Easy and Delish Rack of Lamb

I told you I'd be back!! And this is a good one for all those lamb lovers out there. I know it's not a taste that's for everyone, but if you're interested in trying it, this recipe is easy and so flavorful. Rack of lamb is also a lot less gamey and easier to cook than something like a leg. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com, and followed it exactly, except I used panko instead of fresh bread crumbs.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (7 bone) rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Move oven rack to the center position.
2. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss in 2 tablespoons olive oil to moisten mixture. Set aside.
3. Season the rack all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy oven proof skillet over high heat. Sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes. Brush rack of lamb with the mustard. Roll in the bread crumb mixture until evenly coated. Cover the ends of the bones with foil to prevent charring.
4. Arrange the rack bone side down in the skillet. Roast the lamb in preheated oven for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want. With a meat thermometer, take a reading in the center of the meat after 10 to 12 minutes and remove the meat, or let it cook longer, to your taste. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes, loosely covered, before carving between the ribs.

These went over really well for Christmas Eve. I served them with roasted red potatoes and green beans with roasted garlic and almonds.

Tasty Shrooms

So, over the past few months, while NOT blogging, I have been cooking...some. I've gone back to work part time, been spending a TON of time outdoors, and really just been uninspired to cook. I'd love any suggestions on how to get out of this funk!!! My husband has had 3 weeks of leave from work, and has actually made some pretty tasty food. I snapped a pic of one appetizer he made, although it could have easily been the entree. The cheese in this dish is way expensive (he somehow snuck it into our cart at Wholepaycheck, I mean Whole Foods).

Grilled Chimichurri Mushrooms with Haloumi

Ingredients:
8 medium size wide capped mushrooms (we used three giant ones)
sea salt (or kosher salt) and freshly ground black pepper.
5 oz Haloumi cheese, cut into 8 slices

2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
a handful of flat leaf parsley
1 small red chile, seeded and finely chopped
3 tbsps white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. For the chimichurri sauce, put the garlic, herbs, chile and vinegar in a small blender and mix to a coarse paste. Using the feeder tube at the top of the blender, drizzle in all but a tsp of the olive oil to form a thickish sauce.
2. Preheat a grill pan until hot. Brush each mushroom liberally with the chimichurri, then place on the grill pan. Cook until the mushrooms have released their juices. Season to taste, then keep warm.
3. Brush the haloumi slices with the remaining oil and place on the grill pan for about 2 mins on each side, until slightly golden and crispy.
4. Place the mushrooms on a serving dish, along with grilled cheese, and drizzle any remaining sauce over them.

This is definitely a tasty treat! If you're looking for just a good chimichurri recipe (awesome on steak and fish), this is a really yummy one! Writing about this makes me want to turn a blind eye while he throws that pricey cheese in the cart again!

There will be more, I promise!

Well, it's been a crazy busy couple months, and YES, I have been cooking. I've even been taking pics....just to remind myself of what I've been cooking once I get back into blogging mode. That said, tonight is not the night. We moved from NC to CO (LOVE IT!), and I started working again last week. So...just a preview, I'm looking into some crock pot meals, so you'll have some of those coming up (I know, you can hardly wait). If anyone has any crock pot recipes they recommend, I'd love to have them.

Spinach Bacon Quiche

I've always loved quiche. Growing up my Mom always made Quiche Lorainne, which is great, but I usually make something a little bit jazzier. Tonight I found my recipe on allrecipes.com. I'll put my substitutions in parenthesis after the actual ingredients in the recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 eggs (I used 2/3 cup of All Whites)
  
• 2 cups milk (I used evaporated skim milk)
  
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided (I used swiss)
  
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (I used 5- never too much bacon!)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained(I used fresh)
  
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat eggs; whisk in milk, 1 cup cheese, onion, bacon, salt, mustard and paprika. Add spinach. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out clean.

The next time I make this quiche I will definitely dry to squeeze as much liquid as I can out of the spinach, as the quiche was a little bit soggy. I might also decrease the milk b/c I couldn't fit all of the liquid in the pie shell. Otherwise, the flavor was great. Since it was just me and the kids, I served it with steamed rice and corn, to ensure they'd eat something. Both of them did try some of the quiche!

