Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

This is another Martha Stewart recipe that I tried out for our preschool Halloween party today. They were a hit and I promised to post them.

FOR THE COOKIES
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg

Directions
Prepare cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
Place butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.
Drop about 2 teaspoons dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.

Prepare filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons filling on the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down.

*remember to keep them refrigerated because of the cream cheese!

Easy Chicken Fettucine Alfredo

Ingredients for Alfredo Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream cheese
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
milk
parsley
salt and pepper
Pasta noodles

Chicken Ingredients:
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 cup lemon juice
lemon pepper seasoning
onion salt
minced garlic
pepper

Melt butter and cream cheese together on low heat, stirring constantly until butter and cream cheese are melted (they will separate). Then add in the Parmesan cheese, while stirring on low heat. Finally add the milk a little at time, until it reaches desired consistency. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.


Place defrosted chicken breast in frying pan. Pour in lemon juice. Top with a dash of onion salt, a small amount of garlic, pepper and lemon pepper. Cook on medium to low heat until chicken is white all the way through, turning occasionally. Pour Alfredo sauce on pasta noodles. Top with sliced chicken breast.

Sometimes if I am in a hurry I will use canned chicken. Or serve the chicken on the side and eat the Alfredo sauce over the noodles.

YAY!

Okay, I finished labeling all the previous posts. So now if you want to find cookie recipes all you have to do is click on the link at the right and it will take you to all the posts with cookie recipes (same goes for any other recipe)! I think it will be great and make our little blog even more useful. So now just don't forget to add your labels! Thanks again! :)

More help!

Hello everyone! You will notice on the side-bar that I have added the "labels" gadget. I am working on labeling previous posts, but I need your help when you post something new to take a minute and add the labels that apply to it. You'll see the spot right under the body of your post for labels. Use as many as apply to your recipe. For example if you are posting a pasta salad with chicken you could put "pasta, salad, chicken" or if you're posting a mashed potato recipe you could put "sides, veggies" If you want to label something with a label that isn't already on the list that is great too! It should automatically show up on the list. The reason that this should be nice is that now everything is categorized and you only have to click on a category to find a previous post that you need! I hope I'm making sense. Let me know if you have questions! Thanks again for all the yummy recipes. I hope to have them all labeled soon so that our lists is completely up-to-date!

rich 'n creamy baked oatmeal

I got this from Quaker's website a few years ago and we've had it many times since. It's great for a cold morning and I like that it has eggs which adds protein. My kids like it with a little milk over it to cool it down. Just watch it when it bakes because it can get dry quickly

****Sorry about the lame, half-eaten picture! I forgot to take one before we dished it up!****

ingredients
1-1/2 cups 2% low-fat milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups QUAKER® OATS (quick or old fashioned), uncooked
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Optional toppings: fruit & skim milk or yogurt

preparation
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 1½-quart casserole with no-stick cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, combine milk, eggs, oil and vanilla; mix well. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
4. Add liquid ingredients; mix until well blended. Let stand about 15 minutes.
5. Pour into prepared casserole. Bake, uncovered, 35 to 45 minutes or until center is dry and firm to the touch. Cool slightly before serving. Top with fruit and milk or yogurt, if desired.
Servings: 6

Baby Back Ribs

1 – 2 racks of Baby Back Ribs (pork loin back ribs or Canadian back ribs), rinse and lightly salt, if desired.
Cooking spray a 9x13 pan, roasting pan or Dutch oven and arrange racks in pan. Racks may be sliced into portions (4-9 rib sections) and may be layered to fill pan. Use 2 pans, if necessary, rather than overfilling.

Add about 3 cups of water to pan. Seal with aluminum foil or lid and bake in preheated oven at about 200º - 250º for 2 ½ - 3+ hours. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight*. Ribs tend to fall apart easily if they are grilled while still hot out of the oven.

Preheat grill and cook ribs on medium heat for about 4 -6 minutes on each side, just long enough to heat through and cook sauce. Brush with plenty of barbeque sauce before turning.

*Ribs may also be frozen after baking for a quick meal or barbeque later. Remove from freezer the morning (or night before) needed and grill as instructed above or place on grill while frozen, but cook at a slightly lower temperature for longer amount of time, until hot throughout.

Boiling ribs is also an option (slow-cooked method is my personal favorite). Place ribs in large pot and cover with water. Place on high heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Foam in pan may be removed from the top of pan with a metal spoon. Cook on grill as instructed above.

