a long time coming...antlers are still loudly calling my name, but we are counting down...3 months and counting till I have my life back...
1......chicken tetrzzini
2......spaghetti, garlic bread, salad
3......ham, mashed potatoes, green beans,
4......meat loaf, twice baked pots, veggies, cheese biscuits
5......meatball soup, artisan bread
6......baked mac & cheese w/ bacon, veggies, bread
7......scalloped potatoes w/ham, veggie
8......beef, bacon & barley soup, bread
9......southwest chicken & rice, cornbread
10....tangy bacon topped chicken, barley pilaf, veggie
11.....apple stuffed pork chops, mashed pots, veggie
12....easy cheesy chicken casserole, veggies
13....tortellini, sausage soup, breAD
14....hot tamale pie, cornbread
15. deep dish pizza, raw dip veggies, bread sticks
16....bacon, potato hash, soda bread
17....fettucini alfredo with bacon, garlic bread salad
18.. individual beef pot pies
19....braised short ribs with mashed pots, carrots
20...bow tie lasagna garlic bread, veggies
21....sausage, potato bake, bread
22....chicken with wild rice casserole, veggie
23....porcupines, parm noodles, corn, biscuits
24....beef stroganoff, buttered noodles, veggies
25....shepards pie
26....chicken enchilada soup artisan bread
27....taco casserole corn bread
28....chicken pie, cranberry sauce
29....breakfast strata, hash browns, fruit
30....bacon alfredo cass w/ peas, garlic bread
31....beef stew in bread bowl, corn on the cob salad
ok, I am excited to go back to cooking every night for the family, now onto the shopping list and cutting coupons...
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
summertime...
anyone that knows me, knows how much I HATE summer...I love the longer days and not having to get up at a certain time for the kid's school but the heat...OMGosh the HEAT, that is what gets to me...it just wears me out...I cannot function...
but, we need to eat and I am tired of burgers, and sandwiches and eating out...and we eat a lot at Elks, too...
still like to make a good dinner for Tim...
tonight?
slow roasted BBQ tri tip
hobo potatoes
fire roasted corn on the cob, shucked and fried
it was soooooooooooo good...miss cooking like I used to...please summer hurry up and go away...
the hobo potatoes comes from a recipe that I have had for ages and ages and now most likely does
not resemble the original one at all cause I have tweaked it so many times to please my family...
for tonight I used:
4 potatoes, cubed and then lightly fried
crumbled bacon
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 bunch of green onions
garlic salt
pepper
mix all ingredients and layer into 2 aluminum foil pouches with a pat or 2 of butter and throw onto (not literally) the BBQ and they need to cook for approx 45 min...
there ya go...they are so yummy...
but, we need to eat and I am tired of burgers, and sandwiches and eating out...and we eat a lot at Elks, too...
still like to make a good dinner for Tim...
tonight?
slow roasted BBQ tri tip
hobo potatoes
fire roasted corn on the cob, shucked and fried
it was soooooooooooo good...miss cooking like I used to...please summer hurry up and go away...
the hobo potatoes comes from a recipe that I have had for ages and ages and now most likely does
not resemble the original one at all cause I have tweaked it so many times to please my family...
for tonight I used:
4 potatoes, cubed and then lightly fried
crumbled bacon
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 bunch of green onions
garlic salt
pepper
mix all ingredients and layer into 2 aluminum foil pouches with a pat or 2 of butter and throw onto (not literally) the BBQ and they need to cook for approx 45 min...
there ya go...they are so yummy...
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
volunteer lunch-& Ross ER birthday party...
wanted to do something special for Ross' birthday this year since he is the ER of the Lodge, but also wanted to pay homage to all of the volunteers that have helped us immensely already the first quarter of his reign...so, this big party is this coming Sunday afternoon...and knowing how activities such as this one usually go at the Lodge, I really did not expect too many people showing up...I was smart and asked for RSVP's just so I would know about how many people to expect...and.....................
drum roll, please.....so far....85 people have said that they would love to come...OK...really??? a much
bigger and better crowd than I could ever have imagined...but, that is all right...at first, I was going to make everything myself but, when more and more people said they were coming, I started asking for potluck dishes...& I don't know about you but I love potlucks...I love to see what people bring to these events...
here is the menu that I have chosen:
BBQ beef & BBQ pork sandwiches (made these for an event before & they went over well...)
cole slaw
baked beans
mac. salad
deviled eggs
various veggies & dip
various chips & dips (& I found some really good recipes I want to try out)
apple crisp
for children, I planned on:
also macaroni & cheese
hot dogs...
for the BBQ beef, I am using a recipe that has been handed down from Ross' grandmother and is always been a crowd pleaser and is rather simple...will post recipe after the event
for the BBQ pork found a recipe online, that I cannot wait to try...will also post this one after the event...
am currently looking for a good recipe for cole slaw...I personally like KFC and Famous Dave's so would like to find a recipe that mimics either one of theirs...
of course my macaroni salad, everyone loves and Sam is known for her deviled eggs...
so I think we are good...
will let you know how we do after Sunday...wish me luck...
drum roll, please.....so far....85 people have said that they would love to come...OK...really??? a much
bigger and better crowd than I could ever have imagined...but, that is all right...at first, I was going to make everything myself but, when more and more people said they were coming, I started asking for potluck dishes...& I don't know about you but I love potlucks...I love to see what people bring to these events...
here is the menu that I have chosen:
BBQ beef & BBQ pork sandwiches (made these for an event before & they went over well...)
cole slaw
baked beans
mac. salad
deviled eggs
various veggies & dip
various chips & dips (& I found some really good recipes I want to try out)
apple crisp
for children, I planned on:
also macaroni & cheese
hot dogs...
for the BBQ beef, I am using a recipe that has been handed down from Ross' grandmother and is always been a crowd pleaser and is rather simple...will post recipe after the event
for the BBQ pork found a recipe online, that I cannot wait to try...will also post this one after the event...
am currently looking for a good recipe for cole slaw...I personally like KFC and Famous Dave's so would like to find a recipe that mimics either one of theirs...
of course my macaroni salad, everyone loves and Sam is known for her deviled eggs...
so I think we are good...
will let you know how we do after Sunday...wish me luck...
Sunday, July 10, 2011
easy dinner
for like 2 weeks now it has been so freakin hot here...the humidity is horrible...I cannot stand it at all...
and then to make matters worse, we have all been sick and I am still not completely over that
"bronchitis" thing that spred thru the Lodge like wild fire...Zoe is still coughing and Ross well, you guys know, and Samantha and her newfound heart thing...well, I am exhausted...seems like I am never home but I stayed home this weekend and got a lot done...I am proud of myself...
so for dinner tonight, since it is so hot??? egg salad sandwiches on this really cool, soft potato bread, assorted cut up veggies and chips...good thing we all love egg salad so much here...it won't last very long here...
tomorrow I am going to make this fabulous chicken waldorf salad...Tim took us to CPK the other night for dinner and I had the chicken salad sandwich and it was so wonderful, I thought about it all night...so I am going to sort of copy them and also add some of my own stuff to it...
oh yeah, last night, made bacon cheeseburgers (on the george foreman grill, so less fat) with corn on the cob, baked beans and cole slaw...must say it was pretty good...
and then to make matters worse, we have all been sick and I am still not completely over that
"bronchitis" thing that spred thru the Lodge like wild fire...Zoe is still coughing and Ross well, you guys know, and Samantha and her newfound heart thing...well, I am exhausted...seems like I am never home but I stayed home this weekend and got a lot done...I am proud of myself...
so for dinner tonight, since it is so hot??? egg salad sandwiches on this really cool, soft potato bread, assorted cut up veggies and chips...good thing we all love egg salad so much here...it won't last very long here...
tomorrow I am going to make this fabulous chicken waldorf salad...Tim took us to CPK the other night for dinner and I had the chicken salad sandwich and it was so wonderful, I thought about it all night...so I am going to sort of copy them and also add some of my own stuff to it...
oh yeah, last night, made bacon cheeseburgers (on the george foreman grill, so less fat) with corn on the cob, baked beans and cole slaw...must say it was pretty good...
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Zozo's post
you have to check out my grand daughter's new blog that she is writing by herself...I am so proud of her.......it is http://www.zoesrecipebox.blogspot.com/
Sunday, June 19, 2011
while the cat is away...
the mice will, well you know the rest, right??? whenever Ross is away whether at his mom's, out of town, or even in the hospital (like now) Tim and I eat things that his dad HATES...
when he and I first met, I am a down home comfort girl that cooks for big crowds, coming from 12 kids, we had to stretch meals to feed a ton of people...he on the other hand, tho coming from 6 kids, his Italian mother, except for when making pasta (& she is fantastic at that) would always make a meat and potato dinner...so, that is what Ross was used to...oh, yeah when his mom would make spaghetti sauce, she would add whatever meat had been left over from the week (pork chops, whatever) to the sauce and simmer this sauce from early morning to dinner...
