Pachey's Treats

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Here is the lovely pie before the whipped cream.

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).

Coconut Cream Pie

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

1 pie crust

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 eggs

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons butter

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup flaked coconut

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.

2. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

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.

Cajun Night

2010-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Although 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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

Cajun Chicken Pasta
from: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/cajun-chicken-pasta/

3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
3 teaspoons Cajun spice mix
1 pound fettuccine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 whole green pepper, seeded and sliced
1 whole red pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 large red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 whole Roma tomatoes, diced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
cayenne pepper to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley, to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta when it's al dente. Do not overcook!

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.

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.

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!

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.

Not Quite a Hit

2010-06-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well, 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.

I am still going to post the recipe because the filling was a hit. The cornbread topper? Not so much.

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.

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?

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.

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!

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.

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.

Crockpot Barbeque Chicken and Cornbread Casserole

from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/crockpot-barbecued-chicken-and.html

1 pound of cooked or practical cooked chicked, cubed or shredded

1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1-inch chunks (optional)

1 red onion, diced (optional)

1 cup frozen or fresh corn

1 bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce (18 oz)

1/4 cup hot water

Cornbread topping:

Use a mix and follow the directions on the box (minus the oil or butter), or mix together the following:

3/4 cup corn meal

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

* 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.

* In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. You don't need to mix well. Spread the topping on the chicken mixture.

* Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

Pizza Night

2010-04-25T06:47:00.001-07:00

Don'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.

Yes, soup.

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.

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: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

She is an inspiration to me. Can you imagine making all your recipes in the crockpot for a year? Wow! Talk about dedication!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thank you again to Stephanie for inspiring me to use my crockpot more! I plan on making another of her recipes soon.

Pizza Soup
from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

1 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce
3 empty jars of water
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup baby tomatoes cut in quarters (or 1 canned diced tomatoes, drained)
2 already cooked Italian sausages
1 cup sliced pepperoni, cut into quarters
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 to 1/3 cup dried pasta
shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)

Use a 5 or 6 quart crockpot for this recipe.

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.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

30 minutes before serving, add the pasta and turn to high.

Garnish/top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

The spots on the top of the soup in this picture is the cheese.

Words You Don't Hear Together

2010-04-18T14:33:00.001-07:00

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!

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: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

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.

Things that I did while making this:

* 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.

* I used Frank's Red Sauce in the buffalo style for the sauce.

* 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.

* 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.

* 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?

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.

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.

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.

Look how beautiful this looks when assembled and before cooking:

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

from: A Year of Slow Cooking

uncooked traditional lasagna noodles

4 already cooked chicken breast halves

jar of prepared pasta sauce
1 cup buffalo wing sauce

3 red, yellow or orange bell peppers

tub of ricotta cheese (15 oz)

2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican or cheddar/mozzarella blend)

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

1/4 cup of water (add at the very end)

1. Use at least a 5 qt. crockpot, or cut back on the ingredients.

2. In a large glass bowl, combine cooked and chopped chicken breast, the pasta sauce and 1 cup of buffalo wing sauce.

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.

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.

5. Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients.

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.

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.

So, it's messy, but it's delicious!

Real Men Don't Eat Quiche

2010-04-18T11:08:00.001-07:00

Or 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Country Quiche

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

8 slices bacon
1 small onion, chopped
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

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.

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.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly brown on top and firm in the middle. Serve warm.

Bananas.......Yummmmm

2010-04-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome 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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Banana Banana Bread
from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cup mashed overripe bananas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

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.

3. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

* 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.

Baked Potato in a Bowl

2010-03-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

As 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.

I wanted to use my crockpot to make a soup and so I turned to the 365 days of crockpot cooking blog: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Make this soup! You will love it!

Baked Potato Soup
from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
1 teeny onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
2 quarts chicken broth
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end
crumbled bacon and green onion or chives as garnish (optional)

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.

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.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and I'd assume cheddar cheese would be just delightful.

Unchocolate Brownies

2010-01-24T20:08:00.001-08:00

Tonight 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Peanut Butter Brownies

from: www.allrecipes.com

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter, softened

2/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped (or chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan.

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).

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.

It's Not a Cookie

2010-01-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

Yes, 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.

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.

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?

So without further ado.............Drum roll...............From the archives:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I would most certainly recommend these bars. For a potluck, a family get together or just a yummy dessert for no special occasion.

Swirl-of-Chocolate Cheesecake Triangles
from: Nestle Tollhouse Best Loved Cookies

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Filling:
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups (12-fluid-ounce can) evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

For crust: Combine crumbs, butter and granulated sugar in medium bowl; press onto bottom of ungreased 13x9 baking pan.

For filling: Beat cream cheese, granulated sugar and flour in large mixer bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla.

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.

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.

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.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T21:47:00.000-08:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

These are the perfect finger food and the next time I have to bring an appetizer somewhere, I am going to bring these! Delicious!

Stuffed Jalapenos

from: Sarah

Jalapenos (about 12-15 whole), canned, drained.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup smoked cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

3 oz. prosciutto, chopped

1. Vertically slice the jalapenos to halve them. Remove all the seeds and veins.

2. Mix all the remaining ingredients together.

3. Stuff approximately a tablespoon of the cheese mix inside each of the halved jalapenos.

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.

Homemade Gifts

2009-12-28T17:36:00.001-08:00

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.

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?

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.

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.

Here is the mix all stirred up and ready to be jarred.

Here are some tips that I used to make this cocoa mix:

* 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.

* 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.

* 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.

* Make sure your mixing vessel is large enough. My mixing bowl is not that big so I used a giant stockpot.

* 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.

* 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.

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.

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!

All packaged up and ready to go! I just need to add ribbon and the instructions on how to make a cup.

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.

Hot Cocoa Mix
from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

10 cups dry milk powder
4 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

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.

2. For one serving, place 1/3 cup of the mix and add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir.

or, Pachey's method for jarring:

Pour approximately 3 cups of mix into each quart jar and top with mini marshmallows or chocolate chips to fill jar.

Baking Extravaganza

2009-12-20T16:44:00.001-08:00

Happy 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!

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.

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.

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.

Here are some of the tools that I used today:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

The dough doesn't really look extraordinary. Just like thick brownie batter. Into the fridge it went!

Moving on to the Chex Mix. Here are all the ingredients it takes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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!

Here are what the Crinkles look like before they are baked. They look like chocolate snowballs.

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.

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?

Now without further ado, here are all the recipes.

Spicy Chex Mix
from: General Mills Cereal

6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons (or more depending on how hot you like your food) Tabasco sauce
3 cups Corn Chex
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Wheat Chex
1 cup peanuts
1 cup pretzels
1 cup cheese crackers

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.

Spritz
from: Betty Crocker Cooky Book

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/4 cups flour

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix butter, sugar, egg, salt, and extract thoroughly. Measure flour and work in.

2. Using 1/4 dough at a time, force dough through cookie press onto ungreased baking sheet.

3. Bake 6 to 9 minutes.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
from: Pillsbury's Best Butter Cookie Cookbook

1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Hershey's Kisses

1. Mix together in a small bowl; flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

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.

3. Shape the dough into balls (approximately a heaping teaspoon for each). Roll balls in granulated sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

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.

Chocolate Crinkles
from: Betty Crocker Cooky Book

1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 squares unsweetened chocolate (4 oz. total), melted
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioner's sugar

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.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Drop teaspoonsful of dough into confectioner's sugar. Roll in sugar; shape into balls. Note: 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.

White Trash Dinner

2009-12-13T18:08:00.001-08:00

Hopefully 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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Turkey and Macaroni

from: Rival CrockPot Slow Cooker Recipes

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1.5 pounds ground turkey

2 cans (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup, undiluted

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1 can (16 oz) corn, drained

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in medium skillet; cook turkey until browned. Transfer turkey to slow cooker.

2. Add soup, macaroni, corn, onion, mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper to slow cooker. Stir to blend.

3. Cover; cook on low 7-9 hours or high 3-4 hours.

See? Doesn't it look like Hamburger Helper?

Is it a Cookie or a Pie?

2009-11-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

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.

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.

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.

Here is what the pie looks like before baking. See? Not as thick as normal cookie batter.

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.

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?

Toll House Pie

from: http://www.cooks.com/

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup (6 oz) Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

whipped cream or ice cream, optional

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.

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.

If using frozen pie shell, use deep dish style; thaw completely. Place on cookie sheet; increase baking time by 10 minutes.

Chili Take a Million

2009-11-28T16:38:00.001-08:00

I 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Three-Bean Chili
from: Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

1/2 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 package (1.25 oz) taco seasoning
1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained
1 can (15 oz) butter beans, undrained *

1. In medium skillet, brown ground beef with onions and bell peppers until beef is thoroughly cooked. Drain.

2. In slow cooker, combine cooked ground beef mixture, tomatoes, tomato sauce, soup, and taco seasoning mix; mix well.

3. Cover; cook on high setting for 30 minutes.

4. Stir in beans. Reduce heat to low setting; cover and cook an additional 4 to 5 hours or until thoroughly heated.

Tip: For a thicker chili, drain butter beans.

Spaghetti With a Twist

2009-11-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

Based 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.

I like this recipe for a number of reasons:

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.

2. It took pantry staples that I had on hand: Olives, capers, pasta, marinara sauce and spices.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Try this recipe! It's very very good. I have been eating the leftovers as well. They are just as tasty reheated.

Spanish Spaghetti with Olives
from: Cooking Light December 2009

8 ounces thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups choppen onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads (optional)
8 ounces extra-lean ground beef
1 2/3 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup sliced pimento stuffed olives
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

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.

3. Add spaghetti to sauce mixture. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

Chicken French Style

2009-11-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I hope you are more successful than I am when making these. Again, they were good, but did I mention a slight pain?

Chicken Cordon Bleu Rolls
from: The New Creative CrockPot Cookbook

6 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
6 slices prosciutto
6 slices Swiss cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup white wine

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).

This is what the rolls look like when you cut into them. Yummy!

Even More Pumpkin!

2009-11-28T15:26:00.001-08:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

Pumpkin Muffins
from: www.cooks.com

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar (I used half Splenda and half sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins

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.

Aren't these beautiful when you cut into them?

More Pumpkin

2009-10-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

I 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.

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!

My picture didn't turn out quite as pretty as the one in the magazine, but that's okay. Case in point:

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.

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.

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.

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.

Frosted Pumpkin Cake
from: Cooking Light Magazine November 2009

Cake:
10.1 ounces flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
cooking spray

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (8 ounces) 1/3-less fat cream cheese
2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

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.

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.

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.

Pumpkin For Breakfast

2009-10-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

Remember 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.

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.

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.

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.

Overall, this was easy and yummy. I have some leftover for my breakfast tomorrow which makes me doubly happy.

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Latte
from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/crockpot-pumpkin-spice-latte-recipe.html

2 cups milk (I used 1%)
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons white sugar (I used Splenda instead)
2 tablespoons (yes tablespoons) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

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.

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.

See? Mine is a little pale. Use STRONG coffee!

Fall Is In the Air!

2009-10-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thai Turkey and Noodles

from: 365 Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Recipes and More

1 package (about 1.5 pounds) turkey tenderloins, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into short, thin strips

1.25 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 green onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/3 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (not natural style)

12 ounces hot vermicelli pasta

3/4 cup peanuts or cashews, chopped

3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

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.

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.

Fancy Macaroni and Cheese

2009-10-19T17:21:00.001-07:00

This 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.

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.

Just looking at the picture makes me wonder how anyone can stay skinny while eating this?

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.

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.

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.

Enjoy! This is creamy, rich and delicious! It isn't too bad heated up the next day as lunch leftovers either.

Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce
from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/baked-rigatoni-with-bechamel-sauce-recipe2/index.html

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 quart whole milk at room temperature
pinch of nutmeg
sea salt and white pepper
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
1 pound rigatoni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

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.

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.

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.

I love that my picture looks pretty darn close to the one on the Food Network website. I must have done something right!

Lazy Lasagna

2009-10-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

Here is the lovely lasagna before baking.

Lazy-Day Overnight Lasagna

from: Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

1 pound ground beef or mild Italian sausage

1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce

1 cup water

1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 egg

8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles

1 package (16 ounces) sliced mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

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.

2. In medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, chives, oregano, and egg; mix well.

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.

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.

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!

Early Thanksgiving

2009-10-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

It 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.

Here is a picture of my lovely chicken and roast veggies:

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?

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!

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.

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.

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!

Stuffing

from: My Mom

2 eggs, beaten

salt

pepper

medium to large onion, chopped

one tablespoon parsley

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon rosemary

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 1/2 loaves bread, dried, cubed

4-8 tablespoons melted butter

boiling water (enough to moisten)

* Add all ingredients together and mix with your hands. Stuff in bird or bake in a casserole dish.

Bite Sized Goodness

2009-10-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe from someone else's blog (http://www.adventuresinmyfreezer.blogspot.com) and I decided why not? After all, I love brownies. That is obvious based on the several brownie recipes I have posted before. Secondly, I figure this is portion control. Right? I can only pop one or two of these before I start to feel guilty.

These are very simple to make and awfully cute. I know my sister will agree. She likes mini things. Mini horses, mini dogs, mini cupcakes, you get the picture. As I was taking these out of the muffin cups, one accidentally broke. I can't tell you how disappointed I was. I had to eat it! Isn't that terrible? I ate it and it was mighty tasty.

These whipped up in no time. Being the nice person that I am, I am considering taking a batch of these to class with me on Wednesday. It depends on my mood and if I am feeling generous or not.

I would definitely recommend these and encourage you to make a batch. People won't be able to stop saying "awww, those are so cute!". Plus, they are really yummy with a glass of milk.

Two Bite Brownies
from: http://adventuresinmyfreezer.blogspot.com/2008/12/two-bite-brownies.html

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 24 mini-muffin cups (or an 8x8 pan).

In a large bowl, mix:
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar

Add:
6 tablespoons cocoa powder (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
Mix well.

Add:
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix well again.

Use heaping teaspoons to fill mini-muffin cups. Bake 10-12 minutes (watch carefully). For an 8x8 pan, bake for 25 minutes.

Skeptical

2009-09-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

That was how I considered myself tonight when I was assembling this dish. I will explain why later. As a whole, this dinner sounded tasty. After all, we like chili in this house (see previous bazillion chili posts) and we also like cornbread (see previous billion cornbread posts). So, I suppose if you put the two together they should work right? Well, in theory, yes. However, I had a disaster on my hands a year ago when I tried doing the two together in the crockpot.

This was a very easy recipe to prepare. You pretty much just brown the beef and dump the rest of the ingredients. That's it. Mix the cornbread, spoon everything into a dish and bake. I didn't have to buy many things to make this dish. Just the salsa and the cornbread mix. Everything else would be considered a pantry staple in my house which I had on hand.

This took a grand total of 45 minutes from start to finish to make. Considering you have to mix the cornbread and brown the beef and bake it, I would say that's a success!

Here comes the skepticism part. If you read the directions, it says to put the cornbread mix in the casserole dish first, and then the beef mix in the middle. I had to ask my husband if he agreed with this because I thought for sure the cornbread would all run towards the center of the dish and it would end up a big soupy mess. I almost put the beef mixture in first and then the cornbread on top, but I decided to follow the recipe (imagine that!). To my surprise, it worked! It baked up just as the recipe said it would and my husband was nice when he only managed a "told you so".

This is a good recipe and will probably be one I make again. After all, we eat chili and cornbread at least a dozen times a year. This way, you only need to bake it in one pan!

Chili Casserole with Cornbread
from: Pillsbury The Best of Classic Cookbooks

1 pound lean ground beef
1 jar (16 oz) chunky style salsa
1 can (15.5 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 package (6.5-8.5 oz) cornbread mix
milk (if required by mix)
margarine (if required by mix)
egg (if required by mix)
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon sliced green onions, optional

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in salsa, kidney beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin. Cook 3-4 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, prepare cornbread as directed on package using milk, and if required, margarine and egg. Spoon cornbread batter around outside edge of ungreased 2-quart casserole dish. Spoon hot beef mixture into center (casserole will be full).

3. Bake for 18 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and cornbread is deep golden brown. Just before serving, sprinkle with green onions.

Announcement Cupcakes

2009-09-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted a fun way to announce to my coworkers which gender of baby I am expecting. So, I decided on cupcakes. After all, who doesn't love cupcakes? My plan of attack was to bring in cupcakes that were either frosted in pink or blue. I have to be honest, I am glad they will be blue because I am not a fan of pink.

These cupcakes were delicious! I know because not only did I lick the batter bowl, I also ate one after dinner tonight. Any time I want to make an easy but yummy cake or cupcake recipe, I resort to the Cake Doctor. If you haven't checked out her cookbooks, you are missing out! The whole theme of the book is to take a regular boxed cake mix and add things to it. Honestly, every cake I have made you absolutely cannot tell it's from a box. And when I tell people, they don't believe me.

