Tomatillo Salsa

1 lb tomatillos (10-12 med) soaked, husked, dried
2-3 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed
1 small white onion, peeled cut in 1/2" slices
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 T olive oil
Course salt and pepper to taste
1/3 c water
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime

Preheat oven to 475. Move rack 2nd closest from the top. Put tomatillos, chiles, onions and garlic in a bowl, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put on foil lined baking sheet. Roast 10-12 minutes or until soft and lightly browned. Remove and cool.

Place all ingredients in food processor add seasonings and pinch of sugar to taste.

Delicious right away or you can can a bunch and enjoy all winter long.

Taco Casserole

I got this recipe out of the free cookbooks they hand out at Costco around the holidays. It's so easy and really yummy! I've made it as an appetizer, as well as for dinner. We may actually have it tonight...

1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef or turkey (I use ground turkey breast)
1/4 c. taco seasoning
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (11 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained (I thaw frozen corn)
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 c. coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Optional assorted toppings: sour cream, sliced green onions, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, avocado, guacamole...

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Brown meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off the fat.
-Stir in seasoning mix, beans, tomato sauce, and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
-Spoon the mixture into a 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and tortilla chips.
-Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
-Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

Banana Muffins

I got this recipe out of DK's Children's Baking Book. Super Easy. Not too banana--ee and the hint of chocolate not only makes the kids happy but also the PMS-ing momma a little happier too!

Makes 16-18 large muffins
48 minis

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking 12-14 minutes

Preheat Oven 400*

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 large ripe bananas (roughly chopped)
1 large egg
8 fl oz milk
3 oz butter (melted)
1 heaping cup of chocolate chips

Grease muffin pan or use baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

In a small mixing bowl, mash bananas with fork unil nearly smooth, but with a few lumps.

In a pitcher (or another bowl) whisk together the egg, milk and butter. Then gradually pour and stir into the banana bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Add the egg and banana mixture to the flour mixture, stiring with wood spoon and just until combined, then fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon mixture in pan and bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool and remove from pan. Indulge with a stick of butter per muffin!

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

You got zuchs coming out of your ears? Here's a hearty, family-friendly recipe that I just discovered. It seriously made enough for two meals for my family.

6-8 Servings
Oven 400*
Prep 20 minuutes
Bake 40 minutes

4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini (about three medium zuchs)
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs (not the salmonella, recalled ones)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound hamburger
1/2 cup onion (I used white)
1 can Italian tomato sauce
1 medium green pepper chopped (or any color your heart desires)

I added:
1/2 pound Italian sausage
sliced olives

Place shredded zucchini in strainer, sprinke with salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze out moisture.

Combine zuchhini with eggs and half of all three cheeses. Press into greased 13x9 baking dish. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook hamburger (and sausage if you choose) and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture.

Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add green pepper and optional ingredients. We love our olives. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through.

Zing! Dinner on the table baby!

Cheesecake

I bake.
A lot.
But, I had never tackled a cheesecake.
Until a very special someone deserved her favortie dessert.
So, I jumped in and gave it a shot.
And it worked!

Topped with some fresh raspberries.
It's a good thing I didn't bring home the left overs :)
So, here it is - straight off the good 'ol internet - with my changes noted.
(Because I rarely do anything exactly like I'm supposed to.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Gluten Free Nut Crust Supreme
2 cups Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking (or regular flour)
½ cup dark brown sugar (I used light)
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (I used salted)
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Spray cheesecake pan lightly with vegetable oil spray. In a medium bowl stir together the flour mix and brown sugar. Cut in the butter until fine crumbs form. Stir in the nuts and pat into your pan. (I mixed all of this in the food processor) The crust will be “crumbly” but will hold together once pressed into the pan. This will be more than enough for one large cheesecake and perhaps for a second smaller pie. Though it tastes so good on it’s own you may just end up eating it!

Barbara’s Classic Gluten Free Cheesecake

4 – 8 oz bars of gluten free cream cheese, softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla

Mix all of the ingredients with a beater until smooth and pour into the unbaked crust. Place in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

While that is baking, prepare the topping.( I totally skipped this step!!!!! I didn't use the topping)

2 cups gluten free sour cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon of gluten free almond extract
Juice from ½ a lemon

Mix the topping ingredients in a bowl. After the first 30 minutes of baking, remove the cheesecake and spoon the topping onto the cheesecake. Be careful not to overfill the pan. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes. You may want to place a piece of foil under the cheesecake just to catch any drippings. Cooking times can vary dramatically depending upon the amount of topping you choose to use. Watch to see when it starts to solidify but don’t let it stay in so long that the crust begins to burn. (I baked it for 40 minutes without the topping. The middle should still look a little jiggly.)

Strawberry Rhubarb Creme Brulee

Oh, how I LOVE me some Creme Brulee....this is a recipe I can't wait to try! Maybe for the 4th of July I can convince my hubby to make this. (he is the Brulee expert in our house...hello, give your man a blow torch in the kitchen, and he's your cook forever!)

