Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Lovely Christmas...the best time of the year!

Well I must say I didn't know how busy this holiday was going to leave me.  Chasing a 2 1/2 year old around, being sick all the time, and the hustle and bustle of the holiday left me with no energy to post or make anything.  I did make some yummy treats for the family gatherings and tried many many yummy treats I feel like I am off to a very fat start for my 2nd pregnancy.  However, I will be exercising and playing volleyball this pregnancy so hopefully it won't pack on like it did when I had that cute little guy above!

Here are some links to some of the great things I made.

1.  Just like White Castle Sliders from the Big Red Kitchen (these were a big hit!)

2.  These cute little Pretzel Chocolate Kiss M&M treats.

3.  These are to die for!  Brownie covered Oreos from Picky Palate.  (I baked mine in cute Santa cupcake holders.  I tried her way...but I was not patient enough to dig out every gosh darn oreo.  It worked well!)

4.  This was my little obsession Buffalo Chicken Dip from the Rachel Ray show.

I would have to say our Christmas was a success!  In all the hustle and bustle we still settled down and watched some Elf, The Grinch that Stole Christmas (both cartoon, and the one with Jim Carey), Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, A Christmas Story, and It's a Wonderful Life.  I will admit I cried for all of them.  Yes...all of them.  I am blaming the hormones!

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

 

Friday, December 10, 2010

Taco Pie

Sweet glorious lovely taco pie!  I love you, I love you, and I love you!  This was such a good supper.  It stuffed me and the whole little family loved it!  I like lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream on my taco pie.  My husband eats it with only hot sauce and jalapenos on it.  Lukas eats it without all the good veggies on it.  In fact he asked me to take a picture of his plate too...(yeah it was Sunday we didn't do matching plates.)





Taco Pie:

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg of crescent rolls
1 cup taco or cheddar cheese

Optional:  lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, sour cream, cheese, and other veggies for toppings.

Brown hamburger, while hamburger cooks spray a pie dish with cooking spray and put crescent rolls into pie dish to for "pie crust".  Add taco seasoning and finish cooking meat.  Take 1 cup sour cream and place on bottom of pie, put hamburger over sour cream, and then spread 1 cup of cheese over meat(or more if you desire...we did more.)  Bake on 350 for 20 minutes.  Top with your toppings and eat!  I also crushed some chips on the top before baking. 



Wednesday, December 8, 2010

2 Dried Beef Dips

 This lovely dip pictured to the left is called Dried Beef Dip.  It is baked in the oven and eaten with crackers.  I had a craving for this and oh my gosh it was great!  Love love love it!!!  (PS sorry none of my pictures turned out for this.)



The dip to the right is called Dried Beef Green Pepper Dip.  It's got a little kick, but not too spicy...only for flavor.  This dip is great and eaten with chips!  Very good for football Sunday!


These dips were just wonderful to eat while finally watching the Vikings win a game!  I got both recipes from my Aunt and I don't know where she got them from.  Lovely for parties!

Dried Beef Dip:

Ingredients:
1 package of dried beef
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP minced onion

Combine in a small baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  I usually check on it every 8-10 minutes to stir it.  Eat with your favorite crackers!


Dried Beef and Green Pepper Dip:

Ingredients:
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 green pepper diced
1 package dried beef

Combine ingredients in a small crock pot and melt together.  Eat with chips. 

I love appetizerish food!  ♥

Monday, December 6, 2010

Chicken Bruschetta Bake

This Chicken Bruschetta Bake is one of my go to meals for girls night out.  I have made it a few times for our little girl's night out parties we get together for.  They always love it, but I had never made it for my family.  It's so easy and simple I decided with the lack of energy I am experiencing it would be the perfect meal to make.  You don't even have to cook the chicken first (you can if you want...but it does turn out without cooking it too)!  I got this recipe from Kraft.com.
 
Chicken Bruschetta Bake
Ingredients:
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup water
2 cloves  garlic, minced
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp.  dried basil leaves
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Peanut Butter...is my new go to food.


Well...all I can say is wow.  I now remember the early pregnancy sickness and never knowing when it's coming.  I had it with my first one and now with this one.  What can I say...I have started eating in the middle of the night, munching small things through the whole day, and napping accidentally quite often.  I confess that I have not been cooking.  We have had frozen pizzas, things that can cook in a crock pot all day, or having good old ramen noodle.  Poor Lukas he doesn't seem to care though.  I try to change up what he is eating, but I just don't have the energy or the desire to cook.  However, there is one thing that has kept me a happy girl and it's peanut butter.  I liked peanut butter before, but now I LOVE peanut butter.

