There is something about tater tot hotdish that makes it the ultimate winter comfort food. It also sounded tasty to this pregnant girl, so off to the store I went. I'm pretty sure after all of the food I consumed this weekend, I didn't need a dish like this, but it was tasty!

Tater Tot Hotdish
1 lb. ground beefed-browned and drained
1 frozen bag of tater tots
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1/2 bag of frozen peas (or whatever vegetable you'd prefer)
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup


Brown the ground beef (next time I might try ground turkey for a healthier alternative) and drain excess fat. On the bottom of a 9X13 pan, put a layer of veggies. Then, place the browned ground beef on top of the veggies. Mix the soups together with a little water to dilute them a little, then pour the soup mixture over the top of the meat and put a layer of tater tots on top. Cook at 350 for and hour and a half.

I have been slacking, A LOT, lately! Sorry about that. Now that Christmas break has come, I hope to try out some new cookie recipes. We will see how I do. However, this was just a New Years Resolution, so I just have to make it another two weeks and then I don't have to feel so guilty about not posting as often as I promised. I hope I can make it! For my first baking attempt of the Christmas season, I decided to try out some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but I wanted to use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips to give them a little extra chocolate. Not the best picture, sorry!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe Compliments of Betty Crocker

1 1/2	cups packed brown sugar
1	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	egg
2	cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose or unbleached flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon salt
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)( I used 2 cups of Chocolate chunks)
1	cup chopped nuts, if desired

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1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until blended. Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in oats, flour, baking soda and salt; stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
2. Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Chicken Enchilada Dip Roll Ups

These roll ups were delicious! I found them on Annie's Eats website and was so happy that I tried them. They were the perfect appetizer and were gone in no time. They were easy to make and prepare and didn't require any crazy ingredients that I didn't already have on hand. 

 

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, pepper jack, etc.)
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Handful of cilantro, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained well
4-6 8-inch tortillas
Directions:
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned and cooked through.  Transfer to a plate and let cool.
In the meantime, combine all of the remaining ingredients except tortillas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until well blended.  Once the chicken is cool, transfer to a cutting board and chop or shred into small pieces.  Add the chicken to the filling mixture and stir well to incorporate.
Spread a thin layer of the filling mixture over a tortilla, leaving a small border clear around the edge.  Roll the tortilla up tightly into a spiral.  Place the rolled up tortilla on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into 1- to 1½-inch thick segments.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Twist on a Classic

Pat made these grilled cheese "sticks" awhile ago and I must say they were tasty. He added chopped jalapenos to the grilled cheese to give it a little extra zing and served it with tomato soup. He cut the sandwich into 1 inch slices so you could dip it in the soup, very tasty and very easy.

Cream Cheese Wontons with a Twist

We are going to a Holiday party tonight and are bringing an appetizer. I decided to make cream cheese wontons, as they don't require a lot of prep and are usually a big hit. I wanted to add something to change them from just being cream cheese wontons, so I added a teaspoon of canned cranberry to the cream cheese. I snuck a few to make sure they tasted okay and they were delicious. We have to stop on the way and pick up sweet and sour sauce, which is why there is an empty dish in the picture.

Cranberry-Cream cheese Wontons
1 tsp. whipped cream cheese
1 tsp. cranberry sauce (from the can)
wonton wrappers
canola oil

Pumpkin Cheesecake....delicious!

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! I have been a terrible and neglectful blogger lately, sorry! I made this delicious cheesecake for Thanksgiving using the Cheesecake Factory's recipe for Pumpkin cheesecake. The picture doesn't do it justice and I forgot to take a picture of it plated, but we ate it up so fast, there wasn't any time. Give it a try, I promise you will be happy you did!

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:1 1/2 cups graham crumbs
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. sugar
Filling:
3- 8oz.pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
Whipped Cream

Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 2/3 up the sides of an 8" springform pan. Bake for 5 min. at 350. Set aside.

Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer. add pumpkin eggs, and spices, beat till smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 min. or till the top turns a bit darker. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature, then refrigerate. After it has thoroughly chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

I love lemon poppy seed anything, so I decided to try a recipe for a lemon poppy seed bundt cake since I need to bring a breakfast bread to a staff retreat this weekend. I found this recipe on all recipes.com and although I can't sneak a taste until Sunday, it smells delicious. It was super easy to make! The only thing to note is that you have to soak the poppy seeds in milk for two hours prior to cooking. I came down with the flu during our retreat and never tried it, but I'll let you know once I am feeling better how it tastes.



