What's for Dinner?

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

2012-01-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Moist, delicious, perfectly spiced pumpkin bread. It doesn't get any better, in my opinion. I know I've mentioned in the past about my love affair with pumpkin. I think this bread would even be a hit with those who don't quite share the same level of pumpkin love that I do. I've tried a few different pumpkin bread recipes and this is by far our very favorite. I always lighten it up a bit by doing 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of applesauce. But it is phenomenal either way. My family always gobbles this bread up so quickly! I love how soft it is and the spices blend together so well--no spice overwhelms the other so it's a perfect marriage. Enjoy!

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread adapted from Allrecipes

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 C vegetables oil (or 1/2 C and 1/2 C applesauce)

2/3 C water

2 cups white sugar

1 C light brown sugar

3 1/2 C all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmet

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugars until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

3. Bake for about 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

String Beans with Garlic and Oil

2012-01-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

My husband LOVES garlic and so I knew I had to try this recipe. The sauteed garlic and olive oil adds such a nice depth of flavor to the green beans. I also think it's important that fresh green beans be seasoned just right with enough salt--we all know how bland they can be otherwise. So I did a few taste tests to make sure the seasoning was just right. I love having different, healthy sides to add to our standard repertoire and this one is so fresh, flavorful, and simple. Could it get any better than that?

String Beans with Garlic and Oil from Skinnytaste

1 lb fresh string beans, washed, ends trimmed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
salt and fresh pepper

Bring a large saucepan filled with 1 inch of water to a boil. Lower a steamer basket filled with the green beans into it, tightly cover the pan, and steam for 4-5 minutes (don't overcook), until the beans are tender crisp. Drain.

In a saute pan heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until golden. Add string beans, salt and fresh pepper to taste and toss well.

Tips: I used the organic frozen green beans from Costco for this recipe and they turned out really well--so go that route if you don't have fresh ones on hand

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

2012-01-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

I made this to bring to a breakfast over the holidays and it was incredibly easy, perfectly moist, and had the amazing balance of cinnamon to cake. I usually like to make things from scratch but couldn't resist when I saw that this literally was a "dump and stir" cake. I think that the glaze added just that extra hint of sweet to top it off. My husband is a big fan of coffee cake and was really hoping there'd be some left over for him to taste. Luckily there was and he oohed and aahed over it. I also loved that it was still moist even a couple of days after I had made it and the flavors just continued to meld together in such a yummy way.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake from Allrecipes

1 (18.25 oz) pkg yellow cake mix

1 (3.4oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (3.4oz) pkg instant butterscotch pudding mix

4 eggs

1 C water

1 C vegetable oil

1 C packed brown sugar

1 T ground cinnamon

1 C chopped walnuts (I omitted this)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan, or a 10 inch Bundt cake pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, and butterscotch pudding mix. Add the eggs, oil and water, mix until well blended. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Pour 1/3 of the batter into the pan, spread evenly. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the nut/sugar mixture. Repeat two more times (for three layers).

3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven down to 325 Degrees F and bake for an additional 350-40 minutes.

Tips: I substituted the butterscotch for another vanilla pudding (as that's all I had) and it still turned out really well.

Brown Sugar Muffins

2012-01-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

How could a recipe with "brown sugar" in the title be bad? My mom used to make these growing up as a side to go with our Sunday dinner. I loved them then and I still love them now! There are times when I'm scrambling to come up with a side to a nice, home cooked meal and these have become an old standby. But not because there isn't anything better to make...but because they are SO delicious. They have a nice, subtle buttery and brown sugar flavor. They are soft and crumble perfectly. I love to sprinkle some extra brown sugar on top to create a slightly crunchy top layer. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Muffins from Barbs

1 C brown sugar

½ C margarine (I use butter)
1 tsp vanilla

2 C flour
1 egg

1 tsp soda dissolved in 1 C milk
pinch of salt

Cream sugar and butter. Add other ingredients as follows: beaten egg, milk, flour. Don’t stir too much. Sprinkle brown sugar on tops before baking. Bake in muffin tins at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Yields 1-2 dozen muffins (depending how full you fill the muffins)...I usually get about 18 muffins.

Tip: I made them yesterday and did 1 C white flour and 1 C whole wheat flour and I thought they tasted even better--Bret thought they were better with all white flour. But for a healthier version, the wheat flour is really good, too!

Maple Bars

2011-12-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to blog about this dessert! Not only because I haven't posted a dessert for awhile, but also because it is such a delicious throwback to my childhood. My grandma used to make these bars all the time. And then my own mom made them a lot when I was young. Last week I gave a lesson in church about our heritage and wanted to share a recipe that was part of my family. And so I made these to share. They are so phenomenal! Now don't be scared away by the idea of boiling raisins. All it does it make the raisins soft--like melt-in-your-mouth soft. There is also a very slight cinnamon hint that pairs perfectly with the combo of the moist raisins and chocolate chips in this bar. And the maple glaze is very subtle and creates such a fantastic topping to this soft, comfort food! And they're the perfect dessert in that they're sweet and addicting--but not too rich. I could probably eat a whole pan of them myself if they were calorie-free. But you have my premission to pretend they are!

Maple Bars from Barbs

Boil for 10 minutes:

1 1/2 C raisins

2 C water

Cool mixture and then add 1 1/2 tsp soda

In a separate bowl; Cream together:

1 C butter

1 1/2 C sugar

Then add 2 eggs and mix well

In a separate bowl from above mixture, sift:

3 1/2 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

Then add dry mixture to creamed mixture. Add raisins. Add 1 c chocolate chips.

Spread into two greased 9x13 pans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or when center comes out clean with a toothpick. Watch them closely at the end as they can overbake quickly.

Maple Glaze

1/4 C butter

1 C brown sugar

4 T water

Bring mixture to a boil. Remove and cool. Add enough powdered sugar to make a glaze (I did about 1/3 to 1/2 cup). Spread on bars while still quite warm. Cut when cool.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a festive day. I'm going to go have our leftovers from Christmas Eve and curl up by the fire and watch the kiddos play with their new toys. Oh how I love this time of year! Happy Holidays!

Christmas Dinner

2011-12-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Wondering what to make on Christmas Eve or Christmas day? I've compiled a list of a few of our very favorites--many that I'll be making this weekend as well. I love the holidays and love getting in the kitchen and making our traditional meals and treats. We always do ham on Christmas Eve and our favorite breakfast casserole on Christmas morning. We also make sugar cookies to leave out for Santa with a big glass of milk. So here are some of our tried and true holiday favorites. Merry Christmas!
(Just click on the recipe names and it will take you right to the recipe)

SIDES

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

BREADS

Cinnamon Rolls (Christmas morning tradition)

Butterscotch Bundt Rolls

SALADS

7-up Salad

Spinach Salad

Berry Salad

APPETIZER/DRINK/SNACK

Apple Brickle Dip

Creamy Crockpot Hot Chocolate

Candy Chex Mix

Cauliflower Soup

DESSERT

Moist Orange Carrot Cake

Andes Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Divine Chocolate Mint Cookies

Gingersnaps

Not Pictured (but I just had to add them):

Cauliflower Soup

2011-12-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

It snowed here today for the first time of the season! It finally feels like the holidays. I want to wrap up in a blanket and sit by the fire. So it feels like the perfect day to post a yummy, flavorful soup that we made this weekend. I got this fabulous recipe from the meeting I'd posted about a week or two ago. This recipe is so delicious and a fantastic comfort food to make on a cold, snowy day. The finely chopped cauliflower and celery combine incredibly well with the base of chicken flavor and thickened evaporated milk. The ingredient list is surprisingly short but don't let that fool you--the flavors marry perfectly. My kids both even had seconds of this! We love the Wisconsin Cauliflower soup at Zupas and my husband said it had the same exact flavor but just with delicious chunks (as that one is pureed). We will definitely be making this one again! It's such a nice change from the standard soup.

Cauliflower Soup from Valarie Andrus

4cubes chicken bullion

4C. water

1head cauliflower

2stems celery

12oz.can evaporated milk

5Tbs. butter

4Tbs. flour

saltand pepper

Directions:

Ina large saucepan, dissolve bullion cubes in boiling water. Add finely chopped cauliflower and celery andcook until vegetables are soft. In aseparate bowl stir flour into melted butter to make a paste. Stir evaporated milk into the paste untilsmooth. Add to the broth mixture andstir with wire whisk. Add salt andpepper to taste. Serve with crackers andsprinkle with cheddar cheese if desired.

Amazing Rolls!

2011-12-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love a good roll! I could exists on rolls alone if that were even humanly possible. I have a recipe for rolls that is tried and true and that I've been making for years. But the last time I made them they seemed a little bit drier than I wanted them to be and were not as good the second day. So I did something risky when I was put in charge of rolls on Thanksgiving and tried a new recipe (my husband kept asking "are you sure" as I talked about it that morning). We all know that risk can sometimes be an epic fail. And Thanksgiving probably wasn't the best day to be gambling...but I am SO glad I did. I was more than relieved when I tasted the rolls and found them to be perfect in every way. These rolls are seriously amazing!!! They are super soft and moist. This recipe has virtually the same ingredients as my other recipe but the ratios are just different. And these ratios are exactly right on! There is a buttery, rich, soft texture and flavor. The amount of flour is perfect as they are not too dry but instead are amazingly soft and moist. I am smitten with this recipe!

I had been given this recipe a couple of years ago. The ladies in our church were all talking about Maggie's rolls and how they were to die for and so I asked if she'd share the recipe. She was so sweet and immediately brought it over with detailed instructions. My only regret is that I didn't try them sooner. I was also insanely pleased when they were STILL soft and delicious and not all dried out on the second day...perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers! This is my new "go to" roll recipe (complete with Maggie's detailed instructions)! I hope you enjoy it!!!

Naomi's Rolls from Maggie

1 1/2 C milk

1 C butter

1 C sugar

8 C flour

1/2 T salt

6 eggs

1 1/2 T yeast

1/4 C melted butter

1. Put milk and 1 C butter in a bowl and microwave until butter is melted. This will need to cool for about 1/2 hour.

2. While milk mixture is cooling, you can dissolve yeast in 1/2 C warm water. (She uses a 2 C measuring cup and add about 1 tsp sugar to get the yeast started. Mix the yeast and sugar in the water with a fork or a small whisk. Let the yeast rise in the measuring cup, and it will probably rise to the 2 cup level in about ten minutes).

3. Mix the eggs until really frothy. Add the sugar and salt. Add the milk and butter when it is cool. (If it is still too hot, it will kill the yeast). Mix in the yeast.

4. Add the flour one cup at a time. A dough hook works best, but if you don't have one, you can stir it with a sturdy wooden spoon.)

5. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let rise for four hours. (She puts her on top of the dry while she's doing laundry. If you can't find a warm place, you could take the bowl on a cookie sheet, preheat the oven to 170 degrees, turn it off, and place it in the oven. You may want to check on if after three hours or so. The dough is usually double in size.)

6. Melt the 1/4 C butter in the microwave. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 groups. (3 makes really big rolls and 4 makes medium size rolls). Roll out each group on a floured surface to make a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Spread a thin layer of melted butter over the dough.

7. Now cut the dough (the circle you've rolled out) into quarters and then divide each quarter into three--just like you'd cut a pizza. Roll from the outside to the center to form the crescent rolls. When you put them on a cookie sheet, place the last part of the triangle down, so it won't "unroll" during baking. Cover with a dish towel and let rise until double in size. (She thinks they feel like tissue paper to the touch when they're ready). If you are crunched for time, you can preheat the oven to 170 degrees, turn it off, and place the cookie sheets in the oven. They should rise in an hour.

8. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Then brush each roll with leftover melted butter. Enjoy!

Makes 3-4 dozen rolls

Creamy Crockpot Hot Chocolate

2011-12-02T23:10:00.000-07:00

Don't you just LOVE Pinterest? I adore it! And if you're not on there...you must go check it out. I saw this hot cocoa on there and knew I had to try it as it was touted as the "Best Ever". I love a good hot chocolate. I used to mix up the instant cocoa and have it for dinner with toast when I was a poor college student (although that can't be considered a good hot chocolate). And then in between my junior and senior year in college, I stayed in Vienna for a few weeks and loved the little cafes there and drank oodles of cocoa. Although it did require a sugar cube or two to sweeten it up for this American.

Well, no sugar cubes required for this recipes. It really does have the perfect balance of sweetness. Check out the line-up for this creamy, silky cocoa: heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, real chocolate, milk, and vanilla. How could that not be perfect? And it really was no lie...it REALLY is the "best ever". I often feel like I need to add or subtract something from hot chocolate because it never seems 100% right. But I have found THE recipe. The ratio of milk to cream to chocolate is absolutely perfect! You must try this!

Creamy Hot Cocoa in Crockpot from Mrs. Happy Homemaker

1.5 cups heavy cream

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

2 cups milk chocolate chips

6 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir all the ingredients together in your crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours--coming back to whisk it every so often. Garnish with whipped cream or marshmallows

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

2011-11-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a side dish to add to your Holiday meal this year...look no further! My non-green bean eating family members were even going back from seconds (and thirds) of this dish at Thanksgiving. I had these green beans at a church training meeting a few weeks ago and knew I needed this recipe to add to our Thanksgiving feast.

Let's be honest...how could anything wrapped in bacon be bad? And I love how they look so nice and fancy when they're plated. The bacon adds such a nice smokiness and saltiness to the green beans which are perfectly complimented by a subtle sweetness from the brown sugar and butter glaze. It really is the most delicious combination! They will definitely be added as a staple now for our Thanksgiving meal. My cute friend who shared this recipe has a title for decadent recipes on Pinterest labeled "Recipes for Thunder Thighs". Well, this recipe for sure fits under that topic. But on the holidays...don't count calories and try these! You must!

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans from Valarie Andrus

1/2 Costco bag of fresh green beans (frozen) or 3 cans whole green beans .Boil with salted water until barely soft (unless using cans)

1 lb bacon cut in half

**Wrap 7-8 green beans with bacon. Secure with toothpick and place in baking dish. Drizzle topping over beans and sprinkle with garlic salt

Topping: Dissolve 1 C brown sugar in 1/2 C melted butter. Pour over green beans.

Cover with foil. Bake 45 min at 350. Remove foil and return to oven and broil 15 minutes more to brown bacon until crisp.

Spanish Rice

2011-11-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

I made this delicious spanish rice to go with our chicken fajitas the other night. I must preface this recipe by saying that I am usually not a huge fan of the rice you get as a side at Mexican restaurants. In fact, I usually order my enchiladas or tacos a la cart. But my middle son LOVES rice--in all its many forms. He could live on rice if I let him! So I decided to go on a hunt for spanish rice that we would all love--as attempts in the past haven't been successful.

Well, even I enjoyed this dish. A lot. It really would be a tasty side to any mexican dish. The sauteed onion and green pepper combined with the tomatoes & chilies and spices are phenomenal! I loved how light and fluffy the finished product was--not too dense. My husband and I didn't mind the little chunks of tomatoes and chilies. But I think I may try to run them through the food processor next time as one child is particularly finicky about chunks. But that would be the only alteration I would make. Which is pretty huge since I have never found a spanish rice recipe that I've liked in the past. But I will definitely be making this recipe again and again.

Spanish Rice adapted from Allrecipes

In a saucepan heat 2 T oil and then SAUTE until tender:

1 chopped onion

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 minced garlic clove

In another saucepan:

Brown 1 C (uncooked) white rice

Then add Rice to Vegetables. Stir in:

2 C chicken broth

1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes and green chilies

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

Cover & Simmer (stirring occasionally) for 30 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Chicken Fajita Marinade

2011-11-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is a super easy, flavorful, tasty marinade that I've been using for years at our house. I love the combination of the red wine vinegar, oregano, chili powder, and garlic powder. The vegetable oil also makes the meat very tender and moist. And I also LOVE that the ingredients in it are something that I always have on hand. The recipe says to marinate the meat for at least 4 hours--so I can easily throw it together in the afternoon and have a delicious dinner. Oh, and did I already mention how easy it is? Obviously that gets extra points around here.

Also, I recently had white corn tortillas with fajitas at one of my favorite mexican restaurants. And I really, really loved the flavor, texture, and healthier option. I usually use flour tortillas with this marinade--but the white corn tortillas were amazing, as well.

Fajita Marinade from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

1/4 C vegetable oil
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a resealable plastic food-storage bag. Add about 1 pound of boneless (you can also do 2-3 lbs bone-in beef or pork) chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate at least 4 hours (turning meat occasionally)--but no longer than 24 hours.

I then add chopped onions and green pepper. I finely chop the onions and peppers so my kid's seem to notice them less. You can grill the meat and throw away the marinade (it must be boiled to be served as a sauce). But, I like to put it all in a pan and cook it all with the marinade--as it creates a delicious, moist flavor.

Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana

2011-11-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

To say that I've been in a blogging funk would be an understatement. And then in feeling so behind, I've let myself get overwhelmed by how many recipes I've documented (on my camera) and not posted. So....here goes to just pushing past the backlog and posting something. But this recipe is WAY more than just something. My family was raving about it. We all kept saying over and over how delicious it was. The chicken is breaded in an italian breadcumb and parmesan cheese mixture. The filling of ricotta, mozzarella, and spinach is a fantastic combination. I was worried that my family would balk at the spinach but it blends very well and definitely doesn't stand out in the flavors. My kids never even noticed it! Topped with my favorite marinara and mozzarella--it was a huge hit! My husband could not stop talking about how delicious it was.

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana from Skinnytaste

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each
1/2 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
6 tablespoons egg whites or egg beaters
5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry of any liquid
6 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese
6 oz part skim mozzarella
olive oil non-stick spray
1 cup pomodoro sauce or your favorite marinara sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Washand dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp grated cheese in one bowl and 1/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites in another. Shred or finely chop1.5 oz of mozzarella cheese and combine with remaining grated cheese, spinach (make sure you squeeze it dry), 2 tbsp egg beaters, and ricotta cheese. Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of spinach-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray with olive oil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with sauce then cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 more minutes. Serve with additional sauce on the side and grated cheese.

Serves 8 (1 stuffed breast) WW Points: 4 WW Points+: 5

Janet's Rich Banana Bread

2011-11-01T23:44:00.000-06:00

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am a huge fan of anything banana. It just might be my favorite food. I never get sick of it. And speaking of bananas--you must also try making brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast. Let it cool. Add a little extra milk and then slice a banana in it. Superb.

But back to this recipe. I always have bananas on hand but hate when they start to turn brown. So sometimes we just can't eat them quick enough before they're over ripe. So I love having some good 'go to' recipes to use those bananas. I have a standard banana bread recipe that is good--but nothing too exciting. So I went on the hunt for a new recipe. I was intrigued by this one because it also calls for sour cream in it. This bread was so delicious. I'll be using this recipe from no won. It was incredibly moist and had a rich, addicting taste. It also had an incredible crust that was slightly crunchy but not overdone. The middle also came out completely cooked with nothing mushy--which is sometimes an issue with banana bread. The texture was soft, and not overly dense and I think the sour cream added something pretty great to the recipe. My kids kept coming back for more slices. I also modified it a little and added 1 tsp of cinnamon and it added just the perfect hint of cinnamon that was necessary. I also made a healthier version so I'll note the changes I made at the bottom. Enjoy!

Janet's Rich Banana Bread adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 medium bananas, mashed (should equal 1 cup)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips: To make it healthier I did 3/4 C white and 3/4 C wheat flour. I also substituted the 1/2 C of butter for 1/2 C applesauce. I also substituted the sour cream for fat free sour cream. I think it would obviously be a lot more rich without these changes. But we still devoured it even with the healthy changes.

Asian Cabbage Salad

2011-10-26T19:22:00.000-06:00

I am always on the hunt for a good, filling, flavorful salad. This salad is now in my top 3! It is SO amazing! And so flavorful! And so filling! My husband gave me a new cookbook for Mother's Day and while perusing through it I knew I had to try this salad. The ingredients are so fresh and also very healthy--but don't have that "health food" taste. I love the crunch that the coleslaw adds to it and the combo of textures from all the veggies and then toasted sesame seeds and sliced almonds is to die for. I made it to go with another Asian type dish that I'll blog about later and we were dying over this salad. And my favorite part was that it was STILL good the next day! That pretty much never happens when you dress a salad. It's usually soggy and gross the next day. But not this one! I will for sure be making this one a regular on our menu!

Asian Cabbage Salad from "Our Best Bites"

1 (14 oz) bag coleslaw mix

1 rib celery, sliced

1/2 cucumber, sliced (I omitted this...we're not fans)

About 20 sugar snap peas

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded, or diced chicken, optional (but I totally recommend it)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup toasted slivered or sliced almonds

Dressing

2 T canola oil

2 T cider vinegar

1/4 C seasoned rice wine vinegar

2 T sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder, or one small garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1. Make dressing first. Combine all ingredients in a sealed jar and shake extremely well. Store in the fridge until ready to use. This step can be done 2-3 days before serving the salad.

2. Place all salad ingredients, except sesame seeds and sliced almonds, in a bowl. Toss with dressing at lesat 30 minutes before serving. When you pour on the dressing, you might think it's not quite enough, but when it sits and marinates, it combines with the vegetables and draws out some of the liquid, so there will be plenty of dressing after it sits.

3. Refrigerate the salad for 30-60 minutes.

4. Right before serving, toss the salad with the toasted almonds and sesame seeds.

How to toast sesame seeds:

To toast seeds and nuts, place them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly until golden brown. Let them cool before using. It's important not to toast more than one type together because of size differences an differences in the amount of oil in each type.

Serves 12: Weight Watchers Points+: 3

Quick Chicken Cacciatore

2011-10-20T22:17:00.000-06:00

When we were first married, I used to regularly go to cooking classes taught by our local grocery store. My husband worked nights at the time while he was finishing up college and I was teaching first grade. So I loved having something to do while he was gone and learned a lot of basics about cooking. And beings that I was also very busy grading papers and writing lesson plans at night--I also loved gathering recipes that were quick and easy to make. I was excited to try this recipe that was demonstated because it fit that description perfectly! It really is so delicious and tastes a lot fancier than it is to make. I especially like making it with fresh linguine (found in the refrigerator section). Unless you're more talented than me and can make your own linguine. But then that probably would change the title from Quick to Complicated, right? The onion, green pepper, and fresh garlic simmer with the chicken and create a fantastic italian flavor. The italian seasoned tomatoes also make this so easy. You can play around with it and add more spices if you like. And parmesan cheese on top of hot, bubbling cacciatore is a must! You'll love this simple, easy, delicious meal!

Quick Chicken Cacciatore from Pampered Chef

1 pkg breaded precooked chicken breast (6-8 patties)

1 small white or yellow onion

8 oz fresh linguine (in refrigerator section)

2 cans (14.5 oz) Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes

Fresh cloved garlic

1 medium green bell pepper (optional)

Cut chicken patties and bell peppers into strips. Chop onion. Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and keep warm. Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium heat. Lightly spray with olive oil. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes (stirring frequently). Add tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and fresh garlic. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce heat to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve over hot linguine. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Zucchini 'N' Carrot Coins

2011-10-14T21:35:00.000-06:00

Let me just start out by saying that I am not a huge fan of zucchini. I like it in bread...but that's about it. Until now! Oh my. This side dish was SO fabulous! And if I am saying something with zucchini in it is great... Well...enough said.

We have a really cool food co-op around here called Bountiful Baskets that my mom's friend turned us on to. The thing I love about it is that I get veggies and fruits that I might not normally buy and it's forced me to branch out and find creative and yummy recipes to use up the produce. This is how I came upon the zucchini in my kitchen. I used up a few of them making zucchini banana bread and decided to use one of them trying to find a healthy side dish. This did not disappoint. The carrots were perfectly cooked and the onion added just the right extra flavor. And the zucchini was amazing in it! All three veggies combined were a perfect balance. I had about three helpings of it at dinner and then finished them off the next day for lunch. And it even tasted better the second day--which is quite a feat for re-cooked veggies, I think. I will definitely be making this dish again and again. I'm pretty sure it's one of my new favorite side dishes. How's that for an endorsement from someone who doesn't like zucchini (anymore).

Zucchini 'N' Carrot Coins adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 pound carrots, thinly sliced

1 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, saute carrots in butter for 4-5 minutes. Add the onion; cook for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender

Tip: To make it even healthier, I think I may omit the butter next time and just use butter spray. I'll keep you posted if it tastes as good

Serves 6: Weight Watchers Points+: 0
(it becomes 1 point+ at 5 servings...omit the butter and it's 0 at any serving)

Great Spinach Salad

2011-10-07T17:11:00.000-06:00

I had some friends over for a playdate a couple of days ago. We've been trying to get together more regularly lately and it's given us all a chance to make some adult food for lunch if you're hosting it. I love this salad and couldn't wait for an excuse to make it! I've seen and tasted many variations of the recipe, but this version I got from my sister is the best one I've tasted. I LOVE the dressing. It goes perfectly with the mushrooms (which I usually don't like...but do in this), red onions, bacon, and cheese. I took this to a friend's for dinner once and my friend was begging for the recipe because her husband never eats anything green and he went back for four helpings of this!

Spinach Salad from Ann

1/2 pkg. spinach (whole small leaf)

1/2 head iceberg lettuce (or buy "just lettuce" in a bag and use whole bag)

1 C. fresh sliced mushrooms

1 lb. bacon, cooked & crumbled (I use already cooked bacon & crumble it)

2 C. grated Swiss cheese

1/4-1/2 sliced purple onion

Combine all of above ingredients. Add dressing and toss just before serving (I've done it in advance before and it gets too soggy).

Dressing

1/3 C white vinegar

1/3 C sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 C oil

3/4 T grated onion

1/3 tsp dry mustard

Put all of the above in a blender and blend. Add 1 T poppy seeds and blend lightly. If I'm making this as an extra big salad to serve to many people, I'll double the dressing. Put about half the dressing on to begin with and then see how much more you need.

*As a variation this time, I used a new trick my friend told me about. I used cottage cheese instead of the swiss cheese to cut down on a little fat. I know it sounds weird--but it actually was really good. Just make sure to put the cottage cheese in a colander beforehand and rinse it really well.

Candy Chex Mix

2011-09-30T14:47:00.000-06:00

This is the most sinfully delicious snack EVER! My hubby has been craving this one for a few months and so since we're having some friends over to play games tonight, I thought I'd make this one to share. Otherwise, we'll eat the whole thing ourselves this weekend and then I'll feel unjustified in complaining about these last 15 pounds that need to come off. It's so chewy and soft and has enough of that sticky goodness. A good friend of ours made this for a road trip while we were dating and we begged him for his mom's coveted recipe and so here it is:
Candy Chex Mix
1 C. granulated sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1 1/2 cubes butter
1 tsp vanilla
Stir and boil first three ingredients until dissolved. Add the vanilla. Mix together 1 large box of Crispix, 1/4-1/2 box of Corn or Rice chex in a big bowl. Add desired nuts (you could add anything you like...peanuts, M&Ms, raisins, etc...we just like cereal and coconut) and coconut. Mix with sauce. And try to stop yourself from eating more than a dozen handfuls!
I usually add about 1/2 package of coconut. My hubby isn't a huge coconut fan and he still loves it in this--it gives it more of that ooey gooey softness with the slight crunch of the cereal.

Technical Difficulties

2011-07-24T21:11:00.004-06:00

Update (12/15/2011): I think I've gotten most of my old pictures back up. But I apologize as I know there are a few still missing. They are pictures that are lost in cyberspace forever and I can't locate on my computer. So I will be making those dishes in the future and posting pictures of them. Thanks!

I've been trying to figure out for the last few days why my pictures and blog header haven't been working. I was thinking there was an issue with Blogger....and then it never fixed itself (like most of those issues do). I then went on the search today for an answer online and saw that someone had posted about joining Google+ and erasing a bunch of pictures that posted on there. Well, apparently when you erase pictures from Google+ that are in your Picasa Web Albums it also erases those pictures from your blog. I asked my cute hubby if he'd happened to erase any pictures as he just joined Google+ this week. He didn't think he did....but then remembered that he had erased some food ones because he didn't really want those posted on his profile. Sniff, sniff. So four years of pictures for this blog are now gone. It was a simple, honest mistake. Although I still wanted to scream and cry out of frustration. But hopefully you can learn from me! So I'm off to (sadly) go hunt through a billion folders on my computer to try and find all my pictures. *Sigh*. I've spent a good few hours of today finding and reposting some of my most recent recipes. But please bear with me while some posts might be picture-less for a little bit. And I guess it's time to revamp the header as I just cannot find that one on my computer anywhere.

Vegetable Medley

2011-06-26T11:17:00.001-06:00

With summer in full bloom, here is a great recipe to use up some of those garden vegetables. I loved the variety and combination of this recipe. I just grabbed the cherry tomatoes from Costco--but I CANNOT wait for those that are fresh from the garden. There is nothing quite like a vine ripe, fresh from the garden tomato. I also varied the recipe a little and add a sprinkling of parmesan on top. Because what doesn't taste good with a little bit of cheese added to it?

Vegetable Medley adapted from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook"

1 (16 oz) pkg fresh sugar snap peas

1/2 medium onion, sliced thin

4 T butter or olive oil (I reduced it to 2 with no difference in taste)

2 green zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 yellow squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick

Salt

Pepper

1 cup cherry tomatoes

Follow package directions for cooking peas. Cook just until tender. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside. Microwave onion in butter for two minutes. Place in skillet. Add zucchini and yellow squash. Place in skillet. Add zucchini and yellow squash. Stir-fry just until tender. Combine with snap peas. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss with cherry tomatoes at time of serving. Sprinkle with 1/4-1/2 C parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings. Weight Watchers Points+: 2

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

2011-06-24T08:10:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm on a role in trying different proteins besides chicken. And while I love shrimp--I have never cooked with it. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that. I think that cooking it somehow intimidated me. And after cooking this dish I have no idea why. I think I, unnecessarily, worried that I would cook it wrong. Well, now I know that shrimp is SO easy to cook with and is incredibly fast. I don't know why I have skipped over shrimp recipes all these years. I'm so excited to try other shrimp recipes now.

But back to this recipe. It is SO delicious, simple, and packed with flavor. The shrimp cooks quickly in a little bit of olive oil and then you add fresh garlic and salt and pepper. What could be bad with fresh garlic in it? It tastes like a complex dish--but is deceiving as you just then add some fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro. My husband even asked me if I'd cooked it in a lot of butter as it tasted too delicious and was surprised when I said there was no butter. I do have to admit that I had some fresh cilantro in my fridge reserved for this dish and it had gone bad. So I had to substitute dried cilantro and it still tasted amazing. That means it would be even more flavorful and delicious with the fresh stuff. I will definitely be doing this one again and so I'll update you on the fresh cilantro taste. Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp from Skinnytaste

2 tsp olive oil

2 lb shrimp, shelled and deviened
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime
salt and pepper

Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add oil to the pan, when hot add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. When the shrimp is cooked on one side, about 2 minutes, turn over and add garlic. Sauté another minute or two until shrimp is cooked, careful not to overcook. Remove from heat. Squeeze lime all over shrimp and toss with cilantro. Serve hot.

*Serves:6; Weight Watcher Points Plus: 4

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

2011-06-19T19:03:00.003-06:00

I have been trying to shake up our menu lately with a protein besides chicken. So I went on the search for something that was healthy (and not chicken) and was so excited when I came across these. These. Are. So. AMAZING! I made these for my family and we couldn't stop drooling over them and eating every last one. My kids and husband were begging for more long after they were gone. It was the kind of meal where kids and adults are arguing over who gets the last one. And so I made them a few days later for a family BBQ and they were inhaled. I love the turkey combined with scallions, cilantro, sesame oil, ginger, and soy sauce. It creates such a flavorful Asian-inspired dish. I also loved the dipping sauce drizzled over the turkey meatballs. We found it a little strong to dip in--but perfect if half the sauce was poured over them. I know I've mentioned before that I will go weeks and usually months before repeating a dish. But I WANT to make these again and again. I could have them on our menu every week and not get tired of them. And that's quite an endorsement for us! I also paired it with this yummy Asian Cabbage salad for a full, delectable meal.

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping sauce from Skinnytaste.com

Servings 4 ; Size: 3 meatballs ; Weight Watchers: 7 pts+

1/4 C panko crumbs

1 1/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey

1 egg

1 T ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro

3 scallions, chopped

1 T low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

Dipping sauce

4 T low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

2 T fresh lime juice

2 T water

1 chopped fresh scallion.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Mix ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, ginger, cilantro, 1 T soy sauce and 2 tsp oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining meat mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

For the dipping sauce mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce and remaining 2 tsp of oil in a bowl. Add scallions. Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 T sauce (I did half the sauce drizzled over). Serve meatballs with remaining sauce, about 1 T per person. Chances are you won't use all the dipping sauce. Makes 12 meatballs.

