Fourth of July Wreath

This was a fun project that my sister-in-law made with all of the hand-prints of our family.
What you need:
4th of July themed paper (Red, White & Blue)
scissors
rubber cement
paper for tracing
pencil
circle wreath cut out of cardboard
How it is done:
1. Trace hands of all the member of your family (When you trace you make a pattern you only have to trace wiggly hands once!). Cut out each pattern.
2. Place and trace pattern onto different themed papers. Cut out each hand.
3. Place and glue hands around the cardboard wreath with rubber cement. 
You could do this for any holiday and it is a fun way to let the little ones in on the festivities!

25 minute Pan Fried Potatoes

This is a super simple recipe that I found in a magazine a while back and I use it all the time (especially when I am too lazy to use a mandolin for oven fries or it is too hot to turn on the oven!) It has a great combination of soft and crispy potatoey-ness!
Pan Fried Potatoes
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (Less if you desire)
1 teaspoon of Seasoning of choice. The potatoes above have garlic powder, but you could use season salt, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme. You can even combine (another one of our favorites is garlic and smoked paprika)...be creative!
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil a large pot of salted water. Add potatoes and boil in salted water for 5 minutes; drain well.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add parboiled potatoes and Saute for 5 minutes without stirring. Stir and cook another 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
Season with desired seasoning combination, salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Makes 4 servings

Easy Farmhouse Chicken Chowder

This recipe was fabulous! I adapted it from a Cooks Country Recipe (again!) and it was a hit at our house! go ahead and wipe the drool off your laptop or computer desk...it is really as delicious as it seems!

Easy Farmhouse Chicken Chowder
adapted from "Farmhouse Chicken Chowder" in the April/May 2011 Cook's Country Magazine

6 slices bacon, chopped
6 scallions, white parts chopped fine and green parts
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 celery rib, cliced thin
salt & pepper
6 tablespoons flour
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast (I boiled mine first, then shredded it)
1 cup half and half

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Cook scallion whites, carrots, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bacon fat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add chicken and half and half. Simmer for about 2 minutes until the chicken is heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon and scallion greens and serve!

Oven "Fries"

I don't own a frier...and I really don't like French Fries! But I LOVE these fries that are cooked in the oven and seasoned by me! I got this recipe from the Weight Watcher cookbook and I have used it for fries ever since...so not only are they good, they are kind of good for you!
Oven "Fries"
1 1/4 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch strips (I have a mandolin, but I have cut them with a knife before too)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (kosher is good too!)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
(sometimes I add 1/2 teaspoon garlic, shallot, or onion powder)

Place your baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 450*.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the sugar into a bowl with cold water to cover. Soak 15 minutes; drain and blot dry with a towel or paper towels.
In another large bowl combine oil and paprika (and other desired spices). Toss in the potatoes being sure to cover potatoes in oil and seasonings.
Place the seasoned potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake, turning the potatoes over as they brown (I usually turn them at 20min.,30 min. and 40 min. time), until cooked through (about45 minutes). Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

Per serving (1/4 of the potatoes): 159 cal, 3 g fat, 3 g fiber, 2 g protein, WW points: 3 (not the new way of calculating though)

Quick Sunday Sauce

What do you do with all of that extra roast from the Lazy Cook's Pot Roast?! You make Quick Sunday Gravy! This sauce was to die for and took that pot roast to another realm!

Easy Sunday Sauce 
adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2011 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground Italian sausage, out of casing (I use sweet, but hot would be yummy too!)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I freeze the rest)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup beef (or chicken) broth
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 cups shredded leftover chuck roast meat
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound of cooked pasta (I prefer penne rigate, or some other tubular pasta)

Heat oil in Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Drain.
Cook onions in sausage fat over medium heat until see through. Add tomato paste, garlic, sugar and spices. Cook until tomato paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth, scraping up all of the brown bits and simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, roast, reserved sausage, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until slightly thickened (at least 20 minutes...this is when I start to cook the pasta). Season with salt and pepper and serve over pasta.
 

