Sharing Recipes

Dining in DFW

2012-02-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

This past weekend a dear friend and I made a quick trip to Dallas for some shopping and eating. It was so much fun.

The first night we ate at Mi Cocina at The Shops at Legacy. It was delicious Mexican food. We both had yummy steak tacos with fresh guacamole. I wish I would have taken a picture. Suffice it to say, our plates were clean. (Take note: tacos for dinner).

The next day, we hit Crate & Barrel, one of my favorite places, I mean stores, on earth.

For lunch, I had scoped out a fairly new restaurant called The Velvet Taco. When we drove by it, it looked a little sketchy from the outside. Fortunately, getting back on the highway involved driving by it again. The place was full! So, in we went.

We visited with a couple in line that sang its praises and had some great recommendations (who knew that egg tacos were such a hit?). Then, another girl came in and we asked her what she liked. She said, "Last night, I had ______". And she was back for lunch. I was sold.

These tacos were amazing. Here are the descriptions of my three tacos from the menu:

The #2 -Rotisserie chicken, white queso, roasted corn pico, cilantro, smoked poblano salsa, corn tortilla

The #8 - Roast pulled pork, house shred, thai basil, grilled pineapple-habanero salsa (oh my word), spiked bbq sauce, corn tortilla

And the #19 - Chorizo sausage, egg, pepper jack cheese, refried beans, mexican oregano, serrano-ranchero salsa, corn tortilla.

My friend Les had one with grilled flank steak and another with grilled adobo shrimp. People, we ate well.

The best part was the corn tortillas. They were incredibly fresh and delicious. Next time, you are in the area, go to The Velvet Taco.

(Note: tacos again, this time for lunch)

Next stop, was Ikea...or as my friend refers to it Mommy Disneyland. It's a good thing we didn't bring anyone else along. The vehicle was quite full when we left (which could have been more due to poor packing than the actual amount of stuff we purchased).

That night, even though we weren't hungry, we stopped at In-N-Out. Les went to school in California, so she was already well acquainted with the famous chain, but this was my first time.

My burger was indeed delicious (I feel like I keep using that word) and so were the fries. However, they probably would have tasted that much better if I would have been a little more hungry. Next time, I'm going to In-n-Out on an empty stomach.

Finally, on our way home on Sunday, we stopped at Taco Cabanas for breakfast. I didn't even know this chain existed, but I sure wish Wichita would get one. Fabulous breakfast tacos. Yes, we ate tacos each day and once for each meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. And, I would do it again.

What lesson can you learn from this post? If you're going to travel with me, we're going to eat ~~tacos~~ good.

(Updated to add: I completely forgot to mention our stop at Chick-fil-a on the way to Dallas. The highlight - a cookies and cream milkshake. March can not come quickly enough here in ICT).

Another week in meals

2012-01-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

It seems that nothing we ate last week was deserving of a blog post. My weekend most certainly was, though, so watch for that soon.

In the meantime, here's what we're eating this week:

Monday - Because of an unexpected trip to the dentist, tonight's meal got moved to tomorrow. So, we settled for very simple tomato soup, grilled cheese, and blood orange slices tonight.

Tuesday - my dad's chili with rice and tortillas and probably some kind of fruit

Wednesday - Chicken enchiladas, guacamole, oranges (we bought a big bag)

Thursday - Spaghetti carbonara, broccoli (roasted, if CJ has his way), probably more oranges

Friday - Card night at our house - Italian beef, sweet potato fries, fruit salad, dessert...I'm thinking lemon pudding right now. Wish it were Friday already. :)

Happy eating this week! Come back to see pictures of the awesome food I had this past weekend.

The week in meals

2012-01-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

Here's what we're eating this week...or at least what I have planned.

Sunday - lunch - whole wheat apple oat muffins, breakfast scramble

dinner - ham and beans, cornbread

Monday - dinner at Youth Horizons

Tuesday - Tostadas (making homemade refried beans from Sunday's leftovers), white queso

Wednesday - Baked tortellini with bacon, broccoli

Thursday - Spiced chipotle honey chicken with sweet potatoes, salad

Friday - Mama's out of town, so the boys will eat chicken fries and mac-n-cheese...or leftovers

What are you eating?

Homemade Coffee Creamer

2012-01-21T12:50:00.001-08:00

I have just recently became a coffee drinker. Or at least a coffee-flavored creamer drinker...ha. I like my coffee with plenty of milk/sugar. I especially like the new Natural Bliss creamer, but it's kind of spend-y. So, when I saw a recipe for homemade coffee creamer on Pinterest, I thought I would give it a try.

The verdict: It's easy and so good. And much more affordable.

Homemade Coffee Creamer

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

14 oz. milk (it doesn't work to just put milk into the sweetened condensed milk can, by the way) You basically need nearly 2 c. of milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Combine the ingredients (I use a quart-size canning jar) in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Stir. Then, shake, shake, shake. Store in the refrigerator. Mark the top with the milk's expiration date. So far, ours has not lasted nearly that long. That's it. Add to your coffee and enjoy!

My own creation

2012-01-17T17:31:00.001-08:00

Updated to add: This was really good leftover, maybe better than the first night. Just sayin'.

I am a recipe person. And, I like the follow the recipe precisely, especially the first time I make something. I am not much of a creative cook. In the past few months, though, I've started to branch out a little more and have become more confident in my ability to put things together that taste good without someone else's instructions. Usually, this just looks like a random addition or substitution. Or occasionally I'll combine a couple different ideas. But, tonight, I went all the way. This soup recipe is all mine. I'm sure it looks like other soups of the sort, but I promise I didn't get it from a cookbook, magazine, blog, Pinterest, etc...

It was good. Phil and CJ both gushed over it anyway. And I figure I better record it here in case we want it again in the future.

Chipotle Chicken Posole

(please forgive me, I did a lot of guessing, not a lot of measuring)

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I probably had 1.5 lbs or so)

1/2 medium onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

2 c. chicken broth

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes

1 chipotle pepper in adobo, diced finely (I didn't take out the seeds, and my soup had some heat)

Chili powder

Cumin

Coriander

2 corn tortillas, cut into pieces

Salt

1 can (15 oz) hominy, drained/rinsed

...I sure hope I'm not forgetting anything

Put the chicken thighs in the bottom of your crockpot. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin and coriander (or whatever spices you prefer). Top with onions and carrots. Pour in chicken broth, diced tomatoes. Add the chipotle in adobo. And the corn tortilla pieces (these will dissolve and thicken the broth). Cook on high 4-5 hours until chicken shreds easily. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crockpot and add hominy. Taste and season with salt if needed. Let heat through (about 30 minutes should be plenty).

Serve garnished with avocado, cilantro, sour cream, baked tortilla strips (slice 4 corn tortillas into thin strips, toss with 2 tsp. oil, bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, tossing occasionally.)

Serve with Jalapeño Cheddar Scones. I'll post that next. They were scrumptious...and from a recipe.

This week in meals

2012-01-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

I just realized my last post was #100. How about that?

For dinner this week:

Monday - Beef & Tomato Stew over brown rice, salad, clementines (yes, this was on last week's menu)

Tuesday - Chipotle Chicken Soup, jalapeño cheddar scones (I'm making up the soup recipe...counting on the scones to save the day if my creation is a flop).

Wednesday - Peirogies with ham & peppers/onions

Thursday - leftovers or breakfast for dinner

What are you eating this week?

What's for Dinner - Pizza & a salad

2012-01-12T17:15:00.001-08:00

Tonight's dinner was courtesy of my most recent issue of Cook's Country magazine. I'm not sure I've ever made something bad out of one of my CC and tonight was no exception. My husband is, in fact, insisting that I share the recipes with you here.

I made Grandma Pizza and Antipasto Salad. Grandma Pizza is apparently quite popular in Long Island, NY but not so well know in other places. I had certainly never heard of it. It's not anything complicated, though, just cheese and tomatoes. But, it was very good. See below for recipe.

With it, we had Antipasto Salad which was packed full of flavorful ingredients (and a few substitutions to accommodate what I had on hand).

Grandma Pizza

Note: the method they had for forming the dough worked great, and I will use it again in the future with other pizzas).

Dough

3 TB olive oil

3/4 c. water - I used warm water

1 1/2 c. bread flour (8 1/4 oz - I have a kitchen scale, so I weighed out the 1 1/2 cups that I measured...it was over an ounce short, so I highly recommend a kitchen scale)

2 1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast (1 packet)

1 tsp. sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

Topping

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 TB olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)

1/4 grated Parmesan cheese

2 TB chopped fresh basil

For the dough:

Coat rimmed baking sheet with 2 TB oil. Combine water and remaining 1 TB oil in a liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined (or just whisk it...that's what I did). With mixer on low speed, slowly add water mixture and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium low and mix until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer dough to greased baking sheet and turn to coat (oops...forgot to turn it). Stretch dough to 10 by 6-inch rectangle (I needed some flour on my hands to do this). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stretch dough (again with floured hands) to corners of pan (let rest if you can't get it and try again in a few minutes), cover loosely and let rise in warm place until slightly puffed, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 500 degrees.

For the topping:

Drain tomatoes in a colander. Combine drained tomatoes, oil, garlic, oregano, and salt in bowl. Combine mozzarella and Parmesan in second bowl. Sprinkle cheese mixture over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around edges. Top with tomato mixture and bake until well browned and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Slide pizza onto wire rack, sprinkle with basil, and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve.

I might let mine cook a bit longer next time, even though the edges of the crust were getting pretty brown. The middle was not as crisp as I was hoping. But, it tasted great.

On to the salad...

Antipasto Salad

So, this is a little more complicated salad recipe than I would typically advocate. But, it really is good (unless you don't like vinegar). The flavors are bold. Also, I'm going to share how we made it. The original recipe called for artichoke hearts (9oz frozen...thawed and patted dry) instead of the cucumbers I used and black olives (not our favorite). Otherwise, I stayed true to the recipe.

2/3 c. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. water

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 red onion, halved and sliced 1/4 in. thick (I used about 3/4 of an onion)

1 med. cucumber, diced

1/3 c. sliced banana peppers

2 TB olive oil

2 Romaine hearts, chopped - Actually, I just used a lettuce mix that we like and had on hand, that is half spinach - the Romaine would be better and hold up to the other ingredients

10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved

3 (1/4 inch thick) slices provolone cheese (6 oz), cut into 1-inch long matchsticks

3 (1/4 inch thick) slices salami (6 oz), cut into 1-inch long matchsticks

Basil leaves, torn

Bring vinegar, water, garlic, oregano and 1 tsp salt to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until onion is nearly tender, 5-7 minutes. (Add artichoke hearts at this point, cook 3 more minutes). Off heat, add banana peppers and cucumbers. Transfer mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 20 minutes.

Drain marinated vegetables through strainer and reserve 1/4 c. vinegar mixture. Toss marinated vegetables with 1 TB olive oil in bowl. Whisk remaining 1 TB oil into reserved vinegar mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Toss romaine, tomatoes, salami, provolone with vinaigrette in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer salad mixture to platter and top with marinated vegetables, (olives) and basil.

Dig in.

Meal Plan for this Week

2012-01-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

I made a few adjustments to this week's meal plan after being completely derailed by a migraine on Monday.

So, here's what the week looks like now:

Monday - Chipotle (thanks to my understanding husband plus my failure to make a trip to the grocery store)

Tuesday - Soft Tacos (Yes, mexican food is always welcome at our house)

Wednesday - Grandma's Pizza (tomato/cheese) and Antipasto Salad (both from the new Cook's Country)

Thursday - Beef & Tomato Stew over brown rice (from the new Everyday Food), applesauce

Friday - Card night - which means dinner with friends

Also worth noting...I went through all my pins on Pinterest tonight and moved everything that I've actually made to a new board (Saw it, Pinned it, Made it). I wanted to clean up my Yum board, so that it just includes new ideas and not things I've already tried. I was pleased to find that I have made 46 new recipes from ideas found on Pinterest. That's pretty good, right? Not just a waste of time? :)

Brown Butter Whole Wheat Soda Bread

2012-01-05T16:56:00.000-08:00

We had this tasty bread with cheesy vegetable soup tonight at supper. Try it soon. It is easy, flavorful, delicious. And it doesn't require yeast, for those of you who are yeast-averse. Because it is a soda bread instead, its texture is denser and chewier (the oats and whole wheat flour also contribute to this).

I found the recipe on How Sweet it Is. Everything I've tried from her site as been delicious, and this was certainly no exception.

Brown Butter Whole Wheat Soda Bread

1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)

2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. old fashioned oats

1 TB brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. black pepper (use freshly ground if you can)

1 3/4 c. buttermilk

1 egg white, beaten

Have you ever browned butter before? It's really easy. And, it's the first step. Just take a small saucepan and put the butter in it and place it over medium heat. Whisk constantly as it melts (it will foam and the foam will subside). As soon as you see brown specks in the butter, take it off the heat. (And I even go ahead and take it out of the saucepan so that it doesn't get too brown). Set that aside.

Now, mix together the flours, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and seasonings. Add the butter and buttermilk. Stir together with a fork. Then, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough comes together (a few minutes).

Divide dough in half, form into rounds, and place 6 inches (mine was more like 4) apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush the top with the beaten egg white. Then, cut an X in the top of each about 1/2 inch deep.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes before eating.

It smells incredible while it's baking!

Menu Planning for the New Year

2012-01-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

I'm changing the way I do menu planning for the new year...or at least, for now.

This past summer, I tried using theme nights to plan our meals but it didn't work out so well. I got hung up on the alliterations (like Try Something New Tuesdays). I couldn't come up with one that matched each day of the week. Silly, I know.

So, I'm abandoning the idea of alliterated themes and just focusing on the things we like to eat in categories. Phil & CJ helped with this too. Here's what we've got so far. (I'm leaving Fridays/the weekends open for leftovers or for changing things around when needed).

Mondays - Mexican

Tuesdays - Pasta/Pizza

Wednesdays - New recipe (or perhaps some weeks, an old standby)

Thursdays - Soup

The other thing I decided this time around was that while I will use those themes for planning, I will not be tied to making Mexican on Mondays necessarily, if for some reason we need to switch.

As I planned on the first two weeks of the new year, I really enjoyed using the themes to guide me. Here's what we're having (or had)

Monday, Jan. 2 - cheese and crackers (one last hurrah during Christmas break and CJ's request)

Tuesday, Jan. 3 - Chicken Caesar Sandwiches, roasted sweet potatoes & onions, homemade brioche

Wednesday, Jan. 4 - Lasagna, Salad with Lemon Garlic dressing, Bread, Pineapple (switched Tuesday & Wednesday this first week in order to have company over)

Thursday, Jan. 5 - Cheesy Vegetable Soup, Brown butter whole wheat soda bread, sliced apples

Monday, Jan. 9 - Mexican stuffed shells

Tuesday, Jan. 10 - Grandmother's pizza (from my new Cook's Country magazine)

Wednesday, Jan. 11 - Slow cooker beef & tomato stew (supposed to be served over brown rice, but I'm thinking of serving it over barley...I've never even bought barley before)

Thursday, Jan. 12 - Chicken Minestrone, bread

I'm also experimenting with planning out two weeks in advance (but only shopping for one) to see if that saves me some time.

