Adventures with baking soda

Baking soda....baking powder.  Why do I confuse them?  Becuase they both start with baking?  Well....let me warn you not to confuse them.  LOL!!  I did and the results were comical.
Let me paint the picture for you......
Sunday afternoon, church in the morning was great.  The sun is shining.  Jim and Nicholas are playing monster trucks or race cars.  I am in the kitchen making brunch while enjoying the laughter coming from the living room.  I decide to surprise Nicholas with his most favorite food....pancakes!!!!  I get out my old standard recipe (which I practically have memorized, but consult the recipe just to be sure).  I start mixing the ingredients (doubling the batch of course).  Well it isn't mixing quite right.  Its a bit lumpy and thin, but I'll just keep mixing for a bit to try to get the lumps out.  I consult the recipe again and lo and behold....it called for baking powder and not baking soda.  Oops....oh well.  I'm not going to throw it away so let's try something.  I'll just add the baking powder in. 
The batter thickens and even rises a bit.  A little strange, but the pancakes cook nicely.  They look great!!!!  And then I taste them.  A bit like a salty pretzel...not quite a pancake.  The first bite is not so bad.  The second is ok...and then I can't stand it anymore.  This is NOT the way a pancake should taste.  Way too salty and just plain weird.  Jim claims he like them.  Nicholas eats a few, but not as many as usual. Oh well....pancakes with baking soda = FAIL!!!  LOL!

Later in December......
I have 21 loaves of banana bread to make for Jim to take to work for his employees.  I buy a TON of bananas and all the other necessary supplies, get out my stand mixer and get ready to bake some banana bread.  I double the recipe to try to save some time.  Well....on the first batch I totally forget one ingredient.  No it wasn't the bananas....it was the baking soda.  I realize this right before they go into the oven.  So in an attempt to not wate the batter I take a little bit of baking soda and stir it into each of the breads I'm making.  Stir it in real good.  Pop 'em in the oven.  To say they turned out interesting is an understatement.  They were all swirled on the top and as heavy as bricks.  They were pretty much raw in the middle even though I baked them longer than they should have been baked.  So....Banana Bread with no baking soda = FAIL!!  LOL!!

I have learned my lesson and am paying more attention to baking soda and baking powder.  At least there were no explosions and no one got sick.  Just some wasted batter!

Cookies!!!!

Ok so the picture of these is from last year, but they are a favorite cookie so I made them again this year.  They are called peppermint meltaways and they do indeed literally melt in your mouth.  Its the cornstarch that makes them silky smooth.  I haven't glazed the ones from this year yet which is why the pic is from last year.  LOVE LOVE LOVE these cookies!!!

Here's the recipe:

These work really well if you have a cookie scoop.  I think I need to get one this year...what do you think?

Peppermint Meltaways

Cookie:  ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 cup softened butter, ½ teaspoon peppermint extract,

1 ¼  cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup cornstarch

Glaze:  1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons softened butter, 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, 2 to 3 drops red food coloring, mint starlight candy, crushed, if desired.

In large mixer bowl, combine sugar, butter and extract.  Beat at medium speed until well mixed.  Reduce speed to low, add flour and cornstarch.  Beat until well blended.  Cover, refrigerate until firm (30 to 60 minutes)

Heat over o 350 degrees.  Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Cool completely.

In small bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter and peppermint extract.  Gradually add enough milk for desired glazing consistency.  Stir in food coloring as desired.  Drizzle over cookies.  Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy, if desired.  Makes 4 dozen.

Enjoy!!!!!

Apple Turkey Potpie

Gotta use up those leftovers.  We are just about done with ours.  Tonight we made one of my favs.  Apple turkey potpie.  Super easy when you have turkey leftovers and soooo delicious.

1/4 cup diced onion
1Tbsp Butter
3 cups cooked turkey
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 large tart unpeeled apple diced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 pie crust (I use ready made...its just easier)

Saute the onion in the butter.  Mix all the other ingredients except pie crust together.  Pour into 11x7 pan.  Top with pie crust.  Bake at 425 for about 25-30 minutes.  It doesn't get much easier than that!!!

Overdue Updates

Ok folks. Its been a while since I've updated the blog.  I'm trying out some simple new recipes this week so there will definitely be some more updates coming soon.  Stay tuned. 

On a different subject...if you like earning free gift cards check out this website.  Just use their search engine and you get rewarded.  They have all kinds of gift cards: Starbucks, ITunes, Barnes & Noble (yay nookbooks!!!), Amazon, etc....Check it out: www.swagbucks.com/refer/tanager  Its free and I love it.  I'm going to get some free Starbucks with mine...$20!!!! 

well...its not for dinner tonight, but its a new fav!

Tacos!!!!  I know you can just buy a seasoning packet and mix it, but this is so much better (both in taste and health!!!)  Still easy and so delicious!!!

1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt (although I don't always use it)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp or more chili powder (I like more and so does Jim)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (Again, I add a little more)
1 8oz can tomato puree or sauce (I've usually use sauce)

Cook the meat, onion, garlic and seasonings until browned.  Add tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

It doesn't get much easier than that folks!!!  Nicholas LOVES these too!!! 

Much less sodium than using the seasoning packet.

Black Bean Quinoa Casserole.....YUM!

Ok folks...I know its been a while since I posted.  Its not that I haven't been cooking or trying new recipes, just haven't blogged about them.  So over the next few weeks I'll be posting some recipes. I've decided that once a week we will have a vegetarian meal.  This one we had for dinner last night and it was great!!!!!  So easy to put together and very very filling....LOTS of heart healthy fiber.  Enjoy!!!! 

1 cup dry quinoa 1 cup salsa 2 eggs 1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese 2 cups shredded sweet potato (use a box grater or a food processor) 3 cups black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed) 1 T ground cumin 2 T fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish Liberal pinches salt and pepper

Since I used canned black beans, I added some garlic and onion to up the flavor a bit.

