tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17773868281751014102024-03-13T22:58:48.280-07:00Pachey's TreatsA blog for the the experienced, but not expert cook!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-17920928577780108082010-06-20T15:52:00.000-07:002010-06-21T19:07:09.679-07:00Happy Father's Day!<div><div>In honor of my wonderful husband on his first Father's Day, I made him a special treat. This is something I would never in a million years make, except he loves it. I do not. Which means that this whole entire pie is his. I wonder how long it will take him to eat the whole thing?<br /></div><div><BR>When I first met my husband, his love of all things coconut grossed me out. Macaroons, German chocolate cake, coconut cream pie. Anything with coconut is loved by him. I do not love coconut (the texture is odd to me). I have learned to like it over the years, but I still do not love it. If it's placed in front of me in dessert form, I will eat it. I can't not give my husband his favorite thing, so off to make a pie I went.</div><br /><div>He gets a German chocolate cake every year on his birthday. This year for his first Father's Day, I tried my hand at a coconut cream pie. I never realized how easy a cream pie was to make. I assumed I had to boil the filling to make it thick. This particular recipe required no boiling. I just needed to measure and mix.</div><br /><div>This morning, at 7:00 am, while the wee one was sleeping, I went to work on the pie. It took me a grand total of 15 minutes to make. I will fully admit that I did not make the pie crust from scratch. If I had, it would have added a significant amount of time to my pie baking adventures. </div><br /><div>The pie baked up beautifully, but it's missing something. I realized after about an hour what is missing: Whipped cream on the top. Don't coconut cream pies usually have a ginormous mound of whipped cream on them? Thankfully, I have some whipping cream in the refrigerator from a recipe a couple of weeks ago. Because I am a good wife, I will whip that up and top the husband's pie. He darn well better not ask for Cool Whip.</div><br />Here is the lovely pie before the whipped cream.<br /><div></div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485412826936030114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt94z8-3QTI2BeisaDdz2YSq7mSIlcuMPENwUp85OLRWLPd06E1tgxUv_MpL5p-fiuiA-bmbM8YR1cBx_MnNlsb5pRJVlye1z6qT5NMRV2ZDFHYFSlBXQjUh6NKYH-XqpnpdXeGFHjaKc/s320/Coconut+Cream+Pie.JPG" /> How did this taste? I have no idea. I don't like coconut remember? The pie sure looks pretty (with the exception of a little burnt edge. My oven has hot spots).<br /><br /><div><strong><u>Coconut Cream Pie</u></strong></div><div>from: <a href="http://www.allrecipes.com/">http://www.allrecipes.com/</a></div><br /><div>1 pie crust</div><div>3/4 cup sugar</div><div>2 tablespoons flour</div><div>2 eggs</div><div>1 cup milk</div><div>2 teaspoons butter</div><div>1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg</div><div>1 cup flaked coconut</div><br /><div>1. Mix together sugar, flour and nutmeg. Beat in eggs. Add milk and butter and stir. Stir in coconut. Pour filling in unbaked pie shell.</div><br /><div>2. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.</div></div><br />Here is the lovely pie after the whipped cream. I would like to point out that by the time I took this picture, half the pie was consumed.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485413119565686594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfHSl7gfEq8BoWNW4XjhMTtxkc6gQl1L6oKNYNh_LRq9P0rQojwN3fkYM4DyzPHeNJBGOY7IT3FGixb6z42Pl2VVHmjBmu2Cm5xK38Xbo6GgoTmnAiPjn-38U_B533BPxD50zDRYmnbcR/s320/Coconut+Cream+Pie+2.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-75731839811979556232010-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:002010-06-06T15:20:54.022-07:00Cajun NightAlthough I doubt many Cajuns eat a lot of pasta. At any rate, this recipe is called Cajun Chicken Pasta. I found it from the Pioneer Woman's website. I don't even remember what I was looking for on her site, but I stumbled across this. I never say "no" to a good pasta dinner, so I made this.<br /><br />I don't know if there was something in the water last weekend, but I swear, my cooking kind of sucked. My cornbread topping didn't turn out (see last post) and when I was making this recipe, my cream sauce never thickened. Oh well. You can't win 'em all!<br /><br />I have never made a recipe from the Pioneer Woman before, but I plan on making more! This pasta was really good. Even better? Eat it warmed up the next day. Both my husband and I agreed that it was better the next day.<br /><br />I did a couple of things differently from the recipe. First, I didn't cook the chicken in batches. I have a huge pan so I decided to just cook it all at once. It was much easier for me this way. Also, I didn't have white wine, so I just used a bit extra of the chicken broth. I also made my own Cajun seasoning. It was very simple. Salt, pepper, paprika and some other seasonings. I used more than what the recipe called for since we love things spicy in our house. I am glad I used more too. There was the perfect amount of heat on the veggies and chicken.<br /><br />This recipe was more time consuming than I am used to these days. That is not to say that it would be time consuming for you. After all, I purposely look for recipes that take less than 30 minutes because I am usually watching the wee one. I need simple. This was simple for sure. It only took a little bit longer than my regulation 30 minutes. It was very much worth it though!<br /><br />I love pasta so I am glad I found something that had protein to make the husband happy, tomatoes and pasta to make me happy, and spicy to make both of us happy!<br /><br /><strong><u>Cajun Chicken Pasta</u></strong><br />from: <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/cajun-chicken-pasta/">http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/cajun-chicken-pasta/</a><br /><br />3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes<br />3 teaspoons Cajun spice mix<br />1 pound fettuccine<br />2 tablespoons olive oil<br />2 tablespoons butter<br />1 whole green pepper, seeded and sliced<br />1 whole red pepper, seeded and sliced<br />1/2 large red onion, sliced<br />3 cloves garlic, minced<br />4 whole Roma tomatoes, diced<br />2 cups low-sodium chicken broth<br />1/2 cup white wine<br />1 cup heavy cream<br />cayenne pepper to taste<br />freshly ground black pepper to taste<br />chopped fresh parsley, to taste<br /><br />1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta when it's al dente. Do not overcook!<br /><br />2. Sprinkle 1.5 teaspoons of the Cajun spice mix over the chicken. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.<br /><br />3. Add remaining butter and olive oil. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from pan.<br /><br />4. With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high 3-5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground pepper and cayenne pepper and/or salt and pepper to taste. Sauce should be spicy!<br /><br />5. Finally, add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and hot. Add the drained pasta and toss to combine. Top with the parsley.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479788226232333970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6y9G2agxKeiNTmQ9oAURus-nwWQ1Tg7dSoSFSAKaFg-ya0Ga5kjEdj2BtXORTP6EcLnMz4mWLvdslW9lS59XochglmbULUhVDP8PqbWtquYRwa9qcV-AsyDzg5-xw54kGdBLaI4DWe4Ye/s320/Cajun+Chicken+Pasta.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-45195836773367563112010-06-06T13:10:00.000-07:002010-06-06T14:58:35.770-07:00Not Quite a HitWell, I should have known. Any time I try a recipe in the crockpot that calls for a biscuit or cornbread topping, I am disappointed. You might recall a post from a couple of years ago that was a disaster. The cornbread topping was mush. It never set up. This time, it set up, but it was almost chewy/gummy.<br /><div></div><div> </div><div>I am still going to post the recipe because the filling was a hit. The cornbread topper? Not so much.</div><br /><div></div><div>I found this from the wonderful blog of 365 days of crockpot recipes. If there is something I want to try in the slow cooker, I know I can find it there. The last few recipes I made were a hit, so I thought I would try this one. What drew me to it was the fact that it took minimal "special" ingredients. Meaning, I could use most of my pantry staples and not have to buy any extra (aka: expensive) items. What did I have to buy? A sweet potato and a new container of barbeque sauce. Seriously, that's it. I had everything else on hand.</div><br /><div></div><div>Funny story about the sweet potato. I bought it at the grocery store. It was in a bin labeled sweet potato. When I peeled it, it wasn't orange like I am used to. It wasn't a regular potato either. I honestly have no idea what the darn vegetable was, but I used it anyways. I figure it can't be so horrible since it looked like a potato, but it wasn't orange or yellow-ish like a regular potato. Anyone have a clue what it could have been?</div><br /><div></div><div>This was very easy to put together. I pre-cooked the chicken like I usually do when a recipe calls for already cooked meat. I also cubed the vegetables earlier in the day so all I had to do was throw everything in the crockpot and hit go. Jack kept me company in the kitchen in his ExerSaucer while I cooked. I am going to have a mini chef on my hands in no time! He seems very interested as I talk him through what I am doing. </div><br /><div></div><div>I was skeptical about the cornbread topping and whether or not it would set up. Surprise, surprise! It did. However, it didn't taste very good. I had a normal cornbread flavor, however, it was an odd consistency. I suppose that's because I put it in the crockpot, duh! </div><br /><div></div><div>The chicken mixture was fantastic though! If I were to make this recipe again, I would double the chicken mix and serve it alongside some cornbread from the oven. Or, you could eat it with rice if you wanted to. The chicken mixture was just spicy and sweet enough. The addition of my unknown potato made it thick and slightly creamy. Plus, I love that you get some healthy veggies alongside the chicken.</div><br /><div></div><div>If you are brave and want to doctor this recipe up to try and make the cornbread edible, I commend you! Heck, for all I know, it was operator error. It could be my fault that the cornbread didn't turn out very good.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong><u>Crockpot Barbeque Chicken and Cornbread Casserole</u></strong></div><div>from: <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/crockpot-barbecued-chicken-and.html">http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/crockpot-barbecued-chicken-and.html</a></div><br /><div></div><div>1 pound of cooked or practical cooked chicked, cubed or shredded</div><div>1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1-inch chunks (optional)</div><div>1 red onion, diced (optional)</div><div>1 cup frozen or fresh corn</div><div>1 bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce (18 oz)</div><div>1/4 cup hot water</div><br /><div></div><div>Cornbread topping:</div><div>Use a mix and follow the directions on the box (minus the oil or butter), or mix together the following:</div><br /><div></div><div>3/4 cup corn meal</div><div>1 1/4 cups flour</div><div>1 cup milk</div><div>1/4 cup sugar</div><div>1 egg</div><div>1 teaspoon baking powder</div><br /><div></div><div>* Spray the inside of your stoneware with cooking spray. Cut up the chicken and sweet potato, and add to the crock. Add the corn. Empty the contents of the barbeque sauce bottle, and then add the 1/4 cup hot water to the bottle, shake, and pour that in too. Mix well with a spoon.</div><br /><div></div><div>* In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. You don't need to mix well. Spread the topping on the chicken mixture.</div><br /><div></div><div>* Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. </div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479782824691578946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUxgF-GfP-TXdcKVt7PjeTZsIdnPbSRpOOgMrWQATWLmL6iqLsEwEs2Z1ciqw3c0PP8yGZsM0XOk7IA7COrhT_3ULT95HD6wyQSJDXb59s9XM2Xmu9c3MUUp4Q36HIXgkmMs1fqdAnxhq/s320/Crockpot+Barbeque+Chicken+and+Cornbread+Casserole.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-75524670052161792722010-04-25T06:47:00.001-07:002010-04-25T07:09:58.382-07:00Pizza NightDon't many people splurge and treat themselves to pizza on the weekends? I am not one to be a conformist so I made our "pizza" dinner. Yes, that happens to be in quotes for a reason. It isn't really fair to say we ate pizza for dinner. We ate a variation of pizza.........In soup form.<br /><br />Yes, soup.<br /><br />Pizza soup! And wouldn't you know it? It tasted exactly like pizza, just in liquid form. Don't get grossed out because it was very tasty.<br /><br />The crockpot was in use in our home on Saturday. I love my crockpot. I wish I had the time and the energy to use it every day like Stephanie from this blog: <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/">http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />She is an inspiration to me. Can you imagine making all your recipes in the crockpot for a year? Wow! Talk about dedication!<br /><br />I was perusing her site again and came across this yummy concoction. I thought "hmmm, why not?". It had a lot of fresh veggies in it which made me feel less guilty. Really, the only "bad" ingredients are the pepperoni and sausage, and you can easily make them light by using the turkey varieties. I didn't because, well, I like the full fat stuff sometimes.<br /><br />Being that easy is the motto I am trying to adhere to lately, I love using my crockpot. This recipe was very easy to make. All it really took was cutting the veggies. Cut and dump and plug in!<br /><br />I loved that my house smelled like pizza all day. My husband even commented. We had a friend over briefly in the afternoon and even HE commented. Funny how that works.