Chicken Enchilada Soup

So I'm kind of on a roll with the soup recipes here! I decided to try doing a new soup every week....well, until I move onto some other obsession!  I found this recipe here. I did change a few things and doubled most of it (the version here is ALREADY doubled*) It originally called for 2 cups of sour cream but I couldn't really stand the thought of that many calories! Even with one cup though, the flavor is really great.  It tastes much better than my picture looks!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large green or red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

 

coarse salt and fresh black pepper

2 cans (11 ounce) Ro-tel diced tomatoes & green chiles

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 + 1/4 pounds boneless chicken breasts, uncooked 

2 cans corn

2 can black beans, optional

1 1/2 tablespoons chile powder

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 + 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or monterey jack, plus more for serving

1 cup sour cream, plus more for serving

tortilla chips, for serving

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile to your crock-pot add the Ro-tel, chicken broth, chicken, corn, black beans, chile powder, cumin, oregano and 1 teaspoon coarse salt or 1/2 teaspoon fine and about 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mix in the cooked onions, peppers and garlic.
3. Cook on high 3 - 4 hour or low 5 - 6. Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board. Stir the cheese and sour cream into the soup. Shred the chicken or cut into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot. Taste and season as needed. Cook 1 more hour on low heat.
4. Serve garnished with more cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

*The original recipe says this makes 4 servings which is why I doubled it. It filled my BIG slow cooker to the very brim. This doubled version was enough, even after everyone had seconds, to have leftovers for tomorrow.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I'd been looking for a broccoli cheese soup that didn't involve the ingredient "cheese food"... a.k.a Velveeta. It's more difficult than you might think! I finally found this recipe from the Six Sisters website and it uses actual, REAL cheese, from real cows! YAY! Initially I was a little skeptical about the nutmeg but it does turn out tasting great. I didn't change anything with this recipe except for I doubled it (the amounts listed below are for the doubled version) for my family of 6 which was a good call on my part. There were some leftovers but not much. 

Ingredients

8 TB butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups half and half
2 cups milk**
6 cups chicken stock or broth
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6-8 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
2 large carrot, diced
5 cups grated sharp white and/or yellow cheddar cheese plus more for garnish

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half and milk until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20minutes.

Add the broccoli florets and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
 Discard the bay leaves.

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted.

**Use all milk or all half and half depending on how rich and creamy you want it.  Just be careful if you use all low fat milk that the mixture doesn’t curdle.  The lower the fat content is the easier it is to curdle.

Minestrone

With the coming of the cooler weather I have been craving soup. But I really didn't have a lot of recipes for soups so I've been doing a little research.  I came across this Minestrone recipe from Taste of Home and it turned out really great. Nobody's leaving the table hungry after this meal! Not only is it really hearty but this makes a huge batch. My family of 6 had enough to eat it for two meals.  This would probably freeze really well too if you didn't want to eat it all on two days back to back.

Ingredients:
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 c minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup canola oil
2 garlic gloves, minced
5 cups beef broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 cup sliced fresh carrots
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning OR basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
1 can cut green beans
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 cup uncooked ditalini or other pasta

In a large stockpot, saute the onions, celery and parsley in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, Italian seasoning or basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Brown the beef and drain off the grease. Stir into the soup along with the zucchini, beans and pasta. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables and pasta are tender. Top each serving with cheese. Yield ~ 20 servings.

***You can also do this is a crockpot. Just brown the beef, saute the onions, garlic and celery. Then combine everything into the crockpot except for the noodles. Cook the noodles separately and add just before serving.

No Bake Cookies

This is such a simple recipe but I've never bothered to write it down so every time my kids ask for these I have to go online to search for a recipe. So in an effort to cut down on search time I'm putting it here on my personal food blog. 

Ingredients:
1/2 c. margarine or butter  
2 c. sugar   
1/4 c. cocoa
1/4 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. milk  
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. peanut butter
3 c. old-fashioned oats

Mix the butter, sugar, cocoa, chocolate chips, and milk in a sauce pan and melt together. Let it reach boiling point and boil for about two minutes. Remove from heat and put in vanilla and peanut butter and stir until peanut butter melts.  Then add oats and stir until completely coated. Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto wax paper and let cool a bit before you eat them.  

Homemade Play Dough

I know it's a little odd to put a play dough recipe on a food blog. But I figured that since all the old cookbooks put together by people from my very small hometown include miscellaneous recipes like this, I thought I'd go for it anyway. Also, when my son wanted to make it last week it took me longer to find my recipe than to actually make the dough so I thought I'd better put it somewhere easier to find. My kids absolutely love to play with play dough, but I hate the store brands because they stick to things (carpets, clothes etc) and it's so hard to get it off. This stuff is super easy to clean up. My kids have literally played with this dough for hours and hours in the past week. If you keep it in a air tight container it will easily last for at least a month. So get off your duff and go be Super Mom!

Ingredients:
2 cups water
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. alum
Food coloring

Mix and cook over medium heat until thick. I'm not really sure why you have to cook it to be honest, because it's not really cooking. You're mostly just mixing the ingredients over heat. It really turns into playdough when you scrape it out of the pot onto a lightly floured surface and then knead it until it's a good non-sticky consistency. You don't need to add any extra flour. If you do it will be too dry. Just knead it until it feels right.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Maybe I'm not normal but I like tuna casserole. I think I feel bad for it because, like meat loaf, it kind of gets a bad rap.  So stop turning your nose up at the poor tuna casserole and let's root for the underdog!  Plus it's easy, you probably have the ingredients on hand, and my kids really like it so maybe yours will too!

