Tasteful Tuesday

Sorry about my lack of posting lately. We have had lots going on and I have lots of pictures but the internal battery died on my camera and the memory stick won't work so until I get a new battery, I have no new pictures. Today's recipe will be the last of my Tasteful Tuesdays. I am needing to refocus my time and energy in some different areas so cooking is taking a back burner for now. If I find some yummy recipes, I will be sure to add them to the recipe blog and let you know. Today's recipe is not really healthy but it is yummy and one I break out a couple times a year just because we all love it. The wontons are easy to make (although definately NOT authentic) and the sweet and sour sauce is the only one I will eat. Usually if we get take out chinese, I will still make my own sauce. Anyway, hope you at least try this out next year around the Chinese New Year.

Wontons and Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 package wonton wrappers (found in produce section)

1/2 lb ground sausage or ground beef

4 oz cream cheese

Small bowl of water

Oil for frying

Cook meat, drain and cool. Mix in cream cheese. Place 1 teaspoon in center of each wonton wrapper. Dip your finger into the bowl of water and run it around the edges of the wonton (you don't want to make it super wet, just enough for it to stick together). Fold one corner over to the opposite corner, making a triangle. Then fold the side over each other and pinch together. Fry in hot oil or spray well with cooking spray and bake until crispy. (Of course, frying tastes so good, but baking is more healthy.) Serve with sweet and sour sauce

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 cup pineapple juice (usually I just drain the whole can into the saucepan)

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (start with a little less and add to taste)

2 Tablespoons cornstarch (mix with a little water)

Add everything to sauce pan except the cornstarch. Bring to a boil, add cornstarch. Boil until it gets thick and clear. Serve the pineapple on the side or if you like it that way, you can add it to the sauce.

Tasteful Tuesday

Sorry about no post last week. I wanted to find a fun valentine dinner to post but didn't have anything that really fit what I was looking for. I also hadn't made anything super spectacular. This week though I made at least 2 meals that were a hit. This was the first one. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it. I mentioned in my notes below that it is a bit spicy (and gave some suggestions to help with that) but the dressing was great for just dipping veggies in later in the week. Also, check the recipe blog later this week for several new desserts (an apple cake and strawberry brunch bread) that were very tastey!
Chicken Taco Cornbread Wedges
Dressing:
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup diced tomatoes with green chiles (or salsa verde)
1 cup packed cilantro leaves and stems

Filling:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 Tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper (I used the bottled kind)
2 cups shredded chicken (could use rotissere or canned if you're in a hurry)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes with green chiles

Crust:
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Martha White cornbread mix
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup crushed corn chips

Topping:
1/2 cup each mozarella and cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped tomatoes

Mix dressing ingredients together in blender and process until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat oil in cast iron skillet. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno (if using the bottled ones, add when you add the chicken) and cook until tender. Add in chicken, spices, and canned tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and wipe clean. Regrease the skillet.
Mix egg, cornbread mix, and milk until well blended. Place corn chips on bottom of skillet and top with cornbread mix. Spoon the chicken mixture over the cornbread and sprinkle with cheeses.
Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cut into wedges. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing.
Recipe Source: Picky Palate
My Notes:
This was a bit spicy for my kids so my suggestions to tone it down would be to buy the smaller cans of diced tomatoes and get one can with the green chiles and one without. You could also leave out the jalapeno. The original recipe called for 1 (7oz) package of Martha White sweet yellow cornbread mix but I couldn't find it. I found a larger bag of the white cornbread mix and just adjusted my recipe for that...I would assume that any cornbread mix would work as long as you have about 7 oz. Also, since I have a glass stove top, I didn't use my cast iron skillet to cook the vegetables and chicken mixture. I just used a regular skillet and then put it in my cast iron skillet to bake. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, just use a round cake pan.

