There's No Cookin' Like SNOW Cookin'

Square Dance

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

My kids get to take turns picking the treat for our weekly Family Night. It's kind of funny to see what they choose when no one else can influence their decision. We've covered most of the favorites, ie: Tres Leches cake, ice cream, pink cake with pink frosting, brownies, and the funniest (at least to me) M&M's.

This week the request was Lemon Squares.

I don't make my Lemon Squares very often, because they're probably my biggest weakness. They're light enough to taste calorie free, but they're not... I got the recipe in a Bisquick recipe book years and years ago. If you don't have Bisquick I don't recommend substituting, this is pretty much the only reason I have Bisquick in my pantry...but it's worth it.

GLAZED LEMON SQUARES

1 cup Bisquick baking mix
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. firm butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flaked coconut, if desired
1 tbsp. Bisquick baking mix
2 eggs
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
Glaze (see below)

Heat oven to 350°. Mix 1 cup baking mix and the powdered sugar. Cut in butter. Press in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2. Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes.

Mix remaining ingredients, except Glaze; pour over baked layer. Bake until set, about 25 minutes. Loosen edges from sides of pan while warm. Spread with Glaze. Cool completely; cut into 1-inch squares.

GLAZE: Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tbsp. lemon juice until smooth.

Salsa!

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-06:00

I think I could eat chips and salsa every day. Totally not kidding. But I'm kind of picky about my salsas. I like tangy, and fresh, sometimes sweet. My mom brought us some mango salsa, pineapple salsa and peach salsa. They're really good, but I can eat only a little because they're pretty sweet.

I decided to make some Salsa Verde (that's green salsa to you non-Spainglish speaking people...) the other day. I had some cilantro, tomatillos, and jalapenos on hand, so it was perfect. I made up the recipe, without measuring, like normal, so here's some approximate measurements...sorry.

SALSA VERDE

1 bunch cilantro, chopped
6 jalapenos, seeded
6 tomatillos, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
lime juice
salt
black pepper

Blend all ingredients together.

I also love just regular tomato salsa. I received this recipe a year or so, and it's delicious!

FRESH TOMATO SALSA

1 yellow onion
2-3 jalapenos (seed them if you want to reduce the heat)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. sugar
1- 28 oz. can whole tomatoes (or just slice up some ripe tomatoes)
1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. white vinegar

Chop all ingredients up, or just dump into a blender and blend.

I Eats My Spinach

2012-01-24T21:17:00.002-06:00

Shane is a finicky salad eater. We both dislike iceberg lettuce, but he's not even a fan of some of the more substantial lettuces, like romaine, butter or leaf. However, he does like spinach salads, so....I buy big containers of baby spinach at Sam's Club. Then, sometimes I don't feel like eating spinach salads every night, and I need to use the spinach up before it goes bad, so we eat something like this...

RIGATONI FLORENTINE

Sounds kind of fancy, right? It's delicious, the kids liked it, and it had hidden (well, sort of) nutrients for the kids.

I found it here on Allrecipes.com by using their ingredient search. I love that I can put whatever ingredients I have on hand, or that I need to use, and recipes will come up every single time.

PASTA FLORENTINE (because I didn't use Rigatoni, I used bowtie...)

1 (16-oz.) package of pasta
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 pounds boneless chicken, cubed (I only used 1 pound, my kids don't really eat meat)
3 cloves garlic, chopped (I minced it)
1 pint heavy cream
26 ounces spaghetti sauce
10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped (I didn't chop mine, I missed that step)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I didn't use it, I was out, didn't want to go to the store...it worked ok without it, but I'll bet it's even better with it)

1. Bring water to boil and cook pasta to al dente, approximately 8-10 minutes.

2. In a large skilled, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Add garlic to skillet; saute until golden. Add cream and spaghetti sauce to skillet; cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until sauce thickens.

3. Add cooked chicken and spinach and cook until spinach reduces. Then add pasta; toss with cheese and serve.

Feeling Our Oats

2012-01-06T16:45:00.001-06:00

I think I've mentioned a time or two, that we've been diligent about having a prepared breakfast with the kids before school each morning this year. Yes, this is a new thing. We used to do "hot" breakfasts only on the weekends, because our school provides a breakfast each morning and I just didn't want to get up any earlier.

Yes, I love my sleep. And I love my kids happy, which comes from them getting more sleep.

And yes, I love how this year is going, it's so much better, even with the lack of sleep. I love knowing what is going into my kids stomachs for every single meal. We try to eat pretty healthy, and relatively package free, I can't say the same thing about school food.

However, with the introduction of another meal to prepare each day came a whole new obstacle. Not getting stuck in the breakfast rut, like I sometimes get bogged down in for lunch menus. I spent a long time preparing a list of foods that were our old stand-bys and I've done some fun research since then to find variations to the same things.

Today, we're going to address oatmeal. Oatmeal can be sooo good, and it can be sooo bad. I am not a fan of slimy, gooey oatmeal. I want the oats to still have some bite, and not resemble something you would encounter when you have a cold. I know, gross. So is slimy oatmeal.

We've tried three oatmeal recipes since school started. One was something I had in my recipe box from who knows where, then we tried this one, and then this morning we tried this one. All of them were tasty, all of them were relatively healthy (think fiber, dairy and vitamins), but one was a clear winner in our household.

Let's countdown from #3 to #1...

#3 comes to us from a package of quick oats from the Church storehouse. It's the easiest recipe of the three, and also the fastest to prepare. It's not bad, particularly if you add brown sugar, or maple syrup, or fruit. It's an easy standby for a rushed, cold morning.

CREAMY OATMEAL

4 1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups uncooked oats
1 tbsp. powdered milk
1 tbsp. sugar

Bring water and salt to a boil. Stir in oats and reduce heat. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase or decrease water for thinner or thicker oatmeal. Add powdered milk and sugar and stir well. Makes 4 cups of cereal.

#2 was one of the first things I found on Pinterest (yes, I'm now part of one more time-sucking social network). I'm giving it number two because it has the potential to be so much better than it was this morning. It's easy, because it's a crockpot recipe. It's tasty enough. However, because I thought about doing this late last night, I used regular oats, instead of steel cut oats. I'm hoping it's a little less slimy with steel cut oats... If not it's still easy, tasty and filling.

APPLE PIE BREAKFAST
Originally found at http://www.cookingwithjax.com/2011/01/apple-pie-breakfast.html

1 cup steel cut oats *
3 diced apples
1 cup apple juice
3 cups water

For best results: Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook for 2-4 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low until it reaches the consistency that you like. Be sure to stir every hour or so.

You can also cook longer without stirring as often, but you have to add more water liquid and it does come out a bit mushier. Add an extra cup of liquid for 7-8 hours in slow cooker. (btw, I cooked it for 6 hours on low, it sat for 2 hours on warm and I added no extra liquid but I also used regular oats, not steel cut...)

* It must be steel cut oats, regular oats get very soggy when cooked this way. You can find steel cut oats in your local grocery store (sometimes they are called "Irish oats" or "pinhead oats").

#1 is the clear winner at our house. It's a little less healthy, a little more time consuming, but it's match has not been found here at the Snow house. It provides grains, dairy and protein and Cael will eat it without complaint (which is huge). I wake up, prepare it, but it in the oven to bake and then go wake the kids up, by the time they're ready for school the food is ready to eat. Simple, right?!?

I'm a huge fan of Our Best Bites, and this is indicative of the quality of recipes you'll find on their site.

BAKED OATMEAL
Originally found at http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/02/baked-oatmeal/

3 cups regular oats (though in a pinch I've used quick oats and it was still really good)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup craisins, raisins, etc.
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (1/4 cup can be replaced with applesauce)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and craisins.

In a smaller bowl, mix together the milk, butter, vanilla, and eggs. Add the liquid mixture to the dry and stir to combine. Pour into an 8x8-in. baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with warm milk. Serves 8.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

2011-11-22T11:27:00.001-06:00

Do you still need a roll recipe for Thanksgiving? These are so good. Do not be scared, they don't really taste pumpkin-y. Just soft and tender. Sooo good! You can easily half the recipe.

original recipe found HERE.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Yield: 4 Dozen Rolls

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups warm milk
¼ cup butter, softened or melted (I warm it with the milk above)
2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin (I used canned)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup wheat germ or whole wheat flour
10-12 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
7 teaspoons dry yeast

Instructions:

1. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, water, milk, butter, pumpkin, and salt. Mix well.
2. Add wheat germ, 7-8 cups of the flour, and yeast. Mix, and then continue adding flour and kneading until dough is elastic and not sticky.
3. Place dough in greased bowl; grease top of dough, cover with a towel, and set in a warm place until doubled (about 60-90 minutes).
4. Punch dough down and divide into thirds. Divide each third into 16 pieces and shape into balls.
5. Place on greased baking sheets, and grease tops. (I use two 11x15-inch baking sheets, and put 24 rolls on each.) Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until tops are golden. Remove to wire racks and cover with a towel. Brush tops with butter if desired, as soon as rolls are removed to the wire racks. Serve warm with butter.

White Chicken Chili

2011-11-02T11:24:00.000-05:00

If I start making soups and stews maybe the weather will cool down!

White Chicken Chili/Soup

Adapted by Loni Jenks from the BYU Cooking Class Recipe Book by Janet
Stocks

3-4 cans great northern white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb. bacon, diced and cooked
1-2 cups of mild salsa
3-4 chicken breasts
8 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese
Chicken stock

Cook the chicken with half the salsa, either in a pot or a slow cooker, then shred
it. Cook the bacon (I like to bake mine in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with
parchment paper because to clean up you just have to wait for the grease to
cool, roll it all up to and throw it away!).

Combine all the ingredients, except the cheese, in a heavy pot or slow cooker.
Add chicken stock as desired to loosen it up. Simmer over medium heat for 15
minutes or so (for a slow cooker about an hour) until ingredients are warmed
through. Stir in the cheese and simmer a little while longer until it's melted. Add
any additional chicken stock to make it your desired consistency.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Printable Menu Planners

2011-10-27T09:25:00.000-05:00

I'm always looking for help when planning my weekly menu. I only do a week at a time so I thought I would share a few of my favorite printable planners:

The One With Lots of Ink but 3 Meals a Day

The One With the Grocery List

The One With Lots of Options

My Menu for the Week (in no special order, most have links):

Breakfast
Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Banana Muffins + Fruit
Tofu Orange Smoothies + Bagels
Breakfast Burritos (make extra to put in freezer)
Cheese Toast + Oranges + Bananas
Pumpkin Pancakes + Maple Sausage
Baked French Toast + Strawberries
Baked Oatmeal

Lunch
Green Salad + Macaroni and Cheese
PB&J + Carrot Sticks
Ham and Cheese on Crackers + Apples
Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwiches
Bean and Cheese Burritos
Grilled Cheese and Soup (from freezer)
Quesidillas + Green Salad

Supper
Chili Frito Pie (Using leftover extra chili in freezer)
Orange Chicken + Rice + Asian Salad
Pork Tenderloin + Mashed Potatoes + Green Beans
Fish Tacos
Steak + Pasta Salad + Fruit Salad
Terriyaki Salmon + Rice + Stir-fry Veggies (will post this recipe soon, we love it)
Halloween Party Potluck - Bringing Halloweenies (adapted) & Monster Eyes

Snack/Desserts
Homemade Granola Bars
Banana Bread

If you are interested in a recipe that I didn't post a link for just leave a comment and let me know. I'll try to get on it!

Pumpkin Season

2011-10-21T09:03:00.002-05:00

It's Pumpkin season! Pretty much my favorite season of the year, for fun and for food. I love cooking with pumpkin and i love carving pumpkins. Plus I love Pumpkin spice scented candles.

With this dessert you won't have to light the candles. It brings the scent into your house for real. Plus then you get to eat it and you don't have that waxy aftertaste. (for the record I have never tasted my candles)

Streusel ToppedPumpkin Pie

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (2cups)

1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 large egg

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (6 oz.) prepared graham cracker pie crust

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons AllPurpose Flour

2 tablespoonscold butter

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Whipped cream

HEAT oven to 425°F. Whisk together pumpkin, sweetenedcondensed milk, egg, 3/4teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Pour into crust.

BAKE 15 minutes.While pie is baking, combine brown sugar, flour and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl; cut inbutter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.Stir in nuts.

REMOVE pie fromoven; reduce oven to 350°F.Sprinkle streusel mixture over pie.

BAKE 40 minutesor until set. Cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream,if desired.

After School Delight

2011-10-20T17:40:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you guys, but no matter what I pack for my kids lunches, they come home starving.

Starving.

I don't want them to fill up too much before dinner, but I can't stand "starving" my kids.

Here's a new idea. Something filling, pretty healthy, and easy to throw together.

AFTER SCHOOL TRAIL MIX
3 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup pistachios

3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut

1 cup honey

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup craisins

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and stir to coat thoroughly.

Pour granola mixture onto a large baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with olive oil.

Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 1 hour or until golden. Stir every 15 minutes.

Allow to cool and enjoy!

If you're like my family, and you have to have sugar running through your veins at all times, by all means add M&Ms after you've baked it and it's cooled. There isn't much better than M&M's in trail mix. At least for 5/6 of our family.

Squash and Beans

2011-10-12T10:26:00.000-05:00

I'd like to thank Nicole for emailing me today's post. My life has been eaten up with photo shoots, back to school meetings, piano lessons and everything else that a wife/mother-of-4/teacher/chef/etc. has to do.

Sorry for the absence!

If you've read my past posts (say that 10 times fast) or know me, you know I'm a sucker for black beans, burritos and all kinds of squash. This recipe incorporates all things wonderful. No, I haven't made them yet, but I know Nicole, and I know Nicole's cooking, and it's got to be good. I'm making them this week, and I can't wait.

Seriously, tonight's dinner of baked ham, with homemade augratin potatoes just doesn't seem as good when my mouth is watering for this...