Ingredients:
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/4 cup milk
1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla

pudding mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
Directions:
1.  Soak poppy seeds in milk for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
2.  In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in water, oil, and eggs. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Blend in poppy seed mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3.  Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

French Onion Soup

 My husband requested French Onion Soup for Halloween dinner so I looked for a recipe online with good ratings and I found this one from All Recipes. It was pretty good and easy, which I love!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed beef broth
• 1 French baguette
• 8 ounces sliced Swiss cheese

Directions

1. Melt butter or margarine in a 4 quart saucepan. Stir in sugar. Cook onions over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
2. Stir in flour until well blended with the onions and pan juices. Add water, wine, and beef broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover soup, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Cut four 1 inch thick slices of bread from the loaf. Toast the bread slices at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) just until browned, about 10 minutes. Reserve the remaining bread to serve with the soup.
4. Ladle soup into four 12 ounce, oven-safe bowls. Place 1 slice toasted bread on top of the soup in each bowl. Fold Swiss cheese slices, and fit onto toasted bread slices. Place soup bowls on a cookie sheet for easier handling.
5. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or just until cheese is melted

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Give these cookies a try, you won't be disappointed! They are so fluffy and full of flavor. The perfect fall dessert. I found this recipe on All Recipes Website.

 

Ingredients

    * 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    * 1 teaspoon baking powder
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 cup butter, softened
    * 1 1/2 cups white sugar
    * 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
    * 1 egg
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze Topping:   
    * 2 cups confectioners' sugar
    * 3 tablespoons milk
    * 1 tablespoon melted butter
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
   2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
   3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
   4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

 

Mac and Cheese

 

Yummy! This is most delicious mac and cheese ever. It is the Barefoot Contessa recipe and it is amazing! Give it a try, it won't disappoint.  

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mac-and-cheese-recipe2/index.html 

Ingredients

nocoupons

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

I'm Back....Hopefully!!

So here's the deal....I'm pregnant and haven't been feeling so hot lately. To get into the kitchen and actually cook has been nearly impossible. Nothing sounds good to me, I get ideas, start to get the ingredients out, and my stomach decides it all sounds horrible and I should stick to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Don't get me wrong, I am more than thrilled to feel not so great for our little bundle, but it is frustrating when you love cooking so much and simply can't do it anymore due to lack of energy and the fact that everything sounds terrible. I decided that tonight I was going to make dinner again and took an hour long nap to prep for it. :) I was craving a turkey burger and found this recipe online, it was the first website that popped up so I figured I'd give it a try. I also made baked potatoes and asparagus. I highly suggest you give this recipe a try.

Greek Burgers

Greek Burgers Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/3  pounds  ground turkey breast
• 1  (4-oz.) package crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped red onion
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  lemon zest
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  grated English cucumber
• 1  (6-oz.) container fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh mint
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 4  French hamburger buns, split and toasted
• Toppings: lettuce leaves, tomato slices, thinly sliced cucumber
• Garnish: pepperoncini salad peppers

Preparation

1. Stir together first 6 ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties.
2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done.
3. Stir together cucumber, yogurt, mint, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Serve burgers on buns with cucumber sauce and desired toppings. Garnish, if desired.

Acorn Squash

The one thing I love about fall is it is squash time! Our good friend Nikki brought over some squash from her grandparent's farm. Yum! I decided to make myself some acorn squash for a snack yesterday. It was so easy! You can make it in the oven or in the microwave, I chose to use the microwave because I didn't want to wait. 

Acorn Squash in the Microwave

1 acorn squash

1 T. butter

1 T. brown sugar

*Pierce the squash with a knife several times. Cook in the microwave for 5-8 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes after cooking. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, place butter and brown sugar in the middle. Eat and enjoy! YUM!

Tastefully Simple...

I am sorry I am slacking again on my blogging duties. I have been cooking, but just haven't been posting, sorry. I have been sick for over a week and haven't been cooking anything worth blogging about. However, I did go to a Tastefully Simple Party (Thanks Kari and Jeny) and ordered a few items, which worked out perfectly since I was sick. I made the wild rice soup and the beer bread soup...YUM! I would highly recommend it. Sorry to call this a post, but this will have to work for now. Hopefully I will blog this weekend! The best part is, all you have to do is add water to the soup and beer to the bread mix! Perfect for busy schedules and when you are feeling under the weather. You can order your own from here: http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/breadssoupssides.aspx

It was the perfect weather for chili! Sadly, fall is here and I am slowly losing my motivation to do anything after work that doesn't include laying on the couch under a blanket....Pathetic. Here is my mom's recipe for chili and a cornbread recipe that I got off the cornmeal container, both were delicious!

