Puerto Rican Shredded Pork

Made this initially with my sister Kat and then again this weekend at home.  It is really good and flavorful but not at all spicy- which is a win for the kids.  Super easy and I am wondering if you really need to brown the meat and blend the marinade first?  Might be able to just throw it all in and I don't know that it wouldn't work just as beautifully. Super healthy and easy.

Puerto Rican Shredded Pork
2-3 lb. pork sirloin roast, boneless
1 tsp. veg oil
4-5 cloves garlic
1 T cumin
1/2 T coarse salt
1 t. dried oregano
4 oranges, juiced, or 1 C. fresh orange juice
4 limes, juiced

Brown the pork in a tiny amount of oil (optional?) and combine all other ingredients in a blender (optional) and then cook for 8 hours on low, 4 hours on high.  Shred pork and discard all but 1 C. of the cooking juices.  Cook for another 15-30 minutes.

Serve in lettuce wraps, corn tortillas or taco shells.  Top with pico de gallo, chopped cilantro, and/or avocado.

Grilled Pizza

One of Christopher's friend's parents built a brick pizza oven in their back yard and invited us for a pizza party this last spring.  I kid you not, this was some of the best and most interesting pizza of my life.  They had each person stretch out their own dough and then go build the pizza that they wanted, using ingredients that were set out at the next table in cute little bowls.  It only cooked for about five minutes or so in the oven, and then everyone shared pretty much all of the pizzas, just going from table to table to get what they wanted. 

I think that this can be adapted to the regular BBQ grill if you make sure to olive oil up the grates (heavily, with a paper towel) and use fresh pizza dough, which I usually buy at either Trader Joe's, Fresh 'n Easy or even my local pizza place sells bagged dough if I ask nicely.  You have to cook the dough by itself on one side for a few minutes, get some nice char marks on it, then flip it over and cook it partially before you add toppings.  Also, make sure you use sauce sparingly when grilling your pizza or it is easy to have it turn into soggy mush.  When I do put the toppings on finally, I usually keep it on low/medium heat (indirect would probably be smart once the crust is cooked) and then close the grill cover so it is mostly just warming ingredients and melting cheese.  

It is worth mentioning that my pizza's are almost never pretty and round like these ones are.  I guess if I practiced enough they'd get better, but this is sort of a special treat so it doesn't happen too often- and I end up eating pizzas that look more like Tennessee.  That's OK, they still taste delicious!  

Here are some of the ingredients that they used and that I recommend for a fabulous pizza party.

·      The Usual Suspects
Pepperoni, Sausage, Pineapple, Black Olives, Ham, whichever standard toppings you prefer

·      Barbeque Chicken – BBQ sauce, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, roasted or grilled chopped chicken, red onions, bell peppers and cilantro

·      Apple Gorgonzola– Alfredo sauce base, Gorgonzola and Mozzarella, thinly sliced green apple, walnuts, fresh greens on top after baked - optional.

·      Baked Potato Pizza – Sour cream as sauce, cheddar cheese, chopped potato mixture (just microwave some small reds and give them a rough chop/mash, then salt and pepper lightly), fresh rosemary, chopped garlic, bacon bits (optional)

·      Pear and Gorgonzola – Pears, Gorgonzola cheese, mozzarella, caramelized onions (optional)

·      Marguerita – Red sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves

·      Southwestern – Sour cream base, black beans, grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, cilantro

Blackened Salmon

My friend Phuong from Pleasanton taught me how to cook salmon initially, and then she had posted some food picture that looked amazing (I'll see if I can find it for this post!) and so I begged her to share her secrets with me.  I tried it once and it was really good, but I think that like all things, practice makes perfect, so there is room for me to improve here.  Worth every minute though because salmon is so healthy and yummy and just full of things that are great for me and also the kids growing bodies.  Here we go!

Blackened Salmon
salmon filets (Costco's Kirkland frozen individually wrapped are a great start)
black pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
paprika
dill
olive oil spray

Mix up the spices so you have a rub, or you can just sprinkle it on as you go.

Thaw salmon and dry with paper towels.  Generously salt salmon and put in the fridge for an hour or more on top of paper towel.  When ready to cook, pat paper towels on salmon to dry more.  On each side, sprinkle spice mixture and spray with olive oil.

Heat pan (ridged grill pan is better) on high heat so the pan is super hot.  This allows the salmon to blacken.  Spray pan with olive oil.  Sear salmon on one side for about four minutes (until it's seared black) and then turn it over and sear for 3 minutes or so.  It should feel fairly firm and not have a lot of "squishy" give to it when it is ready.

