#212: Homemade Salsa

Easy, quick, yummy...and a little spicy!  Enough said!  I hope my fellow book-clubbers enjoy this as much as I do!2 cans diced tomatoes (I used mexican diced tomatoes w/green chilis)
1/3 onion, chopped
1/3 bunch of cilantro
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 can diced green chilies (I omitted b/c of the tomatoes above)
couple shakes of garlic salt, onion salt, and pepper  (I omitted the garlic salt and onion salt)


Put all ingredients into a blender. Give it a couple of pulses until well blended. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

#211: Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie

I have to apologize for my beverage photos!  We only use plastic tumblers, (all glass are currently packed away), kids sippy cups, coffee cups, margarita classes, or red Solo cups...none of which are see thru (except the margarita glass, but that's just tacky!).  So whenever I want to take a picture of a drink, I have to use my magic bullet cup (9 times out of 10 I probably needed it to make the drink anyways!). 

I was starting to tire of my pineapple banana smoothie, so I decided to try making this recipe, which I also found in my Real Simple Magazine (Feb 2011).  If you like pumpkin, you're going to love this one!!  This is going to be made probably most days this week for breakfast.  I can't wait for the girls to try it!!

Update: Neither of the girls were big fans of this.  Allison took a sip and then said, "Is there squash in this?" 

1 c ice
1/2 c whole milk (I used skim)
1/3 c pure pumpkin puree
1 tbsp honey
pinch of ground nutmeg.

Combine all in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy.  DELICIOUS!!!

#210: Pineapple Cobbler

Just before Angela and I were about to finish this off, I realized I never took a picture of it.  So I basically took a picture of the last piece...sorry it wasn't any better!

 Since the bacon cheddar dip I made for my GNI was so easy, I decided I could/should make something else to go with it.  I had another recipe saved that required minimal ingredients, so I figured I'd give it a try.  This recipe was so easy to prepare and went over pretty well.  My sister-in-law Angela and I finished this one off with two forks at the end of the night....picking out and around the pineapple though.  :)   The cake/batter part of this is delicious; but what could be wrong with 1 c sugar and 1 stick of butter?  The fruit just hindered your ability to enjoy the cake.  Allison and Chloe even enjoyed this as they hung out with us for a little while.  Next time I will probably try this with half of the amount of pineapple and try pineapple tidbits instead.  Also, you MUST serve this with ice cream.  It would have been 100 times better that way. 
 1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick (1/4 lb.) unsalted butter, melted
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk and vanilla extract; stir until mixture forms a smooth batter. Gently stir in butter.  Spread batter evenly in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (it will be a very thin layer) and scatter pineapple chunks evenly over batter.

Bake until pineapple has fallen to bottom of pan and top is puffed and golden brown and springs back slightly when touched in middle, 25 minutes.  (Mine never sprung back.  Everytime I touched it, it fell into itself a little bit.  I probably cooked mine for more like 35 minutes, and took it out as I thought it was getting too brown on top).   Cool cobbler slightly and then serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. (Yes, you do desire!)

#209: Creamy Bacon-Cheddar Dip

I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of this!!  I guess I'll have to make it again so I can upload a photo.

I planned a cookbook swap as a Girl's Night In event for my "mom's group" and made this dip to serve at it.  (I ripped this one out of my Kraft Foods Magazine). This is THE EASIEST dip I've probably ever made.  It required minimal ingredients, and you just mix it all together and serve.  (Of course you need to let it sit at least several hours so the flavors can blend, but that's no big deal!)  PS...we all loved this one!!

1 c sour cream (I used reduced fat)
1 c miracle whip (I used light)
1 c shredded cheddar (I used mexican blend because that's what I had on hand)
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used about 1/3 c real bacon bits)
2 green onions, sliced (I used about 4 green onions)

Mix all together.  Serve with crackers (I used Ritz).  Told you this was easy!

#208: Apple-Pear Sauce

I had a bunch of apples and pears that were starting to go bad, so I decided to make some applesauce with them.  I used my vidalia chopper to cut the fruit into small pieces, threw it all in my crockpot with a few other ingredients and viola!  Quick, inexpensive and not going to last very long!  : )

Apples and Pears, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces or chunks (I used about 4 apples and 5 pears)3 Cinnamon sticks (I used 4...wait, how am I making changes to my own recipe!?)1/3 c water

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot.  Stir to combine.  Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours.  If you want smooth sauce you either need to mash with a potato masher, pulse in a food processor or blender or use an immersion blender (I used the immersion blender).  I personally like my applesauce a little chunky so I didn't puree it all the way.  Let cool and serve.  Or if you're like me, I had to try this right away and totally burnt my tongue doing that.  So I suggest letting it cool!

