Pumpkin Bread

This bread is delicious and perfect for fall!

Pumpkin bread
Source: Tasty Kitchen

3 C sugar
3 1/2 C flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1 C oil
1 C water

Stir together all of the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients. Mix well. Grease 3 loaf pans. Equally distribute the batter between the pans. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Let cool on a rack. Keep moist by wrapping in plastic wrap.

Brown Sugar Flank Steak

This is absolutely divine! You must make this. I cannot tell you how good this was! I couldn't stop eating it!

Brown Sugar Flank Steak

1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C green onions, chopped
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2-2 lb. flank steak

Combine the marinade ingredients together and mix well. Marinate the steak in this marinade in a Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 24 hours, but at least 4 hours. Grill each side until the meat is cooked to medium-rare. Let the steak sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Slice into really thin strips and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Whenever I have time to kill and I need a new recipe I go here....Tasty Kitchen. This was started by the Pioneer Woman, another one of my favorite websites. When we got the new crock pot I went on a hunt and found this delicious recipe! You must try this!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Source: Tasty Kitchen

2 lb. stew meat
2 cans golden mushroom soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 package onion soup mix
1/2 C water
1 bag egg noodles
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T sour cream

Cook the meat, soups, onion, garlic, Worcestershire, water, and onion soup mix into the crock pot. Cook on low for low for 8 hours or high for 5.

Cook egg noodles in boiling water. Drain.

Just before serving, stir in cream cheese, sour cream, and noodles. Serve.

Crockpot Philly Cheesesteaks

Along with my new panini press, Charlie also blessed me with a new crock pot! My cooking has been really slack since I started teaching full time in February. I really want to start utilizing our crock pot more. The crock pot we had wasn't anything fancy. I wanted something that cooked on a timer. My new one switches to warm after time is up, which is great for the days I work late (most days!). We liked this meal, although there's no picture. Sorry! Just trust me!

Crock pot Philly Cheesesteaks
Source: A Year of Slow Cooking

1 lb. tri-tip steak, sliced
1/2 sliced onion
1 bell pepper
1/4 C white wine
1 T Worcestershire sauce
Provolone Cheese
Sandwich rolls

Cook sliced meat, onion, pepper, wine and Worcestershire in a crock pot on low for 8-9 hours (high 4-5). Spoon meat onto rolls and top with cheese. Bake in 400 oven for about 10 minutes.

Pizza Panini

This picture does not do this panini justice! Charlie bought me this amazing Panini press/indoor grill. I absolutely love it! We've been making turkey paninis a lot and I was sick of them! So, we tried these. They were absolutely delicious and terribly easy to make!

Pizza Panini
Source: Rachel Ray

3 Roma tomatoes, sliced
2 T olive oil
1 T dried oregano
salt and pepper
Ciabatta bread
1 ball fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil leaves, torn
Pepperoni slices

Preheat the oven to 425. Preheat the panini grill to medium heat.

Scatter the tomatoes on a baking sheet and toss them with the oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven about 20 minutes. Mash in a bowl to make a tomato sauce.

Spread tomato sauce on a slice of bread. Top with mozzarella, basil, and pepperoni. Top with another slice of bread. Press each sandwich about 5-7 minutes. YUM!

Pasta Salad

This pasta salad recipe is a family favorite. I've been eating this since I was a kid. It's one of those recipes that all of my mother's children know how to make. It's a staple, particularly in the summer or at a potluck. And it's one we always get compliments on. Better yet, it's extremely easy!

Pasta Salad


16 oz. Rotini pasta, cooked and cooled
1 large bottle of Italian Dressing
1 packet dry Zesty Italian Seasoning Mix (This is KEY! You must not leave this out!)
Cheese (Cheddar, Colby, whatever), cubed
Tomatoes, chopped
Cucumber, chopped
Pepperoni, sliced


Toss all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl.

Skillet Barbecue Chicken

It's been a while since I blogged. There are 2 reasons for this....
1. I don't have the time or energy to blog.
2. More importantly, I don't have the time or energy to try new recipes!

I have been really slack in the kitchen lately. I'm working full time and by the time I'm home I mentally cannot wrap my mind around trying new recipes or sometimes even cooking at all. We're not starving here, but definitely are spending more money eating out than ever. I hate it. I feel completely responsible and lazy. Luckily, Charlie puts up with it. In fact, he doesn't even just put up with it, he lovingly tells me it's okay!

I miss cooking. I miss the days when I had all the time in the world to search for recipes to try. I miss having dinner on the table when Charlie came home. New recipes. Exciting recipes. I long for summer break, one of the luxuries of being a teacher. Working at a year round school is supposed to be awesome. A 3 week break every quarter sounds lovely. But me? No real break since Christmas. I need it. I know, I know. Most people have to work all year. No breaks unless they take a vacation. So who am I to complain? Yet I do, and will contine to complain. :)

Another joy of teaching, besides the breaks of course, is student gifts, sometimes. A lot of times we get those "apple" items. And other times we get awesome, useful things! Teacher Appreciation Week was a few weeks ago. I got Starbucks, gift cards, flowers, and a cookbook! A cookbook!!! A good one too! Better yet, a healthy one! Yay! Just what we need! So many things in the title catch my eye....

