Aprons Away!

yummy chicken sandwich

2010-12-12T12:57:00.001-08:00

I just made this one up today.

{sorry I didn’t really dress up the picture-I wanted to eat it!}

Trust me-it’s good! Here’s how I made one for me and Josh (I stacked his a little higher than mine—this pic was mine-his was a lot thicker!

I used (for 2 of us):

1 chicken breast
1/4 yellow onion sliced
1/2 sweet pepper sliced
Swiss Cheese slices
whole grain bread slices
butter spread
Spicy Mustard (this was the secret ingredient!)
Salt/Pepper/any other desired seasonings

What I did:

First I thawed my chicken and cut it up into large bite size pieces. I sautéed it in a pan with a little Salt, Pepper, and Olive oil. ( I cut it up first because it cooks a lot faster and more even for me). Once it was nicely browned on the outside I took it off and shredded it with 2 forks.
Meanwhile I sautéed the onion and pepper in the same pan in the leftover oil. I cooked them until the onions started to turn golden and they were softened. (We keep a container of sliced sweet peppers in the fridge-we buy the three pack that comes with a red, yellow, and orange pepper-it’s cheaper than getting them all individually. Makes it easy to cook with-they last a while-and Josh takes them to lunch. I used a handful of these for the sandwiches.)
I spread a little butter spread on the outside of the bread slice (to make it brown nicely in the pan) and spread the inside with a little spicy mustard. I layered one thin slice of cheese, then the shredded cooked chicken, then the veggies, then another piece of cheese before the last piece of bread. I’m sure you could use one piece of cheese to make it healthier-but we both like cheese and it was thinly sliced-and I wanted it to help hold everything together.
I carefully browned both sides of the sandwich in a large pan-which also melted the cheese.

Enjoy! (And really-the mustard just made it that much better!)

Feast!

2010-11-25T19:37:00.001-08:00

Here’s a view of what we enjoyed today
It was just Josh and I so we have a lot of leftovers!

I had to start with dessert…Homemade pumpkin pie topped with homemade whipped topping! On the side there is some Orange Jello Fruit Salad. We almost forgot about it in the fridge with all the other food (sad!) so it made it’s way on to my dessert plate…

Homemade Rolls :)

Turkey that we roasted (the white meat)

Most of the spread…

Stuffing (from a box-the only place I cheated)…But I did add a little secret ingredients and bake it up in the oven

Cornbread Pudding. I should have taken a picture when you scoop into it-it’s full of yummy corn!

Baked Yams (we had candied yams over the weekend so these were great)

Mashed (Idaho) Potatoes and Homemade turkey gravy (from the drippings!)

More of our turkey (the dark meat)

And another cute pic of the rolls. (I love bread…can you tell?)

Phew, no wonder I’m worn out!

One Hour Dinner Rolls

2010-11-17T07:42:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I didn’t manage to crank these out in an hour, but they were super fast for homemade rolls! This was also the first time I’ve used whole wheat flour and I have really enjoyed these rolls. I plan to make more very soon. I’m going to also try to make some and freeze the dough (maybe after the second rise?) so they are ready to bake (like the ones you can get from the store-that you just pop in the oven frozen). I’ll have to experiment with that…

60 Minute Rolls

4-5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 cup milk (re-hydrated powdered milk works great here)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar and yeast. Heat milk, water, and butter until very warm (120-130°). Add warm liquid to dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. (If you don’t have a mixer you can use a whisk or fork. Add 1/4 cup flour and 1 tsp salt. Mix for two more minutes. Continue adding the rest of the flour until stiff dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface or in your mixer for 2-3 minutes. Place in greased bowl and let rise for 15 minutes (remember you can do this in the oven if you want….if you live in a cold drafty house you may want to do this to ensure your dough rising). Punch down and form dough into 20-24 small dough balls and place on baking sheet. Let rise 15 minutes. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

I got this recipe from www.themotherhuddle.com
{Click the picture to go to the recipe}

I used my handy dandy kitchen aide to do all the work for me. It made it super fast and I could multi task while it mixed for a couple of minutes. I used quick acting yeast and ended up using two of those little packages for the recipe. I also used about 1/2 of the wheat flour and 1/2 white. I loved how they turned out with the wheat flour. I let them rise in the oven-I preheated it to 200 degrees and turned it off, then let them rise in there. ENJOY!

