Arvada Dinner Post

Basic Roasted Chicken with Stuffing.

Choose favorite stuffing and fill cavity of bird (account for additional cooking time with stuffed birds). Massage butter into top of bird and season with S&P (as well as additional spices to taste).

Cook until juices run clear.

Celery Casserole - recipe below.

We also had mashed potatoes and gravy. - Perfect meal for a cold day!

Baked Celery Casserole

4 cups sliced celery

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cans sliced water chestnuts drained

1/4 cup sliced almonds sauteed in butter

1/2 cup corn flake crumbs

melted margarine or butter

Parboil celery in water with a little salt added, zap in the microwave for a few minutes or sautee in a pan for a few minutes to take the bite off. Combine drained celery with water chestnuts and undiluted soup. Place in casserole. Top with crumbs and margarine. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.

Potato Pancakes

2 eggs

1 small onion

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 -3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

Put eggs, onion, salt, flour, baking powder and 1/2 cup potatoes into blender. Cover and process until smooth. Add remaining potatoes, cover and process at grind. Pour onto a hot well greased griddle. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Makes about 12 pancakes. Serve with applesauce, sour cream, ketchup, or family sauce or your choice.

Shaved Vegetable Salad

9-8 tblsp extra olive oil

1-3 tblsp fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, crushed

salt

3 large fennel bulbs

6 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal

8 large radishes thinly sliced

1 large bunch Italian parsley, washed leaves removed (optional I prefer without as I'm not a huge parsley fan)

1-3 ounce piece of Parmesan shaved with a vegetable peeler

Fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl of jar whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt to taste. Set aside.

Trim the feathery stalks and root of fennel so the base of the bulb is flat. Remove any tough outer stalks. Using a sharp knife or mandolin, slice the bulb from top to bottom. Then slice crosswise as thinly as possible into half moons. In a plastic bag toss the sliced fennel with a few drops lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Set aside.

Just before serving in a large bowl, toss the fennel, celery and radishes with a little olive oil.

Arrange the vegetables on 6 plates with salt to taste and drizzle with the reserved lemon dressing. Sprinkle on a generous amount of shaved Parmesan. Finish with pepper to taste.

Mashed Potatoes ala Norma

5 large potatoes peeled

1 garlic clove, split

2 egg yolks

fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup butter

1 cup hot milk

4 slices Italian salami, diced

1/4 pound mozzarella cheese diced

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Cover potatoes and garlic with boiling salted water and cook through. Preheat broiler. Drain potatoes and garlic and mash with butter and milk. Beat in egg yolks (make sure egg yolks are not cold have them on the counter to come to temp while potatoes are boiling to prevent scrambling). Mix in diced salami and mozzarella and then place in a buttered oven safe dish. Spoon cream over the top, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and place in the broiler 8 inches from the heat. Cook slowly until light brown crust appears.

Cranberry sauce

1 Cup sugar
1 cup water
1 pkg. cranberries (2 cups)

Wash berries put water in a pan
add sugar.  bring to a boil stirring often.
add cranberries
return to a boil
reduce heat and boil gently 10 min
cool to room temp before refrigerating.

Grandma Teasdale's Pumpkin Coconut Bread

1 1/3 C oil
5 eggs (beaten)
1 small can pumpkin

Beat together and add:

2 C sugar
2 C flour
2 pkg coconut cream pie filling
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Nuts (optional)


Makes 4 small or 2 large loaves
325 degrees
45 min for small loaves
60 min for large laoves

Spicy chip dip

1 pkg Cream Cheese (softened)
1 can Rotel Tomatoes (Undrained)

Mix with mixer until well blended.  We like it with regular potato chips, but it works with tortilla chips and Fritos as well.

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls

1 Roll Pillsbury pizza dough (or favorite ready dough)
Cream cheese softened
brown sugar
cinnamon
2tbl butter softened
chopped walnuts/pecans/almonds etc (optional)
Cream cheese frosting (home-made or store bought which ever you have on hand)

~Unroll Pillsbury dough and press or roll out to desired thickness (I prefer very thin)
~Spread on a layer of cream cheese
~Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and butter and layer over cream cheese
~Sprinkle chopped nuts over evenly
~Roll as tight as you can without tearing the dough
~Slice into rounds and place in a backing dish to rise while the oven warms up per Pillsbury box instructions
~Place in oven and cook until top edges are golden brown and rolls are fragrant
~Spread cream cheese over top of warm rolls to allow it to become soft and melt into the rolls.
~Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Upside-Down Cake

I have added this recipe before but thought I'd add a photo of the finished product.

Last weekend while working the Paonia Harvest Festival I was able to trade 2 knit baby hats for a whole box of organic apples (one of my favorite fall ingredients)...so we have been having a real apple fest at our house using them in all our favorite apple recipes.

Hope this inspires all of you to go out and use a great fall ingredient. :-)

1 box regular yellow cake mix
1 large Granny Smith Apple or 2 small Season Tart green apples
Palm full Cinnamon
Pinch Nutmeg
Palm full Brown sugar

Parchment paper
1 Deep round cake dish

~Follow box instructions for Yellow Cake
~add a few healthy dashes of cinnamon to batter.
~Remove the skins and cores from the apples
~Slice ¾ of the apples into thin half moon shapes.
~Dice the remaining 1/3 apple into small pieces and set aside.

~Toss apple slices with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (these ingred should be to taste, none should overpower any other).
~Use parchment paper to line your baking pan (this will allow you to turn out your cake perfectly after baking).
~Layer spiced apple slices along bottom of baking dish
~pour in yellow cake batter and then sprinkle remaining diced apples over the top.

