The Shannon's Kitchen

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2008-11-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe yesterday on My Kitchen Cafe's Blog I made it tonight for dinner, and it is AWESOME. I will definately be making this again. I made an extra dose of Sauce to drizzle on top and served with side of broccoli. I highly recommend this recipe!!!! Brad, my husbad thought it was really good too

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 2)
Salt and pepper (Omitted this part)
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup (used no salt added)
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt (used garlic powder)

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stove top. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

Grilled pizza

2008-11-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from the cooking board, but was scared to give it a try. When i was at the library the other day they had a recipe book for it.

We used a mix for the dough so all I had to do was add water and a little oil. Follow instructions on package

Heat Grill on high for 10 minutes

Sprinkle baking mat with corn meal, Roll dough out.

Brush crust with Oil Both Sides more is better than not enough.

Reduce Heat To medium
Place crust on grill from back to front, close lid and wait 3 minutes DO NOT open it early!

Remove crust from grill onto pizza peel or cookie sheets with no sides.

Top Pizza grilled side up, ungrilled side down, as you will be grilling this side of the dough next.

Place back on grill, turning middle burner off if you have 3 burner grill if you just have 2 burner, besure to rotate pizza in middle of grilling.

Close lid and wait about 7 to 10 minutes with 3 burner grill.

We put Pesto for our sauce, Tomatos, Spinach, Green Peppers and Mozerella Cheese. It was really good. The crust got a little over cooked but will try another one again soon.

Pizza on the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel & Bob Blumer

Taco Soup

2008-10-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from clstar on my cooking site I didnt have the ingredients, so i took the general idea and went with it. I will post my recipe, and the orginal. It was really good though. Great for a chilly day!
My version:
1/2lb Beef Stew meat
2 cans no salt added diced tomatos
4 Cups pinto, kidney, Black beans (i had some dried beans, it was about 1 cup of each i put in pot to soak)
4T chili powder
2tsp sumin
2tsp corriander
1tsp oregano
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
1/2tsp onion powder
1/2tsp garlic powder
2 1/2C frozen corn
1C water
15 oz crushed concentrated tomatos
Put everything in crockpot on low til meat is tender (6-8 hrs)

Orginal Recipe
Taco Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (we sometimes use ground turkey)
2 packs taco seasoning
1 pack ranch dressing mix
1 can black beans
1 can dark kidney beans
1 can light kidney beans
1 can whole kernel white corn
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes (you can use another can of Rotel if you want a little more heat)cheese, sour cream, green onions and tortilla chips for garnish
Directions:
-In a large pot, add all of the canned ingredients (don't drain them).-Add one pack of taco seasoning and the ranch dressing mix. Set pot over medium-low heat. -Meanwhile, brown the ground beef (or turkey) and follow the directions on the taco seasoning pack.-Once the meat is browned and seasoning added, place the meat in the pot. Add a little water if you want to thin it out some. Don't worry, it won't take away from any of the flavor.-Bring to a boil and the reduce to medium-low.-Let simmer for thirty minutes or longer (or until you can't handle the delicious aroma coming from your kitchen and finally have to break down and eat some).-Serve with cheese, sour cream, green onions and tortilla chips (we love the blue corn ones).-Enjoy!

DinnerDivas Mexican Lasagna

2008-10-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

One of the Dinner Divas Recipe this month was Rachel Ray's Mexican Lasagna, I didn't have all the right ingredients so I made my own recipe as i went. I used Chicken Breasts rather than Ground Chicken, and i put the tomatoes, beans, corn, and chicken in the crockpot with Seasonings to cook for the day so i would have shredded chicken to put into my lasagna in the evening when i was ready to make it.
Here is the orginal recipe.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case (i used 2 chicken breasts)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped (forgot to put it in)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained (used 2 1/2Cups, kidney, black, and pinto beans, left over from soup)
1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes (no salt added diced tomatos)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Salt (omitted)
8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas, available on dairy aisle of market (plain tortillas)
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack (colby jack)
2 scallions, finely chopped (omitted)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.
(I put all that in the crockpot to cook for the day, using the whole breasts rather than ground chicken)

Coat a shallow baking dish (I used pie pan, then i didnt have to cut the tortillas) with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese.
Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.

FN crackling Fish Tacos, with Chipotle Tater Sauce

2008-10-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

I just recieved the new Food Network magazine and I saw this recipe and it looked really good, Brad is always talking about fish tacos so i thought i would give them a try. To my surprise they were really good. A bit spicey but GOOD! Ingrid Crackling Fish Tacos with Chipotle Tater Sauce from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients
For the tartar sauce:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 to 2 chipotles in adobo sauce seeds removed, finely chopped (i only used 1 and it was spicey)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 scallion, white and light green parts only, finely chopped (omitted i didnt have any)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt (omitted)

For the tacos:
2 pounds skinless red snapper fillets (or other firm, flaky
white fish) (I used tilapia, and Grouper)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt (omitted)
teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
8 8-inch flour tortillas
1 cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded and
sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups arugula leaves (just used regular iceburg lettece, all we had)
1 cup fresh cilantro (omitted)
Zest of 2 oranges (didnt have any oranges)
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions
Combine all the tartar sauce ingredients in a small bowl, using salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 1-inch pieces and put in a bowl with the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Turn the fish to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Place the flour in a shallow dish and toss the fish pieces in it, a few at a time, until evenly coated. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. (To see if it's hot enough, place a small piece of bread in the oil; it should sizzle immediately.) Carefully add a few pieces of fish at a time, shaking off excess flour before placing them in the oil. Fry until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla and warm for 10 to 20 seconds on each side. Place on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel; repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Spread a dollop of the chipotle tartar sauce on a warmed tortilla. Add a few pieces of cucumber and top with 3 or 4 pieces of fish, a few arugula and cilantro leaves and a little orange zest. Serve with lime wedges and more tartar sauce on the side.

The Chewy, Alton Browns Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

I went on the hunt on the cooking board to find a delish Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe to Send to a friend for helping me with my computer. This is the one i got Req's for, So i tried it they were pretty good. These are from Food Network, Alton Brown's The Chewy

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (i used Dark chocolate)

Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container

I chilled the dough for about 30-45 minutes

Frozen strawberry Yogurt

2008-10-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

I recieved an Ice Cream Maker from Brad for my birthday. This was my first choice to make

2-16oz pkgs Frozen Strawberries slightly thawed (or different fruit of choice)
2 -2lb containers Plain Yogurt (i used dannon light n fit)
1 1/2C Sugar
1 1/2C half n half (i used FF half n half)

Mash berries, combine remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until chilled. Mix well Pour into canister, Run ice cream maker.

My ice cream is frozen solid. I have learned if you cut too much fat out it will freeze solid like that. so when i am able to get some out of the container it is really good.

Baja Deluxe Burgers

2008-10-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

I clipped this recipe out of the Newspaper. They were really good. I used ground turkey rather than the premade patties and marinaded the meat in the sauce over night, when i added an egg to the meat it got too runny and made it hard to form patties and keep them from falling thru the grill, but they still tasted good.

1C Lawry's Baja Chipolte Marinade
1/4C ketchup (I used no salt added ketchup)
2 Med portobella mushrooms, clean and stems removed
2 Med green and or yellow bell peppers quartered
6 hamburger patties
6 slices pepper jack or monterey jack cheese
6 hamburger buns

1. Combine 1/2 C lawry's baja chipotle marinade and ketchip. Pour remaining 1/2C marinade over mushrooms and peppers. Marinade in refrigerator 15 minutes.

2. Remove vegetables from marinade discarding marinade. Grill or broil Vegetables and burgers, turning once and brushing burgers with ketchup mixture until vegetables are tender and burgers are almost desired doneness.

3. remove vegetables from grill. Slice Top burgers with cheese cook until cheese melted.

4. Top buns with burgers and vegetables. Serve it desired with lettece, tomato and onion.

BBQ chicken Sammiches

2008-10-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

I put some chicken breasts in the crockpot with BBQ sauce on moving day, then it was ready when we were ready to eat in the evening after a day of moving. Saved from having to order out! worked perfect.

2 chicken breasts

1/2 bottle BBQ of choice

1/2C water (unless chicken breasts are going in Frozen, then don't add water)

Cook on low for the day.

We had some good ol boxed mac n cheese with ours.

breakfast tacos

2008-10-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

quick breakfast idea
I think i got the idea out of one of my cooking magazines but i cant find the recipe now.

4 scrambled eggs, with some Mrs. Dash seasoning. Cook and top part of eggs on tortilla shell. Top with some shredded cheese, and salsa.

black bean n pumpkin chili

2008-10-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in the Taste Of Home Oct/Nov 08 Magazine it was really good. A big sweet, i think that is because I used pumpkin pie instead if pure pumpkin. But it was still good.

1 med onion, chopped
1 med sweet yellow pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3T Olive Oil
3C chicken broth (low sodium vegetable broth)
2Cans black bean rinsed and drained (dried beans)
2 1/2C cubed cooked turkey (1/2lb ground turkey)
1Can solid pack pumpkin pure pumpkin, not pie mix
1Can diced tomatos UNdrained (no salt added)
3tsp dried parsley
2tsp Chili powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Salt (omitted)

In lrg skillet saute the onion, yellow pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Transfer to a 5 qt slow cooker, stir in remaining ingredients.
cover and cook on low for 4-5hrs or until heated thru.
10 Servings (2 1/2qts)

192 calories, 5g fat, 28mg cholesterol, 658mg sodium, 23g carbs, 7g fiber, 16g protien, Diabetic exchanges 2 very lean meat, 1-1/2 Starch, 1/2 fat

Roasted red pepper hummus

2008-09-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

I dont remember where i got this recipe, but it's really good

4 whole wheat pitas cut into triangles
cooking spray
garlic powder
1 can chickpeas drained (regular sized can)
1C sauteed Red Peppers
1/4C tahini sauce
2T lemon juice
3-4 garlic cloves
1t cumin
2T fine chopped parsely

400*F season pita with garlic powder bake 6-8 minutes golden brown and crisp

Place can chickpeas in blender with red peppers, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin. Process until smooth
Season to taste with salt and pepper
transfer to bowl top with parsely
serve with toasted pita triangles.

pasta salad

2008-09-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

This is great for a picnic to the park on a hot day. Got the recipe out of taste of home magazine.

