Sausage and Tomato Rigatoni

When we moved into our apartment, our friends Andy and Whitney brought us this meal. It was amazing. My mom was here at the time and she, Darin and I were all just stuffing our faces full of this deliciousness. I think Tyson ate at least a serving and Jori was not a fan. I think it was a little spicy for them, but the adults LOVED it. So, here is the recipe:

Sausage and Tomato Rigatoni

prep: 10 min.      total time: 30 min.

4    cups of rigatoni pasta (8oz.) uncooked (really any tube pasta will do; I usually use penne)
1    lb. Italian sausage cut into chunks
1    red onion, sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste (I use the whole small can because I like it a bit saucy)
1/4 cup Sun- Dried Tomato Dressing
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package.
Meanwhile, brown sausage in a large nonstick skillet; drain. Stir in onions and tomato paste; cover. Cook 15 min. or until onions are tender and sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing. Toss sausage mixture with pasta. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese.


YUM!!! I think I need to go grocery shopping soon!

Pasta with white sauce

Rachel just gave me this recipe yesterday afternoon and I made it last night for dinner. Jori refused to even try it, which ended up being good for the rest of us because we finished the whole pan.

Pasta with White Sauce

8 oz pasta
4 cloves garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup butter melted
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Mix everything else up EXCEPT the cheese in a skillet. Drain pasta and add to this mixture, then add cheese immediately, stir together well and serve. 

It was really, really good, but Darin was a little grossed out by how much butter was in it. So I think next time I will try to make it with 1/2 the butter and more wine (unless someone has a better idea!). Rachel said they used to put the little tiny shrimp in it. I think peas or artichokes would also have tasted great. I chopped the garlic with a knife, so there were some bigger pieces, but they were all soft and squishy and delish because they had cooked down in the butter and wine. Mmmm. Enjoy!

Corn Tortillas

Here is a recipe that Darin's dad used to make. We actually had these tortillas when we were in Sioux Center. As I said in that post, I am not a huge fan of corn tortillas, but they were still good. Here is the recipe from LaShawn. She writes recipes like I do, with lots of substitutions and suggestions : )

Dad’s Taco Shells

3 eggs (I use just the whites to make it healthier)

1 ½ cup milk (I maybe add another tablespoon to make up for the egg yolks, but I do not measure that out just add a tiny bit)

1 cup flour (I do ½ white flour ½ whole wheat flour, and I have even done all whole wheat flour)

1 tsp salt ( do NOT forget this, they do not taste the same at all without it!!!!

½ cup cornmeal

1 tbls butter ( I just put a big dab of spray butter in, I never measure it just guess about 1 tbls)

Mix all together (I use a wire wisk, it seams to mix it the best).  Put a little butter on a frying pan (I just use pam to cut fat again).  Take 1/3 cup measuring cup and pour into hot pan, (I usually put the burner on medium and let it get warm before you start).  Right after you put the batter in take the pan and move it around so that it makes a shell.  Let it fry for a couple minutes before turning it over.  (You probably have a couple of bad ones before you get the hang of it, when I used to make them the first one never turned out, now that I do it all the time it is easier.) 

Thanks for showing us how to make these when we came LaShawn!

Cheddar Chicken Bites

Last night I tried out a new recipe. This was the first time in a long time that Darin said "You could make that again sometime". Based on those words from my husband,Tyson giving it two thumbs up and Jori actually finishing the serving we put on her plate with minimal complaints, I declare this recipe a keeper.

Cheddar Chicken Bites

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups (3 oz) Cheez-It cheddar crackers
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 pound chicken tenders
1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1. Put rack in lower 1/3 of oven; preheat to 475. Brush a baking pan with olive oil.
2. Pulse crackers in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and stir in pepper.
3. Toss tenders in mustard then dredge it in crumbs.
4. Arrange on oiled pan. Bake, turning once, until golden brown, 15 minutes.

As always, I made a few changes. I used Meijer brand crackers, and we all know Cheez-Its are better. They just are. These were ok for baking, but plain-yuck! I didn't measure the crackers or the mustard or the chicken for that matter and it all turned out just fine. Just make what you need for your family. We ended up baking these for closer to 20 minutes. Flip them over carefully so the coating doesn't come off the chicken. We had these with salad and Darin and I both added some of the chicken to our salad and it was pretty good. The kids liked dipping them in ranch dressing. The Dijon mustard is a little spicy, but I think plain mustard would taste gross. Maybe you could make them with honey mustard.