Cooking Light: a reputable source, and LIGHT!

Fast: exactly what I need right now!

Weeknight: Not a lot of time or energy needed!

So this one comes from my new cookbook!


Skillet Barbecue Chicken
Source: Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals

4 Chicken breast halves
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 T seasoning blend (the recipe says Southwest Chipotle, I used some chicken seasoning I had for the grill)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 T olive oil
1/2 C BBQ sauce
1/4 C water

Pound chicken to 1/2" thickness. Rub chicken with garlic and sprinkle with salt. Season with seasoning blend.

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken 3-4 minutes on each side. Add barbecue sauce and water to skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes until chicken is done.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

These are yummy, but very rich. Keep them refrigerated and serve them cold. They are sweet, so I cut my into little 1'' squares.


Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies


Batter
1/2 C butter, cut into small pieces
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 C flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
3/4 C sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Filling
1/4 C butter, melted
1/2 C powdered sugar
3/4 C creamy peanut butter
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and line a 8'' square pan with parchment paper.

Batter
Melt chocolate and butter over stovetop. Let cool slightly.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk until mixed together. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until combined.

Filling
Stir together filling ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

Assemble
Pour 1/3 of batter into pan and spread evenly. Dollop 1/2 of peanut butter filling on top of batter. Pour the remaining batter on top and carefully spread it out. Dollop the rest of the filling on top. Create a swirled, marbled effect with a butter knife.

Bake for about 45 minutes.

Egg Salad

I LOVED egg salad when I was a kid. I totally forgot how yummy it is! I like mine on toasted bread!

Egg Salad

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 C mayo
2 T Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and dice the eggs. Mix in the mayo and mustard and season it to taste with the salt and pepper. So yummy, so easy.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

I printed off this recipe last summer and FINALLY got around to cooking them! We really liked them and will definitely have them again! I cooked these in the oven to make things easier in the kitchen, but next time I'm going to make them in a pan. I also think bacon would be a really yummy addition!

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

2 T oil
1 1/2 sweet onions, sliced
2 T honey
3 chicken breasts, diced
3/4 C BBQ Sauce
1 C shredded Mexican cheese
4 10" flour tortillas

Heat 1 T of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions. Cook until caramelized. Add the honey. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the remaining oil and chicken. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Cover with barbecue sauce and heat through. Layer the chicken, onions, and cheese on the tortillas and bake for 20 minutes at 350.

To cook on stove top: Spray skillet with cooking spray. Place tortilla on the skillet and sprinkle the cheese over the whole tortilla. On half of the tortilla, add the chicken and onion. Heat until the cheese is melted and edges of the tortilla begin to brown. Fold over and let it sit for about a minute.

Strawberry Bread

Since strawberries were on sale I needed to do something with the abundance of them that I had! We ate some straight out of the package, I covered a few in sugar and let them sit before eating, we had the strawberry cheesecake, and then the rest of them went to this! I had Book Club last night and this yummy bread is what I took to share.
The recipe comes from my sister Krystal and her family. Anytime I've been to a shower (wedding or baby) given by her side of the family they make this bread. I guess I should clarify that she is technically my sister in law, but I hate saying that. She is my sister, my one and only!

Okay, back to the bread. So they make this yummy bread and a really yummy spread to go with it. I didn't make the spread this time, but I'm including the recipe for it because I know how yummy it is! The recipe also calls for frozen strawberries and I used fresh. This is a perfect spring dessert, breakfast, snack, whatever you want it to be!
Strawberry Bread
Source: Krystal and her family
3 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 C sugar
2 10 oz packages or frozen strawberries (thawed and sliced) OR 2 C fresh strawberries chopped
1 1/4 C vegetable oil
4 eggs, well beaten
1 C chopped pecans (I left this out)

Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Create a well in the center. Add all the wet ingredients and stir with a spoon. Don't use a mixer! When it's all mixed together, pour into 2 greased loaf pans or 1 bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 40-60 minutes.

For the spread
1/2 C strawberry juice (from the frozen strawberries)
8 oz cream cheese

Mix together in a blender until smooth and creamy.

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

For Christmas my husband gave me springform pans. He also gave me a new deep skillet, a new beater blade for my mixer, a cake decorating plate and some cake decorating tools. Before you question why my husband is giving me kitchen stuff, this is not 1950, blah, blah, blah....I wanted this stuff! I LOVE being in the kitchen and he knows it. And there is a large part of me that likes the roles that men and women had in the 50s. Don't get me wrong, I know there are a lot of things that I have as a liberty as a woman because of what other women have done, but I like the idea of staying home in the kitchen making my husband happy. Call me crazy.

