Picky No More

Baked Chimichangas

2011-03-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I had no idea what to make for dinner. I always make a weekly menu, but somehow this week got away from me and the menu...yeah it got away from me too. SO, I thought about the things I had around my kitchen, did a few google searches, and came up with this: baked chimichangas! They are yummy! And as usual when I serve something we've never had before, these were met with upturned noses and grimacing faces. That's my favorite part about dinner (not!). As it turned out, everyone loved them and ate them all up. Woohoo!

Baked Chimichangas

1 lb. ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 can diced green chilis

1/2 cup corn

1 can enchilada sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

3/4 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 (16oz. can) refried beans

8-10 flour tortillas

shredded cheese (about 1 cup)

1 T. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350. Brown the ground beef in a skillet. When it's about done cooking, add the onion, peppers, and corn, and continue cooking until onions are soft (about 5 minutes). Stir in the refried beans, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt. Cook until heated through, and remove from heat.

Spoon the beef mixture evenly over the tortillas, and top with cheese. Fold in the ends, then roll up tortillas and put seam side down on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Brush the tortillas with melted butter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and lettuce.

Baked Long Johns

2011-03-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

So I saw this recipe in my recent issue of Healthy Cooking magazine, and I was intrigued. Supposedly they are similar to something you can buy at Speedway SuperAmerica gas stations?? Huh? Never heard of it, but they looked amazing and worth a try.

I mixed up the batter, and was surprised to find that they tasted suspiciously like the muffin recipe I frequently use. I couldn't wait to see what they turned into. We decided when they came out of the oven that they are a cross between a muffin and cake. Less sweet than a muffin, more dense than a cake. And really, really good! The original recipe called for chocolate frosting, but we are lemon lovers in these parts so I also whipped up some lemon glaze to drizzle on a few. I liked those the best. To change these up you could add blueberries to the lemon glazed, or mini chocolate chips to the chocolate glazed. Mmmm, mmm.

Baked Long Johns
adapted from Healthy Cooking magazine

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4 cup skim milk
1 T. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, vanilla and butter. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.

Spoon batter into eight 4 1/2x2 1/2x1 1/2 inch loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans and cool.

Chocolate Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 T. butter
4 1/2 tsp. skim milk

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter. Stir in the milk until smooth. Dip tops of cakes in the glaze.

Lemon Glaze:
Powdered sugar
lemon juice

Mix 3 parts powdered sugar to 1 part lemon juice, adjusting until you get the desired consistency. Spoon glaze over cakes.

Baked Cinnamon Chips

2011-03-04T06:00:00.002-07:00

This is a great snack idea that is quick and easy. Similar to something you might find in a Mexican restaurant, but MUCH healthier. There are only 3 ingredients, and they take about 15 minutes from start to finish. Simple and fun!

Baked Cinnamon Chips

Tortillas

Butter flavored spray

Cinnamon/sugar mixture (1/2 cup sugar to 1 T. of cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350. Lay a tortilla on a cutting board. Spray with butter spray. You could also mist with water, or spread softened butter over the top. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the tortilla. Use a pizza cutter to cut the tortilla into triangles, and lay each one on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes, depending on your oven. You want them to be dry and slightly crisp when you take them out of the oven. They will continue to crisp up as they cool. Lay the baked chips on a cooling rack until cool.

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

2011-03-02T06:00:00.001-07:00

I recently came across this recipe from my sister-in-law Katherine. She is a wonder woman. As this recipe falls into the 'easy healthy breakfast' category, I knew I had to try it! This mix is easy to whip together and makes wonderful pancakes. The only issue I have is that with a family of seven, I have to double the recipe and it gets used up fast. My family LOVES pancakes, and I love that this mix allows me a few extra minutes in the morning. Yay!

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

by Katherine J.