1 large package egg noodles - cooked and drained
2 cans tuna fish
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can of milk
1 onion, diced
1 can mushrooms (or use sliced, fresh mushrooms)
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup frozen peas

Saute celery and onion in 1 tsp of butter in a large saucepan (you can saute the green peppers too, I usually don't though because I like the crunch)  Add remaining ingredients, except for noodles, and mix well. Pour noodles into a well buttered 9x13 pan and spread soup/veggie mix on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 350.  You can put crushed potato chips on top but I never do. I guess my kids don't know what they're missing!

Go Tuna Noodle Go!

S'mores Mix

This is such an easy, delicious treat and my husband is always begging me to make it!

1 box Golden Grahams (the small box, not the Family size)*
1 bag mini marshmallows
1 stick butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt the butter and marshmallows together in a saucepan. Add Golden Grahams and stir to coat well. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until they are nice and melted. Spread on wax paper to cool. They are a little sticky at first, but after a few hours are perfect......if you can keep your family from eating them before that! As you can see from my picture I didn't even make it to get my camera and take a picture before people started munching!

*This is one instance in which I'd say don't try the generic Golden Grahams. I've tried the Malt O Meal bagged kind and they weren't nearly as good. The generic just doesn't have the right crunch and will stay too sticky. If you are going to try a generic brand though you'll need 8 cups of cereal. 

Pickled Banana Peppers

4 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
2 Tbsp. sea salt
10 cloves garlic


In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and add the garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.  Add the vinegar and salt and bring back to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves.

Wash banana peppers and remove seeds without cutting the peppers lengthwise (stick a thin knife into the pepper from the top and carefully remove seeds.) Then cut the peppers into thin rings. Tightly pack them into two quart jars, or 4 pints. Pour liquid over the peppers until the bottle is full. Let cool and then put lids on and store in the refrigerator. They will start to taste pickled after a few hours but are better if you give them a couple of days. The recipe says these will stay good in the fridge for up to three months. I wouldn't know though, my family goes through them like candy!

French Dip Sandwiches

This is such an easy recipe that it doesn't really even need to be written down (though I probably should have gotten my act together and actually taken pictures. Oops!) My family loves these and it really is a easy meal that makes your whole house smell amazing! Your family will think you've spent all day in the kitchen!

Directions:

Buy a roast big enough to feed your family. Generously sprinkle it with sea salt and rub it into the meat. Then use your favorite steak seasoning (I like to use McCormick Steakhouse Seasoning Grinder) and VERY generously coat all sides of the roast and rub it into the meat. Your roast should look pretty dirty by the time your done with it (this is where a picture would have come in handy, right?! But my hands were dirty and I was too lazy to wash them and take a picture!) Don't be afraid to really season that sucker. Then brown all the sides of the roast before putting it in your crockpot. Add water until the roast is not quite covered. This will be your au jus dip so make sure you'll have enough for each person but not so much water that it is too diluted. Then cut up 2 medium or one really large onion and place the slices on top. Cook this on low for about 8 hours.

When the meat is cooked take out the roast and shred it. Butter hoagie style buns and toast them on a griddle. Put slices of pepper jack cheese on the buns and then hot roast pieces. You can also add mayo if you like but I usually don't. Give each person a small bowl of au jus to dip their sandwich in and enjoy!

Cucumber Salad

One of my neighbors gave me a bag of cucumbers this week so I decided to make this cucumber salad recipe that I'd seen on Pinterest.  I did it as the recipe called for but I have altered it a bit because I thought the vinegar was too strong.  This is my altered version.  I really liked it.  It's very crisp and "summery."  Though, admittedly, not for everyone.  It does have A LOT of flavor!

4 thinly sliced cucumbers
1 large  sliced red onion
1 large  sliced green bell  pepper (or color of your choice)
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp celery flakes
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp. minced garlic 

In a bowl place cucumbers, onion, peppers, salt, celery flakes, red pepper flakes and gently stir.  

Bring to a boil the vinegar,water,and garlic .  Then add two large handfuls of ice.

Pack vegetable mixture tightly into 2 quart jars (or 4 pints). Pour slightly cooled liquid mixture into the jars until they are full.  Keep in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Original recipe from Pinterest can be found Here.

Cheesecake Fruit Salad

1 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese (you can use regular cream cheese but this helps cut a few calories.)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

dash salt

2 cup whipping cream

Enough fruit to give the salad the amount of bulk you want.  For mine I used 2 bananas (sliced and coated with orange juice so they didn't brown), 1 can chunk pineapple, 1 can mandarin oranges, about 20 grapes (halved), and almost 1 lb of strawberries (sliced) I'll admit I was trying to use up the fruit I had in the house before going on a family trip so it wouldn't go bad. You could really use whatever kind of fruit your family prefers.

 

Graham crackers, optional

 

Add cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla to the bowl of a mixer.  With the whisk attachment, beat until smooth 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl if necessary.  Once smooth, add whipping cream and whisk at medium speed until thickened.  About 2-3 minutes, the whisk will leave 'trails' in the mixture.

 

Then fold in the fruit and refrigerate until chilled (a couple of hours) You can sprinkle crushed graham cracker over the top.  

I borrowed/lifted/plagiarized this recipe from my friend Amanda. I know she won't mind but you really should go check out her blog.  She has the best recipes ever!  And she takes good pictures of everything like a real blogger! http://www.girlplusfood.net/2013/07/berry-cheesecake-salad-red-white-and.html

Bacon Ranch and Tomato Pasta Salad

I recently made this for a barbeque we went to with a group of friends.  It was a real hit! I did add a bit of corn to the mixture because I didn't have quite enough tomatoes and I wanted a little more color.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (16 ounce) package large shell pasta
1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 C sour cream
3/4 C mayonnaise
3/4 C buttermilk
1 (1 ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
salt and pepper

1. Cook your bacon, either on the stove top or on a large cookie sheet in your oven. When it is cooked through remove it to a plate and pat the grease off with some paper towels. Set it aside.

