Recipe Reviews

I really love to find and try new recipes. Sometimes they aren't all that and a bag of chips, but occasionally, I hit a winner. In the past week, I have found two recipes that are going to become staples at our family dinner table!

Lasagna Soup
Recipe source: Family Fun magazine

I really love Family Fun for their craft ideas, but they always have some interesting kid-friendly recipes as well. This one sold me just on the picture alone. Now, I don't exactly consider this to be a soup but rathermore like a "stoup" (in hommage to Rachel Ray). Nonetheless, it was a HUGE hit around our dinner table. Now, if you leave the recipe "as is", it makes 13 cups. I don't know about you, but that's a heck of a lot of soup for a family of four (considering the petite one doesn't eat that much). I chose to cut the recipe in half. I used a mild italian sausage made by our local grocery store which was a little spicy (I know you are laughing at me, Ms. M!); next time I might try their sweet italian sausage blend. I also did blend the full amount of the ricotta & parmasan cheese because this is Wisconsin after all and everything is better with more cheese! The next time, I would probably add a little more pasta as well (and would proably have even more leftovers). This fed our family well plus we had a full serving of leftover. Be sure to serve with either garlic bread or breadsticks
to make it even yummier!


Ranch Style Chicken
Source: The Pioneer Woman

If I were stuck on a ranch, I think I would cook just as much as The Pioneer Woman. This woman just has a knack for coming up with some of the best recipes though I must admit, she really loves her butter and bacon. Not the greatest when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but you can always modify! I have to say, hands down, this is probably one of the best chicken dishes EVER! I think it has to do with the honey mustard combo. Ian suggested that the only way it could possibly be better would be if I could get the bacon, cheese and chicken to all stay together when he cut it. Not sure how to do that, but I kow I'll be making this agin so I sure will try! I did use my Pampered Chef stoneware to bake the bacon rather than fry it in the pan as she suggests. I just spooned a little bit of the bacon grease into my skillet when I went to sear the chicken. I'm thinking the next time I will use turkey bacon to bring down the fat content. I don't think the lack of grease will affect the searing since I use non-stick cookware anyhow. I would say though, if you have these ingredients on hand, this is what should be for dinner tonight. Seriously, I could probably eat this every week!

Ok, that's it for now. If I come across any other winners, I'll be sure to let you know.

PB&J Pizza Picnic

When I am on my own with the kids while Rich travels, I like to do "special" things with them for meals to (a) keep it simple for me, (b) create less dishes and (c) have some fun.

Tonight, I decided that we would have a PB&J Pizza Picnic. The original "recipe" for PB&J Pizza came from a friend at Lifetime Moments. It's just such a neat little twist on pizza and it's sure to please even the pickiest child's pallet.

So, here is what you do:

You will need (and may probably already have on hand): 1 tube of crescent rolls, 1 jar of your favorite peanut butter, 1 bottle of your favorite jelly/jam and a baking sheet (I prefer my Pampered Chef Medium Bar Stoneware).


Pop open the can of rolls and roll them out flat. Place them on your pan and press all the seams together to make a "crust".


Bake in a pre-heated over at 375 for approximately 15 minutes (the longer you let it bake, the crispier your "crust").


This is what it should look like when you are done baking.


Now, this is important: immediately after taking the crust out of the oven, spoon use a tablespoon to equally distribute peanut butter on top of the crust. The hot crust will cause the peanut butter to start getting to its ooey-gooiest (yeah, that is so not a word, but I'm talking about a kid's meal here).


You can then spread the peanutbutter evenly across the crust with minimal damage.


And now a word about how much I love squeezable jams and jellies! Sure, you can use a spoon, but it makes much less of a mess and you get to hear that cool "slurp" from the bottle. I squeeze some large globs in equal spacing across the pizza.


Finally, you can share it with your oh-so-adorable dinner guests. (and, for an added treat, we followed up this brilliant meal with root bear floats!)

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Brown Sugar Chicken - A Review

In my most recent edition of Menu Plan Monday, a couple of you asked for a review of Crock Pot Brown Sugar Chicken from A Year of Crockpotting. I used boneless breasts instead of thighs and I cooked it on low for around 6 hours. I also threw in a bag of baby carrots so we'd have a complete meal in a pot. Everyone in our family ate it though when I make it again, I will probably cook it for less time (I'm thinking 4 hours or so) because I found the meat to be a little on the dry side. Other than that, it was a good recipe for a house of picky children!

How to Spend a Rainy Afternoon

We had a lot of rain yesterday and the kids had a little bit of cabin fever. I really didn't want to throw in another movie, so we decided to spend some time in the kitchen making "Hamburger Cookies". This recipe comes from an old cookbook that my mom had while I was growing up from Better Homes & Gardens called Cookies for Kids. I believe it's out of print now, but you can still find copies at used book stores and the like. My mom actually found one for me on Amazon (because there was no way she was giving hers up). These are so simple and easy that even Kyra was able to help out! Here's what you'll need:


1 Box of Vanilla Wafers, 1 package of chocolate wafer cookies (we used Grasshoppers), 1/4 c. coconut, green food coloring.