Ross absolutely hates rice and says it is from his days in Vietnam (I give him that) but, he also hated casseroles, creamed beef, soups, just really picky...oh yeah he HATES mac and cheese...so, after 37 years, I have changed him somewhat, mostly cause I was tired of always eating only what he liked and never anything that was dear to my heart...but, he still is extremely picky...
when the kids were little I was tired of always only cooking for Ross and never getting to eat what I myself and therefore the kids (might) like...so, I started cooking some things he liked, but also what I had grown up loving and adding my own twist to them...
I did win him over on some casseroles and my chicken pie and he likes my version of spaghetti...
so, when he is not here, Tim and I will eat what he hates...
one such thing he absolutely will not even try is my cheese fondue...every single person in my family loves it incl. Zoe but not him...I serve it with cut up veggies, a good artisan bread, little smokies and gotta have some wheat thin crackers...
another thing we like to have is an appetizer night and we come up with all sorts of "little" food...small pizza, tacquitos, mini corn dogs, veggies, chicken nuggets, you get the picture...
we also LOVE tuna melts...
but for dinneer this one particular night, decided to make my spam pie...and when I make this we grub...we eat so much of it, we are stuffed...I looked on Hormel and they do not have a recipe even close to this so I will list mine...I have done this for years when my kids were little...now, I know some people hate Spam but I really don't mind it...I can not eat it right out of a can like I could when I was a kid but, cooked now that is a different story...
recipe:
2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 can of Spam
1 brick of Monterey Jack cheese (8oz)
1 brick cheddar cheese
6 beaten eggs...
line 9 x 13 (after spraying with Pam) with the biscuits, careful to cover the perforated edges...
cut up Spam and dice cheese...mix together with eggs, pour into prepared pan...
sometime I lattice a crust over top, and sometimes I leave uncovered and the pieces of Spam sticking up will get a little toasty...
bake at 350 until middle is done when knife is stuck in it...usually 45 min...
yummy...could also try with sausage or bacon or ham
when he and I first met, I am a down home comfort girl that cooks for big crowds, coming from 12 kids, we had to stretch meals to feed a ton of people...he on the other hand, tho coming from 6 kids, his Italian mother, except for when making pasta (& she is fantastic at that) would always make a meat and potato dinner...so, that is what Ross was used to...oh, yeah when his mom would make spaghetti sauce, she would add whatever meat had been left over from the week (pork chops, whatever) to the sauce and simmer this sauce from early morning to dinner...
Ross absolutely hates rice and says it is from his days in Vietnam (I give him that) but, he also hated casseroles, creamed beef, soups, just really picky...oh yeah he HATES mac and cheese...so, after 37 years, I have changed him somewhat, mostly cause I was tired of always eating only what he liked and never anything that was dear to my heart...but, he still is extremely picky...
when the kids were little I was tired of always only cooking for Ross and never getting to eat what I myself and therefore the kids (might) like...so, I started cooking some things he liked, but also what I had grown up loving and adding my own twist to them...
I did win him over on some casseroles and my chicken pie and he likes my version of spaghetti...
so, when he is not here, Tim and I will eat what he hates...
one such thing he absolutely will not even try is my cheese fondue...every single person in my family loves it incl. Zoe but not him...I serve it with cut up veggies, a good artisan bread, little smokies and gotta have some wheat thin crackers...
another thing we like to have is an appetizer night and we come up with all sorts of "little" food...small pizza, tacquitos, mini corn dogs, veggies, chicken nuggets, you get the picture...
we also LOVE tuna melts...
but for dinneer this one particular night, decided to make my spam pie...and when I make this we grub...we eat so much of it, we are stuffed...I looked on Hormel and they do not have a recipe even close to this so I will list mine...I have done this for years when my kids were little...now, I know some people hate Spam but I really don't mind it...I can not eat it right out of a can like I could when I was a kid but, cooked now that is a different story...
recipe:
2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 can of Spam
1 brick of Monterey Jack cheese (8oz)
1 brick cheddar cheese
6 beaten eggs...
line 9 x 13 (after spraying with Pam) with the biscuits, careful to cover the perforated edges...
cut up Spam and dice cheese...mix together with eggs, pour into prepared pan...
sometime I lattice a crust over top, and sometimes I leave uncovered and the pieces of Spam sticking up will get a little toasty...
bake at 350 until middle is done when knife is stuck in it...usually 45 min...
yummy...could also try with sausage or bacon or ham
Monday, June 6, 2011
"mom's goulash"
this is a "new" to me recipe that I first found at www.annie-eats.com and I had it filed under my favorites for months and tonight had all the ingredients and decided to make it quick before summer hits and I do not turn my oven for months and months (you think I m kidding???)...
for dinner tonight I made mom's goulash...doesn't every mom have a recipe for goulash??? I know my mom had one and it did not look like this at all...I changed the recipe around just a little bit, so you on my blog are getting my version...
I browned 1 lb hamburger and took 5 italian sausages out of their casings and browned also...
I added some seasonings and 1 1/2 cans of prepared spaghetti sauce (original version you make your own) and I was lazy today...
to pan of boiling water add 1 lb of penne till al dente
in seperate bowl, mix up 16 oz of sour cream, 8 oz of cream cheese and 2 eggs, set aside...
in a 9 x 13 pan add a thin layer of meat mixture, add 1/2 of the penne and spread 1/2 of the sour cream mixture on top and then the meat sauce once again, the penne, the sour cream, and ending with the meat mixture on top...sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese...
bke at 375 for approx. 35 minutes...
delicious...love finding new recipes and loving them...good cooking...
for dinner tonight I made mom's goulash...doesn't every mom have a recipe for goulash??? I know my mom had one and it did not look like this at all...I changed the recipe around just a little bit, so you on my blog are getting my version...
I browned 1 lb hamburger and took 5 italian sausages out of their casings and browned also...
I added some seasonings and 1 1/2 cans of prepared spaghetti sauce (original version you make your own) and I was lazy today...
to pan of boiling water add 1 lb of penne till al dente
in seperate bowl, mix up 16 oz of sour cream, 8 oz of cream cheese and 2 eggs, set aside...
in a 9 x 13 pan add a thin layer of meat mixture, add 1/2 of the penne and spread 1/2 of the sour cream mixture on top and then the meat sauce once again, the penne, the sour cream, and ending with the meat mixture on top...sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese...
bke at 375 for approx. 35 minutes...
delicious...love finding new recipes and loving them...good cooking...
Monday, May 30, 2011
oriental chicken roll up
on this day, Memorial Day, I had wanted to do a bbq, but things got away from me and I ended up making this for dinner...oriental chicken rollup and macaroni salad...
got this recipe from: http://www.mandysrecipebox.com/...
whenever we go to Applebees, I always get their oriental chicken salad, but I get the version of it rolled up in a flour tortilla and I have tried on my own to duplicate the recipe and have never come close...so, I was thrilled to find the recipe on this blog...and it did really come close...
I will make again...
having problems copying and pasting the recipe will keep trying...
got this recipe from: http://www.mandysrecipebox.com/...
whenever we go to Applebees, I always get their oriental chicken salad, but I get the version of it rolled up in a flour tortilla and I have tried on my own to duplicate the recipe and have never come close...so, I was thrilled to find the recipe on this blog...and it did really come close...
I will make again...
having problems copying and pasting the recipe will keep trying...
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Zoe's starting early
Zoe at 10 years old now also has her own cooking blog, check it out; http://www.zoesrecipebox.blogspot.com/ altho we are jsut strting out with her...
give credit where credit is due...
the sites that I got the recipes from for the previous posts are:
1. http://www.recipegirl.com/
2. http://www.stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/ (this is one of my fave and go to sites)
3. http://www.ourbestbites.com/ (again one of my faves.)
4. http://www.mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/
5. http://www.pillsbury.com/
6. http://www.kraft.com/
7. http://www.tastykitchen.blogspot.com/
8. http://www.tasteofhome.com/
9. http://www.southernplate.com/
10. http://www.foodnetwork.com/ (rachael ray)
11. http://www.pioneerwoman.blogspot.com/
12.www.smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com
13.www.life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com
14. www.justapinch.com (love this site...) (go to this one every day as you can find anything)
have to say that I love all of these sites and get so many good ideas from them, there are so many more, tired tonight and will list tomorrow..
1. http://www.recipegirl.com/
2. http://www.stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/ (this is one of my fave and go to sites)
3. http://www.ourbestbites.com/ (again one of my faves.)
