Chicken Rolls

Happy Thanksgiving!! (Butternut Squash Soup)

We had such an awesome Thanksgiving once again! The Stephens really out did themseleves this year. Casey was quite the chef as well! It was hard to choose just one recipe but decided to post Casey's butternut squash soup recipe. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of it but it's in this big picture in the glasses next to our drinks!

1 tsp. margarine or butter
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cans (about 14 ounces each) chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. white pepper
Plain, nonfat yogurt and chives for garnish (optional)

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes.

Add squash and 1 can chicken broth; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Process squash mixture, in 2 batches, in food processor (or blender) until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add remaining can of broth, coconut milk, nutmeg and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle soup into bowls. Place yogurt in pastry bag fitted with round decorating tip. Pipe onto soup in decorative design. Garnish with chives, if desired.

Beef Stew

Fall is the time for soups and stews...my favorite. This is my mom's recipe and is one of our favorites. Casey likes it because of the meat! The bonus is it's a crock pot recipe so it cooks itself and just waits for you to eat it.

2 lbs. beef chuck, cubed (pre-cubed stew meat is awesome!)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4-1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 cups beef broth

half garlic clove, minced

1 bay leaf

4 carrots, sliced

2 onions, chopped

1 rib celery, sliced

3 potatoes, diced

1-2 cans tomato soup

1-2 cans cream of chicken

Place meat in slow cooker. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir into meat until coated thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours or high 4-6 hours. Stir before serving.

Award-winning Pumpkin Bars

I made these pumpkin bars for an Apple vs. Pumpkin contest they had at our ward Halloween party. The recipe was in my brother's family cookbook but I had never made them before and had never even tasted them before this night. We were late for the party and Michelle and Cathy rushed them in as a last minute entry, and they ended up winning the best pumpkin prize. Hence, the "award-winning" title. They are pretty good and are a fun fall treat.

BARS
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 cup oil
2 cups pumpkin, canned or fresh
4 eggs

FROSTING
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Grease 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, blend all bar ingredents (through and including eggs) at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

In small bowl, combine all frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over cooled bars. Store in refrigerator.

Happy Halloween from our little M&Ms!!!

Peach Pie

Yum... This picture is actually a fruit pie I adapted from the peach pie recipe. You see, I was so excited for peach harvest time so we could make this pie. It's Casey's favorite and we made it a lot in Utah. However, Texas peaches are NOT Utah peaches and I will never buy another one as long as I live--they are really that bad. Anyway, since the peaches were so gross I just threw in some strawberries and pears and raspberries and it was still good, even though it was not the peach pie I was looking forward to.

1 refrigerated pie crust

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

4 Tbsp. corn starch

2 Tbsp. peach OR orange jello

Peach slices

Prepare refrigerated pie crust as directed on box. Fill baked crust with sliced peaches. Combine other ingredients in small to medium sauce pan. Heat and stir until boiling and thick. Place saucepan in other cake pan or something similar and surround with ice cubes to cool. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes then pour over peaches in the pie crust. Cool in the fridge for 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream on top.

Chicken Artichoke Hearts & Rice Casserole

This recipe is from my home ward's cookbook and was actually submitted by one of my cousins, Stacy. We love it!!

6.2 oz. rice (weird measurement but it's about 2 1/2 to 3 cups when cooked)
1 medium bell pepper
1 can artichoke hearts
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (canned chicken is really good in this and fast too)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 jar chicken gravy
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare rice. Slice bell pepper to make 3 rings for garnish; set aside. Chop remaining bell pepper. Drain artichokes and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add chopped bell pepper, artichokes, chicken and green onions to rice. Mix well. Spoon into 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Mix gravy and sour cream until blended. Add cheese and mix well. Spread gravy mixture over rice mixture. Bake 25-27 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with bell pepper rings.

Sorry....

So I see that Kristi has been brave in keeping this blog alive. I'm officially apologizing for not posting in forever. We finally got new internet that is super fast so I'm back at it! Mondays are officially my day again!

Michelle

Caramel Popcorn

After 36 long days of "no treats allowed," I have started allowing Sundays to be treat day. Caramel popcorn was the first to come back on the scene. It is a family favorite of ours but can be quite addictive. This is the gooey, sticky type of caramel popcorn. Maybe Susan will post her yummy recipe for the non-gooey style popcorn!


Combine in saucepan:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cube butter

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook to "softball" stage (This is the point at which if you put a little of the mixture into a cup of cold water, it will form a soft ball. If it spreads out, it needs more time. If it makes a hard ball, you cooked it too long.)
Drizzle over popcorn. I don't know how much popcorn. I usually pop 4 bags of microwave popcorn but it just depends on how gooey you like it. I also usually spread the popcorn over jelly roll pans for easy mixing or on waxed paper for easy cleaning. Enjoy!!

Ashlynn loves treat day. Of course she prefers her Heads or Tails Double Stuf Oreos, but she'll take whatever she can get!

Beef Enchiladas

I'm not sure why I haven't posted this recipe yet since I have been making it forever. I think it was the real recipe I ever really learned back when I was in high school, and the first thing I ever really made for Casey. My family really likes them and they are very mild for all you weaklings who don't like spicy stuff!

2 lb. hamburger

2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 t. chili powder

1/4 c. diced onion

2 c. water

2 T. brown sugar

1/2 t. garlic powder

Grated cheese

Flour tortillas

Brown the hamburger and drain off excess fat. Keep in pan and bring to a boil with the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 10 min. Spoon a little of the hamburger onto a tortilla, put some cheese with it and roll it up. Place in greased baking dish (or you can line the pan with a little of the liquid instead of greasing it). Repeat until the hamburger is used up. Pour the remaining liquid over the tops of the enchiladas and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Scones

Ashlynn had a lot of fun helping me make these. She loved playing with the flour and wiping it on her face. A true cook!!

This recipe came from my Grandma Arbuckle. Somehow this was the first time I've made them. These little ditties are quite versatile. I made the original recipe to eat with butter and honey, more as a dessert. We also used them to make Navajo tacos. If you don't know what Navajo tacos are then you are missing out! All they are is a scone layered with chili, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, and whatever else you like. Try them both ways--they're delicious!

