yeast in a small bowl with 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 C lukewarm water. Set aside to rise. In a large bowl put 3/4 C sugar, powdered milk, salt, shortening and 4 1/2 C water. Mix. (The shortening won't dissolve and will still be really lumpy in the mixture. Don't worry, it get's mixed in just fine as you add the flour.) Add yeast mixture to this mixture. Slowly start to add up to 13 C flour. After the first 6 cups, mix really well to activate the yeast, about 5 minutes, in a Bosch mixer or by hand. (I don't have a Bosch, so I just use a spoon and elbow grease!) Be sure not to add too much flour, dough will be a little sticky still. Turn out on lightly floured counter and knead until smooth. (I actually just have a large bowl I use to mix everything in and knead it in that. It also helps if you have a lower surface to knead on so you can get more of your upper body power into it. It makes less work for your arms :) Put into a greased bowl to rise (I just keep in the same bowl still, don't usually worry about greasing it), cover with a warm, damp towel. Raise to double the size. Punch down and smooth out. Let rise again. Divide into 5 loaves, shape and place in oiled bread pans. Oil the top of the bread loaf, if desired. Let rise to double again in the pans. Bake 15 minutes at 400 and 15 minutes at 350. Turn out and butter tops.

HINT: Before starting, put your 13 C flour in a bowl so you don't loose count while mixing.

For CINNAMON ROLLS, DINNER ROLLS and SCONES, take the dough you need after the first rise. This recipe makes perfect scones. I just pull off small chunks of dough and pull until they are thin rectangles. We have a deep fryer and just pop them in there. You have to turn them to get both sides, but watch carefully because they don't take very long. If you don't get them thin enough though they will done on the outside, but doughy in the middle.

For CINNAMON ROLLS: Roll out into a rectangle and butter thickly. (This works better if I have my husband rolls it out. The dough is very elastic and I have a hard time getting it as thin as I like for cinnamon rolls with my own strength :) Then cover with brown sugar, a lot of cinnamon (to your taste), a little nutmeg (optional), raisins (optional) and nuts (optional). Roll up and slice (I used waxed floss). Put in pan and let rise. Cook for 375 for 20-30 minutes. While still warm drizzle with icing.

For "Hillbilly Bread" you can mix wheat and white flour. Use up to 5 C wheat and 8 C white. More wheat than that and the bread doesn't turn out too well. (I have actually never tried it, but it was listed in the recipe...so here's an option for you to try).

Black Beans and Rice

2009-07-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Inspired this week by $5 Dinners I pulled together this recipe for dinner one night. I hadn't planned ahead so couldn't do the crock pot like she did, but this worked out really good. The first bite or two I wondered if it was a bit to bland. But I had a bowl and then kept thinking about it and had to go back for more later. The flavors in mine were a bit subtle, but you could spice things up if you prefer your stuff that way. Again...sorry, the measurements aren't exact because I threw it together...are you tired of me doing that yet? I seriously used to be a recipe NAZI! But have adopted a more "flexible" approach lately. Let me know if you like it...

Black Beans and Rice

2-3 cups of rice

1 onion, chopped

1 can of black beans, drained (for a less expensive option, use dry beans...but you have to PLAN ahead ;)

1 can petite diced tomatoes (you could probably use fresh or any other type of tomatoes here, I used what I had)

1 C (or so) frozen corn (I'm sure canned or fresh would be just great as well)

Garlic Powder

Cumin

Put the rice on to cook. Chop the onion and saute in a bit of olive oil until translucent. Add the can of black beans and corn. Saute for a few more minutes to your liking. (This time I just warmed them up, but previously when I've done recipe similar to this it was fun to put in a bit more oil and make them a bit "blackened" almost. It brings out some interesting and yummy flavors.) Add the tomatoes and spices to taste. Cook until warmed through. Mix together with rice and serve.

My kids even liked this one! I think because it was a bit milder...it helped! You could bulk up with some type of meat if you wanted, but really it has all the elements you need for a meal and is a nice lighter option. No meat = a bit less money! A salad would also go really well with this!

Chicken and Rice Casserole

2009-06-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

I think it's the fact that I'm pregnant and kind of loathing grocery shopping lately...but I'm less and less dependant on recipes than I ever have been in the past. A few years ago you would never find me just "throwing something together". Even today I still usually LOOK for a recipe, but if I can't find what works with what I have...well let's just experiment. Today I had the problem of a jar of canned chicken open in the fridge and some sliced Provolone that needed to be used ASAP! So I put together this casserole. I was a little wary of it when I pulled it out of the oven and wondered if Provolone was meant to be baked, but it was really good. The kids even all liked it! Didn't get to try it out on Joey unfortunately because my brother came over and ate everything that was left :)

Chicken and Rice Casserole

1 pint canned chicken (I used this because I had it. You could use raw chicken and just bake it longer or cook it before you put it in with the rice)

2 C Rice (or so, didn't measure. I just made two scoops of rice in the rice cooker and used it all)

1 can green beans (could add more/different veggies if you prefer)

1 can cream of chicken soup (I'm sure you could use other cream soups if you prefer)

6 slices Provolone cheese (whatever you have on hand will work I'm sure!)

Mix together the chicken (I shredded mine first), rice, green beans and cream of chicken soup. Spread in a 9 x 12 glass baking pan. Top with slices of cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I didn't add any extra spices, although I'm sure salt, pepper, garlic salt or other like things would have been good. I also probably could have used two cans of soup for the amount of rice I had. It wasn't dry because the rice was plenty moist, but wasn't saucy by any means.

Also as a side note...the canned chicken...I bottled myself! I got a great deal on boneless skinless chicken breasts. They were "seconds" so not whole breasts, but they worked perfectly for this. It was very easy (although it DID stink up my house for a few hours...). I have never used a lot of canned chicken just because it's really expensive, but this was a really cheap way to do it. It also is a nice way to keep chicken for long periods of time, without taking up freezer space, worrying about freezer burn, etc. And it's really tender and already cooked when you get done! If you want more info, let me know and maybe I'll do a post on it.

Meat Pies

2009-06-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

When I was living at home my mom would make these meat pies and my whole family loved them. I still make them for my family and my kids are always asking for me to make them.

Bisquick
1 pound hamburger( thawed out)
garlic salt
pepper
milk
1-2 eggs
1 can chili or homemade chili if desire

I mix up a double recipe of the biscuits that are on the side panel of the bisquick panel. It is basically bisquick and milk until it is biscuit consistency. I roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured surface.
Mix in a bowl 1 pound thawed out hamburger, one or two eggs, garlic salt, pepper and some milk so it is mixed together and can be spooned onto the rolled out biscuit dough. I use a fork and cover the biscuit dough that I have rolled out. Roll up jelly roll style and cut into about 1/2 in thick or desired thickness. Grease cookie sheet and put each individual meat pie onto the cookie sheet with it lying down.
Bake at about 375 degrees( might need to be higher depending on oven) about 15-20 min until they are brown. Heat up chili and serve over meat pies or my kids also enjoy catsup on them.

I hope you enjoy!!

Chicken and Veggies

2009-06-23T18:14:00.001-07:00

The other day I was saved from Chicken Nuggets for lunch at daycare (which I despise by the way!) by this. I got a bunch of Lipton Onion Soup on sale and so I tried to find a "recipe" to use with what I wanted to do. I couldn't, so I just threw this together and it was great.

I cut up a bunch of veggies (carrots, potatoes, onions) and tossed them with one packet of dry onion soup mix. I then sprinkled another packet over the chicken. Sorry...no measurements...I just used enough to fill up a big glass cake pan. I would put the chicken on the bottom, I put mine on the top and it was a little dry. But it was really good flavor. Add a little water over the chicken, place the veggies on top and cook at 350 or so for 45 min - 1 hour (?) Sorry it's been a while since I made it. But you all get the idea right? I also think this would be probably even better in the crock pot. Good luck!