~Bake per the directions on the boxcheck the cake with a tooth pick to ensure the cake is fully cooked before removing from oven.

The small diced apples will have floated to the center of the cake. You should now be able to turn out your cake to reveal your lovely half moon apple slices on the top of your cake

Serving Suggestion:Drizzle with warmed caramel and serve along side of French vanilla ice cream, OR enjoy warm right out of the oven no extra additives needed.

Blood Punch with a floating hand

 Halloween Neighbor gift--great for visiting teaching

1 Quart mason jar
2 packet black cherry Kool-aid
2 Cups sugar
1-2 vinyl gloves (NO LATEX!)
1 square of fabric
String or ribbon
paper with instructions:
Blood Punch with a floating hand
Fill Glove (s) with water, tie off and freeze
Add 2 quarts of water for Blood Punch
carefully remove glove from icy hand
place in punch and serve
Hole punch 


Stir the sugar and kool-aid together in the Mason Jar.  Place the lid on the jar and then center the square of fabric on the lid and secure with the ring.  Hole punch the paper and place on string.  Using the same string, tie the gloves to the mason Jar ring.


I loved doing this.  The Ice turns white in the middle when you drop it in the punch and it looks like bones!  Super cool and the kids love it.   I found this variation online:

http://murfreesborohaunts.blogspot.com/2007/09/blood-punch-recipe-for-all-you-vampires.html

3 cups (500 mL) cranberry juice
1-1/2 cups (250 mL) apple juice
1-1/2 cups (250 mL) grape juice
2 cups (500 mL) caffeine-free cola
1 cup (250 mL) frozen strawberries
Cooking Instructions
In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine the cranberry juice, apple juice and grape juice. Stir, then refrigerate until you're ready to serve. At the last possible moment, add the cola, the strawberries and, of course, the Floating Hand of Death (directions below).
Floating Hand

In a measuring cup or jar, stir a few drops of green food coloring into some water — not too much, just enough to give it a slightly decomposed tint. Pour the greenish water into a disposable rubber glove (the stretchy kind — make sure it's not powder-coated inside) and tie the top securely. Place in the freezer for several hours or overnight. At serving time, peel the glove off the hand and deposit icy hand in chilled punch. Yum.
Servings: Makes about 10 servings.
How kids can help

Stir together the punch ingredients.
Un-glove the Hand of Death and add to the punch.

General Conference Snack Mix

2 cups salted peanuts
3 cups mini Pretzels
1 cup M&Ms
1 cup raisins



Toss together in a bowl or divide up into baggies.   ---In lieu of pretzels or peanuts, I've used Cheerios and coconut as well.

Yummy Fruit Dip

1 Pkg (8 ounces) Cream cheese, softened
1 Jar (7 ounces) Marshmallow Cream

Stir together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve with fruit for dipping--i prefer strawberries with this one but apples and bananas are great too!

Kim's Cranberry Salad

A Colorful addition to the holiday table.


2 PACKAGES CANBERRIES CHOPPED
2 RED APPLES CHOPPED REAL FINE
¼ C PECANS CHOPPED
Sugar into taste
ADD   Mini Marshmallows

Directions:
Chop, mix, taste, and eat!

Quick Spinach Dip

Great with Rye bread, veggies, or chips.

Ingredients:
1 oz.   Hidden Valley® The Original Ranch® fat free dip mix
16 oz. fat free sour cream
10 oz. Package frozen spinach (I use 5 onces per mix and freeze the rest for next time.)
 

Directions:
Mix ranch packet with sour cream.
Add frozen spinach (thawed and well drained).  
Mix and let chill for 1 hour before serving.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 spice cake mixes
1 large can pumpkin
1 12oz. pkg of chocolate chips
opt. nuts and raisins

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together - nothing but cake mixes, no eggs, oil or water.
Drop by spoonfuls on pan.   Cook for 12 to 15 mins. at 350 degrees. 

Number Of Servings:  About 60 cookies

Carmel Pecan Crisps

It is sort of a glazed, crispy graham cracker.

Ingredients:
aluminum foil
graham crackers.  
1 stick butter
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans or your favorite nut meats

Directions:
Line a cookie sheet with graham crackers.   I break them into squares, or bars and push them together so it looks like one big cookie.

In a sauce pan melt:
1 stick butter
1 stick margarine
stir in 1/2 cup white sugar

Boil for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.

Spread this mixture over the crackers and sprinkle with chopped pecans or your favorite nut meats.

Bake for 10 minutes or less at 350.

Remove to a sheet of foil as soon as possible!!!

They get hard fast.

Beve's Pumpkin Potpourri

a FALL TWIST for Gorp Ingredients: 1/2 c. Wild Berries (Red Jelly Beans) 1/2 c. Owl Rings (Cheerios Cereal) 1/2 c. Colored Flies (M&M's) 1/2 c. Butterfly Wings (Fritos) 1/2 c. Cobwebs (Coconut) 1/2 c. Ants (Raisins) 1/2 c. Earth Worms (Chow Mein Noodles) 1/2 c. Squirrel nuts (Shelled Peanuts) 1/2 c. Bat Bones (Pretzels) 1/2 c. Bird Seed (Shelled Sunflower Seeds) Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Makes 10 (1/2 c.) servings. A fun treat at Halloween time, thanksgiving time, or any time during the fall. Number Of Servings:How big are the hands grabing the goodies???

"Grandma Taylor's" Lemon Cheese Cake

Its a great version of a beautiful thing!


Ingredients:
2 small packages of Lemon Jell-o
2 cups boiling water
6 tablespoons lemon juice

18 ounces of cream cheese
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 regular size can of "COLD" evaporated milk (I place it in the frig the night before I plan to make it.)