<br /><br />I served this pizza/soup with sourdough bread, but if I had thought out my venture a little more, I would have bought pizza dough and made breadsticks. The sourdough worked just fine though.<br /><br />If you aren't a fan of some of the veggies in this, you could easily substitute. Don't like onions? Take them out! Don't like fresh mushrooms? Used canned. If you really wanted to be a rebel, you could probably use more pizza sauce to make the recipe more pungent. I am not a rebel when it comes to trying a recipe for the first time though. I tend to stick to the original recipe and then doctor it later after I have made it once or twice.<br /><br />I goofed when making this. In my haste to eat (hey, don't blame me, I was hungry), I forgot to add the pasta. Wouldn't you know? It still tasted delicious without it. Oops.<br /><br />Thank you again to Stephanie for inspiring me to use my crockpot more! I plan on making another of her recipes soon.<br /><br /><strong><u>Pizza Soup</u></strong><br />from: <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/">http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />1 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce<br />3 empty jars of water<br />1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped<br />1/2 of a red onion, chopped<br />1 cup sliced mushrooms<br />1 cup baby tomatoes cut in quarters (or 1 canned diced tomatoes, drained)<br />2 already cooked Italian sausages<br />1 cup sliced pepperoni, cut into quarters<br />8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)<br />1 tablespoon dried oregano<br />1/2 to 1/3 cup dried pasta<br />shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)<br /><br />Use a 5 or 6 quart crockpot for this recipe.<br /><br />Wash and chop the veggies. Add to the crockpot. Cut up the sausage into bite sized pieces. Add to crockpot along with the pepperoni. Add the spices, pizza sauce and the water.<br /><br />Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.<br /><br />30 minutes before serving, add the pasta and turn to high.<br /><br />Garnish/top with shredded mozzarella cheese.<br /><br />The spots on the top of the soup in this picture is the cheese.<br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464076672384251506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif42uN8DSfp1of9IOVmPPC29Is8vv14waAWKJWWQEkO4WsloHtFzBQc-CVWUZpNPCZMgsW6RCfsD5ILCK5HJh_q7WTm2uDpPydlb8bkIRhktiYHEmKpqK5dGo_yDqEb2nctNuAWZ_WPOIz/s320/Pizza+soup.JPG" /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-30898163566017189142010-04-18T14:33:00.001-07:002010-04-19T21:49:25.695-07:00Words You Don't Hear Together<div><div>Three words that aren't typically heard together: Crockpot, buffalo, lasagna. No, really. If you are already repulsed, you are a weinie. Trust me, although you don't hear these things together, they taste so delicious together!</div><div> </div><div>I love using my crockpot and since I am partially lazy and partially just don't have time, I have been relying on it a lot lately. This blog is fantastic if you ever want any crockpot recipe under the sun: <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/">http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/</a></div><br /><div>I wasn't looking for any recipe in particular when I went searching and I don't recall how I found this one. When I did find it, I knew I had to make it. One of Jason's favorite foods is buffalo wings. I wasn't sure how he would feel about incorporating those flavors into lasagna, but I didn't care. I have a fondness for pasta and he has a fondness for buffalo wings, so it's truly the best of both worlds in my mind.</div><br /><div>Things that I did while making this:</div><br /><div>* I prepped most everything on Saturday night. I precooked the chicken, cut it and mixed it with the sauces. The peppers got cut and the cheese got pre-measured. This made it very very easy to throw together this morning.</div><br /><div>* I used Frank's Red Sauce in the buffalo style for the sauce. </div><br /><div>* I used one each of the red, yellow and orange peppers. I thought it be really pretty, plus they came in a nifty package together at the grocery store for less money than buying them individually.</div><br /><div>* When I was assembling the recipe, I made three layers, starting with the sauce. I was too lazy to make four and I thought three would be enough to hold together the ingredients.</div><br /><div>* I bought pre-crumbled blue cheese. See laziness comment above. I also used more than 1/2 cup. You can't really have too much cheese can you?</div><br /><div>This smelled AMAZING while it was cooking. My mouth was watering all day waiting for this to be finished. I was so tempted to eat dinner early just so I could taste it. </div><div> </div><div><BR>It tasted just as delicious as it smelled. I was surprised that with the amount of buffalo sauce that it wasn't spicier. It did have a nice slow burn to it, but nothing that would need antacids or a glass of milk. My only complaint is that I should have let it rest longer than 20 minutes. It still fell apart. It certainly didn't affect the taste, it just looked messy. You can see that by the picture.</div><br /><div>Jason loved this! He made the comment "You can make this again", which means I have succeeded. He only reserves that statement when he really likes a recipe.</div><br />Look how beautiful this looks when assembled and before cooking:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462076001185668514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyvb680Km8hXvhfx66mgZBR5rMotSLlzDUna3T67WOa8-4cw0Kcy2NEEr3AqgBVjqgQV6G41YYuUwCZxU7PVlNTyLG3mZO72mxL2djX8v6t23wWE1xu0YnL0Z23t_DDpcc-Kx9dl7lQ5d/s320/Buffalo+Chicken+Lasagna+2.JPG" /><br /><div></div><div><strong><u>Buffalo Chicken Lasagna</u></strong></div><div>from: A Year of Slow Cooking</div><br /><div>uncooked traditional lasagna noodles</div><div>4 already cooked chicken breast halves</div><div>jar of prepared pasta sauce<br />1 cup buffalo wing sauce</div><div>3 red, yellow or orange bell peppers</div><div>tub of ricotta cheese (15 oz)</div><div>2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican or cheddar/mozzarella blend)</div><div>1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles</div><div>1/4 cup of water (add at the very end)</div><br /><div>1. Use at least a 5 qt. crockpot, or cut back on the ingredients.</div><br /><div>2. In a large glass bowl, combine cooked and chopped chicken breast, the pasta sauce and 1 cup of buffalo wing sauce.</div><br /><div>3. Ladle a big spoonful of the sauce into the bottom of your crockpot. Cover with a layer of the lasagna noodles. You'll have to break them to get them to fit.</div><br /><div>4. Add a smear of ricotta cheese to the top of the noodles. Add a layer of chopped bell pepper. Sprinkle a handful of shredded cheese.</div><br /><div>5. Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients.</div><br /><div>6. Add the blue cheese crumbles. Put the 1/4 cup of water into your empty pasta sauce jar and shake. Pour the liquid over the top of the entire lasagna.</div><br /><div>7. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5. When cooking time is complete, unplug and take the lid off of the crock. Let it sit for 20 minutes before cutting into it.</div><br /><div>So, it's messy, but it's delicious!</div><div><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462076012218127570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jnV7MgW4uQVVNLUBy1eqaZw2TzbFThWBvul64K71ViONWUIXk9QKVzu9B3N3bf1aMP6xdggak0TuOlRFXzXhTM8t7HoXswxKAfYm7OGAa1CNnw9YWa9rqRu1wkmRzDQIKzV1XwCWJDSI/s320/Buffalo+Chicken+Lasagna.JPG" /> </div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-86646130680510740042010-04-18T11:08:00.001-07:002010-04-18T14:33:08.606-07:00Real Men Don't Eat QuicheOr so says my husband. I think he has bad memories of quiche because he hasn't had any desire to try one in years. His mom used to make a salmon quiche and my husband doesn't care for salmon. Maybe that's why he thinks he doesn't like quiche or fritattas. That soon changed when we were watching the Food Network and there was an episode of "Best Thing I Ever Ate" and there was a ginormous, incredible looking quiche. He and I were both drooling. It was huge and very fluffy looking.<br /><div></div><br /><div>I found a recipe online for a variation of Quiche Lorraine and I thought I would try it. I figure since it had meat, cheese and eggs, it couldn't be something Jason would complain about. You can't really go wrong with bacon and other yummy proteins.</div><br /><div></div><div>This was a very easy recipe to prepare, which is ultimately the most important aspect of my cooking these days. If it has a hundred steps or takes forever to cook, forget it. I bypass the recipe. I need easy and fast. </div><br /><div></div><div>We were over at my in-laws yesterday when I prepared this meal. It was very easy. To make it even easier, I prepped a lot of the things beforehand. Rather than fry the bacon and then crumble it, I find it much quicker and easier to cut the bacon into small pieces and then fry it. Much, much easier. Plus your hands don't get greasy and gross from crumbling the bacon.</div><br /><div></div><div>I also pre-chopped the onions and pre-beat the eggs. I also cheated and bought premade pie dough. I didn't want to go through the hassle of making my own crust. That way, I pretty much had to throw the ingredients together in the pan and bake. It cut down on the prep time by about 10 minutes, which doesn't sound like a lot, however, to me, it is a lot. That is 10 minutes that can be spent doing something much more important, like burping a baby or taking a shower.</div><br /><div></div><div>I paired this meal with roasted asparagus (yum) and a salad. All in all, it was a pretty healthy meal since it was mostly veggies. Obviously, you are getting some bacon, but if you cut the quiche into six big slices, you are theoretically only getting a slice or so of bacon in your whole piece and less than one egg.</div><br /><div></div><div>This quiche was very good. So good in fact that there was only one piece left in the pan after we all ate. There is none left as of this morning though since my husband polished off the last piece for his dinner at 3:00am (he works swing shift). I guess it must have been good huh? Especially since the man says "Real men don't eat quiche". Okay honey, you keep telling yourself that.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong><u>Country Quiche</u></strong></div><div>from: <a href="http://www.allrecipes.com/">http://www.allrecipes.com/</a></div><br /><div>8 slices bacon<br />1 small onion, chopped<br />4 eggs<br />2 tablespoons milk<br />2 tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />1 teaspoon dried parsley<br />1/4 teaspoon dried thyme<br />salt and pepper to taste<br />1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust<br />1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese<br />1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese</div><br /><div></div><div>1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</div><br /><div></div><div>2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly browned. Drain (reserving 1 tablespoon grease), crumble and set aside. Heat reserved grease in skillet and saute the onion until brown.</div><br /><div></div><div>3. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, flour, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Add bacon, onion, mozzarella and cheddar cheese; mix well. Pour mixture into pie shell.</div><br /><div></div><div>4. Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly brown on top and firm in the middle. Serve warm.</div><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461593244545908514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWogaTcV9g0i9U1_F2nztLKqOYSwZC2jXexySqQ68NLqBtYg7zJzgFBCZeGrow5za31xioFVLgwVgkliUkYZOqrKm3kc0vhFwwZahnN0gJTyzykLw1cGeEIiV0ExiBTrmxYeF83qnEsKpS/s320/Country+Quiche.JPG" /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-24702053567761290962010-04-08T21:27:00.000-07:002010-04-08T23:01:32.560-07:00Bananas.......YummmmmWelcome back to the blogging world Pachey! Like I have stated previously, I haven't been cooking or baking much. Tonight, after the wee one went to bed, I decided to remedy that. I actually baked! Alert the media.<br /><br />I had about five pathetic looking bananas and I didn't want them to go to waste. What do you typically do with overripe bananas? In my house, I make banana bread. Why mess with tradition right? However, I did mess with tradition. When I mentioned to my husband that I was going to make banana bread, he very kindly told me that I should look for a new recipe. He isn't fond of my old one apparently.<br /><br />Off to trusty allrecipes.com. I typed in banana bread and used the very first recipe that came up. I only made one addition, which was the tasty and yummy addition of some chocolate chips. I personally think that chocolate chips and banana go together very well.<br /><br />This recipe came together quickly, which is a positive in my house. You just never know when the baby is going to wake up. I also liked that it used up all five of my browning bananas. I had all the other ingredients on hand since they are regular baking staples.<br /><br />This bread was delicious! Very moist and super chocolately with the addition of my chips. I had two pieces. After all, I have officially lost all my baby weight and I can afford to have a few extra calories in my diet. Yummmmm!<br /><br /><strong><u>Banana Banana Bread</u></strong><br />from: <a href="http://www.allrecipes.com/">http://www.allrecipes.com/</a><br /><br />2 cups flour<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 cup butter<br />3/4 cup brown sugar<br />2 eggs, beaten<br />2 1/3 cup mashed overripe bananas<br /><br />1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.<br /><br />2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and banana until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Pour batter into pan.