It Started With One.......

Sweet Sunday: Potato Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 22:11:00 +0000

It is almost spring break. I am starting to see the muddy earth beneath my snow piles. There is an endless stream of dirt coming into my kitchen from the outside world. The sun is warm on my back, and the sky is a pale blue. The birds are singing and the children are yelling. It has to be spring right?

Today is the last Sunday of getting things ready. You know, making sure lunches are made and homework is done. All instructions given out for the week, and making sure we have our days sorted. Four more days of work and vacation starts. We have been counting the days since Christmas break ended 96 days ago. I’m serious. We have been counting.

So here is a sweet way to end y0ur day or start your week. Potato Chip cookies. Yes, I know, it’s different. I am on endless quest for quick and unique recipes and this one was perfect to fill a Sunday afternoon. I found this recipe in the Taste of Home “Recipes Across America” cookbook. The cookbook is divided by regions of the United States and has favorite local recipes from all over. Evidently the potato chip cookies is quite popular in the northeast region of the United States.

The butterscotch chips and the potato chips in this cookie really compliment each other. There is the salty/sweet element I love. The cookies are crispy and crunchy around the edges and soft and delicious in the middle. The recipe called for butter flavored shortening. I used butter and I think it made them a bit darker and tad crispier. It definitely doesn’t take away from the flavor of the cookie.

Enjoy!

Potato Chip Cookies

1 cup butter flavored shortening or butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups crushed potato chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 In a large bowl cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.

2. Add eggs, one at a time to the creamed butter and sugars.

3. In small bowl combine the flour and baking soda.

4. Slowly add the flour mix to the butter mix and beat on low until incorporated.

5. Fold in the potato chips and butterscotch chips.

6. Place tablespoon size drops onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Make sure the cookies are at least 2-inches apart. They spread a lot.

7. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

8. Cool on pan for a few minutes before removing them.

Hot Dogs, Mashed Potatoes, and Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 23:45:00 +0000

Don’t turn the channel! Not until you fully understand the brilliance of this recipe. Yes this is a recipe, not just a list of ingredients. This is one recipe that I have kept hidden, from the gourmet favored public. Some say I may lose readers. Some say it shouldn’t’ be done. I can’t keep it in any longer! THIS IS ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE FOODS. I will not be ashamed. I can hold my head high and be proud to share this.

This recipe is my childhood favorite. Yes, I know I have said spaghetti is my all time favorite and it is, but my grandma made it. This fantastic concoction, my mother made. I guess you could call this a casserole. Growing up I hated casseroles, all my food mixed together for me, and who knows what was hidden and lurking inside of them. Green peppers, raisins, cooked tomatoes, all waiting for me to unknowingly and unwillingly bite down on them. I shudder at the memory. Your children’s stomach and imaginations will be safe with the knowledge that this casserole is an open book. There are hidden agendas or secrets. It’s all right there. Hot dogs, mashed potatoes, and cheese.

My mother began making this casserole on camping trips. It was and still is one of her most requested recipes, and those request still only come from my sister and I. I think she found it in a church cookbook eons ago and has been making it ever since. This is one dish my sister and I can agree on and we both can eat without an argument. Hot dogs, mashed potatoes and cheese is totally gluten free! In all the years my mother has been making this dish she has had only one mess up. The night my boyfriend (now husband) Ted, came over for dinner I was raving about this dish to him. My mother decided to use white turkey hot dogs instead of regular or the Oscar Mayer classic franks. It was terrible!!!! I was mortified!!!! My mother hasn’t, and she won’t ever live that down.

So here are some tips for making the best hot dogs, mashed potatoes, and cheese.

1. Use only all beef or classic Oscar Mayer hot dogs. You can also use cheese hot dogs too.

2. You can use instant mashed potatoes if you are running short on time. I try always make it with homemade mashed potatoes. I like the chunky texture.

3. You can use a variety of good melting cheeses for the top. I like a mix of Colby jack and sharp cheddar, but you could use pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese.

4. Understand that this is a comfort food and it’s not intended to be fancy and pretentious. It’s fun! It is kids food. Enjoy the magic.

Let me know in the comments below what you guys think and what your guilty food pleasures are.

Enjoy!

Hot Dogs, Mashed Potatoes, and Cheese

This recipe is enough to fit in a 10x13 inch pan. You really can make as much or as little as you want. When you make the mashed potatoes make sure you have enough so the layer is about an inch think. You don’t want to see the hot dogs underneath the potatoes.

15 hot dogs cut into circles. You can use cheese hot dogs too.

5 cups of mashed potatoes. You can make your favorite recipe or use instant. For this manifestation I didn’t peel the potatoes.

3 cups of shredded cheese.

Lowry’s Seasoned Salt (secret ingredient)

1. Lay the hot dogs in the bottom of your pan.

2. Cover with mashed potatoes. It’s ok if they are still hot.

3. Sprinkle mashed potatoes with the seasoned salt. Be liberal about this.

4. Cover with cheese.

5. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 degree until the cheese is melted and the hotdogs are hot, usually about 35 minutes. Again, this is based on your pan size.

6. Take out pan and enjoy. Really, just dive in and devour.

Sweet Sunday: Banoffee Pie

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 23:10:00 +0000

What the whaaah? That was exactly my thought when I saw a few recipes for this blog post. Banoffee pie, Banoffee ice cream, Banoffee brownies……. I completely skimmed over the recipes. I didn’t even read the ingredients. I had already figured out what the word meant. My thought was, bananas and coffee equals yuck! Doesn’t’ that makes sense? Bananas and coffee right Banoffee! Nope.

It’s bananas and toffee. Silly me.

Let me revisit this recipe again, with a whole other out look. Bananas and toffee makes much more sense and most definitely something much more delicious. What is Banoffee pie, you ask? Banoffee pie is an English dessert created in the 1970’s by an restaurant owner in the Sussex region of England. This totally makes sense to me now, because the cookbooks I found for Banoffee pie were Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, two very English chefs. In the United States the dish seems to be growing in popularity especially because it is so easy to make!!!!

The original recipe for Banoffee pie calls for a can of sweetened condensed milk, put into a pot and covered with water and boil for three hours. The result of this chemistry magic is something called dulce de leche. Dulce de leche can now be purchased at the store and it works just fine in this pie. If you would like to attempt to make dulce de leche yourself, please be careful. It is dangerous. You have to keep the can of sweetened condensed milk completely submerged, or the can might explode. Just buy the stuff at the store. You will be eating your pie quicker.

Dulce De Leche

Another ingredient you might not have used before are digestive biscuits. These cookies are a British import. I found mine in the international food aisle at the grocery store. Here is a picture of them. They taste like graham crackers.

Digestive Biscuits

Please give this a try and let me know in the comments if you guys have heard of this before. It is now one of my favorites. My kids loved it and it so easy to make. Banoffee pie is a winner in my house. Its super rich and delicious and a special treat for sure.