4. http://www.mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/
5. http://www.pillsbury.com/
6. http://www.kraft.com/
7. http://www.tastykitchen.blogspot.com/
8. http://www.tasteofhome.com/
9. http://www.southernplate.com/
10. http://www.foodnetwork.com/ (rachael ray)
11. http://www.pioneerwoman.blogspot.com/
12.www.smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com
13.www.life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com
14. www.justapinch.com (love this site...) (go to this one every day as you can find anything)
have to say that I love all of these sites and get so many good ideas from them, there are so many more, tired tonight and will list tomorrow..
June recipes and menus...
now that I am feeling a tad better, am going to try really hard to make dinner every night and stick to the schedule and menu...saves so much more money that way...
it helps me when I make my menus up ahead of time and then the grocery list for the commissary and I make the list according to the aisles of the commissary...then I usually spend about 3-4 hours of one day to print coupons and cut them and organize them...my friend Fabia Sanz said on her facebook that she found a new way for coupons and actually saved 62.00 on things she usually buys anyway...the most I have ever saved was close to 30.00...am going to try to do a little better than that this month...that extreme coupon show on tv, kinda gets to me, cause that takes toooooo much time, or so it seems and I do not have that kind of room to stock pile...
so here are my menus for June...
1. cranberry meat loaf, cheddar pots, veggies
2. cheesy baked penne, salad, garlic bread
3. cheese enchilada casserole, mex. rice & beans
4. pumpkin & sausage risotto, salad, bread
5. cheesy rice & chicken, veggies
6. family sausage casserole, biscuits
7. meatballs & creamy rice, veggies
8. shepards pie, salad (new beef recipe)
9. tuna noodle casserole, veggies
10. spanish rice, corn cass.
11. mom's goulash, it. veggies, bread
12. beef stroganoff, noodles, veggies
13. cashew chicken, rice, oriental veggies
14, chicken pie
15, mac/cheese, bbq mini hot dogs, biscuits, carrots
16. cornbread taco bake, corn
17. walnut chicken, mashed pots, veggies
18. chicken & cheese stuffed shells, salad, garlic bread
19. lemon chicken, fried rice, veggies, egg rolls
20. taco cass, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.
21. chicken pie
22. taco soup, artisan bread
23. new look scalloped pots & ham, veggies
24. beef, bacon, barley soup, bread
25. cowboy spaghetti, veggies
26. sweet/sour meatballs, rice, oriental veggies
27. cornish pasties, waldorf salad
28. baked chicken & bacon alfredo, salad, garlic bread
29. bacon sliders, cole slaw, baked beans
30. bbq, tri tip, mac. salad, corn on cob, grilled bread
31. braised short ribs, hobo pots, grilled veggies
prepare in advance for lunches
chicken salad
egg salad
it helps me when I make my menus up ahead of time and then the grocery list for the commissary and I make the list according to the aisles of the commissary...then I usually spend about 3-4 hours of one day to print coupons and cut them and organize them...my friend Fabia Sanz said on her facebook that she found a new way for coupons and actually saved 62.00 on things she usually buys anyway...the most I have ever saved was close to 30.00...am going to try to do a little better than that this month...that extreme coupon show on tv, kinda gets to me, cause that takes toooooo much time, or so it seems and I do not have that kind of room to stock pile...
so here are my menus for June...
1. cranberry meat loaf, cheddar pots, veggies
2. cheesy baked penne, salad, garlic bread
3. cheese enchilada casserole, mex. rice & beans
4. pumpkin & sausage risotto, salad, bread
5. cheesy rice & chicken, veggies
6. family sausage casserole, biscuits
7. meatballs & creamy rice, veggies
8. shepards pie, salad (new beef recipe)
9. tuna noodle casserole, veggies
10. spanish rice, corn cass.
11. mom's goulash, it. veggies, bread
12. beef stroganoff, noodles, veggies
13. cashew chicken, rice, oriental veggies
14, chicken pie
15, mac/cheese, bbq mini hot dogs, biscuits, carrots
16. cornbread taco bake, corn
17. walnut chicken, mashed pots, veggies
18. chicken & cheese stuffed shells, salad, garlic bread
19. lemon chicken, fried rice, veggies, egg rolls
20. taco cass, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.
21. chicken pie
22. taco soup, artisan bread
23. new look scalloped pots & ham, veggies
24. beef, bacon, barley soup, bread
25. cowboy spaghetti, veggies
26. sweet/sour meatballs, rice, oriental veggies
27. cornish pasties, waldorf salad
28. baked chicken & bacon alfredo, salad, garlic bread
29. bacon sliders, cole slaw, baked beans
30. bbq, tri tip, mac. salad, corn on cob, grilled bread
31. braised short ribs, hobo pots, grilled veggies
prepare in advance for lunches
chicken salad
egg salad
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
soup
meatball soup that is and I already posted about this great soup on January 10th...it is really an Elk night, but I decided to stay home and make donner for Tim and me...
this has been a long haul...I miss cooking every night but being sick and in the hospital hit me kinda hard...it's been really hard coming back after this one...I am constantly tired and have no energy...
so, thought I deserved a night home and so made the soup and biscuits...
I am tired and soup was good tonight...
this has been a long haul...I miss cooking every night but being sick and in the hospital hit me kinda hard...it's been really hard coming back after this one...I am constantly tired and have no energy...
so, thought I deserved a night home and so made the soup and biscuits...
I am tired and soup was good tonight...
Monday, April 11, 2011
baked sausage & risotto
I made this for dinner tonight: (well it won't let me copy and paste tonight) so, baked sausage and risotto (you get my version...) I browned italian sausage and added one minced onion and garlic till done...added 1 1/2 cups of arborio rice to sausage mixture and only browned the rice for 1 minute...I then added 4 2/3 cups of chicken broth and brought to a boil...added 2 grated onions and put into a greased casserole pan, covered and baked at 350 for 30 minutes...stir and bake for additional 30 minutes...melt 2 tbs of butter and add to 1 cup of panko bread crumbs along with some parmesan cheese...sprinkle on top and bake additional 10 minutes or until browned... Yummy...next time would add frozen peas also...recipe is from BHG and called for fennel and artichoke hearts...
Monday, April 4, 2011
taco salad
this is my all time favorite warm weather dinner... taco salad is what I made for dinner tonight as it was in the high 80's here today, rather warm...but, silly me let me describe how I eat my taco salad... I take the browned hamburger, sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top, add some diced tomatoes, some green onions, black olives, some crushed corn chips and mix it all up with some ranch dressing... YUMMY... I always over eat with this dinner...
Sunday, April 3, 2011
back to reality
it's been awhile posting cause I have been so busy...bowling & banquets & initiations & installations & parties and more parties and then all capped off with the big inaugural ball last night (which was truly magical) I knew I would have to come back to reality sometime and sometime was tonight... dinner for tonight was; homemade roasted chicken and wild rice soup and quick Brazilian cheese rolls (that I got from www.ourbestbites.com)... must say that dinner was pretty yummy... the tapioca flour was hard to find, but I did finally find it at Whole Foods (we do not have one around us but my mother in law does) and let me add that Tim and I fell in love with the store and we would be in big trouble if there was one around here...very cool store...
Saturday, February 26, 2011
a really good macaroni and cheese
this is day # 8 of new recipes...
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/marys-macaroni-cheese-62578.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20110208-_-1034
and it is a fantastic macaroni and cheese, and with a little tweaking will be my new go to all time favorite dish...everyone loved it...had little smokies with bbq sauce, homemade biscuits, and green beans...to go with it...
Sian and Zoe made the biscuits and Si said it was the first time she had made biscuits...cute, should have gotten pics of them doing it...
before I forget, day # 7 was this: http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2009/06/slow-cooked-london-broil.html and since I made it before bowling, only Tim ate it but, he said it was good and he would like it again...
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/marys-macaroni-cheese-62578.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20110208-_-1034
and it is a fantastic macaroni and cheese, and with a little tweaking will be my new go to all time favorite dish...everyone loved it...had little smokies with bbq sauce, homemade biscuits, and green beans...to go with it...
Sian and Zoe made the biscuits and Si said it was the first time she had made biscuits...cute, should have gotten pics of them doing it...
before I forget, day # 7 was this: http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2009/06/slow-cooked-london-broil.html and since I made it before bowling, only Tim ate it but, he said it was good and he would like it again...
