Visiting friends and seeing the Cherry Blossoms

My husband and I are visiting some friends who live near Washington DC! We met these friends while in college, the guys "clicked" and so did us gals! We were all in each others weddings, and they just had a baby! So, we are meeting the little girl for the first time! It is a perfect time to be out this way, as the Cherry Blossom festival starts Saturday. I am anxious to get into the city to see all the trees in bloom.

In the meantime, I won't be cooking, so no new recipes for a while! I may post some pictures of DC when we return and will write some things about the restaurants we try. I'll be helping my friend cook some evenings at her house, so with her approval, maybe she will let me post some of her recipes!

Peppy Provolone Pizza Slices

This is one of my favorite quick and easy recipes! I needed something to make from ingredients I had at the house already, and something that wouldn't have any left-overs, as my husband and I are going to see some of our best friends in Washington DC tomorrow!

Peppy Provolone Pizza Slices
1 pound frozen bread dough
8 ounces pepperoni
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese
1 cup sliced jalapeno peppers (optional)
pizza sauce for dipping

Thaw bread dough on a greased 15x2 cookie sheet, according to package directions. Roll dough into greased pan. Place two rows of pepperoni down middle section of bread dough, top with 4 slices of provolone cheese, and half of the peppers. Fold over left side of dough to top the filling (you should still have 1/3 of dough left on your right side). Repeat the filling to create a second layer. Fold the right side of dough over top and crease around the edges to seal. Bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Outback's Alice Springs Chicken

Before my husband and I were married, my now sister-in-law threw me a Pampered Chef bridal shower. Not only did I get a lot of kitchen gadgets, I was also given recipes by all those who attended. Even though I have been married almost five years now, I still have not tried all the recipes given to me. The recipe we tried tonight came from my husband's cousin, Lisa, and it receives rave reviews (by us anyway!).


Outback's Alice Springs Chicken (serves 4)
Honey Mustard Marinade:
1/2 cup Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms (optional, I did not add them!)
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup each Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses
paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
salt and pepper

Combine Dijon mustard, honey, oil, and lemon juice. Mix well. Pour about 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken and marinate them, covered, in the fridge for about 2 hours. Chill remaining marinade for later.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sear both sides of the chicken breasts in about 1 Tbls oil for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. As the chicken is cooking, saute the sliced mushrooms in the butter. Brush each chicken breast with a little of the reserved marinade being sure to save a little to serve on the side. Place in an oven proof pan. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika. Stack two pieces of bacon on each piece of chicken. Spoon sauteed mushrooms on top of bacon. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of each kind of cheese onto chicken breasts. Bake for 7-10 minutes of until cheese is melted. Serve honey mustard marinade on the side.

Happy Easter!

I do not have any recipes to share today, but I did want to wish everyone a Happy Easter! My husband and I had a wonderful lunch at our pastor's home today. His wife fixed a glazed ham, prime rib, broccoli-rice casserole, and many other yummy things. Plus everyone who attended lunch brought something, so needless to say, we were fed very well and can't even think about eating dinner!

I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter as we have, and had the opportunity to reflect on what this day is truly about.

"We live and die, Christ died and lived...(for YOU)" - Unknown

"Rib-sticking Stir Fry" from Nigella Lawson and "Molly's Cake"

My husband and I were out running errands up until dinner time today. Rather than eating out, we decided to head home and look for a quick recipe using chicken we already had thawed in the refrigerator. I came across a recipe in a quick meals cookbook by Nigella Lawson.


Rib-Sticking Stir Fry
2 Tbls vegetable oil
10 oz chicken breast fillet, cut into 1 1/2 x 1/4 inch strips
4 cups chopped stir-fry vegetables (from a package!)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine (I used Mirin)
1 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained
1 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat the oil in a wok, and over fairly high heat add the chicken strips and toss them about to color. Once the meat has seared, add the vegetables and toss around again until beginning to soften, then add the soy sauce and the wine. The soy will help the meat strips bronze beautifully. Once the heat is back up and sizzling, add the beans and toss everything about to mix before tipping onto two plates. Sprinkle with the herb and serve while hot. Serves 2.


I also tried a new dessert recipe to take over to our pastor's house tomorrow for lunch. It smells great and I'm hoping it tastes the same!


Molly's Cake (I'm not sure who "Molly" is, but if the cake tastes good, I'll still give her the credit!)
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick margarine or butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans
1 egg
4 cups powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 eggs


Mix together the cake mix, softened butter, chopped pecan and 1 egg. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Beat together powdered sugar, cream cheese and 4 eggs until well blended. Pour over the top of the cake mix. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until done. You may also add chocolate chips to the cake mix or try other cake mix flavors.


