3 Olives

I went to dinner last night with Judi and Theresa at 3 olives. The food was good and the therapy was great! The family ate leftovers. No cooking for me!! YAY!

Baked Ham Rigatoni

This one is a keeper. Everyone loved it. I think it would be good with some steamed broccoli in it so I might try that next time I make it. I got this from another one of my favorite blogs!!


BAKED HAM RIGATONI


1 pkg (16 oz) rigatoni pasta

2 - tablespoons real butter (1 oz)

1/2 cup flour

1 qt milk (4 cups)

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (separated)

about 1/2 lb thinly sliced ham

seasonings

(onion salt, pepper, cayenne pepper is optional)

small pads of butter for top



Preheat oven to 425degrees. Melt butter over medium heat and start water boiling for pasta. Once butter is melted, whisk in flour. Add your milk, and continue to stir until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. When the water is boiling, add pasta and cook until just past the Al-dente stage. Just starting to get soft. When the white sauce is done, add your seasoning, ham, and one cup cheese. stir well, to get the cheese melted. Drain your pasta and add to the sauce. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese. Dot the top with your pads of butter and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is bubbly and brown.

Enchiladas Suiza Mexican Lasagna

Last night we had meatloaf.......nothing exciting!
Tonight I made a new recipe, warning.....it took alot of time to prepare. We thought it was pretty good...had too much lime flavor we thought so next time I will just use one lime.

Enchilada Suiza Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

* 2 pounds ground chicken or turkey breast

* 1 tablespoon ground cumin

* 1 tablespoon ground coriander

* Salt and pepper

* One 15-ounce can hominy, rinsed (I left this out)

* 1 red onion, chopped (I used white)

* 2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, chopped (I used jalapeno)

* 3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

* 12 large or 14 small tomatillos, peeled and coarsely chopped

* 1/3 cup cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves (a generous handful)

* 2 avocados

* Grated peel and juice of 2 limes (I will just use 1 lime next time)

* 1 tablespoon honey

* One 11-ounce package flour tortillas
* 1/2 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded

* 1/2 pound Swiss cheese, shredded

* 1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream



Directions:

1. Preheat the broiler or the oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, crumbling the meat, and the cumin and coriander; season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the hominy and cook for about 3 minutes more.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan. Add the onion, chiles and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Using a food processor, process the tomatillos and cilantro until almost smooth, then stir into the onion mixture and simmer for 5 minutes. Rinse out the food processor bowl. Add the avocados, lime peel and lime juice; puree, then season with salt. Stir the avocado mixture into the tomatillo sauce. Stir in the honey.

4. In a dry skillet, or over an open flame, cook the tortillas until charred. In a bowl, combine the monterey jack and Swiss cheeses. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, layer some sauce, tortillas, meat, cheese, tortillas and so on, ending with a layer of cheese. Broil until browned and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Pass the crème fraîche at the table.

Merry Christmas

Had a GREAT Christmas! Had a houseful but it was really alot of fun! We had alot of laughs. I made a turkey with stuffing, mashed red potatoes, turkey gravy, manchego roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoe casserole, strawberry pretzel salad, chocolate mousse crunch cake, cheesecake, sugar cookies and pumpkin fluff dip (Made lots of desserts because we were having several friends over that night for dessert). My sister brought a ham and rolls. Mom made pineapple augratin and Banana Split Cheesecake Squares. Mike's mom brought cornbread dressing, sugar free apple pie from Cracker Barrell and a sugar free pecan pie. Terri brought broccoli rice casserole and pumpkin pie. Good Grief!!!! We had enough to feed several more families!!!! This was the first time in many years that we had both sets of parents and our sisters here......but I REALLY like it this way! That evening we had friends over for dessert and really enjoyed that. Might have to make that a new tradition!!!!!! Hope you all had a blessed day with your loved ones!

The Weekend

On Friday my dad took Blake hunting for the weekend. He only got a squirrell but he had the best time! Emily spent the night with her BFF Virginia Kate. Mike and I went to dinner at McCormick and Schmicks (Thanks Jamie for the gift card ;) it was YUMMY......I had Salmon stuffed with lump crab meat and Brie it was SO good.  We then went to see Michael W. Smith, it was a great night!

Saturday night we had our Sunday School Christmas Party. It was at the park and we had hot dogs, chips and then smores. The kids all played and it was really fun. The weather turned out to be perfect!! We were a little nervous about planning a party outside in December but we took our chances and it was really great!!

Sunday night we had some delicious leftover fajitas that Robin gave us from her company party. I made spanish rice to go with them. Thanks Robin!! :)

Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday Mike's dad was rushed to the hospital......his defibulator shocked his heart 5 times..........he's going to be fine but had he not had that in his cardiologist said he would have died!! Thank goodness for technology. So when the kids got home from school we headed to the hospital to visit him and then went out for a late dinner at Vida Loco.

Thursday night Blake and Mike went to a Bible Study party for Blake's Bible study he started at WCJH. Me and Emily went and hung out with Theresa, Judi and Kim and kids! We had frozen pizza and lots of laughs!!

Sweet and Saucy Pork Chops

I was going to a cookie and ornament exchange Tuesday night so I made this crockpot recipe. I served it with skin on mashed red potatoes and shoe peg corn.


Sweet and Saucy Pork Chops

Ingredients


2 tablespoons olive oil

4 pork chops, bone in

2 cups onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup water

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup brown sugar

Directions

1.Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

2.Add pork chops and brown for 3 minutes on each side.

3.Remove pork chops and place in slow cooker. Add onion to skillet and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

4.Reduce heat to low. Add garlic, water, ketchup, cider vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, and brown sugar. Stir until the brown sugar is dissolved. Pour sauce over pork chops.

5.Cook on Low for 8-10 hours.

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

Not much cooking over the weekend once again. Today I have Chicken and Dumplings in the crockpot and it smells really good!!

Classic Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients


2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices

2 celery ribs, sliced

10 3/4 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup

10 3/4 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

16 ounces refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, canned

1/2 cup frozen green peas

Directions

1.Place the chicken pieces, carrots, celery, soups, broth, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker and mix to combine thoroughly.

2.Cut five of the buttermilk biscuits into quarters. Add to the chicken mixture and lightly combine.

3.Cover; Cook on Low 6 to 8 hours (or on High 3 to 4 hours).

4.Fifteen minutes prior to serving, bake the remaining biscuits as directed.

5.Add the peas to the chicken and dumplings about two minutes before serving, or until warmed through.

6.To serve, spoon the chicken and dumplings into individual bowls and top each serving with a warm biscuit. Ladle additional sauce over the top, if desired.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

Wednesday night we had Spaghetti. Thursday night I made Chili.....I use the McCormick packet and follow the directions, easy and good. This time I used pinto beans instead of kidney beans and we all liked it that way much better!! Friday night since I forgot to take out the meat to thaw for hamburgers we had leftovers! :)

Soup

There's a boy named Garrett who is a sophmore at Seven Lakes, he has been diagnosed with Brain Cancer.....I did a fundraiser for him last night for the football team....GO Bald For Garrett, I shaved 25 teenage boys heads and raised 800.00!! It was alot of fun, they were sweet boys and as I shaved each one they recorded a video message for their friend, it was so good to hear their well wishes for him........Very Sweet Boys!!! 

I also went to Harwin with a friend yesterday, haven't been there in MANY years......we only had a couple of hours so I will be going back soon!

With all that going on I put dinner in the crockpot, I don't know what it's called so I call it Melinda's Soup because she gave me the recipe. The recipe is for the stove......I just put it in the crockpot for a few hours on low. I did cook bone in breasts for 4 hours in the crockpot then shredded and deboned them and threw in the soup ingredients.

