This is another no photo blog, but I wanted to get a few recipes out here so I can come back to them later. I was going through my google reader today & saw someone post a recipe (with a link back to my blog) that I made a long time ago (uh 2008!) and realized a) I really liked that recipe & will make it next week and b) thank god I can just dig up old posts for my recipes.
Just 2 to add here.
Orange Beef & Broccoli -> We realized that my son LOVES chinese food. Something with a little kick to it but also sweet and I think he just really likes rice. We went to a chinese buffet a few weekends ago & I believe he ate more than I did. So I knew this recipe would be a hit-and it was really quick to make.
Veggie Cold Pizza-> This has to be one of my favorite appetizers. Its the healthier option when at a party and really, I just love. I made this for my book club. I am sure there is a recipe out there but I'll just type up the one my friend Jen sent to me
2 cans crescent rolls
1 8 oz cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat)
1/2 cup sour cream (light is what I used)
2 Tbsp mayo
2 T green onions
1 pkg ranch mix
Any chopped veggies you like (cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots)
Line a cookie sheet w/ foil & spray it with Pam/Crisco whatever.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Press the uncooked crescent rolls into the pan so they form a nice base-make sure the seems all meet yup.
Bake for 12 minutes
Mix the rest of the ingredients, minus the chopped veggies, in a bowl.
After the crescent rolls have cooled, spread the cream cheese mix on them.
Top with your chopped veggies!
As a side note, we have joined Door to Door Organics through my work. I love it! The beef & broccoli recipe was made with organic oranges & broccoli & I used the broccoli on my veggie pizza too. There are 2 things I love about D2D. 1) It gets delivered to my office. 2) I get a variety of fruits & veggies I wouldn't normally try. Meyer lemons, mangoes, blood oranges, red pears. While I see these things at the grocery store, its not like i ever actively seek them out. So its fun to try new things with the produce I receive.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Chocolate & Caramel bars
I was in charge of dessert this month for Ronald McDonald House dinner. I knew I wanted to make some type of bar b/c I wouldn't have time to make a bunch of cookies. I also knew I had a box of yellow cake mix in my pantry.
So off to bettyCrocker.com. (I love the Internet, could be why I work in that field). These little beauties were the first thing that caught my eye. Enough so much that I decided to make two batches-one for RMH & one for my co-workers birthday.
Chocolate & Caramel Oatmeal Bars
1 package Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 jar (12.25 ounces) caramel topping (1 cup)
1 tablespoon Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1. Heat oven to 350°. Line bottom and sides of rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches, with aluminum foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.
2. Beat cake mix, butter and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed about 1 minute or just until crumbly. Stir in oats, using hands if necessary. Reserve 1 1/2 cups oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture in bottom of pan. Bake 14 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown.
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over hot crust. Mix caramel topping and flour in small bowl; drizzle evenly over chocolate chips and walnuts. Sprinkle reserved oat mixture over top.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.
In all seriousness, I had everything in my pantry for these, even the caramel sauce. These would be great for a potluck or picnic.
vanishing oatmeal raisin cookies
Awhile back I tried to make something, I think granola, with quick oats. That didn't turn out so well. So i was forced to try the old fashioned oats. And let me tell you, best thing to be forced to do!
On the top of my handy Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oats can is a recipe for Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies. Its your standard oatmeal cookie recipe, but I have never made them using the old fashioned oats. Boy have I been missing out. This is probably the third time I have made these cookies. They disappear very quickly and you don't feel so bad eating them for breakfast.
Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins
Preparation
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. (I roll mine into a ball with greased hands)
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Prep Time: 20 min
Also,I have gotten in the habit of putting my cookies/dough in the fridge while one set bakes. I like to think it helps keep their shape.
On the top of my handy Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oats can is a recipe for Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies. Its your standard oatmeal cookie recipe, but I have never made them using the old fashioned oats. Boy have I been missing out. This is probably the third time I have made these cookies. They disappear very quickly and you don't feel so bad eating them for breakfast.
Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins
Preparation
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. (I roll mine into a ball with greased hands)
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Prep Time: 20 min
Also,I have gotten in the habit of putting my cookies/dough in the fridge while one set bakes. I like to think it helps keep their shape.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Its still winter
and it sucks! Not only b/c I am over this cold & snow, but because its too dark at night to take pictures of my food.
