Italian Wedding Soup

Per Jason's Request (and quite delicious)

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 egg slightly beaten
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon parm. cheese
1 teaspoon italian seasonings (basil, oregano, etc whatever you have)
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup orzo pasta
grated parm. cheese (for garnish)

1. In a medium bowl combine beef, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, and seasonings. Shape into 3/4 inch balls (I tried to make mine a little smaller even).
2. In a bowl bring broth, spinach and pasta to a boil. Slowly drop in meatballs and stir gently so they don't break apart. Bring to a gentle boil for about 10 minutes.
3. Serve with parm cheese sprinkled on top if desired. Makes about 4 servings, took about 25 minutes to make. And it was great!

Frosted Maple Cookies

I had to make something unique for a cookie exchange and these were the ones chosen! Jason said the house smelled like waffles :)


Frosted Maple Cookies
Makes about 60 cookies
Cookie:
3 Cups of Flour
2 Cups Brown Sugar
½ Cup Butter (softened)
1 Tsp. Maple Extract
12 oz. White Chocolate Morsels
2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Cup Shortening
2 Eggs
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
½ Cup Chopped Pecans
Topping:
A pecan half for each cookie (about 60)
Frosting- 2 cups powdered sugar, 2-3 tbsp. Milk, 2 tbsp. Butter, ½ tsp. Maple extract, mix until smooth
Beat together all the ingredients (stir in the chips and pecans last). Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown and transfer to a plate to cool. Once cooled top with maple frosting and a pecan half. Enjoy!

Award Winning Crab Cake Sliders

Invented these for a recipe contest at Bear Creek and won first place!

16 oz crab meat
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
¼ cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp old bay
2 green onions chopped
¼ tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper (to taste)
8 oven ready biscuits (Pillsbury is good)
lettuce (approx. 4 large leaves)
1 tomato
½ cup tarter sauce
1 tsp fresh dill chopped
8 crushed Ritz crackers
2 tbsp butter
In a mixing bowl combine crab meat, shredded cheese, egg, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, old bay, green onions, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Mix with a fork until ingredients are well combined. If mixture seems a little dry add a tablespoon more of mayonnaise or mustard depending on your preferences. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for an hour or so (this will make it easier to form the crab cakes).
While crab mixture is chilling, bake biscuits according to directions on package. When they are cooled slice them in half and set aside. Clean lettuce leaves and chop so that they fit on the biscuit well. Wash tomato and cut a thin slice for each slider. Mix dill and tarter sauce together in a little bowl so guests can add it to their slider to fit their preferences.
Now, back to the crab cakes. In a large saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Take mixture out of the refrigerator and form 8 slider sized crab cakes. Coat each crab cake in crushed Ritz crackers and place in saucepan for 5-8 minutes on each side. Breading should get a little crispy and the cheese will be melted in the cake. Assemble crab cake on biscuit with lettuce and tomato and serve with dill tarter sauce. Enjoy.

Tortellini Tuscan Stew

Yummy! And a crock pot recipe, so easy and delicious!

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large zucchini, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 large yellow summer squash, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, cut in 1/2-inch dice
4 ounce(s) thin green beans, trimmed and cut in 2-inch lengths
1 can(s) (28-ounce ) crushed tomatoes
1 can(s) (14 1/2-ounce) vegetable broth
2 tablespoon(s) fresh oregano, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1 package(s) (9-ounce) fresh cheese tortellini
1 bag(s) (5-ounce) baby spinach
3 tablespoon(s) grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients, except tortellini, spinach, and Parmesan cheese, in a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or low 6 hours. Uncover; turn slow cooker to high and stir in tortellini. Cover: continue to cook 15 minutes, or until pasta is almost tender. Uncover; gently stir in spinach and Parmesan. Cover; cook 5 minutes until spinach is cooked down and tortellini is tender. Smile and enjoy :)

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Another one from 'Fast Fix Family Food', these easy cinnamon rolls were truly that- really simple and such a sweet way to start the day! Just 25 minutes start to finish. We'll definitely make them again!

1 8 oz. package (8) refrigerated crescent-roll dough
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 teaspoons orange juice or milk (we used milk- but I'd be interested to taste it with orange juice)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8x 1 1/2 or 9 1/2 inch round baking pan; set aside. Unroll dough (do not separate); press perforations to seal. Brush dough with melted butter. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and granulated sugar; sprinkle over dough. Starting from a long side, roll up dough. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into eight 1 1/2 inch pieces. Arrange pieces, cut sides up, in prepared pan, flattening each roll slightly.

2. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool rolls slightly in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan. In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, vanilla and enough orange juice/milk to make an icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm rolls. Serve warm. Makes 8 rolls.

Chicken & Noodles with Vegetables

Thanks to a cookbook I have called 'Fast Fix Family Food', I have found a delectable new dish to share. The gist: egg noodles, chicken, carrots, celery, onion, and cream of chicken soup. The result? The perfect lunch, dinner and source of leftovers for days. The recipe did say that you could make it in a slow cooker (on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours), but I wanted to make it faster, so I did:

2 cups sliced carrots (4 medium)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (3 medium)
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
3 medium chicken legs (drumstick thigh portion)- about 2 pounds total, skinned
2 10.75-oz. cans reduced-fat and reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
10 ounces dried wide noodles (about 5 cups)
1 cup frozen peas

Note: I only had 1 onion, and didn't have any parsley, celery or peas. I made it anyway, and it was still delicious. Flexibility in the kitchen is okay (when cooking, anyway. I might not be so flexible if I was baking).

What to do: (if you're using a crock pot/slow cooker)

1) In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker, stir together carrot, onion, celery, parsley and bay leaf. Place chicken on top of vegetables. In a bowl, stir together soup, 1/2 cup water, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Pour over chicken in the slow cooker.
2) Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 9 hours on or on high-heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker; cool slightly. Discard bay leaf.
3) Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Remove chicken from bones and shred or chop; discard bones. Stir chicken and peas into mixture in slow cooker. To serve, spoon over noodles. Makes 6 servings.

On the stove: I steamed the veggies in a saucepan, added the soup and a little water, added the spices and added the (chopped up) chicken to boil/cook. Then I started the noodles in a large pot and let the 1st mixture (with chicken) continue bubbling throughout the noodles' cooking time. I made sure to store the noodles and the chicken/sauce separately so that it didn't get too mushy. This is definitely a keeper and was pretty easy.

Coconut Bars

Made these with the kids I was watching this Summer. See their blog for the recipe. Coconut bars would be a great dessert to bring along to a party :) Click here!

Beans & Franks

When I was little and spent many Summer weekends on Long Beach Island, NJ with family, many memories were made around the breakfast and dinner table (most lunches were packed up and eaten on the beach). One dinner that always comes to mind when I think of the shore is beans and franks (sliced hot dogs) and recently I decided to make them myself. I'm sure you could get any variety of baked beans, but I went for a vegetarian option (without bacon) with a maple flavoring, cut up hot dogs and warmed everything up in a saucepan together. Then I toasted a piece of an italian roll and enjoyed a nostalgic trip back in time. Mmm beans & franks, easy and delicious.