**I took the dessert to Easter lunch and it was okay, but probably not something I would make again. I noticed the cake batter was very dry when mixing, so I added about 2/3 cup of water. The final product ended up a little dry (so probably could have used more water or oil) and it tasted fine, but not great. I'm wondering if the recipe is missing water and/or oil?

Two Soup Recipes

The focus group my husband and I are a part of at our church hosted the Good Friday service this evening. We were encouraged to fast today and we broke the fast with a soup dinner with other members of the church. Some of the ladies and I were at church this morning putting the soup on and getting everything set up. We were smelling the soup cook all day, but we were mindful not to even have that one little taste. When 6:30 (dinner time!) rolled around we were all very hungry, and the soup tasted WONDERFUL! I wasn't able to take any pictures of the soups we made, but I would definitely make both of them again! Thanks to Gina for the recipes!

Cheesy Broccoli Soup
1 pint half and half
1 16oz bag frozen broccoli
2 cans cream of celery soup (we used cream of mushroom and it turned out great)
2 cans cream of potato soup
2 cans creamy onion soup (or cream of broccoli, if you can't find the onion)
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

Dump all ingredients into crock pot or large pot, stir, heat, and eat!

Vegetable Beef Soup
4 lb. ground beef sauteed with 2 lg. chopped onions
4 cans diced tomatoes undrained
1 bunch celery, chopped
5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 family sized bag of mixed veg (corn, carrots, green beans, peas)
1 jar beef bouillon granules (use as much as needed depending on how much water is added)
3 bay leaves
2 T. basil
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef with onions until no longer pink. Dump in all additional ingredients. Mix in enough water to cover all ingredients in pot. Cook until potatoes and carrots are soft. (We put this in the crock pot for 8 hours on high, turned to low for last 3 hours or so.)

Mirin-Glazed Salmon and Chocolate Candy Cookies

My husband returned last night from his business trip and I was hoping to make dinner for both of us, but something came up that I wasn't able to be home when he arrived, so we ended up eating dinner on our own. That pushed the meal I had planned for last night to tonight...Mirin-Glazed Salmon.



Mirin-Glazed Salmon (from "Nigella Express")
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 4-oz pieces of salmon
2 Tbls rice vinegar
1-2 scallions, halved and shredded into fine strips

Mix the mirin, sugar, and soy in a shallow dish that will hold all 4 pieces of salmon, and marinate the salmon in it for 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on the stove. Cook the salmon in the hot, dry pan for 2 minutes and then turn it over, add the marinade, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the salmon to whatever plate you're serving it on, and add the rice vinegar to the hot pan. Pour the dark, sweet, salty glaze over the salmon and top with the scallion strips. Serve with rice or noodles.

I also tried a new cookie recipe today! I am taking them to church tomorrow night for an Agape' Dinner, good thing because I could eat all of them myself!

Chocolate Candy Cookies

(sorry for the formatting, can't figure out how to get this to single space!)

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 package mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, frozen and cut into halves (freezing is key!)

1 cup Reese’s Pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl (I used my KitchenAid mixer), cream together the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, and baking soda; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and Reese’s Pieces.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Push one peanut butter cup half into the center of each ball of dough. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool for 1 or 2 minutes on sheet before removing, or they will fall apart. Makes approx. 36 cookies.

Cooking for One...

My husband just left on a business trip this morning, which means I will be cooking for just me over the next few days. Luckily, I have some leftovers to finish up, which will be the majority of my meals. However, there are some things like fried egg sandwiches that I can eat while he's away (he can't stand the smell of eggs!). So, I won't be posting many recipes or pictures until at least Wednesday, when I'll be back in the kitchen cooking for the two of us.

Plus, I was finally able to purchase a Wii this morning, so I won't have much time to cook...I need to play some Guitar Hero before the hubby returns and I have to start sharing!

Enchilada Casserole

After graduating from college, I took a job at a bank in my hometown. My favorite things about that job were the people, and the pot-luck lunches we had frequently! The branch manager always made this Enchilada Casserole. It has since been made several times in my home (along with my previous co-workers, I'm sure!).

This picture does the dish no justice...it is much better than it looks!

Enchilada Casserole
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
salt and pepper
1 pkg taco seasoning
oil
8 flour or corn tortillas (I prefer flour)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 4 oz can green chilies
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese

Brown beef in skillet with salt and pepper, drain grease. Add taco seasoning mix and water to beef and simmer 5 minutes. Heat oil and cook tortillas until soft and limp, about 5-10 seconds per side. Drain on paper towel. Spoon 1/3 cup meat mixture in center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with small amount cheddar cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a greased 9x13 baking dish. After filling tortillas add enchilada sauce and chilies to remaining meat mixture. Spoon over tortillas. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Uncover; spread sour cream over tortillas and sprinkle with Monterey jack cheese. Return to oven to heat sour cream and melt cheese, approx. 5-10 minutes.

