Southwestern Egg Bake, Mini Sausage-and-Egg Casseroles, BLT Smashed Potatoes, Boneless Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Gravy

Hi everyone! I can't believe it's May! Where has the year gone? I don't think this weather has helped but I feel like time is slipping through my hands. Ok, Thursday is grocery shopping day and remember to always check the front page of the ad for the loss leaders. I wasn't too impressed with the sale this week but they do have pork roasts on sale if your family likes those!

Thursday I have Mops (Wabash) and I am bringing Southwestern Egg Bake. This is easy and I like that it doesn't require a ton of ingredients. The only bad part is it takes over an hour to cook so I'll have to get up extra early to get it in the oven before it's time to go to Mops. Often times, with casseroles like this, I assemble them the night before and leave them in the fridge and then bake them in the morning. If you do this, make sure you set the casserole out for about 30 minutes so it can take the chill off and then your cooking time should be the same. Otherwise, you'll need to adjust the cooking time a bit. This is a great casserole for you to make on a weekend for your family for breakfast!

For dinner we're having Mini Sausage and Egg Casseroles (well they are, I'm going out for book club). John always gets jealous of all the sausage dishes for Mops so I figured we could have breakfast for dinner. I haven't decided if I'm going to do the mini casseroles or the big casserole yet. There is instructions for freezing the mini casseroles which is a great idea for quick breakfasts for your kids! Oh, I like this recipe too because I can leave the cheese off and it's not a big deal. There is also instructions for freezing it as a whole casserole so you might want to consider making an extra one for a Saturday morning breakfast some time!

Southwestern Egg Bake
Amy - amylz
Yield: 6 Servings

12 oz Bulk spicy pork sausage
1/2 c Chopped onion
1/2 c Chopped green bell pepper
4 c Frozen hash-brown potatoes,- thawed
6 oz Shredded cheddar(1 1/2 cups)
4 ea Eggs
3/4 c Milk
1 c Salsa

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8-inch square (2-quart) baking
dish. In medium skillet, brown sausage with onion and bell pepper;
drain.
2. Arrange potatoes in bottom of greased baking dish. Top with half
of the cheese, all of the sausage mixture and then the remaining
cheese.
3. In small bowl, beat eggs slightly. Beat in milk. Pour over mixture
in dish. Cover with foil.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover baking dish; bake an
additional 10 to 15 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes
out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve topped with
salsa.

Mini Sausage-and-Egg Casseroles
Amy - amylz
Southern Living, AUGUST 2007

8 (1 1/2-oz.) sourdough bread slices, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Vegetable cooking spray
1 (12-oz.) package fully cooked pork sausage patties, chopped
2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Divide bread cubes evenly among 10 (8- to 10-oz.) ovenproof coffee mugs coated with cooking spray, placing in bottom of mugs. Top evenly with sausage. Whisk together 2 1/2 cups milk, eggs, and Dijon mustard. Pour evenly over bread mixture in mugs.

2. Whisk together buttermilk and cream of mushroom soup. Spoon over bread mixture in mugs; sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Place coffee mugs on a baking sheet.

3. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until casseroles are set and puffed. Serve immediately.

Note: Unbaked mugs of casserole can be covered with plastic wrap, then foil, and frozen up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed.

Sausage-and-Egg Casserole: Omit coffee mugs. Arrange bread in 2 lightly greased 8-inch square baking dishes or 1 lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Proceed as directed, increasing bake time to 1 hour or until casserole is set. Note: An unbaked casserole can be covered with plastic wrap, then foil, and frozen up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed.

Yield: Makes 10 servings

I love these BLT Smashed Potatoes. This is a great side dish when you want a potato dish and it's different than plain potatoes. You can use green onion if you don't want to use leeks but the leek really is good. Remember, when you use leeks, you want to slice them first, then rinse in a bowl of water to clean them. A lot of the grit will be in the layers so that's really the only way to get them clean.

The second recipe is for Buttermilk Chicken. This recipe is really good. I just use chicken tenders instead of dicing up chicken breast and these come out like baked chicken strips in a way. The gravy is excellent too! Now, if you don't have buttermilk, you can always substitute regular milk and white vinegar. That is true for anytime you need buttermilk. It's 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. So, if you need more or less milk, you need to adjust your vinegar. When I bake, I always use this method and everything has come out fine!

BLT Smashed Potatoes
Tyne (ABC123T)

2 ½ pounds small red-skinned new potatoes
1 leek, trimmed of tough tops
4 slices thick cut smoky bacon, chopped
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1 vine ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
salt and pepper
1 cup sour cream, to pass at table

Cut larger potatoes in half, leave very small potatoes whole. Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes 12 to 15 minutes until tender.

Cut leek in half lengthwise. Chop into ½-inch pieces. Place leeks in big bowl of water and release all the dirt from them with a good swish, separating all the layers. Drain leeks in colander.

Put a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil into a hot nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bacon 3 to 5 minutes until it begins to crisp and has rendered most of its fat. Add leeks to the skillet and cook 3 to 5 minutes more until the leeks are tender.

Draing the potatoes and return them to the hot pot. Smash the potatoes with the chicken stock. Add the BLT: bacon, leeks and tomatoes to the potatoes and continue to smash. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper to your taste.



Boneless Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Gravy
Bren's Recipe

1 cup buttermilk
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2" chunks
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 tsp coarsely ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup corn or canola oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Pour 1/2 cup of the buttermilk into a shallow dish just large enough to hold the chicken. Use your hand to flatten the chicken to an even thickness of about 1/2". Dip the chicken in the buttermilk, turning to coat completely. In another shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the flour, pepper & salt. Dredge the chicken in the cornmeal mixture, patting to coat the chicken all over.

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Panfry the chicken over medium-high heat, turning once, until it is cooked through and the coating is dark golden brown; about 8-10 total. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Stir the remaining 2 Tbs. of flour into the pan drippings and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour paste takes on a golden color; about 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk. Cook, stirring up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, until the gravy is bubbly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring for about 2 minutes. Season with hot pepper sauce, salt & pepper. Serve the chicken with the gravy ladled over it (I usually double the gravy for my family).

Sandy’s Notes: sub’d sour milk for the buttermilk (1 T vinegar, add milk to equal one cup). I omitted the pepper sauce for kids and should have reduced pepper for their tastes. Doubled gravy - 2 T extra oil, 1/4 cup flour, 1 can chicken broth (approx 2 cups), 1 cup sour milk. I found I needed a bit of extra flour to get it to thicken. Served with rice and green beans.


Amy

Festive Cranberry-Pineapple Salad, Meatloaf, Better Than Arby's Roast Beef Sandwiches, Betty’s Spaghetti Sauce

Hi everyone! Don't forget that Wednesday is 31 cent scoop night at Baskin & Robbins so go get some ice cream after dinner!

