#98: Saucy Joes

This recipe came from a recent Food & Family Magazine.  Brian and the girls really enjoyed this recipe, but I wasn't as thrilled with it.  However, I must add that I am just getting over the flu so nothing is really appealing and that could be a big reason why!

This was an easy recipe though and I made the meat mixture ahead of time and froze it on my last freezer cooking day.  Tonight I just had to reheat!  We could not find any Ciabatta bread so we just used some small rolls.  Personally, this would be better on a crustier bread...and maybe stuck under the broiler to melt the cheese!

This recipe claims to serve 4, but we got 5 small sandwiches out of it plus at least 2 servings for Brian's lunches.

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 c spaghetti sauce
4 Ciabatta rolls, split/toasted
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown meat with onions and garlic in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.
Add spaghetti sauce, cook 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Fill rolls with meat mixture and cheese.

#97: Chicken Crunch

This recipe should just be called "Delicious!"  We ALL loved this one!  SUPER easy too!  Definitely, definitely making this one again.

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (I used the 98% FF)
1/2 cup milk
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Seasoned Stuffing, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

(Either I used WAY more chicken, or the recipe below doesn't call for enough, but I used almost the entire can of soup, about 1 c milk, and the entire box of stuffing).

1.Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir 1/3 cup soup and 1/4 cup milk in a shallow dish. Coat the chicken with the flour. Dip the chicken in the soup mixture. Coat the chicken with the stuffing. Place the chicken onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with the butter.  (Want to save some calories?  I don't think the butter made much of a difference)

2.Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

3.Heat the remaining soup and milk in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve the soup mixture with the chicken.  (I skipped this step and served with BBQ sauce instead)

#96: Green Beans in Yellow Pepper Butter

I was excited to make this for dinner this week, but then I needed to bring a vegetable side dish for thanksgiving and I wanted something I could throw in the microwave so I didn't have to take up my Aunt's oven space.  So I steamed my green beans in the microwave instead and I thought they turned out great!  I'm bringing this to thanksgiving tonight minus the sliced peppers because I think it will go over better without them.  I love the peppers though!  No one else in my family ate this, but it got 5 stars from me!Ingredients

2 medium sweet yellow peppers, divided
7 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed

Directions
Finely chop one yellow pepper. In a small skillet, saute pepper in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Set aside.
Place the pine nuts, lemon juice, salt, pepper and remaining butter in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Add cooked pepper; cover and process until blended. Set butter aside.
Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cut remaining pepper into thin strips; add to beans. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain.  (OR place beans in a microwave safe dish with 1 tbps water.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5 minutes or until tender).
Place vegetables in a large bowl; add butter mixture and toss to coat. (I toasted some extra pine nuts and added sprinkled them on top right before serving.  Also, I did not need all of the butter mixture, so I suggest adding half and then continue to add more as needed.)
Yield: 8 servings.

#95: Beef and Cheese Foldover

I got this recipe out of my Kraft Food and Family Magazine.  It was easy to make, even with having to roll out some bisquick dough.  This would probably be really good wrapped in 2 tubes of cresent rolls sealed together.  I might have to try that next time! 

I made the filling on my last freezer cooking day.  I defrosted it in the fridge overnight, then just made the dough the day I baked this, reheated the meat mixture for 2 minutes in the microwave and continued cooking as directed. 

Brian didn't enjoy this as much as Chloe and I did.  He claims it was good but he just wasn't in the mood for it.  I think it had a lot to do with the corn being in it.  This reminded me a lot of Jaime's Stuffed Peppers! 

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 c frozen corn
1/4 c ketchup
2 tbsp steak sauce
1/2 c hot water
2 c all-purpose baking mix
1 c shredded mexican cheese
1/2 tsp parsley flakes (I forgot to add this!)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Brown meat with onions in a large skillet; drain.  Stir in corn, ketchup, and steak sauce.  Set aside.

Add water to baking mix; stir until it forms a dough.  Shape into ball.  Place on a lightly floured surface; knead 5 times or until smooth and no longer sticky (I had to add a bit more water).  Roll into a 12 in circle; transfer to a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
Spoon meat mixture onto center of dough.  Spread to within 2 inches of edge.  Fold edge of dough over meat, leaving center uncovered.   Bake 20 min. Top filling with cheese; bake 5 min more or until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with parsley.

#94: Cheesy Pepper Palmiers

See that really nice, golden brown looking one in front?  That's what these are supposed to look like.  Although the picture looks like they are all burnt, they actually were quite yummy.

