The Best Pot Roast Ever, California Crunch Salad, Spin Arti, Chive-Tarragon Deviled Eggs

Hi everyone! We spent another day out in the sun and water and the kids loved it. It's so exhausting though! This is why meal planning is sooooo important. If I didn't have something already planned, I would come home and fix nothing. We'd probably order pizza and that's fine every once in a while but not all the time. I love knowing that it's all figured out even when I'm too tired to think!

Tomorrow we're having a roast. This is from my One Pot Meals cook book and it's a recipe that I've seen floating around the internet under a few different names. It is high in sodium but it's oh so worth it! This is also cooked in the crock pot so we love that! This has been the week of crock pot meals for us! The recipe does call for a 5-6 pound roast but I think any size roast is fine. I'll be using a chuck roast. I've made this with a 3 pound roast and I was happy with it. The nice thing about using a bigger roast is you can shred the leftovers and throw it in the freezer for when you want to make burritos or something like that. On the side, we're having a California Crunch Salad. The directions are kind of random but you make the dressing out of the first 9 ingredients and the rest of the ingredients are the salad. Then after dinner, I'm hosting an Essential Bodywear party and of course I wanted to serve some snacks so I'm making Spin Arti and Chive Tarragon Deviled Eggs. The Spin Arti is basically a spinach artichoke dip. The directions for this are weird too but you want to drain and chop your spinach and artichokes then mix everything and bake. The deviled eggs are very easy and a bit different than regular deviled eggs since they have the tarragon and chives. In case there is anyone out there who hasn't perfected hard boiling an egg, I'll give you some advice. You want to carefully put the eggs in a big pan. Cover them with cold water (you want the water to be about an inch above the eggs). Put a lid on and bring the pan to a boil. When it reaches a full boil, turn the pan off and let the eggs sit about 15 minutes. That's it, you'll have perfect eggs every time!

The Best Pot Roast Ever
Amy - amylz
One-Pot Meals

2 cups water
5-6 pound beef pot roast
1 ounce package ranch dressing mix
.7 ounce package Italian salad dressing mix
.87 ouce package brown gravy mix
6-8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
8-10 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

Pour water into slow cooker; add roast. Combine mixes and sprinkle over roast. Heat on low setting for 6 to 7 hours; add potatoes and carrots during the last 2 hours. Serves 6 to 8.


California Crunch Salad
(haughty_young_DIL)

1 cup avocado, cut into chunks
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
6 tbsp. oil, preferably canola
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 medium head romain lettuce, sliced in thick ribbons
2 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1 cup fritos
1/2 of a medium red onion, sliced in very thin rings
1/2 cup grated monterey jack cheese

Combine first 9 ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. If it gets too thick add a tablespoon of water at a time until it is thin enough.


~Spin Arti~
Cyndy (MyPB&Jelly)

(2) 6 Oz Jars of Artichoke Hearts Chopped
(1) 10 Oz Package Frozen Chopped Spinach
(thaw and drain thoroughly)
(1) Garlic Clove Pressed
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Mayo
3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
3/4 Cup Grated Cheddar
3/4 Cup Grated Swiss

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. Drain and Chop everything. Mix artichoke hearts with ingredients in bowl. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly. Good served with sourdough bread.


Chive-Tarragon Deviled Eggs
Amy - amylz
Yield: Makes 2 dozen Southern Living, APRIL 2005

1 dozen large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Garnishes: chopped fresh chives, fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs

Cut eggs in half lengthwise; carefully remove yolks. Mash egg yolks; stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce, and next 4 ingredients. Spoon or pipe egg yolk mixture evenly into egg white halves. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Garnish, if desired.

Amy

Beef with Ginger, Dill Bread, Taco Salad

Hi everyone! Safeway came out with a special ad for 4th of July week so check your Sunday paper for it or head to Safeway to grab a couple. It's full of awesome coupons that are good today through the 4th. They're also having their buy 2 get 3 free deal on pop again and you don't need a coupon. That's for Coke or Pepsi products. This is an awesome deal!

Tomorrow we're having beef with ginger. This is very easy, quick and healthy. I love stir fry type dishes anyway so I'm looking forward to this. We'll serve over rice. I bought some thin cut sirloin so it will be even easier to slice up. Then I'm making Dill Bread. This recipe is somewhat time consuming as you have to let the bread rise a few times.

Beef with Ginger
Amy - amylz
Southern Living, MARCH 2003

1 pound sirloin steak, chilled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons lite soy sauce
1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
6 green onions, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Cut steak diagonally across the grain into very thin slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté ginger in hot oil a large nonstick skillet over high heat 2 minutes or until tan-colored. Add minced garlic, and sauté 30 seconds. Add beef; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in soy sauce. Stir together beef broth and cornstarch until smooth. Drizzle over beef mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until thickened. Add green onions, and, if desired, crushed red pepper; cook 1 minute. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice.
Yield: 4 servings

CALORIES 309 (28% from fat); FAT 9.6g (sat 2.9g,mono 4.2g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 26g; CHOLESTEROL 62mg; CALCIUM 18mg; SODIUM 399mg; FIBER 1.5g; IRON 3.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 27g

Dill Bread
Amy - amylz
From Food Network Kitchens

2 cups milk
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2 tablespoons sugar
One 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fine salt
Vegetable oil, as needed

In a small saucepan, combine the milk, sour cream, dill, butter, and sugar. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and cool to about 110 degrees F. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the milk. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside. Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of flour and mix until a soft, ragged mixture is formed. Transfer the flour mixture to a well-floured work surface and knead by hand until an elastic dough is formed, about 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and place in the warm spot, until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Transfer the dough to the work surface and, using your hands, gently flatten into a 10-inch-long oval shape. Fold the dough into thirds lengthwise, overlapping the sides in the center. Press down on the overlapping sides to seal and make a seam. Place seam side-down in a buttered 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, cover with a kitchen towel, and return to the warm spot until the dough has risen about 1 1/2 inches over the top of the pan, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Brush the top of the dough lightly with warm water and, using a sharp knife, make 1/4-inch-deep slit down the center. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and place in the center of the rack. Continue baking until the loaf sounds hollow when rapt lightly with your knuckles on the bottom and top, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers about 190 degrees F., about 15 minutes. Transfer the bread loaf to a cooling rack and let cool for 2 hours before using.



This recipe for taco salad is one of our favorites!

Taco Salad
(k/dmom ~ Mariea)

2 heads of lettuce
1 pound ground beef
1 package shredded cheddar cheese
Several tomatoes (chopped)
1 bottle 1000 Island dressing
Sweet onion (chopped)
2 cans kidney beans (drained)
1 bag nacho chips
taco seasoning packet

Brown beef and drain. Add 1/2 package taco seasoning. Simmer for a while then add kidney beans and warm. Set aside. Tear your lettuce into a large bowl and add tomatoes, cheese & onion. When ready to serve, ad meat & bean mixture and crushed nacho chips. Mix 1 bottle of 1000 island with the remaining 1/2 package taco seasoning and mix well. Pour over salad and serve

Amy’s Notes: For my family of 4, I only needed 1 head of lettuce and 1 can of kidney beans. I also used Italian dressing instead of 1000 Island. I used tortilla chips instead of nacho chips.

Amy

Chicken Sausage, Pepper and Onion Subs, Cathy's Salad, Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

Hi everyone! It's a warm one today! I think the last time I was out (about 4:30 PM) it was 93 outside. There's a nice little breeze though so that is nice! I bet a lot of people will be out barbecuing...I'm so glad I had dinner in the crock pot so I didn't have to cook a thing!

Tomorrow we're having sausage, pepper and onion subs. This is a Rachael Ray recipe so it's pretty easy and quick. Chicken sausages are super easy to find at the grocery store. There are all sorts of flavors. Cubanelle peppers are in the produce section by the jalapeno peppers. You should be able to find them but if you can't, sub a green, yellow, orange or red pepper. You should have no trouble finding giardianara either. You can buy it jarred or even in the bulk section of your deli. You can get it hot or regular and unless you like spicy, spicy, I'd go with the regular. On the side, we're having Cathy's Salad. I don't know who Cathy is but she came up with a great salad. This is a no brainer and really yummy! It does need to be made a day ahead.

