Kristie's Cookin'!

Chicken and Three-Cheese French Bread Pizza

2011-11-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

This recipe is great on its own but can also be a great companion to other light meals such as soup, etc. I just made this with my Cream of Carrot and Tomato Soup and it was perfect. I could eat soup for dinner every night, but Eric likes to have something a little more so this was just right.

Chicken and Three-Cheese French Bread Pizza

It's quick and easy - and yummy! I rarely add the red pepper or green onions, but it is good either way. The recipe says "sliced french bread" - I'm not sure if that is clear...buy a big loaf of french bread (I get the Italian loaf in the bakery at Winco) and cut it in half lengthwise so you have two large slices of bread. When you are done baking, you can slice it into serving sizes.

Cream of Carrot and Tomato Soup

2011-11-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

Oh my yumminess. This recipe is so delicious...you must try it.
Cream of Carrot and Tomato Soup

A couple items to note:
*In the beginning, when you boil the carrots, use more water...put the carrots in the pot and add enough water to cover them completely. If you only use 1/2 cup, you'll run out of water and burn the carrots! When the carrots are finished, reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid to add to the soup later.
*Play with the red pepper content - it gives it a kick, so if you don't like your food too spicy, don't add the full amount.
*This may not be news to you, but half and half is half whipping cream and half milk. I think on some level, I knew this...but I've sort of always used half and half / whipping cream interchangeably. I am sure that for this recipe, you could also use just milk...it just may not be quite as thick/creamy as you'd like.
*I cut this recipe in half for my family and it was just the right amount to have some leftovers for lunch the next day. Ian and I shared some for lunch today. ;-)
*Goes great with a large loaf of french bread - also goes great with Chicken and Three Cheese French Bread Pizza which I will be posting next...

YUM!

Fun With Sugar Cookies

2011-10-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

Made these chalkboard cookies for Haylie's teacher for Back-to-School Night. Made the fondant using this recipe - it is marshmallow fondant! Easy to use and delicious too!!! (The idea for the cookie came from here. Don't compare too closely!)

Had lots of fondant left over so we (my friend Erin and I) decided to have some Halloween fun too! These projects were very time-consuming and somewhat tedious, but, in my mind it was worth it - something fun to do every so often. :-)

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken - Crock Pot

2011-10-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here's another yummy crock pot recipe:

Chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
1 Jar Archer Farms Hawaiian Barbecue Sauce (from Target)
1 can pineapple chunks

Dump all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8. Serve over rice.

I used 1 chicken breast and 2 thighs, half a jar of BBQ sauce, and a small can of crushed pineapple. Super easy and very delicious. The girls really liked it too. :-) Reminded me of sweet 'n' sour chicken.

Cinnamon Rolls

2011-10-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

I made cinnamon rolls for the very first time on Sunday. I used Eric's Mom's recipe:

http://www.mlre.org/index.php?recipe=8

They turned out beautifully! Just pay attention to the beginning of the recipe where it says "Begin 4 hours before you want to eat them"! It takes a time-investment, but it is really easy otherwise. :-) Enjoy!

Taco Pizza

2011-10-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

I have recently instituted what I call "Taco Tuesday" in our house. Tuesdays are going to be dedicated to some form of Taco-y/Mexican food goodness. Last night it was Taco Pizza...another recipe I found on Pinterest.

http://realmomkitchen.com/5301/taco-pizza/

After it was cooked, I also added fresh lettuce, avocados, sour cream, and Cotija cheese. Cotija is my new favorite cheese to use when cooking Mexican food. It is a hard, crumbly cheese that just adds so much flavor to your food. Good recipe - kids liked it, and most importantly, it was EASY! ;-)

Calzone

2011-10-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

I just discovered Pinterest. If you haven't yet...proceed with caution. I avoided it as long as possible because people kept talking about how addicting it is. They were right. But it has also reignited a flame within me for all things homey. I've been cooking more because I've seen so many new recipes on there that I want to try. I've been crafting more because they have so many fun ideas! So, I urge you to check it out - but just know that it will suck you in!! ;-)

Monday I tried a recipe I found for homemade calzone. Calzone is like pizza but it's all wrapped up kind of like a giant burrito. The recipe looked easy and my kids love pizza so we tried it. It was great! I bought a refrigerated pizza crust in a tube (Pillsbury) but you can also make your own - she provides a link to a recipe. Very very yummy, and EASY!

http://www.squidoo.com/homemade-calzone

Farmhouse Sugar Cookies

2011-09-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is the sugar cookie recipe that my mom always made when I was growing up. It was cross-stitched onto a cute little cookie-cutter holder that you could hang on the wall. As a child, I thought that was pretty nifty. Anyway, I continue to make these sugar cookies because of their familiarity (and their deliciousness), and thought I'd share. The recipe makes a soft, chewy sugar cookie that lends itself well to being frosted/decorated.

3/4 C. butter
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 C. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Chill, roll, cut. Bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. (I have found that the chilling part is very important to the process - makes the rolling and cutting much easier!)

And this is the frosting recipe my mom always used (good for cupcakes and cakes too) - she has the recipe in her head so this is how she dictated it to me:

1 lb. powdered sugar (4 cups)
1 cube butter
1 t. vanilla
Milk - enough to make it the right consistency (probably a couple tablespoons)
Add 2-4 T. cocoa if you want chocolate frosting.

As a side note, here is a link to a recipe for Hungry Bear Sugar Dream cookies (which are also fabulous, but in a different class of sugar cookie, in my opinion - good for consuming with a large glass of milk, not so good for decorating).

Got Bread?

2011-08-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

Every other Wednesday, we trek down to the Orowheat/Entemann's outlet down on Clovis Ave. If you are a Fresno/Clovis local and have not been there, go now! They have a punch card that they stamp for every dollar that you spend - when the punch card is full, you get to choose 2 items in the store for free. Wednesdays are double punch days - twice the stamps for what you spend. And, if you bring your own bag they give you $5 worth of stamps as well. AND, if you spend $7, you get another free item from the rack up front. Today I redeemed a full punch card - so, here's a picture of today's haul:

2 loaves of wheat bread, 2 packages of mini sandwich thins (the girls really like when I make their sandwiches on these), 1 package of regular sandwich thins, 2 packages of Thomas English muffins and 1 package of bagels.

Total spent: $8.36

...now to find space in my freezer...

Blackberry Blitz!!

2011-07-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

I just picked a little over 3 lbs. of blackberries from our bush outside! This is the second big harvest I've done. I've already made one pie...and I'll probably make 2 more while I am down in San Diego this next week.

Basketful of berries

These things are HUGE!!

Into the pan!

Ready to eat!! Delicious!!! For the recipe, click here.

Pork Pot Roast

2011-05-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

So Tuesdays tend to get pretty busy around here. Well, today was anyway. I teach piano lessons on Tuesday afternoon so dinner is always a struggle - I am never prepared the way I'd like to be. Today I was prepared! I've talked already about Cook's Country and their delicious recipes. Well, I finally got one of their cookbooks and I've had so much fun thumbing through it trying to find new recipes to try. So today, I was all over the place - and somehow, in between it all, I was able to whip this stuff together and we had a fabulous dinner.