Graham Cracker Crust:
1/3 cup Butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers (about 18 crackers)

Directions:
Combine and desolve first 3 items.   Then set aside to cool.   (I put the pan in the frige while I mix the other items.)

Cream the next 3 items.

Whip the evaporated milk until it can stand in peeks. Add Cooled Jell-o mixture. Continue to whip.

Blend in the Cream Cheese mixture.

Graham Cracker Crust:
Melt the butter.   Stir in the sugar.   Add the finely cruched crackers.   toss to mix well.   (I put them in a large Zip Lock bag and shake.)  

Press the crumbs into the bottom of your 9X13 inch pan - reserving a few crumbs to sprinkle across the top of the cheese cake.

Pour the Cheese cake mixture onto the crust and sprinkle a few crumbs over the top.   Chill in frige for a few hours.   Cake should be light and a little fluffyas far as cheese cakes go.

Number Of Servings:How big are you going to make the slices???

Preparation Time:about 30 minutes for this Momma to mix it up - and 3 hours to chill

Mom Mitchell's Carrot Cake

1 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
(1 cup chopped walnuts - some of you kids didn't like them so I sometimes left them out)
3 cups grated carrots

Directions:
Mix together oil, vanilla and eggs in a small bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine salt, cinnamon, sugar, flour, baking soda and baking powder;   stir in egg mixture.

Add nuts and carrots then mix well.

Pour mixture into 3, greased and floured 8" round cake pand or into 1 deep 9 X 12 that has been greased and floured.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for several minutes.   If you have used 3 rounds invert them onto wires racks to cool completely.   If you used the 1 large pan also cool completely before frosting.

Frost with cream cheese frosting:
1/2 cup butter
8-oz pkg cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar

Beat until smooth.   (Sometimes I add a dash of salt to bring out the cheese flavor and cut the sweetness).

Add nuts and carrots

Number Of Servings:8 to 10

Preparation Time:abt 2 hours start to finish

Butterscotch fruit dip

2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 (12-ounce) bags butterscotch morsels
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, transfer to a bowl and serve with fresh fruit.

Mustard pickles

Description:
From the Kitchen of Great Grandma Robins

I found my copy of her recipe!

Ingredients:
Cucumbers
Cauliflower
Pickling onions (also called Pearl onions)
1/3 bottle dry mustard - start with 3 Tbsp.
2 Tbsp. turmeric
1 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 qt. vinegar
1 bottle pickling spice (put spice in cloth bag).
          or
          2 T mustard seed
          1 T coriander seed
          3 finely crushed bay leaves
          2 t dill seed
          1 T whole allspice  

Great grandma cut a scrap of clean cotton material and put the pickling spices in it - then tied it tight with a string.   It just sort of floated about while it boiled.   When finished she tossed it away.)

Directions:
MUSTARD PICKLES  

Bring the saltwater (1 cup plain salt - not iodized! per 3 gallons of water) to a boil and pour over pickles to cover.

Soak cucumbers WHOLE in saltwater. Lay a clean dish cloth over the brine & Pickles while soaking over night in the bucket/crock.  

(Remember to use a plactic bucket or earthen crock.)

You place a heavy glass plate over the clean dish towel to cover pickles - to keep them from floating and to keep fbugs and dirt out\away.

Next morning slice cucumbers, break cauliflower into pieces and add pickling onions with ends cut off and skins off outside.

Add sugar and vinegar to pot of cucumbers.

Add water to cover all.

Add pickling spice bag.

Bring to boil and boil until cucumbers are tender.

Dip out some of the juice to make paste of flour, dry mustard and turmeric.

Add to pickles and cook until thick. You need to keep tasting. You may need to add more sugar or vinegar to your taste and maybe need to add more turmeric for color.

Put in hot jars and seal.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

5 2/3 c water
1 pkg. long grain and wild rice mix (uncle bens)
1 env. chicken noodle soup (lipton)
1 celery rib chopped
1/3 c chopped onion
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 c cubed chicken.


Combine and mix ingredients in pot and simmer until tender.

Grandma Stringham's Hershey bar dessert

1 stick butter
1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. flour
2 c. confectioners sugar
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
2 pkgs. instant chocolate pudding
2 3/4 c. milk
Lg. Cool Whip

Mix and put in a 9 x 13 pan: butter, nuts, and flour. Bake this at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Let cool.
Beat together confectioners sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla. Spread this mixture on the cooled crust. Beat the chocolate pudding and milk. Spread this on the cream cheese layer. Spread the Cool Whip on the pudding layer and refrigerate.

Campbell's Roasted Tomato & Barley Soup

As from the Campbell's website:

 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Roast: 25 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 can (about 28 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained, reserving juice

2 large onions, diced (about 2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth  (Regular, Natural Goodness^TM or Certified Organic)

2 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Recipe Tips:

Serving Suggestion: Serve with multi-grain flatbread crackers and Cheddar cheese. For dessert serve peach and blueberry crumble.

 

Directions:

Heat the oven to 425°F.  Place the tomatoes, onions and garlic into a large roasting pan.  Drizzle the oil over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Roast for 25 minutes.

Place the vegetables into a 3-quart saucepan.  Stir in the reserved tomato juice, broth, celery and barley and heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the barley is tender.  Stir in the parsley.

 

Menu Challenge!

I'm now on bed rest and wish to live vicariously through others.  What are your menu plans for the next week or two?  Its autumn now.  Any good fall recipes to add?

Sweet 'n' Salty Popcorn

Try taking this yummy popcorn treat to your next summer activity. I'm almost positive that you will enjoy it as much as our family does!

