Obvisously I'm a slacker.

Oh my goodness you guys! I can't believe it's been so long since I posted last. I am so sorry!!

It's not like I haven't cooked any wonderful food! I have! My 7 lb. weight gain can testify to that. Yikes.

How were your holidays? Ours were spent at home with our kids and for the most part, it was stress free. My parents and Sister {Leslie, who posts here regularly} weren't able to make it to our house for Christmas which made me sad, but not having to cook for 9 people for 2 weeks was somewhat enjoyable. Don't tell them I said that. Hee-hee.

I didn't cook for Thanksgiving, but I DID make a whole turkey dinner for Christmas day dinner. When my parents are here, we cook on Christmas Eve. Usually all the yummy dishes my Sister and I don't get the rest of the year, like Spinach Torta, Wine Cake, and Chicken Cacciatore. Yum! I came to the same conclusion I do every time I cook for hours on end. It almost doesn't seem worth it to cook that much and for so long if it only takes my family 17 minutes to eat it!! I loved it and my gravy was the BOMB!!
One way I can tell I still love cooking despite the time it takes to eat it, is we got a new roasting pan at World Market for 7.99!! With a rack and everything!! I also got a new aqua and green silicone whisk for Christmas from my sweet hubby that I used to make the gravy. It was probably the best gravy I've ever made.

Pretty good looking turkey, huh? First one I've cooked in about 7 or 8 years. It was delish!!

I also made a really yummy cookie/brownie that I found while surfing the internet. Picky Palate's recipe for these little babies made our New Years Eve gathering at our BFF's house THAT MUCH BETTER! I even used Candy Cane "Oreos" from my favorite store, Aldi. Can you see where the 7 lb. gain has come from?!

I don't have pictures of the cookies, and they didn't turn out as pretty as Picky Palate's recipe, but they tasted so good! They were gone before I could snap a picture!

I hope the New Year is filled with many tasty dishes that are easy to prepare and budget friendly! That's my cooking wish this year. Oh and healthy too, but I think I need to work on that one! My pants shrunk!




Love and fudge covered cookies,

Simple is always better!

This week has been challenging for many reasons. Money is always an issue, but this week is much tighter than usual. Extra expenses and poor choices (eating out when I could have cooked at home) cause a girl to get creative! I’ve planned my menu for the week and set it in motion tonight.

I’ve subscribed to E-Mealz to get some meal inspiration and help with grocery planning. Most things look really yummy and the ease of preparation is for sure a plus. I get the Weight Watchers friendly points recipes and menu so I can help cut down on the fat and shed some pounds. The only down side seems to be too much variety! My kids won’t eat a Feta and Walnut Salad for dinner or a can of Progresso Zero point Veggie Soup! I keep printing them out and filing them away hoping I can use them one day or at least glance at them for inspiration.

One meal they had a couple of weeks ago seemed appealing and super easy. I knew my kids would like it, but as the weeks went by and more and more irritations/roadblocks struck our family, I kept putting this meal off. No more! I made it tonight for dinner.

It was a success!! Everyone liked it and I put a star in my recipe binder as a make again meal. I’ll share it with you because it’s so dang easy and very tasty too! Oh and it’s also economical for a family of 6 because the whole meal cost me about $9.00 or $1.50 per person!! You can’t beat that! 

 

Ravioli bake

32 oz. package of cheese ravioli (you can substitute any flavor filling ravioli you prefer! It would be terrific with cheese and spinach, but my kids won’t eat it! Boo on them!)
2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 large can crushed tomatoes
parsley flakes, onion powder, minced garlic, salt, pepper, basil flakes

Pre-heat oven to 350. While oven is pre-heating, bring large pot of water to a boil and cook ravioli according to package directions.

Season can of crushed tomatoes with parsley, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper, and basil flakes. I just eyeballed it and tasted it. Use a little of each and taste. If it needs more, then add more. That’s pretty much how I cook, but feel free to use about 1/2 tsp. to start of each and adjust to your tastes.