Directions

Cook quinoa according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix cooked quinoa, black beans, sweet potatoes, half the cheese and the cumin, salt and pepper in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix the eggs and the salsa, then pour over the vegetable-bean mixture. Pour all ingredients into a 9x9 casserole (I used 9x13) coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Sprinkle on remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes, uncovered. Serve on a bed of spinach (optional) and garnish with cilantro.

Number of Servings: 8

Lime Grilled Chicken

My oh my was this delicious!!!!  Definitely making this a few times this summer.  It was so tasty.  I actually made this last week, but just got around to blogging and posting it now.  I was a little nervous about the chilies and wasn't sure I bought the right kind or was a little afraid that it would be too spicy.  I bought a green chili (not jalepeno, but I don't know what it was called).  I only used one and probably would have been fine to use the other one.  It wasn't spicy at all just yummy!!!!!
Jim was traveling when I made this so I just doubled the recipe.  I had large thick chicken breasts so I cut them in half to thin them out.  The recipe didn't say what to do with the limes so I just cut them up and squeezed the juice out.  If Jim had been here I probably wouldn't have added too much other than the extra chicken breast.  But I think there would have been more than enough marinade to cover the chicken.  You can marinate it for up to 12 hours, I only did it for about 30 minutes.

Marinated Grilled Lime Chicken

For 1 serving:

1 chicken breast
2 limes
3 garlic cloves
2 chilies
1 tablespoon olive oil

Add all ingredients (apart from the chicken) to a food processor. Pour into a Ziploc bag with the chicken breast, seal it and let it marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

On a hot pan or grill, cook the chicken for around 5 minutes on each side, or until it’s cooked thoroughly.

Chicken Stir Fry....YUM!

So I meant to post this last night after dinner, but I didn't get a chance.  This was sooooo simple yet soooooo delicious!!  Nicholas gobbled it up.  This will definitely become a "go-to" meal when I'm stuck for something to cook.  Not sure what made it so amazing, but it was great!

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-fry

     1 lb chicken - cut into strips. I sauted it earlier in the day in coconut oil.

1 head fresh broccoli
1 chopped red pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root  (I didn't have any so I used the powder)

In heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add water, ginger root and chicken Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for an additional 4-5 minutes until vegetables and chicken are hot.

I don't think it gets much easier than this!!!

It's been a while....

Thanks to those of you who have asked about my blog.  I really appreciate knowing that someone is reading it and appreciates it.  I'm excited to be back posting and blogging again. 

Tonight we tried something new.  Meatloaf...now that might not sound new, but I've never made it like this before.  I was a little nervous about it, but it came out really good.  Will definitely be making it again.  I doubled the recipe and froze one of the meatloaves for leftovers.  So here's the recipe:

Quinoa Meatloaf

For 2 servings:

1 pound minced beef
2 eggs
1/4 cup of uncooked quinoa
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
2 chilies
1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Cook quinoa as directed. Preheat oven to 350 F. Add onion, chili, and cloves to a food processor and chop finely. Add cooked quinoa and all ingredients to a large bowl and mix together. Grease a loaf tray with coconut or olive oil, then add the mixture and bake for 1 hour.

I didn't have any chilies, so I left that out, but I'm sure that would be a welcome addition.  My house still smells amazing as a result of this. 
We also had steamed broccoli with it.  Delicious!!!!  Nicholas couldn't get enough of the broccoli!!!! 

I'm back!!!!

I haven't posted much of anything recently because I really haven't cooked a whole lot recently.  We were in PA over the weekend and then Jim's parents were here.  So my mom cooked or we ate out most of the time.  Then Jim was out of town so we had pretty simple dinners....pasta, hot dogs, nothing fancy. 
Tonight I decided it was time to cook.  We had a roast chicken with lemon butter, broccol and sweet potatoes.  So delicious.  The chicken was really easy.  Whole chickens were on sale for $.59/lb this week so I got one for about $2.50.  Melted butter and added some lemon juice and some poultry seasoning.  Pour it over the chicken and roasted it in the oven.  It came out so wonderful....moist, tasty, delicious.  I am saving the carcass to make some chicken soup with it.  So for $2.50 I am going to get at least two meals out of it.  I love that!!!!!

I'm also making bagels for the morning.  I'm going to make some cinnamon raisin, some with walnuts and currants, and some others.  Yummy!!!!!

Smoothies and 1000!!!!!!!

Well, I hit the 1000 page view mark!!  Yeah!!!  Thanks again for visiting.  I hope you all have had fun reading the recipes and seeing what's cooking in my house. 
As part of lunch today I made smoothies.  I LOVE smoothies, but I refuse to pay $4-7 for a smoothie at smoothie king or robeks when I can make one for a fraction of the price.  My smoothies also probably a lot healthier than those other ones.  I jam pack it with spinach (you totally can't taste it), then add plain yogurt (or flavored yogurt sometimes), fruit (frozen or fresh....though this time of year, frozen), a little water or sometimes for a treat some juice (but I rarely have juice on hand).  Throw it all in the blender....and voila!  A delicious smoothie packed with healthy nutrients that just about any kid will drink (parents are permitted to have some too!!!!)I store any left overs in the fridge and its ready to go.  Today I made a berry smoothie, just strawberries and blueberries. You can add bananas, raspberries, mangos, grapes, peaches, just about any fruit you want.  So very delicious and a "treat" I feel really good giving to Nicholas....he totally thinks of it as a desert which is just fine by me!!!!  Let me know what smoothies  combinations you try or have tried!

Overdue update...

I can't believe how long it has been since I updated.  Anyway....I am almost to 1000 page views!!!!  Thanks for visiting!  I really appreciate it...its been really fun to blog about what I've been cooking and has kept my interest in cooking at home.  I haven't been the most creative recently, but I've found some interesting things to try in the near future.
This weekend my parents were here in town.  As a result we ate very well!!!  We also had some fun times in the kitchen together.  I showed my dad how to make pretzels.  We had so much fun kneading and rolling pretzels together.  I never thought that I'd see the day that I would be cooking with my dad!!!!  SO MUCH FUN!!!  He even might make the pretzels again on his own to bring in to his students. 