Enjoy!

Banoffee Pie

Please try to make your own whip cream for this recipe. The ingredients are so simple and it give it a little extra touch of something special.

Ingredients are given as estimates to my metric conversions

250grams/9 ounces (half a pack) digestive biscuits

100grams/4 ounces (half a stick) butter, melted

400grams/14 ounces (1 can) dulce de leche

2 bananas, peeled and sliced

1 cup heavy cream

2 ounces dark chocolate, for shaving over the top of the pie.

A knob of butter to coat the spring form pan.

1. In a food processor, pulverize the digestive biscuits to fine crumbs.

2. Add the melted butter and blitz again.

3. Press the biscuit mixture into the bottom and half way up the sides of the prepared spring form pan.

4. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour to set.

5. Make the whip cream. Add the cream to a bowl of an electric mixer and whip on medium-high speed until you have soft peaks. You don’t need to add any sweetener here, because the pie is very sweet.

6. Take you crust out of the refrigerator and spread the gooey dulce de leche all over the bottom.

7. Place your bananas on top of the pie.

8. Cover your pie in whipped cream.

9. Grate the chocolate over the top of the pie.

10. DEVOUR!!!!!

Oh My Gosh This Dish is Amazing! Hoisin Pork Taco Wraps!

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 01:07:00 +0000

Is exactly what I said when I put this in my face. Seriously. This is that good. I am so excited to share this recipe with you guys this week. I want you to make it right now! Ok, so not right now but definitely soon. Remember that awesome smell you get when you walk in the house after working long hours and running kids everywhere? This smell will make all that stress go away. It’s roasted meat why wouldn’t it?

I found this recipe in the Taste Of Home “Slow Cooker Recipe Cards”. I know this is my second slow cooked meal this week. It has been that kind of week. I needed something I could throw something together in a few minutes. This cookbook has quite a few tasty recipes I can’t wait to try. I want to share them with you!

The beauty of this recipe is the lack of ingredients. Seriously for the pork and just the pork, there are three. Yep that’s it. Well, how many for the coleslaw you make with it? 5. That’s all. The sweet, smoky flavor of hoisin sauce goes perfectly with the tangy, crisp textures of the slaw. If you don’t know, or haven’t used hoisin sauce before, it’s a Chinese barbecue sauce. You can find it in the international foods aisle of your grocery store. Its’ rich and tangy and flavors the pork nicely. For the coleslaw, you could use pre-shredded cabbage. I used half a head of purple cabbage and I purchased a bag of pre-shredded carrots. Rice wine vinegar is a flavored vinegar (also purchased in the same aisle as the hoisin sauce), it is sweet and tangy and when mixed with sugar makes a quick pickle out of the cabbage.

For a quick side dish, I served udon noodles sautéed in teriyaki sauce. You could make ramen noodles or rice if you want too. Please give this dish a try. I know it will be one of your family favorites. Everybody rated the dish 4.5 out 5 stars.

Enjoy!

Hoisin Pork Wraps

1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 pounds)

1 cup hoisin sauce, divided

1 tablespoon fresh gingerroot, minced

6 cups red cabbage, shredded

1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded

1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

4 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 pack of soft flour tortillas, I used the small size.

1. Cut the roast in half.

2. Combine 1/3 cup of hoisin sauce and ginger. Rub all over pork.

3. Transfer to slow cooker and cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until pork is tender.

4. At some point in the day, preferably earlier on make the coleslaw.

5. Combine the carrots, cabbage, onion, rice wine vinegar and sugar in a large bowl and cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.

6. Shred the meat with two forks and return to the slow cooker. Heat the meat through and cover it with the sauce.

7. Squirt the hoisin sauce on a plain tortilla and add the shredded pork and the coleslaw. You guys know how to eat a taco. Inhale!!!!!!!!

Sweet Sunday: Fast/Slow Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 02:40:00 +0000

Hello Everyone!!! I hope every body had a great week! Our week has been so busy!!!!! Isabelle is in jazz band, science olympiad and honors choir. Alex is involved in Model U.N. and high school track. I am now the taxi service. My time to write and my time to make delicious dinners has suddenly decreased dramatically. I promise there are some more fantastic recipes to come!

So what do I mean by fast/slow chocolate peanut butter cake. Well, I found a lovely recipe, that was super quick and easy to throw together and baked and all I had to do was put it in a crock pot and forget it. Yes, that’s right I said a crock pot. I have never made dessert in a slow cooker before. I found this recipe in my Crock Pot “Slow Cooker Bible”. I was perusing the cookbook to find a recipe for tomorrow, (Monday) and I came across quite a few dessert recipes. Not only did this recipe call out to me, (chocolate/peanut butter Hello) but I had all of the ingredients in house! The recipe is actually called Peanut Fudge Pudding Cake. You can call the dessert what ever you like. I would call it delicious!

I usually ask one of the kids to help me make recipes and ninety percent of the time they ignore me or tell me no, but this time I went to Alex and said, “Hey. Lets make a cake. I promise you can go back to your stuff in 10 minutes,” and he said “Sure mom” There is a science to slow cooker cooking. Alex and I made sure we measured just what we needed and voila! A super moist, fudgy, rich cake happened in our crock pot!

Please give this a try. It takes about 2 hours in the crockpot so you can easily make it in the afternoon for a quick dessert after dinner. The house will smell fantastic too!

Enjoy!

Peanut Fudge Pudding Cake (Fast/Slow Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup boiling water

1. Coat a 4 1/2 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar and baking powder in a medium bowl.

3. Add milk, oil, vanilla and peanut butter and stir until blended.

4. Pour batter into slow cooker and spread to cover the bottom.

4. Combine the remaining sugar and cocoa powder into the boiling water. Stir until no lumps are visible.

5. Pour chocolate mixture over cake batter and just leave it. Don’t stir!

7. Set your slow cooker on high for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

8. Allow cake to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Scoop out the cake and make sure you get the fudge sauce on the bottom.

Sweet Sundays: Chocolate Toffee Peanut Butter Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 22:02:00 +0000

Hello guys! I took a few days off to take care of myself. I haven’t been feeling the greatest a of late, so I have been working and coming home and getting into my pajamas. I am going to blame it on the weather. Thankfully it is March and the end of winter is near. It’s crazy to think that when it’s 20 degrees outside people think it’s a heat wave. It was 40 degrees yesterday and I saw a few kids running around without there coats on!

Spring is almost a few weeks away. Spring break is precisely 27 days away. The kids are super busy with the after school activities and they are always famished when the get home. I found a perfect “after school” cookie recipe with a little fiber and a little protein to help keep them satisfied until dinner. In my “Taste of Home Cookies”, cookie there are loads of great cookie recipes. Cookies that have just a few ingredients and cookies that are works of art. Chocolate Toffee Peanut Butter cookies are perfect for a Sunday afternoon to ease everyone into another busy week.