Lazy Cook's Pot Roast

Have I told you how much I LOVE Cook's Country? This is a Cook's Illustrated Magazine that has some fabulous recipes all with full color pictures and NO adds! I buy the book at the years end (it is my scheduled Christmas present from Jason each year!). I have 5 years now and I continue to use the recipes and helpful hints found in the book! Here is where you can order yours! You can even get digital copies or get a subscription to their website...I am sure they are both cheaper than the book, but I LOVE to have the actual books!
**You will need an 18 in side roll of heavy duty aluminum foil.
What should you do with all of those delicious leftovers? Well make Easy Sunday Gravy with pasta!

Chuck Roast In Foil
adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2011 magazine
RUB:
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

CHUCK ROAST:
1 (4 pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast
2 onions, peeled and quartered
6 small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons soy sauce 


1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300*.
2. Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Pat roast dry with paper towels. Separate roast into 2 pieces along natural seam and trim fat to 1/4 inch thickness (I just shaved most of mine off). Tie with kitchen twine around each roast at 1 inch intervals. (I totally forgot the twine...it still turned out amazing!)
4. Crisscross two 30 by 18 inch sheets of heavy duty tin foil inside a large roasting pan (I have a rather small one, but it still worked!) Place vegetables and bay leaves in the center of the foil and drizzle with the soy sauce. Set roasts on top of vegetables. Rub roasts all over with rub. Fold opposite corners of foil toward each other and crimp edges tightly to seal. Transfer pan to oven and cook until meat is completely tender (about 4 1/2 hours).
5. Remove roasts from foil pouch and place on carving board. Tent meat with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Discard onions and bay leaves. Using clotted spoon, place carrots and potatoes on serving platter. Strain the contents of roasting pan though a fine mesh strainer into a fat separator.  Let liquid settle then pour the defatted pan juices into serving bowl. 
6. Remove kitchen twine from roasts. Slice roasts thinly against the grain and transfer to platter with vegetables. Pour 1/2 cup pan juices over meat. Serve with remaining pan juices.

Next time I will try this recipe in the crock pot and see how it goes!
 

"Fried" Zucchini

I LOVE zucchini and cannot wait until my plant explode with them during the summer! This is an easy and delicious way to use up all of those zucchini!

"Fried" Zucchini
4 zucchini, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
basil (I used dried, but fresh is great too!)
salt
2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced zucchini and heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp, but tender.
Remove from heat and stir in basil, salt and Parmesan cheese.
Makes 4 servings, 3/4 cups each.

Waffles with Easy Strawberry Sauce

This was my Mother's Day breakfast...I didn't make these (although I have several times)...but they were DELICIOUS! Go Jason! This recipe is from the Food Network Magazine, but I couldn't find it on their website. So here it is:
Classic Waffles
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
5 tablespoons melted shortening
4 tablespoons melted butter

Whisk all dry ingredients together. Mix in the wet ingredients one at a time. Cook in a waffle iron until crisp. Top with butter and syrup.

Easy Strawberry Sauce
1/4 cup strawberry (really any flavor works) jam
Place the jam in a microwavable mug and heat the jam for about 30 seconds. Serve. (I know...who knew it could be this easy!)  

Perfect French Toast

I had a hankering for some delicious French Toast! I have been hanging on to this recipe that I clipped out of my Food Network Magazine a while ago and decided to give it a whirl. TRY it...it is AMAZING!
Perfect French Toast!
I served it up with fresh strawberries, a little syrup and a dollop of whipped cream.

