An 'A' For Effort

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:44:00 +0000

Hi! I know that it has been forever and ever since I have posted. I have still been in the kitchen but in effort to spend more time with my kids (it's a little harder now that I have to spread my time among 3) I have significantly decreased my computer time and thus my blog time. I miss sharing my recipes with you guys! This chili was just too easy and too good for me to not share. I will warn you, it IS spicy! The original recipe called for 1 Tbsp of chili powder and I knocked it down to 1/2 Tbsp for the kids and it was still spicy. I absolutely loved it with 1/2 Tbsp but it was a bit too much for the kids. I haven't decided how I will make it next time- the same because I loved it or with even less chili powder and possibly less cumin.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili Source: Plain Chicken

Ingredients:

1 can black beans (rinsed & drained)
1 can corn, undrained (I used frozen corn and added a teeny bit of water)1 can Rotel, undrained
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder (go EASY here! I suggest 1/2 Tbsp or less :)1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts

Directions:

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

Mexican Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:43:00 +0000

I had to search and search for this recipe. It was one of those I've had for several years that I thought I had tucked away in one of my binders of recipes but I couldn't find it. I am in serious need of recipe organization. Thankfully I finally found it printed at the bottom of a different recipe! This rice is full of flavor and can be pretty spicy if you substitute diced tomatoes with chiles for the regular diced tomatoes. I keep chopped onion and bell pepper on hand in my freezer and I did my own short-cut directions so this was ready with almost no work.

Mexican Rice Source: An 'A' For Effort's Recipe Box

Ingredients:

1/2 C chopped onion

1/4 C chopped green pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp oil

1 C uncooked rice

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with liquid (or diced tomatoes with chiles if you want it extra spicy)

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 C beef broth

Directions:

1. In a skillet, saute onion, green pepper and garlic until onion is softened.

2. Add rice to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until rice has browned.

3. Add tomatoes, chili powder, salt and beef broth. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer until liquid has been absorbed (about 20 min).

Shortcut Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except rice and bring to a boil.

2. Add rice, then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 min.

Velveeta Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 02:54:00 +0000

With three kids in the house and Eliza only being about 2 months old I haven't had as much time for cooking (well that and I just love to hold my baby girl so my free time is spoken for)! I have been falling back on some of my tried and true favorite recipes. This dish is magnificent! Cheesey but not overwhelmingly so. It has a pretty appearance (for a casserole :) with the vibrant green pepper and red pimentos. This is a dish that I enjoy making for other families who have recently had a baby or need a meal brought to them following a surgery etc.

The recipe in the cookbook is titled 'Overnight Chicken' and allows you to prepare the dish the night before without cooking the noodles. I did it that way the first time but usually just cook the noodles and make this the day I want to eat it :)

Velveeta Chicken Source: Good News Radio Family Favorites Vol. 2

Ingredients:

7 oz. macaroni noodles (I use 12 oz. of Ziti noodles)

2 C milk *only use 1 C if you are cooking your noodles instead of doing the overnight method

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup (I use 2 cans of cream of mushroom instead of a cream of celery)

4 oz. chopped pimentos

4 oz. mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 lb Velveeta, cubed

2-4 C diced, cooked chicken

Directions:

1. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

2. Combine all ingredients and place in prepared pan. Cover.

3. Refrigerate overnight.

4. Bake at 350 F. for 1 hour.

Breakfast Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:18:00 +0000

This is my favorite breakfast casserole!! I have brought it to many many breakfasts and brunches and always get rave reviews. It is easily customized to your preferences and all the preparation is done the night before. I usually add green pepper, onion and mushrooms. I wish I had a better photo, this really is yummy :)

Breakfast Casserole Source: Good News Radio Family Favorites Cookbook Volume 2

Ingredients:

8 slices white bread, cubed & crusts cut off

1 lb sausage, cooked & drained

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 4-oz. can mushrooms

6 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

2 C milk

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Optional:

green pepper

tomato

onion

spinach

Directions:

1. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

2. Layer bread, sausage, cheese, mushrooms and other vegetable toppings in pan.

3. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the top.

4. Refrigerate overnight.

5. Bake at 350 F. for 45 minutes

Baby Eliza!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:35:00 +0000

My little lady- Eliza Tillie

My kiddos

I have been surprised by how much I love having a girl in the family!