Here are some observations from the recipe. This cookie dough is extremely dense. I was starting to get concerned that the cookies would be dense and heavy. Fear not, the cookies are light and crispy and a little bit chewy. I also added the toffee chips to the recipe. The original recipe didn’t not call for them, but I figured, hey everything taste better with toffee. I love the peanut butter flavor in these (of course), you can use creamy or chunky. I used both because I didn’t have enough of one kind. The little nubs of peanut in the cookie gives it great texture as well.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Toffee Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 cup shortening

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunch)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chocolate toffee bits

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the shortening, and the sugars until light and fluffy.

2. Add eggs, beating mix between eggs to incorporate them.

3. Add in peanut butter and vanilla. Continue to beat until all ingredients are combined.

4. In a different bowl combine the dry ingredients. The flour, baking soda, oats and salt need to be whisked together.

5. With the mixer running or with a spoon gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.

6. Carefully stir in the chocolate chips and toffee chips.

7. Drop rounded tablespoon size dough balls onto a greased baking sheet. I use parchment paper. Make sure cookies are about 2 inches apart. I used an ice cream scoop, so my cookies are a little bit larger than they should be.

8. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and set.

Easy Weeknight: Taco Pie

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:58:00 +0000

True fact: I love Mexican food. The spicier the better. To be more accurate, I guess I love “Tex-Mex” cuisine. Burritos, tacos, nachos, chimichungas, and the giant margaritas to wash them all down. When I am looking for recipes to feed my family, I try to look for recipes that have the same flavor profile as my favorite Mexican dishes. Taco pie nailed it on the head. All the great taco and burrito flavor in one great dish!

Taco pie comes to us from the “Best Family Meals from the Bake-Off” cookbook. Pillsbury has come up with such a handy idea of little cookbooks you can put into your purse so you can pull them out at a moments notice. I keep them in the car, in my purse, on my dresser, under my bed, you get the picture. The books have slowly taken over my house. I hope to eventually cook something out of each one of them.

Feel free to mix it up with the spices. I used ground turkey, but you can use ground beef if you would like. Let this sit for a few minutes to cool down and set up. If you care to check out my other Mexican endeavors the links are listed below.

Texas Crunch Taco Burgers

Mexican Bubble Pizza

Speedy Mexican Skillet

Taco Pie

1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust from 15 oz package, softened as directed.

1 pound lean ground beef

1 (1.25 ounce), package taco seasoning mix

1 (16 ounce jar) thick and chunky salsa

1 can of corn

1 (2.8 ounce) can French fried onions

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 small tomato, diced

8 ounces shredded taco-flavored cheese blend

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Prepare pie crust according to package directions. Lay the pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan or a 10-inch deep pie pan. Bake at 450 for 9-11 minutes or until light golden brown.

3. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.

4. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain the beef. Stir in the taco seasoning, corn and salsa.

5. Bring to a boil and reduce heat; simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Add half of the fried onions and mix well.

6. Spoon meat mixture into prepared crust.

7. In a bowl combine the eggs, ricotta cheese and one cup of the taco cheese blend. Mix well and spoon over meat mixture.

8. Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes or until slightly puffed in the center.

9. Remove pie from oven and sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese. Sprinkle fried onions in the center. Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese.

10. Sprinkle tomato around edge of pie and in center of filling. Let pie stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 people.

Easy Weeknight! Cowboy Biscuit Bake

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 01:12:00 +0000

I am always leery of feeding my family one pot dishes. “Mom! My food is touching this other food!” or “I can’t eat this, it has this in it!” So when I bring dishes like this one, “Cowboy Biscuit Bake”, to the table, my defenses are already on high alert and my emotions might be a little on edge.

I think most people feel this way. I mean, you spend your hard earned money at the grocery store and prepare a meal you spent some time finding, only to have it shot down before you even sit down. I want to feed my family a variety of tastes and textures at each meal and sometimes that means lumping every ingredient into one pan. Sometimes that means the family isn’t going to like it and sometimes they surprise you…..

Tada!!!!!! Cowboy Biscuit Bake was a winner! Quick, easy and delicious! I found this recipe in my Pillsbury “Casseroles” cookbook. When I was a kid I remember doing the same thing to my mother. Whenever she would pull a casserole cookbook out of her collection, to make the grocery list, I would stand over her to make sure green peppers were not on the list. So I understand a little bit of what my kids and husband go through.

Smokey, hardy, meaty and bacony are the words I would use to describe this dish. I would have preferred a little spicier mix, but you can add cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes if you like. I also cut up the biscuits into smaller bits so they spread out more. Alex (the 14 year old) gave this a ranking of 4 out of 5 stars. If Alex has it for breakfast, that usually means the recipe is pretty good. Please put this dish in your must have casseroles. It will be a hit!

Enjoy!

Cowboy Biscuit Bake

1/2 sliced bacon, cut into 1- inch slices

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (or ground turkey)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained

1 can (28 ounces) spicy chili beans, undrained

1/2 cup chili sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 teaspoons dry ground mustard powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 can (12 ounces) Pillsbury Golden Layers refrigerated buttermilk or flaky biscuits.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.

3. Drain bacon on a paper towel and return to pan.

4. Add ground beef and onion, stirring frequently, until beef is cooked through.

5. Stir in all the remaining ingredients, except the biscuits and cook 5 to 8 minutes stirring occasionally until hot and bubbly.

6. Spoon hot mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish.

7. Separate biscuits into ten rounds and cut each biscuit into 8 pieces.

8. Arrange biscuits on top of hot mixture.

9. Bake 22 to 27 minutes or until the biscuits are deep golden brown.

Italian-Style Pork Pot Roast

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 23:17:00 +0000

There really isn’t anything like it. You know, coming home and unlocking your door and having each of the kids whining about something or having the weight of the world on your shoulders. You know, after having dropped your keys in the snow a third time or the constants drum of MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM in your ears. You open your door, pile in to the kitchen, and then it hits you… Dinner is done and it smells absolutely delicious.

I love those days. I need to have them more often. It is so easy, I don’t know why I don’t. Probably because my brain only thinks one day at a time and heaven forbid I plan anything ahead of time. There are a few moments of clarity when I think, hmmmm maybe I will pick up stuff for dinner at the store for today aannnd tomorrow. Makes sense right? When you smell this pot roast in your kitchen you know for a few moments that the craziness of this world does make sense.

This recipe comes to us from the CrockPot* “Slow Cooker Bible”. I love it. There are so many great ideas in this cookbook. Easy 4 or 5 ingredient dishes and desserts. Each one of the has a unique spin. I put a spin on this pot roast recipe when I swapped out the beef and substituted pork. That’s the beauty of slow cooker recipes you can do that! When I went to the store to purchase the beef bottom round roast I discovered that it cost twice as much as the pork counterpart and you got a lot less. That was easy. I bought the pork roast, cut it in half and now I have another meal for another time.