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Burritos (serves 3-4)

3-4 whole wheat flour tortillas
1 1-lb. butternut squash, diced into 1” cubes
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 c fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 c diced yellow or red onion
2 T olive oil, divided
1/2 t salt, divided
1/4 t sugar
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 t minced garlic
1/4 t ground cumin
1/8 t cayenne pepper (optional)
Salsa, sour cream and other burrito fixings of your choice

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl toss together the squash, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, sugar and ground black pepper until the squash is evenly coated. Spread onto a foil lined baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, until the squash is tender and lightly browned. Set aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 2 minutes or until they begin to soften. Next, add the drained black beans and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently. Finally, add the roasted squash and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until everything is completely heated through.

To assemble your burritos, take a warm tortilla and fill with a generous amount of the black bean and squash filling. Add a nice handful of chopped spinach on top and roll together (the spinach will wilt slightly inside). Serve with salsa, avocado, cilantro or any burrito fixins that you like!

We've Gone Ape

2011-09-15T13:20:00.002-05:00

Remember how I mentioned I was trying to come up with all sorts of new things to feed my family in the mornings?

It's still going well. No major complaints, except for quiche (Cael), Johnny Cakes (Landry), breakfast meat (Cael), German pancakes (me)... but seriously, it's going really well.

Then I hit a snag. I didn't have any ideas for today and I didn't plan ahead last night, so come this morning, at 6:30, I was trying to decide what to make. Then I remembered a Young Women's activity we had a couple of months ago. So, I thanked the world for my friend Susan, and her friend Paula Deen, and we had Gorilla Bread - the ever-so-decadent cousin of Monkey Bread.

Do you have refrigerator rolls? Check.
Do you have cream cheese? Check.
Do you have sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter? Check, check, check and check.

(seriously, if you do not have these ingredients in your pantry/refrigerator I will cry for you)

In the time it took me to cook some eggs and bacon to accompany our centerpiece it was baked and ready to eat. Perfect for a rainy (Yes, rainy!) Thursday school day. Just like oatmeal, but so much better!

GORILLA BREAD
(Originally found here at Paula Deen)
italics indicate changes by me

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon (at our house we have a shaker full of cinnamon sugar, already mixed that I use)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-oz) pkg. cream cheese
2 (12-oz) cans refrigerator rolls
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional, and at our house, never used...)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. (today I used a 10-in. tart pan, because I wanted it flat instead of molded to cook faster, it worked great)

Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan melt butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press biscuit dough out, place cube of cheese and cinnamon sugar, wrapping and sealing cheese inside dough. Layer biscuits, nuts and sauce. (I simply wrap a cube of cheese inside a biscuit, lay them all out, sprinkle tops of wrapped biscuits with cinnamon sugar, then pour sauce over the entire thing. It's alot easier and tastes the same...)

Bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Invert pan and serve.

Can I See Your Menu?

2011-09-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

Do you guys cook frompre-made menus or just wing it? I was rolling more as a free spirit during thesummer months, but I realized as we headed into the hectic time of year calledschool-time we needed to make some changes.

So….menu time it is.

It helps my life in alot of ways. I mean, seriously, wholoves to go to the grocery store? With 3year old twins? And grocery prices that are seriously crazy high? (this alone makes me long for Utah's low grocery prices, that and the cooler temperatures, and the rain, and the mountains...)

Yeah, not me either.

It’s a great way to savetime and gas by planning ahead (gasp, yes) and only having to frequent thegrocery store every week or so.

Of course, we alsodecided to initiate the hot breakfast during the week routine my husband wasraised with. I am a cold cereal kind ofgal, so that is a change for me. But, aftera week and a half of cooking a hot breakfast for my family, I’m convinced it’sa good practice I should have started years ago. Now we have my beloved cold cereal on theweekends.

It’s expanded our oldlist of standby’s and the kids have been really good sports about it. However, I did ad lib last night, becauseafter cooking every day we had a fridge full of left-overs and no room formore. Hence, the tradition of Wednesdayleftovers started…

So, if you do a menuwill you share some ideas? I’m anxious to see some new ideas, and I’d love forour menu to not be like the school menu with a four week rotating schedule!

Here's ours for the last/this/next weeks...

Wednesday: Cinnamon Rolls/Scrambled eggs/fruit

Quesadillas/yogurt

Fried Rice with veggies

Thursday: Johnny cakes

Sandwiches

Chicken & corn enchiladas

Friday: Egg/cheese/ham sandwiches

Ramen w/ veggies

BBQ ribs w/ corn on cob

Saturday: Cereal w/ fruit

Ravioli

Tacos

Sunday: Cereal

We eat at my in-laws every week, I took a veggie

Monday: Oatmeal

Fried rice

Dirty Beans

Tuesday: Hashbrown frittata

Yogurt/fruit/crackers

Chili Relleno casserole

Wednesday: French toast

Sandwiches

Leftovers

Thursday: Leftovers

Mac 'n cheese

Roast w/ mashed sweet potatoes

Friday: Quiche

Sandwiches

Pizza

Saturday: Cereal

Ravioli (see a trend, I don't cook on Saturdays)

Parmesan Tilapia

Sunday: Cereal

I'm taking a dessert...any ideas?

Monday: Biscuits & Gravy

Sandwiches

Ranch chicken

Tuesday: German Pancakes

yogurt/fruit/crackers

Hawaiian chicken w/ rice

Jamie's Asian Noodle Salad

2011-08-19T22:23:00.004-05:00

This is a recipe that is making its way around the food blogs.
Have you ever seen the tv show Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? Messy brown hair, english accent (not to be confused with Guy Fieri's spiky blonde hair or Curtis Stone with the Australian accent)? I've only seen it once, and I watched him bury a family's deep fryer. That was kinda weird.
Anyway, this is one of his recipes... it is sooo good. Even my "I'm not a rabbit" husband liked it. Perfect blend of sweetness and spice.
Do you think Jamie would approve that I served it with grilled tomato and cheese sandwiches? Probably not.
Asian Noodle Salad
adapted from Jamie Oliver

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small bag bean sprouts
3 sliced green onion
1 peeled, sliced cucumber (no thanks)
chopped cilantro-to taste
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet (didn't use either)

DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped

Mix together salad ingredients in LARGE bowl. Whisk (or use blender, or put in a jar and shake)together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs and serve in a big bowl or platter.

I Scream For Ice Cream

2011-08-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

It's officially ice cream season at our house. Finally, since it should have started months ago. While in Utah (for the second time) I purchased a new cookbook (well, we bought four) named Scoop. It's all about ice cream. All. About. Ice. Cream....mmmm.

If you know me, you know I love me some ice cream. I love to make it. I love to eat it. I love to experiment. Now I'm just trying to get behind the science of it all.

The first one we tried was Banana Cream Pie, which was good but way rich. If you're lucky I'll post the recipe, sans pictures because it went pretty quickly. The cookbook also includes recipes for Jalapeno Avacado Ice Cream, which I'm actually going to try. Yes, I am.

The next recipe I made wasn't from the Scoop cookbook, but one that I'd found earlier this Summer and hadn't tried yet. Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream. Yep, buttermilk.

It's tangy and sweet and oh, so refreshing.

Birthday Dinners

2011-08-09T15:45:00.000-05:00

Birthday dinners are a HUGE thing at our house. The birthday person gets to plan the menu for their own, very special birthday dinner. Whatever they want. In a family of 6 this is a pretty big deal. Especially when the mom loves to cook what she likes most of the time…

Savannah’s dinner was the most thought out, well planned meal from a six-year old EVER. She analyzed her options, she thought long and hard, and came up with pretty much the perfect menu. Each one of the 15 people who ate the dinner would agree, I’m sure.

Jalapeno poppers

Homemade rolls with homemade jam

Tomato/alfredo shrimp pasta bake

Green salad

10 layer rainbow layered jello

Grape soda (we also offered Strawberry)

Strawberry lemonade ice cream cake (just use Strawberry Lemonade mix)

Seriously, so fattening, so time-intensive to make, but oh, so delicious! Thanks Nannah!

TOMATO/ALFREDO SHRIMP PASTA BAKE

16-18 oz. pasta (I use penne, radiatore, or farfalle), cooked as directed on packaging
Large jar spaghetti sauce (it doesn't have to be fancy, I use Hunts, it's cheap and the spaghetti sauce isn't the star of this dish)
Alfredo sauce (see recipe below, or you can use a large jar of store bought sauce
1 pound medium shrimp, cooked, deveined and tails removed, chopped into bits
Mozzarella cheese - enough to cover a 9x13-in. casserole

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook alfredo sauce, if you're making the homemade (and much, much tastier) sauce. Once sauce is cooked, add the shrimp to it and stir in. Line 9x13-in. baking pan with spaghetti sauce, just dump it in and spread it out. Add cooked pasta, then pour the alfredo sauce (w/ shrimp mixed in) over the pasta. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until it is bubbly.

Amazing Alfredo Sauce:

1 pint heavy cream

1/2 cup butter

2 tbsp. cream cheese

3/4 c. parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. garlic powder

In a saucepan, combine cream, butter and cream cheese. Simmer until all is melted and mixed well. Add parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Stirring constantly, with a whisk, simmer for 15-20 minutes until thick.

Black Bean and Corn Dip

2011-08-03T13:01:00.002-05:00

Black Bean and Corn Dip
2 (15 oz) cans black beans rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn, thawed
1 avocado, diced
1 small red pepper, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
6 green onions, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Put the lime juice, oil, garlic, salt and cayenne in a small jar. Cover with lid an shake until well combined.

In a medium bowl, combine the beans, corn, avacado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, hot pepper and cilantro. Pour the lime dressing over the salad. Stir well to coat.
Eat with tortilla chips.

2011-06-13T12:10:00.000-05:00

Well, Martha Stewart didn’t pull through for me with this recipe, but I procured the “Most Likely To Put Mrs. Field’s Out Of Business” award for these babies…

Gorgeous, aren’t they?

They’re delicious too.

I found them on Allrecipes.com, here.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA CRANBERRY DREAMS

(Though I might argue a better name would be the name of my award?)

3 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ cup white sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup vanilla baking chips

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1 cup dried cranberries

1. In a medium bowl set aside flour, baking soda and salt.

2. Cream together white sugar, light brown sugar and butter. Add slightly beaten eggs and vanilla.

3. Add flour mixture until just mixed. Stir in vanilla chips, macadamia nuts and dried cranberries. (the dough is thick)

4. Preheat oven to 350°. Place on ungreased cookie sheet by small spoonfuls (I used a heaping tablespoon). Bake for 10 minutes or just until set. Remove from oven and let cool. Cookies will sink slightly.

5. Variations: To make chocolate cookies omit ½ cup flour and replace with ½ cup cocoa. To make refrigerator cookies roll dough into 2 rolls, wrap with plastic wrap and chill or freeze. (If you freeze the dough, then thaw for at least ½ hour). Slice 1 inch slices, cut into 4 and place on baking sheet point up. For fancier cookies drizzle melted white chocolate on chocolate cookies and melted dark chocolate on the white cookies.

Martha Stewart-esque

2011-06-06T23:16:00.002-05:00

I co-hosted a goodbye party recently. Basically I provided a roof for the party and my co-host directed and produced an awesome farewell bid to a couple of friends.

I cleaned the house. She planned the menu. I offered to help, she asked me to make this. That's from Martha Stewart people, I am so not a Martha Stewart-esque person. My friend totally is, she's just shorter than Martha, but with better hair.

The basil infused strawberry shortcake worked better than I thought it would. So did the rosemary infused pound cake with rosemary infused honey. So did the Meyer lemon tart, even though it wasn't infused with anything but lemon, and you were supposed to actually eat the lemons. I think every joke from that night had something to do with infusing something. And I can say that I developed a little more respect for Martha Stewart that night, and for infusing things.

Fast forward a couple of months...

We have a cookie bake-off on Saturday for church. You know I can't say no to a contest, that involves baking, and sweets...I actually googled "World's Best Cookie" just to see what would come up. It's a pretty interesting list, most of which was bypassed for more exciting things like this: a list of delectable, delicious Martha Stewart cookies. Yep, I'm laying my fate as cookie champion in the hands of Ms. Stewart, and based on the recipe we tried tonight, I think I may have found a new favorite cookie recipe, and it's not technically infused with anything but love. But, for my lovely friend Christina, I'm changing the name from Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies to......

CHOCOLATE CHIP AND BANANA INFUSED COOKIES
Courtesy of Martha Stewart, but adapted by me
Martha's original recipe found here

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1 cup rolled oats
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into a bowl and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.

2) Using a spoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until golden brown and just set, 10-12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks, let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers for up to 2 days.

Summertime Salad

2011-05-24T14:23:00.001-05:00

I love me a good, complicated recipe every once in awhile, but for some reason come Summertime, I'm all about simplicity and lightness. Hello, salads! I love combining different ingredients to try new tastes together. Plus, most of our Summer recipes involve pasta, because I've got to provide for my kids energy and endurance somehow.

It seems that whenever I've failed to plan ahead, and dinnertime creeps up on me before I'm ready, and I'm smack dab in the middle of a huge project that I just can't step away from for more than ten minutes, and I've asked the kids what sounds good to them...inevitably they announce unanimously, "Pasta salad!"

Usually our fall back salad is this one, but I experimented a little this time and came up with this winner. The kids loved it and I couldn't wait to have it for lunch the next day. We ate it warm for dinner, but it was just as good cold for lunch. See, versatile!

SUMMERTIME PASTA SALAD

16 oz. penne pasta

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 lb. small shrimp

1/2 green pepper, chopped

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2-3 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Italian dressing

salt and pepper

- Cook pasta al dente

-While pasta is cooking, steam shrimp

-Chop veggies and place in bowl with parmesan cheese

-Add hot shrimp and rinsed pasta

-Season with salt, pepper, and Italian dressing to your taste. Serve warm, or cold, it's good either way.

