Yummy!!

(This is not my photo, or my recipe! Go here for the source.)

I love new recipes! I would love to be a chef actually. All that aside, I found this recipes and it is so yummy!

Whenever spring starts approaching (who are we kidding here with our snow covered ground still) I start craving anything "fresh." Delicious salads, sandwiches, smoothies etc...

This sandwich was so good I made myself a second one last night, ate another one for lunch today, and I think I will have one for an afternoon snack ;)

Panzanella Panini

Panini bun or thick bread

Tomatoes - the small heirloom taste the best

Fresh Basil - MUST be fresh not dried.

Mozzarella - any is fine, but I spent extra and got the real good stuff. Mmm.

Balsamic Vinegar

Light Mayo

Salt/Pepper

So, I started by putting Mayo on one half of the bread, then layer both sides of bread with cheese. Than put tomatoes and Basil on. Drizzle with 1 tsp balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then grill.

Hope you like it, I'm going to go make one more! :)

Parenting and a recipe!

I'll share a funny conversation I had with My sister-in-law at a family party a while back.

Her little girl was playing roughly with a doll. Spanking it and saying angrily, "Go to bed baby, right now!" (so normal!) But in the moment I said, "Sheri, what kinds of things are you teaching your kids? All Kyla does with her dolls is hug them, kiss them and say... I love you baby!" In the moment it was quite funny and we laughed about it for a while! **Note- My sister-in-law does not spanke her kids and she is a very good mother!

Well, today I was playing with a new toy with Kyla and every time she got it right, I would say. "Yeah, good job Kyla! You did it!"

I left her and Macy there to play and after a minute I heard her saying to Macy, "Good job Macy, you did it! That's a good job, baby!" She said it in a very "oochie goochie goo" kind of way!

So there you go... They do what they see! :) They are like little sponges.

So glad Macy had some fun times with her sister Kyla today, because the rest of this evening has been spent like this.

Macy is teething and fevering and teething some more. Her gums are so soft right now. Hopefully the rest of the night will go well. I had barry pick up a truckload of Tylenol, Homeopathic teething medicine, Baby orajel, and Gripe water... Something has got to do the trick! Bless her little sweet self!

K, so... Who likes Steel cut oats? Raise your hand! ME!!!

Who hates waiting 30 min in the morning to cook them??? ME!!!

Who hates when they boil over or don't turn out right?? ME!!!

Here is the solution!

Before bedtime, place an oven safe bowl in your crockpot. Then place 1 cup steel cut oats in the bowl and 4 cups water (pinch salt). Then pour water into the crockpot on the outside of the bowl up to an inch from the top of the oven safe bowl. Put the crock pot lid on and cook on LOW. Go to bed and wake up to perfectly cooked Steel Cut Oats! I like mine with slivered almonds, dried fruit and honey! Mmm.

A little comfort from my kitchen to yours!

Who doesn't just LOVE a great creamy chowder on a cold day?

This is my GO TO recipe. I always have everything on hand needed to make it. It is fool proof. I usually pare it with biscuits or french bread. It is also very versatile. Tonight I am adding a can of corn, a can of green chilies and I'm using farmers sausage instead of ham. But you could use the basic soup and add whatever. I am also going to add a layer of sharp cheddar to my french bread before rolling it. Try this recipe... You'll LOVE it!

Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Directions
Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Self Sacrificing...

In a delicious kind of way!!!

Just browsing for a GREAT recipes for a baking party I am going to this week.

Can you say weight watchers cheat night???

I CAN!

Haven't decided what to make yet... but look at these delicious treat!

These all come courtesy of the picky palate - click on the photo for the recipe!

Fluffernutter cookies

PB&J Shortbread Cookies

Smore Stuffed Brownies

and I can't forget these little babies that I will be making some time in the summer when I have hit my goal weight!

Roasted banana Cinnamon Rolls

Am I killin you yet...Or am I just killin myself?

Food for the body and the soul!

We're so grateful for all that we have!

I am especially grateful for Easter, a reminder to stop and remember

Our Saviour!

That he was resurrected and that he lives today and loves us! Loves me!

I am grateful that he has blessed me with a loving husband and amazing kids and I am grateful that I am blessed with wonderful extended family and friends that feel like family!

In celebration of Easter this year, we (as members of the LDS church) get to hear the words of our Prophets and Apostles at General Conference! I am so looking for to it!