Did you know...

that today is National Chip Day? Chips were developed 155 years ago today! I don't normally purchase chips to keep at the house, unless they are to accompany a particular meal, and tonight they will be a great "side". In celebration of National Chip Day (and the Indiana Hoosiers playing in the Big Ten Tournament tonight...GO HOOSIERS!) my husband is making tonight's dinner. He has a tasty recipe for grilled hamburgers that we both enjoy.



Hubby's Hamburger Recipe

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
2 tsps onion powder (or use a little more chopped onion)
2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder (or minced fresh garlic)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper


Combine beef with parsley, onion powder, Worcestershire, garlic powder, salt and pepper in medium bowl; mix lightly until well combined. Shape mixture into four 1/2-inch thick burgers. Grill, covered, over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes for medium or until desired doneness is reached, turning halfway through grilling time. Remove burgers from grill, place on hamburger buns with desired toppings.

Quick & Easy, Low-Fat Snack

I am a snacker, and unfortunately do not always make the best choices when choosing a snack (I have a HUGE sweet tooth!). I am always looking for snacks that are healthier than the usual cookies and candy, but are also quick and easy to make. I came across this idea a few weeks ago and have just recently gotten around to trying it.

I only had bananas on hand, but strawberries or raspberries would be delicious!

You will need: 1 rice cake (your choice of flavor), 3 Tbls Lite Coolwhip, your choice of fruit or berries. Top rice cake with coolwhip and fruit, enjoy!

This snack fulfills my craving of something sweet and also has a nice crunch to it (for those of you who prefer chips...), plus gives you some fruit (although probably not enough to constitute a serving)!

Lunch for Book Club

I hosted a monthly book club meeting today for the Warren Spouse's Club (WSC) and prepared lunch for the ladies (and a 4 year old boy, who was much more interested in the dessert!). I wanted to keep it simple, yet filling, along with planning something I thought most people would eat. Everyone seemed to enjoy the soup and salad I chose, so much so, I need to email out the recipes (always a good sign!).

Santa Fe Soup

2 lbs ground beef

2 cans white corn, undrained

1 can kidney beans, undrained

1 pkg ranch dressing mix

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans water

1 onion

Brown ground beef and onion in pan. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 2 hours or crock pot on low all afternoon. Top with Fritos, cheese and sour cream.

Ramen Noodle Salad

1 lb pkg coleslaw mix

2 pkgs chicken flavored ramen noodles

2 oz slivered almonds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

3 chopped green onions

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

2 flavor packets from noodles

DO NOT COOK NOODLES. Break up the noodles and toss them with the coleslaw mix, almonds, sunflower seeds, and green onions. Mix dressing ingredients in separate container. Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Dessert consisted of frosted sugar cookies, and a cake decorated for Easter. I use a different sugar cookie recipe each time I make cut-out cookies. I was very pleased with this recipe as the dough was extremely easy to work with. The cookies did not rise much, so I'm glad I kept them thick when rolling them out, and they weren't too sweet on their own (great for decorating!)

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, sour cream and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients, gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness, cut with floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lightly greased (I used Silpat mat). Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on pan for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Peep Easter Cake

I got the inspiration for this cake from a Taste of Home magazine. The original recipe calls for chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, yellow peeps, and chocolate chips. The design ended up looking like a sunflower.

1 package cake mix (your choice of flavor)

2 cans frosting (again your choice of flavor)

19 Peeps

Assemble a two-layer round cake, frost middle layer, top and sides. Place peeps on top outer edge of cake. Fill center with your choice of decorations.

On another note, the wine I took last night to Wine Club ended up being one of the favorites for the whole group!

Wine Club

This is the wine I am taking!

Tonight I am attending my second Wine Club event at Kim's, which means I'm not preparing dinner tonight (hubby's on his own!). Last month we sampled Chianti paired with a baked ziti and salad prepared by Kim. Tonight we are trying Malbec's. I was not familiar with this variety of wine (as I'm just getting in to varieties other than sweet whites) and am anxious to try the wine tonight. Along with a bottle of Malbec, I am also bringing an appetizer. I always have a difficult time picking out an appetizer, as I try to find something different rather than the usual chips/veggies/dip, crackers/dip, ect. I came across a recipe for Mini Cheese Balls published in a Kraft foods magazine. I tasted a sample (needed to make sure it was acceptable before taking it tonight!) and they turned out savory, with a hint of sweetness...perfect!

