Beef Noodle Casserole (like Hamburger Helper)

Very rarely do I make something with on hand ingredients that I just throw together.  Most of the time I plan out what I'm going to make and have it ready.  This weekend didn't go according to plan.  I had made macaroni noodles to try to make a macaroni salad, but I never got around to it.  I had ground beef thawed out to make meatloaf, but there ended up not being enough.  So I thought I would make something like hamburger helper.  I like the ease of hamburger helper, but I don't like that there is so much sodium in the boxed meals.  So I did it myself.

I preheated the oven to 350, then browned the ground beef.  While it was browning I added the spices I wanted.  I used a dash of pepper, salt, onion powder, parsley flakes, and garlic powder.  When it was browned, I added 1/4 of a small can of tomato paste (I would add more next time if I was not planning on freezing any of it), 1 can of stewed tomatoes (I use a wooden spoon to make the pieces of tomato smaller), and 1/4 can tomatoe sauce (or spaghetti sauce if you want extra flavor).  The I added the macaroni noodles.  I mixed it all together, then added 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.  Mix again, then add a layer of shredded cheese on top.  I put my skillet (mine is oven safe.  If you do not have an oven safe skillet you can transfer to a greased casserole dish) into the oven and let it cook for about 10 minutes.  My noodles had been cold from the refrigerator. If you cook your noodles and add them while they are hot, just wait for the cheese to melt.  Remove and serve with a yummy vegetable.

The rating for the meal is from my husband, and the fact that both my girls ate it.  My older daughter even asked for a second helping!

Kitchen Tip

I was cutting onions to make a salad today and I couldn't see because I was crying so much.  I was thinking-there has to be a better way to cut onions so I don't cry.  I know that they make onion-cutting goggles you can wear (much like swim goggles).  Then I remembered a scene from one of my favorite TV shows "Veronica Mars".  They were cutting up onions with metal spoons in their mouth and they said that it stopped them from crying.  I was thinking to myself that it was a TV show and probably just made it up, but I decided to try it anyway.  It worked!  I could still smell the onions, but it didn't bother me at all.  I guess you can learn something from watching tv.

Sante Fe Quinoa Salad

Healthy, healthy, healthy... and yummy, too!

3/4 c quinoa (rinsed)
1 1/2 c. water
Salt
2 t Cumin
2 T lemon juice
6 T Olive oil
Pepper
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed
1 small red pepper, finely diced
1 med cucumber, diced
1/2 small onion, very finely diced
1/2 c. finely chopped cilantro
1 lg ripe tomato, halved and then sliced for garnish

In a med, saucepan, combine quinoa, water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Spread quinoa on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 20 minutes while preparing the dressing.
Combine lemon juice and cumin in a blender. Blend and then add oil and blend again. Season with s&p.  Pour dressing into a lg bowl. Add beans, cucumber, cilantro, onions and pepper. Toss. Add quinoa and mix. Season with s&p.  Top with slices of tomato.  Makes 4 servings.

*optional -- lime juice can be used instead of lemon, but I have tried both ways and find the lemon more appealing!

Yummy extas!

This is a great way to use a little extra pie dough (if you can resist making elephant ears!)

I made a pie but had a bit extra dough and filling.  I'd seen something similar in a recipe book and so I tried this out!

Lay the rolled dough out in a baking dish, add some pie filling, and fold up the edges around the filling. 

Its a great way to use up the extras and it was delicious (far better than the pie turned out!!) and its a great way to get a little slice of dessert!!

Peaches and Cream Pie (and Blueberries too)

I've used this recipe a few times and love it!  As you can tell by the pic... I had to scrounge up what was left to get a photo! =)

Crust:

1 1/2 c. all purp flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 c. cold butter
Filling:
3 c. fresh peaches, peeled & sliced
1 c. fresh blueberries (or blackberries)
1 c. sugar, divided
2 T all-purp flour
1 egg
1/4 t salt
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 container (8 oz) sour cream

Topping:
2/3 c sugar
2/3 c all purp flour
2 t gr. cinnamon
1/2 c cold butter

Preheat oven to 400 F.

