The Foodie Mommie

Cheesy Squid Dogs

2012-07-15T09:40:00.001-05:00

Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice, relaxing weekend! I've been so busy lately that I am glad to have a slow Sunday morning to relax before going to church. Anyway, I found the idea for this recipe on Pinterest and I thought, "that's interesting." The original recipe uses hot dogs, which, are completely against my food rules. Hot dogs are GROSS in my opinion and I totally freaked out on my husband when he tried to give my son a hot dog at a barbecue one time. Anyway, Hy-Vee just started selling these all natural casing smoked sausages. You can get a beef and pork one or a cheddar chicken one. I bought a package of the cheddar chicken sausages and used those in place of the hot dogs. Now as a Foodie, I wasn't a huge fan, but Daniel LOVED these. He was able to help me make them and he cleaned his plate then asked for "more squid dogs pwease!" This is a great idea for kids who love to help in the kitchen!

Cheesy Squid Dogs

1 (16 oz) pkg Spaghetti (I use Ronzoni Smart Pasta)
1 pkg all natural smoked sausages of your choice (I used Wimmers Natural Casing sausages- you could also use hot dogs if you don't have the qualms with them that I have).
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I used a mixture of cheddar and jack)

Set a large pot of water to boil on the stove.

Break the spaghetti in half. Cut the sausages into bite sized pieces and thread several pieced of dried spaghetti through each piece of sausage.
Once your water is boiling, place all the sausages threaded with spaghetti in the water and boil about 6 minutes or until spaghetti is thoroughly cooked. Drain, just as you would normal pasta, and place back into the large pot. Add the butter and the cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Serve to your kids who will think it's the greatest meal EVER!

Just a reminder, I started a new blog! It's called Elizabeth's Beautiful Life and I hope you will check it out! I have an AWESOME giveaway deal going on over there right now! I'd love to hear what you think!

Until next time, Happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

E-Meals and a BRAND NEW VENTURE!

2012-07-11T07:59:00.001-05:00

Dear Wonderful and Beautiful Followers!
I know it has been a long time since I have posted on the Foody Mommy. In fact, I think that I probably have started all my recent posts out like that. Life has taken many unscheduled turns over the last year. I got a teaching job, just recently lost that teaching job, and have begun a new journey. I am still going to keep posting on this blog when I have great recipes. I was feeling a lot of pressure to come up with something new and original every night for dinner. I wanted to share with you something that a friend of mine introduced to me. It's called E-Meals and it is FANTASTIC. You get a menu for the week, there are all different menus from which to choose and they are e-mailed to you once per week along with a grocery list! It's been my lifesaver the past few months! It cost me $25 for the whole year, although I got that price on a Living Social Deal. If you'd like more information you can visit the E-Meals website at www.emeals.com. It's FABULOUS!

Now, onto my new venture. I have decided to document this next year with a new blog called Elizabeth's Beautiful Life. I would LOVE it if you would come and join me on that Blog as well! A couple of weeks ago I was notified that I lost my beloved teaching job. I was devastated to say the least! I loved that job SO MUCH, I have to say it was my most favorite teaching job since I started my career. I had such a connection with my students and their families. I cried for days after I found out that my position had been eliminated.

After much sadness and grieving, I considered applying for another teaching job. Nothing felt right to me and nothing really made me really jump with excitement. Then I started thinking...I joined Mary Kay on a whim back in May. After talking with my husband about it, I decided I was going to take the leap and do Mary Kay full time for one year. Elizabeth's Beautiful Life is the story of my journey through throwing caution to the wind, taking the leap, and running my own business for an entire year! There will also be TONS of great giveaways and I am hoping to partner with other blogs as well. I would like to invite all of you to join Elizabeth's Beautiful Life and share in my journey this year.

Thank you for your support and loyalty!

Elizabeth

Pizza Mac and Cheese

2012-05-11T09:22:00.001-05:00

I have discovered that my son LOVES pepperoni. I usually buy the REAL pepperoni sold at the deli counter, but recently I discovered these little mini turkey pepperonis. They are so cute and not too terrible when it comes to ingredients (meaning that I don't find any of of the items on my "yucky no-no" list in them).