Cream Cheese Cookies

Cream Cheese Cookies
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together with a hand-mixer:
2 8 oz. boxes of cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Add one egg, mix well. Add a second egg (2 eggs total) and mix well again.
Place mini baking cups* (1” deep x 1 ½” wide x 3 ½” around) in a mini muffin pan (muffin paper cups may also be placed on a cookie sheet, or regular muffin tray, use 2 paper muffin cups for extra support). Place Nilla Wafer (about 1 box full or 48 total cookies) in the bottom of each muffin paper with the flat side of the Nilla Wafer down. Spoon and slightly smooth about a tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on each cookie (about 3/4th full). Bake in a preheated oven at 350º for 14-15 minutes. After initially cooled, refrigerate. Top with cherry, berry or blueberry pie filling just before serving.
*Empty muffin papers may be lightly sprayed with cooking spray to help prevent cookie from sticking to the edges of the paper.

Holiday Bars

Holiday Bars
Cooking spray a 9x13 pan or use a 9x9 pan for thicker bars
Pour ¾ cup (1 ½ cubes) melted butter in the baking pan.
Stir around 1 ½ - 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, and smooth
Sprinkle over the top:
1 ¼ cup flake coconut
1 ¼ cup chocolate chips
1 ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Butterscotch chips or Heath Bits may be substituted or added.
Top with a 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk and smooth.
Bake in preheated oven at 350º for 25-30 minutes. Wait until completely cooled to cut.

Sticky Buns

Sticky Buns
Heat the following ingredients on low temperature stove burner in a small sauce pan while stirring, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth (texture should be thick grainy liquid), then remove from heat:
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons corn syrup
Generously spray cooking spray in a bunt cake pan and a medium size loaf pan.
Pour about 2/3 of the caramel sauce in the bottom of the bunt pan and the rest in the loaf pan; (optional: sprinkle about 1 - 2 cups pecans or walnuts over caramel).
Melt 1 cube of butter in medium size microwave bowl.
Stir together in separate medium size bowl: ½ cup sugar & 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
Roll 32 frozen rolls (dinner roll variety, not sourdough) in butter, then in sugar. Arrange about 12 rolls in the loaf pan with 6 staggered on a bottom layer, and the rest staggered on a second layer, leaving open spaces underneath for dough to rise.
Arrange remaining 20-24 rolls in bunt pan, leaving space for dough to rise. Spray plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover pans (cooking sprayed side down). Allow to rise at room temperature 5-8 hours* or keep in fridge overnight and in the morning preheat oven to 200º; boil a pan of water and place in the warm oven, then remove plastic wrap and set rolls in the warm oven and shut door. TURN OFF THE OVEN and allow dough to rise for about 1 hour, check periodically and repeat process if necessary.

Remove all pans from oven and preheat to 360º. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Pans may drip while baking. To prevent a possible mess, place a aluminum foil lined baking sheet underneath.

*If dough has not risen sufficiently, use the boiling water/oven method above for 15-20 minutes, then check.

Ingredient list: 32 frozen dinner rolls, brown sugar, 2 cubes butter, corn syrup, cinnamon, sugar, pecans or walnuts (optional)

Crock Pot Salsa

I just made this recipe over the weekend and it was so yummy and such a different way to make salsa.

10 roma tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
1 small-medium onion
2 jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp Salt (I actually used alittle more)
2 TBSP white vinegar

Core tomatoes and stick three garlic cloves in three of the tomatoes, peel and cut onion (chunky) and cut off stems of jalapeno and remove seeds (unless you want it SPICY) Place tomatoes, onion and jalapenos in crock pot and cook on high for 2 1/2-3 hours.

Let cool

Then place all the crock pot mixture and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and mix. I let mine sit in the fridge for a few hours before we ate it and it was really yummy. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chile Egg Bake

This is a meal we have quite often because it's yummy and easy. Sundays after church too. (when I don't feel like making a big meal)
10 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 pint small curd cottage cheese
1 pd (cup?) shredded montery jack or cheddar cheese
1/2 c butter or marg. softened
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
optional cooked ham or bacon (I add the already cooked bacon from costco that comes in the bag)
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and lemon colored. Add flour, baking powder, salt, cottage cheese, shredded cheese and butter. blend well. Stir in chilies.(stir in optional meat) Pour mixture in a well greased 9/13 baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until top is browned and center is firm. Can be made the night before and baked in the morning. (keep in fridge until baking)

Bruschetta

My father-in-law made this for us on Saturday! It was delicious! I love when he visits, because he always makes better food than me and tries to teach me to cook!!!! (That is quite a project)

4 large chopped tomatoes

1 sweet onion, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 loaf of Italian Bread, cut into 1 inch slices

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

(garlic to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except cheese and bread. Place bread on a baking sheet and top with mixture. Then sprinkle on parmesan cheese.

3. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

4. Enjoy! It is delicious!

(Sorry there is no photo, I was too busy eating it to photograph it!)

Sloppy Toms

Okay, this is my last post of the day-I promise. We are having this for dinner and it's a great healthy alternative to sloppy joes as well as being a kid-favorite. It is also from Family Fun magazine (I seriously just copied and pasted it from their website). Gottat love it!



Sloppy Toms:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup bottled chili sauce (we used Heinz)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon quick-cooking oats
3 scallions, minced
6 burger buns



1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and the pepper, and, stirring often, saute them over high heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the chili powder and saute the mixture for another minute. Add the ground turkey and salt to the skillet, breaking up the meat with a fork or wooden spoon, and cook it until it's no longer pink.



2. Add the water, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, and tomato paste and stir the mixture as you bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and continue cooking at a simmer with the pan covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.



3. Stir in the oats and the scallions. With the pan uncovered, cook the mixture over low heat until it thickens, about 7 minutes. If the mixture is saucier than you like, cook it for a few more minutes; if it's not saucy enough, add a few tablespoons of water to the skillet and heat it briefly.



4. Serve on toasted hamburger buns as you would regular sloppy joes. Makes 6 servings.

Pumpkin Baked with Tomatoes and Rosemary

My step-dad gave me this one. He makes it every fall and it is so good. I could seriously have just this for dinner.

Pumpkin Baked with Tomatoes and Rosemary



1 baking pumpkin or winter squash (try it with the pumpkin, you'll be glad) 2lb

4 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 yellow onion, chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cans (12 oz) diced tomato

pinch of sugar

1-2 tsp minced fresh rosemary


Peel the pumpkin, then cute the flesh into slices 1/2 inch thick. In a heavy nonstick frying pan, heat 3 Tbs of the olive oil over medium-high heat. In batches, lightly saute the pumpkin slices in a single layer, turning once, until lightly browned and just tender, about 6 minutes total. Do not crowd the pan, or the slices may fall apart. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a platter with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Return the pan to medium heat and add the onion. Saute lightly, adding more oil if needed to prevent scorching, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic to taste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes, then add the tomatoes and season to taste with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Continue to cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture has formed a saucelike consistency, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and remove for the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Arrange a layer of pumpkin slices in the bottom of and 11 or 12-inch square or 13 by 9-inch rectangular baking dish with 3 -inch sides. Top with about one-third of the sauce. Repeat, making 3 layers each of pumpkin and sauce and ending with a layer of sauce. Drizzle with the remaining 1 Tbs of olive oil.

Bake until the top is lightly glazed and browned in spots and pumpkin is tender when pierced with a knife, 35-45 minutes, checking it after about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot or at room temp.

Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip-Squares

This is a Martha Stewart recipe that I love. I try not to make them too often because I have a tendency to eat all of them myself. *Misty-these are the bars I have made for you before, in case you were wondering*



Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip-Squares


2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

Pumpkin Chiffon

Pumpkin Chiffon

1 ¾ C. graham cracker crumbs
¼ C sugar
1 melted stick of butter

1 8 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs beaten
¾ cups sugar

1 cup heavy cream (save ½ for top)- whip, leave one half unsweetened and sweeten the other half to your liking.
2 small pkgs instant vanilla pudding
¾ cup milk
2 cups pumpkin
Dash cinnamon



Mix first three ingredients and press in 9x13 pan. Second set of three ingredients beat till fluffy and spread on top, then bake 350 for 20 min. and cool. Combine next set of five ingredients, top and then top that with remaining sweetened whipped cream. Keep refrigerated.

