Melted Snowman Soup

This is a great way/decoy to use up leftovers... Give it a fancy name, and most (if not all) kids will eat!

Your quantities will vary from mine, so I'll just put down ingredients, and then you can add to taste...

Leftover mashed potatoes

Milk & Chicken broth (about the same amount of potatoes)

Cooked bacon

Corn

Chopped and cooked onion, green onion too

Salt/pepper

Garlic powder

Cooked/pureed cauliflower (however much you want, but I love how this veggie can hide and I used a whole frozen bag)

Stir and heat on stove. Serve in bowls with a lonely carrot nose.

This went over quite well at my house, especially for a "potato" dinner. It is all about presentation and fun kid names.

Sweet potato chili in a crockpot

Don't let the title fool you... this is so good!

3 sweet potatoes sliced

1/2 onion, chopped up

1 cup green, red, yellow peppers chopped up (super small if your kids don't like them)

1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

chili powder (add according to your taste buds)

1 cup water

1/2 cup orange juice

a dash of liquid smoke (optional)

Dump in the crockpot and stir a bit. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Top with cheese or sour cream if you want, but it is delicious on its own. We served this tonight with sabotage bread that LESLIE made! Yippee!!!

Easy breakfast pie

I threw this together this morning. It was fast (5 minutes prep, 30 minutes in the oven), yummy, and everyone wanted more and licked their plates instead...

1 pie crust

Mix together:

1/2 bag of frozen mixed berries thawed in microwave

1 granny smith apple chopped up

4 granola bars crushed up (save 2 for topping)

1/2 large carton of vanilla yogurt

Fill unbaked pie crust with a mixture of every ingredient. Top with 2 more granola bars. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so. Enjoy deliciousness.

Pumpkin milkshake

6 scoops butter pecan ice cream

1 can pumpkin

3 cups milk (your choice of how thick or thin it is... whole, skim, whatever)

1 cup chopped up pecans

Blend in blender. (You may need to divide this in half and work separate batches).

The twins did this for a potions class, and we "grossified" the recipe, and then used our wands to "delicious-ify". This is yummy!

Serve in Halloween cups and enjoy!

Smoky vegetable soup

I know. I love soups too much. These were really good.

Smoky Vegetable soup

My mom and I made this and were in absolute heaven over the smells, and then ... we ate it all up. This is really really really really really really really yummy soup!

We served this with my sabotage bread and apple blackberry cobbler for dessert. Um, yum.

To make this simpler that the william sonoma catalog says, just chop up the veggies, cook in olive oil, add broth, simmer, and blend. Yum!

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 red bell peppers and 2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1 1/2-by-3/8-inch slices

8 plum tomatoes, quartered

4 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

3 cups chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

(You can also add kielbasa polish sausage... it is really good)

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. In the same pot over medium heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the onion mixture.

In the same pot over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir the onion mixture into the pot. Transfer 2 cups of the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Add the potato and stock to the pot and simmer until the potato is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add a few drops of liquid smoke in to the soup in the covered pot for 5 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup in the blender on high for 20 seconds per batch. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the reserved vegetables. Serves 6 to 8.

(Williams-Sonoma Kitchen)

Yummy quick bread

Cinnamon Walnut Bread (you can skip the walnuts if you want to...)

makes one loaf

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup milk

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup walnuts

1 beaten egg

1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the beaten egg and milk and stir. Fold in the walnuts. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for about forty minutes, or until golden (stick a knife in the center to make sure it comes out clean). Let cool and serve with honey butter!

Fortune Cookies!

Wohoo! I have been wanting to try and make these for a while, but I was intimidated...it seemed too hard, but I tried it yesterday and had success.

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (in one batch I skipped the almond and put in more vanilla, it worked fine)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 T water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Have fortunes ready to go on small strips of paper.

In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites and sugar on high with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and stir in remaining ingredients one at a time, mixing well after each. Consistency should resemble pancake batter.

Spoon the batter into 3 inch circles on the parchment paper. (I used the back of a spoon to spread them kind of thin)

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the oven, until the edges begin to brown. Quickly remove them, place a message in the center and fold in half, then fold the ends of the half together into a horse shoe shape. 