Tasteful Tuesday

Okay, so this recipe is one you should definately try, unless you are coming to visit me anytime soon. The reason you should not try this if you are coming to visit me is because since I made this the first time, my husband has been constantly asking for it again. Since I like new recipes, he seems to think that he never gets anything twice. He personally bought a few more tenderloins just to make sure that I would make it. It really is that good though and he will definately get it again and again.

Best Ever Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin

2-3 lbs pork tenderloin

Spice Rub:

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1/2 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups apricot jelly

1/2 cup barbeque sauce

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 large lime juiced

Combine spice rub ingredients in small bowl. Rub over tenderloin. Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours (the longer the better, of course...I did mine about 8 hours).

When ready to cook, put glaze ingredients in small saucepan and heat until melted and smooth. Divide in half, placing one half in a serving bowl and reserving the other half for glazing while cooking.

For cooking: this can be roasted in the oven or grilled on the barbeque.

To Roast: Heat oven to 375. Line 9x13 pan with foil and lightly grease. Place tenderloin in pan and bake 20 min. Brush with glaze and bake 20 minutes. Brush with glaze again and cook until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and tent with foil. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing.

To Grill: Heat grill on medium high heat. Place tenderloin on grill and grill until internal temperature is 155 degrees, turning once. Brush with glaze and cook 2 minutes. Turn, brush with glaze and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from grill, tent with foil and let sit 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve with remaining glaze.

Recipe source: adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

My Notes:

We used the grill, even though it is freezing outside and it was so fabulous. We ended up cooking it for around 30-40 minutes, but it really was freezing out so just check your temperatures. I also think that this rub and glaze would be very yummy on chicken. The original recipe calls for 2 (1lb) tenderloins which would decrease your cooking time. My tenderloin was closer to 3 lbs.

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's recipe is one of my favorite chicken recipes. It is just like the rotisserre chickens you get at the store but is much cheaper and almost just as easy. If you can get over the touching of yucky raw chicken, it is a cinch to throw together. Also, the drippings make fantastic gravy for your mashed potatoes.

Rosemary Chicken

1 whole chicken

Salt and pepper, enough to cover inside and out of chicken

1 onion, quartered

1 clove garlic

3 sprigs fresh parsley, or 1/2 Tablespoon dried

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 cup chicken broth

Remove neck and giblets from chicken, rinse and pat dry. Rub generously with salt and pepper, inside and out. Place in crockpot, breast side up. Put 2 onion wedges, garlic and parsley into chicken. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and thyme. Put remaining onion wedges into crockpot and pour in chicken broth. Cook on high for about 4 hours.

Recipe Source: family cookbook, cousin Keleen

My Notes:

This works really well for Sunday dinner. Turn on the crockpot right before leaving for church. Come home, make mashed potatoes and it is ready to go.

Also, it is really best to gather all the ingredients that go in the chicken before you start...kind of like they do on cooking shows with everything in its own bowl.

Tasteful Tuesday

Is it just me or does cooking the Thanksgiving Turkey scare the bajeebies out of you? For the longest time, I decided that we would never have turkey for our Thanksgiving meal when I was in charge, we would have ham. Ham is pretty hard to mess up. (Thank goodness I have yet to be in charge of Thanksgiving for anyone other than my small family, and that was only once! And, we had ham:)) However, this turkey recipe has me convinced that I can actually make a turkey and have it turn out. Doing your turkey this way will take about 4 hours. The actual cooking time is closer to 2 hours but so you don't have to think too hard about it, 4 hours will cover you for all the sitting time and preheating time. It has turned out fabulous turkey for me several times now...never on Thanksgiving but still fabulous. I always serve it with the usual fixings, but have added a mix of sweet and white mashed potatoes to the list. We love them and they add a little bit of health to my favorite part of dinner. Have a GREAT Thanksgiving holiday!