If you are unsure what I am talking about go HERE.

Here is my April Scripture

John 11:25

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"

These are the hot cross buns I made today. Recipe is HERE :)

and can you tell that Kyla is missing her brother?? She want to wear his boots everywhere!

HAPPY EASTER!

For my day!

This is always a day that I feel like I can do what I want and not feel bad about it! Though since I was up till 4 because I was so uncomfortable and having mildly painful contractions every 10 min or so... I will be adding a nice long nap to the list! But first...

I am going to take my list of "want to reads" and head off to Fairs Fair to indulge myself!


Than it is my favorite... a vietnamese sub for me! It has been a while since I had one :)



After my nice long nap I think I will take the kids to McDonalds to play while I read one of my new books. I may even get them an Ice Cream Cone if they are lucky :)

Of course I will have to make a stop at Crave and maybe get a few for my family too!



Than... this is what's for dinner.

Chicken Coconut Curry
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or strips

1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2-3 Tbsp. curry powder

1-2 tsp. cayenne (optional, depending on how spicy you like it. We like it HOT, so we did about 2 tsp.)

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 golden potatoes, cut into chunks

1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

Jasmine rice (cooked)

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil, curry powder, and cayenne in a large skillet over medium-high heat for five minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 10 minutes more or until onions are very clear. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear. Add potatoes, then add coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes or until sauce thickens (if you like your curry thicker, just add some cornstarch dissolved in a little bit of water). Serve with Jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro. If you like curry, this is a must try!

Everyday Food

I have become a fan of this show! The recipes are pretty easy, including things that most people have on hand.

I made this for lunch yesterday, it is REALLY yummy! And the kids enjoyed the leftovers for dinner.

Honey-Ginger Chicken

1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
1/4 cup minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
Cooked rice, for serving
Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Directions
In a small bowl, stir together honey, vinegar, and soy sauce. Heat a large skillet or wok over high until hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add chicken and stir until opaque but not cooked through, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Add 1 tablespoon oil, ginger, and garlic to skillet and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add peppers and stir 2 minutes. Add soy mixture and bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet and toss until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve over rice, topped with cilantro.

Here are a few I want to try...

So, I am kind of a sucker for runny egg yolk. I just love it! I saw on the show the other day that she sometimes puts a fried egg on top of a bowl of rice. The yolk ends up wixing with the rice... Yum! So I thought, why not make it like a hawaiian haystack. Add all your diced veggies to your rice, then throw a buttery fried egg on top. I like the idea!

Tonight I am going to make this

Sloppy Joes

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted


In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes.
Stir tomato sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce into beef mixture in skillet. Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes.
Season the mixture with more salt and pepper, as desired. Spoon onto buns, and serve immediately.

Guacamole Live!

Before moving to Canada I had to work as a server for a little while. It was actually a REALLY fun job! I had amazing bosses and fun coworkers. Plus it was such a fast paced environment, I can't stand boring, slow paced, desk type jobs!

Well, on our menu was something called "Guacamole Live." Pretty much we came to your table and made guacamole from scratch right in front of you. It is so YUMMY! I used to buy one and make it to take home, then eat that for dinner with tortilla chips... WOWZERS!

I made some tonight, so so good! Here is the recipe!

On The Borders Guacamole Live

2 Fresh Avocados
1 lime wedge (1/4 of lime)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon tomato, seeded and diced
1 1/2 tablespoons Fresh Jalapenos, diced fine
1 tablespoon red onion, diced fine
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

Place avocados in bowl and mash until chunky. Squeeze lime onto avocado.
Add remaining ingredients and mix until desired consistency.

Some favorite Christmas Treat Recipes...

My mom does not like cooking much so we never made Christmas treats. We just bought them. But, I LOVE to cook, so I have had to get recipes from other people. Here are my favorite Christmas Treat Recipes.

Spiced Nuts

1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves
1 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Grease one baking sheet.
In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

Caramels - both of these caramel recipes are my mother in laws

1 C. Corn syrup
1 C. Butter
1 C. Brown sugar
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
1/4 t. salt

Melt butter in pan, add syrup and brown sugar - mix well. Gradually add milk and salt and stir constantly (milk can burn easy) Make sure to use something to stir that can scrape the bottom of the pan. Cook till 238 degrees. pou into butter 9 X 13 pan. cool, cut and wrap.