So, if you want to get the recipe, you have to sign up with Cook's Country TV. All you have to do is give them your e-mail address. They don't send you anything unless you ask them to. Here it is:

Pork Pot Roast

So here's the thing about Cook's Country. It's good. I mean really good. And the reason it is so good is because they test these recipes a hundred different ways until they find the best of the best way to do it. So you know that the ingredients it calls for are THE ingredients. They even give a full description of their tests and how they came to their conclusions. Anyway, this is both fabulous and annoying at the same time. You must plan ahead. Get all the ingredients ahead of time because sometimes they are a little random - like parsnips, for example. ;-) A lot of times they are things that you don't just have hanging around. And I guess you could make substitutions, but then what's the point, right?

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

2011-04-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

Another recipe I got from the Cook's Country website. Very easy and delicious. We all loved it.

To make fresh breadcrumbs, grind 2-3 slices of hearty white sandwich bread in a food processor.

1 1/2 C. fresh breadcrumbs

3 T. olive oil

1 1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 C. chopped fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 C. all-purpose flour

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 lbs), halved horizontally

3 T. vegetable oil

3/4 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 C. shredded provolone cheese

1. Toast bread crumbs in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Toss with 1 T. olive oil, 1/4 C. Parmesan, and half of basil. In separate bowl, combine remaining olive oil, 1/4 C. Parmesan, remaining basil, garlic, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.

2. Place flour in dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper and coat with flour. Heat 2 T. vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 4 cutlets and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining cutlets and vegetable oil.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomato mixture to empty skillet. Return cutlets to pan in even layer, pressing down to cover with sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella, provolone, and remaining Parmesan over chicken. Cover with lid and cook until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture and serve.

Chicken Tacos

2011-03-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

We don't have cable or satellite - just good old fashioned bunny ears. Well, one of the channels we get on our antenna is a PBS-type station called Create. It has quilting shows, painting shows (Bob Ross is our personal favorite), knitting shows, and of course, cooking shows. Our favorite cooking show is Cook's Country. It is part of America's Test Kitchen - and they have their chefs test each recipe over and over to find what works best. We've made several of their recipes and they are always delicious. So a few days ago we saw a show where they made chicken tacos - we are big fans of tacos around here - especially me because they are so quick and easy to make! These chicken tacos were fab-u-lous - and easy! There are a couple of ingredients that you probably don't have just hanging out in your pantry - so it does require some planning, but it is sooo worth it! Here it is:

Chicken Tacos

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used one large chicken breast)
4 cloves minced garlic (I did about 1 1/2 T. pre-minced garlic)
3 T. butter

2 t. minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup fresh cilantro (I didn't use this much)
1 t. yellow mustard
Flour tortillas

So on the show, they poached the chicken but I couldn't remember how they did it so I ended up just cooking it in the skillet. Once cooked, remove from skillet and shred with two forks. Set aside. Using the same skillet, melt the butter and add garlic, chipotle, orange juice, worcestershire, and 1/2 cup of the cilantro. Add mustard and return the chicken to the skillet, cook until heated through.

Serve with your favorite toppings. We use sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, olives, and avocados.

Enjoy!

Side Note: Cooks Country has a website but you have to pay for a membership to get access to all the recipes, but you can usually just do a Google search and find the recipes on people's blogs (that's what I did!!) ;-)

Vegetable Soup

2010-10-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that my mom has made for years. Very yummy Fall soup!

1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
4-5 carrots, sliced
center of celery stalk with leaves, chopped
2 zucchini, diced
1 small head cauliflower, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
pepper to taste
parsley flakes
basil flakes
2 T. chicken boullion granules (or two cubes)
6 cups water
2 cans green beans, drained

Simmer about 40 minutes

Chicken and Rice Soup

2010-10-28T18:49:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to eat nothing but soup lately - with the cool Autumn weather blowing in! So of course I've been on the internet looking for new recipes, and of course, making some of my old favorites. Tonight I made Chicken and Rice soup from my mother-in-law's website. It was very easy and very quick. It serves 8-10; I made the full recipe and put half of it in the freezer - so now we have another dinner just waiting for us. YUM! Here's the link.

http://www.mlre.org/index.php?recipe=356

P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps

2010-10-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite restaurants is P.F. Chang's. Eric took me to dinner there the night he proposed to me, so it's always been a special place to us. And you really can't go to P.F. Chang's without ordering the lettuce wraps. Well, Eric found this recipe online and has made them for me twice in the last couple weeks (he's so good to me). So, here's the link...enjoy!

http://www.food.com/recipe/p-f-changs-chicken-lettuce-wraps-15865

PS...if you have not been to P.F. Chang's - go NOW! And if you order nothing but the lettuce wraps, I assure you it will be worth it!

Chocolate Oatmeal Chippers

2010-09-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law sent me this recipe recently and we made them yesterday. YUMMY!!

Chocolate Oatmeal Chippers

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz.) bag milk chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Put on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes at 350.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-09-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Stefanie made these cookies for me last week and they were oh so delicious. The recipe I normally use, Mrs. Fields, calls for a whole pound of butter - which makes a truly delectable cookie, but that's a lot of butter - and butter is not cheap! So anyway, this recipe uses margarine, and it is fabulous! Enjoy!

It is Stefanie's mother-in-law, Nancy's recipe:

Nancy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bake 375 for 10-12 mins.

Beat following ingredients until smooth:
3 cubes of margarine (room temp.)
2 c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine together then add:
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
4 ½ c. flour

Stir in:
3 c. chocolate chips

Soup's On!

2010-09-01T15:47:00.001-07:00

It's not officially soup season yet, but I was craving this soup we made this summer when we were at the lake. It's super easy and of course, delicious.

Broccoli Cheese Chowder

Now, it does call for heavy cream, but you can substitute milk without any problem. And I add more potatoes to thicken it up a bit. Serve in a bread bowl or with French bread. Mmmmm!!!

Crock Pot Green Pepper Chicken

2010-07-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

I posted this recipe a couple weeks ago and made it yesterday. I actually used a whole onion like it called for, which surprised even me, because I usually substitute onions with onion powder because I like the flavoring onions give, but not the texture. Well, I figured in the crock pot they would get nice and soft and it would be fine. And it was, but the onion flavor was a little too much for me. Eric really liked it - so it just depends on your personal taste for onions! We served it with rice and corn tortillas, but found that it was even better with tortilla chips. So next time I'll probably just use onion powder and I think I might consider shredding up the chicken more and actually using it as more of a dip. Anyway, definitely a keeper!

Crock Pot Tilapia

2010-07-13T18:35:00.001-07:00

I posted a crock pot tilapia recipe here a couple weeks ago - made it last week and it was good. It was not as good as this recipe which I am not finding on my blog so I don't know if I ever posted it!! It was FABULOUS! But, the crock pot dish was good because I didn't have to use the stove, etc. Eric and the girls really liked it so that's always a good thing. It's definitely worth a shot if you like fish - or if you are like me and you are not a huge fan of fish - this is a good one to mask the fishy taste and smell! Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

2010-07-13T18:32:00.001-07:00

I was going to make Shepherd's Pie in the crockpot today but I forgot to get it started early - so I found a different recipe here. It is not a crockpot recipe but it only requires use of the oven for about 15 minutes so it wasn't too bad. It was super easy and tasty. I added a little bit of garlic powder to my meat mixture too - very good. :-) Enjoy.