SOUP

1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Rotel
1 Can French Onion Soup
1 Can Cream of Potatoe Soup
1 Can Evaporated Milk
Shredded Chicken

Combine all ingredients bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer for a little bit serve with shredded cheddar on top.

Comfort Meatballs

Comfort Meatballs

Ingredients:

FOR MEATBALLS

1-½ pound Ground Beef

¾ cups Oats

1 cup Milk

3 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion

1-½ teaspoon Salt

Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper, to taste

FOR COOKING MEATBALLS

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

Canola Oil

FOR SAUCE

1 cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Sugar

3 Tablespoons Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire

4-6 Tablespoons Onion (I used 6)

1 dash Tabasco



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes. (I refrigerated for a few hours)

After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.

Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

I am making rice and steamed broccoli to go with it.

Overwhelmed

I apologize for the lack of postings......We have been in survival mode around here! I had surgery on my foot on Thursday and then on Saturday my sweet friend Judi lost her husband, so I haven't cooked much and I haven't felt like posting what I have cooked. Maybe next week I can function!

Hope you all enjoy and value your time this Thanksgiving with your friends and family. I know I will. We are not promised another minute on this earth........that was made perfectly clear to me on Saturday. I will say that I am so grateful to have so many wonderful friends and to live in a community full of people who truly care about one another. The support that has been given to Judi and her family is overwhelming.

Love and Hugs!!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

We had a busy day planned on Saturday so I put this in the crock pot. We really liked it!!



Chicken Tortilla Soup
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, fire-roasted if available

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

6 corn tortillas, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced

1 large ripe avocado, diced

6 ounces crumbled fresh cheese, such as feta

2 cups tortilla chips, crumbled for garnish

2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions

1.Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with next 10 ingredients (tomatoes through chicken broth).

2.Cover and cook on low 4 to 6 hours.

3.Carefully remove the chicken and, when cool enough to handle, shred using two forks.

4.Place the shredded chicken back into the stoneware and add the cilantro.

5.Ladle the soup into bowls and top with avocado, cheese, and crumbled tortilla chips. Squeeze the juice of a lime wedge over the top of each serving.

Crockpot Chicken Caccitore

I made this for friend's who recently had a baby. I hope they liked it......it was the first time I made it!! For us I made sausage, peirogies and baked beans.

Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients:


6 chicken breasts, boneless (sliced in half)

olive oil

1 cup yellow onion, coarsely chopped

32 ounces tomato sauce, jarred

2 teaspoons dried oregano, (crushed)

2 teaspoons dried thyme, (crushed)

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

6 ounces sliced mushrooms, canned

1/4 cup dry red wine, (optional)

1 cup green pepper, coarsely chopped

Directions

1.Coat bottom of a skillet with olive oil, heat on stovetop set to medium heat, and brown chicken.

2.Drain and add chicken to stoneware.

3.Combine all other ingredients with chicken.

4.Place stoneware in slow cooker heating base, cover, and cook on Low for 5-7 hours or on High for 2-3 hours.

Taquitos

Monday I made Creamy Chicken Taquitos, rice and refried black beans.

CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS

1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese (I used half a block (so 4 oz) of 1/3 fat cheese)

1/4 cup green salsa

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. granulated garlic (I wasn't sure what this was so I used garlic powder)

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp. sliced green onions

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used 1 can)

1 cup grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas

kosher salt

cooking spray



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

2. Warm the cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine, and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

*You can prepare up to this step ahead of time; just refrigerate!

3. Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Place 2-3 Tbsp. of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges, and then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of the tortillas lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

4. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

The Weekend

What a great weekend it was the weather was perfect!! I love Fall!!

Friday night Mike, Emily and I went out to dinner. Blake went to the movies, dinner and mall with his friend Lauren. It made me a little nervous but I met Lauren's mother and she was with them so I let him go. He had a  great time. We had given him $30.00 so when we picked him up I asked if he had any change and he said "I was supposed to have change?" He spent every dime which was fine, we just thought it was so funny!! Then Saturday night we went to Vanessa's 2nd Annual Wine Tasting Party......it was also turned in to Nate's 40th Surprise Party so I didn't have to cook Saturday night either. The kids went to Nanny's for the night and she brought them home at 3 on Sunday, so it was a nice break yesterday! Although I did actually start missing them about 1:00.  Last night I grilled steaks for Mike and the kids and Tuna Steak for me.....I had never had it before but I loved it. I marinated the Tuna in lime juice, olive oil and garlic for about 30 minutes then grilled it. I made fresh green beans and roasted small red potatoes to go with it.

Taco Soup and Jalapeno Bread

Went to Celebrations at our church Second Baptist with friends this morning and I'm going to Ladies Night at Ace Hardware tonight with friends, so I put Taco Soup in the crockpot today!! I am also making a recipe I found from Taste of Home for Jalapeno Bread.....it's in the oven now and really smells good....I'll add a picture when it's done.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

-1 can chili beans (15 oz)

-1 lb. hamburger

-1 chopped onion

-1 can tomato soup (8 oz)

-1 can water (8 oz)

-1 can whole stewed tomatoes (28 oz)

-1 can kidney beans (15 oz)

-1 can green chilies (4 oz)

-1 can whole kernel corn

-1 package taco seasoning

*brown sugar (I don't add, I did the first time I made it but don't really like the sweetness)

-Toppings: crushed tortilla chips, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, green onions, avocado.



Directions:

-Brown hamburger and onion and drain fat.

-Combine all ingredients and simmer at least 2 hours or cook in crockpot.

*Add brown sugar to taste.

Jalapeno Bread
2 loaves (1pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 egg lightly beaten
1 can 3 1/2 ounces whole jalepenos, chopped
2 TBS. taco seasoning
1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimientos, drained
1 1/2 tsp. vinegar

Cut bread into 1 inch pieces. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix well. Spoon into 2 greased 8X4 inch Loaf pans. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove and let cool on wire rack.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday I made Hamburger Steaks, mashed potatoes, brown gravy and corn......nothing fancy!

Wednesday night I didn't have to cook. Mike was nominated to be a deacon at our church and the ordination ceremony was last night.....we were at the Woodway campus from 5:15 until about 9:00. I am so proud of him for accepting and committing to serving our church and our community!! The ceremony was very touching. They gave us each a pocket pack of tissues if that tells you anything. Jo Beth spoke to the wives during the ceremony and reminded us of our duties to our husbands.....it was really good!! So glad to have a husband who desires to do the right thing and has a true love for our God, we are far from perfect and mess up daily but so thankful that we are forgiven!!!

Spaghetti Casserole

Trying a new recipe tonight in the crockpot. Got this recipe from a friends blog!


Spaghetti Casserole



Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 med onion, chopped

1 (26 oz) jar tomato and basil pasta sauce
1/4 c butter

1/4 c all purpose flour
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk (I used 2%)

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 t pepper

8 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces
3 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese



Directions:

-Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and return to skillet.

-Stir pasta sauce into beef mixture.

-Melt butter in a saucepan over med-low heat; whisk in flour/cornstarch until smooth. Cook 1 min, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over med heat, whisking constantly, 8 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. -Remove from heat, and stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper.

-Spoon 1/3 of meat mixture into a lightly greased slow cooker. Spread 1/2 of broken noodles over meat mixture; pour 1/2 of white sauce over noodles, and sprinkle with 1 c cheddar cheese.

-Repeat layers once (1/3 meat, rest of noodles, rest of white sauce, 1 c cheese). Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese. Top with remaining 1 c cheddar cheese.

-Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

The Weekend

Wow!! What a BUSY but fun weekend, we were on the go all weekend long! Friday night we had hamburgers. We had the premade turkey burgers from HEB. The cranberry gorgonzola burgers are SOOOOO good!  Saturday we had a crazy busy day......Soccer Game, Emily's team won 1-0 and then Blake's football game, they won 40-0!! After that we had the Seven Meadows Fall Festival, our Sunday School class was in charge of the cake walk, it was a BEAUTIFUL day and there was a great turnout. So after all the activity I didn't feel like cooking and I forgot to take anything out to thaw so Mike, Emily and I went to La Finca, Blake went out to lunch with a friend after the football game so he wasn't hungry because they had eaten late, so he stayed home. Then Sunday we had Church, then a Birthday Party then  went to a Halloween Party where we had hot dogs for dinner, then trick or treated with friends then came back to our neighborhood and trick or treated here......I am tired!! Anyways it was fun and I didn't have to cook for 2 days!

Cookies!

This is my third time to make decorated sugar cookies and I really enjoy doing it!! I made these for a Halloween Party we are going to! I need practice but it is really fun for me!

Leftovers

Nothing exciting last night! We had leftovers! Yay for me! Loving this weather and looking forward to a busy but fun filled weekend!

Easy Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These are super easy and quick!!!

1 jar Grape Jelly
1 jar Heinz Chili Sauce
1 bag frozen already cooked meatballs (I use HEB homestyle ones not the Italian ones)

Combine jelly and chili sauce in crockpot pour in the meatballs and stir to coat cook on low at least 4 hours.
I served them over brown rice and made steamed broccoli. Enjoy!!!

I also made Blessing mix bags to hand out to friends, here's the recipe:

Blessing Mix

This recipe will make about 16 blessing mix gift bags of about one-third cup each, I doubled the recipe and put more in the bags than 1/3 cup.

Use cellophane goodie bags to package this treat.



Ingredients:

2 cups Bugles brand corn snacks

2 cups small pretzels

1 cup candy corn

1 cup dried fruit bits or raisins

1 cup peanuts or sunflower seeds

1 cup M&Ms brand chocolate candy

16 Hershey's brand chocolate kisses

Directions:

In a large bowl, gently mix all ingredients except Hershey's Kisses.

Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup Blessing Mix in small cellophane treat bags.

Add one Hershey's Kiss to each bag.

Makes 16 Blessing Mix gift bags


Here's the link to print the explanation that goes with it.
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/printable/gift-tags/thanksgiving-blessing-mix

Meatloaf

Eeryone liked it!! I had to cook it longer than 1 hour but it could have been the shape of my loaf??!?!


Pioneer Womans Meatloaf


Ingredients:

1 cup milk

6 bread slices (I used whole grain)

2 pounds ground beef

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup minced parsley

4 eggs

8 to 12 thin bacon slices

Sauce...

1 1/2 cups ketchup

6 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

couple dashes of hot sauce



Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- Place the bread slices in a bowl and pour 1 cup milk over the top. Let it soak in for a few minutes.

-Put the ground beef, milky bread, cheese, salt, seasoned salt, pepper, parsley, and beat eggs into a large mixing bowl. Now combine everything together using your hands. You will find everything combines nicely.

-Next, form into into a "loaf" and place on a broiler pan. By using a broiler pan, the fat will just drip to the bottom pan. For easy clean up, put some tinfoil on the bottom pan. Then just wrap bacon around the loaf and tuck the ends under the loaf.

-Now it is time to make the sauce that will cover the top. In a small bowl add the ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and a couple dashes of hot sauce. If you like it hotter you can add more hot sauce. Mix it all together well.

-Pour 1/3 of the sauce over the meatloaf.

-Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

-Take it out and pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top again. Put it back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until done.

Pioneer Womans Meatloaf

I love The Pioneer Womans Pot Roast recipe, so I decided to try her meatloaf recipe, it's in the oven now but I had to take a piture of it because I have NEVER wrapped anything in bacon.......it just looked wrong!! I edited the picture and turned it the right way, but can't get that one to load!! So just cock your head a little when you look at it!! :) I'll let ya know what the family thinks about it!

Pumpkin Bars

This is my moms recipe and they are so good! I remember her making them in the fall.

Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1 C. oil
1 2/3 C sugar
1 - 16 oz. can pumpkin
2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
Beat together eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin till light & fluffy. stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mix. spread batter in ungreased 15 x 10 x 1" pan/350 for 25 - 30 ,min.

Cream cheese Icing
1- 3 oz. cream cheese
1/ 2 C butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C. powdered sugar.

You can sprinkle the top with chopped nuts.
ENJOY...

Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Bake

Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Bake


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 chicken cutlets, about 1 pound
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa verde
3/4 cup ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
4 large flour tortillas, cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 cups baby spinach, about 1/4 pound (I didn't measure, just put an even layer of leaves to cover dish each time)
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese (I used plain Monterey jack)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then shred the meat.
Whisk together the salsa verde and ricotta; season with salt and pepper.
In a greased 9-inch square baking dish layer one-third of the salsa mixture, tortillas, chicken, onion, spinach and pepper jack; repeat twice.
Bake until golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Other magazine suggestions:
Swap in 3 cups crushed tortilla chips for the flour tortillas for added crunch.
Try monterey jack instead of pepper jack cheese for a mild, less spicy dish. (I was definitely glad I used plain monterey jack!)
Use a 15-ounce can of your favorite beans in place of the chicken for vegetarians.

Coconut Crusted Chicken with Mango Salsa

This was YUMMY!!! Even my kids liked it!

Coconut Crusted Chicken with Mango Salsa


Ingredients for Salsa
1/2 pound frozen mango, thawed and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) (I used 1 large fresh mango)
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Salt and pepper
Combine above ingredients and set aside.
For the chicken:
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
Four 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:
In a shallow bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the coconut in another shallow bowl. Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the coconut. Press to coat.
In large, ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Serve the chicken with the mango salsa.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

Sunday night Mike had a deacon testimony meeting..........I am so proud of him, he was nominated to be a deacon at Second Baptist. His 3 year service starts in January!!! Anyways he was off at the Woodway Campus so I made the kids sausage, mac and cheese and baked beans. Made spaghetti and meat sauce last night.....super easy!  Tonight we are having Breaded Ranch Chicken Tenders, these are really good! My kids love them! I am making roasted red potatoes and steamed broccoli to go with them.

Breaded Ranch Chicken Tenders

Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 packet ranch dressing mix
Pam

Mix bread crumbs, cheese and ranch in shallow dish. Rinse tenders in water, shake off excess then dip in bread crumb mixture. Put on pan sprayed with Pam. When you are done coating them spray them all with Pam and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear.

Where does the time go????

Really! Why am I so busy!?!?! Last weekend I went to Hyatt Lost Pines with 3 of my BESTEST girl friends.....we had so much fun!!! It was so relaxing hanging out by the lazy river. We laughed soooooo much.....it really is great having such awesome women to share my life with. We always have such a great time together, I really treasure it! 

This week really flew by! I promise I will be better about blogging my recipes this week!!

The weekend?!?!

I really like that I haven't been cooking much on the weekends!!!! Leftovers RULE! I did make steaks for the boys and chicken kabobs for the girls Sunday night but that's easy!!  Monday night we had spaghetti.....I always use Ragu but this time in an effort to save more $$ at the grocery store I bought Hill Country Fare sauce and actually liked it better! No one even knew the difference, score one for me! Tuesday night we had Chicken Tomatillo, spanish rice and ranch style beans. The chicken was REALLY good and flavorful! Another Crockpot recipe! I LOVE my crockpot!!!!! The rice recipe can be found in an earlier post.

Green Tomatillo Chicken

Ingredients


6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup green tomatillo salsa

1 1/2 cups sour cream

Directions

1.Place the chicken breasts in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker.

2.In a small mixing bowl, combine the onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, lemon juice and salsa. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts.

3.Cook on Low 6 to 8 hours (or on High for 3 to 4 hours).

4.Remove the chicken from the stoneware and keep warm.