Wednesday we're having a jello salad and meatloaf. I know, meatloaf again but we love it! The jello salad is called Festive Cranberry-Pineapple Salad. You really should make this the day before you want to eat it unless you start it early in the morning. I couldn't find crushed pineapple that didn't cost a ton so I bought chunks and then just throw it in the food processor to mash it up. I'm also leaving out the nuts! Kraft gives some variations at the bottom of the recipe too.

The meatloaf is just called Meatloaf and it has Italian Sausage in it. You'd be surprised how much flavor Italian Sausage brings to something like meatloaf. Now remember, don't over mix your meatloaf, just throw all the ingredients in and mix.


Festive Cranberry-Pineapple Salad

Amy - amylz

Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 5 hr 40 min

Makes: 14 servings, 1/2 cup each

1 can (20 oz.) DOLE Crushed Pineapple, undrained

2 pkg. (4-serving size each) or 1 pkg. (8-serving size) JELL-O Brand Raspberry Flavor Gelatin

1 can (16 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce

1 medium DOLE Apple, chopped

2/3 cup chopped PLANTERS Walnuts

DRAIN pineapple, reserving liquid in 1-qt. liquid measuring cup. Remove 1 Tbsp. of the crushed pineapple; set aside for garnish. Add enough cold water to reserved liquid to measure 3 cups; pour into large saucepan. Bring to boil; remove from heat. Add gelatin; stir at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add cranberry sauce; stir until well blended. (Note: Due to the presence of whole berries in the cranberry sauce, the gelatin mixture will not be smooth.) Pour into large bowl. Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites.)

STIR in remaining pineapple, the apples and walnuts; stir gently until well blended. Pour into medium serving bowl.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Top with reserved crushed pineapple just before serving. Store leftover gelatin in refrigerator.

DOLE is a trademark of Dole Food Company, Inc.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Prepare as directed, using JELL-O Brand Cherry Flavor Gelatin. Garnish with apple slices just before serving.

Variation - Molded Cranberry-Pineapple Salad

To serve as a molded salad, substitute a 6-cup mold for the serving bowl. Also, use 1 can (8-1/4 oz.) DOLE Crushed Pineapple, 1/3 cup chopped PLANTERS Walnuts and add enough cold water to the reserved pineapple liquid to measure 2 cups. Makes 10 servings, 1/2 cup each.



Meatloaf

Janelle

1 lb Italian sausage

1 lb ground beef

1 t salt

1 t pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion (or dry minced onion)

2 T parsley

1/2 t basil

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup chili sauce (divided into 2 TB. each)

1/2 t soy sauce

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

3 slices bacon; cooked and crumbled

Mix meat, salt, pepper, onions, parsley, basil, bread crumbs, 2 T. chili sauce, soy sauce, egg and milk until well blended.

Form into a loaf and put into meatloaf pan. Spread remaining 2 T. chili sauce on top and sprinkle bacon pieces over.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower temp to 350 degrees and cook for 1 hour.

*You can leave out bacon if you want.


For the extra recipes tonight, I have this roast beef sandwich recipe that is great. Yes, you really cook this for 24 hours. I have made this and it comes out great every time. The next recipe is spaghetti sauce and it's one of our favorites. My family would probably say spaghetti is their favorite meal and this is one of their favorite sauces. A lot of times I'll make this on the stove and then transfer it to the crockpot and let it cook in that all day. Yum!

Better Than Arby's Roast Beef Sandwiches
(Linda?)

1 beef roast -- 3 to 4 lb.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 pkg onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
1 chopped onion
1 pinch garlic powder
salt and pepper

You just put a 3-4 lb. roast in the crockpot with 1/2 cup brown sugar,1 pkg onion soup mix, 1/2 cup water, 1 chopped onion, a pinch of garlic powder and salt & pepper. You let it cook for 24 hours! I usually start it after dinner in the evening, then stir it in the morning. By dinner that night - it's ready! They're great on onion buns!
------------------



Betty’s Spaghetti Sauce

OP-Mommy2Beth&Sarah

12 oz. Tomato paste

15-16 oz Tomato sauce

2 lbs. ground beef or a mixture of beef and Italian Sausage - Browned

1 cup Celery - chopped fine

1 large Sweet Onion – chopped fine

2 cloves garlic – chopped fine OR if you like it light then you can just

drop them in and then discard them before serving

12 – 24 oz. water (you choose the thickness you want)

Season with Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper, and garlic salt

Optional – add one or two fresh tomatoes/ chunked or can of tomatoes.

Brown Meat in as little oil as possible. Drain on paper towels. Put it in a big heavy pot and add everything else and bring ALMOST to a boil. Reduce to simmer, put the top on and let it cook away for at least an hour, sometimes I leave it two hours or more. You’ll have to stir it pretty often so it won’t stick to the bottom. I just cook it until it looks like I want it to look – adding water as needed along the way.


Amy

Chicken Fiesta Chili Mac, BEAN BURRITO CASSEROLE, Beef Stroganoff RR

Hi everyone! I was so inspired by our tea this morning that I wanted to go home and make little sandwiches. I didn't though. I don't think anyone at my house would appreciate it. Jackson doesn't even appreciate my bento lunches I do for him but all the other kids think it's cool. His teacher says that other teachers like to peek at Jackson's lunch so at least I'm making someone happy!

Here's a tip: for tonight's menu I had Peasant Bread. Whenever you bake bread, you need yeast. A lot of people will buy those packets of pre-measured yeast but I have found it's better to buy a jar of yeast. It doesn't expire as fast and that way you can measure out the amount you need depending on the type of bread you're making. But here's the tip, you should store your yeast in the freezer. This will keep it from going bad. You don't need to warm it up when you use it or anything, it is good to go right from the freezer.

Tuesday we're having Chicken Fiesta Chili Mac. I'm not totally sure my family will like this but I'm giving it a whirl. Jackson loves chili, loves pasta and loves spicy things so you never know. I'm leaving out the green pepper since there are none to be found in this country and I'm using fresh salsa since that's what I have. I think I'm going to leave the cheese out too because I won't be able to disguise it so John and Jackson can't see it. I might split this in half and do cheese in half and not in the other. So, the one with cheese I'll bake and the one without I'll just cook on the stove top and serve. Anyway, I'm considering this a complete meal and will probably serve a green salad with it! By the way, this recipe come from the Kraft website which is www.kraftfoods.com and you should check it out if you're ever looking for super easy and quick meals to throw together. I would consider most of their meals very basic and simple and obviously they utilize Kraft products which are easy to find at the grocery store.

Chicken Fiesta Chili Mac
Keri - kmas0n - Kraftfoods.com

1-1/2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 can (15 oz.) chili with beans
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook macaroni as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook chicken in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray 5 to 7 min. or until cooked through, stirring frequently.