Pumpkin soup with Mexican Creme Fraiche

PUMPKIN SOUP WITH MEXICAN CINNAMON CREME FRAICHE


It comes from a restaurant called Mesa Grill. I just found it online when I was searching for a yummy pumpkin soup recipe.I think I made this more difficult than it needed to be. I bought some baking pumpkins at the store, so I cleaned them out, baked them, and then pureed the pumpkin. You can just use canned pumpkin, but I wanted to use fresh for some reason. Next time I'm definitely going to use canned (fresh was really good, but a pain!).And I'm a little unsure about the vegetable stock vs water. The first few steps of the directions seem to me like you're just making the vegetable stock (which I did) but if you were using canned vegetable stock I assume you could skip those steps and move on to the pumpkin step...but I could be wrong.I think the soup was great as I used all the fresh ingredients, but again, next time I'm going to make it easier on myself and see how it tastes!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 stocks celery, coarsely chopped
7 cups vegetable stock, or water
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (not flavored pie filling)
1/4 teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon, plus 1 teaspoon (canella)- I just used regular cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons chipotle puree (I bought a small can of chipotle peppers in the Mexican food section at the grocery store, I think they were in Adobo sauce - or something like that- and just pureed them in my chopper. They definitely added some kick, but the soup wouldn't be the same without them)
3/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream (I just used sour cream, and sprinkled the cinnamon on top of the soup, I didn't mix it with the sour cream)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garnish: 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (I didn't use the garnish)

Directions

Heat the butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook until soft. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain the stock into a clean medium saucepan and whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth. Bring to a simmer and add the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, spices, honey and chipotle. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add water, if the soup is too thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix together the remaining creme fraiche and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon until combined. Divide the soup among 4 bowls and garnish with the cinnamon creme fraiche and a handful of pumpkin seeds.

My Grandma's Yummy Pumpkin Cookies

6 c. flour

3 c. oats

3 tsp. baking soda

3 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. butter, softened

3 c. brown sugar

3 c. sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

3 tsp. vanilla

3 c. pumpkin (1 large can)

3 c. chocolate chips

nuts (optional)

raisins (optional)

Combine the flour, oats, soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter and gradually add the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Alternately add dry ingredients and pumpkin to the mixture, mixing continually. Add chocolate chips, nuts, and raisins, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes or until done. If desired, frost with Penuche Frosting.

Penuche Frosting

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 3/4 to 2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. milk

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn to low heat and cook 2 minutes while stirring. Add the milk; continue to stir until syrup is smooth and comes to a boil. Take from heat and cool until the mixture is lukewarm. Add powdered sugar gradually until of the right consistency and beat until smooth. Spread.

EASY Pumpkin Cookies

This is the easiest recipe I've ever seen for pumpkin cookies, and I think they are yummy!


1 dry spice cake mix 15 oz. can of pumpkin
chocolate chips


Combine the cake mix and pumpkin. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 -12 minutes.

Pumpkin Recipes

Calling all pumpkin recipes!!! I am in a pumpkin mood and need to try something new. I am also in need of a new pumpkin choc chip cookie recipe. I know it's not new, but mine is not the greatest. Thanks!

Chicken Parmesan

Some of you may already have this recipe, it's a Kraft one that I got from my mother-in-law and I love it. It is also (of course) so easy. I don't make hard recipes very often being a busy Mom.

-1 cup Mayo
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
-2 teaspoons oregano

Mix ingredients and spread over 2-3 lbs chicken breasts. (I like to fillet the chicken if the breasts are big and thick. It keeps the chicken from being too dry. I have also used chicken thighs.) Bake at 375 for 45 mins. I like to serve it over noodles with store bought Alfredo sauce out of the jar. I love the presentation of the chicken because it makes a pretty golden brown crust on top. So Yummy!

Taco Soup

I know EVERYONE has this recipe already but I am posting as a reminder at how YUMMY and SIMPLE it is to make! My recipe is slightly different than the others that I have seen so maybe you haven't seen this one yet.

1 lb hamburger meat (I love Costco's lean 1 lb rolls already packaged)

2 cans corn (not drained)

2 cans petite diced tomatoes (not drained)

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet burrito seasoning

4-5 cups water (depending on what consistency you like, I prefer it "soupy" not thick)

1 can sliced olives (drained)

TOPPINGS:

crushed corn chips

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

avocado (sliced or diced)

cilantro (finely chopped)

dash of hot sauce (or 15 dashes of hot sauce if you are like me and LOVE SPICY)

Oh, So Yummy Meatballs!

We were introduced to this meal when Kara Nelson brought us dinner one night; of course, it was delicious! She gave us her recipe and we make it regularly. These are very yummy!

