1 hour bread and Carrabbas style dip

Slightly adapted from the original Pantry Secrets recipe:

10 1/2 C white BREAD flour
1/2 C Sugar
3 rounded TB of fast rising yeast
3 TB (approx) oil or liquid lecithin (don't measure.  Just glug it in so it looks about right)
4 C hot tap water

Mix dry ingredients
add oil and water
mix for 1 min and if it is too dry add water
DO NOT ADD flour after it is done mixing
Spray counter and pans with pam
shape loaves (makes 4) place in pans
Cover with a towel and let raise 25 min
Bake at 350 for 25 min

That's it!  I used 2 loaves worth for the braided loaf.

Carrabbas style dip

1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp crushed black pepper
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp garlic salt

combine and add 1 TB spice mixture to a small bowl and add Olive Oil to taste.

Steak marinade...

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (the needles, separated from the sprigs)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Blend and pour over steaks in a casserole dish.  Let set for a few hours.  Grill or Broil as desired.

5 minute(ish) Taquito "Enchiladas"

For this recipe you'll need:
20-30 frozen taquitos
enchilada sauce*
cheese

Spray your baking dish to prevent it from sticking. Add a little bit of your sauce to the bottom of the pan. Layer your frozen taquitos next. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top. sprinkle cheese on top of the whole thing. Garnish with olives if you like. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until heated through.

I served mine with a side of green salad and some black beans.

*You can use any enchilada sauce you like. I used a sour cream enchilada mixture which consists of a small container of sour cream, a can of cream of chicken and a can of mild green enchilada sauce.  You could also skip the sour cream and go for a plain green sauce or even use a can of red sauce or for that matter "doctored up" salsa.

SISTER TO SISTER

Because the best sisters are healthy for your heart.  Great site for healthy tips and recipes for a longer life.  Here is a link to one of their articles about how cooking with pumpkin is beneficial....  Festive, affordable and healthy! 

http://www.sistertosister.org/eat-heart-healthy/health-benefits-of-cooking-with-pumpkin

Cubed Steak Marsala Stroganoff

1 bottle pompeian Marsala Cooking wine.
6-8 cube steaks
Water

Place steaks in large pot and cover with entire bottle of Marsala and water to make the difference.  Bring to a boil for about 10-15 min.

1 1/2 sticks of butter
onion (about half cut up)

Remove steaks and place them in a large skillet with half a stick of butter.
Also, cut up remaining cup of butter and melt into marsala and water.  Heat and reduce to half.

Flour
When butter is melted in the skillet, and onions are clear, add enough flour to coat the steaks and make a paste out of remaing butter and then brown them.

Mushrooms
Crushed Garlic
Add contents of pot into skillet and add mushrooms and Garlic
Stir until thickened

Salt and pepper to taste.

Sour Cream
Stir in sour cream to taste.

Pour over cooked egg noodles



NOTE:  This was a concoction I ended up with while using what was left in my pantry.  The sauce is really tasty on its own but I was craving stroganoff and with sour cream, it made a fantastic version of stroggie!

Chocolate Layer Dessert

Crust:

1 C chopped pecans
1 C flour
1/2 C butter

Combine and press into 9x13 pan bake at 300 degrees 20-25 min and cool

1 (8 oz) tub non-dairy whipped topping (thawed)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese at room temp
2 C powdered sugar
2 (6 oz) pkg instant chocolate pudding
4 C milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 chocolate bar, grated

blend together thawed whipped topping, cream cheese, and powdered sugar.
Spread over cooled crust refridgerate 2 hours

Combine pudding, milk, vanilla, with an electric mixer until mixture begins to thicken
spread over cream cheese layer
Refrigerate overnight

Garnish with shaved chocolate.