Chicken Stew

2009-06-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

I love homemade chicken noodle soup, but I always feel guilty putting in store bought noodles. However sometimes homemade egg noodles are just too much. Besides I like breadsticks with my soup and when you have noodles it seems like overkill on the carbs sometimes. SO, I like to make chicken stew on occasion. Tonight I did just that. It's so easy and you can really throw in whatever you like. Here's how I did mine. This made a big batch of soup and some of the proportions are approximate because my sister was helping me out. But you get the idea right?

10 C of chicken broth (I used water and chicken boullion mix)

2 large carrots sliced (mine were REALLY big)

2-3 stalks of celery, sliced

1 onion, chopped (I was out of onions, so used minced dried onions for flavor)

Green Beans (I used one can, but I much prefer frozen or fresh if I have them on hand)

3-5 potatoes, chopped to bite size pieces

2 large chicken breasts

I get the water boiling and dump everything in as I get it cut up. Just make sure the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender. My sister likes to boil her chicken before hand and shred to put in, but that's one more step I didn't want to take tonight :)

Really could not be simpler than that. I'm sure you could add any other veggies you like. It's really hearty and perfect for days like today where it was a bit windy and cool.

Hamburger Steaks

2009-06-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

Really simple tonight, but I was getting tired of looking at my stuffed pepper recipe on my other blog ;) So the other night we had hamburgers, but no fixins for them. So I made "hamburger steaks". I cooked up the hamburgers and made brown gravy. I actually didn't have any brown gravy mix, so just used Au Jus with cornstarch to thicken it up. I served it over rice, but it would have been great over mashed potatoes. There's really a lot of options, even when it seems like very few if you can get "think outside the [normal] menu". I think we all need a few recipes like this that are literally five minute meals. I need more than most lately! (If you don't know, I'm pregnant and cooking...not so much my favorite thing right now!!!) If you have any...please post them!

Stuffed Green Peppers

2009-05-17T18:00:00.001-07:00

Made this the other day...it was YUMMY! It does take at least an hour to make, but half of that time it's in the oven. It's very easy and mild flavored. Kelley and I loved it!

Stuffed Green Peppers

6 green bell peppers (we used 4 large instead with the same amount of filling)

salt to taste

1 pound ground beef

1/3 C chopped onion

salt and pepper to taste

1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 C uncooked rice (probably have to use white or it will take longer to cook)

1/2 C water (I had to use almost 3 times this much to keep it from burning the pan!)

1 C shredded Cheddar cheese

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup (I used just a single can of tomato sauce instead)

1. In a large skillet, saute beef and onions for 5 mintes, or until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

2. While the beef/rice mixture is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers. (I didn't use water with the tomato sauce, just poured it right from the can on top of the peppers).

4. Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

I have also in the past used this basic recipe to make a CASSEROLE. I did this when I either had just pieces of peppers left over from fajitas or something or didn't have enough green peppers. Instead of stuffing the green peppers I cut them into chunks and mix everything together, topping with cheese. I have also added other colors of peppers for variety and flavor as well as potatoes (cut into chunks) if it simply needed bulking up.

Fruit Gelato

2009-05-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

I found the recipe for this here and tried it tonight, it was really good and so simple!

Ingredients

* 12 oz. bag of frozen fruit of choice
* 1/3 cup of sugar
* 1/2 cup of heavy cream

Whir them all together in a food processor or blender until it's completely smooth.

Wow, easy huh?

This can be served right away at the consistency of a soft serve ice cream, or you can stick it in a container in the freezer for a couple of hours to harden, we weren't patient enough for that, we ate it right away and it was so good!

I actually used about 18 oz of fruit (a bag of frozen strawberries and a banana I had peeled and tossed in a zipper bag into the freezer a month or two ago so that it could get used instead of going bad and being tossed out)
With 18 oz of fruit I decided to do 3/4 of a cup of cream and about 1/2 cup of sugar. My blender was having a little bit of a tough time (I think a food processor might do it easier but I don't have one) so I added a dash more cream part way through to get all of the fruit blended.

Chili and Rice

2009-05-02T17:38:00.001-07:00

Ok - So nothing fancy here girls. Want a simple meal with your protein, grain and veggies in one shot? Chili and Rice. I learned this trick in Hawaii. I just use canned chili and mix it with some rice. Sprinkle some cheese on top if you would like. Maybe you all know about this, but I had no idea it would be good until I went to BYU-H. If you really want more veggies than the beans in the chili just add some carrot sticks, salad or something simple on the side. Try it...see if you like it. This is also a good dish to use brown rice in. Even if you don't like the taste/texture it's basically taken over by the chili. Let me know what you think...

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

2009-05-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

I was in a hurry tonight and had some things I needed to use, so threw this together improved from a "Saving Dinner" recipe. It turned out really good. And for what it is, it was actually very easy. It took me no more than 30 minutes from start to table time (excluding thawing the chicken). That included getting the Garlic Broccoli ready to go with it. (Which if you haven't tried that you HAVE to! It is SO good.)

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (I used 2 large breasts, cut in three pieces each and it more than fed my family of 4)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Italian Bread crumbs (I just had normal bread crumbs and added some italian seasoning)

Olive Oil

Egg Noodles (sorry about the lack of amounts...I just cooked enough to feed my family!)

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Dip your chicken into egg batter first, then coat with bread crumbs. Add to skillet and cook through. (I turned mine several times to try and prevent burning. I think I had the heat on too high though - medium high - because they still were "blackened". I thought they were good still, but Joey was a bit bugged).

While the chicken in cooking put your Garlic Broccoli in the oven and cook your egg noodles.

When the chicken is done, put one breast on top of a bed of noodles. Cover with Spaghetti Sauce and sprinkle with cheese. (The original recipe called for Mozzarella and Parmesan. I had Colby Jack on hand, so that's what I used!)

This was another one of those recipes that called for a transfer to the oven after just browning the chicken (which would probably solve the blackening problem), but I just didn't have the time or desire to do extra dishes! Besides the broccoli was in the oven :)

OK, so my proud moment of the day....for lunch I had attempted to make "Easy Peasy Tomato Soup" from a recipe I got off this blog. I had to make some substitutions though. Her recipe called for homemade veggie stock, which I didn't have time to make. So instead I used Chicken Broth and boiled some mixed veggies for the puree. As a result the "tomato soup" was looking pretty much like puke (although I'm sure it tasted fine), and I didn't think I'd have real success serving it to the daycare kids. So I also added a can of tomato sauce and one of tomato paste. My blender isn't working real well these days either though so it wasn't as pureed as it should have been. That said, most of the daycare kids didn't love it. I actually did like it, but after lunch thought...is it even worth saving the rest of this? Joey doesn't like tom soup anyway, and is pretty picky about stuff so I didn't think he'd even try it. Then the thought...chicken parmesan came to me. And I remember hearing about that book where she hides veggies in things like bread and sauces by pureeing them. So where did I get my spaghetti sauce today? I used the leftover soup seasoned with italian seasoning and garlic salt. I thought it was great. I didn't ask Joey because I was in a hurry to get out the door and he was grumpy because his bread crumbs were charred....but I was very proud of myself and felt very frugal. There are few things I hate more than throwing perfectly good food (or what was good food three days ago before you forgot about it!) in the trash. Yeah for me!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Crepes

2009-04-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

I bought a HUGE box of strawberries on Saturday and developed a craving for strawberry crepes last night. I found this recipe online and it was delicious! They were actually very easy. We did have a crepe maker that helped to make them a bit easier, but you can do them without that. We only had three of us eating these and so were able to keep up with the demand as they were made, but you may want to consider just making a bunch ahead of time and keeping them in a warm oven or something.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Crepes

Topping:

1 1/2 C. sugar

1 1/2 C. strawberries -- crushed (I just cut them into small chunks and smashed them slightly)

Filling:

1 C. strawberries -- washed and sliced

8 Oz. softened cream cheese

1/4 C. powdered sugar

Crepes:

4 eggs

1 1/3 C. milk

2 Tbsp. oil

1 C. flour

Topping: Stir sugar and berries together and heat in a saucepan until boiling. Reduce heat and cook 10 minutes stirring constantly. (I didn't have to stir constantly, it did fine).