1 pkg (12oz) tricolor spiral pasta (I used wacky mac)
2C cubed part-skim mozzarella cheese (I used colby jack and some pepper jack)
2C cubed cooked chicken (I used terriyake and pineapple sausges instead, 2 of them)
1 lrg green pepper chopped
1 lrg sweet red pepper, chopped
1 C sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cans (2 1/4 oz each) sliced ripe olives, drained
6 green onions (i used red instead, and about 1/2C maybe)
1 pkg sliced pepperoni, halved (used turkeyroni, and only about 1/2pkg)
1/2C vegetable oil (Canola oil)
1/3C red wine vinegar ( i used red wine vinegar infused with pomegrant)
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt (omitted, had plenty of salt already)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to directions. rinse with cold water and drain well. Place in large serving bowl, combine all meat and veggies.
Mix together seasonings, canola oil, and red wine vinegar. pour over salad and toss. refrigerate until serving.
Makes a lot!

Birthday Cake

2008-09-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Went to a new friends birthday party it was her 21st birthday so i made the cake, it actually turned out really but but very sugar loaded. I had a little trouble with the frosting since it was pretty warm in the kitchen, but after frosting some and then placing in the frig for a short time it turned out rather well. Still trying to find the inside picture, but it's a white cake and there is the blue frosting in between the 2 layers.
Found the recipe in my taste of home baking book

White layer cake

1/2C butter, softened

1 1/2C sugar

4 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla

2C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/3C buttermilk (I didnt have any so i subbed 1 1/3C plain Lowfat Yogurt, worked great and tasted very moist.)

2 1/2C frosting of your choice (recipe below)

Directions
1. in large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg whites one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in Vanila. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternating with buttermilk/yogurt beating well after each addition.

2. spread evenly into 2 greased and floured 9 in round baking pans. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick is inserted near the center come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. spread frosting between layders and over top and sides of cake.

Butter cream Frosting
from taste of home baking cook book

1/2C butter, softened
4 1/2C confectioners sugar
1 1/2tsp vanilla (I left out)
5 to 6 Tbsp Milk

in large bowl cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioners sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency

oatmeal raisin yogurt cookies

2008-09-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on the lid of my yogurt container they were really good. I took some to meanttobewed for her birthday. I put the recipe as i made it a little different from the directions

1/2C WW flour
1/2C white flour
1C old-fashioned oats
1/2C firm packed brown sugar
1 1/2tsp double acting baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2C raisins
1C yogurt (vanilla or strawberry)
1lrg egg
2Tbsp canola oil

1. preheat oven to 375*
2. lightly grease 1/2C muffin tins or use paper liners. In bowl stir together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and the raisins. in another bowl whisk together yogurt, egg and oil
3. Stir the yogurt mix into the flour mixture and stir the batter until it is just combined.
4. Divide the batter amoung 10 cavities and bake the muffins on the middle rack for 22-25 mintues

Yeild 10 muffins.

country potatoes au gratin

2008-09-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from cookinglight.com
this is my modified recipe these were really good.

Ingredients
1 teaspoons butter
1 medium onion (about 5 1/2 ounces), thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
3 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 1/2 cups), divided
6 ounces diced ham (about 1 1/4 cups) (omitted)
1 1/2 pounds peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 T brown mustard
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thick (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently. Add 4 ounces cheese and ham, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in potatoes.
Place the potato mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle potato mixture with remaining 2 ounces of cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand 15 minutes before serving

veggie ham Rice n cheese casserole

2008-09-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe for Veggie Mac n cheese in my taste of home magazine and I thought i would make something of it. I cooked up some Brown Rice, I had some ham in the frig and some broccoli in the freezer that i cooked up.

I used the cheese sauce recipe from the magazine. This was really good and went quick at dinner time.

2 cups cooked brown rice

~1 1/2 C broccoli cooked if its frozen

1/2 Red Pepper cut into pieces

1/2 C corn

1/2 C ham

1T butter

1/4C flour

1C milk

1C chicken broth, low sodium I believe i used veggie broth

3C shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 dijon mustard I used spicey brown mustard

pepper

paprika

cook rice according to directions, cook broccoli according to directions

mix broccoli, peppers, & rice

place in 8x8 SPRAYED baking dish after cooked and drained

melt butter sprinkle in flour until blended gradually add in milk and broth. Bring to boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese and mustard, add pepper. Pour over rice, and veggies sprinkle some cheese and paprika

Bake uncovered @ 350* for 15-20 minutes or until heated thru.

chicken salad

2008-09-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

I cooked up some chicken the night before in mrs dash seasoning. Added it to mixed spring greens in the morning, topped with some carrots, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, and walnuts. and added a raspberry dressing at lunch time. was pretty filling and good.

Strawberry Yogurt Scones

2008-09-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

Found this recipe on cookinglight.com it is a great one for breakfast in the morning, really moist and tastey!
I did cut the recipe in half as i wanted to make sure it would turn out and they would all get eaten. Here is the whole recipe though...
Yield
12 scones (serving size: 1 scone)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup diced strawberries
2/3 cup strawberry fat-free yogurt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Combine strawberries, yogurt, butter, rind, and egg white; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Pat into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut into 12 wedges, cutting into but not through dough; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 152 (20% from fat)
Fat: 3.3g (sat 1.9g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.3g)
Protein: 3.6g
Carbohydrate: 27.7g
Fiber: 1.5g
Cholesterol: 8mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 227mg
Calcium: 78mg

Pasta Fagioli Soup

2008-09-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Brown Eyed Bakers blog aka Chelly This soup is really good and makes a lot so you have plenty to freeze for work day lunchs or a cold rainy day.
I got this recipe recently in a recipe exchange, as a Rachel Ray Recipe, I will post her recipe at the end of this blog post so you can choose between hers or Chelly's recipe. Both look very good.

2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 package sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (i used Al Fresco Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage)
½ large (or 1 medium) onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, thinly sliced
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes (used no salt added)
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
64 oz. beef broth (used some veggie and some chicken, both low sodium)
28 oz. can tomato sauce (no salt added)
2 teaspoons dried parsley (I used 1Tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (1/2T itlian seasoning, didnt have any basil)
1 teaspoon salt (omitted)
4 oz. small dry pasta (I used elbow)

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large stockpot over medium high heat, and brown the sausage, crumbling it as it cooks. Once brown, remove sausage from pot with a slotted spoon and discard any grease that remains in the pot.
2. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the same pot, and add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and saute over medium heat until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add sausage back to the pot, add the can of diced tomatoes (do not drain), stir briefly, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans, and add the beef broth and tomato sauce. Add in all of the seasonings, stir well, turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it boils, turn down to low heat, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
4. Add the dry pasta and continue to simmer on low for another 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread or crackers.

Pasta e Fagioli ~ Rachel Ray
Yields 6 big servings
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 pound (about 3 slices) pancetta, chopped
2 (4 to 6-inch) sprigs rosemary, left intact
1 (4 to 6-inch) sprig thyme with several sprigs on it, left intact
1 large fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped (I usually omit this as small portions of celery are hard to come by and I don't eat the whole head if I buy it!)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
Coarse salt and pepper
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
1 cup canned tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 quart chicken stock
1 1/2 cups ditalini
Grated Parmigiano or Romano, for the table
Crusty bread, for mopping
Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits lightly, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and add pasta. Reduce heat to medium and cook soup, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente. Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks. Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and place pot on table on a trivet. Let soup rest and begin to cool for a few minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese. Pass crusty bread for bowl mopping.

skillet potatoes

2008-09-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

1 good sized sweet potato
1 good sized baking potato
Scrub well
slice into thin slices
put a little canola oil into frying pan on med heat, place potatoes in pan, cook until soft, add seasonings of choice. I use Mrs Dash usually tomato, garlic kind.

Baked fish

2008-09-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

This is brad's recipe but it's very good.
1 egg, beaten
panko crumbs
lemon pepper seasoning, we like mrs dash

Roll the fish in the beaten egg
shake the fish in panko crumbs with the seasoning, or mix seasoning in a bowl with the lemon pepper and roll fish in the seasoning.
Cook on 375 for about 20 minutes i think is all it takes, works using fish that is frozen also, just cook a little longer.

Mississippi Hush Puppies

2008-09-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Found this recipe on cooking light for our movie night, these were really good i was sort of surprised.

Yield
1 1/2 dozen

Ingredients
1 cup self-rising cornmeal mix
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk or beer (i used soy milk)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (omitted)
Vegetable oil (canola oil)

Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture.
Combine egg and next 4 ingredients, stirring well; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven or large saucepan; heat to 375°.
Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into hot oil, and fry in batches 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels; serve immediately

lasagna

2008-09-28T17:04:00.001-07:00

6 lasagna noodles
cottage cheese
mozerella cheese
spaghetti sauce (I used my homemade sauce i had in the freezer)

Cook noodles according to package, drain and lay 3 noodles in a Sprayed 9x13 pan. Mix cottage cheese and mozzerella together, top noodles with mix. Lay 3 more noodles on top cottage cheese mix. Top with sauce, and top with cheese. Cover with foil bake for 45 minutes on 375. Uncover bake until cheese is golden.
Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Continue layers and cook more noodles for a thicker lasgna.

Shrimp Quesadillas

2008-09-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

We had movie night with some friends and we made these to go with the corn dogs, and hush puppies. they were pretty good. I prefer mine without the shrimp.

2 tortilla shells spray one side with cooking spray place in warm skillet, top with cheese, veggies of choice and shrimps, place other shell on top sprayed with cooking spray side up, flip half way between cooking.

we used red onions, tomatoes, and shrimps, with mozzerella cheese

oven baked corn dogs

2008-09-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Rachel Ray off Food networks sight. These were very hard to get the dough to form around them, but they were really good.