2. Boil your pasta according to package directions. Pour it into a strainer that you have placed in your sink. Pour cold water all over the pasta until it comes to room temperature. Set it aside.

3. Slice the little grape tomatoes in half and toss them into a large mixing bowl.

4. Chop up 3 green onions and add them to the tomatoes.

 5. Pour your cooked pasta into the bowl.

 6. In a small mixing bowl combine 3/4 C sour cream, 3/4 Cup mayonnaise, 3/4 C buttermilk and one Hidden Valley Ranch packet. Stir it well to combine, making sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

7. Crumble up your bacon and add it to the pasta mixture.

8. Pour half of the dressing over the top of the pasta and stir it well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour, or until you are ready to serve. Make sure to refrigerate the remaining dressing as well.

 9. When you are ready to eat this tasty salad, pour the remaining dressing over the top. Stir it well, making sure all of the ingredients are covered with dressing. Taste it and add a bit of salt and pepper if needed.

I got this recipe from here.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

My daughter and I were having some chocolate cravings so we whipped up a batch of these delicious cupcakes. It's nice because it uses ingredients I almost always have on hand. I especially love the gooey cheesecake centers! This is a recipe I got from an old college roommate so I'm not sure where the original recipe comes from.  Also, I smile every time I say the name of this recipe.  It's just so darn cute!


Ingredients:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 Egg
1/3 c. white sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. white sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 22-25 minutes. Makes approximately 20 cupcakes.

Marshmallow Popcorn

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
8 cups popped popcorn
1/2 tsp. vanilla
15 large marshmallows
food coloring (optional)
pinch of salt (optional)

Melt butter and sugar in the microwave in a covered dish for about 1 minute. Stir in marshmallows and heat in microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring each minute, until marshmallows are completely melted. Add vanilla, salt and food coloring. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat well. You may need to add a bit more popcorn so it's not too sticky. 

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes(or Pam)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally*  
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 cups whole milk (I use 2% and it works great too)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
One can stewed, diced tomatoes (I used the ones with basil and oregano)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
1cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)
Optional:  Add any vegetables you like.  I put in a pkg of frozen spinach and 1 can of corn.  

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente (it cooks a bit more in the oven so you don't want to get it too soft or it will be mushy); drain pasta and set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes).  Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer.  Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes (and any veggies you're using); cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. 
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Freezer instructions:
To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool.  Cover pan well with plastic wrap.  Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  To bake, preheat oven to 400.  Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside.  Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.  Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese.  Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.

 *For a vegetarian option you can easily leave out the chicken and add more vegetables.  That's how I did it.

Tip: Homemade Buttermilk

I never buy buttermilk.  I just make my own using regular milk and apple cider vinegar.  Stir in one Tablespoon of vinegar per cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.  You can also use lemon juice or any kind of vinegar instead of the apple cider vinegar.

Tip: Softening Butter

I never seem to remember to set my butter out so that it can reach room temperature before I want to use it.  Then I tend to microwave it and get it too "melty" which messes up the consistency of my recipe.  I found this trick somewhere on Pinterest and it works like a charm! (I'd link back to it but I'm not sure where it is)

Put your stick of butter with the wrapper still on in the microwave.
(Just make sure it’s not a foil wrapper!)
Heat for 4 seconds on high.
Flip it to the next side and heat for 4 more seconds.
Do this for each side for a total of 16 seconds. The time may vary slightly depending on your microwave power.
The result will be a slightly squishable stick of butter that is softened just right!

Chicken Spaghetti

This is a really easy meal that  I always have the ingredients for and the kids all love it.  Plus, it makes a very full 9X13 size pan with plenty of leftovers.  I tend to make it if I know the next day is going to be too hectic to find time to make a good dinner. (i.e. soccer season starts tomorrow!)

Ingredients:
8 ounces angel hair pasta

2 cups chopped, grilled chicken*
1 can cream of mushroom soup 
1 cancream of chicken soup
1 can (10 ounces) Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (I use mild and this dish still has a little 'kick' to it!)
8 ounces sour cream

Garlic salt to taste (at least 1/2 tsp.) 

1-2 cups of vegetables (either canned or frozen)

1 cup cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese

Bacon bits - optional, (but they do give it a nice flavor!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil pasta as package directs and drain. Mix all other ingredients (except cheese), add to cooked pasta and put in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with your choice of cheese and return to oven to melt.

*Most of the time I actually leave out the chicken and make this a meatless meal (uhh.....unless you count the bacon bits!) It tastes great without the chicken, though then you can't really call it "chicken" spaghetti, can you?!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Can't decide what kind of cookie to make?  Why not make a mixture of all your favorites!

Ingredients:

1/2 c butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/3 c peanut butter
1 egg + 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 c old fashioned whole oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
Optional: add 1/2 c peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, toffee bits, raisins, nuts, seeds, etc.

Directions:
Combine room-temperature softened butter with the sugars and cream together. Then stir in the peanut butter.  Add the egg + yolk and vanilla extract, and mix. Then add the oats, baking soda, and flour (slowly) and mix.  You should have cookie dough consistency dough and if you don’t, either add a touch more flour if it’s too wet or a touch more peanut butter if it’s too dry.  Finally, add the chocolate chips and any optional chips you’re using and stir in.

Scoop golf ball sized balls onto a cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.  They spread but not much (a tip to reduce spreading is to refrigerate and chill the dough prior to baking)
Bake at 325F for approximately 10-12 minutes.  The cookies will look pretty raw even at 12 minutes and that’s ok.  Take them out and let them sit and cool well before eating.