Broccoli Soup

2010-11-17T07:35:00.001-08:00

This was my first cream soup I’ve made homemade. It turned out good and I think I will be making it again.

Broccoli Soup

1 1/2 – 2 lbs broccoli, Fresh or frozen, chopped finely
1 small to medium onion, finely diced
3 regular size carrots, extra finely diced
6-8 cups water
4-6 tsp or chicken bullion
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of salt
1 cup cream or evaporated milk
1-1 1/2 cups instant potatoes
1-2 cups shredded cheese

Put chopped, onion, carrot and broccoli in a large pot. Add water until water is about 1/2 inch above veggies. Add about 1/2 tsp bullion per cup of water you used to cover the veggies. Add dash of regular salt and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper. Boil until veggies are tender. Once veggies are tender add cream or evaporated milk, and instant potatoes. Stir until flakes are all dissolved. Add more potatoes until soup is desired thickness. Remove from heat and add cheese. When the cheese is melted soup is ready to serve. So easy.

I got this recipe from www.themotherhuddle.com
{Click the picture to go to the recipe}

I used fresh broccoli-one large head. I used most of the large stems since it was soup. I had a big medium white onion, and three regular carrots. I took turns processing everything in my food processor until it was nice and small. It was perfect for the soup and so easy and fast. I used evaporated milk as well.

I made the One Hour Dinner Rolls to go with this soup-they are probably my best batch of rolls yet!

Sausage Meatballs

2010-11-07T17:40:00.001-08:00

I found this recipe online somewhere the other night…oops I lost where.

I loved how these turned out. I wanted to do something with our newly purchased pig that we’d just had processed, and wasn’t sure what I could make with the sausage-because that was easiest to defrost at the time hehe.

I’ve always hated making meatballs-and therefore never do-because they never turn out that great. These ones are worthy to write about though-I was very happy with them-and so was Josh!

They went well with our spaghetti but would also make a good appetizer-as the recipe was originally intended for.

SAUSAGE MEATBALLS

1 lb pork sausage (any flavor)
1 1/4 cups Bisquick
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup onion, very finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, very finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Combine all ingredients and form into 3/4 inch to 1 inch balls; you can use a melon ball scooper.
2. Place meatballs in a greased 13 x 9 casserole dish or on a greased cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
4. Serve with toothpicks.

MY CHANGES:
I rarely have celery on hand-I just don’t care for it. I used chopped green pepper and it was great. I also seasoned it with just a tiny bit of salt and some fresh ground pepper with the garlic powder.

Pumpkin Gnochii (Dumplings)

2010-01-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

2 pounds butternut, kuri squash or sugar pumpkin, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups whipping cream
Freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon
A few sprigs fresh sage, very thinly sliced
2 bundles farm fresh spinach trimmed and washed or 3/4 pound bagged spinach, stemmed
1 pound good quality fresh gnocchi
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for topping

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

On a baking sheet, toss squash with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes, turning once. Remove squash, turn off oven and place a large platter in the oven to warm for a few minutes.

When the squash has been in the oven about 15 minutes, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a skillet or pot with butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook gently 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add wine and stir 1 minute, then add cream and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to keep cream at a rolling simmer and let reduce 7-8 minutes, until cream coats the back of spoon.

When the water comes to a boil, add salt and, working in batches, add spinach and wilt for 30 seconds. Remove to a plate with spider or tongs and drain. To the same pot of water, add gnocchi and cook until they float and are hot through, about 3 minutes.

Remove warm platter from oven. Arrange most of the roast squash and spinach on the platter. Then, toss drained gnocchi with sauce and arrange on top of the squash and spinach. Garnish with remaining squash and spinach and lots of freshly grated cheese.

Boil the yams then mix flour (enough flour to make a dough) and 2 eggs in and roll it into a snake and cut it into pieces and then you boil the noodles

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Soup

2009-11-30T13:47:00.000-08:00

I have to be honest, I have not made this recipe yet, but I am going to the store to get the ingredients for tonight's dinner. I'll let you know how it turns out. I think it sounds amazing!

1/4 C. Minced onion

1/2 Tblsp. Minced garlic

3/4 C. Butter

3/4 C. Flour

4 C. Chicken broth

1 quart Half & Half

1 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese

2 C. Water

1 bunch broccoli tops, cut

4 C. Cooked cubed chicken

1 1/2 tsp. White pepper

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 C. Bowtie pasta, cooked.