Chicken Sausage, Pepper and Onion Subs
Amy - amylz
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

4 cooked chicken sausages, get a Mediterranean flavor, such as pepper and onion or sundried tomato and basil
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup chicken stock or dry white wine, a generous douse
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetable salad: hot peppers, cauliflower, carrots and celery mix available in jars on Italian food aisle or in bulk bins near olives)
Handful Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil (10 leaves)
1/2 a lemon, zested (2 teaspoons)
4 crusty sub rolls, split

Prick sausages with a fork. Place chicken sausages in a large skillet and add 1 inch of water. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat a little. Allow all the liquid to cook away, then brown and crisp the casings, 5 to 6 minutes. Deglaze the pan with stock or wine and cook it off, 1 minute. Remove sausages to a platter. While sausage cooks, slice the peppers and onions and prepare the garlic. Once the chicken sausage comes out of the pan, add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add veggies and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook 10 minutes. Place the giardiniera, parsley, basil and lemon zest in the food processor and grind into a relish. Slice sausages on an angle. Fill each roll with a little relish, then peppers and onions then the sliced sausages.

Cathy's Salad
Grace (TigMode)

1 head of broccoli, washed and cut up( I prefer small pieces)
1 head of cauliflower, washed and cut up
1 red onion cut up, chopped
*DO NOT SUBSTITUTE THE RED ONION*
1 large (or 2) bottles of ranch salad dressing-any brand

Mix all of this up and put in a covered bowl in the fridge overnight. The next day when you are ready to serve, mix up well and maybe add a little more dressing-I love ranch, so adding more just does more for the flavor and serve!


Today I'm including a recipe for Sweet and Sour meatloaf that my family loves. It's a nice change from the traditional meatloaf. My kids gobble this up!

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf
Dottie (hokiesmom)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, ground black pepper, eggs, onion flakes and 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce. Mix together well and place into a 5x9 inch loaf pan. Push the meatloaf down into the pan forming a well for the sauce around all the edges. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, white sugar and mustard. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. After meatloaf has cooked for 40 minutes, remove from oven and pour sauce over the top of the meatloaf. Return to oven and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 more minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Amy

Pineapple Chicken, Mashed Potatoes

Hi everyone! We're finally having a hot steak here and it makes me laugh because people are complaining. Last week they were complaining because summer wasn't starting. I guess people are never happy! I know my kids love this weather because they can be outside in their little pool. To them, that is the best thing in the world! I wish I were so easily entertained!

Tomorrow we're having Pineapple Chicken. For those on Weight Watchers, it's only 5 points a serving. Now remember, the key to crock pot cooking is your crock needs to be at least halfway full. Otherwise, your food will burn or dry out. So, if 3 chicken breasts doesn't fill your crock halfway, you need to adjust this recipe to make it work. This recipe is very basic though and easy to follow. I'll be serving Mashed Potatoes on the side. I know, rice would have been good but I'm in the mood for potatoes. I'm using a very basic mashed potato recipe from the show How to Boil Water.

Pineapple Chicken
(5 Points)
OP???
3 Chicken breasts (split, skinned and boned)
Pepper
Paprika
20 oz Pineapple (drained, unsweetened tidbits)
2 TB Mustard; Dijon-style
Soy sauce
1 Garlic clove; minced

Arrange chicken in crockpot. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika. Mix soy sauce, pineapple and mustard together; pour over chicken. Add minced garlic. Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 9 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours. Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 210 calories; 4 g fat; 73 mg cholesterol; 153 mg sodium. WwPoints: 5


Mashed Potatoes
Amy - amylz
From Food Network Kitchens, How to Boil Water, Meredith, 2006

2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 medium)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for cooking the potatoes
4 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 to 1 cup whole milk
Freshly ground black pepper

Lightly scrub the potatoes. Put them in a large saucepan with cold water to cover by about 3 inches and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 40 to 45 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander in the sink. Let the potatoes cool just until you can handle them--hot potatoes make better mashed. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the pan over low heat. Hold the potatoes in a towel or in a kitchen glove and gently peel the potato skins off with a knife or your fingers. Quarter the potatoes and put then in the pan. Heat the milk in a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl until hot. Mash the potatoes with the butter with a fork or potato masher if you have one, until most of the lumps are gone and the potatoes are smooth and fluffy. Then stir in the milk, until the mashed potatoes are light and smooth, if there are still lumps paddle them smooth with a wooden spoon. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste, and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.

Amy

Spiced Blueberry Muffins, Susie's Potatoes

Hi everyone! From time to time, even I have to deviate from my plan. It turns out, I'm not cooking tonight! For some reason I got Friday's plans mixed up with Thursday's plans and I was at a dress fitting and camp and had to deal with roads closed and I actually ran out of time to grocery shop so we decided to eat out. That means, we're bumping dinner to the right. Tomorrow we're going to have the Shrimp Scampi and Caesar salad that I posted yesterday. One thing about meal planning is you need to be somewhat flexible and I can be, especially when it's a Thursday! However, tomorrow is Friday so I'll be making a dessert. I'm going with muffins this week. This recipe is very simple and tasty!

Spiced Blueberry Muffins
Katie (novbabiemom) Health: July/August 2006
2 c plus 1 T all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 c plus 1 1/2 T sugar, divided
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves (3/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice subbed for all spices)
1 1/2 c fresh or frozen bluberries, thawed
1/3 c butter, softened
1 (8 oz) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 c 2 % reduced-fat milk (2 T whole + skim)
2 large eggs (1/2 c egg sub)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 425. Combine 2 c flour with 3/4 c sugar and next 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Place blueberries in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 T flour over blueberries; toss to coat. Place butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed 1 minute or until blended. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla to butter mixture; beat to combine. Add butter mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Gently fold in blueberry mixture. Spoon batter into 14 muffin cups coated with baking spray. Sprinkle 1 1/2 T sugar evenly over batter. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove muffins from pans; place on a wire rack.

Here's an extra recipe for you called Susie's Potatoes. These are YUMMY and perfect for the holidays or when you need to bring a potato dish to Mops or a brunch. We love this recipe!

Susie’s Potatoes
RecipeGirl

½ cup butter
1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
3 Tbs chopped yellow onion
1 pint reduced fat sour cream
½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
6-8 medium potatoes
½ cup corn flake crumbs

1 Boil potatoes 20 minutes. Leave skin on to cook, then peel off skin after boiling.
2 Grate potatoes into 13x9" glass pan.
3 Mix all other ingredients in saucepan until melted, and pour over grated potatoes. Top with corn flake crumbs.
4 Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Servings: 14
Cooking Tips
*This recipe also works well if you just buy the frozen hash browns to use in place of fresh potatoes.

Amy

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini, Caesar Salad with Balsamic Italian Dressing and Parmesan Croutons, Lemon Herb Tilapia

Hi everyone! Thursday is grocery day so I'm browsing the ads. Safeway is having a decent ground beef sale so you may want to stock up. Even the 93% lean ground beef is on sale for $2.40 which is a steal. I buy the giant packs and then I take home and put it in quart size bags in 1 lb and 1/2 lb. Then they go in the freezer. The really lean meat is while supplies last so I recommend you go now but it looks like the regular 80% ground beef will be on sale through Tuesday. Cantaloupes are BOGO (buy one get one free) too so get two, bring them home and cut them up. Your kids will snack on them if you have it already cut up in the fridge. I did notice at QFC that they have all peppers (any color) on sale for $1 each and as you know, that's a decent price for peppers these days. I may go stock up and throw them diced in my freezer.

Tomorrow we are having Shrimp Scampi with Linguini. I know, it's seafood, but John loves shrimp so I like to make it for him from time to time. I will likely put some olive oil and garlic salt on some of the linguini for myself and eat that. We're all happy! You can get the shrimp from the seafood department or use a bag of frozen shrimp. Either will work. This recipe is very easy and impressive! On the side, we're having Caesar Salad with a Balsamic Italian Dressing. Making your own croutons is fun too. The kids will love them!

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini
Amy - amylz
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

1 pound linguini
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large shallot, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.


Caesar Salad with Balsamic Italian Dressing and Parmesan Croutons
OP????
BALSAMIC ITALIAN DRESSING:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¾ cup olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil
1 Tbs minced garlic

CROUTONS:
2 cups seasoned Italian bread cubes
3 Tbs balsamic Italian dressing
2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese

SALAD:
4 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 cups iceberg lettuce chunks
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
½ cup pitted black olives
2 large hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Prepare dressing: Combine vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, basil and garlic in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake until mixed well.
2. Prepare croutons: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place bread cubes in a bowl. Add the Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Spread bread cubes in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir occasionally while baking.
3. Assemble salad: Combine all the lettuce, onion, olives and eggs in a large bowl. Add about 1/2 cup Italian dressing (or to taste), salt and pepper and toss to coat. Add the Parmesan cheese and croutons and toss gently.
Recipe Source
Las Vegas: Glitter to Gourmet


Since we're talking seafood, today I'm giving you a recipe for Lemon Herb Tilapia. Again, Tilapia is a very common white fish these days and you should be able to get it at any grocery store. It's very good for you and this recipe is nice and light!

