Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

This spaghetti sauce is the most exquisite sauce I've ever had. I was a little aprehensive because spaghetti sauce is one of those things that intimidated me. But I found this recipe and decided I would try it. Honestly, I almost put the ingredients back twice when I was grocery shopping. Boy, am I glad I did this. I froze about half of it, which also made me feel especially frugal and industrious.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large onion, chopped
1/4 lb. sweet italian pork sausage chopped into bitesize pieces or ground italian sausage (I used ground)
1 lb. ground beef
A few shakes of salt
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. marjoram (I didn't have any so I used oregano)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (14.5 oz.) can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz.) Italian style stewed tomatoes (I substituted Tomato Puree because I don't like big chunks of tomatoes)
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. white sugar

Instructions:
(note: the grocery store I went to didn't have Italian Style of the tomatoes so I just used more seasoning that the recipe called for to make up for it)
In a skillet, heat olive oil and cook onions and sausage until the onions start to turn clear and the sausage is browned, transfer to slow cooker.
Brown the ground beef with the 1 tsp. Italian seasoning (I used a couple tablespoons...) and salt and garlic powder. When browned, drain fat (I put mine on a paper towel to soak it all up.) and put in the slow cooker.
Dump in all the cans of tomatoes and seasonings (except sugar) adding more or less depending on prefences.
Now, I did all this the night before and stuck the pot in the fridge and cooked it the next day while I was at work but if you are doing this first thing in the morning, first off, congratulations on your ability to wake up and function so well, second, proceed to the next paragraph for cooking instructions.
Heat in slow cooker on low for 8 hours, add sugar about 5 minutes before serving.

Serve and act like you spent all day in the kitchen.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Another cheese and chicken casserole...I know. But this one is super easy and fast. Great for leftover chicken.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked and diced chicken
2 cups long grain white rice, uncooked
1 can cream of chicken soup (you can use the low fat)
1 1/3 cups water
1 tsp. worschteshire sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a 9 inch square casserole dish, combine all ingredients except onions. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Top with fried onions and bake another 5 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes and serve!

Chicken and Artichokes

I bought a cookbook at a book fair and I want to make literally everything in it. This is the first recipe I made out of it and it turned out to be quick, easy, and amazing. Michael even left me a note on the fridge telling me how delicious it was.

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 jar marinated artichokes in oil
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I like Prego garlic and parmesan because I'm fancy like that)
6 slices parmesan cheese
6 slices prosciutto
Hot cooked orzo (rice shaped pasta) or any pasta of choice will work too.

Drain artichokes, reserving one 1 tbsp. of the oil.
Put oil in 12-inch skillet and heat over medium high heat *see my note about browning chicken below* Put in chicken and brown on both sides until most cooked through, about 10 minutes.
While the chicken cooks, boil water and add your pasta.
Add artichokes and cook for 1 minute.
Pour spaghetti sauce over the top, cover, and let cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Top each piece of chicken with 1 slice each of prosciutto and provolone cheese. Cover and cook for another two minutes.
Serve over your pasta and you are done!

A note about cooking chicken. The key to cooking chicken in a skillet is to heat the oil until it begins to smoke. Hot oil is the key to cooking chicken well. If the oil is not smoking, it's not hot enough and the chicken will absorb the oil and get a bit soggy and will also stick to the pan. Heating the oil to hot enough takes several minutes but it's worth it to get nicely browned chicken.

Chicken Pot Pie. Yes you can!

Chicken pot pie intimidates me. I've only ever had the frozen ones but was told it was possible to make it from scratch. While a bit time consuming (45 min. prep and 45 min. bake time) it makes a lot of food, freezes well and is sooo delicious. This is the best rated recipe I could find online. With my modifications it is perfect.

