More recipes to come

I have been so awful not posting recipes...my enthusiasm for my cooking blog has fizzed out a little...especially in the last two months when I was recovering from surgery. I have had a loss of appetite and that has contributed to my not really thinking about new recipes. I promise I will do better in the future.

French Toast

4 slices Bread (I used French Bread)
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Slice bread crosswise (i did some both crosswise and down the middle)
In a shallow mixing bowl whisk eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.
Dip slices into mixture and cook until golden brown. I put them in the oven at 250F to keep the slices warm while I cooked up the rest. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers and Strawberry Limeade

My kids were not very excited about this meal. In fact, we had this Saturday night and on Friday night we told the kids, you have two choices for dinner: Arby's or stuffed peppers. No brainer. We were actually going to Arby's anyway because it was an overdue reward from Spring Break. I told the kids to pick something they wanted to work for the entire week of spring break and they worked really hard. Kael picked to go to cousin's house in Lehi, Aidan picked a bowling trip (that was super fun) and Kalli picked Arby's. It turned out that spring break, she got some kind of flu at the end of the week so we didn't go. But I digress, even though my kids were not impressed with stuffed peppers, my husband and I enjoyed them. I got the original recipe from my Better Homes and Garden recipe book but I changed some ingredients so here is my version:

The recipe called for 2 large green bell peppers. Green Bell Peppers aren't my favorite so I used Yellow, Orange and Red which I love a lot better. I had 2 small red peppers, 2 medium orange and 1 medium yellow. Cut the tops of the peppers and scoop out the seeds. Put in boiling water for 3 minutes and then drain. For the filling you need the following ingredients:

• 1 lb hamburger
• chopped onion
• can of diced tomatoes (I used a 14.5 oz can....recipe called for 7.5 oz)
• 1 cup water (recipe called for 1/2 cup water)
• 2/3 cup rice (recipe called for 1/3 cup rice)
• seasonings basil or oregano (1/2 tsp? I just sprinkled dried basil in the pan)
  
• Worcestershire sauce
• Cheddar cheese, grated (recipe calls for American)

So I changed it to fit my family, you can too! In a large skillet, cook hamburger and onion till meat is brown and onion is tender. Stir in undrained tomatoes, water, uncooked rice, Worcestershire sauce, basil or oregano, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 15-18 minutes or till rice is tender. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese.
Fill peppers with meat mixture. Place in a 2 qt baking dish along with any remaining meat mixture. Bake in a 375F oven about 15 minutes or till heated through. Sprinkle with more cheese and let stand about 2 minutes till cheese is melted. I served cheese covered baguette breads (instead of French bread...it's a little narrower...sunflower market makes the best baguette bread!) I think it tastes great! And we also had Strawberry Limeade for our drink which is so delicious. I got it from Our Best Bites. Basically made with strawberry sauce, fresh limes, ice cubes and Sprite. You cut up 2 cups of strawberries, put in saucepan for a few minutes then put in blender and you have your strawberry sauce. Ice cubes in a glass, squeeze the limes over the ice for juice, pour in Sprite halfway, then add a few tablespoons of strawberry sauce, stir well then add more Sprite and you have a delicious drink! We did it with lemons too and it was tasty for Strawberry Lemonade! We drank it so fast, no chance for pics!!!!

Wagon wheel pasta with Hamburger

1 1/2 wagon wheel pasta noodles
1 lb hamburger
8 oz tomato sauce
12 oz water (a can and a half)
grated cheese

Fry up hamburger. Add tomato sauce, water and noodles. Cook until noodles are done..about 10 minutes. Then add grated cheese. Enjoy!

Ham Fried Rice

I made a batch without Spinach and a batch with spinach that is why the pics are different. In this recipe, I scrambled up 6 eggs, added a little milk and salt and fried up the eggs. then I took them out of the fry pan, added a couple tablespoons of EVOO and cooked up the carrots and green onions that I chopped up. then I added rice, ham and the eggs and added a little bit of soy sauce. In one batch I added baby spinach leaves. Delicious!!!!

