A Bear in the Kitchen

Pork Chops with Amber Rice Casserole

2012-02-11T19:13:00.000-08:00

I hadn't made this casserole in such a long time, even though it is a family favorite. The recipe is from my sister and she gave it to me at my wedding shower. The invitation for the shower asked the women coming to also bring me a recipe - yes I have been obsessed with recipe collecting for a while. This casserole is a great kid pleasing meal. The rice has just a slight orange flavor to it. Yum.

Pork Chops with Amber Rice Casserole

4-5 pork chops
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 1/2 cups Minute Rice (or about 2 cups cooked rice, just decrease cooking time a bit)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken with rice soup

Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet. Brown pork chops in oil and place in a 9x13 baking dish. In a bowl combine Minute Rice, orange juice, cream of chicken soup, and chicken with rice soup. Spread this rice/soup mixture over the pork chops. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes (check rice to make sure it's done).

Oven Baked Stew

2012-02-11T19:01:00.000-08:00

This a great beef stew recipe. I got it from Life As a Lofthouse. I served it with homemade rolls and it was a great dinner for a cold winter night. I think this recipe would work great in the crockpot and in fact I might try it that way next time I make it. It is slightly sweet because of the ketchup, so if you would like it less sweet use tomato soup in place of the ketchup.

Oven Baked Stew

1 lb stew meat
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, thickly sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 packet onion soup mix
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup ketchup

Combine meat, potatoes, carrots and onion in a bowl, toss with onion soup mix and paprika. Spread meat mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Combine soup and ketchup and spread over meat and vegetables. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Mix well with a spoon and serve.

*To cook in the crockpot: Combine all ingredients, spread into crockpot and cook on low for, I'm guessing here, 6-8 hours.

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2012-02-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

Pulled pork sandwiches are a favorite dinner around here and I have quite a few recipes on this blog for pulled pork, but I hadn't tried this one yet. This recipe has been going around the food blogs like crazy. It is a super easy way to cook pulled pork and the result is awesome. We had these sandwiches and chips for dinner on Super Bowl night (not that we are actually football fans, but we did watch some of it - mostly for the commercials :)) and my whole family gobbled dinner down without complaint. Thanks for the recipe blogland!

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2, 2 lb pork picnic roasts (or a 4 lb pork butt/shoulder roast)
1 cans root beer
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
hamburger buns or homemade rolls

Place pork roasts in slow cooker (I use picnic roasts, which are small pork shoulder roasts because they are easier to shred at the end). Pour root beer over the roasts. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Remove pork and discard liquid in slow cooker. Shred pork, removing fatty pieces, and return to slow cooker. Add barbecue sauce, using about 3/4 of the bottle. Toss pork with sauce to coat. Fill hamburger buns with pork and top with more barbecue sauce.

Bourbon-ish Chicken

2012-01-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

So this is the homemade version of bourbon chicken without the bourbon :) and it is really really good! The sauce is tangy and slightly sweet and well just yummy. All of my children liked it! Yay! That is quite the accomplishment because there is usually at least one dissenter amongst them. They even wanted seconds. And my husband also loved it. I think I'll be making this often. Oh, and it is an almost 30 minute meal (like 35 minutes with cutting up the chicken), so it's great for a busy night. Thanks to Jamie Cooks It Up for another great recipe.

Bourbon-ish Chicken

5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces (scissors makes this easy). Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook over medium high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes chicken should be slightly browned, but not all the way cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine: garlic, apple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, soy sauce, and pepper flakes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Add this to the chicken after it has cooked for about 10 minutes. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes with lid on the skillet at an angle to allow some of the steam to escape. Stir a few times during cooking. Serve over rice.

Skillet Swedish Meatballs

2012-01-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't made this recipe in such a long time and I'm not sure why. I used to make it all the time when my husband and I were newly-weds. I got the recipe from our first married ward's Relief Society cookbook (I cut it in half back then since it was just the 2 of us) and we loved it. Well anywho, I made it tonight and it is still super good. I love the nutmeg and allspice in the meatballs.

Skillet Swedish Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (I used freeze-dried)
1 cup bread crumbs (fresh bread crumbs made in food processor works best)
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 teaspoon allspice
shortening or oil for frying
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk

In a large bowl mix together beef, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, eggs, nutmeg, onions, and allspice. Mush together and then shape into 1inch balls. Melt enough shortening to cover the bottom of a large skillet, or use enough oil to coat the bottom. Brown meatballs in batches, making sure to brown all sides. Remove browned meatballs to a foil covered cookie sheet. When all meatballs are browned pour off cooking oil/melted shortening and discard. Return browned meatballs to the skillet. In a bowl combine soups and milk and pour over meatballs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.

Big Batch Caramel Popcorn

2012-01-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

My husband had a game night last week and I made this huge batch of caramel popcorn for him and his friends. (I had some too!) Wow this is the best caramel popcorn I have ever tried. The caramel is so smooth and creamy and just the right amount of gooey. You can definitely cut this recipe in half for a movie night or football game, because even a bunch of guys only ate about half of this recipe.

Big Batch Caramel Popcorn

5 regular bags microwave popcorn, popped
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Pop popcorn and evenly distribute to 3 large bowls. In a saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Add sweetened condensed milk and boil for 4 minutes, until very smooth and thick. Pour over one bowl of popcorn at a time and stir to coat the popcorn evenly. You have to move fast to be able to distribute the caramel to all 3 bowls and get the popcorn coated evenly (this is great if you have someone to help you). Serve immediately.

Jenny's Potato Casserole

2012-01-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

This is a great, classic funeral potatoes recipe from my friend Jenny. I love funeral potatoes with a crispy buttery corn-flake topping. This is serious comfort food. I served it with leftover Christmas ham that was in my freezer. I think we will be making meals out of that one ham for weeks to come. I love how creamy and cheesy these potatoes are. Thanks for a great recipe Jenny!

Jenny's Potato Casserole

1, 1lb bag frozen hash browns
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 - 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl mix together: hash browns, soup, sour cream, onion, and cheese. Spread into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Combine crushed cornflakes and butter. Remove foil, spread casserole with cornflake mixture and bake for another 15 minutes, uncovered.

Ham and Cheese Penne Bake

2012-01-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

I am a huge macaroni and cheese fan. Who isn't right?! Well this is a great macaroni-&-cheese-like casserole with ham and a nice crunchy topping. I think I got the recipe from one of those seasonal Pampered Chef pamphlet cookbooks a while ago. I wrote it down and put it in my "recipes to try" binder and it has been waiting ever since to be made. Well I'm glad I made it. My family loved it and it was a great comfort food dinner. Oh, and if you'd like it to taste like a chicken cordon blue casserole, add a cup or 2 of diced chicken and use Swiss cheese for half of the mozzarella.

Ham and Cheese Penne Bake

3 cups penne pasta (or other pasta like macaroni or shell)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk (skim is fine)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cream
8 oz cubed ham
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (cheddar also works for a more mac&cheesey flavor)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
4 tablespoons butter

Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan or pot. Stir flour into butter whisking to create a smooth paste. Slowly stir in milk. Cook until thickened and bubbly. Add cream, paprika, salt, and pepper continuing to cook until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in ham, mozzarella, Parmesan, and penne pasta. Turn into a greased 9x13 baking dish. In a bowl combine cracker crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle buttery cracker mixture over the casserole. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees until topping is browned.

Orange Glazed Ham

2012-01-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

This ham was the star of our Christmas dinner. It was so yummy! I loved the glaze. I got the recipe from Jamie Cooks it Up. I have gotten so many great recipes from Jamie's blog!

Orange Glazed Ham

1, 7-10 lb precooked, spiral cut ham
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Melt butter in a medium sized glaze bowl in the microwave. Stir in brown sugar, honey, orange juice, cinnamon, and cloves. Whisk together to combine and heat in the microwave for 1 minute.

Line a large baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Unwrap ham and place in the center of the pan. Brush some of the glaze over the ham. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 30 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with glaze.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

2012-01-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

I love spinach artichoke dips at restaurants and I'm so glad to have found a great version I can make at home. Yay! It is just the right mixture of creamy and cheesy and hey it has veggies in it so that means its healthy, right?! I took this dip with tortilla chips and crackers to a New Years Eve party and it was a hit. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

1, 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1, 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. In a medium bowl mix together cream cheese, mayo, Parmesan, garlic, basil, garlic salt, chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, and mozzarella. Transfer mixture to the baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and lightly browned.

Roasted Pork Loin

2012-01-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

This is a great, easy way to cook a pork loin. This recipe is more about the method than the ingredients. The method is from America's Test Kitchen Pepper Crusted Pork Loin. You can marinate the pork in whatever you want (I used a bottled zesty herb marinade) or not marinate it at all, the key is cooking it at a high temperature at first and then turning the oven down for the rest of the cooking. I served it with roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, and pork gravy from a packet (gasp - I know, but it was easy).

Roasted Pork Loin

1, 3 lb boneless pork loin
marinade, optional (you can use bottled or your favorite homemade marinade)
salt & pepper

Marinade the pork loin for the appropriate amount of time for your recipe.

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove pork loin from marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper if needed. Arrange the pork on a V-rack set in a roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes at 450 and then turn down the oven to 375 degrees and roast until internal temperature reads 140 degrees, about 50 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board, cover with foil. Let rest until internal temperature reads 150 degrees, about 15 minutes. Slice and serve with sauce or gravy of choice.

Oreo Truffles

2011-12-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

This yummy treat made it onto our Christmas goody plates for friends and neighbors this year. I love how easy they are to make and how darn good they are! The truffles taste almost like Oreo cake inside. Mmm.

Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreo cookies
1, 8oz block cream cheese
1 pkg. Wilton candy melts, any flavor (I used white and light chocolate)
sprinkles, optional

Process Oreo cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment combine the cream cheese and Oreo crumbs. Beat until a smooth paste forms. With a very small cookie scoop, scoop out portions of oreo mixture and roll into a ball. Place oreo balls onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Freeze for 2 hours.

Prepare candy melts by melting over low heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly, or by microwaving in 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds. You can add a tablespoon of shortening if the mixture is too thick. Drop Oreo centers in the melted candy coating, turning to coat evenly, and lift out with a fork and place on wax paper. Sprinkle quickly with sprinkles before the candy coating sets (this works best if you have someone help you do the sprinkles while you dip the truffles). Store in an airtight container in refrigerator till ready to serve.

This is a picture of our Christmas goody plate. We made Rolo Turtles, Oreo Truffles, Ginger Snaps, and Cherry Rice Krispie Cookies with some candy cane kisses added to the middle.

Honey Lime Pork Enchiladas

2011-12-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

These enchiladas are super good! I got the recipe from The Sister's Cafe, but I've also seen it on many other blogs. I decided to use pork instead of chicken because I thought it would be the most flavorful and it was great. I used this recipe for the pork (I used 1/2 for BBQ pork sandwiches one night and then made this recipe the next night - yay for double duty recipes). My family liked it a lot and it was a nice change up from regular enchiladas. If you haven't tried this one yet, you really should!

Honey Lime Pork Enchiladas

1 lb or about 4 cups of cooked and shredded pork (you can also use chicken or shredded beef)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2, 10 oz cans green enchilada sauce
about 4 cups shredded cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar)
flour tortillas

Combine honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder. Place pork into a ziplock bag and then pour in the honey mixture. Squish the marinade into the pork and let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes - in the refrigerator.

Lightly spray a 9x13 with non-stick spray. Pour 1 can of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Fill tortillas with desired amount of pork and then top with cheese, roll and place in the baking dish. Pour 2nd can of enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with an ample amount of cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn oven to broil for a few minutes to help the cheese get a little more browned on top. Serve with sour cream and or guacamole.

Italian Bread

2011-12-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a great bread recipe from the Food Nanny. I love Liz Edmunds (aka the Food Nanny). Every recipe of hers that I have tried so far has turned out wonderfully. This Italian bread is very similar to French bread, but a little moister and slightly denser. It was delicious and my family gobbled it down when I served it with ham and corn chowder last week.Oh, and the next day it was great for making the most wonderful French toast using this recipe.

Italian Bread

3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast (I use SAF)
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar, divided
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
7-9 cups bread flour, divided
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

In a large measuring cup combine 3 cups warm water, yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Cover measuring cup with a plate and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.

In the bowl of a heavy duty mixer (I have a Bosch) mix 3 1/2 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt. Add melted butter and foamy yeast mixture. Mix to combine. Add remaining 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, for a total of 7 cups of flour and mix with dough hook. The dough should be firm and completely pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is still sticky add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time until dough is firm and pulls away from sides. Once you have incorporated the right amount of flour, knead with dough hook at medium low speed for 10 minutes.