Ingredients

2 boxes corn muffin mix, 8 1/2 ounces each (recommended: Jiffy brand) i used store brand
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon chili powder, eyeball it in your palm
2 teaspoons cumin, eyeball it
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot) I just used a dash of cayenne pepper
2 scallions, finely chopped omitted
8 jumbo pork or beef franks

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a shallow dish, combine muffin mix with flour, then stir in eggs, milk and melted butter. Season the mix with chili powder, cumin, cayenne and scallions.
The batter will be a thick, sticky biscuit dough. Place a hot dog in the bowl of batter and swoosh it around to coat it. Remove coated dog to a nonstick cookie sheet and use your fingers to spread batter on any exposed dog spots. Don't coat it too thick, just shy of 1/2-inch should do the trick. If it's too thick it will just slide off the dog while it's baking, leaving the dog exposed. If that happens don't sweat it, they will still taste great.
Repeat until all 8 are coated.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until evenly deep brown all over.

Cuban Pork Chop Rub

2008-09-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

Time again for yet another recipe exchange. I'm a little late getting this posted, but it certainly was really good.

Cuban Rub

2 tablespoons grated lime zest (didnt have any limes so i used lemon, still tasted good)
1 tablespoon cumin seed or ground cumin
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omitted as always)
2 tablespoons EVOO
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 boneless pork loin or rib chops, about 1 inch thick (about 2 pounds)

Mango slices, if desired

1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Remove excess fat from pork. In small bowl, mix all Cuban Rub ingredients; rub evenly on both sides of pork.

2. Cover and grill pork 4 to 6 inches from medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently, until pork is no longer pink and meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F. Garnish with mango slices.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

2008-09-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

My little came over and we decided to make buffalo chicken pizza, made it a little different this time.

roll out crust
Sauce
Top with blue cheese dressing and about 1/4C ricotta cheese mixed together
Top with Chicken that has been cooked in fry pan with hot sauce (we use Crystal brand)
Top with Veggies of choice, mushrooms, red onion, green peppers, tomato
Top with cheese, we used colby and montery jack, and some mozerella
Cook on 425 until cheese is browned.
let cool for about 5-10 minutes before cutting into.

BBQ Beef Ribs

2008-09-05T10:11:00.001-07:00

I placed these frozen into the crockpot on low with grape jelly on them. cooked on low for about 4-5 hrs, then i mixed

2t worchestshire sauce

1/2C honey

1/2c spicey brown mustard

2T BBQ sauce

placed ribs onto the grill basting in sauce as they cook for a few minutes. i think i only had them on for about 5 min per side.

Open faced Chicken and muenster Sandwhiches with Apricot-Dijon Spred

2008-09-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Yet another cookinglight recipe. These were really good. i didn't have any muenster cheese so i used swiss and pepperjack, one of each i have to say much better with the swiss cheese, but really really good.

Ingredients
4 teaspoons apricot preserves

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard (i used spicey brown mustard)

4 (2-ounce) slices country bread (used dark wheat bread)

Cooking spray

1 cup thinly sliced peeled Ambrosia or Fuji apple (about 1/3 pound)

1/4 cup prechopped onion

2 1/2 cups bagged prewashed spinach

2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (about 12 ounces)

4 (1-ounce) Muenster cheese slices
Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine preserves and mustard in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Spread 1 side of each bread slice with 2 teaspoons mustard mixture. Place bread slices, mustard mixture side up, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add apple and onion to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach begins to wilt. Layer each of 4 bread slices with 1/4 cup spinach mixture, 1/2 cup chicken, and 1 cheese slice. Place sandwiches on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil 1 1/2 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Remove from heat, and serve immediately.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwhich)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 440(27% from fat); FAT 13.2g (sat 6.3g,mono 3.8g,poly 1.4g); IRON 3.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 100mg; CALCIUM 286mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40g; SODIUM 750mg; PROTEIN 38.7g; FIBER 2.4g

cider glazed carrots

2008-09-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

found this recipe on cookinglight.com
this was really good.
I added come chopped mushrooms to the mix b/c i had a lot in the frig. i just used 2 XL carrots and sort of just estimated the rest of the recipe. I subbed ground ginger for the mustard and it was really good.

Ingredients
9 cups (3-inch) julienne-cut carrot (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (i didnt have any so i used ground ginger)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Place carrot in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 minute or until tender. Drain.
Combine brown sugar and remaining ingredients except parsley in a large nonstick skillet over low heat; cook until butter melts, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium; add carrots. Cook 3 minutes or until carrots are glazed and thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with chopped parsley; toss to combine.

Yield
12 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 75(26% from fat); FAT 2.2g (sat 1.2g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.2g); IRON 0.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 5mg; CALCIUM 31mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14g; SODIUM 103mg; PROTEIN 1g; FIBER 2.8g

honey mustard Chicken wings, Crock pot

2008-09-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

I used 1/2 C Honey, with about 1/2 C spicey brown mustard, mixed together and thrown in the crockpot over some frozen chicken wings, cooked on low heat for about 5 hours, then places in the oven on a cookie sheet to crisp up a little bit. just put oven on broil and watch closely, doesn't take long.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

2008-09-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Found this recipe on cookinglight.com
the taste was a little bland but they were still good.

Ingredients
6 medium red bell peppers
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped shallots
4 cups chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons dry sherry (i omitted b/c i didn't have any, used a little veggie broth)
1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
2 1/2 cups hot cooked brown rice
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cut tops off bell peppers; discard seeds and membranes. Cook peppers in boiling water 5 minutes; drain.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add parsley, almonds, sherry, and chile powder; sauté 3 minutes. Add rice, tomato juice, black pepper, garlic powder, and salt; sauté 3 minutes. Spoon 3/4 cup rice mixture into each bell pepper. Top each bell pepper with 2 teaspoons cheese. Place stuffed bell peppers in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed pepper)
writeNutrient();
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 234(23% from fat); FAT 5.9g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.3g); IRON 3.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 3mg; CALCIUM 112mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.2g; SODIUM 402mg; PROTEIN 8.4g; FIBER 6.7g

Pigs n Blanket

2008-09-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

1 pkg crescent rolls, 1 package hot dogs, sliced cheese

take 1 crescent roll and lay flat on sprayed cooking sheet, place 1 slice cheese on it, and a hot dog, roll up

continue with rest of the hotdogs and crescent rolls.

Bake on 350* until golden brown.

NEW DISHES!!!!!

2008-08-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

After all the talk about new dishes on the cooking forum today. I got brad to go on a new dishes hunt with me. I found these at Pier 1. I couldn't find them on the website though. I only got 2 plates and 2 bowls for now will continue to add to the collection as i get a little more money.

Chicken Cobb Burger Turned Turkey

2008-08-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

LaKi and I from the nest decided to start a cooking group, called Dinner Divas, with no restrictions, and no expectations, only that you try your best i guess. I picked the first recipe from Food Networks Bobby Flay I choose the Chicken Cobb Burger I made mine with ground turkey b/c that is what i had around the house and it was a little cheaper than the chicken. I have to say i think this is just about the best burger i have ever had. I couldn't get it to stack very well on the bun as you can see.

I think the vineg would be great on a salad, I Think i will make some just to have around. It Was Awsome. I hope you all have fun with this recipe and you make some good looking burgers.

For the burgers:
8 (1/2- thick) strips bacon
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, 90 percent lean (I used ground turkey 93% lean)

2 tablespoons canola oil

Salt (I omitted)

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

4 burger buns, split

1 large ripe beefsteak tomato, cut into 4 slices

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 8 slices

For the vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (used lemon juice from bottle)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (used spicey brown mustard, gave it a nice kick)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (omitted)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil (canola oil)

1 cup finely shredded romaine lettuce

Directions:

For the burgers:

Heat the grill to medium.
Place the strips of bacon on the grill (lay them across the grate so they don't fall through) and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Increase the heat of the grill to high. (Brad said there was no way I was cooking bacon on the grill and making it into a greasy mess, so i cooked it on the stove in a pan)
Form the meat into 4 (8-ounce) burgers, brush with the oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the burgers until golden brown on both sides and cooked completely through, about 5 minutes per side. Top the burgers with the blue cheese, close the cover, and continue cooking until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute longer.
Place the burgers on the bottom half of each bun and top with a slice of tomato, 2 slices of avocado, 2 slices of bacon and some of the dressed romaine. Cover each burger with the bun tops and serve.

For the vinaigrette:
Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and oil in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld.
Just before assembling the burgers, place the romaine in a medium bowl and toss with the vinaigrette.

Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies

2008-08-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

I use this brownie recipe from Hersheys Website all the time, Quick easy and tastey . This time I thought why not add Peanut butter, what is better than chocolate and peanut butter together. So i had brad melt about 1/2C PEanut butter in the microwave to soften it up. and after I poured the batter into the pan I drizzled the peanut butter ontop and baked as directed.

Best Brownies Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts(optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350Â°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. drizzle peanut butter ontop of brownie, and then run knife thru to get some peanut butter into the batter.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Chai Brined Shrimp Skewers

2008-08-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe on the Front of Cooking light a couple months ago and thought it looked really good. If you buy the shrimp from the counter don't forget to take the shells and tails off before marinating. haha i kinda wondered why they looked funny til i asked 20 minutes later.
Ingredients
3 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt (I omitted)
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed (I used ground it worked fine)
8 whole cardamom pods, crushed
6 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken
2 tablespoons black tea leaves (such as Darjeeling) (I couldn't find these so u just use a tea bag, seemed to work ok.)
1 cup ice cubes
32 peeled and deveined large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 large peeled ripe mangoes, each cut into 8 (2-inch) pieces
'Cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced green onions
8 Indian flatbreads (naan)

Preparation
1. Combine first 9 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in tea leaves; simmer 2 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Stir in ice; chill.
2. Add shrimp to water mixture; chill 20 minutes.
3. Prepare grill.
4. Remove the shrimp from bowl; discard liquid. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Thread 4 shrimp and 2 mango pieces alternately onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers.
5. Place the skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill for 2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp are done. Sprinkle with sliced green onions. Serve with flatbread.

Note: As pictured on the cover, you can use smaller skewers. Simply thread two shrimp alternately with two mango chunks, and serve guests two skewers each. You'll need to purchase an extra mango (which minimally increases the calories per serving) if you opt for this presentation.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 skewer and 1 piece flatbread)
writeNutrient();

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 306(16% from fat); FAT 5.3g (sat 2.9g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.6g); IRON 3.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 97mg; CALCIUM 63mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45.5g; SODIUM 497mg; PROTEIN 20.4g; FIBER 5.1g

Garlic Bread

2008-08-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

We got this Cuban at Sam's Club for 84 cents the other day and forgot about it so we sliced some up spread some butter and sprinkled with garlic powder, oregano and parsely, put on the grill for a couple minutes. Turned out really good.