To serve, cut into squares and garnish--if desired with berries or a mint leaf. serves 10-12

Super Easy Conference Orange Rolls

Rolls

1/2 C melted butter
1/2 C sugar
1 orange peel grated
18 frozen dinner rolls (Like Rhodes)

mix butter, sugar and peel in a bowl, dip frozen rolls in mixture, place in muffin tins.
Let rise 3 hours.
Bake at 350 0-15 min or until lightly browned
Frost with glaze while still warm


Glaze

1 C powdered Sugar
2 T butter (softened)
2 T orange juice

Mix and spoon over warm rolls.

Artichoke Dip

1 (8 oz) can artichoke hearts
1 C mayo
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
dash of tobasco (opt)

Combine ingredients and bake at 4oo degrees in 8x8 baking dish for 20 min

Serve with a crusty bread or tortilla chips

Crockpot Homestyle Apple Brown Betty

6 Cups of your favorite cooking apples
1 cup breads crumbs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 C melted butter
1/4 Walnuts finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

Coat crockpot with cooking spray.  Place apples at the bottom
Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and spead over apples

Cover and cook in crock pot on LOW 3-4 hours or on HIGH 2 hours until done.

The pre-teen "Big-girl" birthday party

I loved Lexi's idea of Hostessing frugally, and I thought it should be an addition to the blog.  Throwing a party, or just a nice meal should never break the bank.

This was my daughter's birthday party.  She invited 6 friends and here's the invitation that i scrapbooked and printed in 4x6 on my home computer.  Free!  Woot! (I edited out the personal info.)

 My oldest daughter wanted a party that made her feel big.  No cup cakes, no games, just sophistication.... she's nine.   She chose THIS for an idea site.  And she wanted the purple, black and white theme.

 We fortunately had the yard for it, I borrowed the table cloths and chair cover from my mother-in-law, the doilies and toole were from the dollar store as was the tissue paper.
The Eiffel Tower center piece was a $1 yard sale find the day before and made a fun extra Birthday present as well.   We had ribbon on hand, and the party favors below were from a Martha Stewart template  They, stuffed with caramel corn, cost only a couple of dollars as well.  We served Ice lemon Water and THESE RASPBERRY TARTLETS 

The girls decorated Hat boxes that were $2.99 at Roberts (less with my coupon)

And these paper shoes.  I used double sided card stock to avoid making the insert.

Holiday Table Displays

I know this isn't a recipe... but I thought with the holidays coming up it might also be fun to share our entertaining/decorating ideas with one another to help us get inspired to not only prepare an amazing culinary feast for family and friends...but also a feast for the eye's.

The cornicopia is filled with yarn in the back to hold the fall veggies upright for the display. The candle holder is an empty wine bottle (try local restaurants many are happy to pass along their empty bottles)
The flowers and grass in these displays were gathered from yard...but if you don't have these readily available check out the dollar store...for under 5 dollars you can have all these same pieces to decorate your table.
The ribbon is from the dollar store and the lantern is from Ikea (only 3.00)!

Happy Decorating!

Crockpot Creamy Chicken and Rice

This is probably my #1 go to thing I do with my crockpot. You know those packages of rice mixture thingies?? You know these ones:

Yeah! So I use these glorious mixes to make crockpot chicken. I've only used these 2 flavors so far but it is always a hit and always yummy and so easy! In my photo above I've used the cheddar broccoli one with frozen broccoli. Here is the recipe.

2 chicken pieces I usually use boneless skinless breasts

1 package of rice mixture

2 cups water/broth

1 can of cream of chicken

1 package of cream cheese. I love using the new cooking cream ones from Philadelphia

1 package of frozen veggies

2-4 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper optional

(Recipe can be doubled)

Place chicken in crockpot with butter and you can salt and pepper if you choose. Dump in the rice package and pour the water/broth over that. Then mix together the cream of chicken and cream cheese in a bowl and pour over chicken and rice.

Cook on low for about 6 hours or on high for 3. Can use frozen chicken if you want just adjust your cooking time. At the last hour or 2 pull out the chicken and cut it up or shred it. Put it back in the rice mixture and stir everything together. Add frozen veggies and stir to combine. Sometimes I add a little milk to thin it out just a tad but that is completely optional. Then let it all come back up to temperature and the veggies thaw as well. You could even add some cheese if you wanted.

Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Spice cookies

EASY EASY EASY!

1 15oz. can pumpkin
1 box spice cake mix

Dump dry cake mix into a bowl. Add canned pumpkin. Mix ingredients until cake mix is fully incorporated into the pumpkin. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will be light and cake-like.
If you are feeling extra nice, throw in a cup of chocolate chips, too!



(The absolute best part of this recipe is the amazing smell that comes form your kitchen! Enjoy!)

I have also seen similar recipes that add an egg into the mixture, but I never bother. I have tried it with the egg, and I really don't think it adds all that much to the overall finished product...

Better Broccoli, Moister Meat

Cooking tip:
To keep chicken moist- Cook chicken to your skillet just long enough to get a nice sear on it, but not cooked completely through. Then add about 1/2 cup- 1cup of chicken broth to the pan and let it finish cooking.  The broth helps keep the meat moist and tender!

Cooking tip:
At the stage where your meat is seared and you are adding in your broth, throw in your cut or frozen veggies. It adds SO MUCH flavor. Broccoli absorbs the flavor of the chicken and really hardly tastes like broccoli anymore. (It's how I've gotten my kids to eat their veggies!)

For those cooks who need a laugh...

People always say you shouldn't share a kitchen.  Well we have 4 adult who share one.  I do most of the cooking, but not all.  That means that usually, I am the one who makes the shopping list, and buys the groceries for 8 people.  That is a lot of food, and my hand gets tired, so I abbreviate... a lot.  It's just me and I understand it, so I don't worry.

My husband's birthday was a few weeks ago, and I went nuts making sandwich wraps, dips, drinks, picnic cakes with walnuts and without, and apples and apple dip, etc. Only, I forgot most of the ingredients for the apple dip.  Ugh.  Frantic and running out of time, my mother sensed me need and offered to scoot to the corner market and grab what I needed.  I scribbled down my shopping list and handed it to her amidst thank yous and hugs.

She looked at it and started to go.  Then stopped.  "What is this for again?"  I said "Apple Dip"  She looked confused.  "What is in it?"  I said   "Butterscotch chips, vinegar, --"  she laughed "Oh!  I knew that.  Thanks"

The whole interaction confused me but I was way too busy.  The night was a huge success even being on a Sunday and we had a full house.  I was so busy and having so much fun, that when it came time to cut the picnic cakes, I turned to my Father in law and said "You're a no-nut guy, right?"  He chortled and said.  "*cough* um.  Yes.  I'm a NO-NUT guy."  FACEPALM.  Oops.

But that isn't what this post is about.  Aftet the party, I was cleaning up, and I saw the shopping list.  It looked like this:

2 cn Sw Cd Mk
2 C BUTT chips
ving

Ah... I see why she needed to clarify those Butt Chips.  Well, sharing a kitchen can amuse people if nothing else. 

Homemade Pizza From Scratch

Sauce:

1 6 oz can of Tomato paste
1 1/2 C water
1/3 C. EVOO
2 cloves of Garlic minced
salt and pepper
1/2 Tb chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 Tb chopped fresh Basil leaves
1/2 Tb chopped fresh rosemary leaves
(you can use dried, but you'll have to tweak it to taste)

Mix together all ingredients making sure to dissolve the tomato paste and let sit for a few hours to get a better flavor.  No need to cook it, just spread it on the crust.

Crust:

2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

In a large bowl or mixer, dissolve yeast and sugar in the water and let sit for 10 min.

Stir in
1 tsp Salt
2 Tb EVOO
then 2 1/2 C Flour  (for higher elevations, use 3 C)

For mixers, use bread hook and add small amounts of flour intil the dough is no longer sticky.  For old school, Turn out dough onto a well floured surface knead in flour to same effect.

Place the bowl in a well oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp cloth, and let rise to double (about 1 hour)  I set the over to warm and then turn it off and place the bowl in there.

