Zucchini Pickles, Anyone?

Here is a fabulous recipe that uses up that lovely garden veggie that we all need to use up because it is so prolific that we can't give it away because everyone else is trying to do that too. (More than once I've left church to find a torpedo-sized zucchini lying on the hood of my car. Thanks a bunch, whoever you are.)

Spicy, sweet, tangy goodness that goes well with...well, everything! (Except maybe ice cream...unless you're pregnant, and there ya go.)

Simple recipe, simple process, great return for minimal effort. My kinda eats! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Check out the recipe here at Cooking Light. Yum!

Popovers

These beauties are delicious with a schmear of butter and a drizzle of honey, or some jam, or just by themselves. They are hollow inside and will deflate some after you take them out of the oven.

One of the secrets to the big "pop" in popovers is the pan. It is specially designed to allow for maximum heat to get around the batter and cook all of the popovers equally at the same time. I've tried making them other ways, but they just don't bake up as nicely. The pans can be pricey, but they are so worth it!

The other secret is having a hot oven. You need to preheat the oven before prepping the pan and making the batter, so it will be really hot and ready when you put the pan inside.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

 4 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter and flour your pan. This step is important to facilitate the popovers climbing up the sides of the cups as they bake. Take your time and do a good job with this. Smear a light coat of butter all around and on the top rims and then put a teaspoon or so of flour in each cup and pat the pan around to coat the butter layer with a dusting of flour. Smack the extra out in the garbage or in the yard. :)

Put all the ingredients in your blender and give it a whirl, only until mixed. Many have warned that over mixing interferes with the rise. I have not mixed for minutes at a time, but I do give it a whirl, scrape the blender to make sure all the flour is mixed, then blend it until it is mixed well (5-10 seconds or so).

Pour evenly into prepared pan and bake at 450 degrees for 10-20 minutes, until popovers have risen well. Look through your oven window instead of opening the door. That definitely can effect the rise.

Once they have popped well and are getting pretty brown, reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 10-15 more minutes, until nicely browned (see picture). If they start to get too dark on some of the high points (without being evenly browned), place a sheet of foil over the top of them (just stick in on top, no need to crimp it).

When you take them out of the oven, carefully remove them immediately and enjoy while hot. They are still good when they cool, but taste best right out of the oven (and come out of the pan easier, too).

Cinnamon-y Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Yes, there was twice as much in the dish when it came out of the oven, but it disappeared before I could take a picture. It is that good.

Usually, I am not fond of bread pudding; it's a texture thing, for me. But this recipe is an exception.

Full of cinnamon and pecans and pumpkin, it smells like autumn while it is baking. I love this time of year, so I was happy to pop this in the oven and give it a go.

You can use whatever bread you like (stale bread works best), and leave out the nuts, or add whatever dried fruit you like. It is easily customizable. And a cinch to double or triple, if needed.

Hope you like it! Please let me know, if you do!

Ingredients

1/2 loaf of whole wheat French bread, cubed
3/4 cup of pure pumpkin puree
1/4 cup of butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (whatever kind you like)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, placing rack in center of oven.

Fill a 11x9 baking dish to the top with bread cubes, and then empty them into a separate bowl. (This way, you will have the exact amount of cubes that fit your dish and you won't waste any once they are covered with the filling.) Spray the baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together everything except the bread cubes. Then add bread cubes and fold to combine well, making sure all cubes are well coated.

Pour into prepared dish and use spatula to spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until firm but springy when top is lightly pressed.

Good by itself, or with a light drizzle of caramel syrup!

Enjoy!

Breakfast Pizza

Upon hearing "Breakfast Pizza," maybe you are thinking of the dessert kind that is on a pizza bar, which  is mostly just canned pie filling with some icing.

This is very different.

If you avoid eggs, you can leave them off; but in my humble opinion, they are the star of this pizza. (Unless you make homemade pizza dough, then the dough would definitely trump them.)

