Thanksgiving Week

Day One: Monday
Today I have made sugar cookie dough, chocolate sugar cookie dough, nutter butter truffles, and half the oreo truffles ... the other half are ready to be dipped in white chocolate, but I'm not melting the white chocolate yet. so in the refrigerator it all goes :)
I am currently struggling with making chocolate shells, I've never done it before, so i think i'm going to be buying alot more chocolate, the first set was not so successful, however i did it (it just doesn't look so hot) so I will be melting them down again, and trying again. Wish me luck!

I'm gonna take a break and relax - then its time to get to cleaning! Stay tuned...
I'll post the recipes for the cookies and truffles later.

a month...

It has been a month since I posted anything. I haven't really shopped or planned in a couple months. I haven't really even tried any new recipes. I've been very lazy, but I'm starting to get back into planning, etc. Last night I made burgers, but not just any burgers. Stuffed hamburgers.
Ground Beef, seasoned with salt and pepper made into 8 equal patties. patty + a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato, a slice of mozzarella again, and top it off with another patty. seal it up really good and season the outside of the burger with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. cook approximately 5 min on each side (makes 4). it was a quick cheap and yummy meal. we had some store bought onion rings with it.

I ordered a box of food from angel food ministries this month - a trial if you will. I pick it up on Saturday. For us, one of their boxes will probably stretch about 2 - 2 1/2 weeks. for $30 that isn't bad. after we decide if we like it, we'll see about ordering it again in November... possibly two boxes. The pick up date for the month is so late i should be calling it December, 'cause that is when we will be eating it, but for now I will try not to confuse myself or anyone else.

Two weeks ago I made a "fake" chocolate pie. chocolate pudding in a jiffy pie shell with cookies n cream... uh well cream, on top. Last week I made cinnamon rolls. They didn't turn out great, but still good. (of course I made some sans cinnamon for you know who...) This week I made a box chocolate cake with homemade raspberry syrup on it/in it (I had to do something with the raspberries we picked!). Its good but sticky, but good. It will be breakfast for me for the week.
Yesterday I also made homemade applesauce, mostly to give to Keira, but I will definitely be enjoying it too. I still have a ton of apples and need to find something to do with them before they go bad. I would try my hand at an apple pie, but i would be the only one eating it, and a.) i don't want to more of a cow than I already am, and b.) it would end up going bad before I could consume it all, that is of course, assuming I don't eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dessert with dinner. (Don't put me past it... I've done crazier things)

That's all for now as Keira is trying to help me type!

new recipe...

Pizza night tonight - as usual - and we tried some new ones...
We had a BBQ chicken, onion, and pineapple pizza (MMMmmm)
& Loaded Baked Potato Pizza - I was so full from the previous pizzas to try this one, but it was made and will be eaten - I felt it was something that must be shared :)

Pizza!

Who doesn't love pizza?
It is so versatile!!!!
Saturday nights are PIZZA NIGHT!
I just realized I have never posted the pizza dough recipe... So I thought I would now before I get started on pizza for this evening (on my brand new pampered chef stone! I wonder how different it will be)

The Recipe:
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (+ more for handling)
1 teaspoon salt
oil

Put warm water in a cup; sprinkle yeast over water and stir in sugar.  Let yeast stand for about 10 minutes or until it begins to bubble.
Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl; pour yeast mixture and mix with a dough hook until a stiff dough is formed.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.  Add extra flour as needed to keep from sticking to hands and surface.
Place in a large bowl greased with oil (olive oil, mmmm) turn dough over to coat the other side. Cover with a dish towl; let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.  Dough will double in bulk; punch down and divide in half.  Stretch dough into two separate pizzas.
After topped with all the goodies, bake at 425 for 12-18 minutes :)
ENJOY!
(I'll be topping one of them with Mike's favorite toppings - Diced Tomatoes & Fresh Garlic)
mmmm I'm getting really hungry....