I was looking for a quick recipe to make for our Institute Day meeting today and I really didn't want to have to go to the grocery store to pick up ingredients.  I found this recipe and altered it slightly to the ingredients I had on hand. 


Although I over-cooked these slightly and didn't end up serving them, I still really enjoyed these and will definitely make again in the future (a little less pepper though!)


1 1/4 c finely shredded cheddar cheese (I used mexican blend cheese)
1/4 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I used regular parmesan cheese)
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 puff pastry sheets, thawed (if frozen)


Toss Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pepper, and salt in a bowl.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese mixture onto a work surface. Unfold 1 pastry sheet and place over cheese. Roll into a 10-inch square, then sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese mixture all over top of pastry, pressing lightly to adhere. Fold sides of 2 ends to meet in center, then fold once more into center and press ends together. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour (or freeze 15 to 30 minutes). Repeat with remaining cheese and second sheet of pastry.

While dough chills, preheat oven to 400F with racks in upper and lower parts of oven. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.  (I don't suggest putting it on the bottom rack.  Mine way over cooked that way!)


Working with 1 piece at a time (keep remaining chilled until ready to use), unwrap pastry and cut, seam side up, into 1/4-inch-thick slices, arranging them 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake, turning palmiers over and switching position of pans halfway through, until golden and pastry is cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes total. Transfer palmiers to rack to cool. Repeat cutting and baking remaining pastry on cooled sheets.

Make ahead: Dough can be assembled up to 3 days ahead. Palmiers can be baked 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

#93: Banana Cookies

I have a ton of over ripe bananas on my counter and in the freezer, so I wanted to use them up and have the girls take something with them to school on Monday.  We've already brought banana bread once, so I went for Banana Cookies this time. 

YUM YUM YUM!  LOVED this one!!  I will totally make this again!!  I omitted the ground cloves because I didn't have any, and I don't think it made any difference. 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup mashed banana (2 to 3 medium)
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, optional (I omitted and substituted choc. chips instead)

1.Preheat your oven to 375F degrees. For best results line cookies with silicone liners, or parchment paper. Alternatively, lightly spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

2.In a medium size bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, spices, baking soda, and salt until well blended and set aside.

3.In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.

4.Beat in the egg and mashed bananas, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary to make sure everything is well blended.

5.Stir in the flour mixture with the mixer on low speed or with a wooden spoon just until combined.

6.Stir in the the nuts, if using.

7.Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until no indentation remains when touched, about 8 to 10 minutes.  (It was 10 minutes for me!)
8.Remove from the oven and immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack with a spatula and allow to cool completely before storing.

This recipe yields about 4 dozen Banana Drop Cookies.

#92: Best-Ever Apple Pie

For my first time making a pie, I think that looks pretty good!!

When my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and I were deciding what I make for Thanksgiving, my MIL said that her favorite dessert was apple pie.  Since that was preferred over pumpkin pie (who doesn't like pumpkin pie?!) I offered to make it.  I was not going to spend/waste my time making the crusts since it's so much easier to just buy the premade Pillsbury ones.  So that's exactly what I did.  For the rest of the pie though, I followed this recipe.

Once Thanksgiving got cancelled Allison and I dug into this with a fork!  No pie going to waste at this house!  I don't know if I'd call this "best-ever" but it was really good!  Allison, who doesn't like apples loved this!  I would definitely make this again.

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup maple sugar or packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 lb. tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (8 cups)
2 Tbsp. butter, cut up
1/4 cup whipping cream
1–2 tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. raw sugar

In a large mixing bowl combine granulated sugar, maple sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Add apples; toss to coat. Transfer to pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter and pour whipping cream over filling. Trim edge of crust even with edge of pie plate.
Cut an “x” or a design in the center of on of the pastry crusts. Place pastry over filling in pie plate. Seal and crimp edges. Cut small slits in top of crust, if desired. Brush with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar. Place pie on a foil-lined baking sheet. To prevent overbrowning, cover pie edges with foil.
Bake in a 375° oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil from edges. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes more or until fruit is tender and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 8 servings.

#91: Sweet Potato Casserole with Coconut Pecan Topping

I told my inlaws I was going to make a vegetable for Thanksgiving and was looking for something holiday-ish and different.  A co-worker told me about this recipe and I really wanted to try it. 

