Snoopy's Best Girl

White Chicken Chili

2012-11-07T18:42:00.001-06:00

After a long, hot summer, fall has arrived, and it has been a chilly one! Hmm. Chili. I do like chili! I have my regular chili recipe listed below, but I have a cookbook, called 300 Slow Cooker Favorites with a recipe called "Winter Chicken and Corn Chili". I have made this quite a few times, with a couple of modifications, and I like it even more than my original chili recipe. If you pick up this book, you'll see a lot of great meal ideas!

There is some stovetop prep involved, so if you need to, you can make this ahead of time, pop it in the fridge, then in the crock pot when you're ready.

Here is what you'll need in order to make the chili:

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
2 lbs. ground chicken (I use two 12 oz. frozen ground chicken tubes)
3-4 green onions, chopped
4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
pinch cayenne pepper
1 large jar roasted red peppers (12 oz.), diced (I use my food chopper for this)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag frozen corn
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (can omit)
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (can omit)
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar (can omit)
salt to taste
sour cream

Brown chicken in the pan with oil. When the chicken is almost cooked through, add chopped green onions. Sauté until chicken is no longer pink. Add oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. DO NOT drain the meat, as the added seasonings will soak up a lot of the cooking liquid. Cook and stir for about one more minute. Place chicken mixture in crock pot. To the crockpot, add jalapeño, red pepper, garlic, navy beans, and corn. Stir to mix. Add chicken broth and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove bay leaf and discard. Stir in cilantro, lime juice and sugar, if using. Cook on high for 10 more minutes. Serve with sour cream. Mmmm, delicious!

Let me know if you try this recipe, and if your family enjoyed it as much as ours!

English Muffin Open-Face Sandwiches

2012-10-05T02:00:00.000-05:00

Our family finally had a night when we could sit down together and eat!

My kids LOVE this meal, and if you use whole wheat English muffins, it is a super-healthy, satisfying dinner. That being said, my kids did turn their noses up the first time I made this, mostly because it has *gasp* lettuce under the meat and cheese, but really, you can barely taste it. Of course, now that I have served it about a dozen times, they have gotten over it and love them!

Now, tell me, who doesn't like melty cheese??? Here are the magic ingredients:

1 package whole wheat English muffins (8 muffins)
1 bag of lettuce or spinach
4 Tbsp. (approximately) ranch dressing
1 package (16 pieces) sandwich-size Canadian Bacon slices
1 package Muenster cheese (you could use other types of cheese, but this is our favorite!)

Cut and separate the English muffins and place the halves split side up on a baking sheet. Turn oven on to broil, and broil for about 2-4 minutes, or until the halves are toasted. Meanwhile, mix about half of the salad bag with approximately 4 Tbsp. of the ranch dressing. The lettuce should be lightly coated, so start with less dressing and gradually add more. When the muffins are toasted, place a spoonful of the ranch-covered lettuce on top of the muffin halves - just enough to cover the toasted muffin. Toast again until the leaves are wilted. Remove the muffins again. Place one Canadian bacon slice on top of the muffins. Place Muenster cheese on top (I use about 3/4 of one slice of cheese on top of each muffin). Toast until cheese is melted and golden.

I hope your family likes these little sandwiches!

Chicago & Chili

2012-10-03T22:40:00.000-05:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel with my husband to Chicago! It was a great trip. There are so many fun things to do in Chicago, and so many great restaurants to try. I had a chance to meet up with some old friends, too! Here was our view from the hotel room (which was downtown on Michigan Ave. - the Marriott):

Anyway, I have another crock pot recipe to share with you! It is my chili recipe. You can modify it to include things that you like to have in your chili. Here are the ingredients I use (minus the garlic - I forgot about that):

To make the crockpot chili, you need:

2 lbs. ground beef, browned & drained
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes, drained (I mix it up and use one petite diced and one regular)
1 can (16 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can diced green chilies
1 onion, chopped and diced
4 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste

After browning the ground beef and chopping your onion and garlic, place them in the crock pot. Drain and rinse beans, then drain the tomatoes. Dump the rest of the ingredients in the crock pot, and cook on low approximately 6-8 hours.