Sausage and Cabbage Soup

2011-05-09T21:15:00.004-05:00

I made this recipe up as I went along so there are not exact measurements, but who follows those anyways? So here are my guidelines for a simple and hearty soup.Sausage and Cabbage Soup

1/2 head cabbage

3/4 link of smoked sausage

carrots

potatoes

1/2 onion

1 leek

Beef broth

Seasoning (garlic, pepper, thyme, maybe a bay leaf)

Brown sausage, remove and cook onions and leek down. When almost tender add shredded cabbage. Cook until a little transparent and add broth.

Add all remaining ingredients (can add to crockpot at this point as well). Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Now go make some soup and ignore why my blogger is adding extra space everywhere.

Lemon and Spring

2011-04-29T13:02:00.000-05:00

Citrus and Spring go hand in hand, at least to me. Spring is refreshing after the brown/gray of Winter, and Citrus is refreshing after the heaviness of potatoes and meat, right?

So, even though it's felt like Summer for over a month here in Texas and we haven't had an ounce of moisture since last Fall, we're pretending it's a nice Spring day and we're celebrating with a nice Spring meal.

The sauce in the original recipe was written as a marinade, but since I didn't get on the ball and marinate the meat, (and I usually don't get on the ball to marinate the meat...) I always just use it as a sauce to cook the chicken in, and I double it and thicken it from the original recipe. So that's what you're getting today, an adaptation of what probably was a good marinade recipe, but now it's an amazing saucy chicken recipe that my kids (and husband) can't get enough of.

SAUCY LEMON CHICKEN

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 chicken boullion cube
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
Cornstarch and cold water, mixed together for thickening - as much as needed to thicken to your preference
Lemon slices for garnish

1. Slice chicken into thin strips, and brown with olive oil in skillet.

2. Mix together all other ingredients excluding cornstarch mixture and add to browned chicken in skillet. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is boiling, add cornstarch mixture until sauce thickens to your preferred thickness.

3. Serve over rice, as usual we used Jasmine rice for it's hearty flavor. Garnish with lemon slices for fun, or for your family entertainment to see who can suck on the lemon slices longest without flinching...maybe that's just us.

Spring Rolls for Springtime

2011-04-25T10:09:00.003-05:00

Thai Fried Rice adapted from Thai Table

3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tomato, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons soy sauce - mushroom
pinch ground pepper
1 teaspoons fish sauce
1 cup cooked rice (cook earlier and put in fridge to dry and cool)
3 Thai chili pepper (Optional)
1/3 cup pork or chicken
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lime
1 green onion Optional
2 cloves garlic, minced Optional
2 eggs
Other veggies, such as pea pods, bean sprouts (optional)

When the pan is extremely hot (smoking hot), pour in the oil and follow with meat. Stir quickly. It can get real smoky. If you see that there is juice coming out from your meat and pooling on the bottom and not evaporating, your pan is not hot enough. When the meat is cooked, set it aside or just put it on the side of the pan if you can. Add the egg and scramble the egg until the egg is all cooked. Put the egg aside or just push it aside and make some room on the bottom of the wok. Add the fish sauce and soy sauce and stir. Keep stirring and mixing the rice with ingredients. Add all vegetables. Stir for 1 or 2 more minutes. Sprinkle ground pepper.

Some people like to add a fried egg on top of the fried rice. If you do, add 2 teaspoons of oil, crack the egg and fry until the egg white is crispy. Put the egg on top of fried rice.

Serve hot with a 1/4 wedge of lime and whole green onion.

(I got this recipe online somewhere, long ago)

Spring Rolls

•3 cloves garlic, minced
•1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, grated
•2 green onions, sliced into matchstick pieces
•1 red chili, minced, OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (omit if you prefer very mild spring rolls)
•1/2 cup shredded or finely chopped cabbage
•4-6 shiitake mushrooms, cut into matchstick pieces
•1/2 cup medium to firm tofu, sliced into matchstick pieces (If non-vegetarian: add 1/2 cup cooked baby shrimp)
•approx. 2 cups bean sprouts
•1/2 cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
•1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
•2 Tbsp. oil, plus more for deep-frying
•1 pkg. spring roll wrappers (thawed if frozen)

•STIR-FRY SAUCE:
•2 Tbsp. regular soy sauce
•2 Tbsp. fish sauce OR vegetarian stir-fry sauce (I like Lee Kum Kee brand)
•2 Tbsp. lime juice
•1/4 tsp. sugar

•TO SERVE:
•Thai sweet chili sauce (available in most supermarkets, Asian section)

Preparation:
1.Place 2 Tbsp. oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium to high heat. Add garlic, galangal (or ginger), shallots, and chilli. Stir-fry until fragrant (about 1 minute). Stir-frying Tip: Add a little water to the wok/pan when it gets too dry instead of more oil.
2.Add cabbage, mushrooms, and tofu (or shrimp). As you stir-fry, add the sauce. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes, until vegetables have softened.
3.Remove from heat and add bean sprouts, tossing to mix in.
4.Do a taste test for salt, adding 1 Tbsp. more fish or soy sauce if not salty enough.
5.To assemble rolls, place a spring roll wrapper on a clean working surface. Place one heaping Tbsp. of the filling on the wrapper (if using large wrappers, you will need more). Tips: Spread the filling lengthwise along the spring roll wrapper nearer the end closest to you. Also, try not to include too much of the liquid left in the bottom of your wok/pan (a slotted spoon works well for this - drier filling is better.
6.Now sprinkle some of the fresh coriander and basil over the filling.
7.Fold the left and right sides of wrapper over filling, then lift up the wide end nearest you and tuck overtop. Roll to the other end. Secure the roll by dipping your fingers in some water and wetting the end, "pasting" it shut.
8.To fry spring rolls, place some oil (about 1 inch deep) in a wok or deep-sided frying pan over medium-high heat. When bubbles rise, or when the oil begins to form snake-like lines across the bottom of the pan, the oil may be hot enough. To test it, dip one corner of a spring roll into the oil. If it beginsto sizzle and cook, the oil is ready. If not, wait another 30 seconds to one minute and try again.
9.Using tongs, place spring rolls in oil, allowing them to fry about 1 minute on each side. Spring rolls are done when they turn light to medium golden-brown (see photo). Place on paper towels (or a clean dish towel) to drain while you finish frying the rest.
10.Serve spring rolls while still hot with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, or your own dipping sauce (see recipe bellow). ENJOY!

TO MAKE YOUR OWN DIPPING SAUCE: Mix 1/3 cup plum sauce with 3 Tbsp. soy sauce. Add fresh cut red chili or dried crushed chili as desired.

Drive-Ins, Diners and Dives

2011-04-18T11:25:00.000-05:00

I love food networks and cooking shows. As inspiring as they are, I love most watching whip together food quickly, efficiently and plating it beautifully. That doesn't happen at our house. I may whip it together quickly, sometimes efficiently, but the plating is lost in the six of us wolfing it down without stopping to admire the beauty of the dish. Hence the lack of pictures lately. Sorry, we're hungry.

Last time Shane and I sat down to watch Triple D (yes, the title post, it's too long to type again) Guy Fieri watched a chef make Pastitsio. Shane fell in love, but of course the restaurant didn't expose all of it's little secrets or the recipe in total, so we googled it...

This is the closest we could find, from Ina Garten...the restaurant we watched make it used only beef, no lamb. If I make this I will be using only beef too.

Pastitsio

Ingredients

For the Tomato Meat Sauce:

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound lean ground lamb
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 large cloves)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Bechamel:

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan or Kasseri cheese
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup Greek-style yogurt, such as Fage Total
3/4 pound small shells

Directions

For the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the beef and lamb, and saute over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it's no longer pink, crumbling it with the back of wooden spoon. Drain off any excess liquid, add the wine, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and cayenne, and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the bechamel, heat the milk and cream together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Pour the warm milk and cream mixture into the butter and flour mixture, whisking constantly. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and thick. Add the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the tomato and meat sauce, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the eggs and yogurt and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Don't over-cook because the pasta will later be baked. Drain and set aside.

Add the pasta to the meat and tomato sauce, and pour the mixture into a baking dish. Spread the bechamel evenly to cover the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly. Set aside for 10 minutes and serve hot.

April Fool's Fail

2011-04-03T21:05:00.000-05:00

Last year I went all out for our April Fool's Day dinner. If you'll remember it involved cupcakes and meatloaf; it was awesome.

This year, between packing Shane and Lincoln up for an overnight camping trip, and babysitting three extra young children, I didn't get it done. I managed to come up with a lame and complete ineffective food prank...

sugarless Koolaid.

Apparently my husband just thought I was frazzled enough after an afternoon of 7 kids, 6 of which were 6 and under, and I had just forgotten to add the sugar. Lincoln thought it tasted watered down, but he drank it anyway. I didn't even try it on the other kids, my prankster high had been blown and it was pointless to go on with it.

I'm getting back in the game next year. And, I'm refusing to babysit on April Fool's, just in case.

Did any of you do anything fun, exciting and effective for April Fool's? I mean, I need all the advice/help/ideas that I can get!

Happy St. Patty's Day

2011-03-17T17:04:00.000-05:00

We're having our traditional St. Patty's day meal tonight, you know, green eggs and ham. I love holiday traditions! I love hitting the grocery store for thick cut smoked ham, eggs, and anything else green that will go with the meal, like asparagus, salad, broccoli, limeade, jello and for dessert we're having no-bake, limey cheesecake.

What are your holiday food traditions? We're always looking for more!

Creamy, No-Bake Cheesecake

1 graham cracker crust (I make my own with crushed cinnamon grahams)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup lime juice

Cream the cream cheese until fluffy, add milk and mix until smooth. Add vanilla and lime juice, mix until all incorporated. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate until set up.

**For St. Patty's day I add a few drops of green food coloring to the filling**

The Night We Ate My Son

2011-03-09T21:10:00.001-06:00

Or, at least that's what he thought when we started talking about eating kale in this soup.

When the kids saw the green stuff in the soup it came out that the unknown vegetable was Kale, not Cael, my last born child. He was sufficiently concerned and didn't touch the green stuff.

However, the rest of us did, and loved it. This is one of my husband's favorite soups, and because it's one of those recipes that I don't usually have all the ingredients for, we go long periods of time without eating it. You'll recognize the name if you've ever eaten at The Olive Garden, and if you've ordered their Zuppa Toscana, and liked it, then you now have a copycat recipe. Though this recipe is not listed on their site, they have a large selection of their recipes online at http://www.olivegarden.com/recipes/.

Zuppa Toscana

1 pound hot or mild Italian sausage
1 bag real bacon bits
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups water
5 cubes chicken bouillon
3 potatoes, chopped to 1/4"-ish
1 pint whipping cream (though I usually substitute half and half)
1 cup kale

Brown sausage in a large skillet. Add bacon bits, onion and garlic and saute together. Transfer meat mixture to a large pot, add water, bouillon, and potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are cooked. Add whipping cream and let simmer until thoroughly heated. Add kale and let sit until the kale is soft, about 5 minutes.

Leftovers 101

2011-03-03T09:45:00.001-06:00

Once a week we do leftovers night. It's that night where everything that you've got in your fridge gets cleaned out and dumped. Otherwise known as clean-out-your-fridge night. I tell my kids the goal is to clean out as many of the containers as possible, it's like a game to them.

This was our leftover offerings last week.

#1 - Steamed butternut squash served with a little bit of butter, salt and pepper.

#2 - Beef roast, cooked in the crockpot for 4 hours with a packet of dry onion soup mix on the top.

#3 - Brown rice pilaf (recipe below), this was found while cooking a diabetic meal for a friend.

#4 - Mandarin-cranberry pork chops (recipe below), I made this one up to see how it worked. It turned out to be easy and delicious!

#5 - Potatoes and onions, my kids favorite "fries". Cut up some potatoes and onions, cook with a little bit of olive oil and salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Like fries, my kids eat this with ketchup.

#6 - Fresh cut mango. I have never been good at cutting mangoes, I pretty well massacre them. Then I asked my babysitter to teach me, because she's the master. It's really easy, if you follow the directions. Here is a tutorial, if you're interested. It's not the way I learned, but it's a workable way as well.

#7 - Fajitas - Sauteed chicken breast, onions, green bell pepper and jalapeños...my kids loved it and it included everything they hate, ie: peppers and onions. Sometimes it's just how you cook it!

Brown Rice Pilaf

2 cups water
1 cup brown rice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup frozen vegetables
1/2 tsp. cumin

If you have a rice cooker, throw it all together, and cook. If you don't have a rice cooker, in a saucepan mix the water, rice, olive oil and salt and bring to a boil. Mix in the vegetables and cumin. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45-60 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.

Mandarin-Cranberry Pork Chops

4 pork chops, or as many as you need to feed your family
1 can, whole berry cranberry sauce
1 large can, mandarin oranges, juice drained
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. curry powder

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown pork chops in pan, season with a little salt and pepper, then place in baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients and pour over chops in bowl. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour or until your pork chops are cooked through. Serve over rice.

**This would also work really well in a slow cooker, just adjust cooking times as needed.**

This Weeks Menu

2011-03-02T16:51:00.002-06:00

Sometimes the thing I hate most about grocery shopping is sitting down and writing a list. Well, that would be a thing I hated the most if I didn't go shopping with kids anyways.
Here is what we are eating this week for dinner based on deals at my local HEB grocery and coupons that are burning a whole in my binder:

Wednesday:
T-Bone steaks on grill (Marinade recipe)
Asparagus
Potatoes (chop, coat in olive oil and some of an onion soup seasoning pkt. Cover with foil and bake)

Thursday:
Gumbo
French Bread

Friday:
Chicken Fajitas
Beans
Rice

Saturday:
Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp
Rice
Pre-packaged veggie pot stickers

Sunday:
Strogonoff w/ leftover steak (I just made this two weeks ago but loved it so much I'm making it again already!)
Noodles
Fruit
Green Beans or Peas

Monday:
Pineapple Chicken Sandwiches
Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday:
Chili served on baked potatoes
Cornbread
Fruit Salad

Now I know I need to post my recipe for chili and for my Mom's Gumbo!

