Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour and powder until just combined.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

***
I put chocolate chips on the tops of a few of them.  Yum!

Curried Sweet Potato & Rice Stew

Original recipe found here.  I made a few slight changes.

1 T olive oil
1 carrot, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
2 sweet potatoes (yellow fleshed), finely diced
2 yams (orange fleshed), finely diced
2 T curry paste (I use red curry paste)
pinch of salt & a good grind of black pepper
water or vegetable stock
2 cups cooked rice (I used a mix of brown and basmati)
1 t maple syrup (optional)

In a large pot, heat olive oil and add in carrots and onion, and saute until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the yam, sweet potato and curry paste and let everything get coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour water or vegetable stock over everything so the liquid level is about 1-3 inches above the vegetables. Use less liquid if you want a stew, more liquid if you want soup. Turn down heat to a simmer, put on the pot lid and let it bubble away for 20 minutes. Stir in cooked rice and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Does it need more liquid? Add it, otherwise it’s done when the vegetables are tender. Finish it off with a small glug of maple syrup, stirring it into the mixture before serving into bowls.

***

This was AMAZING!!  One of the yummiest meals I've ever had.  Will be making this a LOT now!!!  For Miss Roo, I just mashed up her stew, so she didn't realize she was eating bites of veggies.  I will probably serve this to Claire in a few months as well.  The original recipe calls for a lot less rice, but I wanted a really hearty meal, so I doubled it.  Plus, we just love rice around here!

Zucchini Curry Soup

Recipe from Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Every Day".

1 block extra firm tofu, well-drained
1 TB red Thai curry paste
3 TB extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
3 or 4 zucchini, cut into chunks
1 large carrot, sliced
1-2 potatoes, diced into small cubes
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 can coconut milk

Combine curry paste and olive oil in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a small frying pan, crumble tofu with a small drizzle of oil and some salt.  Saute until golden.  Set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat curry mixture for about 1 minute.  Add shallots and a few pinches of salt and saute for a few minutes.  Add vegetables and cook until zucchini is a little tender.  Add garlic, then broth/water and coconut milk.  Bring just to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.  Taste and add more curry paste if desired. 

Serve with crumbled tofu on top.

***

This was delicious!  Next time I might leave out the potatoes and add a different vegetable in it's place.  My kids really liked this too.  Next time I will probably also make some basmati rice, brown rice or millet to mix in at the end.

Cabbage, Spinach and Tofu with Peanut Sauce

This recipe is from here, I made a few little changes, like adding peas.

cabbage, spinach and tofu with peanut sauce
1/2 block of extra firm tofu, cut into squares (I prefer to crumble it.  Be sure to drain it well first.)
1/2 head of cabbage, sliced into strips and then cut in half to make shorter strips
1 bunch spinach, cleaned & picked through
1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut on the diagonal into thick slices
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
soy sauce
brown rice
1 t vegetable oil
lime wedges (optional)

for the sauce:
1/4 c peanut butter
1 T honey (or brown sugar if you swing vegan-style)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t fresh ginger, minced
1 t sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
warm water

1. In a blender, mix all the ingredients for the peanut sauce, adding a bit of warm water if the mixture gets too thick. Taste. You may need to add a bit more honey depending on your own tastebuds. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil and add the garlic and ginger when hot. Add the tofu and fry until golden on both sides. Add the onion and celery and when the onion becomes translucent, add the cabbage. Once the cabbage gets slightly wilty, add the spinach and a bit of soy sauce for flavour. Stir until spinach is cooked, then turn off heat.

3. In large bowls, add brown rice and then top with the tofu-vegetable mixture. Drizzle with peanut sauce.

***

This was good.  SO GOOD!  I could eat cabbage all day.  It was so filling and healthy, but we felt awesome after we ate it.  Yum...I want more...