Ok...on to the main meals....We had steak, potatoes, salad, and green beans on Saturday night.  Steak is always such a treat especially b/c it was a nice filet for me and porterhouse for Jim.  Delicious on the grill!!!!
Sunday night my mom made mexican stuff.  Tacos and a super awesome chicken fajita soup.  I'll post the recipe the next time I make it.  It was so good topped off with sour cream and cheese.....YUM!!!!!
We had leftovers on Monday night to try to clean out the fridge a bit.

Last night I made slow cooker applesauce chicken.  It was ok....just about what I expected.  A simple dish, but pretty good.  Basic recipe....chicken in slowcooker, add some applesauce, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, and any other spices you like.  Cook on low 4 hours.  I served it with potatoes and broccoli.  This made me why I always steam the broccoli.  I cooked it in a pot instead and it was nasty and soggy.  Nicholas kept calling it "juicy".  It was GROSS!!!!  I will steam the broccoli from now on!!!!!

Well, I probably won't be blogging until next week, but here's hoping that I can get over 1000 page views!!!!!!

BAGELS!!! I found THE recipe!!!

I've been trying out a few bagel recipes recently and was really having a hard time finding one I liked.  I think I've found it.  Here's a link to the recipe: http://thehappyhousewife.com/cooking/bagels-2/  I made them with half whole wheat flour and half white.  I also made a few of them cinnamon raisin.  All I can say is WOW!!!!  The cinnamon raisin one were UNBELIEVABLE!!!!  In the past, all the bagels I made were hard. These came our soft with awesome flavor.  The only down side to this recipe is the gluten.  I don't mind having gluten in my recipes as none of us are gluten intolerant, but it is EXPENSIVE!!!!  I need to buy a 1 lb bag and I only needed a tablespoon.  The cheapest I found was $6.55 for the bag.  BUt it will go a long way and since I plan on making LOTS of bagels it will be worth it in the end.  Still cheaper than buyin a dozen bagels.  Next time I make them I'll take some pictures.  I think I'm going to make a variety next time, some with nuts and currants, some cinnamon raisin, some sesame.  Anyone have any suggestions of what to mix in them?????  I'm up for suggestions and will let you know how they come out.

Even my mom said they were very good....now that's some high praise!!!!  She described them as "very moist and stayed fresher than store bought.  They were soft and chewy."

They barely needed to be toasted b/c they were so fresh tasting.  I think 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white is a good combination.  I might add  little more whole wheat next time just to experiment.

Pizza Friday!

I love weekends.  I's not sure who doesn't, but long weekend especially are something fantastic.  Friday night I made pizza.  I tried a new recipe for pizza dough and it was FABULOUS!!!  So delicious.  Next time I am also making my own sauce.  That's really easy to do.  The pizza dough was a bobby flay recipe.  I'm really starting to like Bobby Flay.  It was really simple to do and came out beautiful.  I even was able to toss the pizza dough like in a real pizza shop.  I should have taken a video of it b/c it was really funny!!!  Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html  So easy and so good.  I'll update about my other cooking endeavors in a little while.  Some are really fun....so stay tuned!!!!!

Waffles and turkey sausage

I love, love, love breakfast for dinner.  It makes my heart happy!!  Tonight I tried a new recipe for waffles.  They were......interesting.  They were pretty good, a little weird texture.  I'm looking for the recipe for that perfect light, fluffly, but crispy waffle.  My waffles never turn out crispy.  I have another recipe that I will probably try next week and we'll see if that works any better.  This was an Emeril recipe.  I think part of the problem was that the bowl I was mixing the eggs in wasn't big enough to really get the eggs whites whipped properly. Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/classic-belgian-waffles-recipe/index.html

If anyone has any good waffle recipes let me know....I'd love to try them out! 

The turkey sausage was delicious as always.  I found it on clearance sale at safeway this week so it was delicious and inexpensive!!!  I love turkey sausage.  The turkey sausage from the farmer's market back home in PA isdefinintely my favorite, but this was really good. 

50th post!!!

Hard to believe that I've kept up with this enough to do 50 posts!!!  Thanks to all of you who read this. Well, dinner tonight was a roasted chicken, sweet potato fries, mixed veggies (Broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots).  The chicken was just roasted in the crock pot.  Multiple benefits from this.  I get homemade chicken stock and I get left over chicken to use in other meals.  The sweet potato fries didn't get cooked long enough so they were just ok. Usually one of my favorite things, but I hate it when they aren't cooked enough.  I basically cut the sweet potatos into strips and bake with a little olive oil, some salt (not much if any) and some pepper.  It was a basic dinner, but a good one. 
Would love to know what you are all having for dinner tonight....Leave some info in the comments!  Thanks!

Cheeseburger Pie

Not sure it sounds real good at first, but it was yummy and easy.  It is supposed to be in a 10inch pie pan so it would really look like a pie, but I only had a 9 inch pie pan and I used more meat than the recipe called for so I didn't think using a smaller pie pan would be a good idea.  Instead I used a 9x13 pan.  It was a little too big for it, but still came out pretty good.

Here's the recipe:
3/4 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey b/c I had it in the freezer)
1/2 onion diced (I used some minced onion b/c I didn't have a fresh onion)
1 15oz can diced tomatoes, well drained
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (i only used a 1/4 tsp b/c I don't like salty stuff)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese (I mixed in some provolone)

Brown the ground beef and onion.  Pour into pie plate.  Add tomatoes and mix. 
In a medium bowl whisk the milk, eggs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pepper together.  Pour over the meat.  Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes.  Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for about 5 more minutes.  Let cool and enjoy!!!

