Recipe #208: Baked Soft Tacos

This might look very similar to this recipe, because it is. I needed something easy, and using ground beef actually made it go a lot faster!

You need:
1 lb of ground beef
taco seasoning
salsa
5-6 tortillas cut into 2 inch strips
cheddar cheese
toppings: lettuce, tomato, and greek yogurt (in place of sour cream)

• brown beef, then add 1/4 cup taco seasoning and some water
• put down a layer of beef in a 9x13 pan
• top with tortilla strips, salsa, and cheese. repeat each with another layer
• bake at 350 for 30 minutes
• add your favorite taco toppings! 

Recipe #207: Pigs in a Blanket

Well, I think there will be a couple more variations of this coming, but I had some leftover sausages to use up so this became a quick and easy lunch

You need:
1 can of crescent rolls
2 italian sausages
cheddar cheese

• cook sausages and cut in thirds
• spread rolls out
• top with cheese and then a sausage on wide part of roll
• roll up
• bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes

Recipe #206: Cheesy Chicken and Tortillas

This was a pretty good and easy meal. We were going to hang out at my grandparents for the day so put the chicken in the crockpot in the morning and then it took 10 minutes to get in the oven! Easy meal with not a lot of hands on time! I found it on pinterest but is originally found here.

You need:
3 chicken breasts
1/4 cup plus taco seasoning
3 1/4 (or less if using frozen chicken breasts) water
3 chicken boullion cubes
2 Tbsp butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
6 torillas
4 cups or so cheddar cheese

• put chicken, taco seasoning, water, and boullion cubes in crockpot. Heat on low for at least 4 hours (ours was more like 7!)
• take chicken out and shred 
• in a sauce pan melt butter then add soup and a little more taco seasoning
• stir in chicken
• in a 9x13 pan put a layer of chicken, then layer tortillas and cheese on top. repeat another layer of each. (I didn't really break apart tortillas because I didn't read original directions, it is your choice!)
• bake at 350 for about 30 minutes

Enjoy on top of rice. As we were eating we were thinking of all the great add ins you could do with this! The chicken mixture is so good and I will definitely be using it again!

Recipe #205: Black Magic Cake

This is a Schaeffer family favorite! My grandma makes it all the time! The magic is in the cup of coffee you add to make it a bite of heaven each time! Normally my grandma puts some jam etc in the middle, but we didn't this time. I can take credit for making the cake, but my sister frosted it to perfection!

You need:

2 cups sugar                                
1 3/4 cups flour                          
3/4 cup cocoa                              

2 tsp. baking soda                                    
1 tsp. baking powder              
1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup strong black coffee

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk  (1 TBSP white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup)

1/2 cup vegetable oil  

1 tsp vanilla

• Grease and flour 2 9 inch pans
• mix together sugar, flour, cocoa, soda, powder, and salt
• then add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla
• mix for two minutes then pour into the prepared pans
• bake for 30-35 minutes at 350

Frosting:

1 stick of butter or oleo (softened)                   3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup cocoa                                                      1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk
Beat until smooth. Frost layers and sides of cake.

Recipe #204: Scalloped Potatoes

We are had fun visiting family in Ohio and my sister let me help out with some meals to not get too far behind in my recipes! :) I used this recipe as my base, but added cheese and bacon. LOTS of bacon, thanks to my husband and brother-in-law!

You need:
6 potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/4 cup milk
1 onion, diced
1 cup cheddar cheese
bacon, as much as you want

• layer the sliced potatoes and diced onions in a greased 9x13 baking dish
• in a small bowl combine soup, milk, cheese, and bacon
• pour over potatoes
• bake at 375 for about 60 minutes. after about 30 minutes stir it up and add some more cheese if you want!

Recipe #203: Peppermint Rice Crispies

A friend made these for a party and they were delicious so I had to make some of my own! My brother in law had the idea too to do these with chocolate rice crispies. That is a good idea too! Peppermint marshmallows are the best. I have used them in other recipes found here, here, and here.

You need:

3 Tbsp butter

4 cups miniature peppermint marshmallows

6 cups crispy rice

a little chocolate to melt on top

• melt butter in a pot
• add marshmallows and stir until melted
• add in crispy rice and stir until well combined
• spread out in a greased 9x13 pan
• use a greased piece of waxed paper to evenly spread it out
• cool and then melt chocolate and spread over the top of treats.
• cut up and enjoy.

