YONR #14: "Cali"-schetta

This is a recipe that was ripped out of a magazine and saved for a future use.  Unfortunately because of this, I'm not sure which magazine/publication this came from.  I can tell you though that this is a recipe from Patti Murphy, of Longwood, Floriday.  So thanks for the recipe Patti!  : )

This is a California version of bruschetta.  I figured it would be perfect to take to book club and I loved that it has fresh, summer ingredients.  This is SO good!!  It's more like a quacamole/salsa on toast, but it is good!  I think it would be really good just eaten with chips too!

½ baguette, cut into ½" slices on the diagonal
3 T. olive oil
1 lg. garlic clove, peeled, plus 1 clove, peeled and finely chopped
2 med. ripe tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. chopped cilantro
2 T. lime juice
¼ t. salt
¼. t. black pepper

Heat oven to 350F.

Lightly brush both sides of bread with 2 T. of olive oil. Toast on baking sheet for about 4 minutes per side. Remove from oven and rub one side with the whole clove of garlic. Let cool.

In med bowl, mix together chopped garlic, tomato, avocado, onion, cheese, cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper and remaining 1 T. olive oil. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Top each bread slice with a scant ¼ c. tomato mixture and serve.

YONR #13: Quick and Easy Chicken and Rice

I was looking for an easy chicken recipe to make for dinner and came across this one on All Recipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-and-Easy-Chicken-and-Rice/Detail.aspx

The worst part of this recipe is that the chicken and rice both need to be precooked...but if you buy a rotisserie chicken, that would make this recipe so much simpler.  I chose to poach some chicken tenders in chicken broth since I had extras in the freezer. 

I LOVED this recipe.  4+ stars from me!!  I sauteed the mushrooms separately since Brian is allergic to them and then just added them on top of mine.  YUM!  Allison took one look at it and quickly procliamed that it was "bisgusting."  After much coaxing she eventually did eat it.  She didn't love it, but she ate it.  Brian was very leary of trying this one too.  He thought it was going to have big chicken breasts/tenders on top instead of chopped up and mixed in.  He said he'd eat it again though, so that's positive. 
Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 chicken bouillon cubes, crumbled
2 cups milk
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (we omitted)
3 cups cooked Texmati® White or Brown Rice (I used Basmati rice since it was much cheaper!)
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated


Directions:
Melt butter in medium saucepan. Blend in flour and chicken bouillon cubes. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and mushrooms. Spread cooked Texmati Rice in buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish; spoon chicken mixture over rice. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, covered at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until casserole is hot and bubbly.

YONR #12: Easy Chocolate Croissants

Once again, this recipe came from Real Simple Magazine!  http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/easy-chocolate-croissants-10000001728824/index.html

These are so easy because it only requires TWO ingredients!  I made these to take to share with my fellow early childhood teachers at a meeting this week.  I made a couple today to see if these can be eaten at room temperature the next day and still taste super yummy.  Hopefully these will transfer well!! 

These were a hit at our house...everyone loved them!!

Ingredients

1 8-count tube refrigerated crescent rolls
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate

Directions
1.Heat oven to 375° F.
2.Unroll the dough and separate it into 8 triangles. Place about 10 chocolate chips on the bottom third of each triangle and roll the dough up around the chocolate.
3.Transfer the croissants to a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper, if desired, for easier cleanup). Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

YONR #11: Cinnamon Sugar Waffle Fingers

This recipe can be summed up in two words: EASY and YUMMY

I found this recipe in my Real Simple Family Magazine and was not disapointed by how easy and good these turned out.  I'm letting them sit on the counter to completely cool and hope I can store these in a tin so Allison and Chloe can take them to school with them this week and share with their friends for breakfast.  (I'll let you know if it turns out that way!)

