Jeanette's Kitchen

Fruit and Cheese Kabobs

2008-08-12T07:44:00.000-04:00

Got a picky eater? Just put their food on a stick! My son loves it when I make him Kabobs. Here are a few pictures of the Fruit and Cheese Kabob that I made him for lunch.

Breakfast on the Grill

2008-08-11T07:54:00.004-04:00

Before going on the grill

We actually had this for dinner a few nights ago. We are going camping at the end of the month and I wanted to give this meal a trial run before I make it while camping. It was really yummy! And it should be a cinch to make while camping.

1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks
3 cups cubed French bread
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 slices Canadian bacon, quartered

Drain the pineapple and reserve 2 tablespoons of juice.
Place bread in a large bowl, drizzle with butter and toss to coat. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over bread mixture and toss to coat.
Transfer bread mixture to a double thickness of greased heavy-duty foil. Add Canadian bacon and pineapple; drizzle with reserved pineapple juice.
Fold foil around bread mixture and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until heated through.

After being grilled. See how the pineapple and bacon started caramelizing? Mmm yummy!

Meatballs and Gravy

2008-08-07T15:20:00.004-04:00

This recipe is a tweaked version of a recipe from Holly at 2 Kids and Tired Cooks. I just changed a few minor things in her original recipe to match my family's tastes.

Gravy:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can consommé beef soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can water

Mix all the ingredients in a slow cooker.

Meatballs:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk, maybe a little less.

flour
oil

Mix everything, except flour and oil, together with your hands, really well. Form into balls, roll in flour.
Heat oil over medium heat. Brown the meatballs and drain.
Add to the soup mixture in the slow cooker. Cook on low, 6-8 hours. Serve over cooked, wide, egg noodles.

Popcorn Snack Mix

2008-08-06T08:13:00.002-04:00

I put this together to add to our snack bucket. It appears to be a hit with my son. It makes a lot so you can either cut the recipe by half or share it with some neighbors or friends. (Unless you have a larger family than mine, in that case, I suppose it might not make too much.)

2 bags microwave popcorn
2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar
1 tablespoon baking cocoa
1 cup Honey Bees graham crackers (or bear shaped or whatever shape you have/find....)
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken
1/2 cup M&M's

Place popcorn in large bowl. Combine cinnamon-sugar and cocoa; sprinkle over popcorn and toss to coat. Stir in graham cracker snacks, pretzels and M&M's. Store in airtight container.

Walking Tacos

2008-08-05T11:37:00.004-04:00

A few years ago when we were at the Strawberry Festival I ate a Walking Taco, a bag of Fritos into which taco meat and toppings were added. You just grab a fork and eat straight out of the bag. I loved it and looked forward all year to going back to the Strawberry Festival the next year so I could buy another one. Only, no body was selling them the next year. I was so disappointed!

We eat taco salad very frequently in our home and recently I decided to have some fun and make the Walking Tacos likes I'd had at the Strawberry Festival. All I did was cut open the bags and add our usual taco meat and toppings. It was a little different and therefore a little fun. You can either cut the bag like the picture above or just open it at the top, like they did at the festival.

Nutmeg Streusel Muffins

2008-08-03T10:41:00.003-04:00

2 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine 1-1/3 cups flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly and reserve 1/2 cup for streusel topping. In the same bowl, add remaining ingredients; stir until just moistened. Spoon into greased muffin pans and sprinkle with reserved streusel mixture.
Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned.

Notes: I love a good streusel topping so I added a bit more brown sugar and some oats to my reserved portion before sprinkling it on the muffins.

Grilled Ham and Jack Cheese Sandwich

2008-08-02T08:04:00.001-04:00

Doesn't that just look so good? Just look at that cheese and ranch dressing dripping out! I'm gonna go make me another one right now...

You must try these sandwiches! They are unbelievably delicious! I'd already eaten half of mine before I remembered to take a picture so I could share this amazing sandwich with all of you.

Butter
8 slices Texas toast
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
16 thin slices deli ham
4 slices red onion
4 tablespoons ranch salad dressing
4 slices pepper Jack cheese

Butter one side of each slice of Texas toast. On the unbuttered sides of four slices, layer cheddar cheese, half the ham, onion, and remaining ham; spread with ranch dressing. Top with pepper Jack cheese and remaining toast, butter side up.
Cook sandwiches on a hot griddle for 3-4 minutes on each side or until toast is browned and cheese is melted.
Make 4 sandwiches.

We always serve these with Root Beer Floats and Steak Fries. A favorite meal at our home.

Corn Dog Muffins

2008-08-01T13:44:00.003-04:00

Shortly before lunch time Red asked me to make him some more muffins. My first thought was, I have to make lunch not muffins. Then I decided to whip up a batch of these muffins. I served them along side some watermelon slices and Red was very pleased with his lunch.
This is the sort of thing that grosses me out but my son will just eat up.

1 batch of corn bread muffin batter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
5 hot dogs, chopped

Mix the brown sugar, corn and hot dogs into the corn bread batter. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Note: I sometimes forget to add the brown sugar and Red still gobbles them up so I suppose if you want to omit the brown sugar you can.

Alternate recipe using boxed mix:
2 packages (8-1/2 oz each) corn bread muffin mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
5 hot dogs, chopped

Combine corn bread mix and brown sugar. Combine eggs and milk; stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Stir in corn and hot dogs.
Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.

I was trying to get some pictures when a certain baby just could not resist any longer and stuck her fingers right in.

Birthday Cake Disaster

2008-07-11T08:46:00.005-04:00

I am not afraid to share my disasters as well as my successes.
I decided to make the cakes for my daughter's 1st birthday and they turned out, not surprisingly, disastrous.
It was not surprising because

I decided to make two cakes
I'd never made either of the cakes before and
I did not start making the cakes until about 2:00 in the afternoon on the day of the party.