One other confession: this menu was planned after not cooking on a regular basis for a couple weeks, so it is filled with new recipes I want to try (not just on Wednesdays). If life gets busy, some of these will not happen.

What's Cooking 2012

2012-01-02T18:49:00.001-08:00

If you read my book blog, you know that I always have a stack of books waiting to be read. Tonight, I started thinking about what is in my "to be cooked" pile.

Pinterest is a great source of recipe inspiration for me. Feel free to click over and see what has recently caught my eye. I also read a lot of cooking magazines, got a stack of new cookbooks for Christmas and check them out regularly from the library as well. I am not really short on recipes I want to make. But, then there are those things that would be more challenging to me in the kitchen. That's the type of recipes I'm talking about today.

So, in the spirit of the new year, I am starting to work on a list of new things I want to cook.

For starters, I would really like to try to make croissants this year. And homemade crackers. What else? Cook more fish. Master pie crust. Make more bread, sourdough, brioche, etc. Make healthier choices...that still taste good. How about making my own yogurt?

What's on your "to be cooked" list? I'm always looking for ideas.

Treats for Teachers

2011-12-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

I have such a hard time know if we need to give something to CJ's teachers for Christmas. He has, like, seven teachers. And, that's not including the librarian (who should count according to CJ). The last couple of years I've done cinnamon rolls for them, but this year, I did not start in time for that project. However, we've really been enjoying this cinnamon bread I found on Pinterest.

So, with CJ's approval, that's what his teachers are getting. (He really liked when I sent cinnamon rolls...he basks in the compliments...hopefully, they like the bread.)

Also...only his four main teachers are receiving loaves. Maybe the other three + the librarian will get one at Valentine's or something.

Cinnamon Sugar Bread

1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

2 c. flour
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. milk
1/3 c. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Combine 1/3 c. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon and set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and 1 c. sugar. In a separate bowl (or measuring cup), mix together egg, milk and vegetable oil. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.

Put half of batter in loaf pan. Sprinkle reserved cinnamon sugar mixture on top (it will seem like a lot). Top with remaining batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto cooling rack and let cool completely. Now, here's the hardest part...wrap the loaf in foil and let sit overnight. It will taste good if you eat it right away, but it will taste even better if you wait.

A couple tips -
-The recipe is easily doubled.
-It would be better to have a little more than half of the batter on the bottom as opposed to a little less. The last time (before today) that I made these, I didn't get quite enough on the bottom and the cinnamon layer leaked through and stuck to the pan. No problems with that today. Just be generous with the bottom layer.

More Soup - Super Easy & Delicious

2011-12-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

It is soup season at our house. We easily eat soup at least once a week...at least for now. In about a month or two, I'll be tired of all our soup recipes. But, my husband claims this soup is one he would happily eat once a week. It's so easy...I should take him up on it.

Stuffed Pepper Soup
barely adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen

1 lb ground beef, I use 93/7 beef
1/2 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 lb bell peppers (apprx. 3 large), diced - I use at least one green and one red. The third can be whatever you prefer...orange, yellow or another red/green
2 cloves garlic, minced
1(14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 can low sodium beef broth
1 tbsp beef base (I use 3 beef bullion cubes)
salt and pepper
hot, cooked rice

In a large stock pot, brown ground beef until no longer pink. Drain and then add the vegetables. Heat over medium heat until vegetables are softened, about 8-10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, beef broth, and beef base. Simmer 15 minutes or longer until ready to serve.
Taste and season generously with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Put a large scoop of rice in a bowl and ladle soup over the top. If you add the rice to the soup itself, it absorbs all the liquid.

Enjoy!!

Winter Cabbage Stew

2011-11-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

So, we are big fans of cabbage at our house. I don't think that's normal. But, I believe there may just be a few other people out there who like cabbage as well. So, if you do, make this soup. It's delicious. And, it's really only got three ingredients, so it's super frugal as well.

We had this earlier this week. It's definitely only a cold weather meal. And, we're all glad it's that time of year again.

Winter Cabbage Stew (from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook)
2 lbs. smoked link sausage
6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium head cabbage, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. celery seed (I use celery salt)

Cut sausage into 2-inch lengths. Put in a large soup pot with 3 cups of water. Cover, bring to a slow simmer and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Add potatoes, another cup of water and seasonings. Cook uncovered an additional 15 minutes. Add cabbage and 2 more cups water. Cover and simmer until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes longer. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with buttered and broiled french bread, topped with strawberry jam. So yummy.

Zucchini Crisp

2011-09-29T18:49:00.001-07:00

(photo from the blog I linked)

A year or two ago, I bookmarked this recipe on a blog I follow. It just sounded weird enough to try! I made the crisp for the first time tonight, and it is delicious!!!! It tastes very much like an apple crisp, only I think I liked it better. It has a nice crunchy top and the zucchini slices had a nice firmness to them, compared to how apples can get a little mushy. We ate it without ice cream and it was fine, I'm sure ice cream would be good with it too.

Chicken Taco Bowls

2011-09-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

Just tried a new crock pot recipe that will definitely become a regular in our family. You can find it on my blog.

Mexican Corn Dip

2011-07-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick & easy appetizer for your weekend. This recipe is originally from Rhonda Roth (via the River Community Church cookbook), but Les at It's a Wonderful Life introduced me to the deliciousness. I've made it twice this week alone.

A few suggestions:
1. Make the recipe as written. Don't leave out things you don't like. For example, I don't like olives and neither does Phil, but we LOVE this dip and it would not taste the same without them.
2, Drain the Rotel but not thoroughly. You need a little of the juice for flavor.
3. Also, use Original Rotel. The first time I made it I used mild and it was a little bland.
4. Well, I'm going to go back on my first suggestion...the last time I made it I used half Pepper Jack cheese and half Cheddar, because it's what we had. It was perfect!
5. Make it ahead of time so it can thicken.
6. Eat. For breakfast, lunch, dinner...whenever the mood strikes.

Mexican Corn Dip (although the original title was Awesome Mexican Cheese Dip)
1 can (10 oz) Rotel, drained...a little
1 can (15 oz) corn, drained...all the way
1 can (4 oz) chopped black olives (the recipe says to drain, but my cans have never had much liquid in them)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. sour cream
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped finely

Mix it all together. Allow to set up in fridge at least one hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

Happy Eating!

Try Something New Tuesdays

2011-06-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I am trying something new this summer. In order to make my meal planning more organized (and fun), I've been working on coming up with "theme nights". So far, we've only got two. Mondays are Men's Choice and Tuesdays are Try Something New. If you've got other suggestions, I would love to hear them (and don't worry, they don't have to be alliterations).

So, for our first Try Something New Tuesday we had Taco Pizza (new), Guacamole & chips (not new, but very delicious...and prepared almost entirely by my 11-year old), Cantaloupe and Blueberry Lemonade Slushie (new).

I highly recommend giving this pizza a try. It was good! Even my bean-hating child really liked it. (I tried to be sneaky and sent him out to mow while I was assembling the pizza. I really didn't want him to see the beans ahead of time. Alas, nothing gets by him. He came in and said, "Yeah, I saw the beans". Nevertheless, it was a good night...no attitude and he scarfed it right up. And didn't even object when I said I would be making it again. That's big, people.)

Read through the whole recipe in order to see some of my suggestions.

Taco Pizza
Adapted from Pioneer Woman
1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
1-½ cup Warm Water
Scant TB honey
4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
⅓ cups Olive Oil
1 can (14 Ounce) Black Beans
1 teaspoon Taco Seasoning (prepared, Or Make Your Own - we used this recipe)
4 whole Corn Tortillas, Sliced Into Thin Strips
½ cups Canola Oil, For Frying
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar
1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
1 head Green Leaf Lettuce, Sliced/shredded Thin
2 whole Ripe Tomatoes, Diced
½ cups Cilantro Leaves
¼ cups Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce (or more to taste)

Make the pizza dough: Mix yeast with warm water and honey and set aside for 8 to 10 minutes. Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir to combine. Stir in olive oil. Knead briefly and place in oiled mixing bowl. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours.

Pour black beans into a saucepan. Add seasonings to taste and heat up beans over medium-low heat. Use a potato masher to mash the beans to desired texture. Continue cooking/heating beans over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer runny (should be the texture of refried beans.) Set aside. (I cooked too much liquid out of my beans...they will firm up some as the cool).

In a small skillet, heat canola oil over medium heat. When hot enough to fry, drop in the tortilla strips in batches, frying quickly and removing from oil with a fork when crisp–about 30 to 45 seconds per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside. (Do this step ahead of time)

Place oven rack in the bottom position in the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Remove half the pizza dough from the bowl. Place remaining half in a large plastic bag and refrigerate, saving for another use. With hands, spread pizza dough on an oiled baking sheet, making sure it’s relatively thin (I filled my half sheet pan almost completely). Spread layer of refried beans all over pizza crust. Sprinkle mixed grated cheeses over the top. Place pan in the oven (in the bottom half of the oven) and bake for 9 to 12 minutes. Watch it to make sure crust doesn’t burn.

Remove pizza from oven. Sprinkle on shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and cilantro leaves.

Mix together sour cream and hot sauce, adding enough hot sauce to make the mixture pourable. With a spoon (or you can put it in a pastry bag) drizzle mixture over finished pizza. (Do this ahead of time too...the mixing, and put it in the fridge).

Happy Eating!

PS - the leftovers might not be so good. Just go ahead and eat it all.

Mexican Chicken Wraps

2011-05-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a great summer meal you'll love (that is if you don't hate cilantro. :) )

http://tawtieanddobie.blogspot.com/2011/05/mexican-chicken-wraps.html

Fish Tacos with Cilantro-lime Crema

2011-04-03T13:32:00.001-07:00

I just posted a recipe for our family's favorite fish tacos. www.tawtieanddobie.blogspot.com

Chocolate Cobbler...for real.

2011-02-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day, I tried this delicious Chocolate Cobbler from the Savory Sweet Life blog. I can't help but share it here, because it was so very delicious. And, I'm not even a chocolate-lover. You can't serve this without ice cream though (my choice would be vanilla). It's rich, filling, warm, comforting. Today (rainy, cloudy) would be a perfect day to make it...hmmm, I wonder if I still have enough Nutella. :)

Nutella Chocolate Cobbler

*If you don't love chocolate, I would not necessarily suggest this, even though I liked it.
*I love recipes that don't require an electric mixer. This one comes together easily by hand.
*Do pay attention to the ingredients that are divided.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 TB cocoa powder, divided
1 c. sugar, divided
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. Nutella
6 TB butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. hot tap water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, 3 TB cocoa, 1/2 c. sugar. Stir in milk, Nutella, butter and vanilla. Mixture will be thick. Spread into ungreased 8-inch baking dish (I used a square one). In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 c. white sugar, brown sugar and remaining 3 TB cocoa powder. Sprinkle over the batter. Pour the hot water over everything and DO NOT STIR. Bake 40-50 minutes or until center is slightly firm. The bottom will be liquidy and bubbling up through the top. Spoon into bowls and serve with ice cream.

Perfect Bierocks

2011-02-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from one of my mom's good friends. Shortly after we moved to Wichita, I was reading an article about bierocks in the newspaper one morning. The article mentioned that this good friend of my mom had recently won a Cook's Country contest with this recipe. I had to have it. My mom emailed her friend and she sent the recipe. I'm so glad. These are delicious.

Enjoy.

Bierocks (Runsas)

Dough
3/4 c. warm water (110 degrees)
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 TB sugar
1 large egg
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 packages rapid-rise or instant yeast
1 tsp. salt

Filling
3 TB butter (2 TB melted)
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped fine
1/2 small head cabbage, cored and chopped (about 3 cups)
Salt & pepper
8 slices deli American cheese (optional but really good with it)

For the dough:
Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Mix the water, condensed milk, oil, sugar, and egg in a large measuring cup. Mix the flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low, add the water mixture. After the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until shiny and smooth, 4-6 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured work surface, shape into a ball , and place in the greased bowl (you can also make the bowl by hand if you prefer). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

For the filling:
Melt 1 TB butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef adn cook until just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes, breaking up any large clumps. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 TB fat from the pan. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and toss until just beginning to wilt, 2-4 minutes (I kind of think that this takes me a little longer than that...can't remember exactly though). Return beef to the pan and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble and bake:
Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions (or I've just baked the two pans separately). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch circle (mine are never perfect). Top each dough circle with one slice of cheese and then 3/4 c. filling. Pinch the edges of the dough together to form a bun. Transfer the bun, seamside down, to the baking sheet. Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let rise until puffed, about 20 minutes.

Bake the buns until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Brush the hot buns with melted butter and serve.

Now I'm hungry. :)

Treat #2

2010-12-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

I ended up making Miniature Golden Fruitcakes for my book club cookie exchange. I had never attempted any type of fruitcake recipe before, and regardless of the bad rap fruitcake traditionally gets, this recipe looked good. And, to my surprise, it also tastes good. Give them a try...or just come over and try some of mine. The recipe was supposed to make 4 dozen but it made 6. I'll have fruitcake forever!

Miniature Golden Fruitcakes
From Everyday Food

6 c. finely dices mixed dried fruit, such as dried apples, pears, apricots and golden raisins (I used everything but pears)
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts (5 1/2 oz)
1 3/4 c. brandy
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 c. packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c. flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom (I didn't have this, was going to buy it, but ouch, it's expensive...substituted 1/4 tsp. ginger)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 c. apricot jam, warmed, for topping

In a large non-reactive bowl, combine dried fruit, walnuts and 1 1/4 c. brandy. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 8 hours (or up to 1 day), stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs in two additions, scraping down bowl in between. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and spices. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture in two additions, scraping down bowl in between. Fold fruit mixture into batter.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two mini muffin pans with paper liners. Fill each liner with about 1 TB of batter. Tap pans to settle batter (I couldn't get my batter to settle - I wet the tips of my fingers with water and pressed it down gently...not much though as they don't change shape really at all while baking).

Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and edges are light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Rotate pans halfway through.

Brush cakes immediately with 1/2 c. brandy; transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Just before serving, brush with jam.

They will keep covered and in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Christmas Inspiration

2010-12-08T17:09:00.001-08:00

I've been feeling a little humbug this year. I'm not sure why, since I love Christmas and all that it entails. In fact, one of my favorite things about Christmas is making different candies and goodies and sharing them with friends. But even thinking about that hasn't put me in the mood. Instead I'm feeling a bit "grinchy" about the whole thing.

Today I was thinking about what to do to get out of this funk. I've seen several blogs that have declared a "Cookie Week" or "12 Days of Cookies". And I think I need to get in on the action to get back the Christmas spirit. I've decided to put my own spin on it, though.

My goal is to do 12 Days of New Tasty Treats (don't really want to be limited to cookies). I've seen several new recipes I want to try and am hoping this is just the kick in the pants I need to get after it. And, I really need to come up with something to take to a cookie exchange next week.