**These are definitely best the day you make them (w/in 12 hours of baking).  Putting in a ziplock bag made these soggy;  The fridge gave them a funky taste; I think a tin on the counter worked best, but again, eaten the day of was the best.**

Here is the link to the original recipe: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/cinnamon-sugar-waffle-fingers-00000000040118/

Serves 1:
Hands-On Time: 5m
Total Time: 5m

Ingredients
1 frozen waffle
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
1.Cut the frozen waffle into sticks (½ inch thick). Melt the butter with the sugar and cinnamon in a medium skillet over medium heat.

2.Add the waffle sticks and cook, turning often, until caramelized and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.

YONR #10: New Ranch Dip

Photo credit: Kraft Foods
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/new-ranch-dip-52087.aspx

I couldn't eat enough of this one!!  I whipped this dip up literally in 5 minutes, and I had everything on hand to make it except the green onion.  This was super easy and you can really taste the bacon and the green onion, and the parmesan cheese gives it a nice taste and texture.  Delicious dip!!

1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream, any variety
1/2 cup KRAFT Ranch Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise or MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup OSCAR MAYER Bacon Pieces or Bits
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions

MIX all ingredients. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve.
SERVE with assorted cut-up vegetables, breadsticks or NABISCO Crackers.

YONR #9: Oatmeal Bars

I ripped this recipe out of my Family Circle Magazine and couldn't wait to try this one.  The recipe had 3 things I loved...oatmeal; chocolate; and all the ingredients on hand!

Allison and I gave these 2 thumbs up and we didn't even drizzle the chocolate over the top!  YUM!  You will love these if you like oatmeal because it is really prevelant in this recipe.  MMMMM........
Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.familycircle.com/recipe/bars/oatmeal-bars/

Makes: 16 bars

Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light-brown sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
2 cups quick oats
1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter on medium-high speed until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in milk, then flour mixture. Stir in oats and 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
3. Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Microwave remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips for 30 seconds; stir until smooth and drizzle over bars. Cut into squares.

YONR #8: Apple Punch

Don't judge the picture! It was either serve it in that (for the picture), plastic cups, or wine glasses. I thought the margarita glass looked the least ridiculous! To go along with our Apple Theme for my Recipe Swap Girls Night In, I also decided to make a punch recipe.  This one looked easy so I figured I'd give it a try.  I found this recipe at CDKitchen.com  (http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recipetemplate.php?scale=12&mid=9944)

MMM...it was good. I could easily drink the entire pitcher myself.  Although the LAST flavor I could taste was the apple juice.  The orange juice came out the strongest, followed by the cranberry juice.  This was a huge hit at my GNI.  I will definitely be making this one again....maybe with champagne though.  : )

Apple Punch
Serves 25:
32 ounces apple juice -- chilled
1 cup orange juice
12 ounces cranberry cocktail, frozen concentrate -- thawed
6 cups ginger ale or champagne -- chilled  (I used diet ginger ale)
1 apple -- whole (I omitted this since I was serving in a pitcher instead of a punch bowl)


In large punch bowl, combine apple juice, cranberry cocktail and orange juice. Stir to dissolve. Slowly add ginger ale or champagne. Vertically, slice apple to form thin whole apple slices. Float apple slices on top of punch.

YONR #7: Walnut-Apple Snack Cake

We spent the weekend at my in-laws and I was scouring all of my MIL's Country Woman magazines for new recipes.  This recipe was one I found.  I made it for an upcoming Recipe Swap Girls Night In I'm hosting at our house.  Of course I had to try it before I served it (although I would have served it regardless) and was not disappointed by this one!  http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Walnut-Apple-Snack-Cake

Personally I would make this next time with more heath bits and maybe just a tad less apples. The nutmeg in this dish is fabulous!! Mmmm...I could have eaten the "dough" raw. Yum!

2/3 cup butter, softened

1-3/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/4 cups chopped peeled tart apples
1/3 cup English toffee bits or almond brickle chips
1/3 cup chopped walnuts


In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.


Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in the apples, toffee bits and walnuts.


Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Serve with ice cream if desired. Yield: 18 servings.