Blackberry Crumb Pie

2010-07-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

We have 3 blackberry bushes in our back yard that produce super delicious blackberries every summer. There are usually too many for us to really just eat by themselves - so I've tried freezing them but then forget about them, they get frostbite, etc. Sooo, this year Eric suggested I make a pie. I thought, hmm, I've never really made pie before, and I really don't like fruit pies. Well, let me clarify: I love key lime pie, lemon meringue pie and other cream pies, but pies with chunks of fruit - blech...but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. So I found a recipe in my Southern Living cookbook that looked fabulous. I forgot to take a "before" picture, but here is the pie after we sliced into it. It. was. delicious.

First I made the crust using a recipe also in Southern Living:

Pastry Shell

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon vinegar

Combine flour and sugar; add butter and vinegar, mixing well. Roll pastry out to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Lightly grease pie pan and press pastry into pan.

Now for the filling:

Blackberry Crumb Pie

1 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups fresh blackberries
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell (see above)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

Combine first 4 ingredients; stir well. Place blackberries in unbaked pastry shell; sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over berries. Spread sour cream mixture over berries. Combine breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, and butter; sprinkle over top. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until center of pie is firm.

So, a couple things I learned: my crust got a little darker than I would have liked...so maybe I should have checked it before 45 minutes...but it was not burned and it still tasted great.

I doubled the crumb topping mixture. I put the first load on and it just didn't seem like enough so I loaded it up with another round!

Now, I said I don't like fruit pie - but this fruit pie...I love. The sour cream combined with the sugar makes an absolutely to-die-for creamy filling. Also, we served it cold which I think helped my enjoy it more (I reallllly don't like hot fruit). Anyway, a piece of this pie served with a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream = HEAVEN!

Oh, and I imagine that this would be good with any kind of fruit. The cookbook mentions blueberries specifically, but I suppose any fruit would be yummy.

Summer Cookin'

2010-07-03T12:28:00.001-07:00

It is so hot here in Fresno - and to make matters worse, my kitchen is the hottest room in the house in the evening. So, I try to turn my oven on as little as possible. I did some searching on the internet for some crock pot recipes and there is a great site - The Crockpot Lady. She decided that for one year she would use her crockpot every single day and try different recipes every day! Sounds like insanity to me, but I'm grateful for her recipes! So, I've decided to share with you 4 of the recipes I'm going to be making over the next couple weeks. I have not tried them before, so I make no guarantees, but she does have a verdict on each one and says they're good! I'll post my own reviews after I make them. Enjoy!

Green Pepper Chicken

Coconut Red Beans and Rice

Foil Packet Tilapia

Shepherd's Pie

No-Bake Dessert

2010-06-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Eric asked me to find a no-bake cookie recipe. We wanted dessert but did NOT want to turn the oven on - it is toooo hot! Sooo, I found a recipe for peanut butter bars - and the comment on it was "these taste just like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups". They had me at "Reese's". I looooove peanut butter so this was perfect! And let me just tell you - they really do taste just like Reese's. Make sure you have a nice tall glass of milk handy.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanut-Butter-Bars-I/Detail.aspx

Gumbo!

2010-04-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to make Gumbo since Easter when we watched The Princess and the Frog for the first time. It takes place in New Orleans and they talk about Gumbo a lot. Sounded good to me! I had only had it once before when I was in college - I had a roommate from Kentucky that made it for us. I remember liking it then...so decided to hunt down a recipe and try it out myself. I found the recipe in the Southern Living cookbook (where else??) So here goes:

Ham, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

1 1/2 lbs ham, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 lbs smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
6 chicken thighs
1/4 cup plus 2 T. vegetable oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 package frozen okra (sliced)
2 quarts water
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. dried whole thyme
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion tops
Hot cooked rice

Brown each meat, one at a time, in oil in a large Dutch oven, removing to drain on paper towels.
Add flour to oil remaining in Dutch oven; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until roux is caramel-colored (10-15 minutes)
Add onion, garlic, green pepper and okra to roux; cook until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Gradually add water. Add ham, sausage, chicken, red pepper, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cool and skim fat from top. Remove bones from chicken; coarsely chop chicken and return to pot.
Bring gumbo to a boil; add green onion tops. Cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice. Yield: 12 cups.

**Okay, so I did personalize this just a bit. First and foremost - I halfed the recipe!!
** The original recipe didn't call for okra...I don't know about you but I LOVE okra and in my mind, gumbo is supposed to have okra! So, you decide.
**I used boneless skinless chicken thighs...so that part about cooling the gumbo and removing the bones from the chicken, etc....I just skipped.
**I used 1/4 t. red pepper and Eric didn't think it was spicy enough...it had a kick to it but probably could have used more. So, if you like spicy...add a bit more.
**I started cooking around 3:00 in the afternoon...make sure you plan ahead if you wanna make this one!!

We really like this! Even Haylie ate her required number of bites without too much complaint. Although when I put her bowl in front of her she said "That looks gross." Okay - so it kind of did look gross. It turned a dark brown color as it cooked...not sure why. But the color did not affect the taste! YUM!

Pan Fried Tilapia

2010-03-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

So I've mentioned on here before how much I dislike fish. Tilapia is pretty much the only fish I have found that is tolerable - and even then sometimes it is still too fishy for me. Anyway, I found the BEST recipe today. I'm not sure if it was just an exceptionally good batch of fish I got, or if it was just the recipe that made it so good, but either way - YUM! And, as an added bonus - it took about 10 minutes to make! Just the way I like it!!!

Click here for the recipe.

I made rice (with chicken broth instead of plain water) and served the fish over rice with a side of green beans. Delicious!

Side Note: I told Haylie it was chicken because I knew she would wrinkle her nose and not touch it if she knew it was fish. So she ate it all - and she said she liked it. Then I told her it was fish and she goes "eeeew!!" So we had a little chat about how she needs to try things before deciding whether or not she likes it (a la Green Eggs and Ham). We'll see what happens next time I tell her we're having fish! Anna also ate hers all gone without batting an eye. :-D

Bean Soup

2010-03-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is a soup that my mom made a lot when I was growing up and I love it. It is such a comfort food for me! Unfortunately, Eric is not fond of beans so I don't get to make this soup very often. But every once in a while I just do it anyway - and Eric is so good - he never complains. So here it is:

1/4 cup of each of the following:
black eyed peas
pinto beans
navy beans
small lima beans
great northern beans
butter beans or large limas
pearl barley
split green peas
red beans
lentils

Wash beans thoroughly, place in large container, cover with water and add 2 tablespoons salt. Soak overnight. In the morning, drain, add 2 quarts of water and about 1/2 lb ham or ham hocks. Bring to boil. Stir often. Simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Then add:
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 large can tomatoes (29 oz)
juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer another 30 minutes. Serves 12 generously.

My variations:
Note the serving size - half the recipe for a smaller serving size.
I bought a bean mix in the bulk section at Winco - very cheap and it doesn't have all the same exact beans as the recipe but it's close enough - you can pretty much use whatever you want.
My mom always used ham hocks in the recipe - I prefer it with actual ham. I found a half ham on sale at Winco and for dinner last night we had ham and potatoes - then I packaged up the rest of the ham (3 meals worth) and put it in the freezer, I pulled off what was left on the bone and put it in my soup along with the bone. I'll pull the bone out when I am ready to serve the soup.
I use onion powder instead of an onion
This can also be done in the crock pot - soak the beans overnight - in the morning put them in the crock pot on high with the ham and water. After about 2 hours, turn down to low and add the other ingredients. I don't think it is possible to overcook - mine has been in the crockpot all afternoon and it looks and smells wonderful. We'll dish it up when Eric gets home.