I was doomed.

The idea had been that that I would make the cakes the night before so that if things did not turn out I would still have time to come up with alternatives. Drat me and my procrastinating tendencies!

Cake #1-Strawberry

Go on. Say it. You know you want to. It looks like someone vomited.
My plan was to make a small round cake for the birthday girl to eat/destroy and then use the rest of the batter to make a small sheet cake for everyone else.
I found a recipe that looked easy enough and sounded like it would taste good and for the most part it was easy and did taste good. It was the frosting that went horribly wrong. It was like liquid frosting and no matter what I did to it, it would not stop running down the sides of the cake. I decided to just let it harden up a bit and then I transfered it to another plate so it did not look as bad when it was time to serve it.

Cake #2-Chocolate Cream

Except for the fact that it was completely lopsided, this cake turned out pretty decent.
I decided to make the second cake because I was worried that the small sheet cake would not be enough for everyone that would be there and what if some people did not like strawberry cake?
I think a little tweaking on the recipe and some technique practice and this one could turn into a pretty good cake.

So, maybe next time I make birthday cakes I will start them a little earlier and things will go better. I was not too worried about how the small strawberry one looked because I knew it would end up like this:Strawberry Cake
1 package white cake mix
1 package (3 ounces) strawberry flavored gelatin powder
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup mashed strawberries

Strawberry Icing
1/2 cup butter
1 pound confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup mashed strawberries

Combine cake mix and gelatin powder in a large bowl. Beat in oil, eggs, water, and strawberries. Pour into 2 9-inch round greased and floured cake pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and frost with strawberry icing.

For icing, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together until smooth. Add strawberries. Spread between cake layers, then frost top and sides.

Chocolate Cream Cake
1 package chocolate cake mix
Whipping Cream
Chocolate Frosting

Following package directions, prepare and bake cake mix in two 9-inch round layers. Cool and split the layers horizontally. (You will only need three of the layers for this cake. Freeze the extra layer for later use.)
To assemble cake: Place one layer of cake on serving plate. Spread evenly with half the whipping cream, to within half an inch of edge of cake. Place another cake layer on top of cream then another layer of cream. Alternate cake and cream for a total of 5 layers, ending with cake layer. Gently press down on top layer to set layers together. Frost entire cake with chocolate frosting.

Whipping Cream
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine gelatin with water; let stand until thick. Stir constantly over low heat until just dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly but do not allow to thicken. In large mixing bowl, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla until slightly thick. On low speed, gradually add gelatin, then beat on high until cream is thick.

Chocolate Frosting
4 tablespoons cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In mixing bowl, mix cocoa and powdered sugar. Add softened butter, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Garlic-Cheese Biscuits

2008-07-01T09:52:00.004-04:00

As often as I make these, I thought for sure I would have already posted this recipe but apparently not. So here you go:

2 cups Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I put in more than 1/2 cup. We like them cheesy!)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (again, I put in more than this. I usually eye it but I am pretty sure it is more than 1/4 teaspoon. We like garlic.)

Heat oven to 450 F.
In a medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk and cheese with wire whisk or fork until soft dough forms; beat vigorously 30 seconds. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 10 to 12 spoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
In small bowl, stir butter and garlic powder until well mixed; brush on warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Cinnamon and Caramel Cookies

2008-06-30T10:09:00.003-04:00

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
25-30 caramel candies
salt

Preheat oven to 375 F
Beat sugar and butter in mixer on low speed until combined. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat well.
Sift together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, and a pinch of salt into the mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
Scoop up tablespoons of the mixture, shape into balls, and put on cookie sheets spaced well apart.
Bake for 8 minutes. Place a caramel candy on top of each cookies, return to oven and bake for 6-7 more minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Cookies

2008-06-10T19:31:00.003-04:00

This recipe is for a basic chocolate cookie that you can add whatever kind of add-in that you want. I used M&Ms this time but I've also used Reese's Pieces, white chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips before. The possibilities are pretty endless. One of these days I am going to try mint chips. MMM!

8 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12 oz package of your add-in of choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt chopped chocolate and butter in microwave-safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring between each one, until almost melted; do not overheat. Remove; stir until melted and smooth.
In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
With electric mixer, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla on high until light in color and smooth. Reduce speed to low; beat in chocolate mixture. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in your add-in.
Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheet, 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly, yet still soft in center, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheet 10 minutes. With a thin metal spatula, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Spaghetti Sauce

2008-06-05T06:29:00.003-04:00

I am on a quest to find the best and easiest homemade spaghetti sauce. This recipe is currently holding the #1 spot.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5) can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt

Cook the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed and diced tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir in the basil and sugar. Season with salt to taste.
This makes about 4 cups which is more than my small family needs for one meal so I freeze whatever we don't use into smaller portions to be used later.

Cheese Straws

2008-06-04T06:03:00.004-04:00

1 (9x91/2 inch) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 ounces Parmesan and Asiago cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Adjust the oven racks to middle positions and heat oven to 425 degrees.
Lay the puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with the cheese, salt and pepper. Top with another sheet of parchment, and using a rolling pin, press the cheese in to the dough, rolling to shape the dough into a 10-inch square.
Remove the top layer of parchment and use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 10-13 strips.
Holding 1 strip of dough at each end, gently twist the dough in opposite directions. Place the twisted strip of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Place the sheet on one of the oven racks and bake for 5 minutes and then switch to the other rack and bake for another 5 minutes or until fully puffed and golden brown.
We scarfed these down before I remembered to take a picture so I only have pre-baked pictures of them. Next time I make them I will try to remember to take pictures before we eat them all.

