When the Smoke Alarm Goes Off, Dinner's Ready!

Sunday the 22nd

2012-01-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

So you saw Sunday the 22nd, did ya? You are probably wondering why is this day so important to Lindsay?? Well, there is nothing super exciting or important about this day. Other then, this is a day I was able to go church with my husband and boys and fellowship a little before we had to leave because my husband has to go to work. Then I talked to my sister, had lunch with my in-laws and then put my boys to bed. So as you can see nothing ground breaking happened today but when I look at my life, I am so blessed. So nothing happened that I will forever remember but on January 22nd 2012, I was able to love my boys, even when J is pushing the limit, B is hungry again, and I am ready to pull my hair out due to potty training, or changing another poopy diaper. But today is Sunday the 22nd and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Finally Snowing

2012-01-21T05:55:00.000-08:00

Hello girls. And guys just in case since my husband is sitting here saying, "what if there is a guy following too?" So hello to the random guy that may be following..... Onward. It is finally snowing here in the Pennsylvania countryside. I am so excited because first off the snow is just so pretty and my theory, if it's gonna be cold, SNOW! Although, this year I can say it's the best winter ever in the history of winters. Just until a few weeks maybe days ago, we were outside. It has been awesome. So today we are going to take our boys out in the snow. Well I will hold the 5 month old and Daddy is going to pull the almost 3 year around in the sled. Oh and I will take pictures. So if its snowing in your area, go out enjoy the snow or stay in and drink hot cocoa. MMM that may be a treat later when we come in. Good idea.

In honor of the snow and winter finally deciding to arrive, here is a recipe for HOT COCOA. I have been making this for a few years now for myself or others. Most people like it and drink it right down but my step-mom wasn't a fan. So adjust the ingredients as you see fit. Drink and enjoy. Oh and PS in years past I used to use fake sugar in place of the real sugar. It worked just fine.

I'm Back BABY!!!!!

2012-01-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting here checking blogs and I thought you know I wanna update mine again. Let's get back on the band-wagon. You want to know what has happened in the last YEAR AND A HALF!! I had a baby boy in August, I quit my job as a social worker, my sister got married, and now she's prego, my oldest son is turning 3, we have chickens for eggs and started nutrition school. WOWZA! So we have been super busy. Enjoying life with my guy, my boys, family, friends, and random people in between.

But to welcome everyone back. Let's throw a recipe out there for ya.

I found a super easy recipe one night when we were starving and didn't have a whole lot of food in the fridge.

Place chicken breasts in a pie plate with olive oil on the bottom. Top with seasoned salt and pepper. Flip your breasts. Chicken breasts girls ;). Then top with salt and pepper again. Cook for about 30 mins at 350. While the chicken is cooking, make your white sauce. AKA- cream of anything sauce. In this recipe I did not add the celery or the salt. Or come to think of it any other flavoring but the butter, milk, and flour.

When the chicken is done and your cream sauce is done. Put the chicken on a plate and pile the ooooh so good white sauce on top. goes great with brown rice and roasted green beans.

Enjoy and see you soon.........

SHE'S ALIVE

2010-08-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am late on a post again. The last post I did I said I would comment on Level 2 in the Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred. Well I said I would comment if I was alive......and I am alive!! YAY. I did do it and it was rough. I must say that I thought Level one was harder but I think I knew what I was in for on this level. I have not tried Level 3 yet, only due to fear. But the Husband shockingly enough did it with me a few times. The whole time on Level one I am DYING and sweating like a beast. And of course the whole time he is saying come on you can do it, fix your pose and etc. As a side note he went to school to be a P.E. Teacher so he is all about the right way and he was being totally helpful. But back at the ranch, he came home one night and said he was going to start it with me because he really liked what she did. So we are doing level 2 together and let's just say I thought I was dying!! At the end of it, he playfully taps my arm and says "you win!" HAHAHA if that wasn't worth the 10 dollars I spent on the DVD, I don't know what is. So we did it a few more times and sadly we fell off the Jillian band wagon the last few days. But we have been riding bikes together and I have been doing my true stand by, Pilate's. But if you are looking for something to get your butt in gear or looking for something new, this would be a good one to try. But anyways I of course have a recipe to share with you because I LOVE FOOD!

A few weeks ago we ran out of pancake syrup and I told the Husband I am not buying that stuff anymore and I would find some recipe to use in place of it. So we got up one morning and the Husband made french toast :):) and I found an awesome replacement for pancake syrup. Let me tell you though it is not low cal, it is not low fat, but it has no calories, so you can enjoy with no guilt. That's a joke, just in case you missed the boat on that one. This takes only like ten minutes to put it together and I think it made two small mason jars of it. So if you are on your way to eating clean, this is a good first step. Enjoy!

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1 TB vanilla

1 TB corn syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 baking soda

Bring everything but the baking soda to a simmer over medium heat. Once it starts to simmer add the B.S. and whisk for ten seconds before removing from heat. Serve warm.

DISCLAIMER...whatever you don't use can be stored in the fridge but all the heavy stuff like the buttermilk and butter rise to the top. It is okay just nuke it for about 30 seconds, stir, and enjoy all over again!

I really dislike Jillian Micheals

2010-07-30T08:18:00.001-07:00

OK so this one isn't a food post!! Shocking I know.

For a few weeks I have been going back and forth about buying a Jillian Micheal's workout DVD. Well last week I finally bit the bullet and I started it Sunday night. So needless to say Sunday night I am grunting and yelling "I hate you Jillian." If you have ever watched the Biggest Loser, you know she is one tough cookie and doesn't wait for you. Tuesday I could barely walk or breath, so I did my Pilate's DVD and did a lot of flexibility with that one. Wednesday I got on the wagon and did it Thursday too. Last night, I didn't yell nearly as much. And what was even better was I finally got through the last abs workout in circuit 3. Because before this I would do a few bicycles and then lay and die until the cool down. This DVD has three levels, so the Husband figured 9 days on each level. This DVD claims to shred 20 pounds in 30 days and the best part is each workout is 20 minutes. I just keep saying I can do anything for 20 minutes. I am not looking to shred 20 pounds but if I could lose the few pounds I put on in the winter and tone what I have, I will be greatly appreciative. So if you are looking for a butt kicking 101, Jillian Micheal's is the way to go. I feel that even if you never experimented with level 2 and 3 you would still be able to maintain what you've got on level 1. So Monday night I am going to move unto level 2. I will give you an update IF I am still alive at the end. Have a great weekend.