This recipe is very versatile. The title in the book says it all: Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes with Ten Different Buttercream Frostings. If you cannot find a frosting that you like, you must be the most picky person on the face of the planet!

Being pregnant around chocolate is sheer torture. Not only did I have to smell these puppies baking, but I had to wait several hours to eat one. Really, they were staring me in the face all afternoon. Stupid chocolate cravings.

I decided on the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. I am usually not a fan of cream cheese frostings, but like I said before, it's the Cake Doctor. You really can't go wrong. Plus, I wasn't sure how picky my coworkers would be if I brought in Orange-Cocoa Cream Cheese or Crushed Peppermint Buttercream.

Try these cupcakes out. You won't be disappointed. And maybe you will bring them to work to announce something fun too!

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes
from: The Chocolate Cake Mix Doctor

22 to 24 paper liners for muffin pans
1 package (18.25 oz) devil's food cake mix
3/4 cup water
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, water, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with the mixer on low speed for one minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each liner three quarters of the way full (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners if any). Place the pans in the oven.

3. Bake until they spring back when lightly pressed with your fingers and a toothpcik comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottom of the pan using the end of the knife and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting of your choice.

5. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with frosting and serve.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups confectioner's sugar

1. Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.

2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and 2 1/2 cups of the confectioner's sugar, and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Add more sugar as needed to make the frosting spreadable. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more.

3. Use to frost the top and sides of the cake of your choice.

Angelic For Sure

2009-09-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

This recipe is one that I picked up from someone on the Nest (thanks swmcat!). I am not sure why it took me so long to make, but I am glad I finally broke down and cooked it!

To me, the start of fall always reminds me of pumpkin candles, flavored coffee creamers and using my crockpot. Well, this recipe is definitely a crock pot one and it does remind me of fall. It's a heavier dish than something I would make in the summer. Don't get me wrong, it certainly can be made in the summer time.

Not only is this recipe easy, it's amazingly tasty! Angel Chicken indeed. It was angelic. The husband really liked it too and he's not a giant fan of pasta. How much easier can dump ingredients in crock pot and cover be? Of course, you still need to cook the pasta at the end, but it's angel hair. It doesn't take much more than 10 minutes to boil the water and cook the pasta.

If you are not a fan of mushrooms, the cream of mushroom soup can be substituted. You can always use cream of celery or cream of mushroom. If you don't have white wine, no problem! Use chicken stock or water. I didn't have any wine on hand, so I used the latter. If you aren't a fan of angel hair, substitute spaghetti or linguine. The possibilites are endless!

This will be a recipe that will get added to my repertoire. I liked it and Jason liked it. Plus, my cat liked it. She told us so when she licked our plates after dinner. Bravo Angel Chicken!

Angel Chicken

from: swmcat on the Nest

3 chicken breasts cut in half to make 6 small breasts

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 envelope (.7 oz) Italian dressing mix

1 can condensed mushroom soup

1/2 of an 8 oz. tub of onion and chive cream cheese

1/2 cup white wine or water

angel hair pasta

1. Put chicken in crockpot. In a saucepan, melt butter then stir in Italian dressing mix, soup, cream cheese, and wine. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve chicken and sauce over angel hair.

Mmmmm, Breakfast

2009-09-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here comes the first pregnancy craving. Well, not really, but before I went to bed last night, the thought of having coffee cake for breakfast sounded absolutely divine! So I looked for a recipe before bed and found one to make in the morning. The key was easy and have all the ingredients on hand. I was really hoping for one that was like the recipe on the box of the Bisquick container. I would have made that particular recipe, but I am low on Bisquick (mental note to add to grocery list).

This morning, I awoke very excited. I have been in a baking mood since our weather has been less than desirable. It's been cold and rainy so what better way to wake up than a hot piece of coffee cake and a cup of coffee?

This recipe was easy and I do have to say, it was very close to that Bisquick one that I love. Um, plus, I ate three pieces, so I can vouch for it's tastiness. It's a big pan, so let's hope I don't go overboard. While this is more of a breakfast food, you could certainly have it as dessert too. It's sweet which is the one requirement of a dessert in my house.

Here it is out of the oven.

The whole house smelled like cinnamon and sugar, which is perfectly fine for me. As the title says, it goes perfectly with a cup of coffee. I had some milk too which made me feel a little healthier. All in all, it's not terribly bad for you. As long as you only eat one piece, which I didn't. The topping is perfectly crispy and soft at the same time, and the cake part baked up beautifully.

All Recipes has done it again. A tasty dish that is easy to make. It seriously is my favorite site for finding tried and true recipes. One day I will probably run across one that isn't so great, but for now, I will take my chances.

Aunt Annie's Coffee Cake
from: www.allrecipes.com

2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
3/4 cup milk, or as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour, 2/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Crack an egg into a measuring cup and then fill milk to make 1 cup. Stir in vanilla. Pour into crumb mixture and mix just until moistened. Spread into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with streusel.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

The corner piece in all it's delicious glory.

Pasta Night Two

2009-09-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned before, I have been on a pasta kick. Honestly, it's my go-to meal during the week. When my husband isn't home, it's easy to boil some noodles and heat up some sauce. Plus, the pastabilities are endless (bad joke, sorry). I often times stir in tuna, capers, kidney beans, various spices, cubed chicken, or vegetables. Obviously, I don't do all of those ingredients at once.

This very very easy. Trust me, I wouldn't make it if it wasn't. I mean, what could be easier than two steps? Plus, it's delicious and healthy. It's another of my Weight Watchers recipes. Even though I am not actively trying to lose weight, it can't hurt to eat healthier.

This is a good recipe for people that eat some meat, but not a lot (like me). My husband won't eat pasta unless there is some meat source in it or near it. I on the other hand, will eat any pasta, any way. This is a happy medium. It has some meat, but it's not the shining star. A little Canadian bacon goes a long way. Plus, the leftovers can be used for those tasty English muffin sandwiches.

This recipe takes pantry staples with the exception of the bacon. Honestly, you can leave out the bacon if you prefer to have a vegetarian meal. Canned tomatoes, onion and various spices are all this recipe needs. Serve it with a salad and some bread, and you have a very healthy meal. Okay, so leave out the bread.

I found out this dish is very good cold as well. I wasn't feeling so great one day and I had some of this pasta right out of the fridge. Who knew? My only suggestion is to up the red pepper flake contribution. We like our food spicy, so I almost tripled the amount I add it. Another trick I have learned is to smush it in your hand before adding. It releases the oils in the pepper. Hey, I saw it on the Food Network, therefore it must be true.

I better put pasta on the grocery list, because Lord knows I eat enough of it, and my stash is almost depleted.

Spaghetti Amatriciana

from: Weight Watchers

1 teaspoon olive oil

4 ounces Canadian bacon, diced

1 large onion, finely diced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups canned tomatoes, chopped

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, cooked al dente, water reserved

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until browned. Stir in onion, raise heat to medium-high and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the red pepper flakes and tomatoes.

2. Toss hot spaghetti and 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water with tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Pasta Night One

2009-08-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

I have been on a pasta kick lately. Probably because I can't stomach anything related to chicken. Since I can't seem to eat chicken, what is the next best.....Well, really it's the best thing to me in the first place. PASTA!

I am the type of person that can eat pasta every single day. Example, on Friday, I went to an Italian restaurant and had pasta. Saturday, the husband and I went to lunch and guess what I had? Pasta. Yesterday, I barely ate anything, so that doesn't count. And tonight, guess what was on the menu? Yes, pasta.

The recipe below was actually made last weekend. I just have been lazy and haven't posted. Don't let my laziness fool you. The spaghetti and meatballs were delicious. I have only ever made turkey meatballs, so I had to hunt for a real meat meatball recipe.

Cue this one: http://ellysaysopa.com/2007/01/03/on-top-of-spaghetti/

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't make the sauce in her recipe. I was trying to use up some jarred sauce that I had in the fridge. I know, jarred sauce. I am not a snob. I eat jarred sauce on occasion. As long as it on PASTA I could care less.

Elly's recipe is very easy to make and just like it states, makes about 25-30 perfect, tasty meatballs. I also admit that I was singing "On Top of Spaghetti" while making these. My husband thought I was nuts, but I digress.

Not only are these easy, but I liked the addition of the parmesan cheese. The added a little something extra. Plus, there were enough for leftovers. Jason ended up eating them the next night with some mashed potatoes. He said that they could very easily have passed for meatloaf if formed into a loaf rather than a ball. Mental note: Try this next time.

I didn't have any breadcrumbs on hand, so I made my own. I toasted some old bread and then processed it in the food processor. It worked well, but next time, I will use actual store-bought breadcrumbs. It saves extra dishes, that's for sure.

You could easily substitute the ground beef for veal, pork, ground turkey or chicken. I imagine any combination of the above would be tasty too. Enjoy these! They were fun to make and even more fun to eat!

On top of spaghettiiiiiiiii, all covered with cheeseeeeeeeee......

Meatballs

from: http://ellysaysopa.com/2007/01/03/on-top-of-spaghetti/

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh

1/4 parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, a pinch of salt, and cook about 2-3 minutes before adding parsley and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes more and set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs and milk in large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

4. After 10 minutes, add the onion mixture, beef, egg, parmesan, salt, basil and pepper to the breadcrumb bowl. Mix well, but not for too long or you will toughen the meatballs. Form into 1-1.5 inch balls and place in a pan coated with cooking spray.

5. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until done.

6. Add cooked meatballs to pasta sauce and simmer a little, while pasta is cooking.

Back in the Saddle

2009-08-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

I have been cooking lately, I assure you. I have just been making things that I have blogged about before. For example, last weekend I made Spaghetti Salad. Twice actually. I have already blogged about that. I also have made brownies recently (all of which I have blogged about). It's not really inspiring to write about nor read about things that I have already posted. So, here I am. I made a new recipe yesterday. Amazing!

I have a few zucchini from my garden. Stop. I must talk about this for a moment. Our weather this year has been bizarre to say the least. As a result, my garden stinks. Actually, it sucks. I got three zucchini from my three plants and a few tomatoes so far. That is it. I did get some peas and beans earlier in the season but they were so few to comment about. And about a dozen strawberries. Next year, I plan to do some things differently in my garden. I am only going to plant things I love. I will try peppers and cucumbers again, but I am going to move them to where they might do better.

Okay back to my thought. I had some zucchini to use, so I grated two of them into 2-cup portions and froze them. The third I used to make zucchini bread. My husband adores zucchini bread. However, he begged me to make his mom's recipe. While I love his mom's recipe, I have already posted about it. So, alas, I used another one that I have. It's from Martha Stewart. Sssssh, don't tell Jason. He thinks I made his mom's. The fact that he can't tell the difference is funny to me.

I love my Kitchenaid silicone bakeware. I have a loaf pan and it's always fun to pop your loaf out when it's done baking. The edges have gotten some use (you can see in the picture below). One day I will get more bakeware. Maybe for Christmas. Hint hint!

This zucchini bread is very easy and tasty. It could be modified to be more Weight Watchers friendly, but that isn't something I am worried about these days. More on that later. It has ingredients that you would have on hand in your pantry. The blend of spices really adds to the bread. Using grated zucchini with the skin on gives the bread a ton of moisture too.

So, no Weight Watchers for me. I had to actually discontinue my membership back in May. Why you ask? I am pregnant. They usually kick pregnant people out of Weight Watchers. This isn't to say that you can't still watch what you are eating while pregnant. I am certainly doing this. So far, I haven't gained any weight because I am a little "fluffy" to begin with. Yes, I probably should have lost another 20 pounds before getting pregnant, but whatever.

Back to food. This bread is delicious. With the addition of vegetables, it makes it slightly more healthy than eating a piece of chocolate cake with Crisco frosting. It also is much more rich because of brown sugar instead of all white. I also substituted canola oil for the vegetable oil. I do this in all my recipes since it's healthier than most other oils.

So, enjoy a piece (a small one) after dinner. Or with a cup of tea for breakfast. I did.

Zucchini Spice Bread
from: Martha Stewart's Every Day Food Magazine

1 3/4 cup grated zucchini, skins on
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoons nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, combine sugars, oil, vanilla and eggs. Mix well. In a small bowl, combine flour, soda, powder and spices. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Fold in zucchini.

2. Pour into a 9x5x3-inch pan and bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees.

More Pie!

2009-07-05T18:46:00.001-07:00

I hope you aren't disappointed, but this post is not about a dessert pie. Nope, this is a dinner pie. It's called a pie because essentially you are forming a crust in a pie plate using........wait for it.......spaghetti. Or in my case, angel hair.

I am very surprised at myself for not posting this recipe much much sooner. It's one of my favorites. Of course, it has all my favorite elements: pasta, tomatoes and gooey cheese. What more could a girl ask for?

This recipe came from someone named Terri Enberg (I hope I spelled her name right). I worked with her years ago at JK Gill. She brought this in for lunch one day and I had to have the recipe. It originally comes from the Oregonian's Food Day circular.

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be slimmed way down. For those on Weight Watchers or watching their fat intake, just substitute the cheeses with lower fat options. This is also a meatless dish, which tend to be lower cost to make. So not only is it great for people counting calories, it's great for people counting pennies.

I had all the ingredients on hand for this dish except for the ricotta. I would be willing to bet that you will also have many of these ingredients on hand. I always keep shredded cheese in the fridge, and I always have tomato or spaghetti sauce and pasta on hand.

So, without further ado: Pie!

Spaghetti Pie
from: Oregonian Food Day

8 ounces hot, cooked spaghetti, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated and divided
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (1/2 of a 15 oz container)
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch pie plate. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, toss hot spaghetti with olive oil. In a small bowl, combine eggs and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Stir into spaghetti. Pour spaghetti mixture into prepared pie plate, spreading to form a crust.

3. Spread ricotta evenly over the crust, but not quite to the edge. Top with spaghetti sauce.

4. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Top with shredded mozzarella and bake 5 minutes longer, until cheese melts.

5. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parmesan. Cool 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Pie!

2009-07-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have never met a pie I didn't like. Well, maybe coconut cream......although, in a pinch, I will eat it. To be patriotic without being cliche (apple pie - not that there is anything wrong with it!), I wanted to make an Independence Day dessert that was "American". Who doesn't associate blueberry pie with America?

To be honest with you, I have never made a berry pie before. I have made pumpkin, apple, chocolate, spaghetti pie (see my next post) and even meat pies. Never a blueberry.

As much as I love making crust from scratch, I cheated here. I used refrigerator pie crust. Now before you scold me, have you tasted the Pillsbury stuff lately? It's very good! And unless you told someone it was store bought, chances are, they probably won't notice the difference. Another reason for my laziness with the crust is that I just don't have a place to roll out a pie crust. I don't need to post pictures of my kitchen again do I?

Luckily for me, I found blueberries at Costco. They were excellent quality, hardly any of them needed to be de-stemmed and only about three needed to be thrown away because they were mushy. Here's the only bummer: There were no blueberries left. I really wanted to make muffins or something. That's okay. I know where to buy large quantities of blueberries next time.

I went to the authority on baking for this recipe. Betty Crocker. She never seems to mess around when it comes to yummy baked goods. On another note, we nickname my sister Becky Crocker because she loves to bake. She even has an apron embroidered with Becky Crocker.

This was a very simple recipe to put together. Dump the blueberries, mix the dry ingredients, pour into the prepared crust, sprinkle with two other ingredients and bake. Voila! One delicious, very nutritious (with the exception of the sugar) pie. Did you know that blueberries are one of the best fruits you can eat? They are loaded with antioxidants. So, I didn't feel guilty when I stuffed my face with this pie last night.

Now, how is that I can never find my pie plate? I think it's because the times I do make a pie are at Thanksgiving and I typically leave the pie plate at my aunt's. I bet she has a huge collection of plates thanks to me. I should start writing my name on them in Sharpie or something. It is an expensive habit to continually buy pie plates.

Happy Indepedence Day! Now, where is that leftover pie?

Blueberry Pie
from: Betty Crocker

pastry for two-crust pie
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, if desired
6 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon stick margarine or butter

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry.

2. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in blueberries. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Dot with butter. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2-3 inch foil strips to prevent excess browning. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

3. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool in pie plate on wire rack.

I have never seen a berry pie that is cut that isn't oozing out the side. Unless you are a food photographer. Or maybe a professional baker.

The Go-To Dessert

2009-06-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

If there is always one thing you can count on, it's me posting a brownie recipe. It's been a while since my last one (with the exception of the Two-Bite Brownies) and I felt in the mood for some brownies, so here you go!

This is a new recipe and I was on the hunt for one that didn't use butter. The husband used the last of the butter for his popcorn the other night. So, I found one that uses oil instead. I love how brownies are simple to make, curb the chocolate craving and use ingredients that I always have on hand.