DRAIN macaroni. Add to chicken in skillet. Stir in chili, peppers, garlic, VELVEETA and salsa. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 20 min. or until heated through. Stir before serving.

*this could probably be made into a one-pot meal. Just let it cook on low until cheese is melted.


I'm excited about the first extra recipe because it's so good and sooooooo easy. Ok, it's Bean Burrito Casserole and my friend Amy came up with it. When I make it, I use the beef and bean burritos (no cheese) and you can either buy the mega pack or you can buy the burritos individually at Safeway (aisle ). It doesn't matter what kind of burritos you use, just pick what you like. All of the ingredients that are optional are really required (IMO). They really add to the dish. I also think you should make this in an 11X7 dish rather than 10X13 so that you get better coverage from the sauce. Yum! Even Jackson loves this and he's usually my picky one.

The second recipe take a little more time but it's really good. I saw it on Rachael Ray and I know dill pickles in your stroganoff might sound weird but trust me, it's delicious! You can really use any steak you want in this and just kind of eyeball the ingredients. You know how Rachael Ray works, just kind of throw stuff in! This is so good though, trust me! I know long ingredient lists can be intimidating but this is all stuff you should have on hand so it's not as bad as you think. This comes together in less than 30 minutes too so it's quick! Jackson also loves this and like I said, he hates pretty much everything so if he likes this, it must be good!

BEAN BURRITO CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Allrecipes.com)

6 frozen bean and cheese burritos
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken
½ cup sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 medium tomato, chopped (optional)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced (optional)
1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained (optional)
½ cup salsa (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place the burritos in a row across the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and chile peppers. Spread evenly over the top of the burritos. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is slightly browned and burritos are heated through. Serve with tomato, avocado, olives and salsa.

Amy's Notes: I use Beef and Bean burritos. I put it all in a 11X7 pan instead to get more coverage from the sauce. The olives, tomatoes and avocados on top are a must!

Beef Stroganoff RR
(Amy - amylz)

1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin fillet
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons prepared Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup sour cream, eyeball it
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan in a slow stream
1/2 small onion, sliced
1/3 cup coarsely chopped cornichons (dill pickles)
1 pound extra wide egg noodles, cooked to package directions
Chopped parsley leaves, garnish
Thickly sliced pumpernickel bread, optional

Slice meat into 1/2-thick by 2 -inch long very thin strips and season with salt and pepper. Set in freezer. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and cook with flour 1 minute. Whisk in broth. Thicken 1 minute. Stir in mustard and sour cream, thicken 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper. Heat a second skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter, then add the meat and onion and cook over high heat until brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Then add the chopped pickles and stir to combine. Arrange meat on a bed of egg noodles and top with Stroganoff sauce and parsley. Serve with thickly sliced pumpernickel bread.

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Amy

Baked Chicken Chimichangas, Peasant Bread, Bacon and Tomato Pasta Stir-Fry, Banana Cake

Hi everyone! We had to go to a party in Everett today and I feel like I've been in the car all day! I hate that! I'm looking forward to our nice tea tomorrow! Since we got home a bit later than I hoped, I had to improvise on my dinner for tonight (the Steak & Mushroom Packets). I decided to throw it all in a pan and I cooked it like a stir fry. Then we had it over rice. It was terrific that way. So, as you can tell, recipes can be very versatile. Sometimes you can use them as inspiration to come up with something else.

Monday we're having Chimichangas and Peasant Bread. Ok, the chimichangas are only 3 points if you're doing WW so that's a bonus. The nice thing about this recipe is you can make as little or as many as you need for your family. These have no cheese so my family will eat them! These would be good with cheese on the top though if you like that. John won't eat beans so I will leave the refried beans out of his. This is a great recipe to use up the leftover chicken you've saved from a different night in the freezer!

Then, since it's Monday, I'm making bread. I don't always use my bread machine but I love being able to when I don't have time to actually make bread by hand. You just layer the ingredients in your machine (wet ingredients first, then dry, then yeast) and let it go.


Baked Chicken Chimichangas

posted by Breathesy

3 pts. Per serving, serves 8

½ cup chopped onion
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ tbsp. chili powder
16 oz. salsa
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
2 ½ cups cooked chicken, shredded
8 tortillas
1 can ff refried beans
olive oil flavored cooking spray

In large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in chili powder, salsa, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in shredded chicken. Let cool.

Spray rimmed rectangular baking pan with cooking spray. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon a heaping tablespoon of refried beans down center of each tortilla. Top with a scant ½ cup of the chicken mixture. Fold up the bottom, top, and sides of tortilla. Secure with toothpicks. Place chimichanga in baking pan, seam side down. Spray all sides with olive oil cooking spray. Bake in 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, turning every five minutes.



Peasant Bread – Bread Machine
Sandy~~*~Sandy~*~

This bread is a very moist, chewy bread with a light, crispy crust.

7/8 cup (1 1/3 cups) [1 1/2 cups] water
1 1/2 tsp (2 tsp) [1 T] sugar
3/4 tsp (1 tsp) [1 tsp] salt
2 cups (3 cups) [3 1/2 cups] bread flour
1 1/2 tsp (2 tsp) [2 1/2 tsp] yeast

Layer in bread pan per manufacturer’s instructions.

First column ingredients makes one small loaf, second column in parentheses makes medium loaf, third column in brackets makes large loaf.


Here are a couple extra recipes. We love this Bacon and Tomato Pasta Stir-Fry. Ok, most of the time, I leave the chicken out and just do a whole package of bacon. I also use regular tomatoes (diced) if cherry tomatoes cost a fortune. There are even WW points given at the bottom of the recipe. In recipes that include pasta, never get caught up in the style of pasta. If you have penne noodles or spirals or whatever, use those. Pasta is pasta! The only time you probably want to use the noodles it calls for is when it's egg noodles are those have a different taste from your regular pasta.

Bacon and Tomato Pasta Stir-Fry
Sandy (~*~Sandy~*~)

6 oz (2 cups) uncooked bow tie pasta
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
1 cup fresh baby carrots, halved lengthwise (or slivered)
1/4 cup water
2 cups sugar snap peas (or green beans)
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 tsp garlic pepper blend
1/2 tsp salt
6 T shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add bacon; cook and stir 4 to 6 minutes or until browned and crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Reserve 1 T bacon drippings in skillet. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until browned. Add carrots and water; cover and cook 3 minutes.

Add sugar snap peas, tomatoes, garlic pepper and salt; mix well. Cover; cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and chicken is no longer pink in center, stirring occasionally.

Stir in cooked pasta, bacon and 4 tablespoons of the cheese; cook and stir until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cheese.

4 servings

Sandy’s notes: Weight Watchers Points: 8 (approximately), with the following changes: 8 oz pasta, 4 slices center cut bacon, 1.5 oz parmesan.