<br /><br />3. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.<br /><br />* Note: I added the chocolate chips after the banana mix and flour mix were added. I did not stir very much because I didn't want to make the bread tough.<br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458012953715602994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_m3nCF0UblY7r7wtFINeAtCMg7I1nnwswFKlfqoX8OeZRgdVP06kTBietaAjIn2-OOxIqr-gDVJ66MXMnb4uivy4W1lTEiH9dkyZhdZBnAEIhdIwyBNwrQfEuMgGHd0NPrO5CB_7ZUHI4/s320/Banana+Banana+Bread.JPG" /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-48046218404137298772010-03-21T20:56:00.000-07:002010-03-21T21:21:41.744-07:00Baked Potato in a BowlAs explained in earlier posts (which are out of order by the way), I haven't been cooking a lot lately. I am trying to remedy that as our wee one gets older and is able to occupy himself while Mommy is in the kitchen. Until then, simple recipes are the only ones that are found in my house.<br /><br /><br />I wanted to use my crockpot to make a soup and so I turned to the 365 days of crockpot cooking blog: <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/">http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />I knew I could find a yummy soup on there. I was particularly in the mood for a good potato soup. I have made one before but wasn't truly happy with the results. Within a page of scrolling through the blog above, I found a Baked Potato Soup. Um, yum! Sounds just like something that I would love.<br /><br />The ingredients are dirt cheap. What could be cheaper than potatoes after all? The only ingredient that costs any amount of money is the cream cheese. The broth, the onion and the potatoes are all super cheap. Even the bacon is inexpensive if you buy it on sale (which I did). I think all total, this cost about $7.00 and it makes a TON! You could certainly cut costs and make your own broth instead of buying it. I am not ambitious ::cough, cough, lazy:: so I used canned chicken broth.<br /><br />I cheated and cut the potatoes and got the soup all ready to go last night. I wasn't sure if I would have time this morning and so I started cooking last night when the wee one went to bed. I am glad I did because all I had to do this morning was take the crockpot out and then turn it on. Super simple!<br /><br />I will admit: My husband was not looking forward to this dinner. He heard potato soup and I think he thought I was cooking some thin, nasty potato concoction. When I was a kid, one of my friend's moms made a potato soup. Yuck! I used to dread going to her house for dinner. That was a thin, nasty potato concoction. This recipe was not at all. Wow! That's all I can say. Jason had a second bowl after he was very pleasantly surprised. I wasn't though. I knew it would be yummy.<br /><br />I used russet potatoes. They are starchy and cheap. Plus I hate to peel potatoes so I could get away with buying just four and peeling four huge ones rather than a bunch of small ones. I didn't skimp and use 1/3 less fat or fat-free cream cheese. I used the good ole' fattening, full-bodied creamy cream cheese. If you are watching your waistline, certainly use Neufchatel or the less fat stuff. If you want to further cut calories, use turkey bacon. There is no way on God's green earth that Jason would eat turkey bacon so I used regular stuff. Plus, my crockpot is small so I had to scale back how much chicken broth the recipe calls for. Instead of the 2 quarts it calls for, I had to use 1.5 quarts. The recipe didn't suffer. It probably just made it a lot creamier and richer.<br /><br />Not only is this recipe inexpensive, it's super easy and super yummy. It really did taste like a baked potato in a bowl! Jason is a protein lover so I made BLT's to go with our soup. It was the perfect pairing.<br /><br />Make this soup! You will love it!<br /><br /><strong><u>Baked Potato Soup</u></strong><br />from: <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/">http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 teeny onion, diced</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4 cloves garlic, minced</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 teaspoon seasoned salt</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 teaspoon black pepper</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 teaspoon red pepper</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 quarts chicken broth</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">crumbled bacon and green onion or chives as garnish (optional)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware. Add onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. The potatoes should be fork-tender. You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand-held immersible blender. I suppose you can also leave the potatoes in chunks, if you really wanted, but I wanted a smooth soup.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Garnish with crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and I'd assume cheddar cheese would be just delightful.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451307407841235874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ziMMTE8Epvv3uknVyLkIIasjc24260kY9R19c9bwsWAHEbsH6O_JX2EfMDN1M2cC4z8FVM1Yct-mXuGxAYK7m462641j-AadMlXjIlm9_sbVQmza6wj7tefcyvRYE8CAM9ytYDY6Aski/s320/Baked+Potato+Soup.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-76734715958846231472010-01-24T20:08:00.001-08:002010-01-24T20:22:17.855-08:00Unchocolate BrowniesTonight was one of those nights where brownies just sound good. I haven't cooked or baked a lot lately since we are trying to get the house ready for the bean. I have been cooking mostly easy, convenience meals (baked chicken breasts, spaghetti and sausages, ready-made frozen lasagna) which is fine, just not blogger friendly.<br /><div></div><div> </div><div><BR>Never fear, a day off is here! I didn't have much to do today which meant I was free to cook and bake. While I made an easy dinner (baked chicken, mashed taters and beans), I wanted something a little more special for dessert. Enter the brownie. If you notice, that is a trend in my blog. It's my go-to dessert mostly because it's easy and so delicious.</div><div> </div><div><BR>The funny thing with this recipe was that I was halfway through making them when I realized there was no chocolate in them! Blasphemy! Oh, but I improvised. The recipe called for 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts, which we didn't have. So the next best thing? Chocolate chips! I did get my chocolate fix after all. </div><div> </div><div><BR>These brownies were easy to prepare and mighty tasty. I ate one slightly warm from the oven with a glass of milk. They were much more rich than normal and I think this is due to the use of brown sugar rather than the regular white. I like that there is very little butter. It makes me feel less guilty for eating one....err two. Not that peanut butter is very waistline friendly, but oh well. I am 37 weeks pregnant. At this point, I don't much care about the food I am consuming.</div><div> </div><div><BR>I would definitely recommend these brownies. If you want to add peanuts instead of the chocolate chips, feel free. If you are like me, you need a little chocolate, and what goes better with peanut butter than chocolate? NOTHING! The recipe doesn't specify, but I suppose for some extra crunch, you could use chunky peanut butter. I used creamy since Jason is pretty territorial over who eats his chunky peanut butter. He probably would have forgiven me pretty quickly after he tasted these beauties though.</div><div> </div><div><BR><strong><u>Peanut Butter Brownies</u></strong></div><div>from: <a href="http://www.allrecipes.com/">www.allrecipes.com</a></div><div><BR> </div><div>1/2 cup peanut butter</div><div>2 eggs</div><div>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</div><div>1 cup packed brown sugar</div><div>4 tablespoons butter, softened</div><div>2/3 cup flour</div><div>1 teaspoon baking powder</div><div>1/4 teaspoon salt</div><div>1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped (or chocolate chips)</div><div> </div><div><BR>1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan.</div><div> </div><div><BR>2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter and the butter. Add the brown sugar, vanilla and eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture and mix well until blended. Stir in the peanuts (or chocolate chips).</div><div> </div><div><BR>3. Spread batter evenly into pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack and cut into 2-inch squares. </div><div> </div><div><BR><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430525200651769538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXp3NAmKYRNUgJZiWaOBpD2IARdmjjoyN2VcPioCV80ON47MDPJC24dhCNMZnur6MfrF8CeavRqfllxW9K9821KpKiBf2xx4EcjlTEjWoFG3Q6bLQ9gEAnW7cQuhEgRq6917kcSjui69th/s320/Peanut+Butter+Brownies.JPG" /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-87117060623285735972010-01-03T14:24:00.000-08:002010-03-02T07:33:40.716-08:00It's Not a CookieYes, I have been a bad blogger. I have said it before, but really, this time I have an excuse. I was at first busy with pregnancy and getting the house ready for our baby, but then nature called and I actually HAD my baby. So there. I have been a bad blogger because I have been busy being a mommy.<br /><br />Much of my cooking and baking these days comes out of convenience. Boxed meals (for shame!) like frozen lasagnas from Costco, or meals that I can make in the crockpot that are very quick and easy are in my arsenal. Most of what I have cooked are repeats which is another reason for the lack of blog posts. I have made Salsa Chicken, Chili, The Family Spaghetti, and simple things like baked chicken or pork chops. Nothing terribly exciting to blog about.<br /><br /><br />This recipe is one from the archives. I had already started the post and now I am finishing it. Oh, about 2 months later! This recipe was made for New Year's for our family get together. Yes, New Years. Did I mention I was a bad blogger?<br /><br /><br />So without further ado.............Drum roll...............From the archives:<br /><br /><br />This recipe comes from my Tollhouse Cookie Cookbook. That being said, it's not a cookie. It's not even really a cheesecake although that's what the name implies. It's more like a bar with cheesecake accents (if there is such a thing). What I can tell you is that they were D-LICIOUS.<br /><br /><br />They were fun and easy to make. I whipped them up on the same night that I made the Stuffed Jalapenos for my husband's and my New Year's celebration. While these cheesecake bars were baking, I worked on some other items.<br /><br /><br />I used my KitchenAid mixer to make these and it was very convenient because they were able to chill in the fridge overnight. The next morning, all I needed to do was cut them and plate them. Did I mention they were yummy and delicious? Thankfully, there were leftovers and my then pregnant butt was able to eat them when I got home.<br /><br /><br />Another great thing about this recipe was that it didn't take a lot of ingredients that I didn't have on hand. I only had to buy graham crackers (which I ended up consuming the rest of the box anyways so certainly no loss), cream cheese and evaporated milk. I had everything else on hand.<br /><br /><br />I would suggest that you either buy already crushed graham cracker crumbs, or you use a food processor to make the crumbs. I used my mini food processor and it worked perfectly! It is a much more cost effective option to go this route obviously. But if you are pressed for time, definitely buy the crumbs. Please also note that the recipe does not have a typo. It really does take a tablespoon of vanilla extract.<br /><br /><br />I would most certainly recommend these bars. For a potluck, a family get together or just a yummy dessert for no special occasion.<br /><br /><br /><strong><u>Swirl-of-Chocolate Cheesecake Triangles</u></strong><br />from: Nestle Tollhouse Best Loved Cookies<br /><br /><br /><strong>Crust:</strong><br />2 cups graham cracker crumbs<br />1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted<br />1/3 cup granulated sugar<br /><br /><br /><strong>Filling:</strong><br />2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened<br />1 cup granulated sugar<br />1/4 cup flour<br />1 1/2 cups (12-fluid-ounce can) evaporated milk<br />2 eggs<br />1 tablespoon vanilla extract<br />1 cup (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips<br /><br /><br />For crust: Combine crumbs, butter and granulated sugar in medium bowl; press onto bottom of ungreased 13x9 baking pan.<br /><br /><br />For filling: Beat cream cheese, granulated sugar and flour in large mixer bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla.<br /><br /><br />Microwave chocolate chips in medium, microwave safe bowl on high power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10 to 20 second intervals, stirring until smooth.<br /><br />Stir one cup cream cheese mixture into chocolate. Pour remaining cream cheese mixture over crust. Pour chocolate mixture over cream cheese mixture. Swirl mixtures with spoon, pulling plain cream cheese mixture up to surface.<br /><br />Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until set. Cool in pan to room temperature on wire rack; chill until firm. Cut into squares; cut each square in half diagonally to form triangles. <br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443870999486490402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt_7oV490MZV5C8PUyUcvzsHbgSXqZUubxXo_WbJlQTqzYkQKcshcyDLVYfSht0czRIhrt1I1iTLtvWWc7UQ9kjgF52YjwgSBCQ9OG8uUP7GxON6EEugpoEflFpYnlmC4N1VPKiN6Y7G7/s320/Chocolate+Cheesecake+bars.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-51323184999898638332009-12-31T21:47:00.000-08:002010-01-03T14:24:45.769-08:00Happy New Year!Since Jason has to work until 11pm, I decided for New Years Eve, we would stay in (obviously). I typically go to bed very early, but since a new decade doesn't come along very often.....err once a decade I guess, I will stay up. After all, it's our last NYE before our kiddo comes along.