1 egg, beaten

5 oz. evaporated milk

1 c. quick oats

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 or 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 c. ketchup

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

rice

Mix the egg, evaporated milk, quick oats, onion, salt, chili powder, pepper and beef together in a mixing bowl. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls. Bake in a 9 x 13 ungreased pan, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the ketchup, brown sugar, and garlic powder to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour over the meatballs after they have cooked for 20 minutes, and cook again in the oven for 12 minutes more. Serve over rice.

guacamame

This is another Family Fun recipe that I tried this week. My kids loved it which is great because it's pretty good for you. It's called "guacamame" because it's kind of similar to a simple guacamole but you use edamame instead of avacado. We had it with FoodShouldTasteGood Multi-grain tortilla chips that I got at Costco-yum!




RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1 pound shelled edamame (these soybeans are available in the frozen-foods section at grocery stores-I actually buy them with the shells at Costco and shell them myself to save money. It takes 2 of the small boxes that come in the Costco container)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper (optional)
1. Puree all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until the mixture is smooth. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

a good pair

I made this to go with Zandra's chicken fingers tonight (yummy recipe-Zandra!). It worked great. They cook at the same temp as the chicken so you can throw it all in at the same time. This isn't a real recipe, just something I made up. You can do as much or as little as you want (if you want to do it as a snack, you can just slice up 1 or 2 sweet potatoes, toss them with the other stuff and grill them in a George Forman).

Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds

Peel (peeling is optional-I don't always do it) as many sweet poatatoes as you think your family will eat. Slice them about 1/4" thick (if you have a food processor, you'll want to use that to slice them-much faster!). Place on a jelly roll pan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread potatoes evenly on baking sheet and place in oven on lower rack (under the chicken, if you're doing Zandra's chicken) and bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes until tender and even a little crispy (if you want).

Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of our favorite cold-weather comfort meals. Every time I make this everyone raves!


Pie Crust

1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. Crisco shortening (use Crisco brand, it makes a difference)
1/2 tsp. salt
3 T. ice water


Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles the texture of tiny split peas. Do not use your hands. Once mixture is the right texture add the ice water and combine with fork. It may appear as if it needs more water, but it doesn't. Quickly gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. (This makes one 9-inch pie crust. I usually double it because I like a crust on the top, too.) Remove dough from the refrigerator. If dough is too stiff and cold let stand a few minutes. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough out on a floured surface and then transfer to a pie dish.


Filling:


1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
/4 tsp. pepper
1 or 2 cans chicken broth (depending on how thick you want it)
2/3 c. milk
2 tsp. chicken bullion
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1-2 cups vegetables, frozen or already cooked, such as carrots, peas, onions, green beans, corn, potatoes - whatever your family likes


Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth, milk, and bullion. Bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes; remove from heat and stir in chicken and veggies. Pour warm filling with chicken and vegetables into the prepared pie crust. If desired, cover with a top crust. (If you use a top crust, I usually use a knife to poke 3 holes in the top.) Bake at 425 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until the crust is brown and the filling bubbly. Serve warm.

A little bit of everything

So I have been feeling really guilty that I keep using all of your wonderful, delicious recipes but I haven't contributed anything yet. Here's a few recipes that we had at our house this past week:

Balsamic Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1/2 inch thick)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 T. flour
3 T. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 t. fresh thyme (or 1/2 t. dried)
2 bay leaves
2 T. butter
3 T. heavy cream

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on both sides.
2. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about three minutes. Then add the vinegar, stock, bay leaves and thyme and stir. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.
3. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Continue simmering the sauce, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Add the cream and butter- stir until melted. Discard the bay leaves. Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken and serve. I usually serve with a lemon herb pasta, but you can do what your family likes best.


Ultimate Caesar Salad dressing

The measurements may not be quite exact. This is my mom's recipe and she always cooks according to look and taste (sadly, that gift skipped my generation). This is the best I can do, but you may need to play around with it- it also depends on how much lemon juice you start with.

The juice of one large lemon

1/2 t. minced garlic

1 t. Worchester sauce

3 T Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

3 egg yolks

1/2- 3/4 cup olive oil (to taste)

1/2 t. red wine vinegar

Squeeze the juice into a small mixing bowl, add the garlic and Worchester sauce and stir (use a wooden spoon- metal tends to make the lemon juice go rancid). Stir in the Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Taste it- the lemon juice or the Dijon mustard should not overpower each other- if there is too much of one- add a little more of the other. Add the egg yolks. Then slowly drizzle the olive oil while stiring and finish with the red wine vinegar. Toss this dressing with some crisp romaine lettuce, lots of parmesan cheese, and croutons to serve. You will not use all of the dressing in one sitting. Just refrigerate any leftover dressing for up to a week.