My 3 favorite peanut butter loves have been.
     1.  Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches on whole wheat bread...So so very yummy!  I use Skippy's natural  peanut butter and a good old Dole banana.  These grilled are very good too!

     2.  Peanut Butter Crackers...a wonderful snack that helps me keep sickness away!  Ritz whole wheat crackers and of course Skippy's natural peanut butter!

     3.  Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches on whole wheat bread.  I make these and keep them in a ziplock baggie for my middle of the night potty breaks and hunger sessions!  I use Smuckers Strawberry sugar free jelly it's very delicious!

Sorry I didn't have anything more delicious or earth shattering, but I am attending a baking party on Saturday and with hopes I will bring some pictures and stories back with some yummy Christmas snacks! 

Friday, November 26, 2010

Chicken Garden Casserole

Chinese food is one of my favorites!  This casserole is easy and yummy!  I found it in a Casseroles cookbook from Books Are Fun.  Lukas even ate this casserole happily!  
Ingredients:
1 (6oz) package Rice-A-Roni fried rice
2 TBLS margarine
1 chopped onion
2 cups celery
1 (150z) can Chinese vegetables, drained
1 (80z) can sliced bamboo shoots
3 1/2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 (10oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
2 TBLS soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup chow mien noodles
Cook rice according to package directions and set aside.  Heat margarine in large skillet and saute onion and celery. Add Chinese vegetables, bamboo shoots and chicken and mix well.  In saucepan, heat chicken soup, mayonnaise, soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper just enough to mix well.  In large bowl, combine rice, vegetable-chicken mixture and soup mixture and mix well.  Transfer to greased 13x9 casserole dish.  Sprinkle chow mien noodles over casserole.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I never posted Thanksgiving recipes, because I don't actually cook anything for Thanksgiving.  We always go to either my side or my husband's side of the family.  It's a every other year kind of thing.  Also I don't like some of the Thanksgiving traditional recipes.  I am not a fan of pecan pie, anything with pumpkin, or sweet potatoes.  However, I do love turkey, veggies, and potatoes!  French silk pie is always what we have for dessert so we will enjoy that.  Hopefully you all have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy spending time with your family!

Here are some links to some of my favorite sites that posted some wonderful Thanksgiving Recipes.





I am looking forward to the eating and to the napping that comes with Thanksgiving!  Oh and the football!  Hope yours is great! ♥

Monday, November 22, 2010

Mexican Dish

I have a confession.  I haven't been cooking lately.  I have been feeling awful lately.  The "morning sickness" is getting the best of me and I have been too exhausted to cook.  I have been making the old stand by recipes that are easy and my husband knows how to make them too.  However, I finally did cook supper last night!

This dish has been one of my family's favorites for years.  My Aunt first made it when I was little.  Her version had hot taco sauce and jalepenos in it, but this is my Mom's version.  It's made with green chilies and mild taco sauce.  You eat it like a dip with chips.  It's such a great yummy comfort food!

Mexican Dish:
2 lbs hamburger (I used turkey)
2 bottles of taco sauce (which ever spiciness you prefer)
2 cans of chopped green chilies
1 can of chopped black olives
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
2 cups of mild cheddar cheese
2 cans of refried beans
2 cups of sour cream
Tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 and in a frying pan brown hamburger.  Once hamburger is browned layer ingredients as follows:  1 can of refried beans, half of hamburger, 1 can of green chilies, 1 bottle of taco sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese, sprinkle with black olives, and repeat last layer.  Bake for 35 minutes, bring out of oven and put your dollops of sour cream all over the top and sprinkle with black olives.  Bake for 5-10 more minutes.  Eat with chips!  So very very yummy!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Picky Palate Review and Giveaway

Picky Palate is reviewing the new Intel Core i5 processor and giving a way a $250 dollar gift certificate for Best Buy!  Visit the site and comment to register!  Good luck and happy blogging!  Click here to visit Picky Palate Intel Core i5 review.

Lunch Wraps

This really isn't a recipe, but it's been my favorite lunch for some time now.  We love to make wraps instead of sandwiches at our house.  Lukas won't eat them, but we sure do gobble them up!  The best part is you put whatever you want in them.  My husband loves mustard, extra pickles, and ham in mostly all of his wraps.  I am more of a turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomato girl.  We usually have this for lunch or for a late afternoon snack!