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chopped carrots
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 lb chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2/3 - 1 cup milk (I am listing about a 1/4 cup of both broth and milk than the recipe calls for because several reviews said it was a bit dry. if you prefer dry, feel free to reduce the liquid)
1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper
1/4 tsp. celery seed (although I used garlic powder)
I also added a few shakes of poultry seasoning
1 package store bought pie dough (because who wants to make pie dough from scratch - not I)
Egg whites slightly beaten (Optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a big pot combine all veggies EXCEPT the onions and fill with water just to cover (throw in a couple boullion cubes for good measure if you have them) and boil for 15 minutes, then drain water and set aside. The original recipe says to put the cubed chicken in and cook that with the veggies but I found this made for dry chicken so I suggest while the veggies boil to saute the chicken in a bit of olive oil then cut it into cubes and set aside.
When the oven is preheated, put the pie crust in the greased bottom of either a pie dish or a 9x13 dish (if you do that you'll have to slightly shape the pie dough into a square - i did it, it's possible) and brush with egg white then bake it for 5 minutes - another step I added so the bottom crust wouldn't get soggy so feel free to skip this)
In a saucepan melt the butter over medium high heat and saute the onions in it until they are translucent. Add the flour and stir until well combined then slowly add the broth and milk and stir until smooth then add salt, pepper, garlic poweder/celery seed and poultry seasoning if you wish)
Pour the veggies and chicken in the dish and then pour the sauce over that. Put the other pie crust on top and poke holes to vent. Brush with egg white to turn the crust a lovely brown and bake for 40-45 minutes until the crust is said shade of lovely brown.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

I almost ate the whole pan. Not really, but I wanted to.

Becky's Fried Rice

My friend Becky always comes to work with the most delicious looking fried rice and I always want to copy it. Any time I have attempted fried rice it turns out to be a fried fail. So...I humbly asked for the recipe and she was nice enough to give it to me and then give me permission to share it! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Olive oil and/or butter
2 or so cups meat of your choice. (I used chicken, but becky usually uses ham or bacon - yes bacon fried rice...can you imagine anything better?)
1 small yellow onion, diced
4-5 stalks green onions, diced
Handful of frozen baby peas (I used peas AND carrots even though I know it upset Becky because according to her, carrots have no place in fried rice :))
1-2 eggs
4-6 cups cooked white rice
Soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat the oil or butter in a wok or very large skillet over medium-high heat and put meat in it. If you are using bacon or ham I would imagine you wouldn't have to oil the pan but for chicken you do. While meat is cooking, chop the onions but keep them separate. Once meat is cooked, remove and throw in the yellow onion. Saute (in butter or oil) until transparent then add green onion. While the onions are cooking, chop the meat into little pieces. Once the onions are cooked and soft, put in the baby peas (and carrots - don't tell Becky) and stir around until they are thawed. Throw in some salt and pepper to season.
Now for the eggs. If you want to dirty another dish, scramble the eggs in it and add them into the veggie mixture. I just pushed the veggies to the side and scrambled the eggs on the other side of the wok. Once the eggs are scrambled, add the meat and rice and stir it all together. Add soy sauce to make it all a nice brown and voila! Thanks, Becky, for letting me share you secret recipe!!!

In the spirit of October

I love all things pumpkin, except for pumpkin pie.  Weird, I know.  One of my very favorite treats this time of year is pumpkin chocolate chip bread.  I eat it for dessert the day I make it, and breakfast the next morning!
This makes A TON, but it freezes well.  Just bake it all, let the loaves cool, and what I do is put each loaf in a ziplock bag, seal it up, and then wrap it in tin foil and freeze.  Or give them to neighbors and the neighbors will love you forever!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

5 eggs
3 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. pumpkin
2 c. oil
4 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 1/4 c. milk chocolate chips (or extra if you love chocolate like me :) )

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream eggs and sugar.  Add pumpkin and oil, mixing slightly.  Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture, mix to combine.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour into greased loaf pans and bake large loaves about 55-60 minutes, small loaf pans about 35-45 minutes.  A toothpick inserted should come out clean, and let cool in pans.  Stuff your face.

easy peasy crock pot roast

I love a good crock pot recipe. I love when you use your crock pot and you come home and your house smells like yummy dinner and you have been gone all day.  Crock pots are like electronic mom's.  They cook you dinner and have it ready for you when you get home from school. Anywho, enough of my love for my slow cooker.  I don't eat much red meat, just by default, no real reason, but I do like to have a roast for sunday dinners occasionally.  And this one is about as easy as it gets.  The recipe sounds a little redneck-y, but it really turns out yummmmmmmy.