Crispy Swiss Chard Cakes

2010-07-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's Friday!!!!
So my garden is growing and I am finally getting stuff out of it. This year I planted Swiss chard not really knowing what to do with it but wanted to give it a try. This week it was ready to pick and I still didn't know what to do with it but a girl from high school gave me a great idea. They are called crispy swiss chard cakes. She said they are her favorite things to make and eat in the world!!! I thought in the whole world, well I have to give these a try. How bad could they be? So I made them yesterday and they were awesome. The recipe seems a little overwhelming but once you go through it once it really isn't a big deal. If you have chard I encourage you to try them but watch the salt. Maybe only do a 1/2 tsp because they were a little salty for me. Next time I'm not going to add the salt until I eat them. They are much like potato pancakes and have a great crisy flavor. Other then this recipe I'm not sure what to do with this stuff. Any suggestions?

Crispy Swiss Chard Cakes

2 pounds Swiss chard
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (1-1/2 cups)
1-½ teaspoons salt to taste(I suggest waiting until you eat them to add salt)
3 tablespoons butter, in pieces
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
1 egg, beaten lightly
2 cups shredded Italian Cheese

Cut off the stem at the base of the chard leaves and cut the central rib out of the leaf if thick and tough (save the stems and ribs for vegetable stock). Rinse the leaves and drain in a colander
Bring 5 or 6 quarts of water to the boil in a large pot, drop in the chard leaves and stir to submerge them. Return to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain into a colander and let cool. Chop the cooked chard into small shreds and drain once again in the colander. Press and squeeze the chard to remove as much liquid as you can.

Pour the olive oil into the skillet and set over medium heat. Stir in the sliced onions and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions wilt and barely color, about 5 minutes. Scatter the chopped chard into the skillet and drop in the butter pieces. Stir the chard with the onions and the melting butter; season with another ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook over medium heat for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring and tossing frequently, until the chard is fairly dry-don’t let it get brown or crispy.

Remove the chard to a big bowl, toss with the freshly ground pepper and more salt to taste. Spread it out in the bowl to cool. Let the skillet cool, too, then wipe it clean and dry-you’ll be using it again. Put the shredded cheese in a plate or shallow bowl and toss so the shreds are loose and separate.

When the chopped chard is lukewarm or cooler, pour the beaten egg over it and mix in thoroughly with your fingers. Divide into 6 roughly equal parts and form them into patties-just like hamburgers-3 to 4 inches across. Press each cake of chard firmly so it holds together.

Set the dry skillet over medium-low heat. Hold a chard cake in one hand and cover the top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the shredded cheese. Press the shreds so they adhere then turn and cover the bottom of the patty with a layer of cheese. Lay the cake in the hot skillet (it should start to sizzle in a few seconds) and quickly coat 2 more patties with cheese and set them in the skillet, several inches apart. If there’s room, start cooking another.

Fry on the first side for 3 minutes or longer, until the cheese forms a crisp golden- brown crust. Shake the pan to loosen the cakes, slide a spatula underneath and flip them over. Cook and crisp the second side, another 3 minutes or so. Lift out each patty with the spatula, blot up the oil released by the cheese with a folded paper towel, and set on a warm plate (placed in a low oven if you like).

Serve the cakes warm and crispy, either whole as a main or cut into bite-size wedges.
Enjoy!
I know they are not very pretty BUT they are good.
Linked to Foodie Friday

BlueBerry Bread

2010-07-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

HI. I bet you were not even worrying where I was yet. HA HA.

So anyways.....in the last few weeks I have gone blueberry picking several times. In these parts that's what we country folk do. In June you go strawberry picking, then you make strawberry jam. After the jam is made you immediately grab a spoon and eat it out of the jar. Oh yeah and don't judge me but I have totally finished jars before....oh it is pure heaven. Then usually in August you go blueberry picking but for whatever reason we have been going in July this year. I'm not sure why, maybe the crazy heat waves we have been getting. But because I have wonderful, fat, juicy berries I of course needed to make something. So I made skillet cobbler...mmm that was good. I will get that recipe to you, so you can love it too. Then we ate lots of plain berries out of the bowl. Then I made blueberry buckwheat pancakes. Those were bangin' too. MMM I am totally getting hungry right now. OK focusing again.....Today I made BLUEBERRY BREAD. I have seen this several times in blog world but never made it. I have no idea why I waited so long but oh man was it good. This recipe I found though a google search on a website called COOKTHINK. It made two loafs and I shared one with my sister after she shared zucchini/carrot bars with me. Those also were awesome. Thank you sister! So if you have just gotten back from picking berries or if you froze them to savor that summer taste all year. You defiantly need to try this recipe, it's healthy and easy.

Grease two loaf pans

1 c walnuts chopped(I didn't do this)

1/4 c packed brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 c sugar-divided

3 TB flax seed meal(see healthy)

2 tsp BP

1/2 tsp salt(omitted this b/c I had salted butter)

2 sticks unsalted butter-room temp

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 plain nonfat yogurt(I had full fat and it was still good)

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat your oven till 350

In a small bowl combine your nuts, cinnamon, brown sugar, and 1/4 c white sugar. Mix and set aside-this is your topping

In another bowl mix flour, flax, BP, and salt. Set this aside-this goes in at the end

Finally in your BIG mixer bowl, cream butter and remaining white sugar. About 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Add yogurt until almost smooth. Add flour stuff. Then gently fold in your berries.

Pour evenly into loaf pans then top with the sugar topping.

Let cook for 60-75 minutes. Totally let it cook that long because I got impatient and only let it go for 50 minutes and the middle sunk on me. Although this is a reoccurring problem with me because even banana bread I have not mastered. It seems that the bread gets really brown and it appears done but alas it is not. Any suggestions how I can get that nice crack(this is a place I want crack showing) at the top with out over baking the bread. Well enjoy the recipe and let me know how it goes for you.

Have a great day

P.S. I tired hiding the sink in the picture. How'd I do?

Rotini Salad

2010-07-21T05:13:00.000-07:00

Told ya I would see you before a month was out! So like I said yesterday I have a million cookbooks, so I am on a mission to try more recipes. Today I made a very nice dish to take to a picnic or potluck at a church. It is called Rotini Salad. I don't know if you have ever had the salads at the deli counter but how they have that very distinct taste. Well I love the stuff but then I look at the ingredient list and I just can't bring myself to eat them. So when I tasted this salad I was thrilled. It has that tang because of the vinegar but is sweet due to the sugar. I will totally make this again. Enjoy and see you before you wonder where I went again!