<br /><div> </div><div><BR>I usually have some snacks on hand. Jason eats around 7:00 pm and by the time he gets home, he is ready for more food or a meal. Chips and salsa are common, but I wanted to do something special for him this year. He loves spicy food (as do I) and when I told him that a friend of mine had made stuffed jalapenos a few weeks ago for a potluck, I saw him literally salivate.</div><br /><div>To surprise him, I made stuffed jalapenos. The recipe is from my coworker Sarah (thanks Sarah!) and they are truly delicious. I won't indulge tonight because if I ate any, I would probably be paying the price with heartburn in the morning. Jason can enjoy the whole pan if he wants to.</div><br /><div>These are very easy to make. Honestly, the thought of mixing cheese and then cramming it into peppers wasn't very appealing. Oh what we do for love. All total, I think I spent 30 minutes cutting, de-seeding, mixing and stuffing. They were very very easy.<br /><br />Depending on how spicy you like your jalapenos, you might want to rinse them before stuffing. I didn't do this, because like I said, we like spicy in our house. You can also change out the cheeses depending on your taste. Instead of smoked cheddar, use regular. Instead of Swiss, use mozzarella or even Havarti. Go crazy! And if you like things really really spicy, add some Tabasco to the cheese mix before you stuff. </div><br /><div>This really isn't a recipe that you can follow exact measurements, so be flexible and add as little or as much cheese and other ingredients as you want. I put estimates on what I used in my batch. </div><br /><div>These are the perfect finger food and the next time I have to bring an appetizer somewhere, I am going to bring these! Delicious!</div><br /><div><strong><u>Stuffed Jalapenos</u></strong></div><div>from: Sarah</div><br /><div>Jalapenos (about 12-15 whole), canned, drained. </div><div>8 oz. cream cheese, softened</div><div>1 cup smoked cheddar cheese, shredded</div><div>1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded</div><div>3 oz. prosciutto, chopped</div><br /><div>1. Vertically slice the jalapenos to halve them. Remove all the seeds and veins.</div><br /><div>2. Mix all the remaining ingredients together.</div><br /><div>3. Stuff approximately a tablespoon of the cheese mix inside each of the halved jalapenos.</div><br /><div>4. Place the jalapenos in a baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes (until the filling is nice and light brown) in a 350 degree oven. </div><div><BR> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422642324604290754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SPlF9j_CvH6gbQa4JDS71MffATMVeRugQaDh8bvBpXtDUvhyphenhyphenRi-vJM-4YaKQApAXqkV6fFKNS4PazfMpEr68DSBEzrJCM8Ic2twEljASVtYCLL6rupFB7NKIDkLHancx50fNgJ3pS0lu/s320/003.JPG" /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-13092662452384449292009-12-28T17:36:00.001-08:002009-12-28T17:40:13.270-08:00Homemade Gifts<div>I am going to our family Christmas party on January 1st (it's a tradition) and this year, we were all tasked with bringing 15 identical gifts. Now, if you were to buy 15 gifts, that could get expensive. Plus, it's also hard to find a gift that a whole family can enjoy and get use out of. Even if you spent $4 per gift per family, that is $60! I love my family to death, but with a new baby and Christmas over with, I was looking to save some dough.<br /><br />I looked online for some clever gift ideas that I could make. A few years ago, I made cookie mix and soup mix and put them in jars. I wanted to do something similar but that would take less ingredients and less money. Enter cocoa mix. Who doesn't like hot cocoa?<br /><br />I found a recipe online and what do you know? It made 15 cups of mix. If you multiply that by 3, that gives you 45 cups of mix. Enough for 15 quart jars with room leftover to add marshmallows or mini chocolate chips to the top of the jar.<br /><br />The ingredients are very simple. Powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar and dry dairy creamer. I figured that was easy enough and I could easily make 15 jars in an afternoon. Just add a cute bow or fabric to the top of the jar along with the instructions and that makes a nice gift.<br /><br />Here is the mix all stirred up and ready to be jarred.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420466269948547138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPDktecs9GRNoU-TsZHPQiCirVm2D6u-qKFfLFVdEMbiFFJ9DTDNg01guBa7eiMIYct1H_BTTVZm-1shl0ogZswchyphenhyphenzpZMAvrxvOk9kXQge5R8cNVFtSk-_j58EB0SUsUhxGVDc-2vAxz/s320/001.JPG" /> Here are some tips that I used to make this cocoa mix:<br /><br />* Buy the ingredients in bulk. I went to our local grocery store and bought all the ingredients from the bulk bins. This saved me a ton of money. The dry ingredients (including the marshmallows) were approximately $34. Keep in mind that I have leftovers of some things such as the powdered milk and mini marshmallows.<br /><br />* If you have time, buy the mason jars from a second-hand store. I didn't have enough time or energy to stalk the local Goodwill, so I bought new. They were $10 for a dozen and I happened to have 3 jars of my own that were from another homemade gift foray several years ago.<br /><br />* Use a funnel. I don't have one, but I improvised. I made one out of cardboard and it worked really well. A real actual funnel would have been better.<br /><br />* Make sure your mixing vessel is large enough. My mixing bowl is not that big so I used a giant stockpot.<br /><br />* Wipe down the jars on the inside before you add the topping. This makes it look prettier and less "powdery". I think it makes a big difference.<br /><br />* Wipe down the outside of the jars when you are done. I found that the ingredients were a little sticky and it made a mess of my kitchen.<br /><br />Total cost to make 15 jars: $44 and some change. Less than $3 per jar! I don't think I could have bought a gift that everyone would appreciate for less than $3. I could have saved a little more money had I bought the jars used. With a good cleaning, they would have been good as new.<br /><br />Keep in mind this mix goes a long way. Each jar has 3 cups of mix. Each cup of cocoa takes 1/3 of a cup of mix. That means there are 9 servings per jar. I don't think that's too bad!<br /><br />All packaged up and ready to go! I just need to add ribbon and the instructions on how to make a cup.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420466277759385266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_lM-cb6AqmsA8fIedwI2NQSTX-c3esdZlWO0pjZ08sUZMhIL40fsaKJ4a0sqXdCKzlxVTsAV0Xpnhyjs_Yus0uSLyJNTSg8Z9lEcb3MO8zoztogZzeCQf_A_KTnw-YrOFFZ61uLJCa1xu/s320/003.JPG" /><br />You can experiment with this cocoa mix by altering the type of powdered creamer. I just used plain, but wouldn't it be yummy to substitute vanilla creamer or maybe even Irish Creme? If I make these again, I might try that.<br /><br /><strong><u>Hot Cocoa Mix</u></strong><br />from: http://www.allrecipes.com/<br /><br />10 cups dry milk powder<br />4 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted<br />1 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />1 3/4 cup powdered non-dairy creamer<br /><br />1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry milk powder, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and non-dairy creamer. Stir until thoroughly combined. Makes about 15 cups of mix.<br /><br />2. For one serving, place 1/3 cup of the mix and add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir.<br /><br />or, Pachey's method for jarring:<br /><br />Pour approximately 3 cups of mix into each quart jar and top with mini marshmallows or chocolate chips to fill jar. </div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-3714202354804519092009-12-20T16:44:00.001-08:002009-12-20T18:13:48.562-08:00Baking ExtravaganzaHappy Holidays! Today was my holiday baking day. Originally, my sister and I were going to bake together, but she has to work most days before Christmas. Darn retail job! Instead, we decided that we would each bake three cookies or goodies and then swap. She would get half of mine and in return, I would get half of her's. Sounds great right? Only half the baking and you get double the treats!<br /><br />I decided to make the very traditional Christmas cookies. Well traditional in my house at least. I remember all of these cookies as a child growing up. My mom was a stay-at-home mom while her and dad were still married and she would make these three cookies as well as others over the holidays. Spritz, Peanut Butter Blossoms and Chocolate Crinkles. Peanut Butter Blossoms are those fun cookies with the Hershey Kisses on the top of them. You can find the recipe online pretty much everywhere.<br /><br />Two out of the three of these require rolling. Meaning, you form the cookies into little balls by rolling them in your palms. The joke with the Chocolate Crinkles is that you get "poopy fingers" while rolling. Sophisticated huh? Hey, I never said we were a classy family.<br /><br />The Spritz requires a cookie press, so if you don't have one, you are out of luck. I suppose you could try and form them another way, but really, a cookie press is the best.<br /><div><div><br /><div>Here are some of the tools that I used today:</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div>My cookie press. Now, I have seen those Pampered Chef ones and even tried several other kinds. Nothing comes close to this model. It's Italian and it works beautifully. My Spritz were pressed in no time flat.</div><div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417485146229437682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXzdP_C1rSX_iLDzmkTiIGTuIQU0_oIi9Dq5iAtAlC59hLPDk2YLRlzwz1k6PNCORvs7R9Q7OeaQKonrsloLftLSPhUoj7vFTaBH08I3iedmKjbnbaRfjr83n_O4uNevTduwlzRihDBlv/s320/002.JPG" /></div></div></div><p>My "vintage" Betty Crocker Cooky Book. I say "vintage" because it's a reproduction that was reissued a few years ago. My mom actually has an original copy from 1960-something. </p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417485154988765362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvNJMgu6a499DxftyaFZOFoM7WLVzBCE_EUoCQbFABeM1wsiBhfmhbKhVyaI2Ox2zgGmJUCvK8LD450nF7y9BAE3fB3P4iAYzZV_9AC8Zugx6-iewbJ8RJ4kigfX-78eJiIN9lKBp0nc6/s320/003.JPG" /> </p><p>My fabulous mixer. A Christmas gift from my husband a couple of years ago. I would still be in the kitchen mixing dough if it wasn't for this bad boy.<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_oo4Q1JNsdKtLSlSRcIBt1R88yWHRD_4mESxSwxW2F-02yDYGiHSunxwkiW0rtTU_qNXMmnGvEQDV88QItsoCpKmNUoeMgkLBqSr3FaqoA20blXjirvpIIuxGtIlEU5sQmBTFEmLzvcZ/s1600-h/004.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417485156697215202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_oo4Q1JNsdKtLSlSRcIBt1R88yWHRD_4mESxSwxW2F-02yDYGiHSunxwkiW0rtTU_qNXMmnGvEQDV88QItsoCpKmNUoeMgkLBqSr3FaqoA20blXjirvpIIuxGtIlEU5sQmBTFEmLzvcZ/s320/004.JPG" /></a>My Air Bake cookie sheets. I never thought I would love baking pans so much in my life. Jason got these for me last year and I thought "big whoop, I already have cookie sheets". These are great! The cookies cook evenly, the bottoms don't burn and they make for a consistent cookie. Way way better than the ones I already had. I can't sing the praises of these enough. I swear I am not an employee of Air Bake.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWBhYRQpyqZmIjVJ3tVvSAfZS7M3WtJpdprJXpMiqeFBIxNroZpX66qpDPZYwMF4SlzwLHx2j5NczI8-CkGS2QgglNddwA9i-slxvopOjr4CSvzke9xiv1FC8CdIkFSgVYLcV1k2l4EwM/s1600-h/006.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417485170059260722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWBhYRQpyqZmIjVJ3tVvSAfZS7M3WtJpdprJXpMiqeFBIxNroZpX66qpDPZYwMF4SlzwLHx2j5NczI8-CkGS2QgglNddwA9i-slxvopOjr4CSvzke9xiv1FC8CdIkFSgVYLcV1k2l4EwM/s320/006.JPG" /></a> Roasting pan. An essential tool when you are making a quadruple batch of Spicy Chex Mix. I could nearly see the tears in my husband's eyes last night when I announced that he would have Chex Mix by the time he got up today.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3n9boIYLUqv56jwBBKVN56oCkqFAqfNROTZvf-1XY_hd76I33KsEQt_ZlQVwRxttFpDTg2ogtm-VKojPc8kQtSthSHZp2jdg9bnOjAM7zzuX6iuZN-72VE9pcehUR0BenTaXZWtBOoYG/s1600-h/007.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417485983321907602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3n9boIYLUqv56jwBBKVN56oCkqFAqfNROTZvf-1XY_hd76I33KsEQt_ZlQVwRxttFpDTg2ogtm-VKojPc8kQtSthSHZp2jdg9bnOjAM7zzuX6iuZN-72VE9pcehUR0BenTaXZWtBOoYG/s320/007.JPG" /></a><br /><p>Time to bake! I started off by unwrapping all the Hershey Kisses this morning while drinking my coffee and catching up on the interweb. I grabbed some butter from the fridge to come to room temperature while I unwrapped. Butter is obviously easier to mix when it's warmer. </p><p>Next I made the Chocolate Crinkle dough. It needs to chill for several hours before you can form the cookies. I can't tell you how accomplished I felt when I had dough made by 9:30! </p><p></p><p>The dough doesn't really look extraordinary. Just like thick brownie batter. Into the fridge it went!</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2qIjidDz-99ayrEcZ9Uggkhb2scxvBd8S78J9uTPEeBk8-3fieWxXPZa2inNeEy3c_11y8XdlKOxxYKlply1CnvBflctQ3WByUfqlHajGd_9IR6AOpvi9y4-jLa297lTxkOFZvNU4M9A/s1600-h/005.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417485168507874706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2qIjidDz-99ayrEcZ9Uggkhb2scxvBd8S78J9uTPEeBk8-3fieWxXPZa2inNeEy3c_11y8XdlKOxxYKlply1CnvBflctQ3WByUfqlHajGd_9IR6AOpvi9y4-jLa297lTxkOFZvNU4M9A/s320/005.JPG" /></a><br /><p>Moving on to the Chex Mix. Here are all the ingredients it takes.