Yogurt Snack

2011-06-16T12:41:00.001-06:00

I just had to tell you about one of my favorite newly discovered snacks. So while it's not technically a "recipe"--I am loving it right now and had to share. It's healthy and really filling. I got a bunch of fresh strawberries from a food co-op and was looking for new ways to eat them. I love adding yogurt to fruit for a quick, healthy side dish. And I found a new combination that I am pretty much obsessed with. I just discovered this new flavor of yogurt and think it would pair well with so many different kinds of fruit. But here's how I am loving it right now:

Yogurt Snack

1 (6oz) Dannon Light 'n Fit Toasted Coconut Vanilla flavor

Strawberries, sliced

Banana, sliced

*Weight Watchers Points Plus: 2

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

2011-05-15T19:50:00.003-06:00

Oh my! Add this to my list of new favorite side dishes...right along with these. I am always looking for new ways to shake up our standard veggies or fruit to eat with our meals. And this one did not disappoint. Even my kids loved it! The cauliflower slowly roasts in a touch of olive oil and develops a slightly nutty flavor. The garlic, parmesan, and parsley are the perfect finish and make this dish irresistible. I made these bite size to go with our chicken nugget meal that I'd posted about before. We ate the nuggets and the cauliflower with toothpicks and there wasn't any leftovers to spare from the meal. I will for sure be making this amazing dish again and again!

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower adapted from Allrecipes

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a large casserole dish.

2.Place the olive oil and garlic in a large resealable bag. Add cauliflower, and shake to mix. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.

Serves 6: Weight Watchers Points+: 2

Parmesan Chicken

2011-05-04T22:33:00.003-06:00

This meal is a favorite at our house! It is definitely one that makes a regular appearance on my menu. Crushed ritz crackers, parmesan cheese, and garlic salt create a fantastic, slighty crunchy outside to a really moist chicken. The chicken is dipped in yogurt before it gets this tasty coating and the yogurt makes for a really tender, flavorful chicken. My kids love helping make this one by crushing the crackers. As you can see...my little guy crushed these as I usually do them finely crushed. But who's complaining when your 4 year old is busy and excited to help?

I shook it up this time and tried to make it a little bit healthier as I'm on a quest to lose some of my baby weight and also make up for eating too many of those cookies I posted about earlier?!? I used whole wheat ritz and my fabulous neighbor (thanks Serene) lent me greek yogurt since I left the store without the yogurt and didn't want to go back. I also omitted the butter and just used Pam spray on it. I actually didn't taste a difference in any of the variations that make it more healthy. The only difference would've been that the chicken might have been a teensy (not too noticeable, though) bit less moist without the butter. Butter makes anything better, right? So with or without the butter this chicken is SO fantastic!

Parmesan Chicken from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook"

2 C crushed Ritz crackers

3 T grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp garlic salt

8 boneless chicken breasts (I prefer boneless/skinless chicken tenders)

1 C plain yogurt

1/4 C butter, melted

Combine cracker crumbs, parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Dip each piece of chicken in yogurt to coat and then in crumb mixture. Arrange in greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Serves 8.

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets

2011-05-03T16:35:00.002-06:00

I am always trying to find ways to get my son to eat protein. He would be happy to live off of pancakes if given his way. So you can imagine how happy I was when he and my daughter literally INHALED this dinner! I was searching the web for some healthy dinners and I came across Skinnytaste.com. Love it! Gina has so many yummy looking dinners and she includes all the nutrtional information. I pretty much used recipes from just her blog for my menu this week.

I was excited to try this recipe. I knew my kids would love it. What kid doesn't love chicken nuggets? And I was not disappointed. The breading on it was light and slightly crunchy and I love that they are baked--so they are definitely healthy. I also loved the oh so subtle parmesan cheese flavor in it. I had a cookie sheet full of nuggets and was worried that I had made too much. But oh how mistaken I was. My kids were begging for the nuggets off my husband and I's plates. So next time I will definitely make a lot more.

She gave such a cute idea with this recipe to let your kids eat it with toothpicks. So I hammed it up and told them we were having a really special dinner. They were pretty excited about it. And were even more thrilled when I told them the special part was that they could only use toothpicks as their utensil for dinner. I made everything bite size and they probably have never eaten so much at dinner. So I will definitely be using toothpicks again and definitely be making these again.

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets from skinnytaste

16 oz (2 large) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bit sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp panko
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray. Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese in another. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then put in the bowl with the olive oil and mix well so the olive oil evenly coats all of the chicken. Put a few chunks of chicken at a time into the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray then bake 8 - 10 minutes. Turn over then cook another 4 - 5 minutes or until cooked though.

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4th of nuggets • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 4 pts

Calories: 164.9 • Fat: 4.6 g • Protein: 22.1 g • Carb: 7.7 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Sugar: 0.1 g

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-05-01T12:37:00.006-06:00

This amazing, chewy, addicting cookie is going to be my new "go to" cookie. We were going on a vacation last week and so I went on the search for a new, delicious cookie to take on the road with us. Oh my. These are insanely good. Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe claimed that they were her favorite cookie EVER. What an endorsement! And I must say that I agree with her. My husband kept talking all weekend about how amazing they were. The coconut and abundance of brown sugar make for one moist, perfectly chewy combination. I froze a ziploc bag of them to take with us and they were even better frozen, in my opinion. I hate how cookies are sometimes only good for a day before they start to taste old. Well, this recipe was not that way at all! We had a tupperware of them sitting out for a good three days and they almost tasted better as the days wore on. This is quite a feat, in my opinion. I was so grateful we doubled the batch because we all gobbled them up and were so sad when they were gone. I will definitely be making these again and again!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut from My Kitchen Cafe

1 cup oatmeal (not quick)
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoons vanilla
1 cup coconut
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the top 4 ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend about 30 seconds until coarse. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter for 30 seconds until light in color. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Next, add the dry ingredients then add the coconut and chocolate chips. Shape cookie dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly before removing them from the pan to a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Tips: I didn't have any dark brown sugar--so we just used light brown in it's place. I'll let you know if the texture or taste is different once I make it again with the dark brown. But they were pretty amazing when we made it! Also, we doubled it and didn't want to use 4 cubes of butter--so replaced 1 cube with 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce and it was still great!

Moist Orange Carrot Cake

2011-04-15T21:43:00.001-06:00

This fabulously moist and delicious cake was brought to us after I had my baby a few months ago. We were graciously brought a meal by a woman from our church and she followed it with this cake. My husband was actually out of town and she brought us a large plate with a few slices. By the time he got home the cake had been devoured.....by me. I'd like to say that my kids were the culprits but I just could not contain myself. For months I couldn't eat sweets without getting sick or having outrageous heartburn while being pregnant and so I majorly indulged on this sweet dessert. I could not believe how incredibly moist and flavorful it was. I also thought I detected the texture of coconut in it--and I loved it.

So I ran into the woman who had brought us the cake last week and shamelessly asked if she'd share the recipe with me. I was so surprised when she said that the secret ingredient to it's moistness is the can of mandarin oranges in it. I never would've guessed that as I really didn't detect orange in it. I just thought it was a straight-up carrot cake. And a REALLY moist, awesome one at that. I knew I had to get this recipe so that I could make it again. And share it.

Orange Carrot Cake from Carol Hallen

3 C flour

2 C sugar

1 C coconut

2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 C grated carrots (4 carrots)

1 1/4 C oil

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. grated orange peel

1 (11 oz) mandarin oranges & juice

3 eggs

Blend all dry ingredients together. Add the liquid ingredients and mix for about 2 minutes. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 F or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 T. melted margarine or butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3 C powdered sugar

1/2-1 C nuts, if desired

Beat well and frost cake. Refrigerate.

Teriyaki Cranberry Chicken

2011-03-20T09:30:00.003-06:00

Where, you might ask, have I been? Well....long story short is having a baby. We welcomed a new little guy to our family on January 2nd. So now we have three little amazing munchkins at our house. We named him Cole Harris. The middle name Harris comes frome my amazing grandfather. We are quite smitten by our new addition.

I was having contractions whenever I would stand or walk in the last trimester and was rather uncomfortable--so there wasn't a ton of grand cooking or baking happening at our house. And since his birth I've been busy doing baby, baby, and more baby. He is so sweet and really, really, really likes being held all day and all night. So it's made cooking a little difficult. There. I've put all my excuses out there and now on to the cooking that I've missed doing...

I went back through all my old pictures of food that I have yet to blog about. And I couldn't believe that I'd never posted this recipe. It is so delicious! And so easy! What could be better than that? I like doing it with boneless/skinless chicken thighs as it makes for a really moist and flavorful dish. My kids literally devoured this the first time I made it and requested it be made again...soon. I kind of have dinner A.D.D and rarely make a dish more than once in a month. Often I will go months before repeating a recipe. I just like to try new things and rotate through all the ones we love (which there are quite a few of). However, I made this recipe again within a couple of weeks of making it because we liked it so much. It really is very flavorful with the teriyaki and then the cranberry adding just the right amount of sweetness. Don't be fooled by the small amount of ingredients--it is delicious!

Teriyaki-Cranberry Chicken from Debbie Nydegger

4-6 chicken breasts (I use 6-8 chicken thighs)
1 (16oz) can cranberry sauce
1 C. teriyaki sauce (Yoshida's brand works great)

Place chicken in lightly greased 9x13inch pan. Mix cranberry sauce and teriyaki sauce together and pour over chicken. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Serve with rice.

Sugar Cookies

2010-10-30T18:21:00.002-06:00

Happy Halloween! I thought I'd post the MOST FANTASTIC recipe for sugar cookies ever! How's that for an endorsement. This is the recipe that my mom (aka Barbs in previous posts) has been making since I was a little girl. The cookies are really light and soft and are honestly the best recipe I've made.

So I have kind of a funny story about this recipe. I had posted previously about another sugar cookie recipe that I claimed was my mom's tried and true recipe. Well, we were living across the country from my mom at the time and I was making them for years thinking it was her recipe. And then when we were in town my mom made some sugar cookies and I remember thinking that they tasted much, much better and flakier and softer than mine. I had even thought when making them previously that I could never get it quite like she did when I made mine. And then my sister-in-law had gotten that recipe off of my blog and called my mom asking if you really used that much flour. To which my mom responded that you for sure did not use that much flour. So my mom went searching through her recipes and found that I had copied down a recipe in her box that she hadn't made in 25 years and I had copied it thinking it was the one she used. So while that other recipe I have on here is good--this one is SOOOOO much better and is the one you should try! It's the only one I'll be using from now on!

Barbs Sugar Cookies

3/4 C butter

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1/2 t. vanilla

2 1/2 C flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and flavoring. Sift together dry ingredients and blend into creamed mixture. Chill at least 1 hour. Roll out 1/8 inch think. Bake at 400 degrees F for 6-8 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

Tip: I always pull them out at no longer than 8 minutes--even if they look a little undone. Then I leave them on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and they are firm but so soft and light. I also add about 2-3 tsp of almond extract to my frosting (like my mom does) and it is the secret ingredient that makes them amazing!

Laurie & Amy's Amazing Chocolate Cake

2010-09-24T16:24:00.003-06:00

I was going through old pictures on my computer today and ran across this cake and couldn't believe that I had not posted this recipe yet! It is truly one amazing chocolate cake--just as the name states. My mother-in-law is a chocoholic and loves all things chocolate. So I went in pursuit of a chocolate cake worthy of her for her birthday last year. I couldn't pass up trying this cake after the rave review it got from A Bountiful Kitchen. We were not disappointed in the least. My cute mother-in-law is still talking about it! She declared it one of the best she's ever had and had to have the recipe. She even took it to share with her siblings when they celebrated her birthday and said that they were all dying over it. It is very dense and moist and chocolatey! I know that it you are also a chocoholic that you will love this recipe, too.

Laurie and Amy's Amazing Chocolate Cake from A Bountiful Kitchen

1 3/4 cups boiling water

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, OR chocolate chips (for a double recipe, use 15 oz. chocolate chips, which equals 2 1/2 cups.)

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

10 oz (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 9-inch round cake pans with circles of wax paper or baking parchment.

Pour the boiling water over the chocolate chips. Add cocoa and stir until mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool. Cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and half of the chocolate mixture. Beat on low to combine, then on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the remaining chocolate mixture and beat on low until mixed.

Pour batter into pans and bake 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out completely clean. Cool for 10-15 minutes; remove from pans. Wrap in double layers of plastic wrap while still warm and freeze. Double recipe makes two 10" layers plus two 8" layers or four 9" layers. Never fill pans more than 2/3 full.

Frosting:

1 1/4 cups plus 2 T. butter, softened

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (For really dark frosting, use part Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, about 4 T.)

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup plus 2 T. Milk

Cream butter with electric mixer. Whisk together sugar and cocoa. Beat one-third of the sugar/cocoa mixture into the butter. Mix in vanilla. Add the rest of the sugar/cocoa mixture alternately with milk and beat until frosting is smooth.

When cake is frozen solid, frost between the two layers and spread a thin layer over the whole cake. Freeze again for about 20 minutes. Frost again. Repeat if desired. (Frost the last time on the day you plan to serve the cake and let it stand at room temperature to thaw.)

Gingersnaps

2010-09-21T14:41:00.004-06:00

As I've mentioned in a previous post, when I was younger I used to babysit for a phenomenal baker. I would watch her kids every Monday after school and she would always have some yummy treat sitting on the counter. My two favorites were her chocolate chip cookies and these phenomenal gingersnaps. One day she had just made a fresh batch of these amazing cookies and left the recipe sitting out and so I immediately grabbed a pen and paper and wrote it down. I was probably only fourteen at the time--so I hope I wasn't stealing a secret family recipe or anything like that. I'm sure I mentioned to her that I copied it (I hope). But these really do have the perfect flavor and blend of spices in them. They have the most amazing, addictive pairing of sweet and savory--which makes it very, very easy to eat a dozen in one sitting (not that I'd ever do that....). I made these last week and my husband and kids raved about them. My husband usually loves chocolate sweets more than something like this so I was really surprised by how much he LOVED them. I also love their texture--just the right amount of chewiness and slight crunch.

Gingersnaps from Michelle S.

* Cream: 1 C granulated sugar & 3/4 C butter

*Add: 1 egg and 1/4 C molasses

*Then add:

2 C. flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

Roll into small balls. Roll balls in sugar. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!!!

Crispy Chicken Breasts

2010-09-02T10:55:00.002-06:00

I don't know about where you live--but fall is in the air in my neck of the woods. School is fully back in swing and the last week has been seasonably cooler and the air has that autumn crispness. I love it! Now, if only fall would just stay for months and never turn into winter. Things have been kind of crazy this summer at our house and so I'm ready for more routine. For one thing--I'm pregnant and have been sick, sick, sick and am finally getting over that and so I'm ready to get back in the kitchen and cooking and sharing recipes. I sent my oldest to first grade this year and my baby just started preschool this morning. And so hopefully that will give me more time to blog now!

Now on to the food... This recipe is comfort food at it's best. And I crave comfort food as the weather gets cooler. I've seen a few different variations of this recipe floating around the internet. But this is the one that came many, many years ago in a church cookbook that my mom had. It is amazing! The chicken is ooey, gooey (how's that for a description) with the melted Swiss cheese and it melds perfectly with the stuffing and chicken flavors. And I love that it's served over Rice Pilaf because it adds a great texture and delicious flavor. And it's one of those meals that is so easy because you just throw it together and then throw it in the oven and let it do it's thing.

Crispy Chicken Breasts from Erin S.

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use chicken tenderloins--they stay more moist)
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 (6 oz) box Stove Top Stuffing
1 lb. swiss cheese
1 stick butter (I use 1/2 stick)

Arrange chicken in a 9x13 pan. Slice swiss cheese and layer over chicken. Mix soup with 1 can milk and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with dressing. Melt butter and drizzle over top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Can remove foil at end of baking to make stuffing a little crispy. Serve over rice pilaf.

Pumpkin Cake

2010-05-26T23:04:00.002-06:00

I am a huge fan of pumpkin! When I was in college we would make frequent visits to Great Harvest (a bread store) on Tuesdays to get free samples of their pumpkin bread. I know, I know....a very cheap, college student kind of thing to do. I've tried to make it up by actually buying a loaf or two when I go there now. When I started dating my husband I made him go in there with me one night and he was embarrassed by the whole ordeal. I thought poor college students had no shame--but apparently he did and so we laughed about it and I stopped mooching their yummy pumpkin bread after that.

So this cake does a fantastic job of fulfilling my pumpkin love. It is really, really moist and pares perfectly with the cream cheese frosting. Which, I must add, I am not usually a big fan of. But I love the frosting with this particular cake. I also love that you make it on a 10x15 pan and so it goes great when you're taking dessert to a crowd. Try it...I think you'll like it even if you don't love pumpkin as much as I do. This was the cake that I even made for my daughter's first birthday many years ago.

Pumpkin Cake from Barbs (aka my mom)

2 C flour

1 tsp soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 C granulated sugar

4 eggs, well beaten

2 C pumpkin

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 C vegetable oil

Beat eggs; add pumpkin, cinnamon, oil, and vanilla. Mix well. Add rest of dry ingredients. Grease a 10x15 inch pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Spread on frosting after cooled.

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 C butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 C powdered sugar

Combine and mix until well blended.

Rocky Mountain Cookies

2010-04-11T19:41:00.004-06:00

It has clearly been way too long (once again) since I have posted. The good news is that we have officially sold our house!!! Hallelujah. It has been a long fourteen months but we are just so thankful to finally have it off our hands. I didn't want to post anything about it being in contract so I didn't jinx it. But we signed a couple of weeks ago and so it's all official.

