Cooking Lessons and the Spice of Life

Holiday Meal Recap

2012-01-27T22:47:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving- I'm a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving. I want specific dishes that don't require a recipe because I know how to make them. This year I wanted to change that a little so I decided to go out on a limb to make a different vegetable side dish instead of just cream corn out of can. I found this recipe and was sure it would be good since it is a Paula Deen recipe.

Corn Casserole- This did not disappoint. It had great flavor, wasn't dry, and went well with the rest of the meal. I'll definitely make this again and not just at holidays.

Garlic Chicken Puffs- Made these as an appetizer to eat while we watched the Lions football game. They were really easy to make and good. A little overwhelming on the garlic powder, so definitely watch how much of that you add.

Christmas- Christmas dinner was up to me. Since Thanksgiving is so traditional for me, I think to mix things up a bit. I've done steak for just H and I in the past, so yeah I can go way out there with this meal. I needed something easy but also popular for different tastes and likes. Italian fit that bill, and I opted for 2 different pasta dishes instead of 2 of the same. I'm glad I did this as it gave a little bit of variety to the meal.

Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and Cheese- I used regular sharp cheddar in this recipe. While it tasted great and was certainly better than the stuff out of the blue box, it could have been better. Considering this is a really basic recipe I'd say improvements could only come with the type of cheeses used. I'll just have to figure out what works best.

Make-Ahead Unstuffed Shells- This was the favorite between the two dishes. It had awesome flavor. It was really easy to put together and leftovers did not last long.

Nilla Turtle Cookie Balls- These were OK. Honestly I thought they were a little bland. I was expecting more flavor from the wafers, so that was my mistake.

Praline Crumb Caramel Cheesecake Bars- These were awesome!! So good. I stored them in an air-tight container so they stayed nice and moist.

New Year's- New Year's was spent with my family at my grandma's house. She provides the meal, and just said to bring any appetizers or desserts that we wanted to have. Since the Nilla Truffles didn't go over that well at Christmas I wanted to change things up so I went with Nutter Butters.

Nutter Butter Truffles- These tasted pretty similar to a peanut butter cup. I opted to use milk chocolate instead of the white. I think they may have been better with semi-sweet. They went over really well with my family.

Catching up

2012-01-22T12:47:00.002-05:00

So I've been a major slacker. Not in the cooking department, but in the blogging department. I've continued to make new recipes, but I've failed to take pictures since I hate our camera which has led to me not blogging about those recipes.

So I think I'll just do a post about a whole bunch of recipes and do a short little review about each. I won't post ingredients and directions, just links back to that info.

I'm thinking I'll do 2 separate posts. One for the holidays- Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. And the other recipes in another. Hopefully I can get these posts done quickly so I'll feel like moving forward with real posts again.

Here's to getting back on track!

New Year, New Goals

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last year I set goals that were mostly personal to me, things that I wanted to accomplish in 2011. 2012 is going to be a little different. The husband and I sat down and made a list of things that we wanted to accomplish this year as a couple. We had no set number of items, just discussed things and wrote them down. I'm not going to share every item on that list, but I'll share the ones that I'm comfortable with.

1. Pay off credit card debt. We each have a credit card left to pay off, so we want those gone by the end of the year.

2. Create a $1000 emergency fund. We'll build from there, but we have to start somewhere.

3. Have a Daddy and Baby Rebel Day. No Mommy allowed. Somehow my feelings aren't hurt. ; )

4. Find a family dentist and all 3 of us visit them twice this year.

5. Lose weight. A carryover from last year, but I really want to be thinner for my sister's wedding in June and H would like to lose a bit of weight that he's put on after his big weight loss.

6. Job search and interview for myself. I really really want a part-time job for myself.

I'll update as the year goes on, and hopefully we'll have some success.

Review of 11 in 2011

2011-12-30T13:46:00.003-05:00

Since there is only 1 day left in 2011, I thought I'd do a quick review of the goals I wanted to accomplish this year.

Finish my pharmacy technician class with at least a 95% average. I only need an 80% to pass, but I want to do better than that. Did. Finished with 98.7% Also took the certification test in August and passed it.

~Save money for Christmas presents by October. I want to be able to buy for more people this year, so H and I are planning on making a joint effort to save better and be prepared for gift buying ahead of time. Did. We did much better this year about planning for gifts than in previous years.

~Be pregnant by the end of the year. This one may be a long shot though. We'd like our kids about 2 years apart. I just have no idea when we feasibly can start TTC for Baby Rebel #2 because of my job situation. Plus it took us just over a year to conceive Baby Rebel #1, and I'm not going to get my hopes that #2 will be easier. So we'll play this one by ear. Not. Was hoping to have good news to share on the New Year, but bad news arrived on the 22nd to spoil that idea. We'll have to see what 2012 has us store for us.

~Have a job shortly after getting my certification. I'm very hopeful that with the internship I'll do and the bonus of being a Certified Pharmacy Technician that gaining employment won't be hard. Not. Need to make this more of a priority than it is right now if I ever want to be employed.

~Lose weight by my class reunion. I lost about 30lbs after having Baby Rebel, but I have gained quite a bit since high school. So while I'm realistic that I won't be able to reach my high school weight by August, I would like to lose some more and feel better about myself. Fail. Did nothing to lose weight. Now my goal is to lose weight by my sister's wedding next June.

~For Baby Rebel to have an awesome checkup with his specialist on February 10th. He'll have another u/s on his liver to make sure the hemangioma on it is still gone. I'm very hopeful that that appointment will be the last time we have to visit! Pass, completely clear of hemangiomas by Feb. All clear in May of the fistula the radiologist saw. No more specialists and no more ultrasounds.

~To help my H find a better job. He graduated from college in May 2007 and still doesn't have a "career". He has jobs that pay our bills. I would really like to help him get into a job that is long term and he loves. Complete. Got a job as security guard at a big hospital in June. Much better insurance and better pay. He quit the mall security job when he took the hospital job and quit Meijer in October. For the first time in over 4 years he is only working 1 job.

~Get the sisters tattoo with my 2 little sisters. We've been planning this for awhile, and my littlest sister finally turned 18 this past December! We're getting a Celtic symbol for womanhood. Completed on June 24^th. We got them on the inside of our left wrists. We opted to get the first 2 initials of our names around the center. I think they turned out pretty nice.

<--Close up of my arm.

~Do something girly for myself. Be it getting a mani/pedi, or something else. Do something without Baby Rebel and H that is just for me. Did. Got a pedicure at the end of November. H just told me to go one day, so I did. And I loved it!

~Update my 101 in 1001, and see what I stand with accomplishing that. My finish date is March 14, 2012, so I still have some time to work on the list. I haven't done anymore since my last update. There are some more updates I need to post, and some that are still in progress. Finishing all 101 doesn't seem likely to happen.

~Just enjoy everyday with H and Baby Rebel. Time is flying and I can't believe that in 8 days I'll have a 7 month old. So I want to cherish every moment with my 2 guys and make the most of our time as a family of 3. Absolutely have. And I have photographic proof of everything. Time flies so I have to enjoy every moment.

Review- I managed to get through the majority of my goals. A few were a complete fail, but they aren't anything pressing that really hurts that I didn't finish. I'll have to think about whether I want to set similar goals for next year. Or perhaps I should just focus on the weight loss, since it is something that is important to me.

Lasagna-Style Baked Ziti

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Source-Real Simple Cookbook

Ingredients

12 oz box of ziti (about 4 cups)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2lb lean ground beef
kosher salt and black pepper
26oz jar marinara sauce
1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup ricotta (used full 15oz container)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella (used 2 cups)

Preparation

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Drain the pasta and return to pot.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 4-5 minutes.
Add the beef, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon until it's no longer pink, 5-6 minutes.
Toss the pasta with the meat mixture, marinara sauce, spinach, ricotta, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan.
Transfer to 9x13 baking dish or 4 large ramekins.
Sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Bake until the cheese melts, 12-15 minutes.

Review & Changes- This had really good flavor. I liked the freshness of the spinach even in a baked dish. Of course the cheese was great. If anything it could have used a bit more marinara sauce. An easy meal that tastes good. I'd make this again.

Southwest Chicken Skillet

2011-11-07T08:00:00.004-05:00

Source- Betty Crocker Easy Family Dinners Cookbook

Ingredients

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb bag frozen broccoli, corn and red peppers (mine also came with cauliflower)
15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup thick and chunky salsa (used full 16oz jar)
2 cups coarsely crushed tortilla chips
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preparation

Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook chicken in oil 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown.
Stir in frozen vegetables, beans and salsa.
Reduce heat to medium.
Cover and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp tender.
Sprinkle with tortilla chips and cheese.
Cover and cook about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Review & Changes- This turned out really good. My husband was surprised at how much he liked the tortilla chips in it. Of course in the leftovers the chips weren't crunchy anymore, but they still were good. I definitely think the recipe needed the full jar of salsa instead of just 1 cup. I started with just the cup, and it didn't look like enough, so I didn't immediately go to the whole jar.

Fudgy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

2011-11-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

Source- Family Bites via Pinterest

Every once in awhile I get the urge to make a dessert. We usually have cookies in the house, but sometimes I want something a little different for a sweet treat. These looked really good and not too hard to make.

Ingredients

1/2 C butter, melted
2 C graham cracker crumbs (32 squares)
1 8 oz. bag toffee bits
1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 12oz. bag chocolate chips
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 T butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

Grease 13x9 baking dish and heat oven to 350.
Have the roll of cookie dough sitting out for around 10 minutes to soften up.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup of melted butter, 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs and 3/4 cup of toffee bits.
Pour mixture into the greased pan and press evenly until mixture covers bottom of pan.
Refrigerate for around 15 minutes.
In a 2 qt saucepan, heat the milk, chocolate chips and the tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
Stir frequently until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Spread the mixture over the graham cracker crumb mixture.
In another medium mixing bowl, break up the cookie dough and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs until blended.
Crumble the mixture evenly over the chocolate layer and the sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup toffee bits on top.
Bake for about 25-35 minutes or until it's golden brown.
Cool completely before cutting, probably around 2 or more hours.

Review & Changes- These are super rich. Of course that isn't a bad thing, but a small piece goes a long way. They are an amazing combination of chocolate and toffee. The crust layer doesn't really get hard so they stay nice and chewy. Definitely amazing, you should make these!

Roasted Vegetables with Rice

2011-11-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

Source- Me!

I did have an inspiration for this recipe, but it called for cooking the tomatoes in an aluminum foil pouch on a grill. Since I don't have an indoor grill or outdoor grill I decided that I'd cook them in the oven, and then I also added a zucchini and squash. I was making pork loin and knew I needed some sort of side to go with the vegetables, so I opted for rice. That is how this whole thing came together.

Ingredients

1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
2- 12oz bags of cherry tomatoes with stems removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
seasoning salt
pepper
3 cups uncooked brown rice
water for rice, or chicken stock/broth

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Place vegetables in bowl.
Add oil, salt and pepper
Mix until vegetables are well coated.
Pour onto covered cookie sheet.
Bake in oven about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are well cooked and tomatoes start to pop.
While vegetables are roasting, cook rice according to package directions. I used minute rice so that I didn't have to wait so long.
After rice has finished cooking and set, pour into large mixing bowl.
Add vegetables and any juices that have accumulated.
Mix well and serve hot.

Review & Changes- I am a genius! OK, maybe not really but this recipe was great. I've never cooked with zucchini or squash but knew that I liked them because of trying them at restaurants in a mixed vegetable medley. I'm glad I included the rice. It made the vegetables a little bit more without overpowering them. Plus having roasted veggies and brown rice as a side instead of a potato made me feel that we were eating healthy.

I'm sure you could change up the veggies or even add in different seasonings, but they aren't necessary. After this success I will be using zucchini and squash again!

Pork Chops with Creamy Gravy and Vegetables

2011-10-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

Source- Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

I've made other recipes out of this cookbook. Every once in awhile I decide that I should cook something out of the cookbooks I own instead of always referencing the internet. This recipe did not disappoint.