Picnics After President's Day, Kind Of Like White Pants After Memorial Day

2011-02-21T14:25:00.000-06:00

We're lucky, down here in Texas. Usually we have a short cold season, like a week or so, and then we're back to our regularly scheduled beautiful weather. This Winter we had a few weeks of extremely cold weather, (don't laugh, it was cold like Antarctica around here), but it's beautiful and warm for a few days. I'm pulling out all stops and celebrating this President's day with a picnic at the park. Southern style.

The meal will be complete with:

biscuits

oven baked "fried" chicken

beans

coleslaw

and homemade limeade

Or not. Maybe we'll just do takeout since there's a fried chicken restaurant on every corner down here.

This Year's Valentine's Cake for Chocoholics Everywhere

2011-02-11T10:03:00.001-06:00

Elizabeth's Extreme Chocolate Lover's Cake

Rated:

Submitted By: ELIZABETHBH

Photo By: KEVINXS

Prep Time: 25 Minutes

Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour

Servings: 16

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened

chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1 cup water

FROSTING:

6 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened

chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

4 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,

softened

GANACHE:

2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 (9 inch) pans. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the top of a double boiler, heat 6 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the melted chocolate. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake
comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

4. Make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: In the top of a double boiler, heat 6 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, whip the butter for about 10 minutes until it is super fluffy, beat in egg yolk. Gradually blend in the confectioners' sugar, alternating with 2 tablespoons vanilla and 2 tablespoons cream, then blend in the melted chocolate. Beat in the softened cream cheese.

5. Make the Ganache: In a large saucepan, combine chocolate chips and 1 cup heavy cream. Heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

6. Assemble the cake: When cake is completely cooled, cover the bottom cake layer with as much ganache as desired. Refrigerate for 5 minutes, or until ganache has set. Spread frosting over the ganache. Cover with top layer of cake. Frost top and sides with buttercream, and garnish with more ganache.

Another Enchilada Recipe

2011-02-10T14:25:00.003-06:00

I know, I have a problem with settling on my favorite enchilada recipe (like the one I posted HERE). My sis-in-law found these recipes online and filled flour tortilla with the meat, cheese and rice. She put them in a casserole dish with cheese on top and baked until warm and cheese was melted. They were really good! I know that Brooke has posted this same recipe for cilantro-lime rice HERE, I just re-posted for convenience.

Sweet Pork (Cafe Rio knock-off)
2 pounds pork (I used boneless ribs that were on sale)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar. If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

CAFE RIO'S KNOCK-OFF CILANTRO-LIME RICE
1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Warm and Home-y Comfort Food (for kids)

2011-02-02T15:15:00.001-06:00

My kids love macaroni and cheese. My 3-year old daughter has a special thing going on with mac 'n cheese. She asks for it a lot. Like every. single. day... See when I was in school, the twins got to eat lunch twice a week at Grandma's house. She, like most Grandma's, spoiled them. Where I will only make one lunch, she made two different ones. PB&J for Cael, and mac 'n cheese for Landry. When I would drop them off Landry would greet Grandma by saying, "Iamhungry,Iwantmac'ncheese..." They got spoiled. Really spoiled. They are now getting used to the fact that Mom doesn't cater to every whim like Grandma and they are settling for either PB&J or mac 'n cheese some days now.

So, when I was perusing recipes the other day, and found this one I decided to try it out. You see, I am a macaroni and cheese lover too. I just don't love the fake powdered cheese in unnatural colors like my kids do. I love a great, baked, creamy mac 'n cheese with real cheese and maybe some additives, like bacon, or chicken.

If you've ever eaten at Z'Tejas, I love their mac 'n cheese. This recipe is really close.

THE BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE

12 oz. medium cheddar, grated

4 oz. monterey jack, grated (I used only cheddar, with a little horseradish cheddar mixed in)

4 oz. Velveeta, cubed (if you don't like processed cheese use more cheddar, the processed cheese just makes it more smooth)

4 oz. cream cheese

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

salt and pepper

16 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

1/2 cup bread crumbs, plain and dry

2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oven to 350°. Put cheeses (except Parmesan) in top of double boiler (if you don't have one, set a heat proof bowl over a saucepan with about 1 inch of water in it) and melt over simmering water, stirring frequently. Gradually add milk, whisking until completely smooth. Whisk in mustard, bacon, salt and pepper.

Pour the cheese mix into a large bowl, add the macaroni and toss to coat. Then pour the coated mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top.

Bake until crumbs are browned and the cheese is bubbling, 25-30 minutes.

Note: This recipe would be awesome with a couple of grilled chicken breasts cut up into it. I'm adding the chicken on the side for our "non-meat eating children" but chicken would be a perfect addition to make this side a complete main dish.

Yes, it's kind of messy to make, it takes a lot of bowls and pans, and it's certainly not the healthiest dish we've posted here, but seriously, it's delicious, and it's a perfect dish for a really cold day (like today).

Million Dollar Brownies

2011-01-28T18:00:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I think I've posted one of my favorite recipes, only to find that I have sub-consciously kept it to myself. I'm a sharer though, I really am.

This is my current go-to brownie recipe - named "Million Dollar Brownies" and totally worth a million dollars.

They're rich, thick, fudgy, chocolately, gooey and delicious.

See?

MILLION DOLLAR BROWNIES

7 tbsp. cocoa
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)
1/2 cup pecans (optional, which means at my house they are a no-go...)

Heat oven to 350°. Melt butter and stir in cocoa, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in rest of ingredients. Spread (it's thick) in a greased 8 x 8 in. baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. (I usually make a double batch and bake in a 9 x 13 in. pan for 25-30 minutes).

OAMC - revisited

2011-01-18T11:30:00.003-06:00

The second OAMC recipe we tried was just as good, but I totally took creative rights with the recipe. See, it's written as a casserole, which is perfect for freezing, but I was making this to eat that night, and I didn't want it to be a casserole...I wanted to use my slow cooker again.

Hence, the slow cooker casserole was born.

CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE (adapted by Brooke)

1 10 oz. package frozen broccoli
1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cubed
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
rice

Place chicken and broccoli in slow cooker. Mix together chicken soup, miracle whip, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, curry powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then pour over chicken in slow cooker. Top with breadcrumbs. Cook on low for 2-3 hours, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Serve over rice.

OAMC - Worth It?

2011-01-16T11:00:00.005-06:00

The recipes are, if nothing else.

OAMC - Once A Month Cooking. Find it here or here. This is a handy little program that allows you to cook a months worth of main dishes in one day, thereby supposedly saving you money and time.

I might try it, seriously. I could totally get into saving time and money.

I borrowed the Family Favorites book from a friend to see if the recipes are even worth it. After reading through the entire book, yes, the ENTIRE book, I'm pretty convinced it'd be worth trying. The authors have laid out the entire process, including shopping lists, assembly lists and all the recipes with ways to manage what you've frozen and what sides you'll need to prepare the day of.

The great thing about every single recipe is that you don't have to cook it in bulk a month before, you can make it the day you want it, but if you WANT to freeze it, all of the recipes are created to freeze well.

It's perfect for a busy family, if you're preparing for surgery/birth, if you need to take a meal to someone, or a hundred other reasons. Try it, I dare you.

Here's one of the recipes we've tried from the book this week, though when I cooked it I adapted it for the slow cooker, easy adjustment - delicious dinner.

ZANZIBAR CHICKEN

1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Jasmine rice

In a small skillet, saute the onion in the oil until transparent. Combine the onion and the remaining ingredients, excluding the rice, and pour into baking dish, bake at 350° for 50 minutes. If you prefer the easy slow cooker way, place chicken in slow cooker, combine all sauce ingredients and pour over chicken, cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Serve over jasmine rice.

Orange Chicken Recipe

2011-01-14T11:01:00.005-06:00

I got the original version of this recipe from AllRecipes. Ive made a few changes but for the most part it's that same. I sometimes use less cornstarch and replace some of the water with pineapple juice. You will notice a difference if you try to replace the minced ginger root with dehydrated ginger powder (I've tried), stick to the fresh! I also spread the cooked chicken on a pan and put it in the oven to stay warm when making the sauce and then just add and serve (instead of simmering longer) to help keep the breading on. Orange Chicken

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.
5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Jalapeño New Year

2011-01-01T17:34:00.004-06:00

Shane, my husband, has this thing with jalapeños. If they weren't a vegetable I'd be a little bit jealous. They're little, and they're hot. What's not to be jealous of?

I love them too, as referenced here. Seriously, they're awesome. They have a place in my kitchen, and in my heart too. Just not as much as my husband. Did I mention he loves them hot?

Jalapeños are a little unpredictable. Sometimes they're as mild as a green bell pepper. Sometimes they're hot enough to almost start a fire. Trust me, I've eaten both kinds. I'm more of a middle-of-the-road sort of gal.

Shane has been talking about a combination for months: steak, shrimp and jalapeno butter glaze. One of his friends mentioned it and he's been all over the internet finding a suitable recipe.

Mission accomplished. We made it last night. It was deliciously sweet. It did not, however, have an ounce of heat. Apparently the jalapeños we bought were just too fresh. Next time we're aging them and leaving a few seeds in, just to kick it up a notch or two.

Keep in mind this recipe was for a glaze for salmon, not shrimp or steak. It went really, really well with both the shrimp and the rib-eye steaks we ate with it. It would go really well on salmon too. It's versatile and yummy. Be creative.

I'm not sure where the recipe originated from, but we changed it enough I'm not sure the original author would recognize it anyway....

HONEY JALAPEÑO SHRIMP

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

2 tbsp. butter

2 large jalapeños, sliced, stemmed/seeded (or not)

1 pound cooked shrimp

In a medium skillet, mix together the honey, lemon juice, butter and jalapenos. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Add shrimp and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until nice and hot.

Serve as a side or over rice.

As mentioned above, I think this would be an amazing glaze for steak or salmon too. Trust me, it's delicious.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T14:06:00.002-06:00

Remember me?

The one who's goal every year is to simplify?

The one who hasn't posted in ... awhile?

I'm also the one who is now going to give you a perfect recipe for the new year.

Seriously.

MEXICAN STARTER

What?

Mexican Starter.

It's a basic meat mixture that can be used for dozens of other recipes.

You're very welcome.

We ate it this week and even the kids downed it.

MEXICAN STARTER
(adapted from cooks.com)

1 pound ground beef
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup salsa, your pick
1 small can tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, cored and chopped
2 tsp. taco seasoning
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Brown beef in oil, add garlic, onion and peppers. When beef is brown add tomato sauce, salsa and seasonings.

Simmer 30-45 minutes or prepare in slow cooker.

This starter can be used for: (ahem, this is the awesome part)

° Mexican Buffet: add sides of beans, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, onions, cheese and serve with taco shells or tortillas.

° Serve on sub rolls, topped with shredded cheese. Broil on high heat until cheese melts.

° Serve over pasta or rice.

° Use as a topping for nachos. In a casserole, layer tortilla chips, top with meat mixture and cheese. Bake at 375° until cheese melts.

° Mexican stuffed peppers. Combine with equal part cooked rice. Fill large red or green bell peppers and bake at 350° until peppers are tender.

° Chili. Add 2 cans of red kidney beans or pinto beans. Adjust seasonings as desired.

° Mexican Shepherd Pie. Prebake a pie shell for 10 minutes. Fill with meat mixture and top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until potatoes are browned.

° Quesadillas. Fill corn or flour tortillas with cheese and meat mixture. Bake or grill until cheese is melted.

° Burrito lasagne. Fill 10 inch tortillas with meat mixture and top with shredded cheese. Roll and fill casserole dish. Spoon taco sauce or salsa over burritos and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 375°.

° Spicy Mole Poblano. Combine meat mixture with 8 oz. jar of mole sauce. Broil poblano peppers until charred and blistered. Chop into mixture. Serve over rice.

° Mexican squash boats. Scoop out zucchini or squash centers and fill with meat mixture. Top with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake until squash is tender and cheese is bubbly.

° Bean dip. 1 part meat mixture, 1 part canned black beans, 1 part sour cream onion dip, season to taste, serve with chips.

Or, our favorite from this week....

° Sloppy Joes. Add a little more brown sugar, don't add the salsa, mix in a can of black beans, serve on rolls or hamburger buns.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-12-20T15:05:00.003-06:00

CREAMY HOT COCOA

Ingredients:
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water 3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

Directions:
1. Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot (scalding), but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

Top with marshmellows or the following delicious whipped cream:

PEPPERMINT WHIP CREAM

Whip 1 pint whipping cream with 1 cup of sugar.

Mix in 1 box of crushed candy canes,

1/2 bag mini marshmellows and

1 drop of red food coloring.

soooo good!

Christmas Cookies 2010

2010-12-15T09:54:00.002-06:00

Last year I baked and baked and baked. Then we delivered and delivered and delivered...and only had one neighbor turn down the plate of baked goodness. Seriously, he refused to open his door. Maybe it's because it was dark, or really, really cold, or maybe he's Jewish. I don't know. Needless to say we won't be trying to deliver Christmas cookies to that house again.

But, it's time for Christmas cookies again. Which means more baking, more delivering and more neighbors and friends who hopefully appreciate buttery & sugary goodness.

This year on the list? We're going retro, or traditional if you will. We're bringing out the Thumbprint Cookies and the Chocolate Crackle Cookies. We might throw on some of my Grandma's famous fudge, my mom's Melt-aways and some of my mother-in-law's pretzel/rolo/pecan snacks. Like I said, we're going traditional.

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup butter shortening

3 large eggs, separated

2 tbsp. water

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups finely chopped pecans

1 cup jam, jelly or preserves of your choice

Preheat oven to 350°. Adjust rack to middle position. Coat 2 cookie sheets lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

Beat brown sugar and shortening in medium bowl with mixer for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl,. Add egg yolks, water, vanilla and salt. Beat until well combined. Add flour on low speed until well blended.

Beat egg whites in a shallow bowl until foamy. Place pecans in a separate bowl. Measure about 2 teaspoons dough for each cookie. Form into balls by rolling between your palms. Dip each dough ball into egg whites, then roll into pecans. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Using the back of a teaspoon or your thumb, (because they are called 'thumbprint cookies'...) make a rounded indentation in the top of each cookie.

Bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. It may be necessary to make the indentation again with a spoon. Place about 1 tsp. jam/preserves into the indentation of each cookie. Bake an additional 5 - 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for several minutes. Remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE CRACKLE COOKIES

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup shortening

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups all purpose flour

6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Beat brown sugar, shortening and vanilla in large bowl at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; beat well.

Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Add to shortening mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and chill 3 hours.

Heat oven to 375°. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar to coat completely. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are set. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

One More Week

2010-12-05T10:48:00.002-06:00

I swear I'm not trying to neglect my passions in life. Like blogging. And cooking. And blogging about cooking.

One more week and I don't have school hanging over my head. School was great, but it's time to get back to my priorities.

Today in the crock pot? A new recipe I've been wanting to try. Peach Curry Glazed Pork Chops. I'm trying it in the crock pot even though it's not written for slow cooking. Sundays are all about easy and lazy. This recipe fits the bill perfectly.

PEACH CURRY GLAZED PORK CHOPS

1/2 cup sliced canned peaches, syrup set aside

3 tbsp. peach jam

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

2 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. honey

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

4 boneless pork chops

2 green onions, chopped

2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix the peach syrup, jam, mustard, curry powder, and honey.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the pork chops 8 minutes, or to desired doneness.

3. Mix the green onions into the skillet, and cook 1 minute, until tender. Spoon the syrup mixture and peaches over the pork chops. Continue cooking until heated through. Sprinkle with cilantro to serve.

Awww!

2010-11-18T17:31:00.003-06:00

There is not much more comforting than a sufficiently stocked pantry and refrigerator. I love stocking up!

For dinner tonight?

FAJITAS

1 onion, sliced

1 green, red, yellow pepper, sliced

1 pound meat: you pick...chicken, steak, shrimp or pork

fresh made flour tortillas (from the tortilleria, no way I'm revisiting that disaster...)

chopped tomatoes

fresh made guacamole

shredded cheese

and sour cream

Brown the meat, add the onions and peppers and saute with your choice of seasonings (I usually choose a mix called "fajita seasoning") and a little oil. Serve with toppings (tomatoes, guac, cheese and sour cream) in tortillas.

Easy, and yummy!

Thanksgiving Feast

2010-11-17T10:40:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving is next week! I can't even tell you how excited I am. I love cooking, I love eating, I love days full of just spending time with my family. Thanksgiving rocks!

We are celebrating at the in-laws again, and Mo (that's what we call her, it's shorter than her name) is an excellent cook. I've never eaten anything at her house that I didn't like. She's always in charge of the turkey, the stuffing, the jello (remember, we're Mormons, from Utah...), the pumpkin roll, the relish dish. So, this year I made myself in charge of a few things for the Thanksgiving dinner. I called her from the store and told her I was going to do the rolls. She then reminded me that she always makes her famous crescent rolls. I conceded that her rolls were amazing, so she could have that one. Then I told her I was going to do the pies. That's when she reminded me that she makes one really good pumpkin pie. I conceded once again, that her pumpkin pie was amazing. So then I told her I was making the mashed potatoes and the sweet potatoes. She said ok, but she was making the gravy. I agreed, because seriously, who other than Mother-in-laws (my mom included) can make gravy?

So, after a week of planning and conspiring this is the result. I'm making mashed potatoes, I'm making my famous Sweet Potatoes, and I'm making the pies. Yep, even Mo's famous pumpkin pie, because seriously, I already had the recipe...

So now for the other pies...I want to be a little creative, but we have to have the staples too. Pumpkin, Apple, Cherry, Banana Cream and Shane's chocolate pie, we've had a request for Cranberry-Apple too. But then I found this website and my pie making life has been changed forever. Check it out, it's AMAZING and INSPIRING! http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/

What are you making for the Thanksgiving feast? and, what pies would you suggest?

Man's Best Friend

2010-11-04T14:58:00.003-05:00

Remember my culinary mystery love? Here's another Diane Mott Davidson recipe for you. Well, not for you, so much. It's for your dog. The four-legged member of your family. They need to feel the love too, right? Some pets are pickier than others, picky pets will like these treats. Un-picky pets will like them too. Even dogs like mine, who'll eat anything (seriously, anything) that you throw out to them, they'll lap 'em up too.

Jake's Dog Biscuits

by Diane Mott Davidson

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. brown sugar

6 tbsp. margarine or shortening

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp. liver powder

1/2 cup ice water

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine flour, powdered milk, garlic powder, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening. Mix in egg, then add liver powder. Add ice water until mixture forms a ball. Pat out dough 1/2 inch thick on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Cut with any size cutter and remove scraps. Bake 30 minutes. Cool before serving.

Ideas!

2010-10-29T08:41:00.003-05:00

Despite being busy I have a commitment to this blog, and I've re-committed myself to being better. I promise.

Plus, we're entering my favorite time of year! I love the holidays, I love entertaining, I love parties and I love food. It all goes together really well!

So, if you would...please, PLEASE, PLEASE...would you go to the poll on the right hand side and vote for what features you'd be interested in? If you have other ideas, or things you'd be more interested in reading about, please leave comments. We LOVE comments!

Thanks!

Oh, and for a treat, here's a new recipe. It's perfect for Autumn, parties and eating!

Four Layer Pumpkin Cake

1 package yellow cake mix

1 (14-oz) can pumpkin, divided

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided (I just sprinkle cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and a little ginger)

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

3 cups thawed whipped topping

1/2 cup caramel topping

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 (9-in) round baking pans. Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs, and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.

2. Bake 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely. Beat cream cheese in small bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in whipped topping.

3. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on a serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Don't frost top layer). Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving, and then sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.

Been A Little Busy?

2010-10-16T12:19:00.002-05:00

We have.

Karen has a new baby, I just have life. Together we've been a little busy, and a lot absent. It's my fault. On paper things look fine, but in reality...yeah.

So, though I know we've been feeding our families daily, I've completely neglected to post any of the recipes or take any pictures. Sorry. Soooo sorry, because we've been eating some good stuff.

Try this one out for a little change. I ripped it out of a magazine and decided I'd give it a shot, for company no less, and it was totally worth it.

ORANGE PICANTE SAUCE CHICKEN

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

4 skinless chicken breasts

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tbsp. brown sugar

3/4 cup Pace picante sauce (I always use medium)

Brown the chicken in the oil. Add the garlic, cook for about a minute. Then add orange juice, brown sugar, and picante sauce. Heat until it boils, then turn heat down and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Serve over rice or pasta. Serves 4.

Trust me, I was already a fan of chicken with orange juice and brown sugar, the picante sauce just adds to it. We had a little bit left over and I couldn't wait to eat it for lunch the next day! My kids loved it, which is always the sign of a good meal.

More Bread

2010-09-20T16:56:00.003-05:00

This is a wheat bread recipe I got off of allrecipes. It's not whole wheat, but it's a new favorite. It makes 3 loaves, but I only have two loaf pans so I made rolls for the third batch and they were yummy too!

Wheat Bread

Ingredients
3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
1.In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2.Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3.Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
4.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

Coconut Curry

2010-09-09T10:08:00.002-05:00

This recipe is awesome! My kids ate it up, I loved it and my husband swears he could eat it every day!

Plus, it's a crock pot recipe, so it's super easy. You know the kind, put it in the crock and let it go.

EASY.

It's adapted from a huge (seriously HUGE) recipe book I stole from my mother-in-law. It's all about slow cookers, one dish meals and crock pots. That's my kind of cook book.

If you've never used Jasmine Rice, try it out! It's so aromatic while you're cooking it, and the flavor is awesome! I don't use it with everything, but when you're cooking a dish like curry, that has a lot of flavor and spices, it's great to use a great rice like Jasmine.

This dish would be great with Karen's Thai Mango dessert found here: http://brookeskitchenmusings.blogspot.com/2010/03/thai-dessert.html.

This recipe was written to be used with salmon, but it was awesome on chicken too.

Coconut Curry

1 tbsp. oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. ground ginger

1 cup coconut milk

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp chopped cilantro

1 pound chicken, diced

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

The recipe asks for about 5 steps, but I never totally follow the recipe, so....just dump it all in. I put the oil and chicken in first and just sprinkled the spices over it, then poured the liquids over that and cooked it on low for 3 hours.

That's why I love crock pot recipes...one dish, one step!

Chinese Salad

2010-08-19T13:48:00.002-05:00

It's Summer, and it's averaging 100° every day. That's before you add in the humidity, which has been unreal this year (though Karen's got it worse, I know!).

That means most nights we've been trying to eat cooler and lighter. Like salads...LOVE salads!

My new favorite?

Chinese Salad

1 large head Napa cabbage

1 bunch green onions

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 pkgs. Top Ramen

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/3 cup margarine

3/4 cup Canola oil

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

(opt) 1 chicken breast grilled with salt and pepper, cooled and diced or sliced

Chop cabbage and slice onion. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
Crush Top Ramen, without seasoning packet, and mix with almonds, sesame seeds and melted margarine. Toast in oven on cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 350°. Store in air tight container.
Mix Canola oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar together until mixed well.
Serve salad either mixed together and coated with dressing, though serve within 1 hour of mixing or it will get soggy. Or, my favorite way to serve this salad is have each item in separate bowls and let people add the ingredients they're interested in. (I'm not a chicken on salad sort of girl, usually)

See, yummy, refreshing, cool, light, delicious Summer meal!

Yogurt Pancakes

2010-08-13T23:12:00.003-05:00

I got this recipe from www.favfamilyrecipes.com and it is yummy! Another good way to use your homemade yogurt.

For the pancakes:
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 - 3 c. plain yogurt (or 2 c. buttermilk)
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 c. all-purpose flour

Mix all ingredients. If it seems too thick, add milk a little at a time until it reaches a good "pancake batter" consistency.

The syrup recipe is pretty much the buttermilk syrup recipe I posted earlier. Using yogurt instead makes it slightly thicker.

For the yogurt syrup:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup butter
3 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring first four ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and stir constantly for 5 minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla. Remove from stove and serve over pancakes, waffles or french toast. (The syrup will be thin-- this is normal. After it cools off a bit it thickens up. Store any extra syrup in the fridge for later use.)
**The baking soda will make it boil high so make sure you use a large pot.***

Sausage Balls

2010-08-06T07:28:00.003-05:00

There are some grocery store items I refuse to buy cheap or alternative versions of.
Top of the list is probably mayonaisse. Cheap real mayo is really gross.
Towards the middle to bottom of my list is sausage. Jimmy Dean is the best. Hands down.

Jimmy Dean Sausage Balls
Ingredients
2 (16 ounce) packages Regular Flavor or Spicy Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage
1 1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix
4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic (if using regular flavor)

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir well. Form into 1inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet lined with foil; bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpicks. We just eat them with our dinner.

May be prepared ahead and frozen uncooked. To bake from frozen: thaw on baking sheet 15 minutes; bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Variation for firmer texture:
add 3 cups baking mix and 2 cups shredded cheese to the ingredients listed above.

My Momma Says...

2010-08-05T21:22:00.003-05:00

I learned pretty much everything I know about cooking from my Mom. Namely, how not to follow a recipe, how to be creative, and how to be willing to try new things.

Thanks Mom.

So when she called today to let me know she found the best recipe for Strawberry Freezer Jam EVER, I kind of have to take her word for it. Plus, she's going to send some home with us in September. Yummy.

So, if you come upon a decent amount of strawberries, and have the time and patience to make jam (it's totally worth it, I swear) use the recipe inside the Ball Instant Fruit Pectin package. I'm told, by Mom (you can all call her that too, she'd love it), that "it has the best fruit to sugar ratio than any of the other brands, and the frozen jam is like eating fresh strawberries."

Mmmm.

She (Mom) also says, "It's really fresh and yummy tasting. I left the strawberries in pretty big chunks. Definitely worth making and extremely easy."

Which, my friends, is why I would even consider it. I live for easy!

Here is a blog that uses this same recipe, includes delicious looking pictures that depict the entire jam making process: http://www.noveleats.com/sauce/strawberry-freezer-jam/ I don't know about the vegan sugar, but it looks really good!

Advertising Gimmicks

2010-08-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

This is what I get for looking at the Sunday ads. I spy a great deal on nectarines and immediately decided to pull out the old electronic recipe file for this one recipe that I saw once upon a time that I needed to try, but never have, but it looked so good I made sure I kept it.

All because our local store has nectarines for 69 cents a pound.

It better be as good as it looks.

Plus the jalapenos are on sale too. And it's an hispanic market, so you know they have good jalapenos!

Nectarine Mango Salsa

½ Large Vidalia Onion
4 Nectarines, pitted and sliced
2 Mangos, peeled, pitted, and sliced
2 large tomatoes
4 limes, freshly squeezed
½ c. cilantro
2 T. sugar
½ fresh jalapeno, seeded
1 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in a blender. Puree until your favorite consistency is achieved. Serve with tortilla chips, over grilled chicken or pork chops, or over steamed sticky rice. Store, well covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You Ever Heard of Diane Mott Davidson?

2010-07-27T08:32:00.003-05:00

She's an author, a great one, who writes culinary murder mysteries. Yes, you read that right.

Culinary murder mysteries.

That means her books are great mystery books, based around the main character, Goldy, who is a caterer. Mystery books which include recipes.

Awesome, I know.

Reading is my outlet, along with cooking. Though honestly, I get to cook more often than I get to read. But while on vacation I renewed my interest in Ms. Davidson's books. So I've decided to start a new feature here on Snow Cookin'. I'm going to review a few of Ms. Davidson's recipes. I've already tried three and I've decided she can write recipes just as well as she writes mysteries.

Seriously, who does that?