Transfer dough to a floured surface and form into a large ball. Place in a large greased bowl, turning to coat, and cover with a dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 20-40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch down dough and transfer to a floured surface. Form into a ball and divide dough in half. Form each half into a thick baguette shape, about 10 inches in length. Place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with other half of dough. With a sharp knife cut 3 diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf. Beat egg white with 1 tablespoon of water and brush this egg wash over the loaves. Let the loaves rise, uncovered, until doubled in bulk, 20-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees When dough has doubled, bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top and bottom. Turn loaves out onto a cooling rack.

*This recipe also makes rolls: pinch off about 1 1/2 inch balls from the dough instead of forming into loaves. Place balls side by side on greased baking sheet. Let rise until doubled, 30-45 minutes. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned.

Baked Cheddar Chicken

2011-12-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

Wow, I am sorry for the horrible quality of my food pictures during the winter months. Natural lighting really is important! So until it's a little lighter during dinner time, right now it's pitch black outside at 5:30, I'm afraid my pictures are going to suffer. That said, this chicken is wonderfully good. I love having a new chicken recipe in my arsenal. Aren't you always looking for new ways to cook boneless, skinless, chicken breasts? I am. And this is a great recipe. I got it from Jamie Cooks It Up, though I altered it just slightly. My kids and husband loved it, and I usually have these ingredients on hand, so I'll probably be making it lots.

Baked Cheddar Chicken

4-5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
2-3 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk

Grind Ritz crackers with salt and pepper in a food processor. Pour crumbs into a pie plate. In another pie plate beat eggs and 1 tablespoon milk together. Put shredded cheddar into another pie plate. Line up pie plates with eggs first, then cheddar, then cracker crumbs. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside. Take one chicken breast and dip in egg letting excess drip off. Then coat in the cheese and then cracker crumbs. Place coated chicken breast into the 9x13 baking dish. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-20 minutes or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy. Remove chicken from pan gently with a spatula (the coating can come off if you use tongs - lesson learned).

In a saucepan combine soup, sour cream, butter, and milk. Stir well and heat until the sauce is hot. Serve over the chicken.

Creamy Chocolate Pudding Pie

2011-12-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

This is my kids' favorite pie ever. EVER. How can that be? It takes all of 5 minutes to make. Well there's the 3 hours in the fridge to set up, but you know. It's major ingredient is boxed pudding mix and they love it and I can't argue the fact that it is scrumptious. Sometimes that's all that matters.

Creamy Chocolate Pudding Pie

1 graham cracker or shortbread cookie pie crust
2 small boxes chocolate pudding mix
2 cups milk
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed

In a stand mixer or with a hand held mixer, beat pudding mixes with milk until smooth, thickened, and all the powder is incorporated. Mix in Cool Whip. Spread into pie crust and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Serve with whipped cream on top.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

2011-12-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

This is the recipe on the back of every can of Libby's pumpkin, but to me it is the best pumpkin pie out there. I love the combination of spices in the filling and it is the perfect pumpkin pie texture - smooth and soft. The filling does caramelize a little in the middle during baking, so it's not perfect looking, but it's perfect tasting! Love it!

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1, 15 oz can pumpkin
1, 12 oz can evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir pumpkin into the eggs and the sugar mixture. Gradually add the evaporated milk, whisking until smooth. Pour into your unbaked pie shell. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve or refrigerate.

Roasted Vegetables

2011-11-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

This is a great roasted vegetable recipe. The great thing is that you can switch out any of these vegetables for vegetables you like. You could use red potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc. Of course you'll want to use longer cooking vegetables like root vegetables and squashes. Just make sure your mixture of vegetables equal 3 lbs. The seasoning is awesome. If you can find fresh thyme (which I can't seem to do) it would be even better, but the seasoning mixture, as is, is great too. My husband especially loved these veggies and wants me to make this recipe often.

Roasted Vegetables

1 lb cubed butternut squash
1 lb cubed sweet potatoes (about 1 large or 2 medium)
1 lb cubed Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup frozen pearl/petite white onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

In a large bowl mix together squash, potatoes, and onions. Add rosemary and thyme and toss. In a bowl whisk together oil and vinegar and pour this over the vegetables, tossing to coat. Pour vegetables into a roasting pan and smooth into 1 layer. Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground pepper. Roast at 475 degrees for about 40 minutes, stirring 1 time during cooking. Season with salt and pepper again to taste before serving.

Herb Crusted Pork Loin Roast

2011-11-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is a really easy and yummy way to dress up a pork loin roast. I think the key is roasting the roast until it is 145 degrees and then letting it rest under foil for 10 minutes. Then it stays nice and moist. I realized while cooking this roast that my thermometer is totally broken (I bought a new one today!) so I did overcook my pork, but honestly this roast would have been perfect if it was cooked to the right temp. At any rate, it was very tasty even though it was a bit overcooked. I served it with roasted vegetables and sauteed asparagus and it was a great fall dinner.

Herb Crusted Pork Loin Roast

1, 3 lb pork loin roast
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoon grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pat pork roast dry with paper towels. In a small bowl combine rosemary, pepper, thyme, parmesan, garlic powder, basil, and salt. Rub the spice mixture onto all surfaces of the roast. Place the roast in a shallow baking dish. Bake at 375 for 1-1 1/2 hours, until an internal thermometer reaches 145 degrees. Remove roast from oven, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

*Pan Gravy - You could make a wonderful pan gravy by taking all the drippings from the baking dish and pouring them into a saucepan. Add some broth (chicken or beef) and some cornstarch mixed with water and bring to a boil. Serve over the pork. I'm going to do this next time.

Halloween Bone Bread Sticks

2011-11-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have seen this "recipe" (you can hardly call it that because it's so easy!) everywhere on the blogs lately. It is so fun. I got it out of the Family Fun Magazine and made them for my kids packed lunches on Halloween along with a container of "blood"(marinara sauce :)), a severed finger (cheese stick shaped like a finger with a food marker painted finger nail), ghost marshmallows, and green jello with candy eyes. For the bread sticks I used Pillsbury bread sticks dough because it was easiest, but you could also use your favorite homemade bread stick dough and follow the same directions.

Halloween Bone Bread Sticks

1 tube Pillsbury Bread Sticks dough
garlic bread seasoning,optional (I use Johnny's Garlic Bread seasoning)

Separate the dough into individual bread sticks. Working with one piece at a time, stretch the dough to lengthen it a bit and then use scissors or a knife to cut a 1 1/2 inch slit int he center of each end. Shape the resulting 4 flaps of dough into knobs that look like the ends of a bone. Place the dough bones on an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing them a few inches apart, and sprinkle on a little garlic bread seasoning. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce.

Mini Lemon and Raspberry Tarts

2011-11-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

These little gems are one of the easiest dessert/finger food/appetizers ever. All you need is 4 ingredients and off you go - assembling is pretty much the only thing required. And they are yummy. Win win. I made these for a book club I hosted last week. I tried for English high tea sorts of foods since the book was set in England and talks about what they are having for tea constantly. So the spread included these mini tarts, cucumber sandwiches, and McVities Bites (aka Royal Groom's Cake Bites).

Mini Lemon and Raspberry Tarts

premade mini tart shells (I found them in my grocery store's baking isle)
lemon pie filling or lemon curd
raspberries
red currant jelly

Spoon some lemon pie filling into a gallon size ziplock and snip one corner so you can squeeze a dollop of lemon filling into each mini tart shell (this is the easiest way, but you could also spoon the lemon filling in). Place one raspberry in the middle of each tart. Heat about 1/2 cup of red currant jelly in a saucepan until melted. With a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, spoon a little melted red currant jelly over the raspberry in each tart - it makes it glisten and also adds more sweetness. Serve right away or refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.

Croque Monsieur Pockets

2011-10-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

This great pocket sandwich recipe is from the latest Food Network magazine. Ham and cheese go perfectly together and ham and gruyere go especially perfect together. I used Pillsbury Simply French Bread Dough (to make this dinner super simple), but you could also use a batch of homemade French bread dough or pizza dough. I really loved these little sandwiches and so did my family. Gruyere can be pricey, so for a more economical version use Swiss in the place of gruyere.

Croque Monsieur Pockets

2 cups shredded gruyere cheese (8 oz)
9 oz deli ham (I used Oscar Meyer Black Forest Ham), chopped into small pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tubes refrigerated French bread dough (Pillsbury Simply French Bread or Pillsbury Crusty French Bread)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 425. In a mixing bowl combine shredded cheese, chopped ham, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne. Set aside.

Remove French bread dough from 1 tube and cut into 4 equal portions. Roll out the dough portions into a thin rectangle. Place a heaping spoonful of the filling onto the middle of the rectangle. Fold the 2 shorter sides of the dough over the filling, stretching the dough to cover. Fold the 2 long sides of the dough to form a packet. Pinch the edges to seal. Repeat with remaining French bread dough.

Place pockets seam side down on non-stick sprayed, parchment lined or silpat lined baking sheets. Beat egg with water and brush egg wash onto the pockets. Bake until browned, about 15 minutes.

Raspberry Jello Salad

2011-10-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

How do I describe this jello salad? It's yummy, tart, raspberry-y, and the applesauce gives it a great texture. It's a very soft set jello salad - the consistency is something like cranberry sauce - and with a dollop of whipped cream or Cool Whip it is delicious. My kids all wanted seconds.

Raspberry Jello Salad

2 cups water
1, 6 oz package raspberry Jello
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
12 oz package frozen raspberries
whipped cream or Cool Whip

In a saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in jello, whisking for 2 minutes. Add applesauce and frozen raspberries and stir until combined. Pour into a 8.5"x11.5" baking dish. Refrigerate until set (3-4 hours). Serve with whipped cream or Cool Whip.

Nutella No Bake Cookies

2011-10-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

I'm going to make a confession. I am not a fan of no-bake cookies. I just don't like the grainy oatie texture. But. My kids love no-bake cookies so I make them every once in a while. As no-bakes go this recipe is pretty good. I like the subtle Nutella taste even if it has to go with all the grainy oatiness.

Nutella No Bake Cookies

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
1/4 cup Nutella
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick oats

In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Add the sugar, cocoa, and milk and whisk. Bring to a boil, whisking, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, salt, Nutella, and peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Stir in oats. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto wax paper and allow to cool and set up. (You can refrigerate the cookies to speed up the setting-up process.)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2011-10-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

I love this sweet and sour chicken. It's really great and my family loved it too. I got the recipe from my friend over at Carrie's Cooking Corner. Thanks for another fabulous recipe Carrie! I'm not gonna tell you this is a quick and easy dinner to prepare. The coating and frying the chicken takes some time, but it's worth it. It tastes something like General Tso Chicken that you can get at Chinese restaurants. I'm so happy with this recipe! Yay!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 lbs chicken breasts or tenders, cut into bite size pieces
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons garlic salt
oil (I used peanut oil, but you could use canola or vegetable)

Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon salt or garlic salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pour beaten eggs into a pie plate or other shallow dish. In another pie plate or shallow dish mix cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of garlic salt. Dip chicken pieces in egg and then cornstarch and place on a large plate or platter. Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet. Brown coated chicken in the oil, turning to brown both sides. Place browned chicken into a non-stick sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Combine sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve over rice.

Baked Potato Soup

2011-10-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm reposting this recipe because after quite a few revisions I think I've finally come up with my favorite baked potato soup and this is it. I think it's wonderful! Like a cross between the baked potato soups at Outback and Panera. It is just a little thicker than Panera's, but I like it that way. Feel free to add more milk or broth to thin it to the consistency you like. Yum!

Baked Potato Soup

4 baking potatoes, scrubbed and baked
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk (I use skim)
1 can chicken broth (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
12 slices bacon, cooked and finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Bake potatoes. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides of the potatoes into a large bowl, break up with a spoon or potato masher and set aside. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook about 1 min whisking constantly. Gradually pour in chicken broth and milk while whisking. Cook until it starts to thicken. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, bacon, green onions, and cheese. Stir well and heat through.

If desired, garnish individual servings with shredded cheese, green onions, bacon, and or a dollop of sour cream. I like mine plain paired with warm rolls or French bread.

Easy Shepherd's Pie

2011-10-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

This is a great follow up dinner to pot roast with mashed potatoes, because you can use the leftover mashed potatoes and even leftover brown gravy in the place of the tomato soup. I love transforming leftovers into a new tasty meal. I got this recipe years ago from my college roommate, Bethany, and it has been a favorite since. My husband especially loves this one.