Enjoy!

YUM!

Just over a year ago, I posted some breakfast for dinner recipes. Tonight I made the last recipe from that post and it was so good I just had to post it again! I did make a couple changes this time around, not necessarily for the better, but more for to save a little time and money! Usually cutting corners leads to a horrible outcome, but not this time! First, I used regular old white bread and it was very fresh/soft. Second, I did not buy whipping cream, so I used half and half to make the syrup. It still tasted delicious, it just didn't get very thick. I only made 1/2 a batch as I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, and I did not have enough sugar in the house for a full batch. Third, we had Redi Whip in the house, so we used that instead of making whipped cream. Finally, I only used two eggs and guessed on the half and half because I wasn't planning on making a full batch. The version below is the best, but what we had tonight was so good, I wish I had made more than 8 pieces! 

French Toast with Vanilla Cream Syrup
You will need French bread, half and half, eggs, sugar, vanilla, corn syrup (dark or light), whipping cream and berries

For the bread:
Cut French bread 1/2 inch thick
combine 1 1/3 cup half and half, 4 eggs, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla

Dip the bread in this mixture. Don't let it soak up too much or your bread will be soggy, but make sure it is wet through. Cook in a pan or griddle. (I made 1/2 a batch-about 6 pieces-one night and made more of this mixture for the rest of the bread the next day)

Serve with Vanilla Cream Syrup
Stir together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup (recipe calls for light, I only had dark and it was fine) and 1/2 cup whipping cream over medium heat and simmer until melted. Remove from stove, add 1 tsp vanilla. Cool, then whip until thickened.

If you want, you can make Whipped Cream using some of your remaining whipping cream. I Googled "How to make whipped cream with whipping cream" and it said to use a metal bowl and put the bowl and whipping cream in the freezer for a while, so I did. Then I whipped the cream with my mixer for a minute or so until it started looking thick. Then I added some sugar and vanilla, then whipped it again. It looked right and tasted good, so I must have done something right!

This might seem like a lot of work, but it really isn't, especially if you make it how we did tonight, and it is just so good. Don't forget the strawberries!!

Cookie Pie

During one of my recent blog stalking adventures, I came across a link to Our Best Bites, which was showcasing the following recipe. Once I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I did not take any pictures, but you can head over to their site to see some if you'd like.

Here's the recipe:
 Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought.
2 large eggs
1/2 C flour
1/2 C white granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
3/4 C real butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 C chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark works best, you might find milk too sweet)
1 C chopped pecans (you are welcome to make it without nuts)

Vanilla ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving (a must!  I prefer ice cream)

optional: chocolate sauce (honestly, doesn't really need chocolate sauce, but it looks pretty!)

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack or serve slightly warmed.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

 Yum! It was so good. You have to make sure you let it cool enough so that it doesn't just fall apart, but warm enough to be like a cookie right from the oven. Mmmm. I actually liked it better the second day after it has cooled completely. It was like a chewy gooey cookie bar. This is the kind of dessert you want to make when you will have company to share it with. Do not attempt to eat a whole cookie pie on your own. One slice is about equal to 5 or 6 cookies : ) I was pleased to discover that even without a mixer, my cookie pie turned out wonderfully. Just made my arm a little sore!

Enjoy!

Party Potatoes

I've got to get this blog rolling again, so I thought I'd start with a very simple and super tasty recipe. I know there are lot of party potato recipes out there, but this one is IT. It is from my friend Rachel, although I am pretty sure it is the recipe her mom uses, so all credit goes to Aunt Debbie.

Party Potatoes
32 oz frozen hash browns (thawed so there aren't any chunks)
1 pt (16 oz) sour cream
2 cans cream of potato soup (or 1 potato, 1 cream of chicken)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and some butter to dot on the top of the potatoes

Mix hash browns and everything except Parmesan cheese and butter. Put in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and dot with butter. Bake uncovered at 325 for 1-1 1/2 hours. If I am making this for only our family, I will sometimes put half in a 9x9 and freeze the other half in a freezer bag.