5.Stir the sour cream into the juices in the stoneware and blend well. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Crockpot Chicken Marsala

Ingredients


4 chicken breasts

1 stick butter

8 ounces cream cheese

2/3 cup Marsala wine

21 1/2 ounces mushroom soup, canned

3/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

salt and pepper

Directions

1.Cube chicken breast. Place chicken, butter and spices in the slow cooker.

2.Mix cream cheese, wine and mushroom soup. Pour over chicken.

3.Cover; cook 4-5 hours on High.

Beer Roasted Lime Chicken

Beer Roasted Lime Chicken
1 4lb whole Chicken
1 12 oz can of Beer
1 Lime
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Cut lime in half and squeeze over chicken place inside cavity. Place opened beer in roasting pan and place chicken on top of it. Cover with foil. Roast for about 1 1/2 hours or until juices run clear, remove foil last 20 minutes.

I had some new potatoes in the fridge that I had boiled for potatoe salad that I didn't end up making, so I cut them in chunks drizzled olive oil over them and sprinkled them with Kosher salt and roasted at 400 for about 30 minutes stirring every so often, they were really good!! I will make them like that again!

Last night we had Stouffers Lasagna I had bought at HEB(it was one of their meal deals)I hate that stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyways, it was dinner!

Beef Burgundy

I have Beef Burgundy in the crockpot for tonight and it smells really good! I will serve it over rice. This recipe came from crockpot.com.

Beef Burgundy
Ingredients
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 pounds beef chuck cubed
¼ cup olive oil
2 onion(s) sliced
1 cup mushrooms sliced
1 cup fresh parsley minced
6 teaspoons garlic minced
4 bay leaves
2 cups burgundy wine
1 cup beef broth


Directions
Mix the flour, salt and pepper.
Dredge beef in flour and brown in olive oil on stovetop.
Place beef and remaining ingredients in slow cooker.
Cover; cook on Low 4-6 hours or High 2-3 hours

WOW am I behind!!!

I can't even remember all of last week so I will start with Friday! I made Baked Cream Cheese Enchilada's, I doubled them to take a pan to a friend who recently had a baby....I made Cilantro Lime Rice and canned black beans to go along with it.

Baked Cream Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients:
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 c. sour cream (I use FF)
- 2 c. prepared salsa
- 2 c. grated cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 c. shredded cooked chicken
- 1 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1/2 t. cumin
- 1/4 t. dried oregano
- 1/4 t. cayenne (I use chili powder)
- salt and pepper
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 12-14 flour or corn tortillas, 6-8 inch

Directions:
- Preheat oven 325 degrees.
- In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in 1/2 c. salsa. Stir in 1 c. grated cheeses.
- In a second bowl toss together the chicken, corn, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, and 1/2 scallions.
- Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.
- In a baking dish spread 1/2 c. salsa over bottom. Place about 1/3 c. filling on a corn tortilla, roll up and put in dish seam side down. Repeat process for remaining tortillas.
- Pour remaining salsa over enchiladas, spreading to coat all of them. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. (Enchiladas may be prepared up to this point 12 hours in advance) - Transfer to preheated oven and bake 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and serve warm.

Saturday night we went out to dinner with friends to Cafe Adobe...YUM!!!! Sunday night we had egg salad sandwiches!!

Way behind again!

Thursday last week we had leftovers and friday night we went out to dinner with friends! Saturday night I made some yummy grilled chicken sandwiches. Sunday night kids had pasta and sauce and mike and I had grilled sandwiches. I will post the recipe later for the sandwiches!

Cabbage Rolls

My mom used to make these when we were kids and Mike and I were watching Drive Ins, Diners and Dives and they had them on there. So I went looking for a recipe, I found one in that cookbook from my grandma's church and I kinda followed it!! They turned out really good!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

1 cup rice cooked

1 onion chopped

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 large can tomatoe sauce

1 large head of cabbage

Place 12 large leaves in boiling water and let steam a few minutes to soften. Saute onion in a little butter until softened. Combine meats, cooked rice, salt, pepper, eggs and onion, mix well. Place mound of meat on each cabbage leaf, fold sides over and roll up. Place in pan and cover with tomatoe sauce. Bake covered 2 hours at 375.

Organized!!!!!!!!!!

I was tired of tripping over backpacks and having stacks of paper laying around and notes and reminders stuck ALL OVER the fridge, so with my awesome friend Theresa we made use of some hallway space. The kids hang their backpacks on the hooks, and if they need me to sign something they put it in my folder!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was hard to get a picture of it because it is in the hallway going to my laundry room, but hopefully you can see it!

Taquitos

Made some taquitos from On My Menu Blog, they were really good!! They would be great to use as an appetizer to take to a party.

CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS

1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese (I used half a block (so 4 oz) of 1/3 fat cheese)
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic (I wasn't sure what this was so I used garlic powder)
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used 1 can)
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
small corn tortillas (I used 24)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. Warm the cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine, and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
*You can prepare up to this step ahead of time; just refrigerate!
3. Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Place 2-3 Tbsp. of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges, and then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of the tortillas lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
4. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

I made Spanish Rice to go with it and a can of black beans. The rice recipe can be found in an earlier post.

Banana Bread and Homemade Granola

This banana bread recipe comes out of a cookbook from my Grandma's church in New Castle, PA. I have tried many recipes for banana bread and none beat this one. I didn't have buttermilk Saturday when I made it so I substituted vanilla yogurt and I think it made it more moist! It was really good. This recipe also makes 2 loaves so it's great......I usually give one to a friend or neighbor or freeze one for later, it freezes very well!
Grandma's Best Banana Bread
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
3 c. flour
1 1/4 c. buttermilk (or yogurt)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mashed bananas and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Add nuts. Pour into 2 greased 9X5 loaf pans and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes(until wooden pick comes out clean).

I also made our favorite Homemade Granola on Saturday. It's low fat and is really good sprinkled on yogurt and fruit. It's a weight watchers recipe so if you count points one serving is 1/2 cup and 3 points.

Homemade Granola

Ingredients
3 cup(s) uncooked quick oats
2 cup(s) ready-to-eat puffed rice cereal
6 Tbsp honey
1 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup(s) apple juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup(s) slivered almonds
1/4 cup(s) dried cranberries
1/4 cup(s) raisins

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix uncooked oats and puffed rice cereal together and spread on a non-stick baking sheet with sides; bake for 10 minutes, stirring once.


Meanwhile, mix honey, oil, apple juice, spices and vanilla together in a cup. When oats and puffed rice are done, spoon into a large bowl; set pan aside. Add almonds to cereal mixture and stir to combine. Pour honey-spice mixture over cereal mixture and mix thoroughly to distribute and coat completely; spread mixture back over pan.

Salmon

Thursday night we had Salmon, box wild rice mix and some veggies. The Salmon was pretty good.

Roasted Salmon
2 Tbs. Dijon Mustard
4 Tbs. Soy Sauce
6 Tbs. Olive Oil
4 Cloves minced garlic
Whisk all ingredients together, set 1/2 aside for dipping...pour remainder over salmon and let marinade for 15 minutes. Remove from marinade and roast in preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

I didn't even cook friday night......too much going on so Mike and Emily ate while shopping at Sam's and Blake and I had cereal!!

Saturday night was easy cooking, grilled sausage, velveeta shells and cheese, and can of baked beans!:)

Sunday after church we left for a spontaneous trip and met some friends in San Antonio. We hung out at the hotel pool and that evening we went out for some Bar b Que!! Spent Monday at Sea World, we expected it to be crowded but it wasn't at all! We rode rides with out even getting back in line! It was GREAT!! On the way home we stopped at Bucees (of course) and the kids and Mike had sausage cheese kolaches for dinner and I had a yummy Southwest Wrap. It was really alot of fun and sometimes being spontaneous is good!