Easy Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
salt
pepper
a couple dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 can tomato soup (or about 1 - 1 1/2 cups brown gravy)
leftover mashed potatoes, warmed (or about 2 lb potatoes, cooked and mashed with butter and cream)
1 cup shredded cheddar

Brown beef with onions. Add salt and pepper to taste, Worcestershire sauce, and frozen peas and carrots. Cook until peas and carrots are softened. Add tomato soup (or gravy) and heat through. Spread in the bottom of a 2 1/2 qt. casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes over the top and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. Top with cheese and bake another few minutes.

Pioneer Woman Pot Roast

2011-10-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

I watched the Pioneer Woman make this dish on her show a couple weeks back and knew I had to try it. I love pot roast, it's the perfect Sunday dinner, but have never found a very favorite recipe. This one just might be it. I loved the way this pot roast smelled as it was cooking. Delicious and homey. I used 2, 1 1/2 lb. pot roasts because I couldn't find one big one at the store, but it worked just fine (I fit them, overlapping, in the bottom of my dutch oven). I served it with Pioneer Woman's creamy mashed potatoes and my family loved it.

Pioneer Woman Pot Roast

canola oil
2 1/2 - 3 lb pot roast
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2-3 onions, cut into quarters
5-6 carrots, cut into large chunks
3-4 cups beef stock
2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or a generous sprinkling of dry)
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or a generous sprinkling of dry)

Heat enough canola oil to coat the bottom of a dutch oven. Sprinkle both sides of beef with salt and pepper. Brown beef on both sides and remove to a plate. Add carrots and onion and cook until just browned. Remove to a plate. Pour in a little beef stock and whisk up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Place beef back in the pan and then the onions and carrots. Add enough beef stock to come up the sides of the beef. Place rosemary and thyme on top. Put the lid on the dutch oven and bake in a preheated 275 degree oven for 3-4 hours depending on the size of your roast (I did 4 hours). Remove roast from pan, cut into pieces, put into a serving dish and ladle juices over the roast to keep it moist. Remove onions and carrots and serve with the roast.

Just Like Cracker Barrel's Grilled Chicken Tenders

2011-10-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

I love Cracker Barrel. When I have the pleasure of eating at a Cracker Barrel I always have their grilled chicken tenders with 2 sides of carrots - it's my favorite! So when I saw this grilled chicken tender copy cat recipe on Mommy's Kitchen I had to try it and I was not disappointed. It's surprising just how much these chicken tenders taste like the ones at Cracker Barrel even though they aren't grilled at all. You make them in a skillet with a marinade, so I guess they are braised rather than grilled. Interesting, but so good and so simple.

Just Like Cracker Barrel's Grilled Chicken Tenders

2 lbs chicken tenders, or chicken breasts cut into strips
1 cup bottled Italian Dressing (I used Wish Bone)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons honey

Combine the dressing, lemon juice, and honey. Place chicken tenders in a gallon size ziplock and pour dressing mixture in. Seal and let marinate in the fridge for 1 hour. Pour chicken and marinade into a large non-stick skillet and cook over med-high heat. The tenders will cook through and the liquid will mostly evaporate leaving a browned glaze on the cooked tenders (the picture below is of the tenders cooking before the glaze forms). Turn the tenders to let them get browned on both sides. Be careful not to let it burn as the sugars in the marinade can go from a nice glaze to burnt rather quickly. Remove from heat and serve.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

2011-09-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Mmmm! These pancakes are sure to become a family favorite. We love breakfast for dinner and pancake night is always popular in our house, but these pancakes were especially loved. I might up the cinnamon the next time I make them and I have seen on other blogs making a cream cheese glaze for on top, but that was a little over the top to me. I just served the pancakes with butter and syrup and it was tasty enough I assure you. This is a fun one to have kids help you with. My kids really loved swirling the cinnamon mixture onto the batter.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

a batch of your favorite pancake batter (I use Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (I used 1, but will use more next time)

In a large liquid measuring cup combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir until smooth. Pour this mixture into a squeeze bottle (or you could use a ziplock bag and snip one corner and use like a piping bag). Laddle pancake batter onto your griddle and then squeeze the cinnamon mixture in a swirls right onto the batter. When the pancakes are done on one side, flip them over and finish cooking on the other side. Serve with butter and syrup.

Braided Reuben Sandwich Loaf

2011-09-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

My husband absolutely loves Reuben sandwiches so I thought I'd try this yummy looking braided sandwich loaf from the new Real Mom Kitchen Cookbook. It was really good. Sandwich dinners are one of my kids' favorites and they all loved it. I used a batch of my own bread/pizza/scone dough and it worked great, though I did have to use the other half of the dough for rolls (which went great soup the next day), since you only need the dough for one loaf to make this sandwich. You could also use a thawed loaf of Rhodes frozen bread dough, or your own homemade dough for 1 loaf of bread.

Braided Reuben Sandwich Loaf

Dough:
5 1/4 cups white bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 rounded tablespoon SAF yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons liquid lecithin
2 1/4 cups hot tap water

Sandwich Filling:
1/2 lb thin sliced pastrami or corned beef
8 slices Swiss cheese
1/4 cup thousand island dressing, plus more for dipping
caraway seeds, optional, for top of loaf to give it a rye bread like taste

First make the dough. Mix dry ingredients in the bowl of a mixer: flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add lecithin and water. Mix for 1 minutes with dough hook. Check consistency of dough, it should be like a stiff cookie dough, adding a little more water if it's too dry or a little more flour if it's too moist. Mix for 5 minutes. Do not add any water or flour after it has finished.

Spray counter with cooking spray and also spray your hands so you can work with dough. Knead dough into a smooth ball. Cut in half. Set aside 1 half for the sandwich loaf and the other half you can form into equal balls for rolls (place in a greased 9x13, cover with plastic wrap, let rise for 25 minutes, then bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top and bottom) or make a regular loaf of bread (form into a loaf, place in a greased loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, let rise for 25 minutes, then bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden on top and sounds hallow when tapped).

Take the half of bread dough for the braided sandwich loaf and roll out into a large rectangle, about the size of a baking sheet. Put this rolled out dough onto your non-stick sprayed baking sheet and press the dough out the the edges. Cut 3 inch long cuts 1 inch apart along the sides of the dough (refer to picture below). Down the center of the dough place pastrami, 1/4 cup thousand island dressing, and Swiss cheese slices. Braid the strips over the center section to create a loaf. Roll the ends of the dough, seal and pinch to make sure the end don't open when baking. If desired, sprinkle with caraway seeds and press into the dough. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden on top and bottom. When it comes out of the oven brush with melted butter. Allow loaf to cool for a few minutes before slicing. Cut into slices and serve with extra thousand island dressing for dipping.

Pioneer Woman Creamy Mashed Potatoes

2011-09-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ooh these potatoes are so darn good! Decadent as far as mashed potatoes go (yes that is 2 sticks of butter, cream cheese and heavy cream - oh my), but so good. As Paula Deen says, "I'm your cook, not your doctor". You can serve them right away, I see no need to put them in a casserole dish and heat them in the oven if they are already hot, or you can make them ahead of time, park them in the fridge and then heat them up in the oven before dinner. I also have a 8x8 pan of these mashed potatoes in my freezer and I'm going to see how they reheat from frozen - I'll let you know.Look for update below.*

Pioneer Woman Creamy Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs russet potatoes
2 sticks butter, softened (1 cup)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2-1 cup heavy cream

Peel potatoes and cu them into chunks and place into a pot with enough water to cover potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 - 25 minutes.

Drain potatoes and put into the bowl of an electric mixer (or you could mash by hand in the pot). With a paddle attachment, mix the potatoes until broken up. Add butter, cream cheese, seasoned salt, kosher salt, pepper to taste and mix. Add enough heavy cream to give the potatoes a nice smooth texture, but don't over mix or the potatoes will become gummy. Serve right away or if you are going to reheat follow instructions below.

To Prepare for Reheating:
Generously butter a 4 quart baking dish. Spread the potatoes in the dish. Place pats of butter over the top. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to reheat, bake at 350 until butter is melted on top and potatoes are warmed through, 20-30 minutes.

*Freezing Directions: So I did freeze and then reheat an 8x8 pan of these mashed potatoes. I just put half of the recipe into an 8x8 foil pan, covered it with plastic wrap, then foil and froze it. I let it thaw for a day in the fridge, then baked it at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until it was hot and top browned a little on sides. The texture does change a little, but the potatoes are still great and creamy.

Potato Crusted Quiche

2011-09-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

This quiche is so yummy! Kinda like a cross between a breakfast casserole and quiche and you could switch out the ham for bacon or sausage. My kids especially loved this quiche and they and my husband fought over the last piece. As a cook, it was a very validating dinner experience.:)

Potato Crusted Quiche

3 cups frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 eggs
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup diced ham
1/3 cup diced green onions
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450.

Press thawed hashbrowns between paper towels to get out as much moister as possible. In a bowl combine hashbrowns and butter and then press into a 9 inch pie plate, pressing into the bottom and up the sides to form crust. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and starting to crisp.

In a bowl combine eggs and half and half and whisk well. Add ham, green onions, and cheese. When crust is ready pour egg mixture into it, spreading out the ingredients as evenly as possible. Lower oven temperature to 350 and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the quiche is lightly golden on top and a knife inserted in the middle shows the mixture is not runny. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Zucchini Muffins

2011-08-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

We finally have zucchini from the garden. Our garden didn't do as well as we hoped this year, probably due to rabbits (our area has lots of wild bunnies and they are horrible pests) eating the poor veggie's leaves before they have time to grow. The carrots never stood a chance. But we do have some zucchini so I get to start making some yummy zucchini treats, starting with muffins. I love these muffins. They are moist and tender and my kids love them too. I got the recipe at the Eat Cake For Dinner blog.

Zucchini Muffins
-makes about 18 normal sized muffins

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup butter, melted (plus more for buttering pan)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 and brush muffin tins with melted butter (I used 2 muffin tins, but only buttered 6 muffin cups in the 2nd tin).

In a bowl mix together: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer beat sugar and eggs until creamy. Add 2/3 cup melted butter and vanilla and beat to mix well. Add zucchini and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat until just blended. Batter will be thick. Distribute batter evenly into muffin tins (I used a large cookie scoop to help make them uniform in size). Bake for 20-23 minutes or until muffins are browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins to a wire rack to cool.

Easy Parmesan Knots

2011-08-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

This quick roll recipe is from The Real Mom Kitchen Cookbook. I love that so many of my favorite food bloggers have come out with cookbooks. This is an easy roll recipe and a fun one to get kids involved, they can roll the biscuits into long snakes for you to tie in knots. I think I'm going to change this recipe a little the next time I make it. I want to brush the knotted rolls with melted butter and then sprinkle with the parmesan and spice mixture about halfway through the baking time. I was a little weirded out eating rolls brushed with a canola oil mixture after they come out of the oven (something about eating raw canola oil was the weird part). But they did taste good as is, so the choice is yours.

Easy Parmesan Knots

1, 12 oz tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400. On a lightly floured surface, roll each biscuit into a 12 inch rope and tie into a knot, tucking the ends under the roll. Place on a large greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Mix together canola oil, Parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, and parsley, brush this mixture on knots when they come out of the oven.

Hearty Hamburger Soup

2011-08-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

I really love this soup recipe. It is more of a fall soup,thick and hearty, but since my kids have all started school I think I'm ready for hearty soups and pumpkin recipes again even though it's still 90 degrees outside. The Spicy V8 juice is the secret ingredient. I'm sure normal V8 would work, but the spicy V8 just adds more flavor (and it isn't spicy at all). I adapted this recipe from the "Beef Stew" recipe on the Southern Plate blog. I usually have these ingredients on hand (my husband likes V8 juice) so I'm sure I'll make this often.

Hearty Hamburger Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups diced onions
4 large carrots, sliced
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
29 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cans Spicy V8 juice
2 cups water
4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (or 4 cubes)
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups frozen cut green beans
1 can corn, drained
1 teaspoon garlic salt
ground black pepper to taste

Melt butter in a pot. Add onions and saute until soft. Add carrots and cook until softened. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add tomatoes, V8, water, bouillon, potatoes, green beans, corn, garlic salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Magleby's Rolls

2011-08-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

These rolls are so good! I'm so glad I found this recipe on the Your Home Based Mom blog. I've never been to Magleby's so I don't know how good of a copy cat recipe it is, but these rolls sure are addictive. The recipe uses Rhodes frozen dinner rolls so it is easy, but takes some time for the rolls to thaw and rise. My oven has a "proof" setting for helping breads to rise and it took about 3 1/2 hours for them to thaw and rise. I would guess you could get the same results from a warm oven (just set you oven to it's lowest temp, let it preheat, then turn it off and put the rolls in the warm oven to rise), otherwise the rising time can take 5-6 hours.