Alfredo Chicken

I saw a picture of an advertisement for Alfredo Chicken and I thought, "I could do that!" So I made an alfredo sauce, cooked the noodles, fried up the vegi's and chicken in EVOO and voila! It tasted so good! So here is the recipe for the Alfredo Sauce:

(From Allrecipes)
1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 minced garlic
1 1/2 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Parsley
(I didn't put in the parsley in mine)

I cooked up 1/2 lb of Penne noodles (maybe 1-2 cups?) separately

In a skillet:
1-2 T EVOO
cut broccoli
lengthwise cut carrots
grilled chicken strips (cooked chicken mine was from Costco)

After vegi's and chicken are ready, add noodles then pour sauce over it and voila and ENJOY!

Berry Vanilla Trifle

Another variation of my trifle I made in December. This one is so easy to make. Make a big box of vanilla pudding with three cups of milk. layer pudding, vanilla wafers and strawberries. I think next time I will top with cool whip cream! Enjoy!

Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

I couldn't get the picture to turn the right way but you get the idea what it looks like. I got this recipe from McCormick's and it turned out pretty good. I thought it was a bit spicy but my husband really liked it. He likes spicy foods though and my kids prefer more bland things. So here is the recipe:

2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp crushed Rosemary Leaves
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
2 T EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 lbs Chicken breast or thighs (the original recipe called for thighs but I had some chicken breast that I cut up raw and put in)
1 1/2 lbs red potatoes

Put oil and spices in a bowl and mix. Then coat the chicken and potatoes evenly. I put it in a 9x13 pan and put in preheated oven 425F for 30 minutes or until chicken is not pink and potatoes are tender. I enjoyed this recipe but my oldest son is allergic to red potatoes so we can't have them often. He actually ate a bowl of cereal for dinner tonight....Well, enjoy!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I have lost my enthusiasm for cooking and I need to get it back! it has been two weeks since i last posted but that is because I really haven't been cooking that much. I have been feeding my family chicken nuggets and frozen pizza. So today i am renewing my resolve to try better to eat healthier and feed my family better. Today for lunch I had a strawberry banana smoothie so I thought I would share the recipe. I actually wasn't planning on making this but my two-year-old refused to eat the banana I gave him for lunch and I didn't want to waste it so created this:

STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

1/4 cup Creamy Vanilla Yoplait yogurt (this is a guess, I just spooned some out into the blender)
2 big frozen strawberries
1 banana
1/8 cup milk (again a guess...I just poured it in)
a splash of orange juice

Blend in the blender and enjoy a very yummy drink for one!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Banana-Chocolate-Chip-Muffins-101020#ixzz1EQzOtn5A

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with foil muffin liners. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk in medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 32 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack; cool.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Banana-Chocolate-Chip-Muffins-101020#ixzz1EQzYG7ui
I got this recipe from epicurious and it turned out ohhhhh, so good. I didn't cook them quite for 32 minutes. I put them in for about 25-27 min. They turned out so delicious!

Valentine Trifle

This is a variation on my Chocolate and Fruit Trifle that I made in Dec
2010. I just used raspberries and didn't add strawberries and kiwi. I used chocolate fudge cake instead of devil's food cake and then added Dove chocolates and some candy sprinkles on top to get you in the mood for Valentine's Day!




http://karicookingcorner.blogspot.com/2010/12/chocolate-and-fruit-trifle.html

Spaghetti and French Bread

Tonight I thought I would use my Magic Bullet to help me with dinner. It turned out so yummy! it was so tasty!

Spaghetti

2 boiler onions or 1/4 cup of onion
1/4 cup orange pepper
2 peeled garlic cloves
8 grape tomatoes or 1/2 regular tomato
1 lb ground beef
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 package of spaghetti sauce seasoning
Spaghetti noodles

I put the onion, pepper, cloves and tomato in my Magic Bullet a few pulses. You could leave it out or you could use salsa (which is basically what the first four ingredients make). Fry up ground beef in a skillet and add salsa mixture. After ground beef browned, add tomato sauce and seasoning and let simmer for 15 minutes or till thickened. In another pot, heat up water to boiling. Add spaghetti noodles and cook for 10 minutes till tender. Then drain.