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick (used boneless)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 10.75oz can condensed cram of celery soup
1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried sage
3 cups frozen cut green beans
1 1/2 cups frozen potatoes with onion and peppers

Preparation

Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
Heat over medium-high heat until hot.
Sprinkle pork chops with seasoned salt.
Place in skillet.
Cook 5-6 minutes or until browned on both sides.
Remove chops from skillet, cover to keep warm.
In medium bowl combine sour cream, soup and sage, mix well.
Pour in skillet and add vegetables.
Arrange chops over vegetable mixture, press gently into mixture.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until pork chops are no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Review & Changes- This recipe was really easy to make. The flavor was really good and you didn't have too much of one thing. I think this recipe would also work with cream of mushroom soup, but no changes are necessary.

11 in 2011, 5/6 of the year check-in

2011-10-24T08:00:00.005-04:00

~Save money for Christmas presents by October. I want to be able to buy for more people this year, so H and I are planning on making a joint effort to save better and be prepared for gift buying ahead of time. Pretty set. Got almost $200 in Meijer gift cards set aside and we have plans to save more.

~Be pregnant by the end of the year. This one may be a long shot though. We'd like our kids about 2 years apart. I just have no idea when we feasibly can start TTC for Baby Rebel #2 because of my job situation. Plus it took us just over a year to conceive Baby Rebel #1, and I'm not going to get my hopes that #2 will be easier. So we'll play this one by ear. No luck yet, we've been trying since February. Probably 3 cycles left till the end of the year.

~Have a job shortly after getting my certification. I'm very hopeful that with the internship I'll do and the bonus of being a Certified Pharmacy Technician that gaining employment won't be hard. Not yet. Need to do better at job searching and have H look over my resume.

~To help my H find a better job. He graduated from college in May 2007 and still doesn't have a "career". He has jobs that pay our bills. I would really like to help him get into a job that is long term and he loves. Complete. Got a job as security guard at a big hospital in June. Much better insurance and better pay. He quit the mall security job when he took the hospital job and quit Meijer in the last 2 weeks. For the first time in over 4 years he is only working 1 job.

~Get the sisters tattoo with my 2 little sisters. We've been planning this for awhile, and my littlest sister finally turned 18 this past December! This is the Celtic symbol for sisterhood that the 3 of us will be getting on our lower ankle area. Not definitive on the location. Completed on June 24^th. We got them on the inside of our left wrists. We opted to get the first 2 initials of our names around the center. I think they turned out pretty nice.

<--Close up of my arm.

~Do something girly for myself. Be it getting a mani/pedi, or something else. Do something without Baby Rebel and H that is just for me. Not yet.

~Update my 101 in 1001, and see what I stand with accomplishing that. My finish date is March 14, 2012, so I still have some time to work on the list. I haven't done anymore since my last update. There are some more updates I need to post, and some that are still in progress. Finishing all 101 doesn't seem likely to happen.

~Just enjoy everyday with H and Baby Rebel. Time is flying and I can't believe that in 8 days I'll have a 7 month old. So I want to cherish every moment with my 2 guys and make the most of our time as a family of 3. Absolutely have. And I have photographic proof of everything. Time flies so I have to enjoy every moment.

Overall- Very happy with the fact that I'm making most of my goals. Feels good to know I'm accomplishing what I said I wanted to back at the beginning of the year.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2011-10-17T08:00:00.002-04:00

Source- Joelen's Culinary Adventure's

Jolelen does not disappoint. When I see something on her blog that I think LOOKS good, I know it's going to TASTE great!

Ingredients
Chicken:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Casserole Sauce:
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (16 ounce) jar chunky salsa
1 1/2 cup cream of chicken soup (I used homemade, but you can use store bought)
1/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup canned black beans, drained
1 cup canned sweet corn, drained
2 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped
6 (12 inch) corn tortillas, cut into strips
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine the spices in a small bowl and season the chicken breasts.
Place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool until able to handle by hand.
Once cooled enough to handle, shred chicken.
Set aside until ready to layer the casserole.
In a large bowl, mix sour cream, salsa, cream of chicken soup, onion, black beans, corn and tomatoes.
Layer the bottom of a deep casserole dish or 9x13 inch baking dish with 1/3 tortilla strips.
Top with 1/3 cooked chicken, 1/3 bean and corn mixture and 1/3 cheddar cheese.
Repeat layering with remaining ingredients.
Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Let stand about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onions

Review & Changes- I loved this recipe. Cheesy and great flavors, can't miss. Definitely will make again, and nothing need to change.

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

2011-10-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Real Mom Kitchen via Pinterest

Are you on Pinterest?? I joined a couple months ago and started pinning different recipes. I finally decided to go ahead and make one, and boy am I glad I started with this one. Hopefully my other pins are as successful and tasty as this one turned out!!

Ingredients

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
5 Tablespoons real butter
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves roasted garlic (directions are below) (omitted, used garlic powder)
1- 1 1/2 Cups warm skim milk (any milk will do, I used 2%)
1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Preparation

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.
Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water.
Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil.
water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer.
Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.
Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. I put a little parsley on top to serve.

Roasted Garlic
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bulb of garlic with skins on, wrap lightly in tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from foil and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove garlic from skins, place in a bowl and mash with a fork until completely mashed. Set aside. One garlic bulb will have around 12 cloves.

Review & Changes- This recipe was really good. The pork had awesome flavor and was so tender it practically fell apart. And the mashed potatoes alone were great, and with the soup mixture from the pork over them they were fabulous. This recipe is so easy to throw together that I will definitely make again. No changes need to be made.

Chicken & Broccoli

2011-10-12T08:00:00.003-04:00

Source- Lauren's Kitchen

I love making homemade takeout. Especially when it is something that I haven't gotten when we go out. Trying something new is always nice.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1/2 cup water, plus
2 tablespoon water, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into thin 3-inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 cups broccoli florets
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
hot cooked rice

Preparation

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth.
Add chicken and toss.
In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir-fry chicken in 1 tablespoon oil until chicken reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm.
Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes. If necessary, deglaze with about 1/4 cup chicken broth.
Return chicken to pan.
Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan.
Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Serve over rice.

Review & Changes- This recipe was really good. I love making a sauce with my own ingredients instead of just buying a ready-made one from the store. Nothing needs to be changed.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

2011-10-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Stephanie Cooks and Lauren's Kitchen

Bookmarked this recipe twice. First when Stephanie made it, then again when Lauren made it. So obviously I really wanted to make it! :)

You'll notice in the picture the slices don't have green onions, but the whole one does. I made 2 pizzas and cut up the first one before I remembered the green onions. So I took pictures too soon. Oh well.

Ingredients

1 batch of pizza dough
Olive oil
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
4 ounces grilled chicken, diced small
3 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and diced small
1 tomato, seeded and diced small
2-3 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450.
Prepare your pizza dough, leaving a thicker edge around the side for the crust. Prepare it on either parchment paper or on a pizza peel topped with corn meal.
Drizzle olive oil lightly over the crust and rub it all over the dough, over the edges as well.
Bake for 7 minutes.
Top with the ranch salad dressing, spreading evenly over the crust.
Next, arrange your chicken, bacon, and tomato evenly over the dressing.
Top with the cheddar cheese. Then sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over top.
Transfer the pizza to the stone.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.
Top with the green onions as soon as you pull it from the oven. Serve hot.

Review & Changes- This turned out really good. Enough different flavors to make every bite really good. No changes need to be made.

Easy Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

2011-10-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Campbell's Kitchen

Ingredients

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

6 flour tortillas (6-inch), warmed

1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 green onion, sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
Ingredient Note: Stir 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed, into the chicken mixture before filling the tortillas, if desired. <- I missed this so I didn't add, but I would have liked it this way too.

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.

2. Stir 1 cup soup mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.

3. Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side up in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.

4. Bake for 40 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion.

Review & Changes- I love enchilada recipes. Especially when they don't call for red sauce. Leftovers of this did not last long. Amazing!! The only change I would make is to add the black beans that are mentioned in that note above that I missed the first time.

Peach Whiskey Barbecue Chicken

2011-09-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

Source- The Pioneer Woman

So I have a fifth of Jack Daniels in my house. We aren't whiskey drinkers. I bought it for that TGI Friday's Special Sauce recipe, but with it only using a couple teaspoons there was plenty left. So even though I'm not a huge fan of chicken thighs I decided to try this recipe since the sauce sounded so good, and it could use up some of that whiskey.

Ingredients

12 whole Chicken Thighs, Bone-in, Skin-on
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
1-½ cup Whiskey
12 ounces, fluid Barbecue Sauce
1 jar Peach Preserves
½ cups Water
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 cloves Garlic, Peeled
3 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Heat oil and butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat.
Place chicken thighs, four at a time, in the pot, skin side down.
Brown both sides, then remove to a plate and repeat until all chicken is browned.
Pour off half the grease, then return pan to stove.
Add onions to pan and stir, cooking for 2 minutes.
Pour whiskey into the pot, being very careful if you’re using an open flame.
Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan, allowing whiskey to reduce for a minute or two.
Pour in barbecue sauce, peach preserves, water, and Worcestershire sauce.
Throw in garlic cloves.
Stir until combined, then return chicken to the pot, skin side up.
Cover and put pot in oven.
Cook for 1 1/2 hours, then remove from oven.
Serve pieces of chicken over a big pile of smashed potatoes.
Sprinkle sliced green onions over the top.

Review & Changes- I'm not usually a dark meat person. But this recipe was excellent. The meat just falls off the bone. And the sauce is awesome. Especially has a sort of gravy on the mashed potatoes.

Spinach & Artichoke Tortellini

2011-09-27T08:00:00.006-04:00

Source- Stephanie Cooks

I'm not having any luck finding the picture for this recipe. :(

Ingredients

1 package of tortellini
2 cups of fresh spinach, chopped
4 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and chopped
2 cups tomato sauce (more or less according to taste)
1 cup pecorino romano cheese

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350.
Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and return to the pot.
Add the spinach, artichoke hearts, 1/2 cup cheese, and sauce to the pot. Stir well.
Transfer to an oven safe dish. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling.

Review & Changes- A vegetarian recipe that comes together very easily. After the last time I used artichoke hearts I learned a lesson. To chop the artichoke hearts up into small pieces in order for the taste not to overwhelm me and I just end up picking the pieces out and not eating them.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Another Day Stronger

Ingredients

1 lb lean hamburger meat
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (or petite diced tomatoes)
2 cups beef broth (or water)
1 cup elbow macaroni

Cheese Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preparation

Brown and drain hamburger meat.
Stir in taco seasoning, Rotel, beef broth, and macaroni.
Heat to boiling.
Reduce heat and cover pan.
Simmer 12-14 mins until macaroni is tender.
Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce….
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking for 5 minutes until fragrant and light brown in color.
Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil.
Whisk until smooth and thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted.
Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce.
Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger mixture.
Stir gently to combine.

Review & Changes- This was really easy to make. I worry about cheese sauces, but this one came together nicely. I liked the little bit of kick the green chilies gave. I will definitely make this again. Leftovers did not last long in our house.

Pineapple Fried Rice

2011-09-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients

1 tsp. canola oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced small
1 bell pepper, diced small
3 ounces chicken, diced small
2 cups cooked white rice, day old is best
Soy sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup cashew nuts
1/4- 1/2 cup pineapple chunks- diced small

Preparation

Pour the oil in a nonstick skillet. Heat over medium heat.
Add the onion and peppers, stirring well to soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the diced chicken. Stir regularly, until cooked.
Remove the chicken/veggie mixture to a dish.
Add the rice to the skillet. Allow to heat. Do not stir.
After about 3 minutes, stir, and allow to sit again for about 3 minutes.
Add the soy sauce to taste (use less, you can always add more, you want it to coat but not soak the rice).
Add the garlic powder. Stir well.
Add in the cashews and the pineapple.
Return the chicken/veggies to the pan.
Stir well and allow to heat together for about 4-5 minutes.
Serve hot.

Review & Changes- This was really good. Simple ingredients that go well together. Not much else to say. Definitely would make this again.

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

2011-09-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Lauren's Kitchen

I like trying to expand my comfort zone. Using ground turkey is one way that I have done so. When I can mix it with ingredients that I know I'll enjoy like scallions and garlic I'm willing to try something new.

