But Mama, I'm Hungry!

Have A Chex Party Mix-Change!

2011-12-06T14:33:00.007-07:00

During the holidays it's pretty common for people to throw a cookie exchange party. You know, where everyone brings a few dozen of their favorite cookies and then get together and chat and swap cookies. Then you can bring home your loot and share with neighbors, friends and family. Well, this year, instead of having a cookie exchange, why not have a Chex mix-change! MyBlogSpark contacted me about hosting my own Chex mix-change.

I'll be honest here, I'm not really into parties like this. So, instead what I'm doing is whipping up some of my favorite Chex mix recipes and share them with my neighbors this year instead of the normal cookies and candies that I bring for Christmas gifts. Something a little different never hurt anyone! I'm sure some yummy savory and sweet Chex mix recipes like Hot Buttered Yum Chex® Mix or Chex® Barbecue Snack Mix will be a welcome change from all of the fudge and candy that is so common to receive this time of year.

Would you like to host your own Chex Party Mix-Change? One reader will win this fun prize pack. It includes 2 boxes of Chex cereal, 5 Chex party mix recipes that come on nifty cards, 10 takeout containers to deliver or share your Chex mix in and a $20 gift card to purchase thS e ingredients to make all of that yummy Chex mix!!

You'll have until Friday December 9th to enter. I'll pick one winner and email you by Saturday the 10th. All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment on this post with a way for me to contact you. That's it! Good luck!

Disclosure: The Chex Party Mix-Change product, information, and giveaway have been provided by Chex through MyBlogSpark.

This giveaway is now closed, thank you to all that entered. The winner was Jambo!! Thanks everyone!

The World's Best Potato Salad

2011-09-19T10:29:00.002-06:00

Since Spud (potato) Harvest is coming up soon around these parts, I figured it would be fitting to share a potato recipe with you all today.

Since I've been married, which will be eight years this November, I've yet to impress my husband with a good potato salad. He's not normally a picky eater, and will pretty much eat anything. But, potato salad is a different story. He doesn't like it too dry. He doesn't like it too sweet. He doesn't like it with dill.... Don't get me wrong, he will eat anything I make, but he rarely compliments on my potato salads. That is until he tried this one. I first made it a couple of weeks ago to go with some ribs I had made.

I found the recipe on AllRecipes.com but of course I changed things up a bit. If you're like me you know what I mean. You take a recipe as a base and then fix it up to your likings. I'm glad I did, and I'm glad I wrote down what I did!! He loved this one and even thought it worthy to bring along to a little catering job that we did just this last weekend. And everyone that ate at the dinner we provided said it was mighty delish!

Sorry I don't have a picture of this recipe right now, but I'm sure I'll be making it again soon and I'll post a picture of it then.

The World's Best Potato Salad

6 medium Idaho Russet potatoes
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
6 hard-boiled eggs, diced
5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)

dressing:

2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup vinegar
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1/4 cup butter
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup relish
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. pepper (or to taste)

paprika for garnish

Whisk together eggs, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in vinegar, evaporated milk and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until thickened, this could take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Refrigerate until completely cool. Then stir in mayonnaise, relish, celery seed, salt and pepper.

Wash the potatoes, but do not peel. Place whole potatoes into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and let cool. Once cool, peel and dice into a large bowl. Add onion, celery, eggs and bacon into bowl and mix.

Stir in cooled prepared dressing with the potato mixture. Make sure everything is evenly coated. Garnish with a shake or two of paprika for color. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but overnight is best. Serve and enjoy!

We Have A Winner! & Some Candy Ideas

2010-12-18T10:46:00.005-07:00

Thank you to all that entered the Hamburger Helper Giveaway!

The winner is mommysap, who said, "Love hamburger helper, Tim McGraw and a good cause. :)"

Now for some candy recipes. This is my first year making candies to give as gifts for Christmas, so I didn't make my own recipes, so I'm just going to link you to some good ones that I've made this year. Peanut butter balls have been a hit with my family and neighbors, and they are incredibly easy to make!! I also made homemade cordial cherries for the first time and will never buy them again!! Instead of the vanilla called for in the recipe I used some of the cherry juice that I reserved. And for some of them I chopped up some peanuts and mixed them in with my milk chocolate and dipped them in that to make them like a local candy company does! They were really yummy that way! I also made homemade turtles, which are caramel, pecans and chocolate. Yum! Make sure you have a good candy thermometer to make these! The caramel is also good by itself, or you can do what I did with some of it and wrapped it around some roasted and salted peanuts and then dipped them in white chocolate to make polar bear paws like See's candy! Yummy!! Then I also made some saltine toffee, which was surprisingly really good! I had never heard of anything like it before. I also made some buttercrunch, which was really yummy and rich! Make sure you use cane sugar when making that because the cheaper sugar doesn't melt right when making hard candies.

So, if you've been wanting to make some homemade candies, these are the ones that I've had luck with and I know they turn out yummy! Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Help Fight Hunger With Hamburger Helper

2010-12-10T16:45:00.004-07:00

I've been awfully busy with getting ready for Christmas, but I thought I'd stop in and do a quick giveaway. Hamburger Helper and MyBlogSpark have put together a fun giveaway. Now, I don't normally buy or serve Hamburger Helper because my husband doesn't like it, but when I got contacted about holding a giveaway to help support the fight against hunger, I couldn't say no. Did you know that According to Feeding America, approximately 5.7 million different people receive emergency food assistance from the organization in any given week.

With this giveaway, MyBlogSpark and Hamburger Helper will be donating $10 in the winner's name to Feeding America. You'll also get a chance to win this nice little prize pack that includes a box of the classic cheeseburger macaroni Hamburger Helper, a Tim McGraw CD and a Hamburger Helper Hand!

Support the campaign by submitting codes from specially marked boxes of Hamburger Helper at www.showyourhelpinghand.com or by logging on to make a donation. Hamburger Helper has already donated more than half a million dollars and will contribute up to an additional $100,000 to Feeding America through this program. Don't think one code will make a difference? The 17 cents Hamburger Helper donates per code is enough for Feeding America to deliver one meal to a local food bank.

To enter to win, just leave me a comment with your email address. US only, you have until 12/17/10 to enter. One entry per person please! Good luck!

Menu For The Week of 11/21

2010-11-20T09:19:00.003-07:00

I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving this week! Here is my menu for this week.

Saturday (today): We don't have any leftovers like I was planning for, so I'll be making Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole, egg noodles, bread & salad

Sunday: Elk stew & homemade bread

Monday: Taco Salad

Tuesday: Chicken cacciatore, pasta, salad and french bread

Wednesday: Sandwiches and soup (I need easy since I'll be pretty busy!)

Thursday: Turkey Day! I'm bringing mashed potatoes, rolls, pumpkin cheesecake and a couple other desserts that I'm not really 100% decided on yet. And then I'll also bring a couple of appetizers, I'm thinking maybe some pepper jelly and cream cheese with crackers and maybe some chips and dip. My husband is also deep frying two turkeys! One for us to bring home and then one for eating on Thanksgiving along with the traditional turkey that my sister in law is making.

Friday: leftovers

Saturday: Turkey enchilada soup

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? Or are you just bringing things? What are you bringing?

Oatmeal Cookie Granola

2010-11-15T13:35:00.003-07:00

This is by far my favorite granola recipe! The original recipe came from The Sisters Cafe but of course I can't just make a recipe like it's stated, so I altered it a little bit to my likings. This is a great breakfast granola with milk or yogurt or you can be like me and sit with the container of granola for a snack! I think it tastes like an oatmeal cookie, the cinnamon and vanilla really stand out! I love this granola and I always have it on hand.

Oatmeal Cookie Granola

4 cups Oats (I use old fashioned)
1 cup flour, all purpose or whole wheat, whatever you have
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
¼ cup flax seed (optional)
1 cup or more almond slivers and/or pecans pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/3 cup water
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 300. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, flax seed, coconut and nuts. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter, and water and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbly. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture together until smooth, and then stir in the salt, vanilla and spices. Pour mixture over the oats mixture and stir will to coat. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
Spread mixture on two cookie sheets, separating it into irregular clumps with your fingers, and allowing space between clumps for the hot air to circulate. Bake in oven for 15 minutes at a time, stirring after each 15 minutes, baking for a total of one hour. Cool completely and add raisins and craisins and store in an air tight container.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2010-11-13T11:22:00.003-07:00

One of my favorite easy things to make to accompany a meal are these cheddar bay biscuits. They are so yummy and whenever I make them, my family gobbles them up. If you've ever been to Red Lobster, then you have had cheddar bay biscuits, but I honestly think that these are better! They aren't as greasy as Red Lobster's and they just plain taste better. When I make these I use Pioneer Brand baking mix, because I like it better then Bisquick, but you can use either or a store brand would even work. I hope you try these, let me know what you think!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2 cups baking mix (I like Pioneer Brand the best)

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons melted butter

2/3 milk

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Mix the baking mix and cheese together in a bowl, add melted butter and milk and mix until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Top baked biscuits with garlic herb butter and enjoy!

Makes 9 biscuits.

Garlic Herb Butter

¼ cup salted butter, melted

¼ - ½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried parsley

Mix all ingredients together and top hot cheddar biscuits.

Menu For The Week of 11/14

2010-11-13T11:12:00.002-07:00

Sunday: Chile verde, refried beans, Mexican rice, tortillas, chips, salsa, guacamole and coconut chocoflan for dessert. (we're having friends over for dinner)

Monday: out to dinner (friends invited us to see if my husband can eat a challenge meal at a restaurant)

Tuesday: Angel Chicken, pasta and broccoli

Wednesday: Homemade creamy tomato soup and sandwiches

Thursday: Elk steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans & bread

Friday: Chicken chili, tortilla chips and salad

Saturday: leftovers!

Baking list for this week~

bread, chocoflan cake (I'll HAVE to share this recipe with you all!), cookies

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

2010-11-09T08:34:00.003-07:00

I had some leftover canned pumpkin in my fridge the other day, so I decided to make some pumpkin bread with it. I wasn't in the mood for the traditional quick bread type of pumpkin bread and we were getting low on sandwich bread, so I decided to make some pumpkin yeast bread. Easy enough, I just used my regular white bread recipe and substituted one cup of the water called for in that recipe for one cup of canned pumpkin! Pumpkin is pretty moist, so I figured it would work out, and I was right! You can't really taste a difference, so it doesn't taste pumpkiny, but your adding 6 grams of fiber to the recipe! Plus you get a nice orange color that kids think is pretty cool. If you wanted to use wheat flour to make this bread you could, since my recipe calls for vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer, you'll still get a light fluffy loaf. So, if you have leftover pumpkin that you need to use up, why not try this recipe?!

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

1 cup warm water

2/3 cup sugar

1 ½ tablespoons yeast

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ cup oil

1 tablespoon dough enhancer

1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

5 – 6 cups all purpose flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the water, sugar and yeast. Let sit until the yeast has proofed, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with dough hook attachment until combined. Then let the mixer knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 – 7 minutes. Turn dough into a greased bowl and cover with a towel, place the bowl in a warm place and let dough rise to double it's size. After it has risen, punch the dough down and divide into two portions. Form loaves with the dough and place into greased bread pans. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until the dough is about an inch above the pan. Once risen, place the bread into a preheated 350° F oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. When done baking remove from pans immediately and let cool on a wire rack. Makes 2 loaves.

With half of my dough I actually made a pan of cinnamon rolls. If you want to do that, roll out half of the dough at a time into a rectangle that is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Spread about 3 tablespoons of melted butter on the dough, followed by about 1/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Spread evenly, add raisins or nuts if desired and then roll up long ways. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces and place in a greased dish. Let them rise until doubled and then bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. I didn't frost mine, but if you want them frosted I would use a cream cheese frosting maybe about 4 ounces of cream cheese, 1/4 cup of butter, 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, a tablespoon of milk if needed and maybe some vanilla, about 1/2 teaspoon would work well. I would use that much for the whole batch of bread being turned into cinnamon rolls, so for half a batch just cut that in half. If you wanted them frosted, frost about 5 minutes after you take them out of the oven so that the frosting doesn't melt everywhere.

Now, just so you know, in my picture of the cinnamon rolls you might see some little cinnamon chips on top of them. I put cinnamon chips inside of my rolls and they made a huge mess, so I wouldn't recommend doing that. The filling melted out all over the place and was a gooey mess. So, learn from my mistake and don't do that! :)

Menu For The Week Of 10/7

2010-11-06T12:21:00.004-06:00

I thought I'd start putting up my weekly menu. This week I didn't have a menu that I stuck to and I really didn't like not knowing what I was making for dinner each night. It's so much easier to have a plan. I don't always stick to the menu, and some nights I might switch dinners around and make what was supposed to be made on Thursday on a Tuesday. In other words, my menu isn't iron clad. But, it's nice to have a guide.