Dash Nutmeg (optional)

Over med. heat, in a heavy sauce pan, saute onion and garlic in butter for 3 min. Add flour to butter and veggies and cook until blonde in color (5-7 min). Add chicken broth and Half & Half and cook until thickened. Add parmesan cheese and cook until cheese is melted. DO NOT BOIL. In a separate pan add broccoli and water and simmer just until boiling, NOT SOFT. DO NOT DRAIN. Combine all these two pans of ingredients. Add bowtie pasta.

Improvised Sloppy Joes

2009-11-29T18:29:00.001-08:00

Tonight I made up dinner. Found some stuff we had and put together sloppy joes. Since I made rolls today-I used those for the buns. We ate them served kind of like biscuits and gravy.

Here’s what I did

1 lb hamburger
1 Chopped Onion
1/2 Chopped Green Bell Pepper
I can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup (or so) BBQ sauce
1 Tablespoon minced garlic

I browned the hamburger in a deep pan, and added the onions, pepper, and garlic. After sautéing a few more minutes, I added the tomatoes and bbq sauce. I seasoned with Salt, Pepper, Parsley, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and thyme. I let it bubble for a while until thickened. Served on rolls with swiss cheese. Turned out pretty tasty!

Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip

2009-11-29T17:00:00.001-08:00

Got this one from Paula Deen. I was looking for one that doesn’t use cream cheese because of a friend who doesn’t like it. I found this recipe and it turned out good! I will make it again…

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
2 (13 3/4-ounce) cans artichoke hearts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Heat the spinach in a microwave oven on high for 5 minutes and squeeze dry. Drain the artichoke hearts and coarsely chop in a food processor.

Combine all the ingredients except the jack cheese in a large bowl. Stir well. Scrape into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the jack cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Transfer to a chafing dish and keep warm over a low flame. Serve with bagel chips.

Rolls :)

2009-11-29T16:55:00.001-08:00

Got this recipe from Susan and Mandy who got it from this website: http://www.realmomkitchen.com/

I’ve always been kind of a failure at making rolls so I decided to try this recipe that Mandy tried for Thanksgiving. I used my kitchen aid mixer and the recipe worked and they turned out pretty good! Not quite like the ones Mom makes, but I’ll work on that. Maybe next I’ll master her recipe.

1 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk (I just heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds and let it sit while the yeast bubbled)
1/3 cup sugar
1 package yeast(2 1/4 teaspoon)
1/3 cup oil
1/2 T salt
1 egg
flour (I think I ended up use 4 1/2 cups)

In mixer combine yeast, sugar, and warm water; let grow until bubbly(about 5 minutes). Add milk and mix. Mix in oil and egg. Slowly add 2 cups flour, mix and then add salt. Add 1/2 cup flour at a time until it comes away from side of bowl. Let rise in mixing bowl for about 30 minutes. Form rolls as desired and place on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise an additional 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Brush hot rolls with melted butter. I made just over 2 dozen parker house rolls with this recipe.

Corn Bread Pudding

2009-11-22T22:14:00.001-08:00

Got this recipe from our friend Caitlin. Sounds like it’s weird but it’s so good!! Made it tonight for the first time…

1 can creamed corn
1 can regular corn (drained)
8 oz. sour cream
1 box jiffy cornbread mix
1 stick butter (melted)

Mix everything & bake in 8x8 pan at 350 until golden brown

(I am thinking it took about 50 minutes for it to be done. Would be okay to do it in a bigger pan and have thinner pieces as well.)

Pumpkin Rolls

2009-11-22T19:25:00.001-08:00

I’m sad I forgot to take a picture of these…But I’m sure I’ll be making them again! (for a 3rd time). They were a hit with friends, with the church dinner, and with everyone at work!

Easy and Delicious!

