Monday, April 30, 2012
Update:
I just wanted to let everyone know that if you have looked at or made the Sweet Potato Muffins I had posted a recipe for a week or two ago, I have made some changes to the recipe. I have made them a few more times since I posted it and have made it a little healthier each time! There was WAY too much canola oil and sugar called for in the recipe, so I have adjusted those amounts according to what I am using now. Plus, they are best when the tops of the muffins are slightly crispy, so I adjusted the baking time as well. It has not changed the taste AT ALL and I feel much better about eating them now! I hope this doesn't cause any trouble for anyone and if you haven't tried them, I would have to say they are a MUST!!! They are by far one of the very best muffins I have ever tasted (and that's counting wheat-flour muffins I used to eat!). They are AMAZING warm and FABULOUS cold. I don't really know of another muffin that I can say that about!!!!!!
Menu:
We had a potluck dinner at our church yesterday. Here's is what we took:
-Salisbury Steak (in the crock-pot)
-Instanst Mashed Potatoes (See note)
-Green Beans (in the crock-pot)
-Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
-Crock-pot Apple Pie
Note:
-I will make a post on how I made the potatoes.
-Yes! All but one thing was in a crock-pot!! We love our slow-cookers!!!!!!!
-Salisbury Steak (in the crock-pot)
-Instanst Mashed Potatoes (See note)
-Green Beans (in the crock-pot)
-Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
-Crock-pot Apple Pie
Note:
-I will make a post on how I made the potatoes.
-Yes! All but one thing was in a crock-pot!! We love our slow-cookers!!!!!!!
Salisbury Steak:
I have always loved Salisbury steak, but it can be a pretty time consuming thing to make. So, remember those meatballs from the other week? That's how we're going to make fast Salisbury steak!
I hope you give it a try!
30 frozen Meatballs (roughly 1 lb. ground beef worth), click here for the recipe
2-1/4 cups water
6 tblsp. ketchup
6 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (check the label!!!!)
3 tsp. beef seasoning (check the label!!!!)
1/2 of a small onion, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
In a medium saucepan, combine water, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, beef seasoning and onion. Whisk together over high heat until a full rolling boil is reached. Mix together cornstarch and water. Whisk into gravy; cook and stir until thickened.
Now, you have two options:
-Add your meatballs to the sauce and heat over low heat, stirring constantly until meatballs are hot though - serve!
-Place your meatballs in a baking dish. Pour gravy over meatballs and gently stir to coat the meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through.
Note:
-This is a super easy recipe to double or triple to serve to larger crowds!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Slow-cooker Peach Chicken
This couldn't really be easier and it turned out really ymmuy!! Give it a try!
2 (lb.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4-5 breasts)
2 (15 oz.) cans peach halves or slices, only drain juices from one can
2 envelopes dry onion soup mix (check the label!)
I cut my chicken breasts into approximately 1-1/2" strips, but you can leave them whole breasts if you want...it doesn't make any difference.
Place the chicken in a slow-cooker. Add peaches and sprinkle with soup mix. Cover and cook on high for 5-7 hours (over cooking is fine). Right before serving, mix together the cornstarch and cold water. Gradually add to broth in slow-cooker and stir until thickened. Serve over rice!
Note:
-After cooking for about 6 hours, there were still some small chunks of peaches when we ate the chicken (I used peach slices). We didn't have a problem with this, but if you are serving it to people who don't like warm fruit or maybe have a problem with peaches, then you may want to slightly puree the peaches before you put in them in the slow-cooker.
2 (lb.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4-5 breasts)
2 (15 oz.) cans peach halves or slices, only drain juices from one can
2 envelopes dry onion soup mix (check the label!)
I cut my chicken breasts into approximately 1-1/2" strips, but you can leave them whole breasts if you want...it doesn't make any difference.
Place the chicken in a slow-cooker. Add peaches and sprinkle with soup mix. Cover and cook on high for 5-7 hours (over cooking is fine). Right before serving, mix together the cornstarch and cold water. Gradually add to broth in slow-cooker and stir until thickened. Serve over rice!