Zucchini Bread

This zucchini bread (with carrots, walnuts and raisins) is delicious. Here was the recipe that I used:

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
optional: grated carrot (about 1/2 cup) and raisins (as many as you'd like)

Directions:
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Yum yum yum, enjoy :)

Pesto Sauce

Shayna was able to get me a whole ton of fresh basil for pesto this week. Here is my recipe:

Basil Leaves (2 or 3 cups packed)

Extra Virgin Olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

3 large cloves of garlic

kosher salt to taste

Rinse the basil leaves and remove any stems/buds. Put in blender or food processor. Next add olive oil, I usually start with 1/3 cup and then add more (if needed) so that it starts to process/blend. Add in cheese, nuts, garlic, and salt and process until smooth. That's it!

Now, what to do with the pesto sauce?

- toss with pasta: add in some more Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese

- make a sandwich: roasted red pepper, spinach, a slice of fresh mozzarella

- drizzle on eggs (for real, it's good)

- make a cream sauce: add pesto to some butter/heavy cream

- make a red sauce: add pesto to red sauce (maybe use to make lasagna)

- baked pasta and vegis: in a casserole dish toss cooked pasta, pesto, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced summer squash, spinach, (any other vegis you have?) and sprinkle mozz. cheese on top, bake till vegis are tender

- add pesto into homemade meatballs

- use as a topping for burgers

- pesto pizza? yes please!

- pesto combined with butter (maybe a topping for corn on the cob)

- pesto in your tuna melt? why not?

- pesto and clam sauce on linguine

- a spoonful of pesto stirred into homemade (ore store bought) hummus, dip fresh vegis in :)

- pesto cornbread: add three tablespoons into the batter and bake as normal

- pesto as a topping for a baked potato

- rub into chicken before baking

ALSO, pesto freezes great! At the end of last summer I made a whole ton and froze it in an ice cube tray. Once frozen I popped out the little cubes of pesto and stored in a freezer zip lock bag. We had fresh pesto all winter (actually, I think it only lasted till February, this summer I'll freeze more!)

Ranch Chicken

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian seasoned)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I omitted since my breadcrumbs were seasoned)
4 pounds chicken pieces (legs, thighs, whatever you like)
1/2 cup ranch dressing

In a large bowl put the chicken and ranch dressing, toss with your hands to get chicken coated. Let marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. In a bowl mix together breadcrumbs, cheese, cornmeal, and seasonings. When chicken in finished marinating coat with breadcrumb mixture and put in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

The Verdict? I was hoping for more ranch flavor, there was lots of crunch and the chicken stayed very moist. Jason loved it, he thought you could definitely taste the ranch and it was delicious. I'll make this again!

Maple Carrots

Not too sweet and very delicious!

8-9 Carrots (washed, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch circles)
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered for 8-9 minutes and then uncovered for another 4-5 minutes or until juices reduce to a glaze. Enjoy!

50!!!

We just hit 50 posts :) Yay us! Keep 'em coming!

Birds Nest Cookies/Kids in the Kitchen

The kiddos that I'm watching this Summer have been baking and cooking up a storm already and are going to be sharing some of their favorite recipes on their blog- Kids in the Kitchen - including these adorable (and delicious) Birds Nest Cookies that Kaleb chose to make last week. Check it out, follow the blog, and leave comments if you feel so inclined (I'm sure they'll be excited to see their counter going up and new followers throughout the Summer). Cookie recipe coming tomorrow- pics up today! Oh, and you can see their cool new fish pond gadget at the top (move your mouse and feed the fish). Pretty cool, huh? :D

Lasagna

I'm astounded that we haven't posted a lasagna recipe yet, given that it's one of our favorites and something that I've made more times than just about anything else (aside from scrambled eggs and smoothies) in my cooking/baking/kitchen-semi-savvy lifetime. I usually make it pretty much the same way, although once in awhile, I'll switch it up a bit. This time, I put ground meat (beef) into half of it, since I know Kyle grew up with meat lasagna and prefers it, and I like to have the option between the 2 (Note: I would never make the meat lasagna if my sister and her husband- who both keep kosher- came over for dinner. Check out kosher dietary laws here to find out why). So here's the lasagna recipe that I follow- 10 minute prep and no boiling pasta, and I don't think it's lacking in any way:

2 containers (15 oz. each) ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz.)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 jars (26 oz. each) pasta sauce (I usually use Prego, which is funny because the recipe that I have in my kitchen is a copy of a Ragu sauce ad I found in a magazine when I was about 12)
12 uncooked lasagna noodles (I usually get the oven-ready kind)
**optional: basil, garlic, oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, etc. (I actually have a seasoning blend called Mrs. Dash- Italian Medley- which I love!)

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan and eggs
2. In a 13x9" baking dish or pan, spread 1 cup of sauce. Layer 4 uncooked noodles, 1 cup of sauce, and 1/2 of the ricotta mixture.
3. Repeat step 2.
4. Top with 4 uncooked noodles and 2 cups of sauce. Reserve remaining sauce; heat and serve with lasagna.
5. Cover with foil; bake 1 hour. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake uncovered 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

We served our recent lasagna with garlic bread (which I'd love to say I made myself, but I actually bought it at Giant- already spread with garlic butter- and it was just perfect). If we'd waited a little longer to serve it, it might not have fallen apart like the piece in the picture, but the good thing about lasagna is it doesn't have to look perfect- it just has to taste good...and somehow, it always does.

Happy layering!

Honey Corn Muffins

I woke up wanting corn muffins last Saturday and upon initial inspection, I had everything I needed for the recipe I found online here. I started mixing everything up and got down the milk when I realized that we didn't actually have any. Since I'd already started and was committed to my muffins, I made a quick Turkey Hill run, and we were good to go- so good, in fact, that after these scrumptious muffins were devoured (by the end of the day Sunday), I decided to make another batch! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
*The 2nd time I made them, I added about a teaspoon of cinnamon into the mix. Yum!

Equipment:
Muffin tin, paper muffin cups, mixer (or a spatula/whisk), mixing bowl (I used my Tupperware Mix N' Stor Pitcher, which is quickly turning into my very favorite TW tool).

Here's What You Do:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. (Add cinnamon here if you'd like)

Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

If eating at a later time, warm up in the microwave (or even better, the toaster), top with butter or jelly, and indulge. Happy Summer!