#207: Harvest Chicken & Potatoes

The original recipe was supposed to be more like a stew.  My family doesn't eat stew (I do, but not the others), so I left the chicken in "chicken tender" size pieces and cooked it that way instead.  My girls are not big potato fans (unless they come in a fry or chip form) so they mainly at just the chicken.  Brian and I enjoyed this though.  The chicken was moist and juicy...just the was I like it!  This was very easy to prepare, so I will definitely make this again!

 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces (or leave in tender size pieces!)
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces small new potatoes, scrubbed and halved (I used russet and cut into big chunks)
2 cups baby carrots, cut into thirds (I left mine whole)
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I omitted)
1 large onion, chopped (I cut into 2 pieces)
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained (I omitted)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage (I used dried rosemary)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened (I omitted)

In a medium-size bowl, stir together chicken, 2 tablespoons of the flour, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper; add to slow cooker. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme, the sage and broth. (I put the carrots and half of the potatoes on the bottom, topped that with the chicken, and then added the rest of the potatoes). 
Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours. (My chicken was still partially frozen and cooked on low for 9 hours) 


(I completely omitted this step.  I did however pour some of the chicken broth over the chicken and potatoes to keep them moist.) In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1 tablespoon flour and the butter until a paste forms. Push the chicken and veggies to one side and whisk paste, remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and thyme into slow cooker bowl. Cook 1 more hour or until thickened.

#206: Taco Pinwheel

This dinner was supposed to be on my menu for January, but it kept getting bumped around.  It's about time we made and ate this one!  The original recipe suggests making this into a fancy, pretty pinwheel....yeah, that's too much work!  I rolled out about 2/3 of the dough and pressed it on the bottom and up the sides of an 8x8 pan.  Then I filled it with the taco meat filling, added some shredded cheese, and then topped with the remaining dough rolled out into a rectangle and just fitted on top.  MUCH easier!

Brian and I enjoyed this one, but the girls weren't such big fans.  Next time, I would probably make half of the amount of dough and just put half of it on the bottom of the pan (not up the sides) and then the remaining amount on top.  As is, this is quite filling.  You don't need to have much in the way of side dishes with this one!  The picture above, is how it looks out of the oven (also how Brian and the girls ate it).  Mine however was topped with picante sauce, sour cream, green onion, and mixture of cabbage/cilantro/lime juice.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 T. chili powder
2 t. cumin
2 t. salt
1 t. garlic powder
1/4 c. water
1 14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 4oz. can diced green chili peppers (I used about half)
2 c. flour
1/2 c. corn meal (plus extra for dusting)
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
6 T. butter or margarine
1/3 c. milk (I needed almost 1 c to get mine moist enough)
1 c. shredded cheese
Standard taco toppings, optional

Cook the ground beef and onions in a large skillet until beef is fully cooked. Drain.  Stir in the seasonings, water, tomatoes and chili peppers.  Bring to a slow boil and simmer until thickened.  This is where I froze mine until we were ready to make this meal.

Combine the flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the butter or margarine until crumbly.  Stir in the milk just until dough is moist. Knead about 8-10 times.  Sprinkle your work surface with cornmeal and roll dough into a large circle (or rectangle like I did).  Place in an 8x8 pan and work the dough up the sides.  Spoon the taco filling into the center of the dough. Top with a cup of shredded cheese.  Then top with remaining cornmeal/flour dough.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until corn biscuit crust is lightly browned.

#205: Oven Baked Fries

This house loves french fries!  We especially love baked french fries because they are easy, healthier then frozen ones, and inexpensive!  So when I came across this recipe, I book marked it.  I made it tonight to go with our Cornflake Chicken (Allison's requested meal this month...she must have really enjoyed it since it was 164 recipes ago!)

Anyhow, this took quite a while in the oven, but it was well worth the wait.  It definitely could have used more parsley and cheese than I used, but it was still good!

4 large russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil (I used about 1/8 c)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I used about 1/8 c)
Finely chopped fresh parsley (I used a few sprinkles of dried parsley...I knew if there was too much my family would protest the "green" stuff)


Preheat oven to 400. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch slices lengthwise, then cut again into 1/2 inch thick fries.

Place in a pot and cover with water. Add 1 T. salt, bring to a boil and simmer until a paring knife goes in easily--cooked about 3/4 of the way. Drain potatoes and place in a bowl.  (Too many steps...I omitted this entire process!)
Add olive oil, 1 T. salt and 1/2 t. freshly ground pepper and the parsley.  Toss well, being careful not to break the fries.  Place in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet.  Bake until light brown.  (Mine cooked for a good 45 minutes or so).  Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake until browned and crispy and cheese is melted about another 6-7 minutes. Cool for about 2 min. before serving.