Easy Crock Pot Recipes

I LOVE my crockpot!! This week I made 2 meals in it, Cashew Chicken on Monday and Chicken Parisienne is cooking for tonights dinner. Tuesday I made Hamburger Steaks, mashed potatoes and roasted carrots and brussel sprouts.

Cashew Chicken
1 1/2 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Tenders cubed (I buy whats on sale)
2 Tbs. Butter
1/4 chopped green onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom
1 cup sliced celery
1 1/2 Tbs. soy sauce 1/2 cup cashews

Combine all in crockpot, cover and cook on low 6 hours or High 4 hours. Serve with rice.

Chicken Parisienne
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 can cream mushroom or chicken
8 oz. canned sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup sour cream
6 cups Hot Cooked Egg noodles
Combine all in crockpot except sour cream and egg noodles.
Cover and cook on high 2 to 3 hours. Add sour cream last 30 minutes. Serve over noodles.

The Weekend

Well we survived the first week of school!! It was a good week, both kids are happy with there teachers and classes, so that makes me happy!!Friday night Blake had football practice and it was Mike's turn (We take turns with 2 other friends driving them so that is REALLY nice) So I didn't cook we just had leftovers from the week. Saturday we had our big Sunday school party that Mike and I were in charge of (We are the social team leaders for our class) It went great and everyone had fun, it was from 4-7 so no cooking again for me!! Although I did make Macaroni Salad for the party but that was easy!! Sunday night I made breakfast for dinner. We had scrambled eggs, sausage, grits, and biscuits! I love breakfast for dinner!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday!

Tuesday I made:
Grilled Tomatillo Chicken

This recipe comes from Taste of Home. I did puree the sauce and was glad I did...I thought it made the texture more appetizing, more like a salsa. It was a very summer-y dinner and hit all around!!!

Ingredients:
* 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
* 4 slices provolone cheese
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 6 tomatillos, husks removed, chopped
* 1/4 cup lime juice
* 6 pickled jalapeno slices, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* Sour cream, optional

Directions:
* Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 4-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Top with cheese; cook 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted.
* In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the tomatillos, lime juice and jalapenos; cook 3 minutes longer. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper. (I pureed the sauce a little because I didn't think the chunks of tomatillos looked very appetizing) Serve tomatillo mixture and chicken and with rice; dollop with sour cream if desired. Yield: 4 servings.
Cilantro Lime Rice
Cook rice as usual.
For each cup of rice:
2/3 cup cilantro, loosely packed
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped scalions
1 jalapeno (or to taste)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
Puree the above in a blender, add to the cooked rice, stir well.
Wednesday I made Shrimp and Grits I got off of a friends blog. It was really good!
Shrimp and Grits

GRITS:
1 box (4 cups) chicken broth
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup quick cooking stone ground grits - (if you can’t find stone ground, just get whatever you can find – but NOT instant packets)
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
SHRIMP:
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pound smoked sausage (NOT KIELBASA) sliced
2 pounds raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I buy them frozen and take the tails off)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can rotel – normal
chopped green onions for garnish
*good bit of Cajun seasoning

DIRECTIONS:
Grits first! In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring the chicken stock and whipping cream up to a low simmer. While simmering, whisk in the grits and a pinch of salt. Stir constantly and return to a low simmer. Cook until thickened, stirring often about 10 minutes. Stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let them cool some so they can get SUPER THICK, the grits need to be very thick so they can stand up to the runny sauce from the shrimp. The sauce thins out the grits a bunch, so they need to start out with it being extra thick.
Shrimp/Sausage: this goes pretty fast – if you are doing this for guests, I would wait to do this part until they are actually there… so you don’t end up overcooking the shrimp.
Heat a large pot (I use my Le Creuset stockpot) over medium heat.
Measure the wine and open the can of rotel so that it is ready!
Melt butter and then sauté the onion, garlic and bell pepper.
Sauté until tender and translucent add sausage. (you don’t want the sausage to get overly browned)
When sausage has cooked, add the shrimp and sauté for about 2 minutes (not done yet) add white wine and diced tomatoes/rotel.
Bring to a boil, about 5 minutes – Season with salt, pepper and cajun seasoning (if you are using Tony’s – don’t add extra salt!)
SERVING:
Put a hearty amount of grits in bottom of bowl and top with sausage, shrimp and the runny sauce – top with green onions and serve with crusty bread/butter
Thursday night I am going to hear Jeannette Clift George speak at a woman's event at our church......I love her!!! Mike is going to WCJH for 6th grade orientation so we are having a simple dinner Spaghetti and meat sauce.

School!

Well I can't believe summer is over and more than that I can't believe Blake is in junior high! He came home yesterday LOVING it.......I am very relieved!! I thought the independence of junior high would be good for him! Hoping the love continues! Emily had a great day also she loved her teacher and has several friends in her class.

Sunday night we had burgers and fries and Monday night I made something that I don't even know what it is called. My sister wrote down the recipe for me over a year ago but didn't put the name on it and she can't remember what it's called either!! Oh well it's good and even my kids loved it!

1 Lb. Lean Stew Meat
4 cups shredded slaw mix
3 Tbs. quick-cooking tapioca
1 envelope onion soup mix
3 cups water
1 12 oz. can of beer

Place meat and slaw mix in crockpot, sprinkle with tapioca and onion soup mix. Pour beer and water over all.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
I serve it over rice. I also made sauteed okra and tomatoes with it. My kids ate it up!

Weekend Fun!

Friday night I went to Chuy's with some of my bestest girlfriends to celebrate Amber's 40th birthday! Chuy's is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good....I wish they would build one in Katy! Emily went to one of her friend's for a welcome back slumber party. McKenna has been in New York most of the summer visiting her mom and her dad set up a fun welcome home party. So Mike and Blake were on their own for dinner!

Saturday afternoon/evening we are going to a party to celebrate Amy's birthday. I'm taking shrimp ceviche and hot dog buns. It's a new recipe so if it's good I'll post the recipe.

Hope you all enjoy your last weekend before the craziness of school starts!

The Week!

Tuesday I made Crock Pot Chops and Gravy (This recipe is a repeat and can be found in an earlier post.) Wednesday we had Creamy Italian Chicken over egg noodles.

Creamy Italian Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs of boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut in strips)
1/4 cup of butter (melted)
8 oz. container of cream cheese with chives
1 can cream of mushroom soup (can use 98% FF)
1 (0.7 oz.) pkg. Italian dressing (dry mix)
1/2 cup of water
Egg Noodles
Add-Ins: onions,mushrooms,carrots Directions:
Place Chicken breasts in crock pot.
Combine butter, cream cheese, mushroom soup, italian dressing mix, and water.
Stir any Add-Ins you want into the sauce.
Mix and pour over chicken.
Cook in crock pot for 6-8 hours.
Serve over egg noodles

Thursday I had Sub Training from 8-5 and then picked up our friends Theresa,Virginia Kate and Causby and went to meet the teacher. The boys were at football practice so us girls went to Chic Fil A and the boys ate leftovers from the week!!

Weekend

The weekend was easy cooking....no recipes involved!! Saturday was sausage, Velveeta shells and cheese corn on the cob and baked beans. Sunday steaks for the boys and chicken for me and Emily.
Monday night I made Creamy Lemon Chicken. I usually don't like lemon in food but this one is mild lemon flavor and I like it! This one also came from a friends blog, On My Menu

Creamy Lemon Chicken over Rice (or Noodles)
Ingredients:
2 c. cooked, diced chicken
2 cans cream chicken soup (I always use 98% FF in my recipes and it tastes just as good)
1/2 c. mayonnaise
4 T. lemon juice
2 t. onion salt
2 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. sour cream
hot cooked rice, egg noodles, etc.