Spiced Mango Rice Bowls

2 TB butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Saute over med-high heat for 1 minute.

Then add:
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
2 1/2 cups lite coconut milk
1 cup pureed mango
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup craisins

Bring just to a boil, uncovered.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Then reduce the heat even lower and let rice cook for 20 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and add a few Tablespoons of coconut milk if it seems dry.

***
Delicious!  But it wasn't really a good dinner food...it tasted more like dessert!  This would make the perfect Thanksgiving meal side dish!

Bright Red Tomato Sauce

2 TB olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt

Saute over med-high heat for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat, add 1 can (28 oz) of crushed tomatoes (watch out for splattering!) and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Serve over pasta.

***
Simple, tasty, quick & inexpensive.  We're done with jarred sauce around here.  :)

Spring Minestrone Soup

2 TB olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup brown rice
6 cups vegetable stock
8 asparagus spears, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sugar snap peas, sliced in half
1 cup frozen peas

Heat oil in large saucepan.  Add shallots and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add rice and stir for 1 minute.  Add stock, bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 45 minutes.  Add vegetables and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, and serve.

***
We really liked this!  It was filling and so healthy, but it was light too.  A great meal to have after a heavier meal, like pasta or burgers.

*Recipe from Heidi Swanson's 'Super Natural Cooking'.
*Photo from Kitchen Culinaire

Whole Wheat Naan

2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 egg lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2  cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve yeast in water.  Let sit for several minutes.  Combine all ingredients together with a wooden spoon until well-mixed into dough.  Let dough rise until double in size.  Break into golfball-size balls and place them on a greased cookie sheet to rest for 30 minutes.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap.  When done, heat a non-stick pan to medium heat and rub it with some olive oil.  Roll each ball until quite thin (I just used my hands to flatten them, using a rolling pin took too much flour for my taste).  Cook a few minutes on each side until lightly browned.  Makes about 12-15.

***
Naan is usually served with Indian food (chicken saag on top is divine!), but these are SO good that I can just eat them plain or with butter/honey.  I ate 3 of them just while I was cooking them!  I plan on using them tomorrow for lunch when I make a middle eastern greens soup.  I'm not sure if there will be any left though!  My kids are gobbling these up like crazy too!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

2 large red garnet yams (everyone calls these sweet potatoes, but sweet potatoes are actually white!)
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup minced dried onions
1 TB dijon mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp grated ginger

Peel and cube yams.  Boil until tender, about 15 minutes or so, until easily pierced with a knife.  Drain and pour into large bowl.  Add black beans and mash together.  Add remaining ingredients and combine well.  Form into patties and cook on a griddle, grill or stovetop until browned, about 8 min on each side.  Serve on whole wheat bun with toppings of choice.  Makes about 8 burgers.

***
I was a little nervous to bite into these, but they tasted really good!  The sweetness of the yam was so good.  I'm not a big fan of cumin, so next time I will probably decrease both spices to 1/2 tsp instead.  I cooked these on our griddle, and that worked out perfectly so they were all done at the same time.  We ate these on whole wheat thin buns with miracle whip, cheddar, spinach leaves and mustard.  You can also cook these with quinoa instead of the oats, which I want to try next time.

Chicken Curry Soup

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
2 tsp curry powder
1-2 lb chicken breasts (I used frozen)
2 cups sliced carrots
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Comtine first five ingredients in crockpot.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Add remaining ingredients, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. 

***
So quick and yummy!  We ate ours with rice and roasted yams.  I thought it needed some s&p added, and you could also throw a lot more veggies in.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I cannot stop baking with pumpkin!!!  I'm not even going to say how many times I've made (and eaten) these cookies in the past few weeks!!  They are so good.

1 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup oil

Combine well.

In a separate bowl, combine:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve 1 tsp baking soda with 1 tsp milk and stir into pumpkin mixture.  Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. 

Add:
1 TB vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

Bake on greased cookie sheets at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Makes 2 dozen.

Creamy Taco Mac

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
4 TB taco seasoning
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
10 oz dry rotini pasta
Cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water before draining.  Set aside.