I substitued canola oil for the vegetable oil. Old habits die hard I guess. I used to use vegetable oil, but since I joined Weight Watchers years ago, I have learned to use canola instead. It's better for your heart. The only other thing I did was not flour the pan. I just sprayed it with some cooking spray and called it good. Even though I am not really watching calories, I still have those old habits to use whatever is healthier.

Like the name implies, these brownies were fudgy. They were excellent with a glass of milk. Hey, you need a healthy side for something like brownies, right? You can see that the edges are a little "puffier" then the middle. That's because I usually take my brownies out of the oven a little short. You might think it's gross, but I like my brownies slightly moist (aka: gooey) in the center. That made them extra-fudgy.

So, my chocolate craving is cured. For at least an hour.

Fudgy Brownies

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 boiling water

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and boiling water. Mix until well blended and thickened. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and remaining oil. Finally, add the flour, vanilla and salt; mix just until all of the flour is absorbed. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Family Recipe

2009-06-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am not sure where this recipe came from, but I always associate it with my mom. I remember her making this when I was growing up. Some of you may turn your noses at the fact that this macaroni and cheese is made with hot dogs, but that's okay. More for me to eat. If you absolutely have to make this without the hot dogs, that's your choice. Keep in mind though that they cook ON TOP, not MIXED IN to the dish. Why did I just capitalize that? Huh.

It is possible to make this dish lighter, which I actually did. Instead of using beef hot dogs, you can use turkey. Instead of whole milk, use 1% or fat-free. Instead of full fat cheese, use 2%. You can also cut back on the butter for the roux, although I wouldn't go much lower than a tablespoon instead of the two the recipe calls for.

This is not a macaroni and cheese that tastes like the boxed kind. Now while I think the nuclear orange cheese powder from the box has its place, this homemade stuff is much, much better. It doesn't take long at all to make. I am all for convenience and ease of preparation. It doesn't take terribly long to grate cheese or measure out milk now does it? If you really are lazy (which I normally am, no judging from me!) you can always use the preshredded cheese.

This might not be the most well-balanced meal on the face of the planet, but who cares? Once in a while you just need to make food that tastes good and makes you feel good. Everything in moderation. Just don't eat the whole pan. Although if you did, that would be pretty impressive.

Hot Dog & Macaroni Casserole

from: Pachey's Mom

1.25 cups elbow macaroni

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 2/3 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used sharp)

1/4 pound cheese, cut in pieces

hot dogs

* Cook macaroni and drain.

* Make sauce: Melt butter in medium pan. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in milk over medium heat. Add cheese pieces. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute. Add salt and pepper.

* In a one-quart casserole dish, layer in order, half macaroni, half sauce, half grated cheese. Repeat.

* Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

* Arrange hot dogs on top, bake 15 minutes longer.

Macaroni and Cheese before hot dogs.

After hot dogs. Not for the faint of heart!

Barbeque + Spaghetti

2009-06-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

= Delicious! Now, before you go right to the recipe, I want to explain something. You don't actually barbeque the spaghetti in this dish. That would be messy. No, actually, this dish is a pasta dish made exclusively on the stove. Think spaghetti but instead of tomato sauce, you use barbeque sauce? Sound weird? The Neelys don't think so.

For those of you that watch Food Network, the Neelys have a show and they make a lot of barbeque and down-home, comfort type foods. I was browsing the Food Network website and ran across this. It sounded intriguing to me. Knowing how much I LOVE pasta, I had to try it. My husband isn't a huge fan of tomato sauces, so I thought he might prefer this one a little better (he did, but that's later in the post).

My house smelled amazing while the barbeque sauce was cooking. After reading the reviews on the Food Network website, I had heard that the sauce was a little too sweet. So I omitted the white sugar. The result was perfect: Tangy, slighty spicy barbeque sauce. Imagine having to smell it cooking for over an hour! It was almost torture!

If you don't want to make the barbeque sauce that accompanies this recipe, you could always use a good quality bottled sauce. However, the results of the homemade sauce are well worth it! The Neelys certainly know what they are doing.

Once you get past the fact that you are eating pasta with barbeque sauce, you will highly enjoy it. Jason, my husband loved it! He isn't a huge fan of barbeque sauce on meats but he opened his mind and really liked this one. Oh, and by the way, the recipe says it makes four servings. NO WAY! Not unless you can eat that much pasta in one sitting. I say it makes more like six huge servings. We will be eating leftovers for days which is perfectly fine with me!

It's a pretty filling meal (pasta, meat, some veggies), so really the only thing you need to make alongside this is possibly a salad. I ate a tossed salad, and you can tell by the picture, I also had some spinach. I am trying to eat more veggies.

I am definitely going to have to try more of the Neely's recipes. They had one for macaroni and cheese that was made with chorizo and tomatoes. Yummmm!

BBQ Spaghetti
from: The Neelys

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic salt
3.5 cups Neely's BBQ sauce, recipe follows
1 pound pork, beef or chicken, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 pound spaghetti

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute the peper and onion until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic salt. Add the BBQ sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and add the chopped meat.

2. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Season liberally with salt and add spaghetti. Cook until al dente, and drain. Toss spaghetti with sauce.

Neely's BBQ Sauce

2 cups ketchup (I used organic because I didn't want anything with high fructose corn syrup in it)
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons white sugar (if you prefer a non-sweet sauce, don't add this)
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

* In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Yield: 3.5 cup

Chili Again?!

2009-06-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

I am constantly on the lookout for good chili recipes. It could be the dead of summer and I will still eat chili (thank goodness for good air conditioning). I am not sure what it is about chili that I love so much. Maybe because it's a filling meal, or that it has all the needs of comfort wrapped up in one bowl. At any rate, I love chili. I am surprised Jason hasn't said anything to me about "Making chili again?". I think he secretly loves it just as much as I do.

This chili is meatless. That's perfectly fine with me considering all the beans that are chocked in it. That's plenty of protein and fiber on my part. Jason on the other hand, needs meat. He made up some meat and mixed it into his chili. To each his own I guess.

Cooking Light strikes again! I have been looking through my cookbook and bookmarking the recipes I want to make. This one is super easy. If you don't have a lot of time during the week, or you are just busy, I highly recommend this recipe. I mean, what could be easier than only one step in the instructions? It also contains many items you would have on hand in the pantry. Beans, tomatoes, spices, chicken broth.

It is an economical meal as well. Let's face it. In these tough times, we can all use a healthy inexpensive meal right? I paired my chili with a honey cornbread and a lovely green salad (with greens from my garden, neener neener). The recipe doesn't call for it, but I added some green onions (also from my garden, neener neener) to the top of my chili. It added a little extra crunch and texture to the meal.

This is also a meal that can be frozen, which I find really neat. Again, if you are busy, make this ahead of time and freeze it in little batches or serving sizes. That way, you have a meal on-hand at all times.

The only thing I would do differently is add some Tabasco or hot sauce. In my house, we love things spicy! Of course, it's hard to improve on recipes from Cooking Light. They never fail to disappoint me.

Now if I could just find a light chocolate cake recipe that is easy to make. It would be perfect for after this hearty bowl of chili. Hmmm, maybe I will check out Cooking Light, tee hee!

Three-Bean Chili
from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can (15.5 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 oz) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream, optional

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to pan; saute 3 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup water and next 9 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Stir in cornmeal; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro. Serve with sour cream.

A Smorgasbord!

2009-05-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you who aren't familiar with that word, it means an extensive array or variety according to Dictionary.com. My husband had to work tonight, so I decided that I would make foods that he would never eat. I wanted to focus on making things that incorporated dill. I have a nice, big dill plant that was waiting for a haircut out in my garden.

So, what does my husband not like? Fish, sweet potatoes and raw tomatoes. Harumph! I shake my fist at him. What a combination huh? I must be ill because I am craving vegetables. Crisp, raw, tasty vegetables. Hence the sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Not that I need an excuse to eat tomatoes. They are my favorite food after all. See what I mean about the smorgasbord? I incorporated a variety of foods.

I took some recipes that I found on the net and adapted them for myself. Off to the grocery store I went. I found a beautiful halibut fillet that was 1/3 pound. Perfect serving size for one! What goes good with baked fish? Lemon and dill of course. I needed a lemon. My tomatoes needed company, so I picked up a cucumber and a red onion. What for? To make a salad of course! Not the lettuce type of salad though. You will soon see what I mean. Finally, a nice, ripe sweet potato was in store to make oven-baked sweet potato fries.

Hungry yet?

So without further ado, here is my delicious, tasty and also pretty meal:

Now I know you are hungry.

Since I adapted these recipes from the interwebs, I am going to claim them as my own. These are all very easy to make and take minimal groceries. Here is the breakdown of what everything at the store cost:

$.68 for the cucumber
$.58 for the lemon

$1.50 for the sweet potato

$3.31 for the halibut fillet

$3.29 for the pint of grape tomatoes

$.29 for the red onion

Grand total: $9.65

Now, if you usually keep these things on hand, your total will be slightly less. Or, if you happen to have a bazillion tomato plants growing (like I do), the tomatoes will not cost a penny at some point.

Have at it folks. This was a delicious dinner, and judging by the ingredients, you can tell it is also very healthy. Tons of vitamins and minerals and fiber. Plus, you are eating foods of all colors, so it's visually pretty too!

Baked Halibut

from: Pachey

Halibut fillet (I used one that was about 5 oz)

2 slices of lemon

3 sprigs of fresh dill

1. Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the fish in the pan, cover with the dill and then the lemon slices. Cover the pan with foil.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is flaky.

4. Remove the lemon and dill before eating.

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

from: Pachey

1 medium sweet potato

1 tablespoon canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash the sweet potato well and dry thoroughly. Don't peel it! Trust me, leave the peel on!

2. Cut the ends off the sweet potato. Cut the sweet potato in half. Cut the halves in half. Then, finally, cut THOSE in half. You will end up with eight fries.

3. Place the fries on a baking sheet. Drizzle the fries with the canola oil. Toss the fries until they are coated well with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. No need to turn them. They will get crispy.

Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion Salad with Dill

from: Pachey

1 large cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Splenda

1 teaspoon salt

pint of grape tomatoes, halved

2/3 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

2 tablesoons olive oil

fresh ground pepper to taste

1. In a bowl, mix together the cucumber, vinegar, Splenda and salt. Let stand on counter for an hour, stirring to coat occasionally.

2. Add the remaining ingredients. Season with pepper. Stir well and serve.

Rind and Brine

2009-05-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

So, this is a new one for me. I can't recall ever having made a pork tenderloin. I wanted something different though, and I definitely succeeded! I have never made anything that is brined, and I have never made a tenderloin. Two new things in one day.

The title is called Rind and Brine because part of the brining solution is lime rind. Curious. I have used lemon rind in cooking before but never lime rind. Make that three new things in one day. Actually five because I have never used cumin seed or Mexican oregano before. Yes, I have used cumin powder, just not the actual seed. And yes, I have used oregano before, just not Mexican oregano.

This recipe is time consuming in the sense that the brine must marinate with the meat for 24 hours. I just let the mixture hang out in the roasting pan in a plastic bag in the back of my fridge. The husband had fun poking and playing with it. Boys! The actual cooking and making the brine isn't time consuming, it's just the marinating process. But I promise it is well worth it! The meat was unbelievably tender and moist. It was slightly salty and spicy from the chipotle peppers.

Here's the thing. I bought a 3-pound loin from the store thinking it was one loin. Wrong! I got it out of the package and it was actually two thinner loins. Sneaky so-and-so's. So, I reduced the cooking time down to 45 minutes total (15 minutes at the higher heat and 30 at the lower). Regardless of the switcheroo, it was still excellent.

Oh! I almost forgot. My grocery store didn't carry 2-gallon ziploc bags, so I just used one of those oven bags that you stick a turkey in. So what if it doesn't zipper top. It did the job.

This was awesome. I will definitely be making it again. From the request of my husband, he wants me to make it with red beans and rice next time for an extra Cuban flair. Boys!

Pork and rub before baking:

Chile-Brined Roasted Pork Loin
from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

1 cup water
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons grated lime rind
1 tablespoon Mexican dried oregano
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 can (7 oz) chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
2 cups ice cubes
1 (3-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Mexican dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
cooking spray

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Pour into a large bowl; cool to room temperature. Add 6 cups water, salt, and sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in chiles. Pour salt mixture into a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add ice and pork; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning occasionally.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

3. Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Combine juice and next 3 ingredients. Place pork in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Brush juice mixture over pork. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees (do not remove pork from oven); bake an additional 45 minutes or until thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers at 155 degrees. Place pork on a platter. Cover with foil; let stand 15 minutes. Cut into thin slices.

That's a Pizza Pie!

2009-05-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. I chalk it up to the fact that I was on vacation for over a week. I enjoyed lots of culinary treats from such far away lands as Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Quebec. Quebec was awesome by the way! That could take up a whole separate blog entry.

Amazingly, I didn't gain a single pound on vacation. As a matter of fact, I might have actually lost one due to all the walking and mucking around on the farm (that is another blog entry too). However, I wanted to get back to healthy eating, and I was actually missing being in the kitchen. So armed with my Cooking Light cookbook, I sat down and made my grocery list.

Tonight, after working all day in the yard and getting a sunburn (oops), I wanted something quick and easy for dinner. Oh.My.Goodness! This recipe is awesome! A friend of mine, Katie, actually recommended it to me several weeks ago. I am so glad I made it.

This was the perfect meal to end a hard day in the yard. It was portable, tasty, filling, and it had the right amount of carbs and protein. Nothing says a Saturday night like a pizza, especially one that you don't have to feel guilty eating.

I can't believe this is light. It was so good! While not a typical calzone (typical calzones have ricotta don't they?), it was still delicious. It had just the right amount of cheese, chicken and sauce. The only thing that was missing was fresh basil. The recipe called for it, but I didn't have any on hand. I was going to use the fresh basil from my garden, but the slugs nixed that idea for me. Note to self: Put slug bait down tonight. I used the dried stuff and it was still good.

Here are the cute little calzones all ready to be sealed and baked.

Enjoy this easy, portable dinner. Have a salad with it and you will be all set. I type this as my husband is eating his calzone one-handed while playing his video game. See? I told you it was portable.

The finished product.

Chicken and Basil Calzones

from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

cooking spray

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ground chicken breast

3/4 cup prepared pizza sauce

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 can (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust dough

1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add garlic and chicken to pan; saute 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring to crumble. Stir in pizza sauce and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in basil. Let stand 10 minutes.

3. Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; cut dough into quarters. Pat each portion into an 8x6-inch rectangle. Divide chicken mixture evenly among rectangles; top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese. Working with one rectangle at a time, fold dough in half over filling, pinching edges to seal. Repeat procedure with remaining rectangles. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden.

Cornbread!

2009-05-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

The title says it all. It doesn't need to say anymore because this cornbread was out of this world! Someone recommended it to me a few weeks ago (someone off the Nest, TYVM) and I am so glad I tried it. You will NOT be disappointed, I promise you. Plus, it makes tons, so you will have plenty left over to eat for dinner another night.

I splurge and buy really good quality cornmeal. I personally like Bob's Red Mill. I am not sure if it's widely available nationwide, but if you are on the West Coast, you can buy it at most grocery stores. I suggest investing in something other than a store brand cornmeal. I like mine stone ground and organic. I might be fooling myself, but I really think it tastes better.

I love love love how moist this cornbread is. If you can't stand overly sweet or underly sweet cornbread, this is the one for you! It's not too sweet and not too bland.

As always, it's easy to put together, which is a nice treat. I seem to be looking for more easy recipes as school and work get busier. Easy + Tasty = Happy Pachey

I had two pieces along side my Mexican Beans and Rice. They were the perfect pairing. You could have this cornbread with chili, soup, or any other dish that strikes your fancy. Shoot, it's healthy enough to eat for breakfast if you really wanted to.

Homesteader Cornbread

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.

Crockpot, Day Two

2009-05-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

From the Diary of my Crockpot

Day Two: Again, I sit on this kitchen counter being used. Doesn't this lady realize that I need a break? I mean, sheesh, I just got washed and dried (spa day) and she's using me again! At least she's cooking something different. I am hot, tired, and really need a nap. Sigh......when's dinner?

I'll admit it. I just cooked two crockpot meals from the same cookbook two days in a row. What can I say? When I find something I like (my crockpot and my cookbook), I go with it!

This was very very good, and extremely filling! I was surprised after dinner how stuffed I was. I especially like the fact that you get a lot of food for few calories. I calculated, and it was 8 Weight Watchers Points for this dinner, including the cheese on top. With the beans, it is filled with protein.

Toasting the rice was an interesting step. I am not sure what this does to the dish, but at any rate, it worked! It certainly looked pretty after it was toasted.

My only critique is that it states to cook this for at least 5 hours. Either my crockpot runs really hot, or most people like their food mushy, but this was done in 4 hours. I could have eaten much sooner, but my cornbread wasn't ready yet.

