Better Than Burnt Toast

Hearty Beef Stew (slow cooker)

2011-04-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

I don't make Beef Stew very often but I saw this recipe and it looked really good. We ate it tonight and it was great. I will definitely be making this again. I am just copy and pasting directly from the blog I found the recipe from. I really like her food--very normal ingredients, not all fancy--just easy to make and good food. Check out her blog if you like some of these recipes I've posted.

Hearty Beef Stew {Slow Cooker}
from melskitchencafe.com

*Note: this stew recipe has a few steps that I am going to strongly encourage following – even if it makes you roll your eyes to have to go to the work/mess of browning meat before adding it to the slow cooker. I get it, I do! But let me emphasize that there is a reason this stew has more flavor and deliciousness than any other slow cooker stew I’ve had – and I believe it is because of the few minutes you have to spend at the beginning browning up the meat, onions and quickly bringing the sauce to a simmer. Browing = flavor. Now, if you absolutely refuse to do it…don’t worry, I’ll still like you. Go ahead – throw it all in – but don’t tell me before you do or else I’ll spend the day cringing. Also, unless you can find prepackaged stew meat in large pieces, it pays to buy a whole chuck roast and cut it up yourself, plus if you look for chuck roast on sale, it will probably save you a penny or two!

*Serves 6-8

5 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 pound carrots, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound red potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
2 cups frozen peas

After the meat has been cut into chunks, pat it dry with a paper towel and season all the pieces with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Cook half of the beef until it is well browned on each side, about 4 minutes. No need to cook it all the way through – just get some great brown color all around. Toss the meat in the slow cooker and follow the same process with the second half of the meat (you may need to add another tablespoon of oil to the pan if it looks a little dry). Remove the meat to the slow cooker, trying to keep as much oil in the pan as possible.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon thyme and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil and transfer it to the slow cooker, pouring it over the meat.

In a large bowl, toss the carrots, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. On the counter, lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (use two sheets of regular foil on top of each other if you don’t have heavy-duty). Place the tossed vegetables on one side of the foil. Fold the foil over the vegetables and crimp the edges really well to form a little foil packet that will fit in the top of your slow cooker. Stir the tapioca into the slow cooker. Place the foil packet of vegetables on top of the stew, cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 10-11 hours.

When the stew is finished cooking, carefully remove the foil packet from the top of the stew. Discard the bay leaves from the stew. Carefully open the foil packet (be careful of steam that may escape as you open it!). Return the vegetables and any juices to the slow cooker and gently mix them into the stew. Stir in the frozen peas and let them rest in the stew for 5-10 minutes, until they are heated through. Serve.

Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Country Dec/Jan 2011

Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad

2011-04-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for new fruit salad recipes. The boys didn't like this one as much (the didn't like the sour cream) but both Mike and I liked it alot. We tried it with and without the coconut and liked it both ways but we both agree that you don't really need the coconut. I don't feel it adds a whole lot to it. It's a super easy, fast recipe. I found it off of one of my favorite cooking blogs. We have tried a number of recipes from this blog and have liked every one so far. I just cut and paste this directly from her blog.

Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad
from melskitchencafe.com

*Serves 4-6 as a side dish

1 (10-ounce) can pineapple chunks (about 1 cup), drained
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (about 1 cup), drained
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup sour cream, light or regular
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Combine the fruit in a large bowl, tossing well so the apple (and other fruit that likes to brown) can get coated in the pineapple and orange juice to prevent browning. Stir in the sour cream and coconut, gently tossing to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve chilled. You might notice that after a day or so of sitting in the fridge, quite a bit of liquid from the fruit pools at the bottom. If eating the leftovers, I like to gently pour some of this off before eating.

Recipe Source: adapted from my sweet and wonderful mother-in-law, Diane G.

Ranch Chicken

2011-04-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe from one of my favorite cooking blogs, The Sisters Cafe. This was a really easy recipe to make and everyone liked it.

Ranch Chicken
Submitted by Erin ~ The Sisters Cafe

¾ cup crushed cornflakes
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pkg ranch salad dressing mix
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or about 2 ½ lbs of frozen chicken tenderloins, thawed)
½ cup butter/margarine, melted (or for a low-fat version, use 2 egg whites, slightly beaten)

In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, parmesan cheese, and salad dressing mix. Dip chicken in melted butter, then roll in cornflake mixture to coat.
Place chicken breasts in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. (If using tenderloins, check for doneness after 20 or 25 minutes.) Do not overbake. Makes 8 servings.

Apple Crisp

2011-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

My friend Kristi made this for us when we went to eat dinner with them one night. It was super good--probably my favorite apple crisp.

Filling:
6 apples, peeled and cut
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the all the ingredients for the topping together, using your hands. Set aside. Mix the filling together in a bowl and place in the bottom of a 9x7 pan. Sprinkle the topping on the top of the apple mixture and cook for 25 min.

Chicken Pot Pie

2011-04-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

Here is another diabetes recipe I found. I've never made Chicken Pot Pie before and we all liked this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced peeled sweet potatoes (yams)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth (I just used regular chicken broth)
1/2 cup frozen peas
Dough of 5 flaky refrigerator biscuits (I used mom's homemade biscuit recipe instead)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook the chicken breasts over medium heat 7-10 minutes or until done. Season with salt and pepper (if using) and cut into pieces.
3. Recoat the skillet wiht nonstick cooking spray and saute the carrots, mushrooms, onion, and potatoes for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the thyme and flour, stirring for 30 seconds. Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring and cooking over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Add the chicken and peas and cook another 5 minutes.
4. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray nad fill with the chicken mixture. Split the biscuits in half and lay them on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes or unti the pastry is golden brown.

Black Bean Salad

2011-04-12T19:25:00.001-07:00

This is another diabetes recipe I found just doing a search. I wish I had written down where I got if from though.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked black beans
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 red peppers, finely chopped
1 cup yellow corn
3 garlic cloves, minced (I don't think I used three)
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (I didn't put this in because of the boys but would if it were jut Mike and I eating it)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation:
I lost the rest of the recipe so this is from my memory now. Drain the beans and chop up the tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro. Mix everything together. I served this with chicken but you could use it with a salad as well.

Vanilla-chocolate Parfette

2011-03-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

We tried this last week and it was good--not my all time favorite but not bad. Of course, it would have been better if it wasn't sugar-free.

Vanilla-Chocolate Parfette
Cooking with the Diabetic Chef by Chris Smith

1 pkg. sugar-free vanilla pudding mix

1 pkg. sugar-free chocolate pudding mix

16 individual graham squares (or 1/2 cup crumbs)

2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, grated

1/2 cup fat-free whipped topping (we just used normal whipped topping)

1. In separate bowls, prepare the vanilla and chocolate pudding mixes according to package directions. Cover and refrigerate both puddings.

2. Crush the graham crackers into crumbs. Layer the parfette into 4 small custard cups, parfait glasses, or wine glasses. Spread 1 Tbsp chocolate pudding per serving. Top with 1 Tbsp graham cracker crumbs. Top with 1 Tbsp vanilla pudding. Top with 1 Tbsp graham cracker crumbs. Repeat for a second layer.

3. Garnish with the grated chocolate. Add a dollop of whipped topping if you wish. Serve.

Banana and Vanilla Pancakes

2011-03-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

We tried these pancakes and they were great. It was just a nice change from the normal pancakes.

Banana and Vanilla Pancakes
This recipe came from Cooking with the Diabetic Chef by Chris Smith

2 cups all-purpose flour (I did half white, half wheat and threw in some flax seed)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 pint reduced-fat (2%) milk
2 large eggs, beaten
2 oz butter, melted
1 fresh vanilla bean
1 banana, sliced
nonstick cooking spray

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until they form a batter. Slice the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the pulp from the center of the bean. Mix the vanilla pulp into the pancakes batter. Gently mix the sliced bananas into the batter.
2. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat the pan over medium heat. Use about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake.

**I couldn't find a vanilla bean at the store but I also just went to WalMart. I just used liquid vanilla. I'm sure it would have been even better with the real thing. Also, I sliced the banana like the recipe called for but I think it would be better if the banana was mashed.

Build your own chicken tacos

2011-02-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

We made these chicken tacos last week and liked them. I don't remember where I found the recipe but I did a search for diabetic recipes and found this. Here is the recipe:

Build your own chicken tacos

6 skinless, boneless whole chicken breasts, about 3 pounds total, halved
4 cups fat-free low sodium canned chicken broth
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 jalapeno chili pepper, left whole
1/2 tsp crushed dried oregano leaves
1/4 cup purchased medium or hot taco sauce (salsa)
1/4 cup lime juice
24 taco shells

1. Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry with paper towels. Trim away and discard any fat.

2. IN a large heavy, deep skillet, bring chicken broth, garlic clove, chile pepper, and oregano leaves to a boil. Add chicken breasts; reduce heat to simmer; and poach, uncovered, until chicken is opaque throughout, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from stove and cool for 15 minutes in poaching liquid.

3. Shred the breast meat. Combine taco sauce and lime juice. Pour over shredded chicken and toss. Transfer chicken to a large platter. Keep warm.

4. Heat taco shells according to package directions.

5. Top with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, tomato, and any other topping of your choice.

* Ok, so here are my changes. I just halved most of the recipe but kept the same amount of lime juice and salsa because we like those flavors. We used the carb smart mission brand tortillas. Also, instead of the jalapeno, we used a can of diced green chilies.

Quad batch of Waffles

2011-02-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

I made the fluffiest waffles today and I'm not sure why this same recipe I've used for years turned out better today, but it did and here's the recipe.

By the way I make it a quad batch because of the number of people in the house so here's that recipe times 4

8 Eggs separated--meaning whites in one bowl and yolks in another.

7 cups of milk

7 cups of flour. I used wheat flour once and no one liked the waffles, however if your family is used to wheat flour then maybe you can get away with this. It would be a healthier option.

4 Tablespoons of Baking POWDER. Don't use the soda, just don't.

1 Teaspoon of Salt

2 cups of Oil. Yes I know that's a ton, but it's really only 1/2 cup per recipe, but since this is times 4 that's why it seems like so much.

Okay, that's it on the ingredients, let's explain putting it together:

Once you have separated yolks from whites, fluff the whites with a mixer until those whites look like still mountain peaks. Reminds me of Idaho mountains, oh how I miss Idaho.

Set the white STIFF peaks aside until you have mixed everything else.

Oh I gave it away, mix everything else together except for the oil, meaning

the 8 yolks, the 7 cups of milk, the baking powder, salt and all that flour and then once you mix everything, then add the oil and mix again, then gently fold in the stiff egg whites.