Fruit Kabobs

We made these a few weeks ago when we had friends over and I've been hoarding the pics without sharing their delicious sweetness (sorry for the delay). I was between making cookies and brownies and ran to the store for a few things when I spontaneously nixed both ideas and decided on fruit. Fruit and dip. I didn't want to buy dip though, so I pulled out my trusty (well, most of the time, anyway) iPhone and looked up dip recipes. I decided on one that had:

an 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
a 7 oz. jar of marshmallow fluff

Not the healthiest dip, but keep in mind that we only used a tiny bit per bite of fruit, maybe, and that I still have more sitting in my fridge (although I think it's about ready to go by now)

Anyway, you just blend them up, it gets fluffy and sweet (but not too sweet) and according to Kyle, you can't even taste the cream cheese (which is good, bc he doesn't like it).

It was a hit, and the last-minute bamboo sticks that I grabbed at Giant (i think they were only $.99 and will last us awhile) were fun to load up with all kinds of fruit. We put out apples, strawberries, grapes and mango, all amazingly sweet and fresh :)

Just a nice Summery idea, and there are tons of dip recipes online (including one for a pumpkin spice dip which I think I'll pull up again in the fall...mmm)

Flag Dessert- Happy 4th of July :)

I have a cookbook called Just For Kids which is lots of fun :) There's a great dessert recipe with pound cake, whipped topping, strawberries and blueberries in a flag design and I wanted to make it for the 4th. I loath Cool Whip, so I looked into some other whipped topping options and found that it's pretty easy to make yourself. So I did. And it's delicious. Here's the recipe:


Whipped topping: (from here)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
**Note: I got a quart of heavy whipping cream. It was barely enough and I could've possibly used a bit more.

For the cream, I just blended everything together until it forms stiff peaks (wait, it'll happen) then refrigerated it until I was ready to assemble my dessert.

For the dessert:
1 12 oz. pound cake (although I think I got a 16 oz. family size one, and it was fine)
2 pints fresh strawberries
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the dessert, cut the pound cake into 16 pieces. Spread 8 of them in the bottom of an 8x12 dish/pan, then cover with 1 cup of sliced strawberries and 1 cup of blueberries. Spread half of whipped topping, then 8 more pieces of cake, then the rest of the whipped topping and make your flag design with the remaining berries (slice those strawberries in half). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Be creative, have fun, and enjoy- it's amazing :) Happy 4th of July!

Homemade Baked Beans

Add the following in a crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours
1 1/2 cups of dry beans (I used 1 cup kidney and 1/2 cup black because that is what I had)
3 cups of water (I also added 1/2 cup pork stock cause I had it-- completely optional)
1/2 onion grated
1/2 green pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic grated

The Flavorings: I searched a lot of recipes and sort of made my own up, feel free to adjust to suite your tastes. After you add these ingredients let them meld together for about another hour and then enjoy.
1/4 cup brown sugar (some recipes used white sugar, molasses, or honey)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (some recipes used 2 tbsp, but I cut it to just one to keep it sweeter)
dash of salt
2 tbsp mustard (I used Dijon)
5 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled (again, just added cause we had it)
Splash of Honey Jack Daniels... yummmm

I'd take a picture, but honestly they just look like baked beans. Getting to play around with the flavorings was the fun part of this recipe :)

Homemade Bagels

Only 5 ingredients! And pretty easy, just allow enough time for the dough to rise! These are the ingredients for 8 bagels, each bagel turns out to be about the size of the palm of your hand (not huge like the Dunkin Donuts ones).

2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups flour (I used bread flour, the recipe said high-protein, wheat, or white would work fine)
1 12/ tsp salt

Put 1/2 cup of water in a bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Let this sit for about 5 minutes, it should get frothy, then you know the yeast is activated! Stir to dissolve sugar and then add in the remaining water, flour, and salt). Knead ingredients together for about 5 minutes, you'll want the dough to be moist yet stiff. If it's too sticky add some more flour, too dry add some more water. After kneading let rise for an hour.

1 hour later: Dough should have doubled in size, gently punch down and let it sit for another 10 minutes. After this divide your dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a really tight ball of dough (this took awhile to get a really good ball). Use a finger to make a hole in the center of each ball and stretch out the center a little (not too much, the dough will about double in size during boiling). Let the bagels rest for 10 more minutes. While this is happening bring a big pot of water to a boil.

Using a slotted spoon (of whatever you have) drop each bagel into the water for 1-2 minutes. They should float, the more time in the water the chewier the bagel. I boiled mine for a minute each side. Take them out of the water and put them on a oiled baking sheet.

Now is the time to add toppings! I didn't (because we were planning to eat them with cinnamon raisin peanut butter) but if you wanted to: beat an egg and brush the top of each bagel with egg. Add any toppings you want (poppy seeds, onion, garlic, salt, etc) and that's it. (the egg helps the toppings stick)

Bake the bagels for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees or until they are browned and crispy on the outside. Enjoy!

Really really really easy homemade pizza

This pizza dough is easy to make, very versatile, and delicious. Don't be scared if you don't know too much about yeast and dough rising, I promise it's not that tough.

1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
3/4 cup WARM water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/4 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour

Dissolve the yeast into the warm water (not boiling water, you want to wake the yeast up from it's dried state not kill it!) Add oil and salt to the mixture, next add the flours, and mix together/knead till combined (maybe 5 minutes). Put dough into a safe place so it can rise for 30-40 minutes, I've let mine rise for much longer and that's fine. I usually put it in the microwave to rise just so it's off the counter.

After the dough has risen roll it out with a rolling pin or just use your hands till it's the size/crust thickness that you want. Put the crust on a baking sheet/pizza pan/baking stone/whatever you have on hand that is oven safe and add your toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is crisp. I usually make thin crust so it's done in about 15 minutes. Call me if you have any problems (like eating the leftovers, hehe).

Pizza Topping Combo Ideas:
- red sauce, mozz. cheese, sun dried tomatoes, sauteed onions and peppers, pepperoni, parm. cheese
- red sauce, mozz/Cheddar cheese, ham, onions, pineapple
- barbecue sauce, Cheddar cheese, bacon, red onion, garlic
- ranch dressing, mozz cheese, shredded baked chicken, red onions, diced tomatoes, peppers

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Flounder, Vodka Spaghetti & Steamed Broccoli

Most amazing last-minute get-together ever :) Jenn and Jason came over for dinner last Friday and she had just stopped by Zern's (an indoor farmers/flea market in Boyertown) and picked up flounder and broccoli, among other things. I had just grabbed some vodka sauce and had some spaghetti in the kitchen (wish I'd had penne or something a little fancier, but it was fine) and applesauce, and-- voila-- instant delish dish :) Add some raspberry lemonade with a kick and we had a very nice dinner on the deck! Happy Summer to us! So here's what we had:

Flounder-
We cooked 5-6 pieces of flounder in a Corningware dish that was being neglected in a kitchen cabinet. We laid them out, drizzled them with a little vegetable oil and a little lime juice, then sprinkled on garlic powder and spread on a little minced garlic as well. Covered it up and put it into the oven at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. It came out AMAZING!