Incredibly Easy Turkey

1 (14-22 lb) turkey

Carrots, cut into large chunks

Celery, cut into chunks

Onion, peeled and cut into 4ths

Garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Juice of 1 lemon

1 Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon pepper

Butter

Brown paper bag, split open

Make sure your turkey is thawed completely. Heat your oven to 500 degrees for one hour and move oven rack down. In the mean time, remove turkey insides and rinse well. Combine the salt, pepper and lemon juice. Rub completely over turkey, using all of the mixture. Fill the cavity with carrots, celery, onion and garlic.

Place the turkey in roasting pan with the breast down (this is opposite how you would normally do it). Place roasting pan in the oven for as many minutes as the turkey weighs (an 18 lb turkey would go in for 18 minutes).

While turkey is cooking, use the butter to completely grease the paper bag on both sides. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully make a tent out of the bag, carefully tucking the sides into the pan (if you don't make sure the sides are tucked in you could start a fire in your oven, so double check!) Turn the oven temperature down to 400 degrees and cook the turkey for 2 hours.

Remove pan and turkey from oven and let sit for 20 minutes. Remove turkey from pan and cut as desired. Use juices to make a wonderful gravy (just discard some of the grease on top)

Recipe Source:

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's recipes are in honor of my sister who just had a baby and called to say that she has missed my tasteful tuesday's because she always made what I posted that day. (Congrats Keri!) Since she will be short on time and energy, I am sharing 2 recipes that come together quickly with minimal ingredients and prep time. The Caramelized Beef Skewers are so yummy and who doesn't like eating their food on a stick?! The Sausage Chili is a new one to me and I won a prize at our recent chili cook-off for it. I think it is one of my husband's new favorites. I also posted a new pumpkin favorite that would be FANTASTIC for Thanksgiving on the recipe blog.

Caramelized Beef Skewers

1 lb steak, cut into strips (I usually use a london broil and cut it thin)

1/4 cup A1 sauce

1/4 cup barbeque sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon or spicy brown mustard

Marinate meat in 2 Tablespoons A1 sauce for 10 minutes or up to 24 hours. (I usually marintae it for 2-3 hours) Combine the rest of the A1 sauce with the barbeque sauce and mustard. Thread onto skewers and cook on grill for about 6 minutes, turning after 3 minutes. Serve immediately

Recipe Source:
Kraft Foods

Chicken Sausage Chili

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, chopped

1 cup barbeque sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon mustard

1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 ring chicken/turkey sausage (not the links, the big thick sausage rings)

Put all in crock pot and heat all day on low or 2-3 hours on high. Before serving, cut sausage into pieces. Serve with your favorite cornbread.

Recipe source:

Betty Crocker Weight loss for Families

Tasteful Tuesday

I have changed focus just a little. My new hobby is discoving great tasting, low calorie food. I have come across several really good ones that I will share for the next couple weeks. This Pork and Black Bean Chili as a good one and the kids even liked it. It was a snap to prepare, we are talking less that 30 min.

Pork and Black Bean Chili

4-6 boneless pork loin chops

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup salsa

Cooking spray

Green onions, chopped

Sour cream

Rub pepper into pork chops. Coat a large frying pan with cooking spray. Brown chops. Add beans and salsa. Cook until pork cooked through. Can serve by placing pork on top of beans or cut chops into bite sized pieces. Garnish with green onions and sour cream if desired. Makes 4-6 servings with 250 calories per serving (before the sour cream).

My Notes:

I used home cooked beans, substituting 4 cups of cooked black beans for the 2 cans. I forwent the sour cream and it was delicious.

Zuchinni Marinara Sandwhich

Not the best picture but a really tastey way to use up some of your zuchinni. We are finally starting to see some benefits of planting a garden this year. Our tomatoes are finally getting ripe and we have had 4-5 zuchinnis to eat. I have been trying out some new recipes for zuchinni: lemon-blueberry zuchinni cake, parmesean zuchinni (which was very good but very fattening so I won't share it with you), and this yummy sandwhich. I have made it several times for my lunch, I just cut the ingredients down to make just one sandwhich.