1 1/2 cup dry milk

4 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup milled flax (optional) (I'll have a post about flax later next week)

Mix together and store in an airtight container. To make pancakes: measure out 1 1/2 cups dry mix and add 1 beaten egg, 1 cup water, and 1 Tbsp. oil. Cook on a buttered skillet.

Minestrone

2011-02-28T06:00:00.003-07:00

I think long ago I posted another recipe for minestrone soup. That one used to be my standby recipe, but it's basically a recipe for dressed up canned soup. This recipe is all natural and deeelicious! Since spring seems like it will never come around these parts, we have enjoyed this soup to warm us up on days when warmth is hard to find.

Minestrone Soup

adapted from Food Network magazine

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1/3 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces (I left these out and added more carrots)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1 28oz. can diced tomatoes

1 14oz. can crushed tomatoes (can never find these, so I just smush up another can of diced tomatoes)

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 15oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup elbow pasta

salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large pot, and cook the onions until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the celery and carrot, and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green beans, oregano, and basil, 1/2 tsp. salt and some pepper to taste, and cook 3 minutes more.

Add the tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add the kidney beans and pasta, turn up the heat to a low boil, and cook 10 more minutes or until pasta is done. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-02-24T14:50:00.003-07:00

Now I hesitate to call anything 'perfect'. But these cookies come pretty darn close. I got this recipe awhile ago from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. That girl knows what she's talking about! I was intrigued by this recipe because of the unusual use of traditional chocolate chip cookie ingredients. Usually, melted butter in a cookie recipe = spread out runny cookies. Not so here. And one egg + one egg yolk? I'd never tried that either, but again it seemed to work. This is my new favorite cookie recipe! These cookies turned out....perfectly!!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/8 cups flour (10.5 ounces) (measure your flour, it really works!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
12 T. (1.5 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 C. light brown sugar (7 oz.) (I only used about 1T., because I ran out)
1/2 C. granulated sugar (I used a scant cup of organic cane sugar, and that was all)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips (I only used 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda, and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well mixed. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla. Mix well until batter has lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips at the same time. Mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoon-sized balls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and just lightly browned. Don't overbake! Try not to eat them all at once.

Omelet Squares

2011-02-23T10:12:00.003-07:00

At our house, we eat breakfast together every morning. Every. Morning. Which means unless I want my kids to eat cold cereal every day, which I do not, I am constantly trying to come up with things to eat that are quick and easy. And healthy. It's no easy job people. I recently found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and I knew I had to try it. This is such a great recipe because it's quick to prepare, and the possibilities are endless. You could add any veggies or meat you want to make this a different dish every time. This would even be great for dinner! One other note: the original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of cheese. I didn't add any cheese and it was fabulous. Cheese is always good though! (A little too good, that's why I didn't add any!)
:)

Omelet Squares

12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper, to taste
veggies (I used red onion and mushrooms)
meat (I used ham)

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. In a skillet, saute the veggies and meat until the veggies are soft and the meat is warmed through. Place the meat/veggie mixture in the bottom of the 9x13 pan. In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour this over the meat/veggies, but do not stir.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are set and lightly browned on top. Cool slightly, cut and serve. Delish!

White Layer Cake

2011-02-22T09:08:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of moving into our home, and my kids were home from school, so I decided to let them decorate cakes for an afternoon project to celebrate our home's birthday. The photo above is the girls' cake. My boys did a cake with an undersea theme. They all had a great time planning and decorating. This recipe makes a wonderful cake. I used whole wheat flour, because that's all I have, and it was great. Whole wheat won't give you as fine a texture as cake flour, but when you're eating cake, you have to take all the extra health benefits you can get. Totally worth it! :)

White Layer Cake

2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 cups sugar (yikes! you could probably cut this down a bit)
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 egg whites, at room temperature (I get these out and let them sit while I mix the rest of the cake)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 round pans or one 9x13 with cooking spray. Sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add butter, milk, and vanilla.