If you have followed my blog (or lack there of lately!) you know that I was expecting a baby girl in July. My little doll arrived in the wee hours of the morning on July 11th! She has been an exceptionally good baby and her Dad, brothers and I all love her to pieces. I hope to get back to regular blogging at some point but for now have been spending all my free time holding this precious little cutie before she gets any bigger. We were out of town for a couple weeks following her arrival and I didn't have Internet access during that time but now that we are back I am attempting to catch up on my blog reading. I would like to say thanks to Tiffanee and Camie for trying out and posting a couple of my recipes. Be sure to check out their fantastic blogs!

Brownie Goody Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:21:00 +0000

I recently made these for a friend who was recovering from surgery. Let me tell you, pregnant or not, these are amazing! And they are rich, but if you are going to have a something sweet in my opinion you should just go all out :) Make a batch and invite some friends over, you won't want to be left alone with these in the house!

*I kept mine in the refrigerator and liked them best cold :)

Brownie Goody Bars Source: Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

box your favorite brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

cup vanilla frosting

1/2

cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I didn't measure mine but could have used more)

cups Rice Krispies cereal

2/3

cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/3

cups (8 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9-inch square pan (I used a 9 x 13 pan) with cooking spray. Make and bake brownies as directed on box. Cool completely.
Frost brownies with frosting. Sprinkle with peanuts; refrigerate while making cereal mixture.
Measure cereal into medium bowl; set aside. In 1-quart saucepan, melt peanut butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Spread over frosted brownies.
Refrigerate 1 hour or until set before cutting.

Chicken Santa Fe

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:56:00 +0000

Big surprise- another Mexican dish coming from my kitchen :) I saw this at Pass the Peas Please and immediately bookmarked it. Very yummy and very cheesy! From my picture it almost looks like all cheese beneath the black olives but trust me there is some chicken and chips in there as well. I like spicy but because I require the boys to eat whatever we are eating I have been trying to tone down the spice a little, so I used 1/2 of the recommended jalapenos. I would have liked the full amount but 1/2 was really good too and the bonus- my boys gobbled it right up!

Chicken Santa Fe Source: Pass the Peas Please

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken
1 can diced jalapenos (I used 1/2 can)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can sliced olives, divided
4 green onions, chopped and divided
Doritos tortilla chips

8 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Brown chicken in olive oil for 15 minutes. Shred chicken; reserve chicken broth.

2. Combine soup, sour cream, broth, jalapenos, 1/2 can olives, and 1/2 onions. Add chicken.

3. In a 9 x13 pan, layer tortilla chips, chicken mixture and cheese.

4. Top with remaining olives and onions.

5. Bake for 25 minutes at 350.

Blueberry Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:35:00 +0000

I've had a bit of a blueberry craving lately. I've been eating fresh blueberries, blueberry yogurt, blueberries in my morning oatmeal, Blueberry Crunch and blueberry muffins. Thankfully last weekend we were able to go blueberry picking at a local u-pick farm. I am very sad that the owners of the farm have announced this year to be the last for the farm :( I guess I will have to stock up my freezer! Maybe I can fit in one more trip before the baby comes :)

This is a great blueberry muffin recipe. It has been a long time since I tried out a new blueberry muffin recipe. The one I always use tastes amazing but the appearance is terrible. The muffins never seem to rise right and smoosh out all over the muffin tins making them a nightmare to get out and always results in completely broken muffins. SO I was very happy when these not only tasted good but rose like they should, came out of the tins smoothly and were a breeze to make. They are not overly sweet as some muffins can be, but not under sweet. Just about right :)

Blueberry Muffins Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:1 ½ c. flour
¾ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
~1/3 c. milk
1 cup blueberries (or more)
streusel topping:
¼ c. sugar
2 T. and 2 t. flour
2 T. butter, cubed
¾ t. cinnamon

Directions:1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Grease or line 8 muffin wells with muffin liners.
3. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
4. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup.
5. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries.
6. Pour into lined muffin cups; fill to the top.
7. Make streusel topping: combine listed ingredients and mix well with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over tops of muffins.
8. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes.