Sunday, February 20, 2011
risotto and cranberry chicken
day #6 of brand new recipes for the month of February...
tonight was a first for a couple of reasons...I had never tasted risotto, much less made it...tonight I did both and I am amazed...
it was fun and easy to make and it tasted good also...Tim said "let's have risotto at least once a week from now on..." OK with me...
so here was the whole menu:
cranberry chicken recipe from Stephanie Cooks
parmesan risotto
cranberry bread
green beans
and I did not get a picture...since I am still not feeling 100% I just took a couple of bites here and there and that was enough for me...
the chicken was interesting in that you mix french dressing, cranberry sauce and a packet of onion soup mixture all together and cover the chicken in it...everyone loved it tho...and they want me to make it again...
http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/cranberry-chicken.html here is the link to the chicken...I bought by accident the jellied kind of cranberry sauce and I think it really needs the whole berry kind instead...her picture looks so much better than the real thing in person did...
now the risotto, OMGoodness, I have a new love...so so good...do not know why I did not try it before this...and really the only reason I did was because of Hell's Kitchen and how Gordon Ramsey goes on and on about it....
http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/parmesan-risotto.html the link for the risotto and next time I am going to make enough to try Stephanie Cooks, her risotto cakes...
tonight was a first for a couple of reasons...I had never tasted risotto, much less made it...tonight I did both and I am amazed...
it was fun and easy to make and it tasted good also...Tim said "let's have risotto at least once a week from now on..." OK with me...
so here was the whole menu:
cranberry chicken recipe from Stephanie Cooks
parmesan risotto
cranberry bread
green beans
and I did not get a picture...since I am still not feeling 100% I just took a couple of bites here and there and that was enough for me...
the chicken was interesting in that you mix french dressing, cranberry sauce and a packet of onion soup mixture all together and cover the chicken in it...everyone loved it tho...and they want me to make it again...
http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/cranberry-chicken.html here is the link to the chicken...I bought by accident the jellied kind of cranberry sauce and I think it really needs the whole berry kind instead...her picture looks so much better than the real thing in person did...
now the risotto, OMGoodness, I have a new love...so so good...do not know why I did not try it before this...and really the only reason I did was because of Hell's Kitchen and how Gordon Ramsey goes on and on about it....
http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/parmesan-risotto.html the link for the risotto and next time I am going to make enough to try Stephanie Cooks, her risotto cakes...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
the salted pig
hi guys...well, I am feeling just a tad better and really needed to get out of this house and Tim did not disappoint...he took us to dinner at this new place here in Riverside that just opened this week...
Oh My...
what can I say...the food to die for...a bit pricey but...
I am in love with their menu...they have deviled eggs...you never see deviled eggs on a menu...the menu says, not your mom's deviled eggs and so I asked the waiter what was in them and it sounds sort of like mine...
ok, I got the mac and cheese (made with fontina and gruyere) (2 cheeses I have not had before) and it was quite tasty...
Tim got a burger (called the Pig Burger) with 1/2 bacon, 1/2 beef, a over easy egg and garlic mayo...(first time for Tim having egg on his burger)...
Greg got braised shortrib sandwich which has pickled onions, apples and horseradish...
the fries come in little aluminum buckets (so cute) and were very good...freshly made and sliced thin just like I like them...
as I said the food was fantastic...
the decor, was wonderful, very modernistic...lots of dark wood cabinets and tables and chairs...long tall lists of the many many beers from all over are listed for all to see...we were sat immediately at a nice table...
there was tons of wait staff, who were right at your side for your every whim...even when our waiter was busy elsewhere, someone else was right there refilling our drinks...
someone at another table got the filthy fries and I definately want to go back and try these...with beer cheese, herbs and roasted garlic...
almost forgot...for dessert we got candied bacon ice cream...what??? really??? now, bacon is my most favoritest ever ingredient...did not know if I was willing to try it in an ice cream but, the waiter said it was delicious and it really was...the ice cream was homemade and really really good with huge pieces of bacon and still crisp...a little too much, we left stuffed...
someone had a great imagination when thinking of this menu...you don't see this very often at all...
a funny story (well I was sort of mortified) we were sat near the kitchen (this absolutely gorgeous long shining in between dark woods kitchen...) and all of this fantastic looking food kept coming out and every one would ooh and ahh over each passing of dishes...when I look around, this guy was bringing out a tall glass with something coming out of the glass and I said to Tim, "on my gosh that is beautiful, what dish is that???" he first looks all around to see what I am talking about and finally after much laughing and laughing says, "uhm Mom, that would be trash."
yeah embarrassing, you can't take me anywhere...
sorry Tim...
web link: http://www.saltedpigriverside.com/food-drink/ you have to check out this link to see the other menu offerings...the battered dates, with cream cheese bacon and honey looked devine...
they do have a children's menu and a Sunday brunch (how much do you want to bet their hash would be sooooooooooooooooooooooo good???) and they have daily specials as well...
this is so near the court houses that I'll bet they get a lot of judges and lawyers as customers...
your check comes in one of those little mini (your grandma had these) canning jelly jars, too cute...
isn't there something so wonderful about eating on brand new silverware and drinking from new glasses???
Sunday, February 13, 2011
paula deen's goulash
goulash...that is #5 of new recipes for the month of February...
this recipe is good and I will probably make it again...to the cooking hamburger, I also added crumbled italian sausage...hubby thinks when he sees anything resembling marinara sauce it is mandatory to add the sausage and I think it added some depth to the dish...
here is the link: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/bobbys_goulash/...
when making this dish, I would not cook for the 30 min it says to after adding the macaroni and you also have to keep stirring it as it sticks very easily...
late note...this dish made terrific leftovers, expecially for the week that I was sick...
this recipe is good and I will probably make it again...to the cooking hamburger, I also added crumbled italian sausage...hubby thinks when he sees anything resembling marinara sauce it is mandatory to add the sausage and I think it added some depth to the dish...
here is the link: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/bobbys_goulash/...
when making this dish, I would not cook for the 30 min it says to after adding the macaroni and you also have to keep stirring it as it sticks very easily...
late note...this dish made terrific leftovers, expecially for the week that I was sick...
Saturday, February 12, 2011
easy layered chicken bake
this is the title that Kraft Foods gave to this dish...I would call it delicious...so yummy...
easy layered chicken bake is day # four of new recipes for the month of February and I cannot believe that so far 4 out of 4 are winners...can I pick them or what???
here is the link to this fantastic recipe....http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-layered-chicken-bake-75568.aspx...
I posted on facebook that from start to finish this recipe takes under one hour and you can use whatever leftovers you have on hand...this actually is how I came upon this recipe...I had leftover chicken and didn't know off hand what to do with it...
this recipe link had 4 versions of this dish...
the one I made is the amandine version...there is also a tex mex one, a bruschetta one and a mushroom and broccoli one...based on these 4 versions, I have already come up with a couple more different types...how about rice on top??? how about peas instead of green beans???
I took leftover cut up chicken breasts (I had made extra from when I did the chicken carbona) and layered it in baking pan...sprinkled some seasonings over the top, then layered green beans (I used frozen) and then 2 cans of cream of chicken soup (& 1 cup of milk)...on top of that, I put 2 boxes of stove top stuffing mixed with 3 cups of water on top and baked for 30 minutes...I then sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top and baked for a few more minutes...almost forgot to say, that in between the layers of soup and stuffing I sprinkled sliced almonds...
to me (& this is my opinion) this tastes like Thanksgiving all rolled into one dish...this recipe is definitely a keeper...my mouth kept wondering where the cranberry sauce was and the pumpkin pie???
I went to the Kraft web site and this has mixed reviews...but, one person rated it based on the fact that she used uncooked chicken (so make sure you use pre cooked chicken)...overall it had a 4 star rating out of 5...I am going to go rate it now...
so everyone in the family loved this dish and my son had a great idea to add some dried cranberries to the stuffing next time...
Friday, February 11, 2011
asian beef and noodles
asian beef, stir fry veggies and noodles that is what I made for dinner tonight...
day three of all new (to me) recipes that I am trying all month of February...this one definitely is a keeper, even tho it is just done and no one has even tried it yet...the smell??? OMGoodness, the smell was divine...Sam and I walked up to the shopping center and coming home, we could smell MY dinner all the way down the street...
ok, Sam is eating and said that she loves it and would want it again...
recipe is from http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2009/12/crockpot-asian-beef-and-noodles.html and even she said that the dish does not picture well but, who cares how it looks when it tastes so so so good...
next time I might not add the veggies till closer to the end of cooking...
also made homemade wontons (well actually my little sous chef did) and it is a nice accompaniment to the dish...
I am so happy with all the dishes I have made so far and I am glad that I took this monumental task on...
day three of all new (to me) recipes that I am trying all month of February...this one definitely is a keeper, even tho it is just done and no one has even tried it yet...the smell??? OMGoodness, the smell was divine...Sam and I walked up to the shopping center and coming home, we could smell MY dinner all the way down the street...
ok, Sam is eating and said that she loves it and would want it again...
recipe is from http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2009/12/crockpot-asian-beef-and-noodles.html and even she said that the dish does not picture well but, who cares how it looks when it tastes so so so good...
next time I might not add the veggies till closer to the end of cooking...
also made homemade wontons (well actually my little sous chef did) and it is a nice accompaniment to the dish...
I am so happy with all the dishes I have made so far and I am glad that I took this monumental task on...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
baked potato soup
day two of new recipes
baked potato soup...OMG oodness was this the best thing ever??
