Monday, November 30, 2009
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Soup
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Improvised Sloppy Joes
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
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 :)
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.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Corn Bread Pudding
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
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.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Fiesta Chicken Burritos
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Hello Out There?
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!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
BLTC
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!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
FooD SToRaGe
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?
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Easy Pasta Dish
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
.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.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thanks for all the help everyone!
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.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Kentucky Stuffed Peppers
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Anyone up for chinese?
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??
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mom's Mac & Cheese
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!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
What a bunch of slackers!
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.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Yummy 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.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Another GREAT leftover Easter Ham dish
- 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
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.
- 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
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.
Monday, April 13, 2009
....anything good lately?
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
*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.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Sausage Manicotti
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.
Monday, April 6, 2009
You asked for it!
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.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
oven fried chimis (dinner last night :)
Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas Recipe #28148
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.
© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com
This is what we had last night (or a variation of it :)
Simple Dinner
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! ;)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
home-made-up pasta
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?
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?".
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friends and Family
Chicken Pillows
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.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Chicken Casserole
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