Barbecue Macaroni Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:09:00 +0000

I am not typically a macaroni salad person but given my love for new recipes wanted to try this one out :) The barbecue really adds a lot of flavor, a great thing if you like barbecue and we do! The original recipe calls for 1 tsp of chili powder. I started out with 1/2 tsp and liked it so I didn't finish adding the full amount. I think 1 tsp would be a bit overpowering for my family :)

Quick and easy to prepare this was great side dish for our pork chops!

Barbecue Macaroni Salad Source: Brenda's Canadian Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 cup elbow macaroni (I used a fun shape that caught my eye in the grocery aisle)

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 T bbq sauce
2 scallions, sliced thin
1 tsp. chili powder (I used 1/2 tsp)

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni until tender.

2. Drain macaroni in colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain briefly, so that macaroni is still moist, then transfer to large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl combine mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, scallions, and chili powder (you may want to start out with less than the full amount) and toss to combine. Add to macaroni. Stir well.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

Been Busy!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 22:34:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I am so sorry that I haven't posted all week! Definitely not like me, but I have been just too busy and the baby isn't even here yet! I have a bunch of recipes to post but no time to write them up :( I will post as a I have time but not sure when that will be. As of my doctor appointment last Wednesday the baby could be here before my next scheduled appt this coming Friday! I am 37 weeks along now but both of my other two have been early...so it is any day now!

I hope you all have a fantastic 4th of July!

Strawberry Danish Dessert

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:01:00 +0000

I needed something called Danish Dessert for the Rice Krispie Ice Cream dessert I was making for my friend's birthday. Try as I may I couldn't find Danish Dessert anywhere in town. After visiting several groceries I messaged Kimmy (who had the recipe for the Rice Krispie Ice Cream dessert) if she had any recommendations for a good substitution. She did add a recommendation on her original post, but not until after I googled how to make my own. The one I found for Danish Dessert was really simple and tasted good but being as I have never had Danish Dessert it's hard to know how close of a substitute it is! The recipe I used and Kimmy's substitute are below :)

Strawberry Danish Dessert (The recipe I used) Source: Peggy's Pantry

Ingredients:

1 C sugar

2 heaping tbsp cornstarch

1 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid brand drink mix in desired flavor (I used strawberry)

2 C cold water

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients with a fork until well blended.

2. Put in a sauce pan and add 2 c. cold water. Cook until desired thickness.

3. Allow to cool before serving

Kimmy's Strawberry Danish Dessert Recipe Source: Kimmy's Kitchen

Ingredients:

3 C water
1 C sugar
1 (3 oz.) package raspberry flavored gelatin
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
Directions:

1. In medium saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil.
2. Mix jello with cornstarch and gradually add to boiling mixture.
3. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until mixture is clear and thickened slightly.
4. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Rice Krispies Ice Cream Dessert

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:34:00 +0000

Whenever a blogger says that something is their favorite dessert I always want to try it. Kimmy at Kimmy's Kitchen raved about this dessert and sneaking into the freezer to steal extra bites. The Rice Krispie topping is amazing and now that I seem to be a nut person I loved the pecans! Here's the scoop: vanilla ice cream sandwiched between Rice Krispies that have been toasted in butter and brown sugar, topped with Danish Dessert and fresh strawberries (Kimmy suggested raspberries).

Rice Krispies Ice Cream Dessert Source: Kimmy's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups brown sugar
3 cups Rice Krispies
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 quarts vanilla ice cream
1 package strawberry Danish Dessert

fresh strawberries or 12-16 oz. bag frozen raspberries (thawed and drained, reserve the juice)

Directions:

1. Mix together the Rice Krispies and the chopped pecans in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

2. Mix together the melted butter and the brown sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add the Rice Krispie/pecan mixture into the saucepan. Mix and cool.

3. After this has cooled, put half of the mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan and spread evenly. Put the vanilla ice cream on top of the Rice Krispie layer. Spread ice cream evenly. (You may want to let the vanilla ice cream sit out for about 10 minutes so it is easier to work with.) Put remainder of Rice Krispie mixture on top of ice cream. Cover well and freeze.

Topping:
Make up Danish Dessert as directed on package for fruit sauce except substitute some of the water with the juice from the thawed berries. Allow the topping to cool then add the thawed raspberries and mix well. Add this topping to pieces of dessert just before serving. (Don't freeze the topping because it gels and crystallizes.)