But, as my friend, Jessica, at Redeeming the Home said, I am trying to keep things simple. So I bought a 1 lb bag of fresh pizza dough at Walmart for $0.79.

The resulting pie was hearty and filling, but in a light way. I know that doesn't make sense, but it's true. Ever eat something that is really good, but it feels so heavy after you eat it that you think you are full of play dough or something similar?

This pie is not like that, at all.



Anyway, if you decide to try it, please tell me what you think. And let me know how you tweak it, if you do!

Ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough
• 3 large eggs
• 2 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked and roughly chopped (optional)
• 4-6 cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
• fresh chives and/or chopped green onions, for garnish (optional)
• whatever else you think would be good (I added artichoke hearts in the picture above)
•  black pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out dough on a pizza stone, or a baking sheet lined with parchment. Sprinkle dough with cheeses and the bacon (if using).

Crack the eggs, one at a time, right onto the pizza dough, spacing out somewhat like a triangle. If you want to be sure your egg yolks are mostly hard-cooked, pierce them with a paring knife.

Arrange the cherry tomatoes on the pizza, cut side up, and then sprinkle the garlic powder on everything, and add some cracked pepper, to taste. (I don't recommend salt, as the Parmesan is pretty salty.)

Bake until crust is browned and eggs are set. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then slice and enjoy!

Great with a side of fresh fruit, like strawberries or cantaloupe slices.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs

Yes, this recipe is amazing. No, I didn't take a picture. It wasn't just my camera this time, I was distracted. We had our son's ballgame to go to, so I just forgot. Boo, me. But, yay recipe!


The biggest tip I can give for this recipe, which I think I have said before, is know your slow cooker. Mine turns things to black charcoal after 4 hours on low, so I don't do all-day cooking. If yours cooks more gently, then this dish can go for 6-7 hours.

Chicken thighs hold up well to long cooking, and these are delicious. All my kids love BBQ chicken, and they told me this is the best they've ever tasted.


Ingredients

• 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
• Generous 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric or 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 gallon-size baggie
•  Olive Oil

Directions 

Set crock pot on low, and coat bottom of crock with a layer of BBQ sauce.

Heat skillet (I used my cast iron one) on medium-high, add tablespoon or so of olive oil to coat the bottom. You just want to brown the chicken, not deep fry it. :-)

Mix garlic powder, turmeric (or dry mustard), salt and pepper in baggie. Add chicken thighs and squish around to coat well with flour mixture.

Add thighs to skillet, not crowding (I did 6 at a time), and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, to brown well. Add to crock pot.

Once all chicken is browned and added to crock pot (overlapping is fine), drizzle more sauce over the top, just to coat well. No need to stir thighs around.

Cover and cook for 4-7 hours, depending on your individual crock pot. Scoop out the chicken thighs and arrange on a platter, for serving. Just know that they cool down quickly.

I served these with grilled baby potatoes, and marinated veggie salad.

Yum!

Marinated Veggie Salad

This is a great way to use up veggies in your fridge. And it could not be a more simple recipe.

Are you ready?

Ingredients

• Your favorite veggies
• 1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing

Directions

Cut up veggies in bite-size pieces.
Place in glass or clear plastic container.
Pour bottle of salad dressing over veggies (they will be drowned in it).

Stir well.

Cover and place in fridge for at least 2 hours, to allow veggies to marinate. Stir occasionally to re-coat veggies, because dressing sinks to bottom.

Eat!

This is wonderful for a lunch meal, and it also goes great with a BBQ dinner, or something else rich that needs a crunchy/tangy dish to balance it out.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I know, I know . . . this clip art is lame. Not nearly as appetizing as my actual recipe photo would be. (Not appetizing at all, really). But, alas, I need a new camera.

Anyway, if you like Chinese food, I think you will like this recipe. It is yummy, and much cheaper than take-out; plus it's easy to make once you get everything cut up. I served this over Jasmine rice, which is a larger grain white rice that cooks up moist. Good eats!