Note:
-After cooking for about 6 hours, there were still some small chunks of peaches when we ate the chicken (I used peach slices). We didn't have a problem with this, but if you are serving it to people who don't like warm fruit or maybe have a problem with peaches, then you may want to slightly puree the peaches before you put in them in the slow-cooker.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Vegetable Meatball Stew
I posted our meatball recipe last week and this is the main thing that I use them for. This is so yummy and very easy. I usually make it either the day before or earlier the morning I need it and then put it in the crock-pot on low until I'm ready to serve it. Give it a try and I bet you will enjoy it too...as well as the people you serve it too!!
Photo Credit: Taste of Home
4 cups water
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium onions, diced
4 medium carrots, cubed
2 tblsp. beef seasoning (check the label!)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
Dash of salt and pepper
25 frozen meatballs
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 cups canned green beans
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add white potatoes, onions, carrots, beef seasoning, bay leaf, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add meatballs and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until meatballs are hot through and veggies are fork tender. Stir in green beans. Return to a boil. Remove bay leaf. Combine cornstarch and water. Gradually add to the broth in the pan - stirring constantly until thickened. Serve or pour into a slow-cooker and keep on the warm setting.
Note:
-Try to cut all of the potatoes and carrots the same size, as this will help them cook in relatively the same time. Plus it looks a lot nicer!!
-Feel free to add in any other veggies you want! These are the ones that we always have on hand, but you can certainly change it up to suit your tastes and whatever you have on hand.
Photo Credit: Taste of Home
4 cups water
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium onions, diced
4 medium carrots, cubed
2 tblsp. beef seasoning (check the label!)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
Dash of salt and pepper
25 frozen meatballs
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 cups canned green beans
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add white potatoes, onions, carrots, beef seasoning, bay leaf, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add meatballs and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until meatballs are hot through and veggies are fork tender. Stir in green beans. Return to a boil. Remove bay leaf. Combine cornstarch and water. Gradually add to the broth in the pan - stirring constantly until thickened. Serve or pour into a slow-cooker and keep on the warm setting.
Note:
-Try to cut all of the potatoes and carrots the same size, as this will help them cook in relatively the same time. Plus it looks a lot nicer!!
-Feel free to add in any other veggies you want! These are the ones that we always have on hand, but you can certainly change it up to suit your tastes and whatever you have on hand.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Self-Rising Flour
Most of the recipes I try are not naturally gluten-free. I adjust ingredients and make them that way! But I have come across several lately that have called for self-rising flour. So I did a little research and I now have a recipe for self rising flour!!! It's super easy. You may have actually made your own self-rising flour before you went gluten-free. In that case, this will be no problem!
For every 1 cup of regular flour (like the flour mixture that I use - click here), you need to add:
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
And now you have gluten-free self-rising flour!!!! Hope you give it a try and enjoy it!!
For every 1 cup of regular flour (like the flour mixture that I use - click here), you need to add:
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
And now you have gluten-free self-rising flour!!!! Hope you give it a try and enjoy it!!
Sweet Potato Muffins
Now, I don't really care much for sweet potatoes, but these muffins were SO good! I just tried them tonight and they turned out really well! They tasted great and they smelled really good while they were baking! I Hope you give them a try and enjoy them as much as we did!
2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (without milk and butter)
1/2 cup canola oil
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. milk
1-1/2 tsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
In a medium size bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, potatoes and oil until well combined. Stir potato mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened.
Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full (I use an ice cream scoop for this). Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients. Drizzle or spread over muffins. Serve!!
Note:
-Of course you can make your own mashed sweet potatoes, but I recently came across this amazing thing - sweet potato pie filling!!!! It's a can of mashed sweet potatoes! Now, it's probably been around forever and I just didn't know it, so if you already knew, that's great. If not, isn't that so cool? We got ours at Walmart in the baking isle right with the pumpkin and other pie fillings. So, check it out (just check out the label too while you're at it)!!
-I also just tried these with pumpkin puree instead of the sweet potatoes, and they were just as good.
-Try them in a mini muffin pan!! Very cute, easy and fun!