Yields: 2 dozen medium/larger cookies or 3 dozen smaller cookies.

Apricot Dijon Glazed Chicken

I made a whole bunch (and I do mean A LOT!) of peach freezer jam last fall when my peach tree was overflowing with yummy goodness.  But it turns out that my kids don't like peach jam and there's no way I can eat it all myself.  I've had this recipe for years and years but it just occurred to me to try and use peach jam instead of apricot.  And guess what?  It was awesome, that's what!  So I guess I've found a great way to use up all that jam and my kids don't even know they're eating it.  By the way, there really wasn't anything wrong with the jam...it just wasn't strawberry or grape so therefore it was too "different."  I know jam and mustard don't seem like they go together, but believe me, it works.  It has kind of an Asian sweet and sour taste to it.  Try it tonight!

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs (I used tenders instead)
1 jar (12 oz) apricot jam (or peach)
2 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

Bring jam, honey and mustard to a boil in a small saucepan.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until it's thickened and reduced to about half (about 15 minutes.)  You don't have to stir it constantly, but frequently.  And definitely don't let it boil over because that would be a terrible mess.  I'd probably move instead of clean it up! Put chicken into a 9X13 pan and salt and pepper.  Pour the sauce over the top and spread it evenly.  Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Serve over rice. 

Chocolate Syrup for Pancakes/Waffles

I've been kind of on a syrup kick lately.  Once I realized there was more to syrup than just maple I've been keeping an eye out for other syrup recipes.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it out this morning.  It was a hit with all of us!

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup commercially prepared chocolate milk (full-fat version)*
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

1. In a large pan (make sure it is large, this syrup will grow when you add the vanilla and soda), place the butter, chocolate milk, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and soda (it will foam)
3. Serve over hot pancakes or waffles.

*I didn't have commercially prepared chocolate milk so I just mixed some Hershey's syrup into the milk until it was pretty chocolately looking.  I thought it worked great, but I do want to try it with commercially prepared chocolate milk and see if there's a difference. 

Recipe found here.

Homemade Pancake Mix

Ingredients:
8 cups all-purpose flour (you could substitute 2 cups with whole wheat flour for a healthier version.)
2 cups powdered milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt


1. Mix all ingredients together well and store in an airtight container.  Makes about 5 batches.

Then use the following recipe to make the batter.

PANCAKE BATTER
2 1/2 cups homemade pancake mix
2 large eggs
water (about 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, but delicious)
2 tablespoons melted butter or oil

1. Whisk together all ingredients, adding water until combined but slightly lumpy!

2. Heat greased skillet or fry pan over medium heat.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter per pancake and cook until golden brown, flipping once.

Caramel Sauce

Tonight I was really craving something sweet.  So I started scanning my cupboards to see what I had and I noticed that my brown sugar was on the verge of going dry and hard.  It's not every day that you need to "use up" brown sugar, but...alas....if I must, I must!  This is a really easy caramel recipe that is great for dipping with apple slices.  I have an abundance of apples right now because I just bought a huge box from Bountiful Baskets.  I'm just doing my best to make sure nothing spoils before we use it up! Oh, and this can also be used as a caramel sauce on ice cream or other desserts.  Just heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave until it is pourable. This will keep in the fridge for several weeks...though there's no way it will last that long without being eaten!  Recipe makes about 4 cups.

Caramel Dip

1 c. real butter

2 c. brown sugar

1 c. light corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

dash salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, condensed milk and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Mix in vanilla. If using as a sauce, reduce boiling time to 3 minutes. Keep covered in refrigerator and reheat as needed. 

**** This recipe was blatantly borrowed from my friend Lauren.  I'm sure she won't mind....I don't think.  http://laurenscooking.blogspot.com/2010/11/caramel-dip.html

Lasagna

1 pkg. lasagna noodles
Ricotta cheese (at least 15 oz.  I usually use more than that)
2 cups mozzerella cheese, shredded
1 lb. hamburger*
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 clove minced garlic
1 26 oz jar pasta sauce
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. onion salt
Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Start a large pot of water to boil.  Can add a bit of salt.  Once boiling add the noodles and boil until al dente.  

2) Meanwhile, brown hamburger with minced onion and garlic.  Drain off any excess oil.  Return meat to pan and add pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and all the seasonings.  Test your flavor as you go.  You don't want to get it too salty. Simmer for about 20 minutes. 

3)Spray a 9 X 13 pan.  Layer noodles, then ricotta, then pasta sauce mixture, then mozzerella cheese.  Do three layers.

4) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

*This can, of course, easily be a vegetarian meal.  Just leave out the meat and add layers of spinach leaves, fresh or frozen (if you use frozen be sure it is completely thawed and squeeze out any excess water.)

Chicken Pot Pie

1 lb. chicken, cubed and cooked
2 cups frozen veggies (microwave for a few minutes so they're thawed out)
2 cans cream of broccoli soup
2 pie shells (I buy the frozen ones and thaw them out....lots easier than making your own!)

Put one pie crust in your pie pan.  Mix chicken, vegetables, and soup together and pile in to the shell.  Top with the remaining crust.  Trim off excess pie crust and pinch the two crusts together.  Slice a few slits in the top for ventilation.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes until nicely browned and bubbly.  You may want to put a pan underneath to catch any spills.  Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. 

Bean & Bacon Soup

While visiting my dad a few weekends ago he whipped up this little dish for us.  It's perfect for an easy weeknight meal, full of protein, and my kids gobbled it up like nobody's business!  It's way better than Campbell's version of Bean & Bacon soup!

1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas)
1 can corn, undrained
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup bacon, cooked and diced (I'll admit I buy the big bag of real bacon bits from Sam's Club)
1 can Rotel - optional, but it gives it a bit more "kick"

Rinse beans well then throw everything in a pot and heat through.  Easy Peasy!  