For crust, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until a crumbly mixture forms. Press into 9" deep pie dish.  Set aside.  Place peaches in a bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 c of the sugar. Combine flour, egg, canilla, salt & remaining sugar. Fold in sour cream. Stir into peaches and then pour into crust. While baking, make topping.  Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl; cut in butter til it is a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and bake another 20 minutes or til the pie is mostly set.  Remove from oven, sprinkle on topping. Increase heat to 400F again and bake for another 15 minutes.

Optional: Leave out the blueberries, but increase the peaches to 4 c.

Easy chicken dinner(s)

I like to make meals that can be used more than one time, or making meals ahead of time.  Most nights it's 4 o'clock and I'm thinking....hmmm, what can I throw together for dinner tonight?  So one day I put some frozen chicken tenders (about 10) in the crock pot and put a can of cream of chicken soup over the top.  I sprinkled a little pepper too.  I cooked it on high heat for 3 1/2 hours.  By then the chicken was done.  I made up some rice and steamed some veggies.  It was a good dinner.  There was even some of the chicken mixture left over.  So the next day for lunch I cooked up some spaghetti noodles, heated up the chicken mixture, added some parm cheese, and made some green beans.  It was tasty.

Basil e Garlicky Pasta

I love this dish. An Italian friend told me the recipe, but I don't remember exactly what she does, since I've modified it!! Here's my take on it!


1 pkg egg noodles
5 T of butter
1- 2 handfuls Basil, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt
1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted (opt)
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese (opt)

Cook noodles as directed for al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy pan on medium. Reduce heat to low, add garlic. Let garlic cook for a minute til just slightly brown. Add noodles to pan, toss. Add basil, salt, and pine nuts, toss. Keep heat on until the basil has slightly wilted. Remove from heat. Serve. Sprinkle cheese on pasta. YUM!

Cheese makes any dish!

So, I love cooking from the garden. But there are a few things that I don't especially love--zucchini, to name one! Well, I've realized that if I grill or roast a bit of pretty much any veggie with a bit of cheese smothering it, it tastes fabulous! These zucchini rounds were fried in a pan... and delicious! Another variation: Take a zucchini or yellow summer squash that has overgrown and split it down the middle. Scoop out the seeds. Fill the hollow with a bit of cheese (or cheese and garlic and basil (or any veggie, actually) if you have them on hand. Grill or roast in oven til tender. They are fabulous!

Gyros... Glorious gyros!!!

I LOVE gyros... and I HATE that I only get to eat them once a year at Fair time... but I found a recipe that curbs my craving!!.. and I don't even buy them at the Fair anymore!!!

Tzatzki Sauce
1 1/2 c. whole plain yogurt (drain off excess water, if needed)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
10 mint leaves, chopped
1/2 large onion, diced
2 med cucumbers, de-seeded and diced


1 lb sausage
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, diced
1/4 c breadcrumbs
salt & pepper
Handful of basil (optional)
Lettuce, washed, thinly sliced
Tomato, thinly sliced
Naan* or Pita Bread, warmed in oven or grill (in foil) or lightly toasted

In a mixing bowl, add yogurt, garlic, salt, mint leaves, onion and cucumber. Stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate until needed. I try to prepare this a couple of hours to days in advance because it gives the flavors more time to mix.

In another bowl, mix sausage, beef, garlic, breadcrumbs, onion, s&p and basil. Mix together with your hands (knead, mush) until all ingredients are well dispersed. From into patties and either grill or cook on med until well done.  Remove from heat and slice the patties into thin rounds. (so you'll end up with 3-4" circles of very thinly sliced burger).

Place meat in warmed bread, add lettuce and tomato and top with Tzatkzi Sauce. And devour!

* I've always used split Pita bread.... until last week! The Naan worked great and didn't fall apart when you filled it too full!!  I'm sold. I will be using the Naan from now on. It was fabulous!

THE best tomato!

This is the best heirloom tomato--Black from Tula. They are absolutely delicious... and this is the first ripe one of the season!

Sunshine Rays

These these little lemon bars sure do pack in the flavor

Crust

1 cup butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

2 cup all purp flour

Lemon Filling 

2 c sugar

4 eggs

2/3 c. lemon juice (pref from fresh lemons)

2 T. lemon zest

4 T. flour

Powdered Sugar for topping rays

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9 X 11 or 11 x 13 baking dish (or use two 8 x 8 pans).

