Tag: recipe

A few recent recipe successes

I thought I’d share some recent recipe successes I’ve had – things that were new to us to try – and mostly stuff I’ve found on Pinterest. It’s my favorite new recipe site!

  • Super easy super yummy crock pot soup: can of rotel, can of corn, can of black beans (drained & rinsed), 2 frozen chicken breasts, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 packet dry ranch dressing, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder. Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook 6-8 hours. Shred chicken, and enjoy! not sure this soup has a name, but if it did, it should most definitely have cheese in the name of it. It’s kinda like Chicken Tortilla soup met cheese dip and had a baby and this is the love child.  Very good and great on a cold winter day.
  • I made these biscuits for breakfast one morning.  The kids wouldn’t eat them (I think because they were both sick and I made them with whole wheat flour) but SuperMan and I loved them. (I made me-maw’s biscuits from this post)
  • I made these sausage balls a while back (for Christmas) and they were a huge hit. The secret is cream cheese in the mix. Makes them very moist. And heck, if you’re eating sausage balls, what’s a little cream cheese? It’s not exactly diet food. Smile

And here are some things I want to try but haven’t yet:

  • yumI was planning to make these cheesy garlic biscuits for dinner one night (or, rather, with dinner. Not for dinner, although I could certainly get on board with cheesy biscuits for dinner.)
  • And this pasta is called Angel Pasta. I’m thinking it looks an awful lot like an adulterated Alfredo, but I’m going to give it a try.
  • New and improved coconut and pineapple cakeAnd this cake just looks divine. I’ve already decided it’s going on the menu for the next get-together I have. Oh.my. I need an excuse to make it, have one piece and give the rest away.

What about you? Any recipes you’ve tried lately that your family has enjoyed? Any you have on the list of “to try soon?”

Join me on Pinterest for some fun!

But, I warn you… It is addictive.

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Holiday Baking

I’m still undecided about how much holiday baking I’m going to do this year.

I want to keep the traditions alive, but, honestly, I’m not feeling the motivation or desire to spend a lot of time in the kitchen baking right now. Maybe this will change as the holidays grow nearer, maybe not. I’m going to take it one day at a time. We certainly don’t  need a plethora of sweets in the house, although I want to have my usual holiday goodie bags for our friends (and the kids’ teachers) – it’s just so busy at work these days I’m not sure I’m going to have the energy or time to do the baking in the evenings like I’ve done in years’ past!

I have a back up plan, though, that I’m going to try out this weekend, just in case baking falls by the wayside for holiday gifts. After I try it out, I’ll let you know how it went.

I thought that today I’d share with you some of my favorite cookie recipes. Since this is the time of year when a lot of us are invited to holiday cookie swap parties, I thought it might be fun to share some of our favorites.

If you have a favorite cookie recipe, please share in the comments! I am sure the rest of us would love to try something new!

Here are some of our holiday standbys:

What about you? What cookies mean Christmas to you?

Oh, and I just discovered this new online magazine: FoodieCrush.  They have some beautiful food shots and some even yummier cookie recipes!

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Holiday Baking (part 2)

I promised you I’d share some of my savory recipes today – some of the family favorites that we enjoy during the holidays. I’m also going to share one that is brand new to us and that we’re trying out this year.

The new recipe we’re trying is a corn casserole recipe. It’s not something that was traditionally made at my house (or Grandma’s) when I was growing up, but I’ve had it when other people have made it and loved it. So, I decided to try my hand at making it this year… introduce a new tradition to the table, so to speak.

I’m excited to see how it turns out!

One of the old standbys we make every holiday is a sweet potato casserole. Mom has been making this for years and years – I think the original recipe is one that she clipped out of a magazine or the newspaper. After it’s debut at one of our family dinners, it quickly replaced the ultra-sweet marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole that we used to eat.  I absolutely LOVE it. I’d eat it every day if I thought I could get away with it.  Of course, since my WLS surgery, I have to be very, very careful when I’m indulging like this or I’ll be curled up in a ball crying in a few hours.  So, I enjoy it sparingly but I do have a tiny bit when we make it for the holidays.