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmxWPysSV3944_eNZL1hyphenhyphenF3bgZXV4IP8CLtw9kKhk0vaTWQuaLpRU5NjeFYm2G8HOZ94Xa4iJOlo-pds3Kcb-aXsauJ-Ne2-ZLjvgkz08r8BzUNmf_YW-hmy674HWe8yFVE9TGt-usv-Z/s1600-h/008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417485994021639714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmxWPysSV3944_eNZL1hyphenhyphenF3bgZXV4IP8CLtw9kKhk0vaTWQuaLpRU5NjeFYm2G8HOZ94Xa4iJOlo-pds3Kcb-aXsauJ-Ne2-ZLjvgkz08r8BzUNmf_YW-hmy674HWe8yFVE9TGt-usv-Z/s320/008.JPG" /></a> Thank goodness for Costco. They sell the cereal in a three-pack all ready to go. In our house, we like cheese crackers (Cheez It's are the best) instead of the bagel chips that the recipe calls for. Also, you will notice the addition of Tabasco. That's right. It wouldn't be spicy unless you add some actual spice! The more the better. It's nice when you have an afterburn after eating Chex Mix.<br /><br />In Jason's house growing up, his mom used primarily margarine for cooking. I find this concept completely foreign, but because I love my husband (aka he will complain unless I use margarine), I buy margarine especially for the occasion. I could probably sneak butter in instead, but trust me, the man would know the difference.<br /><br />While the Chex Mix was baking, I started on the Spritz dough. I am a traditionalist and use almond extract for my Spritz. This is how my mommy did it and I can't change after all these years. To be festive, I add green or red food coloring to my dough. I used the tree plate on my cookie press, so green food coloring it was.<br /><br />These really are beautiful cookies when they are done. With a slight almond flavor, they are very light and buttery. Of course, feel free to substitute whatever extract you wish. Peppermint would be fun. So would lemon or even vanilla.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HW025T0qOzz6ObKLfMh37aZzzBBOtoBHF2TQgHUl2-FdNUPPCpIgHt0VqSgdIsWtuhoVFU_hFvsgjEf60VqE5xFfTGoDdklRM1DsUQOBSefB7IhC3BSvSq1KOYWn9MWuEitxZ82N2ACX/s1600-h/009.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417485997161141330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HW025T0qOzz6ObKLfMh37aZzzBBOtoBHF2TQgHUl2-FdNUPPCpIgHt0VqSgdIsWtuhoVFU_hFvsgjEf60VqE5xFfTGoDdklRM1DsUQOBSefB7IhC3BSvSq1KOYWn9MWuEitxZ82N2ACX/s320/009.JPG" /></a><br /><p>Moving on, the Peanut Butter Blossoms were up. I whipped these up in no time. My only complaint with the Blossoms is that the recipe doesn't make nearly enough. I would have doubled it, but really, do I need five dozen cookies? I don't think so.</p><p>Here is what they look like after being rolled in the granulated sugar but before baking and before you smoosh the Kiss on the top.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVTfq_utgLU5lKXO6vOpUMYa9d0hy4ZvA4j2Hgo_YYOkb7UPL77LADRZCoY7emPGauj7QiRoPCtIvcUHhDwxjJ3R1NvoxLU25g1X3LucyJ9UKSG3y5FqmafUFGLSVlukFdkDbSIit0r2/s1600-h/010.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417486006745466290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVTfq_utgLU5lKXO6vOpUMYa9d0hy4ZvA4j2Hgo_YYOkb7UPL77LADRZCoY7emPGauj7QiRoPCtIvcUHhDwxjJ3R1NvoxLU25g1X3LucyJ9UKSG3y5FqmafUFGLSVlukFdkDbSIit0r2/s320/010.JPG" /></a> </p><p>After baking. I think these are honestly my favorite cookie. I shouldn't resort to making them only one time a year. I love how the cookie stays soft for a few days afterwards. And something happens to the Kiss to keep it slightly soft too. Who can resist a yummy peanut butter and chocolate cookie? Not me!</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4piQ_R3cftMRlnyl6Otk882aGWJ9wOEE0PzqsaMFv9hRMe55SJfK99WZSfu1EcubZ_Io9AfMdRIkejtvlIImfkKUoPOro3aMjYR4hOMUxrDL8OlPoHV3JMPhZVzIzweX5XFkPYTv8dgn/s1600-h/011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417486008708305266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4piQ_R3cftMRlnyl6Otk882aGWJ9wOEE0PzqsaMFv9hRMe55SJfK99WZSfu1EcubZ_Io9AfMdRIkejtvlIImfkKUoPOro3aMjYR4hOMUxrDL8OlPoHV3JMPhZVzIzweX5XFkPYTv8dgn/s320/011.JPG" /></a><br />Close up of the Peanut Butter Blossoms. I am going to need to hide these from Jason. I can always use the excuse that I am pregnant and the baby requires cookies right?</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XF4_vb3uT1KARYMC5Qei_dVhmCOSwg9hHmQFR8TOjgbjScImALBoLstZ4s3tZCbo5nabHaTm7xxi6mQ4aw4rYOGV3T1N1ZsUfZQigdDlG9p238h6fP3cH0DwldBfFv2N0vYuyEVSPgPg/s1600-h/012.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417486656372121458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XF4_vb3uT1KARYMC5Qei_dVhmCOSwg9hHmQFR8TOjgbjScImALBoLstZ4s3tZCbo5nabHaTm7xxi6mQ4aw4rYOGV3T1N1ZsUfZQigdDlG9p238h6fP3cH0DwldBfFv2N0vYuyEVSPgPg/s320/012.JPG" /></a><br /><p>My third and final cookie of the day were Chocolate Crinkles. Like I said, the dough needs to be chilled for several hours, so I didn't start these until around 2:00. The only pain with these is trying to keep the dough chilled enough while you are working. The more chilled, the less "poopy" your hands get. Now, in my family (I am sorry if I keep saying that, but my way is the best. Tee hee), we are rebels and don't follow the directions exactly. The directions state to cover the dough with the powdered sugar BEFORE you roll the balls. However, it makes for a much prettier cookie if you form the balls and then roll them in the sugar. Plus, you get a nice dusting of powdered sugar when you eat them. Yum!</p><p>Here are what the Crinkles look like before they are baked. They look like chocolate snowballs.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituHh4K6KtAVTNOtCj64k9e8FkAa_8J4j5nOl_qKcc9d3BFOqB35QpLAlv7iw5gVaJCP2rqMjCgVYm7KGUO1pSetft3r9S2-t8kLNNoq_E5K6U8DCkSGMJNPTYDUTztSP_zyd58g1rwG8-/s1600-h/013.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417486663578566274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituHh4K6KtAVTNOtCj64k9e8FkAa_8J4j5nOl_qKcc9d3BFOqB35QpLAlv7iw5gVaJCP2rqMjCgVYm7KGUO1pSetft3r9S2-t8kLNNoq_E5K6U8DCkSGMJNPTYDUTztSP_zyd58g1rwG8-/s320/013.JPG" /></a> And after they are baked, the cookies are sufficiently crackled and coated with powdered sugar. You can't argue that they aren't pretty cookies. Plus, they are chocolate. Nothing says goodness like chocolate does.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcyqM8sUEwsNJrVCKRDHlulWqFgbZBry25O_un_XJJW5uH1vg1lpQ6JmFvvv3ZHFgkALRq7TNaH4OSOQe-LkR7VmAads11fhyaW9HtX372BakvqtKoJKkNCKUeU7gRjAX-WvbSnLTiTOt/s1600-h/014.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417486672455977202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcyqM8sUEwsNJrVCKRDHlulWqFgbZBry25O_un_XJJW5uH1vg1lpQ6JmFvvv3ZHFgkALRq7TNaH4OSOQe-LkR7VmAads11fhyaW9HtX372BakvqtKoJKkNCKUeU7gRjAX-WvbSnLTiTOt/s320/014.JPG" /></a><br /><p></p><p>I am sad to see half of the cookies go, but we can't possibly eat them all. It would be dangerous to keep that many sweets in the house. I know my sister will appreciate them. Here is her batch all packaged up and ready to go. Don't they look yummy?</p><p></p><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RyXP6FvJudkLXd0RwTJMxlQPT10OGM3IHFbF4ws-KaDF2cqQRe0pE3zfw9YLjh1_S8Bd7eW0hf2OzJqG55LK1iPbFloMetjQyRAJcggBwMoU8bOp_6c4H6eV__4sS1k0WajMsp7P4auI/s1600-h/015.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417486674128349410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RyXP6FvJudkLXd0RwTJMxlQPT10OGM3IHFbF4ws-KaDF2cqQRe0pE3zfw9YLjh1_S8Bd7eW0hf2OzJqG55LK1iPbFloMetjQyRAJcggBwMoU8bOp_6c4H6eV__4sS1k0WajMsp7P4auI/s320/015.JPG" /></a><br /><p></p><p>Now without further ado, here are all the recipes.</p><p><strong><u>Spicy Chex Mix</u></strong><br />from: General Mills Cereal</p><p>6 tablespoons butter or margarine<br />2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce<br />1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt<br />3/4 teaspoons garlic powder<br />1/2 teaspoon onion powder<br />2 teaspoons (or more depending on how hot you like your food) Tabasco sauce<br />3 cups Corn Chex<br />3 cups Rice Chex<br />3 cups Wheat Chex<br />1 cup peanuts<br />1 cup pretzels<br />1 cup cheese crackers</p><p>Heat oven to 250 degrees. Melt butter or margarine in large roasting pan in oven. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in remaining ingredients until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cTZ7c9Svo20qFdNORZuxnjIk6omlJvi5o80xScADueGgOxjdrF-hL8809jTSLdCJGf70v_7dgKKb8iv8-zTTKhWNoeKX6g2mGrYwr5aHBsRSqhR4VzuJPHo0aq9Thk4NkFB2be0mrKwD/s1600-h/001.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417489942148207042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cTZ7c9Svo20qFdNORZuxnjIk6omlJvi5o80xScADueGgOxjdrF-hL8809jTSLdCJGf70v_7dgKKb8iv8-zTTKhWNoeKX6g2mGrYwr5aHBsRSqhR4VzuJPHo0aq9Thk4NkFB2be0mrKwD/s320/001.JPG" /></a><strong><u> Spritz</u></strong><br />from: Betty Crocker Cooky Book</p><p>1 cup butter<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />1 egg<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1 teaspoon almond extract<br />2 1/4 cups flour</p><p>1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix butter, sugar, egg, salt, and extract thoroughly. Measure flour and work in.</p><p>2. Using 1/4 dough at a time, force dough through cookie press onto ungreased baking sheet. </p><p>3. Bake 6 to 9 minutes.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Peanut Butter Blossoms</u></strong><br />from: Pillsbury's Best Butter Cookie Cookbook</p><p>1 3/4 cups flour<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1/3 cup peanut butter<br />1/2 cup butter<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />1/2 cup packed brown sugar<br />1 egg<br />1 teaspoon vanilla<br />Hershey's Kisses</p><p>1. Mix together in a small bowl; flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.</p><p>2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add the egg and blend well. Add vanilla and blend well.</p><p>3. Shape the dough into balls (approximately a heaping teaspoon for each). Roll balls in granulated sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.</p><p>4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and top each cookie with a Hershey's Kiss, pressing until edges crack. Bake 2 to 5 minutes longer.</p><p><strong><u>Chocolate Crinkles</u></strong><br />from: Betty Crocker Cooky Book</p><p>1/2 cup vegetable oil<br />4 squares unsweetened chocolate (4 oz. total), melted<br />2 cups sugar<br />4 eggs<br />2 teaspoons vanilla<br />2 cups flour<br />2 teaspoons baking powder<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1 cup confectioner's sugar</p><p>1. Mix oil, chocolate and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. Stir flour, baking powder and salt into oil mixture. Chill several hours or overnight.</p><p>2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Drop teaspoonsful of dough into confectioner's sugar. Roll in sugar; shape into balls. <strong>Note:</strong> You can also form the dough into balls first and then roll in the sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake.</p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-82482411612869874522009-12-13T18:08:00.001-08:002009-12-13T18:32:44.907-08:00White Trash DinnerHopefully my title doesn't offend, but really, that is what we had. No, not beans and weinies or Kraft macaroni and cheese, although you are getting closer. No, we had something similar to Hamburger Helper. But my version didn't come from a box and it wasn't made with hamburger. <div></div><div><br />I was lazy today. I didn't feel like cooking. Actually this represents how I have felt a lot lately. Maybe it's the upcoming holiday where I bake like a fool. I just don't feel like cooking. Last night's dinner consisted of spaghetti and meatballs. While this dish did require me to boil pasta and heat up sauce, the meatballs were frozen. The hardest I had to work was opening all the packages.</div><div></div><div><br />So, what do you make when you are feeling lazy? Enter the crockpot. I love my crockpot. I use it all the time (obviously). I found this recipe out of my Rival crockpot cookbook. It has pictures for people like who need to see their food. Of course, the pictures always make the food look better. That and my crockpot runs super duper hot, sort of like my oven. </div><div></div><div><br />The hardest you will have to work for this recipe is pre-cooking the ground turkey. Oh, and opening all the cans. Geesh, I am breaking a sweat just thinking about how much work this was! That is really the biggest benefit of a crockpot. It's perfect for lazy cooks. While our dinner was cooking, I wrapped Christmas presents and watched Food Network. See? Perfect for lazy people. </div><div></div><div><br />This was okay. I think I cooked it too long. Again, my crockpot runs super hot. I had to turn the heat down after two hours to low. I would suggest adding something spicy if you decide to make this. Whether that be some Tabasco or maybe some green chiles (to make it Mexican style), I think it would give it a nice kick and offset some of the sweetness of the corn. Notice the addition of both ketchup and mustard? Like I said, slightly white trash no? </div><div><br />It's okay to go trashy once in a while. As long as you aren't pairing this dinner with a six pack of Budweiser, it's all good. </div><div><br /></div><div><strong><u>Turkey and Macaroni</u></strong></div><div>from: Rival CrockPot Slow Cooker Recipes</div><div></div><div><br />1 teaspoon vegetable oil</div><div>1.5 pounds ground turkey</div><div>2 cans (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup, undiluted</div><div>2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni</div><div>1 can (16 oz) corn, drained</div><div>1/2 cup chopped onion</div><div>1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained</div><div>2 tablespoons ketchup</div><div>1 tablespoon mustard</div><div>salt and pepper to taste</div><div></div><div><br />1. Heat oil in medium skillet; cook turkey until browned. Transfer turkey to slow cooker.</div><div></div><div><br />2. Add soup, macaroni, corn, onion, mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper to slow cooker. Stir to blend.</div><div></div><div><br />3. Cover; cook on low 7-9 hours or high 3-4 hours.</div><div></div><div><br />See? Doesn't it look like Hamburger Helper?