Lemon Herb Tilapia
OP????
Spice Mix:
3 TSP Lemon Pepper Seasoning
1/2 TSP Garlic
1/2 TSP Sage
1 TSP Parsley

Wets: 1 egg white, 1 tsp lemon juice, and water for dipping and wetting fish

Dip fish in wets, then sprinkle with the spice mixture and bake or pan fry until done.

Amy

Cheesy Ranch Chicken Stroganoff, Broccoli Salad, Whole Wheat Cheddar Beer Bread, Susan’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Hi everyone!

We're having friends over for dinner tomorrow and I'm making Cheesy Ranch Chicken Stroganoff in the crock pot. You'll want to figure about 1 chicken breast per person for this recipe so adjust as needed. I'll serve this over noodles. For the side, I'm going to make a Broccoli Salad. It's very basic and easy to follow. And then I'll make Whole Wheat Cheddar Beer Bread. I didn't get a chance to do bread on Monday so we're doing it today. This bread is great because it doesn't require any rising time. You just mix it and bake!

Here's tip, I've said this before but never let your produce go to waste. When I have a recipe (like the chicken dish below) that calls for 1/2 of an onion, I dice the entire thing and throw the half I don't need into the freezer. Then, I have it on hand when I need it for the next recipe. If you just stick it back in the fridge, often times the unused portion will go bad before you remember that you need to use it. Just yesterday, I diced up a ton of celery and green onion that I had and threw it in the freezer. I also do the same with cheese. I buy the cheese in big bricks, shred it, then freeze it in quart sized bags. Then I keep the smaller bags in the fridge and the cheese never goes bad. I buy the giant bags of parmesan cheese at Costco and portion that into quart freezer bags too.

Cheesy Ranch Chicken Stroganoff
op - ?
4-6 boneless chicken breasts
2 tblsp butter, melted
1 pk dry ranch dressing mix
seasoning salt
1/2 cup onion diced
1 small can mushrooms
1 can cream chicken soup
1 1/2 cups velveeta cheese, diced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Rinse and pat chicken dry. In crock, place melted butter and onions; place chicken on top and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Sprinkle dry ranch over that; layer mushrooms and soup on top of that. Cook on low 6 hours. About 30 mins before serving, stir in Velveeta chunks, and allow to melt. Stir, breaking up chicken a little, and serve over noodles. Add parmesan to top of dishes.


Broccoli Salad
annepash
INGREDIENTS:
4-5 cups Broccoli flowerettes
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 lb. bacon, fried and chopped
Dressing (below)
PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients except dressing. For dressing, combine 1 cup Miracle Whip (no substitutions), 2 Tablespoons vinegar, and 6 Tablespoons sugar. Mix well, and pour over salad ingredients. Mix. Chill and serve.


Whole Wheat Cheddar Beer Bread
(Astrid)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (I used Guinness!)
1/2 c finely shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Pour in beer, stir until a stiff batter is formed. Mix in cheese. It may be necessary to mix dough with your hands (I used a dough hook and my stand mixer). Scrape dough into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.


Today I'm including a Chicken Soup recipe that I love. It's very salty but if you know me, you know that's right up my alley! This is very easy too.

Susan’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
OP-Mommy2Beth&Sarah

1-2 packages Chicken Noodle Soup Starter (now Mrs. Grass’s)
3-5 breasts of chicken
2 - 49.5 oz cans of chicken broth OR 3 - 32 oz "boxes" of broth.
1/2-3/4 cup chopped carrots (or however much you like)
3-4 stalks chopped celery
1/2-1 chopped onion (optional)
1/3 bag of egg noodles

In large saucepan, pour chicken broth in pan and add chicken. Cook/Boil chicken in broth until done and REMOVE chicken from broth. If needed, add a little bit of water so the broth completely covers the chicken while it is cooking. Then, add soup starter to broth and veggies. Cook this until veggies are nice and very tender. This can take up to 30-45 minutes. (to really speed up the process, I've been known to either saute the vegies in a little butter in a pan until they are a little bit tender or cook/steam in the microwave until tender). Next, start tearing up the chicken into small, bite-size pieces, chunk, etc...it doesn't have to be pretty -and add chicken to broth. Then add egg noodles. Cook an additional 10 minutes or until noodles are done. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator to serve later. This recipe does NOT freeze well.

Amy

Lemony Chicken, Pea Salad I, Special Spanish Pot Roast

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow I'm making Lemony Chicken in the crock pot! I love these meals that I can throw in first thing in the morning and forget about. A lot of times with crock pot meals, I get it all assembled the night before in the crock and leave it in the fridge. Then I put it on in the morning. This is a real time saver if your mornings are crazy! I will be gone most of the day tomorrow and it will be nice to not have to think about dinner at all. This recipe does call for chicken with a bone and skin but use anything you want. You don't have to use breasts either. If you prefer thighs, go for it. I'll still be using boneless and skinless breasts because that's what we prefer. Now remember, this is meant to serve 4 so use good sized chicken breasts! Also, if you don't have any sherry, just use any liquid (chicken stock will work). You don't want to leave it out as the dish needs the liquid. I'll serve this with rice! Then I'm also going to make a Pea Salad. I love pea salad. I know John won't touch this but I'm hoping the boys will at least try it. Since I don't need 9 servings, I'll be cutting the recipe in half. This pea salad is pretty basic so I'll likely add some onion powder and salt. It's more like a layered sald than your typical pea salad so be aware of that.

Lemony Chicken
Amy - amylz
The Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook
Serves 4

4 chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sherry
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon peel

Wash the chicken breasts, do not remove the bone or skin. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a skillet. Saute the chicken until brown. Transfer the chicken to the crock pot. Add the sherry to the skillet and deglaze the pan. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the oregano and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Add the lemon juice and lemon peel. Cook on low for 1 more hour.

Pea Salad I
Amy – amylz
From AllRecipes Yields: 9 servings

8 eggs
8 slices bacon (optional)
2 heads romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried, and torn into bite- size pieces
1 (16 ounce) package frozen green peas
2 cups mayonnaise
1/8 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil for one minute. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. Peel. Slice egg with an egg slicer, or just crumble.
2. Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook, turning frequently, over medium high heat until evenly browned.
3. Spread Romaine lettuce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer crumbled bacon, thawed peas, and eggs over the lettuce.
4. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, milk, and sugar until smooth. Pour evenly over salad, and top with cheese. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Serve.



This is one of my favorite beef dishes! It's called Special Spanish Pot Roast and it's so good. I know, it looks weird but trust me on this one. It's excellent! The recipe is super simple too!

Special Spanish Pot Roast
Amylz - One-Pot Meals (Gooseberry Patch)

3lb beef pot roast
8oz bottle Catalina salad dressing, divided
6-8 carrots, peeled and diced
6-8 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, quartered
12oz jar green olives with pimentos

Heat 1/4 cup dressing in an oven safe pan over medium heat. Add roast to pan; heat and turn until all sides are browned. Add carrots, potatoes and onion to pan. Pour remaining dressing over all; top with olives and olive juice. Cover and bake at 350 for 2 to 3 hours to desired doneness. Serves 4 to 6

Amy

Blue Cheese burgers, Company Corn, Spiced Apple Bread

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a nice weekend! We survived our camping trip and had a great time. We got off to a rough start on Friday but we managed. The weather ended up being nice and other than it being very windy at the beach (we were on the Oregon Coast) it was nice.

Tomorrow night we're having burgers and corn. These are awesome recipes though. I'm making Blue Cheese Burgers. Ok, I'm really making myself a blue cheese burger since no one else at my house will eat cheese but boy am I looking forward to it. The rest of them will just have regular burgers. Ok, I don't need 12 burgers so I'm going to cut this recipe down by 2/3. However, feel freel to make all 12 burgers and just freeze the ones you don't eat for later. You can freeze patties that are made up (before you cook them) and then just pull them out like you do the frozen patties you can buy at Costco! It works great! The corn is called Company Corn and once you've tried corn this way, you'll always want it this way. I like to half this recipe because we don't need 6-8 servings.

Blue Cheese burgers
jpsc recipe from allrecipes.com

3 lbs lean ground beef
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 c. minced fresh chives *
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard

In a large bowl mix everythying together, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat the grill for high heat. Gently form the burger mixture in to 12 patties. Oil the grill grate. Grill patties 5 minutes per side or until cooked as well as you like.