This is great for potlucks or picnics. I've had it out of the oven for close to 45 minutes and it was still steaming hot. Just cover with foil when it comes out of the oven and stick it in a carrier thing or wrap it up with a towel and leave it all covered up until you are ready to eat!

Chicken Noodle Casserole

This is a super fast and easy meal that both of the kids will eat WITHOUT complaint. My friend Rachel gave me this recipe-it is handwritten in the front cover of a cookbook that she gave me as a bridal shower gift. Memories...

Chicken Noodle Casserole-original recipe
One bag of egg noodles
One can cream of chicken soup
One can of milk
One can of chicken
Potato chips on top

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour

We have made some changes to the recipe to suit our taste.
I prefer to use rotini, mini shells, bow ties or elbow noodles. DO NOT use too many noodles. I have often made this mistake! Two cups dry of the noodles I listed is a great amount. Otherwise You should probably add another can of soup.
You may not need a full can of milk depending on your noodle to milk/soup ratio (you don't want a dry casserole, but you don't want a soupy mess either)
CHEESE!!!!! I always throw a handful or two of shredded cheese in with the noodles, then put more cheese on top.
Garlic Salt-A couple dashes make this extra tasty
Chips-I've used plain potato chips, bbq, cheddar cheese, salt and vinegar... They are all good.

I will often cook the noodles early in the day when I am not busy. After I drain them, I throw all the other ingredients (except the chips and some of the cheese) into the same pan I cooked the noodles in. Mix it all up then put it in a baking dish (size depends on how many noodles you use). Then put the cheese and chips on top and stick it in the fridge until an hour before you need to eat. Cook it and enjoy!

Blondie Brownies and Double Mocha Chocolate Trifle

Earlier this week I made this french toast recipe and had some leftover vanilla cream syrup. Now, I have a major sweet tooth and couldn't stand the idea of throwing away something so tasty. So I decided to mimic a dessert from Applebee's, the Blondie Brownie with maple syrup, but of course I would be using my vanilla cream syrup instead. I did find a copycat version of the Applebee's recipe on line, but ended up using the following recipe instead because it had a really high rating on Allrecipes.

Blondie Brownies

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Measure 1 cup sifted flour. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift again. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Mix well and set aside.
3. Melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and mix well. If shortening is used, add 1 tablespoon hot water. Cool slightly.
4. Add egg (beaten) and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well.
5. Spread in 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

These were VERY easy to make, and I even followed ALL of the directions, including the sifting. I knew my strainer was good for more than just draining pasta! Ok, I guess not ALL the directions, because I didn't use any nuts. Next time I would use white chocolate chips to more closely mimic the Applebee's recipe. I very much enjoyed my blondie with vanilla cream syrup and ice cream!

This next recipe is one that I like to make because it looks like it took a lot more work than it actually takes. I actually made it for our small group meeting tonight because I had almost all the ingredients in the house already.

Double Chocolate Mocha Trifle

• 1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
• 1 3/4 cups cold milk
• 2 (3.3 ounce) packages instant white chocolate pudding mix
• 4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered toffee bars, chopped

1. Prepare brownies according to package directions. Bake and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch cubes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and pudding mix until mixture begins to thicken. Dissolve coffee granules in water and stir into pudding mixture. Fold in whipped topping.
3. In a glass serving bowl, layer one-third of brownie cubes, one-third of pudding mixture and one-third of candy. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used. Chill 30 minutes in refrigerator before serving.

Darin likes it because it doesn't taste too coffee-ish. It is really fast, easy and even if you don't have the toffee bars, it still tastes good.

Appetizer

This is a recipe from my friend, Jen. I have been wanting to make it since she brought it to our small group volleyball showdown a few months ago. Last night I brought it to an Ugly Sweater party. It was a big hit.

Auntie's Avocado Dip
2 avocados
2 tomatoes
1/2 med. sweet onion
1/2 can black olives (I omitted cause I don't like them)
1 jalapeno pepper (no seeds)
2 oz feta cheese
a squirt of two of lime juice
1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 Tbs. cilantro
1/4 cup Italian dressing

Combine lime juice, cumin, cilantro, and dressing. Chop everything else except the feta cheese and stir with dressing mixture. Add cheese last. Make at least 4 hours ahead of time. Can be doubled for a large group!