We serve this topped with shredded cheddar cheese, but you could also use green onions and some sour cream!

I had an old crockpot that stopped working, and I noticed that my new crock pot cooks much hotter than my other one. If you have noticed the same thing, please leave me a note in the comments. I hope you like the chili!

Night Out

2012-09-20T08:20:00.001-05:00

I was so lucky to get a chance to have dinner with my sister last night. It was great to have special one-on-one time with her. We had a fantastic walk and a delicious meal at a cute restaurant. The whole evening was refreshing!

So, what did hubby and the kids do for dinner? I made them a super easy meal before I left. This is a perfect, quick idea for days when there isn't a lot of time for meal preparation. I call them "meat roll-ups."

Meat Roll-Ups:

Soft shell taco shells (I use whole wheat low fat)
Flavored cream cheese (I used Philadelphia, but you can use your favorite, or make your own!)
Shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but you can use your family's favorite)
Mixed greens (sometimes I use spinach - I buy a bag of either a salad mix or the spinach)
Lunchmeat - I used Hormel Natural roast turkey

First, spread the taco shell with cream cheese, with about an inch to spare around the edge:

Sprinkle a pinch of the shredded cheese on top of the cream cheese covered shell:

Place some mixed greens on top of the cheeses:

Place two slices of lunchmeat on top of the lettuce:

Now it is time to roll everything together! Try to make it as tight as possible without ripping the shell. It can be a little tricky at first. When I am finished rolling, I slice the roll-up in half. You do not have to do this, but sometimes my kids don't want a full roll-up, and I think half can be pretty filling. Here is the finished product:

I lined up all of the halves in a 9x13 pan, covered them and popped them in the fridge! When everyone was home (briefly), they had a yummy, quick dinner!

Do you see my two previous food posts? The ones that featured the soup and the applesauce? Yep, they ate leftover tomato soup with the roll-ups, and I made applesauce in the crockpot. A meal with all of the food groups!

You could make these roll-ups with a variety of ingredients. Let me know what your ideas are in the comments!

Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

2012-09-19T00:20:00.003-05:00

I love homemade soups! They taste so good, and this one is really, really easy! It is an adaptation of a recipe I found in the cookbook Stop & Smell the Rosemary by the Junior League of Houston. This recipe book was recommended to me by several friends, and I have made many recipes from it. There are also a lot of great dressing recipes in the book as well. Freshly made dressing can't be beat!

Anyway, the tomato soup is easily made in the crockpot. Having an immersion blender really helps. That way, you don't have to transfer hot soup to a blender - just blend right in the crockpot. Here is the recipe:

Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup:
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 box chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 large bottle tomato juice (size?)
1/2 stick butter
3 x 8 ounces whipping cream
fresh basil leaves

Place tomatoes, juice & broth in crock pot. Cook on low 4-6 hours. About 1/2 hour before you'd like to serve the soup, chop the basil and add to the pot. Using an immersion blender, blend tomatoes & basil until smooth. Melt butter, then add cream. I usually serve the soup with some crusty bread, cheese & fruit. This makes A LOT of soup, so if you'd like, you can reduce the recipe.

If you want to make the dish vegetarian, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth. I have not made it this way, so if you do, leave a comment and let me know how it tasted.

Perfect Fall Snack

2012-09-17T22:18:00.000-05:00

Fall has to be my favorite season! I love the cooler weather, the changing leaves, and the delicious fall fruits and vegetables. Apples are one of my absolute favorite fruits, and the McIntosh is the apple I look forward to eating. I almost make myself sick eating them!

We have so many apples right now. The best thing to do with lots of apples is make applesauce and apple pie! I have a great recipe for applesauce. You can make it on the stove or in the crock pot. Either way, it comes out delicious. If you make applesauce in the crockpot, you do not have to add as much water to the apples, as they retain more of their own liquid.