Spaghetti noodles on plate, then sauce and then we added shredded cheddar cheese on top. It is especially yummy when the cheese melts in the sauce!

French Bread

1 loaf French bread
1 stick butter
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

This recipe is from Magic Bullet and it is delicious!!! Put butter in short cup with shaker top. Melt butter in microwave. Then add garlic and cheese and mix until smooth. Cut French bread down the middle horizontally. Pour butter down each half. I also added some more Parmesan cheese on each half. Broil in oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Quiche

Cooked bacon or bacon bits
1 cup shredded cheese
1/3 cup minced onions
4 eggs
2 cups of cream (I used half-n-half)
3/4 t salt
1/4 t sugar
1/8 t pepper

Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in a pastry-lined pie pan. Beat eggs with an egg beater, then heat in remaining ingredients. Pour cream mixture into pie pan. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300F and bake 30 minutes longer or until inserted knife comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves six.

Buttermilk Syrup

This is one I'm excited to try! My sister got it off ourbestbites.com. doesn't it sound lucious!!!

You can put this on pancakes, waffles, French toast, ice cream, or eat it with a spoon. Admit it. You know you'll do it.

Buttermilk Syrup

3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 stick real butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a LARGE pot. Like one you'd make soup in. Yes, you'll have way more pot than ingredients (and I'm not referring to the green leafy stuff), but this will boil all over your newly-cleaned stove if you put it in a smaller saucepan.


Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (as long as it's still bubbling, you're okay). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes. You're basically making candy here and candy-making requires constant vigilance.

When it's done, it should take on this luscious golden-brown color. Remove from heat and add vanilla.



There will be foam on top. It tastes just as good, but it's not super pretty. If you're into aesthetics, you can skim it off; otherwise, just give it a good stir.

Now eat it however you darn well please."

Low-fat Chocolate Caramel Decadence Cake

I don't have a picture of this one yet but I had to post it now...I know January has past and a lot of people have new years resolutions to lose weight. So I thought I would post this recipe for those who are still at it with their weight loss goals. I didn't realize that I had this recipe on this blog already in August of 2009. Sorry for the repeat.

1 Devil's Food Cake mix
6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups water
2 T vegetable oil
1 cup fat-free caramel topping
3/4 cup fat-free condensed sweetened milk
1 8- oz container Cool whip (fat free)
2 1/4 oz Heath or Skor English toffee candy bar, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350F, then lightly spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Prepare cake mix according to directions replacing the 3 eggs with 6 egg whites and the 1/2 cup oil for 2 T. Bake cake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes.
3. Poke holes over the entire top of cake using a fork. Pour caramel topping and condensed milk over top of cake and spread to cover evenly. cover cake and allow to chill for 2-4 hours or overnight.
4. One to two hours before serving spread top of cake evenly with whipped topping and with English toffee chocolate pieces. cover and return to refrigerator until ready to serve.

Compare 407 calories vs 290 and 19.3 grams of fat vs 5.2 grams

Wow! What a difference in calories and grams of fat but not a difference in taste!!!

Cinnamon Rolls

The dough used for this is in my previous post, Kathy's blue ribbon bread. Using one loaf of the bread dough, roll into a rectangle. spread with melted butter (I used 1/2 cup) then sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture (I used 1/2 cup sugar and less than 1/4 cup cinnamon...I didn't measure the cinnamon) You can put in chopped nuts but I didn't in this batch. roll up and cut about every 1 1/4 inches. Place on cookie sheet and let rise. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. let cool a bit then spread with icing.

Powdered Sugar Icing:
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 T milk or orange juice

In a mixing bowl combine sugar, vanilla and milk or juice. Stir in additional milk or juice, 1 tsp at a time till it reaches drizzling consistency. Makes 1/2 cup

Kathy's Blue Ribbon Bread

So I got this recipe from Kathy Henrie who has won the Blue Ribbon at the Utah State Fair for many years. She would stay up all night baking and crank out delicious loaves of bread! Mine is not near as yummy but still delicious! There is nothing quite as good as homemade bread, especially when it is hot out of the oven. I love it when you cut a slice, butter it and the butter melts. Yum! Today I made it with all white flour but you can make it with wheat or both.