The banana cake is superb! I actually made this for Caden's birthday cake this year. It is in a bundt pan so it's not your typical rectangle cake but it's still so good. The frosting is amazing! Since I throw my ripe bananas in the freezer, I had them on hand for this cake and I really didn't need to buy extra ingredients since most is stuff you would have on hand. I also leave out the nuts because we are nut free but I bet it would be good with them.

Banana Cake
OP????

CAKE:

2 cups granulated sugar

1½ cups vegetable oil

3 large eggs

4 medium ripe bananas

3 cups flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup chopped pecans

FROSTING:

1 stick butter, softened

8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1 box powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour angel food or bundt pan.

2 In large bowl, beat sugar and oil until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Break up bananas into chunks and add to batter.

3 Sift flour, then measure 3 cups; add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and soda; sift again. Add slowly to the batter and continue beating. Fold in pecans.

4 Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour. Let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan.

5 To prepare frosting: Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla and continue beating until of spreading consistency.

6 Frost when cake has completely cooled.

Amy’s Notes: I omit the nuts!


Amy

Steak & Mushroom Packets, Bacon Ranch Green Beans, Bacon Swiss Dip

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great Saturday! I attended Chloe's funeral this morning and that was very sad but I'm glad I went. Now I'm off to scrapbook!

Sunday we're having Steak & Mushroom packets. This is from a Goose Berry Patch cookbook called One Pot Meals. I am considering this a complete meal and will serve it with rice. Here's a tip, whenever you need to slice steak, throw it in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before slicing and that will make it much easier. This dinner is so simple and there is really no clean up at all so that's a bonus!

Steak & Mushroom Packets
Amy - amylz
One Pot Meals

1 lb boneless round steak, cut in thin strips
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
12 oz package sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup green onion, sliced
2 to 3 cups prepares rice or noodles

Sprinkle steak strips with garlic powder and pepper; place in a large zipping bag. Add mushrooms and teriyaki sauce; mix will and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Divide steak mixture among 4 squares of foil; top with green onion. Bring up sides of foil seal packets tightly. Place on a baking sheet; bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve over prepared rice or noodles. Serves 4.

Here are a couple extra recipes for you! The Bacon Ranch Green Beans are so good! I have made these with canned green beans, frozen and fresh and they're all good. You do want to make sure you use 1/2 an envelope of ranch to every pound of green beans though because this is salty! The second recipe is Bacon Swiss Dip and I love it! This is great for parties or bunco or wherever you need to bring an appetizer. It's a nice change from your typical hot dips and it's good!

Bacon Ranch Green Beans
Sandy~~*~Sandy~*~

1 package (16 oz) frozen green beans
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 envelope ranch salad dressing mix (1 1/2 T)
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled or bacon bits

In a skillet, sauté the green beans in butter. Add the salad dressing mix and toss to coat. Just before serving, sprinkle in the bacon and mix.

Notes: Original recipe called for an entire package of ranch mix, which makes this too strong and salty. Half a package is much better, maybe even a bit less.



Bacon Swiss Dip
Elizabeth~QueenE3

(this ROCKS, I am not kidding, people will want to lick the plate!--lol!)

1/2 cup mayo
1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped (I just cut them w/ kitchen scissors)
8 bacon slices, cooked crisp and crumbled
about 1/2 a sleeve of Ritz crackers (can use more), crushed

Beat mayo and cream cheese until blended. Mix in grated Swiss then stir in green onions, until combined. Place in an oven safe dish. Combine cooked, crumbled bacon and crushed Ritz crackers and put on top of cheese mixture. Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly. Watch crackers and bacon on top so they don't get too brown, but you want them lightly browned/crisp. Serve with Fritos Scoops.


Amy

Rempel Family Meatloaf, AMY'S PASTA SALAD, Layered Pizza Dip, Olive Garden Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip, Aunt Sa’s Chicken Casserole, Awesome Coffee

Hi everyone! I hope you all have a nice weekend planned! I have a busy day tomorrow and Sunday but I like being busy.

For Saturday's dinner, I have meatloaf and pasta salad planned. My family loves meatloaf so I like to try different recipes out all the time. One thing with meatloaf is you want to use really lean meat. There's nowhere for the grease to go when it's cooking so the less grease the better. I've heard some people put bread on the bottom of their loaf pan when they cook meatloaf to soak up the grease but I've never tried that. Also, you never want to over mix ground meat. This is true for hamburgers or anytime you're mixing ground meat. If you mix it too much, it becomes rubbery and doesn't cook right. So, when you're mixing your meatloaf, you want to get all your ingredients in there and then use your hand and mush it all together and be done with it. In this particular recipe, I am going to leave the cheese out (since my family refuses to eat it) but I encourage you to leave it in as it's a great binder. Also, you can use BBQ sauce in place of the ketchup and steak sauce if you prefer. I know the recipe says to mix the meat then mix the eggs then mix it together but I wouldn't do that (refer to rule about over mixing above). Just poor everything into a bowl, then mix. Put it in a loaf pan and you're set!

My boys also LOVE pasta salad. I make one very similar to the one I'm doing for tomorrow so I know they'll love this. It's called Amy's Pasta Salad (from my friend Amy, not me). With this pasta salad, you need to make it the day before you want to eat it as it gets better when it sits over night! I suppose you could make it in the morning for that evening but it's really best over night! Since green peppers are impossible to find right now (or cost a fortune), feel free to use any color of pepper or just leave it out. I'm going to leave out the feta (it's the whole cheese thing) but if your family likes feta, use it because it adds a lot to this dish! Obviously, you can use any brand of Italian Dressing you like but she says Newman's is the best. I'm also not going to steam the veggies first because my kids like them raw better but I've had it both ways and the steaming way is good. They end up tasting like marinated veggies if you steam them first.

I have my craft night tomorrow night too and I'm going to bring two dips. First is Layered Pizza Dip. This is really easy to make. I use a chunky spaghetti sauce and I'm not going to worry about the green peppers since there is veggies in my sauce. This dip is so good! Then I'm also making Olive Garden Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip. I like this dip because you can make it a day or two ahead of time and then you just bake it when you are ready to serve it. Yum! Just throw your box of chopped spinach in the microwave to defrost the spinach and then ring it out with a dishtowel to get all the water out. The notes in parenthesis in the recipe are from Deb and I haven't tried it her way but she says it all works fine.

Rempel Family Meatloaf:
Jaci (smallpotatoes)

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons steak sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, stir together ground beef, crushed crackers, cheddar cheese and onion soup mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, stir together eggs, ketchup and steak sauce until smooth. Stir the egg mixture into the beef mixture, adding a little water if necessary. Shape into a loaf and place in a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until no longer pink.