So, tonight was the kick off. First up, Skibo Castle Ginger Crunch (sounds a little out there, doesn't it?) from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. I was intrigued by this recipe and had everything but the Lyle's Golden Syrup it calls for (and apparently, there is no good substition). Fortunately, Lyle's Golden Syrup, native to England, can be found at World Market...and I went there today. So, I threw these simple cookies together and put them in the oven while we ate dinner.

Delicious! They are not your typical cookie. It's a very thin shortbread, topped with a delicious icing with a hint of ginger. See Peabody's blog for her beautiful pictures.

Confession: my goal was to share some of these with my co-workers tomorrow. I don't know that there will be enough left to share. Oops.

If you want a tasty new treat to try, here's 1 of 12 that I hope to post here. (Of course, it may end up being the 3 Days of Tasty New Treats...we'll just see how things go). Hoping this brings back my Christmas mojo.

Skibo Castle Ginger Crunch
For the shortbread:
1 1/4 c. flour
3 TB sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

For the icing:
6 TB unsalted butter
1 TB Lyle's Golden Syrup (find it at World Market)
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. vanilla (I didn't realize I was out of vanilla, so mine were missing this.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch metal baking pan.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or your fingers, work it until it resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly in bottom of pan. It will be thin. Bake on the center rack until golden (but not browned) and crisp for 20-25 minutes.

Shortly before the shortbread is done, make the icing. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Heat to a boil and simmer, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Remove shortbread from oven and pour the topping over it, tilting pan to cover shortbread evenly. Cool in pan on a rack. Then, enjoy!

Please note: if you don't like a cookie that isn't gooey or chewy or super sweet, these aren't for you. In fact, I read that they are more of an adult cookie...but CJ gave them 2 thumbs up.

Cheesecake

2010-10-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

I make a pretty mean cheesecake. And, I mean the real deal New York Style...more packages of cream cheese than should be legal, the springform pan, the water bath, etc. Most of the time I can even manage to keep the top from cracking. And, it's delicious. And it's usually for my husband.

He LOVES cheesecake. And I like to make it for him. But, given its rather complicated nature, I don't do so nearly as often as he would like.

Well, yesterday was his birthday, and our weekend was just packed. I knew I wanted to make him a cheesecake, but I didn't have nearly enough time for the "real" version. I turned to my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook and found a much quicker recipe, and I crossed my fingers and hoped it would be delicious. It went together in a matter of minutes (plus chilling the crust in the fridge briefly). It came out of the oven looking great. And, unfortunately, it had to chill overnight, so I couldn't yet determine how it tasted right away.

The verdict: it was fantastic. It wasn't so tall and pretty as the original. It didn't feed an army. But, it tasted good, and it's something I could throw together with ease most anytime. I guarantee my husband would take that anyday. (He's not big on complicated.)

I also put together a quick topping that was super yummy.

Here are both of those recipes:

Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (about 20 squares) - I might use a little less than this next time. The crust was fairly thick.
1/4 c. sugar
6 TB butter

Mix together crumbs, sugar and butter. Press firmly and evenly against the bottom and sides of an ungreased pie pan. Cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm.

Filling
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust and spread evenly. Bake about 40 minutes or until filling is nearly set (It was just a bit jiggly in the center still). Place pan on cooling rack. Let cool 30 minutes. Chill overnight in the refrigerator.

Triple Berry Topping
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
1 pint strawberries, sliced - I didn't quite use the whole pint, but you could.
1 small container (6 oz, I think) raspberries
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients. Chill until ready to serve cheesecake. I would recommend making this the same day you plan on serving the cheesecake, so that the berries will still have the right texture and not water down the sauce.

Enjoy!

A Fall Favorite

2010-09-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today's meal is not for everyone. In fact, you may have to have some German in your blood to enjoy. But, at our house, we're always excited when the weather cools off enough to enjoy this dish. Life as Mom is hosting a Fall Recipe swap today. Head over there to check out other fall favorites.

This meal doesn't require any recipe. It's just a combination of ingredients. The one requirement: you have to like sauerkraut. If it's not your thing, come back another time. :)

Sausage, Sauerkraut, Mashed Potatoes
1 lb. kielbasa sausage, sliced and browned
1 can sauerkraut, warmed on the stove
Some mashed potatoes, made just the way you like them.

Put a pile of mashed potatoes on your plate. If calories aren't a concern, add a nice-sized pat of butter. Top with hot sauerkraut. And top that with the sausage. Eat and enjoy. I have loved this meal for a long time. I was so glad when I married a man who liked it too. And to top it off CJ is a BIG fan (the kid loves anything with cabbage...is that weird or what?).

Super Yummy Get-well-soon Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-09-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

I just put this recipe on my blog. It's perfect for a cold fall night when you only have about 5 minutes to make dinner!!!

www.tawtieanddobie.blogspot.com

May was my last post?

2010-09-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

What is wrong with me? I can't believe that it's September and the last time I posted on here was May. I have made some things that were good to eat since then but obviously didn't record any of them here.

Most recently, we enjoyed Chaos in the Kitchen's Stuffed Pepper Soup, yummy, easy, and not too bad for you. We loved stuffed peppers and this had all the flavors and none of the hassle. Check it out.

Last night, we had an old standard and one that we didn't eat for about a year because CJ isn't a big fan of eggs. However, in the last few months, he has changed his mind about eggs in this dish...what we affectionately refer to as "Breakfast Scramble".

Breakfast Scramble - all amounts can be adapted to use what you have...I'll list what we used last night, which serves 3-4, especially if you serve something with it, muffins, pancakes, scones, etc.
1/2 lb breakfast sausage
Frozen hashbrowns
7 eggs, beaten with a little milk and salt and pepper
1 can Rotel, drained - you can use mild if spicy food isn't your thing
Shredded cheese - whatever you've got

Brown sausage in large skillet (non-stick makes clean up easier). Add a layer of hashbrowns. Cover and cook until just cooked through. (Stir occasionally so that the sausage doesn't burn). Push sausage and hashbrowns to one side. Add eggs to empy part of skillet and scramble. Gently mix with sausage and hashbrowns. Stir in Rotel. Heat through. Top with cheese, cover and let melt. Stir together and serve.

I even ate the leftovers for lunch today. Delicious, easy and fast.

Anyone can do this

2010-05-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Not many things make our menu on a regular basis. Well, there are some exceptions to that. Since Phil and CJ cook on Monday nights, it's usually a rotation of spaghetti, breakfast for dinner or something else easy. So those things do make a regular appearance.

Most of the time, though, I enjoy trying out new recipes. Lately, though, we found one that is a "repeater". It's fast. It's easy. It's delicious. And it's cheap. You just can't beat that. And, it doesn't really even require a recipe. But, I'll give you one anyway, because I like recipes.

I first saw this recipe on Chaos in the Kitchen (make her chicken fajitas!) and then Dine and Dish posted about it as well. The recipe is so basic it sounded too good to be true. Let me tell you, it's good and that's true.

Baked Chicken Legs
4 lbs. chicken legs (about 20 legs, enough for 3-4 per person) - I use about half that, since there are just 3 of us and we eat about 2 legs a piece, if they're large
Salt, pepper, seasoned salt (or whatever seasonings you like - I used paprika, garlic powder and onion salt...in addition to salt and pepper)
2 TB olive oil
Hot sauce (like Frank's Red Hot), optional
Or, Parmesan cheese, optional

Heat oven to 475 degrees. Dry chicken legs with paper towels. This helps the spices to stick. In a large plastic bag, toss chicken with salt, pepper and spices. Add oil and toss until well coated. Spread legs onto 2 (or 1 if you halve the recipe) baking sheets and place in oven. Cook, turning occasionally with tongs, for 40 minutes or until meat easily separates from bone. Then, you can broil them briefly to crisp the skin, but I've never needed to. By the time they've cooked for 40 minutes, the skin has been pretty crispy. Remove from oven. If desired, brush with hot sauce OR sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (I don't think I'd do both.).

We've never tried the hot sauce, but they are delicious with Parmesan and without.

Serve with smashed potatoes or homemade Rice-a-roni (from the same site) and broccoli. Yum. Wish we had some right now.

Thursday night dinner

2010-05-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

After Chris's week of cooking, I was ready to get back to planning and cooking the meals this week.

We had a delicious dinner on Tuesday night but that post will wait for another time. Wednesday night was...ehhh, okay. But, tonight more than made up for it. We had Honey Chipotle Ribs, Iceberg Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries (normally I make these, but tonight we used a package from the freezer).

It was my first attempt at ribs, and they turned out even better than I expected. The slaw was another first...my first time to use herbs out of my garden (parsley and dill). Iceberg gets a bad rap these days, but it sure is yummy with a fresh ranch dressing on top.

Honey Chipotle Ribs
from Everyday Food

1/4 c. minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. mustard powder
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 racks spare ribs (2 1/2 pounds each) - I used a 4 1/2 pound rack.
vegetable oil (for grill)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine chipotles, 1/4 c. honey, mustard powder, 3 TB salt (I might try a little less than this next time), and 2 tsp pepper.

Place a large double layer foil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place ribs on top and rub with chipotle mixture. Wrap ribs tightly in foil and bake on sheet until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grates. Remove ribs from foil adn let excess liquid drip off. Brush ribs with 1/4 c. honey adn grill until lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Cut between bones to separate. Serve (with lemon slices if you like).

Iceberg Slaw
Also from Everyday Food

In a large bowl, whisk together 3 TB buttermilk, 3 TB plain yogurt, 1 TB chopped fresh dill, 1 TB chopped fresh parsley, and 1/2 small shallot, minced; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Fold in 1 head of iceberg lettuce (about 1 pound), quartered and shredded. Taste and season.

Christopher said it was the best coleslaw he had ever tasted! (It was a little more like salad to me than slaw, but it was tasty!)

Chris Cooks Days 4 & 5

2010-05-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Chris really did finish his week of cooking...for the most part. I'm just a little slow posting about.

While he originally planned for 7 straight days of cooking, we decided to call it quits after 5. This was not by his choice but out of necessity for our schedule. The boys went camping Friday night, and Phil and I celebrated our anniversary Saturday, so those two days got scratched. Well, not completely, because Phil and CJ are making hamburgers tonight (on the menu for last Friday). And I'm sure we'll have Italian Beef sometime soon.

Enough about what we didn't cook and on to what we did...

Day 4 was Sloppy Joes, Carrot and Grapes. CJ's friend Tristan joined us for both the making and the eating again. The Sloppy Joes were from Paula Deen's My First Cookbook. If your kids are interested in being in the kitchen, I highly recommend this cookbook. The instructions are clear. On the left side of the page are pictures of all ingredients and equipment needed. And, CJ could pretty much cook without any help from me. Last week, he made milkshakes, cinnamon rolls and the sloppy joes, all from this cookbook.

His sloppy joes were delicious. (I don't think he even remembers that when he first moved in, he HATED sloppy joes...now the kid will eat almost anything.)

Day 5 was the recipe I was most impressed with his choosing. It was from Everyday Food, my go-to food magazine. And the recipe was for Pasta (Orecchiette) with Bacon and Tomato Sauce. This is one of those recipes that sounds good but tastes even better than you would expect. And, it was easy and called for everyday ingredients.

One of CJ's all-time favorite meals is something his family often made, called Mac and Tomatoes (shell pasta, a can of tomato juice, a stick of butter). It's also better than I would have expected. Well, he thought this recipe tasted like a little fancier Mac and Tomatoes...and that's high praise around our house.

One more thing: It. Is. Spicy. We love spicy, so it worked at our house. You, however, might want to go light on the red pepper flakes.

Here it is:

Orecchiette with Bacon & Tomato Sauce
From Everyday Food

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound orecchiette or other short pasta
• Grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, for serving

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add bacon and cook until browned and almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking them up as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta 1 minute less than package instructions. Reserve cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

Add sauce and pasta water to pasta and toss to combine; cook over medium-high until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate 3 cups pasta for a separate dish. Serve remaining pasta topped with Parmesan and parsley.

Chris Cooks Days 2 & 3

2010-04-27T17:35:00.001-07:00

On Monday nights, Phil and Chris are always in charge of dinner since I work late. They alternate between spaghetti, breakfast, hot ham sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. So, for Chris Cooks week, he planned breakfast for dinner.

Monday nights are busy for the boys as well. Chris has both Scouts and baseball practice now, so dinner has to be put on the table very quickly. As a result, Phil played a pretty major role in dinner prep.

Nevertheless, they enjoyed their waffles and bacon immensely.

On the menu tonight was "Oodles of Noodles Pasta Salad", Peaches and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. The pasta salad needed to chill, so we started preparing dinner as soon as he got off the bus. Both recipes tonight were perfect for him to prepare. I did very little to help.

We started with the cookies and worked on the pasta salad while the cookies were baking. Chris's friend Tristan joined in the fun tonight, too. Too bad I didn't take pictures. I was too busy managing the chaos.

While the pasta salad was chilling, Phil, Chris, Tristan and I made a quick trip to YMCA to work out for bit. We returned home and enjoyed our dinner outside.

Here's the recipe for the cookies. These are great for your kids to make...easy ingredients, measurements, mixing, etc.

Emeril's Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Everyday Food

1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with oven racks in the upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients adn stir with a wooden spoon. Divide dough into 24 portions (I didn't get quite that many), about 1 heaping tablespoon each. Roll each piece between your hands to form a smooth ball. Place dough balls, 1 inch apart, on two ungreased baking sheets. Using a fork, press on dough in two directions to form crosshatch pattern.
Bake cookies until puffed and lightly golden, 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets.

Enjoy with a glass of cold milk!

Chris Cooks Day #1

2010-04-25T20:19:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning dawned bright and early at our house. CJ was up before 7am to get breakfast in the oven. He made a great, simple recipe from Paula Dean's Kid's Cookbook. They were cinnamon rolls made with crescent rolls and marshmallows. He thought they were a disaster when some of the marshmallows exploded out of the crescent rolls, but they still tasted delicous. And, he made them almost entirely by himself.

Then, for dinner, he made cucumber salad...one of his FAVORITE things to eat (recipe follows) and chicken enchiladas. He also made chocolate milkshakes for dessert.

By the time we were nearly finished with the enchiladas, he was getting a little tired of cooking, I think. He really wanted to go out and check on what Phil was doing (he was outside doing some yard work). But, he stuck it out and even helped with some of the clean up. Hopefully this week doesn't ruin his love for cooking! :)

Cucumber Salad

3 English cucumbers (the ones wrapped in plastic at the grocery store), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 med. sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 c. fresh dill, coarsely chopped (we left this out tonight, but we usually add it)
3 TB olive oil
3 TB fresh lemon juice
2 TB white wine vinegar
coarse salt and ground pepper

In a large bowl, toss together cucumbers, onion, dill, oil, lemon juice, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.

This can be made up to 3 hours ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.

Chris Cooks Week Commences

2010-04-25T19:59:00.001-07:00

About a week and a half ago CJ told me that he was wanting to do more cooking, and he didn't mean that he just wanted to help me cook dinner that night. He wanted to plan a week's worth of meals and prepare them.

I gave him an extra menu-planning worksheet I had on hand, and he grabbed his two cookbooks for kids. He sat down at the kitchen table, and looking an awfully lot like I do on Saturday mornings, set out to plan his menu for the week.

