Cooking, Reading, and Life

Chewy Chocolate Cookies - with Peanut Butter!

2011-03-13T20:54:00.004-04:00

I am the type of cook/baker who is more than willing to experiment with entrees & appetizers, and even most desserts. But, for some reason, I am always afraid to try a new cookie recipe.
Maybe it's because my mama makes the best cookies in the world.
I am not really sure.... but I am always nervous about it. The gingersnaps I made the other day for Nate turned out OK, but those were gingersnaps. I don't like gingersnaps, so it wouldn't have been the end of the world if they hadn't turned out. These are something that I was hoping I would like, so I was nervous about them NOT turning out.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies - With Peanut Butter!
(No idea where this came from)

1 1/4 Cup butter flavored Crisco
2 Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Cup flour
3/4 Cup cocoa
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
18 Ounce package peanut butter chips

Instructions:
Cream Crisco & sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs & vanilla; blend well. Combine flour, cocoa baking soda, & salt; gradually blend into creamed mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet until set, remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Yields: 4 1/2 dozen

I tried these two different ways--placing them into balls, and placing them into balls then kinda flattening the balls. They looked way better when I just did the balls-they look kinda funny, but the inside seemed more moist.

Also-the amount of peanut butter chips is adjusted from the original--both Nate & I agreed that they need more. The first cookies had the perfect amount, but the last pan did not have enough. If you would rather go light on the peanut butter chips, the original just called for 12 ounces.

Opinions: We LOVED these! I am definitely going to be making these more often! Even Nate loved them, and I wasn't sure what he would think. He asked that I make them more, possibly in place of some of the other cookies I make so often.

Baked Ziti with Broccoli and Sausage

2011-03-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

Baked Ziti With Broccoli and Sausage
(No idea)

salt & pepper to taste
8 Ounce sausage
2 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
2 Cup milk
8 Ounce ziti
1 1/2 Pound broccoli, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 Cup grated parmesan

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease and 11x7 baking dish. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook sausage, stirring and breaking up meat, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add butter and stir well/. Sprinkle flour on top and stir for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in milk and cook, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened, 3-4 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
Add ziti to boiling water and cook until tender, about 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook for 3 minutes. Drain ziti and broccoli in a colander and transfer to a baking dish. Stir in sausage mixture.
Sprinkle Parmesan on top and bake until golden brown and mixture is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 m
Cook Time: 35 m
Total Time: 45 m

Calories: 440
Cholesterol: 129 mg
Fat: 22 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Protein: 50 g
Carbohydrates: 10 g
Sodium: 714 mg
Fiber: 3 g

Opinions: Good! Pretty easy to alter a little. Doesn't re-heat well with the broccoli.

Gingersnaps!

2011-03-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am not a fan of gingersnaps, but Nate has told me multiple times that he loves them. I've bought them a few times, but I've never made them.

I decided to try making them ages ago when I saw this recipe, and finally did a couple weeks ago.

Gingersnaps
(TOH)

1/3 Cup butter-flavored crisco
1/2 Cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoon molasses
1 Cup all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon cloves
1/2 Teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 Teaspoon salt
additional sugar

Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the crisco and sugar. Add egg and molasses; mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Roll in additional sugar. Place 2" apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Flatten slightly with glass.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and tops are set and starting to crack. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Opinions:
I definitely need to make them smaller!! TINY balls. Not tablespoonfuls--more like teaspoonfuls. Other than that, Nate LOVED them. (Well, actually, Nate didn't care about the size. He liked that they were the size of small plates.) I didn't like them, but I'm not a fan of gingersnaps.

I will definitely make these again!!

Glazed Peanut Butter Bars

2011-03-06T15:40:00.003-05:00

Since I've said it many times before, I won't get into how amazing my mother is.
However, these glazed peanut butter bars are SPECTACULAR. I substitute peanut butter chips for the butterscotch, but Mama always uses the butterscotch. Either way, these things are amazing.

Glazed Peanut Butter Bars
(Mama)

3/4 Cup butter-flavored crisco
3/4 Cup peanut butter
3/4 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
2 Teaspoon water
2 eggs
1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cup flour
1 1/2 Cup oatmeal
3/4 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
Glaze
1 1/4 Cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 Cup butterscotch chips
1/2 Cup peanut butter

Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the crisco, peanut butter, sugars, & water. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Combine the flour, oatmeal, soda, & salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Spread into a greased 15x10 pan. Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned.
For glaze, melt chips & peanut butter. Pour over warm bars and spread evenly. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

Approx 4 dozen.

These are a hit, every time. All the time. The only thing negative about this is the amount it makes--not good for two people. :)

My Mama's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-02-14T12:55:00.001-05:00

Mama's Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Mama. Possibly from Nestle, but Mama has had the recipe for so long I don't know.)

2 1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Cup butter flavored Crisco
3/4 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 eggs
12 Ounce chocolate chips

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine Crisco, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

*You can choose semisweet or milk chocolate. Fun to use a combination of them both, although Mama always used only semi-sweet.

Opinions: I don't think there's anything to say about this, other than the fact that these are the chocolate chips that my Mama has made for as long as I can remember. Really, before I can remember. I absolutely love these. I love my Mama; she basically rocks.

As always, comments are love.

Onion Cheese Soup

2011-02-12T12:31:00.000-05:00

This was one of these "well we can try it once" recipes. It was surprisingly pleasant.... I kept going back and forth on if I thought it would be good or not, but in the end we decided to do it.

Onion Cheese Soup
(TOH)

1 Large onion, chopped
3 Tablespoon butter
3 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
4 Cup milk
8 Ounce shredded colby-jack cheese
seasoned salad croutons
grated parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, saute the onion in butter. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve with croutons and Parmesan cheese if desired.

Serving Size: 6

Opinions: We both liked it! It wasn't very onion-y, which was a bit of a surprise. I definitely liked adding the croutons and the parmesan. This is something I would like to make again. Not often, but I would make it again.

As always--comments are love!

Tator Taco Casserole

2011-02-10T21:01:00.005-05:00

I love tacos. Quite a lot, actually. And we had some extra tator tots from some recipe or another, so I thought this was worth a shot.

Tator Taco Casserole
(TOH)

2 Pound ground beef
1/4 Cup chopped onion
1 envelope taco seasoning
2/3 Cup water
11 Ounce whole kernel corn
11 Ounce condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup, undiluted
32 Ounce frozen tator tots

Instructions:
In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in corn and soup. Transfer to a greased 3x9 baking dish. Arrange tator tots in a single layer over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are crispy and golden brown.

Serves: 8

Opinions: We both liked it! Nate was moderately surprised that he liked it. It even reheated well! I would definitely make it again.

Mushroom Chicken Tetrazzini

2011-02-01T22:06:00.003-05:00

This is something I made awhile ago, but am just getting added to my Recipe Manager.

Speaking of Recipe Manager, I saw an awesome new program at Apple the other day. It's from Food Network, and looks quite a bit better than my Recipe Manager. Definitely snazzier. I have been getting quite dissatisfied with Recipe Manager lately. I am not happy with the personalization features (or lack thereof), and general setup. The Food Network program looked very classy, with a nice easy-to-read design and a few more features. However, it's taken forever to get the recipes in Recipe Manager that I have; transferring those to another program seems like an awful pain.

Back on topic! I made this shortly after Christmas, when we had leftover turkey from Mama's. (The smoked turkey Daddy made for Christmas... Have I mentioned I love my parents? I love them quite a lot. I know making that is a pain, but I say 'pretty please,' volunteer to bring dessert, and Daddy does it for me. I know, I'm spoiled. My Dad rocks, though. Mama does too, she just usually rolls her eyes when I'm bribing Dad with food, and tells me how spoiled I am. Don't let them fool you though; they love the smoked turkey as much as I do.)

Wow. I can't stay on topic for anything tonight. So, here's this dinner I made awhile ago. (Nothing I can get sidetracked on there!)

Mushroom Turkey Tetrazzini
(TOH)

12 Ounce uncooked spaghetti, broken into 2" pieces
1 bouillon cube, chicken
1/2 Pound sliced fresh mushrooms
2 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 Cup chicken broth or sherry
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 Cup fat-free evaporated milk
2/3 Cup grated parmesan, divided
4 Cup cubed cooked turkey
1/4 Teaspoon Paprika

Instructions:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, reserving 2 1/2 cups cooking liquid. Stir bouillon into cooking liquid and set aside. Place spaghetti in a 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, saute mushrooms in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in sherry/broth and reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Reduce heat to low; stir in milk and 1/3 cup parmesan until blended. Add turkey; cook and stir until heated through. Pour turkey mixture over spaghetti and toss to combine. Sprinkle with paprika and remaining parmesan.
Cover and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Opinions: Nate & I both liked it! Personally, I am not a huge fan of paprika, so I would not add that again. Other than that, it was pretty good, and reheats well.

Make again: Yes! No paprika though. And, I may find a substitute for the evaporated milk. I didn't use all of the can I bought, and the rest of it just went to waste.

Serves: 4
Yields: 8 servings
Prep Time: 35 m
Cook Time: 25 m
Total Time: 1 hr

Bible in 90 Days

2011-01-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

I heard of an interesting challenge about a month ago, and I decided to give it a shot. I haven't been talking about it much, but I wanted to post about it here.

The challenge is called "The Bible in 90 days," and I started it on January 3rd. I heard of it via The Happy Housewife--Amy over at Mom's Toolbox has the challenge going for her reader's currently, and I thought it was something worth a try.

One of my big challenges in life is always getting the "God & I" time in. It's something that I've always struggled with--I want to spend time reading my Bible, to spend time with just God and no other distractions (well, maybe the puppy cuddling at my feet; does that count?).
However, there's always that 'one last thing' I need to get done first...
That other book that is just begging to be read...
The Hubby who would like to hang out with his wifey...
The puppy that wants to play...
Or is just growing and thus always hungry and wants me to give him another treat...
The sleep that I never seem to get enough of...
The list goes on & on.

So, when the Happy Housewife mentioned this challenge, I prayed about it and thought about it, and decided I would do it.

Note that I didn't decide I would try. I decided I would do this. I don't have any kiddos yet (insert sad face here), and that takes away one of the biggest challenges for most ladies to do something like this.

Here we are, about to start the 5th week of the challenge, and I will admit it has been hard! I was behind at times (weekend at my in-laws, mainly!), ahead at times, but I've managed to stay on-track. It has been a great experience so far. This certainly isn't meant to be an in-depth study of the Bible, but a way to see everything close together and kinda connect the dots. ("OH! I remember so-and-so, they did this a couple days ago!" vs "Who's so-and-so?")

Don't get me wrong; it's still reading the Bible, cover-to-cover, in 90 days. It's hard. It can be confusing. But, being almost one month in, I would recommend this to anyone.

I love doing something that makes sure I get my God & I time in. I love studying His Word. While I have read the Bible cover-to-cover other times, I think this is going to be a great way to step back a little and try to see the whole picture.

If you are interested in doing this challenge, I would recommend checking out Mom's Toolbox. The challenge has already started, but this isn't the first time she's done this so I would guess it won't be the last. :) She also had a handy little bookmark on the site (somewhere; probably around the first post for this Bible in 90 days challenge) with a listing of what chapters/verses you need to read what days, to complete on schedule. It has been very useful!

As always, comments are love. See? You are thinking about comments, and I am sending love. :)

Pastitsio

2011-01-27T20:48:00.007-05:00

If you've seen many of my posts, or know me in person, you know I am not a big fan of tomatoes. Or most things tomato based. When I saw this recipe, I was intrigued, but I was also a bit nervous. With my (picky) experiences with tomatoes & pasta, I know that I usually don't like it.

Other than spaghetti & lasagna, for some odd reason.

Anyways, back to today's recipe. I was pleasantly surprised with this--the tomato is not overwhelming! It doesn't turn out too saucy either, which is another problem I've had with pasta & tomato combinations in the past. If anything, it is a little too dry in the end--I am going to try covering it next time, and see if that helps.

Pastitsio
(TOH)

7 Ounce uncooked pasta
1 Pound ground beef
1 Medium onion, chopped
1 Clove garlic, minced
8 Ounce tomato sauce
1 Teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 Teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 Teaspoon pepper
1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Cup grated parmesan, divided
3 Tablespoon butter
3 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Cup milk
1 egg, beaten

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skilled, cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, oregano, pepper, & cinnamon; heat through.
Drain pasta; place half in a greased 9" square baking pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan. Layer with meat mixture and remaining macaroni. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and remaining salt until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount fo the hot mixture into egg; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gently boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in remaining parmesan. Pour sauce over pasta.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 35
Cook Time: 35
Total Time: 1 hr 10 m

Note:

The original did state the the cinnamon is optional. I thought it was a wonderful, and unique, addition.
It does NOT reheat well. It goes from being slightly dry to "Oh. This is the leftovers we are having for dinner? Oh."

Overall opinions: I think with some small changes (less dry being the key change), this could be pretty good. Nate was, oddly enough, more fond of it once I told him that the funny taste was the cinnamon. (Which made me smile.)

And, of course, I used some of the venison that I received from my oh-so-lovely brother & sister-in-law, instead of beef. I love venison; I would rather use ground venison than ground beef any day! (Although, I do love the occasional steak.)

As always, comments are love. In fact, if you leave enough comments on my posts & live nearby, I just may invite you to dinner sometime. Or dessert, if that's your preference. ;)

Firefly Lane

2010-11-06T20:17:00.000-04:00

In high school (again... could've been middle school), I read On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah. Good book, from what I remember.

Grandma purchased another of Hannah's books this summer, and lent it to me. (Of course, it got in my pile of books-to-be-read-soon, so I had it for about a month before I actually read it, but that's not the point.) I had a hard time getting into this one, to be honest. This may have been in part due to the fact that I was annoyed with the beginning--it starts with a bit of a cliffhanger, and the rest of the book is a flashback. I hate flashbacks.

The book focuses on Kate and Tully, friends who grew up on Firefly Lane in a small town in the northwest. It follows them from the tumultuous times in the 70s, throughout their thirty-year friendship. When they meet in middle school, Kate was the undeniable geek, and Tully was the ultimate cool girl. They form an odd but strong friendship, which is what keeps them going at times, and alters their lives beyond recognition. Throughout the book, Tully is the leader and Kate is the follower, but Kate has many strengths of her own. Each girl has a face she shows to the world, and face she only shows to the other--or herself. They each struggle with insecurities throughout life, some of which they never share. In the end, there is a horrible betrayal, and some pretty disturbing news.

Overall, I would rate the book 3/5 stars. The plot was interesting, and characters were well-developed. However... there are aspects that I very much dislike. The cliffhanger-then-flashback is not a feature I appreciate in any book. Especially when the cliffhanger makes you expect one thing.... which * *plot warning* * is not what actually happens. The ending isn't what I expected at all, and I felt that it wasn't appropriate to the rest of the book. In the end, I thought that the book was worth reading and would recommend it, but I can't help but think of this book with annoyance.

The Lady Elizabeth

2010-11-04T18:17:00.000-04:00

My ideal trip to the mall includes a very extended trip to the bookstore. The clearance section of Barnes & Noble is one of my favorite places...I could spend 20 minutes in Kohl's attempting to pick out clothes and 2 hours in Barnes in Noble. And yes, I am that level of a dork. :-D

The clearance section is actually where I found The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir. I already took the sticker off, so I don't recall how much it was now, but maybe 5, 6 bucks. It was well worth that!

I have always been interested in England royalty, especially in the 1500s. The story of Henry the 8th is fascinating--gruesome, at times, but fascinating. In high school (possibly middle school...), I read The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell. It was fascinating--I would recommend it--and I have been interested in this story since then. I've picked up a few books since then, but they simply went into the pile of "books-Serena's-collected-but-not-yet read." This is a book I purchased a few months ago, and read last month.

It was fascinating. This story chronicles the life of Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, from the time she was an infant to the time she becomes aware that she is the Queen of England. (I saw 'aware' because it ends before her actual coronation.) It describes her thoughts, feelings, and actions, as she goes through her life as the 'bastard' second daughter of the King. It describes her times in exile, her times in danger, her relationship with her servants, and her planning as she believes she is ascending to the thrown. Elizabeth is a vivacious character, whose strengths are inspiring and her flaws are damning.
In her lifetime, Elizabeth goes from being Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry and Queen Anne, to Lady Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of a traitor and the King. She endures multiple stepmothers, none of whom last, but one of whom bears the son that becomes the heir to the throne. Surprisingly, there is little animosity between the siblings--Edward, Elizabeth, and Mary (the daughter of Henry's first wife). At least, there is little animosity at first. As Edward becomes King, then Mary becomes Queen, jealousy and differences in religion tear the siblings apart. The threat of treason and the death that would ensue is constantly hanging over everyone's head, and no one knows who will be accused-and hung-next. Elizabeth has multiple situations where she is afraid for her life, and her actions during those periods are both realistic and inspiring.

Throughout the book, Elizabeth struggles with many issues, and overcomes in the end.

I will say that I am uncertain on the historical accuracy, but it was fascinating regardless. I am looking forward to reading further books by Alison Weir, and to reading more about this era in England's history.

The Best Apple Bread

2010-11-02T06:00:00.003-04:00

When my in-laws visited last, I went with Sue to get some apples from a local orchard. They had a good deal, so we each got 1/2 bushel.

FYI, 1/2 bushel is a LOT of apples. I am not entirely sure what we'll be doing with most of the apples, but that's OK--we're finding things to do with it! Drying apples, apple pie, apple bread....