AMY'S PASTA SALAD
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Cooks.com)

2 bottles Paul Newman Italian salad dressing
2 tomatoes
1 white onion
1 green pepper
1 head cauliflower
1 head broccoli
1 can black olives
1 pkg. tri colored pasta corkscrew noodles
1 pkg. sm. pepperoni
1 container feta cheese
Garlic powder
Pepper
Oregano
Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles as directed on package. Steam broccoli and cauliflower until crisp. Cut up all other vegetables, cheese and pepperoni. Mix all of the above in very large bowl. Add 1 bottle dressing, mix well. Add seasonings to your liking. I add it 2-3 times while mixing. Add 1/2 of the second bottle of dressing and mix well. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Add rest of dressing. Great for picnics and large groups!



Layered Pizza Dip
Amy - amylz



Prep Time: 25 Min

Makes: 2 cups



1 (8-oz.) container soft cream cheese with chives and onions

1/2 cup chunky pizza sauce

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped pepperoni

2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese

2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese



1. Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 9-inch pie pan or 1 to 1 1/2-quart baking dish, layer all ingredients in order listed.

2. Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 15 minutes or until dip is hot and cheese is melted.

3. Serve warm with bagel crisps, bagel chips or crackers.



Olive Garden Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip
(Posted by debie74, Deb)

1 8 oz. pkg. Cream Cheese
1 14 oz. can Progresso Artichoke Hearts -- drained, coarsely chopped
1/2 C. Spinach frozen -- chopped or steamed
1/4 C. Mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip) (I used sour cream)
1/4 C. Parmesan Cheese
1/4 C. Romano Cheese (You can use all Parmesan)
1 clove garlic -- finely minced
1/2 tsp. Basil (dry 1 Tbsp. Basil)
1/4 C. Mozzarella Cheese grated
1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt
Salt and Pepper to taste

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature.

Cream together mayonnaise, Parmesan, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, and garlic salt.

Mix well.

Finely chop the artichokes and spinach in processor. Add the artichoke hearts and spinach (careful to drain this well), and mix until blended.

Store in a container until you are ready to use.

Spray pie pan with Pam, pour in dip, and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top is browned. Serve with toasted bread




Here's the extra recipes for today. John loves the Aunt Sa's Chicken Casserole. He loves stuffing so this recipe is great. You can use any brand of stuffing you like and this works good with leftover chicken. The Awesome Coffee Cake is easy to make and really good too. I say use the topping but if you want to cut back on sugar then you can leave it off!

Aunt Sa’s Chicken Casserole

OP-Mommy2Beth&Sarah

Ingredients

1 or 2 large chicken breasts

½ cup chicken broth

3 eggs- beaten

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can chicken noodle soup

2 cup Pepperidge Farm stuffing (Herb seasoned) - fine

1 stick Margarine or butter



Directions

1. Cook chicken with dash of salt to taste – cut into chunks.

2. Mix soups with eggs, add 1 cup stuffing and chicken.

Pour into buttered 9x13 pan.


Topping

1. Melt 1 stick margarine, add 1 cup stuffing and ½ cup of the broth.

2. Spread over the top of the chicken mixture.



Bake at 350 for 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered.



*Can mix up a day before & refrigerate. Also, this can be frozen.



Awesome Coffee Cake

MamaThiesen

Cream 1/2 cup margarine

Add:

1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

Combine in a bowl:

1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Cups flour

Add dry mixture to sugar mixture alternately with 1 cup sour cream or plain yogourt.

Optional Topping:

Combine:

1/4 Cup white sugar
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 Tbsp melted margarine

Sprinkle the topping over the cake batter and cut it into batter with a knife.

Bake for 35-40 mins at 325*-350*

This cake is delicious without the topping, so I usually don't add it cause it's so much extra sugar. If I was doing it for company then I would, but not just for us.


Amy

My Buddy Dave's Camp Chili, Apple Dumplings, Apache Dip, Apple-Cinnamon Bars, Apple-Oat Muffins

I always make a dessert for my family on Fridays. There's no reason for it, it's just tradition. Friday we're going to have Chili for dinner and to me this is a complete meal so I won't have sides. I may throw a green salad together but it depends how I'm feeling. For dessert, I'm making Apple Dumplings! These are so simple and kids love them!

The Chili recipe I'm using is My Buddy Dave's Camp Chili and it's a real meaty chili. I would say most men love this! I'll be using stew meat for my red meat but it would also be good with ground type meat since you have the sausage in it. I always buy flat leaf parsley because I like that better than regular parsley. At Safeway it's called Italian Parsley. As for the jalapenos, if you don't want this chili screaming hot, make sure you remove all the ribs and seeds. That's where the hot comes from.

The apple dumplings call for Granny Smith apples and those make this nice and tangy but you can really use any apple. Braeburns and Galas are on sale this week so try those if you want. This recipe is so simple!

My Buddy Dave's Camp Chili
Michelle (MMmom)

1 lb red meat (beef, venison, wild pig, etc.)
1/2 to 1 pound smoked sausage
1/2 pound bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup green onion tops, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tabasco or jalapeno peppers chopped
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 can (14 oz) diced stewed tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies
2 cans (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 tbs chili powder
cajun seasoning mix (Chachere's or Zatarain's)

Browning meat

Fry bacon in a heavy walled cast iron or aluminum pot. Remove bacon and crumble. Dice sausage, and brown in bacon grease. Remove sausage. Brown meat in bacon-sausage grease. Remove meat. Drain off excess grease.

Sauté Vegetables:

Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and hot peppers and sauté in a small amount of the grease.

Simmer:
Add the meat back to the mixture. Add the Worcestershire sauce, diced stewed tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes & green chilies, tomato sauce, chili powder, and enough water to cover the mixture.

After the chili cooks for a while, add cajun seasoning mix to taste.

If you like a stronger chili taste, add more chili powder and/or cumin. If your chili powder is old, you may have to use more.

Cook with the pot covered under low heat so the mixture simmers (lightly boils). Stir enough that the meat does not stick and burn - using a heavy walled pot helps prevent sticking/burning. Cook for an hour, or until the meat is tender.

Let the chili set on low heat for about 1/2 hour, then skim off grease. When almost done, add the chopped green onion tops and parsley.


Apple Dumplings (uses Sprite!)

Dottie (hokiesmom)

4 Granny Smith Apples, cut into 1/4 each, peel and core
2 cans Crescent Dinner Rolls (open and separate)
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
12 ounce can Sprite
1 1/2 sticks margarine/butter

This recipe will make 16 apple dumplings.

In a 9x13 baking pan, (spray with Pam)
wrap each piece of apple in roll, put into baking dish, core side down.

Mix sugars together and spread evenly over apples. Cut margarine over top, then pour Sprite around the edge of baking dish.

Bake at 375°F until nice and brown.

Friend said she added cinnamon and nutmeg.