The one suggestion for this meal is to serve it with something more than just the beans. The kids were happy with plain white rice and it was a bit more substantial in their tummies. I hope you guys get to enjoy this recipe. My gosh did it smell good and it sure did taste good too.

Enjoy!

P.S. I apologize for the quality of the pictures. It was early morning (6am). Nothing should count before 6 AM.

Italian-Styled Pot Roast, Pork or Beef

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.

1 boneless beef bottom round rump or pork shoulder roughly 2.5 to 3 pounds

1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups tomato-basil or marinara sauce

2 cans (15 ounce) Northern beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1. Combine, garlic, salt, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and rub all over roast.

2. Place half of the onion slices in the bottom of the crock pot.

3. Place the roast on top of the onions. If you need to slice the roast in half to fit the crock pot due so, and layer the onions in-between the the meat.

4. Cover with remaining onions and sauce.

5. Set your crockpot to the low setting and let cook for 8 to 9 hours.

6. Remove the roast to a cutting board and tent with foil. Let the liquid in the crockpot stand for 5 minutes so the fat comes to the surface. Skim off the fat.

7. Stir beans into liquid and cover and cook on high for 15 minutes until the beans are warmed through.

8. Serve as is or make a big pot of rice to serve over.

Sweet Sunday: Raspberry Almond Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Sun, 23 Feb 2014 18:41:00 +0000

So bare with me. I didn’t take pictures of the process on how to make these muffins. I was busy making everything else and just want to get my work done. I still think these muffins are definitely worth making and are easy enough to understand. These muffins were served last week at church and I have had a number of people ask me for the recipe. This recipe is definitely worth sharing.

My copy of Cooking Lights “Quick Baking”, is faded and sticky and covered in flour. I have used it many times and each time I have not been disappointed. Evidently I didn’t blog the other recipes besides the one listed below, but believe me, I did make some. This cookbook/magazine has everything you are craving and want to eat, but still lets you stay in your dietary guidelines (if you follow the portion control laws). Raspberry Almond Muffins are a sweet treat to start your day or to have as small snacks throughout the day.

Please give these muffins a try and let me know what you think in the comments section below. I am really looking for feedback on the blog. If there are any recipes you guys have questions about or any recipes you would like to see, please let me know!

Sticky Date and Coconut Cake

Enjoy!

Raspberry Almond Muffins

Cooks Note: I did substitute frozen raspberries for fresh ones. Please drain the frozen raspberries really well.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons almond paste

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1/2 cup fat free buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 package frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or granulated sugar for the tops of the muffins

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar. brown sugar and almond paste in a food processor and blend well.

3. Add butter and pulse until combined.

4. Add eggs, 1 at a time, pulsing between each egg to make sure they are blended as well.

5. Add buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon juice and pulse until blended.

6. In another bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.

7. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk mixture.

8. Stir until just moist. Don’t over work the dough it can get tough.

9. Let muffin batter stand for five minutes.

10. Gently fold in the raspberries.

11. Now, you can either make 12 normal size muffins or 48 mini muffins. Make sure the pans are coated with cooking spray. Portion out the batter into the pan.

12. Sprinkle the muffins with the topping sugar.

13. Bake for 22 minutes. If you are using the mini-muffin pan, you might not need to bake it quite as long. Keep your eyes on it.

14. Remove from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Macaroon Bars

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 00:44:00 +0000

Yup, it’s chocolate time again. This is the recipe I debuted at church this past Sunday. Every time someone went through the line their reaction was the same thing. “OHHHH I will definitely take one of those!” “Chocolate and coconut? Right up my alley!” I guarantee these bars will be right up your alley too!

I discovered this amazing, easy recipe in the Pillsbury “Best Family Meals from the Bake-Off” cookbook. This little cookbook is loaded with fast easy meals that serve more than the normal family of four. I made two batches of these bars and cut them into smaller pieces than required and I am glad I did. The bars went like hotcakes! This is the perfect dessert to bring to a potluck or to have for dessert at a dinner party. I will be bringing these again for sure. The dessert is so fancy, no one will know how much time you DIDN’T spend on it!

The secret ingredient? Refrigerated crescent roll dough. Yup that’s it. I used two different kinds. I had purchased a seamless roll earlier and hadn’t used it and then purchased a perforated crescent roll just in case I needed it. Look at the pictures below. It is way easier to use the seamless roll. The crust bakes up more even and has a nicer texture. Plus I didn’t have to spend time pinching all of the seams together.

(Freshly roasted almonds)

Please give these bars a try. They will become a crowd favorite. My crowd liked them. I promise your crowd will love them too.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Macaroon Bars

1 (8 ounce) seamless refrigerated crescent rolls

2 cups coconut

1 (14oz) can sweetened condense milk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 cup chopped almonds, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. Unroll dough and press into the bottom of the pan and push up the sides of the pan, about 1/2 inch.

(Seamless) (Not seamless) obviously

3. Sprinkle with coconut.

4. In a bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and almond extract; mix well. Drizzle over coconut.

5 Bake at 375 for 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.

6. Melt your chocolate chips is a pan on low heat. Usually I do this in the microwave. This way works, but you have to be diligent with your stirring. If you leave it alone it will burn. So keep your eye on it.

7. When the chocolate chips are melted, stir in the peanut butter.

8. Spread chocolate mixture over the coconut bars and sprinkle with almonds.

9. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until the bars are set.

10, Cut into bars.

Serves 36

Per bar: 125 calories, 16 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams of protein.

Easy Weeknight: Cheddar Apple Bacon Chicken Roll-Ups

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 00:50:00 +0000

This looks complicated, but it is anything but… Just a few ingredients turns tonight’s dinner into something amazing. I mean cheese and bacon how can it get much better. It can! When you add cream cheese! Ok, so this recipe isn’t low fat nor is it low in calories, but boy is it delicious!

This recipe comes from Sandra Lee’s “Every Dish Delivers”. I jus used this cookbook last week as the base for my Southwest Turkey and Bean Chili. The picture is what sold me. Picture this: A chicken breast covered in bacon and cheese and filled with sweet apples and cream cheese. How can that not be good! I am trying to get my family to step out of the norm of tame flavors. This recipe will tingle your taste buds with sweet and salty. Everybody enjoyed it and when I say everyone, I actually mean everyone!

A couple of notes for you…..

1. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts. I cut the chicken in half and pounded the meat to get a bigger surface area.

2. Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature. It will make it much easier to spread on a wet piece of meat.

3. Make sure you tightly roll the bacon around the chicken packets. You don’t want to lose everything out of the middle.

4. Enjoy

Cheddar Apple Bacon Chicken Roll-ups

Serves 4 (I made extra, its pretty easy to double)

4 whole chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and butterflied

4 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided)

3 ounces of apple, thinly sliced.