Apple bread sounded fantastic the other day when I was in a baking mood, and I stumbled across this recipe. I copied the recipe into word to make it easier to print, and... promptly lost the original site. Oops. So, I have no idea where this came from, but it's pretty good.

The Best Apple Bread

3 Cup finely chopped apples
2 Cup sugar
1 Cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 Cup all purpose flour
2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Peel and finely chop enough apples to equal 3 cups. Set aside.
Stir together sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; add to sugar mixture, stirring just until blended. (Batter will be stiff.) Fold in finely chopped apples.
Divide batter evenly between 2 greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.

Serving Size: 1 slice
Yields: 10 slices/loaf, 2 loaves
Calories: 207

Mmm... yum!

Opinions: I took some to work, and one loaf to my parents when we visited for Daddy's birthday. (The Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie recipe I made for Daddy will be posted later!) Everyone loved it! Definitely will make that again!

The only problem is that it cracked in the middle--still tasted yummy! :)

Comments are love!

Surprise Pockets

2010-10-31T14:45:00.004-04:00

Another one of the blogs that I like to read is Cooking During Stolen Moments. She has some pretty good recipes on there!

This is one that I thought would be definitely worth trying. Her title was Ham & Cheese pockets, but we used a variety of cheeses & meats. I tried marking each pocket, but they didn't always hold. So... these are now Surprise Pockets!

Surprise Pockets
(Cooking During Stolen Moments)

1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Cup warm water, divided
1 Teaspoon sugar
1/4 Cup melted butter, cooled to room temperature
2 1/2-3 Cup flour
1 1/2 Teaspoon salt
ham, chopped
Pepperoni
colby jack cheese
cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoon butter

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in the sugar and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour in the melted and cooled butter and the remaining warm water.
Add 2 c flour and the salt. Mix for 2 minutes. Work as much remaining flour as needed to make a dough that is smooth but not sticky. Knead on a floured surface or continue beating about 10 minutes. Add a bit more flour if the dough starts to get sticky while kneading.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise for 1 hour. Punch dough down, cover and let rise for at least another 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 evenly sized balls. Roll out into a circle about 6 minutes in diameter. Place some meat/cheese in any combination on one half of the dough. Fold remaining half over the top. Pinch close and then seal with the tines of a fork. Repeat until done.
If desired, brush melted butter over each pocket.
Bake at 375 for 12-18 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

To freeze, cool completely and place as many as will fit into a gallon-sized plastic freezer bags. To reheat, warm in the oven or microwave. Or, simply eat once thawed.

Serves: 12

Opinions: Good! Definitely would do again, next time will try to work on marking it better.

As always--comments are appreciated!

BAGELS!

2010-10-27T22:20:00.004-04:00

So, on the Happy Housewife website, I saw a recipe for homemade bagels. I love bagels, and she was talking about how it's cheaper for her to make them homemade vs storebought. Well, of course I have to try it! Unfortunately, her recipe calls for gluten. I could not find gluten anywhere in our local Meijer. Maybe I was just missing it, but I gave up. So, I found another recipe (somewhere; source to be cited when I find it again) which calls for bread flour. Hmm. Don't have that, either. Logically, I then searched on how to substitute for bread flour. Guess what that calls for?
All purpose flour, and gluten.
Seriously? Not cool.

So, I caved and bought bread flour, hoping that these bagels would be good enough that I would use the rest of it before it goes bad.

Oh, we certainly dont have to worry about the flour going bad. I'll be using it, so I can have one of these things every day for the rest of my life. :)

Bagels

4 Cup bread flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 Teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 Cup warm water

Instructions:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add up to 1 1/2 cup warm water, as needed to get all the dry flour in.

Place dough down on floured counter, and knead for about 10 minutes--until the dough is uniform and smooth.

Separate into 12(ish) equal sized balls, let rest for 10-20 minutes.

Roll each ball into a line, and combine into a circle.

(Guess which ones I made, and which ones Nate made! LOL)

Pre heat your oven to 425.

Let the bagels rest for 20 minutes, and bring a pot of water to boil. Grease a large baking tray lightly.

Add the bagels to the boiling water a few at a time. Keep them apart, and boil for 1 minute. Flip, then boil for another minute. Remove to drying rack; repeat for all bagels. Place bagels on baking tray, bake for 10 minutes. Flip, then bake for 10 additional minutes.

(Let's hope we get better at making them pretty. Eventually.)

ENJOY!

To add optional toppings, sprinkle (or dip) immediately after removing from boiling water. Bake as directed.

Serves: 12
Serving Size: 1 bagel
Yields: 12 bagels
Calories: 153

So, would we make this again?
Oh, yeah. A lot. Nate ate two when they were fresh from the oven, and while I waited until the next morning for breakfast, it took quite a lot of self-control. One of these popped in the toaster, and covered in strawberry cream cheese? Mmmm....
They are just as good as the storebought--maybe not as pretty, but that's OK.

As always, comments are love!

Crab Fondue

2010-10-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

I adore seafood. (Well, most seafood.) I could eat at Red Lobster every day and be happy. Ages ago, when we were at Red Lobster (maybe for my birthday last year?), we tried their crab & shrimp fondue. It was amazing. Absolutely amazing. I saw this recipe after that, and I had to try it!

Fair warning-the picture below is kinda gross. It did taste slightly better than that, I swear.
Crab Fondue
Betty Crocker

1 Cup shredded swiss cheese
8 Ounce cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoon bell peppers & onions
1/4 Cup dry white wine or milk
1/8 Teaspoon ground red pepper
9 Ounce crabmeat
1/2 Loaf french bread, cut into cubes

Instructions:
In a 2-qt saucepan or chafing dish, heat all ingredients except crabmeat and bread over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. Stir in crabmeat. Pour into fondue pot or chafing dish to keep warm; dip will hold for two hours.
Spear bread cubes with fondue forks; dip into fondue.
If fondue becomes too thick, stir in a small amount of dry white wine or milk.

Serves: 14

Serving Size: 2 1/2 TBSP, 4 bread cubes

...unfortunately, I was disappointed. It as very cream-cheesy; too much so. Nate was disappointed with the one from Red Lobster: too nacho-cheesy. So, I am looking for something between the two! Here is the recipe we tried at home, if you are interested! I think with a little bit of playing, it could be very good.
If you have a similar recipe, please share! I would love to try it!

MMmm--Potatoes & Cheese!

2010-10-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, I have a lot of 'favorite' foods. Chocolate, peanut butter, ice cream, cheese, sausage, shrimp, potatoes, Nutella, apples... the list could go on and on. However, the point is that when two or more of my favorite things are combined, I am a very happy lady.

See below. :)

Potato Cheese Soup

3 Medium potato, peeled & cut into 2" pieces
1 Small onion, finely chopped
1 Cup water
1 Teaspoon salt
3 Cup milk
3 Tablespoon butter, melted
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/8 Teaspoon pepper
1 Cup shredded swiss cheese

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, bring potatoes, onion, water, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat ; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Do not drain; mash slightly. Stir in milk.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend the butter, flour, parsley and pepper; stir into the potato mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; add cheese and stir until almost melted.

Serves: 6
Yields: 1 1/2 quarts
Prep Time: 10 m
Cook Time: 20 m
Total Time: 30 m

So, the overall consensus: YUM! Nate & I both loved this, and definitely want to make it again! Next time, maybe a bit more parsley, but no major changes.

*Sorry, this is an older recipe, no picture!*

Comments are love!

Creamy Hash Brown Potatoes

2010-10-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

So, funny story. I recently tried going to meal-planning/grocery buying every two weeks, instead of every week. Of course I forgot a few things and still made multiple trips to Meijer, but that's not the point here. The problem is that my stack of recipes for the week was quite a bit higher than usual. So, when I see a recipe on the floor in the kitchen, I assume it's from that stack, not the stack of all my recipes.
Silly me, I shouldn't have made that assumption. Turns out, it was a recipe I had looked at but decided against, as there was another similar recipe that looked better--which I had bought the whipping cream for. Now, to find a use for that whipping cream before it expires...
Thus (isn't that such an amazing word?), when I placed the hash brown recipe on the table for Nate to make, I didn't look too closely at it. And... this was part of our dinner!

*It tastes better than that. Promise. It just looks funny. :) *

Creamy Hash Brown Potatoes
32 Ounce frozen hashbrown potatoes
10.75 Ounce condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
2 Cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1/4 Teaspoon pepper
dash salt
8 Ounce cream cheese

Instructions:
Place all ingredients except cream cheese in a greased 3-qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2-4 hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream cheese, set on low. Heat until cream cheese is melted.

Serves: 6
Calories: 169

It's really not the taste I was going for, but it works. I would say that it needs something to make it smoother-milk, etc. It had a very strong cream-cheese flavor. Other than that, we both liked it. (Definitely went well with venison steaks!!)

The recipe was easy to cut in half.

You know the drill--comments are love.

Kielbasa & Broccoli Linguine

2010-10-17T07:04:00.001-04:00

When I first starting cooking by myself, I followed recipes precisely. It said to add 3/4 cup, I added 3/4 cup-evened with a knife, if needed. The recipe called for corn, I added corn. Cook for 35-40 minutes? If it involved meat, it would be 40 just to make sure it was done--but not a minute more!
Now that I've cooked (quite) a bit more... let's just say that I play with my recipes a lot. :)

Kielbasa & Broccoli Linguine
(original from Cooking for Two, but adapted)

4 Ounce uncooked linguine
1 Cup broccoli
1 Cup corn
1 small carrot, chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 Teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon pepper
3/4 Cup milk
3/4 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup kielbasa, cut into 1/4" pieces

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, cook linguine according to package directions, adding the broccoli, corn, and carrot during the last 7 minutes of cooking.
Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flower, thyme, salt, and pepper until well blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese.
Drain linguine and vegetables; transfer to a serving bowl. Add kielbasa and sauce mixture; toss to coat.

Serves: 6
Cook Time: 30 m
Total Time: 30 m

Calories: 291

This is another basic meat & pasta recipe. The original called for ham, & different veggies. Well, I wanted kielbasa, and I don't like cauliflower. So... this is what I made! It turned out pretty well; the sauce was delicious. Both Nate & I loved it, and I definitely plan on making this again!

Hash Brown Sausage Bake

2010-10-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

I love breakfast foods. One of my favorite things it to have 'breakfast for dinner'--something we had growing up a few times. I'm sure Mama did it as an easy meal, but I LOVED having french toast, bacon, eggs, etc. for dinner. Amazing.

Unfortunately, Nate's not as fond of that. (Crazy boy.) With my recent hypoglycemic diagnosis, I am trying to actually eat breakfast (not that I wasn't before. cough.), so I am getting in 'real' breakfasts most days now. But, I still crave that breakfast-at-dinnertime occasionally. This is one of the recent recipes I've tried, which fit the bill. :)

Hash Brown Sausage Bake
(TOH)

20 Ounce frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/3 Cup butter, melted
1 beef bouillon
1 Pound pork sausage
1/3 Cup chopped onion
1 Cup cottage cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 Slice American cheese, chopped

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, butter, and bouillon. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a greased 10" pie plate. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. In a large bowl, combine the sausage mixture, cottage cheese, eggs, and American cheese.
Pour into crust. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Serves: 8
Serving Size: 1 slice
Yields: 8 slices
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 1 h 15 m
Total Time: 1 1/2 h

Calories: 291

(So, I probably shouldn't have had my red-striped potholder in the picture. Oh well.)

Opinions: Nate liked it better than the other hashbrown-for-crust recipes I've tried. Quite a bit more, actually. I also think that the inside wasn't ALL egg was a bit selling point for him, too. I liked it--it's not very healthy, but it is yummy.
I will admit, I was nervous about the cottage cheese. (Another 'yuk' from childhood.) The texture/look has always been horribly off-setting for me, but I wouldn't have even known it was here if I didn't make this myself. :)

So... make again? Yes! Nate says not often, but definitely a repeat.

Chicken Rice Dish

2010-10-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I never liked rice growing up. I can't remember ever trying it, but I was POSITIVE I hated the stuff. However, I'm finding now that I'm all grown up and actually listen to my mama (not that I didn't listen to you before Mom!!), I like rice. I like it quite a bit, actually. Put some rice, chicken, whatever veggies sound good at the time, and a few seasonings in a dish, and I am a happy camper.

The basis for this recipe came from TOH, but I definitely played with it already. And of course, it's very versatile. Want peas & carrots instead of asparagus & carrots? Just change it! I think the last time we made this, it was actually broccoli & carrots. Whatever you like!

Chicken Rice Dish
(TOH)

6 Ounce rice
2 Cup asparagus, trimmed and cut
2 Tablespoon butter
3/4 Pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 Clove garlic
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1 Medium carrot, cut into 2" chunks
2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:
Cook rice and asparagus/carrot separately.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the chicken, garlic, and salt in butter until chicken juices run clear. Add the lemon juice. Combine rice, vegetable, and chicken mixtures.

Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup

Calories: 247
Cholesterol: 54 mg
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Protein: 20 g
Carbohydrates: 29 g
Sodium: 668 mg
Fiber: 2 g

So, opinions: Both Nate & I LOVE this recipe. I love the splash of lemon, but I think I want to add another seasoning too. Maybe rosemary?
Many plans to make it again. Maybe with kielbasa next time... who knows. ;)

*FYI, I am trying to get back in the habit of taking pictures of recipes too! As I post older recipes, I won't have them, but I will for the ones we have tried recently.*

As always, comments are love!

Purses For Sale

2010-10-12T06:00:00.001-04:00

This July, I started posting some of my purses/bags/scarves on Etsy. This is something I had been considering doing for awhile, but was reluctant to spend the money to get it started. (Fabric, cost of posting on Etsy, etc.) However, with encouragement from a friend who was also in the process of starting her own business (Hello, Kiyona from Ahlanna's!), and encouragement/permission from my husband, I got started!
Now, I have quite a few purses available on my Etsy -- Beautiful Serenity! Go check it out for the items that are available for sale, here are some shots of my favorites!

Gotta love this button!

This is my purse! I LOVE the color combo!

I love scarves. Easy to knit, warmy, comfy...

Inside shot of the bags made special for the ladies of Ahlanna's.

Bag recently made for Mama.
Close-up of the fabric/the button... I love buttons. :)

I sew/craft for many reasons -- the biggest reason being that it's fun. I love matching and coordinating fabrics, playing with buttons and ribbon...and seeing the look on someone's face when you give them something special for them, something that they love, or that purse that they just have been eyeing!

Go check out the Etsy, and let me know what you think! If you have ideas, questions, suggestions... email me!

I also do special orders--if you are interested, just email me at serenakathleen@gmail.com!

Cookie Dough Truffles -- aka Happy Birthday Mama!

2010-10-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

So, my Mama's birthday is today. (Happy Birthday Mama!) And in case you either don't know her, missed the references in my previous posts, or both--she's basically amazing. Mama & Grandma were the ones who taught me to cook, and taught me to enjoy cooking--especially when it's for other people!

For Mama's birthday, I had to do something special. I'd seen this recipe, and couldn't resist trying it. With the plan that, if it failed, I would make her something else a week late. I never said it was a good plan. Anyways, they were successful!

Cookie Dough Truffles
The Village Cook

1/2 Cup softened butter
3/4 Cup light brown sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
14 Ounce sweetened condensed milk
2 1/4 Cup flour
1/2 Cup milk chocolate chips
Coating:
12 Ounce milk chocolate chips
1/2 bar paraffin

Instructions:
In a mixer, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk. Slowly add the flour. Hand-mix in the 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Chill dough for 15 minutes or more, until easily forms into small balls. Place balls on wax paper on a cookie sheet, and place in the freezer for 1 hour or until hard enough to dip.
In a double boiler, melt 12 oz chocolate chips and paraffin. Dip the balls with a toothpick in the mixture, or using a spoon. Also may drizzle balls with the chocolate.
Store in the refrigerator.

Serves: 53
Serving Size: 1 truffle
Yields: 53 truffles

Calories: 92

I made some variations from the original recipe, and this is already adjusted for those variations. For the original, check out the website above! I stumbled across this, and will definitely be checking out that site for more amazing-ness!

If you don't have a double-boiler, I'm not sure how well this would work--I've never done paraffin wax in the microwave. However, if you don't have a double-boiler, you really should invest in one. Especially for things like buckeyes. Life is happier with buckeyes, and other things dipped in hardened chocolate. Grandma actually traded me buckeyes for some of these truffles. Mmmm... it's buckeye season...
Oh! Sorry. Truffle Recipe! So... the original called for shortening and not paraffin, but I prefer to have anything like this with paraffin. Not using it makes the coating too soft for me. But, that's personal preference!

Opinions:
So far, I've only heard positive things! We gave Mama hers on Friday at my little brother's football game (GO CATS!!), and she loved them! I think they are a bit too sweet, and won't make them very often. Nate's main comment was that I should use a little less paraffin wax next time; he thought they were a bit waxy.

Also, FYI-truffles that have only been drizzled on, not dipped, will stick to the container/each other.

So - the ultimate question: would I make these again? Most definitely! However, only when I am able to give most of them away! Too sweet for girls with blood sugar problems. :)

As always, comments are love. (And bribery, for those wanting truffles this holiday season! hehe!)

Back...Again

2010-10-09T17:22:00.004-04:00

I am a terrible journal-keeper. Atrocious, really. I have the tendency to write regularly for awhile, then forget or get too busy to write for a few months. (Or more.)
Clearly, I have transferred that habit to my blogging. However, I am going to make a point to do better! Especially when considering that not blogging means that I am not recording any of my recipes in Recipe Manager, which means that I am likely losing some of my recipes. TRAGIC!