Magleby's Rolls

12 frozen dinner roll dough balls
about 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup butter, melted
about 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
garlic powder
dried parsley

Place mayo, butter and Parmesan all into separate bowls and line them up. Take a frozen dough ball and dip the top half into the mayo, then the butter, then the Parmesan and put it into a greased muffin tin.. Repeat with remaining rolls. Sprinkle garlic powder and parsley onto each roll. Let rise until doubled in size (at room temp it can take 5-6 hours). Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top and bottom.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

2011-08-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the horrible picture. It looks like chicken casserole mush, but it's yummy. I have had this recipe forever. I actually got it at my bridal shower (so I guess I shouldn't say "forever" I'm not that old :)) from a lovely lady in my mom's ward (LDS church congregation). I cook it every few years when I am in the mood for a ubiquitous chicken casserole and it never disappoints. It is creamy and comforting and despite it's quite visible vegetables my kids love it. I served it with canned peaches and Magleby's rolls. I've always thought about doubling the sauce - cream of chicken, mayo, milk, lemon juice, and curry powder - to make it even creamier, but have never done it. Maybe next time I make it, in a few years :), I'll try it and report back.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

1 pkg frozen broccoli florets
3-4 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 can cream of chicken
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup shredded cheddar
paprika (optional)

Put broccoli and chicken in a big mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine cream of chicken, milk, lemon juice, mayo, and curry powder. Mix into the chicken and broccoli. Fold in the rice. Spread into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Sprinkle cheese over evenly. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly and the cheese has melted.

Peach Pie Crescents

2011-08-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

I got this quick and delicious dessert recipe from my friend Kari. It is fabulous. We had it for FHE the other night and everyone gobbled them up and asked for seconds. The pie crescents taste like little peach pies and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream... heavenly. You can also make these with apple pie filling or any other favorite pie filling. I might try raspberry next time.

Peach Pie Crescents

1-2 tubes crescent rolls (depending on how many you need)
1 can peach pie filling (or other flavor), 1 can is enough for 2 tubes crescent rolls
cinnamon sugar (I have a McCormick brand cinnamon sugar in a shaker, but you could just combine sugar and cinnamon to taste)

Take a triangle of crescent roll dough and place a dollop of pie filling in the middle. (I cut up the peaches in the can with a pair of scissors to make it easier to scoop out in smaller portions). Roll pointy end over the pie filling and place it with the pointy end underneath on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (the filling leaks out so this makes for easier clean up). Sprinkle a good amount of cinnamon sugar over each roll. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Pineapple Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2011-08-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

I am not quite sure how this recipe has not made it onto the blog yet. We love these meatballs. I guess I just never took a picture of the finished product before. I got this recipe years ago from a recipe swap. This meal comes together very quickly, especially if you use frozen meatballs like I always do. IKEA's frozen meatballs are my favorite (that's what I used this time), but if you don't have an IKEA near you, Armor meatballs are also good.

Pineapple Sweet and Sour Meatballs

meatballs, precooked (I use about 1 1/2 lbs for my family)

Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1, 15 oz can pineapple tidbits (drain off about 1/2 the juices)
1 1/2 cups water

Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Whisk in vinegar, soy sauce, and water. Stir over medium heat until it comes to a low boil. Add can of pineapple with some of the juices and stir until sauced is thickened and bubbly. Add cooked meatballs, tossing to coat. Heat through. Serve over rice.

Smashed Red Potatoes

2011-08-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

I love smashed potatoes or loaded mashed potatoes as they are sometimes called at restaurants. Here's my at-home version (which is yummy if I don't say so myself). Really though, how can you go wrong with mashed potatoes and cheese and bacon. What a delicious and naughty combination.

Smashed Red Potatoes

3 lb red potatoes
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 - 1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz medium or sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
salt
pepper

Cut up potatoes and cook in boiling water until cooked through (over cooking the potatoes just a little makes for fluffier potatoes). Drain. Place cooked potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add melted butter, half and half, and sour cream and mix with paddle attachment until potatoes are broken up. Turn up speed and mix until potatoes are smoother, but still a little lumpy. Mix in by hand: cheddar, green onions, bacon, and salt and pepper to taste.

Broiled Flank Steak

2011-08-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

My husband loves steak and I hardly ever cook it, partly because we don't have a grill at the moment and also because I find steak to be a little intimidating. This steak is really easy to cook though and because it's cooked under the broiler it was also fast. I got the recipe from the show Kelsey's Essentials and modified it just slightly. My kids do not like rare or even medium rare steak so I did cook it longer than the recipe called for, but feel free to cut down the cooking time for rarer steak. This served over some greens with a balsamic vinaigrette would be a lovely steak salad dinner. I served it with salad and smashed potatoes to make everyone happy, and it did work. My family all loved it and my husband was happy to have steak.:)

Broiled Flank Steak

1, 2 lb flank steak

Marinade:
1/4 cup worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup canola oil

In a small bowl mix together: worchestershire, brown sugar, mustard, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, garlic, onion powder and oil. Whisk well. Place steak in a ziplock bag and add marinade. Let sit at room temp. for 1 hour or refrigerate for 2 hours. Allow to come to room temp. before cooking.

Place marinaded steak on a rack fitted over a cookie sheet covered in foil or on a broiler pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes on each side. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice into thin strips against the grain.

Spaghetti Pasta Salad

2011-08-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

This salad tastes something like a simplified version of my Manly Pasta Salad. It can be made in one day so it's perfect for a weeknight side dish. It's a cheap and cheerful pasta salad that is sure to please almost everyone.

Spaghetti Pasta Salad

16 oz spaghetti, snapped into 2-3 inch pieces, cooked and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 oz jar pimentoes
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup sliced or chopped black olives
4 oz medium cheddar, cubed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup mayonnaise

Cook and drain the pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water until pasta is cooled. Allow to sit out to dry for a bit while you prepare the other ingredients.

Toss pasta and all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Food Nanny Sloppy Joes

2011-08-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

This sloppy joes recipe is great! The sloppy joe meat ends up tasting a little like bbq beef, which I think is fantastic. We had the meat on homemade wheat rolls with Spaghetti Pasta Salad and corn on the cob. It was a hit with everyone and a great summer meal. You can serve this open face with a slice of cheddar cheese over each half of sandwich, then place under the broiler until cheese is melted. Yum.

Food Nanny Sloppy Joes

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 lb ground beef
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water (add more if needed)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in a skillet. Add onion and stir until soft. Add meat and cook until thoroughly cooked. Drain off fat. Add ketchup, water, brown sugar, worchestershire, vinegar, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, adding more water as needed for the desired consistency. Serve on rolls or hamburger buns.

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

2011-08-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

This is a very yummy and easy crockpot recipe from Carrie's Cooking Corner. Everyone in my family really liked it. Chicken thighs have the most flavor, but I bet you could use chicken breasts with great success as well. Thanks Carrie!

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup Mr. Yosida's Marinade and Sauce
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 can pineapple chunks or crushed (you can use either 8 oz or 15 oz depending on how pineappley you want it - I used 8 oz can with juices)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 green onions, sliced

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook for about 6 hours. Watch after about 5 hours to make sure chicken doesn't get dry. Break up chicken with a spatula. Either serve now over rice or you can thicken the sauce with the directions below.

*To thicken: combine 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and mix until dissolved. Pour chicken and sauce into a saucepan, stir in the cornstarch/water mixture and bring to a boil. Serve over rice.

Hot Creamed Chicken in Puff Pastry Shells

2011-07-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary this month and I guess I'm waxing sentimental with this dish, but this is what we picked to serve the guests at our wedding reception. We did not actually get to eat the creamed chicken in pastry shells, because we were busy talking with all the guests and dancing and all, but man it looked good! I remember even getting my plate of food from the caterers (creamed chicken in a puff pastry shell, melon slices on a leaf of lettuce, 1 strawberry, and lovely little chocolate truffle in a white paper cup) and setting it down next to my sister with a determination to eat it... I was hungry! Then I started chatting with someone and then someone else and so on. Next I knew they had cleared all the plates to get ready for the cake, which I also didn't eat (well I guess I ate part of the piece that my loving new husband smashed in my face). What is the deal with not eating at your own wedding?? I don't know. But last night we finally got around to eating our creamed chicken in puff pastry! Oh it was good!! My kids loved it, like licking their plates loved it. Maybe they'll have it at their weddings and not eat it too. This is my slightly modified version of the real recipe from the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.

Hot Creamed Chicken in Puff Pastry Shells

10 puff pastry shells, baked (recipe below, but if you can find frozen puff pastry shells at your grocery store and bake them that would be the easiest - no such luck at my grocery store)

Creamed Chicken:
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
3-4 cups cooked and cubed chicken
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan or dutch oven melt butter. Add onion and saute until onion is softened and cooked, but not browned. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add flour and whisk. Slowly add chicken stock, whisking. Add heavy cream, thyme, and chicken bouillon granules and cook, whisking, until thickened. Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste and cook until heated through. Serve in prebaked puff pastry shells, or over noodles, rice, biscuits, or crescent rolls.

Puff Pastry Shells (made with puff pastry sheets):
1 package puff pastry sheets (to make about 10 small shells)
egg wash (1 egg whisked with about 1 tablespoon water)

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. On a lightly floured surface roll out 1 pastry sheet to about 1/8" thick. Cut into 10 rounds with a biscuit cutter. Place these 10 rounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly flour surface again and roll out other puff pastry sheet. Cut into 10 rounds with the same biscuit cutter and then cut out a small circle in the middle of these rounds with a much smaller round cutter. Take egg wash and brush the bottom of the rounds on the baking sheet. Put the doughnut shaped rounds over the egg washed rounds. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Once you take them out of the oven cut out the little bit of puff pastry left in the middle to make little bowls. Let cool completely and then store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Sesame Green Beans

2011-07-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

This is a super easy and tasty way to jazz up a package of frozen green beans. I got the recipe from the back of a whole green beans package and I think I'll use it a lot!

Sesame Green Beans

1 family sized package of frozen whole green beans (fresh greens beans would work wonderfully)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Place green beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for about 3 minutes or until done to your liking. Drain green beans and put back in pan. Add butter and soy sauce and toss until butter is melted and green beans are coated. Add sesame seeds and toss.

Beef with Snow Peas

2011-07-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Beef with Snow Peas is my all time favorite Chinese restaurant dish. I just love it! So I was so pleased to try this at home version from Pioneer Woman. It is delicious! And really tastes similar to what you'd get at a Chinese restaurant. Yay! The beef is so tender. Once you have all the ingredients ready to go the stir-fry part is incredibly fast. Definitely an under 30 minute meal. Just be sure to get your rice cooking before starting (rice cookers are the best!).

Beef with Snow Peas

1 1/2 lb flank steak, trimmed of fat and sliced very thin against the grain
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons cooking sherry
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
8 oz snow peas, ends trimmed
5 green onions, cut on the diagonal into 1/2" slices
3-4 tablespoons peanut oil, or canola oil
crushed red pepper
cooked rice for serving

In a bowl mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Add the sliced meat to the bowl and toss with hands. Set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons of peanut oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove from heat and lift snow peas out with a slotted spoon onto a separate plate. Set aside.

Put pan back on heat and allow to get very hot again. With tongs, add half of the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half of the green onions. Spread meat out int he pan, but do not stir for a good minute. Turn the meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate. Set aside.

Add a little more oil to pan if necessary. Repeat process with other half of the meat and green onions. After turning the meat add back in the plateful of cooked meat, the rest of the marinade from the bowl, the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds or so until everything is cooked and combined with the sauce. Check seasoning and add a little more soy sauce if necessary. Serve immediately over rice.

Creamy Pesto Ravioli

2011-07-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

I love a good cream sauce. Who doesn't? This cream sauce is great because of the pesto and sun dried tomatoes. You can use any kind of ravioli you like. This time I used fresh grilled chicken and mozzarella ravioli from Costco, but plain old cheese ravioli would work great too. Oh and I forgot to mention how quickly this dinner comes together. It's done in the time it takes to cook the ravioli. Wonderful!