I LOVED this!  I wasn't sure I was going to like the texture because it is all pureed, but I really do like it.  I think the next time I make it, I might try to puree half and then just mash the other half and combine.  A little texture might be a nice change to this.  The topping is FABULOUS!!  I might make this again this week just for myself to have for lunches.  Yum!!

4 cups mashed sweet potatoes (I used 4 sweet potatoes)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 eggs, beaten
salt

Topping
1 cup coconut
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter

Mix all of the casserole ingredients in a mixer until smooth, then spread in a buttered dish.  Mix coconut, brown sugar, chopped pecans, and flour.  Add melted butter.  Sprinkle on top of the potatoes.  Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

***UPDATE 12/10: I tried to make this a little healthier the second time I made this.  I also changed the texture to see if a chunky sweet potato mash made a difference.  First of all, I actually think this is better pureed!  I will continue to puree as instructed the next time I make this. 
Also, in the sweet potato mix I used 1/8 cup of sugar and couldn't tell much of a difference.  Next time I will do that again!
In the topping, I used 1/2 c chopped pecans and 1/6 cup of brown sugar...again, no difference. ***

#90: Cherry Coke Salad

My favorite drink is by far, Cherry Coke.  So several months ago I came across this recipe and filed it away for a future use.  I decided to add it to the in-laws Thanksgiving menu and knew that there was a 50/50 chance with the family that they wouldn't like it (picky eaters!).  Since I like cherry's though, I was willing to take the chance.  I decided to half the recipe just in case.  (The recipe below is the full recipe)

This was good, but a little too sweet.  It probably would be better if you just used water instead of the coke! 

Ingredients
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple
1/2 cup water
2 packages (3 ounces each) cherry gelatin
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
3/4 cup cola

Directions
Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set fruit aside. In a saucepan or microwave, bring pineapple juice and water to a boil. Add gelatin; stir until dissolved. Stir in pie filling and cola.

Pour into a serving bowl. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Fold in reserved pineapple. Refrigerate until firm. Yield: 10-12 servings.

#89: Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

This is a horrible picture!

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.  It got 4 1/2 stars from over 3300 people, so I was excited to try it.  After reading the comments/reviews, I decided to make some changes to the recipe.  (They are listed below in red).  A lot of the comments say to put the chicken in frozen....next time I will so I don't have to worry about defrosting!

I like this one!  Brian mainly just liked the chicken, although he did eat the dumplings too.  Allison and Chloe also liked the chicken but not the dumplings.  I thought they were good though.
 
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces (I used one and that was plenty for our family)
Paprika (few shakes)
Seasoned Salt (few shakes)
Pepper (few shakes)
Garlic Powder (few shakes)
2 c chicken broth

Directions
1.Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.

2.Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 1 1/2 hours before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

#88: Curt's Favorite

I got this recipe from my friend Jaime, who got it from here.  We love pot roast, so I added it to this month's menu.  I realized last night that I never took it out of the freezer, so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it after all.  I googled "frozen pot roast" and realized you COULD put a roast in the crockpot still frozen.  So last night I put everything together in the crockpot and stuck it in the fridge.  When I got up this morning I stuck the crockpot in the machine and turned it on.  When I came home from school, I could smell the roast from the garage...and it smelled really good. 

I was VERY happily surprised that not only was the pot roast defrosted and cooked through, it was also really moist and you would have never known it was put in still frozen!  Totally not going to worry about defrosting my roasts anymore!! 

We loved this one!  It wasn't anything super special when compared to any other pot roast I've made in the past, but it was easy and even Allison ate it!  My roast was only about 2.25 lbs so it was enough to serve Brian and I, a little for A and C and one serving left over for Brian to eat for lunch.   If you were to make a 4 lb roast, you're going to need a lot more potatoes and carrots than the recipe calls for!

This is a keeper for our house!!  Thanks Jaime!

Ingredients

4 pounds chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions

1.Take the chuck roast and season with salt and pepper to taste. Brown on all sides in a large skillet over high heat.

2.Place in the slow cooker and add the soup mix, water, carrots, onion, potatoes and celery.

3.Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

#87: Cowboy Casserole

This recipe reminded me a lot of tater tot casserole which has been passed down from our family.  I've made tater tot casserole before and we were not big fans of it; mainly because we felt the taters were too mushy.  So when I came across this recipe in my TOH Sept. Magazine, it looked good, but also got 4 1/2 stars from taste of home readers.  So I decided to give it a try.  What I didn't realize was this only serves 2!  Next time I would definitely double this (we actually got more like 3 1/2 servings out of this recipe...I probably added way too many potatoes). 