3/4 cup milk

1 T. sugar

2 T. shortening

3 cups sifted flour

1/2 t. salt

2 pkgs. or 2 T. yeast in 1/3 cup warm water
1 egg beaten whole

Heat milk to scalding. Add shortening to melt. Mix all ingredients together. Let rise to double. Pinch off a piece the size of a large egg and roll into a snake with oil on your hands. Tie in a knot (or roll out if using for Navajo tacos). Let stand 20 minutes or until light. Fry until golden brown at about 365-375 degrees.

Navajo taco style scone

Butter and honey style scone

Onion-roasted Potatoes

I've been trying to make more of an effort to prepare side dishes with my meals rather than just the main dish. This recipe was one of those experiments. It's not very complicated since I got the recipe off of the Lipton dry onion soup mix box but they were still pretty good.

1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix

4 medium potatoes, cut into large chunks (about 2 lbs.)

1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients in a 9 x 13-inch baking or roasting pan.

Bake, stirring occasionally, 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender golden brown.

Nilla Wafer Yogurt Freeze

So technically it is not Friday for another hour and a half. I have to do a lot of hair tomorrow and know that I will not have time so I am posting now. I found this recipe on the nilla wafer box and thought it would be a fun one to make for the girls.

Nilla Wafer Yogurt Freeze

Ingredients
FOR 1 SERVING

2 nilla wafers
2 T thawed cool whip
2 T Strawberry yogurt

Directions
-Combine the yogurt and cool whip

-Place one of the nilla wafers on the bottom of one paper-lined medium muffin cup ( a paper cup cake wrapper); top wafer with combined yogurt and cool whip mixture; cover with remaining wafer and freeze for at least 1 hour until firm

Eat and enjoy.

Chinese Egg Drop Soup

I know Summertime isn't necessarily the best time for soup but for some reason this sounded really good the other day so I made it and ate most of it before Casey even got home. Needless to say, I really liked it. It tasted quite salty so next time I think I will get the unsalted chicken stock.

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock

2 large sliced fresh ginger (I just used a chunk of ginger root)

2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

3 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1 large egg

1 tsp. vegetable oil

2 scallions, diagonally sliced

2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine chicken stock, ginger, and garlic in a large saucepan and simmer, partially covered, for 15 min. Discard the ginger and garlic. Stir cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Bring the soup to a low simmer and add the cornstarch mixture. Stir until the soup is slightly thickened. Stir in salt and pepper. Whisk egg and vegetable oil thoroughly in a small bowl. Bring the soup to a very low simmer and pour the egg mixture in a large circle on the surface of the soup. Once the egg sets, stir gently. Stir in scallions and cilantro and serve.

Saucy Parmesan Chicken

I got this recipe from kraftrecipes.com (yes I did copy and paste but at least I told where it is from)

prep time: 10 min
total time: 1 hr 10 min

makes 4 servings

What You Need
1/4 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
4 small Boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

Make It
MIX dressing and cheese; pour over chicken in shallow dish. Turn chicken over to evenly coat both sides of each breast.

REFRIGERATE 30 min. to marinate, turning chicken over after 15 min.

HEAT oven to 425ºF. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken on foil-covered baking sheet. Bake 20 min. or until done (165ºF).

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Make Ahead

Pour dressing mixture over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Freeze up to 3 months. (Chicken will marinate in freezer.) Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and marinade. Place frozen chicken on foil-covered baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 1 hour or until chicken is done (165ºF). Or to cut the baking time in half, thaw the bagged chicken in the refrigerator before baking.

Serving Suggestion

Serve with buttered hot cooked egg noodles and your family's favorite green vegetable.

Asian Sesame Chicken

Prepare as directed, using KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing and substituting 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seed for the Parmesan cheese.

Teeny Zucchini Bread

Teeny Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups coarsely shredded unpeeled zucchini (1 medium)
1/2 canola oil (I will use applesauce)

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350. Mix flour,baking powder, cinnamon,and salt in a bowl

2 Use another bowl to mix the rest of the ingredients. Stir into flour mixture
Spoon the batter into 25" mini loaf pans (prepare pane with cooking spray)

3 Bake bread for 35 to 40 minutes; check doneness with a toothpick. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove and slice.



I will not be posting a recipe tomorrow because I will be out of town. Have a great weekend!!!!

Trail mix popcorn

Right now it seems like everyone is in camping and hiking mode.....well atleast Sarah and Michelle are. I thought this looked like a fun twist on trail mix

Ingredients

1 2.9 oz bag microwave popcorn, cooked according to directions
1 c of raisins
1/2 C dried apricots, chopped
1/2 C dried cranberries and or cherries
1/2 C honey or agave nectar
2 T butter
1/4 c finely chopped pecans,walnuts and or peanuts
1/4 C raw sunflower seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon


1- Oil hands to keep popcorn from sticking
2-In a large bowl combine popcorn with dried fruits and set aside
3- In a medium saucepan over low heat, stir honey with butter,nuts,sunflower seeds and cinnamon. Mix until well combined
4-Carefully drizzle mixture over popcorn and fruit stirring constantly,until everything is well coated. Let sit overnight.

Famous BYU mint brownies

Here is one for all you BYU graduates in the fam!!! At the Holtz house we will be calling them Yankee Brownies :)

BYU Famous Mint Brownies

1 (20 oz.)Box Brownie Mix
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
12 oz. chocolate frosting

Mint Frosting

5 T butter,softened
Dash of salt
1 T light corn syrup
2 1/3 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp mint extract
blue food coloring
3 T of milk

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, prepare the brownie mix according to the package directions. Once mix is combined thoroughly add the walnuts and then spread batter in a 9x13 pan. Bake according to package directions

To make the mint frosting combine the butter, salt, corn syrup and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add the mint extract and food coloring. Mix in and then add the milk gradually until the frosting is a little more runny than cake frosting .

Spread the mint frosting over the cooled brownies and then place in the freezer for a short time to stiffen. Take brownies out of the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate frosting over top.