Creamy Pesto Ravioli

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
6 oz light cream cheese (3/4 of a 8 oz block)
2 tablespoons pesto
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (the packed in olive oil kind)
salt and pepper
36 oz fresh ravioli (I used a double pouch of fresh ravioli from Costco)
Parmesan cheese

Take sun dried tomatoes and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30-45 seconds or until the tomatoes are hot. Place hot sun dried tomatoes into a food processor and process until the tomatoes are chopped into small pieces (you may need to get out scissors and chop us stubborn ones by hand). Set aside.

Boil ravioli according to package directions and drain.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or dutch oven melt butter. Add flour and whisk. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until thickened. Add cream cheese, pesto, chopped sun dried tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked ravioli and toss until coated. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese topping individual servings.

Wheat and Teff Pizza

2011-06-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

Okay so whole wheat and teff (an ancient Ethiopian grain) might not sound like they'd be too tasty in a pizza dough, but they are. Really. I thought I'd experiment with my pizza dough to see what proportion of whole wheat flour I could use and still have my family really like it and this is what I came up with. I added the teff for additional nutritional value (it is a neat little grain that you can add to almost anything) and was surprised by how well it went over. Everyone loved this pizza! Yay! And the teff gives the pizza a cute freckled appearance and a nice chew which is awesome. I served the pizza Beau Jo's style (one of our favorite Pizzerias) with honey on the side to dip the crusts in. If you can't find teff in your grocery/natural food store you can just leave it out and add a bit more wheat flour.

Wheat and Teff Pizza
-makes 2 large pizzas

3 cups white bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup teff (no need to grind or anything, just add whole teff grains)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 rounded tablespoons instant yeast (SAF)
1 1/2 tablespoons liquid soy lecithin
2 1/4 cups hot tap water

Pizza Toppings: pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella (about 2 cups per pizza), pepperoni, veggies, etc, and shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375. Spray 2 large pizza pans with non-stick spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer combine flours, teff, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix with dough hook just to distribute ingredients evenly. Add lecithin (I just eye ball it), and hot water. Mix with dough hook on high speed for 1 minute. Check dough and add a little more flour or water depending on the texture - you want it to pull away from the sides of the bowl and be the texture of stiff cookie dough. Mix with dough hook on high speed for 6 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a non-stick sprayed surface (spray your hands to so you can work with dough easier). Knead into a ball and cut in 2 equal portions. Take one portion and roll out into a large circle with a rolling pin. Place on a non-stick sprayed pizza pan, making sure you stretch dough out to the edges. Repeat with other half of dough.Put toppings on top: pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, toppings of choice and then finish it off with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan.

Bake at 375 for 16-20 minutes on bottom rack, until toppings are bubbly and starting to brown and the bottom of the crust is golden. Serve with honey on the side to dip the crusts in, because it's yummy.:)

Easy Butterscotch Sauce

2011-06-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

I was so pleased to find out that I could switch out the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips in my favorite hot fudge sauce and end up with an incredibly tasty butterscotch sauce. Yay! We had the butterscotch sauce over ice cream (Costco's Premium Vanilla - oh that stuff is so good!) for a quick and easy FHE treat last night. I bet you could also use peanut butter chips for a yummy peanut butter sauce. Ooh that sounds good. I'll have to try that next time.

Easy Butterscotch Sauce

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

In a saucepan combine butter and sweetened condensed milk. Heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts. Remove from heat and add butterscotch chips, stirring until chips are completely melted and combined into sauce. Serve over ice cream.

BYU Mint Brownies

2011-06-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

These brownies are killer! Killer! I can't get over how good they are. I am fighting temptation right now to go and have another one (a tray of them are sitting in my fridge as I speak ready to go to work with my husband tomorrow). I will resist though because 1 is enough. They are so rich! But SO yummy. I got this recipe a while ago from my friend Corinne. Thanks! It is actually the real mint brownie recipe, just scaled down, from Sugar-n-Spice in the Cougareat. You can find this recipe on the BYU Magazine website here. I added the chocolate frosting/topping which IMHO rocks and also changed the method a little bit to make it easier. I hope you like these brownies too!

BYU Mint Brownies

Brownies:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted
1/2 cup cocoa (I used Dutch Process cocoa)
2 tablespoons honey
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, I left them out)

Mint Frosting:
5 tablespoons butter, softened
dash of salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

Chocolate Topping:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make a foil sling (to make the brownies easier to take out of pan and cut) by taking 2 sheets of foil and placing them in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan making sure there are a few inches of overhang. Take another 2 sheets and place them the opposite way across your pan making sure there is over hang. (I do double sheets of foil for strength.) Spray the foil lined pan well with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a bowl combine 1 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup cocoa powder and stir until smooth and combined. Transfer this mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and add honey, sugar, and eggs and beat well to combine. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the mixer and beat until combined. Add in walnuts if using. Spread into the foil lined baking pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes (it was 30 minutes for me). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

To make mint frosting: combine 5 tablespoons of softened butter, powdered sugar, and corn syrup int the bowl of a mixer. Start beating and add milk slowly until it is the consistency of thin cake frosting. Add mint extract and food coloring and beat until combined. Spread this mint frosting over the completely cooled brownies. Place in the freezer until frosting has hardened.

To make chocolate topping: combine chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 45 seconds. Stir and microwave another 30 seconds or so until melted. Stir well until chocolate is smooth, melted, and completely combined with butter. Spread over the cold mint frosting layer and smooth to the edges with an offset spatula or knife. Place back in freezer until topping is hardened.

Now for the cutting. Once brownie layers are all set up and cold remove from freezer and pull the brownies out of the pan by the foil sling. Peal the foil sling off the brownies and place the slab of brownies on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife cut the brownies into squares, dipping the knife in hot water and cleaning it off after each cut (believe me this makes it so much easier). Place the brownies on a platter and refrigerate until ready to serve. YUM.

Pork Milanese

2011-06-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Oh Pork Milanese, where have you been all my life? I made this delicious recipe last night and fell in love. The pork tastes kind of like an Italian schnitzel. And I love me some schnitzel. The crunchy outer coating is so great and then with a squeeze of lemon it is just... swoonworthy. Mmmmm. My whole family loved it. My kids especially loved squeezing the lemon slices over the pork. It made me proud that they appreciated the added freshness and zip the lemon juice gave the pork. I served it with roasted red potatoes and corn on the cob. I modified the recipe slightly from Steak N Potatoes Kinda Gurl - a fabulous food blog.

Pork Milanese

3/4 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon water
6 boneless pork chops, pounded to 1/3 inch thick (cut off excess fat)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
lemon slices for serving

Place flour in a pie plate (or shallow bowl). In another pie plate beat 2 eggs with 1 tablespoon water. In another pie plate combine panko, Parmesan, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. Take each flattened pork chop and first dredge in the flour, then egg letting excess drip off, and then dredge in the bread crumb mixture, patting to coat both sides well. Place on a cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet and let breaded pork chops rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cover a cookie sheet in foil and then spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Meanwhile heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet. Once oil is very hot place 3 pork pieces in the skillet and let cook until browned (a minute or 2), flip and then cook until browned on the other side. Place these fried pork pieces onto the foil lined cookie sheet. Repeat process, putting 1/4 cup more oil in the skillet, let it heat up and then brown the remaining 3 pieces of pork on both sides and put on the cookie sheet as well. Put in the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, or until internal temp. of the pork reads 165 degrees. Transfer pork to a platter and serve with lemon slices squeezed over pork.

Our Breakfast Smoothie

2011-06-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

My kids have really been into smoothies for breakfast lately. It's amazing the things you can hide in a smoothie and your kids will still think it's such a treat! This recipe of course is very adaptable. I really like the added richness that avocado gives it. Yum. BTW, my kids, very excitedly, call it the Kung Fu Panda Smoothie because the tofu package that I buy right now has Po from Kung Fu Panda on it. Yay for tofu marketing to kids. I usually double this to feed my whole family for breakfast and serve it with whole wheat toast with peanut butter on it. This breakfast makes everyone happy.

Our Breakfast Smoothie

1 cup orange juice (or other liquid such as: vanilla soy milk, vanilla almond milk, pineapple juice, etc.)
1 banana
1 cup frozen berries or other frozen fruit (optional, I use frozen mixed berries)
3 oz silken tofu (or a scoop of protein powder)
1/2 cup ice cubes
large handful spinach or kale
1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder (or powdered apple fiber, ground flax, etc.)
1/2 an avocado (optional)

Combine all in the blender and let it rip. Makes about 3, 1 cup servings.

*For a less sweet "green smoothie" use soy milk or almond milk and leave out the berries.

Creamy Asparagus Bowtie Pasta

2011-05-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've been trying some new pasta dishes lately and this creamy pasta is SO yummy! It is from the blog Favorite Family Recipes. The sauce is very much like an alfredo sauce, but then the asparagus, bacon and pine nuts make it unbelievably delicious! My 7 year old said this was his favorite pasta ever and he loved the asparagus in it. That goes to show that when you cover things in a buttery, creamy, cheesy sauce magic happens.:)

Creamy Asparagus Bowtie Pasta

16 oz bowtie pasta
1/2 cup butter
1 heaping tablespoon flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint heavy cream
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
salt and pepper to taste
15 spears of asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces (you can double this if you love asparagus)
1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon
1/2 cup toasted pinenuts
Parmesan cheese, for topping

Cook bowtie pasta in boiling water for about 12 minutes or until almost done. Add asparagus pieces to boiling water with pasta and cook for another 2 minutes, just until asparagus is blanched. Drain pasta and asparagus and set aside.

In a heavy skillet melt butter. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook another minute. Whisk in cream and bouillon and cook stirring until mixture begins to boil. Turn down heat and add Parmesan cheese. Add cooked pasta, asparagus, bacon, and pine nuts. Toss until pasta is well coated with sauce. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with extra Parmesan sprinkled on top of individual servings.

Crockpot Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

2011-05-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Janet's spaghetti sauce and it is so tasty. This recipe makes enough sauce for 2 spaghetti dinners or 2, 9x13 pans (4, 8x8 pans) of Janet's Mostocioli Pasta Bake (I've listed this recipe separately). So you can have it with spaghetti one night and then freeze half and make Mostocioli Pasta Bake another night. I love great double duty recipes! Thanks Janet!

Crockpot Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb hot Italian sausage, cooked and drained
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups diced green peppers (I used frozen chopped green peppers)
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1, 12 oz can tomato paste
1, 15 oz can tomato sauce
1, 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup sugar
2 bay leaves

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Makes about 12 cups of spaghetti sauce.

Mostocioli Pasta Bake

2011-05-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is a great Italian casserole using the 6 cups of Crockpot Spicy Spaghetti Sauce. I got the recipe from my friend Janet. I have a feeling we'll be using this recipe a lot. You could also use any other thick spaghetti sauce to make this dish. Also you can split the recipe into 2, 8x8 baking pans if your family is smaller and freeze the second for another night. This dinner is great with garlic bread and Caesar salad.

Mostocioli Pasta Bake

6 cups premade Crockpot Spicy Spaghetti Sauce (or other thick spaghetti sauce)
16 oz Mostocioli pasta (penne would also work)
12 oz (or 3 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook mostocioli pasta for about 14 minutes in boiling water, drain. In a large bowl combine cooked pasta and spaghetti sauce. Turn half of the pasta mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Layer half of the mozzarella on top. Top with remaining pasta mixture, remaining mozzarella and then sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and cheeses are melted. (Make sure to test the middle to make sure it's nice and hot).

Food Nanny Garlic Bread Sticks

2011-05-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

These bread sticks are simply awesome. They taste a lot like Olive Garden's bread sticks.The dough is easy to whip up and work with. My 4 year old loved rolling the dough into "snakes" to for the bread sticks. We didn't roll them out long enough to make them look like Olive Garden bread sticks but they still tasted great. Oh, and also this is the Food Nanny's (aka Liz Edmunds) pizza dough recipe - it makes 1 large pizza crust.

Food Nanny Garlic Bread Sticks

1 tablespoon active dry yeast (I use SAF)
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder

Mix the yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes). Add the oil, honey, salt, and yeast to the mixer bowl. Add 1 cup of flour at a time, up to 3 cups mixing well after each addition. If the dough is too wet mix in more flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is soft and pulls away from sides of mixing bowl. Knead with the mixer or by hand for 5-6 minutes or until dough is stiff and somewhat firm to the touch.

Pinch off about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time and roll on a flat surface to form a bread stick. Lay formed dough pieces on a greased sheet pan.

Mix together melted butter and garlic salt. Brush onto bread sticks. Cover with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

After bread sticks have risen bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Brush additional garlic butter halfway through baking and again after the bread sticks come out of the oven.