Basic Chili
1 lb. ground beef browned and drained
1 cup onion (chopped and browned with meat)
1 can kidney beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can whole tomatoes (cut into fourths)-We used ones that we canned from our garden

Chili Seasoning Packet (McCormicks)

Brown the meat and onions, drain. Add all ingredients in a crockpot and cook all day. Your house will smell delicious and your stomach will thank you. I served ours with sour cream, cheese, cornbread, and fresh bread.


Cornbread

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. Quaker or Aunt Jemima Enriched Cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt; optional
1 c. skim milk
1/4 c. oil
2 egg whites or 1 egg, beaten

**I added honey to the batter and drizzled more on top. I also melted butter and added some honey to it to make a honey butter.**

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8-9 inch baking pan. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil, and egg; mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pecans, Dried Cherries, and Blue Cheese

Another great recipe from the Trader Joe's cookbook, a delicious fall side dish. I could just eat this for a meal and I did the next day. It is really easy to make and the flavors are incredible. This is a great vegetarian, gluten-free recipe.The picture does not do it justice, this was the morning after leftovers. YUM!

1 lb. butternut squash, cubes

1 red onion, sliced

pinch of dried sage

about 1 T. olive oil

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Arrange the squash cubes and sliced red onions in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, and sage, drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes. Scatter pecans over the top and roast for another 5 minutes. Remove squash from oven and toss with dried cherries and blue cheese. Adjust seasoning to taste. 

General Tsao Chicken Wraps--YUM

 Another great recipe from my Trader Joe's Cookbook (thanks Kari)! I wanted a quick and easy meal for tonight that I could use for my lunch tomorrow too, this was perfect. I used romaine hearts to make the "wraps" for dinner, but decided to put the ingredients (including the romaine hearts) into a pita for lunch tomorrow to make it less messy. The Trader Joe's General Tsao stir-fry sauce is so good!

General Tsao Chicken Wraps

1 T. Canola oil

1/2 lb boneless chicken breast (I used 2 breasts)

about 1/4 cup Trader Joe's General Tsao Stir-Fry Sauce

1/2 (10oz.) bag shredded carrots

1 head large, sturdy lettuce, like romaine

In a saute pan, heat oil and chicken over medium-high heat until cooked. With a knife or a food processor, chop cooked chicken finely. (I used the food processor). Stir in General Tsao sauce so it is a moist mixture, not too runny. Add shredded chicken and carrots and bundle into lettuce leaves.

Blueberry Banana Bread

I have a slight obsession with banana bread. I decided to use my banana bread recipe and add a twist, fresh blueberries. It was delicious. I suggest you give it a try. Our blueberries were starting to wrinkle, so we threw them in the freezer with our brown bananas to save for a day of baking. With this cool fall weather we are already having, I decided it would be the perfect day to turn on the oven and bake. It was a nice treat for breakfast this morning.

Blueberry Banana Bread

1 1/2 medium sized bananas (as ripe as possible)

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup soft margarine

2 T. milk (I used soy milk)

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp soda

1 cup blueberries

Mash bananas, set aside. Blend sugar and margarine in bowl until smooth, add egg, beat until smooth. Add milk and banana blend until smooth. Add dry ingredients into banana mixture until well blended. Grease/flour loaf pan. Fold blueberries into the batter. Pour batter evenly into pan. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.

Crunchy Wild Rice Salad

Today was Open House Night at my new school and boy am I tired. I could hardly begin to think about we were going to have for dinner, but thankfully for me, Pat made dinner! Even better, he made a new recipe that I had wanted to try, BONUS for the blog! This wild rice dish was delicious and is very healthy for you. I am very excited to bring it to my first day of school for lunch tomorrow. Hopefully I will get into a routine and get better about posting and cooking.