"Milk" Shakes

I was going through my recipes and ran across this one from way back. We made these when we were kids. Probably because we couldn't actually cook but we still liked to make things. Anyway, I tried them again just for fun and they're actually pretty good. It's a nice cool treat anyway while it's so hot. Plus, I figure I can use skim milk or Splenda or something to make them healthy and fight the urge for a real ice cream shake.

Milk Shake

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tray milk cubes (milk frozen in ice cube trays)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

flavor (I usually use a little cocoa but I've also used fruit)

You can also stay cool at the beach!!!

Bbq Chicken Stromboli

Sorry about the lack of posting lately. I think about it all day and all of a sudden it is Wednesday. Where did my Tuesday go? Anyway I will try to be better at posting on my day.

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie-roasted chicken (2-2 1/2 lbs)
1/2 C barbecue sauce
1 package (about 14 oz) refrigerated pizza dough (or make your own)
1 C shredded cheese
1/2 C sliced green onions, divided

Directions:
*Remove and discard skin from chicken. Shred chicken with forks, discard the bones. (You should have about 4 C shredded chicken.) Combine 2 C chicken with barbecue sauce in medium bowl until well blended. Cover and refrigerate or freeze remaining chicken to use another time.
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Unroll pizza dough on baking pan. Pat or stretch dough into 12x9 in rectangle.
*Spread chicken mixture lengthwise down the center of dough, leaving 2 1/2 in on each side. Sprinkle cheese and 1/4 C green onion. Fold long sides of dough over filling, press edges to seal.
*Sprinkle with remaining green onion. Bake 19-22 min or until golden brown. Let stand 10 min before slicing.
(Makes 6 servings)

Candy Corn Snack Mix

Candy Corn Snack Mix

So I know that Halloween is still a few months away but I am already excited for it. Here is one of my favorite Halloween snacks and it is super easy to take to a Halloween Party

Mix 1 Cup of each candy corn, milk chocolate m&m's, and salted peanuts.

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

I think I am going to add little pretzels to my mix this year.

Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate -Chip Banana Bread


1/2 cup margarine, at room temperature (I will be using Apple sauce)
1 Cup sugar
2 Eggs
2 Cups flour
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp salt
1 C mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 Cup plain yogurt
1 Tsp vanilla
1/2 C chocolate chips

1-Pre heat oven to 350 degrees Butter and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan

2-Mix the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until they are light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs.

3-In another bowl, mix the flour,baking soda, and salt. Mix them into the butter mixture. Mix in the bananas, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4-Pour batter into the pan. Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top.

5-Bake bread 55-60 minutes. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn in out onto a rack to cool

Orange Rolls

When I went to Utah a few weeks ago, my brother gave me an updated version of their family cookbook. It has a lot of really good recipes that I'm excited to try and to share on this blog. This is the first to come from that cookbook. We all loved them--Ashlynn couldn't get enough!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup orange juice, preferably fresh, divided
3 Tbsp. orange zest, divided
5 cups flour, approximately
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Scald milk. Add butter, sugar, and salt, then allow mixture to cool to lukewarm.

Add yeast and stir. Stir in beaten eggs, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 2 tablespoons grated orange peel (zest). Add 2 cups flour and beat well. Stir in additional flour until dough is just stiff enough to handle. (Do not add too much flour--keep dough soft and pliable!)

Knead in stand mixer or on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a large, greased bowl, cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 2 hours).

Punch down dough and knead briefly. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Roll each piece of dough into a circle about 12 inches in deameter. Cut circle into 12 equal wedges. Roll up each wedge from wide end. Place on a greased baking sheet, tip side down. Allow to rise until double in bulk (about 1 to 1.5 hours).

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown.

GLAZE: Combine powdered sugar with remaining 1/4 cup orange juice and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls. Serve rolls warm or cold.

Ice cream sandwich dessert

So this is not a technical recipe but it is so yummy and soooo easy. We had this a at YW's activity and everyone loved it.

Ice cream Sandwich Dessert

large box of ice cream sandwich
bottle of hot fudge
tub of cool whip
bottle of Carmel
strawberries

Direction

place ice cream sandwiches in casserole dish
cover with hot fudge, Carmel and cool whip
place another layer of ice cream sandwiches
cover with hot fudge,Carmel and cool whip
place in freezer for a couple hours before serving
garnish with strawberry

Ice cream cone cupcakes

I remember mom making icecream cone cupackes for us when we were kids. They were so fun, we loved them. Sorry Jess and Michelle I think they were before your time. I have been wanting to make them for a while and decided that tomorrow is the perfect time.

Ice cream cone cupcakes

1 cake mix plus the ingredients the cake mix calls for
24 flat -bottom ice cream cones
1 container of frosting ( you may make your own if you would like)

1- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper baking cups in 24 regular size muffin cups

2-Make cake batter as directed- except fill each cup 2/3 full of batter. Place ice cream cone upside down on batter in each cup

3- Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (cones may tilt a little on batter). Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Remove paper baking cups. Frost cake with frosting and decorate as desired

Sunny Day Breakfast Burritos

This is always a good change from cold cereal for breakfast.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs butter
1/2 C red or green bell pepper, chopped
2 greens onions, sliced
6 eggs
2 Tbs milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 (7-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
1/2 C shredded colby jack or Mexican cheese blend
1/2 C salsa

Directions:
*Melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat.
*Add pepper and green onion; cook and stir about 3 min or until tender
*Beat eggs, milk and salt in medium bowl. Add egg mixture to skillet; reduce hear to low.
*Cook stirring gently, until eggs are just set. (eggs should be soft with no liquid remaining.)
*Spoon one fourth of egg mixture down center of each tortilla, top with 2 Tbs cheese. Fold in sides to enclose filling.
*Serve with salsa

(Okay I know some of the directions are things that are obvious but I just copied the card)

Book Club Salad

Summer time is a great time for salads and this one is definitely our favorite. Casey even had it on his menu when he worked at Poundcake's. I've also made it for some family stuff so you may have even tried it already. If not then you really should!