Crust: Beat *butter* and sugar with electric mixer or hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix just until mixture comes together. Press into prepared dish. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes (will depend on the size of your baking dish) until lightly browned.  While baking, prepare filling. With mixer, beat eggs and sugar until smooth. Hand mix in the lemon juice and zest. Fold in flour. When crust is ready remove from oven, give the filling a quick stir in case it has settled, and pour lemon filling on top. Return to oven for another 20 minutes until the filling has set. Remove from oven and place dish on wire rack to cool. When lukewarm, sprinkle with powdered sugar. When completely cool, cut into squares and then again into diamonds/rays. Enjoy!

This recipe will make about 64 rays. Half the recipe if you don't need quite so many!!

Pasta Alfredo

Pasta Alfredo

1 lb/box pasta
A bunch of broccoli
2 med Tomatoes, sliced or diced

Sauce
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
¼ Tbsp salt
1/8 Tbsp pepper
2 c. milk
1 c. cheese (any kind), grated
¼ c parmesan cheese, finely grated

Cook pasta according to pkg directions.  Steam
broccoli.
While cooking, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over
medium heat. When melted add the flour and whisk
together. Let the mixture bubble a little, but do not let it
burn.  Turn heat to very low. Add salt & pepper.  Add
milk. Turn heat back to med-high til the mixture
thickens.  Again reduce heat to very low and add
cheeses.  
Serve pasta with broccoli.  Spoon sauce on top.  Add tomatoes on sides.


Adding grilled chicken is a yummy addition too!

Meatballs

I made some yummy meatballs the other day and cooked them in a sweet and sour sauce.  I need to fix the recipe for the sauce, but the meatballs were really good.  I don't usually do green onions, but they sounded good that night and I thought they went well with the sweet and sour.  This recipe makes about 18 meatballs.

1 pound ground meat (1/2 lb beef and 1/2 lb turkey)
1 egg
1/3 c breadcrumbs
dash pepper
dash salt
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
dash italian seasonings
5 baby carrots, finely grated (you can add any vegetable of your choice, or leave them out)
2 green onions, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Heat skillet over med to med-high heat.
Shape meatballs to be about 1 1/2 inch wide.
Spray pan with cooking spray.  Brown meatballs on all sides. (about 8-10 minutes)
If skillet is oven safe, then put into the oven to bake for 10 minutes.  If skillet is not oven safe, transfer to a small casserole dish and bake.
Add sauce of your choice to meatballs and return to oven for an additional 15 minutes.  Check a few times and re-cover meatballs with sauce if needed.
  Serve with spaghetti, mashed potatoes, rice, or other pasta.

Note to add to Cheesy Mostaccioli

When I made this meal I froze about half of it (after cooking it).  I've thawed out a couple portions and have some suggestions.  You will definitely need to add some spaghetti sauce to this when re-heating.  The pasta noodles soaked up all the sauce.  I added a little extra cheese on top too.

Cheesy Mostaccioli

I found this recipe in an old Pampered Chef cookbook.  I was looking for easy meals to cook.  I took their recipe and made a few changes.  My 5 year old liked it a lot and even asked for it for lunch the next day.  I call that a hit!  It makes a lot, so be prepared to either half the recipe or freeze some (i opted to freeze about half of it in single serving sizes).  When I first got this recipe I went to the store to look for "mostaccioli" pasta....nothing.  I went home and did some research and it's what they call any pasta that is similar to penne.

1 (16 ounce) package mostaccioli (penne) pasta, uncooked
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 (28 ounce) jar *spaghetti sauce
1 (11 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
black pepper to taste
1-1 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c Parmesean cheese, shredded

Directions

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions; rinse and drain.

In a non-stick skillet, cook and stir the beef over medium-high heat until meat is browned; drain.

Add in spaghetti sauce, soup, pepper, and Italian seasoning; stir to combine.

In a 4 quart baking dish, mix together the pasta, sauce, and 2 cups mozzerella cheese.

Sprinkle remaining mozzerella cheese and the Parmesean cheese over the top.

Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until heated through.

*when I was at the store I accidentally picked up a jar of no sugar added spaghetti sauce.  I used it in this recipe.  Before cooking it I tasted the sauce and it was kind of bitter.  I didn't make any additions to it though.  Just baked it and the taste was great.