1 box cooked pasta(used Ronzoni Smart Taste)

2 cups Mayo

1 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 med chopped onion fine

1 cup celery chopped fine

1/2 tsp turmeric spice

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients well in large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir well before using, The dressing will be a bit thin.

Zucchini Quiche

2010-07-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hi. This is getting very bad. Over a month..please forgive me. I finally ended the school year June 30th. So for some time now I have been enjoying my summer vacation. Then about a week into my vacation we started ripping down our kitchen. The husband and me and talked about redoing the kitchen ever since we bought the house two years ago. We were finally able to do it and I could not be happier. In all the apartments/houses we lived in I have never had sooo much cabinet space or counter top space. Oddly enough, we started tearing everything down on our anniversary. My in-laws took the Jakester for the night and that's what we did, tore down the kitchen. OOOOH how romantic. Then we went camping with my mom and her BF in New Jersey. The husband and I went to a few little towns where there were antique shoppes and stores. It was awesome, my mom kept Jake for the afternoon and we just took advantage of the time together. I found awesome chairs for the kitchen table for 20.00 dollars. It was a huge deal because I found Amish made chairs just like them in store in PA BUT for a few hundred dollars more. I was so excited I didn't even bargain the guy down. And if you have ever been to a yard sale with me, YOU know that's just not my style. Another awesome thing I did was a have a mini cooking day with my Jessica. Yes Jess, you are MY Jess :)..love you! We did try some awesome recipes and some interesting ones. I am going to post them and give you the results of what I thought. Also this morning I made a Zucchini Quiche which turned out great! This time of year I am always looking ways to do with the zucchini people give me or I buy. This recipe is very light and flavorful and I will totally make it again. As I am on a mission to eat 'Clean' please know that this is not clean at all. It has Bisquick in it and veg. oil. I would have used olive oil but didn't have nearly enough. So next time I will use olive oil but the Bisquick, I'm not sure I will ever give that stuff up. Sometimes it just makes a recipe. :)

First Up-from a biggest loser cookbook (FREE-just sayin)

Spinach and Feta Brown Rice1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup brown rice

1 cup chopped fresh spinach
3 TB feta cheese

salt/pepper to taste

Cook rice. Lightly mist skillet with olive oil. Add onion and garlic to pan. Stirring occasionally for 4 to 6 mins over medium heat, until tender. Do not let the onions turn brown. Add rice and spinach. cook until the spinach is completely wilted. Stir in the cheese and season with salt/pepper. Serve immediately.

Jess and I loved this! We made two batches because we downed the first one in a few seconds.

It makes two 1/2 cup servings. And took a few minutes to put together. DEF. saving this for the recipe box.

Next up-

Potato Balls

2-3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

1 small onion-chopped fine

1 egg

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese(used Colby)

crushed corn flakes(used special K)

Heat the potatoes until slightly warm. Add onion, egg, and cheese. Makes balls out of mixture. Then roll balls in the crushed corn flakes. Place balls on a cookie sheet. Then make small well in the middle of the ball and add butter. Bake at 350 for 15-20 mins. Until the ball is heated thru and cheese is melted.

These also were amazing. Seriously. What else is there to say carbs, cheese, and butter.
Third-

Chocomoly

1 avocado(skin off and pit removed)

1 tsp vanilla
1/2 water

3 heaping TB of cocoa

3 TB Honey(she called for 12 chopped dates)

Put all into a blender and blend the heck out of it. Until you get a creamy, mousse like look and feel. I found this off a website called Consuming Raw.

This recipe was good. It was very rich and you would never know it was avocado. I am not sure I would make it again. But if you are working towards a clean was of eating and need chocolate this would work. I would give it 4 stars.

Fourth up-

Black Bean Brownies.

We in the blog world have seen this recipe over and over. Jess and me needed to know what the fuss was all about. I do not have the recipe we used but because you can google it, I am not worried. My word of advice to you would be WAIT FOR THEM TO COOL BEFORE CONSUMING. We of course ate them right out of the oven so I could still feel that "bean texture" They weren't bad but after I got home and they cooled down. I ate them again and again, and again. So if you are on a gluten free diet or looking for a healthy way to eat your brownies, these would work. Just wait for them to cool.. I didn't try but I am pretty sure I could have passed them off on the Husband after they cooled. So in the end they were good and I didn't feel guilty after I ate them.

Now for the recipe that is the title of this post. I made this today for the weekly gathering at my mom's. I am really trying to cook new recipes because I have enough printed ones from blog sites and enough cookbooks to feed the world until Dooms Day. So this is from a cookbook I got at a yard sale, of course.

Zucchini Quiche

3 cups unprepared zucchini, grated

1 cup Bisquick

1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp oregano

2 cups grated moz. cheese

2 T snipped parsley(used dried)

1/2 cup veg. oil

4 eggs, slightly beaten

pepper and salt to taste

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9 by 13 pan. Mix all ingredients in a bowl then spread in pan. bake until golden brown about 25 minutes. cut into squares and serve warm or cold. This was awesome. tired some before I went to my mom's and now I can't wait to eat it for dinner.

Enjoy and see you before a month is out!

linked up to Tasty Tuesday

Where in the World is Lindsay??

2010-06-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Where in the world has Lindsay been for almost a MONTH!!??

Well like I said in a previous post I work a school schedule so my days are dwindling(finally)! My last day of work will be June 30th...I can hardly wait. But you say to yourself I know this, but what else have you been doing?

Well I have been spending time with my little boy. Here he is eating a cookie with a (sippy) cup of milk. Notice the table because that is going to be a project in the next few weeks. Jessica and I had a yard sale at her house a few weeks ago and I made a fair trade with her neighbor. She took a sewing machine that was sitting in my closet for years and I got a awesome table and chair set for The Jakester! He absolutely loves it, he thinks he is the big cheese when he sits there.

Last Saturday Jessica and I went to a giant yard sale that benefits a local radio station where I may have gone a little crazy on Tupperware. I got A LOT of Tupperware for .25 cents a piece. I have no idea where my obsession has come from but if it says Tupperware I need to have it. I think the Tupperware will be great to go camping with over the summer months.

Another thing I have been doing since the other night is starting to move pantry products to mason jars instead of baggies and open boxes. I got the idea here. She has a love affair with mason jars and I am starting to understand why. I bought poppy seed, sesame seed, and unsweetened coconut from the bulk bins and wasn't sure what to do with it once the bag was open. Well my wheels started turning and this is the end result. I just love how this looks, so simple and old-fashioned. I totally can not wait to get back in my kitchen to finish my project.

