DON'T FORGET THE FOOD

Teddy Bear Sweet Rolls

2011-12-01T17:02:00.002-05:00

With Thanksgiving past us and Christmas fast approaching, I thought I would share with you a family favorite. I have been making these adorable sweet rolls for years. They are a crowd pleaser, that I am asked to make again and again. You will have to forgive me, I forget where I found the original recipe, but I believe it was in an issue of Country Living magazine about 10 years ago. When shaped like bears kids love them and adults are a fan anytime regardless of the shape.
I have made these rolls for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and even Easter.
I hope you enjoy them.

Ingredients
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
5-1/2 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the milk, sugar, oil, egg, salt and 4 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. For each bear, shape a 2-in. ball for the body. Add a 1-1/4-in. ball for the head and six 1/2-in. balls for the ears, arms and legs. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes.
Bake at 400° for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.
Enjoy!

Giveaway Winner

2011-10-15T09:31:00.001-04:00

A big thanks to those of you who entered the

Totino's Fun Friday Night giveaway.

Now for the giveaway winner.
I would like to congratulate HomemadeBaby.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Totino's Fun Friday Night Giveaway

2011-10-08T20:48:00.001-04:00

I wish I could say that we have a set family night in

my family, but unfortunately we do not.

Family night is basically any time that all of

our schedules align, but it makes it all

the more special when we

are able to get together.

We generally grab a Redbox movie and

some snacks and snuggle in for a movie night.

At just $1 a night and with more than 27,800 locations across the country, chances are there’s a Red box near you too. You can find the closest Redbox kiosk by checking redbox.com/locations.

If you haven't tried RedBox, you definitely should.

And now is the perfect time.

Totino’s is running a great promotion in conjunction with Redbox. If you purchase 4 Totino’s Party Pizzas or 2 Totino’s 40 count Pizza Rolls (the specially-marked packages), you will receive a free one-day Redbox DVD promo code that can be redeemed at the following sites:

Rolls: totinosfridaynight.com/redbox_pizzarolls
Pizza: totinosfridaynight.com/redbox

Thanks to Totinos through my BlogSparks I received

a Totino’s Fun Friday Night Prize Pack to enjoy with my family.

The prize pack included:

2 VIP coupons for Totinos pizza rolls & pizza
Free one-day Redbox DVD promo code
2 pizza slice plates
1 popcorn bucket
1 pizza cutter

Armed with all the perfect ingredients for a

family movie night we decided to make haste.

First stop
Redbox

Then, a little food and a little fun.

Now for the good news.

One lucky Happy Nester reader is going to

receive the same Totino’s Prize Pack that my family did.

To win

All you have to do to enter to win is leave me a comment

letting me know how you share family night.

Hurry the giveaway ends October 15th at Midnight.

Disclosure: The VIP coupons, prize pack, information, and giveaway

have been provided by Totino’s through MyBlogSpark.

Baked Potato Soup

2011-09-26T18:06:00.000-04:00

I am a huge fan of using a crock pot or slow cooker and

one of my favorite places to go to for slow cooker recipes is Stephanie O'Dea's blog

A year of Slow Cooking.

Recently, I tried her recipe for Baked Potato Soup.

I served it with warm pumpernickel roles.

It was such a hit with my whole family I decided I

would share it with you.

To make her recipe you will need:

5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
--1 small onion, diced
--4 cloves garlic, minced
--1 teaspoon seasoned salt
--1/2 teaspoon black pepper
--1/2 teaspoon red pepper
--2 quarts chicken broth
--2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end
--crumbled bacon and green onion or chives as garnish (optional)

Now for the directions:
Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware of your slow cooker. Add onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. The potatoes should be fork-tender.

When they are fork tender use a potato masher or a hand-held immersible blender to mash the potatoes. I used a potatoe masher, but you could skip this step altogether if you prefer to serve it chunky.

After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Make sure to stir a few times during the 30 minutes.

I garnished the soup with crumbled bacon, green onion , and cheddar cheese.