</div><div></div><div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414908819376481186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBzLPAMvB1f7enekDQRVYdJ9hIQM7bKiaeqChbfseooWSSU2HT9-F83tJOpppLs7XBHMTJ-aQfXwXYZHACeit7nsgfeFSN-2SHZJ14ftWdmyT_60ewKcNMcfQZgfu9daKOsKA0QhJpBOR/s320/Turkey+and+Macaroni.JPG" /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-21596929466381671232009-11-28T16:54:00.000-08:002009-11-28T20:42:11.794-08:00Is it a Cookie or a Pie?I will let you decide. This recipe is inspired by a trip to the beach that my husband and I took a few months ago. We went to a restaurant for dinner and while dinner was good, dessert was MUCH better. I had honestly forgotten about this pie until Jason mentioned it a few weeks ago. "You know what you should make? That Toll House Pie from the beach". Oh dear. Once he mentioned it, I couldn't forget about it. <div><div><br /><div></div><div>So, I went searching for a good recipe online. I think this one comes pretty close. It wasn't identical to the one at the restaurant, but with a little tweaking, I can get it to work. </div><br /><div></div><div>I know it sounds weird. The same ingredients that go in the cookies go into a pie. Of course, it isn't exact. For one, you have to beat the eggs until super foamy. You don't do that for the cookies. Trust me on this, it's very good. I know it sounds bizarre to put cookie batter into a crust, but it really isn't cookie batter. It's a little thinner. If you were to add the walnuts (which I didn't), it would probably have been thicker.</div><div> </div><div><BR>Here is what the pie looks like before baking. See? Not as thick as normal cookie batter. </div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409380554607774610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i3sBjdmDJZKJqhjAUAKSnfwV9_FWB0iBFWCMRQnv6Tk62Zp2aTjOwFGTNLSOZoMBodrP8A7nznXDbxwbIPOPDU4I5BhBOYvw5mtVf6TyJADDGZRDw4QwX9Do6HZPBNwheyEfxmBTBaTy/s320/Toll+House+Pie+before+baking.JPG" /><br /><div>When it bakes up, the top will become very brown, and that is okay. It's what it's supposed to do. Let it keep baking. The last thing you want to end up with is an undercooked center. I prefer a warm slice of pie, so I cut into it about 20 minutes after it came out of the oven and it was perfectly fine. You can always heat it up in the microwave as well.</div><br /><div></div><div>This was very good! If I need to bring a dessert with me to a potluck anytime soon, I might bring this. It's unexpected and delicious. After all, who doesn't love some Toll House Cookies, errr, I mean pie?</div><div></div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409377834364329826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BgpStb62wwbTDLVLBLZWpF0k9KhYdMhLmPdEtrMiX014COL5HIzr_JvQtdjJkPZ3anzWM8GrSv2dvQ6dM2Sz9LVNEr2DfJ3wyAhGrvmafKqluttytyYbny0h0atLUplgxnA3P5Ho4yF5/s320/Toll+House+Pie.JPG" /><br /><div><strong><u>Toll House Pie</u></strong></div><div>from: <a href="http://www.cooks.com/">http://www.cooks.com/</a></div><br /><div>2 eggs</div><div>1/2 cup flour</div><div>1/2 cup sugar</div><div>1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar</div><div>3/4 cup butter, softened</div><div>1 cup chopped walnuts</div><div>1 cup (6 oz) Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips</div><div>1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell</div><div>whipped cream or ice cream, optional</div><br /><div>Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixer bowl, beat eggs at high speed until foamy, about three minutes. Beat in flour, sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in softened butter. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Pour into pie shell.</div><br /><div>Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in halfway between the edge and center comes out clean, and top is golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. </div><br /><div></div><div>If using frozen pie shell, use deep dish style; thaw completely. Place on cookie sheet; increase baking time by 10 minutes.<br /></div><div></div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409377465455896834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpn8kpW0GBz4jAmq_x0N7Li1J_ngedYq3j99FZQrlavoMsgEWDCcQ4OFvO4JEleiXP-LV9kQdmph5M3V4ylCixFuSMyl4YNm3Wk7fhYzgGektKcQfpTtm2Ht7ad6stDruiO_PWDgrrZIQ/s320/Toll+House+Pie+2.JPG" /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-36575374888077046892009-11-28T16:38:00.001-08:002009-11-28T16:53:44.757-08:00Chili Take a MillionI love chili, and I love looking for new chili recipes. In one particular cookbook (where I found this chili recipe actually), I have made almost every single one. I think there are three or four that I haven't made. One day, I am sure I will.<br /><br />Chili is one of those meals that is not only easy, but satisfying. It's so nice to be able to put items into a pan or a crockpot and just forget about it until dinner time. Plus, it contains a ton of protein so it's filling. Beans and meat and tomatoes. What could be better than that? Along with a nice corn muffin, it's a hit in my house. Jason and I both love chili. If you don't believe me, check out the prior posts about chili or soups that are almost like chili. See? I told you.<br /><br />Not only is chili a favorite, but so is the cookbook I found this from. I love my Pillsbury cookbook. I have only made one or two recipes out of it that were a disappointment. Everything else has been delicious. This was another success. There was the perfect amount of meat to bean ratio. I thought it might taste weird with the addition of tomato soup, but not at all! I think it just added to the thickness of the recipe.<br /><br />This is a relatively inexpensive meal to make because it takes mostly canned goods and less than a pound of meat. However, it feeds an army so it's very economical. Many of these items are ones that a normal family would have on hand in their pantry. Beans, taco seasoning, tomatoes and soup.<br /><br />Like the recipe suggests, I drained the butter beans for a thicker chili. I also added quite a bit of Tabasco to the mix since we like spicy food. Of course, if you are not a fan of the spice, leave out the Tabasco. Serve this with a green salad and cornbread and you have a complete meal. That is exactly what I did. <br /><br />Easy as 1, 2, 3. You cook the veggies and meat and throw the remaining items in the crockpot. Simple right? I do love to cook but I also love the ease and laziness of using my crockpot. Now, one day I will actually find a chili recipe that I will stick with. Or maybe not. Maybe I will just keep trying new ones.<br /><br /><strong><u>Three-Bean Chili</u></strong><br />from: Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook<br /><br /><p>1/2 pound ground beef or ground turkey<br />1 cup chopped onion<br />1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper<br />1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up<br />1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce<br />1 can (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup<br />1 package (1.25 oz) taco seasoning<br />1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained<br />1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained<br />1 can (15 oz) butter beans, undrained *</p><p>1. In medium skillet, brown ground beef with onions and bell peppers until beef is thoroughly cooked. Drain.</p><p>2. In slow cooker, combine cooked ground beef mixture, tomatoes, tomato sauce, soup, and taco seasoning mix; mix well.</p><p>3. Cover; cook on high setting for 30 minutes.</p><p>4. Stir in beans. Reduce heat to low setting; cover and cook an additional 4 to 5 hours or until thoroughly heated.</p><p>Tip: For a thicker chili, drain butter beans. </p><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409320572107838290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj577zuiBi-hkU0dYsXOsNDuHvJvwNwO94q4c70ceIQmIGKFsNRwshfECRrfr-nSJMmprA8VVC1ezk4lL7fKkq8-n0kbehwz8yy-PfcwpZIgMu-jc1zaNqf5MkEdd8ZX3KRm9JH-uk54BVx/s320/Three+Bean+Chili+2.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-26633153550402917882009-11-28T16:20:00.000-08:002009-11-28T16:35:32.864-08:00Spaghetti With a TwistBased on my prior posts, I am sure it is obvious just how much I love two things: Pasta and tomatoes. And I know that this little boy growing in me takes after his mom. He loves pasta too. Every time I eat pasta or anything sweet, he goes nuts! He kicks and moves and lets me know that he loves my dinner. That isn't the subject of this post though. I haven't had good luck finding new recipes from Cooking Light these past few issues, however, the month of December was a veritable gold mine! I think I pulled out at least a dozen recipes that I want to make. This is one of them.<br /><br />I like this recipe for a number of reasons:<br /><br />1. It was easy to make. Case in point, I made it on a weeknight (which I hardly ever do), and the tag in the magazine said this was a 30 minute recipe.<br /><br />2. It took pantry staples that I had on hand: Olives, capers, pasta, marinara sauce and spices.<br /><br />3. It was a different twist on spaghetti. Don't get me wrong, I could eat plain pasta with plain tomato sauce every day of the week. However, it was nice to try something new.<br /><br />4. Jason liked it! He eats my pasta with a smile even though I know half the time he is a little annoyed. He does not share my love of pasta. <br /><br />Cooking Light has gained my love back. Not that I ever lost my love for them. I just needed a kick start to find a new recipe. This was very easy and I love the fact that it's light. A serving of a cup of pasta and 3/4 cup of the sauce was a mere 445 calories. That isn't bad! Pair this with a green salad and a glass of milk like I did and you will be full for several hours. I didn't feel a bit guilty eating this. <br /><br />I don't keep sherry on hand, but I imagine red wine would probably be fine. I just used water since it called for only 1/4 cup. That and the saffron, which is optional anyways, are the two ingredients that I didn't have on hand. I added about double of the red pepper since we like things spicy in our household. The results were a very nice spiced pasta kick.<br /><br />Try this recipe! It's very very good. I have been eating the leftovers as well. They are just as tasty reheated.<br /><br /><strong><u>Spanish Spaghetti with Olives</u></strong><br />from: Cooking Light December 2009<br /><br />8 ounces thin spaghetti<br />1 tablespoon olive oil<br />2 cups choppen onion<br />2 teaspoons minced garlic<br />1 teaspoon dried oregano<br />1/2 teaspoon celery salt<br />1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper<br />1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper<br />1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads (optional)<br />8 ounces extra-lean ground beef<br />1 2/3 cups marinara sauce<br />1/2 cup sliced pimento stuffed olives<br />1/4 cup dry sherry<br />1 tablespoon capers<br />1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided<br /><br />1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.<br /><br />2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Stir in oregano, celery salt, red pepper, black pepper and saffron. Crumble beef into pan; cook 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in marinara sauce, olives, sherry, capers, and 3 tablespoons parsley. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.<br /><br />3. Add spaghetti to sauce mixture. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409314664910709602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2GQCAgiY-zjLhy71aVSLTD-5PO29qf-ruV1agPxaGaxCf9MLoMZj9ZluMHBuZ_UfhQb1agZ91idYt-ezqeMag_SG9-hBshxRleq82kctH3QxCD8zgb5NwSOGZcGLE8phkyb44LC_s-GC/s320/Spanish+Spaghetti+with+Olives.JPG" /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-72822119793910373452009-11-28T15:51:00.000-08:002009-11-28T16:14:39.264-08:00Chicken French StyleOkay, I want to know if cordon bleu is really French. When I was in Quebec, I don't recall seeing a cordon bleu on any menu. However, I might not have been looking very carefully. Also, answer this for me: If this is a French recipe, why do you use Swiss cheese? Would a French cheese be more appropriate? I do know that my family is French Canadian and chicken cordon bleu happens to be my dad's favorite meal. I have personally never made it but I have eaten the very tasty frozen ones from Costco. Knowing how much I love my crockpot, I thought I would give this recipe a try.<br /><br />I would like to disclaim right up front: This is a recipe I will never make again. Not because it wasn't tasty. It's because they were a pain to make, and when you eat them, you have to worry about toothpicks unless you were smart and counted how many you put in each chicken breast. Jason and I both really liked this recipe, but again, it was a pain in the arse to make. Or pain in the hoosegow as my French Canadian Memere would say. <br /><br />You can serve these little rolls on either rice or over egg noodles which is what we did. Also, depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you might only need 3 instead of the 6 it calls for. I was able to get a lot of my aggression out on these poor little chicken breasts. Like the regular, non-crockpot cordon bleu, you have to pound the breasts pretty thin. <br /><br />The recipe calls for prosciutto and hopefully your's will be more cooperative than mine. In retrospect, I should have used ham. The prosciutto was so darn thin that when I peeled it off the paper, it just fell apart. Pain in the butt take one. I had to cut the cheese down a little bit so that it would fit on the chicken breasts. Pain in the butt take two. Next, the chicken had to be rolled up and secured with toothpicks. Pain in the butt take three, four and five. Seriously, PAIN IN THE BUTT. <br /><br />I didn't want to use white wine, probably because I am lazy and that would have required me to buy some, so instead, I used some chicken broth that I had in the fridge. I feel the substitution was completely fine and I doubt it altered the taste.