(see a picture here)

Recipe #202: Pumpkin Roll

Well, I had half a can of pumpkin puree left over from an earlier recipe (found here) and so wanted to see if I could finish it up, so decided to make my first ever pumpkin roll! I realized that it is a lot easier then it looks so don't be shy to try it like I was! :) I used the Libby's recipe and then read up on a couple of tips that maybe helped it go a little smoother!

You need:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree

filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (I didn't do this but would be good to)
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
some powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

• grease a jelly roll pan then line with wax paper and grease and flour that.
• have a towel and two pieces and wax paper covered with powdered sugar ready
• mix together flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a small bowl
• cream eggs, sugar, and pumpkin then add dry ingredients and mix well.
• pour into jelly roll plan and spread evenly
• bake for 13-15 minutes or until it feels springy when you touch it.
• immediately turn onto one sheet of wax paper and peel off old wax paper
• put a new sheet on top and then roll up
• mix up cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter
• carefully unroll pumpkin and spread filling all around. roll up again and then wrap in plastic wrap
• refrigerate for at least an hour
• before serving sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut in slices

Recipe #201: Coffee Cake

I decided we needed to have a special Christmas breakfast, and after talking with Will about what he liked and didn't like, we decided on coffee cake, eggs, and bacon. So of course I turned to my mom's delicious coffee cake recipe, and this morning while the boys were still sleeping, I got up and started making it! About half way through I hear the pitter patter of little footsteps and Alex came into the kitchen with the sweetest smile ready to start a new day! (Will had helped him get out of our bed, where he usually ends up most mornings!)

This recipe makes 1 9 inch round pan, so be sure to double it if you are feeding a crowd!

You need:
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

streusel topping
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 Tbsp butter, melted

• mix batter well
• mix topping in a separate bowl
• grease pan
• fill with 1/2 of batter then sprinkle topping on top
• then add rest of batter and rest of topping
• bake for 25-30 minutes at 375

Recipe #200: Pita Pizzas!

Sometime, a while ago, my family started to make little personal pizzas on Christmas Eve. I think because it was a busy evening with church and caroling at the train station and then we would head home late to open presents, pizza was a fast but fun meal for my mom to spread out and we would all put on our toppings and she would stick it in the oven.
Once Will and I got married, we have carried on that tradition, as well as opening presents Christmas Eve. My mom usually uses naan bread, but we have used a variety of crusts. this time we used pita bread!

You need:
one pack of pita bread
spaghetti sauce
bacon
shredded mozzarella cheese
any other toppings you want too!

• Spread pita on a cookie sheet. 
• spread on some spaghetti sauce, topping, then cheese
• bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

We cut Alex's pizza into mini slices! It was really cute. :) 

Recipe #198 and #199: Thai Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

So our neighbors gave us some lettuce that was organic from a farmer's market. Yeah, we don't buy lettuce like that usually so I felt like I needed to make a meal that highlighted this amazing lettuce instead of using it in a simple salad. So as I was looking up how to make thai lettuce wraps, I realized I didn't have very many of the ingredients so we improvised!

You need:
2 chicken breasts
sesame rub found here
soy sauce
6 romaine lettuce leaves
one bunch of green onions
matchstick carrots
cucumbers cut into skinny slices

• cut chicken into strips sprinkle rub over it.
• cut green onions, take the white parts and saute with some olive oil
• add in chicken. 
• once chicken is cooked through add in a little soy sauce.
• in the last couple minutes add in the carrots and tops of green onions

peanut sauce. I found the recipe here. but I used the serving helper to decrease it ALOT, so this is about a small bowls full worth, but it was plenty for our wraps

You need:

3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 Tbsp coconut milk

1 tsp water

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp hot sauce

1/4 tsp of ginger

1 clove garlic

• combine all ingredients and stir until mixed well.

To make your wrap:

• take a lettuce leaf and add in a couple slices of chicken 

• top with cucumbers, green onions, carrots, and peanut sauce
• then wrap lettuce up and enjoy!