So to celebrate our move back to the Rocky Mountains--I wanted to share this recipe. The secret in this recipe that makes then unique and that gives them that extra little crunch is the rice crispies in them. It is a really delicious variation on the standard chocolate chip cookie. My friend brought the batter for these cookies to a dinner we were having when we were first living in Ohio. She baked the cookies while we were eating dinner and we all inhaled them before she had even scooped out another batch to bake. They are soft from brown sugar and oats with the perfect amount of crunchy.

Rocky Mountain Cookies from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook"

1 C sugar

1 C packed brown sugar

1 C butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 C old-fashioned oats

2 C Rice Crispies cereal

1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream together sugars and butter. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Sift dry ingredients into a separate bowl. Add to mixture. Fold in oats, cereal, and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until very lightly browned. Makes 6 dozen.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

2010-03-05T17:03:00.002-07:00

I know I've made mention before of my little guy's obsession with pancakes and french toast. If he had his way he'd eat pancakes at every meal. One of my friends told me the other day about this great whole wheat pancake mix found in supermarkets here. My son (and daughter) both loved them--even I was shocked when he inhaled ten pancakes one morning! The only problem with the mix was that it's pricey.

So I went on a search for a better alternative. I remember seeing these pancakes over on Melanie's site and decided to give them a try. They appealed to me because it has the perks of a boxed mix without the price and has the homemade taste. Oh wow!!! They are really, really yummy. And a huge perk is that they're healthy. I love when my kids get whole grains for breakfast. I can tell such a huge difference in their mood and energy level throughout the morning.

And my favorite part is that I now have days of pancakes that I can easily whip up with the large mix this recipe makes.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix from My Kitchen Cafe

*Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I've never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side.
*Melanie said that 1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes. I was able to get about 12.

Recipe Source: Adapted from King Arthur Flour The Baker's Companion

Snickerdoodles

2010-02-28T14:06:00.004-07:00

Sometimes I just crave a simple, no fluff cookie. The snickerdoodle fits that description, without a doubt. But, oh how I love this simple cookie. I went out to lunch this week with my mom, sister, and sweet grandma and afterwards we went to get a cookie at a delicious cookie shop here. My little guy got a snickerdoodle there and I stole a bite of it. After wetting my appetite with that tiny bite (I tried to steal another one and he broke me off an atom-sized one....um, thanks?) I knew that I needed to bake some of my own this weekend. I went on a search and found a highly rated recipe that did not disappoint in ANY WAY. The cookies were soft with just the right amount of slight crunch on the outside.

They key to a good snickerdoodle it to take them out of the oven at the right time (7-8 minutes for this recipes...no longer) even if they don't quite look done. They set up quite a bit after removing them from the oven. Otherwise, they'll be too crunchy and overdone. Which is not good...in my opinion.

This recipe is also a perfect one to bake with little kiddos. They loved helping me roll the dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Mrs. Sigg's Snickerdoodles from Allrecipes.com

1 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar (can use 4 t vinegar or 4 t lemon juice)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

2 T white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.

3. Mix the 2 T sugar (I used 3 T) and the 2 tsp cinnamon (I used 3 tsp). Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

4. Bake 7-8 minutes (not a minute more). Remove immediately from baking sheets. Yields about 48 cookies.

BBQ Ribs

2010-02-03T15:36:00.001-07:00

Hi! Hi! Hi! I am SO excited to be back on the blog--for real this time! We finally got all moved in to our new place and I went searching today in the depths of some unopened boxes (relegated to the basement) to find the cord to my camera. I was ecstatic when I finally found it. So do I have internet you ask? Yes and no. We closed on the house on Dec. 23rd and are still working on getting internet installed. I know--ludicrous, right? But luckily one of my kind neighbors is letting me use their unsecured wireless ("letting" being a very broad term....). I've asked any that we meet if they are that kind neighbor and I've yet to find the person to thank. Supposedly the internet people were coming out today (and yesterday and the day before that). I'm not holding my breath....but in the meantime I just had to post something.

I have many recipes to catch up on. The only bad thing is that as I was going through a couple months worth of pictures I can't remember exactly where some of the recipes came from. But that's obviously my problem and not yours. But here is one BBQ recipe that you HAVE to try. It is now my official "go to" recipe for BBQ sauce. I will never go back to just using the bottled version from the store again. And this is super easy to make! I tweaked the recipe and so I'll just post my adaptation. Enjoy! Did I already say how excited I am to be back into the foodie world?

BBQ Spareribs adapted from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook"

5 pounds country spareribs (meaty)
1 onion, chopped
2 T butter
1 1/4 C ketchup
1 C packed brown sugar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 C barbecue sauce

To make sauce, saute onion in butter until tender. Combine sauteed onion with remaining ingredients and pour over ribs in crock pot. If you like lots of sauce, double the sauce ingredients (but I found this amount perfectly adequate). Bake in crockpot for 6-7 hours. Would be amazing with chicken, too.

2010-01-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

Dear blog,

I am so sorry to be neglecting you. I do, however, have a pretty good excuse (or two). We went out of town for a bit in December and then I flew back for a quick trip to box up my house. We also moved into a new place and don't have internet yet. But it's not without trying. It's just that the people who built our house forgot to install the box on the house to get internet so it's been quite a run around. I know, I know--those are all just pretty lame excuses. I do have so many pictures and recipes to add to you, blog. But I am now sending you this message from my new laptop that I got for Christmas and it has no pictures on it. And unfortunately the computer with those pictures isn't set up yet and has no internet access. And to add to the whole predicament--the laptop won't accept my camera's memory card and so I have to wait until our stuff arrives in a couple of days and go searching for the camera's cord. Whew! What a mess. But I haven't forgotten about you blog and really miss you. I promise to be back very, very soon!

Love,
Marisa

Bye for a bit...

2009-12-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

I have really meant to blog about a fabulous birthday cake recipe I found for my mother-in-laws birthday--not to mention the cake my husband requested for his. But the week has gotten away from me as my husband and I are going away for a few days. I've been consumed in getting the kiddos packed up to spend the time with their grandparent's and also get everything squared away to go. Not to mention trying fruitlessly to find a cocktail dress--but that's a whole other story. So I just wanted to say that I haven't disappeared but instead will be enjoying some warm weather for a bit. I can't wait to see what all you other foodies have cooked up while I'm away. Adios!

Barbeque Green Beans and a Winner!

2009-11-29T18:37:00.002-07:00

Happy, happy belated Thanksgiving. I took a much-needed hiatus from life and blogging so I apologize for being incredibly slow on posting the winner of the cookbook. But we had such a great, relaxing, family-filled holiday. And now I sit here listening to Christmas music while we put up the holiday decorations and I am feeling perfectly festive and ready for the season.

And thank you, thank you for all of you who submitted side dishes that I could use for our Thanksgiving feast. They ALL sounded so amazing and I am excited to try many of them out. I had such a hard time narrowing down which recipe to try for our Thanksgiving. So I brought in the help of my husband and he decided that something with corn or green beans sounded good. It was such a tough choice, but I picked Ann's Green Bean recipe and they were phenomenal!!! Seriously. You have to add this to your upcoming holiday dinners.

That being said, Ann is my sister and so I felt that it would show too much nepotism to give her the cookbook and she agreed. So I used random.org to pick a winner for the cookbook. The winner is Melanie Ann. Leave me your email, if you would, Melanie and I'll get the cookbook to you. Thanks again everyone for you submissions!!

And now here is that amazing recipe! Don't let the title confuse you--there is no BBQ sauce in these beans but would go perfectly at a barbeque or as a side dish to accompany your ham or turkey this holiday season. The flavors are better than any I've ever had in a green bean dish. You MUST try these!

Barbeque Green Beans from Ann E.

2 pkg frozen french cut beans

1 onion
1 4oz. can of mushrooms
2 medium tomatoes

Partially cook beans. Put all of the above ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish. Make
sauce with 1/3 C melted butter, 2 t horseradish mustard, 2 T brown sugar, 1 1/4 t salt, pepper to taste. Pour over green beans and cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes at 400F.

*Make sure you use horseradish mustard...it makes all the difference

Serves: 12; Weight Watchers Points+; 1

Berry Salad & a Giveaway

2009-11-18T16:48:00.001-07:00

Before I sing praises to this salad (although I couldn't quite get the picture right on this one)--I first need some help. And to sweeten up the deal, I've thrown in a giveaway for the winner. Do any of you have a good side dish (preferably a vegetable...but no biggie if it's not) that you make for Thanksgiving? If so, would you please leave me a link to the recipe or (if you don't have a food blog) leave me the recipe. I'll be sure to give you a shout out and feature your recipe on my blog, too. And the winning recipe will also win this cookbook that I've been eyeing, just in time for Christmas cooking:

The deadline to enter the giveaway is Tuesday, November 24th (12pm MST). If you have multiple dishes, you can leave multiple comments for a better chance to win :-).

Anyways--back to the salad. While we were living away from family in Ohio, my mom called and told me about this amazing salad that my cousin, Robyn, had brought to a family party. I still remember her describing it to me and thinking, "Wow, that sounds good...but maybe a little strange". Oh, how wrong I was (about the strange part)! My mom made this at our family reunion this summer and I loved it!

So I have now stolen the recipe from her and made it for our family. The cheesecake pudding mixed with yogurt and cool whip makes such a refreshing, not too sweet base. I love the berries and bananas (surprise, surprise...). If you are looking for a fun, new salad recipe for your Thanksgiving feast, give this one a try! This recipe makes a lot of salad--so for our small family I'll probably half it next time. But it would be great to serve a large family this holiday.

Berry Salad from Robyn B.

2 instant cheesecake jello pudding mix (Fatfree/Sugar free for WW Points+)
1 8oz cool whip (Fat free for WW Points+)
32oz carton of strawberry yogurt

Mix these ingredients together and refrigerate.

Just before serving, Add:
1 sm. bag of raspberries
1 sm. bag of mixed berries (thaw the berries before adding)
bananas

Serves: 12; Weight Watchers Points+: 2

Maple Salmon

2009-11-15T18:34:00.002-07:00

Despite the overabundance of sweets found on this site that might speak to the contrary, I really do try to cook healthy for my family. It's just so much more fun to blog about and read about yummy sweets though, right?

So please bear with me while I break away to a less exciting post. I love fish of any kind. However, my husband does not. But a few years ago I had read some research about how good salmon is for an autoimmune disease that he has. So I convinced him that we needed to add more fish in our diet. I made a few recipes that did nothing in terms of pushing him towards wanting to eat fish. But then I broadened my search and found this amazing salmon recipe!

It is really, really good! And my husband (after many failed fish attempts on my part) even loves it. The maple glaze on it is phenomenal! The soy sauce adds just the right amount of saltiness that fish needs and combines really well with that little bit of sweetness from the maple syrup. I know it might sound a little bit strange. But I was desperate for a recipe that would convince my husband that fish is okay. This one did the trick in every way. In fact, my daughter has stuck to this as being her favorite meal that I make. She calls is "pink chicken" and requests it often. And any recipe that gets my five year old to eat salmon is a keeper in my book!

Maple Salmon from Allrecipes

1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound salmon (4 filets)

Directions
In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork

Serves: 4 (4 fillets at 4oz each); Weight Watchers Points+: 7

Hawaiian Dip with Fruit Kebabs

2009-11-11T14:44:00.001-07:00

What a week it's been. It feels like I'm barely keeping my head above water right now. Let me just state yet again--I hate having to sell a house right now. So as a good distraction, I wanted to post this fun recipe. I made it for my little guy's birthday party. I had spent way too much time making his birthday cake and so I decided to go more low key on the food. We went the semi-homemade route and ordered in pizza and then I made some yummy breadsticks and tried this dip with kebabs. I was not disappointed. They were the perfect compliment to the pizza and breadsticks. The dip was really light and refreshing. I loved the combo of the vanilla flavor with the pineapple and coconut. This would be a great, fun, different thing to serve up at some upcoming holiday parties. I know it's not the "traditional" kind of holiday dip, but I think it would be just a great way to shake it up and add something really delicious and new to your ensemble.

Hawaiian Dip with Fruit Kebabs from "The Pampered Chef; All the Best"

Dip:
3/4 C milk
1/2 C fat free sour cream
1 pkg (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding (fat free/sugar free for WW Points+)
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1/2 C sweetened flaked coconut, toasted, divided
1 lime

Kebabs:
6-8 cups assorted fruits such as apples, bananas, and pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks, cantaloupe and honeydew melon bals and whole strawberries and grapes

1. For dip, combine milk, sour cream and pudding mix; whisk until smooth.

2. Stir in pineapple with juice and 1/3 C of the coconut. Zest lime to measure 1 tsp zest. Juice lime to measure 1 tsp juice. Stir lim zest and juice into dip. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

3. For kebabs, alternately threat fruit onto twenty-four 6-inch wooden skewers. Spoon dip into serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining coconut. Serve with kebabs

Tips: To toast coconut, preheat oven to 350F. Spread coconut onto pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown; cool completely.

Dip: Serves 8; Weight Watchers Points+: 2

Train Birthday Cake

2009-11-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

My little guy celebrated his 3rd birthday last week! He is totally obsessed with GeoTrax and really, really wanted a train cake. I tried to persuade him towards an easier cake to make...but he wouldn't be swayed. So I went on the hunt for a fun and challenging cake. I wanted to try something new just to see if I could do it. We're huge fans of Food Network Challenge, where they make all sorts of amazing cakes. That being said, don't look too closely at my cake as I am no Ace of Cakes by any stretch of the imagination! But all the time spent making it (at least five hours to put it together....what was I thinking?) was totally worth it because he LOVED it and has been talking about it for days.

I found a recipe for vanilla cake on allrecipes and used that to make the engine--but it was not a great recipe at all for making this kind of cake. It didn't come out of the pan well and upon cooling, the edges curled and so when I put the engine together the smoke stacks were pulling away from each other. So I had to use a lot of frosting to fix that. I realized this pretty early on and so I looked for a different recipe to use for the cars. This second recipe was perfect! It was moist and delicious to eat but also dense enough to cut and make cars out of.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake from phe/MOM/enon (see blog for original source)

4 whole large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/4 C buttermilk
3 C cake flour
2 C sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz butter, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8-inch cake pans. Line with parchment paper and grease the paper.

Place the eggs and the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and 1/4 C of buttermilk and whisk all the ingredient together. Set aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a mixer; whisk to blend. Add the remaining buttermilk and butter to the dry ingredients and with the mixer on low speed, blend together. Raise the mixer to medium speed and beat until light and fluffy; 2 minutes.

Add the egg mixture in three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Divide the batter among the pans.

Bake the cake layers for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out the cakes onto a wire rack and remove the paper from the bottoms. Cool completely.

I wish I could say that I thought up this whole cake idea on my own. No...I'm just good at copying. I found my inspiration from coolest-birthday-cakes.com. So I put together some different ideas that were shared on that site to come up with this cake. The train tracks were made from the Keebler chocolated covered wafer cookies, chocolate licorice, and smashed graham crackers put in between the tracks to look like dirt.

I used the Wilton 3D train engine pan to make the engine. I then baked two loaf-sized cakes to make the cars. Here is the buttercream frosting recipe I used:

Buttercream Frosting

1 C unsalted butter
2 T vanilla extract
2 T milk
4 C powdered sugar

This frosting was the perfect consistency for piping. I then just colored the frostings as I went along (the biggest time sucker).

I used pretzels to make the bear cage. I frosted a piece of cardboard cut out to be the same size as the car for the roof of the cage. I just put the pretzels in the cake and then piped frosting on top of each pretzel and then applied the cardboard roof. I let the roof sit for a bit and so the frosting on it was already hardening.

The wheels are made out of oreos. After the cake was all complete, I frosted the board where I wanted my "dirt" to be and then poured it on and pressed it into the frosting a bit.

And finally, the light on the front of the engine is an orea with one side of the cookie removed.

Pumpkin Blondies

2009-10-22T16:19:00.002-06:00

We were able to get away and go to a cabin as a family this last weekend. My little brother is moving to North Carolina tomorrow with his wife and brand new baby :(. So it was our last hoorah before they move. My uncle has this fabulous cabin where we just relaxed, played games, talked, read books, and ATE lots of good food.

I brought along this recipe to share while we were all together. I guess it attests to how good they are when we made a trip into the teensy little town nearby to buy more white chocolate chips to make these AGAIN. We seriously polished off the pan before they had even cooled! The second pan of blondies had a small sliver that survived to the following morning and we all decided that they were even MORE delicious the second day. In fact, I'd recommend following the directions (we were just too enticed by their scent while baking) and letting them cool completely before slicing into them. They were so, so, so delicious! The white chocolate pairs perfectly with the pumpkin and I'm sure you'll be wanting to make a second batch after you make them, too.