Company Corn
Katie (KatieDid) from Taste of Home 2008
2 pkg (10 oz each) corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c chopped celery
1/3 c butter cubed
2 T minced fresh parsley (2 tsp dried)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried savory (thyme)
1/2 tsp white pepper
3/4 c sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice

Cook corn according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter until tender. Stir in the parsley, salt, savory and pepper. Drain corn; add to onion mixture. Stir in sour cream and lemon juice. Serve immediately. Yield: 6-8 servings

Katie's Notes: I wasn't able to serve this immediately, but it kept just fine for about 30 minutes. Brad said this is the only way he will be eating corn from now on.

Today I'm leaving a recipe for Spiced Apple Bread. This is really good and perfect to make in the fall when apples are everywhere! It does make 2 loaves and this is a great bread to make and throw in the freezer for later!

Spiced Apple Bread
OP????

2 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs -- beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups coarsely chopped apples -- Gala
1 cup raisins -- optional
1 cup chopped pecans -- optional
2 teaspoons sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then stir in chopped apples, raisins, and pecans. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Grease 2 9x5-inch loaf pans and line bottoms with waxed paper. Greased waxed paper. Pour batter into pans, smoothing the top with a spatula or spoon. Bake for 20 minutes at 325°. Pull out rack and sprinkle loaves with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; turn out onto a rack. Slice and serve Sarah's note: Absolutely yummy!!! So easy. I skipped the raisins. I also used walnuts instead of pecans. Instead of the ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, I just used 3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. I used Gala apples. Yield: "2 loaves"

Amy

Chipotle-Beef Fajitas, BBQ Chicken Toes, BLT Pasta Salad, Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie

Hi everyone! We're heading out for another camping trip so I'll give you my meal plan for the weekend. We're hoping to leave early in the morning but you know how that goes sometimes!

For tomorrow's dinner, I'm planning Chipotle-Beef Fajitas. I got this from the Pillsbury website so you know it's going to be easy. Now, this recipe is for 2 servings so make sure you adjust it if you need to cook for more people. I'll double the recipe for us. Just use any taco seasoning you like. The chilis in adobo is very easy to find in your mexican food section of the grocery store. It's canned and should be by the canned jalapenos and things like that. Buy the smallest can they have but don't worry that you won't use it all. You can put the extras in a small container and they'll save in your fridge for a while so use them up later! I'll be using regular tortillas as well.

Saturday's dinner I'm making BBQ Chicken Toes. Sounds fun, right? It's basically chicken tenders on skewers cooked in homemade BBQ sauce. You could make this super easy and use premade BBQ sauce but I think it's fun to make your own for recipes like this. I'll be serving them with a BLT Pasta Salad. The recipe itself looks pretty bland so when I make it, I might add some garlic powder and pepper to spice it up a bit but I think my family will really enjoy this!

When we get home Sunday, I'm going to whip together a Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie. This is a Rachael Ray recipe and it might look long and complicated but it's really easy. My kids love spicy food so I know they'll like this. I'll probably only put the blue cheese on one section for myself but otherwise I'll follow the recipe as written!

Chipotle-Beef Fajitas
Amy – amylz
Pillsbury Makes: 2 servings (2 fajitas each)

2 tablespoons Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix (from 1.25-oz package)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (from 7- or 11-oz can)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 lb boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin bite-size strips
1 medium green or red bell pepper, cut into thin bite-size strips
1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges
4 fat-free flour tortillas (8 inch), heated
Guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce and/or chopped tomatoes, if desired

1. Heat closed contact grill 5 minutes. In shallow nonmetal dish, mix taco seasoning mix, lime juice, chipotle chiles and honey. Add beef, bell pepper and onion; toss to coat.
2. When grill is heated, place beef and vegetables on bottom grill surface. Close grill; cook 4 to 6 minutes, turning mixture occasionally, until beef is desired doneness and vegetables are crisp-tender.
3. Spoon beef and vegetables evenly down center of each warm tortilla. Top with guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce and/or chopped tomatoes. Roll up each tortilla around filling.
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
1 Serving: Calories 490 (Calories from Fat 90); Total Fat 10g (Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 1g); Cholesterol 60mg; Sodium 960mg; Total Carbohydrate 68g (Dietary Fiber 5g, Sugars 13g); Protein 32g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 30%; Vitamin C 60%; Calcium 15%; Iron 30% Exchanges: 3 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 3 Very Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 4 1/2 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.


BBQ Chicken Toes
Amy - amylz
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

Small wooden skewers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds chicken tenderloins, cleaned and cut in 1/2
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. In a medium saucepan, add olive oil, garlic and onion and place over medium heat. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. When onions are soft and translucent, add remaining ingredients and season, to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside. Skewer a tenderloin half on each of the soaked wooden skewers, keeping the tenderloin towards the end. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the skewers over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes then turn each skewer over once and then brush on the reserved BBQ sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes until cooked through.


BLT Pasta Salad
Amy (ajays)

14 oz. bag Pasta
5 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 large green pepper, finely chopped
1 lb. bacon (+ some), crumbled (precooked works great)
3/4 cup real or light mayonnaise
1 t. salt (or to taste)

Cook pasta in gently boiling water for approximately 6 minutes, until tender but firm. Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine pasta and above ingredients in a large bowl. Season to taste and enjoy! If making ahead, toss cooked pasta lightly with olive oil, and store all veggies separately. Add bacon just before serving to maintain crispness. Serves 6-8.

Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie
amylz – Rachael Ray
6 Servings

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds), bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 stalks celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, grated
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup hot sauce (add more if you want more of a kick!)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 boxes cornbread mix, such as Jiffy brand
2 eggs
2/3 cup of milk
1 cup crumbled bleu cheese

Preheat the oven to 375º F. Heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped chicken chunks and sauté them on both sides until golden brown. Remove chicken chunks from skillet and reserve on a plate. Add another 2 tablespoons of EVOO, the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the same skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 5-6 minutes. While the veggies are cooking start the sauce: In a medium-size sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat then stir in the flour and cook until light brown, about 1 minute. Whisk the chicken stock and hot sauce into the butter/flour mixture and bring it to a boil. Simmer the gravy until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Return the reserved chicken chunks to the skillet with the cooked vegetables and add the gravy, stirring to combine. Transfer everything to a 9x11" casserole dish and set aside while you prepare the topping. In a medium-size mixing bowl, prepare the cornbread according to package directions. Stir the blue cheese crumbles into the cornbread mixture and drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the top of the casserole, covering it completely. Bake the pot pie until the cornbread is baked through and the filling is hot, 20-30 minutes.

Amy

Chicken Stir Fry with Lemon Butter and Broccoli, Spinach Dip with Water Chestnuts, Steak Salad with Creamy Ranch Dressing

Hi everyone! Thursday is shopping day and I'm not impressed with any of the sales. Grapes are a good buy at Safeway at $1 a pound but otherwise there's nothing exciting. I am going to venture over to QFC because they have a good price on eggs. You can get 4 dozen eggs for $5. Really, that's a great price. Some of you might think you don't need 4 dozen eggs but I would get them anyway. Eggs will last forever. I know they have an expiration date but you can ignore it with eggs. As long as they're in their shells, they'll last a really long time. The same applies to a hard boiled egg. As long as the shell isn't cracked at all, a hard boiled egg will last a really long time. So, go buy the eggs. They've been so expensive the past few months that I'm excited to get them at a decent price! And, if you're going to go to QFC, you can pick up 2 sirloin tip roasts. They're buy one get one free so that's always a good deal!

Tomorrow we are having Chicken Stir Fry with Lemon Butter and Broccoli. I'm going to serve this with rice. This is a nice meal for a hot summer night! You can use any chicken (cut up) for this recipe and I'll likely use chicken breast tenders since that's what I have. The recipe is easy to follow! If cherry tomatoes are too expensive, use grape tomatoes or you could even get away with dicing a vine tomato.