I loved this!  Brian (Mr. Texture), wasn't as big of a fan because the bottom layer or tater tots weren't cruncy.  Next time he wants me to bake the tater tots on a cookie sheet so they are all crispy and then add the meat mixture on top.  Whatever...it was good!

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 can (8-3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
2/3 cup condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups frozen Tater Tots

Directions
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Stir in the corn, soup, 1/4 cup cheese, milk, sour cream, onion powder and pepper.
Place 1 cup Tater Tots in a greased 3-cup baking dish. Layer with beef mixture and remaining Tater Tots; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 2 servings.

#86: Ritz Chicken

I decided to make this recipe for three reasons: 1.  It only required 5 ingredients.  2. I was looking for a new chicken recipe.  3.  I had all but one ingredient on hand!
This is a huge keeper for us!  We ALL loved this one!!!  Very, very good and extremely easy!

4 boneless chicken breasts

1 egg
little bit of milk
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
Parmesan cheese

Mix egg and milk in shallow dish. Crush crackers in ziploc bag then add cheese to crackers. Dip chicken in egg mixture to coat then in cracker mixture to coat. Place in 9x13 pan. Top each chicken breast with a dollup of butter. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until chicken is done.

#85: Cheesy Beef-Corn Chip Skillet

Don't judge this by the picture.  It's supposed to have shredded lettuce and tomatoes on top too, which would give it some color.  I made this for Brian and I tonight not expecting the girls to even want to try it.  Chloe ate a little of it, but Allison kept asking for more and eventually even snuck Chloe's bowl away from her when she wasn't looking!  If you've been reading any of the recipes I post on http://threecookingmamas.blogspot.com/, you know that texture is a big factor in our family and that we put crushed tortilla chips on a lot of meals.  :)  So when this one called for Corn Chips, I knew there was a possibility that we would like this one.  Brian does not like cheese (unless it's mozzarella), so I was a little nervous when I saw it called for Velveeta.  No need to be nervous though because we both liked this and Allison gave it 100 stars!  Brian and I gave it a more realistic 4 stars and will definitely eat this again.  Next time I will make sure to add lettuce (or maybe cabbage since it won't get soggy!), tomatoes and black olives too. 

I got this recipe out of my Kraft Foods Magazine.  I made a few minor changes (listed below in red) to the original recipe though.

1 lb ground beef (I used 3/4 lb ground turkey)
1 small onion, chopped (I used 1/2)
3/4 c water
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1/4 c purple puree (mix of spinach and blueberries)
1/4 c picante sauce
1/4 c refried beans
4 oz Velveeta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used 3 oz of light Velveeta)
2 c corn chips
Sour cream, lettuce and tomato to top (we didn't have any lettuce or tomatoes on hand)

Brown meat with onions in large skillet; drain. Add water and seasoning mix; cook as directed on package. Cover meat mixture with chips and Velveeta; cover. Cook on low heat 5 min. or until Velveeta is melted.  Top with lettuce and tomatoes.
*** The reviews for this said the chips got soggy quickly, which they did.  So I heated and added/melted the Velveeta, then added the chips right before I served it.  ***

#84: Buttermilk Waffles

Since the monkey pancakes didn't turn out as I had hoped, I decided to make something different for the girls and their school friends.  I used this recipe from Becoming Betty to try and make homemade buttermilk waffles.  We liked them, but I could taste the eggs in it and prefer the box mix better.  I think the kids liked them!

2 C flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 C buttermilk

4 eggs

1 C vegetable oil

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Combine buttermilk, eggs and oil. Stir into dry ingredients. Pour batter onto center of waffle iron until it spreads to about 1 inch from edges. Close lid. Bake until steaming almost stops.

#83: Nacho Hashbrown Casserole

This is one of those recipes that I make and I assume that my family won't eat or like it, but I'm going to try it on them anyways.   Sometimes I just want to make things that I like...and it looked ridiculously easy!

The family did not like this one.  I thought it was good, but spicy, and not worth making since I threw most of it out because I can't eat the entire thing myself. 

Ingredients

1 package (32 ounces) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed nacho cheese soup, undiluted
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream

Directions
In a 3-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir in sour cream. Cover and cook 15-30 minutes longer or until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.

#82: Root Beer Sloppy Joes

This recipe came from my parenting magazine, so I figured if they are recommending it for kids, my three (yes I include my husband in that group...not that I think he's a kid!) would hopefully eat it.  Although we all liked this dinner, we agreed that the root beer gave it an odd flavor and we prefer my Diet Coke Sloppy Joes more.  So I would eat this again, but I don't know if I would specifically make this again.  Try it...let me know what you think of the root beer!