#204: Crockpot Minestrone Soup

Look at that big bowl of healthiness!

I'm pretty sure I found this recipe in one of my taste of home magazines, but it's been ripped out and filed away for quite a while, so I'm not 100% sure!  I'm finding that unless a soup is some form of chicken tortilla, I'm not in love with it.  This recipe is good (and healthy) don't get me wrong, but it's not my favorite.  I will however, be eating it most days for lunch this week, so maybe it will grow on me!

4 medium tomatoes chopped (I used a can of petite diced)
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped (I used 1)1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced (I used a half of one)
1 1/2 c shredded cabbage (I used about 1/2 c)
16 oz kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz chickpeas, rinsed and drained
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 c cooked elbow macaroni (I used small shells--and added about 1/4 c to each bowl)
5 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese (I omitted)

In a slow cooker, combine the first 12 ingredients.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until vegetables are tender.  Just before serving, stir in noodles and heat through.  Serve with Parmesan Cheese (if desired).

The soup (with out noodles or cheese) is 3 ww+ points for six large servings.  If you add 1/4 c cooked elbow noodles to your bowl, it becomes 5 points per serving.

#203: Chocolate Banana Muffins

I found this "healthy" recipe on FaveDiets.com...but I decided to make mine a little less healthy.  : )  I have tried multiple times to cook with whole wheat flour and it really changes the texture and taste, so I often will combine all-purpose with whole wheat flour...and that's what I did with this recipe.  The original recipe also called for a sugar substitute.  I substituted alright!  Don't get me wrong, I am a lover of Splenda.  I put 10 packs in my large coffee, and in fact, I have 2 large boxes in my pantry right now.  However, Splenda is expensive!!  I'm not going to waste that in muffins!  I also didn't notice that I was totally out of white sugar, so I had to substitute brown sugar in place too.  : ) Anyhow, these came out great!  The girls really enjoyed them and will be sharing with their friends at school on Monday.

1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (I used 1 c all-purpose and 3/4 c whole wheat)
1/2 cup sugar substitute suitable for baking (I used brown sugar)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate or carob chips (carob chips...yeah right!  I used semi-sweet)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup light cooking oil
1/4 cup skim milk (I forgot to add this!! I guess it didn't need it)
1 cup bananas, mashed (3 medium) (I used 2 1/2)

1.Measure first five ingredients into large bowl. Mix thoroughly and make a well in center.
2.Beat egg whites until frothy. Mix in oil, milk and banana.
3.Pour egg white mixture into well. Stir only to moisten. Batter will be lumpy.
Okay, let's be honest here...I did NOT make a well in the center, forgot the milk, and mixed until it was totally all combined--not just until moistened.  And the only reason my batter was lumpy was because of the chocolate chips.  I suppose if you followed all of the above directions this could possibly turn out even better than it did!)
4.Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake in 400 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  (I made mini-muffins and baked for about 12 minutes)

#202: Creamy Baked Ziti (or spaghetti!)

Note to self: When creating your monthly menu, check to see when Lent starts.  This makes a big difference on what you can eat and when! 

Last year, I made a fabulous chicken dinner during lent, which I could not eat.  Tonight I made a very yummy creamy pasta dish, which I also could not eat.  : )  I know it was yummy, because as I put it together last night I tried it! 

Obviously, as you can tell from the recipe title, this was supposed to be made with ziti noodles.  I didn't have any on hand and my only choices were spaghetti or elbow noodles, so I went with spaghetti!  Basically this was like a baked spaghetti, but it sure was good!!  Brian and the girls enjoyed it too!!  Yeah, another successful dinner at our house!  I had some leftover cooked ground turkey, so I added it to the sauce...had I not, I would have been able to eat this tonight!  Oh well. 

4 cups ziti pasta, uncooked (or about 3/4 lb spaghetti)
1 jar spaghetti sauce (26 oz)
14.5 oz diced tomatoes, undrained (I used about 1/4 c petite diced)
6 oz cream cheese, cubed (I used about 3 oz)
1/2 lb cooked ground turkey
3/4 c sour cream (I forgot to add!)
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (Brian didn't like the kind I bought, so we omitted--apparently "imitation" mozzarella is not up to his standards.  In my defense, I didn't realize it wasn't "real")
1/3 c grated Parmesan (I was irritated about the mozzarella so I figured I'd omit this one too!)
Heat oven to 375.  Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt. Remove from pan; drain.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add marinara sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Add cooked ground beef/turkey and heat through.  (I let cool, and then froze this meat/sauce mixture.  When we were ready to use it, I let it defrost in the fridge overnight.  Then I boiled the noodles we were using, mixed it all together and threw it in an 8x8 pan.)