Ingredients

1/4 cup panko crumbs
1-1/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (omitted)
3 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

Dipping Sauce

4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp water
1 chopped fresh scallion

Preparation
Preheat oven to 500°F.
Mix ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, cilantro, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
For the dipping sauce mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a bowl. Add scallions.
Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoon sauce.
Serve meatballs with remaining sauce. Chances are you won't use all the dipping sauce.

Review & Changes- I was not that impressed with this recipe. The meatballs were good, especially being made with turkey. But the sauce was not something I liked, and so plain meatballs wasn't that great. Can't see myself making this recipe again.

Santa Fe Chicken

2011-09-21T10:00:00.003-04:00

Source- Messy Bessy Cooks

This recipe is from a fellow Nestie that I've known for years, and finally started her own blog. This is the first recipe of hers that I've made, but after the success here it won't be the last.

No picture since I forgot to take one. :(

Ingredients

24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (omitted)
14.5 oz can fat free chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste) (used 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)
salt to taste
2 cups brown rice

Preparation

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, pepper garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot.
Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.
Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.
Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.
Adjust salt and seasoning.
Serve over rice.

Review & Changes-This turned out really good, and I would make it again. Especially since everything gets thrown together in a slow cooker. Can't get much easier than that!

Asian Chicken Pizza

2011-09-15T10:00:00.002-04:00

Source- Lauren's Kitchen

Ingredients

Pizza dough
5 ounces of chicken, chopped into small pieces
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (less or more depending on how hot you want it)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 1/2 tbsp. honey
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar OR apple cider vinegar (used cider vinegar)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Sesame seeds (optional)
2 tbsp. sliced green onion

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450.
Combine the red pepper flakes, garlic, soy sauce, honey, and vinegar. Stir well, set aside.
In a small skillet cook the chicken. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Pour the sauce mixture into the pan. Heat over medium heat until it thickens and becomes syrup like, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken, toss well.
Form the dough. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, rubbing to coat the dough.
Top with the chicken/glaze mixture. Make sure it's evenly coating the dough.
Top with the cheese and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
Bake 10-12 minutes. Top with green onion. Serve hot.

Review & Changes- I really wanted to like this recipe. It had so much potential. But while cooking the sauce I tasted it before mixing the chicken in, and it was really bitter due to the cider vinegar. I ended up adding more honey and even a bunch of brown sugar before I was satisfied that the sauce wouldn't completely ruin the pizza.

The overall taste was OK. I just wasn't that impressed and can't see myself making this recipe again.

TGI Friday's Jack Daniel's Secret Sauce

2011-09-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

Source- BBQ Sauce Recipes Website

Let me start this post by saying that my husband LOVES the Jack Daniel's Sauce at TGI Friday's. He's not alone though, that stuff is really good. When I mentioned that I could find a copycat recipe online so that we could have this anytime he was on board with that decision. So I used the ever reliable Google and found this recipe. I actually found it at more than 1 site, so it is easy to find.

Ingredients

1 head garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
2/3 cup water
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup Kikkoman's teriyaki sauce (used La Choy Teriyaki)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons minced white onions
1 teaspoon Jack Daniels Whiskey
1 teaspoon crushed pineapple
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (used red pepper flakes)

Note- I doubled everything except the garlic to make lots of this sauce. Doubling it used pretty much the whole roasted garlic.

Preparation
To roast the garlic:

Cut about 1/2” off the top of the garlic.
Cut the roots so that the garlic will sit flat.
Remove the papery skin from the garlic, but leave enough so that the cloves stay together.
Put garlic in a small casserole dish or baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and cover with a lid or foil.
Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour.
Remove and let it cool until you can handle it.

For the Glaze:

Combine water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat.
Stir occasionally until mixture boils, then reduce heat to simmer.
Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir.
Squeeze out 2 t of roasted garlic and whisk to combine with pan mixture.
Let simmer for 35-45 minutes or until sauce has reduced by 1/2 and is thick and syrupy.
Make sure it doesn’t boil over.
To use, grill meat until almost done, then use the glaze otherwise it will burn.

Review & Changes-Amazing!! This is a real deal copycat. We put this on both chicken and beef burgers. There are lots of possibilities. It keeps and re-warms really well. And with doubling it there were plenty of leftovers so I didn't want to remake it right away since it does take a bit of time. H will not let me stop at just making this once!

Chili & Cheese Macaroni

2011-05-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Somehow I failed to take a picture of this recipe. In reality I could just post a picture of the goulash that my family makes and really you'd never know the difference. :)

Ingredients

table salt
1/2 pound elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked pasta)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (85% lean)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped (used green pepper)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
12 oz Colby Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 1/2 cups) (used 16oz)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and add dry macaroni; cook until al dente.
Reserve 3/4 cup pasta water and drain pasta. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Using the same large pot, wipe dry and heat over medium heat.
Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering.
Add ground beef and break it up in pieces to brown.
Once browned, remove from pot and discard drippings. Set beef aside.
Add remaining oil to the same large pot and return to medium heat until shimmering.
Add onions, garlic, red pepper, chili powder, and cumin; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and begin to brown.
Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, brown sugar, reserved 3/4 cup pasta water and beef to the pot.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until flavors have blended.
Stir in the cooked pasta, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer mixture to a 9x13 baking dish and smooth over with a spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.
Remove from oven and sprinkle the top of the dish with the remaining shredded cheese.
Return the dish once again in the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese begins to melt and brown.
Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Review & Changes- As stated above this recipe is really similar to the goulash my family makes. The only difference is the addition of the chili powder and cumin. That combination and all that cheese makes this a really good meal. This recipe makes a lot, so leftovers are really good too.

Ginger Spicy Chicken

2011-05-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Campbell's Kitchen

Ingredients

1 can (about 20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
Vegetable cooking spray
2 medium green peppers or red pepper, cut into strips (about 3 cups)
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
4 cups hot cooked rice, cooked without salt
Fresh parsley for garnish (omitted)

Preparation

Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice.
Stir the cornstarch, sugar, ginger, soy, picante sauce and reserved pineapple juice in a small bowl until it's smooth. Set the mixture aside.
Spray a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat for 1 minute.
Add the peppers and stir-fry until they're tender-crisp. Set them aside.
Remove the pan from the heat.
Spray it with cooking spray and increase the heat to medium-high.
Add the chicken in 2 batches and cook until it's well browned and cooked through, stirring often. Set the chicken aside.
Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the skillet.
Cook until the mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly.
Stir the pineapple in the skillet.
Return the chicken and the peppers to the skillet and heat through.
Serve over the rice. Garnish with the parsley.

Review & Changes-This had amazing flavor. You may be skeptical considering you're adding picante sauce which is like salsa to an Asian dish, but it just works. Leftovers did not last long in our house!! Make this!

Ham & Pasta Skillet

2011-05-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Campbell's Kitchen

I got this recipe in an email from Campbell's right after Easter. They were pushing it as a recipe to use up leftover ham. Now I didn't have ham leftover from Easter, but I did have some left in the freezer and I only needed one more recipe to use up the rest. This recipe fit the bill.

Ingredients

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Broccoli Cheese Sou
2 cups broccoli florets or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli cuts, thawed
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 1/2 cups cooked ham cut into strips
2 1/4 cups medium shell-shaped pasta

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Drain, and set aside.
Heat the soup, milk, mustard and broccoli in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low.
Cook for 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.
Stir the ham and pasta in the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Review & Changes- This recipe had really amazing flavor. The mustard gave just a slight tang that went well with the broccoli and cheese. I was really happy with the overall dish, and wouldn't make any changes.

Texas Casserole

2011-04-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Fellow Nestie/Bumpie

I feel bad, I don't remember the name of the girl that posted this recipe online. She raved about it, but it has been awhile since I got it from her. I decided to go through my Word file of recipes I've copied and pasted from online message boards. I love when people share recipes they love so I can try them.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (use ground turkey)
1 sweet onion
4 oz can tomato sauce
8 oz can tomato paste
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Sugar
2- 8 oz pkg's Cream Cheese
4 oz Sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz Egg Noodles

Preparation

Brown the hamburger and the onion.
Drain Well.
Combine the tomato paste, tomoato sauce, pepper, salt, sugar, cream cheese and sour cream in large mixing bowl.
Pour the mixture into the skillet with the browned hamburger and onion. Stir well.
Let simmer for about 20 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook egg noodles per package instructions.
Once sauce is done simmering, put back into large bowl and add egg noodles.
Mix all the ingrediants except the cheese.
Pour mixture into baking dish, a 9X13 is perfect.
Then add all of the cheese on top of the noodle and sauce mixture.
Cover with foil or lid and put in oven for 45 minutes.
Take out of the oven and eat for days!!!

Review & Changes- I was surprised at how well I liked the ground turkey in this. This time it was fresh turkey, instead of frozen, so maybe that made a difference? I don't know. After successful recipes like this I'll definitely try ground turkey in other recipes.

Otherwise, it just seemed like this recipe needed something more. Not sure if adding a vegetable to the mix would work or what. Maybe a pepper?

Layered Beef and Potato Casserole

2011-04-28T10:00:00.001-04:00

Source-Betty Crocker

This recipe is so darn easy. It comes together pretty easily. Definitely a good weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
2 cups Green Giant® frozen mixed vegetables (from 1-lb bag) (used full 1 lb)
1 jar (12 oz) beef gravy (used 14.5oz can)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag (28 oz) frozen potatoes O’Brien with peppers and onions, thawed
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (8 oz)
1 cup shredded Mozzarella

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12x8-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
In 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain.
Stir in mixed vegetables, gravy and salt.
Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are thawed and mixture is thoroughly heated.
In baking dish, layer 3 cups of the potatoes and 1 cup of the cheese.
Spoon ground beef mixture over cheese.
Top with remaining potatoes.
Cover with foil.
Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until bubbly.
Remove foil. S
prinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

Review & Changes- This was pretty darn good. There is no reason to change anything. I'd definitely make this again.

Four Cheese Pasta Florentine

2011-04-27T10:00:00.024-04:00

Source- Kraft Recipes

I love new spinach recipes. I always feel like I'm eating good stuff when there is spinach included. So even though this recipe is loaded with pasta and cheese, it is still at least a little bit good for you. : )

Ingredients

3 cups mostaccioli, uncooked
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed
1 cup Low Fat Cottage Cheese
2 eggs
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation

Heat oven to 375ºF.
Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
Meanwhile, cook spinach as directed on package; drain well.
Place in large bowl.
Add cream cheese; stir until melted.
Stir in cottage cheese and eggs until well blended.
Drain pasta.
Add to spinach mixture with mozzarella; mix lightly.
Spoon into 8- or 9-inch square baking dish; top with Parmesan.
Bake 25 min. or until center is set.

Review & Changes- Confession, I forgot to add the eggs to this recipe. Oopsy! That's the bad part about only having a desktop, you have to go back and forth between the recipe and the kitchen. Well unless you want to print the recipe.

Even without the egg this recipe was really good. Next time I'd skip cooking the spinach, and just rely on the cook time in the oven to warm it up. I also might try substituting ricotta for the cottage cheese. There was nothing wrong with the cottage cheese in the recipe, but I would have preferred a creamier look, instead of seeing the little cottage cheese pieces throughout the dish.

Taco Stuffed Peppers

2011-04-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Lauren's Kitchen

I've never had stuffed peppers before. When peppers were on sale I decided to make my first attempt at making them. I let H pick out the peppers, so you can see the variety of colors below. And yes, the green pepper was huge compared to the others. : )

Ingredients

6 medium sweet bell peppers (used 7)
1 Tbs salt
1/2 C cooked couscous (used brown rice)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced (used 1/2 large onion)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, sliced
1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 black pepper, plus more to taste
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
3/4 C Mexican blend cheese
tortilla chips, just a handful and more for serving if desired.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.
Prepare peppers by washing, slicing tops off, and removing insides.
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt.
Boil whole peppers for about 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften.
Remove from water with tongs and place on paper towels to drain.
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onions and garlic, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add corn, beans, green onions, taco seasoning, kosher salt, and pepper.
Stir until corn and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.
Place peppers in a baking dish.
Remove skillet from heat and add couscous, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup cheese.
Stir to combine well and give it a taste.
Add additional salt, pepper, and taco seasoning to your liking.
Then evenly divide mixture between peppers.
Top peppers with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and desired toppings (sour cream, avocado, cheese, etc...)