Breakfast Casserole

This is a great casserole to prepare the night before in your slow cooker and let it cook all night and in the morning you have a delicious breakfast. This turned out really great and it made enough that we had enough for two days in a row (the kids didn't seem to mind having it reheated in the microwave the second day.)

Ingredients:

• 1 bag 26 oz. frozen hash browns (or make your own)
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 16 oz. roll sausage
• 1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of shredded cheese

Directions:
Spray your crockpot or use a liner. Layer the hashbrowns  at the bottom.  Then put on a pretty good layer of cheese.  Cook the sausage, drain, and layer on top of the cheese (you could also easily use diced ham, or cooked and chopped bacon)  Spread the can or soup, undiluted, on top.  Mix everything together. Then crack 12 eggs into a separate bowl, add the milk, ground mustard, salt and pepper and whisk together.  Pour the egg mixture over the contents of the crockpot.  Then turn on low for 6 - 8 hours and you wake up to a yummy, hot breakfast in the morning.  I wouldn't advise cooking it for longer than 8 hours or it will be to dark around the edges. 

I did have a picture of this but can't seem to locate it.  But I got the recipe from HERE and she has lots of pictures.

Roasted Cabbage

I got 2 large cabbages in my Bountiful Basket and I really don't cook a lot with cabbage.  So I went looking for a new recipe to try.  This was so easy and turned out really good.  Just slice your cabbage into about 1/2 inch thick round sections.  Spray a jelly roll pan and place the cabbage on the pan.  Then either drizzle olive oil on the cabbage rounds or put a dab or two of butter on each round.  Then sprinkle your favorite seasoning salt, or garlic salt, and ground pepper on top. (I actually did a no-salt seasoning mix on mine which is why there looks like a lot.  You probably wouldn't want to put it that thick if your seasoning contains a lot of salt)

Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes until slightly browned and tender crisp. 

Egg Muffins

Lately I've been trying to do better at making my kids breakfast.  I tend to feel kind of guilty when I  slap a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of them for the 5th (or 7th, or 10th) day in a row!  These egg muffins are super easy and if you cook them the night before you can pop them in the microwave for about thirty seconds the next morning and you have a quick, easy and delicious (well, if you like eggs...which I don't.  But everyone else in the family does so I keep making them!) breakfast.

Directions:  Whip together 12 eggs.  Add any ingredient you like to put in an omelet.  Mine had 4 green onions, shredded cheese, diced ham, and 1/3 cup of fresh salsa I had left over from dinner, and salt and pepper.  Then pour the mixture into a well sprayed muffin pan.  You can fill the cups almost to the top but then put a jelly roll pan underneath to catch any spills.  Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned and set. If you make them the night before then let them cool for about twenty minutes and then refrigerate. 

Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Okay, so I never do this, but I'm adding a recipe I haven't actually made yet.  I did have this the other night but it was made by a friend of mine.  I thought it was so good I had to come home and find the recipe and put it on the blog so I have it handy for the next time I'm craving cupcakes with AMAZING frosting.  This recipe comes from AnniesEats.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups, plus 2 TBSP unsalted butter (that's 3 sticks plus 2 tbsp.), at room temperature
3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)
2 TBSP heavy cream
1 TBSP vanilla extract

Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium high speed until smooth, about one minute. Add the confectioners sugar and mix at medium-low speed until just incorporated. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean pod (if using one) into the bowl and add the pinch of salt. Continue to beat at medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Mix the heavy cream and vanilla in on low speed just until incorporated.  Increase speed to high and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.

*Yields enough to frost 2 dozen cupcakes

Sweet Potato Bread

I also got a bunch of HUGE sweet potatoes in my Bountiful Basket last week.  Normally I just mash them with some butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, which I love, but you can only do that just so many times! Then I ran across this recipe on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try.  It is absolutely delicious and tastes a lot like pumpkin bread or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  I doubled the recipe so I had 12 muffins for breakfast the next morning and a loaf of bread for snacks.  Though I almost hesitate to call this a muffin.  At what point does it become a cupcake instead of a muffin?!  These are so tasty they have to be considered more of a dessert than a breakfast food, don't they?

Sweet Potato Bread
1 ½ cups sugar
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1 ¾ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup water
1 cup cooked sweet potato puree (I just boiled them until soft, then pureed them in my blender)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
***It's easy to sneak a bit more nutrition into these without the kids noticing.  I added about a TBSP of Wheat germ.  You could also add a TBSP of flax seed or bran. I won't tell if you don't! :)

Combine sugar and butter in a mixing bowl, beat until creamy. Add eggs and puree. Beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients and beat. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350' for about 1 hour.  For muffins bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Original Recipe found here.

Chicken Noodle Soup

The other night I made Chicken Noodle Soup. I tried to make my own egg noodles but I wasn't 100% happy with them so I'll have to perfect them before I post a recipe. They weren't bad, just a little too thick. I loved how my vegetables looked all lined up on the cutting board so I had to take a picture. I got rainbow carrots in my Bountiful Basket so I decided to use those to add some fun colors.

INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSP Butter
1/2 Onion (I used Leeks because I needed to use them up)
4 celery Stalks, cut
4-5 Carrots, sliced
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth or homemade stock*
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
Egg Noodles
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in carrot, onion, and celery and simmer until  the onions turn soft and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add a little water if it seems to need it.
3. Season to taste with basil and oregano, black pepper, and salt, if necessary; stir in egg noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in cooked chicken breast meat and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.