Mix well with cooked pasta.   Layer half the pasta mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella and remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. (yep, totally skipped everything after "mix well with cooked pasta!")  Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

#201: Chicken Fajitas

This recipe was too simple to taste as good as it did.  This required MINIMAL ingredients and was well received by all four of us!!  Allison probably ate almost as much as her daddy did!  (Not really, but she did eat a lot!)  I didn't think I would enjoy this chicken (I'm a super picky chicken eater), so I made myself a veggie burger to eat in my fajita shell instead, but next time I will definitely skip the burger and go with the chicken.  (Which is also why you get a picture w/meat and shell...that's all Brian eats!  I personally would have beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro in my fajita!).  Anyhow, this would be a great way to use up left over pieces of chicken.  You know the little pieces you have to cut off as you cut around the fatty line in the chicken breasts?  Oh, no one else cuts that off??  Am I the only one who is very precise about my chicken? 

This is definitely, definitely going to return to our dinner menu very soon!

green bell pepper, sliced thin
yellow onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 chicken breasts, diced
1 packet Grillmates mesquite seasoning (I got a jar of it and just gave a few shakes)
small flour or corn tortillas
lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, salsa, cilantro, etc.


Saute as much green pepper and onion as you like in a little oil. Add garlic cloves. Set aside.

Cook diced chicken in a sautee pan and when it's almost done, add the Grillmates Seasoning. Cook until chicken is done and then add the onion/pepper mixture. Serve on tortillas with the toppings you likedesire.

200 Recipes!!

I can't believe I've actually made and tried 200 new recipes in eight months.  I don't know if my family likes this or not because we are not eating many old (or favorite) meals anymore!  : ) 

I don't know if I should actually give myself a new goal or just continue to eat/try new things?  So, I'm open to suggestions....what should my new goal be?  300?  Should I focus on a particular food group (ie. main dishes, healthy meals, kid friendly, etc?)

#200: Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Dip

I can't believe I actually am going to post my 200th recipe!  (I make it sound like I came up with all of these don't I!?)  I made this dip for a girls night in last night and the company was fabulous and the dip was really yummy too!!  I'm happy that I was able to share this milestone recipe with such wonderful ladies! 

This was such an easy dip to make.  You just stick everything in a microwave safe bowl and melt it together.  I put it in a mini-crockpot to stay warm throughout the evening.  This is going into my "make again" pile!

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
16 oz Velveeta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
10 oz Rotel, undrained (I used diced tomatoes w/green chilis--not rotel, so it waasn't as hot.  I also added a little picante sauce to give it more tomato flavor)
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used real bacon bits)


Microwave ingredients in microwaveable bowl on high for 5 min. or until velveeta is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 3 min.   When serving this dip, pour the prepared dip into a small slow cooker set on low. This will keep the dip warm and at the ideal consistency for several hours. For best results, stir the dip occasionally to prevent hot spots.

#199: Olive Garden Breadsticks

Brian (and the girls for that matter!) loves Olive Garden breadsticks!  So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try and make it for him.  (Love him!) 

This doesn't taste exactly like Olive Garden (you could taste the yeast a little too much), but I was so afraid these wouldn't rise, I MIGHT have added a little extra yeast.  :)  Here's a caution: if you go to take a nap, when you wake up several hours later, your breadsticks will be puffy and stuck together...so spread them out on your cookie sheet!!

These were good!  Brian proclaimed, "These DO taste like Olive Garden."  Success!!
Ingredients

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm
water (105 to 115 degrees F)
16 ounces bread flour (3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

On top:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (I used garlic powder)


Cooking Directions
Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water in a small bowl or measuring cup and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, or until it becomes foamy on top.


Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer to mix the softened butter into the flour. If you don't have a stand mixer, use a mixing spoon
to combine the butter with the flour. When the yeast mixture is foamy, pour it into the flour mixture and use a dough hook on your mixture to combine the ingredients and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer, combine the ingredients and then knead the dough by hand on a countertop for 10 minutes.

Place the dough in a covered container and let it sit for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it doubles in size. When the dough has doubled, measure out 2-ounce portions and roll the dough between your hands or on a countertop to form sticks that are 7 inches long. Place the dough on parchment paper-lined baking sheets, cover and set aside for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size once again.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the breadsticks for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. When the breadsticks come out of the oven, immediately brush each one with melted butter and sprinkle with a little garlic salt. Makes 12-13 breadsticks.  (We got about 16 out of ours...and I measured them...they were all exactly 2 oz!)

#198: Stuffed Manicotti

I have some bulk pork sausage in my freezer and I was looking for recipes to use it up, when I came across this recipe.  I decided to use half of the amount of sausage to make it a little healthier though.  You could make this much easier too if you use bottled spaghetti sauce!  But I had everything on hand to make my own, so I did (with a few additions).