Sweet 'n' Salty Popcorn

10 c. air-popped popcorn

1 tbsp. butter

5 tbsp. instant vanilla pudding mix

1/3 c. light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Dash salt

Place popcorn in a large bowl. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt butter; whisk in the pudding mix, corn syrup, vanilla and salt until smooth. Microwave, uncovered, for 45 seconds or until bubbly. Pour over popcorn; toss to coat. Spread in a greased 15 x 10 in. baking pan. Bake at 250 for 25-30 min. or until crisp, stirring once. Remove popcorn from pan to waxed paper to cool. Break into clusters. Store in airtight containers. Enjoy!

Thank goodness for Mom!

After a long day of running around and seeing old friends, the last thing I wanted was to come home and cook or clean.  I opened the door to a housewife's dream!  Someone else had cleaned up and prepared yet another lovely dinner.  I love that we've joined forces with my parents. 

So, here is tonights dinner.  Mom made salsbury steak, steamed broccoli, and banana squash.  The kids loved it!  I don't know what the woman does with squash, but it tastes so much better than anything I make.

For dessert we had Mom's banana-date bread and Butter pecan icecream.   YUM!

I'll have her post recipes later.

Grandma Teasdale's Picnic Cake!

1 heaping Cup cut up dates
Place in a bowl

1 1/2 C boiling water (very important that it is boiling and not just hot)
1 tsp baking soda
baking soda should fizz/bubble when boiling water is poured on it.
If soda fizzed, pour over dates


1 C sugar
3/4 shortening
Cream in mixer
Add date mixture

2 eggs
Beat in
Add in:
1 1/2 Cups four
1 T cinnamon
1 T vanilla
1/4 T Salt


Mix well
Pour into greased, floured pan, sprinkle with Pecans (optional), Chocolate chips, and Brown Sugar
Bake 40 min at 350

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Chicken Tamale Casserole - from Cooking Light Magazine

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• Cooking spray
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 354 (36% from fat)

Fat: 14.1g (sat 7.1g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.2g)

Protein: 18.9g

Carbohydrate: 36.3g

Fiber: 2.5g

Cholesterol: 58mg

Iron: 1.7mg

Sodium: 620mg

Calcium: 179mg

Easy Chicken Alfredo

Is anyone else not cooking as much the last couple of weeks? I totally haven't been. We have been eating out a lot. So back to cooking this week. And I don't know why, but every time I start cooking again after I have stopped for a little while, it always reminds me how much I enjoy cooking.

So I had bought 2 jars of Classico brand Alfredo sauce about a month or two ago and they have sat on the self in my pantry since then. So I decided I should probably do something with them so they weren't just taking up space in my pantry.

3-4 chicken breasts cut into strips

olive oil and butter for cooking chicken

salt and pepper for cooking chicken

cayenne pepper for cooking chicken

Italian seasonings for cooking chicken

1 box of spaghetti, angel hair or fettuccine pasta (I used thick spaghetti)

2 jars of Alfredo sauce

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Boil water for pasta. Cook pasta while cooking chicken.

Salt and pepper chicken well. Sauté chicken in olive oil and butter. Just before chicken is done sprinkle about a tsp of Italian seasonings on the chicken. And then about 1/8- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper (whatever you and you family can handle) The cayenne pepper I actually added completely by mistake. I went to grab my seasoning salt which is about the same color but more orange the reddish. Anyway, so after about 3 shakes I realized it was cayenne. Oops! I said...and then decided it wasn't a lot so I just went with it. And I'm REALLY glad I did. It added a great spice to the dish. My kids still ate it, so luckily it wasn't too much.

Then when the chicken was cooked through, I added the 2 jars of Alfredo sauce. Stirred it well to combine all the olive oil, butter and spices on the pan and chicken. Then tossed in the mozzarella, cuz it sounded good. And I LOVE cheese. Everything is better with cheese. Stirred that to combine. Then added the drained pasta. Mixed it all together and then let it sit on low covered for about 15 minutes.

Don't you just LOVE my new dark eggplant purple colored plates?? I do. Got them at Ikea for only 25$!! And it is service for 6. I'm temped to buy another set so I have service for 12. Ya know...for whenever I will have special occasion dinners in my home ;-)

Beve's Stir Fry

My Mom made this last night and it was so easy and the whole family loved it....  I forgot to take pictures.

She doesn't measure so add enough for your family to eat.

Cut up chicken breast (She used the precooked grilled chicken strips from Costco)
Stir Fry Veggies
~Fry in Skillet till cooked all the way through.
~add:
Mandarin Oranges (Whole can, juice and all)
Brown sugar (About 2 Tb)

~add
Water or chicken broth and cornstarch (about a spoonfull of cornstarch to about a cup of water or chicken broth) mix water and cornstarch together seperately with no lumps. 

~Boil till cornstarch mixture turns thick and caramel colored.
~Serve over rice

(She says she adds cayenne pepper but didn't because of the kiddos.)

Campbell's Roasted Tomato and Barley Soup

1 can (about 28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 large onions, diced (about 2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural GoodnessTM or Certified Organic)

2 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice. Place the tomatoes, onions and garlic into a 17 x 11-inch roasting pan. Pour the oil over the vegetables and toss to coat. Bake for 25 minutes. 2. Place the roasted vegetables into a 3-quart saucepan. Stir in the reserved tomato juice, broth, celery and barley and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the barley is tender. Stir in the parsley. Serving Suggestion: Serve with multi-grain flatbread crackers and Cheddar cheese. For dessert serve with peach and blueberry crumble.