Sunday- Split Pea Soup (made with sausage instead of ham) served with homemade buttermilk rolls and green salad.

Monday- Our 7th anniversary. I think we're going out to dinner, but if we don't then I'll make a roasted whole chicken with red potatoes, onions, carrots and garlic. Served with leftover rolls and a salad.

Tuesday- Individual Chicken Pot Pies, salad on the side.

Wednesday- Elk Fried Steak (my husband just got his first elk!), mashed potatoes and cream gravy, green beans and buttermilk rolls.

Thursday- Black Bean Chicken Chili in the crock pot with tortilla chips and salad.

Friday- Elk Stroganoff with egg noodles and peas on the side.

Saturday- Clam Chowder, french bread and salad.

Baking list for this week-

*buttermilk rolls (as seen in the menu, the dough refrigerates well so I'll be using it all week)
*wheat bread (for sandwiches, I don't buy bread)
*french bread (as seen in menu)
*peanut butter oatmeal cookies
*turkey cookies (sugar cookies)

Do you plan a weekly menu?

Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares

2010-11-05T10:22:00.006-06:00

So, I was looking through my recipes and I noticed that I haven't posted my recipe for Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares! Duh.... This is a recipe that I came up with a few years ago when I entered the Pillsbury Cook-Off contest. It didn't get chosen, but everyone that has ever tried it has said that these are the best brownies ever! These would be great to take to a pot luck during the holiday months. Enjoy!

Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares

1 box fudge brownie mix plus ingredients to make

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9x13 in baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray and set aside. Prepare brownies as package states, pour into baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. While brownie layer bakes, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. When brownie comes out of oven, spoon cheesecake mixture over brownies, spread as evenly as possible. Dot with jam and swirl with knife. Top with chocolate chips and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheesecake looks set but still a little wiggly. Cool for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, remove from pan using aluminum foil, peel away and place brownie on cutting board. Cut into 24 squares, making sure to wipe knife between each cut. Place on serving tray and enjoy! Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers! Serves 24.

Cooking Again....

2010-11-04T13:39:00.002-06:00

Well, kind of. As you might already know, I recently had my third child and while I was pregnant, I had pretty much no desire to be in the kitchen. Now that she's here and I'm getting back into the swing of things, I have been cooking again. I just haven't been creating new recipes lately. So, I thought I'd make a post on here to kind of make myself want to start creating new recipes again. My husband has been asking me how my cookbook has been coming along, I'm not actually writing one that will be published or anything, just one that I'm putting together for me. Anyway, he's been asking me about that dang thing for over a year now and I sadly haven't worked on it at all. So, I need to nudge myself a little!! So, I'll start creating new recipes again. But, for now I wanted to stop in and show you all my beautiful little baby girl.

Libby was born August 26th and is now 10 weeks old today! She is the sweetest little baby ever, not to mention so beautiful! I love her to pieces!

I'll be back in a day or two with a new recipe. Off to the kitchen for me!!

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

2010-05-28T15:47:00.002-06:00

I was over at Picky Palate today looking at the recipes that I hadn't seen because I've been in this rut of not wanting to cook for so long, when I came across this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies! I knew right when I saw it that I HAD to make them!! I love cinnamon rolls and I love cookies, which you probably already knew since I have so many cookie recipes! These cookies did not disappoint! They taste just like a cinnamon roll, but in a sugar cookie form!

I made my frosting with heavy cream that I had in my fridge, so it took a lot more then the original recipe states. And my frosting was a lot thicker still, but I think I prefer it this way because I was able to pipe it onto the cookies in a cute little design. And so far I haven't been able to try them out of the fridge, like Jenny says to eat them because I've been too impatient and couldn't wait for them to sit in the fridge for the 30 minutes! But they are awesome even if not refrigerated! The recipe does make a TON, so make sure you have a lot of people to share them with! The guys at my hubby's work are going to be the recipients of lots of cookies tomorrow!

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

2 C. sugar
1 C. butter, softened
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

8 T. butter, softened and divided
1 1/2 C. packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 Cups
1 1/2 T. ground cinnamon, divided

Frosting
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 C. powdered sugar
2-4 T. milk or 1/4-1/3 C. cream, to thin icing

1. In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.

2. In 2 batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.

3. Once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches. Spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet.

4. To prepare frosting, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency. Frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Makes at least 6 dozen

Coconut Cake

2010-05-21T11:50:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! I haven't posted on here in so long! I honestly don't have a very good excuse, except for the fact that I'm currently 25 weeks pregnant with my third child, it's a girl!! Her two brothers are looking forward to having a sister and I'm looking forward to having a girl! Anyhow, I haven't been up to much cooking lately, which my husband is less then thrilled about. But, cooking just hasn't been my thing lately. I do however, want to share this recipe for yummy coconut cake with you. It's so yummy!! If you choose to use chocolate cake, it will taste like a mounds bar! And if you choose to use white cake, it will taste like a heavenly coconut cake. This cake is a poke cake, so it is pretty messy, but it's way yummy! I'll have to make this when I get a chance and take some pictures of it, but for now, here is the recipe! I hope you all enjoy it! And I'll try my best to start posting more often.

Coconut Cake

1 box white or chocolate cake mix plus ingredients to make the cake
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 can coconut milk
1 small tub cool whip
½ cup flaked coconut

Bake cake according to directions on box for a 9x13 cake. While cake is still warm, poke holes it it with the end of a skinny wooden spoon. Mix the sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk together and pour over warm cake. Let cool completely and then top with cool whip and coconut. Refrigerate and Enjoy! Serves 8-12.

Apple Fritters

2009-11-10T06:11:00.005-07:00

Yum!! Apple fritters are one of my all time favorite donuts to get at bakeries. Who knew that I could make them at home, so easily!! I got this recipe from an Amish cookbook that I have, added the cinnamon and the glaze and had an awesome end result! With is being Fall right now, apples are cheap (or free if you can find them) so it's a great time to make these babies! Have fun!

Apple Fritters

1 cup flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon (depending on how much you want)
1 egg, beaten
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 ½ cups (about 3) apples, peeled and diced
oil for frying

Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl with a wire whisk. Add egg and milk to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add apples to the batter and blend well. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil and fry until dark golden brown, about two minutes per side. Once done frying, let cool on paper towels. Dunk in glaze (recipe follows), covering fritters liberally. Place fritters on a wire wrack with parchment paper underneath it, for easy cleanup. Let glaze harden and enjoy! Makes 12 small fritters.

Fritter Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk (or more to desired consistency)

Mix all ingredients together until desired consistency is acquired, adding more powdered sugar or milk if need be.

After they were all made we were looking at them and saw some animal shapes!! My kids loved trying to find animals in the apple fritters.

New Pictures

2009-11-09T06:24:00.005-07:00

I just wanted to let you know that I updated a couple of pictures.

I have a new picture of the Cookies & Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies, with the Oreos cut instead of crushed, which does make a big difference!

I also have a new picture for Vegetable Ham Alfredo Soup, which if you haven't already made it, you need to!! It's so yummy!!

Chicken Stuffed Shells

2009-11-06T06:13:00.003-07:00

When I first saw this recipe I thought it was kind of a weird combination to combine stuffing and pasta, but I decided to give it a try since it sounded so easy. I'm glad I did, because my kids love these stuffed shells!! They have a comfort food, homey feel to them. Try them out and see how your family likes them!

Chicken Stuffed Shells

½ package giant pasta shells, cooked & drained
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 (6 ounce) box chicken flavored stuffing mix, prepared according to box
2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
½ soup can milk (use an empty cream of chicken can)
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Cook and drain pasta, set aside. Prepare the stuffing mix and place in a big bowl. Combine chicken, prepared stuffing, one can of cream of chicken soup, mix well. Stuff shells with chicken mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking pan that has been greased. Once all of the shells are filled, mix the remaining can of cream of chicken soup and ½ can of milk together along with the dried parsley. Pour the soup mixture over the shells, cover with foil and bake in a 350° F oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Sourdough Bread

2009-11-05T07:54:00.002-07:00

A couple of months ago I was reading up on how to make sourdough bread, I was intrigued by the fact that sourdough bread uses absolutely no yeast!! So, I thought that sourdough would be the perfect option for having bread during a situation that you might be living off of food storage and might have run out of yeast. So, I made a starter and let it grow and ferment and sour and now, I have some awesome bread!! All from water and flour. Granted, when I actually make the bread I do add a little oil, sugar and salt, but no yeast at all. And it's so yummy! I encourage all of you to start a sourdough starter, this way you can always make bread, with or without yeast!

Now, I'm not an expert about sourdough, so I'm going to lead you to a website by S. John Ross, who is an expert. You will learn everything you need to know about sourdough, from the feeding and care of your "pet" to the hooch that forms on the top. You can check out his website here. This is the recipe that I used to start my starter and to ultimately make my bread. I have two starters, this way I can have an extra in case one dies, which is pretty unlikely. Plus, we've been enjoying bread weekly and even pizza from the dough!! As you can see from my pictures I shape my dough into baguettes, we like it this way the best, but you can shape it in a regular loaf pan or as a round, it's up to you. It does take a lot of time, but not a lot of hands on time. And when I want to make bread I have to think about it about a day in advance, but that's not that big of a deal. Just read up on how to make the sourdough here and mostly, have fun!

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

2009-11-03T10:00:00.002-07:00

What's better than a warm chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk? Nothing! These pudding cookies are soft, moist, and all around yummy!! Add these to your holiday cookie plates and people will surely ask you for the recipe!

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine the flour and baking soda. Set aside. Mix the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pudding mix, and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Add the eggs and mix well. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen.

Soda Can Chicken

2009-10-14T07:55:00.004-06:00

First things first, I need to announce the winner of Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites! Thank you to everyone that entered!! And if you didn't win, be sure to get yourself a copy of the book here. The winner of the book is.................

tjones330@... who said: oh WOW!! i SOOOO need this book. I'm a big fan on these authors, but have just started getting into OAMC. This sure would be a great guide!

Congrats tjones, I've emailed you, so be sure to check your email and get back with me. If I don't hear back from tjones by next week, I'll pick a new winner. Again, thanks to everyone that entered!

Now, onto the recipe for the day! I was on CafeMom, in one of my groups and someone mentioned using soda in "beer can" chicken. Since I don't drink alcohol, I thought this idea was awesome! So, I used root beer to make "soda can" chicken! It was really simple!! I know that in the original recipe it says to do this on the grill, but it's starting to get cold and windy out here (well, it's always windy out here) so I decided to make it inside in my oven! So, this recipe isn't really a recipe, but more of a technique. Either way, I hope you try it soon!! Oh, and I used root beer, but you could also use sprite or coke, maybe even dr. pepper or mt. dew! Try it out and see how your family likes it!

Soda Can Chicken

1 whole chicken
1 12 oz. can soda of your choice
seasonings of your choice, I used My Go To Seasonings

Preheat an oven to 375° F.
Season the chicken with the seasonings of your choice, be sure to season generously. Open the can of soda and pour out about half of the soda into a glass and save for another use or drink it! Place the soda can onto a baking pan or roasting pan that is large enough to collect any juices that might come out of the chicken. Carefully put the can of soda into the bottom of the chicken and sit it upright on the baking pan. Be sure that your oven racks are low enough that the chicken will fit into it while standing. Place the chicken into the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through, about and hour to an hour and half, depending on how large your chicken is. Enjoy!

OAMC Family Favs Giveaway!!

2009-10-08T21:04:00.005-06:00

I was asked by the creators of Once-A-Month Cooking, Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg, to do a review and giveaway of their newest book, Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites. I must admit, I've never been into the OAMC (once a month cooking) way of doing things in the kitchen. I like the hands on, being in the kitchen for a few hours a day kind of cooking. It keeps me busy, it's my hobby and I just generally like to cook (obviously that's why I have this blog!). But that might change as my kids get older and we have more activities going on, so I decided to go ahead and look through the book. I really enjoyed looking through it and got quite a few recipes that I'd like to try out. The Jerk Chicken sounds way yummy, not to mention the Poppy Seed Chicken.

The book features shopping lists, pantry lists, menu charts, and the general know how of OAMC. With seven different menu cycles, there are lots of different choices!! Something for everyone from the gluten-free family to the gourmet. Something that might appeal to busy moms on the go is the fact that a whole month's worth of meals is ready for the taking in the freezer. If you know your going to be super busy, you could just pull out a meal and have it ready in no time. The book also includes lots of tips, including tips on freezing and tips on thawing. And in each recipe, they tell you what to freeze the meal in, whether it be in a zip loc bag or container.

I'm thinking this would be the perfect book for a new mother to have. Just think, you are pregnant and due in about a month, so you start cooking now!! Then, when your baby is here, you already have a month's worth of meals in your freezer and you can spend more time sleeping or with your new baby! Something I could have used after my second son was born. :)

If you would like to have a copy of Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites for yourself, just leave me a comment here on this post, please be sure to include a way for me to contact you. I'll be giving away one copy. You have until Tuesday the 13th at midnight mountain time. Open to US only, because I've got to mail the book out to you. And please, only one entry per person. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday the 14th. And for now, go check out their website for a free one week cycle to see how you like freezer cooking.

