Domestic Divas

The Organic Way... Oh! Chili Please

2012-02-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

I'm Back! After a long hiatus, I am back and ready to start posting again. Life has finally settled down and I can't wait to start sharing all my culinary creations. Many things at home have changed and so has our culinary focus. We are now solely eating organic and avoid all processed foods. I read every label before it enters my home. I have a laundry list of chemicals (aptly named) we completely avoid, but to keep it simple basically if I can't read it, I don't buy it. Now, to preface this...I have not won the lottery and I shop primarily at Whole Foods. For a family of 5 (3 adults and 2 kiddos) I spend roughly $120-150 a week on groceries. I will try to share the pricing as often as possible so you can see how sensible organic can be. So, here is my first new recipe...

Oh! Chili Please!
1 can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed ($0.89)
1 can White Northern Beans, drained and rinsed ($0.89)
1 can Lime and Chile Refried Beans ($1.19)
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes ($0.49)
1 box Beef broth ($1.99)
1/2 lb ground Turkey ($3.49)
1/2 lb ground Beef ($2.70)
1T Chili powder
1t Hungarian Paprika
1t Cumin
1t Garlic powder
1 1/2t salt

***Reminder All ingredients are ORGANIC and all spices are from a local Amish market

In a large pot, brown the meat. Drain and pour in remaining ingredients. Simmer for 15-20 minutes and serve.

Servings: This recipe provided 7 hearty (adult) servings for a total of $11.64, that is ONLY $1.66 a serving for an ALL ORGANIC recipe. Not bad if you ask me!

50 Pounds of Delight...Welcome to Autumn!

2011-09-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

We took the family to the Orchard today for a day of picking. Go figure it was a smolteringly hot day...but, we survived! We managed to pick 50 pounds of delight! We went nuts; it was a BLAST! We picked 25 pounds of courtland apples, 15 pounds of yellow peaches, 10 pounds of pears and 5 pounds of nectarines. I told you we went a little crazy! I wanted to pick the veggie garden also, but the boys ran out of steam. The best part...all this fruitastic delight cost about $25! I know, I can't believe it either!

So, on the menu:
Applesauce
Apple Butter
Apple Turnovers

Peach Butter
Peach Cobbler
Peach Salsa
Frozen Peaches

Pear Sauce
Vanilla Pear Muffins or Pear Cranberry Bread
Canned Pears

Nectarines- not sure th plan for these yet, but we will see if they make it into anything or if I eat them all...they are my absolute FAVORITE!

Plus, I am going to back a few mini loaves of bana bread since I have some super ripe bananas.

I am thinking it is time for some Welcome to Autumn Baskets! for the neighbors! I figure...win them over now before winter comes and I need to make use of their snow blower! Hee hee!

Soy Ginger Back Ribs

2011-09-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today, we found a particularly good deal on beef back ribs. There were packs of 4-5 big back ribs marked for approximately $2 a pack. I picked up the last 4 packs and knew exactly what was for dinner...

Soy Ginger Back Ribs
1/4c soy sauce
1/2c orange juice (or apple)
1T olive oil
1 1/2t ginger (I forgot to get fresh ginger at the store!)
1/4t chili powder
1/4t red pepper flakes

Put the ribs in a casserole dish. Whisk everything together and pour over the ribs. Bake for 2-2.5 hours at 300 degrees. Baste ever hour for added flavor.
***This would be super easy in a slow cooker too. Mine was in the process of making apple butter so stove it was! Just cook low for 3-4 hours.

Served over a Basmati Pilaf. I made a rice in the rice cooker and added very finely diced zucchini and yellow squash. It was a delicious meal!

Homemade Peanut Butter dip

2011-08-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

The Farm close to our hose has this amazing assortment of homemade peanut butters. They always have samples out which I love to try. So, with that in mind, I decided to whip up some yummy homemade peanut butter dip for a snack for the boys served with organic apple slices! Yummy!

Homemade Peanut Butter Dip
4 T homemade peanut putter (I used chocolate hazelnut butter...like Nutella but better!)
2 T plain Greek Yogurt
1 T applesauce
dash of cinnamon (what is better with apples)

Whisk together and Serve...with apples of course!

A Healthy Cookie...Is It Possible?

2011-08-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

I struggle with giving my sons sweets. I want to be able to give them sweet treats, but that usually means feeding them sugar laden junk sure to stick them to the ceiling. I am not sure about you, but I get tired of peeling my kid off the ceiling or dealing with the sugar breakdown after! So, I knew I had to come up with some other alternative my picky, sweet loving kid would indulge in. Enter the Chair-We Banana Coo-coo as my son calls it. You can call it a breakfast cookie, scone, healthy bar...I just call it good!

Cherry Banana Cookies
1 c Flour- wheat if you have it
1/2 c Ground Oat- I food processed quick oats
(you can use 1 1/2c four)
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
2T sugar (totally optional)
1/4 t cinnamon and nutmeg
1/2 c cherries (I used fresh, you can use dried)
1 egg
1T Olive oil
1t vanilla (optional)
3 bananas mashed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all the wet ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet to the dry. Scoop out golf ball sized scoops onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. (I used an ice cream scoop) Bake 15-20 minutes.

***Need a bit more umf, or have a craving for a bit of chocolate. Add 1/4 c white chocolate chips and 1/4 c chopped macadamia nuts!

Ameri-terranean Pita Sammies

2011-08-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today was a hungry craving/clean the fridge day. I needed to use up my left over pitas and had a few random bits left in the fridge that I didn't want to just toss, so, this is what I created.

Ameri-terranean Pita Sammies
1 pita cut in half
hummus
a few slices of avacado
a few slices of roasted red pepper
chopped up roasted chicken
a slice of tomato

Pile them in a pita and voila...a healthy yummy lunch. Oh and I had apple slices on the side... totally works...right!?!?

Perfect Brown Rice

2011-08-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

My version of the Perfect Brown Rice!!!

2 cups rice
3 1/3 cup water
1 T EVOO
dash of salt

1. Bring water with oil to a boil and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. As soon as water is boiling, put it , the salt and rice in a pyrex. (Make sure you lid is tight!)
3. Bake for an hour covered. Then, fluff and bake 5 more minutes.

***The key to great rice here is to pull the water off the stove as soon as it starts boiling so the water doesn't evaporate. I also pour everything in and put a layer of aluminum foil between the dish and the lid just to ensure no steam leaks out!

To freeze the perfect brown rice. Allow to cool, then place in a very thin layer on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, break up and place in a ziplock bag!

Goulash Style Stuffed Peppers

2011-08-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

I traditionally do not partake in stuffed peppers. I find they to be just down right boring. If I want a meat filling, I would prefer meatloaf. At least with meatloaf I can ensure it does not turn out to be a dry, overcooked meatball! So, that got me to thinking....why do stuffed peppers have to be made with ground meat? Why not goulash??? Hmm...

Goulash Style Stuffed Peppers

1 lbs beef (I used beef cubes which I cut into even smaller chunks)
3 red bell pepper
3 shallots (So, I can hide the onion from my hubbie)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups beef broth
2 T tomato paste
1 T oregano
1/2 tsp chili
olive oil
4 T red wine
salt & pepper
(def. could add veggies here very easily without the family knowing!!! Maybe next time!!!)

1. Saute garlic and shallots until tender in olive oil. Then, add your small cubes of beef. Saute for another 5-6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, 1cup of broth, wine and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to simmer until tender.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the peppers by slicing in half and removing seeds. Place in a pan with 3T of broth and bake for 10 minutes. Stir remaining broth into the meat and spoon into peppers. Cover with foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

I LOVED this version! Plus, it was a great excuse to enjoy a nice bottle of red wine with dinner! I served with a ricotta brown rice. I figured since stuffed peppers traditionally have cheese and rice, this would make for a nice (deconstructed) side. I just prepared the brown rice as usually and then added 2-3 T of ricotta. Delish (easy) dinner!

These could easily be frozen before the final bake for an easy re-heat meal!

Black Bean Falafel Burgers

2011-08-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe for black bean burgers and decided they had to be on the menu this week! I am SO glad I did. I adapted the original recipe from one created by Clean Eating.

Black Bean Falafel Burgers

1 medium carrots, grated (I grated 4 baby carrots)
2 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup kale
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2T Worcestershire
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 c cooked mixed veggies (I had grilled yellow squash, zucchini, red peppers and onions from kabobs the other night, so, I added them to the food processor)

1. Put the Kale, beans and veggies in the food processor. Pulse several times. Bean should have some chucks still, but no whole beans...don't over process. (I processed the Kale and veggies first, then added the beans)
2. In a large bowl, combine bean mix and the remaining ingredients. mix by hand until everything is combined. Then, form 1/3c sized patties.
3. Grill.

I severed on thin buns with avocado and salsa. My mom also dipped in sour cream! They were delicious! Definitely very reminiscent of Falafel...something I LOVE!!! Plus there was enough left over to freeze!!!

Layered Mexican Pizza

2011-08-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

I surprised myself and my husband tonight with this delight! It was SUPER easy and absolutely delish! Plus by limiting the cheese I really cut out a lot of calories.

Mexican Layered Pizza
1/3-1/2 lb beef, cubed
1/4 red pepper, chopped.
1/2 can black beans
1/2 c corn
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can enchilada sauce
6 whole wheat tortillas
1/4c cheese

1. Combine the drained and rinsed black beans with the corn and about a 1/4 cup enchilada sauce. Set aside.
2. Prepare beef cubes by chopping up into small bits. (This will make your pizza much easier to eat and will also help with any chewy cuts you have) Then, saute with a little bit if olive oil and the chopped red peppers. Saute just a few minutes, the bits of beef will cook quickly. Then, add a 1/4c of enchilada sauce and turn the heat down to low. Allow to cook down while you prepare the tortillas.
3. Brown tortillas. This can be done2 ways depending on your preference. I prefer to fry each one in a tiny bit of oil over low heat. Allow each side to brown. Or, you can brown each side under the broiler.
4. Layer your pizza. I used a large, white corning dish sprayed with Pam. Please a tortilla at the bottom. Then layer. One layer of beans and corn, then a layer of beef. Repeat until you have used all your ingredients. I had enough for 2 layers of beans and 2 layers of beef. Then, top with your final tortilla with a scoop or two of enchilada sauce and the cheddar cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Slice into portions and serve with a dollop of sour cream or avocado.

Edit: We all went back for seconds later in the evening because this was so good! I will put the recipe at the front of my card book.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

2011-06-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

My husband has become a lover of all things hot! So, I decided to make slides with the leftover skinless boneless chicken breasts. Here is what I created...

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1T butter
1/3 c hot sauce (I used Franks)
Bread
Romaine lettuce
Spreads

1. I pounded down the chicken breasts and then grill. Once cooked through, allow to cool just a bit and chop up.
2. Microwave the butter for a few seconds until melted, then combine with hot sauce and cover chicken.
3. Cut open bread. Fill with chicken, sauce and lettuce.

Sauce:

Ranch spread: 2T ranch dressing and 2T cream cheese (cooking creme)

Blue Cheese Spread: 2T Sour cream, 1T blue cheese, 1t vinegar

Baby Sugar Swirls

2011-05-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

These are a really simple cookie that can easily be dressed up for any occassion. I love them because even you don't have to have a steady icing hand or know how to make icing roses to make a pretty cookie. So, here goes....

Baby Sugar Swirls
2 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2/3 c powdered sugar
1/4 cup Splenda
1 1/4c Healthy Choice Buttery Spread
1 tsp vanilla OR almond
Food coloring
1 Canister of color sprinkles (or any confection)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put parchement paper down on your cookie sheet.
2. Combine all dry ingredients. Then, add the butter in using your stand up mixer. While mixing, add your extract. Once combined removed half the batter and put in a small bowl in the freezer.
3. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix until you reach the desired color.
4. On a countertop, put down a sheet of clear wrap. Remove your dough from the freezer and place on the clear wrap. Put the colored dough in the bowl and place in the freezer.
5. Flatten the dough on the clear wrap a bit and then place a piece of wax paper (or another cling wrap) and roll out to about 1/4" thick. Remove cover dough from the freezer and repeat the process.
6. Once both have been rolled out, place the rolled colored dough ontop of the other. Roll up from the longest side. Now, roll up in clear wrap and place back in the freeze for about 10 minutes.
7. Remove from freezer, roll in your sprinkles and slice 1/2" cookies. Place on your parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Original Recipe Courtesy of Our Italian Kitchen

Blog turned Book

2011-05-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

It seems like evryone is making a cook book now -a- days! Half the time I thumb throw a cookbook and find there is only a recipe or two I would actually make. My simple tastes I guess! Yet, there is one new cookbook I can't wait to get my hands on!

I Love this blog. They always have amazing recipes and heartfelt stories to share. I started reading this blog about a year ago and have been hooked ever since. So, if you have the time, check it out at Mennonite Girls Can Cook!!! If you like their recipes as much as I do, check out their amazing cookbook! All proceeds go to help help children in the Ukraine!

Recipe Philosophy

2011-05-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

What is your philosophy on cooking?
First...have I mentioned lately that I LOVE cooking? I have been cooking for as long as I can remember. I love the satisfaction of preparing something yummy for those I love. I find it fulfilling. I love the process, be it simple or complex. For me, it is therapeutic.

Step by step, be it stirring, chopping or kneading, it is so easy to get lost in the process. The world slows and chaos subsides. Ok, so the chaos subsides as much as possible with 2 rambunctious little boys and a phone that is always ringing. Either way, a calm sets in and the process begins.

So, how do I chose what to serve to my family. Well, I am a purist at heart. For me this means recipes without all the glitz and glamour. I prefer to cook from scratch with simple ingredients. You won't find 700 spices or the latest cooking gadgets in my kitchen. I don't find them necessary to produce good tasting, quality food.

Food should speak for itself. A potato should taste like a potato. No rosemary infused garlic cream cheese mashed potatoes in this house. I just don't see the need. Sure I could fancy up a box of instant potatoes, but you and I both know you can taste the difference. When you take the time to peel, boil and mash your potatoes you don't have to worry about clearing out the spice cabinet to mask the processed flavor of instant. Sure it make take a little bit longer, but I am confident in the food I serve. I swear I should be living on a kibbutz somewhere...now I know you think I am crazy..lol!

Step 1: Removing the WHITE! and, serving the BROWN

2011-04-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

Every notice pasta is ALWAYS bogo at the grocery store? My husband loves pasta and even my super picky son is finally starting to enjoy. So, I want to make sure that I offer a healthy alternative. Thus, I have started to purchase whole wheat pasta. It isn't on sale as often, but when the deals come around, I am stocking up. I have not totally won my hubbie over with this yet, but it is a work in progress! He just doesn't have a choice!

Another staple my husband loves is rice. His new obsession is the quick minute rice that you microwave in the package. Doesn't that just scream healthy! Yikes! To me it just tastes... well...weird...microwaved...mush! Lord knows, I don't even want to turn that box over to look at the label. I am sure it has more than 4-6 ingredients and I bet I can't read half of them! So ix-nay on that...okay! Instead of white, we will go brown! I know I will meet a lot of opposition on this one, but I live for a challenge right!!! I mean I knew this wouldn't be easy! So, here is a great simple recipe to get me started!

Perfectly Simple Brown Rice
(Courtesy of Freeze your way Fit)

3 c brown rice
4 2/3 c water
2 T olive oil
1 t salt

1. Preheat oven to 375. Yes! I said the oven! Put the rice in a 9x13 baking dish. Bring the water to a boil, then pour over the rice. Next add the oil and salt. Give a quick stir. Cover the dish with foil to keep all that gorious steam in. Bake for 1 hour.
2. Remove from the oven, fluff and let cool for a minute or two.

If you haven't noticed yet, this makes a HUGE dish of rice. Way more than my small family of 3 can consume. So, I dish up what we need for the night, then I freeze slightly large single serving portions in individual containers. Once frozen, slide out of the container and place in a large ziplock. That way, next time we want rice all I have to do is micro it for 45 seconds and serve! Since I often have to work at night, this is a great time saver!

My new kick(s)!

2011-04-09T05:10:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed lately that the prices of food are moving sky high! I was shocked this week when I went to the store to buy pork chops and a family pack was prices at $15! How can anyone afford to eat with these prices. Knowing what is going on around the world, with rising oils prices shortages of corn and weather wreaking havoc on many crops, I only expect food prices to get higher and higher. This has lead my normally level headed husband to start watching survivalist videos on youtube. Some of these people are pretty far out, but I totally understand their concept. Between the survivalists mentality and the extreme couponing rage right now, my husband and I are starting to stock pile some food. Nothing outrageous, just stocking up on the foods we eat when the prices are low.

I am also going back to sneaking veggies into my foods. In an ideal world my husband would willingly sit down to a plate of teriyaki glazed portabellas served with brown rice and edamame. Oh yeah and a zucchini, Kale and Cabbage smoothie. Yet, this idea world doesn't exist. My husbands ideal of the dinner is fried pork chops, mashed potatoes and corn. He might throw a nice iceberg lettuce salad in there with oil and vinegar, but that is the extent of it! So, I have to find a way to incorporate healthy vegetables into yummy foods my family will eat with out telling them! So, Dicey Debbie because I am dicing up and dishing out some new healthy recipes. (Hopefully they go over well, I am sure I am going to get the side eye on some of these stuff. That won't stop me though!)

Yet, we are still on an EXTREMELY tight budget. My weekly budget is $75. This must include everything...meats, produce, cleaning supplies, detergents, a bit of formula, ect... So, couponing is a must! The thing I find hard about couponing is finding simple ingredients on sale to stock up on that are not full of over processed crap! I hate that! It is possible though...jut really have to look and work the deals.

Let's see where this process takes me....Are you gonna jump on board?