BBQ Roast

1 onion, cut into large-ish chunks.
1 bottle BBQ sauce
roast (I always buy the smallest one I can find, since there is only two of us, but it doesn't make much difference.  Just get whatever size you need and it will all work out just fine.)

Plop it all in the crock pot and stir it around a bit.  I cooked it on low for about 6 hours.  Voila!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

These got all-around 5-star ratings at work and with the fam. I, myself, feel they are too good....I couldn't stop eating them. Trust me, these are mucho better once they've had a chance to chill in the fridge for a few hours. So plan accordingly. Enjoy!

For the cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup pumpkin
1 1/4 sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
4 oz. lowfat cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

To make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In a larg bowl, cream together butter and sugar at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, making sure they are well combined. Add pumpkin and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredient mixture a little at a time until well combined.

At this point, the recipe says to drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet. I started doing this and it was not easy at at...My advice: spoon the mixture into a pastry or ziploc bag and squeeze out little blobs - it's easier and it makes them prettier. Warning, this is messy any way you go. Bake for 10 minutes or until you can poke them and they spring back. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and move to cooling racks. You should aim to make about 72 little cookies.

To make filling:
Beat together cream cheese, vanilla and butter until fluffy and well combined. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. This is where your countertop mixer comes in handy, because this stuff needs to be beat a good 5 minutes to get a good fluffy consistency.

To assemble:
Again, to make them pretty, I suggest loading the frosting into a pastry or ziploc bag and piping it onto the cookies then make little sandwiches. Much easier than spreading. Once your sandwiches are made, put in a covered container and chill. Trust me, these reach peak deliciousness once they are chilled. Ohhh my, so good.

High-Brow Chicken Casserole

As we may or may not know, I do enjoy a casserole. It's funny, I used to turn my nose up to them growing up but now I recognize them for the cost-saving treasures they are. Also, they freeze and re-heat beautifully. This particular casserole is another wonderful creation from the Picky-Palate blog. It is what I like to call a classy casserole. You won't find any cream of mushroom soup here. It uses fresh ingredients and wild rice. It may be a little more involved than your average casserole but it's not too bad and it is delicious. In fact, I daresay I may consider serving this to company. Enjoy:

CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
3 tbsp. olive oil

1 Med. Onion finely diced

3 Carrots chopped

3 stalks of celery chopped

2 tbsp. minced garlic

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I get the Costco Rotisserie chicken)

2 cups steamed white rice (*see author's note at the bottom about cooking rice)

2 cups wild rice (Costco has a great blend)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic salt (I like Lowrey's Garlic Salt with Parsley)

***cheese sauce***

4 tbsp. butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 black pepper

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups shredded cheese

Top with 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil into a medium-large sized sauce pan (you are going to be putting A LOT of stuff in this so go big). Saute vegetables until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, let cook 1 more minute. Add chicken and rices, salt, pepper, and garlic salt, mix well, turn heat to low.

2. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and then whisk in the flour. Add chicken broth, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens and is about to boil. Add the cheese, salt and pepper, and stir until smooth. (I could eat this plain. It was that good). Pour the cheese sauce over the chicken and rice and stir to combine. Pour this into a 9X13 pan (use the biggest, deepest one you have, because this is A LOT of food). Cover with 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese and bake for 25-35 minutes, until hot all the way through.

Serves a small army. (8-10 hungry people)

* A note about rice. Maybe I'm just an idiot...but I could never figure out why my rice turned out gloppy and mushy. I did substantial research and field tests and I finally figured it out. Rice does best when left alone. Here is my process for perfect rice:

The general rule is 2 cups of water (or broth) to 1 cup dry rice and 1 tbsp of olive oil or butter.