Ingredients
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
* 1 cup pumpkin puree
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

* 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. (I was lazy and used wax paper and sprayed the paper and sides of my cookie sheet)
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly.
3. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes
4. Lay a damp linen town on the counter, sprinkle it with confectioner’s sugar, and turn the cake onto the towel. Carefully roll the towel up (lengthwise) with the cake in it. Place the cake-in-towel on a cooling rack and let it cool for 20 minutes. (I used a cotton kitchen towel and also tried it with wax paper-worked both ways)
5. Make the icing: in a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer.
6. When the cake has cooled 20 minutes, unroll it and spread icing onto it. Immediately re-roll (not in towel), and wrap it with plastic wrap. Keep the cake refrigerated or freeze for up to 2 weeks in aluminum foil. Cut the cake in slices just before serving.

Fiesta Chicken Burritos

2009-11-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

I came across a recipe the other day that I now consider one of my favorites. It is so EASY and so YUMMY! Everyone should make this for dinner tonight, we are (again)!!

3-4 Chicken Breasts

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 cup salsa

1 cup chicken broth

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 pkg mexican/spanish rice

Place all ingredients in crock pot (except for the rice, add it about 1/2 hour before serving, or cook separately and then just mix it in) and cook on low for 5 hours. Shred chicken and continue to cook for another hour. Place mixture in flour tortillas with cheese and sour cream.

Hello Out There?

2009-10-13T12:49:00.001-07:00

Yes, I’m just as guilty as everyone for never posting on here. I think summer takes away the time we used to have to sit and ponder wonderful recipes to share with everyone. We barely have time to cook let alone blog about it! Guess what everyone-summer is over! Now it’s fall! and I’m still just as busy as before lol. I’m hoping I can start posting on here more and I really hope you all can too so I can get more great ideas from everyone.

I must say that I’ve enjoyed trying recipes on here and using this blog for ideas. My more recent adventure was looking for a delicious soup recipe. I looked and looked and no website or book had what I wanted. I remembered Susan posting a soup recipe on here and I had to check it out. It was perfect! I made TACO SOUP and it was great! Thanks Susan!

I would love to see more great soup recipes, slow cooker recipes, Simple/Healthy recipes, and anything delicious! I also am looking for new recipes to use with my new Kitchen Aid mixer. So far I made brownies from the mixer book and they were good! Who else has one of these amazing small appliances?

Keep watching, I’m going to be adding recipes, and I hope you will be too! If you know anyone that would like to join this blog-let me know their email so I can add them in!

Thanks everybody!

BLTC

2009-06-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

I just came up with a really great snack or even dinner. Took me about 5-10 minutes to get it made. We are pretty low on groceries, so this was made just from a couple of things I found in the fridge. Turned out to be pretty healthy and filling!

Bottom Layer: wheat tortilla (I was originally going to use mashed together biscuits)
Next, I put 4 strips of cooked turkey bacon on the tortilla (I wanted ham, but it was bad)
Then, I took slices of tomato and put it on the bacon.
Lastly, I shredded some monterey jack & cheddar cheese (this is just what we had)

I put that in the oven until the cheese was gooey & the tortilla edges were crispy.

I topped it off with lettuce to make it like a BLTC (: it was great!

FooD SToRaGe

2009-06-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hello!
Molly I'm glad you are getting into cooking so much! This will be fun!
I'm writing this post because I want to know if anyone has some good recipes for food storage, like bottling/canning foods, freezing foods, or drying things. I do not have much food storage at all right now and we are trying to reduce it at the moment so we don't have to try to move so much. BUT once we are settled I really want to start up some good food storage. (And hopefully a garden next spring!) I remember seeing things my mom would have stocked up in her "fruit room": beautiful jars of peaches, jams, carrots, and more! I also remember some awesome pickled things like cute squiggly carrots Susan would make. I would love to learn how to do this stuff and have food like these on hand for eating or for gifts. What's your advice? What's your recipes? How do you make food storage successful?

Easy Pasta Dish

2009-06-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

I thought of another recipe for those that like quick pasta dishes. I'm not sure about the measurements. It just depends on your taste.

Ingredients:
Fettuccine Noodles
Velveeta Cheese
Rotel of your choice (do not drain)
Cooked chunks of Chicken
Veggies (optional)

Directions:
Boil the noodles until they are soft. Drain. Put back in the pot.
Add Milk, Velveeta, Rotel, and Chicken to the noodles.
Heat until velveeta is melted.

It's supposed to be pretty cheesey, but not too runny.

Serve with veggies and warm garlic bread. I like dipping the bread in the extra cheese on my plate (:

Egg Drop Soup

2009-06-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

I found an awesome recipe for Creamy Egg Drop Soup. This recipe is more creamy corn, than straight broth.