Phuong says "the trick is to have the salmon dry by patting it dry, salting it so the water is drawn out, and giving it time in the fridge to dry it out- and of course, having the pan super hot."  Thank you, Phuong! :-)

Peanut Butter Pie (No Bake)

Made this also in LA with Kat and it was really good, kind of a nice summer-y cold dessert that feels light but still decadent. We did ours as a pie but the picture above shows bars.  If we'd waited longer, maybe ours would've looked like that too, but I don't know that we gave it the full four hours to chill.

Peanut Butter Pie (No Bake) 
Chocolate pie crust (or make your own)
4 oz. cream cheese (reduced fat is OK)
1/2 C. plain greek yogurt
1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
2/3 C. powdered sugar
1/4 C. chopped roasted peanuts, optional, but really good

Cream the greek yogurt, peanut butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Pour into prepared crust and sprinkle with peanuts.  Chill for four hours and serve!

Peanut Butter Cookies (Flourless/GF)

Made these with my sister Kat on our last LA trip and they were really good.  We gobbled them all as soon as they came out of the oven, and afterwards we both regretted it because they seem like the type of cookie that would get better on day two (OK, hour two) than when they're piping hot, but even so, they were really good.  They're also so pure and simple in the ingredient list.  However, don't even think about doing the cool criss cross fork thing to them, they just fall apart.  Roll them as well as you can and then go with it.  Yum!

Peanut Butter Cookies (Flourless/GF) 

1 large egg
3/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 t. vanilla (I hear that they make a GF if you're particular about that)
1 C. creamy peanut butter (unsweetened is OK per the original recipe.)

Combine and bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chiffon Fudge Cookies

My friend Nicole makes these around Christmas time and seriously, they are probably the very best cookie I have EVER had.  They totally melt on your tongue- they're strange cause they're kind of fudgy but also kind of dry, but moist at the same time- I don't know how to describe it and it's been many months since I have had the pleasure.  You definitely need a mixer for these, could not do them by hand.  I don't have a KitchenAid but I bet it would come in handy for these.  Also, Nicole says to splurge on the best quality of bittersweet chips you can find, says you can taste the difference. :-)

Chocolate Chiffon Fudge Cookies

3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, divided 

6 large egg whites, room temperature

4 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, divided

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

Place 2 cups chocolate chips in a microwave-safe container.  Melt chips in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so, for about 2 minutes or until no longer lumpy.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a large bowl to soft peak stage.  This means that you fluff them up until it forms a peak when you pull the beaters out, but then they fold over on themselves.  Gradually beat in 2 cups confectioners’ sugar.  Continue beating meringue mixture until it reaches stiff peak stage, which means when you pull the beaters out, they stay formed as peaked little mountains.

In a separate bowl, whisk 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt.  On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue just until combined.  Stir in lukewarm chocolate and remaining cup chocolate chips.

Cover and chill dough for 1 hour (up to overnight).  Don’t skip this or your cookies will be flat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment or slipat (do not skip with these cookies… they will stick)

Place remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar in bowl.  Roll 1 level tablespoon of dough into a ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly.  Place on prepared sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.  Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes.

Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes.  Transfer to rack to cool

Makes about 48 small cookies.

Buttercream Icing

I finally took the cake decorating class that I'd always wanted to and I learned how to make real buttercream icing!  This is the good stuff.  The big thing you need to know is what consistency you are trying for- you need a stiff consistency for flowers, medium for writing and balloons or most other things, and a thin consistency for frosting the whole cake.  You can also experiment with subbing in butter instead of shortening, but then it will affect the color of your final produce.  But butter...mmm.  Half butter and half shortening might be a winning combo.  All butter sometimes makes it too runny to write or decorate with but you could probably still frost the cake.  If you're picky about the color that you want, then you need to make sure and use white vegetable shortening (I usually buy the butter flavored which is yellow and will affect the color) and clear vanilla (again, the normal stuff is kind of brownish so buy clear if you want pure colors).  Also, watch out for the powdered sugar.  I'd assumed that a bag is a pound, and it turns out it is two pounds!  Broke my hand mixer learning that the hard way. :-)

Buttercream Icing
1 C. solid white vegetable shortening
1 tsp. vanilla extract, clear is best
7-8 tsp. milk (or water, I always use milk)
1 lb. powdered sugar
pinch of salt, optional

Chocolate Buttercream
Add 3/4 C. cocoa powder or 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate squared and an additional 1-2 Tbsp water.

Apple Orchard Panini

Here's another one my sister Kat turned me on to.  I don't usually have the ingredients for this on hand (at least not all of them) but it is a delicious, slightly sweet but still very satisfying lunch.  Fairly healthy, too- this is a perfect light, summer midday meal.