Make sure to check out A Year of Slow Cooking for lots more yummy recipes.

Pocket Pies

2011-08-28T14:20:00.003-04:00

My daughter and I stumbled upon this

little guy on a recent trip to Target.

It is Nordic Ware's Pocket Pie Press.

You roll out your pastry dough, cut, fill, then

crimp and seal using this little guy.

Sounds easy enough right.

Not so much.

I was expecting something like this...

Our dough kept sticking to the

pie press, no matter how much flour we used.

And it didn't really crimp very well either.

Oh well, live and learn.

They were still pretty tasty.

I think next time we will just

make them the good old fashioned way.

Mediterranean Style Tuna Casserole

2011-03-20T12:46:00.000-04:00

Let me start off by saying this is not your mother's tuna casserole. Sorry mom.

Upon renewing my Better Homes & Gardens subscription, I received a Free 2011 All Time Favorite Recipes cookbook. Inside was a recipe for a Mediterranean-style tuna casserole. It sounded yummy, so I thought I would give it a try. I made a couple modifications to the recipe (to accommodate our taste & cupboard) and the end result was wonderful! You will find no canned soup in this casserole.

I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:

2 cups dried bow tie pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
1 -12oz cans of chunk light tuna (in water), drained and broken into chunks
1/2 c. sun dried tomatoes thinly sliced(not oil- packed)
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan
3/4 cup of. water
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
1/2 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pasta as directed on box. Drain well and set aside. Meanwhile, in an oven proof skillet cook onion and garlic in olive oil, until tender. Add tuna, water, tomatoes, olives, and parsley to the skillet. Then, stir in the cooked pasta. Remove from heat.
Bake in the skillet in the oven covered for 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil before serving.

Chicken Salsa Verde Bake

2011-03-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

There is just something about a casserole that immediately makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I recently stumbled upon this recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray. It is a a Mexican style casserole with a kick. I served it with a quick salad and my family and I ate on it for two days.

To make it you will need:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2-1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Two 16-ounce jars salsa verde
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup sour cream
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
One 8-ounce bag shredded Mexican-style cheese

Preheat your oven to 375°. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside and let stand until cool, then shred the meat into a large bowl. Stir in the salsa, kidney beans, onion and sour cream.

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, scatter 1 cup tortilla chips on the bottom of the pan. Then,top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat the layers and cover with the remaining 1 cup tortilla chips. Bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

I hope you enjoy!

Cherry Scones

2011-01-23T11:18:00.001-05:00

Every weekend my husband and I usually cook

breakfast together.

For the past two weekends we have been making scones.

Yummy!

Last weekend we made oat & raisin scones, this weekend using the same recipe we swapped some dried cherries for the raisins.

I have to say the cherry scones were my favorite.

Here is the recipe we used from the February issue of

Everyday Food.

If you see this issue at your news stand, grab it.

It is chocked full of other delicious light recipes.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

3 tablespoon packed dark-brown sugar

1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 cup dried cherries (or raisins)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

1 large egg

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, cherries, and oats. Then, in a small bowl whisk together butter, egg, and buttermilk until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until evenly moistened,

careful not to over mix.

Drop the batter by 1/3 cupfuls, 2 inches apart to a

pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake until golden, 15 minutes.

Rotate scones half way through.

Let cool 5 minutes on a wire rack.

No More Chocolate Pie!

2010-12-28T19:56:00.000-05:00

Every year it seems like I get asked to bring the same thing to our holiday get togethers.

It is funny too, because the desserts that I am asked to bring I don't even like.

I am not a big fan of chocolate pie, I hate peanut butter pie, and anything caramel just really isn't my thing.

I actually had my husband make the usual requested desserts this year, but this one I made myself.

This Gingerbread Cheesecake is super yummy.

I know Christmas has passed, but if you are like me and crave gingerbread anytime, then you won't mind me sharing this one with you.

I used a recipe I found at The Fresh Loaf you can find it here.

For the gingerbread cookies, I substituted my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe.