Chicken Enchiladas with Cream Sauce

This has been one of my favorites since childhood....my mom never made them (because she makes some other delicious enchiladas) but, I had them all the time at church functions...it was a favorite. So here it is...
Chicken Enchiladas with Cream Sauce
1 small can chopped green chiles (I use Ortega)
1 medium onion, diced
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
12 white corn tortillas (you can use yellow too)
1 cup grated cheese (I use cheddar, but you can use Monterrey Jack...whatever floats your boat)
Sauce:
2 cans reduced fat cream of chicken soup
1 (15oz) can fat free evaporated milk
8 oz fat free sour cream (or you can use plain yogurt)

Warm oven to 350*. Grease a 9x13 pan with Pam.
Saute chicken with onion. While the chicken is cooking, toast (brown) corn tortillas in a hot frying pan (make sure you get both sides!). Once the onion is cooked through and chicken is toasty brown, add the chiles and warm until fragrant. Take chicken mixture off the burner.
In a bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together. Add about 1/3 of the sauce to the chicken mixture.
Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture in a tortilla. Roll up and place in the pan. Repeat and place each roll next to the other in the pan, side by side. Spread sauce over the top of the enchiladas in your pan (I don't use all the rest of the sauce because I don't like mine to be soupy, but it is your call to how much you want to add).
Bake at 350* for 20 minutes, Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Another variation: I make this like a lasagna using the tortillas like noodles and the sauce and chicken like the filling adding a little cheese on each layer. It is good both ways! 

ENJOY!

Vegetable Fried Rice with Bacon

This is another GREAT recipe from Food Network! We love it...we just substitute cabbage for the watercress..my kids were not such a fan of watercress, but it was good the first time we had it! We have made it several times since! Yummy! Click here and enjoy!

Low Fat Whipped Potatoes (Easy Easter Dinner)

This Easter (this is also a great easy 30 minute meal for any day of the week...not just Easter, or holidays) we went for easy...our family is small and really not worth the effort of a BIG  ham . So I bought some ham slices from the refrigerator section of our local Wal-Mart (we like Farmland Best one pound ham in slices). I warmed them in a skillet with a little bit of water for about 15 minutes on medium-low. I also steamed some asparagus and made my low fat whipped potatoes. TADA! An Easter meal in just 30 minutes! Here is the recipe for the delicious whipped potatoes.
Low Fat Whipped Potatoes
3 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1/3 cup fat free milk (depending on the creaminess...you can add more)
3 tablespoons of Brummel and Brown Spread 
Salt


Put a big pot of water to boil. While the water is heating up, peel your potatoes and cut into pieces. When water is boiling, add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until a fork goes into a potato piece smoothly. Drain the potatoes and place into a mixing bowl (I use my Kitchenaid). Using a hard whip attachment, whip the potatoes for a minute. Add the sour cream and milk. Continue to whip adding more milk as desired for the perfect whipped consistency. Add the spread and a little salt for taste (sometimes we add flavors like shallot salt, garlic or onion powder). Serve immediately!


 

Chocolate Chip Challah Bread

I hosted a book club meeting (we read Ladies Auxiliary, by Tova Mirvis...I recommend this good read!) and I made this amazing Chocolate Chip Challah to celebrate the Jewish culture in the book. I got the Recipe from the Food Network Magazine a while ago and kept it for a special day. Well, the day arrived. It is quite an easy bread recipe. It made a rather HUGE challah, but maybe next time I will make it into individual challahs, or rolls, or even 2 loaves. Here is the recipe! ENJOY!

Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

These are so delicious! They look like they took a long time to make, but they are actually quite simple!
Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
What you need:
1 box of brownie mix (my favorite are the Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix...if I am going to go all out, I might as well go out with style!)
All the ingredients for the mix (I think  it is 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, one egg and some water...follow the back of the box)
Cupcake liners (if you want...not needed)
1 vanilla or cream cheese frosting tub (my favorite...Duncan Hines)
3-5 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter (my favorite...Jif)
Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups (about 18, unwrapped)

Preheat oven to 325*. Mix brownie mix with ingredients in a bowl. Prepare a cupcake pan with liners, if desired. Spoon brownie mix into cupcake tin, about 2/3 full. Bake in the oven for about 18 minutes or until brownies are not gooey in the middle (a toothpick test should come out with gooey crumbs...do not overbake!). Pull out of the oven and let the brownies cool for 30 minutes. While the brownies are cooling, pour frosting tub into a bowl. Add at least 3 tablespoons of peanut butter to the frosting tub, if you want more of a peanut butter taste, simply add more peanut butter! When brownies are cooled, frost each brownie and place one Reese's cup on each cupcake.