Enjoy!!!

Triple-Layer Chocolate Cake

2010-01-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

Eric and I saw this cake on some show on PBS and Eric just HAD to have it. You'll probably think I'm crazy but I am not a big fan of chocolate cake. I would choose white cake over chocolate any day. But I gotta' admit - this cake was fabulous.

1 chocolate cake mix

1 package chocolate pudding mix

Fix cake and pudding according to directions on package. If you have two 8" round pans, use those for the cake mix. I used one deep 8" round. After the cake cools, you will cut each cake in half to make the layers. The best way to cut the layers is to use one of these:

This is a contraption that has a very thin piece of wire going across and that slices right through the cake to make your layers. If you do not have one of these a piece of thread or maybe even dental floss would work. A knife would probably work as well, but a little more difficult to get a straight cut, I think. I set each layer on a plate once it is cut.

Once the pudding is set, spread it generously on the bottom layer, place the next layer on top of that, then another layer of pudding, then another layer of cake. Spread pudding all over the cake as if you are frosting it - top and sides. The 4th layer of cake is going to be crumbled up and sprinkled on the top and sides of the cake.

Pour yourself a large glass of milk and enjoy!!!

THE Best Gingerbread Cookies EVER

2009-12-09T09:24:00.001-08:00

This is a recipe I got from my Mother-in-law. LOVE LOVE LOVE these cookies. I love my cookies soft - especially my Gingerbread men - and this recipe makes them fabulously soft! Now, make sure you include the ground cardamom - I believe it is the secret to making these cookies so delicious! I'm not sure how easy it is to find - I got mine from my Mother-in-law, but it should not be too difficult. The recipe has a funny name - and upon doing a little research I have found that it is a popular Swedish cookie recipe. Anyway, here it is:

Old Fashioned Papparkakor

3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1½ tsp. ginger
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
½ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
1 unbeaten egg
¾ cup light molasses
2 tsp. grated orange rind

Sift together dry ingredients, cream butter and sugar, add unbeaten egg and molasses and orange rind; beat well. Stir in the dry ingredients gradually, mixing until blended. Cover; chill overnight. (Dough may be used in small amounts-will keep in refrigerator for one week.) Roll out on well-floured surface, to 1/8” thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter. (This is a good recipe for gingerbread men.) Place on greased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-11-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

This is my 2nd most favorite soup recipe on the planet! And it is even easier than the potato soup ! (see previous post)

1/2 lb cooked chicken, shredded
1(15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1(10 oz) can enchilada sauce (red)
1 medium onion, diced
1(4 oz) diced green chilies
1(14 1/2 oz) can chicken broth
1(15oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 clove garlic, cut or smashed
1 Tbsp. dried cilantro

Combine all in crock pot. Cook 4 to 5 hours on LOW. Top with sour cream, grated cheese, tortilla chips.

You can also add black beans! Just drain and rinse them first. I also like to top it with avocado chunks. YUMMY!

Ham and Potato Soup

2009-11-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

Soup weather has arrived!! This soup is my absolute most favorite soup on the planet. And it's easy to make!

http://mlre.org/index.php?recipe=293

I love to serve this in bread bowls. You can usually get bread bowls at Winco - 2 in a package over near the bakery.

YUM YUM!

Menus 9/29 - 10/5

2009-09-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough couple of days so I'm finally getting around to posting menus. I'm gonna start with today since I didn't cook last night (Eric made fried rice) and I'm going through Monday because my parents are coming up this weekend and I wanted to make sure I make yummy stuff while they're here!

Tuesday, 9/29: Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is a recipe from my mother-in-law which you can find here. Delicious and easy too!! One thing I do differently is cut the chicken up - I think the flavor permeates more when it is in bite sized pieces. Serve over rice. Sometimes I like to buy the frozen oriental veggie mix and mix that in too. Yum. (I just realized I have posted this one already but I did it with pork last time)

Wednesday, 9/30: Hamburgers

We just got a Costco rebate so we "splurged" and bought the yummy frozen sirloin patties. Hamburgers are a favorite around here.

Thursday, 10/1: Hawaiian Haystacks

I am so excited for Fall - but I had to squeeze in my favorite summer dish one more time!

http://kristiescookin.blogspot.com/2009/07/menus-83-87.html

Friday, 10/2: Tortilla Soup (!!)

I have been WAITING for cooler weather so I can start making my favorite soups!!! This is one of my favorite favorite favorites and it is so easy! Got this from my fabulous sister-in-law Jenn.

1/2 lb cooked chicken, shredded
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1(10 oz) can enchilada sauce (red)
1 medium onion, diced (I use onion powder)
1(4 oz) diced green chilies
1(14 1/2 oz) can chicken broth
1(15oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 clove garlic, cut or smashed (I use garlic powder)
1 Tbsp. dried cilantro (I've never found dried cilantro but fresh is good too!!)

Combine all in crock pot. Cook 4 to 5 hours on LOW. Top with sour cream, grated cheese, tortilla chips.

Saturday, 10/3: Creamy Meatballs and Potatoes

I may have posted this one before but here it is again. It is a Metler family favorite and a recent favorite of my moms! When I asked her if she had any requests for dinner while she was here - this is the first one she came up with. So, try it...it's delicious!

Sunday, 10/4: Tri-tip

Tri-tip Friday got postponed to Sunday this week. Same 'ol Same 'ol.

Monday, 10/5: Chicken Pot Pie

I just made this a couple weeks ago - but it was so good and I want my mom to taste it! So here we go again. http://kristiescookin.blogspot.com/2009/09/menus-914-918.html. The only thing I'm going to do differently this time is add small cubed potatoes! I think that will be delicious!

Enjoy!

Menus 9/21 - 9/25

2009-09-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

I want to share something I learned last week: I was comparing prices on rice at Winco and found that the bulk rice is cheaper than the bagged rice - only by a few cents - but every cent counts, right? I also learned that "converted" rice is the way to go! I have always wondered how restaurants get their rice to be smooth and non-sticky...it's converted rice! I love it!

Ok, on with this week's menus. I'm trying really hard to try things that I wouldn't normally - or to at least try new things instead of making the same stuff over and over.

Monday, 9/21: Chicken with Polenta

This is from the Southern Living Top Rated cookbook. There are a few adjustments I'll be making to the recipe - I'll post my review later!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=259127

Tuesday, 9/22: Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Once again, from SL Top Rated - I love that cookbook!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=258166

Wednesday, 9/23: Gringo Tamale Pie

Ok - I was going to make this several weeks ago and I never got around to it because I didn't have any corn meal like I thought I did! So I have corn meal in hand and we're gonna give it a shot now! Go here for the recipe.

Thursday, 9/24: Sausage and Mashed Potato Casserole

Haylie loved that sausage so much last week so I wanted to do another sausage recipe. So this is what my search turned up:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1898465

Friday, 9/25: You guessed it, Tri-tip!!

Tri-tip Friday. Gotta' love it.