SO, I have these new springform pans that I haven't used yet and strawberries were on sale at the grocery store. Strawberry cheesecake was the first thing that sprung to mind! Then I remembered my abundance of Girl Scout cookies in the freezer and decided to make the crust using the shortbread cookies. This cake was absolutely delicious and beautiful!

If you've never made a cheesecake, don't be afraid! They are actually very easy to make and really impress people!


Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

Crust
1/2 C finely crushed shortbread cookies
1/2 C unsalted butter, room temp.
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C all-purpose flour

Cream together the butter and sugar on high speed. Add the flour and cookie crumbs. Mix well. Place in the bottom of 9" springform pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350. Let cool.

Cheesecake
4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temp.
1 1/3 C sugar
2 T flour
2 T heavy cream
4 eggs, beaten
1 T lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla
1 C strawberries, pureed

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and heavy cream. Add eggs. Beat on low until combined. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour 2 1/2 C of the batter into a separate bowl and set aside.

With the remaining mixture, add 3/4 of the strawberry puree. Mix well. Pour on top of the crust and bake for 35 minutes.

Carefully pour the remaining cheesecake mixture on top of the strawberry mixture. Drop spots of the remaining strawberry puree on top. With a butter knife, carefully create a swirl pattern on top of the cheesecake. Bake for 50 more minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.

Carmel Delight Ice Cream

So, after the Thin Mint Ice Cream and how delicious and successful it was, I couldn't wait to try again with a new flavor! I came up with this recipe on my own. The hardest part about this recipe was the cookies! This was our last box of Carmel Delights and it took every bit of self-control not to eat one! I tried to convince Charlie to let me buy more cookies, but after the original 17 boxes, he wasn't going for it! :) I left this mixture in the maker a little longer and it made it a little thicker. So it was much easier to add the ripple effect with the Carmel and fudge.

This ice cream was delicious, but not nearly as reminiscent of the actual cookie as the Thin Mint was. It was still devoured by us and definitely a keeper!

Carmel Delight Ice Cream

2 eggs
3/4 C sugar
2 C heavy cream
1 C whole milk
1 tsp. coconut flavoring
1/2 box Carmel Delight cookies (about 8 cookies)
1 bottle of Carmel topping (squeeze kind)
1 bottle of hot fudge topping (squeeze kind)

Whisk the eggs until fluffy. Add sugar and whisk until incorporated. Add cream, milk, and flavoring. Once it's whisked together, add to your ice cream maker. Make sure the mixture is really COLD!

Make the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to your manufacturer's directions. Add the crushed cookies in the last 10-15 minutes. Pour half the mixture into your freezer container. Top with Carmel and fudge. Pour the rest of the ice cream on top. Continue to freeze and harden in your freezer.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

So it's March here in NC and let me tell you what that means weather wise...absolutely nothing! I can be 60 degrees one day and snowing the next! So as we await another snowfall with anything from a trace to 3" expected I made soup for dinner! We had this with grilled cheese. Absolutely delicious! Needless to say, this was not on par with Charlie's "healthy dinner" diet, but it was yummy and warming!

I took a picture...I promise, BUT the memory card wasn't in the camera and I have no idea where the cord is! So no pic...sorry! Just trust me. It's yummy!

Tomato Tortellini Soup
adapted from Taste of Home

1 pkg. (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cans (10 oz each) condensed tomato soup
2 C vegetable broth
2 C milk
2 C half and half cream
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C shredded Parmesan

Cook tortellini according to package directions.

Meanwhile in a large pot, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini and add to the soup. Stir in cheese. Serve.

Onion Strings

These were so yummy! This recipe comes from the Pioneer Woman Cooks. The PW is amazing! I don't know where she learned to cook, but I would love to spend a weekend at her ranch learning from her!


Onion Stings
Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 large onion
2 C buttermilk
2 C all-purpose flour
1 T salt
Black pepper (she just says "plenty")
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Oil for frying

Peel the onion. Slice into very thin rings. Separate the onion slices and place in a shallow baking dish. Pour the milk over the top. Press the onions down with a fork so they are soaking in the milk. Let sit on the counter for 1 hour. Half way through, stir them so they all get coated.

In a bowl, combine the flour and spices. Pour 1-2 quarts of oil in a large pot or dutch oven and heat to 375.

Using tongs, remove a handful of onion and immediately toss in the flour mixture. Shake off the excess flour and put into the hot oil. Break them apart with a slotted spoon and let them fry until golden. This doesn't take long. Continue with the remaining onions.

Thin Mint Ice Cream

It's cookie time! I love Girl Scout cookies! I can't wait for February every year! I always buy too many. Wait...is that possible? Can you ever have too many Girl Scout cookies? I was a GS when I was a young girl and I was also the top seller one year in my council. Very exciting! I've seen what good the money from cookie sales can do for those girls. It helped pay for my Girl Scout camp a couple summers! Great memories! So 17 boxes later and a freezer full, we are finding things to do with our cookies besides just eat them!