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground sirloin (we used ground turkey)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup root beer
2/3 cup tomato sauce
Canned diced green chilies, to taste (1 to 3 Tbsp), optional (I added just a little)
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup minced scallions
4 potato rolls or hamburger buns

1.Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute, just until fragrant.
2.Add the beef and sauté, breaking up gently, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, salt, and pepper Add the root beer, tomato sauce, green chilies (if using), and Worcestershire sauce.
3.Bring to a lively simmer and cook about 15 minutes, stirring often, until thickened. Stir in the scallions. Pile onto rolls or buns.

#81: Easiest Tamales

Several weeks ago, we got a flyer in the mail from Kroger with coupons and recipes.  This was one of the recipes listed in the mailer.  I LOVE tamales and would have never have wanted to try this, but I figured it wouldn't be that hard, so I'd give it a try.

The family wasn't a big fan of this, but I sure was!!  These were a tad bland, but I still loved them!  They were a pain in the butt to make at first but that's only because: 1.  My food processor is too small.  2.  I had no idea how to wrap these.  3.  I didn't have steamer basket for my pot!

Once I figured out the ins and outs of this recipe, it was much easier.  For wrapping these, just cut the parchment paper so it's about 12 inches wide.  Flatten the masa mixture into a circle or rectangle-ish shape and when you wrap it, just fold the masa over so it seals itself.  Then wrap and roll like you would a tortilla.  When the parchment is totally wrapped up, fold the bottom up to the top and tie with string.  (I'm sure that didn't help but next time I'll take pictures of it...or if I think of it before I eat it for lunch tomorrow, I'll take another picture of it wrapped).

1 cup masa harina (this was in the Mexican food aisle in a bag that looks like a sack of flour)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. water
1/4 cup lard or solid vegetable shortening
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/4 cup shredded chicken, (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup cheddar or jack cheese
grated 4 scallions, minced


Preparation
1.Add the masa harina, baking powder, salt, water, lard, and stock to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the dough into a large mixing bowl, and fold in the chicken, cheese and scallions.


2.Cut 6 squares of plastic wrap about 12 inches wide. Place a heaping 1/3 cup tamale mixture in the center, and pat with a spatula into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the plastic over the long sides of the tamale, and twist the packet closed on one short side, leaving the other end of the packet open to let the tamale expand.


3.Bring an inch of water to a boil in a pot with a tight-fitting lid, arrange the tamales in a steamer basket and lower them into the pot. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Let steam for 25 minutes.


4.Remove the tamales from the pot, and let cool for 8 minutes. Very gently unwrap the plastic and slide or flip them onto a plate, being careful to keep them intact. Top with your favorite salsa, and serve.

#80: Monkey Pancakes (Sneaky Chef)

I was looking for a recipe that used up some ripe bananas I had in the freezer.  My first thought (besides banana bread) was to check out my Sneaky Chef cookbook.  Sure enough, Monkey Pancakes was listed and I knew I wanted to try them out on the girls school friends.  If you don't have the "sneaky chef" ingredients to make this, I don't see why you couldn't just omit the orange puree and use all-purpose flour instead.  I'm going to assume you know how to cook pancakes if you are reading this recipe, so I'm leaving out the entire part of the recipe that tells you how to make them. 

I thought these were going to be really good, but they had a much softer consistency than a regular pancake.  It was like the batter never really completely set up.  They were good but not a fantastic pancake.  I'm going to let these totally cool and reheat in the toaster oven to see if that helps, but I doubt it will.  I guess I have to come up with plan B.
1 c mashed bananas
1/4 c orange puree (mixture of carrots and sweet potatoes)
1 large egg
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 c milk
1/2 c flour blend (equal mix of whole wheat flour, white flour and wheat germ)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, whisk together the bananas, orange puree, egg, maple syrup and milk.  In another large bowl whisk the remaining ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones until just blended.  If the batter is too thick, add a touch more milk.  Bake pancakes as you normally would.

#79: Baked Corn Casserole

This is another freezer recipe from the 30 Day Gourmet Books.  I really, really, really wanted to like this recipe.  Brian tried it but wasn't a fan and the girls really didn't like it at all.  The texture was a bit mushy for our likes, and personally I thought it had a slightly tangy after-taste.  Sadly, this recipe will not be made again. 