The next thing I have been doing is planning a trip for the Husband and me. We will be married six years in July and we really never have been on trip alone to somewhere awesome. We did have our honeymoon and we have gone on mission trips together. But on the missions trips there is no canoodling and you sleep in separate rooms. *FYI we were on a missions trip on our 4th anniversary* LOL So anyways we are going to Atlanta and Savannah, GA in September.

The Husband loves the Braves baseball team so we are going to see them play the day we arrive. We are going to visit the Coke-Colas factory and try Cokes from around the world. I am still in the midst of planning so if you have any suggestions on where to visit please tell me because we only have four days and we NEED to make the most of it.

This weekend I also saw my second youngest brother graduated High School. You know your getting old when you start saying "how did we get here?" It just amazes me how fast time goes and it just seems to be in turbo speed now that I have a kid. Does it slow down? In the picture left to right is my Pop-Pop, Dad, Bother, Grandma, step-mom. How cute is my Grandma?

Also in my "spare time" I made these FABO Mud Balls. I used the sesame seeds I got from bulk bins and rushed home to make them. The Jakester and me enjoyed them a lot. I didn't have oatmeal so I used unsweetened coconut and extra wheat germ. They turned out great but next time(today) I am going to use oatmeal. They will probably make more because oatmeal has more bulk. So do yourself a favor and try these healthy bad boys. Have a great day and thanks for hanging with me in between my posts.

MUD BALLS

1/4 peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup choc. chips( used 2 blocks baking choc)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup wheat germ

Cook peanut butter and honey over low heat until melted. Add the remaining ingredients. When they cooked down a little roll into balls. *easier method* use a cookie scoop. Ball count will depend on how big you make them.

Enjoy, they are awesome.

posting to

Tasty Tuesday

Today show and Shells

2010-05-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

Good Day everyone!

Wow this is really becoming a once a week blog. The weeks keep getting away from me. The reason for this is because I work a school schedule and things are starting to dwindle down which means things pick up! Last week was awesome though. On Monday me, husband and my friend, went to NEW YORK CITY to see the TODAY show! This is something that had been on my "bucket list". We left at 430am...which was a half hour behind schedule. The long and short is, we were going to leave at 4am BUT for whatever reason the alarm may or may not have gone off. Our poor friend was at the house at 4am ready to go but low and behold all the lights are out. She was pounding on the door until finally we woke up at 420am and went running. After ten minutes of running around and me saying sorry, I'm so sorry, we were in the car by 431am. We got to the TODAY SHOW by 830. That was after some misguiding, traffic, ferry trip, and power walking. It was great though, we got our pictures with ANN CURRY, NATALIE MORALES, ans AL ROCKER. Natalie is my favorite, mainly because she is gorgeous and we were pregnant at the same time. So naturally we are bonded. After the show we went to the NBC store, bought mugs. FYI-I have been drinking out of it every morning and my coffee tastes better, I swear! Took the subway over to Little Italy/China Town. Got to my favorite bakery and indulged in my sweet treats. Bought a sweatshirt that of course says I heart NY. Ate lunch off a street cart, it was something that had chicken, lamb, and beef in it. It was awesome! We had the best time. I was so happy to go! I was really starting to have this issue of doing the same thing day in and day out. Anyone else ever struggle with that? I love my life and I am so blessed but sometimes I get in a rut and something new needs to happen. In addition to mix things up, Saturday my sister and I went to a wine and chocolate festival. My sister and I both have kids so it is hard to get together as sisters. We had the best time, tasting wine and having all sorts of food samples. Two pounds worth of samples!! I bought a bottle of blackberry wine, to break open one night soon. So last week really helped me with my everyday routine. It was just what I needed. Also I would like to thank my husband for taking over and watching the kiddo.

And because we all know I love food, I tried something new. This is totally not a new food to the world but I have never made stuffed shells. In six years of being married I always wanted to make them but always thought they would be to time consuming. Well as it turns out, they are easier to make then lasagna! They were so good and the kid loved them! So I am posting this recipe to Tasty Tuesday, Foodie Friday, Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Stuffed Cheesy Goodness Shells

1 package of jumbo shells

1 jar sauce of choice

mix all of the following together

32oz. container ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley

2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Cook and drain shells. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce on bottom of lasagna pan

Fill shells with cheese mixture-I used a cookie scoop-worked like a dream!

Arrange in baking dish and pour rest of sauce over shells.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Top with some parm cheese.

Enjoy because it is awesome

AWARDS

2010-05-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

Wow this week has been crazy busy. On Monday we went to see the TODAY SHOW but I will tell you about that next week. FYI-we had soooo much fun! In any case I have not been keeping up on my blogging. At my job it has been getting to the end of the school year so when I come home I am a little tired. But yesterday I checked my user comments and I won TWO awards!!! I can not even believe it. I was just totally shocked and it made my night. I see bloggers win them all the time and I think yeah they really do have an awesome blog. Well low and beyond I have an award worthy blog-GO ME!! So the first one I won is from Angie's Healthy Living.

The Versatile blogger-with this award there are some rules, which are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award

2. Share seven things about you.

3. Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs that you think are fantastic

4. Let your nominees know about the award.

So with all that being said

THANK YOU ANGIE for award you really did make me very happy and smile!!

Seven things about me- 1. I also have red hair like Angie

2. I have a little boy named Jacob

3. I met my husband when I was in 4th grade

4. I want to own my own bakery shoppe when day

5. I love spring and fall best

6. I get excited to check the mail everyday-it's kind-of like Christmas for me

7. I love cookbooks!!! I rarely go to a yard sale, estate sale, or anywhere without buying one

So now the 15 blogs I would like to nominate for this award are as follows: This Blessed Life, Finding Joy in my Kitchen, Adventures of a Betty Crocker Wanna-Be, Eat, Live, Run, Lucy's Kitchen, Cooking During Moments, The Happy Housewife, The Gracious Pantry, The Newylweds, My Scrapbook Addiction, Recipes from the Cookie Jar, New Nostalgia, Hopeful Homemaker, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Dairy of a Navy Wife

I follow all these blogs on daily basis and love them! These women are all amazing. I am so happy they open up their lives so I can share in them!