*Homemade stock is SO much better than store bought chicken broth.  It makes a huge difference in the taste of your soup, though it does take a little time.  I had a rotisserie chicken from the night before with most of the meat picked off that I covered with water, added 3 cloves or garlic, some diced onion, salt, and 2 bay leaves.  Let it simmer for a few hours.  Then strain the liquid into a couple of mason jars and discard the chicken bones and vegetables. 

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

This was seriously the easiest dinner ever!  And the chicken turned out very tender and moist with a perfect lemony flavor.  I will definitely be doing this one again!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (or chicken tenders)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2- 3/4 Tablespoon McCormick lemon and pepper seasoning

1/4 C butter

Melt butter and add to soup and seasoning mix.  Pour half into crock pot.  Add chicken and pour over remaining soup mixture.  Cook 5 hours on LOW in crock pot.  Serve over rice.

Parmesan Roasted Vegetables

 This is a very easy and a tasty way to eat your squash.  Even my pickiest eater begged for more.  And my husband, who seems to have squashaphobia, ate a big plate full and loved it.

• Zucchini and Summer Squash (I used 3 small squash of each variety to fill the whole jelly roll pan)
• Garlic powder
• Pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Chop your squash into large, chunky slices about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Spray a cookie sheet with a light coat of olive oil.
4. Line up your squash slices. Don’t worry about leaving any space between them.
5. Spray a light coat of olive oil over the top of the squash.
6. Sprinkle garlic salt, pepper and then parmesan cheese on the squash slices.
7. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until they have a very light golden hue to them, and you can easily push a fork through them.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

I tried this recipe last night.  It was really fast to put together and we all really liked it.  The kids were begging me to send it in their lunchboxes the next day!

Ingredients

• 10-12 oz. penne or ziti pasta
• 2 cups heavy cream (I used milk and it still tasted great)
• 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 1/2 cup grated swiss cheese, separated
• 3/4 cup bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 cup diced ham
• 2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
• bread crumbs

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to its package's directions. Drain. Add a little olive oil so the noodles won't stick together.
2. Heat cream cheese on stove over medium low heat until melted. Stir in heavy cream (or milk if you prefer). Stir until completely combined. Add onion powder and garlic salt. Stir 1 cup of cheese until smooth consistency.
3. In a 9x13, layer noodles, bacon, chicken, and ham. Pour sauce over top. Sprinkle top with 1/2 cup cheese and bread crumbs.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 - 20 minutes or until heated through.

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

One 10 oz can condensed Cream of Broccoli soup (or mushroom)

1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise 

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash nutmeg

.
2 cups cooked broccoli

1 1/2 cups  COOKED quinoa (see note)

Parmesan cheese

.
To cook quinoa:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

.
Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear.  In a small saucepan combine the quinoa, water, and salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and the white ring/tail is visible.  Fluff with a fork.  I just put the quinoa in my rice cooker and cook it just like I would do rice. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a shallow (8×8 in or 5-6 cups) casserole dish – or individual ramekins – with vegetable cooking spray. *

In a large bowl combine the soup, mayonnaise, milk, shredded cheese, pepper, and nutmeg until well mixed. Stir in the quinoa and broccoli.

Spoon mixture into prepared casserole.  Sprinkle on a couple tablespoons of Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for ramekins) or until bubbly on the edges and golden.  Makes 8 generous 1/2-cup servings.

*I doubled the recipe for my family of 6 and baked it in a a 9 X 13 pan.  Everyone liked it so much that there wasn't very much left over!

Apple Pie

Sunday I made an apple pie.  Why, oh why, do I give in to the baking urge on Sundays?  I didn't want to worry about making my own crust though and I had recently purchased pre-made pastry crusts with a coupon I had, so I used those.  I think they taste great and they only cost about $2, so I have a hard time making myself want to make my own crust.  My time is worth more than that, right? I guess you now know I'm not a real cook and you should move on to a more worthy food blog! But first try this apple pie recipe.  It was great!

Apple Pie Filling:

1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 tsp nutmeg
7 small/medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
Juice of one lemon

Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. In another bowl, sprinkle apples with the juice of 1 lemon and toss. Stir in the sugar mixture to evenly coat the apples.Set aside.

Line a pie pan with one of the pie crusts. Mound the apple and sugar mixture into the pie pan lined with dough. Dot with pats of butter. Put second crust on top. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg (1 egg is enough) and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Trim the overhanging dough and crimp edges.

Bake pie for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  I keep mine covered with foil for about the first 35 minutes so the crust doesn't brown too fast.  Check the pie at about 50 minutes. Let rest 20 minutes before slicing.

Honey Glazed Carrots

These were really good and my husband thought they were dripping in butter.....but they weren't!  They do have some oil but not a whole lot.

Mix Together:

2 Tbs. orange juice
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cut 1 lb. of carrots into thin strips and then toss will the liquid mixture until coated.  Place as a single layer on a foil covered large jelly roll pan.  Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes or until they are tender.

Cinnamon Syrup

What's this?! A recipe that is not made in the juicer?  That's right folks, my 10 day juice fast is almost over and I am plum out of juicing recipes!  I got to the point where you could pretty much throw anything in together, add an apple, or orange and it would taste just great.  I made the kids waffles with cinnamon syrup for dinner tonight and I admit I did eat a little, but only because I needed to taste this new syrup recipe for myself.  I'm the kind of girl who grew up thinking the only kind of syrup was maple syrup, so discovering in my 30's that this isn't true is quite exciting (thank you Pinterest!)  So for your next breakfast try out this recipe.  It was very tasty and I think would be amazing on French Toast.

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/4 c. water
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk

In a saucepan combine all ingredients except the evaporated milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, let sit for 5 minutes, then stir in evaporated milk.  This made a little less than 2 cups of syrup. 

