Menu for December 28th- January 3rd

Monday- The game on monday is Minnesota at Chicago. I'm very excited because i'm going to attempt to make a Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza. I have wanted to make one for awhile so hopefully it turns out good.

Tuesday- Famous Dave's their devils spit hot wings are super yummy

Wednesday- Chicken & Biscuits with all the craziness last week I didn't make this so I will do it this week.

Thursday-New Years Eve Marinated Top Sirloin, Party Potatoes

Friday- Bacon Cheeseburger, tater tots

Saturday- My husband is making Shrimp Fettucini Alfredo, green beans

Sunday- Day at Tony's for the Rams vs. 49er game

Merry Christmas

As I sit in on my couch staring at the presents and christmas lights, I think wow life is so wonderful. I'm patiently waiting to here the pitter patter of little feet. I can't wait to see the joy on their faces when they see their gifts. Christmas was very fun to get ready for this year. Since the kids are 4 and 6 they have some memory of what happened last year and are very excited for this year. We are so blessed to have all that we do. So from my family to yours

we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Chicken Stir fry over Noodles

I have entered this recipe into Presto Pasta Night #145 at Once Upon A Feast, check out all the yummy pasta recipes on January 8, 2010.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched

1/4 head cabbage chopped

1 carrot, sliced thin

1/2 yellow onion, cut into thin strips

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoon, plus 1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sriracha

1/2 pound cooked spaghetti noodles

Make It:

In a large bag combine 2 tablespoons chicken broth, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, and garlic powder. Add chicken, seal bag and turn to coat. Heat wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil, add chicken to wok and stir fry until cooked about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon oil to wok and add carrots, onion, and bell pepper, stir fry for a minute or two until softened add broccoli and cabbage, stir fry for another minute. In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, rest of chicken broth and sriracha. Add chicken back to wok, add sauce to wok, cook and stir until combined and thickened, about 2 minutes. Add noodles to wok and stir until combined. Enjoy!

Cheddar & Bacon Potatoes

Ingredients:

6 red potatoes, cut into fourths

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

3 pieces bacon, cut into small pieces

Make It:

Boil potatoes for a couple minutes to soften them. Preheat oven to 375. In a skillet cook bacon over medium heat, until almost crispy, stirring often. Pour potatoes into a casserole dish. Pour bacon and bacon grease over potatoes, stir to coat the potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes, check potatoes and see if they are tender, if they are not cook another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and place under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chip & Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 stick butter, softened

4 ounces butter flavored crisco

3 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1 bag white chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Make It:

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl beat together sugar, butter, shortening, and brown sugar until creamy. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing each one in before adding the next. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. With mixer on low, slowly pour in flour mixture, a little at a time. Once all flour is poured in, mix until completely combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut. Drop tablespoons of dough( I use a melon baller)onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then move cookies to a rack and allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

Mint and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 stick butter, softened

4 ounces butter flavored crisco

3 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1 bag mint and dark chocolate chips

Make It:

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl beat together sugar, butter, shortening, and brown sugar until creamy. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing each one in before adding the next. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. With mixer on low, slowly pour in flour mixture, a little at a time. Once all flour is poured in, mix until completely combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Drop tablespoons of dough( I use a melon baller)onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then move cookies to a rack and allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

Fancy Pork & Beans

This might sound weird, but the mixture of sweet and spicy is really good. This recipe is also quick and easy.

Ingredients:

2 cans baked beans(I don't have a homemade recipe for these yet but i'm working on it)

1 package cheddarwurst, sliced

1 can ranch style beans

1 jalapeno, diced

1 shallot, diced

Ingredients:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, spray with pam and add shallots and jalapenos. Cook and stir until softened. Add all cans of beans and stir, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes. Heat a separate pan over medium heat, and add cheddarwurst. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Pour into beans, stir. Cook for another ten minutes. Enjoy!