Pasta-
Easy enough, boiled water with some salt and a little veg. oil (to keep the pasta from sticking), added in spaghetti, stirred, boiled, threw a piece at the wall to test readiness (yes, I really do this once in awhile- it's too much fun to resist!) and warmed up a little vodka sauce, then mixed it all together. Yum.

Broccoli-
Boiled about an inch of water in a saucepan, washed, cut, and added broccoli, then covered and steamed for about 15 mins. Added salt to taste.

Applesauce-
While I have made my own applesauce once before, this particular applesauce recipe (with cinnamon, bc it's Kyle's favorite) can be credited to Mott's and was served right in the little plastic cups of perfection.

Raspberry Lemonade-
Ingredients:
- Raspberry Ginger Ale
- Sweet Carolina's Lemonade Vodka (or just lemonade, for the youngsters)
- Ice

A fabulous meal, thought up in about a minute and made in about a half hour. Oh, and then I went and made a batch of those incredible Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies (with extra chocolate chips and Diane Miller's peanut butter icing)- best brownies ever.

***Note: Another amazing treat to try this Summer- Turkey Hill's chocolate peanut butter ice cream. By far the best cool combo. of pb & chocolate- and I have tried many, as it's my favorite pairing of tastes. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Poll Results...

Thanks for voting! We will try to share some good dessert/snack ideas next :) Check out the new poll for Summer (to the left), and feel free to suggest your own recipe ideas!

Aunt Randi's Brisket- Crockpot Style

Let me start by saying that I love a good piece of brisket. No matter where I've tried it and who has made it, I've always enjoyed eating it. So I decided about a month ago that it was time to make it myself. My Aunt Randi's brisket is, in my book, the best, so I asked her how she makes it and she gladly shared the recipe. Here's what she said:

"My brisket recipe is very simple. I place the meat in a covered roasting pan. I chop up lots of onions and garlic- I usually put everything in my food processor, but keep the consistency chunky. I add lots of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and paprika.

I cover the piece of meat about 2/3 way with water, cover and cook at 425 degrees for about 3 hours. I continually baste. The last 45 minutes to an hour, I take off the cover so that the meat browns and the gravy thickens a bit.

If you want to cut up some peeled potatoes, they are delicious to add to the pot- season them a bit. Put them in about one hour before you plan on turning off the oven. They brown up really nice when the cover is taken off.

Yum, Yum enjoy! F.Y.I.- some people add Lipton onion soup mix to the brisket instead of the onions, garlic and seasoning.

Love you, Aunt Randi"

-------
So the changes I made for the crockpot were as follows:
I put in the meat (it was big, so I had to fold it over itself a bit, but it got smaller as it cooked), covered it almost all of the way with the water, added all the other goodies, and cooked it all on high for 4 hours. Then I added the potatoes and put the crockpot on low for 1 hour. Making it in the crockpot, we got a LOT of delicious beef gravy, some of which we used when we ate the brisket, and some of which I froze (and still have) for a future recipe. Also, since there was a little bit of brisket sticking out the top for awhile while cooking, I did get a baster (I didn't have one, so I decided it was time) and used it every half hour or so. Oh, brisket also has a lot of fat. At the end of cooking, I pulled the meat out of the crockpot and onto my cutting board and trimmed the fat off. Some people would keep it and use it for something else, but I was grossed out by it, so I just threw it away. If you'd like, you can see it on the cutting board in the picture (lovely, right?)

For the potatoes:
I cut up about a dozen fingerling potatoes, shook them up with some vegetable oil, salt, paprika and garlic powder, and submerged them in the crockpot. They were so moist and flavorful at the end and the perfect complement to an already delicious meal.

Thanks, Aunt Randi for sharing the recipe! Can't wait to make this again :)

Tupperware Note: Storing leftovers is always a job in itself. The easiest thing to do is have some different-sized containers on hand and ready to not only store, but also heat up and serve your meals again at a later time. We have a couple Tupperware Vent N' Serve containers (currently being made in this pretty blue color) with a silicone valve that opens for splatter-free, safe and easy microwaving. They can go from refrigerator to freezer to microwave, to room temp, to dishwasher and back again- and if they ever crack, break, peel or chip, I can get them replaced for you for free! But best of all, right now they're on sale- check out this link to view and order individual Vent N' Serve containers for as little as $13 each, or order the complete set and save... time, space, taste, waste, and money, because you'll get $200 worth of Tupperware products for only $139. Don't need 9+ Vent N' Serve containers? Go in on it with a friend or family member! These are honestly the Tupperware pieces that we use the most. Check them out, then order online or let me know you're interested and I'll help you get them in time for Summer!

Pancakes

Got up this morning with pancakes on our minds, only to find that we didn't have any mix. I was bummed and thinking about making something else, but Kyle thought to look up a recipe online and see if we could make them from scratch..and that's just what we did! So here it is...

2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. (we used a little less) salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp. oil
and a little vanilla
**plus chocolate chips, of course!

...and they were delicious! Score one for the home team, no more pancake mix for us! This made over a dozen good size pancakes, and I even made a few with different things inside- nuts and coconut today, although if I had been thinking ahead, I could have thawed out some berries we have in the freezer (for our favorite spring/summertime treat, smoothies) and put them in. Oh well, maybe next time! Until then!

Asparagus!

Jason and I love asparagus. I typically chop it up and stir fry it with any seasonings we have on hand or roast it in the oven with some olive oil. It's great! This weekend I was in the mood for something different and found a recipe for Asparagus Herb Lasagna! I didn't have the time to make lasagna (haha), but used the recipe I found to create a similar recipe-- it's more like Asparagus Herb Zitti :)

(Ingredients can be adjusted for how many people you'd like to feed, also depending on if the recipe is a side dish or main course, these proportions made about 4 main dish servings)

1/2 box of pasta (we used penne) cooked al dente
1 lb of asparagus (chopped into 1 inch pieces)
2 links of Italian sausage sliced (completely optional, just threw it in because we had it)
2 cloves chopped garlic
olive oil
6 sliced scallions
Any other herbs you have on hand/like (we used some basil, oregano, and parsley)

Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and add in scallions and garlic. Once that gets sizzling add in chopped asparagus, sausage (if you're using it), and herbs. Stir fry until asparagus is getting tender and all the flavors are combined (maybe 10 minutes). Toss with cooked pasta and put in a oven safe dish.

Place aside and now for the sauce!

2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a saucepan heat up olive oil and than add in the 2 tablespoons of flour, stir and let the flour 'cook' for a minute or two. Add in milk and stir until mixture begins to simmer. Lower heat so it stays at a simmer and keep stirring until the sauce begins to thicken up. Once sauce starts to thicken add in Parmesan cheese and stir for about 5 more minutes. Pour sauce over pasta/asparagus mixture and mix so everything gets a coating of sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees covered for 20 minutes and then 10 more minutes uncovered. Enjoy!

Saladstravaganza!