Smokey Zuccchini Soup

2011-04-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

I know you just read the title and went...wha...Zucchini soup. Trust me it is delicious! Since it is the end of the season and I still have a several zucchini sitting around, I decided to make some soup. This is great soup to hide veggetables if your husband...errr...I mean kids don't like vegetables. This hearty soup is oustanding addition to a cool summer night!

Smokey Zucchini Soup

3 slices of pancetta, bacon or smoked meat
1 onion, minced
2-3 zucchini, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 c chicken or vegetable broth
1/4c feta
2/3c cream
1. Brown bacon until crispy and tehn remove from pot. Add onion and cook until translucent. Then, stir in the zucchini and potatoes. Cover and allow to cook down until softened (5-7 minutes).
2. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until veggies are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove soup and puree. Then, retrun to pot and add cream and feta. Season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to low until warmed all the way through. Garnish with panchetta (or bacon).

Cinnamon pancakes

2011-04-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Why waste your money on those tasteless frozen pancakes. They are SO simple to make and can have so many different flavors. Today's flavor...cinnamon. A perfect pairing with my left over homemade applesauce.

Cinnamon Pancakes

Sift: 3 cups flour, 4-5t baking powder, 5T sugar, 4t cinnamon, 1t nutmeg

Combine: 2 1/2c milk, 3 eggs, 3T melted butter

Mix half the dry ingredients into the wet. Once combined mix in the remaingin dry mix. Allow to sit 15-20 mintes. Then, heat up the griddle and get to work!!!

This recipe made 25 large sand dollar pancakes. I place on cookie sheets or plastic cutting boards to freeze. The key is to make sure they do not overlap. Once frozen, remove from freezer and transfer to ziplock!

Picky Eaters: Soup

2011-04-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

My son is a very picky eater. Half the time I cannot even get him to taste what I am offering, but today I decided to play to his fancy...Letters!

Simple Alphabet Soup
Chicken stock (or a few cups of water and a few boullion cubes)
Alphabet pasta

Bring to a boil and cook until pasta is tender.

Normally I would recommend cuting up tiny carrot cuves, but I didn't want to push it! I was content that he even ate this!

Crunchy Buffulo Chicken Bites

2011-02-21T13:11:00.000-08:00

My hubbie LOVE buffalo chicken wings, but I am not a big fan of chicken wings. So, I came up with this alternative!

Crunchy Buffalo Chicken Bites
1-2 Breasts of chicken, cut into 1-2" pieces
2 eggs
1T hot sauce
1 c flour
1.5 c corn flakes, crushed
Kebob sticks

1. Once chicken is cut into pieces, thread onto kebob sticks.
2. Dredge sticks in flour.
3. Coat in beaten eggs and hot sauce.
4. Roll in cruched corn flakes.
5. Fry in a pan with 2-3T oil. (I fryed at 340 degrees until golden brown on all sides).

Serve with ranch/blue cheese and celery!! Yummy!

Meal Plan Monday...on Tuesday..AGAIN!

2011-01-04T17:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years! I can't believe another year has passed and oh so quickly! Things have been exceptionally busy lately...even for the holidays. I haven't had much time to think more than a day or so ahead so a meal plan rather low on my list of things to do...even though I find it exceptionally helpful. I also haven't really thought about resolutions because I don't think much of them! I will say one thing I have been focused on at the end of this year that I will continue to focus on with this new year and that is spending!

I have worked really hard to decrease my weekly grocery bill. My first goal was to increase the amount of groceries I was able to purchase with my weekly budget of $100. Then, the goal became to reduce my weekly grocery budget to $75. I have successfully accomplished both. I spend on average $75 a week and purchase between $150-$200+ worth of groceries. I have really struggled to lower my weekly bill below $75, but my goal over the next few months is to reduce it by another $15. Ultimately, I would love to spend about $50 a week on groceries. This is truly a challenge for me (esp. when my husband comes shopping with me), but it can be done! I know I can do it! So, that is my challenge/resolution for this year!

Monday and Tuesday: Bean Soup with Cornbread
Wednesday and Thursday: Sarma (Stuffed Cabbage...I can't wait!)
Friday: Chicken Chipolte Style burritos
Saturday: Marinated Chicken over Tortellini
Sunday: Homemade Pizza

Baking for the Week: Blueberry Streusel and a Birthday cake

The Sarma will be a lot of work..ok...not really a lot of work, but time consuming. Yet, it is SO WORTH THE EFFORT!!! The rest of the week will be really simple stuff! Should make for a really easy cooking week!

Pinto Bean Soup...Croatian Style

2011-01-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

We STILL had ham left over and I needed to make something to use it ALL up. We are all a bit HAMMED OUT!! So, I thought it was time for some bean soup.

Pinto Bean Ham Soup
1 bag pinto beans
Left over bits of ham and the ham bone
(Or purchase a ham steak)
1 small bag sauerkraut, crained but NOT rinsed

1. Soak beans overnight OR use canned beans. Drain.
2. Place drained beans in the slow cooker along with all other ingredients. Cover with water and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Serve with yummy fresh bread or cornbread!

Hot and Sweet Cornbread

2011-01-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

We are going to a BBQ for the football games today and I wanted to bring something. Needless to say I have yet to go shopping, so my selection was rather slim. Hence, Hot and Sweet Cornbread to the rescue. This is slightly different from the cornbread I usually make, but I thought it basic cornbread just wouldn't do! Oh and the sweet thing about this cornbread is that you can make it using Jiffy mix if you don't want to go through the hassle of making truly homemade cornbread!

Cornbread
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 t baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
(OR, make Jiffy mix according to package and skip the above ingredients)
1/2 t salt
1 cup of sweet corn kernels (or about 1/2 a can)
1 jalapeno (sliced and chopped)

1. Mix everything together and pour into a baking dish. (You may want to grease). Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. (I made it in a loaf pan and it only needed about 12 minutes)

I also made an extra one for tonight to serve with my Pinto Bean Soup! Super yummy!

Chicken's Winter Stew

2010-12-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

As it continues to stay rather cool out it is time for another soupy stew! This is another super simple recipe that is delightfully flavored.

Chicken's Winter Stew

6 skinless chicken thighs (or a whole chicken cut up and skinned or go super simple and chunk up a rotisserie chicken)
Seasoning: salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic
3 potatoes
3 carrots
1/3 pound green beans (if you have on hand)
1/2c corn (fresh off the cob or frozen)
1 bell pepper (if you have on hand)
1 small onion (if you eat onion..lol!)
1 can diced tomatoes (or 1/2 can of tomato paste)
Water or chicken broth

1. Season chicken with the seasonings of your choice. If you don't have much on hand, a simple salt and pepper rub would be fine! Then, in a large stock pot, brown chicken, peppers and onions in a tablespoon of olive oil. Brown both sides of chicken.
2. While chicken is browning, chop up remaining veggies and then add to the pot. Cover with water or broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. In a food processor, process one can of tomatoes. Mix into soup. Simmer until veggies are tender. Season soup if needed with additional salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Crockpot: Brown chicken, onion and peppers. Then, add everything into the crock pot at one time. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Spicy Lentil Soup

2010-12-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

I made this last night and it was delicious! I served it with the french bread I made earlier in the day. I made a prosciutto panini with provolone and pimentos.

Spicy Lentil Soup

4c beef broth (I made my own but you can use the canned/box stuff)
carrots (or use a can)
1/2c lentils
1/2 can of kidney beans
1/2 can of northern beans (you can use whatever type of beans you have on hand)
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
1 strings of leeks- chopped
1t cumin
1T red wine vinegar
1 spicy kielbasa- sliced and chopped

1. In a pot, bring broth to a boil. Add carrots, lentils, beans and garlic. Simmer for 45 minutes or until carrots and lentils are tender.
2. Saute kielbasa and leeks in a little Pam. Then, add to the soup along with seasoning and vinegar. Simmer 10 minutes longer. Serve hot!

Meal Plan Monday

2010-12-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

We are going on week 2 of not going shopping for anything other than the staples (milk, cheese, lunchmeat, bread, etc...). I ended up spending about $30 on groceries last week. I will probably spend a bit more this week because I will be stocking up on chicken. Hopefully by then Publix will have some better sales on because it will be time to re-stock the pantry.

Monday: Smoked Sausage and Lentil soup with a Proscuitto and Peppers Sammie
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bacon and Peas in a Cream Sauce
Thursday: Fried Pork chops (for hubbie) Stuffed Zucchini (for me)
Friday: Beef Stew
Saturday: Left over soup with a Mozzerella and Red Pepper Roulade
Sunday:Chicken Tacos

Bread Time!

2010-12-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

With saving money comes baking, so, a quiet day at home with a sick, screaming 2.5 year old who is trying to out scream his 6wks brother definitely calls for day of bread. French bread that is! It blows my mind that to buy a loaf of bread at the store constitutes me forking over $2+. Thus, let the flour tossing and dough throwing commence while baby wearing!

French Bread

2 1/2 cups flour
1t salt
1T sugar
2 1/4t yeast
1 c warm water

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in your stand mixer, then slowing beat in warm water (water should be a bit warmer than baby's bath water...if it is too hot then you will kill your yeast). Beat in your mixer for 2-3 minutes.
***If you do not have a stand mixer, then follow these directions: Combine dry ingredients with 1 1/2 cup of water. Beat with a hand mixer until combined. Then, continue to stir in the remaining flour until it is too think to stir. Then, dig in with well floured hands (or pam sprayed hands) and mix until combined.

2. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes. If your arms get tired, then walk away, rest and then come back! You want to knead your bread to ensure it is chewy instead of crumbly. It is better to over knead then under.

3. Turn on your over to 350 degrees for 1 minute exactly...then turn off! Put your dough into a greased bowl and cover with a thin towel. Place your dough bowl in the oven to allow the dough to rise. (MAKE SURE YOUR OVEN IS OFF)

4. Allow dough to rise until it doubles (30min-1 hour). Punch down and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll flat until about the size of a small cookie sheet. Then roll up to form your french loaf. Return to your warm oven to allow to rise. (You can re-heat your oven if needed)

5. Once loaf size has doubled, then remove from oven and preheat to 400 degrees. While oven is heating, brush loaf with an egg white wash (1 egg white and 1T water). Then, using a sharp (this is key) knife carefully slash the top of your loaf diagonally 3-4 times a few inches apart.

6. Return to the oven and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Cranberry Mango Chutney

2010-12-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

I have 1 mango left from last weeks trip to the farmer's market last weekend and a 1/2 of a bag of cranberries. I need to use them up before they go bad, so, I was trying to figure out what to do with them. Then, I noticed my jar of raspberry chutney was almost gone...cha-ching! Cranberry Mango Chutney!!! I am hoping that I will have enough to make 2 jars. I would love to include a jar in a holiday gift basket I am making for my family. It would make an amazing appetizer!

Cranberry Mango Chutney

1/2 bag of cranberries

1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1/2 c sugar
2 T cider vinegar
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t salt
1/2 t ginger (optional)
1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
1T diced Jalapenos (optional)

1. Put everything in a saucepan and bring to a hard boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer for 20-25 minutes. (Wait for cranberries to pop which will allow the sauce to thicken)
2. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

Curious how to easily sterilize your jars without buying a ton of canning equipment...
1. Wash all the parts in soapy water.
2. In a small pot of water, boil lids. Keep boiling until ready to use.
3. Please jars on a cookie sheet and place in a 225 degree oven for 10 minutes. Then, turn off heat and leave in warm oven until ready to use.

Coconut Macaroons

2010-12-10T17:46:00.000-08:00

Macaroons are my most favoritest cookies. I never gave them a chance when I was younger because I was not a huge coconut fan, but my mom and uncle horded them whenever they got the chance. Now, I see why! They are so light and absolutely delicious. These cookies are beautiful in their own right! Anyway, this is a really simple go to recipe when you a easy sweet treat. (I have other macaroon recipes, bu this is nice simple one) Plus, as a bonus it makes a lot of cookies and doesn't involve a lot of ingredients. Plus, you can fancy them up by dipping them in chocolate or drizzling chocolate on them.

Coconut Macaroons

2/3c sugar
6T flour
14oz bag of coconut
1/4t salt
4 egg whites
Optional: 1t almond extract or vanilla extract

Combine sugar, flour and coconut. Then, add your egg whites. (Now you can simply combine the egg whites lightly beaten or you can go fancy and beat your whites to form peaks...I do both depending on my mood!).

Bake at 325 degrees for 22 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.

Stuffed Pork Loin

2010-12-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

Speaking of leftover stuffing, I ran out of time to make my soup today, so, I quickly threw together this delicious pork loin. It used up a managery of items I had left over from my Thanksgiving cooking. (Can you tell I only have pork left in the freeze yet...I can't wait to go to Publix for chicken this weekend!!!)

1 pork loin
1 box stuffing
1/4c dried cranberries, rough chop
(* you can use whatever you have- dried cherries, fresh apples, etc...)
2 T walnuts, chopped (optional)
* toasting your nuts will add another level of flavor, just don't burn
1/4 onion (I sauteed to add flavor)

1. Cook stuffing according to directions. While cooking butterfly your roast. This is a fancy way of saying slice the meat in half without slicing all the way through the meat, You want to be ab;e to open it up like a book. I then pound mine a bit, but that is totally your choice.

2. Once stuffing is complete, stir in the fruit, nuts and onion. Spread onto your opened meat. Then, roll the meat up and secure the seam with toothpicks or a long skewer.

3. Brown your roast in a little butter or olive oil. Then, bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes per pound. (This will cook your roast...we don't serve any pink pork in this family no matter how safe the Food Network insists it is.)

4. Please wait 10 minues before carving up this beauty, otherwise all those wonderful juices in your meat will run right out. No one wants dry pork!

***This can also be done with thick cut (bone -in or -out) porkchops.

Dough Stretchers

2010-12-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ever have leftover crackers and need something to do with them...or, if you are like me, do you have a bunch of left over boxes if stuffing that need be used? Can't stand the thought of another bite of stuffing? Here's an idea...

Put your stuffing or crackers in a food processor and process until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Or, put in a ziplock bag and beat until smooth. Great way to deal with the frustration of the day!

Then, dredge your meat (porkchops, chicken, etc...) in 1 lightly beaten egg and then through your crumbs.

Finally bake or fry your meat. Simple, but tasty meal that is a easy way to use up those leftover crackers or stuffing.

Recipes I wanna try...

2010-12-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

I have been whoring it up again...with food porn! I love when I have a few quiet moments (which is like never) and I can just relax. Now if only I had a glass of wine or a brownie sundae that would complete the whole experience! This will have to do for now!

How awesome do these wonderful picture look? I can't wait to try these recipes!

Chicken Canzanese

Coutesy of Jolene from What's cookin, Chicago?

Mozzarella, Tomato and Gnocchi Bake

Courtesy of The Good Mood Food blog

Swedish Meatballs

Courtesy of Simply Recipes

Italian Sausage, Tomato and Macaroni Soup with Basil

Coutesy of Kalyn's Kitchen

Orange Sesmae Chicken

Courtesy of Appetite for China

Glazed Butts and Fried Toes

2010-12-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Another change in the menu...no chicken equals more pork. I was at Sweetbay a few weeks back and they had some really nice (smaller) pork butts on sale for between $2-3 bucks! I couldn't pass them up so we bought like 6 of them. Hence, tonight we are having...

Glazed Butts (Honey Glazed Pork Roast)

Season Rub: Onion powder, Black pepper, Salt, Red pepper flakes (I was out of Cayenne), Paprika

1. Rub Roast generously with your seasoning rub. Turn on oven to 350 degrees
2. In an oven ready pan, melt 3T butter along with 2T honey (or maple syrup) and 1T garlic. Once butter is melted, add Roast. Brown all the sides.
3. Cover pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven. Cook 15-20 minutes per pound. Turn the Roast half way through. (This can also be placed in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours)

Fried Toes (Potato Croquettes)

Mashed Potatoes (1 tub or about 1 lb)
Garlic, minced/crushed
2 eggs
bread crumbs

1. Season your potatoes if not already and mix in the garlic. Next, lightly beat 1 egg and then combine with the potatoes.
2. Roll the potatoes into 2 inch logs that are about the thickness of a quarter. (if you have cubed cheese, it is super yummy to slide a cube in the center of the potato roll before coating)
3. In a new bowl, lightly beat the other egg. In a separate bowl, add the bread crumbs. (I like to spice things up a bit add a bit of Tabasco in with the egg)
4. Roll each potato roll (or croquette) in egg and then in breadcrumbs. Fry or bake until crispy. Serve with sour cream.

Change of pace

2010-12-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Although I posted my meal plan menu, I haave not stuck to it yet. It was based on what I thought (key word) was in the freezer in the way of meat. Yet, I was surprised to find that I was totally out of chicken (good thing it is on sale either this week or next week at Publix...time to stock back up. Anywho, I made a few changes...

Frisco Melts for 2
I made these last night and served with frozen Matzo Ball Soup...yes I defrosted it first!

3/4 lb lean ground beef
4 slices of cheese (I used Munster)
4 pieces of toast
Ketchup/Mayo mixed
Pickles- thin sliced

Make the paties really thin and then fry up. Add cheese and melt. Spread your mayo mix on the bread, layer with pickels (tomato and lettuce) and meat...serve hot and delish!

Santa's Cake cookies

2010-12-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

Today we had a Santa Movie and Cookies playdate, so, I needed a quick cookie to whip up for the kiddos. I didn't have time to make anything the night before and there was no trip to the store in my future. As I peered into my pantry I noticed my canister of flour was almost empty...so, it was between the bok of white cake mix or the brownie mix. Although, I am sure the brownie mix would make fantastic cookies, they were not right for tomorrow. So, a white box of cake mix it is!!!

Cake Cookies

1 box of cake mix
1 egg
1 stick of butter (softened, not melted)
***Optional: mix in choc chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, basically anything you want

Dump it all into a standup mixer and mix. (or use a hand mixer to combine then use your hands to finish off the mixing. Make 1 inch balls (roll in colored sugar) and place on a un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for a non-stick pan (375 degrees for a light colored or glass pan) for 7-9 minutes.