Recipes #196 and #197: Chocolate covered biscotti and marshmallows

perfect treats for coffee and hot chocolate!

have you tried the peppermint marshmallows yet? AMAZING. I used the miniature ones for other recipes found here and here. Love them. and the bigger ones have finally shown up in the stores again! A recipe on the back of the bag gave me this idea!

You need:
chocolate (maybe a 1/2 cup)
10 marshmallows

• melt chocolate in 30 sec intervals and stir after each time.
• mix up several marshmallows in chocolate until coated completely. 
• lay each on wax paper and put in fridge until cooled completely.

For the coffee drinkers in your life...

i had some almond and pistachio biscotti and decided to "dress" it up a bit with chocolate!

You need:

4 biscotti

chocolate

• melt chocolate
• dip half of biscotti in chocolate.
• Let cool.
• enjoy with a cup of mocha mint coffee! :)

Recipe #195: Barbecue with Baked Potatoes

Need a changed up for your normal baked potato? This was delicious!

You need:
potatoes
barbecue (buy some or make your own)
shredded cheddar cheese

• microwave potatoes for 6 minutes or until soft 
• top with barbecue and cheese!

Side dish #18: Subway Art

wow, happened upon this blog today, and I pretty much stopped everything I was doing to try it. (That is the beauty of christmas break and a napping baby!) So much fun. All you need is picasa and some fun fonts! I love Kevin and Amanda's fonts found here. Kind of like wordle, i guess, but I felt like I had more control over everything!

I got to work on a couple I can't share right now because they are presents :), but make one, print it, and stick it in a frame...that is one personal, yet VERY inexpensive gift!

Anyways, tonight I worked on one for Alex, it is a little different then the others because I only used one font, but I really like the way it turned out. Won't it be cute in his room! Then we can keep doing them throughout the years if we want!

So go check out this blog post found here to get great directions! Hope you are enjoying break as much as I am! :)

Recipe #194: Broccoli Chowder

There is nothing like being in the middle of making a meal and you realize you don't have the main ingredient! This recipe adapted from here is originally called Broccoli Chowder with Corn and Bacon, but I went to my freezer to pull out corn and there was none. So, concerned that it wouldn't taste right, I went ahead and fried up more bacon because things with bacon tend to taste better! :)

you need:
8ish slices of bacon
1 onion chopped
1/4 cup flour
30 oz water and 3 bullion cubes (in place 2 cans chicken broth)
2 medium sized potatoes
1 head broccoli
1 cup mixed veggies
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup milk
mozzarella

• fry up bacon in bottom of pot, then remove to a paper towel
• cut up onion and cook until tender
• add flour and stir constantly
• pour in chicken broth
• peel and cut potatoes into small pieces. add to soup
• allow to boil for 10 minutes until potatoes get soft
• add broccoli, mixed veggies, thyme and milk
• simmer until broccoli is a little soft.
• serve with cheese and bacon on top

Recipe #193: Peppermint Smores

Here is a little late night snack that was thought up when I walked into my kitchen to get something sweet to eat! You don't even need to go outside in the cold to start a fire if you don't want to! I made this in my toaster oven. :)

You need:
peppermint marshmallows
chocolate or leftover peppermint bark (recipe is found here)
4 graham crackers

• take one half of each graham cracker and top with peppermint marshmallows
• put in the toaster oven and toast until marshmallows start to puff up
• top with peppermint bark
• put other half of graham cracker back on top.

Delicious 5 minute treat!

Side Dish #17: Christmas Vacation Reading

Yay for a break! So far I have read two books: The Lightening Thief by Rick Riodian and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.
I thought The Lightening Thief was okay. I enjoyed reading it, but didn't feel the need to read the rest of them. The sentences were a little choppy and I just didn't love it.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon on the other hand...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It is the story of a little girl who goes on a journey and the different characters she meets tells her different stories but all the stories tell another story. It was a delightful tale, one that I would definitely read again!
Tell me the good books you are reading and I will add them to my "need to read" list!

Side Dish #16: Paci Clip

Tonight I was working on another project, and because I had my sewing machine out, I decided to make Alex a new paci clip. Our pacis are too important to get lost or dirty when he drops them out of his mouth, so we like to make sure they are attached tightly to his body! :)
I think i have made two others, but after a while they are gross and dirty and it was time for a new one!