YONR #7: Homemade Poptarts

I am so glad I found this recipe online this week!!  I came across these homemade poptarts on Once A Month Mom's website (http://onceamonthmom.com/freezable-recipe-homemade-pop-tarts/) and was eager to make them for Allison and Chloe to take as a breakfast treat for their friends at daycare.  I was thrilled that it only uses 2-4 ingredients, depending on if you want the frosting or not.  Personally, I loved them without the frosting but Allison liked them better with.

I happened to have an extra refrigerated pie crust in the fridge so we made them this morning and within minutes of coming out of the oven Allison, Chloe and I had eaten them ALL!  Chloe was even eating the crumbs off the floor.  Yes, it was a big hit in our house!

I made most of them with strawberry jelly (since we had that on hand), but I also made one with peanut butter and jelly and one with some cinnamon and a tbsp of brown sugar.  The brown sugar and cinnamon was my favorite!  Hands down, no contest, it was the best!!

Originally I planned to freeze these and see how they reheated (which they are supposed to do).  But we're piggies and have none to stick in the freezer.  : ) 
Here is the link again to the recipe: http://onceamonthmom.com/freezable-recipe-homemade-pop-tarts/
Author/Source: Tricia @ Onceamonthmom.com

Ingredients:
•1 box refrigerated pie crusts (2 per pkg)
•1 cups Jam/Jelly (any flavor)

Optional other fillings: Cinnamon and brown sugar, peanut butter, nutella
Glaze:
•2/3 cup powdered sugar
•2 Tablespoons milk
•optional sprinkles

Directions:
Using a pizza cutter trim the edges so that you have a square/rectangle to work with. Using the pizza cutter divide each rectangle into 4 squares. Place and spread 1-2 Tablespoons of jam/jelly on each square in the middle. Fold over the dough and seal edges with a fork. (With extra cut off dough, roll out and make 2 additional squares). Place on cookie sheet for baking. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. After baking remove for cooling and prepare glaze by mixing in milk until desired consistency. Spread on top of pop tarts and allow to cool.

Freezing Directions:
Once cool, flash freeze. When partially frozen place in gallon freezer bag for storage. To serve: Thaw or heat in microwave for 1-2 minutes or heat in oven. If adding glaze DO NOT put in toaster.

Servings: 10

YONR #6: Crunchy Potato Chip Chicken

 

I am always looking for variations for chicken recipes.  I came across this one on the Betty Crocker website (http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/quick-n-crunchy-potato-chip-chicken/703fe479-0743-4db4-b1e9-c5d33ad8a1e2)

I wanted to make this healthier (how can you do that when it's coated in potato chips right?) so I baked it instead of frying it in oil.  I don't think it made much of a difference.  My family loved this!  Brian gave it 4 1/2 stars, I gave it 4 stars, Allison gave it 5 stars and Chloe gave it 2 front teeth and a tongue. ha ha! 

4 cups sour cream and onion-flavored potato chips, crushed (1 cup)

1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 large egg (next time I would use 2 egg whites instead.)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if you are frying it)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)


1. In shallow bowl, mix crushed potato chips and parsley. In another shallow bowl, beat egg and Worcestershire sauce.
2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then coat with potato chip mixture.
3. If frying: Cook chicken in oil 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F)
   If baking: Bake 25 minutes in a 370 degree oven (or until cooked all the way through)

YONR #5: Watermelon and Feta Salad

It looks odd right???  Yet a little intriguing??  That's what I thought too, so when I came across this recipe I knew I just had to try it.  I found this in my Family Fun magazine (http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/try-a-surprising-salad-907310/) and immediately ripped it out. 

It's weird.  But it's surprisingly very good.  I had it for breakfast and lunch, and I'll probably have it again for dinner!  I'd give this a low 4 stars.  I didn't have any fresh basil or mint so I just used a pinch of dried basil.  I think the fresh basil would definitely make it a lot better...and prettier!!

Ingredients:
8 cups cubed watermelon
2 to 4 ounces cubed or crumbled feta
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil or mint


Instructions
Mix the watermelon and feta. Toss with a dressing made from the lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with slivered fresh basil or mint. Serves 8.