Beat on low until blended. Then beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add unbeaten egg whites and mix 2 minutes longer at medium speed.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on the pans used, until light golden brown. Cool and frost.

Sweet Potato Egg Rolls

2011-02-19T19:30:00.005-07:00

Most of the things I make seem to start with a recipe, but the finished product turns into something completely different. That was the case with this dish. I took an idea for the filling from another recipe, changed it up and put it inside egg roll wrappers. Did you know that you can make egg rolls in the oven? They taste great and are waaaaay healthier than the fried version. Now let's be real, the fried version of egg rolls, or the fried version of ANYTHING tastes better than baked, but it does a number on your body. These will leave you feeling mighty fine!

Sweet Potato Egg Rolls

2 medium sweet potatoes (I actually used yams)
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup chopped red onion
4 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. salt (I only used one, but I think it could have used more)
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 small can chicken
1 package egg roll wrappers (this recipe made 18 for me)

Preheat the oven to 400. Pierce potatoes (yams) and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Remove from microwave, slice in half, and let cool. In a bowl, combine black beans, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, cumin, and garlic.

Mash the yams and add to the bowl and mix well. At this point I also added some canned chicken. You could use chicken breast, but I thought the texture of the canned chicken worked better with the filling.

Working with one wrapper at a time, drop about 2 Tbsp. of filling onto an egg roll wrapper. I used my small cookie scoop and put 2 scoops on each wrapper. Use the directions on the back of the package to see how to roll the egg rolls.

Place seam side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly brush the egg rolls with olive oil, or spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for about 16 minutes, turning over half way through baking. Serve warm with salsa and sour cream. I might have also had experience dipping these in ranch dressing! YUM!

Sweet and Sour Pork Stir-fry

2011-02-15T18:47:00.005-07:00

Oooh. This was good. I started throwing stuff together and came up with this, and we loved it! My 5 year old was a little thrown off by the 'weird spaghetti', but when I explained to her that it was really Japanese noodles, she was a little more willing to try it. Lo and behold, she actually liked it. It was a good night in my kitchen!

Sweet and Sour Pork

Stir-fry:

1 lb. boneless pork loin chops, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup sliced carrots

15 oz. can pineapple tidbits, juice reserved
1 cup chopped cabbage

sesame oil

stir-fry sauce

Sauce:

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 T. cornstarch

1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice

4 T. soy sauce

Soba noodles

Mix up the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Heat a pot of water on the stove and cook the soba noodles. While that is going on, heat some sesame oil in a skillet, and fry the pork until it is cooked through, tossing it with some stir-fry sauce just before it's done. Add the carrots and keep frying until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and fry some more until it's wilted. Add the pineapple and sauce, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

Drain the soba noodles and add to the skillet. Mix together to incorporate the stir fry and noodles.

Raspberry Pizza

2011-02-14T20:25:00.004-07:00

Now THIS is a good dessert. I happened to make this for Valentine's Day. It's fancy enough for a special occasion treat, although it's easy enough to whip up any time. Moderation in all things though, right? I didn't have quite enough cream cheese for the topping, so I added some greek yogurt to the mixture. It was heavenly. Our family of seven literally inhaled this in about 5 minutes. It's a winner!

Raspberry Pizza

adapted from Food Network magazine

1 lb. pizza dough

1 T. melted butter

1 T. sugar

1/4 cup raspberry jam

1/3 cup cream cheese

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 T. powdered sugar

fresh raspberries (or frozen raspberries, thawed), about 1 1/2 cups

Slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 450. Press pizza dough onto a 12" pizza pan. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely browned and mostly set.

Take the crust out of the oven and spread the raspberry jam over the top. Return to the oven and bake for 3 more minutes, or until the crust is done.

Let the crust cool slightly. I only let mine cool for about 5 minutes, which made the topping a little runny, but it was still wonderful. Whip up the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Spread over the crust. Top with raspberries and almonds, and dust with powdered sugar. So good!