I found the little clip at Hobby Lobby, it is a suspender or mitten fastener. I looped the ribbon and sewed that on, then sewed on velcro on the other side. buy the sew on kind of velcro because the sticky back comes off pretty quickly, then reeks havoc on your sewing machine needle because of the gummy sticky stuff.
Anyways, tomorrow Alex will get a new, fresh paci clip to help him as he works on cutting those incisors!

Recipe #192: Chicken Roll-Ups 2

So here is another version of the chicken roll up. I made a dish earlier this week found here. I had some extra filling left over so decided to bake it into some bread!

You need:
chicken filling

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup milk (plus 2 Tbsp for later)

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp butter, softened

1 tsp garlic powder

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 small onion, chopped

grapefruit sized portion of boule bread, recipe found here

• first pull out portion of dough and let it rest for 40 minutes
• turn on oven to 450
• mix together the rest of the ingredients (you won't really need this much, I used leftovers from a previous meal)
• roll out dough into a long narrow rectangle.
• Add some filling to the middle of the dough.
• roll up and bake for 30 minutes, or until outside is brown

Recipes #190 & #191: Lasagna Soup in a Bread Bowl

I found the Lasagna recipe on pinterest, but is originally found here, thanks to the Deen brothers it is a lighter version of Paula Deen's recipe. However, I don't know how many calories we actually saved by using a bread bowl.
Anyways. First up, the bread bowl.
You need:
boule bread dough found here

• tear off smaller sections of dough then normal--a little bigger then a fist size
• allow to rest for 45 minutes
• bake for about 30 minutes
• cool for several minutes then cut off the top of the bread. scoop out some of the bread inside and leave on the plate to use to dip in soup

once bread is resting start the soup. 

For the Lasagna Soup you need:

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 italian sausages, casing removed

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped up

sprinkle of red pepper flakes

16 oz of chicken broth (i used water and chicken bullion) 

1 can (8 oz) of tomato sauce

1 can of petite diced tomatoes with green chilies

4 whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken up

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

sprinkle of parmesan and basil

• heat olive oil up in a pot. Add in chopped up onion and garlic
• Add sausages (casings removed) and mix up until sausage is crumbled and browned.
• add in chicken broth, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes
• stir. sprinkle in red pepper flakes.
• bring to a boil and the reduce heat to simmer.
• add in noodles and cook for 12-15 more minutes
• remove from heat and add cheeses

pour a some into the bread bowls and wish it was colder outside to really enjoy the nice warm, hearty soup! :)

Recipe #189: Peppermint Rocky Road Candy

So I was thinking back today about this amazing chocolate and marshmallow concoction I had one time that was light and fluffy...not the heaviness of fudge. And so I determined to find out what it was and how to make it. So thanks to pinterest I came across this recipe found here. Will and I agreed we could forgo the nuts this time because I didn't have anything suitable and we just feasted on some deliciousness. Plus peppermint marshmallows. Oh my goodness, I love peppermint marshmallows. AMAZING! It makes it so festive.
And this one only takes 2 ingredients (3 if you add nuts) and probably just 10 minutes of hands on time.

You need:
a chunk of chocolate--I had a block given to me by my parents, and cut off a chunk of it and hoped it would be enough (I tried to envision a little more than a cup of chocolate. The original recipe said 9 oz of dove)
2 cups peppermint marshmallows

• heat chocolate in microwave with 30 sec intervals and stirring after each time. My chocolate had melted after maybe 4 time in the microwave.
• pour in marshmallows and stir until well coated.
• pour into a foil lined 8x8 dish and spread out evenly.
• allow to cool for 1.5-2 hours.
• put out of pan and cut into smaller squares.

Caution: Do not eat all at once! 

Recipe #188: Cheesy Chicken Roll-ups

Thanks to pinterest I discovered this pretty amazing recipe from a blog found here. Even though I added onions Will still enjoyed it, which says something about the recipe because he does not love onions! We have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow too!
It seems a little bit involved, but don't let that scare you, it is really delicious!