YONR #4: 10 Minute Banana Bread

Photo courtesy of http://www.thedeliciouslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bananabread_loafpan.jpg

I sure am ahead of the game with new recipes so far.  My goal was one new recipe a week and this week I'm already up to 4!  (Maybe I'm just banking recipes for the future).

Allison and I made some Chocolate Chip Banana Bread for her to take to her new friends at her new daycare today.  I had 2 ripe bananas and a reason to use them up and not eat it myself, so this was a perfect excuse to bake and send away.

I found this banana bread recipe at a blog called The Fresh Loaf: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/bananabread

I liked that I only needed 2 bananas and the words "10 minutes" in the title.  We decided to add in some chocolate chips to make this more appealing to the day care kids...who loved it by the way!  This was a very good recipe and I will definitely make it again.

Makes 1 full-sized loaf or 2 small loaves

Preheat the oven to 350.

In one bowl, combine:
1/2 stick (4-5 tablespoons) butter, softened
2 eggs
2 or 3 very ripe bananas
2/3 cup sugar
Use a potato masher, fork, or spoon to squish the banana and mix the ingredients together. It is alright for there to be small (1 centimeter) chunks of banana in the batter, but you want most of the banana to be reduced to mush.

In another bowl, combine:
1 1/3 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional) (We used it!)

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients are blended together.

If you like, stir in additional ingredients here, such as chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cherries or apricots, or chocolate chips. A handful (about a half a cup) is about right.

Pour the dough into greased baking pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Small loaves take around 30 minutes, a normal-sized loaf takes around 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven. This bread is great warm, but it is excellent cold too. After they have cooled for 5 or 10 minutes the loaves can be removed from the pan to cool. Once they are cool they can be individually wrapped and frozen.

#3: Cake Balls

I found this recipe in Parents Magazine.  It was easy and I had almost all of the ingredients on hand.  I had VERY high hopes for this recipe, but I was not impressed.  : (   However, I accidentally used a bit too much frosting in the mixture so I'm hoping that's why it was so gooey!  I will try to make this again eventually, but next time will only use 1/2 can of frosting (instead of more like 3/4 like I did this time) and maybe try cream cheese frosting instead.  So dissapointed with the way these turned out.

Bake your favorite cake mix as directed.  When cool, crumble cake into a large bowl and add 1/2 can of vanilla frosting.  Use your hands to mush together, adding more frosting if it seems dry.  Roll into 25 walnut size balls and put on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. 

For the icing mix together 2 cups powdered sugar and 4 tbsp water until smooth (add more water if needed).  Dip each ball in icing and place on wax paper.  Coat with sprinkles and let set. 

#2: Mini Pizza Cups

I made these Mini Pizza Cups for book club tomorrow night.  It's a recipe that I clipped out of a magazine (Taste of Home) and have been hoping to make for some sort of gathering.  Ideally, I probably should make these when I'm serving them so I can serve them still warm.  We'll see how they reheat tomorrow. 


The original recipe called for refrigerated dinner rolls.  I had refrigerated buttermilk biscuits so I used those instead.  I think they turned out just fine with the substitution. 


Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Mini-Pizza-Cups


1 tube (11.3 ounces) refrigerated dinner rolls
1 can (8 ounces) pizza sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup finely chopped green pepper
2 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni, chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese


Separate dough into eight rolls; cut each into quarters. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray.

Spoon pizza sauce into each cup. Sprinkle with onion, green pepper, pepperoni and cheese. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until crusts are browned and cheese is melted. Yield: 32 appetizers

A year of new recipes...my newest "plan"

I got inspired by two things...my love of cooking and wanting to try new recipes and the movie Julie and Julia.  As I thought about the hundred of recipes I have book marked online, saved in files, cut out of magazines, and book marked in cookbooks, I realized that I want to start trying as many new recipes as possible and then either saving or tossing the ones I've collected.  My first plan was to make 1 new recipe every day for the next year just like Julie in the movie.  But I don't have the funds to do that.