I am not feeling very creative lately.  I have found myself in the fatigue of the first trimester.  I experienced this with Lukas and now with this one.  At least I have the second trimester to look forward to.  Can't wait for my energy to return!  I used to look up recipes and print out a few a week to try, but I am so tired.  The only suppers my family have been eating are our old stand by suppers.  Like meatloaf, spaghetti, tator tot hotdish, and noodles with sauce.  Hopefully this fatigue will go away...I have way too many plans for the holidays!  I have also found cooking makes me nauseous right now.  The smells of the food are sometimes too much.  ~Sigh~  What we go through for our little bundle of joys!

Cheddar Jalapeno Wraps:

Ingredients:
1 Mission Cheddar Jalapeno Wraps
5-6 pieces of deli meat (which ever you prefer)
1-2 pieces of ice berg lettuce
diced tomotoes
shredded colby jack cheese
 pickles
mustard or mayo (I like light mayo)

Layer all ingredients and roll.  Eat!  

♥ Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Chicken Enchiladas

One of our favorite dinners is enchiladas.  We do love our regular recipe with the red sauce and turkey and pork, but this has also become a easy favorite.  Please forgive the picture I let the broiler get the best of me.  They still tasted delicious regardless!  This recipe was simple and yummy!  I found this recipe over the summer from Budget Bytes blog.  Not only does she have some really yummy recipes, but she tells you how much they can cost per serving and for the whole dish.  I thought that was a nice bonus!

 Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 lb. Chicken breast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder 
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 oz. sour cream
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 can (8 oz.) green chilies
10 small tortillas
1 can (15 oz.) green enchilada sauce 
1 medium tomato (optional)
3 sliced green onions (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook chicken meat sprinkle with garlic, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper.  While cooking the chicken mix together in a separate bowl the sour cream, mozzarella, and green chilies.  Dice the chicken meat and combine with sour cream mixture.  Grease a 13x9 casserole pan and start filling the tortillas and with one spoonful of chicken mixture each and roll.  Place in the casserole dish seam side down.  Repeat until filling is all used up.  Pour the enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas and bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes of baking take 1 cup cheese and sprinkle the top and set to broil for 5 minutes or until turns a light brown.  (Keep an eye on that broiling!)  Sprinkle with green onions and tomatoes to finish off the dish.

Dig in...I add more sour cream when eating! 

Friday, November 12, 2010

Chicken Marsala


First off let me say Happy Friday!  Amen for the weekend coming!  Second I have some news!  I found out Monday I am pregnant!  This will be my second child and we are all very excited!  I don't care if it's a he or a she...I just want a healthy baby.  My little guy will be a fantastic big brother and we are really looking forward to this summer!  I guess we will see how my blog direction goes in terms of cravings, sickness, and musings.

So anyway, let me admire this Chicken Marsala. This is one of my husband's favorites. He orders this when we are out and they have it on the menu.  I have never made it until the other day or even had it.  When we are usually out and he orders this and I am a pasta lady so I order me some pasta.  I found this recipe on Olive Garden's website.

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:
4 ea Chicken half-breast, boneless & skinless
1/4 cup(s) Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Oregano, dried
4 Tbsp Oil
4 Tbsp Butter (or margarine)
1 cup(s) Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup(s) Marsala wine

Pound chicken breasts between sheets of "Saran Wrap" until about 1/4" even-thickness.  Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano, blend.  Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, shake off excess.  Heat oil and butter in frying pan over medium heat.  Cook the breasts on medium heat for about two minutes on the first side, until lightly brown.  Turn breasts over to second side to cook, add the mushrooms around the chicken breasts.  Cook breasts about two more minutes, until lightly browned on the second side, stir the mushrooms.  When lightly browned, add Marsala around the chicken pieces, cover and simmer for about ten minutes.  Transfer to serving plate.

I must add...my favorite part of this recipe was pounding the chicken!  

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Baked Tomato Sauce

My Mom gave me my Step Dad's cast iron skillet.  It was his favorite thing to cook with.  He passed away a year ago October 28th, and we do miss him very much!  He helped spark my interest in cooking by always trying new things and making yummy stuff for us to try.  This is the first thing I made in his cast iron skillet.  I actually really enjoyed it.  You can cook with it on the stove and bake...no extra dishes!

This recipe I found on Evil Chef Mom's blog.  She is a funny blogger.  Her stories and sarcasm crack me up.  Well when I saw this recipe I knew I wanted to try it!  So easy and tasty.  Her recipe has no meat in it, but my husband for some reason doesn't think that it's supper without some meat at dinner.  So hear it is.