.Ingredients.
1 can of Chicken Broth
1 can of cream style corn
1 egg
1 pinch of salt

.Directions.
Bring the broth & corn to a boil into a pot. While you are waiting, whisk the egg(s) together. After the mixture boils, remove from the heat. Add the egg(s) in the circular motion (think of a swirl motion). Let it sit for about 60 seconds & stir. Pour in your bowl & enjoy! (:

.My Changes.
I used 3 eggs, salted it more to taste & added some soy sauce. I thought the mixture was a little too runny for my taste, so I added a little bit of cornstarch to thicken it up. Be careful when you are swirling the eggs into the pot because there might be clumb fall at once, which will cause a couple of chunks of egg.

Does anyone happen to have a recipe for white queso? I've been looking everywhere for a good one. I just tried one today & it turned into a ground cumin-runny-soup. Not very good at all.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

2009-06-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks Michelle for reminding me of this site. I just figured out my password again and now I can post things! Of course, I haven't really cooked much before, so my recipe knowledge is pretty limited at the moment.
Living here in England we don't get to eat Mexican unless its homemade... and I really miss it. We eat a lot of homemade tacos, both beef and chicken, and taco salad. It's really quick and easy to make. I'm sure everyone has a recipe. I did find a chopper at the store that shreds the chicken more than my trying to hand make small chunks. Sometimes I make a salad, crunch up a handfull of tostitos on top of it, add the taco meat (chicken or beef) & add salsa... mix it all together. That way its healthier.
Sorry I don't have a lot of ideas yet. I just really got into allrecipes.com and cooking different dishes. I did cook the Cheeseburger Pie and it was GREAT! I didn't have peppers or onions, so I used different spices to give it more flavor.
Thanks everyone for the great recipes. I'd love to hear some more & I'll start sharing more now that I like cooking. haha
Oh wait, I do have a really good recipe for Pistachio Pudding. My grandma always made it for as a kid.
Mix:
1 Box Pistachio Pudding (follow directions on back of box)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 9 oz. cool whip
1 c. small marshmallows
1 large can pineapple (crushed & drained)
Nuts (optional)
*I prefer using SF pudding & coolwhip. I don't miss the sugar.

Kentucky Stuffed Peppers

2009-06-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of the Taste of Home Cookbook

with modifications by Josh

Original receipe:

4 large sweet red and/or yellow peppers

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes

1 lg onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups cooked rice

1 jar (4 1/2 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained

1 cup diced fully cooked ham

1 teaspoon sugar

Dash hot pepper sauce

3 /4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. In a Dutch oven, cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Place peppers upside down on paper towels; set aside.

2. Drain tomatoes, reserving juice; set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Add the rice, mushrooms, ham, sugar, hot pepper suace, and reserved tomatoes; mix well. Loosely spoon into peppers.

3. Place in an ungreased 2-at. baking dish. Pour reserved tomato juice over peppers.

4. cover and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Yeild 4 servings.

-Yummy Changes-

Josh Substitued sausage (which he cooked up real quick) for ham, and for me he used chopped green peppers instead of mushrooms cuz I hate mushrooms. He also halved the recipe. It made more than enough filling. He also missed the suger but we didn't 'miss' it. He also substitued olive oil for the butter to saute with. He used swiss instead of chedder just cuz we have more of that and it sounded good. He baked them 40 minutes covered with foil and then 5 minutes uncovered after adding the cheese.

We had leftovers of the filling which went really well with some scrambled eggs or would be good in an omlet.

Try it and enjoy!!!

Anyone up for chinese?

2009-05-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

Man I wish I'd taken pictures of this one...

Kind of a made up but based on a recipe form of sweet and sour chicken. It's delicous!!! I got the idea from my cousin-in-law Melissa's food blog. She linked her recipe to allrecipes.com Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Now for the newly improved healthier version from the Bell Kitchen...

Even though it sounded amazing in the original recipe I really didn't want the calorie content. SO I came up with a yummy alternernative of breading and deep frying the chicken-

Light(er) Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sauce
In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar, reserved pineapple juice from an 8 oz can of pinapple chunks, and 2 drops orange food coloring (or 1 red and 1 yellow). Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.

