Tuesday, April 29, 2008

One of my favorite Rachel Ray Meals

Tomato and Basil Cheese Baked Pasta

The key on this one is to make the marinara sauce yourself. It is really easy. The language on the recipe is a little on the over-explanation side...because it was designed for teenagers to do it. So yummy. I get the pesto sauce at Costco.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_28782,00.html

Do you have a favorite Rachel Ray meal?

Edited to add. I just made this again tonight and I forgot I double the marinara sauce to serve on the side as well.

Mexican Chicken

This is a new family favorite! My husband laughed at me when he saw me cutting this recipe out of the reynolds wrap box, but now he loves it. There is actually a method to my madness of clipping recipes off of everything :). Jenn

4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts (or cut two large ones in half depending on how much your family eats)
4 sheets of Heavy duty foil or use 8 sheets of regular foil (putting two together for each packet)
1 cup chunky salsa (I use medium for ours and mild for the kids)
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans
1 cup shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450

-Place one piece of chicken on each sheet of foil
-spoon salsa over each piece
-spoon beans over each piece
-Fold top and sides of foil into individual packets leaving space inside for air circulation
-Place on a cookie sheet (since each packet may differ in size of chicken piece or have spicy or mild salsa; I write our initials on each packet so I can tell them a part at the end).

Bake 15 to 18 minutes and sprinkle with cheese before serving. This is great over rice! My kids request this every time I ask for dinner ideas :). Enjoy!

Delicious Hash Brown Potatoes

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting a recipe! I have had so many people asking me for this one so I figured I'd better post it first. Enjoy :). Jenn

1 30 oz. bag of frozen hash brown potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use fat free)
1 cup sour cream (I use fat free)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Topping: 1/2 cup melted butter and 2 cups crushed cornflakes (4 cups uncrushed)

Mix all ingredients together except the topping. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spoon potato mixture into the pan. Mix crushed cornflakes with the melted butter until coated and sprinkle on top of the potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Yummy!

Comments

I've tried a couple of recipes and wanted to leave some comments. The recipes were posted a while back though and I'm not sure if people would see them so I'm just going to do it this way.

Michelle, I LOVED the Split Pea and Ham soup. I made it when my parents were here and we all ate it up. It was even better the second day. Thanks for getting me to try something I've been afraid of for years after a bad experience.

Suzanne, I made your french toast for my family ladies retreat this weekend. Everyone kept calling me a "gourmet cook". I can't eat it, but they all thought it was the best. I made 1 1/2 recipes of it but I cut the sugar way back to just a 1/4 cup total. I got to thinking that when I make regular french toast I don't put sugar in so I thought I'd try it with less. They all thought it was the best ever. This is a fantastic brunch recipe with all the work done the night before.

Thanks for the recipes girls. Looking forward to trying more.
Lee Ann

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tangy Meatballs

Sorry I don't know who brought the yummy dish to Mom's, but here's some really good meatballs. These are from my mom and they're a family favorite!

Tangy Meatballs
2 eggs
2 cups quick oats
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 lbs ground beef

Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp garlic powder

In a large bowl beat eggs. Add oats, milk, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix and add ground beef. Mix well. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place in two 9x13 pans. Bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and drain. Place all of the meatballs in one pan. In saucepan bring all sauce ingredients to a boil. Pour over meatballs. Return to oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until done.

Makes 4 dozen.....Great for a party

Friday, April 18, 2008

super yummy...

there were some super yummy egg and potato dishes at MOMS yesterday. Spill it, ladies. What about the punch? that was awesome too. ... all you momswhocook blog lurkers come out from hiding...we want your recipes too!! Email me to get added to the author list. See email on left side.

Julie

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Blogger Challenge #2

Seriously, I named this, "Oh my goodness I took a nap with the kids and I didn't prep anything for dinner" Soup. The picture on the box inspired adding other ingredients. However, the box didn't have a recipe so I just grabbed what was in my cupboard.

1-32 oz Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup
1-12.5 oz can of Chicken Breast
1 can of black bean (or favorite-rinsed)
1 can of corn (I use 1 to 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn)
1 cup of favorite rice
sour cream (optional)
salsa (optional)
favorite seasonings (mine: cumin, salt, pepper, mexican seasoning)

Pour soup in pan. Add favorite rice. Bring to boil and continue cooking until rice is nearly tender. Add rest of ingredients (be sure to drain them) until heated through. Dish up, top with sour cream and salsa.
See you can have a nap and dinner too!
Dee Gee

Lowfat chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

These cookies are actually pretty good for lowfat...the only fat comes from the 2 eggs and chips. You could substitute raisins or craisins if you wanted them even more lowfat. Experiment with the additions--nuts, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, dried fruit, whatever sounds good! The texture is a lot different with lowfat cookies than regular, but the flavor is good.