He used his cookbooks, some of my cooking magazines and a list of often-made meals I keep on hand to design his menu. He took great delight in planning dessert for most of the evenings as well. And, with a little prompting, he added either fruits, vegetables or both to his plan. And for the weekend, he planned breakfasts as well.

I already had meals planned for the following week, so he had to wait until to today to get started. I'll try to follow along throughout the week with updates and recipes. But, for now, here's his menu:

Sunday breakfast - Cinnamon rolls (from Paula Dean's kid's cookbook)
dinner - Chicken Enchiladas, Cucumber Salad, Chocolate Milkshakes
Monday - breakfast
Tuesday - Oodles of Noodles Pasta Salad, Peaches, Peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies
Wednesday - Sloppy Joes, Carrots, Grapes
Thursday - Pasta with Bacon and Tomato Sauce, Salad, Bread
Friday - Hamburgers, Chips, Smoothies, Pineapple
Saturday breakfast - French toast
dinner - Italian Beef, Carrots, Strawberry Cream Cupcake Dessert

Use It Up

2010-03-23T15:59:00.001-07:00

One morning I was at the YMCA. You see, a friend asked me to meet her there two mornings a week...early. If you know me, you know that getting up at 5:30am is no small feat. So, Tuesday and Friday mornings, I've been going to work out, groaning all the way there, and then feeling pretty good about myself all the way home.

One morning, my friend was a no-show and I was watching one of the many TVs. I have no idea what the program was (and I couldn't hear anything), but they were featuring a blogger, "The Frugal Girl". Her blog sounded interesting, so I checked it out later that day.

She has this very interesting feature that she hosts called "Food Waste Friday". Other bloggers link to it, showing what food they threw away as food waste that week. I was amazed at how little these people are throwing away each week. I feel like I always have some unused, sad-looking produce in the fridge along with a science experiment or two tucked away in the back. True confessions...hope you don't think less of me.

So, I've been thinking a lot about how to waste less food. I know that I could lower our grocery bill substantially by paying more attention to what I already have. One of the ways I'm working on this is by keeping a list on the side of the fridge of food in the refrigerator, pantry and freezer that needs used. (I need to go through the freezer and find out just what all is in there. So far, the only things on my list are the things on top). And then using that list as I plan meals. If you have other suggestions, by all means, send them my way!

Here's the menu for this week, along with what I'm trying to use up with the particular recipe:

Monday - Hot ham sandwiches (recipe below), coleslaw, orange slices (I had a block of swiss cheese that needed used, along with half a head of cabbage and some carrots)
Tuesday - Pot Roast, carrots, onions, and mashed potatoes, salad (We have quite a bit of beef in the freezer still, potatoes - I have a hard time using a 5-lb bag, carrots)
Wednesday - The boys will eat leftovers and I will have dinner with my group (I'm taking salad...using leftover lemons for the dressing, more of that swiss cheese and some bacon. On a regular basis, I end up throwing away part of a package of bacon.)
Thursday - Chicken and Celery Stir-Fry, fruit (I think at one point I had at least three partially used bunches of celery in the fridge)
Friday - Cincinnati-Style Chili (This one isn't really using anything up; it just sounded good!)

Hot Ham Sandwiches
I got this recipe from a friend this past summer and we just love them. This time we had them with coleslaw, but we also like them with sweet potato fries.

Ingredients:
Potato Buns
Ham
Swiss Cheese

Spread (for about 1 pkg of buns, 1 lb of meat)
1/2 c. butter
1 T. mustard
1 tsp. dill
1/4 c. finely minced onion

Assemble sandwiches. Wrap in foil. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes.

**I eyeball the ingredients for the spread. I probably use a little more dill. And, I cheat and used dried, minced onion, maybe 1 TB.

Great Easy Soup!

2010-03-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

I posted a new recipe on my BLOG for crock pot white chicken chili. Check it out if you're wanting quick, easy and yummy!

A Good Pairing

2010-01-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

I have not yet tried Les's breakfast casserole that she posted the link for last week (it's on my list), but I am pretty sure I have a great side to go with it.

I found these Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists on Money Saving Mom. She and Life as Mom do monthly freezer cooking days, and these were one of the recipes MSM shared as a good one to keep in the freezer. Oh boy, is she right.

I made these for my book club last week and forgot the glaze. This morning I pulled the rest of them out of the freezer for a quick and easy breakfast, and they are definitely better with the glaze.

These can be baked and frozen, frozen before baking or the mix can be made ahead and frozen. I prefer to freeze them just before baking. You can take them out of the freezer and put them right in the oven and they're ready in 12-14 minutes. Yum.

Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists

Biscuit dough:
3 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 TB sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. shortening
1 c. milk
Filling:
2 TB melted butter
4 TB brown sugar

Stir together dry ingredients. Cut in butter and shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add milk. Stir until just moistened. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and need 4-6 times.

Roll out dough into a large rectangle (apprx. 1/4 inch thick). Brush with 2 TB melted butter and sprinkle with 4 TB brown sugar. Fold rectangle in half (from long side). Cut into 1-inch strips (I used a pizza cutter). Twist strips and place on baking sheet.

At this point, you can flash freeze them on the baking sheet and then throw them in a freezer bag until you're ready to use them.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes (if not frozen) and 12-14 minutes if frozen.

While baking, mix together glaze of 1 c. powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and a few teaspoons milk (just enough to make it the right consistency for drizzling).

Drizzle over twists when they come out of the oven and enjoy!

(If you want to see pictures of the process, click on the Money Saving Mom link above).

Yummy Breakfast Casserole!!

2010-01-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

I just posted a recipe on my family blog for a make ahead breakfast casserole. If you're interested, you can find it HERE.
Happy Eating!

Uninspired (recipe: Italian Wedding Soup)

2010-01-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

I must have overdosed on the cooking in December, because I have not felt any urge or complusion to do any cooking since the holidays. This week, Phil made spaghetti for dinner on Monday (I work late), then last night he made breakfast for dinner (I have no excuse) and tonight, we're having Italian Wedding Soup at CJ's request. A boring week, to say the least, and I didn't plan or shop for any other meals, so who knows what Thursday and Friday will bring.

Normally, looking through cooking magazines, checking out my favorite blogs and thinking about trying new things is all it takes to get me excited to be in the kitchen. But, even those things are not doing the trick. I need something to get me out of this slump.

But, while I'm here, at least we'll eat something good tonight. We LOVE this Italian Wedding Soup and have it often. Its inspiration was the Mama's Italian Wedding Soup on allrecipes.com, recommending to me by my friend Heather. Feel free to visit the link for the original recipe. We've made some changes, so I'll post the recipe as we like it. It's incredibly versatile, so feel free to play around.

I should also note that this is one of CJ's favorite meals and was what he requested for his birthday dinner.

Italian Wedding Soup
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup ditalini pasta
1 - 1 1/2 cups diced carrots
2 cups spinah, roughly chopped

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion. Shape mixture into 3/4-inch balls and set aside. (Make the meatballs as small as you have the patience for). Brown meatballs in a large skillet.

In a large stockpot heat chicken broth to boiling; stir in the pasta, carrots and diced tomatoes. Return to boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow boil for 5 minutes or so. Add meatballs. Continue cooking until pasta is al dente. Add spinach just before serving and allow to wilt. (I have at times just added the spinach to the bottom of our bowls...I have a fear of slimy spinach in the leftovers). Serve hot with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

NOTE: If you prefer your soups thick and creamy, this one's not for you. It's a lighter, broth-based soup. Perhaps it will be just the thing to get me out of my cooking funk.

Italian Wedding Soup

Easy New Year's Eve Appetizer

2009-12-31T14:53:00.000-08:00

Who can resist a recipe that:

Uses everyday ingredients that you'll likely have on hand?
Can be made ahead of time?
Tastes good even if you mess it up? (I speak from experience here)
Is a big hit wherever you take it?

Well, I'm not sure I've put the last one to the test yet, but this recipe comes from a recent issue of Simple and Delicious and the contributor who shared it says she takes it everywhere and is always asked for the recipe. That's the definition of success for me.

I made this a couple weeks ago, and while it didn't turn out quite right, it was still extremely tasty. I'm making it again tonight for New Year's Eve. Try it. I think you'll love it.

French Quarter Cheese Spread

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 TB grated onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 c. butter, cubed

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. prepared mustard

1 c. finely chopped pecans, toasted

Assorted crackers

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, onion and garlic. Transfer to a serving plate; shaped into a 6-inch disk. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Cook and stir over medium heat for 4-5 minutes (do not cook this too long...that was my mistake the first time around) or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in pecans. Cool slightly. Spoon over cheese mixture. Serve with crackers.

If you make it ahead of time, just bring to room temperature before serving.

Head over to Life as Mom for other New Year's Eve treats.

Pepperoni Cheese Tortellini

2009-12-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

I had a hard time deciding what to post for this week's Ultimate Recipe Swap over at Life as Mom. The theme is "Quick Fix Meals", a great idea during this festivity-filled month. However, sometimes my idea of what is quick to fix doesn't necessarily meet others' expectations.

For example, last night I made baked taquitos. And, I really thought that I would share that recipe today. We love it. But, it involves using leftover roast (not so quick if you don't have some of that stashed in the freezer) and rolling each taquito (probably doesn't qualify as speedy prep work).

So, I'm sitting here trying to think of something I make that is truly quick to fix. This easy skillet pasta dish came to mind, just a few simple ingredients and the result is a warm, satisfying meal, especially delicious if you add some garlic bread and a salad.

Pepperoni Cheese Tortellini (from Quick Cooking, years ago)

1 package (20 oz apprx.) frozen cheese tortellini
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni, diced
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon butter
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute pepperoni and onion in butter until onion is tender. Stir in tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, basil, oregano and cayenne; heat through. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Drain ravioli; toss with cream sauce. Yield: 4 servings

**The original recipe called for mushrooms (add with the pepperoni and onion). It also called for ravioli instead of tortellini. Feel free to substitute if you prefer.

The Best Biscuits

2009-12-05T17:14:00.001-08:00

Biscuits were not a big part of my life or my cooking before I met and married Phil. But, for Phil, biscuits were a staple in their family's diet. I learned early on that breakfast at Phil's parents' house would likely be biscuits, enjoyed with butter and jelly or, his dad's favorite, light corn syrup. They like their biscuits fairly small and barely browned. And that is breakfast.

Well, for most of our marriage I have been on a quest to find a biscuit recipe that I like and that meets Phil's biscuit standards, though I must confess, that I prefer my biscuits a little more golden brown with some crispness to the edges. This summer, I found a recipe on one of my favorite sites, Dine and Dish, that we like a lot and have now enjoyed several times. The buttermilk biscuits are great for biscuits and gravy and flash freeze really well.

But, this morning, I tried Smitten Kitchen's Cream Biscuits, and they are awesome. They're really good with butter and jelly or honey, but with the optional sugar included, they don't even need either one. (They are almost like the biscuits I make for strawberry shortcake, so it's not surprise that they are good plain.)

If you like biscuits, try these!

Cream Biscuits
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter in a small pot or microwave dish, and set aside. Sift two cups flour, the baking powder, salt and (if using) sugar into a large bowl. Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream. If the dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup cream, little by little. (I ended up using two additional tablespoons, or half the unused cream.)
Turn dough onto a floured surface, mound it into a ball and, using your hands, press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. (I used a rolling pin.) Cut into rounds, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Gather dough scraps and continue to make rounds. Dip the top of each round in melted butter and arrange on the baking sheet or just brush on with a pastry brush. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately, or flash freeze for future use. [Biscuits can be baked straight from the freezer, and additional few minutes baking time will be needed, usually around 3 to 5.]

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-12-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. And this year, I actually started everything early, shopping, decorating, etc., in the hope that we would have more time to actually enjoy the season instead of running around like crazy people every weekend in December. We'll see how it turns out.

One of my favorite things about this time of the year is the baking and candy making. In fact, it's definitely become a tradition at our house. It all started the first year we were married. We made a bunch of different Christmas goodies and delivered them to the other couples in our small group. We showed up at their houses singing "Feliz Navidad". It was fun, and we have tried to continue the tradition, though we don't always sing these days.

One year, I made "Cookie Dough Truffles" to include in the goodie bags. We delivered them to a newly married couple in our church, and I think she ate all the truffles before her husband even knew they were there. So, at least in that family, these truffles are a BIG hit! (And now she makes her own.)

Cookie Dough Truffles
1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 c. flour
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 1/2 lbs. semisweet chocolate candy coating, chopped

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Shape into 1-inch balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating (or use a double-boiler), stirring often until smooth. Dip balls in coating; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in refrigerator.

Visit Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom for more food gift ideas! I think her granola sounds awesome. Interested in more holiday recipes? Check out this exchange out.

Ultimate Recipe Swap

2009-11-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

I'm participating again in Ultimate Recipe Swap hosted at Life as MOM. This week's theme is Thanksgiving dishes. A couple years ago I posted a corn casserole recipe that is a staple at our holiday meals. The best part(s)...it's fast, easy and delicious.

Here it is again in case you missed it the first time. And, as I mentioned the first time, the thing that sets this corn casserole apart from others like it is the sauteed onions. They give it really great flavor!

Corn Casserole

1 onion, chopped
1/4 c. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs, well beaten
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Saute the onion in butter, seasoned with salt and pepper. Combine the sauteed onions and the remaining ingredients. Mix together and bake in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish/3 qt dish at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Another dish that would be great on your Thanksgiving table:

Southwest Cornbread Salad

I could have said something

2009-11-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

Anything at all would have been better than nothing. But, I basically chose nothing.

On Monday I went to KC with some friends to meet Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, and get a signed copy of her recently released cookbook, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks". I had been looking forward to this outing for weeks (if not months).

Thanks to Les (another contributor on this blog), I've been reading PW's blog for a couple years now and am totally hooked, mostly on her recipes but also on her humorous take on country life.

Because I'm such a fan, I've been thinking about what to say to her since I bought my ticket in early October. And, I could never think of anything...even right up to the minute I sat down next to her, I still had nothing. So, what did I say? That's right, nothing.

Well, not exactly nothing. She did ask me a couple questions. I responded with one-word answers. And then said nothing else. I'm sure she was wondering if I had any social skills whatsoever. I just sat there and smiled. Here are some pictures...

Here's my friend Jade and I waiting in line.

And my friend, Heather, who drove us to KC through the nasty weather.

And finally, me and PW

It almost looks like I'm talking, right? Well, the conversation went something like this:

Ree: Are you Jimi?

Me: Yes.

Ree: That's a neat name.

Me: (silence...seriously)

Oh well, even though I was quiet literally tongue-tied, it was a fun experience. She was super nice and at the end when we took a group shot of the six of us. She said, "What cute girls!" Weird, but cute. Ha.

If I had it to do again, I would at least say, "I really like your cinnamon rolls."

Make Ahead Meal

2009-11-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

Last year a friend and I would each make several meals for the freezer (x2) and then swap. It was a great way to save time in the kitchen and came in especially handy for me on days I had to work late. As long as I remembered to set the meal out to thaw, my husband could just throw it in the oven and dinner would be ready by the time I got home.