Before it cooks, it looks generally like a soup. Trust me, afterwards, it doesn't resemble a soup at all. You are left with a yummy casserole dish filled with vitamins (and cheese!). Enjoy!

Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone!

Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole

from: Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice

2/3 cup frozen whole kernel corn

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon tumeric

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (15 oz) spicy chili beans, undrained

1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained, cut up

1 can (14 oz) fat-free chicken broth

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles

2 oz (1/2 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add rice; cook and stir 5 to 7 minutes or until light golden brown.

2. In a slow cooker, combine browned rice and all remaining ingredients except cheese; mix well. Cover; cook on low setting for at least 5 hours.

3. Stir mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; cook until cheese is melted.

Mmmm, cheesy goodness!

Not Always a Success

2009-05-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

Singing in my best Frank Sinatra voice:

"But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes. He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes".

My cooking isn't always a success (can you believe it?!). Not that tonight's was terrible, it just wasn't any spectacular. I thought for sure that I would love this (garlic + chicken + crockpot), but it was just OKAY. Nothing terribly special. I could have had a tastier, juicier chicken in the oven.

It has been a while since I roasted or cooked an entire bird, so I thought "why not?". Chicken is cheap, cooking in the crockpot is easy. Add two of my favorite elements together and you get crock a' cheap! Haha! Seriously though, this was good, just not great.

I did like the fact that I barely had to cut the chicken when it came out of the crockpot. It literally just fell off the bone. That is why I don't have a picture of it. It disassembled itself before I could grab the camera.

The roasted garlic was mighty tasty. I saved some cloves to spread on bread or crackers for another time.

I believe the total cost for this meal was $4.00. $3.30 for the chicken and $.70 for the onion and clove of garlic. I had some potatoes on hand and my go-to vegetable (spinach), so those cost me nothing.

Would I cook this again? Probably not in the crockpot. In the oven though, yes! You could very easily do this same recipe in a roasting pan with the onion and garlic, but covered in foil. That way, the juices stay in and you get the nice flavor of the roasted garlic.

Twenty-Garlic Chicken Dinner

from: Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

1 (3-3.5 lb) whole frying chicken

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 medium bulb garlic (about 20 cloves)

1. Remove giblets from chicken; remove as much fat as possible. Rinse and drain chicken. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels.

2. In small bowl, combine salt, paprika, pepper and oil; mix to form paste. Spread evenly over chicken.

3. Place onion slices in slow cooker. Place chicken, breast side up, over onion. Separate garlic into cloves; do not peel cloves. Place garlic cloves in and around chicken.

4. Cover; cook on low setting for at least 7 hours.

5. With slotted spoon, remove chicken, onion and garlic from slow cooker. Cut chicken into pieces and serve.

The skin was very flavorful and the roasted garlic (in the middle of the pile o' chicken) was very good.

Heating Pad

2009-05-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right, I said heating pad. What does a heating pad have to do with cooking? Well my friends, it's a nifty tool in the kitchen. I saw this on "Good Eats" so I can't take the credit, but if you ever make yeast bread or rolls, it's a perfect technique to use to make the dough rise. Really! I have tried it twice now and it works beautifully.

Since I have been out of the cooking/baking loop for a couple of weeks, I wanted to make a special dinner. I have had this recipe stuck up on the fridge for a while now, so I thought, now's the time! I had all day to prepare dinner, so it was the perfect addition to my lazy Saturday cooking.

This is a light recipe, which is always nice. Easy, which is even better. Tasty, which is the best. The title says they are Bakery Dinner Rolls. Although mine didn't turn out quite as poofy as ones in the bakery, and the egg yolk wash turned them a strange color, they were still tasty.

The only thing I would do differently is to add a little more salt to the recipe next time.

I used my mixer to knead the dough. I slapped on the dough hook and let the mixer do all the work. So, in the recipe, where is says to knead, if you are so inclined, you can let your mixer do the work too!

Now, here's the crucial part. When the recipe says to let the dough rise, place the bowl or pan directly on top of a heating pad set on low heat. Really, it works wonders. It takes all the guessing out of whether or not you have the right temperature. Try it, you will be pleasantly surprised.

I am off to eat dinner and enjoy a warm roll. Pay no attention to the color (man behind the curtain). They were delicious. Cooking Light never steers me wrong.

Before the second rise.

After the second rise with the egg yolk wash. They look a little funny, which is probably why they turned out funny looking too.

Bakery Dinner Rolls
from: Cooking Light November 2008

2 tablespoons sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2.25 teaspoons)
2/3 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
7.9 oz. all purpose flour (about 1.75 cups) divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
cooking spray
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in 2/3 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in butter.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 6.75 oz (about 1.5 cups) flour and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 4 minutes); add enough of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. Press two fingers into the dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough. Punch dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

3. Divide dough into 12 equal portions, shaping each into a ball. Place 1 dough ball in each of 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 20 minutes or until doubled in size.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5. Gently brush dough with egg yolk. Bake for 13 minutes or until browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 2 minutes. Remove rolls from pan. Serve warm or cool completely on wire rack.

Okay, so they look a little bizarre. They tasted good though. That is why you see three missing from this picture, tee hee.

Ahhhhhhhhh

2009-04-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

That's the sound of relaxation. I have been bad in my blogging skills, but that is because I have been so incredibly busy. That is exactly why Jason and I needed a weekend away at Sandlake Country Inn. I last posted about this B&B in November of 2007 for our 1st wedding anniversary. It has been far too long since we visited (Sorry Diane and Ron!), so we packed up the car and headed to the beach.

Whenever we head to the Oregon Coast, we always stay at Sandlake. I have lost count, but I believe this was our fifth time spending the weekend there.

Here is why we love it:

1. Great food

2. Warm, inviting rooms

3. Very kind and personable innkeepers

4. Cookies at midnight, or any time of the day really

5. Special extras (robes to wear, cozy slipper socks, homemade bubble baths, etc.)

6. Ron's own roasted coffee

7. Cozy beds

This was the deck off of our bedroom. I spent a lot of time sitting out here watching the birds. It was heaven. To see pictures of the rooms, you can check out their website, or actually, just go there and stay a weekend.

I could go on and on. Seriously. We love this place and have recommended it to several friends. The people that we have sent have NOT been disappointed.

Yes, I take pictures of food. My husband thinks this is hysterical.

What arrives at your door an hour or so before breakfast:

Some of the best coffee we have consumed. Ron roasts it himself. I should have bought some before we left but I forgot. Do you guys ship?

Breakfast Day One:

It all comes bundled in a basket to your door. You get to eat privately (in your pajamas if you choose) in your room.

Here is what was on the menu:

Orange Pineapple Juice
Fresh Fruit with Sweet Cream Sauce

Baked Apple Oatmeal with milk

Sandlake Breakfast Pie

Strawberry Filled Muffins

Breakfast Day Two:

I took a bite of the coffee cake before I snapped this picture (I couldn't resist, it looked so delicious).

Here is what was on the menu:

Orange Strawberry Banana Juice

Strawberries and Cream

Diane's Homemade Granola and milk

Italian Eggs
Blueberry Coffee Cake

Now, it's back to reality and real life. I have to cook again, and not have someone else make it. Can I just order pizza for the rest of my life? Better yet, can I just go move to the coast and order pizza there?

Regular Size Cupcakes

2009-04-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

I think this is my first ever blog entry that posts about cupcakes that aren't gigantic.

I have a learning team meeting for school tomorrow, so I decided to bake. That would get my baking itch satisfied as well as give me the chance to offload some of my goodies. After all, I really don't want a dozen cupcakes in my house. You don't need me to explain why.

This is a recipe that I have posted before, but it warrants a second look. It is my go-to chocolate cake recipe. It is also surprisingly easy, and can be made into a regular cake (8x8 sized pan), or into cupcakes. My mother was not convinced that these would do well in cupcake form, but I proved her wrong. Sorry Mom.

These cupcakes could be easily jazzed up by changing the frosting. Now, don't mess with the buttercream itself. It's just too good to be altered. I am suggesting that you use a different flavored extract. Peppermint for Christmas time, orange for the summer, lemon would be delicious, or how about almond? I am pretty certain that any extract would be good with the chocolate in the cupcakes.

Aren't these guys cute? I left them in their newborn form and decided not to taint them with sprinkles or food coloring. After all, who doesn't love just a plain cupcake? Let the flavor of the cake and the frosting speak.....er taste for itself.

I hope my learning team likes them!

Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes
from: Pachey's Family Recipe

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 shortening (I used butter)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour milk (if you don't have sour milk, add a teaspoon of vinegar to the milk)
1/2 cup boiling water

* Put ingredients in order given. Beat. Pour into cupcake pans, filling the pan 2/3 full.
* Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Frost with Buttercream Frosting

1 pound confectioners sugar
5 tablespoons butter, softened
dash salt
teaspoon vanilla
milk (depending on consistency)

* Blend ingredients in mixer. Add milk to desired consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes.

A Forgotten Favorite

2009-03-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

I say this is forgotten because it's been sitting in my picture folder untouched for over a year. I have been cooking recipes that I have blogged about before, so rather than do duplicates, I have been diving into my archive folder. I am not quite sure why I didn't post it when I first made it. I probably got too busy with school or work. At any rate, don't let its lateness trick you. And don't let the really terrible picture fool you either. This recipe is very good.

The only complaint I have about this one (and it's minor) is that the cooking time in the cookbook is off. That could be the fault of my crockpot also. So, I really shouldn't even consider it a complaint. The cooking time says 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 on high. However, when I made it, it was done within 3 hours on low. So, you might want to watch your crockpot carefully if you make this one.

When I made this, I decided to do a whole theme to our eats. The Taco Bake along with salsa, sour cream and tortillas to wrap everything up in. I will admit now that the tortillas didn't get used. With the macaroni, you don't need an extra starch. The Taco Bake is yummy enough on its own.

This recipe can easily be altered to make it lighter. For example, use ground turkey or chicken in place of the ground beef. Or, if you really want to use the ground beef, use 95% fat free. Also, cut back on the amount of cheese that you use. Especially since it's just a topper to the Taco Bake and doesn't get mixed in.

I haven't made very many recipes out of this cookbook, but as I glance back through it, there are lots of them that sound good. I love using my slow cooker and am always up for trying new items. So, here's to more recipes using the crockpot! As a matter of fact, it's Salsa Chicken night in my house. Yummmm, I can smell it cooking.

Taco Bake

from: 365 Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Recipes

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1/4 water

1 package (1.25 oz) taco seasoning

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 packgae (8 oz) shell macaroni

1 can (4 oz) mild chopped green chilies

2 cups mild shredded Cheddar cheese

1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion; drain fat. Add water, taco seasoning and tomato sauce; mix. Simmer 20 minutes.

2. Transfer to the slow cooker. Stir in macaroni and chopped chilies. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours or High 3-4 hours. In last 30 minutes of cooking, top with shredded cheese.

It's All About Balance

2009-03-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I blogged about a cake that I made several months ago but couldn't eat currently because of my quest to lose weight. Well, I figure now's a good time to post a cake that I can eat.

Tada! Introducing.......A Lighter Chocolate Pound Cake! This is another Cake Doctor recipe, and honest to goodness, you cannot tell it's light. This cake is so incredibly moist and rich! As you can see by the pictures, it's very dark. The flash on my camera can't handle its awesomeness.

Don't be fooled by the ingredients. It seems very simple, yet, it's perfect. Serve it alone, or maybe with a touch of powdered sugar dusting, or like we did: with fresh whipped cream. It is a cake that stands alone on taste, so truly, you don't need a topper.

I have both of the Cake Doctor cookbooks and I haven't made an item in either one that doesn't taste great. I believe the same author makes a cupcake cookbook as well as a cookbook using boxed meals. It's probably a good thing that I don't have either of those. I would be holed up in my kitchen for days.

I have to admit that I haven't counted the WW points for this, but I am sure it's fairly reasonable for a serving. That being said, maybe I shouldn't. I might just be tempted to make it again. Which would be bad. Along with peanut butter, anything chocolate is a "danger" food. You could even make this cake lightly by substituting the oil for unsweetened applesauce, and using egg substitute rather than the whole eggs. I am sure it would still be delicious.

I can at least stare at the pictures and allow you to make it by proxy for me.

A Lighter Chocolate Pound Cake

from: Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor

1 package (18.25 oz) plain devil's food cake mix

1 package (3.9 oz) chocolate instant pudding mix

1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding, yogurt, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 48 to 52 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more.

Because I Can't Have It

2009-03-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

To torture myself, I have decided to drool helplessly over this delicious chocolate cake. No, I didn't give up cake for Lent. I didn't give up anything for Lent actually (bad Pachey). Since I am trying to lose weight.....I am down 17 pounds so far........I am trying to eat healthy. This cake does not constitute healthy. In fact, it is making my arteries clog up just thinking about it.

Food that tastes good is bad for you. At least generally that's the case. Food that tastes good can also be healthy (see the last few entries for proof). This is not one of the healthy recipes. It contains the following fatty (aka TASTY) ingredients:

* devil's food cake

* buttermilk

* oil

* peanut butter

* butter

* confectioner's sugar

So you be asking yourself "If she can't eat it, why in the world is she making it?". Maybe you aren't asking yourself that, but I will confess. I didn't make it. I made this cake several months ago. I just haven't blogged about it until now. A girl can dream right?

I can't even keep peanut butter in the house. It's one of my "danger" foods. Meaning, I will eat it. All of it. So, until I can be safe around peanut butter, I will just drool at this cake.

Notice I don't have any after pictures of the cake assembled. See above about peanut butter being a danger food. I probably was too busy scarfing down a giant piece of cake and a glass of milk that I didn't have time to take a picture.

Needless to say, this cake is delicious. For all you food purists that turn your noses up at using a cake mix, I say: Tough. Have you ever tried a recipe from the Cake Doctor? Don't knock it til you try it. Her cakes are amazing and you can't tell they came from a mix.

This sheet cake would make an awesome addition to a potluck, or if you want to bribe someone, this cake is the way to do it. It's portable since you don't remove it from the pan. It's almost like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in cake form. Now if it were only Weight Watchers friendly. It actually is, but with a little alteration. Yes, I have calculated it.

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

from: The Cake Mix Doctor

1 package (18.25 oz) plain devil's food cake mix

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil, or canola oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 13x9 inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.

Time for a new 13x9 inch pan. Errr, maybe it's just well seasoned.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup creamy peanut butter
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Place the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and the vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well combined, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon milk is the frosting seems too stiff.

2. Use at once to frost the cake.

I really could eat this by the spoonful.

Nostalgic Pasta

2009-03-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why, but this recipe makes me feel about 20 years younger. Maybe it's the spiral pasta, the fact that it has pepperoni in it, or maybe it's just something that reminds me of what a child would like to eat.

I had a cooking dilemma today. I wanted to make lasagna, but wasn't sure if I wanted to put forth that much effort cooking. I thought pizza sounded good, but I wanted to cook and homemade pizza just doesn't taste as good to me. So, to compromise with my split personality and indecisiveness, I found this recipe. Tada! Pizza Pasta! Best of both worlds. Pasta and some of the same ingredients of lasagna, and some of the same ingredients as pizza.

God bless the Crock Pot cookbook. I can always find something yummy in there. I have several crock pot recipe books, and The New Creative Crock Pot Cookbook is wonderful. I have about 15 recipes dog-eared ready to use whenever I need to make something new. This was one of the dog-eared recipes.

I had to buy the ingredients at the grocery store because I didn't have many of them on-hand. That's okay. Honestly, I thought I was going to spend a lot more money. I bought everything from scratch with the exception of the tomatoes and the onion. My $13 total even included a package of brown and serve breadsticks! Although not the cheapest meal I have ever made, I thought $13 was fairly reasonable, also considering the amount of food this makes.

I doctored the recipe slightly from the ingredients. I will post the original recipe and call out my additions/substitutions.

Here is everything ready to go in the crockpot.

This was delicious! I am so glad I added the pizza sauce even though the recipe didn't call for it. It added some moisture to the pasta, otherwise, it would have been very dry. Also, don't omit the Parmesan. It gives the pasta a special touch also. Sometimes, it's the simple things that make dishes really tasty.

Enjoy!

Pizza Pasta

from: The New Creative Crock Pot Cookbook

4 cups corkscrew pasta, cook al dente and drained
15 slices salami, sliced into thin strips (I prefer pepperoni, so that is what I used. I also used more than 15 pieces. I think I used probably 20-25 cut into chunks)

4 fresh tomatoes, chopped (I seeded mine so they wouldn't be too watery)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 can (4 oz) sliced black olives, drained

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt (I didn't use any because of the salt from the pepperoni and the pizza sauce)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (I used more. Probably about 1.5 cups total)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

pizza sauce (the recipe does not call for this. I added this to make the pasta more like pizza. I used probably 1 cup of sauce. Just enough to coat all the ingredients, but not to make it too soupy)

*Combine all ingredients, except for the Parmesan cheese, in a crock pot or slow cooker. Mix thoroughly. Cover; cook on low 4-6 hours (or high 2-3 hours). Top with the Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on high for another 15 minutes.