Pour about 3/4 of a cup of the mix into a hot waffle iron and then after it is golden brown enjoy it with your favorite syrup or other topping.

My favorite syrup is Aunt Jemima Butter Lite syrup. I also like Raspberry jam on my waffles.

Mike and Adrianne's Indian Cookbook

2010-07-19T13:33:00.001-07:00

I've been negligent...and my bad example seems to have rubbed off on everyone else. It has been quite a while since Adrianne and I made our Indian food, but I haven't posted anything about it yet. Well, here goes.

I gave Adrianne and myself the book, The Everything Indian Cookbook, by Monica Bhide. Overall, I think it's a good book. There are no pictures (excpet for on the front cover), but I don't really mind that. The introductory material (chapter 1, Basics of Indian Cooking) was good--though I, personally would have prefered more depth. The chapter covers topics like essential techniques, essential ingredients, cooking with spices, and provides a list of basic items to stock in your pantry as well as the kitchen equipment needed for the recipes.

The second chapter covers the basic recipes needed. These recipes are used through out the rest of the book and can, largely, be made and stored for later use. A good suggestion that she gives is to make the pastes, scoop 1 tablespoon into each cube of an ice tray and freeze them. Then, once their frozen, transfer them to freezer bag.

The remaining chapters cover different categories of food--snacks, starters, drinks, chicken, meat, fish, veggies, etc. Adrianne and I tried "Fiery Pork" and "Dry-Spiced Carrot and Peas". Both were delicious the first time we ate them. Unfortunately, a day after eating them is when we all started feeling sick (not a result of this food). I longed to eat the left-overs, but everytime I tried, I wanted hurl. In fact, thinking about the peas and carrots still make me a little uneasy.

Fiery Pork (Pork Balchao)

1/2 t peppercorns
5 cloves
1/2 t cumin seeds
6 dried red chilies (we pulled the seeds our and ours was not very hot at all)
1 T garlic-ginger paste
1/2 cup malt vinegar
4 T oil
1 lb lean pork, cut into chunks (we didn't use lean pork and I wish we would have)
1 large red onion, chopped
1 T sugar
Salt, to taste

1. Grind the spices and blend with garlic-ginger paste and vinegar.

2. Brown pork in a large skillet with the oil. Remove the pork.

3. Saute the onions in the same skillet, add the tomatoes and spice mixture. Fry until the oil starts to separate (I don't know that this ever happened for us...)

4. Add the pork. Cook until the pork is done all the way through.

5. Add the sugar and salt.

She also recommends leaving this in the fridge for a few days and reheating later to get more flavor. We let it sit for a couple days. Too bad I couldn't eat more after even more days.

Grilled Chicken with Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Salsa

2010-06-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

While on vacation, we ate a lot of good food and I didn't bother to watch what I was eating. Now that we are home, I decided it was time to get back to eating some healthy things. I found this recipe a few years ago and loved it. It came from a magazine, I don't even remember which one. It is fresh and delicious.

Grilled Chicken with Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Salsa

Salsa:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1 cup thawed frozen or canned corn kernels
1/4 cup each chopped red onion and cilantro

4 skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves (about 5 oz. each) * I only used two chicken breasts and split one with Mike and the other between the three boys.
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cups shredded lettuce (I didn't use this much)

1. Salsa: Mix lime juice, oil, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss gently to mix and coat. (I actually only mix half of this with the salsa and then saved the rest of the lime juice mixture to pour over the lettuce. Next time I will probably just follow the recipe.)
2. Heat outdoor grill, ridged grill pan or broiler.
3. Season chicken with oregano, salt and pepper. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side until cooked through.
4. Divide lettuce among 4 plates; top each with chicken, then salsa.

Indian Overload

2010-06-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

While on vacation my mom, Adrianne, and I made 4 of the recipes from my mom's cookbook, 660 Curries. We took pictures for her, and I told her I'd post them, but she'd still need to give her review of the recipes and the book. Since I'm on right now, however, I'll give my own review of her book.

I read through the introduction and informational front-material of her book as well as the glossary and appendices. The author did a good job of convincing me of the value of using whole spices and grinding your own when you need them ground. I enjoyed the different tips and directions he gave in the recipes as well as at the beginning of each section of the book.

The title of the book is misleading--though, when noticed, the subtitle carries a better description of the book: Plus biryanis, breads, pickles, relishes, raitas, and more. In other words, the book has a lot more recipes than just curries.

Of the Indian cook books I've seen so far, this one has the most information and is the best written.

Now, here are the pictures. My mom will have to tell you the names of each of these dishes:

We spent about 4 1/2 hours on these dishes....

Malai Kabobs

2010-06-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

We tried our new Indian food recipes last night. They were alright... We loved the chicken, the rest we'll leave to the Indian's.
Here we have Naan, or Tandori Breads. Mine certainly didn't look as good as the picture in the book, so I'm sure theirs would have tasted better, too. When I had a bite, the aroma made me think of the flour paste I used to make a pinata last week. Maybe if we'd had some curry to dip into it would have been tastier. This is Batata Nu Shaak or Spicy Potato Fry. It looks like soggy french fries and that is essentially what it was. We started out by cooking the frozen fries, then added them to a pan with many spices and sugar and water. Then we cooked the water down and this is what was left. Oh, there are tomatoes in it, as well, which didn't make my kids like it any more.

Finally, we have our yummy chicken! Malai Kabobs, or Creamy Grilled Chicken on Skewers. So good. Lots of spices!!

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 x 1 inch strips

1/4 c half-and-half

1 Tbsp coriander seed, ground

1 Tbsp finely chopped gingerroot

1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (we left this out, my family doesn't like it)

1 tsp cumin seed, ground

2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

16 skewers

Basically, mix everything but the skewers, cover and let marinate in fridge for 2-24 hours.

Heat grill for direct heat, or turn on broiler. Thread chicken onto skewers, accordion style.

Cover and grill kabobs 5-7 minutes, turning to ensure even browning, until no longer pink.

Serve as is or with chutney.

Pretty easy and pretty good!

Indian Intentions

2010-06-14T18:16:00.001-07:00

Just letting my intentions be known so others will not make the foods I have planned to make. We will be trying the following Indian foods from the cookbook Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking:

Malai Kabobs (Creamy Grilled Chicken on Skewers)
Batata Nu Shaak (Spicy Potato Fry)
Naan (Tandoori Breads)

There were lots of kinds of Naan, but we will just be having a plain one.

We'll report on this later.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2010-04-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

We loved this recipe! It isn't exactly the recipe we had at the Indian restaurant around here but it was still so good. Next time we want to make Naan with it when we have more time. I found this recipe off of allrecipes.com. You can see from the pictures that we loved it because it's almost all gone. We ate it with rice.

Chicken Tikka Masala
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Papa Murphys Garlic Chicken Pizza Recipe

2010-04-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Mandy posted about a ranch garlic sauce she made to mimic the sauce on Papa Murphy's Chicken Ranch Garlic Pizza. It sounded great so I decided to make my own and see how it turned out. We loved it. Mike thought it was a little too juicy the first time but the next day it was perfect for him. The juice didn't bother me at all. We will definitely make this again! I don't have measurements for the toppings so just put on how ever much of each as you like. I found this recipe from Group Recipes.com and then adjusted it to work for us. For our pizza dough we make a Papa Johns Pizza Dough recipe (listed at the end) but we wanted a flatter dough so we cut the rising and kneading in half this time.

Papa Murphys Garlic Chicken Pizza Recipe

1 Cup of Ranch dressing
1 Tablespoon of minced garlic (garlic in a jar is perfectly fine)

Toppings
cooked, diced chicken
red onion (cut in rings)
tomato (chopped)
sliced mushrooms
mozzarella cheese (shredded) (we didn't have mozzarella so instead I did a mixture of cheddar and fresh Parmesan cheese)

Papa John's Pizza Dough Recipe
3 cups flour

1 1/4 cup warm water

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp oil

2 tsp salt

1 pkg yeast

Mix flour and salt. Take half the flour and salt mixture and add yeast. In a separate bowl mix, sugar, honey and water. Pour into flour mixture. Stir for two minutes. Add oil and rest of flour. Knead for six minutes. Let sit for five minutes. Knead for six more minutes. Add flour as needed. Roll dough and cook at 500 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

Beef and Black Bean Wraps

2010-03-31T17:54:00.000-07:00

I found the Better Homes and Gardens Diabetic Living Cookbook at the library and we have been trying some of the recipes. We've only tried two of them so far but we have really enjoyed both of the recipes. I'm sure if you didn't like the black beans you could put another kind of bean in there or if you are like us and don't have wheat tortillas on hand you can try the carb smart kind. Even the little boys liked this recipe!

Beef and Black Bean Wraps

8 ounces lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (2 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander (we didn't have this ingredient and it still tasted fantastic)
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 8-inch whole wheat flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4-6 ounces)
Salsa

1. In a large skillet cook ground beef, onion, and garlic about 5 minutes or until meat is brown. Drain off fat.
2. Stir in cumin, chili powder, and coriander into meat mixture in skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in black beans, tomato, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
3. To serve, divide beef mixture among tortillas, spooning it down center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with lettuce and cheese. Roll up. If desired, serve with salsa. Makes 6 servings.

Banana-Stuffed French Toast

2010-03-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

I really like French Toast. We have a stuffed french toast recipe that I really like (I'll post later). I make breakfast almost every morning so I am always looking for ways to mix things up a bit. I found the Better Homes and Gardens Diabetic Living Cookbook at the library and tried this for breakfast. We liked it a lot. I'm not a huge fan of bananas and will probably try a different fruit next time but we still liked it!

Banana-Stuffed French Toast

Nonstick cooking spray
2 eggs
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
4 1-inch thick slices French bread
2/3 cup thinly sliced banana
Sifted powdered sugar, light pancake and waffle syrup product, or maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil; lightly coat foil with cooking spray. In a shallow bowl combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Beat with a wire whisk or rotary beater until well mixed. Set aside.
2. Using a knife, cut a pocket in each bread slice, cutting horizontally from the top crust almost to, but not through, the bottom crust. Fill bread pockets with thinly sliced banana.
3. Dip bread slices into egg mixture, coating both sides of each slice. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar or syrup. Makes four servings.

Fried Rice

2010-03-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

Fried Rice

White rice (brown rice would work also)
Frozen peas
Green onions (3 or 4)
Garlic (minced)
Soy sauce (just use this to taste)
Scrambled eggs (I use about three eggs)

Make rice according to package directions. We usually don't have instant rice on hand but instant rice will work fine. While your rice is steaming chop up green onions and make some scrambled eggs (place eggs in a bowl, add a little water or milk, whip and then transfer to a non-stick cooking pan and scramble). When your rice is steamed, transfer your rice to a frying pan with a small amount of oil in the bottom. Heat the rice in the pan and add your scrambled eggs, frozen peas, garlic, green onions, and soy sauce. With the soy sauce you just want to put enough in make your rice brown but you can really just put it in to taste. Cook until your peas are cooked through.