Ingredients: 
Italian bread or Ciabatta buns
Extra virgin olive oil
Apple butter
Roasted deli turkey
Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
Brie cheese, sliced

Directions: 

1. Preheat panini maker to medium-high. Brush one side of 2 slices of bread with extra virgin olive oil. Turn slices over then spread apple butter generously on both slices. Layer on turkey, apple slices, and brie cheese then place other side of bread on top. Place in panini maker (alternatively, cook the sandwich in a skillet on the stovetop) until golden brown and crispy. Allow to rest for 2 minutes then slice with a serrated knife.

Mini Salsa Meat Loaf

My sister Kat made this with me and she was right, it was delicious, quick and healthy.  It makes four little single serving size loaves and as is almost always the case with meat loaf, it heats up wonderfully the next day or two.  I served it with green beans and if I'd had potatoes, mashed would be nice, though the original author serves it with Spanish rice.

Ingredients:
1lb 99% fat-free ground turkey breast
1/2 cup salsa ( I used Sabra Roasted Garlic Salsa)
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray then set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, salsa, bread crumbs, cheddar cheese, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined.
3. Divide mixture into 4 equal-sized portions then form into loaves and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center, then let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Crusty Artisan Bread

One of my new neighbor's made this for us for Christmas and no lie, it was the very best Christopher and I have ever had, EVER.  She was kind enough to teach me how!

No-Knead Crusty White Bread
3 C. lukewarm water (bath water temperature)
1 1/2 T. instant yeast (about 1.5 packets)
1 T. sugar, to get the yeast going
32 oz of flour (best to measure by weight but usually about 7 Cups)
1 T. salt

Measure your flour into a really big mixing bowl, I use my XL one.  I do measure by weight for this recipe only.  Add salt and set aside.

Measure your water and get it warm enough that it would be nice to take a bath in.  Definitely plenty warm but not quite to an ouch level of heat.  I've read 105 degrees is the magic number but I don't have a candy thermometer so I guessed.  Stir in the yeast and the sugar.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir it up as well as you can to combine.  You're going to have to get your hands in there and fair warning, this is a very sticky dough.  Take off your rings first!

Cover with saran wrap and put the whole thing in the fridge for at least two hours and up to 7 days.  They say the closer you get to Day 7, the more sour-dough-ish it will taste.  You can prep this dough and let it sit, just make a loaf whenever you want fresh bread!  This recipe makes four round loaves, by the way.

Take the bread out and grease your hands!  Sprinkle with flour and then pull out a handful.  Section the dough into fours (about 14-19 oz each) and then shape into a ball.  Here is a video I found on how to do this, the first time I made mine they were kind of muffin-y shaped.  I am thinking that bread making is sort of an art though, and it will get better with practice.  Put your shaped dough on parchment paper (ideally, I think you can also spray your cookie sheet), sprinkle lightly with flour and let it rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 450 and put a metal bread dish (or other metal tray) on the bottom rack.  Right before you put your bread in the oven, add about a cup of water to your metal pan- I guess this keeps moisture in the air while it cooks?  Not sure of the significance of the metal pan but the directions I read specify metal and not glass.

Right before you put it in the oven, give your bread a couple of slices on top, and cook for 25 minutes.   Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Energy Bars

I made these with my sister Kat a couple of months ago and they are SO good!  They are supposed to be a pre or post run snack, sort of a healthy, homemade granola bar of sorts.  This is the sort of thing that I could just take a spoon to though, so I'll have to be careful, but they are definitely worth posting. :-)

Peanut Butter Energy Bars
1 C. dry oatmeal
2/3 C. toasted coconut flakes (I didn't toast mine)
1/2 C. sunflower seeds
1/2 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. ground flax seed or wheat germ (I blended my flax seed and it worked perfect!)
1/2 C. chocolate chips
1/3 C. honey
1 tsp. honey

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Let chill in the fridge for half an hour.  Roll into 1" balls if you like, or if you're lazy, like me, then press them into a greased pan and then cut to size.  Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Makes 20-25 balls.
Optional add-ins: chopped dried fruit (apricots, raisins, berries) or nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)

Mashed Potato Pancakes

Here's a great idea for your leftover mashed potatoes.  Super easy and good with scrambled eggs or omelets!  Mmmmm, I am hungry all over again!

Mashed Potato Pancakes
2 C, mashed potatoes, cooled is OK
1/2 C. flour, for dredging
salt and pepper, to taste, go ahead and mix in with the flour
2 T. vegetable oil (for frying)

Heat up the oil and add a dollop of mashed potatoes that first stopped off in the flour mixture.  Flatten lightly with a spoon, cook for 3-4 minutes, flip, then cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.  Yum!