And what better to eat with Pizza Pasta then pizza dough flavored breadsticks! I know, too many carbs. I don't care. I just doctored some store bought breadsticks. I brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled them with Italian seasoning. Yummy!

Another Strange Combo

2009-03-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

Heaven Sent Brownies. That is what these are titled. Curious name, even more curious ingredients. Do you remember my post from last weekend where I was foraging for ingredients? Well, these brownies are a result of my foraging. I had one egg, no brown sugar and not very much oil.

So, the result was searching on www.allrecipes.com for a brownie recipe. Seriously, brownies are my go-to dessert. I never get tired of them. Never. And I like to try new ones often.

These weren't bad. The husband turned his nose up at them based on the sweetener. He's not a honey fan. Yes folks, I said honey. The honey was definitely noticeable in this recipe. If you don't like honey, I don't suggest making these. Or, if you do, don't use a strong honey like I did. I used an organic honey and it was very noticeable. But not in a bad way, I promise! The combination of honey and chocolate was very good.

I followed the recipe exactly, except I added walnuts. Okay, so I guess that isn't exactly. I had some walnuts on hand from a recipe long ago, so rather than let them go to waste, I added them to the batter.

I love thick brownies, and these guys were sure thick! If you use the 8x8 pan, you will get big brownies. Of course, you can always use a different pan. There is no rule. Just remember to change the baking time if you use a larger pan.

The husband took one bite and said "These are all your's. Yuck". Guess what? More for me! Hahahahaha! Wait, it's not nice to laugh. Especially when I will probably gain 5 pounds for eating the whole pan.

Heaven Sent Brownies
from: www.allrecipes.com (submitted by Ryan)

1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup honey, warmed slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8x8 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, sugar and baking soda. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, water, honey, vanilla and vinegar; mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, untl brownies spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

In honor of my love for the end piece of the brownie. Here's a picture.

Oatmeal, Raisin and.......Chocolate?

2009-03-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

I know, strange combination. And I also know that I have said that before on my blog several times. Ie; shrimp and grits, mayonnaise and chicken, and bacon and pasta. So, that being said, I thought oatmeal, raisin and chocolate was an odd pairing (or is it thirding since that is three ingredients?).

I wanted something sweet today, and something to take along to my in-law's since we are heading over there for dinner. I am too lazy to make cookies, so I thought, "Hmm, I wonder if there is a recipe for oatmeal raisin muffins on the internet somewhere?" Well, I found one. Thank you trusty allrecipes.com! This recipe had all the yumminess of oatmeal raisin cookies but in a muffin form. Also, it had a couple of tablespoons of cocoa, which I thought was unique.

I was under a bit of pressure, because I haven't done the grocery shopping for the week (bad Pachey), and I was limited with ingredients. I had one egg on hand, not very much milk, no brown sugar and was running low on oil. That severely limited the choices that I had. It must have been divine intervention because this recipe only took one egg! And only a cup of milk!! And only 1/4 of oil!!! Can you tell I am excited? Even better, it doesn't have a lot of sugar, which makes it diet-friendly.

Between rinsing out towels and cleaning soap suds out of my washer (that's a story for another time), these muffins were baking. The house smelled like a combination of brownies and oatmeal raisin cookies. When they came out of the oven, they were dark, but not dark enough to tell that they contained cocoa powder.

Mmmmm, they are good! Very easy to put together, and I would classify them as a muffin for any time of day. They have oatmeal and raisin in them, so they are appropriate for breakfast. Plus, with the addition of the chocolate, they are good for an after dinner treat too! That is why I labeled this one as Dessert and Breakfast

I hope my in-laws like them. They are traditionalists and frown upon anything new. Well, I might just have to break them of that trait.

Chocolate Raisin Oatmeal Muffins
from: http://www.allrecipes.com/ (submitted by CHEWLY)

1.5 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 vegetable or canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners. Stir together flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, sugar and salt. Mix in the other dry ingredients and raisins. Add the milk, egg, and oil. Mix until just blended. The batter will be lumpy. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from cups to cool on a wire rack.

Bad Blogger

2009-02-28T21:13:00.000-08:00

I know, I haven't posted in a while. I apologize for that. This may be my first non-food related post.

Here is why I haven't posted:

1. I just finished a killer Statistics class and all my free time was spent doing homework.

2. My computer network where I store all my pictures is down. I could post recipes, but not pictures. How boring would that be?

3. I haven't cooked a lot. The husband is doing the Slim Fast diet, so I have been cooking for myself only. I would just like to point out that the hubby has lost 20 pounds so far. Not bad!

Okay, so enough with the excuses. I will promise to post very soon. I swear. Pinky swear.

Happy Birthday Carrie!

2009-02-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

Last night, my sister came over for a belated birthday dinner. We had a good time eating, talking and opening presents. My blog background is very appropriate for the dessert I made. Nothing fancy folks. Just a boxed cake mix! However, I got to use my cupcake pan! I swear, I need to find more reasons to use it. It is so stinkin' cute! Anyone have a baby shower coming up? How about a birthday? I need more excuses to use this thing!

My sister requested a Funfetti Cake. She used to love them as a little girl, so I was happy to oblige. If you aren't familiar with what a Funfetti cake is, picture a vanilla cake with sprinkles mixed into the batter. It isn't bad and I guess you can make cookies out of the mix as well. There is a recipe on the side to do so.

I also made our family spaghetti sauce. Oh my, I haven't had it in over a year and I had forgotten how good it is! If you follow my blog, it is one of the very first entries I ever did. Sorry, no recipe here. My mom might disown me. Instead, I will leave you with a tasty cake pictures since I was a heathen and used a boxed cake.

Okay okay, I will post a recipe too. In honor of the cupcake cake, here is a recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/. Everybody loves cupcakes right? After all, I can't post an entry without a recipe. That would just be wrong. My Memere used to make these when I was a kid. They are made with ice cream cones and cake mix. They are super cute, although not as cute as my cupcake.

Cone Cupcakes

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
24 flat bottomed ice cream cones

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Cream butter and sugar together well in mixing bowl. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in vanilla. Measure flour, baking powder and salt into small bowl. Stir. Add milk to butter mixture in 2 parts alternately with flour mixture in 3 parts, beginning and ending with flour.

3. Fill cones about 3/4 full leaving the batter 1/2 inch from top. Place filled cones on a baking tray. Bake in oven for about 15 to 20 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

4. Ice with any type of frosting you wish.

So, I leave you with pictures of yesterday. Cake, sauce and presents.

Yummmm, spaghetti. Jealous?

Baked, disassembled cake

Completed Cupcake Cake. Cute right?

Happy Birthday Carrie!

Pretty flowers and a picture of our tiny living room.

Hodge Podge Soup

2009-02-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

Sounds appetizing doesn't it? I had a veritable hodge podge of vegetables that I needed to use up, so I decided to make soup. Like I have said in previous blog entries, I like to pack soup for lunch during the week. It's portable, easy to heat up, and filling.

So, I made this soup. I didn't have a recipe, I just used whatever veggies I had on hand. You can easily do this yourself. I state below how many cups of veggies to use and you can substitute anything that you choose. If you don't like zucchini, substitute celery instead. Don't care for spinach? Put in some kale or another rabbit food like arugula.

I think I might go have a bowl of this right now considering I am coming down with a cold. You know the kind? It starts out with a sore throat, headache and general achiness (is that a word?). I am not too thrilled that my coworker brought her germs in and contaminated the rest of us. So, when I am feeling sick, I like soup. And even better if there is a grilled cheese involved. At this point, a nap sure sounds good too. Sorry, I am rambling. It's the cold medication.

So! Easy soup. Weight Watchers friendly. Diet friendly in general. Feel free to make this your own. Call it Build a Soup. It takes about 20 minutes to chop all the veggies and then cook it. So, in 20 minutes, you can have a yummy, hot bowl of soup to enjoy.

Now, go enjoy.

Vegetable Soup

from: Pachey

3 bouillion cubes, any type (chicken, beef, etc.)

6 cups of water

Add:

10 cups of vegetables. Some suggestions:

canned tomatoes

broccoli

cauliflower

onion

zucchini

summer squash

carrot

celery

spinach

kale

swiss chard

red pepper

green pepper

Add:

can of beans (kidney, cannelini, white beans, pinto) drained and rinsed

Add:

1/2 cup pasta (elbows, ditalini, alphabets, etc.)

Add:

spices to taste (I like dill, Italian seasoning, fresh garlic, basil and whatever else suits you)

Bring everything to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for 10 minutes.

For my soup, I used a can of diced tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, three stalks of celery, 2 cups of spinach and the rest of my vegetables consisted of a frozen medley of zucchini, summer squash, carrot, broccoli and cauliflower. See my finished product? Yum! Complete with steam.

Taste of Summer

2009-02-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

Doesn't this shortcake look delicious? I know right? I wish I could eat it. I did eat it. Several months ago. In honor of the beautiful weather that we are having today, I thought I would post this strawberry shortcake. I wish I could have some right now, but I don't have any strawberries. Or whipped cream. Or biscuits actually.

This is my favorite dessert to eat in the summer time. After a nice barbeque of cheeseburgers and potato salad, nothing is better than fresh strawberry shortcake. Unless it's a nap from the carb overload.

At any rate, here is my strawberry shortcake recipe. It's simple. And to make myself feel better, since I can't eat shortcake, I will now go microwave my Betty Crocker Warm Delight Mini.

Strawberry Shortcake

from: Pachey

2.25 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup milk

2 pints of strawberries

pint of heavy whipping cream

sugar to taste

Heat oven to 450. Stir Bisquick and milk until soft dough forms. Place on surface sprinkled with flour. Knead 10 times. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet or in a cake pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Hull and slice strawberries. Place in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar (to taste). Some people prefer more tart strawberries. Some people like them sweet. I prefer them somewhere in the middle. Cover and refrigerate so they can macerate.

Pour whipping cream into a mixer and whip until cream forms. Add a tiny bit of sugar to make sweetened cream.

Assemble shortcakes. I like to cut a biscuit in half and top with strawberries and a ton of whipped cream.

By the way, have I mentioned lately that I have lost 15 pounds so far? Go me!

Gnocchi Num Num

2009-02-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

I love gnocchi. I personally feel it's one of those items that people should keep in their pantry at all times. I will never forget the time I mentioned gnocchi to a coworker. She had no clue what it was. Granted, this was a person who had never tried Thai food (she claims she didn't like it though), had never heard of couscous or hummus and only ate corn for a vegetable. I shook my head in dismay and told her she was missing out. I don't think she believed me.

If you don't know what gnocchi is, according to Wikipedia, it's "the Italian name for a variety of thick, soft noodle or dumpling. They may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, potato, bread crumbs, or similar ingredients". You can eat it in all sorts of ways. If you are looking for a very quick meal, I would suggest some vodka sauce, gnocchi and maybe some cut up chicken breast.

Cooking Light strikes again! I get most of my recipes from there these days. I can't help it. They have unique, easy and tasty things! My new cookbook is honestly one of my favorite Christmas presents this year. It's gotten plenty of use so far.

Here is another recipe that called for fennel, and I can honestly say that I couldn't even taste it. Either it cooked down so much, or other things in the dish masked the flavor. Either way, I will not look at fennel in the same way again.

This was an easy one to prepare, especially if you use already packaged gnocchi. Yes, you can make it from scratch. I actually made some several years ago. It was good, but a pain in the rear. You have to boil the potatoes, mash them and form them into little dumplings. Not really worth the effort when you can buy a package for $1.79 at Trader Joe's. Regardless, there you have it. Sausage, potato (gnocchi=potato), vegetables and cheese make a num num meal.

I liked it. Jason liked it. That makes it a winner.

Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage, Bell Pepper and Fennel
from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

1 package (16 oz) vacuum-packed gnocchi
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
6 ounces basil, pine nut, and chicken sausage (such as Gerhard's), casing removed and sliced
1 cup thinly sliced fennel
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup (2 oz) freshly grated Asiago cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Keep gnocchi warm.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan; saute 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove sausage from skillet using a slotted spoon.

3. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add fennel, bell pepper, and onion to pan; cook 13 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add sausage, gnocchi, cheese, black pepper, and reserved cooking liquid to pan, cook 1 minute or until cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in parsley.

Redemption!

2009-02-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

After the disaster (well, sort of) that I call dinner, I needed a pick-me-up. My sister posted on Facebook about a 5-minute chocolate cake recipe that you make in the microwave. Score! I needed something simple and fast, and this definitely did the job.

I thought, wow, this cake can't be very good if you are making it in the microwave, but it was surprisingly good! It still needs "something" although I am not sure what. If you have any ideas on how to make this better, I would love to hear it.

This takes very little dishes. Just a mug, spoon and a tablespoon measuring spoon. That's it! Unless you want to eat your little cake on a plate, you can actually use less dishes and eat it straight out of the mug.

Thank you to my sister and thank you to Etsy where this recipe came from.

5-Minute Mug Cake

from: Rebecca and Etsy.com

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons Splenda

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

dash of vanilla

* Add dry ingredients in microwave safe mug. Mix well. Add egg, mix thoroughly.

* Add milk and oil; mix well.

* Add chocolate chips and vanilla; mix well.

* Microwave for three minutes. The cake will rise, but watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't overflow.

* Let sit for 2 minutes. Tip onto a plate or eat right out of the mug.

Look how cute this is! It's almost as cute as a cupcake. I love how it's shaped like the mug it came from. I happened to use my favorite Walt DisneyWorld coffee cup.

Messy Messy

2009-02-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

So this recipe was tasty. I need to start out by saying that because I will soon forget. Why you ask? It was a PAIN to make. Did I mention it was a pain?

Crunchy Buttermilk Coconut Chicken Fingers. Yum yum! Sounds delicious right? They were. Oh they were. Once you were able to get them off the pan.

Exhibit A:

This is going to take me ages to clean. Overall, it's been a rough week. Not to go into a lot of details about my personal life, but between full time work, and a course I am struggling in, I needed something easy to make for dinner. This. Wasn't. Easy.

These chicken fingers had a nice tang to them and they were slightly sweet. I think it's probably from the curry powder. I am not a huge fan of curry, but I felt it really added to this recipe. My husband loves coconut (his favorite cake is German Chocolate with Coconut Pecan Frosting) but it's not my favorite. Again, I think it really added to this recipe.

Would I make this again? Maybe. I would definitely do some things differently. First off, I made an error by adding the cooking spray before the pan went into the oven. I should have added it afterwards. That is probably what made my pan a disaster. Hey, I don't claim to be an expert cook here. I make mistakes like most people do. Second, I would make sure to coat the chicken better with the flour. When I did this, it ended up in a mass of chicken and flour goo. Not pretty. Third, I crushed the cornflakes with my hands. That wasn't very smart. I blame the cocktail I was drinking during prep time. Hey, I said it was a rough week. My knuckles now look like I was in a fist fight. Good thing I got smart after a while and used the bottom of a heavy glass.

If you decide to make this recipe, I hope you have better success than I did. Good luck and Godspeed.

Crunchy Buttermilk Coconut Chicken Fingers

from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1.5 cups fat-free buttermilk

1/2 cup flour (about 2.25 oz)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

3/4 cup crushed cornflakes

3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

cooking spray

1. Cut chicken into 20 (1/4-inch-thick) strips. Combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill 1 hour. Drain chicken, discarding liquid. Combine chicken and flour in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.

2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven.

3. Combine egg and egg white in a small bowl. Combine cornflakes and next 5 ingredients in a shallow dish.

4. Dip one chicken strip into egg mixture; dredge in cornflake mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg mixture and cornflake mixture. Arrange chicken in a single layer on preheated baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 6 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.

Healthy Cake

2009-01-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

Two words you don't usually hear together. That's okay though. Just because something is healthy, it doesn't mean that it has to taste bad.

I have an over abundance of pears in the house, so instead of letting them go bad (I can only eat so many pears for lunch), I thought I would make good use out of them. I looked everywhere for a good pear upside-down cake, but stumbled onto this recipe instead. I was intrigued. Pears, poppyseeds, ginger and stiff egg whites. It sounds like a strange combination, but it really works!

This cake sounds like it's a lot of steps and labor intensive, but it's really not. I just happen to have one mixing bowl for my Kitchenaid, so it took me a little longer than it would take most people. I had fun putting it all together, and it makes me happy to know that it's healthy. I don't have to feel horribly guilty if I have an extra piece. I was able to brush up on my skills for folding in egg whites, which I don't do often.

I didn't have almond extract so I substitued with vanilla and the cake was still very good. The end result is a moist cake that's airy because of the egg whites.