5 cups Water divided, 1 1/2 and 3 1/2
1/2 cups Sugar or Honey
1 T salt
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
2 T yeast
(4 eggs, fork beaten, optional)
1/2 cup Warm Water
(1/2 cup Wheat Gluten, optional)
11-14 cups Flour (white or Wheat or a combination)

In this batch I used eggs, no wheat gluten and I used 13 cups of flour.

Combine the 1/2 cup of warm water and yeast---set aside.
In sauce pan combine about 1 1/2 cups of water, sugar, and salt--heat to a boil. Add butter and turn heat to low. When butter is melted, add the rest of the water. Heat for 1-2 minutes (if using eggs, beat them in a 2 cup container. Add some of the hot water while stirring, about 1 1/4 cups water)
Pour the hot water mix into the mixing bowl and add 5 cups of the flour. Mix to a smooth batter. (with Kitchen Aid use paddle...I have a Bosch mixer and I used the dough hook.) Gradually add the egg mixture if using eggs.
Add and mix in the Yeast mixture. Add 5 more cups of flour, with the gluten mixed in it. Mix to blend in the flour. Add more flour one cup at a time till you have a smooth nonsticky dough and it cleans the sides of the bowl, about 3-6 minutes. When done mixing, remove dough hook and cover bowl with damp towel and let rise till double. (I actually moved my dough out of my mixer into a bigger bowl and let it rise there.)

On oiled countertop, divide and shape into loaves. let rise till just over 1" above pan. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Chicken Quesadillas

So I used my Magic Bullet for this recipe but you can just chop the chicken and grate the cheese without it and it would taste the same.

Ingredients:

Cooked chicken
Grated cheese
tortillas

optional:
green onions
tomatoes
olives


I put the chicken, cheese, optional ingredients in the magic bullet, blended them together then spread them on the tortillas. If you don't have the blender, just combine the chicken, cheese and other ingredients together and spread them on the tortilla. Fold tortilla in half and put on cookie sheet. Put in 350F oven until cheese is melted or cook in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Chicken Macaroni Casserole

This is a simple but favorite at our house. I used to make this a lot with Tuna but my kids like it better with chicken.

1 cup macaroni noodles
grated cheddar cheese
chicken chunks
1 can cream of chicken soup


Cook macaroni noodles according to package directions. Combine noodles, cheese, soup (I use Cambell's!), and chicken (I use a canned chicken from Costco) in casserole dish. Microwave for 7 minutes or 350F in oven for 30 minutes.

Spinach Bacon Salad

I ate this too fast to take a picture! I took some spinach leaves, put some mushrooms, bacon, grated cheese, carrots and croutons and then put some raspberry vinaigrette over it and yum! My salad was gone in no time!

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

My camera is really having issues. It is 3 1/2 years old and I am really yearning for a new one so anyway...I couldn't get a picture of the BBQ pork sandwich but the bun looks just like this one on my sloppy joes. I did get a picture of the pulled pork in the crockpot though not the best pic, it gives you the idea.

BBQ sauce recipe:

1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup celery (I didn't have celery for the recipe tonight)
3 T Butter
6 T sugar
3 T Worcestershire sauce
3/4 c lemon juice
3 c ketchup
3 t dry mustard
2 t liquid smoke
salt and pepper to taste

so tonight I admit I didn't measure out the ingredients...I just added what looked good of the above ingredients plus I put in some store bought BBQ sauce and added it to storebought pulled pork from Costco and put it in the slow cooker and let it cook all afternoon. Then I put in the bun and voila! BBQ pulled pork Sandwiches! So delicious!!!!

Incredible Omelet

Crack two eggs in a bowl, add a little milk and whip with whisk. In a greased skillet, pour in the egg mixture. The trick to a good omelet is as the eggs set, lift the edges to allow the uncooked portion on the top to flow underneath the cooked portion. When the eggs are set but still shiny, spoon the filling across the center of the omelet. Loosen the edges of the omelet with a wide spatula. fold one side over the filling. Repeat with the remaining side, allowing the edges to overlap.