Chicken Stir Fry with Lemon Butter and Broccoli
Michelle (MMmom)

1/2 tsp salt, plus salt to taste
2 boneless whole chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs total, skin removed and cut into 3/4 inch squares
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups small broccoli florets
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3 tbsp water
1 tbs dried rosemary
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp unsalted butter
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups hot cooked white rice

Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp of salt evenly over the chicken pieces and set them aside. In a large saute pan, heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and tomatoes and stir to coat evenly with the oil. Add 2 tbs of the water, cover, and cook until the tomatoes are soft and the broccoli is fairly tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer the broccoli to a large bowl and reserve. Add another tbs of the olive oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the chicken chunks and rosemary, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces over, re-cover, and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout, another 3-4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the bowl holding the broccoli and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tbs olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and the remaining 1 tbs water for added moisture, then stir in the butter until it melts. return the chicken, broccoli, and tomatoes to the pan, stir well, and reheat to serving temperature, 30 to 45 seconds. Remove from heat and season with additional salt and with pepper. Serve immediately with rice. Serves 4 or 5



Today I'm including a cold dip that we enjoy (well, I do). It's a Spinach dip with Water Chesnuts and I love water chesnuts. I served this at my son's 2nd birthday party and people loved it. I do love the hot dips but sometimes you don't have time to keep a hot dip hot so this was a nice one to use instead! The 2nd recipe is perfect for summer nights. It's a steak salad and it's super yummy! You don't have to make your own croutons but sometimes that's fun! This steak is nice and spicy and we love that!

Spinach Dip with Water Chestnuts
Amy – amylz
recipe yield: 6 cups

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 envelope dry vegetable soup mix
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 green onions, chopped

In a medium bowl, mix together spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, dry vegetable soup mix, water chestnuts and green onions. Cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours before serving.


Steak Salad with Creamy Ranch Dressing
Sandy~~*~Sandy~*~

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-lb) boneless sirloin steak, trimmed (about 3/4-inch thick)
4 (1-oz) slices sourdough bread
1 large garlic clove, halved
2 cups grape tomatoes
1 cup halved and sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced red onion
1 (16-0z) bag classic iceberg salad mix
1/2 cup bottled Ranch dressing

In a small bowl combine first 5 ingredients. Sprinkle the garlic powder mixture evenly over steak, pressing the mixture into the steak. Lightly coat steak with cooking spray. Let the steak stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. With the lid closed, grill the steak over Direct High heat (500º to 550ºF) until cooked to desired degree of doneness, 4 to 6 minutes, turning once. Let rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. On a baking sheet place bread slices. Broil 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Rub cut sides of garlic clove over bread slices. Cut bread into 3/4-inch cubes. In a large bowl combine bread cubes, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and lettuce. Add dressing, tossing gently to coat. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates; top with steak. Yield 4 servings.

Amy

Strawberry Squares, Cranberry Orange Bread, Spaghettini with Checca Sauce

Hi everyone! Today was our first day home for summer vacation and I can already tell that it's going to be a long break! Ahhh, 6 year olds are such angels!

I'm hosting playgroup tomorrow and I'll be making Strawberry Squares for our snack. Well, they're really going to be cherry squares because my store doesn't carry strawberry cake. These are so easy, it's embarrasing! Then for dinner, we're going to a friend's house and I'm bringing a Cranberry Orange Bread for our dessert. I know my friend is making a big mexican meal so we don't need a big heavy dessert. Now, making anything cranberry this time of year is tricky since in many small towns, cranberries are seasonal and you can't buy them. I'm going to attemp to do this break with whole cranberry sauce. Wish me luck! I think it will turn out fine but it might need a little extra flour. We'll see!

Strawberry Squares
Amy - amylz
101 Things To Do with a Cake Mix

1 strawberry cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil until stiff. Spread the dough evenly in a 9X13 pan. Bake the squares 14-16 minutes. Mix the milk and powdered sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the squares. Serve warm or at room temperature. Also tasty right out of the oven.


Cranberry Orange Bread
Lori
A moist bread with zesty flavor...
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs grated orange peel
¾ cup water
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbs oil
1 large egg
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup halved fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease bottom only of 9x5" loaf pan.
2 In large bowl, combine sugar, orange peel, water, orange juice, oil and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Pour into greased pan.
3 Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Servings: 12 Yield: One loaf



Here is a recipe that my family loves. It's called Spaghettini with Checca sauce and it's a raw recipe. This is full of such great flavor! The basil, tomato and garlic are superb! This is a great vegetarian dish to have on a hot night!

Spaghettini with Checca Sauce
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, posted by Michelle (MMmom)

8 ounces spaghettini or angel hair pasta
4 scallions (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed (roasted first; the raw garlic is very powerful)
1 (12-ounce container) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (1-ounce) piece Parmesan, coarsely chopped
8 to 10 fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (used slightly less)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the next 7 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped (do not puree). Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with the tomato mixture and fresh mozzarella in a large bowl. Add some of the reserved pasta water (about 1/4 cup) if the sauce looks dry. Serve immediately.

Amy

Crescent Beef Stroganoff, BLT Salad, Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle, Spaghetti Sauce

Hi everyone! Happy birthday to my husband, John!

Tomorrow for dinner we're having Crescent Beef Stroganoff. This is easy and a great meal for when you're in a hurry. The crescent rolls on the bottom are a nice change to your typical stroganoff. I'm serving it with a BLT Salad. Of course, my family won't eat mayo so I'm making the salad part but they'll do their own dressing. Plus, right now you can't do roma tomatoes (the salmonella problem) so I'll go with grape tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine. I am actually attending a Moms Club banquet tomorrow so I won't be eating at home. I was assigned dessert for the banquet and I'm bringing a Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle. It's an Italian theme and I figured cheesecake would work. This trifle is very simple and pretty when it's put together!

Crescent Beef Stroganoff
Ashley~mama2adamn04
1 package (8 ounces) refrigerator crescent rolls
1 pound ground beef, lean
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
8 ounces sour cream
6 slices American cheese

PREPARATION:
Unroll crescent roll dough; press into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan to form a thin crust. In a skillet, brown beef with onion and mushrooms; season with salt and pepper and paprika. Stir in sour cream; spoon into the baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese. Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until crust is baked. Cut into squares


BLT Salad
Hannah's Mommy

1 package bacon
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 head Romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried and shredded
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup seasoned croutons

Fry bacon until crisp then drain and cool on paper towels and then tear into small pieces.
Combine mayo, milk, garlic powder and black pepper and mix well. Chill. (I chill at least 2 hours). Toss lettuce and tomatoes together. Add bacon. Just before serving add croutons and toss with dressing.


Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle
(mom2 sweetie from recipezaar)
-= Ingredients =-
2 quarts strawberries ; sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons almond extract
2 --8 ounce blocks cream cheese ; softened
1 C. sour cream
2 C. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. almond extract
16 ounce tub whipped topping or 1 pint cream ; whipped
1 large angel food or pound cake ; torn into pieces
-= Instructions =-
Set aside some berries for garnish. Mix rest with sugar and almond extract. Set aside. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extract. Fold in whipped cream.
In a trifle bowl: 1/2 cake, 1/2 berries, 1/2 cream cheese mixture, repeat layers.


Here's a recipe for spaghetti sauce that I really like. In the summer, when veggies are all in season, I like to make big batches of sauce and then I freeze it in ziploc bags. With this recipe, I usually only do 1 green pepper. If you don't want to scald and peel your own tomatoes, you can use a big 28oz can of tomatoes. I do that when tomatoes aren't in season (meaning when they're expensive). This recipe is meant to go in the crock pot and cook all day! It's very easy!

Spaghetti Sauce
(Amy – amylz)
1/2 whole celery chopped finely
3 big onions chopped finely
2 big green peppers
2 garlic cloves crushed
8-10 fresh tomatoes that were scalded and peeled
2 cans of tomato paste
1 small can of mushrooms
Pinch of each of theses spices: Italian seasoning,
garlic salt,parsley, basil, oregano ,chili pepper .
1 pound of ground beef browned

In a frying pan blond the onions and celery together with a little margarine this will bring out juices and will enhance the flavor. Put the whole list of ingredients together stir and let it go for 8-10 hours on low...Freezes well. Amy’s Notes: I use a giant can of whole tomatoes if I don’t have fresh tomatoes.

Amy

Sausage Stars, Southwestern Kabobs, Spaghetti Casserole

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Father's Day! I'm very blessed to have a fantastic dad, terrific father in law and an awesome husband who is the greatest dad in the world!

Tomorrow is my wonderful husband's birthday! So, we're going out. It also happens to be our nephew's 17th birthday and every year we go out with John's parents, sister and our nephew. We can't break that tradition now. So, I have the night off. However, I wanted to leave you with a few recipes that I love. First is called Sausage Stars. These are an appetizer and they're so impressive. I brought these on Christmas and they were seriously a big hit. My dad was so impressed, he couldn't stop talking about them. Wonton wraps can be found at all grocery stores and they should be in the produce section. If you don't see them, just as someone though. The recipe says to use Jillmy Dean sausage but use any brand you want. You can use any flavor too. Now, you have a few options. You can do the wonton wrappers in a regular muffin tin and they will be big, like as big as a muffin. Or, you can cut the wrappers and put them in a mini muffin pan and make them more like appetizer bites. I like the second option if you're going to be setting them out at a party. The first option is more impressive if you're going to serve them to people. Either way, they're delicious!