Pizza!

I lived in Italy for a while, so I know pizza and I know good pizza crust! Here is a Recipe that I found in The Food Network Magazine. I found it here on their website (Basic Pizza Dough)! This recipe makes two large regular crust pizzas or 4 thin crust pizzas. (Our family prefers the crunchy thin crust.) It is great because you can freeze the extra pound of dough for up to a month! So you do all the work once and get two meals out of it!

Baking the Dough
Preheat oven to 500* with the baking tray. (This just means place the pan in the cool oven while it is heating up). Place a rolled out pizza dough on the now HOT baking tray. Brush olive oil over the pizza crust (don't drench it, just light brush). Bake for 5 minutes. Add your sauce (see below if you want to know what I use) and ingredients. Bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

As for Sauce, I just use crushed tomatoes from a can. It is the closest that I have found to what real pizza in Italy tastes like. I add a little bit of sea salt and a sprinkling of basil and oregano.

ENJOY! It is quite simple...you just need a little time and planning.

Here are some ideas for toppings:
Margherita:
Fresh mozzarella with fresh Basil
Kendra Supreme (as seen above in the picture):
Pepperoni (this is a family favorite...I cut the pepperoni into quarters and sprinkle it over the top...you will be amazed at how far just 7 slices will go!), red onions, sliced Crimini mushrooms, olives, diced green (or red) peppers, sausage (I save sausage from recipes that I have previously made and freeze it or store it in the refrigerator if I know that we will be eating pizza soon), and shredded Mozzarella
Zucchini:
Heat a tablespoon of Olive Oil. Fry zucchini (either shredded with a cheese grater, or thin sliced into circles) in a frying pan. Cook until browned. Place on plain pizza or pizza with red sauce. Sprinkle with basil, salt and oregano.
Onion:
Caramelize one sliced onion with Olive Oil. Place onion on plain pizza. Sprinkle with salt, Oregano and Basil. Optional: After it is fully cooked, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.
Jason's Favorite Combo 
 Grilled chicken (just make an extra during another meal!), pepperoni and green peppers

Creamy Dreamy Potato Soup

Oh dear! This recipe is YUMMY! and not that good for you, but I did use low-fat creme cheese! The leftovers were fabulous! My husband thought it was too cheesey (that is not really in my vocabulary because I think all things should be topped with cheese!), so maybe next time I won't add as much cream cheese, or add more chicken broth...BUT I thought it was perfect!
Creamy Dreamy Potato Soup
4 pounds of red potatoes, chopped into chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
16 oz low-fat (or regular) cream cheese (don't use no fat!!!)
optional toppings (as shown above):
crumbled bacon
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped green onion or chives

You can either make this soup on the stove-top or in your crock pot...it just depends on your day!

Stove-Top Directions: Place chopped potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and broth in a large pot. Boil until you can stick a fork in the potatoes and they are soft (NOT mushy), about 15 minutes. Then slice the cream cheese into chunks and add to the broth. Mix into the soup and let melt, takes about 5 minutes. (These 5 minutes are a good time to get all of the rest of your toppings finished!)

Crock Pot Directions: Place chopped potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and broth in your slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8. About 30 minutes before it is finished add the sliced cream cheese chunks. Replace the lid and let cook for another 20 minutes. Stir the soup frequently to allow the cream cheese to melt and blend completely.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is one of my favorite go to cookies...it has just about everything in it! Mmmmm...the recipe is from Kraft (click for the recipe)! These sound so good that I want one now!

EASY Split Pea Soup (in the Crock Pot!)