S'more Cookies

This recipe comes out of a pillsbury magazine from 2007. I make them every year, and people just love them.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cups flour

1 cup ground up graham crackers, Put about 8 whole graham crackers in a ziploc bag and seal it, crush graham crackers with a rolling pin until they are ground up.

1/2 teaspoon salt

120 mini marshmallows

30 hershey chocolate rectangles, broken in half

Make It:

Preheat oven 325. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar, until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until blended together. Add flour and graham cracker and salt. Beat on low until a stiff dough forms. Shape teaspoons of dough into 60 balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press the center of each ball down with your thumb, to make an indention. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and press two mini marshmallows into each cookie, put back in oven and bake for 2 minutes. Remove from oven and place one piece of chocolate on each cookie. Allow to sit for ten minutes then smooth the chocolate around on the cookie. Move to a rack to allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

Christmas M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 stick butter, softened

4 ounces butter flavored crisco

3 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup christmas M&M's

1/2 cup dark christmas M&M's

Make It:

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl beat together sugar, butter, shortening, and brown sugar until creamy. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing each one in before adding the next. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. With mixer on low, slowly pour in flour mixture, a little at a time. Once all flour is poured in, mix until completely combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips and M&M's. Drop tablespoons of dough( I use a melon baller)onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then move cookies to a rack and allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

Menu for December 21st - December 27th

Monday: The game this week is New York Giants at Washington Redskins, I might sound crazy but when I think redskins I think Pork! So i'm making Fancy Pork & Beans, oranges

Tuesday: Chicken and Biscuits

Wednesday: Beef Stir Fry, sticky rice

Thursday:Pork Loin Chop, Cheddar & Bacon Potatoes, Cauliflower

Friday: Christmas!

Saturday: Out of town

Sunday: Mozzarella Chicken with cavatelli noodles

Desserts of the week: Mint & dark chocolate chip cookies, Hershey kisses purses, Rice crispie treats, Peanut butter cookies, White chocolate chip & coconut cookies.

Salami, Mozzarella, and Arugula Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 mini ciabatta loaves

8 arugula leaves

16 salami slices

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced into 8 slices

Make It:

Preheat broiler to high. Cut each loaf in half then slice open. On each piece of ciabatta place 2 pieces of salami then one piece of mozzarella. Place all on a cookie sheet under broiler, broil until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Take out and put 2 arugula leaves on four of the salami, cheese halves. Make sandwiches by placing the non arugula halves on the other halves. Lightly press together. Enjoy!

Pasta e fagioli

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

8 ounces shell noodles

28 ounces diced tomatoes

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

5 cups beef broth

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley

Make It:

Heat a large skillet over med high heat, add ground beef and break up with a spoon while it browns. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat, add vegetable oil, add onion, carrots, and celery to pan. Once beef is browned throughout, drain of grease and add to pot with vegetables. Stir to combine and add tomatoes to pot. Simmer for ten minutes. Add all the other ingredients to the pot, stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Enjoy!

Bow Tie Crab Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cups crab meat, I have leftover king crab so thats what i'm using

1 pound bow tie noodles, cooked

4 oz. velveeta, cut into cubes

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup fontina cheese, grated

1 cup parmesan, grated

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

4 cups milk

2 to 3 drops hot sauce(optional)

Make It:

Preheat oven to 350. Heat a large pot over medium heat, add butter and melt. Once butter is melted whisk in flour. When flour and butter are combined whisk in milk one cup at a time. Bring to a low boil, stirring often to avoid burning. Once boiling reduce heat a little and allow mixture to cook and thicken for five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in velveeta, cheddar, fontina, and 1/2 cup parmesan. Stir until combined and cheese is completely melted. Stir in hot sauce. Add in noodles and crab and stir to combine. Spray a large casserole dish with pam, and pour noodle mixture into dish. Mix together panko and parmesan, sprinkle onto top of casserole. Bake for thirty to forty five minutes until bread crumbs are golden brown. Enjoy!