Note: Make ahead instructions--To freeze: Complete recipe but stop before baking. Seal with foil or place in a zip top bag. Freeze.  To serve: Thaw in fridge overnight. Bake as directed.

Ranch Burgers

I made these burgers for the 4th of July when we had my dad over for dinner.  I usually like to make a few extra so I can put them in the fridge and have one the next day for lunch.  No such luck this time.  They were such a hit that there weren't any leftovers!

When I make meatloaf or burgers I usually just throw things together as an experiment.  The down side to that is when I get a really good batch made and I can't remember how much of what I put in.  These Ranch Burgers are like that.  I was tired of the plain old burger everytime I make it, so I happened to have some ranch dressing mix and threw some in.  It made a great burger.  There is a recipe on the back of the package, but it's kind of plain and I add extra ingredients.  Here's an approximation of what the recipe would be.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (feel free to make a mixture of beef and turkey if you are looking for lower fat)
2 shakes Worchestershire sauce
1/4 t onion powder
2 shakes Johnny's seasoning salt
1 egg
two palmfuls of bread crumbs (prob abt 1/2 c.  I used whole wheat and it didn't change the taste)
a sprinkling of dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix (prob abt 3 teaspoons)

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and squish together.  Separate into 6 balls and make patties.  I make mine thick and they still fill a large hamburger bun.  Cooking time varies depending on how thick the burgers are, how you are cooking them, and how you like your burger done.  I put a whole bunch of toppings on mine.  Tomatoes, sliced pickles, lettuce, onions, ketchup, mustard, mayo.  I think with the ranch taste they would be good with a special sauce, but I haven't made one yet.

Sunshine Salad

I found this cute recipe and had to try it with the girls.  They don't like cottage cheese (it's a texture thing) so I told them that they didn't have to eat it if they didn't want to.  To my surprise, they ate the whole thing!  Even the lettuce.  It made a great snack for them.  Hope you (and your kids too!) like it.

This recipe is for two servings

1 orange (or can of mandarine oranges)
1 8oz can pineapple rings (or tidbits arranged)
4 lettuce leaves
1 cup cottage cheese
2 maraschino cherries (or fresh cherries, pitted)


Peel and section the orange (or drain from can).

Open the can of pineapple and drain the liquid.

Place 2 washed lettuce leaves on each plate. Place 2 pineapple rings on top of the lettuce on each plate.

Place 1 scoop of cottage cheese on top of the pineapple rings (I use my Pampered Chef scooper that is great for cookies).

Place the orange segments around the cottage cheese to look like sunshine. Place a cherry on top of cottage cheese.

Memories

Cooking and food for me is something the evokes memories.  The smell of chocolate chip cookies baking reminds me of making them with my step-mom while growing up.  Banana bread makes me think of my dear friend (and co-blogger) Jen.  Pumpkin pie reminds me of my grandma and the lovely dinners that were had at her house over the years.  Making Rodeo Ranch Chicken Salad reminds me of my aunt who introduced me to that wonderful recipe on a visit home.  I remember going to Long Beach every summer and eating salt water taffy and ice cream from a wonderful restaurant (now closed).  One of my favorite memories of a trip to California was eating at a fancy (to an 8 year old) restaurant and getting to eat not only my chocolate mousse dessert, but my uncles too.

  Why was I thinking of this and decided to blog about it?  It made me think of the memories that I can start making with my little girls.  We make brownies together (in matching aprons lovingly made for us) and muffins.  The girls love the smell of food in the crockpot when we get home from church.  My older daughter loves her treat of going out with her grandpa weekly for lunch and an ice cream.  Sharing my cooking moments with the girls can help them have good memories too, and I can share my memories with them also.  I regret the times that I missed out not learning to cook with my grandmas.  They are from the generation that starts with a basic recipe and over the 60 years of cooking, they perfect it.  I never learned the special little changes made to make it "just right".  So I'm making notes now when I use a recipe that I will pass along someday.

My half-year resolution is to make some good memories this summer. 

Italian Breaded Pork Chops

Ingredients:
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 pork chops


Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. In a separate small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.

Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until lightly browned. Remove garlic, reserving for other uses.

Dip each pork chop into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly. Place coated pork chops in the skillet, and brown about 5 minutes on each side.