Baked Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
 1/3 cup melted butter

2-3 pounds very ripe tomatoes, halved...I used 5 large tomatoes
1/3 cup panko break crumbs
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound dried penne
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish or a cast iron pan with one-third of the oil. Place the tomatoes cut side up in the dish. Pour melted butter over tomatoes.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and garlic and toss with a fork to mix well. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the tomatoes, making sure that each cut side is covered with the crumb mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake until the tomatoes are cooked through and the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make noodles and drain. 
Time the pasta so it finishes cooking about the time the tomatoes are ready to come out of the oven.
When the tomatoes are done, add the basil and stir to mix everything into a sauce. Drain the pasta and immediately place it to the baking dish. Mix well.

(I cooked some turkey breasts and added them into the mixture too.)

EAT!  :)

Monday, November 8, 2010

Easy Lasagna

We had my husband's side of the family over for dinner and I wanted to make something up ahead of time that would be satisfying to all.  So I used this easy lasagna recipe I got from the 2004 Wal-Mart Family Recipes cookbook.  I make this lasagna every few months since my whole family loves this stuff!

Ingredients:
10 No-boil lasagna noodles
1 1/2 lb. Ground beef (I used a combo of Itailan sausage and turkey)
1 cup chopped onion
1 jar of Ragu Pasta sauce(what ever flavor you like!)
1 1/2 tsp Itialan seasoning
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
3 cups Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesean cheese

Soak lasanga noodles in water for 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.  Cook hamberger and onions in a large skillet; then drain.  Stir in pasta sauce, Itlian seasoning, and garlic.  Heat through.  Spray a 13x9 with cooking spray then place half of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan, half of the sauce, and half cheese.  Repeat layers and spinkle with parmesean cheese.  Bake uncovered for 45 minutes then let sit for 10 minutes.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Turkey "Beefy" Nachos

Happy Friday!  Thank goodness the weekend is coming!  This week has been packed full of doctor visits, cooking, and cleaning up the yard for winter.  I thought since it's Friday I am going to post a fun and yummy snacky type of dinner.  I found this recipe from a blog called KevinandAmanda.com.  She has some great crafting ideas as well as some really good recipes too!  She made homemade tortilla chips and all to go with the nachos...call me a bum, but I didn't go to that much trouble!  I bought the good old Tostitos Tortilla Chips.  We made these yummy nachos on a Sunday night when our Vikings were playing the Green Bay packers.  We lost, but the food was great!

Turkey "Beefy" Nachos
(32 oz) Velveeta cheese (I used 2% Velveeta)
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
1 lb sausage, browned and drained (I used turkey sausage)
1 lb hamburger, browned and drained (I used ground turkey)
1 small jar of salsa
1 can cream of mushroom soup


Melt Velveeta for 1 1/2 to 2 hours in a crockpot on high.  Brown meat in a frying pan and drain.  Turn crock pot to medium or low and add meat, rotel tomatoes, salsa, and soup.  Let it cook on low for 1/2 hour.


Serve with chips and devour!  We didn't eat all of ours so I put it in a freezer safe container and then wrapped it in foil.  I will bring it back out in the next few weeks and try reheating it for a football game or I might try to make some kind of other nachos with more veggies and use this.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Sunshine Blog Award!



 I received the Sunshine Blog Award from coolblogger of Gourmet's Kichenette! 

Here are twelve fellow bloggers I am awarding the Sunshine Blog Award to.
1.  Amy of "Dinners for a Year and Beyond" http://dinnersforayear.blogspot.com/
2.  Susan of "You Go Girl" http://www.ugogrrl.com/
3.  Beth of "Budget Bites" http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/
4.  Monica of "Lick The Bowl Good" http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/
5.  Katie of "Chaos in the Kitchen" http://chaosinthekitchen.com/
6.  Chrissy of  "Feeding our Faces" http://cookingformyhusband.blogspot.com/
7.  Dr. Sameena of "My Culinary Creations" http://myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com/
8.  Meredith of "in sock monkey slippers" http://www.insockmonkeyslippers.com/
9.  Carrie of "Carrie's Cooking and Recipes" http://cookingwithcarrie.blogspot.com/
10.  Jenna of "Kid Appeal" http://foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com/
11.  Stacy of "Recipes for Moms" http://www.recipesformoms.com/
12.  Jenny of "Payday Shopping" http://paydayshopping.blogspot.com/

I must say I was surprised when I received this award!  Thanks so much coolblogger you really made my day!  I am no recipe creator or anything I just read blogs for ideas for things to try on my family and then I gladly share it!  I plan ahead and always try at least 2 or 3 new recipes every week.  Please check out Gourmet's Kitchenette her blog features some really awesome Indian food which my husband and I are going to be trying very soon!  She also had a really neat Halloween Potluck she hosted on her site!