2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (without milk and butter)
1/2 cup canola oil
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. milk
1-1/2 tsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
In a medium size bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, potatoes and oil until well combined. Stir potato mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened.
Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full (I use an ice cream scoop for this). Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients. Drizzle or spread over muffins. Serve!!
Note:
-Of course you can make your own mashed sweet potatoes, but I recently came across this amazing thing - sweet potato pie filling!!!! It's a can of mashed sweet potatoes! Now, it's probably been around forever and I just didn't know it, so if you already knew, that's great. If not, isn't that so cool? We got ours at Walmart in the baking isle right with the pumpkin and other pie fillings. So, check it out (just check out the label too while you're at it)!!
-I also just tried these with pumpkin puree instead of the sweet potatoes, and they were just as good.
-Try them in a mini muffin pan!! Very cute, easy and fun!
Slow-Cooker Rotisserie Chicken
My family absolutely loves getting a rotisserie chicken at Walmart or Sam's Club (and they are even labeled gluten-free, so check them out if you haven't already!). We found some Rotisserie chicken seasoning at Sam's and decided to give it a try. We tried it yesterday and everyone really liked it. It doesn't taste exactly like rotisserie chicken, but it was still really good and very moist. Plus it was pretty easy. We did it in the slow-cooker, but next time we're going to try roasting it in the oven. I'll post directions for that after we try it! Until then, I hope you will give this a try and enjoy it as much as we did!
1 whole chicken (4-5.5 pounds)
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Rotisserie Chicken seasoning (see note)
Skin the chicken and remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. You generally have the skin on a rotisserie chicken, but since we're doing in the crock-pot, if you leave the skin on, it will just become slimy and disgusting. That does not sound yummy to me, so we skinned our chicken!
Rub the seasoning generously all over the chicken - inside and out. The amount of seasoning is up to you. I would recommend covering the whole thing with a good layer of the seasoning. Place the onion and garlic in the bird cavity.
Place the chicken breast-side down into a 6-quart slow-cooker. DO NOT ADD WATER. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 8 hours (the longer you cook it, the more tender the meat).
Serve!!!
Note:
-We used a 5.5 pound chicken for 7 of us and had a little leftover.
-We bought our Rotisserie seasoning at Sam's club. It's in the section with the other spices and seasonings. It was gluten-free when we bought it, but PLEASE check the label just in case! If you can't find it there, try Walmart or other grocery stores (checking labels as you go!), or contact me and I will get you a homemade recipe.
1 whole chicken (4-5.5 pounds)
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Rotisserie Chicken seasoning (see note)
Skin the chicken and remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. You generally have the skin on a rotisserie chicken, but since we're doing in the crock-pot, if you leave the skin on, it will just become slimy and disgusting. That does not sound yummy to me, so we skinned our chicken!
Rub the seasoning generously all over the chicken - inside and out. The amount of seasoning is up to you. I would recommend covering the whole thing with a good layer of the seasoning. Place the onion and garlic in the bird cavity.
Place the chicken breast-side down into a 6-quart slow-cooker. DO NOT ADD WATER. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 8 hours (the longer you cook it, the more tender the meat).
Serve!!!
Note:
-We used a 5.5 pound chicken for 7 of us and had a little leftover.
-We bought our Rotisserie seasoning at Sam's club. It's in the section with the other spices and seasonings. It was gluten-free when we bought it, but PLEASE check the label just in case! If you can't find it there, try Walmart or other grocery stores (checking labels as you go!), or contact me and I will get you a homemade recipe.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Blueberry Yogurt Muffins
I babysit 3 kids and one of them comes at 5:30 in the morning, the other at 6:30. I'm not a person that can go long periods of time in the morning without eating, but I also don't want to wake up the rest of my family just trying to find something to eat that early in the morning! So I wanted something easy and light that I could eat when I get up to get the kids. I started looking through tons of muffin recipes and came across this one and it sound good.
I just tried them this morning and WOW!!! What a muffin! It was SO yummy! Very easy, extremely moist, but very light. I will definitely be making these again. I hope you give them a try and enjoy them as well.