Filling: grated cheese, ham, mushrooms
This photo doesn't show one of my "perfect" omelets but this one sure tasted good!!!!

Pesto for Pasta

My kids tonight looked at the noodles and said, "Ewww....what's that green stuff?" But guess what! They tasted it and actually liked it! I decided try something a little different tonight so here is the recipe. I again used my favorite beat up cook book that is now 10 years old and falling apart--Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook well new in 2001! So here is the pesto recipe:

1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh parsley sprigs with stems removed or torn fresh spinach (I used both tonight)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds (I used pine nuts tonight)
1 large clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil or cooking oil (I used EVOO)

12 oz. dried fettuccine or spaghetti (I used penne noodles tonight)

1. For pesto, in a blender container or food processor bowl combine basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese, nuts, garlic, and salt. cover and blend or process with several on-off turns till a paste forms, stopping the machine several times and scraping the sides.

2. With the machine running slowly, gradually add oil adn blend or process to the consistency of soft butter.

3. Cook noodles till they are tender but firm. Drain well. Return noodles to pan. Toss pesto with noodles and serve immediately.

Note:If you're not serving the pesto immediately, divide it into 3 portions of about 1/4 cup each. Place each portion in a small airtight container and refrigerate 1 to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Sloppy Joes

This is how my mom taught me to make sloppy joes. I don't like it from a package mix.

1 lb ground beef
onion
garlic
8 oz can tomato sauce
10 3/4 oz Chicken gumbo soup
Buns

Fry up hamburger with chopped onion (I used about 1/2 of a medium onion) and I put one clove of garlic in the garlic press. After, hamburger done, add the tomato sauce and gumbo soup and simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Serve on Hamburger buns and enjoy!

Turkey and Rice

No pictures today and simple dinner tonight. I put a small turkey breast in my 9x13 pan and put 3 big pats of butter and some sprinkles of Thyme on it, covered it with aluminum foil and put in the oven for an hour. Then I made a batch of rice. Simple but yummy....Turkey and rice. I should've made up some vegetables, I know....but tonight I was lazy. The family is just lucky that we didn't have frozen pizza tonight! Last night we had chicken nuggets. I need to start cooking again....but it is nice to have some lazy days.

Orange Raspberry Julius

1 can orange juice (I used pulp free)
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
little container of raspberries
ice cubes

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Yummy Lasagne

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Hannah and I think I already put it on this blog but it is so yummy I had to put it up again. I like this recipe because the noodles cook right inside the dish and I don't have to precook them before I assemble it. I used to hate that with my previous recipe's. It would take so long to cook the noodles separate and then assemble the lasagne. Anyway, this is is a easy yet delicious recipe! I modified this one a little, Hannah uses sliced mozzerella cheese, I used grated for this one.

1 lb hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
28 oz can Hunts spaghetti sauce plus 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
9-10 raw Lasagne noodles (I used American Beauty)
2 cups grated mozzerella cheese
8 oz container of plain yogurt
16 oz container of cottage cheese
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup water

Brown hamburger with onion. Add spaghetti and tomato sauce. Set aside. In separate bowl, stir yogurt, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese together. In 9 x 13 pan layer: first, a little bit of meat sauce, then raw noodles, cheese mixture on top of noodles, then sprinkle with mozzerella cheese, then a lot of meat sauce, cheese mixture, mozzerella cheese. Then pour 1 cup of water over all of lasagne mostly in the corners of pan. Cover with aluminum foil and put in 400F oven for 30 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 350F and take off aluminum foil and cook for another 30 minutes. Take out of oven and let set for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Clam Chowder

I modified this recipe from my Better Homes and Garden recipe book. It is delicious on a cold day like today!

Clam Chowder

2 cans (6.5 oz) minced clams
2 slices of bacon
2 1/2 cups finely chopped, peeled potatoes (about 3 medium)
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp instant chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup half and half, or light cream
2 T all-purpose flour

1. Chop clams, reserving juice; set clams aside. Drain canned clams, reserving juice. If necessary, add water to reserved clam juices to equal 1 cup. Set juice mixture aside.