Chili Seasoning Mix

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons new mexico chile powder

6 teaspoons paprika

3 tablespoons granulated garlic

3 tablespoons pasilla chile powder

3 tablespoons cumin

6 tablespoons salt

3 tablespoons ground black pepper

Make It:

Mix all together and store in a jar. Can be used in chilis, beans, as a steak rub or for whatever you want. Enjoy!

4 Bean Chili

Ingredients:

2 cups dry black beans

2 cups dry kidney beans

2 cups dry cranberry beans

1 can ranch style beans

1 pound ground beef

1 pound pork stew meat

2 small or 1 large green bell pepper, diced

3 jalapenos, diced

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

1 onion, diced

8 tablespoons chili seasoning mix

1 small can salsa verde

salt and pepper and red chile flakes to taste

Make It:

Soak all dry beans in enough water to cover, overnight. Heat a large pot over medium heat, add beef to the pot, cook breaking up with a spoon until browned. Add onion, bell pepper, and jalapenos to meat, cook and stir till softened. Drain off extra fat if needed. Add beans, pork, tomatoes, salsa verde and seasoning, stir together( if mixture seems to thick add a little water, beer, or beef broth).Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover taste and add salt, pepper and red chile flakes if needed. Allow to cook for another hour uncovered. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Enjoy!

Oreo Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:

12 ice cream sandwiches

1 tub cool whip

8 oreos crushed

1/2c. chocolate syrup

1 small package pudding

Make It:

Whisk pudding, chocolate syrup, and 1 cup cool whip until combined(if it is not smooth add a little milk). Stir in crushed oreos. On a large plate lay 4 sandwiches side by side, spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture on top of the sandwiches. Lay the next 4 sandwiches on top of the pudding side by side. Spread on the rest of the pudding mixture. Put on the last 4 sandwiches side by side, Spread the rest of the cool whip over the whole cake. Cover with foil, put in freezer for at least 2 hours, slice and Enjoy!

Menu for December 14th - December 20th

Monday- The game this week is Arizona vs. San Francisco, when I think of the bay area I think seafood. So i'm going to make a Bow Tie Crab Casserole, butter carrots

Tuesday- Pizza

Wednesday- Salami arugula mozzarella grilled sandwich, pasta e fagioli

Thursday- Broccoli cheese soup, chicken strips, sourdough bread

Friday- Fire roasted tomato sauce over fettucini noodles & spaghetti squash

Saturday- Christmas Party

Sunday- Chile verde burritos, orange & apple salad

Dessert of the week: Christmas M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies and S'more Cookies

Winter Vegetable Puree for Baby

This recipe makes enough to fill an ice cube tray,

a jar, and a serving to be eaten as soon as its ready.

Special Note: If your baby is under nine months old, don't add the broccoli(it is harder to digest) and blend it until smooth.

Ingredients:

3 golden potatoes, peeled

1 broccoli stem, sliced, and boiled until tender

1 large sweet potato or 2 small, peeled, and cut into pieces the same size as the potatoes

1 butternut squash, roasted, and meat taken out

1 cup apple juice for thinning

Make It:

In a 375 degree oven roast potato and sweet potato, for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into smaller pieces. Put potatoes and sweet potato into the blender with apple juice, blend until smooth. Add butternut squash, blend until smooth. Add broccoli and blend until mostly smooth, leaving it a little chunky. Put into an ice cube tray and freeze for later use. Enjoy!

Tips on beets

From what I have noticed not to many people like beets, and others have no idea what to do with them. So here is a little help. First off you can eat the whole thing greens and all. I chopped the beet greens up and tossed them with mushrooms, and green leaf lettuce, you can use any lettuce, and balsamic dressing.

The stalks i'm going to saute with celery and broccoli as a veggie side dish. The beet part takes a little prep but then it can be used in all kinds of recipes. Preheat oven to 375. Take beets and cut off greens and stalks and save, cut off root and discard. Wrap each beet in foil, place on a cookie sheet and bake for an hour or until a fork goes in with ease.