Mini Quiches

2011-05-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

These little quiches are great! Wow, I guess I'm doing 2 Demarle baking pan posts in a row. I really do love my new Demarle pans which are a kind of woven glass silicone mold baking pans. I baked this recipe in the "Square Savarin Tray" to be exact. I bet you can make these very tasty mini quiches in a muffin pan also, just be sure to grease it really well. Or you could also make this recipe in ramekins, that I'm sure would work quite well if you just serve straight out of the ramekins.I got this recipe from a Demarle cooking show that my friend hosted. My whole family loved the quiches.

Mini Quiches

8 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can chopped green chilies

Combine all the ingredients. Pour into the baking pan of choice (I used the Demarle Square Savarin Tray and it makes 12 muffins size quiches). Bake at 350 for 25-28 minutes.

Royal Wedding Groom's Cake Bites

2011-04-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

I am SO intrigued by the McVities Biscuit Chocolate Cake that Prince William had for his Groom's Cake. I had been watching coverage of the Royal Wedding all week and they kept mentioning this cake and how it is a secret palace recipe, that Prince William loved as a child, made with McVities Rich Tea Biscuits. It sounded SO yummy. So I searched the internet and found a copy cat recipe that I thought I could modify using ingredients from my grocery store (which sadly does not have McVities Biscuits). So this is the recipe that I came up with. My goodness it was fantastic. These little bites are... Heavenly. Blissful. Naughty. Delicious.

Royal Wedding Groom's Cake Bites

3/4 cup butter, cut into cubes (that's 1 1/2 sticks)
15 oz semi sweet chocolate (use good chocolate - I used Belgian chocolate chips)
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons light corn syrup (or Lyle's Golden Syrup if you can find it)
1, 7.05 oz pkg Le Petite Beurre butter cookies (or McVities Rich Tea Biscuits), coarsely chopped

In a double boiler, melt chocolate with butter. Remove from heat and stir in cream and corn syrup until smooth. Add chopped cookies and stir. Now from here there are 2 methods: bites made in a mini-muffin pan or a flat round cake made in a spring form pan. I have a Demarle mini-muffin form, which is kind of like a silicone mini muffin pan, so I used that. Scoop chocolate mixture into the mini muffin cups, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 3 hours. You could also place parchment in the bottom of a 9" spring form pan and butter the sides and put the mixture into that, smooth mixture evenly, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 3 hours. When chilled serve in thin slices. Either way is great.

This is the actual Royal Wedding Groom's Cake. Isn't it pretty?! And I bet it was SO delicious!

Royal Wedding Celebration Dinner

2011-04-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

I loved watching the Royal Wedding yesterday!! Didn't Kate look beautiful?! Last night we had a fun English dinner to celebrate the Royal Wedding. I don't really have a recipe for you, but I thought I'd share our dinner for kicks. We had bangers (beef brats), mash, peas, and jelly. I couldn't bring my self to mush up the peas for mushy peas so we just had buttered peas. Oh and then we had Royal Wedding Groom's Cake Bites for dessert based on Prince William's Groom's Cake which was a secret recipe Chocolate McVities Biscuit cake. I'll list that recipe separately because those little bites were SO darn good!!

Crockpot Bowtie Pasta Bake

2011-04-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is a great crockpot pasta dish. The sauce simmers all day so it is nice and flavorful when you add the pasta right before you serve it. Also it is a great way to sneak spinach into your kids. Feel free to reduce the meat amount to 1 lb if you would like.

Crockpot Bowtie Pasta Bake

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1, 15 oz can tomato sauce
1, 15 oz can diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
salt/pepper
couple big handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 lb bowtie pasta, cooked
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Brown ground beef and onion. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Drain fat. Put cooked ground beef mixture in crockpot. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, oregano, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Stir. Cook on low for about 6 hours. During last 1/2 hour of cooking add spinach, cooked pasta, grated Parmesan, and mozzarella. Serve with extra Parmesan for topping if desired.

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

2011-04-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

When I have a left over ham bone (like I did from Easter dinner) I like to make either ham and bean soup or split pea soup. This year I went for split pea. This is an easy crockpot recipe and it tastes great. Split pea soup is not very photogenic, but it is hearty and yummy and tastes great with French bread or fresh rolls.

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

1 lb dried split peas
5 cans or 8 3/4 cups chicken broth
4 carrots, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped small
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
left over ham bone
about 2 cups diced ham
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (less if you use table salt)
1 bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove bay leaf and ham bone. Serve.

Best Bites Key Lime Tarts

2011-04-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

Whoa. These are tart little tarts! Scrumptious, but they make you pucker. I think I'm going to add 1/4 cup sugar and a little lime zest next time, to suit my taste, but if you are a fan of tartness these would be great as is. My family loved that this dessert is made in mini-graham cracker crusts. Anything mini goes over well around here.

Best Bites Key Lime Tarts

5 egg yolks
1, 14 oz, can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime or key lime juice (I used key limes)
2 drops green food coloring, optional (the tarts will be yellow without this)
10 mini graham cracker tart shells
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350. Combine eggs yolks, sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and food coloring. Whisk well to combine. Pour into tart shells and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 11-16 minutes or until filling just starts to set up. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temp, then refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream.

Southern Plate Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

2011-04-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here's another Funeral Potatoes recipe. This one is from The Southern Plate cookbook. It is very rich and cheesy and yummy. We had it on Easter with ham and asparagus and it was delicious. I might top it next time with the ubiquitous buttery cornflakes, because I love that, but as is it's still great.

Southern Plate Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

1 can cream of chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 lb bag frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine soup, onion, melted butter, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Add cheese and hashbrowns and mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and starting to brown.

Savory Pull Apart Bread

2011-04-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

This is a great bread recipe! I got the recipe from my friend Carolyn over at Carries Cooking Corner and it is awesome. I did change it just slightly by cutting up the dough into squares rather than strips, just so that it would be easier to pull apart. I bet this recipe could be adapted to use different herbs with great success - maybe finely chopped fresh or dried rosemary or garlic bread seasoning.

Savory Pull Apart Bread

1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, melted
dried dill (or other herb/herb blend of choice)

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine water and yeast and let stand for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons of softened butter. Add to the yeast mixture and mix. Add egg and beat for 3 minutes with dough hook. Add remaining flour until a soft dough is formed that pulls away from sides of bowl (you may use more or less than 1 1/2 cups flour). Knead with dough hook for another few minutes then turn out dough onto a floured surface.

Roll out dough into rectangle shape. Cut long strips of dough and then cut the other way to create lots of squares. Place a layer of dough squares in the bottom of a greased bundt pan. Drizzle the layer with melted butter and then sprinkle generously with dill. Do another layer of dough squares, then butter and dill, repeating until you use up all the dough ending with butter and dill. Cover with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until it has risen almost to the top of the bundt pan.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20-23 minutes. Turn out onto a plate and serve.

Danish Meat Patties

2011-04-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

These Danish Meat Patties (I wish I could come up with a better name for this recipe) are very yummy and taste a lot like Swedish Meatballs. In fact I might try shaping the meat mixture into meatballs next time; for some reason my kids like meatballs better than patties. I got the recipe from The Convection Oven Bible so the instructions are written for a convection oven, but you can bake them in a regular oven for a longer period of time, probably 45 min - 1 hour. I served the patties with Ikea Swedish Meatball Gravy (packets that you can buy at Ikea) and Roasted Red Potatoes. Satisfying and delicious.

Danish Meat Patties

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork (I ground my own from boneless porkchops in the food processor)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups fresh bread crumbs
4 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup carbonated water (I used club soda)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large bowl combine ground meats, onion, bread crumbs, flour, eggs, salt, pepper, and allspice. Mix well together. Mix in carbonated water until thoroughly incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, measure out portions of the meat mixture and form into oval patties. Makes about 15 patties. Place on parchment lined baking sheets (I had to use 2). Combine melted butter and oil and drizzle over patties. Convection bake or roast at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until patties are browned and start to crisp. Serve with Swedish Meatball sauce if desired.

Parmesan Chicken Tenders

2011-04-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

I think I found my family's, and definitely my kids', new favorite chicken tenders. These are so great. I love the way my house smells when I'm cooking something yummy and these chicken tenders smelled so good as they cooked. I got the recipe from the Food Nanny cookbook and modified it just slightly. The tenders come out crispy, yet moist on the inside.

Parmesan Chicken Tenders

2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
2 cups panko bread crumbs (I found these right next to the regular bread crumbs in my grocery store)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 lbs chicken breast tenders
1/3 cup butter
salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 11"x15" baking dish (or if you don't have that you can use a 9x13 baking dish and a 8x8 baking dish so you have enough room for all the chicken).

Beat eggs with water and pour into a shallow dish or pie plate. Mix together the panko, Parmesan, and garlic salt and pour into a separate shallow dish or pie plate. Take each chicken tender and dip in the egg then the bread crumb mixture. Arrange breaded tenders in the greased baking dish (or dishes). Melt the 1/3 cup butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave and drizzle over the chicken tenders. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through. If desired, sprinkle with salt to taste when they come out of the oven.

Buttery Cornmeal Crescent Rolls

2011-04-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

These rolls are truly wonderful. You would think the cornmeal would make these rolls heavy, but they aren't. They are light and buttery and have just a slight cornbreadish taste which makes them quite cool. I really really like these rolls and have a feeling I'll be making them often. The recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, a blog that I have gotten so many great recipes from. Oh, I almost forgot, I served these with Cinnamon Butter and wow it was a perfect combination.

Buttery Cornmeal Crescent Rolls

2 cups milk
2/3 cup yellow corn meal
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast (SAF)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
5-6 cups bread flour (I used slightly less than 5 1/2 cups)

In a saucepan heat milk just until it starts to bubble on the sides (which is scalding the milk). Add the cornmeal and cook, turning down heat so it doesn't boil, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if you are making the rolls by hand). Let the mixture rest in the mixer until it cools to lukewarm (for me it was about 25 minutes).

Add the yeast, butter, and sugar. Mix. Add the salt and eggs. Mix well. Add the flour, gradually, until a soft dough forms and pulls away from sides of mixer. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Divide the dough into 3 equal portions (I got out my scale and measured them). Roll each portion into a 10 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges, pizza style. Roll up each triangle starting at wide end to form crescent roll shapes. Pinch pointy end of dough into the roll so it doesn't unravel. Place rolls on a greased sheet pan if you would like the rolls to be pull-apart type rolls. If you would like free formed rolls place the rolls on 2 greased sheet pans, 12 rolls per sheet. Cover lightly with greased plastic wrap and let rolls rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 17-20 minutes for rolls on 1 sheet pan (they take longer to bake through cause they're all stuck together), or for 2 sheet pans bake for 10-12 minutes, until browned. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter if desired.

Cinnamon Butter

2011-04-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

My family and I went to Texas Roadhouse and we had wonderful rolls with their fabulous cinnamon butter. I could not believe how good that cinnamon butter tasted. Yum. So I thought I'd try and make it at home. This is what I came up with after looking at some copy-cat recipes. We had it last night with Buttery Cornmeal Crescent Rolls and wow it was good!

Cinnamon Butter

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste

Combine all in a bowl with a hand mixer until well mixed and smooth. Serve on rolls, bread, toast, pancakes, or waffles.

Cheese Steak Sandwiches

2011-04-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a good sandwich, right?! Well this one is good! I can't remember who I got the recipe from (sorry wonderful cheese steak sandwich creator), but it is great. Even my 4 year old ate this sandwich without complaint. How can you go wrong with something smothered in melted cheese? You can't. It is delicious.

Cheese Steak Sandwiches

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter (plus more for buttering rolls)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon A1 Steak Sauce
1 lb deli roast beef (Boar's Head Natural is good)
salt and pepper
8 slices provolone cheese
8 sandwich rolls (I used large whole wheat hamburger buns)

Preheat oven to broil setting. Butter both halves of the sandwich rolls and toast either in the oven or on a griddle.

In a large skillet melt the butter, add the onion and cook until onion softens and starts to turn golden. Stir in garlic and oregano and cook 30 seconds. Add steak sauce and stir to combine. Add slices of roast beef to the skillet and cook until heated through, making sure the slices are separated.

Place the 8 bottom parts of the rolls on a cookie sheet. Place the meat mixture on top of the roll bottoms. Top with cheese and broil until cheese is melted. Top with top halves of rolls and serve immediately.