Lately I've been researching Once-a-month-cooking, freezer meals, and the like. The thing is, I like the act of cooking enough that I don't really want to do it all in two days (though that sounds like a fun and exhausting two days), but I would like to find a handful of things to keep in the freezer for those busy nights (and sometimes mornings). So, the research continues.

I do have a few of those types of recipes up my sleeve, though, especially after a year of experimenting. I must say that I think it's hard to find a dish that is not compromised by a month or two in the freezer. I typically prefer to prepare part of the dish ahead and save the assembly for later (i.e., meatballs, cooked chicken or ground beef).

However, I do make this Spaghetti Casserole pretty much anytime I need to take a meal to someone and don't have much time to prepare. It goes together quickly, and the best part is that it makes 2 casseroles...one for the new parents and one for us. It's nothing fancy, but it's cheap, easy and good.

(I'm adding this to Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap that she does each week...what a great way to get new recipes!)

Spaghetti Casserole

1 package (16 ounces) angel hair pasta
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Remove from the heat.
Drain pasta. Combine soup and sour cream. In two 8-in. square baking dishes, layer half of the meat sauce, pasta, soup mixture and cheese. Repeat layers.
Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted.
To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Fall Cooking

2009-09-17T13:07:00.001-07:00

This week's menu definitely reflected my excitement about the cooler temps. I love what fall means in the kitchen: soups, cinnamon-scented baked goods, heartier meals, fresh apples...and finally, it's not too stinkin' hot to enjoy cooking. (I must admit I am a little sad to say goodbye to strawberries, though!)

So, on tap this week: Italian Wedding Soup, Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings, Shepherd's Pie, Tilapia (my first attempt...we'll know tomorrow how it turned out) and Chili Chicken Tacos.

Last night we enjoyed the Shepherd's Pie, also a first for me. The recipe was great for anyone who works outside the home. Phil and I actually made both the filling and the topping the night before, refrigerated them seperately and then all I had to do last night was put them together and pop it in the oven.

C also enjoys time in the kitchen. Last night, he made a salad with lettuce, spinach, diced apple (I cut those), halved grapes (he did these), cranberries and honey roasted almonds. It may have been better than my Shepherd's Pie.

This recipe makes at least 8 servings. (Next time, I may make a 1/2 recipe.) We'll be eating it around our house for a few more days! Oh, and one other recommendation: Season the meat/vegetable mixture liberally with salt and pepper.

Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie (from Everyday Food)

2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)
Directions
Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.
Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.
Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Celebration!

2009-08-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Where did the summer go? I really thought I would blog more this summer and knowing my desire, Phil and C often commented after dinner that I should blog the particular recipe. Aren't they kind? Time just seemed to slip away, though and here we are at the start of another school year.

Well, we kicked it off in the best way imaginable. On Sunday, C was baptized at our church and we had a cookout afterwards to celebrate his baptism and the baptism of our good friends' son. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni salad, fruit salad, watermelon and homemade ice cream. And, the day was beautiful (except for the flies).

I also made Corn Bread Salad. This is one of my favorite things to make when there will be lots of people eating. It makes a lot and can be made ahead of time, the perfect thing for a party.

Southwest Corn Bread Salad

1 (8.5 oz) corn bread mix
1 can green chilies, lightly drained
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
pinch rubbed sage (left this out on accident)
2 (15 oz) cans corn, drained
2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. chopped green onions (I use probably closer to a 1/2 cup)
1 c. chopped green pepper
3 small tomatoes, chopped
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix, dry
1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise

Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions. Stir in chilies and spices. Spread in greased 8" square baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool completely and then crumble.
In a small bowl, mix mayo, sour cream and dressing mix. Refrigerate. In a large dish (I use a big square dish, but you could also use a 9 by 13 inch baking dish), layer 1/2 of the following in order: corn bread, beans, sour cream mixture, corn, tomatoes, green pepper, green onions, bacon and cheese. Repeat layers. Dish will be full.
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. It can be made the night before as well.
This can be served as a salad, but it's also good as a dip with tortilla chips.

First Day on the Job

2009-06-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

So, today was my first attempt at being a (pt)SAHM (I'm working part-time for the summer, which means I'm pretty much at home on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays). I actually started the new schedule two weeks ago, but because Phil had a few days off of work during that time and then CJ was sick for a couple days, today was the first REAL day at home.

Let me tell ya, I think I'm more exhausted from a day at home than I am after a day of work! If you could indulge me, I would like to share with you what we did today. Please feel free to let me know if what we did/didn't accomplish is reasonable. I'm new at this and not sure how to balance my time...and I'm not sure what a practical pace is.

So, today's events:
1. Early morning trip to the dentist (for me, CJ sat quietly and watched)
2. Came home and made a batch of pumpkin muffins (recipe follows, after all this blog is supposed to be about recipes)
3. Ate breakfast/muffins
4. Took CJ and one of his friends to the bank, where we cashed in $111 worth of coins. Isn't that cool?
5. Gas/Car wash (thanks to the newly received cash)
6. Let CJ play with friends
7. Oh yeah, in the midst of this, stripped the beds, washed the sheets and did 4 additional loads of laundry
8. Lunch with Phil and CJ
9. After lunch, while CJ practiced math on the computer (www.funbrain.com), I read a little on my book, "The Thirteenth Tale" (continued laundry)
10. Made a big ol' batch of meat sauce (to be used in multiple recipes...lasagna rolls, tostadas, chili)
11. Took CJ to swimming lessons at the Y, worked out briefly.
12. Went to yoga class...instructor didn't show.
13. Made dinner (lasagna rolls) and headed to CJ's baseball game
14. Game was rained out...led to time for blogging. :)

That's it, so far.

So, to the recipe. I've kind of been on a muffin kick lately. Last week, I made crumb-topped banana muffins from www.allrecipes.com. I'll post that recipe next. It was great!

Today, we made pumpkin muffins, not particularly in season, I know, but we still had some in the pantry. I found this recipe on two of my very favorite blogs: www.smittenkitchen.com and www.dineanddish.com. I figured they had to be good...and they were!

Pumpkin Muffins
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 can (15 oz) canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I subbed cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg)
1 1/4 c. + 1 TB sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put liners in 12 muffin cups.

In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Then, whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Stir together 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 TB sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter amoung muffin cups (I filled 12 and had a little extra), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golder brown and a toothpick or skewer insterted into the middle comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool.

Eat and enjoy!

Menu Planning Mania

2009-02-06T14:24:00.000-08:00

As mentioned previously, one of my goals for this new year was to do a better job planning menus and grocery shopping on the weekends. Well, so far, so good. For five weeks, I've been grocery shopping on Saturday mornings. Even though I spend a chunk of time either Friday evening or Saturday morning planning our menu and preparing the list, it's worth it to not be worrying about it on Sunday evenings!

I'm not a picky eater, per se, but I am typically rather particular about what I eat. I like to be "in the mood" for things. Well, one thing I've had to learn through this, in order to not waste food, is to stick to my plan, even when it doesn't fit with the particular cravings I may have. This has been good for me!

So, without further adieu, I'm going to list my menus for the past few weeks. (Sides may or may not be included...depends on my memory.) If you want any of the recipes, let me know and I will post them. I'll share a few in the coming days, when I start to tackle another resolution...updating this blog more frequently.

Week 1
Mon. - sandwiches, chips, oranges
Tues. - mac & tomatoes (C's favorite thing), grilled cheese
Wed. - sesame chicken & broccoli, rice, pineapple
Thurs. - breakfast for dinner (waffles, bacon, eggs)
Fri. - hot dogs, homemade mac & cheese
Sat. - lasagna Rolls, salad, bread, triple layer brownies

Week 2
Mon. - tomato soup & grilled cheese
Tues. - chicken and dumplings, apples
Wed. - leftovers
Thurs. - Italian wedding soup
Fri. - tostadas
Sat. - dinner out

Week 3
Sun. - baked spaghetti
Mon. - red beans & rice, bread
Tues. - leftovers
Wed. - bbq meatballs, smashed potatoes, glazed carrots
Thurs. - ordered pizza (I cheated this night)
Fri. - chicken enchilada soup
Sat. - brisket, roasted potatoes, green beans, apple crostata

Week 4
Sun. - leftovers
Mon. - YH event (my work)
Tues. - paninis with leftover brisket & cheese, sweet potato fries
Wed. - breakfast for dinner
Thurs. - meatball subs, broccoli slaw, chips
Fri. - chicken & wild rice soup, fruit smoothies
Sat. - sandwiches, chips, fruit

Week 5
Sun. - white chicken chili, cornbread
Mon. - spaghetti, bread
Tues. - sandwiches, chips, apples
Wed. - homemade tomato soup, grilled cheese
Thurs. - crispy apricot pork chops, red potatoes, salad
Fri. - chicken stir-fry wraps, rice, pineapple
Sat. - biscuits & gravy (breakfast)

A few things to note about my menu...Phil and C are responsible for Monday nights, because I work late. Thus, that evening is usually something easy. I also realized as I type that there are only a few nights a week where cooking anything more complicated is an option. Most nights we need fast meals, either because we've got somewhere else to be or because we are eating later in the evening. All that to say, it's working for us...and hopefully, it continues to. I'm a little stuck for the next week's menu and always appreciate suggestions.

What Santa brought

2008-12-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

Even though I really didn't need anything else for the kitchen for Christmas, I got something, and it was just what I wanted...a Le Crueset Dutch Oven, a red one, no less. My husband had begun mentioning building some kind of elaborate shelving in our garage to hold my ever-growing supply of kitchen "stuff". Because of this, I didn't even ask for anything for the kitchen this Christmas. Of course, my mom picked up on the fact that I wanted one of these beauties when I kept entering online contests to win one. At least now I can stop entering the contests.

Now, I need to know what to cook in it. I mean, I know I can cook everything in it, but what do I start with? My brother got one too, and he's going to cook short ribs. I'm not quite that adventurous. Maybe a good slow cooked chili, or Coq a Vin (the recipe I was supposed to cook for Barefoot Bloggers this month), or fried chicken. I'm leaning towards soup, just because that always sounds good this time of year, but if you have suggestions, please send them my way!

Happy New Year.

Christmas baking and candy-making

2008-12-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, we had a big baking day at our house! We love to make treats for Christmas and give them away to friends. Usually we'll make caramels, fudge, dipped pretzels, covered pecans, pumpkin bread and then a new recipe or two. This year, I had visions of beautiful gingerbread people that we would ice with little white eyes and white buttons. Instead, this is what they looked like...

Maybe that's not exactly what I was imagining, but it was still fun! (But, we haven't eaten any of them yet.)

Mexican Chicken Soup

2008-12-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

Last night brought about a new resolution that I need to make in the new year. It does not work for me to get off of work at 5pm, go to the grocery store and do my shopping and then come home and make dinner. Well, it does work, but it doesn't get dinner on the table anytime before 7:30pm. And, then it feels like I've spent the whole evening on dinner.

Perhaps you would suggest that I find recipes that don't take quite so long. That would certainly be one solution and one that I like quite a lot and will definitely consider on non-Barefoot Contessa-cooking-nights. Leaving the grocery store last night, though (after waiting quite a while on the meat department to locate bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts) I decided that once January 1st rolls around, I need to do my grocery shopping on Saturday! Wish me luck.

Here's the recipe for last night's Barefoot Bloggers recipe. This soup was really tasty and was not all that complicated...don't know why it took me quite so long to make it.

Ingredients
4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas

Directions
For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

Barefoot Bloggers, take two (and three)

2008-12-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

So, joining Barefoot Bloggers has revealed even more my tendency toward procratination...even with things I enjoy, like cooking. Last month's recipes were for Herb Roasted Onions and Mexican Chicken Soup, to be posted on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, respectively. Well, I made the Herb Roasted Onions on the 2nd Thursday of the month, and they were good. Even halving the recipe still made far too many onions for our family of three. I served them with pan-fried pork chops and sauteed apples. The vinagrette on the onions is especially tasty. My big discovery with this recipe was that I really like fresh thyme (and added the leftover herb to a few of our Thanksgiving dishes). My other discovery was that onions can discolor baking sheets. It was a fun and different side dish. Click on the link to find the recipe. Notice that although I made the dish on the 2nd Thursday, it's taken my far longer to post about my results.

Recipe #2 Mexican Chicken Soup is on the menu for tonight...a little late for that 4th Thursday deadline. Oops. My plans had been to make it a couple nights before Thanksgiving, but my grocery list was so long, and my cooking plans for the next few days so extensive, that we decided a meal out was in order. So, the Mexican Chicken Soup had to wait. (It didn't help that I made Chicken Enchilada Soup and White Chicken Chili earlier in that very same week.)

Also, I have abandoned food photography. My pictures don't begin to do justice to the dish. If you go to Barefoot Bloggers, you can find many photos and ideas about these recipes from my fellow Barefoot Contessa fans.

Apple Oatmeal

2008-11-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a great breakfast dish I tried this week. It's kind of like hot oatmeal applesauce. I divided the recipe in half and it turned out great for my family.

Recipe for Apple Oatmeal

This is a delicious as breakfast alone or as a breakfast side dish.

8 apples, peeled and sliced (pippin, roma, jonathans – the sweet and juicier the better)
2 cups of old fashioned oatmeal (not the quick oats)
1 cup of sugar
½ cup of butter
1 tsp cinnamon’
allspice – just a dash

Put in the order above in a crock pot. DO NOT STIR.
Cook on low overnight.
Just before serving, give it a good stir. It will be a dark brown cinnamon color.

Will serve about 8 people, pretty generously.

Barefoot Bloggers, Take One

2008-10-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

So, I recently joined a group called the Barefoot Bloggers. As a member (I guess that's what you would call it), you commit to making two Ina Garten (a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa) recipes each month and posting about them on your blog on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays. Well, today is the day. The first assigned recipe of the month was Butternut Squash Risotto. I made it tonight...nothing like a little procrastination. It was pretty good, but it didn't wow me like it did some of the others who have blogged about it. There are probably several reasons for this.
1. I do not frequently cook with wine, so I'm not used to that flavor.
2. I have never in my life used (the very expensive) saffron and am still not sure if I can appreciate its flavor.
3. I used a richer chicken stock than I think was necessary for the dish.
4. I put in too much cheese.

I did love the butternut squash in the dish though. It was quite tasty. And, Phil thought the whole thing was just fine and helped himself to seconds. I did take some pictures, although my food photography falls far short of most bloggers. I'll try to post them tomorrow.

Although my first attempt was not the rip-roaring success I was hoping for, I'm still excited about being part of a group that tries out a variety of recipes. It's motivating and has the added element of accountability that I sometimes need to tackle all those recipes on my list. (And, it gives me an excuse to buy ingredients I might not on an ordinary day!)

Green Thumb?

2008-10-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

My mom has an amazing green thumb. When I was a kid we had a huge garden, and it seemed like she could make ANYTHING grow. Not so with me. Right after Phil and I got married, I received this beautiful plant (couldn't tell you what kind) from a door prize drawing. For months, the plant was gorgeous and flowering. Then, I don't know what I did, but it started dying and nothing I did stopped the process. The same exact thing has happened with every single houseplant I've ever had. (It might have something to do with the chilly temperature we keep our house at in the winter.)