For Christmas, my mom gave ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid. This thing is amazing! I was a little intimidated because I've never made my own ice cream before, but it was so easy! AND this ice cream was amazing! We shared it with friends and got rave reviews! I made a double batch because I knew we were sharing. This week I'm going to tweak the recipe and try to make it with Carmel Delights. I'll let you know how it turns out!

I had a hard time getting the ripple effect with this ice cream. I'm going to try to do it a little different with the next batch. But in the mean time...

Thin Mint Ice Cream
Source: Erin Cooks

2 eggs
3/4 C sugar
2 C heavy cream
1 C whole milk
2 tsp. peppermint extract
1o oz. hot fudge sauce
1 sleeve of thin mint cookies, crushed

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and whisk until blended. Pour in the cream, milk, and peppermint extract and whisk together. Begin freezing the mixture according to your maker's directions.

When the mixture begins coming together add the crushed cookies. In the KA, this is in the last 10 minutes. Pour half the ice cream into your freezer container. Top with the hot fudge to create a ripple layer. ***This is where I had trouble. The fudge was too heavy and sunk to the bottom of the not hardened ice cream. I think if I had frozen the ice cream to let it set and then put the layer of fudge on it would have worked better. Either way, it was still yummy!*** Top with the remaining ice cream.

Freeze in your freezer to harden the ice cream. Enjoy!!!

Bacon Pineapple Bites

So, what can I say? It's been a while! I have been cooking, but I've been really busy! Most of the stuff we've had lately has been repeats. Sorry I've been absent. I got a new job teaching 3rd grade and that consumes most of my time! I do get home in time to cook dinner thankfully. Charlie has also been begging for healthy food lately too. I find healthy food boring. One day I will have an exciting healthy recipe to share! In the mean time, we have these....

I hosted Book Club a couple weeks ago and made this yummy appetizer and black and white brownies (YUM). You make these the same way you make the sausage ones, but instead use pineapple! They reminded me of Hawaiian pizza. I would definitely make these again.


Bacon Pineapple Bites


1 fresh pineapple, cored and cut into chunks
1 lb. bacon
1 C brown sugar


Cut the bacon slices in half so they are shorter. Dredge in the sugar and wrap around the pineapple. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes and serve. So easy, so yummy!

Mashed Potatoes

This were perfect with our chicken fried steak for dinner. Warning...NOT healthy! But yummy :)

Mashed Potatoes

2 1/2 lb. red skinned potatoes, quartered
1/2 C whipping cream
1 stick butter
1 T salt

Bring the potatoes to boil in a large pot. Once boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes. Add the cream, butter, and salt to the potatoes. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes. Enjoy!

Easy and delicious!

Chicken Fried Steak

I have been excited about cooking this for 2 weeks now! And what did I do...screw it up! After a few tears (yes, I cry over failed dinner attempts-don't judge!), some words, and a lot of frustration, I somehow managed to salvage this dinner! Next time I make it I will do it right! A lot of things went wrong with this, some my fault and some not! First, (reminder to self) DO NOT forget to tenderize the meat! The meat needs to be pounded thin or it won't cook through the way the recipe states and you will have to cook it in the oven the rest of the way through.

This was not a healthy dinner, especially when you serve it with the mashed potatoes I made tonight :)

I didn't get a picture of this dinner, but you should check out Ree's blog...she has phenomenal step by step photos of her recipes.

Chicken Fried Steak
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

3 lb. cube steak
2 eggs
1 1/2 C milk, plus 2 C for the gravy
3 C all-purpose flour, plus 1/3 C for gravy
2 tsp. seasoned salt
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 C vegetable oil

Put the eggs and 1 C milk in a pie dish. Mix together. On another plate, mix 3 C flour with the seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Lightly season a piece of meat with salt and pepper. Dip in the egg mixture, coating both sides. Coat in flour. Dip again in the egg mixture and then back in the flour. Place on a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining pieces of meat.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry 3 pieces of meat a time. Cook on one side until the edges start to look brown, about 2 1/2 minutes. Turn and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. Place on a paper towel lined plate and keep warm. repeat with remaining meat.

Pour the grease into a heat proof bowl. Using the same greasy pan, don't clean it, add 1/4 C grease back to the pan. Heat over medium-low heat. Sprinkle 1/3 C flour evenly over grease and mix with a whisk. ****I didn't seem to have enough grease off of my meat and this step messed up for me. I added a little (1 T) of oil to the pan to supplement.**** When the mix looks golden brown, pour in 2 C milk, whisking continuously. Let the gravy come to a slow boil. Stirring occasionally, let thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over steak.

Sweet and Sour Pork Kebabs

Finally a recipe from my new healthy cookbook that we love! Too bad it has to be grilled and that limits how often we will have it. :) This recipe was easy, delicious, and worth the few calories that were in it!