Ingredients

• 1 - 2 lbs chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut in bite-sized pieces
• 1 bottle French or Catalina dressing
• 1 small can crushed pineapple
• 1 green or red pepper, julienned
• 1/2 medium sweet or red onion, sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• slivered almonds (optional)
• crushed red pepper (optional)
• Olive oil

Directions

Heat wok or heavy skillet on high  (I used my big cast iron one) and add a couple tablespoons of oil. When it shimmers, add the pepper and onion, salt and pepper, and cook and stir for 3 minutes.

Then add chicken and garlic, and cook and stir until chicken is lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.Turn down to medium high, if browning too quickly.

Next comes the "to-taste" portion of the recipe. With heat at medium, you will mix in the dressing and pineapple. I drizzled enough dressing to coat everything well, plus a little extra for sauce on the rice. I also added two big tablespoons of the crushed pineapple. You can add whatever amounts you like, just do it little by little, and taste after each addition, until it is where you like it.

You will only need to cook this for a couple minutes, to thicken everything well. Then serve over rice (and sprinkle with the almonds, and/or crushed red pepper, if desired) and eat up!

(Makes moderate portions for six. It's easy to double, though!)

Easy Italian Wedding Soup

I love the ease of soups. One pot for cooking, one bowl for eating. Plus it's a comfort food, especially when the soup has pasta in it!
 
Ingredients

• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (I used turkey sausage)
• 1 lb Ditalini pasta, uncooked
• 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
• 32 oz of chicken broth
• 1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon onion powder (not salt!)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt!), divided in half
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• salt & pepper, to taste
• olive oil

Directions

Fill a stock pot with water and 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Bring to boil and cook pasta according to directions. Add splash of olive oil to boiling water, to keep pasta from sticking.

While water is boiling/pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauce pot or dutch oven. Cook sausage with onion powder and remaining garlic powder, oregano and basil. Salt & pepper to taste.

Once sausage is browned, add spinach and stir to wilt. Add chicken broth and beans and bring to low boil. Turn down to simmer, add half of the cooked and drained pasta (reserve the other half for pasta salad or just to eat alone for lunch with some cheese sprinkled on top). Heat through, then taste and adjust salt & pepper accordingly.

Very yummy, especially with sweet Abernathy biscuits.

Enjoy!

Abernathy Biscuits

These are a Scottish treat, and they were supposedly named after a Dr. Abernathy, who created them for aiding digestion, instead of for the town of Abernathy in Perthshire, Scotland. 

Regardless, they are yummy! Like a cross between a shortbread cookie and a biscuit (as we know them), they are great with a cup of tea. You can make them without the caraway seed, but I encourage you to try it (even if you do not like seeded rye bread) because the caraway adds a great taste to the biscuits without overpowering them.

Here's my take on the classic recipe:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of flour
• 3 ounces of butter, diced
• 3 ounces of raw sugar
• 1 free range egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of caraway seed
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• dash of salt

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place flour, baking soda, dash of salt and butter in food processor fitted with "S" blade. Pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pour into mixing bowl.

Stir in sugar and caraway seed. Add beaten egg and milk, and stir with a fork just until combined. Mixture will seem dry and be a little crumbly.

Turn out onto a floured surface and form into a round disk, careful to handle dough lightly (do not knead; biscuits will be tough). Roll to 1/4" thickness and cut into 2 inch disks (or with other shaped cutter desired) and place on baking sheet lined with parchment. (I used one of the sheets with the air pocket on the bottom to prevent things from over browning.)

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until ever so slightly brown around edges. Do not brown the tops or they will be too crisp. Cool on racks and store in sealed container.

Great plain, or with a light schmear of butter or your favorite jam or marmalade.  And, of course, serve them with tea. :-)

Enjoy!

Linking up with others at:

Easy Baked Tilapia

When I was a gym rat (before marriage and kids), I would always eat fish for dinner. I mean, like every evening. That's why you can't get Orange Roughy anymore; I ate it all. :-) Anyway, we have been going beef and pork free in our home (alas, bacon, I do miss you), and we've been feeling SO much better because of it. I am getting tired of chicken, so I remembered that I would cook fish, years ago, from frozen. So, I tried it with Tilapia and it is very tasty and tender and not dry. And not fishy tasting either, which is nice because fishy fish isn't good, even though it is fish.