The second recipe is for Southwestern Kabobs. I make these a lot when we're camping. I almost always skip the skewering part though and just saute it all in a pan. That's it! So, I guess my way isn't really a kabob but it's still yummy!

The third recipe is Spaghetti Casserole. This is completely different than the spaghetti casserole 2 recipe I posted last week. This one isn't like anything you've ever had but it's so good. The recipe is written so that you make 2 casseroles, one to freeze and one to eat then. When I make it, I do one the way it's written and then one without the soup and cheese later (for John and the boys). I'm telling you though, with the soup later it's so yummy! I know it seems strange but it's really good!

Sausage Stars
Momto2cuties
1 Package Original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1 lb Jimmy Dean Sausage
1 Bag Mexican 4 Cheeses
1 Package Wonton or Pasta Wrap’s
Fry sausage and cook until done. Mix dressing according to package directions. Mix sausage, dressing and cheese together and chill for 30 minutes. Place wonton wrappers in muffin tin. Bake 5-7 minutes until lightly golden. Add a couple tablespoons full of sausage mixture. Bake 5-7 minutes until cheese melts. Makes 2 – dozen Sausage Stars.

Southwestern Kabobs
Grace (TigMode)
4 boneless top loin pork chops, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons taco or fajita seasoning
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 large onion peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

In a plastic bag or shallow bowl, toss together pork cubes with desired seasoning until pork is evenly coated. Thread pork cubes, alternating with pepper and onion pieces, onto skewers. Grill over a medium-hot fire, turning occasionally, until pork is nicely browned. Makes four servings. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 20 minutes before using. Amy’s notes: I follow the directions as written but rather than skewering them, I just sauté everything in a pan and serve that way.


Spaghetti Casserole
Cyndy (MyPB&Jelly)
1 package (16 ounces) angel hair pasta
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Remove from the heat. Drain pasta. Combine soup and sour cream. In two 8-in. square baking dishes, layer half of the meat sauce, pasta, soup mixture and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted. To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Amy

Pepperoni Dip, Deconstructed Potato Salad, Sausage Egg Casserole

Hi everyone! Today is my baby brother's 15th birthday. I can't believe it! Wasn't he just born?

Tomorrow is Father's Day and we have a few different celebrations happening. We'll be going to breakfast with John's family and then we're spending the evening with my family to celebrate Father's Day and Preston's birthday. Preston loves all the different dips I make so in honor of him, I'm going to bring Pepperoni Dip. This is different from the Pampered Chef recipe I posted last week. He's going to love it! Then I'm also bringing a potato salad. The recipe is Deconstructed Potato Salad. Think layered salad meets potato salad. If you put it in a clear bowl, it had a neat presentation. In the end, it will be like a regular potato salad though!

Pepperoni Dip
Amy – amylz
recipegirl.com

8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
½ cup sour cream
1/8 tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp dried oregano
1 cup pizza sauce
½ cup pepperoni, diced
¼ cup chopped onions
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, and oregano. Spread cream cheese mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the cream cheese mixture. Arrange the pepperoni, onion and green bell pepper over the sauce.
3 Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese on top. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly. Servings: 8


Deconstructed Potato Salad
~*~Sandy~*~
Serves 4-6

4 large russet potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
salt
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
6 T extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced

Put potatoes into a medium pot and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently boil until potatoes are just soft when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk vinegar and mustard together in a small bowl. Gradually add oil, whisking constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set vinaigrette aside. Drain potatoes. Arrange one-quarter of the warm potatoes in the bottom of a serving bowl, then drizzle with 2 T of the vinaigrette and spread with 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise. Layer about one-third of the celery, onions, and eggs on top and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue layering, ending with potatoes drizzled with remaining vinaigrette, then cover with 1/4 cup mayonnaise. Garnish with remaining egg and snipped chives, if you like.



Today I'm giving you a recipe for Sausage Egg Casserole. I have brought this to Mops and I love it! This is kind of a sophisticated casserole. It would be perfect for brunch on a holiday or just for breakfast with your family. Now, don't let the ingredients scare you. I was skeptical the first time I tried this because I don't like cottage cheese in my food at all. However, this is excellent! The cottage cheese melts and it's just creamy goodness. You can use any sausage you like but I think the maple or sage sausage is super good in this. You do need to let this sit over night before you cook it so be aware of that! Trust me, give this a try!


Sausage Egg Casserole
Cyndy-via Allrecipes

3/4 pound ground pork sausage
1 tablespoon butter
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
10 eggs, beaten
1 (16 ounce) container low-fat cottage cheese
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers, drained
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside. Melt butter in skillet, and cook and stir the green onions and mushrooms until tender.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, cottage cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and chiles. Stir in the sausage, green onions, and mushrooms. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the melted butter. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
5. Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Amy

Apple Coffee Cake, Apple Pancakes, Salmon with Lemon and Basil, Sausage Biscuit Bites

Hi everyone! I hope you have some nice weekend plans ahead! I can't believe my baby is done with Kindergarten. He didn't seemed phased that it was the last day of school but I cried when I saw the teachers waving and all the busses honking when I picked him up. It was a total nostalgia moment! I'm happy to have him home for the summer though!

I'm attending a mini "retreat" in the morning and I was asked to bring coffee cake. So, I'm doing Apple Coffee Cake. This is very easy to do and most people love coffee cake so it's an easy thing to throw together and bake when you're in a hurry! Tomorrow for dinner we're having Apple Pancakes! My boys love breakfast for dinner so I try to do it at least once a month. Since we had pancakes last weekend, this is a treat to be having them again so soon. This recipe is really great! The pancakes are very filling and versatile. I will do them as written with apples but in the directions it explains how you can do banana or peaches or zucchini. Yum! I'll probably serve with bacon!

Apple Coffee Cake
Liz - JBBsMom01

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together:
3 cups apples, peeled and sliced
5 tbsp. sugar
1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a separate bowl, beat the following ingredients together until creamy (this is the batter):
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. baking powder

Pour 2/3 of the batter into a well-greased and floured tube pan (or bundt pan). Place over batter 3/4 of the apple mixture. Add remaining batter, then remaining apple mix on the top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, THEN cut oven back to 325 degrees and cook an additional one-half hour. You do NOT have to remove the cake from the oven and wait for the oven temp to lower to 325 - just leave it in and it's fine! Cake is done when a knife or toothpick is inserted and it comes out clean. NOTES - I didn't read the part about cooking the cake for an additional 30 minutes at 325 so only cooked it for an hour and it came out BEAUTIFULLY!


Apple Pancakes
(Dusanka)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup milk (2% fat) -- 375 ml
1 cup rolled oats -- 250 ml
2 tbsp oil -- 30 ml
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup -- 15 ml
1 cup whole wheat flour -- 250 ml
1 tsp baking powder -- 5 ml
1/4 tsp salt -- 1 ml
1/2 tsp cinnamon -- 2 ml
pinch of nutmeg
1 grated apple

Directions:
Mix oats and milk and set aside for 5 minutes (or longer). Add oil, eggs, honey and blend well. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Add dry mixture to liquid mixture, add grated apple. Cook in lightly oiled pan using approximately 3 tbsp (50 ml) for each pancake. These are quite filling and quite tasty, you can make them without the apple and spices or with mashed banana or grated pear, and vanilla instead of nutmeg and cinnamon. You can also make this recipe using zucchini (approximately what one grated apple would yield) instead of apple.


Today I'm giving you a salmon recipe that John loves! It's with lemon and basil. You make the marinade, put it on the salmon, let it marinate, then bake in the oven. It's so simple! The salmon comes out perfect every time! The second recipe is for Sausage Biscuit Bites. These are perfect for a Saturday morning breakfast or when you're having breakfast for dinner. It's very economical too and it makes a lot!

Salmon with Lemon and Basil
Lori
Delicious, fresh flavor...