(If you want to make rolled cookies instead of drop cookies, use 2/3c of butter)

The cookies were a real hit. I think the moms ate as many cookies as the kids....if not more! I would say that is a true measure of success! lol!

Crockpot: Cream Cheese Chicken

2010-12-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

Cream Cheese Chicken a la Crock pot

3 chicken breasts
1 package dry italian dressing mix (I use Good Seasons)
4 T melted butter
1 small onion chopped (optional)
2 garlic clove chopped (or use the jarred already minced variety)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water if you are out of broth...drop in a boullion cube if you have one!)

Spray your crock pot with Pam and then add your chicken. Sprinkle the seasoning packet over the chicken piecesand then dump 2 T melted butter over top. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Mlt the 2 remaining T of butter in saucepan. Saute onions and garlic. Then, add the soup, cream cheese, and chicken broth; stir until melted & smooth. Add the soup mixture to the crockpot and cook on low for 1 additional hour.

Serve over Rice or noodles or even mashed potatoes!!! Yumm!

Meal Plan Sunday...lol

2010-12-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

I just realized that although I created last weeks meal plan post, I totally forgot to post it. Geesh! Sorry about that. Thus, I decided to start early this week and get my mela plan posted ASAP...before I forget!

This week is pretty easy. We are playing pantry clean up! We have done such an amazing job stocking up with all our awesome Publix shopping trips that we now need to get down to the business of eatting it! Kind of the point right! So, here ya go...

Sunday- Roasted Vegetable Minestrone
Monday- Pork Roast with glazed carrots
Tuesday- BBQ Sliders with Rosemary Parm Fries
Wednesday- Cream cheese Chicken over noodles with fresh green bean
Thursday- LO
Friday-Chicken Tortilla Soup with Spicy Island cheese Quesadilla
Saturday- LO soup with Ham and swiss panini

The minestrone recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman. Ree Drumond is an amazing cook and photographer. If you check out some oif her pics you will also see her house/kitchen is to die for!!! If you need some new ideas check out her blog for some new versions of your fav ol' recipes!

Per your request...

2010-12-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

White Chicken Chili a la Crock Pot!

1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 oz) can diced jalapeno peppers (I use 1/2 can so it isn't too spicy)
2 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
2 t ground cumin (Don't panic if you don't have in hand!)
Salt to taste
1 t cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 c chopped cooked chicken breast (I boil and shred my chicken)
3 (15 ounce) cans white cannalini beans
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or your choice of cheese)
Sour Cream to garnish

1. Add all of the ingredients into the crock pot and cook on low for at least 5 hours (6-8 hours preferred).
2. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream.

Pierogies

2010-12-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow should be an awesome experience. We will have six 2-3 year olds and their mamas trying to put pierogies together. It should be interesting to see the attention span of these little ones in addition to their attention to detail. I am thinking they will have some fun making circles and maybe putting the filling in, but the mamas will probably have to take over to finish everything up! We shall see though. I will update with pics (if I remember to take them. In the meantime...here is the recipe for you to check out!

Potato and Cheese Pierogies

Dough: 2 c flour; 1/2 t salt; 2 egg yolks; 2 t oil; 1/2 - 3/4 c hot water
Filling: Prepared mashed potatoes; 1 c cheddar cheese

To make the dough:

1. Put the flour in a mountain shape on your counter. Sprinkle the salt on top of flour, then make a well in center. Add the egg yolks and oil in the center of the well. Stir in circular motion using your fingers, working from middle of flour out. Add water a little at a time, as you go. The dough should be slightly sticky. Roll into a ball.

2. Knead dough 20 - 25 times or until soft and elastic. (or simply put in the stand mixer with the kneading bit for a few minutes until elastic) Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

To Fill:
1. To fill pierogies, divide dough into 3 - 4 pieces. Using hands, shape into logs about 1" in diameter. Slice each log into pieces 1-inch wide. Dust lightly with flour. Press each piece into a thin round circle. Add 1t of filling in center. Then, gently pull dough over filling to form half-moon shape. Carefully, pinch edges together to seal. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

To cook:

1. Bring a big pot of water to a hard boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Add perogies, one at a time. (be careful not to over crowd the pan) Cook uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pierogies from water or drain.

2. In a saute pan, melt 1-2 T butter. Saute pierogies on each side until lightly brown. Serve with sour cream.

Post Thanksgiving Meal Plan

2010-11-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had an outstanding Thanksgiving! We had a small dinner at home with the boys. We are so thankful to be together and definitely spent the day counting our blessings. But, now it is time to jump right back on the meal plan train. So, here is what I have planned thus far...

Thursday: Spaghetti Dinner with all my hubbies High School friends

Friday: Braised Short Ribs
Saturday:Shepards Pie (using up leftover mashed potatoes)

Sunday: Left overs
Monday: Stove Top Pork chops with Sweet potatoes
Tuesday:Chicken and Yellow Rice with a salad
Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Hanukkah Dinner with family

Friday: Stuffed Pork Loin with Pierogies
Saturday: Chili with Jiffy pudding
Sunday: Leftovers

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

2010-11-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

I decided to make these a bit different this time around. I am going to put the rice in the enchiladas and the serve with a salad and plantains. For this recipe, you can purchase enchilada sauce or at the bottom I have included my enchilada sauce recipe. Do what works for you!

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

10-12 flour tortillas
1 onion, chopped **Optional of course!
3c mild enchilada sauce (store bought or homemade)
2 (16 ounce) cans black beans (do not drain)
2 cups cooked brown rice (or white rice if you prefer)
1c shredded cheese

1. Saute onion in a bit of pam. Add black beans, then mash everything up. Now, add 1 cup of enchilada sauce, rice and cheese.
2. Fill the tortilla with your bean/cheese mix then roll and put in baking dish seam side down. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Enchilada Sauce

2 T oil
2 T flour
2 T chili powder (or hot sauce if out of chili powder)
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
2 c water
Dash of salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Heat oil in pan, then stir in flour and chili powder; cook for 1 minute. (If using hot sauce, cook flour only for 1 minute, then add hot sauce with remaining ingredients) Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

*Makes about 3 cups sauce.

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Chicken

2010-11-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

*This is a super simple chicken recipe that you can throw together in a pinch. Is is quick and very yummy!

3 breasts boneless skinless chicken
3 slices bacon
3 slices ham (the reg. lunchmeat type)
3-4T cottage cheese
**Optional: Parmesan, mozzerella cheese

1. Slice chicken almost in half. Open up and place one slice of ham in between the halves. Then, add 1T cottage cheese (optional to mix cottage cheese with mozzerella and/or parmesan). Then, fold closed and wrap in bacon. You can then coat with BBQ sauce or simply serve on the side as a dip.

2. Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes.

Spaghetti a la #1

2010-11-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

Spaghetti a la #1 is my own recipe for a meat filled spaghetti sauce. It has been adapted from the recipe my dad used to make when I was younger. My family LOVES this sauce. You can use any combination of meat that you have on hand. It is a great way to clean up a bit of this and a dab of that!

Spaghetti a la #1

2 chicken breast
2 boneless pork chops (or boneless pork ribs)
1/2 lb gound meat (pork, beef, chicken..your choice)
1-2 sausage (remove casing of spicy, italian...your choice)
1-2 cans Tomato Sauce
3 cans petite diced tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper
1T paprika
2 t pepper flakes
Veggies: broccolli, red peppers, onions, carrots, zucchini, ect...

1. Brown all your meat. Then, add to a large pot along with tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic and seasoning. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer.
2. Steam veggies. Then, place in a food processor and process until it turns to mush! Add your veggie mush to your sauce.
3. Simmer sauce until meat is tender (1- 1.5 hours). Remove meat chunks and shred. Then, return to pot, stir and serve over pasta.

Meal Plan...on Tuesday

2010-11-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Well, things have been super busy in our household. Our 2nd son was born on October 25th and after a few complications, I was released from the hospital on Oct 30th. Luckily my mom flew in just in time to help my hubbie take care of our 30 mo old and newborn son. Unfortunately, my mom had to fly home and I am on my own again. Thus, the meal plans are starting back up! I also finally cleaned out my freezer. Now, I have a very clear picture of what I have to clean/use up! So, here is what I have planned for this week!

Monday: Spaghetti Dinner (delivering dinner to a sick friend)
Tuesday: Leftover spaghetti
Wednesday: Marinated Pork Chops with Pad Thai noodles
Thursday: Cube Steaks with Triple Corn Casserole and fresh sliced tomato
Friday: Bean and Cheese Enchiladas with Spanish Rice and Salad
Saturday: LO
Sunday:Bacon Wrapped BBQ Chicken with Squash
Monday: Chicken and Rice

I also plan on using up my brown bananas this week. I will be making a Cranberry Banana Bread. This is a easy quick bread recipe. I merged 2 recipes to create this yummy creation. So, here you go...

Cranberry Banana Bread
2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/4 c light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
4 T butter, melted
1 c dried cranberries, or 12 oz fresh cranberries
4 brown bananas, mashed

Spray your loaf pan with PAM and lightly sprinkle with flour (or use a nonstick pan). Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a seperate bowl, combine egg, milk, butter, and mashed banana.

Pour the banan mix into the flour mix and stir to combine. Add cranberries. Pour into pan and bake 1 hour 15 minutes if using fresh cranberries, or 45 minutes if using dried cranberries. Remove and allow to cool. Then smear warm bread with fresh butter and endulge!

Quick Man's Apple Crisp

2010-10-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

Last night on a total whim my hubbie said he was craving apple pie...so I had to come up with something. I mean who doesn't like cooked apples. I had 3 apples waiting to be used so, I created the Quick Man's Crisp.

3 apples- peeled cored and chopped
1T butter
1T Brown sugar
1/4t salt
2t Corn starch

Put the first 4 ingredients in a small pot and cook on medium low until tender. Then, drain the juices into a small dish. Whisk in the corn starch until smooth. Then, return juices to the pot. Continue to cook on low until apples thicken, then remove from heat and spoon into a small baking dish.

Turn oven on to 375 degrees.

Topping:
2 spoonfuls oats
2 spoonfuls flour
2-3 spoonfuls brown sugar
1.5 T butter
**I used the larger spoons not the cereal size spoons.

Put all ingredients into the food processor. Process until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbles on top of apples and put in the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool a bit. Serve with vanilla icecream.

Super yummy and definitely super easy!!!

Meal Plan Monday...on Sunday (AGAIN...lol!)

2010-10-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

So, maybe I need to change the name again...but at least this gives me an extra day for those weeks I fall behind. This week when I asked my hubbie what he wanted for dinner he said potatoes, rice and country fried ham. Usually I listen to what he says, do my own things and try to accomodate at least 1 of his requests. If it were up for him we would eat pork chops and potatoes every night...to mix it up he might mix in some baked beans or Rice-A-Roni...hence why I do my own thing. Yet, I did try to take his requests to hear this week.

Sunday- Pot Roast with root veggies (from last weeks menu)
Monday-Cube Steaks with boiled/butter/parsley potatoes (I will have a sweet potato or zucchini) and green beans
Tuesday-Chinese Pork Stir Fry with noodles
Wednesday- LO
Thursday-BBQ Pork Slopy Joes with Latkes and a salad
Friday-Mojo Pork Burritos with Red beans/Rice and Plaintains
Saturday-Country Fried Ham with Squash and salad

Eggplant Parmesan

2010-10-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

I LOVE eggplant, but I don't get to cook it very often because my hubbie won't eat it. Eggplants are rather large,so, to make it for just me...it make way to much! Yet, I figured I would take one night and go all out. I started the sauce at 3:45 and finished everything by 5:30. Not too bad considering the massive servings I made.

I found this recipe on a cooking message boards. I also made Chicken Parmesan for my hubbie using the same process as the Eggplant recipe. I also only made half half the eggplant...3 eggplants is def too much for one person!!!

**Tip: Read through the recipes for both before you start cooking. Your first step should be to slice and salt the eggplant before you start the sauce.

Scalini's Eggplant Parmesan

3 medium size eggplants
1 cup of flour
6 eggs, beaten
4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasoned
Olive oil
8 cups of marinara sauce*
1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lbs of mozzarella cheese shredded
2 cups of ricotta cheese

After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1/4 inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it, however you may want to leave the skin on since the skin contains a lot of vitamins. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy. This will drain the excess moisture. Let them set for about an hour.

Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, then dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with bread crumbs. Saute' in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown.
In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish about an 1/8 inch from the top. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for 25 minutes in 375 degree oven. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

Scalini's Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of olive oil
8 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 cup onions chopped
1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (if you don't have use hot sauce)
1/8 cup of fresh chopped sweet basil
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of rosemary
One teaspoon salt
One teaspoon black pepper

Lightly sauté the onions in olive oil in large pot for a few minutes. Add garlic and saute' another minute. Add tomatoes and bring sauce to boil, then turn heat to low. Add remaining ingredients, stir, cover and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Cooking from the Couch: Croatian Style Goulash

2010-10-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

If you are not used to eating sauerkraut, this recipe may scare you a bit. Yet, if you put it in the food processor it will chop it down nicely and add a great texture to this goulash. It is also not sour (pickled tasted) because you you drain and wash the sauerkraut. So, try it out...it really is yummy!

Croatian Style Goulash:

1.5 lbs Beef (I used pot roast)
2 T Olive Oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 T paprika (hot or mild)
1 (15oz) can diced (or crushed) tomatoes
1 t sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 (15oz) can sauerkraut
3/4 c sour cream

1 pkg egg noodles

1. Trim fat from meat and cut into 3/4" cubes.
2. In a med. pot, saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Then, stir in garlic and saute for 1 minute (or until fragrant). Remove pan from heat, add paprika and swish around to combine. Return to heat and add meat and brown until it releases most of its juices. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, and salt/pepper. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
3. Remove sauerkraut from jar. Rinse in water and squeeze to remove the excess of the water. Put in a food processor or chop until it is in smaller pieces. Add to beef and simmer for 40 minutes or until tender. (Add additional water as needed)
4. Stir in sour cream and allow to thicken. While thickening, boil water and cook pasta as directed.
5. Serve over egg noodles (or polenta, rice, mashed potatoes)

Cooking from the Couch: Chicken Philly Subs

2010-09-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

We bought some yummy fresh bread from the store and we already had leftover roast chicken from dinner the other night. Since we needed a really easy dinner after a hectic weekend, I thought Chicken Philly subs would be a great "easy" choice.

Chicken Philly Subs

Shredded Leftover chicken (even rotisserie)
1 pat of butter
sliced Pimentos
Onions (for those who actually like onions)
sliced Mushrooms
1 clove minced garlic
Provolone Cheese
Mayo
Crusty Bread

1. Saute veggies in butter. Once they start to get tender, add chicken. Cook on low until warm. Cover with cheese and put a lid on pan to allow cheese to melt.
2. Cut bread in half and lightly toast. Smear on the mayo and spoon in the veggies/chicken mix. Serve warm with a nice Kosher Dill.

Meal Plan Monday...on Sunday!

2010-09-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I have had a crazy 2 weeks between guests in town, family in the hospital and a sick son. So, I apologize for the meal plan hiatus! I should officially be off bedrest sometime this week, so, I look forward to picking back up on cooking! I can't wait. Since this is in the works, I am planning on making a great Sicilian Eggplant Parmesan this week! It sounds so delicious...I can't wait!

Sunday: Chicken Philly Subs with spinach salad
Monday: Potroast with lots of Veggies
Tuesday: Sicilian Eggplant Parm (and Chicken Parm for the hubbie)
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Croatian Goulash
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Grilled Terriyaki Chicken and Fried Rice
Sunday: Asian Chicken Salad (with LO chicken Terriyaki)

Cooking From the Couch:Manicotti

2010-09-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Today we master manicotti. This is a simplified recipe to accommodate my husbands ever expanding repetoire. It should be interesting to see how many of these noodles end up on the floor for the dog! Hope we have dinner tonight!

Tomato Sauce:
28oz can diced tomatoes
28oz can tomato sauce
2 T olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t salt

Ricotta Filling:
3 c ricotta cheese
4 oz Parmesan cheese
8 oz mozzarella
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
salt and pepper

16 lasagna noodles

1. Boil a pot of water and cook noodles until al dente.Once cooked, fill pot with cold water.

2.Saute your garlic in the pan with oil until light brown. Careful not to burn. Remove from heat and add all the remaining ingredients. Return to heat, cover and simmer.

3. Make Ricotta filling by mixing together: Ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper.

4. The Assembly: Put 1 cup of sauce at the bottom of a baking dish. Spread 3 spoonfuls (about 1/4c) of ricotta filling on each cooked noodle. Roll up the noodle and place seam down in the baking dish. Then, cover pasta rolls with remaining pasta sauce (making sure to cover each roll completely). Then, cover dish with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Remove foil and add the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake a few minutes longer until cheese is melted. Allow to cool a bit and serve.

Meal Plan Monday

2010-09-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I am still on bed rest and feeling really tried and quite poopy lately. I spent much of the weekend in bed to be honest. I was hoping by now to be feeling a bit better, but it comes and goes! I have been able to cook at least 1 night a week lately, but it is always super quick and easy!

This week I am excited about our mealtime plans...I even had to get an early start!!! Hubbie and I love Shepard's Pie...it is out ultimate comfort food! Plus, who doesn't love manicotti! Should be fun to watch my hubbie dig into making this one! I am also planning on a simple peach crisp since peaches are still in season! I love peach cobble and apple crisp, so, I decided to combine them into one delicious dessert! Now to send my hubbie to the store from some ice cream.