Dark Chocolate MM "blizzard"

2008-08-07T17:11:00.001-07:00

4 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream

about 1/2 C Dark Chocolate MM

Place in mixing bowl and turn on, Be careful the scoops will fly out of the bowl if they are frozen solid.

Mix well and dish up. Delious.

Kung Pao Chicken

2008-08-07T17:07:00.001-07:00

I found this recipe on Cookinglight.com It was really good i think i will make it again. I'm always looking for ways to cut salt back in my diet So for a Asian Dish this is rather low in Sodium. I forgot to put the peanuts on the dish before serving.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
4 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World), divided
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped salted peanuts

Preparation
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and 2 teaspoons ginger to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add water. Cover; cook 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Remove broccoli from pan; keep warm.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan; add remaining 1 teaspoon ginger, crushed red pepper, and chicken. Cook 4 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned, stirring frequently.
Combine broth and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Return broccoli mixture to pan; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup chicken mixture and 1 1/2 teaspoons peanuts)
writeNutrient();

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 239(30% from fat); FAT 7.9g (sat 1.1g,mono 3.7g,poly 2.3g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 60mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.4g; SODIUM 589mg; PROTEIN 30.9g; FIBER 3g

Buffalo Chicken Sub

2008-08-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

I had some left over chicken from the buffalo chicken pizza, So I put it on a sub bun with some Swiss Cheese, Green Peppers, Mushrooms, and topped with Blue Cheese Dressing, It was pretty good.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

2008-07-30T14:54:00.001-07:00

We were going to make grilled pizza but since the rain just won't stay away today we decided to make pizza in the oven. Brad had choice between Buffalo Chick pizza or Pepperoni and Sausage. This is what he Chose. He said this was the best pizza ever. It wasn't too spicey b/c i didn't put extra sauce onto the pizza I Think next time i will put a little more hot sauce on his side.
Be careful not to put too much hot sauce or it will be greasy and runny.
Original Recipe had scallions and no veggies.

I got this idea from Oct11 on the nest, I dont believe she has the recipe on her blog, but with a little modification This is what i came up with.

1 ball pizza dough
1lb Chicken
1/2C-1C Louisana Hot Sauce
1 Tbsp Butter
Green Peppers
Mushrooms
Red Onion
1 Pkg Mozerella Cheese
1 jar Marias Blue Cheese Dressing (in frig section)

Cook Chicken in Hot Sauce I would say i used about a 1/2C no more than 1C. and 1 Tbsp Butter.
While chicken is cooking, Wash and cut up veggies.
Place Dough onto pan and spread out. Put 1/2 of Moz cheese on top of dough, Put Blue Cheese Dressing ontop of Moz cheese. I just put dollops all around the crust. I used almost the whole container of dressing. Put Veggies ontop of Blue Cheese. Sprinkle Cooked Chicken ontop of the Veggies. Top of With remainder of Cheese.

Bake in oven on 450* until Cheese golden. Enjoy!

German Apple Pancake

2008-07-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

I got my new cooking light magazine in the mail the other day and right on the cover this delious looking recipe. I have to say their picture looked much better than mine but it was good..Does it really matter what it looks like if it tastes good?

I didnt have a 10 inch pan so i had to use my 12 inch pan. I'm not sure if that was a problem or not. it was very fluffy pancake but tastey. Brad said it would make a good dessert too.

Ingredients
Batter:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt (i omitted)

1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg

1 cup egg substitute (I didn't have any egg substitute, so i use 3 reg eggs, this might have caused a problem, i will try it next time with the substitute and see if it comes out different)

1 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apple mixture:

Cooking spray 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg

1 cup thinly sliced Granny Smith apple

Remaining ingredient: 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preparation

1. To prepare batter, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine egg substitute, milk, butter, and vanilla in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg substitute mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. To prepare apple mixture, coat bottom and sides of a 10-inch ovenproof skillet with cooking spray. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; sprinkle evenly over bottom and sides of pan. Arrange apple in an even spokelike layer in pan. Sprinkle apple with remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Cook over medium heat 8 minutes or until mixture bubbles. Slowly pour batter over apple mixture.
4. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° (do not remove pancake from oven); bake an additional 13 minutes or until center is set. Carefully loosen pancake with a spatula. Gently slide pancake onto a serving platter. Sift powdered sugar over top. Cut into 6 wedges; serve immediately.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)
writeNutrient();
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 173(28% from fat); FAT 5.4g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.9g); IRON 1.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 11mg; CALCIUM 101mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.2g; SODIUM 213mg; PROTEIN 7.7g; FIBER 0.9g

Molten Chocolate Cakes

2008-07-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

I got this Recommendation from a friend on thenest.com it is a Kraft Foods Recipe and it was tastey I had cut this recipe in half. but i think next time with the 14oz stone baking dishes i got at the store today i will make the full recipe. They weren't very gooey in the middle since they are a wider dish.

Prep Time:15 min
Total Time:30 min
Makes:8 servings, one half molten cake each

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.
MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.
BAKE

13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping.

Steak Bites

2008-07-30T07:17:00.001-07:00

I made these to go with the Lobster b/c I had never had lobster so if i didn't like it i wanted to have a back up plan for dinner.

1 ny steak or steak of choice

I put a little black pepper on both sides and just grilled.

Once cooked cut into pieces and serve with Steak sauce. I have to say I'm in love with the cracked peppercorn A-1 sauce.

Cheddar-Garlic Biscuits

2008-07-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

Brad always talks about wanting Garlic Cheese Biscuits that you get at red lobster, so i thought what better to accompany his lobster tail that some biscuits. I got the recipe from once again Cookinglight.com

This recipe was very quick and very good to make.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose baking mix

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation

Stir together first 3 ingredients until soft dough forms. Stir vigorously 30 seconds. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 450° for 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir together butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits.

Yield
Makes 10 to 12 biscuits

I only made a half batch b/c i didn't want a bunch of left over biscuits beings i was making such a large dinner. and I sprinkled the garlic into the mix b/c i didn't write down the directions completely. haha

I bet they would take a little more like garlic if i would have brushed them when they were finished baking. But they were definately still tastey.

Champagne and Orange-Steamed Lobster Tails en Papillote

2008-07-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

I have been so proud of all the accomplishments brad has been working on so i decided to make him a delious dinner. He said that Lobster tails, and Ribeye are his favorite so I went on a mission and found this recipe on cookinglight.com I have never had Lobster til last night and i have to admit it certainly wasn't bad. I made 2 Tails, New York Steak, Cheddar Cheese-Garlic Buscuits and Steamed Asapargus with a small salad on the side. Even with making this Gourmet meal the cost was under $40, which is way cheaper than going out to eat and ordering all this and you can sit and eat in your pj's if you wish to.
Ingredients
8 orange slices
4 (5-ounce) lobster tails
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds
3/4 cup dry Champagne or sparkling wine (You can also use Ginger Ale, or Sparkling white grape juice, I forgot to put this on after cooking, and it still tasted great)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.
Cut 4 (15 x 24-inch) pieces of parchment paper. Fold in half crosswise. Draw a large heart half on each piece, with the fold of the paper being the center of the heart.
Cut out the heart, and open.
Layer 2 orange slices, 1 lobster tail, 1 1/2 teaspoons butter, and 1 tablespoon fennel fronds near the fold of each piece of parchment.
Spoon 3 tablespoons Champagne over each serving.
Starting at the top of the heart, fold edges of parchment, sealing edges with narrow folds. Twist the end tip to secure tightly. Place packets on a baking sheet. (i had a lot of trouble getting this little packets to fold up nice and stay)
Bake at 425° for 12 minutes.
Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Carefully open packets. Remove meat from lobster tails; coarsely chop. Return meat to lobster tail shell; place on plate. Drizzle 1 packet of juices over serving; repeat with remaining 3 lobster tails and 3 packets. Sprinkle evenly with salt.
Yield
4 servings
writeNutrient();
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 290(26% from fat); FAT 8.5g (sat 4g,mono 2g,poly 1.3g); IRON 2.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 143mg; CALCIUM 105mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.8g; SODIUM 480mg; PROTEIN 37.8g; FIBER 0.8g
Laura Martin ,
writePublicationAppearance();
Cooking Light, APRIL 2007
writeNote();

Fruit Pizza

2008-07-30T06:52:00.001-07:00

we were having a picnic themed "potluck" at work last weekend so i signed up to bring dessert. I dont remember where i found this recipe online. but it was really good. I think next time i will use Vanilla Yogurt for the "frosting" part though.

I did see some recipes that called for the sugar cookie crust you can buy in the can at the store, but i wanted to make my own crust to cut down some of the salt in the recipe.

PreHeat oven to 350*

Crust

1/2C Butter, softened

3/4C Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1 1/4C Flour

1/2t Baking Soda

1/2t Salt (I omitted)

Frosting

1 8oz Cream Cheese

1/2C Sugar

2t Vanilla (i only had 1t so i used 1t of orange extract and 1t of vanilla)

8oz Whip Cream

Top with Fruit of Choice

Mix the crust together and Bake on 350* for 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely and then spread with frosting, and topp with fruit of choice.

Meatball Sub

2008-07-30T06:43:00.000-07:00

We were at Publix on the Free Sample day and Brad just can not resist all the free Samples, well they had Aidells Meatballs They were Chicken and turkey, Sun dried Tomato Meat Balls.
Brad picked up some 9 grain, Italian Sub Rolls from the bakery at the grocery store.

Ingredients

1 box Aidells meatballs
1 small can no-salt added tomato sauce
Sub toppings as desired, green peppers
2 Slices Swiss Cheese

Warm up meatballs in a fry pan on med heat, Add tomato sauce and a little oregano and basil to the sauce. IF you like a lot of sauce on your sub use 2 CANS tomato sauce
Once meatballs are heated thru place onto sub bread, and place cheese on sandwhich, add toppings. I just had green peppers on mine.