Recreating Restaurant Dinners: 1

Last night I made a recreation of Mike's favorite dinner from Chili's:
Monterey Chicken
It was pretty darn delicious, and a very close to real knock-off.
The recipe:
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and pounded out a little bit (not too thin just so its even)
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
3/4 cup shredded jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
your favorite BBQ sauce, I used sweet baby ray's original
fresh diced tomatoes and chives or green onions for garnish

1. cook the bacon til crisp. place on a plate with a paper towel, and do whatever you want with the bacon fat. (I saved it and put it in the freezer)
2. salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and cook in the same pan as the bacon.
3. Preheat Oven to 350.
4. put chicken in an oven safe dish and spread 1-2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce on each chicken breast.  Top with bacon and then with the jack and cheddar cheese mixture. Cover with Aluminum Foil. Put in Oven until the cheese is melted.
5. Dice Tomatoes and green onion. When you take the chicken out of the oven and put it on the plate, top it with the tomatoes and green onion (or chives).

I served this with a baked potato and broccoli, cauliflower, carrot in a cheese sauce (green giant frozen veggies)

Chili's price (for 1 serving): $10.29
Homemade Price (for 4 servings): approximately $9
It took less time to make than it would have taken me to call Chili's and go there pick up the food and bring it back... Totally Worth It!!

Left -Over Eggroll wrappers...

+ String Cheese = Mozzarella Sticks!
Thank you Guy Fieri for this gem of an idea!
I made this, and I'm not a very skilled fryer so the oil was too hot, and the mozzarella sticks a lil darker than i'd like and the chesse not as ooey gooey as it was on his show - but I'd totally make them again! They were still delicious - and I think everyone should make them!
check out the recipe here!
I made 6 (without the salami) and I cut the string cheese in half - so I only used 3 of those.
I used 1 egg with a splash of milk, and just eyed the bread crumbs - I didn't have panko - but they were still crunchy!
I hope you all try this and enjoy - Its yummy :)

The pancake recipe

So this is officially the first recipe I have actually written out (with the exception of my cajun chicken pasta)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tbsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, separated
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp melted butter


Directions:

Mix together buttermilk**, egg yolks, vanilla and sugar. Sift the flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients. Stir together until well mixed. Then add the melted butter and stir. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until you reach stiff peaks. While your pan or griddle is heating up, Fold the egg whites into the batter. Butter your pan or griddle, add a ladle of batter and wait until you see bubbles all over before you flip.*** Repeat until your batter is gone.*

*Keep your pancakes warm while you finish the batter. Preheat the oven to 250. Place pancakes on an ungreased baking sheet in a single layer and cover lightly with aluminum foil and put in the oven until you are ready to serve.

**Don't have buttermilk? You can use regular milk, but if you have 5 minutes and lemon juice or white vinegar you can make your own. Take your measuring cup and add 2 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar and add milk to that up to the 2 1/2 cup mark and let sit for 5 minutes.


***If you want to add blueberries, chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts, etc. to the pancakes, do so after you have ladled the batter onto the griddle, but before you flip. You can control how much you want in each pancake, how well its dispersed AND you prevent it from burning.

The Stuffed Shells...

INGREDIENTS:

1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells

2 eggs, beaten

1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese

1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1-2 28oz jars of pasta sauce (or make it homemade)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, stir together pasta sauce, mushrooms and reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over stuffed shells.

Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

A Whole Week

Wow, busy-ness and sick make me a dull girl...

So last week I made a whole chicken, and then made meals all week from the chicken... AND still had left-overs (that need to be thrown away yet)

This week = HAM!

I made a 8lb spiral ham yesterday that I got for under $9!
We just had some box scalloped potatoes and some Green Giant Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Carrot in Cheese sauce frozen thing, and a salad with it yesterday.

Tonight:
Cheddar and Ham Mac and Cheese
(Cheap and Delicious and easily enough for 6+ people... really its a TON of food!)