Now that Jayson is eating everything we eat, meals have been a bit of a challenge. He is STARVING by 6:15, so I have to make some pretty quick meals for him. If I want to make anything that takes longer than 30 minutes, then I need a backup meal for him.
Anyway, here are somethings I have made recently. I need to get the papers off my cookbook holder and this blog is great for documentation!
Big Brother's Sunken Burritos--> I had every intention of making these per the recipe, but I didn't have time to cook the rice so I omitted that. However, I did roast a chicken earlier in the week & was able to use that chicken for my filling in these burritos.
Shrimp Fra Diavolo -> I am pretty sure my son was unhappy he couldn't have any of this stuff. He LOVES the spicy food. So before I mixed in the shrimp, I gave him some of the noodles w/the tomato sauce. The rest of dinner he was eyeing my plate.
Mushroom Marsala Pasta with Artichokes -> I made this so long ago! I don't think I was in love with it, but it wasn't bad. I may have been expecting something phenomenal-I mean, it has mushrooms & artichokes, my 2 favorite things!
Baked Ziti-> this was hit! I made it for the NCAA Championship football game (Roll Tide!). We had some friends over & this was the easiest thing to make. Everyone loved it-from the munchkin to the 15 yr old to the 40 yr old. But I would expect nothing less from Annie's Eats
Marshmallow Crunch Brownies -> Yes I still bake! I have made these 2 times since I found the recipe. One time I got in trouble b/c I brought them to the daycare teachers (No Peanut Facility) the second time I brought them into work. And now that I have stumbled upon the recipe again, I think I will be making them soon.
Sweet potato pecan pie -> I have been making sweet potato pie for an annual party we attend. This year, when I found a merge of sweet potato & pecan pie, I knew it would be perfect! It was, only we had to leave before we got a slice :(
Grilled Chicken w/creamy orzo -> Another Annie recipe. I wasn't in love with this one though, however I can't blame Annie. 1. I didn't have herbs de provence so I seasoned with a variety of herbs. 2. I didn't want to use heavy cream-it is the new year after all.
Sloppy Joes -> Ok so I have never in my life made sloppy joes from scratch. When I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it. Now I have to say it wasn't as good as the Manwhich can- I think it had too much thyme. But I do feel better knowing that it was the healthier option and even though I wasn't in love, my husband and munchkin were.
Easy Chicken Pot Pie -> At some point during the holiday season, cream soups were on sale for something cheap. I bought a bunch. I had about 5 cans of cream of chicken soup in my lazy susan. (No worries, I bought the 98% fat free) Anyway, this was a great & quick way to use one of them up.
Parmesan Ranch Chicken Packets -> This was something I came across in my Best of Pillsbury cookbook. I had everything on and and it was essentially hands off cooking. I had a little extra time on my hand the night I made this. Oh, I totally didn't grill this. It was like 5 degrees outside when I made this. It was baked in the oven, likely with me standing over it hoping to feel warm.
So you see-I have been cooking. My baking has been lacking but I hope to have something to post about tomorrow on that front. I suppose I should feel better about not baking, it means we haven't been eating sweets right? Wrong. We have Girl Scout Cookies in the house. Thank god they are gone now.
Now that Jayson is eating everything we eat, meals have been a bit of a challenge. He is STARVING by 6:15, so I have to make some pretty quick meals for him. If I want to make anything that takes longer than 30 minutes, then I need a backup meal for him.
Anyway, here are somethings I have made recently. I need to get the papers off my cookbook holder and this blog is great for documentation!
Big Brother's Sunken Burritos--> I had every intention of making these per the recipe, but I didn't have time to cook the rice so I omitted that. However, I did roast a chicken earlier in the week & was able to use that chicken for my filling in these burritos.
Shrimp Fra Diavolo -> I am pretty sure my son was unhappy he couldn't have any of this stuff. He LOVES the spicy food. So before I mixed in the shrimp, I gave him some of the noodles w/the tomato sauce. The rest of dinner he was eyeing my plate.
Mushroom Marsala Pasta with Artichokes -> I made this so long ago! I don't think I was in love with it, but it wasn't bad. I may have been expecting something phenomenal-I mean, it has mushrooms & artichokes, my 2 favorite things!