Boil the water and butter/oil FIRST before adding the rice (many directions will tell you to add it all together and then bring to a boil. No good. Once the water is boiling, pour in the rice and RESIST THE URGE TO STIR. The stirring is generally what is responsible for making gross rice-porridge. I'm not a scientist but I'm reasonably confident it releases more starch when stirred making it mushy. Just pour it in, stir once if you must, put the lid on, reduce the heat to a simmer and set the timer for 30 minutes and leave it alone. Do not open the lid, do not stir it, just let it be. After 30 minutes, lift off the lid and check it. Sometimes the water is not totally absorbed and if this is the case, put the lid back on and let it sit in 5 minute increments until the water is absorbed. If the rice is tender but there is still water, you can drain the remaining water. Then lightly and gently fluff it with a fork. No mush guaranteed!

Freaking amazing chocolate Kahlua cake

Oh my word I could eat this entire cake myself.  Even my husband who doesn't like chocolate ate 3 huge pieces last time I made it.  Soooooooo good.  And easy peasy!!! 

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

1 pkg. devils food cake mix
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 c. Kahlua ( i usually add extra :) )
3/4 c. oil
1 c. (ish) chocolate chips

Mix cake mix, eggs, sour cream, Kahlua and oil.  Stir in chocolate chips and spread into greased bundt pan and bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes.  *side note, I use the Pam Baking crap when I make this, and the cake comes out perfect.  If you are just using regular Pam, you might want to dust in a little flour with it as well, or else the cake might not come out very cleanly.*  Let cool in pan, then turn out onto wire thing (I can't think of what it is called right now!!!)

Icing

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp coco
2 Tbsp Kahlua
2 tsp. milk

melt everything above in a sauce pan.  I use a little less Kahlua here, since I don't want to really ingest raw alcohol, but I do put just a little and let it boil away for a minute. 

Then add 1 c. powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp. vanilla
Spread on cooled cake.  And try to restrain from shoving it all in your face.

Yummy Asparagus

I love asparagus.  And this is a really easy, quick way to prepare it.  This is how my mom does it and it goes great with just about any meal!  I even did it for a side to some pasta we ate last week.

I don't even know how to put this is recipe format, so I'll just tell you what I do. 

Take some asparagus and break off the ends, just where ever they want to break naturally, and discard.  Then chop the remaining stalk into about 1 inch pieces.  Heat a skillet with olive oil, and saute the asparagus pieces with some accent and pepper, just for a couple minutes, and Voila! 

I like this a lot because the asparagus stays crunchy, I hate mooshy vegetables!

Rice Pilaf

I made this to go along with the honey glazed chicken.  Its one of my go-to recipes, its simple and delicious!

Rice Pilaf

1/2 stick butter
1 c. white rice
1 onion
1 c. celery
1 pkg. Lipton noodle soup mix
2 1/2 c. water
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp.thyme
1/4 tsp. sage
craisins
slivered almonds

Melt butter and add rice, onion, and celery and saute a bit.  Add everything else except craisins and almonds.  Bring to boil, cover, and cook 25 minutes on low.  Stir in craisins and almonds, as much as desired.

I'm back!

I think we all knew this would happen.  I would start a blog and then neglect it.  Sigh.  Well I'm going to try and be better!  So here we are with probably one of the easiest dinners you can possibly through together. I bring you Honey Glazed Chicken

Honey Glazed Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts
1/4 c. melted butter
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. orange juice
1 tsp. salt

Rub chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place in casserole dish. Combine butter, honey, OJ, and salt.  It will be liquid-y.  Pour over chicken and bake, uncovered, at 350 for 1 hour.  You can reserve some of the honey, juice mixture and baste the chicken as it bakes, if you want.  I just sort of stirred it all up in the oven a couple times.

It comes out of the oven with a lot of juice stuff, so I just took the chicken out and put it on a plate and it was really really good.  Just slightly sweet, with just a hint of orange.  Yum yum!!