Filling: Blend powdered sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in berries.

Crepes: Beat eggs slightly, add remaining ingredients and beat just until smooth. Pour a few tablespoons into a hot skillet, tilting to spread evenly. Brown lightly on both sides.If you have a crepe maker that will work better. It took us a few tries to get used to the crepe maker. We had to hold it in the batter for a few seconds to get them thick enough. You only have to cook them on one side though and they are usually thinner than you can get them in a pan, but thick enough to do the job.

Put desired amount of filling in the crepe and roll up. Top with sauce and whipped topping. Overall, this was pretty sweet. You could go without the sauce, but it did taste better altogether. I'm sure you could experiment with various types of fillings as well to mix it up.

Picture of rainbow jello salad

2009-04-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

Since Kristy shared the recipe I thought I would add a picture from when I made the rainbow jello salad last year. I did it in a bundt pan and to get the bottom layer (top when assembling, bottom when unmolded) to be thick enough I had to use two boxes of the same flavor I think.

Rainbow Layered Jello

2009-04-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is really yummy. It is a bit time intensive and you might find skeptics about mixing the different flavors of Jello, but it is actually quite good. It is not hard, but you have to plan ahead because there are so many layers to set up. Good luck!

Layered Jello

*5 or 6 small boxes of various colors of Jello (i.e Grape, Cherry, Orange, Lime, Lemon)

*Boiling water

*1/3 C Sour Cream per box of Jello

Dissolve one box of Jello in 1 C boiling water. Add 1/3 C sour cream to ½ C Jello mixture. Place in Jello mold or 9 x 13 glass pan. Make sure it covers the whole bottom of pan. Allow to set in the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes. When it is set add 3 TBLS cold water to remaining Jello and pour over the top of the first layer. Pour carefully or you will mess up the first layer. Continue with different colors of Jello until complete. Top with a layer of Whip Cream Topping.

You can also use colors to support a theme (i.e. alternated red and green for Christmas or purple and orange for Halloween. You could even do the same flavor, but alternating layers of normal and sour cream...say red for Valentines Day).

Shout out to the Money Saving Mom

2009-04-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

I found this blog through my recent coupon obsession. Let me just say she is the COOLEST! Go here to see her latest project. She is getting ready to have a baby and is stocking her freezer so she won't have to cook for MONTHS after the baby is born. What a cool idea! On top of that there are links to a lot of other great baking recipes. I'm a seriously a fan of this gal and hope one day I can be as awesome as she is. Check it out. Let me know if there are any recipes we ought to post on here. I will definetly be poking around so stay tuned!

REALLY easy and yummy Breadsticks

2009-04-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but ours has been cold and SNOWY lately. With that for inspiration I have been making soup lately. Wanted to point out that there are some very yummy soups posted on this site. You can check them out here. Most recently I have tried the Cheddar and Soda Soup, the White Bean Chicken Chili and the Meatball and Gnocchi Soup. LOVED them all! Try them out and REVIEW them if you do! Even though they were posted a while ago, any reviews are greatly appreciated. So with soup on the brain I have been making these DELICIOUS breadsticks. Seriously...the easiest things in the world! Good luck!

Breadsticks:

1 TBLS Yeast

1 1/2 C Warm Water

2 TBLS Honey or Sugar

Mix together and let get bubbly.

Add:

4 C flour

3/4 tsp salt

Knead together, grease Pan. Grease or flour counter top, roll out dough in a rectangle shape (about 1/2 inch thick). Cut in strips, twist and place on cookie sheet or pan. Coat with melted butter (lately I've been dipping the whole strip into butter before I twist it up...) Sprinkle with garlic salt, parmesan cheese and Italian Seasoning (I normally just use garlic salt, but sometimes add the others). Let rise. Cook at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

This takes about 5 minutes to put together, 15 minutes or so to rise and then cook time. Done in 40 minutes or the time it takes to make a meal. My own kids and my daycare kids eat these up like crazy. If you have a big family you'll want to double or triple the recipe. We ate a whole batch between 5 of us tonight and I certainly could have had more. I've also made this with half whole wheat and it is still really good (this is actually what I did for the daycare kids most recently...they still loved it). The dough is a bit harder to work and takes longer to knead together. You will love these if you try them. They are REALLY good, but I also love that I don't have to wait for them like you normally do with breadsticks, yet they are homemade.

Creamy Crock Italian Chicken

2009-04-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

There are several versions of this on the web. I took one I liked and then we tweaked it. It was really easy, but you have to play ahead. Just a note: this meal was totally cheap for me! I got bottles of Kraft Dressing at Walmart last week for $.08 with a coupon and some help from coupon bloggers. Everything else in the meal was on sale as well! Good, cheap, easy...can't ask for more!

Creamy Crock Italian Chicken with Pasta

4 - 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 C Italian salad dressing ( I actually didn't measure this...just threw some in until it seemed good)

Put these in the crock pot on low for 6 hours or so. No need to add extra water, chicken will make it's own juice.

30 minutes before you are ready to eat, mix 1 can cream of chicken and 1 block cream cheese. Mix into crockpot with chicken. Put some pasta on to cook. We used Penne, but Fettuccine or other would be great I'm sure. After the cream cheese mixture is well incorporated take the chicken out and cut up into chunks. (You can probably skip this step, but I think ours would have been a little dry if I had. The smaller pieces allowed the sauce to do it's magic). Return the chicken to the sauce. Drain pasta and mix directly in with the chicken mixture.

Season the dish with garlic salt (a few teaspoons, depending on your taste) and parmesan cheese (1/4 C or more if you like).

Make sure to add some good veggies as this meal lacks any. If fact, you probably could add some directly into the pasta and meat if you wanted to be really efficient.

Carmel Popcorn...YUM!

2009-04-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite recipe for Carmel Popcorn I've been able to find. My husband doesn't like it because it stays soft. I love it because it stay soft! The sauce is yummy and gooey and doesn't get hard or crunchy like some types do. Try it out!

Carmel Popcorn

1 C brown sugar

1 C butter

3/4 C corn syrup

Heat ingredients together until it is boiling and bubbly. Pour over two bags of microwave popcorn and mix.

If you are using air popped, I just pop as large a bowl as I can. Tonight I popped about one and a half scoops. I also added almonds tonight which was good or pecans is really tasty also.

Quick Cheese Biscuits

2009-04-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

These remind me of the biscuits they serve at red lobster. These are so yummy and QUICK! They take less than 10 minutes to put together and 15 to bake. Good luck! Let me know if you like them...

Quick Cheese Biscuits

1 C flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese (recipe calls for sharp, I usually use mild because that's what I have on hand)

2 TBLS butter

2/3 C milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in cheddar. Cut butter using a pastry blender or 2 knives until course crumbs form. Using a fork, stir milk into flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix or overwork dough. Drop dough in heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until biscuits are firm to the touch, about 15 minutes.