Review & Changes-This recipe was really good. And I was happy with the slight changes I made. I would be willing to make this again, but I think I'd rather try my hand at some different varieties.

I have 2 other varieties bookmarked in my Google Reader that I want to try. Mexican Stuffed Peppers and Stuffed Peppers.

Quick & Easy Chicken, Broccoli & Brown Rice Dinner

2011-04-25T10:00:00.001-04:00

Source- WIC Spring 2011 Newsletter

It's hard to say that I'm proud that we receive WIC benefits for Baby Rebel, but I can definitely say that we truly appreciate what we do get. Every 3 months I head to the local clinic to get more benefits loaded on my card. When there they have classes that focus on nutrition. They also hand out their quarterly newsletter full of information, and recipes. This is the first recipe that has immediately caught my eye.

Every ingredient on the list we always have on hand, so I knew that we'd like it. The next time I made a menu I added this recipe to the list and got ready to make it.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp vegetable oil (used olive oil)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (used 1lb tenders)
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets

Preparation

Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
Add chicken and cook until well browned on both sides.
Remove chicken from skillet.
Stir soup, water, paprika and pepper in skillet.
Heat to a boil.
Stir rice and broccoli in skillet.
Reduce heat to low.
Return chicken to skillet.
Sprinkle additional paprika and pepper over chicken.
Cover, and cook 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked throughout and rice is tender.

Review & Changes- What an easy and good for you meal. However, there wasn't a lot of flavor. After my first small plate, I added a little salt and garlic powder to the next serving. What a difference it made! I didn't want to add seasoning to the rest of the dish before I had tasted my serving. While I don't like to add a lot of salt to my dishes, the seasoning salt I used is 30% less sodium.

I'd add 1/4 tsp of both seasoning salt and garlic powder to the whole dish next time.

Chicken with Cherry Tomato Sauce

2011-04-22T17:30:00.000-04:00

Source- Lauren's Kitchen

This recipe really doesn't need an introduction. It's pretty straight forward and not hard to make.

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
Garnish: 1/4 cup small basil leaves

Preparation

· Place chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness.

· Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

· Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

· Add olive oil to pan.

· Add chicken; sauté for 3 minutes on each side or until done.

· Transfer to a serving platter.

· Add coarsely chopped garlic cloves to pan; sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

· Stir in cherry tomatoes and chicken broth, and bring to a boil.

· ook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

· Spoon over chicken.

· Garnish with small basil leaves.

Review & Changes- This recipe was pretty good. H and I both really liked the tomatoes on top of the chicken.

And for once there was enough tomatoes for the chicken. So that was a plus.

2011-04-02T14:14:00.000-04:00

ABC's of Danni

A. Age: 27

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore you dislike: Bathroom for sure. Especially toilet, floor and shower. But sink and mirror are fine!

D. Dogs: None

E. Essential start to your day: Lately it has been an onion bagel with cream cheese.

F. Favorite color: Teal

G. Gold or silver: Silver

H. Height: 5′ 5"

I. Instruments you play(ed): Trumpet in 5th grade.

J. Job title: Stay At Home Mom, SAHM

K. Kids: 9 month old Baby Rebel

L. Live for ______: Family

M. Most embarrassing moment: Most recently I sent an email to my professor and called him Greg instead of Gary. Ooops!

N. Nicknames: Danni, Danno, and various pet names that H calls me.

O. Overnight hospital stays: When I gave birth to Baby Rebel, and that was 3 nights plus the night I was in labor

P. Pet peeves: The biggest is people who spit. Also hate people who chew with their mouth open. <- Specific people come to mind, unfortunately.

Q. Quote from a movie: The only one that comes to mind immediately is "You want the truth, YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"

S. Siblings: 25 year old sister, 18 year old half sister, and 21 year old half brother. Plus 2 step-sisters and 2 step-brothers.

T. Time you wake up: Whenever Baby Rebel wakes up, lately it has been 7am.

U. University attended: Went to Grand Valley State University for 4 1/2 years, before my financial aid ran out. Now I'm going to Grand Rapids Community College for Pharmacy Technician. I'll be done the beginning of June.

V. Vegetables: Love corn, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower. Love salads with a bunch of different stuff.

W. What makes you run late: Not too much. I like to be on time, if not early.

X. X-rays you’ve had: X-rayed my knee when I was a junior, my elbow after I fell off a chair onto concrete, and of course I've had my teeth x-rayed for my wisdom teeth.

Y. Yummy food you make: I made a whole bunch. Hello, this is mostly a food blog!! I really like my fajitas and stuffed shells.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Penguins, big cats like Lions and tigers.

1/4 of the year gone, 11 in '11 check-in

2011-03-31T12:00:00.001-04:00

So since the first 3 months are over with for the year, I thought I'd do a check and see how I'm coming on my list. Make myself more accountable this way. I've chosen the items from the list that I've managed to work on. Everything else will take some more time.

~For Baby Rebel to have an awesome checkup with his specialist on February 10th. He'll have another u/s on his liver to make sure the hemangioma on it is still gone. I'm very hopeful that that appointment will be the last time we have to visit!
This check-up wasn't 100% successful. The ultrasound on his liver showed that the hemangioma is completely gone (which it was at the last u/s), and hasn't returned since he went off the meds. However, the radiologist discovered an A/V fistula. The specialist that we had been seeing for the hemangiomas will also be handling this. So far there is no treatment. We are in a wait and see until another u/s is done in May. This isn't serious, but can require intervention.

This is a photo from his 9-month photo shoot.

~Update my 101 in 1001, and see what I stand with accomplishing that. My finish date is March 14, 2012, so I still have some time to work on the list.
I have made an effort on this. I went through my list and found things that I had accomplished unknowingly. I'm slowly updating my blog with my accomplishments. I'm also working on revamping my list to determine things that I don't have time to do, and come up with new things.

~Just enjoy everyday with H and Baby Rebel. Time is flying and I can't believe that in 8 days I'll have a 7 month old. So I want to cherish every moment with my 2 guys and make the most of our time as a family of 3.
I love being a mom, and I'm even happier that I am able to stay home with my little man. I love getting to see him grow, and how quickly little things change. Like how in 2 days he has managed to learn how to get up on his knees using the coffee table, and even pulled himself up to standing using his walker. Amazing!!   And I enjoy the quiet evenings with my husband. Few that they are, they are special.

Crockpot Meatball & Veggie Stew

2011-03-30T12:00:00.001-04:00

Source- Lauren's Kitchen

I love easy recipes. While I love cooking sometimes I prefer something that pretty much cooks itself with little work from me. This is one of those recipes. No cutting or prepping on my part. Just dump everything together and turn on the slow cooker.

Ingredients

1 16- to 18-ounce package frozen cooked meatballs
1/2 of a 16-ounce package (about 2 cups) loose-pack frozen broccoli, corn, and red sweet peppers, or other mixed vegetables (used full 16oz bag)
1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with onion and garlic, or stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 12-ounce jar mushroom gravy
1/3 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed
Egg noodles, for serving

Preparation

Place meatballs and frozen vegetables in a 4 quart slow cooker

In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, gravy, water, and basil; pour over meatballs and vegetables.

Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Serve over egg noodles or plain.

Review & Changes- This recipe was OK. I'm just not a big fan of meatballs, but I make recipes that include them because my husband does love them. The flavor was pretty good, and I really liked serving it over the egg noodles.

I don't really know of any changes that you could make with this.

Honey Crunch Chicken

2011-03-29T12:00:00.001-04:00

Source- Bella's Bistro

We've really got into Asian foods at our house. We've done plenty of stir-frys, but I like branching out into a little bit different stuff. Everything gets cooked together so it isn't that different, but the chicken is dredged in cornstarch giving it a light breading and crunchy texture.

Ingredients

1lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
2 Egg whites (used 2 whole eggs)
1/3C. Cornstarch (or flour – for dredging)
1C. Broccoli florets
1/2 Red pepper, thinly sliced (used 1 small whole green pepper)
3/4C. Sugar snap peas
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
3T. Olive oil
1T. Soy sauce
1/4C. Honey
salt and pepper to taste
Rice, for serving

Preparation

Prepare and slice all veggies – feel free to add whatever you would like.
In 2 separate bowls, add the egg whites (lightly beaten) and the cornstarch or flour. (The cornstarch will yield a “crispier” chicken).
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened.
Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir so veggies are coated, about 60 seconds.
Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.
Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the same skillet (or you can use a different one, I just use the same to make it easier) over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil.
Dip chicken pieces in egg whites and then lightly dredge in cornstarch.
Add to the skillet and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip.
Continue with remaining chicken pieces, and do so in batches if needed.
Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet.
Add honey and thoroughly mix to combine.
Taste and season with salt, pepper, additional honey or soy sauce.
Serve with rice.

Review & Changes- This was pretty good. Different from the normal stir frys I make. The honey gave this a hint of sweetness, but wasn't overwhelming. I really liked the variety of vegetables. Dredging and cooking the chicken was the most time consuming, but luckily my husband was home and was willing to play assistant for me.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

2011-03-28T12:00:00.001-04:00

Source- Lauren's Kitchen

I've never had Chicken Cordon Bleu. For some reason I always assumed that it had bleu cheese, and I don't think I'd like it. But when this recipe popped up in my Google Reader I thought the pictured looked so good that I at least had to check out the ingredients.

Turns out I liked everything that you use, so I had to make this eventually. Eventually became this past week when I added it to the weekly menu. It uses ham, and I still have some left in the freezer.

Ingredients

2 T EVOO
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb diced ham
2 c cooks, shredded chicken breast (used 2 fairly large chicken breasts)
4 T butter
1/4 c flour (had to use cornstarch)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
14 oz can chicken broth
3 cups cooked rice (I used brown)
1 c shredded cheddar
1 c shredded mozzarella or swiss (used 2 cups mozzarella)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.
I cooked the chicken on our George Foreman. Then I shredded from there.
Heat oil in a large, rimmed skillet over medium heat. (used Dutch oven)
Add the onions and peppers and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender.
Then add the garlic, chicken and ham and cook for another 5 minutes until heated through.
Add the butter until it is melted, then stir in the flour, salt and pepper until combined.
Slowly stir in the chicken broth, then mix in the rice.
Transfer mixture to a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle the top with your cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Review & Changes- This recipe was really good. I really, really liked it. And it makes lots, so you get lots of leftovers to enjoy it longer.

I wouldn't change anything.

Penne with Spinach and Ham

2011-03-24T10:17:00.000-04:00

Source-Betty Crocker

Remember that ham I mentioned buying a few weeks ago? Yeah? Well we've still got some. So again I went looking for a new recipe that used ham for us to try. Came across this and thought it looked really good, plus healthy with all that fresh spinach.

Ingredients

8oz uncooked whole wheat penne pasta (used 16oz)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup finely chopped cooked ham
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
4 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
Stir in tomatoes, ham and wine.
Cook and stir until some of the wine has evaporated.
Add spinach and pasta; toss gently.
Sprinkle with cheese.

Review & Changes- This recipe was really interesting. Essentially there was no sauce. It wasn't dry, but there wasn't a creamy or tomato-ey sauce over everything. Because of this you got to taste the real flavor of the ingredients. So while I won't call this recipe my new favorite, I did enjoy it.

We never have enough tomatoes. Doesn't matter the recipe, I just never seem to buy enough to satisfy. With this recipe I used a pint of grape tomatoes. I'd double that next time.

Crunchy Onion Potato Bake

2011-03-23T16:02:00.000-04:00

Source- Betty Crocker

When making my weekly menu I decided to look into some of the side dish recipes I've bookmarked and make one of them. Most of the recipes I post are a complete meal, or the main course, so I thought I'd change things up.