Vegetable Barley Soup

Well…my doctor tells me I have a sodium deficiency so I have been trying to find salty food that isn’t too fattening…I just know it’s possible. Soup seems to be a great way to get a lot of sodium in a healthy way. The recipe for this soup calls for low sodium broth but I’ve slightly modified it for more salt but I’ll note my changes for you hypertensive folks J This soup is so easy and quick but is also sooo delicious. The barley fills you up and keeps you full for a while. Mike refuses to try it because it doesn’t have meat in it but that’s okay because I have no problem eating this all week!

1 cup barley (I used instant, so much easier than boiling it for 40 minutes)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 package of button mushrooms, sliced

3 cans low sodium vegetable broth (I used regular)

1 cup water (I added a chicken bullion cube to this)

2 bay leaves

(I added some Lawry’s salt with parsley for good measure)

Dry spices like oregano, basil whatever you had, I just dumped a bunch in.

In a medium pan add 1 cup barley to two cups boiling water. Cook according to package directions, set aside

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Add the carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they are soft. Add the vegetable broth, water (and boulion cube J), bay leaves, and lawry’s salt and any other herbs and spices you want. Simmer about 10 minutes. Add barley and cook another 15 minutes or so.

Remove the bay leaves and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste. YUM!

Baked Oatmeal

Hello all! We eat A LOT of cereal at our house. We regard it as its own food group most of the time. For Michael, I usually end up buying several boxes a week. I also like oatmeal and this morning, I decided to try some baked oatmeal because this recipe calls for applesauce and I just made a DELICIOUS variety and this was a fantastic opportunity to use some. This was an absolute treat. It was so easy to make and the only problem is that even though I was full…I could have eaten the whole pan. Michael ate about half the pan and he doesn’t even like oatmeal that much. Yes, it’s that good.

Baked Oatmeal

2 cups uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (I like a lot!)

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup each of raisins and dried cranberries (I left these out)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ cups milk

½ cup applesauce

1 ½ tablespoons butter, melted

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preaheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl an combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir well.

Pour the whole thing into an 8 inch square baking dish and bake 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

I poured some extra applesauce over the top and it was literally the most wonderful start to the day that I could have ever asked for.

Crockpot Applesauce

Homemade Applesauce

I confess, I don’t absolutely love fruit. For me, it’s a texture thing. I love all-fruit smoothies but eating raw fruit is difficult for me. The one fruit I don’t mind eating raw is an apple but I’m VERY picky about it having ANY bruises and the texture has to be extremely crisp. That said, I am always trying to find ways to incorporate more fruit into my diet. I go and off of applesauce kicks. I don’t usually mind the texture and it’s easy to store and doesn’t go bad quickly but a nagging part of me always felt guilty about it since the kind you buy in the store has preservatives, even if it has no sugar added. Then I found this recipe for homemade applesauce. It sounds daunting, yes, but it was surprisingly easy and DELICIOUS. I can’t get enough of it. I put some on a toasted whole wheat English Muffin yesterday and I was in heaven. Also, I then put it in my baked oatmeal this morning (Recipe to come) and it was a revelation. Here’s how to do it:

Homemade Crockpot Applesauce:

5 medium Gala apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and chopped

2 medium Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, quartered, and chopped (the flavor in these babies is very prominent in the end product. If you aren’t a huge fan of tart apples, I suggest only using one and substituting another type of apple)

2 medium Honey Crisp apples peeled, cored, quartered, and chopped (My grocery store didn’t have honey crisp so I used Fuji)

Fresh Lemon Juice – I juiced two lemons

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup water.

If you are like me and work then you’ll want to do all the prep the night before.

I sat and watched a movie the night before and peeled all the apples, then sliced them using an apple slicer, then chopped the slices into small bits about the size of a dice. It was mindless and relaxing.

When that’s done, place all of the apple pieces in the crock pot, pour the fresh lemon juice over them and toss them until you are reasonably confident that they are coated. Add in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour water in the crock pot, stir the whole mess together. Now, at this point, you can turn the crock pot on and let it cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours but if you are me, you stick the pot in the fridge and go to bed and in the morning put it on heat while you go to work.