So, here I am, back at it.

Tortellini With Mushroom-Wine Sauce
(Unknown...)

2 Cup chopped mushrooms
14.5 Ounce diced tomatoes
1/4 Cup water
2 1/2 Tablespoon beef broth or dry red wine
2 Clove garlic
1/4 Teaspoon salt
Dash dried rosemary
Dash crushed red pepper
4.5 Ounce frozen tortellini
Parmesan

Instructions:
In a small slow-cooker (approx 2 quart), combine mushrooms, undrained tomatoes, water, red wine/beef broth, garlic, salt, rosemary, and crushed red pepper.
Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 4-6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-3 hours.
If using low-heat setting, turn slow cooker to high-heat setting. Stir tortellini into sauce. Cover, cook for 30-45 minutes more.

The original recipe called for refrigerated ravioli. I had frozen tortellini that needed to be used, so I substituted. :-D If you would like to used refrigerated ravioli/tortellini, only cook for 20 minutes after adding.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time (if on low setting, with frozen tortellini): 6 h 45 m
Total Time: 7 h

Nate's opinion: Good, wouldn't mind having it fairly often.
Serena's opinion: Nathan gets the leftovers. As in, I barely tolerated the first serving I had, made Nate eat all the leftovers for lunch, and will very happily make myself something different the next time I make this for him. I am not a fan of tomatoes, but I thought this was worth a shot anyways. Needless to say, the tomatoes were too much. And I thought the tortellini was horribly dry, but I don't think I liked this kind previously anyways.

So... will I make it again? Yes, but I will cut it down smaller, and make something else for myself! Making two separate dinners might sound time-consuming, but it isn't too bad when one is a crock-pot dinner. I do the same thing when I make Nate chili. And yes, I fully acknowledge that I am a horribly picky eater. I am trying to work on it! I keep trying things with tomatoes, but I just can't seem to get over it. However, I refuse to not make something that Nathan really enjoys because I don't like it! I'm picky, not selfish. hehe!

As always, comments are love!

S'mores Bars

2010-06-15T20:23:00.003-04:00

We tried this recipe tonight, because it's been AGES since I've tried a new dessert. This was a perfect try!! We both loved it.
I personally thought it was a little too sweet, but good nonetheless. I won't make it again when it's just us--I couldn't have more than one or two pieces. But for company/dinner out? Definitely.

In fact, invite us for dinner, & I'll make this for you. :)

S'mores Bars
(TOH)

8-10 whole graham crackers
1 Package fudge brownie mix
4 Cup marshmallows
1 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 Cup chopped peanuts

Instructions: Arrange graham crackers in a single layer on in a greased 13x9x2 baking pan. Prepare the brownie batter according to the package directions. Spread over crackers.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes clean. Sprinkle with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and peanuts. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until marshmallows are slightly puffed and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before cutting.

Sorry for the lack of pictures... can't find my camera cord.

Also- I did not use the peanuts, and I cut the recipe in half. Easy enough, just cooked in an 8x8 pan.

Very Veggie Skillet Casserole...

2010-05-25T18:35:00.000-04:00

...AKA "Serena Learning to Like Rice"

Growing up, I never liked rice. Don't know why... can't even recall trying eat at home. However, this is one of those things that I WANT to like. So, I've tried it more. Different ways, different seasonings... and this is the baseline for what I am learning to love. :)

In fact, just the other day, we tried something very similar. A Rice Side, mixed with chicken, mushrooms, carrots, some other veggies... yum yum!

Very Veggie Skillet Casserole
(Prevention)

3/4 Pound ground turkey
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 Cup chopped onion
2 Clove garlic, minced
1/2 Cup finely chopped yellow summer squash
1/2 Cup finely chopped tomato
1/2 Cup sliced celery
1/2 Cup sliced carrot
1 Cup instant brown rice
1 1/2 Cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube

Instructions:
Cook turkey in large, deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, or breaking up meat with back of spoon, 8-10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Transfer turkey to medium bowl with slotted spoon.

Warm oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Add squash, tomato, celery, and carrot. Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Return turkey and any juices to pan. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Add rice, water, and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Sausage Cheese Balls

2010-05-23T17:40:00.003-04:00

Have I mentioned my feelings for Bisquick before? I like it because it's easy... I dislike it because everything you put it in tastes like Bisquick.

These are tolerable, but I would DEFINITELY use a substitute for the baking mix. (To be fair, the recipe called for baking mix... which basically means Bisquick.

Definitely something I would love to try again, but need to substitute the Bisquick.

Sausage Cheese Balls
(Jimmy Dean)

2 Pound pork sausage
1 1/2 Cup Bisquick
4 Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 Cup finely chopped onion
1/2 Cup finely chopped celery
2 Teaspoon black pepper
2 Teaspoon minced garlic

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredient in a large mixing bowl; stir well. Form into 1" balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet; bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpick.

Yields: 6-9 dozen

Deluxe Pizza Goulash

2010-05-10T19:40:00.003-04:00

I have never been a goulash fan. (Ask my Mama. Or not, she thinks I'm too picky anyways; let's not bring it up.) But I like to try new things, and this has 'pizza' in it, so hey, why?
Umm... it was more Goulash than Pizza.
Maybe you should try it. If you like goulash. :)

Deluxe Pizza Goulash
(Betty Crocker)

2 Cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 Pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3.5 Ounce sliced pepperoni
4.5 Ounce sliced mushrooms, drained
30 Ounce pizza sauce
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package.
Meanwhile, in a 12" skillet, cook beef & onion over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in macaroni, pepperoni, mushrooms and pizza sauce.
Cover and cook over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves: 6
Serving Size: 1 1/3 cup
Prep Time: 40
Total Time: 40

Calories: 450
Cholesterol: 45 mg
Fat: 21 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Calories From Fat: 190
Protein: 22 g
Carbohydrates: 43 g
Sodium: 1160 mg
Fiber: 5 g

As always, sorry for the lack of pictures.

Comments are love.

Ranch Pizza Pinwheels

2010-05-09T20:25:00.002-04:00

We tried these awhile ago... they were OK. Neither Nate & I are fans of salad dressing, and the ranch taste was a little much. Overall, we liked the idea. Maybe try it without the ranch, and using pizza sauce instead? We've had something similar, but I would be willing to play with this recipe! I will definitely post if I try something else.
They were NOT good re-heated!

Ranch Pizza Pinwheels
(TOH)

13.8 Ounce refrigerated pizza crust
1/4 Cup prepared ranch salad dressing
1/2 Cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1/2 Cup diced pepperoni
1/4 Cup chopped green onions
Pizza sauce, warmed OR additional ranch salad dressing, optional

Instructions:
On a lightly floured surface, roll pizza dough into a 12x10" rectangle. Spread ranch dressing evenly to within 1/4" of edges. Sprinkle with cheese, pepperoni and onions. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side.
Cut into 1" slices. Place cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm with pizza sauce or additional ranch dressing if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Serves: 12

Sorry for no picture!

As always---comments are love!

Chicken Rice Bowl

2010-05-08T20:00:00.003-04:00

This is something we made ages ago... Nathan actually cooked this one. ;) It turned out very yummy.

Chicken Rice Bowl
(TOH)

1 Cup uncooked instant rice
1 Cup chicken broth
1/2 Cup chopped frozen green pepper, thawed
1/4 Cup chopped onion
2 Teaspoon olive oil
9 Ounce chicken
1/2 Cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 Cup frozen peas, thawed
1 Teaspoon dried basil
1 Teaspoon rubbed sage
1/8 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon pepper

Instructions:
Cook rice in broth according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the green pepper and onion in oil for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in the chicken corn, peas, basil, and sage. Cook, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes over medium heat or until heated through. Stir in the rice, salt, and pepper.

Serves: 4

Sorry, no pictures.

As usual, comments are love.

Sunday Morning Coffee Cake

2010-04-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

Nathan really likes coffee cake, and I am in the search for a great coffee cake recipe for him. This was the first one I tried... and it was not a success. I'm thinking that it was the baking powder we could taste, which definitely is not cool.
I won't be trying this one again. I would kinda like to fiddle with the recipe, but I don't like messing with the amount of baking powder/baking soda in recipes, for fear of destroying the recipe. :)

Sunday Morning Coffee Cake
(TOH)

2 Tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 Cup milk
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cup all purpose flour
3 Teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
1/4 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 Cup cold butter

Instructions:
In a small bowl, beat butter, sugar, and salt until crumbly. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour and baking powder, add to butter mixture. Transfer to a greased 8x8 baking dish.
For topping, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cook on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm if desired.

Serves: 9

As always... comments are love. :)

Easy Stuffed Shells

2010-04-05T21:00:00.001-04:00

I found this recipe, and thought it would be great to use up the stuffed shells/meatballs I had from other recipes. It was an instant hit with Nate!! I cut the recipe to 1/4 of it's original size (posted is the original), and used tomato sauce with Italian seasoning vs using spaghetti sauce, but it was great.
My only complaint was that I don't like those frozen meatballs--and will probably make my own from scratch next time.

Easy Stuffed Shells
(TOH)

12 Ounce jumbo pasta shells
26 Ounce tomato sauce
Italian seasoning
36 frozen cooked italian meatballs
2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Cook meatballs according to package directions.
Mix desired amount of Italian seasoning with sauce.
Place 1/2 cup sauce in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Place a meatball in each shell; transferred to prepared dish. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
Cover and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Serving Size: 1 shell
Yields: 12 servings

As always... comments are love!

Back again-with Cheesy Ham & Potato Casserole!

2010-04-04T20:58:00.006-04:00

This time, my 'disappearance' from blogging was for legitimate reasons, I promise! Nate & I recently moved, and this time it was a lot harder than the move from one apartment to another! We are now renting a cottage, and when we moved some of our things in, we also had to move some of their things (dishes etc) out to storage. Not fun. And, I am super particular about how things should be packed.

Not that it was that beneficial--two of my Great-Grandma's fine china dishes still broke. :( Which was pretty devastating, but I have no one to blame but myself. Which is precisely why I insisted that I be the one to pack those---no being mad at Nate!

We are (essentially) moved in now, just finishing up the organizing/cleaning, so hopefully I will have some more time now to type up the recipes I've been hoarding and get them on here!

And I will apologize now for all the recipes without pictures... the camera was MIA off & on during all of this!

Cheesy Ham & Potato Casserole
(Home Cooking)

24 Ounce package golden round potatoes or hash browns
21.5 Ounce cream of mushroom soup
2 Cup diced cooked ham
1 1/2 Cup milk
2 Tablespoon butter
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon chopped onion
8 Ounce cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:
Place potatoes, mushroom soup, ham, milk, butter, salt, and onion in slow cooker and turn on low. Cook for 4 hours. Before serving, add cheese until melted.

Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 5 m
Cook Time: 4 h
Total Time: 4 h 5 m

This turned out very soupy, which may have had something to do with the fact that I used frozen hashbrowns. I would not recommend that--at least thaw them before using!
Nate isn't fond of the ham/cheddar taste, so I probably wouldn't make this again. Otherwise, if it weren't for the soupy-ness, I would say this has quite a bit of potential.

As always... comments are love!!

Savory Cheese Soup

2010-03-12T21:06:00.000-05:00

After someone recommended cheese soup & cheesy biscuits as a good meal (I can't remember who), I had been wanting to try a cheese soup! I found this recipe, and thought it sounded great. Aside from the cream cheese not melting well which may have been due to lack of patience), I thought it turned out pretty good.
Turns out, Nathan doesn't like cheese soups.

Oh well... a lesson learned. I won't be making this again, but maybe one of you can enjoy it! :)

Savory Cheese Soup
(TOH)

43.5 Ounce chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1/4 Cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 Tablespoon butter
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
1/3 Cup all purpose flour
1/3 Cup cold water
8 Ounce cream cheese, cubed and softened
2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
croutons, popcorn, cooked crumbled bacon, sliced green onion etc.

Instructions:
In a slow cooker, combine the first eight ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Combine flour and water until smooth; stir into soup. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes longer or until soup is thickened.
Stir in cream cheese and cheddar cheese until blended. Cover and cook on low until heated through. Serve with desired toppings.

Yields: 6-8
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 8.5 h
Total Time: 8 h 45 m

Bob's Crab Cakes

2010-03-10T21:01:00.000-05:00

I love crab, so when I came across a recipe for crab cakes that basically boasted it was perfect, I had to try it.

Well, it might've been perfect, but the stupid things wouldn't hold together, so I'll never know.

(There is no picture intentionally. I basically made 'Bob's Crab Stir Fry' by the time it was done. It wasn't pretty.)

If you try this, let me know how it turns out. Maybe I'm just an idiot who couldn't do it right. :)

Bob's Crab Cakes
(TOH)

2 slices day old bread, cut into 1/4" cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
2 Teaspoon worchestershire sauce
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
18 Ounce crabmeat, chopped finely
2 Tablespoon canola oil

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; mix well. Add crab; mix gently. Form mixture into eight balls; flatten slightly. In a large nonstick skillet, cook the crab cakes in oil for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Yields: 8 crab cakes
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 5 m
Total Time: 20 m

Golden Garlic Bread

2010-03-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

This was an AMAZING find. This garlic bread is clog-your-arteries-as-you-eat-it good. (Which means that I REALLY need to find ways to make this healthier!)
The only downside (aside from clogging your arteries) is that it has entirely too much butter. It made it have a greasy taste to it. I'll cut down on the butter (maybe 1/2 cup?) for next time, but I will definitely make this again.

(Also, I cut the recipe in half when I made it... one loaf of garlic bread is too much for two of us! We ate some with dinner, and reheated the rest another time. It reheats surprisingly well, if you just broil it for a couple more minutes again!)
Golden Garlic Bread
(TOH)

3/4 Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
3 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 Cup grated parmesan
1/2 Cup onion, chopped
1 Teaspoon italian bread
1-2 Clove garlic, minced
1 Loaf french bread, cut in half lengthwise

Instructions:
In a small mixing bowl, beat butter and mayonnaise until blended. Stir in the cheeses, onions, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Spread over cut sides of bread. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Broil 4-6” from heat for 3-5 minutes or until topping is lightly browned and bubbly. Cut into 2” slices.

Yields: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 5
Total Time: 20 m

Savory Parmesan Bites

2010-03-02T18:12:00.000-05:00

Has anyone ever noticed the Meijer 'mealbox' or the recipe cards in the Meijer stores? I've glanced at them before, but never paid too much attention to them. I'm not fond of the Meijer website, and the cards never really catch my attention. This one did, though. We were grocery shopping, and I saw this. I thought it would be worth a try--we had everything but the crescents, and the pepper was probably going to go to waste if I didn't use it here. So, we tried it!
Unfortunately, I was not very fond of these. Nate enjoyed them, but most of them went to waste. I think part of it was that crescents are going lower and lower on the list of my favorite 'bread' type things... but I can't properly explain why. Oh well! I may try this recipe with something else bread-like... and maybe do a small substitution for the cream cheese? We'll see!

Savory Parmesan Bites
(Meijer)

4 Ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 Cup grated parmesan
4 Ounce refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
Parsley

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350.
Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup parmesan with mixer until well blended.
Separate dough into 4 rectangles; seal seams. Spread with cream cheese mixture; top with peppers and parsley. Fold each rectangle lengthwise into thirds to enclose filling; cut into 4 squares. Place seam side down, on baking sheet; top with remaining parmesan.
Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Yields: 16 'bites'
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 15 m
Total Time: 30 m

Broccoli Stuffed Shells

2010-03-01T20:06:00.000-05:00

I don't know where I found this recipe... it was something I found when looking through the recipe books at Mama's.
I love the idea of stuffed shells, but I haven't liked any of the stuffed shells recipes we've tried. This one was OK, it just had too much spaghetti sauce. If I changed that, and maybe added more seasonings, it would have the potential to be pretty good.
Until you re-heat it.
Now remember, my mother taught me well--I HATE wasting food. Hate it. But this was one of those meals that, when re-heated, Nate & I looked at each other and suggested that we get that frozen pizza out of the freezer. It was GROSS.
So... overall rating? Not very impressed.

Broccoli Stuffed Shells

12 jumbo pasta shells
14 Ounce spaghetti sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Margarine
1/2 Pound ricotta cheese
1/2 Cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 egg
5 Ounce chopped broccoli
1/4 Cup shredded parmesan
1/2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Heat sauce, pour enough to cover the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Mix margarine, ricotta, egg, broccoli, and 1/2 of the cheeses. Stuff shells, arrange in pan over sauce. Add rest of sauce and sprinkle with rest of cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Serves: 4
Serving Size: 3 shells
Prep Time: 20 m
Cook Time: 40 m
Total Time: 1 hr

Warm Savory Cheese Spread

2010-02-28T17:05:00.000-05:00

This was another mildly failed attempt at cooking. It was OK, but not something I could have more than a few bites of.
I am not a fan of mayo, so that may have had something to do with it. Maybe we will try it again, when there are more people to taste test? See if anyone else enjoys it more? It had an interesting taste....
We'll see.

(Note: I used my hearty whole wheat bread recipe for this!)

Warm Savory Cheese Spread (TOH)

2 Cup mayonnaise
2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Large onion, finely chopped
8 bacon strips, crumbled
1/2 Cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
1/2 Cup finely chopped green pepper
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 round loaf (1 pound) bread

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Cut the top fourth off the load of bread; carefully hollow out bottom, leaving a 1" shell. Spoon cheese mixture into bread shell.
Wrap in a piece of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until heated through. Serve with crackers.