Crunchy Wild Rice Salad
Serves 6

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar (a really nice one, otherwise it can be bitter)
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup wild rice, rinsed well
1 can low-sodium chicken broth (14 oz.) plus enough water to equal 4 cups liquid
3/4 cup chopped celery
3 green onions sliced, white and green parts
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Whisk together olive oil, sherry vinegar, honey, Kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Bring rice, chicken broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and turn down heat to a simmer. Cook rice for 45 minutes (if you want your rice a bit more tender, you can cook it another 5 minutes). Fluff the rice. Let sit for 5 minutes and then drain in a colander.

Carefully mix the sherry vinaigrette with the rice and all the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Taste for seasonings. I added a few pinches of sea salt and a few generous turns of fresh ground pepper.

Chill and let the flavors blend. It is best made ahead (either early in the day or the day before).

This recipe and others can be found at www.bunkycooks.com

Green Beans with Red Onions and Feta Dressing

I was so excited, my friend and former coworker got me an amazing new cookbook for my birthday. Not only is it a cookbook, it is a Trader Joe's cookbook! Every ingredient can be found at Trader Joe's. She knows how much I love TJ's and am a frequent visitor, so she had to get the cookbook. Thank you Kari, there are so many recipes that I can't wait to try! You will have to come over for dinner and I will make you a recipe from the book!

 

Green Beans with Red Onions and Feta Dressing

16 oz of fresh (not frozen) green beans, cleaned, stemmed, and steamed

1/2 of a red onion sliced

Dressing:

1/2 cup of plain yogurt

1 T. Lemon Juice

3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Steam the green beans (I bought a bag of green beans, simply stabbed the bag with a fork and cooked it in the microwave for three minutes.)

2. Place the green beans on a serving platter, sprinkle with red onions.

3. Whisk together the dressing, it will be thick due to the feta. 

4. Drizzle the dressing on top of the green beans, enjoy!

Veggie wrap

Another easy meal to use leftover veggies for a veggie wrap. A healthy alternative for lunch and an easy thing to make. Now that school is starting, I am on the hunt for new lunch meals for a change.

 

Veggie Wrap

Whole Wheat Tortilla

Sliced Tomatoes

Lettuce

mustard aioli

Cucumbers

Roasted red and yellow sweet peppers

Taco Pizza!

We love tacos at our house, its an easy go to dinner that we always have on hand. However, with only two people, we always have leftovers. While we love tacos, we can only eat tacos so many days in a row or for lunch leftovers for so long. I decided to come up with something new using our leftovers and using Pat's yummy homemade salsa that he canned this weekend. I made taco pizza, it was delicious!

 

Taco Pizza

1 flatbread pizza dough

Salsa (We used homemade salsa)

Taco meat

Corn-cut off the cob

Cheese-pick your favorite

black olives

chopped cilantro

Top with sour cream and salsa

Top the flatbread pizza with salsa, taco meat, corn, cheese, black olives, chopped cilantro. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Top with sour cream and salsa.

Birthday dinner!

Pat took me to my new favorite restaurant in Minneapolis for my birthday, Bar La Grassa. If you haven't tried it, you must! I had the gnocchi with cauliflower and orange...yum! We also split the beet, avocado, and citrus salad, which was refreshing and also delicious. Pat enjoyed the zucchini pasta with lemon and mint. Everything was delicious, we even split dessert, despite being overly full. We had a hazelnut chocolate cake. This is my terrible attempt to make up for not posting lately. :)  

Snickerdoodle Cookies...YUM!

Okay, truth be told, I didn't get a picture of these yummy cookies because we ate them all too fast. I brought them to our friend's cabin this weekend and I didn't even make it in the door before we were already "testing" them out. I got this recipe from Cabin Cookbook, a cookbook that my mom had at the cabin. Give these a try, you won't be disappointed.


Snickerdoodle Cookies
1 cup soft shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix the shortening, sugar, and eggs. Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt into the shortening mixture. Chill.

Mix 3 T sugar and 3 t cinnamon together in a bowl. Form balls with the dough and roll them in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes, cookies should be lightly browned, but soft.

Fresh Tomato Pizza and Tomato Salad

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, we were out of town at my cabin. We ate a bunch of delicious food while Up North, but I forgot to take pictures and write down the recipes. I did get a lot of new recipes from a cookbook my mom had at the cabin that I am excited to try, so stay tuned. After a long vacation and another cabin trip coming up, we didn't want to go to the grocery store unless absolutely necessary; however, we came home to find that our tomatoes had finally started to turn red! We will be eating tomato dishes galore this week, I can't wait. My wonderful husband made dinner tonight and came up with a delcious combination using our tomatoes, both black krim and beefsteak.