The Sunshine Award, is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world.
The rules for accepting this award are:-
Put the logo on your blog or within your post,
Pass the award on to 12 bloggers,
Link the nominees within your post,
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog,
Share the love and link to the person from whom you have received this award.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Autumn Mix and Mummy Munch

Happy Belated Halloween!  Sorry for the late Halloween post, but Halloween weekend in a nutshell felt like a blink of an eye!    We attended a family Halloween party Saturday night and I brought these two snacks for them.  One was Autumn Mix (I got the recipe from my Pastor's wife) and Mummy Munch from Picky Palate.

Here is the Autumn Mix recipe:

4 Cups Honey Chex
1 cup peanuts
2 cups mini pretzels
1 cup cheereos
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 cup candy corn

In a big bowl combine first 4 ingredients place on a greased cookie sheet, in a microwave melt peanut butter and butter, and then mix the remaining ingredients in into peanut butter/butter mixture.  Pour over cereal mixture and bake at 200 for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.


Mummy Munch:
4 Cups Honey Chex Cereal
16 oz package vanilla candy melts
1 Cup Candy Corn
1 Cup dry roasted peanuts
2 Cups mini pretzels

Place cereal, candy corn, peanuts and pretzels into a large bowl.  Mix to combine.  Melt vanilla candy melts according to package directions then pour into cereal mixture.  Gently stir until well coated then pour onto wax paper or foil lined baking sheet to dry.  Once dried, break up into pieces and serve!
This was a hit!

I was a Double Mint Twin for Halloween I hope your Halloween was great!





 

Friday, October 29, 2010

Ok...too much junk!


Happy Friday!  I do realize I have been posting a lot of junk food lately.  Probably too much.  What you should know is that I don't necessarily keep everything I make.  I like to give away the brownies, cookies, or pie as treats to family and friends.  If I don't get rid of it that way I bring whatever it is into work.  When you work in a big company there is always someone who wants to gobble up what you bring!  No matter what it is!

Well the other night we decided to have a nice dinner of chicken, rice, and green beans.  I decided I wanted to try something like shake n bake and found this recipe from TastyKitchen.com.

Homemade Shake N Bake.
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 2 Tablespoons Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Celery Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Dry Mustard
  • 4 Tablespoons Paprika
  • 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger
  • ½ teaspoons Thyme
  • ½ teaspoons Sweet Basil
  • ½ teaspoons Oregano
I did half of everything since this makes so much.  Blend or mix well then place in zip lock bag.  Line 13x9 baking dish with foil.  Cut fat off chicken, rinse, and shake and place in baking dish.  I baked the chicken at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

There will be lots of "shake n bake" left over.  The recipe said you can freeze it and use it whenever.  So...that is what we are doing.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

White Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

This is the backwards chocolate chip cookie. 

I think I have turned my husband into a cookie monster.  He likes having cookies in the cookie jar and our cookie jar has been empty lately.  So, I decided to fill the cookie jar!  He asked me "what kind are you making?"  I said probably chocolate chip cookies well I made the reverse of chocolate chip cookies.  I found the recipe on allrecipes.com.  This is one of my favorite sites for recipes.

Here is the recipe White Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 cups white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars until creamy and then add eggs.  In a separate bowl mix cocoa, flour, and baking soda.  Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture and then fold in white chocolate chips.  Bake for 8-10 minutes. 

They were very yummy!  I love white chocolate! ♥

Monday, October 25, 2010

Oriental Stir Fry

One of my favorite cook books is 5 Ingredients or Less Cookbook.  I found the Easy Oriental Stir Fry recipe I tried it right away.  This has become a favorite of my husband's and my son! 
Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb Hamburger (I used ground pork or turkey usually)
1 16 oz package of stir fry vegetables
2 packages of oriental ramen noodle
3 TBLS green onion
1/2 tsp ginger

Brown the meat in a frying pan (I added minced onion, little bit of salt, and pepper).  Once the meat is browned put aside in a bowl.  In same frying pan add 2 cups of water, stir fry vegetables, broken up ramen noodles, and the ramen seasoning.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cover for 3 minutes.  Add meat, green onion, and ginger into the pan and serve. 