My family loved this cheesecake as did I.

And my hope is that they will ask for this every year instead

of chocolate pie.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year & Don't Forget the Food!

A Little Thanksgiving Help From Ina

2010-11-23T07:23:00.000-05:00

Did you happen to notice that if you click on today's Google doodle it will redirect you to several thanksgiving recipes including a roast turkey recipe from Ina Garten.

You can check it out here.

Pizza Anyone?

2010-10-31T16:18:00.001-04:00

It is no secret that I love pizza.

I love trying different toppings and flavor combinations.

I am not a peperoni & cheese kind of gal.

For me, the more toppings the better.

My current favorite is sausage, grilled onion, and olive pizza.

The spicy sausage, mixed with the sweetness of grilled onions, and the saltiness of black and green olives is such a winning flavor combination, and when served on flat bread it's completely irrisistable.

I make my flatbread in advance.

Your gonna want to make a double batch, trust me.

It's that good.

You can find the recipe here.

Then, I grill some Italian turkey sausage and some sliced onions.

When your flatbread is ready, top it with

some cut up sausage and onions.

Then, I top it with a mixture of black and green olives, and I finish it with some shredded mozzarella cheese.

I bake the flatbread pizza in an oven preheated to 375 degrees, just until the cheese is melted

Enjoy!

Grilled Skirt Steak With Poblano- Relish

2010-10-29T09:05:00.001-04:00

This recipe might sound a little intimidating, but trust me it is doable and the flavors are out of this world.

The poblano relish was a bit too spicy for my kids, but my husband and I loved it.
In fact, I even added some of the relish to my rice.

I served the steak with brown rice and roasted green peppers.

The recipe is from Everyday Food.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak (about 1/2 inch thick), cut into 4 equal pieces
1/2 pound poblano chiles
1 small white onion, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for grill
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Coarse salt and ground pepper

In a large glass dish, combine pineapple juice and soy sauce. Add steak, turning to coat, and marinate at room temperature, 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat broiler, with rack in top position. Place poblanos and onion on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until charred, 7 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. When poblanos are cool enough to handle, rub with a paper towel to remove skins. Remove stems and seeds and discard. Roughly chop poblanos and onion and place in a medium bowl. Stir in oil, lime juice, and cilantro; season relish with salt and pepper.

Heat a grill or grill pan to high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip off. Grill steak 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, flipping once. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain. Serve steak with relish.

Enjoy!

Dining In

2010-10-22T10:11:00.000-04:00

My husband and I actually enjoy eating at home

as opposed to dining out.

There is something to be said for dining in the

comforts of your own home.

No waiting for a table & no need to haggle for a parking spot.

Here is a great recipe for baked spring rolls from Everyday With Rachael Ray.

Pair these with Asian Meatballs, and Thai Noodle Soup and you have a wonderful dinner that rivals your favorite Asian restaurant.

Invite some friends and enjoy!

The Ingredients you will need to make the springrolls:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil (2 turns of the pan)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 small celery ribs, from the heart of the bunch, finely chopped
6 canned water chestnuts, chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts (a generous handful), chopped
12 ounces fresh lump crabmeat, flaked (or imitation crabmeat, or chopped cooked cod or halibut)
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce, such as tamari (eyeball it)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme (about one-third palmful)
Six 13-by-17-inch sheets of phyllo dough, thawed, or twelve 9-by-14-inch sheets, thawed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°.
Add the oil to a preheated skillet set over medium to medium-high heat and cook the red bell pepper, celery, water chestnuts and onion for 2 to 3 minutes to soften. The veggies should still have a little crunch. Transfer to a bowl. Add the bean sprouts, crabmeat, soy sauce and thyme and combine well.
Paint half of 1 sheet of phyllo dough with the melted butter. Using the butter as “glue,” fold the sheet in half to form a rectangle. Pile about 1/3 cup of filling at the bottom of a narrow side, leaving a 2-inch border on 3 sides. To form the log, fold the bottom flap up and over the filling, fold in the sides and roll up to seal. (These are big spring rolls!) Paint the roll with melted butter and place, seam side down, onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sheets of phyllo dough. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden all over.