Daniel also LOVES macaroni and cheese and I was in need of a last minute dinner since plans had changed tonight. I threw this mac and cheese together super fast and it was SO yummy and creamy! I also used a new technique that my best friend Heather shared with me, and it was DELICIOUS! You boil the macaroni in the milk instead of in water! Give it a try! You will LOVE IT! The best part? My son gobbled it up and asked for more! I am definitely going to add this to my repertoire of mac and cheese recipes.

Pizza Mac and Cheese

1 box elbow macaroni (I use smart pasta but any variety will do the job)
4 cups milk (the trick is, equal parts milk and pasta, so if you use only two cups of pasta, two cups of milk- you can use low fat milk but I wouldn't use skim.)
1 tbsp. butter (you can leave the butter out if you want)
1 tsp. dijon mustard
salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (you can use whatever cheese you have but I used cheddar and jack for this recipe)
1 pkg. mini turkey pepperoni (or you can use regular pepperoni diced)

In a large dutch oven, add the milk, macaroni, butter, dijon, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Over medium heat, bring this mixture to a simmer, making sure to stir constantly. Do not let the mixture come to a full boil, keep stirring! Once simmering, turn the heat down to low and stir frequently. Make sure the heat is on low, you don't want the milk to absorb too quickly. It is also very important to keep stirring! Cook about 15 minutes or until the milk has been completely absorbed and the pasta is creamy. Once the milk is completely soaked into the pasta, add the cheese and pepperoni. Stir to combine. Remove pan from the heat and cover with the lid. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Stir once more to combine and enjoy! YUM!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!!!

Chocolate Cherry Almond No Bakes

2012-03-29T19:44:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone!
I hope you all are doing well! This is just a quick post to share a recipe I made today. As many of you already know from my previous post, I signed up for NatureBox, a monthly box of wholesome treats that comes right to your doorstep!
This week NatureBox shared a recipe blog post from a blog called The Lean Green Bean for these No Bake treats using the contents of March's NatureBox! They looked really yummy so I thought I'd give them a try!
This recipe is FABULOUS and really, REALLY easy! Daniel had a great time helping me make them!
Here's the link to the recipe for HEALTHY Chocolate Cherry No Bakes! The only thing I did differently is I omitted the chia seeds because I forgot to buy them and I added some extra dark chocolate chips because I am a chocoholic!

On another note, I would love for you to check out my new blog about travel to France called Bon Voyage France Educational Travel!

Until next time, Happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

NatureBox!

2012-03-21T21:27:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! I have been SO LAME about posting lately. I've been doing Farrell's and Weight Watchers and life has been CRAZY busy! I have recently discovered something AMAZING and I need to share it with all of you! It's called NatureBox! NatureBox is a box of healthy snack foods sent to you each month! Each box has a different theme for the month. I just received the March box which included some granola, dried cherries, "fig newtons," and a bag of "Sunshine Chips" which are a mixture of different dried vegetable chips. The best part? My 3 year old LOVES all the snacks! I immediately signed up for a 12 month membership! For about $20 a month, you get your themed box in the mail filled with TONS of healthy, all natural snacks.

To find out more about NatureBox visit www.naturebox.com and in addition, if you enter the promotion code HEALTHY you will get 25% off your first month!

You can pay month to month, you can pay for 6 months (in which case you get one month free) or for the whole 12 months (in which case you get 3 months for free).

I am SUCH a fan of NatureBox! Go check it out!

Educational Trip to Paris

2012-02-21T21:44:00.000-06:00

Well Hello Everyone!

I know, I know, it has been awhile! I have been SO SO BUSY lately!
This isn't a food post, I am actually posting to advertise my latest venture. I am taking a group of home school families to Paris! If you'd like to support us and help us raise money for the trip, please click the link below! Thank you so much!

Broccoli Cheese Crescent Wreath

2011-12-16T22:57:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone! Are you all ready for Christmas!
It's the time of year for Holiday get togethers and I just had my annual Christmas Party and Cookie Exchange! Among other yummies, I am making this recipe. I found a similar version of it on a website and then adapted it to fit my tastes. What a hit this was! It disappeared almost as quickly as I put it out! In fact, I ended up having to make another one about 3- minutes into the party! Fortunately I had enough filling and crescent dough. YUM!