This recipe is so easy! Our whole family loves it and the best part is the leftovers! The soup is fantastic the first day and phenomenal the second day. I got this recipe from Fix It and Forget It (if you don't have it, you need it!). It is a great cookbook for the busy Mom (or Dad).

Split Pea Soup
2 1/2 quarts of BOILING water (boil the water in a pot while you cut the veggies!)
1 pound split peas (rinsed and looked over)
3-4 carrots, chopped (I like mine in little squares)
1 onion, chopped
1 pound of ham (I buy mine already cut in little squares, or you can buy ham steaks and cut them up in little chunks, or you can use a ham hock, but I found that this is too fatty for my taste and more work)
salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot on high for 4 hours. And WALLAH, you have amazing soup packed with fiber and protein! So HEALTHY!

Beef Lentil Soup (by Giada)

We LOVE lentils at our house! We have tried many lentil soup recipes and this one definitely takes the top spot! It is by Giada and it is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. on a cold night! There are always plenty of left over too and of course it tastes even better the next day! Click here for the original recipe.

Lentil Soup with Beef
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large celery stalks, chopped (I always puree my celery...)
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves (I used crushed dried rosemary)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 6 (14-ounce) cans beef broth (I like to use the boxed broth and it is 3 regular boxes)
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 cups (about 11 ounces) lentils, rinsed
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I omit this) 
  
  

  Directions:

  Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add half of the beef and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oregano to the pot. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Return the beef and any accumulated juices from the bowl to the pot. Add the broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Add the lentils. Cover and continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Skillet Pork Chops and Rice

This fast and easy meal was a winner for my family! Once again I found it in my trusty Cook's Country 2011 Recipe Book. It is in the 30 minute meals in August/September.

Skillet Pork Chops & Rice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (I soften my butter in the microwave for 8 seconds)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley ( I used dry and it was still great!)
1 cup long grain rice
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
4 boneless pork chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed
salt & pepper
1 onion
1 garlic clove minced (I did a few...I LOVE garlic)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and parsley in a small bowl.
Microwave 1 cup broth and rice in covered large bowl until liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes.
Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chop, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent loosely with foil.
Melt remaining butter in the now empty skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in parcooked rice and remaining 1 1/4 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Return the pork chops and their juices to the pan and cook covered over medium-low heat until pork is cooked and rice is tender.
Serve each piece of pork with a slab of parsley butter.

Nestle Brownies

I made these brownies off of the back of my chocolate chip bag! I had never started a recipe for brownies with melted chocolate, so I was intrigued! My hubby has a nut allergy so there are no nuts, but they were good all the same! Here is the recipe!

Almost Cinnabons!

I got this one from my Food Network Magazine! These are very time consuming but oh worth the wait! Yummy! Get the recipe here! Be sure to press the article tab above the recipe and it will show you pictures on how to form the Cinnamon Buns! They are FABULOUS!

Crispy Ranch Chicken

Well...this recipe was taken from a Penzey Spice magazine. I order some of my spices from them. They are pretty cheap and always have good recipes in their magazine. They have European spices that you just cannot find in the stores. And their shallot salt rocks on baked potato wedges!

Crispy Ranch Chicken
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter (melted)
3/4 cup lightly crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 packet of buttermilk ranch dressing (the small one)


Preheat oven to 350*. Combine cornflakes, Parmesan and ranch packet in a shallow bowl or plate. Dip the chicken into the butter and then into the cornflake mixture. Spray an aluminum foiled cookie sheet with cooking spray and place chicken strips onto the pan. Bake, uncovered for 30-45 minutes until crispy brown.


Next time I am going to try this recipe a little different. I think I am going to dunk the chicken in fat free buttermilk and I am going to use olive oil to sprinkle over the top...this recipe was dripping with butter (even though I cut the butter in half! it was originally a whole stick!!!) I will tell you how it goes in the future. Of course the husband and munckins devoured the chicken in seconds. It was VERY tasty...maybe just a little unhealthy!    

