Thursday, November 11, 2010

Holiday Recipes


So I have been thinking that it would be fun to have everyone post your favorite Holiday recipes. Anything from Thanksgiving dinner recipes to your favorite fall or Christmas baking recipes. And how about soups. We all know that it is definitely soup season!! Any fun new recipes?

I know everyone gets super busy this time of year, and most of us have had babies this year and Amanda yours is coming so very soon. But if you guys find a fun recipe please share!! And Thank you to you guys for adding posts even when I have been super bad at it. I promise to get better now that we are all moved in and I am finally getting back to a dinner schedule!!

I Can't wait to see all your fun recipes!!

Granola Bars

All I have to say is YUM! This is another recipe from one of my favorite blogs. From this blog I'm sure I've saved our family hundreds of dollars!
Often times I buy granola bars from the store, since with a good sale and some coupons I can get them for $1 or less for a box. I actually just stocked up, but decided to give this recipe a try and love it! I love the fact that this recipe is so versatile. I was able to use up cereal that I bought for under a dollar that is more adult cereal, and since I haven't been eating cereal very often for breakfast we haven't been going through it as fast.

Granola Bars

1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. corn syrup
2/3 c. honey
1/4 c. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. peanut butter
1 Tbs. vanilla

3 c. rice krispies (I didn't have any so I used chex)
3 c. other cereal ( I used raisin bran and oatmeal raisin crisp)
3 c. quick cooking oats (I didn't have any so I used regular oatmeal)
4 Tbs. flax (I didn't have this but I had some wheat germ)
1 1/2 c. raisins, craisins, etc. (I didn't add this much since I had some raisins in my cereal)
3/4 c. chocolate chips (I used 1/4 c. each of chocolate chips, white chips, and butterscotch chips)

In a large bowl combine the bottom group of ingredients, rice krispies through raisins, leave the chocolate chips out. Line a cookie sheet with foil and then spray lightly with cooking spray.
Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, honey and salt in a saucepan. Heat until just boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla and peanut butter. Mix until smooth.
Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal. Mix together until well combined. By the time you do this it should be cool enough to add chocolate chips so they won't melt.
Once mixed well pour onto cookie sheet. Spread evenly and press firmly. This is important so they won't crumble when you take them out. You can put a plastic baggie on your hand and spray it with cooking spray and then press it down. Cool completely. You can stick the tray in the freezer for an hour to two and then cut them. I put them in individual baggies, then put them in a large ziplock bag and have them in my freezer.
I hope you enjoy these as much we do!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Monkey Bars

Recently a local store had bananas on sale for $0.18 a pound, so I bought about 10 pounds (the max you could buy). Well I still had several on my counter starting to brown and decided to give this recipe a try from one of my favorite blogs to read. I also did like she said and froze them since I didn't need a cookie sheet full of treats around, and it also makes it very easy for packing lunch. I love the fact that this recipe using whole wheat flour! You can also make this with pumpkin instead of banana which I think would be super yummy too.

Monkey Bars

1 2/3 c. mashed bananas (about 5)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. chocolate chips (I actually did 1/2 c. chocolate chips and 1/2 c. mini butterscotch chips)

Heat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Wisk together all the ingredients except flour and chocolate chips. Gradually add flour until just blended. Mix in half of the chocolate chips. Spread batter into cookie sheet and the sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips on top.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken

This is a recipe that my neighbor told me yesterday and it is so completely simple (both ingredients and preparation) and really yummy. I should be able to remember it, but probably won't so I want to put it here. You may have already tried it, because I am sure it is not a new concept, but here it is in case you haven't.
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle bbq sauce
1 can pineapple

*Combine bbq sauce and pineapple (juice included) in a 9 x 13 pan (or in crockpot)
*Cut chicken breasts into small pieces (you could leave it bigger if you wanted to cook it longer) and stir in with sauce.
* Cook at 350 degrees for 90-120 minutes or in crockpot for a few hours.
* Serve over rice.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Coconut Fish Sticks with Coconut Rice

I had to hurry and write this recipe down somewhere I would be able to find it again because I just kind of threw everything together and it turned out so good we will definitely be having it again! I know some of you aren't big fish fans, but the coconut takes over any fishy flavor so you are getting the benefits of fish without any fishiness. :)
So the whole dinner was ready in less than 30 minutes. I had my fish thawing earlier so that helped.
First-Start the rice (we use our rice cooker)
2 c. rinsed white rice
2 c. water
1 c. coconut milk

* After rice is cooked, combine with a few TBSP. flaked coconut and half (or more) of a semi-drained can of black beans.

Coconut Fish Sticks-
3-4 pieces tilapia cut into stick size pieces (probably about 2 lbs.)
partial can of coconut milk-1/2 c.?
1/2 c. flaked coconut
bread crumbs (either regular or Panko-I switched in the middle and both worked great).

Dip fish pieces into coconut milk and coat in breading-crumbs mixed with coconut- Plop in a heated frying pan with just enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Make sure it is hot enough you are cooking quickly, but isn't too hot so the outside with just get super dark before the middle is done.

Dipping Sauce
Rest of can coconut milk
1/4 c. flaked coconut
1/4 c. Pina Colada Drink Mix
full 1/2 c. Vanilla Yogurt (we used Greek yogurt)
Add more of whichever to taste.


Friday, September 3, 2010

Quick Baguette

This is one of our favorite quick and easy breads to have with dinner!! It make 2 loafs easily. It would be yummy with your favorite garlic butter!