My oven runs really hot, so even with reducing the heat in the oven and cooking this for way less time than the recipe called for, the top still got overly brown. That's okay, it still tasted yummy.

Now, let's hope I don't have to take a drug test anytime soon. How in the world would I explain that it's poppyseeds in my system?

Pear Poppyseed Cake
from: Weight Watchers

2 large pears, peeled and cored
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
6 tbsp butter, softened
3 medium egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

Heat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray; dust with flour.

In microwavable bowl, heat pears until tender, about 2 minutes on high.

Strain 1/4 cup pear juice into measuring cup. Add buttermilk and stir in almond extract.

Mash pears with fork until they're about the texture of applesauce.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, ginger, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream butter with a mixer on medium speed until light; add pear purée and mix to combine. Alternately add dry ingredients and pear juice mixture in three additions, starting with dry mixture.

In another bowl, whip egg whites with mixer until almost stiff. Add sugar slowly and whip until stiff. In three additions, fold whites into pear mixture. Pour into pan.

Bake until cake springs back in middle when lightly touched, about 45 minutes. Cool on rack and serve.

Shrimp Again

2009-01-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I posted about my first experience with using seafood in a recipe. I have done it again folks: Made something with shrimp. I think my hesitation with using shrimp in any dish is always the cost. Not that shrimp is really any more expensive than beef or chicken, but the price tag of $6.99 per pound is enough to make me think twice.

I found this recipe out of my new favorite cookbook, Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009. I love it because it's a year's worth of recipes from their magazine. Definitely worth the $35 price tag. That is the second time I have mentioned price in this entry. Hmmmmm.

The combination of ingredients seems a little strange and it was found in the creative twist to old fashioned casseroles. I don't know about you, but I have never heard of a shrimp and grits casserole. Is this a Southern dish maybe? Regardless, I wanted to try it.

Here's a confession though: Grits scare me. I have never eaten them thanks to a bad experience at a Waffle House in Pensacola, Florida. I was eating there years ago and saw the vat of nasty looking yellow grits. That killed any idea of ever eating grits. What changed? My latest motto: Branch out.

This was very easy to prepare. You have to stir the grits constantly, but that isn't horrible considering you are only cooking them for a few minutes. Here's another confession. Okay, two. I didn't use fresh herbs. I can't justify buying fresh considering how seldom I cook. So, I used dried. Second confession: I don't have an 11x7-inch baking pan. So instead, I used a Corningware casserole dish. Did either of these confessions effect the dish in any way? Well, not that I could tell.

The results were creamy, a little tangy from the cream cheese and extremely yummy! This is comfort food at its finest and who would have known that it was light? Yum.........I am already thinking of leftovers for tomorrow.

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

2 cups reduced-fat milk (2%)

3/4 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1 package (3 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, coarsley chopped

cooking spray

hot pepper sauce (optional)

* Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

* Combine milk and broth in a medium heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually add grits and salt to a pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan, butter, and cream cheese. Stir in parsley and next 4 ingredients. Spoon mixture into an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until set. Serve with hot pepper sauce if desired.

Warning: Not Healthy!

2009-01-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

Once in a while, you just have to cook something that sounds good regardless of what it's made out of right? At least that was my reasoning when I made this chicken. I found it online on my favorite message board website. Being that I was feeling lazy and didn't want to cook, that's why I decided to make it.

This is extremely easy to make. And takes very little ingredients. The ingredients that it does take are strange. If you are not a mayonnaise fan, you probably won't like this. Not that I eat mayo by the spoonful or anything and I don't eat it very often.

Ready for how easy this is?

Mix together 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Spread over chicken breasts (I made three). Sprinkle liberally with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Done! Simple as that! So, if you are feeling lazy, make this. I am sure there are a thousand different ways to jazz this up, but I thought it was tasty just how it is. The chicken was moist, and no, it didn't taste like eating mayonnaise. Pair it with some mashed potatoes and a veggie, and you have a complete meal.

Curious Case of Fennel

2009-01-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

I have two recipes bookmarked to make in the upcoming weeks that involve fennel. I have two problems with this:

1. I don't like licorice, and fennel tastes like licorice

2. I have never cooked with fresh fennel before. I don't even know how to cut it up and dice it.

But, in order to broaden my horizons, I decided to go for it. My first recipe is the one below. I love, LOVE to pack soup for lunches and this soup from my new Cooking Light cookbook sounded unusual and tasty. I immediately saw the listing for fennel and thought "Oh great, what am I going to substitute for THAT?!" I will try it. I may not like it, but I will try it. I figure that Cooking Light must have put the fennel in the recipe for a reason right? It must add some needed flavor.

Off to the grocery store I go. What does fennel even look like anyways? I find whole fennel complete with its pretty frondy tops. Besides the licorice vegetable in this recipe, it called for Swiss Chard, which I could not find at my grocery store, as well as butternut or acorn squash, zucchini and carrots. I suppose all the root vegetables is what makes this Winter Minestrone.

I get to the checkstand with my fennel, squash, spinach (as a substitute for the chard) and all my other groceries. Guess how much the fennel cost? $5.00. For one vegetable. Holy cow, add this fact to the third reason I don't like fennel: It's expensive!

I made this minestrone today and I must say, it was delicious! Not only is it a different spin on a common soup, but it made my entire house smell wonderful. I can even admit that fennel tastes better cooked. I let my husband have a taste, and even he liked it which is amazing for a squash-hater. Look how pretty the veggies look when they are all cut up and cooking in the pan:

The more color in a recipe, the better nutritionally it is. With the beans for protein, the huge variety of veggies, spices and a little bit of pasta, you don't need much else with this soup except maybe a piece of fruit to round out the food groups.

My only beef about this recipe is that the serving amount said 6 servings. When I sectioned it up into containers to take for lunches, it only made 5. That was after I added an extra 1/2 cup of water. Now, that could be my fault for overcooking or cooking it too high. So, if you want to have extra soup, I would suggest adding another 1 cup of water or 1 cup of chicken broth to the ingredient list.

I can't wait for my lunch tomorrow and the rest of this week!

Winter Minestrone

from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/4 cups cubed peeled acorn or butternut squash (about 1 medium)

3/4 cup diced zucchini

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup diced fennel

1 cup water

1 can (14 oz) fat-free, less sodium chicken broth

5 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste

1/4 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

2 1/2 cups chopped Swiss chard

1/2 cup rinsed and drained canned Great Northern beans

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black papper

2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients to pan; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add squash and next 3 ingredients; saute 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water, broth and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in pasta; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chard; cook 3 minutes. Add beans; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in pepper. Serve with cheese.

Date Night

2009-01-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

We didn't really go out on a date, but my husband and I had a date with our Wii. We have a new game and decided to stay in this evening. The weather outside is still cold and frightful, we don't have a fire that would be so delightful, so I made chili. After all, chili is a stick-to-your-ribs type meal. To keep in theme with my healthy resolution, this is turkey chili from Weight Watchers.

Don't fear, the ingredients look like a lot, but a lot of them are spices that you would already have in your spice rack. You don't expect to see ingredients like carrots in chili (at least not in the chili I have ever made), but that's okay. It adds bulk and extra texture to the dish. Oh, and by the way, don't omit the green onions at the end. They really add to the flavor and crunch of the overall dish.

I like making chili for some reason. I am not sure if it's because one-pot dishes appeal to me for easy clean up, or if I just like the heartiness, or the flavor. Maybe it's because you don't need to add anything to eat with chili other than some cornbread and a salad. That's exactly what I did with this recipe. Honey cornbread (from a box, sorry!) and a green salad. I was sufficiently stuffed after this meal.

At this point, I have posted so many Cooking Light and Weight Watchers recipes, I should just change the name of my blog. But, alas, I won't. Here's where I stand with the weight loss: As of today, I have lost 13.4 pounds. I am hoping for another pound lost at weigh-in on Tuesday.

As long as I continue to eat healthy using recipes such as the ones below, I will be in good shape for our vacation on a white sand beach in 2009.

Hearty Turkey Chili

from: Weight Watchers

1 spray cooking spray
1 tsp canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium garlic clove, minced
2 medium carrot, thinly sliced into rounds
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1 cup canned chicken broth
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup scallion, chopped

Coat a large pot with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add oil and onion; sauté onion until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and carrots; cook until garlic is softened, about 1 minute. Add turkey; brown meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Stir to break up lumps.

Add chili powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, beans and green pepper; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; garnish with scallions. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Double Chocolate Goodness

2009-01-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

I am not going to lie. These were a pain. Not to mix together, but to get onto the baking sheet. The dough was so sticky! It resembled cookie dough more than biscotti dough. If you can get past the poopy fingers, this recipe is a good one!

Anything that is titled Double Chocolate is sure to be a hit right? Cooking Light is my favorite magazine, and they didn't disappoint with this recipe. The picture is incredibly beautiful (of course), which led me to make it. Plus, I had all the ingredients on hand. That always is a nice surprise.

If you don't have a kitchen scale (mental note: buy kitchen scale), that's okay. The flour in the recipe measures out to about 1.5 cups. It takes such ordinary items from your pantry and you are bound to have everything you need to make them. I had leftover mini-chocolate chips from the last time I made biscotti, so I didn't have to buy any.

Here are the results of the biscotti after the first go-round in the oven:

These would be wonderful dunked in a cup of coffee, a la Italian style, or eaten by themselves as a snack or dessert. Now, if I can just hold myself back from eating the whole batch. That wouldn't be low fat or low calorie after all.

Double-Chocolate Biscotti

from: Cooking Light December 2008

6.75 ounces flour (about 1.5 cups)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate minichips

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 large egg white

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine vanilla, eggs, and egg white in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir until well blended. Divide dough in half. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With floured hands, shape each dough half into a 12-inch-long roll; pat to 1/2 inch thickness.

3. Bake for 22 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut each roll diagonally into 18 (1/2 inch) slices. Carefully stand slices upright on a baking sheet. Bake biscotti an additional 15 minutes or until almost firm (biscotti will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove biscotti from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

Chicken and Potatoes

2008-12-22T10:36:00.001-08:00

I have been on a blog hiatus for a while. Mostly because of the holidays. I didn't cook or bake much over the holidays. I figure if I baked, I would just eat it all, which wouldn't be good for my New Year's Resolutions.

Who made New Year's Resolutions this year? I did! One of mine is to continue on with my healthy eating path and lose some more weight. Again, with the holidays, I plateaued for a while. That's okay because I am back on track and am on the road to a loss.

The recipe below is one I found while looking online for healthy recipes. My husband is a meat and potatoes guy, so this was perfect! It had all the elements of a yummy dinner: Tomatoes, meat, potatoes and spicy. I couldn't believe how good this tasted considering it's healthy! I really shouldn't be surprised any more because I have been proven time and time again that eating healthy CAN taste good.

This is a recipe from Cooking Light. Can I just say how excited I am that I received not only a year subscription to Cooking Light magazine, but I also received their 2008 Cookbook! I have been having a really good time going through all the recipes and bookmarking the ones I want to make. Stay tuned for some amazing recipes through this year.

This dish takes some unusual ingredients, but if you have a well stocked pantry, you should be okay. I had to buy some of the items, but most of them I had on hand. Splurge and buy good quality pepperoncini and kalamata olives. That way, you can store them in the fridge and use them again for another dish.

I particularly liked this dish because it didn't use up many dishes. It used a baking pan for the potatoes, and also the pot it cooked in, but other than that, not much clean up!

Enjoy my first post of 2009. Here's to healthy eating this year!

Mediterranean Chicken with Potatoes
from: Cooking Light (online)

4 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
12 small red potatoes, halved (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Cooking spray
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup vertically sliced red onion
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
2 cups chopped plum tomato
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine 2 teaspoons garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and potatoes on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until tender.

Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add half of chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken; remove from pan.

Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring wine to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 2 minutes). Add potatoes, chicken, broth, pepperoncini, and olives; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 teaspoons garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, tomato, basil, and artichokes; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Is It Meatloaf or Chili?

2008-12-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

That is the question of the day. The recipe is called Individual Chili Meatloaf, but the actual mixture could be a meatloaf, or it could be a chili. At any rate, this was dinner. It was good. Of course, almost all the recipes from Weight Watchers are good. I haven't found too many that aren't tasty. This had meat, but it also had all the elements for chili. The best of both worlds I suppose!

First off, I would like to say that this recipe lies a little. It says it serves 12. Well, I suppose that would be true if you baked the mixture in mini-loaf pans like it says, but who really has that many mini loaf pans lying around? I most certainly don't. But, the recipe did also say you could use muffin cups. Right on! I have plenty of those. Well, even after the mixture went into the pan, I had way more than 12 servings. I had almost 18. Oh well. Jason likes meat, so he will get the leftovers for a while. Also, the recipe doesn't tell you what to do with the veggies or beans. So, I assume you dice them and drain and rinse them. I added those instructions below.

Do yourself a favor. Don't be an idiot like me. I had never handled Poblano peppers before. I am wiser now, but I wasn't three hours ago. Don't cut a Poblano pepper and than not wash your hands afterwards. Better yet, use gloves! I still have the burn under my fingernails. It's not pleasant. Even after washing my hands, it still hurts.

Here is what the mixture looks like before adding the ground beef. See what I mean about chili vs. meatloaf?

Add some mashed potatoes, a vegetable and a salad, and your meal is complete. I prepared our's ahead of time since I had late errands to run tonight. So, I called Jason a few minutes before I was going to get home to preheat the oven. That way, I could stick them in when I got home.

They were tasty! Pretty spicy, so if you don't like a lot of heat, cut the peppers out completely, or maybe only use one.

Individual Chili Meatloaf

from: Weight Watchers

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 medium garlic cloves

2 cups onion, diced

2 large poblano peppers, small diced

29 oz. canned diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

15 oz. canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cups cilantro, chopped

2 pounds uncooked lean ground beef

sour cream and scallions, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 12 mini loaf pans (or large muffin tins) with cooking spray.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds (do not allow garlic to burn). Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes more. Stir in tomatoes, lime juice, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, both beans and cilantro; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring mixture to incorporate flavors from bottom and sides of pan, about 10 minutes. Allow mixture to cool.

3. Place beef in large bowl and add chili mixture; mix thoroughly to combine. Place about 1 cup of the meatloaf in each prepared pan (or muffin tin). Bake until the juices run clear, about 35 to 45 minutes; let stand 10 minutes before turning out of pans. Top each meatloaf with 2 teaspoons each of sour cream and scallions.

These fell apart when I tried to take them out of the pan. Follow the directions and let them sit for 10 minutes before removing them. Of course, I am never one to follow directions.

Lighter Muffins

2008-12-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

I had some overripe bananas on hand, and knowing that I hate to throw food away, I wanted to use them. So, I debated: Banana bread or banana muffins? In the end, the muffins won. I found a recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/ that I could use, but I made some modifications to it. Why? Because I wanted a muffin with less Points than the recipe called for. Plus, if you scrimp on Points, you can add tasty extras like oh, mini chocolate chips. Tee hee.

As I looked over the recipe, I thought "Hmmm, what could go in this to help cut down some of the calories?". I remembered that I had some wheat germ on hand, which could substitute some of the flour. To cut calories even further, in place of the sugar, I used Splenda. Of course, these substitutions are completely not necessary, but again, chocolate chips anyone?

This recipe is light because it doesn't use oil or butter. The bananas act like the moisture in that respect. When you stir the ingredients together, the batter is very thick, but that's okay. They will turn out like muffins in the end.

My substitutions did me well. These are tasty muffins. If you heat them up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, they are even better. You can't really tell they are healthy. Even the hubs liked them. Of course, he isn't getting his hands on anymore of them since he has Gingerbread Loaf from Starbucks to consume. Muffins=Mine!

Lighter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

from: Pachey

2 eggs, beaten

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1.5 cups flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup Splenda

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or line 12 muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine eggs and bananas. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, wheat germ, salt, Splenda, and baking soda. Stir in banana mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared tins.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Make Ahead Meal

2008-12-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

I didn't pick this recipe because it's a make ahead meal, but instead, it just looked tasty. Every month, I pick up a copy of Cooking Light. I love looking through the magazine and picking out the recipes I want to save. This one happens to be from the November edition. It came from an article about a church group that pre-makes and freezes meals to take to parishioners who have lost a relative or had a new baby. The picture of this recipe looked very tasty, which was what made me dog-ear the page.

Of course, my version of it didn't turn out nearly so pretty. Maybe it was because I didn't have an 8x8 pan to bake it in. Maybe because the editors at Cooking Light have a job to make the food look pretty. Whatever the reason, at least it tasted good.

It felt strange to me not to pre-cook the pasta noodles. But, while the casserole is baking, it will cook the pasta in the soup and broth mixture. Don't worry, it will turn out okay. I followed the recipe exactly how it is written. I even have an extra pan of this stuff in the fridge for later in the week when I need a hot dinner. I suppose you could just bake the whole thing in a huge casserole dish, but that's entirely up to you.