Cook beef and onion.  When browned, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes and taco seasoning and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add reserved pasta water, cream cheese, sour cream and cooked pasta.  Simmer until well combined.  Serve with cheddar on top and season with salt and pepper.

***
This tasted so good!  It was better than I thought it would be.  We also added some corn in ours.  Yum!

Maple Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

2 cups flour
3/4 cup plus 2 TB packed brown sugar, divided
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 TB maple syrup, divided
3 oz cream cheese, softened

In a large bowl, combine flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, milk, oil and 1 TB syrup.  Stir into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining brown sugar and syrup until smooth.  Gently stir into batter until mixture appears swirled.

Bake in greased muffin pan at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

***
These are AMAAAAZING!!  Yum Yum Yum. 

Bacon Quiche Tarts

6 oz cream cheese
5 tsp milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup cheese
5 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 roll Pillsbury crescent roll dough

Separate crescent roll dough into 8 triangles.  Press into greased muffin tin and press up sides to fill cups.  Sprinkle bacon pieces into each cup.  Beat together cream cheese and milk.  Add eggs and cheese and beat until smooth.  Scoop evenly into dough cups.  Bake at 375 for 18 minutes.

***
SO yummy for a Conference snack this morning!  The recipe also calls for some green onion, but we left that out. 

Supergrain: Millet

My mom has been on a supergrain kick and has gotten me on board!  We have now bonded over our mutual love and excitement about MILLET!

Millet is most commonly used in North America as BIRDSEED!!  Go us!  But in Africa and Asia, it is a daily staple.  It is very healthy, chock full of important nutrients that our bodies need.

To learn more about the nutritional value of millet, click here.

To prepare, cook like rice.  Use a 3:1 ratio and simmer for 35 minutes.  Millet takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with.  It can be added to soups, pasta, rice, etc without much notice.  I like to just cook up a cup of it to keep in the fridge.  Last night I stirred some into our plain white rice to boost the nutritional value.  My kids didn't even know it was there!  Love it!

Or if you'd like to try a yummy recipe that features millet, here is a great one!

HERB MILLET CASSEROLE
1 cup millet
2 TB oil
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tsp savory salt
1/2 tsp herb seasoning (basil, oregano, dill, rosemary, a combo of whatever you have or like!)
3 cups water

In a medium saucepan, lightly brown millet in oil.  Add carrots and celery.  Stirfry for 1 minute.  Add the salt, herbs and water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 30 minutes or until millet is tender.

Every Day Smoothie

We have made this smoothie every day for the past few weeks.  Obviously the possibilities of a smoothie are almost endless, but we don't vary too much from this one!

Frozen mango or peaches
Frozen berries
Add milk, filling the blender about halfway.

PULSE the fruit FIRST to break it up, then blend until smooth.

Add a handful of spinach and 2-3 spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt.  Blend.

Add a handful of old-fashioned oats, and some days I throw in a banana.  Add more milk if too thick.

Serve immediately.  YUM!

Berry Cream Muffins

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup frozen blueberries

Combine in a large bowl.

In a seperate bowl, combine:
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix until very smooth.  Add to dry ingredients and combine just until moistened.  Fill greased muffin pan 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes.

***
These are SO SO good!  Not very healthy, but definitely one of the best muffins I've ever had, I can't stop eating them!!

Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

1 egg
Cambells French Onion Soup, divided
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1.5 lb ground beef
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp mustard
1 TB flour
2 TB cold water

In a large bowl, beat egg.  Add 1/3 cup soup, bread crumbs, s&p.  Crumble ground beef over top and combine.  Divide into 6 patties.  Over medium heat, brown patties for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Remove and set aside.  In same skillet, combine water, ketchup, remaining soup, Worchestershire sauce and mustard.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, add meat patties, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove cooked patties.  Combine flour and cold water.  Add to sauce and bring to a boil for 2 minutes until thickened.  Serve patties and gravy over egg noodles.