The Rest..
Chicken Breast as desired - one 1/2 breast fed both of us one meal - Cut into bite size peices, season with salt, pepper, and whatever; and saute in a small amount of oil until browned on all sides and no longer pink.

Veggies as desired - I used a variety of sweet peppers, red onion, fresh garlic and carrots. Add to chicken after chicken is almost ready and saute for 1 to 2 minutes until veggies are a little tender. Also add Pinapple chunks from the 8 oz can.

Rice - I just used white long grain and let it cook for 20 minutes while preparing the rest

Serve rice with chicken/veggie mixture on top, then pour sauce over all as desired. I think you could also mix the sauce and chicken mixture together beforehand as well, but I felt it was healthier and more controlled to just pour what I wanted on top, then mix.

This tasted just as good and better as in the restraunt, and I didn't even miss the breading!! I love that you can change this around easily for number of people and veggies or meat you feel like that night. I'm sure the sauce would save for a little while in the fridge for leftovers too.

Anybody got a good egg roll or spring roll recipe to go along with this dinner??

Mom's Mac & Cheese

2009-05-10T17:59:00.001-07:00

If you haven't had home-made mac and cheese then this is something you really need to try!!!
My mom gave me this basic recipe. I don't measure anything anymore-I just eyeball it. You can change it up many different ways by adding seasonings or veggies or meat or change the cheese or type of pasta. I always love making "the basic" though myself. It's also easy to memorize because of all the "2"s.

2 cups (dry) Macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, Preheat oven to 350. Grease a casserole dish. Use one with a lid or have some tin foil ready. Make a rue by melting the butter (medium heat) in a large pan (with sides) and add the flour and mix together. Let cook a minute or two until the flour taste has a chance to cook out. Add the milk and reduce heat some. Stir frequently. After mixture is thickened add most of the cheese and stir until melted. Season to taste. When macaroni is ready strain out the water and add pasta to cheese mixture. Mix together well and pour into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Top with lid or foil and put in the oven. Let bake for about 20-25 minutes, then remove lid. Bake another 10 minutes or so or until cheese on top is melted/browned. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.

Like I said-I don't measure anything. I think I use more cheese and usually a little more flour and butter. I also don't always bake the whole time since my husband is usually getting inpatient at that point and he usually won't wait for it to cool either.

This can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Baking time needs to be adjusted in that case. (maybe 45 minutes to an hour?). Also makes great leftovers. Heats up nicely in the microwave.

Hope you enjoy! Please share if you have any great variations!

What a bunch of slackers!

2009-05-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Come on everyone, where are the recipes? I know you all have some amazing ones that need to be shared. I just keep waiting...... Okay so I'm not doing to great either, so here I go, here are a couple that we really love at our house, hope you guys will enjoy them too :)

Taco Soup
1 lb. hamburger
1 small onion, chopped fine
Brown the hamburger and onion, till burger is no longer pink, drain.

In a large pot or crockpot add the following:
1 can each of ; corn, chili, chili beans, kidney beans, green chilies, tomato sauce, lg. can pureed tomatoes (add juice from everything also)
1 packet taco seasoning
Add the hamburger and onion.
Simmer on low heat till heated through, or cook on low in crockpot.

Garnish with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, olives and sour cream

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts (about 1/2 lb)
1 cup shredded cheese, divided (4 oz)
1 cup picante sauce
3 ounces cream cheese, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cups bottled green taco sauce
8 6-inch flour tortillas

Directions

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and saute onions until soft.
Meanwhile, mix chicken,
1/2 cup cheese, picante sauce and cream cheese.
Add to onions and cook over low heat until cheese begins to melt.
Spoon about 1/3 cup filling on each tortilla ands roll up.
Place enchiladas (seam side down) in a 9x13 baking dish.
Drizzle with taco sauce and remaining cheese
Cover and bake at 350F 15 minutes.

I usually use white corn tortillas, instead of flour, heat a pan on the stove and then heat the tortillas on both sides so they're pliable. I use either green or red enchilada sauce rather than taco sauce (not sure what the difference is). Very easy to make and soooo yummy.

Yummy Cheeseburger pie!!!