Well, this past May, we decided it was time to try container gardening. Mother's Day weekend, we went to the local garden store and bought 5 containers, 3 tomato plants, 3 pepper plants and a variety of herbs. I had such high hopes of making recipes like this one without having to spend a fortune on poor produce from the grocery store.

Well, the first couple months, I was so vigilant, caring carefully for my baby plants, watering them and checking on them every day. For a time, they flourished. But then, like all other green things in my life, they began to look a little sad...and then a little worse...until I thought for sure the end was near. I even pulled up some of the herbs, leaving only thyme and parsley. I tried asking for advice, but it was always conflictual...water them more, water them less. What to do?

I decided to ignore my plants as it seemed unlikely they would produce any fruit at all. It was a noble effort but an unsuccessful one. After at least a month of not even checking on the plants, I peeked around the corner of our house to find thriving tomato plants. Hmmm...I'm not sure what this means. Anyway, on October 1st, here's what the healthiest of the three looks like. I'm not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed. It's full of tomatoes that likely will not ripen, unless it stays unseasonably warm!

A Pleasant Surprise

2008-09-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

I've recently been bogged down by studying for a large exam, and my husband graciously has picked up the slack in the kitchen. Last weekend he did all of the grocery shopping, and even picked out a few new recipes for us to try. This is one that I was wishing he hadn't picked. To be completely honest, it just didn't look appealing to me at all. I doubted it right up until the first bite.

I'm happy to report that I was dead wrong on this one. This meal is simple, delicious and probably the cheapest dinner we can make. Trust me on this ... it's worth a try.

2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
5 cups frozen shredded hash browns (~1/2 of a 26 oz package)
1 t. dried crushed thyme
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 lb. smoked sausage, chopped
1 medium apple (such as golden delicious), cored and cut into thin wedges

In a 10 inch skillet, heat oil and 1 T. butter over medium heat. Add potatoes in an even layer. Cook about 8 minutes or until lightly brown. Stir in half of the thyme and all of the pepper. Using a spatula, press potatoes down firmly into a cake. Cook for about 8 minutes more until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in another skillet, melt the remaining 1 T butter over medium heat. Add sausage and apple. Cook about 10 minutes or until apple is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining thyme.

Slide potatoes onto a cool plate; cover with another plate and flip the plates over so the nicely browned side of the potato pancake is on top. Spoon sausage-apple mixture over the potatoes and season to taste with salt.

Makes 4 servings (but when we eat this it's more like 3)

Blog Addict

2008-09-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

I have never been much of a TV watcher. I have a few shows I've followed now and then, but I don't typically spend a lot of time in front of the television. (Two exceptions: 1. The Olympics...we were total junkies. 2. The Food Network...I could watch all day on the rare occasions we have cable.)

But, with the internet, one no longer needs the television to waste copious amounts of time. And, it's no longer the original internet activities, looking up interesting information, following the news or shopping for clothes. No, now there is Blogland where I can get lost for hours reading about other peoples' lives, people I don't even know and will probably never meet, but I'm captivated by their stories.

I have recently discovered Google Reader. It's like an inbox for all the new blog entries that are posted on your favorite sites. You no longer have to click through your "favorites" checking to see if the blog has been updated. It's now delivered straight to Google Reader. At first, I thought, "What a time saver!" Now, I'm thinking something different. Google Reader makes these recommendations of other blogs you might enjoy based on your subscriptions. Oh, brother. I think I should probably go back to the "old" way of just pulling up the site once in awhile. I have way more posts to read than I can get to in a day!

All that to say, I'm inspired to post more on this blog and maybe another one where I talk about something other than recipes.

So, here's the Strawberry Sorbet recipe I mentioned last week. This is so very good!

Strawberry Sorbet

2 c. strawberries, hulled and quartered (can substitute 16 oz frozen strawberries, thawed)
2 c. buttermilk
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Process strawberries in a food processor/blender 30 seconds or until smooth, scraping down sides. Pour strawberry puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon. Discard solids. Add buttermilk, sugar and vanilla to puree. Stir until well blended. Cover and chill 1 hour.
Pour strawberry mixture into the freezer container of a 1 1/2 quart electric ice cream maker and freeze according to package directions. Yum!

After the ice cream was frozen we put it in a bowl and froze it overnight so that it was good and hard. This is not essential but allowed the ice cream to set up a little more.

Linking made easy

2008-08-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

So, the last time I posted a link, it had taken me months to figure out the process, and even then, I knew there must be a better way. And, alas, I have found it. So, now I can link all the new recipes I made this past week and save lots of typing time. As you can see, it is a wide and varied selection with no particular theme. For the most part, all were a success. Here they are in no particular order:

Ah, but first a word about the blogs that I read...the main two couldn't be more different. One is written by a rancher's wife in rural Oklahoma with four kiddos and the other by a woman in New York City who has every ingredient I could ever dream of at her disposal (or so it seems).

From The Pioneer Woman (my current favorite cooking blog):
Oatmeal cookies
MM's favorite sandwich - You should definitely follow the instructions to toast the bread.
Breakfast burritos

From Smitten Kitchen (my original favorite cooking blog)
Huevos Rancheros - This was our very favorite recipe of the batch. The homeade pico was super tasty.
Blueberry Pancakes - These made very good basic pancakes too, much better than a mix from a box.

I also made some delicious Strawberry Sorbet, a recipe given to me by a friend. I'll post that soon. Just make sure you have some buttermilk (and a pound of strawberries) on hand.

Real Simple, Real Delicious

2008-07-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of cooking magazines...a lot. My husband would say perhaps a few too many. There is no way I will ever make all the recipes that I read about each month. But, reading recipes is entertainment for me. (And, almost all of my subscriptions have been gifts...can't beat that). The only non-cooking magazine I receive is Real Simple, also a gift from a good friend. Of course, it has recipes in it, and that's the first thing I read when a new one arrives in my mailbox. This past week I was flipping through April's issue and checking out the "Five Easy Meals" that's a regular feature. They had a recipe for "Spiced Mini-Burgers and Couscous Salad." It didn't require many ingredients, and I already had a few of them (cucumber, green onions, feta cheese) that I was looking for a way to use before they went bad. So, I thought I would give it a try.
It tasted great, but more importantly, it was SUPER easy and fast. I love that, especially now when our evenings have been packed full with campaigning and baseball games. (It was also a great opportunity to introduce our foster son to couscous. Surprisingly, he did pretty well with it. It helped that it was chock-full of tomatoes and cucumbers, which he loves.)

Here's the recipe as written. (One note: I have some Pampered Chef Greek Seasoning, so we used that on the burgers instead of the cumin and oregano, and we probably could have used more than what we did.)

1 10-oz box couscous
1 lb. ground beef
Kosher salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 TB dried oregano
4 TB extra-virgin olive oil
6 scallions, trimmed and sliced
4 Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 cucumber, sliced into half-moons
3 TB fresh lemon juice
Feta cheese, optional

Place the couscous in a medium bowl and pour 1 1/2 cups hot tap water over the top. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Form the beef into 12 small 1/2-inch-thick patties. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, `1/4 tsp. pepper, the cumin, and oregano.
Heat 1 TB of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook to desired doneness.
Combine the couscous, scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, lemon juice, 1 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and the remaining oil in a large bowl.

We added the feta cheese to our individual portions, and it was a great addition, just not perhaps as child-friendly. Also, while this says it makes four servings, we probably had close to 8 servings of salad.

Computer Illiterate

2008-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I am just old enough to have missed growing up with a computer, and so there are many things that I do not understand about the machine. But, today, I am going to try to enter the world of "real blogging" where I use a link to a recipe. Wow. I know you are impressed at the thought.

So, the other night we had a tasty meal for dinner out of Everyday Food, one of my most favorite cooking magazines. Nearly all of the recipes I have made have been quite good. I can be confident when cooking from EF that I am not making something that will turn out to be a dud. Nevertheless, not every recipe is a home run, but each is at least a solid base hit. (Aren't you glad baseball season is here?)

(This post was started on May 9, 2008...finally, today July 7, 2008, I figured out how to insert the link.)

Mini Honey-Mustard Meatloaves with Roasted Potatoes

Who needs a name?

2008-07-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you who took Les's advice and have started (compulsively) reading http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/, you've already seen this recipe. Right up front, I'm admitting to stealing it and wouldn't dare claim it as my own. All that to say, you've got to try it...soon! Calling it a recipe is generous. It's just a little treat that kids and adults will enjoy. Now for those of you who are smores-lovers, you may scoff at the absence of chocolate in this, but I promise it's still delicious. The real beauty lies in the fact that you can make as many or as few as you need. (Confession: last week, we made some every night.)

I don't know what these are called. We're just calling them tasty treats.

So, here's what you do. Take some Ritz crackers, spread them with a little peanut butter and put them on a cookie sheet, place a large marshmallow on top (on its side), and put under the broiler until the tops of the marshmallows turn golden to dark brown (depending on your taste). Take them out and eat them and get melty marshmallow all over your face. I didn't say they weren't messy!

Chicken-Bow Tie Primavera

2008-06-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

This pasta dish is from the July/August Simple and Delicious. If you like the flavor of Parmesan cheese, you'll love it (my husband sure did!). Very simple--the only time consuming element is cutting all the veggies.

3.5 cups bow tie pasta (I just used a regular sized box--12 oz?)

1 lb. bonelesss skinless chicken cut into cubes

2/3 cup fresh carrots, sliced

1 T. olive oil

1 zucchini, halved and sliced

1 yellow summer squash quartered and sliced

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1.5 cups shredded Parmesan cheese (I shredded it myself)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large skillet, saute chicken and carrot in oil until chicken is cooked.

2. Add zucchini, squash, seasoned salt, and pepper. Cook, uncovered, until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Drain pasta. Add pasta, cream and Parmesan cheese to chicken mixture; stir to combine. Cook, uncovered until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.

6 servings

Creamy Lemon Squares

2008-05-29T19:17:00.001-07:00

Here's the recipe I mentioned in the last post. These were really tasty. And tart. And easy. Enjoy!

Creamy Lemon Squares

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. flour
4 large egg yolks
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 c. fresh lemon juice (from 3 large lemons)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butten an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper.
Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour, mix on low just until combined. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden 15-20 minutes.
Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven, and bake until filling is set 25-30 minutes (I baked mine a little longer). Cool completely in pan.
Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours or up to 3 days. Using paper overhang lift cake onto work surface, cut into 16 squares and dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Working through the List

2008-05-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

I always have a long list of recipes that I want to try. But, I'm not always very good at working my way through the list. Lately, though, I've been trying to take that list, compare it with what is in the pantry and freezer and try some new meals (and hopefully save a few dollars at the grocery store). So, here are a couple things that we've liked. The first recipe is for a very simple grilled chicken...something I've never managed to master. (And, I still don't do the grilling, just the pre-work. It's my husband's job to actually cook the meat, and he has a new grill, so he doesn't mind in the least). The marinade is easy and hopefully uses things you already have on hand, and the chicken comes out tasty and tender. One of the best parts is that this chicken is great right off the grill, but it's also very tasty in a salad, which is how we used our leftovers the first time we made it. Without further adieu...

Garlic-Marinated Chicken Cutlets (I used tenders)

2 TB olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
3 TB fresh thyme (I used dried thyme leaves, maybe 1/2 tsp)
coarse salt and ground pepper
3 lb. chicken cutlets, about 12 (again, I used tenders, just read the recipe wrong, but they worked great)

To make marinade, whisk together oil, garlic, vinegar, thyme, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a large shallow dish. Add chicken; turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes. Lift chicken from marinade and grill (be sure to oil grates) until browned and cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. This makes enough to serve 4 (with side dishes...we grilled potatoes, and had cucumber and onion salad and watermelon with ours) and then there is enough chicken leftover to use in another meal.

That's it. It was so easy. For the Cobb Salad a couple days later, we tossed Romaine lettuce with an easy Honey Dijon vinaigrette (let me know if you want the recipe). Then, we topped the lettuce with the leftover sliced chicken, crumbled bacon, grape tomatoes, diced avocado and feta cheese. It was really good and a fast and easy summer supper.

Stay tuned for a lemon bar recipe that only required 3 ingredients for the filling!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2008-05-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

This is a yummy recipe, that could pass for a coffee cake if you wanted it to!!

2 (8 oz.) pkgs cream cheese (can use fat free)
2 cans crescent rolls
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick melted butter

1/2 cup sugar
1 Tlbs. cinnamon

Spread 1 can of rolls in a 9X13 pan (best to use clear to make sure the bottom browns).
Mix together cr. cheese, sugar and vanilla then spread evenly over the rolls.
Spread second can of rolls over the cr. cheese mixture.
Drizzle butter over the rolls.
Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture over top.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 min. (however long it takes to get the top and bottom layer of rolls browned).
Best served warm!

The Pioneer Woman

2008-05-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

For those of you looking for new recipes, and I'm guessing you are because you read this blog.... I've recently found a very entertaining blog with some yummy recipes. The blogger is a California city girl who married a rancher, and now lives out in the boonies. She's got some great recipes, and I'll warn you a head of time, nearly every one calls for at least a stick of butter. Not for the clogged of heart!!
Check her out, you'll enjoy it! www.thepioneerwoman.com

Macaroni, Two Ways

2008-05-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking that I will get back in the swing of things and start posting recipes more regularly. Somehow life continues to derail my good intentions. It's a new month and a new opportunity. We'll see how I do. Let's get straight to these two delicious macaroni recipes. First, the one I mentioned in a previous post that we thoroughly enjoyed, Skillet Macaroni and Beef, from the Cook's Country magazine. This was a quick and easy dinner and made more than expected.

Skillet Macaroni and Beef

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 lg. onion, choppped fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. elbow macaroni
1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook beef in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Drain beef, leaving 2 TB fat in the skillet, and reserve. Add onion, red pepper, and garlic to fat in skillet and cook, covered, until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
Add macaroni, tomato sauce, broth, oregano and reserved beef to skillet and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve. (I covered it and let the cheese melt before serving).
Yield: While the recipe says 4, I would say 6.

Okay, on to the next recipe. If you buy the right size of macaroni (although I have no idea what the "right" size is) you should have enough left to try this recipe as well. It's another recipe from Cook's Country and is yet another skillet recipe too. We made this about a week ago. I was very impressed with how creamy the macaroni turned out. I'm hard to please when it comes to homeade mac and cheese, but this hit the spot.

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

2 TB unsalted butter
2 c. fresh bread crumbs (I made them in the food processor with white bread, but you could eliminate all this and just use dried ones and I think it would probably work...although the fresh were delicious)
Salt and pepper
3 3/4 c. water, plus more as needed
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
3 c. elbow macaroni
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. hot sauce
3 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
(I bought both cheeses in blocks and shredded them, so that they would melt better)

For breadcrumbs: Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bread crumbs, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out skillet.