I baked chicken in the oven with barbecue sauce to serve with these potatoes.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup butter
1 box (7.2 oz) Betty Crocker® homestyle creamy butter or roasted garlic mashed potatoes
1 can (15.25 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz) (I used more)
1 can (2.8 oz) French-fried onions

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F.
Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
In 3-quart saucepan, heat milk, water and margarine to boiling.
Stir in contents of both pouches of potatoes (from potatoes box) just until moistened; let stand 1 minute.
Stir with fork until smooth.
Stir in corn.
Spoon half of potato mixture into dish.
Sprinkle with 1/2 each of the cheese and onions.
Top with remaining potatoes; sprinkle with remaining cheese and onions.
Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and onions are golden.

Review and Changes-These potatoes were fabulous, and so easy to make. I was sad when the leftovers were gone. Definitely make these!!

Murphy's Hot Hamburger

2011-03-21T12:38:00.000-04:00

Source- Tasty Kitchen via The Pioneer Woman

I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's blog, and really thought it looked good. I don't like making burgers since you can get them almost anywhere, but this recipe was really unique. Sure it has fries, but the gravy over everything is completely new and something I haven't tried before.

Ingredients

1 pound Ground Beef
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
5 Tablespoons Flour
2 cans(14 Oz. Can) Beef Broth OR 4 Cups Water With Beef Bouillon
5 whole Large Potatoes (cheated and used frozen fries)
1 Tablespoon Oil, Or As Needed
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Slice potatoes into fries. Place on a large baking sheet. Pour about 1 tablespoon of oil over the fries and toss with fingers to coat evenly. Sprinkle fries with seasoning of choice. I use seasoned salt. Place in the oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden and crispy. (Placed frozen fries on baking sheet and baked according to directions.)
In a mixing bowl, mix hamburger, garlic, seasoned salt, onion powder and salt and pepper.
Mix well with hands.
Form 4 large patties. I like to make really rustic, greasy diner-style patties with no uniform shape.
Place in a large preheated skillet over medium heat, preferably one with deep sides.
Brown burgers on each side until done.
Remove burgers from the skillet and place on a plate covered in paper towels.
Do not drain the grease.
Add the flour a tablespoon at a time, stirring with a whisk. You have enough when the grease is all absorbed and the flour mixture gets thick and bubbly.
Slowly add the broth a little at a time, whisking constantly.
Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken.
To serve, place an ample amount of fries on the plate.
Place a hamburger on top of the fries and cover it all amply in gravy. Enjoy!

Review & Changes-First off, this recipe is outstanding! I've never had gravy on fries, but that will change in the future. The flavor of the burgers was great. I'd use this recipe just to make the burgers.

One change that I'd make is to use the beef broth instead of the bouillon cubes. I found the gravy to be salty, and at first couldn't figure out why since the only salt I used was in the burgers. Then I looked at the box for bouillon and realized that they are essentially only salt. So low sodium beef broth is my recommendation for this recipe. It was still edible, just not as enjoyable as it could have been.

Tuna & Pasta Cheddar Melt

2011-03-20T15:47:00.000-04:00

Source- Meijer Mealbox

Ever make Hamburger/Chicken/Tuna Helper? Yeah, me neither. ;) Confession: I don't always want to slave over a stove following a meticulous recipe that is on my laptop in the living room. I want quick, easy, with minimal fuss. So, while I know they aren't good for you we do have a few of these helpers in the house and I break them out on the rare occasion.

When I came across this recipe I was immediately intrigued. It sounded like it was along the lines of a Tuna Helper, but homemade. I had to try and see if I could make my own.

Ingredients

3 Cups Corkscrew-Shaped Pasta, uncooked
2 tsp. Margarine, melted
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Cup Frozen Peas
1 Cup Milk
2 tbsp. Italian-Seasoned Dry Bread Crumbs (used Panko breadcrumbs)
1 Can Condensed Chicken Broth (10.5 oz.)
1 Can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (10.75 oz)
1 Can (6 oz.), drained and flaked (used 2-6oz. cans)
1 Soup Can Water

Preparation

Heat broth and water to a boil in skillet.
Add pasta and cook until tender, stirring often. Do not drain.
Stir in soup, milk and tuna.
Top with cheese.
Mix bread crumbs with butter. Sprinkle on top.
Heat through.

Review and Changes- This was pretty fantastic. Exactly like a Tuna Helper, but a whole lot healthier since you control the ingredients. I'd stick with the extra can of tuna. I'd make this again, too.

Bruscheta Chicken Bake

2011-03-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

Source- Kraft.com

My husband loves stuffing. He grew up on the boxed kind, and even though he's had my homemade stuffing, he still requests the stuff from the box. So, when I saw this recipe I knew it would be perfect for him and it would be a change since it would be mixed with other ingredients instead of just serving as a side dish.

Ingredients

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (used 2 cups)

Preparation

Heat oven to 400ºF.
Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.
Layer chicken, basil and 1 cup cheese in 3-qt. casserole or 13x9-inch baking dish.
Top with stuffing.
Bake 30 min. or until chicken is done.
I added the 2nd cup of cheese over top and gave it a few minutes for cheese to melt.

Review and Changes- This is a super easy recipe. It has really good flavor and H was happy to get his stuffing fix.

Ranch Ham 'N Cheese Pasta

2011-03-14T21:33:00.000-04:00

Source- ...and a Cookie for Dessert

When I first saw the title to this recipe I assumed it had Ranch dressing in it and I was unsure how ranch dressing would taste with ham and pasta. But, after looking over the recipe and discovering that there isn't actually any dressing it, I added it to my list of recipes to try.

After buying a huge ham that we had the meat department cut into steaks I went in search of a ham recipe to use some. I saw this and decided to give it a try. I love when recipes have a bunch of ingredients but I have most on hand. Weird yes, but I like it!

Ingredients

1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup fat-free milk
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon salt-free lemon-pepper seasoning (omitted)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream
2 cups cubed fully cooked lean ham
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
In a Dutch oven, melt butter; whisk in flour until smooth.
Gradually add milk and seasonings.
Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Reduce heat; fold in sour cream until blended.
Add ham and pasta; cook and stir until heated through.
Remove from the heat; stir in Mexican cheese blend until melted.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Review and Changes- This recipe really surprised me. With all those seasonings it actually had a ranch flavor to it. I was really impressed and H and I both really liked it. I wouldn't change anything and I'd definitely make this again!

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

2011-03-13T14:39:00.000-04:00

Source- Stephanie Cooks

I've made a few different stir-frys, and I love trying new ones. This recipe seemed so much easier than our standby that I knew I had to try it. Even if I was a bit skeptical about only using 2 ingredients to make the sauce.

I guess I was in such a hurry to eat this that I forgot to take a picture. Trust me, it looks like every other stir fry out there. ;)

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. oil
3 cups chopped mixed fresh vegetables (used 1lb frozen stir fry vegetables)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup Catalina Dressing (I used light)
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Preparation

Cook and stir chicken in hot oil in large skillet on high heat 3 min.
Add vegetables and garlic; cook and stir 5 to 6 min. or until chicken is lightly browned. (Mine needed to cook a bit longer since I used frozen vegetables.)
Stir in remaining ingredients; cook an additional 2 min. or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
Serve over rice

Review and Changes- Holy awesome batman!! What an easy stir-fry!! I was skeptical about using the Catalina dressing for an Asian stir-fry, but it is exactly right. Will definitely make this again. You could easily use pork or beef, and change up the vegetable. Seriously, if you have an Asian craving this easily fills that craving!!

Oatmeal Cranberry Sour Cream Bars

2011-03-12T15:16:00.000-05:00

Source- Betty Crocker

Wow, I get a major fail. I made these for Thanksgiving and never got around to blogging about them.

I made these for Thanksgiving since I'm not a huge pie eater, and always prefer something else to go along with the pies.

Ingredients

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F.
Line 9-inch square pan with foil, leaving 1 inch of foil extending up over sides of pan.
Spray foil-lined pan with cooking spray.
In large bowl, stir cookie mix, cinnamon, butter and egg until stiff dough forms.
Reserve 1/4 of the dough.
Press remaining dough in bottom of foil-lined pan.
Bake 15 minutes.
In small bowl, stir sour cream, sugar, lemon peel, vanilla and egg yolk until well blended.
Stir in cranberries.
Spread over crust.
Stir pecans into reserved oatmeal dough; crumble over cranberry mixture.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until top is light brown.
Cool 30 minutes.
Refrigerate 2 hours.
For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.
Store covered in refrigerator.

Review and Changes- These were outstanding!! I think the dried cranberries made them perfect for Thanksgiving and everyone loved them.

Saucy Mexican Chicken

2011-03-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

Source- Kraft Magazine

There isn't much to say about this recipe. I found it in my Kraft Magazine. After sorting through a whole bunch of pages I found this and decided that my weekly menu needed a Mexican recipe. With minimal ingredients it would make an easy weeknight meal.

Ingredients

lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 small breasts)
1 jar (16 oz.) Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preparation

Cook chicken in nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 4 min. on each side or until browned on both sides.
Add salsa and beans.
Bring to boil; cover.
Simmer on medium-low heat 5 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF).
Top with cheese.
Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Next Time- This recipe is so easy and tastes great. I served it with a Mexican rice and the two went really well together. Nothing needs to be changed.

4 Cheese and Spinach Lasagna

2011-02-22T22:12:00.000-05:00

Source- Food Network

This was our Valentine's Day Dinner. About a week before I asked H if there was something specific that he wanted for Valentine's Day Dinner. He requested pasta or lasagna. I have a pretty standard recipe for making lasagna, so I went in search of something a little more for the special night.

Ingredients

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 dry lasagna noodles (not no-boil)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10-ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed
1 pound cottage cheese (about 1 3/4 cups)
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or a combination
1 pound pre-shredded mozzarella, shredded (about 4 cups)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (omitted)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (omitted)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (omitted)
1 large egg, beaten
4 cups tomato sauce, recipe follows, or your favorite jarred (I made my own homemade sauce)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously.
Add the lasagna noodles and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat until the garlic begins to brown.
Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and stir until the spinach dries out and the garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Cool.
Mix the cottage cheese, goat cheese, Parmesan/Pecorino, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, lemon zest, nutmeg, cayenne, and cooled spinach in a bowl.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Stir in the egg.
Cover the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch casserole with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Cover with 3 of the noodles placed side-to-side, but not overlapping. Top with a 1/4 of the cheese mixture and about a half cup of tomato sauce. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Repeat to make 2 more layers.
Scatter the remaining 2 cups mozzarella on top.
Bake, uncovered, until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Let lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Next Time-This was pretty good, and an easy change from how I normally make lasagna. This did have a slightly funny taste, so I think I may not cook the garlic with the spinach next time. Just mix those 2 ingredients in with the cheese mixture. And make sure the spinach is thoroughly drained before mixing. I think having spinach in my lasagna could easily become my new standard.

We have Success!

2011-02-18T22:05:00.000-05:00

I posted back in December about starting sign language with Baby Rebel. H and I haven't been consistent with numerous signs, but we have stuck with "milk". And after 2 months of signing it, Baby Rebel is finally signing it to us!! I love knowing when he is hungry. Makes me feel really good that we've made this effort.

Now we need to get back into watching that video and consistently signing other signs to him. Other signs being "mom", "dad", "eat", and "all done."

Having success reinforces our desire to teach him, and makes me so eager for him to learn more.

Garlic Tuscan Chicken

2011-02-18T21:57:00.000-05:00

Source- adapted from Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Where to start with this recipe? Apparently it originates from Olive Garden's website. I don't think I've ever ordered this when I've eaten there, and after trying mine I don't think I will. Not because it was bad, but because I don't want to compare my own cooking to a restaurant.

This recipe does not disappoint. Honestly, you could eat it without the chicken, and make it a vegetarian meal.