I haven't tried this one but I want to and don't want to have to look that hard for it.  LOL

A borrowed article from Saving Dinner

 Copyright (C) 2010 www.savingdinner.com Leanne Ely, CNC All rights reserved.

Food For Thought

More Fiber Please!
By Leanne Ely, C.N.C.

Dear Friends,

Boosting the intake of fiber in the diet should be tops on the list of anyone hoping to improve their nutritional profile.

Getting enough fiber in the diet will absolutely keep you regular--especially if you remember the other corresponding component to filling up with fiber--water. Think for a moment about your garbage disposal. In order to get it flushed out, you must run the water before turning on the switch. This is how you get things moving and flushed out. Your own personal waste disposal isn't much different--you need both to make things work: fiber and water.

Fiber is much more than just oat bran or whole wheat bread. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble fiber--one is soluble in water and the other is not. We need both in order to function optimally.

Soluble fiber sources includes apples, oranges, oatmeal, barley, dried beans and carrots. Insoluble fiber comes from bran, brown rice, popcorn, fruit and vegetable skins, and whole grains. No need to wring your hands over which fiber is contained in which food, just keep in mind that having a well-balanced diet with an assortment of fruits, vegetables and whole grains will help you get what you need fiber-wise.

The National Cancer Institute recommends 20-35 grams of fiber daily, but most Americans only eat 7-8 grams a day! So how do you get the fiber in? A part of the solution can be as simple as changing out the white stuff for the brown stuff: out with the white bread, white rice and white flour and in with the whole wheat bread, brown rice and whole wheat flour. This will pay off in huge dividends--you cannot afford to eat the white stuff. It's like pouring white glue into your intestines. Not only are you not getting the nutrients you need from your food, but you're also slowing digestion way down and setting yourself up for constipation and other fun stuff.

So bulk up--with fiber, that is. And don't forget the water!

Love,
Leanne

Chicken Basil Roll -Ups

1 pkg Crescent Rounds (these are new to me- they roll up round like a cinnamon roll, instead of triangular)

Filling:
1 can chunk chicken, drained (you could also use leftover chicken- just shred it)
1 cup ricotta
1-2 tablespoons basil pesto
1/2 cup- 1 cup grated mozzarella

(you could also mince up a mushroom or two and add into it, or even some green onion would be good)

Unroll each roll. Carefully spread a thick layer of filling on each section. Re-roll. Place filled rounds in a glass baking dish that has been sprayed lightly with non-stick spray. They will look like filled cinnamon rolls.
Bake at 350 until crescents are slightly browned, mine took about 20-25 minutes.

The "rolls" are great as is- or you can do what I did and make an accompanying "dip", using minced black olive and finely chopped tomatoes mixed together, seasoned with a dash or two of garlic salt.

Serve with a green salad.

(NOTE: Even my kids liked this one, and that is saying something...)

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

4-6 pieces of frozen chicken

16 ounces in weight of sour cream

2 packages of onion soup mix

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (or 1 can cream of chicken, 1 can cream of mushroom)

your choice of noodles or rice

I salt and peppered the chicken, and also added 4 tablespoons of butter.

Put the chicken into the slow cooker. In a bowl mix together all other ingredients and then pour over chicken in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. During the last hour cook your noodles or rice. I also took the chicken out on a place and shredded it with 2 forks and added it back. Then add drained noodles or fully cooked rice to the mixture. Cook for another 30 minutes to and hour.

I forgot to take a photo, but this dish was really yummy, and obviously very easy. The hubby and kids loved it so I will for sure make it again.

I'm really into my slow cooker lately! I love the ease of it and the food is really good. Enjoy!

I need help!!

Okay, so I am starting a newer healthier diet to help shed some of this back to school bulk I have put on while in nursing school. BUT after a 12 hour shift at the hospital I really want something fast which leads to not so healthy choices.
I am trying to pull out my healthier recipes but I don't want to get bored to quickly.
Any thoughts or suggestions?

Quick & Easy From Lexi

Prosciutto wrapped melon.

This is an Italian clasic it is sweet and savory all at the same time. Simple go tot he deli at the store and ask for a few pieces of thinnly sliced prosciutto (itallian salty aged lunch meat essentially only way better). Pick out a nice ripe melon. Dice and wrap small pieces of the prociutto around. Secure in place with a tooth pick or wrap and pop directly into mouth.


Italian grilled cheese

Foccia, farmers bread, regular bread or any day old bread at the store. Slice into pieces.
Add pesto (recipe in an earlier post of mine :-) to one side as a condoment.
Add slices of mozarella cheese.
(Optional) add a fresh slice of tomato or a few sun dried tomatoes.
Place under the broiler until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melty. If you have a really goo broiler then toast the bread first then add the topings and place back in for a few more seconds to melt the cheese without burning.
Eat warm and enjoy. To make a full meal add tomato soup, or a vegetable soup.


French Mac 'n' Cheese

2 pads butter
1-2 tbl flour
1/4 cup white wine (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or a dry pinot grigio)
1/4 cup reduced or sodium free chicken stock
1/4 cup cream
white cheddar cheese shredded
1/4 pkg of cream cheese
optional - dash of taragon
Pasta of your choice cooked per box instructions.

Make a traditional rue in the pan, add in the wine and chicken stock and reduce down to make a nice thick syrup (add taragon here if you are using it). Add cream and stir until it coats the back of the spoon , add cheese and stir in using figure 8 motion to prevent clumps. Add in pasta and stir to coat. Serve immediatly.