<br /><br />I hope you are more successful than I am when making these. Again, they were good, but did I mention a slight pain? <br /><br /><strong><u>Chicken Cordon Bleu Rolls</u></strong><br />from: The New Creative CrockPot Cookbook<br /><br />6 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness<br />6 slices prosciutto<br />6 slices Swiss cheese<br />salt and pepper to taste<br />1/2 can cream of mushroom soup<br />1/4 cup milk<br />1/4 cup white wine<br /><br />On each chicken breast, place on piece of prosciutto and cheese. Roll up each chicken breast and secure with a toothpick. Season each roll with salt and pepper. Place in the crockpot. In a small bowl, whisk together the soup, milk and white wine. Pour this mixture over the chicken breast rolls. Cover; cook on low 4 to 6 hours (or on high 3 to 4 hours).<br /><br /><br />This is what the rolls look like when you cut into them. Yummy!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409308420260974050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdU9deG6AAdXU4APLi3VSyHy3uIEQyCLpv6Ca3M0T2gRCA03BMVl-K8zoIfJCZPDXwf1itOJqhRzIM-JhQSXfuHTXsFqqgCJV7SrUAWVFXNiNx5Jy4G6NP6Yhmi4MqUbxgk5HsEG1TeTt/s320/Chicken+Cordon+Bleu+Rolls.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-22177067234852379542009-11-28T15:26:00.001-08:002009-11-28T15:50:57.345-08:00Even More Pumpkin!Sorry about my lack of blogging lately. In between doubling up on classes, getting ready for the bean, not cooking a whole lot and the holidays, I have been a slacker. So, I will spend some time today updating.<br /><br /><div>I made this recipe several weeks ago. I had some leftover canned pumpkin in my fridge and I didn't want it to go to waste. After all, I can never pass up an opportunity to bake. I went in search of a recipe that was both healthy (because I am trying not to gain too much pregnancy weight) and tasty, well because let's face it, taste is the most important aspect.</div><div> </div><div><BR>I believe this is the first time I have used a recipe from cooks.com and I certainly wasn't disappointed. I found a lowfat muffin recipe (140 calories per muffin and only 4.6 grams of fat) that was really tasty. I only altered one thing and that was the sugar. I used half sugar and half Splenda. If you use all the sugar that the recipe calls for, it only adds a few calories per muffin. Not enough to worry about.</div><div> </div><div><BR>This was very easy to throw together. So much so that on a night before class, I whipped these up and brought in a batch for my classmates. It took less than an hour to make and bake and package them up.</div><div> </div><div><BR>I put the label for this recipe as a dessert and breakfast because I feel that pumpkin and raisins are appropriate all times of the day. So if you are looking for a quick breakfast, grab one of these muffins and a cup of coffee and you are all set! </div><div> </div><div><BR>These muffins don't have an overpowering taste of pumpkin. I love pumpkin, so it doesn't bother me how much is in a recipe, however, some people don't care for pumpkin. These muffins have a very nice pumpkin accent. It is one of the main ingredients, but even if you don't care for pumpkin, I think you would like these. They result in a very moist, muffin. I suggest eating them while they are still warm. They were the most tasty that way! </div><div> </div><div><BR>Be careful not to overmix the batter. Follow the directions and only mix until the flour is moistened. I really think the muffins were moist because of this. The more you mix, the tougher the muffins will be. Also, don't be afraid to add more spice than the recipe calls for. I always add a little extra cinnamon and nutmeg to things. It gives more depth (doesn't that sound fancy?) to the recipe in my opinion.</div><div> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409302605670803426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSFA7gXbwb8jjs0_uIettsFC9xTPgNX8KRib4onXRvQFpBhK-CIMbLjRDWiCFAG91cMcIrMalpVjKb36WcZDfawfF5avs1UBj80Am8WOHNEzxs9eySgXSs7r10gE06oYyIA8KMCeHvG2b/s320/100_1842.JPG" /></div><br /><strong><u>Pumpkin Muffins</u></strong><br />from: <a href="http://www.cooks.com/">www.cooks.com</a><br /><br />1 1/2 cup flour<br />1/2 cup sugar (I used half Splenda and half sugar)<br />2 teaspoons baking powder<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 teaspoon cinnamon<br />1/2 teaspoon nutmeg<br />1/2 cup milk<br />1/2 cup canned pumpkin<br />1/4 cup butter, melted<br />1 egg<br />1/2 cup raisins<br /><br />Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottoms of 12 medium muffin cups. Mix all ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon sugar over batter in each cup. Bake 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately remove from pan.<br /><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p>Aren't these beautiful when you cut into them?<br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409302873428413842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0YscmQn3Nbv_dofn9aiWDC9RPX7aKye08M5kCk57C-q34GxnqpxrUNt4Zs5_KyuUtZoL-5ZYB4JOqg7NSvlsVAMt4u0wordQMAmmVsUrF9NOdZ7bWVb9_x7PAe53lJS4Q7Y1FDdhifME/s320/100_1843.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-14365614045303242822009-10-25T16:45:00.000-07:002009-10-25T16:59:46.561-07:00More PumpkinI told you that I have wanting pumpkin lately! It's fall after all and nothing says fall like pumpkin and spice. So, here goes. This recipe is one that I pulled out of Cooking Light this month. I am less likely to feel guilty about baking if the recipe is one that is from Cooking Light. Maybe it's all in my head.<br /><br />The picture is what drew me to this. A delicious looking cake with a nice cream cheese frosting. While cream cheese frosting isn't my favorite, I can make special exceptions. Plus, the best part? It's light!<br /><br />My picture didn't turn out quite as pretty as the one in the magazine, but that's okay. Case in point:<br /><br />My cake is flatter then the picture. I do have to say though, I cut this piece from the flattest part of the cake. The rest is much more springy and less condensed. Operator error I am sure.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396688706944402130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1pp4IIOFsPiKrDc0pkVX4dt7XVIL3BiCpy53CA4NYQZVQ_08cb3JmJgY0eNhjV6Skvv5yjYBnRR3vLU3BcvaDcMjjR88xL5doCn8yC7I-2f2TmgWE3xPIz5ELwVrsR2pjUC2jDKtx1yW/s320/100_1835.JPG" /><br />The end results were very good! And anything when I can use my Kitchenaid is a good thing. Confession: I sometimes look for recipes that calls for a mixer just so I can use mine.<br /><br />This is a moist cake made so by the canned pumpkin. It really is the star of the cake. After all, it wouldn't be a pumpkin cake without the pumpkin. The brown sugar gave it richness that white sugar couldn't, and the fact that it doesn't have much fat (butter) in it, is what makes it light. <br /><br />The frosting does have a lot of powdered sugar and butter and cream cheese in it, but you aren't eating that much icing. The majority of the serving size is cake. Plus, the pieces are cut small which also helps in keeping this cake well under 200 calories a piece.<br /><br /><strong><u>Frosted Pumpkin Cake</u></strong><br />from: Cooking Light Magazine November 2009<br /><br />Cake:<br />10.1 ounces flour (about 2 1/4 cups)<br />2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder<br />2 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />1 cup packed brown sugar<br />1/4 cup butter, softened<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />2 large eggs<br />1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree<br />cooking spray<br /><br />Frosting:<br />2 tablespoons butter, softened<br />1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />1 package (8 ounces) 1/3-less fat cream cheese<br />2 cups sifted powdered sugar<br /><br />1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br /><br />2. To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.<br /><br />3. Combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture; beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13x9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.<br /><br />4. To prepare the frosting, combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-7930182227112044922009-10-25T14:18:00.000-07:002009-10-25T14:30:04.600-07:00Pumpkin For BreakfastRemember when I said that fall is in the air? You know what that means? It's time for pumpkin! Starbucks has had their Pumpkin Spice Latte out for a few weeks now and I will admit that I have indulged. Quite a few times actually.<br /><br />I made two pumpkin recipes this weekend. One was enjoyed this morning at breakfast. It's a recreation of Starbucks' latte. How did it turn out? It was okay. Of course, it wasn't nearly as good as the real thing, but it saved me money and a trip out of the house at 8:00 in the morning.<br /><br />I prepared this recipe last night and chilled it in my baby crockpot in the fridge over night. My lovely husband then took it out of the fridge and started it at 6:00 this morning (he works swing shift and usually comes to bed around that time). So, when I woke up, I had my delicious coffee beverage waiting for me.<br /><br />I would suggest using much stronger coffee than I did. While it was good, I prefer my coffee to actually taste a little like coffee. So next time I make this, it will be with the stronger stuff. Also, I imagine whipped cream would be delicious on this. I wouldn't know. I am trying not to gain too much weight during this pregnancy, so I omitted the whip. I am pretty sad about that because I think the whipped cream really adds to the flavor.<br /><br />Overall, this was easy and yummy. I have some leftover for my breakfast tomorrow which makes me doubly happy.<br /><br /><p><u><strong>Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Latte<br /></strong></u>from: <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/crockpot-pumpkin-spice-latte-recipe.html">http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/crockpot-pumpkin-spice-latte-recipe.html</a></p><p>2 cups milk (I used 1%)<br />2 tablespoons canned pumpkin<br />2 tablespoons white sugar (I used Splenda instead)<br />2 tablespoons (yes tablespoons) vanilla extract<br />1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice<br />1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee</p><p>This will make enough for two people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used my baby crockpot (for dips and small things) for this, but you can double and use a bigger crockpot.</p><p>Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar and vanilla.</p><p>Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.</p><p>See? Mine is a little pale. Use STRONG coffee!<br /></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396651830953804786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-MZJYJYVqJUQbEP7ZKYZpbItfxj-0lQsQWmGbEBjeN6WK_YI8nLPPwvFjlPGMjdSBaIl4hj0jl46D1c00Zh17V78-i3UWIEpUBzkFuHG-pA1Hzy5dB22q6eUPFr9M6ULmRV1-zZ5npX1/s320/100_1836.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-89056160286789865052009-10-24T19:53:00.000-07:002009-10-24T20:11:38.857-07:00Fall Is In the Air!When I think of fall cooking, two things immediately come to mind: Crockpots and pumpkin. Today was one of those days. I made something in the crockpot and I made something pumpkin. Not together however. That will have to wait until breakfast tomorrow. Stay tuned on that one. <div> </div><div><BR>I love my crockpot. It is probably my most used kitchen appliance next to my coffee maker and microwave. As you can see from prior posts, it gets a LOT of use in this house. What could be easier than throwing ingredients in in the morning and turning it on? Jason giggles because I use it so much, but he clearly loves the results.</div><div> </div><div><BR>This is a recipe I normally wouldn't make. I am not sure what caught my eye about it. Probably the fact that I love Thai food and peanut butter. So I figured why not? I have never made anything Thai inspired so it was worth a shot.</div><div> </div><div><BR>The ingredients aren't that far out there either. I didn't have to buy fish sauce or chili paste. As a matter of fact, I had all the spices on hand. All it takes is some soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes. Who doesn't have those things in their kitchen?</div><div> </div><div><BR>I will admit that I had to buy a few of the ingredients it calls for. I had regular peanut butter in the house, but Jason has been begging me to buy some chunky, so I obliged. I also had to buy the actual peanuts. Yes, I realize they are a garnish, but I wanted that extra crunch on top. Plus, I had to buy the turkey and the cilantro. </div><div> </div><div><BR>This was very very good. Not overwhelmingly peanut butter. I think that's probably due in part to the broth and soy sauce. Yes, you could taste the peanut butter, but you could also taste the other ingredients too. It was nice and spicy, just how we like things in this house. </div><div><br />I would recommend using either rice noodles or ramen (without the flavor packet) if you make this. I used just regular pasta, but I think rice noodles would be better. I didn't think about it at the time so I just bought thin spaghetti. Oh and my grocery store didn't have turkey tenderloins that weren't crazy marinated ones. So I just used turkey cutlets which were perfectly fine. You just dice the turkey up anyways.</div><div> </div><div><BR>Try this one, it's yummy! Fall is definitely in the air! Wait until you see my next post. That one DEFINITELY proves that fall is here.</div><div> </div><div><strong><u><BR>Thai Turkey and Noodles</u></strong></div><div>from: 365 Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Recipes and More</div><div> </div><div><BR>1 package (about 1.5 pounds) turkey tenderloins, cut into 3/4 inch pieces</div><div>1 red bell pepper, cut into short, thin strips</div><div>1.25 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided</div><div>1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce</div><div>3 cloves garlic, minced</div><div>3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes</div><div>1/4 teaspoon salt</div><div>2 tablespoons cornstarch</div><div>3 green onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces</div><div>1/3 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (not natural style)</div><div>12 ounces hot vermicelli pasta</div><div>3/4 cup peanuts or cashews, chopped</div><div>3/4 cup cilantro, chopped</div><div> </div><div><BR>Place turkey, bell pepper, 1 cup broth, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 3 hours.