Oatmeal Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

2009-10-07T06:30:00.003-06:00

As promised, here is my winning oatmeal cookie recipe from this year's fair. Sorry it's taken me so long to get it up!! This cookie has to be one of my all time favorites, it's crunchy and chewy at the same time. Has some of my favorite ingredients in them and they are just so yummy!! I was kind of worried when I entered it in the fair as an oatmeal cookie that it wouldn't win anything, because it's not your ordinary oatmeal cookie, but luckily the judges liked it! I'm sure you'll love them too!

Oatmeal Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

½ c. butter (no substitutes)
½ c. shortening (no substitutes)
1 c. packed brown sugar
½ c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 c. old fashioned oats
½ cup coconut
1 c. macadamia nut pieces
1 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Cream the butter and shortening together in an electric mixer. Add sugars and continue mixing until nice and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gradually add flour, a little at a time, mix well but not too much! Add baking soda and salt. Add all of the oats, and mix well. Add the coconut, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips and mix. Drop by the rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. I bake mine for 10. Let cool on sheet for at least 4 minutes and then transfer to a rack. Store in bags or an air tight container. Enjoy! Makes about 3 dozen.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

2009-10-06T12:00:00.002-06:00

My husband loves hot wings, like really really loves them. So, to incorporate the wonderful flavor of buffalo hot wings and a fall favorite, soup, I came up with this yummy recipe for buffalo chicken soup! It's spicy, savory and delish!! Not to mention that it's sure to keep you warm in this cold weather! My kids even loved this soup, so it's not too spicy for little ones, just a little kick! This soup can also be made in the crock pot, if your going to be out and about during the day and need dinner to be made for you when you get home. Just start it out on the stove and once you get to the part where you add the remaining ingredients, just pop it in the crock pot and let it cook all day. Probably 8 hours on low would be fine.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

1 small onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
½ cup blue cheese salad dressing
4 cups cooked chicken, diced
¼ cup chicken wing sauce
8 ounces Velveeta cheese
4 small potatoes, diced
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Saute onions and celery in butter until tender. Add in flour and stir, cooking the flour for one minute. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring well so that no lumps form. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through, about half an hour. Enjoy with crusty bread!

Hey Everyone!

2009-10-01T20:56:00.005-06:00

I promise, I'm not dead!! I'll be back soon, when I get the chance to sit down and actually write something!! I've been pretty busy canning and freezing things lately. Namely free fruit that I've been getting from kind neighbors! Here's to a winter with out many trips to town!! In the meantime, here is a nice soup recipe for you. It's a family favorite and sure to warm you up!! Because if your weather has been anything like this crazy Idaho weather, your probably kind of cold right now!! Sorry I don't have a picture of this one right now, but I promise to make it soon and post a picture of it! I know you'll love this one, it yummy!!

Edited to add a new picture!

Vegetable Ham Alfredo Soup

2 cans chicken broth
2 cans evaporated milk
1 tablespoon dried parsley
pepper to taste
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen french cut green beans
1 ½ cups chopped ham
1 jar alfredo sauce
4 oz. cream cheese

Add all ingredients except for the alfredo sauce and cream cheese to a big pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until potatoes are soft, then add alfredo sauce and cream cheese. Heat through until cream cheese melts. Serve with hot rolls.

Yummy Chicken Marinade

2009-09-23T06:35:00.000-06:00

We love to grill at our house. And on the super hot days of summer, it's always nice to grill outside instead of heating up the house. But grilling can get old if you don't have different marinades for your meats. This is one of my favorite chicken marinades. It has a nice sweet citrus flavor. Everyone will be sure to love this chicken!! If your running low on time, 2 hours will be fine to marinade the chicken, but the longer you marinade the chicken the more the flavors will penetrate into the chicken. I hope you all enjoy!

Yummy Grilled Chicken Marinade

¼ cup vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
ground black pepper
6 chicken breasts or thighs boneless or with bone

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and pour into a Ziploc bag. Place chicken into the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for anywhere from 2 hours to overnight. Remove chicken from the marinade and grill until juices run clear.

Loaded Brownie Chipper Cookies

2009-09-22T05:48:00.000-06:00

I came up with the idea for this cookie one afternoon while looking at a plate of brownies on my counter. I'm sure that my kids would have eaten the last 4 brownies, but I wanted to see how a cookie with leftover brownies inside of it would turn out. So, I set out to make these cookies. They turned out pretty good!! With the peanut butter and chocolate chips inside, it gives for a nice flavor. And the chunks of brownie inside the cookie are nice and crispy and chocolaty. I'll be making these again for sure if I have any leftover brownies!

Loaded Brownie Chipper Cookies

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups pre-made brownie chunks, cut into ¼” pieces

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a stand or electric mixer, cream together the butter and shortening. Add the sugars and mix until well combined and creamy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt, making sure that the mixture is thoroughly combined. Add in the peanut butter and chocolate chips, mix until combined. Lastly, add in the brownie bits, only mixing until just combined. Do not over mix with the brownie bits inside of the dough. Place dough onto ungreased cookie sheets with a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, or equivalent. Make sure the cookies are about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Humburger Steaks with Creamy Mushroom Gravy

2009-09-21T06:25:00.000-06:00

I tend to notice that my kids will eat dinner a whole lot better if it's something with a gravy or sauce. Are your kids like that? Maybe they just like to dip their foods into things, I don't know. But, my kids loved this dinner. It's down home cookin' at it's best! I served these hamburger steaks with gravy over my mashed potatoes, but you could serve this over egg noodles or rice with great results. Just pick what your family likes best!! I really liked making these hamburger steaks, which ended up being kind of like a mini meatloaf that was cooked on the stove-top instead of in the oven. They were easy and tasty and my family gobbled them up! I used extra lean hamburger when making them, so if you use fattier burger, just be sure to drain any excess fat.

Hamburger Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

2 pounds lean hamburger, divided
½ onion, minced
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon season salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon nature's seasons

Gravy:
½ cup reserved hamburger meat
1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
3 cups fat free milk
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Mashed potatoes, cooked rice or egg noodles for serving

To make the hamburger steaks, combine the hamburger meat (reserving half a cup for the gravy), onion, egg, breadcrumbs and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix well so that all of the ingredients are combined. Form eight hamburger patties and cook in a skillet that has been heated on medium high heat until they are just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. You may have to cook in batches if your skillet isn't large enough to cook all of them at once. Once done cooking, place in an oven safe dish and place in a warm oven, about 200° F until ready to serve.

To make the gravy, brown the remaining hamburger in the same skillet that was used before. Add in the mushrooms and cook until soft. Place cooked hamburger and mushrooms into a bowl and set aside. Heat butter in the same skillet until melted, over medium high heat. Add the flour once the butter is melted and cook, stirring with a whisk until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Slowly add in the milk and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Let the gravy come to a boil, stirring constantly. If the gravy is too thick for your likings, add a bit of water until the consistency that you like is achieved. Once the gravy is thickened to your likings, add in the reserved ground beef and mushroom mixture. To serve, place a serving size amount of either mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles on each plate, followed by a hamburger steak that has been kept warm in the oven and then mushroom gravy. Enjoy!

Not Your Mama's Mashed Potatoes

2009-09-18T06:34:00.000-06:00

Eveyone has a recipe or technique for mashed potatoes, right? But does everyone make a good mashed potato? Not always. I was talking to my mother-in-law once about how she learned how to make mashed potatoes. She said that her mom taught her to just drain the potatoes and then use some of the water from the cooking to mix in, add a bit of salt and that was it. YUCK!! I can't stand mashed potatoes like that. Thank goodness my mother-in-law doesn't make hers like that. But, her's aren't like these. And I bet these, aren't like your Mama's!

Not Your Mama's Mashed Potatoes

4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced
½ cup salted butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1/8 cup heavy cream or whole milk (or more depending on how thin you like your potatoes)
1 tablespoon salt or to taste

Place the peeled and diced potatoes into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover all of the potatoes. Add a bit of salt to the water and boil until tender. When the potatoes are soft, drain the potatoes and place in an electric mixer, adding the butter and cream cheese and mixing until smooth. Add the heavy cream or milk and salt, mix well. Serve warm with gravy of your choice and enjoy! Serves 6-8.

Hillbilly Donuts

2009-09-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

Looks good, doesn't it? I bet you can't figure out what they are made out of. Go ahead, take a guess, I'll wait... Nope, you're wrong. Okay okay, I'll tell you. You're gonna laugh. Biscuit dough, you know, the kind that you buy at the store in the can? Yeah, I know. Doesn't it look like a real donut that you'd get from a bakery? These are so easy to make. And how fun would it be to surprise your family with donuts on a Saturday morning?! If you're like me and you live out in the country, the chances of you going out to get donuts and bring them home are slim-to-none. But now you can have easy yummy donuts, right at home! Without having to make the dough! Yay!

Hillbilly Donuts

1 can of homestyle biscuits
oil for frying
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make a hole in each biscuit by sticking your finger through the biscuit and stretching it out, until it resembles a donut with a rather large hole. Heat oil in a large skillet until hot. Drop biscuits into hot oil and fry until golden brown on each side, approximately 2 minutes per side. Drain and cool slightly on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla with a whisk to form a glaze, making it thicker or thinner by adding more milk or powdered sugar, according to your likings. Dip each donut in the glaze, place on a wire rack to harden slightly and enjoy!

Bourbon Chicken

2009-09-16T06:30:00.005-06:00

This is one of my go-to dinners, something that I know my entire family will eat happily and enjoy! I got the original recipe from recipezaar.com, which as I've said before is my favorite site for finding new recipes!! When I make this, I usually like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs because they stay nice and moist, but chicken breasts will also work. And I somtimes double the recipe for the sauce, since my family loves sauce, a lot. Served over cooked white rice with a nice steamed veggie on the side, you've got a great meal!! I hope your family enjoys this as well!

Bourbon Chicken

1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons oil
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use less or leave out if you don't like a lot of spice)
¼ cup apple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a large skillet cook the chicken pieces in the oil until the chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients mixing well with a whisk. Once the chicken is cooked through, add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil, stirring frequently until the sauce thickens. Serve over hot cooked rice and enjoy!

Basil Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Bread

2009-09-15T06:32:00.005-06:00

My favorite method of making artisan style breads is using a big pot to bake the bread in. Using this method always gives me an end result that has a crusty crust and chewy inside. I just love the fact that I can make high quality, delicious bread at home and it's just so easy! I'll never again pay $5 a loaf or more on specialty breads. The possibilities are nearly endless when it comes to the flavor combinations that you can make using the basic dough of this bread. I'll soon be trying a rosemary bread! I can't wait!

Basil Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Bread

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water
¼ cup julienne cut sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped

In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients until just combined. Let sit, covered with plastic wrap for 4 hours. Sprinkle a fair amount of flour onto a clean surface and plop the dough onto the flour. The dough will be very wet, this is how it should be. Once all of the dough is on the floured surface, fold together in thirds. Then fold the dough in half and shape into a round loaf and sprinkle with more flour. Cover with a towel and let rise for about an hour. Half an hour before the bread should be done rising, place a large oven proof pot with a lid into the oven and preheat to 450° F. Once the pot has preheated in the oven for a half an hour, plop the dough into the pot (it might not look pretty right now, but that is okay) and cover with the lid. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, when done cooking, cool the bread on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it. Enjoy!

Coconut S'mores Cookies

2009-09-14T06:30:00.001-06:00

The other day I was at the store and bought some coconut marshmallows. I was thinking about making some s'mores cookies and once I saw those marshmallows, I knew I had to make coconut s'mores cookies! I looked online to see if anyone else had ever made s'mores cookies and how they went about dealing with the marshmallows and came across Cookie Madness' version of s'mores cookies. She said that it was best to put the marshmallows on towards the end of cooking, so that is what I did. These cookies turned out so good! If you are looking to make some cookies, please try these! You won't be sorry! I made two different sized cookies. Some really big ones that I used a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop and then I used my 2 tablespoon cookie scoop for the smaller ones. I like the size of the big ones, they are really impressive, but you only get about 12 cookies out of the whole batch.

Coconut S'mores Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 ¼ cups coarsely crushed graham cracker crumbs
3 regular sized Hershey's bars, coarsely chopped and divided
12 large toasted coconut marshmallows, cut with kitchen shears into 8 pieces each

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well. Mix in flour, salt and baking soda until combined. Add the flaked coconut, graham cracker crumbs and 1 ½ chopped Hershey bars, until combined well. To make large cookies, use a ¼ measuring cup to scoop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies look almost all of the way baked. Take cookies out of oven and then evenly divide the marshmallows and the remaining Hershey's bars among the cookies. Bake for another 1 to 3 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and the chocolate and marshmallow has begun to melt. Do not over bake. To make smaller cookies use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and scoop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 or 9 minutes, or until the cookies are almost all of the way baked. Take the cookies out of the oven and evenly distribute the marshmallows and chocolate bars and then bake for another 1 to 3 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the chocolate and marshmallows have started to melt. Do not over bake. Remove onto a cooling rack to cool and enjoy!