8 slices of bacon

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray

2. Pat the chicken breasts dry and lay out on a plate. Do this step one at a time.

3, Season with salt and pepper.

4. Cover one side of the chicken breast with cream cheese.

5. Top with a heavy sprinkle of shredded cheese.

6. Layer four or five apple slices on of the shredded cheese and cream cheese.

7. Fold other half of chicken breast over side with stuffing.

8. Wrap two pieces of bacon around the the chicken breasts and secure with a toothpick if necessary.

9. Repeat with the rest of chicken breasts.

10. Place chicken packets n the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

11. Take out of the oven and turn your oven up to the broil setting.

12. Top chicken packets with with remaining apple slices.

13. Place back in the oven for 2 minutes or until the apples go soft.

14. Open the oven again and add the remaining shredded cheese to the chicken.

15. Close the oven door and let the cheese melt and when the cheese is melted you are done!

I know it looks like a lot of steps, but they are easy ones, and I want you guys to see how simple this is!

A Very Sweet Sunday Indeed…….

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 19:59:00 +0000

I had the best day yesterday. I baked. I baked in morning. I baked in the afternoon and I baked into the night. I love baking. My favorite thing about baking is not the process itself, but watching the end product bring a smile to the face of the person eating it. I love it. I love watching people eat my food. Especially my mother. She is so expressive when she eats. My mother thinks about what she is eating and the flavors in her mouth. If she isn’t sure about something she shakes her head as she chews, thinking about her review in her head. She and my husband are my greatest critics. They both tell my how it is. Good or bad. In the end it’s weird. I just love watching people eat.

Coconut Macaroon Bars

No recipe for today. I will have plenty this week. My kitchen still needs to be cleaned up from yesterdays baking escapade. In between church services we have coffee fellowship and I signed to bring in the treats and goodies. The post from last Sunday, (the Triple Chocolate Bread) was served today along with a host of delicious treats. I tried to pick a variety of flavors for every one to experience. In the weeks to come I will post recipes for all the items pictured here. Except the Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies. Those are a secret family recipe. (If you post a comment below, maybe we’ll talk about getting the recipe too you.)

Browned Butter Blueberry Mini-Muffins

Here is a link to the Triple Chocolate Bread Sweet Sunday: Triple-Chocolate Bread.

Triple Chocolate Bread

Enjoy the goodies and I will see you Tuesday with another Easy Week Night dinner!

Raspberry Almond Mini-Muffins

Buttermilk Frangipane Pound Cake

Chocolate Toffee Nut Cookies (Best Chocolate Chip Cookies you will ever have.

Enjoy!

Southwest Turkey and Bean Chili

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 22:25:00 +0000

Looking to spice up your Thursday? In need of something warm and cozy? You have come to the right place. I have definitely been in the mood for a steamy, chunky bowl of chili. Chili is it’s name and chilly it has been so let’s put the two together and beat this weather! (Really, I am so sick of the snow).

I love chili. My mother-in-law used to make a fantastic chili. I loved it, but it was a bit on the watery side. She always served it with buttered Saltines. I would always crush up the crackers in my soup. I like it chunky. That’s how I like my chicken noodle soup or any soup that I am served, the less broth the better. (I know, I’m weird). This chili meet my needs for a chunky soup and exceeded my expectations.

The “base” of this recipe comes from Sandra Lee’s “Every Dish Delivers” cookbook. I put base in quotations, because I took the main parts of the chili and switched out and added my own ingredients. You are more than welcome to do that as well.

I served this chili with “Mexican Muffins”. I found the recipe for these muffins in a really old cookbook. Ok, so not really old, let’s just say “vintage”. In 1975 Better Homes and Gardens published a cookbook called “Quick Breads”. I found it at a flea market and paid 50 cents for it. The original sticker price was a steep 2.49! I will post the recipe for the muffins in the next blog.

Right now, just enjoy the chili.

Southwest Turkey and Bean Chili

Serves 8

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes

1 28 ounce can black beans, drained

1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained

1 15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

3 tablespoons chili powder

4 cups chicken broth or water

Sour cream and cheddar cheese to garnish

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.

2. Add onions and garlic to oil and saute until onions are golden and soft. Do not burn the garlic.

3. Add the ground turkey and stir to break it into chunks. Cook until no longer pink.

(can you see the meat? )

4. Add tomatoes, black beans, garbanzo beans, corn, chili powder and broth or water.

5. Turn the heat down and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.

6. Season with salt and pepper or a little more spice if you’d like.

7. Top each serving with cheese and salsa. I added corn chips to mine.

Texas Crunch Taco Burgers

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 22:29:00 +0000

That is one delicious mouthful of words. Seriously. Each word is delicious. Texas means big. A big juice hamburger. Crunchy and taco what could be better? Mix it all together and you just have delicious. Straight up.

I know you guys are longing for the open fire. The grills on your deck sit so lonesome in this frigid weather. Nothing tastes better than a hamburger cooked outdoors. Until these terrible months are passed, and when you are someday reunited with your grill, these burgers will fill the void.

Texas Crunch Taco Burgers is an amalgamation of two recipes. I found both of them in “1,000 Easy Recipes”, by Food Network Magazine. I am in love with this cookbook! So easy! So fun! This cookbook lives up to it’s name. I combined the Texas Crunch Burger and the Taco Burger. The result? Fabulous! The crunch from the nacho cheese sauce and the creaminess of the refried beans go so well together. You could add fresh guacamole or salsa too!

I know everybody loves the classics, but I promise you this hamburger will not disappoint. Give these a try now or wait until the perfect grilling moment.

P.S. Don’t mind the Winnie the Pooh plate. (It’s Gabe’s)

Enjoy!

Texas Crunch Taco Burger

Serves 4. I doubled it.

1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 can refried beans

1 jar nacho cheese sauce

1 small onion chopped

Corn chips, crushed

1. Mix ground beef with salt and seasonings.

2. Form into 4 patties about 3/4-inch thick.

3. Make an indent in the center of each patty.

4. Have your grill pan or cast iron skillet heated to medium-high heat.

5. Make sure your exhaust fan is on. These babies are going to smoke.

6. Cook patties 4 to 5 minutes per side.

7. Warm the refried beans and nacho cheese sauce in the microwave.

8. Spread refried beans on bottom bun. Add patty and top with onions, cheese sauce and corn chips.

9. Smoosh the burgers down and enjoy!

Sweet Sunday: Triple-Chocolate Bread

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 18:24:00 +0000

You heard me. THREE kinds of chocolate! It is one of those days. It’s not just a one chocolate Sunday. I bumped it up to a category three chocolate Sunday. No you can not judge me.