Zuchinni Marinara Sandwhich

1 medium zuchinni, diced

2 mushrooms, chopped, optional

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2-3/4 cup marinara sauce

Cheese, provolone would be fantastic, but I used Mozarella

4 Crusty rolls or sandwhich buns

Spray frying pan with cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Add zuchinni and mushrooms when it is hot. Cook until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add marinara sauce and heat until warm. Meanwhile, put cheese on roll or bun and broil until golden and bubbly. Add zuchinni mixture and serve warm.

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's recipes are in honor of my mother, just to prove that I actually do cook healthy food. At least every once in a while! This was a quick, yummy recipe that really hit the spot. I have been mixing my rice, brown and white, for a while and I have decided to take the plunge to all brown rice. I found this method of cooking it and it turned out great. (sometimes with my rice cooker it turns out a bit dry, since I don't have more than one setting on my cooker) This recipe for brown rice takes a bit longer but it is worth it in the end for more healthful meal.
Now that we have the healthy meal out of the way, check here for updates on my recipe blog that include my newest favorite dessert, chocolate angel food cake with chocolate sauce and raspberries. I also finally got the recipe on there for the chili-lime chicken skewers.

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 Tablespoon freshly minced or grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb chicken breasts, diced

3 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup orange juice

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1-2 teaspoons orange zest

2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

Heat oil in large frying pan. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 min. Add chicken and cook until no pink remains. Remove chicken from pan. In the same pan, add the broccoli and water. Cover and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 2 min. Put chicken back into pan and add broth, juice, soy sauce, zest and cornstarch mixture. Heat until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

Baked Brown Rice

1 1/2 cups brown rice

2 1/2 cups water (or for a great option you can use chicken broth, just omit the salt)

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350. Stir rice, water and salt together in a 3 quart casserole dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour and 10 min. Let sit with foil on for another 5 min, then fluff with fork.

Recipe Sources: Kitchen Cafe

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's salad is great for a light meal that doesn't require heating up the house. In the summer we usually have something like this at least once a week. I also love it because you can change the veggies you put in to make it different each time. This is something that all my kids will eat without any complaining. Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Summertime Pasta Salad

1 Package pasta, cooked (rotini, shells, or a mix is good)

1 can sliced olives

2-3 tomatoes, diced

3-4 green onion, sliced

1/2 can corn (or 1/2 package frozen corn, thawed)

1 small zuchinni, diced

1 small summer squash, diced

1 bottle italian dressing

Chicken or ham, diced (as much as you want)

Shredded cheese, optional

Cucumbers, broccolli, or any other veggies you want to add

Mix all ingredients together and let chill for 2-4 hours.

My notes:

This makes a lot! I also like to add about 1/2 the bottle of dressing, let it chill and then add some more right before serving. Serve this with garlic breadsticks!

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's recipe can be used as a side dish or, if you are looking for more meatless meals, a main dish. It is easy to through together quickly if you have left over corn bread or if you make it early in the day. Hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend. If you have any yummy recipes you made, I'd love to hear about them!

Corn Bread Layered Salad

1 pkg (8 1/2 oz) corn bread mix (or just make your own and use about 1/3 of 9X13 pan)

6 green onions

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups of home made)

3/4 cup mayonaise

3/4 cup sour cream

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare and bake corn bread according to package directions. Cool.

Crumble corn bread into 2 qt glass serving bowl. Layer with onions, peppers, corn and beans.

Mix sour cream and mayonaise; spread over the other ingredients. Top with cheese and tomatoes. Chill until ready to serve.

Recipe source: really old Taste of Home magazine

My notes: This makes a big bowl. I used it as one of our meatless meals and thought it was very filling.