Breakfast for Dinner

For the past couple months, I've been trying to cook breakfast for dinner at least once a week to save a little money. It has been a HUGE hit. Usually, I just make pancakes, because they are cheap and easy, but sometimes I branch out. Here are two other breakfast dishes I've recently made.

The first is from my college friend, Lisa. I actually found another recipe quite similar to hers, but it was for double the amount and it had a little vanilla extract thrown in. Here is the double recipe
Dutch Babies

Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, dash of salt, dash of vanilla and 4 eggs until batter is lumpy (I mixed it in the blender). In the meantime preheat oven to 425. When oven is close to being preheated, place 1/2 cup (or a little less) butter in a 9x13 baking dish and place in the oven. Once you hear the butter sizzle (I wasn't listening and my oven got a bit spattered) remove the baking dish. Add the batter and bake for 20-25 minutes. The edges of the dutch baby will poof up and start curling over.
Serve with syrup or strawberries and powdered sugar

This next recipe comes from my sister, Laurie. I have never been brave enough to make it on my own, because it seemed like a lot of stuff to be dealing with, but it was easy and SO GOOD.

French Toast with Vanilla Cream Syrup
You will need French bread, half and half, eggs, sugar, vanilla, corn syrup (dark or light), whipping cream and berries

For the bread:
Cut French bread 1/2 inch thick
combine 1 1/3 cup half and half, 4 eggs, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla

Dip the bread in this mixture. Don't let it soak up too much or your bread will be soggy, but make sure it is wet through. Cook in a pan or griddle. (I made 1/2 a batch-about 6 pieces-one night and made more of this mixture for the rest of the bread the next day)

Serve with Vanilla Cream Syrup
Stir together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup (recipe calls for light, I only had dark and it was fine) and 1/2 cup whipping cream over medium heat and simmer until melted. Remove from stove, add 1 tsp vanilla. Cool, then whip until thickened.

If you want, you can make Whipped Cream using some of your remaining whipping cream. I Googled "How to make whipped cream with whipping cream" and it said to use a metal bowl and put the bowl and whipping cream in the freezer for a while, so I did. Then I whipped the cream with my mixer for a minute or so until it started looking thick. Then I added some sugar and vanilla, then whipped it again. It looked right and tasted good, so I must have done something right!

Serve with strawberries or other berries too. Tyson and Jori and Mr. "I only want one piece because I went out for a big lunch today" Fey all loved it and I will definitely be making it again.

Fey's Cinnamon Rolls

This morning I was signed up to bring the snack to Bible Study. I decided to be brave and try to make my mother-in-laws cinnamon rolls. First I will give you the recipe, then I will tell you if I being brave paid off.

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
1 cup brown sugar
cinnamon
sugar

Rolls:
Thaw bread dough in the fridge for the day. (I took it out about an hour before I was going to make the dough, because in my mind room temperature dough would be easier to work with than cold dough.)
Toss a little flour on the counter and roll the dough out (not too much, just enough to roll the dough over a couple times, but it needs to be long enough to cut 12 rolls).
While it is FLAT (in other words, before you roll it) sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar over the dough, but not too much!
Roll it and squeeze the ends so it stays rolled up.
Cut into 12 rolls
Lay on top of the caramel ice cream sauce

Caramel Ice Cream Sauce:
Mix 1/2 cup butter (I microwaved it for about 20 seconds), 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream and 1 cup of brown sugar.

Spread the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Set them in the oven OVERNIGHT covered with a non stick lid (tinfoil sprayed with Pam). In the morning, remove the cover and bake for about 30 minutes at 350. Take out of the oven and tip them onto something (lid, platter, tinfoil...) so the sauce side is up.

Ok, so the recipe that I had varied in one way for the recipe printed above. It said to bake COVERED for 20 minutes and uncovered for 3. I did this and took my rolls out of the oven a little before 9 and they looked PERFECT. So I tipped the burning hot pan over and could see the bubbling caramel ice cream sauce. Then I realized two things- The corners of the rolls were stuck to the pan and I could not see any rolls in the center of my roll formation. Why? Well, they were still pretty much dough and had just flopped into a pile of goo. SO disappointing. I had no time to fret though, because even though I was not going to be staying at Bible study today because I had a semi sick kid, I had told them I'd bring the snack. So we got in the van ran into Family Fare, bought some cinnamon rolls that were on a rack in the front of the store, ran to church, dropped off the rolls and came home.