Spray 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon some sauce on the bottom of the dish. Arrange drained ravioli on top of sauce. Sprinkle about a cup of cheese over the ravioli and then grated parmesan cheese. Again, eyeball it. Add more cheese if you like it really cheesy! Then repeat with sauce, and the rest of the ravioli. Top with last layer of cheeses and cover with foil.

Bake for 30 min. in oven. After 30 min., take off foil and carefully brown cheese under broiler for about 4 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn’t burn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I took some hot dog buns, opened them up, spread them with softened butter and garlic salt and broiled them until brown in the oven. Don’t judge. They needed to be eaten and the store I went to didn’t have any garlic bread! Being resourceful! It’s a good thing! :o)

Voila! Ravioli Bake and garlic toast! All this for under $10 bucks! And I prefer to make my own tomato sauce because not only is it cheaper, but the bright taste of tomatoes and spices remind me of Italian pasta sauce I had in Italy. I’ll never buy jarred sauce again!

I thought about taking pictures, but I was trying to get it on the table before 7pm and the natives got restless! I hope you try it. It was very tasty and way easier to make than lasagna or even my Lasagna Roll-ups.

Here’s a picture I found the internet. That’s just about what mine looked like! It’s not rocket science! Just comfort food!

Picture courtesy of www.tablespoon.com

 

 

Love and cheese filling,

Free Menu/Grocery Planner Download

I know my sister has shared a few of her favorite menu planning sites and I thought I'd share what I use.  I use a free download from www.theprojectgirl.com.   It works pretty well for me and gives me a visual to mix and match meals.  And I like the grocery planning section too!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's getting to be that time of year where everyone craves pumpkin and spice and everything nice.  Oh wait, did I say everyone?  I probably really mean that I crave stuff with pumpkin.  Except that I'm not a big fan of the pumpkin spice hershey's kisses.  Anyone else with me on this one?  I love the coconut kisses.  Alas, I digress.  Back to pumpkin.

My first introduction to this recipe was by Rookie Cookie (who has now said farewell to food blogging, sniff, sniff) about two years ago.  From the first batch, it was love at first bite.

They are super easy and super yummy.  So easy you won't believe it.  So easy you have to try them.  Promise you will, okay?  If you follow Weight Watchers, they are only 1 point each if you use mini-chips and make 36 cookies.  Oh, and don't eat all of them at once.  That would be 36 points.  Unless you haven't used your 35 weekly points then you can eat them all at once.  But expect to have a tummy ache.  So actually, yeah, still don't eat them all at once.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 box spice cake mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 bag chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet, whatever you like)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cake mix and the pumpkin. Add the chocolate chips and stir well. Spoon mounds of dough onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool. Give one to each person in your family and then hide the rest for yourself (this is Rookie Cookie's advice and I wholeheartedly agree with her)

That’s one a-spicy meat-a-ball!!

I didn’t always appreciate my Mom’s cooking.

Let me e’splain.

I used to think it was weird when she would use the same 3 seasonings over and over again.  Salt and pepper, garlic salt, and lemon pepper. In every meal, all the time.

Once she mixed spaghetti noodles and de-hydrated onions with scrambled eggs and her signature spices all cooked together. I’m sure I refused to eat it. (I exaggerate…slightly)

I discovered later as a grown up, that sometimes when you don’t have a lot of money and a few staples in the pantry and fridge, that you can cook up a delicious meal for one and it’s not weird! It tasted REALLY GOOD!  I had the epiphany that my Mom DID know what she was doing and I could do it too!

That day in the kitchen, I warmly remembered a time when her food was made with love and flavor. I smiled and silently thanked her. (Her cooking is still made with flavor and love today, I just don’t get to eat her cooking all that often. Mom? I miss your cooking!)

Then I ate my yummy dinner! 