Licorice Caramels

2 C. white sugar
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 C. corn syrup
1 c. butter
1/4 t. salt
3/4 t. black food coloring
3/4 t. Anise oil

Cook same as regular caramels starting with butter, syrup and sugar, then adding milk and salt. Cook to 238 degrees. then add 3/4 t. black food coloring and 3/4 t. Anise oil. Pour into pan, cool cut and wrap.

Chocolate Pretzels - Thanks Rachel!

Large bag of pretzels
White chocolate melts from michaels or your favorite chocolate.
Green and Red Chocolate melts or peppermint peices broken.

Melt white chocolate, then toss pretzels in it. Spread onto wax papper and drizzle with the red and green chocolate or sprinkle with peppermint. Cool, break and gobble!!

Merange Cookies - Thanks Lindsay :)

3 egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tarter
3/4 C. superfine sugar (I used regular)
1/4 t. vanilla

Beat egg whites until fluffy, then add cream of tarter. Beat until soft peaks, add sugar in small amounts until all in and stiff peaks. Add vanilla and beat to compine. Spoon onto sprayed wax paper and sprinkle with peppermint or sprinkles. Almonds would be good too. Bake 200 degrees for about 2 hours.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies - one of the top 20 recipes on allrecipes.com

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Christy's Butter Tarts - Believe me, I will be trying to get her recipe!!! YUM :)

What are your favorite recipes???

What's for dinner tonight???

This recipes is a great way to sneak one of the healthiest greens you can eat, into a cheesy tomatoey goodness that your kids will LOVE!!! I also love it because you get to stuff the uncooked manicotti shells. Have you ever tried to stuff cooked ones? It is no fun at all!!!

It's not my recipe, got it off allrecipes.com. Here is the link if you want to read the reviews http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spinach-Cheese-Manicotti/Detail.aspx

Spinach Cheese Manicotti

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup minced onion
1 egg
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, onion and egg. Season with parsley, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. In a separate bowl, stir together spaghetti sauce and water.
Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture, and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until noodles are soft.

We serve with garlic bread and a caesar salad!

Ichiban asian salad

I learned about this salad when I lived in North Carolina. There are many variations, I like this one. It is very simple and last for a few days in the fridge so you can have it for lunch too :)

Ichiban Asian Salad

1 bag cole slaw mix

4 green onions chopped

4 celery stalks chopped

1/2 C. Almonds (plain or sugared)

2 pkgs. Ichiban or Ramen noodles - uncooked

Chicken cooked cubed (optional)

Sauce

1/2 c. rice vinegar or regular vinegar

1/2 c. Olive oil (I actually like to use half seseme oil)

1/2 c white sugar

both packets of seasoning from noodles

Salt Pepper

Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl, make sure the break up the ichiban noodles. Bring all sauce ingredients to a boil to disolve sugar. pour over salad and toss to coat. Put in fridge for 2 hours to chill. Enjoy!!!

Best 5 min Dessert!

When I was working 12 hour shifts at the hospital in Texas and coming home FAMISHED! I would make these and eat two for dinner! Only every once in a while! haha, I know that sounds bad, but I was single, happy and when you work those kind of hours with one 30 min break. You get hungry for Sugar :)

I made this tonight because I was craving something sweet, with chocolate, but didn't want to make a whole batch of something! Here is the Recipe

Crepes

2 eggs

1 c. milk

2/3 c. flour

1 pinch salt

1 1/2 T butter melted

2 T sugar

Vanilla

Just put it all in a bowl, then blend with a hand mixer. Heat skillet, spray with Pam. Pour about 1/3 c amount into hot pan. Swirl pan around to coat. Crepe should be perfectly round and come up the sides of the pan a bit. cook for about 1 min, flip. cook one more min than take it off. It's done!

You can put whatever you like on it! Lay it flat, fold in or roll it!

Tonight I Layed it flat, smeared it with lots of nutella (My fetus was begging me!) sprinkled with banana and strawberry slices. Covered with another crepe.. GIGGLE! Then topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! It was gone in 6.2 seconds! You better believe it! And I have leftover batter in the fridge for another day!

The tale of the...

Low Carb Cheesecake!

My husband LOVES cheesecake! When we were dating and he was watching his sugar intake, he used to drive to the cheesecake factory, run in, get a slice of low carb cheesecake... then proceed to eat it in front of me! And he is not one to share! He did this often!