Broccoli Cheese Crescent Wreath

3 cups chopped broccoli (I run it through my manual food processor to make the chunks a little smaller)
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped (again, I run them through the manual food processor for smaller chunks)
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped (again, manual food processor)
4 slices thick bacon, cooked to a crisp and crumbled
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian herbs
1 tsp. granulated garlic (or two cloves garlic minced, but I don't like raw garlic so I use granulated garlic)
2 eggs
1 recipe crescent dough or 2 cans pillsbury crescent dough

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium sized bowl mix (I used my Kitchen Aid) the broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, shallots, bacon, cream cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, herbs, garlic, and eggs. Roll out crescent dough into a large square and cut into triangles . On a round baking sheet (I use my round pizza stone), overlap the triangles in a circle with the wide side facing toward the middle. Spoon the filling into the ring towards the middle (wide end). Wrap the triangle over the filling and secure by tucking under in the middle. If desired, top ring with more cheese. Bake 35-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is heated through.

I made the filling the day before in order to save time, and put the ring together on the morning of my party.

Help! I need some ideas!

2011-12-02T21:52:00.001-06:00

Hello Dear Readers! I need some Christmas Eve dinner ideas! Growing up we always had Prime Rib. This year it will just be Daniel, David, and I for Christmas and I was thinking of making us a Prime Rib, but am just not sure. So...I need some ideas! Please share with me what you have for dinner on Christmas Eve! I would love to try something new!
Merci Beaucoup!

Pain d'Epices...well...sort of...

2011-11-30T19:42:00.001-06:00

I hope all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving!

Pain d'Epices is one of my favorite holiday treats from France. I have fond memories of eating it along with a nice, hot cup of tea in the afternoon. You can get it around Christmas at the many Marchés de Noël (Christmas markets) that pop up in towns all over France. Whenever I am in France for Christmas I usually stock up on it and bring it home because it is so yummy!

Traditional Pain d'Epices comes from the Alsace region of France. It is sometimes compared to gingerbread, although does not traditionally contain ginger. Traditional Pain d'Epices is made from a dough of honey and flour that is allowed to age for several months, called "pâte mère." Once the aging is completed, spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and anise are added, along with candied orange peel. Real Pain d'Epices is a labor of love, made by professional bakers who are masters of their craft. I have never tried to replicate the real thing because, let's face it, it's impossible unless you are a French baker.

My version of Pain d'Epices takes some of the flavors I love from the real thing, in an easy to make recipe. This bread comes out moist and flavorful. I love it with a cup of tea or coffee. It is my tribute to the French, even if it doesn't come close to the real thing. I hope you will try it because it's quite yummy.

Sort of Pain d'Epices

(this makes two loaves)

3 cups all purpose flour
2 sticks cold butter, cut into chunks
2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ground cloves
4 tsp. fresh grated ginger (or you can use ground ginger)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. orange zest
2 tsp orange extract
1 1/2 cups apple sauce
3 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two loaf pans generously with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, orange zest, nutmeg, and baking soda. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer, add the orange extract, apple sauce, and eggs. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well after each addition. Pour the batter equally into both loaf pans. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

And the winner is...

2011-11-29T07:33:00.001-06:00

Thank you to all who participated in the Chex Mixchange giveaway! Congratulations to CHERYL! I will contact you by e-mail to get your information so that your prize pack can be sent to you! Stay tuned for more great giveaways!

Potatoes Gratinées and a GIVEAWAY!

2011-11-24T14:08:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I am SO happy to have my mom visiting for Thanksgiving! David, unfortunately, has to work today, so we will be having our actual dinner on Saturday, but today we're doing a mini Thanksgiving. We're having a roasted turkey breast, Pommes de Terre Gratinées and roasted brussels sprouts. This recipe for Au Gratin Potatoes, or in French Pommes de Terre Gratinées is one I learned to make when I was in college living in France. It's SO yummy and SO easy! I thought it would make the perfect accompaniment to the roasted turkey breast for my mini Thanksgiving!

Pommes de Terre Gratinées

4 large potatoes peeled and thinly sliced (I like to use my Pampered Chef peeler/corer/slicer to do this job)
2 cups cream
2 eggs
2 cups good Swiss or French/Swiss cheese, like Emmanthal, Comté, Gruyère or Raclette (I like to use a combo of whatever I have on hand, so today I had Emmanthal and Raclette)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. herbes de provence
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13X9 baking dish generously with cooking spray (unless you are using stoneware, then don't spray). Place one half of the potatoes in the dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to distribute, sprinklewith 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat layer with remaining potatoes, salt and pepper, and cheese. Do not mix the top layer. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, garlic, nutmeg and herbes de provence. Pour liquid over the potatoes evenly. Bake covered with foil for 1 hour or until potatoes are soft and knife inserted comes out clean. Uncover and cook for another 5-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and browning.