PS I have also imagined adding other veggies to these (onion, fine-chopped broccoli, spinach, bell peppers) and I am sure that would be good and work well too!  

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

I made these a while ago, just had the ingredients and the motivation at the same time.  They were good and definitely worth making again, although I liked them more than anyone else in the house.  They were on the slightly greasy side for my tastes, and I may try to figure out a way to bake them or use less oil or something, but they were really delicious and hey, its broccoli so it must be healthy, right? :-)

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters
3 C. broccoli, chopped (steamed, frozen or fresh)
1 egg
1/2 C. flour
1/3 C. parmesan, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt, plus more to taste
pepper, to taste
olive or vegetable oil for frying.

Combine all the ingredients, mash the broccoli and all the ingredients together.  Add 2-3 T. of oil and heat it up (you know its ready when a drop of water sizzles!) and then scoop a mound of the mixture in to the pan.  Press it down slightly with a spoon, let it go for 3-4 minutes, and then flip and go for another 2-3 minutes.  Both side should be slightly golden.  Set on a plate with a paper towel to drain excess oil and either eat immediately or put in a 200 oven to keep warm.  Yum!

Sweet Potato Casserole ala Ruth's Chris

I made this today for Thanksgiving, and after trying several sweet potato casserole recipes, I think this is the winner.  It is very much like the Ruth's Chris version and fairly easy to prepare.  It was so good that I had more of the casserole for dessert instead of the pumpkin and pecan pie! :-) Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole
3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes*
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 C. butter, melted

Topping: 
1 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. flour
1 C. chopped pecans
3 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.  In large mixing bowl, combine the first six ingredients.  Spread into a greased 9x13 pan.  In a separate bowl, make the topping, and then spread over the top of the sweet potatoes.  Cook for 30 minutes uncovered.

*I boiled my potatoes after skinning and then rough chopping them, and from putting them in the pot with the cold water, cranking up the heat, they were ready to go after maybe 25-30 minutes.

Homemade Refried Beans

Homemade Refried Beans

Firehouse recipe from Jason, WAY better than canned and not too hard to do.  Clean and sort dried refried beans, as much as you want to make.  Rinse and add water, 1 cup of beans and 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to medium low and cook for about two hours or until beans will squish smoothly with your fingers.  Keep an eye on your water level and add more, if needed.  Get them past the grainy stage, you want them smooth.  Add milk, cheese and salt to taste.  Yum!

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

I have had this recipe saved for months, but today seemed like a nice, cloudy day and I knew we'd be home, so I gave it a go.  All four of us liked it a lot, and it was certainly easy.  I think this is a good one to make on a cool morning for lunch, maybe serve it aside panini's or grilled cheese.  I think it would be easy to make this vegetarian style too, maybe sub in cream of potato soup and veggie stock?   I told Jason I think he should make it at the fire house, especially if he can hide some of the bacon they fry up almost every day. :-)

Slow Cooker Potato Soup
1 - 30-ounce bag frozen potatoes, squared/southern style
2 - 14 oz cans chicken broth
1 - 14 oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/3 tsp. black pepper
1 - 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
Optional toppings - green onion, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon

Combine potatoes, chicken broth, chicken soup, onion and pepper in the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 5 hours.  Stir in cream cheese, cook another 30 minutes or so stirring occasionally until well blended.

Quinoa Fried Rice

Made this with my sister Kat and I think it is another one you could bulk up on, make a double batch and eat for the week.  Super easy and fast, and you can cook your quinoa in advance and then throw it all together.

Quinoa Fried Rice
1-2 T. oil whatever you prefer
cooked quinoa (maybe 2 C or more?)
frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, lima beans, whatever)
one packet of fried rice seasoning
2 T. soy sauce (to taste)
1-2 eggs
grilled chicken, optional

I cooked the quinoa in the rice cooker (cook the same way as rice) and added the cold quinoa to the wok with just a touch of oil. Stir it around, add the (microwaved and drained) veggies and seasoning.  Push to the side, scramble the eggs and then mix all together.

I thought it was excellent as is but some chicken would have made it even better.  Yummy and so healthy.

Sangria

So my girlfriend Nicole makes this amazing Sangria.  I am embarrassed to admit that I may have forgotten my manners at least once by drinking WAY more than my share of this stuff, but she still invites me over when she makes it so I guess I am forgiven. :-)

Nicole spent a summer in Spain and said that they use canned fruit cocktail juice to sweeten their Sangria.  She hasn't tested it as of yet so I am sticking with her original recipe because its my favorite. I've also had good Sangria at restaurants but definitely NOT fresh out of a wine-looking bottle, I dumped that whole thing down the drain.