It's Grilling Season

2008-06-03T09:36:00.007-04:00

Expert and I are pretty much novices when it comes to grilling. We bought our first grill last year shortly after we bought our house. We did not have a lot of money so we got the second most cheap one we could find. (The cheaper one did not have a warming rack so we decided to splurge and get the $35 grill that had the warming rack). We were very excited to start grilling but really had no idea what we were doing. We bought some grilling cookbooks and started figuring out some of the tricks to making good food on the grill. My apologies to anyone who came over last summer and was fed food from our grill. I promise it will be better if you come back. We have learned at lot. In fact, the other day we made the best tasting, juiciest chicken ever!
Here is what we have learned about grilling bone-in, skin-on chicken. (We use a charcoal grill so if you have a gas one, you are on your own.)
First, heat up a big pile of charcoal until they are red hot and all white. Then spread them out to the sides of the grill, what they call a double banked fire.
Place the chicken, skin side down in the middle of the grill. This will allow the chicken to cook with indirect heat. This is good for two reasons. One being that it prevents flare ups from the fat hitting the coals and second, it traps the juices in the chicken better.
Let the chicken cook there in the middle for 20 minutes and then flip them and move them over to the coals. Here is a picture after they have been flipped and moved over to direct heat.
The packet in the middle is corn. I'll get to that in a minute.
Once the chicken is cooking over direct heat you leave them there until they are done, about 10-20 minutes. The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 160.
One important thing to remember is not to keep flipping the chicken! (Expert has a hard time with this one.) I only flipped my chicken once. That is all it needs! Keep flipping it and it will stick to the grill, take longer to cook and not be as juicy.
Once the chicken was done, I moved it up to the warming rack and spread some BBQ sauce on. I closed the lid and let it cook for a few more minutes then flipped the chicken over and coated the other side with sauce and then let it cook for a few more minutes.It pretty much just cooks itself.
But doesn't it end up looking so yummy?You are just going to have to trust me when I say this was the juiciest chicken ever!

Barbecue Sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup ketchup
5 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Tabasco

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
This makes about 1 1/2 cups but can easily be doubled or tripled. You can also make it ahead of time and store in the fridge for about a week or the freezer for 2 months. So you can make a big batch all at once and freeze it into small portions and pull them out as needed.

Grilling Corn on the Cob
There are a few different ways we grill corn. This time we did the foil packet way, which is simple.
Lay the corn out on a large piece of foil. Season however you like. Mexican seasoning, salt and pepper, garlic, lemon, whatever strikes your fancy. Then put some cut up butter pieces on top of the corn and cover with another piece of foil. Seal the foil up real good and place on the grill. Over direct heat, the corn should take about 10 minutes to cook.

New Picture

2008-05-31T10:34:00.002-04:00

I finally remembered to post the picture of the Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake. Go check it out, but be prepared to drool. :-)
My mom made this one after seeing it on my blog so I posted a picture of her cake. Thanks mom!

Black Bean and Mango Salsa

2008-05-31T10:11:00.005-04:00

Black Bean and Mango Salsa

1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed throughly
1 mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fine
1/4 minced red onion
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 jalapeno chili, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Mix all the ingredients together and season with some sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Cover tightly and let rest to blend the flavors, about 10 minutes.
If you want a little bit more kick to your salsa, keep the seeds and ribs from the jalepeno pepper and add those in.

You can scoop it up with some chips or do like I did and top my burger with it. Yummy!

Convenience Dinner

2008-05-21T09:14:00.007-04:00

I am falling behind on my recipes again. I have lots to post and even pictures to go with many of them.
Check out the Foodie Blog roll on my side bar. There are all sorts of great food blogs there to check out.
Now on with the food!

I really like making my own sauces but sometimes it is nice to have some bottled stuff on hand for nights when I just need to throw something together fast.
We are also a big fan of potstickers and as much fun as it is to make them from scratch, it is hard to accomplish on a regular basis.
This is one of our favorite, not from scratch meals.
I used to just brown some chicken and then pour some teriyaki sauce in and let it cook up with some broccoli and call it good. This particular brand of sauce tastes extremely salty and is just gross on its own. In order to lesson the pure sodium taste I started adding some pineapple juice. I just eye it based on the amount of chicken and sauce I am cooking. (Just add a little corn starch to the sauce if it gets too thin after adding the juice.) Since I had the pineapple I just went ahead and started tossing that in too. And then I add in some broccoli and let it all heat up. Quick and simple but oh so yummy!

While the chicken and sauce are cooking up I cook up some potstickers according to the package directions. They take about 10 minutes to cook. Don't they look so good?

I am still trying to concoct a good potsticker dipping sauce. I don't like dipping them in straight soy sauce but you can do that if you don't have anything else.

Now doesn't that look yummy? All up, it probably takes 15 -20 minutes, a little longer when I forget that I need to cook up some rice too. :-)

I probably have enough sauce left in my bottle for one more batch of teriyaki chicken but once it is gone I will not buy this brand again. I will, however, probably keep adding pineapple and juice to whatever brand sauce I do buy.

Book Give Away

2008-05-14T22:20:00.004-04:00

Hey there my fellow foodies! Do you know that in addition to baking and cooking I love to read? And that I have another blog where I write my thoughts on the books I read? I am hosting a book give away on my book blog. If you think you might be interested in winning a book head over there and check it out.

Cooking for the Family

2008-05-10T10:10:00.005-04:00

My parents are in town for the weekend and the family gathered at my house last night. 6 adults and 5 kids. I decided to make chicken enchiladas and my sister made a layered dip with beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and I can't remember what else. I also made a cucumber curry dip to go with some vegetables as a little appetizer/side dish.
I thought the dip was really good but I don't think my family was as enthusiastic about it as I was. Cucumber and curry. What's not to love?
Here is the recipe:

Cucumber-Curry Dip
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped fine
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Stir all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the dip for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. If you feel it necessary, you can season with additional lemon juice and some salt and pepper before serving.