Some of the most beloved dishes I grew up with-

• Mashed Potato Salad
• Leg of Lamb on Easter
• Spinach Torta
• Broccoli and Chicken over Rice
• Zucchini and Red Potatoes
• Joe Special
• Meatloaf (I still can’t make it like she used to!)
• Chicken Cacciatore
• Chicken Soup with Dumplings
• Wine Cake (she did not use those spices, but it’s the best cake ever!)

That’s just a short list of my favorite foods!!  I have a ton more!

As an adult, I’ve learned to appreciate the foundation of spices she used to make all those great dishes.  I find myself reaching for the garlic salt and more recently the lemon pepper to use in almost every savory dish I make. I’ve added some more to my cooking repertoire and I’d like to share them with you and how I use them.

• Garlic Salt, California Style (with parsley flakes)

  I used garlic salt in about 80% of my meals. Here’s another bullet list of what I use Garlic Salt in:

  • Tuna salad
  • Salad dressings- specifically my Mom’s homemade Thousand Island dressing (it’s THE best!) and sprinkled over a green salad with olive oil and red wine vinegar (my Sister taught me the oil and vinegar dressing trick and it’s become my most recent favorite! Thanks Leslie and our trip to Florence!)
  • Meat marinades or sprinkled over the meat with grill seasoning
  • Anything with a cream gravy or mushroom style gravy or sauce. It has a stronger flavor that minced garlic and I am a salt fiend. I guess that’s why I have high blood pressure.

 

• Wildtree Herbs Dill Blend (dill weed, sea salt, onion, and pepper)

  This is a product I discovered a couple of years ago while at a home party for Wildtree Herbs. It makes a wonderful Dill Dip that I adore!! I used it in other recipes or where ever I love that dill flavor. I seem to be the only person I know who loves the flavor of dill in a form other than pickle.

  • Egg Salad
  • Tuna Salad
  • Salad dressings
  • Seasoning for Salmon
  • Marinade for fish
  • Always in sour cream because I LOVE it as a dip!
    
    
• Lemon & Pepper Seasonings Blend

  Lemon Pepper has been in my life as far back as I can remember. I don’t think my Mom has ever cooked without it. She probably has used it in recipes I can’t even think of! Here is what I use it the most for.

  • Lemon Pepper Chicken (It’s one of the most requested meals when my Mom comes to visit my Sister. In second place is probably Spinach Torta and it’s used in there too.)
  • Tuna Salad ( I use a lot of spices in my tuna salad and my Mom taught me that too. This would be why my husband says I make the best he’s ever had!)
  • Meatloaf
  • Sprinkled on chicken, beef, and fish
  • Pasta dishes with a cream sauce

 

• Ground Cumin
• Chili Powder

  More recently I’ve been cooking with Cumin and Chili Powder in a lot of my Mexican style dishes. It has a smoky pungent smell and sometimes reminds me of B.O., but I like what it brings to my soups and meat marinades!  Here’s what I used it in lately.

  • Black Bean “Soup”
  • Yogurt sauce for fish tacos (sprinkle some of that in plain yogurt and add some garlic salt and pepper, and you’ve got a YUMMY addition to fish tacos with cabbage slaw)
  • Seasoning for Chicken for black bean soup (Mix cumin and chili powder together on raw chicken, with salt and pepper and olive oil. Toss to coat, then cook in hot pan or grill, then add to soups and stews. Have it grilled fajita style-that’s always good!)
  • Tortilla Soup
  • Sometimes I put it in pico or salsa that I make. All depends on my mood and how smoky I want the flavor.

 

I’m sure there are a ton more uses for those spices and blends, but those are all I can think of for now! I use them so much, I keep then all crowded together on my counter next to the stove. The other spices tend to migrate there as well, and every once and a while I have to redistribute them all back to where they came from. I used to have the whole upper cabinet, bottom shelf full of spices and seasonings before we did the kitchen makeover.