I hope all of you enjoy your Thanksgiving! I'm having a little contest, giving away a Chex Mix prize pack! The Chex Mix prize pack includes all you need to make Chex Mix for you and your friends! Do you want to win the Chex Mix prize pack? Tell me, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? I also want to know your favorite Thanksgiving food! Answer these questions in a comment to this post and you will be entered to win the Chex Mix prize pack! Contest ends MONDAY NOVEMBER 28th at 5pm Central time!

Quiche à la Raclette (d'Elizabeth)

2011-11-10T19:41:00.001-06:00

Bonjour! It's that time of year again! The time of year for RACLETTE! Raclette is a lovely meal and if you have never had it (or heard of it), it is like Heaven on a plate. Raclette is a meal from the Savoie region of France and Switzerland. It is made from Raclette cheese melted in a special machine called a "four à raclette" and poured over ham and potatoes. It is SO yummy and the cheese has been VERY difficult to find here in Iowa...until now. I am really excited because the Hy-Vee near my house has a new specialty cheese case which has, yes, that's right- RACLETTE among a variety of other great international cheeses. This past weekend my very good friend Lisa came to visit me. Lisa is one of my oldest friends and we know each other from when we worked together at the French Immersion School in Seattle. Lisa lives in Madison now and drives down to see me on occasion. Anyway, she came down this past weekend and we, along with a couple of other friends, drank wine and made Raclette. It was SO much fun!
The next day, Sunday, I was having my friend Jean-Louis and his kids over for lunch and had leftover ingredients from the Raclette. I decided to improvise and make a Raclette quiche. It turned out REALLY yummy and was a total hit! I decided to make it again for my students today and they ate almost the entire quiche! Yum! Serve this with a beautiful spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette and you have a perfect lunch or light dinner!

Quiche à la Raclette (d'Elizabeth)

1 store bought refrigerated pie crust or homemade pie crust
1/3 cup Raclette cheese, cut in small cubes or grated
1/2 small onion, diced
1/4 lb Black Forest Ham, diced
1/2 cup leftover boiled new potatoes (such as red or yukon gold), skin left on, finely chopped
3/4 cup crème fraîche (or you can use sour cream)
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 extra large eggs
1 tbsp. herbes de provence
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a pie plate or quiche dish generously with cooking spray. Unroll the pie crust and press it into the pie plate. Place the cheese, onion, ham, and potatoes in the pie plate and sprinkle with hermes de provence and salt and pepper and mix lightly with your hands to distribute the ingredients evenly. In a medium sized bowl, beat the eggs, crème fraîche, heavy cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper for taste. Pour the egg mixture over the mixture in the pie crust, shake very slightly to distribute the egg mixture. Bake 35-40 minutes or until set in the middle. Let stand another 10 minutes before cutting.

Until next time, Happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Bat Wings and Eyeballs Revisited

2011-10-29T19:33:00.003-05:00

My Little Elmo

Happy Halloween My Dear Readers! I hope you have all been well! What are you and/or your kids going to be for Halloween? Chef Boonie is going to be Elmo for Halloween this year! He is SO cute in his costume! David and I went to his preschool Halloween party yesterday and it was so much fun and SO cute!
Anyway, one of my favorite Halloween dishes is Bat Wings and Eyeballs. I have been making this recipe for several years, but this year I decided to rework my recipe. I found that using the small mozzarella for eyeballs doesn't work all that well because they tend to melt too much. So this year, I made meatballs and pressed olives into them before baking to resemble eyeballs. I still used the mozzarella but mixed it in with the pasta. This worked MUCH better. Here's my original recipe and here's the new one!

Bat Wings and Eyeballs Revisited

Finished product
YUM!!!