Sausages with White Beans Review

2009-09-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

I hope you checked out this recipe on Michelle's blog. It was fantastic. I know I've been fairly blessed that Haylie is not a real picky eater - she usually eats what we put in front of her without much fuss - but you should have seen her scarf this down! I usually give her 4-5 pieces of meat no matter what we're eating - that is what I expect her to eat. She ate her 4-5 slices of sausage and asked for more! She probably ate a total of 8-10 slices of sausage. And she liked the beans too. Anna enjoyed it as well. Even if you are not a huge fan of sausage (which, btw, I am not usually) - you should definitely try this one.

5 out of 5 stars, for sure!

Menus 9/14 - 9/18

2009-09-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Monday 9/14: Chicken Pot Pie

I made this chicken pot pie tonight and it was FANTASTIC! It is from the Southern Living Top Rated cookbook. It was a very cool day today and this was the perfect dinner.

1- 15 oz package refrigerated pie crust
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/3 cups milk
4 cups chopped roasted chicken breast
1 cup sliced carrots, cooked
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. poultry seasoning
1/4 t. hot sauce

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onions and celery and saute until tender.
Add flour, stirring until blended; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in broth and milk, stirring constantly, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, sliced carrots, and remaining ingredients.

Pour into a 9x13 pan and cover with refrigerated pie crust. Cut slits in pie crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 servings

Here's what mine looked like:

I did a few things differently from the recipe. As usual, I didn't use real onions - I used dried chopped onion. I only used 1/2 cup butter because I didn't want to cut into another cube! But it was totally fine! I used fresh carrots that I sliced and boiled - they're so much better than frozen. I didn't add any poultry seasoning or hot sauce...it didn't seem necessary to me. But speaking of poultry seasoning...if you want to save some money - buy chicken bouillon and make your own chicken broth instead of buying it canned. 1 t. of bouillon per 1 cup of water - it goes a LONG way - much cheaper than buying canned broth. Also, as you can see from my picture, I didn't use a 9x13 pan - this is a Corningware pan - not sure what the measurements are but it is a little smaller around than a 9x13 but it is deeper. Make sense? Anyway - try this now - it was so yummy.

Tuesday, 9/15: Sausage with White Beans

I'm going to send you to my friend Michelle's cooking blog Inside Our Kitchen for this recipe - I saw it over there and had to try it. Click the link above for the recipe.

Wednesday, 9/16: Baked Linguine with Meat Sauce

This recipe is also from the Southern Living Top Rated cookbook. Looks yummy.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=258211

Thursday, 9/17: BOOK CLUB

I'm having delicious chinese food at book club....haven't thought of anything just yet for Eric and the girls...

Friday, 9/18: Tri-tip

Of course! BBQ tri-tip - probably some mashed taters and corn on the cob. I love Tri-tip Fridays! ;-)

Enjoy!

Menus 9/7 - 9/11

2009-09-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Keeping it pretty simple this week - seems to be a lot going on!

Monday, 9/7: LABOR DAY BBQ!
Remember that tri-tip I got last week? We're barbecuing it tonight with corn on the cob and potato salad. YUM.

Tuesday, 9/8: Chicken Enchiladas
I'm most likely going to use some generic red enchilada sauce - just roll up some chicken and cheese in a tortilla, smother it with sauce, and bake.

Wednesday, 9/9: Hot Dogs
Yup - going all out...I have enrichment this night and I am in charge of the food - so Eric and the girls are on their own!

Thursday, 9/10: Taco Salad
I am going to the Madera fair to see my favorite country singer, Gary Allan~so once again we're keeping it simple. Lettuce, ground beef, corn, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, tortilla chips, and your favorite dressing.

Friday, 9/11: Pork Tenderloin
I made this one a couple months ago - it was delicious - time to do it again!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=257454

Happy cooking!

Menus 8/31 - 9/4

2009-09-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm late posting again...but before I list my menus I want to tell you (locals) to go shopping at Winco this week! You should have received an ad in the mail this weekend. They are opening a new store in Fresno and so the Clovis store is having a Grand Opening sale too. I saved about $20 today with the coupons from the ad. Some of my favorite deals:
Honey Nut Cheerios $.98 (coupon necessary)
Capri Sun 10 pack $.98 (coupon necessary)
3 lbs frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts $3.98 (coupon necessary)
Santiam canned veggies $.28 each (coupon necessary)
Bar S Bacon $.98 (coupon necessary)
Corn on the cob $.10 each
Ground beef (extra lean 7% fat) was $2.98/lb but has an instant coupon on the package for $3 off
Tri-tip $1.78/lb (!!)
Cheese Winco brand $1.98/lb
Deli Turkey $1.98/lb

I had so much fun shopping today because I felt like everything was on sale!

On a completely unrelated note, my chickens are laying eggs again and it was so fun to NOT have to buy eggs at the store! We're getting about 2 eggs a day (1 from each of 2 chickens, 3rd chicken not laying yet).

Ok...so here we go:

Monday, 8/31: Baked Potatoes

I had to be creative last night because I hadn't been shopping yet...so we had baked potatoes with chili con carne, cheese, sour cream and bacon. Yum.

Tuesday, 9/1: Chicken Divan

This is a yummy casserole - especially if you like curry.

3 heads fresh broccoli
2-3 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can water or milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. curry powder
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Cook broccoli, drain and place in 9x13 dish. Simmer chicken, cut up, and arrange on broccoli. Mix next 5 ingredients and pour over top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve with rice.

*I usually use about 1 broccoli crown and it seems to be enough for my family - and probably about half as much chicken too. Also, if you're not a big fan of mayo, sour cream works well too.

Wednesday, 9/2: ???

Eric is going to the vineyard straight from work so my friend invited me and the girls over for dinner. I will not be cooking...hooray!

Thursday, 9/3: Glazed Chicken over Couscous Pilaf

I found this in a cookbook my sister-in-law gave me years and years ago. Pillsbury Fast and Healthy cookbook. I've never made couscous before so I thougth this would be fun. It says to broil the chicken, but I think I am going to try and bake it - seems like oftentimes meat gets tough in the broiler...

Pilaf
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas
3/4 cup water
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. ginger
1/2 cup uncoooked couscous

Chicken
2 T. orange juice
1 T. apricot preserves or honey
1/2 t. spicy brown mustard
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

In medium saucepan, combine peas, water, salt, and ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in couscous. Cover; let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine orange juice, preserves and mustard; bled well. Pour half of mixture (about 2 tablespoons) into another small dish; reserve for topping. Place chicken on broiler pan; bursh with about half of remaining orange juice glaze.

Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Turn chicken. Brush with glaze; discard any remaning glaze. Broil an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear.

Stir couscous mixture lightly with fork; Serve chicken on top of couscous and drizze with reserved orange juice mixture.

Friday, 9/4: Tri Tip on the BBQ, corn on the cob, mashed taters

I {heart} tri-tip. I can't help myself - I always overeat when tri-tip is on the menu. I'll probably just sprinkle it with Pappys and have Eric BBQ it. Sheesh, now I can't wait 'til Friday!

Enjoy!

Menus 8/24 - 8/28

2009-08-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late posting this - don't know where the weekend went! Okay, so this week, I decided to challenge myself. I wanted to see if I could do a week's worth of menus using only food that we already had on hand. I knew I had plenty of meat in the freezer - just had to see what else we had. So, these are the recipes I came up with - not as fun and "exotic" as usual (haha) but some are old favorites. Enjoy!