Sunday- Shepard's Pie
Monday- LO Pie and a salad
Tuesday- Pork chops, boxed potatoes (sweet potato for me) and a salad
Wednesday- Manicotti
Thursday-Ricotta Chicken and LO Manicotti
Friday- Dinner out/ Take out
Saturday- Grilled Pizza

Cooking from the Couch: Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

2010-09-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

This was a really nice change from your traditional chicken and yellow rice dish. Super easy to throw together and you can add whatever veggies you like! This makes a nice big pot and is great served with a simple salad and of course...a staple...plantains!!!

Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

2 T oil, divided
3 chicken breast, cut into 1” pieces
½ package of Taco seasoning, divided
2 c rice

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cans chicken broth
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and Pepper
1/2 c frozen peas
1/2c frozen corn
1 pimento, chopped
Salsa and sour cream for serving

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the diced chicken breast and season with salt, pepper and 1/4 package Taco seasoning. Brown chicken 2-3 minutes (doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through). Remove the chicken and add the second tablespoon of oil to the pot and add the rice. Cook on medium-low, make sure to stir until the rice turns from translucent to opaque. Add the garlic and the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken back to the pot along with the beans, corn, peas and pimentos. Cook on low for 10-12 minutes. Check rice to see if tender. If not, cover for another 5 minutes or so. Keep and eye on it though so it doesn't burn.

Cooking From the Couch: Ravioli Casserole

2010-08-31T18:11:00.000-07:00

We made the Ravioli Casserole tonight and it was super easy and really yummy! I would definitely recommend trying this quick and easy recipe out! It is a great spin off of the traditional spaghetti and meat sauce. Not the most dietetic dinner, but it sure was good!

Cheese Ravioli Casserole

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 T olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1/4 c heavy cream (I used milk)
salt and ground black pepper
1lb frozen cheese ravioli
1 c mozzarella cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. In another pan, brown the sausage. Make sure to chunk it up as it cooks. If it doesn't chunk up small enough, put the cooked sausage in the food processor for a bit until it looks like ground beef. Remove and set aside.

Once water is boiling, cook ravioli according to directions. I cook to al dente.

In the same pan, add oil, garlic and tomato paste. Saute for a minute or two and then add tomato sauce. Allow to simmer for a 3-4 minutes. Then, add milk and seasoning. Simmer a few minutes longer.

Combine drained ravioli and sauce in a baking dish...cover with mozzarella and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted. (This step can totally be skipped)

Cooking from the Couch: Sloppy Joes

2010-08-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

Sloppy Joes are something I ate a lot as a child. I really LOVE my sloppy joes. Yet, it is something I had to introduce them to my hubbie. I always ate the typical canned variety, but it has onions, so that was quickly nixed. Hence, I came up with my own Sloppy Joe recipe to accommodate my hubbies hatred for onions.

The nice thing about this recipe is my hubbie can make it completely on his own with no instruction necessary. I had him make a double batch so we could freeze a few meals for post baby. Try it out and let me know what you think!

2 ½ lb ground beef
2 T tomato paste
3/4 c smoky BBQ sauce

2/3 c ketchup
¼ c Worcestershire sauce
¼ c soy sauce
pepper (I like a lot of pepper)
1T paprika
Brown the ground beef, then drain off the excess oil. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Then, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Serve on buns.

Meal Plan Monday!!

2010-08-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

I love the sound of that..Meal Plan Monday! I wish I was on top of things enough to make sure to have my meal plan posted every Monday. Hey...nothing like a new goal right!!!!!

Here is what we are thinking for this week:

Sunday- My Birthday...no cooking here!
Monday-Sloppy Joes (homemade)
Tuesday-Cheese Ravioli Bake with Garlic Cheese Bread
Wednesday-LO
Thursday-Red Chile Chicken and rice with plantains and salad
Friday-LO
Saturday-Grilled pizzas

I know many of these meals (like the sloppy joes) could also have a left over day, but I am going to start freezing some of the leftovers now so when baby does decided to come we have some frozen meals ready. I know my hubbie is doing great learning to cook, but I cannot guarantee that I will have it all together ahead of time to put my meal plan and cooking directions together when the new little one gets here. AND, I certainly don't think he will have it all together to be preparing meals every night in addition to taking care of our 2.5 year old, me and a newborn. We are all great multi-taskers, but we all have limits...lol!!

Bento: Jello Snacks

2010-08-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

I recently introduce my son to jello snack cups. It was love at first bite! As I looked at the back of the box, I was saddened to see all the ingredients I could not read. So, I knew that was going to be a one time buy. In the meantime, I knew I had to find an alternative plus I would be thrilled to $$. Those little jello cups were $2.79 for 4, that is $0.70 a piece plus everything else you put in the lunch box. It all adds up! So, when I saw our local store had V8 Splash for BOGO, I knew what I was going to do.

Kiwi Strawberry Jello Cups

1 1/2 cups strawberry kiwi V8 Splash juice, divided

1 cup frozen strawberries ( I used fresh strawberries had frozen earlier in the season)
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (I used Agava Nectar)

Blend 1 cup of juice and the frozen fruit until smooth.(I like to keep it a bit chunky) Pour into a small pan and bring to a boil. Stir to avoid those little frothy bubbles. Put the remaining 1/2 cup juice in a large bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the juice and let stand 1 minute. Add the hot juice and whisk until the gelatin completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar. Allow to cool a bit before you pour the jello into small reusable containers. (I also strain off any remaining foam) Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. Do not add lids to the containers until completely set.

***These can be done with virtually any juice/fruit combination.

Bento: What's for Lunch?

2010-08-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

I have been making my son's lunch for the past few weeks now. It was easy at first. A protein of some sorts, a fruit, a dairy and a snack. Even as I tried to mix things up I started to notice how much processed foods were making their way not only into my home, but most importantly into my son's lunch. That got me thinking...we buy these things because they are easy and convenient.

So, I am now finding recipes to make some healthy alternatives for my son's lunch. My first find...peanut butter balls. Yes, I know real creative right! haha! I have made these before, but forgot about them! The best thing about this recipe is you can you what ever HEALTHY cereals you have on hand.

Healthy Peanut butter Snack Balls
2/3 cups honey (I used agave nectar)
2 cups peanut butter (I used creamy)
1 cups rice krispies
1/2+ cups grape nuts (I used lowfat granola)

1/4 cup applesauce
2/3 cups coconut
1 cups crushed cereal (I use cheerios and Chex)
1/2+ cups chocolate (I used raisins)
1.5-3 T powdered milk
2/3 cups crushed mini-wheat cereal (or graham crackers)

Mix everything but the last ingredient. Roll into 1" balls, then roll in the crushed cereal. You can refrigerate or freeze. This sized batch made over 50 balls.

(I forgot to add that I put flax seed in with the rest of the ingredients)

Southwest style burger and Campfire Potatoes

2010-08-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

Southwest style burgers are a real hit in this household which is a surprise with my super picky hubbie.

Southwest Style Burgers
1 can of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
1lb ground beef
1t garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
Fixings: Colby Jack cheese, tomato, avocado buns, ketchup

I cut up 1 pepper and added just a bit of the sauce (maybe 1-1.5T) into a bowl with the meat. Then, seasoned with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then, my hubbie grilled up the burgers. I sliced up the tomato and avacado.

Campfire Potatoes
Red potatoes, diced small (I used 5 med potatoes)

A1 sauce
Hot sauce
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
Worcestershire sauce

In a non-stick skillet heat the potatoes over high heat for a few minutes. (cut them small so they cook quickly) Cook until tender, but not soft. Add enough A1 sauce so all the potatoes have a thin coating over them. Next add some red pepper flakes, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and Lawry's. (Use as much or as little of each) Continuously turn the potatoes until they are cooked through. The sauce will form a crunchy outer layer. About 5 minutes before finishing add a little more A1 and hot sauce, tossing to coat.

Cooking from the Couch: Carnitas and Pork Tacos

2010-08-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

Carnitas are really easy and husband friendly. We had a family sized pack of boneless pork ribs to use up this week, but you can really use just about any cut of pork...although I don't recommend thin pork chops! Once defrosted, I have my hubbie put all the pork in a big zip lock bag with about half a jar of Mojo sauce (found in Mexican food section at your local grocery store). We let this marinate over night, then, my hubbie dumped it in the crock pot in the morning (sauce and all) and cooked on low for 6 hours.

I had the luxury of smelling this delicious pork cooking all day...it was almost too much to handle. When my hubbie got home, we whipped up a batch cornbread and a salad.

Cornbread:
We have this mix made ready to use. It is 4 c flour, 1 T salt, 1 c sugar, 1/4 c baking powder, 1 c lard, 4 c cornmeal. It makes about 10 cups of total mix. I just throw everything into the stand up mixed with the whisk attachment and let it do the work of mixing. Then, put in and airtight container and in the fridge it goes.

To make tonight's, cornbread, I used 2 1/2 cups of the homemade cornbread mix with 1 beaten egg and 1-1/4 cups milk. Mix just until dry ingredients and then pour in a drained can of corn. Mix well. Pour everything into a greased 8" square pan and bake at 425 degrees for 15-25 minutes. Super easy and extra yummy!

Pork Tacos (with leftovers)

We turned the oven on to slowly heat up the leftover pork some pimentos (or cooked green and red peppers). We let this heat up slowly in a covered dish at abut 300 degrees for 20 minutes. (or,microwave it)

While it was heating I had my hubbie make a batch of brown rice and white beans. The rice cooked on its own. Then, for the beans he put a can of white northern beans in a small pot with a little olive oil, 1 t cumin and 1 t cayenne pepper. Just let this heat up on low.

Then, once everything was hot are ready to go we had soft flour tortillas, the pork with peppers, some sour cream and cheddar cheese with the white beans and brown rice on the side. Super simple and a great use for the left over pork.

Cooking with Kids: Banana Bread

2010-08-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

Today I hosted my monthly Cooking with Kids playdate. It ended up being at the end of August due to the bed rest situation. I was nervous at first about if I was going to be able to handle having all the kids over, my son home all day and still accomplish our project. I definitely still did more than I am supposed too, but it all worked out...only a few contractions during the event.

With hubbies help, we made 1 loaf of banana bread and 1 chocolate zucchini bread to share with the group.

We have a small group of 4 kiddos cooking today...our 5th slept through the whole thing! lol! So, I set it up so that everyone had their own job.

The two oldest boys (almost 2.5 yos) had the job of mashing bananas.

The two younger ones (almost 2yos) each had a set of ingredients to mix. To help make this easy, I gave each a bowl to mix in, all the ingedients, a whick to mix and plastic measuring cups and spoons. (Oh and a notecard with the measurements)

One mixed the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. I gave this little one a sifter to play with while the others mixed. She loved it!

The other little one had wet ingredients: oil, sugar and 1 egg. His mommy helped to get all the ingredients in the bowl and then he did his best to mix it all together.

Then, the two older boys dumped all the ingredients in the big bowl and each took turns mixing it. By this time, I was having contractions, so to the chair I went. Mrs. S was nice enough to pour the batter into each childs own mini loaf pan.

Then, we gave the mini loaves back to the kids to add their extras. We had chocolate chips and nuts. Then, into the oven the mini loaves went for about 30 minutes (convection oven at 350 degrees). As payment for all their hard work, the kids were then given some "cake" to eat! Both types were a total hit!

The kids went off and plyed while their bread baked! Then, each got to take home their own mini loaf of banana bread! Complete success...especially because while I engulfed banana bread the ladies helped clean up! The kids were great though, no real mess to speak of!

If you haven't tried cooking with your kids yet or hosting a cooking playdate...try making banana bread. It is quick, easy and bakes up fast!

Banana Bread Recipe

1 3/4c flour,

2 1/4t baking powder,

1/2t salt,

1/3c oil,

2/3c sugar,

1 egg,

4 bananas

Mix dry ingredients in 1 bowl and the wet in another, then fold in together. Pour into pan....Bake at 350 degrees. For a 1 loaf pan bake 50-60 minutes. If using mini loaf pans or muffins, bake for 25-30 minutes.

This week's Cooking from the Couch Menu...

2010-08-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

I was really drawing a blank this week on what I wanted to eat..go figure the pregnant girl with no cravings. Since it is coming towards the end of the month, I figured this would be a good week to work on cleaning out our pantry and freezer. So, we will make some classic dishes with a few alterations to accomodate what is available on hand. We have a lot of pork and chicken in the freezer along with a few other random things, so, let's see what we come up with.

Sunday: Carnitas with Cornbread mash
Monday: (LO meat) Pork Tacos with white beans
Tuesday: Grilled Pork chops with green bean soup
Wednesday: L.O soup with Ham and Cheese stuffed Biscuits
Thursday: A friend is bringing Cuban food
Friday: Southwest style Burgers with campfire potatoes
Saturday: Frito Pie

Again I will work to post recipes as we go along!

Cooking from the Couch: Spaghetti and Meatballs

2010-08-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

One think my hubbie can make is spaghetti...I mean boiling water and setting a timer is right up his alley. So, I decided to make a very simple spaghetti and meatball recipe. It did not have all the glorious veggies hidden in the sauce like I usually do, but it was still simply delicious. Plus, all you non cooks out there won't have any more excused for takeout with this simple menu.

Spaghetti and Make-Shift Bolognese

First make the meatballs:
My hubbie brought me a huge bowl with:
1/2lb of extra lean ground beef
1/2 c bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1/4c milk
1/4c Parmesan

Once I mushed everything, I formed into1.5-2 inch balls. I placed each ball into a lightly greased cupcake pan. I have a huge 24 cupcake pan, so, I filled each cup. My hubbie put it in a 400 degree oven for about 7 minutes while I got up to wash my hands.

While it cooked, he started the water boiling in one pot. In another pot he poured in 1 large can of tomato sauce...you can use any spaghetti sauce unless you have a super picky eater like my hubbie. So, he put the sauce in a saute pan and turned on low. As it heated up he mixed in 1/2c chicken stock (I had him use the leftover veggie chicken stock from the chicken pies) and 1/2 c milk.

Once the meatballs are done, remove from the oven and carefully place in your sauce. I always encourage my hubbie to roll the meatballs around a bit to cover in sauce. Then, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or so.

You pasta should be ready now, so drain and add a splash of oils to avoid everything sticking together. Then put into individual pasta bowls with a meatball or two and slather in sauce. Garnish with a little bit of Parmesan! Mission accomplished..easy and delish!

Cooking from the Couch: Chicken pies

2010-08-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was craving chicken pot pies, so, I put my hubbie to work. He brought me all the veggies to prepare then, I walked him through the cooking process. He did great and it totally hit the spot.

Chicken Pies
Veggies of yout choice: potatoes, carrots, corn, green beans
3 breasts of boneless, skinless chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (low- sodium)
1/2 c milk
Salt and pepper
1 can of biscuits

First, I prepared the veggies:
* I chopped up 3-4 potatoes into bite sized pieces.
* Cut baby carrots into thirds
* I de-stemmed the green beans and cut into thirds
* My hubbie opened a car of corn..I wasn't even going to try to mess with trying to cut corn of the cob on the couch...didn't sound like the safest option!

While I was chopping, my hubbie filled a stock pot half way with water and set it on the stove to boil. Once boiling, he added all the veggies (minus the corn) and boiled for about 10 minutes. You want the veggies to be al dente, soft but firm.

As he fished out all the veggies and returned the water to boiling. I cut 3 breasts of skinless boneless chick in half lengthwise. Then, he added to the water and allowed to boil for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime, my hubbie combined 1 can of low sodium Cream of Chicken soup with 1/2 cup of milk. Mix well with a bit of salt and a lot of pepper. Then, mix in the corn and veggies. Once the chicken was cooked, remove from the pot (save the stock you created...it will be a great veggie chicken stock for soups...freeze it for later). Chop up into bit sized pieces and mix into the veggies.

Pour everything into a baking, I had my hubbie pour everything into a deep dish pie pan, but you could use a 9x9 square or something similar. Then, he cracked open a tube of biscuits (I prefer the small cheap ones..not grands, but that is a personal preference!) and covered the top of out chicken pie with the biscuits. Then, Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Serve..it's delicious!

Boo Hoo Breakfast Brunch

2010-08-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

I decided to have a few friends over for a Boo Hoo Breakfast. Many will be sending their little ones off to preschool for the first time. So, I though it would be filling to wallow together instead of alone...AND...what better way to do it than with some good ol' homecookin'!

Orange Stuffed French Toast

1 loaf day-old french bread
Orange Marmalade
Spreadable butter
2.5 cups milk (I will use low-fat milk for my diet conscious pals)

1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
6 large eggs (I will use egg beaters instead)

1. Cut loaves in half, then slice the bread 3/4 of the way through. Each slice should be about 1" wide. Spread one side of the bread with a thin layer of butter and on the other spread a nice thick layer of orange marmalade.
2. Mix remaining ingredients. Place in a ziplock bag prepared french bread loaves. Refridgerate overnight to allow all that eggy goodness to soak in.
3. Carefully remove from bag, Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Serve with:
Marmalade Syrup: warm up 1/2 c of marmalade and 1/2 c water.

I will also make a Yogurt Parfait: 1 layer of plain yogurt, 1 layer of sliced strawberries, another layer of plain yogurt and top with low fat granola. Mmmmm!!!

Teriyaki Chicken

2010-08-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

This the easiest recipe. I usually would do this very differently, but I had to come up with something simple for mu hubbie to make. I had him cut 2 breasts of chicken in half and grill them. Then, once cooked he chopped up and drenched in Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce. Super simple!!!

He served over brown rice and some steam fresh mixed veggies that he also lightly drenched in sauce.

Tex Mex Enchilada Bake

2010-08-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

Although the recipe calls for everything to be put together in layers and baked...I hate when everything gets all mushy, so, my hubbie mixed everything together and I helped roll it up into individual enchiladas. Also, we used flour tortillas because I don't like corn.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 each large red and green pepper, chopped
2 cups salsa
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed and drained
12 corn tortillas (6 inch)...I use flour
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups Mexican style shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400. I had hubbie cut breasts in half and grill. He also grilled the red and green peppers. Then, he chopped up. Once everything is chopped up, stir in salsa and corn.

