This is a nice variation to my Classic Roast Chicken, but it is just as easy to make. There is a marinade time for this but tonight I didn't have time to let it set for an hour (poor planning on my part). I just put it together and put it in the oven. You could still taste the garlic and lemon just fine. So if you decide to make the chicken this way at the last minute it will still be very good.
Garlicky Lemon Chicken
1 whole cut up chicken
1 tsp chicken bouillon
Juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
olive oil
butter
Directions:
Place chicken in a baking dish. Sprinkle bouillon over chicken pieces. Thinly slice garlic cloves and place over chicken. Pour lemon juice over & add in the bay leaves. Drizzle with olive oil & add some butter cut into small pieces on top of the chicken. Cover and let marinde for an hour or so. Bake in a 350 F oven for 1 hour, baste chicken once or twice during baking time.
Growing up this was one of my mom's stand by meals. She made it a little different than I do, I've had to adjust for a couple of picky eaters. This is a good, frugal meal that covers all your bases depending on how you make it. The way I make it I feel like I need to add in some veggies to round out the meal so I usually serve it with a salad.
Last night when I made this I used 2 cans of tomato soup (Campbell's only, I don't like any other brands). Growing up my mom would use diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes that they canned, and broke them up a bit. My husband and Bub don't like anything with chunks of tomatoes. The last time I made this, I ran the tomatoes through the blender and they ate it that way! That tastes more traditional to me. My mom also used to add chopped onions to this (you could add green pepper too if you like it); my boys don't like chopped onion either so I use onion powder in this recipe.
American Goulash
1 lb lean ground beef
1 box elbow macaroni
2 cans tomato soup + 1 can water (or use diced tomatoes, whatever your family likes)
salt & pepper
Onion powder (or chopped onion)
Garlic or garlic powder
1 cup cheddar cheese
Directions:
Brown ground beef (with onion and pepper if using). Season with garlic salt & pepper. Add soup and water (or tomatoes if using). Simmer 10 minutes while macaroni is cooking.
Boil macaroni al dente, drain, rinse. Return macaroni to pot, add beef mixture.
Serve in bowls with shredded cheese. Even better left over and reheated (add a little tomato juice when reheating, if too dry).
This is pure comfort food! If you've never had homemade Au Gratin potatoes you are missing out! If you've tried other recipes and they are just never great - you'll want to try this recipe. I've tried quite a few recipes for Au Gratin potatoes and this one is the recipe. Absolutely perfect, I think. I added some ham slices to the pan when I baked it. You can leave that out or put in bacon, whatever you want really. It'll be good if you add anything or not!
Au Gratin Potatoes
3 lbs potatoes
5 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat flour)
4 cups milk
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Boil potatoes until just tender, 20-25 minutes; drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and dice into 1/2 inch pieces.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour; stir while cooking, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk and add garlic. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Stir in cheddar cheese and all but 2 tbs parmesan cheese. Add potatoes to sauce and stir to mix evenly.
Pour into 3 qt round casserole or rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese over top.
Bake casserole 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and dish is bubbling and lightly brown on top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
This recipe is so good and so easy! I put the roast in this morning around 9am and by 2pm the kids were asking how much longer before they could eat it. Once everyone was eating I don't think I heard any talking, just a lot of "mmm" and the occasional "this is so good mom!". I made the sandwiches on homemade French Baguettes and it was delicious. If you have time, I recommend trying it that way, if not just purchase a really good quality roll to serve these on. Hope you'll enjoy!
Crock Pot French Dip Original recipe can be found here
3 1/2-4 lbs boneless chuck roast
1/2 cup soy sauce {I used tamari sauce}
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
3-4 peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
water {I used almost 4 cups}
Place roast in a 5-quart slow cooker. Combine soy sauce and next 6 ingredients. Pour over roast.
Add water to slow cooker until roast is almost covered. Cook, covered, on low for 7 hours or until very tender. Remove roast, reserving broth. Shred roast with a fork and serve on sandwich rolls with the broth on the side for dipping.
French Baguettes. Sounds really hard to make doesn't it? I thought they would be when I first decided to try making them. Maybe mine were easy because it's not a traditional recipe? I've no idea. I know the recipe I use makes an awesome bread and that's the main thing right?