I served it with steamed green beans. All in all, very good, very filling.  Would definitely make it again!

Lovely Saturday Morning

Ahhh...the sweet joy of sleeping until 8!!!  How wonderful!!!  As a result, I fell so energized.  Jumped up at 8am and while my boys woke up leisurely, I was able to make breakfast.  Yummy pumpkin spice coffee, strawberry mango smoothies, eggs, turkey bacon, and biscuits.  It was delightful!!!  Nicholas even ate an egg then asked for another!!!  He usually hates eggs.  He couldn't get enough of the smoothie or the bacon either.  He barely even touched the biscuit which is strange b/c he is usually such a carb kid.  He kept telling us about how much protein eggs and bacon have and how good it is for his muscles.  LOL....funny and smart kid!!! 

Now he is helping Jim load the dishwasher....I have some pretty awesome boys!!!! (Its fun to listen to Jim teach Nicholas about how to wash dishes and load the dishwasher!)  I love happy family Saturdays....so blessed!!!  After dishes it is off to run some errands and head up to Rockville Town Center's Winter Festival.  Have a lot of cleaning up to do this afternoon and hopefully some time to run around outside and play some soccer/football.  Ahhh....its a wonderful life!!!

Lasagna and homemade rolls

Some of you may remember me posting right after Christmas that one of my Christmas gifts was a 3-way lasagna pan.  Well, I finally used it tonight.  I made 3 kinds of lasagna.  Now that may sound like a lot of work, but really it isn't.  I made two with beef and one with chicken.  One of the ones with beef had spinach the other didn't.  So it really wasn't hard to assemble.  They were all just ok....lacking something, I'm not sure exactly what.  Definitely not the best I've made, but pretty good. 

The rolls on the other hand were really good and fun to make.  For those of you that have kids that like to help in the kitchen this is an excellent recipe for them to help with.  The dough is all mixed in a ziploc bag so they can help you mix the dough without you having to worry about contamination of the dough.  It uses Rapid Rise Yeast so it only needs about 30 minutes to rise and then bakes for another 30 so it is not a bread that takes all day to rise.  It was supposed to be a loaf bread, but I wanted rolls so I baked it into muffin pans.  Here's the link to the recipe. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bread-in-a-Bag/Detail.aspx 
Let me know if you plan on trying it. 

Here's some pics of dinner tonight

I would love some comments on what you think or recipes you think I should try.  If you have any to share, please leave a comment on the blog.  I LOVE COMMENTS!!!!  I also added something called "reactions" at the bottom of the blog.  You can just click on what you think.  Thanks!!!!!

Enchilada Meatloaf, Cornbread, Couscous, and Green Beans

I'm not quite sure how to describe the meatloaf.  Definitely not what I expected.  It was ok....I'd make it again, but it wouldn't be considered a favorite.  I think it had a little too much enchilada sauce on it especially on the top.  It was very easy to make.  Here's the recipe:

1lb ground beef
1 1/2 cups crumbled cornbread
1 10oz can of enchilada sauce
1/4 cup shredded cheddar

Combine the ground beef, corn bread, and all but 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce.  Press into loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top of meatloaf, sprinkle with cheddar cheese. 

I would probably only put 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce on the top, but you can certainly experiment with it.  It didn't look very pretty and was kind of messy to serve. 

The couscous was Near East Parmesan Couscous....a favorite for sure.  Didn't really mix too well with the meatloaf like I had thought it would...just a different flavor. 

I didn't make the cornbread.  I bought it at Safeway....it was a little too sweet and tasted more like yellow cake than corn bread.  I love yellow cake so I'm not complaining, but it was just not what I expected. 

An interesting dinner....a good experiment, but not one of my favs.

Jam Chicken, Brown Rice, Broccoli, Banana Bread

No, we didn't have banana bread for dinner...although its not a bad idea!  I have been looking for a good banana bread recipe.  I had yet to find one I really liked.  I think I may have found it.
We did have jam chicken for dinner.  I used apricot preserves.  It was so delicious.  Nicholas ate 3 servings of chicken, 2 of brown rice, and 2 of broccoli.....I guess the kid was hungry!!!!  He then ate a small bowl of ice cream and 1 1/2 pieces of banana bread.  Growth spurt anyone????
Anyway....here's the recipe for the jam chicken....soooooooo easy.
2 Tbsp jam (not jelly....wrong consistency)
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp fresh ginger or 1 tsp powdered ginger, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
1 lb chicken

I cut up the chicken into small pieces but you could do it with chicken breasts.  Mix the ingredients together.  I put it in the fridge for about 45 minutes to marinate.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. 
Another option is to put it in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. 

Simple and delicious!!!  Like I said I used apricot, but I think next time I'm going to try raspberry jam. 

Soft Pretzels

 PRETZELS!!!!! 

In honor of the superbowl (which I really don't care all that much about this year), I decided to try and make homemade soft pretzels.  I found a recipe by Bobby Flay.  They are really really good.  They take about 2 hours from start to finish to make, not too bad.  I had fun rolling and twisting them.  I am in the process of making a second batch right now....just waiting for the dough to rise.  I think I'm going to try to roll these a little thinner.  I didn't qute expect them to puff up like they did.  Some of them are a bit misshapen, but I'm working on it.  Hopefully the second batch will all come out with having all of them look like pretzels.  Jim said they taste just like the Amish ones....what a compliment.  We'll see how everyone at the superbowl party likes them!!!

Here's a link to the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/throwdown-with-bobby-flay/soft-pretzels-with-queso-poblano-sauce-and-mustard-sauce-recipe/index.html

I didn't make the dipping sauces that are mentioned in the recipe. Enjoy!!!!

Bagels

Friday night: I decided to give making bagels a try.  I never thought I'd be making homemade bagels.  They don't look too difficult.  So I'm giving them a try.  I thought it would be a nice thing to wake up to on Saturday morning.  Especially because we are going to be out early in the morning.  I figured it would be a nice fresh breakfast we could eat on the go without having to go buy bagels.