Taco Soup: Crock Pot Style!

This lovely is a family favorite! The whole family devours this one (even the little ones!). It is really easy too. Just dump all of these ingredients in a crock pot and go! There is a little prep (you have to brown the hamburger and saute the onions) but it is amazing!

Taco Soup
1 pound of hamburger
1 onion, chopped
2 cans of black beans
1 can tomato juice (32 oz...it's the bigger can)
1 can tomato soup
1 cup frozen corn
1-2 packets of taco seasoning (depending on desired spiciness)


cheese and sour cream for garnishing
Doritos or tortilla chips for added crunch


Brown pound of hamburger with the chopped onion. Drain.
Place all of the ingredients (not the garnish or the chips) into a large (4qt) crock pot and stir until combined. 
Cook for 4-6 hours on Low. (Mine is ready in 4!)
Serve hot with cheese and sour cream (and chips)
 

The famous Peanut Butter Bars!

 Get your pens out ladies! Here is the recipe for my coveted Peanut Butter Bars!

Peanut Butter Bars!
Cookie Layer
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325*. Blend the sugar and butter together, then add the eggs and finally peanut butter and vanilla. Then add the following:
 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups flour

Spread mixture onto a cookie sheet that has a rim (about 17 x 11 ish) and pat down with your hands that you have sprayed with Pam. Bake in oven for about 15- 20 minutes (mine is about 18 minutes...I have a gas oven) or until light brown. DON'T OVER COOK THEM...light brown means, light brown or tan!

Chocolate Layer
Once the cookie layer is baked immediately take them out of the oven and sprinkle with a regular size bag of chocolate chips (I like semi-sweet) right over the top of the hot cookie. Let them melt for a few minutes and then take a knife and spread the chocolate over the whole surface of the cookie. Let the chocolate cool on top of the cookie layer until hard. The chocolate layer must be set for you to top with the peanut butter icing or you will have a BIG mess. You can put them in the fridge or the freezer to help speed up the process, but this makes the cookie hard...and it is NOT as good!

Icing
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tbsp evaporated milk

Spread icing over the top of the chocolate layer. This recipe makes a TON so share them with others (or me!) or take them to a function or you may die a slow and tortured peanut butter bar death! (Ha ha ha!)

Tex-Mex Chicken & Rice

Looking for a quick meal tonight?! Here is an easy crowd pleaser! YUMMY! And it is healthy to boot...just don't go overboard on the Fritos!

Tex-Mex Chicken & Rice (adapted from Cook's Country 2011)
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup long grain white rice
salt & pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Pam
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (10 oz)
1 can black beans (16 oz), drained & rinsed
Fritos
Shredded Mexican Cheese blend

1. Combine 1 cup broth and rice in a large bowl. Cover with plastic and microwave until liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Spray a large saucepan with Pam. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
3. Add remaining broth, parcooked rice from the microwave, tomatoes, and beans to now empty skillet. Bring to a boil. Return chicken and juices to skillet and cook, covered over medium low heat until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from the rice and let it rest on a plate tented with foil, for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, letrice mixture stand covered for 5 minutes.
5. Cut chicken into bite size slices. Serve with crushed Fritos and cheese.

Guess what was in my mailbox?!

Are you kidding me?! I drooled through the WHOLE magazine! I LOVE this magazine and since I don't have cable, Jason and I agreed that I could get this subscription! I have had this subscription for about 3 years now and there are some amazing recipes, tips and just plain old fun stuff in every magazine. Kendra recommended! Get a subscription here! And go here to check out some of the recipes...you will probably see them eventually on my blog.

Snickerdoodle Bars

Ok...this is a new one for me. I wanted to have cookies but I didn't want to scoop and wait, so I was looking in the bar section at bettycrocker.com (got to LOVE that site!) and found this little doosie and thought that I would give it a try. YUMMY! It was a way simple recipe and it tasted like a cross between snickerdoodles and cinnamon rolls. I mean, c'mon...how could that be bad.