Here is a picture of the smaller version of these cookies, I couldn't fit as much stuff on the top of them, but they were still really yummy!

And We Have A Winner!!

2009-09-12T07:56:00.004-06:00

In more ways than one!! First off I'm going to give you all an update on how I did at the fair with the things that I entered, then I'll let you know the winners of the Oikos giveaway!

As you might remember from this post, I entered eleven things into our state fair. Here are my results!!

* Jalapeno Cheese Bread - 2nd place in the "other bread" category according to the judges, but I also got overall best bread, with the superintendent's award for all of the breads. So, I got a red ribbon and a pretty big huge red, white and blue ribbon!

* White Bread - didn't get anything for this one, I didn't expect it, I was having an off day and didn't let it rise enough.

* Wheat Bread - I got a blue ribbon, first place in 100% whole wheat category.

* Zucchini Bread - didn't get anything.

* Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread - I got an honorable mention on this one, next year I'm entering this in the zucchini bread category.

* Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread - First place blue ribbon for this recipe!!

* Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies - nothing for these, but seriously, it's so hard to place in the chocolate chip cookie category! I think this will be my last year attempting that category.

* Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies - didn't get anything for these either.

* Oatmeal Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies - I got a blue ribbon, first place in oatmeal cookies for these!! They were so good!

* Peanut Butter Honey Cookies - honorable mention for these.

* Flour Tortillas - second place for these. I was kind of mad about that because the person that won first's looked like the tortillas were store bought. Seriously, they looked perfectly round and looked like mission tortillas. Oh well.

Now for our winners!! I went to random.org and got my two winners!!

My first winner, Misty will be getting the 4 free 5.3 oz Oikos coupons, $5.00 worth of other Stonyfield coupons, and a reusable Stonyfield shopping bag!!

Misty.Castagno said...
My husband and I just love the jalapeno cheese bread and the guacamole. I too can't wait to try the Chile Verde. It seems alot simpler than trying to deal with all the tomatillos at home and stuff.. I love coming on here and finding the new recipes. Almost all of them end up in my tried and true binder(or should I say binders) lol... Thanks so much

And, my second winner, Kandi will be getting a coupon for a free 16 oz Oikos yogurt along with $5 worth of other Stonyfield coupons and a nifty little magnet!!

Kandi said...
I haven't had time to try any recipes yet, but #1 on my list are the Cookies & Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies and then your Zucchini Lasagna. Yummm.

Thank you to all that entered!!

Just so you all know, I've been crazy busy canning and freezing things from my garden, so if I'm not around much, that's why!

Creamy Cilantro Avocado Sauce & My First Giveaway!

2009-09-08T06:30:00.002-06:00

Oh, I'm in love with this sauce. Seriously, it's yummy!! I love anything with cilantro in it, and for me, the more cilantro the better!! And don't even get me started on avocados!! I love them!! I made this creamy delicious sauce recently to go on some tacos that I was making. I've actually made it twice in the past couple of weeks, it's that good! The first time I made it with some grilled marinated pork chops it was sooo good! Then we had it the next week with fish tacos that my hubby made (sorry no recipe for that one, he made it up as he was going). I can't wait to make this again!!

And, the secret ingredient in this yummy sauce is Greek yogurt!! I just recently found Oikos Greek yogurt, made by Stonyfield Farm in my local stores. I was so excited to see it at the store! I had heard people rave over Greek yogurt for the longest time and could never find it out here. Now I know why everyone raves about it! It's creamy and delicious and works great in this Creamy Cilantro Avocado Sauce!!

Are you ready for the giveaway!!??? I've got two great prizes to giveaway today!! One of you will be winning 4 free 5.3 oz Oikos coupons, $5.00 worth of other Stonyfield coupons, and a reusable Stonyfield shopping bag!! And the next winner will be getting a coupon for a free 16 oz Oikos yogurt along with $5 worth of other Stonyfield coupons and a nifty little magnet!! I'm so excited about this giveaway, it will give you a chance to try the yogurt and fall in love with it!! To enter the giveaway, leave me a comment on this post about your favorite recipe of mine so far!! You will have until Friday, September 11th at 10:00 pm Mountain Standard Time to enter and please be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you are a winner! I'll announce the winner on Saturday the 12th! Good luck to you all and in the meantime, visit Stonyfield Farm for some great coupons!

Creamy Cilantro Avocado Sauce

1 bunch cilantro, leaves cut off some of the stem is fine
2 large cloves garlic
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons water
5.3 ounce container plain Oikos Greek Yogurt
2 medium avocados
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sugar

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend well until the sauce is a smooth texture. Enjoy over tacos or as a dip for chips!

Cubano Marinade

2009-09-07T06:27:00.004-06:00

Yum!! That's all I have to say about this marinade! I love Cuban inspired flavors! Citrus, cumin, garlic...there isn't anything better!! When we made these pork chops I actually cut up the meat and then made soft tacos (with corn tortillas) out of it. Served with a cilantro avocado sauce (recipe coming tomorrow!) they were amazing!! I can't wait to make this again with chicken instead of pork!! I'm sure your family will love this too!!

Cubano Pork or Chicken Marinade

3 limes, juiced
1 teaspoon cumin
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon bitter orange Goya adobo seasoning
6 pieces chicken or pork chops

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large zip loc bag, add 6 pieces chicken or pork chops, close bag and mix together to coat the meat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or as long as 6 hours. Grill or bake in the oven at 375° F until meat is cooked through. Enjoy!

Busy With The Fair

2009-09-05T06:15:00.001-06:00

On Wednesday the second, I was busy all day baking up a storm to enter things into the fair. I actually started on Tuesday. Needless to say, I've been pretty busy!! Not to mention that my son started preschool this week! So, I haven't been on here much to update things. Thank goodness for scheduled posts!! So, I thought I'd share with you a list of the things that I entered into the fair. And if your in my area and are going to be attending the Eastern Idaho State Fair, be sure to check out the baking section and look for my things! I won't be able to go until Thursday to see if I won anything or not. Crossing my fingers for a couple of blue ribbons!!

I entered eleven things all together, some things didn't turn out the way I would have liked, but I guess that is what happens when you are trying to get a million things done in 1 1/2 days with children home! So, here is my list, if the recipe isn't up yet, it will be up soon!!

* Jalapeno Cheese Bread
* White Bread
* Wheat Bread
* Zucchini Bread
* Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread - entered as a "other" quick bread
* Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
* Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
* Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies - entered as a "other cookie"
* Oatmeal Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies - entered as a "oatmeal cookie"
* Peanut Butter Honey Cookies - entered as a "honey cookie"
* Flour Tortillas

So, there you have it! I'll be posting the recipes for the ones I don't have up shortly! Did you enter anything into your local fair this year? Did you win anything!? I'd love to hear!!

Pico de Gallo

2009-09-04T06:23:00.003-06:00

I love fresh salsa, it's so easy to make and it tastes so good!! Made with fresh from the garden tomatoes, it's even better! I love the already minced garlic in the jar, that is what I usually use in most of my recipes, it can be used in this recipe, but fresh garlic that you mince yourself will be 100 times better! It's worth the extra work for me to mince the garlic for this Pico de Gallo. This recipe is more of guide then an actual recipe also, you can adjust anything in the recipe to your family's likings. If your family doesn't like much onion, don't put as much in. If you really love cilantro, like me, add a whole bunch. If you don't like much spice, only add one jalapeño. Make it how your family will enjoy it!! Serve with homemade or store bought tortilla chips and your good to go!!

Pico de Gallo

6 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or more to taste)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Stir once more before serving and enjoy with your favorite chips!

Homemade Tortilla Chips

desired quantity corn tortillas
oil for frying
salt

Heat oil on high heat in a large skillet. Make sure there is at least ½” of oil. Cut the corn tortillas into slices that resemble chips. Place cut tortillas into hot oil and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, until they are a golden brown color. Take browned tortilla chip out of oil and place on a paper towel lined plate, season with salt and enjoy!

Mexican Rice

2009-09-03T06:20:00.005-06:00

Mexican rice has always been something that isn't very easy for me to replicate at home. The rice in restaurants is sort of dry, not sticky at all and has such good flavor. I've been trying to make a good Mexican rice for a long time now and never could get it right. Until one day I just decided to ask the waitress at the local Mexican restaurant how they made the rice. She told me that they fry the rice in oil before adding any liquids. Who knew? So, I tried frying the rice in oil before adding liquid and guess, what? It worked! Here is my version of Mexican rice, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Mexican Rice

3 tablespoons oil
2 cups long grain white rice
½ onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper (not fresh ground)
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 tablespoons salsa

In a large pot heat oil over high heat. Add in the rice, onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly until the rice starts to brown and the onions are soft. Add in the salt, pepper and chili powder and stir well. Pour in the tomato sauce, chicken broth and salsa and stir well. Let the mixture come up to a boil, stirring frequently. Once a boil is reached cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the rice is no longer crunchy. Enjoy with your favorite Mexican dishes!

Chile Verde

2009-09-02T06:30:00.004-06:00

Chile Verde has to be my all time favorite thing to order at Mexican restaurants. Specifically at La Piñata in Hayward, California, where I grew up. You just can't get any better than La Piñata! But now that I live in Idaho, I have to make my own. I just haven't been able to find a restaurant out here that even comes close. Now all I need to do is learn how La Piñata makes their delectable corn tortillas. Yum!! So, I'm not saying that my Chile Verde is anywhere near as good as the one that I love so much, but it's pretty dang good. And it's super easy too!! With the help of bottled salsa verde, it makes it so much easier than dealing with tomatillos at home. Which I have done, and I prefer this recipe a million times over to the one I made completely from scratch. Just be sure to get mild or medium salsa verde so that your chile verde isn't too spicy. If you've been to La Piñata before, I'd love to know, leave me a comment about your favorite La Piñata dish!!

Chile Verde

5 lbs pork butt, cubed seasoned with garlic salt
Oil for browning meat
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Roma tomatoes,chunked
2 (16 ounce) jars La Victoria Salsa Verde
1 tablespoon Cumin
½ bunch Cilantro, chopped

Season pork with garlic salt and brown well in oil. Add onion, garlic and tomatoes; sauté for 2 minutes. Add salsa Verde and cumin bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to simmer, cook at least one hour or until meat is tender. Ten minutes before eating add cilantro, mix well. Serves 6-8.

Easy Guacamole

2009-09-01T06:36:00.002-06:00

This will be the first of my Mexican Feast recipes! A couple of weeks ago I spent all Sunday in the kitchen making Chile Verde, Mexican rice, refried beans, pico de gallo, homemade chips and this easy guacamole. We ended up making burritos out of it all, if you'd like to see the huge burrito that my husband made, go check out over here. Anyway, I'll be posting the other recipes in the following few days. This guacamole is so easy to make that it's funny! And as far as I'm concerned, it's the only guacamole recipe you'll ever need!

Easy Guacamole

2 Haas avocados

1/4 cup salsa or pico de gallo

1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic salt, to taste

fresh ground pepper to taste

Cut the avocados open, take out the pit and then take out the flesh using a spoon. Place in a bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in salsa, garlic salt and pepper and taste. Check to see if it needs more salt or pepper. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Stew

2009-08-31T06:04:00.004-06:00

*~*~*Hey everyone! I'm featured today over on CafeMom!! If your coming over from CafeMom, welcome!! I'm glad to have you here!! You can check out my feature here!*~*~*

My oldest son, who is four years old, recently started taking karate classes. The classes happen to be at 5:00 in the evening, which means that dinner needs to be cooking at home while we're at karate class. Thank goodness for crock pots!! I've got two crock pots that I use pretty often, and I love! This dinner was made up one day before karate class, as both a way to use up some chicken thighs that were in the fridge and a way to get dinner done and ready by the time we got home from karate. My kids ate this up and wanted more! I think they just really love good home style foods like stews, soups and casseroles. Things that fill you up and make you warm inside (not that we need to be warm in August, but you know what I'm talking about!). So if your family loves that kind of food too, they will be sure to love this chicken stew! I served mine over white rice, that I cooked when we got home from karate along with some homemade wheat bread. I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Stew

1 ½ pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chunked
½ pound baby carrots
1 onion, chunked
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can water (use the empty soup can)
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup frozen peas

Brown the chicken pieces in a large skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook, stirring often until chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken is done cooking, place in a crock pot. Add in all ingredients except for the peas and mix well. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours, or until the veggies are soft. Half an hour before serving, add in the peas and mix in. Continue cooking until the peas are warm, about 30 minutes. Enjoy with biscuits, rolls or over cooked rice.