While I was driving home, I called my sister in law, Daci, and told her my sad tale. Daci then informed my that she never bakes the rolls covered and always bakes them for AT LEAST 30 minutes. Well, I just happened to have a second pan of rolls that I had made for the fam, so I baked them following Daci's directions and 35 minutes later I was enjoying some AWESOME cinnamon rolls with Tyson and Jori. We each had 2 and I am planning on finishing the 6 that are left tonight (with my family, of course!) The corners of the second batch also stuck a little, so next time I would spray a little Pam in the corners and on the edges to prevent the stick.

Would I make these again, yes! Would I make them for someone else, I am not sure. They are not "pretty" when they come out, so I wouldn't make them to bring somewhere, but if you ever stay over night at my house and I have all the ingredients to make these rolls, I would totally do it for you!

Creamy Chicken, Bacon and Tomato Pasta

This is a re-post of a recipe that I first wrote about here. We just had it again a couple nights ago and it was SO good. I picked out the tomatoes for the kids and they chowed down on the rest. I had used pre-cooked bacon last time, but the real was so much better. The mini bow tie pasta was a big hit with the kids. I misread the recipe AGAIN and cooked the whole box of pasta-way too much. On the positive side, Tyson ate the plain cooked pasta with Parmesan cheese and butter for lunch and dinner the next day. The leftovers were a little on the dry side, so after reheating them, I poured a little Italian dressing on top. YUM!

You will need:
3 cups pasta (bow tie, shells, or mini bow tie are all good choices)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut in chunks (season with SOMETHING-the pepper or another spice)
3 slices bacon cut up/crumbled
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes (not drained. I used plain tomatoes.)
4 oz cream cheese (we use the 1/3 less fat)
1/2 cup water (maybe more, maybe less)
1/4 tsp pepper
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top if desired

Cook Pasta as directed. Meanwhile, cook chicken in large skillet over medium high heat until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. When chicken is cooked, add everything else except the Parmesan. Mix well (you don't want cream cheese chunks). Drain pasta, add sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan. We are not so fancy and I just throw the pasta in with the other stuff once it's drained. I also hold back some of the crumbled/cut up bacon and toss it on top before serving.

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Chicken

Finally, a meal the whole family ate with NO complaints. Even Jori asked for seconds. That makes this meal a winner in my book. It is also a crock pot recipe, which makes it even more of a winner.

You will need:
Bacon
Boneless chicken breasts (I made three, but will make at least 4-5 next time)
2 apples
Lemon juice (to keep the apple from browning)
BBQ sauce

Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each boneless uncooked chicken breast and place in crock pot. Peel 2 apples and grate them, and then spread over top of chicken. Mix together 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce and 3 tsp of lemon juice and pour over top of apples and chicken and cook for 8 hours on low.

I cooked mine on high for an hour and on low for 5 hours, put the lemon juice right on the grated apple to make sure I covered it all, used frozen chicken breasts and used one piece of bacon on one breast and didn't hear any complaints. I found this recipe on someone else's blog, and she had found it from somewhere else.

I will get around to writing about our wonderful Christmas in Minnesota once I upload our pictures, so stay tuned...

Sarah's Caramel Corn and Michelle's Curry Butternut Squash Soup

A strange combo, I know, but I wanted to get both recipes on here before I forgot.

My college roomie (and fellow social work major and one time co-worker) Sarah sent me the recipe for her DELICIOUS caramel corn. Seriously, it was so good. One of my favorite things about it was that there were hardly any husks because she used popcorn that her parents grew. So fun.