Sangria

1.5 L (128 oz) Burgundy (cheap red wine, not sure if even Two Buck Chuck would work here)

4 oz Cointreau or Triple Sec

4 oz Brandy
1 large can of fruit cocktail

Fresh fruit (fresh oranges, lemons, apples but whatever you have should be OK)

Sprite to almost fill the jug and to sweeten (or fruit cocktail or simple syrup) 

Quick Turkey Quinoa Taco Stew

My sister Kat made this last weekend for me.  It took about 30 minutes start to finish and was so good that after having two servings for dinner, I had it for breakfast the next day too.  Clocks in at about 270 calories per cup (before the cheese avalanche that I add) and SO satisfying.  My plan is to make this on Sunday's and dish it out for my Monday-Thursday lunches.  Here is the original link.

Quick Turkey Quinoa Taco Stew
small onion, diced
ground turkey (recipe says 8 oz but I think we used 16)
1 medium zucchini (might be able to do 2)
1 sweet bell pepper (red, yellow or orange, might be able to do 2)
1 package of taco seasoning*
1 can (15 oz) tomatoes with chiles (Rotel)
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained** (might be able to do 2 cans)
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth (or beef or veggie)
1 C. quinoa, rinsed
1 Tbsp. lime juice
shredded cheddar, optional (as if)

Cook the turkey with onion over medium heat.  Add zucchini, peppers and taco seasoning.  Stir to coat all the veggies with spices.  Add beans, diced tomatoes, broth and quinoa.  Turn up to high heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa soaks up most of the liquid.  Stir in lime juice and serve!

* Make your own taco seasoning with this link
** You can use any beans you like or have, black, pinto, garbanzo, etc.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I do love pumpkin, especially in the fall.  And so naturally, I love pumpkin baked goods- muffins, breads, cookies, etc.  Here's what I don't like: the cakey texture that most pumpkin cookies seem to take on.  So I found a recipe for them that promised not to be cakey but instead, the chewy, gooey typical cookie texture that I adore.  Here is the original recipe but I like to have my own ingredient list ready to access any time, so I am copying it below as well.  Kinda neat that this recipe doesn't have any eggs, too.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, unsalted, melted
1/4 C. light brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
6 T. pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)
1-1/2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking sode
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, if you have it, no biggie if not
1/2 C. chocolate chips

Cream the melted butter and sugars.  Add dry ingredients.  Dough will be very soft.  Fold in the chocolate chips, which might not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but it'll be OK.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes minimum, or up to 3 days.

Preheat to 350 and drop by rounded (two) tablespoons onto cookie sheet.  I did roll these into balls, then pressed down slightly so they would cook down very pretty, and it worked.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, taking them out before they look done.  You can flatten them now if you need to as well.  Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.

The author of this recipe says to let them sit for at least an hour before serving, and that the chewiness and pumpkin flavor is even better on Day 2.  Not sure if that is true as there were no survivors through the night.  This is definitely one I will make again.

Kettle (or Regular) Stove Top Popcorn

A friend had a Bunco night get together a couple of weeks ago, and all the ladies brought a snack to share.  Imagine my amazement when one lady walked in with what looked like still hot, fresh from the Farmer's Market kettle corn!  We all swarmed in on her and got her to share the ultra-easy secret recipe:

Homemade Kettle Corn
1/3 C. olive oil*
1/3 C. white sugar
1/2 C. popcorn kernels

Heat up the oil and sugar and throw in ONE popcorn kernel and wait for it to pop.  Once it does, add the rest, cover with a lid (that isn't too tight) and shake vigorously until the popping slows down.  Make sure you use a BIG pot and crack the lid some so that some steam can get out, but watch out because it is HOT and sometimes those kernels get out too.  Takes about five minutes, start to finish, give or take.

She said she has a "Whirly Pop" cooking pot with a crank on it that makes it really easy.  They look to be about $20 at Bed, Bath and Beyond so I may ask Santa for one this year.

Kate swears that she prefers "regular" popcorn so you do it basically the same way, minus the sugar.

My sister-in-law Amber said she read something that said microwave popcorn is one of the very worst things you can eat, and this is so easy, that I might be done with the stuff!  Give it a try!

No Bake Cheesecake

Had this at Grandma Squires today and it was really, really good!  It's a "no-bake" cheesecake which makes it a perfect summer dessert!

No Bake Cheesecake

8 oz. cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 C. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla

Cream together all ingredients and pour into a 9" graham cracker shell, recipe below.

1 package graham crackers
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. melted butter

Mix together and press into pie shell.