Four 6-ounce fillets of salmon
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced crosswise
1 large shallot, thinly sliced crosswise (about ¼ cup)
grated zest of one lemon (2- 3 teaspoons)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs olive oil
lemon wedges for serving (optional)

1 Lightly season salmon with salt and pepper; arrange in 9x13-inch baking dish, about 1-inch apart.
2 In a small bowl, stir together basil, shallot, lemon zest and juice, oil, ¼ tsp. salt, and a pinch of pepper. Dividing evenly, spread mixture over the salmon fillets. Cover with foil; place in refrigerator, and let marinate for 20 minutes.
3 Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake (still covered) until salmon is opaque throughout 20-25 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Servings: 4

Sausage Biscuit Bites
Grace (TigMode)
1 tube (7-1/2 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
4-1/2 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 package (8oz) brown and serve sausage links
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each biscuit into a 4-inch circle; brush with butter. Combine parmesan cheese and oregano; sprinle over butter. Place a sausage link in the center of each; roll up. Cut each widthwise into four peices; insert toothpick into each. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 375 for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Amy

Low-Fat Carrot Cake Muffins, Roasted Potato Salad, Rosemary and Garlic Grilled Pork Loin

Hi everyone! I don't want to jinx anything but it is sunny out right now. I can't believe it! Could it be that winter might come to an end??? Yes, it's only 65 degrees out but here that's almost a heat wave!

Tomorrow night, we're eating at a BoyScout BBQ (my baby is old enough for Cub Scouts) so I don't have to cook. But, it is Friday, so I'm making a dessert. For dessert, I'm making Carrot Cake Muffins and they're low fat to boot. I know, it sounds kind of boring for dessert but my family won't mind something healthy. Now, if you don't want to make these healthy, you can use all purpose flour instead of the whole wheat. I like muffins with whole wheat flour though. They do taste different from a Costco muffin so be expecting that. Since we are nut free, I'll be leaving those out but otherwise I'm following as written. These are really moist with the carrots and pineapple and the raisins keep it very sweet. I like to use golden raisins in muffin recipes but regular old raisins will work great too!

Low-Fat Carrot Cake Muffins
Katie (Katiedid) From Recipezaar
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (or use half white and whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar (can use more or less)
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (squeeze out some of the moisture with hands)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Set oven to 350 degrees.


Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners or spray tins with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl mix together first 7 ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together egg, oil, milk and vanilla. In a medium bowl mix the shredded carrots with the crushed pineapple. Add in the oil/egg mixture into the carrot/pineapple mixture; mix well to combine, then add to the dry ingredients; mix JUST until combined. Add in the raisins and chopped nuts. Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin tins. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the muffins test done.




I've included a recipe for a roasted potato salad that we really enjoy. I actually leave the green beans out of it most times I make it but it's good either way. This is a nice alternative to your typical mayo potato salad. The second recipe is for a pork loin that is delicious! I actually got it from the Weight Watchers website. It's a Core recipe so I don't know the points. We're not huge rosemary fans but we really liked this. Remember, pork loins come prepackaged in the meat department and it comes with two. You decide how much of the meat you need for your family!


Roasted Potato Salad
Carrie (henryjsmama)

½ lb. Fresh green beans, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
1 large whole garlic bulb
2 lbs. small red potatoes, quartered
2 med. Red peppers, cut into large chunks
2 green onions, sliced
¼ cup chicken broth
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. rosemary
½ tsp. salt

In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add beans; bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place beans in ice water; drain and pat dry. Remove papery outer skin from garlic (do not peel or separate cloves). Cut to off garlic bulb. Place cut side up in a greased 15 X 10 baking dish. Add the potatoes, peppers, onions and beans; drizzle with broth. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until garlic is softened. Remove garlic; set aside. Bake veggies 30-35 min. longer or until tender. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze softened garlic into a large bowl. Stir in the vinegar, oil, sugar, rosemary and salt. Add veggies; toss to coat. Serve warm or cold. 9 servings.

Rosemary and Garlic Grilled Pork Loin
Amy – amylz
Recipe from Weight Watchers

Core Recipe
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 12 min
Cooking Time: 25 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

The intense flavors of garlic and rosemary complement tender pork loin in this recipe. It's easy enough to make last minute, and nice enough for special occasions.

Ingredients
• 1 pound lean pork tenderloin, use one whole loin
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium garlic clove(s), crushed
• 2 Tbsp rosemary, fresh
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 4 cup arugula
• 1/2 cup fat-free red wine vinaigrette

Instructions
• Prepare grill for medium-hot indirect cooking, or preheat oven to 425°F.
• Place pork on a large sheet of plastic wrap. In a small bowl, mix together oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, crushing rosemary slightly with a spoon as you mix; spread mixture over pork, covering entire surface. Wrap loin tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour (and up to overnight).
• Remove plastic wrap and place pork on grill. Grill outdoors over indirect heat, turning occasionally, until a meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F, about 25 minutes. Or indoors, place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan and roast until internal temperature reaches 160°F, about 20 minutes. (Note: Pork loin can be pink and juicy inside and be fully cooked, but it is important that the internal temperature be at least 160°F.)
• Remove pork from grill or oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Toss arugula with vinaigrette and serve with pork. Yields about 3 ounces of pork and 1 cup of arugula per serving.

Amy

Spaghetti Casserole 2, Bacon-Swiss Tossed Salad, RANCH CORN SALAD

Hi everyone! Today was one of those days where things just kept going wrong. I had 4 potatoes instead of 4 pounds, my 2 year old fell down the stairs, I couldn't find my debit card at the grocery store when I went to buy more potatoes (I actually found it in the parking lot). It was crazy!

For dinner tomorrow, we're having Spaghetti Casserole. I call it #2 because I have a couple different spaghetti casserole recipes. This one is written for you to freeze it right away but if you want to just make it, still follow the directions but just cook it instead of covering with plastic wrap. Still use the foil when you bake it though! This is kind of like lasagna but with spaghetti noodles. Then we're having a Bacon Swiss Salad. Yum! This is so easy and delicious! There is a spinach and parmesan version given and all kinds of alterations you can make. The thing I like about this salad is I can put the cheese and cashews on my own salad and the boys will just have the bacon and we'll all use the dressing and be happy! It's perfect!

Spaghetti Casserole 2
2beautifulbambinos

1½ lb. ground beef
1 t. salt
1 C. onion, chopped
1 t. basil
1 can tomatoes (28 oz.)
8 oz. spaghetti
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.)
2 C. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 can mushrooms (4 oz.)
1/3 C. parmesan cheese
1½ t. oregano
To Freeze: Brown beef & onions, drain. Stir in tomatoes, sauce and all seasonings. Simmer 20 minutes. Break spaghetti into pieces and cook. Drain. Add spaghetti to meat sauce and mix well. Put half of mixture into 9x13 pan, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Add rest of mixture, top with parmesan cheese. Cover pan with plastic wrap & foil. To Serve: Let thaw and then bake at 350* for 35-40 minutes.

Bacon-Swiss Tossed Salad or Bacon-Parmesan Tossed Spinach Salad
Katie (Katiedid)

4 c torn romaine (spinach)
1 c shredded swiss cheese (parmesan)
¾ c real bacon bits (real bacon, crumbled)
½ c salted cashews (omit if desired)
Dressing:
3 T brown sugar
2 T water
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
¼ tsp dried minced onion
¼ tsp poppy seeds
¼ tsp ground mustard
Dash of salt
Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients; shake well. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings
Katie’s Notes: Used spinach, real bacon and parmesan cheese for the salad and omitted the cashews. Other variations or additional ingredients: red onion, feta cheese, any lettuce or combination of spinach and lettuce, roasted veggies like asparagus or cauliflower, other raw veggies.

Today I'm giving you one of my favorite recipes. It's for Ranch Corn Salad and I love, love, love it! This is perfect for summer barbecues! This salad is really delicious!

RANCH CORN SALAD
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar.com)
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn, partially thawed
6-8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 cloves garlic
1-2 fresh jalapeno, chopped (you decide how much heat!)
¼ cup chopped black olives
2-3 chopped green onions
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or Colby/Jack, etc.)
1 cup bottled ranch dressing (more or less, according to your taste)
Combine all the veggies. Add the dressing, just enough to coat the vegetables well. Gently stir in the cheese and bacon. Refrigerate until serving. * Amy’s notes: I doubled the recipe and only used ½ of one jalapeno. I also only used about 1 1/2 cups of Ranch for the doubled recipe.

Amy

Sesame Teriyaki/Honey Glazed Pork Ribs, Slow Cooked Potatoes with Butter and Thyme, American Macaroni Salad, Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Hi everyone!