Directions:
* Cook rice or noodles as directed (we prefer rice).
* Cook remainder of ingredients, EXCEPT sour cream, until just boiling.
* Remove from heat and add sour cream.
* Serve over rice or noodles.

Home from Camp! :)

Picked Blake up today and we went out for lunch! Glad to have him back!! He had a GREAT time and LOVED his room makeover! He was SO surprised. It's amazing what a little paint, some stuff to hang on the wall and rearraning the furniture can do. Thanks to my awesome friend Theresa for all the help and fun shopping! Since we went out for lunch no one was hungry so instead of cooking Jamie and I went to the Mommy Swagger Expo and then went and checked out the new Coach store! If you know me well you know I LOVE Coach but I resisted and didn't buy one.....guess I got my fix this week from Wendy.......LOVE my pink Coach Wendy ;)THANKS!!! This is our first Saturday the entire summer to have NOTHING on our agenda and it feels great! Already did 4 1/2 miles this morning with a friend and now just gonna relax, spend time with the family and maybe swim a little!

Wednesday and Thursday

Last night we had leftovers!!

I have a roast in the oven right now for tonights dinner and it smells SOOOOOOOO good!!! Can't wait to try it! This recipe comes from The Pioneer Womans Cookbook

Pioneer Womans Pot Roast

Ingredients:
* 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 2 whole Onions
* 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
* Salt To Taste
* Pepper To Taste
* 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)(I used Barefoot Merlot)
* 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
* 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
* 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Directions:
First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).
Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Chicken Marsala Casserole

I get my rotisserie chicken at Sam's because you can't beat the price......4.99!!This recipe came from a friends blog, I have tried MANY of her recipes and most have become family favorites!!


Marsala Chicken and Mushroom Casserole
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
10 ounces sliced mushrooms
(I added 1 t minced garlic and 1/2 white onion, chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoons flour (or cornstarch)
1/2 cup marsala wine or white wine (I used marsala cooking wine)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper
1 cup long-grain rice
2 packed cups coarsely chopped rotisserie chicken
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat until just melted. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and stir in for 1 minute. Stir in the marsala and cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, the parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
2.In a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole, spread the rice in an even layer; top with the chicken. Pour the mushroom gravy on top. Cover snugly with foil and bake until bubbly, about 35 minutes. Discard the foil, sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for 5 minutes more.

Sunday and Monday

Made a ribeye for Mike, grilled chicken breasts for Emily and I.

Last nights dinner was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! I got the recipe off a friends blog and it was very flavorful! It called for a pork roast but at HEB I found some packages of Pork cuts that were like extra pieces they looked really good and lean so I asked the butcher and told her what I needed it for and she said it would work great and it did! I paid $3.40 for it where a pork roast was around $11.00. BIG savings!

Café Rio Pork Salad

For the Pork:
Buy the cheapest 2-3 lb pork roast you can find, put garlic salt and salt and pepper and fry it to brown it. Put it in a crock-pot (or regular baking pan) with 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of Coca Cola, and 1 cup of Salsa. Roast until the pork pulls apart easily and is tender. You can bake it at 350 in the oven for 2-3 hours til the same consistency.

For the Dressing:(this stuff is SOOO good, I could drink it :-), well maybe not, but it is great to dip chips in too)
2 cups Mayo
2 cups of Sour Cream
10 sprigs of cilantro
3 Tomatillos
2 green onions
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno pepper
juice of 1 lime
1 or 2 tsp of salt
Put it all in a blender and let er' rip.

For the Rice:
Use a box of Mexican flavored rice, only use half the seasoning, make as directed but adding 5 sprigs of cilantro and juice from 2 limes while the rice is boiling and before you let it simmer.

For the Rest of it:
We use romaine lettuce, guacamole, black beans, cheese and the flour tortillas. Pile it all on the in the same order as the restaurant... tortilla, cheese, rice, beans, pork, lettuce, dressing, guacamole, and we even put Parmesan on top. It is freakishly close the real thing. Give it a shot!

One week

This week was a little hectic! Our students left Wednesday morning and it was SOOOOO hard to say good bye! We really were blessed by having them for 3 weeks and they will forever have a special place in my heart! Wednesday evening Emily and Hammy were playing in her room and she fell off her couch and fractured her elbow :( Then on Thursday after seeing the Orthopedic Dr. she got her Phase 1 braces. POOR girl has had a rough week! She has really been a trooper though!!

Monday night we had grilled pork tenderloin, rosemary garlic roasted potatoes and steamed cauliflower. On Tuesday for the girls last night with us I made chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cream gravy and steamed yellow squash. Wednesday I made:
Shephard's Pie

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
- 2 c. French's french fried onions
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 c. water
- 1/2 t. each salt and pepper
- 1 package (10 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook meat in large ovenproof skillet until browned; drain.
(I use a normal skillet and layer the ingredients in a square casserole dish for the oven)
- Stir in 1 c. fried onions, soup, water, salt and pepper.
- Spoon veggies over beef mixture. Top with mashed potatoes.
- Bake 20 min. or until hot. Sprikle with remaining 1 c. onions. Bake 2 min. or until golden.

Thursday night we had Spaghetti with meat sauce.
Friday night Hamburgers as always it is.
Saturday night I got a break from cooking and we went out for dinner at a mexican restaurant in Rosenberg with some great friends!

Hoping this week is bump free!!! Blake is headed off to camp today for a week and I am surprising him with a room makeover!! Can't wait to see his face when he sees it!

Weekend

Friday night we had tacos, spanish rice and beans. Saturday we had a full day planned so before heading out for the day I put dinner in the crockpot.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 bag frozen meatballs (regular not italian style)
1 jar grape jelly
1 jar Heinz Chili Sauce

Put meatballs in crockpot. Mix jelly and chili sauce together pour over meatballs stir and cook on low 5 hours. I serve over rice.

We had steamed baby carrots and green beans with it.

Sunday night we had good ol chili dogs, tator tots, watermelon and cantalope.

White Lasagna

This is a great recipe because you prepare it the day before and bake it the next. I often use this when I am taking a meal to someone because they can cook it when it is convenient for them. I used the bone in breasts and cooked them all day in the crockpot then shredded them.

White Lasagna

16 Lasagna Noodles
2 1lb. jars Ragu Alfredo Parmesan Sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
4 cups shredded mozzerella

Cook noodles and drain. Combine sauce, garlic and pepper, stir to mix well. Spread 3/4 cup sauce in dish, arrange 4 noodles over sauce overlapping slightly. Top noodles with 3/4 cup sauce, 1 cup chicken and 1 cup cheese. Repeat 2 times and top with remaining 4 noodles and 1 cup cheese. Spray foil with PAM and cover. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge and let stand 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 covered for 30 minutes, uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Way behind!

Things are really CRAZY around here with our extra kids but we are LOVING having them!! Friday I made steaks for Mike, Blake and our exchange students per their request and Emily and I had Chicken and veggie kabobs. Saturday night we went to a cookout/birthday party! Sunday night it was barbeque at the Hoe Down Party!! Monday night we had a quick dinner before heading out to the Astros game....Brown Sugar Chicken in the Crockpot and last night I made Easy Beef Stroganoff over rice and steamed broccoli.

Brown Sugar Chicken

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
--1 cup brown sugar (it's okay. you can brush your teeth after.)
--1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (stay with me...)
--2/3 cup vinegar (I used white wine, but think regular white would be fine)
--3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
--2 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are GF)
--1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions.

Use a 5-6 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.


Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
- 1 to 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
- 1/2 med. onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 1 can (8 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
- cooked noodles or rice

Directions:
- Cook meat in a large skillet with onion and garlic.
- When meat is done stir in mushroom soup, sour cream, mushrooms and onion soup packet until well mixed.
- Reduce heat and continue stirring until heated through.
- Serve over noodles.