Last-minute pasta bake

This is one of my go-to meals when I can't think of anything else to make because I usually have everything on hand. It's also a good way to sneak some zucchini into my boys' diet. If you have a husband that insists on meat, you can probably add some browned ground beef or italian sausage to the sauce mixture before layering the dish. This can also be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. Bake as directed except increase the baking time to 45 minutes.

12 oz rotini pasta (or whatever small pasta you have on hand)
1 cup zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 28 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or Amie's marinara- yum!)
1/4 cup fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cook pasta until al dente; drain.
2. Combine zucchini, spaghetti sauce and basil in a medium bowl.
3. In a 9" square baker, layer one-third of the sauce mixture, half of the pasta, one-third of the sauce mixture and half of the cheeses. Add remaining pasta, then sauce, then cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve with garlic bread and salad, if desired.


Not-your-typical Chicken Fingers

2 cups seasoned croutons, crushed until fine crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried
1/4 t. garlic salt
2 egg whites
1 T. water
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into small, thin strips

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. In a small bowl, combine crouton crumbs, cheese, parsley and garlic salt. In another bowl, whisk together egg whites and water.

3. Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then into crumb mixture to coat evenly. Arrange on a bakng sheet lined with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Bake 15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Serve with ranch dressing to dip.

French Bread

This recipe is so easy and takes very little hands on time.

1 T. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 C. warm water
1/4 C. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/8 C. oil
2 C. hot water
6 C. flour

In a bowl ad 1/2 cup warm water, sprinkle the yeast and 1 tsp. sugar over the water. Let sit until yeast has dissolved. Stir together. Mix in 1/4 C. sugar, salt, oil, and water. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time. Knead bread for three minutes.
Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubles. Divide into two pieces.
Roll like a jelly roll.
Sprinkle corn meal on bottom of a baking sheet. Put bread on sheet, let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Sometimes I find I need a little more flour, or a little less. I add more flour as I knead the dough and it gets sticky.

Sometimes I roll out the dough to make breadsticks.

Baked Ziti

This recipe is from my friend Melanie. It is easy and so delicious.

Makes 10 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 oz) pkg dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 lb. italian sausage
1 (26 ounce) jar traditional spaghetti sauce
1 (26 ounce) jar Italian Sausage & Garlic spaghetti sauce
1 (8 ounce) pkg provolone cheese, sliced
1 (8 ounce) pkg mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 c sour cream
1/8 c grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta and cook until al dente (about 8-10 minutes); drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer in the following order: 1/2 of the ziti, provolone, mozarrella, sour cream, and sauce mixture. Then top with the remaining ziti, provolone, mozzarella, sour cream, and sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

*This recipe makes a large dish so make sure that you use a deep 9x13 dish or a larger baking dish. Also, I have always just used cheddar or mozarella cheese, because that is what I have on hand. I'm sure the provolone would be delicious though!

Mint Oreo Truffles
These are seriously the easiest thing in the world!! (almost as easy as rice crispy squares!)

1 pkg. Double Stuf Oreos - Cool Mint Flavor - (1 lb. , 1 oz. pkg.)
• use 22 cookies with cream centers included
• use 10 cookies with cream centers discarded
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
chocolate bark or candy coating*
1-Finely crush the cookies in a food processor or a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.
2- Stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together completely.
3- Roll the mixture into 1" balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.
4- Place covered in freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes to help retain shape when dipping in melted chocolate.
5- Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.
6- Refrigerate and enjoy!These are SOO good frozen! Makes about 36 depending on the size of you make them.

Help me out

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you know that I added a contributors list (on the right) so that you can all see who participates in this blog. I need your help to track down any other ward/neighborhood friends that I haven't found or that you may have emails for. You all have "admin rights" so you should be able to invite people yourself. Just sign in and go to "settings" and then click on "permissions". On that page, go to the bottom and you'll see the "add authors" button as well as a list of those who have been invited but have not yet accepted. If you're not sure what I mean, just ask. Thank you so much for all your yummy recipes and for making this blog so fun! -Amie