Place the skillet and pork chops in the preheated oven, and cook 25 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.  If you do not have an oven-proof skillet, you may cook the chops on the stove at medium-low.

How to be a "sneaky chef"

In my house I have a few eaters that are kind of picky and I've wanted to get us eating more healthy and it's been hard.  My two year old won't eat a whole list of things: pasta, rice, potatoes, beans, cooked veggies (except corn and sometimes broccoli), fresh veggies, cottage cheese, and so on.  You may be wondering what she does like after seeing that list.  Well she likes peanut butter and honey sandwiches, anything breakfast related (unless I try to put chopped veggies in the eggs), fresh fruit and smooties.  My husband doesn't eat as many veggies as he should and doesn't like whole grain.  So I've been trying out recipes that incorporate some of the more healthy items and it hasn't been working.  Then I was searching Amazon.com for cookbooks (last time I got 3 cookbooks for a total of $3.25 plus shipping!) and saw a title of a cookbook that said "Sneaky Chef".  I clicked on it and found the answer to my problems.  This woman (Missy Chase Lapine) has about 4 different cookbooks out that help you add protien, whole grains, veggies, and fruits to meals that your family loves already....and they won't be able to tell that the items have been added.  She has one book specifically for "man food" (chicken wings, alfredo pasta, meatball subs, potato salad, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, fancy french toast, ice cream), two for kids meals (recipes that adults like too), and one regular all around recipe book.

  She spends about 100 pages giving information on the benefits of healthy living, how to gradually add healthy items, and how to combine foods so you can lessen heartburn, increase the benefits of vitamins and antioxidants from fruits and veggies, and tells us which foods interact to increase digestion and absorbtion of nutrients and protein.
  Then she has a section of recipes for what you add-in to regular recipes.  Some of those include veggie/fruit purees (purple puree includes blueberries, lemon juice, water and baby spinach for smoothies, brownies, and cake), white bean puree (white beans and water to add to tomato sauce, egg salad, mashed potatoes, meatloaf), flour blend (white flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ to make donuts, cookies, pancakes, muffins, brownies, cake), better breading (pulsed almonds, bread crumbs, wheat germ and salt to make fish sticks and parm chicken), and mashed bananas (for ice cream, muffins, and smoothies).

After that section she has the regular recipes with the add-ins.  I've tried about three or four recipes and my husband and girls didn't even know about the things I had added.  My favorite so far has been just to buy Stage 2 baby food carrots and add them to spaghetti sauce, Sloppy Joes and maccaroni and cheese.  We are getting extra veggies, but it's not noticable to the people that might object.  We've switched from white to whole grain bread and tortillas and the girls don't seem to notice at all.  Tomorrow I'm making smoothies for breakfast and we will see how the "purple puree" works out.  We get the V8 juice that is veggie and fruit mixed.  I still serve veggies as a side dish so they knowingly get vegetables, but I'm just adding extra.

Blonde Reminiscence

Okay, yes, yes, I know the know the name of this recipe should be the title of the newest harlequin novel, but I couldn't think of anything to adequately describe it!  And it almost reminds me of a Blondie from Applebee's. And...although I think its delicious, there is definitely room to play with this dessert--add something, change up the amounts--be creative!  I'm sure it would be great with zucchini bread.. or leftover cake edges???

4 slices almost stale banana bread
1/2 c. pecans or wanuts, chopped
4 T butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 bananas, cut in 1/2" rounds (optional)
2 c. Creamy-ness (ice cream, whipped cream, etc--I used some leftover banana cream cheese frosting that I had... it worked too)

Melt the butter in a thick skillet, add nuts and toast til light brown. Add brown sugar to butter nut mixture (you may need a bit more butter so that the br. sugar has something to melt into...) (if you are using bananas, add then to the skillet and warm til heated through. Toast the banana bread if it won't fall apart in your toaster (otherwise, warm in a pan or the mic**wave... isn't that a swear word on a food blog??)

Place banana bread on a small plate, pour the brown sugar/nut mixture over the bread and top with your ice cream, whipped cream, frosting. Enjoy!!

Everything Frittata

Last week, I wanted to make something 'different' for dinner and I realized that I had a bunch of veggies in the fridge.  I remembered making a yummy frittata from a Family Fun cookbook, which I hadn't written down and couldn't find the recipe online, so I just made this up. I loved it.... Quick and easy dinner!!  These are estimates on amounts, because I just threw things together and didn't measure, but if you add a large amount of veges/sausage, then add a couple more eggs!