This first picture was taken without the chicken because the chicken wasn't quite done, and I was too impatient to try it to wait! ;)

Also, I'm a 1 pot girl. If I can make everything in 1 pot, I will, even if it takes me a bit longer cooking time-wise. Since all the dishes fall on my shoulders to get clean I like to limit dirty dishes where I can. So the steps below reflect the steps I took using one 1 pot.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups flour, plus 1 tablespoon
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 lb farfalle pasta, cooked according to package directions
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 red pepper, julienne cut
1 yellow pepper, julienne cut
1 green pepper, julienne cut
1 cup chicken broth
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup canned evaporated milk
1 cups Fontinella cheese, grated

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
In large pot cook pasta according to package directions.
Drain, and set aside.
Mix 1½ cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish.
Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess.
Heat 3 Tbsp oil in pot.
Cook chicken breasts over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp (2-3 min). Add more oil for each batch as necessary.
Place cooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and transfer to preheated oven.
Cook for 10-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
In pot you just removed chicken from add 2 Tbsp oil, if necessary.
Add garlic and peppers and cook for approximately 1 minute.
Stir in 1 Tbsp flour, wine, spinach and cream and bring to a boil. Sauce is done when spinach becomes wilted.
Complete by stirring in the cheese.
Pour pasta into pot with sauce and mix well.
Serve by topping pasta with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with extra cheese if desired.

Next Time- This recipe is so good. Like I said before, it could easily be a vegetarian meal. This makes a lot of pasta and vegetables, so I'd make sure you have plenty of chicken to go with it. I'd say make more like 6 breasts, instead of 4. Or cut down on the pasta and vegetables if you didn't want to make that much food.

2 Year Blog Anniversary!

2011-02-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

Wow, time flies! 2 years ago I started this blog with my Valentine's Day Dinner I made for H and I.

Once again this year I planned on making a special dinner for us to eat here at home. It got postponed when my husband's work called him and offered 8 hours of overtime. Since he's off tomorrow I'll just make my planned meal then. It is a new recipe, so I'll be sure to share it with all of you.

Hope each of you had a special day today.

Taco Pizza Squares

2011-02-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

Source- Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Well Joelen posted this as an appetizer. I opted to make it as our dinner. I thought it turned out really well, and leftovers were just as good.

A Note- Joelen's directions were a bit confusing to me, so I changed the directions up a bit to make it how I would expect it to be. If you want to check out how Joelen made her's, just click the link above.

Ingredients

2 (8 oz.) cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 lb. ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup or less of taco sauce
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
any other toppings that you normally put on tacos

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Brown meat and drain. Stir in taco sauce mix and set aside.
Unroll crescent rolls into rectangles. Place in ungreased 15"x10" jelly roll pan or cookie sheet; press over bottom and up side to form crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Mix sour cream and taco sauce together
Spread on top of cooled crescent rolls
Top with browned beef.
Top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese.
Serve immediately.

Next Time-I really liked this pizza. It made a great dinner, but would also make a good appetizer. I wouldn't change anything.

Five Question Friday

2011-02-11T14:24:00.001-05:00

I saw this on a blog I follow, and I like the 5 questions, so I thought I'd give it a go.

This is sponsored by My Little Life, and the picture below is linked to her blog.

1. Would you rather be on ABC's Extreme Home Makeover or TLC's What Not to Wear? Well considering that we live in an apartment, there isn't anything for Home Makeover to makeover. Unless they just want to build us our dream home on some property they buy us too! But I wouldn't mind the What Not to Wear. Of course I wouldn't want to buy $5000 worth of clothes for my current size.

2. Do you have any tattoos? Yes. I have 2, with intentions of getting more. These are the 2 I have. The rose is on the inside of my left calf and the cross is on the outside of my right ankle. The rose represents all the single red roses my H has gotten me during our relationship, and I intend on adding rosebuds below it for each kid I have.

The cross contains the initials of my best friend who died during my junior year of high school. Not sure why I chose the sun and cross, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Also planning on getting a sisters tattoo this summer (hopefully). This is the design, which symbolizes the 3 stages of womanhood and there are 3 of us, so I think if fits doubly.

3. Do you tell your kids about things you did growing up? Since I only have a 7 month old, this doesn't really apply. But I don't intend on lying to him, or being a hypocrite. If he asks, I'll tell him. But I may try and apply some learning or life lesson.

4. If the traffic signal turns yellow, do you stop or speed up? Depends. 50/50, I'll do either. Depends on the road, if I'm rushing, or other factors.

5. What's your preference: chocolate or chips? Chocolate, hands down. I try to limit myself, but I usually have something chocolate once a day.

Meatball with Peppers and Pineapples

2011-02-06T11:05:00.000-05:00

Source-The Pioneer Woman

Some recipes just look really good. Of course The Pioneer Woman maximizes this by taking photos of every step, and then making the final product look first class. This recipe had so many of the right notes. Meatballs, which H loves. Peppers which we both love. And pineapple, which I love. Can't go wrong!

Ingredients

1-¼ pound Ground Beef
½ whole Onion, Diced Very Finely
1 whole Egg
½ cups Panko Bread Crumbs (or Regular Breadcrumbs)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
½ teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper, More To Taste
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
Canola Oil, For Frying
2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Seeded And Diced Roughly
1-½ cup Fresh Pineapple Chunks
2 cups Beef Stock Or Broth
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
½ cups Sherry Or White Wine Vinegar
⅓ cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Salt To Taste
Crushed Red Pepper, To Taste
Extra Beef Stock If Needed

Preparation

Combine ground beef, diced onion, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and crushed red pepper.
Mix with hands until combined.
Roll meat mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze on the pan for 15 minutes to firm.
Mix together beef stock, soy sauce, sherry (or vinegar), sugar, and cornstarch.
Heat canola oil over medium-high heat.
Roll meatballs in flour, then fry in two batches until nice and brown, about two minutes per batch.
Remove meatballs and set aside on a separate plate.
Pour off oil from pan and return pan to medium high heat.
When pan is hot, throw in the chopped green peppers and cook for one minute.
Add pineapple to pan and cook for one minute, stirring gently.
Pour in stock/soy sauce mixture, then add meatballs.
Stir gently to combine and allow to cook and bubble for a few minutes, or until sauce is thickened.
Add salt and crushed red peppers to taste. (Hint: this dish is yummy if it’s a little spicy.)
Serve over cooked brown or white rice.

Next Time- This recipe was OK. The meatballs were excellent. My problem was the flavor the white wine vinegar gave was overwhelming. I've never cooked with it before so I didn't know this could happen. My H really liked the flavor. I'd say next time I'd cut down the amount, or even omit it. If I leave it out I'd cut down on the sugar.

Lighthouse Lasagna

2011-02-01T20:11:00.000-05:00

Source-Lauren's Kitchen

I love lasagna, so when I find a variation of it I want to try it out.

Ingredients

1 pound ground meat
1 small onion, diced
1 small can tomato paste
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sugar (omitted)
Coarse salt
12 ounces egg noodles
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (omitted, just added oil to boiling pasta water)
1 1/2 cup sour cream
5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sauté the meat until lightly browned in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks Add onions as meat cooks.
Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, salt, and sugar.
Fill the tomato paste can with water and stir it in.
Simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
Fill a large pot with water, salt it, and bring it to a boil.
Add the egg noodles and cook them until tender.
Drain the noodles, then return them to the pot.
Stir in the butter.
Mix the sour cream, cream cheese, and scallions in a small bowl.
Make two layers of the ingredients in a large casserole dish, as follows: Spread a little sauce over the bottom of the dish, top with a layer of noodles, then spread half of the sour cream mixture and half of the meat sauce. Repeat these steps.
Top the lasagna with the shredded mozzarella.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the lasagna mixture is bubbly and the cheese is lightly browned.

Next Time-This was really good and I liked the creamy layer of the cream cheese and sour cream. The only downside is that I didn't find that there was enough sauce. So perhaps maybe using 1 1/2lbs hamburger and 2 or even 3 of the 8oz jars of tomato sauce would be better. Otherwise this had great flavor and leftovers were just as great!

Hamburger Vegetable Soup

2011-01-31T22:45:00.000-05:00

Source- Money Saving Mom

This recipe is from a new blog that I follow. It is actually a blog about saving money, and I imagine that with the amount of food that this recipe makes you can save money since it makes enough for a meals for a few days. ;)

This is a hearty soup that is full of vegetables and flavor. H actually said after tasting it that it was a perfect cold weather meal. And with our weather dipping into singles digits with the wind chill, we certainly qualify for that cold weather!

picture courtesy of Money Saving Mom

I'd advise having some sort of hearty, crusty bread to serve with this. We didn't have any, and had to settle for cornbread muffins, which were still really good.

I've changed the directions below since I made this in my slow cooker. The big pot I have for the stove just wasn't big enough for all this food. Heck, my slow cooker was filled to the brim as it was. So be advised to have a BIG stockpot to make this soup!!

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups shredded cabbage
4 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked
6 to 10 cups water (only used 4 cups)
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 Tablespoons salt (didn't use nearly this much)
pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves

Preparation

Brown ground beef and onion together until meat is lightly browned. Drain off excess fat.
Transfer to slow cooker.
Add all remaining ingredients and stir.
Cover and cook on high for at least 4 hours.
Makes 18 to 20 cups of soup. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Next Time- I was happy with this cooking in my slow cooker. The potatoes and carrots still had a bit of bite to them, but everything had blended together nicely. Leftover heat up nicely, and there are plenty of them!

Cheddar & Cracker Chicken

2011-01-29T10:28:00.000-05:00

Source-Joelen's Culinary Adventures

I've done coated chicken before and I like trying different varieties. This recipe didn't disappoint.

If you click the link for Joelen's blog you'll see that she called for dipping the chicken in melted butter before the cheese/cracker mixture. I tried that with the first piece, and it just didn't stick. So I scraped that and went to the egg, and that worked much better. The recipe below reflects this change.

Oopsy, forgot to take a picture. :(

Ingredients

16 buttery crackers (such as Ritz), crushed (about 3⁄4 cup)
6 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1-2 stalks scallions, thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten

Preparation

Heat oven to 350° F.
In a bowl, combine the crackers, cheese, garlic, scallions and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Pound the chicken to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickeness with a meat mallet.
Pour the beaten egg on a plate.
Dip the pounded chicken in the egg, then in the cracker mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle any leftover cheese/cracker mixture over chicken.
Bake until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Next Time- With the change I made when making the recipe I'm happy with the way it turned out. No further changes need to be made.

Spinach Dip Chicken

2011-01-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

Source- Stephanie Cooks

Stephanie has put out some awesome recipes. I love when something pops up in my Google Reader from her. This recipe didn't disappoint.

Ingredients

2 thin chicken breasts
1/3 cup panko (or bread crumbs)
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg
Cooking spray
1/2 cup spinach dip (or any variety you have)

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350.
In a bowl, beat the egg.
On a separate plate combine the panko (or bread crumbs) and garlic powder.
Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the breading.
Place in a dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray.
Lightly cover coated chicken with cooking spray.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, top with the spinach dip.
Return to the oven- bake until chicken is cooked through and the dip is hot.

Next Time- While this recipe turned out really good, and had good flavor, next time I think I'd like to try it with the Spinach Dip I made at Thanksgiving. I used store bought this time, but home made would be better. Or else I would add some mozzarella on top of the spinach and melt that.

Beef & Noodles

2011-01-26T15:58:00.000-05:00

Source- Meijer Mealbox

Another meal from my grocery store's meal planning tool. I love meals that get to simmer on the stove or slow cooker so you have time to anticipate the meal! This meal definitely gives off a great scent, and has awesome flavor.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups baby carrots, halved crosswise
1 pkg. extra-wide noodles
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless beef chuck roast
4 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Preparation

Trim fat from meat.
Cut meat into 3/4-inch cubes.
In 5-quart Dutch oven, brown half of meat in hot oil. Remove.
Brown remaining meat with onion and garlic.
Add more oil, if necessary. Drain fat.
Return all meat to pan.
Stir in broth, bay leaf, thyme and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until meat is tender.
Stir in carrots and noodles.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cook, covered, about 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.
Remove and discard bay leaf.

Next Time- This has good flavor. H thought that it could use more vegetables. I could add celery, and cut the onion into slices instead of small chunks. I'm not really sure what other vegetables would be good in this. But something worth exploring and experimenting with.

New Additions to Blog

2011-01-17T22:41:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note- I've made a couple changes to my blog. Since I have no idea who follows my blog through Google Reader I wanted to make sure everyone knew about my additions.