Bring water, 1 1/4 c. evaporated milk and 1/2 tsp salt to simmer in skillet over medium-high heat. Add macaroni and cook, stirring often, until macaroni is al dente, 8-10 minutes.
Whisk remaining evaporated milk, cornstarch and hot sauce in small bowl, then stir into skillet. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in cheeses, one handful at a time, adding water as needed to adjust consistency. Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs. Serve.

Yield: 4-6
(The hot sauce does not make this dish at all spicy. It just adds flavor.)

Creative Leftovers

2008-04-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

I can't take any credit for these recipes whatsoever. All I did was finally get my act together enough to try something out of a magazine I received over 1 year ago. Here are two recipes from Everyday Food intended for the same week. They use many of the same ingredients and were delicious and healthy. I love the efficiency!

Roast Beef with roasted vegetables

3 red bell peppers, cut into strips
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into strips
2 medium red onions, cut into wedges
3/4 lb new potatoes, cut into 1" chunks
3 whole garlic cloves
2 garlic cloves, cut into slivers (~12)
2 T. olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
2.5 lb eye-of-round beef roast
3/4 t. dried thyme

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place peppers, onions, potatoes and whole garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with half the oil, season with salt and pepper, then toss to coat.
2. Using a paring knife, make small slits in top and sides of roast; push in garlic slivers. Coat beef with remaining oil, 1.5 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper and thyme. Either place on same tray with vegetable or separate dish, depending on size.
3. Roast beef and vegetables 50 minutes for medium rare (I like my meat cooked a little more, so I did 1 hour and got a nice medium). Toss vegetables occasionally.
4. Cut half of the roast into thin slices and serve with vegetables. Reserve half the roast for the recipe below.

Beef and Mango Wraps

1 T. Dijon mustard
3 T. lime juice
1 T. olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 mango, peeled and cut into strips
tortillas
4 cups loose spinach leaves
cooked beef, reserved from above, thinly sliced

1. In a large bowl, whisk together mustard, lime juice and oil; season with salt and pepper. Add onion, bell pepper and mango. Toss to combine.
2. Lay tortillas out on a flat working surface. Line each with spinach, arrange beef slices in the center and top with mango mixture.
3. Serve with black bean salsa and chips!

Not exactly in season

2008-04-07T10:04:00.001-07:00

Last week my husband went to the grocery store over the lunch hour to pick up a few things we were needing for dinner that night. Because so many have graciously provided meals for us the past few weeks, I haven't done much cooking on weeknights. Last Wednesday was an exception, though. We had decided to make paninis. I got a panini press for Christmas a couple years ago, and we've just begun to discover the joy of pressed sandwiches, especially when made with really good bread. We especially enjoy grilling some red pepper slices on the press and then adding those to sandwiches made with turkey and pepper jack cheese. Yum. Anyway, my husband was supposed to get some meat from the deli and then a couple sweet potatoes, which we were going to make fries out of. That was the plan. When I got home and pulled the potatoes out of the bad, it was immediately apparent that these were not sweet potatoes, but regular old potatoes. Not to be disuaded, we cut them into wedges and coated them with cornflakes and seasonings and baked them in the oven. They tasted pretty good, but they weren't the sweet potato fries we were looking forward to. So, since we were having company for lunch on Sunday, we decided it would be a good time to try again. This time I went to the store, thinking that sweet potatoes cannot be nearly as elusive as my husband made them out to be. However, he was right. The label said sweet potatoes, but the bin contained regular potatoes. However, the grocery store usually carries these pre-wrapped sweet potatoes (I think for microwaving). Anyway, I broke down and paid extra for the plastic wrap so that we could enjoy our fries. This was much too long of a story, and now it's time for the recipe. We love these fries...just wish we could find sweet potatoes all the time.

Sweet Potato Fries
(This recipe is scaled for two people. Sometimes a little extra coating is needed. It doesn't hurt to double that part of the recipe.)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons beaten egg
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large sweet potato (14 ounces), peeled
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions: In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and water. In a resealable plastic bag, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, cayenne and pepper. Cut sweet potato into 1/4-in. strips. Add to egg mixture, a few at a time, and toss to coat. Add to the crumb mixture, a few at a time; seal bag and shake to coat. Arrange potato strips in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; drizzle with oil. Bake at 450° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, turning occasionally. Sprinkle with salt. Eat hot if you can!

Asian salmon and sweet potatoes

2008-03-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

This is the recipe you pull out when you want to impress someone without really having much talent for cooking. I've made it a few times now, and it always comes out delicious. It does take a little more work to prepare, but don't be scared by the number of steps or ingredients. They're all easy steps and it will be worth it.

1.5-2 lb fresh or frozen salmon filet
2 lbs. sweet potatoes
1 T. cooking oil
2 T. sesame oil, divided
salt & pepper to taste

1/3 c. teriyaki sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. apricot or peach preserves
2 T. orange juice
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1 t. dijon mustard
1/4 t. black pepper

1/4 c. sliced green onion
1 T. toasted sesame seeds

Thaw fish (if frozen). Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1" chunks. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, oil, and 1 T. sesame oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place in a large roasting pan and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, stir together 1 T. sesame oil, teriyaki, garlic, preserves, orange juice, ginger, mustard and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for ~5 minutes until slightly thickened.

Remove potatoes from the over and push to the side of the pan. Place salmon filet in the center of the pan. Set aside 1/4 c. of prepared sauce, and pour the rest over fish and potatoes. Roast uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily and potatoes are tender.

Drizzle with reserved sauce. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

Mexican Corn Bread

2008-03-20T06:49:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm bored at my current work assignment, so I'm going to post a few more. I know I can never stand up to the cooking prowess of J, but at least they'll be a few recipes on here for your amusement. This is another family classic that goes quite nicely with chile verde.

3 c. cornbread mix (1 large box, not Jiffy sized)
2 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. chopped jalepenos (or 1 small can)
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. sugar
1/2 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled
medium onion, chopped
1 c. shredded yellow cheese

Mix it all together in a large bowl, then transfer to a 9x13 inch greased pan. Bake according to the directions on the box mix.

Chile Verde

2008-03-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

One of the pleasant surprises of my pending marriage is the advantage of new (to me) family recipes. This is my absolute favorite dish that my future mother-in-law makes, and I think it's somewhat regional to California. Of course, there's just a little pressure to be able to cook this well and live up to its reputation. Good thing this is an easy one.

2-3 lbs. cubed pork
flour
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans tomatillos (14.5oz each) or ~1.5 lbs fresh
1 large jar green salsa
1 T. cumin
1 T. chili powder
1 (or 2) small cans chopped jalepenos

I couldn't find cubed pork in my grocery store, so I cut up a pork tenderloin. Toss the cubed pork in flour, then brown with the onion in a small amount of oil. Put into a crock pot with all other ingredients and let simmer on low all day. The spices and jalepenos should be adjusted depending on how much heat you like. This can be served with tortillas and topped with cheese and sour cream. I've also had it over eggs for a delicious spicy omlet. It can also be cooked on the stove top, and doesn't really need to cook all day. It does need at least 1-2 hours to simmer and really let those flavors develop.

I'll be back

2008-03-10T13:40:00.001-07:00

I have not forgotten about this blog, although my actions might reflect the contrary. In fact, I do have recipes that have been tried and are ready to be posted. The most recent success was a recipe from Cook's Country magazine, "Skillet Macaroni & Beef". It was quick, easy and kid-friendly, a new concern at our house. In fact, all three of those characteristics are suddenly much more important now that we are "parents." It's still hard for me to use that word and feel like it is actually true of us, but I'm sure it will grow on me. So, if you can be patient a while longer, I will promise more posts in the future. The first of which will be the recipe mentioned above. (Oh, and I tried a great new biscuit recipe that was delicious, especially covered in sausage gravy.)

Ho Ho (Ho) Cake

2007-12-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone had a great holiday and enjoyed lots of good food. One of the desserts that I made and tend to make most years for Christmas is "Ho Ho Cake". It's really very simple and tastes remarkably like a Ho Ho, which I always thought was a cupcake but at one point was convinced otherwise. All that to say, I'm not sure what a Ho Ho is exactly. I received this recipe from a friend a few years ago in a recipe exchange. This is the only recipe I received in the exchange that I have made consistently and was worth the postage spent sending out all those letters that were supposed to return something like 36 recipes, but in reality only 5 or so arrived.

Here's the recipe-

Note: You will need a stand mixer to make this cake. Or the desire to spend lots of time with your hand mixer.

Ingredients:

1 chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients to make cake
1 can chocolate frosting
3/4 c. evaporated milk
2/3 c. solid shortening
1/2 c. (1 stick) margarine
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Bake cake according to package directions in a 9 by 13 inch pan. Let cool completely. Combine evaporated milk, shortening, margarine, sugar and vanilla in bowl of stand mixer. Mix on medium-medium high speed for 20 minutes. Spread filling over cooled cake. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until set. Microwave frosting for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Pour over the cake and spread evenly. Return to refrigerator until set, approximately 3o minutes.

Soup and Spouses

2007-12-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

Last night our small group celebrated Christmas with "Soup & Spouses". After studying a book on marriage throughout the fall, it was fun to meet the husbands and watch the couples interact. We had three delicious soups, which all ended up being the same color: white chicken chili, cheesy potato soup and cheeseburger soup. Yum. Below is the recipe for the white chicken chili. One comment about the recipe: it calls for both sour cream and heavy cream to be added at the end, but when I doubled it, I just could not bear to add that much cream. So, if you were making this recipe, I would suggest adding the sour cream first and then determining how much cream you would like to add on top of that, depending on how much more liquid you think it needs. Hope that helps!

White Chicken Chili
(This recipe is courtesy of a friend who got it from another friend. I do not claim it as my own...yet.)

1 lb. chicken, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 TB oil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/3 tsp. cayenne (more if you like it extra spicy)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 oz sour cream
2 c. heavy cream

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, onion and garlic powder. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add chicken mixture to a large soup pot along with beans, green chilies, chicken broth, salt, cumin, oregano, cayenne and black pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add sour cream and heavy cream and heat through (do not boil).

Yield: 4-6 servings

Beef and Potato Bake

2007-12-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a good "meat 'n potato" casserole that's pretty much a one dish meal. I like to serve it with some flaky biscuits.

Beef and Potato Bake

4-5 Cups Shredded frozen hash browns
3-4 Tbs Oil
1/8 tsp pepper

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef or turkey
1 cup water
1 pkg brown gravy mix
1/2 tsp garlic salt
10-12 oz frozen peas and carrots (the bag that is a mix of the two, the carrots are diced small)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can Durkee Onion rings

In a shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish, combine potatoes, oil and pepper. Firmly press mixture on bottom and sides of pan to form shell. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, brown the meat in a deep frying pan and drain. In a Pyrex measuring cup, whisk together water and gravy mix until dissolved and pour over the meat in the pan. Add garlic salt and stir together. Bring to a boil, add vegetables and reduce heat. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 of the onion rings. Pour filling into the potato shell. Put back in the oven and bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese and onion rings over top and bake 5 minutes longer.

Obsessive Cooking

2007-11-30T19:03:00.000-08:00

So, every once in a while, I get on a kick where I just want to eat the same thing over and over. This is not normal for me. Usually the key to our meals is variety. I have recently discovered a couple of food blogs that have amazing photography, witty script and, often, challenging recipes. One of the blogs encouraged readers to make popcorn on the stove top instead of in the microwave. (This is obviously not a "challenging" recipe and probably not so novel to most people). After one attempt, I was in love. We have had popcorn nearly every night since. The method is quite simple. I use my non-stick wok, add 3 TB oil and a few popcorn kernels. I heat this on medium high heat until the 3-4 kernels pop. Then I add 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer on the bottom, sprinkle it with some coarse salt and take it off the burner for 30 seconds. Then, back to the burner it goes with vigorous shaking until the kernels have stopped popping. Dump this in a bowl, add some butter to the hot pan and then pour it over the popcorn. Yum. Unfortunately, we're out of popcorn tonight or I would be headed to the kitchen right now.

My other new favorite thing is a simple salad we've been eating with great regularity. We take some spring greens, a sliced pear, some dried cranberries and toss it all with a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. I could eat this for every meal. (We just had it for dinner, thus prompting this post.) It would be great with some toasted almonds added, too....sweet, salty, juicy, chewy, crunchy, crisp. Enjoy these simple pleasures.

Easy Thanksgiving Side

2007-11-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a fool-proof recipe for you. I told someone a couple months ago that I would post this recipe and have subsequently forgot...until now. This corn casserole is so simple yet is always popular. The key to this dish is sauteing the onions in butter before adding them to the other ingredients. It gives it more flavor than many traditional corn casseroles/corn puddings. Try it for Thanksgiving!

Corn Casserole

1 onion, chopped
1/4 c. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs, well beaten
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Saute the onion in butter, seasoned with salt and pepper. Combine the sauteed onions and the remaining ingredients. Mix together and bake in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish/3 qt dish at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

The Best Banana Bread Ever

2007-10-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

My mom used to make this banana bread when I was growing up. As I tried other people's banana bread I thought, "They just can't cook as well as my mom can." In some cases that was true, but in others they just didn't have as good of a recipe (in my opinon). Well I will keep you in suspense no longer. Here is the best banana bread recipe ever.

Banana Bread
3 ripe bananas
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

Mash bananas and mix with sugar, egg, and oil. In separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda. Combine with banana mixture. Mix well and pour into lightly greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

An Added Benefit

2007-10-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

I've recently discovered that blogging my favorite recipes, new and old, has an unintended benefit. Now, when I need the ingredients to one of these recipes (and I'm not at home), as long as I have access to a computer and the internet, I can look up the recipe online and make my grocery list. It's pretty handy.

An Oldie, but Goodie

2007-10-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

Most of the time when I post recipes on here, it's because I just tried a new recipe and can't wait to share it. Only occasionally will I pull something out of my "tired and true" binder to post. Well, today is one of those days. I made a batch of cookies last night for my husband to take to work today (it's his birthday...although I send desserts with him to work fairly often. It's the only way I can justify making a new dessert and not eating ALL of it, just the two of us.) Anyway, these have been my favorite cookies for as long as I can remember. I didn't start making them myself until recently though, and my first batch was a bit of a disaster. I added way too much salt, like four times what was called for. In my defense, the recipe is photocopied from a very old cookbook, and the measurement certainly looked like 2 tsp, but it's actually a 1/2 tsp. Oops. I still sent them to work with my husband. This second batch was better, although I experimented and used half butter, half shortening. (I have one recipe that calls for one and one for the other). I think I'll go back to all butter next time for the flavor. Well, on to the recipe...

Ranger Cookies
1 c. butter
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. shredded coconut
2 c. oatmeal
2 c. Rice Krispies

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add flour which has been sifted with baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add coconut, oatmeal and Rice Krispies. Dough will be crumbly. Mix and mold with hands into small balls. Bake 11 minutes at 350 degrees for small cookies and 15-20 minutes for larger ones. Yield: 6 dozen (small cookies)

Barbeque Chicken in the Oven

2007-10-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

OK, so the picture doesn't exactly describe it (hopefully). This recipe has a great flavor and if you, like me, have trouble keeping chicken tender on the grill, this is just what you need!