Punch down dough, and make into a tight ball.  let it sit and loosen for about a minute.

Roll or toss Pizza to fit your pizza stone or pan.  Add sauce and desired toppings.  This one has 4 cheeses.  And we had a smaller Pizza sheet, as my stone broke *sniff*  So the result as a BeauJo's Pizza effect with fantastic crust that doubled for tasty bread sticks.

If there is excess dough, roll and twist to form the crust and use a knife to make small slices around the crust.

Bake in preheated oven at 450  Using a stone, bake immediately.  For a pan, lightly oil the pan and let the dough rise another 15-20 minutes before topping and baking it.

Cook time is about 15-20 min. until the cheese and crust are golden brown.

"Enchilada" Potato Soup, Quick!

This recipe is based off to my Potato Soup, Quick recipe with a few minor changes. Here's this version...

 

1/2 package (24 oz) thawed, unseasoned, frozen hash browns (shredded or cubed is fine)
1/2 cup chopped onion (OPTIONAL if you don't like onion)
butter (about a 1/2 cup, but I don't really measure)

1 can Stokes Pork Green Chile Sauce
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 cups frozen corn (you could also used canned...)

1-2 cups cooked, cubed chicken

taco seasoning, to taste
garlic salt, to taste

cheese, to top it off

In a large sauce pan, cook and stir the onion and potatoes in butter then heat until cooked through, roughly about 10 minutes.  Stir in all other ingredients. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top. (Sometimes I even dollop a spoonful of sour cream on top, too!) We serve it with warm tortillas and corn chips. YUM.

Peanut Butter Fudgy Bars

Courtesy of Pillsbury

Base:

1 pkg Pillsbury Moist Supreme Golden Butter Recipe Premium Cake Mix

1 cup Peanut Butter (crunchy or creamy - your call)

1/3 cup water

1 egg

Top:

1 (16-oz) can Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Dark Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup+ M&M's

(optional) 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Heat oven to 350F

Line cooking pan with foil or parchment paper (13x9 or your choice)

Mix base together and spread into cooking pan.

Bake 20-25min or until puffed and light golden brown. Cool completely before topping.

Combine frosting and 1/2cup peanut butter. Spread over cooled cake bar. Top with candies and nuts. Cut into individual serving sizes. (Chill to set frosting faster)

Potato Soup Quick!

I love this recipe because you don't have to spend time washing, peeling and cutting potatoes! Here it is:

1 package (24 oz) thawed, unseasoned, frozen hash browns (shredded or cubed is fine)
1/2 cup chopped onion (OPTIONAL if you don't like onion)
butter (about a 1/2 cup, but I don't really measure)
4 cups milk (whole milk will make it creamier- but use what you've got)
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I admit we like it REALLY cheesy, so I usually use more.)
garlic salt, to taste
cooked crumbled bacon (this is OPTIONAL but very very tasty)

In a large sauce pan, cook and stir the onion and potatoes in butter then heat until cooked through, roughly about 10 minutes.  Stir in all other ingredients, except the bacon.  Simmer for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle some more  grated cheese and crumbled bacon on top. YUM.

Stuffed Crescent "Muffins"

 So I will admit I am a huge fan of anything that helps make dinner time quick and easy in our life. I found that Pillsbury is now making unperforated rolls of crescent roll dough. (Available in your refrigerated dough section.) I whipped this together with leftovers from my fridge. This is a pizza-ish version, but I can see myself getting really creative stuffing other things in there too. I already have plans to try out a breakfast version stuffed with fruit. Here's the "recipe":

1. I took a muffin pan and sprayed it with no-stick oil.

2. I then cut out square pieces of the crescent roll dough and lined muffin cups, leaving the corners sticking out the edges. ( I got twelve muffins out of two rolls, but you could probably get more if you cut your dough squares smaller)

3. I then stuffed the dough with a cheese mixture. ( I used a ricotta/mozzarella  mixture similar to what you would use in lasagna)