Here's the nutrition breakdown:

"Calories, fat, and cholesterol were reduced by..."
Reducing the amount of oil in the marinade
Using a leaner cut of pork, and less of it
Add bell peppers to compensate for less meat

Calories before...550
after...201

Fat (g) before...26
after...5

Sweet and Sour Pork Kebabs
Source: More Healthy Homestyle Cooking

Marinade and Pork
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 32 1'' chunks

Sauce
1/4 C ketchup
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T sugar
2 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. dark sesame oil

Kebabs
2 bell peppers (red or green), cut into 32 1'' pieces
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks

In a large bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, garlic, red pepper, and salt. Stir in the pork. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours.

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Soak 8 10" bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes (to prevent burning). Thread a bell pepper, followed by a pineapple chunk and a pork chunk onto a skewer. Repeat 4 times on each skewer.

Grill over medium-hot coals. Turn the kebabs 3-4 times while cooking. Drizzle the marinade over the kebabs one minute before finished. Serve immediately.

Perfect One Bowl Brownies

So I've made these a few times and LOVE them! I hate the taste of homemade brownies in general...they just can't compete with the box! And I hear everyone's argument of how much quicker and easier it is to make them from the box. But THESE and so quick and easy and delicious! I can literally decide to make them and get them in the oven in all of 10 minutes. I usually always have the ingredients on hand too. So yummy!

I can't seem to get a picture taken whenever I make these....so I'm posting them without one! Sorry, just trust me :)



Perfect One Bowl Brownies
Source: The Sister's Cafe


1/2 C butter, melted
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 C sugar
1/2 C cocoa powder
4 eggs
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 C flour
Chocolate Chips (about 1 C)


Preheat oven to 350. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the butter, oil, sugar, and cocoa. Add eggs, salt, vanilla, and flour. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.


Easy, right?

Chicken Tortilla Soup

So another healthy recipe. I've made Mexican food a lot this week. I think it's healthy because the spices give it the flavor. This soup was good, but I wasn't full afterwards. I desperately wanted to make brownies! So much for cooking healthy! I haven't made it to the kitchen to make them yet. I might make it through the night without them...MIGHT! This soup was a little bland. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that I used cumin seeds instead of ground cumin.

This recipe was in the section of the cookbook titled "Relax while it cooks." This couldn't have been further from the truth for me tonight! I'm not saying that it will be for you though! First, it took me forever to chop my veggies! My food chopper wasn't cooperating and I reverted back to my trusty old knife and cutting board! Then, I realized I didn't have any chicken broth! Ugh! I always make my grocery list off of my menu for the week and somehow I missed this one! Luckily, Charlie worked from home today and he ran to Harris Teeter for me! Then...I was misreading the recipe. I thought she said to use a crock pot, which I thought was strange...and my chicken wasn't cooking in the 4 minutes it was supposed to. So 2 1/2 hours later we ate! At least I got some cleaning done during that 2 1/2 hours. AND! As I type this recipe I realize that this was supposed to have cheese in it! How did I miss that as well! I think I need to go to bed...obviously my brain isn't working today!

Charlie and I both put the cheese on our soup for lunch leftovers and found it much better!

My healthy tip I learned this time...when cooking veggies cook them in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray instead of oil. It worked wonders and saved calories!

Here's the breakdown on the healthy aspects of this recipe:

  • Bake the tortillas instead of frying them

  • Using reduced fat cheese, and less of it

  • Eliminating the oil for cooking veggies
Calories before...402
after...275

Fat before...20
after...4

Per serving...serves 6


Chicken Tortilla Soup
Source: More Healthy Homestyle Cooking

6 corn tortillas (6" diameter)
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 C fat-free chicken broth
10 oz frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 tomatoes, chopped (we only used 1)
6 T shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Cut the tortillas in half and then in short strips. Lay in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray lightly with nonstick spray. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Coat a large pot with nonstick spray and warm over medium-low heat. Add the chicken, peppers, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes or the chicken isn't pink. Add the broth, corn and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and cook for 30 minutes.

Place a layer of tomatoes in a bowl. Scatter tortilla strips on top. Ladle the soup on top. Top with more tortilla strips and cheese.

Pineapple Upside Down (Cup)Cake

So in our movement to eat healthier I told Charlie I had to find a cookbook with healthy recipes that I would be excited about making. I've tried searching the web for recipes and I just end up frustrated. So I did some searching on Amazon and came up with this...
We went to Barnes and Noble and I looked through it to see if I thought it was worth it. I think I will LOVE this cookbook! It's great because the whole beginning of the book is about how to cook healthy with recipes you already have. Simple swatches in a recipe can make it healthy without losing the test. Now you may say that I didn't need a book to tell me that, but I do! She explains how you can't always substitute and keep the flavor. She gives tips on what substitutions work with what kinds of recipes. Like in this recipe, you don't want to replace all the flour with whole wheat for taste purposes. So you replace some. I really do love this book! Every recipe she has tells you what she did to make it healthier and breaks down the calorie points before the healthy switches and after.