Sweet Potato Casserole

4 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (you can use one large can of sweet potatoes if you wish)
1/2 – 3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 – 1 cup finely chopped pecans

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, egg, vanilla, milk and butter (1/4 cup). Whip with hand mixer until smooth.
  3. Pour into 2 quart baking dish. (8×8 or 9×9 works well)
  4. For topping, mix remaining ingredients to form a crumble topping.  Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes.

What about you? Any family favorites that you just have to make or it doesn’t seem like the holidays to you?

And, now, I’m off to bake and enjoy my family!!

Menu Plan Monday & some Random Thoughts

And a Happy Monday to all of you!

I am FINALLY starting to feel a little more like my usual self again. Two long weeks of coughing, sneezing and sniffling and I hope I am over it. I hate feeling bad. Sad smile

We have a fun week planned – well, I guess you’d call it fun. SuperMan is home this week (in between contracts) and I’ve got the humdinger of a honey-do list for him. Not sure it’ll all get done, but even if he gets just a couple things off the list, I’ll be a happy girl. 

Like getting my bedroom painted. It’s a dark navy blue and I haven’t liked it since we moved in. I’ve had other, more important things to worry about, though and I figured since all we do in there is sleep, it really didn’t matter. But, I’m so tired of it and ready for a change. I think we’re going to go with a nice neutral in there – something light enough to brighten up the room and yet not a boring white or off-white. Maybe a light caramel or something. I’ll be sure to share pictures…

And then we’re off to the North Carolina mountains to do some leaf peeping this weekend. I can’t wait. It will be a much-needed respite from the hectic lives we’ve been leading since the first of September. I am looking forward to spending some quality time on the porch with my Nook and my knitting.

I’m working on a really pretty scarf – I’ll share pictures later this week – and I have some yarn that I got a few weeks ago that I’m in search of the perfect pattern for… I have some great projects to work on this fall and I’m back into the swing of knitting again. 

As for menus for the week (is that why you’re really here? not to listen to me ramble?) here’s what I have planned (roughly) – since we’ll be in a cabin in the mountains with little nearby for food or eating out, I’ve had to plan the weekend pretty carefully.  This week will be a little more loosey-goosey since SuperMan is home and there is no telling what that will do to my schedule in the evenings!

  • Monday: leftover chili, served with baked potatoesThanksgiving
  • Tuesday: Pizza braid served with salad. I want to make some lasagna, too, so that I can take some to my mom in the mountains this weekend.
  • Wednesday: probably eat on the run as we have plans that evening. Either leftovers or something quick like sandwiches.
  • Thursday: Baked ham, macaroni & cheese, veggies.
  • Friday: Baked chicken, rice & gravy
  • Saturday: grilled steaks, corn & veggies
  • Sunday: Chicken & dumplings from the leftover baked chicken (or we may eat at the Dillard House on our way home)

It’s going to be interesting packing to go to the cabin – I’m trying to anticipate everything that I will need (including cookware) but I’m sure I will forget something. Oh well, I guess that is why it is called “roughing it!?!”

Hop on over to orgjunkie.com for some more menu ideas!

And we’ll end this Monday post with a little silliness compliments of Bill Cosby:

 

Chocolate Cake for Breakfast! Sounds good to me!

Menu Plan Monday ~ 3 October

Happy Monday!

I’m happily returning to my usual routine this morning.  After last week’s craziness of commuting, classrooms and traffic, I am quite happy to be back working from home and spending time with my family.  Today is a special day – our anniversary – and so I am even happier to be home!mealplanmonday_v2

Here’s what we have planned for dinners this week – the weather is turning cooler (hooray!) and so my thoughts are turning more to soups, stews and heartier home cooking.

Are there any fall-weather favorites you cook for your family?

Here’s our plan:

Hop on over to orgjunkie.com for some more menu ideas!

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Bourbon Chicken

I mentioned last week that we were trying a few new recipes – one of the ones we tried was Bourbon Chicken, a recipe I found on Big Oven.com. (That’s the software I use to keep track of my recipes. I like it because I can copy/paste a recipe from the web right into the software.)