Saturday: Bagels came out pretty good.  Although not the prettiest looking bagels.  They were pretty good.  Not quite as good as Panera....but those are sourdough bagels which is a whole other story. I don't have the link for the recipe, but I'm going to try a different recipe next week.  I'll post which one I think is better.   Definitely cheaper than buying a dozen bagels. 

Baked Ziti and Rustic Italian Bread

Such a standard, but so delicious.  A friend of mine, Marian, recommended baked ziti.  I hadn't made it in a while so I decided to make it this week.  My recipe is such a standard, easy one to do.
1 box pasta (ziti or penne...I used whole wheat penne)
15 oz ricotta
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 jar pasta sauce
Mozarella cheese (sorry I don't measure it)

Sometimes I season the beef/turkey with different seasonings such as basil, oregeno, or italian seasonings.  It definitely adds to the flavor. 
Cook the pasta according to directions on box.  Brown and season the ground beef/turkey. 
Mix meat, pasta, ricotta, sauce and some mozzarella or italian blend cheese (not too much cheese here).  Top with mozzarella/italian cheese. 
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cheese on top is lightly browned and bubbly.
Enjoy!!!

I also made Rustic Italian Bread.  Oh my!!!  So good.  It was pretty easy and absolutely delicious.  You have to have fresh bread to go along with a baked ziti.  I followed the recipe on the bread flour bag.  If anyone wants it here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/66wakp5 

BBQ Sauce

Some of you have asked for the recipe for my homemade BBQ sauce.  Here it is: 

1 cup Worchestershire sauce
2 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mustard
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp peper

Combine, mix, use, store in the fridge.   

This makes about 5 cups. 

FYI, I added "reactions" to the blog at the bottom of the blog.  I love comments and feedback!

Pumpernickel bread

After getting home from work, I decided that I wanted to make some pumpernickel bread.  A friend had sent along this recipe so I decided to give it a try.  Total time was about 4.5 hours including cooling time.  Result was delicious.  Definitely worth the time. It didn't quite rise the way I thought it should, but it still tastes awesome.  Here's the link to the recipe:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,234,159183-235201,00.html

I think I didn't mix it long enough or let the hot water mixture cool enough.  It still came out super yummy. 

For dinner tonight we had pulled bbq chicken sandwiches (leftover from a while ago when I froze it), green beans, and potatoes.  Nicholas ate so much BBQ chicken it was amazing, he even ate it as a sandwich which for him is unbelievable. 

We will see what tomorrow holds with regards to the weather.  Its supposed to be pretty icy so if we are iced in....I'll probably be making bread and other goodies!!!  Fun times!!!

Overdue update....

Well....it has been a while since I last posted.  I went up to PA to stay with my parents during the snow storm.  I just didn't want to be snowed in with Nicholas by myself.  It was a really good decision especially since we lost power here and I'm not sure how I would have survived without power! 
We had some really amazing meals while in PA.  Beef stew, turkey with all the fixings, and breakfast at the Farmer's Market.  I absolutely LOVE the Farmer's Market breakfast.  I had a really yummy breakfast sandwich on a Portuguese Muffin.  It is kind of like and English Muffin but SO much better.  Bigger, a little sweet, and just plain yummo!  I am going to see if I can find a recipe for them to try and make them at home. 
After leaving PA, my parents came down here.  My dad has been working on renovating my bathroom.  My mom made meatballs and a roast beef.  Tonight for dinner we had Turkey Apple Potpie. A favorite of mine for using up leftover turkey.  So delicious, and super simple.  Here's the recipe:

1/4 cup onion
1 Tbsp Butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3 cups cooked turkey
1 large tart apple
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tsp lemon juice
1 pastry pie crust.

Saute the onions in the butter.  Mix in the soup, apple, raisins, turkey and lemon juice.  Pour into a 11x7 pan.  Put the pie crust on top.  Cut slits in the pie crust.  Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes.  Let cool for abotu 5 minutes....ENJOY!

I'm going to start posting recipes in my blogs so please let me know if you try any of the recipes and how they turn out.  I'm really hoping to try the pumpernickel bread and the braided bread this week.  We'll see...I'll be happy if I can just do one this week. 

Still have to do my menus and grocery list for this week.  Better get to it! 

Chicken Enchiladas

I had a craving for these this week so I decided to give it a try.  Pretty easy to make.  Although I messed it up and didn't follow the directions properly, they still came out yummy.  Took about 10 minutes to throw it together and then bake for 40 minutes and voila...dinner.  I guess technically these were chicken and cheese enchiladas.  I should have taken a picture.  I really need to start doing that more often so you all can see what the meals look like.  This one was really pretty.
Well, it looks like there might be a change in my cooking plans for the week.  I think I am going to go up to PA tomorrow to hang out with my parents.  If it is snowing badly tomorrow then I'll be staying home, but I think I'll most likely be up at my parents.  This means I probably won't be making the bread I had planned on.  I will defnitely make it next week.  I got all the ingredients for the pumpernickel so I'm really excited to give that a try!  I definitely take some pictures of it as it goes along and the finished product. 

Beef with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

So delicious!!  Beef in the slow cooker. This sounded really good.  It made the whole house smell delicious.  The cut of beef I used was a bit bigger than the recipe called for  so I think if I added more onions and apples it would have been even better.  Here's the link for the recipe.  http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,2312,155179-234201,00.html
Pretty easy and very warm, filling and hearty. 
I think I'm going to try to make some pumpernickel bread this week. I have to find some ingredients so as long as I can find them I'll give it a try.  I might also make a braided bread that a friend sent me the recipe for.  We just finished up the two loaves of honey wheat bread I made last week and they stayed fresh a really long time which I'm pleasantly surprised about.

Yummy.....