Couple of tips from me:

I use an ice cream scoop to measure out the dough balls. I then use a spoon to get the dough out of the scoop. It works better than just using two regular spoons.

I also usually make at least a double batch. This says it makes 8 biscuits. I usually get almost a dozen out the recipe, but love them, so make more so there is plenty to go around.

Variations listed on recipe:

Freeze these for mini egg sandwiches. Defrost the biscuits; reheat in a warm oven for 10 minutes. Fill with scrambled eggs, bacon and cheddar.

Compliment a spaghetti dinner: use parmesan cheese instead of cheddar and add 1/2 tsp dried basil in flour mixture.

Low Country Beef and Rice

2009-04-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Tried this the other day on the daycare kids. They didn't believe they would like it...but they did! It's really yummy. It is a little different, but has enough familiar elements...you'll love it!

Low Country Beef and Rice (from Saving Dinner by LeAnne Ely)

3/4 pound extra-lean ground beef

1 stalk celery, chopped fine

1 large onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp Cajon or Creole seasoning

1 cup oats

3 cups brown rice, cooked (even if you don't normally like brown rice, use it in this...better for you and you won't be able to tell a difference if you use white rice)

3 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 11 1/2 ounce cans V-8 juice

In a skillet, over medium-high heat, cook beef, celery, onion, bell pepper, and Cajon seasoning in a skillet about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is brown and vegetables are tender. With paper towels, blot any excess grease. Stir in oats well. Then add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to medium low. Keep uncovered and simmer about 5 minutes.

Note: I didn't have a skillet big enough that would hold all of this. I just followed the instructions, except transferred everything to a bowl and added the rice very last.

German Pancakes

2009-04-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Today I made this with WHOLE WHEAT and ALMOND MILK substituted in for regular flour and milk. It was delicious. The kids still gobbled it right up!

**************************************************

If you have never tried these...you HAVE to. And you need to give it more than one chance. When we got married my husband had never had them. I made them for him and he was a little skeptical at first. They quickly became a family favorite however. These are YUMMY, FAST and full of protein (eggs). Although they are officially a breakfast item, we routinely have them after church and occasionally for dinner. So here you go:

German Pancakes

1/4 C Butter

1 C Milk

1 C Flour

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 TBLS Honey

6 eggs

Place butter in 9 x 13 pan, melting in an oven at 400 degrees. DO NOT BURN. (This usually takes as long to melt as it does to put together everything else, but I still keep an eye on it just in case.) Mix remaining ingredients in a blender. Pour all at once into hot butter and bake 20 minutes or until browned on the edges.

A couple of TIPS:

This will rise up in the oven and look like it's going to spill all over the sides. It won't, but make sure you don't have another rack right above it or you will get it all over that. It flattens back down (mostly) after you pull it out of the oven.

We normally eat this with a little bit more butter and then powdered sugar sprinkled on top. you can also eat it with syrup or fruit preserves. We did make it one time with apple pie filling in the bottom and it was really yummy. It might even be good with omelet type toppings or fillings, but we've never tried it that way.

This just barely feeds our family of four, even though our kids are little because they love it so much. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKE THIS!

Blackberry Balsamic Chicken

2009-03-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe from The Dinner Diva. It was really simple to put together and really yummy. Kelley didn't want to try it because of the appearance, but I had her take one bite and she LOVED it.

I served this with:

Green Chile Rice (Mix 1.5 cups sour cream and 1 can diced green chiles with 2-3 cups cooked rice. Cover with cheddar cheese and cook at 350 for 30 minutes)

Garlic Roasted potatoes (Cut potatoes into chunks and toss with olive oil and garlic salt, cook at 450 for 20 minutes or so).

Blackberry Balsamic Chicken

1/2 C chopped red onions

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried thyme (I didn't have this so I just used italian seasoning)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used thighs, bone in and just cooked them longer)

1/2 C blackberry preserves (I used Boysenberry because that's what I had on hand)

2 TBLS Balsamic Vinegar

Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add onion and saute until translucent. Sprinkle salt, pepper and thyme over the top of the chicken. Add chicken to skillet and saute 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium low. Add preserves, vinegar, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until the preserves melt. Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.

5 Minute Chocolate Cake

2009-03-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I should have taken the picture before we ate it, but I didn't think of it til it was gone. Seth was pretty happy to get chocolate cake after dinner on a Wednesday night! And no more grazing on the leftovers--and not even really enjoying it--for days to come.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 T flour
4 T sugar
2 T cocoa
1/8 t salt
1 egg
3 T milk
3 T oil
3 T chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

Chicken and Pasta

2009-03-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

Firstly...SO sorry about not posting. I've been busy with other things lately and this site has been neglected. I hope you all are still visiting and trying the recipes posted however. I still come here frequently to find new recipes to try as I haven't got through them all yet. Secondly...thanks to Kathy and Frances for the recent recipes...so excited to try them both. Frances also has another recipe blog that I plant to post a link to on here soon because there's been some great things on that site as well...just don't have time to look it up right now.

OK, so I threw together this pasta for a dinner party the other night. SO yummy and so easy. Since it was an improvisation, there's a lack of precise measurements, for which I apologize. I am a direction follower most of the time and this would drive me nuts, reading someone else's recipe like this. But this is as good as it gets tonight.

Chicken: I was making it for a lot of people so I used the better part of a whole roatisserie chicken. You could use whatever, but I'd happen to get this for $1 at walmart (reduced at 10 PM to get rid of them for the day!) and needed to use it.

Veggies: I just used a Frozen Veggie Mix (basic, carrots, peas, corn, green beans) I had on hand, but I think something with brocolli would be good, or mostly anything really. I think I used the whole bag.

Pasta: I used twisted noodles.

Cook everything individually, drain pasta and veggies. Then toss together with some olive oil, and seasoning. We used parmesean cheese and mozzarella cheese as well as garlic salt and italian seasoning. Joey and I just mixed it together until we got the flavor we wanted. There are really endless variations with this and it is really easy to tailor to your families tastes. Let me know if you try any other variations on this theme and how they turn out!

Cheddar and Soda Soup

2009-03-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

I just use whatever veggies are on hand like broccoli or cauliflower in place of the celery and carrots, only the onion is essential. Serve with crusty bread.

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. chopped or shredded carrots

1/2 c. flour

2 tbsp corn starch

4 c. chicken stock divided

4 c. milk

1/2 tsp soda

1-3 c. cheddar cheese

Saute first four ingredients. Add chicken stock or 3 c. water and 4 bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Add 4 cups milk. Bring to a boil or until very hot. Combine 1 c. cold water with the flour and cornstarch. Add to hot soup while stirring constantly. Stir until thickened. Then add shredded cheese. Whisk in the soda. The soup will rise quite a bit, so turn down the heat it necessary. Makes 10-12 serving.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Bars

2009-03-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

1/2 c butter or margarine
1 c oil
2 c brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 c whole wheat flour
2 c quick oats
1 c nuts
1 c chocolate chips
Cream together margarine, oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Place in 9x13 cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You can substitute applesauce for the oil if desired.

Quick Note

2009-02-10T22:21:00.000-08:00

So sorry about the serious lack of posts lately. I've had some recipes I've really wanted to post...but NO TIME! After I get my taxes done next week I'm hoping things settle a little and it will be back to normal for me. In the mean time...would LOVE to see some new recipes from some of you. Happy cooking!

Kristy

Garlic Lime Chicken

2009-01-21T17:25:00.000-08:00

Another recipe from the Dinner Diva (if you haven't noticed, I love her!). Anyway, this is really yummy and easy to put together. Good luck...let me know what you think!