Caramel Corn

1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup
1 tablespoon light molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
12 cups popped popcorn (plain, not buttered or salted)

*Preheat oven to 250.
*Coat large jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
*Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter and molasses in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat.
*Cook 5 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt.
*Place popcorn in a large bowl; pour sugar mixture over popcorn in a steady stream, stirring to coat.
*Spread popcorn into prepared pan. Bake at 250 for 1 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.
*Remove from oven; stir to break up any large clumps. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Curry Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. butter or oil
1 tsp. curry powder
2 c. chicken broth
4 c. water
1/3 cup evaporated milk (optional, but I think it adds a
nice creamy texture)
Salt and pepper

This step can be done ahead of time and refrigerated:
Cut squash in half, removeseeds and place face down
in a 9x13 pan, put about 1/2 inch of water in pan so
edges of squash are all covered. Put in 425 oven for
30-60 minutes (depends on size of squash - the skin
will get browned and bubbly and the squash is done when
you can easily press it in from the outside - check the
thickest part up at the top to know for sure). Let cool
slightly and scoop out all the squash, being careful not
to get the skin (beware your fingers will turn orange).

In Dutch oven (or whatever pan you'll cook the soup in)
saute onion in butter for 5 minutes, until translucent.
Put squash, onion and curry through blender/food
processor and puree. Put back on stove and add rest of
ingredients. Simmer until heated through and blended all together. 

I just made a batch of this soup today. I plan on eating it for lunch, so I froze it in little butter tubs. The perfect size for 1 person! I used 2 squash on Michelle's recommendation and unless your squash is like monster sized, you should do the same. I used homemade turkey stock with an extra bullion cube thrown in for good measure and only 2 cups of water. I already had a small bowl and thought it was quite delicious. No one else in my family will like it, which is perfect because I wasn't planning on sharing with them anyways!

Appetizers and Pineapple Pretzel Salad

I had such a wonderful night last night with my college friends. We had our annual Christmas party. Last year we had a book exchange, which started my obsession with Frank Peretti books. This year we exchanged kitchen and other random household items. I am the proud new owner of a spatula, a cheese grater thing with two grating lids and a plastic lid for storage, a set of metal bowls with lids, and some Tupperware containers identical to the ones I gave away earlier in the year (and no, these weren't the same ones that I had given!) I already put the Tupperware and spatula to good use tonight when I made chocolate chip cookies, which you can make following the recipe in this post.

For the party last night we decided to make appetizers instead of a big meal. My friend Tracey made a really good bruschetta and I am hoping she passes the recipe on soon and I Sarah made THE BEST caramel corn, but even though she animatedly told us the whole recipe (with motions and everything) I did not write it down. So I'll have to post those later. Here are the recipes I do have:

First is Philly Cheese Pizza Dip, from my good friend Jenny.

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp each red and green peppers
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Spread cream cheese onto bottom of a microwaveable 9 inch pie plate. Cover with pizza sauce and top with remaining ingredients. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve with Ritz crackers. Makes 2 cups.

Next is a recipe that I grew up with. I call it Auntie Pat's Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs.
1 small bottle of yellow mustard
1 pound (2 cups) brown sugar
bacon
Ball Park Jumbo beef franks

Preheat oven to 350. Cut hot dogs into 3 or 4 equal pieces (depending on what hot dogs you use). Cut bacon in half lengthwise and width wise. Wrap each piece of hot dog in bacon and put in a baking dish seam side down. Mix together mustard and brown sugar. Pour over the top (I dumped it all on, even though it seemed like a lot of extra. It cooks down quite a bit). Bake for 1 hour at 350.

I halved the recipe and used regular hot dogs (sorry girls, it's all I had!) They were just as good as I remembered them being.

Finally I have a recipe from my mother in law. She served it last Christmas and I loved it. However, I am the only one in my family who liked it so I couldn't make it until last night when I had people coming over with tastes similar to mine.

Pineapple Pretzel Salad (could almost be a dessert)

8 oz. Cream Cheese

8 oz. Cool Whip

1/2 cup sugar

20 oz. Crushed Pineapple (juice too)

Mix together and refrigerate

2 cups crushed pretzels

1/2 cup melted/soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

Cream butter & sugar. Add pretzels and stir. Bake 7 minutes at 300 degrees. Cool and store

in ziplock/bowl until ready to serve, then add to other ingredients.

I would combine the cream cheese and whip cream first to make sure you get all the lumps out of the cream cheese. I did not do this and definitely ate a few cream cheese lumps. It was still good and I am excited to eat my leftovers tonight!