Salad:

Romaine hearts
Bacon bits
Grated mozzarella
Shredded chicken
Craisins or strawberries
Sugared almonds

Sorry there aren't exact amounts here but this is how I was given the recipe. Just put how much you want. You can cook the chicken any way you want to. I usually boil it while Casey usually grills it. I really like the strawberries with this. Casey likes to add apples and feta cheese. To each his own, it will still be good.

Sugaring almonds takes a little practice to get them just right. All you do is put the almonds in a frying pan with a little water and powdered sugar, maybe medium to medium-low heat. Keep adding powdered sugar until it forms a crust around the almond. You will probably alternate a little water with the sugar until it is just right. Toast the almonds just until you think they are about to burn (technical cooking term). Spread them on waxed paper to dry.

Dressing:

1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (canola)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/8-1/4 red onion, depending on how much onion you like
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour over salad.

***TIPS***
*Allow lettuce plenty of time to dry after rinsing so the salad doesn't get too soggy
*Allowing the lettuce to dry in the fridge will keep it nice and crisp
*Assemble salad just before serving so it doesn't get too soggy
*If you plan on leftovers, assemble salads individually or the leftovers may get soggy

Cinnamon Rolls

I was going to post this recipe last week then ended up going to Lagoon with my family and totally forgot. This is my Grandma Snarr's recipe and they were requested by Casey for his Father's Day treat, although I'm sure I ate way more than he did.

2 cups milk, scalded

1/2 cup shortening or margarine

1 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1 cup prepared mashed potatoes

2 packages (4 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

2 eggs, slightly beaten

7 cups flour (about)

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup raisins, optional

1/2 cup nuts, chopped, optional

Cinnamon sugar

Pour scalded milk over shortening, sugar, salt and mashed potatoes. Cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add to milk mixture. Add eggs and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Dredge nuts and raisins in flour and add to mixture (or you can just sprinkle them over the buttered dough later with the cinnamon sugar). Slowly add remaining flour to make soft dough (dough should barely stop being sticky). Roll 1/2" thick; spread with 2 Tbsp butter; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll up; cut 1" slices (the thread wrap-around method is easiest). Place on greased baking sheet(s); rise to double. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Frost. I really like the cream cheese frosting on these.

Regular Frosting (may need to double this):

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tsp milk

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting (definitely do not need to double):

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

5 1/2 to 6 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency.

Impossible Garden Pie

Sorry I missed my day last week we were in California for a quick vacation. Aunt Janice gave me this recipe while we were there. I can't wait to try it tonight!! To make this recipe evan more fun Aunt Anne sent us home with a ton of zucchini from her garden :)

Impossible Garden Pie
2 cups diced zucchini
1 1/2 diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped oinon
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp of pepper
1 1/2 cups of milk
3/4 cups of bisquick
2 eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees

Layer zucchini,tomatoes and oinon in a greased 11x7 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and peeper . Mix milk bisquick and eggs in a blender for 1 minute. pour over the vegetables. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting

Rice Krispie Treats

Such a classic for the 4th of July.

Ingredients:
3 Tbs butter
1 pkg (10 oz) marshmallows
6 C Rice Krispies

Directions:
*Melt the butter in a pan on low heat
*Add marshmallow, melt completely (yes it seems to take forever but it will be worth it)
*Remove from heat
*Add Rice Krispies, stir until well coated
*Using a buttered spatula or wax paper, press into a cookie pan or something similar
*Let cool and cut into squares.
Try not to eat them all in one day

Cookie ice cream sandwich

Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich

I am going to make these for Aaron and the girls on Sunday.

Ingredients

Peanut butter
12 cookies -the recipe calls for oatmeal raisin cookies but I am going to use Chocolate chip cookies

1 pint of vanilla ice cream

mini chocolate chips ( I think that mini m&m's would be good also)

spread peanut butter over bottom of 6 cookies. Top with a scoop of ice cream. Top with another cookie, press down gently. Roll sides of ice cream sandwich in chocolate chips.

Serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze

butterscotch parfaits

I think this sounds so yummy!!!!

2 cups cold milk
1 package butterscotch pudding mix
18 vanilla wafers
1 carton cool whip thawed
6 maraschino cherries,optional

In large mixing bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set

In six parfaits glasses, alternate layers of pudding,wafers crumbs and whipped topping. Garnish with cherry if desired

serves 6

Southwest Chicken

So I noticed my last week's recipe was the last post. What's the deal? Did everyone run out of recipes already or do you just have more of a life than I do?

Anyway, this is what I made for dinner tonight. I was trying to find a recipe to use things we had on hand and this is what I came up with. We didn't quite have all the ingredients so I had to modify it a little bit but we both really liked it still so here it is. I'll post the actual recipe because it looks really good and I want to make it once we do have everything for it. Then I'll put what what I did differently.

6 boneless chicken breast halves

6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 2" x 1/2" sticks

2 cans (4 oz.) chopped green chiles, drained

1/2 c. dry bread crumbs

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 T. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. butter, melted

Flatten chicken to 1/2" thickness. Place a cheese stick down the middle of each and top with chilies. Roll up and tuck in ends; secure with toothpick. In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, chili powder, salt, and cumin. Coat chicken with flour, then dip in butter and roll in crumb mixture. Place roll ups, seam side down, in a greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Discard the toothpicks.

We didn't have any cheese or green chilies so I skipped the whole flattening and rolling up part and just breaded them and baked them. Then I made a sauce out of Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies, a can of cream of chicken soup, and about 1/2 cup sour cream. We heated the sauce in a saucepan and put it on top of the chicken when it was done baking. Yum!

Chiken Fajitas

Okay, this can't really be considered a recipe but I'm just going to tell you how we prepare our chicken fajitas.

We use the Walmart brand packet of Fajita seasoning, preparing our fajitas according to package directions. All you need with this is a pound of chicken, an onion, and a green pepper.

While this is cooking, we also prepare a box of Rice-a-Roni fajita flavored rice.

Once those are done, we layer the rice, the chicken and vegetables, shredded cheese, sour cream and guacamole on top of a fresh baked fajita-sized tortilla. There is a grocery store here called H.E.B. that bakes their own tortillas and they are amazing.