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

I definitely have my second son to thank for any interest I have in baking. I've never had much of a sweet tooth, but when I was pregnant with him, I LOVED to make cookies. Funny thing is, the kid didn't even touch his birthday cake, or these cookies. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com . I halfed the recipe, and added 1/2 cup chopped pecans and 1/2 cup and 1/2 cup white/milk chocolate chips. I also only didn't have quite enough oatmeal, so I added some ground flaxseed. They were YUM!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups quick cooking oats

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Not Eggstrodanary

My neighbor made this mac and cheese for me awhile ago, and gave me the recipe (it was SO good!). I must've missed in the recipe sharing that she'd never put the eggs in it b/c she thought it was weird that it called for them. I found out why. What started out as a creamy dreamy sauce turned curdly and weird...like scrambled cheese eggs and mac. That said, the stuff tasted FANTASTIC. The only substitution I made was that I used skim milk. This is Paula Dean's recipe:

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese


Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
• 2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
  
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup whole milk
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Feta Cheese Turkey Burgers

Oh, these were so insanely good, and even better reheated. I can't wait to make them again. The recipe is from allrecipes.com, with no alterations.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the grill for medium high heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, feta cheese, olives, oregano, and pepper. Mix together, and form into patties.
3. Lightly oil the grate. Place patties on the grill. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway through.

I served them over sauteed spinach and roasted red peppers. I will leave out the peppers next time, and sprinkle feta over the top

I served wild rice on the side. I received a 6 cup Aroma rice maker for Christmas, and I couldn't be happier with it! My rice is PERFECT everytime!!

YUMMY Chicken Veggie Soup

I often come across recipes the day I use them. I'm pretty good at keeping fresh veggies and meat stocked (I tend to go to the grocery store once a week). So, I saw that I had some zucchini that needed to be used, and allrecipes provided me with this recipe. I tweeked it a bit, and here's what I ended up with:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used 10 baby carrots)
  
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used 2 small zucchini)
  
• 1 medium red or green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups chicken broth
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken and cook about 1 minute. Mix in garlic and onion; cook until tender. Stir in carrot, potatoes, zucchini, and red bell pepper. Pour in tomatoes with juice. Season with red pepper flakes, basil, broth and bay leaf, and continue cooking until vegetables are tender and chicken juices run clear. Season with salt and pepper just before serving.

I let this simmer on my stove on low for quite awhile, but I would guess it could be done in a 1/2 hour or so. It's definitely one that could be done in a crock pot. I'll definitely be making it again.

Slacker Foodee

That's me. Slacker. We're moving in a couple months, and I've officially become obsessed with finding our perfect house...a task that seems nearly impossible! As a result, my desire to blog when I have time to sit down has diminished. I didn't even blog about Christmas, and OH BOY did I cook!! So, maybe I'll start with a recipe from then, and add some more later...pace myself!

New Potatoes with Caper Sauce

Ingredients

• 12 small new potatoes, scrubbed (I used 6 medium red potatoes, cubed)
  
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons capers, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced green onion
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine the softened butter, capers, green onion, Parmesan cheese, parsley and vinegar in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. If potatoes are large, cut into halves or quarters. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.
3. Add the caper sauce to the pot of drained potatoes and toss gently to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

These potatoes are FANTASTIC! I served them for Christmas dinner with a standing rib roast, and hmmmm....what was the veggie?? Oh yes, fresh green beans!

More to come later, for all of you avid readers (HA!)

Baby Shrek Cookies!

This year, as gifts for my 3 year old's preschool teachers, I decided that we would make everything for them (I'm sure they LOVED this ;o) We made two christmas ornaments for each, and then Noah insisted that we needed to make them cookies. He requested gingerbread men, "like from shrek". So, I searched for a good recipe, and made the dough and baked most of the cookies while he was napping. When he woke up, he helped ice and sprinkle MAYBE 4 of the 40 or so cookies, and then was done. Ah, boys. So, I thought the sprinkles were a bit overkill on the sweetness, and I was using white icing. I then asked Noah if I could make some baby Shrek cookies, and dyed the icing green, and proceeded to paint the rest of the ginger bread dudes green. They're small cookies, which is why I'm lovingly calling them Baby Shrek Cookies! They're really yummy!

Spicy Whole Wheat Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup margarine or butter
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
  
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter/margarine and sugars until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.