(I will remind you once again that my photos are by no means professional...what you see is what you get!)
Here is the recipe or you can get it here at bettycrocker.com: 
Snickerdoodle Bars 
CookieBar

2 1/3

cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 1/4

teaspoons baking powder

1/2

teaspoon salt

3/4

cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/4

cups granulated sugar

1/2

cup packed brown sugar

3

eggs

1

teaspoon vanilla

 

Cinnamon Filling

1

tablespoon granulated sugar

1

tablespoon cinnamon

 

Glaze

1

cup powdered sugar

1

to 2 tablespoons milk

1/4

teaspoon vanilla 

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Spray or grease bottom only of a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. (helpful hint: if you have a scale, measure the bowl before you make the dough. That way when you are trying to get half the dough in the pan you just have to measure the weight with the dough and subtract the weight of just the bowl)  In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in sugars. Gradually beat in eggs and vanilla into sugar mixture until combined. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients until combined.
3. (See helpful hint) Spoon half the batter into pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over batter.
4. Dollop teaspoon size amounts of remaining batter evenly over cinnamon-sugar mixture.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
6. In small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. (helpful hint: use a fork to drizzle) Drizzle over bars. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Makes 24 bars

 

Garlic French Bread Pizza

Well, I guess I better get started with these posts! I will try to do one a day for a while. We will see how this goes and I hope that you LOVE my collection of recipes. I will label them as best as I can so that you can find it again in a hurry! Mind you... my recipes are mostly not of my own making. They are usually good recipes that I have found and put my twist on it. I am NOT for inventing the wheel...there is no time for that in my house! So instead I will try recipes and put them on here if I like them with comments on how I made it better!
One of Jason's favorite things in the whole world is probably pizza. I mean who doesn't like a good warm pizza. How about we make it even better by putting it on a good piece of French Bread! Yummy! This recipe is one of our family favorites and it is a 30 minute meal! AWESOME! The french bread is super crispy and with a hint of garlic and Parmesan! You will have to try it soon!
**TIP** Cook's Country is one of my absolute favorite cook books. Cook's Country is actually a magazine that is published 6 times during a year, but at the end of the year they sell a book of all of the magazines from that year hard bound with an index! LOVE IT!

Garlic French Bread Pizza
Adapted from Oct/Nov 2007 Cook's Country Magazine French Bread Pizza

6  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (If you can, get the glass bottled Kirkland brand from Costco...it's the best and I am a snob!)
4  garlic cloves, minced
4  tablespoons of fresh basil, divided ( I use dried basil if there is no fresh on hand...about 1-2 tablespoons)
Dried Oregano
Salt
1  loaf of French bread cut crosswise into 8 even pieces (not a baguette...the supermarket French bread)
1/2 cup  Parmesan cheese
1 cup  crushed tomatoes (from a can...I use Contadina or Hunts, freeze the rest for pizza in the future!)

Toppings (optional...pick what you like!):
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pepperoni, cut into quarters (this allows you to spread the pepperoni out more, with less calories!)
Green Peppers (about 1/2 a green or red pepper) cut into small squares (freeze the rest for pizza later)
Olives, sliced (sometimes I saute them first in a little bit of oil)
Onions, diced (yellow or red)
Mushrooms, sliced

1. Adjust oven rack to the upper-middle position and turn your oven to 425*. Microwave oil with the garlic and 2 tablespoons of basil basil in a mug until fragrant...about 40 seconds.

2.  Brush half of oil over the bread (including the crust and edges of the bread) and arrange cut side up on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle parmesean all evenly on the bread. Bake until cheese begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Pull bread out of the oven and top all slices with a good spoon full of crushed tomatoes. Drizzle with remaining oil. Sprinkle remaining basil, salt and oregano. Add your toppings. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve hot!

**These pizzas are great for left overs the next day! They freeze really well too!