I box Farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1 jar (about 2 cups) tomato pasta sauce, homemade or store bought
1/4 cup cream cheese (I use light)
8 oz. small mozzarella balls
1 lb. ground turkey or beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
2 tbsp. dried minced onion (I like to use dried onion because I think using fresh onion for this makes the meatballs fall apart easier)
1 tsp. granulated garlic (same reason as the onion)
1 tbsp. Italian herbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can sliced olives
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Meatball "eyeballs"

Cook Farfalle according to package directions, drain, and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 13X9 inch baking dish for the pasta and a jelly roll pan for the meatballs (or I use my 13X9 stone and for the pasta and my small ridged baker for the meatballs). In a medium bowl mix together the ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, minced onion, garlic, italian herbs, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into small meatballs (about the size of a ping pong ball - I use my small scoop to form them) and place them in the jelly roll pan (or small ridged baker if you have one). Gently press an olive slice into each to make it resemble an eyeball. Bake meatballs about 15 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle or internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. While meatballs are cooking, heat the tomato sauce and cream cheese over medium high heat until cream cheese is melted and the sauce is "creamy." Turn down the oven to 350 degrees after removing the meatballs. Mix the farfalle in with the pasta and pour into the 13X9 baking dish. Mix in the mozzarella balls. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place meatballs on top of the pasta and bake uncovered another 20 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and the pasta is heated through. Enjoy! YUM!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

OH HOLY COW Tuscan Meatloaf!

2011-10-22T16:46:00.001-05:00

Hi Friends!
How has everyone been this last month? I know I haven't posted in awhile, life, as always has been really busy in the Porter household. I went back to work in August. Just part time but still, it's teaching, so it has been keeping me busy! In addition, Daniel has decided he doesn't need a nap anymore so that is driving me nuts too! He won't even go into his room for a little quiet time! One day he was napping, the next he was up and all over the place! This is not good news for me, I am one worn out Mommy by the end of the day! Oh well, back to business...This meatloaf recipe is one that I adapted from Pampered Chef. I call it "OH HOLY COW Tuscan Meatloaf" because it was so good that I yelled out "OH HOLY COW!" when I tasted it! I served this yumminess with mashed potatoes and cauliflower, and broccoli. I hope you enjoy!

OH HOLY COW Tuscan Meatloaf (adapted from Pampered Chef's Italian Market Meat Loaf)

1 jar (about 1 cup) sun dried tomato pesto or julienned cut sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (chopped- I use my manual food processor or my food chopper to do this because you want them to be in really little pieces)
2 lbs ground turkey (I use turkey instead of ground beef because I do not like ground beef. I suppose you could use ground beef but I am not sure if you will have the same result)
1/2 cup dried minced onion (I use dried minced onion in this recipe because I find it doesn't break the meat apart as much while baking)
1 tbsp. granulated garlic (I like granulated garlic for this recipe for the same reason as I like the dried onion - I find that chunks of garlic and onion tend to make the meatloaf fall apart after baking)
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp. dried italian herbs
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 jar (about a cup) of red currant jelly

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl and mix in the buttermilk. Set aside to allow the bread crumbs to soak in the buttermilk. In another bowl , gently mix together the ground turkey with the onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, the cheeses, the Italian herbs and the bread crumbs with buttermilk. Form into a loaf and place in a well greased baking dish (I use my Pampered Chef deep covered baker for this, but can use any large baking dish you have). Bake uncovered about 1 hour and 10 minutes. In the microwave, heat the jelly until melted. Mix the tomato sauce into the jelly. Spoon over the meatloaf and spread evenly. Cook an additional 15-20 minutes or until the internal temp of the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees. Remove the oven and cover, allow to set for 10 minutes before cutting. It's SO yummy! Enjoy!

Until next time, Happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

And the Winner is...

2011-09-14T12:57:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Cheryl! You have won the Pillsbury Sweet Moments prize pack! Thanks to all who participated! I have another giveaway coming up VERY soon so stay tuned!

Chicken Club Pizza

2011-09-10T12:57:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! I have several recipes to be published in the next couple of days, but before I post them, I just wanted to remind everyone that I have an awesome giveaway going on right now! Click here for details and for your chance to win a Pillsbury Sweet Moments prize pack!

Now, onto the recipe! I got this recipe from my friend Shannon who has been making it quite a bit for her family lately. She says it's a big hit! This chicken club pizza definitely was a hit in my house! I made a few changes, like using homemade pizza crust instead of store bought, and I used leftover pesto chicken instead of buying a package of pre-cooked chicken. Here's the recipe, my modifications are in red.