You need:
2 cans of crescent rolls
1 can cream of chicken
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk (plus 2 Tbsp for later)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp garlic powder
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 small onion, chopped

• first start boiling chicken
• while it is cooking combine 1 can cream of chicken, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and 1/2 cup milk, mix well. pour some into the bottom of a greased 9x13 dish.
• in small bowl stick cream cheese and butter in the microwave to soften
• put into a larger bowl and mix in garlic powder
• add 3/4 cup cheese, onion, 2 Tbsp milk and shredded chicken. mix well.
• unroll crescent rolls and lay out on surface
• put a heaping spoonful of chicken mixture in each crescent, and roll up and tuck sides under.
• put each one in the 9x13 pan. top with some more of the cream of chicken mixture (you don't need to use all of it)
• top with the rest of the cheese
• bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Recipe #186 and #187: Asian Pork with Cabbage Salad

This is another Real Simple crock pot recipe that I got out of my magazine or you can find in here. Of course I made some changes, but both boys loved it which means success!

For Asian Pork you need:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp Rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp crushed red pepper

2 lbs pork loin

2 bundles of somen noodles (or soba or udon)

corn 

• mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and red pepper in the crock pot. 
• Add pork loin and cover with mixture
• cook on low for about 7 hrs
• about 15 minutes before serving, boil somen noodles.
• mix the noodles with the pork and serve

For Cabbage Salad you need:

1/4 head of cabbage

matchstick carrots

cucumber, thinly sliced

sesame seeds

sesame oil

some sauce from pork

• cut up veggies
• add a couple spoonfuls of pork sauce to veggies
• pour in some sesame oil and some sesame seeds
• stir until well combined.

Recipe #185: Cranberry Pumpkin Mini Muffins

I got my idea from here, but didn't have any butterscotch so used cranberry and chocolate chips instead!

You need:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup dried cranberry
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

• Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl
• mix together eggs, butter, and pumpkin
• add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients.
• Stir in cranberry and chocolate chips
• grease mini muffin pans and preheat oven to 350
• bake for 12 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Christmas Treats

Christmas desserts!
Reese's Banana Bread, Recipe found here
Coconut and Chocolate Palmiers found here
Peppermint Bark found here
Not shown: Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins recipe found here

Recipe #184: Reese's Banana Bread

I found a pin that looked delicious, found here.
So I made some mini loaves of bread for my Christmas treats!

You need:
Banana bread recipe found here
mini reese's cups

• Make banana bread recipe
• Before pouring into mini loaf pans, stir in reese's cups
• bake in mini pans for about 20 minutes

Recipe #182 and #183: Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers and Coconut Chocolate Palmiers

I found this recipe in my Everday Food magazine and they had a 4 ingredient recipe that looked delicious! It was pretty easy! But I decided not to use the chocolate so it was only 3! :)

You Need:
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

• Preheat oven to 375. 
• Combine sugar and cinnamon.
• Lay out a piece of wax paper and sprinkle half of cinnamon mixture on it.
• Roll out one rectangle of pastry into a 9x11 rectangle
• sprinkle some of the cinnamon mixture on top. 
• on the long edge, roll one edge into the middle, turn dough over and roll other side into the middle
• wrap dough in saran wrap and freeze until firm but not frozen
• cut into 1/2 inch thick slices and dip in cinnamon mixture
• lay out on a wax paper lined cookie sheet
• bake for 12 minutes, or until bottom is golden brown, 
• flip over to the other side and bake for 5 more minutes
• take off and cool
• eat soon so it stays crispy! :)

Coconut and Chocolate version:

add some coconut in the sugar mixture (use less cinnamon) and follow the rest of the directions

while cookies are cooling melt chocolate in the microwave, then dip cookie in the chocolate.

Recipe #181: Cinnamon and Sugar Popcorn

On a regular basis Will and I like to have popcorn for dinner. Especially after a big lunch! So tonight was one of those nights, but I decided to add some sweetness in there!

You need:

Air popped popcorn
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup cinnamon and sugar

• pop popcorn and put in a gallon sized ziploc bag
• melt butter, pour in bag and shake up
• pour in cinnamon mixture and mix up

enjoy!

Recipe #180: Peppermint Bark

I found an easy recipe for peppermint bark here and then Joanns had their candy coating 50% off so it was destined to get made! :) So easy!