I found this recipe from Frosted bake shop blog - if you want pictures of each step go here http://frostedbakeshop.blogspot.com/2010/02/baguette.html

Baguette
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbs. (2 packages) dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup of the water with the yeast and 1 tsp. of sugar. Mix it well and cover with a cloth.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, salt and 1 tsp. sugar. When it is mixed well, add the yeast mixture. Gradually add the rest of the water. Mix until the dough becomes a smooth ball.

Remove from the bowl and knead the dough, cut in half and then shape into 2 baguettes. Take a knife and core down the middle - that makes it authentic! You can see, mine aren't too fancy.

Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes.

Put water in a cookie sheet and put it on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Half way through, brush the bread with butter.

You could try it with wheat flour also. Enjoy!

Chocolate cake


So this has been my birthday Cake for the last 3 years. My sister in law turned me on to this recipe!! If you are ever caving chocolate cake this will do the trick!! The recipe come from the back of Hershey's Cocoa Powder. We always add strawberry's to the top because that is my favorite combination!! The frosting is also fabulous!!

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake!!


Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water



Directions


1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. 3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings. VARIATIONS: ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost. BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost. CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes. "


PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa 3 cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Delicious Summer Salad

Tonight for dinner we ended up having this salad and it has become one of my very favorites. I don't know if there is a recipe for this out there (there probably is somewhere), but we just put together what we had. So filling, yet very light and refreshing and pretty healthy. We were planning on having a bbq so I had marinated some chicken tenderloins for a Teriyaki-ish flavor. And I was just planning on the salad as a side dish so when we ended up combining them I wanted to make sure the dressing actually complimented the salad and the raspberry pecan dressing in the fridge was past the Best Buy date (by quite a bit) so I just threw this together. It turned out so wonderfully (and it's so simple) I wanted to record it somewhere.
Dressing:
1/4 c. White Wine Vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
3 large spoonfuls of Blackberry Jam
Olive Oil ( less than 1/4 c.)
These measurements are not "scientific" at all. I made the dressing in a clean sour cream container (the 2 c. size) and covered the bottom about 1/3 in. deep? with the vinegar. Then I added some jam and sugar and finally covered the top with a little Olive Oil. I tasted it and it was too strong of a vinegar taste for me so I added another spoonful of jam and a little more sugar so I think the amounts above are about what I ended up with, but you can tweak it for your taste. Then just shake it up.

* We ended up making another salad this same size so next time I would just double it to begin with for 2 adults (but we like larger portions) and a 2 year old (who loved this salad!). There was enough dressing for both salads with just a little bit left over.

Rinse a few cups of Spring Mix lettuce (or spinach or a red leaf lettuce) and shake dry.
Add about 1 c. of rinsed and drained cottage cheese
1/4 c. sliced Smokehouse Almonds (we love Blue Diamond because they have such great flavor, but I'm sure a generic would also work)
Big handful of rinsed Blackberries
3-4 Chicken tenderloin sliced.
Handful of crumbled bacon (I hate having to cook it anytime I want to use it so I buy the bag of Hormel Bacon bits at Sam's Club).
Toss it all together, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Light Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Light Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe

We made this yesterday, so yummy. I found this in a taste of home magazine! I used fat free sour cream. And next time I think I might double the streusel since you use it in the middle and on the top!! And I am wondering if I could use apple sauce ( or apple butter) instead of butter?Next time!!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream ( I used fat free)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt ( I used low fat)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

STREUSEL:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, yogurt, butter and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients. Spoon half of batter into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with half of streusel. Top with remaining batter and streusel. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack to cool. Yield: 20 servings.


Friday, May 21, 2010

In-a-Pinch Chicken Noodle Soup

The stomach flu has been going around like crazy up here, and in the last week, my two kids and my nephew (we're watching him for a week), have all been taking turns throwing up. Fun. Anyways, yesterday I needed chicken noodle soup and realized that we were out of the canned stuff and I really didn't want to haul kids to the store. I also didn't want to make a really involved recipe, so I tossed this together on a whim, and it turned out really good! Todd proclaimed it one of the best chicken noodle soup recipes he's tried. I figure I'll write it down for the next time I need a quick batch of soup!

Ingredients:

15 c. chicken broth (I used 4 c. of reserved water from boiling the pasta, 11 more cups of water, 7 1/2 t. herbox chicken granules and 7 1/2 T. chicken flavored "Better Than Bouillon")
3 cups of sliced or diced carrots
5 stalks celery, sliced or diced
1 yellow onion, diced
5 large cloves of fresh garlic, pressed
2 c. (dry measurement) mini pasta shells, cooked until "al dente", rinsed, and drained
2 cans of Costco chicken breast, drained and shredded (this came out to about 3 c. if you wanted to use regular shredded chicken...the cans just made it really easy and fast, and when I was already dealing with so many germs, I didn't want to add raw meat on top of my ever-growing list of "things to sanitize")
Black pepper to taste (I gave about 15 cranks of our pepper grinder)
2 T. Italian Seasoning

Directions:
-Boil pasta in 2 quarts of water 6 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving 4 c. if you want it to use for making broth if using bouillon. Rinse pasta with cold water to stop cooking, drain, and set aside.
-While pasta is cooking, chop celery, carrots, onion, and garlic.
-Add broth (or water if using bouillon) to the same pot used to cook the pasta (use a large pasta pot...this makes a TON of soup)
-Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bouillon (if using water instead of prepared broth), ground pepper, and Italian Seasoning. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
-While vegetables are boiling, shred chicken. Add chicken to vegetable mixture and boil for an additional 5-7 minutes until carrots are tender.
-Remove from heat and stir in noodles, adjust seasonings as desired.
-When this is too hot for my kids to eat, I throw in a small handful of frozen peas to their bowl to cool it off and add some more veggies. Great trick for any soup...you can also use frozen mixed veggies, frozen corn, or frozen carrots.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Freezer Meals