2009-04-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

CHEESEBURGER PIE

1 lb. ground chuck
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. chopped green peppers
2 c. Bisquick
3 eggs

Brown meat with onions and peppers. Drain. Mix Bisquick, salt, pepper, eggs and milk. Grease bottom and sides of 9 x 13-inch pan. Spread meat in pan. Sprinkle cheese over meat. Pour batter over cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Another GREAT leftover Easter Ham dish

2009-04-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

1 box (6 oz) dry Stove Top stuffing mix
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 pound lean low-sodium ham slices
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 pound sliced, diced or shredded cooked chicken/turkey*
2 cups Sauce, optional (see below)
Cranberry sauce, cherry tomatoes, parsley etc, optional garnish

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil; stir in butter and stuffing mix; remove from heat, cover and allow stuffing to stand 5 minutes.

Spray 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. Layer ham slices in bottom of pan; sprinkle with shredded cheese; arrange chicken over cheese. Spread prepared stuffing over chicken slices. Bake 20-30 minutes or until heated through and stuffing is browned on top. Cut in squares and serve with optional Sauce (see below) and optional garnish.

Notes:
This is an easy version of the classic Chicken Cordon Bleu; and, it's quick, ready to serve in about 45 minutes. Serves 6-8

* Approximately 2 cups diced or shredded chicken/turkey.

Sauce

Ingredients:

1 can (10.75 oz) cond. Healthy Request cream chicken soup
2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1-3 teaspoons lemon juice
2-4 tablespoons milk, as desired

Method:

Whisk together soup, sour cream and lemon juice. Dilute sauce to desired consistency by stirring in one to two tablespoons milk at a time; heat sauce before serving.

....anything good lately?

2009-04-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

What's everyone been having for supper lately? Just curious, my brain is having a hard time coming up with anything new. Tonight we had biscuits and gravy with hashbrowns, simple and yummy:)
Just an idea if anyone has leftover ham from Easter, we had ham a week ago and instead of throwing away the bone and all the meat that get's left on it, I made ham and bean soup. I have always loved ham and bean soup (ever since eating Donita's at the cafe many moons ago) but have never attempted to make it. It was super simple and really, really good. So give it a try, I bet you'll love it ;)

better than Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

2009-04-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

*1/2 C. butter (I use half the butter called for)
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*2 Cups heavy cream
*1/8 tsp. pepper
*pinch salt
*1/2 C. grated parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low
Heat. Add the garlic, cream, pepper & salt. Bring
Mixture to a simmer. Add the cheese and continue
to simmer sauce for 8 minutes, until thick.

Sausage Manicotti

2009-04-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is from my new taste of home cookbook. I made it for easter and it was great. We had a garden salad and some french bread on the side.

Sausage Manicotti
PREP: 15 min. BAKE: 65 min.

1 pound bulk pork sausage
2 cups (16 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1 Package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
1 jar (26 ounces) Italian Baking sauce
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzerella cheese

1. In a large bowl, combine uncooked sausage and cottage cheese. Stuff into uncooked manicotti shells. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with baking sauce.

2. Cover and bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes

3. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 7 servings

My Personal Additions:
* I added some Parmesan cheese and some extra mozzarella to the sausage and cottage cheese mixture
* I also added some seasoning-like parsley, basil, and garlic powder to the mixture
* I couldn't find "baking sauce" so I used pasta sauce and it was good.
* Since the shells were uncooked they were easy to stuff. I used a butter knife. I read a rubber baby spoon works really well too.

You asked for it!

2009-04-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Michelle asked me for this recipe so I thought I may as well post it on here. We had these for Thanksgiving and they were really good.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
6 Sweet Potatoes
4 T Brown Sugar
4T Butter (room temp.)
4 oz Cream Cheese (room temp.)
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
Salt & Pepper to taste

Bake the potatoes until soft. When cool enough to handle scrape out the pulp and combine and mash with the rest of the ingredients. When ready to eat return them to the oven till warm and golden brown.

oven fried chimis (dinner last night :)

2009-04-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas Recipe #28148

A fast and healthier way to serve Chimichangas than the traditional deep fried. These are very good, and you may dress them up to you own preference. I like to serve with green chile sauce sometimes instead of the picante sauce.

by Miss Annie

45 min | 20 min prep

6 Chimichangas

2/3 cup picante sauce or your favorite salsa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped with some tops (about 1/4 cup)
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
chopped green onion, for serving
picante sauce, for serving

Mix chicken, picante sauce or salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions.
Place about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.
Fold opposite sides over filling.
Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.
Brush with melted margarine.
Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden.
Garnish with additional cheese and green onion and serve salsa on the side.