Grilled Chicken and Green Chile Quesidillas

2010-10-19T09:46:00.002-04:00

Who says weeknight dinners have to be boring?

Here is a wonderful recipe to liven up your weeknight repertoire.

It is from the pages of Everyday with Rachael Ray.

To make it you will need:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 large flour tortillas
3 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (about 8 ounces)
Shredded chicken *

Directions:

To make the shredded chicken combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons lime juice, the smashed garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a resealable plastic bag.

Add the chicken and let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.

In a grill pan or skillet, cook the chicken over medium-high heat until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes; let cool slightly and shred. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla and top with some cheese, chicken, chiles and another tortilla. Cook, flipping once, until golden, about 4 minutes. repeat to make 4 quesadillas; cut into wedges.

Your kids are sure to love these!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Star Cookies

2010-10-18T15:57:00.002-04:00

These delicious cookies are made using the chocolate cookie dough recipe that I previously posted about.

These festive cookies are perfect for Christmas and New Years.

To make the cookies you will need:

1 disk of chocolate cookie dough, cooled at room temperature
4 tablespoons of coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment (baking) paper.

Place the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and roll out until 1/8th inch thick.

Using a 2 inch star cookie cutter, cut out as many

cookies as you can.

Gather the scraps, reroll, and cut out more stars,

Sprinkle the cookies with the sugar.

Bake until the edges of the cookies are crisp.

This will take about 8-10 minutes.

Let cool briefly on the sheets, then transfer to wire racks

to cool completely.

You can package the cookies up as gifts

or enjoy them for yourself.

Yeast Dough

2010-10-18T05:26:00.002-04:00

I know I seem to be on a dough kick lately, but these recipes are a must have for any recipe box.

If you have great dough recipes, you can make endless dishes, breads, and desserts.
My last essential dough recipe is for yeast dough.

This flexible yeast dough recipe is a must have for
any recipe collection.

It is great for making focaccia, pizza, and flatbread.

To make 2 dough balls you will need:

3 1/2 cups of flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse until blended.
Add the water and olive oil and pulse, just
until the dough comes together.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.
Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes to form a smooth ball.
Put the dough ball in a large oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it with the oil.
Cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size and spongy.
This will take about 1 1/2 hours.

When the dough is ready, turn it onto a floured surface.
Punch down and knead the dough into a smooth cylinder.
Divide the dough into half and form into two balls.
Cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rest for 10 minutes.

You can place the dough into large plastic bags and refrigerate until ready to use, up to overnight.
You will need to return the dough to room temperature before using it though.
You can also freeze the dough.
Just make sure to wrap it in plastic wrap before you put it in the plastic bag.
It will freeze for up to 2 months.

When thawing, unwrap the dough and place it on a plate and let stand for 3 hours.

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Dough

2010-10-17T17:44:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I thought it would be great to introduce you to some great doughs that are
essential for any recipe box.
The second dough I would like to share with you is a delicious cream Cheese Dough.
This dough is perfect for making tarts large or small.

It is also from The Weeknight Cook, cookbook from

Williams and Sonoma.

This recipe will make 2 disks of dough.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes
8 ounces of cream cheese room temperature, cut into cubes

In a food processor combine the flour and the salt. Pulse briefly to mix. Scatter the cream cheese and butter on top of the flour mixture. Pulse until the dough starts to come together. Transfer to a slightly floured surface. Divide the dough into half, and form into flat disk. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using. You can store the wrapped dough disk in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw the dough overnight before using.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cookie Dough

2010-10-12T21:08:00.008-04:00

With the holidays coming up, I thought it would be great to introduce you to three great dough recipes. These are all from the cookbook The Weeknight Cook from Williams and Sonoma.
The first of the three doughs is Chocolate cookie dough.
It is a fantastic for cutting out bats for Halloween, but
it's also great for Christmas cookies too.