Original recipe says: Arrange 6 tortillas on bottom of 13X9 inch baking dish, cover with layers of 1/2 each chicken mixture, sour cream. Repeat layers; cover with foil. Baker 40 minutes, then removing foil after 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes

My version: Filled each tortilla with chicken mix and some sour cream. Then place in a baking dish and cover in foil. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meatloaf, Meatloaf, everywhere!!!

2010-08-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a meatloaf every once in awhile..plus leftover meatloaf sammies are da bomb! My hubbie was raised on meatloaf with the cooked egg in the center, which I love, but he hates eggs. Meatloaf is not his favorite, but he will tolerate it ever so often. Plus, he HATES to touch/mix the meat. So, I had him dump everything in a big bowl and I mixed from the couch.

Here is how to throw it all together:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef ( I use a mix of pork and beef)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
Salt and black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs

Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar. In a big bowl, mix remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup. Bake at 350 degrees for 1- 1.5 hour or until juices are clear. Flip over and serve.

Potato Soup and Reubens

2010-08-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

Since I had leftover sauerkraut, I thought it would be a great idea to make Rubens.

I started hubbie off with the potato soup. Now, I know this was going to be a challenge for him, but I knew if I made the directions simply enough he would be fine...he was not so confident.

Here is how to make the Delicious Potato Soup:

Delicious Potato Soup

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes ( I did this while on the couch)
1/4 cup diced celery (skipped)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (skipped)
3/4 cup diced cooked ham ( we used leftover sliced ham)
3 1/4 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
5 tbsp butter (I used non-salted butter)
5 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (I used 1c cream and 1c milk)

Boil the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a pot over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the bouillon cube, salt and pepper. in the micro melt butter and whisk in flour with a fork. Put bak in micro for 30 sec, stir and repeat for 30 more seconds. Slowly whisk in milk so there are no clumps. Micro for 1 more minute the add to pot. Cook soup until heated through.

Rubens
1/3lb Corned Beef
1/4lb Swiss
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island dressing
Rye or your choice of bread

Spread Thousand island dressing on both halves of bread...spread generously. Then, add meat and swiss. Top with sauerkraut and bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts (about 3 minutes) or if you are my hubbie stick in the toasted oven!

Pork and Sauerkraut Bake

2010-08-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

For this recipe you can use almost any type of pork. I bought pork ribs on sale, so, that is what we are having for dinner. I had my hubbie brown them in the pot. This was funny because he kept bringing the pot over to the couch to show me...is this right? Are they done yet?

Anywho...the next part can be done in the slow cooker if you want to have for dinner and are not going to be home all day. This is how we did it because otherwise we would have eaten dinner at 9pm. Usually, I would mix everything and place in a Pyrex dish, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours or until meat is soft.

So, here is how you put it together...

Drain the sauerkraut, but do not rinse! Put 1/2 bag of sauerkraut in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then, place the browned pork on top. Put the remaining kraut on top. Then, season generously with salt, pepper and paprika. Fill the dish with water, pan should be about half full with water. Turn on high and cook for 3 hours. Voila dinner is served!

Pork Roast Dinner

2010-08-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Cooking a pork roast might be one of the easiest things my hubbie had to cook and I might say he was pretty proud of himself! I had him buy the type of pork roast that is tied together. These tend to be the most tender.

I had him cover the roast with salt and pepper. Then, place in a covered roasting pan (or any pan and cover with aluminum foil)and bake at 350 degrees for about 3 hours. Meat should easily pull away from the roast.

The leftover meat was placed back in the roasting pan with about 1/2 cup of water. He placed back in the oven for 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Once hot, he chopped it up and tossed in some leftover homemade BBQ sauce. Served on toasted buns with some store bought coleslaw.

Here is my homemade BBQ sauce recipe:

2 c Ketchup

4 tbsp. Brown sugar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tbsp. Apple cider Vinegar
1 tbsp. Honey or Agave Nectar
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Yellow Mustard
1 tsp. Smoked paprika
1/2 Onion

I put everything in a pan and simmered for about 10 minutes until the onions are soft. Then, remove the onion and allow to cool.

Grilled Pizza

2010-08-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

I LOVE grilled pizza! It is super simple (plus my hubbie can make them on his own). They cook so quickly and always have a crispy crust. Plus, there are so many variations.

My hubbie will made 3 pizzas (one for each of us). Our 2 yo sone, who also LOVES pizza, had a small cheese pizza. My hubbie had a pizza with fresh mozzarella, pimentos and sliced ham. I had a pesto and grilled zucchini and squash pizza with fresh mozzarella.

We used store bought pizza dough, but you can make your own if you like. The key to grilling pizza is to keep the flame low and check it often so it doesn't burn. Should take about 3-4 mins per pizza.

Here is my dough recipe if you want to make it from scratch:
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 package Rapid Rise Yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup very warm water (not hot)
2 Tbsp oil
Cornmeal

In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Stir in the very warm water and oil. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make soft dough not too sticky. Knead on lightly floured surface (or throw into the stand up mixer) until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes. Roll out to the desired size.

Cooking from the Couch

2010-08-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Since I have been on bed rest for the last week in a half, I had had to come up with meal ideas that will be suitable to my husbands cooking expertise. (Which I might add is very limited). So, I figured I would start this series of meal ideas called "Cooking from the Couch: Meal Ideas for a Non-Cook". The concept is simple...

So, here is what I have come up with thus far:

Sunday: Non- Creole Jambalya with salad
Monday: Left overs
Tuesday: Grilled Pork chops with baked beans and pickles
Wednesday: Grilled pizza (cheese, ham/cheese, grilled veggie)
Thursday: Pork Roast with green beans and a salad
Friday: Left over Pork- BBQ Pork Sammies with coleslaw
Saturday: Take out
Sunday: Pork and Sauerkraut Bake with Salad
Monday: Potato Soup with Rubens
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Meatloaf with baby carrots and village salad
Thursday: Leftovers with premade mashed potatoes
Friday: Tex- Mex Enchilada Bake
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Teriyaki Chicken over brown rice with frozen veggie mix

I am pretty confident that my hubbie can do these meals. Some of the recipes have been changed a bit to accommodate his cooking style. For example, the chicken and sausage for the Jambalaya was grilled instead on sauted or boiled.

Tuesday's Greek Night

2010-07-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

Opah! Although I live in a predominantly Greek town, I do and eat very little Greek. My husband is not a super fan especially of citrus in our food. Totally bummer I know! But, sometimes he just has to go with the flow...Tuesday night will be one of those nights!

I had a Pork Roast in the freezer, so, I pulled it out to defrost in the fridge on Sunday. Then, Tuesday morning I will put it the marinade before cooking. Here is my plan:

Pork Roast:
Marinade: 1- 1.5 cups lemon juice ( I will use 1 cup and save some lemon slices), 3/4 c olive oil, 1- 1.5 T minced garlic, 3T minced rosemary and oregano, Salt and Pepper.

Marinade meat for 3-5 hours. Place in a roasting pan covered with a few lemon slices and bake at 325 degrees for 2-3 hours (depending on the poundage).

Roasted Potatoes:
1lb. little red potatoes, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 T olive oil, 1/2 T minced garlic, 1 t oregano, Salt and Pepper,
1/2 cup water, Feta cheese

Cut up potatoes. Then, mix up sauce of lemon, oil, garlic and oregano. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and potatoes. Cover potatoes with lemon sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add water to the pan and bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Sprinkle with Feta before serving.

My Village Greek Salad:
1 Cucumber, peeled and chunked; 2-3 Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges; ½ Cup Kalamata olives (optional for us since we don't eat olives); 1 Roasted red pepper, sliced; 1 bell pepper, chunked; 8 oz Feta cheese
Dressing: ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar, ½ cup olive oil; Fresh oregano; Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all veggies and dressing. Can be served over Romain lettuce or with potato salad, but ours will be plain!

Do you think I over did it with all the garlic and lemons? Hmm...we shall see!

My Menu for the Week

2010-07-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

This week I thought I would not only clean up some of the meat in our freezer and food in our pantry, but I would do it while throwing together a few new recipes. So, here is what I have come up with so far...

Sunday- Spaghetti and Meatballs with a Salad and homemade Pull Apart Garlic Bread
Monday- Left overs
Tuesday- Pork Roast with greek Seasoning, Roasted Potatoes and a Village Greek Salad
Wednesday- Cube steaks with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and Fresh Green Beans
Thursday- Potato Soup and Monte Cristos
Friday- Asian BBQ Thighs over rice or with Lo-Mein
Saturday- Left overs or go out to dinner?
Sunday- Chicken Paprika with Egg noodles and a salad

In addition to this weeks menu, I look forward to making Blueberry Crumb Bars. I can't get enough of the blueberries while they are still in season. Lately my attempts at Blueberry muffins have come up...powdery. I think i can taste the baking powder in the muffins and it is totally a turn off. I am blaming it on my super pregnancy taste buds obviously it is not my cooking!

I will post some recipes for this week as we get to them...so keep checking back!

And today I want...

2010-07-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting my bake on...again! I have been making a lot of simple, delicious dinners lately, but have been craving more! I definitely think that is the baby talking. Finally my sweet tooth has kicked in, but it is different this time around. This time I crave pastry and cake along with fruit. In that sense it is not overly sweet per say as it is just crumbly goodness.

So, Here are a few recipes I have found while perusing over the last few weeks. I hope to get to all of these within the next 2 weeks.

1. Blueberries. Since blueberries are in season here...I have been stocking up. It is one of the few fruits my son will eat, plus I LOVE blueberries. I have already made a homemade blueberry sauce that is dying for a nice cheesecake. Yet, in the meantime it is smothering every waffle and pancake I can get my grubby little hands on. So, to mix it up I found Bree. She has this delectable Blueberry muffin recipe on her blog Baked Bree. I can't wait to bake these like delights!

Here is her beautiful picture of the Blueberry Muffin.

2. Apple. What is more American the Apple Pie...right! When 4th of July came and went I was so disappointed not to have this classic American treat on hand. I can see those glorious gooey apples smothered with with melting frozen goodness! MMmmm....excuse me while I drool! Thus, while at the market the other day Apples topped my list. I found two delicious recipes I can't wait to dip into!

The first is a classic apple crips...I grew up on apple crisp with its scrumptious little oatmeal crispies...Cory over at Culinary Cory has recipe I can't wait to dive into! The vanilla ice cream is already in the freeze waiting...

Here is his picture of this simple American dessert.

Yet, one apple dessert is never enough. Remember that I said I was also craving cake. Well, I couldn't resist this recipe the moment I saw this picture.

See what I mean! It just screams crumbly gloriousness. Ohhh...I want some now. So, thank you to the mother and daughter cooking combo over at Russian Season. I can't wait to bake my own!

3. Pineapple. Usually this is not a fruit high on my list of delights, but recently I had some fresh pineapple at a playdate. It was so juicy and delicious, I gorged! So, since I love pineapple on my pizza I knew I would love this recipe. (I will just have to make a separate pizza for the boys! LOL!

Thank you Barry at Rock Recipes for posting this sensation pizza-pie!

I can't wait to dive into these treats...Not to decide which ones to start first!

Breakfast: Oatmeal Medley

2010-07-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

I personally LOVE fruit with my oatmeal. My favorite is peaches and cream, but instant oatmeal is expensive and full of sugars. So, instead of the instead sludge, I decided to throw a Baked Oatmeal Medley together this morning for breakfast. It is wet, and dreary outside, so what is better to start off the morning.

Oatmeal Medley

2 cups oatmeal ( I used steel cut oats)
2/3 c brown sugar ( I actually used a bit less)
1/2 t apple pie spice (or plain cinnamon is fine)
5T butter
2 eggs
1 1/3 c coconut milk (or plain milk is fine)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2t salt
Fruit of your choice: Apples, Peaches, Mangoes, Apricots, cranberries, raisins, walnuts
(This is a great way to use up very ripe fruit. I made mine this time with peaches, apples, cranberries and walnuts)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Then, combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix. Pour into a greased baking dish (13x9 or 9x9 will work). Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm alone or liven it up with a hint of milk (or cream if you dare!)

***This recipe was adapted from the Baked Oatmeal recipe at Pennies on a Platter.

Non- Creole Take on Jambalaya

2010-06-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Since my husband is super picky, this has become a great go to meal. It can be dressed up nicely with chilies and such, but I usually make it pretty plain. If we ate shrimp, I bet that would be good in it also. I also make a large portion so we can have 2 nights and freeze the rest or send over to the in laws.

Non-Creole Jambalaya
1-2 chicken breast
1 polish sausage (cut in half and then slice)
1 can petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 diced bell pepper (I use green and red OR orange and yellow...whatever)
2-3 cups hot cooked rice (I usually add 2c uncooked rice and 4c water into the rice cooker and then use 3/4 of the cooked rice)
2 T hot sauce

Boil chicken for 10-12 minutes and then shred. In a separate pan, saute the sausage and peppers in just a dab of oil. I usually do this while the rice is cooking. Once the peppers are soft, I add the remaining ingredients. Mix it together and let cook down a bit. (I usually add extra hot sauce because we like it spicy!)
Serve hot with a nice warm crusty bread and a yummy green salad.

A New Take on the Dinner Burrito

2010-06-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

I love burritos because they hold so many possibilities. You can throw together whatever flavors you have on had to make new combinations every time. I don't think i ever make them the same way twice!
Tonight I had planned to make enchiladas, but was seemingly out of cheese. So, change of plans...

Chicken Corn Salsa Burritos

2-3 chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
1/3-1/2 can cream of chicken soup
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup corn (I used leftover homemade creamed corn)
1/2 can black beans
1 T chopped cilantro (optional)
1 red pepper, chopped (or you can use green chilies)
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/2 c shredded cheese (I didn't have so I didn't use)
(I also sometime combine 3T sour cream to the chicken soup)

1 package flour tortillas

1. Boil the chicken for 10-12 minutes, then drain and shred chicken. Combine shredded chicken and all remaining ingredients (except for the tortillas). Stuff into the tortillas and roll up. You can serve as is...or you can lightly fry...or you can grill using a grilling pan. I chose to grill this time! Then serve with a spot of sour cream or pepper jelly.

It's Time for some dessert!

2010-06-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't been baking a lot of sweets lately because I am watching my weight gain with this pregnancy, but I have been to a few different parties and play dates lately that required a sweet injections. So, here are a few of the recipes.

Cupcake Crispies

This is just a simple alternative to Rice Crispie Treats.

3/4 box of Cupcake Pebbles (like Coco Pebbles)
1 bag strawberry marshmallows
2-3T butter

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Then, add the marshmallows and cook low until melted. Stir often. Then, add the the marshmallows to the Pebbles. You can do this in the same pot if deep enough or in a mixing bowl. I added to the pot to avoid additional dirty dishes. Mix until thoroughly combined. Then, press into a lightly greased pan. (I used a cookie sheet) Allow to cool. Then, cut up and serve. (I used cookie cutters to make fun shapes)

Apple Fritters

***This recipe is originally from Prudent Baby. Awesome and super easy! I loved that it didn't make a gigantic batch, just the perfect size! I let me son help and he loved "measuring" and mixing!

Here is my adapted recipe (I was out of eggs...which I only noticed once everything else was already combined..lol!!)
1 c flour ( I used cake flour, but I will try next time with a wheat/white flour mix)

1/2 s sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp apple pie spice mix (I used pumpkin pie seasoning...it was the only thing at hand)
1/2 cup apple sauce (or 2 small individual apple sauce containers)
1/3 cup milk
1 apple, chopped (I finely chopped a red delicious apple!)
1 egg ( I skipped this obviously)

Glaze:
2 c powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla (or cinnamon extract)

**Oil for frying

Combine all the dry ingredients. Then in a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients. Fold the wet into the dry. Finally, stir in the chopped apples.

Then, heat up a pan of oil (your preference of type) to medium high. Once hot, spoon in 1 Tbsp scoops of mix. These will cook very quickly. Allow to lightly brown on each side, then drain on a paper towel. Place on a cooling rack with the other batches are cooking. Also, mix together the glaze. Once relatively cool, drizzle each side with glaze. Serve and dig right in!

Peach Fabulousness
**This was served at a playdate by my friend Kim. Oh WOW! It is super yummo! I am not really a big "cheats" cook, but I will be making this again for my hubbie tomorrow.

2 cans of crescent rolls
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1/3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 can pie filling (she served with peach filling and it was fabulous!)

Glaze
2/3c powdered sugar
1- 1.5 Tsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using 1 1/2 cans of rolls, unroll the dough and separate the triangle pieces (put the remaining dough in the fridge). On a round pan (she used a pizza stone) place the triangle pieces. Place the wider edge on the outside rim of the pan and the pointed tip pointing towards the center. Place on the pan to completely cover the bottom of the round pan. Roll out the dough a bit if needed. Then, create a rim on the outside edge of the dough to form a crust.

Whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and the vanilla until smooth. Spoon on a thick layer of cream cheese mix onto the crescent roll pan. Smooth out. Then, spoon on the pie filling on top.

Remove the remaining rolls from the fridge. Unroll and pull apart. Cut each triangle in half and place on top of the pie filling. Leave 1-2" in between each triangle slice. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-27 minutes. Once cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes while you mix together the glaze. Drizzle glaze over the top of the Fabulousness. Serve warm (or cool if you prefer).

Preggo Friendly Foods

2010-04-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

I have found food to not be much of a friend lately...especially at dinnertime! My morning sickness seems to be at its peak at dinner time, so, this has made cooking rather challenging. That along with my massive food aversions...you know...any veggies basically, eggs, pork, chicken...and so much more. So, beef has been on the menu. My poor husband, he had to do the majority of the cooking for the last 3 weeks. In case I have not mentioned before he is NOT a cook. He basically ate grilled pork chops and baked beans every night...it must have gotten old...even for him! Poor guy!