When you come home, your house will smell like apple pie and you should probably invite people over and act like that’s how your house always smells. I plan on doing this the second time around.

Makes about 4 cups of applesauce.

Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree

I realize that popcorn balls are usualy a halloween or Christmas treat...But if that is the case then why does the song talk about spring? Either way it's Summer, not any of the aforementioned seasons or holidays and I have stumbled upon a recipe for popcorn balls that is so delicious and easy that you will want to make them every day.

Popcorn Balls

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
10 marshmallows
1-2 bags unbuttered popped popcorn

Directions:

Melt the butter and brown sugar over medium low heat. Once they are melted together, add the marshmallows. It's VERY important you keep the heat medium-low because I have learned, once upon a failed rice krispie, that if you heat this stuff too fast, it will turn rock hard when it cools and be completely unedible.
Sad face.

While this is melting, you can pop your popcorn. I have a fabulous popcorn popper so I don't use the bagged kind so I just sort of estimate how much I imagine 1 and half bags of popcorn would be.

Pour the melted mixture over the popcorn and stir it with a spoon - you don't want to touch it yet, it's like sugary LAVA. Once you have coated the popcorn reasonably evenly, form the popcorn into balls as big or small as you like. This makes enough to make about 10 baseball sized balls or 15 ish slightly-bigger-than-golf-ball-size.

Blondies...the new brownie.

Blondies don't get enough attention. :( Everyone knows what a brownie is but if you talk about a blondie no one knows what you are talking about. Here is a delish and easy recipe that, unsupervised, I could easily eat the whole pan. All of it. Without stopping. Seriously, it's like a caramely bite of sunshine.

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8″ baking dish.

Melt the butter in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat; add both sugars and whisk until combined and sugar is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly drizzle in the butter and sugar while whisking constantly. Then add the flour and whisk until just incorporated.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top cracks slightly and is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist pieces clinging to it. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Or until you can’t stand it any more and have to dig in!

*recipe from kevinandamanda.com

Alfredo Enchiladas? Oh yes!!!!

This is a recipe I have on my blog and I made it the other night and decided thought I would transfer it over here. We love these in the Cardwell home. There are times I actually crave these which is unusual for me unless it's a dessert item. It sounds weird with the alfredo sauce, I know. But if you give it a chance you won't be disappointed.

A little more than 2 cups shredded chicken (I bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco)

1 Jar Tomatillo salsa (the green salsa)

1 container of refrigerated-type alfredo sauce (It's important to get the refrigerated kind as it has a different taste and is usually better quality than the kind in the spaghetti aisle. I used Butoni LITE by the refrigerated pasta)

A few handfuls of mexican blend shredded cheese

4-5 tortillas

Sour cream and sliced avocados for seving

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Okay, in a large bowl, mix the chicken, half the cheese, and about a cup of the tomatillo salsa until the chicken is well coated.
Spoon about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture into the middle of each tortilla, roll each up into a burrito and place snugly in a baking dish.
In the same bowl that you mixed the chicken, mix the whole container of alfredo and the other half of the cheese and pour it over the burritos. If you want, pour a little more of the salsa over the top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Top with sliced avocados and sour cream!

Tres Leches by Brooke

This is not healthy, but definitely delicious!  For those not familiar with tres leches, it is basically an eggy, vanilla cake that is soaked in a mixture of 3 milks, hence the name.  It is super easy to make, you just have to make it ahead of time as it has to sit in the fridge for a good 12 hours or so. I found this recipe from http://masaassassin.blogspot.com/

And I'm warning you....you will become addicted to this cake.  It is so good.  