French Fries

2008-07-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

Heat oven to 450*
2 Med Potatos, Washed and scrubbed well
2-3 Tbsp EVOO
Seasonings of choice
Ziploc bag

Wash potatos, and cut into wedges.
Put potato wedges into ziploc bag, put EVOO into the bag and add seasonings (I used oregano and basil this time) shake well.
Place on Cookie Sheet, BE SURE TO SPRAY PAN
Cook until FF are lightly brown.

Sloppy Joes

2008-07-30T06:34:00.001-07:00

Was looking for a good Sloppy Joe Recipe that wasn't full of salt like the mix in a Can. I came across this recipe on Cooking light.com and it was actually pretty good. I only used about a 1/2 pound ground turkey and kept everything else about the same measurements.

Ingredients
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 pound ground round (I used Ground Turkey)
2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
12 (1 1/2-ounce) rolls, split

Preparation
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add first 3 ingredients; cook until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in tomato sauce and next 8 ingredients (tomato sauce through black pepper); reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon 1/4 cup beef mixture over bottom half of each bun. Cover with top halves.

Yield
12 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)
writeNutrient();
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 202(27% from fat); FAT 6.2g (sat 2g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.7g); IRON 2.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 19mg; CALCIUM 68mg; CARBOHYDRATE 27g; SODIUM 392mg; PROTEIN 10.2g; FIBER 2.5g

Nachos

2008-07-30T06:30:00.001-07:00

Tortilla Chips
1/2 lb Ground Turkey
FF Refried Beans
Tomatos, Chopped,
Green Peppers Chopped
Red Onion Chopped
Jalapenos (for Brad's Half)
Cheese

Take small Cook Sheet Spray with Cooking Spray
Lay Tortillas on pan
Top with Ground turkey, Refried Beans, Veggies of Choice and Cheese on top.
Place in oven at 400* until cheese melted

Serve with Sour Cream, and Salsa

Southwest Scrambled egg Buritos

2008-07-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

I had some Left overs in the Frig from Making Burritos last night so i thought i would mix it all up and make some burritos for breakfast.

1/2 lb ground turkey
3 eggs beaten
Green pepper, Chopped
Red onion, Chopped
Black Beans
Tortilla Shells

Cook turkey with the green pepper, and red onion. Add in black beans to warm them when meat is almost cooked, add in eggs too.
When finished warm up shells for a minute and put mix into tortilla shells. Add Salsa if desired.

Boubon Chicken with Rice.

2008-07-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

I found this in Amber's Blog from thenest.com
We had it with Brown Rice and some Cooked Stir Fry Veggies, with a Homemade Crab Rangoon Side. Sure was Tastey, and Fulling, lots left over for lunch tomorrow.

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (I only used 2 Chicken Breasts)
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup (I used no salt added)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet.
Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.
Remove Chicken.
Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved.Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve over hot rice and ENJOY.

CatFish Po Boy Sandwhiches.

2008-07-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

These Were Delishes. I wasn't so sure about putting Broccoli Slaw on a sandwhich but it was very good. We will definately be making these more often. They are very quick and Easy to make too.

Source Cookinglight.com

Ingredients
2 tablespoons fat-free milk (Used Soy Milk)

1 pound catfish fillets, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces (Left them Whole Fillets and then cut in half for Sandwhiches)

1/2 teaspoon salt (I omitted)

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (such as McCormick) (used Mrs. Dash Chipotle Seasoning)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil (used Canola Oil)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fat-free sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Dash of crushed red pepper

2 cups bagged broccoli coleslaw

4 (2 1/2-ounce) hoagie rolls with sesame seeds, toasted (had honey oat buns)

Preparation

Combine milk and catfish in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat. Remove fish from bowl; shake off excess milk. Sprinkle fish with salt. Combine cornmeal and Cajun seasoning in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag. Seal and shake to coat.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
While fish cooks, combine vinegar and next 4 ingredients (vinegar through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add broccoli coleslaw; toss well to coat. Spoon 1/2 cup slaw mixture onto bottom half of each roll. Arrange fish evenly over each serving, and top with top halves of rolls.

Yield
4 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 442(30% from fat); FAT 14.7g (sat 3.2g,mono 6.4g,poly 3.8g); IRON 3.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 54mg; CALCIUM 144mg; CARBOHYDRATE 50.2g; SODIUM 818mg; PROTEIN 26g; FIBER 3.4g

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff (Cooking for 2)

2008-07-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Another Crockpot Recipe for Brad to make on a long day of working. This Dish Turned out a little Salty tasting, but was still very good.

Source BettyCrocker.com

Prep Time:10 min
Start to Finish:8 hr 10 min
Makes:2 servings

1/2 pound beef stew meat
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of golden mushroom soup (Used reduced Fat & salt Cream of Mushroom Soup)
1 jar (2 1/2 ounces) Green Giant® sliced mushrooms, drained (used Fresh Mushrooms)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup sour cream (used Fat Free)
1 1/2 cups hot cooked noodles or rice (Served over Whole Wheat Egg Noodles)

1. In 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion, soup, mushrooms and pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is very tender.
3. Stir sour cream into beef mixture. Serve over noodles.

Nutrition Information
1 Serving: Calories 690 (Calories from Fat 390); Total Fat 43g (Saturated Fat 18g, Trans Fat 1 1/2g); Cholesterol 150mg; Sodium 1480mg; Total Carbohydrate 47g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 6g); Protein 30g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 15%; Iron 25% Exchanges: 2 1/2 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 3 Medium-Fat Meat; 5 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 3 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Slow Cooker Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie

2008-07-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have found some crock pot Recipes for brad to make the days i work til 7pm, so that dinner is ready when i get home and neither one of us has to worry about it.
I tried to make my own biscuits to go with this recipe to try and cut some of the salt out of it, as they didn't turn out the greatest, maybe then will turn out better next time. But it was still very good and so simple to make.

Source BettyCrocker.com

Prep Time:10 min
Start to Finish:10 hr 25 min
Makes:8 servings (3/4 cup each

Ingrediants:
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon instant chopped onion
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 jar (18 oz) chicken gravy
2 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 1/4 cups Original Bisquick® mix
2/3 cup milk
1 bag (1 lb) Green Giant® frozen mixed vegetables

1. Place chicken in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Top with onion, bay leaf, pepper and gravy. Place celery on gravy.
2. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
3. About 30 minutes before serving, make and bake 8 biscuits using Bisquick mix and milk as directed on package.
4. Meanwhile, gently stir frozen vegetables into chicken mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
5. For each serving, split biscuit and place in soup bowl or tart pan. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture on top of biscuit. Note: This recipe was tested in slow cookers with heating elements in the side and bottom of the cooker, not in cookers that stand only on a heated base. For slow cookers with just a heated base, follow the manufacturer’s directions for layering ingredients and choosing a temperature.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Thaw frozen vegetables before adding to slow cooker.

Nutrition Information
1 Serving: Calories 335 (Calories from Fat 135 ); Total Fat 15 g (Saturated Fat 4 g); Cholesterol 45 mg; Sodium 940 mg; Total Carbohydrate 29 g (Dietary Fiber 3 g); Protein 21 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 42 %; Vitamin C 16 %; Calcium 14 %; Iron 16 % Exchanges: 2 Starch; 2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fat *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Pepperoni Lasgna Roll-Ups

2008-07-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

These were to die for. Mine were a little watery, but i think it's because i used the cottage cheese b/c i didn't have any ricotta cheese. It went well with the meat sauce i used instead of the meatless spaghetti sauce as well.

Source Taste of Home Magazine April & May 2008
Downsized Main Dishes

3 Lasagna Noodles (I used 4 noodles)

3/4C Ricotta Cheese (Didn't have any Ricotta so i used Cottage cheese)

1/2t minced chives

1/2t dried oregano

1/2t dried basil

24 slices pepperoni (I used Turkeyroni)

3 slices Swiss Cheese

1C Meatless Spaghetti Sauce (I used meat sauce that i had made)

1/2C shreded Parmesan cheese

I also put some spinach leaves in mine

Directions

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Combine ricotta cheese, chives, oregano, and basil; Spread 1/4 C over each noodle to within 1/2 in of edges. Top with pepperoni and Swiss Cheese, (and spinach if you desire) Carefully roll up.

Place Seam down in a greased shallow 1 qt baking dish; Top with spaghetti Sauce. Cover and bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes or until Bubbly.

Uncover sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Scalloped Potatoes n Ham with Broccoli

2008-07-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

If I were to make this again i would use more sauce, maybe 1 1/2 recipe for the sauce, but it was really good, Very cheap to make!

Source Taste of Home Magazine April & May 2008
Money saving main dishes, at 85 cents/serving.

Ingrediants

3/4C powdered non dairy creamer
1 3/4C water
3T butter
3T Flour
2T dried minced onion (I used real onion)
1t Salt
3/4t Paprika
6 lrg potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I didn't peel the potatoes just washed well and sliced)
2C diced fully cooked ham
1C shredded chedder Cheese
we also added 1 pkg steam fresh frozen broccoli.

In small bowl combine creamer and water until smooth. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour onion, salt and paprika until smooth, gradually add creamer mixture. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
In a greased shallow 2 1/2qt baking dish, combine the potatoes and ham. Pour sauce over it.
Cover and bake at 350* for 15 minutes. Uncover, bake 40-45 minutes longeror until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese bake for 5-10 minutes or until edges are bubbly and cheese is melted.

Doggy Birthday Cupcakes

2008-07-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

After Realizing we totally missed Lucy's birthday i thought i better make her a cake to make up for it. I found the recipe on the Dog Treat Exchange
I made the peanut butter delight

1 cup white or whole wheat flour (I used WWF)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter Reduced Fat!
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used Canola Oil)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)Mix together flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a ring mold sprayed with a nonstick spray for 40 minutes. Frost this cake with low fat cottage cheese and decorate with carrot pieces. Store in refrigerator.

I used the ice cream recipe below to make frosting, I just placed it in the freezer for a short time to thicken it up and then frosted the top of the cupcakes, they dogs go crazy over them.

buffalo chicken fingers

2008-07-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

Buffalo-Style Chicken Strips with Ranch Dressing(Adapted from: CookingLight.com)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omitted)
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed cornflakes
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
Cooking spray

1/3 cup hot sauce (such as Crystal), I used budweiser wing sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup fat-free ranch dressing
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/4 x 3-inch sticks
4 carrots, cut into 1/4 x 3-inch sticks

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk.
Place egg whites in a shallow dish.
Place cornflakes in a shallow dish.
Working with 1 chicken strip at a time, dredge in flour mixture. Dip in egg whites; dredge in cornflakes.
Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Repeat procedure with remaining chicken strips, flour mixture, egg whites, and cornflakes.
Lightly coat chicken strips with cooking spray.
Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until done, turning once.