I hope everyone is doing well after another week of snow. The winter blues are definitely upon. The feeling of wanting to stay in bed, all warm and toasty has worn out its welcome. I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready to move! Not just from the house to the car or the car to work. I am mean really get my legs out there and start walking. It’s kind of hard when the snow is up to my knees. It’s almost March…… It’s almost March……

Today’s “Sweet Sunday” is a delicious Triple Chocolate Bread. I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens “Fall Baking” publication. I am responsible for providing the baked goods between services at church next week, so I started baking early! Here is a sneak peak for those who go to my church. You lucky bums! This bread is delicious! It has milk chocolate, semi-sweet and white chocolate chips in it. The recipe is straight forward and doesn’t use too many dishes. The only tricky thing is it has too cool all the way and then the bread needs to be wrapped until morning. So you can’t eat it right away when it comes out of the oven. The chocolate chips don’t melt all the way and the in the cooling down process the chips firm bake up, so you get chunks of chocolate in each bite.

Please give this bread a try! I would say a glass of milk and a snuggly blanket would be the perfect accompaniments for it.

Enjoy!

Triple-Chocolate Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prep your loaf pan by spraying with nonstick spray.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt.

4. In a smaller bowl, combine oil, egg and milk.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until moistened.

6. Fold in all chocolate chips.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.

8. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

9. Pull out of oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

10. Remove from pan and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest overnight.

11. Slice and serve.

Serves 14

Per serving: 268 calories, 38 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 4 grams protein.

Easy Weeknight Meal: Turkey Stroganoff

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 21:05:00 +0000

When I say easy, I mean easy. Like the easiest meal you will ever make. Ever. This meal will take you 20 minutes, from start to finish. It’s Thursday and we are almost through the week. I know how tired you guys are, and the last thing you want to make is something that has multiple steps and takes hours to prepare.

Turkey Stroganoff is another 5 ingredient recipe. Aren’t these great!!! I found this recipe in “Easy Meals”, by Pillsbury. Again, this is one of those cookbooks you throw in your cart in the check out lane. In fact, I have had this book since June 2005. It helps to speed up the cook time with prepared foods that just need to be thrown together. You can use ground beef for this if you prefer, but you know me and ground turkey. I didn’t have to trick my family, I just came out and told them it was ground turkey!

You can round out the meal with a side salad or green beans. I doubled the recipe. Alex tends to eat 2 or 3 servings of things and then will finish off dinner at breakfast. One more tip. After swirling in the sour cream, don’t let the mixture come to a boil again, it will curdle.

Enjoy!

Turkey Stroganoff

Serves 4

1 pound lean ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 1/2 cups water

1 package (1.5 ounces) beef stroganoff sauce mix

3 cups uncooked egg noodles (6 ounces)

1/2 cup sour cream

Chopped parsley

1. In a large skillet, crumble ground turkey and sprinkle with pepper.

2. Brown over a medium-high heat until no longer pink. Stir frequently.

3. Stir in water, sauce and noodles. Return to a boil.

Look how the sun shines off the noodles!

4. Cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low.

5. Cook until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.

6. Stir in sour cream and cook until thoroughly heated.

7. Sprinkle with parsley.

Bacon Apple Pancakes!!! Its What’s for Dinner!

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 20:18:00 +0000

Breakfast for dinner? Yes please! We love pancakes for dinner at our house. They are warm and comforting and they give you a hug from the inside. My family likes the instant kind. The kind you can have on the table with just the addition of water. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. It has been a time saver, but I want something more…. Something more adventurous!

When I make pancakes it isn’t just pancakes. We normally have sausage or bacon to round out the meal. What better way to eat pancakes, than with the meat right inside of them! Pancakes are a quick weeknight meal and I suggest you try them!

Bacon and Apple pancakes were found in the Food Magazine, “1,000 Easy Recipes” cookbook. I love this cookbook. I know I say that about all of my cookbooks, but this one is just fun! I mean super fun! Colorful pictures, simple recipes and even party suggestions. I love it. The cookbook gives you guidelines on basic recipes and then ideas on how to make them better! Like pancakes! Everything is better with bacon, why not pancakes!

(These are my pancakes)

Make some pancakes for dinner tonight. Have some fun coming up with more ideas to mix into them. Why stop at bacon and apples! Keep the ideas coming and let me know how they turned out!

Bacon and Apple Pancakes

*I doubled the recipe and it made roughly 20 pancakes. We are big pancake eaters!

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup milk

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup cooked crumbled bacon

1/2 of an apple, grated

1. Cook your bacon to tender crisp. I cooked the whole package of bacon because I knew by the time it came to go into the recipe I wouldn’t have much left.

2. Drain bacon and set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, whisk your dry ingredients. (flour, baking powder and salt).

4. In a small bowl combine your wet ingredients. (milk, egg, butter and vanilla.

5. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry.

6. Fold in the crumbled bacon and grated apple. The batter will be quite lumpy.

7. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and grease with butter.

8. Pour 1/4 cup scoops on to the skillet and cook pancakes until bubbles for and pop on top. Flip pancakes over and cook for just a minute longer.

9. Keep warm in a oven on a low heat. Serve with butter, powdered sugar, syrup or peanut butter. ( that lasts suggestion is what I did).

Sweet Big Game Sunday: Lemonade Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 20:36:00 +0000

Here is something sweet to brighten your week. Here in Michigan we are dangerously lacking the sunshine. The only sun I have gotten these two weeks has been the reflection of the sun off of the blinding snow. I need some sunshine!!!!!

Today is the biggest football day of the year. I’m going to be honest, I really don’t care. I do watch the commercials. I do like to see all of the hype, but pro-football just isn’t my thing. College football is where it’s at. GO BLUE! I digress. If you are planning to go to a “big game” party, these cookies will be a fabulous addition.

Lemonade cookies are quick, easy to make with only six ingredients. The only thing I had to buy at the store was the frozen lemonade concentrate. The cookies bake in mere minutes and the recipe makes a ton! I found the recipe in the Taste of Home “Bake Sale Recipe Cards” cookbook. The same cookbook I used for the Chewy Caramel Bars (See the link below for that great recipe).

Please whip up at batch of the these cookies today. They are tart and sweet and will give you a break from the doldrums of winter. Let’s call them little burst of sunshine in your mouth.

Enjoy!

One Big Delicious Mess or Chewy Caramel Bars

Lemonade Cookies

Make 6 dozen

*I used pearl sugar to top half of the cookies and superfine sugar to top the rest.

1 cup of butter (2 sticks), softened

1 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed

Sugar to top the cookies.

1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer combine the butter and sugar and cream until light and fluffy.

3. Add egg in separate additions. Beat the mixture after adding each egg.

4. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.

5. With the mixer running alternate between flour mixture and lemonade concentrate. Mix well after each addition.

6. Spoon cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. I used a small ice cream scoop. You could use 2 teaspoons to drop the dough as well.