Grandma made a GIANT one in a lasagna pan and tripled the recipe.  She also added a fresh strawberry glaze.  It was excellent!!!

Optional:
Fresh strawberries, blueberries (I might at least add some sugar to sweat the sliced strawberries)
Chocolate syrup?
Caramel?
Lots of options!

Crepes

Sometimes, you just need crepes.  Here's a basic recipe that worked well for me.  It is all staples that we all have on hand and they say that the batter keeps in the fridge for a few days.  This recipe makes about 8 crepes.

Crepes

2 eggs
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. water, plus a little more to make it a runny, crepe consistency
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
1 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

In large mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk, water, vanilla and melted butter.  Gradually add in dry ingredients.  Add a little water if needed to make it more runny.

Use a frying pan on medium heat, grease it with butter preferably but spray will work too.  Add 1/4 C. mixture and spread it around so that it is super thin.  Cook for about a minute or so, then flip and cook for maybe 30 seconds more.  I use a metal spatula with these, even though I use a nonstick pan.  Just be careful.

I like to spread on Nutella and if I have them, fresh sliced strawberries and/or bananas.  The possibilities are endless!  My kids approved, too. :-)

Enjoy!

Green Monster Smoothie

  


My sister Kat turned me on to the idea of sneaking spinach into my kids smoothies.  I used to always do it in blueberry-banana smoothies because the purple would mask the green.  Then she sent me a recipe for a drink called the "Green Monster" where the spinach is front and center.  The creative marketing name appealed to my son, and since he was game, of course his little sister was in.  Now Christopher is always trying to get Jason to try this, saying "you can't even taste the spinach!" ;-) Which is just about true.  These are yummy and healthy and a good way to get a lot of veggies in with minimal effort, and the kids fight over who gets to help make them.  I love seeing them so excited to eat spinach!

Green Monster Smoothie
1 frozen banana
1/2 C. vanilla greek yogurt
1 C. milk, roughly
1-2 Tbsp. peanut butter
2-4 C. fresh spinach
ice

Put bananas, yogurt, milk and peanut butter in the blender and mix it up until smooth.  Fill the rest of the blender with spinach (no joke, it is probably 2-4 cups really) and then blend it again.  You might have to help poke the spinach down but it will pulverize it pretty quickly.  I usually add some crushed ice at this point for texture, blend again until desired consistency, and serve!  This one drink I split three ways and it is a fair amount for each of us.  You can also freeze it to have the next day (takes about an hour to thaw) but it isn't as good as on Day 1.

I definitely recommend freezing the bananas ahead of time, preferably in bite size chunks.  Vanilla yogurt is FAR superior to plain, found that out the hard way.  A little honey will help if all you have is plain.  Regular (non-Greek) yogurt works too but I figure the extra protein helps.  The original recipe calls for Almond Milk and I've made it with that before, and its delicious, but we don't always have it so I just use regular milk now.  The peanut butter is really what gets you on the calories, but it is really good so I just go for it.

Lasagna

This is so easy, I just follow the directions on the box.  But Jason asked me to blog it and I like to have all of my wonderful ideas in one place, so here it goes.  From memory, no less. :-) I'll update it if I find any errors.  If this comment (about memory!) is still here when you go to make this, double check the box of lasagna noodles.

Lasagna
1 box of no-boil lasagna noodles (this is WAY easier than the alternative!)
1 big container of cottage cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
Italian seasonings (or basil, oregano, etc.)
1 jar spaghetti sauce plus 1 C. water, per the no boil box directions
1/2 C. parmesan cheese
16 oz mozzarella, shredded, divided
Optional - ground turkey and sausage, black olives,  fresh spinach, fresh or frozen broccoli

Combine cottage cheese, parmesan, about 1 C. of mozzarella, egg, seasonings.  Cook meat and veggies as needed.  I found that fresh spinach worked well and I used frozen broccoli florets, making sure to squeeze all the extra moisture from them.  I'd pre-cook the broccoli if it was fresh, too.  Jason is a meat guy and so we made ground turkey and mild italian sausage, and a can of black olives, sliced.  Grease a big 13x9 pan, I use cooking spray.  Spread some sauce on the bottom of the pan, then add a layer of noodles.  It is OK if they overlap a little.  Add some of the cottage cheese mixture, then sprinkle with other toppings.  Ours are always half veggies, half meat and black olives.  The veggies side gets a little taller but it works.  Then cover with another layer of noodles, then sauce, then repeat.  I think the sauce goes on top of the noodles always but it could go before, I suppose.  Double check the box. :-) So you repeat the layers until you run out of filling.  I usually get two sets of filling, and three layers of noodles, including the bottom.  After you put your top layer of lasagna noodles on, dump on any remaining sauce and then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and if you want, a little more parmesan.  Cover with foil and cook at 375 (?) for 60 minutes.  I always take the foil off for the last ten minutes so it gets sort of browned, but Jason said he heard that can dry it out.  Your choice.  Let it stand for 5-10 minutes when you take it out.  Freezes well, leftovers are amazing.  Another nice thing is that you can make this a day in advance if you like, or the morning of, then just heat it up when you're ready.