Classic French Toast

2011-04-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

This is classic and oh so good French Toast. I love it! This is another great recipe from the Food Nanny cookbook. My family would be happy to have breakfast for dinner every night, especially if I made yummy French toast. I made it with Rudi's Organic Country White Bread because it was the thickest I could find in the store, but this would also be great with sliced French bread.

Classic French Toast

8 thick slices white bread
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat a griddle to medium high heat (I set mine to 375).

In a bowl combine eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt; whisking well to blend. Add cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into a shallow dish or pie plate.

Combine oil and butter in a bowl and spread 2 teaspoons of this mixture over the griddle. Dip one slice of bread into the egg mixture, turning to coat both sides evenly; carefully place on the skillet. Repeat with as many slices of bread as will fit on the griddle. Fry until the bread is browned on both sides. Serve slices immediately with butter and syrup.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

2011-04-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is another great recipe from Pioneer Woman. I think she is amazing. Every recipe I have tried from her site has been great. I especially like this easy and very tasty noodle casserole. So homey and comforting. I served it with some homemade French bread and mixed veggies and the whole family gobbled it up.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

1 lb ground beef
1, 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 oz wide egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups small curd cottage cheese (I used 4% milk fat)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown beef in a large skillet. Drain fat. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles to al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese and green onions.Add plently of freshly ground black pepper. Add noodles and stir.

To assemble: add half of the noodles to a 9x13 (or slightly smaller) baking dish. Top with half of the meat mixture. Sprinkle with half the sharp cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, and a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

2011-04-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

I love this chicken chili! Just a little while ago I made a crockpot version of chicken chili, but I like this one much better. That said, this one does have a stick of butter, half and half, and 2 cups of cheese in it. Hmm, I wonder why it tastes better.:) Not exactly health food, but dang tasty. My kids all loved this and begged me to put in thermoses for their school lunches the next day. Success. I hope you like it too!

Creamy White Chicken Chili

1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
4 cups half and half
1 can chicken broth (about 2 cups)
2 cans navy beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
2, 4 oz cans chopped green chilies
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
tabasco sauce, a few good shakes
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
sour cream for topping

Melt butter in a large saucepan or stockpot. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook another minute. Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes stirring. Whisk in chicken broth and half and half and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for about 3 minutes, or until thickened. Add beans, chilies, cheese, tabasco, chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Spinach Mandarin Salad

2011-04-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Yummy!! I really like this salad. It has a great combination of flavors. The recipe is from the Best Bites cookbook. I used a bag of spinach and spring greens mix, 1 head of romaine lettuce, and Brianna's Home Style Poppy Seed Dressing (from the store). You could also use the poppy seed dressing that I use on my Spinach Salad.

Spinach Mandarin Salad

8 oz baby spinach (half a bag)
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 small red onion, sliced very thin
1 large avocado, cubed
1-2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1, 11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
poppy seed dressing

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add desired amount of dressing and toss. Serve immediately.

Homemade Tortillas

2011-04-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

I made my very own flour tortillas. And, curiously, making them gave me a lot of satisfaction. I was very pleased to discover that not only are tortillas easy to make, but that they taste great. So much better than store bought or even the heat your own kind from Costco. I got this recipe from my friend Corinne. Thanks Corinne! I used non-hydrogenated shortening (Spectrum brand) because I recently read In Defense of Food and it scared me (super scared me), especially the parts about trans fats. As I've been searching around on the internet I've discovered you can also use oil in the place of shortening. I'm might try that next time.

Homemade Tortillas

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (I'm going to cut this in half next time to make them less poofy)
1 teaspoon salt
4-6 tablespoons shortening or lard
1 1/4 cups hot tap water

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender (I finished this by hand). Add water a little at a time, stirring with a spoon to bring dough together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes until dough is nice and smooth, adding dustings of flour as needed. Form dough into 12 small golf ball size balls. Cover dough balls with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll out dough balls on a floured surface into 8-10" rounds. Heat a frying pan and cook tortillas over medium high heat until browned (about 30 seconds), flip and cook until browned on the other side. Serve warm.

Best Bites Sweet and Sour Sauce (with meatballs)

2011-03-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

I recently bought the Best Bites cookbook and I love it! It has some fantastic looking recipes and this is the first one I have tried. This sauce rocks. I did cheat and use a bag of frozen meatballs. The Best Bites meatballs recipe looks really good so I fully intend to make the meatballs from scratch someday... I must say though that frozen meatballs do have their advantages. This meal takes about 20 minutes to make when you use premade meatballs. Just saying.

Best Bites Sweet and Sour Sauce (with meatballs)

1 - 2 lbs frozen meatballs (baked according to pkg directions)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup pineapple juice
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce

In a large saucepan, whisk together brown sugar and flour. Add pineapple juice, water, vinegar, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, whisking. Let cook for a few minutes on medium heat. Add cooked meatballs and simmer until heated through. Serve over rice.

Almond Topped Chicken Casserole

2011-03-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe from the Food Nanny cookbook and it is great! It is a classic comfort food chicken casserole. I really like the crunch of the almonds on top and the celery in the casserole also gives it a nice texture. I served it with a quick spinach salad (spinach, Craisins, crumbled bacon, shredded Swiss cheese, and poppy seed dressing) and it was a great weekday family dinner.

Almond Topped Chicken Casserole

3 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 cup small diced celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup cooked rice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a square baking dish or a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Place almonds in a small skillet and heat over medium-high heat until almonds start to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool.

In a large mixing bowl combine chicken, celery, onion, and rice. In a separate bowl combine lemon juice, soup, mayo, and chicken broth; pour over chicken mixture and stir well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Mix together cracker crumbs, almonds, and butter. Sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Super Cheesey Garlic Bread

2011-03-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Wow. Wow. This garlic bread is good! So decadent, but so good... You could use the spread for probably 4 halves of French bread if you spread it a little thinner. This was a huge hit with my whole family.

Super Cheesey Garlic Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup mayo
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan
8 oz, or about 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (or 2) Loaf French Bread

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl combine butter, mayo, green onions, garlic, Parmesan, and Monterey Jack cheese. Cut French Bread in half through the middle. Spread half of the cheese mixture on each half of French bread (or use less to you taste - I probably used 1/3 of the mixture for each French bread half). Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Set oven to broil and broil for 2-3 minutes more, or until garlic bread starts to bubble and brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Muddy Buddies

2011-03-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, this recipe is on every box of Chex, but my family loves Muddy Buddies. So I'm putting the recipe on my blog. It's the perfect crunchy chocolaty peanut-buttery snack for movie nights or to put in lunch boxes. And it's so quick to throw together. Almost instant gratification. I like to use Corn Chex, but you can use Rice Chex or Crispix cereal - they all work great!

Muddy Buddies

9 cups Corn Chex
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Put Chex into a large mixing bowl. In a separate microwave safe bowl combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds if needed to get the mixture smooth and melted. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over the Chex and stir until evenly coated. Pour into a 2 gallon ziplock bag. Add powdered sugar to bag, seal and shake until well coated. Spread onto sheets of wax paper to cool and dry. Let sit for 15 minutes. Pour into a colander and shake over your sink to get rid of excess powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container.

Pioneer Woman Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2011-03-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

This sandwich is so GREAT! Pioneer Woman never disappoints. The combination of flavors really is awesome. One note, this sandwich is so rich and cheesy that half a sandwich was enough for me, especially since I had this sandwich with creamy tomato soup. YUM.

Pioneer Woman Grilled Cheese Sandwich

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaisse
1 tomato, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced thin
sliced mild cheddar
sliced provolone
1 can whole green chilies
sliced rye bread
butter

Mix mustard and mayo together and spread on 2 slices of rye bread. Place 2 slices of tomato on one of the pieces of bread. Put 2 slices of cheddar on the other piece of bread. On top of the tomatoes place several slices of red onion followed by 2 slices of provolone. Lay 1-2 slices of whole green chilies on top of provolone. Carefully put the 2 halves of the sandwich together. Spread butter on top of bread, flip sandwich over and butter other side.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet. Place sandwich in skillet and cook for about 5 minutes (on medium low heat). Flip and continue cooking for another couple of minutes until golden brown. Cut sandwich in half and serve. YUM.

Creamy Tomato Soup

2011-03-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I love trying new soup recipes?! Here is another wonderfully rich and creamy soup. SO tasty! Very much a bistro style tomato soup. I got the recipe from The Food Nanny cookbook. It was great tonight with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups half and half
2 cups jarred marinara sauce (I used Newman's Own)
1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and cook, whisking, for 3-4 minutes or until a slightly golden roux is formed. Whisk in chicken broth and cook stirring until thickened. Stir in half and half. Turn heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Stir in marinara sauce, tomatoes, basil, and Parmesan and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve as is, chunky style, or blend soup in batches to make it smooth. I like it chunky, my kids like it smooth, so I blend half of it.

Corn Chowder

2011-03-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

Soup, soup, yummy yummy soup. This is a very creamy and traditional corn chowder and I loved it. My whole family loved it. My kids want to take it heated up in thermoses in their packed lunches tomorrow. That is the sign of soup love people. We had it with Lion House Rolls and man it was good.

Corn Chowder

4 cups chicken stock, divided
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups frozen corn (I used white corn)
1/2 cup butter
1 small finely chopped onion, about 3/4 cup
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 slices bacon, cooked and cut up into small pieces
1/2 cup flour
2 cups half and half
1 can creamed corn
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne (I used 1/4)
ground black pepper, to taste

In a saucepan combine 3 cups chicken stock, corn, and potatoes. Boil for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.

Meanwhile, near end of potato/corn mixture cooking time, in a large saucepan melt butter. Add onion, celery, carrot, and bacon pieces and cook until vegetables are softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes to make a roux. Whisk in half and half and cook until thickened, stirring. Add cooked potato/corn/chicken stock mixture to the large saucepan with the roux. Stir to combine. Add remaining 1 cup chicken stock, creamed corn, salt, onion powder, cayenne, and black pepper to taste. Heat through, adding additional chicken stock or milk to think soup to desired consistency.

French Dip Sandwiches

2011-03-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

I love French dip sandwiches at restaurants. I just think they are the perfect sandwich and the au jus is so fun. But I had never tried to make them at home. Until today. This recipe is awesome - it's from Real Mom Kitchen. The meat is so tender and flavorful and it's so easy to make. Even my 4 year old loved this sandwich and had fun dipping it in the au jus. Ooh ooh, and the melted provolone on the toasted hoagies rolls makes it SO good. This recipe is a keeper.

French Dip Sandwiches

1 cup soy sauce
6 cups water
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
3 bay leaves
3-4 lb beef chuck or sirloin roast
hoagie rolls
butter
sliced provolone

In a crockpot combine soy sauce, water, garlic, rosemary, and bay leaves. Place roast in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Remove roast from crockpot and shred the meat. Strain liquids/au jus from slow cooker into a large saucepan. Add shredded meat back into the crockpot with enough au jus to moisten the meat.

Place sliced hoagie rolls on a baking sheet. Spread halves with butter and place into middle rack of oven set to broil. Broil until rolls start to toast. Place provolone on the rolls and broil until cheese is melted and bread is golden. Serve meat on the rolls with au jus for dipping.

My Favorite Peanut Butter Bars

2011-03-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

These peanut butter bars taste so much like the peanut butter bars I grew up with at my elementary school cafeteria. Oh the memories. That's probably why these are my favorite peanut butter bars. I love the texture. Not too gooey. Not too dry. Just right. Very much like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I got this recipe 10 years ago from a ward cookbook.

My Favorite Peanut Butter Bars

2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups milk chocolate chips, melted

In a mixer combine powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, and melted butter. Beat until all ingredients are blended together. Spread into a 9x13 baking dish, smoothing the top and pressing into an even layer. Spread melted chocolate evenly over top. Refrigerate for about an hour and then cut into squares.

Glazed Carrots

2011-03-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

I am one of those people that loves cooked carrots. Honestly I've never met a vegetable I didn't like. But I LOVE cooked carrots and especially slightly sweet carrots. YUM. These glazed carrots are incredible. Sweet and soft and buttery. You gotta try this recipe. Every one of my kids had seconds and thirds.

Glazed Carrots

2 lb baby carrots
water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Place carrots in a large saucepan and put in enough water until carrots are just barely covered with water. Add salt and white sugar. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 20 minutes, or until carrots are soft. Pour into a colander and drain.

In the same saucepan heat butter and brown sugar until melted and bubbly. Add carrots back into pan. Stir to coat.