I can't recall ever making a casserole that has diced celery in it, but surprisingly, it adds a really nice crunch and texture to the dish. This has a lot of veggies in it, so you don't have to guilty for eating it. After all, it is from Cooking Light. It's LIGHT.

Again, the picture didn't turn out very good, but then mine never do. Trust me, it tasted good. Paula Deen has a term for when food tastes really good but doesn't look so pretty: Grub. So, enjoy my grub, er, Cooking Light's grub.

Aunt Liz's Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

from: Cooking Light

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

2 cups uncooked spaghetti noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces (about 7 ounces)

1 cup (1/4-inch thick) slices celery

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cans (10.75 oz) condensed 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine broth, salt, pepper, and soup in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add soup mixture to chicken mixture; toss. Divide mixture evenly between 2 (8-inch) square or (2-quart) baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over each casserole. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

To bake a frozen casserole, covered, for 55 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

I would just like to say that yes, I have lost weight by eating this way. Even though the food doesn't photograph pretty, it tastes good. So, neener neener neener. I am down 11.5 pounds so far.

Yes, it really is LIGHT

2008-11-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought that Fettuccini Alfredo could be light, or healthy? Well, leave it to Weight Watchers to be able to make a favorite dish lighter in calories and fat. I thought for sure Jason would grumble and groan about making a fat laden dish light, but he really enjoyed it! So did I considering I am not a huge fan of alfredo. I will eat it, but I don't make it very often, except that one other time (see old blog entry).

I altered this recipe slightly. It called for rubbing the chicken with whole garlic cloves. I love garlic, so I ended up using minced and kept it in the sauce. It turned out great! Also, believe it or not, the pasta doesn't taste like "whole wheat". Once it's covered in the sauce, nobody would really even know it was the healthier stuff.

I had never cooked or eaten Greek yogurt before, but it really added a zip and creaminess to this sauce. My local grocery store didn't carry it, so I had to make a special trip to Whole Foods. Now I will have to find another recipe that uses Greek yogurt. I suppose I could just eat it plain though, maybe with a little honey.

I hope you enjoy this lighter version of alfredo. Now, don't go mess it up by eating a piece of cheesecake for dessert or anything. Unless it's a healthy cheesecake : )

Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
from: Weight Watchers with my alterations

6 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, washed and patted dry (four 4 oz pieces)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
cooking spray
1/2 cup canned chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup whole milk plain yogurt, Greek style
8 oz. whole-wheat pasta, fettuccini or spaghetti
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium low heat. Spray with cooking spray. Saute garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken and cook until golden, flipping once, about 5 minutes per side.

2. In a small bowl, combine broth, heavy cream and yogurt; pour over chicken and scrape bottom of pan with a spoon to incorporate seasonings. Simmer chicken gently, turning once, about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

4. Remove chicken from cream sauce and set aside. Add Parmesan cheese to sauce and mix until well combined. Add cooked pasta and toss well. Serve pasta topped with chicken.

That green stuff in the picture? That's a big ole pile of cooked spinach. Mmmmm!

Thanksgiving Salad

2008-11-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

I don't know how your family works, but in mine, we never had salad with Thanksgiving dinner. But, that's okay. I realize that not everyone is like my family. This year, I went over to my in-laws house for Thanksgiving where they typically host about 30 people. It was a slightly smaller crowd this year with only 20. It's similar to a potluck style where everyone brings a side dish. I was assigned to a fruit salad. Again, this is not something that I would have grown up with.

Being a rebel and a rule-breaker like I am, I decided to do a salad with fruit in it but not a traditional fruit salad. Make sense? So, I purused (is that a word?) All Recipes and found the salad below. Hey, it's got fruit in it! Doesn't that typically make it a fruit salad? Like I said, I am a rebel.

The salad below isn't from Weight Watchers, as most of my recipes have been lately. Instead, this one is from All Recipes, but if you use low fat yogurt in place of full fat, it is very healthy. I tasted some (bad Pachey!) to see if it was sweet enough, and yum!!! The cranberries were not tart at all.

I would suggest putting the cranberries in a food processor to chop them. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to sit there and chop that many cranberries. The picture didn't turn out so well, but I think the resulting salad is very pretty!

So, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you enjoy your holiday. Check back with me at a later time to see just how much people liked my salad. It's a little "exotic" for my husband's family, but oh well. Rebel!

Cranberry Waldorf Salad

from: www.allrecipes.com

1.5 cups chopped cranberries

1 cup chopped red apple

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup seedless green grapes, halved

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 container (8 oz) vanilla yogurt

1. Combine cranberries, apple, celery, grapes, raisins, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and yogurt. Toss to coat. Cover and chill 2 hours.

2. Stir just before serving. Garnish with frosted cranberries and mint leaves if desired. For frosted cranberries, wet cranberry and roll in sugar.

Let There be Leftovers

2008-11-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I was working from home, and wanted something sweet. It took me all day to figure out what to make, and as soon as I logged off from work, I got busy in the kitchen. I had leftover applesauce and some sour cream that I needed to use up, so....enter the cake.

I found this recipe in my box and I had never made it before. It contained applesauce, sour cream and regular, standard baking staples. It sounded easy enough, and tasty (obviously a requirement), so I went to work.

In the end, this made a moist, sweet cake. I am not sure why it's titled a coffee cake, because it didn't seem very coffee cake-like. Oh well. It was still good. I cut it into 16 small pieces right when it cooled out of the oven. That way, I wouldn't eat too big of a serving size. If I hadn't cut the cake this way, I would have ended up eating half of the pan at once! So, portion control people!

The only thing I did differently to this recipe was add a tiny bit of nutmeg. I always think cinnamon and nutmeg go well together, so I put some in there. Guess what? It was good. ::Pat on the back for Pachey::

This cake gets an A in my grading criteria. It used up leftover ingredients from my refrigerator, it was easy to make, tasted good and healthy. Yes, a cake can be healthy. It really is possible.

So, next time you have leftovers in your pantry or fridge, don't throw them out. Put them to good use! You just may end up with a tasty treat like the one below.

Applesauce Sour Cream Coffee Cake

from: Weight Watchers

1.5 cups flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Stir together sour cream, oil, and applesauce in a small bowl. Stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture just to mix (do not beat).

3. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake about 40 to 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool to warm or room temperature before slicing into 16 pieces.

Italian Night

2008-11-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight was pasta night in our home. I don't think I can go a week without eating some sort of pasta. The only requirement is that the pasta have tomatoes (for me) and meat (for my husband). I don't always meet these requirements, but tonight I did.

I think I may have said this before, but if I could, I seriously would eat pasta every night. Every single night. I wouldn't get bored with it. What can I say? I am a carb girl. Jason on the other hand, could eat steak and potatoes every night. To each is own right?

The package of sausage that I bought was a pound, so I have leftovers, which is great. Sausage and pasta for me another night! If you like a lot of heat in your food, I would suggest using hot Italian sausage rather than mild. I couldn't find crushed fire roasted tomatoes at my grocery store, so I used diced instead. It worked out great because the sauce ended up being a little more chunky.

I made the pasta al dente because it soaks up a lot of the juice from the sauce. However, it is your preference how you like your pasta! I didn't have any whole wheat rotini on hand, but for the portion size that you are eating (if you follow the Weight Watchers portion size, which is 1 and 1/3 cup), it's okay to use regular pasta. Whole wheat would be delicious though.

This makes tons, and I sectioned up the portions into little containers. That way, for dinner this week, I can take out a pre-measured container and heat it up. Add a green salad and you have a healthy dinner.

Who would have thought that eating healthy could be so yummy? I know it's a cliche, but I really do enjoy looking for foods that are good for you and taste good as well. I think I have found a good one with this recipe. Now, if I could just find a healthy and low-fat cupcake recipe, I would be all set! Enjoy!

Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta

from: Weight Watchers

1/2 pound raw turkey sausage, Italian-style, casings removed

2 teaspoons olive oil, extra-virgin

2 medium yellow peppers, cut into long thin strips

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup red wine

1.5 tablespoon minced garlic

28 oz. canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted if you can find them

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 oz. whole-wheat rotini pasta (or fusilli)

1/3 cup basil, fresh, chopped

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, to make sauce, in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage, stirring and breaking up meat with back of a spoon, until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes; remove to a plate.

3. Heat oil in same skillet. Add peppers and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are lightly colored and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Add wine and garlic; cook until most of liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt and browned sausage; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and sauce is heated through, about 10 minutes.

5. While sauce simmers, add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta, return to pot. Add sauce and basil; toss to mix and coat.

We Have a Winner!

2008-11-22T18:44:00.001-08:00

Well, we are back from Disney World. We ate a lot, although the food wasn't very good, and walked even more. Even though I wasn't watching what I was eating while on vacation, I still managed to lose about 1.5 pounds. Must have been all the walking and 85 degree weather!

Now that I am back from being a glutton, it's back to cooking healthy. The recipe below has been going around The Nest for quite some time, but I haven't made it before now. I can't believe I haven't tried it before! It is seriously my new favorite recipe. It was absolutely delicious, and believe it or not: Healthy! Depending on the type of soup and sour cream you use, it's very low in fat but it delivers on taste, that's for sure.

I can't rave about this one enough. The chicken was perfectly cooked, it had the right amount of zip from the salsa, and it was creamy! I might have to hide the leftovers from my husband, otherwise, I won't get any of them.

Introducing: Salsa Chicken! This is sure to become a regular visitor at my house.

I used three chicken breasts because they were so big, and then cut them in half (the recipe makes 6 servings). If you prefer a spicier dish, I would recommend medium or hot salsa instead of mild. I served it over white rice, but brown rice, egg noodles or another pasta would work well also.

What could be easier than dumping all the ingredients in a crockpot? Well, nothing really. This truly is an easy dinner, and very very delicious!

Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken
from: Spark People

4 bonless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat (98% fat free) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

Add chicken to slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Pour salsa and soup over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

The Whole Enchilada

2008-11-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

Well, this isn't really an enchilada, but whatever. I say the whole enchilada because this recipe has got the whole package: Carbs, veggies, meat and dairy. It's the perfect balanced meal. Pssst. It's healthy too. Granted, it isn't healthy if you eat the whole pan, but if you stick to the serving size, it is. This casserole serves 8, and I must say, the portions are very large. You won't go hungry eating this dish.

Here's how it's healthy. You use very lean ground beef, and then to top it off, drain off what little fat is left. It's chock full of beans and tomatoes, which are high in fiber and vitamins. The cheese is low-fat. Don't scrimp and use fat-free. The result is a weird rubbery consistency. The 2% fat cheese works perfect. The tortillas are good because they are corn, which is lower in calories and fat than a flour tortilla.

It's tasty, it makes a lot and it's healthy! What could be better? Unless you like Tabasco, and then add some! We do and it's delish. Yes, I realize it looks strange in the picture. I have never met a casserole that looks pretty.

FYI, it's a short blog this week because I am getting over a cold and not feeling up to par.

FYII, I won't be blogging next week because I will be meeting the Mouse in DisneyWorld.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Layered Tortilla Bake

from: http://www.dwlz.com/

1 pound very lean ground beef or ground turkey

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, Mexican style

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles (mild)

1 package Taco seasoning mix

1 package (10 oz) corn tortillas

1 cup (4 oz) shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat in large nonstick skillet; drain well.

2. Mix in beans, tomatoes, chiles and taco seasoning. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.

3. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut tortillas in half, place half of them in bottom of baking dish, overlapping.

4. Spoon half of meat mixture evenly over tortillas. Cover with remaining tortillas and then remaining meat mixture. Top with cheese. Cover; bake 25 minutes.

Mexican Again

2008-10-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why, but it seems a lot of our meals lately are slightly Mexican in theme. First, there was the Tamale Casserole, last night it was the Chili Mac, and tonight, it's Mexican Meatloaf. Stay tuned next week when I make Tortilla Casserole by the way.

Maybe it's the spicy food that appeals to me in this cold fall weather. Maybe it's that it seems you get a lot more bang for your buck with Mexican food. All I know is that it's extremely tasty!

My husband being a huge meat eater, I wanted to make something that would appeal to him but was also healthy. This meatloaf is healthy, as long as you don't eat the whole loaf of course. Portion control folks! This whole loaf makes 8 slices of meatloaf.

Call me a weirdo, but I always like to mix my meatloaf. Something about squishing all the ingredients together is fun. If this grosses you out, wear gloves.

I wasn't sure if we were going to run errands tonight before dinner, so I prepared this meatloaf ahead of time. I combined all the ingredients and put them in my loaf pan and then stuck it all in the fridge. I took it out of the fridge about 30 minutes to rest before putting it in the oven.

Serve this meatloaf with mashed potatoes like I did, or you can get really creative and have Spanish rice. To go along with the healthy recipe, we also had green beans and a salad. You have to remember to eat those vegetables!

Maybe after a few weeks, my obsession with cooking Mexican food will pass. After all, there are only so many things you can make before you get tired of them. Although I do love a good plate of nachos.....Mmmmmmmm.

Mexican Meatloaf

from: Weight Watchers

1.5 pound lean ground beef (7% fat)

1 cup rolled oats

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 ounces canned green chiles, mild, diced

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

8 ounces canned tomato sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine all ingredients, except half of the tomato sauce, together in a large mixing bowl. Set remaining sauce aside. Spoon meatloaf mixture into prepared pan and smooth top.

3. Bake for 60 minutes. Spoon remaining sauce over meatloaf and cook 5 minutes more. Slice into eight pieces.

Dang it, why did the meatloaf have to fall apart before I could get a good picture of it?

The Perfect Crunch

2008-10-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

How many of you have tried biscotti from a coffee shop? I usually don't buy it, because it's way too crunchy for my liking. Even after dunking it in a cup of coffee, it hurts my teeth. There is one place here in Portland that makes biscotti that doesn't break your teeth, but that is another story.

I made the perfect biscotti today. Just crunchy enough, but still a teeny bit soft in the middle. It has mini chocolate chips in it to give just enough chocolate flavor. It's the perfect crunch to go with that hot cup of coffee or tea.

Did you know that biscotti translates to Itwice cooked in Latin? It comes from the words bis coctus. I just like to refer to them as Italian biscuits. In England, aren't biscuits cookies? It always makes me smile when my mom talks about having digestive biscuits on her trips to London.

This recipe is easy to make, and as the name implies, it is twice cooked. You first start out by mixing the ingredients, and then forming them into a log. After that you bake the log, slice when cooled and bake again. The results are tasty!

Biscotti before baking:

After baking. It puffs up a little.

Because I am an independent thinker (also known as stubborn), I don't cut the biscotti crosswise on a diagonal as the instructions indicate. I don't do this because I like all my biscotti to be equal size. There will be no skimping here! So, it's easier for me to cut in half, and in half again. The four quarters will each equal five biscotti. For people that aren't good at math, that is 20 biscotti total.

So, enjoy a biscotti with a cup of coffee, tea, or even as a sweet treat after dinner. There will be no teeth breakage here.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

from: Weight Watchers

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.

3. With an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla until frothy, about 2 minutes. Stir the dry ingredients in just until moistened and dough forms. Shape the dough into a 13x3 inch log on baking sheet.

4. Bake log 30 minutes and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.

5. Cut warm log crosswise on a slight diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices. Stand slices, about an inch apart, on baking sheet and return to oven for 12 minutes. The centers will be soft, but biscotti will crisp when cooled.

Chili Mac Not From a Box

2008-10-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have known lots of people who make chili mac. You know? The kind where you make a box of macaroni and cheese and stir in a can of chili? All the better if it's Kraft, with its nuclear orange cheese mix. I honestly never could acquire a taste for the stuff. I like chili, and I like mac&cheese, but not together. However, on my quest to find healthier recipes, I wanted to branch out. Try some new things. Go out on a limb. You get the picture.

What sold me on this recipe was the overwhelming amount of tomatoes it contains. Score! Me and my love affair with tomatoes should get some therapy. It's getting a little out of control. I could seriously eat tomatoes straight, and sometimes I do. I eat tomatoes for almost every meal. How do I eat tomatoes at breakfast you may ask? I toast an english muffin, scramble an egg with cheese and add a tomato slice. That's how.

But, back to the recipe at hand. This makes a ton. I almost didn't have room in my skillet to hold all the ingredients. I really started to worry when I added the macaroni. I thought for sure, I would have an overboard moment. I didn't though.

This is a very simple dish to make. It doesn't require much effort other than opening all the cans, and browning some meat. It's very healthy with all the tomatoes and beans. So, enjoy a big serving, because it's got tons of vitamins and minerals. Most of the ingredients are those you would have on hand. A plus for me, since I love using up what's in my pantry.

I am a happy girl, because I had so much leftover, that I will have simple dinners for the rest of the week! Just microwave, add a salad, and voila. Dinner.