Cantaloupe Craze

This morning I tried juicing cantaloupe for the first time.  I was hoping it would be pretty darn good because it is not cantaloupe season and I searched high and low to find a decent looking cantaloupe.  I liked it, but it does have a pretty strong cantaloupe flavor so if you don't love cantaloupe you may want to use less cantaloupe and throw in an apple or orange instead.  I've pretty much come to the conclusion that almost anything will taste fine if you add an apple. 

1/2 medium cantaloupe
5 medium carrots
3 stalks of celery

Calories = ~ 236

Sweet Potato Heaven

I'm not sure I would have considered using sweet potatoes in my juicer all on my own.  However, I had seen a recipe that called for it, but when I wanted to use my sweet potatoes I could no longer find the same recipe. So I just made this one up.  I really liked it.  It was really smooth and actually sweeter than I thought it would be. 

1 sweet potato (about 5 inches long)
4 medium carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 apple

Makes about 24 ounces
Calories = ~ 284

Tomato Carrot Juice

This was really quite yummy.  Almost like a V8 but not as salty, though I did add a touch of sea salt.  It seems like the tomato makes the drink kind of creamy which is nice.  The lime gives it a nice zing too. 

2 large tomatoes
4 medium carrots
1 apple
1/2 lime, peeled

Calories = ~ 231

Peachy Carrot

I LOVED the addition of peaches.  Maybe because it was something I haven't put in my juicer yet and since everything was starting to taste the same it is nice to add a new flavor.  I'm excited to juice some peach juice this fall when my wonderful peach tree is ready to harvest!

3 peaches (pits removed, of course)
1 grapefruit, peeled
4-5 medium carrots

Calories = 336

Celery Sensation

Yeah, I'm probably getting a little too inventive with the naming of my juices but you start to run out of options!  This one actually tastes quite a bit like the Cucumber Lemon drink I posted before.  Celery is a great base for your juices because it is inexpensive and you get a lot of juice out of each stalk.  I'm starting to have my doubts about the leafy greens though.  You can put in tons of spinach or kale and only get a tiny squirt of juice, but I suppose that one squirt is probably loaded with lots of nutrients. 

8 stalks celery
1 cucumber
handful of kale leaves
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
handful of parsley
1 pear
1/2 lemon, without rind
1 inch piece of ginger root

Calories = ~225

Fruity Breakfast

This one was bound to taste good because it's almost all fruit.  But I did tell myself I could have a fruity drink for breakfast and then more veggie based drinks for lunch and dinner.  The calorie count is higher than the other recipes I've tried.  Maybe if I'd known before hand how many it had I would have tried something different.  Nah, it was worth it!

2 oranges
2 apples
1 grapefruit
3 carrots


Calories = ~ 425

Veggie Delight

Yeah, I did make up the name of this drink.  I'm trying to make myself keep going with this by calling the drinks something cute.  Don't get me wrong, the drinks themselves really don't taste bad (though they are starting to taste all the same) but I want something to chew!  A hamburger sounded really good for dinner last night but instead I made this drink.  It was a little like V8.  I couldn't taste the garlic so if you want that flavor you might want to put in more.  The touch of sea salt was a nice addition especially considering I haven't had any salt in 4 days. 

2 Tomatoes
2 cups greens (I used mixed greens)
1 cucumber
3 stalks celery
1 Apple
1/3 small beet
2 carrots
1 clove garlic
1 pinch of sea salt (stir it in after, don't put it in the juicer)

Calories = ~237

Apple Ginger Juice

After 3 days of lots of veggies I decided to go for a little treat.  Plus, I was headed to the gym right after and figured I'd burn off the extra calories anyway.  Fresh apple juice is incredible!

5 Apples
1/2 lemon
1 inch ginger root
dash of cinnamon (stir in after, do not put it in the juicer)

Calories = ~283

Beet-le Juice

I was a little hesitant to try using beets in my juice, but I decided to go for it anyway. I ate lots of beets growing up (my parents always raised a MASSIVE garden) and I had forgotten that I actually like them.  Plus, the color of this juice was really pretty.  I'm starting to think that it makes it easier to drink your veggies if the juice is an appealing color.  Once again though, my husband chose to make something different because he doesn't like beets.  I'm starting to wonder if he likes vegetables at all (aside from celery and spinach!)  Beware though!  Beets are stainy little suckers, especially on my light colored counter tops!

2 apples
1 small lemon
3 celery stalks
1 small to medium sized beet
3 cups spinach or other leafy green
1 cucumber

Calories = ~ 240

Orange Carrot Juice

I really liked this juice!  The orange color is so much more appetizing too. 

2 Oranges, peeled
5 Medium Carrots
3 Stalks of Celery

Calories = 211

Spinach Carrot Ginger Juice

So I tried a recipe for lunch today that was entirely veggies.  Bad idea! I could barely choke it down.  I've decided you need at least one fruit in each recipe.  Even if fruit does have more calories you're still looking at less than 300 for the entire recipe (~20 ounces.) If you're juice fasting then three meals at 300 calories is still only 900 per day.  Add in some exercise and you're definitely going to lose weight.....or at least I'd better!  This was my dinner drink and it was probably my favorite so far. I really liked the hint of parsley.  And I'm starting to think you can't go wrong with carrots and celery.  They don't really have strong enough flavors to take over the whole drink.

1 Apple
1 Orange
4 Medium Carrots
3 Cups Spinach (recipe called for Kale but I didn't have any)
1/2 lemon, peeled
3 stalks celery
1 inch ginger root
Several sprigs of parsley

Calories = ~246 (by the way these are the calorie counts if you consumed the whole fruit/veggies.  So just the juice will come out to less because there is some pulp that's not eaten.)