Now for the icing...I really liked that you could paint it on, and that it was simple to make!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup (I used honey)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (I used vanilla b/c I didn't care if it wasn't perfectly white)
  
• assorted food coloring

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Green Eggs, Bacon and Cheesy Berry filled Crepes

Oh, Breakfast for Dinner, how a love you! I'd say every other week I manage to sneak in a dinner of hot breakfast food (no cereal- which we eat almost every morning). This time we had eggs, scrambled with basil pesto (just the store bought kind), thick cut bacon, and whole wheat crepes filled with a berry/cheese/yogurt combo. Here's the recipe for the crepes:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil (I used smart balance oil)
1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)

Directions:

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, water, vanilla (if using) and butter. Gradually add flour and whisk until smooth.
   
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Berry Cheeese Filling (I eyeballed these ingredients, but this is what I used)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and pulse until smooth. Add to crepes after they are turned, and fold up in pan to warm the filling.

I wish there were leftovers of this dinner b/c it was YUMMY! Oh, if anyone's looking for super tasty bacon, my favorite is Smithfield's thick cut. I think it's much better than Oscar Meyer or Tyson. It gets crispier!

Pork Roast with Mustard Caper Sauce, Egg Noodles, Salad and Crusty Whole-grain Flaxseed Rolls

Oh Yum, I'm still drooling from this meal. My mom made this pork after Thanksgiving, and I couldn't wait to make it myself. A friend of ours just got home from Afghanistan, so it seemed like the perfect occasion to make something delish. Thanks mom for sending it to me!

PORK ROAST WITH MUSTARD CAPER SAUCE

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

3 pounds boneless center-cut pork loin

2 cups chicken stock or broth

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup light cream (I use 1/2 & 1/2)

Zest from 1 lemon

Juice from 1 lemon

Freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup capers

Rub about 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard over the whole pork loin. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary. Place in a shallow roasting pan and roast in a 325 degree oven for about two hours, or until meat thermometer reaches 155 degrees. Remove pan from oven. Transfer roast to a heated platter. (the temperature of the roast will rise at least 5 degrees after it is removed from the oven.) Set aside. Pour chicken stock/broth in the roasting pan to deglaze. Set aside.

To make mustard caper sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir until mixture just begins to brown. Add the stock from the roasting pan and the light cream and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.

Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons of mustard, add pepper to taste and capers. Mix well and remove pan from the heat. The sauce should be just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Slice pork thinly and serve with hot mustard sauce.

Makes 6 servings.

This makes a TON of sauce, so there will be plenty to pour over whatever side you make- I recommend egg noodles. Rice would also be good. I also served a green salad, and these yummy rolls:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup flaxseed
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1 cup warm 2% reduced-fat milk (100° to 110°)
• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed

Preparation

Place 1/3 cup flaxseed in a blender or clean coffee grinder, and process until ground to measure 1/2 cup flaxseed meal; set aside.

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and warm milk in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flaxseed meal, whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, salt, and oil to yeast mixture; stir to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If the indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes.

Divide dough into 18 equal portions, shaping each portion into a ball (cover remaining dough while working to prevent it from drying). Place balls 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 45 minutes or until dough is doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Uncover rolls; cut a 1/4-inch-deep "X" in top of each roll. Combine 1 tablespoon water and egg white, and brush over rolls. Sprinkle rolls with 2 tablespoons flaxseed. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until rolls are browned on the bottom and sound hollow when tapped. Remove rolls from pan.

Note: These rolls freeze well. To freeze, cool rolls completely and store in a zip-top freezer bag. When ready to use, remove rolls from bag and thaw completely. Preheat oven to 350º. Place rolls on a baking sheet; cover with foil, and bake until heated, about 8 minutes.

Banana Crumb Muffins

I can't believe I haven't posted these yet! I'm getting ready to go to my parents' house tomorrow, and our half rotting, I mean RIPE bananas were glaring at me from the fruit bowl. I've made these many times now, and they're so easy and delicious! Today I skipped the crumb topping to cut out a few calories, but it is YUM!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

I make these in a mini-muffin tin. For this, bake for 10 mins. Also, I just ate one...def better with the crumb topping (DUH!) but they are still good!!