Tasteful Tuesday

I made this recipe a LONG time ago and had forgotten about it until now. I think I will put it on the menu for when our company is here next week (we are SUPER excited to have family coming to town!). The longer you let the meat soak in the sauce the better it is. I usually stick it all together in a ziplock bag in the morning and then it is ready when I make dinner at night. This is really a must try! Honey Lime Enchiladas
1 1/2 lbs cooked and shredded pork roast or chicken
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 (10oz) cans GREEN enchilada sauce
1 cup sour cream
equal parts mozarella and cheddar cheese
Flour tortillas

Combine honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder and pour over shredded pork or chicken. Let soak for at least 30 min.
Pour enchilada sauce in lightly greased pan so that it covers the bottom completely. Put filling in flour tortillas along with desired amount of cheese. Place in pan and completely cover with a mixture of the enchilada sauce and sour cream. Liberally sprinke more cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Turn oven to broil and move the pan closer to heating element. Broil until cheese is golden and crispy.
Recipe source: Sister's cafe
My notes:
This makes one large pan enchiladas plus a smaller pan, like a 9x9.
The first time I made this using a pork tenderloin and didn't like it because the meat was hard to shred and a little dry. When I used a pork roast or chicken it was fabulous.
Sometimes it can be hard to find green enchilada sauce...out here the only place is ACME but for those of you with an Albertson's it is the same. I have substituted green taco sauce and it worked.
This also makes good nachos...but you have to include the enchilada sauce or green taco sauce for it to be stellar.

Tasteful Tuesday

My husband always says I'm half chinese. I love to make asian type dishes. I have great recipes for sweet and sour chicken, wontons, bok choy soup, and lots of others. When I came across this recipe for lettuce wraps I had to try it. It is really yummy! My picture is definately not that great but don't let that keep you from trying these, you will be glad you did!

Lettuce Wraps

2 teaspoons oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (or grated)

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or ground chicken

1 cup minced mushrooms

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, minced

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

zest from one lemon

juice from 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Lettuce for wrapping (we used romaine and loved it)

Dipping sauce (recipe after....optional)

Heat oil in large skillet. When hot, add the garlic and ginger. Saute for just a minute and add turkey, mushrooms and salt. Cook until turkey is cooked through. Add water chestnuts, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice and zest, and the hot sauce. Cook until everything is hot.

Wash lettuce leaves and separate. Spoon filling onto lettuce leaves and serve with dipping sauce (we just spooned it on).

Dipping sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon fresh minced ginger

2 Tablespoons sliced green onions.

Combine and serve.

My notes:

You can use iceburg or bibb lettuce but we loved using the romaine and eating it like a little boat. My kids love these and there are never any leftovers.

Also, the original recipe called for the juice of a whole lemon. I thought it was too much so I cut it back to 1/2. If you like lemon you can try the whole thing. My kids usually don't like mushrooms but they never complain about them in this recipe. I think it tastes better with them in it.

I serve these with a great jasmine rice recipe I have that comes from the Essential Mormon Celebrations cookbook by Julie Badger Jensen.

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's recipe is one that is quick and easy and one that I usually have most of the ingredients for. If I don't have the bread, it takes a bit longer to make my own but it still turns out great. We had this last night as we were rushing off to baseball and I had no idea what I had on hand for dinner. It was tastey and filling. I used some left over turkey I had in the fridge and it worked just as well as chicken. You can even make this with the cans of canned chicken if you are really in a hurry. Serve it up with some salad and fruit and you are good to go. Chicken Pizza Sandwhich

1 loaf French Bread

1/2 cup maynaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (or turkey)

2 cups shredded cheese

2 chopped green onions

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Parsley flakes

Mix all ingredients, except bread together. Cut bread in half length-wise and spread chicken mixture over evenly. Bake in oven at 350 for 15-20 min or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Tasteful Tuesday

It has been miserable wet here the last few days. It still isn't very warm either. This is a good meal for those kinds of days. It is also quick and cooks in the crock pot all day. My kids love this with cornbread. I'll be posting the recipe for my favorite cornbread next week. If you want to try out an amazingly chocolate filled cookie, check out the recipe here.