For example, in this recipe she "reduced calories and fat by:"
  • Using light butter in place of regular
  • Replacing the oil with applesauce
  • Using low-fat buttermilk instead of whole milk
  • Using egg whites instead of whole eggs

Calories before...207
after...152

Fat g before...8
after...1

(per serving)

Too bad my favorite part of this thing is the top...the part with all the brown sugar and butter . :) These were not my favorite. Charlie liked them once he ate a couple, but it definitely wasn't love at first bite. I sent some to my brother's house...no word from them. And we gave some to friends who said they liked it, but I'm not sure if I believe them!

I think I'm just not used to "healthy eating." The tops were great, but the bottoms were too dry. Not moist like pineapple upside down cake should be! This was disappointing! I'm hoping the other recipes in this book are better!


Pineapple Upside Down (Cup)cakes
Source: More Healthy Homestyle Cooking

1/4 C packed brown sugar
2 T light butter, melted
6 maraschino cherries, halved
8 oz crushed pineapple, drained
1 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C whole-wheat flour
2/3 C sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2/3 C 2% buttermilk
1/3 C unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400. Lightly coat a muffin tin with nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and butter. Divide evenly in muffin tin. Place one half of a cherry, cut side up, in the center of each muffin cup. Divide the pineapple evenly among muffin cups. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ginger. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

In another bowl, combine milk, applesauce, egg whites, and vanilla. Pour into the flour well and stir until moistened.

Mexican Pasta Skillet

I get lots of emails with recipes from various sources. I usually skim them, look for something I would make, and either delete or star them for later. This one popped up from Betty Crocker around the new year when Charlie was asking me when I was going to start cooking healthy. We've had this conversation so many times in our marriage and we've only been married 6 months! :) But this week, I've really tried to pick things that are healthy. The first thing that caught my eye on this recipe was "healthified." So technically, they've taken something that isn't usually healthy and made some substitutions to make it healthier! YAY! That's my kind of recipe! This made a lot and was more than enough for dinner, lunches tomorrow, and at least one more night's dinner. We both really liked it too!


Mexican Pasta Skillet
Source: Betty Crocker

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
15 oz. tomato sauce
1 1/2 C water
2 C uncooked elbow macaroni
1 C frozen corn (I used 1 1/2 C)
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese, reduced-fat

Brown the ground beef. Add the salsa, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and corn. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Top with cheese and let the cheese melt 1-2 minutes.

***According to Betty, there are 6 servings at 370 calories each.

Bacon Wrapped Sausages

If you haven't discovered these yet, you are missing out!!! My picture is terrible and for that I'm sorry! It's really a shame considering my awesome photographer sister was at my house when we had these. She could have taken an amazing picture! This are delicious and SO easy to make! People have different methods of getting the brown sugar on. I like my method, although it is a little time consuming. You can also use toothpicks to secure them, but I don't think it's necessary.


Bacon Wrapped Sausages
1 package of Lil' Smokies
1 package of bacon
Brown Sugar (no idea how much)

Cut the bacon strips in half to make them shorter. Roll the sausage in the brown sugar and dredge the bacon in it too. Wrap the bacon around the sausage and place either on a baking sheet, in a baking dish, or on a double broiler. Whatever you use, it helps to line it with foil first for easy clean up! Bake for about an hour and 350.

Easy, right?

Hummingbird Cake

I love hummingbird cake! My first experience with it was at the Table Talk Cafe in Wilmington. If you live in Wilmington you HAVE to visit The Salt Shaker bookstore and connected to it, the Table Talk Cafe. They are both owned by 2 sisters that I used to go to church with. I love both of these places and miss them now that we're not in Wilmington! The cafe has delicious desserts!


So for my birthday, I decided to make myself a hummingbird cake. If you've never had hummingbird cake it's similar to a carrot cake, but without the carrots! I originally wanted hummingbird cake as my wedding cake, but then sampled the delicious cake we had and changed my mind. ANYWAYS! This cake is delicious, but very sweet. It was WAY too much for the two of us! Be sure to have someone to share it with!



Hummingbird Cake
Source: The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking


Cake (3 layers)
3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 C sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C vegetable oil
1/2 C buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (8 oz) can crushed pinapple, not drained
1 C chopped pecans
2 C mashed ripe bananas (5 or 6 bananas)
1 C coconut


Heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the eggs, oil, and buttermilk, stirring until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do NOT beat! Stir in the vanilla, pineapple, pecans, bananas, and coconut. Pour the batter into 3 greased and floured 9" round pans. Bake for 25-35 minutes. Cool in pans 15 minutes and then cool completely on wire racks.


Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 C butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
16 oz package of confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C chopped pecans


In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Gradually add the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and stir in the pecans.

Snap Beans

Charlie and I made a trip to the Farmer's Market last weekend. We bought some yummy green beans, or I like to call them, snap beans! I remember as a kid my family growing them and having to snap the ends of off...Good times!


Snap Beans

Fresh green beans, snapped
1/2 c. water
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 stick butter
Garlic salt or 1 clove garlic, minced

Place all in a pot, cover and cook on medium 10-15 minutes. YUM!

Falling in love Pie (Chocolate Mousse Pie)

This recipe is from the movie Waitress. My mom loves this movie and I LOVE chocolate mousse! So for our family Christmas, this was one of the desserts I made.

I used semi-sweet chocolate because that's what I had. I recommend sticking with the unsweetened as this pie was very sweet!

Falling In Love Pie...Chocolate Mousse Pie
Source: The Nesting Project

9-inch baked pastry shell
1 14-oz. can condensed milk
2/3 C. water
1 (4 serving) pkg. Cook and Serve chocolate pudding mix (not instant)
1 1-oz. square unsweetened chocolate (I used semi-sweet)
2 C. (1 pt.) whipping cream, stiffly whipped

In large saucepan, combine condensed milk, water and pudding mix; mix well. Add chocolate. Over medium heat, cook and stir rapidly until chocolate melts and mixture thickens. Remove from heat; beat until smooth. Cool. Chill thoroughly; stir. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pastry shell. Chill 4 hours until set.

Baked Ziti

So I wasn't going to blog about this one, but Charlie really liked it! And when I like a recipe he doesn't it makes it to the blog...shouldn't it be the other way around as well? Don't get me wrong, it was good and edible. I just wasn't sure about the taste. It was too spicy for me and I'm not a fan of feta cheese. I just realized I put 3 tsp of sugar instead of 3 T. That probably accounts for the spicyness! And maybe if switched the feta out for something else I'd like it a lot better. This recipe makes a ton! So if you're not feeding more than 2 people I would definitely half it. Charlie's says it's much better the second day! It's going to take us days to finish this one! Let me know what you think!

Baked Ziti
Adapted from Short Stop

1 pound ziti or penne
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 T sugar
2 tsp salt
3 T Italian Seasoning
3 T dried thyme
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 C Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided
2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain. Return to pot and add sour cream, chopped bacon, feta, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar, salt, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10 minutes allowing flavors to combine and until heated through. Set aside.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1 C of tomato sauce into the bottom of the dish. Spoon 1/2 of pasta mixture over sauce. Top with 1/2 of remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 1 C of mozzarella and 1/4 C Parmesan cheese. Top with remainder of pasta mixture, remainder of tomato sauce, and sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover lightly with foil, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 3 minutes, or until top is golden.

Tangerine Pie

Okay, so this was a new one to me! Last night Charlie wanted me to make a pie. This is interesting because he's usually fussing at me because of the amount of sweets and baked goods we keep in the house! Unfortunately, I didn't have any filling for pies. So, Charlie suggested we use the tangerines we had in abundance. We googled it and I made pie! This pie sounds strange, but it's similar to a lemon meringue.

This was a great use of our tangerines. We had a ton! Charlie's mom gave us a ton of fruit from the Farmer's Market. I made apple pie with the apples, fresh squeezed juice with the oranges, and tangerine pie! Tangerine Pie
Adapted from Noble Tangerine

1 prepared pie crust
¼ C cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
1/3 C sugar
4 egg yolks
Juice of one lime
1 ½ C tangerine juice
1 cup whipped cream
3 oz butter (6 T)
Zest from one tangerine

Topping
1 C whipped cream

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add juice and mix well. Place over moderate heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and boils, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the egg yolks all at once and whisk until blended. Bring back to a boil and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add the butter and tangerine zest. Cool to near room temperature, and fold in whipped cream. Pour into pie dish. Top with whipped cream.

Breakfast Bread

This recipe is a tradition from my childhood. My mom made this every Christmas morning. In fact, I think that was the only time she made it and it made us love it all the more because we knew we were only getting once a year! I made it for the first time this year for mine and Charlie's first Christmas. It was delicious and Charlie loved it! My mom usually made 2 loaves, so if you've got more than 3 people and this is the only thing you're serving, I would make more! I froze the leftover bread in individual servings and defrosted them the night before Charlie went to work. Then I popped it in the microwave to heat, wrapped it in tinfoil and sent it with Charlie to eat in the car. Homemade Hot Pocket! He loved it!



Breakfast Bread
Source: Mom


1 frozen loaf of bread dough
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 lb. ground sausage, cooked
1 C cheddar cheese, shredded


Defrost and rise the bread dough according to the package directions. You'll want to do this the night before. With your fingers, push out the dough so that it covers a baking sheet. Top with the sausage leaving an edge around the bread. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. The next part I got Charlie to help me with...Pull up the sides and ends of the dough to make a loaf. While you're holding together the loaf, pour the eggs inside. Seal together. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350. Yum!