Holiday baking

Today I started making some Christmas goodies with the kids. We are planning on taking some of our treats over to a local nursing home IF we can stay healthy! With that in mind, I opted to make some treats that would be easy on dentures (no peanut brittle!).

Peanut Butter Cups

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
4-5 squares chocolate bark

Combine peanut butter and powdered sugar. If the mixture is still a bit sticky, add a bit more powdered sugar, which we will be doing with the next batch. Roll into small balls.
You can either keep in balls and use a toothpick to dip the whole ball in the melted chocolate (follow directions on package) or put each ball in a SMALL paper baking cup (the kind you use for cupcakes, only small sized), press it down and pour some chocolate on top. That is the method we used. Next time, we won't press them down as much so the chocolate covers more of the peanut butter. We will also make smaller sized balls (although these seemed small to me) because Darin and I prefer a higher chocolate to peanut butter ratio. Put in the fridge to harden.
If you have extra chocolate, grab some pretzels, dip them in chocolate and put them on wax paper.

Microwave Fudge

2/3 cup (1 stick plus 3 Tbsp) butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
3 cups sugar
7 ounce marshmallow fluff
bag of semi sweet or peanut butter chips
1 tsp vanilla

Microwave butter for about 1 minute in a large bowl
Add evaporated milk and sugar. Mix well. Microwave for 3 minutes. Mix well to get all the sugar off the sides and bottom of bowl. Microwave 2 minutes. Mix. Microwave 3 minutes. Mix. Microwave 2 minutes. (The bowl and contents are going to be HOT!!!)

Add marshmallow fluff. Stir until completely incorporated. Add chips (chocolate or peanut butter) and vanilla. Stir and Stir and Stir.

Pour into a 9x13 pan (I put foil in mine so I can lift it out and cut even squares. We shall see if this is a help or a hindrance). Leave out on counter. After it has hardened, keep in an airtight container in the fridge. Can be frozen, but make sure if it well covered with wax paper, plastic, aluminum foil and in an airtight container.

If your fudge down not set, use as an ice cream topping. My mom had this happen one year and peanut butter fudge on ice cream is GOOD!

I am hoping to make chocolate fudge, more peanut butter cups (my first batch only made 9, of which one is left), chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chip cookies as well. Some we will eat, some will be for the Laurels and the rest for the neighbors.

Chicken or Turkey Enchiladas

Another one of Michelle's recipes. Very easy and yummy. I made 1/2 a batch, but will write down the whole recipe.

1 jar salsa
1 cup sour cream
12 taco sized or 8 burrito sized tortillas
1/2 Rotisserie chicken (or left over turkey or other chicken)
Monterrey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Grease a 9x13 dish. Mix salsa and sour cream. Michelle does this in a pie plate and dips one side of the tortilla in the mix, I put it in a bowl and used a spoon to slop it on. Put some chicken or turkey in the tortilla. Roll it and put it seem side down in your baking dish. Once all tortillas are in pan, pour the remaining salsa mixture on it and top with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Let it stand 5 minutes for the sauce to thicken.

We all really liked this. I would like to try it with rotisserie chicken (or some leftover salsa chicken) because the turkey tasted like turkey : ) At first Tyson was trying to pick out pieces of the salsa (chunks of onion and other goodies) and Jori said "why do you keep making stuff like this that I don't like?", but then Tyson stopped picking stuff out and cleaned his whole plate. It was still a small battle with Jori, but that has become the norm. Darin really liked it, but had a texture issue with the salsa chunks as well. Maybe next time I could throw the salsa and sour cream in the blender?? Any other thoughts? It wasn't chunky salsa, just original style.

Breakfast for Dinner-Pear Oven Pancake

I have decided to try and make breakfast for dinner at least once a week. I am hoping this will save time and money each week. Last night I tried a new recipe that came out of the Carnation recipe booklet that recently came in the mail. Darin and I liked it, Tyson had 3-4 helpings and Jori, well, in typical Jori fashion she decided she didn't like it before even trying it and ended up eating maybe 5 bites before I decided to put a stop to her attitude filled mealtime.

Pear Oven Pancake

2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar (needed for top)
1/4 tsp salt
1 can Carnation Evaporated Milk
3 large eggs
1 ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450*
Pour melted butter into 9 inch deep-dish pie plate or cake pan. Swirl to coat bottom and sides
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk evaporated milk and eggs in another bowl until blended. Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Arrange pear slices on top of batter in a pinwheel design, pushing slightly down. Combine remaining 2 Tbsp sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm.