1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 3/4 to 2 cups flour (you might need to use more than 1 3/4 cups because there is a lot of liquid
in this recipe, so experiment)
2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl mix together applesauce and sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually stir in dry ingredients, then fold in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake 12-15 minutes. I found they need to cook on the longer side, but the texture will be soft and moist.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Blog Challenge #2

What is your favorite recipe using a convenience food? Do you have a box, can, or bag of something that you change to make it all your own?

Eryn posted about changing Rhodes rolls from so-so to magical.
On
Beckie's blog she showed how she jazzed up frozen green beans.

Do you have something you buy and spice up to make it your own? Please share it with us!

Peanut Butter Pudding Dessert

I made this for bible study the other night and everyone wanted seconds. They had so many good things to say about it so I thought I'd post it.

Peanut Butter Pudding Dessert

1 cup flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups chopped cashews, divided
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
12 oz cool whip, divided
2 2/3 cup milk
3.9 oz instant chocolate pudding
3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding
1.55 oz milk chocolate bar, coarsely chopped

Place flour and butter in food processor. Pulse until resembles course crumbs. Add 1 cup cashews; pulse until combined.

Press into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

In a small bowl beat cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 cup cool whip. Spoon over crust

In another bowl, whisk milk and both pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes. Spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining cool whip. Sprinkle with chopped candy bar and remaining cashews. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Yield 12-16 servings.....unless they have seconds.

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Mom's famous semi-homemade cinnamon rolls!

This is my most requested recipe!(second to the cheesy hashbrown casserole, of course)

Ingredients:

1 package of Rhodes frozen cinnamon rolls
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
1 stick of butter
several handfuls of brown sugar
cinnamon

Melt butter in a saucepan, add several (like 2 cups worth?) of brown sugar and stir til well dissolved. (don't cook it too, long, just till the sugar is dissolved) Put that
in a large baking dish (mom always uses one bigger than 13x9, but if you dont 'have that you can use 2 13x9's). sprinkle with cinnamon. Then add the cinnamon rolls, pretty well space apart (they will rise). Follow directions on package to let them rise...you can let them rise over night in a place that's not tooo warm, they will over rise if they're too warm). Then right before baking, pour the whipping cream over the rolls. YOu won't need the whole pint, but make sure you get the cream down into the nooks and crannies between the rolls...that's where the magic happens! When the butter and brown sugar and the cream mingle, the make this amazing and delicious caramely sauce over the rolls....mmm mmm. So don't drown the rolls in cream, but make sure they're nice and drizzled, makeing real sure to allow some down into the cracks.

Bake according to directions and enjoy!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Ham & Pasta Skillet

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

This use to be one of my "fall back" meals back in the day of not knowing how to cook anything without some kind of Campbell's soup. Now I ususally make it once or twice a year after having a huge ham dinner and trying to find ways to use up the leftover ham.

Ingredients:
1 can (10 1/4 ounces) of Campbells condensed broccoli cheese soup
1 cup of milk
1 TB spicy-brown mustard
2 cups broccoli flowerets or 1 package (10 oz) frozen broccoli cuts
2 cups of coarsely chopped, cooked ham
3 cups cooked medium shelled macaroni (about 2 cups dry)
favorite seasonings
parmesan cheese (optional)

Sometimes I substitute peas for the broccoli.

Prepare macaroni. In medium skillet, mix soup, milk, mustard & broccoli. Over medium heat, heat to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Add ham, macaroni, and seasonings. Heat through. Plate up, top with parmesan cheese.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Too simple to be good PotRoast

2lbs of meat any kind will work.
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 onion (quartered) I substituted onion powder
black pepper to your preference

combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Cook all day and serve over rice or egg noodles.
My 4 year old loves this and can eat it 2 days in a row.
Some add carrots, but I think mushrooms would be good. My husband is not a fan of mushrooms so that will not happen in this house.
Blessings!
Louette

Monday, April 7, 2008

Ham & Scalloped Potatoes


Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: 55-60 minutes
Oven: 350
Makes: 4 servings



I always double this recipe for my family size. Another great dish to use up the leftover ham.