Ingredients:

2 boxes of Mac and Cheese, prepared
about a cup of frozen peas
between 1 and 2 cups of ham
about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese
between a half a cup and a cup of ritz crackers crushed, with a tbs of butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Prepare the Mac and Cheese as directed. Add the peas and ham, mix and put in a baking dish. Top with cheese and then top with ritz crushed crackers. Bake for 15 minutes.

ENJOY! :)

Memorial Day Recipes

I didn't take any pictures this time because I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed trying to just get it done, lots of housework awaits...
But I wanted to share these 2 recipes, both of which are amazing and worth trying!

1st Recipe for BBQ #1:
CHEESECAKE
For the record... My entire life this was the only cheesecake I ever ate, and assumed I loved cheesecake... not the case, I really only love this cheesecake - that's how amazing it is :) (I've only found one other cheesecake that I even like)
Its a lot of work but, oh, so worth it:

Crust:

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS:

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients until well blended.

PRESS firmly onto bottom and up side of spring form pan.

BAKE 8 min. or until lightly browned; cool completely.

Filling:

INGREDIENTS:

4 – 8oz. Pkg. Cream Cheese (softened)

½ Lemon (squeezed)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 cup Sugar

4 eggs

Topping:

1 – 16oz. Pkg. Sour Cream

¼ cup Sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Filling: PREHEAT 350° W/ PAN OF WATER IN OVEN

Cream all ingredients together, adding 1 egg at a time. Fill spring form pan with filling, and smooth out the top. Bake in oven for 50-55 minutes. Let Set (approximately 10 minutes).

Topping: Cream ingredients together. Add topping to cheesecake after it has set. Spread just shy of the edges. Place bake in oven for 5 additional minutes.

Tips: Wait for it to completely cool before refrigerating or attempting to remove the side of the pan. When refrigerating, cover with plastic wrap, but leave an opening to keep away condensation...

ok i couldn't help myself.... here's the final product:

2nd Recipe for BBQ #2:

Pizza Dip (I doubled this recipe)

INGREDIENTS:
1 (8-oz.) container soft cream cheese with chives and onions

1/2 cup chunky pizza sauce

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped pepperoni

2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese

2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese

(I added some Jack cheese too...yum! I love me my cheese!)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 9-inch pie pan or 1 to 1 1/2-quart baking dish, layer all ingredients in order listed.
Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 15 minutes or until dip is hot and cheese is melted.

Serve warm with bagel crisps, bagel chips, pita chips, crackers or tortilla chips work too.

Cookies...

So I always struggled with what to do with my over ripe bananas... I mean banana bread is delicious but I like options... So I'm open to new ideas, but this is one of my favorites!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies (Softies)
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 ripe banana
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
walnuts optional but I think make them delicious!

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheets or use parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt on to a piece of wax paper (to make it easier to add it to the wet ingredients when its time)
In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the banana and egg, then stir in the vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Crockpot Thursday: Chicken & Dumplings

I missed posting my crockpot recipe yesterday! So here it is:

Chicken and Dumplings
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts =$2 @ Meijer
2 tbsp butter
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup = $0.50 @ Walgreens
1 onion, finely diced = (had on hand)
2 pkgs refrigerated biscuit dough, each biscuit cut in half =$1 @ Meijer
Optional: peas and carrots = (peas = on hand), carrots = $0.35 @ Caputo's
I just threw in about 1/3 of a bag of frozen peas, and 1/4 of a bag of baby carrots cut in half

Place chicken, butter, soup, onion and some water to cover (I didn't add any water this time because the soup covered the chicken, and the chicken was frozen so I know it gave off a little water as it thawed)
Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours, and 1 hour before serving add the veggies and biscuits (I don't like my carrots mushy so I put them in an hour

TOTAL COST (Serves 5-6) = $4!!!!

mmmm Meat Sauce...