6 eggs, beaten
s & p
1/2 small Onion, minced
2 cloves, garlic, minced
2 -4 T Olive oil
2 Cooked Sausages (optional-- I used a delicious Chicken & Apple sausage that I get at Costco, sliced in to 1/4" rounds)
1 c. Broccoli, washed and cut into 'trees'
1/2 c. peppers
1/2 c. asparagus, washed and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 apple, washed and cut into chunks
3/4 c. cheese, shredded  (I used mozzarella)

Beat eggs and add salt and pepper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350. Cook onions in olive oil on medium heat until almost translucent. Add garlic, sausage and broccoli and asparagus. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent and the remaining veggies are about halfway cooked, then add the peppers and apples. Cook for a minute more. Remove from heat. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies/sausages. Sprinkle cheese over egg mixture. Immediately, place in oven and cook for 15-20 until the frittata has set and the top is golden!

*I would have added tomatoes right before I added the egg.... if I'd remembered!

** I would have added mushrooms with the broccoli.. if I'd had any!!

Blueberry muffins

While shopping last week, I found a box of Blueberry Streusel muffins by Duncan Hines.  They are 100% whole grain and have real blueberries in them (not the hard, dried, sugared kind).  We had that for breakfast with some fresh fruit and they were very good.  It's an easy way to have something tasty, but also somewhat healthy.  I've checked out a book that has recipes for making muffins, pancakes, cookies, and donuts with equal parts white flour/wheat flour/wheat germ.  I'm excited to try the recipes to see if we like them.

Strawberry Shortcake

Well, I tell you this blog is requiring a lot of sacrifice on my part. This morning, I remembered that I had made a strawberry shortcake last night that I should have photographed to put up on the blog, but forgot. So, in my willingness to devote all my energy to this blog I decided I would use the leftover ingredients and have another for breakfast...  Haha! So here it is!! It was just as delicious as it was last night... too bad I didn't forget to take pics again!!

I love this strawberry shortcake, because it is NOT sweet! It is tasty and I love that I can feed it to my family and not have to deal with the 'sugar high'!

2 c. all purpose flour
2 1/2 T granulated sugar
1 T baking powder (yes, that is Tablespoon)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 egg, beaten
2/3 c. milk
3 c. strawberries, sliced
1 c. whipping cream
1 t. vanilla
1 T. granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 450 F. Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (it will look dry).  Add milk to the egg and mix together. Add the egg-milk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring by hand just until moistened.  Grease a 8 X 8 pan and spread the dough into the pan, making the edges a bit thicker than the center of the shortcake.  Bake for 15 - 18 minutes. Let cool for a couple of minutes, remove from pan, let cool another 5 minutes. Split into 2 layers. While shortcake is cooling, pour cream into a tall bowl or large mixing cup, add sugar and vanilla. Beat until medium peaks form.  Serve with alternating layer--shortcake, cream, strawberries, shortcake, cream, strawberries! Enjoy!

Kitchen gadget #2

My new favorite kitchen gadget is the kitchen shears.  For years I've seen them at the store and never knew why anyone would need them.  I had a pair in my drawer and decided to use them really quick to cut up some green onions.  Amazing!  So I was in a hurry and tried it on cooked chicken tenders.  Fast!  Now I use them for anything that I can.  It's so much faster than chopping.  I'm all about saving time when cooking and these have helped me a lot.

Smiley pudding

My girls love to eat pudding and I was thinking of a way to make it a little more fun and healthy.  This is what I came up with.

We also do this with our yogurt too.

Chicken Salad

5 chicken tenders, cooked and chopped
1 rib of celery
1 green onion
dash of garlic powder
dash of pepper
dash of celery salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup of mayo (depending on your preference)

Mix all ingredients and serve on bread, croissants, or stuffed in tomatoes.  Makes 4-6 sandwiches.

Yummy Yogurt Parfaits with fruit

This is a great and easy breakfast.  I made some cinnamon rasin toast to go with it.