Baked Ziti-> this was hit! I made it for the NCAA Championship football game (Roll Tide!). We had some friends over & this was the easiest thing to make. Everyone loved it-from the munchkin to the 15 yr old to the 40 yr old. But I would expect nothing less from Annie's Eats
Marshmallow Crunch Brownies -> Yes I still bake! I have made these 2 times since I found the recipe. One time I got in trouble b/c I brought them to the daycare teachers (No Peanut Facility) the second time I brought them into work. And now that I have stumbled upon the recipe again, I think I will be making them soon.
Sweet potato pecan pie -> I have been making sweet potato pie for an annual party we attend. This year, when I found a merge of sweet potato & pecan pie, I knew it would be perfect! It was, only we had to leave before we got a slice :(
Grilled Chicken w/creamy orzo -> Another Annie recipe. I wasn't in love with this one though, however I can't blame Annie. 1. I didn't have herbs de provence so I seasoned with a variety of herbs. 2. I didn't want to use heavy cream-it is the new year after all.
Sloppy Joes -> Ok so I have never in my life made sloppy joes from scratch. When I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it. Now I have to say it wasn't as good as the Manwhich can- I think it had too much thyme. But I do feel better knowing that it was the healthier option and even though I wasn't in love, my husband and munchkin were.
Easy Chicken Pot Pie -> At some point during the holiday season, cream soups were on sale for something cheap. I bought a bunch. I had about 5 cans of cream of chicken soup in my lazy susan. (No worries, I bought the 98% fat free) Anyway, this was a great & quick way to use one of them up.
Parmesan Ranch Chicken Packets -> This was something I came across in my Best of Pillsbury cookbook. I had everything on and and it was essentially hands off cooking. I had a little extra time on my hand the night I made this. Oh, I totally didn't grill this. It was like 5 degrees outside when I made this. It was baked in the oven, likely with me standing over it hoping to feel warm.
So you see-I have been cooking. My baking has been lacking but I hope to have something to post about tomorrow on that front. I suppose I should feel better about not baking, it means we haven't been eating sweets right? Wrong. We have Girl Scout Cookies in the house. Thank god they are gone now.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Yum!
Doesn't this look good?
I have no idea how I made it. Sure its mac n cheese, but that's all I got.
I will use this as a learning experience. If I don't blog about my recipes/cooking, I will never remember how to make them again.
I have no idea how I made it. Sure its mac n cheese, but that's all I got.
I will use this as a learning experience. If I don't blog about my recipes/cooking, I will never remember how to make them again.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Too Many Recipes!
I have so many recipes either starred in google reader, tagged in my cookbooks or linked in a word document/email. I needed some way to organize them & work them into my weekly menu. Those of you who don't know me personally will not understand this, but I am an extremely organized & planned person. If I didn't have a plan for each day, I am not sure I would get through them.
So my new menu plans will consist of something like this
Sunday- Slow Cooker/Soups/Salads/Sandwiches
Monday-Mexican
Tuesday: 3 piece dish (ie: grilled chicken, veggie, rice/potato)/casserole
Wednesday: Ethnic foods, so Chinese, Italian, Indian, Greek, etc...
Thursday: Another 3 piece dish/casserole
Friday:Fish Friday!
Saturday: Slow cooker/soups/salads/sandwiches
My first week at this menu I made a roast chicken on Thursday. The recipe came from a Cooking Light cookbook so I'll have to get it at home, but it basically consisted of Thyme & sliced lemons on a chicken & roasted for about 60 to 90 minutes. (PS whole chickens are cheap and so easy to make!!)
So I had all this chicken leftover. Well a few weeks ago I attended a baby shower for one of my closest friends. Our awesome host had made these mini paninis from french baguettes. HOLY DELICIOUS! So I had her email me the recipes & made some mini paninis of my own out of this chicken.
Frontega Chicken:
Smoked & pulled white meat chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, chopped basil & chipotle mayonnaise, grilled hot on our Focaccia.
Basically got a rotissierie chicken and pulled that apart with some mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, basil and then mixed adobe chili powder and cayenne powder into may to make the mayonnaise.
- Turkey Artichoke:
Smoked turkey, spinach artichoke spread, Asiago-Parmesan cheese, tomatoes & caramelized onions, grilled hot on our Focaccia.