It's a great dough to keep on hand in your fridge or freezer.

This recipe is not only super simple, but delicious too.

To make 3 disk of dough, you will need:

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
3cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tarter
3/4 teaspoon of salt

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and the brown sugar, until creamy.Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tarter, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until blended.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface.

Divide into three equal portions.

Pat each into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
It will store for up to three days in the fridge
and up to a month in the freezer.
This dough is great for making Chocolate Star Cookies.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

2010-10-09T10:26:00.002-04:00

This is the perfect hearty stew for Fall, especially for those of you who live in colder climates.

It is super simple to make.

Just throw everything in the crock pot and around dinner time you will be rewarded with this delicious stew.

This recipe is from Everyday Food.

To make it you will need:

3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1/3 cup tomato paste

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks

1 pound small white or red new potatoes (about 6), well scrubbed, halved if large

1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

6 garlic cloves, smashed

2 bay leaves

Place the beef in a 5-quart slow cooker. I cut it up into small cubes first. Then, distribute tomato paste, vinegar, and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover slow cooker; cook on high until beef is fork-tender, about 5 hours (or cook on low heat 8 hours).

Enjoy!

Herb Fritters

2010-09-08T18:52:00.000-04:00

I while ago I was given a stack of back issues of

Everyday With Rachael Ray.

I just recently got a chance to thumb through one of the issues. It was the May 2007 issue.

I was immediately curious about a recipe I found for Herb Fritters.

I have never made fritters, but these sound so fantastic, I plan on changing that real soon.

Has anyone tried this recipe?

With school starting back up, I have

had little time to try new recipes.

I have had to stick to my no fail tried and true recipes, but hopefully soon I will get a chance to try these.

They sound like they would be a yummy weekend treat.

To make them you will need:

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup cold dark beer
1 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as basil, chives, dill, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
Dash hot pepper sauce
Peanut oil, for frying

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Whisk in the egg and beer until smooth. Stir in the herbs and let stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon peel and hot sauce and set aside.

Fill a large, heavy saucepan with enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches; heat to 365° on a deep-fry thermometer. Whisk the batter and, working in batches, drop by tablespoonful and fry, turning occasionally, until the fritters are crisp and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the baking sheet; keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with the lemon sauce.

If you get to try these babies before me, leave me a comment letting me know what you thought.
Enjoy!

Pot Roast

2010-09-03T07:36:00.000-04:00

School is back in session for my children and I am eager for quick delicious dinner ideas.

I generally rely on my trusty slow cooker for this.

I can put in a little time in in the morning and be rewarded greatly in the evening for it. I simply set it and forget it.

I sound like an info-mercial don't I?

It truly is a life saver though.

On days when we have after school activities, I plan on making something in my slow cooker.

It is better then eating fast food, and a lot easier then trying to prepare dinner at 7 o'clock at night.

This pot roast is one of my families favorites.

To make it you will need:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

8 medium carrots, cut into thirds, or one small bag of baby carrots

1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 beef chuck roast (3 pounds), trimmed of excess fat

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

In your slow cooker or crockpot, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Add carrots and onions; season with salt and pepper, and toss.

Sprinkle the roast with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; place on top of vegetables, and drizzle with Worcestershire. Cover; cook on high, 6 hours (or on low, 10 hours).

Transfer your roast to a plate. Place vegetables around it. Then drizzle with the left over juices.

I usually serve it with mash potatoes.

I hope you enjoy.

Have a great weekend.

Mustard-Baked Chicken With a Pretzel Crust

2010-08-31T20:34:00.001-04:00

We eat a lot of chicken in our house. So, I am always on the lookout for new ways to prepare it.

I love the taste of fried chicken, but for obvious reasons I am not a big fan of frying it.

So, we generally end up baking chicken in the oven at my house.

This recipe, however is perfect.

You get the health benefits of baked chicken , and a crunch like fried chicken thanks to the pretzels.

Not to mention, it is full of flavor and super moist.