Here are a few of the simple recipes we have been eating . Nothing fancy or overly healthy for dinner, but it has gotten me through...

Sloppy Joes:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 sweet red pepper diced
3/4 can of tomato soup
a dash of water
1/2 c ketchup
1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Brown the beef with the peppers. Then, stir in the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over buns.

Yumzetta- an delightful Amish dish

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg egg noodles
1 can each cream of chicken, mushroom, and celery soup ( I bough the low fat, low sodium kinds and only used about 1/2 of each can)
1 can green peas (I use frozen peas)
1 pkg shredded cheese (I only used about 1/2 a pkg)
Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles as directed. Brown meat. Drain noodles and meat. Mix remaining ingredients together, except cheese. Pour into baking dish ( I use a 9x13 pan), top with cheese, place in oven til cheese melts. Usually takes about 10-15 mins. Enjoy!

Ham and Penne Milano

3/4 pkg penne pasta
2 cups frozen broccoli or asparagus
2 garlic cloves, minced ( I skipped this time)
2 T butter
3 T all-purpose flour
1 small can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1 lbs chopped cooked ham
1 jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained and diced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 t pepper
Cook the pasta and then in the last 5 mins add the broccoli or asparagus. Saute garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in flour then slowly add chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil; allow to thicken for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Add the pasta and broccoliand toss to coat.

Sheppard's Pie...My way

Brown 1 pound of ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. (you can add sauteed onions, garlic and/or red peppers) Drain and leave in the pan. Dump some cheddar cheese on top. Then, add some frozen veggies (I sometime use peas, or corn or a veggie mix). Finally cover with homemade mashed potatoes. Then, broil until golden brown. Umm...comfort food!

Smothered Cube Steak

Brown cube steaks in a bit of butter or oil. Remove beef. Then, add about 1 cup of beef broth. In a seperate cup mix 1T broth with 2 teaspoons corn starch. Add to the pan and allow to thicken. Add beef back in and allow to simmer for 1 minutes or so. Serve over white rice, potatoes or alone with asparagus.

A Food Analysis

2010-03-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution which I DVRed a few days ago. It is really interesting and I have really been looking forward to seeing his take on American cuisine. As I watch the show, Jamie starts by confronting the school lunch menu. As a former teacher I know what a joke school lunches are and only ate lunch when the school lunch ladies actually prepared Greek Salads...which were outstanding. Yet, this gets me thinking...

Overall, I would say my husband and I's diet is pretty good. We do not eat much processed foods...he often complains because there is nothing to eat that doesn't have to be cooked. He is not a cook...he is nuker...and bad at that most times! You know the type that nuke 'til explosion! Yep! That's my hubbie! God love him. I guess I am more overtly conscious of our diets now that I am pregnant again. I gained a large amount of weight with my first and I have vowed not to do that again...so with my doctors approval I have started a diabetic diet that limits me to 1800 calories a day. I looked at a few menus and I already have some concerns. 1. I don't eat fish...no sea life in my diet except the occasion can of tuna which ironically I have been craving. 2. I am not a veggie person. I eat the staples...carrots, green beans, peas, squash, and occasion salad. Almost every meal includes a veggie...I mean ok I get the point, but I prefer to drink my veggies. They go down a lot smoother (and quicker) that way, plus I eat so much more variety this way. Today I had beets, carrots and strawberries! So, I think I can circumvent that issue. 3. My third big issue is everything on the diet is low-fat this and low-fat that...which is great and all, but most low- fat items contain very little REAL products and instead are filled with fake junk. This is something I have worked hard to REMOVE from my diet. So, the diet junk is out and I will be more cognizant of my fats and we will go from there.

I have started to track my food intake again to accurate detail what I am eating. I am hoping this will help to control my weight gain with this pregnancy. So, far so good, but I have 32 more hard weeks to go! We shall see....
Anyway...I got off on a tangent. What I really realized in watching this show is that although my hubbie and I eat well, when I was watching the Jamie Oliver show all I could think about was my son's diet. Jamie O. was appalled that the kids were only eating chicken nuggets and pizzas as their primary staples. Yet, aren't these the staples of my son's diet?
AJ is Mr. Picky just like his daddy and the only processed foods in the house are his. Processed chicken nuggets, pizza rolls, crackers, ect... It is a bunch of crap. I will say that he does not eat all that much in the way of snacks...like cheezits and stuff. He snacks on some fruit, applesauce, yogurt, peanut butter crackers, and cream cheese toast. But, the point is he eat junk. I know as he gets older and can eat our food he will, but when does that start? He hates meat...no pork shops, steak, hamburger meat (although he loves McD's hamburgers), chicken breast...nothing. So, there is not a lot of our dinner he will eat now. He also does not eat potatoes...unless again it is from McD's. There is something in that food that makes kids predisposed to craving it!

Anyway, so, my new goal is to start searching around and finding some healthy dinner and lunch alternatives for AJ that he will actually eat. I will share what I find...

Oh and let me know what you come up with!

My 1st Trial...Train Cake 101

2010-02-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

My son is a HUGE train fan...HUGE! So, I thought I would try my hand at creating a train cake for his birthday. I figured since I am not a cake decorator, I would try it prior to the actual day to see what I could come up with.

I usually don't use a box mix, but when I told my hubbie my aspirations, he came home with a few boxes of cake mix and some frosting. So, I thought...why not!

First, I let AJ do some mixing. I think he did some tasing too behind my back!

No tasting though once the eggs are added. And, yes, I know I should have lightly beaten the eggs first, but my taste tester would not have waited.

Then, I let him pour the batter into the pans.

It took a bit of trial and error in baking times because of the size of the pans.

AJ enjoyed the cooked version as well!

Then, I sliced the tops off to make nice rectangles.

Then, I put on the crumb frosting. This will allow me to put the colored frosting on without all the little crumbly parts.

Then, I used two of the mini muffins to make the smokestack. I also gave them a crumb coating.

Then, I mixed some blue coloring to the frosting and started to decorate. I didn't really decorate with much other than frosting. I just wanted to see if I could make the shape! It turned out pretty good!

AJ definitely enjoyed it.

Guilty as charged! How can you get mad at that face!

Recipe update

2010-02-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

I have been in a real funk with cooking lately and usual I am behind on my meal plan menu! So, I thought I would link you over to a few of the recipes I am going to be making the rest of this week and next week.

I am going to make a homemade bolgnese tonight. I saved this one because I am taping to cooking process to teach my students about the different methods of heat transfer.

On Saturday, I am making Jambalya (the non- Creole style). This is a really simple recipe I love. I make a bunch of rice and mix in a can (or two) of Petite Dices Tomoatoes. Then, I cook up some sliced Italian Sausage and chopped boneless chicken breast. Then, I throw in a can of green chilies (sometime some adobo sauce) and a few dashes of hot sauce. Warm it all up in a nice pan and serve with a beautiful salad and warm bread. There are always leftovers for lunch the next day! Simple and delish!

On Sunday, it will be my mom's last day in ton before flying home, so I have to make Beef Stew. (a true creature comfort) I found a new recipe I can't wait to try!

Tuesday is Frito Pie. I will post that simple recipe as soon as I get my computer back. It decided to crash!

Another outstanding recipe I found recently I had to squeeze in this week was this Lentils and Chicken recipe. I can't wait for Wednesday! It looks dashing, plus I still have some Amish Lentils leftovers. I am super excited!

Friday we will finish out the week with a Pinto Bean soup...have I said we are big on beans? This is a simple recipe. Soak beans overnight (or just use the cans) and boil beans with some ham (I will use the ham bone I have been saving). Boil in 3 cups of water until beans are soft. Then, add 1 cup drained sauerkraut and 1/2 cup uncooked rice. Boil until rice is soft. Now,make a roux from bacon fat and flour. Add to the soup slowly. Serve with cornbread.

Chicken Souvlaki Dinner Recipe

2010-02-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

I was really exicted to make this dinner because I have wanted to make homemade pita for quite a while. I was hoping it wouldn't be too much work because I didn't start the whole process of making this dinner until 4:00pm and we usually eat at 5ish. So, I started with the pita recipe which I found at Cate's World Kitchen.

Here is the recipe:

Pita

2 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water (NOT HOT)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Combine the yeast, 1/4 c water and sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes until it starts to foam. (Now if it is not a hot day, then start your dryer...just trust me...start the dryer)

2. Add in the remaining ingredients and start to mix. You can do this easily in a standup mixer or you can do it on your own by turning it onto a lightly floured surface and kneading for 10 minutes. Now, put it in a hot place to rise. I put it in the dryer and it rises in like 20 minutes. Just make sure it is nice and hot! (Start Marinating the chicken...check Souvlaki recipe)

3. Once it has doubled in size, fold it over on itself a few times and then cut the ball into 8 pieces. Cover with a damp towel and let sit for 20 minutes. (Again, I shoved in my hot dryer for maybe 10 minutes...they puffed up a bit). Don't forget to turn the over on to 450 degrees. ( Make the tzatziki and start cooking hicken)

4. Roll each ball to 1.8" thick...if you leave it thicker you will have really thick pita. Trust me...1/8" thick! Then, place 2-3 at a time on a cookie sheet and bake in oven for 2-3minutes before flipping. Bake 1-2 minutes on the other side. Repeat until all are baked and then serve.

Chicken Souvlaki Recipe

3-4 breasts of chicken, sliced thin or chunked

2 cloves, minced garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 T greek yogurt (you can use reg. yogurt if you prefer)

1/4 c olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Pinch of Mint and Oregano

Mix everything together and marinate for as long as possible ( I did it for like 20-30 minutes and it was perfect).

It is best on kebob sticks and grilled, but since we are out of propane and time is short. I cooked it in a griddle pan.

Tzatziki

1 small container of plain greek yogurt or about 1/2 c plain yogurt

1/2 cucumber (peeled, deseeded, grated, & squeezed dry)

2 cloves Garlic (yep 2 more cloves..gotta love garlic)

1T lemon (less is more here or your Tzatziki will be runny)

Optional: Add a dash of dill or mint if you have or a shot of Ouzo ( I know...who has that right...yeah, we have like 3 bottles thanks to our Greek customers, so I opted for the Ouzo)

The customary Salt and Pepper

Throw it all together and let the tastes meld together in the fridge until you ae ready to serve. Best served cold!

How do you throw this all together...I serve a plate of pita, a plate of chicken and the Tzatziki. Oh and I had a plate of fixings on the side...you know some lettuce, nice ripe sliced tomato, onion. Make yourself and voila!

This wasn't that bad. I managed to get it on the tabel by 5:30 btween cooking, ranging my 2yo and answering work calls. If I can do it, so can you...and it is OH SO worth the work!

An Easy, Yummy Summer Treat

2010-02-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

Ok. So, it is winter and cold outside...not so much summer! But, when you have a really picky toddler that seems to avoid dairy at all costs...along with almost everything else...you tend to get a bit desperate. AJ loves ice cream (ag-ga as he calls it). So, why not make com yogurt pops. I have been thinking about juicing some fruit for some fresh fruit pops ever since be bought our juicer, but they do not carry popsicle containers at the grocery store. I never seem to remember to look for them while I am out. Plus, all the popsicle containers make these huge popsicles...way more than AJ can handle. So, the thought finally hit me! Make yogurt pops in the funky shaped ice cube trays from IKEA. (I need to make another trip to get some more!)

So, AJ helped me put some different flavored yogurt together in the trays and we froze them. He LOVES them! He will eat 2-3 at a time! Total success! He loves the mixed ones. We made...vanilla/banana, strawberry/banana, and blueberry/vanilla. Easy Peasey!

(Oh and when Ican't get AJ to eat a whole popsicle, I decided to make some yogurt melts also. I put little nickle sized dots of yogurt on a platic cutting board and froze it. He loves those also and it makes a fun alternative to a whole popsicle)

The Newest Addition to Our Appliance Family

2010-02-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

TaDa! I am so excited! This is my Nana's waffle maker which she received as a Christmas present in 1972! 1972! It is an oldie but goodie! Since AJ is such a huge waffle fan I was super excited when I came across this! It was in perfect condition and even still had the instruction manual. Can you believe that! The only thing I found was it needed to be re-greased to seal the non-stick surface, but since that tiny fix it is working perfectly.Even with that being said, it doesn't mean there isn't a learning curve associated with waffle maker.

Lesson #1: No matter how excited you are to use your new waffle makers, hold back from rushing it! When you know it is not hot enough, don't do what I did and add the waffle batter anyway...the results will not be what you desire!

AJ sampled it! Not perfect, but tastes great!

Lesson #2: No matter how hungry you are...resist the urge to peek! You will just pull your waffle apart right down the center...and although said it doesn't affect the taste wait for the perfect waffle.

Lesson #3: Once you have a clear understanding of the heat settings and cook time, waffle to your hearts content! Just make sure you have room in the freezer! Or, just scarf them down the moment they come off, like we did! Who cares...no one is watching!

My attempt at heart shaped waffles for V-day fun!

In my search for Homemade...Cheese Itz!

2010-02-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

I am really working on more homemade copycat type recipes. Things I feel good about feeding my toddler...I am also going to try to take more pictures of the steps to help with the cooking/baking process. I can't say I will do this for all postings because it is very time consuming. Between working, taking care of a 2 y.o. and managing our other photo heavy blog, this one doesn't get much attention in the photo department. Ironically though, I only like reading cooking blogs with photos...anywho! I had planned to always post pics, but I was not please with how the photos were turning out so I quit! I will try to post more pics, at least a finished product pic. That being said...I confess now, I am not a professional photographer and although I have Photoshop I have not figured out how to use it...so here is my best attempt! Enjoy!

My Homemade Cheese Itz!

1/4 c oats, ground or Oat Bran

1/4 c flour

2T butter, cut into pieces

1/3 bag cheese, any type your prefer

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar

2T water

***Note: I had a ton of left over sliced Swiss cheese, so, I finely sliced it so it was similar to grated cheese.

I used oat bran, but you can use plain old fashion oats. Just put 1/4 whole oats in the food processor and process until ground. Then, add four, butter, cheese, salt and sugar to food processor.

Process until combined, then roll together in a ball on a piece of plastic wrap.

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Then, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness and cut out any shape you would like. I made little stars, circles and rectangles. Then, place cutouts into a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes (less if rolled thinner).

Remove and allow to cool. Keep in a airtight container for a few days! Enjoy...Simple and Homemade!

February Meal Calendar

2010-02-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

I planned in more leftovers this month because I know we will go out to dinner at least once this month. Plus, I over planned last month's menu plan, so, we iwll see how we do this month. I will work to add the recipes as we go through the month. If there is a specific recipe you would like, just let me know and I will get it posted ASAP! Bon Appetit!

Croatian Cooking Contest

2010-02-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

I am just finishing up the January meal calendar and it hit me today that it is the 2nd of February already. So, I started planning my meal plan for this month. I needed to get it out ASAP. As I was looking around for recipes, I found this!

To say I was ecstatic was a vast understatement. I immediately showed my husband, he told me I should enter my Sarma (stuffed cabbage) recipe. For those of you that don't know, My husbands family is from Croatia. We raise our son in a bilingual home steeped in Croatian cuisine. I love Croatian cuisine!

So, I thought if I was going to enter, the least I could do is post the recipe for you as well. It is a bit challenging the first few times if you have not made stuffed cabbage before, but after a few times you will get the hang of it. This recipe is my husband's mom's recipe. I have included as many tips as I could to help you learn how to make this dish. Many of my tips have come after lots of trial and error. But, please do not let this recipe scare you. It is a time consuming, but oh so delicious! Par it with a nice crusty bread and a side of mashed potatoes and you will magically be transported over the Adriatic sea to the heart of Zagreb!

Sarma (Stuffed Cabbage)

1 medium head of cabbage
2t salt
1t oil
1 small onion minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground veal
1 cup rice (not the instant type)
1T paprika
1T vegeta
Salt and Pepper
2 bags Sauerkraut
1 can tomato soup
2T oil
2T flour
water

1. Start a large pot of water boiling. The pot must be large enough to fit an entire head of cabbage. While the water is warming up, cut the core out of the head of cabbage and add about 2 t of salt to the hole where you removed the core. Once the water is boiling, add the cabbage carefully so as not to burn yourself. Boil a medium head of cabbage for about 8 minutes. I usually peel the top few leaves off as it cooks.

*Tip: Once the cabbage has boiled, carefully remove (without burning your fingers)the outer most leaves. They should come off very carefully without shredding. Put these removed leaves in cool water. SAVE the hot water for the inner most leaves which will still be tough.

2. Saute the minced onion and garlic in a bit of oil. Cook simply until translucent, do not brown!

3. Mix your meats. (I have used a veal/pork/beef combo and other times I only use pork and beef. Both are really good!) This is the part where you are going to get dirty! Combine the meat, garlic and onions, rice, paprika, salt and pepper, vegeta, and 2 nice hand fulls of sauerkraut. Let it squish between your fingers!

*Tip: Always use the bagged sauerkraut, NOT the stuff in the can! Also, when you put the sauerkraut in the meat do NOT rinse it. You do not need to add any extra juice, just the sauerkraut.

4. Now stuff! Take a small handful of meat and place it at the top 1/3rd of the leaf. Fold over the top of the cabbage to cover the meat and then tuck in the sides (like when wrapping a present). Continue to roll it down until all of the leaf is rolled. Repeat this process with all the leaves and meat.

*Tip: If you hit the inner leaves and are having difficult rolling them you can do one of two things. 1. Put those leaves back in the hot water you orig. boiled the cabbage in. Or, 2. Stick it in the micro for 10 second batches until soft enough to roll.