Curried Carrot Soup

I LOVE Indian curry of all kinds, including the classic store bought yellow curry powder that creates the generic curry taste. My mother has always made a fantastic pumpkin soup (I'll post that soon) that is seasoned with yellow curry powder. We have it every year at Thanksgiving. I'm really not sure why I opened my fridge this afternoon, saw my bag of baby carrots, and thought I needed to make a carrot soup. When I lifted them out, I saw a bag of red potatoes (I store them in the fridge to make them keep longer) and realized they needed to be cooked. So, I found a recipe for Curried Carrot Soup (Rachel Ray) and added garlic and 6 cubed white potatoes to the recipe. Here's what I did:

Curried Carrot and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil,
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 1 1/2 pounds packaged baby carrots
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• Coarse salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large dutch oven. Add onions, carrots and potatoes and stir until onions are softened.
2. Add broth and bring to a boil.
3. Cover and reduce heat to med-low. Continue cookie until carrots are tender (I find that with baby carrots this takes awhile).
4. Use either a submergable blender or a regular blender to blend small batches of the soup until smooth.
5. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream.

The result: This soup was YUMMY! Pretty spicy, so definitely not for kids- mine had fish sticks, tater tots and strawberries. I will definitely make this again!!

My Kodak/Scentsy FOOD Party

Due to the fact that I have a food blog, I think it's pretty obvious that I enjoy cooking. I know it's not something that everyone looks forward to, but I truly do. The only thing I don't love is the cleanup. Getting to the point, I threw a small party today which was to promote Kodak Gallery and to sell Scentsy products for a friend of mine. But for me, the real fun was cooking (and EATING) the food! So, for a grand total of 7 people, including myself, I made 4 appetizers and 3 desserts. Overkill, yes, but I just couldn't resist, and I have NO regrets. Bear with me here, this is going to be a long blog...

Chicken Enchilada Dip

1 10 oz can chicken breast, drained and broken up with a fork
2 4 oz cans green chiles
2 jalepenos, seeds and pith removed, diced
1 cup mayonaise
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz cheddar, jack or mexican mix cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Bake for 20-30 mins, until just brown on top and bubbly.

Mrs. Johns' Artichoke Dip

1 14 oz can artichokes, drained and chopped
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mayo
1 cup mozzerella cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder, or 1 minced clove of garlic

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Bake for 20-30 mins, until just brown on top and bubbly.

Spinach and Ham Pinwheels

Spinach Parmesan Balls

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp olive oil
4 small green onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small sauce pan. Saute green onions and garlic until just softened.
   
3. In a medium bowl, mix the spinach, Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, butter, green onion, eggs, salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls.
4. Arrange the balls in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Ginger Cookies

Key Lime Bars (from Cooks'Illustrated)

Makes sixteen 2-inch bars. Published July 1, 2006.

If you cannot find fresh Key limes, use regular (Persian) limes. Do not use bottled lime juice. Grate the zest from the limes before juicing them, avoiding the bitter white pith that lies just beneath the outermost skin. The optional coconut garnish adds textural interest and tames the lime flavor for those who find it too intense. The recipe can be doubled and baked in a 13- by 9-inch baking pan; you will need a double layer of extra-wide foil for the pan (each sheet about 20 inches in length) and should increase the baking times by a minute or two.

Ingredients

Crust
5	ounces animal crackers
3	tablespoons packed brown sugar (light or dark)
	Pinch table salt
4	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
Filling
2	ounces cream cheese , room temperature
1	tablespoon grated lime zest , minced
	Pinch table salt
1	(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1	egg yolk
1/2	cup fresh lime juice , either Key lime or regular
Garnish (optional)
3/4	cup sweetened shredded coconut , toasted until golden and crisp

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut about 12-inch length extra-wide heavy-duty foil; fold cut edges back to form 7 1/2-inch width. With folded sides facing down, fit foil securely into bottom and up sides of 8-inch-square baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. TO MAKE THE CRUST: In workbowl of food processor, pulse animal crackers until broken down, about ten 1-second pulses; process crumbs until evenly fine, about 10 seconds (you should have about 1 1/4 cups crumbs). Add brown sugar and salt; process to combine, ten to twelve 1-second pulses (if large sugar lumps remain, break them apart with fingers). Drizzle butter over crumbs and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter, about ten 1-second pulses. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.

3. TO MAKE THE FILLING: While crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese, zest, and salt with rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add lime juice and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).

4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.

5. Loosen edges with paring knife and lift bars from baking pan using foil extensions; cut bars into 16 squares. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if using, and serve. (Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 2 days; crust will soften slightly. Let bars stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.)