Serving Size: 4 cups
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 15 m

Chicken & Noodles Skillet

2010-02-22T19:26:00.003-05:00

So, you may be wondering why it's been almost a month since I posted last.
I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth.
I haven't stopped cooking.
I just have been accumulating the pile of 'recipes to post' rather than actually posting any recipes.
On the plus side, I should have enough for quite a few posts, without having to cook anything new. :)

This is something I made a little while ago, from some chicken we cooked in the crock pot. You can mix & match with veggies... and make it very interesting!

Chicken & Noodles Skillet
(Betty Crocker)

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Pound chicken breasts, chopped
1 Medium onion, chopped
2 Cup veggies
1 Cup uncooked egg noddles
14 Ounce chicken broth
10.75 Ounce condensed cream of chicken soup
Parsley

Instructions: In a 12" nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook chicken and onion in oil for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned and onion is just tender.
Stir in remaining ingredients except parsley. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5-8 minutes longer, stirring occassionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center and noodles are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup
Prep Time: 40
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 40

Kielbasa Bow Tie Skillet

2010-01-31T21:03:00.000-05:00

Nate loves kielbasa, so I was searching for recipes to try with it--eating it all as snacks just seemed a little too bad. :) I found this recipe at TOH, and it was a clear winner! We'll tweak the recipe over time, and try different veggies (I don't remember what we tried the first time, and I can't seem to find a picture), but it is definitely worth trying again!

Kielbasa Bow Tie Skillet
(TOH)

8 Ounce uncooked bow tie pasta
1 Pound kielbasa, cut into 1/4" pieces
1/2 Cup mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 Teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 Cup milk
1 1/2 Cup snow peas
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the sausage, mushrooms, and garlic in butter.
Combine cornstarch and milk until smooth; gradually add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Drain pasta; add to the sausage mixture. Stir in peas and cheese; cook until cheese is melted.

Serves: 4

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

2010-01-27T21:14:00.001-05:00

I don't remember where I got this recipe, but I probably wouldn't try it again. I've tried a couple different potato soups, and this was the least satisfying. It was not thick enough, and had very little flavor. The Italian seasoning is something we added as we were eating, to try to get it to taste better.

We had this when my little brother was visiting for the weekend... his comment? "Why don't you just use Mom's recipe? Her'ss is amazing."
...my reply is that I probably will next time. Maybe this is what I get for trying to perfect something that's already perfect. :)
(We had this with the cheesy onion breadsticks! At least THOSE turned out great!)

On another topic, does anyone else always want to spell 'potato' with an 'e' at the end? It's probably because plural is 'potatoes', but I have to erase the 'e' every darn time I spell that word singular... oh well. :)

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 Large onion
1 carrot, cut into 2" chunks
1 Stalk celery, cut into 2" pieces
1 Tablespoon Parsley
5 Cup water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 Tablespoon salt
pepper, to taste
Italian seasoning
1 1/2 Cup milk

Instructions:
Place all ingredients but milk in a slow cooker. Cook on low 10 to 12 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours. During the last hour of cooking, add milk.

Yumm!

Cheesy Onion Breadsticks

2010-01-25T18:45:00.000-05:00

This is something I made with potato soup when my little brother was visiting over the weekend. The soup was slightly disappointing (recipe to follow), but this turned out AMAZING. Very quick, and Nate rated this almost as good as my Cheddar Biscuits. And those only rate behind cheesecake and his herbed wheat muffins! (I'm making the muffins soon... recipe to follow!)

The recipe calls for onion, but I made it without, and it turned out just great. I think I will try it with onion at some point, however.

Cheesy Onion Breadsticks
(Cooking for Two)

1/2 Cup Bisquick
2 Tablespoon milk
1/4 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/8 Teaspoon garlic powder
2 Teaspoon butter, melted

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine the bisquick, milk, cheese, onion, and garlic powder. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times. Roll into a 4x6 rectangle. Cut lengthwise into four strips. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter.

Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1 breadstick
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 20

Mmm.... yummy meal!

Chicken a la King

2010-01-23T21:34:00.002-05:00

This was one more recipe where I used chicken from the whole chicken we cooked! This was surprisingly easy, and surprisingly amazing. I was expecting the green pepper to be a little overwhelming, but it wasn't. Nate was very pleased with this one, also-- definitely something I would make again!

Chicken a la King
(TOH)

1/2 Cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 Cup chopped green pepper
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 Cup chicken broth
1/2 Cup milk
Dash salt
Dash pepper
1 1/2 Cup cubed cooked chicken
2 slices bread

Instructions:
In a small saucepan, saute mushrooms and green pepper in butter for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in the flour, broth, milk, salt, and pepper until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
Add the chicken, heat through. Serve with toast.

Note: The original recipe called for turkey vs chicken, and called for 2 t diced pimientos, added with the chicken. We had chicken, so I used that, and for the life of me, I can't EVER find pimientos in the store, so I just never add that.

Stuffed Breadsticks

2010-01-20T17:06:00.000-05:00

These things are AMAZING. I got this from Kate at Cooking During Stolen Moments.... she has some amazing recipes.
The only fault I have with this recipe is that we didn't like how they re-heated. Oh well, they were still great!

Stuffed Breadsticks
(Cooking During Stolen Moments)

1 Teaspoon yeast
1 Teaspoon sugar
3/4 Cup warm water
1/4 Cup olive oil
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon Italian seasoning
2-3 Cup flour
8 string cheese sticks, cut in half
32 Slice Pepperoni
2 Tablespoon butter, melted
Topping:
2 Teaspoon Parmesan
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 Teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions:
Let yeast and sugar dissolve in warm water in a large mixing bowl for about 5 minutes. Add olive oil, salt, and Italian seasoning. Slowly add the flour until completely combined and dough is no longer sticky. Knead for 5 minutes, place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour.
On a floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle. Cut into 16 squares. At the edge of each square, place one piece of string cheese and 2 pieces of pepperoni. Roll up and tuck in sides. Place on baking sheet.
Brush melted butter over each breadstick. Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl, and sprinkle on top. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves: 8
Serving Size: 2 breadsticks
Yields: 16

Chicken Soup with Dumplings

2010-01-18T16:54:00.000-05:00

This was something else we made from the chicken we cooked the other day. Most of the measurements here are approximate, because I was just kinda throwing things together. :) The dumplings are Grandma's recipe... this is 1/2 the dumpling recipe. I actually used a full recipe when I made this, but it thickened everything. I definitely would only use 1/2 next time.

It turned out pretty good... I was quite proud of myself. :)

Chicken Soup with Dumplings
(Me, Grandma Mickey)

3 Cup chicken stock
4 1/2 Cup water
1 Small onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
2 Stalk celery, sliced
2 Medium potato, peeled & cut into 2" pieces
salt
pepper
Thyme
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Pound chicken, cooked, cut into small pieces
1/2 Cup flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/2 egg
1/2-3/4 Cup milk

Instructions:
Put stock, boullion cubes, water, and onion in large pot; bring to a boil. Add vegetables and chicken, cook 5-10 minutes or until veggies are tender.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add egg and milk. Drop by teaspoonfuls into soup, simmer for another 10 minutes.
Enjoy.

(Yes, that is the homemade french bread next to the soup. Amazing.)

Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli

2010-01-16T16:39:00.004-05:00

We had this Friday night when Kyle was visiting... the guys both like it, but I was pretty disappointed. There isn't much flavor to this. I am going to try adding pea pods, and other seasonings next time. Maybe oregano? We'll see... whatever I'm in the mood for. :)

Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli
(Can't remember where I got this one...)

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 1/2 Cup milk
3/4 Cup Parmesan
1 Tablespoon butter
6 Ounce fettuccine
4 Cup broccoli
Parsley
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon pepper

Instructions:
Whisk flour, salt, pepper, and 1/4 c milk in a medium saucepan. Whisk in remaining milk. Bring to a slow simmer, stirring, over medium heat.
Stir in cheese and butter, stirring until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep sauce warm.
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli to pasta water during last 5-7 minutes of cooking.
Drain pasta and broccoli. Transfer to a large serving bowl and toss well with cheese sauce and parsley.

Serves: 4

Also: I've updated the chili recipe, with the pictures!

Zippy Slow Cooked Chili

2010-01-13T20:19:00.003-05:00

Update: Yay, we now have pictures!

First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of a picture. I have an amazing new camera, and I totally forgot to take a picture of this!

Granted, I probably forgot because I didn't actually eat this... as Nate was eating this, I was eating a sloppy joe. Why, you ask? Well, that would be because I don't like chili. At all. (I know, I know, every family member who reads this is ready to disown me. Don't disown me just yet, please.)

But, I decided that I would be a good wife, and sacrifice for my husband. My house smells like chili. (That was the sacrifice part.) I got this ready before I went to work in the morning, and had it all ready when my husband got home from school. (See? Good wife.)

Family members still waiting to hear why they shouldn't disown me? Well... apparently I make really freakin' good chili. That's why. :) (And because you love me. Admit it.)

Nate said that he's had many chilis much worse than mine, and very few better. Which, for someone making chili for the first time who doesn't like chili, I would say that's pretty impressive.

(Picture will follow.... I'll update later, when we get a picture.)

Zippy Slow-Cooked Chili
(Taste of Home)

1 Pound ground beef
28 Ounce diced tomatoes, undrained
1 Medium onion, chopped
1 Medium green pepper, chopped
15 Ounce vegetarian chili
8 Ounce tomato sauce
2 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon Parsley
1 Tablespoon dried basil
2 Teaspoon ground cumin
4 Clove garlic, minced
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 Teaspoon pepper
1/8 Teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 Tablespoon minced chives
shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:
In a nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 3 qt slow cooker. Add everything but the cheese.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Serves: 6

Homestyle Chicken & Biscuits

2010-01-10T19:10:00.000-05:00

This is the first thing we made with our chicken from the other day! Very yummy! Obviously, this is just a general casserole-type recipe, but I was craving a casserole-type thing. :) I haven't made anything like this in awhile, and it sounds like a great way to use our chicken.

It turned out great... I would definitely experiment more with the spices, though.

Homestyle Chicken & Biscuits
(Campbell's)

10.75 Ounce cream of chicken soup (reduced fat & reduced sodium)
1/4 Cup milk
3/4 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
16 Ounce frozen veggies, thawed
1 Cup chicken, cooked
1 Package Refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400. Stir the soup, milk, cheese, and peppers in a 3-qt shallow baking dish. Stir in the veggies and chicken.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the chicken mixture. Top the chicken mixture with the biscuits.
Bake for 12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 27
Total Time: 35

French Bread

2010-01-09T20:56:00.004-05:00

...AKA "I wish I could make bread look pretty."

I love to make bread. It just never turns out pretty.

Take this french bread, for example. Tastes? AMAZING. Looks? Like a 4-year-old made it. Possibly a blind four year old. With his feet.

Oh well, at least it tastes good.

French Bread
(Better Homes & Gardens)

5 1/2-6 Cup flour
4 1/2 Teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 Teaspoon salt
2 Cup warm water (120-130 degrees)
Cornmeal
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water

Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 c flour, the yeast, and salt. Add the 2 c warm water to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (8-10 min). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease dough surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest 10 min. Meanwhile, lightly grease a baking sheet; sprinkle greased basksign sheet with cornmeal.
Roll each dough half into a 15x10 rectangle. Tightly roll up, starting from a long side; seal well. If desired, pinch and slightly pull ends to taper them. Place shaped dough, seam sides down, on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together egg white and the 1 T water. Brush some of the egg white mixture over loaf tops. Let rise until nearly double in size (35-45 minutes).
Preheat oven to 375. Using a sharp knife, make 3-4 diagonal cuts about 1/4" deep across each loaf top. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush again with some of the egg white mixture. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes more or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove loaves from baking sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Serves: 28
Serving Size: 1 slice
Yields: 2 loaves (28 slices)
Total Time: 3 hrs

I think my biggest problem this time was that the cuts were not deep enough... so it cracked. :(

I'm back! And cooking a WHOLE CHICKEN!

2010-01-04T19:17:00.004-05:00

I didn't intend to take a break from blogging, but I am most definitely back from "vacation." Between illness, and not being home, I haven't had time to blog. I've barely even been cooking! We had all of our holidays away from home, so I haven't been in the kitchen much.
That is changing now. :)

I have never liked raw poultry. I can handle raw beef, raw venison, raw fish... just don't give me a raw bird. I find it disgusting. I don't like handling raw chicken breasts, so the thought of a whole raw chicken really bothered me, to say the least. Plus, it was just intimidating! So when I saw the Happy Housewife post this, I was pretty excited. Cook a chicken in a crock pot? I just rinse the chicken, dump it in, and walk away for hours? No oven or anything? Hmm... I can try that.
(Granted, I still have to handle the chicken, but this takes away a lot of the intimidation.)

So, we got a whole chicken (85 cents a pound? AWESOME), got a new bigger crockpot (thank you Mama for Christmas money), and tried it!

I put the chicken in at about 8 this morning, sprinkled some spices on it, took it out at about six when I got home, and it was beautiful. Cooked completely (which is a huge fear of mine with cooking meat)--in fact, so completely that it basically fell apart when I took it out of the crockpot.

And let's not forget the fact that my house smells great.

(Isn't my hubby so amazing? I didn't even ask him to help, he just walked in the kitchen as I was pulling the chicken out, helped me get it out, and started tossing bones and the skin back in the crockpot.)

We ate some of the meat right away (yes, it smelled that amazing), put some in a casserole (tomorrow's post!), gave a few bites to the puppy, and put the rest in the freezer.

(This is what it looked like right when I took it out... I had it in for so long, it was falling apart.)

I left all the juices in the crockpot, and added the bones when we de-boned it. Then I added 5 cups of water, and put it back on low. In the morning, I will have lovely chicken broth--ready for soup, and whatever other use later!

(Doesn't Remus look so happy to be cleaning the cutting board?? :) Then he sat and looked at me, practically asking for more. LOL. )

Buckeyes

2009-12-20T20:45:00.004-05:00

I have so many fond memories of making these with Grandma when I was younger!
Fighting with my siblings and cousins over who gets to eat the 'snowmen'....
Dropping the WHOLE buckeye into the chocolate, then having to fish it out with a spoon....
Sneaking some when Grandma wasn't looking (just kidding Grandma! We would never do that. Ever.) ...
Hiding some in my bedroom so my brothers wouldn't eat them all...

...the more I think about it, the more I am amazed that Grandma was willing to do this with us (the cousins). Oh well, we did have loads of fun! And I'm assuming Grandma had fun too. We must have been pretty entertaining, at the very least.

This was my first time making these by myself, without Mama or Grandma doing the majority of the work. I was pretty nervous, and had a near mishap (for some reason, I first measured 3 cups of powdered sugar. If it's REALLY sticky and liquidy, you didn't add enough powdered sugar), but they turned out pretty well! I am quite proud of myself. :)

Grandma Mickey's Buckeyes

3 Pound powdered sugar
2 Pound peanut butter
1 Pound butter, softened
12 Ounce semisweet chocolate chips
12 Ounce milk chocolate chips
1 bar paraffin

Instructions:
Mix together powdered sugar, peanut butter, and butter. Roll into small balls; refrigerate overnight. (Or freeze for a couple hours.) Melt together chocolate chips and parrafin wax, preferably in a double boiler. Dip balls in chocolate mixture using toothpicks to spear. Drop on wax paper. Chill.

(Note how pretty mine are! And the snowmen. I LOVE making snowmen. Seriously, three buckeyes for one! WOOHOO!)

GRADUATION

2009-12-20T20:37:00.003-05:00

So, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I (finally) graduated from college yesterday. (I say finally because the last 4 1/2 years have seemed like TWENTY.)
I earned my bachelor degree in health care systems administration, and I was SO excited to be done! We had a small get-together at the apartment afterwards... I forgot to get the camera out until after Uncle Rod & Aunt Joy left, but here are some pictures.

(The baby was definitely the center of attention for a lot of the time!)

(Nate & Kyle were teaching Jonah how to play Little Big Planet...)

(It is extremely hard to get both kids to look @ the camera!!)
(Now Kate is learning!)

Peppered meatballs, and an update on the puppy

2009-12-12T20:04:00.004-05:00

So, first of all, we've changed Georgie's name to Remus. We'll see how well he takes to his new name.... :)

This recipe was something I tried for dinner... and it was a little TOO peppery. Other than that, it was VERY good! So, we are adapting it for the next time!

It is very flavorful. All of the little ingredients really added to the flavor of the meatballs themselves, and the sauce was spectacular. I was concerned that there might be too much of the sour cream flavor, but that wasn't much of a problem at all.

No pictures though... so you'll just have to imagine what it looks like. :) (When we have the leftovers, I'll get a picture.)

Peppered Meatballs
(TOH)

1/2 Cup sour cream
2 Teaspoon Parmesan
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon dry bread crumbs
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 Pound ground beef
sauce:
1 Cup sour cream
10.75 Ounce condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 Teaspoon dill weed
1/2 Teaspoon sugar
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:
In a bowl, combine sour cream and Parmesan. Add pepper, salt, bread crumbs, and garlic powder. Crumble meat over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1" balls. Place in a greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Transfer meatballs to a slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until heated through.

Serve over hot buttered noodles for a main course.

Yields: about 20 meatballs, 2 c sauce

GEORGIE!

2009-12-11T22:09:00.004-05:00

If you weren't aware, I am graduating next week. (Which, if you've talked to me recently, would be hard not to be aware of, since it's one of the only things I can talk about lately.)
If you weren't aware, Christmas is in two weeks. (... I don't know how this could come as a surprise, given the stores have been advertising it for two months, and the fact that us Michiganders just got a couple truckloads of snow dumped on every square foot of the state.)