We really enjoyed this, and although the flavor of sausage is unexpected, it is quite good.  Although you could easily substitute ground beef/turkey in its place!

For Sauce:
2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/4 c. water
1/2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp dried basil (fresh would be best, but I didn't have any)
crushed red pepper (to taste)

For Filling:
1/2 lb. mild bulk pork sausage

1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
3 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese (I used 1 3/4 c)
1 egg
1 tsp. parsley flakes

12 manicotti noodles, cooked, rinsed, drained
Grated Parmesan (I used 1/3 c mozzarella)


Brown sausage, drain. Set aside.
In a saucepan, stir tomato sauce, paste, water and brown sugar (and seasonings!).  Simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in bowl, combine sausage, ricotta, 2 cups Mozzarella, egg and parsley.
In 9x13x2 inch baking dish (I used two 8x8 pans--6 shells in each), pour 1/3 of sauce mixture. Stuff manicotti noodles with ricotta mixture and place on top of sauce. Pour remaining sauce over stuffed noodles. Top with remaining Mozzarella, sprinkle with Parmesan (I omitted). Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

I made two 8x8 pans: 1 for us to each for dinner tonight and one to freeze for later.  To freeze, prepare as directed, cover w/foil and freeze.  When ready to eat, let thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake covered for 45 minutes or until heated through.  Remove foil last 10 mintues of baking so the cheese can brown. 

#197: Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe looked like it would be a very easy one to convert to a crockpot meal, so that's exactly what I did!  Why spend the time standing over the stove when you can dump it all into a pot and walk away for 6+ hours?!  If you want the real recipe, you can find it here.This is yummy!  Can't wait for lunch tomorrow...and the next day...and the next day....

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
1 Tsp Salt
1 Green Bell Pepper or Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 Tsp Cumin Powder
1 32 oz Box Chicken Broth
1 Bay Leaf
1 1/2 Cups Frozen Corn Kernels
1 15 oz Can Tomato, diced
1 Lb Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless
1 15 oz can black beans (I added for extra protein)
Juice of 1 Lime
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Top with shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and/or green onion (if desired)


In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and sauté the onions and peppers for about 3 minutes.

When they begin to brown and get a little softer, add them to your crockpot along with the salt, garlic, cumin, chicken broth, bay leaf, frozen corn, diced tomatoes, uncooked chicken breasts or tenders, a squirt of lime juice and black beans. 
Cover and cook on low for at 6-8 hours or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the pot and shred, using a two forks.  Return the shredded chicken back into the pot.  Add chopped cilantro and stir.  Remove bay leaf, pour soup into bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips.  Serve with desired toppings.

#196: Snap Pea Salad

My favorite way to eat vegetables right now is to roast them with a little olive oil.  But sometimes I just want a new way of eating them.  I LOVE snap peas (especially roasted!), so when I came across this recipe in my family circle magazine, I ripped it out and saved it...for today! 

Warning: Do not eat this while watching tv and sitting on your couch!  The juice from the snap peas squirt all over!!  :)  This was yummy.  The combo of mustard and vinegar is quite refreshing. 

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (I was out of balsamic so I used rice wine vinegar)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (I used dried)
1 1/2 pounds sugar snap peas, strings removed
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella nuggets), drained (I used a little shredded mozzarella)
1 cup slivered baby carrots
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (I omitted)
1/3 cup cup slivered red onion (I sauteed mine first)


Directions
1. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly. Stir in oregano. Cover and set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add snap peas and simmer 4 minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.

3. Place snap peas in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, bocconcini, carrots, olives and red onion. Toss with 1/3 cup of the dressing.

#195: Carrot-Pineapple Smoothie

If you don't subscribe to Real Simple Magazine, you really should consider it!  It is one of my favorite magazines to read.  This month, there were 10 new smoothie recipes (many of which I would love to try!) and since fruits and vegetables are 0 pts. on weight watchers, this is a recipe I hope to eat on a more regular basis. 

I was a little afraid of drinking carrots.  But I have to admit, I really liked this smoothie!!  I'm going to have to run to Sam's Club this week to stock up on pineapple and bananas!!

3/4 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup ice (I omitted since my pineapple was frozen)
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (I actually squeezed my own!)
1/4 cup chopped carrot (I microwaved in a little water first so it would soften them up)
1/2 banana

Directions
1.Place the pineapple, ice, orange juice, carrot, and banana in a blender.
2.  Blend until smooth and frothy.