My next plan was do make 3 new recipes a week (I could probably afford that since most of the things I make are far from gourmet), but let's be honest, who's going to eat these new meals/snacks/treats?  ME.  And we all know that I don't need to be eating extra calories. 

So to do what I want and be realistic about it, I've decided to embark on 1 new recipe a week for the next year.  This could be a total bust and fizzle out after the first month.  I hope it doesn't come to that.  And with 2 book clubs that I'm in each month I could easily make/bring one of the recipes to each of those. 

This is making me very excited...I hope this works and continues for the next 52 weeks. 

So here is my first recipe:
Cherry Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake Cookies

1 box devils food cake mix
2 eggs
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c apple sauce
1/4 c chopped maraschino cherries
1/3 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients and drop by rounded spoonful on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake 375 degrees for 9 minutes.  Let cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before transfering to a wire rack. 

My verdict:  YUM.  I Loved them.  I made these for Allison to give to her teachers at daycare on her last day and quite a few (okay close to a dozen) didn't make it on the plate.  This combined 3 of my favorite things...chocolate, cherries and walnuts.  I will definitely make these again!

Freezer Cooking Day!

So I did my first "official" freezer cooking day today.  I've done mini ones in the past, but today I cooked with a specific menu in mind.  Here you can see our August menu.  The meals in blue are ones that we already had on hand (non-perishable like spaghetti, or already frozen meals like Meat Loaf Muffins).  You can also see that I left a couple of days blank so I can try out some new recipes on days I have extra time.  The rest, I made/prepared today.  It only took me 4 hours from start to finish...and that includes loading and running the dishwasher!  Not bad for my first time if I say so myself.  When I was done Brian asked if I regretted it...ABSOLUTELY NOT!  This is totally my thing!  I love doing this; I wish it could be a full time job!  I'd love to come over and grocery shop and cook for others.  : )  As you can see my meals are in no way "gourmet."  It's just meals that are quick and easy to prepare/reheat and get on the table after a long day at work.

I hope to do this again over Labor Day weekend.  Maybe I can get September's meals prepared that time and maybe add in a few more lunch ideas as well.

Here is my to-do list (for anyone interested).  I broke down all of the things I would need to do so I had a game plan to follow.  I ended up going slightly out of order but it all worked out in the end. 
1. Brown turkey breakfast sausage for phyllo rolls. Add minced onion and freeze.

2. Cook 3 Italian sausage, casings removed
3. Brown 5 lb ground turkey
1+ c for lasagna, 2 c mexi pasta, 2 c moms hamb helper, 1 ¼ c for pizza burgers, 1-2 lb stuffed peppers (x2?), <2 c cooked for bubble up, 2 c for enchilada filling + extra for girls)
4. Cook 2 c rice (stuffed peppers x 2, enchilada filling)
5. Chop onions (1/8 c stuffed peppers, ½ c for hamburger helper, 1/8 c for bubble up)
6. Cut pepperoni into bite size pieces (1.5 oz for pizza burgers, some for pizza pockets)
7. Chop 1/3 c parsley
8. Marinade for Ziploc chicken
9. Mix meat and sauce/seasoning for bubble up
10. Make filling for pizza pockets w/cooked Italian sausage (1/2c pizza sauce, sausage, pepperoni)
11. Put 2 lasagna’s together
12. Put together Mexican pasta skillet (cool before adding macaroni)
13. Put together hamburger helper
14. Put pizza burgers together
15. Brown 1 lb ground chicken (sloppy Joes x 2)
16. Make sloppy joe filling (1 c ketchup, 1 can diet coke, s/p, minced garlic)
17. Make enchilada filling (taco seasoning, refried beans, rice, cheese, purple puree)
18. Put enchiladas together (+ little extra meat for tacos for girls)
19. Put together stuffed peppers (1 or 2)
20. Freeze chicken for chicken and rice meal
21. Bag chicken for slow cook chicken dinner (4 breasts, halved)
22. Freeze sausage for grilled turkey Italian sausage
23. Add macaroni to Mexican pasta skillet

Ziplock Chicken

So we let this marinate for 2 days (because Brian started making dinner and didn't realize I wanted this one first). Anyhow, I would definitely make this again, but I would probably use coke instead of diet. I think it lacked a little flavor...probably the sugar. : (


Ziplock Chicken (marinated)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c bbq sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 can (6 oz) coke or beer (I used diet coke)
Salt and pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients expcept chicken and mix well. Add chicken. Marinate several hours or overnight.