1 tsp Salt

3/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp thyme

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (Kristy's Note: I never use this much chicken, but I cut 2/3 chicken breast halves into smaller pieces and the same amount of seasoning.)

2 TBLS butter

2 TBLS olive oil

4 TBLS lime juice

1/2 C chicken broth

On a dinner plate, mix together first seven ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts (I usually coat mine more heavily, which I'm sure is why I use all of the spices on about half of the chicken the recipe calls for. ALSO, this is PRETTY spicey, so for the kids, I just skip putting the seasoning on the chicken. I cook it in the same pan so it gets some of the flavor, but not all of the spice!)

In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

I serve this with garlic mashed potatoes. Simply mash your potatoes and add garlic salt or powder to taste. I add another veggie as well with a bread to round it out.

Cheese Danish

2009-01-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

This is simple and delicious!!

Preheat oven to 350.

2 Packages of Crescent rolls
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 block cream cheese.

In a 9x13 glass pan, unroll 1 package of crescent rolls, pressing all seems together.

Mix together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until creamy and fluffy. Spread mix on top of crescent rolls. Unroll second roll of crescent rolls on top of filling, carefully pressing seems together. Bake for 30 minutes.

Once cool- glaze with a powdered sugar/water mixture to your liking.

Enjoy! This is SO simple and super easy/fast to make!!

Easiest Ever Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-01-14T20:11:00.000-08:00

These Peanut Butter Cookies are probably the easiest I have ever found, and they taste pretty good! My kids love to make them because they are SO easy...

1 C Peanut Butter (you decide chunky or creamy)
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 C chocolate chips.

Mix the first 3 ingredients well, then add the chocolate chips. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls, flatten slightly with a fork (on an ungreased cookie sheet) and bake at 350 for 10-11 minutes. Let sit on sheet for 2 minutes, then remove.

Easy Yummy Cornbread

2009-01-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

1 (9 oz) box corn muffin mix
1 (9 oz) box yellow cake mix

Prepare corn muffin mix just as box directs. Set aside. In another bowl, prepare yellow cake mix as box directs. Pour cake mix into corn muffin mix and stir well. Pour batter into greased 9x12 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with honey butter.

White Bean Chili

2009-01-09T14:20:00.001-08:00

I have many different varieties of this recipe that I have tried recently and family just loves it. This can be made so many different ways. It is very delicious with this cornbread recipe. Try it out.

3-4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 T. oil
1 med onion, chopped
2 cans Great Northern beans rinsed and drained
1-2 sm cans green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1(14 oz) can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1/2 c whipping cream

Combine chicken, garlic, oil and onion in skillet and heat until chicken is cooked. Add beans, chilies, spices and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add sour cream and whippign cream and heat through. ( One way I have tried it is to not add any of the spices but to add fajiti dry mix instead of spices)

Crock Pot Cafe Rio Pork (almost)

2009-01-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: I love, Love, LOVE this recipe. It is SO SO SIMPLE and really delicious. I don't *think* you could ruin this. I thought I did the other day. I put it in on high in the morning trying to get it ready for lunch. I went to shred it a few hours later and it was NOT working. So I cut it up, stuffed it down in the sauce and turned it to low. I let it finish cooking that way until dinner and then it just fell apart. You could use this in a couple different ways. We like it on a salad. I saute some onions until they are caramelized and add some black beans and corn. (To caramelize onions, just sauce them in a little oil until they start to get brown. They will be a little sweet. If you want more specifics just type it in your search engine and you can get great directions on how to do this.) This time we also topped with tomatoes and pieces of fried flour tortillas. Ranch dressing tops it all off. This would also be great in burritos, tamales, chimichangas maybe...

Anyway, it's fabulous I think...try it, you'll like it!

Original post:

This is the last recipe I found on Lara's site. Again, haven't tried it yet...but doesn't it sound yummy??? And hello simple! Let me know...

Crock-Pot Cafe Rio Pork (almost)

1 pork roast (I use pork shoulder, bone-in or boneless- just pick the bone out when it's done if you use bone-in)
1 jar salsa (Chile Verde, made with tomatillos is GREAT!)
1 cup brown sugar

Mix salsa and brown sugar. Dump on pork in crock-pot. Cook all day. Shred the meat with 2 forks and mix the juices back in. Enjoy. (Can be used as burrito filling, taco filling, for taco salad, etc.)

Crockpot Chicken

2009-01-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

This is not a recipe I have tried yet, but another one from my friend Lara's blog. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!

Crockpot Chicken
In a crockpot, throw in:
1/4 c. butter
4 frozen chicken breasts
1/4 c. water
1 pkg. onion soup mix

Cook on High for 3-4 hours
One hour before serving add:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 pkg. cream cheese
frozen peas
Serve over rice or noodles.

Taco Bean Burgers

2008-12-15T12:52:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd share my husbands favorite meal because it is ridiculously easy and he loves it so much. I'm not a fan of sloppy joes, but this alternative is one that everyone in our family likes:

1 lb ground beef, browned
1 can baked beans
1 pkg taco seasoning

Mix together and warm. Serve on hamburger buns.

I usually serve this with potato salad, french fries, or another more labor intensive side dish because the main is so effortless. Of course, in a pinch, I just chop up and steam some veggies.

Peppermint Bark

2008-12-12T15:34:00.001-08:00

I just made this today for my neighbor gifts. It is really easy and addicting!

1 1/2 -2 pounds of white melting chocolate
10-12 candy canes crushed
4 drops of peppermint oil (All I could find was extract and it seemed to work fine.
red gel food coloring (opt)

Melt chocolate in microwave 2 minutes and stir in everything else (I saved a little bit of the candy canes to sprinkle over top)
Pour onto heavy foil (I used regular and it worked) lined cookie sheet. Put in refrigerator until set. Break off in brittle-like pieces. Very yummy. Enjoy!

Sorry the picture is of my bags too with my shortbread cookies. I didn't have any left over out and I didn't want to unwrap the bags. =)

Yummy Potato Casserole, with a twist

2008-12-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

Commonly referred to in Mormon Culture as "Funeral Potatoes", this is one of my favorite dishes. But it's a bit much work and makes A LOT just for a side dish. Thus the name...this is usually made only for funerals or other such large gatherings. Well, a coworker of mine once made this as a breakfast casserole with ham. In addition instead of shredding the potatoes, she simply cut them into large chunks (you could do any size you like, I'm sure). This cuts down prep time and the addition of the ham makes it a great meal in and of itself. So with those additions, here is a YUMMY casserole with the changes added.

Yummy Potatoes and Ham (or other meat :)

8 (or so) boiled potatoes (cut into chunks, or shredded)

1 C Ham or Turkey chunks (***I've use the stuff that comes in the packages, already cut for salads, the measurement is a guesstimate. When I made it I just used all the leftovers I had and actually used both AND Turkey***)

1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

2 C shredded cheese (I use cheddar)

2 C sour cream

1 tsp salt

1/2 C chopped onions

2 C crushed cornflakes (***or any other plain cereal, tonight I used rice crispies and bread crumbs, because that's what I had...back to the recipe...***)

3/4 C melted butter, divided

1 tsp pepper

Mix potatoes, meat, soup, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper together. Melt 1/2 C of the butter in a pan and saute the onions until soft. Add the butter and onions to the potato mixture. Put in a 9 x 13 pan. Mix remaining 1/4 C butter and cornflakes and put on top of casserole. Cover with foil and back at 375 for 30 minutes.

Also, this I think is the best recipe for this dish that I've tried. I usually try several when I have it at functions (like the Christmas Party tonight) and I can never find one I love as much as this...

And ANOTHER plug...please review any recipes you try...we hope your trying them!!!