In the original recipe it calls for brushing the loaves with an egg yolk wash before baking and putting water in the bottom of the stove to create steam. Apparently this makes for a very good crust. Usually I do the egg yolk wash, but I have never bothered with the steam. Just brushing the yolk on the bread seems to give it a nice crusty crust. However this time I didn't even bother with doing that. I just rubbed a bit of flour over the loaves, let rise and bake. I really liked the texture for the sandwiches we used the bread for. I think if I was going to use the bread for bruschetta or on French Onion Soup I would definitely at least use the egg yolk on the bread before baking.
I did view 2 really helpful videos when it came to pre-shaping and shaping the bread. I'll share both of those videos with you here.
Here is the recipe that I used to make my baguettes. This recipe uses the bread machine but if you don't have a bread machine just follow the traditional way to make bread (proof yeast in water & sugar, mix in flour and salt, knead ect.).
French Baguettes Original recipe can be found here
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast into bread machine pan in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select Dough cycle, and press Start.
When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched. Punch down dough and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Cut dough in half. Shape each half (gently)into a square fold in thirds and tighten (watch video 1 for detailed instructions). Set aside and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
Watch video 2 for shaping the baguette.
Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
This is the only coleslaw I can get my kids to eat. I've tried store bought coleslaw, I've tried store bought coleslaw dressing and there is no way I can get the kids to eat it. A friend of mine would make coleslaw and my kids would eat it - every time. Finally asked her how to make it and she said she didn't really have a recipe but she told me the ingredients. So I tried and tried until finally I got the right ratio of ingredients and now my kids will eat my coleslaw! :) Here's the recipe so you can make it for your family too.
Creamy Coleslaw
1 package of shredded cabbage & carrots (coleslaw mix - you can do this yourself if you have a food processor. I don't so I buy a local brand of coleslaw mix.)
1 cup of salad dressing (Miracle Whip or other like brand)
2 TB vinegar
2 TB sugar
Rinse coleslaw mix under cold water & drain. Place in large bowl. Mix together salad dressing, vinegar, and sugar. Pour over coleslaw mix and stir til evenly coated.
This right here is one of my most favorite smoothies. There is something about the blueberries and swiss chard that has a calming effect on me. Maybe it's just me but I'm sure my family would love if I drank this smoothie all the time. ;) I would have taken a before blending photo but I had to blend the greens first in order to get everything to fit. And since I want you to try this, I thought I would spare you that picture. :) After it was all blended, my blender jar is full of this glorious smoothie. I hope you'll try it!
Blueberry Blues Green Smoothie
4 bananas
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
½ cup or more water
5 leaves of red chard, stalk removed (I used green chard since it was on sale)
Instructions:
Put ingredients in the blender, and blend until smooth.
Tonight for supper I made crock pot lasagna. I think it was a year or two ago that I discovered that lasagna could be made in the crock pot; ever since then this is the way I have made it. It is so easy and I think just as good as the traditional way but without all the hassle. Let me tell you how you too can make this easy lasagna.
Crock Pot Lasagna Original recipe can be found here
1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp dried oregano
12 ounces cottage cheese (I use 1%)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or asiago cheese
12 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in pan. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano. Cook long enough to get it warm (You can also just use jarred sauce, which is what I did tonight). Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
Yesterday while chatting with @gutimom on twitter, I happened to surf over to her blog, My Kinda Rain. While browsing around there I saw her recipe for Amish White Bread. Thinking it was the Amish Friendship Bread that required a starter (the one you have to make a member of your family and feed for 10 days) and mentioned how I'd have to attempt that some day. Then I actually read the recipe. Imagine my surprise when I could make the bread the same day as I mix the flour with other ingredients. :) So today I set out to play with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer and make her recipe for Amish White Bread.
This is the first time I have ever made bread without using my bread machine. I was a little nervous but it turned out fantastic. This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread. You could make 2 plain loaves and freeze one for later or you can do what I did. I made one loaf plain and the second loaf I made into a cinnamon swirl bread. Ok, so my swirl part needs a little work, but it tastes really good. Once I flattened the loaf I covered it in a bit of soft butter, sprinkled with some brown sugar and cinnamon. I didn't measure this - just put what I thought looked good.
Since I have never made bread without the help of my bread machine I didn't know how to shape a loaf for the pan. I found this site that gives a picture tutorial. It's very easy. While my loaves turned out great, I really like the rustic look to @gutimom's bread (How did you do that???).