#194: Home made English Muffins

After I tried (and sort of failed) at making bagels last week, I was super reluctant to try this recipe.  Yet, I also thought this could be a little way of redeeming myself.  I am not a baker.  I love to bake, don't get me wrong, but you have to worry too much about measurements and precision....everything I am NOT when I cook. 


But I still wanted to give this recipe a try.  So I went out and got fresh, new yeast (in case that was the problem with the bagels!).  I even turned on the oven for 2 minutes to start warming up, so I could have the dough rest in a warm spot (literally!). 

These are a lot easier to make than bagels, but they take forever to bake!  (Okay, maybe not that long, but it takes several batches).  The original recipe said to cook for about 6 minutes on each side, but I ended up having to bake mine for over 10 minutes per side.  The first batch I made as I was supposed to, but they were a little too doughy for my liking.  And I must have rolled them out too thin, because I cannot cut/split them without them breaking. 

My second batch turned out much better!  They were more puffy, less doughy and actually looked like english muffins!!  If only I had a pan that they ALL fit in so I could make them quicker!!

1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) milk, warm (I used powdered milk)
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 to 4 1/4 cups flour {I used whole wheat}
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tsp baking powder

Combine the warm milk, sugar and yeast, allowing the yeast to proof for a few minutes, until bubbly. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly, for about 5 minutes. Do not add more flour, the dough will be very sticky. Once mixed, scrape dough from bowl onto a lightly floured counter top. Fold dough over a few times, until you make a nice, smooth ball. Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and lay out on a surface sprinkled with corn meal. Roll out to desired thickness. the muffins rise somewhat, so roll them out about 1/4" thinner than what you would like the final product to be. Cut out circles with a floured 3-inch cutter. Re-roll and cut out the leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Heat a frying pan or griddle to very low heat. Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover pan and cook for 6-7 minutes on each side.

#193: Green Beans With Bacon Vinaigrette

I can eat bacon in just about anything.  I love it in dips, sprinkle it on my salads, and always have several bags of real bacon bits on hand.  For this recipe, I decided to actually buy and make real bacon strips (turkey bacon).  The bacon definitely added something to these green beans!  I think I made a little too much dressing though because my beans got soggy, but none-the-less, this was still a yummy side dish. 

kosher salt and black pepper
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
6 slices bacon (I used turkey bacon)
2 shallots, sliced (I used a yellow onion)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard (I used honey mustard)
2 tablespoons olive oil

1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the green beans and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool; transfer to a serving bowl.


2.Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Let cool, then break into pieces.


3.Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the skillet and return to medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar, mustard, oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add to the green beans, along with the bacon, and toss to combine.

#192: Chicky Chicky Parm

Dinner got mixed reviews tonight!  Allison and I both enjoyed this meal, but I definitely don't think it's as good as baked (or fried) Chicken Parmesan.  I love the crispy chicken, and this was a little soft.  BUT....it was ridiculously easy to prepare so that gives it an extra "star" in my opinion!  Brian however was not a fan of this.  Not sure why! 

As this cooked throughout the day, the sauce around the edges of the crockpot were beginning to burn a little.  I didn't stir it though because if I was making this while at work, it would burn anyways, so I wanted to see how bad it would get.  Thankfully it wasn't too bad!  And personally, I liked the overcooked pieces!  This is a recipe that you definitely need to use crockpot liners with!  Clean-up could have been a nightmare without them!!

4 raw skinless boneless chicken breasts (I used 7 chicken tenders)
1 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (plus extra for sprinkling)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I forgot to add!!)
Fresh parsley or basil for garnish (I omitted)


Apply cooking spray to the inside of your crock pot. (I used a crockpot liner AND sprayed the inside of the liner w/cooking spray).  Next, set up three shallow bowls. In the first bowl, place the flour and half of the salt and pepper. In the second bowl, place the lightly beaten egg. In the third bowl, place the panko bread crumbs, the parmigiano reggiano, the rest of the salt and pepper, and the Italian seasoning. Take your chicken breasts one at a time, and dip them first in the flour, coating completely. Next coat with the egg mixture. Finally, coat with the panko mixture. Then place the chicken breast in the bottom of your crock pot. Repeat with the other chicken breasts.

Pour your marinara sauce around the sides of the chicken breasts. (Around, not on top – this will keep the tops crispy.) (Okay this is impossible to do!  So, pour some sauce on the bottom before adding chicken, then as you layer the chicken, pour a little more around the edges, and finish by pouring the rest over the sides of the top layer).  Sprinkle a few more tablespoons of the parmigiano reggiano cheese on top of the breasts. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. During the last hour of cooking, top the chicken with the shredded mozzarella cheese so that it can melt and get nice and bubbly. Garnish each serving with fresh parsley or basil. Serve with spaghetti or angel-hair pasta.