Sausage Pot Stickers and Cream Cheese Pot Stickers

2010-03-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

My sister asked me to post the recipe for pot stickers. I've made them a few different ways but this way is the easiest. I learned how to make pot stickers from my mom. Since then I've tweaked her recipe just a tiny bit. I don't have any measurements so you'll just have to make it according to your taste.

Pot Stickers

Breakfast sausage (I have used the entire package but it makes way too much for our family so I only use half of the sausage)
Green onions (about 2 or 3 chopped)
Carrot (shredded)
Ginger (fresh or dry)
Wonton Wrappers (these are usually found in the produce section of the grocery store)
Water in a cup
Oil in pan for frying

1. Mix the sausage, onions, carrot, and ginger in a bowl. If you are using fresh ginger you want to make sure you use only a tiny piece of the ginger root. Just chop off a small part and chop into very, very small pieces. You can also use a cheese grater.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Spoon a small amount of the sausage filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Fold the sides over and pinch the sides together. You want to make sure all the sides are pinched together well enough that the oil won't get inside and burn your sausage mixture. Shape as desired.
4. When the oil is hot enough place the wrappers in the oil and cook on all sides until golden brown. If you turn your temperature up too high it will cook the wrapper but not the sausage mixture so make sure your temperature is at a low to medium temperature.
5. When the pot sticker is cooked, pull out of the oil and place on a plate that has a paper towel on it.
6. Eat with soy sauce.

Cream Cheese Pot Stickers

Wonton Wrappers
Cream Cheese (one package)
Powdered sugar (about 1/2 cup)
Vanilla (optional. When I use it I use about a teaspoon)
Water in a cup

You basically make these the same as the sausage ones. Mix the cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar together. Place a small amount in the center of the wrapper and seal the edges. Fry in the oil just as you did the sausage pot stickers except you don't have to cook these as long as the sausage pot stickers because you don't have to worry about cooking the cream cheese. You just want them heated through.

Teriyaki Meatballs

2010-03-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

I had only made meatballs one other time before a few months ago. They just didn't appeal to me. I'd rather buy the bag of frozen meatballs from Sams Club. But, Mike really wanted to try some meatballs. I found this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. The recipe is super easy and the boys LOVE it. I think Isaac ate about meatballs. We just poured the sauce over rice and it was delicious.

Teriyaki Meatballs
*Makes about 16 meatballs

Meatballs:
2 pounds ground beef (at least 90% lean)
2 eggs
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons milk

Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water

For the sauce, in a medium bowl mix the soy sauce, 1 3/4 cups water, ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar, honey and cornstarch together. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup cold water. Set both bowls aside.

For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients except for the ground beef and mix well. Add the ground beef and mix until combined. Form ground beef mixture into 1 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat two tablespoons oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Add the meatballs to the hot skillet and brown on all sides, turning with a pair of tongs. The meatballs don’t need to be completely cooked through, just equally browned on all sides.

When the meatballs have browned, pour the sauce ingredients over the meatballs and gently turn the meatballs to coat them in the sauce. Heat the sauce until just simmering and add the cornstarch/water mixture, carefully mixing so as not to break apart the meatballs as you combine the cornstarch mixture with the teriyaki sauce. Simmer the meatballs and sauce over medium heat, maintaining a constant simmer but not cooking at too high of a boil, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick and smooth (if the sauce becomes overly thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin), about 10-15 minutes, turning the meatballs every two or three minutes to ensure even cooking. Serve over rice or couscous.

Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe (teriyaki sauce inspiration from here)

Wraps

2010-03-10T05:38:00.000-08:00

There are a few different kinds of wraps to make. We like the little appetizer ones. I don't use a recipe so I don't have any measurements or anything, just ingredients.

Wraps

Wraps (we like the sun-dried tomato ones)

Cream Cheese

Green Onions

Lunch Meat (We use turkey but we've also used ham and chicken)

Cheese (optional--the cream cheese is usually enough for us)

Spread a generous amount of cream cheese on your wrap. Sprinkle green onion on the cream cheese and then layer the meat on top. Put the cheese on top of the meat and then roll the wrap up like a Cinnamon roll. Cut into little slices and secure with a toothpick.

Dessert Crepes

2010-01-19T15:44:00.000-08:00

The recipe calls these Dessert crepes but we use them for breakfast or dinner. It is always a fun treat for the boys to have crepes with fruit and a little bit of cool whip and syrup. This recipe is from allrecipes.

Dessert Crepes

4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, flour sugar and salt until smooth.
Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of butter or oil applied with a brush or paper towel. Using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 3 tablespoons crepe batter into hot pan, tilting the pan so that bottom surface is evenly coated. Cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Dutch Apple Crumble Cheesecake

2010-01-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

We had this over Thanksgiving and I was worried about it because it looked more moist than I expected it to but I thought it tasted so good! I found this recipe out of a book from the library called Complete Cake Mix Magic.

Dutch Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Crust:
1 pkg white cake mix
1/2 C butter

Reserve 1/3 cup cake mix for topping. Melt the butter. Combine the remaining cake with melted butter. Mix until soft dough forms. Press over bottom and sides. Bake until the crust is starting to set but still soft.

Filling:
1/2 lbs. cream cheese, softened
1 C brown sugar
1 C sour cream
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, brown sugar, and sour cream. Beat for three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Topping:
1/4 C brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 TBS butter, softened
1 large apple, peeled, cored, sliced

Combine reserved cake mix, sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix until crumbly. Set aside.

Pour the filling into crust. Arrange the apple slices on top in a circular pattern. Sprinkle topping evenly over apples. Bake 50-60 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Chile Con Queso Revved up

2010-01-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

Mike loves Chile Con Queso. Sometimes we make this with just the cheese and some salsa and that is great too but other times it's fun to kind of shake things up a little. Here is a recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

2 lb package velveeta cheese
1 lb package hot breakfast sausage
1/2 large onion
1 regular can diced tomatoes (either regular or Extra hot)
1 7 oz. can diced green chilies
1 to 3 finely diced jalapeno peppers (if you like the heat, leave the seeds and membranes)

Chop the onion and brown with the breakfast sausage. Drain excess fat. Cut the velveeta into cubes and add to warm skillet. Add diced tomatoes and green chilies, and stir together over low heat until mixture is melted. Add finely diced jalapenos, stir together, and serve warm with chips.

Pumpkin Pancakes and Apple Cider Syrup

2010-01-19T13:15:00.000-08:00

One year for our anniversary Mike took me to this cottage in the woods. It was the best anniversary present he could have given me. For breakfast the owners had stocked the fridge with stuff for breakfast. They had pumpkin pancake mix and syrup in the fridge. It was spectacular. Since then I've looked for a good pumpkin pancake recipe. This is the best one I've found so far. It is from the Sisters' Cafe. I just cut and paste directly from their site. We used this recipe around Thanksgiving when we had left over pie filling.

Apple Cider Syrup
3/4 Cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBs cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh apple cider (or juice would work)
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter
Mix sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg well. Add apple cider and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, use within a week or two.

My Favorite Pumpkin Pancake Recipe
2 cups flour (I use at least 1/2 freshly ground white wheat flour)
3 Tb brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk (I do an overflowing 1/2 cup)
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 Tb canola oil
2 Tb vinegar

In one bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, oil and vinegar. Combine dry ingredients separately and them stir into pumpkin mixture just until combined. Heat your pan or griddle (lightly butter or oil if it is not seasoned), using about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with apple cider syrup.

Florentine Artichoke Dip

2010-01-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

We LOVE this dip. We usually eat it with a baguette or chips but crackers would work too. We got this off of allrecipes.com

Florentine Artichoke Dip

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 7x11 inch baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the artichoke hearts, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with garlic and lemon juice. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.
Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and let the dish bake uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until the surface is lightly browned.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

2010-01-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe from the campbells kitchen website. It is very good. There are a ton of reviews for this recipe and most people gave it four stars. I would probably do the same. It is super easy and good. I seasoned my chicken with creole seasoning.

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®)
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cup frozen mixed vegetables
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to 375°F. Stir the soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper and vegetables in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
Top with the chicken. Cover the baking dish.
Bake for 50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Top with the cheese. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes. Stir the rice before serving

Peanut Butter Thai Pork

2010-01-09T09:36:00.001-08:00

This recipe is actually from Dave and Tana. We made this and really liked it so I thought I'd share the recipe.

Peanut Butter Thai Pork

2 lbs boneless pork loin
2 cups red pepper (sliced thin, about three)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Place all the ingredients in your crockpot except the peanut butter on low for six hours. Add peanut butter at the end. Place over rice. You can squeeze lime over the top and sprinkle with peanuts (we really thought the lime and peanuts added the perfect touch).

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

2010-01-09T09:29:00.001-08:00

We made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving and loved it. It comes from Allrecipes.com I made this cheesecake twice. The first time I made it just as the recipe calls for and then when I made it for Thanksgiving I changed it according to the recommendation from a reviewer. They were both great. The original recipe tastes like a cross between a pie and cheesecake. The tweaked recipe tastes like cheesecake, which is what I was looking for.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Here are the changes I made: I used three packages of cream cheese instead of two and used 1/2 cup sour cream. Instead of using the puree, I used a can of pumpkin pie filling and then I just threw in a little more cinnamon. I did not have cloves so I omitted that part. You could make your own crust if you want.

Lemon Cream Torte

2010-01-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

I have been making a lot of cakes because of my cake class. I want the cake to taste as good as the decorations look. I got a book from the library--101 things to do with a cakemix--and found this cake. We love it! If you like lemon, this is the cake for you.

Lemon Cream Torte

1 pkg. white cake (you could also use a lemon cake mix)
3 eggs
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1 Tbsp lemon zest

Filling

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups whipping cream

Mix the cake just as you would a normal cake mix. Pour mix into round 8 in cake pans (or 9 in works fine too). Bake at 350 degrees (the recipe calls for 350 degrees but if you want it more moist bake it at 325). While the cake is baking, whip the whipping cream until it comes to a peak and then mix the other ingredients in as well. After the cake cools, place the filling between the two layers of the cake. Frost the cake with the remainder of the filling.

Note: I made some changes to this but only minor changes. I cooked it at 325 degrees. When the cake came out I needed it to be flat so I took my hot pad and hit the top of both cakes until they were flat--this works, trust me. Instead of frosting the cake with the filling I frosted it with the buttercream icing I need for my cake class and put some lemon juice in the buttercream frosting. Oh, they also called for four layers. They cut each cake in half. I did not need it that tall so I did not cut them in half.