I usually make beef enchiladas, in fact I have never made chicken endiladas before, but after making these last night my husband told me he prefers them to the beef. They were pretty darn good if I say so myself. They were drier, not as saucy as the beef ones I usually make. Again, I don't know how much the extended family liked them, but they were a hit with me and Expert.

Chicken Enchiladas
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (1 1/2 pounds)
3 cups extra sharp (or just sharp, we prefer extra sharp) cheddar cheese, shredded
2 1/2 cup enchilada sauce (see below)
1 (4 0z) can chopped green chilies
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
12 (6 inch) soft corn tortillas

Combine the chicken, 2 cups of the cheddar, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, the chilies, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Wrap the tortillas in plastic wrap and warm in oven for 60 seconds to make them warm and pliable so they won't tear when you roll them up.
Put about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll the tortilla around the filling and lay seam side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish that has been lightly coated with vegetable cooking spray.
Lightly spray the enchiladas with vegetable oil spray. Pour more sauce over the the enchiladas to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar down the center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese browns, about 5 minutes.
Serve with chopped lettuce, lime wedges and sour cream.

Enchilada Sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
Pepper

Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, salt and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin and sugar. Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sorry, no pictures. I was too busy visiting with the family to think about taking pictures of the food.

Creamy Chicken Soft Tacos

2008-05-08T13:27:00.002-04:00

I've seen a few other food bloggers take pictures of all the ingredients for a recipe and post it. I thought I'd do that this time so you can see just how easy this recipe is. In fact, that sour cream? Don't even bother taking it out of the fridge yet. All you need to start is the chicken and salsa.

Put the chicken in your slow cooker and pour the salsa over it.

Let it cook for 6-8 hours and then shred the chicken. Add that sour cream now and let it cook some more.

Add whatever toppings you like. I like putting some cooked rice, cheese and lettuce in. Fold it up and eat it! Can cooking good food get any easier?

Creamy Chicken Soft Tacos
4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (16 ounce) jar of salsa
1 cup sour cream
6-8 flour tortillas

Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Pour salsa over the top. Cover and cook on high 6-8 hours. Shred chicken by pulling apart with two forks. During the last hour of cooking, stir in sour cream.
Fold chicken mix inside warm flour tortillas with lettuce and grated cheese (or anything else that strikes your fancy.) Makes 6-8 servings

(Slow Cooking Thursday)

Hawaiian Chicken

2008-05-05T17:54:00.004-04:00

4 to 6 chicken breasts
Flour
Salt
Cooking Oil
1 can (15 1/4 ounces) pineapple chunks
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 green pepper, cut in 1/4- inch strips

Roll chicken pieces in flour and sprinkle with salt. Brown in oil. Drain pineapple; reserve pineapple chunks and pour juice into measuring cup. Add water to make 1 1/2 cups. Add honey, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and bouillon cube, bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over chicken pieces in 2 quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Add pineapple chunks and green pepper; bake 5 minutes longer. Serve with cooked rice.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-05-05T17:26:00.002-04:00

Blogger is acting up and won't let me add the banner for Menu Plan Monday from Organizing Junkie, which is a shame because she has some nice new ones this week. If you want to look at (lots) more menus just head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I've been kinda lazy about planning my menus lately but today I sat down and remembered how much fun it is to plan menus. So much fun that I have pretty much planned out all of May and started on June as well. :-)

Here is what I've got planned for this week:

Monday: Grilling Night! Just Hot Dogs and Hamburgers tonight with some chips and potato salad (store bought because I did not plan ahead...)

Tuesday: Casserole Night because my hubby has class on Tuesday and does not come home after work. I take dinner out to him and casseroles travel and reheat well.
Martha's Casserole with Garlic Bread and Green Salad

Wednesday: Easy Chicken Enchiladas with Texas Toast and Green Salad

Thursday: Hawaiian Chicken and Rice

Friday: ?? We have family coming to town and I am not sure what the plans are yet. I might be cooking for everyone or my sister might or we might all be going out. It is up in the air right now.
Saturday: Mother's Day Dinner at Red Robin. Woo Woo! I have been looking forward to this one for a looong time! :-) I can already tell you what I am going to order. Onion Rings, Chocolate Milkshake and a Crispy Chicken Burger. MMM! MMM! I will be ready to burst when we leave but it will be sooo worth it! (Can you tell I am excited? Cause I am!!)

Sunday: Sweet and Sour Chicken, Egg Drop Soup, Fortune Cookies.

May's Cook Book

2008-05-05T10:36:00.004-04:00

This month I will be trying 1-3 recipes a week from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. At the end of the month I will write up what I thought of the book overall.
I have been eying this book for a few months and really wanted to buy it but have been trying to cut back on my cook book purchases. Last time I was at Costco they had a huge stack of them and I could not resist it any longer. The fact that it was more than $10 off the cover price also helped my decision to go ahead and buy it.
There are 23 sections in this cookbook. I would like to try at least one recipe from each section but I don't know if I'll be able to accomplish that in one month. (I know I won't be trying anything from fish and shellfish section because I don't eat fish.) I will try as varied a selection of recipes as I can. This should be fun!

Butterscotch Muffins

2008-04-28T11:18:00.005-04:00

These muffins are just absolutely delicious. They are so moist on the inside and the tops get nice and crunchy. A perfect muffin! They are great for feeding to your family with a little mini fruit salad before you head out the door for church. Especially if you have church at 11:30 like we do. It is too early for lunch but it has been a few hours since breakfast and we can't wait until we get home to eat again or we will all be cranky and fussy. The solution? Muffins and fruit! A nice, filling snack to get us through church.