Most of the time, when I go to the usual meat-based mealtime restaurants and ask for something vegetarian, I'm pointed to the one item on the menu without meat - the iceberg lettuce salad. I've spent most of my life hating salad and excluding meat from my diet hasn't done much to change this. However, this year I'm challenging myself to really jump on the salad bandwagon. They're such a versatile way to incorporate a large helping of fruit and vegetables into any diet. The hard part is getting creative.

In an effort to motivate myself, I've been growing "salad bowls" on my back stoop complete with a red leaf lettuce, mescalin, and baby spinach mix. Tonight, I harvested and washed a bowl of greens and made the following Mediterranean-inspired salad:

Ingredients
3-4 cups loose greens
1/3 cup red seedless grapes
3 tbsp halved sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
3 marinated artichoke hearts
a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar
a sprinkle of olive oil

Toss and chow down.

Due to the ease of assembly and the delicious results, I see many more salad-laden nights to come! I totally intend to dig in to these recipes next. What are your favorite salad creations?

Jack's All-Purpose BBQ Glaze

½ cup Jack Daniel's® Tennessee Whiskey
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Makes about 2 cups. We served with grilled chicken.

Cinco de Enchaladas!!!!

Really they are good anytime, but I just made them for a cinco de mayo party and I guess they were too good because we had no leftovers :( But I'm happy everyone enjoyed them :)

Start with:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 green onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can black beans
1 packet taco seasoning

First cook the meat, onions, and peppers in a skillet until the vegis get soft, add in remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool so that you can comfortably handle the mixture.

You'll also need:
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup salsa
8 (or so) flour tortillas (if you have less just stuff more filling into each one)
1 cup chopped Velveeta (you can use any cheese, but Velveeta really makes the dish!)

Coat a 9 x 13 (or so) oven pan with about 1/2 the can of enchilada sauce. Place about 1/2 cup of filling into each tortilla and roll up, place in pan seam side down. Top with salsa, remaining enchilada sauce, and cheese. Bake in 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. yummmm! I served this with Spanish rice, southwest salad, chips with salsa, guac, and queso, margaritas, and chocolate covered strawberries.

Sorry, no picture because I think it's very hard to make enchiladas look good in a picture, but I promise they are delicious! :)

Matzo Ball Soup- all for yum, and yum for all!

Whether it's Passover or not, and whether you're Jewish or not, you'll want to savor the Matzo Ball Soup experience. My family is Jewish, and since Passover was this past week, I was up for the challenge (*cough* I mean, happy to honor the celebration) of eating unleavened bread (matzo), fruit, veggies, meat and dairy (keeping the last 2 separate, of course) for 8 days. No bread, cake, cookies, crackers, etc. The good thing is, when the Jewish holidays come around, our brains automatically pull up mouth-watering recollections of past holiday meals, all of which are full of delicious-ness: tender, juicy brisket (recipe coming); strawberries and chocolate over meringue cookies (made by the amazing Martha Hochman); and of course, matzo ball soup.
Jenn and I were both planning to make some MB soup last week, so we decided to have a party and make it together. We threw carrots, celery, onions, chicken, a bay leaf (and soup mix) into a pot, let it boil while we mixed, chilled, rolled and dropped the little balls in with a splash, and waited with bated breath. When all was said and done, we had some awesome soup. Sadly, in my excitement and anticipation, I put two batches together (and added some more water, thinking the soup was a little too salty and we could use some more broth for all these matzo balls)...and between some of the matzo balls being forced to stay under water and not being able to fluff up, and the change in water temp while boiling, a number of my little friends couldn't show us their full potential. Thus, I had another matzo ball party of 1 (me) a few days later while making brisket and all was well with the world. So enough talk, let's get to the recipe.
As you've learned vicariously through my antics (and so you have no reason to repeat them), you should only make one batch of matzo balls at a time, even if you have a big pot. Also, you should follow the directions EXACTLY. If you don't, you can end up with toughy (as opposed to fluffy) matzo balls, which won't taste nearly as good. I'll also say now that while these matzo balls will be good, they are made from a mix which means they:

1) probably aren't as good as a Jewish grandmother's homemade matzo balls would be.
2) probably aren't as good FOR you...We like them salty, but I'm sure we had more than our share of sodium this Passover.

You can always try out a homemade recipe when you're feeling bold, but for now, all you need is...(yes, I'm really getting to the recipe)

a box of Matzo Ball Mix
eggs
vegetable oil
stuff for chicken soup

You can find the MB mix in the ethnic section of the store (look for the Jewish stuff- matzo, gefilte fish, and anything that says 'Manischewitz'. You can buy a matzo ball mix, or (as I did this year), you can get a Matzo Ball AND SOUP mix in one with a little packet of salty, flavorful goodness to add into your soup.

Then bring everything home and follow the directions. Mix the matzo ball packet with 2 tbsp. vegetable oil and 2 eggs, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, form into little balls (It helps if your hands are wet, but not TOO wet, and be sure to form the balls fast. You don't want to mess with them too much). I'm not trying to be dirty, btw- there are only so many ways to say 'don't over-handle the balls'.

Drop them in the boiling soup, cover tightly, and lower the heat to simmer for 20 minutes. Do not open it, do not add more water (that was dumb, I admit it), do not pass go, do not collect $200. Just wait and relax. After 20 minutes, the matzo balls should be nice and fluffy. I usually make a bunch, so I'll store matzo balls in one container and soup in another. If I'm really organized, I might make a couple little on-the-go bowls/containers for lunches right away. This year, we also shared some with Kyle's co-workers and a family I babysit, as well as our roommate Julie- all of whom were trying it for the first time and loved it. YAY!

So that's matzo ball soup. Enjoy it and please post any comments or questions you may have. Thanks for reading!!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Yum, Yum, Yum! Made this as an appetizer for Easter and everyone loved it!

1 8oz package of cream cheese softened
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach thawed and drained
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)

I made mine in the crock pot: Mix all the ingredients in the crock pot dish (except for 1/4 cup of the mozz. cheese). Heat on high for 45 minutes, stir and then sprinkle remaining mozz. cheese on top and heat on high for another 15 minutes. Switch to keep warm and enjoy. We dipped carrots, celery, peppers, and chips in the dip.

Can also be made in the oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a small pan. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl (except for 1/4 of the mozz. cheese) and then transfer to the small pan, sprinkle remaining mozz. cheese over the mix. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted. yum.