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

2009-08-28T06:12:00.003-06:00

I don't make cake or cupcakes very often, simply because I like baking cookies a lot better because you get more out of them and they are easier to share and store. So, you probably won't see too many cake or cupcake recipes here. But the other day I was looking in my cupboard at a box of cake mix and part of a package of Oreos that needed to be used and came up with this recipe. I know there are lots of recipes for cookies & cream cupcakes out there, but I threw this one together and I think it turned out pretty good. My favorite part was the frosting and crushed Oreos on top! My kids also absolutely loved these!

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

1 (18 ounce) white cake mix
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
12 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
chocolate buttercream frosting (recipe follows)
6 Oreo cookies, crushed for topping

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Mix together the cake mix, buttermilk, oil and eggs in an electric mixer. Once it has been combined mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add in the chopped Oreos and mix until combined. Pour into a muffin pan that has been lined with cupcake papers. Be sure not to overfill them, about 2/3 of the way is good. Bake in preheated oven for 12-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure not to over cook them. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan and then take them out and let cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with chocolate buttercream frosting and sprinkle crushed oreos on top.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the cocoa powder, mixing well. Stir in milk and vanilla extract and beat on high for 2 minutes, or until the frosting has lightened slightly. Frost your favorite cake and enjoy!

Barbecue Smothered Chicken

2009-08-27T06:33:00.005-06:00

I made this chicken the other night and we all loved it! With mushrooms, onions, barbecue sauce, bacon and cheese, you can't go wrong! When I made it I used crimini mushrooms and purple onions, which is what I had on hand, but button mushrooms and any color onion would work. And we always use Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce, but you could use whatever is your favorite. Give this a try, your family will love it!

Barbecue Smothered Chicken

3 tablespoons butter
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ onion, sliced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with My Go To Seasonings
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup pre-cooked bacon crumbles

Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a large skillet melt butter over high heat, once melted add the mushrooms, garlic and onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the kosher salt and pepper and mix well. Take off of heat and place in a bowl for later use. In the same skillet heat the olive oil on high heat. Add the seasoned chicken breasts and cook for about 3 minutes per side, not fully cooked, just brown them. Once they have browned, place them on a foil-lined cookie sheet. On top of each chicken breast, evenly distribute the mushroom mixture. On top of the mushroom mixture spread the barbecue sauce, cheese and bacon crumbles on each chicken breast. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Loaded Zucchini Muffins

2009-08-26T11:19:00.002-06:00

These muffins would be a great idea for an after school snack or even a nice breakfast before the kids hop onto the bus. My four year old will be starting preschool on the 31st and he'll be taking the bus to school (I can't begin to tell you how scared and excited I am about this whole thing!) so I'm sure some mornings we'll be rushing to get him out the door. These muffins would be a great thing to hand him on his way out the door. And you don't have to feel bad about giving them to your kids because they are loaded with fruits and veggies! I'll be making more of these muffins to stash in my freezer!!

Loaded Zucchini Muffins

1 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup raisins
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In an electric mixer, combine the oil, sugar and eggs until mixed well. Add the carrots, zucchini, coconut and raisins and mix well. Finally add the flour, baking soda and cinnamon and mix until everything is combined thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins (I spray mine with baker's joy) to almost the top of the tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes for mini muffins and 18 to 22 minutes for regular sized muffins. I got 24 mini muffins and 18 regular muffins out of this batter. Enjoy!

Tostones

2009-08-26T06:18:00.003-06:00

Growing up with a mom that is half Puerto Rican and a dad this is part Scottish, we ate lots of different kinds of foods. Puerto Rican foods being my all time favorite! I love a good bowl of rice and beans or some arroz con gandules. Yum! There isn't any better kind of comfort food to me! And whenever we ate Puerto Rican foods you could always find these fried plantains or tostones on the table! Actually they never made it to the table because we'd be standing by the stove waiting for them to be done so that we could grab some off the plate when they were nice and hot! Just one of my many childhood memories, that inevitably had something to do with food. When I was a kid, my mom would make fried plantains like this, or she would shred the plantains and then fry them in little piles, they kind of resembled a fried little haystack or a spider. But, I like my tostones like this the best. This isn't really a recipe, but more of a technique. I hope that you make these, your family will love them!

Puerto Rican Tostones (Fried Plantains)

desired quantity of green plantains

vegetable oil for frying

garlic salt for seasoning

Make sure that when you buy the plantains that they are completely green, no yellow or brown. To peel the plantains cut off the ends with a knife and then cut a line from top to bottom only going through the peel. Then stick your finger under the peel and remove, this can be a little tough, just make sure that you get all of the peel off. Heat the oil for frying. Slice the plantains into big chunks, a little smaller than ½ an inch. Put a few plantains in the preheated oil and fry for about 2 minutes per side or until a nice golden color, continue until done frying all of them. Then once all of them have been fried once, smash the plantains by placing a plate over the plantains and pressing down, you can also use the smooth side of a meat tenderizer to do the job. Fry one more time until crispy and golden. Season with garlic salt and serve immediately. Enjoy.

This is what the plantains look like when you buy them, be sure to get the ones that are completely green, not yellow or brown. You can find them in the produce section of most grocery stores, next to the ethnic fruits, such as the mangoes and papayas. Out here in Idaho I can find them at Wal Mart and at Winco.

Yellow Squash Casserole

2009-08-25T13:33:00.000-06:00

I found this recipe over on The Provident Pantry and let me tell you, this is the best way I've ever eaten yellow squash, in my entire life! Seriously, it was that good! So, if you still have over-active squash plants in your garden and you have a bounty of yellow squash that still needs to be used up, make this recipe! You won't be sorry!! I'm thinking of even slicing and blanching some yellow squash so that I can make this recipe during the winter months! I know my family won't complain about that! I hope you visit The Provident Pantry for more great food storage ideas.

Yellow Squash Casserole

2 pounds yellow squash, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
1 (6 ounce) package dry stuffing, prepared according to box directions

Boil the yellow squash and onion together in a large pot filled with water, until they are soft. Drain and place in a large bowl. Mix together the soup, sour cream, cheese and salt and pepper. Add the soup mixture to the squash and onions and mix well. In a 3 quart casserole dish, layer half of the stuffing, then pour on all of the squash mixture, followed by the remaining stuffing. Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and stuffing on the top is slightly crunchy. Enjoy!

Banana Pecan Crumb Bread

2009-08-25T07:02:00.005-06:00

This bread is my new favorite banana bread recipe. Seriously, this stuff is so good! Too good for words! I got the idea for this bread from Southern Plate, if you haven't heard of Southern Plate yet, be sure to check out Christy's website, she's got lots of yummy recipes! This banana bread is rich, full of banana flavor and don't even get me started on the pecans. I love pecans! They are my all time favorite nut to be baked with. You must make this bread with the pecans, the only people that shouldn't are the ones that absolutely can't eat nuts. Trust me, don't leave them out unless you have to! A tip when buying nuts is to look over in the produce section, the nuts in the produce section are usually cheaper than the ones that you'll find over by the baking things. This way you can make the bread with the pecans and save a bit of money too! Okay, enough about pecans...

Everyone that tried this bread after I made it thought that it was the best banana bread that they had ever eaten. I'll be entering this one into the fair this year, hoping for a blue ribbon! Try it out, you won't be sorry.

Banana Pecan Crumb Bread

3 large bananas
2 cups sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans

Crumb Topping

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In an electric mixer mix together bananas and sugar until the banana is completely mashed. Add in the butter, eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well creamed. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Mix in the buttermilk and then finally add in the pecans and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the crumb toppings with a pastry cutter or fork. It should form a nice crumb. Pour half of the bread batter into two greased bread pans. Then layer half of the crumb topping on top of that bread batter. Pour remaining batter over the crumb mixture and then top with the rest of the crumb topping. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes in the 350° F preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Smashed Potatoes

2009-08-24T06:30:00.002-06:00

This side dish is easy and a real crowd pleaser! I'm a huge fan of potatoes, so anything with potatoes in it I'm sure to love. Good thing we live in Idaho! My favorite part of these potatoes are the crunchy bits and pieces, not to mention the cheese! Add these to your menu for something new and different from the same old things you always make.

Smashed Potatoes

6 large red potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rosemary or dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup Parmesan cheese or ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
crumbled bacon (optional)

Preheat oven to 425° F.
Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, boil until fork tender. Drain potatoes and place on a cookie sheet that has been coated with one tablespoon olive oil. Smash each potato individually with a potato masher once by pressing potato masher down until skin breaks. Drizzle remaining olive oil over potatoes. Sprinkle rosemary or parsley flakes, salt and pepper, cheese and bacon evenly over potatoes. Place potatoes in oven at 425° for approximately 30 minutes or until crispy.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2009-08-23T06:32:00.003-06:00

This pasta was so yummy! If you love chicken Alfredo and also like a little kick, you'll love this pasta! We eat a lot of pasta in my house, simply because it's filling, makes a lot of food (which equals leftovers for my hubby's lunch the next day) and it's cheap. As I've said before, I shop sales and then stock up on items so that I don't have to pay full price later. This is exactly what I do with pasta! About once a year pasta goes on sale for 50 cents a pound out here. That is when I stock up! I buy tons of it and then store it all in a big Rubbermaid tote in my food storage room. At 50 cents a pound, you can eat good and cheap! So, I have to be creative with pasta since we eat it so often. And if you know my husband, he's a meat and potatoes kind of guy, who isn't actually all that fond of pasta. But, he understands that we're on a budget so he eats what I make regardless. This recipe was easy to put together using some store bought help and my husband raved over it!

You could easily make this recipe into a food storage friendly recipe by using canned chicken chunks, dried garlic and instead of the cream cheese using another half a jar or so of the Alfredo sauce. And, don't forget about powdered milk, it's a great substitute for regular milk in recipes!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

1 pound linguine pasta (or other shape pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into slices
2 teaspoons Cajun season salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or leave it out if you don't like too much spice)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained (or fresh)
1 (15 ounce) jar creamy Alfredo sauce
¼ cup milk, plus more if desired
8 ounces cream cheese
paprika & dried parsley for garnish

Cook pasta according to package directions, once cooked, drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat olive oil over high heat. Add chicken breast slices, seasonings and garlic and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add drained mushrooms and mix well. Pour jar of Alfredo sauce into skillet, mixing well to coat all of the chicken. Measure out milk and then pour it into the empty Alfredo sauce jar and shake around to get any extra Alfredo sauce out, pour into skillet along with all of the other ingredients. Break small pieces of the cream cheese off and place them into the skillet, stirring well so that they are evenly distributed and can melt evenly. Stir until cream cheese is completely melted. Add the cooked and drained pasta into the skillet and toss well. If the pasta is too dry for your liking, simply add a bit more milk until you reach the consistency that you like. Garnish with sprinklings of paprika and dried parsley on each individual plate.

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-08-22T06:19:00.002-06:00

This recipe won me a blue ribbon at the state fair a few years ago, so if your searching for a winner of an oatmeal cookie, you've found it right here! When I entered it into the fair, I didn't put in the chocolate chips and added a bit more raisins so that it was just a pure oatmeal raisin cookie. I encourage you to try it like that, but with the chocolate chips it takes this cookie over the top! Be sure to use both butter (never use margarine) and shortening in this recipe. It makes the cookie crunchy and soft at the same time, trust me they are killer good. The guys at my husband's work request these babies often and these are always a great cookie to take over to a neighbor's house. Have fun baking!

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ c. butter (no substitutes)

½ c. shortening (no substitutes)

1 c. packed brown sugar

½ c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 ½ c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

3 c. old fashioned oats {can use quick cooking or mix the two kinds}

1 c. raisins

1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Cream the butter and shortening together in an electric mixer. Add sugars and continue mixing until nice and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gradually add flour, a little at a time, mix well but not too much! Add baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add all of the oats, and mix well. Add the raisins and the chocolate chips and mix. Drop by the rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. I bake mine for 10. Let cool on sheet for at least 4 minutes and then transfer to a rack. Store in bags or an air tight container. Enjoy! Makes about 3 dozen.

Kicked Up Pintos

2009-08-21T06:26:00.002-06:00

These beans are another great food storage recipe that can be completely food storage friendly if you use dried onion and garlic in place of the fresh. I personally keep real cooked bacon bits in my food storage. I buy them at Costco in the large bags and just keep them in a big plastic tote away from the elements. That is exactly what I used in this recipe when I made it. I love those things! They have less fat in them then if you were to fry up the bacon yourself and it's really convenient. These spicy beans are so yummy, any fan of spice will be sure to love them! If you aren't too into spice, just cut down on the jalapeños a bit, but do keep some of them in because they add so much flavor. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Kicked Up Pintos

1 pound dried pinto beans, cooked and drained
½ cup cup onion, chopped (I used red)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup cooked bacon pieces
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can water (use the empty tomato can)
1/3 cup chopped jarred jalapeño peppers

The day before you want to eat these beans, soak and cook the pintos according to package directions. When done cooking, place in refrigerator overnight. The next day, dump all of the ingredients into a crock pot and mix well. Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream. Enjoy!