Cook on a slow dying fire or on a grill using a brush to baste chicken with leftover marinade. Test doneness by piercing thickest part of chicken. Juices should run clear.

South Beach Stall

Overall I'm definitly happy with the weight I've lost so far (SOOO much more to lose though) but since I got off phase 1 I'm losing some motivation/dedication and the weightloss has stalled. It isn't increasing but it isn't going down much anymore either. I keep losing and gaining the same 1.5 lbs. : ( We're going to be busy this week and heading to Indiana soon, so hopefully keeping busy will help lose the next few pounds.

Super yummy lasagna...never thought the family would like it

I tried a new lasagna recipe last night and it's a recipe I've been putting off for a long time because it has an ingredient that my family will NEVER EVER eat. So I bit the bullet and decided to make it anyways and see if they could tell what was in it. Well needless-to-say not only did no one notice it wasn't ricotta, but they LOVED it.


Lazy Day Lasagna (makes 9x13 or 2-8x8 pans)
12 oz low fat cottage cheese (shhh...don't tell my family they ate it!)
2 c shredded mozzarella (I used 1 c low fat, and 1 c ff)
2 eggs
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp onion powder (I used minced onion)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper
32 oz spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c cooked ground beef
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1/2 - 3/4 c water


In a large bowl mix first 7 ingredients until well blended. Set aside
In a medium bowl mix spaghetti sauce and cooked ground beef. In a 9x13 pan spread 3/4 c meat sauce on the bottom. Layer 3 uncooked noodles on top. Next spread 1/2 of cheese mixture and 1 1/2 c meat sauce. Layer 3 more uncooked noodles on top of meat sauce. Spead with remaining cheese mixture. Top with remaining 3 uncooked noodles and remaining meat sauce. Pour water around the outside edge. Cover with foil and bake 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 min. Let stand 10 min. Delish!!!

Impromptu "Freezer Cooking Day"

First of all...Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there! But especially to my dad, Brian, Anthony, Jeremy and my father-in-law Stan. I think this was a good day for Brian. Unfortunately it wasn't a very exciting day for him but we spent the day together, so what says more than FATHER'S day. I enjoyed it! : ) Allison and I made him mock monkey bread (off the fly), all went grocery shopping together, played at the library, and then spent the rest of the day around the house. I even made a homemade lasagna for dinner.

I'm really into freezer cooking meals and I desperately want to do a freezer cooking day...and yet to do it. Until today! And let me tell you, I got a lot of dinners made, and I did not spend a ton of time in the kitchen. I made a few things while Chloe was napping this morning, again a few things after dinner, and then finished up another hour and a half after the girls went to bed.

So I'm proud to share my list of what is now sitting in my freezer:
1-2: Lasagna (one for dinner and have another one in the freezer)
3-4: Pizza burgers (1 for dinner this week and one in the freezer)
5. Simple Summer Marinated Chicken (to be grilled later)
6. Debbie's Chicken Marinade (to be grilled later)
7. Ziplock Chicken w/diet coke (marinating for dinner tomorrow)
8. Chimichangas
9. 1 lb cooked "fortified" taco meat
10. Taco meat for ramen noodle taco bowls
11. Homemade Hamburger Helper
12. Seafoam jello salad (for bookclub tomorrow)

I think that's everything! All in all I have 8 dinners frozen and ready to go, and 2 dinners for this week are also already prepared. Little pat on the back. : ) I can't wait to do another freezer cooking day.