Creamy Garlic Sauce

2009-12-22T14:40:00.001-08:00

This is less of a recipe and more of a question for you all...

I love the creamy garlic chicken pizzas at Papa Murphy's Pizza. I have looked for a recipe for the sauce. What I have found is that it is just a combination of ranch and garlic. Has anyone tried this? I found 1 c. ranch to 1 Tbsp minced garlic or 2/3 c ranch to 2 Tbsp garlic. If you have tried this to make creamy garlic sauce for your pizza, how did it turn out, what did you use? I am adding it to my menu for next month and wanted to hear what others have tried. Thanks, and Merry Christmas!!

Krispie Chicken

2009-11-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

My friend gave me this "recipe" and we gave it a try last night. So good!
It's quite simple.

Take chicken, any kind, and spread with mayo, then dip in rice krispies. Bake as you usually do and enjoy.

I cut large boneless skinless breasts into serving size pieces. I mixed some seasoning salt into my mayo, spread it on the chicken, then pressed it into a bowl of cereal. I baked it at 375 for about 20 minutes. Turned out great.

Next time, I will try some different spices. YUM!

Let me know if you try any good combos.

Fast Fruity Delight

2009-11-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

Fast Fruity Delight

from the Food and Family magazine

3/4 cup boiling water

1 pkg. (3 oz.) Raspberry Flavor Gelatin (I used strawberry)

2 cups frozen raspberries (I used mixed berries)

1 cup thawed Cool Whip whipped topping

Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add berries; stir until gelatin starts to thicken. Stir 1/2 cup gelatin mixture into cool whip with whisk until well blended; spoon into 4 dessert dishes. Cover with remaining gelatin mixture. Refridgerate 15. min or until set.

We made this recipe last night and it took me maybe five minutes to make. It was so easy and the boys loved it (as did Mike)!

Easy Pasta Salad

2009-11-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

When my sister Katy was visiting she said she wanted some easy recipes to make for when she graduated. I told her I'd post some and this is one of the easiest things to make that I can think of. I don't use any specific measurements so you will just have to do it to your taste. Mike likes a Ranch/Mayo based salad and I like an Italian pasta salad so we compromise and add them both. Also, I don't like a dry pasta salad so I am generous with the dressings.

Easy Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

Pasta (spiral, elbow, whatever you want)
Olives
Broccoli
Cucumber
Cheese
Onion (I used red but you can use whatever)
Tomatoes
Ranch Dressing
Italian Dressing
Parmesan Cheese
Chicken
Pepperoni

Cook the pasta according to directions on the box. Rinse and drain the noodles and transfer to a big bowl. Cut up whatever you want in your pasta. I put some or all of the above ingredients. The pasta in the picture has chicken but if we have pepperoni we use that. The last thing I do is add the Italian and Ranch dressing and then the Parmesan Cheese. Mix it all together and enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

2009-11-07T08:37:00.001-08:00

I was recently invited by the Mia Maids to attend a "mommy spa" service they were giving. They had little stations set up for hair, nails, and chair massages. It was very cute and appreciated by us mommas! Anyway, they served these EASY muffins and sparkling juice to us as well.

Here's the recipe:
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 box Spice Cake mix

That's it. Just add those two ingredients together and you'll have a muffin. Put it into muffin tins and bake at the temp the cake mix recommends. And the bonus? Someone there said these were only around 50 calories per muffin. Now the problem is only having one...
I sweetened some of mine up a little and added cream cheese frosting while they were still warm. They were great either way.

Quick and easy FHE treat or afterschool snack! Enjoy!

Panko Bread Crumbs

2009-11-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

Anyone else been living under a rock? I just discovered Panko Bread Crumbs this week. These are not your average bread crumbs--MUCH better. They aren't seasoned, but add your own and voila! I made fish and chips with these bread crumbs last night and they were perfect! I battered our cod, then rolled it in panko and a little cajun seasoning. Yummy!
Anyway, give these bread crumbs a try if you haven't already. Totally worth it - and they're inexpensive and not hard to find.

Cheesy Potato Soup

2009-10-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Cheesy Potato Soup

5 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
3 cups water
3 chicken bullion cubes
Boil 15 minutes

White Sauce:
3/4 cups butter
3/4 cups flour
4 cups milk
8-12 oz Velvetta Cheese

Add the white sauce to the potatoes and other veggies after they are cooked. Cut the cheese into small pieces and then stir into the potato/white sauce mixture. Cook over medium heat until cheese is fully melted.

*Mike really likes things salted so you can add salt if the bullion isn't enough salt for you. You could also put in a clove of garlic is you want but we don't usually do that.

7-Layer Cookies

2009-10-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I've posted this already but I don't think I have. This is Mike's favorite cookie recipe. I don't usually use measurements on this recipe. Just put as much of each ingredient as you want. For the chips we usually use about a half a bag of both chocolate and butterscotch chips. The coconut I just use enough to cover the top. Add more or less as you like it. This recipe came from my friend Heather Boden.

7 Layer cookies

1 stick butter
Graham crackers (I use about a package and a half, more or less)
walnuts or other nuts (I don't usually have nuts so I don't do this and it takes fine)
chocolate chips
butterscotch chips
coconut
sweetened condensed milk (it calls for a whole can but it will sometimes be too soggy so we use 1/2 -3/4 a can)

Melt butter and crush graham crackers. Mix together then press onto bottom of 9x13 inch pan. Next you just layer all the ingredients. Start with the chocolate chips and end with the sweetened condensed milk. Cook in over at 350 degrees until lightly brown.

Hearty Italian Chicken Chowder

2009-10-23T09:08:00.001-07:00

Hearty Italian Chicken Chowder
from Kraft Kitchens

1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes (14 1/2 oz.) undrained (I used diced instead of stewed)
1 cup chicken broth
1 med. zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
*Salt to taste (this is not part of their recipe but I really think it needs salt)
*one clove minced garlic (also not part of original recipe)

1. Heat dressing in large sauce pan on med-high heat and cook chicken until pink.
2. Add tomatoes, broth, zucchini, macaroni, and basil. Bring to a boil on high heat.
3. Reduce heat to med, simmer 8 min. or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese

Yummy Mummies

2009-09-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yummy Mummies

We made these for dinner. They were cute, and I hear they were good.

Papa John's Pizza Dough Recipe

2009-09-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

3 cups flour
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp honey
I Tbsp oil
2 tsp salt
1 pkg yeast

Mix flour and salt. Take half the flour and salt mixture and add yeast. In a separate bowl mix, sugar, honey and water. Pour into flour mixture. Stir for two minutes. Add oil and rest of flour. Knead for six minutes. Let sit for five minutes. Knead for six more minutes. Add flour as needed. Roll dough and cook at 500 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

Peanut Butter Striped Delight

2009-09-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

Mike finished his finals today so we had a party. I made this recipe for the first time. Mine looks retarded but the real picture from Kraft foods looks delicious. It was good. Mike loved it. I felt like I was having a sugar rush so next time I will eat a smaller portion. We will definitely eat it again.

Peanut Butter Striped Delight
35 OREO Cookies
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups plus 2 Tbsp. cold milk, divided
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1/3 cup peanut butter

PROCESS cookies in food processor until fine crumbs form; mix with butter. Press onto bottom of 13x9-inch dish. Refrigerate 10 min. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk with mixer until well blended. Add 1-1/4 cups COOL WHIP; mix well. Spread over crust.

BEAT pudding mixes and remaining milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Add peanut butter; mix well. Spread over cream cheese layer. Let stand 5 min. or until thickened. Top with remaining COOL WHIP.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours.

Bacon Cheddar Hamburgers

2009-07-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

I had never made hamburgers before. We just always bought the pre-made kind and they were ok. But I thought I wanted to try and make them myself. I found this recipe and we all loved it!

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 T prepared horseradish
1/2t salt
1/2t pepper
1/2t garlic powder
1/2 cup real bacon bits
4 hamburger buns

1. Preheat grill
2. Mix everything together with clean hands and form into 4 patties
3. Place hamburgers on patties on the grill and cook for 5 minutes per side or until well done. Serve on buns.

**I use fresh garlic

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2009-07-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

I am not a huge fan of oatmeal cookies. In fact, I usually will pass if that is all there is. But we really love these.

1 c. flour
1 c. oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees. Mix the flour, oats, soda, powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat butter, sugars, and peanut butter in a large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Gradually add the flour mixture until well blended after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until browned. (I like to roll them but you can scoop them with a spoon or use an ice cream scoop).

Peppery Bean Salad

2009-06-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

In our attempt to be healthier, we are looking for good and healthy recipes. We were introduced to this Weight Watchers recipe by our friends. I am not a fan of chickpeas but they are really good in this recipe.

Peppery Bean Salad

1 c. canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
1 c. canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 c. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 celery stalk, sliced diagonally (I just chopped them)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. ranch dressing (the recipe calls for peppercorn ranch but we couldn't find it)
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate, covered, about one hour.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

2009-06-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

One night I couldn't figure out what to make for dinner. I happened to mention it to my friend Ali Walston and she gave me this recipe for homemade Mac and Cheese.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

1 1/2 cups macaroni
3 TBS margarine or butter
2 TBS flour
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheese

Boil water. Cook macaroni for 10 minutes (or as instructed on noodle container). While cooking, melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. When melted, stir in flour mixture (flour, salt, pepper). Immediately stir in milk and heat until thick and bubbly. Then add cheese. When it's all melted, drain macaroni and add to cheese sauce in pan.

Slow Cooker 20-40 Cloves Garlic Chicken

2009-06-26T13:16:00.001-07:00

My sister Chelsey pointed out this website and this recipe in particular. We both made it and we both really liked it. Mike loved it.

Slow cooker 20-40 cloves garlic chicken

3-4 pounds chicken
1 large onion sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
20-40 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact

Place onion slices on the bottom of your slow cooker. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into slow cooker, on top of the onion. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6.

Try it out. You won't be disappointed.

Easy mint chocolate chip ice cream

2009-05-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Since being here in Ohio we have gotten to see Chelsey and Brent a lot. We love it. For some reason every time we see them Mike wants ice cream. Now, Mike likes ice cream. In fact, I think he loves it. But he doesn't love it so much that he has to eat it all the time. We bought some ice cream last Thursday and it hasn't been opened yet. And, we are having a "no sweets" challenge" for the next two weeks so that ice cream will stay unopened for quite some time. Anyway, we decided that we would make homemade ice cream at Brent and Chelsey's yesterday just to carry on the tradition of eating ice cream at their house all the time. It was great. I put a little too much salt in it though. So, it was a great salty ice cream. To clarify, I accidentally put in more than the recipe calls for so don't worry about putting less than called for. We will definitely eat it again without all the salt.