</div><div> </div><div><BR>Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup broth in small bowl until smooth. Turn slow cooker to high. Stir in green onions, peanut butter and cornstarch mixture. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened and turkey is no longer pink in center. Stir well. Serve over vermicelli. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396365894160978514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrC4ju4ZGp0XGZd0krrqXKI5JqgXV69P0h1lzmVKNjjTtwu_DP69QPgZ0u00LsksKCqjn-mUkQjZ_4Mg2iR_XD8vZFWr3qvK_HCWHWePAmubqUCKzghESngOZE1fJwB8u9irkeim7vR4F_/s320/100_1833.JPG" /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-54024505344810515072009-10-19T17:21:00.001-07:002009-10-19T17:41:01.222-07:00Fancy Macaroni and CheeseThis is neither macaroni and cheese nor is it "fancy", however, that is what my husband called it, so there you have it. It will now forever be referred to as Fancy Macaroni and Cheese.<br /><div></div><br /><div>This is a recipe off the Food Network. It's from Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis. I can remember watching the episode when she made this. It had to have been three or four years ago. Honestly though, I doubt that lady eats any of this because she's so darn skinny! And judging by the ingredients in this, you would have to have some meat on your bones.</div><br /><div></div><div>Just looking at the picture makes me wonder how anyone can stay skinny while eating this?</div><div> </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394475497274227362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPufJJ14lryN20cXEkdHEIWh9ZICywnBgYQ8qZg3Y6syl__xf5_3GrG0HVWGJtGsYlbDh5cP4frIAL2pjHYQ8lKfg3bhy6mr4yNxoJiM7xHyP0a0sGXTtHzD4NXOxZm7hG3U_QeeB3drt/s320/100_1828.JPG" />However, I should point out that there are ways of making it lighter should you feel the need. Don't use as much butter as it calls for, use lean ham instead of the proscuitto, use fat-free or 1% milk rather than the whole milk. You catch my drift. Plus, you can always eat a smaller serving (surrrrre, try that, I dare you.) if you don't want to feel guilty.<br /><br />This recipe's base is a bechamel sauce, which is generally a roux with a little cheese added. If you don't know what a roux is, it's butter and flour with some milk to make a white sauce. I recently made another macaroni and cheese recipe using a roux. It's not a hard task to accomplish. Knowing how to make a roux will give you the baseline to make pretty much any mac and cheese you want. The cheese is a fontina, which is delicious! It isn't your typical cheddar which many macaroni and cheese dishes use. See? Look at all these concepts that prove that this is not macaroni and cheese! Plus, it uses rigatoni pasta and not elbows.<br /><br />The only downside to making this is having patience to wait for the milk to thicken. Honestly, considering how easy the rest of the recipe is, waiting 10 minutes is no big deal. And hopefully you have an easier time julienne'ing (is that a word?) the prosciutto. Mine looked like a pile o' ham rather than neat strips. It worked out in the end. I just broke it up as it went into the pan.<br /><br />Enjoy! This is creamy, rich and delicious! It isn't too bad heated up the next day as lunch leftovers either.<br /><br /><u><strong>Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce</strong></u><br />from: <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/baked-rigatoni-with-bechamel-sauce-recipe2/index.html">http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/baked-rigatoni-with-bechamel-sauce-recipe2/index.html</a><br /><br />1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter<br />1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour<br />1 quart whole milk at room temperature<br />pinch of nutmeg<br />sea salt and white pepper<br />1 cup grated fontina cheese<br />1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned<br />1 pound rigatoni<br />3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced<br /><p>1. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth (about 2 minutes). Always stirring, gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (10 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in nutmeg, 1/2 cup cheese, prosciutto and season with salt and pepper; set aside.</p><p>2. In a large pot, boil water, add rigatoni and cook until al dente. Drain. Return pasta to the pot and pour in bechamel sauce. Mix well.</p><p>3. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Smooth out top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup fontina. Dot the top with the diced butter and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.<br /></p><p>I love that my picture looks pretty darn close to the one on the Food Network website. I must have done something right!</p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394471109690666978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlnA1dNlI_8CYYakQdCqdUgsnQNkfHdUNaVsHb8u3QrIQM3a0NFIHwX-tIWe1Ct2ws7xGIr_VglmGf0PJJ6IlrUBHpznYXq6j05m_-ey9e6kCi-fegwDJE8DuOog5x_IWjb37Kr2WUhFL/s320/100_1830.JPG" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-37670538408017420282009-10-11T16:20:00.000-07:002009-10-11T19:17:21.710-07:00Lazy Lasagna<div><div>This recipe is titled Lazy because I didn't actually assemble this lasagna today. I actually put it all together yesterday morning. Which was nice for me because then all I had to do today was bake it. This recipe is great for people who are lazy. Or, can I recommend that you assemble this and bring it to some nice new mother? I can't imagine anything better than having someone show up at my door with lasagna in hand. All I would have to do is bake it! Hint, hint.</div><br /><div></div><div>In my cooking extravaganza yesterday, I threw together........Well, not really threw. That would have gotten messy. It was very easy to assemble, which makes me wonder, why do a lot of people hem and haw when having to make lasagna? It really wasn't hard. Maybe because they have to boil the noodles which are a pain? They do make those no-boil noodles nowadays. Easy and cuts down on the prep time. Or maybe it's because they make their sauce from scratch? They do make fairly decent jarred sauces these days. </div><br /><div>I am sure I have made lasagna before, but I honestly can't recall a time where I made a real from-scratch one. My husband was shocked to hear that I was going to attempt. Maybe he better taste it first to make sure it passes muster. Yes, I admit. I have baked a ready-made lasagna before in times of pure laziness. Heck, those Costco ones are pretty darn good!</div><br /><div></div><div>Notice where this recipe came from? I think this cookbook has made more appearances in my blog than anything else. What can I say? Most of the things in it are very good. With maybe one or two exceptions. This was not one of the exceptions. Meaning, it was very very good! My husband had two servings. I had one and a half servings. The only thing I would do differently is use maybe 1/2 a pound of sausage next time. The ground beef was a little bland, even though I added some spices to it in the cooking process. </div><div></div><div><BR>The cheese was perfectly melted. The noodles, even though you don't cook them prior, were cooked. That concept is really strange to me but whatever! Very tasty. No complaints here!</div><br /><div></div><div>Here is the lovely lasagna before baking. </div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391530450899653026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bZQjekryGjphg1YhtW58GGNroNdfScOIpJWp04txNtNC2vzvfi1756zEZ5cZDWlw2cQP_qY5IhLysPAdOC0_QHjECd4vjyxzGKrWsfbmZzb-yTp3gUV1cqVkWK2X1lhyphenhyphenOedjb0D-pQTu/s320/Lazy-Day+Overnight+Lasagna+before+baking.JPG" /><strong><u>Lazy-Day Overnight Lasagna</u></strong> <div>from: Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook</div><div></div><div>1 pound ground beef or mild Italian sausage</div><div>1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce</div><div>1 cup water</div><div>1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese</div><div>2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives</div><div>1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves</div><div>1 egg</div><div>8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles</div><div>1 package (16 ounces) sliced mozzarella cheese</div><div>2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese</div><br /><div>1. In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain well. Add spaghetti sacue and water; blend well.</div><br /><div>2. In medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, chives, oregano, and egg; mix well.</div><br /><div>3. In ungreased 13x9 inch baking dish or lasagna pan, spread 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce. Top with 1/2 each of the uncooked noodles, ricotta cheese mixture and mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 1 1/2 cups meat sauce and remaining noodles, ricotta cheese and mozzarella. Top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover; refrigerate 12 hours or overnight. </div><br /><div>4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover; bake 50 to 60 minutes or until noodles are tender and casserole is bubbly. Cover; let stand 15 minutes before serving.</div><div></div><div><BR>Here is the lasagna after. Not a huge difference although the cheese is gooey and melted and starting to brown around the edges. Just the way I like it!</div><div></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391530664554366738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6qbK8LaJWtaQfuJQE0eWreSoGAjLuGRZBblqTa68djFZaKIfOfFtZhZ2wXAqGp0OV1CvhngCPRkSALDn2CTOnpakBYCbsVz7LD5cl4b-u84WSeSkX1UD-Q71PyGBVR-o1X_TN5mhyTiO/s320/Lazy-Day+Overnight+Lasagna+After+baking.JPG" /></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1777386828175101410.post-47039157528031581302009-10-11T16:11:00.000-07:002009-10-11T19:11:19.486-07:00Early ThanksgivingIt was early Thanksgiving at our house yesterday. Although I didn't actually roast a turkey, I did roast a chicken. Really, all I wanted was stuffing. Namely, the family recipe stuffing. It's so good. I get it maybe once a year (on Thanksgiving, imagine that!) so this was a treat. <div><br /><div></div><div>Here is a picture of my lovely chicken and roast veggies:<br /></div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391529251507114802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AnJBeV9osZQKcB1u5tq3cj4HrcTuAVl6nJxLAVzH9lCYlm95aN9dqXin0iJ6oVi4gEwgv3mtdyJU1fbP3DwQTNJ5XGhVzFFRuoFL56nMGXBWhscNaGdp2rOhMzZNaaFwNDTQwszRmWNt/s320/Roast+Chicken.JPG" />I started a cooking extravaganza yesterday morning. I started out by making the stuffing and then moving on to Lemon Blueberry Bread, then Lasagna for tonight's dinner and then finishing off with Hearty Chicken Vegetable Soup. In between chopping and stirring, I also managed to clean out my entire kitchen cupboards and re-organize them. I know, weird right?</div><br /><div>This stuffing is very easy to make. If you are really lazy, I suppose you could use those premade bread cubes that they sell in the store. In my family, we always used to save the ends of breads, aka: The Heels. Or, if a loaf was starting to get a little stale, we would throw it in the freezer for the next batch of stuffing. Since our freezer space is limited, I just bought a cheapie loaf of wheat bread and toasted it up in the oven to dry it out. It worked perfectly fine!</div><div><br />Can you believe that with all the cooking I do I didn't have most of the spices in this recipe? I have never made stuffing at home so I didn't have the sage, rosemary or poultry seasoning. So I had to buy them. At least I will have them on hand for next time. When I was growing up, my Mom used to tell me that there's a song about these spices. Is that true? That is how she remembered which spices to add. Sage, rosemary and thyme. Or something like that.</div><div><br />I didn't stuff the chicken. I didn't want to mess around with that. So, I baked my stuffing in a casserole dish. Don't do what I did: Overcook the stuffing. I probably should have pulled it out of the oven at an hour rather than an hour and fifteen minutes. It was still edible, although dry. Heck, I was craving it. It could have been burned and I would have still eaten it. </div><div><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391529356882672354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQO2NWs9GELjBumQUuwhpUDsDry-I0T2t_H5ajczsI423qyJCN_FKTTqsEHTMhdKcZlXWkdWUCiJMuTWUu_Ez6edwgR8HIG3bYuFcjLmEWlaPkH50iQQ1YvdVWHwzbYB_Fa0EzQZ4s3Yxs/s320/Stuffing.JPG" />Even better? I pulled it out of the refrigerator today and sliced some off to make myself a chicken and stuffing sandwich. Yay for leftovers!<br /><br /><div><strong><u>Stuffing</u></strong></div><div>from: My Mom<br /></div><div>2 eggs, beaten</div><div>salt</div><div>pepper</div><div>medium to large onion, chopped</div><div>one tablespoon parsley</div><div>1/4 teaspoon sage</div><div>1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning</div><div>1/4 teaspoon rosemary</div><div>1/4 teaspoon thyme</div><div>1 1/2 loaves bread, dried, cubed</div><div>4-8 tablespoons melted butter</div><div>boiling water (enough to moisten)</div><br /><div>* Add all ingredients together and mix with your hands. Stuff in bird or bake in a casserole dish.</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391529775902751762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdxGAUH55c9DEZ45FU2MeLOwOSQNhSjAFKgkKNZ9MIDLW5eU4-8W9DZ2pJXwED1aN2SphmBNoAHI_yhKLM4jGfhNFUzPttMYHSPkj2may4pwOdFuN0MXilFmVHRZUOX05Z7Mg6Z0ngfya/s320/Stuffing+2.JPG" /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371030373834125484noreply@blogger.com0