This is what we had last night (or a variation of it :)

Simple Dinner

2009-04-02T18:58:00.001-07:00

Mashed potatoes and gravy, Kale, and sausage patties.

Eddies Bakery sells these yummy gravy packets. We don't use anything else now if we can help it! It's easy and makes a lot. There's also a few different kinds.

We hadn't had Kale before and we tried it a couple months ago. It's actually a pretty tasty dark green. I tear the tender part of the leaves off the stalks and then we've cooked them in about an inch of water until wilted. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, or whatever! I like just a little butter on mine-josh likes it without.

Does anyone have any good tips or recipes for cooking kale?

The sausage patties were due to ease, time, and lazyness lol. They're a morning star brand veggie sausage pattie. Healthy but still delicious! Dont' knock it 'till ya try it! ;)

home-made-up pasta

2009-04-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well, tonight we got lazy and bought an herb-chicken Mediterranean delight pizza from Papa Murphy's. It was yummy. We also had romaine lettuce hearts as a salad(and light zesty italian dressing, and sunflower seeds. yum!

BUT, last night Josh fixed up a tasty, from his head dish. He cooked some curly corkscrew pasta. Then he got some tomatoe garlic pasta sauce and put it in a pot to warm. He sauteed some garlic and green pepper and chopped chicken in a little olive oil, then added it to the sauce. After draining the pasta he mixed the sauce and pasta together-and voala! Dinner was served. We added some parmasian on top for a final touch. We were in a hurry so that was all we had. It would have been good with some garlic bread or salad too. I'm sure any other veggies added would have been great as well.

This might somehow make a good casserole? Any ideas?

What's for dinner?

2009-04-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

So what's everyone having for dinner/supper tonight? We are going to have a meal that I've actually taken the time to plan (usually about 5 :00, I wander into the kitchen and start staring into the fridge, for what? I'm never really sure). Anyway, tonight we are having BBQ pork ribs and coleslaw (hand grated by me!) and probably biscuits with honeybutter. Hopefully it will be delicioso!

I think it would be kind of cool if people randomly posted what they are having for dinner each night. Ya know, it doesn't have to be some big, fancy thing, maybe you're just having hot dogs and french fries, but maybe it will be an idea for someone else reading this. It just gets SO hard coming up with an idea EVERY day. So PLEASE share! If it's some awesome recipe post it, if you tried some pre-prepared item that was NASTY let us know. Just anything to get the ideas out there, and make this a blog we're checking every day to help us figure out the age old question "What's for dinner?".

Friends and Family

2009-03-31T13:31:00.000-07:00

I forgot to meantion that if anyone would like to invite someone to post on this blog-let me know their email address and I'll add them! The more the merrier-and the more tasty recipes!

Chicken Pillows

2009-03-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't have these until I married Matt. Now they are one of my favorite things to make. They are really yummy and really easy!!!

CHICKEN PILLOWS

4 c. cooked chicken breasts, diced (we just use the canned chicken)
2 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. sliced green onions
1 tbsp. melted butter
3 cans crescent rolls
1 can cream of chicken soup
Sage, if desired

Mix chicken, cream cheese, onions, and butter together. Spoon onto individual crescent rolls which are flat. Fold into pillows. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Can be frozen before baking.

After baking, cover with sauce. Combine soup and broth.

Chicken Casserole

2009-03-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

Just made this for supper,I've had this recipe for a really long time but kinda forgot about it and haven't made it in ages. It's really yummy!

2c.cubed chicken
1 tsp. lemon juice
1c.diced celery
1/2 tsp. salt
2c.cooked rice
3/4 cup mayonaise
1can mushroom pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can chopped water chestnuts
3 boiled eggs
1/4 cup minced green onion

Topping:
1/2 c. crushed corn flakes or potato chips
2 Tbsp. melted butter

mix soup, mayo, onion, lemon juice, and salt together. Add rest of ingredients. Pour into lightly greased casserole. Spread with topping. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350

Hello!

2009-03-30T15:54:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone. Molly and I decided to make a blog dedicated to sharing recipes. Looking for one? Post it and ask. Found something great you want to share? Post it! Molly really wants to get her collection going and we thought it would be a fun way for everyone to get some new delicious ideas.