Fritata

1 runded loaf of bread (easter bread/wide loaf baggette/etc)
3 eggs
1 1/2 -2 cups cream
handfull finely chopped bell peppers
handfull cooked and diced breakfast sausage
frech diced tomatoes
diced asparagus
your choice of cheese (sharp cheddar shredded, mild cream cheese broken into clumps, etc)
S&P

Cut a hole out of top of bread and gut as if you were making a bread bowl for soup.
Combine all other ingred in a bowl and mix fully.
Pour egg, veggie and cheese mixture into bread bowl.
Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 25-30 min or until eggs are cooked through and firm (but not rubbery!)

Use bread inners for a side or toss in olive oil and your favorite spices, throw into the oven on a cookie sheet and make home made croutons for a salad!


Grilled PB&J

Make your standard PB&J sandwhich. Then either place in a toaster oven or grill in a pan like a grilled cheese sandwhich. The end result is a warm toasty sandwhich that is almost as good as desert! - The kids love this one!
- You can also do with peanut butter and banana sandwhiches for the kids!

Bakerella's Cake Pops

Bakerella is famous for her cake pops and cake balls and really just about any baked good. She has some yummy and cute ideas. My family and I have fallen in love with her cake pops and balls. I prefer the pops only cuz it is less messy.

Visit Bakerella here.

Last night I made strawberry cake pops, but I have made chocolate and red velvet. Red velvet is my absolute favorite cake flavor of all time. I liked it way before it became trendy. But I love that it is trendy, because now you can find red velvet cake mix by Duncan Hines in the grocery store. Also you can find cream cheese frosting in a can too! You can pretty much use any flavor of cake mix for these. Although, I don't think lemon, spice or carrot would be a good flavors with these...but I guess ya never know ;)

Here is the recipe:

Red Velvet Cake Balls
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

To make them pops, you just insert paper sucker sticks after they have chilled. You can get those at any craft store, and sometimes the grocery store. Also the melting chocolate can be found at the craft store too. Usually in the same section as the sucker sticks. They have a rainbow of colors. I have only tried milk chocolate and white chocolate. But I think I'll make some for Easter and get some fun pastel colors :)

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.) I have found that you do not need the entire can of frosting. And each cake is different. Really moist cakes need less frosting and the dryer ones need more.
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.) If doing pops, then just insert the sucker stick and use that to dip and roll the cake balls in the chocolate. Also, you can stick them on wax paper to dry still, but if you want them to not have flat tops then you can stick them in a foam block thingy to cool and set.

Ranch Chicken- (perfect for the Lazy cook...)

In response to Carrie's request for meals for the LAZY  COOK, I submit the following...

First take out a large Ziploc bag.
Into it dump bread crumbs (about a cup or 2) and to them add a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.
Take Chicken Breasts (or pieces, whatever you've got) and throw them into the bag to coat them.
Throw them on a cookie sheet or baking dish and bake until chicken is cooked through.
Add a Salad or Veggies or even Rice and call it good.
Quick. Easy. Tasty.

Help!

Maybe its the weather or something in the water, but I have been so unmotivated this week.  I need menu ideas for the SUPER LAZY cook.

Do you guys have those easy and fast but the family loves it recipes?  LETS HAVE 'EM!  Please?  Last night I was so lazy we ate a big dinner roll with colby jack cubes, strawberries, salad and a veggie platter.  On paper plates.  LOL

Tuesday Night Denver Dinner Post

Quiche Lorraine & Pear/Apple Crisp

Quiche Lorraine
1 fully cooked crust (home made or store bought I used Julia Child's recipe from mastering the art of french cooking)

In a bowl combine:
3 eggs
1 1/2-2 cups heavy cream or fat free half and half
S&P
dash nutmeg (it's the wow factor in the background trust me!)
Crumbled fully cooked bacon (I used the reduced fat turkey bacon)
1-2 handfuls shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Pour into fully baked crust and cook in 375 degree oven for 25-30min or until eggs are cooked through (but soft not rubbery) and the top is slightly golden brown. Serve warm ad enjoy!!
This is a french favorite and I love it. I just can't deny my french roots :-)


Pear/Apple Crisp
This recipe usually calls for a 1-2 cups sugar and 2-4 tbl of flour or starch and can be found in the joy of cooking under apple pie/crisp. Here is the version I cooked last night.

2 peeled and diced pears
1 peeled and dices apple
3-4 tbl sugar
1 tbl cinnamon (or as you like)
1 dash nutmeg
2-3 dash of arrowroot
Stir and let set while you prepare the pie crust.

Crisp topping:
equal parts flour, butter, brown or white sugar, and dry oats.
Dash of salt.
Combine with fingers lightly.

1 partially cooked pie crust cooled. All tossed fruit and all juices from bowl to crust. Sprinkle crisp topping over fruit and bake at 350 for 30min.

I am not a huge fan or overly sweet deserts so this really hit the spot for me. If you like the idea of a desert with less sugar but feel like you need a little something extra at serving time try serving it over vanilla frozen yogurt or your favorite vanilla, caramel or butterscotch ice cream.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti

Oh. My. This was so delicious!! My kids ate a lot of it and kept saying "Mmmm!" Well Mmmm is right! This was such an awesome dish. Easy and so yummy! It makes a lot too. So I'm excited for left overs for lunch this week. Here is the recipe: (Only I did 1 can cream of mushroom and 1 can of cream of chicken and just did boneless, skinless chicken breasts.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

**Make sure you make it over to her site to look at her step by step photos. They really help!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

Enjoy!

Chicken and Rice Casserole Variation

Long live casseroles! I am a busy mother of 4 and absolutely love the fact that
A.) casseroles are quick and easy to throw together with minimal dishes dirtied,
B.) they can be  assembled early and cooked at your convenience and
C.) they feed a lot fairly inexpensively and are pretty tasty. 