White Bean Chicken Chili

We recently borrowed a crock pot from friends of ours (they have 2 and were so sweet to lend us one) and I was so excited to make my first crock pot recipe- white bean chicken chili! I found the recipe online at http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotchicken/r/bl118c19.htm and changed it a little bit- it turned out AMAZINGLY delicious. I will definitely make this again, and it was pretty easy. Here's how I made it:

Ingredients:
* 1 lb chicken, cut up into small chunks (I actually baked the chicken first and broke it into smaller pieces. It ended up pulling apart and being so flavorful by the end- just an option).
* 1 cup chopped onion (I used a whole onion and stuck it in my Tupperware Quick Chef to chop it up)
* 1 can chicken broth (I used a 15 oz. box of broth)
* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely (I used 2 tbsp. from a jar of minced garlic)
* 2 tsp Cumin seed- ground will not withstand long cooking as well (I didn't have any, so I skipped this)
* 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
* 3 -15oz cans white beans (great northern or cannellini), drained and rinsed (I used great northern beans)
* 1 or 2 chopped red, green or yellow bell peppers, or combination (Kyle and I aren't big pepper eaters, so I chopped up one yellow pepper)
* jalapeno chili peppers, fresh, jarred or canned, optional or 'to taste' (we used some chile peppers- not too hot- from a can. Didn't do a whole lot, but did add another flavor.

Prep:
In a 4 or 6 quart crock pot, combine the chicken, onions, broth, garlic, (cumin) and oregano.

Let cook awhile on low (approx. 3-5 hours, depending on your schedule)
Then add drained beans.

Add the bell peppers and jalapeno peppers no earlier than the last hour or hour and a half before serving or it'll get mushy.

Top each serving with shredded Monterey jack cheese and or broken tortilla chips if desired (we also put some sour cream on top).

Thanks to 'boathoff' for sharing online so that we could try out this awesome meal. Mmm mmm we'll be making this one again and hopefully you'll be able to try it, too!

Easy Quiche

This was a great quiche we made for a quick dinner, the best thing is that they are easy to make and can have endless combinations. Enjoy!

1 frozen pie crust thawed

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups dairy (most recipes use heavy cream or half and half but I used 1% milk and it was great)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

2 cups or so of fillings (for the one in the picture we used a large sauteed onion, Swiss cheese, and American Cheese)

salt and pepper to taste (and a spur of the moment decision to add in some garlic powder)

In a mixing bowl beat eggs, parm cheese, and milk together, add in salt, pepper, and any other seasonings. Lay out the pie crust in the dish, place any fillings in the crust. I usually put meat at the bottom (if we use any), then vegis, then diced up cheese. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the fillings and bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Keep an eye towards the end of the time because you don't want the top to burn, but you want it to be cooked all the way through (test by inserting a fork and see if it comes out clean). Now some people put the cheese on top of the quiche and then bake it but I find that then sometimes the cheese burns before the egg is cooked through. Check out my golden crust... :)

Yummy Quiche Fillings

Meats- ham, bacon, steak-ums, sausage, tuna, ground beef

Vegis (I usually cook them a little first)- onions, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, zucchini, cauliflower,

Cheese- basically any... Swiss, American, cheddar, jack, Parmesan, goat, Gouda, cream cheese, Munster

Seasonings- salt, pepper, garlic powder, dill, thyme, basil, parsley, cumin, nutmeg, hot sauce, mustard, salsa,

Some people also add in home fries or breakfast potatoes!

Experiment with what you have on hand and post if you come up with anything good!

Irish Potatoes- a St. Patty's Day treat :)

MMM mmm good. Here's the recipe:


- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 4 oz. regular cream cheese (not lowfat or whipped)
- 7 oz. shredded coconut/coconut flakes
- 1 lb. powdered sugar, plus extra for coating hands
- 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon (I used a little bit more)

Preparation:
With mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Mix in sugar and vanilla, being careful to add sugar slowly to avoid creating a large sugar cloud. Stir in coconut flakes. Put cinnamon into small bowl.

Coat dry hands with a little powdered sugar and using your hands take small pieces of mixture (about 2 teaspoons apiece) and form into potato shape. Drop potatoes into cinnamon and roll to coat. Place on baking sheet. When all the potatoes have been formed and dipped in cinnamon, refrigerate for several hours until firm.

These were so creamy and yummy. As you roll and coat these with cinnamon, you'll notice they get a little too creamy and tough to work with. When this happens, put the mixture in the refrigerator for a few minutes, then try again. You'll want to keep the potatoes at room temp or cooler once they're made so they don't get too sticky, but this was a great recipe.

Source: http://entertaining.about.com/od/stpatricksday/r/irishpotatcandy.htm

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I failed on this one, as I found the recipe online, made it about a month ago, and didn't post it right away. Tonight, I went to find the recipe online again and couldn't find it...I do remember that we used about a pound of chicken, shredded/cut into smaller pieces. We also used chicken broth, water, noodles (we actually found chicken pot pie square noodles), veggies (potatoes, peas, green beans and carrots), and a little salt. It turned out yummy- a little more noodle-y than soupy, but still good :) Yum Yum

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

Adapted from Clean Food by Terry Walters, this recipe was a very welcome and colorful winter dish during what can sometimes feel like a very earth-toned food season. I was shocked at how quick and easy assembly was. Walters provides a recipe for cashew cheese as a vegan topper (below), but I used about a half cup of a cheddar Colby mix.

Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes or yams
3 tablespoons lime juice
1.5 cups black beans (I used 1 15 oz can of great northern beans, since it was all I had on hand)
1/2 red onion diced (I used a whole red onion)
1 large tomato diced (I used a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes since they're not currently in season)
8-10 soft corn tortillas (I used whole grain flour tortillas)
1.5 cups prepared salsa
1/2 cup corn (I switched the corn/salsa ratio and used a 15 oz can of corn and a half cup of salsa)
1/4 cup chopped scallions (I didn't have this, but that was probably for the best with all the red onion I used)

Directions:
1. Bake sweet potatoes for 45 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit while you prep your ingredients. Remove and cool enough to peel.
2. Mash peeled sweet potatoes with lime juice.
3. Fold in black beans, onion and tomato.
4. Spoon filling into the center of each tortilla, roll and place, seam side down, in a shallow baking dish.
5. Spoon salsa over top and place under the broiler (mine was at 500 degrees Fahrenheit) for 3 minutes.
6. Remove from broiler, top with corn and cheese and broil for 2 more minutes (I did 4 since I had extra corn).
7. Remove from broiler again and top with chopped scallions.

YUM.

I will make sure I have black beans on hand when I try this again. I just didn't think ahead to soak and cook dried beans. The great northern beans weren't bad, but they weren't quite right. Also, I think a half cup of red onion, or using a small onion is good enough. I'm a huge fan of raw red onions, but a whole medium onion definitely lingered as an aftertaste. I think I will stick with the salsa/corn switch next time I make this, but I can't wait until it's summer and I have some fresh tomato to use in the sweet potato mash. If you use frozen or fresh corn, Walters recommends you blanch it before using.

Cashew cheese:
(which I intend to try next time, since it seems like it will only add to the awesome nutritional content that this dish has to offer)

1/2 cup cashew pieces
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon canola oil

Grind cashews to a fine meal in a food processor. Add nutritional yeast and process briefly to combine. Add oil and process until you have a moist meal (do not over process or meal will become dough-like). Set aside to use as topping during step 6 above.

Creamy Italian Chicken

I got this recipe from Shayna who got it from someone she babysits for (Mary) who said it was one of their favorite crock pot recipes. Had to try it out and was not disappointed!