***
Easy and delicious!  The flavor was excellent.

Slow-cooker Lentil Barley Soup

8 cups beef broth
4-5 large carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup uncooked lentils
1/2 cup uncooked barley

Combine into a crockpot.  Cook on low for 8-9 hours.

***
Yum!  This was delicious.  My kids really loved it too.  I like how simple and quick and inexpensive it is to make.  Very healthy too! 

Pretzel Bars

10 oz pretzels, slightly crushed
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Place half of the pretzels and peanuts into a greased 9x13 glass pan.  Then bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil.  Stir in peanut butter.  Spread half of that over the pretzels/peanuts.  Add remaining pretzels and peanuts to remaining sauce.  Pour into pan and press down.  Melt chocolate chips and drizzle over top.  Let cool and cut into squares.

Kung Pao Vegetables with Tofu

kung pao vegetables (+ tofu + udon)


1 t sesame oil
1 T canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, broken into florets
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 rib of celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 small packet of prepared udon noodles
1/2 block tofu, cubed
1/4 c peanuts, chopped

sauce:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c orange juice
1 T cider vinegar
1 T ginger, minced
1 T chili paste or asian hot sauce (the one with the rooster on the bottle)
1 T brown sugar
1 T bottled peanut sauce
1 T cornstarch

1. Mix sauce ingredients in and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and broccoli and stirfry until crisp-tender. Add the sauce and the udon noodles and combine well so everything gets saucy.

3. In a separate pan, fry up tofu in a bit of oil until brown on all sides. Add tofu and peanuts to the vegetable mixture, stirring gently to coat with sauce. Serve in deep bowls.

Credit: everybodylikessandwiches.com

***
Yum!  Udon noodles are my new favorite way to eat Asian pasta!  We added the sauce (I used storebought kung pao sauce this time, but will try homemade next time) individually so it wouldn't be too hot for the kids.  I also crumbled the tofu instead of cubing it and just threw it in with the other veggies.  This would also taste great with chicken or steak thrown in.

Chicken Fiesta Salad

4 cups torn lettuce

1/2 c shredded Pepper Jack cheese (2 oz)

1 c black beans, drained & rinsed (or garbanzo or pinto beans)

1 1/2 c chopped cooked chicken (8 oz)

2 small tomatoes, cut into thin wedges

1 c jicama (4 oz), cut into bite-size strips, or 1 c shredded carrot

1/2 c sliced olives

1 recipe Chile Dressing (see below)

Tortilla chips

Place the lettuce in the bottom of a 2-quart clear salad bowl. Layer ingredients in the following order: cheese, beans, chicken, tomato, jicama and olives. Spread Chile Dressing evenly over salad, sealing to edge of bowl. Cover salad tightly with plastic wrap. Chill 4-24 hours. To serve, toss lightly to coat evenly. Top with tortilla chips.

Chile Dressing: In a small bowl stir together 1/2 c mayonnaise, one 4 oz can chopped, undrained green chile peppers, 1 1/2 t chili powder and 1 clove garlic, minced.

***

I had this salad at a Relief Society activity and it was so good! I made it for dinner tonight--it's chilling in the fridge now. Hopefully the kids will eat it... It's a perfect summer meal.

Coconut Rice

Credit: ourbestbites

2 c. white or Jasmine rice

1 can coconut milk
2 c. water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
Splash of white vinegar (optional, but it helps with the texture)
2-3 tsp. white sugar
Black pepper to taste

Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil Turn heat to low and cover for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Allow to stand 5 minutes. Add black pepper (if desired), and additional salt if necessary.
 
***
We ate this with THIS chicken, and it was soooo good!!  The recipe makes a ton, so we will half it next time for our little family.  The flavor is great, it would be good with any sort of asian meat dish.