2 cups flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, xanthan gum, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. In another bowl, combine eggs, yogurt, oil and milk. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the blueberries.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and muffins are golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Serve warm or cool. Yields about 15 muffins.
Note:
-I didn't have any plain or vanilla yogurt on hand, but I did have blueberry yogurt, so that's what I used and they turned out great! It gave the batter a slightly blue shade, but I think it looks pretty!
-I think these would be great with different fruit like strawberries, raspberries, peaches....the list goes on and on! And with different flavors of yogurt!
I just tried them this morning and WOW!!! What a muffin! It was SO yummy! Very easy, extremely moist, but very light. I will definitely be making these again. I hope you give them a try and enjoy them as well.
2 cups flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, xanthan gum, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. In another bowl, combine eggs, yogurt, oil and milk. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the blueberries.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and muffins are golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Serve warm or cool. Yields about 15 muffins.
Note:
-I didn't have any plain or vanilla yogurt on hand, but I did have blueberry yogurt, so that's what I used and they turned out great! It gave the batter a slightly blue shade, but I think it looks pretty!
-I think these would be great with different fruit like strawberries, raspberries, peaches....the list goes on and on! And with different flavors of yogurt!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Peanut Butter Dip
We just tried this last weekend and it was amazing! Everyone absolutely loved it! It's so quick and easy. I hope you give it a try and like it as much as we did! It was SO good, that my dad ate this with apples on Sunday night after church instead of Brownies a la mode!!!!
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
Cream together all ingredients with a hand mixer and pour into a serving dish. Serve with whatever you can think of! We tried it with apple slices, carrot sticks, celery sticks, pretzels and brownies.
Note:
-We only had spreadable cream cheese, so that's what we used and it worked just fine. I'm sure either way would be fine.
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
Cream together all ingredients with a hand mixer and pour into a serving dish. Serve with whatever you can think of! We tried it with apple slices, carrot sticks, celery sticks, pretzels and brownies.
Note:
-We only had spreadable cream cheese, so that's what we used and it worked just fine. I'm sure either way would be fine.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Survey:
What kind of recipe user are you?
(1). I follow a recipe to the letter
(2). I sometimes follow it, but I'm not afraid to add my own variations
(3). I never make a recipe without tweaking it
(4). I only use a recipe to give me idea's
Leave me a comment and let me know what kind of recipe user you are!!!
I think I am a serious number 2 user; once in a while I will follow a recipe exactly, but more often than not, I have to add my own changes!!!! But that's what a recipe is for, right? It's a guide, not the law!
Jell-O Magic Mousse
I just tried this today and we all really enjoyed it! It's really fast and easy (just allow time to chill). I hope you give it a try and like it as much as we did!!! Let me know what you think!!
3 cups boiling water
2 (3 oz) packages gelatin, any flavor
1 (16 oz) container Whipped Topping
In a large bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water (do this with a whisk...makes the gelatin dissolve really fast). Add whipped topping and stir until everything is melted together. Pour into a serving dish. Chill for at least 8 hours before serving!
Note:
-Use any flavor gelatin you want! If you can't decide, think about what color you want it to be!
-Forgot to allow time for your whipped topping to thaw? Not a problem. Go ahead and put the frozen whipped topping in the hot, gelatin water. Stir with a whisk until it's melted! It'll work just fine. How convenient!!
-Pour into a large serving dish, or individual dessert cups for a really nice presentation.
-As you can see in the picture, this dessert is layered; it will do it that on it's own, so there's nothing you have to do to make it look like that.
3 cups boiling water
2 (3 oz) packages gelatin, any flavor
1 (16 oz) container Whipped Topping
In a large bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water (do this with a whisk...makes the gelatin dissolve really fast). Add whipped topping and stir until everything is melted together. Pour into a serving dish. Chill for at least 8 hours before serving!
Note:
-Use any flavor gelatin you want! If you can't decide, think about what color you want it to be!
-Forgot to allow time for your whipped topping to thaw? Not a problem. Go ahead and put the frozen whipped topping in the hot, gelatin water. Stir with a whisk until it's melted! It'll work just fine. How convenient!!