Place coconut in a small container and add a few drops of food coloring. Cover tightly with a lid and have young hands shake vigorously. When complete, you will have lightly green tinted "lettuce".


On a large cookie sheet, place 24 vanilla wafers flat side up.



Place a chocolate cookie on top of each vanilla wafer.


Place the cookie sheet in a pre-heated oven at 350 for just a minute until . . .


The chocolate on the cookies just starts to melt.



Here's where it helps to have lots of little hands because you need to work quickly so the chocolate doesn't set before the cookies are assembled. Sprinkle each cookie with a little "lettuce" and immediately top with another vanilla wafer (flat side down). Press gently (not too hard or you'll crush the cookie) on top wafer to get the chocolate to "stick".


Take a paint brush with a little water and lightly brush and sprinkle with sesame seeds.


Let your little helpers be proud of their "masterpiece". (and, of course, immediately eat a couple!)

Berried Delight

A friend of mine was looking for a lemon dessert recipe to take to a party last weekend and I remembered I had this one from a gal at church who made it for one of our Bible study brunches. It is so easy and just giving it to Ms. M, I realized that I needed to make it myself for today's Bible study. As a bonus, it's a no-bake recipe, so no heating up the house!

Berried Delight

Crust:
1.5 c graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c melted butter

Filling:
8 oz. soft cream cheese
1/4 c sugar
2 T milk

Topping:
8 oz. cool whip
2 pkg lemon pudding
3.5 c milk

Combine crumbs with sugar & melted butter. Press into a 9x13 pan. Chill 15 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and milk until smooth.

Fold in 1/2 the cool whip to cream cheese mixture. Carefully spread over crust.***

Prepare putdding using 3.5 c milk (do not refrigerate). Pour over cream cheese layer. Chill several hours or overnight.

Before serving, spread remaining cool whip over pudding. Garnish with berries if desired.


***If you want, you can add a layer of fresh sliced strawberries or blueberries.

Ouch!

Ok, this might not be for those who are a tad squeamish as myself, but here's my latest . . .

Last night, I came home from coaching Ian's DI practice with 2 hungry boys (Ian and his friend, A) as well as a somewhat clingy Kyra. BUT - I had the foresight to know that Tuesdays are hectic and had already planned in advance and had 40 Clove Garlic Chicken ready for dinner in the crock-pot. I decided to make Rich's and mine into wraps with some roasted peppers, spinach and lettuce. So, Rich comes in as I am in the course of chopping up the chicken and of course, I managed to dice my left thumb courtesy of my new Pampered Chef utility knife. Despite my best efforts to get it bandaged up, I decided it might be best to take a trip to the walk-in clinic since we wre going trhough the bandages at a rapid pace. So now, I have two stitches and a heavily bandaged thumb. The doctor said it was a doozy of a cut, but he was impressed with the clean cut of the Pampered Chef knife. Maybe I should go see him the next time I have a catalog show.

Entertaining for both a mom and a two-year old

Yes, Kyra has been struck by the ick bug yet again this week so we have been under house arrest for the past two days. She's finally starting to feel better and in general has been a trooper though she really wants to go outside and romp in the snow.

Anyhow, this morning the boxes arrived from my Pampered Chef catalog show. Kyra views any box that arrives via mailman, FedEx or UPS as a present for her. I was super excited to get these boxes because they contained my new cookware. I decided that it was time (after almost 12 years since my bridal shower) to get new pots and pans.

Kyra was all too eager to help me unpack the boxes and clean out my cabinets. With every lid or pot I pulled out, she would say "hey look! a pot!" As a bonus, she also got the Teflon "sticker" from the inside of each pan. She looks like a walking billboard for Dupont right now. So, I have my new cookware, Kyra has her stickers and all is right with the world.

Finally! The Perfect Sugar Cookie Recipe!!!

I am the type of baker that if you put a sugar cookie recipe in front of me, I will try it because I have yet to find one that meets my picky standards. I think I've been spoiled by receiving one too many Cookies By Design bouquets in my lifetime. How are their cookies so moist and thick anyway?

Ok, back to my original point (I do actually have one). Any sugar cookie recipes I have tried just seem to end up too crispy or the dough doesn't roll out smoothly. So, I stay on my quest.

Now, prior to Ian's birthday, he asked me to make frosted sugar cookies for his classroom treat. It just so happened that sugar cookie "lollipops" were featured on the cover of this month's issue of Woman's Day magazine. So, I gave their recipe a whirl - and by golly! IT WORKS!!!