I know we talked about not doing themes, but I want to throw one out there. Do you have any recipes that you make that freeze well for later? Our compassionate service committee has asked for some of us to volunteer to have a casserole/meal in our freezer for when they need it. I just made three yesterday, all of which were enchiladas, but I have a confession I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food as a whole. I'll be going to Girls Camp for a week this summer and I'm sure the family would appreciate having something on hand in the freezer. So will you please post some of your recipes that freeze well, and make a label for freezer meals on the post so we can look them up. If you have Mexican food that freezes well feel free to share that too, because I know I am definitely a minority. Lets help each other out so we can stock our freezers with meals, so when we don't feel up to making dinner or some one need a meal we are ready. I can't wait to see what you have.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Broccoli Beef or Chicken

Here in good old Rexburg there is no good Asian food. And We find ourselves seriously craving it. So I am always on the hunt for our favorite Asian food recipes. For this one I didn't have to go far. I got This from my Sister Laura you got it from her sister in law Pakiene who is from .... ummm I cant remember, Laura or Shannon help me out? But she has some seriously good recipes!! This one is easy and super yummy!

1 package of stir fry beef strips or 2 chicken breast cut into small pieces
2 stalks of broccoli cut into small pieces
2 T. oil ( I usually use sesame oil for a little extra flavor)
1/2 c oyster sauce (I was afraid to try this but now its one of my favorites and I use it in lots of Asian recipes!)
1 clove of garlic finely chopped( i usually add at least 2, we like our garlic!)
1/2 c. water

using a frying pan/ skillet on med- high heat, pour in oil. Add garlic and saute for a minute then add meat. Cook for 2 min. Add broccoli in and stir. let it cook for 3-4 minutes. then add oyster sauce and water, stir and let cook for 2 more minutes.
serve with rice! enjoy!!!

I usually double this for our family (or at least double the meat and sauce, we have some broccoli haters in our house :-(

Ceasar Salad


1 crushed garlic bud
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
¼ cup salad oil
2 – 3 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan Cheese

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl, put torn up Romaine, red and green leafy lettuce, and spinach on top.  Do no toss! Cover and refrigerate overnight or several hours.  Toss and add Croutons and Parmesan Cheese.
I usually 3 X’s this recipe to put in the big Tupperware bowl for a crowd, or at least 3 times the dressing so you can use some one night and some more for lunch or dinner the next day!!

Menu Mondays- Cori

Wow with going out of town for the weekend, then my Brother and Sister in law havign their baby I totally spaced my menu.  Sorry!

So I made a month calendar for our meals.  But since things have been kinda crazy latley I ahvent cooked half of our meals planned.  So this week Im not gonna stick to what my calendar says and go with what in my fridge/ freezer and use stuff up that I ahd bought for previous meals that jsut never happend!!

MondayChicken Alfredo (I used the 1/3 fat cream cheese and  I seasoned with fresh garlic, basil, and parsley.  then added Italian season and salt pepper and a dash of nutmeg.  so yummy) with Moms Caesar salad-  this meal was requested by Jordan and Natalie who I was taking dinner to cause they just got home from the hospital with cute baby Sydney!!
Tuesday Calzones- we never did make them last week with moms Caesar salad (so yummy and easy, I will add recipe later)
Wednesday Heathers Pork chops and Jungle rice   I'm excited to try this!
Thursday- leftovers,  we have a meeting to be to!!
Friday - Barbecued chicken, potatoes, and grilled asparagus
Saturday- Broccoli Beef, rice-  I love this recipe from Laura!  I will add later!
Sunday- Rotisserie Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, dilled carrots.

Menu Monday's Erin a day late

So last week we had family in town, which was super fun. While cooking the turkey for our turkey sandwiches, I realized that my oven was over and done with. When I took the turkey out the element in my oven was glowing in just one spot and sparking, luckily the turkey was done, and a friend let me cook the rolls for the sandwiches at her house. There had been other issues with our stove and I knew that the days of our stove were limited but I didn't realize it would be this soon. So with an out of order oven, I've had to be a little creative on the cooking, especially since we haven't had a bbq since our move when a piece got left behind almost 3 years ago. So I'm going to be using my crockpot all week, so we didn't have to go and buy the first oven we saw.

Monday - hot dogs we had left over from a family bbq
Tuesday - Lemon and Herb Chicken
Wednesday - Salsa and Black Bean Soup
Thursday - Chili Verde
Friday - Left Overs
Saturday - Pizza (we have our babysitting co-op at our place)
Sunday - Chicken Fajitas

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Granola Bars

So if you know me well, there are two things you probably know about me, if you don't I'll inform you...1) I love a good deal and telling people about them. So here is my bragging for today, boxes of Quaker Instant Oatmeal for $0.40 and jars of Skippy peanut butter for under a dollar. 2) I enjoy making things from scratch. I haven't bought bread from the store in who knows how long. I got into canning this past summer, and enjoy having the end product. I like making homemade treats for my kids, it often brings the neighbor kids running. Two of my favorites are fruit leather and granola bars. That being said, I'll share with you my granola bar recipe I got years ago as a youth, when someone made them for girls camp.