My tips: To help hold their form while they harden I put mine in a mini muffin pan, it worked great. Also, I don't really know how long I baked mine, I just kept checking them and when the edges were brown I took them out, I think it was closer to 5 minutes rather than 7. I also found that 3-4 was the maximum to bake at a time considering that they start to harden pretty quickly and you won't have time to fold them if you make too many. So anyway those are my tips :)

Oh and yes, I wasted some of the batter figuring it out but I once I got it I had a lot of fun making these, so don't give up! I served them at our friends 40th birthday party and put funny little "old person" fortunes in them. and everyone love them.

Danish Oatmeal Cookies

Last night for our cooking club our assignment was to make something European. I decided to try and find something Danish to make (and something that I already had all the ingredients for). I was so wishing that I had an aebleskiver pan! Anyway, I came across this recipe and gave it a try. They turned out yummy and the ladies at cooking club enjoyed them and so did my family.

Danish Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup oatmeal (I didn't want the texture of oatmeal so I put mine in my little blender/chopper thing and it came out like oatmeal flour)

1 cup chopped pecans (I chopped half of the nuts very finely in my blender too)

powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl mix the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the flour mixture. Gently stir in the oatmeal and pecans and lightly mix until combined. 

Roll into small teaspoon sized balls and place on cookie sheet or baking stone. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar. 

Makes 90 little cookies at about 40 calories per cookie, but be careful they are bitesize and melt in your mouth...easy to eat 5 without even thinking about it :)

Oatmeal

For anyone who loves or doesn't love oatmeal, check out this blog. You'll love oatmeal. I promise.

http://www.KathEats.com/kaths-tribute-to-oatmeal/

Hello Dollies

This is probably Mike's favorite treat that I make, 

I can't believe it has taken me so long to put it up here.

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
1 pack of graham crackers (about 9 full crackers)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Put butter in 9x13 inch baking dish and melt in the oven while it preheats to 325 degrees.
While the butter is melting crush the crackers into crumbs.
When butter is melted take pan out of oven and pour graham cracker crumbs over the butter, making sure to get the crumbs all over the bottom of the pan. This will be your crust.
Sprinkle chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and pecans over the crust. Drizzle milk over all and bake for 25-30 minutes. Makes 24 dollies.

Nutrition info...
Seriously, do you really want to know? Ok. If you cut it 6x4 to make 24 servings, then 1 serving has about 240 calories. Now, yes we could probably substitute light butter and fat free sweetened condensed milk and maybe cut the chips and nuts to 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup...but I don't know if it would taste as good :) It might be worth a try though.

Apple Breakfast Lasagna

THIS WAS AWESOME!!!

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 packages frozen french toast (9 oz each)

1/2 pound sliced boiled ham (or lunchmeat ham)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can apple pie filling

1 cup granola cereal with or without raisins

In a small bowl, blend sour cream and brown sugar. Chill.

Place 6 French toast slices in the bottom of a greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Layer 1/2 of the sour cream mixture, ham, 1 1/2 cups cheese and remaining 6 slices of French toast. (I used some leftover mashed potatoes for the 2nd layer of bread, but those non-potato fans would probably like bread instead.)

Spread apple pie filling on top (or applesauce and chunked up apples) and sprinkle with granola.

Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream mixture.

Makes 6 servings.

Heavenly Buttermilk Syrup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla.

Zucchini Pie

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) package refrigerated crescent rolls (I used the seamless dough sheet again)
1/4 butter
4 cups sliced zucchini
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 T. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (I only used 1/4 tsp. since I'm not a big pepper fan)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll crescent rolls and press into a 9 inch pie pan, covering sides and bottom.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the zucchini and onion until tender. Season with parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Remove skillet from heat and mix in the eggs and cheese.

Put zucchini mixture in pie pan over crescent dough and bake for 20 minutes, until set. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Wow... second night in a row trying a new recipe and I loved it. The kids liked it mostly, Isaac and Anna didn't love the zucchini part, but they still ate what I gave them. I like to have some vegetarian dishes in our rotation, I don't know if this is truly vegetarian since it has eggs, but it counts for me.

I might try using some yellow squash with the zucchini next time. It might be fun to mix in some sharp cheddar too, or parmesan...

Oh, and in case you care...
Nutrition info is as follows if you cut it into 8 slices
1 slice has about 257 calories

I think next time I'll try it with light butter, or maybe just use less butter to cut down on the calories and maybe the reduced fat crescent dough. I bet you could also use eggbeaters or something like that for the eggs and cut there too.