4 large baking potatoes
bacon
6tbs butter
1/2 cup flour
6 cups of milk
8 oz sour cream
1 cup of cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
1Pierce potatoes with fork; place on microwave-safe paper towel or roasting rack in microwave. Microwave on HIGH for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, turning once halfway through cooking. Cool slightly.
2Meanwhile, cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove from Dutch oven; drain on paper towels. Crumble; set aside.
3In same Dutch oven, combine milk and flour; blend well. Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes or until bubbly and thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4Cut cooked potatoes in half. Scoop out cooked potato from skins; place in medium bowl. Discard skins. Mash potatoes well.
5Add potatoes, bacon, 2 tablespoons of the onions, 1 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper to milk mixture. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add sour cream; cook and stir until soup is thoroughly heated.
6To serve, spoon soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle each with remaining onions and cheese.
1Pierce potatoes with fork; place on microwave-safe paper towel or roasting rack in microwave. Microwave on HIGH for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, turning once halfway through cooking. Cool slightly.
2Meanwhile, cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove from Dutch oven; drain on paper towels. Crumble; set aside.
3In same Dutch oven, combine milk and flour; blend well. Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes or until bubbly and thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4Cut cooked potatoes in half. Scoop out cooked potato from skins; place in medium bowl. Discard skins. Mash potatoes well.
5Add potatoes, bacon, 2 tablespoons of the onions, 1 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper to milk mixture. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add sour cream; cook and stir until soup is thoroughly heated.
6To serve, spoon soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle each with remaining onions and cheese.
I differed from the recipe slightly, in that I made a roux with the butter and flour and milk...
absolutely a keeper recipe...cannot wait to make it again and again...
recipe came from www.pillsbury.com
coupons for the month of February...
well, we went shopping kind of late in the month...I usually like to go the first couple of days of the month but, you know who (wink wink) is still feeling under the weather...we went on the 9th of the month...
and you already read that all this month I am trying new recipes...no usual recipes for me...oh no...all NEW recipes and I am trying more chicken and less beef...
so, all of this being said...I spent $325 on a month's worth of groceries and (drum roll) I saved
$20.24 in coupons...I am still happy but not quite as happy as last month's total...so far this year (2 month's worth) I have saved almost $50.00...that makes me proud...
it is very time consuming to make menus, research recipes, make grocery lists, research cooupons, print them, cut them out, etc etc...but, in the end $20.00 is $20.00 and if I can keep this up, it will potentially save us upwards of $300 or so in a year...isn't that amazing???
and you already read that all this month I am trying new recipes...no usual recipes for me...oh no...all NEW recipes and I am trying more chicken and less beef...
so, all of this being said...I spent $325 on a month's worth of groceries and (drum roll) I saved
$20.24 in coupons...I am still happy but not quite as happy as last month's total...so far this year (2 month's worth) I have saved almost $50.00...that makes me proud...
it is very time consuming to make menus, research recipes, make grocery lists, research cooupons, print them, cut them out, etc etc...but, in the end $20.00 is $20.00 and if I can keep this up, it will potentially save us upwards of $300 or so in a year...isn't that amazing???
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
chicken carbona
day one of new recipes....
OMGoodness...this was fantastic...if you have read my posts before, you know that I had never
tried a white sauce on pasta and now, I am addicted...
I made this for dinner...
http://valsocal.blogspot.com/2010/07/chicken-carbonara.html
and it was so so good...Tim and picky princess also liked it...
when I first read the recipe and it said to sprinkle some walnuts on top, I thought, nuts??? but they added such a dimension to the dish...I wanted nuts in every bite...
you have to try this dish...
OMGoodness...this was fantastic...if you have read my posts before, you know that I had never
tried a white sauce on pasta and now, I am addicted...
I made this for dinner...
http://valsocal.blogspot.com/2010/07/chicken-carbonara.html
and it was so so good...Tim and picky princess also liked it...
when I first read the recipe and it said to sprinkle some walnuts on top, I thought, nuts??? but they added such a dimension to the dish...I wanted nuts in every bite...
you have to try this dish...
Monday, February 7, 2011
back to cooking
since Tim and pretty princess are back from Tokyo, I am back to cooking...I went almost a week without...
so, last night, their first night back, I made appetizers; mini pizzas, mini corn dogs, cut up veggies, cheese taquitos, chicken nuggets, and homemade egg rolls...oh, don't forget the chips and dip...
Tims's first day back to work and he is very tired from jet lag so, made him baked chicken, macaroni salad, homemade bread, and broccoli...
tonight is bowling for me...
so, last night, their first night back, I made appetizers; mini pizzas, mini corn dogs, cut up veggies, cheese taquitos, chicken nuggets, and homemade egg rolls...oh, don't forget the chips and dip...
Tims's first day back to work and he is very tired from jet lag so, made him baked chicken, macaroni salad, homemade bread, and broccoli...
tonight is bowling for me...
Friday, February 4, 2011
german chocolate cake
since pretty princess and tim are still gone to Japan, I have not cooked...hey, why cook for just 2 when you are used to cooking for a lot more than that...I will be back to cooking on Sunday that is when they come back...
but, today I did make a german chocolate cake and 24 cupcakes for the birthday dinner at Elk's...guess everyone likes my baking as there was none to bring home...I made the 13x9 as a cake with chocolate frosting and the cupcakes were the chocolate cake part and then the coconut pecan frosting...
and forgot to take pics...
but, today I did make a german chocolate cake and 24 cupcakes for the birthday dinner at Elk's...guess everyone likes my baking as there was none to bring home...I made the 13x9 as a cake with chocolate frosting and the cupcakes were the chocolate cake part and then the coconut pecan frosting...
and forgot to take pics...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
do you see what I see???
yes, we have cookies...
YEAH...
we have girl scout cookies...one case of each kind to be exact...we need to sell 100 boxes of cookies...
I love the peanut butter pattie ones and it is dangerous to have that many in my house...took Zoe out last night and she so far has sold like 15 boxes...she was so proud of herself...
creamed chipped beef on toast
hands down...one of my all time favorites along with pea soup that is...this dish was a staple in our huge family of 12 kids, growing up but, us kids did not mind one bit...we all loved this so much and as adults we still do...unfortunately the love for this dish did not carry over to my own family...hubby absolutely hates chipped beef as he says he got too much of it in the Marines (tho I know they make theirs with ground beef...)...my recipe is not the same as the military but, he still hates it...Sam and Chris like it but Tim informed me the last time I made it, that he also hates it...
...now, my mother in law loves it and the last time she visited, I made it and it was the first time that the picky princess (Zoe) declared that she loved it...she calls it ham soup...
so, tonight I am by myself...Tim and the princess are on their way to Tokyo and hubby is at his mom's (since she lives by the airport...) so, I decided to make this for my dinner...
creamed chipped beef on toast...
melt 6 tbs butter...once melted tear up pieces of washed dried beef and cook for a few minutes till beef is cooked thru...take beef out and add 6 tbs flour to the butter, cooking for a few minutes to get the flour taste out...slowly add 3 cups of milk stirring constantly till thickened...
you can either serve over toast, or I dip small peices of toast into the "ham soup..."
this is also good with peas added to it..
when I mean washed dried beef, I put the jar of beef under hot water for approx. 5 min to wash the salt off and then I dry it very well before cooking with paper towels....
Friday, January 28, 2011
chicken and wild rice soup...
OMGoodness...I fell in love with this soup at Coco's they have it every Thursday...and those are the days that we go there if eating out...so good...
for myself, when trying to figure out their recipe, I wanted mine a little thicker than their's...I also used to be afraid of soups and when wanting to make one, would have to search the internet for a recipe and try that one...I am proud to say "I am no longer afraid of making my own soups from scratch...here is my version...................
I am also bragging here....it is only 2:30 here in sunny Calif. and dinner is done...
chicken and wild rice soup....yummy...
6tbs butter
6 tbs flour
1 box chicken stock
3 cups of milk
carrots
wild rice
1 1/2 cups of white rice
make a rue with butter and flour slowly add chicken stock and milk stir until thickened...add cooked wild rice and the uncooked white (minute kind) rice...add seasonings to taste and carrots...keep stirring till it starts to boil and then turn off and cover for 10 minutes...
made homemade rolls
and blondies dessert
1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
nuts
melt butter and add sugar let cool down a little before adding the eggs...mix in remaining ingredients...bake at 350 for approx 30 minutes
for myself, when trying to figure out their recipe, I wanted mine a little thicker than their's...I also used to be afraid of soups and when wanting to make one, would have to search the internet for a recipe and try that one...I am proud to say "I am no longer afraid of making my own soups from scratch...here is my version...................
I am also bragging here....it is only 2:30 here in sunny Calif. and dinner is done...
chicken and wild rice soup....yummy...