-Pour into a large serving dish, or individual dessert cups for a really nice presentation.
-As you can see in the picture, this dessert is layered; it will do it that on it's own, so there's nothing you have to do to make it look like that.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Tomorrow's Menu:
Usually, we go all out on our Sunday dinner and make it really nice. But there are times when we would love to come home from church and sit right down and eat. Not have to mash the potatoes, make the gravy and whatever else. So here is a menu that is fabulous for that! I hope you give it a try and enjoy it!
-Taco Potatoes (recipe here)
-Jell-O Mouse (recipe coming soon!)
Note:
-To make this an easy Sunday dinner, here are a few tips:
1. Prepare your taco meat ahead and place it in a slow-cooker on low in the morning.
2. Use the slow-cooker method (found in the Taco Potato recipe) so your potatoes will be done when you're ready for them.
3. Cook your broccoli ahead and simply warm it in the microwave before serving.
-Taco Potatoes (recipe here)
-Jell-O Mouse (recipe coming soon!)
Note:
-To make this an easy Sunday dinner, here are a few tips:
1. Prepare your taco meat ahead and place it in a slow-cooker on low in the morning.
2. Use the slow-cooker method (found in the Taco Potato recipe) so your potatoes will be done when you're ready for them.
3. Cook your broccoli ahead and simply warm it in the microwave before serving.
Veggie Pizza
Our Saturday night menu generally consists of the same thing every Saturday - Pizza. I don't know why, but it does and we're all fine with that!!! Sometimes we change it up and make BBQ chicken pizza, Mexican chicken pizza, plain cheese pizza, sausage pizza, but we always have pepperoni pizza! We used to make veggie pizza all the time before we went gluten-free, but it took a tube of crescent roll dough to make the crust and so we just sort of gave it up and forgot about it. But dad had been hungry for it, so we decided to give it a try with our normal pizza crust recipe. It actually turned out really well! I was very pleasantly surprised! So I hope you will give it a try and like it as much as we did!
2-3 cups chopped mixed veggies (see note)
1 1/2 cups fancy shredded cheese, cheddar and mozzarella mix
3/4 cup French Onion vegetable dip
Prepare crust according to directions; let cool at least 20 minutes.
Spread dip evenly over entire crust. Sprinkle with veggies and top with cheese.
Cut into desired size slices and serve!
Note:
-This is a very forgiving recipe. The amounts are only to give you a basic idea of what to do. You may like less veggies, you may like more. You may want to use more or less dip. And it will all depend on what size your pizza crust is, as to how much topping you will need.
-VERY IMPORTANT: These are raw, fresh veggies. It will not work with frozen or cooked vegetables, because it is to be eaten cold. Cold, cooked broccoli? No thank you!!! We use broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and radishes (amounts of each are completely up to you). We chop them in a food processor because it chops the veggies evenly, but, you don't want them ground super fine, You want a little bit of all the veggies and pizza crust to fit into one bit!
-If you want to change it a little more, try using Ranch Chip dip instead of the French Onion (NOT ranch dressing...that won't work as well).
-Serve this as part of your pizza buffet, as an appetizer or snack!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Sweet Baby Ray's
This is our absolutely favorite BBQ sauce!! It's not too spicy and not too sweet. And best of all It's Gluten-Free!!!! You can probably find it at any grocery store...we buy it at Walmart. You can use it as is for so many things. Hope you will give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do!!!!
Meatballs:
I love meatballs and these are great! They are so easy and I love to make a bunch and keep them in the freezer for whenever I need them. I hope you give them a try.
2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1 cup quick oats
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
Mix altogether in a large bowl until well combined. Shape into 1 to 1 1/2-inch balls (I use a cookie scoop for this...so much faster and easier). Place on a greased, baking sheet (I use a broiler pan so the grease drips through), if they touch it's fine. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Move the balls around and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until balls are no longer pink in the center. Add to your favorite meatball recipe or place on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for about 2 hours (this freezes the balls individually). Once the balls are frozen, put them into a Ziploc bag and return to the freezer. Use however many, whenever you want them!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Menu:
-Chicken Nuggets
-Baked Sweet & White Potatoes (some of us like white, some like sweet!)