Tres Leches

for the cake:
5 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the liquidy stuff:
2 cups whole milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated fat free milk
Dash of cinnamon  
for the topping:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out (or you could use 1 tsp. or so vanilla extract)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
Cream butter and 1 cup sugar together until fluffy.
Add eggs and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat well.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Grease and flour baking pan, pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Add a dash of cinnamon.  Pierce entire cake with toothpicks.
Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
Let cake absorb all the liquid.  I let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Just before serving, whip the cream and add vanilla bean seeds and powdered sugar.  I don't like the cream too sweet, as the cake with all that leches is quite sweet itself.  But do what you want.
I also like to serve it with some fresh raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, whatever.  It's good with some fresh fruit on the side though.  Oh yeah, if you are even semi lactose intolerant, this cake will give you the toots :)

happy eating!

Chipotle Lime Quinoa Salad - Just Try It!!! - By Nikki

I got this awesome recipe off picky-palate.com.  I have a new obsession with Quinoa (pronounced by hippies as Keen-Wah).  It's a super healthy grain that has lots of protein in it.  Men's Health calls it a super food because of how nutritious it is...and Men's Health is my bible so I believe it.  This salad is GREAT for Barbecues and family get togethers because it is delicious but more importantly, you greatly impress people because you are fancy enough to know what quinoa is and how to use it.  Just act like it's not big deal and you are just that awesome.  Enjoy!

1 Cup uncooked quinoa

3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt with parsley

1 teaspoon adobe sauce (from can of chipotle peppers)

1 can yellow corn, drained

1 can white beans, drain and rinsed

1/2 Cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves, chopped

2 chipotle peppers, chopped

1/2 Cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 Cup green onions, chopped (the green parts)

1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. In a small bowl whisk the lime juice, olive oil, salt, parsley and adobo sauce. Pour into quinoa and mix in corn, beans, cilantro, chipotle peppers, red bell pepper and green onions. Cover and chill until serving.

8-10 servings

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lite! by Nikki

I got this recipe out of a Clean Living recipe book. It's an au naturale and healthy take on Cordon Bleu and it is amazing, super easy and awesome.  I served it with a spinach salad and ciabatta bread.

What you need:

1 Chicken breast per person

Nitrate free, low fat deli ham

1 wedge laughing cow light swiss cheese per chicken breast

Wheat bread crumbs (I make my own by toasting the heels of my bread loaves in the toaster and then blending them up in my magic bullet)

paprika

toothpicks

(buttermilk - optional)

Sauce:

1/2 c. fat free plain Greek Yogurt

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp buttermilk

1/2 tsp honey

Some chopped chives if you are feeling fancy

What you do:

I have taken to soaking my chicken in buttermilk for the day.  It makes the chicken so moist and very tender.  Regular milk works well too but buttermilk is best and since the recipe calls for it, I just bought a little half pint and poured all but a tsp. in a ziploc bag and let the chicken sit in it while I was at work.  

Anyway, Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.

Rinse chicken breasts and pound out to 1/4 inch thickness. 

Spread laughing cow cheese wedge over chicken 

put a slice of ham on the cheese

Roll up and secure with a toothpick

Roll each breast in the bread crumbs and sprinkle with paprika

Bake 25 to 30 minutes 

While it's baking, mix the ingredients of the sauce together...and do the dishes. You'll be glad you did later, I promise.  

Once it's done, you can spoon the sauce over the top or serve it on the side for dippin.  Personally, I think the chicken is perfect on its own but the Mr. loves the sauce so there you go.  Enjoy!

Ali's Specialty (aka, the only thing i can cook)

Craisin Pasta by Ali Sorensen

12 oz. Spiral Pasta
Garlic Pepper Blend
4 Chicken Breasts
1/3 cup of Craisins (or however many you want)
1/3 cup of Pine Nuts (or however many)
1/4 cup Butter
Olive Oil
4 oz. Pesto

Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces.  Cook in a frying pan with olive oil.  Once cooked, add garlic pepper blend to taste.

Cook pasta.  Drain.

Mix all ingredients and enjoy!


I like to eat it with caesar salad and some sort of bread (I like artisan bread)

BBQ Chicken Pizza w/ Homemade Wheat Crust

Posted by Kylee.