Hope you like it as much as I did.

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

Ingredients:

2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped (I used orange since that is what I had.)
1 clove crushed garlic (I used 1/2 tsp. minced)
1 cup shredded cheddar (I used sharp of course)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. slivered almonds
1/4 cup diced onions
2 (8oz.) package refrigerated crescent rolls (I used the new crescent baking sheets, they are the same as the crescent rolls but without the perforation. It's nice because then you don't have to press the perforations together.)
1 egg white, beaten

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, broccoli, pepper, garlic, cheese, mayo, salt, almonds and onion.

3. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough (again, I got to skip this step.) Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips down the ling sides. There should be a solid strip in the middle about 3 inches wide, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center. Fold the side strips up over the chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.

4. Brush braided dough with egg white. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-28 minutes, or until golden brown. (Mine only needed 25 minutes.)

This was a new recipe I tried tonight and we liked it. The only thing the kids didn't really like about it was the peppers. I also liked that it wasn't hard to make, but it looked like it was :) Wish I would have had a nice platter to put it on for the picture, but oh well.

Since I'm counting calories I figured the nutrition information out also.
If you cut into 8 servings, it's roughly 340 calories per serving. I'm sure there are ways to cut this down, like using the reduced fat crescent dough, omitting the almonds, using low fat cheese, etc. Anyway, it's not too bad considering that it's your whole meal, you don't really need a lot of sides because it's all in there. I did serve it with nectarine slices, Jello would probably be good with it too.

Anyway, enjoy!

American Pasta Carbonara

Yesterday I had a craving for "Eggs and Bacon" Pasta. This was one of Geoff's favorite dishes at a restaurant we went to in Brazil, and we found this recipe and it's delicious! (And EASY)

American Pasta Carbonara

Prep time: 25 min

Servings: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces dry spinach fettucine (or whatever pasta you would like)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 ounces finely chopped bacon (Greg used like, 1/2 a pound)
  
• 1 clove minced garlic (Greg doubled this)
  
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese (We tripled this)
  
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, salt, add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until "al dente." Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet. Add bacon and saute for about 5 minutes or until it has rendered its fat and bits are crisp. Add garlic and saute for few seconds. Remove skillet from the heat, over and set aside until pasta is done. Whisk eggs and cheese together and season to taste with salt and pepper. When pasta is done, drain well and return to pot, off heat. Thoroughly combine with bacon, garlic and oil. Stirring pasta continuously with a long wooden pasta fork, slowly pour in the egg mixture. Continue to stir, over low heat, until the eggs thicken into a sauce. Remove from the heat immediately or eggs will curdle. (If you are concerned eggs are not cooked enough, continue to cook until they form soft curds; it won't look pretty but it will taste delicious.)

I was thinking it could be nice to add chicken. But it's really yummy regardless. :)

Salads to try

It is summer. Duh. And I am a salad fiend. I am going to try each of these, and I thought I'd post them up here for others to try.

Enjoy (I hope)!

Strawberry Salad

3 cups watercress leaves

3 cups torn arugula leaves

3 cups sliced strawberries

1/4 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

Alternate

For a delicious twist on this salad, add 1 cup fiddlehead ferns. Fiddlehead ferns taste like a cross between green beans and asparagus. You can use blanched green beans or asparagus as a substitute for fiddlehead ferns. Spinach Salad with Strawberries: Replace the watercress and arugula with 6 cups torn tender spinach leaves. For a nutty crunch, add 1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds.

Directions

1.

In a large bowl, combine the watercress, arugula and strawberries.

2.

In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, oil, poppy seeds and orange rind. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.

Chickpea Cucumber Salad

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

3 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Alternate

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad WIth Feta: A bit of feta cheese adds a pleasantly tangy, creamy note to this salad. Crumble 6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) feta cheese over the salad. It will increase the fat only slightly, to about 4 grams per serving.

Directions

1.

In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, onion, cucumber, pepper, tomatoes, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Toss to mix. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes for flavors to blend.

Fruit Salad

1 teaspoon grated lime peel

2 tablespoons lime juice

4 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1/2 small honeydew, cubed

1/2 cantaloupe, cubed

1 pint fresh strawberries, halved and hulled

2 cups fresh pineapple or mango cubes

Directions

1.