I'm not usually a huge guacamole fan but I'm really addicted to homemade guacamole. Laurie and Cade taught us a shortcut for making it. I guess this can count as a recipe. Mash up your avocados with pace picante sauce (or whatever salsa I suppose), salt, and lime juice, all to taste because I don't know the exact amounts. It is my favorite thing right now.

Anyway that is chicken fajitas, Casey and Kristi style! Happy Father's Day everyone!

P.S. Just to clear things up--no I am not pregnant!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sorry about the lack of posting my recipe lately. WE MOVED!! Yay! I love our new house but it has kept me pretty busy. Now that things are settling down I can be more consistent.

(I have made these and they are good)

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger or turkey burger
1/2 C rolled oats
1 egg
1/3 C finely chopped onions
1/2 tsp. Salt
Few grains of pepper
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 C milk

Directions:
*Combine all ingredients, mix well.
*Form into balls
*Place in casserole dish single layer
*Cover with sauce
*Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

Sauce:
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C vinegar
1/8 C barbecue sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
*Combine all ingredients and blend thoroughly
*Heat and pour over meatballs

'Pluck It' Bread

Andy's mom made this for us on Sunday and it was SOO good! It is very similar to monkey bread, but a little different. It almost had a toffee flavor to it when it was done.

1/2 cup of Sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 cube butter, melted

3 cans of refrigerated biscuits

Cut biscuits into fourths. Combine sugar and cinnamon in bag. Shake and coat biscuits. Melt butter and brown sugar. Put coated biscuits in a bundt pan. Pour sauce over. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and enjoy!

Artisan Bread

My dad called me a few weeks ago with this new bread recipe he had been making that everyone was going crazy over. I've made it several times now and it is always so good. It seems complicated just because there are very specific steps but it really is the simplest way to bake bread. I've had several people request the recipe from me so here it is...

You will need:

3-3 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

1 1/2 Tbsp. salt

6 1/2 cups flour

Large bowl with lid ( I bought a cheap plastic one at Wal-Mart for $1)

Corn meal

Mix flour, salt, and yeast in your large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the water. Mix with a spoon just until it is all mixed. It will be really wet and sticky and won't really look like bread dough.

Leave dough mixture in the bowl on the counter for 2-5 hours. It will rise and probably flatten out a bit.

Set the lid loosely on top of the bowl so that the bread can still breathe. Place dough in the fridge. It is best to at least leave it in the fridge a few hours or overnight because it is easier to handle, but I've left in in there for just a couple hours and it has still turned out great. You can leave it in the fridge for up to 14 days. It is supposed to taste more like sourdough the longer you leave it but I haven't left it that long yet.

Once dough has chilled, sprinkle some flour on top and pinch off a grapefruit-size piece. Use as much flour as needed to be able to handle the dough without it sticking to you (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup). Each batch makes 3 loaves of bread so just put the rest back in the fridge.

Shape your dough piece into a disc, making sure the top is smooth. It doesn't matter what the bottom looks like. Place dough on a flat surface covered with corn meal. It needs to be flat because you will be transferring it to the oven once it is done rising. Using a serrated knife, make 4 slices across the top of the dough about 1/4" deep.

Let dough rise for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, start heating the oven to 450 with a pan inside also covered with corn meal. I usually use a pizza stone but I've also used a cookie sheet. The heat will scorch the pan a little just as a warning. Below the pizza stone you are also going to heat another pan (not glass). I use an old cake pan that I don't really care about.

After the oven has heated for 20 minutes (even though it won't quite be at 450 yet) you are going to transfer your bread from the sheet it is rising on to the pizza stone in the oven. You will also pour about a cup of water into the other heated pan to create steam. Close the oven door immediately.

The recipe says to cook the bread for 30-35 minutes, but here in Houston I only cook it for 20 so I don't quite know exactly what to put. I guess just until it turns golden brown.

Pull bread out of the oven onto a cooling rack. I will feel like a brick at first but continues to soften as it cools. You cool it to about room temperature and enjoy.

There are several variations to this basic recipe. I think the website for it is www.artisanbreadinfive.com in case anyone wants to venture out.

As always, anything we like that Ashlynn will also eat is a bonus for me!

I'm sorry about last week. It seems the days just blur together out here and I lose track of time really easily. I've had a real sweet tooth lately, big surprise! Andy always says he doesn't like brownies, but he loves brownies with frosting. I decided to start trying brownie recipes until I find one we both like. This is the one I'll be starting with.

Ingredients

• 8 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1 cup butter
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. Place 8 ounces of baking chocolate with 1 cup of butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High until the chocolate is soft and the butter has melted, about 2 minutes. Stir to mix.
2. Place the eggs, 3 cups of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract in a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and beat in the melted butter-chocolate mixture. Beat in the flour until just combined (do not overmix), and stir in the chopped walnuts. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with fudgy crumbs, about 35 minutes. Cool in the pan before frosting.
4. To make frosting, combine 1 1/4 cup of sugar with the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer for 7 minutes without stirring.
5. Remove the cream mixture from the heat, and stir in 5 ounces of baking chocolate and 1/2 cup butter, stirring to melt and blend the chocolate. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; whisk until smooth. Place the frosting in the refrigerator and stir every few minutes until the frosting is chilled and thick, about 30 minutes. Frost the cooled brownies, and cut into squares.

6 kids

Tonight I am watching my friends 4 kids. So with 6 kids to feed a new recipe was not going to happen. I gave them Dino chicken nuggets and french fries. Bake both in the oven at 450 degrees. :)

Fruit Pizza

I am trying this Sunday. My neighbor Becky gave me the idea

Sugar cookie dough
vanilla pudding
fruit

bake your favorite cookie sugar cookie dough on pizza stone. Let it cool completly.
wash and dry fruit. Fruit needs to be 100% dry

cover cookie with pudding and top with fruit. Slice it like a pizza and enjoy

Trifle

Sorry I didn't post anything last week. It was our official moving day and I didn't even think about the fact that we wouldn't have internet until it was too late.

So this recipe didn't quite turn out as well as I thought it would, but I've been sick and my taste buds are all messed up. Casey says it was good so I will post it anyway.