Monday, 8/24 - Chicken Casserole

This is an old favorite. I l-o-v-e this casserole. It just feels homey. Probably cuz my mom made it when I was a kid.

1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cups diced celery
1 T. chopped onion and a dash of onion salt
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
3 cups cooked rice (1 1/2 cups uncooked)
Mix and put in a 9 x 13 pan. Top with sauce:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
Grate cheese over top. Top with potato chips (optional)
Bake 20-40 minutes at 400 degrees.

*The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup mayo but I have found that it is too "mayo-ey" so I cut it down and added sour cream. You could probably use all sour cream if you are opposed to mayo.

*I half the recipe for my family

*It really is yummy with potato chips on top - we never have potato chips in the house - but when we do, it is worth it!

Tuesday, 8/25: Gringo Tamale Pie

This recipe is in a family cook book and was submitted by my Grandpa Ketterer (my mom's dad). I have never tried it before but looks yummy.

1 lb. ground beef
1 - 4 oz. can diced green chilies
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
1/2 cup cream style corn
1 - 1 oz. taco seasoning packet with 2/3 cup water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients, except cheese, in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat. While heating, mix:
1 1/4 cup yellow corn meal
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 t. salt
1/2 t. chili powder

Cook over medium heat until quite thick, stirring often. Hold back 3/4 cup. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and line bottom and sides with cornmeal mix.

Pour filling into casserole dish, top with rounded tablespoons of remaining cornmeal. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Wednesday, 8/26: Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

Got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Jenn. The first time I had it, I was pregnant with Haylie and I was at her house and she served this. I am not ashamed to admit that I ate 2 wraps, then finished off what was left in the bowl. Sooo delicious!

Combine in plastic bag:
3 T. olive oil
1 t. lemon pepper
1 t. crushed garlic
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1 lb. chicken, cubed
Marinate for 15 minutes then cook chicken in skillet on stove.

Meanwhile...

Combine:
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup olives, chopped or sliced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups romaine lettuce (I've never actually measured that out - I just cut til it looks like enough!)
3/4 cup seasoned croutons
1/2 cup caesar salad dressing

Add chicken. Roll up tightly in a tortilla.

*As a general rule, when something calls for garlic, I usually use garlic powder. Same with onions.

*I've never actually had this with red bell pepper - Jenn made it with tomatoes and that's how I've always done it. It probably would be good with red bell pepper - but it is delicious with tomatoes!

Thursday, 8/27: Homemade Pizza

Eric usually makes the pizza dough for this and I'm not entirely sure what recipe he uses - so if you are interested - leave a comment and I'll get the recipe up for you. I'm just gonna make the dough, spread some leftover spaghetti sauce on it, and use kielbasa slices for the pepperoni (that's how we did it growing up and it's YUMMY!)

Friday, 8/28: Beef Stroganoff

Okay - I have the recipe for this around here somewhere...from Eric's mom. Again, if you're interested, leave a comment and I'll post it - but for now, the children are needy so I must say good night.

Enjoy!

Menus 8/17-8/21

2009-08-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

It's good to be home! I only got one week of planning in this time but hopefully in the future I'll be doing two weeks at a time again!

Monday, 8/17: Chinese New Year Chicken

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law - very delicious.

Marinade:

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. oil

1 T. cornstarch

2 chicken breasts

1 carrot, julienned

1/4 lb. snow peas

1/2 cup chopped green onion

8 oz. vermicelli noodles

Sauce:

3 T. soy sauce

1 T. sugar

2 T. white vinegar

1/2 t. ginger

1/8 to 1/4 t. red pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)

Cut chicken breasts into cubes. Marinate at least 10 minutes. Break pasta in half, cook without salt, drain and keep warm. Stir fry chicken and remove. Add onions, carrots, and peas and cook for 1 minute (or until warm). Stir in chicken and sauce and toss with pasta. Serve immediately.

*A couple things: I usually leave out the onions cuz I just don't like them. If you do not like spicy, then 1/8 t. of red pepper is probably best, if not less! You don't have to use vermicelli noodles; angel hair, spaghetti and linguine all work too.

Tuesday, 8/18: Tacos / Spanish Rice / Beans

This is another of my fallback meals. I just love it. I use flour tortillas and I fry them up just a little bit with olive oil so they are a nice golden brown color. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, olives, green chile sauce. Mmmm.

Wednesday 8/19: Chicken in Creamy Pan Sauce

This recipe is on kraftfoods.com. A favorite in this house and very easy to make! I serve it over rice.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/chicken-in-creamy-pan-107335.aspx

Thursday, 8/20: Crock Pot Chicken

This Thursday is book club where I will feast on delicious food that other people have made! But, since I don't want to completely abandon Eric and the girls, I'm gonna throw some chicken in the crock pot for them.

My friend Kari made this chicken for book club once and it was delicious. All you do is throw some chicken in the crock pot and sprinkle some Pappy's seasoning on it (I think most stores are selling Pappy's now - and the "low salt" is very good - I think the original is too salty). It is best if you mix thighs with breasts, but it will work with any cut of chicken. Cook on high for about 4-5 hours - and again, I serve it over rice.

Friday, 8/21: London Broil

Ok, so I got a London Broil on sale a couple weeks ago at the store. Eric BBQ'd it one night and it was TOUGH! So I'm going to try to cook it in the crock pot and see what happens. If anyone has any ideas to soften it up - please let me know!!

Also, has anyone tried any of the menus/recipes I've put up so far? If so, let me know how they're working for you! Am I inspiring anybody? ;-)

Sesame Seed Chicken Review

2009-08-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

This chicken was scrumptious! It was my intention to serve it with mashed potatoes but Anna was NOT happy this evening when I was making dinner so the mashed taters didn't happen. It would have been DELICIOUS with potatoes. But, it was still tasty. The recipe for White Chicken Gravy was good - but I don't seem to be capable of making thick gravy . Eric says I just need to keep adding flour until it is thick - but why doesn't it say that in the recipe? Why doesn't the actual recipe ever work? Is it just me?

Both girls gobbled their chicken up - I even had to cut more for Anna (!) so it was definitely a hit!

I think this would be 5 out of 5 stars with thick gravy and homemade mashed potatoes. :-)

PS
Just a little side note: I always buy the chicken tenderloins at Costco and I think they are so much better than breasts. ;-)

Baked Chimichanga Review

2009-08-03T20:57:00.001-07:00

These chimichangas were very yummy. I used canned chicken instead of ground beef and I think it was perfect. The girls weren't thrilled with the chimichangas but ate heaps of spanish rice. For some reason, they have never been big on mexican food - but the rice is always a hit.

A very quick, easy, yummy meal. 5 out of 5 stars!

Menus 8/3 - 8/7

2009-07-31T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm only going to be posting menus for this coming week because we're leaving for VACATION on the 8th and I won't be cooking (at least not in my own house!) So...here goes:

Monday, 8/3: Baked Spicy Beef Chimichangas / Spanish Rice

At the end of the recipe, there are alternate instructions for traditional fried chimichangas. I haven't tried this recipe before, and I think I'm gonna do it baked for the first time. I couldn't find this one online - it is from the Southern Living "30 Years of Our Best Recipes"- so here it is:

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups (8 oz) 4-cheese Mexican blend shredded cheese, divided
1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup picante sauce
12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
Toppings: salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce

Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, stirring until beef crumbles. Remove from heat and drain.