5. Prepare the pot. In a large stock pot, make a roux by adding 2T oil and 2T flour. Mix and cook until four turns a light golden brown. Watch carefully so you do not burn the flour. (If you do carefully dump out and start again. Once brown, add 1 can of tomato soup, 1/2 a bag of sauerkraut, (You want to drain this bag of sauerkraut. Do NOT rinse just simply drain!) and a few cans of water. Next, start layering in the cabbage rolls. Do a layer of cabbage and then a layer sauerkraut until all are gone. Then, add enough water to submerge the cabbage rolls. Cover and cook on a slow simmer for 2 hours.

*Tip: RESIST the urge to stir! Instead carefully shake the pot every once in a while. Taste the soup, if too salty, add a bit more water. If bland, add more vegeta.

Serve with mashed potatoes and warm crusty bread. It's even better the next day when the seasonings have had a chance to meld together!

Dobar Tek!

Combing Through the Past

2010-01-24T18:59:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my Aunt and I started combing through my Nana's home. My grandmother is no longer able to live on her own and so we are in the process of getting her house ready to sell. In the process of doing this, I have found some old cookbookd from the 50s-the 70s. My Nana was an amazing cook. she was a depression baby, so, everything she made was really simple but delicious. I wish I as able to learn more from her, see more of her recipes. Ironically, my Nana was meticulous about documenting everything. All her cards, gifts, books, ect.. have the date they were received and from whom she received them. Yet, she did not document many of her own personal recipes. Alzheimers has wreached havoc on her memory, so, I am left combing through these old cookbooks searching for her handwritten notes. I will say it is interesting how many jello molds or salads include marshellows and nuts and how many casseroles incluse meat, cream soup and veggies!

Here are a few I have found:

Dixies (similar to a Blondie)
5c brown sugar
6 oz melted butter
5 eggs
1 1/2 t salt
5 c flour
2 1/2 c chopped pecans
2 1/2 t Vanilla
1 1/2 t baking powder

Mix butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Sift in Salt and flour. Add vanilla and pecans. Grease and flour pan, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Cut into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
**This makes a HUGE serving, but they were my uncles favorite and served a family of 7 with leftovers!

Green Salad ( a family favorite served at every holiday meal)
1 small container cottage cheese (small curd)
1 pkg lime jello
1 pkg lemon jello
2 c hot water
1 c half and half
1 c mayo
1 small can pinapple bits
Combine jellos and 2 cups hot water (or drain pineapple juice into measure cup then fill with hot water to 2 cups). Pour into bowl and allow to start to set up. You want a soft set, if you allow to set up to long it will have chunks of jello...not desired!
Once set, mix in remaining ingredients and refridge for a few hous or over night.

Sprinkle Salad
1 c coconut
1 c pineapple
1 c mandarin oranges
1 c marshmellows
1 c sourcream
1 c fruit coctail *optional
Combine and serve. Similar to an ambrosia.

Peanut Blossoms
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2c firmly packed brown sugar
1 t soda
1/2 c shortening
3/4+ c peanut butter
1 egg
2T milk
1 t vanilla
48 Hershey's kisses
Combine everything in a bown except kisses. Blend and shape into balls. Roll in a bit of extra sugar. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and top immediately will kisses.

Apricot Bars
1 1/2 flour
1 t baking powder
1 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c quick oats
3/4 c butter
1 c apricot jam

Mix flour, Baking powder, sugar and oats. Cut butter in until crumbly. Pat 2/3 of mixture into a 13x9 pan. Spread with jam. Cover with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool and cut.

Tapioca
3/4 c pearl tapioca
3 1/2 c milk
2 eggs
1/3 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
Soak in crockpot overnight. In the morning turn pot on low and cook for about 3 1/2 hrs. Stir occassionally. Add lightly beaten eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Cook 15 minutes then turn off and serve.

Chocolate Cherry Bars
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 cherry pie filling
2 eggs
1 t almond extract
Mix just until blended. Spread into a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Let cool.
Frosting:Combine 1 1/2c sugar, 6 T milk, 6T butter. Bring to a hard boil for 1 minute. Take off heat and add another 1/2c milk and 1 c chocolate chips. Mix until melted and then spread over chocolate cherry bars.

Jello cake
1 pkg jello (dissolved in 1 c hot water)
1 pkg cake mix
3/4c oil
4 eggs
Let jello sit until it starts to set. Then in a seperate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Beat in well, and jello and mix again. Makes large layer cakes. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minues.

Molasses Cake
1 c sugar
1/2 c shortening
2 eggs
2 T molasses
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 c buttermilk
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t nutmeg
Combine all ingredients and pour in a loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Caramel Custard
1/2 c sugar
3 T boiling water
2 c milk
3 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
Melt sugar in the pa until clear and golden brown. Add water and cook until sugar is dissolved. Add milk, vanilla and slightly beaten eggs then pour into custard cups. Set in a pan of water and bake at 325 degree for 45 minutes.

Mocha Custard
2 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c cream
1/4 t vanilla
1 1/2 c strong coffee
Beat yolks slightly. Add sugar, coffee, cream, and vanilla. Pour into baking dish and set dish in a water bath. Bake at 325 degrees until firm (about 40-45 minutes).

Chicken and Gravy Dinner with Homemade Noodles

2010-01-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

This is an awesome recipe. I made a huge helping of it! I took some over to my in-laws, some to a sick friend and still had enough for dinner AND a freezer meal! This is a great simple freezer meal. You do not have to go through all the effort to make the homemade noodles, but it is def. worth the extra work. If you do not make the fresh pasta and decide to freeze...I would recommend freeze without pasta. Make fresh before serving.

Easy Veggie Beef and Barley Soup

2010-01-20T15:21:00.000-08:00

This was a really hearty soup. The great thing about this soup is you can use any cut of beef. I would recommend browning the beef first to keep the meat juicy and then cook until tender. I had enough left to freeze for another day! Great meal for a cool night!

Easy Italian Skillet

2010-01-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

This is a super simple recipe. It calls for Hamburger meat, but you can use any kind you would like. I decided to make spicy sausage meatballs this time. I used spicy sausage and mixed with breadcrumbs and an egg. I also used Rigatoni. That seems to be the only pasta Ante will eat. (I used some of the left over Ricotta to make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes the next morning!)

Here is my recipe card: (You can click on the card for a full view)

January's Menu

2010-01-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

I love meal planning and I do it virtually every week. On the weeks where I don't have a concrete menu or during the holidays, I feel completed disorganized and struggle with menu ideas from night to night. I also tend to go to the store and buy a bunch of stuff...which ends up costing more than when I do a prescribed menu.

The other complication I find with weekly menu planning is time. Sunday should be a nice relaxed day, the perfect day for menu planning..right!?! By the time everyone get's up...namely my late rising husband -Sunday is his sleep in day...and I make a big, yummy breakfast, it is usually 11 or so. By this time Ante is ready for some real entertainment... playing by himself is no longer cutting it! So, this is usually when we take a walk up to the newspaper box. That's the easy part...then the charade usually begins.

When we get back, my husband gets ready while I try to quickly finish up the menu for the week, clip the coupons and match them to the sale items at the store. This usally takes me about an hour...between looking up new recipes, getting a list together, looking up ads and combing through coupons...the time can quickly get away from me! Oh, and I still have to get myself and the baby ready!

Now, don't think I do not enjoy doing this because I do probably too much. When mu hubbie sees me on the computer he always chuckles and asks...are you working or looking at food porn again! I can get consumed and before I know it the day can easily slip by...and I still have to get to the store...before naptime. You think we would have learned by now that taking a hungry, cranky 1 yo to the grocery store is not a good plan!

So, long story short, I decided to try a monthly plan. Now, I know this is adventurous for several reasons. 1. I am on vacation from work right now, so, I had plenty of time to work on it THIS month. 2. My weekly plan is pretty fluid, so it will be interetsing to see how fluid a month is, but it can't hurt...are ya with me! 3. I usually plan my meals based on the sales, so, a monthly plan might impede on that. Yet, I also think by having a monthly plan I can stock up on things as they go on sale. I am not limited to buying only this weeks necessities. I like being able to plan ahead although my weekly budget will not change. I stay firm on spending between $60-80 a week depending on what needs stocking.

Drum roll please...

***I will add some of the recipes from this meal plan as we go through the month, but I can't promise anything!

Pancakes, Pancakes Everywhere!

2009-12-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

My absolute favorite breakfast are pancakes. They are the breakfast of champions! I love piling up each steaming, luscious pancake between layers of melted butter. Then, lovingly dripping fresh maple syrup all over the lovies. Are you hungry yet? What could be better?

My favorite pancakes are Whole Wheat Buttermilk pancakes. Ante, on the other hand, adores Nutter Butters (sometimes with a few mini chocolate chips...if he was a really good boy!)

I usually make a double batch of whatever perfect pancakes fits my fancy and freeze the leftovers for future breakfasts. Ante loves pancakes and it is currently a breakfast staple. So, here are a few different pancakes currently in our freezer:

A few random caviots...You can use any type of flour you would like...don't have whole wheat flour, you can use its bleached or unbleached flour counterpart. Whatever fits your fancy! Also, when making the batter mix just until all the ingredients are combined. If you continue to mix you will activate the wheat glutten making your pancakes chewy. No one wants a chewy pancake!

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp oil

Combine everything and cook on the griddle!

Nutter Butter Pancakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use half white and half wheat flour)
6 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk (or 1 can evaporated milk)
1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 tbsp Olive oil (or any type you prefer)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet in a seperate bowl. Combine the wet into the dry and cook!
***For Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips pancakes...put the pancakes on the griddle and then add a few to the pancakes as the cook. For Peanut butter Banana Pancakes, You can also add a few thin slices of bannana to the pancake one on the griddle, or mash it up and serve on top. Another alternative is to serve the pancakes with a bit of jam (PB&J pancakes)

Eggnog pancakes
***This is a great way to use up that left over eggnog

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups eggnog
¼ cup canola oil

Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet in a seperate bowl. Combine the wet into the dry and cook!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
***This is a great way to use up the left over ricotta in your fridge. I use fresh lemons from my trees, but you can use the juice in the plastic lemons in you like.

4 eggs, separate yolks and whites

1/3 cups ricotta
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup flour
**Optional: 1tsp poppyseeds

Combine egg yolks, ricotta, sugar, zest and flour (also poppy seed if using). Beat the egg whites until peaks form (this works best when the egg whites are at room temp.) Fold egg whites in. Then cook. If the center still looks a bit soft, turn the heat to low and cook a touch longer.
***You do not have to seperate the whites and the yolks if you do not have the time. Beating the egg whites will make the pancakes really light and fluffy.

Orange Sour Cream Pancakes
***This is a great way to use up that left over sour cream (or Ricotta). I use oranges fresh from our tree, but if you only have OJ from the carton that is fine too. Just skip the zest and use 1/4-1/3 cup OJ.
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup milk
Juice and zest from one orange
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
Optional: 1 tsp cardamon

Combine eggs, butter, milk, ricotta, orange (zest and juice) and sugar. In a spereate bowl combine flour and baking powder (and cardamon is using). Mix wet ingredients with dry. Batter does not have to be perfectly smooth, just no large lumps. Cook!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
***These are a great way to use up those yummy apples and no, I do not have an apple tree! :)
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups greek yogurt (or regular yogurt, plain or vanilla)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar or honey
3 apples, peeled and shredded
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I prefer extract)

Combine all wet ingredients in one bowl and all dry in another. Then, fold the wet into the dry; cook!

Book Review: Hungry Girl 200 under 200

2009-12-26T19:49:00.000-08:00

I guess this is a fitting review coming right after the holidays. If you are looking to cut calories while still eating yummy, creative foods...then this is the book for you. Lisa Lillien does an outstanding job showing the average cook how to simplify their recipes to be much more figure friendly! I LOVE this idea! Many times recipes are yummy but tend to add too much to the backside! So, this cookbook shows you how to keep it under control!

I had some difficulties with these recipes because I prefer to make everything from scratch...so these recipes did not really work well with my cooking style, but they will probably be GREAT for the average mom. I chose to make a LOT of changes to these recipes to accomodate my families eating styles, yet the premise was the same. By this I mean I substituted things like...egg substitute for real organic eggs, Splenda/sweetener for agave nectar, honey, stevia or plain ol' sugar. I also nixed things like Coffeemate creamer, whip cream/Reddi-wip, boxed cake mix, ect... I know this added the calories back into the recipes, but the calorie count was not my focus.

This cookbook include some fabulous breakfast options, sensational salads, happy appis and mini meal mania. The author, Lisa Lillien, does a great job of dialing down the fat and calories in many of our everyday recipes while also intermixing some fun new ones! Yet, I focused on the sweets. Since the holidays, I have had my eye on baking and with baking comes lots of tasting. So, I figured the least I could do was try to the lightened calorie count on these tasty treats.

(By the way, there are a bunch of fun cupcake recipes...you should check them out!)

Tiramisu Pudding
1/2 c ricotta
1/2 Jello sugar free Vanilla Pudding mix (organic sugar free vanilla pudding)
1/4 c Cool whip (I made my own)
2 T Splenda (Stevia)
1/4 t vanilla
1/4 t unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Combine everything (except the cocoa powder) until smooth and sprinkle the cocoa powder on top. This was super simple and yummy. This is a fun little pudding snack!

***I added a bit of instant espresso powder to mine.

Gooey Crunch Fruit Tartlets
1 1/2 c strawberries, halved
1 1/2 c peaches, sliced
2 T Splenda (Agave Nectar)
2 T cornstarch
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t vanilla

Tartlets:
12 small wonton wrappers
Non-stick spray

1. Combine Splenda, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla, and a dash of salt. Add 1/2c cold water and stir until all ingredients are dissolved.
2. In a non stick pan over medium heat, boil the Splenda mix, strawberries and peaches. Stir constantly until a thick syrup forms. Then, cool completely.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the cups in a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. Place the wanton wraps in the munnin cups then spray again with non stick spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until firm and brown. Allow to cool, then transfer to a plate.
4. Spoon chilled fruit filling into the cups. Top with cool whip.

***These were good! I could have personally cut pack on the syrup. These would also be great as an actual tart. Using 4" tart pans with fresh fruit and cover top with syrup (ooh and a cream under the frash fruits would be delightful)

Fuji Fritters
Apple Mix:
3c Peeled Fuji apples
3 T Splenda (Sugar)
1 T cornstarch
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla

Fritter Base:
1 1/3 c regular oats
2/3 c Bisquick mix (I made my own Biscuit mix)
2/3 c vanilla soy milk
2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 T butter
1 t baking powder

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees. Place apple chunks in micro with 1/4 c water for 2 1/2 minutes. Drain water and set aside. (I did on the stove instead)
2. In a pot, combine the Splenda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and vanilla with 1/2 c cold water. Cook over medium heat until the sauce has thickened to a caramel like consistency. Remove from heat and stur into apple chunks.
3. In a mixing bowl combine fritter mix and fold into apple mix. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray and spoon 12 mounds onto sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes until centers come out clean.

***I made these, but used half zuchini and half apple. They were yummo! Could also be done with sweet potatoes, carrots, ect... be creative.

Fluffy Lemon Squares
Crust:
1 1/2 c Fiber One Cereal
1/4 c butter, melted
2 T water
4 T sweetner (Powdered sugar)

Filling:
1 c egg substitute (4 organic eggs)
1 2/3 c Splenda (Stevia)
1/3 c White sugar
6 T Whole wheat flour
6 T fresh lemon juice
2 T lemon zest
2 t baking powder

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a food processor, grind up cereal. Combine with butter, water and sweetner.
2. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Press crust evenly on the bottom of the pan and bake for 5 minutes.
3. In a seperate bowl, combine filling ingredients and mix well. Pour into crust and bake 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely. (I sprinkled powdered sugar on top and served)

***These were a nice way to use a up a few lemons from my tree. The crust was a healthy alternative, but I still prefer a fattening butter, flour and sugar alternative.

Oh My! Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 c regular oats

1/3 c whole-wheat flour
1/4 c raisins, chopped ( I left whole)
1/4 c brown sugar
2 T Splenda (1 T honey)
2 T light whipped butter
2 T applesauce
2 T egg substitute (1 organic egg)
1/4 t vanilla extract
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t cinnamon
dash salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine brown sugar, Splenda, butter, applesauce, egg substitute, and vanilla extract, and mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and stir until completely mixed and smooth. Add oats and raisins.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon 6 cookie mounds onto the sheet. Using the back of a spoon, spread and flatten batter into circles about 3 1/2 inches wide.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes.

***These were great alternatives to the trad oatmeal cookie recipe. As always I added in a bit of shredded carrot.

Book Review: The Sneaky Chef, How to Cheat on Your Man (in the Kitchen)

2009-12-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

I remember when Missy Lapine's first book came out. My first thought was...well that is a dumb concept. How can you teach children to eat and enjoy vegetables if you never serve them? I have always loved veggies especially grilled teriyaki veggies, but my husband is not a veggie man. Unfortunately, my son takes after his father...100%!

My husband is a meat and potatoes man! I even had to introduced him to romaine lettuce because iceberg was the standard in his home. Spinach, something I love, is still out of the question. Needless to say, I do not want my mini picky eater to end up the same way. Hence, the Sneaky Chef has vetured back into my library.

I was really excited about the concept this time around, but leery about my husbands reaction. I have always added vegetables secretly into our food, but this took some recipes to a new level. It has given me a new creative edge on how easy it really is to add some vital nutrients into my vegetable-free boys.

Here are some of the recipes I tried:
****Just a note...all the recipes call for pureed (steammed) veggies. I steamed a few large batches, pureed veggies and froze the left over for later recipes. The book also says that you can use jarred baby food instead of making your own.

Banana Nut Pancakes

4 egg whites
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
1/2 c pureed sweet potatoes and carrots
2 t honey or syrup
2 bananas, mashed
2T ground walnuts
3/4c Flour (1/4c wheat, 1/2c white flour)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4-1/2 c milk
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, optional

Mix all ingredients together. Adjust milk to thin mix to desired consistency. Cook pancakes on griddle.