½ c sliced strawberries

handful of blueberries

1 banana sliced

1 c vanilla low-fat yogurt


Alternate layers of fruit and yogurt in 2 bowls or glasses, beginning and ending with fruit. Top with granola or almonds.

Dutch Baby

This was a breakfast treat for me when I was growing up... I loved it!  I made this a couple of weeks ago and was sloppy about my preheating/pan heating, but it didn't come out puffy, so make sure you follow the preheating to a T!

1 1/4 c. all-purp flour
1/4 teas. salt
1/4 teas cardamom seeds, crushed (optional, but so wonderful!!)
1/4 c. sugar
2 c. milk
1/4 c water
2 lg eggs
2 T butter
Fresh berries (opt)

Preheat oven to 425. Whisk together flour, salt, cardamom, sugar, milk, water and eggs in a large bowl. Let stand, covered, 20 mins.

When oven is 425, heat a 12" cast iron skillet in the oven for 10 min. Remove from oven and immediately melt the butter in the skillet. Immediately pour in batter; bake until puffed (about 25 min). Cut into wedges. Serve with fresh berries. Yummmmmy....

Crumb the Cake

I am not a cake decorator. Not even close, but I just learned a trick I wish I'd known long ago. Crumb the cake.

I decided to make a shaped cake (without a mold) for a 5 year old friend's birthday.  I had an idea and went with it, but until I was 90% I was sure I was going to have to rush to the store and start over by making a FLAT rectangular brithday cake, but it turned out surprisingly well.

Its the shape of a 5, but the circular part of the 5 continues to swirl up and around into a hill.

So here's the trick: Bake, cool (overnight is best), shape/cut the cake, then make a batch of thin frosting. Use this frosting to glue the cut pieces to eat other and then frost the cake. At this point it will look horrible b/c all of the crumbs will get caught up in the frosting. Don't stop. It will be okay! Let the cake dry for an hour or so. Make another batch of frosting the consistency you like (I made butter cream) and spread it on. The first layer of frosting will keep the crumbs and you'll end up with a nice smooth (non-crumby) finish. Decorate.

Since I had about 1/2 a cake left over, I crumbled the remaining cake up and turned it in to the road. I also made a pile of dirt (chocolate cake crumbs) in the corner, so I didn't have to be so careful about being tidy while applying the road. If I dropped some, I just swept it over to the corner with a pastry brush and added a dump truck when I was finished!

Heavenly Chocolate Mousse

My favorite dessert of all time is chocolate mousse.  I have tried to find a good chocolate mousse at a restaurant for the past 6 years or so.  Nothing has been what I was looking for.  My pudding with cool whip recipe is a good substitute, but lately I've wanted the rich, thick, creamy chocolate mousse that I remember from restaurants when I was growing up.  So I have done some research and found a recipe that I think will be good.  I'm going to try it this weekend and I'll update the review after.

Ingredients


8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons butter (no substitutes)
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups whipping cream, whipped

Directions

1.In a microwave or double boiler, heat chocolate, 1/4 cup water and butter until the chocolate and butter are melted. If you use a microwave, melt in intervals and stir after each minute.  Cool for 10 minutes. In a small heavy saucepan, whisk egg yolks, sugar and remaining water. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees F, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat; whisk in chocolate mixture. Set saucepan in ice and stir until cooled, about 5-10 minutes. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Craig's Cheesy Bread

Fabulous, easy bread. Goes great with soup, salad and pasta!

I've made this for almost 15 years! Thank you Craig!

6 pc Sliced bread (White, Wheat, Hoagies, Hamburger buns, etc) *
4 T butter *
2 T Parmesan Cheese * (grated)


Preheat the oven to 400 F to heat your oven. You will later switch to broil, but make sure that the oven is hot before you put the bread in the oven.  Lay pieces of bread out on baking sheet. Melt butter in a frying pan. When melted, turn off heat, add the cheese, mix together. Using a rubber spatula, spread the mixture on each piece of bread. Broil on high for 2-3 while watching. When the bread is brown and cheese has browned, remove from the oven. Try not to eat the whole loaf before you serve it for dinner. Beware, its difficult!

*these are estimates--I have never measured using this recipe, but have noticed when I have added too much cheese to the butter, it is difficult to spread and you'll end up having to make more mixture to cover all of the bread. I think that the 4T/2T should be a good ratio, but play with it.