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:47:00 +0000

It's no secret I love casseroles. With two, soon to be three children ages 4 and under I like dishes that I can get ready during afternoon naps to avoid dancing around the kids while cooking. Plus then I can relax, play with the boys while dinner bakes and when Matt gets home instead of being frazzled I am happily playing with the boys. Of course this does foster Matt's idea that I just get to play all day! (As all moms and wives know nothing could be further from the truth! LOL!)

Anyway, we really liked this casserole. I saw it at Delicious Discoveries who found it at the Pioneer Woman. Pioneer Woman always makes amazing things so I figured it had to be a winner :) I liked the saltiness from the black olives. It wasn't overly spicy or seasoned but a great comfy combination that the whole family enjoyed.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake Source: Delicious Discoveries

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pound ground beef (I just used 1 pound)

1 can 15-ounces tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces, weight egg noodles

1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/4 cup cottage cheese, small curd

1/2 cup green onion, sliced

1 small can diced black olives

1 cup sharp cheddar, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. (While browning ground beef, you can begin to boil your water for the egg noodles.)

3. After ground beef is browned, drain fat, then add tomato sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

4. Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

5. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

6. Stir in your green onions and diced olives. Add to noodles and stir until noodles are coated evenly.

7. To assemble, place half of the noodles in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted. (I didn't do the layering. Just mixed it all up and topped with the cheese.)

Dressed Up Green Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:05:00 +0000

This is my favorite way to eat green beans, right up there with green bean casserole, only with less effort. All you need is a bag of frozen green beans, a packet of dry onion soup mix and some butter. I don't have exact amounts for this because it is more of a 'to-your-taste' type dish but trust me it is yummy! Perfect alongside a steak. Even non-veggie fans like this one :)

Dressed Up Grean Beans Source: An 'A' For Effort

Ingredients:

Frozen green beans

1 packet of dry onion soup mix

butter

Directions:

1. Place desired amount of frozen green beans in a microwave safe dish.

2. Sprinkle with dry onion soup mix. You may want to use only 1/2 of the packet to start.

3. Dot with butter. This step is optional. The butter tastes great but isn't necessary.

4. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.

5. Gently stir to combine. Test a green bean to see if you need more of the dry soup powder. Adjust as needed.

"Best Ever" Chocolate Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:27:00 +0000

I am kicking myself right now for not sharing this recipe with you sooner! I love love love cookies and love love love chocolate so I have made many many chocolate chip cookies in my baking days. I am sure you have probably tried out a dozen different recipes as well in your search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. While I can't say for sure that I will never ever try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe in my lifetime (I really do love trying out new recipes) I must admit that I am no longer searching!! The past 3 times I have made chocolate chip cookies this has been the one!

This terrific recipe comes from Cara at The Boys Made Me Do It. Cara claims this is the BEST chocolate chip cookie ever and yeah, though I hate to make it completely official, my taste buds agree! The right balance of a crispy edge and chewy center. Loaded with chocolate chips and buttery flavor. This is one that you need to try out!

"Best Ever" Chocolate Chip Cookies Source: The Boys Made Me Do It

*All notes are from Cara :)

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups (12 oz) all-purpose flour *If at all possible, please weigh the flour
3/4 tsp. smallish-medium coarse sea salt *please do not use table salt, the sea salt gives the cookies a nice flavor and hints of texture. If you only have table salt, use 1/2 tsp. *When using sea salt, you will get small crunchy flecks of salt when you bite into the cookie. If you do not like this taste, go with 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips *I realized grocery stores sell bags of chocolate chips in 12 oz bags but this recipe really needs every last chip. Otherwise you’ll get cookies with only a few chips in each one and this recipe requires lots of chocolate to bulk the cookie up. You’ll need about 1 1/2 bags.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is nice and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes on medium-high speed on a K-5).
3. Add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated.
5. Finally add chocolate chips until well distributed. The cookie batter should be somewhat thick.
6. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough or use a medium cookie scoop and plop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow the cookies to stay on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes. Pick up the parchment paper with the cookies still on top and transfer to a cool non-porous surface. Allow the cookies to cool on the paper for at least 3 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:32:00 +0000