Due to these fantastic events, my husband decided I could have a dog for Christmas/graduation. (Seriously, isn't he the best husband EVER?)

I have been oogling over puppies/dogs on the shelter website for a few weeks, changing my mind every day or so on what adorable, sad-looking puppy I wanted. (Note that all dogs were being called puppies at this point.)

I convinced Nate last week that we should go to the shelter TODAY, the 11th, to get the puppy. We were originally thinking tomorrow (Saturday), but I want to go visit my parents Sunday, so we decided to give the dog time to get used to us and the house before took a road trip.

Last night, once last time, I checked out the shelter website. There were two VERY cute coonhounds there--a red, and a brown/black. The red was older (a few years?) and the black/brown was 4 months. A little younger than we wanted, but he just looked so SAD. I promised Nate I would consider all the puppies though!

When we got there, we saw the black/brown coonhound first. It was basically love at first sight! I wanted to take him home right away! He was super adorable, and so sweet! I checked out the other dogs (the red coonhound was gone), and I was slightly tempted by an adorable spaniel mix. He was very sweet too, but I had to take the hound. :)

His name is George, and he is the sweetest dog I've ever met. He is pretty shy, and was scared at first. He's quickly getting used to his new home though!

(Although he seems to be afraid of heights... won't go up or down our stairs, I've had to carry him every time. He's 40+ pounds, and just shakes in my arms. Tomorrow I'm going to try the trip w/ treats, and see how well that goes.)

And we are discovering he kinda snores... which actually just increases his adorable-ness right now!

Ham-Stuffed Jumbo Shells

2009-12-05T19:09:00.003-05:00

I've never made stuffed shells before, so this was interesting to me. As usual, I thought it had too much green pepper in it... I still haven't learned to like that stuff. :)

Probably wouldn't make this again--Nate wasn't fond of the green pepper-ham combo. Otherwise, I thought it was pretty good. Just need some alterations for next time! Cut out the green pepper, replace with something else maybe.

Ham-Stuffed Jumbo Shells
(TOH)

12 jumbo pasta shells
1 1/2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 Cup milk
1/4 Pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 Cup chopped onions
1/4 Cup chopped green pepper
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 Cup cubed fully cooked ham
1 Cup shredded 4 cheese mexican cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoon grated parmesan
1/2 Teaspoon Parsley

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion, and green pepper in oil until tender. Reduce heat; add the ham, 1/2 cup cheese, and parmesan. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1/4 cup of the reserved sauce.
Drain pasta, stuff each shell with about 3 tbsp of filling. Place in an 8x8 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining sauce. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley, and remaining cheese.

Serves: 4
Serving Size: 3 stuffed shells
Yields: 12

Calories: 274
Cholesterol: 26 mg
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Calories From Fat:
Protein: 23 g
Carbohydrates: 30 g
Sodium: 703 mg
Fiber: 2 g

Pizza!!

2009-12-02T19:26:00.004-05:00

I love pizza. Love, love, love it! Granted, it's really not very good for me, so I try not to have it too much.

Nate loves having whole wheat crust, so I started using this recipe. I won't eat the crust around the edges--I think it's a little too dry. Other than that, I love this recipe. We changes the ingredients a lot, this is just what I used the last time. :)

Whole Wheat Pan Pizza
(Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

1 1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 Teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Cup warm water (120-130 degrees)
2 Tablespoon cooking oil/olive oil
15 Ounce pizza sauce
1 Teaspoon pizza seasonings
4+ Cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 mushroom, cut into small pieces
1/2 Small onion, chopped finely
1/4 Cup ham, chopped
3 Ounce Pepperoni

Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the whole wheat flour as you can.
Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total). Cover, let rest for 10 minutes.

Grease a large round pizza pan. If desired, sprinkle with cornmeal. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough enough to cover the pan, with some excess. Transfer to prepared pan. Build up edges slightly with excess dough.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double (30-45 minutes).
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400. Prick dough with a fork. Bake 10-15 minutes or until light brown. Spread with pizza sauce, seasonings, cheese, and toppings. Bake about 10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Cut each pizza into 8 wedges.

Serves: 8

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

2009-11-29T19:25:00.004-05:00

I made this for dessert, when we had dinner with Nate's parents yesterday. It turned out GREAT! Very sweet; I couldn't have much.

Definitely something we would make again! The only problem is that is makes a 9x13 pan, and when you only have one piece at a time.... it's going to take us FOREVER to get through that pan! :) (Any volunteers to come help?)

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert
(TOH)

17 miniature ice cream sandwiches, divided
8 Ounce caramel ice cream topping
24 Ounce frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 Cup chocolate syrup
8 Ounce candy bar, chopped

Instructions:
Arrange 14 ice cream sandwiches in an ungreased 13x9x2 pan. Cut remaining sandwiches in half lengthwise; fill in the spaces in the dish. Spread with caramel and whipped topping.
Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Sprinkle with chopped candy bar. Cover and freeze for at least 45 minutes. Cut into squares.

Serves: 15-18
Serving Size: 1 bar
Prep Time: 20
Total Time: 65 m

There were some changes I made, and some I will make for the next time. I already made the changes in the recipe, though.

Also... if you couldn't tell, there was no chocolate syrup in the pictures. This is because I completely forgot about the chocolate syrup. Oops. Oh well, we'll do it next time!

(Sorry for the 'final' picture... obviously, we'd had some, and the carmel is still pretty soft.)

Makeover French Silk Pie

2009-11-28T22:18:00.001-05:00

This was the other pie I made for Thanksgiving, which turned out very yummy also! This was at my little brother's request... I was planning on making pumpkin (which he doesn't like, and neither do I), so he asked for French Silk Pie.

It tasted great, but was an absolute pain to make! I'm assuming that I cooked it too long (when waiting for the bubbles to appear; see instructions). I thought for sure I ruined it, but I didn't. :)

Makeover French Silk Pie (TOH)

pastry for single-crust pie (9")
1 1/2 Teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 1/4 Cup cold milk, divided
2/3 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup cornstarch
1/4 Cup baking cocoa
3 egg yolks
3 Tablespoon butter
2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cup whipped topping
chocolate curls, optional

Instructions:
Line a 9” pie plate with pastry; trim and flute edges. Line pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450 for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small heavy saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 1 cup milk; let stand for 1 minute. Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form around sides of bowl. Combine egg yolks and remaining milk; whisk into sugar mixture until blended.
Add a small amount of hot milk mixture to sugar mixture; return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Whisk vigorously over medium heat.
Add a small amount of hot milk mixture to sugar mixture; return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Whisk vigorously over medium heat as mixture begins to thicken (mixture will become very thick). Bring to a boil; whisk 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; whisk in butter and vanilla.
Transfer to a large metal bowl. Lightly coat waxed paper with a cooking spray; press onto surface of sugar mixture. Refrigerate for 45-60 minutes or until mixture reaches 80 degrees.
Beat the cocoa mixture on high speed for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and glossy, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly into crush. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired.

Serves: 8
Serving Size: 1 slice
Yields: 1 pie

Calories: 322
Cholesterol: 97 mg
Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Protein: 4 g
Carbohydrates: 40 g
Sodium: 167 mg
Fiber: 1 g

Go here for the recipe I use for pie crust, and for what to do with any extra crust!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Any interesting recipes/stories to share?

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

2009-11-27T07:13:00.004-05:00

First of all, let me say that I've never made a pie like this before. (Really, nothing similar, other than cheesecake & refrigerate-only pies!) I don't even like pumpkin pie.

But apparently, this turned out great! Mom, Dad, and Nathan loved it. (Kyle and I don't like pumpkin pie, and that's everyone that was there for Thanksgiving.)

It was incredibly easy to make!

Perfect Pumpkin Pie
(TOH)

15 Ounce can pumpkin
14 Ounce sweetened condensed milk
2 Large eggs
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon salt
9" unbaked pie crust

Instructions:
Heat oven to 425. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices, and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust.
Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350; bake an additional 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted 1” from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired.

Serves: 8
Serving Size: 1 slice
Yields: 1 pie
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 50
Total Time: 65

Go here for the recipe I use for pie crusts, and to see what to do with the extra crust! :)

Any interesting stories/recipes for Thanksgiving?

Something to be Thankful For

2009-11-26T08:09:00.003-05:00

This Thanksgiving, my family has a lot to be thankful for.

We all have homes, food to eat, clothes to wear, and most of all--each other.

Aunt Joy is recovering from her surgery.

My Dad is alive and well after his accident, a year ago today.

My brother is finally married, to an amazing woman!

Every year, we still get the opportunity to get together as a large group, and see the whole family. (Even though we can't all make it every year, we have the opportunity.)

My in-laws are healthy, and we all got together as a family to celebrate my nephew's birthday last weekend.

I have a wonderful nephew & niece, who are happy and healthy. (And oh-so-adorable.)

And life is just good!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

What to Do with Extra Pie Crusts

2009-11-24T21:33:00.004-05:00

It's nearly Thanksgiving. You are making your pies and -gasp- there is extra crust! What do you do? (Ignoring my over-dramatic-ness, of course).

You make these:
Mickey's Amazing Blackberry Tarts

This is something I learned from my Grandma. Whenever she had extra pie crust and I was over, she would let me have the extra and we would make 'blackberry pie.' We would simply take the extra dough, put it into a muffin tin, and fill with blackberry jam. (Homemade blackberry jam.... not that anyone would ever buy the store-bought kind. Silly people.) Then, bake until the crusts look golden brown, probably 10-15 minutes.

When these came out of the oven, Nathan & I both burned our tongues. Quite badly actually, but it was SO worth it.

Obviously, there can be a lot of variation with these. Different fillings, add a topping, don't use the muffin tin, etc. This was just what we did tonight.

This is the recipe I use for pie crust...

Pastry for Single-Crust Pie
(Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook)

1 1/4 Cup all-Purpose flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup shortening
4-5 Tablespoon cold water

Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea size.
2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the flour mixture, gently toss with a fork. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon of the water at a time, until all the flour mixture is moistened. Form pastry into a ball.
3. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten pastry. Roll pastry from center to edges into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
4. Wrap pastry circle around the rolling pin. Unroll into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease into pie plate without stretching it.
5. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edges as desired. Do not prick pastry. Fill and bake pastry as directed in recipes.

Yields: 1 pie crust

Calories: 140
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Protein: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 14 g
Sodium: 73 mg
Fiber: 0 g

Happiness = Cheesecake...or, how my husband fell in love with me

2009-11-22T20:42:00.004-05:00

Have you heard the saying that the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach?

Yeah. This is how I got Nathan to fall in love with me.

So, a few years ago, I was dating this guy. Really cute, great guy. I really wanted to impress this great guy and do something nice for him, since he was always so sweet to me. I discovered that he likes cheesecake, so I thought "hey! That should be easy to make. I'll do that for him!"
I found a recipe, then asked my mama what in the world a springform pan was, and if we had one. Long story short, we didn't have one, I didn't want to buy one, so I found another recipe.

This is now the recipe that Nathan always requests for birthdays, etc. Along with everyone else in my family. And his family.

Cheese Cake
(Recipes to Remember from McLachlan Family & Friends)

(Yes, that is the only picture I have of the cheesecake. I forgot to take another one, OK? Just imagine it without the purple gel frosting and the dino candles. And the person who makes a crack about the handwriting never gets cheesecake again. Ever.)

19 Ounce cream cheese, softened
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 eggs
1 Cup sour cream
2 graham cracker pie crusts (9" each)
cherry pie filling, if desired

Instructions:
Cream the cheese together. Add sugar; cream together. Add vanilla and eggs. Cream together. Add sour cream. Pour into crusts. Bake for 1 hour at 300 or until center is firm. Top with cherry pie filling, if desired.

Note: You can also add 2 tsp lemon peel. If you do, add with the vanilla and eggs. I just prefer not to most of the time.

Serves: 16
Serving Size: 1 slice
Yields: 2 cheesecakes
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1hr 20m

This was actually done for my nephew's birthday. (Happy early birthday, Nicholas!)
(Just look at how happy he is, eating his birthday cheesecake! His daddy and uncles are teaching him right. Cake? Psh! Cheesecake is way better!)

So.... 5 years later, Nathan still loves me. :) Granted, that may be more than just the cheesecake. You never know though. ;)

Raspberry Sorbet

2009-11-21T11:06:00.004-05:00

This is something I made awhile ago, expecting it to be great AND easy.

Well, at least it was easy to make.

I thought it was just too sweet. I had a bite or two, but most of it went to waste. Nate liked it well enough, though.

Next time... maybe less confectioner's sugar? Not sure what could be done to this without screwing it up. As it was, it took FOREVER to be frozen enough. (That seems to happen with everything.... maybe it's just my freezer.)

Raspberry Sorbet
(Cooking for Two)

4 1/2 Teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/4 Cup fresh/frozen unsweetened raspberries
3/4 Cup confectioner's sugar

Instructions:
In a food processor, combine all ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Pour into two dessert dishes. Cover and freeze for one hour or until edges begin to firm. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Serves: 2
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Yields: 1 cup

Calories: 216
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fat: 0 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Protein: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 55 g
Sodium: 1 mg
Fiber: 5 g

The picture is really a 'before' picture... I put it all in one bowl, then transferred it to different bowls before putting it in the freezer. Just forgot to take a frozen picture... oops. :)

For tomorrow's post.... CHEESECAKE! :)

Chicken Veggie Soup With Dumplings

2009-11-20T06:50:00.000-05:00

Chicken Veggie Soup With Dumplings
Betty Crocker

2 Cup cut-up cooked chicken
4 Cup chicken broth
1 Teaspoon Parsley
Dash Thyme
2 Clove Garlic
12 Ounce frozen mixed veggies, thawed and drained
1 Cup Bisquick
1/3 Cup Milk

Instructions:
In a 3-qt saucepan, heat all ingredients except Bisquick and milk to boiling, stirring occasionally.
In a small bowl, stir bisquick and and milk with fork until soft dough forms. Drop dough by teaspoonful into boiling soup. If dumplings sink into soup, careful bring them to top of broth using slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium low.
Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and cook 15 minutes.

Serves: 6
Serving Size: 1 cup

For my first time making a soup with dumplings, I was pretty excited at how well this turned out. Very yummy!

Sorry for the lack of pictures... I totally forgot. You'll just have to picture its yummy-ness. :)

Peanut Butter Shakes

2009-11-19T20:52:00.000-05:00

This is quite possibly the most amazing recipe I've ever tried. And, of course, it was super easy.

However, it was also so rich that I couldn't finish mine. (Nate had no trouble, of course!) ;)

The only thing I would do differently, is to possibly add a few less PB cups. Or maybe play with it... add Nutella instead of PB, etc! I haven't experimented, but I imagine this would be a very versatile recipe.

Peanut Butter Shakes
(Cooking for Two)

1 1/2 Cup vanilla ice cream
12 miniature peanut butter cups
1/4 Cup milk
3 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Instructions:
In a blender, combine all ingredients; cover and process for 1-2 minutes or until blended. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately.

Serves: 2
Serving Size: 1 shake

(And just look @ how happy my hubby looks here!)

Biscuit Pizza, & Muddy Buddies!

2009-11-18T17:22:00.003-05:00

Last night we tried this new recipe for Biscuit Pizza.... very yummy! We would DEFINITELY make some changes for next time, however! I made some changes initially, but here is the recipe I used last night:

Biscuit Pizza
(Home Cooking)

1 1/2 Pound ground beef
15 Ounce pizza sauce
12-17 Ounce buttermilk biscuit dough
1 1/2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Teaspoon pizza seasonings

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13x9” pan. Brown and drain beef. Stir in pizza sauce.
Pull each biscuit in half, press into prepared pan to cover bottom and up sides slightly. Top with beef mixture. Sprinkle with pizza seasoning, or other seasonings of choice. Bake, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 30

The picture doesn't accurately represent how it tastes! It is very yummy, just doesn't look so great.

Differently for next time, we would cut out the burger, and make it more pizza-ish. (Ham, pepperoni, etc.) Maybe cut down on the cheddar, too. That was interesting, but overall, it took away from the pizza flavor.

I also made Muddy Buddies last night... and the girls at work were pretty happy with me today. :)

Muddy Buddies
(My Mama... who gets the recipe from the Chex box)

9 Cup Chex
1 1/2 Cup Semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 Cup peanut butter
1/4 Cup margarine/butter
2 Tablespoon margarine/butter
1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Cup powdered sugar

Instructions:
Pour cereal into a large bowl, set aside. In a large bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and margarine. Microwave until smooth, stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal, stirring until all pieces are evenly coated.
Pour cereal mixture into a large container with powdered sugar. Shake until all pieces are well-coated, spread on waxed paper to cool.
Sprinkle with extra powdered sugar, if needed.

I do make them a little different than my mama... I add more chocolate/peanut butter mixture, because I have the hardest time getting the darn things coated. Oh well, they turn out fine anyways!

(Lack of pictures is largely because I've been lazy about it lately, even after I got a new battery. Oh well.)

Parmesan Herb Loaf, & happy news!

2009-11-16T19:46:00.002-05:00

Very exciting news!!! My aunt is out of the hospital, and doing well at home!! Not much else to say about that... other than Thank God!! :)

I tried this when one of Nate's friends was visiting--and both guys liked it! (I did too, of course.) I played with the recipe a little already, but am pretty pleased with it. It's very interesting, and moist. And SUPER easy to make! I came across the recipe, thought it looked interesting, went to the kitchen, and not even 15 minutes later it was in the oven. It helps that all the ingredients are things we always have on hand!