Chicken Club Pizza

1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust (I used a homemade crust)
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
1 to 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
1 to 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken (I used leftover pesto chicken)
8 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled
1 to 1/2 cups finely shredded lettuce
1 tomato, finely chopped

- HEAT oven to 400ºF.
  
  UNROLL pizza dough on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; press into 15x10-inch rectangle. Bake 10 min. I rolled my crust out onto my rectangular baking stone and then baked for 10 minutes.
  
  MIX mayo and dressing; spread onto crust. Top with half the cheese, chicken, remaining cheese and bacon. I also topped with the tomato at this point too.
  
  BAKE 5 min. or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and tomatoes; I put the tomatoes on in the previous step and baked them with the rest of the toppings. I topped it with the lettuce after removing it from the oven. Shannon said she also adds sliced avocado to hers.
Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Pillsbury Sweet Moments GIVEAWAY!

2011-09-07T12:52:00.002-05:00

I happen to have a HUGE weakness for chocolate, and tea. That's why I am SO excited to give away this Pillsbury Sweet Moments prize pack! This has everything you need to help you start off the cooler weather seasons on a relaxing foot! When you enter this giveaway you will have the chance to win a coupon for a FREE package of Pillsbury Sweet Moments brownies of your choice, a leather journal, a super warm fleece blanket and a mug perfect for a hot cup of tea (or coffee, or hot chocolate!)

Now, let me tell you, these little brownies are ADDICTING! I especially like the chocolate caramel cheesecake. You won't be able to eat just one, trust me!
So...do you want to win! It's EASY! Just leave me a comment on THIS post telling me about your every day sweet moment, or something you do to take time for yourself. Be sure to leave me your e-mail address so I can let you know you've won! Get an extra entries for liking me on Facebook, following me on Twitter, and joining me through Google Friend Connect!

Winners will be chosen at random on Tuesday September 13th! Good Luck Everyone!!!

Disclosure: Pillsbury^® Sweet Moments^®, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark

Broccoli Cheese Lasagna Rolls

2011-08-28T12:27:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone! I hope all of you are well out there in the blogosphere! I went shopping for new work clothes today. I realized that after three years of being a stay at home mom, I pretty much live in sweat pants and unfortunately most of my really nice work clothes either don't fit me anymore, or I got rid of them. So I had to go shopping. Oh too bad, right? Haha.
Anyway, awhile back I posted a recipe for Ham and Cheese Lasagna rolls. I had a reader ask me what other kinds of lasagna rolls I make, and specifically asked for a vegetarian option. As it happens I also make these yummy broccoli cheese rolls. They are SO good and really easy! I hope you will give them a try!

Broccoli Cheese Lasagna Rolls

1 box lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions and drained and rinsed with cold water.
3 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt (I like to use the Himalayan and Sea Salt mixture from Pampered Chef)
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups broccoli florets, steamed until very soft
1 cup carrots, chopped and steamed until very soft (I steam the broccoli and the carrots together)
2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese (I like to use the Kerrygold Irish Cheddar but you could also use mozzarella, jack, or even swiss)
1/2 cup parmesan, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13X9 inch baking dish generously with cooking spray. While you are preparing your lasagna noodles according to package directions, make a béchamel sauce. To make a béchamel, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk the two together until they are fully incorporated and become slightly fragrant (this happens quickly so be sure not to burn it). Slowly add the milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly adding more milk only when the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Once all the milk is added, add the dijon, the nutmeg, the pepper, and the salt. Continue to whisk while adding the parmesan cheese. You should have approximately 3 cups of béchamel. To assemble the lasagna rolls, add about 1 cup of the béchamel to the carrots and broccoli and stir until well mixed. Your broccoli should be "mushy." Spread 1 cup of the béchamel on on the bottom of your 13X9 baking dish and reserve the last cup to spread over the top of the rolls. Take a lasagna noodle and lay it out on your work surface. Spread the broccoli carrot mixture in a layer on top of the noodle (a good tablespoonful) and then top with sprinkled cheese (be sure to save enough cheese to top the rolls at the end). Roll up the lasagna noodle and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles (this makes about 12 rolls). Top rolls with remaining béchamel and remaining cheese. Bake covered 45 minutes then remove cover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Enjoy! YUM!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortillas

2011-08-24T22:17:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!
I hope you have all been enjoying the last part of your summer! It's still hot here in Iowa, I am hoping the air will cool off soon and we might get a little more consistent rain! I love rain, it is an amazing gift! Rain makes me happy. If there is too much sun, I tend to shy away from the outside. I love to hear the sound of the rain on the roof when I am going to sleep, I love to sit out on the porch and watch the rain fall. I love to feel the raindrops on my face. I guess it is the North westerner in me...I always say, you can take the girl out of Seattle, but you can't take the Seattle out of the girl!
Anyway, I apologize for this hiatus I have been on. I went back to work part time, teaching French and working in the local district's Home School Assistance Program. It's been really fun so far and very flexible, which is good because then I can be at home most of the time with Daniel still.
Today's recipe is one that I just threw together and it turned out SO YUMMY! I call it Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortillas. Basically, I took what I had on hand and made a fabulous meal. Check it out, I am sure you will love it too!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortillas

4 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large green pepper, roughly chopped
1 large red pepper, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced green chilies
1 cup cream of chicken soup (or 1 10oz can...be sure that if you are using a can you make sure that it is HFCS and MSG free- HyVee brand is good).
1/2 cup salsa
1 envelope taco seasoning mix (again, MSG free)
10 fajita sized flour tortillas, warmed
2 cups long grain, brown rice, cooked
shredded cheddar and/or jack cheese, sour cream, olives, extra salsa (for serving, optional)

Place the chicken, peppers, onions, green chilies and garlic in the crock of your slow cooker. In a bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, salsa, and taco seasoning mix. Pour over the chicken and vegetables. Set your slow cooker to low and cook 4-6 hours. Shred the chicken using two forks. Spook chicken mixture into warm tortillas with brown rice. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, olives and/or extra salsa if desired. YUM!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Ratatouille 2

2011-08-18T07:59:00.000-05:00

Hello Dear Readers! I apologize profusely for not having posted in so long! Things have been very hectic as of late in the Porter household! I went back to work part time and Daniel started preschool! Lots of big changes!
Anyway, tonight for dinner I am going to make Ratatouille. Last summer I made a video about Ratatouille. To watch the video and see the recipe, click here.
Ratatouille is one of my favorite dishes and it is SUPER easy to make. It comes from the south of France and historically it was a use up of all the vegetables from the harvest. Ratatouille is a stew made up traditionally of eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, garlic, and zucchini. My recipe comes from my French mother Pauline, who taught me to make it. I hope that you will give it a try and please, let me know what you think!

Tomato Basil Spaghetti

2011-07-28T20:15:00.000-05:00

Recently my friend Hayley asked me if we could make pesto together. I love fresh pesto and I get tons of basil from the CSA. It is so verdant and flavorful! If you have never made pesto before it is SO easy and fast, plus it stays good FOREVER in the fridge, or you can freese it! The ingredients can be a little bit expensive, but basil grows like a weed in the summer and it is well worth planting...plus, a little pesto goes a long way. One of my most popular pesto recipes is my baked crunchy pesto chicken.
I used this batch of homemade pesto that Hayley and I made in a lovely summer pasta dish - Tomato Basil Spaghetti. YUM!

Basil Pesto

1 - 2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup good crumbled parmesan cheese (make sure you use fresh parmesan)
The juice of 1 lemon
1 head roasted garlic (you can also use two to three garlic cloves, minced, I like the milder flavor of the roasted garlic though. Sometimes I don't put any garlic in it if I am in a hurry and it is still delicious).
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all the ingredients, except the oil, in the bowl of your food processor. Process until the ingredients begin to break down and come together. Stream in the olive oil a little at a time until the ingredients begin to emulsify. Continue to add olive oil until the sauce gets to your desired consistency (less olive oil for thicker sauce, more for thinner).

Tomato and Basil Spaghetti

1 lb spaghetti, cooked according to package directions and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tablespoonful homemade or store bought pesto
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. olive oil

In a large, deep sided skillet saute the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat until translucent. Add the diced tomatoes, the salt, and the red pepper flakes and continue to cook, stirring frequently, another 5-7 minutes or until heated through. Turn heat down to low, mix in the spaghetti. Once tomato mixture is well incorporated add the pesto and mix into the spaghetti. Serve with a yummy sprinkling of good parmesan cheese.