Cowboy Taquitos

credit: ourbestbites.com

1 cup white rice, cooked
1 small tomato, diced
1 cup black beans
3/4 cup frozen sweet corn
1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
BBQ sauce

Combine ingredients in a bowl.  Add bbq sauce to make desired saucy consistency.  Place spoonful of mixture onto a tortilla.  Add extra cheese.  Roll up tightly, tucking ends in.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Brush with butter.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Move to top rack and broil until tops are brown, watching carefully to avoid burning.

***
These are SO good!  Really easy to throw together too, we will be eating these a lot this summer!!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Credit: fortheloveofcooking.blogspot.com

3/4 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
3/4 cup of milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and egg until creamy. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Pour dry mixture into the egg mixture and stir to combine. Add vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla, stirring until just combined.

Fill muffin tin (I got 11 muffins).  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes clean, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool for 3-5 minutes, then remove muffins from tin. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar. While the muffins are still warm, roll each one in the mixture, coating all sides with the cinnamon sugar.


***
Yum!  These are called Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins, but I think we will re-name these "Snickerdoodle Muffins"!!  They were quick and easy to make, and I know we will be eating a lot of these from now on!  (And my oven didn't ruin them, shocking!!)

Vegetable White Bean Orzo Soup

Vegetable, White Bean, and Orzo Soup:


Recipe from For the Love of Cooking.net

1-2 tsp of olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken broth
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 cup orzo pasta
1 cup of zucchini, diced
1 cup of yellow squash, diced
2 cups of baby spinach

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, dried basil, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes; add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then cover with a lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Add orzo and cook for 8 minutes then add the zucchini, yellow squash, and spinach. Taste and re-season if needed. Cook for 2 minutes then ladle into bowls.
 
***
Yum!  This was excellent!!  Loaded with healthy veggies and beans.  The orzo made it nice and hearty too.  We ate it with flaky buttermilk biscuits for a great Sunday evening meal.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup:

8 cups chicken broth
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1-2 cloves of garlic diced finely
1 1/2 cups of carrots diced
3 stalks of celery diced
2 tsp good chicken bouillon
1 bay leaf
Sea Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp dried thyme or basil
1 1/2 cup cooked chicken diced

Sauté onions in olive oil until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic & cook for 30 seconds. Add broth & the remainder of ingredients. Cook over medium low heat for 1-2 hours.

Noodles:
2 cups of flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 to 1/3 cup of milk

In mixing bowl combine flour, salt, egg and milk. Mix until you produce a slightly sticky ball of dough. Flour the counter and roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. You want them very thin because they thicken when cooked. Cut noodles (I use a pizza cutter) to desired size and place on wax paper. Let the noodles dry out on the counter for at least 1 hour before adding them to the soup.

About 30 minutes before serving soup, drop noodles in and cook. Enjoy.


Recipe from: fortheloveofcooking.blogspot.com

***
WOW, this soup was sooo good!  I was nervous about making my own noodles, but they were SO easy.  Next time I will add even more veggies. 

Ramen Chicken Cabbage Salad

Dressing:
2 TB sugar
3 TB white wine vinegar
1/2 cup oil
s&p
Seasoning packet from chicken top ramen

Combine dressing and set aside.

1 bag cole slaw mix
1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
Ramen noodle packet, noodles smashed
Green onions

Combine all ingredients, cover with dressing.  YUM!  I make this weekly and just snack on it.  It goes fast around here!

Sloppy Joes

1 lb hamburger
1 small onion, minced
1/2 green pepper, minced
2-3 tsp garlic, minced

Saute together until hamburger is browned.  Add seasoned salt to taste.

Pour into a small crockpot and add:
3/4 c ketchup
1 tsp mustard
3 TB brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp worchestershire sauce
3 TB tomato paste
1/2 cup water, more or less to desired consistency
Black pepper to taste

Combine well and cook on low for 3-4 hours.  Serve on whole wheat buns with cheddar.