Mini Cheese Balls
Prep: 10 min Total: 2 hours 10 min. (includes refrigerating)

1 tub (8 oz.) Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1 pkg (8 oz.) mozzarella shredded cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and finely chopped
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, ground (I used pecans!)

Mix cream cheese spread and mozzarella cheese until well blended. Stir in chopped bacon and seasoning. Shape mixture into 54 balls, 1 level tsp each (I used a small cookie scoop and made 30 balls). Roll in walnuts. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Makes 18 servings, 3 each.

PS. Check out Kim's blog, http://www.maxveno.blogspot.com/ She does a great job of posting pictures of all the Wine Club functions, along with life in Wyoming.

Starting out, easy meals, and a new cookbook purchase!

I am backtracking a bit from this last week, as I've started this blog on a Friday, and I've cooked a meal each night this week (well, except Monday, as I was traveling back from a trip to Montana to see some of our good friends!). Since both my husband and I were traveling last week and didn't get home until late Monday night, I kept this weeks recipes quick and easy!

Tuesday night I tried a new recipe which I found in our local monthly magazine, Around Cheyenne. The name of the recipe is, Pop-Over Pizza. This proved to be a quick and easy meal for those hectic weeknights, however, it didn't meet my family's standard of a recipe to keep on file and make again.

Wednesday we had ham and beans. I have no particular recipe for making this cheap soup, I normally follow the directions on the Navy Bean bag, but cook a little longer to make sure the beans are nice and soft (aka mushy!). I would normally serve cornbread with this meal, but I came across a recipe titled, Cornbread Biscuits (found in the Around Cheyenne magazine). Once again, I'm not keeping the recipe and will not make again. They were okay, but I was hoping for something "spicier/hotter" and thought I would have achieved it since this recipe included green chilies (and I did use the hot variety).

Thursday I made a fish and asparagus dish. I came across this recipe in a cookbook that was sent to me by my friend Susy, who is currently living in Germany. I try to incorporate fish into our diet at least once a week. I would love to have it more, but I have a difficult time finding recipes both my husband and I agree sound tasty. After trying this dish, I would make it again, however, my husband had a different opinion. I think his mind was already set against it from the time he asked, "What's for dinner?" Fish wasn't what he had in mind.

After this already long post and three recipes, that brings us to tonight (Friday). This is a very basic meal, that most people enjoy and it's definitely nothing new! Loaded Baked Potatoes and salad are being served tonight. I'm sure you all have your favorite potato toppings and are more than capable of throwing a salad together (or should I say, opening the bag?).


On another note, I felt like doing shopping a little today and stopped by the Big Lots by our house. Now, I've never been a huge fan of Big Lots, although I'm pretty sure it was one of my husband's favorite stores in college (needed cheap cleaning supplies for his fraternity house, although I'm not sure they ever got used!). Today, I found a cookbook for $3 titled, "Culinarytherapy" by Beverly West. I haven't had a lot of time to look through it, but for $3, I couldn't pass it up! I might need to stop at Big Lots more often.

Have a great weekend and hopefully I'll have some better tasting recipes (and pictures) to share next week!

Welcome!

During the last two years, I have found myself planning meals for my family a month at a time. I love collecting recipes, cooking, and trying new food. When I started planning the meals, I bought a calendar at the Dollar Store, used only for meal planning, sat down on a Saturday with cookbooks surrounding me, and went to work. I've found this method has worked for me, as it saves me time throughout the week, along with giving my family a variety of meals, rather than eating the same foods each week. You know you have those "standbys" that you end up eating once a week!

I have decided to start this blog, mainly for my family and friends, who might be inspired to start meal planning, or they can use the menus and recipes I will be posting and serving to my family. My goal is to post my daily menu plan (often times just the main course!), the recipe I intend to use, a picture of the finished product (only if it looks decent!), and my family's review of the recipe.

Here are a couple of things you should know about the recipes I will be posting...

1. My family does not like red or green peppers, or mushrooms. Therefore, I probably won't include many recipes including those ingredients, as I won't be making them in my house.

2. Most recipes will be quick and easy to make. Occasionally more difficult recipes will be included for those weekends you may have some extra time to cook, or for those special occasions.

3. I typically follow a recipe as it is originally written, you can take the liberty of changing it as you see fit.

4. I do NOT cook every night. As a matter of fact, you will see throughout the weeks that I will make a note to eat your leftovers! I also leave open dates in my menu calendar to shift things around in case we make other dinner plans, eating out, ect.

5. I am currently cooking for TWO, which means I will probably have more leftovers to use up throughout the week than you.

I hope you enjoy this site and are able to make some new meals for your family! And, finally, please bear with me as this is the first blog I've attempted. It will take me some time to arrange the site and figure this all out! Enjoy!