Red Velvet Cake

2008-12-11T07:26:00.000-08:00

This is a very festive red cake. It is great for this time of the year. I also make it at Valentine's day. It is great for a Christmas birthday cake. Enjoy and let me know if you like it.

Red Velvet Cake
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoon cocoa
2 oz red food coloring( it comes in small bottles in the spice part of the grocery store)
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Cream sugar and shortening and then add eggs. Make a paste with the cocoa and food coloring in a small bowl. Add to creamed mixture. Mix salt and vanilla with buttermilk and add alternately with the flour to the creamed mixture. Mix baking soda and vinegar in a small cup. Fold into the mixture. Don't beat.Bake in 9x13 or 2-9 inch round floured and greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You can check to make sure it is cooked with a toothpick and poke it into the center to make sure it is all cooked.

Black Bean Quesadillas/Burritos

2008-12-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

This is another recipe from the Dinner Diva (Saving Dinner). I did this one today for lunch and it took me about 20 minutes from start to serve. I will admit regular burritos are probably faster, but this gives you a really nice variation on that theme for just a few extra minutes.

I Tbls olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 package frozen corn (5 ounces)

12 flour tortillas (she suggest whole wheat, but this is one thing I really prefer with white flour...)

1 C Cheddar Cheese

In a large skillet, add half the oil and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Mix in beans, bell pepper, tomatoes and corn. Cook until heated through.

***Kristy's version (faster). I then just warmed the tortillas and used the mix as burrito filling, including the cheese. My husband also added sour cream and avocados to his and that was really good. Also I didn't have the red pepper on hand, so just made it without and it was still great. Back to the original version:

Place a tortilla on a plate or flat surface. Sprinkle some Cheddar cheese over the tortilla. Spoon some of the bean and veggie mixture over the cheese. Top with another tortilla. Repeat until all the tortillas are used.

Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place quesadillas in the skillet and heat and flip until both sides are brown.

***UPDATE: We used the leftovers a few days later to bulk up some chicken tacos we made. My hubby liked it better that way. I loved it the first time as it was, but this is another option for you.

Scones, Navajo Tacos

2008-12-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

This is a REALLY yummy scone recipe. It's a little sweet so is great with butter and jam or honey. But it also works really well for Navajo Tacos. We usually throw on chili beans or regular canned chili, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, cheese, sour cream...whatever you like. These go together really quickly also. REMINDER: If you are trying these recipes PLEASE review them....it makes me feel like my effort is not in vain:)

Kristy

Navajo Bread:

4 C Flour

1 tsp Salt

1/2 C Sugar

2 tsp Baking Powder

2 C Milk

Mix dry ingredients, add milk. Mix until you get a good dough. (I usually have to add a little flour until it's not too sticky). Fry in hot oil.

I make smaller scones from golf ball sized balls, and just press them down quite flat as they rise in the oil. Today I also used 1 C of wheat flour and 3 Cups regular flour and that turned out well.

NOTE: One reviewer said she didn't like these so much because they were heavy. They ARE a little heavier than some scone recipes. This is a QUICK recipe without yeast, so it does turn out that way. I don't mind it. My husband on the other hand really prefers the lighter scones I make with my white bread recipe. It just depends on your preference. But if you are a hurry, these are a great option :)

Mexican Chicken in a Crock Pot

2008-12-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this recipe. It sounds a little different, but is really good and appealing to picky eaters I think. Give it a try.

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (can be frozen)

1 can black beans

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

1 can corn

1 can green chilies

1 jar salsa

1 can refried beans

Cook all ingredients except the refried beans in a crock pot on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken and add the refried beans to thicken. Stir well. Serve in flour tortillas or with tortilla chips. This makes quite a bit so is a good dish if serving lots of people or for leftovers.

Ritz/Triscuit/Cornflake/Breaded Chicken

2008-12-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

The above title was used because I've tried basically the same recipe with a variety of breading options, depending on what you have on hand. I really like all of them and have even used homemade bread crumbs on my most recent venture. This is DELICIOUS and simple to put together.

1-2 C Breading (Crushed crackers, cereal or bread crumbs)

3 TBLS Parmesan Cheese

2 tsp Garlic Salt

1 tsp Season Salt

1/2 C Melted butter

1 small container of plain yogurt (I have also used sour cream when no yogurt on hand, still good)

1 lb Chicken Tenders (I usually just cut up chicken breasts into thinner strips...is that what tenders are?)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl or zip lock bag. Wash chicken and dry with paper towels. Dip chicken into yogurt then in dry mix. Place in a greased pan. After chicken is in pan pour melted butter over the top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

This recipe came from our SLC ward cookbook. My friend Jaclyn made it for us one time and since then my husband declared I can make anything in the cookbook by her, because he liked it so much.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-12-02T16:07:00.001-08:00

OK, one more from Lara...then I'm off to make dinner and will post another tonight if it turns out good.

Chicken Noodle Soup and Breadsticks:

Dump 3 cans of chicken broth in a large pot, throw in 3 stalks of celery sliced, 3-4 big carrots that have been peeled and sliced, 1/2 of a small onion chopped (or 1 TBSP dried onion) and a chicken breast that has been cut into bite size chunks. Set that to boil for about 20 minutes till the chicken is done and the veggies are as tender as you'd like.

Dump in about 16 oz. of dry noodles (penne holds up the best for this soup). Add more water if you need to - you don't want a whole lot of liquid, just a couple of inches over the top of the noodles and stuff. Boil (stir often) till the noodles are done. Stir in 2 cans cream of chicken soup and serve.

We eat this about once a week in the fall/winter. I always mix up a batch of breadsticks to go with it.

Those are easy too - after you get the veggies and chicken boiling, put 1 1/3 cups really warm water in your mixer bowl. Add 1 TBSP yeast, 1 TBSP sugar, 1 tsp salt, and mix. Let this sit for just about a minute to get started. Then add in 3 1/4 cups flour (sometiems a bit more or less depending on the humidity - you want a soft dough that is not sticky). Mix for 10 minutes by hand or machine. (You can do this in a bosch, kitchenaide, or bread machine). Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour it onto a large jellyroll pan. Spread the dough onto the pan. You'll have to stretch and press the dough to get it as close to the edges as you can. Cut the dough into breadsticks - we do one cut across the middle and then about 7 the long way, but you can cut them however big or small you'd like. Let rise until puffy (sometimes I put them in the oven and then turn it on to pre-heat if I'm in a hurry). Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes. Brush with butter and sprinkle with garlic salt. Really good!

If you want sweet breadsticks for a treat, at the end instead of using garlic salt, sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar.

Honey Mustard Chicken

2008-12-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

This is another recipe from Lara's blog. Again, I haven't tested it, but sounds good...

Honey Mustard Chicken (from Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:
3 TBSP honey
2 TBSP spicy brown mustard
2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 limes, 1 juiced & 1 cut into 8 wedges
8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (I actually used about 10-12 chicken tenderloins and it worked fine)

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the honey, mustard, oil and lime juice. Add the chicken and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes (I thawed my chicken in the microwave first.)

Grill chicken for 10 minutes on each side, or if you are grill-less like me, pan fry it!. Serve with lime wedges. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Fettucine

2008-12-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: I haven't tried this recipe. I stole it off of my friend Lara's blog. She's who basically inspired the idea of this website with her post asking for help. She got a lot of recipes in response to her request...this is one of them. I might post more later. This is just one of the first and sounds good. PLEASE post a review if you try it...