8.5 oz corn muffin mix
8 oz sour cream
15 oz canned corn, drained
15 oz canned creamed corn
1 egg
1/4 c margarine, melted
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
In a large bowl add the muffin mix, sour cream, corn, creamed corn, egg, margarine and cheddar cheese.  Stir by hand until thoroughly mixed.  Put in a gallon freezer bag.  Seal, label and freeze.

To Serve:
Thaw bag in fridge overnight.  Pour into a greased 8x8 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  To test for doneness, a knife inserted into the center should come out wet, but clean.  Serve hot.

#78: Crispy Taco Wings (or nuggets)

This recipe is intended to use with chicken wings, but I wanted this to be a slighty healthier dinner, so we used chicken breasts cut into smaller pieces.  I cut this recipe out of one of my Taste of Home magazines.  I accidentally used chili seasoning instead of taco seasoning, but we still enjoyed this one.  This is a keeper in our house!

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 envelope taco seasoning (I used 1/2 a packet...and used Chili seasoning instead)
2-1/2 pounds chicken wingettes and drummettes (I used chicken breasts cut into small pieces)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1-3/4 cups crushed corn chips

Directions
In a large shallow bowl, combine flour and taco seasoning. Add wings, a few at a time, and coat. Place butter and corn chips in separate shallow bowls. Dip wings in butter, then coat with chips.


Transfer to a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until juices run clear. Yield: 2 dozen.

#77: Enchilada Lasagna

YUM!  That's what the title of this recipe should be.  I LOVED this one!  (Although I personally would add black beans and corn next time but the family will protest!)  This is another recipe that has cottage cheese in it and my family has NO idea!

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 1 lb ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can stewed tomatoes (14 oz.) (I used tomato sauce instead)
1 can red enchilada sauce (10 oz.)
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
3 cups shredded cheese
4 flour tortillas, cut in half

Brown beef with onion and garlic. Add tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese. In a 9X13 pan, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce. Layer with 1/2 of cheese, 1/2 of tortillas and 1/2 of cottage cheese. Repeat layers and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes covered with foil and 15 minutes uncovered.

#76: Sauteed Artichokes and Peppers

I found this recipe in one of my Real Simple Magazines, and although I had no interest in the flank steak, this side dish really caught my attenion.  I made this simpler than the original recipe, so the top is the original way to make it...and the 2nd recipe is my simplified version!

kosher salt and black pepper

2 cups torn bread (1-inch pieces)
1 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and halved
1/2 cup sweet red cherry peppers (such as Peppadews), sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Here is the real recipe:
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread and cook, tossing, until golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. 


Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a second skillet. Add the artichokes and cook, cut-side down, until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, peppers, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the bread and toss to combine. Serve with the steak.

MUCH EASIER VERSION:
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the artichokes, and peppers (I used orange and yellow bell peppers) and cook about 5 minutes, or until the peppers start to soften to desired texture.  Add a handful of croutons (no toasting of bread for me!), garlic, thyme (I used dried), salt and pepper.  Toss to combine. 

#75: Aunt Caroline's Famous Casserole

This did not turn out for us...but it was MY error, not the error of the recipe.  At the bottom of the recipe, it says you can add the noodles, uncooked with extra water.  DO NOT DO THIS!  After 40 minutes in the oven, the noodles on top were still crunchy and the noodles on the bottom were soft and starchy.  It tasted like it needed to be rinsed off.  However, the overall taste of this (if you can get past the texture of the noodles) was quite good!  I will DEFINITELY make this again, however I will boil the noodles (slighlty undercook) and bake as directed. 

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can tomato soup
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.)
1 can corn, drained
1 T. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
8 oz. pasta (slightly undercook since it will finish in the oven)

Brown beef and onion. Add the rest of ingredients and mix well. Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

#74: Cowboy Kabobs

We learned one thing about this recipe...you need gas in your grill for it to be a success!  : )  I went to go make these on Tuesday night and realized we left the grill on a few days before so we were totally out.  So we had to improvise that night and try again the next day.  It was worth the wait though....we liked this one!  I was too lazy to attempt making them into kabobs, so I cut them in thin, but wide strips so we could just lay them on the grill and so they wouldn't fall through the grates.  The girls didn't like it, but Brian and I ate it all.  This is another recipe keeper.