There are variations of this recipe online. Probably the closest variation is "Sarah's Applesauce" shown here. A great crockpot version is found in the "Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook." You can purchase the cookbook at your favorite book store or online.

Here is the recipe I used to make my applesauce:

12-14 apples
2&1/4 cup water
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
1&1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger
juice of 1/2 lemon

Peel, core, and chop the apples. The easiest way (I think) to peel and core an apple is by removing the skin in a circle around the top and bottom of the apple, then peel in strips down the length of the apple, like this:

Then, halve the apple after it is peeled, then quarter. The center of the apple is easier to remove when it is cut this way:

When all of the apples are chopped, place them in a large pot with the remaining ingredients. Stir a little bit to combine all of the flavors with the apples.

Cook the apples over medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the apples are soft and mushy. I like to mash any larger apple pieces with the back of a spoon, but you could use a potato masher or ricer to make the applesauce smooth. An immersion blender would work great, too!

I put the applesauce in the container in the refrigerator. It is usually gone in a few days. I have friends who freeze their applesauce, and some that have canned applesauce. I haven't tried either of these storage methods, but it would be great to eat fresh-tasting applesauce year-round!

I hope your family enjoys your homemade applesauce!

Weekly Menu

2012-09-16T10:59:00.001-05:00

It is very difficult to find time to eat together as a family. As our children have grown, evening activities have taken hold of our family calendar. To help us eat healthy meals at home more frequently, I have created a binder to keep us more organized and help me plan my menu!

First, I created a spreadsheet and listed all of the meals I make on a regular basis. I slipped the sheet into the front of a one inch binder, like this:

I then print off the current calendar week (or the week that I will be shopping for). I then make a menu based on our activities for the week. For instance, if we have a very busy night, with lots of people coming and going, I plan a crock pot recipe for that night. If we don't have much going on, I will plan something a bit more time consuming. I purchase fruits and vegetables to go with any of the meals. Here is what the inside of my binder looks like:

Thursday night we get subs (a healthier option for on-the-go eating), and Friday night is always pizza night! We could make pizzas at home or eat out.

I have other clear plastic sleeves in my binder. I have the school lunch menu in one, the school calendar in the next, a babysitter sheet (with our address, emergency phone numbers, and information on how to help someone who is choking), and a daily chore sheet - you can put in whatever is important to your family!

I hope you find the "family binder" and weekly menu idea helpful!

Pants Purse

2012-09-14T22:51:00.001-05:00

An easy project to do with even the most inexperienced sewer would be this precious purse! My daughter had the idea to use an old pair of jeans to make this item! All we did is take her old jeans and cut the legs off. We turned the jeans inside out and sewed up the bottom. It gets a little difficult at the seams, since the jean material is very thick, so go slowly.

We then cut the leg material into a long strip, then pinned and sewed the strip to make a strap. Then, we sewed the strap to the top portion of the jeans. I made sure to go back and forth several times to make sure the strap was fastened securely.

My daughter attached a belt at the top, but you could use an old scarf as well. I hope you have fun making your jean purse, too!

Welcome!

2012-09-14T22:43:00.000-05:00

I suppose you might be wondering how I decided to call my blog "Snoopy's Best Girl." When I was little, one of my fondest memories was watching the Charlie Brown specials on T.V. I liked the characters, but most of all, I loved the music! Vince Guaraldi was an extremely gifted pianist, and I have purchased many of his CD's.

As I grew up, the Peanuts characters followed me into adulthood. When my son was born, he had quite a large head (and he still does!), and my mother called him my very own "Charlie Brown." We had a cat that looked a lot like Snoopy. We moved to Minnesota (where Charles Schultz was born and raised). Sometimes, I felt like a blockhead.... And I've always admired Snoopy's fun-loving spirit! Who WOULDN'T want to be "Snoopy's Best Girl?"

My goal for my blog is to share my ideas for home organizing, meal creation and planning ideas, and anything else that might be helpful.

Please leave suggestions and comments! I hope to make some new online friends as well!