Fetuccine in crock pot
2 chicken breasts (frozen or not)
1/4 C butter or margarine
1 pkt. italian dressing mix
Cook for 4-6 hrs in crockpot, cut up chicken, then add
1 8oz cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken
1/2 can water
cook for another half hour. while this is cooking, boil fetuccine noodles. Mix together with chicken/cream cheese mix. I always serve this with french bread.

Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops and Potatoes

2008-12-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

This recipe is very similar to the pork chop recipe with sour cream in it, but just a little different. It is so easy and my family LOVED it. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

4-6 pork chops
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
about 6-10 potatoes(cut up)
salt
pepper
garlic salt if desired

Wash potatoes and cut them up in chunks and put cream of mushroom soup, potatoes, pork chops and seasonings in crock pot. Let cook for approximately 3 hours depending on if pork chops are frozen or not.

Garlic Broccoli

2008-11-26T12:40:00.000-08:00

My sister discovered this in Rachael Ray and it is YUMMY! To illustrate, 6 out of 7 of my daycare kids (ages 1-5) loved it today and most asked for seconds or thirds. The one that didn't eat it is very little and refused to even try it. This is the recipe right off of Rachael's site. I actually have not tried it with the chili powder or the seasoning blend. I usually use the garlic cloves, but today used the Garlic Salt and it worked really well. I also season it with salt and pepper.

Garlic Broccoli

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, eyeball it
5 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped OR Garlic Salt
1 tablespoon chili powder ***(optional)
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended:Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick Grill Mates) *** (optional)
1 large head broccoli, cut into thin, long spears (including stems)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, chili powder and grill seasoning in the bottom of a large bowl and add the broccoli spears. Toss to coat broccoli evenly then transfer to a large nonstick baking sheet. Roast the broccoli until ends are crisp and brown and stalks are tender, 17 to 20 minutes.

Crock Pot Pork Chops with Sour Cream Sauce

2008-11-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe online and it was YUM! The chops were SO tender and I loved the sauce. A+ from me. Speaking of which...PLEASE review this and other recipes you try on this site! THANK YOU!

Ingredients:

4 to 6 pork chops

flour

salt and pepper

1/4 C oil

1 Large onion, sliced

2 cubes or equivalent chicken boullion or base

2 cups hot water

8 oz. sour cream (fat free is OK)

Preparation:

Season pork chops to taste and dredge in flour. Lightly brown in oil and place in slow cooker; top with onion slices. Dissolve or soften boullion in hot water and pour over chops. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. After the pork chops have cooked, stir 2 tablespoons flour into the sour cream; stir into cooking juices. (It is not necessary for this to be totally blended into boullion, but don't just dump it on top either.) Turn slow cooker to high for 15-30 minutes or until liquid is slightly thickened. Serve with rice, noodles or potatoes as you choose.

San Francisco Chops

2008-11-21T22:09:00.000-08:00

I have no idea why this is called San Francisco Chops, I got the recipe from my sister who doesn't remember where she got it or why it has this name either. It is super yummy and an easy slow cooker recipe. I changed it a little bit by decreasing the amount of soy sauce and increasing the chicken broth, I felt it was too salty once it cooked down with the original ratio.

Ingredients
4 - 1” thick bone in pork chops or 6 thinner chops (Cut off fat layer if it is thick)
1-2 Tbsp. oil
2 garlic clove, minced

Brown chops in oil in a skillet, remove to greased slow cooker. Add the garlic to drippings in pan and cook till golden, stirring. Stir in:

1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup chicken broth (or 3/4 tsp chicken bullion mixed with 3/4 cup hot water)
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Cook sauce, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops in slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-8 hours (high 4-5 hours) until tender. Remove chops from slow cooker. Combine 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1 Tbsp. water till smooth. Stir into sauce to thicken. Remove bones from chops and place meat back into the sauce. Cook for 3o minutes more. Serve over rice.

Easy Easy Pumpkin Cookies

2008-11-21T06:40:00.000-08:00

I am sure most of you have heard of this recipe but to those that haven't I thought I would share one of the simplest recipes that I know of for pumpkin cookies. It would be great to have these items in storage for emergencies because it is so simple.

1 spice cake mix( or carrot cake mix)
1 small can pumpkin
chocolate chips

Mix the cake mix and the pumpkin together and then add chocolate chips. (No eggs, oil, water etc)
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 min.

Yummy!!!
Great low fat recipe

Super Easy Taco Salad

2008-11-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 can beans (any kind you like: kidney, pinto, etc...)
chopped veggies (whatever you like: lettuce, cilantro, tomato, onion, olives, avocado, etc...)
sour cream
salsa
tortilla chips (plain or Dorito's)

Direction:
Brown ground beef then add taco seasoning mix according to package directions. While that cooks drain your can of beans and heat it in the microwave if you want them warm. Chop up all your veggies and shred your cheese.

At this point you can do one of two things. You can mix everything together in a big bowl, or you can leave everything out for people to make there own salad on their plate with what they want. I just leave everything out and let people add whatever they want to theirs. Start with a layer of chips, then meat and beans, then whatever else you want on it.

Enjoy! This comes together so fast and so easily and is really yummy!

Tortilla Taco Soup

2008-11-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

My sister just sent me this recipe and I thought I would share.

3 can Diced Tomatoes
1 can Kidney beans Drained
1 Can Corn
1 Can Chicken
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Grated Cheese

Mix all ingredients into crockpot and warm on high for a couple hours. Serve over crushed Tortilla Chips then add cheese and sour cream on top.

Key Lime Pie

2008-11-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

This recipe is real easy. It can be used as a treat when on a diet because it is lower in calories, depending on if you choose to use light cool whip and a reduced fat graham cracker crust.
ENJOY!!! This is real yummy. Try it for Thanksgiving.

Key Lime Pie
1(3 oz) pkg sugar free lime jello
1(8 oz) carton fat free Cool Whip( or regular)
1/2 c boiling water
Graham cracker pie crust( or reduced fat graham cracker crust)
2 (6 oz) containers of key lime light Yoplait yogurt

Mix lime jello with boiling water until dissolved. Add yogurt and gently fold in Cool Whip. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chicken Divan

2008-11-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Because I thought this site needed more chicken recipes, the other exception to my anti-cream soup stance.

Chicken breasts baked on a bed of rice and broccoli with a creamy tasty sauce and cheese on top.

Ingredients:

2 C. cooked rice
2 lb. broccoli, cut up
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. Mayonaise (not miracle whip, fat free ok)
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 C. shredded mozzerella cheese
1 C. italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread cooked rice in the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan.
3. Spread the 2lbs of cut up broccoli evenly over the rice.
4. Place chicken breasts on top of broccoli.
5. Mix soup, milk, mayo and lemon juice. Pour over top of chicken.
6. Sprinkle cheese and then bread crumbs over chicken.
7. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 1 to 1-1/2 hour, removing foil for last 20-30 minutes so that topping will get brown and bubbly.

Number Of Servings:6

Chicken in Orange Sauce

2008-11-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

One of my exceptions to my anti-cream soup stance, easy and really yummy.

To make a healthier version of this dish substitute the cream soups with reduced fat versions and cut the hot oil back to 2 Tbsp.

Ingredients:

1/2 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
Dash pepper
Dash garlic powder
6 chicken breast halves
1-4oz. can mushroom with juice
1/4 C. hot oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2/3 C. orange juice
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
Blend first five ingredients. Coat chicken with flour mixture and brown in hot oil. Blend remaining ingredients. Turn chicken and pour mixture over it. Cover and simmer about 20-30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Serve with rice and vegetable of your choice.

Number Of Servings:6
Preparation Time:about 45 minutes start to finish

Meal Swap?

2008-11-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

Kristy, please tell me if me posting this is ok with you, I don't want to be out of line or anything, I just think that something like this might be fun.