Granola Bars

8 c. oats
2 c. chopped nuts
2 c. chocolate chips
4 c. rice crispies
3 c. other (butterscotch chips, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, coconut, raisins, craisin, etc. you decide)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 1/3 c. corn syrup
1 c. & 4 Tbs. butter
1/3 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350
Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl (oats through salt). Melt butter and peanut butter. Stir in the rest of the wet ingredients, make sure the butter and peanut butter isn't too warm so it doesn't scramble your eggs. Pour wet ingredients over everything in your big bowl and mix well. Press granola mix into 2 greased cookie sheets. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and cut. I wrap the granola bars in tin foil and store them in my freezer in a ziplock bag.
I hope you enjoy these as much as our family does.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Menu Monday's Erin

Monday - Beef and Bean Chimichangas
Tuesday - Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken (we never made it last week, so that's why it's here again)
Wednesday - Sweet and Sour Meatballs (my mom's recipes, I'll post it later)
Thursday - Chuck -A- Rama with extended family
Friday - Out to eat at Costa Vita with family
Saturday - Turkey Sandwiches
Sunday - Calazone (I had some left over mozarella from homemade pizza)

Thanks for the ideas Cori, if you haven't noticed we are doing some of the same things. Usually I do a lot of my menu planning on Tuesdays or Wednesdays when I can check out the new ads and what's on sale for the best price, and since family is in town this week planning was a little harder than normal.

Menu Mondays- Cori

 I hope everyone had a great weekend!!  My hubby finally graduated!  We are so excited and can't wait to see where we end up!!


Here is my menu for the next week.



Monday-  stroganoff, green beans
Tuesday- Peanut butter chicken - this is anew recipe we will see how it goes.
Wednesday- Sweet and sour meatballs over rice, ( except use homemade meatballs, and add a green pepper to sauce) salad.
Thursday- Out of town/  out to dinner
Friday- out of town
Saturday- out of town
Sunday - Calzones, salad, root beer

Have a good week everyone!!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Menu Labels

Hi Ladies!

I just noticed that Erin put a "menu" label on her Menu Mondays post. I thought this was a great idea...then we can go back and reference them for ideas. I just went back and edited mine to include the "menu" label. Thanks Erin!

-Heather

Menu Monday - Shannon

I have FOUR doctor appointments this week on top of family coming in from out of town. I'm trying to stay as stress-free as possible these next 9 days before this baby is born so our meals will be simple but our bellies will be filled.

Monday - Meatloaf and mashed potatoes premade by Costco (homemade is way better... I had two of the four appointments today)
Tuesday - Baked Monte Cristo Sandwich with some swiss instead of american cheese. Raspberry jam on the side for dipping.
Wednesday - Cheese Tortellini Alfredo (sauce from a jar) with chicken and broccoli.
Thursday - Dinner brought in by the ANGELS of my Relief Society (another two doctor appointment day)
Friday - California Style BBQ-Chicken Pizza
Saturday - Arena Football game, dinner out before hand
Sunday - Dinner at Mom and Dad's

Yummy Smoothie

Hi Ladies,

I make smoothies frequently for my kids and I for snacks because they're quick, easy, and I can squeeze in some fruit and dairy in one step. I went to make one today and realized I was out of milk, so I improvised and it was really good! Only 12 Weight Watchers points for the whole blender pitcher, so I had about a quarter of that and it filled me up! Okay, here you go:

1 (12 oz) can fat free evaporated milk
1 c. fat free strawberry yogurt
1 medium banana frozen (I always take my bananas that are going brown and peel them, break them in half, and throw them in a ziploc bag in my freezer. They're great for smoothies or banana bread)
8 large frozen strawberries (I buy the big bag at Costco or WinCo)

Blend at high speed until smooth and increased in volume.

Menu Monday - Erin

We are heading out of town this weekend to go visit family (Cori and Colin, and other family that will be up there at that time) so I'm trying to not shop much this week and use what I got. I'm a fan of freezing meals, and by the time next week comes to an end, I'm sure I'll need to start stocking up my freezer meals again. Our family isn't quiet big enough to eat all of one recipe for a lot of meals we eat, so I make a full batch and freeze the other half. If you want to ready more about that you can check out our other blog. When it comes to meal planning I usually plan my meals around what's on sale at my store and I have coupons for, that's a whole other post I can go on and on about. I have a white board that I keep on my fridge, that I keep track meals I have in the freezer, my menu and things I need I certain stores. So here is our menu at our house

Monday - Beef Stroganoff, here's one with a pic if you want it (I had half of a recipe in my freezer minus the mushrooms and sour cream)
Tuesday - Left over BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Wednesday - Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken (ok this isn't in my freezer, but I have most of the things I need)
Thursday - Sandwiches, since we will be on the road
Friday - Out of town
Saturday - Out of town
Sunday - Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (not sure where I got the recipe, and I'll post it later) with Orange Rolls (we could easily eat a whole recipe, but shouldn't, so last time I made a full recipe and froze half of it, so I plan on just getting them out to let them raise all day.)

Easy White Chicken Chili

We love this recipe! It's easy, tasty, filling, and healthy! 1/2 c. only has 1 Weight Watchers point, so I can have a big bowl for really low points/cal/fat.

This is
a lighter recipe, so I like to stir in a couple of TBS of fat-free sour cream (I only like the "Naturally Yours" brand...it looks like a cow pattern on the outside) to make it richer with hardly any added calories or fat. I also prefer mine without cheese (strange, since usually I love anything with cheese) and with a few baked tortilla chips crushed and stirred into it. I also usually substitute black beans for half of the white beans.

White
Chicken Chili:

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz (one costco can, or equivalent amount) cooked white meat chicken
1 can diced tomatoes (the normal size...14 oz?)
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can chopped green chilies
2 cloves garlic
1 can chicken broth
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 - 1/2 t. chili powder
cilantro to taste...I always add probably at least 1/2 cup

Toppings:
additional chopped cilantro
low-fat sour cream
shredded cheese (low fat or, in moderation, full fat)

Saute onion, pepper, garlic, and green chilies until onions and peppers are soft (no need to use oil...the liquid from the chilies works just fine). DON'T let garlic burn...use medium heat.
Add all other ingredients and simmer 10 minutes. Top with sour cream, cheese, and cilantro.