Butterscotch Muffins

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 (3.4 oz) package instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pudding mixes, baking powder and salt. Combine the water, eggs, oil and vanilla; stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine the topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

Red likes 'em!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-04-28T10:44:00.003-04:00

I am not feeling well and eating just hurts. I am coming to the realization that I am going to have to got to a dentist soon whether I like it or not. I am not in the mood for eating, cooking or anything else food related right now. My family still has to eat though so I put together a menu. It's a rather boring menu. Nothing new and most of it will use things I already have in the pantry so I don't have to drag my aching self to the store.
If I start feeling better and I can actually eat without it hurting than I might change some of this but then again, probably not. :-)

Monday: Spaghetti, veggie and Garlic Bubble loaf (yes. We eat this alot. What can I say? It is very kid friendly!)
Tuesday: Easy Chicken Bake, fruit salad, pudding
Wednesday:Waikiki Meatballs, Broccoli, Jell-O
Thursday: Hot Dogs and Hamburgers and corn on the cob cooked on the grill
Friday:Taco Salad
Saturday: Chicken Sandwiches, French Fries, veggie
Sunday: Something made in the slow cooker . I have not decided what yet...

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

2008-04-25T14:59:00.005-04:00

If there is one ingredient I love, it is peanut butter. I can't get enough of the stuff! :-)
Here is one of my favorite peanut butter recipes. Make and enjoy it!

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz bag)

Icing
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz bag)

Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Generously grease with shortening and lightly flour 12 cup fluted tube pan. (Bunt pan) In medium bowl, beat cake mix, milk, peanut butter, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer at low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed, scarping bowl occasionally. Stir in miniature chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured pan.
2. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean and top springs back when touched lightly near center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack; remove pan. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. In a small saucepan, melt all icing ingredients over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle warm icing over top of cooled cake, allowing some to drip down sides. Sprinkle peanuts over icing.

(Favorite Ingredient Friday is hosted by Overwhelmed With Joy!)

Grand Re-Opening

2008-04-24T14:32:00.003-04:00

I have not posted in over a month! How much of a slacker have I become? Well, no worries! I have lots of ideas and plans to get me going over here again. I'll be posting a lot more often starting in the next few days.
Here is what you have to look forward to:
-I'll start posting my menus and links to recipes again.
-A regular series I am going to call Sweet Tooth. I have a huge sweet tooth so I am going to start posting recipes of all my favorite sweets.
-Every week I'll post a kid friendly recipe. These will range from baby food recipes to big kid favorites.
-Kitchen Crafts. I really enjoy doing things in the kitchen with my son and will start posting about it here.
-Monthly cook book reviews. Every month I will pick a cook book and try to make 1-3 recipes a week from that book. At the end of the month I will do a write up of what I thought about the book and the recipes. (This will go along with the Soups On challenge that I signed up for as well.)
-I am not a big slow cooker user but I am going to start using mine more so I think I will also start participating in Slow Cooker Thursday.
Those are some of my current plans. I hope I still have some people who will come back even though it has been so long since I posted.

Fudgy Brownie from Scratch

2008-03-19T14:12:00.004-04:00

I have been trying to make most of my breads and goodies from scratch lately. I have found good recipes for most of the things I used to get from a box except brownies. I've made several batches of homemade brownies and they all tasted yummy but none of them had that fudgy, gooey taste you get from a box of brownie mix. They all have more of a cake-like texture and flavor than what I am hoping to achieve.

So, I know I don't have a very big readership, but if anyone reads this and has some recipes or tips for making fudgy homemade brownies, than please leave me a comment and let me know.

Thanks! :-)

On another brownie note, I love the corners best and that is why I must get me one of these!!

Strawberry Tacos?

2008-03-18T14:10:00.002-04:00

I put some strawberries on the table one night when we were having tacos. Expert decided to make himself a strawberry taco.
He said it was good. Just a little more juicy than normal. :-)

What's for dinner?

2008-03-18T13:41:00.005-04:00

I did not post a menu for this week because we are going out of town and I am just cooking up whatever we have on hand so I don't have to come home to a stinky fridge. I have some bacon that I bought and need to cook up so tonight we are having one of Expert's favs.

BLT Wraps
2 tomatoes
Mayo
4 (10 inch) tomato tortillas (or spinach or flour, whatever you prefer. We like the tomato ones)
2 cups mixed salad greens (or just rip up some lettuce, whatever you have on hand)
1/3 cup ranch salad dressing
12 slices bacon, fried crisp (or I guess you could use bacon bits)

Dice the tomatoes.
Spread a thin coating layer of mayo on each tortilla, about 1 to 2 teaspoons per tortilla. Combine the tomatoes, salad greens and ranch dressing and mix well. Spread this mixture on each tortilla so that it runs lengthwise across tortilla. Top with three pieces of bacon. Roll up each tortilla lengthwise. Serve.

Note: If you like avocado, you might want to add some to the salad greens and tomatoes.
I usually make either tri-color pasta or tomato pasta with this.

Tomato pasta
1 (16-oz) package pasta (any kind you fancy) cooked according to package directions
1 tablespoon butter or oil
3 or 4 green onions (tops and bottoms), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil or butter in large frying pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic in the fat until the onions are clear and the garlic is barley tender. Add the tomatoes, and continue cooking until heated thoroughly. Stir in the cooked pasta and sprinkle with cheese.

Note: We don't eat mushrooms in this house, but if mushrooms don't make you hurl you might like adding some sliced mushrooms in with the onion and garlic.

Flour Mess

2008-03-11T22:58:00.005-04:00

I am messy when I cook and even more messy when I bake. I am too involved in the process of creating yummy food to worry about the mess. And I always clean up when I am done so why worry about keeping tidy while I work?

One problem is that I was losing a lot of flour because I was so messy when measuring it. Now I place a piece of wax paper on the counter, measure over that and then transfer the excess flour mess back into the bag of flour. Now I don't have to worry how much flour I spill.