Pumpkin Blondies from Dinner & Dessert (see blog for original source)

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into squares.

Tips: I used unsalted butter for the first batch because I had brought it. However, I only had salted butter for the second batch. I reduced the salt to about 1/4 tsp and we all agreed that there was no difference between the two.

Fresh Fruit Salad

2009-10-20T10:55:00.001-06:00

Let me first add the disclaimer that I know this picture is not the greatest. That being said, it looked much better in real life and tasted great! It is really easy and tastes very light and refreshing. It's one of those salads that you can whip up really quickly and then make the rest of your meal--my kind of salad. I am always looking for quick, flavorful side dishes and this one did not disappoint in any way. I loved the combination of fruit and the vanilla pudding added just the right amount of sweetness. I'll for sure be making this one again!

Fresh Fruit Salad from "Worldwide Ward Cookbook"

1-2 C strawberries, sliced
1-2 C seedless grapes
3 bananas, sliced
1 8-oz can mandarin oranges, drained
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 C milk

Place fruit in a large bowl (any assorted fruit may be used--grapes, bananas, and strawberries are my favorite). Add drained oranges. In a separate bowl, combine pudding with milk. Whisk well. Pour the pudding over the fruit and stir. Refrigerate for about an hour. Stir before serving.

Fluffy Whole Wheat French Toast

2009-10-15T10:35:00.001-06:00

I don't you about you, but I'm always on the hunt for healthy things for my kid's breakfast--something that will keep them feeling full longer and not cause a sugar crash or cries of "I'm SO hungry" almost immediately after breakfast is through.

My little guy is obsessed with pancakes and french toast. But I feel like the "normal" version is more of an empty calorie breakfast that always has him begging for snacks all morning long. It just doesn't fill up his tummy long enough. So I scoured the internet and found a recipe for french toast that I adapted and made with 100% whole wheat bread and it actually tasted really, really good. Over the years, we've made the switch from white bread to whole wheat bread. But french toast is one thing I've never loved on wheat bread. But my opinion has changed 100% from this recipe. I even love it! And my kids will devour it and it keeps them full until lunch because of the whole wheat.

I hate how french toast can sometimes taste a little eggy--but this recipe's secret is the flour. Not only does the flour make it fluffy, but it also takes away any of that overly eggy taste that french toast can sometimes have (in my opinion). This is now my new favorite french toast recipe--by a long shot.

Fluffy Whole Wheat French Toast adapted from Allrecipes.com

1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 C milk
1 pinch salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 T brown sugar
12 slices whole-wheat bread*

Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled (I use a cooking spray like Pam) griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown. Serve hot.

Tips: *I used the Honey Whole Wheat bread from Costco ("Prairie Grain Bread")--so that extra bit of Honey on the bread might also be key. Let me know if you try it without that and how it tastes. The flour will settle and so you'll want to mix it with a fork in-between dips. Another key is to let the bread sit on each side for a couple of seconds to really absorb the mixture. I also sprinkled cinnamon/sugar pretty generously on the uncooked side (while first side cooking).

*Weight Watchers Points Plus: 3 points; 12 servings (12 slices bread)

Apple Spice Bars

2009-10-05T08:46:00.002-06:00

I have been eyeing these bars over at Dinner & Dessert and waiting for a chance to try them. I was not disappointed! I love fall with all of its pumpkin and apple-filled desserts. These reminded me of the cinnamon blondie at Sugardaddy's. Have you heard of Sugardaddy's? If not, to be compared to their blondie is a huge compliment. Sugardaddy's was one of our favorite places to get blondies and to take visitors to see while we were living in Ohio. They were featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay and also on Ellen (among other things) and have the cutest packaging. Their owners are passionate and so we would often take visitors just to hear them explain their desserts. But I digress...these bars reminded me of home and were a close match to the flavors from one of my favorite fall treats. They are delicious served with ice cream, too. They were soft and perfectly balanced between the apples, brown sugar, and spices.

Apple Spices Bars from Dinner & Dessert (see her blog to see original source)

Ingredients:
2 c. plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
small pinch ground cloves
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 apples, cored and diced (a little less than 2 c.)
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 9×13 pan with foil and baking spray.
-In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
-Whisk to combine well and set aside.
-In bowl of stand mixer, combine sugars and butter and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
-Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine.
-Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.
-Turn mixer on slow and fold in flour mixture a little at a time until just combined.
-Fold in apples.
-Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle top generously with cinnamon sugar.
-Place in oven and bake until cooked through, when top slightly bounces back to the touch, about 30 minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan, cutting and serving. (bars will be very soft)

Tips: I'm still adjusting to my oven since moving (I think it's not quite hot enough). I let them bake for about 33 minutes and then removed them. They were SO delicious--but slightly gooey in the middle on the second day. So I think I'll bake mine for about 40 minutes next time. But, as I said, it could just be my oven.

Banana Cake

2009-09-29T18:12:00.001-06:00

Can I just say how much I hate having to sell a house??? Especially in this market. I hate it! It's not fun. The whole stress of it has really been wearing on me lately. Anyone out there that can commiserate with me???

Anyways...now on to something I love. I am obsessed with bananas. Seriously. I'm sure I could find a way to add bananas to a lot of different recipes--be it a smoothie, salad, dessert, etc. I have always loved them--well, except for when I was pregnant with my second child and they made me sick. The miraculous part of that being that I re-ignited my love for them post-pregnancy. Which is a rarity since I still can't eat a lot of foods that made my morning sickness worse back in the pregnancy days.

Since my husband knows of this obsession, he made me the most delicious banana cake for my birthday earlier this month. This cake is too die for. It is incredibly, incredibly moist. It has similar flavors to a yummy banana bread without the drying out that sometimes happens to the bread. And the frosting was amazing! I'm usually not a huge fan of cream cheese frosting, but this one went perfectly with the cake. I think that you wouldn't even have to be a huge fan of bananas to still like this cake. He served it at my little birthday bash with some of our family and everyone loved it. I know the directions might sound a little unusual. But he followed them to a tee and the cake was SO delicious and turned out perfectly.

Banana Cake from allrecipes.com

3/4 cup butter
2 1/8 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna

2009-09-22T16:40:00.001-06:00

When I started this blog a couple of years ago, I was posting recipes and no pics. So I've tried to go back and update those recipes with pictures. This is one of those that I posted way back when that deserves a picture. When my husband and I got married this was the first meal I made him! I laugh now at how incredibly long it took me to make it because I hadn't quite figured out the art of timing and getting everything on the table at the same time. Nonetheless, this meal was a hit and continues to be a favorite around our house. It might sound a bit unusual, but the flavors meld together perfectly and make for one yummy, cheesy, delicious variation on lasagna.

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna from Barbs (my mom)

2 cans (12 oz) evaporated milk (not fat-free)
1 (1 oz) pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
3 C. cubed, cooked, chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (16oz) lasagna noodles, cooked
1 1/2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook the chicken and noodles first at the same time. Once noodles are done--rinse in cold water and set aside (it keeps them from sticking together). Combine evaporated milk (don't use fat-free version) and Ranch dressing in a 3 quart heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Stir in chicken and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes (don't do any less), stirring frequently. Layer half of lasagna noodles, poultry sauce, and cheese in well-buttered 9x13 pan. Repeat layers again. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Tips: When rinsing the needles, I also like to straighten them out in the colander so that as they sit there it makes it easier to layer them without the noodles all bent (if that makes sense). For extra cheesiness, increase both cheese by 1/2 cup.

Healthy, Delicious Smoothie

2009-09-17T09:36:00.002-06:00

I am a big fan of smoothies! When we were first married my husband would make me a smoothie at least a couple of times a week. However, this smoothie is significantly healthier than the ones we used to make. This has such great flavor and is full of fruit--what could be bad about that? I now prefer making this over buying a smoothie from Jamba Juice. It also has the perfect amount of sweetness for me. And if you're doing (or have ever done) Weight Watchers, each serving is only two points (it makes two huge glass-full servings). You could totally adapt this smoothie to include various fruits and shake it up however you like. I love having this as a snack or even with breakfast. My kiddos love it too.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

1/2 C skim milk
1/2 C water
8 Splenda packets
1/8 C orange juice concentrate
1 1/2-2 C Kirkland brand blueberry, marionberry, raspberry frozen berry mix
2-3 tsp vanilla
1/2 C ice

Put all ingredients except ice into a blender. Blend. Add ice if you want it to be thicker.

Tips: Kirkland brand is purchased at Costco. You could substitute any mix of frozen berries--I haven't tried strawberries but it would probably be great. I love the blueberries in the mixture! If you want it a little bit sweeter--add more vanilla or Splenda packets. This is a really thick smoothie, so you could add more milk and no ice if you want it less thick.

Serves 2; Weight Watcher Points Plus: 2

Pumpkin Waffles

2009-09-10T21:18:00.001-06:00

With fall slowly starting to creep in I've been itching to share some of my favorite falls recipes. These waffles are seriously to die for!!! Seriously.

I acquired this delectable recipe when I wanted to put together and share some new recipes pre-blogging a few years back and had asked my close friends from high school to share some of their favorites. My friend, Michelle, sent me over this recipe and said that I had to try it. I will never regret trying them!

They are AMAZING! Wait...did I already say that? There is just the right amount of pumpkin (I was worried it would be overwhelming) that pairs perfectly with the yummy buttermilk syrup. My husband gets SO excited whenever I make these. He claims he could eat this syrup with his shoe and it'd still taste good. Me...I'll just stick to eating it on these delicious waffles. We made these for a birthday breakfast party for my daughter last year and they were a huge hit with the adults and children. I get asked for this recipe all the time. You really do have to try these and let me know what you think.

PUMPKIN WAFFLES from Michelle T.

4 eggs separated
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup margarine
1 T Vanilla
2 cups flour
2 T baking powder
1 T cinnamon
1 T sugar
½ tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt

Beat egg yolks then add milk, pumpkin, margarine, and vanilla. Mix together dry ingredients and then add flour mixture. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into mixture. Cool in fridge several hours or overnight. Serve with hot buttermilk syrup.

BUTTERMILK SYRUP
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp. karo syrup

Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Stir in 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Tips: I made these earlier this week for dinner on the fly when we were running low on groceries. I usually always chill them overnight but was really craving these (and had leftover pumpkin in the fridge) and so I made them and let them chill for about an hour. The result--they still came out perfect. So I think I won't stress so much about having them always chill overnight. They may have been slightly flatter--but very slightly. (And in case any of you might have noticed...I did post this recipe a couple of years ago pre-picture days and so here it is re-posted with a picture).

Applesauce Cookies

2009-09-08T11:17:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. Ours was great here. I officially entered the "adult world" (I guess having two kids and a mortage might count for something, too) on Saturday when I turned 30 :-)--so it was a fun, celebrating weekend.

Anyways--on to the food. These are some of my favorite cookies that my mom used to make when I was growing up. They are really soft and a little cakey and have a great, subtle flavor of spices mixed with the applesauce. I love making them with chocolate chips! They aren't so overly sweet and so you can eat quite a few without feeling on a sugar high. I love that these are also a kind of cookie that I always have the ingredients for in my pantry! I made these to take to a family function on Sunday and had forgotten have delicious, soft, and yummy they are.

Applesauce Cookies from Barbs (aka my mom)

1/2 C shortening
1 C granulated sugar
1 egg
2 C flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 C applesauce

Cream everything except applesauce and soda. Put them in a separate bowl and mix--add to rest. Add raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.

Buttery Breadsticks

2009-09-04T11:29:00.001-06:00

These are officially going to be my new "go to" recipe for breadsticks. A few months ago, we were having dinner at a friend's house and she served the most amazing, soft, flavorful breadsticks. I asked her for the recipe and she said they were made from Rhodes rolls. We moved before I got the recipe and so I looked for a similar recipe online and found it. These seriously are SO delicious. I'm usually more of a fan of homemade breads--but these don't taste like they're made from frozen rolls. They are soft and buttery and have just the perfect amount of parmesan. I can't wait to make them again--especially because they were so EASY!

Buttery Breadsticks from foodgeeks.com

24 Rhodes rolls, thawed but still cold
1/2 C butter or margarine
1/2 C parmesan cheese
Garlic salt or McCormick Schilling Salad Supreme

Directions:

Pour melted butter on an 11x17-inch baking sheet. Roll each roll to about 6-inches and then roll in butter until completely coated. Place cheese in seperate bowl and roll buttered breadstick in cheese. Place breadsticks on baking sheet in 2 vertical rows of twelve each. Sprinkle with garlic salt or Salad Supreme, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

2009-08-27T11:23:00.001-06:00

Today is my little girl’s first day of kindergarten! I can hardly believe it. She goes to the afternoon session in another hour or so and is anxiously, excitedly counting the minutes down. I, on the other hand, am trying to stop the tears from starting… So in the spirit of taking my mind off it, I thought I’d blog about the most amazing cupcakes! A few weeks ago we were on a family vacation and found this great little bakery where they sold chocolate cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting. They sold them for $1 a piece after 7pm and we found ourselves there every single night buying their cupcakes. They were to die for! And the four pounds I gained on the trip proved how great they were! So that started the desire to try and replicate those cupcakes. I think these are pretty darn close. I took these to a family party last week and my sister-in-laws sister raved that they were the best cupcakes she’d ever had. I often feel narcissistic saying that all the recipes I post are “the best”—but I feel it’s less self-absorbed because I didn’t make up the recipes (or at least that's how I justify it). The buttercream was featured on Martha Stewart’s show and many of you may have already seen it on the Web because it seems to get rave reviews from everyone. It is not too sweet and so smooth, creamy, and the perfect flavor. I adapted it to fit the strawberry/chocolate craving I’d been having. We also made these for my sister-in-laws shower and they were a hit! The combo might sound a little weird—but it is amazing…trust me!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Chocolate Cupcakes

Click on link above for recipe used--I used a recipe I've posted before for chocolate cake and made it into cupcakes. They were incredibly moist and paired well with the buttercream. It yielded about 24-30 cupcakes.

Strawberry Buttercream adapted from Billy's Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup (2 stick) UNSALTED butter, room temperature
6-8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 C milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 tsp strawberry extract
1-2 drops red food coloring
2 strawberries, chopped finely

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, extract, food coloring, strawberries, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired conistency.

Update: You MUST use a kitchenaid or Bosch mixer to make the frosting. It won't turn out very well with an electric hand mixer.

Random question...

2009-08-18T23:15:00.000-06:00

So I have a question for all of you foodies. I was making my grocery list tonight and kept thinking of different recipes that I have been wanting to try from all of your great food blogs. And I was doing the whole "Now where did I see that again" or "I remember seeing a great version of that...but where?" over and over. I need a better system or way to bookmark my favorites--instead of going through blog after blog trying to recall what recipes I wanted to try. I know, I know...you're probably all so much more organized than I am. So I'm wanting some ideas of how you do this... Do you print them out immediately? Put them in a favorites folder? Have a photographic memory? Help!

Banana-Zucchini Bread

2009-08-16T00:56:00.002-06:00

It seems that many of you have been posting lately about the recipes you're making to use up your garden vegetables. This one is a fantastic way to use your zucchini. I wish I had a garden and have grand intentions every year of planting one. But again, it stayed just an intention this year. So instead I inherited (okay, shamelessly asked for) some zucchini from my brother-in-law's garden since I knew I had old bananas and have been craving this bread. It is incredibly, incredibly moist. The flavors of the banana and zucchini meld together so well. I know the recipe says to let it cool in the pan before serving--but I LOVE slicing it while it's still really warm and letting the butter melt onto it. Yum.

Banana-Zucchini Bread adapted from Allrecipes.com

3 eggs

3/4 C vegetable oil

2/3 C packed brown sugar

3/4 C white sugar

2 C grated zucchini

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 T. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 C dried cranberries (I omitted these)

1/2 C chopped walnuts (also omitted)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch bread loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow and frothy. Add oil, brown sugar, white sugar, grated zucchini, bananas, and vanilla. Blend together until well combined. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the cranberries and nuts. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool in the loaf pans on a wire rack before removing and serving.

Brunch Rolls

2009-08-08T21:12:00.001-06:00

I have been eyeing a cookbook at Costco for a few weeks now and I finally broke down and purchased it--solely because of this recipe. Well, I guess not solely. But as I flipped through it and saw this recipe, it pushed me over the edge in not being able to resist. I was helping to plan a shower for my sister-in-law's first baby girl and I thought this might be a fun variation on shower food. So my mom and I tried it out early to see if it was going to be as delicious as it sounds. It was really yummy and I loved that you could shake it up however you pleased to make your own brunch rolls. In the end we decided it might've been a little too much work to crank out a ton of them in the midst of all the the other last minute shower preparations before everyone arrived. But I do think this would be such a perfect, fun, and different thing to serve up to your guests--be it for a shower, holiday, or just for dinner. We made it exactly as the recipe described--but I'll note how we thought we would've altered it if we had made it for the shower.