This is my plain white loaf
This is the cinnamon (sorta) swirl loaf
Amish White Bread Original recipe can be found here
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
Instructions:
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth (I let the kitchen aid knead the dough for about 11 minutes). Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9×5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
Click to save & print
*****Edited 01/20 To Add******
I made this recipe again yesterday but this time I used 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour. This change was far superior. We are used to eating whole wheat bread so we really enjoyed this adaptation much better. The bread didn't rise as much on the second rise (that could have been my error, I wasn't able to get to the dough after the 1 hour rise time and it ended up being close to 2 hours). Regardless of that I'll be making it with half whole wheat flour from now on.
When I lived in San Diego we could get the best carnitas ever! I could seriously take a trip out there just to get a carnita and then come home. Finally last year I decided to attempt to come up with a version that would satisfy the craving. This recipe is pretty darn good. Best of all you can start it in the morning and when you come home from work you'll be met at the door with a fantastic smell and minimal work to get supper on the table.
Crock Pot Carnitas
1 pork roast
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, quartered
2 TB cumin
1 TB chili powder
1 TB lime juice
3-4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
Instructions:
Rub pork with dry spices. Place sliced onion and garlic on the bottom of crock pot and put pork on top. Pour in chicken broth and lime juice. Cook on low for 8 hours (I cooked on high for 5 hours today & it was perfect). When tender take roast out and shred with 2 forks. (I then put it in a bowl and put a few spoonfuls of the liquid from the crock pot over it to keep it moist). Serve on warm tortillas with whatever toppings you like.
Have you ever made homemade brownies? Or are you stuck making them from the box because every recipe you have ever tried ends up being more like cake than like a brownie? Well, I have the recipe for you! These brownies will not disappoint. They have become well talked about amongst my twitter sisters (twisters), so if you can't take my word for it, surely you can trust them. ;) Let's get to the chocolaty goodness shall we?
Gather your ingredients. I forgot to put the salt out, good thing I checked the recipe card.
In a large bowl add your sugar, oil and vanilla. Yes, that is a lot of sugar. We're making dessert here folks, not a healthy snack. If you're looking for a healthy snack check out my green smoothies. ;) If you want chocolaty goodness just keep on going with me. Let's mix that all together nicely.
Crack your eggs in a separate bowl and then add them to that vanilla sugar.
Take your fork - put that wisk away - and mix the eggs into the sugar mixture. Not too much just so they are mixed.
In a smaller bowl mix your flour (here's where I'll let you do something healthy - I use 1/2 white & 1/2 whole wheat flour.), cocoa, baking powder and salt. Mix them all together.
At this point dig your fork out of the egg mixture and pour in the flour mix. Go ahead get a clean fork and then mix together. You only want to stir until this is just mixed. Lumps are not only okay but encouraged! ;)
Pour that lovely chocolate into a greased pan and put it in the oven. Go ahead and lick the bowl and spatula now - you know you want to.
After about 30 minutes you'll take it out of the oven - try not to drool and set it to cool. Once it's cool, go ahead and cut it into squares. Then look at what you made.
Oh yes, you have made the moistest brownies ever! Go ahead take a bite.
You'll never go back to that old boxed mix now.
The Moistest Brownies E.V.E.R
Ingredients below are for a double batch
1 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup flour (I used 1/2 cup all purpose & 1/2 cup whole wheat)
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 Inch Baking Pan (30 x 20 x 3 cm Cake Pan) Combine oil, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, mix until well combined. In a separate bowl add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add to egg and sugar mixture, and combine just until moistened. Pour into greased pan and bake for 25-35 minutes (I usually bake for about 30 minutes) or until brownies pull away from pan.
Tonight was the first time I made these and let me just tell you; everyone has asked if I can make this again next week. We all loved it, even little E and he's a tough critic. ;) This is a take on chicken cordon-bleu, but you don't have to fry this. It's all done right in the oven and its crispy! So put this on your menu, get the ingredients and wow your family this week!
Pepperoni Chicken Roll-ups
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
24 slices turkey pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 large eggs , beaten
1 TB water
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
heavy-duty round toothpicks
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil
1 cup prepared homemade pizza sauce
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place the chicken breasts one at a time in a ziploc bag and, using a mallet, pound thin. Remove and place on saran wrap on counter. Repeat until all 4 chicken breasts are pounded thin. Season chicken with salt and pepper and top with pepperoni slices and shredded cheese. Roll up beginning with the smallest side and secure tightly with toothpicks.