Raspberry Yogurt Trifle

1 large pound cake or angel food cake, diced into 1 inch cubes
1 32 oz container vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1 10 oz package frozen raspberries

1. Mix yogurt and milk in a large bowl.
2. Make a single layer of cake cubes in the bottom of a trifle dish (may use any old bowl).
3. Then layer 1/2 raspberries and yogurt. Repeat, reserving small amount of raspberries for garnish on top.
4. Let sit at least a couple hours so the yogurt can soak into the cake.

The result: I'm pretty sure every one was happily full at the end of the party! I don't have the patience for truly tedious recipes (which none of these are), so this was a lot of fun for me to prepare. I actually made the spinach balls earlier in the week when I had time, and froze them until this morning. They took 20 mins to cook, from frozen. The only recipe "premiere" on here is the key lime bars, and I will definitely be making them again!

On another, less exciting note...my husband was gone for work this week, and our meals consisted of rotisserie chicken, canned children's pasta, broccoli, grapes, mac n cheese, quesadillas, and other OH SO EXCITING meals :o) I wouldn't say that I ever truly cook to impress, but cooking for a 3 year old and 11 month old is just plain unrewarding...so, I make what they like, and jazz it up a bit for myself.

Shayake N Bayake

And I helped....

In the Army world we move often, and when we do, we often offer to let friends and neighbors invade our pantry. When my neighbors moved a few months ago, one of the items I "inherited" was a box of generic Shake N Bake. So, last night I used it to make chicken tenders. The chicken stayed pretty juicy, and my 3 year old loved it. My 11 month old threw it to the floor after one taste- his trademark rejection. I served it with good old blue box mac n cheese and steamed broccoli with parmesan cheese. I was definitely the only one who enjoyed the broccoli.

As a side note on the broccoli. For awhile I have bought the steamer bags that Ziploc and Glad make, but honestly, they're overpriced. My friend microwaves her veggies in the grocery store's produce bags and swears by it. The past few times I've made broccoli, I've cut it into small florets and put it in a shallow bowl and covered it with a plate. I then microwave it for 2:40. It turns out perfect everytime, and I can't tell the difference from any other steaming method I've tried.

Indian Night

We had another Indian food night, and we definitely established that at least in our town, the Indian food we make at home is as good or better than what we can get in a restaurant. We had marinated, grilled chicken breasts, Saag with tofu, and jasmine rice. One of these days I'll buy basamati rice, which would be more appropriate. For the chicken breasts, I used a spice mix that we bought at the local Indian Festival this year (they are FANTASTIC!), and mixed it with plain yogurt, green chiles and about a tbsp of olive oil. The saag I made using the recipe from my previous post. I had previously used dry mustard in the recipe b/c I needed a substitute for tumeric, but this time I actually had tumeric. I didn't think it changed the taste much, but the color was slightly different. I browned the tofu lightly prior to adding it to the saag, which I did just prior to serving. I loved the addition!

Squashy Casserole

I saw some pretty winter squash at the commissary last week, and for some reason felt compelled to buy them. On halloween I felt I needed to bake them- but the craziness of the day caught up with me quickly, and although I baked them, I didn't serve them for dinner. So, I scraped them out, and they sat in my fridge until today. My husband won't be home for dinner, and while he's gone, I often like to experiment with things that I wouldn't necessarily serve on a "normal" night. Tonight we'll be having a winter squash casserole and steamed asparagus (b/c it needs to be eaten). I know my kids are going to be bouncing off the walls with excitement. I modified a recipe off of allrecipes, and this is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

2 small winter squash, cooked and mashed
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 c evaporated milk
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c melted butter

Topping:
3 graham crackers, crushed
1/4 c pecans
1 tbsp melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour into greased 9x13 casserole dish.
Bake 30 mins. Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake an additional 10 mins, or until casserole is firm.

The results: Actually, the squash casserole was REALLY good! The main variance I made from the original recipe was cutting the sugar by more than 1/2, using evaporated milk, and the topping. My 11 month old really loved it, and my 3 year old ate a few bites. The addition to the meal that I didn't mention above was BACON. Who doesn't love bacon, right? I think it should be an official food group. So, the next time I feel "compelled" to buy another winter squash, this is how I'll be preparing it.