Flatbread Tomato Pizza
minced garlic
chopped basil
*Saute with a little olive oil*
flatbread pizza
crumbled goat cheese
tomatoes
red wine vinegar
*Combine all ingredients on the flatbread pizza. Bake for 15 minutes.

Tomato Salad
Fresh heriloom tomatoes
chopped basil
chopped mint
parmesan cheese
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Zucchini Pizzas, YUM!

Another recipe with zucchini, we have so many in our garden! These were surprisingly delicious and satisfying. They were so easy to make and would be an easy way to fool your children into eating their vegetables, they'll think it is pizza. It tastes just like pizza too. Give it a try, I think you'll like it, we did!

 

Zucchini Pizza

Slices of zucchini

tomato paste or pizza sauce (we used tomato paste)

mozzarella cheese

I sprinkled some minced garlic and Italian seasoning on the sauce before putting the cheese on. We topped them with pepperoni for some extra flavor. YUM!

BoGo-Two for One

Okay, so this isn't my best post, but they were good so I had to pass it on. Are you every looking for a quick, easy, and healthy breakfast? Or a refreshing taste on water? You have come to the right place! I made this simple breakfast toast this weekend when I was too lazy to make something more time consuming. We simply toasted some wheat bread, spread a little Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb cheese, and add some avocado...YUM! My husband also added some scrambled eggs, but I passed on those. We had a lot of cucumbers popping up in the garden this week, what to use them for? I tried to get creative and I added them to a pitcher of water with a little lemon juice and some chopped mint leaves. YUM! It was a nice refreshing drink for summer and has a subtle flavor.

Watermelon, Feta, and Mint Salad

This salad is delicious, even Sally ate it! It is so easy to make and even helped us use some of our mint from the garden. We also used some mint to make some Bootlegger drinks, although we had to make some minor (major:) ) adjustments to the recipe. Give that a try too, sorry no picture!

   

Watermelon, Feta, Mint, and Balsamic Vinegar Glaze Salad

* 8 cups 3/4-inch Cubes Seedless Watermelon
    * 7 ounces, weight Package Feta Cheese, Crumbled
    * 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar Glaze
    * A Handful Of Chopped Fresh Mint For Garnish
    * Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Toss watermelon and feta together on a platter. Drizzle with balsamic glaze* and sprinkle with pepper (to taste) and mint.

Ingredient tip: Balsamic vinegar glaze can be found in the vinegar section at many supermarkets. If unavailable, boil 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 7 minutes.

Bootlegger Drinks
32 ounce Sunkist Lemonade (Use the can of frozen concentrate and make as instructed)
A handful of mint leaves

**Put the lemonade and mint leaves in a blender and mix until the mint leaves are fully chopped. Then add Vodka to a glass, top with the lemonade and mint mixture, and top with a splash of club soda or 7Up. Perfect summer drink, if you make it right! :)

I Love BBQ Season!

We had our friends, Jackie and Reid, over for a BBQ last night. I love to try out my new recipes on them. Over the next few days, I'll share the recipes I used. I'll start with the stuffed squash, it was SO good! Our garden is over flowing with zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, and pretty soon, tomatoes, so it was nice to use something that we had grown. I know we will be eating these again really soon, plus they were really easy to make! The picture doesn't do these tasty squash justice. We had stuffed squash, chicken kabobs, and a mint, watermelon, feta salad. Yum!

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Squash
Recipe Compliments of This Site
4 yellow squash and/or zucchini
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 egg
1 c. ricotta cheese
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
pinch ground black pepper
1/2 (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Trim off ends of squash; cut squash in half (lengthwise). With a teaspoon scoop out seeds and part of the pulp leaving shells about 1/2 inch thick. In a small frying pan over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of the butter. Add onion and garlic and cook until they are done. Squeeze the spinach to remove extra moisture and add to the garlic and onion and cook until thoroughly heated. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and spinach mixture. Fill the squash halves with this mixture, about three tablespoons per shell and place squash in a shallow baking dish. Melt the remaining butter and brush over the squash shells. Bake for 20 minutes. If desired, serve with tomato sauce.

Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts

 Pat picked up some beets at the Farmer's Market today and we were looking for a good recipe to use them for dinner. We found this one, which I think would be really good and got good reviews, but we didn't have the proper ingredients and tried to make due with what we had. We also didn't let the beets cook long enough so they were still a little crunchy. We will definitely try this recipe again as everyone was raving about it on Tasty Kitchen, but next time we will let them cook longer and make sure we use white balsamic vinegar instead of regular balsamic vinegar. Also, cool the beets before serving. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out when you actually follow the recipe. I guess you should follow a recipe for a reason right? :) Next time!

• 8 whole Small To Medium Red Or Golden Beets
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 cup Walnut Halves
• 2-½ Tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 3 ounces, weight Goat Cheese
• _____
• FOR THE SALAD DRESSING:
• ¼ cups White Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Clover Honey
• ¾ cups Olive Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Chopped Chives

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry the beets and place in an oven-proof casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Allow to cool, then cut off each end and peel.
To prepare the walnuts, heat the butter until sizzling in a frying pan over medium heat and then add walnuts. Cook the walnuts for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan a few times while they cook. Add the maple syrup and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the dressing, add all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth. To assemble the salad, slice the beets and arrange them attractively onto four plates. Sprinkle with walnuts and crumble the goat cheese over the beets. Whisk the dressing once more, and then drizzle some of the dressing over each plate. Serve immediately.
Note: you will have dressing leftover to use in the future. Feel free to play around with the dressing ingredients and add or subtract the mustard and honey depending on your taste preference.

Just for the Kiddies....well, and me!

Do you love smores and easy "baking" with kids? Then, you will love this recipe that I came up with while nannying yesterday. It was hot out and the kids wanted to bake something and be inside, so this is what we came up with. They wanted Rice Krispie bars, but they didn't have enough Rice Krispies, so I found a box of Golden Grahams and thought, um....how about smore bars? They turned out to be really good! I am sure I am not the first person to think of this idea, but I was pretty proud of myself for thinking of something quick before resorting to chocolate chip cookies that we would end up eating half of the batter before making it to the actual cookies. Give this a try, super good! The pictures are terrible, I used my phone, sorry.

 
6 Cups Golden Grahams Cereal
4 cups mini marshmallows
3 T melted butter
1/2 cup or more of chocolate chips

*Melt the butter and marshmallows on the stove top or in the microwave. Stir until the marshmallows are melted. Pour on top of the cereal and mix together. At this point, you can add the chocolate chips or wait until you have them in a pan and sprinkle them on top. We chose to sprinkle them on top so they didn't melt in the hot marshmallow mess. Put in a ban and enjoy! Then, lick your fingers and the bowl! :)

Zucchini Bread

Vegetables are popping up in our garden everyday. We have been on a hunt for summer squash and zucchini recipes to make sure nothing is wasted. We were told zucchini bread was delicious, although we were a little skeptical, mainly because of my love for banana bread, it was surprisingly delicious. The recipe makes two loaves, I froze one to bring to the cabin in a few weeks. It was super easy to make, give it a try.

Recipe Compliments of All Recipes

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Summer Salad

I love salads, especially in the summer. This isn't necessarily a recipe that I am sharing, but rather an excellent dressing and summer salad combo. Did you know that they now make dried pomegranate seeds just like you can buy craisins? They are delicious, give them a try! Enjoy! :)

Spinach Salad

Dried Pomegranate Seeds

Madarin Oranges

Trader Joe's Champagne Pear Vinaigrette-YUM!

Steak and Hamburger with Portobello Mushrooms, Onions, and Blue Cheese

At my cabin, I had a delicious burger at the Chocolate Moose with carmelized onions, mushrooms, and blue cheese. I decided I must recreate this yummy dish. Pat choose steak and I choose hamburger, but it tasted delicious on both. Sorry about the terrible picture, I took it on my phone.

Ground Beef or Steak

1 yellow onion cut into strips

1 container of portobello mushrooms mini-chopped

1 container of blue cheese (use as much as you'd like)

Put a little butter in a frying pan, add onions and mushrooms. Saute until the onions start to caramelize. The very last step, remove from heat and add blue cheese in to melt a little. Put on top of your meat and enjoy!

Bonus....because I have been lazy!

So I have been slacking once again, so I figured I'd give a bonus...two posts in one day. The thing is, I have been cooking and even taking pictures, but the whole uploading and posting thing has been too much for me on my summer break. Pat and I started our own garden, now we are Green Cooks. I should give the credit to Pat, he maintains it, while I just reap the benefits and enjoy the tasty treats. We grew yellow squash and zucchinni in our garden and love to have it as a side dish. Give it a try, yum!