You need:
2 bags dark chocolate candy coating
lots of mini candy canes or 12 ish big ones
wax paper

• crush the candy canes. i ended up putting them in a mini food chopper. it doesn't crush very evenly, but the little crumbs add a good peppermint flavor to the chocolate.
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 sec intervals. stir after each heating.
• pour candy cane pieces in chocolate and mix up.
• pour chocolate out on a long sheet of wax paper and spread around to have a thin coating. Mine was a little shorter then width of paper and maybe 20 some inches long.
• Allow the bark to cool and then break into small pieces

Recipe #179: christmas cupcakes

Lots of cute pictures are going around pinterest with santa hats and reindeer. Using those multiple pictures as the basis for my ideas, I made some for a work party. But of course, I didn't take into consideration how a trip in the car would be like a roller coaster ride for my mini cupcakes and they did not look so cute when I got to the party, but oh well...

You need:

Chocolate cake mix

white frosting

chocolate frosting

strawberries, marshmallows, chocolate chips, m&ms, and pretzels

• make cupcakes according to package directions. use a mini muffin pan. makes about 48 mini cupcakes
• after they have cooled top with frosting and add little garnishes to bring Rudolf and Santa hat's to life! :) 

stay tuned for more holiday treats coming up!

Recipe #178: Sautzels

I had to go out tonight and didn't know when I would be back so told Will to make something for dinner. I suggested that he use the Italian sausage we had in the fridge. Well on my way I thought about the meal he would want to try and sure enough, I get home and that is the meal he is making! At the pub he and his cousins go to when they are together they have this pretzel and bratwurst thing that he thought was quite delicious. So he decided to create his own using what was in the fridge of course. Thus he made a Sautzel...for lack of a better name! ;)

You need:
pretzel recipe found here
4 links Italian Sausage
Mozzarella
spicy brown or honey mustard for dipping

• Follow the recipe for the pretzels.
• While the dough is rising, fry up the sausage
• cut cooked sausage into smaller pieces
• Once pretzel is done, top with sausage and cheese, put back in oven for a couple minute or until cheese is melted.
• Enjoy with the mustard of your choice!

Recipe #177: Homemade soft preztels

Why would we make soft pretzels? You will find out in the next post, but they turned out pretty delicious! Will instigated this recipe! He found it here. He also thought is said four pretzels and not eight so ours were really huge. Alex and I shared one. However, I added way to much salt and so they were very salty pretzels! We definitely have room for improvement on this one!

You need:

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp active dry yeast (Will said a couple...so I am kind of guessing)
• 4 1/2 all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted (Will actually forgot to add this)
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Pretzel salt (or we used Kosher since we didn't have any)
• 
  
• mix together water, sugar, and salt
• add yeast and
• allow to sit for 5 minutes
• add in flour and butter, mix until well combined and pulls away from sides of bowl
• oil dough with veggie oil 
• allow to sit and rise (doubling in size) approximately 50 minutes
• on an oiled sheet, divide dough into 8 sections
• roll out and form into a pretzel shape
• bring water and soda to a boil
• one at a time, allow pretzel to sit in water for about 30 sec
• remove and return to parchment lined pan.
• brush with mixture of egg yolk and water
• sprinkle slight amount of salt.
• bake for 15 minutes or until dark brown in color

this is more like pretzel bread because it was so large. but check out all the salt too...

we need to improve our pretzel making skills a bit!

Recipe #176: Curried Chicken

This was a crock pot recipe that needed a little more teamwork on Will and my part...because I go to work so early 8 hrs later means 3pm which is too early for dinner and in the end, the chicken was a little bit more shredded then I would have wanted, but all in all, it had good flavoring. I found the recipe in a Real Simple magazine but you can also find it here. I changed it a bit because, although I had every intention of getting tomato paste, I ended up with tomato sauce!

You need:
3 chicken breasts (mine were a little frozen and still worked okay)

• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 Tbsp ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

• in crock pot mix tomato sauce, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cumin, and onion.
• top with chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces. Season with salt and pepper
• cook on low for 8 hrs. stir
• just before serving add yogurt in.
• serve with rice

Recipe #175: Baked Pasta and Sausage

hmmm...a fun way to use leftovers...create another recipe! We had a lot of broccoli and sausage leftover from the day before but not too many noodles, so this became the perfect one person meal I needed since Will was gone!