A bit ago I signed up for Twitter. I've added the application to show my most recent updates in the right column. Just in case any of you were interested in following me there, my SN is MommyRebel.

I've also added a page detailing the books that I've read for the year. We're 17 days into the year and I've finished 9 books, and I'm about halfway through #10. Not a bad start for me.

11 Things in 2011

2011-01-14T22:20:00.001-05:00

Saw this on an author blog I follow. This is a different concept. Instead of making a resolution of what I want to change, I'd rather set myself some goals for what I would like to accomplish this year.

~ Finish my pharmacy technician class with at least a 95% average. I only need an 80% to pass, but I want to do better than that.

~Have a job shortly after getting my certification. I'm very hopeful that with the internship I'll do and the bonus of being a Certified Pharmacy Technician that gaining employment won't be hard.

~To help my H find a better job. He graduated from college in May 2007 and still doesn't have a "career". He has jobs that pay our bills. I would really like to help him get into a job that is long term and he loves.

~Get the sisters tattoo with my 2 little sisters. We've been planning this for awhile, and my littlest sister finally turned 18 this past December! This is the Celtic symbol for sisterhood that the 3 of us will be getting on our lower ankle area. Not definitive on the location.

~Do something girly for myself. Be it getting a mani/pedi, or something else. Do something without Baby Rebel and H that is just for me.

~Update my 101 in 1001, and see what I stand with accomplishing that. My finish date is March 14, 2012, so I still have some time to work on the list.

~Just enjoy everyday with H and Baby Rebel. Time is flying and I can't believe that in 8 days I'll have a 7 month old. So I want to cherish every moment with my 2 guys and make the most of our time as a family of 3.

Baked Chicken Rigatoni

2011-01-14T21:56:00.000-05:00

Source- Meijer Mealbox

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 (8-oz.) pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 each medium onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 (1-lb.) rigatoni pasta
2 cups milk
2 (8-oz.) tubs light chive-and-onion-flavored cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In large skillet cook and stir chicken, mushrooms, onion and bell peppers in hot oil over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
Meanwhile, cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain.
In large bowl combine cooked rigatoni and chicken mixture.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In saucepan combine milk, cream cheese and butter.
Cook and stir over medium heat until smooth.
Stir in undrained tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.
Stir into chicken mixture.
Transfer to 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
Bake, covered, about 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Next Time- Change nothing. This has great flavor and leftovers are great.

Baked Potato Soup

2011-01-14T21:46:00.000-05:00

Source- Meijer Mealbox

I don't often make soup, so when I came across this recipe I decided to give it a try. Am I ever glad I did, this is amazing.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
4 green onions, chopped, divided
4 cups milk
2 cups peeled, diced baking potato
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Preparation

Melt butter in Dutch oven over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth.
Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute until thickened and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk.
Stir in potato, half of green onions, salt and pepper.
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, 30 minutes or until thickened and potato is done.
Stir in 1 cup cheese; cook 5 minutes more.
Serve with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon sprinkled on top of soup.

Next Time- I wouldn't change anything. Or perhaps just doubling the recipe so that we have more for leftovers. This is really good, and goes quick!

Cheeseburger Pasta

2011-01-14T21:37:00.000-05:00

Source- Campbell's Kitchen

I'll admit, I make hamburger helper. When I don't feel like thinking about dinner, they are pretty mindless and easy to throw together. This meal is so similar to them, and so much better for you. Awesomeness!!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Tomato Soup
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups uncooked medium shell-shaped pasta

Preparation

Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.
Stir the soups, water and pasta in the skillet and heat to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender, stirring often.

Next Time- This meal comes together in a snap and has great flavor. I'd add onions when I cook the hamburger.

Egg Scramble

2011-01-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

Source- My original concoction!

Breakfast for dinner, who doesn't love that?! H and I don't get to eat breakfast together with his schedule, so big meals like this have to go on our dinner rotation if we ever want to have them. A nice mixture of great stuff you'd have in an omelet without the added work of making the omelet! I'll leave the omelets to my mom.

This makes quite a bit for 2 people, but heating up leftovers isn't a bad thing.

Ingredients

1/2 pkg sausage links
6 slices bacon
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small can mushrooms, chopped
7 eggs, scrambled
salt & pepper to taste
shredded cheese

Preparation

Heat oven to 375.
Place bacon on cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake about 5 minutes, or until crispy. Place on paper towel to absorb excess fat.
Cook sausage links in skillet until cooked through. Drain on paper towel if needed.
Add mushrooms, peppers and onions to a skillet with small amount of butter.
Cook until softened.
Spray skillet with cooking spray. Pour eggs into skillet. Add salt and pepper.
Scramble eggs until almost completely cooked.
Cut sausage links into small pieces, and break bacon into small pieces.
Add sausage, bacon, mushrooms, peppers and onions to eggs.
Sprinkle shredded cheese, turn heat off, and cover until cheese is melted.
Serve!

Next Time- I love making this. So easy to throw everything together. I think I'd like to try some tomatoes some time.

Mexican Layer Dip

2011-01-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

Source- Never Grow Up

I wanted something to have for our company we had after Christmas. I made this dip for them. I added a step of heating in the oven.

Ingredients

1 can of refried beans
1 jar of chunky salsa
2 packs of cream cheese
1 tub of sour cream
1 package of taco seasoning
1 block of sharp cheddar cheese
1 block of monterey jack
tortilla chips for dipping

Preparation

Spread the refried beans along the bottom of a pan. I use 9x13, but you can use whatever you've got on hand. Spread to the thickness you desire. If you don't like beans, you can always skip them too.
Pour salsa over the beans and spread evenly.
In separate bowl, mix together the sour cream and cream cheese and taco seasoning. You can add vary the sour cream and cream cheese to get the thickness you desire, and also vary how much taco seasoning you use to vary the spiciness.
Spread the mixture on top of the salsa.
Shred the cheeses and put on top.
Place in 300 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Next Time- I don't think I'll be making this again. Didn't turn out like I expected and I've had better dips.

Restaurant-Style Smashed Potatoes

2011-01-14T20:51:00.000-05:00

Source- Pioneer Woman

The past few years H and I spend Christmas Day just the 2 of us, so I plan a special meal for just us. Plans gotten shaken up a bit this year, so we had our special meal on Christmas Eve. We had sirloin steak with these potatoes. Amazing!!!

Ingredients

5 whole Large Red Potatoes
1 stick Butter, Softened And Cut Into Pieces
5 slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 whole Green Onions, Sliced
¾ cups Sour Cream
Salt To Taste (add Plenty!)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper To Taste (ditto!)
¾ cups French Fried Onions, More For Topping

Preparation

Nuke potatoes or bake in the oven until fork-tender.
Add to a large bowl and smash with a potato masher.
Immediately add softened butter, green onions, bacon, and sour cream and stir with a rubber spatula.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add french fried onions and fold in.
Serve hot, sprinkling on extra french fried onions and green onions.

Next Time- Nothing needs to be changed. These are so good.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

2011-01-14T20:40:00.000-05:00

Source- Lauren's Kitchen

Not much to say about this recipe. A great slow cooker meal.

Guess I forgot to take a picture, I can't seem to find it. :(

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
10 oz package frozen corn kernels
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
24 oz. (3) boneless skinless chicken breasts
chili peppers, chopped (optional, I omitted)
chopped fresh cilantro (omitted)

Preparation

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker.
Place chicken on top and cover.
Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.
Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.
Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream.

Next Time- This recipe was really easy to put together and tasted great too. I liked the cheese and sour cream as toppings. Definitely will make again.

Oreo Truffles

2011-01-07T21:47:00.000-05:00

Source- Central Cooking, but you can find the recipe everywhere you turn!

I was surprised at myself to find that I didn't blog about these last year when I made them for my family Christmas. They were such a huge hit. My mom is a huge baker, and makes enough treats that no one else needs to bring any desserts. But after how popular they were last year I knew I needed to make them again. Of course they were huge again.

Funny Story- I made these at my house so I didn't have to worry about finding the time when we reached my sister's house. We get 20 minutes on the road and I realized I had left them in the fridge. So we had to buy the stuff to make them all over again. Of course once we got home we had a whole tub of truffles to ourselves. Not a good thing when they are as good as these are. Also, after my uncle tasted them for the first time he offered to pay the postage to ship him the tub we had left at home.

Ingredients

1 pkg Oreos
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use any kind of chocolate you'd like
Sprinkles for topping

Preparation

Crush all the Oreos. I use my food processor, but you could do it by hand.
Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper
Mix Oreos with cream cheese until well blended. I use my stand mixer to make sure it is well mixed.
Form into small balls and place on cookie sheet.
Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Melt chocolate. I use a double boiler, but you could use the microwave.
Dip truffles into melted chocolate and cover completely. Place back on cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with sprinkles while still wet.
Put back in fridge for a couple hours, or until firm.
Eat!!

Some Notes

-You can set aside some crushed Oreos before mixing with the cream cheese to use as the topping for the truffles.

-Two forks work best for working to cover the truffles with the melted chocolate.

A Year in Review

2011-01-04T23:06:00.002-05:00

When I got home from our long weekend I found my Google Reader full of everyone doing a review of 2010. So I thought I'd join the crowd.

I've decided to highlight events, food, and books from 2010.

We'll start with the food.

Top 10 recipes I made in 2010 (in no particular order)

1. BBQ Chicken Pizza

2. Grilled Steaks with Sweet-Spicy Hoisin Sauce

3. Chocolate-Cream Cheese-Peanut Butter Bars

4. Garden Pasta Salad

5. Beef Stew

6. Enchilada Casserole

7. Creamy Taco Mac

8. Spinach Artichoke Dip

9. Creamy Fiesta Salsa Chicken

10. Beef & Cheese Manicotti

What did we do this year? Oh yeah, we had a baby!! ;) Time certainly flies after having a baby. I can't believe our little man is 6 months old!

He's celebrated his first Christmas and New Year's.

Other than having the baby, H and I didn't manage to do much this year. We went to my family reunion over Labor Day Weekend. I did start school in October, and will finish the beginning of June. Hopefully 2011 will bring us more adventures and even more fun with our little man!!

I'm a huge reader. I managed to finish reading 168 books this past year. Not quite as good as 2009 (195), but pretty dang good for having a brand new baby for half the year.

Choosing just 10 may be hard, but I'll do my best!

Top 10 Books Read in 2010 (in no particular order)

1. Eternal Hunter by Cynthia Eden

2. The Mane Squeeze by Shelly Laurenston

3. Jacob by Jacquelyn Frank

4. Shoot to Thrill by Nina Bruhns

5. Fantasy in Death & Indulgence in Death by JD Robb

6. Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

7. Dark Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon (I've read 1-15 and gave 5 stars to 6 of the books)

8. Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep

9. Watch Over Me by Lucy Monroe

10.Into the Lair by Maya Banks

I've set a goal of reading 150 books in 2011. With school finishing in June, and hopefully getting a new job shortly thereafter I have no idea what my reading time will be like.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2010-12-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

Source- Meijer Meal Planner

I'm not really sure how I'm going to source these recipes. Meijer.com is the website for the grocery store that H and I shop at. They have a meal planning tool where you can look through their recipes, add them to a list, and then add all the grocery items to a shopping list which you can then print. Very convenient and they even offer coupons for some items.

This was the first recipe H and I tried from the meal planner.

The pizza crust I bought came with 2, so I actually doubled everything and made 2 pizzas for us. Leftovers are fantastic.

Ingredients

1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 pre-cooked 12-inch pizza crust or focaccia
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place pizza crust on baking sheet, brush lightly with small amount of olive oil.
Bake 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, leaving oven on.
Cut chicken breasts into 1/2-inch wide strips; sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper to taste.
In medium skillet heat remaining oil over medium-high heat.
Add chicken; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
Spread barbecue sauce on heated crust.
Top with onions, red peppers, chicken, and cheese.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Next Time- H and I both loved this pizza. He actually raved about it for a few days after. The flavor is awesome. H will definitely be asking me to make this again. I think I'd be willing to add more red onion then I did. I was worried about it being overpowering, but I think baking them took away their power.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

2010-12-22T15:22:00.000-05:00

Source- adapted from My Grandma

I changed things up a bit with this recipe. The original is regular ole Banana Nut Bread. I decided to change things up a bit by adding some chocolate chips because I was craving something chocolate, and lo-and-behold I was out of walnuts.