Menu Mondays - Heather

This is a great idea, Cori! I always plan my meals a week at a time...I just don't know how to function at dinnertime otherwise, and we end up eating out. Todd's family is great at just whipping up something tasty out of whatever they have on hand, but I'm horrible at this. I'm too much of a perfectionist, so I can't just leave one ingredient out if I don't have it. Okay, there's my plug for menu planning! :) This is my first attempt at links, so I'm sorry if they don't work, but I'll post my menu anyway because maybe it will at least be good for ideas. :) Here are my plans for the week:

Monday - Spaghetti (nothing fancy...we're babysitting two additional kids, so it's gonna be a hectic "add some ground beef to Ragu" kind of night)

Tuesday - White Chicken Chili

Wednesday - Grilled Sweet and Sour Pork Chops/ wild rice/ sauteed zucchini

Thursday - Tossball practice and Todd has meetings every Thursday this month, so the kids will probably have corn dogs and I'll have a Boca burger. Raw veggies on the side.

Friday - Young Women's Fundraiser Auction/Dinner

Saturday- Date Night

Sunday - Tea's Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Bake

Menu Mondays

If you are like me you hate dinner time.  It's not the cooking part cause I actually love cooking and exploring new things, its the whole " whats for dinner" part.  I always have the hardest time figuring out what to fix.  And most of the time I start thinking about it too late to do anything nice.  And many times my sister and I will call to figure out what the other is fixing. Now we have both done menu planning on and off for years.  But I got out of the habit when I was pregnant, which looking back now that is probably when I need a planned out menu the most. It would of helped my hubbers alot when that last thing i wanted to do was think of food.  Now that my tiny sweet pea is here, and the morning sickness is long gone ( good riddance).  We are back full swing into our menu planning.  about 2 weeks ago we sat down and planned our menu mostly using stuff that we already had.



It has been so nice to already know what we are having the next night.  It makes me love dinner time again.  Not to mention it always seems to save us money and time at the grocery store!!  I was lucky enough this year to have 2 great calendars, one I made of our family then my sister made a Family one.  So one is for all the things going on and the other one is hanging up in my cupboard door with our menu, right next to my fav.  pizza/ bread-stick recipe!!

Don't you just love the  picture of my brother and sister in law in their Halloween  costumes!!


 So now I am thinking why not have menu Mondays each week on this blog, which will help us all to be better prepared each week.  Lets see if we can't help each other out.  Every Monday lets each take 5 minutes and post our menu for the week.  If you have a link to a recipe include that or if its a recipe from a cookbook tell us which one!!   And if we see something on someones menu that we might like to try lets ask for the recipe!!  What do you think?  Should we give it a try?  


I'll go first, although you can see in the pictures what We are having for the whole month!!  Here is what we have planned for the week!

Monday- left overs from our yummy Easter dinner
Tuesday-  meatloaf and my favorite brown rice
Wednesday- Chicken Alfredo with Homemade garlic bread-sticks ( I just have to look on my cupboard door!!)  
* cook roast for enchiladas next day*
Thursday- Amanda's enchiladas and spanish rice
Friday- sloppy joes, pasta salad  - we will have a ton of people here for the Mr. graduation and sloppy joes are easy to fix in huge quantaties, and if it doesn't get eaten freezes really well!
Saturday-   Breakfast- hash brown breakfast casserole in crockpot ( make it fast cook it slow cookbook pg. 51)
                  Dinner-  out to eat with family to celebrate!!
Sunday- Rotisserie style chicken, mash potatoes,gravy

All right that is it for me, lets see your menus!!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Whats on your Easter menu?



So as I am planning a shopping list for our Easter Dinner I can't help but wonder what you all are doing?  Whats on your menu for Easter?  Do you have any fun recipes that are traditions?   Are you doing anything special for Easter breakfast?

Here is what we are planning, it pretty traditional!!


Ham
Cheesy potatoes ( aka funeral potatoes)
roasted lemon garlic asparagus
Hot crossed buns
jello salad with bunny shaped marshmallows

and for dessert
Carrot cake!!

I will post the recipes when I have some sleep under my belt!!

oh yeah and I updated the blog to the new editor and I have been having issues.  But like I said working on no sleep here.  So let me know if you like it, if it gives you trouble or what.  If we don't like it I can change it back to the old way, let me know.  And if you figure out how to make it work then please teach me!!

I cant wait to here what on you menus for Easter!!  And if you have a good recipes please share!!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Eclairs

Something a little more exciting, a definite favorite dessert of mine. They seem so complicated, but are really so easy!
I make the pastry cream first because it needs to cool, but you can make the eclair shells a day or two before and store them as well.
For the pastry cream:
3/4 cup sugar
A pinch of salt
3 1/4 cups milk, divided
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a medium saucepot over medium heat, combine the sugar, salt and 3 cups milk, and bring up to a bubble. While the milk is heating up, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of milk with the cornstarch in a bowl and stir until completely dissolved. In another large bowl, break up the egg yolks and whisk them together.
Using a whisk, add the cornstarch mixture into the simmering milk and stir continuously until thickened, about 2 minutes (it's ok if the mixture boils lightly).

When the mixture has thickened up, slowly add a couple ladlefuls of the hot liquid into the bowl with the egg yolks while whisking constantly (this makes it so you don't get "scrambled egg" chunks in the pastry). Add the egg yolk mixture back to the pot, return it to medium heat and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pushing the plastic down so that it covers the surface of the cream. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

For the éclair dough:
1 cup water
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.
In a medium saucepot over medium-high heat, combine water, butter, and salt. Heat until butter has melted and water is boiling.