So, for my first review:

"What To Do With All The Egg Yolks Bread"

By Diane Mott Davidson

2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tbsp. chopped orange zest

1 tsp. salt

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sun-dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans

Butter a 10-in. tube pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, one tsp. of the sugar, and warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes. Combine the milk, butter, oil, zest, remainder of the sugar, and salt, and stir into the yeast mixture. Add the egg yolks, stirring well. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition to incorporate the flour thoroughly. Knead 5 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and satiny. Knead in the cranberries and pecans. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise at room temperature until it is doubled in bulk. Using a wooden spoon, beat down the risen dough for about a minute.

Place the dough into the buttered tube pan and allow it to rise at room temperature until it is doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes or until it is dark golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Place on a rack to cool or serve warm. Once cooled, the bread is also excellent sliced and toasted. Makes 1 large loaf.

I loved this bread, but I made a few changes for my families sake. I had no oranges so I included no zest, and my husband doesn't love nuts baked into things, so I left out the pecans too. Sad, I know, but it still turned out awesome! I'm thinking of remaking it (with all of the ingredients) and using the dough for cinnamon rolls, with a nice glazed icing. Delicious!

Oldie But Goodie

2010-07-20T19:01:00.002-05:00

I tried this recipe for the second time tonight. I'm not sure why I kept the recipe, I don't really remember loving it the first time around. But, we had all the ingredients and I decided to go for it. We are all glad that I did, it was amazing!

Korean Beef Pul-kogi

1 pound thinly sliced beef sirloin (I used stew meat)

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, sliced

4 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. white sugar

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tsp. ginger

In a large bowl (or resealable bag), combine beef with garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and ginger. Cover (or seal) and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a wok (I used a cast iron skillet), place beef mixture in pan and saute until meat is cooked through.

Serve over steamed jasmine rice (or another long grain white rice).

Sorry no pictures, it was delicious! :)

I'm A Hoarder

2010-07-14T09:45:00.002-05:00

Not in the creepy you-can't-walk-through-my-house-because-I've-kept-every-piece-of-garbage-since-1982 way, but more like the I-really-liked-that-recipe-so-I-must-have-it-for-my-collection way. A much healthier way, unless it's an unhealthy recipe. Then not so much.

I just got home from vacation, a three week vacation. It included 3 family reunions, many family dinners, and a few nights out at restaurants. Guess what I brought back? Other than loads and loads of laundry and a few weird tan lines? Recipes!

Just a couple of new ones, but they're awesome!

First one I'm going to share? A dessert, of course, and a patriotic looking one too, perfect for the last couple of weeks of July. Of course, red also goes with Christmas, Valentine's day, Mondays...you get it.

Pretzel Jello Dessert (I know, terrible name, but seriously, don't you categorize your recipes by names and ingredients?)

PRETZEL JELLO DESSERT

2 cups pretzels, crushed

1 1/2 cubes butter, melted

2 tbsp. sugar

Mix these together and bake @ 375° for 10 minutes. Then cool.

1 large pkg. strawberry gelatin

2 cups hot water

Combine these and let cool.

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

1 (8 oz) container whipped topping

1 cup sugar

Whip together.

Spread cream cheese mixture on top of cooled crust. Pour jello over and top with sliced berries. (I used strawberries and blueberries hence the patriotic reference).

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

A New Chicken Salad

2010-07-10T22:28:00.003-05:00

This picture and recipe I got from Williams Sonoma. It's a good summer dish and different from your regular chicken salad. I love mangos!

Chicken & Mango Salad

Ingredients:
2/3 cup peanut or canola oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 to 3 tsp. Asian chili oil (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup mango chutney
2 cups shredded roast chicken, homemade or purchased
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup roasted salted cashews, coarsely
chopped
1 mango, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce

Directions:
Make the vinaigrette:
In a food processor or blender, combine the peanut oil, vinegar, mustard and chili oil and process until blended. Add the garlic and chutney and continue to process to form a smooth puree.

Assemble the salad:
In a bowl, combine the chicken, celery, onion, cashews and mango. Add the vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Divide the lettuce among individual plates, top with the chicken mixture and serve.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Weeknight, by Melanie Barnard (Oxmoor House, 2006).

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

2010-07-05T14:17:00.000-05:00

This is a dish made often at our house. It's good for those nights you don't have anything planned and the kids love it, especially served with ketchup and an ice cold orange julius.

Photo from Betty Crocker

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 large onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix (I make my own mix)
1 cup milk
2 eggs

1.Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.
2.In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
3.In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate.
4.Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 30 to 35 minutes

Happy July 4th!

2010-06-30T14:35:00.004-05:00

Don't forget to make a Jello Cake decorated with whipped cream and berries.

Have a happy 4th of July!!

Meatless Monday

2010-06-28T09:45:00.002-05:00

While I'd never consider myself a vegetarian, I have no problem going days without eating meat.

Really, I don't. Much to the displeasure of my husband, I'm sure.

We've posted some great main dishes that don't require any meat, like Okonomiyaki and Sweet Potato Enchiladas.

There are thousands of vegetarian cookbooks out there, but I don't own a single one. Not. One. Which makes me a "non-expert" of all things vegetarian. However, I've been incorporating at least one meatless dinner every week. Just to mix things up, if you will.

I've mentioned we're fans of Japanese food at our house. Here's another meatless, Japanese recipe for you to try.

JAPANESE TEMPURA

1 cup flour
1/3 cup corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cups cold club soda

Heat oil to 350° before you begin to mix the batter. In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Add cold club soda and stir with a fork. Batter will be runny and may have lumps, but don't over mix it. When oil is heated to 375° begin frying your batter dipped vegetables.

Use care in not adding too many vegetables to the oil at once, or crowding them, this will cool the oil and make the tempura greasy. Serve hot!

Soy Sauce with Fresh Ginger:
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. fresh minced ginger
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. hot chile sesame oil or toasted sesame oil
1 green onion sliced
juice of 1/2 a lime

Black Bean Chicken

2010-06-23T10:55:00.002-05:00

You know I love me a good slow cooker recipe, right? There's something about preparing dinner in the morning when life is a little easier, then coming home from your errands/lessons/school/activities and having the great aroma of dinner hit you as you walk in. And it's done...with no stirring/mixing/50,000 steps/etc. And it rarely burns.

My kind of cooking.

Plus it doesn't heat up your house when it's 100+° outside like your oven will.

Even better.

You also know that I love me some black beans, right? Seems that this recipe is just about perfect.

Creamy Crock Pot Black Bean Chicken

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can dice or leave whole, or you can shred when it's all cooked)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 jar salsa, any kind
1 8oz package cream cheese
I like this wrapped in flour tortillas, but it'd be good over rice too.

Directions
Place chicken breasts in a crock pot. Add black beans, corn and salsa. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. Add cream cheese the last 30 minutes. Serve any way you would like!

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

2010-06-19T09:44:00.001-05:00

I'm featured today on one of my favorite blogs...actually, Shane and his pantry with a little of me thrown in are featured today onOther People's Pantries. Head on over and check it out. Just a little FYI, since I sent in all the photos the garage and spice shelves are much more organized.

I promise.

If you've arrived here from Other People's Pantries, we welcome you! Comments are always welcome, so are followers,readers, and suggestions! I think we'd actually welcome pretty much anything but hate mail and death threats. (and even then at least we'd know that people were reading!)

I've got some fun ideas planned for the upcoming weeks, including some new features and some old ones (like Meatless Mondays, y'know)

See you soon.

"Bran" New Recipe...at least to you

2010-06-16T15:05:00.002-05:00

Mmmmm, Muffins! Normally not much of a muffin fan, but with this really easy and yummy recipe I may turn into a muffin fan soon. Even the kids loved these ones!

Watch the changes I made, because that means you can customize it to your tastes too. I replaced dates with Craisins, and used Raisin Bran instead of just plain bran flakes.

It seems like it might be a little complicated with the three separate mixtures, but really, you can just dump it all together if you'd like.

Plus it keeps in the fridge for 3 months! Yay for convenience!

Beautiful Bran Muffins

1 cup margarine/butter

2 cup sugar

4 eggs

Cream together in a large bowl.

1 quart buttermilk

2 cup boiling water

Mix together in a pitcher.

5 tsp. soda

5 cup flour

1 tbsp. salt

Mix together in a separate bowl.

Add mixtures 2 and 3 alternately to mixture 1. Then stir in 1/2 box All Bran cereal, 2 cups Bran Flakes (I used Raisin Bran), 1 cup chopped pecans, 1 cup dates (I hate dates, I used Craisins - it was delicious!)

Bake at 400° for 13 minutes. The original recipe called for a 20 minute baking time, totally burned, then tried 17 minutes, still burned, then I tried 13 minutes, they were perfect. I would watch them in your oven to see which time works for you...

This recipe makes 5 dozen muffins. I know that's a lot of muffins, but this will keep in your refrigerator for up to 3 months, just keep it in a covered container. This way, you can totally make a dozen or one at a time! Perfect!

Japan - easy...

2010-06-10T14:35:00.003-05:00

I love Japanese food. I live in the South. The two don't really mesh so well. I'm sure that somewhere in this town is a place where I can buy really good Asian ingredients, but so far when I look I find aisles of Latino food and barbecue sauce.

My husband loves Japanese food. He ate it for two years straight and he's the one to blame for my love of it. He got me hooked on sushi, tempura, sticky rice and this recipe: Okonomiyaki.

Rhymes with teriyaki. Only different.

I think it's my husbands favorite dish. Maybe. It's technically a Japanese pancake. But without sweet syrup, or sugar, or fruit, or cream....but you do make it just like a pancake. But you do put sauce on it.

Photo courtesy of resshin.com because I really didn't feel like taking pictures. Of course, mine had bacon on top...

mmmmm, bacon

It's super easy to make and my kids love it. Yes, I know they also like liver, but that doesn't compare and this recipe has 0 (zero) liver in it. Plus my husband loves this and hates liver, so there.

OKONOMIYAKI

12 oz sliced bacon

1 1/3 cups water

4 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 medium head cabbage, sliced

1 tbsp. ground ginger

1 tbsp. garlic salt

tonkatsu sauce (recipe follows)

1. In a large bowl, stir the water and eggs together. Gradually stir in the flour, salt, ginger and garlic salt. Add the flour and cabbage and stir until all ingredients are incorporated. Set aside.

2. Fry bacon in a large skillet until slightly crispy. I used my plug in skillet and it worked great. Set aside on paper towels.

3. In /on your skillet over medium heat, pour a scoop of batter and flatten out like a pancake. Fry for about 5 minutes or until the edges are dry, flip and cook on other side, adding bacon to the already cooked side. Once that side is cooked, flip over one more time to set the bacon, then remove from skillet.

4. Drizzle with Tonkatsu sauce and serve. I made 9 'cakes' out of this recipe, I make them smaller than you would get at a restaurant.

Tonkatsu sauce

1/4 cup worchestershire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp. soy sauce

Mix together and serve.

There are a lot of recipes for Tonkatsu sauce out there, this one is our favorite.

Dessert Nachos by Family Fun Magazine

2010-06-07T21:48:00.003-05:00

I will make these one day soon. I've been craving them since I saw them on Family Fun's website.

Here's their picture...

and the recipe:

Ingredients

3 6-inch flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled

1 tablespoon orange juice
8 ounces vanilla yogurt
1 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 cup shredded coconut or white chocolate shavings

Instructions

To make the tortilla chips, heat the oven to 350º. Cut the tortillas into triangles, lay them on a baking sheet, and spritz them with cooking spray.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the tops of the tortillas and bake for 12 minutes or until crisp.
For homemade strawberry sauce, combine the strawberries, orange juice, and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar in a blender. Puree the ingredients until smooth.
Once the chips have cooled, set them on a plate. To complete the buffet, set out separate bowls containing the strawberry sauce, yogurt, chopped strawberries, and coconut or chocolate shavings. Serves 4 to 6.

Recipe Card

2010-06-01T20:39:00.002-05:00

Next time you want to make a recipe card you should go HERE and check out Skip to my Lou's free recipe card template!

Here's a recipe for a Blueberry French Toast Casserole. You can click on it to see it bigger. I have made it the night before and just baked it in the morning with just fine results.

Camping Food

2010-05-25T17:41:00.006-05:00

We went camping over the weekend and made a super yummy dinner. No burnt hot dogs for us!
I made some shish-kabobs ahead of time and had them marinating in the cooler. I also chopped up the potatoes and onion ahead of time and had them in a bag with all the seasonings ready to go. It was too dark by the time we ate so I couldn't take a picture, but trust me it was good. Here are the original recipes and I will tell you my modifications at then end. I know these ingredients might shock yall that I would buy so much pre-packaged stuff, but hey I was camping. I even ate cheese from a can the next day.

Dutch Oven Potatoes
1 pkg. bacon, cut into fourths (low sodium)
10-12 large potatoes (scrubbed, rinsed, and sliced into circles)
Seasoning Salt ("Spike" or "Johnny's" seasoning salt work great!)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 can cream of chicken
3-4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

When the dutch oven is good and hot add the bacon and heat until fully cooked. Drain about half of the bacon grease then add the potatoes. stir in about 3 Tbsp. of the seasoning salt (or to taste) and all of the garlic powder. Cover and cook about 30 minutes stirring occasionally (or until potatoes are no longer crunchy, but do NOT overcook). Add cream of chicken. When the cream of chicken is evenly distibuted and hot, add cheese. When cheese is melted, remove from heat and serve.

*These taste best when served with ranch dressing on the side*

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler
2 (29oz) cans peaches, in heavy syrup (or 1 can peaches, 1 can peach pie filling)
2 boxes yellow cake mix (DRY, not prepared)
1 cube butter
brown sugar and cinnamon (to taste)

Pour peaches into hot dutch oven (if using the canned peaches, drain some of the liquid out so your cobbler isn't too runny). Add cake mix over the top. Slice thin slices of butter over the top of the cake mix, then top with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 45 minutes or until the cake mix starts turning golden brown and is cooked through. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

My notes:
With the potatoes I halved the recipe and quarted the cheese. I think honestly it would be just fine without the can of soup. I used Tony Chachere's for the seasoning but I think a ranch packet would be good too. I also added a quarter of the onion with the potatoes. I chopped the potatoes but you could get away with those little red potatoes if you can find them small enough.