Very good warm with Vanilla Ice Cream


Here are some more recipes for you! The Apache Dip is awesome! It's so impressive in the french bread and once the dip is gone, people will start eating the bread. It's a great go to appetizer! The Apple-Cinnamon Bars are really easy and kids love them. We also love the Apple-Oat Muffins. I like to make muffins and then throw them in the freezer for a quick breakfast. These are nice and big and the apples make them very sweet! Plus, they have oatmeal in them, that makes them kind of healthy, right?

Apache Dip
awimbo

16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. sour cream

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup green onions, chopped

1 small can green chilies

1 cup diced up ham

1 loaf French bread

Fritos Scoops

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Hollow out loaf of French bread. Save leftover bread pieces for dipping. Put all of mixture into the hollowed out bread loaf. Cover the bread, not the mixture with foil (or just watch it and make sure the bread doesn’t burn). Bake on a cookie sheet for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve warm with Fritos scoops and bread pieces. Enjoy J

Apple-Cinnamon Bars
Amy - amylz
101 Things to do with a Cake Mix

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup coconut
4 medium apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sour cream
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Cut butter into dry cake mix with fork or pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Mix in coconut. Pat mixture into ungreased 9X13 pan. Pat slightly up on the edges. Bake 10 minutes. Peel, core, and slice apples. Arrange apple slices on warm crust. Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle on top of apples. Beat the egg with a wire whisk. Blend sour cream into the egg. Drizzle mixture over apples. Bake 25 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden.

Apple-Oat Muffins
Sandy~~*~Sandy~*~ via Vegetarian Times

The batter fills the muffin cups more than most recipes, but it won’t overflow when baked.

2 cups peeled, finely diced apples, such as McIntosh (2 to 3 medium apples)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
8 oz plain low-fat yogurt (1 cup)
1/4 cup non-fat milk
2 T vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat 12 standard muffin pan cups with cooking spray.

Place diced apple on paper towels to drain; pat dry (my apples were dry, so I skipped this step). Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in medium bowl, and stir with a whisk. Combine yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla, and egg in small bowl and stir to blend. Make well in center of flour mixture; add milk mixture, stirring just until moist. Mix in apple.

Divide batter evenly among prepared cups. Bake 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when pressed lightly in center. Remove from pan, and cool on wire rack.

Per serving: 174 cal, 4g prot, 3.5g total fat (0.5g sat fat), 32g carb, 19mg chol, 248mg sod, 1g fiber, 16g sugars.

Amy

Julie's Flank Steak Marinade, Red Beans and Rice, Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies, 7 LAYER BARS, 100,000 Calorie Bars

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a terrific day! I just got home from my small group and I'm always in a good mood after that! I love those guys!

Ok, I always grocery shop on Thursdays. I've found that you spend way less if you only shop once a week. There's no reason I picked Thursday, I just did. I plan out my meals for the week, make a list and head out. I have a grocery list that I made for Safeway that is by aisle so I just fill it in and it makes my trip quick because I can skip the aisles I don't need to go down. I only read the front page of the ad (the loss leaders) as far as figuring out if I want to stock up on something. For the most part, I never stock up because it takes up too much room and in my experience, stuff doesn't get used. There are a few exceptions if it's things you use a lot. For me, that would be chicken stock. Anyway, the front page of the ad can be an easy way for you to plan your menu for the week, go by what's on sale. This week they have London Broil, Sirloin Steaks and Pork Chops. You could easily make 6 different meals from those! They also have a great deal on canned pop if you drink it and bags of salad are BOGO so take advantage of it!

Here's a tip, whenever you cook bacon, save the grease in a jar or coffee cup or some type of container in your fridge. It will last forever (well, months at least if you don't use it) and you will have it on hand for cooking. Bacon grease adds a tremendous amount of flavor to things. Plus, there's a never a good place to dump the bacon grease anyway so by keeping it, you're solving that problem!

Thursday we're having flank steak or any other steak that I think looks good when I shop (I'm leaning toward that London Broil) and I'm using this recipe called Julie's Flank Steak Marinade. It may not be clear in the directions but this is a marinade so you want to mix it all, add your meat and marinade as long as you like. I think over night is best but for Thursday, since I'm buying my meat that day, I'll marinate as soon as I get home from the store until BBQ time. We're also having Red Beans and Rice. This has sausage in it so it could be a meal on its own but I'm using it as my side dish.

Julie’s Flank Steak Marinade
Sandy~~*~Sandy~*~

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 T honey
2 T vinegar
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup salad oil
1 finely chopped green onion

1 flank steak 1 1/2 lbs
Broil on each side 8-10 mins.

Note: reduced the quantity of oil from 3/4 to 1/4 cup.

Red Beans and Rice
Sharon --GatorGrrrl

1 tbsp bacon grease or olive oil
1/2 sausage, (andouille, chorizo or kielbasa) cut into half moons
1 onion, diced chunky
3 cloves of garlic minced
28 oz. can light red kidney beans
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 cup of water (or more as needed)
Cooked white rice

In a large pot, heat oil and cook the sausage and onions until sausage is cooked and onions are wilted. Add garlic and cook one minute, being careful not to burn it. Add the rest of the ingredients, except rice and let it simmer at least 20 minutes, but the longer the better. Serve over white rice.


As always, here are a couple other recipes. I thought I would go with some desserts. The Andes Mint Cookies are so good. In fact, I brought them to a cookie exchange last year and they won the best cookie award out of 30 different cookies. The 7 Layer Bars are so easy but they're super yummy and the 100,000 Calorie Bars are simply superb! I brought them to a party at my parents once and people kept calling them the million calorie bars cause they tasted so good.

Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies
Kayla~kmc0415

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. water
12 oz. bag chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. soda

Andes Mints

Melt together butter, brown sugar and water. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Let stand 10 minutes to cool. Add remaining ingredients. Chill dough at least 1 hour. Roll into balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from oven and place 1/2 Andes mint on top of each cookie. Put back in oven for only about 10 seconds. Swirl top of cookie with a spoon.


7 LAYER BARS

(Amy - amylz)

1 stick butter, butter (melted)
1 1/2 c. graham crackers, crumbs
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
1 c. flaked coconut
1 can condensed sweetened milk

Mix butter & graham cracker crumbs and pat into 13x9" pan. Sprinkle on nuts, chips & coconut. Pour condensed milk over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

100,000 Calorie Bars
Meri (MyCarolinaBabies)

1 package German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup evaporated milk
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
50 caramels
1/3 cup evaporated milk

1. Mix together the cake mix, butter and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Spread half of this mixture in a 13x9-inch pan.

2. Bake for 6 minutes at 350F. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and nuts on top of the baked mixture. Melt caramels in milk. Drizzle over the nuts and chocolate chips. Pat remaining batter on top of this. Bake for and additional 20 minutes.

Amy’s Notes: I do half with nuts and half without and both ways are really good!