1 yellow squash cut into slices

1 zuchinni cut into slices

** Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. You can cook it on the stove top or on the grill. We prefer the grill in the summer. Then we sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese once it is cooked.

Fusilli with Pisatachio Pesto

Okay, so I didn't use fusilli pasta, I used penne, but I had to include the title since it wasn't my recipe. I got this recipe from Cooking Light. It was very good, but I think I overdid it on the pepper, so it was a little powerful. However, I love pepper so it was still tasty. 

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  uncooked fusilli pasta
• 2  cups  fresh basil leaves
• 1/4  cup  shelled, roasted pistachios, divided
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 2  garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1  cup  grape tomatoes, halved
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta through a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water. Rinse pasta with cold water; drain.
2. Combine basil, 3 tablespoons pistachios, oil, salt, and garlic in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping sides. Transfer basil mixture to a large bowl; stir cheese and reserved 1/4 cup pasta water into basil mixture. Add pasta and tomatoes to basil mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon pistachios. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Farfalle with Tomatoes, Onions, and Spinach Cooking Light

 Here is another great recipe from Cooking Light. It is a great summer salad. Full of great flavors and it is fairly healthy. Give it a try!

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8  ounces  uncooked farfalle pasta
• 2  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1  cup  vertically sliced yellow onion
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 5  garlic cloves, sliced
• 2  cups  grape tomatoes, halved
• 1  tablespoon  white wine vinegar
• 3  cups  baby spinach
• 3  tablespoons  shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions; drain.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and oregano; sauté 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and vinegar; sauté 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften. Add pasta and spinach; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with feta.

Spinach Yogurt Dip with Walnuts

Looking for a guilt-free dip? This is it and it is full of flavor. I found this in my Rachel Ray Magazine and thought it sounded tasty. I am the person at a BBQ that hovers over the appetizers or the dips and eats so much that I can't eat the meat and meal portion, but this dip makes me feel okay with making dip my meal. It was easy to make. The only change I made that I didn't add the pomegranate juice at the end, as I didn't have any on hand. Give it a try, you'll eat it all!

Recipe Compliments of Rachel Ray Magazine

2-7oz. containers of Greek Yogurt (plain)
2 T Olive Oil
1 T chopped fresh dill (I cheated and used dried)
2 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 t. salt
A dash of pepper
****Whisk the above ingredients together in a large bowl****

1-10oz. frozen spinach (cooked and squeezed dry)
***Stir the cooked, dried spinach into the yogurt mixture above***

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. I also added a little honey to make it sweeter and take away the tang of the greek yogurt.

Optional (I skipped this step):
Whisk 1 T olive oil and 1 T. pomegranate juice in a bowl and drizzle over the top of the dip. Serve with crackers, pitas, or crudites.

Couscous Salad with Chickpeas-YUMMY!

This was a delicious side dish for our BBQ the other night with a few friends. It had great flavor and was really easy to make, even better, it is from Cooking Light! You can eat it all without feeling guilty. This is very refreshing, I would recommend this for a nice summer side dish. It is a must try, enjoy!

Recipe Compliments of Cooking Light-July

Ingredients

• 1  cup  uncooked whole-wheat couscous
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper, divided
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1  cup  boiling water
• 3  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  minced garlic
• Dash of sugar
• 1/3  cup  chopped fresh mint
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced green onions
• 1/8  teaspoon  smoked paprika
• 1  (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1  large ripe tomato, chopped
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

1. Place couscous, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in boiling water; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. Combine oil, juice, garlic, and sugar.
3. Add oil mixture, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, mint, and next 4 ingredients (through tomato). Sprinkle with cheese.

Black Bean Salad

It is summer, what can I say....I have been a huge slacker, sorry! I know you will all continue to eat without me or my recipes and be just fine, but I feel a little guilty. I hope to get better, but summer has gotten the best of me. Most teachers use their summers to relax, not this girl! I feel like I am even more busy now than during the school year, oh well, let's just hope it doesn't make summer go too fast. I figured this is the perfect recipe to post for the 4th of July weekend, it is the perfect BBQ side salad to bring along to your party. It is healthy for you and has a delicious taste, enjoy! Happy Independence Day!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pint of grape tomatoes (I halve mine, but you can keep them whole too)
• 1 can green chiles or jalapenos (I used Chiles)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
2. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.