Are they trying to tell me something? Maybe they all come out at night and have a party next to the stove while I’m sleeping?! That would be yummy! Maybe someday, those spices and seasonings will cook dinner for me while I take a nap! That would be awesome!!

What are your go to spices and seasonings? What can’t you live without?

 

Love and heartburn,

The Devil Makes Frosting

Seeing as how I’ve turned a corner on my past unhealthy eating habits and lost 22 lbs, it’s quite confusing why I would be obsessed with frosting lately. Not just any frosting...

Cookie Dough Frosting!!

I should just stop here. But I can't so, you can already imagine what it would be. It looks like chocolate chip cookie dough. It tastes like it too!
Now take that image and plop a thick layer ON TOP of a decedent dark brown fudgy BROWNIE!!

(I think I just fainted.) 

Behold the Devil’s temptation…

Picture Courtesy of Beantown Baker

I know right??
Ok, so I saw this recipe and kept dreaming about it. Wanting to make it, but not wanting to be tempted by the 3 sticks of butter!! Just makes my heart hurt thinking about it, but again…the temptation was STRONG and the pull was great.

I broke down and made the brownies from a box mix.

I have no doubt that the Ghirardelli Brownie Mix will be nothing but stellar. I just didn’t want to go through the trouble of measuring everything from scratch to make brownies. I’m lazy. Turns out I’ll have to make another batch of brownies anyway because the frosting makes a HUGE amount!! Way more than should be legal on a brownie.

So onto the frosting recipe! Hang on kids, it’s gonna get buttery!

Cookie Dough Frosting

3 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
9 Tbs. milk
3 cups flour
3 cups chocolate chips, semi sweet
*I think it would be tasty to add a teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt, just like you would in regular chocolate chip cookies. I think it would bring out the flavors more. I'll do that next time and let you know!*

1. Add 3 sticks of butter and both sugars to the mixer and cream until light and fluffy.
2. Add milk one Tbs. at a time until mixed in.
3. Turn mixer to low and add 1 cup of flour at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl after each cup of flour.
4. Add chocolate chips and mix in by hand.
5. Top completely cooled brownies with frosting. (store the rest of the frosting covered in fridge until ready to use. Make another batch of brownies and give it away to a friend!!)
6. Cover with clear wrap and let set up in fridge for at least 2 hours or until firm. Cut and enjoy!

7. Go immediately work out after enjoying 1 brownie!


I’m totally sorry I had to expose you to this type of temptation. I don’t want to be a stumbling block, so I’ll make sure to dispose of them properly! I’ll give them away! One piece for everyone and then the rest go to other people. I promise!!


Jon took a picture of the sinful yet delicious temptation! Again, I'm sorry. You might want to look away. You've been warned!

                                     

My husband made a video review of my recipe. Check it out if you dare!

Want to see an even cuter review of my brownie? I give you MJ, the cutest darn brownie eater ever!

I’ll only allow you to make them if you promise to give some away too! Enjoy!!



Love, buttersticks, and chocolate chips!

Baked Mac ‘N Cheese if you please…

I tried a new recipe last night. It’s a recipe I found on an obscure recipe site and they just happen to have WW friendly recipes, so I wrote a couple of them down.

I’m always looking for ways to spruce up my menu, so I chose a WW version of Mac ‘N Cheese. It’s supposed to be 5 points value per cup. Of course it didn’t specify how many cups it made, so we’ll just go with what it said. “That’s what IT said!”
Ahem…sorry. Michael Scott just creeped in there a little.

Anyways…I followed the recipe. It was fairly simple and I made sure I had all the ingredients.

Baked Mac ‘N Cheese

I’m a Wal-mart kind of gal, but feel free to use any brand you like.  