Every week I like to make at least one meal that may take a little more time but is worth the extra energy. I was not disappointed in the least with this copy of Olive Garden's Tuscan Garlic Chicken. I have not ever had this dish at Olive Garden to do a true copycat recipe comparison but we loved it! The recipe I used was lightened by Mel and I wouldn't change a thing from her recipe. The sauce is wonderful. Creamy, flavorful thanks to the peppers and spinach and lots of garlic (my favorite)! I can't remember exactly how much time it took me to prepare this, but preparation time for is always dependent on how good my two boys are being ;)

Tuscan Garlic Chicken Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup lowfat milk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound fettuccine

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.
3. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they’ll finish up in the oven). Don’t scoot the chicken around once you lay it in the hot oil! Let the oil work it’s magic to sear the crust on the chicken. If you get all antsy and try flipping too early and/or moving the chicken around the pan, the breading is lightly to fall off. Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.
While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Also, wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels and return it to medium heat, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper, sauteing for 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir in one tablespoon flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
5. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.

Here are a couple of notes from Mel. I doubled the sauce as she suggested. *Note: if the chicken breasts you are using are overly thick, you can butterfly them, cutting all the way through so you end up with two thinner cuts of chicken breast. Second note: I would say this recipe is right on the edge of just having enough sauce but not an overabundance, so if you like things on the saucier end of the spectrum, feel free to double that part of the recipe.

Cilantro Couscous Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:11:00 +0000

I just love summer! If you are like me you will be attending or hosting lots of cookouts/picnics with family and friends. This salad is the perfect side dish for summer! It can be prepared in 7 minutes and tastes wonderful. The cilantro, red pepper and green onion combined with the light texture of the couscous is super. If you have never had couscous please give this recipe a try! Couscous is so much fun and even easier to make than boiling pasta! Just heat your water to boiling, add your couscous, pop a lid on the pot, turn off the heat and wait 5 minutes. Easy, easy, easy :)

Cilantro Couscous Salad Source: Good Cheap Eats

Ingredients:

1 cup couscous (measured before cooking)
1 1/4 cup hot water or chicken broth
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup garbanzo beans (I used great white northern beans)1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the water or chicken broth to boiling.
2. Add the couscous and stir to combine. Cover the dish completely with a lid or plate to allow it to “cook”. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff couscous with a fork.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
4. Toss the ingredients lightly to combine.

Lemon Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:42:00 +0000

This picture turned out a little darker than I had hoped for, but the pie itself was perfect! Wonderful lemon flavor and the meringue topping was so good. When I was looking for recipes to frame on the kitchen wall my mom had told me that I needed to use my great-grandma's Lemon Pie recipe as one of them. I can't remember ever having this pie growing up so I figured it had probably been a while since my mom had had it and decided to surprise her with it.

Sometimes it amazes me how much I still need to learn about cooking and baking. For the meringue on top I thought I could just whip the eggs with a fork!! Ha! Good thing my husband has more common sense than me and suggested I use the mixer on high :) You will definitely need to use the mixer!

Lemon Pie Source: My great-grandma

Ingredients:

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 C + 6 tbsp sugar, divided

1 tbsp lemon zest

3 eggs, separated

1 1/2 C boiling water

1/4 C lemon juice

1 (9") baked pie shell

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the corn starch, 1 1/2 C sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.

2. Beat egg yolks and add to cornstarch mixture.

3. Gradually add egg yolk/cornstarch mixture to the boiling water.

4. Heat the entire mixture to boiling over direct heat.

5. Once boiling, lower the heat and boil gently for 4 minutes stirring constantly.

6. Pour into pre-baked pie shell.

7. Using a mixer on high power, beat the egg whites and 6 tbsp of sugar until stiff but not dry.

8. Spread carefully over the top of the pie, making sure to spread all the way to the edge of the crust to seal in the filling.