Combine hot sauce, pepper sauce, and Worcestershire in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Drizzle hot sauce mixture over chicken. Serve with ranch dressing, celery, and carrots.

Since Brad loves spicey things and i like them a little more mild, i thought i would give these a try. They turned out really good, make a good weekend lunch, We had ours with some homemade French Fries

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

2008-07-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

From Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients
Filling: 6 cups (1/2-inch) slices rhubarb (about 2 pounds) 2 1/2 cups halved strawberries 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon grated orange rind 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Cooking spray Topping: 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces) 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup regular oats 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Dash of salt 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
Preparation1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. To prepare filling, combine the first 6 ingredients. Spoon into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. To prepare topping, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle topping over filling. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.
Yield
8 servings
writeNutrient();
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 303(28% from fat); FAT 9.3g (sat 5.5g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.6g); IRON 1.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 23mg; CALCIUM 108mg; CARBOHYDRATE 54.3g; SODIUM 89mg; PROTEIN 3.1g; FIBER 3.5g

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

2008-07-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hungry Man Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
Source:
Amber's Delectable Delights and then modified a little bit.

Ingredients
1/2 cup chili gravy, recipe below
6, 10" flour tortillas

Filling Ingredients
2 Cups Brown Rice cooked, as box Directs
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (I used 2 Cups black beans from the bag, and let them soak all day)
1 cup Colby and Montery Jack Cheese
1/4 cup Fat Free sour cream

Topping Ingredients
1 cup chili gravy, recipe below
1/2 cup Colby Montery Jack, and a little Chedder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line bottom of 9 x 13 pan with 1/2 cup chili gravy.
3. In a medium bowl mix shredded chicken, beans (I smashed mine a bit, I seem to have slight texture issues with whole beans), cheese, and sour cream.
4. Lay out one tortilla* and place 1/2 cup of filling mixture down the center. Fold up tortilla tucking in the ends and rolling into a cylinder. Place enchilada into pan, seam side down, and repeat process until all the filling mixture is gone.
5. Top enchiladas with chili gravy and cheese.
Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 additional minutes. Serve with a "dollop of daisy" aka sour cream. :)

Chili Gravy
Adapted from original source Homesick Texan, found on Sweet-Savory-Southern
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (I omitted)
1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred)
2 T chile powder (either homemade or a dark brand such as Gebhardt’s or Whole Foods)
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes (I omitted)
2 cups chicken broth (or water)

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.
3. Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients.
4. Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens.
5. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. If desired, add water to adjust the thickness.

Opera Cake

2008-06-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

This was May's Daring Bakers Challenge I have been really busy, so way late posting. This was a whole day of cake making, it turned out tastey but was very rich in Flavor, I used Orange, Vanilla, and Baileys with Carmel for Flavoring.

A Taste of Light: Opéra CakeThis recipe is based on Opéra Cake recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion.Reveal date is Wednesday May 28.

For the joconde(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:•

2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)

•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)•parchment paper•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer

•two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature

2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar

2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (Note: If you do not want to use almond meal, you can use another nut meal like hazelnut. You can buy almond meal in bulk food stores or health food stores, or you can make it at home by grinding almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake. The reason you need the flour is to prevent the almonds from turning oily or pasty in the processor. You will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

6 large eggs

½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 grams) water

⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar

1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.)

1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)(Update Note: The recipe for the buttercream that is listed below was originally based on the original but we had some typos. It's all very confusing (we're good at confusing ourselves) but here is the short of it:

When testing the buttercream, we tested a modified version (we're crazy like that!!!) that had

2 cups sugar,

½ cup water

1¾ cups butter. Yes. That's right. 1¾ cups of butter.

The eggs remained the same. We ended up with a very creamy buttercream. VERY. CREAMY. But we don’t want anyone to be afraid of our modified version so you have the option of using the original version listed below or the quantities we’ve listed here in this note. If you are still confused and want to cry, then please e-mail us and we will comfort you!!! We promise!!!)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

•a candy or instant-read thermometer

•a stand mixer or handheld mixer

•a bowl and a whisk attachment

•rubber spatula

Ingredients:

1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

¼ cup (60 grams) water seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Note: If you are flavouring your buttercream and do not want to use the vanilla, you do not have to. Vanilla will often enhance other flavours but if you want an intense, one-flavoured buttercream, then by all means leave it out!)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225◦F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the white chocolate ganache/mousse (this step is optional – please see Elements of an Opéra Cake below) (Note: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

•a mixer or handheld mixer

Ingredients:

7 ounces white chocolate

1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)

1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.) I used Baileys with Carmel

1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.

2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.

3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.

4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.

5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.

6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze (Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan or double boiler

Ingredients:

14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.

2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.

3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.Assembling the Opéra Cake(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.

Step A (if using buttercream only and not making the ganache/mousse):

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square.

Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde.

Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake.

Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

Step B (if making the ganache/mousse):Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.*****************************************************************What is Allowed:•If you are feeling up to the challenge, instead of a square or rectangular Opéra Cake you can make a round Opéra Cake or you can make Opéra cupcakes. You can also use your joconde to make mini Opéra Cakes. Go nuts!•You can use any flavouring you wish in the joconde, syrup, buttercream, ganache/mousse and glaze as long as it is a “light” flavour (vanilla, coconut, honey, banana, almond etc.).•If you are feeling daring, you can use fresh fruit in between your joconde layers.•If you have another version of buttercream that you would like to use, you may do so as long as it remains light in colour and flavour. By light in colour and flavour what we mean is light colours (yellow, white, ivory, cream) or light spring colours (blue, pink, green) but they should be light shades. NO DARK COLOURS (black, brown, gray). •You can use only the buttercream to fill and top your cake (prior to the glaze) and omit the step of making the ganache/mousse.•If you do not like the white chocolate glaze, you are free to either leave the glaze out (although a traditional Opéra Cake has a glaze) or you can use another glaze as long as it remains light in colour or flavour (vanilla glaze, lemon glaze, etc.).•You may decorate the outside of your cake in whatever manner you wish (piping, fresh fruit, icing sugar, flowers, etc.).•Whatever dietary changes are required to meet needs based on allergies, dietary requirements, etc. (But this applies to you only if you have allergies or special dietary needs.)What is Not Allowed:•ABSOLUTELY NO DARK COLOURS OR FLAVOURS: no chocolate, coffee, cocoa, etc.*****************************************************************While we realize the recipe is very long, please understand that we've endeavoured to include as full and complete a recipe as possible to help you with this challenge. And don't be daunted by the length of this recipe, most of us that tested it were able to make it one day. Please remember that if you want a copy of the recipe in Word, just e-mail us!*****************************************************************Here is some additional information that will help you with this challenge:The Elements of an Opéra Cake:Joconde: The base of an Opéra Cake is a thin sponge cake that is made using nut meal, traditionally almond meal (finely ground blanched almonds).Syrup: The joconde is flavoured with a sugar syrup that can be flavoured to suit your tastes.Buttercream: The first two layers of the joconde are covered in a rich buttercream. This particular buttercream is made with a syrup, eggs and butter.Ganache/Mousse (optional): In some recipes, the final layer of the joconde is covered in a ganache or mousse. While not hard to make, this makes the recipe quite involved. We are giving Daring Bakers the option of either using the buttercream to cover the final layer or, if they’re feeling up to it, to go ahead and make the ganache/mousse.Glaze: The final step to an Opéra Cake is the glaze that gives the cake a very finished and elegant appearance

Whole Wheat Bread

2008-06-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

I got this from a Friend on Thenest.com She recomended her Bread Recipe to me.

I used soy milk b/c that is all we buy, Unsalted butter, I didn't add salt either, I think i used about 4 cups maybe a little more of unbleached white flour. So far they are turning out good. I think i will only get 4 loafs out of the batch.

QUICK EASY STIR FRY

2008-06-26T14:21:00.001-07:00

We had some stir fry beef that put in frying pan with a little bit of EVOO,

1 bag birdseye steam fresh rice (frozen section)

1 bag birdseye steam fresh mixed veggies of choice

Cook meat til desired doneness, cook veggies as directed, pile on plate, top with small amount low sodium soy sauce and enjoy.

Spice-Rubbed Chicken Breast with Mustard Barbecue Sauce

2008-06-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in this months magazine of Cooking Light But it was for Pork Tenderloin so I tried it on Chicken, it was really goood..... Just click on Cooking light above to go to the recipe

Apple Butter Pork Chops

2008-06-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

These were just a made up thought one day, but i had to ask my cooking friends if i had lost my mind of if they thought these would be good.

Take 1 piece of foil for each chop spray with non stick spray, Poke holes in the chop, smother top and bottom with Apple Butter, wrap foil around pork chop sealing the ends tight, Grill until Done

Spicy Ham and Bean Soup

2008-06-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

Another Soup I found on Cookinglight.com yesterday to make for the freezer. I only put a half a jalapeno in it b/c i didn't want it too hot. But i have to say, this soup is 10 times better than the stuff in a can. I Cut the bone out of the ham and just threw it in there. I did use a low sodium ham, and the soup was/is very good!

Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup

2008-06-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

We just got a little freezer so i wanted to make some soups to go in it to replace canned soup. I Found this recipe and it looked really good. I got it from Cookinglight.com

I used left over chicken (2 Breasts) that i cooked the day before in the crock pot with Lawrys Mexican chile and lime marinade and a small amount of water.

taco salad bowls

2008-04-27T11:01:00.001-07:00

I took a 10 inch tortilla shell and sprayed both sides with PAM olive oil spray, and then put the shell in my mixing bowl and then placed it in the oven on 400 until golden brown. turned out pretty good.

Strawberry Bread

2008-04-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a recipe to use up some strawberries that were starting to go bad in the fridge and joesygirl from thenest.com gave me this great recipe

By Submitting using the ingrediants in the ( ) you can make the recipe a lot healthier She was able to cut the calories by 100 per serving. I used some of the substitutions and some of the regular ingrediants on the list. I did put pecans in it, and i have to say you can't really taste them and it was really good.