Elbow macaroni, 12 oz – I used 16 oz (that’s 1 lb. for all you crazy math lovers out there! I used my digital scale to weigh the pasta and the cheese), cuz I’m a rebel and I already told you I’m not good at following recipes.
Low fat Sour Cream, 1/2 cup – I used almost 3/4 of a cup.  :D
Fat Free Evaporated Milk, 2-12 oz cans
Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 6 oz.
Mexican Style Shredded Cheese; Colby Jack, 6 oz
Dijon Mustard, 1 Tbs.
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Plain Bread Crumbs, 2 Tbs.
Parmesan Cheese grated, 2 Tbs.
Garlic Salt, couple of shakes
Paprika, a couple shakes for color

1. Boil the macaroni for about 6 minutes until Al Dente.
2. Drain macaroni and mix in sour cream. 
3. Heat Evaporated Milk until scalded ( until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Stir in Cheese until melted, whisking until smooth.  Add seasonings and dijon mustard and stir until incorporated.
4. Add to macaroni and mix.

5. Spray bottom and sides of pan (use either 9x13 or I used a rectangle non stick pan. I don’t know what size I used. Sorry!) and fill pan with macaroni. Sprinkle seasoned bread crumbs evenly over the top.
 

6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 min.
7. Eat and enjoy.



I’ve adjusted the recipe to make more cheese sauce. I found the original ingredient amounts made for a tasty albeit dry outcome as you can see from the picture above. I really like it more cheesy and moist (I hate that word). I think it’ll make it more points, but it’s got to be better than a full fat version of any Mac ‘N Cheese! 

It got rave reviews from the boys, which is saying something! They usually only like the boxed stuff!

I sound like a broken record, but try it! You’ll like it! Then come and tell me about it, so I can be happy that my cooking makes other people happy!! Oh and are you seeing a trend here? I make easy stuff. It’s not rocket science, just Good(er) Eats! (Is that copy write protected? Ooops! There I fixed it with parenthesis! I love those things!!

 

Love, Cheese, and Happiness!

Let’s break this blogs all time record!

I was looking through the archives, you know, all 15 of the blog posts and I got a wild idea! I’m going to break the current record held in February of 5 posts!! You heard me right…5!

Tying for second place is January and July with 4 posts each. Poor May and June only got 1 and I completely forgot about March and April! They must feel totally unloved.

I would like to make July the month I blow it out of the park with lots of recipes and meal ideas! What do you think??

Here’s what I’m currently working on:

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumps
Baked Mac ‘n Cheese
Taco Casserole
Cola Chicken ( I can’t wait to try this )

I really need to add more desserts to my repertoire, but that is a tricky bag of slippery slopes. I don’t need to be eating desserts…all that OFTEN. So maybe I can whip up something every once in a while and squeeze it in here. That’s my plan. We’ll see how THAT goes! 

Here’s to taking what’s left of July and getting in as many recipes and meal plans as I can! I can do it! I know I can!!

See ya sooner!

Love and cheese puffs,

Let's get ready to Rummmmmble!!

 In this corner we have 4 hungry kids and 1 hungry husband.

In this corner we have 1 frazzled Mom who doesn't know what to make for dinner again!

Welcome to the Ultimate Dinner Dilemma!!

Tagging in for Mom is Ultimate Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff- a heavy weight with sour cream!

No seriously, this summer has been a fight of major proportions when it comes to what to make for dinner. I know I'm not the only one right??  I've talked about this recipe before here. It's super easy and economical. I posted a link over in the Recipe Love section to the right. (Let me know if the link isn't working-sometimes bloggers change where they keep their posts and so that means I need to update too!)

I spent $8.99 on 2.51 lbs of beef stew meat. This kind that's already cut up. I could probably save more by buying it in bulk and cutting it up myself, but let's face it. I won't do that. The recipe is so simple, I didn't even have to buy anything else for it but the meat.