I also made this recipe on my freezer cooking day, and just combined all of the ingredients we used and basically marinated it in a ziplock bag and froze until we were ready to eat it.  (Thaw in fridge overnight)

1/3 cup A.1. Original Steak Sauce
1/3 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
2 tsp. KRAFT Prepared Horseradish (I substituted 2 tsp of yellow mustard)1 beef top round steak (1-1/2 lb.), cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
9 pearl onions (We omitted)
1 large red pepper, cut into 9 strips

Mix first 3 ingredients until well blended.

(We skipped this step!)  Thread meat onto 18 skewers; place onion or pepper strip at end of each skewer. Place kabobs in shallow glass dish. Pour steak sauce mixture over kabobs. Refrigerate 1 hour to marinate, turning occasionally.

Heat grill to medium heat. Remove kabobs from marinade; discard marinade. Grill kabobs 4 to 6 min. or until meat is done, turning occasionally.

#73: Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Buns

In an effort to use my crockpot as often as possible, I stumbled upon this recipe and decided to try it. 
We however, did not want to eat these open faced and of course, no mushrooms or tomatoes on it for us. We ate this on toasted loaf bread and it was quite yummy!  This one we'll definitely make again!

Ingredients:
Beef flank steak (1 lb.)
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 sandwich buns, split


Place steak in slow cooker; top with next 3 ingredients. Pour combined barbecue sauce and seasoning over ingredients in slow cooker. Cover with lid.
Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours (or on HIGH 5 hours). Remove steak from slow cooker; shred with fork. (Or, cut across the grain into thin strips.) Return meat to slow cooker; stir to coat with sauce.
Top each bun half with meat mixture.


***I made this and froze on my freezer cooking day: Place flank stead, onion, bbq sauce and italian seasoning in a ziplock bag.  Squish the bag to combine.  Seal and freeze.  Thaw overnight in fridge.

#72: Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese

I LOVED THIS RECIPE!  Brian and the girls weren't as big of as I was, but they all still ate it.  Brian thinks it was just cheese and bacon mixed with the potatoes because if I told him ranch dressing was in it, he most likely wouldn't have eaten it.  He is taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow though, so that's always a good sign!

Ingredients:
1/2 Light Ranch Dressing
1/2 C shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 C Real Bacon Bits
2 lb small red potatoes (about 6), quartered (I used about 8 medium potatoes and cut each into 6 pieces)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add potatoes; toss to coat.
Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover.

Bake 55 min. or until potatoes are tender, uncovering after 40 min. Sprinkle with parsley.

#71: Slow cooker Brats with Sauerkraut and Apples

Yeah, I didn't have much sauerkraut on this for the picture...I guess I didn't put hardly any at all

I don't know if we would make this particular recipe again, but I would definitely use my crockpot to make Brats again.  I didn't like the color of these when it was done (it was too grey for my liking), so I threw the brats on the grill for about 5 minutes after it was done cooking.  But these brats were super moist after cooking in the crockpot!  Brian gave this 3 stars, Allison ate 1 1/2 Brats and Chloe ate an entire brat too (I'd say 5 stars from them), but none of them ate the sauerkraut, apples or onions (big shock!)  I however, gave this recipe 4 stars...I enjoyed it!

Ingredients
8 bratwurst links
1 16-oz. package sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1/2 cup mustard
8 hot dog buns

Preparation
1. Place bratwurst links in slow cooker and top with sauerkraut, apples and onion. Sprinkle with brown sugar and caraway seeds. Cover and cook on low until bratwurst reaches 165ºF on an instant-read thermometer, 3 to 4 hours.

2. Spread 1 Tbsp. mustard on each hot dog bun. Spoon some sauerkraut mixture on buns, top each with a sausage and serve.

#70: Yogurt Streusel Muffins

These are a tad bit dry, and the yogurt gives it a slightly tangy taste but we still enjoyed these.  Hopefully the daycare kids will enjoy it too!  I got this recipe out of my All You Magazine.
Streusel topping:
2/3 cups pecans, almonds or walnuts, finely chopped (I used ground oatmeal instead)
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Muffins:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
Make streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine streusel ingredients and pinch together into large crumbs. Place bowl in freezer.

Make muffins: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line cups of a muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and yogurt. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt with a wooden spoon. Fill each muffin cup with batter. Scatter streusel topping over each muffin and press lightly on crumbs so they adhere to batter. Bake until tops are golden, 17 to 20 minutes. Let muffins cool in pan set on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins to rack to cool completely.