Amy

Edamame in Kung Pao Sauce , Grilled Orange Salmon Packets, Asian Pork Chops, Asian Spiced Pork Tenderloin

Hi everyone! We survived the surgery but he sure was grouchy all day. I'm glad I had dinner in the crockpot and didn't have to worry about it. Dinner wasn't one of my favorites but heck, you can't win them all.

Here's a tip, whenever I have a recipe that calls for half of a vegetable (like 1/2 a green pepper or 1/2 of an onion) I always dice the half I don't use and throw it in a Ziploc in the freezer. Then when I have a recipe that calls for that veggie, it's all ready to go and I didn't have to waste anything. I do the same with bananas. They always go brown before I can use them up so I peel them and throw them in the freezer. Then when I make banana bread or something like that, I just thaw them for about 30 seconds in the microwave and they're good to go!

For Wednesday, I'm grilling some salmon and serving edamame as the side dish. Ok, I know some of you probably think "what the heck" but edamame is terrific. It's a soy bean and they are delicious (and yes, my kids like it). If you have no idea what they are, they look kind of like a bright green kidney bean but a little flatter. Does that make sense? You get them in the freezer section (aisle 12 at Safeway) and you can buy them shelled or in the shells. For this recipe, you want them shelled. I see them all the time on menus now for appetizers; in fact, I think the Rainier in Enumclaw has them on the menu. So, that shows that they're not that weird. I like to eat them plain as a snack as they're a great source of protein and fiber!

Ok, for the Edamame in Kung Pao Sauce, I am changing it a bit. I don't think our Safeway sells Kung Pao sauce (they might at QFC though) so I just use Gourmet Sauce or even a thick teriyaki sauce would work.

Now for the salmon...this is really the only fish I cook. I don't eat any seafood at all. John, however, loves salmon. I have a bunch of recipes for Tilapia if any of you are interested but John really only likes salmon anymore so it's all I cook. I do a lot of cooking in packets on the grill and it's a super easy and mess free way to cook things. Plus, you really can't mess up. Obviously since I'm only making it for John, I'm cutting the recipe way down. I'll just do 1 packet instead of the 4 but if you needed to do more or less it's easy to adjust. Also, I don't have any plain yogurt so I'm going to use sour cream. It's also fine to use parsley flakes if you don't buy fresh parsley.

Edamame in Kung Pao Sauce
Amy - amylz
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

1 pound frozen, shelled edamame
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup prepared kung pao sauce
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add edamame and return to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.

In a frying pan over medium heat add the oil and cook the carrots and onions until tender, but not soft. In a medium bowl, stir together kung pao sauce, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Add in edamame, carrots, and onions. Toss until vegetables are coated. Serve.


Grilled Orange Salmon Packets
Amy - amylz

1 pound salmon fillets
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T parsley, chopped
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
aluminum foil

Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Place fillets in 4 large pieces of aluminum foil. Make sure all bones are out of the fillet. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. Cover each fillet with about 2-3 T of sauce. Fold edges over to secure packet. Place packets on grill and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cut packets open to release steam before serving.


Ok, here's a couple more recipes for you to look at. We do a lot of pork chops and pork tenderloin because it's John's favorite. The Asian Pork Chops are excellent. You can find Hoisin sauce on aisle 9 at Safeway and it's really yummy so you want to use it. You can leave out the Asian sweet chili sauce though if you don't have that. For the Asian Spiced Pork Tenderloin, this is also delicious! One thing to remember is any time you have Sesame oil, you want to keep it in the fridge or freezer because it will spoil quickly at room temperature. It's not like the rest of the oils, it's actually a condiment. So, if you have to buy this, keep it in the fridge. Also, don't worry about fresh lemon juice if you have it bottled in your fridge. When I make this, I just do 1 tenderloin (1 lb) and that is more than enough for our family of 4. If you're not used to buying pork tenderloin, they come prepackaged (usually by Hormel) and they're on the top shelf in the pork section of the meat section. There's always 2 in a package, I don't know why but it's the way it is.

Asian Pork Chops
(Amy – amylz)
Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian sweet chili sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 (1/2-inch-thick) boneless pork chops
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Stir together hoisin sauce and next 3 ingredients in a large shallow dish or zip-top plastic freezer bag; remove and reserve 1/4 cup marinade. Add chops to remaining marinade in dish. Cover or seal, and chill 2 to 4 hours. Remove chops from marinade, discarding marinade. Sprinkle chops evenly with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; cook chops 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until done. Brush with reserved 1/4 cup marinade.


Note: For testing purposes only, we used Maggi Taste of Asia Sweet Chili Sauce.
Recipe from Pamela Brown, Birmingham, Alabama , Southern Living, OCTOBER 2007


Asian Spiced Pork Tenderloin
RecipeGirl

1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup sesame oil
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 Tbs worcestershire sauce
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs dry mustard
1 ½ tsp pepper
2 lbs pork tenderloin

1 Mix all marinade ingredients in large ziploc freezer bag. Trim fat from tenderloins and add to bag. Marinate for 6-8 hours in the refrigerator (or overnight).

2 When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place tenderloins on foil-lined roasting pan. Bake about 25 minutes, or until temperature inside reaches 160 degrees.

Servings: 10

Amy

CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND RICE, ASIAN CHICKEN & VEGETABLES, All American Beef Chili

Hello ladies! Caden is getting his adenoids out and ear tubes (2nd set) in the morning so I thought I would send this out tonight. I have no idea if he'll be a grouch or not tomorrow. Tomorrow night we're having Crockpot Chicken and Rice! I use my crockpot a lot, probably 3-7 times a month. I actually own 4 different ones (all different sizes) and it's really important to understand your crockpot to get things to turn out right. Many people complain that their crockpot burns things or dries it out and that's because they're not using it correctly. Do note that if you have a Rival oval crockpot, these do cook very hot and there is never any reason to use it on high. I don't know what it is about Rival but their crockpots are like fire. With all crockpots, you want to make sure it's always at least filled halfway to the top. That's the key to not burning things. So, cooking 2 chicken breasts in a 6 quart crockpot will not work! If you tend to cook smaller meals, I recommend you go and buy a 3-4 quart crockpot at Walmart for less than $40. Anyway, that's my PSA for the day! If you need help understanding your own crockpot, let me know. I seem to have mastered them all!

Also, just an FYI but we're not big left over eaters but we are good about using the left overs. For instance, we had ham tonight and we have about half the ham left. So, I diced it up and threw it in a ziploc and in the freezer. John will use it for ham and eggs or omelets on the weekend. If I were to wrap the ham up and stick it back in the fridge, it would never get eaten. So I try to figure out how it can be used in the future and prep it while I do dishes. As for the leftover mac & cheese, I will likely pack some for John's lunch and I'll save myself some for lunch this week and hopefully it will get eaten!