Now to get to the other exciting award from Sarah at Dairy of a Navy Wife. I met Sarah when my husband and I were engaged. The husband and Ben used to be college room-mates and they quickly became best friends. Through that friendship I met Sarah. She has a great blog where she has been talking about her experience of being a new navy wife. She is just so sweet and I find her to very strong. So thank you Sarah! The rules are to pick 10 blogs that I love to read. Well there are so many blogs that I read, that I just love and look forward to reading. But because I already listed 15 I am just going to stick to those blogs for now. Thank you again Sarah!

New Things!

2010-05-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

YAY, it's FRIDAY! Friday means the weekend is here in less then 8 hours, this makes me happy. So this week I really have not had a chance to post anything but I wanted to share some food items with you.

I experimented this week with yogurt and I am finding yogurt is the wonder/super food. I made chocolate chip cookies and replaced half the butter with half Greek yogurt. The cookies turned out great. The husband was not a huge fan of them because he loves the texture of the full fat butter cookies. But everyone else that had them enjoyed them, as did I. These cookies are very cake like, so if you prefer that these are for you. But by replacing the butter with yogurt you save 20 calories per a cookie and a load of fat. I also made TollHouse Crumb Cake for the husband's birthday and used yogurt in place of the sour cream and it worked like a dream. I have read you can replace cream cheese with yogurt and mayo??? So I am going to try this because if I can eat cheesecake and not know the difference I will totally do it.

Another thing I tried this week was FRIED DANDELIONS!! Yes you read right, I ate dandelions!! I found this recipe in a wholesome/natural cookbook and thought I had to try this. So the husband and son picked dandelion heads for me and I fried them up! Only my mom and me were brave enough to try them. The husband gave me a look, like don't even think about it lady, hahaha! I would not recommend trying these. But I am happy to say I tried something new. My sister told me I was grazing.

Another thing I tired is homemade popcorn. The last few weeks I have been making my own popcorn on the stove top using canola oil. But last night I tired coconut oil instead and OH MY WORD...it was awesome. The canola oil is good but this was great. The popcorn was fresh and light tasting. It just tasted so so so popcorn. It was amazing! I always make extra because I am a bad judge of how much I am pouring in so I have some made for tonight. I don't know if you have tired coconut oil but you should try it. I continue to read the health benefits of this amazing oil.

And the last thing, I swear! Over at the Musings of a Housewife, she had this recipe posted. I tried it and well it was awesome!! So do yourself a favor and make this. If you are thinking holy cow that is a lot of fat/calories. Well I did it with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and fat free evaporated milk and it worked just fine. FYI-next time I am going to try the yogurt in place of the cream cheese to see if it works. If you try it before I do let me know how it goes. Thank You in advance! :)

Have a great weekend and enjoy the sweet goodness!

Being linked up to

Foodie Friday

Friday Feast

Food on Fridays

Food Revolution Fridays

WORK YOUR WALLET

2010-04-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

SO IT IS THAT TIME AGAIN-IT'S WEDNESDAY WHICH MEANS IT'S TIME TO SHOW OFF YOUR DEALS. I AM LINKING THIS THRIFTY POST UP TO WORK YOUR WALLET OVER AT THIS BLESSED LIFE. EACH WEEK SHE HOSTS A PARTY WHERE YOU CAN BRAG ABOUT YOUR DEALS. IT'S AWESOME BECAUSE I REALLY NEVER GET TIRED OF BRAGGING AND TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT THE MONEY I SAVED. THIS PAST WEEKEND I WENT TO A FEW ESTATE SALES AND RUMMAGE SALES WITH JESSICA. I GOT A FEW DEALS FOR THINGS THAT I "NEEDED"-OF COURSE! :)
PICTURED:
PAIR OF EXPRESS JEANS FOR-1.50
FRAMED QUOTE-1.00
DONUT/HOLE CUTTER-.25
BISCUIT CUTTER-1.00
NALGENE WATER BOTTLE-FREE
MELON BALLER-.10
AND NOT PICTURED A OLD DRAIN STOPPER-.50
TOTAL-4.35
NOT TO BAD

SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY TO WORK YOUR WALLET

Almond Joy Bar

2010-04-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday Ladies! Recently I have been trying to cut out processed food from our household and I think over all we have been doing a good job. For example we have stopped buying Pop-tarts, granola bars, and Oreos and my husband has been doing a great job at riding along. We are buying more fruit, veggies, and I am totally making more stuff from scratch. In my attempt to make more things from scratch I found these awesome snacks at the Nourishing Gourmet. They are Almond Joy Bars. Everything in them is clean and healthy but because of the coconut oil they pack a real calorie punch. I will make these again but I will be making them lower calorie so I am not hating myself all day and the next day. Everyone that has tried them has loved them. Also they are super easy to make and really take no time at all. Enjoy!

1 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (will get reduced fat next time)

1/2 cup of coconut oil

1/4 cup of honey

1 teaspoon almond extract

36 almonds, left whole or chopped (can even remove this to lower the calorie count or if you don't like almonds)
1-Melt the coconut oil and honey over low heat until just melted. Whisk to combine. Add the almond extract and coconut flakes.
2-Now take out your muffin tins (you will need a 12 compartment muffin tin). In each compartment, place three almonds, or divide the chopped almonds) Then, divide the coconut mixture, making sure you get an even mixture of coconut flakes and coconut oil. Place in a freezer (make sure it’s on a flat surface), and freeze until hard (about 30 minutes)
Now it’s time for the chocolate!

You will need(next time I will just melt semi sweet choc chips for this whole step-not totally clean but you win some and you lose some)
3/4 cup cocoa powder (not dutch cocoa)

1/4 cup of honey

1 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3-Combine these ingredients in a 2 cup glass measuring glass and place in a pot of simmering water. Heat until everything is just melted, and remove from heat. Whisk briskly

4-Take out the frozen coconut flakes mixture, and divide your chocolate mixture over it
5-Put back into your freezer, and freeze until hard (again, about 30 minutes). To get them out, simply slide a butter knife down one side, and pop it out. This is very easy to do, as long as you do it directly from your freezer.
keep them frozen, they melt fairly quickly

Linked up to Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy

This Bread is Bananas

2010-04-23T05:24:00.001-07:00

So for a few weeks now I have been trying to keep my baking habit to once or twice a week but no more. Mainly because I feel the need to "test" the batter several times to make sure no one dies from my cooking. Lastnight, I wanted to bake something but something I wouldn't hate myself for the rest of the evening. In my email a few weeks ago I received a recipe from Denise Austin(we are BFF's, J/K). The recipe was for banana bread but I made it into muffins because then they are portion ready. In this recipe I used coconut oil instead of canola oil due to many health benefits I keep reading about for coconut oil. I also used no-fat plain yogurt instead of the low fat yogurt because that's what I had. The husband had two lastnight and he loved them. Then I shared with him that I used the coconut oil and he had nooo idea. YAY! So have a great weekend and see you around blog world!