(Kitchen Tip Tuesday)

Menu Plan Monday

2008-03-09T20:27:00.008-04:00

I am not sure why, but I did not really stick to my menu last week. When it came time to make dinner I just felt like something else I guess. That is why a few things are being carried over from last week. It's good to be flexible.

Monday: Ranch Chicken, Tri-Color Pasta, Salad

Tuesday: Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bubble Loaf

Wednesday:Creamy Mac and Cheese, Rolls, Veggie

Thursday: Easy Chicken Bake, Fruit Salad, Veggie Tray

Friday: Cheeseburgers, Chips, Potato Salad

Saturday: Tomato Soup and Grill Cheese Sandwiches

Sunday: General Tso Chicken, Potstickers, Broccoli

Check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Menu Plans

Easy Chicken Bake

2008-03-09T20:12:00.003-04:00

A good friend brought this to my house on the day I came home from the hospital after having my son. It has been a favorite ever since. (I think this recipe can also be found on the back of a very popular boxed stuffing mix but I could not find it online to link to).

1-6 oz package stuff mix with seasoning
1 cup hot water
1 1/2 cup boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1-16 oz bag corn, thawed drained. (I do not usually add this much corn. You can also use peas and carrots or whatever vegetable your family likes).

Preheat oven to 400.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup dry stuffing mix on bottom of an 8x8 baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil; set aside.
Add hot water to remaining stuffing mix, stir just until moistened, set aside.
Place chicken over dry stuffing mix in baking dish.
Mix soup, sour cream and corn; spoon over chicken. Top with prepared stuffing.
Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Tri-Color Pasta Salad

2008-03-09T20:04:00.002-04:00

This could not be more simple.
Take a big bowl of cooked tri-color pasta and sprinkle it with some olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh oregano. If you like garlic, go ahead and toss some of that in as well.

Makes a great side dish to pretty much any meal.

Ranch Chicken

2008-03-09T19:52:00.003-04:00

This is one of the easiest and yummiest recipes I have in my collection.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

-Pour the dressing into a shallow bowl. Place the bread crumbs on waxed paper.
-Dip the chicken, one piece at a time, into the dressing, coating all sides. Then coat all sides with bread crumbs.
-Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes. Cook chicken in oil 12 to 15 minutes, turning chicken over once with tongs, until outside is golden brown and the juice is not longer pink when cut into the center of the thickest pieces. If the chicken sticks to the pan, loosen it gently with a turner of fork.

That time of year again!

2008-03-03T15:33:00.004-05:00

These arrived at my door this weekend. MMM MMM MMM! :-) I won't touch the ones in the purple box with a ten foot pole but the peanut butter ones are mine, all mine!!!!

Sloppy Joes

2008-03-03T15:18:00.003-05:00

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons grape jelly
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard (I use a deli/fancy style mustard. Not a yellow mustard. Yuck!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
5 hamburger buns, split

In large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the soup, ketchup, jelly, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt and celery seed. Bring to a boil. Reduce Heat; simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve on buns.

I like to eat mine open sandwich style with a fork and knife.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-03-03T15:01:00.006-05:00

I completely forgot to post and link my menu last week. I had a menu, I just forgot to put it on the blog. It was pretty boring anyway, with only 1 new recipe so nobody missed much.

Here is what is on deck for this week:

Monday: Meatballs and gravy over egg noodles with rolls and veggie
Tuesday: Tikki Chicken, Wild Rice and fresh green beans
Wednesday: Creamy Mac and Cheese, rolls and veggie
Thursday: Sloppy Joes, Tatar tots, applesauce
Friday: Spaghetti, garlic bubble loaf and green salad
Saturday: Tacos
Sunday: Gen Tso chicken with potstickers and broccoli

Happy eating!

Find more menus at Organizing Junkie

Is Mom's cooking that bad?

2008-03-03T14:48:00.004-05:00

OK, I admit that I might have put a little too much onion powder in the soup.

Buckeye Bars

2008-02-18T16:15:00.003-05:00

Being from Ohio, Buckeyes are of course my absolute favorite treat. Unfortunatly making buckeyes can be a bit of work. Rolling the peanut butter mix, diping in chocolate etc etc. So intstead of going through all that work I just make Buckeye Bars. Taste just as yummy with much less work!

Buckeye Bars
1 cup margarine
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter, divided
16 oz pkg. powdered sugar
8 oz milk chocolate candy bar, broken up

Melt together margarine and one cup peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl on high setting for about 1-1/2 minutes. Mix well. Stir in powdered sugar; pat into a lightly greased 13x9 baking pan.
Melt together chocolate and remaining peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl on high setting for about 1-1/2 minutes; stir untl well blended. Pour chocolate mixture over peanut butter mixture. Chill in refrigerator until firm; cut into squares. Makes about 5 dozen.

Waikiki Meatballs

2008-02-18T09:14:00.004-05:00

1 bag meatballs (or make your own)
1 tablespoon shortning
2 tablesppons corn starch
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can (13 oz) pinapple tidbits, drain and reserve the juice
1/3 cup vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped green pepper

Melt shortening in large skillet; brown and cook meatballs. Remove meatballs; keep warm. Pour fat from skillet.
Mix cornstarch and sugar. Stir in reserverd pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce until smooth. Pour into skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add meatballs, pineapple tidbits and green pepper, heat through.
Serve over rice.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

2008-02-17T23:08:00.002-05:00

I started giggling with excitment and drooling when I found this recipe. It sounds soooo good! I still giggle in anticipation every time I think about this recipe!
It is from Paula Deen and can be found here.