2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. peppermint extract
3 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, stir together milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later, spoon into a container, and freeze for 2 hours.

Delicious!

recipe from Allrecipes.com

Greek Salad

2009-05-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

You all know that Mike is into cheese....He loves to go to Sam's and pick out different cheeses. He took the boys with him this week and let them each pick a cheese. Will chose Feta (he is super picky and didn't know what it tasted like or he wouldn't have chose it). So, now we have a huge block of Feta. I decided to make a yummy salad.

Greek Salad

1 iceberg lettuce

6 tomatoes

1 medium cucumber

1 cup feta cheese

16 black olives, pitted and halved

For the dressing:

3 tbs. olive oil

1 tbs. lemon juice

1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard

1 tsp. oregano

A dash of black pepper

Shred the lettuce, then chop the tomatoes, cucumber, and feta into big chunks and put them all in a large bowl with the olives. To make the dressing, put the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, oregano, and a dash of pepper in the jelly glass, and screw on the lid tightly. When you're ready to serve the salad, shake the dressing in the jar until it's all mixed up, then pour it over the salad and toss everything lightly so the salad is coated with the dressing.

I made a few changes. We needed protein so I added some chicken strips I seasoned with Creole seasoning. I used a sprig mix of greens instead of iceberg lettuce, and I only used about three Roma tomatoes and that was plenty. We loved this salad. I'm already excited to try it again.

I got this recipe from Kid's Cookbook

Orange Rolls

2009-05-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

I remember having orange rolls only a few times growing up. They were ok. Mike has never had them so I decided to try and make them.

2 big FLAKE biscuits (not butter or buttermilk)
1 cube butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 tbsp. Orange juice (frozen)
1 tbsp. zest of an orange (optional)

Melt the butter and add brown sugar and orange juice. Put the biscuits in a bunt pan and pour the sauce over. Bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes. Dump upside down while hot.

These were good, kind of like Monkey Brains, only orange flavor. Good and easy.

Black Beans

2009-05-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

My friend in Oklahoma married someone from Louisiana. They moved down to New Orleans to go to school and then moved to Oklahoma to go to Dental school. We were lucky enough to be fed by them a few times. They can make some really fantastic food. I have two recipes from them. I'll only post one today because I don't have a lot of time.

Black Beans

1 can Black Beans
1 can chicken broth
garlic powder
onions
Tony Chachere's creole seasoning

Drain and rinse beans. Put beans in pot with chicken broth just covering beans. Add onions (if desired), garlic powder, and Tony's. Boil for 30 minutes.

We are making this recipe this week and I'm really excited. I used to hate beans of any kind but recipes like this make me happy to eat them. Eating beans is such a great way to be healthier. Bri's husband gave us a tip: If you are making beans in a pressure cooker instead of using canned beans, you want to take half the beans and blend them so you have a nice, thick pot just like they make in New Orleans. I'll post their gumbo recipe another day.

Easter dinner

2009-04-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

We had a very nice Easter dinner. We made a ham, yummy potatoes, watergate salad, devilled eggs, and asparagus. For dessert we had cupcakes. I have only had asparagus a few times and I've only made asparagus about twice. Honestly, the first time I had it I was scared. But they were pretty good. Mike requested aparagus for Easter and I figured since he has requested them a lot that I better make them. Since I'm still a little uncertain about asparagus I decided to see if I could find a really good recipe. I found one that had 748 reviews with 4 1/2 stars, which was the highest rating and the most people rating it. It was good! It was a tad salty so I'll put a little less salt next time but I was very happy to find a recipe that was good. Here are some recipes (some of you have the potato recipe already). What did you all have?

Yummy Potatoes

6 medium potatoes, par boiled
1/4 c. butter
1 pt. dairy sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 c. chopped green onions
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c. crushed cornflakes
2 T. melted butter
*I always find that the 1/3 c. cornflakes and 2 T. butter is not quite enough to cover the top. I think I just like more on top then it calls for.

Cook potatoes until tender, cool, peel, and grate666666. Heat the butter with cream of chicken soup until melted and stir until blended. Blend sour cream, onion and grated cheese into soup mixture. Mix well. Mix with potatoes in a 9 x 13 in. baking pan. Combine crushed cornflakes with 2 T. melted butter and sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Watergate Salad

1 pkg. (4 serving size) Jello-coconut cream instant pudding and pie filling
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained (I don't think I've ever used a 20 oz. can and it tastes just fine)
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 3/4 c. thawed Cool Whip topping

Stir pudding mix, undrained pineapple, marshmallows, and pecans in large bowl until well blended. Gently stir in whicpped topping: cover. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Garlic Asparagus

1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed

Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook garlic in butter for a minute, but do not brown. Add asparagus, and cook for 10 minutes, turning asparagus to ensure even cooking.

Fancy Dipped Strawberries

2009-04-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a fun treat I could make with the boys. They really enjoyed making these. They don't look very pretty (at least not as pretty as the picture in the cookbook) but they tasted great and the boys loved it. Try it, it's super easy!

Toppings:
Miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Chopped nuts
Colored sugars and candy sprinkles
Grated chocolate
Shredded coconut

Dipped Berries:
1 quart fresh whole strawberries wit stems
1 cup vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

1. Tear off 1 piece of waxed paper. Put it on a large cookie sheet. Put some of each topping in separate bowls.
2. Rinse the strawberries and pat dry.
3. Measure out the frosting. Microwave frosting on high 15 to 20 seconds, until it is melted. Stir the frosting once with the spoon.
4. Dip the bottom of each strawberry halfway into the melted frosting. Right away, dip the strawberry into 1 of the toppings you selected. Put the strawberries on the waxed paper-lined cookie sheets and place in fridge until frosting is hard, about five minutes.

Note: We also used dipping chocolate and that was great too. We didn't use all the toppings listed but replaced them with some of our own picking. You could really use anything you wanted.

Wedding Soup

2009-03-15T14:14:00.001-07:00

This is a recipe that my sister-in-law Laura (Ralph's wife) sent me. We LOVE it. Everyone in my family likes this. It is a little bit of work, but so worth it.

Italian Wedding soup

3/4 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup cold water
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup finely minced onion
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I use the normal cheaper kind)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

8 cups chicken broth
2 large carrots, chopped
1 cup orzo or patina pasta
1 (10ounce) package fresh spinach, washed, trimmed and torn into bite sized pieces

Mix first set of ingredients (turkey through pepper) Roll into bite sized meatballs

Put broth and carrots on the stove top and allow to simmer to desired tenderness (I have also added celery at this point). Add pasta (I have only ever found orzo in my grocery store) and let cook for 5 minutes.

Add meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes. (I have used my smallest cookie scoop to make meatballs. The first couple times I scooped and then rolled them so they look nice. The last time I was in a super hurry and just scooped them and dropped them into the soup. They were a little strange looking, but just as tasty.)

Add spinach, stir in and let simmer for at least one minute. It will seem like a TON of spinach at first, but it quickly wilts down and there doesn't seem to be too much.

Serve! Enjoy.

This will feed my family of 5 for dinner one night and for lunch the next day. But we all REALLY like it. My kids will each have at least two servings. And in general they don't eat that much.

One time I added four extra cups of chicken broth and we still gobbled it up, that time I think we had it for two dinners.

Shepherd's Pie

2009-03-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

This is not a recipe, only a question and a comment. Do any of you girls make Shepherd's Pie? My mom did not make it, but Chris does, and I love it. Do any of you need a recipe?

Dad Clark

Valentine's Cherry Heart Cake

2009-03-03T06:31:00.000-08:00

We had the missionaries over the day before Valentine's Day and I was thinking it would be fun to make mom's Valentine's heart cake. I couldn't find the recipe so I had to guess and it was pretty ugly looking as seen in the picture. But, it tasted great and it was fun. I"ve since found how mom makes the heart. I had forgotten the coconut and that would have made it much better looking. Plus, Mike wanted a lot of cherry's so the cake looked like a bleeding heart. The missionaries liked it and said it was the only Valentine they had gotten so far.

Mom's Valentine Cherry Heart Cake

Cake Mix
Cool Whip
Cheery Pie Filling
Coconut
Red Food Coloring

Make a cake (any boxed cake will do, Isaac chose Funfetti) batter and divide the batter into a sqaure pan (8x8) and a round cake pan. I used two round and it is doable but you will have to cut some of the cake to make it work. After the cake has been baked and cooled, place the sqaure cake on a serving plate with the point down as in a diamond shape. Cut the round cake in half and put each half at the top of each upper side of the diamond, creating a heart shaped cake. Frost all together and you will never know it comes from two different shaped pans. Frost the cake with whipped cream, topped n the middle with cherry pie filling. Sprinkle flaked coconut that has had some red food coloring added around the outside edges and you have a beautiful Valentine's Day cake.

Avocado Ranch Turkey Sandwhich

2009-03-03T06:24:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from Gilly's soon to be sister-in-law, Sharese Mohlman. We were in the same married BYU ward. We love this sandwhich.

Avocado Ranch Turkey Sandwhich

1 Avocado, pitted, peeled, and mashed

1/4 c. Ranch Dressing

1 tsp. Lemon Juice

Butter or margarine

Sliced Deli Turkey

Crispy Cooked Bacon

Sliced Tomato

Sliced Colby-Monterey Jack Cheese

2 Slices Sourdough Bread per sandwhich

Combine avocado and Ranch dressing in a bowl and a tsp. of lemon juice. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. With butter side down top bread with grilled turkey, bacon, tomato, cheese, and dressing. Then top with a slice of bread butter side up. Place sandwhich on a frying pan or grill. Turn once until cheese melts and bread is crisp.

Whole Wheat Bread

2009-02-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

5 c warm water
1 c honey, molasses or brown sugar
2 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 c oil or applesauce
3 eggs

Mix the above ingredients and stir in as much flour as you can. Empty dough onto heavily
floured baord adn begin kneading flour into dough. Knead until dough becomes smooth and soft (do not add too much flour). Dump dough into a well oiled bowl, turning to coat dough. Let rise until doubled in size. Turn out onto oiled surface and knead until all air bubbles are removed. Shape into loaves adn put in oiled bread pans. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Loaves will sound hollow when tapped.
Make about 5 loaves, depending on pan size.

This is a great recipe that a wonderful woman taught me at a warm homemaking meeting years ago ( saying that makes me feel old, but it's true). She wouldn't give us a measurement for the flour. She said we had to learn by the feel and look of the dough. It has always turned out for me and I never measure the flour. Good luck!