Ingredients

• frozen Tilapia filets (see below for how many)
• garlic powder (NOT salt)
• Old Bay seasoning
• cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray (I used an 11 x 15). Place desired amount of filets in dish. They can overlap a little, but you cannot double layer them, as they won't bake properly. They will shrink as they bake, so halfway through you can scoot them around so they are all flat on the bottom of the dish.

Spray filets with cooking spray. Sprinkle desired amount of garlic powder and Old Bay on fish. Stick in oven and bake for 17 minutes. Rearrange a little, if necessary; bake 5 more minutes (or until fish is white and flakes with a fork).

Fish will continue to cook some in dish, so it doesn't need to be super flaky when you take it out. Mostly just needs to be opaque (all white) and tender .

Serve with rice and steamed broccoli or a spinach salad.  Yum!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

This picture does not do this breakfast treat justice. (So my camera stinks, but at least there's a picture, okay? grin.)

This was incredible! I have a slow cooker recipe for overnight apple oatmeal, but my crock pot is big and turns everything to charcoal after about 4 hours, so I was afraid to make it. Then I was inspired the next morning to do a "cheater" version. And it was ahhhmazing! I hope you like it! 

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cups water 
• 1 & 1/2 cups skim milk 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 1 cup Scottish oatmeal (or steel cut oats) 
• 1 can of apple pie filling (I use Lucky Leaf, which is delish)
• maple syrup (preferably 100% real stuff)
• 2 tablespoons of pecans, rough chopped

Directions

In a medium-large sauce pot,  place first six ingredients and bring to a boil.

While waiting for boil, chop up half the apples in the pie filling.

When mixture boils, turn down heat to medium and whisk in the oats (whisking is important so it doesn't lump together while cooking). Then stir in the chopped apples.

Cover, turn to low, and cook for 15 minutes (if using Scottlish oatmeal) or longer (if using steel cut oats -- check the directions for cooking time for one cup). Stir occasionally, to prevent sticking to bottom of pot (but it will still stick somewhat).

While waiting for oats to cook, toast the pecans. In a dry skillet (cast iron works great), heat nuts over medium heat, stirring to prevent scorching, until you can smell them (or 2-3 minutes). Then remove from heat.


When oats are done, they will be a thick, creamy mixture. Ladle into individual bowls, add some more pie filling (to taste) then top with the pecans and maple syrup.

Sit down while eating, because your eyes will roll back in your head.

Okay, maybe I'm being overly dramatic, but apple pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and I love wholesome, toothsome breakfasts. This is a dream marriage of those two things.

Enjoy!

Yummy Cereal Bars

These tasty treats are a snap to make, and much healthier than candy bars or brownies. You can substitute your favorite cereal for the "Cheerios," but I personally think they make this taste fabulous. (And isn't this a cute plate that I found at my local Big Lots store?)

Ingredients

Just so you know, I don't measure anything when I make these, so feel free to eyeball it, if you are comfortable doing that. The biggest issue is not adding too much cereal because then it won't get covered well.

• 1 cup marshmallow creme 
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (I have used regular and chunky)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 to 1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional (personal preference, here)
• 2 cups cereal of your choice (I use "Cheerios" brand honey-nut flavor) 
• Cooking spray

Directions

Spray an 8x8 baking dish (or one similar sized). Have cereal and chocolate chips close by.

Put first three ingredients in medium-large microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds, then stir (creme will puff). Heat for 15-30 more seconds, depending on strength of your oven.

Remove and stir well, then immediately add cereal and chips and stir and fold them in. When everything is coated, put in dish and spread/pack down to make flat. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour.

Cut into squares and eat! Great with a cup of tea or glass of milk!