You need:
1 cup of spaghetti sauce
bowtie noodles
leftover sausage and broccoli from last night's meal
mozzarella cheese

• heat up pasta according to package directions
• mix spaghetti sauce with sausage and broccoli
• drain noodles then add to mixture. 
• pour into two small dishes 
• top with cheese
• bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Recipe #174: Sausage and Broccoli Fettuccine

Starting to experiment with some sausage recipes...I have to admit I don't love the taste of Italian Sausage, but it is fun to taste new things! It is a spin off from a recipe I found here.

You need:
4 links of Italian Sausage
one onion
1/2 box of fettuccine
one small bag of broccoli
parmesan and mozzarella
spices: rosemary, basil, red pepper flakes, parsley

• boil pasta according to package directions
• cut sausages into smaller pieces
• in a fry pan, heat up some olive oil and saute onions
• add sausage and cook
• sprinkle in some rosemary, basil and parsley
• add in broccoli parmesan and cover to steam 
• once pasta is done cooking mix together with sausage and broccoli. 
• Top with some red pepper flakes and mozzarella

Recipe #173: Mushi Pan

Mushi means bug or steam in Japanese. Don't worry, this is the steamed variety. I love it in Japan and found a recipe from here that I wanted to try! It is missing something, a little sweetness, but it was still very delicious! The original recipe was really small, but this will make 8 cupcake sizes perfectly.

You need:
4 eggs
8 tsp milk
8 tsp sugar
little less then 1 cup flour
4 tsp baking powder

• mix eggs, milk and sugar
• add flour and baking powder to just mixed
• pour into 8 cupcake liners 
• steam for 12 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

We topped some with cinnamon before steaming. Other things to try are raisins, apple chunks...anything that sounds yummy! :) It is surprisingly easy, so i will definitely try this again!

Recipe #172: gyoza

I was waiting for my brother and (soon-to-be) sister-in-law to come visit again so we could make gyoza and mushi pan! :) You may know gyoza as pot stickers in the U.S. Forget that name. Its horrible. Gyoza is delicious! We didn't have a single one left! :)

You need:
2 lbs ground pork
1/2 head of cabbage
2 leeks
6 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp ginger
pack of wonton wrappers i think our pack had 40-50

• chop cabbage and leeks into very small pieces
• mix meat, cabbage, leeks, and seasoning together
• place a teaspoon of meat mixture into each cover
• fold in half, one one half, line with water and press sides together and pleat (fold over)
• place on wax paper
• bring water to a boil in large pot and put steamer on top 
• steam until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes
• if frying, cover bottom of pan with oil, cook until brown on both sides
• enjoy with gyoza dipping sauce. make your own by mixing soy sauce and apple vinegar

            

                                 















         steamed gyoza                                                                                                     fried gyoza

Recipe #171: Croquette

I was so happy to realize today that I had forgotten to post this recipe! :) It was the perfect recipe to use up the  extra mash potatoes and even some of the veggies!

You need:
4-5 cups mashed potatoes
veggies--a frozen bag of mixed veggies would be great
1 egg, slightly beaten
6 Tbsp flour
2 cups or so panko
oil for frying

• mix mashed potatoes and other ingredients
• shape potato mixture into 8 equal sized oval logs
• roll in flour and panko
• meanwhile heat oil in a medium sized skillet to depth of 1/2 inch
• work in batches and turn occasionally until brown and crunchy

Side dish #15: Paper Clip Earrings

This blog post found here was the find of a century...gifts for under $5...especially ones that take an evening to complete! I immediately fell in love with the paper clip earrings that looked gorgeous!
So I made my own...sitting on my couch...watching TV... a relaxing kind of craft! :)

aren't they kind of artsy and fun! :)

Side dish #14: Christmas Wreath

So I made another similar one found here, but experimented with some new flowers and did more christmasy colors! Tutorials for flowers are found here and here (kind of)
Excuse my camera...it is getting so old and takes terrible picture!

Half way there...