Another awesome French Toast recipe

2009-02-09T07:00:00.001-08:00

I made this for dinner and it was delicious. I'm not sure that it was worth the pain my hand went through and I'm hoping it won't scar. My finger is also burnt (not in the picture). Anyway, be smarter than me and DO NOT touch the caramel.

Overnight Apple French Toast
from The Sister's Cafe
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
2 Tb white corn syrup
3 large apples, peeled, seeded, and sliced
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 loaf of French bread, sliced thick (you definitely won't need all of it)
cinnamon

To make the caramel, melt butter in saucepan and then add brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat for 5 minutes, allowing it to boil. Remove from heat and pour into a 9x13 glass pan. Place apples over the caramel in the pan. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, milk and vanilla. Dip the bread into the mixture, coating liberally. Place bread over apples in the pan (you won't need all the bread, just enough to fill the pan). Sprinkle very generously with cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight so that all the flavors can penetrate. In the morning, heat the oven to 350°, and cook for 45 minutes.

Fabulous French Toast

2009-02-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Cinnamon Plus Spice blend (a Pampered Chef original spice)

Directions

Melt butter on your griddle.
Mix all ingredients above together. If you have Buttermilk, use that instead of regular milk. Dip a slice of bread in the mixture and make sure entire slice is covered. Slap it on the griddle and cook both sides.

Smother it in yummy syrup. Or whip cream with strawberries.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-01-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

Gillian and I (Mom Clark) were shopping at Macey's and they were serving this soup as a sample. It wowed both of us. It is delicious and very easy to make!!

1 can Campbells Chicken with Rice Soup
1-1/3 cups water
1 cup salsa
1 can pinto beans, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen or canned corn
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1 tsp ground cumin
Crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese & sour cream

In a large saucepan, combine the first 8 ingredients. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream. Yield 5 servings.

Peppermint Brittle

2008-12-30T18:53:00.000-08:00

We had a bunch of candy canes left over (some from two years ago) and we had some neighbors move in a few months ago that we hadn't introduced ourselves to. So we thought this was the perfect time to make some treats and take them over. We tried this recipe because I remember having it when I was younger. I'm not sure who made them but I liked them. The only thing I'd recommend is using candy canes that aren't so old! This recipe was from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds white chocolate
30 small peppermint candy canes

DIRECTIONS
Line a large jellyroll pan with heavy-duty foil. Place white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on medium setting for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Place candy canes in a plastic bag, or between two pieces of waxed paper. Using a mallet or rolling pin, break the candy canes into chunks. Stir peppermint into melted white chocolate. Spread evenly in pan, and chill until set, about 1 hour. Break into pieces by slamming pan on counter.

Alice Springs Chicken

2008-12-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure where I found this recipe, online somewhere. It is so good. Have you ever tried the Alice Springs Chicken at Outback? This is the recipe. It is one of our favorites. It has mushrooms but you can take them off if you don't like them. I think the mushrooms are so good on them though. I have posted this on my blog before but thought I'd post it here now that we have this blog.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1/2 " thick

honey mustard

6 slices bacon, sliced in half

1/2 teaspoon McCormick's Season All

1 cup sliced mushrooms, drained

3 cups shredded colby or monterey jack cheese

Rub chicken breast with Seasons All and set aside to marinate for 1 hour.While the breast is marinating fry bacon crisp and drain.Sauté chicken breasts on medium heat in pan with just enough oil to prevent sticking.Cook on both sides until a slight golden color and cooked in the middle but not dry.Remove from pan and place in a 9 x 13 dish.Spread chicken breast with honey mustard, cover with a layer of mushrooms, three pieces of bacon and then sprinkle with shredded Colby/jack cheese, chicken should be covered with shredded cheese.Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Here are the changes I make: I only use 4 pieces of bacon. I think 6 is too much. I make my own honey mustard (mayo, mustard, honey). I also usually monterey or mozzerella cheese, I haven't done colby yet. I don't use canned mushrooms unless I don't have fresh. I saute the fresh in a little butter. I don't think I've ever marinated the breast with the Seasons All. This is a super good meal. Everyone I've ever cooked it for loves it.

Reindeer Food

2008-12-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

Mandy gave us this recipe last year. I just copied it exactly like she gave it to us.

Every Christmas Eve we sprinkle just a bit of Reindeer food to attract the reindeer to our house. It helps them to know which houses to go to and guide Santa in the right direction. Since we have started this tradition, Santa has never missed our house (nor did he miss it before!). It's just a simple activity that we enjoy. Here is the recipe:

1 scoop oatmeal - to keep them healthy
1 scoop hot cocoa mix - to keep them warm while they fly
1 scoop marshmallows - to keep them jolly
scoop red and green sprinkles - to give them magic to fly

Mix the scoops together in a small bag, scoops being a 1/2 tsp or so.

Sprinkle on the lawn at night,
The moon will make it sparkle bright.
Santa's reindeer fly and roam,
This will guide them to your home!

Merry Christmas!!

Peanut butter Cups

2008-12-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

This recipe has become a Christmas time tradition in our house. I got this recipe from mom. It's so easy and so good. You will probably need to double it, or make again later when you run out. We are on our second batch already this season, we did one smooth and one crunchy!!

1 bag chocolate chips (or melting discs)
1 bag white chocolate chips (0r discs)
1 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth

Line cookie sheet with small paper candy cups (like cupcake liners but smaller). Dump all ingredients into a pot. Melt and stir together over low heat. When smooth pour into cups. Tap cookie sheet on counter to smooth tops of chocolate. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles or leave plain. Let set on counter, in fridge or outside (if you live where it is cold... -8 here today).

Yes, that is it, it's sooo easy! My kids are addicted to these!

Ketchup

2008-11-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

Much is made of food. In reality, we make food simply to have a socially acceptable way to get condiments to our mouths (can you imagine the looks you would get after sucking down a mouthful of yellow goodness from the mustard container?) If you don't believe me, go open your fridge, look in the door and ask yourself how many bottles of whatever is there. Personally, three of the four shelves in my refrigerator door are dedicated to condiments - Hoisin sauce, soy sause, three types of mustard, worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce, two types of BBQ sauce, a bunch of sauces I don't remember, and of course, KETCHUP (red gold, Kentucky steak sauce, whatever you affectionately call it). I love ketchup. As such here is a Jim Clark original. I have never actually tried it because I think it is heresy but if you are desperate...

McClarkie's Ketchup

- One freshly used Ketchup bottle (Heinz, preferably, so that there is a lot of stuck-to-the-side-why-won't-it-come-off residual red gold)

- 1/2 cup water

Add water to Ketchup bottle, replace the cap and shake like Bill Clinton on Judgement Day.

There you go. You now have a 1/2 cup of ketchup, somewhat watery ketchup, but ketchup none the less. It probably even still kind of tastes like ketchup. Dad used to do this all the time when I was young. It still gives me nightmares.

White Syrup

2008-11-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

1/2 cup sugar

1 heaping Tbsp flour

cover with milk (approximately 1 cup)

Dash of salt

(amounts are approximate)

This recipe is from my friend Ali Walston. We were out of syrup so I tried this. It was so easy, fast and great!

Spiced Apple Banana Cream Cake

2008-10-14T10:16:00.001-07:00

This cake was made up by me. I went to make a spice cake the other day because it sounded good, on the package it said for a twist add in apple pie filling. I thought why not add pudding in as well (because that usually helps cake rise).

The cake was so incredible that Jason said it was the best cake he had ever had in his life. So either he was super hungry or it was really that awesome. Everyone in the house loved it, or said they did. Even those that claim to not like apple pie filling.

Spiced Apple Banana Cream Cake

Ingredients:

Spice Cake mix (any brand, however I prefer Betty Crocker)
ingredients to make spice cake (water, oil, eggs)
1 can apple pie filling
1 small package instant banana cream pudding/pie filling

Directions:

Make Spice cake according to package directions, add in pudding, mix well. Then add in apple pie filling, mix well again.

Bake about 5-10 minutes longer than package says to.

Frost with cream cheese frosting.

YUM!

Artichoke Chicken

2008-10-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

If you like the hot artichoke dip, you'll love this!!

1 can water pkg (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3/4 c parmesan cheese
3/4 c mayonnaise
dash of garlic powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine first four ingredients in bowl. Place chicken in greased 11 x 7 dish. Spread the artichoke mix over the chicken. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375.

Note: I used marinated artichoke hearts. I also cut my chicken up into smaller chunks, as my we don't each eat a whole breast. Everyone loved this. We served it with rice, some of us served it over the rice. I wished for some nice crusty french bread. Anyway, it was yummy (although I wouldn't say it was good for you!) , so give it a try!

Three recent food findings

2008-09-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

Carb Balance Mission tortillas. These are awesome! We have tried other wheat tortillas and hated them. These taste great. We made Mexican Lasagna for the missionaries tonight and they couldn't even tell we used Wheat. There are 21 grams of fiber in one of these babies. They are expensive but we are finding that all healthy food is expensive. Give them a try!

Fiber One yogurt These are very good. They also have peach flavor but I don't like them as much just because peach isn't my favorite fruit. I really like these with granola on top.

Fiber One chewy bars. I love these as a quick snack. The boys love them too. I can't eat them around the boys or they want it all. I have tried a lot of "bars" and most of them are either healthy and taste gross or taste great but not very healthy. These are both.

Peanutbutter Cookies

2008-09-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

1 egg
1 c sugar
1 c peanutbutter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together, roll into balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheet. 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

This is such a simple recipe and it turns out yummy. We did these for family night last night. I ran out of flour and was trying to find a fast, easy recipe. This is what I found. With just four ingredients it was super fast. Made about 2 dozen.

Monster Cookies III

2008-08-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here it is the Monster cookie recipe I found on recipes.com I think, it's been so long ago, but I love this recipe and usually make the whole batch, if not just cut in half. Some people call these cowboy cookies, but I have tasted many cowboy cookies and have never felt that they taste quite like these. This is a non-flour recipe.

Monster Cookies III

Ingredients:
6 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
1/2 pound butter
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons white corn syrup
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups peanut butter

9 cups quick oatmeal or rolled oatmeal or something oatmeal
8 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 pound m-n-m's

Mix together butter, white and brown sugar with mixer until well blended. Add in eggs, mix well.

Then add in vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda and peanut butter, blend again.

Then instead of using your mixer, use your big ole bicep, arm and hand to mix in the oatmeal, chocolate chips and m-n-m's.

Drop by medium cookie scoop onto stone and Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes

The reason you need to use your arm instead of the mixer is I blew up my mixer trying to let it mix this recipe. It was too thick and smoke rolled out the top of the mixer.