Chicken and Black Bean Sliders

2011-02-12T13:03:00.004-07:00

This is a great recipe for Saturday afternoon. These would also be great as appetizers taken to a party...or they'd be great with soup. These are quick, easy, and healthy sandwiches that will make your day!

Chicken and Black Bean Sliders

1 baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

Cooked, sliced chicken breast (I used a deli chicken)

1 cup black beans + 1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

grated cheese (I used cheddar)

Use an immersion blender or food processor to mash up the black beans and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also added some chili powder - garlic powder would also be good.

Arrange the bread slices and spread each with about 1 Tbsp. of black bean mixture. Top half the slices with shredded chicken and a sprinkle of cheese. Top those with the other bread slices. Spray each sandwich with butter flavored spray.

Cook on a griddle (flipping after each side is done) or a panini press until the sandwiches are golden and heated through. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Skillet Apples

2011-02-10T09:23:00.005-07:00

I saw this recipe in my recent issue of Clean Eating magazine. This recipe went along with a pork chop recipe that you could make for breakfast. Pork chops for breakfast? Ok, maybe not, but these apples were great alongside some plain old scrambled eggs. Yum! The recipe said to cook the apples for about 4 minutes. Mine took about 10, and they still could have been cooked a little more. I used Fuji instead of Red Delicious, and my apples were probably bigger than called for in the recipe, so you might have to adjust for that. They tasted fantastic!

Cinnamon Skillet Apples

adapted from Clean Eating magazine

1 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tsp. raisins, cut in half
2 small Red Delicious apples, halved, cored and skin pierced several times
1/4 cup chopped pecan pieces (I used walnuts)
2 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 packets stevia (I used a T. of brown sugar)
pinch sea salt

In a small bowl, whisk together 2 T. of water and cinnamon and pour into a medium nonstick skillet. Sprinkle raisins evenly over the top, then place apples, cut-side down, in skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover, for about 5-10 minutes or until apples are tender.

Remove the apples and place on a serving platter. Stir nuts, honey, vanilla, sugar, and salt into the skillet and spoon mixture over the apples.

Banana Bread Makeover

2010-10-31T19:19:00.002-06:00

I love banana bread. I've made all different kinds, from cream cheese frosted, chocolate chip infused, to sour cream varieties. I had a few nasty bananas just begging to be mixed up into something, so here is what I came up with. I found this recipe over at the Clean Eating Club. I was a little skeptical because this recipe has no butter, sour cream, or white sugar, and only uses egg whites. But guess what - it's delicious! I was happy to find this recipe, and I think it will be my go-to for banana bread from now on.

Healthy Banana Bread

1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 egg whites
1 C. mashed ripe bananas (2 or 3)
1/4 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. canola oil
pinch of salt

Coat an 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. Mash bananas and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt and set aside. In another large bowl combine egg whites, banana, brown sugar, and oil. Add dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from bread pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

2010-10-29T12:02:00.005-06:00

I've been MIA from this blog for several months for a few reasons. Summer with 5 kids got in the way, and I've started on a personal journey to better health. I wasn't so sure where a blog about food fit into all of that, but I decided that I would change the focus of this blog just a little bit and it could still work.

I recently read 2 books: Suicide by Sugar, and The Sugar Addicts Total Recovery Program. I highly recommend both of them! They have really changed the way I think about things. I've also started to delve into the world of "clean" eating. Mostly all that means is that I'm trying not to eat processed foods, sugar, or white flour.

Now, this weekend is a tough holiday for those of us who enjoy our sugar but are trying to bid it a fond farewell! So here is my plan: I made a batch of healthy oatmeal cookies and that is my Halloween treat! These cookies are surprisingly good and they contain no butter, white sugar, or white flour. You can actually feel good after you eat one! If you're looking for decadent bakery cookies, these are not them. But if you're wanting a treat that's a little better for you, these are perfect!