Sorry these are not exact amounts, I typically just dump it all together, sometimes even using leftovers.

Prepare to make your normal chicken and rice casserole. 

For me, that would roughly include rice,  1 can cream of chicken soup, cut up chicken and cheese. 

To "spice it up" add to that the following:

1 CAN STOKES GREEN CHILI SAUCE

FROZEN CORN

1 CAN DRAINED BLACK BEANS

FRESH CILANTRO

SEASONING TO TASTE (I used a little garlic and onion powder)

In the past I have even topped with a bit of Salsa before baking, but my kids aren't big Salsa fans, so I left it out this time. Goes well with a green salad and corn chips. YUM.

Honey Balsamic Chicken and Pasta

YUM!

I took a recipe and then altered it to make it a pasta dish. Cuz I LOVE pasta. No I think I'm obsessed. ;) Plus I know my kids will eat it if it has pasta in it. I also love sweet and savory dishes. There is just nothing better in life!

So here is my recipe:

1 sweet onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced or pressed (I have that handy dandy Pampered Chef garlic press. LOVE IT)

Olive Oil

3 tsp brown sugar

3 heaping Tablespoons of honey

3 heaping Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pound penne pasta

1 pound chicken (I used tenderloins)

Options: mushrooms, flat leaf parsley chopped, and fresh grated parmesean...maybe lemon.

So I put some extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of my skillet. (I have an awesome big skillet with high sides that I cook just about everything in. So use your biggest skillet) Then I dropped the onion into and sauted over medium heat. After they sweat for 2 minutes or so I added the brown sugar to caramelize the onion. I boiled my pasta at this time too. After 5 minutes of caramilizing I added the garlic. While that caramelized some more I cut up my chicken in bite sized pieces and then added them to the onions and garlic. When the chicken was almost cooked through I added the honey and the balsamic vinegar. It was at this point that I wished I had some mushrooms to add to this. Because that would be so awesome and delicious! I didn't like mushroom as a kid, but now as an adult, I love them. So I reduced the balsamic and honey by about half so it was syrup like (About 6-7 minutes) on medium heat. I drained my penne pasta and added a bit of olive oil to the pasta while it sat for flavor and so the pasta wouldn't stick together too much. Second to last I added the heavy cream (I eyeballed it but it was about 1/2 cup). Then let it come to a boil and thicken a bit (3-4 minutes). Last I added the pasta and mixed well and turned the heat to low/simmer. I let it simmer covered for about 2 minutes. It was also at this point that I wish I had some parmesean cheese and fresh flat leaf parsley too. (I would have made it to the store for mushrooms, parsley and parmesean but there was a freakish blizzard today. And I live on a mountain...so it is 10 times worse!) Next time :)

It is DIVINE I tell you! It is also really fun to create your own recipes. Enjoy!

P.S. If you think this is too sweet, then forget the brown sugar when you make it. But balsamic vinegar is naturally pretty sweet. Just FYI. Also I think next time I'll add something to help cut the sweetness a little. Maybe a little lemon?

Oh, my fantastic tips!

Crayola has tips on how to clean all of their products off of different surfaces!  Woot!

http://www.crayola.com/canwehelp/staintips/index.cfm

Denver Dinner Post

Oop's I fell behind on dinner postings and didn't take any pictures. Luckily these are already on the site. Hope you are all doing well. - Lexi

Sunday Dinner:
Chili made with turkey burger
Shredded cheddar cheese
Frito's scoops
Cup of Gatorade

Monday Dinner:
Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
made with sharp cheddar and spicy jack cheeses
Cup of milk

Tuna Noodle Casserole

My mom would make this one regularly as my sisters and I were growing up. Now, I make it regularly! It is super easy and delicious as well. Simple substitutions make it more healthy for you and there really isn't much of a taste discrepancy.

Ingredients
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (I use the 98% fat free kind)
2 cans of tuna
1 bag of egg noodles (I use the whole wheat kind)

Directions
Cook pasta; drain and return to pot
Add both cans of soup (NO WATER) and both cans of tuna; stir it up, baby!
Plop it all into an oven-safe bowl and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so.
Sprinkle cheese (any kind...probably not parmesan, though) on top and let melt
before serving.

Serves 4...healthy, adult-sized portions.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Every now and then I surprise myself with the concoctions I come up with. This was a bit of an experimental dinner, but to my surprise was actually pretty tasty... even the kids enjoyed it and that is saying something. Lately I have been experimenting with the jarred Pesto you buy in the store. (I used the Classico brand)

Pasta 

1 can chicken broth

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
 2- 3 tablespoons basil pesto

Vegetables of choice...

2-3 tablespoons parmesan

1.) Cook pasta. Drain, set aside. (I used Rotini- and a lot, I have 4 kids... make as much or as little as you need)

2.) Make "sauce" in separate bowl- 1 cup chicken broth (set the rest aside, you'll use it later), your lemon juice, and pesto.

3.) While pasta is cooking brown chicken breasts in large skillet. (I used 3 chicken breasts and sliced then into strips later... use as much as is appropriate for the size of your family) 

When chicken is almost done, dump remaining chicken broth from the can into the pan with them, followed by your choice of vegetables. I used sliced carrots, broccoli and mushrooms, since that is what I had on hand, but any combo of your favorite veggies will work.)

Put the lid on and let the vegetables steam with the chicken and the broth. The vegetables will absorb their flavor and be extra tasty. (trust me... very flavorful!) Let the broth absorb and cook off.  Remove from heat. At this point I removed the chicken and sliced it into strips and returned it to the pan.