No Boil Manicotti Florentine

I wondered how this would do without boiling the shells first, and it was great! Not boiling the manicotti also makes it easier to fill, even though it can still be a little messy. Allow some time for the filling process, just so you don't rush and squeeze it everywhere.

Ingredients

• 16 oz container of small curd cottage cheese
• 4 ounces cream cheese*
• 7 oz bag shredded mozzarella
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons onion powder (NOT onion salt!)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder (again, NOT salt!)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 box chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed as dry as you can get it 
• 1 box manicotti shells, uncooked
• 32 oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce 
• Grated/Shredded Parmesan cheese 
• basil and/or oregano
• cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put first eight ingredients into your food processor and give it a few pulses to mix together (don't go crazy here). Add the spinach and pulse a couple more times, so everything is nicely incorporated. 

(*  I didn't have any regular cream cheese on hand this time, so I substituted some French onion The Laughing Cow brand cheese (four triangles worth) and it worked well.)

Spoon a cup or more of sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. You need it to thickly cover the bottom.

Using either a large pastry bag (which works best) or a gallon zip lock, fold the top down and fill it with all the cheesy goodness. (This works best when you turn down the top 3-4 inches of the bag, so it doesn't go all over the opening.)

Cut a small slit in the bottom corner, but please don't make it too big to start with. It needs to fit into the end of the manicotti shell so the filling goes in easy. If it isn't flowing, you can make it a little bigger. If you start too big, it will squish out around the opening when you squeeze the bag.

Fill each shell and nestle them in the sauce. (Don't they look cozy?)

After the shells are all filled, cover with a thick layer of sauce  (you don't need to use it all). Then add 1/4 cup of water to the corner of the dish.  Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano (to taste). 

Cover with double layer of foil that is sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 60 minutes. Uncover, and bake for 5-10 more minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before eating.

Obviously, this goes well with garlic bread and a salad -- but you could cheat and just carb out with just the garlic bread.

Yum!

 

Easy-Peasy Garlic Parmesan Braid

Okay, don't pass out because there are actually some pictures this time! Ha!

This couldn't be easier unless you just buy it ready-made from a bakery. It looks pretty, and you can use as much or as little of the toppings as you like. It's simple, yet it can really jazz up the presentation of your spaghetti dinner, or whatever you want to serve it with!

Ingredients

• 1 lb bread dough (I used fresh dough from Walmart)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• Italian seasoning or oregano
• melted butter, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Divide your dough into three equal sections, and place on a baking sheet or stone. Press ends together.

Braid tightly and then tuck the ends, pinching to keep together.

Brush with beaten egg, then sprinkle with cheese, minced garlic and seasonings of choice.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until deep golden brown. As you can see from this last picture, the braid puffed and the center isn't golden. It wasn't done, either. The entire top should be nicely golden brown when it's done. (If your looks like mine did, you can brush the middle with additional egg before baking longer, to help it to brown.)

Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. You can also brush with melted butter, for additional richness.

Enjoy!

Fish Lasagne

This recipe is one that I've had for years, and it is so simple but so rich and yummy. You may love it as much as we do.  And don't worry about the Food Network and how they complain about fish and cheese not going together well. It's not true. At least not in this case!  

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 pounds of white fish (I used Tilapia)
• 8 ounces of Swiss cheese, shredded (but I used a 7 oz package of sliced Swiss I had on hand)
• 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or stock
• 1 cup heavy cream (or evaporated milk, which I used last night!*)
• 8 lasagne noodles, cooked and rinsed in cool water
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 6 tablespoons of butter 

Directions

Melt butter in a medium skillet. Cut the fish into 1 inch pieces, and cook with garlic and thyme until fish flakes easily with a fork (stirring around gently; don't worry, it will break up some), around 8-10 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon.

Melt remaining butter in skillet and then add salt and flour, whisking until smooth (add a splash of the broth to help, if it's too pasty). Cook and stir this roux for 2 minutes, then slowly add the broth and milk, whisking all the while. Bring to a boil, while whisking, and stir for a couple minutes until thickened.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray or grease a 13 x 9 baking dish.  Then begin layering the lasagne. Start with 3 noodles in bottom, add half the fish, half the sauce, then top with half the cheese. Repeat layers.