I'll be back to tell you if it lives up to all the excitment! :-) This sounds so good, I don't know what to make as side dishes.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-02-17T22:56:00.005-05:00

Monday: Waikiki Meatballs, Broccoli, Jell-O

Tuesday: Spaghetti, Garlic Bubble Loaf, Green Salad

Wednsday: Chicken Broccoli Casserole, Crusty Bread, Green Salad

Thursday: General Tso Chicken, Pot Stickers, Broccoli

Friday: Pizza, Green Salad, Cottage Cheese, Pineapple

Saturday: Tomato Soup, Grill Cheese Sandwiches, Apple Slices

Sunday: Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Click here for more Menu Plan Monday

Crusty Bread

2008-02-17T20:47:00.004-05:00

This is another recipe from the King Arthur Flour Company. They really do have the best bread recipes.
The end result of this recipe is some really delicious rolls but it does take a bit of time and work to get there. The starter has to be made the night before and then the dough has to rise for 3 hours before being refrigerated for several more hours. So if you want to make these make sure you plan ahead.
Here is the link to the recipe:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/recipe.jsp?recipe_id=R364

Mock Thanksgiving Dinner

2008-02-17T17:43:00.004-05:00

This meal is kind of like Thanksgiving only much more simple. Since it is not the real Thanksgiving I make lots of shortcuts.
I buy some Turkey Slices from the Deli. I just tell them to cut me some nice thick pieces. I usually get 4 slices for my family.
I use Stove-Top (or any other boxed stuffing) and I use gravy from a jar.
The only things I make for this meal are the cornbread and cinnamon apples.

Cornbread Bread Muffins(after trying about half a dozen recipes this is the one that made it into my files.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil or melted shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups. In medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt, mix well. Stir in remaning ingrediants just unitl smooth. Spoon Batter into muffin cups.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Immediatly remove from muffin cups.

Cinnamon Apples
10 apples, cored, peeled and sliced thin
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 dash salt
1 dash nutmeg

Gently mix all the ingrediants together in a baking dish.
Cover and cook for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.
Stir at least once every 15 minutes
Once they are soft, continue cookng for a few minutes to thicken up the cinnamon sauce.

Note: This make a lot of Cinnamon Apples but it is an easy recipe to reduce. I usually half it for my family but you could also easily only make this with 2-3 apples. Just be sure to watch the cooking time if you do reduce the recipe.
We like to eat these just as they are but they also go great with vanilla ice cream or with waffles and pancakes.

Carmel Corn

2008-02-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

Carmel Corn is a favorite Family Home Evening treat and is pretty easy to make.

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Karo syrup
1 1-pound package brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 large bowl popped corn

Combine all ingrediants in a heavy saucepan and cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches the softball stage (around 240 on candy thermometer). Pour over popped corn.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-02-11T07:41:00.001-05:00

I just looked at my menu and realized we are having chicken three nights in a row. I could change it up a bit but I probably won't. I usaully plan a little better than that.

Monday: Hawaiin Chicken, rice, veggie

Tuesday: Cheddar Broccoli Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, green salad, rolls

Wednesday: Easy Chicken Bake, fruit salad, veggie tray

Thursday: Valentines Day!! Seasoned Steak with Wild Rice, heart shaped Biscuits, veggie, Pink Lemonade and Strawberry Cake

Friday: Taco Salad

Saturday: Chicken Sandwiches, French Fries and Applesauce

Sunday: Sliced Turkey and Stuffing with Gravy, Cornbread and Cinnamon Apples

Hope everyone has a wonderful week filled with good recipes and yummy food!

Click Here for more Menu Plan Monday participants

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

2008-02-08T20:24:00.000-05:00

1/2 cup cornflake crumbs or bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 oz dry ranch dressing mix
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
26 oz marinara sauce
cooked bow tie pasta

Combine cornflake or bread crumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and ranch mix. Coat both sides of chicken with mix. Place in 9x13 inch pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spray tops of chicken with nonstick cooking spray to keep moist. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Just prior to serving sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Heat marinara sauce and serve over cooked bow tie pasta and chicken.

Note: I like to toss some butter and parsley in with the pasta.

Martha's Casserole

2008-02-08T20:09:00.000-05:00

This is a recipe I grew up with. When I was a kid I refused to eat it so mom would save some of the egg noodles and make me a hamburger patty to eat. Once I grew up a little and actually tried it I loved it. This casserole is one of the first things I made that did not come from a box.

8 oz wide egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1 8oz pkg. soft cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup snipped scallions
1 tablespoon minced green pepper
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook noodles as package directs; drain
Cook ground beef, remove from heat, drain fat and stir in tomato sauce.
Combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, scallions, and green pepper.
In a 2 quart casserole dish spread half the noodles, cover with cheese mixture; then cover with rest of noodles. Pour on melted butter, then meat mixture.
Bake uncovered, 30 minutes.

Baked Ziti

2008-02-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

This is simple and yummy and a good alternative to the same ol' same ol' spaghetti. Serve it with a salad and some form of garlic bread for a quick and easy meal.

1 box Ziti Pasta, cooked and drained
2 jars Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
3-4 cups shredded Mozzarella Chesse

Combine ziti, spaghetti sauce, ground beef and 2-3 cups cheese.
Place mixture in a 9x13 pan and top with remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot. Uncover about 1/2 way to brown the cheese a bit.

Deleted Recipe

2008-02-06T12:38:00.000-05:00

I had to delete the recipe for Fried Beef Stakes because I made them last night and found them to be very unappetizing to put it politely. I think I will refrain from posting recipes that I have not actually tried yet. :-)

Menu Plan Monday

2008-02-04T00:51:00.000-05:00

Since we were sick for so much of last week I did not stick to the planned menu. We opted for more soup than was planned. So some of the meals this week are being pulled from last week.

I should have the recipes for Thursday, Friday and Sunday up later today.