Grapefruit Sunrise Juice

1 Apple
1 Grapefruit
5 medium carrots
3 stalks of celery

Calorie Count = 290

We are trying to do a juice in the morning that contains more fruit.  Then more vegetable based drinks for lunch and dinner.  I really liked this drink.  I actually put 2 grapefruits in this drink this morning. It was too much, but I think one would be perfect.  My husband didn't care too much for this juice because he doesn't like grapefruit.  But I'll make it again with only one and see if he likes that better.  I was surprised that even with 5 carrots it didn't tasty "carroty".  You could probably add more carrots if you wanted to.

Cucumber Lemon Juice

My husband and I recently watched the documentaries Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and Hungry for Change.  They both talked about the benefits of juicing fruits and vegetables as a way of getting more nutrients in a concentrated form.  I was a little hesitant but my husband was all for it.  So we purchased a fancy pants juicer and are starting on a 10 day juice fast. We both would like to lose just that last 10 pounds and we're hoping this is just the ticket! We don't believe in all the "nutritional supplement" type diets but this seems like a good natural option. So here's to 10 days of no solid foods, no soda (yikes!) and lots of produce shopping! Wish me luck!

Cucumber Lemon Juice (Juice #1)
2 Apples
4 Stalks Celery
1 Cucumber
2 handfuls baby spinach
1/2 lemon, peeled

***This recipe is a total of 231 calories according to the calorie calculator at myfitnesspal.com

Most of us (we made the kids try it too!) really liked this one.  My two youngest boys didn't care for it too much but they did drink a small glass.  This recipe makes about 20 ounces of juice.  We did three rounds of this recipe.  I drank one whole recipe myself and then the kids shared most of the second recipe, and my husband drank the rest of theirs and a whole recipe of his own! The cucumber and lemon flavors really dominate in this one.  My husband doesn't like cucumbers but he was really going to town on this stuff!  Honestly, it was kind of like drinking summer.  Kind of nice on a cold January night!

Oreo Pudding Poke Cake

I had pinned this recipe on Pinterest almost a year ago and am just now getting around to making it.  It was really easy (next time I'll have my 10 year old do it) and turned out great.  Very moist and yummy.  And with pudding instead of frosting I was able to convince myself that it's a lower calorie dessert....though I'm sure it's still loaded with sugar and calories!

Ingredients:

1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix

Ingredients needed to make cake (usually eggs, oil and water)

2 (4 oz.)packages of Instant Oreo pudding

4 cups milk (2% or higher)

Crushed Oreo Cookies, about 10 (optional)

Directions: 

1) Make and bake the chocolate cake according to the instructions on the box.  

2) Just before the cake is done mix the 2 packages of Oreo pudding and the milk.  You want it to sit for just a few minutes so it is set up a bit but still runny enough to pour.  

3) Take the cake out of the oven and, while it's still hot, poke holes all over the cake with the stick end of a wooden spoon.  

4) Then pour the pudding over the cake, aiming for the holes, and use a spoon to press the pudding down into the holes and then spread the pudding evenly across the whole cake.  

5) Refrigerate for one hour, sprinkle crushed Oreos on top, and then you can eat it!  Any leftovers need to be kept in the refrigerator.  

Original recipe (with much better instructions and pictures!) found here: http://www.thecountrycook.net/2011/07/puddin-poke-cake.html 

This website also has a Boston Creme Poke Cake that looks yummy too.  I'm going to have to try that one sometime soon....or at least sometime within the next year.  That's just the way I roll!

Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

I found this recipe via Pinterest.  It's from Martha Stewart.  http://www.marthastewart.com/870103/salisbury-steak-onion-gravy  I may not be a Martha but I made this recipe just fine and it was delicious!   I did change it just a bit but it's essentially the same thing.

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 pounds ground sirloin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (1 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons plus a dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, plus 1/4 cup for dusting
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth

Directions

1. Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and 1 cup onion. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown and caramelized. Set aside.
   
2.  In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 cup onions, bread crumbs, the sirloin, garlic cloves, bread, egg, parsley, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix with your hands to combine. Divide meat mixture into 6 oblong patties (about 5 inches long and 3/4 inch thick). Dust with cornstarch.
   
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining oil, and reduce heat to medium. Cook patties, 3 at a time, for 6 minutes, without moving them. Flip, and cook until cooked through, about 9 minutes. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining patties. (I just used two pans...more dishes but all the patties were done at the same time)
   
4. Make the gravy: Add cooked onions and 1 teaspoon cornstarch to same skillet, and stir for 1 minute. Raise heat to medium-high. Pour in broth and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and whisk until broth is clear and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and return patties and juices to skillet, spooning sauce on top. I'm going to double the gravy recipe next time so there's enough for our mashed potatoes too.
   

Honey Popcorn

This is a recipe I found in one of those community cookbooks where everyone submits their favorite recipes and someone compiles it all and sells it for a fundraiser.  You know the type.  Some of my favorite recipes come from these types of cookbooks.  This particular recipe was submitted by an elderly woman (Ida Winter) who lived on my street and was the secretary at my high school.  Secretly, I was always a wee bit scared of her....but she has some great recipes!

Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1 c. honey
1/2 c. margarine

Stir these ingredients (constantly) over medium heat until it reaches a soft ball stage.  Definition of Soft Ball - "Begins at 234 degrees if you have a candy thermometer, or when a small amount of syrup dropped into chilled water forms a ball, but flattens when picked up with fingers."  It's not as complicated as it seems.  I don't have a candy thermometer and I was able to figure out soft ball just fine.  Then you slowly pour the candy over popcorn (I used 2 full sized bags of light butter microwave popcorn, but you could air pop it too) while stirring to coat the popcorn evenly.  It's best if you have another adult to help with this step.  So yummy and easy too!