Stir 1 1/2 cups cheese, beans, chiles, and picantes sauce into beef mixture. Place 1/4 cup beef mixture just below center of each tortilla. Fold opposite sides of tortillas over filling, forming rectangles. Secure with wooden toothpicks.

Place on a baking sheet; coat chimichangas with vegetable cooking spray.

Bake at 425 degrees for 8 minutes; turn chimichangas, and bake 5 more minutes. Remove picks; serve immediately with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and desired toppings. Yield: 12 chimichangas

*Traditional Spicy Beef Chimichangas*: Pour vegetable oil to depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 375 degrees. Fry chimichangas, a few at a time, 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain and serve hot.

Spanish Rice: (I make this recipe ALL the time and LOVE it)
1 cup white long grain rice
1 (15 oz) can chicken broth
¼ cup tomato sauce*
1 T. cooking oil
½ t. dried onion powder
½ t. garlic powder
1 t. salt (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and add rice. Cook rice until light brown. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce and spices. Bring to a low boil and cover. Cook for 20 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings
*You can add more tomato sauce. The rice is more “dry” when you use less, a little more “mushy” when you add more.

Tuesday, 8/4: Sweet and Sour Pork with Rice

I strayed from my menu this week and didn't make the pork chops and gravy - so I have pork that needs to be used...this sweet and sour recipe is DELICIOUS! It can be used with pork or chicken - doesn't matter.

http://www.mlre.org/index.php?recipe=121

Wednesday, 8/5: Sesame Seed Chicken / Green Beans / Mashed Potatoes

I have some sesame seeds leftover from the sesame turkey - figured I'd used 'em up on this! From Southern Living 30 Years.

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
8 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sesame seeds
Vegetable Oil
White Chicken Gravy

Combine 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup flour in a zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken, and shake to coat. Combine eggs and milk in a small bowl; set aside. Combine remaining 3/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and sesame seeds in a small bowl.

Dip each chicken breast in egg mixture; coat with sesame seed mixture

Pour oil to depth of 1 inch into a heavy 10-12 inch skillet; heat to 350 degrees. Fry chicken in hot oil over medium heat 15 minutes or until golden Serve with White Chicken Gravy. Yield: 8 servings

White Chicken Gravy

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually add chicken broth; cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Gradually stir one-fourth of hot mixture in to egg yolks; add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 10 minutes or until thickened and smooth. Yield: about 2 cups.

Thursday, 8/6: Hawaiian Haystacks

So as I was preparing these menus, I started thinking about all the packing and getting ready we're going to be doing by this time...and I got a little lazy. Haystacks are my fallback dinner - it is one of my absolute favorites and it is so easy. I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand - and it is perfect for summer! I don't really have a recipe for this - but here's what I do for my family of 4:

Boil 6-7 chicken tenderloins (approx. 2-3 chicken breasts) - reserve water/broth, remove chicken and cut into cubes.
Mix 1 can cream of chicken in frying pan with 1/2 can chicken broth from cooking chicken ( I don't really measure - you just want a nice consistency like a gravy)
Add chicken cubes to gravy
3 cups cooked rice (1 1/2 cups uncooked)

Choose from any of the following toppings:
cheese
tomatoes
green peppers
green onions
celery
olives
pineapple
chow mein noodles
slivered almonds
sunflower seeds
coconut

Dish rice first, then top with gravy, then cheese - so it gets all nice and melted, then whatever toppings you choose!

Friday, 8/7: BBQ

So, we'll probably do hamburgers and hot dogs or something simple this night. Pack Pack Pack!

Then we're hitting the road early Sat. morning so you're on your own for the next week!

Sesame-Crusted Turkey Review

2009-07-31T18:36:00.001-07:00

This recipe was very yummy. It was a little finicky in some places and I think when I make it again someday, I will try to make some adjustments.

First of all, when you toast the sesame seeds, be careful! Don't burn them! I only burned the top little layer, but it was annoying. Then, when I was making the cream sauce, I added the whipping cream too soon and so it wouldn't thicken so I had to do it all over again. And even after I did it again, it still wouldn't thicken - so I'm gonna have to work on that.

The other thing that I will change next time is that the recipe says to broil the turkey. I would rather bake it - the broiler caused the outer edges of the turkey to get tough. I think next time I'll bake it in my cast iron - just have to figure out the time because broil time is not the same as bake time.

So, once all was said and done, it was actually delicious. I served it over linguine noodles and we had peas on the side. Eric really liked it. The girls loved it. Especially slurping the noodles. But both girls ate all the turkey!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars until I can perfect it!

Check back soon for next week's menus!

Baked Tilapia Review

2009-07-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

I think I mentioned in my other post that I am not a fan of fish. Eric loves it so for the last year or so I have tried to incorporate a little fish into our diet. By incorporate, I mean that we have had it about 3, maybe 4 times in the last couple years. I just don't like it. So tilapia, as I mentioned before, is a very mild fish. It is not nearly as "fishy" as some of the others.

So I thought the parmesan-sour cream sauce was really good. It helped mask the taste of the fish for me, so it wasn't terrible. Eric, on the other hand, thought it masked the fish taste too much! He prefers to just have a hunk of fish with a little bit of seasoning and call it good.

Haylie took one bite and, very politely, said "I don't really like that". And I really can't blame her! So I didn't make her eat it. Anna had a couple bites and did OK with it. She's just at that age where she is easily distracted and doesn't eat much as it is.

I'm not sure how to rate this one. I guess I'll say 3 out of 5 stars. I thought the sauce was good, but I just don't like fish, so I can't really rate it fairly. Eric didn't care for the sauce because he wanted to taste more of the fish...???

I guess you'll have to be your own judge on this one!

Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin Review

2009-07-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

I am just so pleased with the recipes I've been trying lately! This pork tenderloin was, by far, the best pork dish I have ever made. It was FANTASTIC! Eric took the first bite and the first word out of his mouth was "Wow". The pork was so tender it was like eating chicken. Haylie ate two slices and Anna even ate a whole slice. They both loved it! I did baked potatoes and green salad to go along.

I cooked the tenderloin in a cast iron "dutch oven" - if you have one, use it - if not, a roasting pan is fine - but if you cook a lot of meat, consider getting cast iron - it is a GREAT way to cook all kinds of meat.

Oh, and I got the pork tenderloin at Costco for $3.59/lb. More than I'd like to pay but I missed the sale at SaveMart. The good news is - you get two tenderloins, and I only used half of one - so I froze the rest and we'll eat it later. If you look at it this way, the two tenderloins can make approximately 4 meals...that's about $4 per meal. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

5 out of 5 stars!!!

Italian BLT Sandwich Review

2009-07-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

Alright y'all...if you haven't tried the Italian BLT recipe yet...DO IT!! They were so fabulous that my 5 star rating scale doesn't seem like enough. I think it was more like 6 or 7 stars out of 5!! Like I said, I couldn't find mortadella at the store so I got pastrami instead and it was a great substitute. Eric gobbled his down and asked if there was any more, and sadly, there wasn't and Haylie ate her half-sandwich like a champ - only it was sorta messy and hard to hold so I sorta' had to feed it to her -but no biggie - at least she ate!!