Yummy To The Tummy White Bread

2009-08-20T07:30:00.001-06:00

Every now and then I mix things up with our bread and make this instead of my whole wheat bread recipe. This bread is soft, sweet and doesn't stick around for long! Our favorite way to enjoy this bread is making egg salad sandwiches out of it. If your family is a white bread loving family and you've been wanting to start making your own bread, this is a great recipe! To learn more about why I use vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer in my breads, read my Awesome Whole Wheat Bread recipe. In this recipe, if you don't want to invest in those two ingredients, you could replace the all-purpose flour with bread flour and leave out the dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten. Your bread won't turn out as soft and delicious as my original recipe, but it will still be yummy.

Yummy To The Tummy White Bread

2 cups warm water
2/3 cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup oil
1 tablespoon dough enhancer
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
5 – 6 cups all purpose flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the water, sugar and yeast. Let sit until the yeast has proofed, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with dough hook attachment until combined. Then let the mixer knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 – 7 minutes. Turn dough into a greased bowl and cover with a towel, place the bowl in a warm place and let dough rise to double it's size. After it has risen, punch the dough down and divide into two portions. Form loaves with the dough and place into greased bread pans. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until the dough is about an inch above the pan. Once risen, place the bread into a preheated 350° F oven and bake for 30 minutes. When done baking remove from pans immediately and let cool on a wire rack. Makes 2 loaves.

Creamy Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

2009-08-19T06:42:00.003-06:00

You'll never want to eat the stuff out of the box again after making this recipe! My family LOVES this mac & cheese! My husband prefers his macaroni and cheese to not be baked, so that is how I make this recipe. But, I have baked it before and I still think it's great that way too. You can decide for yourself!

Creamy Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

1 lb. elbow macaroni (in this picture I used large elbows)
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 ½ cups milk (evaporated milk works great!)
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded for the top

Preheat oven to 350° F, if you like your macaroni and cheese baked, if not skip this step.
Boil the macaroni noodles according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan melt butter over medium high heat. Add flour, salt and pepper and stir until flour is cooked, about one minute. Slowly add in milk and stir with a whisk to ensure that there are no lumps in the sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and then add the Velveeta cheese and stir until melted. Mix pasta into sauce and enjoy as is for a super creamy mac and cheese, topping each serving with a bit of the shredded cheddar cheese. If you like your mac and cheese baked, pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish sprinkling the cheddar cheese on top. Bake in 350° F oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Extreme Chicken

2009-08-18T06:38:00.004-06:00

This dinner is pretty versatile, if your kids don't like spicy things, just leave the jalapeño rings off of their plates. And, if you like more spice use spicy hot chili! If your watching your weight, use vegetarian or turkey chili, reduced fat cheese and ranch dressing, and use a baked potato instead of the tater tots. It's still going to be really yummy! This is one of those dinners that is just so easy to put together, but it tastes amazing! And what kid isn't going to love eating chili cheese tater tots with some chicken thrown in for dinner?! My kids love this dinner and always eat it all up! Just serve with a veggie (in this case we made green beans from the garden) and you are good to go!

Extreme Chicken

2 lb. bag frozen tater tots
6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
season salt to taste
2 (15 ounce) cans chili with beans
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded divided
prepared ranch dressing, for topping
chopped tomatoes, for topping
diced onions, for topping
jarred jalapeño rings, for topping

Cook tater tots as directed on bag. While those are cooking heat a large skillet over high heat. Spray with cooking spray and place chicken breasts that have been seasoned with season salt into skillet. Brown on each side, about 4 minutes per side or until the chicken is almost all of the way cooked through. Once the chicken is browned, open and pour the two cans of chili over the chicken breasts. Cover with a lid or with foil and cook on medium heat until chili is heated through and chicken is done cooking. Remove lid and cover everything with 1 cup of shredded cheese, place lid or foil back on until cheese is melted. To serve, place a serving size of tater tots on plate, cover with one chicken breast and some of the chili. Add extra cheese, if desired and drizzle ranch dressing on top, followed by any of the other toppings that you like. We use diced onions, chopped tomatoes and jalapeño rings. Enjoy! Serves 6.

Zucchini, again?

2009-08-17T12:15:00.003-06:00

I know, your probably all sick of zucchini, right? I swear, our plants are growing like crazy this year. We are getting so much zucchini I can barely keep up with it! Here is another way that I've made it this year. I usually just saute it in some butter with salt and pepper, but I decided to get a little more creative with it. This turned out really yummy! The bacon and mushrooms give it a nice flavor and this was a nice way to use up part of a purple onion that I had. You could use any color onion though. Enjoy!

Zucchini, again?

4 slices bacon, cut into strips
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 cups sliced zucchini
½ onion, sliced (any color)
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon dried parsley

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Add in the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft. Enjoy!

Pistachio Cookies

2009-08-17T06:38:00.003-06:00

These delicate green goodies are too yummy to pass up! If you love pistachio ice cream or pudding, your gonna love these cookies! These would be a fun cookie to add to a Christmas cookie platter or to serve on St. Patrick's Day, since they have a nice green color to them. If you want a brighter green color, just add a couple of drops of green food coloring. While these cookies aren't too sweet, they are addictive! I hope you love them!

Pistachio Cookies

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
½ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar, for rolling

In an electric mixer blend butter, shortening and powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract, eggs and pudding mix and mix well. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, leaving about two inches between each cookie. Press down on each cookie with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly. Bake in the 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies just start to turn golden in color. Remove from oven and transfer to a cookie rack immediately.

Surprise Cupcakes

2009-08-16T13:00:00.000-06:00

My original idea for these surprise cupcakes was to make a hostess-like cupcake at home. But then after making the filling, I realized that I had way too much of it and I didn't want to waste it. So, instead of making a ganache for the topping, I added a couple of baker's chocolate squares to the filling and made my frosting. I still decorated them to look like hostess cupcakes and they sure do taste yummy!! But the surprise about these cupcakes is not that they are filled with a creamy center. It's that they are made with yellow squash puree!! So, if you've got lots of yellow squash in your garden, I highly recommend pureeing some of it and making these super moist cupcakes! Your family will have no idea that these are made with some of your garden vegetables!! You could even try making these with zucchini puree if you don't have any yellow squash, I'm sure they will still turn out delectable!

Surprise Cupcakes

1box devil's food cake mix
1 cup yellow squash puree
½ cup water
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
½ cup plain yogurt (I used fat free Greek)

filling & frosting

½ cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 squares bittersweet baking chocolate, melted (for the frosting)

Preheat oven to 350° F.
To make the cupcake batter, mix together the cake mix, squash puree, water and vegetable oil. Mix until combined and then add the eggs, mixing between each addition. Finally add the yogurt and mix until the batter is light and fluffy. Pour batter into paper-lined cupcake pans, filling to 2/3 full and bake according to cake mix directions, about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once done baking, remove from oven and let sit in pans for ten minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the filling, beat together the butter and cream cheese until soft. Add powdered sugar, being sure to add a little at a time, until combined. Add milk and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, put about 1 ½ cups of the filling into a pastry bag with a medium sized tip. Pipe the filling into the cupcakes, going in through the tops of the cupcakes and filling until you can't put anymore in. It will be about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of filling per cupcake. Once all of the cupcakes are filled, reserve some of the white frosting to decorate the tops of the cupcakes, about 1 cup. With the remaining frosting, melt the baking chocolate in the microwave, according to the package directions. Mix the chocolate into the frosting and beat until well combined. Frost the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting and then take the reserved white frosting and decorate the tops of the cupcakes with a swirly design, using a small tip or putting into a small ziploc bad and then cutting a small hole in the tip. Refrigerate the cupcakes for at least an hour before enjoying for best taste. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Here's tip, if you don't have a pastry bag and medium sized tip to fill the cupcakes, make a hole in the top of each cupcake with the end of a wooden spoon and then place the filling inside of a Ziploc bag and cut the tip off of the bag. Then use the bag to pipe the frosting into the hole to fill the cupcakes. This is what I had to do because I couldn't find my tips. Also, to make the design on the top of the cupcakes, simply make a smaller cut in the tip of the bag and pipe on the top of the cupcakes! Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

2009-08-16T06:33:00.000-06:00

I made these babies a week ago or so after walking through my garden and getting a little excited for all of my tomatoes. I picked three of them, which were hard and green and brought them in the house dreaming of fried green tomatoes. I don't live in the south, nor have I ever even visited the south, but the night before I was watching a show on the travel channel that was talking about fried green tomatoes and I just had to make some! So, that is how this recipe came to be. I'll have to admit that I'm the only one in my family that really appreciated them, my kids ate the fried batter part and left the tomatoes and my husband ate one but wasn't too excited about them. So, don't expect that your family is going to go gaga over these, they might not. But, if you serve them with a side of ranch dressing, they might really like them too! So, if you have lots of tomatoes that are still green out in your garden, go pick a few and fry them up! You might like 'um!

Fried Green Tomatoes

1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
4 green tomatoes, sliced thick about 1/4"
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon Cajun season salt
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
oil for frying

In a bowl mix together the buttermilk and egg until combined. In a separate bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, Cajun seasoning, kosher salt and ground black pepper. Heat oil over high heat in a large skillet. Take the slices of green tomato and dip in buttermilk mixture and then into the flour mixture, repeat dipping back into buttermilk mixture and then back into flour mixture. Place into hot oil and cook until a nice golden color on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. When done cooking, transfer to a paper towel lined plate and let cool a minute or two before eating. Serve with ranch dressing if desired.

Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

2009-08-15T09:15:00.001-06:00

If I wasn't the one that just baked this, I would tell you that this bread absolutely does not have zucchini in it. But, I did just bake this and guess what? There are 3 cups of zucchini in this recipe!! So, if your still looking for recipes to use up all of your zucchini, this is the bread for you! Trust me, don't tell your family that it has zucchini in it, they will gobble it up and not even notice!! My husband told me that I could make this bread every day and he wouldn't be sick of it. It's that good! I got this recipe from Tasty Kitchen, but I didn't add in the spices like the original baker did. I wanted a pure chocolate flavor in mine. Please do try this, it's so good!!

Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups zucchini, shredded
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In an electric mixer, mix together the oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Once combined add in zucchini and mix well. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix well. Mix in the chocolate chips and then pour into two greased bread pans (I use baker's joy). The batter will be very thin, this is how you want it to look. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Easy Country Style Pork Ribs

2009-08-15T06:37:00.003-06:00

I buy country style pork ribs more often then I do any other type of rib, because it's a cheaper rib. They were on sale a couple of weeks ago and I got a couple of packages to stick in the freezer, which is what I do with most of our foods. I shop sales and stock up when things are really cheap and then save them for later, this way I don't have to pay full price for things! Not only is this recipe cheap, it's delicious too! Try it soon!

Easy Country Style Pork Ribs

1 large package country style pork ribs
1-2 (46 ounce) cans pineapple juice, enough to cover ribs
1 (18 ounce) bottle sweet baby ray's barbecue sauce

Place ribs in to a large pot and cover with pineapple juice. Bring pot to a boil and boil the ribs in the pineapple juice for at least 45 minutes and up to 1 ½ hours. Drain off juice and place ribs into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with sauce and bake for 30 minutes at 350° F. You can also grill these ribs after they have boiled, just drain them off and then grill for about 15 minutes, basting with barbecue sauce.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies

2009-08-14T06:30:00.000-06:00

I came up with this recipe a couple of years ago when I heard someone talking about possibly putting cream cheese into a chocolate chip cookie. The person with the original idea didn't know how to actually make the idea into an end product, so I stepped in and came up with these! They are so good!!! Everyone will be asking you for this recipe!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 ¼ cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together butter and sugars in an electric mixer, such as a kitchen aid. Add cream cheese and mix well. Add vanilla extract and egg, continue mixing. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until a nice creamy dough forms. Add in chocolate chips and mix until combined. Place dough onto ungreased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart, using a small cookie scoop (or about 2 tablespoons). Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes, I usually take mine out after 10 minutes of baking. The cookies should be light golden in color, and kind of soft. Let cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, store in a zip loc bag or other air tight container inside of the refrigerator. Eat cold and enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

Have you tried this recipe? If you have, head on over to Tasty Kitchen to rate and review!