Monday: Tikki Chicken, Wild Rice, Green Beans

Tuesday: Fried Beef Steaks, Potatoes, Country Gravy, Veggie and Rolls

Wednesday: Beef Enchiladas, Green Salad, Rolls

Thursday: Parmesan Ranch Chicken, Crusty Bread,Vegtable

Friday: Baked Ziti, Garlic Bubble Loaf, Green Salad

Saturday: Tomato Soup, Grill Cheese Sandwich, Apple Slices

Sunday: Martha's Casserole, Green Salad, Garlic Bread

For more MPM participants visit I'm an Organizing Junkie

Beef Enchiladas

2008-02-04T00:32:00.001-05:00

Beef Enchiladas
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
2/3 cup water
1 Tbls chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
8 corn tortillas

Heat oven to 350 F
Cook beef until brown, drain. Stir in onion, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, parsley and pepper. Cover and remove from heat.
Heat bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, chilies, garlic and tomato sauce to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Pour into ungreased 9 inch pie plate.
Dip each tortilla into sauce in pie plate to coat both sides. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture onto each tortilla; roll tortilla around filling. Place seam side down in ungreased 11 x 7 inch glass baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.
Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbly
Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onions if desired.

Tikki Chicken

2008-02-04T00:03:00.001-05:00

Tikki Chicken is another family favorite. One of the few times I will actually use cornflakes in my cooking.

¼ cup honey
¼ cup ketchup
1 Tbs. Soy sauce
2 tsp. Grated ginger
6-8 pieces chicken tenderloins
3 cups cornflakes, crushed to crumbs
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple
1/8 tsp. Salt

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking pan with foil.
2. In a large bowl, combine honey, ketchup, soy sauce, and ginger. Transfer 2 Tbs. of sauce to a small bowl. Add chicken to the large bowl of sauce, and toss to coat well. Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow bowl, coat chicken with crumbs and place in prepared baking pan. Spray chicken with vegetable cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes.
3. Add pineapple to reserved sauce in the small bowl; stir in salt. Serve with baked chicken.

I'll usually serve this with some fresh green beans and wild rice.

Superbowl Dinner

2008-02-03T23:42:00.000-05:00

I wanted to make something fun and footballish for dinner tonight. We had bratwurst, Garlic -Herb mashed potatoes and Hot Pretzels.

I actaully used two new recipes tonight. I had a really good recipe for Hot Pretzels but they never kept well. If you did not eat them right away they became really soggy and gross. So I turned to one of my new favorite places to find recipes. The King Arthur Flour Company.

Here is the link to the Pretzels we made tonight. They turned out super yummy and were pretty easy to make.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/recipe.jsp?recipe_id=R259

I also tried a new potato recipe. In the past when I wanted garlic mashed potatoes I would just toss some garlic cloves in with the potatoes while they were cooking. I decided to try something a little more this time. Here is the recipe:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Garlic-Herb-Mashed-Potatoes

I added a splash of milk to get a more preferable texture but that was the only change I made.

Cookbook Junkie

2008-02-02T12:10:00.001-05:00

I love cookbooks. I love reading them and I love trying new recipes. I had to stop buying them so I currently have 8 checked out from the library.
Expert gave me The Amish Cook for Christmas and I love it! It is a wonderful story with recipes throughout. I have not tried any of the recipes yet but plan to very soon. He also gave me Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving because I want to learn how to can and preserve food from the garden we are going to plant this spring.
I probably use this Betty Crocker cookbook the most. I also really like this one. There are two cookbooks that I really really really want to add to my collection. (Valentine's day is coming up. Maybe I'll get one).
The first is The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. This is an amazing cookbook. The recipes are fantastic but I really love it because it is a practical guide for home cooks who want to make really good quality baked goods and it teaches the how and why of great tasting home baked goods. I've learned a lot about baking from this book. The other one I really want is The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I have not been able to get this one from the library but have looked at it at the bookstore on a number of occasions and am pretty sure I would use it a lot if I owned it.
I've also started collecting vintage cookbooks but I'll write more about that later.
What are some of your favorite or most often used cookbooks? Leave a comment and let me know. (Come on! Help feed my obsession with cookbooks!)

Lemon Chicken

2008-01-31T14:57:00.000-05:00

I've been making this Lemon Chicken recipe since shortly after I got married. It is one of my absolute favorites. Expert enjoys it and never complains but I don't think he ranks it as high on his list of favorites as I do.

Lemon Chicken
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size strips
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Hot cooked rice
Cook the chicken in the margarine or butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender and no longer pink, about 4-6 minutes. Stir together the flour, tarragon and salt. Add to skillet and stir to coat chicken. Stir together the water and bouillon granules and add to skillet. Stir in lemon. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice.

I've got a funny story to go with this recipe. A few years ago I shared this recipe with a friend whose husband loves onions. He was not paying to much attention and thought the lemon was an onion and took a great big bite. Not the taste he was expecting! He did enjoy it once his tastebuds got over the shock.

Garlic Bubble Loaf

2008-01-31T14:25:00.000-05:00

Here is the link to the bread recipe I made for dinner last night. This has become the staple bread to accompany spaghetti or baked ziti or anything like that. We love it.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Garlic-Bubble-Loaf

A few notes:

I use more garlic and butter. We like garlic around here so I usually use about 1 cup butter and 3-4 teaspoons garlic. (I don't always measure but that is what I would guess it turns out to be.) I also add a bit more parsley to the mix.

I used the breadmaker yesterday to mix and raise the dough. I don't always do it this way but with sick kids it was just easier to let the bread machine do half the work. I found the end result was not as light and fluffy a bread as I usually get when I do the work myself.

I am not a food photographer so I hope these look OK!

Food Blog

2008-01-31T14:10:00.000-05:00

I've created this blog as a place to post recipes, pictures, and stories about the food I create and consume. I'll post recipes for the meals I make, breads, cookies etc etc. I'll also try and post some pictures and some kitchen tips. I just started this on a whim so we'll see what becomes of it!
I'll still participate in Menu Plan Monday over on my other blog but I'll post the recipes here.
This should be fun!