Marshmallow Pops

These are so easy to make and so darn cute! My sister made them for my niece's birthday party in October. They were adorable (the pink ones below)! The possibilities are endless with these things! I gave mine as gifts. I thought they would be great to stir coffee or hot chocolate with. Of course, you could just eat them as they are!
To make your own personalized ones...dip them in colored baking pieces (like you buy at the craft store) and then roll them in whatever sprinkles you want! Mine are dipped in melted milk chocolate, which had a hard time setting and then rolled in peppermint crumbs.
Marshmallow Pops

Large Marshmallows
Melted Chocolate
Sprinkles, Candies, whatever!
Cookie Sticks
Place each marshmallow on a cookie stick. Dip in the melted chocolate and then roll in the sprinkles or candy. Lay them on parchment paper to set the chocolate. Delicious and cute!

Apple Pie and Pie Crust

I learned to make this pie when I was a nanny in college. I got some great recipes from that family! This is a great and easy pie crust recipe. And the apple part is so simple...not many ingredients at all! You could change the fruit and keep everything else the same too!


Pie Crust
Source: Theresa Kramer

2 C sifted all purpose flour
4 T cold water (ice cold)
1 tsp. salt
3/4 C butter

Cut flour and salt in bowl. Sift. Cut in 2/3 C butter until fine. Cut in remaining butter. Sprinkle water 1 T at a time over mixture. Mix thoroughly with fork into a dough consistency. Makes 2 crusts (one top and one bottom).

Apple Pie

Peel and slice about 6 apples. Place in pie crust. Add 1 C sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon over top. Top with remaining crust and seal edges. Brush crust with egg wash (1 egg and 1 T water mixed together) and sprinkle with sugar. Pierce the top of the pie a few times to let the steam out. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or 350 for 45 minutes.

Toll House Pie

Okay, where are my Meredith girls? I fell in love with this pie my freshman year at Meredith. They had some good desserts there! This was one when they made it there was never enough! As soon as they brought out one pie, it was gone in seconds! So yummy!


Toll House Pie
Source: Yankee Magazine

2 eggs
1/2 C all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1 C (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
1 C semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk)
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used about 2/3 C)
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Preheat the oven to 325.

Beat the eggs until foamy. Add the flour and sugars and beat until blended. Blend in the butter. Stir in the chips and nuts. Pour into the pie shell.

Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm or cooled completely.

Sugared Pecans

I made so much of this stuff this month! They were so yummy and I want more! I gave these as gifts to the girls I work with and sent a ton to work with Charlie. This was an easy recipe and so worth it! My only advice would be to use a ziploc bag when mixing the stuff and dump the hot pecans on parchment to cool. Then quickly rinse your baking sheet while the sugar is still hot. You will be able to get the sugar off your pan if you wait, but you will need to let it soak. Enjoy!


Sugared Pecans
Source: All Recipes


1 lb pecans
1 C sugar
1 egg white
2 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt


Mix the water and egg white until frothy. Pour the egg white mixture into a gallon size bag. Toss the pecans in the egg white mixture in the bag. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Pour into the gallon size bag over the pecans. Toss the pecans in the sugar mixture. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 250 for 1 hour. Stir every 15-20 minutes.

Peppermint Bark

A student gave me a bag of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark. I brought it home and told Charlie not to open it because I wanted to save it for last minute present if needed. So what do I do? Open it. It was delicious and gone very quickly! So I had to make my own peppermint bark this year! This was so easy and delicious! The original recipe called for using 8 candy canes. I ground mine so fine in my food processor (the way I like it) that I only used about half of it! This was so yummy and a great alternate to the packaged stuff! I almost wish I had made a double batch! I used milk chocolate in mine because I'm not a big fan of dark. You could use either.

Peppermint Bark
Adapted from Novice Chef

17 oz. milk or dark chocolate baking chips
17 oz. white chocolate baking chips
1 tsp peppermint extract
4 Candy Canes, crushed

Line a 13x9 in pan with tinfoil and spray very lightly with nonstick spray.

In a double boiler, melt the milk or dark chocolate over low heat. When chocolate is smooth, remove from heat and add peppermint extract and stir. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Spread evenly and chill in refrigerator until soft set, about 30 minutes.

In clean double boiler, melt white chocolate over low heat. Add about half to 2/3 of the crushed peppermint to the chocolate and stir together. Remove baking dish from fridge. Pour over milk or dark chocolate mixture and spread evenly.

Carefully sprinkle the rest of the peppermint on top of the white chocolate to cover most all surface. Place baking dish back into fridge or freezer and refrigerate until fully set (3 – 24 hours). Remover baking pan from fridge. Lift candy in foil from pan and transfer to a cutting board. Peel off foil and break/cut candy into 2 inch pieces.