"The Gourmet Hillbilly" Potatoes

2009-08-13T06:31:00.000-06:00

If you love potatoes of any kind, then you'll love this recipe! It's rich and decadent and oh so good! I adapted this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, her recipes all look so delicious! I mentioned that I was making baked chicken a couple of days ago, if you want to see what I seasoned it with read this post. I baked the chicken on a foil-lined cookie sheet in the oven along with these potatoes for about 40 minutes. Bone-in chicken breasts are so much better for baking than boneless skinless. They stay tender and juicy and the best bits are the pieces that are in between the bones. I always leave the skin on while I'm cooking and then take it off when I'm eating it, this helps to keep the meat juicy too. If you don't want to leave the skin on, then pulling it off would be just fine. I hope you all make these sometime soon, you won't be sorry!

"The Gourmet Hillbilly" Potatoes

8-10 large red potatoes, cleaned and cut into small bite-sized pieces
1 small yellow onion, cut into small pieces
½ cup cold butter, sliced
½ pint heavy cream
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
paprika to taste
dried parsley flakes to taste

Cut eight squares of foil. Evenly divide all ingredients among the foil squares as follows; potatoes, onion, butter, salt, pepper, paprika, parsley and heavy cream. Making sure to season to your liking. Fold each piece of foil into a packet and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 425° F oven for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. To serve, place a packet on each plate and let everyone open at the table. Enjoy!!

Look!! I Got Featured!!!

2009-08-12T21:47:00.002-06:00

I just went over to Tasty Kitchen to check things out and on the front page I saw the picture of my Savory Zucchini Pie featured as a Featured Recipe!!! I'm so excited about that!! So, if your coming on over from Tasty Kitchen, welcome! I'm glad to have you over here!! I hope you find some yummy recipes!! Enjoy!

Dutch Apple Pie

2009-08-12T07:30:00.000-06:00

Apple pie is truly an American favorite! We have an apple tree on our property that produces apples almost every year, one way for us to use up some of those apples is by making this delish pie! Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, your family will be in heaven!! To make this pie even easier, you could use a can or two of apple pie filling and just use the crumb topping on top! Enjoy!

Dutch Apple Pie

pie:
1 pie shell, store bought or made with your favorite recipe
6 cups apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a large bowl combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well and pour into a pie shell. To make crumb topping, mix flour and brown sugar until it is a fine mix in a separate bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter. Sprinkle mixture over pie and bake for 40 minutes. Check and if it needs to be covered with foil, do so and bake another 10-20 minutes. Makes one pie.

Savory Zucchini Pie

2009-08-11T13:27:00.004-06:00

This is another yummy way to use up some of your zucchini, after all we all know that zucchini grows better than weeds! This savory zucchini pie is a sort of quiche, made with a tube of crescent rolls. I found the idea on recipezaar.com and modified it to my likings. You could use the reduced fat crescent rolls and reduced fat cheese in this recipe to make it a bit more healthy. It sure is yummy though and my kids gobbled it up! Enjoy!

Savory Zucchini Pie

4 tablespoons butter
4 cups zucchini, sliced and halved if large
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded & divided
2 eggs, beaten
1 (8 ounce) tube crescent rolls
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 375° F.
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the zucchini, onion and garlic and cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes, or until onions are translucent and zucchini is soft. Mix in the parsley flakes, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning so that the vegetables are coated well with the seasonings. Turn off the heat and let sit while you prepare the pie plate. To prepare the pie plate, take a large 9 or 10 inch pie pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and line it with the crescent rolls so that there are no holes, you may have to stretch out the crescent rolls and cut them up to make it fit. Once the crescent rolls are covering the bottom of the pie plate, spread the Dijon mustard evenly across the crust. Now stir in one cup of the cheese and then pour the beaten eggs into the zucchini mixture and pour everything into the prepared crust. Sprinkle with remaining one cup of cheese and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until no longer runny. Let cool a few minutes before slicing into it and enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

2009-08-11T07:30:00.002-06:00

This is for sure a family pleaser!! We've been enjoying this recipe at our house for a few years now and every time I make it it gets gobbled up really quick! My young children love it and they don't mind the little bit of heat in it one bit. If your family doesn't like too much heat, just use one can of the green chilies instead of two. To make this recipe food storage friendly, you could replace the fresh chicken with 2 large cans of chicken breast meat, like the kind you might find at Costco, if you do this just be sure to take out the chicken broth and leave the juices with the chicken. And you could also use a can of evaporated milk instead of the sour cream. I hope your family loves this recipe as much as we do!

White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes {or 2 large cans chicken chunks}
1 medium onion, chopped {or you can use the equivalent in dried onions}
1 garlic clove, minced {or use the equivalent in dried garlic}
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) pinto beans, with juices
1 can white hominy, drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth {leave out if using canned chicken & just use the juice from the canned chicken instead}
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cilantro dried or fresh
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream {or a can of evaporated milk for food storage version}

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, hominy, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is really good with tortilla chips or cornbread. Serves 4-6.

Zucchini Lasagna

2009-08-10T11:33:00.002-06:00

Here is another way that I use up some of my bounty of zucchini. It's basically a lasagna without the noodles, using zucchini slices in place of the noodles. So, if your doing the low-carb thing, this would be great for you! I used a pretty big zucchini when I made this, so that the pieces were bigger, but you can use whatever size you have. If your still looking for ways to use up your zucchini, be sure to make this for your family!

Zucchini Lasagna

1 pound bulk Italian Sausage, browned into bite-sized pieces
2 pounds zucchini, sliced
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 (26 ounce) jar favorite pasta sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan layer a thin coating of pasta sauce, on top of the pasta layer zucchini, Italian sausage, sauce and mozzarella cheese. Continue layering until all of the ingredients are used up, ending with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on the very top, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. After the 45 minutes are up, take off the foil and bake another 10 - 15 minutes, to brown the cheese. When done baking, take out of oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. This dish does have a lot of juices in it because of the zucchini, so it needs some time to set. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Peanut Butter Whopper Cookies

2009-08-10T07:30:00.001-06:00

These cookies are soft and chewy with a nice crunch, probably unlike any other peanut butter cookie you've tried before. You could also try making this same recipe with original whoppers if you can't find the peanut butter version. These are sure to be an after school snack favorite!

Peanut Butter Whopper Cookies

½ cup softened butter

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ cups flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

3.5 oz container Peanut Butter Whoppers, coarsely crushed
sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a stand or electric mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla until well combined. Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients on low speed, then add whoppers until just combined. Scoop dough with a medium cookie scoop, roll into sugar then place onto a baking sheet, pressing down with a fork to make a criss cross design. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cooked but still soft. Makes about 3 dozen.

Authentic Refried Beans

2009-08-09T06:33:00.001-06:00

Here is another great food storage recipe! To make it completely food storage friendly, you could use dried onions and garlic, both of which I keep in my food storage. Just be sure to rehydrate them before you make the recipe. With these refried beans, now you can have the delicious restaurant style refried beans that you love, right in your own home!! Since moving to Idaho I've had to teach myself how to recreate some of my favorite restaurant meals that I grew up eating in California, a good authentic refried bean recipe being one of those. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Authentic Refried Beans

1 pound dry pinto beans
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbs. chopped garlic
3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Soak beans over night in water. In the morning rinse and put beans into a large pot. Cover beans with water. Cook on medium heat uncovered until boiling. Cover and reduce to a simmer, continue cooking until beans are soft, about 2 ½ hours. Drain beans, but reserve the water that they cooked in. In the same pot melt lard, cook onion and garlic until soft. Add beans and a small amount of the reserved water. With a hand held blender, blend the bean mixture until it is nice and smooth. If you need more liquid, add more of the reserved water. Add salt to taste and enjoy. Serves 6-8.

Navajo Tacos

2009-08-08T06:31:00.001-06:00

I first made these tacos a couple of years ago while my mom was visiting us. Since then my family won't eat hard shell tacos anymore! We love this recipe, they are super filling and hit the spot! Using the crock pot to cook the chicken saves time because it can cook all day while you get other things done!

Navajo Tacos Fry Bread

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups water
vegetable oil for frying

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together well. Add water gradually making sure the dough is stiff. Let dough rest covered with a damp towel for at least 10 minutes. When ready to make tacos, pull off egg-sized balls of dough and quickly roll, pull, and on a floured surface pat them out into large, plate-sized rounds. They should be thin in the middle and about 1/4 inch thick around the edges. Using a fork poke holes in the dough to prevent bubbles from forming. In skillet, heat 1/2-inch vegetable oil. Brown dough circles on each side until golden brown. You will need to stand over the skillet and with your fork and poke at any bubbles that may come up. When golden brown, lift from oil, shake gently to remove bulk of oil, and place on paper towels to drain.
Top with your favorite taco meat and taco toppings such as sour cream, lettuce, salsa, cheese, guacamole and olives. Makes about 8.

Chicken Taco Meat for Navajo Tacos

1 whole chicken
1 taco seasoning packet
1 cup salsa
1 1/2 cups water

Place whole chicken seasoned with salt and pepper in crock pot and cover with water, cook on low for about 5 hours. When done cooking, drain the liquid and take all meat off of the bones and take a fork and shred it. Put the meat back in the crock pot with the taco seasoning packet, salsa and water. Let cook on low for one hour. Serve on top of Navajo Taco Fry Bread along with your favorite taco toppings. Serves 8.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2009-08-07T06:30:00.001-06:00

I had this idea in my head for a couple of weeks of a cookie that had pretzels in it. First I was thinking of just a chocolate chip pretzel cookie, which would probably be really tasty. But then I got the awesome idea to mix in some peanut butter into the cookie to make a cookie that was kind of like one of my favorite snacks, chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels. I've done it! This cookie is awesome, with a crunch from the pretzel and big bites of chocolate, it's a keeper!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¾ cups crushed pretzel pieces
1 (11.5 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chunk morsels or chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Beat butter, peanut butter and sugars until creamed. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda and mix. Finally add crushed pretzel pieces and chocolate chunks, mix until combined. Using a small cookie scoop, place cookie dough on ungreased cookie sheets, making sure they are 2 inches apart from each other. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an air tight container.

Have you tried this recipe? If you have, head on over to Tasty Kitchen to rate and review!

Sneaky Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars

2009-08-06T14:45:00.001-06:00

I made these sneaky chocolate chip zucchini bars yesterday to use up some of my surplus of garden fresh zucchini. I got the recipe over at 2 Kids and Tired Cooks. I'm happy to report that my kids ate these without even thinking twice about the fact that there was a vegetable in it! They couldn't even tell! I think they kind of got distracted by all of the gooey chocolate in them! My husband got home after work and ate some dinner and then asked what was for dessert, I pulled these out and he ate 3 huge squares of them. So, they are tasty! He even asked if I put any in his lunch this morning. I did make a bit of a change to the original recipe, I added a bit more sugar than the recipe called for, simply because I thought that 1/2 cup for the entire recipe wouldn't be sweet enough. I think that they turned out great the way I made them! Be sure to peel your zucchini before you grate it, this way your end product won't be green and it will be easier to get picky eaters to eat them!

Sneaky Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars

¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated
1 ¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and eggs together. Add the vanilla and zucchini and mix well. Add the flour, salt and baking powder mixing well. Finally add in the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Pour into a 9x13 inch cake pan that has been greased. Bake in preheated 350° F for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and cut into bars. Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Ranch Chicken

2009-08-06T06:29:00.001-06:00

When using boneless skinless chicken thighs, this chicken stays nice and moist. My husband couldn't even tell that it was baked!! Your family is sure to love this easy yummy chicken!

Quick & Easy Ranch Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup pre-made ranch dressing
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup cornmeal
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon cajun seasoning salt
½ teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat oven at 425° F.
On a large plate mix together breadcrumbs, cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, cajun seasoning and garlic salt, set aside. Pour ranch dressing into a bowl and dip each chicken thigh into the dressing and then into the seasoned breadcrumb mixture. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and repeat until you have all of the chicken thighs on the cookie sheet. Place in 425° F oven and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

The Yummiest Peach Cobbler

2009-08-05T14:18:00.004-06:00

This peach cobbler is by far THE best I have ever tried in my life. Truly. My mom first made this recipe while visiting us one year and since then, this is the only peach cobbler recipe I'll use. The crust of this cobbler has a wonderful lemon flavor and it's just too good for words! You must try this while the fresh peaches are plentiful this year! If you are craving peach cobbler in the dead of winter, you can sub frozen or canned in this recipe too, but you must try it with fresh, you won't be disappointed. Oh, and vanilla ice cream is a must!!

The Yummiest Peach Cobbler

2 pounds ripe peaches
¾ cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
¾ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Peel, halve, and pit the peaches. Slice each half into 3 or 4 wedges. Combine the peaches, ¼ cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large mixing bowl. Let the fruit stand, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Make the dough: Cream together the butter and remaining ½ cup sugar in a medium mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until the batter is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined. Transfer the peaches to an 8-inch square-baking pan. Drop the dough in rounded tablespoonfuls over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden, 50 to 55 minutes. Let the cobbler cool slightly and serve it warm.