We dipped some in olive oil/parmesan seasoning mix, but not necessary-it was great without it.

Parmesan Herb Loaf
(TOH)

1 1/4 Cup all-Purpose flour
3 Tablespoon grated parmesan
1 Teaspoon grated parmesan
1 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon onion powder
1 1/4 Teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup sour cream
2 1/2 Tablespoon Milk
4 1/2 Teaspoon butter, melted
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine the flour, 3 tbsp Parmesan, sugar, onion, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Turn onto a floured surface, adding more flour if needed. Knead for 1 minute. Shape into a round loaf, place on a baking sheet covered with cooking spray. Cut a 1/4" deep cross into the top of the loaf.
Brush with egg white. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1/4 loaf
Yields: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 45

Calories: 257
Cholesterol: 26 mg
Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Protein: 9 g
Carbohydrates: 35 g
Sodium: 446 mg
Fiber: 1 g

(Again, very few pictures, this was when the camera battery was dying.)

Lasagna Roll-Ups: My Way!

2009-11-13T22:11:00.001-05:00

Another post for the day, to make up for the one I missed yesterday. :)

This recipe is a mixture of a lasagna roll-up recipe I saw somewhere, and the recipe I learned from my mama & grandma. And... the small touches I've added! :) Enjoy!

Lasagna Roll-Ups

15 lasagna noodles
1 Pound ground burger
1 Container pasta sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, sliced into small pieces
2 Teaspoon Italian seasoning, or various similar spices
1 Package ricotta cheese
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Parmesan
4-5 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan, if desired
Italian seasoning, if desired

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Seperate noodles right away to keep from sticking.
Mix ricotta, egg, and 1/3 cup parmesan in a bowl, set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook meat through. Add onion and garlic when meat is almost cooked. When cooked, add pasta sauce, keep on low or medium low to warm through.
Lay out 3-4 lasagna noodles on clean tabletop or cutting board. Spread small amount of ricotta mixture on each, then meat mixture, then sprinkle with mozzarella. Roll up each noodle carefully, then lay seam side down in a 13x9 pan. Repeat process for all 15 noodles.
Cover with remaining meat sauce and mozzarella. Sprinkle with more parmesean and Italian seasoning, if desired.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 25
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 40
(Lack of pictures due to lack of a camera battery.)

Chicken Alfredo Stromboli, update on life

2009-11-13T21:53:00.000-05:00

So... why no post yesterday? Well, yesterday was quite possibly the most stressful day in the life of my entire family. My aunt Joy (second mom, basically) had a serious surgery, which did not go as planned (to say the least). She is doing well right now, but last night was a little stressful, so no post. No real dinner either, just munching while waiting for updated phone calls.
--Additional prayers are always welcome, of course!--

Here is something from the other day.....

I got this original recipe from Cooking for Two, but have made some changes. The stats about the recipe are according to the original, so they are not entirely accurate. Sorry. :)

I think this would qualify as one of Nate's favorite recipes! It has an interesting taste, and VERY filling. I usually don't finish my portion of it--Nate has to. :)

Chicken Alfredo Stromboli
(Cooking for Two)

1/2 Loaf Italian bread
6 Ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 Teaspoon olive oil
4 Teaspoon butter, softened, divided
1/2 Cup mushroom stems and pieces, finely chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced
Dash Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/4 Cup sour cream
1/4 Cup Parmesan
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Place bread, cut side up, on an ungreased baking sheet. Cook at 350 for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted; set aside.
In a small skillet, saute chicken in oil and 1 tsp butter until juices run clear; drain. Add the mushroms, salt, garlic, and pepper; cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, Parmesan, and remaining butter; spread over bread halves.
Top each with 1/2 of the of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves: 2
Calories: 613
Cholesterol: 95 mg
Fat: 26 g
Saturated Fat: 12 g
Protein: 38 g
Carbohydrates: 58 g
Sodium: 1249 mg
Fiber: 5 g

Judi's Crab Quiche

2009-11-12T06:54:00.000-05:00

The first time I have ever had crab quiche was when a co-worker, Judi, made it for us at work. And... I was hooked! I love this recipe--for the longest time, I was using a different recipe, because I had lost this one. I was so excited when I found it again! Now it's in Recipe Manager, so I don't have to worry about not having it. :)
Unfortunately, my dear hubby is not so fond of crab quiche, so I don't get to have it that often. :(

Judi's Crab Quiche
(Judi)

6 Ounce imitation crab meat, flaked
10" pastry shell
8 Ounce swiss cheese
1 Tablespoon Flour
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 Cup light cream
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:
Bake pie shell for 6 minutes at 375 and set aside.
Cut crab meat into small pieces, then combine with Swiss cheese and flour. Turn into pie shell. Beat together eggs, cream, lemon juice, salt, and Worcestershire sauce.
Pour over cheese mixture. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy. :)

Serves: 6
Serving Size: 1 piece
Yields: 1 quiche

Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 1 hr

Pastry for Single-Crust Pie
(Better Homes and Gardens)

1 1/4 Cup all-Purpose flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup shortening
4-5 Tablespoon cold water

Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea size.
2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the flour mixture, gently toss with a fork. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon of the water at a time, until all the flour mixture is moistened. Form pastry into a ball.
3. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten pastry. Roll pastry from center to edges into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
4. Wrap pastry circle around the rolling pin. Unroll into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease into pie plate without stretching it.
5. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edges as desired. Do not prick pastry. Fill and bake pastry as directed in recipes.

Yields: 1 pie crust

Calories: 140
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Protein: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 14 g
Sodium: 73 mg
Fiber: 0 g

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T17:34:00.005-05:00

Today is Veteran's Day.

Today is a day for us to mourn the soldiers we've lost, and give thanks for their sacrifice.
(Though for those who've lost someone, this is not something that can ever be forgotten.)

Today is a day for us to thank those soldiers who gave something of themselves for our country.
(Even though we should be doing this every day.)

Today is a day that we acknowledge the difference these amazing men and women have done for our country.
(While we may take it for granted on other days.)

So for Veteran's Day 2009, let's make a promise to ourselves: to always remember those who gave their lives for their country, to honor their families, to thank a veteran whenever you see one, and to be thankful for the wonderful country we live in.

Today is a day to remember, celebrate, cry, smile.... today is Veteran's Day.
(Have you hugged a hero today?)

While I can't hug each and everyone veteran... I can send you hugs through here. We love all of you, thank you for all you've done!

Extra hugs to Bill Lee (awesome dad-in-law), Jim Head (the best Grandpa in the world), and BJ Lee! (my super amazing brother-in-law!)

Cheesecake Brownies

2009-11-09T19:20:00.000-05:00

This is proof of my mother-in-law's amazingness. Try these brownies, and you will agree.
The problem is that these things REALLY aren't good for you. But we'll just ignore that, OK? :)
I made these recently for a party we went to, and then again tonight for my little brother--he got a Student Athlete award at his high school, for his grades & football. Of course, I was super proud of him, so I offered to bake for him-this is what he asked for. :)

Cheesecake Brownies
Sue Lee

1 cake mix (Devil's food or dark)
2 Eggs
1 stick Butter
8 Ounce cream cheese, softened
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Can sweetened condensed milk
milk chocolate chips, optional

Instructions:
Stir cake mix, 1 egg, and butter together until crumbly. Save one cup, place rest in bottom of greased 9x13 pan.

Mix together cream cheese, 1 egg, vanilla, and milk until creamy. Pour on top of brownie mix. Crumble cup of saved brownie mix on top. Add chocolate chips, if desired.

Bake at 350, for 30 minutes, or until cream cheese sets and edges golden.

Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 45

Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong

2009-11-08T09:00:00.004-05:00

I just realized that I never wrote about Cake Wrecks on here!

Cake Wrecks is a collection of cakes gone wrong-professional cakes that, for various reasons, are AWFUL. Misspellings, poo-swirls (yes, I said poo-swirls), grammar issues, illegible writing, designs that look NOTHING like what the buyer asked for... if something can go wrong with a cake, it's probably been on CW. And they are all amazingly funny! Of course, each wreck also has commentary from Jen, the creator of CW. Jen's commentary is wickedly funny, and will keep you laughing if somehow the wrecks do not!

The book is created from the blog, with lots of new wrecks, and some old ones. Even if you are not a reader of the Cake Wrecks blog (which you should be. Go on, check it out, after finishing this post!), this book is worth buying! I have read the blog since not longer after it started, and check it daily!

I got through the book in no time at all--I could not put it down, I kept having to look at the next picture, the next picture...

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. And I think I am going to go look at some more pictures now... ;)

(There are some cakes that definitely have sexual references (which are probably unintentional), but Jen keeps the commentary pretty clean. She also warns, at the end of one section of the book, that the next section may be a little much.)

Elegant Mushroom Soup

2009-11-07T11:19:00.000-05:00

We tried this recipe the other day. AMAZING!!! I can't even describe how great this was. We didn't use the sour cream-neither of us is very fond of it. I did make a minor alteration with the onion, because the onion didn't seem to be cooked enough when the mushroom was. So, the recipe below should work much better! :)

Elegant Mushroom Soup
(TOH)

1 large onion, chopped
1/2 Pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoon all-Purpose flour
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup chicken broth
1 Teaspoon Parsley
Nutmeg
sour cream, optional

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms (and more butter if necessary), saute an additional 3 minutes. Stir in flour, pepper, and salt; gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Add parsley and nutmeg if desired. Top individual servings with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

(Sorry for lack of pictures... this was when we were short on camera battery.) :)

No, I have not disappeared from the face of the earth

2009-11-06T16:24:00.004-05:00

...I have just been crazy busy, and have a million different reasons for not blogging lately. I haven't been recording recipes like I should have been either! So, once I get them recorded, I will post everything!
A little of what has kept me busy/stressed, and what recipes will be posted soon:

1. I accepted a position at the hospital! Super excited about that, but there were lots of decisions to make around that. I start November 16th!!!

2. We had a party with some of Nate's friends in GR... which I made my mother-in-law's cheesecake brownies for. You know how I brag about my Mama's cooking a lot? Well.... my mother-in-law (Sue), is spectacular too. Her cheesecake brownies are to die for. (Probably literally, if I ever actually become diabetic, because I won't be able to stay away from them, and my sugar will freak out more than it does now.)

3. We had Christmas with my (extended) family! Grandma & Grandpa go to Florida every winter, so we have Christmas early. Exceptionally early, since G&G left SUPER early this year. (Grandma, if you are reading this, this is an official complaint.) But, we had a great time with my family. I love my family!

(My super-amazing Grandparents!!)

(See how much my brother loves me? You can tell by how hard he is crushing me. Which was a lot.)

4. My aunt had surgery, and will have another surgery next week. Prayers are appreciated.

5. .....I have just been super stressed.

But, I will start posting more recipes, starting NOW!

Three Cheese Garlic Chicken Pasta
Heavenly Homemakers

2 Cup cooked chicken, cut into bite-Sized pieces
2 cloves Garlic
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 Cup whole wheat pasta
3 Cup Milk
3 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup shredded white cheddar
3 Ounce cream cheese
Parmesan

Instructions:
In a skillet, saute chicken and garlic in olive oil. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a big pot with the milk, butter, and salt. Stir almost constantly, especially as the pasta is becoming tender and the milk is beginning to boil. Cook and stir over medium heat until pasta is tender and the starch from the pasta has thickened the milk, creating a creamy sauce. (This will be about 10 minutes.)
Stir in the cheddar and cream cheese, heat until cheeses are melted.
Stir in the chicken & garlic, heat until chicken is warm.
Sprinkle parmesan on each serving.

The lack of pictures for the recipe is due to my camera battery basically dying, and the fact that I keep forgetting to get another one. It will stay on long enough to take one picture, at least! lol.

Cheese Ravioli With Veggies

2009-10-28T19:19:00.000-04:00

This was another "hmm.... that looks interesting" meal. This one turned out pretty good! We are going to mix up the veggies for next time, but we enjoyed it.
(We cut the recipe in half, of course! Too much for two people!)

Cheese Ravioli With Veggies
(TOH)

6 Quarts Water
1 16oz package frozen veggies
1 25oz package frozen cheese ravioli
1/8 Cup butter, melted
1/4 Teaspoon Mrs Dash
1/4 Cup parmesan

Instructions:
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, bring water to a boil. Add the vegetables; cook for 5 minutes.
Add the ravioli. Cook 5 minutes longer or until veggies and ravioli are tender; drain. Gently stir in butter. Sprinkle with Mrs Dash and parmesan.

Beans & broccoli aren't the greatest with this... I just picked the first two frozen veggies I could reach in my freezer. Next time, I'll try something else.

Serves: 6
Total Time: 15

(If you are wondering why there is only one picture... well, I didn't think taking a picture of boiling veggies & ravioli was that fun.)

Cheesy Ham Braid...

2009-10-25T20:39:00.000-04:00

...in which we learn that I am not very good at making things look pretty. ;)

Cheesy Ham Braid
(TOH)
1 16oz package hot roll mix
1 Cup warm water (120-130)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoon butter, softened, divided
1/2 Cup chopped onion
2 Cup chopped, fully cooked ham
1 1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup Ricotta
Dash Parsley
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon cold water

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the hot roll mix and contents of yeast packet. (If you are wondering where the yeast came from, it was part of the hot roll mix box. You must be a first time hot roll mix user too. LOL.) Stir in the warm water, egg, and 1 tbsp butter. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 5 minutes. In a skillet, saute onion in remaining butter until tender. Remove from the heat, stir in ham, cheeses, and parsely.
On a greased baking sheet, roll dough into a 15x10 rectangle. Spoon ham mixture lengthwise down the center of dough. On each long side, cut 1" wide strips about 2" into the center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Pinch ends to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 mintues or until doubled.
In a small bowl, beat egg white and cold water; brush over dough. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
(Huh, that really doesn't look like the picture in the magazine...oh, I was supposed to tuck the ends IN?)
Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

So... what would we do different next time?
1. Don't do ham & cheddar. Maybe ham & mozz?
2. Cut ham smaller! I definitely cut the ham too big! Oops. :)
3. Cut down on ricotta... a lot. Maybe substitute with mozz, at least partially?
4. Try to actually make it look braided. (Which is where the 'not good at making things look pretty' part comes in.)

Overall, it was yummy! Just making changes to make it better for next time!

Taste of Home, and meal planning

2009-10-24T20:40:00.000-04:00

If you have been wondering why almost all of my recipes are from TOH...

No, they are not paying me to advertise for them. (Although, if someone from TOH is interested... lol)

I simply really like their cookbooks, so I have quite a few. TOH & Cooking for Two, which I think is made by the TOH people, are my favorites. They have easy, realistic recipes.

Because, contrary to what Olivia with says, I am not Martha Stewart. :)

Also, the big reason there are a lot of TOH recipes this month is due to the fact that I am trying monthly meal planning, and I mainly flipped through those magazines.
I normally do meal planning for a week at a time, but this month I tried to go for a whole month. I picked out what I thought would be enough meals (dinners) for the month, plus some sides, and some desserts. Week by week, as I am making my grocery list, I pick out the meals I want to use that week. It saves me quite a bit of time each week, although I have to admit I enjoy it either way. :)

Of course, the grocery list always includes the usual breakfast foods, and some misc items. I have been making things that aren't on the list for desserts & snacks, but I mainly created that for dinners. It's a good way to make sure that we stay within budget, we eat aren't eating junk all the time, and that I have the ingredients I need for dinner each week.

(The Happy Housewife has some great posts on meal planning... if you have never read her blog before, you should check it out!)

And, regardless of where I get a recipe originally or how much I've altered it, I have the original source in my Recipe Manager. So, give credit where credit is due. :)

My Momma's Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-10-23T17:35:00.001-04:00

In case you missed the previous posts, my mama is amazing. And my husband loves peanut butter. There is a story about how my mama loves my hubby more than me, and lets him get away with eating cookies meant for someone else, and with eating more batter than necessary, but it makes me mad at them both, so I won't get into that. ;)

Anyhow... Mom has been making these cookies for as long as I can remember, and they have been amazing for as long as I can remember. I think she played with her original recipe (see! I come by it honestly!), but they are now perfect. (As long as you follow the directions... careful on the time!)

I made these the night before Nate's CNA final, to help him study. :-D

(And, since he got an 88%, I'd say he did pretty darn good!!! Of course, that may have been due to all the studying, and not necessarily my cookies... oh well, I tried!)

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies
(Laurie Curtis)

3/4 Cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 Cup crisco
1 1/4 Cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoon Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1 Egg
1 3/4 Cup Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Teaspoon baking soda

Instructions: Heat oven to 375. Combine peanut butter, crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed with mixer until well blended. Add egg; beat until blended. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to mixture at low speed, mix until blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly with criss-cross pattern with fork. Bake for 6 1/2 - 8 minutes, cool.

Yields: 3 dozen small
(Look, Nathan is 'helping'!)

(Note: the recipe title is not a joke. These things are irresistible. Make them when you can give some away... or you will eat them all.)

Peanut Butter Pie!

2009-10-22T19:12:00.001-04:00

This sounded like it could turn out either really good, or really bad. And it turned out GREAT! I only made one, to be reasonable, since it's just Nate & I.