Got sliced deli turkey, store bought spin dip, sprinkled asiago/parm cheese on it with some tomatoes and caramelized onions.
- Tomato & Mozzarella:
Fresh mozzarella, roasted & fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and all-natural sun-dried tomato pesto on Ciabatta.
- Hickory Smoked Turkey:
Hickory smoked turkey with cilantro lime cream cheese, smoked chipotle aioli, red onion and provolone cheese on a hoagie roll
- Mini Grilled cheese:
caramelized onions, swiss and honey mustard
Thanks so much Kari! We loved the frontega chicken & can't wait to try the other ones.
I also made some white chicken chili from the remainder of the chicken. Jayson loved it! He has a thing for spicy foods.
So my new menu plans will consist of something like this
Sunday- Slow Cooker/Soups/Salads/Sandwiches
Monday-Mexican
Tuesday: 3 piece dish (ie: grilled chicken, veggie, rice/potato)/casserole
Wednesday: Ethnic foods, so Chinese, Italian, Indian, Greek, etc...
Thursday: Another 3 piece dish/casserole
Friday:Fish Friday!
Saturday: Slow cooker/soups/salads/sandwiches
My first week at this menu I made a roast chicken on Thursday. The recipe came from a Cooking Light cookbook so I'll have to get it at home, but it basically consisted of Thyme & sliced lemons on a chicken & roasted for about 60 to 90 minutes. (PS whole chickens are cheap and so easy to make!!)
So I had all this chicken leftover. Well a few weeks ago I attended a baby shower for one of my closest friends. Our awesome host had made these mini paninis from french baguettes. HOLY DELICIOUS! So I had her email me the recipes & made some mini paninis of my own out of this chicken.
Frontega Chicken:
Smoked & pulled white meat chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, chopped basil & chipotle mayonnaise, grilled hot on our Focaccia.
Basically got a rotissierie chicken and pulled that apart with some mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, basil and then mixed adobe chili powder and cayenne powder into may to make the mayonnaise.
- Turkey Artichoke:
Smoked turkey, spinach artichoke spread, Asiago-Parmesan cheese, tomatoes & caramelized onions, grilled hot on our Focaccia.
Got sliced deli turkey, store bought spin dip, sprinkled asiago/parm cheese on it with some tomatoes and caramelized onions.
- Tomato & Mozzarella:
Fresh mozzarella, roasted & fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and all-natural sun-dried tomato pesto on Ciabatta.
- Hickory Smoked Turkey:
Hickory smoked turkey with cilantro lime cream cheese, smoked chipotle aioli, red onion and provolone cheese on a hoagie roll
- Mini Grilled cheese:
caramelized onions, swiss and honey mustard
Thanks so much Kari! We loved the frontega chicken & can't wait to try the other ones.
I also made some white chicken chili from the remainder of the chicken. Jayson loved it! He has a thing for spicy foods.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Have you been to Annie's Eats? If not, make your way over there.
http://annies-eats.com/ Maybe start off with her best of 2009 posts-you will want to make everything on it.
I am apparently a blog stalker b/c as I was putting together my menu for the week I noticed I had 3 recipes from Annie's Eats. And I have at least 10 more tagged "to make".
First up, Chicken Tortilla Casserole.
I had been wanting to make this one b/c I had about 1/2 bag of tortilla chips and my son eats casserole type dishes better than anything.
We loved this. Putting it in the repeat pile-which is rare for me. What surprised me the most was that my 9 month old apparently like spices dishes. He was kicking the highchair every time he wanted more.
On tap, for this week Baked Ziti & Chicken Gyros!
http://annies-eats.com/ Maybe start off with her best of 2009 posts-you will want to make everything on it.
I am apparently a blog stalker b/c as I was putting together my menu for the week I noticed I had 3 recipes from Annie's Eats. And I have at least 10 more tagged "to make".
First up, Chicken Tortilla Casserole.
I had been wanting to make this one b/c I had about 1/2 bag of tortilla chips and my son eats casserole type dishes better than anything.
We loved this. Putting it in the repeat pile-which is rare for me. What surprised me the most was that my 9 month old apparently like spices dishes. He was kicking the highchair every time he wanted more.
On tap, for this week Baked Ziti & Chicken Gyros!
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