Cover with foil (may want to spray it so it doesn't stick to the top of the lasagne). Bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for 20 minutes more, or until bubbling.

Let set for 20 minutes before serving.

Yum!

*The evaporated milk worked just fine as far as taste, but I will say that the cream formed a more cohesive sauce than the milk, so my milk version was a little more buttery-greasy than it is with the cream. So if you can deal with using the cream, I'd recommend it over the milk. Both are tasty, though!

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

I know, I didn't take a picture, again (!). But, I hope you will trust me when I say that this is a delicious meal. My husband was slurping up a plate full before taking our son to wrestling practice. He usually just waits until he comes back, but the smell lured him in. :-)

Ingredients

*Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or bone-in, but deskinned)
Your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon granulated garlic (NOT garlic salt)
2 teaspoons onion powder

black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Place chicken in bottom of crock pot
Sprinkle with seasonings
Cover with sauce
*Cook for 4-10 hours


You can use as many chicken thighs as you want/need. My crock pot is one of the big ones that ruins food if you cook for longer than 4 hours. I used 10 chicken thighs and one 24 ounce can of Food Lion brand 3-cheese (4-cheese?) spaghetti sauce, and cooked mine for around 4 hours (maybe a little over).

It was delish! I served this over spaghetti noodles (regular spaghetti, not angel hair), and everyone loved it. You just need to add more sauce (and increase seasonings, to taste) if using more chicken, and increase cooking time accordingly, especially if your chicken is not deboned (since that will take longer to cook)

And the biggest rule is Know Thy Crockpot!

 If you have one like mine (I think it's at least 6 quarts, if not 8), then use caution. When I say mine ruins food, it really is inedible. The first time I made a regular cook-for-8-hours meal and left the house all day, I came back to a burned, blackened mess in the bottom.There doesn't seem to be a way around this, either (I checked online and it seems to be a universal problem). On the other hand, it is boss for cooking a whole chicken!

Greens & Beans Soup

This soup is perfect for winter, and it is so easy to customize. Just change out the meat, greens or beans to your liking. It's simple! I have done this with smoked sausage and kale, but the picture above is with the ingredients listed below. It's even better the next day!

Ingredients

• 1 lb turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, pressed 
• 1 package frozen collard greens (12-16 ounces), thawed
• 48 oz. of chicken broth (or 1 32 oz. container and then add water for remaining ounces)
• 2 cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
• salt & pepper

Directions

Brown onion and sausage together until sausage starts to brown. Add garlic and cook until sausage is completely browned. You can drain the fat at this point, if desired (I leave it in for flavor). Add broth, beans and greens, and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

This goes great with cornbread!

Raw Ice Cream?

I will admit that the sound of "raw" ice cream doesn't necessarily sound great. And, when I heard the ingredients, I was skeptical. But, when my sister made it for me, I was hooked!

 If you are looking for a great way for you or your kids to eat more raw spinach, this is definitely it. The original recipe is here, but I listed the ingredients that I used below, for your convenience.

Into a food processor (or blender that has a great motor), put:

• 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach
• 12 oz frozen cherries
• 1 frozen, ripe banana (peel before freezing!), sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup vanilla Silk Lite soy milk

Process until smooth, taking time to stir around the ingredients and scrape the sides. Be patient--if you add more milk to help the flow, it will be less firm and more like a smoothie (and not as tasty, per my kids).

A blender will work, but the friction caused by the motor bogging down (unless yours is a good one) will, again, cause it to be more like a smoothie.

I used my food processor for this batch and it came out like very soft, soft serve ice cream. All three of my kids loved it and begged for more.

This recipe makes about three 1/4 cup servings, but it isn't recommended that you double it, since it is so hard to process as is.

Spinach has calcium and iron, and the cherries are great for your joints. Be brave and try it, you won't regret it! . . . You may just want to hide the ingredients from your kids, in case they are like my dad.