-Peas
-Baked Sweet & White Potatoes (some of us like white, some like sweet!)
-Peas
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Cinnamon/Sugar Donut Muffins:
Although these are definitely no substitute for a good Donut, they are super, duper yummy!!
My whole family loves them and they're perfect for just about any time of day!!
We eat them for breakfast and lunch, for dinner with a bowl of soup, for a snack....anytime!!
I hope you give them a try!
5 & 1/4 cups flour
2 tblsp. xanthan gum
4 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 & 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tblsp. nutmeg
1 tblsp. cinnamon
1 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 & 1/4 cup milk
10 tblsp. butter, melted
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
In a large bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and milk. Add to dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Generously coat a mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.
Fill each cavity 3/4 full with muffin batter (I just use a cookie scoop for this).
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan to a clean dish towel and let cool for at least 5-10 minutes.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a medium bowl.
Dip each muffin in melted butter and roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place on wax paper to cool.
Store in an airtight container.
Note:
This makes approximately 100 muffins. I know that's a lot, but I like to make a big batch at once, and keep the extras in the freezer for a quick breakfast. If you don't want to make quite that many at one time, then feel free to cut the recipe in half!
-To re-heat frozen muffins, place on a microwave safe plate and heat for 15-20 seconds
(you may need to heat them for longer, depending on your microwave and how many you are heating at one time).
-It's important that the muffins cool at least a little bit before you roll them in the butter and sugar/cinnamon mixture. If they are too warm, the sugar will dissolve into the butter and make a gooey glaze.
Sarah's Easy Cheesecake
I got this recipe from one of the ladies at my church who makes AMAZING food and her cheesecakes are fabulous!!! We had this for our Easter dessert and everyone loved them! I thought they were really good too and I HATE cream cheese, so you know they have to be pretty good!!
Photo Credit: Me
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
Cream together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; mix until well combined. Fill paper muffin cups (regular size or mini) about 2/3 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Leave in the muffin tins to cool completely. They will be raised when you take them out of the oven, but then they will fall. This is normal and fine, so don't worry! Serve topped with your favorite pie filling (our favorites are blueberry or strawberry) or fresh fruit! Store in the refrigerator.
Note:
-These can easily be made the day before you want to serve them. In fact, it's probably best to do it that way, so you know they have plenty of time to cool.
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
Cream together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; mix until well combined. Fill paper muffin cups (regular size or mini) about 2/3 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Leave in the muffin tins to cool completely. They will be raised when you take them out of the oven, but then they will fall. This is normal and fine, so don't worry! Serve topped with your favorite pie filling (our favorites are blueberry or strawberry) or fresh fruit! Store in the refrigerator.
Note:
-These can easily be made the day before you want to serve them. In fact, it's probably best to do it that way, so you know they have plenty of time to cool.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Broccoli Casserole
I just love this stuff!!!!! Give it a try and I bet you'll like it too!!!
8 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup butter, melted
Velveeta cheese
Cornflakes (make sure to check the label)
Cook or steam broccoli just until done. Place the broccoli in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel until cool and dry. Place in a greased 8x8 inch baking dish. Cut the Velveeta into thin slices. Cover the broccoli with a layer of cheese. Crush the cornflakes with your hands and cover the cheese. Drizzle melted butter over the cornflakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve!
Note:
-In my oven, the cornflakes started to burn a little before the cheese melted, so I just put some foil over it and baked a little longer.
-This is a recipe that you can make whatever size you want. Basically, you just need whatever amount of broccoli you want, and enough cheese slices and cornflakes to cover it!
-You can easily make this ahead by doing everything but the cornflakes and butter, cover and refrigerate. Add the cornflakes and butter right before you're ready to bake it.