For those who do WW, Tuesday's meal is only 3 points per serving. It's even healthier (but still 3 points) if you use brown instant rice but the original intent is for white instant rice. In my opinion, this is a complete meal so I don't have any sides planned. Since strawberries are a great deal this week, I have a ton in the fridge so I'll likely cut some up and serve those on the side so the kids have a fruit (instead of vegetable).

CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND RICE
nickelmommy
1 (10 3/4 oz) can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
1 (1oz) package dry onion soup mix
2 cups water
2 cups (6oz) uncooked instant rice
16 oz chicken breast, skinned and boned and cut into 36 pieces
1 cup sliced canned mushroom, drained
1/8 tsp black pepper

Spray a slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine in the crockpot the chicken soup, dry onion soup mix, water and uncooked rice. Stir in the chicken, mushrooms and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Gently stir just before serving.

6 servings (1 cup), 3 POINTS each




Here are a couple more recipes for you to try out that we love:

The chicken & vegetables recipe is really great. I know it might sound boring but it's not. I always use chicken breasts but my friends who use the dark meat love it that way. It's very simple, uses frozen veggies and my kids love anything sweet and sour. Plum sauce is super easy to find, it's on aisle 9 at Safeway down in the Asian section. Five Spice can be found in the spice aisle and I really recommend getting that instead of trying to substitute. It's used a lot in Asian cooking so you will get your money's worth out of it. This recipe is also very economical.

The chili recipe is from the PBS show "America's Test Kitchen" and I don't know if you've ever seen it but these people are awesome. They test out everything and come up with the best recipes. This chili is really terrific for your basic chili.

ASIAN CHICKEN & VEGETABLES
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Better Homes & Gardens)

8 chicken drumsticks and/or thighs (about 2 lb total)
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 ½ tsp five-spice powder
1/3 cup plum sauce or sweet-and-sour sauce
1 (14-oz) pkg frozen baby whole potatoes, broccoli, carrots, baby corn, and red peppers or one (16-oz) pkg frozen stir-fry vegetables

Preheat oven to 400° F. Remove skin from chicken. In 13x9x2-inch baking pan, arrange chicken so pieces aren’t touching. Brush chicken with oil; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the five-spice powder. Bake for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine remaining five-spice powder and plum sauce. Add frozen vegetables; toss gently to coat. Move baked chicken to one side of baking pan. Add vegetable mixture to other side of pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink (180° F), stirring vegetables once. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken and vegetables to serving platter.

Amy’s Notes: We use boneless, skinless chicken breasts!

All American Beef Chili
(America's Test Kitchen)
*Austin’sMama*

Serves 8

Prep time 15 min

Total time 2 hours (includes 1hr 30 mins simmering time)

Garnish with diced avocado, sliced scallions, chopped red onion, sour cream, shredded cheese

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, stemmed seeded and chopped

¼ cup chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne

Salt

6 garlic cloves

2 pounds 85% lean ground beef

2 15 ounce cans rinsed kidney beans

1 28 ounce can diced tomato

1 28 ounce can tomato puree

Heat the oil until shimmering. Add onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until veggies have softened about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic cook for 15 sec.

Add beef and increase temp to med-high. Cook breaking up beef until no longer pink about 10 mins. Stir in beans and tomatoes, plus ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cover, cook 45 minutes.

Remove lid and cont to simmer until the beef is tender, about 45 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Amy

Christine's Mac and Cheese, Herb Pull-Apart Rolls, 2-Step Italian Burger Melt, 30 Minute Shepherd's Pie

I'm so glad to share my meal planning with you guys! You know this is a passion of mine! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Oh, and WFD stands for What's For Dinner.

One thing to keep in mind is that you can adapt most recipes to work for you. For instance, my family doesn't eat cheese but I don't turn my nose to recipes with cheese, I just leave it out. The same goes for meat. We only like white chicken so I use chicken breasts for any chicken recipe no matter what the recipe calls for!

Just an FYI, but I bake bread on Mondays and I make a dessert every Fridays. So, you will see things like that on those days. Also, I get a lot of recipes from people on different cooking sites and you have to reference the person posting it so that's why there are random names with each recipe. If you see amylz, that's me!

Ok, tonight we're having ham, macaroni and cheese and herb pull-aparts.

I know I said we don't eat cheese but the one exception is with Mac and Cheese. My kids won't touch this but John loves it.

Christine's Mac and Cheese
Christine (Christine0120)

5 TB butter
5 TB flour
1 small onion chopped
1 can cheddar cheese soup
3 cups hot milk
1 (2 cup) bag KRAFT Classic Melts American and Cheddar Blend
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 lb pasta of choice
Italian Bread Crumbs

In medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 5 min. Stir in flour and cook 2 more minutes (to cook out raw flour taste). Whisk in hot milk, can of cheese soup, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, constantly whisking. Boil until thick, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and whisk in shredded cheese. Allow mixture to cool, then add 2 beaten eggs and stir. Cook pasta until al dente in salted water, about 8 minutes. Drain. Stir in cheese sauce, and pour into large casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 25 minutes at 350, until bubbly.

For the ham, I put it in the crockpot this morning (it's a fully cooked ham) and I poured half a bottle of Dr. Pepper over it and all the juice from a jar of sweet pickles. That's it! We'll probably eat about 5PM so it will have cooked about 8 hours.

Herb Pull-Apart Rolls
burns_toast Kitchenaid stand mixer recipe book

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter melted
3 3-1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. dill

Dissolve yeast in warmed mixer bowl. Add 1/4 cup butter, 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, thyme, oregano and dill. Attach bowl and powerknead spiral hook to mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix for 1 minute, or until well blended.

Continuing on speed 2 add remaining flour 1 cup at a time and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl. Knead on speed 2 for about 2 minutes more, or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down. Roll dough into a 12x19 inch rectangle. Brush with remaining butter. Slice dough into 6 1 1/2x 12 inch strips. Stack strips; then cut into 12 1 inch pieces. Place pieces cut side up in a greased muffin pans. Cover, let rise in warm place, free from draft for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire rack.

I've never made them without my mixer, but I'm sure you can I just don't know how long you would need to knead the dough by hand.



I wanted to throw in some other recipes we like to get you inspired:

2-Step Italian Burger Melt
Dottie (hokiesmom) via Campbell's Kitchen
Prep/Cook Time: 25 min.

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Tomato Soup
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

SHAPE ground beef into 6 patties, 1/2" thick each. Place in 2-qt. shallow baking dish. MIX soup, water and oregano. Pour over patties. Top with cheese. BAKE at 400°F. for 20 min. or until done. Serve on rolls or over pasta. Serves 6.

****For a change of pace, substitute fontina or provolone cheese for mozzarella.****

Amy’s Notes: Use really lean ground beef! I leave off the cheese.

30 Minute Shepherd's Pie
Amy - amylz
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

Amy