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Huh?

2011-07-27T08:30:00.000-05:00

Just a quick question...is anyone else out there getting asked to put in a password for something called foxmedia.thinkjam.com when you go to log into Blogger? It says something about the Rio DVD....I am wondering if it is some kind of virus or something...

Twisted Coleslaw

2011-07-26T21:43:00.000-05:00

Well...it's hot again! SUPER hot! We got about a day of relief. I really like the fall here in Iowa because the weather is nice and it isn't super humid like it is in the summer. The good thing about this heat is that it usually produces big thunderstorms at night. That is one thing I actually like about living in the midwest and that is the big thunderstorms.
Tonight I made a really yummy salad that I am calling Twisted Coleslaw. We had an abundance of cabbage from Abbe Hills from both this week and last week, so I needed to find something to do with it. I put my thinking cap on and came up with this creative salad. It was REALLY yummy and I am almost positive it will be even better tomorrow! I made so much of it I dropped by the neighbors with a gift of salad. Yum!

Twisted Coleslaw

16 ounces uncooked long fusilli (corkscrew) pasta

1 small head green cabbage, finely chopped

1 small head savoy cabbage or red cabbage, finely chopped

1 unpeeled medium granny smith apple, chopped (1 cup)

1 cucumber, finely chopped

1/4 cup coleslaw dressing (homemade or store bought)

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 pkg. crunchy garlic and ginger flavored wontons

2 cups shredded carrots

Cook pasta and drain according to package directions. Allow to cool. Once the pasta is cool, toss all the ingredients together. Place in the refrigerator to chill before serving for at least one hour if desired.

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

And the heat goes on....Chicken Souvlaki Sandwiches

2011-07-20T18:40:00.000-05:00

It is so hot here that there have been reports of concrete buckling. Last night the worst possible thing could have happened. The power went out. It went out at around 7:30 last night and didn't come back on until after midnight. At 10:30 last night the temperature outside was a lovely 93 degrees and without air conditioning, the temperature in the house was quickly rising to unbearable levels. Yuck. What is worse is that only our block was out of power, all the houses around us were on! Fortunately the power came back on before it got too miserable in the house.
Tonight I made Chicken Souvlaki sandwiches. I got this recipe from Betty Crocker and made a few changes. You will find my changes to the recipe in RED.

Chicken Souvlaki Sandwiches

3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a roasted chicken)
1 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion (I can't eat raw onion, not even raw green onion so I roasted the onions in the oven and then finely chopped them. Raw onion literally makes me sick, I don't know why, but I just can't eat it).
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (I was out of red wine vinegar so I substituted apple cider vinegar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
6 pita fold breads (5 inch) (I used the folditbread and it worked perfectly!)
The original recipe also called for 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese, but I do not like feta, so I left it out.

In medium bowl, place all ingredients except pita breads; toss until evenly coated. Divide mixture evenly down center of each pita bread; fold in half.

STAY COOL, and until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Tangy Steak Pasta Salad

2011-07-19T19:26:00.001-05:00

Well, I am not sure how it happened, but I it is actually hotter today than it was yesterday! It is just miserable outside. Poor Daniel wants to go out and play so badly, but one step outside and you can hardly breathe. I definitely think it is time to hop on the plane back to Seattle!

Anyway, in my effort to make "heat friendly" fare (that which requires little to no cooking), I came up with this pasta salad, inspired by a recipe I got from Hy-Vee. Give it a try, it is quite yummy, and great for a hot evening!

Tangy Steak Pasta Salad

1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak cut 1 inch thick

4 cups uncooked tricolor rotini
1 cup cooked broccoli florets, chopped
1 large bell pepper cut into julienne strips and diced
1 can sliced olives
2 tbsp. thinly sliced fresh basil
1/4 cup homemade or store bought Italian dressing
1/4 cup crumbled parmesan cheese

Cook Pasta according to package directions, drain, and allow to cool. Grill steak over medium high heat until desired doneness is reached (160 degrees for medium), turning once, let stand for 10 minutes.
Trim fat from steak. Cut steak lengthwise in half and then crosswise into thin slices, and then into cubes.
In large bowl, combine beef pasta, broccoli, bell pepper, basil, olives, cheese, and Italian dressing. Yum!