2 large chicken breasts (thats what we had in the freezer, the recipe called for 4 chicken breasts so use that if you can)
1 envelope Italian Salad Dressing mix
¼ cup water
8oz cream cheese softened
1 can condensed chicken soup (don't add the water)
2 cups mushrooms sliced thin

Put the chicken, water, and Italian seasonings into the crock pot and let it cook for 3-4 hours on low. Top with the sliced mushrooms and then place the cream cheese/soup mixture on top of the mushrooms and chicken (this looked gross... but don't worry!) Let it cook for another hour and then mix everything around. If you're hungry serve now or keep it on low till you're ready. Serve over rice or noodles (we used elbow macaroni). This meal was amazing! So many flavors, the chicken was super moist and could be cut with a fork, yumm yumm yumm! Thank you Shayna and Mary!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Two Ways

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole (the way I have always made it)- This recipe is super easy and great for warm ups all week. Got me through many weeks in college/student teaching :)

6-8 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
2 cans cream of chicken soup (mix it with the required water)
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups sliced ham (you can use less if you like less ham)
2 cups of bread crumbs
1 stick of butter

In a 9x13 inch pan spread out the chicken, top with the soup, then top with ham and the cheese. Melt the butter and mix with the breadcrumbs, put this mixture on top of the cheese layer. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees uncovered.

You can eat this as is or serve it on top of rice or pasta.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (a more grown up way)- Just tried this recipe this week and it was great and not as hard as I would have thought.

4 Chicken breasts “butterflied” (cut horizontally but not all the way through to make a bigger thinner piece of chicken)-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqjfQP3Mp2k if you're confused
6 slices of swiss cheese
4 slices of ham
1 egg scrambled with a fork
1 ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Start with the butterflied chicken, place it in between two pieces of wax paper and use a heavy bottomed frying pan to pound it so the chicken pieces are pretty thin and even. Top each piece of chicken with 1 and a half slices of swiss cheese and a piece of ham. Tightly roll up the chicken and dip it in the egg and then roll it in the breadcrumbs. Place it seam side in a lightly greased baking ban and cook at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Avocados!

Avocados are wonderful! They are a healthy source of monosaturated fat, vitamins B, E, and K, and high in fiber. (and I think they are delicious!) I decided to write this post after making some guacamole. Here it is... the tried and true... after much testing... Jason and Jenn's Favorite Guacamole:

Avocados
Lime Juice (about a Tablespoon per avocado)
Red Onion chopped very finely (I just add enough so some is in each scoop)
Fresh Cilantro chopped finely (again, just enough so you get some in each bite)
Salt to taste

Smash it up and enjoy, we like to eat it with Tostitos Multigrain Chips. Now, I sometimes like a chunkier guac. so I'll add some chopped up bell peppers or a hot pepper for a little more spice, but the above recipe is the favorite.

How do you make your guacamole? There are so many different ways out there :) Also, what else do you like to do with avocados? I eat slices with a little salt sometimes or put them on a sandwich.

French Onion Soup

yummmmmmmm! (that's all I have to say!)

5 sweet onions

3 tablespoons of butter
salt

2 cups of white wine (we used a Chardonnay)

3 cups beef broth

10 oz. apple cider

2 bay leaves

Splash of Cognac

French bread and shredded Gruyere cheese (similar to Swiss)

Thinly slice all the onions into "half moons", set aside. Melt the butter over medium high heat on the stove and add a layer of onions, sprinkle with salt, add another layer of onions and more salt until all the onions are in the pan. Let the onions cook for at least 20 minutes before trying to stir. Stir frequently till onions caramelize to a brown color, the recipe said 45 minutes to an hour but ours took about an hour and 20 minutes-- don't rush them! When onions are caramelized add 2 cups of white wine and heat on high till wine turns syrup-like (about 10 minutes). Add in beef broth, apple cider, cognac, and bay leaves and reduce to a simmer. Let soup simmer for 15-20 minutes. While simmering, cut up the bread and toast in the oven for a few minutes. Add the soup to an oven safe bowl, top with bread and cheese and put under the broiler for about 2 minutes. We had seconds it was so good. Enjoy!

Beef Brisket

I picked up a beef brisket while it was on sale and was not really sure what to do with it. I asked around and ended up combining two recipes, one from Shayna's Aunt and one from "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" on the food network.

1 lb. beef brisket (next time I'm definitely going to get a bigger brisket, we barely had any leftovers!)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6 slices of Bacon

1 large onion

3 celery ribs

2 cloves of garlic

1 package of mushrooms (not sure how many exactly, maybe 15 smallish)

1 cup balsamic vinegar

12 oz beef broth

1 package lipton onion soup mix

First, coat a large pan with the olive oil and heat it up. Salt the brisket and add it to the hot oiled pan. Brown well on both sides and then remove the brisket from the pan. Chop up the bacon and add it to the hot oil. Once crispy add in the onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms. Stir fry about 10 minutes and add the balsamic vinegar, simmer for another 10 minutes. In a roasting pan add the beef broth and the lipton soup mix. When the veggies are soft add them to the roasting pan and lay the brisket on top. Seal the pan with tin foil and bake in the oven for about 3 hours at 425 degrees. Every 45 minutes or so I turned the brisket over and basted it with the juices. For the last 30 minutes I uncovered the brisket so that the gravy could thicken a bit. We sliced ours thinly and topped it with the gravy, sides were potato pancakes, and the whipped butternut squash I wrote about earlier, it was delicious! (hint- if the gravy is not thick when the brisket is done stir in cornstarch a tablespoon at a time to thicken it up)

Mushroom and Kasha Soup

This was a perfect meal for my unwelcome snow day. I wanted something warm, wholesome, and savory, without a lot of work. Also, this is a great low-cost seasonal option. The time can be cut down even further by buying pre-sliced mushrooms, but I like a lot of mushroom in every bite, so I cut them extra thin.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
8 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup kasha

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in onions once the oil is warmed. Allow onions to soften (~4-5 mins).
2. Stir in mushrooms and garlic and let soften (~4-5 mins).
3. Add kasha and bay leaf, stir, and pour in water. Up the heat until the soup boils and then drop to a simmer. Let simmer for ~20 mins (until the kasha softens).
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I garnished with a dollop of Greek yogurt and some finely chopped rosemary and it was amazing. Thyme is also a recommended topping. Next time I think I'll probably add some sherry with the mushrooms since I love that flavor combo. Some kasha substitution ideas: quinoa, barley or brown rice.