4. I had some left over cooked hamburger and sausage, so that went in too.

5. We like mushrooms and olives in our house, so a few of those got tossed in.

6. I then gently folded the edges of dough that were sticking up around the edges over, to make a cute little top.

7. Follow baking directions on the crescent roll wrapper, it took mine less than 15 minutes to bake. 

8. I served with leftover spaghetti sauce to dip it in and a salad.

Mimi's Corn Chowder

4 Tb Butter
6 chopped onion

Melt and cook till onions are clear

Add 2 1/2 C water
3/4 C celery
2 tsp salt
1 pinch of pepper
2 C cubed, potatoes

Cook until potatoes are softened

Add all but 1 C of 1/2 & 1/2 1 Quart carton
defrost 1 pkg of frozen corn

Mix left over  1 C 1/2& 1/2 with 3 Tb flour.
Whisk in to soup and simmer 30 min.

Stuffed Pepper Tacos

Story Time:

I can't remember how exactly we got to this creation. I have made stuffed peppers on a few different occasions and while we always liked it, I was never happy with the way the peppers cooked. They always seemed too soggy or more often too crunchy. 

So one day at dinner time I thought, "Duh! Why don't I just chop up the peppers, saute them, and then throw it all together?" It save an hour of baking time and still tastes great! Brilliant!

Now the part I can't really remember is how we got from that --to making it into a taco, of sorts (maybe it's really more of a burrito?).

Either way we think it is Amazing! --Or at least I do. lol

For me, this dish is REALLY good.... ...Like Cafe Rio, good!

(and I actually don't like mexican food most of the time!)

OK! On to the recipe.

Stuffed Pepper Tacos
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

-1 pound cooked ground beef 

-1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice

-1 large green bell pepper

-1 15 oz can tomato sauce

-2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

-1 teaspoon Garlic powder

-1 teaspoon Onion powder

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook rice as directed.

While rice is cooking chop and saute green bell pepper until tender crisp.

Once rice is done, add all other ingredients and mix.

Enjoy!

To make it into an Awesome! taco/burrito:

First : 

Make homemade tortillas! Its a must! and so easy!

-2 cups flour

-1 tsp salt

-1/4 cup shortening

-1/2 cup warm water

Mix flour and salt. With fork, cut in shortening. Add water and mix with fork to make stiff dough. Form ball and knead. Divide dough into 8-10 pieces and shape into balls. Roll out balls to paper thin.

Bake on a very hot (med-high), ungreased frying pan until it starts puffing up and is freckled (about 20 seconds on each side).

Serve.

NEXT: 

Grab can of black beans. 

Empty into a sauce pan. 

Sprinkle with onion flakes and about a teaspoon of Oregano

Heat until hot and flavors have mixed. (about 5-10 minutes)

Top your tortillas with rice mix and beans.

We also like guacamole or sour cream AND Chipotle Hot Sauce!

**In my opinion it is the Chipotle Hot Sauce that really makes this dish go from OK to AWESOME! You must try it if you haven't!!! It is really more flavor than hot.

Cinnamon Oat Scones

These are the east coast/english kind, not fried dough.

Preheat oven to 400, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

2 C plain flour
2/3 C oatmeal
1/3 C. Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
6 Tbs Butter

Combine and cut in butter so it looks crumbly and fine

2 eggs
5 Tbs cream

Blend until smooth
Pour into oatmeal mixture
(optional: add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or dried raisins or cranberries)
make into dough ball
Place dough ball on parchment paper and roll out into a 9 in. circle

brush lightly with cream on top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar

cut 6 wedges and separate slighty before baking

Bake for 12-15 min until edges are golden brown.  Serve hot with butter

Raspberry Dessert

1 angel food cake broken in pieces  --put in glass baking dish set aside

1 large pkg or 2 small Raspberry Jello
1 1/3 C boiling water


Mix Jello and water
Add 2 pkg. Frozen Raspberries
Let Jello set
Mix in 2 pkg Dream whip, whipped not quite stiff
blend together and pour over broken cake

Mix slightly and refrigerate 3 hours.