Peanut Butter Pie
(TOH)

1 Package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
2/3 Cup peanut butter
1 Tablespoon Milk
2 Cake confectioner's sugar
1 carton (12oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 graham cracker pie crusts (9" each)
dry roasted peanuts

Instructions: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and milk until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioner's sugar.
(Doesn't that just LOOK yummy???)
Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crusts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Sprinkle with peanuts.
Yields: 2 pies

...and yes, if you are wondering, the batter did taste as good as it looked. The worse part was, we didn't get to eat it the night I made it, it was going to be too late and we needed to get to sleep early. :(

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

2009-10-21T19:19:00.001-04:00

This was last Wednesday's dinner...
I saw this recipe in a magazine ad, thought it was worth a shot. I buy those Pasta Sides a lot when they are on sale; they make fast & easy lunches/sides. Not very nutritious though, so we don't have them too often. But I thought this sounded yummy. :)

Sorry the 'finished' picture looks funny... it was boiling, so it didn't turn out that well. But I thought it did at first, so I never took another picture.

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo
(Knorr)

1 Tablespoon Margarine
1 Pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 Cup fresh or thawed frozen broccoli florets
1 3/4 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Package Knorr Pasta Sides-Alfredo

Instructions:
Melt margarine in a skillet & cook chicken thoroughly. Remove chicken and set aside.
Stir broccoli, water, and milk into pan. Bring to a boil.

Stir in Alfredo pasta. Cook 8 minutes. Return chicken to skillet, heating through.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 30

It actually turned out pretty good... something I would make again!

Note: The original called for more butter & red bell pepper... I don't really like peppers that much, and I thought it was too expensive. -Yes, I'm cheap.- So... I skipped it. If you are interested though, the original called for more butter after cooking the chicken (2 tbsp), and then cooking 1/2 c red bell pepper, then continuing to step two.

An interesting experience

2009-10-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

This was something we had the other day... three things I learned from this meal:
1. I don't like gorgonzola.
2. When you are making mashed potatoes, make sure they are REALLY cooked, or they are a pain to mash.
3. I really don't like gorgonzola.

Penne Gorgonzola With Chicken
(TOH)
16 oz Penne
1 Pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Large garlic clove, minced
1/2 Cup chicken broth, divided
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
2 cup (8oz) gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Dash Sage
Dash Pepper
Dash Salt
Parmesan
Parsley

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil on all sides. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add 1/4c chicken broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan.
Add cream and broth; cook until sauce is slightly thickened and chicken is no longer pink.
Stir in Gorgonzola cheese, sage, salt, and pepper; cook just until cheese is melted.
Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley.

Serves: 8

Mashed Potato Rolls
(TOH)
1 1/8 Teaspoon active dry yeast
1/8 Cup warm water (110-115)
3/4 Cup warm milk (110-115)
1/8 Cup butter, softened
1/8 Cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoon Sugar
1/2 Egg
1/4 Cup warm mashed potatoes (milk and butter added)
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 Teaspoon baking soda
3 Cup all-Purpose flour
melted butter

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add milk, butter, oil, sugar, egg, and mashed potatoes; mix well.
Stir in the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and enough flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubles, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into 16 balls. Place 2" apart on greased baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Brush with butter if desired.

Serves: 16

The pasta was OK, but if you missed the beginning of the post, I really don't like gorgonzola cheese. I don't know what it is, but there is just something about it.

The mashed potato rolls were a little dry, but that's OK. We liked them! Next time I have leftover mashed potatoes, I will definitely make these!

My Cheddar Biscuits...

2009-10-18T18:43:00.000-04:00

I adore Red Lobster. I could go there happily every day...(ignoring the fact that I would get very fat, of course). I could also go and happily just eat their Cheddar Bay Biscuits. I was looking for a recipe similar to that when I found this one.... AMAZING! I've tried others, but they just don't compare. :)
I try make it fairly often-we never get tired of it! It always makes my day -and Nate's too- when these come out of the oven. Mmm.... (And yes, it is easy to double the batch. Hehe.)

Cheddar Biscuits
(Food & Whine)

2 Cup all-Purpose flour
3 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 Cup butter, cold, cut into chunks
2 Tablespoon canola/vegetable oil
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2-2/3 Cup Milk

Garlic butter topping:
3 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 Teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder. Whisk together to combine thoroughly. Add chunks of butter.
Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour until it is coarse, pea-sized.
Add oil, cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup milk. Stir together. Keep adding milk a bit at a time, just until the dough is moistened and no longer dry and powdery. (Shouldn't be sticky, just moist enough to hold together).

Drop approximately 1/4 cup portions of the dough onto an greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 14-17 minutes. While biscuits are baking, melt 3 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and the parsley.

When biscuits come out of the oven, use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Serve warm.

Yields: 12(ish... as you can see, I made 14 this time.)

Isn't my hubby so cute?? He likes to cook too... I usually just kick him out of my kitchen. ;) This time, I had him help because I was multi-tasking... the recipe I was making at the same time will be posted another day! (Peanut Butter Pie... mmm!)

As always... comments are love. :)

Bacon Cheddar Round? ...or not.

2009-10-16T19:23:00.004-04:00

There is just something so fun about trying new recipes... which is why 3/4 of our meals include new recipes! :) I love the adventure, I love combining tastes, I love taking the words on the page and turning into something YUMMY!
Then... there are the times that the new recipe fails, or it just turns out not-quite-so-yummy. This was one of the latter... it was edible, but so dry. So sugary. So.... Bisquick-y. We each ate a piece of it, but I was very happy this wasn't the only thing I had for dinner.
(While this isn't really a dinner-main-dish thing, with only two people, I tend to use side dishes as main dishes, and just add a veggie on the side or a meat in the dish. It just doesn't make sense to cook a large dinner with multiple options for only two people.)

Bacon Cheddar Round
(TOH)

3 1/2 Cup Bisquick
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 bacon strips, crumbled
1 Egg
1 1/3 Cup Milk

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the Bisquick and sugar. Stir in cheese and bacon.
Beat egg and milk; add to cheese mixture just until moistened.
Pour into a greased and floured 9" springform pan.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove sides of pan and serve warm.

Yields: 1 loaf

I think that I would make this again, but more as an appetizer for a party, along with other things. It makes quite a lot, and it was just too much for us, with the Bisquick flavor being so strong.

As always... comments create happiness!

Celebration!

2009-10-14T19:05:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday, I made Davy Crockett Bars (more proof of my Mama's amazing-ness), for my dear hubby.

Davy Crockett Bars
(Laurie Curtis... no idea where she got the recipe originally!)

2 Cup Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Cup brown sugar
2 Cup quick-cooking oats
1 12oz package chocolate chips
2 Egg
1 Cup vegetable oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Instructions:
Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix in brown sugar, oats, and chocolate chips. Combine eggs, oil, and vanilla.

Stir into chocolate chip mixture.

Press into an ungreased 13x9 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly before cutting.

Variations: Can use any type of baking chips--chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, vanilla, etc.

(Note: Mama's recipe originally called for 1 6oz package of chocolate chips. Did you just read that as sixteen? I did, the first time I made these by myself. -and yes, the recipe was copied by me, so it is my own fault.- Needless to say, they were pretty darn chocolate/peanut-buttery. But ~ 12 oz works GREAT.)

As always... comments are love. :)

Fall, anyone?

2009-10-14T18:39:00.000-04:00

So, I forgot to post the pumpkin bread recipe.

Apparently, I also forgot to take a picture of the COOKED pumpkin bread. Whoops. Oh well, I'll post the recipe anyhow, because it was amazing. (If I do say so myself. Hehe!)

I also apparently forgot to take a picture of the finished gingerbread men... this was probably due to me finishing them (the ribbon) in the car, on the way to Mama's. Oh well, she liked them.
I had a couple defect ones left here... one of which will have to go on the calender, but the others were meant as extras. So, this is kinda ugly, but you get the idea. (Mind you, I've never made these before, so they weren't exactly beautiful. I do think the rest were prettier, though.)

Spiced Pumpkin Bread
(TOH)

3/4 Cup butter, softened
2 Cup Sugar
4 Eggs
2 Cup canned pumpkin
2/3 Cup orange juice
2 Tablespoon Molasses
1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 1/3 Cup all-Purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4-1 Teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin, orange juice, molasses, and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; add to the creamed mixture and mix until blended.
Pour into two greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from the pans to wire racks.

(Then clean out the bowl... thoroughly.)
What, hunny, this isn't a flattering picture? No? Aw, but I think you're cute! ;)

So, again, apologies for a lack of a picture. Trust me: it looked pretty (well, ok, each loaf was cracked, but it was still pretty), and it tasted AMAZING. I was kinda sad I left it all at Mama's, but since it was her birthday... :)

(Note: Original also called for 1 cup raisins & 1 cup chopped pecans, added after everything else. I don't like raisins or pecans, so I just skipped this part. It turned out fine.)

Gingerbread Men
(TOH)

2/3 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Molasses
1 Egg
3 Cup all-Purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon ground ginger
1 Teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
confectioner's sugar icing, red-hot candies, miniature chocolate chips, optional

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut with a 4" cookie cutter dipped in flour. Place 2" apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate as desired.

Yields: ~ 2 dozen

I have to admit, I thought this was going to be a lot harder to make than it was. Maybe if they are prettier it is harder? :)

As I used these for ornaments, I did not do any decorating.
Also, if using small cookie cutters, recommend cooking 8 min or less.

As always... reviews/comments are lovely, and shall be rewarded. :)

Yummy Peach Cobbler!

2009-10-11T08:31:00.000-04:00

I made this quite awhile ago, but I just now added the recipe to Recipe Manager, so I thought I would post it on here too!

Peach Cobbler
(eatbetteramerica.com)

1 Cup Bisquick
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Cup Milk
3 Tablespoon canola oil
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 can (29oz) peach slices, drained
1 Teaspoon lemon juice
vanilla ice cream, if desired

Instructions:
Heat oven to 375. In an ungreased 8" square (2qt) glass baking dish, stir Bisquick and cinnamon. Stir in milk and oil with wire whisk or fork until blended.

In medium bowl, mix sugar, peaches, and lemon juice. Spoon over batter in baking dish.

Bake 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand about 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm with ice cream.

(It doesn't even look close to yummy in this picture... what a relief that it turned out so tasty!)

(Due to where the recipe came from, I have all of the following information.)

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 1hr
Total Time: 1h30m

Calories: 280
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: .5 g
Calories From Fat: 70
Protein: 3 g
Carbohydrates: 49 g
Sodium: 190 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 35 g

This recipe was very yummy! We made it just before we went to Colorado, so everything Nate & I didn't eat went to my parents' house--and apparently they liked it too! :)

2009-10-10T21:06:00.000-04:00

Today I have been cooking like crazy! No-bakes in the morning (for when we visit my Daddy tomorrow, of course!), and a lot in the afternoon! Gingerbread men, a chocolate thing that I refuse to post because it turned out that bad, Shepherd's Pie for dinner, and spiced pumpkin bread in the evening (for my Mama for her birthday!).
The pumpkin bread recipe will be posted tomorrow, seeing that it's still cooking and won't be eaten til tomorrow. Can't review it if I haven't tried it! The gingerbread men will be reviewed tomorrow too. Largely because I'm not done with them... most aren't getting eaten, they are being used as decorations, and being given as a gift tomorrow! (Mama has a beautiful Christmas countdown quilt, but all the original gingerbread ornaments broke. So, I am replacing them as her birthday gift this year!) The ribbon will be added tomorrow...

So, you think you've had no-bakes before? Nope. Unless you've had Laurie's No-Bakes, you have not had them. Maybe a cheap imitation, but not the real thing.

No Bake Cookies
(My Mama-Laurie Curtis)

2 Cup Sugar
4 Tablespoon cocoa
1/4 Cup butter/margarine
1/2 Cup Milk
3/4 Cup peanut butter
2 1/2 cups oatmeal

Instructions:
Mix cocoa and sugar, set aside.
Put milk and butter in a saucepan; heat until butter is mostly melted. Add sugar mixture, stir well. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute, then remove from heat.
Quickly add oatmeal and peanut butter, stirring well. Spoon onto wax paper to cool.

So, what makes my Mama's cookies the best, you ask? (Aside from the fact that my mother is unable to cook something that does not taste amazing.) Really, it's the fact that she increases the PB & decreases the oatmeal. I think she actually uses just shy of 2 1/2 cups of oatmeal, but close enough.
If you've never had them like this, try it! I'm addicted to these cookies, but they are totally worth it.

(My ideal breakfast... although my husband did yell at me about it this morning!) :)
And no, I didn't eat all of those! Just one... maybe two. ;)

On to dinner....
Simple Shepherd's Pie
(TOH)

1 Pound ground beef
2 10.75oz can condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
3 Cup mixed veggies, thawed
4 Cup mashed potatoes (with added milk & butter)

Instructions:
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the soup & veggies. Pour into a greased 11x7x2 baking dish. Top with potatoes.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.

Simple, yet yummy! I pick different veggies every time... depending on my mood!
(If the picture doesn't look that great, it's because I forgot to take a picture at dinner. I took it outta the fridge for this... lol)

Hearty Whole Wheat Bread...and couscous

2009-10-09T21:08:00.000-04:00

I LOVE bread. A lot. Nathan is a whole grain bread type of guy, whereas I am more of a white bread girl. But, I am slowly trying to switch over... due the healthiness, and wanting to make my hubby happy. :) This bread is going to make that MUCH easier. It's good for you, but tastes yummy!

Hearty Whole Wheat Bread
(Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook)

3-3 1/2 Cup all-Purpose flour
2 1/4 Teaspoon active dry yeast
1 3/4 Cup Water
1/3 Cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoon butter, margarine, or shortening
1 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cup whole wheat flour
1/2 Cup toasted wheat germ

Instructions: In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the all-purpose flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir water, brown sugar, butter, and salt just until warm (120F-130F) and butter almost melts. Add water mixture to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in whole-wheat flour and wheat germ, and as much of the remaining all-purpose flour as you can.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of the dough. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (1 to 1 1/2 hours).
Punch dough down. Turnout onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease two 8x4x2 loaf pans.
Shape dough halves into loaves by patting or rolling. To shape by patting, gently pat and pinch, tucking edges underneath. To shape by rolling, on a lightly floured surface roll each dough half into a 12x8 rectangle. Roll up each rectangle, starting from a short side. Seal seams with your fingertips.
Place shaped dough halves in prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (30 to 45 minutes).
Bake in a 375 oven for 35-40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. If necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Immediately remove bread from pans. Cool on wire racks.

(Because I got this from my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, it has all the following information. Another reason I adore that cookbook.)

Serves: 24
Yields: 2 loaves
Prep Time: 2 hrs
Cook Time: 35 min
Total Time: 2 h 35 m

Calories: 102
Cholesterol: 3 mg
Fat: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Calories From Fat:
Protein: 4 g
Carbohydrates: 19 g
Sodium: 122 mg
Fiber: 2 g

The loaf that is cut is the one I rolled... I patted the other one into shape, so I could compare the two. I much preferred the rolling. It looked nicer, and for some reason, seemed to be less dry on the top. That may be a coincidence though.

I LOVE this recipe. Need I say anymore? :)

...on a totally unrelated topic, I'm curious if there is anyone in the world who actually likes couscous. Somehow I got it into my head that I SHOULD, so we've tried it. Multiple times. I made the following recipe, CERTAIN that this would make me like couscous.

I was wrong.

But, if YOU like couscous (one, tell me, because I am wondering what you have to do to make it taste yummy), but you might like the following recipe. :)

Cranberry Couscous
(TOH)

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 1/2 Cup uncooked couscous
1/4 Cake dried cranberries
3 Tablespoon chopped green onions

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, bring broth and butter to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cranberries, and onions. Remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

I think it's the grainy-ness, but I just don't like it. Oh well. I tried very hard. :)

Sausage Rolls & Herbed Corn!

2009-10-08T19:51:00.000-04:00

Well, these are from last night's dinner... and I keep debating back & forth on whether I want to post recipes that I will never make again. Oh well, someone out there must like it, so I might as well, right? :)

Sausage Rolls
(From TOH)

1 tube (8oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
8 sausage links, cooked
1/8 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 Teaspoon rubbed sage
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Water
Parsley
Paprika

Instructions: Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into four rectangles; seal perforations. Place two sausage links end to end along long side of each rectangle. Sprinkle with garlic powder and sage. Roll up jelly-roll style; seal the seams with water.

Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. In a bowl, beat egg and water; brush over rolls. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Cut into 2" pieces. Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.

Please ignore the fact that I desperately need to clean my oven... I forget until I go to use it, and at 350 I don't think that's a wise idea. :) (Although the mess in there IS Nathan's fault! Really!)

So...this is the recipe that I probably won't try again. I bought the large cresents, which only makes 6, so I used two packages & almost all of my sausages. Not really a good idea. They were too buttery, and in general I didn't really like them. I might just be picky though. :)

I was even SO proud of myself, and took pictures/had Nathan take pictures during the process! And of course, we don't even like the recipe. (Which is not entirely true... Nate liked them well enough, I was just REALLY disappointed.) Darn.

Herbed Corn
(TOH)

1 Cup frozen corn
Water
Parsley
Salt
dill weed
garlic powder
italian seasoning
Thyme

Cook corn according to package directions. Strain, add seasonings to taste.

This recipe was obviously a lot more specific when I got it originally, but it also called for 12 cups corn. Ummm... no, Nate & I can't (and won't) eat that much corn. So, I just did things my mother's way--throw things together, and they magically taste great!!

...Except, when my dear mother does it, it actually does taste great. This? Mediocre. I don't think I like dill weed, though. Without that, it was great. :)

(Less pictures because... well, taking pictures of corn while it's boiling is kinda boring. Sorry.)