Banana Bread
Ingredients
2 cups whole-grain pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons canola oil (used coconut oil)
1 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup light vanilla yogurt (used non-fat plain yogurt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (added extra b/c of the plain yogurt)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan with foil, letting the ends hang over. Coat the foil with cooking spray. Or use muffin pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, and oil until well blended. Whisk in the bananas, yogurt, and vanilla extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Scrape into the prepared pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the loaf has shrunk from the sides of the pan and a wooden pick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Using the foil, lift the bread out of the pan. Carefully peel off the foil and let the bread cool completely on the rack.
Makes 12 slices
****if making muffins remember to cut your cooking time to 15 or 20 mins.

Linked up to FOODIE FRIDAY

Coffee Cookie

2010-04-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

In my previous post I mentioned that I was going to experiment with cinnamon cookies. Well I did and they were FAB!!! Since Saturday I made two batches of them and they are gone. Saturday night I made the first batch and I ate four cookies and so did my husband. Because I was going to take them to my in-laws for Sunday lunch, I had to make more because I could not go with half a plate. So Sunday morning I made another batch. I have totally renamed these cookies CINNAMON CRINKLES. They cracked on the top like gingersnaps but reminded me of snickerdoodles. They were a big hit, two batches were made and two batches are gone! These cookies also go great with a cup of coffee or a tall glass of milk.

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Cream together butter and sugar.
Mix in egg and molasses, blending well.
Mix flour, baking soda and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture, mixing well.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do 9 minutes if you want soft cookies

Linked up to Designs by Gollum

Cinnamon Cookie

2010-04-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE! I just love Friday, it is such a accomplishment. Think about it you got out of bed every morning, got dressed, got your kid(s) dressed, fed, and out the door with or without a hitch. Sometimes I just think, wow we women are amazing. The things you do to keep your home running like a fine machine. Now I must say I have a husband that helps me a lot, so thank you husband. But seriously ladies, be proud of yourselves, you do a lot and you give a lot! So before the weekend comes I would like to post a recipe that I plan on trying. On Sunday, we go to my in-laws after church for lunch, so I will be making cinnamon cookies for dessert. I really like making desserts to take somewhere because that means I won't eat all of it myself. So have a great weekend and I'll tell you how the cookies turned out next week!

CINNAMON COOKIES

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (will use whole wheat flour)
1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350
Cream together butter and sugar.
Mix in egg and molasses, blending well.
Mix flour, baking soda and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture, mixing well.
Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

linked up to Foodie Friday

Clean Taco Seasoning

2010-04-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Friday night I did a little experiment. All day I kept saying what can I make for dinner that is quick and easy because I really do not feel like cooking. So I thought well finally we have tomatoes, lettuce, tortillas, cheese in the fridge at the same time. This sounds like a simple thing but for some reason we never have lettuce and tomatoes at the same time. I decided we are having tacos tonight baby!! Then I got to thinking a little more I am going to make my own taco seasoning mix. So I googled a few different recipes and found one I liked. Went home and whipped it up with a baby on my hip (sounds like a country song). It was a success, my husband liked it, so it's a keeper. I did add a little bit more cumin because it was a little to bland for me. Then to make things really exciting I made a taco salad the next day with the leftovers. Just an FYI, it was a lot spicier the second day because the flavors had time to develop. BAM-is all I can say. But I do need to add that I am Irish and have found I love hot food but my tongue is usually on FIRE. Enjoy and have a spicy evening ;)

2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash cayenne
Combine all ingredients.
This replaces a packet of store bought taco seasoning.
Use as you normally would.

linked to

Tasty Tuesday

Blessed with Grace

"NOT" cookie dough

2010-04-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

Let me just say I have a love affair with cookie dough. I honestly make it once a week, for whatever reason I just crave this evil goodness. It is really bad because when I make it I seriously eat 3 HUGE scoops of cookie dough and then a cookie when it comes out of the oven. I have a problem BUT I have found an answer to my issue. On Tuesday like so many of you I link up and read recipes at the Tasty Tuesday Party and I this where I found it. FAUX COOKIE DOUGH!!! Before I go on and on about how good this is I must give credit to Dream in Domestic. I was so happy to know that I had all the ingredients at home and of course I was craving cookie dough because I have a problem!! Now let me tell you there is nothing that will ever replace the taste of uncooked batter. But I made this last night and I immediately told my husband, it is just what I need. Everything in it is healthy and there is nothing that will break the calorie bank. So here is the recipe, it worked to curb the carving and I will totally be making this again. I can not tell you enough how excited I am about this odd, awesome recipe. Thank You Dream in Domestic, you have saved my butt and favorite jeans!!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
1 banana, mashed
1/3 cup of rolled, old fashion oats (not instant oats)
A sprinkle of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of wheat germ
You can add some raisins, but you could leave them out or add chocolate chips or any other small sweet treat.
Directions
Mash the banana, add peanut butter, oats and cinnamon. Mix until combined and creamy. If you want you can add the raisins or choc chips. Form into balls and sprinkle wheat germ on them. Eat and enjoy these awesome pieces of FAUX HEAVEN. :)
Linking up to
Life as Mom
Pennywise Platter Thursday

Sunrise Breakfast

2010-04-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a GREAT Easter. I know I totally did, I have been off since Thursday and let me tell you, it is so hard to go back to work. During our holiday, we had a lot of fun with old traditions and making new ones. Old ones we enjoyed were dying eggs, hunting eggs, and Easter baskets. New ones, making resurrection cookies the night before Easter morning. Another old tradition we do every year is go to sunrise service and then afterwards go down to the church basement where we have breakfast. Well this year we did not make it to the service but we made it for breakfast. I am always there for the food LOL. Each year we have eggs, ham, sausage, and pancakes, coffee, and OJ. Each year there are your everyday pancake and then there are the buckwheat pancakes. The buckwheat ones are the best I have every tasted....seriously! I do not know the exact recipe they use but I did find one that looks awesome and healthy. So enjoy it tomorrow morning. I hope you had a great Easter and thought about the gift that is yours and mine to have for free!!!