Cheesecake Factory....SO good!!!!  I had French toast.  So delicious!!!!!  The best part about it was the friends we went with.  Brunch is always so much nicer with friends!!!  Then Nicholas and his friend rode the train at the mall.  He LOVES that train. 
Tonight we are having spaghetti and meatballs.  Nice and easy Sunday night dinner. 
Jim is traveling this week so it will be just Nicholas and I so I probably won't be making very elaborate dinners.  Simple and easy will be the name of the game.  Probably some more pasta, maybe some chicken and rice, even some PB&J...who knows. 
I still need to do my menu for the week.  I definitely didn't stick to it last week, but that's ok.  It helped plan and kept me from buying useless stuff in the grocery store.  As soon as I'm done on thie blog I'm going to do my menu plan and grocery list for the week.  I am planning on making some more bread this week, a different kind though.  I'm not sure what kind yet.  Need to look at the cookbook and find a recipe that looks interesting. 

I know I mentioned this website earlier, but I really think it is a good website: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ If you are willing to clip coupons she does all the other work for you as far as finding good deals with them and combining them with store sales.  In fact, this week I'll be getting a few things for free or super discounted by about 50-80%.  If you do sign up, please please please use my email as a  referrer mailto:kelly_sellevaag@yahoo.com You can get a 4 week FREE trial.  Absolutely FREE. What can it hurt other than saving some money.  And who doesn't want to save money!!!!  It is really inexpensive to sign up for after the trial as well.  You save WAY more than you pay. 

Well, I'm off to do my menu plan for the week....Check back to see what I cook and what kind of bread I decided to make.  Its going to be something fun!!  Remember I'm always willing to share recipes, just ask.  Also, if you have any recipes or ideas for dinner please send them my way....I'm always open to new recipes and new ideas.  Thanks for reading!!! :)

the weekend....

Well, I haven't posted in a few days.  I haven't really cooked much in the past few days.  Been feeling kind of lazy. We ate out way too much in the last few days.  Oh well.  I did made dinner tonight.  We had breakfast for dinner.  I think this is a favorite of everyone in the Sellevaag (Suburban Campus) house.  I know that city campus (specifically Tom) has issues with that.  Nicholas comes running to the table when he sees the pancakes.  He was so excited to see the animal pancakes.  His favorite is the lion. 

Last night, we went out to Chuck E. Cheese's for the first time.  Much better than I thought it was going to be. The pizza wasn't too bad.  Nicholas had fun playing the games (We had some fun too!!!) And it really wasn't too expensive.  It was a fun family night out. 

Tomorrow we are going out to the Cheesecake Factory for brunch with some friends after visiting their church.  I LOVE Cheesecake Factory especially their brunch. 

Hope you all are having a great weekend!  A big shout out to my dad whose birthday is today!!!  Happy Birthday Dips!!!!

Baked Mac and Cheese

We had a meatloaf that was leftover from a previous dinner that we froze for another meal.  So we had meatloaf and baked mac and cheese and green beans.  The mac and cheese was really good.  It had a Ritz Cracker topping and was cheesy.  There really wasn't a whole lot of nutritional value to it with all the cheese, milk, butter in it.  But I did use whole wheat pasta.  It was really simple to make.
Here's the recipe:

1 box elbow pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
3 cups cheese (shredded, your choice....I used a mexican blend)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter melted (yes another 1/4 cup)
1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers

Cook the pasta. 
In a medium sauce pan, blend butter (1/4 cup), flour, and milk.  Make a roux (a thick sauce).  Gradually add the cheese to the mixture stirring constantly.  (I didn't measure the cheese, but used about 3/4 of a 16 oz bag so about 3 cups).  If the mixture seems too thick add a little more milk. 
Mix the pasta and the sauce in a 9x13 pan. 
Melt the other 1/4 cup butter and mix it with the Ritz.  Sprinkle on top....you can add some parmesan to it for some added flavor. 
Cook at 350 (the original recipe which I altered said to cook it for 1 hour....I think it would have been burnt to a crisp.  So about 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and brown)

Enjoy!!!  I know we did!!!

Lime Cilantro Fajitas

Oh my!  So good.  Another super simple meal, but delicious.  The smell while cutting the cilantro made me think of Chipotle; Made me realize how long it has been since I've been to Chipotle.  I think the last time was during softball season last year.  I love that place!!!  I wish you could order a mini size burrito. I think I'd visit it more often if you could.  Anyway, the fajitas came out great. 

The update on the bread is that it is still pretty fresh.  Nicholas and I had sandwiches on the bread for lunch.  I am impressed.  We finished the first loaf and now its on to the second.  I think making bread could become a regular thing me for.  I really enjoyed it.  I'm looking forward to trying a variety of other kinds.  I've even decided that this year I'm going to attempt to make Italian Easter Bread.  I have a few recipes, but the first one I'm going to try is my grandmother's.  So Mom (I don't think you even read this blog) hand it over!!! 

I did it!!!!

I made homemade bread.  It was definitely a lot of work, but so worth it!! NO bread machine, just good old fashioned kneeding!   It is a honey whole wheat bread.  So delicious!!!  I followed the recipe on the back of the flour bag...LOL! I've never done that before.  I was hoping it would be ready for lunch, but didn't calculate the time right so it was a little late.  Of course, that didn't stop us from having some after lunch!  My brother in law stopped by and had some and said it was really good as well.  I'm feeling liberated from my fear of yeast.  In fact, one of my cookbooks has a whole chapter on yeast breads and I'm excited to try a few.  Stay tuned for the results and let me know if anyone wants recipes....I'l share!!! 
I'm curious to see how well this homemade bread holds up.  When I have made bread in the bread machine in the past, it went stale very fast...within 12-24 hours.  I'm hoping this bread will last a little longer than that! 