7. Bake for 8 minutes until set and lightly browned.

8. Brush the remaining lemonade concentrate on to the cookies while the are still warm.

9. Sprinkle with sugar and enjoy!

Pork Pork Pork: Easy Breaded Pork Chops

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 15:31:00 +0000

The answer to the question: How do we do pork chops? This is how we do pork chops. Pork is such a versatile meat. It can be cooked for a long time to produce tender ribs or pan-seared in a flash for a quick weeknight dinner. Pork is a blank canvas waiting for your artist paint brush. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, pork is one of my favorite meats.

Thank you to all you answered the question I posted a few days ago. I loved all the answers and I really want to try all of them. Some of the suggestions were quite unique and delicious! Of course apple sauce! Yum!

Today’s recipe is more a technique than a recipe. It is a standard instruction for how to bread meat. I found it in “The Joy of Cooking”, by Irma S. Rombauer. I have had this cookbook for at least 20 years and I have never used it. It is a cookbook that has all the answers in it. Need a basic recipe for anything and you will probably find it. It has easy to follow steps and also easy to follow variations. The cookbook was first published in 1931 and has been published many many times. It’s definitely one to keep in the collection, I just need to use it more often.

Breaded pork chops serves four people. We are family of five so I doubled the recipe. I used boneless center-cut pork loin, cut 1-inch thick. I had plenty of leftovers for sandwiches and snacking. Oh man…these are even good cold on a sandwich, or for breakfast the way my oldest had them. I also made my own homemade bread crumbs. Homemade bread crumbs are so easy to make!!!! Just take 4 or 5 slices of bread and throw them in the food processor. That’s it! No excuse!

Now get your pork on….

Breaded Pork Chops or Cutlets

8 center-cut pork chops, cut 1/2-inch thick or 1 pound boneless center-cut port loin cut 1-inch thick. (I used the latter and doubled it to two pounds)

Salt and Pepper to taste

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 teaspoon dried thyme or any dried herb you would like

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon butter, for frying

1 tablespoon olive oil, or other type of vegetable oil

1. Set up a breading station. Collect three shallow pans. I used cake pans, but you can use whatever you want.

Pan #1. Flour. Seasoned with salt and pepper

Pan #2 Egg, mixed slightly seasoned with salt and pepper

Pan #3 Bread crumbs, mixed with the dried thyme and salt and pepper.

2. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and start dredging.

3. Lightly coat pork chops in flour. Tap to remove the excess flour.

4. Lightly coat the pork chops in egg wash. Tap to remove excess egg.

5. Lightly coat the pork chops in bread crumbs. Press to make sure the pork is coated.

6. Repeat with all remaining chops.

7. In a large skillet on a medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil. The olive oil stops the butter from burning and gives the dish a richer flavor.

8. Saute the chops for 2 minutes per side. I turned the oven on to 350 degrees and finished the pork in the oven. The internal temperature of the pork should be 160 degrees. Just be sure your pan isn’t too hot, because you will burn the breading before your pork is done.

9. Serve with whatever you would like. I made scalloped potatoes and applesauce. (Shhhhh! Not homemade)

One Big Delicious Mess or Chewy Caramel Bars

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 11:43:00 +0000

You can’t win them all. Most recipes start out with the best intentions. I say most, because there are quite a few recipes with green peppers and they don’t stand a chance. You could say this recipe turned out to a something only a mother could love, and I loved it. Too much. What it lacked for in the looks department, it more than made up for it in personality.

Here is a quick dessert after dinner during the week or something to take to a bake sale. In fact, I found the recipe in the “Taste of Home” cookbook “Bake Sale Recipe” cards. Chewy Caramel Bars has 5 ingredients. That’s it! Five! Gabriel gave me a hand in the kitchen practicing his cutting and his counting. The recipe calls for 36 Rolos, I think we had 35 by the time he was done. The bars feed a crowd and smell absolutely delicious baking.

If you would like to make your bars a little bit more presentable, I would suggest spreading the top layer of batter over the Rolo candies. The recipe said to drop the batter in tablespoons. I did that and the batter didn’t spread like it should have. Ugly, but absolutely delicious! Give these a try and let me know what you think!

Chewy Caramel Bars

1 package yellow cake mix

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

36 Rolo candies, halved

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray the bottom of a 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl, beat the cake mix, milk and butter until blended. The batter will be extremely thick.

3. Press half of the cake mix into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes until set.

4. Place the candies cut side down on the crust.

5. Drop and spread remaining batter over the top of the candies. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack and cut into bars.

Makes 2 dozen bars

163 calories per serving, 21.8 grams of carbohydrates, 8.7 grams of fat, 1.9 grams of protein.

Easy Weeknight Meal: Honey Mustard Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 20:18:00 +0000

I know it’s Tuesday and you guys are rushing around getting people from here-to-there and back again. That’s now what happens in our house every night of the week. I get out of work at 2:30pm but my feet don’t land solidly on my floors at home until after 7pm! It’s a matter of rushing one kid one way and one kid another way. Picking up one and dropping of another. I live in my car.

So I picked out a recipe for today that can be prepared in 15 minutes. Yes, there is some bake time involved, but by the time you get your running done, dinner will be too! Honey Mustard Chicken, was found in “Taste of Home, Fast Meals with Mixes”. It is a pull-apart cookbook that has recipe cards built right in and can be found at the check out lane in the grocery store. My copy was given to me by my mother for Christmas. All the recipes included a prepared item already and you build your recipe around it. My recipe called for a packet of ranch dressing mix as the base of the marinade. This chicken can easily be paired with a salad or a green vegetable and rice or potatoes. Whatever you have time for. The kids will love it because it is sweet and sticky and they can use their fingers. Everybody rated the recipe “4 out of 5” stars. Definitely a weeknight repeater!

Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Chicken

Serves 6

*You can use any type of chicken cut you like. I used bone-in chicken thighs.

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup prepared mustard

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

12 chicken thighs or a mixture of legs and thighs.

For the sauce/marinade…

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine first nine ingredients in a small bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce for serving over the chicken when finished.

3. In a large baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, place chicken skin side up and pour over marinade. Make sure all the pieces are coated.

4. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes, basting with the pan juices occasionally.

5. When the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees it’s ready to serve.

6. Heat the reserved sauce and serve with the chicken at the table.

Sweet Sunday: Fudgy Nut Bars

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 14:27:00 +0000

Technically not a brownie. Technically not fudge. I would describe this dessert as a totally new eating experience. Definitely something I was craving.

I am debuting a recipe from another one of my health cookbooks. I always buy the cookbooks with the hope that one of them will magically shrink the tire around my middle just by opening the cover. Obviously I know that doesn’t work. The 45 other health cookbooks can attest to that, but again I am a cookbook glutton and am always searching for the next easiest thing to help me out. Enter Rocco Dispirito. I have had my on eye on Rocco for quite some time. Not because of his cookbooks or the diet plans he has come up with. Let’s just say there is a small crush (ok, he is super cute). Now in all honesty I did purchase his diet plan/cookbook “Now Eat This! Diet” in the bargain bin. I have seen it on the bookshelves for a while now and I have read reviews about it. So I picked it up and then bought the other two cookbooks that go along with it.