I could easily make my spaghetti sauce or "gravy" (haha) from scratch, but boy is that toooooo much work for a week day (maybe one Sunday I'll make it and post the recipe) but today I'm just using jar sauce and doctorin' it up!

I think the key to a good MEAT sauce is some sort of meat on the bone - that is where the flavor is! So I normally buy the cheapest pork I can find on the bone...
Of course this time I bought way more than I needed so my costs are going to be way off (but this will make a ton)

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Tomato, Cucumber, Mozzarella Salad

Meijer: Western Ribs - $4.51
Meijer: 1/2 lb ground pork - $1.92
Caputo's: 1/2 lb ground turkey - $1.35
2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce - I'm using Rinaldi that i had in the cabinet which I think I got at Jewel B1G1F ($1.50/ea)
1 box pasta (on hand)

you can use any spices you like in your sauce, I use garlic, fennel seed, italian seasoning, and oregano.


First I coat the pan with olive oil and throw 2 sliced garlic cloves in. Then salt and pepper the western ribs, and brown them in the pan. Once It is browned I add the ground meat and cook it through, and add the rest of the spices. Then throw in the two jars of sauce

and put the heat on low (and cook it ALL DAY!) okay I realize all day is vague and impossible, but I started it at 1pm for 6pm dinner... The western ribs should fall apart.

If you choose to make meat balls (which I didn't today), I always put them in the sauce for the last 30 minutes, it gives both the meatballs and the sauce tons of flavor, and the meatballs will be soooo moist. (a couple other yummy things to put in the sauce to make it tasty: italian sausage or braciole)

I'm only making 1lb of pasta, for dinner tonight and lunch leftovers for a couple days, but there will be soooo much sauce left - be prepared to freeze some for next time.

I also made a "salad" to go with the pasta...
2 tomatoes (Caputo's : $0.60)
1/2 cucumber (had on hand)
mozzarella ($1)
1 basil leaf (Caputo's: bunch = $1.49)
olive oil (on hand)
salt (on hand)
Romano (on hand)

I slice everything up and layer it around a bowl, salt the tomatoes, and top with olive oil and the basil leaf cut into ribbons. Let it marinade as long as possible - Top with Romano or Parmesan right before serving...
Total cost (Serves 4-6 with sauce left over for another 4 servings): UNDER $15

Super Easy Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

Sorry no pictures this time... I was hungry and gobbled it up before the camera could come out!

Strack & Van Til: Pork Loin Roast (approx. 3lbs) = $4.25
Meijer: Wheat Hamburger Buns = $1.79

Stuff On Hand: salt & pepper, 1/2 can of coke or pepsi, your favorite BBQ sauce

Season the Pork Roast with salt & pepper and cook in crockpot w/ 1 1/2 cups of water on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours. Take it out of the crockpot & pull the pork with two forks, and remove any bones if there are any in your roast. Dump out all the water & fat out of the crockpot and put the pulled pork back in. Add 1/2 can of pop, and as much of your BBQ sauce as you'd like (I used Open Pit Original & started with 1/4-1/2 cup, then added a little more right before serving) Cook on High for an additional hour with the pop & BBQ sauce.

Serve on Hamburger Buns with chips or fries! mmm mmm delicious!

Total cost (Serves about 6, maybe more) = UNDER $7!!!!