Thanksgiving

Yesterday our exchange students learned about Thanksgiving. On the way home we were talking about their day and they told me they had Pumpkin Pie with lunch and they didn't like it, but they told me they love Pecan Pie. So today I baked them a Pecan Pie. Believe it or not this recipe is sugar free and it is really good. My dad loves pecan pie so I gave this recipe to my mom to try on him and he loved it. It really is as good as the real thing without all the guilt.

Sugar Free Pecan Pie
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup melted margarine
2 eggs
1 (12 oz.) jar Honey Tree sugar-free honey (I can only find it at WalMart)
1 C pecans
Mix and pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 375 for 45 - 55 min.
Here's the crust recipe I use:
Basic Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening, chilled
• 3 tablespoons ice water
Directions
1. Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.
2. Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
3. Roll out dough, and put in a pie plate. Fill with desired filling and bake.

Being that Mike can't eat nuts and Blake hates nuts I also made a fresh peach pie!!
Peach Pie
Ingredients
• 1 (15 ounce) pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 1 egg, beaten
• 5 cups sliced peeled peaches
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Brush with some of the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy later.
3. Place the sliced peaches in a colander, and sprinkle with lime juice, let drain in sink . In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently. Pour into the pie crust, and dot with butter. Cover with the other pie crust, and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork dipped in egg. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam.
4. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the vents. If the edges brown to fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving. This tastes better warm than hot.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a really easy recipe, you can cook your chicken in the crockpot and put it together pretty quick. HEB has bone in chicken breasts on sale for $1.00 a pound. I used those and cooked them on low for about 6 hours in the crockpot. I didn't add anything to them just threw them in there. When they are done debone chicken and shred it.

What you need:

2 cans mild enchilade sauce
2 cans green chile enchilada sauce
1 4 oz. can fire roasted diced green chiles
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
15-20 corn tortillas (I usually have enough chicken mixture to make one 9 X 13 pan and one 8 X 8 pan using 20 tortillas.....I freeze the small pan)

On stove, over low heat simmer the 2 cans green chili enchilada sauce, cream cheese cubeb and can green chilis until cheese is melted. While that's simmering add the mild enchilada sauce to the shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese, mix well. Place mixture in tortillas roll up and place in pan. Pour above sauce over top add remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

We had the cilantro lime rice and beans out of a can with them!

Wednesday

NO COOKING TONIGHT!!! The girls are at church until 8 pm tonight and Mike and I have a leadership meeting at church from 6-7 that we have to be at, so.............the kids and I will have leftovers and Mike will pick up something on his way to the church.

Ravioli Lasagna

So easy and good!!

1 package Frozen Cheese Ravioli
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 jar Ragu
Shredded low fat mozzerella
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Brown meat and drain, add sauce and stir. In 9X13 pan spread about 1 cup sauce add frozen ravioli pour remaining sauce/meat mixture and stir sprinkle with mozzerella cheese. Bake covered at 425 for 30 minutes. Remove cover sprinkle with parmesan and bake 10 more minutes.

I always serve steamed zuchini with this.

CRAZY BUSY!!!

WOW! We have been sooooo busy with the girls here! They are at school during the week from 8:45 until 3:30 but the time is flying by! Anyways they are loving my American cooking!! Agatha told me "We like you cook Mom!!" SO SWEET!!
Monday night we had Spicy Honey Chicken, Hobo Corn on the Cob and Roasted Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes

Spicy Honey Chicken
Recipe by Our Best Bites8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!)
everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I'm tellin'
ya right now it's better with thighs.

2 t vegetable oil

Rub:
2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder
Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.
If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze! Remember how I had you reserve that extra couple tablespoons of glaze? Ya, drizzle that on top now. Your taste buds will thank you.


Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
www.ourbestbites.com
1 1/2 lb. fingerling (or other very small potatoes), washed; try and pick the potatoes that are as bite-sized as possible
2 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp. coarse-grain or Dijon mustard
2 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Rosemary (be sure and strip the needles from the stem before chopping them)
About 5 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
Coarsely-ground black pepper
Kosher salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, combine olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary, mustard, and some black pepper. Set aside. When the water is boiling, add the potatoes and boil for about 10 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a fork. Drain, return the potatoes to the pan, and then toss with the mustard mixture.

Now...this is where the beauty of this recipe comes in. You can either do all of this ahead of time and then refrigerate the potatoes until you're ready to finish them off or you can do it all at once. Either way, you're not going to spend more than 30 minutes making these beauties and they're so elegant that you could seriously serve them at the fanciest dinner party. So...if you're making these right now, preheat your oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. If you're saving them (for up to 6 hours), line the baking sheet and spread the potatoes out evenly and then cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until you're ready to bake them.

When you're ready to bake these guys, sprinkle with Kosher salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the skins are browning and sizzling. For fancy presentation, place the roasted potatoes on a platter, scrape those delicious bits off the foil sprinkle them over the potatoes, and then garnish with a few sprigs of rosemary.

Hobo Corn on the Cob

Fresh Corn on the cob
Butter
Salt and Pepper or Season Salt
Heavy Duty Foil
2 ice cubes

Spread butter on corn, sprinkle with seasoning. Place on foil add ice cubes roll up tight. Bake at 450 for 35-40 minutes.

Been Busy!!

We have been a bit busy!!! We are hosting 2 Chinese Exchange Students for 2 1/2 weeks. It has really been fun and we are really enjoying having them!! We picked them up on Friday around 12:30. Staying with the normal we had hamburgers and baked fries for dinner along with cantaloupe and strawberries. One of the girls put strawberries on her burger!! They both ate every bite. On Saturday night we had Chicken Fajitas, spanish rice and refried beans. They LOVED the rice!!

Spanish Rice

2 TBS. oil
1 cup uncooked rice
1 onion, chopped
2 cups water
1 10oz. can rotel
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. salt

Heat oil in skillet, saute rice and onion until rice is browned, stir in water, rotel and spices. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Sunday night we had Red Beans & Rice with Sausage and cornbread. This recipe is from a friends blog.....thanks Christa!!!

Easy Red Beans and Rice

1 pkg your favorite sausage, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 - 1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans of red beans
1 Tbs. cornstarch
Cooked rice *if you want a wow flavor, substitute the water for chicken stock (in the box).. MUCH BETTER with this dish
Tony Chacheres, or seasoned salt

Brown the sausage a little bit Add onions and peppers to sausage and saute *hold back garlic until after onions and peppers are cooked down a bit. *I do this b/c the garlic would burn and taste bitter. open the cans of beans, DO NOT DRAIN! Dump it all in juicy syrupy stuff and all. Look in the bottom of the can, you'll see a little bit of bean sediments at the bottom.. fill the can about 1/3 of the way up and add tablespoon of corn starch and dissolve completely *stirring up those little bean bits off the bottom of the can. Add corn starch mixture (rosey cloudy pink color) to skillet and stir it up.
Season with Tony's or whatever seasoned salt you like. (*be careful with seasonings if you have an extra spicy sausage). Stir, cover and bring it up to boil for a minute and lower it to a slight simmer for about 15 minutes.
(The function of the corn starch is to change the liquid from watery to more of a gravy consistency.. if yours is still too watery, add some corn starch to a little water, dissolve it and then add it to your pan. never put dry corn starch into your food - it will make gummy clumps. If you have the opposite problem and it is too thick, add chicken stock or water to thin it out. no problem.)

Grilled Boneless Pork Chops

This is the marinade I use for pork tenderloin and it is so flavorful I thought I would try it on chops. I made packaged cheddar broccoil noodles, black eyed peas and spinach to go with it.

Marinade for Pork Tenderloin

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs olive oil
1 pinch garlic powder

Combine ingredients pour over pork and marinade over night. Grill til done.