Very simple and easy...I love this recipe and it makes for a easy night afterward with not many dishes!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Ice Cream Sundae Brownies

Happy Friday!  Woohoo the weekend is almost here!  Last night we went over to my husband's cousin's place for dinner.  I brought desert.

I found these delectable brownies from PickyPalate's blog.  The recipe was so easy and oh so delicious!  I gave most of the brownies away in fear I would eat them all.  Here is the recipe she posted Ice Cream Sundae Brownies.

Ingredients:
1 family size box of brownie mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup of favorite ice cream (we used Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup)
1/4 cup hot fudge chilled

Preheat oven to 350 degree.  Mix with electric mixer brownie mix, eggs, and canola oil until thick.  Add chocolate chips, ice cream, and fudge continue to mix.  Batter will be thick.  Line 13x9 baking dish with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Pour batter into dish and bake 40-50 minutes.  Let brownies completely cool before cutting them!
Lukas helped make them! He got to lick the spoon once we were done...or "taste the spoon" as he called it.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Kid Sized Pizzas

Last week Lukas was sick and didn't feel well at all.  He had a double ear infection along with some teething.  My husband and I decided to keep him home a couple of days.  We usually take turns when it comes to taking time off with him.  Well the day I was home with him we had mini kid sized pizzas!


Pizza is one of Lukas's favorites so before I remembered to take a picture he had already gobbled up half the mini pizza!  He ate two of these and I am amazed at how much he can eat sometimes.  The recipe called for sausage, but I didn't put any meat in them.  Lukas eats cheese pizza the best...super easy and satisfying for my toddler!!!  That white stuff on the plate is ranch dressing.  He dips his pizza in ranch dressing like his mommy.

Recipe orignally from Taste of Home
Ingredients:
6 English Muffins (I used whole wheat hamburger buns.)
2 cups or more of pizza sauce (I used left over spaghetti sauce from the fridge.)
1 or more cups of mozzarella cheese
sprinkle with garlic salt and itailian seasoning
(add any of your favorite toppings)  ♥

Spread sauce on muffins and top with cheese.  Sprinkle with seasoning.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese melts.  I usually bake until cheese starts to melt and then broil on high for 1 or 2 minutes.

It was actually pretty tasty and Lukas approved!

Monday, October 18, 2010

French Silk Pie

My very most favorite pie is French Silk Pie!  I found this recipe on Dinner's For a Year and Beyond's blog and I had to make it.  The pie crust recipe is from Pionner Woman Cook's cookbook.

French Silk recipe here at this link French Silk Yumminess!  My little man loved it, and my husband was pretty impressed too!  This was my very first pie crust I made from scratch and the french silk part was actually really easy.  So great!!!

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Perfect Sugar Cookie

Last week I made The Perfect Sugar Cookie from Dinners for A Year and Beyond's blog.  This cookie is great!  My little guy and I made these and they were very easy.  I did put my dough in the fridge for a couple days until I had time to make it, but they turned out so great even that way!

We did the fall/halloween themed sugar cookies (above), a snickerdoodle sugar cookie (below), and a sugar cookie dipped in chocolate almond bark (way down below).  The snickerdoodle sugar cookie was rolled in sugar and cinnamon and well the chocolate almond bark cookie was well...you guessed it dipped in chocolate.
The flirty snickerdoodle sugar cookie. ;)
The chocolate almond bark cookie surrounded by my little guy's cars.

Ummm...I love cookies!  In moderation that is! ♥

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Food and Calories

There is one thing I really look at on labels and recipes that have them is the nutrition information.  I don't count calories per say, but I do try to pick lower calorie foods and recipes.  Not all recipes I pick have a lower calorie count, but if I do my best to pick healthier meals for myself and my family it makes me feel a lot better about feeding it to them.

On http://allrecipes.com most recipes come with the nutrition information.  Even cookies have the nutrition information!  Not many sites will show you what the nutrition information is for what you are making, but there are some sites that you can use to find out.  This site is on www.fitwatch.com and it's a Recipe Analyzer.  It helps you find out how many calories and other nutrition information are in the recipe you are going to make.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Lukas helps in the Kitchen

My little man has been helping me in the kitchen lately.  He loves to stir whatever I have going on.  The picture above is him and I making cupcakes.  Cupcakes are one of his favorites plus they are fun to make!  We used a simple Betty Crocker box recipe.