Baked Barbeque Chicken

5 chicken breasts

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. barbeque sauce

1/4 c. oil (I used a little less)

1 c. ketchup

Spray the bottom of a 9X13 pan, arrange chicken in pan and salt. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake and additional 10-20 minutes until the juices cook down.

Desserts Galore

2007-09-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are hosting a training for work. One of my responsibilities was providing desserts for the attendees. Well, I certainly didn't mind. So, I spent this morning baking! I made Tiramisu Brownies, Coconut Cake and Buttermilk Cake with Caramel Icing. Then, I found out we only have about 10 people who have RSVP'ed for the training. I guess there will be some dessert left over!
This is the second time I've made the buttermilk cake. If you like cake (like me), you've got to try it. It doesn't call for many ingredients, and the frosting/icing is amazing. The recipe is from Taste of Home.

Buttermilk Cake w/ Caramel Icing
1 cup butter, softened
2-1/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
ICING:
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition (batter will be thick). Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. For icing, in a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; cool for 5-10 minutes. Whisk in confectioners' sugar. Drizzle over cake. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Last Chance (Almost)

2007-09-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

As fall comes we are nearing our last chance to enjoy some of those traditional summer foods...until next year, at least. This awareness spurred me on to test out a peach pie recipe last weekend with some wonderful peaches from a local produce market. I chose a recipe for crust that I've made before and enjoyed and I used a recipe for filling that I picked up when I bought the peaches. They worked well together, but then again with pastry and fresh peaches, how could you go wrong?

Peach Pie

All Butter Pie Pastry
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 T. sugar
16 T. (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter cut into 1/2" pieces and frozen for 10 minutes
3T. sour cream
1/3 - 1/2 c. ice water

1. Process the flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until butter is the size of large peas, about 10 second pulses.
2. Using a fork, mix sour cream and 1/3 c. ice water in small bowl. Add half of the mixture to the flour mixture. Pulse for 3 1-second pulses. Repeat with remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch dough with fingers; if the dough is floury, dry, and does not hold together, add 1-2 T. ice water and process.
3. Turn dough onto work surface. Divide dough into halves, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Roll out dough onto parchment paper. Fill bottom of pie pan and refrigerate 20-30 minutes or until cold. Fill pie plate with peach mixture (see below). Roll out top crust, place on pie and seal edges. Cut 4 2-inch slits and brush with beaten egg white. Sprinkle a little sugar on top and bake 40-50 minutes @ 400.

Peach Filling
4 c. sliced fresh peaches (about 6)
1 t. lemon juice
2/3 c. sugar
3 T. flour
1/4 t. cinnamon

Slice peeled peaches and mix in lemon juice. (I blanched them to make them easy to peel.) Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon and pour over peaches. Mix gently.

I mixed up the dough and refrigerated it while making the filling. I learned that one key to good pie crust is making sure the butter stays cold. So, if the crust gets difficult to work with, refrigerate it for a few minutes to let the butter firm up.

So Easy Soup

2007-09-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

I feel a little ashamed to post such a simple recipe that requires no skill whatsoever, except what is needed to operate a can opener. But, this soup was really good and really easy and everyone needs recipes like that. I like to make a pot of soup on Sunday evenings for my husband and I to eat for lunch during the week. This soup will be ideal for that. It makes quite a lot and takes so little time that it won't be a burden to throw together even when I am making something else for dinner.

Refried Bean Soup
1 can (16 oz) spicy refried beans, fat-free
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) whole kernal corn, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, cut up (do not drain)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilis
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. salsa

Combine the eight ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 8-10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips. Can be topped with shredded cheese and sour cream if desired.
Yield: 8 servings (probably closer to 6-7 at our house)

**I added a can of drained hominy (because we both love hominy).
**I used Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
**I think you could add a can of Rotel tomatoes to this also, perhaps in place of the salsa? They would give it a little more kick.

Cilantro Chicken

2007-08-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have experimented several times this summer with preparing a feast for friends and/or family. I got the idea from a blog of a woman who had made this a tradition in her family. Her feasts were complete with table decorations and ice cream with sprinkles for dessert. While my feasts have not been so elaborate, I've enjoyed preparing meals for slightly larger groups (10-12 people). I doubled this recipe for the latest feast and it easily served 8. I served it with cilantro rice and homemade refried beans. One of my friends contributed homemade salsa to top it all off!

Cilantro Chicken
2 T. lime juice
2 T. vegetable oil
1 t. honey
1 c. finely crushed tortilla chips
4 chicken breast halves (around 1 lb.)
1 16 oz. jar salsa
2T. minced fresh cilantro
1/3 c. shredded cheese (I used more than this.)

In medium bowl, mix lime juice, vegetable oil and honey together. Dip chicken breast halves in this mixture and coat with chips. Place in greased 9X13 inch pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes or until the juice runs clear. Pour salsa over chicken, sprinkle with cilantro and cover with cheese. Bake 5-7 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Serves: 4

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2007-08-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

This recipe for dip that tastes just like buffalo wild wings is requested all the time. Serve it with tortilla chips or celery sticks and you will have a hit at your next party. It's a great appetizer when people are coming over to watch football! (Note: it is best served right out of the oven when it is hot!)

Buffalo Chicken Dip
2 lbs. cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (you can substitute 3 (12 oz each) cans of chicken)
1 c. Ranch salad dressing
2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
12 oz. Frank's Red Hot
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together and place in a 9 by 13-inch backing dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or celery sticks.

On Sale

2007-08-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

This last week raspberries were on a great sale at the grocery store. So, I went looking for recipes that call for raspberries. The following recipe was the one I found that required the fewest number of ingredients. I did buy a graham cracker crust instead of making one, though. It was delicious. In fact, I am going to make it again tonight, since I bought so many raspberries. This recipe was published Taste of Home.

Raspberry Patch Cream Pie
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING:
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/3 cups cold water
1/4 cup raspberry gelatin powder (I just used jello)
3 cups fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. For filling, in a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla. Carefully spread over crust. For topping, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Arrange raspberries over filling. Spoon gelatin mixture over berries. Refrigerate until set. Yield: 6-8 servings.

My "Go-To" Dessert

2007-08-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

Whenever we're having company and I'm in a time crunch, I make Chocolate Cheesecake Pie for dessert. Nearly everyone likes it (my mom probably wouldn't, since she doesn't like chocolate), it is quick to make and doesn't have to chill for very long. One of the students who used to be part of our collegiate ministry said that eating this pie is like eating chocolate marshmallows. He loved it! I do like to buy a quality (read, not generic) graham cracker crust, because I think it does make a difference. If you had a little extra time, it would be great with a homeade crust. Yum. I make this recipe exactly as directed. I got this recipe from an issue of "Quick Cooking" a few years ago.

Chocolate Cheesecake Pie
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in melted chocolate. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Cover and chill until serving. Yield: 6-8 servings.

You can eat this pie almost immediately as it doesn't have to chill very long. However, it does taste a little better if it's been in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight.

Great Guac

2007-07-30T04:51:00.000-07:00

As on of the house guests mentioned below, I contributed a new recipe for guacamole that I found on allrecipes.com. This is a great basic recipe for guac that can be tailored to any taste. I made this one again last weekend for a girls night and it was the first snack to disappear. My preference is for things to be a little spicier, so I added jalapeno, increased the garlic and added a little more salt than the original recipe. You can also decide whether you like a smooth blended guacamole or a chunkier version. (I prefer to not mash the avocado). Here's my current version of the recipe, but I will continue to play with this one!

3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed (optional)
1 lime, juiced
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced red onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
2 teaspoons diced fresh garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 small jalapeno,diced (optional - include the seeds for even more heat)

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, garlic and jalapeno. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

House Guests

2007-07-25T13:32:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we had friends visit from Ohio. It was a lot of fun to have the three girls staying with us. It was also really fun to have them helping out in the kitchen. It's amazing how quickly we could get things done with five of us at work instead of just two. On Sunday evening we invited some friends over to play games and get to know our visitors a little better. We spent the afternoon preparing snacks for the evening's activities. I probably looked forward to the time cooking together as much as to the game night itself. We prepared texas caviar, homeade guacamole, brownies, popcorn ball bars, fruit and dip and fresh limeades.

Texas Caviar
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white corn, drained
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 jalepeno pepper, diced (with seeds for more heat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle Italian dressing (8oz -16oz)

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavors to blend. Serve with tortilla chips.

Pork Burritos

2007-07-16T16:11:00.001-07:00

Once a month we get together with two other couples for dinner and cards. We have such a good time connecting, playing games and definitely eating. It doesn't stop with dinner either. We always have a great assortment of snacks to eat while we play. This Saturday was our turn to host, and we had a busy day planned, so we decided to use the crockpot, which had the added advantage of not heating up the kitchen. We made carnitas, a Mexican-inspired pulled pork. The pork was good Saturday night, but my husband and I both agreed that it was even better leftover on Sunday. These burritos are tasty served with shredded cheese, sliced avocado (or guacamole) and sour cream.

Pork Burritos
1 pork shoulder roast (3-4 lbs), trimmed
1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
1/4 c. chili powder
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chopped, seeded jalepeno pepper
1 teaspoon salt (I just put in a pinch, thought it was a little on the salty side last time)

Cut the roast in half and place in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Pour over pork. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Shred pork with two forks. Serve with a slotted spoon on tortillas with assorted toppings.
Serves: 8

Oreo & Fudge Ice Cream Cake

2007-07-10T14:08:00.001-07:00

I made this delicious ice cream cake for Father's Day this year. Everyone was quite impressed and thought I spent HOURS making it. Many guests commented that it tasted better than a Dairy Queen cake. It truly is amazing and an extra special treat!

This recipe comes from Kraft Foods. I attended "Cooking School" online to learn how to make it. If you need visuals (like me), go to http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspxs=cookingschool&m=cookingschool/video_display&vid=506

Enjoy!

Oreo & Fudge Ice Cream Cake
1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided (I used Cool Whip Lite)
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
8 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, chopped (about 1 cup)
12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches, unwrapped

1.POUR the fudge topping into a medium bowl. Stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping with a wire whisk until it's well blended. The consistency of fudge topping can vary depending on what brand you purchase. If your fudge topping mixture is too thick to spread easily, stir in 1/4 cup milk. (I did not add milk to mine--it spread okay. 1/4 cup seems like a lot so use your own judgement) Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 minutes or until well blended.

2. CHOP the OREO cookies roughly into chunks. They don't all have to be the same size. Stir into the whipped topping/pudding mixture.

3. ARRANGE 4 of the ice cream sandwiches, side by side, on a 24x12-inch piece of foil; top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat the layers.

4. TOP the pudding mixture with the remaining 4 ice cream sandwiches. The layers create a neat striped effect when sliced. (It's really pretty--you can't tell it's ice cream sandwhiches)

5. FROST the top and sides with the remaining whipped topping.

6. BRING up the foil sides. Double fold the top and ends to loosely seal the packet. Freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before serving. Store leftover dessert in the freezer. Makes 12 servings.

Hawaiian Cheese Bread

2007-07-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here is another recipe from the latest issue of "Simple & Delicious". This was a good month for that cooking magazine! Hawaiian Cheese Bread was one of the contest winners in their "5 ingredients or fewer" contest. (They don't count ingredients like water, salt and pepper toward the total). This recipe we so yummy! It is best served hot, right out of the oven!

INGREDIENTS
1 loaf (1 pound) Hawaiian sweet bread
1 block (8 ounces) Swiss cheese
3 slices red onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Cut bread diagonally into 1-in. slices to within 1 in. of bottom. Repeat cuts in opposite direction. Cut Swiss cheese into 1/4-in. slices; cut slices into small pieces. Insert into bread. Combine the onion, butter, garlic and salt; spoon over bread. Wrap loaf in foil. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

2007-07-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

We had this at my small group leader's house a few weeks ago, and my husband has been asking me to make it ever since. I finally made it this week and served it for supper with grilled pita wedges and fruit. We had enough left over to serve with our 4th of July cookout and still had some for lunch the next day for both of us.

Antipasto Pasta Salad
1 lb small penne pasta (cook then cool under cold water)
1/4 lb. Genoa salami, chopped
1/4 lb. pepperoni, chopped
1/2 lb. Asiago cheese (try not to substitute, the Asiago is really good in it!)
1 (6oz) can of olives, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 (.7 oz) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix

Mix all together, cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Dressing:
3/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 Tlbs. fresh oregano (substitute dry if you don't have fresh, just decrease the amount)
2 Tlbs. fresh parsley (again, you can sub)
2 Tlbs. grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine and pour over pasta salad, mix gently, cover and refrigerate one more hour.

(I also added some diced green bell pepper simply because I had some.)

Blond Butterscotch Brownies

2007-07-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

These were so tasty that they didn't last very long. This recipe is from "Simple & Delicious" July/August 2007.

Blond Butterscotch Brownies
2 c. flour
2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate CHUNKS
4 Heath bars, coarsely choppped (I only used 3)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the butter, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined. (Batter will be very thick.)
Spread into a 13 in. by 9 in. by 2 in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. (I pressed the batter into the pan with my hands, dampened with water.) Sprinkle with chocolate chunks and heath bar pieces. Press lightly into the batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (mine took about 27) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
Yield: 2 dozen

Coming Soon

2007-07-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

I was off work the last two days which afforded me some much needed time to try out a few new recipes. I don't have them with me right now but plan to post them by the weekend. Here's what was cooking in my kitchen (not all at once, though!):
Barbeque Chicken Drumsticks
Antipasto Pasta Salad - definitely a new favorite!
Hawaiian Cheese Bread
Blond Butterscotch Brownies

Pina Colada Slush

2007-06-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

I actually haven't been doing that much cooking lately, although I've been in the kitchen plenty. Activities the last two weekends have called for lots of baking, a couple kinds of muffins and more than 20 dozen cookies. I have also brought punch to a couple of events lately. Last night, I tried a new punch recipe for the women's small group I'm a part of, Pina Colada Slush. It seemed to be a hit with everyone. The recipe is from July/August 2007 issue of "Simple and Delicious."

Pina Colada Slush
3 cans (6 oz each) unsweetened pineapple juice
2 c. water
1 can (10 oz) frozen non-alcoholic pina colada mix
1 TB lime juice
1 tub sugar-free lemonade soft drink mix (I used Crystal Light, not a big tub, just one of the tubs that comes the cylinder the drink mix. )
6 c. lemon-lime soda, chilled

In a large bowl, combine the pineapple juice, water, pina colada mix, lime juice and soft drink mix; stir until drink mix is dissolved. Transfer to a two quart freezer container. Freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
Remove from the freezer at least 45 minutes before serving. For each serving, combine 1/2 cup slush mixture with 1/2 cup soda. Yield: 12 servings (3 quarts)

Note: Instead of combining it one cup at a time, I just poured the lemon-lime soda over the slush and mixed it together. I also doubled the recipe, so that we could have more than 1 cup of the beverage. Also, this allowed me to purchase a large can of the pineapple juice and use most of it, instead of buying it in the small cans, which was much more expensive.