Brunch Rolls from "Worldwide Ward Cookbook"

1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. butter, softened
2 C. ham, chopped
1 1/2 C broccoli, chopped (I did them pretty fine
2 C. cheese, finely grated (Swiss, Cheddar, or American work great)
1 C. fresh parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 C. scallions, finely chopped

Make your favorite recipe for white rolls (using half wheat flour is okay). Roll the dough out as if you were making cinnamon rolls. Spread with cream cheese and butter. Top with ham, broccoli, cheese, Parmesan cheese, and scallions. Roll up and slice, let rise, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. To make them extra pretty, brush with butter and sprinkle with sea salt, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds. (Use this general process to make pizza rolls, four-cheese rolls, and other varieties). These are especially great with a salad and fruit.

Tips: Here's how I might alter there recipe next time: 12 oz. of cream cheese, 2 1/2-3 C of ham (I would use chopped ham), 2 C broccoli, 3+ cups of cheese. I would also cook them for about 12-15 minutes and then check them--the bottoms were pretty overcooked at 20 minutes (and it could've been the pan I used, too).

Pineapple, Shrimp, and Chicken Fried Rice

2009-07-29T16:23:00.001-06:00

My mother-in-law and I were able to go to some amazing cooking classes taught by a woman from our church who is from Vietnam and has married a Chinese man. They used to also own a Chinese restaurant a few years ago--so it was quite a treat to have her teach us how to make authentic, delicious Chinese food. I will be the first to admit (much to my husband's chagrin) that I am not always a huge fan of Chinese food. I'm rather picky about it and can't do the whole buffet or fast-food Chinese food genre. I only like it when it is fresh and high-quality (I know, I know...I'm probably crazy)--which usually translates to an expensive Chinese restaurant and so we don't do it very frequently. I also have to add the disclaimer that fried rice is probably my least favorite...

That being said--the food she taught us to make was amazing! I'll have to also post her homemade potstickers on here, too. They will blow you away! This rice is so, so, so good! And coming from me--that is saying a lot (as I just described). It doesn't have the overwhelming soy sauce and eggy taste that fried rice characteristically (at least to me) has. It has the perfect amount of sweet and salty with the pineapple and raisins and subtle Chinese flavors. I know it sounds really strange probably. But trust me when I say that it is awesome! I also loved the crunch of the cashews. The flavors meld together perfectly and make for one memorable fried rice. It was also surprisingly easy to put together--so don't be discouraged by the long list of ingredients.

Pineapple, Shrimp, Chicken Fried Rice from Na Chao

6 shelled shrimp (we omitted this...my daughter's allergic)

1 C chicken breast

2 C cooked rice

1/2 C fresh or canned pineapple pieces

1/4 C cashew nuts (we used more)

1 T chopped green onions

1/2 C frozen peas and carrots (we just used shredded carrots)

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 T raisins

*We also added about 3/4 C chopped celery

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp sugar

dash of pepper

1/4 tsp sugar

a dash of garlic salt powder

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp chicken bouillon powder (I just broke apart a bouillon cube)

1 T soy sauce

dash of black pepper

D.
2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

dash of black pepper

Directions:

-Peel off the shrimp shell. Then devein the shrimp and rinse and drain. Mix and B and marinate for 1/2 hour before frying.

-Cut the chicken breast into small bite size pieces and mix with A.

-Heat 2 T oil and 1 tsp garlic then stir-fry the chicken until no longer pink. Then set aside.

-Heat 2 T oil and stir fry the shrimp until the color changes. Add rice, pineapple, green peas and carrots, and D. Stir fry until slightly solid. Then add C. Stir fry to mix. Serve.

Tips: We did 3 chicken breasts since we had omitted the shrimp and it tasted great. You could get creative and add other vegetables that you might like. But the combo of the vegetables she has in this recipe are fantastic.

Oatmeal Cake

2009-07-18T21:00:00.001-06:00

This is by far one of my favorite cakes. The picture just doesn't do it justice--so trust me on this one. My mom is such an amazing cook and she used to make this for us a lot when we were growing up. I made it last Sunday and had slightly forgotten how amazing it is! It is really, really moist and I could eat the the icing on a rock and it would still be delicious. The oatmeal makes it so moist (did I already say that...I think you can tell how I feel about it). The icing is somewhat similar to the kind you would find on a german chocolate cake--but it pairs perfectly with the oatmeal cake. I had grand intentions of sticking to my healthy eating when I made this (I planned to just share it)--but those intentions and willpower went out the window because the cake is so yummy!

Oatmeal Cake from Barbs (aka my mom)
1 ½ C water
1 Cup oatmeal

Add oatmeal to boiling water, let set for 20 minutes

½ C shortening

1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar

2 eggs
1 ½ C flour

1 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add flour alternating with the oatmeal. Bake at 350 in a greased 9x13 pan for 35 min—watch to make sure it’s not overdone

Topping:
½ C butter, softened

¾ C brown sugar
1/3 C evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla
¾ C coconut

¾ C nuts (optional)

Cream together and spread on hot cake.

Tips: I'm still adjusting to the temperature of my new oven and so I checked it continuously and pulled it out once the toothpick was totally dry when inserted in the middle. It might look a teensy brown (I'm kind of anal about my baked goods not browning)--but once the frosting goes on it is perfect.

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies

2009-07-12T00:13:00.004-06:00

I'm sure I'm not alone in LOVING Melanie's blog over at My Kitchen Cafe. I found this recipe on her blog earlier this week and knew that I HAD to try it for our church's BBQ today. I had never heard of this recipe before and was salivating while reading her post. I was not dissappointed in the least with the final results. How could anything topped with cookie dough be bad? I honestly wanted to just sit down and eat the whole bowl of cookie dough while I waited for the brownies to cool. The brownies were perfectly soft and chocolately and the cookie dough on top was such a decadent, yummy finish. There were at least a couple of dozen desserts brought to the BBQ and this one was the only one that had every single morsel gone--with many requests for the recipe. Thanks, Melanie! I'll definitely be making these again.

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies from My Kitchen Cafe

Brownie Layer:

1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 2 C)
1 cup (2 cubes) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate chips. Stir constantly and remove from heat when chips are fully melted. In the same pot, blend in the sugar. Then add eggs, blending fully one at a time. Add flour and salt and beat until air bubbles form in the batter. Pour into a greased 9 X 13-inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes.Cool completely and then top with the cookie dough layer.

Cookie Dough Layer:
1/2 cup (1 cube) butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown Sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls over cooled brownies; carefully spread over top (this can be tricky but I found the best way is to slightly wet my hands and pat the dough down gently so it doesn't pull up the brownies). Cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator.

Tips: UPDATE: I double the cookie dough and it makes it less of a frosting and you can taste it more. And how could more cookie dough be bad, right?

I followed the directions to the tee and they turned out perfectly cooked. I did, however, leave the cookie dough topping sitting out while I let the brownies cool in the refrigerator. I think that made it even more difficult to spread it over the brownies. So I put it all in the fridge (after the cookie dough was on in teaspoon full portions) and once it had chilled a bit it made it significatly easier to pat down on the brownies. Also, I didn't have dark brown sugar (just the "regular" kind) and it still tasted awesome.

A Twist on Salsa

2009-07-06T15:34:00.001-06:00

What is my problem??? I just cannot get over the lazy, hazy days of summer and make myself actually blog (am I alone in this?). It might also have something to do with the fact that we're still living in limbo-land, too. Anyhow, let me share with you one of my all-time favorite appetizers/side dishes. I made this a couple of weeks ago for our family reunion and we seriously inhaled it. I doubled it and worried that I had made too much, but it was all gone within a day. It goes greats as a side for a BBQ cookout. It also adds a lot of color to any menu and has such amazing flavor. I am such a huge fan of chips and salsa and this really is such a delicious variation.

Yummy Salsa from Leslie M.

1 can black beans (drained)

1 can corn (drained)
½ bunch cilantro

2-4 green onions
5 medium tomatoes

1-2 avocadoes (sliced into cubes)
¾ C “Just 2 Good” Italian dressing

Combine and serve with tortilla chips.

Tips: I couldn't find the "Just 2 Good" brand for the first time (I usually don't have a problem finding it). So I substituted it for Kraft Light Zesty Italian and it tasted identical to how it usually does. Also, I like it when it's really fresh and so I usually make it an hour or so before I plan on serving it. It still tastes good on the second day--just not quite as fresh and it gets more juicy.

Butterscotch Bundt Rolls

2009-05-22T19:26:00.001-06:00

With Memorial Day approaching, I wanted to share this fabulous recipe! It's become a tradition in our family to do a big breakfast when my husband has a day off for a holiday. This has become one of our favorites to add to our menu. The rolls are really soft, gooey, and sticky! I really like the subtle butterscotch flavor mixed with brown sugar that these rolls have. But you don't have to just eat these with breakfast--they are also really good paired with a dinner of meat and potatoes, too. And a nice bonus is that they look kind of fancy and taste even better!

Butterscotch Bundt Rolls from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook"

18 frozen dinner rolls (I use Rhodes Rolls)
1 (3 oz.) package butterscotch pudding (NOT instant)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 C melted butter

Arrange frozen rolls in a greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle pudding, brown sugar, and pecans over rolls. Drizzle butter over all. Cover Bundt pan with dishtowel, plastic wrap, or waxed paper and let rise at room temperature overnight, or about 12 hours. Remove dishtowel. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cool 5-10 minutes before inverting to a serving plate. Serve warm. Makes 18 rolls.

Tips: Just as an FYI, the last time I made these I only needed about 6-7 hours before the rolls were risen enough. So if you were making this the night before for breakfast, I'd probably suggest doing them right before you went to bed so that they don't get too huge.

Scotch-A-Roos!

2009-05-16T21:38:00.002-06:00

I'm finally back! It has been a crazy, whirlwind few months. The main source of craziness being that we moved across the country to live with my in-laws while our house is still on the market in Ohio (anyone looking for a great house?). Thankfully my husband's new job took us to the West where our family lives and so we can live with family in this limbo state?!? Anyways--so in the midst of moving and then getting settled, it's taken a little while to get our internet up and running and to get back into the swing of actually cooking instead of having our dinner mainly consist of some form of drive-thru.

So I'm excited to get back into the swing of blogging and reading all of your great blogs! I have been wanting to make this recipe since a friend brought it to our New Year's party. But be warned....they are extremely addictive! I made one pan with my sister and after we all devoured it I came home and made another pan. They are really soft and chewy and have the perfect amount of peanut butter. And then you add the yummy butterscotch chocolate icing to the top and it really is the perfect combination.

Scotch-a-roos from Mykette

1 C corn syrup
1 C granulated sugar
6 C Rice Krispies
1 C peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C chocolate chips (I used 1 1/2-2 C)
1 C butterscotch chips (also used 1 1/2-2 C)

1. Combine corn syrup and sugar in a large pot. Cook over medium heat to a boil; boil one minute.

2. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Add rice krispies. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

3. Chill. Melt chips in bowl in microwave and spread over treats. Chill again until chocolate sets up. Enjoy!!!

7-Up Salad

2009-03-28T18:18:00.001-06:00

I must admit that although I am from a state where Jello is jokingly (or maybe seriously) known as a staple--I'm not such a huge fan of Jello salads. This salad is a HUGE exception! It is one of my very, very favorite salads. It goes perfectly with a nice Sunday dinner. The 7-up adds a great little kick to the jello and I love the bananas and the whip cream topping that goes on the top. This has become a favorite around our house--especially with the little ones. This would be a great addition to an Easter dinner if you're looking for something new to shake up your meal.

7-Up Salad from Barbs (my mom)

1 lg. pkg lemon jello—dissolve in 1 C boiling water

Add:
3 C 7-up. Let set until slightly thickened in fridge.

Fold in:
Sliced bananas (the more the better)
1 ½ C miniature marshmallows
1 Lg. can crushed pinappled (drained)—save syrup

Let jello set completely and add topping:

Topping:
1 cup pineapple syrup (add water to make 1 cup)
1 egg (well beaten)
½ C sugar
1 T cornstarch
Mix and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thick. Fold in ½ pt whipped cream (already whipped). Spread on Jell-0.

Southwest Egg Rolls

2009-03-03T08:11:00.001-07:00

As mentioned in a previous post, we are in the process of selling our house and moving across the country. In fact, my husband is already in another state at his new job and I'm here selling the house. And so our menu at night mainly consists of McDs, Wendys, Chick-Fil-A, Burger King....you get the picture. I'm not proud to admit how much I haven't been cooking in the last six weeks. The extent of my "baking" has been making waffles and pancakes for dinner?!?

So I thought I'd post a recipe that I made awhile back that we really, really loved. I love the southwest egg rolls at Chili's and these were a very, very close rendition. The Chili's here is about thirty minutes away and so I was craving these one weekend and decided to check Allrecipes to see if they had a recipe close to it. These are REALLY close and so delicious. (And in all my craziness, the picture even comes from Allrecipes).

Southwest Egg Rolls from Allrecipes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
5 (6 inch) flour tortillas
1 quart oil for deep frying

DIRECTIONS
1. Rub 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over chicken breast. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook chicken approximately 5 minutes per side, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender.
3. Dice chicken and mix into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack cheese so that it melts.
4. Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute, or until hot and pliable.
5. Spoon even amounts of the mixture into each tortilla. Fold ends of tortillas, then roll tightly around mixture. Secure with toothpicks. Arrange in a medium dish, cover with plastic, and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours.
6. In a large, deep skillet, heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry frozen, stuffed tortillas 10 minutes each, or until dark golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

Tips: To make a healthier version, I sprayed the tortillas generously with Pam spray and then browned them in a frying pan and then baked them at 450 for ten minutes. They were still really yummy!

Lower Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-02-09T18:28:00.002-07:00

These are my new favorite chocolate chip cookie! My friend made these a few weeks back when we were having a playdate at her house. I was instantly hooked! They are a lower fat version (I take that with a grain of salt....because anything with a stick of butter can't be low fat)--but compared to most recipes they do have less butter. They are really chewy and have such an amazing flavor. I have many favorite chococolate chip recipes--but these are now #1. I just love their consistency. They are perfectly chewy, sweet, and addictive.

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Mykette

Whisk by hand:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Then combine in a separate bowl:

1 stick butter, very softened
1 C brown sugar
3/4 C granulated sugar

Combine two sets of ingredients. Then add and beat for 1 minute:

1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1 C chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes.

Tips: My friend told me to make them following the ingredients exactly. The first batch of made of these, I had some oldish brown sugar that ended up getting really crystally and the cookies didn't turn out too well. So this last batch I opened a new bag of brown sugar and they were perfect (just as an FYI). Also, I'm not sure where the original recipe came from, but I think it might be Cooking Light.

One more tip: I asked Mykette if the dough sometimes comes out dry. She said she uses "extra large" eggs and so to add another egg white if you're using smaller eggs. Hopefully that way the consistency will be a little more moist. Given that they're lower fat, the dough isn't quite as moist as others and so I had to kind of roll them into a ball. They still tasted great, though!

Amazing Chocolate Cake

2009-01-29T20:09:00.002-07:00

This is seriously one of the BEST chocolate cakes I have ever had! I am not a fan of how dried out homemade chocolate cake can get. This one stays moist and amazingly is more moist the second and third day. We found this last year when we were having a blizzard and found ourselves stuck in the house for the whole weekend. My husband LOVES chocolate cake and wanted to make some while we were holed up. We didn't have any milk or eggs and so he searched and found this one that doesn't have either of those ingredients--pretty crazy, right? We were completely hooked from that first making! My husband travels a lot for business and tries chocolate cake at a lot of fancy, shmancy restaurants and swears that this recipe is so much better than any he's had before. I think it is best served with homemade icing. It's amazing served warm or cooled. I just can't say enough about how much we love it!

Crazy Cake from Allrecipes

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cold water

DIRECTIONS
Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with fork.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

Tips: Although the direction are rather unusual--follow them to a tee.

Cheesy Potatoes

2009-01-22T10:37:00.002-07:00

For any of you still checking this blog--sorry for the absence. It has been a crazy whirlwind week. My husband was offered a new job back in the West where we are from and we have had a busy, busy, busy week getting the house on the market and getting everything in order. So if any of you are looking for a great house in central Ohio--I know of an amazing one for you to buy :-). So in my lack of cooking, I'm posting a recipe for cheesy potatoes that we make every single year for Christmas Eve. They are amazing!

Cheesy Potatoes

1 (2 lb.) package frozen hash brown potatoes
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 C cheddar cheese
16 ounces sour cream
1/4-1/2 C green onions
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine the hashbrowns, soup, green onions, sour cream, and 1 1/2 C cheddar cheese. Mix well and pour into greased 9x13 pan. Top with remaining 1/2 C cheddar cheese; bake for 30-40 minutes or until all cheese is bubbly and hot.