**These were really yummy! Ante has been anti-pancakes for quite a while, yet he ate 3 in one sitting!

Chicken Waldorf Wrap
1/4 c mayo
2 T pureed Garbonzo beans
4.5 t lemon juice
2 T wheat germ
Salt and pepper
1 Granny Smith, peeled and chopped
1/2 c chopped nuts (these are great dusted with a bit of cayenne, cinnamon and ginger)
3 celery ribs, chopped
2 c grapes, halved
Whole wheat tortillas
2 c cooked, cubed chicken

1. Combine all the ingredients together and foll up in the wrap with a few stalks of romaine.

***I love Waldorf salad, so, this was really good! I skipped the mayo and used plain yogurt instead. I also opted for shredded chicken breasts, but a rotissery would work well here. Toasting the nuts and then dusting with spices was a yummy addition. Another easy idea would be to make this as a curry chicken salad.

Hashbrown Patties
1 c hashbrowns
Salt, onion powder
1/4 c pureed white beans
1/4 c oat bran
1/4 c cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. Mix all the ingredients together. make patties and place on a greased cookie sheet. Spray a bit extra spray oil on the top of the patties. Bake for 20 minutes then remove and flip over patties. Bake 20 minutes longer. (serve immediately or freeze for up to 3 months)

***These were really yummy. I allowed to cook a bit longer because I like really crispy hashbrowns. I also left the cheese out. I made a large batch and froze the extra and I am super happy I did!

Not His Mother's Meatloaf

1 egg
1/2c Garbonzo bean puree
1/4 c Tomato puree
2 t Worcestreshire
1 med onion, pureed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c Oat Bran
Salt and Pepper
1 pound ground Turkey
2 T Ketchup

Combine all the ingredients except the Ketchup. Mix and shape. Then add the ketchup on top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes.

***This was good, but I would have taken this a step father. Meatloaf is an awesome place to add hidden veggies. I mixed beef and pork and then added pureed sweet potato, spinach and broccoli. (sounds gross, but my husband didn't notice it at all!)

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
4 potatoes, peeled and mashed
3 T parmesan, Grated
1/2 c pureed cauliflower, zucchini
1/2 c plain yogurt
Salt, pepper and a dash of sugar

Boil potatoes until tender, then combine with remaining ingredients and serve.

****This didn't work well. Mashed potatoes in my opinion should not be messed with! The cauliflower was overpowering and bitter. I think you could do this with zucchini for sure and no one would notice or zucchini and a white bean. Personally I will stick to strictly potatoes!

Burly Burritos
1/2 c bean dip: Food process together-1T olive oil, 1 small onion, pureed, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1c pureed zucchini and cauliflower, 1t chili powder, 1/2 t cumin, 1 (15oz) can refried beans, 1 cup Salsa (optional)
1/2 c cooked brown rice
2 whole wheat tortillas
1/4 c shredded cheddar
Optional toppings: romain, slasa, black olives, thin onions

Spoon 1/2 bean dip and 1/2 rice on to the bottom of the tortilla. Top with a bit of cheese and any other optional toppings. Roll up and serve. (Or, roll in parchement and freeze, microwave 1 minute and serve)

***I personally think bean burritos are boring, so I jazzed it up with a bit of shredded chicken and pimentos. I warmed in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes, then served with sour cream and a peach salsa. They were yummy! Now imagine making these as flautas or chimis...umm!

Bowling Night Bolgnese
1T olive oil
1 med onion, pureed
1 oz bacon (turkey bacon)
1 pound ground meat
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c pureed spinach, broccoli, and peas
1(6oz) can tomato paste
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 c evaporated milk
1/4 c Oat Bran
Salt and Pepper

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. When translucent, remove ans set aside. Then, brown meat and bacon. Add cooked onions/garlic and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and the reduce heat to low and simmer 30-40 minutes. Toss with pasta and serve.

***This was yummy! I have tried a lot of Bolgnese in Europe and I always loved when the bolognese was lovingly packed full of veggies...Tomatoes can mask the flavor well! This recipe was great as is, but I added some diced carrots and peppers along with pureed sweet potatoes. You could also add mushrooms!

Everyone Loves Romano Chicken
1/2 c Wheat flour
2 egg whites
1/4 c pureed Cauliflower and Zucchini
3/4 c wheat germ
Salt and Pepper
1/2 c Parmesan
4 chicken cutlets

1. Preheat oven to 400. Put flour in a dish and then in a seperate dish combine the egg whites and pureed veggies. In a third bowl, combine wheat germ, salt, pepper, and cheese.
2. Dredge cutlets in flour, then eggs then wheatgerm. Press breading eavenly on each side.
3. Put chicken on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray the top of the chicken with oil and bake 10-12 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes or spaghetti or asparagus.

***This was very simple and yummy. The breading masked the bitterness of the cauliflower. I cut one of the cutlets up into smaller pieces and make little romano nuggets for Ante...surprisingly even Mr. No Meat ate them!

Stuffed Manli-cotti
1 pkg Manicotti
1 c Ricotta
1 c firm tofu, pureed
1 clove garlic, minced
6 T parmesan
1 1/2c Left over Bolognese (or 1 1/2 c store bought sauce and 2 c pureed cauliflower and zucchini)

1. Cook manicotti according to directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except sauce. (if using store bought sauce...add 1c of purreed veggies to manicotti stuffing and other 1c of pureed veggies to sauce)
2. Fill manicotti shells. Place 3/4c of sauce in bottom of a greased baking dish, place manicotti on top and finish off with remaining sauce. Cover with foil sprayed with oil and bake for 30 minutes.

***I am not a master at manicotti, so I was pleasantly surprised! I would definitely make these again (I actually froze some leftovers...You couldn't distinguish the tofu in the manicotti, so that was a nice bonus. I was a bit worried about that! I also added an extra cup of shredded mozzarella to the top before baking. Then, baked for 20-25 minutes before removing the foil for the last 5-10 minutes.

Overall I was very impressed with the recipes I tried. I will definetly be tracking down the other books to check them out as well. Adding the veggies is a great way to ensure my boys are getting the nutrients they need, but it is equally important to serve the veggies in their natural state. That is the only way I might manage to get my wee boy to try them.

If you would like some other free hidden veggie recipes, check out the website at: http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_sneaky_chef_recipes.php

Muffins, Cakes and Bread...Oh My!

2009-11-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

Here are a collection of muffin recipes that I love to make. I do a lot of baking for my mother-in-law. My MIL has a whole host of very serious medical problems that keep her bed ridden. So, she loves to watch baking shows and often calls me begging for something she saw on TV that made her mouth water. How can I resist the challenge of a new recipe or the delight when I show up with her grandson and some delicious homemade goodie. One of the things she loves are fruit breads/muffins/cakes...so here are some of Baka's (Gramma in croatian) favorites.

Lemony Lemon Muffins
For the muffins:

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the streusel:

1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, butter, lemon peel and lemon juice. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix, just until moistened. Grease or paper line muffin cups and fill the batter 3/4 full.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and butter. Using your hands or a pastry blender, mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter.
3. Bake muffins at 350 degrees for about 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and remove onto a wire rack.
4. Mix together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and drizzle over muffins.

(I have a huge lemon tree in my yard that produces HUGE juicy lemons. So, I am always looking for new recipes to try to use up as many as I can...by the way lemons are in season right now! Let m eknow if you would like any!)

Strawberry Muffins with Pecan Crumble
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup strawberries, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling

Pecan crumble
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peal
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12- cup muffin tin with muffin papers (or butter and flour the cups, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth - no lumps. Whisk in the heavy cream and milk until combined.
3. Add the zest to the flour mixture and with you hands, gently rub the mixture together, releasing the oils and breaking up the bits. Add the fresh fruit and gently toss with you fingers to combine. Make a well in the center of the bowl. Pour the butter mixture into the center of the well and, using a rubber spatula, gently pull the flour mixture into the center of the well until just combined.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup until full. Sprinkle pecan crumble (if using) evenly among muffin tops and gently press. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and sprinkle with sugar (if not using pecan crumble.) Let cool to warm.

(Strawberries are my absolute favorite fruit...Ante's also! I never understood why you would want to cook a perfectly good strawberry, but what Baka wants...Baka gets! :) BTW, I would use frozen stawberries. Save your money!)

Pineapple Carrot Bread
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup vegetable oil
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, drained
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Preheat the oven for 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs; add carrots, oil, pineapple, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. The batter will be very thick. Fold in nuts, if desired.

2. Spoon into two greased 8-in. by 4-in. loaf pans. Bake for 50-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove loaves from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

(Note: This bread was great the day-of, but it wasn’t until after I wrapped it up and let it sit over night, that I fell in love with it.)

Orange Spice Cake
For the cake:

2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk

For the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a fluted tube (bundt) pan. Stir cake flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl to blend. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, orange peel, and spices until light and creamy. Mix in vanilla extract. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in dry ingredients alternately with milk in 3 additions.

2. Spoon batter into pan. Smooth top. Bake until tester inserted near center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack. Turn out onto platter (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature).

3. For glaze: Mix powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Drizzle or brush glaze over cake. Let stand until glaze sets, about 30 minutes.

(I also have a nice orange tree in my backyard that produces awesome Honeybells. They are so sweet, juicy and delicious. Needless to say, you can only make so much marmalade and OJ...so, here is a nice alternative)

Zucchini Pineapple Loaf
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup crushed pineapple
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional...or chocolate chips)

1. Whisk eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in zucchini and pineapple.
2. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, nuts and raisins.
3. Mix dry ingredients together with wet ingredients...and stir until moistened.
4. Pour into two large, greased loaf pans. Bake at 350° F for 1 hour.

Peaches and Cream Muffins

2 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt 1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped peaches, canned or fresh

Streusel Topping..(optional)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp soft butter

1. Beat eggs, add sugar gradually. Continue beating while adding oil. Stir in vanilla.In separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda and salt.
2. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with the sour cream only until dry ingredients are moistened.Fold in chopped peaches.Spoon into greased muffin tins.
3. Topping: Mix till crumbly and sprinkle on muffins before baking.Bake at 400º for 20 min.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
1 1/2 cup shredded raw zucchini
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a loaf pan (9×5x3) with nonstick cooking oil.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then setaside.
3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer beat the oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla extract and coffee granules for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the shredded zucchini to the dry ingredients and then in batches add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; use a spatula to incorporate everything until just mixed. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake in the oven for 55 – 65 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted in the bread and then be removed clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

(This is a bread, but is so delicious it should be a dessert cake. Hey, atleast you can say it is healthy...it has zucchini...right! Work with me here!)

Book Review: Art of the Slow Cooker by Andrew Schloss

2009-11-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

I order this book last week from the library and was really excited to get started. I honestly hate buying cookbooks unless I have had a chance to preview it because my family has very traditional eatting habits and I often find that the recipes in the books are great but not practical. So, I thought this would be great! I mean slow cookers are a great time saver and mine does not get enough use. I will go a month of using it weekly and then I get bored with it.

My criteria for a good cookbook is simple...I am looking for simple straightforward ingredients and easy to fix meals. I do not mind buying a few specialty items, but I shouldn't have to for every recipe! The point is to be economical! Plus, in my household green things in food (ie herbs) are a big faux pas! So, I either cook them whole and remove them or I strip the recipe down! So, enough blabbing...

Overall, the cookbook was ok...maybe a B. The book itself is beautifully made with nice pictures, heavy pages and great directions...but remember criteria number one...simple ingredients and simple directions...Not here! The recipes could be simplified, but this is not your gramma's frugal cookbook! The other thing I did not like is the recipes require a lot of prep prior to being placed in the slow cooker. So, these are not speedy recipes although they are tasty!

I set out to make 4 recipes this week: Chicken Teriyaki, Beef Carbonnade, Pork and Beans and Chicken dinner.

Chicken Teriyaki
1 T veggie oil
4lbs. skinless chicken thighs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1T finely grated ginger
1/4c water
1/3 c soy sauce (I used low sodium)
1/4c sherry or Apple juice (I used the apple)
1 T rice wine vinegar (if you don't have use apple cider vinegar)
2T molasses
3T honey
2 t cornstarch
2 scallion, trimmed and sliced thin

1. Brown the chicken thighs in veggie oil over high heat. Cook about 3 minutes per side then place in the slow cooker.
2. Add the garlic and Ginger to the pan and cook over mediu heat about 30 seconds. Add water to deglaze (meaning let the water loosen all those brown stuck on bits). Add soy sauce, apple juice, vinegar, molasses and honey. Stir to blend. Pour over chicken and cook on high for 2-3 hours.
3. Preheat your oven to broil. Remove chicken from the slow cooker and place in the broiler for 2 minutes per side. While the chicken broils, remove the sauce and place in a sauce pan with a mix of 2t cornstarch and 1.5 T water. Allow to thicken about 1 minute. Then, drizzle over chicken.

***This was super yummy! Not the easiest recipe with the final steps of broiling and thickening the sauce. Too many dirt dishes if you ask me! Instead, I put the cornstarch mix and sauce in a glass measuring cup and microwaved in 30 second intervals until you achieve the desired thickness. I did broil the chicken, but you can skip this step...it is not essential. I served over brown rice, but would also be really yummy with rice noodles. We used the left over sauce on chicken wings the next day...they were delish!

Beef Carbonnade
1/4 c flour
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
3 lb beef cubes, cut into 1/4" cubes
3 T olive oil
5 large onions, halved and sliced thin
2 sliced salt pork or bacon, finely diced (I used bacon)
1 T herbs or 1/2 t each thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, and basil (I used whole rosemary, basil and oregano...it's what I had and I removed the evidence from the pot before serving)
2 t brown sugar
1 bottle ale or lager beer (I used Newcastle)
2 bay leaves
Boiled noodles or potatoes (optional)

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge beef. Heat oil in a large skillet (I used a cast iron) over meduim-high heat and brown in batches, 3-4 minutes per side.
2. Reduce heat to meduim-low, add onions and cook until tender (about 10 minutes). Transfer to slow cooker and place beef on top of onions.
3. Add bacon to skillet and cook through, but not crisp. Add herbs and reserved seasoned flour. Cook until flour browns (Watch your flour closely so it does not burn, you can skip this step if you want) Pour the sauce over the beef. Bury the bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours (but who has that time).

**I served over egg noodles with a spinach salad. It was a nice, easy recipe...we did it onion free because my hubbies hates them. It was only half as good, but that one I can't get past him! It was basically an onion sauce..so I would use vidalia onions.

Barbeque Pork and Beans
1 c dried beans- white beans, pinto, kidney, or a mixture (I used white beans)
2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into cubes
3 T Southwest Spice rub- 1 T salt, 2T paprika, 1/4 c brown sugar, 2 t chili powder, 1/2t cumin, 1/2t pepper
2 slices bacon, chopped finely
1 medium onion (I grated half an onion)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 t cuin
1 T flour
3c chicken broth
1/2 c BBQ sauce- 1/3c ketchup, 3T brown mustard, 3T cider vinegar, 3T brown sugar, 1T tabasco, 1/2t pepper
1 (15oz) can diced tomotoes (I used petite diced)

1. Put the beans in a bowl, cover with water and leave overnight. OR, put in a saucepan cover with about 3" water and boil for 3 minutes, then soak for 1 hour (this method is what I did one because I had beans leftover from making bean bags and because it helps limit the noise later int he evening). If I didn't already have the beans I would have skipped whis altogether and just used canned beans.
2. While the beans are cooking rub the pork cubes with 2t of the Southwest rub, wrap well and refridge.
3. In a large skillet, brown the bacon; remove. Turn the heat up to medium-high and brwon the pork cubes. Transfer to the slow cooker, add the beans and bacon. Toss to combine.
4. Add the onion and carrots to the skillet and saute until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin, any remaining rub, and the flour. Stir. Add the chicken broth and simmer until slightly thickened. Stir in the BBQ and tomotoes and pour into the slow cooker. Cook 8-10 hours on low (or 3-4 hours if using can beans).
***This was a very easy recipe and great with corn on the cob. We will defiitely make this again...we are big pork and bean eaters here...not alway together, esp. not like this! :)

Chicken Dinner
1/3c flour
1/4c All Purpose Spice Rub- 1T brown sugar, 1T salt, 1t paprika, 1t dry mustard, 1t dried sage, 1t dried thyme, 1/2t dried rosemary, 1/2t garlic powder, 1/2t pepper (I used a bit of Italian seasoning, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder and pepper)
1 roasting chicken- about 7 lbs (I bought the already cut up one..a bit more expensive, but much easier to work with unless you are skilled with cutting up a chicken)
1 1/2lbs. red potatoes (or any potatoes)
2T veggie oil
1 onion, chunked
24 baby carrots
1/2c white wine
2c chicken broth
2T mashed potatoes

1. Mix the flour and spice rub in a mixing bowl. Cut up the chicken and remove the skin. Dredge in flour mix.
2. Boil the potatoes until cooked and then place in the bottom of the clow cooker.
3. Heat half the oil over medium high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 4 minutes. Set aside. Add the remaining oil to the skillet along with carrots and onion. Saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the left over flour along with wine and bring to a boil. Add the chicken broth and simmer until thick; pour into the cooker. Put the veggies on the bottom, then arrange the chicken in the pot with dark meat on the bottom. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.
4. Remove the chicken to a serving platter and surround with veggies. Turn the cooker on high and stir in the mashed potatoe flakes. Allow to thicken about 3 minutes. Spoon over the chicken.

***This was easy and yummy spin on roasted chicken. I still prefer a traditional baked/roasted whole chicken, but I did have plenty of leftovers which were awesome in soup (or chicken tacos, empanadas, chicken salad...) Since I am not much for processed foods, I skipped the potato flakes and used cornstarch instead. I served with a nice garden salad.