Crockpot Pork Chops with Green Beans

2011-03-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

I'm reposting this recipe, from my first week of recipe blogging 3 years ago, because I finally got a picture. We really enjoy this crockpot recipe. The savory saucy pork chops are perfect over rice or noodles. Yummy and easy. My kind of meal.

Crockpot Pork Chops with Green Beans

1 lb. boneless pork chops
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can french cut green beans, drained

Combine all the above in a crockpot and cook on low all day. At the end of cooking time, remove pork chops and chop them up (they'll just fall apart), then put them back in with the sauce. Serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.

No Guilt Pumpkin Spice Cake

2011-03-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

This pumpkin spice cake is much like the No Guilt Chocolate Cake I posted a while ago. It's super yummy and you don't miss the oil and eggs in the cake at all. I did add some frosting and mini chocolate chips which aren't exactly good for you, but you could just serve it with a dollop of whip cream or low cal Cool Whip if you like.

No Guilt Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 box spice cake mix (any brand works)
2/3 cup water
1 can, 15 oz, pumpkin

Mix ingredients together in a stand mixer until moistened. Beat on med-high speed for 2 minutes. Pour into a non-stick sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25-27 minutes. Cool and serve with topping of choice (white frosting with mini chocolate chips sure was yummy!).

Eclair Dessert

2011-03-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

Why have I not posted this yet?? This is one of our favorite desserts. So deliciously puddingly creamy. And it does kind of taste like eclairs. Perfect. I made it with the homemade icing, but a tub of chocolate frosting from the store is great too.

Eclair Dessert

2 boxes graham crackers
2, 3 oz packages instant vanilla pudding (French vanilla is also good)
3 cups milk
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
1 tub chocolate frosting or homemade chocolate icing below

Line the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with a single layer of graham crackers.

In a large bowl combine pudding mixes and milk. Beat until pudding thickens, 2 minutes. Stir in Cool Whip. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers and remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers and frost with chocolate frosting. I microwave the frosting and stir it well to help spread the frosting easier. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best) before serving.

Homemade Chocolate Icing

1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter
1/4 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool a little before spreading over the eclair dessert.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken

2011-03-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from the World Wide Ward Christmas Cookbook and I love it - the recipe and the cookbook! My whole family loved the chicken. It is a great mellow teriyaki chicken. Ooh the sauce is yummy. I have a big Costco bag of boneless skinless chicken thighs in my freezer so I'm sure I'll be making this again soon.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken

1/4 cup soy sauce (Aloha Shoyu is the best! IMHO)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 lb chicken thighs (I used 6 boneless, skinless thighs)
sliced green onions (for topping)

Sauce:
dripping from pan
1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
about 1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Carnet Foods Ultra gel (or cornstarch mixed with water)

Place chicken thighs in the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish. In a bowl combine: soy sauce, salt, garlic, oil, brown sugar and ginger, pour over chicken. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn chicken and bake another 20 minutes. Turn chicken again, cover with foil and bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place chicken in a covered serving dish.

Strain liquids from pan into a saucepan and add Ultra Gel or cornstarch mixture, whisking. Bring to a boil. Add enough chicken broth to thin sauce to desired consistency and soy sauce. Serve chicken over rice with sauce spooned over. Garnish with sliced green onions. Can also drizzle with a little soy sauce if desired.

Brown Butter Noodles

2011-03-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned brown butter noodles a few times, but I have yet to give a recipe. Well here it is. It is easy! I got this recipe from the Plain and Fancy Farm Cookbook (a great Amish food restaurant in Lancaster, Penn.). You could switch out wide egg noodles for the bow-ties. It's such a simple side, but I LOVE the nutty taste of brown butter. Brown butter is also absolutely fabulous on cooked carrots or green beans.

Brown Butter Noodles

1 lb bow-tie pasta or wide egg noodles
1/2 cup butter (or you could use 1/4 cup to be healthier)

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow butter to cook slowly until it turns a golden hazelnut color (the milk solids brown and cause this color). Be careful not to burn the butter, it can go from browned to burnt very quickly. Remove from heat. Pour over cooked and drained noodles and toss to coat noodles.

Brown Sugar Baked Chicken

2011-03-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

This chicken recipe is so simple and easy. And I always have these ingredients on hand so it's quick to pull together on a busy night. Just pop the chicken breasts in the microwave to defrost and then into the oven for 30 minutes. And the result is so tasty. I served this chicken with brown butter noodles and peas. My husband especially liked this meal, but everyone ate it without complaint.

Brown Sugar Baked Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
1 package dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Place chicken in the bottom of a non-stick sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Combine Italian dressing mix and brown sugar and sprinkle evenly over chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Baste chicken with sauce twice during cooking time.

Crockpot Potato Leek Soup

2011-03-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

Potato leek soup or potage parmentier (with a French accent) is a wonderfully yummy soup and this is the crockpot version that I came up with based on one from Sisters' Cafe. I think it's great. A little more sophisticated than a regular potato soup due to the background flavor of the stewed leeks. Really tasty. My kids and husband like baked potato soup better. Hmph. I like it with leeks.

Crockpot Potato Leek Soup

6 potatoes (about 3 lbs) peeled and chopped
2 leeks, just the white and very light green parts, sliced and washed very well (they are very sandy so I soaked the sliced leeks and then rinsed them again)
1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
5 cups chicken stock (or broth)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons flour
1 can evaporated milk
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped in small pieces
2 teaspoons onion salt
ground black pepper to taste
shredded sharp cheddar for topping (optional)

In a crockpot combine: potatoes, leeks, onion, carrots, celery, chicken stock, parsley, and garlic salt. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Stir in evaporated milk. With a potato masher mash up some of the potatoes in the soup or remove some of the soup and blend it then return to crockpot (this helps to create a smoother texture). In a small bowl combine melted butter and flour and whisk this into the soup (you can add some of the hot liquid to the butter mixture to make it easier to whisk into the soup). Add bacon pieces, onion salt and pepper to taste. Let heat and thicken on low for 1 hour more. Top individual servings with sharp cheddar if desired.

Crockpot Chocolate Pudding Cake

2011-02-21T19:31:00.000-08:00

Oh this is ooey gooey warm chocolaty wonderfulness!! I am a fan of chocolate lava cake and tunnel of fudge cake and this is the easy to make crockpot version. So yummy. You could serve this with whipped cream, Cool Whip, or vanilla ice cream. Mmmm.

Crockpot Chocolate Pudding Cake

1, 3.9 oz package instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk
1 chocolate fudge cake mix (+ ingredients to prepare it)
2 squares Baker's semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or 1/2 cup chocolate chips)

In a large bowl mix together pudding mix and milk, whipping with a whisk for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased crockpot.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions and pour the batter over the pudding in the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Top with chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips). Turn off crockpot and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes (this allows the pudding at the bottom to thicken). Serve topped with whipped cream, Cool Whip, or ice cream.

Baked Ranch Chicken Tenders

2011-02-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

My kids love chicken tenders. I've used my favorite Crispy Chicken Strips recipe for years, but I thought I'd give this one a try. The ranch dressing mix in the crumb mixture intrigued me. And it turned out great! The tenders had a very subtle ranch flavor and cooked up nice and crisp.

Baked Ranch Chicken Tenders

1 1/2 - 2 cups corn flake crumbs (or Ritz cracker crumbs, or Panko bread crumbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 packet ranch dressing mix
6 chicken breasts (each cut into 3 long strips)
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425. In a pie plate or other shallow dish mix corn flake crumbs, Parmesan, and ranch dressing mix.

Place chicken breast strips into a bowl with buttermilk. Take one chicken strip and let excess buttermilk drip off. Roll in crumb mixture and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

2011-02-21T19:03:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to try my hand at white chili for a while and I finally got around to it. This is a really good white chili and it's made in the crockpot. Bonus. The only problem is I wish it had a creamier base. I think I might try making this with a white sauce as the base sometime. But this is a nice, lightish, white chili and my whole family including all 3 kids ate it up with out complaints.

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

3-4 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil
2 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans chicken broth
1, 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cream

Put all ingredients, except sour cream and cream, into crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Add sour cream and cream and let cook on low for another 30 minutes. Mix well. Serve with cheese and tortilla chips.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-02-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

These are great breakfast muffins with a lot of banana flavor. Be sure to make these muffins with very ripe bananas or they just won't be sweet enough. Oh and these little muffins are really quite healthy too - the applesauce and bananas replace the fat that is normally used in muffins. My kids love these.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups flour (can use a mix of white whole wheat and all purpose)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup applesauce
4 large very ripe bananas (or 5 smaller ones)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with 15 muffin paper cups.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mash the bananas in a separate bowl, mix in applesauce. Add banana mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until combined. Add chocolate chips and combine again. Fill muffin paper cups almost to the top (they don't rise very much). Bake for 20 minutes rotating pans once during cooking. Let muffins cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes then serve.

Beef Stir Fry

2011-02-19T18:46:00.000-08:00

This is a great quick stir-fry with wonderful flavor. Feel free to switch up the veggies for your favorites. I served it over Calrose sticky rice with orange rolls and everyone loved it. There were no leftovers! Everyone had seconds. Success.

Beef Stir Fry

5 tablespoons soy sauce (I use low sodium Aloha Shoyu - my favorite soy sauce that you can find at Asian markets)
5 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 lb beef steaks, cut across grain into thin strips
1/4 cup chicken broth or stock
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
2 carrots, sliced thin
4-5 mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped green onions

In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add beef and stir fry until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl and cover with foil.

Add 1/4 cup chicken broth to the hot skillet. Add broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms and steam covered for about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates. Add garlic and green onions and cook for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture and beef back into the skillet. Cook until sauce is well blended and starts to thicken. Serve over rice.

Poppy Seed Chicken (Freezer Meal)

2011-02-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

I'm reposting this recipe because I modified it slightly to bake it right away and used pre-cooked chicken (I like using cubed rotisserie chicken for casseroles - I think it's more flavorful and moist). The recipe is from my friend Laurel and it is delicious. I think it tastes like the casserole version of my Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. Thanks for the great recipe Laurel!

Poppy Seed Chicken (Freezer Meal)

3-4 cups cooked and cubed chicken or turkey
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1, 6 oz pkg Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice Mix
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 cup butter

To Bake Right Away:
Prepare rice mix according to package directions.

In a large bowl mix: chicken, soups, sour cream, prepared rice, thyme, salt and pepper to taste and chicken broth. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Mix together the crushed crackers and poppy seeds. Melt butter and add to the crumbs mixing well with a fork. Sprinkle on top of chicken mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and crumbs on top are browned.

Freezer Meal Instructions:
Prepare rice mix according to package directions and set aside.

In a large bowl mix: chicken, cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, prepared rice, and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Pour into a labeled 1 gallon freezer bag, freeze flat.

Mix together the crushed crackers and poppy seeds and pour into a quart size freezer bag, taping to the chicken mixture bag. Also freeze the half sick of butter and store in freezer with the other bags.

Heating Instructions:
Thaw chicken mixture. Pour into a non-stick sprayed 9x13 pan. Melt the butter. Mix the crushed cracker mixture with the melted butter and sprinkle on top of the chicken mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and crumbs on top are browned.

Homemade Pop Tarts

2011-02-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

There have been a lot of homemade pop-tart recipes out there on the food blogs, but this is my easy peasy version. All you need is a batch of pie crust dough, or 2 rolls of refrigerated pie crusts, and jam. And the result is so good! Like little raspberry pies. I made these for my kids to take in their lunch boxes and they were thrilled. I added a simple powdered sugar glaze and sprinkles to make it even funner.

Homemade Pop Tarts

prepared pie crust dough for a double pie-crust (or 2 rolls of refrigerated pie crust dough)
raspberry jam (or other jam)
powdered sugar
water
sprinkles

Roll out pie doughs. Take a biscuit cutter, I used my Pampered Chef sandwich pocket maker, and make very light marks on one of the pie crusts. In the middle of these round marks place a glob of raspberry jam, about a tablespoon. Place other pie crust over and with biscuit cutter cut the pop tart out of the dough in the approximate places of those marks you made in the bottom crust. Seal the edges. I did this by pressing down on the sandwich pocket maker, but you could also take a fork and press and seal the edges together with the tines of the fork. Poke holes in the top of each pop tart with the tines of a fork.

Place pop tarts on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden on top and bottom. Remove from oven and place pop tarts on a cooling rack. Brush lightly with a glaze made from powdered sugar and water whisked together (you want it to be thin enough to spread, but not so runny it doesn't stick onto the pop tarts). Sprinkle quickly with sprinkles. Allow to cool completely (glaze will set up hard once cooled). Store in an air tight container.