As weird as it sounds, this is one of the things that drew me to him initially. The fact that he didn't bend over backwards for me or put me on a pedestal. I was done dating those desperate 30 something LDS guys that will do whatever just to get you to marry them! Barry was okay with his life, enjoyed dating me but wasn't feeling the need to impress me per se or jump into his THIRD proposal! Yet... I guess I turned out amazing cause after three months of that, he pulled out a ring!

Back to the point :) He is on another health kick, so I googled a "Cheesecake Factory Low Carb Cheesecake Recipe." I made it today, it puffed up like a souffle and I probably should have used a spring form pan

(there was a bit of overflow, which lead me to turn the self cleaning over on after, which lead to lots of smoke, which lead to the fire alarm going off again and again, which lead to all the windows and door being opened and me under the fire alarm swinging a towel from side to side!)

but... the pieces I ate off the edge before putting it in the fridge were absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I don't know if it tastes the same, cause remember... he never shared with me!

But, here is the recipe :)

photo is not a representation of the flavor :)

Cheesecake Factory Low Carb Cheesecake tastalike

Crust...
1/4 cup Finely Chopped pecans

1/4 cup Finely Chopped almonds

1/4 cup Finely Chopped walnuts

3/4 cup almond meal (almond flour)

2 Tablespoons butter (melt in microwave)

Filling...

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese

1 1/3 cups Pourable Splenda (or other sugar substitute that is equal to 1 1/3 cups sugar)

5 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons lemon juice

16 ounces sour cream

Cream cheese and eggs should be at room temperature before you start.

How To Prepare:
Mix all nuts and almond meal with melted butter and press into a spring form pan, trying to line the sides as much as possible about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the pan, set aside to mix filling.

Start by beating the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Keep the mixer on a low setting throughout the beating and mixing process. Add the sugar substitute a little at a time and continue beating until creamy. Add one egg at a time and beat after each egg. When eggs have been mixed into the cream cheese, add vanilla and lemon juice, Add the sour cream last until just blended in.

Pour cream cheese mixture into the spring form pan. Place on the top rack in the middle of a 325 degree preheated oven for one hour and 15 minutes. If you want a cheesecake with a less brown top, put on the next rack down. Also, some have commented that they had a few cracks... Remember not to open the oven while baking, this might make it crack. You might also want to try a water bath but its not really necessary. When time is up, turn off the oven and prop open the oven door... leave in oven for one hour. After one hour, remove from oven. Run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake also, so if it shrinks while cooling it will not crack at that time either. Let cool to just about room temperature before the cheesecake is put into the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Make sure you wait the 24 hours before sampling... A cheesecake should season. The wait is worth it. The flavor ripens and becomes enriched.

Many commenter's said it was good the first day, better the second and amazing the third! Let's see if it lasts that long!

Oh, thank heaven!

For 5 min meals!!!

I love these things! On those days when I just don't have the time or the energy. Here are two of my favorites. The second one thanks to my dearest friend Christy!

Beef Dips
(served this to the missionaries the other night, they LOVED it! It's my go to recipe when I didn't plan dinner!)

Lots of precut deli roast beef presliced (I buy the pillars brand from Costco, and throw both packs in)
Submarine buns (we like whole wheat)
Beef bouillon
water
seasonings of choice (I put some Montreal steak seasoning in)

Cut up the meat a bit with scissors, into strips. Put the meat in the crock pot with water, bouillon and seasoning a few hours before dinner. Turn to high. Then go play with your kids!
At dinner time, top buns with lots of meat and indulge. Put some of the broth on the side for dippin'!

*I sometimes serve this with homemade roasted potato's and homemade fry sauce (aka ketchup and mayo!) or just chips, fruit or cold veggies and dip if your really short on time!

6 can soup
(This is also great as a food storage recipe for your three month supply, and it will make everyone smile!)

2 can chicken broth
1 can chicken breast ( I sometimes put two)
1 can corn
1 can kidney beans
1 Lg. can diced tomato's (I like the one with Mexican spices)

Just throw it all in a pot on the stove or a crock pot early in the day. The only can I drain is the bean one. Put the juice from all the other cans in. Then add whatever else you fancy, but it doesn't need anything else. Not even salt or pepper. I served this last night with whole wheat tortilla chips for dippin'.

What are your 5 min go to recipes?