Dad hated all things pumpkin, yet he gobbled up dozens of my pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies. That is, until he found out they contained pumpkin, and then he never ate another one. Such silliness.

And talk about silliness--I have not posted that pumpkin cookie recipe yet! I will need to take care of that right away. Which, of course, requires baking some.

Stay tuned! 

Christmas Cake Fun

This is a picture of our fun Christmas cake that we made for dessert yesterday. You don't need a fancy cake pan to do this, just make a Christmas tree pattern and use a serrated knife to cut it out. To make it easy, we folded our paper in half and drew the design on one side, so it would be symmetrical.

If you have time, the cake is easier to cut and holds up better, if you freeze it first. I think a few hours would do it. Just wrap it in plastic wrap first. If not, you can do like we did and just put icing on the top (the sides were too crumbly to hold the icing and were trying to fall apart).

Anyway, to make this, you need:

• a boxed cake (we used white), and eggs & oil to make it
• a 13 x 9 baking dish
• homemade icing (recipe follows)
• mint extract
• sugar cubes (we found them at Food Lion)
• matches
• dropper or pipette

Homemade Icing

Ingredients:

• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 cup cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat in the little tub, which incorporates easier without being room temp)
• 1/4 cup butter spread (I used smart balance)
• tablespoons of milk, as needed
• dash of salt
• 2 teaspoons pure orange extract (or whatever you like, but this is great)
• food coloring

Directions:

Dump everything in the mixer, except the milk and food coloring, and mix on low, adding tablespoons of milk until it gets to spreading consistency. Do this carefully, so your icing doesn't get runny. Mix on medium to get everything incorporated well. If making the presents, scoop out several half cups of icing into bowls for tinting various colors, then color the remaining bulk of your icing green.

After we iced the cake and presents, then came the fun part!


When you are ready to eat your cake, arrange a few sugar cubes (not many--we used six) on your cake, as though they are lights. Put a few drops of mint extract on each cube and then light them with a match.

Quickly turn off the lights and ooh and ahh for a few seconds while they burn a pretty blue!  Fun times. :-)

Please note:  If you put too many cubes on your cake, some will go out before the others are lit--they burn quickly. And my kids said the post-burn cubes don't taste good, although our dog begged to differ.

(We got this idea from a Christmas book called The ADVENTure of Christmas.)

Mushroom & Wild Rice Casserole

(10-12 servings)

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving, instead of stuffing. It calls for a 13 x 9 baking dish, but I used my 14 inch cast iron skillet to minimize cleanup. 

You could leave out the mushrooms, if you don't like them--cubed firm tofu or uncooked, cubed chicken would be good substitutes--but the mushrooms are great in this dish.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 12 oz package sliced cremini (baby portabella) mushrooms
1 cup wild rice (uncooked)
1/2 cup brown rice (uncooked)
4 cups water
1 can beef broth
8 slices bacon
1/2 slivered almonds
 1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup cold water
additional salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
 
Place water, butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium sauce pan and bring to boil. Add wild rice, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 40 minutes and then stir in brown rice. Cover, cooking for another 20-30 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, put oven rack in center and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and put a shallow cooking rack in pan. Place the 8 bacon strips on the pan and bake for 12 minutes. Carefully turn bacon and cook for another 4-7 minutes, or until just crisped. Remove pan from oven.

While bacon is cooking, chop onion and peppers. Use bacon drippings (enough to lightly coat a large skillet) to cook onion, peppers and mushrooms with celery seed. Salt and pepper to help the veggies cook down. Once veggies are tender, add beef broth and bring to boil.

Stir corn starch into cold water until smooth and add to mixture. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Drain cooked rice and add to mixture. Crumble bacon and fold in with almonds.

Lower oven rack down from center. If using cast iron skillet, place directly in oven. If not using heat-proof skillet, transfer mixture to a 13 x 9 baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.

This is rich, so you'll have plenty of leftovers for the next day. :)