1/2 cup onion (1 medium)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 TB butter
2 TB all-purpose flour
Dash Salt
Dash Pepper
1 1/4 cups milk
3 medium desired potatoes (I leave peelings on)
2 cups chopped, cooked ham
1 cup shredded favorite cheese (optional)

1. Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole pan (I grease my 9x13 when doubling recipe). Set aside.
2. Prep ingredients. I love my food processor for slicing the potatoes.
3. In large bowl, stir potatoes and ham.
4. Put half of potatoe mix into casserole pan.
5. Make sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, add onion and garlic until tender. Stir in flour, salt, pepper. Add entire amount of milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
6. Optional: Add 1 cup of favorite shredded cheese (I do for that extra flavor). Turn off burner, stir in shredded cheese into thickened sauce until melted.
7. Cover potatoes that are already in casserole pan with half of the sauce. Repeat another layer.
8. Bake, COVERED, in oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes or more until potatoes are tender.

Serve with rustic bread and a side salad and you are good to go!

Blessings,
Dee Gee

Left Over Ham

I'm sure you are all tired of me talking about Easter. Since Easter, I have had some people ask me what to do with the leftovers. Yes, I am a bit delayed but just have not had a chance to post the recipes. Besides, I'll just be early for the next ham dinner.

My first response to this quesiton is to always cut the excess fat and put leftover meat in ziplock baggies and throw it in the freezer until you know what to do with it. I put my ham in quart-sized freezer bags with about 1 - 1 1/2 pounds of ham in it. And of course do not throw away the bone until you have made your favorite soup with it.
Here are my ideas and I will post recipes as I have time. Some do not need recipes, it may just spark an idea for you to embellish.

Breakfast Ideas:
Ham & Cheese Omelet
Denver Omelet
Oven Omelet
Scrambled Eggs & Ham (Add green dye and read the Dr. Seuss book)
Eggs Benedict
Farmer's Casserole
Ham & Asparagus Strata
Ham & Cheese Quiche
Lunch:
Ham Salad Sandwich
Grilled Cheese & Ham Sandwich
Dinner:
Ham Scalloped Potatoes
Ham & Pasta Skillet
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Split Pea & Ham Soup (similar to Michelle's)


Blessings,
Dee Gee

Sinners' Chocolate Cake

This is another recipe from the CASA Cookbook. So rich and delicious!!!

Cake:
1 cup boiling water
3 oz baking chocolate, unsweetened
1 stick unsalted butter
1 t vanilla
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 t baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups flour, sifted, plus 3 T
1 t baking powder

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
4 oz baking chocolate, unsweetened
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
1-2 T milk, if necessary

Pour boiling water over chocolate and butter. Let stand until melted. Stir in vanilla and sugar, then whisk in egg yolks, one at a time, continuing to stir until mixture is smooth. Mix baking soda and sour cream and whisk into the chocolate mixture. Sift flour and baking powder together and add to batter, mixing thoroughly.
Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir a little of the whites thoroughly into the batter, then gently fold in the rest. Pour batter into 2 10" round, buttered and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 15 minutes, then remove from pan. Cool completely before frosting.
To make frosting, melt butter and chocolate together over low heat. Stir in rest of ingredients. Thin with milk if necessary.

Madame Dodie's Baked French Toast

This is such an amazing dish, great for brunch! It came from a cookbook put out by CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates), who help abused and neglected children who are going through the court system.

Serves 6-8

4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream (or whole milk)
2 cup 2% milk
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)
1 t vanilla (I double it)
1 t cinnamon (I double it too)
1 t nutmeg
1 loaf day old French bread, cut into 12 1" slices (I did 8)
powdered sugar

The night before serving, combine everything but the bread in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 10" x 15" x 2" glass dish (I used a 13" x 8") or baking pan. Arrange bread slices in a single layer in egg batter. Turn bread once to coat both sides. Cover pan and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, bake, uncovered at 350 degrees in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes or until bread is golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple or berry syrup (or as is!).

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups sour cream
7 ozs diced green chilis
3 small cans cream of chicken soup
4 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
3/4 cup green onions
12 flour tortillas
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine the sour cream, green chilis, and soup in a bowl. Divide the mix into 2 equal halves (so that you have 2 bowls with the same things in them). Set bowl #1 aside. To the other bowl (we'll call this bowl #2), add the chicken and green onions and mix together. Fill the flour tortillas with the mix in bowl #2. Place the filled tortillas into a 9 X 13 pan (if you need to use more than one pan, just go with it!) Once you have the tortillas arranged in the pan, pour the mix from bowl #1 onto the top of the tortillas. Then top with the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.