6tbs butter
6 tbs flour
1 box chicken stock
3 cups of milk
carrots
wild rice
1 1/2 cups of white rice
make a rue with butter and flour slowly add chicken stock and milk stir until thickened...add cooked wild rice and the uncooked white (minute kind) rice...add seasonings to taste and carrots...keep stirring till it starts to boil and then turn off and cover for 10 minutes...
made homemade rolls
and blondies dessert
1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
nuts
melt butter and add sugar let cool down a little before adding the eggs...mix in remaining ingredients...bake at 350 for approx 30 minutes
cannot wait for dinner tonight..................................................
Thursday, January 27, 2011
alfredo, again???
so, I am on a kick now with alfredo...had chicken out so, here is what I came up with...
bow tie pasta with chicken and alfredo sauce and green beans...
watching Ina Garten on food network, and she said you should always roast your chicken instead of boiling it, as it gives it better flavor...so, I did that...
Sam made her handmade alfredo sauce and we stirred chicken (cut up) and the sauce into the cooked bow tie pasta...
it was really good...
Greg is in a bad mood and did not like dinner but, everyone else did...
bow tie pasta with chicken and alfredo sauce and green beans...
watching Ina Garten on food network, and she said you should always roast your chicken instead of boiling it, as it gives it better flavor...so, I did that...
Sam made her handmade alfredo sauce and we stirred chicken (cut up) and the sauce into the cooked bow tie pasta...
it was really good...
Greg is in a bad mood and did not like dinner but, everyone else did...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
tuesday night dinner...
tonight made mini bbq meat loaves, corn casserole, and rice a roni...
I know it sound so yummy but, sorry was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture...
mini meat loaves, the recipe comes from www.bisquick.com
corn casserole, was so yummy, the recipe comes from www.stephaniecooks.blogspot.com....
tomorrow??? who knows???
I know it sound so yummy but, sorry was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture...
mini meat loaves, the recipe comes from www.bisquick.com
corn casserole, was so yummy, the recipe comes from www.stephaniecooks.blogspot.com....
tomorrow??? who knows???
Sunday, January 23, 2011
pot roast...
made pot roast, boiled potatoes, carrots and gravy...
did you really want a picture???
well, instead of a picture, you get a funny (not haha) story on why there is no picture...so, I make dinner, make Zoe's dinner (cause picky princess will not eat beef) even take Crhis and Niki dinner and when I go to get my dinner, there was none to be had...everyone thought I had eaten and left none for me...
guess that is what grilled cheese was invented for, right???
did you really want a picture???
well, instead of a picture, you get a funny (not haha) story on why there is no picture...so, I make dinner, make Zoe's dinner (cause picky princess will not eat beef) even take Crhis and Niki dinner and when I go to get my dinner, there was none to be had...everyone thought I had eaten and left none for me...
guess that is what grilled cheese was invented for, right???
Saturday, January 22, 2011
mint juleps and stroganoff
I can hear you guys now...what kind of combination is that??? mint juleps and stroganoff??? has she finally lost her mind??? (I actually did lose my mind a while back, just can't tell by looking at me...) LOL...
let me explain...these are 2 of Tim's favorites...all time favorites...and sometimes I just think he deserves to be spoiled and so it is today...
he loves beef stroganoff...and he loves mint juleps...and I don't think he has ever had them both at the same time before either...
when we go to Disneyland, he has to have his mint juleps...even on the rare occasion when he has not felt well at the "big D..." he still has to have a mint julep...we have even been waiting the first in line for the day to buy one...
so in the new cookbook he bought me was a recipe for mint julep cupcakes...and he has been bugging me non stop till I made them...now mind you, I hate mint...so I will definitely not be eating even one of them...thank goodness the recipe only makes 12 of them...
mint julep cupcakes
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup bourbon (the non drinker that I am, had none and I put milk instead)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint...
cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy...add eggs one at a time...alternately add flour with baking powder and salt with bourbon (or milk)...spoon into cupcake pan...
bake at 350 for approx. 20-25 min...
now, these are not the light fluffy type cupcakes that I am used to and love (or so people told me,
cause remember how I hate mint?) they are dense and a tiny bit moist...
funny story...had the cupcakes sitting waiting to be frosted when I said that dinner was done...hubby thought they were muffins, split them in the middle and slathered them with butter...
back to the recipe...
frosting
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tbs butter,
8 ounces of white chocolate
2 tbs creme de menthe (once again had none, but did go to the store and they had none, so I added peppermint extract...)
green food coloring...
heat cream and butter in pan till butter is melted...remove from heat and add white chocolate, stirring until melted...add food coloring and mint flavorings...let cool and stir occasionally and let sit till frosting consistency (about 2 hours...)
frost enjoy...
Tim, Sam, & Zozo loved them and said they taste exactly like a mint julep...and that my friends, is all that matters...right???
you really didn't need to see a picture of the stroganoff, now did you??? my recipe, altho good is really no big deal...it is made with the seasoning packets in the spice aisle of the store and then put over cooked noodles...yummy...
Elk's and chicken pot pie
so, yesterday I made chicken pot pie for Friday night dinner...I was really nervous...I didn't want to run out of food, but, yet I did not want to have too much left over either...it is like a guessing game since you never know exactly how many people are coming for dinner...it could be 20, or it could be 60...you just have to guess...I was first told to prepare for 60...OK...then the previous weeks had been very slow so they told me to re-do the number to 30...(they are also on a drive to save some money...) so, I had invited a few people I know to come have dinner also, and so I made enough dinner for 45 people...can I just say that I made the right decision??? are you ready for the final count???????????? we sold 42 dinners...that is right, folks...42...
can I just say that I am kinda proud of myself???
went to Elk's around 12 and cooked the chicken and started getting the 3 big pans ready...Sam and Tim both came after work and they were a huge help...Greg was supposed to help, but not feeling well...
Marlene brought her homemade cole slaw, Zoe, aka pretty pretty princess made (with my help),blueberry and cranberry muffins, they had green salad and I made my famous sweet potato cake...
I am pretty sure that it went over well...I heard a lot of compliments and some from pretty picky people...
my cake went over really well, even after people knew that there is baby food in it...
can I just say that I am kinda proud of myself???
went to Elk's around 12 and cooked the chicken and started getting the 3 big pans ready...Sam and Tim both came after work and they were a huge help...Greg was supposed to help, but not feeling well...
Marlene brought her homemade cole slaw, Zoe, aka pretty pretty princess made (with my help),blueberry and cranberry muffins, they had green salad and I made my famous sweet potato cake...
I am pretty sure that it went over well...I heard a lot of compliments and some from pretty picky people...
my cake went over really well, even after people knew that there is baby food in it...
february menus
so, I am going to boldly go where no man (really a woman) has ever gone before (at least that I know of, for sure, I have not)...for the month of February, I have planned the month with brand new recipes...I am not going to make one single one that I have tried before...so, saying that, here goes:
February menus...
1. chicken carbona, salad, garlic bread
2. baked and cheese soup, biscuits
3. chicken taco soup, some kind of bread
4. garlic lemon chicken, rice, veggie
5. pulled chicken on slider rolls, cole slaw, baked beans
6. cranberry chicken, sour crm potatoes, veggie
7. chicken and biscuit casserole, salad
8. chicken caccitore, noodles, veggie
9. chicken with walnuts, mashed potatoes, veggie
10.asian beef with noodle bowl, egg rolls
11.slow cook london broil, what sides not decided yet...maybe fried rice
12,peanuts noodles with chicken
13.meatloaf muffins, scalloped potatoes, veggie, biscuits
14.goulash, garlic bread, salad
15.homemade pizzas, garlic bread sticks, cut up veggies
16.gumbo, tba
17.sausage and corn chowder
18.tortellini, sausage and spinach, garlic bread, salad
19.baked spaghetti, the rest tba
20.turkey, cranberry monte cristo, pasta salad
21.risotto
22.fettucini alfredo with chicken, tba
23.somw kind of salad
24.calzones, tba
25.enchiladas, not sure what kind yet, refried beans, etc
26.beef parmesan, tba
27.some kind of hash
28.one night allowed to go out...
so what do you think???think I can do this??? I cook for comfort and use a lot of boxed sides, etc...so, all this goes along with trying to eat a little healthier...
I am actually a little excited about doing this and maybe add a good number of new recipes to my list of current ones...
February menus...