In a large bowl, stir together the lime peel, juice, honey, and mint until combined. Add the honeydew, cantaloupe, strawberries, and pineapple or mango. Toss to combine.

Chicken-Asian Salad

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin crosswise strips

4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes

3 tablespoons raw cashews

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

5 cloves garlic, slivered

1 1/2 tablespoons slivered peeled fresh ginger

1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

2 medium carrots, cut into thin slices

4 scallions, diagonally sliced

1/2 cup orange juice

3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

3 cups baby spinach

Directions

1.

In a medium bowl, mix the chicken, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, and the red-pepper flakes, to taste. Cover and set aside.

2.

Cook the cashews in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Tip onto a plate and let cool.

3.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly golden. Add the chicken and stirfry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until no longer pink. Transfer to a clean bowl.

4.

Place the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and carrots, and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the scallions and stir-fry for 2 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Return the chicken and any juices to the skillet. Add the orange juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring. Let boil for 30 seconds; remove from the heat.

5.

Mix the lettuce and spinach on a large, deep platter or in a wide, shallow bowl. Spoon the chicken mixture on top. Sprinkle with the cashews and serve immediately.

Turkey Blue Cheese Salad

1 lb turkey breast cutlets

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

8 C baby spinach leaves

4 slices cooked reduced sodium turkey bacon, crumbled

1/2 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2" cubes

4 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

1.

Preheat grill pan on medium high heat 2 minutes. Brush turkey with 1 teaspoon of the oil and sprinkle with half of the salt. Grill turkey 4 minutes, flip, and continue cooking until centers are opaque and juices run clear, about 3 minutes longer. Cut into chunks.

2.

To prepare dressing, combine vinegar, mustard, 1 tablespoon of water, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt in glass jar. Shake well.

3.

In large bowl, toss spinach with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Arrange turkey, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, and cheese over spinach. Drizzle remaining dressing over salad and season with black pepper to taste.

Chicken Mango Salad

2 tbsp olive oil

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 C shredded romaine lettuce

1 sm bunch watercress, lg stems discarded

1/2 C finely shredded red cabbage

1 firm ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2" pieces

Directions

1.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Cook, turning, until golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to cutting board.

2.

Add shallots and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar to skillet and cook, stirring, until shallots are softened and liquid is almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer shallots to small bowl. Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper into shallot mixture.

3.

Place romaine, watercress, cabbage, and mango in serving bowl. Cut chicken diagonally into long, thin strips. Add to romaine mixture, toss with dressing, and serve.

Fruit Salad on Greens

4 cups mixed salad greens

3 cups mixed fruit, such as grapes, sliced strawberries, sliced kiwi, and cubed mango, honeydew, cantaloupe, or watermelon

1 cup mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing

1/2 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sugar or honey

Directions

1.

To make the salad: In a large bowl, toss the greens, fruit, and mandarin oranges.

2.

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, yogurt, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and sugar. Whisk together just before serving. Pour over the salad, toss gently, and serve immediately.

Tomato Cucumber Italian Salad

3 large tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 hothouse cucumber, cut into 1" pieces

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup light Italian dressing

ground black pepper

6 lettuce leaves

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.

In a refrigerator container, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, and scallions. Add the dressing, and season to taste with salt and pepper; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, stirring the salad several times.

2.

To serve, drain off most of the dressing. Place a lettuce leaf on each of 6 salad plates and spoon salad into each leaf. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Parmesan over each.

Cooked Veggie Salad

1/2 cup salad oil

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups whole cooked green beans

1 cup sliced cooked carrots

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup green pepper, sliced or cut into strips

1 medium spanish onion, sliced

Directions

1.

Prepare dressing of oil, vinegar, and sugar mixed together. Mix green beans, carrots, celery, green pepper, and onion into dressing and keep pressed down with plate on top. Refrigerate overnight. Drain well before serving.

Spinach-Orange-Dijon Salad

8 cups torn spinach leaves

1 red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1/2 cup canned mandarin orange segments, drained

2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds

HONEY-MUSTARD DRESSING

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange juice

Alternate

In a pinch, use fat-free honey-mustard dressing.

Directions

1.

To make the salad: In a large bowl, combine the spinach, onions, oranges and almonds.

2.

To make the honey-mustard dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, lemon juice and orange juice. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.