2. In a large saucepan cook bacon till crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 1 T drippings in pan. Drain bacon on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside.

3. Stir reserved clam juice mixture, potatoes, onion, bouillon granules, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and pepper into saucepan. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or till potatoes are tender. With the back of a fork, mash potatoes slightly against the side of the pan.

4. Stir together milk, half and half and flour; add to potato mixture. Cook and stir till slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in clams. Return to boiling; reduce heat. cook for 1-2 minutes more. Sprinkle each serving with some crumbled bacon. Makes about 7 cups or 4 main-dish servings.

So I used a can of chicken broth instead of the chicken granules and that worked too. I didn't do the bacon in the pan, I just microwaved two pieces of bacon. I also didn't reserve the clam juice, I just added the liquid, potatoes, onions and spices together and cooked it till the potatoes were tender. Next time I probably won't put as many onions in because my kids don't like them but I thought it tasted just fine! Enjoy!

Chicken Rolls (Chicken Packets)

Chicken Packets or sometimes called Chicken Empanadas are one of my family's favorite meals. Here's the recipe:

2 packages crescent rolls (tonight I used Pillsbury, yum!)
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can Costco chicken
1 small can olives (optional)
1 small can mushrooms (optional)
4 T melted butter
breadcrumbs
1 can cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together in a bowl the chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, olives, and mushrooms. Unroll crescents. Put a spoonful of mixture and roll up. Dip in butter and roll in breadcrumbs. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown. Heat cream of chicken soup with a little milk to make a gravy. Serve over the top of the empanadas.

Yum! Enjoy!

Shredded Roast Beef

It has taken me 17 1/2 long years of marriage to learn how to cook a pot roast! On Christmas Eve, I looked up on the Internet how to cook a roast and it turned out fabulous! So today, I thought I would try it again and see if I could get the same result and it worked. I am so excited! So this is what I did: I took a skillet and heated EVOO in it and then put the roast in the skillet. I browned all the sides and then put it in my 9 x 13 pan. I cut up a whole onion and used my garlic press on two cloves of garlic and put it on the roast. Then I added some water and beef bullion cubes and covered my pan with aluminum foil. I baked it in the oven at 300F for 4 hours and every once in awhile, I would take the roast out and baste it so it would stay moist.

I know it sounds like a weird dinner but I have a picture of what I had for dinner tonight; I shredded up the roast beef and made a sandwich which was soooo good. And we had Rice-A-Roni and carrots. The carrots are a favorite of my kids.

I cut the carrots up and boil them on the stovetop for a few minutes till they are tender. Then I drain the water and add butter and brown sugar. Yum! So that is what we ate for dinner tonight. I plan on using the leftover roast beef for more recipes and hopefully I can blog about them soon.

Gingerbread Pancakes

I have really enjoyed the last few days cooking and taking pictures and blogging about it. I haven't really done a lot with my food blog for the past two years but it is one of my goals this year to do more cooking and blogging! Yesterday, my recipe that I was making for yesterday's entry didn't work out too well. I was trying to make Gingerbread pancakes from a mix that my neighbor brought me and the pancakes were just not working out. They were sticking to the skillet and raw on the top and sticking to the bottom and I was just getting frustrated! So I poured the whole mixture in a pan and made it into a cake! It didn't turn out too bad. I am still trying to get the recipe for the mix so I don't have the recipe but I do have a picture of my "pan cake"!

Update 1/11/11: Here is the recipe:
1 C. cake flour

1 C. all purpose flour

7 T. buttermilk powder

4 T. sugar

2 t. ground ginger

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. ground cloves

1 C. white chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients. Transfer to a decorative jar.

Then here is what you do with these ingredients:
Attach a recipe card with these directions to the Gingerbread Pancake Mix:

Place mix in a large bowl. Add:

1 3/4 C. water

6 T. melted butter

1/4 C. molasses

2 eggs

Blend until just combined. Pour batter 1/4 C. at a time, in a hot skillet, to make the pancakes. Cook pancakes, turning once, about 2 minutes.

Yield: 20 pancakes