Add flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Stir until mixture begins to create a dough ball in the center of the pot and dough is completely pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 2 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. On low speed, add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl well after each addition and beating until the bowl feels cool (the mixture should be very smooth and silky).

Transfer the mixture to a plastic food storage bag and cut a half-inch off of one corner to create a pastry bag. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, squeeze the mixture into desired shapes and bake until golden brown and puffed, about 30-40 minutes.
If you made the shells a day or two ahead and they feel soggy when you take them out, pop them into a 400ºF oven for a couple of minutes until they crisp up again. Allow them to cool before filling.

To assemble éclairs (they should be pretty quickly before serving): Give the pastry cream a stir to break it up and smooth it out then transfer it to a plastic food storage bag. Cut off about a quarter-inch from one corner to make a pastry bag-you could use a frosting bag, but I like to use the plastic bags so I can throw them away after.

Using a chopstick or skewer, poke a hole in one end of each baked pastry and wiggle the stick around to clear out some space. Squeeze the pastry cream into each opening, filling the pastries. To finish, dip the top half of the éclairs in frosting. Or you can melt dark chocolate and dip the tops in that and then let the chocolate set up a bit. For frosting I use 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cube butter, 2-3 Tbsp. baking cocoa, and either canned milk or cream, with a little vanilla. Just adjust the milk and powdered sugar to get it to the consistency you want. Enjoy!!!

Super Simple Soup

Last night I wanted something really quick, easy, and simple. We've had some upset tummies over this way so I wanted something soothing. It isn't anything fancy, and chances are you've probably already made something similar. But I want to remember my "idea" when I need something in the future.
1 can chicken noodle soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can water
1/2 can whipping cream
1/4 c. Romano Cheese

Just combine the ingredients and heat. We had this with Colby Jack/Swiss grilled cheese sandwiches and even though it's a simple flavor, we all really liked it.

Suki Yaki

Japanese food is one of my favorite kinds of foods, I think some of it is nostalgic and reminds me of home, and the other part is it just tastes so good. Here's a recipes that's pretty easy and can be adapted to what you like or don't like, and you don't have to worry about feeling intimidated walking into an Asian market, if you are lucky enough to have one nearby.
Go check it out, over at our family cooking blog.

Chicken Fried Steak

This recipe was really fun to make.  This was my first chicken fried steak.  I bought  The Pioneer Womens  cookbook.  Which I love, looking at her pictures makes me want to move to the middle of nowhere and live on a ranch ( ok maybe not).  But her step by step pictures and instructions make me thing I can cook anything.  So a few weeks ago we tried this and it was fun.  The only thing that I didn't like was the cubed steaks I bought were huge, and I didn't think anything of it.  But when eating this I decided that I liked the edges of the steak with all of its crusty goodness, so next time I will buy smaller or cut them into smaller steaks.  Have fun with this one!!  Oh yes the gravy is a must for the steak and also for smashed potatoes if you choose to make them!!







Chicken-Fried Steak
From The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook, pages 142-145

3 pounds cube steak
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk, plus 2 cups for the gravy
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus about 1/3 cup for the gravy
2 teaspoons seasoned salt, such as Lawry's
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you can handle it)
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
seasoning salt 
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil for frying

The prep-
Mix the flour, seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper together in a shallow plate. Mix the eggs with 1 cup of the milk in another shallow dish. Have a third empty dish close by. Lightly season the meat with salt and pepper. Dip each piece into the egg/milk mixture, then into the flour mixture. Now, dip the flour covered meat back into the egg mixture and then one more time into the flour mixture. Place the double dipped meat onto the empty plate.

The Cooking-
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. (A few sprinkles of flour will sizzle in the oil when it is hot enough) Fry the meat, several pieces at a time. Cook on one side until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes. Flip the meat and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes on the other side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm until all the meat has been cooked.

The Gravy-
 After frying all the meat, pour off all the grease into a heat-proof bowl. Do not clean the pan! Return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup of the grease back to the pan. Allow the grease to heat up. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with grease, creating a paste. When the flour becomes golden brown, while whisking constantly, pour in two cups of milk. Whisk to combine, then let the gravy come to a slow boil. Season with  seasoning salt. Add more milk if the gravy becomes too thick, whisking it into the flour/gravy. The whole process should be between 5 to 10 minutes.
*  make sure to taste and then season accordingly, because under seasoned gravy is the worst!


Place the warm meat on a plate with a heaping pile of smashed potatoes. Drizzle with a little (or a lot!) of  the gravy. Ree ( the pioneer women) says "Serve this to a hungry cowboy and you'll earn a friend for life". 

Friday, March 19, 2010

Shredded Beef Enchiladas

I Love Mexican food, and I LOVE simple things that are easy to make. I do not claim to be a gourmet chef of any kind (I only make the simplest of things!), but quite often Ryan will say that _____ is "restaurant quality" or better than at a restaurant. This was one of the times. He said they were his favorite enchiladas I've ever made. So now that I've built them up, you'll have to try them and let me know what you think. I had a giant cross-rib roast so I cooked the whole thing in my crockpot with just some beef bouillon and then just used some of it and froze most of it for future super convenient dinners (see easy as I can make it for myself). We love the raw tortillas (found at most grocery stores, and especially in bulk at Sam's Club-our favorite). I cooked 8-10 of those up (20 seconds on a side in a frying pan-no oil needed) and shredded a bunch of colby jack cheese while I had the sauce simmering. The sauce is super easy-1 Western Family Enchilada sauce seasoning packet, 1 6 oz. can tomato paste, and 16 oz. water. Mix that together and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 and assemble. I put some spoonfuls of sauce on the bottom of my 10x13 pan to it was covered with a thin layer. Then put some of the meat (not too much) in the tortilla along with a little cheese, roll up and place in the pan seam side down. Continue to do this until you've filled your pan and used up your meat etc. Then top with more sauce (I used pretty much all of it) and cover with cheese. Cook 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and kind of crunchy on the edges.

shredded beef-cross rib roast (2 cups.)
cheese-colby jack
tortillas
Enchilada seasoning pack
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
16 oz. water

Hope you enjoy, they are definitely going to be a regular thing at our house!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

calzone, pizza, breadstick dough!!