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer, add the applesauce, sugar, and honey, and mix well. Add the egg, vanilla, and olive oil and mix again. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, rolled oats and cinnamon. Mix until moist. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoon onto baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. I used a spatula to flatten them when they were at the 6 minute mark. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Prosciutto Pasta

2010-05-12T09:52:00.002-06:00

This is a wonderful pasta dish that uses a couple of ingredients that you may not always have on hand: feta cheese, and prosciutto. But let me tell you, it is well worth purchasing these items to make this dish. It's SO good!! It's easy enough for a weeknight, and nice enough for company. That's my kind of meal! Don't let the amount of olive oil scare you. It doesn't overpower the pasta, and seemed just about right. And olive oil is supposed to be heart healthy, right??

Prosciutto Pasta

12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
4 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped prosciutto
2 Tbsp. chopped black olives (more if you like them)
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. While it's cooking, in a large skillet, saute garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the prosciutto, olives, onion powder, basil, parsley, pepper and salt. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for a couple of minutes or until heated through. Drain spaghetti, toss with prosciutto mixture. Sprinkle in the feta cheese. Yum!

Baked Oatmeal

2010-05-11T09:30:00.005-06:00

Do you have a hard time getting your family to eat oatmeal like I do? Then you need to try this recipe. It's healthy and tastes really good too, and there are lots of ways to change it up. This time I added about 1 cup of frozen mixed berries. I have also tried this with chopped apples, with walnuts, and with cut-up canned peaches! They are all wonderful - or you can just eat it plain. We put a square of this in a bowl with milk or yogurt over it. So yummy! My 3 year old ate about 5 pieces this morning.

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder (I just realized I left this out this morning - it still worked!)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350, and grease a 9x13 pan. Put the milk, vanilla, applesauce, eggs and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix well. Then add the oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon, and mix that up good. Then add whatever you like, or nothing at all. I added 1 cup frozen mixed berries. Spread this in the pan, and bake for 25 minutes, or until set and golden brown. Serve with milk or yogurt (or just eat it in squares out of the pan!).

Make-Your-Own Chicken Salad

2010-05-03T19:45:00.004-06:00

Last week I wanted to make some chicken salad wraps. I had a good recipe, but when it came time to make it, the recipe was nowhere to be found. All I could remember was that it called for 4 cups of cooked chicken, and 1 cup of mayonnaise. So, I improvised and this is what I came up with. It was so good, we could hardly stop eating it! This is a great recipe, because if you use the amounts for the chicken and mayo, you can add practically anything else you want. Here is what I used:

Make-Your-Own Chicken Salad

4 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup light cucumber ranch dressing
shredded mozzarella cheese
red seedless grapes, cut in half
chopped celery
sliced almonds
dried cranberries

Cook and shred your chicken, and let it cool. Mix the chicken with 1 cup of mayo, or a combination of mayo and ranch dressing. Then be creative! I just added a little of each ingredient until it looked (and tasted) how we liked it. You could use pecans or walnuts instead of the almonds, add some onion if you like it, leave out the cheese, or add a different kind....lots of possibilities! Serve this with tortillas, croissants, flat bread, or pita chips. It's also good straight out of the bowl - not that I'VE ever tried that. :)

Pocket Sandwiches

2010-04-27T09:38:00.002-06:00

This recipe was a big hit with my family. It's simple, and can be made in a variety of ways depending on the filling you use. The original recipe called for taco meat inside, but I chose to make some barbeque filling with cheese. You could also make some great chicken filling, or even a tuna filling would work. Ooh, and I just thought of filling these with pizza sauce, toppings, and mozzarella cheese! That would be fabulous too. Yum! I think I will be making these again soon.

Pocket Sandwiches

2 cans Pillsbury Grands biscuits

Filling of your choice

Cheese (or not, but what's not good with cheese?)