Hell's Fire Chips

So my good friend Nicole had a birthday a few weeks ago and we all went to her favorite spot, AZ88 in Scottsdale.  She's been raving about their food forever, specifically these Hell's Fire Chips and get this- their Grilled Cheese!  After finally going to see what it was all about, I have to say she's right, even the grilled cheese knocked my socks off.  But these chips were the star of the show.  The kids and I attempted to make them on my own the next day, unsuccessfully, but I think there's enough potential here that if I publish this, then maybe I can remember it and mess around with the recipe enough to figure it out.  Here's hoping!

Hell's Fire Chips
potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
Arizona Gunslinger hot sauce, or another brand - maybe Frank's would work?
bleu cheese crumbles (weird but it works)
cooking spray
salt and pepper

Wash and thinly slice the potatoes.  I don't fry things at home so spray a cookie sheet well, lay the potato slices down, being careful not to overlap, and then spray them again.  Salt and pepper and bake at 400ish (maybe more?) for 10-20 minutes, flipping once.  Ideally, they will get a sort of golden-brown.  I found that some did and some didn't, but the yummier ones did.  Let's assume that they all turn out.  Scoop them on to one cookie sheet, overlapping this time, sprinkle with hot sauce and bleu cheese, and then broil for just a minute or two, until the cheese melts.  Serve and devour!  :-)

Update: Talked again to Nicole about this and her Aunt asked them at AZ88 how they do it.  The trick is to fry them in peanut oil when it is SUPER hot (use the wooden spoon trick: dip the top of it in, if it bubbles, it's ready, if it doesn't, then wait a little longer, get a fresh wooden spoon and try again) and flash fry them.  Sprinkle the cheese immediately after removing from the oil.  They use Arizona Gunslinger Hot Sauce.  YUMMO. 

Wendy's Manicotti

Wendy makes great, healthy manicotti that is super easy and even better if you cook it first on Day 1, save it, and then heat it up again in the oven on Day 2.

Manicotti
32 oz cottage cheese
16 oz mozzarella
3-4 oz parmesean (1/2 C.)
1 egg
1 tsp. garlic powder
italian seasoning (oregano, parsley)
salt and pepper
manicotti or shells (it looks like they do sell the ones you dont have to boil first! check!)
2 jars spaghetti sauce
optional - spinach, broccoli, meat, etc...

Makes one 13x9 and one 8x8 pan.  Combine all ingredients (except pasta and sauce.)  Spread sauce on pan bottom, fill noodles and lay in pan, cover with sauce.   Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, covered with foil.

Jason and I like different things in our pasta (hers= spinach, broccoli, his=meat and cheese) so it is a good idea to make the filling and then divide it in two, or if you are doing cheese only for one of the pans (he's fine with that) then do that first, then add the veggies.

You can use fresh or frozen veggies but like all pasta dishes, make sure and drain any excess moisture so it doesn't turn out too soupy.

Yum!

Crustless Spinach Quiches

I like these because you can prep them in advance and then eat them all week long.  You can add whatever veggies or meats you like to customize.

Crustless Spinach Quiches

1 1/2-ish C frozen spinach, drained* (heated, squeeze drained)

1 C. cheddar, shredded

6 eggs or Egg Beaters could work really well here

1 1/2 C. milk

salt and pepper to taste

Optional - serve with salsa or pico (this was EXCELLENT when I had some leftover Chipotle pico)

Spray a muffin tin (you might have to do two tins) with cooking spray (or use muffin cups, might be smart if you know you'll be reheating these later) and preheat oven to 375.  Whisk the eggs and milk in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and then ideally, transfer to a liquid measuring cup with a spout.  (This will make pouring it easier.)  In each muffin cup, add some spinach and sprinkle with cheddar cheese over the top.  The muffin cups should be almost full of veggies and cheese.  

Pour in eggs, being careful to not go more than 3/4-ish full.  Put them in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and a knife comes out clean.  Give them a few minutes to finish after you pull them out of the oven and then serve or store until later in the week.