Andes Peppermint Crunch Cookies

2009-01-07T21:05:00.001-07:00

I know we're all probaby still reeling from the sugar overload of the holidays. But these are cookies that are now going to be added to our holiday repertoire. I made these to counteract all the salty appetizers we had on New Year's Eve. I had gotten the peppermint baking chips on a whim and decided to try the recipe on the back. My husband was a little leery at first (I seem to say that a lot on here....he really is complimentary of my cooking) but said many, many times that they were REALLY good. They had the perfect softy and chewy texture because of the coconut (which I was worried would overbear the flavor and it really just adds awesome texture) in them and have a nice flavor combination with the white chocolate and slight peppermint flavor.

Andes Peppermint Crunch Cookies from back of Andes Peppermint Chip bag

2 sticks (1/2 Lb.) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup sweetened grated coconut

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

1 1/2 cups Andes® Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300° F. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in egg and vanilla extract. On low speed, add baking soda, salt and then flour. Mix completely. Stir in oats, coconut, pecans, and Andes® Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips. Measure out 2 Tbs. for large or 1 Tbs. for small cookies. Place round balls on lightly greased cookie sheets two inches apart. Press lightly. Sprinkle some of the remaining chips on top of each cookie. Bake for 20 minutes for large cookies or 12-15 mins. for small cookies Do not over bake. They get crunchy on the outside but remain soft inside. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

Tips: The directions are a little bit specific but I followed them exactly and they turned out perfect!

The Best Sugar Cookies!

2009-01-04T19:04:00.003-07:00

Update 10/30/2010....see http://itsdinnertime2.blogspot.com/2010/10/sugar-cookies.html for the "real" story on these cookies :).

Probably like many of you, I have been on a hiatus. This Christmas holiday was exactly what we needed around here. The tanking economy has been stressful (like it has for most of us) and so it was nice to just have a break from life and from my 'to do' list. And so in the process I put blogging on the backburner and just had a holiday. It was much needed! And so now I have to get back to real life and wanted to post this recipe before I went off and checked on all of your blogs! This is my mom's phenomenal sugar cookie recipe. My husband who doesn't prefer sugar cookies even gobbles these up and raves about them. They are SO soft and have the greatest flavor. The key with this recipe is to not overbake them and take them out at the alotted time--even if they still seem a little undone. They will firm up a bit as they sit. I'm sure we're all on a sugar high and not in a cookie mood after the holidays. But when that hankering hits--try these! You won't be disappointed.

Sugar Cookies from Barbs
1 C sugar
1 C butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs beaten
1/8 C milk
½ tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
4 ¼ C flour

Chill 3 hours. Roll out onto wax paper and cut into shapes. Bake at 350 for 6-7 minutes—don’t overcook. When making frosting, add almond extract to it and it makes them so yummy!

Tips: I make my own frosting by softening about 4 T butter and 1/2 cap of vanilla (sorry about no exact science here) and then adding milk and powdered sugar to desired consistency. And the trick that makes these cookies so fabulous is adding almond extract to the frosting. I do anywhere from 2-4 tsp depending on how much frosting I have. Taste and see the amount you'd like.

Giveaway Winner!

2008-12-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. We sure did at our house. We had no family in town this year and so we have spent the last few days lounging around and rarely getting out of PJs playing with our new toys. It has been a much needed break from life!

Wow! Thank you to everyone who entered my first giveaway. I was so excited by how many people entered. Thanks to the help of random.org (sorry...I just spent the last hour trying to figure out how to post the screen shot of the site and am giving up) the WINNER IS DANIELLE. Thank you to everyone who entered!

My First Giveaway

2008-12-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are total Food Network junkies. It's pretty much one of the few stations that we watch these days. We're especially big fans of Challenge, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and Throwdown. We've made it our mission to visit dives that Guy has visited whenever we go on vacation (and obviously you'll have no idea what I'm talking about if you don't watch these shows...). We also totally look forward to The Next Food Network Star. So, yes, what can I say? We are addicted to the Food Network.

What shows or networks do you religiously watch? Do share. And it doesn't have to be a Food Network show if you're not into them. Leave a comment about it and you'll be entered in the giveaway. And for those of you blog lurkers who have never commented--here's your chance to win something by commenting. I love comments! You have until December 27th to enter. The winner chosen at random will get to try out this new cookbook that I've been eyeing, "Food Network Favorites: Recipes from our All-Star Chefs". So don't be shy and leave a comment!

Divine Chocolate Mint Cookies

2008-12-16T13:34:00.001-07:00

I have been waiting for a good excuse to make these decadent cookies for a long time. I found the perfect excuse when I was invited to a cookie exchange and I couldn't wait to try these out! I love that they are a little bit unusual and not your standard chocolate chip cookie. My friend, Melissa, made these for a BBQ at her house this summer and I unabashedly ate almost the whole plate of them when she pulled them out. I just couldn't stop! The chocolate cookie gets all soft inside while the Andes mint firms up in the refrigerater--the ooey, gooey cookie and slight crunch go together so well. If you like the girl scout thin mint cookies you will LOVE these. But beware....they are super addicting!

Chocolate Mint Cookies from Allrecipes

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (4.5oz) packages chocolate covered thin mints (ie. Andes mints)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter, sugar and water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

2. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and beat the eggs, ont at a time on high speed. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the chocolate mixture on low speed. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets (I did about 20 per sheet).

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven. When cookies come out of the oven, immediately press one mint water into the top of each cookie and let sit for 1 minutes. When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon or toothpick to make a pattern with the green filling of the mint wafer.

Tips: I think they are best when refrigerated until serving. The recipe calls for using a toothpick or spoon to make a pattern. I tried this on the first batch and it was harder to swirl--I ended up using a small fork (kid sized...since my house is full of kid stuff). I also think that next time I'll move the chocolate around more of the top of the cookie instead of keeping it mainly in the center--that way all of the cookie has that minty chocolate on it.

Cinnamon Rolls

2008-12-11T19:24:00.001-07:00

Oh how I love these cinnamon rolls! This outstanding recipe comes from my mom's friend, Michelle. She is famous for these cinnamon rolls in our neighborhood and amongst our Church group! And in turn, I've made these a few times for Church things here and I'm now the "Michelle" of the group bringing these often to our church functions. I love having a good excuse to make these since I'll eat them all myself if I could. I work with the young women in our church and they had begged that I bring these to our annual Christmas party. So I made them yesterday and sadly they are all gone now! They are so soft and moist and bake just perfectly. I used to babysit Michelle's kids every Monday after school and I loved getting to sample her cookies and cakes and felt in heaven if she had made these cinnamon rolls that day. Like I've said before, I am a sucker for homemade rolls and this recipe is in my top three that I've ever tasted (I know...that's a pretty profound statement...they're THAT good). This recipe is a roll recipe that I use to make my cinnamon rolls from. It is AWESOME!

Cinnamon Rolls from Michelle S.

1 C milk
1/2 C shortening or butter
1/2 C sugar
3 eggs (beat really well...that's the trick)
2 tsp salt
2 T yeast
1 C water
1 tsp sugar
About 6 1/2 C flour

Melt shortening or butter in milk over low heat and cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water with the 1 tsp sugar. Beat eggs in a large bowl until foamy. Add sugar and salt. Next, add milk mixture. Add yeast mixture. Stir in flour. Dough will be a little sticky. Let rise about 1 hour. Roll out on floured surface. Cut into parker house, crescent, or cinnamon rolls. Let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown (about 8-10 min). Frost when slightly warm.

Tips: After the dough is rolled out butter the dough and sprinkle a cinnamon sugar mixture over rolls. I usually do about 1 C of brown sugar and 4 tsp cinnamon. I am not a huge cream cheese frosting fan on cinnamon rolls. I know, I know...some of you might think I'm crazy! So go ahead and use a cream cheese frosting if you like. I think I'm more of a purist and really like tasting the roll over the frosting. So I just do a thickened glaze. I make this by melting about 4 T butter and then adding 1/2 tsp vanilla and then powdered sugar and milk until the desired consistency.

Easy Corn Muffins

2008-12-06T21:48:00.001-07:00

I first introduced to these tasty, easy muffins when my friend, Lindsey, brought them to accompany a delicious chili she'd made for our family after I had my first baby. I was blown away by how tasty they were--and so moist. I think that sometimes cornbread can get a little bit dried out. And then I was equally excited to find out how easy they are to make. I like my cornbread to have some sweetness to it--and these definitely have the right amount of sweetness. I made these when we had some friends over to dinner and my friend's husband keeps begging me to make those muffins for any dinner or party that we all go to together. They are perfectly moist and so delicious!

Easy Corn Muffins from Lindsey M.

1 pkg corn muffin mix (any)
1 (16oz) pkg yellow cake mix

Combine the two dry mixes. Follow the directions from each of the packages and add the amount of eggs, water, oil, etc that each recipe calls for. Stir and put into greased cupcake pan. It should make about 24 muffins.

Tips: I'll often just use half of each dry mix and then just use half of the ingredients called for on each package. Then I just get a dozen muffins and am less temped to eat them all!?! Also, if you find that the cake mix adds too much sweetness, you can use the reduced sugar cake mix. We did that this time and they still tasted good---although I have a sweet tooth and will do it with the regular cake mix next time.

Beef Tacos

2008-12-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

I know I probably get rather redundant in saying a lot of the recipes I post here are "the best"! Well, this one is certifiably, undeniabley, and truly THE BEST beef tacos you will ever make! They are amazing! The roast simmer all day long with the green chilies, onion, and spices and the flavors meld together perfectly. And then the salsa finishes it off so well. I posted this recipe a year or so ago and didn't have the picture--so here it is with a picture. We made these again this week and there were many ooohs and aaahs at how delicious, moist, and flavorful they are. My hubby says they even rival Cafe Rio's pork for those of you in the West (we aren't anymore and miss their pork so much).

Beef Tacos from Kristy C.

1 beef roast

1 onion

(2) 4oz cans diced green chilies

2 beef bouillion cubes

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 cup salsa

Cook on high for 5-6 hours in crock pot--adding all the ingredients but salsa. Take beef out of crockpot and shred. Reserve the liquid. Add enough liquid and the salsa for desired juiciness. Serve on tortillas with beans, lettuce, and any other things you like on tacos. They are extra moist...so have a napkin on hand :-).

Tips: This also works great if you have a lot of roast leftover from a previous meal. Just add the already cooked roast and the ingredients in the crockpot and cook as described. It still turns out awesome! Also, make sure you use a quality, good salsa. I bought the cheapest stuff from the store one time and it altered the flavor quite a bit. It wasn't a salsa we would've liked plain and so it just didn't taste very good in it---this time I used our favorite salsa and it was HEAVEN!

Leftover Turkey?

2008-11-29T16:02:00.003-07:00

...try this turkey & cranberry braid! I'm sure I'm not alone in trying to find new, innovative, delicious ways to use up all that Thanksgiving turkey. This uses the same braid idea that I used in a previous post (check here for pictures on how to make the braid). We made this tonight and it was awesome! The flavors of the turkey, craisins, and delicious swiss cheese go together so well. My hubby was a little bit leery about the craisins being in it--but declared that he wished there were even more and that it added the right amount of sweetness. And, as much as I love turkey, I was glad to be able to use up the last of it for this recipe. It was the perfect ending to our yummy Thanksgiving leftovers!

Turkey & Cranberry Braid from "The Pampered Chef All The Best"

2 pkgs refrigerated crescent rolls

2 C chopped cooked turkey

1 1/4 C shredded swiss cheese

1/2 C sliced celery

1/2 C sweetened dried cranberries

3 T snipped fresh parsley

1/2 C mayonnaise

2 T honey dijon mustard

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, combine turkey, 1 cup of the cheese, celery, cranberries, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard, and black pepper; mix well.

2. Scoop filling evenly over crescent rolls. Finish braid as directed in previous post. Brush braid with egg white. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Feather-Light Overnight Rolls

2008-11-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

I am a major carb lover! I LOVE homemade breads and rolls more than dessert! My husband was laughing that I was looking forward to the homemade rolls at Thanksgiving almost more than anything else. I know, I know...it's a little sad. You might wonder how I could look forward to that more than pies and turkey and all the other awesome Thanksgiving fare. But I've been trying to lose some weight and gave myself that one "free" day to eat whatever I wanted and I definitely had more than my share of rolls. I just couldn't stop myself. This recipe is seriously one of the best ones I've ever had! They are heavenly! They are really, really light and almost just melt in your mouth. Another huge plus is how easy they are to make--and pretty indestructable. I used to be so intimidated by making rolls and this was the first recipe I tried many years ago. I seriously forgot to add the yeast to it! I had mixed it all together and was about to put it in the fridge when I saw the yeast still sitting on the counter. So I added it rather haphazardly to the dough and they still turned out perfectly. So if you've never made rolls--give this easy, YUMMY recipe a try!

Feather-Light Overnight Rolls from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook"

1 C water
1 C butter (2 sticks
3/4 C sugar
2 tsp salt
2 (.25 oz) packages yeast
1/2 C warm water
4 eggs, beaten
7 1/2 C flour
Butter for spreading on dough

In a 6-qt pan bring the 1 C water to a boil. Add the 1 C butter, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat. Add the 1 cup cold water. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 C warm watter (I also add 1/2 tsp sugar on top of year...yeast is ready when it double in size). When first mixture is lukewarm, add yeast mixture and beaten eggs (the trick to good rolls is to REALLY beat the eggs good beforehand). Stir briefly. Add flour and stir together. Cover pan with lid and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to roll out, divide dough in thirds (you can see where I scored it into thirds with the knife...I can't eyeball it or one batch is always a lot bigger than the other....I'm mathematically challenged).
Lightly flour surface of bread board. Roll each third out in a large circle and 1/2-inch thick. Spread dough lightly with butter.
Cut dough into wedges (12 wedges) And roll each up, beginning at the wide end

to form a crescent shape

Place on greased baking sheet (about 12 rolls per sheet). Let rise about 4 hours.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Makes 3-4 dozen rolls.

***I often do these ahead of time. I freeze after the dough has been shaped into crescent rolls and placed on the cookie sheet--just put the whole sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, put into plastic freezer bags until ready to use. To use, return to cookie sheets and let rise about 6 hours or until light.

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

2008-11-25T11:42:00.002-07:00

I was a little bit leery that a tortilla soup that was literally made by throwing six cans of ingredients together could be good. But oh how wrong I was! Not only is this the easiest meal I've made in a long time (a huge, huge plus in my book) but it was also awesome! I only doctored it up a little bit by adding a couple of spices. It was also really filling. The flavors are even better on the second day when they have had a chance to marry better (like a lot of mexican meals). And might I also add that I'm also usually not a huge fan of canned chicken but I added it to stick with the "easy" theme. It honestly tasted so good in it! I used the Costco Kirkland brand--which seems to be really high quality. I'm off to eat the leftovers--yum! This is one soup that you could play around with and change to your own liking by adding more ingredients, too.

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup adapted from Allrecipes

1 (15oz) can whole kernal corn, drained

1 (14.5oz) can chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (10oz) can chunk chicken

1 (15oz) can black beans, drained

1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

1 tsp lime

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1. Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, cream of chicken, chicken, black beans, and diced tomatoes with green chilies. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Add spices and lime juice. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. Top with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla strips or chips.

**I just cut some corn tortillas into strips and cooked then for about 10 minutes in the oven and made my own tortilla strips. They tasted awesome with it!

Serves: 8 ; Weight Watchers Points+: 4

7-Up Chicken Marinade

2008-11-17T09:33:00.002-07:00

Last week I was putting off grocery shopping as long as possible. I hate grocery shopping with a passion--I like to cook but hate the means by which that food gets into my pantry and fridge. So when I came across this marinade from Melanie at The Sisters' Cafe I was so grateful to have put off grocery shopping for one more day! I had a leftover liter of Sprite from when we were sick the week before and so I used it for the marinade. My whole entire family devoured this chicken! It is amazing! The Sprite or 7-Up gives it a little bit of sweetness and there is just the right amount of soy sauce to not overpower it. And the best part was that it was SO simple and really moist. Beings that it's winter here, I just broiled the chicken and it came out perfectly tender, moist, and delicious!

7 up Chicken Marinade from Melanie at The Sisters' Cafe

1 can 7up (or sprite)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tb horseradish sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)

Blend all ingredients and add chicken. ( I usually do this in a big zip loc bag) Let marinate over night or at least 6 hours, in your fridge. You can also marinate chicken then slice it into strips. Fry with onions and sweet peppers for fajitas.