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 cup(s) flour, buckwheat
1/2 cup(s) flour, whole-wheat
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup(s) buttermilk, or sour milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon oil, cooking
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup(s) blueberries, or frozen

Preparation
In a medium bowl, stir together buckwheat flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, egg product, oil, and vanilla. Add buttermilk mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until combined but still slightly lumpy. Stir in blueberries.
Heat a lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat until a few drops of water sprinkled on griddle dance across the surface. For each pancake, pour a scant 1/4 cup of the batter onto hot griddle. Spread batter into a circle about 4 inches in diameter.
Cook over medium heat until pancakes are browned, turning to cook second sides when pancake surfaces are bubbly and edges are slightly dry (1 to 2 minutes per side). Serve immediately or keep warm in a loosely covered ovenproof dish in a 300°F oven.

Linked up to Tasty Tuesday

Tuesday at the Table

Tempt my Tummy

Work it Girl

2010-03-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

OKAY IT'S PARTY DAY, BLOG STYLE! I am linking up to This Blessed Life, Work your Wallet Wednesday The point of this party is to show off your super bargains. Because we all know there are bargains that you get super excited about and want to tell everyone the money you "did not" spend! Last week I went to CVS and did my CVS scamming for the week and got all this for 3.48 OOP and got back 3 ECB back!!! Not pictured are 2 COW TAILS, 1 BAG OF JELLY BEANS, and 1 REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER EGG.

And my next bargain: The flea market opened this past weekend and I totally scored this slow cooker cookbook for $2.00!

Good and Simple

2010-03-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

Hey! I have not posted anything in a week! The week got away from me and here we are and it's Monday. On the bright side of it being Monday I only have a three day work week, so I don't mind at all(this week). The recipe I have today is an old-fashioned one, it is easy to make and just a simple food. My friend at This Blessed Life gave me a Taste of Home Recipe book for Christmas and that is where I got this from. I made it for my in-laws a couple weeks ago and it was hit. Whenever I make anything I always cross my fingers because my father in law is very picky when it comes to his food. But he loved it, so to me that is a success! I hope you enjoy this old-fashioned recipe and maybe it will take you back to a simpler time.

------side note make sure you check back Wednesday because I will be taking part in a blog party over at This Blessed Life. I will be showing off my SUPER deals with other women in blog world. I invite you to attend on WEDNESDAY MARCH 31st over at THIS BLESSED LIFE

Hot Buttermilk Cake

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/4 cups 2% milk
10 tablespoons butter, cubed

Directions
In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored.

Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy.

Beat in vanilla.

Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to batter; beat at low speed until smooth.
In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter just until butter is melted.

Gradually add to batter; beat just until combined.
Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

WE TOPPED IT WITH POWERED SUGAR AFTER IT COOLED AND IT WAS FAB!!!

I have linked this recipe up to the following

5 Dollar Dinner Challenge

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Blessed with Grace

$12.00 Bread Machine

2010-03-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago I went to Volunteers of America, a thrift store in my neck of the woods. The last Wednesday of the month, everything in the store is 50% off. So if you have one in your area, that is a great day to stop by and shop till you drop. Well, I have been looking for a bread machine for awhile now so that I can stop buying store bought bread and make my own. That day I walked in there and there it was, I heard the angels singing and heaven's light shining down on it!! It was beautiful, a bread machine for $12.12!!!!!!! It was the best day ever. So since then I have been making bread and cinnamon rolls every other day(this has been really good for the hips and thighs, LOL). So in an effort to know what is going into my food I have been experimenting with breads first. I have tried a few and I finally got one that is airy and not dense. I got this recipe from 8 Muddy Boots, who got it from Chickens in the Road. The husband totally approved of this one and he said "it's a keeper babe" :) 8 Muddy Boots used her oven for the bread but I just threw everything in my machine and it was totally fine. So to stop rambling, here is the recipe. Enjoy your fresh, healthy sandwich!!

Grandmother Bread
One-loaf

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups flour (used White-Whole Wheat)

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar & salt. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in first 4-5 cups of flour and stir with a heavy spoon. Stir in remaining cups, until dough becomes too tough to stir easily. Add more flour and begin kneading. (Flour is approx!) Add flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled (in a warm place!). About an hour. Uncover bowl, sprinkle with more flour & knead again, before dividing in half. With floured hands, shape dough into loaves and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover & let rise again in warm place! About an hour.
Bake for 25 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
If you have a bread machine put everything in according to manufacturer's directions. I used RAPID CYCLE and MEDIUM COLOR!

THIS HAS BEEN LINKED UP TO THESE AWESOME PARTIES!

Balancing Beauty and Badlam

Blessed with Grace

$5 Dollar Dinner Challenge

Roll your pants up

2010-03-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I was having some very weird dreams. I kept dreaming about blogger's and how I was going out with different blogger's I have been following. I must have been awake about ten times last night, up and down, up and down. I do think this was all due to the fact that as I was walking down the stairs with my son, we both wiped out. I slipped on the bottom of my sweatpants and we totally went flying. Needless to say we were both crying but I think he was crying because he was scared. But all night kept checking on him to make sure the poor thing was breathing. I have fallen before and slipped but to wipe out with him...ahhh I felt terrible. Anyone else ever totally bite the dust with your kid in your arms? Because I had a stressful night sleep I feel that we should indulge in some comfort food. This is a great brownie recipe and always have rave reviews whenever it is served. Enjoy and roll your pants up!

Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour(I use whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional, I usually had peanut butter chips-AWESOME)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
Melt butter in microwave.
Stir in sugar and vanilla.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Add cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt; beat until well blended.
Stir in nuts, if desired or anything else that goes with choc, heck everything goes with choc!!!)
Pour batter into pan.
Bake 30-35 minutes(I do 25 mins)

SECRET Chicken

2010-03-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

This is a great dish to do on days you can't figure out what to eat or when you have no time. Someone at work many years ago suggested this and said it was the best chicken she has ever had. I didn't believe her, I mean really THE BEST CHICKEN, that's a tall order. But I did give it a try and to my surprise it was the BEST and EASIEST chicken ever!!! But as you all know my husband is a picky eater, so I had to sneak this one in. I made it and kept dumping on the bread crumbs so he wouldn't see the mayo mixture. So we sat down to dinner and I held my breath while he took his first bite......Wait for it........"wow, this is good Babe!" YES! SUCCESS! I did tell him after he ate it that there was something in there he did not like but he didn't seem to mind. But we refer to this dish as the "secret chicken". So unless he reads this post I'm good to keep cooking it and calling it secret chicken. Babe, if you are reading this I love you and hope you still ask for "secret chicken". Have a great day everyone and enjoy.