Main Dish Baked Beans

(Sister Moses's recipe)

1 pound browned hamburger

1 pound cooked and crumbled bacon

1 large can Bush's Maple and Brown Sugar Pork n Beans

1 can each red, black, white beans

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon each salt and garlic salt

1 small onion chopped

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Put it all in the crock pot and cook on high 3 hours. Then turn to low and cook until ready to serve.

My notes:

I usually make my own beans instead of purchasing canned ones. I cook a big pot and then divide into 2 cup portions. Make sure to keep some of the liquid from cooking your beans as you don't drain the canned ones. **2 cups of cooked beans are approximately what you get in a can.

Also, this is great in a dutch oven when camping.

I like to serve this with cornbread...recipe coming.

Tasteful Tuesday

If you don't have today's recipe, you should. I use it a lot when I have left over chicken. These are yummy, filling, and don't take tons of work. If you want a yummy dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day next week check out this one on my recipe blog. We made it last night for FHE and I was reminded how much I like it. We cut the recipe in half and put it in a graham cracker pie crust.

Chicken Rolls

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

4-5 green onions, sliced

2 stalks celery, diced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup softened butter

favorite roll recipe

1 cube butter, melted

bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Enough milk to make gravy like consistency

Combine the first 6 ingredients in bowl and mix well. Cut roll dough into squares and place spoonful of filling in each. Wrap dough around filling until it is completely covered. Dip into melted butter and then into bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Heat cream soup and milk until hot. Serve rolls with gravy on top.

My notes:

You can also use the canned crescent rolls, which makes it faster. I always use the same roll recipe I use for the pizza bites. The canned rolls make it even better, but add a lot more fat and processed stuff. Also, you can make your own gravy, which is better, by making a roux with butter, flour, chicken broth. You can add in a little of the shredded chicken as well.

Tasteful Tuesday

So I am a little late getting this up but it is still Tuesday! I also have to apologize because I do have a picture but the camera is dead so when I get it retrieved I will get it on here. Today's recipe is one my good husband reminded me of a couple weeks ago. I had made it many years ago after we had it at a restaraunt and haven't made it again. Boy have we been missing out! I have made these sandwhiches twice in the last week. The first time, I didn't make them for the kids because I wasn't sure they would like them. They practically ate my whole sandwhich and were drooling for more. So, even though the ingredient list is a little odd, try them out!

Monte Cristo Sandwhiches
Bread Slices (for as many sandwhiches as you want to make)
Mayonaise and Mustard (you can use regular or Dijon)
Ham slices
Turkey Slices
Swiss cheese slices (you need enough to put on both slices of bread)
3-5 eggs (depending on how many you are making)
Milk
Powdered Sugar
Strawberry Jam

Open your bread slices and cover each with small amount of mayo and mustard (yes, you want it on both peices of bread). Then top with swiss cheese. Put 2 slices of ham and 2 slices of turkey and then top with the other piece of bread (the layers should be: bread, mayo, mustard, cheese, ham, turkey, cheese, mustard, mayo, bread). Mix the eggs and milk like you are making french toast. Dip each sandwhich into the egg mixture and heat on griddle until golden brown and cheese is melted. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve with a side of strawberry jam. The jam really is good on the sandwhich.

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's recipe is one of the most simple things I have thrown together in a long time. Sometime I get so excited about trying new recipes that I forget I still have places to be and a house to clean. This created minimal mess and came together quick! It is Southwest Chicken in the crockpot.Here is the how-to:
Take a small bag of frozen corn and dump it at the bottom of the crockpot. Put 2 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts on top of the corn. Pour on a bottle of MEDIUM salsa, and a can of drained black beans. Cook on high for 1 hour and on low for 4 hours. Shred the chicken and then serve over tortilla chips with, shredded cheese, sour cream, avacado, and whatever else serves your fancy. Ainslee said this was "too good for words!" AHHH, heaven to a mother's ears.
Recipe Source: Sister's Cafe
My Notes:
As noted on the recipe I got this from, use Medium salsa. It doesn't make this hot at all but gives it perfect flavor. We loved it with the tortilla chips but you could probably also serve this in a tortilla. This made a perfect size pot for our family, with enough left over for Mike and I to have some for lunch the next day.