Tomorrow, I hope to have a post on the AMAZING bread I made today. ('Hope' for two reasons: one, I may forget to post. Two, it's not out of the oven yet, so we'll see.) :)

As always, let me know if you try anything!

Cooking frenzy!

2009-10-04T22:00:00.001-04:00

Well, since I didn't make dinner Friday or Saturday (dinner with the family both days), I made up for it today! Lots of things to post!

First, today's dinner:
Turkey with Mushrooms and Cream

(Taste of Home)

1 Package (17.6 oz) turkey breast slices
3 Tablespoon butter, divided
3/4 Cup water, divided
1/4 Cup unsweetened apple juice
2 Teaspoon chicken bouillon granules, divided
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Cup (8oz) sour cream
1 Pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
hot cooked rice

Instructions:
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook turkey in 2 tablespoons butter until golden brown and no pink remains. Remove and keep warm.
In the same skillet, combine 1/2 c water, apple juice, 1 t bouillon and pepper; cook and stir over medium heat until bouillon is dissolved. Stir in sour cream; heat through.
Meanwhile, in another skillet, combine the remaining butter, water, and bouillon; cook and stir over medium heat until bouillon is dissolved. Add mushrooms; cook for 10 minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Serve turkey over rice; top with cream sauce and mushrooms.

So now, why the pictures do NOT look like they should:
One, I have learned (again) to check the dates on my mushrooms when I buy fresh ones in the store. These were dated for the day after I bought them... which was just last week. Bought them Sunday, dated for Monday. And they were NASTY when I went to use them today. So, skipped that part.
Reason two... I was so annoyed about the mushrooms I totally forgot about the rice. Completely. Oops. (Or at least that's the reason I want to use... sounds better than saying I'm an idiot.)

The only problem (other than my silliness) was that the cream sauce was very... sour-cream-y. Very. Might cut down on that next time.

Other than that, Nate & I both said this is a recipe we would try again! (Correctly, next time. I promise.)

Before dinner snack (for Nathan):
Corn Muffins
(Better Homes & Garden Cookbook)

1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Cornmeal
2-3 Tablespoon Sugar
2 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 beaten eggs
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup cooking oil/melted butter

Instructions: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened.

Spoon batter into 12 greased 2 1/2" muffin cups, filling cups 2/3 full.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The really sad part about the fact that I remembered to take pictures THROUGHOUT the process is that Nate was not very fond of these. He couldn't really say what to do to fix it... so I probably would not try this again.

(I don't like corn muffins/cornbread in general, so I had no opinion, other than I thought they looked pretty!)

After dinner snack:
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
(Taste of Home)

1/4 Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup packed brown sugar
2/3 Cup canned pumpkin
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoon Molasses
1 Teaspoon grated orange peel
2 Cup Flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2-1 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Streusel ingredients:
1/3 Cup Flour
3 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoon cold butter

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, molasses, and orange peel; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to pumpkin mixture just until blended. Use paper liners or coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray; fill two-thirds full.
For topping, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

My sexy husband helping me, cuz his clutzy wife burned her fingers. :)

First of all, if you don't have a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbooks, GET ONE. I don't know how much they cost, but they are AMAZING. Or, just look up a substitutions list online. Pumpkin pie spice? Nope. Buttermilk? Nope. And I had no urge to buy either... for buttermilk, use 1 tablespoon vinegar + enough milk to make one cup, to make one cup of buttermilk. For pumpkin pie spice (one teaspoon): 1/2 t ground cinnamon, 1/4 t ground ginger, 1/4 t ground allspice, and 1/8 t ground nutmeg.
I never buy buttermilk, I always use that. And I don't think I will every buy pumpkin pie spice. :)

Second... you should make these. ASAP. They are spectacular! I was worried I wouldn't like them, but I LOVE them! Nate did too!

I made cinnamon swirl bread yesterday to take to Mama's house... but of course, no pictures. (And none left... I was a nice daughter & let Mama keep the leftovers!) I plan on making it again soon for us, so I will post pictures & the recipe when I do!

As always, let me know if you try something, or think something I have made sounds good!

Spaetzle!!

2009-10-01T19:27:00.000-04:00

So, I am kinda ashamed of myself. I was SO excited about blogging, and now it's been over a month since I posted something. Oops.
It's not like I haven't been cooking... I have. Quite a lot, actually. But I've been busy... internship, etc.
Ok, so I have no real excuses. Oh well. I'm apologizing, and forgiving myself because I am posting a FUN recipe tonight!
I found this recipe for Spaetzle (pronounced SPHET-sehl or something like that) the other day, and REALLY wanted to try it. One, it has a very fun name, two, it sounded like it would be fun to make, and three, it sounded yummy.

Spaetzle Dumplings

2 cups flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon butter

In a large bowl, stir the flour, eggs, milk and salt until smooth (dough will be sticky). In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Pour dough into a colander or spaetzle maker coated with cooking spray; place over boiling water.

With a wooden spoon, press dough until small pieces drop into boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes or until dumplings are tender and float. Remove with a slotted spoon; toss with butter.

It was SLIGHTLY more difficult to make than I thought it would be, largely because pushing the dough through a colander took longer than expected... and someone needed to hold the colander, so the dough wasn't sitting in the boiling water the whole time!

It was well worth it, though. Aside from being a little salty, they were great. I loved them just plain!

These are originally from Germany/the area around it. Which is awesome, because my friend's German mother saw my status on facebook and said that the leftovers should be fried in a frying pan with a little butter. :) Since I had NO IDEA what we were going to do with the leftovers, I really appreciate that! They don't look like they would microwave well...

Creamy Chicken and Pasta

2009-08-28T14:34:00.000-04:00

I made this one awhile ago, but Nate & I both loved it!

Creamy Chicken And Pasta
(Yet again from Taste of Home... I love their magazines)

(If it looks funny, that's because I exported it from my RecipeManager, and am too lazy to mess with it much. That's why I exported it, rather than re-typing it all.) :)

Ingredients:
2 Cup uncooked penne pasta
1 1/2 Cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 Cup sliced green onion (or regular, finely chopped)
2 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 Cup white wine/chicken broth
1 Teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon All-Purpose flour
1/3 Cup Water
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
2 Cup cubed cooked chicken
2 Tablespoon capers, drained
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Pepper
shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms and onions in butter for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add wine or broth and garlic. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
2. Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually add to mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until heated through.
3. Drain pasta. Add the pasta, chicken, capers, salt, and pepper to cream sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

The original recipe called for 2 cups, but that was going to be WAY too much. As it was, I am adding less mushrooms the next time I make it, and I suggest you do too. I like mushrooms (well... fresh mushrooms), but they overpower the other flavors in this recipe.
Also, no capers or shredded parmesan... couldn't find the capers, and I used the regular parmesan I have in the fridge. :)

We LOVED this recipe! Very yummy... It was very creamy, and the combination of mushrooms, chicken, and pasta is always delightful. Reheats pretty well, which is great when you are always cooking to have leftovers! :)

As always, comments are love. :) Let me know if you try it!

10-Minute Zesty Salsa

2009-08-28T11:13:00.000-04:00

Well, I tried this new salsa recipe for Nate a couple days ago (before we went camping). Apparently, it's a little too zesty. Not so much that he is throwing it away, but enough that he is only eating a little at a time. He likes it, though. "It's very spicy, has a strong onion & jalapeno flavor."

Personally, I think salsa is pretty gross to begin with, but it's something he loves. So, here I am trying to find/adjust the perfect salsa recipe for my hubby.

Hey, we do worse things for our husbands, right? :)

Onto the recipe....

10 Minute Zesty Salsa Recipe

(From a Taste of Home Cookbook)

1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes & green chillies, undrained (I did drain mine... Nate doesn't like his salsa very soupy)
1 tbsp seeded chopped jalapeno pepper
1 tbsp chopped red onion
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro (I used dried...1 tsp, I believe)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
dash salt
dash pepper
tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with tortilla chips.

Yields: 1 1/2 cups

If you try it, leave a comment with what you think of it!

The Dream Thief -- Another Book Review

2009-08-24T18:25:00.000-04:00

The Dream Thief by Shana Abe

First of all, let me say that I read this book on the plane back home from Colorado. Less than 3 hours.

Second, let me say that neither Nathan nor I realized this was a romance book. It was labeled as 'sci-fi' at our library... and I was pretty surprised to discover it was very romance-y, and kinda graphic. (I would not recommend it for kiddos - some descriptions were a little much.)

Summary
The drakon, the dragon-people, have sent a master thief to steal back the one thing that can be used to control them: the Draumr. This diamond can be used to control any drakon, and could be deadly if in the hands of the wrong person. So the Alpha and his wife send Zane to steal it from whomever has it, without telling him exactly what he is obtaining. Along the way, he discovers help from an unlikely source - Lia, the daughter of the very drakon who sent him to steal it. However, she is hiding many secrets...

My Review
This was an incredibly easy read, but I did enjoy it. I would recommend it if you are looking for an easy to read sci fi book, but not if you are looking for something to challenge you. The characters were well-developed, and very believable. The plot was interesting...and fairly suspenseful at times. The ending shocked me, too--I was expecting it to a certain point, and then there was a twist that I did not expect! It was a good twist, though-I liked it. :)

The mythology behind the story is fascinating. I'm partial to books about dragons, though. :)

I should say too, that Nathan never did read the book. He originally checked it out, planning on reading it, but he couldn't get into it. I didn't have anything else to read, so I didn't let myself put it down. (I am terrified of flying, so I needed something -anything- that would distract me until I could get a glass of wine on the flight. hehe) There were a few boring parts, but I don't think I would have set it aside even if I hadn't been on the flight.

I am the type of person who hates to not finish a book, though. Just FYI. :)

I am reading the next book in the series, also... curious on what happens. I don't think it's necessary; the ending of The Dream Thief was satisfactory. I'm just curious. :) And since I appeared to skip a book, I might go back and read that later...

Warning Note:
While it is not a smutty romance novel, it is a romance novel. I wouldn't recommend it to a middle school person.

Back from Vacation! Book Review 1...

2009-08-22T21:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back from our fantastic trip to Colorado!! Pictures will be uploaded later at some point... I'm arguing with Facebook right now about them, and don't really want to mess with it on here too! :(
I read three books over vacation, though! The last one was just on the flight home... super easy read!

Book one: The Honorable Imposter
First, I read The Honorable Imposter by Gilbert Morris. I am a big fan of the series that he and his daughter Lynn wrote, Cheney Duvall, M.D. This book is the first in a LARGE series, The House of Winslow.

The book occurs during the era of the Mayflower. It focuses on Gilbert Winslow (gee, I wonder where they got the name...) and his endeavor of spying on the Separatists. This is going on when those who separate from the church of England are looked down upon greatly, and sometimes considered traitors to the Crown. However, as the title implies, Gilbert has some qualms about the idea of being a spy...
The book takes him from the beginning when he is offered the spy position and wealth, to the end when... I'll let you read to find out. (But if you want to know, I have no problems with telling people-just no posting it on here!) :)

Overall, it has the same flaws that I find in the Duvall series. The transformations when people find Christ are a little TOO dramatic, and some of the characters lack depth.
That being said, I do love these books. :) I think I started to read this series before, but couldn't get into it. I definitely could this time... and had a hard time putting it down! The plot was fascinating, and I really enjoyed (most of) the characters. In typical Morris style, the ending is fairly predictable. Not a very complicated read, but not a mindless read either.

The other book reviews will be posted as I write them... :)

A very girly day

2009-08-12T21:05:00.000-04:00

Even though I am on vacation, I feel very accomplished today! I finished my new purse in the morning... (which was started, and almost finished, last night)

I made my husband his favorite snack...

(Herbed Wheat Muffins, recipe below)

I made a new dish for dinner, which was more successful than last night's dinner...

(Gnocchi Alfredo, recipe & commentary below)

And I made a set of jewelry!

My first ever... not the most beautiful, but I was pretty proud of it. :)

Herbed Wheat Muffins

Nathan ADORES these... normally I make a double batch, but I just made one batch this time. It makes 6 really big muffins, or 12 kinda small ones.

3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
2/3 Cup all-Purpose flour
1/4 Cup yellow cornmeal
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoon egg, beaten
2/3 Cup Buttermilk
2 Tablespoon Honey
1/2 Teaspoon dried basil
1/2 Teaspoon dried tarragon
2 Tablespoon butter, melted

Instructions: In a small bowl, combine the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Combine the egg, buttermilk, honey, and butter; stir into dry ingredients until just moist. Fold in basil & tarragon.
Coat muffin cups with cooking spray, fill 3/4 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

(Note: I never actually buy buttermilk... in the Better Homes & Garden Cookbook, there's a handy trick at the back for this. Combine 1 teaspoon vinegar and enough milk to make one cup, wait 5 minutes, and you have buttermilk. SO much cheaper! And easier, because I always have milk & vinegar on hand.)

Gnocchi Alfredo

First of all, I've never had gnocchi before. While this wasn't a failure, I won't be making it again. Neither Nate nor I was very fond of the gnocchi... too starch-y.

2 pounds frozen potato gnocchi
3 Tablespoon butter, divided
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoon Flour
1 1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese
Dash ground nutmeg
1/2 Pound sliced baby portobella mushroom
minced fresh parsley, optional

Instructions: Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt 1 tbsp butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese and nutmeg until blended. Keep warm.
Drain gnocchi. In a large heavy skillet, cook remaining butter over medium heat until golden brown. Do not burn. Add mushrooms and gnocchi. Cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until gnocchi are lightly browned and mushrooms are tender. Serve with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

I actually played with the recipe for the first time on this... I usually don't! A few things weren't looking right though, so I adjusted them.
-I added extra butter, I wasn't pleased with how the flour/butter mixture was looking, and the gnocchi/mushroom mix was sticking to the pan.
-We also cut the amount of mushrooms in half because seemed too strong--didn't need to, though.
The sauce was slightly a disappointment too, but that was my own fault. I let it thicken too much... so if you try this, don't let it thicken too much! (It looks lumpy in the picture, but I think that's because I made it took thick. Oh well.)

Overall... it felt very productive!

It's so wonderful to be home with my hubby all day... I love this, too bad we are going back to real life in a few short weeks!

As always, feel free to leave a comment with your take on the recipes, or whatever!

Failed dinner... but Cheesy Bread Delights

2009-08-11T18:12:00.001-04:00

Well, dinner tonight was a confirmed failure. No, I didn't burn anything, spill anything, etc. It just tasted like stuffing. Soggy stuffing.

I hate stuffing. Really, really hate it. Largely because I've had some very soggy stuffing before... not a good experience.
So to have this dinner, which I have really been looking forward to, taste like soggy stuffing, made me pretty sad. I followed the recipe word for word, so maybe it is supposed to taste like this. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

Oh well, we ate the non-soggy-stuffing parts, and had the Cheesy Bread Delights. :)

Cheesy Bread Delights

(Note: I never actually measure anything when I make these, so everything is approximate!)
1/2 loaf french bread, sliced (approximately 1 1/2" thick)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried herb/seasoning of your choice (today was something meant for dipping with olive oil... not sure what is in it)
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese (or any other cheese)

Preheat oven to 350.
Place sliced bread on an ungreased baking sheet. Combine the olive oil and herbs in a bowl; spread lightly over bread. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 3-4 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Obviously, this isn't a hard recipe. I don't know where I got the original recipe, but I play with it every time I make it. Nate & I both love it, it's fun trying different seasonings and cheeses!
Sometime, I will try to actually measure how much of everything I use. We'll see if I ever remember... :)

Hello, and Skillet Chicken & Veggies

2009-08-10T22:08:00.000-04:00

So I keep procrastinating on actually starting this blog... "I want to have a blog, I don't want to have a blog, I want to share my recipes, I don't want to do the one thing EVERYONE is doing..." you get the point.
Well, I finally decided I would.
(Really, I decided that I would last week, but as the nice people at the Apple store were fixing my computer, it couldn't happen until today.)

This is basically my place to talk about what is going on in life, share about the recent books I've read, and share the recipes I've tried recently. I love reading, and I love cooking, so I'm sure there will be lots to share.

Feel free to leave comments... especially if you have a book/recipe to share!

So, onto our recent recipes!

A couple weeks ago, we tried this great one from Taste of Home's Comfort Food book. The finished product looks kinds gross, but it tastes AMAZING. :)

Skillet Chicken & Veggies

1 package (7 oz) Spaghetti
1 Pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 large garlic clove
1 Teaspoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/2 Pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium Zucchini, julienned
1 Medium onion, chopped
1/2 Medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 Medium summer squash, julienned
3/4 Cup mayonnaise
4 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese, divided

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the chicken, garlic, and basil in oil for 2-3 minutes, or until garlic is tender. Add the mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, onion, and pepper. Cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and vegetables are crisp-tender.

Stir the mayo and 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese into chicken mixture. Drain spaghetti; top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

We liked the recipe... will definitely make this one again! I made some changes to the original recipe (the changes are reflected here). I am not a fan of red pepper, so I substituted that for summer squash... much better! Almost any veggies could be used here.

The best part about this recipe was the summer squash & zucchini... I LOVE both of them!! Nate is not as fond of them fried as I am, so this was a great way to have them without Nate thinking "not again!" We used to get them a lot from my parents/grandparents garden, but since we are living so far away, I had to buy them from Meijer. Because those & the green pepper were on sale the week I made this, it was all very reasonably priced! (Everything else I buy when it is on sale... :) )

More as I get our recent recipes added to my Recipe Manager!