Allow to cool then remove skins. Removing the skins is tricky because they stain. If you have kitchen gloves wear them, I don't so I used plastic sandwich bags to cover my hands, and removed skins over the trash can.

At this point you can use them in a salad or in any beet recipe you have, or you can store them in the fridge until you are ready to use them. Enjoy!

Beets & Red Onion with Feta

Ingredients:

3 beets, baked until tender and skin removed, cut into wedges

1 red onion, cut into wedges

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

feta cheese

Make It:

Heat oven to 400. On a cookie sheet toss beets and onion with vegetable oil. Roast until onions are tender, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with feta, as much as you like, and put back in the oven. Bake for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Fennel & Carrot Saute

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb, sliced into thin pieces

2 carrots, sliced at an angle

1/4 cup water

pam

1 tablespoon chopped dill

1 tablespoon butter

pinch of salt

Make It:

Heat a skillet over medium heat, spray with pam, add veggies to pan, and saute for 1 minute. Add water to pan, simmer for 5 minutes, or until water is gone. Add butter and salt to pan and toss to coat. Enjoy!

Double Decker Grilled Cheese & Green Bay Booyah

Booyah is a chicken and vegetable stew that was created in Green Bay. It is supposed to be made to feed a crowd, but i'm only feeding 4 so i'm making a smaller version. Traditionally its cooked outside for a long period of time. This is an indoor modified version, but with traditional ingredients.

Grilled cheese ingredients:

12 pieces garlic cheddar bread

4 slices sharp cheddar

4 slices medium cheddar

4 slices swiss

4 slices colby jack

butter

Make It:

Heat an iron skillet over medium high heat. Butter one side of 8 pieces of bread. Place one piece of bread butter side down in skillet, place one slice sharp cheddar on bread and one slice colby jack on sharp cheddar slice. Place one piece of unbuttered bread on the colby jack, then put one slice medium cheddar on bread and one slice swiss on medium cheddar, place a piece of buttered bread on top of that, butter side up. Cook until cheese on the bottom starts to melt, then flip and cook until all cheese is melted and bread is browned, you may need to lower the heat depending on your pan, if the bread is getting to dark. Enjoy!

Booyah Ingredients:

1 pound chicken thighs, skin off, left whole

1/2 pound stew meat

2 cups onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

5 cups chicken broth

5 cups beef broth

1 can stewed tomatoes

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

1 cup green beans, chopped

1 pound red potatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon soy sauce

juice of one lemon

Make It:

Put chicken and beef, bay leaves and broths and salt and pepper in a large pot, bring to a boil. Reduce heat cover and simmer for an hour. Uncover and add vegetables, lemon juice, soy sauce and salt and pepper if it needs it. Bring back up to a boil, stirring occasionally, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes uncovered. Enjoy!

Abundant Harvest Box and Farmers Market

In the box this week I got a head of cabbage, a head of escarole, 3 beets, butternut squash, fennel, broccoli, carrots, popcorn, apples, oranges, mandarin oranges, bell peppers, and marjoram. From the farmers market I picked up red onion, mushrooms, green beans, lemons, and a loaf of cheddar garlic bread from Great Harvest Bread Company. The weather is changing and we are getting new things. At the time our bodies our fighting off colds and flus we get citrus loaded with vitamin c. I don't have a recipe to use the lemons this week so i'm going to freeze the juice to save for when I need it. Beets and fennel are new so keep your eye out for the new recipes.

Red Lasagna

I have entered this recipe into Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by Kevin at Closet Cooking, so check it out next friday December 11th.

I know this recipe looks complicated but once you do it, it is pretty easy, just time consuming!