1 pound cake or angel food cake or just box cake

1/2 cup orange juice

2 cups prepared vanilla pudding

3-5 cups favorite fruit(s)

1 cup whipping cream OR

1 small container Cool Whip

1 package jello, optional

Whip cream if using, sweetening to taste with powdered sugar. Chop fruit into bite-size pieces if necessary. If using Jello, prepare according to package directions but do not chill. Break cake into bite-size pieces. Put 1/2 of cake peices into large bowl or trifle bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 of orange juice. Pour in 1/2 of the Jello if using. Continue layering with 1/2 of the pudding, then 1/2 of the fruit, then half of the sweetened whipped cream or Cool Whip. Repeat the layers.

Easiest Peach Cobbler

Summer time equals cobbler time!! I found this recipe in our ward cook book.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup of flour
1 T of baking powder
1 can of peaches

Melt a cube of butter in a pan @350 degrees. Place batter in the pan. Put the sliced peaches on top of the batter and melted butter.
Bake @ 350 for 1 hour. Serve with cool whip or vanilla ice cream.

Homeade Dumpling Soup

I told Alisha I would post my favorite soup. It is super super easy and so good!!!

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breast
1 bag of frozen california blend veggies
2 cans of chicken broth
seasoned salt

throw all ingredients in crock pot and shake in some seasoned salt. Cook on high for 4 hours. When chicken is cooked pull it out shred it and put it back in soup.

Dumplings

1 cup of flour
1 egg
milk

mix egg and flour add milk until dough like.

boil a pot of water dip a spoon into boiling water and then in dough and back into water. Dough will slip off spoon into water. Repeat until all the dough is used. Dumplings are done when they float to the top. Drain and add to soup.

Eat and enjoy

Ravioli Filling

I made ravioli for the first time on Sunday and had to call mom for the filling ingredients so I figured I'd put them up here.

Ingredients:

2 large Chicken Breasts
1 container of Ricotta Cheese
1 box of frozen spinach
Italian Bread Crumbs
1 egg

Directions:

Cook the chicken breasts and chop it up with a chopper. Defrost the spinach and try to get most of the water out of it. Then put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix together. As far bread crumbs go, I just added some until it looked good. We all know that mom used to split the two up and have spinach ravioli, and chicken ravioli, but now she just mixes it all together. To split them up, the spinach and ricotta cheese go together in one bowl, while the chicken, breadcrumbs and egg go in another bowl. Also, I'm kind of guessing on portions for the chicken and egg. This is what I did and it turned out great, it made a lot, but tasted great.

The best way to burger

How to make a perfect burger

I found this in one of my magazines and since I am married to a major burger lover I thought I could always use a little help bettering the burger. Casey ,being to amazing grilling man that he is probably already knows all of these tips but I thought the rest of us could try them.

1-Mix meat and other ingredients lightly by hand until just blended -then stop. Over handling can cause meat to turn tough.


2- Lean meats light chicken and beef need extra moisture from the inside, so mold patties around cheese or salsa. Or build your burger around an ice cube to keep them moist.

3-When forming the burger patties, make them uniform in both size and thickness so they'll cook in the same amount of time. Also press your thumb into the center of a meat patty to form a quarter inch depression. the meat will expand to the indentation which will keep the burger flat and help it cook evenly

4-Lightly coat burger with olive oil or vegetable oil to lock in the juices and prevent sticking

HAPPY GRILLING EVERYONE!!!!

Avocado Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce hearts
1 avocado, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 T diced green onion
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed
1T diced fresh cilantro
1 T olive oil
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp lime zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

In large bowl toss together lettice,avocado,tomato,beans,green onions and cilantro.
In a small bowl mix olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, salt and pepper.
Pour dressing over salad and toss well to coat

Simple Strawberry Dessert

Okay, you will just have to trust me on this one because I know it may not sound all that appetizing but it really is. I first had these from a little old lady I used to do therapy on. She invited us over for lunch and this is what she served us for dessert. All you do is take a strawberry, dip it in sour cream, then in brown sugar and eat. She says it is best to chill the plates first so there ya go. Give 'em a try!

Decisions, decisions.....binky or strawberry?

Monkey Bread

I got this recipe from a friend and I have not tried it but I want to. It is a really good dessert bread.

You can either use Rhodes Rolls or use your own bread dough.

Ingredients:
Bread dough
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C evaporated milk
3/4 C butter

Directions:
Mix cinnamon with 3/4 C sugar. Cut 1 loaf of bread dough into 64 pieces and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Mix 1 C sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk and butter in sauce pan; bring to a boil. layer 1/3 of the rolls on the bottom of a greased bunt pan, pour 1/3 of the sauce over the rolls. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 min.

Chili Lime Chicken

Hello from California! I found this recipe in one of Andy's mom's cook books. I'm excited to try it, and its healthy!

Ingedients

For the chicken:

2-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz chicken broth
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
1-2 limes, freshly squeezed

For the Salsa:

1 plum tomato
3 tbsp fresh cilantro
A dash of chili powder and garlic powder
5 tbsp chopped onion
1 lime freshly squeezed

Other:

1 cup brown rice (cooked according to directions on packaging)
1 medium stalk of broccoli steamed
1 oz blue cheese

Directions:

1. Take a zipper storage bag big enough for the chicken, chicken broth, lime, chili powder and garlic powder.

2. Mix the spices, lime juice and the chick broth together, add the chieck and let it set for 1-2 hours.

3. When it is done, you can either BBQ it or bake it. While the chicken is cooking, start your rice.

4. Prepare the broccoli to steam

5. Start ont eh fresh salsa, dice the tomato, add chopped onion and cilantro and the dash of chili powder and garlic powder and lime juice.

6. Start your broccoli steaming about 10 minutes before the chicken is done.

7. When everything is ready, start the plating with 1/2 cup of rice, lay your chicken over the top of the rice, put half of the blue cheese on your chicken, and top with the fresh salsa.

8. Add the broccoli and serve

Note: The recipe mentions that the flavor of the chicken can be really strong! It may take a couple of tries to get it how you like it! Also, I would skip out on the blue cheese, but I know Andy would like it.