8 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup butter, melted
Velveeta cheese
Cornflakes (make sure to check the label)
Cook or steam broccoli just until done. Place the broccoli in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel until cool and dry. Place in a greased 8x8 inch baking dish. Cut the Velveeta into thin slices. Cover the broccoli with a layer of cheese. Crush the cornflakes with your hands and cover the cheese. Drizzle melted butter over the cornflakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve!
Note:
-In my oven, the cornflakes started to burn a little before the cheese melted, so I just put some foil over it and baked a little longer.
-This is a recipe that you can make whatever size you want. Basically, you just need whatever amount of broccoli you want, and enough cheese slices and cornflakes to cover it!
-You can easily make this ahead by doing everything but the cornflakes and butter, cover and refrigerate. Add the cornflakes and butter right before you're ready to bake it.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
My dad absolutely loves this! It's so yummy and really fun too! I hope you will give it a try!
24 oz. container Cottage Cheese
16 oz. container Whipped Topping
2 boxes of jello, any flavor
1 can crushed pineapple
Mix together cottage cheese, jello and fruit. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into a serving bowl to serve, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Note:
-This can easily be made the day before you want it.
-Change this recipe up to suit your tastes! You can't taste the flavor of the jello, so decided which one you want by what color you want your salad to be!
-We personally like using crushed pineapple instead of the chunks.
-You could replace the pineapple with fruit cocktail, if you wanted!
Easter Sunday Menu:
-Ham
-Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
-Broccoli Casserole
-Pickled Beats
-Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
-Deviled Eggs
Note:
-some of these recipes are not on my blog yet, but I will get them up as soon as I can!
-Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
-Broccoli Casserole
-Pickled Beats
-Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
-Deviled Eggs
Note:
-some of these recipes are not on my blog yet, but I will get them up as soon as I can!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Potato Topped Casserole
This is a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.
Photo Credit: Me!
1 lb. ground beef
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Dash of salt and pepper
2 cups warm mashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
In a large skillet, cook beef until no longer pink; drain grease. Stir in the tomato sauce, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Spread potatoes over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Note:
-You can make this ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. Bake when your ready!!!
1 lb. ground beef
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Dash of salt and pepper
2 cups warm mashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
In a large skillet, cook beef until no longer pink; drain grease. Stir in the tomato sauce, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Spread potatoes over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Note:
-You can make this ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. Bake when your ready!!!
Cherry Macaroons
These are one of my favorite cookies!!! They're really easy and super yummy!! I hope you give them a try!
Photo Credit: Me!
2/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
2 teaspoons of the juice from the cherries
3/4 cup coconut
Cream together shortening, sugar and egg in a mixing bowl. Add flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Add cherries and coconut. Add the cherry juice. Drop by Tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Serve (with a glass of milk, of course!)!!!!!
2/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
2 teaspoons of the juice from the cherries
3/4 cup coconut
Cream together shortening, sugar and egg in a mixing bowl. Add flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Add cherries and coconut. Add the cherry juice. Drop by Tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Serve (with a glass of milk, of course!)!!!!!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Easy Risotto
I just love this stuff!!! It's so easy to make, and has a such a simple, creamy consistency!
I first had Risotto when my cousin made it at my Aunt's house a few years ago.
This was the recipe she used, so that's what I've stuck with!
There's so many different recipes out there, and you could always change this one up,
but I just love the simplicity of this one!
And it can be served with just about any main dish!
Hope you try out!
1 Tablespoon butter
2/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules (PLEASE check the label!)
Dash of pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Green Onions for garnish, optional
In a medium saucepan, cook the onion and butter over high heat until onion is tender.
Add the rice and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Carefully stir in the water, chicken granules and pepper.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
DO NOT lift the lid of the pan during this time!!!!
Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes. The rice should be tender and if there is any liquid in the pan, it should only be a small amount and be very creamy.
Stir in the cheese, garnish with green onions, if desired, and serve!
Note:
-If, when you lift the lid for the first time, there is still a lot of liquid in the pan, cover and let stand a few more minutes, until most of the water is absorbed.
-If, when you lift the lid for the first time, the rice is very dry and not creamy, slowly stir in small amounts of warm water until the rice has a creamy texture to it.
-Always stir the cheese in last and serve right away.
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