I always use bananas that I've frozen and then thawed out. If you have a banana going brown throw it in your freezer instead of throwing it out. Then whenever the mood strikes you for something with mashed bananas, you just have to pull out 1 or 2 of these guys and let them thaw.

If you want to sub the walnuts for the chocolate chips, make sure they are chopped well and you only need 1/2 cup.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup mashed banana, I use 2 full bananas
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix dry ingredients- flour, sugar, soda, and powder
Add wet ingredients- banana, butter and eggs
Beat until well blended
Mix in chocolate chips
Spray bread pan with cooking spray
Pour mixture into pan
Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees (My oven cooks faster so mine only needed about 50 minutes)

Next Time- I really liked the addition of the chocolate chips, as did my H. I'll certainly be willing to make it this way again. I also want to try it this way with the addition of the walnuts.

Beef & Cheese Manicotti

2010-12-16T21:37:00.000-05:00

Source-Giada De Laurentiis via Food Network

I love Giada. Her recipes are so good, and some of them are so easy. This one takes a little bit of time, but trust me, it is well worth it. And since it is just H and I there were lots of leftovers, which both of us love. Especially since we both liked this recipe so much.

Ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
14 (8-ounce package) manicotti
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Preparation

Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat.
Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper.
Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool.
Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet.
Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.
Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix.
Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish.
Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish.
Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture.
Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta.
Dot entire dish with the butter pieces.
Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

Next Time- Wow is this dish good!! H really liked it too. It may be a bit time consuming filling the shells, but it's worth it. Nothing needs to be changed!

Roasted Rosemary Pork Chops

2010-12-16T21:31:00.000-05:00

Source-Betty Crocker

Not sure what to say about this recipe. I was just looking for another pork recipe since I bought a family pack when it was on sale.

I used up our potatoes with the beer braised beef, which is why I omitted them. Didn't take nearly as long to cook with just the onions and no bone in the pork. But faster isn't a bad thing!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon garlic-pepper blend
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups) (omitted)
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges
4 bone-in loin pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

Preparation

Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray.
In large bowl, mix mustard, oil, rosemary, garlic-pepper blend, seasoned salt and paprika. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the mustard mixture.
Add potatoes and onion to remaining mustard mixture in bowl; toss to coat. Place vegetables in pan.
Roast uncovered 25 minutes. Turn and stir potato mixture. Brush pork chops with reserved 1 tablespoon mustard mixture. Add pork chops to corners of pan.
Roast uncovered 15 to 20 minutes longer or until pork is no longer pink when cut near bone and vegetables are tender.

Next Time- These had great flavor, and H and I both really liked the red onions. It'd be nice to try this with the potatoes next time, but nothing else needs to be altered.

Beer Braised Beef with Onions

2010-12-15T22:59:00.000-05:00

Source-The Pioneer Woman

A sad note, I don't have a dutch oven that is oven safe. So instead of wallowing in my inability to make this recipe, I decided to adapt things a bit and use my slow cooker. Took about 4 hours instead of 3 for the meat to reach that fall apart doneness.

Ingredients

1 whole Chuck Roast, 2 1/2 To 5 Pounds
Salt And Pepper To Taste (Be Generous!)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 whole Onions, Peeled And Sliced Thick
5 cloves Garlic Chopped
2 cans Beer
1 teaspoon Ground Thyme
½ teaspoons Rosemary Leaves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Heat oil in a large dutch oven over high heat.
Season meat generously with salt and pepper. Sear meat on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove meat from pan. Lower heat to medium.
Throw in onions and garlic. Stir for 30 seconds. Pour in beer, and add thyme, rosemary, and salt to taste—about 1 teaspoon. (Do not undersalt!) Add meat to pot, put to submerge, and place lid on pot.
Cook in oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is fork tender and falling apart.
Shred meat with two forks. Serve on dinner plates and spoon juice and onions over the top.
Serve with very crust bread to sop up the juice.

Next Time- I wish I had had the crusty bread Ree mentions!!

Chicken Ranch Tacos

2010-12-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

Source-Betty Crocker

H and I are big taco fans. I make them usually about 1 a month, which is often when you're making as many new recipes as I am. When I saw this come up while searching Betty Crocker I wanted to try it as something a little different for our taco "fix."

Preparation Note- I hate doing anything in the microwave. I cooked the chicken on the stove
and added the ingredients to the pan.

Ingredients

1 box (4.7 oz) taco shells (10 shells) (used regular soft shells)
3 cups cut-up deli rotisserie chicken (from 2- to 2 1/2-lb chicken) (used 3 chicken breasts and cooked myself)
1 package (1 oz) taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1/4 cup sliced green onions (4 medium), if desired
Thick 'n Chunky salsa, if desired
Additional ranch dressing, if desired

Preparation

Heat oven to 325°F. Heat taco shells in oven as directed on box.
Meanwhile, in medium microwavable bowl, place chicken. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix; toss gently to coat. Microwave uncovered on High 2 to 3 minutes or until hot. Stir in 1/2 cup dressing.
Spoon warm chicken mixture into heated taco shells.
Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and onions.
Drizzle with salsa and additional dressing.

Next Time-These were a great change, but still filled that taco craving. Nothing needs to be changed.

Chicken Pot Pie Penne

2010-12-15T22:27:00.000-05:00

Source-Joelen's Culinary Adventures

I made this recipe for my H. He loves pot pies, but the frozen kind are so bad for you. I'm not a fan of those crusts. So I thought we both could win with this recipe. It certainly didn't disappoint.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (used a small can)
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup half & half or heavy cream (used milk)
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded into bite sized pieces
1 cup frozen peas & carrots mix
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (omitted)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (used dried)
1-2 cups whole wheat dry penne pasta (or any penne pasta will do)
water for boiling pasta

Preparation

Cook the pasta according to package directions. When done, place hot penne pasta in a large bowl and set aside.
Melt the better (or oil if using) in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Cook onion, garlic and mushrooms in the skillet until golden brown.
Sprinkle in the flour over the mushroom mixture in the skillet and stir. Cook for a few seconds to rid the floury smell then add the broth, half & half (or heavy cream) to the skillet.
Deglaze the skillet, scraping up any bits of fond at the bottom of the skillet.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered until the liquid is slightly thickened.
Add the chicken, frozen peas and carrots mix, lemon juice, and thyme to the skillet.
Cook until heated through and season with salt & pepper to taste.
Place the hot penne pasta into the skillet and toss to combine.

Next Time- This turned out good, and doesn't need any changes. Although I think I would try it with the heavy cream instead of milk to see if the sauce is a bit thicker.

Dripping Roast Beef Sandwich

2010-12-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

Source-Campbell's Kitchen

I found this recipe while going through the coupons one weekend. I love little gems that are hidden in uncommon places.

Ingredients

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed French Onion Soup
1 tablespoon reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
4 Soft Hoagie Rolls with Sesame Seeds
4 slices deli provolone cheese cut in half
1/4 cup drained hot or mild pickled banana pepper rings (omitted)

Preparation

Heat the oven to 400°F.
Heat the soup and Worcestershire in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.
Add the beef and heat through, stirring occasionally.
Divide the beef evenly among the rolls.
Top the beef with the cheese slices and place the sandwiches onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 3 minutes or until the sandwiches are toasted and the cheese is melted.
Spoon the soup mixture onto the sandwiches. (Put into a bowl and dipped sandwiches)
Top each sandwich with 1 tablespoon pepper rings.

Next Time- These are sooo easy to make, and are tasty. Next Time I'd saute some peppers and onions up to put on top of the meat under the cheese. I loved how the bread got crunchy.

Asian Orzo

2010-12-15T22:09:00.000-05:00

Source-Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

I have come to love Mary Ellen's recipes. I have never been steered wrong when I try something she has posted. I knew I wanted to make the Chinese BBQ Pork Chops that I got from her website, and I went in search of a side dish to serve with them. Lucky me my search found the side dish on her blog!

Ingredients

1 c dry orzo pasta
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp brown sugar

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a small pot
Add onion, saute 3-4 minutes or until soft.
Add orzo, toss to coat/toast for 1 minute
Mix the broth with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Add the broth mixture to the pot, stir, bring to a simmer then lower heat and cover.
Cook on low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes or until done. The broth should just be absorbed as the pasta finishes cooking.
Stir to fluff and serve.

Next Time- This was easy to make, and had good flavor. But it was just missing something. I'm not a chef, so I don't know what it was missing. I just know it needed something more. Someone have an idea?

Layered Mexican Bake

2010-12-15T22:01:00.000-05:00

Source-Kraft Magazine

Found this recipe in the Kraft Magazine. I'm slowly working my way through recipes I've ripped out of magazines. I like when they turn out as well as this one did.

Ingredients

3/4 lb. extra-lean ground beef (used 1 1/4lbs)
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1-1/4 cups Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn
3 high-fiber whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)
1/2 cup Light Sour Cream
3/4 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided

Preparation

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
BROWN meat with onions and peppers in large skillet on medium-high heat. Stir in chili powder; cook 1 min. Add salsa and corn; mix well. Simmer 5 min.
SPREAD 1 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 8- or 9-inch square baking dish; top with layers of 1 tortilla, 1/2 cup meat sauce, sour cream and 1/4 cup cheese. Cover with 1 tortilla, 1 cup of remaining meat sauce and 1/4 cup of remaining cheese; top with remaining tortilla and meat sauce. Cover with foil.
BAKE 25 min. or until casserole is heated through. Top with remaining cheese; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or melted.

Next Time- This was pretty easy to put together. And leftovers were great. Nothing needs to be changed.

New Potato Chicken Stew

2010-12-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

Source- Adapted from BettyCrocker.com

This recipe sounded good as listed on the site. But before adding it to my grocery list I read over the reviews by others who had made the recipe previously. I took their advice and added a bunch of extra stuff to the recipe.

Ingredients





2 cups broccoli flowerets or snap pea pods 1 medium onion, chopped 1 cup carrots, julienned 1 cup water 6 new red potatoes, (3/4 pound), cut into fourths 3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, (3/4 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes 2 jars (12 ounces) chicken gravy

Preparation

Mix all ingredients in 3-quart saucepan.
Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat.
Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and chicken is no longer pink in center.

Next Time- This was a great stew. The only thing I really need to change it to hold off on adding the pea pods awhile. They completely came apart by the time the stew was ready to eat.

Mix all ingredients in 3-quart saucepan.
Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and chicken is no longer pink in center.

Baby Sign Language

2010-12-02T11:04:00.000-05:00

When I first heard about this concept I loved it. I've always been interested in sign language, and know the alphabet, but that's the extent of my knowledge. So getting to learn signs while teaching them to my baby sounded awesome.

The idea of teaching my son "words" so that he could communicate with me at an early age seems so amazing. I've heard of so many success stories. Some parents worry about a delay in speech development, but as long as you are saying the word when you sign it the child will learn both.

Since Baby Rebel has been born I've checked out 2 different books from the library. And they have sat mostly untouched at our house until it was time to return them 3 weeks later. Since Baby Rebel was getting older, and the small amount I read in the books recommended starting around 3-4 months I knew I needed to make a decision. So, this past weekend armed with a 30% off coupon I bought Baby Signing Time. The reason I went with a video is that it gives me a person actually making the sign so that I can see how to do it right, and it frees up my hands from a book when I'm learning to sign.

It arrived last night, and Baby Rebel and I watched it right before bedtime. I really like it so far. Together, we just watched the first chapter, which was about eating and drinking. The woman shows the signs, sings a song, and then they show babies and toddlers of different ages showing how they make the sign. I think that last part is important so that you can get an idea of what a child making the sign is like, since they aren't precise like the lady.

Obviously it will take time (read: months) before we see any signing from Baby Rebel, but we have to start sometime. H and I watched more together when he got home. We need to be on the same page, and consistent, in signing if we really want the baby to learn.

I'll keep you updated on any progress. :)