Crust:

2 3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

2 1/4 tsp. Yeast, or 1 Envelope Dry Active Yeast

1 tsp. Salt

2 tbs. Olive Oil

1/4 tsp. Sugar

1 Cup Warm Water

Toppings:

Good Quality BBQ Sauce

Fresh Grated Mozerella Cheese

Thinly Sliced Red Onion

Grilled Chicken

Pineapple

* Add yeast to warm water. Set aside. Mix dry ingredients together. Add olive oil, and then yeast mixture. Mix well by hand, then knead for about 5 minutes. Dough will feel tough. Allow to rise about 45 minutes. Turn onto floured surface and roll out. Add toppings and bake for 16-20 minutes at 450.

Sidenotes:

-I use Sweet Baby Rays Original BBQ sauce. I think it's the best.

- It's not possible to use the KitchenAid dough hook on the crust. I tried.

- Don't use bagged cheese. It doesn't melt together.

- If you're in a hurry, try Tyson Sliced Grilled Chicken.

- This is a healthier solution if you want pizza and want to cut back the calories.

Spaghetti Pie by NikkI!

I love spaghetti pie...more than regular spaghetti...more than I should. This is my favorite recipe. Enjoy!(My camera is broken...no pictures. Sad)

You Will Need:

6 oz. (about half the box) of spaghetti (I use whole wheat, much to Mike's dismay)

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 small can of tomato paste

1 packet of Spaghetti Sauce seasoning

2 1/4 cups water

(You can substitute the previous three ingredients for a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, I just prefer the kind you make from the seasoning packet)

1-2 tbsp butter (optional but helpful)

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup mozerella cheese

1 cup lowfat cottage cheese

What to do:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Boil the spaghetti noodles (I like to salt the water with kosher salt, it adds a nice flavor to the noodles)

2. At the same time, brown the beef. Once cooked, drain the grease (Author's note: I hate hamburger grease like I hate the Nazis so once I drain off the extra grease, I also spread it out on a few paper towels to get ALL the grease off) and set aside.

3. Mix the hot spaghetti with a little butter (maybe a tablespoon, I usually use less), the parmesan and the 2 eggs and put in a pie dish to form a "crust" for the pie.

4. Mix the tomato paste, water, and seasoning packet according to directions on packet. Then add the beef and let simmer for a few minutes.

5.  Spread the cottage cheese over the spaghetti mixture

6. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the spaghetti and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

7. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over the hot pie and bake 5 more minutes until the cheese in melted.

8. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving, it will thicken this way.

Since my fiance is a cop and works weird hours, I generally like to make stuff that I can put into tupperware to make little TV dinners for him to heat up when he gets home so yes, this reheats well. I served it (to myself) with steamed vegetables seasoned with nutritional yeast and a garlic knot breadstick that I made a while ago and froze. And I wanted to cry because it was so good. That is all!

lemon-herb spaghetti with crumbled bacon

So we are currently in the middle of moving and my camera is packed up somewhere, so I don't have any pictures of this one.  But this is a great dinner to make, and it is really simple.  Total time from start to finish is under an hour!!

Lemon-Herb Spaghetti with Crumbled Bacon

1-lb box spaghetti noodles  
6-8 slices thick cut bacon
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves                             
about 5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
juice of 1-2 lemons
1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used more because I LOVE cheese)

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water and transfer noodles to large bowl.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in skillet, and crumble when cool enough to handle.
While pasta and bacon are cooking, use a food processor and puree 1/2 cup parsley, 1/2 cup basil, olive oil, lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. chives; season with salt and pepper.
Add the herb-oil mixture, parmesan and reserved 1/2 cup pasta cooking water to noodles and toss.  Chop remaining 1/2 cup parsley and 1/4 c basil and add to pasta along with crumbled bacon and 2 Tbsp chives.  Season with salt and pepper.

This is good warm, and also cold.  We ate it as a main dish with a little spinach salad and baguette, but you could use it as a side dish with some grilled chicken, salmon, or whatever you please!!