With the cobbler I also halved the recipe. Next time I will do two cans of peaches with one box of cake mix. I still used one stick of butter.

Tapioca Pudding

2010-05-17T21:33:00.004-05:00

I got this recipe from Simply Recipes and it's very good. It's far from healthy and takes along time stirring but well worth it!

Tapioca Pudding
Look at the instructions on the package of tapioca that you buy. Some small pearl tapioca requires overnight soaking in water. If your package has that requirement, reduce the milk in the recipe to 2 1/2 cups from 3 cups.

Ingredients
1/2 cup small pearl tapioca (you can usually find it in the baking section of the grocery store, do not use instant tapioca)
3 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1 Combine tapioca, milk, and salt in 1 1/2 quart pan on medium high heat. Stir until boiling. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered at the lowest possible heat, adding sugar gradually.

2 Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Mix in some of the hot tapioca very slowly to equalize the temperature of the two mixtures to avoid curdling. (Alton Brown taught me this is called tempuring, yall probably already knew that though)

3 Return eggs to pan with tapioca. Slowly bring mixture barely to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and stir several minutes at a low simmer, stirring constantly until you get a nice thick pudding consistency. Cool 15 minutes. Add vanilla. Serve either warm or chilled.

Note: If you want to make a more light and fluffy, but still rich, tapioca pudding, separate the eggs. Use the egg yolks to stir in first to the pan with the tapioca. Once the pudding has become nice and thick, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl to soft peaks. Remove the pan of tapioca pudding from the stove, fold in the beaten egg whites into the pudding.

Serves 4-6.

Slow Cooker Tuesday - Curried Chicken

2010-05-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

This recipe was heaven, and I am not even a huge fan of curry. I've been super busy with lessons, practices, etc. and so I've been relying a little more heavily on the crockpot for support lately. It's been a good relationship, but it was getting a little boring. I decided to spice things up a little with a curry recipe. Well worth it, I tell you!

This recipe comes from the Rival Crock Pot Recipes: Flavors from Around the World collection. There are a few more I'll try out and share, soon I'm sure.

Slow Simmered Curried Chicken

1 1/2 cups chopped onion (I just sliced mine into strips)

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (I didn't use this, kids aren't fans)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut into bite size pieces

1 cup medium salsa

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (I totally didn't have fresh ginger, powder worked fine)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (we all know I LOVE cilantro)

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. curry powder

3/4 tsp. salt

Hot cooked rice (I used brown)

1. Place onions and bell pepper in bottom of the crock pot. Top with chicken. Combine salsa, ginger, garlic powder and pepper flakes in a small bowl; spoon over the chicken. Cover; cook on LOW 5-6 hours or on HIGH 2-3 hours or until chicken is done.

2. Combine the cilantro, sugar, curry powder and salt in a small bowl. Stir mixture into crock pot. Cover; cook on HIGH 15 minutes or until hot. Serve over rice.

**NOTE** I didn't wait to put the additional ingredients in, I knew I wouldn't have time before we needed to eat. It worked fine, really well in fact.

You'd Think We Gave Up On Being Healthy!

2010-04-29T13:47:00.006-05:00

Based on the recent posts, we're all about yummy, but not necessarily healthy foods. And you know what? I'm ok with that. I have another one for you today.

Homemade Oreos....

See, totally worth the calories and time to make, because your kids (and you) will LOVE them. LOVE. The kind of love that takes you back to when you were little. Nostalgic love, if you will.

HOMEMADE OREOS

1 pkg. devil's food cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. shortening

2/3 c. powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

In a mixing bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, and oil. With clean hands, roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten them slightly (I use the bottom of a measuring cup). Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

In another mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and shortening. Add the sugar and vanilla; mix until smooth. Frost half of the cookies, top with remaining half.

We'll see you again soon, with a healthy recipe, full of fiber and vegetables...I promise.

The Real Lip Lickin' Deal

2010-04-20T21:39:00.003-05:00

A couple of months ago we had some friends over for dinner. It is an unwritten rule that you must serve Tres Leches cake after fajitas. Actually, I just wrote it so now it is a written rule.
This is the real one. I've had recipes that are made with a yellow cake mix and it's just not the same as being made with a homemade sponge cake. Make sure you also use real whipped cream and not cool whip also.
Scrumptious. Truly scrumptious.

Tres Leches Cake

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cups Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
¼ cups Heavy Cream
_____
FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping (minus 1/4 cup)
3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.
Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a large measuring cup. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork all over (don't mutilate it though. Slowly drizzle your three milks mixture all over the cake, try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can. I actually don't use the last 1/2 cup because I think it makes it a little too sweet.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes in fridge.

To ice the cake, whip remaining heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.
Refrigerate any leftovers.... if there is any.

It's Done!

2010-04-18T19:22:00.004-05:00

You know that project I mentioned, like forever ago? And you probably thought we'd forgotten about it, or gave up on it, or decided we were better than it?

Nope. Just got busy with life, four kids, two dogs, four chickens, piano lessons, soccer practices, school, church and work.

Then we finished it - and I'm as much in love with it as I thought I would be.

A place for everything, and everything in it's place. It's like heaven for those, like me, who have a little OCD in them. Plus, it's inventoried, how geeky is that? So now the shopping list to go along with the menus will be so much easier!

Plus now I have room out in the garage for other stuff.

We're still rearranging the bigger food storage stuff, which will all have a place inside, finally.

And now I've got extra room in my spice cupboard for spices, small appliances and extra food!

(Now I've just got to get these rearranged and inventoried...then, just maybe, I'll feel like I've got it all together...maybe?)

Eggs

2010-04-16T14:50:00.001-05:00

Our chickens started laying. Finally. I really thought they weren't going to pull through and earn their room and board. Then they started laying - on Easter. Awesome, I know.

Fresh brown eggs, 2 - 4 a day = a nice little bunch of eggs in the fridge.

Tonight for dinner?

Sausage and Cheese Bake. It's tradition to have this on Christmas morning, but we're getting crazy and pulling a Christmas in April. You can join us, if you'd like. Dinner's at 6.

SAUSAGE AND CHEESE BAKE

8 slices of bread, cubed

3 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 lb. sausage, browned and drained

6 eggs

2 1/4 cup milk

3/4 tsp. dry mustard

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/3 cup milk

Cube bread and spread in bottom of 9 x 13 in. baking dish. Cover with grated cheese and browned sausage. Mix eggs, 2 1/4 cup milk and dry mustard. Pour over bread. Mix can of soup with 1/3 cup milk and pour over top of dish. Refrigerate overnight (or 6-8 hours) and bake 1 hour at 350°.

My Refrigerator

2010-04-13T13:02:00.006-05:00

I accept challenges, even though it may take me awhile to actually get around to doing it. Here is the stuff in my fridge. You can click on the picture to see it larger. I'll post my freezers another day. I've taken the pictures but taking the inventory is going to be time consuming. It will be a good thing though because it probably needs cleaned out.

So, from the top down on the main shelves I've got:
Homemade cake mix
Homemade Magic Mix
Ground wheat (no longer can I use the word "freshly")
Orange juice
Lemon-aid
Organic whipped butter

Dill pickle spears
Half a bag of Brown rice
Flax seed
Ground flax seed
Organic plain yogurt (to use as a starter.. one day)
French onion dip
Dry active yeast
Instant yeast
Organic applesauce
Reddi Whip
Strawberry cream cheese spread (for non existing bagels)
Cottage cheese
Honey butter tub

Organic sour cream (x2)
Hansens Ginger Ale (leftover from morning sickness days)
2 cartons of eggs - grain fed chickens
Leftover beans and rice
Leftover cilantro-lime rice (needs to be thrown out)
Homemade Apple Pie Jam (I should post that recipe)
Homemade salad dressing

Organic Yo Baby Yogurt for kids
Leftover Pizza
Sandwich for Clint's lunch
Corn tortillas (huge bag)
Lemon juice
Lime juice

In drawers I have:
2 blocks of cheese
4 bags pre-shredded cheese
2 blocks cream cheese
1 lonely Babybel cheese
1 half chewed lonely string cheese

Strawberries
Blackberries
Small watermelon
2 oranges
4 lemons
Green grapes

Celery
Button mushrooms
Cilantro (starting to get a little yucky)
2 purple onions
Organic Baby Carrots
2 lb bag organic regular carrots
1 1/2 Zucchinis
1 Sweet Texas yellow onion
Green onions
1 garlic (I didn't know was in there)

In door going from the bottom up I have:
Peach/Mango/Orange fruit spread (Costco size)
Italian dressing
Ranch dressing (expired.. oops)
Hamburger pickles
Realemon juice bottle
Thai Kitchen green curry paste
Light mayo
Mustard
Soy sauce
Parm cheese
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce
Worchestershire sauce
Remoulade (Boar's Head Cajun Mayo)
2 gallons whole organic milk
Taco sauce
Organic butter
Apricot Jam
1 bottle 1/4 full of acidophilus capsules
Big bottle ketchup
Big Hersheys chocolate syrup
Strawberry syrup
Cocktail sauce
Strawberry/Rhubarb Jam (from an amish store.. soo good)
Beef boullion paste
Chicken boullion paste
Jar of minced garlic
Packet of random stuff from fast food and other sources I save for Clint's lunch

That's it! The freezers could be scary...

Easter Eggs Reborn

2010-04-05T12:54:00.005-05:00

I know most people don't use a recipe for deviled eggs, but this is really good and different.

TEXAS DEVILED EGGS
•1 dozen extra large eggs, boiled
•1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
•2 Tbs. dill pickle relish
•1/3 c. mayo
•2 Tbs mustard
•3 Tbs. finely minced celery
•3 Tbs. finely minced onion
•1 Tbs. Texas Pete Hot Sauce (this brand is not that hot, kid approved)
•1 Tbs. honey
•Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Peel eggs and cut in half length wise.
Put yolks in bowl with all other ingredients and mix until well blended.
Put yolk mixture in a gallon size zip lock bag and squeeze contents into corner to use as a pastry bag (unless you actually have a pastry bag, then you may proceed fancy style)
Cut a small hole in corner and fill each egg white half overflowing.
Chill for 30 minutes and serve.

I usually don't add the pickle relish, celery or onion (I do prefer green when I use it though). You can of course also adjust your hot sauce level by adding more or less. You might want to also adjust your honey though as well.
I'll post a picture next time I make them.

Meatloaf 'n Biscuits - You know Southern Comfort Food

2010-03-30T18:07:00.003-05:00

You know I love me some good home cookin'. Nothing says comfort and home like meatloaf. As long as you don't really think about the name meat loaf. Meat. Loaf. Bleck, sorry.

My kids even love meatloaf. Seriously. LOVE it.

Plus meatloaf goes really well with mashed potatoes and biscuits. Homemade buttermilk drop biscuits. Mmmm.

So, I tried these new recipes from here. They're awesome and so is her blog.

SAUCY MEATLOAF

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 egg - beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used whole wheat, increases the fiber)

2 oz. tomato sauce

1 medium onion - minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1.4 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

---Sauce---

4 oz. tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp. vinegar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 tbsp. worchestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 375°. In a bowl combine beef, egg, bread crumbs, tomato sauce, onion and spices. Mix just enough to incorporate the ingredients, don't over mix. Mound into a loaf shape and place into a high sided baking dish, just larger than the loaf.

In the same bowl combine the sauce ingredients: tomato sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, mustard and worchestershire sauce. Mix to blend in brown sugar, then gently pour over the loaf. Bake 60 - 75 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then slice and serve with more sauce on each side.

Serve with mashed potatoes (the sauce is really good as gravy for potatoes).

BUTTERMILK DROP BISCUITS

2 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk - COLD

8 tbsp. unsalted butter - melted and cooled slightly

2 tbsp. unsalted butter - melted for brushing tops

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475°. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl combine the cold buttermilk and the melted and slightly cooled butter. Stir until buttermilk forms clumps.

Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from side of the bowl.

Using a greased 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop level amounts and batter and drop onto greased baking sheet. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, approximately 12 - 14 minutes.

Brush biscuit tops with remaining butter. Transfer to wire rack or serve.

Thai Dessert

2010-03-26T14:19:00.006-05:00

I will get around to posting my pictures of the fridge one day. Until then, enjoy one of my favorite desserts that my husband introduced me too. Mangoes are so good right now so try this soon. This recipe has been adapted to just use jasmine rice instead of the hard to find true sticky rice. During a morning sickness couple of months I ate this quite a bit... for a meal. That's healthy, right? This serves six people that are not eating this for a meal. =)
Thai Sticky Rice with Mango (Kow Neuw Mamuang)
1 cup uncooked Jasmine Rice
1-13.5 oz can Coconut Milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ripe mangoes

In a medium saucepan bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice and briefly stir. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer 15 minutes or until water is just absorbed.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine Coconut Milk, sugar and salt. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Add the hot Coconut Milk sauce to the cooked rice. Stir until mixed.
Lightly press plastic wrap onto mixture in saucepan to cover. Let rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
Peel and slice the mangoes.
With large spoon or ice cream scoop, spoon the sticky rice onto plates and garnish with mango slices.

If desired, you can top with coconut syrup which is also excellent with banana pancakes the next day.

Coconut Syrup

1-13.5 oz can Coconut Milk
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, firmly packed

In a medium saucepan, mix Coconut Milk with sugar. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently until reduced to 1 1/2 cups of syrup (about 10 to 15 minutes).
Cool to lukewarm and serve, or refrigerate for later. Coconut syrup will keep in refrigerator for one week.

My favorite Thai Recipe website is: Thai Table. Give some recipes a try!

Yogurt Update

2010-03-23T18:50:00.002-05:00

I did try this recipe with 2% milk on the last batch. It was a bit runnier than the batches I've made with whole milk; I tried adding some unflavored gelatin (without reading the instructions) and it didn't really work well. I think I'll try this again, but use powdered milk to thicken it up instead of the unflavored gelatin. (or I'll try using the gelatin correctly...)