1. chicken carbona, salad, garlic bread
2. baked and cheese soup, biscuits
3. chicken taco soup, some kind of bread
4. garlic lemon chicken, rice, veggie
5. pulled chicken on slider rolls, cole slaw, baked beans
6. cranberry chicken, sour crm potatoes, veggie
7. chicken and biscuit casserole, salad
8. chicken caccitore, noodles, veggie
9. chicken with walnuts, mashed potatoes, veggie
10.asian beef with noodle bowl, egg rolls
11.slow cook london broil, what sides not decided yet...maybe fried rice
12,peanuts noodles with chicken
13.meatloaf muffins, scalloped potatoes, veggie, biscuits
14.goulash, garlic bread, salad
15.homemade pizzas, garlic bread sticks, cut up veggies
16.gumbo, tba
17.sausage and corn chowder
18.tortellini, sausage and spinach, garlic bread, salad
19.baked spaghetti, the rest tba
20.turkey, cranberry monte cristo, pasta salad
21.risotto
22.fettucini alfredo with chicken, tba
23.somw kind of salad
24.calzones, tba
25.enchiladas, not sure what kind yet, refried beans, etc
26.beef parmesan, tba
27.some kind of hash
28.one night allowed to go out...
so what do you think???think I can do this??? I cook for comfort and use a lot of boxed sides, etc...so, all this goes along with trying to eat a little healthier...
I am actually a little excited about doing this and maybe add a good number of new recipes to my list of current ones...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
surprise in the mail # 2
this was such a big surprise cause I did not even remember sending for it...how funny is it that the Pillsbury and the Betty Crocker both for the month of January, have turkey pot pie??? the recipes are a little different but both look good...
feel good present from Tim
how absolutely wonderfully cool is this present??? he is so great and knows just how to make me feel better when I have had the week from .... (do I really have to spell it out???) I am in love with this book and there are so many wonderful recipes that I cannot wait to try out...he wants me to start with the Mint Julep cupcakes...just give me till Saturday after the big chicken pie dinner for 30-40 I am making at Elk's tomorrow night...
tortellini with sausage and spinach...
I am going to admit something here that you might not believe...I had never before in my life ever tried anything with alfredo sauce...I do not care for parmesan cheese, just the smell, or whatever, I am not sure but, have never liked it since I was a kid...therefore never wanted to try alfredo sauce...then, we were invited to some friend's for dinner and I understood it was to be an Italian night and Gerry is well known for his food, even written up in the paper for it...in fact, used to own a catering business...so, I knew the food would be good but, I thought we were only having lasagna and I LOVE me some good lasagna...every Christmas dinner at the in-laws was always lasagna and the real Italian kind with hard boiled eggs and cottage cheese instead of the ricotta...OK...
so we get to our friend's house and everything smells incredible and looked sensational...they started with the best antipasto, really good...then, he brings out this casserole dish and I could tell it was something alfredo but, the good guest that I am, I will try anything so I dish a little bit, a teeny tiny bit onto my plate (wouldn't you know I was the first one it was passed to???) and extremely so carefully I put one tortellini into my mouth and OMGoodness, I loved it...I had thirds of that dish, then ate some lasagna (which was terrific also, Beth...) and then asked to take home leftovers of the tortellini...have asked him for the recipe and am getting the vibes that he doesn't like to give out his recipes so, decided to try it on my own...
so here is what I did...
my own tortellini with sausage and spinach...
I bought a pkg of Bertolli tortellini
italian sausage
frozen spinach
jar of Bertolli alfredo sauce
what can I say??? browned sausage, cooked tortellini in water, mixed all together and baked...this is where I differed from Gerry's recipe, I put mozzarella cheese on top before I baked...
this is definitely a keeper recipe...what would I do different??? Sam says she does a homemade alfredo sauce that is much better than the jar...so;
1. try Sam's sauce
2. not overcook the pasta
3. make more of it...
guess what I am doing now people??? hunting other cooking blogs for more alfredo recipes, so,
are you all proud of me???
Greg said that he likes the recipe a lot and wants it more often...that makes me feel good...
Monday, January 17, 2011
easy peasy dinner...
dinner tonight??? with a migraine???
tuna melts, french fries (homemade of course) and cut up veggies...
you did not have to see pics of dinner tonight, now did you???
I had never heard of nor had a tuna melt until I worked at Centinela Hospital and the guy at the grill was so nice and when we talked I told him I had never tasted a tuna melt...he told me that he would make me the best tuna melt and I would love it...he did and I did...he made it with rye bread...soooooooo good...OMGoodness...
tuna melts are now one of Zoe's staples...
tuna melts, french fries (homemade of course) and cut up veggies...
you did not have to see pics of dinner tonight, now did you???
I had never heard of nor had a tuna melt until I worked at Centinela Hospital and the guy at the grill was so nice and when we talked I told him I had never tasted a tuna melt...he told me that he would make me the best tuna melt and I would love it...he did and I did...he made it with rye bread...soooooooo good...OMGoodness...
tuna melts are now one of Zoe's staples...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
mac and cheese
I simply adore mac and cheese but, don't think I have the perfect recipe that I would cook over and over again, like once or twice a month (that's how much I love it...)
when I was a kid, of course, growing up in a family of 12 kids, we ate mac and cheese quite a bit...but, we always and I mean always ate the kind of mac and cheese that comes in a box with the powdery cheese...
so, I am always looking out for a good recipe that very well could end up as my monthly staple...
have had this one copied for several months now, and I am going to have to re research to see what site I got it from (thinking it was from BHG)...
so, it is just Tim and me home and this was the perfect time to try it...Greg does not like mac and cheese and he is still-um-somewhere...
Tim likes it and Sam came over for some and she liked it also...guess I will for sure make it again, it is not my staple one tho...
bow tie pasta macaroni and cheese...
1 pound box of bow tie pasta
2 tbs butter, or margarine
2 tbs flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg (I did not have any)
1 pound of white cheddar (4 cups) (I did not have white cheddar and my local store did not have it either...)
10 ounces frozen peas
1/2 pound finely diced ham...
heat oven to 350...
cook pasta in water for approx. 12 minutes...then drain...
while pasta is cooking, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, stir in flour until well blended, cook for 1 minute, whisk in 1 cup of milk, stirring continuously until smooth...whisk in remaining cup of milk stirring until slightly thickened, about 5 min.
remove from heat and stir in the salt, pepper and nutmeg...whisk in 2 cups of the cheese until smooth...
in a large bowl, mix together the pasta, cheese sauce and 1 cup of the remaining cheese...stir in the peas and ham...scatter remaining cheese over top of casserole ( 13x9x2)...
bake approx. 30 minutes...
OK, like I said I did not have white cheese and I definitely want to try this another time with the white cheese and the nutmeg...it is a keeper...
Saturday, January 15, 2011
smell-a-vision
look what I got up to this morning...that's right...rising bread...
I was so excited...and how super easy is this??? of course, it is Bridge ford frozen bread...you take it out of the freezer, put it into a sprayed loaf pan and leave it overnight, covered with a clean cloth and amazingly this is what you wake up to...and let me add, once baked it makes the most terrific toast...had some left over the other day and made the pretty princess toast and she was in heaven...
my house, this morning smells so wonderful, too bad smell-a-vision has not been made yet...
since Tim and I were alone last night (pretty princess is with her dad and Greg is ...well...somewhere) we made homemade pizzas...he had ham and pineapple and I had the usual pepperoni...then he also made us milk shake mud slides...can I just say I am in love??? I do not drink, but there is something about a nicely made mudslide...OM Goodness...
about the pizzas...they were good, but I need to find a better crust...I had bought the one in the biscuit aisle (that you crack on the counter to open) but to me it was a little doughy and more like bread...read somewhere that Sam's sells some that are really good...will try that next month...
Thursday, January 13, 2011
OMGosh pea soup
I love love love pea soup almost more than anything else to eat in the world...if a restaurant says they are serving pea soup that day, I am in pig's heaven and will almost always order just a big bowl of pea soup...
ate it a lot growing up...but, always from a can...and if we were out of enough cans to feed 12 kids, my mom would mix it with a can of tomato soup and actually was pretty good...
now, pea soup from a can is good if that is all you have been used to...and Tim can make a mean pea soup from a can...if he is home, I always have him make it...not sure what he does to it, but, it comes out really good...but OMGosh if you can make it, you must try it...and it really was not that much trouble...
so, over New Year's we had a ham and I saved the bone, thinking I would make pea soup with it...now, I have made homemade pea soup before but, it was just all right nothing special...so, I waited to long to use the ham bone but, pea soup just sounded good today...
so I made it for dinner...
split pea soup
1 bag of split peas (in the bean section of your store)
8 cups of water
now on the package it says to wash and rinse your peas and I wasn't sure why, but I googled it and they said there can be little rocks in with your peas...so I rinsed...
put the 8 cups of water and peas in big pan and boil for 2 minutes...then take off the heat, covered for 1 hour...then put back on to boil then simmer for 1 more hour, in the pan I also added 1 cut up onion...
I don't like the chunks of the split peas so I blended a little at a time with some milk to help it blend...
I then added some cut up potatoes, carrots, bacon and some ham...
this was the absolute best pea soup I have ever had and Tim liked it too...
so with that I had some left over chicken from the chicken pie and I decided to make
waldorf chicken salad
I diced up 2 cooked chicken breast
diced up 5 stalks of celery
diced up 2 granny smith apples (& I leave the skins on)
added cranberries, walnuts and enough mayo to taste...
this also was very good tonight and wonderful on some homemade bread..I got Tim some pita bread to take to work with the waldorf salad...my mom made this many times when I was a kid...