9. Bake at 425 F for 4-5 minutes or until the meringue begins to brown.

Frosted Lime Walnut Salad- The recipe I didn't even want to try

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Next week we will have been in our new house for 2 months! We pretty much have all of our stuff put away, we just don't have all the little 'homey' touches done yet that make me feel completely settled in. My mom came over this week and we hung up pictures in the kitchen. Now that the walls are not completely bare I thought I'd share a few pictures. I enjoy seeing the kitchens of the blogs I follow so I hope you do too :)

The recipe for today is one of the ones I have framed on my kitchen wall. I went through my grandma's recipe box and picked out recipes to frame. One was written by my great-grandma, her favorite recipe, Lemon Pie. Others were done by my Grandma and most of them I plan to make. All except for this Frosted Lime Walnut Salad. I don't like lime jello at all and the other stuff added in just made it worse. It sounded so gross to me that I thought it deserved a spot on the wall. It reminds me of growing up and watching that segment on Sesame Street where the game show host says to a contestant, "Would you eat it?!?" and the little girl would respond "Ooh, no it's gross!" but the other contestant always said "I will Bob!" I am with the little girl on this one!

Frosted Lime Walnut Salad Source: My grandma

Ingredients:

Jello Mold:
1 pkg lime jello
1 can crushed pineapple
1 C small curd cottage cheese
1/2 C finely sliced celery
1 tbsp chopped pimiento
1/2 C chopped walnuts

Frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:
1. Dissolve jello in boiling water and cool until syrupy.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except walnuts and pour into a jello mold.
3. Chill.
4. Make the frosting: combine all frosting ingredients and beat until smooth.
5. Once the jello has set, frost the top and decorate with walnuts

Would you eat it? Maybe if I liked lime jello or cottage cheese in jello or celery I would...

Here are a few pictures of my kitchen! I love the beamed ceiling and original hardwood floors. On the counter I have old cookbooks from my other grandma and a few other antique kitchen utensils.

No-Fry Fried Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 01:41:00 +0000

Fried Ice Cream is a must for me whenever we eat out at a Mexican restaurant. I always manage to find a little room for this yummy dessert :) I had some trouble finding a recipe that I liked for Fried Ice Cream and ended up just coming up with this one on my own. Matt suggested less cinnamon and more honey on the 'fried' topping. Our friends who ate this with us said it was perfect as is. This was surprisingly easy to make and perfect for a hot summer night cookout with our friends. I hope you enjoy it!

Fried Ice Cream Source: An 'A' For Effort

Ingredients:

1.75 quart container vanilla ice cream

4 C corn flakes cereal

1/2 C sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp honey

chocolate syrup

Reddi-Whip

cherries

Directions:

1. In a ziploc bag coarsely crush the corn flakes. Add in the sugar, cinnamon and honey.

2. Smoosh it all around coating the cereal the best you can. The honey may glob up a bit, just try to break it up.

3. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop out a ball of ice cream approximately the size of a tennis ball.

4. Drop the ice cream ball into the ziploc bag of coated corn flakes. Using your hands on the outside of the bag press the cereal onto the ice cream and make it more of a circle shape if it is mis-shapen.

5. Place in a 9 x 13 pan that has a tight fitting lid.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 until you have used all of the ice cream and topping.

7. Put the lid on the 9 x 13 pan and place in the freezer until you are ready to eat it. I had mine in for about 2 hours but you could probably eat it right away too.

8. Top with Reddi-Whip, chocolate syrup and a cherry before serving.

Strawberries!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Sun, 29 May 2011 13:20:00 +0000

In April we moved into our new house. We initially toured the home in January on the same day a big blizzard hit. We had no idea what all was going to come up in the yard this spring. I certainly didn't expect we get strawberry plants! I've never had a garden or grown even a tomato plant but thanks to plants doing what they do even when we just let them be we had our first strawberries yesterday! I have watered them twice since we moved in (see, I told you I don't know how to garden!) and am so excited about them that I think we will try to put down some fertilizer that a good friend recommended and water them more :)

The berries are not large like in the stores but they are super sweet! We enjoyed eating these on their own but I hope to use some in a recipe as well. If you have any strawberry recipes you especially like send them my way!

I think Lincoln was saying something about the strawberries :)

Spinach Bowtie Strawberry Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Sat, 28 May 2011 13:11:00 +0000

Are you having a Memorial Day weekend cookout? This salad would be an awesome addition to whatever you are grilling up! We had it for dinner one night combined with grilled chicken. Absolutely fabulous! I really liked the dressing but Matt wouldn't even try it because of the vinegar :( I told him he was missing out (and he was!) but he still didn't try it. I am still learning how to make salad dressing. Mine didn't combine very well, so I just did my best to shake it up before I added it to my salad.