After we were done scooping the batter into the cups, he needed to taste test the batter.  Of course.  He must have learned this from me.
Baking with kids is fun!  Plus you can use it as a learning experience for them.  Talk about colors, and teaching them the different ingredients.  It really is so much fun!  I didn't take a picture of it, but he has a dish towel wrapped around his waist as a apron.

The fall cupcakes we made were fun and he got to decorate some of them.  Complete with lots of frosting and sprinkles!  He kept making noises like "ummm" while he was eating it!

These cupcakes are really easy, but I do have a recipe I usually follow instead of the box version.  Here is the link to homemade chocolate cupcakes.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Pumpkin Carving Templates

We are starting to get ready for Halloween around our house.  This next week we will be getting some pumpkins and carving them.  My husband and I love Halloween!  One of our favorite times of the year!

I was over at Allrecipes.com and I found these neat pumpkin templates!  Check them out!  I printed out the Grin, Kitty, and the Death face templates.

Pumpkin Templates

Friday, October 8, 2010

Stuffed Chicken with Crash Hot Potatoes

I apologize...I have no pictures again for this!  We ate it far too fast!  However, that usually means it's delicious when that happens.  Right?!  Go with me on this...no pictures means we gobbled it up in record time.  I wish I would have taken some pictures though the chicken and potatoes turned out wonderfully!

When I was looking at the Budget Bites blog I found a yummy looking chicken I wanted to try.  I had made something like this before, but it was chicken cordon blue.  Beth from Budget Bites made this with pepperoni, but I used ham instead of pepperoni.  Here is the recipe for the Stuffed Chicken Breasts.  My Mother in Law and Father in Law both loved them too!  They came over for dinner. ♥

The Crash Hot Potatoes also turned out to be really great.  The recipe is from Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks website.  I also just bought her cook book The Pioneer Woman Cooks Recipes from an accidental country girl!  I totally love it!  I must admit though, I do transform her recipes into some healthier versions.  She does use a lot of butter! 

Anyway, we also had green beans for good measure.  Lukas won't eat them, but he at least put them in his mouth to taste them.  I used about a tablespoon of Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic on the green beans and they are always a hit!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Blog Name Change!

I changed the name of this blog.  Mostly because Super Recipe Girl didn't mean anything to me.  I love to look up recipes and make them, but I don't create them.

I felt like SpicyArtichoke fit because I used this name when I used to online game.  She was my little chick that hid in the shadows and would kill other players.  I have mentioned before I am a computer nerd...right?

Well this name feels like it fits better.  Not like I am going to hide in the shadows and kill people kind of way.  In a kind of way that I have used this name and I am comfortable with it.  It makes me happy to see it!  So it's staying!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

White Cheese Chicken Lasanga


A few weeks ago I made this for supper.  Also I think this blog has turned into...'What ate for supper'.  That seems to be the only thing I cook lately.  I haven't had time to bake any goodies or treats, but I have to make supper so it's the only time I get to try something different.  Breakfast and lunch my husband and I eat while at work (nothing really to note) and Lukas eats breakfast and lunch at daycare.

So yeah...this is what we had for supper the other night.  It was really good and didn't take long to put it together at all.  I got the recipe from AllRecipes.com.  White Cheese Chicken Lasagna.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Fast Italian Sandwiches

Tonight I needed to make something fast and we are on a tight budget this week.  So this is what I came up with.  Fast Italian Sandwiches...not toddler approved, well not by my toddler anyway.

Ingredients:
4 Breaded Chicken Patties
1 cup Spaghetti Sauce
1 can mushrooms
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 sandwich buns

Prep:
Spray frying pan with Pam and cook chicken patties on medium.  Sprinkle patties with Italian seasoning and garlic salt.  Flip and sprinkle with seasonings again.  On the last flip take the 1 cup sauce and distribute over chicken patties.  Sprinkle both cheeses over the sauce and then top with mushrooms and cover.  Let cheese melt and then put on buns. 

They are yummy.  I didn't get to take pictures we were way too hungry!!!  They were great though!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Poor Man's Stir Fry


We got lazy last week and didn't get to the store.  I didn't have any meat in our freezer besides chicken nuggets, and I had an abundance of ramen noodle.  So I used Chinese Noodles recipe from Cheeky Kitchen and also made some Chicken nuggets and diced them up to throw them into the noodles. 