Just Like Olive Garden Salad

2009-08-05T07:30:00.000-06:00

Salads are a great lunch or side dish in the summer, or anytime!! If you love the salad at the Olive Garden, I'm sure you'll love this salad! You can use the dressing on any salad, but if you really want the salad to taste like Olive Garden's you'll want to mix in some red onions and olives! MMM!!!

Just Like Olive Garden Salad

1 large bag of romaine lettuce salad mix or desired amount of lettuce
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
1/2 can black olives, drained and refrigerated
10 peperoncini pepper rings
1 tomato, cut into slices
1/2 cup croutons (optional)

1/2 cup garbanzo beans (optional)
desired amount of dressing (recipe below)

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, tossing until everything is coated with the salad dressing. Serve and enjoy!

Just Like Olive Garden Salad Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons corn syrup
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

2009-08-04T06:27:00.002-06:00

My husband loves jalapeño cheese bread and had been asking me to make some for the longest time. I had tried many times to make it, but it never turned out the way I wanted it to. Until I finally figured out that cheese chunks instead of shredded cheese was the way to go! Now we get big pockets of cheese!! This bread is killer good and I'm sure you'll love it!

Jalapeño Cheese Bread

3 cups warm water

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

6 1/2 cups flour

½ cup jarred jalapeño slices
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese chunks, about .5" each

Mix all of the ingredients together, only until all of the flour is integrated, about 1 minute. DO NOT KNEAD!! The dough will be wet and sticky, this is how it is supposed to look. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit unrefrigerated for 2 hours. Cut the dough into three pieces, one for each loaf. If you only want one loaf, then cut off enough for one loaf and place the rest of the dough in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. To make a loaf of bread take the piece of dough that you just took out and fold the dough in half once, and then in thirds. DO NOT KNEAD!! Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. After resting place the dough into a heavily floured tea towel and cover. Let sit until double in size. To bake the bread, place a large oven proof pot that has a lid in the oven, turn the oven on to 450° F. After the pot has sit in the oven for 30 minutes to heat, take the pot out and plop the dough into the pot, it's okay if the dough looks a little weird. Cover the pot with the lid and place in the 450° F oven to bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting into the bread. Enjoy! Makes three loaves.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn

2009-08-03T06:12:00.005-06:00

I bet that you don't look at that picture and think that this gourmet looking popcorn is a food storage recipe, but guess what? It is!! Everything in the recipe is completely shelf stable, which equals food storage! Wouldn't your family be delighted to eat this if you had to live off of your food storage? I know mine would! Food storage doesn't have to be all wheat, rice and beans. Although those things are really good to have in your food storage, you should have a variety of things, like popcorn, peanut butter and chocolate!

I love peanut butter and chocolate combined, those two together is probably my all time favorite flavor combo. If you're like me, then you'll love this tasty popcorn treat! Not to mention that it looks so gourmet that you'll impress your family and friends!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn

¾ cup light corn syrup
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 cups popped popcorn
1 cup chocolate chips

Make the popcorn either with an air popper or on the stove top according to the directions on the bag, set aside in a large roasting pan or two large cookie sheets. In a saucepan over medium heat mix together the corn syrup, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla. Bring to a boil stirring constantly, once it has reached a boil, cook for one minute. Take off heat and pour over popped corn, working fast stir in all of the peanut butter coating, mixing well so that all of the popcorn is evenly coated. Let popcorn sit for about 10 minutes and then mix again to break up the pieces. In a bowl melt the chocolate for 20 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring in between each 20 second cooking, until the chocolate is melted through. Be sure not to burn the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn either with a spoon or by spooning the chocolate into a small zip loc bag and then cutting a small hole at one of the tips and then drizzling over by squeezing the bag over the popcorn. Let set for 30 minutes and then break up the popcorn! If the chocolate isn't setting you can put your cookie sheets or roasting pan into the fridge for 15 minutes and then you should be good to go! Enjoy!

Summer Yellow Squash Fritters

2009-08-02T06:44:00.004-06:00

We have a few yellow squash plants in our garden that are just growing like crazy and I needed to come up with a new way to cook them. Something that my kids might actually eat too, so I thought about fried squash and then got to thinking that they could probably still tell that it was squash if I just sliced it and then battered it and fried it. So, I was looking online and got the idea for these fritters. I combined a few different recipes and came up with this one that is really really yummy. My kids even ate them up! Dip them in ranch dressing or fry sauce and they are just too good! If you have lots of yellow squash in your garden, be sure to make these soon!

Yellow Summer Squash Fritters

1 cup yellow squash puree
1 egg
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning salt
½ teaspoon onion powder
vegetable oil for frying

Combine the yellow squash puree (to make, boil sliced yellow squash in water until soft and then drain and puree in blender or food processor) and egg in a large bowl with a whisk. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, Cajun seasoning and onion powder, mixing well until there are no lumps in the mixture. Heat oil over high heat until hot and drop batter into hot oil by the tablespoon. Fry one to two minutes on each side, or until a nice golden brown color is achieved and the fritters are cooked through. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and enjoy!

Special Zucchini Bread

2009-08-01T06:31:00.002-06:00

If your like us then you probably have tons of zucchini growing in your garden. Thank goodness for zucchini bread! This zucchini bread is probably the best recipe that I've ever come across. It comes from my mother-in-law, who adds raisins to her zucchini bread. If you took the raisins out it would be a typical zucchini bread recipe, but the raisins add so much more to this bread! They help to keep the bread moist and they add an extra sweetness. This recipe will not disappoint!

If you have too much zucchini and you can't seem to keep up with it, shred it and put it into freezer bags and then pop it in the freezer, this way you'll have zucchini ready to be made into bread that you can use in the winter!

Special Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 ½ cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 ½ cups raisins

Preheat oven to 325° F.
Combine all wet ingredients in an electric mixer and then add all dry ingredients. Mix well and add raisins last. Pour into greased and floured bread pans and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let bread sit for 15-20 minutes in pans before removing and cooling on a wire rack. Makes two loaves.

Cookies & Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-07-31T08:12:00.006-06:00

One thing that I'm pretty well known for is my cookies. I've been baking cookies ever since I was a kid, every weekend growing up that's what I did. My uncle Ruben would come over just for some of my chocolate chip cookies, which at the time was just the Toll House recipe on the bag. But, he loved them. Today the guys at my husband's work always ask when more cookies are coming and they even request certain kinds! I'm kind of known as the cookie lady, which I'm perfectly fine with! I was actually talking to my mom the other day about how it would be fun to open up a little shop that just sells treats like cookies, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls... stuff like that, but then when I think about it, that would take the fun out of baking for me. So, I'll just stick to what I'm doing and share my recipes with you instead so that you can make them for yourselves!

This cookie is a new favorite in our house and everyone that has tried them has loved them. With the combination of Oreos and chocolate chips, you can't really go wrong! One thing that I've noticed with these cookies is that if you cut the Oreos up into big chunks, your cookies will turn out to be a higher cookie and if you crush the Oreos your cookies will be flatter. The picture here is of the Oreos being crushed, I'll have to make them again with the cookies cut and take a picture of them that way. They also look a lot more grey when you crush them, since little bits of crumbs are being distributed throughout the dough. I actually prefer them with the Oreos cut up instead of crushed, but they are yummy either way!

Edited to add picture of cookies with cut up Oreos instead of crushed Oreos.

Cookies & Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips
20 Oreo cookies, cut up or crushed

Preheat oven to 350°F.
With an electric mixer cream butter and sugars until nice and creamy. Add vanilla and egg and mix. Slowly add flour, a little at a time. Add baking soda and salt and mix well, add chocolate chips and oreo cookies and mix well. Scoop cookie dough by the rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet; make sure they aren’t too close though! Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a rack and enjoy!

Fry Sauce, My Way

2009-07-30T07:46:00.000-06:00

Never heard of fry sauce? Don't worry, I hadn't either until we moved out here to Idaho. Everyone out here knows what fry sauce is and can't seem to eat french fries without it! Even the McDonalds out here has fry sauce! Regular fry sauce is a mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup, which is good, but I like a little bit more flavor, so I came up with this zesty dip! Try it!!!

Fry Sauce, My Way

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup or your favorite barbecue sauce (we only ever use Sweet Baby Ray's)
½ teaspoon season salt

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and serve with your favorite fries! Makes about ¾ cup.

Have you tried this recipe? If you have, head on over to Tasty Kitchen to rate and review!

My Go To Seasonings

2009-07-29T16:49:00.001-06:00

People always ask me what I season my dishes with, so here you go. These are the seasonings that I use most often. I have lots and lots of seasonings in my cupboard, but these ones are the ones that I pull out most often. I don't always use them all together, but in some cases I do. Like tonight I'm making baked chicken breasts and I seasoned them with all of these seasonings together. My mom used these when I was growing up, so thats what I like!

Pictured above is Season Salt, this one happens to be from Red Robin, if you have a Red Robin near you, go and get some of their season salt, it's only $3 for 16 oz. and it's really yummy. Then next to that we have Lawry's Garlic Salt with parsley, this is the only garlic salt worth using, don't waste your money on any other kind. Then we have Whole Peppercorns, which are in a pepper grinder, I only use this kind of pepper. Next to that is Paprika, Costco had the smoked variety (not sure if all paprika is smoked or not) so this is what I got. And then we have Morton's Nature's Seasons, which is probably my most used seasoning of all time. It has all sorts of things in it including salt, pepper, sugar, "spices", onion, garlic, celery seeds and parsley. I use this stuff a lot and for some reason I've only been able to find the small container of it lately, so I bought like four of them to keep on hand. There you have it! My go to seasonings!

Awesome Whole Wheat Bread

2009-07-29T09:30:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty into food storage, partly because I'm LDS and partly because I just want to be prepared and have food in my house in case something happens. You never know when you might not be able to buy food! What if your husband lost his job or there was a big snow storm and you were stuck in your house for days? So, I store food in my house. Not a whole ton, but I do have some just in case. And what's food storage if you don't know how to use it? So, I'll be featuring some of my food storage recipes along with my regular recipes. This recipe however is so good, you'll want to eat this bread every day! Who knew food storage could be so tasty?! When I make this recipe at home I grind my wheat kernels in my wheat grinder to make the flour for this bread. This way I have the freshest flour I could possibly have! If you don't have fresh flour, store bought whole wheat flour will work perfectly fine! But, if you are going to become a serious bread baker and bake all of the bread that your family eats, as I do, you might want to consider getting yourself a wheat grinder! I highly recommend the one that I have, which is the Nutrimill! Check it out!

There are a couple of ingredients in this recipe, namely dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten that you may not have heard of before, that is unless you live in Utah or Idaho. So, I'm going to introduce them to you! Dough enhancer is a product that helps to rise your breads higher and better than if you didn't have it in your dough, it also helps to prolong the life of your bread. Vital wheat gluten adds more gluten to your dough to make it softer and more delicious! You can buy both products here or you can try looking for them in your local grocery store in the baking section. You won't regret buying them at all, you'll use them in all of your bread doughs once you try them once. Trust me!

Awesome Whole Wheat Bread

2 cups warm water
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon yeast
1/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons dough enhancer
5 to 7 cups whole wheat flour

In a large mixer (such as a Kitchen Aid or Bosch type) combine the water, yeast and honey. Let sit for a few minutes to give the yeast a chance to start working. Add the salt, oil, vital wheat gluten, dough enhancer and 3 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Continue to add more flour until the dough does not stick to the side of the bowl and does not feel sticky to the touch. Knead for 10 minutes in mixer. When dough has finished kneading let it rise once until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough and divide it into 2 pieces and form into loaves and set in greased bread pans. Let dough rise in warm, but not on oven until it is about an inch over the pan. Turn oven on to 350° F and set timer for 30 minutes, do not preheat the oven. When done baking remove from pans immediately and let cool on a wire rack. Makes 2 loaves.

Have you tried this recipe? Come and rate and review it over at Tasty Kitchen!

Sausage Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

2009-07-28T09:30:00.002-06:00

This pasta is one of our favorites!! My kids even like the artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes in it! I sometimes use turkey Italian sausage instead of pork and it works out great for a lower fat version! Try this one soon!!

Sausage Artichokes and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

¾ cup sun dried tomato slices
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 (15-ounce) can water packed quartered artichoke hearts
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can chicken broth
1lb. rotini pasta
½ cup shredded Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoon dried parsley
8 ounces mozzarella, cubed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat a large skillet over high heat, add sausage and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite size pieces. Add the artichokes and garlic to the skillet, and sauté over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and sun dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet along with ½ cup Parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Have you tried this recipe? If you have, head on over to Tasty Kitchen to rate and review it!

Hey Ya'll!

2009-07-27T18:35:00.000-06:00

Welcome to But Mama, I'm Hungry!! A blog where I will share all of my tried and true recipes. The kinds of recipes that your kids and family will love to eat!! But you don't have to have kids at home to enjoy my recipes, they are for everyone! So, come on in, grab a cold diet dr. pepper and join me in my cooking endeavours! See you real soon!