Cook's Tips:

Cook all cookies on stoneware always, never substitue metal cookie sheets (they just don't give the same results of even baking). These cookies must be evenly baked since they have so many ingredients in them. If they are darker on the bottom then they will be too crunchy.
I use m-n-m mini baking bits (as they call them) These are found right next to toffee bits and chocolate chips and are cheaper usually then buying a bag of mini m-n-m's. Some people use plain m-n-m's, but I prefer the minis.
I use quick oats in all cookie recipes. I feel that they turn out better.
For the vanilla extract I use Pure Mexican Vanilla and I suggest it always.
If you want nuts in your cookies you can use crunchy peanut butter to get that effect or just add a 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts to mix.

This dough can be frozen for later use.

Best Ever Banana Bread

2008-08-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

We haven't had a lot of luck with fresh fruit lately so we've had lots of yucky bananas. I tried a recipe last week with some good reviews and it was ok. This week we tried another one and it was awesome! The title was the Best Ever Banana Bread and I totally agree. I got it off of Allrecipes.com. I read the reviews and made some changes as suggested and we love it.

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. mashed bananas (I used 4 bananas)
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped pecans (I left this out)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan (I used two small ones) with non-stick cooking spray. Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and bananas. Stir the sugars, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir in pecans. Mix well. Make a mixture of sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, an cinnamon. Sprinkle a little on the bottom of the pan. Pour bread mixture into loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture and some chopped walnuts on top. Bake 1 hour 20 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. After it cooled enough to touch and not burn us (but still a little hot) we took them out and put them in a zip lock bag, stuck it in the fridge, and waited until it was cool. It was so moist!

Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes

2008-08-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

We found this recipe from The Sisters' Cafe. We have tried it twice. The only change we made this time was to put half white, half wheat flour. So good!

Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes

2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. (8-oz) sour cream (can use light)
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add milk, sour cream, and butter; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until blended. Fold in the blueberries. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfulls onto a greased hot griddle; flip when golden on bottom. Cook until the scond side is golden brown.

Peaches and Cream

2008-08-16T10:47:00.001-07:00

This may or may not be a recipe in some eyes, but I feel it's a wonderful snack and must be tried if you haven't yet in your life. I think it's awesome.

Peaches and Cream

Take the best smelling and tasting peach you can get your hands on. (usually these are found on roadside stands or at Farmer's market or if you have to resort to the grocery store produce, leave the peach in a paper bag for 3 days until nice and ripe.

Cut it into slices or small pieces.

Put it in a bowl with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of skim milk.

Add 1 Tablespoon Sugar or Splenda

EAT!

Creamy White Chili

2008-08-04T09:20:00.001-07:00

This recipe is from my friend Marcy. It is one of my favorite meals even though I don't like chili. Mike's family makes something very similar to this. Maybe they can put their variation on this blog so you can try that one too!

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 med. onion, chopped fairly small
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or garlic clove)
1 Tbs. veg. oil
2 cans Great Northern Beans
1 can chicken broth
2 cans green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper or chili powder
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whipping cream

1. Sautee chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is pink2. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil.Reduce heat, simmer for 30 min.3. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream

Tortellini Primavera

2008-08-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

I found this cookbook at a garage sale last summer. We really like this recipe. I'm not a fan of spinach and I was really nervous to try it but it is great in this recipe. I just half the amount of spinach.

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbs. margarine

1 package chopped spinach, thawed, well drained (or half it if you don't like spinach)

1 container (8 oz) creamed cheese

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8-9 ounces fresh or frozen cheese-filled tortellini cooked and drained

Prep time:10 minutes

Cook time:10 minutes

More stir fry

2008-07-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

I love asian food. In my never ending quest to make the world's tastiest chicken stir fry, I came up with a new ancient family secret. First, you have to remember that I like my stir fry sweet and spicy. The secret is obviously in the sauce. So rather than bore you with the whole process, I will give you just the pertinent parts.

After cooking the chicken in a mixture of mongolian fire oil, teriyaki, and hoisin sauce, I remove it and set it aside, leaving the sauce in the pan. I let the sauce reduce for a minute or two then add about two tablespoons of lime juice and two tablespoons of crushed pineapple. To this mixture, I add one clove of garlic and a bit of ginger. The sauce is incredible. Of course, one of the keys to a good stir fry is having the vegetables done right. Broccoli needs to cook longest, followed by pea pods, water chesnuts, then onions, and finally cilantro. Before I add the cilantro, I add the chicken back into the mix and any noodles I plan on using.

So what ingredient is the secret? It is the crushed pineapple. Okay, so that's not much of a secret but it really did the trick for me. If you like it a little spicier, use more fire oil when cooking your chicken or add a thai pepper for a real kick in the pants. I am getting hungry again just thinking about it.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2008-07-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

This is a appetizer that a friend of mine makes for everything. I have never met anyone who doesn't like it. Although maybe they are just too polite to tell me they don't like it. The follow recipe makes a large amount of dip. You can cut it in half pretty easily.

2-8oz packages of cream cheese
2-cans of chicken breast (the big cans)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Ranch Dressing (you can also use Blue Cheese, but I don't)
1/2-3/4 cups Frank's Hot Sauce (you can use any hot sauce, but it should be the kind you would put on hot wings. I usually use 1/2 cup and it is pretty good.)

Melt cream cheese over low-medium heat, stir frequently. When it is all melted and smooth, remove from heat and add other ingredients. Serve. You can refrigerate and reheat.

Serve with sliced baguette, Frito's, and/or celery sticks.

BEWARE, this dip is delicious and addictive. ENJOY!!

Pizza roll-up with sauce on side

2008-07-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

This recipe was actually an accident. I meant to make a ham and cheese roll-up from Kraft foods but when I went to use my ham that hadn't expired, I noticed it smelled like yeast. So, I had to make some adjustments.

Pillsbury Pizza dough

Pizza toppings

Mozzarella cheese

One egg

Parmesan cheese

Roll the dough out on a cookie sheet. Put toppings and cheese inside. Fold all four sides up but not so that they are touching--you just want them slightly folded in so the stuff won't come out when you roll it. Roll the dough up like you would a cinnamon roll. Brush on the egg wash and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Cook at 350 degrees until lightly brown.

Sauce:

For those in the Clark family, you have this recipe in the white recipe binder from mom. For the rest of you,

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 4 oz. can tomato paste (I don't usually use the paste)

Stir over medium head. Add 1/4 teaspoon of each: Thyme, Rosemary, and Oregano. Add 1 clove garlic and 1 bay leaf. Simmer and cool slightly.

Like I said, I had started to make the ham roll so I had already spread Mayo on the dough and I didn't notice that it tasted too funky with the Mayo on. So, you could do that if you wanted too.

Chicken Enchiladas and Berry Yumminess

2008-07-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Enchiladas

Tortillas
Two small cans of green enchilada sauce
Two chicken breasts
1 small can of green chilies
2 Tbs. sour cream
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/4 a can of nacho sauce (more or less depending on your tastes)
Mozzarella cheese

Cook chicken. Shred. Add everything together except the enchilada sauce, tortillas, and mozzarella cheese. Fill the tortillas, roll. Put a little enchilada sauce on bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. Place filled tortillas in pan and pour remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook on 350 degrees until bubbling.

Berry Yumminess

Two cups frozen mixed berries
One four once container of Fiber One Strawberry yogurt
Two spoon fulls of Cool Whip

Slightly thaw berries and mix everything together. As with most of my recipes you can add more or less of anything.

Bar-B-Qued Short Ribs

2008-06-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

Short ribs are one of the cheapest cuts of beef and are not the most tender cut – except for this recipe! This is a wonderful recipe!!

1 cup Ketchup
1 tsp mustard
1/3 cup vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp chili powder
black pepper
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup water
¼ cup vegetable oil

Parboil ribs and then bake 350 F. for 2 hours covered. This can be put into the crock pot (all ingredients mixed) to cook all day.

Ham, Cheesey Potato Casserole

2008-06-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

Amy said Michelle made this and froze it so it could be served to her family when they were gone. Amy said this is very, very good.

1 cup chopped ham
8 medium potatoes sliced thinly
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt or sprinkle season salt
1 cup diced onions
dash of pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 TBS butter
2 TBS rosemary season mix

Combine ham, soup, sour cream, salt & pepper. Mix in potatoes and onions. Pour in 3 qt casserole dish. Top w/ cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 275 F. for 3 ½ hours.
Serve with rolls and salad for a complete meal.

What do you eat during the summer?

2008-06-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

I was thinking tonight, while we ate shishkabobs and corn on the cob, about all the yummy summer foods there are.

This is the list of summer foods I love:

corn on the cob
shishkabobs
smoothies
strawberry shortcake
potato salad
pasta salad
fresh salsa
fruit salad
Slurpee's
hoggie sandwiches
fried chicken

Hmmm, I can't think of any more. There must be more summer foods. What do you eat in the summer?

Yummy Lasagna

2008-06-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

We have been looking for a lasagna that is easy to make but full of flavor. We found this one and tried it out yesterday. It is yummy!

8 ounces lasagna noodles

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1/2 pound Italian sausage

2 28 ounce cans spagetti sauce

1/2 grated Romano or Asiago cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup dried basil

1 clove garlic

1 package sliced pepperoni

8 onces mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 pound ricotta cheese

1/2 pound cottage cheese

1 Preheat overn to 375 degrees

2. In large skillet over medium heat, cook meats

3. In medium bowl, stir together ricotta, Romano, egg, basil and garlic

4. Coat bottom of a 9x13 bakind dish with a thin layer of spagetti sauce. Place 3 or 4 noodles, overlapping edges. Cover with half of browned beef, half of pepperoni, and 1/4 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat sauce, noodles, ricotta, meat and cheese layers. Layer sauce and noodles again, and pur remaining sauce over all, being sure to cover the edges. Top with remaining mozzarella.

5. Cover pan with foil and pierce foil 3 or 4 times with fork to ventilate. Bake 45 minutes, remove foil, and bake 15 minutes more to brown the top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

12 Layer Jello Rainbow Salad

2008-06-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

You may have all had this before, but I had to post because it is such a fun and pretty food to eat. The kids loved it, and so did Mike and I.

1 (30z) pkg. lime jello 1 pkg. raspberry jello
1 pkg lemon jello 1 pkg. blackberry jello
1 pkg. orange jello 8 to 16 oz plain yogurt
1 pkg. strawberry jello Cool Whip

Do in order given. Dissolve each jello in 1 cup boiling water. Divide in half.
Add 3 tbsp. cold water to one half and 3 tbsp yogurt to the other half. Pour the yourt mixture first into a 9 X 13 glass pan. Chill 1/2 hour, then pour other mixture on top of first. Chill 1/2 hour. Repeat steps with each pkg of jello. Garnish with coll whip when all layers are set.