Spinach Bowtie Strawberry Salad Source: One Crazy Cookie

1 bag baby spinach
8 oz. mini-bow tie pasta
1 package bacon cooked crisp and broken into small pieces.
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into about 1 inch cubes
4-6 strawberries cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup almond slivers (I omitted)Dressing
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon sweet onion
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
*Optional 1 strawberry (for a pretty pink color)

Directions:

1. Boil pasta as directed on the package. Rinse under cold water and set aside.

2. Combine dressing ingredients in the blender. Mix thoroughly.
3. Place salad ingredients in a bowl. Toss gently to combine.

4. Shake the salad dressing well before adding to salad.

Tuna Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:12:00 +0000

Tonight I made the dinner I felt like having. Often times I will cook what I think Matt would like or the boys would enjoy but tonight I wanted Tuna Casserole with peas and that is exactly what I had. While I have recipes for Tuna Casserole, I always enjoy trying new recipes so I made the dinner I was hungry for using a recipe I had seen at Can You Stay For Dinner? and couldn't have been happier with the result.

Yum. The ratio of noodles to creamy sauce was dead-on. I liked the hints of flavor from the Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. The recipe called for a whole teaspoon of pepper and I hesitated but then decided to go for it. It was a lot of pepper. I went back to the original post and saw that in the recipe section it called for 1 teaspoon and in the body of the post she said 1/2 teaspoon. Fortunately we really like pepper so it wasn't a problem that I did a full teaspoon but I would recommend a 1/2 teaspoon unless you are a huge pepper fan, you can always add more in later.

Tuna Casserole Source: Can You Stay For Dinner?

Ingredients:

5 cups cooked pasta- rotini or egg noodles were recommended (I used rotini)

2 cans tuna, drained
2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper *(Or if you really like pepper up to 1 teaspoon)
1/2 cup finely crushed french fried onions (I used cheddar sun chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the soup, milk, cheese, garlic powder, and pepper. Add in the pasta, tuna, and peas. Stir to combine and pour into a greased casserole dish.
3. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the foil, sprinkle the french fried onions evenly over the top and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.

Peanut Butter Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:23:00 +0000

Life has gotten busy for me lately! I don't even know how exactly or why but I am trying to get it figured out because I know that things will only be more busy once baby girl comes in July! Of course, I am still making at least some time to cook and bake :)

If you haven't had enough peanut butter and chocolate from my last two posts, can I suggest a wonderful creamy Peanut Butter Pie? This is excellent for a hot day becuase it requires no baking and is kept cold in the refrigerator. Rich, smooth, cool and quite dreamy! You will love this one for sure!

Peanut Butter Pie Source: Combination from My friend Katy and The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 package (8 Ounce) Softened Cream Cheese
1-¼ cup Powdered Sugar
1 package (8 Ounce) Cool Whip, Thawed
Chocolate bar for shaving on top of pie
Graham Cracker pie crust or Oreo Cookie pie crust

Directions:

1. Combine peanut butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar using a mixer.
2. Once throughly combined stir in the cool whip.
3. Spread into desired pie crust.
4. Top with chocolate bar shavings.
5. Allow to set up in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

Peanut Butter Cup Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Fri, 20 May 2011 17:30:00 +0000

Welcome to day 2 of satisfying my peanut butter and chocolate craving! I made these bars the same day as the Georgia Cookie Candy bars for a side by side comparison as to which peanut butter and chocolate bar I liked best. Both bars had excellent flavor, making a close competition. In the end it was these Peanut Butter Cup bars that won! I loved the creamy texture, the ease of cutting through the chocolate on top and the presentation. Try out both reipces for yourself and let me know which you like best: Georgia Cookie Candy or Peanut Butter Cup Bars!!

Peanut Butter Cup Bars Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter (I used salted)
1¾ cups powdered sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup milk chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)

Directions:

1. Line an 8×8-inch square pan with foil, leaving enough to hang over the sides, then butter the foil. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the ½ cup of butter over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs until completely combined and smooth. Spread the peanut butter mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
3. In the now-empty saucepan, melt the ¼ cup unsalted butter. Add the chocolate and stir until almost completely melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until completely melted. Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer and smooth into an even layer.
4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set. Remove from the pan using the foil overhangs and place on a cutting board. Use a pizza cutter to slice into 16 bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

* I doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 pan