Bourbon ChickenAnyway, this was dinner on Wednesday night last week.  It was surprisingly easy and everyone liked it.  The kids said the sauce was a little spicy, but I didn’t taste any heat in the dish at all. I think they were just looking for something to be wrong with it since it was a new dish. Smile

SuperMan and I really liked it. I made some brown rice to serve under it and steamed some carrots and broccoli to go along with the meat. It was wonderful. I ate way too much and my tummy hurt afterwards – that’s how good it was! (I almost never do that anymore)

SuperMan ate the leftovers for lunch the next day and said they were “very good.” So, I think this will go in the repertoire for future dinners.

Here’s the recipe, just in case you can’t get on Big Oven.com to look it up yourself: (mine is a little different than the one on there)

Bourbon Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
about 1/2 tsp dried ginger
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 c Brown Sugar Splenda Blend
2 Tbsp Ketchup
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
1 Tbsp corn starch

  1. Heat oil in large skillet.
  2. Add chicken & cook until lightly browned.
  3. While chicken is cooking, mix remaining ingredients in a large measuring cup or small pourable bowl.  Whisk to combine.
  4. Once chicken is cooked, pour seasoning/sauce mixture into sauce pan with chicken and bring to a hard boil, mixing as the heat rises.
  5. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 min or until sauce thickens.
  6. Serve over cooked rice.

 

The recipe reminded me a lot of a chicken dish I used to get at a chinese to-go place when I worked downtown.  I think it is named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, so don’t be concerned that there is no actual Bourbon in the recipe!

I’d love to know how you like it if you try it!

Five Decadent, Mouth-watering Fall Recipes to Try (soon!)

I’m on the hunt for some new recipes to try this fall – revisions of old favorites, new tastes and flavors to sample.

I thought I’d share with you some of the things I’ve recently ear-marked (or bookmarked, rather) as recipes I want to try this fall: (all images are from the website the recipe is linked to)

  1. Caramel Apple Bread Pudding: Just the name makes my mouth water. I mean, seriously – caramel, apples and bread? Oh.my.Caramel Apple Bread Pudding Recipe
  2. Apple and Brie melts: This is like the grilled cheese of the gods. I absolutely love, love, love brie and apples on toast. Why did I never think to make it a sandwich? MUST TRY THIS SOON.
  3. Caramel Apple Trifle:  Yes, yet another apple recipe. Hey, I’m getting a half-bushel a week! I’m on the hunt for new recipes to try! Of course, I’m quite content eating them just as God made them, too. Several a day, as a matter of fact!
    Colossal Caramel Apple Trifle Recipe
  4. and just to prove I’m not apple-obsessed ~ Snickerdoodle Bread:this one has me curious. I love snickerdoodles and I love sugar cookies – and who doesn’t love bread? Think this one will be on the list to try the next time we have company for dinner.
  5. And last but not least ~ White Chocolate Toffee Brownies. Seriously? I am sure these taste like what they’d serve in heaven. Got to be. Must bake soon.

Okay, there’s my five, mouth watering treats I must try sometime this fall.

What about you? Any recipes you’re dying to try?

Most of my new favorites are over on my Pinterest recipe boards. Hop on over to check more out!

(we) just have to try this…

If you’re like me, you’re always looking for something new to try – and yet I always seem to stick to the same tried-and-true recipes. I think it is because it is easier on a busy week night to stick with what you know (and know your family will eat!) than to break out the new recipes.

It is more about getting people fed than it is about being creative and trying new things. (or at least it is for me)

But, there are days when I just want something new and fresh and different.

And Saturdays are usually my “experimental” cooking days – Saturdays or Mondays. Saturdays are good because I have all the time in the world and can experiment to my heart’s content. Mondays are good because I’m (relatively) rested from the weekend and (more importantly) everyone is out of the house and I have peace and quiet to craft, create and experiment with new recipes.

But I’m always on the hunt for things other people have tried and loved and today I thought I’d share with you another list of the recipes I’ve flagged lately as “must try this.”

Okay, that’s all for now – any recipes you are dying to try? Share them with the rest of us in the comments!

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I need another Saturday

I need another Saturday to recover from my weekend. I need a “hookey” day to just laze around and do nothing.

But THAT is not going to happen, so I got up this morning, put on my “big girl pants” and I’m getting on with my day.

Baked a batch of bread for the week and made a loaf of banana bread with some very very ripe bananas I had on the counter. (hopefully they weren’t TOO ripe) Started dinner in the crock pot and started some laundry and now I’m at my computer for the day.