1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan (adjust to your own preferences)
4 tablespoons "Italian" bread crumbs-I just keep pouring until the mayo mixture is covered
4 skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix mayonnaise and Parmesan.
Spread mixture over chicken breasts, then sprinkle on bread crumbs.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Banana Crumb Muffins

2010-03-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Everyone!
The start of a new week means the start of new adventures. Speaking of adventures.....My son Jake loves bananas! Before he was born we used to have bananas go bad because they sat on the counter, day after day. But now Jake takes care of that before that ever happens. Because I had them go bad I had to think of creative ways to use them before that would happen. So, in addition to the standard banana bread I found this recipe on All Recipes(love that site)! They are awesome warm with some butter.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour(I use King Arthur wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes. I always go with the lower number b/c my oven gets HOT!

Garlic-Butter Chicken

2010-03-12T04:51:00.000-08:00

HAPPY FRIDAY! We made it through another week of work! Congrats!
In my house my husband is what they call a"picky eater". BUT to give him credit he has come a really, really long way. You can ask anyone that knows us. When were first married I had no idea what to cook for him so we ended up eating a lot of hamburger helper, mac 'n cheese, and pop-tarts. That and this stuff was super cheap. Feel like throwing up? Yeah me too at the thought of it. :) At first he would not eat sauce, onions, wheat of any variety, mushrooms, tomatoes, the list goes on and on. But because my husband is awesome, he came around and tried new things for me. So now we have sauce on spaghetti, I can make onions as long as they are super small and cooked. He now eats brown rice and wheat bread. Aw, what 6 years does! So with all that being said we try new stuff on a regular basis now and this is a favorite. Enjoy it and have a great weekend.

Garlic Butter Chicken

Ingredients
1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp dried parsley, crushed
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
2 tbsp butter
1 1/4 c grated cheddar cheese
1 c dry breadcrumbs
7-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 c butter, plus
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Directions
In a skillet melt 1/2 c plus 2 tbsp butter over low heat/flame; add in garlic & cook for about 3 mins stirring constantly (do not burn garlic!) set aside to cool just slightly. I use garlic powder and put in the microwave with the butter. Works just as good
Flatten the chicken slightly using a meat mallet or the bottom of a mug (you use what you've got, right mom?)
In a shallow bowl mix together dry breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese, oregano, grated cheddar cheese, parsley, seasoned salt & black pepper to taste
Coat/dip each breast firstly into butter/garlic mixture (do not throw away any leftover butter mixture!)
Press into the bread crumb mixture to coat completely
Arrange the breasts onto a small lightly greased cookie/baking sheet or a 13 x 9-inch baking dish
Drizzle the chicken with remaining butter/garlic mixture
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 mins or until the chicken is cooked
Depending on the thickness of the chicken it may take longer
This goes great with brown or white rice

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

2010-03-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

This is a husband favorite, which makes this a staple in our house. It is super easy to put together when you are short on time. The hardest part about this dish is browning the meat. If and when you do freezing cooking days, brown a few pounds of meat and you will be ready to make this dish in a pinch. For this awesome dish you will need:

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion chopped(I never use this b/c my husband is not a huge fan)
1/2 tsp salt(don't use this either)
1 cup shredded cheese(use extra of this, yum)
1/2 cup Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Directions:
Heat oven to 450
Grease a pie plate with cooking spray
Brown your meat then add salt(if you want salt)
Put meat on bottom of pie plate
Top with cheese
In small bowl add the Bisquick, eggs, and milk. Whisk until blended
Pour over the meat and cheese
Bake about 25 mins (if you are using more cheese it will take longer to bake) as standard baking goes use a knife and when it comes out clean, it's done.
Serve with french fries and ketchup!
Enjoy!

Parmesan Crusted Talapia

2010-03-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

Like I mentioned in the previous post we are trying to eat more healthy. In doing so I would like to add more fish to our diets but my husband does not like anything that swims in the water. BUT his cousin suggested I try Tilapia because it has little to no smell and not a strong fish taste. So I thought what is the worst that will happen, if he doesn't like it we don't make it again. Well to my surprise and his, he loved it. On a side note this was the first meal we had in our house after we had bought it, almost two years ago! Time really does fly. Anyways the following recipe comes from the back of a Aldi's bag and it is awesome!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
4 tilapia fillets
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup bread crumbs (can add wheat germ to this)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp water2eggs, beaten

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Rinse and dry tilapia filets
Beat eggs and mix with water in a small bowl
Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, paprika, and butter in another bowl
Dip tilapia into the egg wash and then into the bread crumb mixture
Place in a greased glass dish and bake for 12-15 minutes
Fish is done when it flakes

If you have other ways to prepare Tilapia please share your ideas with me! Thanks and have a great day.

Home-made condensed soup

2010-03-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but I am definitely trying to get into eating more healthy and natural. It's not always easy because the bad stuff just tastes so good. Here is a recipe I found to make your own condensed soup.

1 Can Condensed Soup
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 cup chopped celery, sliced cooked mushrooms, or
cooked chicken (optional)
1. Melt margarine. Stir in flour.
2. Add milk gradually.
3. Stir over low heat until thick
4. Add one or more of the optional ingredients, if desired

Enjoy and let me know how you used this in your home!

German Noodle

2010-03-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

I am super excited right now because I ordered a Spatzle maker from Amazon.com. I am of German decent so when I find a German recipe I get excited. Many years ago a woman I knew made spatzle and I have been hooked ever since. This recipe is super simple! There are many recipes you can google but this is the one I use because I have tired a few and my husband likes this one best.

3 cups flour (I use white whole-wheat flour)

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1 cup water

4 tablespoons melted butter(for dough)

2 tablespoons melter butter(for after the noodles are done)

Mix flour, eggs, and salt. Slowly add water, mix. Add melted butter. If you don't have a spatzle maker you can rip off small pieces of dough and put it into boiling water or push the dough thru a metal collander with large holes. The spatzle will float to the top when they are done cooking. Drain. Add butter to coat. Serve as a side dish.

You can also serve with breadcrumbs or cinnamon and sugar on top(husband really likes this). Can also be used in place of noodles in stew or soups.

Enjoy....it's one of our family favorites!

This has been linked to
http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/
http://lifeasmom.com

First Time

2010-03-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

Hi! My name is Lindsay. This is my first time doing a blog and I thought I would give it a try and see what happens. My friend over at http://www.thisblessedlife.net/ a blog and has totally inspired me to write about daily life and super deals! In the meantime thanks for visiting and hope to see you soon!