Honey Butter

3/4 C butter
2 egg yolks
beat together and add 1 tsp vanilla and
2 cups honey

Grandma T's Porcupines

1 Square butter
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
1 lb Carmels

Melt in Microwave, strring often

1 large box Marshmallows
1 box rice crispies

spread rice crispies accross a cookie sheet.  Dip Marshmallows in caramel and use a large fork to roll the mallows in the krispies.  Put on Waxed paper to dry.

You can also roll in chopped nuts and/or coconut

Grillet Fillets with Feta

2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 C plus 1 tbsp EVOO
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves chopped
4  4 oz. beef tenderloin steaks
1/2 red onion
2 cloves of garlic chopped
4 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled

1. Mix vinegar, 1/2 C oil, and thyme
2. place steaks in baking dish and pour vinegar mixture over meat. Let stand 10 min.
3. In heave sauce pan saute onions and garlic until tender in remaining oil
4. grill steaks to desired "doneness"
5. When serving, place steaks on a platter or plate, top with feta, and top with onion and garlic mixture and serve.

Chicken, Avacado, and Wild Rice Salad

1  4.3 oz. package mixed white and wild rice
2 ripe avacados, sliced
3 cups cooked chicken cut into bite sized pieces
4 scallions, chopped
1 cup italian dressing
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds
1 cup cherry tomatoes


1. prepare rice according to package directions
2. stir in chicken and scallions; add the dressing and toss well.
3. Pour into a serving dish (and if you want a cold salad, chill up to an hour)
4. Toss avacados with lemon juice.
5. garnish salad with avacados, nuts and tomatoes

Two heads are better than one and it is the same for two cooks!

 Bruchetta with homemade basil pesto and tomato salsa

 Yummy!  Supremes de Volaille a Blanc

 Balsamic Asparagus

 Fruit salad... yummy, yummy!

Thanks to the lovely Alexandria for joining me in the kitchen for a glorious week of cooking and play.  I'm heavier, but happy!  We only took photos of this meal in our fun we forgot.  But I'll post recipes!

Teriyaki Chicken

Marinade: 1 bottle teriyaki sauce   1 bottle italian dressing

marinade 8 large chicken breasts overnight.

Grill/broil

easy peasy

Carrabbas Chicken Bryan!

I believe angels looked down from above and guided me to this recipe online.  LOL I stumbled upon it and can now feed this fantastic dish to my whole family for half the price of one plate at the restaurant.  It was SO easy and the whole family ate it.  The kids didn't even complain that I fed them goat cheese!

Here is my picture of tonight's meal.  I am so happy with the way it turned out.

The recipe came from Food.com  You can get their recipe HERE.

I differed from their recipe by using 1/2 the amount of basil and I used dried

I also sweeted some white cooking wine instead of dry white wine.

I broiled the chicken as I cannot seem to work the grill.

Sorry Carrabbas.  I need you no more.

Italian Spinach Pie

 We tried this healthy dinner the other day. Its a lot like a quiche. But we ALL really really liked it and its a great way to eat spinach without really tasting it! Plus its so easy to make!

Italian Spinach Pie


Ingredients

    * 1 tablespoon olive oil
    * 2 medium leeks, white part only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced, and rinsed
    * One bag (about 6 oz) fresh spinach
    * 1 cup cooked long-grain white rice
    * 6 large eggs
    * 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    * 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more if needed)
    * 1/4 teaspoon black pepper


1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat 9-inch glass pie plate with nonstick
Cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl, combine leeks, spinach, rice, eggs, 3/4 cup Parmesan,
marjoram, salt, and pepper. Spoon into Prepared plate and smooth top.
Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan.
       
3. Bake until firm and browned, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room
temperature, cut into wedges.

Memorial Day Grilling: Marinated Grilled Salmon

They say a man's place kitchen wise is at the grill.  I don't know about every man, but for sure my husband has a gift with the grill. For Memorial Day, he made Grilled Salmon fillets, Asparagus, Cressant Rolls, and Fruit and Cream for dessert.