So, not too shabby a start to my day!

I’m learning that dinners for the week have to be a little different than last school year. The girls’ dance classes are later in the day – finishing after six in the evenings. That means on dance days we eat later, which is OK because then we can eat with SuperMan as a family. But that means I’ve got to have a heftier after-school snack on those days (i.e. sandwiches, pizza, etc.) and plan something that can either be prepared quickly or prepped ahead in the crock pot or oven. That way, when we get home from dance and they are ravenous I can plop dinner in front of them and watch them devour it! (that’s one good thing about eating after dance – they are hungry!)

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So, given that, here’s my plan for this week:

Planned snacks this week:

  • cheese quesadillas
  • chicken flautas
  • popcorn
  • banana bread
  • Nutella & graham cracker stacks
  • fresh melons cut up

I’m also going to make some chicken salad (again) with some leftover grilled chicken we cooked on Saturday. And I’m craving veggie “chili” but I’m not sure it is cool enough for that yet… may have to wait a week.

I am also on the hunt for some (easy) breakfast ideas. My girls are not big breakfast eaters – as a matter of fact, Big Girl prefers a smoothie of some sort. The good news is that Little Bit is finally getting away from the processed junk she used to love – no more pop-tarts and the like – and craving healthier options. The bad news is that she is getting bored with the same options. I need some new ideas!

Do you have any tried and true breakfast ideas? Things I can either make ahead or prepare quickly on school mornings?

I’d love some ideas!

That’s it for now. Have a great, no terrific, week and hop on over to orgjunkie.com for some ideas for more menus.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

I have a fantastic pasta salad recipe for you today –

But, before I get to that, I have a question for you – especially those of you that print out my recipes and use them at home.  I’ve been including the recipe directly on the blog and adding a print option to the post.  In the past, I’d used AllRecipes.com and posted the recipes there.

I’m considering going back to that method for a couple of reasons and I wanted to know if you had any strong opinions one way or the other… Here are the reasons I’m considering switching back to that method:

  • consistent format
  • easy access
  • super-easy printing
  • you can save the recipes into your own recipe book and have a compilation of your favorite recipes

So, today’s recipe is linked below to the recipe on AllRecipes.com. If you wouldn’t mind, click over and see what you think.  I think I’ll be slowly migrating my recipes over to this site and re-linking them on the Recipes page of this blog so that you can easily access & print them from one place.

I’d love to hear your input, though, so please let me know what you think!

Okay, enough of the business –

Here’s the recipe for you today – a really yummy pasta salad.  I think I’ve mentioned to you before that I absolutely LOVE sun-dried tomatoes.  I love the saltiness, the chew, the just general yumminess of them.  I could eat them like candy, I think.

So, when I was craving pasta salad the other day, I thought about trying to find a way to incorporate some sun-dried tomatoes into the mixture. I wanted something a little different than the usual chicken pasta salad I make, something a little more Mediterranean in flavor.

I have a basil plant on the back porch that my momma gave me and I’ve been searching all summer for some great recipes to make use of the basil. (By the way, anyone want to teach me to make pesto?)

So, I mixed and tasted, chopped and stirred.  And this was the result.  SuperMan absolutely loved it (as did I) and said it was even better the next day or two for lunch at work. I was really glad I was able to give him a tasty (and filling) yet cool salad to eat on the hot, dog-days of summer.

Give it a try – especially if you have some leftover grilled chicken like we did – adding the chicken makes it a hearty meal.

Click on the title to go to the link on AllRecipes.com.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb wagon wheel pasta (cooked)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (reserve oil)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (or use reserved oil from tomatoes)
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan (or use Parmesan/asiago blend)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Directions
  1. Boil pasta in salted water.
  2. Drain & set aside.
  3. Place basil & tomatoes in food processor. Pulse 4-5 times until blended.
  4. In a large bowl, toss the pasta, tomato/basil mixture, adding the cheese, salt, pepper, garlic & oil.
  5. Toss to coat.
  6. Serve warm or chilled. It tastes great both ways.
Footnotes
  • OPTIONAL: Add 1-2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped, to make this salad a meal. You can also rough-chop the basil & tomatoes if you’d rather have larger pieces in the salad.