So, without further adieu:

SUPER AWESOME SUGAR COOKIES (my name, not theirs)

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1-3/4 c flour

Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg until blended; add vanilla, baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour and beat until just smooth. Shape dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour. Heat oven to 350. Roll out dough to 3/8-inch thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters. Transfer cookies to non-stick baking sheets (I used Pampered Chef Rectangle Stone). Bake 12-14 minutes until cookies are golden brown at edges. Cool on sheet about 5 minutes; transfer to cooing rack and cool completely. Roll, cut and bake remaining cookies.

MY NOTES: I really think beating the butter and sugar for 3 minutes makes a huge difference. Also, I used really big cookie cutters so I only got about 8-12 cookies per batch so you may want to double the recipe if you need more. I used a buttercream frosting recipe that I am not totally "sold" on yet so the quest for the perfect sugar cookie icing still continues on!

Pampered Chef, anyone?

I am going to be hosting a catalog show for Pampered Chef. If you need anything, let me know and I can send you a link to my showing on my consultant's website.

Apparently bigger is NOT better

Last night, we had our Ladies' Christmas Candlelight Tea at church. I volunteered to hostess a table this year. After much thought, I went with a Gingerbread Candyland theme. As a "take-home" gift, I baked and decorated individual gingerbread men for my table guests. Of course, when you are trying to make 10 "perfect" men, you are bound to have some failures in between. Thus, I had a few with misshapen body parts or missing limbs. Still, even the leftovers are fair game for my family. Ian was extremely excited to see the gingerbread men last night when he came home from school and wanted one for his dessert. Since I was at the tea last night, I did not see him before he went to bed so this morning he informed me that the next time I make gingerbread cookies, I need to make them smaller as the current cookies were just "too big" and made his tummy ache (even though the size didn't stop him from eating the whole thing).

Slow Cooker Thursday - Souper Roast Beef

In my blogging travels, Menu Planning Monday led me to Diary of a SAHM and Sandra hosts Slow Cooker Thursday each week. In fact, this is the site where I found 40 Clove Garlic Chicken. So, here is my contribution for this week:

SOUPER ROAST BEEF
2 large onions, sliced 1/4" thick
1/4 c. butter
1 bottom round roast 3-4 pounds
5 c. water
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 garlic clove

Saute onions in butter until tender and put in crock pot. Place roast over onions. Mix remaining ingedients and pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until tender. Let stand for 15 minutes and slice. Serve on hard crusty rolls with a side of the juices for dipping.

Tasty Tuesday - Crockpot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

I'm getting an early jump on Tasty Tuesday at Many Little Blessings because I don't know what time I will be able to get online tomorrow (and you need to go post a recipe too because Angie gives away prizes!). I got today's recipe ironically as a part of blogging Menu Plan Mondays. I noticed this Crockpot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken popping up on many a meal plans. I figured, if there were that many people fixing this, it had to be good! I got this recipe from Susanne at Living to Tell The Story. Since we are low carbing it, we opted not to make the gravy. I used a 4 pound chicken and cooked it for approximately 7 hours on low and the chicken literally fell off the bone! And don't let the 40 cloves of garlic discourage you from trying this recipe! The flavor was very mild. And to boot, both Ian and Kyra had seconds!!!! (a major miracle in this house!)

CROCKPOT 40 CLOVE GARLIC CHICKEN

-1 large broiler/fryer whole chicken (as big as your crock will fit)
-thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley
-salt
-fresh ground pepper
-40 cloves UNPEELED garlic
-2 stalks celery, washed and cut into 3 inch pieces
-baguette or french bread slices, toasted

Place the celery slices on the bottom of the crock. Season the chicken in and out with salt, pepper, and generously with the herbs. Place on top of the celery. Place the cloves all around and on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low 8 hours.

Remove chicken and celery to serving platter. Remove garlic to small bowl.

GRAVY

-1/4 cup cream
-2 - 3 tablespoons cornstarch
-salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Skim the fat off the liquid in the crockpot. Turn to high. Add the cream. Mix cornstarch with a small amount of water until smooth and add to liquid. Stir, cover and heat until thickened. You can pour some on the chicken and put the rest in a gravy boat. We served it with noodles.

The roasted garlic can be squished out of it's skins onto the toasted bread.

Fabulous Finds Friday

About two months ago, I hosted a Pampered Chef catalog show. One of the items I got was the Salad Chopper. These things are amazing! They make such short work of chopping up romaine lettuce! Another amazing use is to chop up chicken for chicken salad. If you are looking for a new handy kitchen tool, I would highly recommend finding your nearest Pampered Chef consultant and getting your hands on a pair. If you don't know a consultant, I know two very great gals who could help you OR my friend Angie is hosting a show at the beginning of June.

Just wanted to share!