I am wondering if anyone on here who lives in the Cedar City area would be interested in a meal swap group? I could organize it and everything if anyone is. Basically, once we have a group set everyone would email me 3 recipes that they would like to use that will survive freezing and re-heating. I would review them to make sure that there aren't any duplicates and request new recipes if necessary. Then everyone in the group would vote for their favorite recipe from each group of three. Each persons recipe that got the most dish would be the one they make for the swap. Everyone then makes enough of that recipe fro each person in the group to have a frozen meal of it, we all come together and swap. Everyone just makes a bunch of one recipe and goes home with a variety.

I don't know if I explained that very well, but it works great and is usually a lot of fun. If anyone is interested or has any questions just let me know... I love sharing recipes like this and have been doing it on a family website for a long time, but I think a meal swap group would be a fun thing to try as well.

From scratch tuna casserole

2008-11-16T15:51:00.000-08:00

I really, really hate cooking with cream soups most of the time (I do have two exceptions that I can think of and I will share them later) so I make the sauce for my tuna casseroles from scratch, it is so easy and the taste is so much better.

Ingredients:

· 6 Cups medium noodles (about 8 oz.) or 2 cups elbow macaroni (about 7 oz.) (I usually use either egg noodles or small shells)

· 1 sleeve saltine crackers (I like to use whole wheat or multi-grain ones the best. most people top a tuna casserole with bread crumbs but I tried saltines once when I was out of bread crumbs and have never gone back)

· a few shakes garlic powder (optional)

· 2 Tbsp. butter, melted (for cracker topping, more if you would like)

· 1 C. chopped celery

· ½ C. chopped onion

· 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped or a few shakes of powdered (optional)

· 6 Tbsp. butter

· ½ C. all purpose flour

· 1 tsp. dry mustard (optional, although it is good with it, if you don't have any leave it out)

· salt and pepper to taste

· 2 C. milk

· 2 C. chicken broth (or 2 tsp. chicken bullion dissolved in 2 cups hot water)

· 3 (6 oz) cans tuna, drained and broken up into chunks

· 1-2 cups frozen peas (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°
Cook noodles or macaroni according to package instructions. While pasta is cooking, take your saltines and crush them inside the sleeve. Combine saltines with 2 Tbsp (or more) melted butter and a few shakes of garlic powder if you are using it.
Cook celery, onion and chopped garlic (if using) in the 6 Tbsp. of oil until tender. Stir in flour, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Add milk and chicken broth. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly (it should look like any good thick white sauce). Combine sauce, tuna, peas and noodles. It will look a little like there is too much sauce for the amount of noodles but it will thicken more during baking. Transfer to a 13”x9” sized pan (I use a glass pyrex one) and sprinkle top with buttered saltines.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Julia's Revenge

2008-11-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

My mom always called this Julia's revenge, in reference to Julia Child, because it only uses one pot and is so quick and easy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 - 28 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can corn, drained (optional)
1-1/2 cups uncooked white rice
2 to 2-1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese, any kind

Directions:
Brown hamburger and onion in a large pot. Drain. Drain tomato liquid into a 4 cup measuring cup. Add tomatoes to the pot and break up if necessary, also add corn if using ( Ialways use corn because we like it that way. Add enough water to tomato juice to measure 3 cups, pour into pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice and some salt and pepper (maybe 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp salt to start, I don't know because I never measure it) and stir everything together. Reduce heat (low or med-low), cover and simmer 20-30* minutes until rice is done. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Top with shredded cheese.

During cooking time, check occasionally to make sure rice isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Orange Breakfast Biscuits

2008-11-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

I make these for breakfast on some Sundays and especially when I have a special breakfast or have company over. They are very yummy and very easy. Let me know what you think.

Orange Breakfast Biscuits
1/2 c sugar
1/2 cube butter
2 Tablespoons orange juice concentrate

Combined above ingredients in a saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved. Place 1 package, small refrigerator biscuits in a 8x8 inch pan.( If you are feeding more people use more packages and you can use a 9x13 pan) Pour juice mixture over rolls and bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

One Pot Meatball and Gnocchi Soup

2008-11-14T18:39:00.001-08:00

I was really wanting soup and was browsing the net when I came across this recipe. It is so easy and very hearty. I made the meatballs with my melon baller and scooped them right into the soup. You don't need to use the red wine, you can just substitute more chicken broth. I also used Canadian bacon instead of turkey bacon because that is what I had on hand. This makes really good left overs. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil
4 pieces turkey bacon, diced
4 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks (with leafy parts), chopped
1/2 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, roasted
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 C. red wine, preferably cabernet
1 lg. can diced tomatoes(with liquid)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 C. gnocchi, store-bought or hand-made
4 C. chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 C. fresh parsley, minced

meatball recipe
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. red pepper flake
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced
1/4 C. grated parmesan cheese
1 lemon, juiced and zested

Directions

Combine ingredients for the meatball mixture and set aside. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel, set aside. Next add the carrots, celery, onion, roasted garlic, bay leaves, fresh thyme and rosemary and let cook another 5-7 minutes.

Deglaze pan with red wine and let cook for 1 minute before adding the canned tomatoes, garbanzo beans, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and begin forming meatballs and dropping them into the soup. Also add the gnocchi and let simmer for 7-10 minutes, until both meatballs and gnocchi are floating to the top. Return bacon to the soup and garnish with fresh parsley just before serving.

Improvising, Skillet Pasta

2008-11-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

OK, so much hubby has issues with spaghetti. I like homemade spaghetti for many reasons, including that it's EASY and FAST. Well tonight was one of those nights, it was after 5 and I had no dinner plans. I have shied away from that above mentioned dish most of the time because I only get complaints when I make it. But he agreed tonight that was fine. I had to get out the door to book group. As I started cooking however I decided to "improvise" (which always scares Joey...I swear I get no appreciation!). Inspired by Rachael Ray and the "Dinner Diva" I threw this together:

Skillet Pasta (Anyone have a better name, let me know)

Get Pasta cooking. I used Penne.

Saute Veggies and pressed garlic in some olive oil until tender. (I used one chopped onion and some left over green peppers. You could also add mushrooms, shredded carrots, whatever you have on hand. You could also skip this step if your in a real crunch!)

Add 1 lb ground beef, brown and drain off fat.

Add 1/2 - 1 C oats. (this may sound weird, but you can't taste it, it adds whole grain and some bulk to the meat, extending the food for just a few pennies)

Mix these until incorporated.

Add 1 jar store bought spaghetti sauce and 1 C cottage cheese. Mix well. Top with Mozzarella Cheese and let melt. Serve over pasta.

You can also mix the sauce and pasta together, top with cheese and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is melted, but this adds more time and more dishes...

The end result...Joey really liked it and Tyler had 3 helpings (he ate more than my husband!)

The Soup that Started it all

2008-11-13T20:41:00.001-08:00

This is yummy, easy and quick. For the most part it can be done with things you probably already have in your pantry. Add a veggie on the side and it's totally well rounded...good luck, let me know what you think.

Black Bean and Salsa Noodle Soup

3 cans (14 oz) vegetable or chicken broth (I used chicken because I had it)
1 16 oz jar salsa
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 package (5 oz) curly noodles or other uncooked pasta
1/3 C chopped fresh cilantro (optional, I didn't use this in mine)
1 TBLS lime juice
1 tsp chili powder (I think I goofed and used a TBLS and it was still really yummy)
1/4 tsp each of ground cumin and pepper
Shredded Parmesan or other cheese

In 4-QT pan heat broth to boiling. Add all ingredients except cheese. Reduce heat to medium.
Cook until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.