ULTIMATE CROCK POT BEEF STROGANOFF

2-3 lbs. beef stew meat, cut in bite size pieces
Salt and Pepper the meat

1 onion finely minced, or sliced (your preference- I finally added onion finely minced and I hope it disappears so my kids won't notice!)
Sliced fresh mushrooms, optional
Sour Cream, optional but recommended

In a 2 cup glass measuring cup mix the following:

1 1/2 TBS of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 1/2 TBS ketchup
1 1/2 -2 cups beef broth - either made by beef granules or canned (depending on how much sauce you want and if you want to thicken it with whatever you have in your pantry *see added notes below*)

1. Salt and Pepper meat, throw in bottom of crock pot. Mix in onions. Add mushrooms if using.

2. Pour beef broth mixture over meat and wait for it....COVER. Turn on High and WALK AWAY for 7-8 hours!! 

That's it! Told you it was easy.

I plan on serving it with spaghetti noodles and a small salad. Like I said before, the cost of the meat was $9.00 and I had everything else on hand in my pantry. So my family of six can eat this meal at a cost of $1.50 per person! You can't eat anywhere for that! And honestly it tastes so good, you don't even mind eating it when it's 104 degrees outside because you made it in the crock pot and the house stayed cool from not using the oven! 

Here is a picture from the blog I originally got the recipe from-

Via My Kitchen Cafe
all rights reserved

I can't take any pictures of it, because it's all gone!! But it looked a lot like this, but more shredded and we put parmesan cheese on top!

**Added after the fact**
Ok, so I think I may have told you to put too much liquid in this recipe. See, I forget that liquid doesn't evaporate from the crock pot, it only multiplies; like gremlins. So, after it cooked for 5 hours on low, I cranked it up to high and cooked it another 4 hours. It was very tender and shredded as I stirred it, but I like it that way. I added two big dollops of sour cream and some corn starch and water to thicken it. When THAT didn't thicken it enough, I added a package of Garlic Alfredo Sauce and microwaved it for 5 minutes or so. I totally flew by the seat of my pants. It gave it an awesome flavor, so I knew I was pretty much using it as a thickening agent. Then I topped the spaghetti with it and added some parm cheese. Not really the typical recipe for Beef Stroganoff, but it was sure good! And, since I sunburned the heck out of my legs today, I didn't have to spend an hour cooking in the kitchen. I liked that. Liked it enough to take my youngest boy out on a date.
How ever you choose to thicken it, you really can't mess this dish up. I hope you're not scared to cook it! Go experiment, I won't tell!

*****

Peace, Love, and Tender Beef,

  

Pork and Black Beans

This is a wonderful recipe from a WW cookbook I got from Angie and/or Jon for Christmas a few years ago.  After going through the book and marking all of the recipes that looked good (aka like something Dad would make for me), this one has definitely become a favorite.   Pair this with low-carb flour tortillas, corn tortillas or baked Tostitos and fat-free sour cream and fresh cilantro (add points accordingly for the extras).  I love this recipe!

Pork and Black Beans
  Makes 4 serving
  3 WW points per serving

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. hot paprika (I use regular, non-hot)
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. salt
5 ounces lean pork tenderloin
1 t. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. white vinegar
One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 carrot, finely diced
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/2 tomato, diced
1 red onion, chopped
2 T. chopped cilantro

1. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, paprika, cumin and salt; rub into the pork.
   
2. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil.  Saute the pork until browned, 2-3 minutes on each side.  Reduce the heat and cook, covered, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.  Halve the pork lengthwise, then cut crosswise into thin slices.
   
3. Add the vinegar to the pan drippings and simmer, stirring, until the acidity cooks off, about 2 minutes.  Add the beans, carrot and lime juice; cook, tossing, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a medium bowl.  Add the pork, tomato, onion and cilantro; toss to combine.

I love this recipe because it's so good and so low in points.  Even if you eat the whole thing, it's only 12 points!  Eat half and it's a lot of food and less points than most other dinners.  Gotta love the fiber!  I have used more pork and increased the points and then ate only one serving for about 5-6 points.

Try it and tell me how much you loved it!