Stuffed Pork Chops and Oven Roasted Veggies

Stuffed Pork Chops

Okay, Okay... I admit its a weeknight, and unless its Thanksgiving, you won't see me making stuffing from scratch! So this is my "Semi-homemade" meal, with the use of Stove Top Stuffing :)

You should use Thick Cut Pork Chops, and butterfly them to stuff them, but again, I'm cheap, and Thin Cut Pork Chops were less expensive, so I am going to use them and secure two together with toothpicks! Season the chops on both sides with a little salt and fresh cracked pepper. I then pan-fried each chop (2 min on each side and then took a sheet pan, covered in aluminum foil, and sprayed with butter... Then place one Thin Cut pork chop down, put a tablespoon or so of stuffing in the center and put another pork chop on top. Secure along one side with tooth picks, repeat as necessary, and bake in a 350 oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

Oven Roasted Veggies (courtesy of Caputo's Markets)

Recipe:

2 Tbsp Olive oil (I don't measure this, just coat the pan and drizzle some on
top of the veggies...)
1 lb Rutabagas or Turnips, peeled and cubed
1 lb Onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2 in pieces (I'll be using baby carrots)
1/2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled (I'm just going to cut a whole head of garlic in
half & throw it in)
2 tsp sage
2 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
(I am adding a red pepper, a couple potatoes and some grape roma tomatoes to this recipe)














Preheat oven at 450. Heat roasting pan in oven for 15 min. Coat the pan with olive oil, and add veggies, garlic and sprinkle with herbs. Drizzle veggies with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Seal tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 30 min. Remove foil and continue to roast for 15 min or until veggies are tender.


Overall - pretty delicious! The pork chops were pretty moist considering how thin they were. And the veggies were good... we have a difference in opinion on what veggies are delicious [I'm not much of a fan of cooked carrots and potatoes (any other way than mashed and fries!) and he is not much of a fan of everything else!]

Other things on the plate:
Rhodes Frozen Wheat Texas Rolls... BEST invention ever! Spray a muffin pan, take the rolls out of the freezer 3 - 5 hours before you need to cook them, let them sit with a kitchen towel over them, and when you ready for dinner, throw 'em in a 350 oven for 13 min :) When they come out of the oven I brush garlic butter on them (2 tbsp of butter with 1 tsp of garlic powder is good for 6 rolls) DELICIOUS!

And yes, that is applesauce you see in the corner... "Pork Chops and Applesauce!"

A German Meal this evening

Lemon Chicken Schnitzel & Spaetzle

Lemon Chicken Schnitzel:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
juice of 1/2 lemon or 2 tbsp on lemon juice
concentrate
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1 egg
1 tsp water
1/2 cup dry seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350. Place chicken in between two pieces of wax paper, and whack the crap out of it with the flat side of a tenderizer or a bottom of a bottle until the chicken is flattened out. Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 min... BEWARE! the longer you let it set the more lemony it will be (but this process makes it nearly impossible to cook a piece of dry chicken... it will be moist and delicious every time!)
Make yourself an assembly line... 3 bowls and a lightly greased baking sheet (you can use whatever you have on hand, butter, oil, spray) 1st bowl: mix together the flour, salt, and thyme. 2nd bowl: beat the egg with the water. 3rd bowl: bread crumbs ( if you choose plain and you want to season it yourself I'd add 1 tsp of thyme to whatever your normal seasoning is to tie together the flavors) Then dip the chicken in the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs and place it on the baking sheet. Bake 15 min.

Spaetzle:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, reduce the heat and maintain a simmer. In a bowl stir all the ingredients together. Use two forks to drop the batter into the water in maybe 1/2 tbsp amounts. Keep it in small batches (1/4 of the batter at a time) When it starts to float to the surface, cover the pan and keep covered until the spaetzle appears to swell and is fluffy. Remove the dumplings and repeat. I use a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the water, and when all is finished I salted and peppered the spaetzle and finished it off with a little fresh lemon juice...

Most German food is notorious for being rather flavorless. This was my first time making spaetzle and to be honest probably my last... It was quite bland and not really my thing, but that is spaetzle! Then Lemon Chicken Schniztel on the other hand is a staple around here! It is absolutely delicious and a must try :)

I had intended on making a salad to go with this meal, however the hubby is delivering pizzas this evening and I wouldn't have normally gone through the "making dinner process" on a pizza delivery night but I didn't know until I had already started. So I opted for some delicious grape roma tomatoes to give some color to the plate.