I cut the recipe in half so there wouldn't be a whole bunch laying around to have to try and eat with just the 2 of us here.

INGREDIENTS*

2 cups fresh strawberries*

3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 1/8 cups AP flour)*

2 cups white sugar (1 cup splenda, 1 cup white sugar)*

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon*

1 teaspoon salt*

1 teaspoon baking soda*

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (12 oz. no sugar added applesauce)*

4 eggs, beaten* 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans (omitted because I hate pecans)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

2. Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

3. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans. Divide batter into pans.

4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.

Mushroom Stuffed Pork Chops

2008-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in a book called Grilling Recipes Gas or Charcoal by Carrie Holcomb

Ingrediants:
1/2 C coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms, such as buttong, chanterelle or shiitake
1/4 C chopped onion
1 T Margarine or Butter
1 t grated fresh ginger
1/4t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 C coarsely chopped fresh spinach leaves
1/4 C soft sourdough or white breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)
4 pork loin or rib shops 1 1/4 in thick
1/4C ginger jelly, ginger preserves or Orange Marmalade
12 green onions
2 t Olive Oil

1. In a small bowl soak 8 wooden toothpicks in water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile for stuffing in a saucepan cook mushrooms and onion in hot butter until onion is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in grated ginger the 1/4t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Add Spinach and bread crumbs, tossing gently to combine.
2. make a pocket in each chop by cutting horzontally from the outside edge almost to the bone. Spoon 1/4 of the stuffing into each pocket, Secure with water soaked toothpicks. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. In a grill with a cover arrange medium hot coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above the pan. Place chops on grill rack over pan. Cover and grill for 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear. (160*) Turning once halfway thru grilling and brushing occassionally with jelly of choice during the last 5 minutes of grilling. Romove toothpicks before serving.
4. Meanwhile trim roots and tops of the green onions. In a medium skillet cook green onions in hot oil for 1 to 3 minutes or until slightly softened. Serve green onions with chops.

I omitted the green onions on top of the chops. I also used the Orange Marmalade, and they cooked just fine on the gas grill. They were tastey. I cut the recipe in half and used boneless chops.

Meatballs

2008-04-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

I found this delious recipe in Lindsey's Kichen blog

1 lb ground beef (or your could use turkey burger)

1 egg

1 teaspoon dried

Italian parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup bread crumbs, divided

½ cup grated Romano cheese

¼ cup milk

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine 1/4 cup of bread crumbs with milk and let soak for 10 minutes. Combine with all remaining ingredients and shape into balls.

3. Cook for 30 minutes and then add to sauce. If you want to cook them the whole way in the oven, cook for 40-45 minutes, depending on size.

Potato Salad

2008-04-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Called up my gramma and got her "famous recipe" for potato Salad, with a little twist on the ingrediants it came out rather well.

4 lbs potato

1 onion

6 eggs (Save 2 for the top)

1 jar Mayo

3 dime squirts of Mustard (I used Spicey brown mustard, and used a bit more)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Boil Potatoes (I cooked them just a little too long)

then mix everything to a nice consistancy in a big bowl, slice the remaining 2 eggs on the top, and sprinkle with paprika!

Daring Bakers Cheesecake Pops

2008-04-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Another Daring baker challenge completed. These were really good, I used Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, some Peanuts, and Crushed Graham Crackers for toppings.

Cheesecake PopsMakes 30 – 40 Pops5

8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy creamBoiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks (used the flexi straws cut in half couldn't find the lollipop sticks)

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) -

OptionalPosition oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

Set some water to boil.In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature.

Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate.

In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety. Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Jambalaya Pasta with Penne, Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille

2008-04-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

My "little sister" came over a week ago and we made my recipe exchange recipe. She wanted to try some homemade rangoons too even though they don't go together it was still a good mix. Certainly was a bit spicey! I would tone down the spice next time. otherwise very good. It's a Emeril Recipe i got in the Recipe Exchange on thenest.com

I have Since submitted this recipes to Joelens Culinary Adventures, Cajun/NOLA Eats Contest.

1/4 cup plus 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided (omitted completely, in my adventures to cut salt down)
1 pound dry penne rigate
3 tablespoons olive oil,
divided 1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Essence, divided, recipe follows
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast,
1-inch diced 3/4 pound andouille sausage, diced into 1/2-inch pieces (we used johnsonville andouille sausage)
1/2 cup yellow onion, small diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, small diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Fill a large, 1-gallon stock pot with a pasta insert, 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and add 1/4 cup of the salt as it boils. Place the penne in the salted water and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook the pasta until nearly al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
While the pasta cooks, set a 14-inch saute pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, swirl the pan to evenly coat with the oil. Season the shrimp with 2 teaspoons of the Essence and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place the shrimp in the pan and sear for 1 minute per side. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of the olive oil to the saute pan and season the chicken breast with 2 teaspoons of the Essence and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt. Place the chicken breast in the pan and sear for 3 minutes, turning to ensure even browning. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside with the seared shrimp.
Place the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the saute pan and add the sausage, onions and bell peppers. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is lightly caramelized and the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock to the pan and scrape with a spoon to remove any browned bits that have formed in the bottom of the pan, about 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes, fresh thyme, the remaining tablespoon of Essence and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the pan and cook an additional 2 minutes. Return the shrimp and chicken to the pan, as well as the nearly al dente pasta and the reserved 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Continue to cook the sauce and pasta, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp and chicken are cooked through, the pasta is al dente and most of the pasta cooking water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the basil and Parmesan. Toss to combine and serve while hot.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast): 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried thyme Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch Published by William Morrow, 1993.

Daring Baker Challenge for March

2008-03-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

I joined the Daring Bakers Club last month but this was the first challenge i have been able to participate in. You have to make the recipe exactly as written no substitutions unless told. You have to keep the recipe seceret all month and post on the date told. It's kind of fun takes you out of your comfort Zone, is what some of the girls say. I had a lot of fun making this cake, Certainly can use some practice frosting, and expirementing with different flavors.

We were able to play with this cake a little. Mine turned out to be a Lemon cake and frosting with Strawberry filling.

March Challenge - Dorie's Perfect Party Cake
PERFECT PARTY CAKE
Courtesy of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours (page 250).Posting date Sunday 30 March.
Introduction from MorvenI wanted to pick something that had potential for putting your personal stamp on. Although this is essentially a white cake I know there are some lemon haters among us so feel free to use your imagination. If you inner chef tells you that you need to make a chocolate layer cake then by all means do so. See Dorie’s words on playing around below for some flavour combination ideas.
Update on playing around. Yes you do what ever you want with this cake as long as you promise to use the basic cake recipe and the basic buttercream recipe. The filling/frosting flavours are completely up to you. If you don't feel like using Dorie's buttercream recipe (flavoured as you wish) she says whipped cream will do for the filling and I say... go for it.
I can't wait to see what combinations people come up with. You can leave out the lemon, put different flavours of preserves in the middle, leave off the coconut - it's your cake.
Words from DorieStick a bright-coloured Post-it to this page, so you’ll always know where to turn for a just-right cake for any celebration. The original recipe was given to me by my great dear friend Nick Malgieri, of baking fame, and since getting it, I’ve found endless opportunities to make it – you will too. The cake is snow white, with an elegant tight crumb and an easygoing nature: it always bakes up perfectly; it is delicate on the tongue but sturdy in the kitchen – no fussing when it comes to slicing the layers in half or cutting tall, beautiful wedges for serving; and, it tastes just as you’d want a party cake to taste – special. The base recipe is for a cake flavoured with lemon, layered with a little raspberry jam and filled and frosted with a classic (and so simple) pure white lemony hot-meringue buttercream but, because the elements are so fundamental, they lend themselves to variation (see Playing Around), making the cake not just perfect, but also versatile.
For the Cake2 ½ cups cake flour1 tablespoon baking powder½ teaspoon salt1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)4 large egg whites1 ½ cups sugar2 teaspoons grated lemon zest1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
For the Buttercream1 cup sugar4 large egg whites3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature¼ fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Finishing2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadableAbout 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
Getting ReadyCentre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.
To Make the CakeSift together the flour, baking powder and salt.Whisk together the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out cleanTransfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).
To Make the ButtercreamPut the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.Remove the bowl from the heat.Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.
To Assemble the CakeUsing a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.Spread it with one third of the preserves.Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.
ServingThe cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.
StoringThe cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.
Playing AroundSince lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.
Fresh Berry CakeIf you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2008-03-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

Out of the Delaware County Historical Society Cookbook from my hometown in Iowa. I wasn't so sure about the sour cream in this recipe but i thought oh what the heck give it a try and see how they come out. they are so soft and great tasting. I didn't get any more than a couple dozen out of the recipe but i make big cookies!

1C Sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 C Raisins

2C Oatmeal

1C Shortening

1 C Sour Cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 C Broken nut meats (omitted)

2 C Flour

Bake on greased cookie seet for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about 5 1/2 Dozen.

Cranberry-Pumpkin Cookies

2008-03-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm unsure where i found this recipe but i made them back in the fall as well. This time i thought i would add a little pumpkin spice, and maybe some cream cheese frosting to the top and see how good they come out.

1/2 C Butter Softened

1C white sugare

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 C Solid packed pumpkin

2 1/4 C Flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 C Cranberries

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon orange zest (I omit)

1/2 C Chopped Walnuts

~2 teaspoon pumpkin spice, i didnt really measure, just to taste.

Preheat oven 375 degrees

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in Vanilla, egg, and pumpkin. sift together flour, baking soda, powder, salt, pumpking spice, and cinnamon. Stir in mix until well blended. Stir in Cranberries, walnuts, and orange zest.

drop on cooking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes. Topp with Cream Cheese frosting if you wish.

Monster Cookies

2008-03-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

I use to make these all the time with my step-gramma when i was a kid. We would make tons and tons of cookies all year long and they are so tastey! I got this recipe out of the Delaware County Historical Society Cookbook, From my hometown, in Iowa.