Cheesy Chili-Mac

from: Weight Watchers

2/3 pound extra-lean ground beef

2 medium onions, chopped

29 oz canned stewed tomatoes, Mexican style

2.5 cups canned tomato juice

4 oz canned green chiles, diced, drained

2 teaspoons chili powder

1.5 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

31 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Coat a large skiller with cooking spray. Cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Drain off fat.

2. Stir in stewed tomatoes including juice, tomato juice, chiles, and chili powder. Bring mixture to a boil.

3. Stir in macaroni and beans; return to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, about 15 minutes. Spoon chili into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

Soup's On

2008-10-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's been the perfect weather lately for soup. Cold, brisk, fall days that warrant a hot bowl of soup. I make three of four different kinds regularly, but I tried a new one today. I didn't have a whole lot of time before I needed to run to a meeting, so I threw together the ingredients and set the crock pot to High. In five hours, I had a delicious bowl of soup for lunch.

Knowing myself well, there is hardly a time where I don't cook without tomatoes. Today was no exception. The base for this soup is actually a can of diced tomatoes. Big shocker! The recipe comes from Weight Watchers, which I have been relying on heavily lately. I have been cooking very healthy for the past few weeks and the payoff is starting to show. I am wearing a pair of jeans today that are a size smaller than I usually wear. So, yay me!

Serve this soup by itself as a starter, or alongside a sandwich for those cold nights. I had a wrap sandwich and a piece of fruit, and that was the perfect lunch. There are tons of things that you could add to this soup if you would like some protein. A can of beans (kidney or cannelini to go along with the Italian theme would be good), some cubed chicken breast, or even tofu if you happen to eat it. I used organic chicken broth in this recipe, rather than the vegetable. Chicken, I find, is more flavorful, and it's a lot cheaper for some reason.

Enjoy this soup, and enjoy the fall weather if you happen to live in a colder state!

Slow Cooker Soup
from: Weight Watchers

10 oz spinach, baby leaves
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 pieces bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker; cover and cook on high for 5 hours. Remove bay leaves, stir and serve.

See a Pattern?

2008-10-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

If you have been reading my blog the last couple of weeks, you may have noticed a trend. I am using a lot of Weight Watchers recipe. That's no mistake. Here's my confession: I am doing Weight Watchers. I had success several years ago, and due to a wedding, busy life, and being lazy, I have gained some weight. So, the next few months, you will see a pattern of healthy recipes on my blog.

Tonight, it was Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese. Not Stovetop stuffing, but stovetop being the cooking method. This is a very easy recipe to put together. It takes no more than 30 minutes start to finish. Really, it only takes 10 minutes if the pasta is already cooked. That's the number one reason why I like it. Number two is that it's tasty, and the ingredients are minimal. Who doesn't have a can of diced tomatoes laying around? Who doesn't have some cheddar cheese in the fridge?

You may think that tomatoes in macaroni and cheese is odd. Well, it's not. Especially if you understand my love obsession with tomatoes. I could eat them every meal. I sometimes do actually. For instance, I had a sliced tomato on my egg and muffin sandwich this morning. For lunch, my soup had tomatoes in it. For dinner....well, you get the idea.

The picture below doesn't do this dish justice. It is really really good. I paired dinner with a green salad and a little of my homemade applesauce (see previous entry). It was perfect. I think I covered every food group in the meal. Well, except meat. But who needs meat anyways?

So, for all you Weight Watchers fans out there, this one is for you! You can still have your macaroni and cheese, just in moderation.

And the picture reminds me that I either need a new camera, or need to learn to take better pictures! Oh well. The point of this blog is really for me anyways. I like to track the recipes I have made in months past. Maybe my upcoming vacation can hone my camera skills. One can only hope right?

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

from: Weight Watchers

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, do not drain

1.5 cups shredded reduced-fat mild cheddar cheese

1/2 low-fat milk (1%)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni

1. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens slightly, 2-3 minutes.

2. Stir the cheddar, milk, Parmesan, mustard and salt into the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly until the cheese melts and the mixture is smooth, 2-3 minutes.

3. Stir the pasta into the skillet and cook until heated thoroughly and well coated, 1-2 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes before serving.

Apples, Apples, APPLES!

2008-10-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

What do you think of when you think of fall? For me, it's Thanksgiving, candy corn and apples. Others like pumpkins, cold weather and the changing of the leaves. Here's why I love apples: apple pie, applesauce, apple crisp, and apple cider. I love eating apples plain too, don't get me wrong.

Today, I went to the Apple Fest at Portland Nursery. Every year, they have apple tasting, entertainment, fresh apple goods and much more. Considering that apples are about $2.00 per pound at the grocery store, the $.89 a pound at the nursery was appealing. Even better, they sell apples in these huge bins, and they always have kinds that you can't buy on the West Coast, like Cortlands. I love East Coast apples. That's where I grew up, so I have fond memories of going apple picking in the fall.

With my apple loot, I came home and made sauce. It's my first attempt, so I had to ask my Mom for help. Below is my picture biography of my applesauce venture.

1. First, begin with your apples. I used a combination of Swiss Gourmet and Spitzenburg. I wanted Macintosh, but the nursery was out.

2. Cut the apples to a uniform size. If you have small apples, half them, and then half them again. If they are bigger apples, cut them into about 1/8ths, or about 2-inch chunks. Don't worry about the seeds. Deep breath people. Trust me, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE SEEDS. Do take the stem off and the weird blossom thing at the bottom though. Oh, and don't peel them.

Exhibit A:

3. Get a big pan and fill the bottom of the pan (just so it's covered) with water. Place the apples in the pan. Cover, heat on high until the water starts to boil. Then, turn down the heat to low and simmer. Cook until the apples are soft. This took about an hour on my stove.

Exhibit B:

4. Once the sauce has cooled a little, strain it. I used a colander because the mesh strainer I had turned my applesauce into apple juice. Mush the pulp through the holes until you have nothing but the skins.

Exhibit C:

This is all the skin that was left from that huge pan.

5. At this point, you have complete applesauce. Don't add cinnamon or anything to it until you are ready to eat. The spices will turn it a weird brown color.

So, my foray into applesauce was a success. I have enough to eat, freeze, and to make an applesauce cake. Plus, I have apples left over for an apple crisp!

Exhibit D:

Ole Ole!

2008-10-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

It's getting colder and colder outside, and do you know what that means? It's casserole season! Okay, okay, I cook casseroles year round, but they really are more appropriate for fall and winter. I use my crockpot year round too, but that's another story.

This is one of those recipes I have had forever, and never made. So, I figured why not? We haven't had Mexican in a while, and this one sounded good. It's called Tamale Casserole, and even though it doesn't have real tamales in it, it does have polenta. Hey, cornmeal is used in both polenta and tamales, so it's sort of similar, no?

Pssst, this is a Weight Watchers recipe! Don't tell my husband! If you are wondering why I say that, please see my previous blog entry. He has this stigma in his mind that healthy equals flavorless. Now, I can assure you that with the chipotle en adobo, the cilantro and the scallions, this recipe is FAR from flavorless.

Please don't scold me. I forgot the cilantro at the grocery store, so I didn't use it. The recipe called for 2 tablespoons, so I know I was lacking some flavor, but trust me, it was still good!

When I went to the grocery store this week, I specifically had scallions on my list. That is exactly what I call them too: Scallions. I couldn't find them at the store, which seems odd to me, because they are pretty common. So, I asked where the scallions were. The person working in the produce department looked at me funny. "You mean green onions?". I guess I thought that scallions were called scallions and that it was a pretty common name. I guess not. Maybe it's an East Coast thing.

This is only the second time in my entire life that I have cooked with polenta, and it was really good! I will have to find other uses for it. If you have any healthy suggestions, send them my way! I had the chipotle chiles in the freezer from a recipe I made a while back, so all I did was thaw them out and pop one out of the container. Back in the freezer they will go for another dinner some time.

This makes tons, but the serving size says it serves 4. Good for me because I can still eat a lot without a lot of calories.

Enjoy!

Tamale Casserole

from: Weight Watchers

1 can (16 oz) fat-free refried beans

6 scallions, finely chopped

1/4 cup fat-free sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 chipotle chile en adobo, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)

1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, broken up

1 tube (16 oz) fat-free polenta, cut into 12 rounds

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

3 tablespoons sliced, pitted ripe olives

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. Combine the beans, scallions, sour cream, cilantro, and chipotle in a medium bowl, set aside.

3. Spoon half of the stewed tomatoes into the bottom of the pan. Arrange the polenta rounds in one layer over the sauce. Spoon the mixture (bean mix) on top of each round. Top with remaining stewed tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese and olives.

4. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Parmesan, Healthy!

2008-10-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

This recipe is one that I have had for years. It's a super easy version of Chicken Parmesan, plus (bonus points), it's healthy!

I got this from the Weight Watchers website, and it's so easy to put together that I used to make it at least once a week. It's cost effective too because canned sauce is inexpensive, and chicken breasts are pretty inexpensive if you buy them frozen. In this tough economy, who doesn't want to save a few pennies?

I made this last night along with whole wheat pasta. Now, for the skeptics of whole wheat pasta, let me tell you that it's come a loooong way. When it first came out, it was very gummy, chewy, and didn't taste very good at all. But, give it a try. There are so many brands and shapes on the market now, and they taste really good. It gives your pasta a very nutty flavor. I am going to start making it more often, especially for the health benefits it has.

Usually, when I cook something healthy, my husband gives me the side-eye. "Oh great, it's another healthy recipe". He doesn't trust healthy eating for some reason, but because I have mad skills (haha) in the kitchen, I can usually win him over. He likes this one.

I don't pound the chicken like the recipe calls for, and it always cooks through in the oven. And, I usually sprinkle a little bit of extra Italian seasoning on top of the sauce, before I add the cheese. It gives it a little something extra.

Go ahead, give this a try! You will be pleasantly surprised as well.

Chicken Parmesan
from: Weight Watchers

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly pounded (four 4oz pieces)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon olive oil
1.5 cups canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preaheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8 inch square pan with cooking spray.

2. Dip chicken in egg whites, and turn to coat. Then mix breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning and dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture, turn to coat evenly.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet; add chicken. Cook until lightly browned and no longer pink in center, about 4 minutes per side; place on paper towels to drain.

4. Pour 1/2 cup sauce into prepared baking dish; place chicken in dish and pour remaining sauce evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with cheeses and bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes.

I'm Cultured!

2008-09-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well, at least this recipe is. I got it from Bon Appetit, oooooooh. My lovely husband got me a subscription when he bought my mixer last year. Sadly, I have never attempted a recipe out of this magazine until today! The ripped out magazine page has been hanging on my fridge for a few days and I feel I should frame it and hang it on my wall. Why? Because this was the most delicious pasta dish I have ever eaten. It definitely makes it into the Top 3 for sure. I will most certainly have to make more of the recipes out of this magazine in the future.

Jason was hesitant when he heard there was lettuce (arugula) in this dish, and I was a little skeptical myself. Let's face it, I don't even like arugula in a salad. After eating it, I understand why the arugula was there: It adds crunch and a bit of peppery flavor. It was downright perfect.

The only thing I did differently was add extra rigatoni. Being a huge pasta fan, I didn't think 8 ounces of rigatoni would be enough. I am glad I added the extra because now I have lunches for the next week! Evidence below:

We ate this and it didn't need any accoutrements. The only thing we did eat with it was a yummy crusty Kalamata and rosemary baguette. It was heaven on a plate for sure.

Ohhhhh, I wish I could go back and eat this entire plate of pasta all over again. Instead, I will have to wait until tomorrow for my lunch.

Bon Appetit! Get it? Tee hee, because I got the recipe from the magazine of the same name?!? Get it? Oh never mind.

Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage-Tomato Sauce, Arugula, and Parmesan

from: Bon Appetit Magazine June 2008

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 pounds fresh hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes in juice

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes with added puree

8 ounces rigatoni

2 cups (packed) fresh arugula, stemmed

1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion; saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add sausage; cook until browned, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Drain drippings. Add wine, diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes; increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Stir pasta, arugula, basil and oregano into tomato sauce. Simmer until arugula wilts, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

It's Puffy All Right

2008-09-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we had breakfast for dinner, yum! I had a few pieces of bacon from a couple of weeks ago's pasta recipe (See Bacon Pasta post), and I had all the ingredients on hand for this Betty Crocker recipe, so Puffy Oven Pancake it was! Add some eggs, and it was a complete meal.

I wanted a little more pizazz, so I made the variation at the bottom of the recipe for Apple Oven Pancake. What better way to usher in the fall by celebrating with apples?

This dinner baked up very quickly, and I am not so great with timing everything to finish at the same time, so a big pat on the back. The pancake, bacon and eggs were all done at the same time! No cold food in sight. I think that's why I like casseroles so much. Everything is done and hot at the same time.

I bet this recipe would be good with other fruit too. Maybe peaches? I would suggest pineapple, but the husband doesn't like pineapple. Such a shame considering all the fresh pineapple that we encountered while vacationing in Jamaica.

I served this plain, with a tiny bit of maple syrup over the top. It was sweet enough that it didn't need syrup, or even extra butter.

Here's to pancakes in the oven!

Puffy Oven Pancake

from: Betty Crocker

2 tablespoons stick margarine or butter

2 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

lemon juice and powdered sugar or cut-up fruit if desired

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt margarine in pie plate in oven; brush margarine on side of pie plate.

2. Beat eggs slightly in medium bowl with wire whisk or hand beater. Beat in remaining ingredients except lemon juice just until mixed (do not overbeat). Pour into pie plate.

3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until puffy and deep golden brown. Serve immediately sprinkled with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Apple Variation

Prepare Puffy Oven Pancake as directed, except sprinkle 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon evenly over melted margarine. Arrange 1 cup thinly sliced peeled baking apple (1 medium) over sugar. Pour batter over apple. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Immediately loosen edge of pancake and turn upside down onto heatproof serving plate.

Chicken from Camille

2008-09-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

Mind you, I have no idea who Camille is. That is just the name of this recipe. So, thanks Camille! I appreciate you contributing to my blog. And thank you to All Recipes. I have to say how much I love their website. Not only do I get daily emails from them with a recipe of the day, but I can always find a good recipe by using the search tools.

Tonight, to go along with our herbed dinner rolls, I made Chicken a la Camille. Essentially, this is herbed chicken coated with barbeque sauce. Yum yum yum.

The nice thing about this recipe is that chicken, Italian seasoning and barbeque sauce are always things that one would have on hand in the pantry. Sometimes, it's nice to make things that aren't fussy and take little time.

Add some potatoes and a veggie, and you have a nice dinner in under 30 minutes. I sound like Rachael Ray. Sheesh.

Chicken a la Camille

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup Italian seasoning

1 cup barbeque sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place chicken and seasoning in a resealable plastic bag; sell and toss to coat; place chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

3. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Place sauce in a shallow dish or bowl and dip chicken in sauce to coat.

5. Bake for another 20 minutes; serve with additional barbeque sauce

An Uprising, Deux

2008-09-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

If you read my blog (who am I kidding, no one actually reads this thing) you will notice that I made cinnamon rolls last weekend. Since I had extra yeast, I decided to try my hand at making rolls. I found the recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/, my go-to place for a good recipe. I wanted rolls, but didn't have shortening to make them, so I found an alternate recipe using butter. To go alongside our herbed chicken, I thought the herbed rolls sounded delish! So, I went and gave the chives in my garden a haircut. I don't have fresh parsley, so I subbed it with dried parsley, dill, and some Italian seasoning.

I got to use my mixer! It's always a treat when I get to. So, off to make herbed rolls. I started these at about 3:30 with the intention to have them with our dinner, some time between 6:00 and 7:00.

The best part of making this was watching the yeast dissolve. I know, I am a weirdo. It is really fun to watch the bubbles, although it's slightly creepy that it's alive. If you ever need to get some aggression or anger out, kneading dough is a good way. Not that I really have any anger.........

Here is a fun trick for you: If you don't have a very warm place for your dough or rolls to rise, I stoll this trick from Alton Brown: Place the bowl on top of a heating pad, set to low. It works like a charm!

Here are the rolls all ready to be baked, after their second uprising:

So, enjoy these rolls. And for those that don't want the herbs, you can always omit them and use a little bit more flour to make up for it.

BTW, they do need butter or margarine after taking them out of the oven. It definitely adds a little something to the rolls.

Fresh Herb Dinner Rolls

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/

1 package (.25 oz) active dry yeast

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 cup warm water (110 degrees)

1 cup milk, room temperature

2 eggs

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

6 cups bread flour

1 egg white

2 tablespoons water

1. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the yeast mixture with milk, eggs, salt, butter, parsley, chives, and 4 cups flour. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough has pulled together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about one hour.

3. Grease two 9x13 inch baking pans. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 24 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball and place into the prepared pans. Cover the rolls with a warm, damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg white with 2 tablespoons of water; brush egg wash over top of rolls.

5. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.