Serves: 6 (breasts); Weight Watchers Points+: 4

Blonde Brownies

2008-11-11T11:40:00.001-07:00

This yummy, ooey, gooey, sweet treat is a throw back to junior high for me--in a very good way. My close friend, Michelle, made these during a group project we did together in home economics in 8th grade. I was instantly in love! They are so good and so easy to make. After I got married, I had to call Michelle up and ask for the recipe since I'd misplaced it during college. I think it says something about these blonde brownies if I remember when I first tasted them and still crave them many years later?!? I always have the ingredients on hand and often take them when I need to bring dessert somewhere. They have a similar taste to a chocolate chip cookie without all the work of cooking batch after batch of cookies. I love that they are soft and chocolatey (is that a word?) in the middle. They are a perfect treat! Luckily I'm taking them to a baby shower tonight because they are just too tempting to eat just one!

Blonde Brownies from Michelle

2/3 C butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
2 C brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 C sifted flour
1/4 tsp soda
1 C chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients together. I truly just dump it all in and it always turns out well everytime--I guess I'm still using the 8th grade method on this one...Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cut into squares

I used to undercook these too much. So I've learned that if you put a toothpick in and it comes out really wet--then let it cook for a couple of more minutes. But it won't be completely dry or they'll be overcooked (does this sound confusing enough). So as the top gets golden and rises slightly as it bakes and the toothpick (inserted in the middle) is more of a stickier, not drippy wet--you'll know they're done. Because with the brown sugar, they will solidify as they sit.

I tried adding 1/2 C butterscotch chips to this batch. I did like it--I think you could add white chocolate, nuts, peanut butter chips, etc. and see how you like it best. After doing the butterscotch with the chocolate I'm thinking I'll just stick with cholate chips next time. It wasn't bad--but I tasted that more than the chocolate this time.

Amazing Carrot Cake

2008-11-07T21:12:00.002-07:00

We have been under the weather here at our house this week. We've all caught this nasty stomach bug that's been flying through the neighborhood. I was feeling so lucky to have not gotten it (after my hubby and two kids already did)--but I jinxed myself because I caught it and it seems that I caught it worse than the rest. Oh fun!

Anyways--the point of this post was that I've been out of the cooking mode because of this fun virus. So I wanted to post an incredible carrot cake recipe that I've been meaning to add forever. I got this from Melanie over at My Kitchen Cafe. She has an amazing blog and all of the recipes I've tried of hers are awesome. This cake was no exception! I took it to a church fundraiser and it sold for the highest amount of any of the baked goods. It is amazing! The frosting is delicious and the cake is oh so moist! Try it...you won't be disappointed.

Simple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
from Cooks Illustrated (found on Melanie's blog)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp table salt
1 lb. medium carrots (6 to 7 carrots), peeled
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil , safflower oil, or canola oil

Frosting: (Melanie doubled the recipe below to frost the two 9-inch cakes she made--I did too)
8 oz cream cheese, softened but still cool
5 Tbsp unsalted butter softened, but still cool
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar

Directions:Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 by 9-inch baking pan (I used two 9-inch round pans).Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside. In a food processor fitted with large shredding disk , shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside.In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer), beat granulated and brown sugars and eggs on medium-high until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds. Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream, being careful to pour oil against inside of bowl. Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Turn off mixer and stir in carrots and dry ingredients by hand until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time (I didn't rotate my 9-inch pans--as instructed by Melanie). Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours (I cooled my cakes about 30 minutes and then inverted them onto a wire rack to cool completely also as instructed by Melanie).When cake is cool, mix cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla at medium high speed in clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or in large bowl using handheld mixer) until well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until very fluffy, about 1 minute. Frost and eat!

**Check Melanie's blog for the exact weight measurements of the dry ingredients if you would like them

Halloween Tradition

2008-10-31T20:55:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty sure I posted this recipe last year...but I love this Halloween tradition and so I just had to share it again. I really look forward to this as Fall draws near every year. The flavors in this are phenomenal! Baking in the pumpkin with the "lid" on for an hour causes the subtle sweetness of the pumpkin to create the most amazing combo! And as you scoop it out of the pumpkin, you get a little bit of it mingling in with the rice and meat. I know that might sound gross--but it adds just the perfect finish to the whole meal!

Dinner in a Pumpkin
1 small to medium pumpkin
1 onion
1 1/2 to 2 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 C cooked rice
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 T vegetable oil
2 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms (I don't add this)
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts

Cut off top of pumpkin and clean out seeds. Paint face on pumpkin with permanent marker (opt). Preheat oven to 350. Saute onions in oil until tender. Add meat. Brown and drain. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, and soup. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon into pumpkin shell. Replace top and put on baking sheet. Bake 1 hour or until inside of pumpkin is tender. Put on plate. remove lid and serve. Serves 6.

Baked Spaghetti

2008-10-29T18:00:00.001-06:00

Growing up, my mom always made her spaghetti sauce from scratch (until I was a teen and it became easier with four kids to use a jar). She is an amazing cook and so I'm kind of a snob when it comes to homemade lasagnas, spaghetti sauces, stuffed shells (you get the pictures, I'm sure), or things with a tomato base. So when I tried this recipe that my friend Jamie gave me years ago, I was instantly hooked! It is so easy and so delicious. I no longer make my homemade lasagna or stuffed shells because it has that same awesome flavor without all the work! All of the flavors meld together perfectly and I alter the canned jar of sauce just a little bit to make it taste more homemade. My husband and kids always devour this!

Baked Spaghetti from Jamie

Mix these ingredients together and place in a greased 9x13 baking dish:

12 oz angel hair pasta, cooked
1 egg
1 C parmesan cheese
2 T chopped basil

Mix these together and place on top of the pasta:

1 lb hamburger, cooked
1 (13 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 C grated mozzarella cheese, save ½ C for the top
1 jar pasta sauce

Sprinkle ½ C mozzarella cheese on sauce. Bake at 350 for about 35 min or until the cheese starts to bubble.

**You might be tempted to throw the whole box (16oz) of pasta in to boil. I've done that before and it definitely only needs the 12 oz that is calls for. I found it was not enough sauce for that extra bit of noodles.

**If you have a pasta sauce that you love and don't want to alter--perfect. Otherwise I like to use the Prago regular sauce and add 1/4-1/2 C brown sugar, 2-4 cloves of garlic, and italian seasoning. I just season it to taste.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia

2008-10-29T17:24:00.001-06:00

Okay, so you might see FISH in the title and already have stopped reading... My hubby would agree with you. However, he loved this recipe (and that's saying quite a lot). We agreed that it seemed like it came from a restaurant. I love the slight crunch on the outside. The tilapia doesn't have a fishy taste at all (which is why my hubby will eat it willingly). The combo of the pecans with salt, pepper, and garlic powder is a perfect pairing.

Pecan-Crusted Tilapia from "The Best of Cooking Light; Everyday Favorites"

1/2 C dry breadcrumbs

2 T. finely chopped pecans

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 C low-fat buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I didn't do this)

3 T. all-purpose flour

4 (6 oz) tilapia or red snapper fillets

1 T vegetable oil, divided

4 lemon wedges (I didn't do this either)

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine buttermilk and hot sauce in a medium bowl; place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 fillet in flour. Dip in buttermilk mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining fillets.

2. Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-heat. Add 2 fillets; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork (I used more oil as it seemed it might be starting to stick). Repeat procedure with remaining oil and fillets. Serve with lemon wedges.

**I like to use the Costco tilapia filets that are individually packed. Just make sure that you defrost them all the way before cooking--I didn't this time and it took a lot longer to cook.

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

2008-10-19T17:30:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite meals to make and eat! It looks so fancy and like you've taken a lot of time--but it's SO simple. My neighbor brought this to me after I'd had my baby a couple of years ago. I had never had anything like it before and I pretty much ate the whole thing. I had been home from the hospital for a couple of days and had just begun the whole nursing thing and will never forget how HUNGRY I was that day. It tasted like the best thing I'd ever eaten--especially since I'm sick for seven of the nine months of pregnancy. I still find it crazy that I remember this one particular meal from all the other meals I've eaten. Yes, it's that memorable. It is the perfect meal to take to friends or have at a party. It's also great to just make for your family--my kid's love it! It looks so nice displayed, too. This braid has the perfect combination of flavors. The slight taste of dill combined with the chicken, cheese, and red bell pepper is such an awesome combination. And then you add the flakiness of the crescent and it is phenomenal.

Chicken & Broccoli Wrap from The Pampered Chef "All The Best"

2 (8oz) packages refrigerated crescent rolls

2 C coarsely chopped cooked chicken (I usually used canned chicken and you can't taste the difference in this recipe)

1 1/2 C coarsely chopped broccoli

1/2 C diced red bell pepper

1/3 C mayonnaise

2 tsp dried dill weed

1/4 tsp salt

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1/4 C slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, cheese, bell pepper, mayonnaise, dill, salt and garlic. Mix well.

2. Scoop filling over crescent rolls (see below). When finished making wrap, brush with egg white. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

*I always use the reduced fat crescent rolls, fat free mayo, and fat free cheese and I can never taste a difference from the full fat version.

How to make the wrap

Lay the crescent rolls on a cookie sheet (or pampered chef rectangle stone). Don't separate. Push the seams together with fingers or small rolling pin. Cut the sides of the dough into eight strips on each side (leave about 4 inches uncut in the middle). The middle will be for the filling.

Scoop the filling into the middle of the dough (can you see the slits in the dough on either side of the filling?)
Starting at the end opposite you, lift one strip of dough and then the alternating strip to make the braid

Sometimes I just lay the dough flat and braid it that way. Other times (depending on my mood), I twist the dough one turn and lay over the filling. Either way looks good.

Continue repeating until you finish the braid.

All done. Brush the egg white over it and sprinkle almonds on top. Fold the bottom edges up at the ends of the braid. This is sooooo good!

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

2008-10-16T19:48:00.001-06:00

I discovered these cinnamon chips at the grocery store this week! I love chocolate and I love cinnamon--so could there be a better combination? I was totally intrigued and had to buy them. I searched for a recipe to use them in and since they're either new (or just new to me?) and maybe not found in all stores--I couldn't find a good one. So I decided to use the Hershey's recipe on the back of the bag. They turned out great. The cinnamon chips add the right amount of cinnamon and they were really light and soft. I loved the raisins with it (and I'm usually not a huge raisin fan). I've been trying to lose the 10 pounds I gained this summer on our cruise and so I lightened it up some and it still was amazing! I'll put the recipe as is and then note my variations at the bottom.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chips Cookies from Hershey's Kitchens

1 C butter or margarine, softened
1 C packed brown sugar
1/3 C granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 C quick-cooking oats
1 bag (10 oz) Hershey's cinnamon chips
3/4 C raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combined flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips, and raisins (batter will be stiff).
3. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. About 4 dozen.
* To lighten it up and make myself feel less guilty eating a dozen, I used 1/2 C applesauce and 1/2 C butter. I also used 1/3 C Splenda (sugar substitute) and 4 egg whites.
* I also think I'll add more raisins next time. But I'll definitely make these again!
Let me know if you try it without substituting the "lighter" variations and how you liked them!

Butterscotch Cookies

2008-10-10T21:28:00.002-06:00

These cookies are AMAZING!!! The butterscotch paired with the oatmeal and very slight orange flavor makes for one outstanding combination. I know it might sound a bit unusual--but trust me when I say that they are awesome! I took them tonight to a party with some friends and they were a hit! I got this recipe from my fabulous old neighbor, Elizabeth. I really like that they're a variation from the standard chocolate chip cookie and are equally delicious and a refreshing variation. I always get asked for this recipe and so I hope you like them too.

Butterscotch Cookies from Elizabeth E.

2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 C oatmeal
1 C butter (softened)
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp orange extract
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp water
1 bag (12 oz) butterscotch morsels

Cream sugar and butter then add eggs and water. Beat until creamy. Add oatmeal, salt, soda, orange extract, baking powder, and then add flour. Add morsels and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

WHAT NOT TO DO...forget the flour. I hope to not totally discount myself here as any type of baker (because I do like to think that I'm actually pretty good at it). But I will confess that I did ruin the first batch. Learn from me and just be sure to add the flour.... Yes, I was totally distracted and making them while I was on the phone today and didn't put the flour in. I even thought, "Wow, they aren't usually so wet..." and even then I didn't register the absence of flour. I guess I'm not as good at multi-tasking as I thought... I guess the redeeming moment was that I instantly realized what was missing and corrected it for batch 2 and 3. Note to self: don't cook and talk on the phone at the same time!

I got an award--wahoo!

2008-10-09T17:31:00.001-06:00

Stephanie from Fun Foods on a Budget gave me a food blog award today!!! I am so flattered. Thank you! I'm still feeling really new at this and it's so much fun seeing that someone's reading this?!? I started this food blog about a year ago and then in the busyness of life, I fell off the bandwagon. But I love checking out all of your amazing food blogs and getting so many great ideas and so I decided to start doing it again and share some recipes we're trying and liking. I'm loving posting pictures now and practicing trying (the key word being "trying") to be a photographer :-)--so if you get to older posts keep checking back for pics. Here are some of the blogs that I love following and also nominate for an award:

A Corner of my Kitchen

Here are the rules:** Please find at least 10 more blogs, of any kind that you love to read. Write a post about the blogs you picked, linking back to me and to them. Once you’ve posted, return here to let me know your post is done and be sure to let them know too!!! (If you don't come up with 10, that's fine too!).

I meant to come up with 10 and then got a little carried away and did 11 and could've kept going! There's just way too many of you out there that I follow!?!

Apple Brickle Dip

2008-10-05T21:34:00.002-06:00

This dip is seriously SOOOOO fabulous that I could dip ANYTHING in it (I swear) and it would taste awesome. Even my shoe. Seriously. And my kids eat endless amounts of apples when we have this (always a huge plus). I just cannot say enough about how yummy, and sweet, and out-of-this-world it is!!! I took this to a baby shower for a fellow church friend when we first moved here and it became the talk among all the women at church on Sunday. By the end of that day I had the recipe memorized because I had to write it down for so many people. I swear that you'll be craving this one for weeks after you make it!

Apple Brickle Dip

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese softened (I've used fat free and it's still just as good)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 pkg almond brickle chips (7 1/2 oz) or English toffee bits (10 oz)

Beat first four ingredients together with a hand mixer. Fold in toffee chips. Serve with apples and try to stop eating after you realize that you've just eaten 6 apples. Good luck because I can never stop eating this one. It's just THAT good!

Easy Lemon Cookies

2008-10-05T12:22:00.001-06:00

We're going to some friend's this afternoon to watch the last session of General Conference. They asked us to bring dessert and so I was wanting to make something that was simple and that we had ingredients around the house for. I was going to bring the leftovers of the Pioneer Woman Sheet Cake (below) and needed something else to have enough for everyone. Anyways, I found this recipe on Allrecipes. It had gotten 5 out of 5 stars from 268 people. They're nice and soft inside with a little bit of gooey crunch on the outside. If you like lemon bars--you'll like these. They are yummy!

Easy Lemon Cookies from Allrecipes.com

1 (18.25 oz) package lemon cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 C vegetable oil

1 teaspoon lemon extract (we used 1 T lemon juice)

1/3 C powdered sugar for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended.

Drop teasponfuls of dough into a bowl of powdered sugar. Roll them around until they're lightly covered. Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6-9 minutes in the preheated oven. The bottoms will be lightly brown, and the insides chewy. They are the perfect consistency--so soft on the inside. They have a yummy light lemony flavor and the powdered sugar finishes them perfectly!

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

2008-10-03T14:55:00.001-06:00

I had some buttermilk that I wanted to use up today and so I decided to make my mom's delicious Texas sheet cake that calls for buttermilk. However, I couldn't get ahold of her (sorry Mom, I know I wrote the recipe somewhere so I was asking for it again) and so I decided to try Pioneer Woman's version. I was SOOO not disappointed. It was extra moist and so decadent. It seemed a lot more soft and almost melt-in-your-mouth than our usual recipe.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinammon (this is a variation from her recipe...my normal recipe calls for this and I think it adds an extra yummy flavor to it)

In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 C boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 C buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanillaStir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 C pecans finely (I omitted this. Nuts...blech)
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 T Milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 C powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

And in the words of Pioneer Woman, "Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you've just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever." Amen!

Italian Crockpot Chicken

2008-10-02T17:56:00.001-06:00

I've been in the mood to cook with the crockpot this week. I love the crockpot because it's so easy and you basically just have to dump everything in and let it do it's thing all day long. What can be bad about that? Especially during a particularly sluggish week. This is an old, delicious standby that I'm sure many of you know of--but it's always a good one.

Italian Crockpot Chicken

8 oz cream cheese
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cube of butter (I used 1/2 a cube)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package of dry Italian dressing mix
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the chicken breasts in a crockpot. Add the butter and the italian dressing mix. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, then cut up chicken breasts into small pieces. Add cream cheese (cut into cubes to melt faster). Also add the cream of chicken soup. Cook an additional half hour. Serve over rice or noodles.

**I usually dilute the sauce a little bit by adding milk--especially when serving over noodles.