For breakfast, I tried a new waffle recipe and wow were there good!  Sinfully good.  Nicholas ate 1 1/2 waffles (not the small kind, but the big round Belgian kind).  You barely needed syrup on them.  I doubled the batch so we have leftovers for the week.  Definitely makes mornings a bit better to know that a yummy waffle awaits!!! 

Ok, now back to cleaning.  This morning we rearranged N's room a bit...still have a ways to go on it, but its getting there.  Trying to figure out what to do with some of the furniture that is currently in there.  I'm excited that he will have a nice reading and playing space in his room.  Hopefully this will get some of the toys/books out of the living room and help him to play with more of them.  I just need to figure out a way to organize them easily.  Also, trying to organize and clean out the office.  Someday this house will be clean and organized!!!  A wonderful site for help with cleaning and organizing is http://www.flylady.net/.  She is my hero!!!  While I'm still a "flybaby", her tips and tools have helped me tremendously.  Little by little we're getting there.  Be sure to check out her website and the baby steps.  VERY HELPFUL!!!  Take it baby step by baby step.  I know I have a hard time with that and just want it all done right away.  I'm learning!!!

Menu Planning

I have tried planning menus for the week in the past and it was helpful.  When I know what I'm going to cook for the week it provides variety and I am more likely to stick to it and less likely to call an audible "Let's go out to eat."  So tonight I sat down and planned out the week.  Its a nice variety and I'm looking forward to it.  It also helps me to buy only what I need at the grocery store which helps me spend less.  I've found some websites that help with menu planning and some that help with getting the best deals at the grocery store.  One is e-meals.  http://www.e-mealz.com/  Its a pretty good site that does all the meal planning for you.  GIve you a grocery list to shop from and a good variety of food.  Becuase I like to create my own meals, I don't subscribe anymore, but if you don't want to have to think about meal planning it is definitely one to check out.  For those of you who know who the wonderful Dave Ramsey is, he endorses the site and highly recommends it.  Again, great site if you don't want to have to think about meal planning and you just want it done for you.
The other site is http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ I LOVE this site.  You have to be willing to clip coupons to get the maximum savings, but if you follow the "rules" of the game you can really save a bunch of money.  It lists coupons and sales at the stores you select.  Gives it to you in a nice spreadsheet.  Sometimes you can even find stuff for free.  Great site (Remember that I referred you!!!)  If you need my email for the referral it is kelly_sellevaag@yahoo.com
Recipes: My two current favorite recipes sites are http://www.allrecipes.com/ and http://www.tasteofhome.com/  Both have lots of great recipes.  While I rarely follow the recipes exactly as they are, both have great recipes as places to start. 
Well, I'll be on the lookout for other resources and will report back as I find them. 

Homemade Pizza

I finally got up the courage to try it.  I'll admit that I have a fear of anything that calls for yeast.  I am nervous that I won't get the water the right temperature to make it rise right.  I am attempting to overcome this silly fear!  LOL!  Today was the first step.  The homemade pizza turned out really good.  The dough was pretty easy to make and was all whole wheat (I altered the recipe to make it all whole wheat).  I was nervous the whole time, but the dough rose as it should have and rolled out very nicely.  I think next time I will roll it out a little thinner, but I didn't want to tear the dough.  Jim loved it and I thought it was really good.  I will definintely make it again.  It is much healthier than ordering it and much less expensive.  The recipe made two pizzas so we'll have some leftover for a snack or another meal!

For dinner, I think I'm going to make a turkey stroganoff with egg noodles.  Ground turkey was on sale really cheap at the grocery store so I bought some and am going to try out a new recipe for stroganoff.  It looks pretty hearty which is nice for a cold evening. 

Also, a quick thanks to those of you who have clicked on the ads....Please keep clicking!  (I get paid when you click them!)

Last night....

Lemon Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes, and Broccoli

Both the lemon chicken and scalloped potatoes were new recipes from Taste of Home (My new favorite source of recipes!!!)
The lemon chicken was delicious!  So good.  Basically its oven fried chicken dipped in butter and lemon juice with some garlic before its breaded.  Then it bakes in the oven.  Very tasty, full of flavor. Will make it again.  I cut the chicken into little nuggets instead of using the whole breast.  Each piece got a little more flavor that way.
The scalloped potatoes were ok.  They needed a little something else.  Definitely smelled better than they tasted.  The onion and green pepper were a nice addition, but maybe a little salt (I'm not a fan of salt....I regularly cut it out of things, but in this case I think it needed a little more). 
Then we had Edy's Peppermint Ice Cream for dessert.  WOW!!!  So good....little pieces of candy canes in it.  I'm not a big candy cane fan, but this ice cream is GREAT!!!  I know this breaks my sugar free attempt, but you have to have a treat every now and then and this one was definitely worth it!!  I also bought lots of fruit at the grocery store so I can have healthy snacks and desserts. 
Thank God its Friday.  And its a long weekend!!!!  Hope everyone has a great weekend...not sure what I'll be cooking, so it will be an adventure!

Leftovers....blah

Well, I have just about had it with leftovers.  I'm not a big fan of them to begin with.  Certain leftovers are great like mac and cheese, lasagna, and some others.  Since the baby shower this weekend and my mom's meatloaf, all we have eaten are leftovers.  So tomorrow night its onto something new.  I appreciate the ease of leftovers and not having to think about it, but overall, I'm not a fan. 

Now the question is what to cook tomorrow.  I feel like its been a while since I've actually cooked...its has been almost a week.  I'm on the hunt for a new recipe for tomorrow.  I'm thinking something with chicken, but I'm just not sure what yet.  Any suggestions????? 

Maggiano's

Always a treat!!!  My sister-in-law's baby shower was at Maggiano's today.  Delicious food!!!  Started off with grilled veggies and mozzarella marinara.  Then chopped apple and walnut salad, zucchini frite, and brushetta.  Oh my!!!  Main course was tilapia with lemon and herb, chicken parmesan, and whole wheat penne with egglant marinara.  Wow!!!!!!  Followed by profiteroles (AMAZING), cake from Master's (My favorite!!!), fruit, and my mom's cookies.  I thought I was pacing myself, but of course walked out of there soooo stuffed.  I also have all the leftovers so we have dinner and lunch for a few days.