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
what's for dinner, mom?
well, let's see...
how about oven baked chicken, bacon/cheddar mashed potatoes, mixed baby veggies and orange cranberry muffins...
oven baked chicken...
I melt some margarine on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven...I mixed some garlic salt, and pepper with some bisquick and rolled chicken thighs in the bisquick, completely covering the chicken...I put one side down in the margarine and then turn over before putting in the oven so the margarine is covering the tops to brown better...they bake for approx 45 minutes...
cheddar, bacon mashed potatoes
I baked 10 potatoes and once cool, scooped the potato out of the shells, mashed them with a little butter, milk, cheese and some cooked bacon...
orange, cranberry muffins
ok, so I cheated today and used a package mix and actually they were very good...
forgot to tell you that I also made chocolate chip cookies for dessert...
chocolate chip cookies
cream together 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of white sugar, then add 2 eggs...add vanilla (1 1/2 tsp)...once creamed...add 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt...then add 2 cups chocolate chips and 1 cup of nuts...
bake 375 for approx. 10 min..
happy eating...
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
porcupines
yes, porcupines...LOL...
these were a staple, growing up in my huge family of 12 kids...we ate these a lot...when my own kids were little I had them and their friends convinced that they were really eating porcupine meat...silly little kids, like I, their mom would have eaten meat from a porcupine???
when I was a kid, I would volunteer to make the many meatballs it would take to feed 14 people, cause I would sneak them from the pan while they were cooking and eat them...my mom could never figure out why there weren't more of them...LOL...
now, this is one of Tim's favorites, not so much Greg's...but, hey Greg still has the flu so he probably won't be eating anyway...
porcupines...
mix hamburger, garlic salt, pepper, and uncooked rice (this is to your taste...) make into balls and fry...once browned, add one can of tomato soup and 1/2 can of water for sauce...we add a small amt of cheese on top...Yummy...
I served with parmesan noodles and green beans...
my kind of dinner...
Monday, January 10, 2011
souper easy meatball---soup
since everyone seems to have some kind of sickness around here lately, we are eating a lot of soups...for the very few of us that aren't sick, we do not want to get sick and are therefore eating light...soups fit the bill...
tonight???
souper easy meatball soup
8 cups of water
2 packets of beef stew seasoning mixes
mix water and seasoning together in a big pot...set on high...
add 1 pkg of frozen meatballs
once it boils add 1/2 pkg egg noodles
cook till noodles are tender and add
1 pkg frozen peas
I also made homemade bread (well it was frozen Bridgeford bread) buy, hey I got it out of the freezer, and lovingly watched it while it rose (for over 6 hours!!!) and it was so beautiful in the oven and tasted even better...
btw...I was out of frozen peas, so added corn instead...
just a pinch
http://www.justapinch.com/...
if you love to cook, check out this site...neat recipes and they also offer coupons...I have found some really good recipes and it is my new go to site when I am looking for a certain recipe...
if you love to cook, check out this site...neat recipes and they also offer coupons...I have found some really good recipes and it is my new go to site when I am looking for a certain recipe...
Sunday, January 9, 2011
I am doing the happy dance...
OMGosh look what my great, wonderful, terrific, neighbors brought me as leftovers from the party last night...I am so so happy right now...oh yeah...
cranberry, pecan, wild rice salad...
my special kitchen helper
how could I go wrong with a helper such as this??? pretty pretty princess LOVES to help in the kitchen and gets mad if I start without her...to her, tho. the picture is not real unless she throws some flour on her apron "it has to look real grandma..." then, she will call the dog into the kitchen and throw some flour on Gracie's nose and say, "look what
Gracie got into..." LOL...
the girl can make a mean chicken pot pie too...she likes to make her own little pie and now does it with no direction from me at all...
Hallmark....cupcake????
what am I talking about??? a cupcake made by Hallmark??? doesn't it look good enogh to eat??? one of my addictions and I add to it every single year (started when Samantha was a baby in 1975)...are Hallmark Christmas ornaments and this year they came out with a new series, this year being the first one, of cupcakes...when I had the money, all the stores were out of it...but me, being so resourceful, found one on Ebay and won it...
I am so happy...now I cannot wait for the new ones to come out...
wild rice,, cranberry pecan salad
went to a birthday party for my neighbor last night at her mom's house and her dad is such a good cook...I knew the food would be fantastic and it did not disappoint...
some really good slightly sweet meatballs and the best wild rice, cranberry, pecan salad...
searched the internet and this is what I came up with...
wild rice, cranberry, pecan salad...
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/wild_rice_cranberry_pecan_salad/...
OMGosh you will love this as much as I do...also think of adding chicken to it...
some really good slightly sweet meatballs and the best wild rice, cranberry, pecan salad...
searched the internet and this is what I came up with...
wild rice, cranberry, pecan salad...
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/wild_rice_cranberry_pecan_salad/...
OMGosh you will love this as much as I do...also think of adding chicken to it...
chicken pot pie
on Friday, was going to Elk's but, had chicken out already and so made chicken pot pie...but, forgot to take a picture of it...
also making it for everyone at Elks on Friday the 21st...so, will take a pic then...wish me luck converting my recipe over to feed approx 60 people...hope it turns out all right...at home when I make it, serve it by it's self...but to serve to 60 people, it needs something else...so am thinking....
chicken pot pie
cole slaw
cinnamom apples
some kind of muffins, like blueberry
sweet potato cake
what do you think??????
also making it for everyone at Elks on Friday the 21st...so, will take a pic then...wish me luck converting my recipe over to feed approx 60 people...hope it turns out all right...at home when I make it, serve it by it's self...but to serve to 60 people, it needs something else...so am thinking....
chicken pot pie
cole slaw
cinnamom apples
some kind of muffins, like blueberry
sweet potato cake
what do you think??????
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
a promise is, well, a promise
when I promise something, I really try my best to follow through with that...it sure was tempting, however today to not do what I had said I would...
for the Christmas party at the preschool that I am on the board of they have a gift exchange...they put all of the presents in the middle of the room, and then you draw a number and pick a present according to your number...for my gift this time, I really wanted to give something that reflected me, no matter who it was going to...
my idea??? Rite Aid had the cutest gingerbread tin and I typed up a letter that told the person that picked the present they were going to receive a "cookie of the month club" for six months, they will receive 1 dozen cookies on a certain day of each month...that date is tomorrow...the person that got my gift I really really like and I want her to be happy...now, that being said, remember pretty, pretty princess has the bad kind of flu today and I am so worried that I will also get it??? it would have been so easy to tell the person that got my gift, "not today, I had problems at home..." and her being who she is would have totally understood...but, I am doing what I promised, no matter how bad my day has gone...
so;
for the Christmas party at the preschool that I am on the board of they have a gift exchange...they put all of the presents in the middle of the room, and then you draw a number and pick a present according to your number...for my gift this time, I really wanted to give something that reflected me, no matter who it was going to...
my idea??? Rite Aid had the cutest gingerbread tin and I typed up a letter that told the person that picked the present they were going to receive a "cookie of the month club" for six months, they will receive 1 dozen cookies on a certain day of each month...that date is tomorrow...the person that got my gift I really really like and I want her to be happy...now, that being said, remember pretty, pretty princess has the bad kind of flu today and I am so worried that I will also get it??? it would have been so easy to tell the person that got my gift, "not today, I had problems at home..." and her being who she is would have totally understood...but, I am doing what I promised, no matter how bad my day has gone...
so;
oatmeal butterscotch cookies
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
cream these ingredients together and add 2 eggs and also add 1 tsp vanilla
then add 1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
and 3 cups oatmeal
I then added 1 pkg of butterscotch chips
bake 350 for approx 10 min...
OMGosh these are my new all time favorites...think how good they would be with cranberries and they maybe drizzled with white chocolate...YUMMY...
I hope the person that picked my gift likes them as much as we do...I know you will, Carol...
dinner???
chicken fried rice and handmade egg rolls...yum...
was always afraid of both fried rice and egg rolls but, I love both and so, kept trying and trying to perfect my recipes and my family says that I have now done that...
came across a so simple recipe for egg rolls and they are soo soo good...
egg rolls
all you do, is place a small amt of browned sausage and a small amt of pkg cole slaw mix (dry) onto a egg roll wrapper, roll them up and fry them...
how simple can you get???
my version of fried rice
for my family I use 6 cups of already cooked white rice, that I then "fry" in a small amt of oil, add garlic salt, pepper, and enough soy sauce to taste...finish cooking through...
then add: whatever you desire...
today I added cooked chicken, bacon, green onions, green peas, shredded carrots, and of course some loosely scrambled egg...
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