Here's a photo, after I started chowing down (I forgot to take it until I was halfway through!):

Super Bowl Football Rice Krispies Treats

We basically followed the recipe for rice krispies treats, so nothing particularly special here, except that we used Cocoa Krispies, a leaf cookie cutter (since we don't have a football, we just smoothed the edges after cutting) and some vanilla icing and voila! They turned out nicely- a little crunchy at first, but delish once chewed a bit. Not sure what we could have done differently to make them softer- maybe a little more butter (we used 1/4 cup, although we saw another recipe that called for 1/3) or not cutting them into shapes (but where's the fun in that?!). Here's what we used:

5 cups rice krispies
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 bag (about 40 large) marshmallows
optional: icing

Melt butter on stove, add marshmallows and turn into marshmallow fluff over low heat. Remove from heat, quickly add cereal. Once coated, pour into a 9x13-ish pan to cool. **Tip: if you use a buttered silicone spatula, this is SO much easier!
If you're going to be cookie cutting, do it fast before your treats cool. Buttering the cookie cutter may make the job easier, too.

For the icing, we used a disposable cake decorating bag, although you could use any plastic baggie, cut off the corner and squeeze it on out! We put laces on some treats and added an outline to some. They were very festive and fun :)

Of course, you can add all sorts of goodies into rice krispies treats, and even add peanut butter to the mixture for an extra special kick. Mmm, enjoy!

Sustainable Cooking: with chili!

This weekend I was listening to Lynne Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table and her guest Diana Henry (talking about her book Plenty: Good, uncomplicated food for the sustainable kitchen) inspired me to start thinking about how leftovers play into my cooking. We're really bad at leftovers at my house. If I don't take them to work, the husband forgets they exist and eats things like toast or whole bags of chips for lunch (feel free to judge him for that, I do it all the time). Of course, leftovers are of great value to me because it means there's one less meal for me to plan throughout the week. This is especially desirable since time is such a rare commodity when contending with a one-year-old and a 40+ hour per week job. The only tried and true leftover at my house is chili (which is our winter favorite) and I swear it's because I've become a pro at repackaging and repurposing it.

I probably make chili at least once a month (sometimes twice) because it's cheap, simple, and I don't need a recipe any more. I do always make it on a weekend so I can check in on it every now and then, especially since cooking time varies depending on what ingredients I'm using. Generally my recipe (note: it is vegetarian, but quite a few meat-eaters have enjoyed it) goes as follows:

Rinse 3-4 cups dried beans (half kidney, half black) and put into a slow cooker with a double volume of water (so for 3 cups beans, 6 cups water) for 3-4 hours on high, 6 or so hours on low - I prefer to use dried beans because they're cheaper and I can buy them in bulk at our food co-op so I consider than to be a little bit more environmentally friendly. However, when I'm in a pinch I'll throw two 25 oz cans of beans in a pot (though I usually rinse first to avoid extra sodium).

Once the beans are cooked (or if you start with canned beans), I'll do any number of things depending on how many dishes I want to wash and how much time I have. I always add 30-50 oz tomatoes (sometimes crushed, sometimes pureed - depends on your texture preference; sometimes if I'm low on cans of tomatoes I'll do one 28 oz can with an 8 oz can of tomato paste and 8 oz water). From there I usually spice it the same:

4 or so tablespoons chili powder (to taste really)
2 dashes cinnamon
2 teaspoons coriander
2 tablespoons cumin
a dash of chipotle powder if I want it to be more smokey
4-5 cloves garlic (~1 tablespoon garlic powder if I don't have cloves)
salt and pepper to taste

Then, some semblance of the following is generally thrown in to the mix:

Onions - Sometimes I caramelize onions and add them, sometimes I'll just throw some diced raw ones in - if I do onions, I generally just do one large or two small. If I don't add onions, I usually add a few shakes of onion powder.

Spiciness - I usually add one 4 oz can of chili peppers, but if I don't have that, I keep a jalapeno relish in the fridge, and I'll add about 2 tablespoons of that. I've also added pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that I've had leftover from other recipes (usually only 1-2 tablespoons since this can get pretty spicy and while I enjoy heat, the baby and the hubs have a little trouble with it).

Sweetness - Sometimes when I'm looking for something a little less smokey, and more sweet, I'll add a few tablespoons of something to give it a zip (add slowly and taste the whole time so you don't overdo it). Favorites are BBQ sauce, ketchup, plain old sugar, and jam - in a moment of brilliance the hubs came up with the jam and it is a favorite (so far our best result has come from adding black and blue jam).

Canned corn - Adding a 15 oz can of corn makes for a nice, chunky chili with a little color.

More protein - Every now and then I'll add veggie protein to give my chili a traditional ground texture. This is where you could add ground beef or turkey too. However, if I do add this, I usually only do about 8 oz. I suppose you could go half and half with the beans if you wanted.

That's generally it. I leave it in the pot long enough to heat through and let the flavors meld. The longer it combines, the better it tastes. I'll often make my chili the night before I want to eat it, since I'm a firm believer that chili tastes better with time. I generally like to serve my initial vat of chili with brown rice or corn bread. That being said, these are the fantastic leftover dishes I've made in order to make it last as long as possible:

Heuvos Rancheros - Put chili in a large skillet and bring to medium/high heat. Once chili is heated through and starts to simmer, make four wells in the chili and crack an egg into each well. Cook until eggs are fully poached. Serve on a bed of tortilla chips and cheddar cheese.

Nachos Grande - I always keep cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa, and tortilla chips on hand because of our chili obsession. They're good for snacking and perfect for Appetizers for Dinner night (something I usually do at least once a month). Other good additions are: red onions, spinach, California black pitted and diced olives.

Chili and Cheddar Omeletes - Two egg omelets with chili and cheddar filling (I do heat the chili in the microwave first), with a little salsa, sour cream, and hot sauce at the table. Yum!

Chili Smothered Corn Fritters - Choose a corn fritter recipe and dump some delicious chili on top.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (or toasted cheese quesadillas) with Chili - Awesome lunch favorite, and has more protein than tomato soup.

Baked Chili, Spinach and Cheddar Burritos - Make about 2 cups of white rice. Stir in about 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro and ~1-2 tablespoons of lime juice and set aside. Saute one large onion in olive oil in a large skillet. Add ~10 cups of baby spinach (usually one of those large salad containers works) and a few cloves of garlic. Stir and cook until wilted. Add 8 oz of cream cheese and 8 oz of cheddar. Fill 10-12 large flour tortillas with leftover chili, a scoop of cheesy spinach and a scoop of rice. Brush olive oil over the wrapped burritos. Bake in a 9 x 13 casserole dish for 15 or so mins at 350 F.

Chili Enchiladas - Mix about 15 oz chili with a 15 oz can of refried beans and one 4 oz can of green chilis. Microwave 12-15 corn tortillas for 30 seconds. Coat the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish with enchilada sauce. Fill your tortillas with chili filling, wrap and place in the casserole dish. Pour the rest of your enchilada sauce over tortillas, top with cheese. Bake 15-20 mins at 375 F.

Chili Dogs - Every now and then I'll grab a package of veggie dogs to smother in chili and cheese. Comfort food is so important.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm always on the lookout for more. I think my next attempt will be to make a chili bean burger!

What are your favorite leftover-laden recipes?