Let me start out by saying that this recipe is so good and versatile that it has made it to my cupboard door!! And in my house that only happens when it is a great recipe!!

I went looking for the perfect dough to make calzones with. Calzones and us we have a history. Colin purposed on New Years Eve, and earlier in the evening he had made calzones for us to eat. So now we make them every new years eve, but I have never been satisfied with the dough. It has never been just right for me. And then when Tyler was born my incredible friend Mandy (who is also from Washington, I love that I had to come to Rexburg to meet her!! She is a- maz-ing, when we get back into a house she will be my first call to be my decorator! Oh yeah and you should check out her blog, her and her 2 sisters started a blog with lots of cute ideas. Seriously she is my hero!) brought over calzones for everyone and we all ate them up so fast. And guess what the dough (of course) was perfect. And instead of asking her for her recipe, because I feel like all I do is copy her, I went looking for one. And I think I found it. I actually already had it. I had used it to make some yummy garlic bread sticks!! I found it here. I Love this dough recipe. I have used it to make bread sticks, cheesy garlic rolls, pizza, and calzones. It is so easy and so perfect!! My kids had a ball helping roll out there own dough and putting on their own toppings. If you would like more of a step by step tutorial you can find it here.


Dough recipe

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour


In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl.
Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

From there you can either roll into pizza dough, calzones, or breadsticks.

yes I know they are still in there pjs in the middle of the day, don't judge people


Calzones -
take a small amount of dough and roll out , on one side add Italian dressing then top with your favorite topping. pull other side over and pinch side to seal closed. I cooked mine in a 375 oven for about 10 minutes. Have some marinara sauce for dipping.


Pizza-
one recipe will make about 2 medium pizzas. Roll out dough and the prick with a fork to get holes in it so you dont have bubbly dough. After this, if you like crispy crust brush with olive oil and itialian seasoning or garlic salt/ powder and bake for 5-10 minutes. Take out then add you sauce and toppings then stick back in the oven. bake at 425 for 10 -12 minutes



breadsticks-
Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures! Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.
When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt.



I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have. Maybe it will make your cupboard door as well!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Oatmeal Pancakes


Oatmeal Pancakes

2 c. oats

2 c. buttermilk

½ c. flour

2 Tbs. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp. Salt

2 eggs, beaten

½ c. butter, melted then cooled


Combine oats and buttermilk in a bowl, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.

Combine the dry ingredients.

Add eggs and butter to the oat mixture. Stir in dry ingredients.

Cook pancakes.

After Cori shared her yummy pancake recipe, I thought I'd share one of our new favorites. (By the way they were yummy, the syrup totally made the pancakes, go try them!) These were super yummy. We have made them several times and you should too!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

Every time I eat pancakes I think of my Dad. Growing up, when mom was away and it was dads turn to cook he always cooked, or at least tried to persuade us that we should eat pancakes. They are his specialty. My kids even know this. When we go to visit they always are waiting for Grandpa to make them pancakes!! Well Dad I found a new recipe to add to your collection! I found this recipe on Real Moms Kitchen. I even stole the picture from her. She found the recipe from Tasty kitchen which is a site started by Ree the Pioneer Women. These are so yummy. And syrup is the perfect match to these pancakes. Well the syrup is perfect for just about anything that needs syrup! When I made the syrup for these pancakes I doubled the recipe. We had some left so I heated it up this last weekend for french toast. To die For!! Enjoy!


picture of cinnamon bun pancakes with maple-butter icing

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

  • 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
  • 3 Tablespoons White Sugar
  • ½ teaspoons Salt
  • 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
  • 2 whole Eggs Beaten
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
  • ¼ cups Butter, Melted
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
  1. In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon with a whisk. Whisk well to make sure everything is combined.
  2. In separate large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture.
  3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium/low heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle. Brown on both sides.
  4. Serve warm with maple-butter icing drizzled over the top. Makes 12 pancakes.

Maple-Butter Icing (I recommend doubling the recipe)

  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar
  • ¼ cups Butter, Melted
  • Dash Of Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
  • ¼ cups Whole Milk (more If Needed)

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adding the milk slowly. Add enough milk for desired consistency.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

One pot chicken and penne parmesan

My family loves this. It has saved the day many times when I haven't felt good enough to cook, its quick, easy and taste so yummy!

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3/4lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1-3/4 cups(14-1/2 oz. can) chicken broth
1/2 (8oz) package penne pasta uncooked
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower mix
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided ( some times I have used Cheddar cheese when we didn't have Parmesan and it still tasted yummy!)

in 5-quart saucepan over medium head, melt butter, add chicken. Cook 5 minutes or until no longer pink. add broth;heat to boiling. Add uncooked pasta, vegetables, and pepper, stirring to coat pasta with liquid. Heat to boiling, reduce head. Cover, simmer 13 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, or until pasta is tender and most liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together soup, milk and 1/2 cup cheese until smooth, stir into chicken mixture. heat until mixture just comes to a boil; sprinkle with remaining cheese. MAKES 8 SERVINGS.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Zucchini Brownies


I know it's not really zucchini season, but we had tons of it in our garden last year, and froze a lot! I needed to make a dessert for something this week, so I decided to pull out one of my many unused bags in the freezer and use it today. So that is why I decided to post it today.