When I cooked the chicken nuggets I slowly heated them in a skillet with some sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.  My whole family enjoyed the cheap and easy recipe!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Crock Pot Pizza Casserole

This is a very simple and fast recipe for either a weekend or a weeknight with some adjustments.

The recipe is for a crock pot, but you can make it in the oven too.  I made mine in the oven, but the recipe calls for the crock pot.  The crock pot version would be great for a pot luck or a football gathering!

In our case I needed to make supper and make in less than 3-4 hours.

I got this recipe from Hy-Vee's emailed recipes.

Here are the ingredients:
1 lb hamburger (I used turkey)
16 oz cooked linguine pasta
2 cans pizza sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cook hamburger, and then layer either in a baking dish or crock pot.  Layer half noodles, half hamburger, 1 can sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella.  Then layer again with remaining ingredients.  Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 7-10 minutes until it starts to brown on edges.  If using a crock pot layer the ingredients like above and cook on low for 3-4 hours mixing occasionally.

It was good and my little guy had 4 helping which was probably 1 serving for me!  Very friendly toddler food!

To make it even healthier use whole grain linguine noodles and make your own pizza sauce.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Pioneer Woman's Pico de Gallo

I love Pico de Gallo!  I usually just chop up whatever I have available and voila snack yummy goodness!  Well I followed Pioneer Woman's Pico recipe for our football day!  Here is the recipe for Pico de Gallo. 

Except I did change a few things since my two year old digs into this dip and eats it too.  I reduced the amount of jalapenos and omitted the guacamole.  I love guacamole, but my husband isn't a fan of it.  I also used some yellow tomatoes I had left from my garden. 

Friday, September 24, 2010

Asian Shrimp Soup

My very most favorite meat is shrimp!  I love the flavor and the texture of it...plus it tastes good in so many things!

When we first tried this recipe my husband made it for me a couple years ago for my birthday.  He wanted to spoil me and cook me dinner.  Not to mention use my favorite meat too.

I was craving this soup and decided to drag the recipe out and make it again.  It was so easy and yummy!

Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp (I bought the precooked which are already peeled and deveined)
1 can condensed chicken and rice soup
1 pkg. broccoli stir fry veggies
2 cups chicken broth

Bring chicken broth and soup to a boil.  Then add shrimp and stir fry veggies.  Cook for 20 minutes on low-medium.  Then eat!  See how easy it is!  This is definitely a fast work night dinner. 

Oh by the way...my son who is 2 years old even liked it!  He also loved the shrimp which called chicken, but I wasn't going to correct him since he was eating it so easily!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies


My husband and son love Reese's Peanut Butter cups. They are probably one of my little family's weakness. So when I found this cookie recipe I knew it was going to be a hit! I found the recipe on AllRecipes website.

Here is the recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.


Oh so gooey and yummy!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Pesto Chicken Spaghetti


Last week we had one of our favorites, but strange enough we never eat it.  I love pesto it's such a great smell and taste!  My little Lukas even ate it.  Well he normally eats anything with chicken.  It's his favorite meat.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 16 oz package of noodles (I used linguine noodles)
1 6 oz pesto jar
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups cooked and diced Chicken
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese


Cook chicken and dice into small pieces. Cook noodles according to package directions, and while noodles cook bring cream to a light boil. Add pesto to cream cook on low for a few minutes and add chicken. Drain noodles return to pan and coat with cream, pesto, and chicken sauce. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese.

It's easy and yumm-O!!!

Friday, September 17, 2010

My Favorite Teas


When it comes to morning cups of warm beverages I am a tea drinker.  I have 3 favorite teas right now.  My best bud the other Jessie Tabor (we married cousins so we have the same name) got me into tea back when I was pregnant.  She would put some sugar or honey and milk in her tea.  Oh and I had to drink decaffeinated tea back then while be pregnant so it was mostly herbal teas.

I do this every single morning except on the days I drink iced coffees.  I have a special place in my heart for those too.  If you buy chai tea and do the milk, and sugar it's like drinking a chai tea latte.  Delicious!

1st favorite is Lipton's Vanilla Carmel Truffle Black Tea.  It's so good!  I have been known to have another cup after I finished the first cup.

2nd favorite is Lipton's Spiced Chai Black Tea.  This was actually my first love of tea after I wasn't pregnant anymore!  Some milk and Equal are awesome in this tea!

3rd favorite is NUMi White Orange Spice white tea.  This is a soft and light flavored tea.  It was perfect for summer.  Plus it's organic!

Tomorrow I am getting together with some friends for a tea date!  Cannot wait!♥ 
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