I'll update again after my next batch, which may be awhile - soccer season just started and I'm crazy busy!

New Project For You

2010-03-15T16:50:00.006-05:00

I spent last week stocking up on great deals on meat (a staple at our house, sorry vegetarians...I bought vegetables too). Saturday I spent packaging and preparing a fridge and freezer full of food. Seriously, you'll see the pictures below.

While I was packaging ground beef, roasting turkey, soaking beans and culturing yogurt I thought of a fun little project for all of us. (Yes, that means me, Karen and you, the four readers that we have)

One of the blogs I enjoy reading features a look inside someone's pantry each Saturday. And, since we've purchased our shelving for our new pantry and I can actually see the end of the pantry-less tunnel, we're going to do something similar. Now, since I don't yet have my pantry (unless you count the shelves pushed against the wall in my dining room...I don't) we're doing fridges instead.

I took pictures of my fridge and freezer...UNEDITED...and made a complete inventory of what was in my fridge Saturday night at 10 p.m.

I want you to do the same and send it to me. C'mon, it'll be fun, plus you might find some random thing in the back left corner that you'd forgotten about. Right?

So, send all pictures and lists to me at the email listed on my profile. I can't wait to see what you keep in there!

Here's my list...(sorry it's long)

Fridge

2 gallons 1% milk

2 gallons 2% milk

1/2 gallon buttermilk

24 oz. sour cream

24 oz. cottage cheese

8lb. 10 oz. container Pace picante sauce (medium)

lemon juice

apple juice

quart homemade buttermilk syrup

1 container cool whip

1 pint heavy whipping cream

homemade cream cheese frosting (blue)

homemade cranberry mustard

chopped green onions

container full of roasted turkey

6 cool whip containers of homemade plain yogurt

1 big long venison summer sausage

baking soda

18 oz. sliced mushrooms

4 lbs. medium cheddar cheese

30 ct. package corn tortillas

2 pkg. bologne

8 string cheese

1 pkg. hot dog

1 1/2 lbs. mozzarella cheese

1 lb. sliced ham (sandwich)

1 1/2 cubes margarine

26 store bought yogurts

32 oz. velveeta

2 pkg. refrigerator buttermilk biscuits

grape jelly

dill pickles

homemade hot fudge sauce

leftover fried rice

leftover breakfast (pancakes, poached eggs, ham)

64 oz. applesauce

2 dozen eggs

cauliflower

broccoli

zucchini

cabbage

carrots

asparagus

limes

green onions

sliced ham (for St. Patrick's day "green eggs & ham)

2 cubes butter

7 pkgs. cream cheese

oyster sauce

wasabi horseradish

soy sauce

spicy brown mustard

worchestershire sauce

honey mustard

parmesan cheese

Stubb's BBQ sauce

caramel sauce

yellow mustard

Miracle Whip

Masterpiece BBQ sauce

Catalina dressing

ranch dressing

thousand island dressing

italian dressing

sweet pickle relish

Freezer:

ice

2 half gallon containers vanilla ice cream

2 lbs. butter

2 lbs. monterey jack cheese

2 lbs. colby jack cheese

2 containers limeade

vanilla and chocolate almond bark

otter pops

3 ice packs

ham hock

1 loaf banana bread

1 package tabasco chocolates

20 lbs. ground beef

1 pkg. mahi mahi

2 pkg. tilapia

1 frozen pie crust

1 container homemade split pea soup

1 bag tator tots

1 huge container yeast

1 (18 pk.) pancake and sausage on a stick

2 pkgs. frozen whole strawberries

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach

2 pkg. frozen chopped broccoli

6 lbs. chicken breast

6 cool whip containers cooked black beans

2 beef roasts

2 pkgs. boneless pork ribs

5 lbs. frozen shrimp

1 pkg. smoked sausage

72 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

6 pkgs. hot dogs

1 turkey breast

1 pkg. ground italian sausage

2 pkg. backstrap venison

1 venison summer sausage

1 pkg. frozen mini bagels

Sunny with a Chance of Delicious Meatballs

2010-03-10T12:55:00.003-06:00

Want a delicious meal your kids will beg you for again and again? Don't mind getting your hands a little dirty in the process? Great!

SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup crushed crackers (I used a combination of saltine and Townhouse)

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons onion, minced

2 tablespoons milk

salt

pepper

1 tablespoon oil (I used extra-virgin olive oil)

2/3 cup chili sauce

2/3 cup grape jelly

Mix ground beef with crackers, egg, garlic, onion, milk, salt and pepper. Form mixture into meatballs, approximately 40. Heat oil in frying pan and brown meatballs on all sides. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Combine jelly and chili sauce; pour over meatballs.

Heat, stirring occasionally until jelly is melted. Simmer 10 - 12 minutes until sauce has thickened up, basting occasionally.

I decided to take another route with this and put the meatballs in the crockpot after browning. I covered them with the sauce and turned the crockpot on low. I'll serve tonight with seasoned brown rice, a side of steamed broccoli and garlic bread. Mmm!

Tortillas

2010-03-04T10:11:00.004-06:00

I really need to work on my taking food picture skills. FLOUR TORTILLAS
3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or lard
about 1 1/4 cups warm water

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add vegetable shortening or lard. Or use a combination of half lard, half shortening.
Use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening or just do it the old fashioned
way and use your hands. I actually just used my paddle in the Kitchen Aid.

Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do
not need very hot water. You'll need to switch to your bread hook if using a Kitchen Aid.

Knead the dough for a few minutes.

Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them
rest covered for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.

Now you can roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Cook each side just a few seconds on a hot griddle or a skillet.

Crockpot Yogurt, because you asked...

2010-02-25T17:02:00.003-06:00

Take this:

Put it in this:

To make this:

Yummy, creamy homemade plain yogurt made in your crockpot!

I know Karen posted a great yogurt recipe here, but I'm an absolute chicken when it comes to measuring temperatures with a thermometer. I go for easy. Seriously easy.

Here's the secret recipe, which I adapted from the one found here. You can easily 1/2 this recipe for a smaller family, or one that doesn't eat as much yogurt as we do.

Homemade Crockpot Yogurt

1 gallon whole milk (I've only used whole, but this week I'll be trying it with 1%, I'll let you know)

1 cup store bought plain yogurt with live cultures (or if you've made it before keep a starter)

frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring

crockpot

blanket or large towel

I typically start this process mid-afternoon. This allows me to do all the steps before I go to bed and I wake up to a crockpot full of nice creamy yogurt. Trust me, it's the best way - unless you want to get up really early.

Turn crockpot to low.

Pour milk into crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

Leaving the crockpot lid on, unplug crockpot and let sit for 3 hours.

After 3 hours scoop out 4 cups of the milk and stir in one cup of yogurt starter/store-bought plain yogurt.

Pour mixture back into the crockpot and stir.

Put lid back on crockpot, leave it unplugged, and wrap the entire crockpot with a heavy towel or blanket to insulate.

This is where you can go to bed for 8 hours...or you can just wait.

After 8 hours you'll have yogurt. Easy, eh? It is thinner than store-bought yogurt, but it has all the same nutrients with less of the bad stuff, like sugar. If you want, you can add a packet of unflavored gelatin after you add the starter to thicken it up more. You can also try adding some powdered milk to thicken it.

You can blend fruit into the yogurt after it sets up. I keep mine plain and add flavorings upon serving it.

The yogurt will store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Remember to keep 1 cup for a starter.

More Oatmeal... in pie form

2010-02-13T22:02:00.007-06:00

You're welcome.

OATMEAL PIE

1 oatmeal pie crust, prebaked

4 eggs
3/4 c sugar
2 T flour mix (like Bisquick)
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1/2 c maple syrup
1/2 c corn syrup
2 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla
1 c rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs well, then add sugar, flour mix, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine, then add maple syrup, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Fold in oats, pour into prepared pie crust and bake 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

OATMEAL PIE CRUST

1 1/2 cups All purpose flour (I used oat)
1 1/2 cups Quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1 1/2 cups Brown sugar packed
1 cup Butter softened
1 cup Walnuts chopped, optional

Combine flour & baking soda; stir in oats & brown sugar. Cut in softened butter, mixing well, using your hands if needed to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Press into two 8-inch pie pans or a 9x13-inch baking pan.
If using precooked filling, bake pie at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Will make enough crust for TWO 8-inch pies or used as a crust for bars (apple, lemon, etc)
Recipe can be halved or doubled easily.

Popcorn Popping In the....

2010-02-06T10:03:00.001-06:00

Freshly revived, circa 1985? hot air popper, recently acquired from the in-laws...

Mmmm.

Seriously. Other than last week, when my Mother-in-law introduced me to this recipe and popped popcorn on her STOVETOP...I couldn't tell you the last time I had air (or stove) popped popcorn.

I don't eat a lot of popcorn anyway. My husband doesn't care for it, the babies might choke on it, and the kids just wipe their fingers on anything other than their napkins. We don't eat a lot of it. But it's good. And I'm all about easy. Like microwave popcorn easy...

But last week we had Caramel Corn. Homemade, really good, sticky, chewy caramel corn. And the kids needed a snack tonight, so I brought out the air popper for some fun and an encore of Shane's cousin's easy recipe.

Look good? It is.

Want easy? It is.

Caramel Corn a la Nicole

5-6 cups popcorn

1/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup

Bring butter, sugar and corn syrup to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over popcorn. Stir, and serve.

Cinnamon Rolls

2010-02-03T10:46:00.002-06:00

I have a new favorite Cinnamon Roll recipe. Beware! You will not be able to eat only one. That is why I don't even have a picture. They disappeared.

I made this recipe with a cream cheese frosting.

Yummy in my Tummy! Thanks Ree!

Taco Pie

2010-01-27T08:31:00.000-06:00

You know that feeling when you find a recipe all of your kids like? All of your kids! And, it's a dinner recipe? Heaven, I tell you!

This one surprised me. I sort of threw it together knowing the 9 year old would approve, hoping the 4 year old would appease me, and a little scared of the 2 year olds reactions. Surprised, but pleasantly so.

It's a great recipe, and I usually have everything on hand, so it's a great standby when you're in a bind for time. Plus it's a great winter recipe...you know - warm, comfort food!

TACO PIE

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cans chili

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can sliced olives

~10 corn tortillas (I cut mine in 1/4's)

jack cheese

Brown meat with onion and drain. Add chili, soup and olives. In 9x13 in. baking dish place cut tortillas on bottom. Pour half of meat mixture over tortillas, layer with more tortillas, top with remaining meat mixture. Top with cheese and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Cookies...because who wants healthy food?

2010-01-22T13:46:00.003-06:00

I was reminded by my blogging cohort that I've never posted the recipe for our heading picture. Sorry about that. There's a lot of recipes I haven't posted. And a lot of recipes I've posted without pictures.

Round 3 of our Christmas baking brought the waffle cookies around again, so I decided to post the recipe - finally - along with another favorite...the No-Bake Cookie.

Wonderful Waffle Cookies

1/2 cup melted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 beaten eggs

6 tbsp. cocoa

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Mix wet ingredients, then add dry. Heat waffle iron. Drop 1 tbsp. per section. Cook 1 minute. Cool, frost and enjoy. My favorite frosting (and the one pictured) is a cream cheese/mint frosting. Make it a little runnier so it is almost a glaze consistency.

No Nonsense No-Bake Cookies

2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cup oatmeal

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter and cocoa. Cook on medium. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. Stir and drop by spoonfuls on wax paper. Cool at room temperature.

Oatmeal: Day 4

2010-01-13T11:52:00.000-06:00

Baked Oatmeal
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, beaten

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm with milk.

Oatmeal: Day 3

2010-01-12T11:42:00.004-06:00

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter flavored Crisco

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbs. milk

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 cups quick cooking oatmeal

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup raisins

1 cup chocolate or cinnamon chips

Cream shortening, sugars and eggs. Mix in milk, vanilla, cinnamon, soda and salt.

Add flour and stir by hand. Add oats and stir. Add raisins and chips, stir just until mixed in.

Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool 10 minutes on sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

This is a recipe I came up with myself to ensure chewiness. I don't like a crunchy cookie. Be careful not to overbake, they cook a little longer on the pan.

My New Favorite Cooking Blogs...other than my own, of course

2010-01-11T11:04:00.004-06:00

http://freezerdinner.blogspot.com/

Check it out. She's a mom of 4 just like me. She understands the stress of wanting to spend time with your kids, and needing to prepare healthy, yummy meals to feed them. Her short cuts on how to freeze meals will help a lot! I can't wait to start doing this - particularly because I have the extra freezer space to do it!

Another time saver is the crock pot. I've been using mine a lot lately while my afternoons have been overtaken with piano lessons. It's great to be able to drop everything into your crock pot and know that dinner will be hot and ready when you get back - without being burned! Check out these blogs for secrets to slow cooking!

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

http://www.thecrockpotblog.com/

http://365daysofcrockpot.blogspot.com/

http://crockpotadventures.blogspot.com/

Another "shortcut" for some people is Once a Month Cooking (OAMC). It takes a ton of preparation, but allows you to prepare a months worth of food in just a couple of days. It also requires a lot of freezer space, but frees up your afternoons by allowing you to just pop dinner in the oven!

http://onceamonthmom.com/

Oatmeal: Day 2

2010-01-10T15:22:00.001-06:00

I found this at Daily Unadventures Cooking Blog and stole it. I love eggnog!

Eggnog Oatmeal
(makes 2 lg servings)

1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 c eggnog
1/2 c water
1-2 sliced bananas
1 1/2 Tbs ground flaxseed
3 tsp brown sugar
whole nutmeg, for grating
1/4 t vanilla

In a pot over low heat combine oats, water, eggnog, half of the banana and the flax. Let warm on low heat for about five minutes. Turn up to medium and stir regularly. Add brown sugar and several healthy grates of nutmeg. Keep stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and put in bowls. Top with banana and a bit more nutmeg. Serve hot!