#69: Star Pizza

I found this recipe in my All You Magazine in October.  This was supposed to be a Halloween recipe, but we never got around to making it, so I decided to make it tonight using star cookie cutters for the cheese instead of ghosts.  (Brian was totally opposed to using X-mas cookie cutters yet!)

It wasn't anything special, besides just having home made pizza, but we would definitely make it again.  Although I think we'd need to make 2 for our family.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed
3/4 cup jarred tomato sauce (we used pizza sauce)
8 ounces sliced low-moisture mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon capers

1. Preheat oven to 475ºF. Brush bottom of a 16-by-11-inch rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Press and stretch dough evenly to cover bottom of sheet. (If dough resists at first, let it rest for a minute and then continue.)  We found it was easiest for Brian and I to both stretch/pull the dough together.


2. Spread sauce in an even layer over dough, leaving a 1-inch border around all sides. Bake until underside of dough is golden (lift up pizza with a spatula and take a peek), about 15 minutes. Use a ghost-shaped cookie cutter to cut ghosts from cheese. Place ghosts on top of hot pizza and bake for 5 minutes. Place two capers on each piece of cheese for eyes. Let stand 5 minutes on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

#68: Honey Mustard Kielbasa and Potatoes

So we aren't actually eating this until tomorrow, but it says to cook in the oven for 55 minutes and I don't have time for that when I get home from work, so I cooked this tonight and just plan to reheat tomorrow.  Can I just say my house smells FABULOUSLY!!  Mmmmmm!  I couldn't wait to try this and Allison was asking to try it too (always a good sign!).  So of course I had to try this hot...and I LOVED it!  I hope Brian likes this tomorrow.  Mr. Picky probably won't like the honey mustard sauce it's in, but it really isn't nearly as thick as I thought it would be.  (Fingers crossed that this is a keeper from him!)

*** Update: Brian was very opposed to the honey mustard, as he claimed "You know I don't like mustard."  He didn't even want to try it.  Allison and I LOVED this though. It was good! ***

This was ridiculously easy to make, so I highly recommend this recipe!!

3/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth--which I used)
1/4 cup Honey Mustard
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 lb. kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/4 lb. red potatoes (about 4), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, sliced

Heat oven to 400°F.  Mix first 3 ingredients until well blended. Combine remaining ingredients in shallow pan. Drizzle with wine mixture; toss to coat. (I mixed/tossed all ingredients in a large bowl and then placed and cooked in a 9x13 pan).

Bake 55 min. or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

#67: Balsamic-Glazed Grilled Chicken

As I am typing the title of this recipe, I was thinking, "I'm not sure why this is called Balsamic Glazed Chicken because there wasn't any balsamic vinegar in it."  Then I started thinking...did I make this right?  So I looked at the recipe again and sure enough it DID call for balsamic vinegar...how did I miss that?!  I made mine with regular white vinegar and although I did like the taste of the glaze, no one else really did.  Could that be why?!  Ha ha...what a yutz!

Like I said before, I liked the glaze, Brian however was not a fan.  Allison ate ALL of her chicken so I'd say she enjoyed it...Chloe on the other hand, gave it all back to me as she ate it.  So we were split, 50/50 on this recipe, and therefore are giving this recipe 3 stars.  (Guess we won't be making this one again).

If you actually try this recipe WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR let me know what you think of it.  Maybe we should give it another try (although I don't think Brian liked the rosemary in it)

Anyway, here you go...

Glaze

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

Chicken
4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts (8 oz each) (We used boneless, skinless chicken tenders)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1.Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients; set aside.

2.Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken on grill, skin side down, over medium heat. Cook 10 minutes. Turn chicken; brush half the glaze evenly over chicken. Continue cooking and brushing with remaining glaze 10 to 12 minutes longer or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (170°F).

#66: Beef Taco Bake

This was a very easy meal to prepare!  I made it a few nights ago and froze it since I knew we wouldn't be eating it right away.  We thought the tortillas were a little soft, so next time I will probably make and freeze everything minus the tortillas and then just add them in the day I am cooking it.  We did like this recipe though (this needed added texture so we added crushed tortilla chips to ours!), and Brian said he liked it even more reheated for lunch!

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup
1 cup Pace® Chunky Salsa or Pace® Picante Sauce (I used picante sauce)
1/2 cup milk
6 flour tortillas (8-inch) or 8 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1-inch pieces (I used flour shells)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat.

Stir the soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half the cheese in the skillet. Spoon the beef mixture into a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Cover the baking dish.

Bake at 400°F. for 30 minutes or until the beef mixture is hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.