Zucchini Brownies
1/2 c. oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 c. zucchini, grated

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Mix together oil, sugar, and vanilla. In another container mix together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt). Add the dry ingredients to the oil, sugar, and vanilla. It will be really dry, and crumbly (don't panic, the recipe is right, there are NO EGGS in the recipe). Stir in the zucchini until incorporated. If you are using frozen zucchini that has been thawed you will have water that comes out of the zucchini as it thaws, just add all of it into the bowl. If you are using fresh zucchini, your "batter" might seem really dry, but trust me, it'll be fine. Put your "batter" into your pan, you might have to press it in, depending on if you are using fresh zucchini or not. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Frost with frosting when cooled.

Frosting
6 Tbs. cocoa
1/4 c. butter
2 c. powder sugar
1/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Melt butter and stir in cocoa. Then add the rest of the ingredients. You might need to add more powder sugar, depending on how thick you want your frosting.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Swedish Meatballs

I will admit that I am a big wimp when it comes to trying new foods. And for some reason Swedish Meatballs have been on my list of things I never wanted to try. I really am not sure why, maybe because they have Swedish in the name I assumed they would be crazy weird. I know that there are some recipes for them that have veal or some other crazy ingredients. Then I saw this recipe over at Tasty Kitchen, which is a great site started by Pioneer Women ( this women is amazing a deserves a whole post to her self. But check out her website and her new cookbook). I made this last night, so Yummy and so Good!! And most importantly the kids devoured it as well. They are meat ball lovers of any kind so I wasn't surprised. I added a few more spices but other then that followed it exactly. Next time I make it will double the gravy recipe, well at least the liquid part, the gravy was really thick so next time I think Iwill 1 1/2 or double the liquid and not the flour. We had a perfect amount of meatballs enough for dinner and Colin to take a Lunch to work. Here is the recipe, Enjoy!!!

Ingredients
  • 1-¼ pound Ground Turkey Or Beef- I used beef
  • ¾ cups Dried Bread Crumbs
  • ⅓ cups Finely Chopped Onion (or 1-2 T Dried Minced)
  • 1 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes
  • ⅛ teaspoons Nutmeg
  • 1 whole Beaten Egg
  • 2-¼ cups Milk, Divided
  • 2 Tablespoons Flour
  • 2 teaspoons Beef Bouillon Granules (or 2 Cubes)
  • ⅛ teaspoons Pepper
  • ½ teaspoons Salt, Or To Taste

In medium bowl, mix meat, bread crumbs, onion, parsley and nutmeg ( I also added some kosher salt and pepper and then a little garlic powder). Beat egg and 1/4 cup milk together and add to the meat mixture. Blend together until combined. Shape into 25-30 meatballs (depending on size). Bake in a 375F oven for 20-25 minutes, until done.

While meatballs are cooking, in large skillet on the stove, whisk together the remaining 2 cups milk, flour, bouillon and pepper. Cook over medium heat until thickened, then add the salt. After meatballs are done, add them to the skillet, and coat with sauce. Serve over rice or pasta. Makes 4-6 servings.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup


For my sisters Birthday dinner she requested my homemade chicken noodle soup. So of course I did that, but at a restaurant a while ago I had some really good chicken and wild rice soup and I wanted to see if I could find a yummy recipe. I found one, and made it along with chicken noodle soup for Aprils birthday. It was so yummy. My brothers loved it as well. This soup has almonds in it and I would forget that when I would take a spoonful. So when there was something crunchy in my mouth I thought maybe the rice hadn't cooked but then I remembered it is the almonds. So if you don't want something hard and crunchy in your soup leave those out. This recipe also makes a huge pot, and I was able to put some in the freezer for another day. I will let you know how it handled being frozen. Hope you enjoy this yummy soup!!


Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I found this recipe on mykitchencafe

½ cup butter
1 finely chopped onion
½ - 1 cup frozen corn (or ½ cup chopped celery, if preferred)
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ cup carrots, sliced
¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 ½ cups chicken broth (can use 7 bouillon cubes plus 6 ½ cups water)
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups nonfat half-and-half (use normal half-and-half if you prefer, but you won't believe how delicious this is with the nonfat variety!)

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, corn, chicken and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 more minutes. Then add flour and stir well. Transfer mixture to large pot. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been added. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next, add the rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper and almonds. Allow to heat through and then pour in the half-and-half. Let simmer 1 to 1 ½ hours. Be careful not to let the soup come to a boil or it won't thicken properly - let it simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.

Monday, February 22, 2010

A Long Hiatus

Wow it really has been a long time since I have even thought about this blog. But I am ready to start posting and reading some of your favorite recipes again. I need to first apologize for neglecting this blog. Last May I discovered I was pregnant, and I get so very sick. So eating thinking or looking at food was not a priority. Now that our Sweet boy is here and life is getting back to normal ( I guess normal for life with 4 kids) I have been craving good food and wanting some fun new recipes and to share some of the ones that I have found. So I am starting up this blog again. I am wondering if any one is still interested in adding their own recipes? Or if any one else wants to join in on the fun. Erin I know you have started your own food blog, and some of you other girls are in the same boat I was in, the thought of food makes you want to run to the bathroom. So I thought we would see where we stand and who is still interested. Amanda and Laura there are some recipes I am dying to get from you. And If we do start this up again there are some things I would like to change. I am not going to do a weekly theme and I would like to add a print option and a few other things. So let me know what you think ladies. Are you ready?

-Cori