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles

28oz. tomato sauce or jar spaghetti sauce

1 large or 2 small green bell pepper, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 pound ground beef

2 hot italian sausage

18 oz. ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan

3 cups shredded mozzarella

2 teas. finely chopped garlic

10 fresh basil leaves

1/2 bunch italian parsley

1 egg

salt & pepper

1 cup water

Make It:

Heat a large pot over medium, add ground beef, stir and cook until browned. Add italian sausage, squeezing it out of casing and breaking it up with a spoon. Stir and cook until browned, drain off fat. Add bell pepper and onion to pot, cook and stir until softened. Pour tomato sauce into pot, stir to combine. Add a 1/4 of the italian parsley bunch, leave whole. Bring to a boil, stir, lower heat and cover. Cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. Chop 7 of the basil leaves and the rest of the italian parsley. In a large bowl mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, chopped basil and parsley, stir to combine. Add salt and pepper, taste, if you need more seasoning add it. In a separate bowl lightly beat egg. Pour egg into cheese mixture and stir to combine, cover and place in refrigerator( this step can be done the day before if you like). Chop 3 remaining basil leaves. Uncover sauce, remove italian parsley and stir in basil, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn off heat under sauce and add one cup water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large casserole dish ladle in 1/5 of your sauce, should be enough to cover the bottom of the dish, then layer 3 noodles(press noodles in sauce a little) then spread 1/4 cheese mixture over noodles, then sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan, then ladle on 1/5 of sauce. Repeat this step 3 more times. On top layer pour on rest of sauce, and sprinkle on rest of mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with foil(I spray the side of my foil that will be on the cheese with cooking spray) bake for 1 hour, check and if cheese on top is mostly melted remove cover and bake another 30 minutes, remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Menu for December 7th - December 13th

Monday- The football game is Baltimore at Green Bay so i'm making Double decker grilled cheese sandwiches and Green Bay Booyah

Tuesday- Jessica's Birthday Dinner

Wednesday- Spaghetti & Meatballs, fennel and carrot saute

Thursday- New york steak, rice pilaf, beets and red onion with feta

Friday- Chicken stir fry over noodles

Saturday- 4 bean chili, cornbread muffins

Sunday- Oven roasted chicken breasts with carrots, butternut squash, onion, and red potatoes with sauce

Shells and Cheese

Ingredients:

1/2 pound shell noodles, cooked

4 oz velveeta cheese, cut into cubes

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

milk to thin

Make It:

Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add velveeta. Stir until melted, stir in cheddar and stir until melted. Stir in enough milk to get a saucy consistency. Pour noodles into sauce, stir to combine. Enjoy!

Rosemary Flank Steak

Ingredients:

1 flank steak

2 stems fresh rosemary

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon garlic

Make It:

Preheat broiler on high. Place flank steak on a cookie sheet, place rosemary stems on top, and brush steak and rosemary with vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place under broiler for 10-12 minutes for medium rare. Take out of broiler and let steak rest. In a saucepan over medium heat melt butter and garlic, whisk in flour. Add beef broth and whisk until thickened. Add rosemary stems to saucepan and allow to cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Slice meat against the grain to serve. Serve with a drizzle of sauce. Enjoy!

Honey Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

1 shallot, diced

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon butter

salt to taste

Make it:

Boil or steam sweet potatoes until tender. Heat a skillet over medium low heat, add a spray of pam and shallots to pan. Allow shallots to cook over low heat until soft. Add butter to pan, once it is melted add sweet potatoes, toss to combine. Add honey and salt and stir to combine. Enjoy!

Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground beef

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 can enchilada sauce

10 corn tortillas

1/2 white onion chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1/2 package taco seasoning

1/4 cup water

sliced olive

sour cream

Make It:

Preheat oven to 350. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add meat. Let the meat cook until brown throughout, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Drain off most of the grease, and add onion and jalapeno, stir to combine. Cook until onion is tender, add taco seasoning and water, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Heat another skillet over medium heat, pour enchilada sauce in and cook until warm. One at a time dip each tortilla in sauce, then place in a casserole dish, fill with meat mixture and a sprinkle of cheese, roll up and place seam side down in dish. Continue with all the tortillas. Once you have them all filled and rolled top with remaining enchilada sauce, remaining cheese and olives. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serve topped with sour cream. Enjoy!