1C Sugar

1C Brown Sugar

1/2C margarine

1C Peanut butter

3 eggs

2t baking soda

2t vanilla

4 1/2 C Oatmeal

1C M&M (i love using peanut M&M's)

1C chocolate Chips (I never use these)

Mix ingrediants in order given. Drop by teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes on 350 oven. Don't overbake! This recipe takes NO FLOUR!

Peanut Butter Bars

2008-03-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my friend Karen (Veniceforever) on thenest.com. It's super easy and they are absolutely wonderful bars.

1 1/2 Cups Graham Crackers Finely Crushed

2 Cups Powder Sugar

8 Tblsp butter, melted

1 Cup Peanut Butter

1 1/2 Cups Chocolate Chips

Mix Graham Cracker Crumbs and Sugar, Add Melted butter and Peanut Butter to Mix.

Mix well place in 9x13 OR 9x9 pan (I used 9x9, b/c i wanted thick cookies)

Melt chips and spread over bars, place in frig until hard, leave at room temp for 15 minutes before serving.

I used Carmel kisses instead of chocolate chips and it was really good.

Potato and Sun-Dried Tomato Au-Gratin

2008-03-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Well I got this recipe from Cooking Light . It was really good. Made it to go with Grilled Chicken I believe. Or any type of meat dish would be really good. I have a picture but it won't load it to the page for some reason. We had a lot left over so the second night we added some mushrooms to it and that was very good too. I think it could use more cheese, so load it up!
I only made 1/2 the recipe and it made a 8x8 baking dish full!

Soo good though!

Potatos

2008-03-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

4 Potatos

Wash well

Slice potatoes into thin pieces into a frying pan with Little bit of EVOO

Add little Oregano, Parsley, and Pepper for taste

flipping potaotes often. I chopped them into little smaller pieces while cooking with the spatula.

Cook til soft, slightly brown.

Grilled Tilapia

2008-03-11T07:34:00.001-07:00

1 Piece Tilapia
1 Piece Tin Foil
Veggies of choice (we used peppers and Tomatoes)
Seasonings, if you wish would be good too.

Be Sure to Spray Foil With PAM!!!!
Place fish on foil sprinkle small amount EVOO on Fish and then place Veggies on top
Wrap Fish in Foil and place on grill Flipping Occassionally

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

2008-03-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

2 Chicken Breasts
1 Jar Salsa of Choice

Well I will put all good and bad on here. This wasn't as tastey as it sounded, Maybe it was the kind of Salsa we used? But basically you put a couple chicken breasts in the crockpot and pour salsa over it and let cook all day then serve with some rice. I got this recipe from the Girls on thenest.com

Taco Pie

2008-03-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Ingrediants

3 - 10 inch Flour Shells

1/2 Pound Hambergur meat Seasoned with Taco Seasonings of choice

1 can Fat Free Refried Beans

VEggies of choice (we used peppers, and onion, with the meat)

Top with shredded lettece, diced tomatos and Sour Cream

We have been making this recipe up as we go everytime. We always make it a little different. This time. We took a pie pan and 10 inch shells.

Spray the Pie pan and lay 1 shell in the pan. Top with Refried beans, Fat Free, that have been heated up on the stove so that they are easy to spread.

Lay another Shell ontop of the beans, and Add your taco meat, with added veggies that has been cooked throughly. Then top with another Shell, Top with Cheese of choice. Bake on 375 til cheese is melted and slightly brown on top.

Top with Veggies of Choice and Sour Cream

Red Velvet Cake

2008-03-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

Good Ol Food Network Red Velvet Cake. Here are the changes that i made to the recipe. I made about 12 cupcakes and then turned the rest into a bundt cake. It sure was tastey!

Instead of the buttermilk I substitued Low-Fat Yogurt. I was using just Vanilla but i was a little bit short so i used some Strawberry. So the cake had a hint of strawberry flavor, it was really good that way.

I also substituted EVOO for the Vegetable Oil, because that is what i always do.

Skillet Stuffed Peppers

2008-03-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Cooking light and thought it would be a good one to try. It wasn't too bad. I think i needed to season the meat more, I used some Mr's Dash Seasoning to keep the salt down on the recipe more and i dont think i used it enough. maybe i can talk Brad into letting me make it again.

Crab Alfredo Ravioli and Portabella Mushrooms

2008-03-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

1/2 pks frozen ravioli, Cheese ones we used, cook as package directs
1 jar bartoli alfredo sauce
imitation crab meat. We prolly used 1 1/2 cups, (didn't measure so not sure)

heat up alfredo sauce and crab meat, when ravioli is cooked pour sauce over crab meat.

We had some huge portabella mushrooms from the market so we cut them into slices and breaded with Ians Panko Crumbs and then fried them in a little bit of EVOO.

Mamma's Mexican Chili

2008-02-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

My Mom use to make this for us all the time it's so good, well she can make it better than me. i will have to work on it. I emailed her for the recipe the other day and she emails me back and says make chili and thicken it with rice, melt cheese on top and serve with chips. We use to eat it with Doritos all the time but tortilla chips is good too. There isn't really a recipe other than what i stated so give it a try. Make it in a deep frying pan is what she always use to do... Hope you like it, ENJOY!

Recipe Exchange; Feb 08

2008-02-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

So I decided to jump on the bandwagon on the nest's whats for dinner board and join the recipe exhange this month was "healthy" food recipes or at least what one thinks is healthy. So i have recieved this wonderful Pineapple upsidedown cake, recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. Unknown who submitted it for the exchange.

Serves 8
1/3 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower, plus more for pan
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 ripe firm pineapple (skin removed), cut into 16 thin wedges and cored (see note, above)
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with oil; line with a strip of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Brush paper with oil. Sprinkle bottom of pan with 1/4 cup sugar. Trim pineapple wedges to no more than 4 to 5 inches long; arrange in pan in groups of four, alternating direction.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, oil, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Add flour mixture; mix just until combined. Pour batter over pineapple. Tap pan firmly on counter to settle batter, then smooth top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool 20 minutes in pan; invert onto a serving platter (peel off and discard paper

MY SUBSTITUTIONS:
I used Olive Oil instead of vegetable oil,
3/4 Cup Light Vanilla Yogurt instead of buttermilk

three bean chili with Vegetables.

2008-02-02T17:26:00.000-08:00

This is the second time i have made this recipe, I will have to admit it was better the 1st time. but all well still good. I got the recipe from cooking light
I just take all the ingrediants and throw it in the crock pot and just let it warm up, on low only takes a couple of hours. I dont believe that i drained the beans the first time around and didn't add very much water this time i drained the beans and it didnt taste as good. I use fresh tomatoes unstead of canned tomatoes. I dont measure my veggies I just put more of my favorites in. Hope you like it...

Homemade English Muffins

2008-02-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

We were at the grocery store one day looking at the Sodium left in English Muffins and I told Brad I would make him some so i took on the Challenge today. This is the first bread recipe i have ever made, it was so much fun and so EASY. It made like 22 english muffins. I got the recipe from Allrecipes
I used more wheat flour than white b/c i wanted them to be "Healthier" I cooked them in a PAM sprayed frying pan on med heat b/c that is all that i had and it worked perfect. took a little longer. hope you enjoy them. (Click on allrecipes to get the recipe)

Chicken cordon blue

2008-01-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

These are so much better to eat than the frozen ones, and they are so good and easy to make. hope you like them as much as we do!

Ingrediants

1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast for each cordon blue
1 slice of ham per cordon blue
1 slice cheese of choice per cordon blue (i used swiss this time and have used pepper jack in the past, both very good)
a few sliced mushrooms if you like them
toothpicks

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Rinse chicken breast and place in ziploc bag. Pound chicken out flat, not paper thin you dont want it to dry out...
Place chicken on flat surface, what would be skin side down, Lay slice of ham on chicken, topped with slice of cheese, and a couple of sliced mushrooms in the middle of the chicken, roll chicken up and placing toothpicks to hold everything together while baking.

Place on lightly sprayed cooking pan. I think next time i will place mine in baking dish with a little bit of water covered with foil to hold moisture in to ensure it doesnt dry out.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked (not pink anymore)

I served mine with some fresh steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes with butter and parsley

Chicken Parmesan

2008-01-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

Ingrediants

Spaghetti Noodles

Marinara Sauce

Chicken

Directions

Cook Spaghetti Noodles as Directed on box

Marinara Sauce Recipe in Blog

Bake Chicken on 400 degrees, Coated Chicken with Ians Breadcrumbs

Pork Tenderloin Sandwhich

2008-01-30T06:23:00.000-08:00

Ingrediants

Cubed Pork (one per sandwhich)
Ians Breadcrumbs
1 egg
small amount water
Olive Oil for frying pan

Pound Cubed pork out a little more so you have a nice sized patty
Beat Egg with little bit of water.
Coat Pork tenderloin in egg and then bread with breadcrumbs
Fry in olive oil until Cooked

Place pork tenderloin on Bun and topp with favorite sandwhich toppings.

Doggie Ice Cream

2008-01-26T15:07:00.001-08:00

I got this recipe from a friend off thenest.com (Sorry I dont remember who it was) The dogs love them. they go bananas over them...haha

1 regular container non-fat plain or vanilla yogurt

3 TBS Peanut Butter

1 TBS honey

1 Banana

Mix all together, scoop into ice cream tray freeze overnight, and let the hounds enjoy these on a hot day or anyday.

Spinach, Mushroom, & Cheese Manicotti

2008-01-26T14:48:00.000-08:00

Found This recipe in the Kraft Foods Magazine, and Of Course we modified it. We don't measure much when we cook so use your own judgement of what you want to taste.

1-15oz containter Part- Skim Ricotta Cheese

Spinach Fresh, chopped (May use frozen)

1 pkg Mushrooms

2 egg Whites

7 Manicotti Shells

2 C Marinara Sauce (use recipe below)

1-2C Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook Manicotti noodles Ask Directed on Box

Spray skillet with cooking spray, cook mushrooms for 5 minutes on med heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Beat Egg Whites lightly in medium bowl. Add Mushrooms, Spinach, Ricotta cheese, and Half of Mozzarella Cheese; Mix Well. Spoon mix evenly into manicotti shells.

Place manicotti into 8x8 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with Marinara sauce

Bake 40 Minutes or until heated thru. Top with remaining cheese and continue baking for 5 minutes or until cheese melted.