The diet plan is easy to read and the recipes look delicious. The cookbook is laid out in a color pattern. Each recipe is assigned a color based on its calorie count so you can mix and match to eat the right amount of calories for the day. I would love to be able to do that. Make everything from scratch everyday and feed my family from this diet plan. Wouldn’t that be a dream. First thing I would have to do before shopping is rob a bank. Every single recipe has high priced ingredients and that just isn’t in my game plan. I can easily make recipes out this book every so often, but not something to follow everyday of the week.

So here is a treat. I know not everyone has the ingredients to make “Fudgy Nut Bars” in their cupboard, so maybe make these when you are feeling adventurous and have time to plan ahead. The bar/brownie/candy are fantastic. The dessert is loaded with fiber and protein and is low in calories so you can quench your chocolate craving without breaking your calorie bank. I wouldn’t tell your family what is in them until after they have tasted one, and when you look at the ingredients list you will know why. Just know that you can feel good about eating this dessert. Enjoy!

Fudgy Nut Bars

Adapted from Rocco Dispirito’s “Now Eat This"! Diet cookbook

1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon espresso powder

3/4 cup liquid egg substitute

3 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Spray and 8 x 8 baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the beans, cocoa powder, espresso powder, egg substitute, and flour. Process until the mixture is smooth. Process for 1 minute and scrape down the bowl and run the processor again for 1 more minute.

3. Add the agave, butter and vanilla. Process again.

4. Fold in the nuts and pour the batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the pan halfway (I forgot) and after 20 minutes turn the oven to 300 and continue baking for another 5-7 minutes.

6. Stick a toothpick in the center of the fudgies and you will want to see the batter sticking to it. If you don’t see any than the dessert is overdone.

7. Place on a rack until completely cooled and put in the refrigerator until set. About three hours, but overnight is ideal.

8. Cut into 12 squares and enjoy. Refrigerate any of the leftovers.

Per serving, 1 fudgie, 136 calories, 4 grams of fat, 25 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

Chia Seed Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 21:38:00 +0000

So in my cookbook collection I have over 40 cookbooks dedicated to healthy eating. Cookbooks that tell me what to eat, how to eat, and how much I shouldn’t eat. Yes, I do love them all, because they are apart of my cookbook family. And yes, I have bought into most of the fad diets, the all protein, the no milk diet, figure out what blood type you are diet, the only 15 day diet (that one lasted two days) and the peanut butter diet. Yes, the peanut butter diet. I was ecstatic to find that cookbook, but very disappointed to find out, it wasn’t all you can eat.

Enter 2014 and a new healthy living cookbook has found it’s way into my family. “Giada’s Feel Good Food”, by Giada de Laurentis caught my wandering cookbook eyes before it was released in stores. I am a fan of her show and she had been advertising her upcoming cookbook. I mean look at her! She has to be doing something right. It did not disappoint! “Feel Good Food” is filled with beautiful pictures of healthy delicious food, simple recipes and tips on how Giada stays so “Giada”. I can’t wait to try them all. Also, a lot of her recipes are gluten free. I bought the cookbook for my sister (who is quite gluten free) and I hope she finds great ideas as well!

Chia seed pudding peeked my interest the first time I look through the cookbook. In my research to eat healthier, I found out the nutritional benefits of adding chia to my diet. You probably are thinking, don’t you just grow chia seeds on novelty Garfield sculptures? Why yes, you can. If you keep reading the instructions on Chia pet boxes you would see that you can eat those too! You can find chia seeds at your local health food store. Chia seeds contain fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese (good for bone strength), phosphorus (good for your teeth), and protein. That is one powerful seed! You can add chia seeds to anything, muffins, bread, mashed potatoes, it doesn’t’ matter! Chia seeds don’t have any flavor so they won’t change the taste of what you are making!

I did make some changes to Giada’s recipe. The original recipe calls for unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk. I substituted Almond Breeze coconut/almond milk. It has 45 calories per cup and tastes delicious! I also used 0% fat Greek yogurt. The recipe called for 2% low fat Greek yogut

Please give this a try and tell me what you think in the comment section below! Talk to you soon!

Chia Seed Pudding

Recipe serves 4 and you need to make this the night before so the chia seeds plump.

1 cup unsweetened coconut/almond milk

1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 pint strawberries, hulled and diced. I did use frozen strawberries

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1. Combine the milk, yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a bowl and whisk until combined.

2. Whisk in the chia seeds and let stand for 30 minutes.

3. Stir mixture to redistribute the chia seeds.

4. Cover and refrigerate over night.

5. To serve, divide into 4 cups and add the strawberries or any type of fruit, and chopped almonds.

6. Eat this out of a fancy glass.

Nutritional: 133 calories per serving, 5.9 grams of fat, 15.5 grams of carbohydrates, 5.5 grams of fiber, 7.8 grams of protein.

Indian Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

noreply@blogger.com (sara826) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 02:24:00 +0000

I like to snack. When I make breakfast, I am snacking. When I make lunch, again more snacking. And dinner. Don’t even get me started on dinner. The hours from 3-6pm are known as the witching hours in my house. I eat dinner before I make dinner, while I’m making dinner and after dinner when I am supposed to be cleaning up dinner. It’s a vicious cycle that happens day after day after day.

Since I haven’t quite figured out how to stop all the snacking, I have figured out how to make my snacks better for me. More nutritiously sound snacks. Snacks that give me more bang for the buck. Baby carrots can only take me so far, and cucumbers make me even hungrier. I crave sweet and salty. Something crunchy and worth chewing and, when I am counting calories something worth spend my precious calories on.

Enter chickpeas. Chickpeas are full of fiber and protein. Two elements that keep your hunger at bay longer. Chickpeas are a blank canvas for any flavor you want to coat them in. I am partial to Indian spices. Smokey, hot and intense is the perfect combo for me. You can choose to do any flavor. Plain old salt and pepper works fine as well.

Please enjoy!

Oh! Look what my daddy made me!!!!!

Indian Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Cooks note* All the spices are available at your local grocery store.

2 cans (15.5 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon garahm masala

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

3. Drain both cans of chickpeas and rinse with water.

4. In a medium bowl add the chickpeas, olive oil, and all of the spices. Please feel free to deviate from the recipe and try your own.

5. Stir to coat the chickpeas in all the spicy goodness.

6. Pour out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread the chickpeas out evenly.

7. Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes, tossing every so often. The longer the chickpeas cook, the crunchier they get.

8. Store in a airtight container and snack.

Makes 7 1/2 cup servings. 154 calories 6 grams of protein 20 grams of carbohydrates 6 grams of fat.