Don't let the amount of mustard in this recipe scare you.
My kids aren't huge fans of mustard and they gobbled it up.

The recipe is from Food & Wine magazine.

The Ingredients You Will Need:

1/2 pound hard pretzels, coarsely crushed (4 cups)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels until coarsely ground; you should have coarse chunks and fine crumbs. Transfer to a large, shallow bowl.
Wipe out the food processor. Add the oil, whole-grain and Dijon mustards, water and vinegar and process until smooth. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
Pour half of the dressing into a large shallow bowl, add the chicken breasts and turn to coat. Dredge the chicken in the pretzel crumbs and transfer to a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice the chicken and serve warm or at room temperature with the remaining mustard dressing.

I hope you enjoy it.

I know we did.

Mid Day Pick Me Up

2010-08-25T13:38:00.001-04:00

Some days, I am in desperate need for a pick me up.

Two o'clock will hit, and I am dragging.

Sure, I could swing into Starbucks, but who wants to spend $4 to $5 on a coffee drink, and don't even get me started on the calories.

Here is what I do instead....

Mix 1 cup of Light Chocolate Soy Milk, with 3 to 4 teaspoons of instant coffee, 7 ice cubes, and 3 to 4 teaspoons of Splenda. Then blend it all up in a blender.

Can you say yummy?

Let me know what you think.

Strawberries & Cream Cheesecake

2010-08-16T14:16:00.001-04:00

I am a sucker for cheesecake.

This delicious cheesecake is the perfect treat for Summer.

Cool and creamy it is sure to make your family beg for more.

It is from the pages of the July 2006 issue of Martha Stewart Living.

To make it you will need:

1 pound strawberries, hulled
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup finely ground graham crackers (about 4 sheets)
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pound plus 13 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and reserved
8 1/4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place strawberries in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with corn syrup, and toss gently to coat. Bake until syrup thickens and strawberries turn deep red and shrink slightly, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer strawberries and syrup to a medium bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Let cool completely.

Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter in a small bowl. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to make an even layer. Bake until crust is firm to the touch and has just darkened, about 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let crust cool completely

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Put cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, then gradually add remaining cup sugar and the salt. Scrape down sides of bowl; add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl, and mix in vanilla bean seeds and mascarpone until very creamy and no lumps remain, about 3 minutes. (Reserve vanilla bean for another use.)

Transfer 5 cups cream cheese mixture to bowl with mashed strawberries; stir to combine. Pour strawberry-cream cheese mixture on top of crust; smooth with an offset spatula. Carefully spoon dollops of plain cream cheese mixture on top, smoothing with an offset spatula.

Wrap the exterior of the springform pan in 2 layers of foil; set in a large roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with boiling water until water reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake cheesecake until set, about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours (up to overnight).

Enjoy!

CREAMY CHICKEN & CHILE ENCHILADAS

2010-08-11T11:10:00.005-04:00

I actually found this recipe on the side of a can of Old El Paso green chile enchilada sauce.

My usual go to enchilada recipe, calls for heavy cream . When I discovered I was out of it , I went into a bit of a panic. I would have to inform my son we would have to have something else for dinner. You see, enchiladas are one of his favorite meals and I knew he would be disappointed. When I told him, he simply replied "Why don't you just use the recipe on the can!"

Don't you just love how kids just put everything into perspective.

So, I followed his wise advice and just used the recipe on the can.

Luckily I had all of the ingredients:

1 pound uncooked chicken breast strips
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cut into strips
1 can (4.5 ounces) Old El Paso chopped green chilies
1 package (12 count) Old El Paso flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas
2 cans (10 ounces each) Old El Paso green chile enchilada sauce
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces)

Heat oven to 400°F.

Lightly grease 13x9x2 inch rectangular baking dish. Cook chicken in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center.

Add cream cheese and chiles; reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until blended and cream cheese is melted.

Spoon chicken filling onto tortillas; roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top; sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.

I have to tell you, these were delicious.

I will definitely be making them again.

Here's to simple solutions.

Have a wonderful day!