Nutritional Info:

Fat: 7.6g
Carbs: 41.1 g
Calories: 346.9
Protein: 31.2 g

Chicken Salsa Pizza

1 prebaked italian pizza crust (I like Bobli)
2 cups (8 oz) Shredded chedder cheese,divided
1 jar (11 oz) salsa
1 cup cubed cooked chicken

Place pizza shell on pizza pan, sprinkle with 3/4 cup of cheese.
Top with salsa, chicken,and remaining cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Peanut-Butter Chocolate Balls

Here is an easy quick and yummy dessert.

Mix 1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter,1/3 cup honey and 1 cup of powdered milk in a bowl. Roll into twenty 1 inch balls.

Melt 6 oz of dark chocolate and dip balls in chocolate.

Refrigerate until chocolate hardens.

Hoisin-Glazed Pork Chops

Well it's that time of year again. That magical time when Casey starts a new diet and exercise program and suddenly loses 20 pounds like it's nothing. He'll tell you it's due to the humidity but don't believe him, he's been doing really well--keeping a food journal and everything. As such, we have been trying new healthy recipes. This one is from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook (thanks MaryAnne) and we really enjoyed it. If you've never used Hoisin sauce then FYI it is an Asian sauce.

Ingredients:

Olive oil in a sprayer

4 (4-ounce) trimmed, boneless pork loin chops, about 3/4-inch thick

1 tsp. garlic powder

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

Directions:

Preheat the broiler. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray the foil with olive oil.

Lightly spray both sides of the chops with olive oil and season evenly with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place the chops on the prepared baking sheet and broil about 3 inches from the heat for 2 minutes per side (be sure to leave the door open a crack when broiling). Remove from the oven and brush or spread 1 1/2 teaspoons of hoisin over the top of each chop. Continue broiling for 1 minute longer. Turn the chops and brush each with an additional 1 1/2 teaspoons sauce. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until the pork is just barely pink inside and the hoisin sauce is a bit caramelized. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Information per serving: 177 calories, 26 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 75 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 261 mg sodium.

Ash gets her exercise too by playing in the sprinklers!

Grandma Vanderhoef's Cheesecake

I'm so sorry for dropping the ball again. We've been packing and I just forgot...but I'm surprised no one has put this up here yet. This is Andy's all time favorite home made cheese cake.

2 large cream cheese (please do not use low fat)
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Beat and pour into a graham cracker crust. Bake 15 minutes at 350

one 8 oz sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix and spread over cake. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees

Refrigerate for 5 hours.

**I change this a little bit. I made it wrong by accident, but it actually turned out really good. I bake it without the topping for 20-25 minutes. I take it out when the whole thing jiggles as one piece, if that makes sense. Then I let it sit for about 5 minutes on the counter. Then I put the topping on and broil it for 2-5 minutes or until it just starts to brown. Then it goes straight into the fridge over night. Its really delicious!

Cherry Berry Smoothies

Here is a smoothy recipe for Casey and Kristi to give Ashlynn after a nice hot Texas day. Maybe it will decide to be hot in Utah soon and I can make it for my girls also.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 cup frozen unsweetened rasberries
1 cup frozen pitted dark sweet cherries
1-1/2 cups rasberry sherbert

In a blender, combine the juice and fruit. Add sherbert; cover and process until blended. Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediatetly

Easy with Cheese Manicotti

Evan though I can't this I thought it looked so yummy!!

Ingredients
1 8 oz package uncooked manicotti shells
1 15oz part-skim ricotta cheese
3 c shredded mozzerella cheese divided
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1 T dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 c or 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 c water

Heat oven to 350. Put water and sauce in saucepan and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to simmer.
Meanwhile,stir together ricotta,2 cups mozzerella cheese,Parmsean cheese,parsley, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spoon cheese mixture into a gallon zip lock bag. Snip a one inch hole in a bottom corner of the bag.

Grease a 9x13 pan and spread a thin layer of spagetti sauce on the bottom. Pipe cheese mixture into each uncooked manicotti shell and place in the prepared pan. Pour remaining sauce over pasta; cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil ; top pasta with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake 15 minutes longer

Mom's Meaty Lasagna

In honor of Mother's Day coming up on Sunday I decided to post one of my favorite recipe's of my mom's . There are 3 things my mom makes really well that we always get excited for--waffles, spaghetti sauce, and lasagna. She makes other things well too but this is one of those things we would never want to miss out on.


1/2 lg. onion, chopped
1/2 lg. green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 lb. hamburger
1 sm. can tomato paste
1 qt. whole tomatoes (or 1 large can)
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. pepper
8-10 lasagna noodles, cooked
16 oz. cottage cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced
Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large frying pan, brown hamburger; lightly season with onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Add onions, green peppers, tomato paste, tomatoes, oregano, garlic powder, basil, onion powder, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 30 min. stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Remove pan from heat. In a buttered 9 x 13-inch pan, layer lasagna noodles, sauce, cottage cheese, sliced mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 min.

Peanut butter cookies tweaked a little bit

So we all know that I have been trying to eat healthy lately. Tonight I wanted a treat so I took a peanut butter cookie recipe that I had a tweaked it. Aaron refuses to try them but Ellie and Tanner enjoyed them. So here is the original (I may have posted it before) and my new modified version

Regular Peanut butter cookies

3 T butter
2 T peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

Cream butter peanut butter and sugars together. Add egg white beat until blended. Add vanilla. Combine flour,baking soda and salt in another bowl and gradually add to creamed mixture

roll into balls and flatten with fork. Bake at 350 for 6-8 min.

My Version

3 T all natural no sugar added applesauce
2 T all natural peanut butter
1/2 C honey
1/4 C splenda
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 flour ( may need a little more)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

follow the original baking directions. Will be a lighter color and softer texture

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They may even be my favorite cookies of all time.

Ingredients:
1 C margarine or butter
2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 (15 0z) can of pumpkin
4 C flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream together shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla and pumpkin until well blended. Add dry ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 min. or until edges begin to brown.

Haystacks

Today was Andy's birthday so for dinner, we had haystacks! This is something that I discovered when I married into the Hunt family. They are one of Andy's favorites and its really easy, so here it is!