Ragu

Wednesday was an easy night! Spaghetti with meat sauce! Until my mom teaches me how to make her amazing sauce and meatballs it will be Ragu around here! Shameful....I know!!!!

Hamburger Steaks

Mike calls this poor mans steak!

I use the 90/10 Sirloin Patties from HEB and 1 sliced onion. Put it in a large pan and cook til juices run clear, drain. Then I take a pkg. of brown gravy mix and combine it with the amount of water called for pour it over bring it to a boil reduce heat and it's done when it thickens. Making Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and:

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

1 1/2 pounds Fresh Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed(If they are big I cut them in half)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2.Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3.Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

This is another recipe from a friends blog and was a big hit around here. It's quick and easy and really good served with rice. I am also making steamed squash.


Creamy Lemon Chicken over Rice (or Noodles)
Ingredients:
2 c. cooked, diced chicken
1 can cream chicken soup (I always use 98% FF in my recipes and it tastes just as good)
1/4 c. light mayonnaise
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. onion salt
1 t. garlic powder
1/4 c. light sour cream
hot cooked rice, egg noodles, etc.

Directions:
* Cook rice or noodles as directed (we prefer rice).
* Cook remainder of ingredients, EXCEPT sour cream, until just boiling.
* Remove from heat and add sour cream.
* Serve over rice or noodles

Saturday.....no cooking, again!!

Mike and Blake went to Austin today for some father/son time......they are doing a tour of Austin on Segway's then going swimming at Barton Springs, they are then going to have dinner and head home. Can't wait to hear all about it! So me and Emily had a SUPER fun day with Theresa and Virginia Kate......we shopped, had lunch, shopped some more then came to our house for some relaxing pool time, then I took Emily and Virginia Kate to get Chic Fil A for dinner, so once again no cooking!!!! We had a GREAT day though!

Hamburger Night

Every Friday night at the Thomas house it's Hamburger night!!! So exciting, I know!!! I am still learning about how to blog and as soon as I figure out how to post pictures I will be very excited! I am so not computer savy! Have a GREAT weekend!

Pulled Pork

I love this recipe! It's easy and makes alot so we always have leftovers. We usually make sandwiches with it but every now and then I do serve it over rice. We are having coleslaw and baked fries with it.

Pulled Pork

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 onion, sliced in rings
2 cups ketchup (a 24oz bottle seems to be exactly 2 cups. weird.)
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart crockpot. Trim meat, and place into your crockpot. Add sliced onion. Squeeze in 2 cups of ketchup, and then pour 1/2 cup warm water into the ketchup bottle and shake. Pour the ketchup-y water into your crock. Add vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Tabasco and salt.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.
Serve over rice, or make sandwiches on rolls or sliced bread.

Memphis-Style Coleslaw
recipe from Ourbestbites.com
1 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Dijon or whole-grain mustard
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 heaping tsp. Kosher salt (or an even 1/2 tsp. of table salt)
1 Tbsp. grated onion
2-2 1/2 tsp. celery seed (absolutely essential for classic coleslaw flavor)
1 16-oz. bag shredded cabbage with carrots (stay away from the very fine shreds because they'll get too soggy)
1/2 minced green bell pepper
1 carrot, peeled and grated

Okay, peeps, this is rocket science. Combine mayo, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, and celery seed. In a large bowl, combine shredded cabbage, carrots, and green pepper.

Toss with dressing and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours and up to about 3 days (or when it's unjustifiably soggy).

Meatloaf

Not too exciting but I made Meatloaf, I use the McCormick meatloaf seasoning packet and follow the instructions, but I use oats instead of bread. For sides I thin sliced potatoes and onions drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and pepper and baked them with the meatloaf. We also had shoepeg corn and a salad.

Yum!!

Really good dinner tonight! Got 2 of the recipes from a friend's blog and the cilantro rice I can't remember where it came from but we love it! Great alternative to spanish rice. I make it when we have mexican food.

Spicy Chipotle Pork Chops
Boneless Pork Chops
4 T olive oil
3T fresh lime juice
1T minced garlic
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chops with seeds and about a teaspoon adobo sauce
pepper to taste
*Pour on meat. Ready to grill after marinated for an hour.

Spicy Side Salad:
1 ear grilled corn
1 can black beans drained
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes drained
1 large diced avocado chopped
green onion
salt and pepper (to taste)
cilantro chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped
2 Tbs. Olive Oil

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Cilantro Lime Rice
Cook rice as usual.
For each cup of rice:
2/3 cup cilantro, loosely packed
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped scalions
1 jalapeno (or to taste)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
Puree the above in a blender, add to the cooked rice, stir well.

Monday

Had a very fun weekend with friends! Didn't cook much, but back at it Monday night.

Ranch Chicken Tenders
Boneless Skinless Tenders
1 cup breadcrumbs (I use Italian but you can use any flavor)
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.Combine bread crumbs, cheese and ranch. Rinse tenders in water shake off excess and dip to coat in mixture place on cookie sheet and spray each tender with cooking spray. Bake 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear. My kids LOVE these!

We had steamed broccoli, alfredo noodles(Lipton) and a salad.

Enjoy!!

Not much cooking this weekend!!

Got to go out to eat and see a movie so I made popcorn chicken and tator tots for the kids! Saturday night I'm going out to dinner with girlfriends to celebrate Tanya's 4oth! We have leftovers from the week or frozen pizza so that will be Saturdays dinner. Sunday we are having a 4th of July Celebration in the cul de sac, I will be making baked beans for that! Here's the recipe taken from a blog I LOVE and get lots of great recipes from! Hope you have a safe and happy 4th!

Not-Too-Sweet Baked Beans
Recipe adapted from The Big Book of Backyard Cooking

1 15 1/2-oz. can Great Northern beans
1 15 1/2-oz. can navy beans
1 15 1/2-oz. can baby butter beans
1 15 1/2-oz. can pinto beans
2 14 1/2-oz. cans stewed tomatoes
1/3 c. molasses
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce
6 oz. bacon (1/2 of an average-sized package), divided
1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350. Reserving two slices of bacon, cook the remaining bacon in a large skillet. While it's cooking, place all beans in a colander and rinse and drain. Transfer to a large baking dish.

Pulse the tomatoes in a blender or food processor about 5-6 times or until they are breaking down but not smooth. Pour over beans. Add molasses, brown sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper.

When the bacon has cooked, remove bacon from the pan and cook the onions in the bacon drippings, stirring frequently. While the onions are cooking, crumble the cooked bacon over the beans. Add onions and combine all the ingredients well. Cut remaining slices of bacon into 1" pieces and place over the beans. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and then serve.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

Follow the instructions for cooking in the oven, except place the ingredients in the crock of a slow cooker instead of baking dish. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.

Crock Pot Chops and Gravy

Ingredients:
4 lean pork chops (You can use how many you need for your family)
4 T soy sauce
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 can cream of mushroom soup (I used 98% FF)
1 medium onion, sliced or diced
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp parsley

Directions:
Place pork chops in crock pot. Lay onion slices over pork chops.
Mix the rest of ingredients in a bowl and pour over pork chops.
Cook on low in crock pot for 5-6 hours
Note: After baking I remove the chops and strain the gravy. This way I have a smooth gravy and I reserve the onions (and mushrooms if you use them) for those who like them to put them on their chops.

I am making mashed potatoes and green beans to go with it.

My blogging attempt!!

Growing up, although my mom worked full time, she cooked dinner every night!! We all sat down together and ate dinner together every night until I left home. That time spent together was priceless, it had an impact on me and it's a tradition I have continued in my home. I also think among many families it is a dying tradition because everyone is so busy. With this blog it is my desire to show that even being busy and on a budget you can still cook easy, good and nutritious meals daily for your family!! I am in no way claiming to be a great chef, I just love cooking and sharing recipes! ENJOY!!