Our pear pancake needed some extra baking time. It was probably in there at least 30 minutes if not a little more. The texture was kind of like a cooked pudding. This would NOT make good leftovers (in my opinion) so we forced down the last slice. If Jori had been a better eater, this would not have been a problem. I would make this again, but maybe on an every other month rotation.

What breakfast items do YOU make for dinner?

Broiled Tilapia and Pulled Pork Tacos

Not together, of course, but these are two separate recipes. Both recipes are courtesy of my college friend Michelle, who also gave me the chicken and salsa recipe, so if you liked that, try these!

Michelle found the tilapia recipe on Ordering Disorder, which is also where I found the bbq chicken recipe that was SO good. Click here to go right to the tilapia recipe, with pictures, or just read on for the same recipe, minus the pics.

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice*

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon celery salt*

2 pounds tilapia fillets

This is a quick recipe. Fish does not take long to cook at all, so if you are making a side dish you might want that to be almost done before you put your fish into the broiler.

Step One:

Turn your oven on to the BROIL setting. Make sure that you adjust the racks inside your oven. You want the fish to be a few inches away from the broiling burner.

Step Two:

Line the bottom of your broiling pan with tinfoil. Trust me, it is so much easier to clean up this way. You will thank me for this little extra step later. You are welcome in advance.

Step Three:

Arrange the fillets in a single layer on your broiling pan.

Step Four:

Mix together all of the other ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

If you have anything you need to attend to, go do it now. You will not be leaving your fish again until it is served. Don’t worry this only takes a few minutes. Seriously, I hardly had anytime to take any photos.

Step Five:

Place fish in the oven. Broil for 2-3 minutes. I usually aim for 2 minutes because by the time I find my potholder and get it out of oven, an additional minute has passed.

Step Six:

Flip the fillets over and return them to the broiler for another 2-3 minutes.

Step Seven:

Remove from oven. Cover the fish with the Parmesan cheese mixture you have already prepared.

Step Eight:

Return the fish to the oven and broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the coating has become slightly brown. You don’t want to overcook the fish. It should flake easily with your fork Tyson

I made 4 (frozen) fillets (that I thawed, of course), and the Parmesan cheese that comes in a can, not actual Parmesan cheese. Next time I think I would try it with real cheese. It was really good. I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't still coughing up a lung! Darin said he would eat it again and he isn't a huge fish fan. Tyson ate what we put on his plate with few complaints. He did say it was too spicy. Maybe he meant too tangy from the lemon because there isn't anything spicy about this recipe. Jori was her typical self and whined and moaned, but finally ate about 5 bites before we let her stop. I WILL be making this again.

The pulled pork tacos recipe is one that Michelle put in our "Rooks Cooks" cookbook. (My college friends and I lived in Rooks VanDellen our freshman and sophomore years and I am so blessed that most of them still live in the area!)

You will need:
1 pork loin or tenderloin cubed in 1.5 inch pieces (you choose the size of the loin!)
1 medium white or yellow onion
1 TBSP cumin
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp hot sauce (or more if you like spicier things)
2 TBSP soy sauce
2-3 bottles of beer (wheat or dark beer is best, but you can use any)
Flour tortillas
Cilantro
Shredded cheese
Limes

Brown pork over medium-high heat in large dutch over (The first time I made this, I didn't cut the tenderloin up and I didn't brown it, but it still turned out great). Once all sides are browned, add onion and continue sauteing until onions start to look translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add spices and liquids, cumin through beer, use enough beer to cover the meat. (I have already browned, sauteed and added everything BUT the beer and shoved the whole pan in the fridge. I thought I may as well get it started while my kids were occupied!)
Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and cover to cook for 2-3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so-if beer seems to be getting low, add more.
About 45 minutes before you want to eat, shred pork-you should be able to do this with a spatula because the pork SHOULD BE falling apart by now. Leave cover off and simmer until it is time to eat-the sauce will cook down.
Serve on warm tortillas topped with cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of lime (Darin likes just cheese, I like how it tastes with all the "extras") and black beans if you like.