Lightly brush baking sheet with olive oil. Mix the eggs and water in a deep bowl and dip the chicken rolls in the egg mixture. Place bread crumbs on a plate and roll the chicken in the crumbs, distributing evenly. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until completely cooked. Serve the chicken with warm pizza sauce.
I hate buying pizza sauce. It's so expensive for the amount they give you in the can or the jar. So a couple of years ago I started experimenting with making my own pizza sauce. This is what I came up with and we love it! Hope you'll love it too. This makes a lot of pizza sauce. I use what I need and freeze the rest. Nice to have it on hand and not have to buy it.
Homemade Pizza Sauce
1 can roasted garlic tomato sauce (680ml/23oz)
1/3 cup of water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp olive oil>
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
I make this pizza quite often for little E. He really loves it. It doesn't take long to mix up and the rise time on it is very quick. It makes enough for 4 mini pizzas. So you can freeze some if you want, but the big kids in our house usually find it before I can get it in the freezer.
Healthy First Pizza
3/4 cup white bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat bread flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 TB olive oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water
olive oil for brushing
cornmeal homemade pizza sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Turkey pepperoni or other toppings your toddler likes
Preheat oven to 425F/220C. Put the flours and yeast into a bowl and add the olive oil and enough water to mix to a soft but not sticky dough. Knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll out each piece into a circle about 4 inches/10cm round. Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Lay the circles on the baking sheet. Brush each pizza crust lightly with olive oil and let rise for about 15 minutes.
Spread a little pizza sauce on each circle and then top with cheese and pepperoni. Bake in oven for 7-10 minutes.
This salad is a family favorite. It is so good, especially in the summer with fresh, local ingredients. Maybe you already make this and love it too, but I thought I'd share because we love it so much.
Tomato Cucumber Salad
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 English cucumber
olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
Instructions:
Slice tomatoes in half length wise. Slice cucumber in half length wise and then into slices. Mix in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix again.
This is bliss! What a fantastic way to start your day or end your day for that matter. Once you give this smoothie a try you'll understand what I mean. Delicious and healthy - I love green smoothies. :)
Banana Bliss Green Smoothie
3 cups greens (I used a mixture of mixed greens and baby spinach)
2-4 ripe bananas (I used 2 today)
2 TB raw carob powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
4 ice cubes
1/2 cup of pure water
Instructions:
Blend all the ingredients together, pour into your favorite glass, get comfy and enjoy this calcium and magnesium rich smoothie.
This is the first time I have ever had Tabbouleh of any kind. I have to tell you I am hooked on this raw version. It is so incredibly good. Could it be the addition of cumin, maybe. ;) I love cumin. Really you have to try this even if you think you don't like Tabbouleh I think you should try this, just once. :) Tonight when I made it I was out of broccoli (I used it all in the broccoli soup!) so I just made it without and it was still fantastic.
Raw Tabbouleh Salad Original recipe can be found here.
3/4 cup of cauliflower(the size of cous cous)
1/2 cup broccoli (the size of cous cous)
1/4 cilantro, chopped
1 Medium Tomato, diced
Juice of half a lemon
1.5 tsp. Cumin(or more to taste)
1 TB Olive Oil
Sea Salt(to taste)
Cayenne(I just used a pinch)
1 big handful baby spinach
Instructions:
I took a sharp knife and sliced from the top down so it would be very small like cous cous. If you have a food processor this may be easier that way. Put Cauliflower (and broccoli if using)in a bowl with cilantro, diced tomato, olive oil, lemon, cumin, sea salt, and cayenne to taste. Let it "marinade" for at least 10 minutes. Chop up spinach and toss with mix.
Tonight I made a one pot meal. This is a great meal because you can add whatever you like. The original recipe calls for onions & peppers to be added, but no one here (expect me) would eat it if I added that. So I just make potatoes and sausage then add some veggies on the side - tonight it was Caesar salad. You can also use whatever sausage you like for this recipe. I've used smoked sausage, kielbasa, bratwurst and it's all good.
Potato Sausage Skillet Original recipe can be found here
5 large potatoes, cut in bite sized chunks
1 lb sausage, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup shredded Cheddar
Instructions:
In dutch oven, brown potatoes and sausage in oil. Add seasonings and water.
Bring to a boil. Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Uncover and put cheese on top. Simmer until cheese is melted.