Haystacks

1 pound of ground beef (or turkey)
1 can of campbells french onion soup
1 can of refried beans
1 can of chili
1 bag of fritos scoops
Cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Sour Cream
Olives
and such...

Heat the ground beef on the stove until brown. Drain the fat. Add the french onion soup to the ground beef and let it heat through. In a separate sauce pan, mix the chili and the refried beans, heat until hot. On a plate, put a layer of fritos (I use hint of lime chips), next add the chili/bean mix, add the hamburger, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and sour cream!

Honey Garlic Chicken

I haven't had a chance to try this one yet but am going to.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves (4oz each)
2 T spoons of honey
2 T of orange or lemon juice
1 T of vegetable oil
1/2 tsp of salt
Dash of pepper
1 to 2 garlic cloves minced

Placed chicken in greased 13x9in baking dish. In small bowl mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.

Bake uncovered at 400 for 15 min. Brush occasionally with sauce

Super easy chicken chili

I posted a chicken chili recipe way back in January. It had a lot of ingredients and although it was fairly easy to make still took some time. This new one I made last night was so easy only has a few ingredients and was really good! I evan got Ellie and Tanner to eat it with only a small amount of bribing.

2 jars 16 oz picante sauce
2 cans rinsed and drained nothern beans
4 cups cooked and cubed chicken breast
1-2 tsp gound cumin

Put all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. The girls had fun topping theirs with cheese. For me I added a ton of veggies...mushrooms,green peppers, tomatoes, white onion,and cilantro.

We ate it with a loaf of french bread, but chips would be good also.

Dualing Sauces

Each different...both delicious, depending on what you are in the mood for.



Italian Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans (16 oz. each) whole tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce
2 Tbsp chopped fresh or 2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 Tbsp chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fennel seed (we didn't have this so we left it out--still good)
1/4 tsp pepper

Heat oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper and garlic in oil about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in remaining ingredients, breaking up tomatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 45 minutes.

***Side note--we made these meatballs with ground turkey instead of ground beef and they were still quite tasty***




Alfredo Sauce

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup whipping (heavy cream)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper

***Lighter Version
Decrease margarine to 1/3 cup. Substitute evaporated milk for the whipping cream, and use reduced fat parmesan cheese blend.

Heat margarine and whipping cream in 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until margarine is melted. Stir in cheese, salt, and pepper.

Ashlynn still prefers her plain old macaroni and cheese and could probably eat it for every meal. Right now the challenge is just to keep her from giving her food away to Nixon.

Easy Dinner

So I thought about just letting Michelle's recipe count for mine tonight, but because I was sick last week and did not post anything I figured I would put on what I made for dinner tonight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pull Frescheta Pizza (or any other frozen pizza)out of the freezer
Put pizza on pizza stone or pizza pan
Bake for 18-23 min
Enjoy a yummy pizza


Sometimes it is nice to just have a chill night and not stress about cooking. That is about how I was feeling tonight. Plus clean up is really easy. I promise next week I will put up a real recipe.
(Don't worry, my girls had spaghetti with veggie noodles. They eat much better than I do.)

BBQ Chicken Wraps

Sorry for being late, yesterday was a weird day. Anyway, the other day I was at the grocery store and noticed some spinach tortillas. I thought I would try them, and they were really delicious. This isn't a precise recipe, but here's what I did.

I took 2 chicken breasts, cut them up into cubes and grilled them.When the chicken was cooked I poured in some BBQ sauce and let it simmer for a minute.
Next I took the tortilla, put some sour cream, olives, tomatoes, and lettuce like a burrito. Added the chicken and some cheese and a tiny tiny bit of ranch. Andy had more ranch than me.
Then I wrapped it up and ate it! It was delicious with baked chips and cottage cheese.

I was surprised at how great they turned out, and we will be making them again soon!

Sheena's meatloaf

Sheena just tried this meatloaf and got the thumbs up from her family. Thanks for sharing with us Sheena!!

For a full pound of meat

1 lb of burger or ground turkey
1/2 cup of oatmeal
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of original BBQ sauce
2 eggs
onion
garlic
basil,oregano,garlic powder,onion salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 45minutes to an hour(until cooked thoroughly)

Mom puts her meat loaf on a baking rack then in the pan and bakes it. It helps keep the meatloaf from getting soggy

Low Fat High Protein Pancakes

Annie gave me this healthy pancake recipe. It looks so easy and she said it is really good!

1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 cup egg whites
1 cup oats

Blend all the ingredients in blender
Cook like regular pancakes, they just take a little longer to cook

Dreamy Pudding Dessert

These two things are all I need to feel like I'm in heaven--my beautiful little girl and a yummy chocolate dessert. This one is truly amazing!





First Layer:
1 cup flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter (no substitutes)
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Cream flour, butter, and sugar together; press into greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake 350 degrees about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

Second Layer:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 carton (12 oz.) frozen whipped topping, divided

Combine cream cheese with sugar, blending thoroughly. Stir in 1 cup of the frozen topping. Spread over well-cooled butter crust.

Third Layer:
3 cups milk
1 large pkg. instant pudding (milk chocolate) OR 1 small pkg. chocolate and 1 small pkg. vanilla for a lighter chocolate flavor.

Mix milk with instant pudding, following directions for beating on package. Spread over cream cheese layer.

Fourth Layer:
Spread reserved frozen whipped topping over all. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and grated chocolate (or you can use a vegetable parer to make chocolate curls). Chill until ready to serve.

Oatmeal and Wheat Flour Blueberry Pancakes

Andy and I love pancakes on Saturday mornings, but we are really trying to eat healthy so I found this recipe and am going to give it a try this weekend.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 cups soy milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

**I would use Buttermilk instead of Soy Milk. There was also the suggestion to add a little vanilla for some extra flavor.

Directions

1. Preheat a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, mix oats and soy milk. Whisk in eggs and olive oil. Pour into the flour mixture all at once. Continue mixing until smooth. Gently fold in blueberries.
4. Pour batter about 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared griddle. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until bubbly. Flip, and continue cooking until lightly browned

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com