4.) Dump pasta into the skillet with vegetables and chicken and coat with sauce, tossing until sauce has coated everything. Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve.

yum.

Pioneer Woman's Mac n Cheese

I love the Pioneer Woman! Have you ever been to her site? She's awesome. If you haven't checked her out, do so right now. Not kidding...here is the link:

The Pioneer Woman Cooks OK you can wait until you check out my dinner post ;)

She just happened to be on Good Morning America today. I love homemade mac n cheese. It is just so yummy and comforting. Her recipe looked easy enough and I had all the ingredients already. So I went for it. Was not disappointed at all!

I used minature farfalle (bowtie) pasta instead of elbow macaroni. And I also put 1/4 tsp of nutmeg in for that little something that makes you go "what is that?" For sides I did fresh broccoli steamed in Ziplock's Steamer Bags you throw in the microwave. Have you tried them? They are so awesome! Then just buttered, salt and peppered the broccoli. My kids love broccoli. And crescent rolls. Yum.

Here is the recipe.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/04/macaroni-cheese/

I love the way she photo documents each step. She also is completely adorable and has a great sense of humor. She makes gourmet food look easy. And so far her recipes with the step by step photos have been fairly easy to follow. The other cool part is she has it set up so you can click to print out all of her recipes. I will probably do a lot more of her recipes to share here with you. As well as a few other of my favorite food people. Enjoy!

I don't know what to call it.... Trail mix?

Sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, craisins, and raisins. The kids love it and no salt added. I bought the big bags of the stuff and now when the kids get "snacky" this week, I just pull out the bag or put a handful in a baggie to go.

Denver Dinner Post

I've said it before and I'll say it again...Thank goodness for parents and grandparents. Ours have been a real blessing since Jeff and I went back to school. Once a week my grandparents and mom stop by and bring us portions from their fantastic meals to keep us eating decent while studying. Last night was German food (pictures above) and scalloped potato's and meat loaf which we'll have tonight.

German night- Goat cheese crustini's, German ham and green bean potato's, mushroom spatzels and pork schnitzel.

Schnitzel:
gently pound pieces of chicken, pork, beef or lamb out into thin pieces.
lightly bread and pan fry or bake (depending on your diet) - do not overcook you want the meat to remain tender.
Remove from pan and let sit under foil while making a quick gravy to go over top. (you can also dip in applesauce per German tradition)
Serve warm.

This weeks menu: ...What's yours?

Eating like this, Richard has gone down 5 pants sizes and I have lost at least 10 lbs. It has only been a couple of weeks and it tastes good too!


Balsamic chicken and pears
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/balsamic-chicken-pears-ghk0208?click=recipe_sr

Pita pocket night

Boca burgers and butternut squash fries
http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=812

Baked macaroni
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00365

Whole wheat tortillas Black beans and brown rice

Decked out green salad

Chicken Taco Salad
http://www.drgourmet.com/recipes/salad/tacosalad.shtml

Low sodium lettuce wraps

Help pages from the cookbook

Recipes from Grandma Stringham....

I had totally forgot about these pages I did a few years ago trying to make a cookbook of my grandma's recipes. I figured they have to have some place on here...

Denver Dinner

Quiche
3 eggs
1 1/2- 2 cups heavy cream or half and half (they now have fat free half and half)
S&P to taste
dash nutmeg
cheese
crispy crumpled bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients together and place in a pre-cooked pie crust. (Even if your crust is home made you need to pre-bake in order to ensure it will be cooked through on the bottom). Place in upper two thirds of oven and bake 25-30 min or until quiche is firm and golden on top.

This is a traditional french quiche, but in truth they are wonderful with a multitude of ingredients including asparagus, diced ham, tomatoes, flaked salmon, green/yellow/red peppers etc. Really anything you like in an omelet!

Amuse Bouche-Kiddo style

I thought these were common in every house, but I have met some confused faces when I refer to apples and peanut butter.

Its about the same as "Ants on a Log" (Celery filled with PB and raisins or chocolate chips on top.) But with apples instead of celery.

The fruit kabobs are just small portions of fresh fruit you have around on a toothpick.

These are GREAT for snacks at kid parties... or any parties really. Particularly if you add a fruit dip.

Healthy Pumpkin-Apple Harvest Cake

Hi everyone! My name is Lauren. Carrie and I went to high school together and now I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my husband, Jeremy and son, Jackson. Jackson turned 1 last week. I spent a while looking for a healthy cake recipe for him to have on his special day. This recipe, from a "green" parenting blog turned out wonderfully! It calls for several organic ingredients, but if you aren't into that thing, you can just use "regular" ones and it is still just as good...and way less expensive! This is also a great breakfast food...without frosting, of course!



Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 large beaten eggs
• 3/4 cup organic sugar
• 3/4 cup all purpose, unbleached flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped apple (I recommend dicing)
  

Directions

• Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour an 8" round pan. You can also use cupcake papers if you want to make individual cakes. This yields 8-9 standard sized cupcakes.
• Combine pumpkin, eggs, and sugar.
• Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, and salt to the pumpkin mixture. Stir to combine.
• Add apples, stir again, and pour into pan (or cupcake papers...mostly full).
• Smooth batter out and bake for 20-25 minutes (cupcakes too).
• Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, invert onto the rack, remove pan, and cool completely. For cupcakes, pop out of pan and let cool on a wire rack.
  

• Note: Smoothing out the batter ensures a "nice" looking cake. Pumpkin bakes in whatever shape the batter is in when you bake it!
• When cooled, dust with powdered sugar or a frosting! Deeeelicious!