Make any filling you choose. I made my regular sloppy joe recipe. Set it aside to cool slightly. Open the biscuits and working with 2 at a time, roll each one into a 4 inch circle. Scoop about 1/4 cup filling and some cheese onto one of the biscuits. Top with another biscuit circle, and pinch the edges to seal. Put on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Pineapple Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-04-26T06:00:00.001-06:00

Pineapple? In chocolate chip cookies? Yes. And it's good too! When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. I was curious, to say the least. These are great cookies. They are a little more cakey than regular chocolate chip cookies, and not quite as buttery, which I really liked. The pineapple keeps them really moist, and gives them a nice fresh flavor. This recipe as written makes about 5 dozen cookies, so if you don't need quite that many, you could certainly half all of the amounts to get a regular sized batch.

Pineapple Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening (I used butter, because that's all I had. It worked fine)

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cans (8 oz. each) crushed pineapple, drained

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but they're great)

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Beat in pineapple and vanilla. Add flour, soda, powder, and salt. Mix into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Mexican Pita Pizza

2010-04-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

The other night I had hungry people in my house and no idea what to make for dinner. So, I threw together a pile of ingredients and this is what I came up with! Even my pickiest liked this one. You could really vary the taste depending on what you have on hand - different salsa, ground beef instead of chicken...the possibilities are endless!

Mexican Pita Pizza

Ingredients:

6 Pita bread rounds
1 can Refried beans
1 lb. chicken breast
Salsa
Shredded Cheese
1/2 cup Black beans
Lite Ranch dressing

1 - Cook chicken in a skillet until no longer pink. Add black beans and salsa to taste. Cook and stir until heated through.
2 - Spread refried beans on each pita round. Top with chicken mixture. Top that with shredded cheese.
3 - Bake in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top each pita with a little ranch dressing.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars

2010-04-21T11:09:00.002-06:00

Sunday is usually my day to make a treat, and this was our treat for last week. I got this recipe out of a Taste of Home cookbook that I recently purchased. This is a good recipe. It's pretty rich - but pretty yummy too! Have this with a glass of cold milk and you're all set!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars

1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg

Filling:

1 pkg. 8oz reduced-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and egg. Set aside one cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into a 9x13 pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until set.

For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg; beat well. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and chocolate chips.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator.

Before and After, finally!

2010-04-19T09:28:00.006-06:00

Before: After:Before: After:
Looking at the pictures it's hard to believe it's the same room. We love it, and it only took 6 weeks to finish. Just about the time I couldn't take it anymore, it was done. We ate downstairs in a makeshift kitchen for about 2 weeks but now finally we are upstairs in the real world again. Yay! Overall it was totally worth it and now we can enjoy it for lots of years.

Apple Bread

2010-04-14T21:05:00.004-06:00

I've been without a stove for a looooong time, so I've tried to find recipes that I can cook in my oven. This is a wonderful recipe for apple bread. It's moist and full of apples with a great crumb topping. If you have some apples lying around, try this one!

Apple Bread

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup, it worked great)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups chopped peeled tart apples (I used Braeburn - yum!)
Topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp. cold butter

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Stir in the eggs, applesauce, oil and vanilla just until moistened. Fold in apples. Transfer to two 8x4 inch loaf pans that are coated with cooking spray.

For the topping, combine the flour, sugar, and walnuts. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter, pressing in a little bit.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack.

Kitchen Update

2010-04-12T20:12:00.003-06:00

We have gone from this:

To this:
It's actually a lot farther along than this now, but I'm waiting until the end of the week when it will hopefully be done to post the final photos. I was without a working kitchen for 3 weeks. AHHH! Luckily, we were able to spend one week of that with family who were kind enough to feed us. During those weeks without a kitchen we celebrated Easter and had 2 birthdays in our family. It's been interesting, and luckily it's almost done! Yay! I'll have a great recipe for apple bread on Wednesday that was made in my new oven.