These are super versatile- you can add any meats (crumbled bacon or sausage, even veggie sausage?) or veggies (I'm thinking sauteed onions and garlic, red or green peppers, asparagus, broccoli) or cheeses (feta? parmesan? swiss?) you like!  

I did read online that some people freeze their quiches.  Not sure if this would work for me or not since I have egg texture issues but it is an idea.  

When Kat and I made this, it made 18 quiche muffins, but mine had a lot of veggies (spinach and broccoli) so it added up to one egg in every three muffins.  Maybe an ounce of cheese over the three, so by my math it is about 180ish calories for three of them.  Would be less if we used egg beaters or less cheese. 

* I think it is important to get ALL of the moisture out of the frozen spinach, so I recommend heating it up in the microwave, then dumping the spinach into a cloth kitchen towel and squeezing it as hard as you can over the sink, a few different times, almost like you're wringing it out.  It will get even smaller and more compact than before!  That's OK!  It wont let off any moisture when it cooks this way.  Soggy eggs (or anything, really) is bad news for me, so I prefer it as moisture free as possible.  

Ribs

Jason made these a couple of months ago and no lie, I think it is the best thing he has EVER made.  Here are his instructions.  If/when I go through and make these on my own (I might leave them as his specialty!) then I will update with my own pizzaz.  Oh, these are just as good cold the next day!  
Enjoy!

Ribs

Country Style Pork Ribs
Au Jus sauce packet

Beef broth (to make the Au Jus sauce)

BBQ Sauce

Make Au Jus sauce with beef broth.  Put the ribs in a big, deep pan with the Au Jus.  Cover with foil and bake for 3-4 hours at 275.  Finish on the grill while brushing with BBQ sauce.  Let it get nice and carmelized, yummo.

Ranch Chicken Tacos

Made this yesterday and it was a huge hit!  So easy.

Ranch Chicken Tacos
3 lbs of chicken (give or take, I probably only used half this) - frozen or fresh
1 packet of Ranch Seasoning
1 packet of Taco Seasoning (of you could make your own)
1 15 oz can of chicken broth

Put the chicken in the crockpot.  Sprinkle with ranch and taco seasoning, then add broth.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.  Shred and serve!

I highly recommend squeezing some of the moisture out of the meat before adding it to tacos, so they don't get soggy or leak when you take a bite.

We served with
cheddar cheese
hard and soft corn tortillas
chopped tomatoes
spinach (faux lettuce)

This would also be really good to use for burrito bowls as planned leftovers.

Enjoy!

Inside Out Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Made these the other night with my Mom and they were easy and delicious.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and the lady who posted it originally had said that she was looking for a less messy and more chocolate-y solution, which this certainly is!  The trickiest part is washing and then coring the strawberries.  I thought they tasted a little better when the chocolate wasn't set all the way (I ate a few while we were making them they were amazing) but they were definitely worth making again.

Inside Out Chocolate Covered Strawberries
strawberries (bigger is better but sweet is most important)
chocolate chips

Take the stem and core out of the strawberries, and then rinse.  Let them dry on a wire rack upside down (so they drain) until they are completely dry.  Then stand them up in a mini-muffin tin, and add the chocolate.  You can microwave chocolate chips in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until soft.  We used spoons to add the chocolate.  You could also pour the chocolate into a plastic baggie and cut off the end and then "pipe" it in there, but the spoon method worked well too.  Let them set for a while, on the counter or in the fridge if you want them to harden.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

These are AMAZING.  Very, very rich, and while they were yummy fresh out of the oven, they were significantly better the next day.  (The three that survived were.)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

1 (18.25) package plain yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (1.5 cups)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2) Combine cake mix, melted butter, peanut butter, and eggs in a large bowl using a mixer or spoon. Press this into a 9X13 pan reserving 1 1/2 cup of the mixture to crumble on top.

3) In a small pot, melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and coconut.
4) Spread chocolate mixture over the mixture pressed in the pan and then crumble the 1 1/2 cups of reserved cake mixture on top evenly.
5) Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Amish Sugar Cookies

Amish Sugar Cookies

Made these with Christopher and his comment was that "they really do melt in your mouth!"

• 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 12 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar

Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes.  

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce 
1 medium onion, chopped 
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
2 cups water 
1 (14.5 ounce) can 99% fat-free chicken broth 
1 TBSP cumin 
1 TBSP chili powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
1 bay leaf 
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn 
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Combine all ingredients in a large slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours.  Remove chicken from soup and shred. Return chicken to soup, and then blend this in batches or use an immersion blender to liquify it a little. I prefer to leave SOME chunks but if you don't blend it, I think this recipe is too watery.

We like things spicy and flavorful, so I also add in a dash or two of cayenne.

Number of Servings: 8