I'm a bit behind on my posting.  I'll get the marinade recipe from Richard and post it soon.  Don't you love it when you don't have to cook every meal?  I love cooking, but a break is always welcome. 

Harry Potter Butter Beer!

My wonderful hubby did most of trhe cooking for our family of 8 last weekend.  One of the treats he made for movie night was Butter Beer!  It was so good but SUPER SWEET.  The kids loved it and so did the grown ups, but it would take one heck of a sweet tooth to go back for more.

Also, the internet suggested that it could be served hot or cold.  We tried it hot and cold....  I'd go with hot and if you make it (and it is super easy) make sure you rinse the cup out immediately.  Any left overs or residue solidifies back to butterscotch chip consistency and is a pill to clean without reheating.

Recipe from eHow:

Ingredients

10 OZ of Cream Soda (1 & 1/4 cups)

1 Tbsp of Salted REAL Butter

1/2 Cup Butterscotch chips

1/4 Cup Original Coffee Mate Liquid Creamer

Directions
Put the Butterscotch Chips and Butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Stir and Heat for another 30 seconds.  Now add your Creamer to the bowl.
Microwave in 30 Second increments again. Stirring each time.   It usually takes about 4 times (2 minutes) to get the right consistency.  Set your mixture aside.  The chips and butter should be a thick stir-able paste.

Heat Cream soda in the microwave for 90 seconds.  BE VERY CAREFUL!  Microwaves times vary.  Make sure not to over heat the Cream Soda or all of the fizz will be gone.
Pour Butterscotch mixture into heated Cream Soda.
Stir & Serve!

Chicken and Asparagus tossed with Penne with a side of Bruchetta

This is a very light and healthy meal.  The kids had seconds and asked me to make it again.  It went well with My husband and my low sodium diet and my parent's low carb diets.  It isn't often we can please the kids, have them get the square meal they need, and everyone's dietary needs  Thanks to the Mayo Clinic and the Recipe. 

Rapture Food!

This past Saturday, in honor of the Rapture, I hosted a Rapture party at our home.  It was a pot luck.  The challenge was to bring some sort of punny food to share. 

The main coarse was build-it-yourself Shish Kabobs (Because during the rapture and the end of the world, how much of a shish kabob you end up is really of your own making.):

I cut up strips of Chicken breast and rubbed then with lemon pepper ahead of time and let them stew in their own juices in the fridge.

Then we had bowls of red and green peppers, fresh mushrooms, pineapple, cucumbers, zuccini, mandarine oranges, and baby red potatoes (pre-boiled.)

Everyone took their pre soaked scewer and built their Kabob the way they liked it.  It saved time and the kids all enjoyed their kabobs.


The other foods brought were:

"Judgement Bars"  AKA Eagle Brand Magic Cookie Bars

Rotisserie Chicken

Angel Food Cake with Straw berry shortcake toppings

Living Watermelon

Pistaccio NUTS

Kool-aid --But we didn't ALL drink it.  LOL

Party games prizes: large bags of Life Savers hard candy to better help survive the Zombie Apocolypse.

Other options I considered were: Chicken Rapture-tore, Roast, Divinity, devil's food cake, etc.

It was so funny to see people's reactions... and unfortunately none of us were raptured. 

Carrie's Faux Phillies

These are not authentic, but they are tasty!

 


1 lb VERY thinly sliced beef steak (Ribeye is preferable, but in a pinch I used sirloin.  Not as tender, but it works.)  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.

In a skillet place 2 Tbsp Olive Oil,  1 cup Fajita blend veggies, and 1 Tbsp minced garlic and carmelize (cook until the onions are soft and golden brown.)

Add Steak to skillet and stir occasionally until meat is browned thouroughly.  Add diced mushrooms.

Scoop onto toasted Hoagie Bun bottoms and top with wedges of sliced American cheese.  Close Hoagie bun.

If cheese isn't melted right away, you can place sandwich in the oven or microwave.