Last night we tried a new restaurant called the Potomac Grille.  It was really good.  A little heavy on the fish side for Jim, but he found a prime rib that he was thrilled with.  I had a California Chicken Salad.  It was great...it had a raspberry ranch dressing with it.  Very interesting.  Not my favorite, but good. 

Tomorrow I begin seriously getting rid of sugar from my diet....I'll still eat fruit and things like that, but no more sugary treats!!  The only problem is that I still have some of my mom's cookies around, so I'll do the best I can, but seriously limiting the treats...don't you love how I change my plan!!!  Eventually we'll get back to a healthy eating schedule. 

Yummy breakfast

This morning we are having monkey bread.  There is no real nutritional value to monkey bread, but it sure is delicious (at least I'm expecting it to be).  Pretty easy to make; the only thing I wish is that I could make it the night before so I could just pop it into the oven in the morning.  Maybe I'll try it sometime, but I think it would dry out. 

Last night for dinner, my mom brought down meatloaf (I love meatloaf!!), baked macaroni, green beans, and fresh italian bread.  Probably one of my favorite meals.  The baked macaron was a new recipe.  It was ok....it had velveeta and cheddar in it.  I'm not too much of a velveeta fan, but the cheddar helped with it quite a bit.  Funny thing is that Nicholas does NOT like mac and cheese.  He inhaled the green beans and meatloaf and the bread, but wouldn't touch the mac and cheese. 

Tonight we are trying out a new restuarant.  Should be interesting. 

Easy night

This morning when I left for work I took out ground turkey.  I didn't really know what I wanted to do with that ground turkey, but I figured I would decide during the day.  Well, the day came and went and I hadn't come up with any brilliant ideas.  Meatloaf I thought...nah (which is a good thing since my mom called and said she was going to make a meatloaf to bring down for tomorrow night.)  So I went with my old standard of pasta and meat sauce.  It was one of those nights that I'm glad I decided to do something easy.  The pasta was actually tortellini which is one of my favorites.  It was quick and easy and since my boys were STARVING both of them it made an easy success. 

I've been pulling out recipes of things I want to try.  I just need to find the time to get the stuff together and make some of it.  This week is always a tough one; after winter break and a full week at that, plus planning for my sister-in-law's baby shower this weekend (I'm super excited for it!!!!).  Fortunately the shower is at Maggiano's so I know the food will be fantastic and we'll get some leftovers I'm sure.  So hopefully next week I'll be a bit more adventurous and try out something new.  I've got lots to chose from....what will it be.....

Beef Stew

There's not much better than coming home to dinner making the whole house smell good.  That's one of the many reasons I love my slow cooker.  Tonight we had beef stew.  I'll confess I didn't season it myself, I used a seasoning packet. After I put it together I read the ingredients on the seasoning packet...it had MSG!!!!  I wish I had read it sooner because I would have thrown it away.  Unfortunately it was after I had already mixed in the beef and all the veggies.  This is evidence as to why I want to try to get rid of those type of seasoning packets and processed stuff.  I am also going to be way more careful and read the ingredients in things like that.  I have heard that some soup broths also have MSG or Monosodium Glutamate.  YUCK! 
The stew was good, but knowing that it had MSG made me not love it.  I did a little research on MSG and while there are no conclusive studies on its effects, it is something I'd like to avoid if possible.  In doing the research I realized that MSG is associated with other ingredients such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein (that actually sounds kind of healthy), autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, and a few others.  They are forms of glutamic acid and salts.  There were concerns that MSG was associated with migraines, ADHD, food allergies. and asthma.  Again, most researchers haven't proven that it is harmful, but why mess with it. 
I want to eat food without all these weird additives. Gotta read those food labels, including the ingredients!!!

Favorite Cookbook

Last night I sat down and looked through my favorite cookbook.  It is not your average, traditional cookbook.  It is called Nourishing Traditions.  The recipes are not simple.  They include foods that most people don't typically eat, but NOTHING processed.  It is all about getting back to eating food as close to its source.  I love the tagline on the book "The cookbook that challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats".  The author includes lots of red meat and butter.  She explains her reasonings for it.  Some really awesome recipes in there.  So Im going to be trying out some of them soon. 

Tonight, Jim is traveling home from Atlanta and won't get home until after dinner probably (depending on standby situation) so Nicholas and I will probably try and finish up some more leftovers.  Tonight is the LAST night of leftovers.  I'm not a fan of leftovers for the most part so I'm looking forward to some new things.  New cooking adventures coming soon!!!!!!

Happy 2011!!!

I know I took a bit of a break from blogging this past week.  However, the eating did not stop.  I wish it was the other way around!!  LOL!!  We had a huge New Years Day dinner...with pork sandwiches and pulled chicken sandwiches since we don't eat pork...thanks mom for making us something special!!!  I know we are difficult.  Tons of other food at that dinner.
Then on the 2nd we had the after Christmas/New Years left-over brunch.  Except that it wasn't left-overs.  It was basically all new casseroles and other stuff.  My personal favorite was the veggie turkey sausage strata.  So good!!!  I need to get that recipe because I can easily see it becoming a brunch favorite.  We also had two different french toast casseroles: one cinnamon and one orange marmalade.  A few other egg casseroles and an apple sausage bake....kind of like a sausage meatloaf.  A TON of food. 

Now for 2011....its time to get back to normal eating.  My goal for 2011 is to cut down on the number processed things I use.  Both eating and used for cooking.  I want to make more things from scratch...less soup mixes, seasoning mixes etc and use more of my own creativity and seasonings.   

Tonight we are still finishing up leftovers from new years.  Looking forward to trying some new things this year!!