Lemon pepper chicken

Yesterday before work, I decided spur of the moment to put a meal together in the slow cooker.  That isn't a usual thing for me, partly because we don't always have the ingredients and partly because in the morning I'm in such a rush.  So while the girls were getting dressed for the day, I dug out my slow cooker and threw in a few handfuls of baby carrots, some frozen chicken tenders, and poured a little lemon pepper marinade over it.  I set the slow cooker for low and it cooked a little over 8 hrs.  My husband made microwave "baked" red potatoes when we got home and dinner was very good.  It was a nice, simple meal for just being thrown together.

A few notes: When using chicken tenders, they cook faster, so it would have been better to take them out at the 6 hour mark probably....ours were moist until you let them sit out of the juices for more than a few minutes.  I think the time would have been perfect for chicken breasts.  Also, I could have added additional vegetables with the carrots, but I didn't want to take the time to cut anything up.  We have done a similar recipe before where we added mushrooms and potatoes and it was really good. 

Inside out Sundae

Just a fun little trick!!

Make cake batter, fill cupcake tray with liners, fill the liner. Add a maraschino cherry to the center. Bake as directed (may need an extra minute or two).  When cool, Pipe whipped cream into the center of the cupcake.  Frost & decorate as you'd like!

This makes for a great surprise--biting into a cupcake filled with whipped cream and a cherry! So fun!

Photo: My whipped cream had lost its volume by the time I piped it into these cupcakes, which is why they looked filled with milk. But... if you use stiffer whipped cream you'll end up with great results! It worked well for me last time!!

Salmon-- how do you love it?

What is your favorite way to prepare salmon?

A couple of days ago I tried a new recipe. I mixed some chipotle powder into honey. I added a few drops of sesame oil and spread onto the raw fish. After covering the baking dish with foil, I baked at 300 for 30 minutes. It was really tasty. I especially enjoyed the sweet sesame flavor, but I felt that the honey didn't penetrate the fish, so only the outer layer was seasoned.

I usually make salmon with lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and cook them in little wrapped foil packets. Sometimes, I add a coating of mayonaisse or a few capers.  I love how this flavors all of the fish and is delicious and simple!

What do you love?

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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....

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Maybe I've been living in the South too long.  Before living here I would have said, "Sweet potatoes?  No thanks."  Then a few years ago a friend of mine made them and I thought they were really good.  So this year for Thanksgiving I decided to try.  I didn't do the casserole with the marshmallows though, I just mashed them.  It was simple and pretty good.

3 Sweet potatoes (or yams, I'm not sure how you can tell which is which)
3 T butter
2 T brown sugar

I washed the sweet potatoes (but not peeled) and put them in water to boil.  If they are the larger size you may have to cut them in half.  When they were soft I drained them and let them cool.  When they are cool to the touch take off the peel.  In the pan add butter and melt.  Add the potatoes and "smash" (intentionally leave some pieces not mashed) then add brown sugar.

Snowmen ...

A fun winter cake topper ... or can be done on individual cupcakes!

Cake or Brownie Mix
Whipped Topping
Large Marshmallows
Black icing
Assortment of sprinkles/candy to decorate.

Make cake/brownies. Cool. Spread on the whipped topping snow. Find the perfectest marshmallows and cut about 1/4" off the bottom of 1/2 of them. Squish these a bit to make them seem smaller. Stick to the uncut marshmallows. Decorate with icing, sprinkles, candy pieces. I just used things we had at home!! I borrowed this idea from one I found online. They used Jr. Mints as a beret for the snowman, which was very stylish! But.. I didn't want to make ANOTHER run to the grocery store, so we went for eclectic!! Very fun and easy!
Tip: Wet a toothpick and poke it into the place where you are going to poke in arms or the nose. It will make it much easier to get it in the snowman!! Happy Holidays!

Kitty Cupcakes

Cake Mix
White frosting
Pink frosting (in tube or pastry bag)
Green M&Ms
Saltines (quartered)
Pink pastel mints (halved)
Pretzel sticks (halved)

Make and cool cupcakes. Frost with white frosting. Place M&Ms as eyes and pastel mints as a nose. Pipe the mouth on with the pink frosting.  Stick saltine quarters into the cupcake so that they make a pointy ear. Place pretzels in as whiskers. All done. Super easy... and lots of fun!

Chicken Rice Soup

49oz Chicken Broth
2 cans Hormel Chunk Chicken (or 1 lb shredded chicken)
26oz spaghetti sauce
2 T chopped parsley
3 cups cooked rice
Grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, combine first 4 ingredients.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Add rice; simmer 10 minutes.  Serve with cheese.

Crockpot chunky applesauce

6 med granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into fourths
2/3 c sugar
¾ c apple juice
2 T margarine, melted
1 t ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat setting 2 1/2 to 4 hours or until apples break apart. Stir well to break apart bigger pieces.