You can also make this on the stove, just simmer for about 30 minutes.
(Recipe from ourbestbites.com)

***
Wow, I'm never making sloppy joes from a packet again!  This was SO easy, and I thought it tasted much better!

Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Combine the milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender and process until smooth and set aside.

In a nonstick sauce pan, melt butter and add garlic. Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it's nice and thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and cover immediately. Let stand for atleast 10 minutes before using. Sauce will continue to thicken upon standing.

If you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

***

Yum. That's about all I can say. This was simple, delicious and my older children devoured it. You could use this as a pasta sauce, pizza sauce, dipping sauce, or mixed with pesto or marinara sauce for a creamy sauce. Enjoy! (credit ourbestbites.com)

Asian Noodle Salad

Recipe from HERE.

Dressing:

1/2 cup of seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Let sit for at least 1 hour to let the flavors combine.

Salad:

1 handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
1 handful of basil leaves, chopped
2 green onions, diced finely
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of toasted peanuts
1/2 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked per instructions

Prepare all the vegetables, set aside. Once the spaghetti has cooked per instructions, rinse with cold water and drain. Once the noodles are cool, add the vegetables and peanuts. Mix the dressing again thoroughly then add to the noodles and vegetables. Stir until well combined and serve. Enjoy.


***
Wow, this salad is so good!  I made a big batch and will be snacking on it nonstop!  Next time I will double the veggies and try whole wheat pasta.  Might try cucumber and broccoli florets in there as well.  I omit the cilantro, personal preference.  Be sure to check out the link I posted at the top, the recipe author posts amazing photographs!  Her blog is my new favorite, so be sure to go take a look!  I'll definitely be trying a lot more of her recipes and adding them on here.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

1 stick butter (I usually use a tad less)
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian seasoning (find in the salad dressing aisle)
4-5 chicken breasts
8 oz cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup

Melt butter in a crockpot, mix in Italian seasoning and chicken.  Cook on low 4-6 hours.  Shred or cube chicken and return to crockpot.  Melt in the cream cheese and soup until smooth.  Serve over rice or egg noodles.

***
This is one of those tasty dinners that I make sure I serve with several sides of vegetables to make up for how heavy/fattening it is!  It is SO good though!  I usually serve it with egg noodles since we eat a lot of rice already. 

Last Minute Lasagna

1 16-oz bag frozen large cheese ravioli
1/2 of a 24-oz jar pasta sauce
1/2 10-oz box frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed
1/2 8-oz bag shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 350.  Spoon 1/3 of the pasta sauce into a 9x9 dish.  Place half of the ravioli on top in a single layer.  Sprinkle with spinach and half of the mozzarella.  Layer on remaining ravioli and top with remaining sauce and both cheeses.  Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Uncover and bake until bubbling.  Serves 4.

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We had a parent meeting today at Cameron's school, and one of the mom's brought this recipe to share, along with the actual dish she made as an "after-meeting snack".  It was SO good, and Allie liked it so much that I only got a few bites!!  It only serves 4, so you could also double it and use a 9x13 pan.  The mom said you can throw beef or sausage into it too, but I thought it tasted excellent just like this.  Yum!!

Enchiladas

2 T oil
2 T flour
1 tsp red chili powder
dash oregano
dash garlic powder

Blend above ingredients well, stir in 1 (8oz) can tomato sauce and 2 cans of water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Brown 1 lb ground beef with an onion. Add 1 can refried beans and salsa (about 1/2 cup, enough to make it saucy!).

Soften corn tortillas with damp paper towels in microwave. Can put Crisco in between.

Put meat/bean sauce in tortilla, top with shredded cheese, roll it up and put it in a 9x13 pan.

Pour enchilada sauce on top and top with cheese.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  If desired, uncover for last 5-minutes for a crispy top. 

Can make ahead of time and put in fridge, and bake for 45 minutes.
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This is the enchilada recipe our mom made for us when we were growing up. The amounts were never an exact science--this is how she passed it on to me. Enjoy!!