Tasteful Tuesday

Since I was really having too much fun with my family last week and left you high and dry, I decided to give you two recipes to try out. One is a really yummy breakfast recipe and the other is amazing pasta. I did change the recipes a bit from what they were originally but I tried to let you know what changes I made. Both recipes are really good and have definately made it into my must make again pile. Hope you have had a great start to your New Year and that you haven't already abandoned your resolutions....I haven't abandoned mine but am definately falling short. Good thing we get to start over each day and try to do better.

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups oats (I used 1 cup old fashioned, 2 cups quick)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1/2 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Mix all together and pour into greased 8X8 pan bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Serve warm with raspberries and milk, if desired.

**This is half of the original recipe and I still had left overs. I did make some changes to cut out some of the fat: I used 1/4 cup applesauce and 1 Tablespoon ground flax, 3 Tablespoons oil in place of the amount of oil called for. I used partially thawed frozen raspberries since fresh ones are a little hard to come by for a decent price in the middle of winter. ***Update 2/5/10: I did make this again and have heard back from several of you and have found that it really is better to cut the sugar back to 3/4 cup and maybe trimming down the salt a little to 1/2 -3/4 teaspoon. Thanks for all your thoughts!

Easy Manicotti

Sauce:

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, in juice

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2-1 pound ground beef, cooked

Cheese Filling and Pasta:

3 cups small curd cottage cheese

2 cups grated parmesean cheese

2 cups shredded mozarella cheese

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (dried can be used, just less)

2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped

16 no-boil lasagna noodles (1 box of Barilla brand works great)

Heat oven to 375. Heat oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, basil, and salt and ground beef. Simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 min.

In medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, 1 cup parmesean cheese, mozarella cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs.

To assemble, pour 1 inch boiling water into 9X13 baking dish. Add noodles one at a time and let soak until pliable, about 5 min. Separate occasionally with sharp knife tip to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in a single layer on clean dish towels. Discard water in baking dish and dry dish.

Spread bottom of dish with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll each noodle into a tube and arrange in baking dish with seam side down. Top evenly with remaining sauce, making sure to completely cover pasta. You should be able to make 2 rows of 8 manicotti. Cover baking dish with foil and bake about 40 min or until bubbly. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining parmesean cheese. Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, 5-10 min. Remove from oven and let sit 15 min before serving.

**You can prepare this up until the baking step and then refridgerate or freeze. If you freeze it, thaw and increase baking time to 1- 1 1/4 hours.

**The original recipe left out the ground beef and used ricotta cheese.

Recipe Source: slightly adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Tasteful Tuesday

Okay, so I didn't totally forget about you today! Just a little slow getting things posted. I figured I needed to get my Christmas shopping done this morning as it is getting a little too close to crunch time for me. I am pretty much done except for a few items I can't find anywhere! I guess that is what I get for not buying them when I saw them and thought "I should buy these for the kids" and then walking away. Anyway, I know this is a crazy time for everyone and so I thought I would share a great meal that can be quick and easy. I usually make my own meatballs but you can used the prepackaged ones for an even quicker meal. Pair this up with a green salad and you have one tasty dinner, without going to subway to get it!

Meatball Subs

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup oats

1 egg

2-3 Tablespoons dried onions

(or 1/4 cup chopped onion)

salt and pepper

1 package good hoagie rolls

1 jar marinara sauce

Sliced mozarella or provolone cheese

Mix the ground beef with oats, onions, egg, salt and pepper. Roll into meatballs and place in 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 for 15-20 min. Warm the marinara sauce and add meatballs. Split rolls and put cheese on one side, place on baking sheet. Spoon 3-4 meatballs on the other side along with a little sauce. Set your oven to broil and place baking sheet in oven until cheese is melted. *For the kids sandwhiches, I usually cut the meatballs in half. That way they don't pop out as much.