Go try it now!! ; -)

Creole Jambalaya Review

2009-07-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

This was certainly something different that we have never had around here before, but I think everybody enjoyed it. Here's the thing: I used the cajun sausage or "Hot Links" as it was called on the package. You could actually see little red pepper seeds in the sausage. The flavor was delicious, and mixed in with the rice and everything else, the spice wasn't unbearable, but both Eric and I were sweating and wiping our noses cuz the spice was making 'em runny. The good news is that even the girls liked it - I made sure none of the sausage made it into their bowls - and they gobbled it up - Haylie had a little more to drink than usual cuz it was still a little spicy - but overall, I'd say it was a success.

I'll definitely make it again, but instead I think I might try to use regular smoked sausage, then just add a dash of ground red pepper to give it just a little kick. This one had just a little bit too much kick for me. 4 out of 5 stars. ;-)

No picture this time, forgot. :-(

Kings Ranch Chicken Casserole Review

2009-07-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

I made the Kings Ranch Chicken Casserole tonight and it was delicious! Haylie didn't want to try it at first because that's just how she is, but when I finally got her to try it, she ate her whole serving - minus the green peppers.

The only change I made to the recipe was instead of using canned tomatoes with green chiles, I used fresh cherry tomatoes from my garden and a 4 oz can of green chiles. Probably didn't make too much difference.

Ok - so if there's one thing I'm really not good at (don't care about), it is presentation. So, I took a picture of my meal - and it doesn't look pretty, but you get the idea. Oh, and I remembered to take the picture after I had already started to dig in - so that makes it even less pretty. But here it is:

I give this meal 5 stars out of 5 stars. Very yummy and easy too!

Menus - 7/20 - 7/31

2009-07-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

If I can find the recipes online, I will just post a link for you. If not, I will put the recipe right on here. I'll also be listing whatever side I plan to serve with the meal - obviously you can do whatever you want. Also, a lot of the following recipes are new to me, so I won't be able to share much about them! I am on a mission to stop making the same old stuff all the time! So here goes:

Monday, 7/21: Creamy Meatballs and Potatoes / Steamed Broccoli

This is a Metler family favorite. It is on the recipe website that my husband manages for my mother-in-law (who happens to be a fabulous cook).

http://www.mlre.org/index.php?recipe=92

I usually half this recipe for my little family of four and it leaves a lot of leftovers. I should also note that it is possible to do this one in a crock pot - which is great in the summer! You just need to brown the meatballs first then put them in the crock pot and do everything else as directed. I'd probably do it on High for 4-5 hours.

Tuesday, 7/22: King Ranch Chicken Casserole / Green Salad

This is from the Southern Living "Top-Rated" cookbook. I have not tried it yet, so I'll try to post something after we try it and let you know how it was!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=257982

Wednesday, 7/23: Creole Jambalaya

Also from the Southern Living "Top-Rated" cookbook. Never tried it, and not sure I even consider myself a fan of anything creole, but I did have jambalaya once in college and I liked it, so I thought it was worth a shot. I'm a little worried that it is going to be too spicy - but we'll find out!! I haven't really thought of a side dish for this one yet...any suggestions?

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=435284

Thursday, 7/24: Italian BLT's / Caesar Salad

I LOVE BLT's. And over the last couple years, I've developed a taste for Italian subs - so this sounds like a perfect combo. Once again, from SL "Top-Rated" - I had a little trouble finding mortadella - I think I'd have to go to an actual deli for that - so instead I got pastrami - not sure yet if I'll use it, but I have it just in case.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=352568

Friday, 7/25: Chuck Roast in crock pot or chuck steaks / Grilled zucchini & yellow squash from the garden

This week, my Fresno friends, you can get a chuck roast or chuck steak at Save Mart for $1.59/lb. That is an excellent price. I keep my eyes on the Vons and Save Mart ads and usually only buy steaks/roasts when they are under $2.00/lb.

I don't have a recipe for this - I usually just throw the roast in the crockpot with some Pappy's seasoning, quartered potatoes and baby carrots. OR, I may have Eric throw some steaks on the BBQ.

Monday, 7/27: Pork Tenderloin / Green Salad

From SL Top Rated. Haven't tried it yet. Costco, I think, is the best place to get pork tenderloin. However, I just noticed in the Save Mart ad that you can get a tenderloin for $1.99/lb. Very good.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=257454

Tuesday, 7/28: Lasagna / Caesar Salad / Garlic Bread

No recipe for this one. I just follow the directions on the box of lasagna noodles. I use whatever cheap jar of spaghetti sauce I have and I splurge a little and add a layer of ricotta cheese. Yum.

Wednesday, 7/29: Baked Tilapia with Parmesan-Sour Cream Sauce

From SL Top Rated. I am not a huge fan of fish. Tilapia is just about one of the only types of fish I can handle and it is pretty inexpensive. This recipe looks very yummy. Any ideas for a side dish?

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=258745

Thursday, 7/30: Pork Chops & Gravy in the crock pot / Mashed Potatoes / Green Beans

From SL Top Rated. This one I have made before and it is delicious. Especially with the mashed potatoes. I use the thin sliced pork chops - they seem more tender to me.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=592258

Friday, 7/31: Sesame-Crusted Turkey Mignons

From SL Top Rated. Haven't tried this one yet. I couldn't find turkey mignons so I bought a turkey tenderloin - it was a little more pricey than I like - but I find that every once in a while it is OK to splurge in the interest of trying something new.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=258358

(Don't forget to click on the link to the Creamy Wine Sauce within that recipe to make the sauce.)

On Saturday, we'll probably take any of the leftover meat we have and do a Brazilian Barbecue. Ever been to one of those Brazilian restaurants where the bring all kinds of delicious meats to your table? It's fun to BBQ and have a nice variety.

So there you have it. If you try any of these recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought! And make sure you click on the right side to "Follow" the blog - that way I know you're reading and it'll make me keep up on the lists!!!

Welcome!

2009-07-19T13:24:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I posted a "status" message on Facebook yesterday about having planned my meals for the next 2 weeks and done all the shopping, etc. When we were first married, I was REALLY good about planning meals in advance. Over the years, it has become increasingly rare, I almost said difficult, but I don't think it's difficult - it's just something that you have to take the time to do. And it pays off! The way I see it, if I've had a crummy day and I don't have a meal already planned, it usually results in us eating out (spending money!). Then, Eric doesn't have leftovers to take for lunch the next day, which again results in him eating out (MORE money!). Granted, he is VERY good about making himself a PBJ but we all know that can get old real fast.

Well, I had several friends request copies of my meal plan so that they, too, could plan ahead and have some new recipes to try. Thus the inspiration for this new blog. I work well under pressure. So maybe, if I promise you that I will post my meal plans, I will feel the pressure to keep making meal plans!!

Let me just say, for the record, that I am no gourmet chef. I can open a cookbook and read a recipe, and usually it tastes good. I will not take credit for any of the recipes I post - I will credit the cookbook I got them out of!

Also, so far, Eric and I have been blessed with high metabolisms - so I don't do a whole lot of low-fat cooking. But, I think with any recipe, you can make substitutions to make it as low-fat as you'd like.

Sooo...I'll be posting what I came up with for 7/20-7/31 shortly. Oh, I should also add that I don't cook on Saturday or Sunday! Eric will usually barbecue, or we have something simple like pancakes or french toast. So my menus only go from Mon-Fri!

Check back shortly!!