#191: Ham and Cheese Muffins

I was a little leery of making these muffins.  1.  Ham in a muffin is a little weird.  2.  The recipe got mixed reviews.  But I had some ham that needed to get used up, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try making a half-batch and seeing what we thought of these. 

Actually though, we enjoyed this one.  Allison had two as soon as they came out of the oven and Chloe snuck one off the cooling rack...can you consider it "sneaking" though, when she grabs one and yells "YEAH!"  And in fact, as I write this, Chloe is running around the house (naked) with a muffin in each hand. 

It looks like I'll have to make another batch of these before Monday so the girls can take them to school and share with their friends.

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour (I used 2 1/2 cups)
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour (I omitted)
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 1/4 Cups Buttermilk (I made my own)
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Honey (I used syrup)
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 Cup Ham, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.  In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, oil and maple syrup and stir to combine.  Add the buttermilk to the egg mixture and stir.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour and stir until just combined.  Fold in the cheese and ham.  Scoop the batter 2/3 of the way up into greased muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes (15 minutes if using mini muffin cups).  Cool on a wire rack and serve.
(PS...this would be fabulous served with freshly whipped butter)

#190: Banana Cream Cheese Sammie

I've had this recipe book marked for a little while and figured it would make an easy, quick, different breakfast for the girls today.  I wasn't sure Allison would eat this one though.  Of course, they surprised me, and Allison ate two of these and Chloe barely finished her first one.  : )  Chloe just wanted the bananas! 
2 Sandwiches
4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread
1/4 Cup Cream Cheese, divided (I used reduced fat)
1 Banana (sliced into thin pieces)

If using cookie cutters to cut the sandwich into fun shapes, cut the bread before spreading the cream cheese. 

I put cream cheese on both the top and bottom slices of bread and laid the bananas so they were not overlapping. 

#189: Kielbasa Apple Kabobs

I loved this dinner!!!  The only thing that would have made it better, would have been if I had pepper (like the recipe calls for) and red onions!  Definitely making this one again!!  Brian ate plain, grilled kielbasa for dinner, but the girls ate it and enjoyed it as well!  The glaze is very mild, and if you aren't a fan of cranberry juice, you can barely taste it.  Had I not known it was in there, I don't know if I would have been able to guess that's what the liquid was!


1/4 cup sugar (I used splenda)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup cranberry juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 pound smoked turkey kielbasa, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
2 medium tart apples, cut into wedges
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (I ran out so I had to omit)
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (I omitted)


In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cranberry juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.


On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread sausage, apples and peppers. Grill, uncovered, over indirect heat for 8 minutes or until heated through, turning and brushing with glaze occasionally. Yield: 8 servings.

#188: Egg and Potato Quesadilla

I don't really like eggs.  I WANT to like eggs and I can tolerate them if they have cheese on them, but it's not a breakfast food I regularly eat.  When I asked Brian what he wanted on our dinner menu this month he said, "Pizza, Spaghetti and Breakfast."  Breakfast to him and the girls = waffles.  Breakfast to me is some sort of sausage and biscuit casserole.  :)  And since I love trying new recipes, I knew I would not just have waffles or pancakes that night.  So I started googling easy, healthy breakfast recipes and found one for Egg and Potato Burritos.  Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of flour tortillas, but I LOVE corn tortillas (which do not work well with burritos--they break!).  So I turned this recipe into a quesadilla instead!

I loved this breakfast.  I can't wait to eat it again! (The recipe below serves 1 and include all of the changes/alterations I made to the original recipe from Taste of Home)
1/4 cup frozen potatoes
1/3 green onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/8 c diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, drained
salt and pepper to taste
2 corn tortillas
1/8 c shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese


In a large nonstick skillet, cook potatoes and onions in oil over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.


In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Pour over potatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook and stir until eggs are completely set. Remove from the heat.


Place 1 tortilla in a heated pan, sprinkle with cheese.  Top with potato and egg mixture.  Place a second tortilla on top.  Bake over low-medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Flip over and continue warming/browning other side.  Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. 

#187: Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

This isn't very pretty, but it is quite yummy!  I will definitely make this again, but next time I'll make just a few changes/additions.
I ended up shredding my chicken because it was so moist and just falling apart as I tried to get it out of the crockpot.  I added the shredded chicken right on top of the brown rice.  Next time I will add some water chestnuts, a few sliced green onions, and crispy chinese noodles.  The original recipe was good, but it needed a little texture in my opinion.  The above additions should solve that problem!!  This chicken would also be great in a salad. 