* this is one of the only times I recommend using Parmesan in the can/jar rather than fresh grated. The consistency works better when mixing with the butter.  I had to use the fresh grated tonight (in the pic), but still recommend the can as it makes it more consistent and more delicious the whole way through!

* I don't recommend using heavy wheat, multigrain breads. They detract from the 'flavor' of the cheese!

Cheesy Potato Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup

8 med potatoes; diced
1 onion; chopped
5 c water
6 T butter
6 T flour
2 c milk
1 ½ c grated cheese
1 t salt
1/8 t pepper
2 green onions, sliced
Optional add ins: broccoli, ham, carrots, celery


Combine potatoes, onions, and water in big pot. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer until potatoes are tender (abt. 15 minutes). Do not drain. In separate pan, melt butter, add flour. Stir and cook until mixture bubbles. Slowly add milk while stirring. Cook and stir until sauce thickens. Stir sauce slowly into potato mixture. Add cheese; cook until cheese is melted.  Serve and top with green onions if you desire.

Usually when I make this I add in broccoli.  Last night I decided to cut baby carrots into small pieces and celery finely chopped.  I added them with the potatoes.  I think that it would be really tasty with ham.  I would add it before the cheese (if it was fully cooked already).

Easy Instant Chocolate Mousse

1 package instant chocolate pudding mix

milk

1 tub cool whip topping (thawed)

1 Hershey's bar

Mix pudding and milk as instructed on package direction. Let set in refrigerator.  Add half the tub of cool whip adn mix well.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Spread remaining cool whip over the top of pudding mixture.  Finely grate part of the Hershey's bar over the top.  Serve.

unexpected surprise

I was going through some CD's my husband made me that have info from my old computer.  I put one in and it had all the recipes I thought I would like to try about 5 years ago!  I put them on my new computer and will be trying them out soon.  It was such an unexpected surprise.  I've gotten some really good sounding recipes that are healthy (they are for people with diabetes) that I want to try.  In fact, after looking through them, I saw that my White Chicken Chili recipe comes from them.  I'll have to try some out soon and post if they are good or not.

Apri-Oaty Bars

1 c dried apricots *or any dried fruit
3 T water
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. oats
1/2 t. salt
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 T honey

Preheat to 400. Line 9X9 with parchment. Puree the apricots and water. Set aside. Stir the flour, oats, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Melt butter, sugar, and honey in a saucepan over low heat. When completely mixed, pour over dry ingredients and stir until combined.  Press 1/2 of the oaty mixture in the bottom of the pan. Press flat. Spoon the apricot mixture carefully on top of oaty mix and smooth--leaving 1" border around edges. Press remaining oaty mixture on top.  Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and  leave to cool for 5 minutes. Divide bars into squares and let cool completely in pan, before scooping them out.  Yummmy....

Kids cookbooks

I went to the library yesterday and decided to try looking for kids cookbooks again.  Searching for them on the computer site for the library hasn't been very promising, so I just went looking at the shelves.  The computer said that there are 5 total cookbooks for children in the whole library system.  When I went to the shelves, there were three whole shelves of them.  All kinds of cookbooks: cooking for parents and children, fun kids recipes, cooking by country (foods from Germany, foods from France, foods from Brazil, foods from China, and so on and so on), how to make food fun for kids, recipes made up by children.  It was a wonderful find!  I take a reusable shopping bag that I bought at Target (all the grocery stores have them too) to the library because the bags they provide always break on me.  This time I wasn't able to fit all my books in the bag because I got so many cookbooks!  I've looked through three of them so far and have found that many of the recipes are the same.
  My favorite one though is "Paula Deen's My First Cookbook".  It has many of the same recipes as the others (ants on a log, smoothies, pancakes, pasta with cheese sauce) but there are some good other ones also (Porcupine Balls, Gelatin Blocks, Campfire Stew, Applewiches, Monkey Bread, and Green Eggs and Ham).  Not only the recipes sound good, but I like the way the book is set up.  The first page of a recipe has a picture of everything that you need for the recipe (mixing bowl, utensils, what to cook in, ingredients), the recipes are easy to follow if you want to have the kids make it on their own (if old enough) or help you out.  To make the book fun for kids, all the pictures are realisitc looking cartoons.  It also had a small section for making playdough and bubbles.