Lasagna Turned Spaghetti

I've made several different lasagna recipes over the past few years. I'm not sure why, b/c I 've always loved my mother's lasagna, and I've had the recipe. I guess I just need to have my own lasagna adventure. I think I wanted to find a good lasagna recipe that was EASY, but in reality, this doesn't exist. GOOD lasagna takes at least a little bit of work. So, a couple weeks ago I made my mom's lasagna for the first time in a while, and I don't think I'll be making anything else from now on. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1- 28 oz can diced or whole tomatoes (I prefer diced)
1- 12 oz can tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano leaves
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder, or one clove, minced
1 bay leaf
~14 lasagna noodles (a couple extra in case they break)
2 eggs
15 or 16 oz ricotta cheese
16 oz mozzarella cheese, diced or shredded

Directions:
About 2 1/2 hours prior to serving:
In a 5 quart dutch oven over med-high heat, cook ground beef and onion until all pan juices evaporate and beef is well browned, stirring frequently.
Add tomatoes and their liquid and next 8 ingredients, and heat to boiling, stirring to break up tomatoes.
Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer meat sauce 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf and skim any fat off of the sauce.
Prepare lasagna noodles as directed on box and drain. (Or do what I do and buy the "no boil" ones, they work great!)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a 13x9" baking dish, arrange 1/3 of the noodles. Combine eggs and ricotta cheese and spoon 1/3 of it over noodles. Top with 1/3 of sauce and 1/3 of cheese. Repeat these steps two more times.
Bake lasagna 45 mins or until heated through. Remove from oven and let stand 10 mins prior to serving.


After I made the lasagna, I had a little bit of the meat sauce left over, and as I was eating it, I was thinking it would be a great spaghetti sauce. So, I made it as a marinara sauce by taking out the meat (duh), using a 28 oz can of tomato sauce instead of whole or diced tomatoes and adding a 1/2 cup of water. I let it simmer about 6 hours, and served it over spaghetti with the meatballs from my previous post. I also made bread from scratch for the first time, and here is the recipe for that:

Kalamata Olive and Garlic Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon non-iodized salt
• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup seedless Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal

1. In a medium bowl dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. To proof yeast, stir in yeast and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes in a warm place.
2. Preheat oven to 105 degree F (40 degrees C). Warm an oven-safe bowl in the oven.
3. Place flour in bowl of food processor. Add salt and pulse for a few seconds.
4. Start food processor. Pour proofed yeast into flour through hole. Immediately add the additional 3/4 cup warm water, then the olive oil. Process for about 1 minute or until dough ball cleans the sides of the processor bowl. If dough is too wet add a little flour through the top while processing, or if too dry, add a little more water.
5. Turn off food processor. Remove lid and transfer dough to the heated bowl. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap.
6. Let rise for 1/2 hour in a warm place.
7. In a small bowl, combine minced garlic and chopped olives. Set aside.
8. Once dough has risen transfer dough to a lightly floured board. Make an indentation in the dough and place olive mixture inside. Knead dough 10 times. Bulk of mixture should remain in middle of dough. Form dough into a log or round loaf shape.
9. Sprinkle cornmeal onto greased baking sheet and place loaf on top. Turn oven to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) for 2 minutes and then turn off.
10. Let dough rise in warm oven for 1/2 hour, or until light and puffy. Remove loaf and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
11. Bake bread at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

I've made the bread twice now, and it really is fantastic, and EASY, although it does take time with all the rising and whatnot!

On another note, I had a 3 pound pack of ground beef for the balls, and we had dinner guests cancel as I was making them. So, I froze 2/3's of them, which I'm excited about b/c it will make for an easy dinner down the road!

Mango and Avocado Salad

I've had the window for this recipe open on my computer for at least a week now, b/c that's how long ago I made it! But I left it open b/c I didn't want to forget to share it- it's fantastic! I found it on Whole Foods' website.

Ingredients

2 ripe but firm avocados, halved, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
2 ripe but firm mangos, peeled and cubed
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

Method

Gently toss avocado with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice in a medium bowl. Add mango, jalapeño and salt and gently toss to combine. Set aside.

Whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, zest, sugar and cilantro in a large bowl. Whisk in oil until thoroughly combined to make a thick vinaigrette then season with salt and pepper. Add black beans and avocado mixture and toss gently.
Add black beans and avocado mixture and toss gently. Spoon salad onto plates, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Sorry there's no pic of this one...I'm guessing my 10 month old was hollering at me to hurry up and feed him!