I can't believe it but my beautiful picture of jello did not work. So sad!! You all would have loved it. I guess you'll have to go make it yourself to see it.

Chinese Dumplings

2008-06-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Most children will probably not like this one but a couple of mine did. It is fairly easy and very good. This is a commonly listed as an appetizer at Chinese restaurants but is usually part of the main meal in China.

1 package won ton wrappers
1/2 pound ground pork
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp corn starch

Mix the above ingredients (not the won ton wrappers) well and place a small spoonful into the middle of a won ton wrapper. Dip your finger into water and wet the edges of the won ton. Fold the won ton diagonally making a triangle. Seal the edges well and bring all three corners together in the middle.

Drop the dumpling into a pan of boiling salted water and let it cook for 3-5 minutes or until the dough begins to clear. Transfer the dumplings to a sauce pan with 5 tbsp of hot oil in the bottom. Allow the dumpling to get crisp (about 2 minutes) and drain on a paper towel.

Dip in soy sauce and eat until your blood pressure sky rockets from the sodium content.

You can use whatever sauces and/or vegetables in the meat mixture you want. I actually used a bag of stir fry vegetables yesterday that included broccoli, peapods, beans, carrots, red peppers, and onions. My Chinese co-workers told me that the more traditional vegetable is green onion. They also use a dipping sauce made of vinegar and garlic. Have at it.

Fruit Pizza

2008-06-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite among hosts when I do parties and has been in Pampered Chef cookbooks for years. You must try it!

Ingredients:

Sugar cookie dough (homemade or storebought)
If you use the store bought dough, be sure to have a little white flour on hand or powdered sugar to help roll out the dough so it isn't so sticky.
1 package 8 oz. cream cheese low fat is fine, do not get fat free
1/3 cup of white sugar or splenda
Assorted Fresh Fruit of your choice. (I think Strawberries, grapes and granny smith apples are best on this pizza)

Instructions:

Roll out sugar cookie dough on Large flat Stone until it is within 1 inch of the edge. Bake at 350 degrees or until very lightly golden brown. Watch it closely as it tends to get too hard quickly if you overbake.

Cool cookie completely.

Mix together cream cheese and sugar or sugar substitute

Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of cooled cookie.

Top with fresh fruit of your choice.

Cook's tips: If you aren't going to be eating the entire thing in one sitting, then save the frosting seperate from the cookie and only frost your piece of cookie before you eat it. This keeps the cookie crust from getting soggy like the fruit pizzas in the grocery stores.

For parties I have tried everything on this cookie from mandarian oranges in a can to fresh kiwis and bananas. All fruit is awesome. And try designs with the fruit to spell out stuff on special occasions like "Happy Birthday" written in blueberries etc.

For fruits that turn brown quickly when cut, soak them in Sprite for just a second then top them on the dessert. They won't turn brown. It's amazing!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2008-06-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 + 1/2 cups BBQ sauce ( I recommend Cookies BBQ sauce)
2 chicken breasts or enough chicken for 2 cups of chopped chicken
1/4 cup chopped red onion (this is the sweet onion)
1/2 cup green bell pepper
1 pizza crust
2-3 cups of your favorite shredded cheese (best is sharp or colby/jack)

Instructions:

Cook Chicken in a Microwave cooker (this way it only takes 6-8 minutes) Then dice it up to make 2 cups of chopped chicken.

Take out a large bowl. Mix together BBQ sauce, red onion, bell pepper and chicken. Pour this mixture over a prepared pizza crust. Top with cheese.

Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until crust looks golden brown.

Salsa Chicken

2008-06-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Green Beans (fresh, frozen, canned)
2-4 chicken breasts (depends on how many you are feeding)
Salsa (your favorite) I recommend fresh from a Mexican restaurant

Take your favorite Stoneware small dish with sides. Pour the greens beans in bottom of dish. Lay raw or frozen chicken breasts on top of the green beans. Pour salsa over the top of the chicken to completely cover it.

Cook at 350 degrees for about 45-55 minutes. Or until you cut into the chicken and it's white.

This recipe takes 5 minutes to prepare and tastes fabulous. Even my children who claim to dislike green beans love the way they taste when the salsa has cooked down into them.

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

2008-05-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

Jen & Adrianne make these all the time. Moist, full of caramel and easy to make!

1 pkg Devil’s Food Cake Mix

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

1 pkg Rolo candy

Mix the cake mix, oil and eggs together (do not use electric beater). Take about a teaspoon of the batter and make into a ball. Flatten ball and then wrap the batter around 1 Rolo and roll into ball. Place on greased cookie tray and bake at 350 F. for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake.

Jen’s note: I think it makes about 30-40, depending on how big you make them. I like to make them small. I think I usually cook them a little longer than 10 minutes. I take them out before they look done, then let them sit on a pan for a few minutes.

Won Ton Chicken Salad

2008-05-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is a great meal that is not too labor intensive and very good. It is also very easy to scale up or down for your family. I am going to write it up as I made it the other day for our family.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 package of Won Tons
1 bag of salad mix (a head of lettuce is fine also)
1/2 cup Japanese rice vinegar
1/2 cup oil (olive, vegetable, whatever)
1/2 cup sugar

Marinate the chicken breasts in teriaki sauce for a couple of hours then grill. I find that you will get more of a teriaki taste if you grill them in a grilling pan and then right before they are done, add fresh teriaki sauce onto the chicken. The hot pan will form a glaze on the chicken. Once the chicken is done, cube the breasts into fairly small pieces.

While the chicken is cooking, fry the won tons, turning once. I use a frying pan with about 1/2 of oil in the bottom. When the oil gets hot, add the won tons. Keep an eye on them since they cook very quickly and will burn. Drain them well to get rid of any excess oil.

Add the sugar, rice vinegar, and oil into a small container and mix well.

Finally, break the won tons into bite size pieces in a bowl, add some salad, some cubed chicken, and drizzle the dressing over the top. My mouth is watering in anticipation. Enjoy.

Eat Mores

2008-05-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

This yummy treat is named after a candy bar in Canada. It is similar to a chocolately rice crispy treat, but sooo much better. We got this from Mike's Grandma Rolfson, who lives in Raymond, Alberta, Canada. I think she actually created the recipe. She was a home ec teacher for years. She turns 90 this week. Way to go Grandma!!

You've got to try them!!

Eat Mores

3/4 c honey

1 c peanut butter

10 (or 2 c. minis) marshmellows

1 c chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

1 c chopped peanuts

3 c crisp rice cereal

In a heavy saucepan, melt honey and peanutbutter over medium heat. Add marshmellows and chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add peanuts and cereal and mix until combined. Press mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Cover adn chill until firm before cutting.

We have made these without peanuts, too, and they are still super tasty!

Mixed berry smoothie

2008-05-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

We love to eat smoothies in the summer. The beginning of our love for smoothies started in the fall of 2004 when I was pregnant with Will. I always wanted to eat Jamba Juice but didn't have the funds to buy them at the rate I wanted them so a friend of ours brought over their juice maker and the ingredients to a delicious smoothie. The rest is history.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

Mixed berries

Big scoop of vanilla ice cream

Water

Big scoop of apple juice (frozen concentrate)

A little milk

Blend it all together. Add more or less depending on how you like it.

The deal with the smoothies we make is that we just use whatever ingredients we have. The above ingredients just happen to be what we had. Other ingredients we use:

sherbet, bananas, strawberries, rasberries, blueberries, ice, yougart, various flavors of juice (doesn't always have to be frozen), sugar. Anyway, just mix whatever flavors you like. We rarely use ice cream or sherbet because we don't usually have those ingredients. We usually don't use sugar either because I think the yogart and juice give enough sweetness.

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

2008-05-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight we made grilled chicken quesadillas. They rocked! We tried 2 different versions and each can be easily tweeked to suit whatever you're craving.

Mexican Version

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Season Salt
Colby Jack blend shredded cheese
1 small can diced green chiles
10 small (8") tortillas

Prepare your chicken by spreading Season Salt on it then grill it until done. Do not over cook the chicken! It will go back on the grill later. Cut your chicken breasts in small cubes or strips (whichever you like).

Place cheese & 2 TBS diced green chiles on each tortilla. Top with your grilled chicken and place another tortilla on top. Place each tortilla on the grill carefully. Wait until the cheese is melted to flip. Serve with tomatoes, avacado slices, and sour cream. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken & Mushroom Quesadillas

Chicken
Mozarella
Fresh mushrooms and onions (saute'd in butter)

For this version we did basically the same thing as the Mexican, only used saute'd mushrooms and mozarella cheese. We omitted the green chiles also. This would also be great with onions in there too!

A Few Food Hints

2008-05-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. This was on a cooking channel and apparenty it really works.
Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving.
Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Aloha Chicken Pizza

2008-05-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

I tend to like quick food (unless someone else is making it) so here is a recipe for a fairly quick and tasty meal.

2 Cups diced chicken
2 green onions
1 red pepper
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, divided.
1 pizza crust - I cheat and get the pre-made crust
As much cheese as you want
1 can of pineapple

Chop the top half of each green onion off and place it in a small bowl of cold water (save for a garnish is you are feeling frisky). Slice the remaining lower half and place into a mixing bowl.
Dice half of the red pepper and place it into the mixing bowl with the onion.
Add the chicken (this can be pre-marinated in BBQ sauce if you want) and mix all three ingredients briefly.
Roll out the crust and spread about 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce on the crust.
Spoon the veggie and chicken mixture evenly around the pizza, add as much cheese as you want (I like sharp chedder and mozzarella) and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Immediately add the pineapple.

For a classy Iowa finish (somewhat of an oxymoron, I know), put the remaining 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce in to a ziplock bag, clip the corner and dizzle the sauce across the top the the pizza. Finally, for the coup d' etat, take the top half of the onions that you so dilligently saved, cut them into long strips and place them around the pizza. Gordon Ramsey couldn't make it look any better. This recipe tastes great, and can be modified to fit your taste buds anyway you like.

Oreo and Fudge Ice Cream Cake

2008-05-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

1/2 cup fudge ice cream topping, warmed

1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed, divided

1 pkg. (4 serving size) chocolate pudding

8 oreos

12 ice cream sandwiches

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. Add in the dry puddingmix; stir 2 min. or until 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 evenly, stir in 1/4 cup milk. Chop oreos into chunks. Stir in the pudding mixture. Arrange 4 of the ice cream sandwhiches side by side on a 42x12-inch peice of foil; top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat the layers. Top the pudding mixture with the remaining 4 ice cream sandwhiches. Frost the top and sides with the remaining whipped topping. Bring up sides of foil. Freeze at least four hours before serving. Let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before serving. Makes 12 servings.