Well, a little over half way there in time, but 16 recipes behind! Oh dear. I need to get cooking! Hopefully I will feel like experimenting with some Christmas desserts to help catch up! I am just pleased with myself for keeping up with it this long! :) Since starting I have tried countless new recipes with only a couple of flops, cooked with some meats that I had not used much before (pork!), and managed to feed Alex mostly homemade food! I think we have also started eating healthier too, thanks to the fact that I would rather make food to be able to count it as a recipe than buy pre-made or eat out. So less processed food going in our bodies which is good for us! My recipes still aren't gourmet or anything, but being a working mom on a tight budget, I think we have done pretty well!
Goals for the next half year...
more fish (I will make Will a fan of it!)
more ethnic food... Indian in particular...it is so delicious.
more meatless meals. Veggies are so good, we need to channel their deliciousness!
more fellowship...no matter how tired I am, I think sharing meals with people is something that is encouraging because you actually slow down, sit down, and get a chance to chat.

here is to another 182 days of chopping, sauteing, cooking, baking, grilling, and Eating! 

Recipe #170: Avacado-Ham Wrap

So we had something light for dinner tonight, not at all what I planned, but it was what I was in the mood for
You need:
whole wheat wraps
ham cold cuts
bacon
avacado
cucumber
lettuce
green pepper
roasted sesame dressing

• spread toppings on wrap
• top with sesame dressing
• roll up, eat up!

Recipe #169: BBQ Chicken

I found this idea on pinterest, but mine didn't look at all like the original found here. Maybe because I used frozen chicken like she did, but there was a lot of water in it... either way, it was a perfect meal with rice after a fun trip to the zoo!

You need:
3-4 chicken breasts
the bbq sauce recipe found here doubled
1/4 cup vinegar
1tsp red flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder

• put chicken in crock pot
• mix ingredients (I mixed up bbq sauce the night before) and pour over chicken.
• cook on low for 4-6 hours 
• i had a lot of sauce, so next time might not double the bbq sauce recipe. it was tasty though!

Recipe #168: Elephant cake!

In honor of Alex's birthday trip to the zoo I made a elephant birthday cake! I need a little help with frosting a cake still, but I was so happy with how easy it was to shape it!

I used two 8 inch cake pans. one became the head, and the other i used to cut out the smaller pieces--ears and trunk. A boxed mix of devils food cake worked great!

I tried to make frosting, but decided that it was a little too thick to work with and didn't want this too be too difficult. So some white frosting out of a can worked just great mixed with an 1/8 tsp of the wilson's delphinium blue icing! It was the perfect elephant blue! (just save a little bit of white for the eyes!)

Lots of fun! He wasn't too sure about the cake and frosting at first, but by the end...he was a chocolate cake fan! 

Recipe #167: Turkey Lasagna Roll-Ups

I found this recipe for Lasagna Roll-ups somewhere--I think maybe the woman's day app, and it gave me the idea to use up some more turkey in a fun way.

You need:
6-9 lasagna noodles
shredded turkey
1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce
mozzarella

• boil noodles according to package directions
• meanwhile, heat up spaghetti sauce and turkey together
• preheat oven to 350
• take a noodle, add a bit of turkey mixture and cheese on top. 
• roll up into a small roll-- my 8x8 dish fit about 6 
• spoon any remaining turkey mixture on top. sprinkle on a small layer of cheese
• bake for 15 minutes

Recipe #166: Turkey and Rice Soup

A great way to use up a bunch of leftovers!

You need:
turkey bones
rice
veggies --I used corn, broccoli, and baby carrots
thyme, pepper

• put turkey bones in a pot of water and allow it to simmer for a couple hours to make a nice broth and get the turkey meat off the bones
• remove bones from water, add pepper, thyme, and any other spices you want.
• add in veggies and rice

Recipe #165: Turkey Leftovers

It would be wrong to waste too many recipes on the turkey leftovers, especially such basic ones, but I am behind, so I get at least one...
two ideas:

• add the turkey to tomato sauce eat over pasta
• mix up some extra gravy and turkey in a pan and eat over some hot rice!

Actual new recipes are coming soon!

Recipe #164: Apple Pie

This is a deep pie dish, so it used a lot of filling, but it was super delicious with vanilla ice cream!

You need:
pie crust recipe (found here)
1/2 apple crisp recipe
apple crisp filling (both found here)

• put the crust in the pie plate
• add the apple filling
• top with crust
• bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until top is brown

Make extra pie crust to make the pumpkin pies found here! :)