We have company coming for dinner tomorrow and I'm making Sesame Teriyaki/Honey Glazed Pork Ribs. I just have regular teriyaki marinade but otherwise I'm following the recipe. You want to make sure to marinate these the night before but other than that, it's a pretty simple recipe to follow. They'll take about 1 hour on the grill to actually cook. I am doing spare ribs but you can use any ribs. I think baby back ribs would be great or even shoulder ribs! By the way, Costco has cedar planks right now for the barbecue (they're like $8) and you get a bunch in the pack! Then in the crock pot, I'm doing potatoes. This is an easy way to do potatoes and not have to worry about them. Finally, I'm serving a Macaroni Salad. This is your basic macaroni salad recipe from the Food Network!

Sesame Teriyaki/Honey Glazed Pork Ribs
Amy - amylz
Recipe courtesy Dan Oliver

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dried garlic and herb rub with Cajun spices
2 pounds pork spare ribs
1/2 cup sesame seed teriyaki marinade
2 tablespoons honey
Hickory wood chips, soaked

Pat olive oil and dry rub over the ribs making sure all the ribs are covered completely in the rub and let sit overnight, refrigerated, in a non-reactive container. Combine the sesame teriyaki marinade and honey, mix well and using hands completely cover the ribs with mixture. Let stand for at least 1 hour. Light gas grill and set on a low to medium flame, placing soaked hickory wood chips wrapped in foil over the flames. Slow roast the ribs turning occasionally for about 1 hour. Remove when done and serve.


Slow Cooked Potatoes with Butter and Thyme
Amy - amylz
From Food Network Kitchens

3 ounces bacon (about 5 slices)
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered with skin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 dried bay leaves
5 black peppercorns, plus freshly ground for serving
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced

Line the bottom of the slow-cooker with bacon and toss half the thyme on top. Top with the potatoes, salt, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Pour the chicken broth over the potatoes and add water to cover the potatoes. Scatter the remaining thyme and the butter on top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours, or until potatoes are fork tender. Discard the bay leaves and peppercorns. Ladle into large shallow bowls and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

American Macaroni Salad
Amy - amylz
From Food Network Kitchens
2 cups dry elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed, and drained
1/3 cup diced celery
1/4 cup minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, drained
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup diced vine-ripened tomato (optional)
1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl combine the macaroni, celery, onion, parsley and tomato, if using. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, sour cream and salt. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. Store covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.



The extra recipe today is another pumpkin recipe and it's from Paula Deen. It's one of her famous Gooey Butter Cakes and this one is wonderful! If you love pumpkin, you have to try this!
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
OP????(Paula Dean)
Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Amy

Sausage Pasta Stew, First Down Dip, Pumpkin Dump Cake, Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Hi everyone! I just want to remind those of you who haven't cashed (received) your stimulus checks yet, you should do it at Safeway. We finally got ours today and I called Safeway to find out what the catch was and there is none. They are just trying to get people into the store. You cash your check there and get the full amount (so if it's for $600, you get $600). Then, they give you a voucher that is good for 10% off your next grocery bill. It needs to be used within 2 days. This is free money people, take advantage of it! When I talked to the Safeway guy today, he recommended calling the morning you plan to come in so they can make sure they have enough cash to give you at the customer service desk (if you're cashing over $1000). That's my tip for the day!

I am making a few different things tomorrow. First, for my family, I'm making Sausage Pasta Stew. They love pasta and they love sausage so I figured what the heck. Plus, this recipe is only 6 points if you're doing Weight Watchers. It is a crock pot recipe too so that's a bonus! I never buy sausage links, I always do bulk sausage for recipes like this. It's very easy to get bulk sausage at the grocery store these days. We use Prego for anything calling for a jar sauce so that will be my spaghetti sauce. If the yellow squash doesn't look great at the store, use a small zucchini, it will be fine.

Sausage Pasta Stew (6 Points)
OP???
WW Pts: 6
1 lb. turkey Italian Sausage links, casing removed
4 cups water
1 jar (26 oz) meatless spaghetti sauce
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 medium sweet red or green pepper, diced
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 cup frozen peas
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and place in a 5qt slow cooker. Add water, spaghetti sauce, beans, summer squash, carrots, red pepper and onion; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the pasta, peas, sugar, salt and pepper; mix well. Cover and cook on high for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serves: 8 (1 1/3 cups) Calories 276; Fat 6 g; Fiber 6 g


I am attending a gathering for Mops after dinner and I'll be bringing an appetizer. I'm going to bring a dip called First Down Dip. I haven't decided yet if I'll serve it hot or cold but that's the fun, you can do either! If you don't have a chicken breast to use, feel free to use canned chicken. You serve this with blue corn chips (or any corn chips).

First Down Dip
OP???

2 cups softened cream cheese
1 tsp chopped garlic
½ cup chopped green onions
½ cup diced tomatoes
1 Tbs sour cream
1 whole grilled chicken breast, diced
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbs chopped fresh basil
tabasco to taste
seasoned salt to taste
1 cup mixed grated cheese
1 bag blue corn chips

Soften cream cheese by beating until smooth with an electric mixer. Add ingredients through basil and mix by hand until combined. Add tabasco and seasoned salt until you reach desired taste. Top with grated cheese; serve with chips. Cooking Tips *If you would like to serve this dip hot, arrange ingredients in an oven safe bowl and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is brown and bubbly (about 13 minutes).


Ok, we love pumpkin stuff around here and typically people get in a pumpkin kick in the fall but we like it all year. Here are a couple recipes that we love! First is Pumpkin Dump Cake. You can't get easier than this. It's kind of like cake meats pumpkin pie when it's done. The second recipe is for a Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle. This is also amazing! It's super simple to make and looks really impressive!

Pumpkin Dump Cake
OP????
1 can of pumpkin puree
2 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice OR 1 teaspoon of cinnamon,
1 can (1 1/2 c.) of evaporated milk
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter, melted
½ cup chopped pecans
Cool Whip

Mix pumpkin, eggs, sugar, spices, and milk together. Pour mix in 9x13 inch pan.. Top with package of yellow cake mix. Melt the butter and pour over dry cake mix. Sprinkle pecans and
Bake 1 hour at 350ºF. Serve plain or topped with cool whip


Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen

2 (14 oz) packages gingerbread mix
1 (5.1 oz) package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
1 (30 oz) can pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (12 oz) container frozen whipped topping
½ cup crushed gingersnaps, optional

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar and cinnamon into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle crushed gingersnaps over the top, if desired. **Kris-73's notes: If you don’t have pumpkin pie filling, you can use a can of plain pumpkin and add the pie spices, according to the directions on the label. Also, I usually use a little more whipped topping.

Amy

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli, Wheat Italian Bread, Potato Casserole

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a terrific weekend!

Tomorrow we're having Pasta e Fagioli soup. This is the Olive Garden recipe from a copy cat site. It does have a ton of ingredients but don't let that scare you. It's all basic things that you should have or are easy to find at the grocery store. I love this soup when I go to Olive Garden so I can't wait to try it at home! And since it's Monday, I'm making Wheat Italian Bread. This does call for bread flour and wheat flour. So, make sure you have both! You can leave the gluten out unless you happen to have some handy!

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
Amy – amylz
(http://www.topsecretrecipes.com)
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce can V-8 juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 pound (1/2 pkg.) ditali pasta

1. Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat.
2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.
4. About 50 minutes into simmer time, cook the pasta in 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of boiling water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.
5. Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve.
Serves 8.


Wheat Italian Bread
Sandy~~*~Sandy~*~

Makes 1 pound loaf
7/8 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup white bread flour
1 cup wheat bread flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast (I use 1 1/4 tsp for high altitude)
1 T vital wheat gluten (optional)

Layer in bread pan per manufacturer's instructions. Bake on regular, rapid or wheat cycle (I usually always use rapid cycle).

1 1/2 pound loaf:
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups wheat bread flour
2 tsp yeast
1 T vital wheat gluten (optional)

2 pound loaf:
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups wheat bread flour
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 T vital wheat gluten (optional)



I've included a recipe today for Potato Casserole. This is super good! It's a Paula Deen recipe so not healthy at all but we love this! It's perfect for holidays when you need to bring a potato dish. Any mashed potatoes will work! You must give this a try!

Potato Casserole
Amy - amylz
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Yield: 6 servings
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 small bell pepper, sliced thin
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar
4 medium potatoes, cooked
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread mashed potatoes evenly on bottom of casserole dish. Layer sour cream evenly over top. Sprinkle House Seasoning, to taste. Saute onion and bell pepper in butter; evenly layer over top of sour cream. Slice potatoes and layer over onions and bell peppers. Add butter. Sprinkle House seasoning. Finally top with cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and crumble bacon over top. Cook's Note: Leftover mashed potatoes work wonderfully in this recipe.
House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Amy