**Update 5/27: I made this again for dinner last night but to my bowl of chicken and rice I added sliced water chestnuts, sliced green onion and crispy Chinese noodles....OH MY GOODNESS I LOVED this!  I even ate it again for lunch reheated today and I do NOT eat reheated chicken.  I am already looking forward to lunch again tomorrow.  For my lunch, I also added sauteed orange peppers...even better.  MAKE THIS!**

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 1.25 lbs of chicken tenders)
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp. ginger (I omitted only b/c I didn't have any on hand)

Combine in saucepan and stir over medium heat until thickened. Put over chicken tenders or chicken breasts in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

I wanted to freeze this recipe so I made the sauce and let cool.  Then I combined it with the chicken and froze.  When I was ready to use it, I stuck it in the fridge to defrost overnight and then stuck it in my crockpot still mainly frozen in the morning and let it cook on low all day.

#186: Homemade Bagels

Our bagels were dipped in cinnamon sugar before baking

When I came across this recipe, I knew I really wanted to try it for my family and for the girls to take to school with them.   I am not a baker...not by any means!  As you notice I don't like measuring or taking great care with my recipes.  I'll do anything to make it faster and taste just as good.  Baking requires too much patience and precision.  That's not me!!  But when I watched the video of the guy rolling out and cutting/preparing the bagels, it didn't look difficult at all, so I figured I'd give it a try.  Of course we ate these as a post-breakfast snack since it took a while to make these. 

I think my yeast was either bad (expired in April but I've had it for a while) or I have the wrong kind.  These got larger but didn't rise at all.  They are a little dense and Brian thinks they taste more like a pretzel than they do a bagel.  Regardless, these are definitely better than the store bought kind and taste more like ones you would get from a bagel shop.  I don't think I would take the time to make these on a regular basis, but I will definitely try these again, and if they turn out will freeze and see what we think of them.  If you try this recipe, let me know if it turns out better for you and what you think of them!


4 cups bread flour
1 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 Tbls vegetable oil
2 tsps instant yeast
1-1/4- 1-1/2 cups of warm water.


Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. You don't have to worry about soaking the yeast when you use instant yeast (most yeast sold these days is instant yeast). The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if it's really stiff, or you can't get all the dry flour incorporated.


Plop the dough down onto the counter, and knead for about ten minutes, or until the dough is uniform and smooth.  Cut the dough into 8 equal sized balls (I got 16 smaller bagels--all weighing 2 oz pre-baked and they are quite a good size), and let rest for 10-20 minutes.  Pre heat your oven to 425.  (You don't bake for a while, so I'd wait to turn your oven on!)


Now, take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll it into a little snake on the counter. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap it around your dominant roiling hand. The dough rope should be wrapped so the overlapping ends are together at your palm, near the start of your fingers. Now take the two overlapping ends, and use your palm to squish/roll these two ends together. Once the dough is fused, you should have a perfectly circular bagel-to-be! This is the only part of the process that can take a little practice before your bagels will look really professional. Don't get discouraged if they don't look perfect, it just takes practice!


Let your bagels rest on the counter for about 20 minutes, and meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil, and grease a large baking tray lightly. You can just rub a splash of vegetable oil and rub it around.  (Definitely grease w/vegetable oil and not non-stick cooking spray.  These need the oil so it doesn't stick to the cookie sheet!)
After the 20 minute wait, your bagels will start to look puffy, and it's time to get them boiling! Add them as many at a time as you can to your boiling water without crowding them. Boil for about a minute, turn them over, and boil for another minute. Take them out a let dry for a minute and then place them on your oiled baking tray. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.  (For adding toppings, see below)


Add the tray to the oven, and after 10 minutes, flip the bagels over, bake for another ten minutes; and they're done!  Let them cool for at least 20 minutes, get the cream cheese ready, and feast on what's got to be one of the best weekend brunch treats possible!


You can add any toppings you like to these. To make sesame, onions, poppy seed, caraway etc. etc. bagels just have a dry plate ready with the seed or spice topping spread out on it. After the bagels have come out of the boiling water, place them face down onto the seeds, and then place the seed side up onto the baking tray. Bake and flip as for plain bagels.

March Freezer Cooking Menu

I missed posting February's Dinner Menu because we ended up moving a lot of meals around and ate leftovers (or partial freezer meals) for a big portion of the month.  The new recipes we tried were posted, you just didn't get a monthly outlook...not like anyone else cares what we're eating though! 

You'll notice this month that pizza and spaghetti make it onto the menu multiple times.  1.  That's because Brian requests this as his "dinner picks."  2.  My friend Jenny gave me several premade pizza crusts so we are graciously using those up!  I also am only doing my menu up to spring break, because I know I'll have the time to freezer cook again then (hopefully will finish up March and April at that time).  We have 16 new meals/recipes on our menu so far for March so stay tuned as we eat, share and rate these meals!