Organic Strawberry-rhubarb Creme Brulee

Ingredients

1 pound Strawberries washed and quartered

1 pound Rhubarb washed trimmed & cut into 1/4 inch

6 tablespoons Granulated Sugar

5 large Egg Yolks fresh

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1 3/4 cups Heavy Cream

1 Vanilla Beans



Superfine Granulated Sugar or Sugar in the Raw as needed

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Arrange the rhubarb in a buttered baking dish and bake uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the strawberries and bake for 15 minutes longer. When done, transfer the fruit to a bowl and stir in the 6 Tbsp. of granulated sugar. Set aside to cool.

When the fruit is cool, pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar to a ribbon stage. In a small saucepan, add the cream and split the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds and add the pod and the seeds to the pan. Over moderately high heat, scald the cream and vanilla. In a stream, whisk into the egg yolk. Strain the custard into a pitcher.

Fill 8 ramekins halfway with the fruit and then cover with the custard. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan and pour enough hot water to reach halfway up the outside of each ramekin. Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until custard is set. When finished, remove ramekins from the pan and cool on wire racks. Cool in the refrigerator until chilled, about 4 hours.

Just before serving, cover each custard with the raw sugar and, using a torch, caramelize each dessert. If you don't have a torch, you can place them under the broiler. Serve and enjoy.

Strawberry Pie

I got this recipe from a friend in college. It's one of my faves!

(Makes two 8-inch pies or one 10-inch pie)

Crumb crust
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c. butter or margarine
2 T. sugar

Mix ingredients and press into pie pan(s). Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.

Filling
1-1/2 c. sugar
4 T. cornstarch
1-1/2 c. water
strawberry jello (3 oz. pkg.)
1 qt. strawberries, cut in half

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add jello. Allow mixture to cool, then add strawberries. Pour into crumb crust.

Allow pie to set in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. When ready to serve, top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes with Strawberries

Ingredients:

1 C. All Purpose Flour
1/2 C. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 C. Quick Oats
3 TBS Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt

2 1/2 C. Low Fat Buttermilk
2 Eggs
2-3 TBS Butter (melted)
1-2 C. Fresh diced Strawberries (or other berries you like)

In a large bowl mix together all dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl mix all wet ingredients. Wisk wet mixture into dry ingredients mixing thoroughly trying not to over beat. Let batter sit for 10 minutes prior to cooking.

Heat griddle to 350 degrees and smear a small amount of butter over the griddle or spray with non-stick spray. Cook and enjoy!!

Strawberry Challenge - RULES DEFINED

Whomever posts a recipe using strawberries within the next five days will recieve a jar of strawberry jam from me.

Okay, Facebook got me scared....The first 10 people to post a strawberry recipe will receive a jar of freezer jam!

Strawberry Season

Whatcha all making with the fresh strawberries. We've had them on ice cream. I'm making homemade ice cream for Father's Day. The strawberry/spinache salad is on the menu this week. What else can I make?

Is this blog dead??

I miss all the recipes from you all. LeeAnn and Julie, I think we may be the only 3 left who check it.

I still come back for recipes now and then!

Teriyaki Chicken

I tried a new Teriyaki chicken recipe tonight - out of an old Everyday food magazine. We all really liked it! I think next time I may use a bit less honey, but it sure was yummy!

2 T soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp grated, peeled fresh ginger (Winco was out so I used about 1 tsp dry)
1 whole chicken

1. preheat oven to 450. Mix everything in a bowl (except the chicken :). Divide the sauce into two bowls. One for basting, one to use as a sauce at the end.

2. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Cut chicken into pieces and place on sheet. (I cooked mine with the skin on - like the picture - and just removed it for eating.) Baste with sauce. Place in oven for 20 minutes basting twice with pan juices. Place chicken on lower rack of oven, basting again, for 10 minutes.

3. It didn't say to heat the extra sauce, but I did. Serve with rice and steamed veggie. Yummo!

Awesome Recipe Analyzing Calorie Counter!

Hey Gals, I just found this great site where you can enter your recipe, and how many servings it makes, and VOILA...it gives you an awesome little Nutrition Label with all the info on it! Check it out...


http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php

Really good Manicotti.

I like to cook good food. Really good food. Unfortunately, not everything that looks good in a recipe turns out so good in the end. Whether it be my lack of cooking skills, the recipe itself, or just a matter of personal taste...it doesn't always turn out so good in the end. This manicotti turned out good in the end. Really good.

I love Italian food. Maybe its my Italian heritage or the fact that Italian food tends to be good 'ole yummy comfort food. Aka: "carbs" :)

This manicotti didn't disappoint. Loved the yummy, chunky sauce on top. All you tomato growers could probably make it even better with your home grown stuff! :)

It came from this recipe blog which I love.

Manicotti.

Serves 6 to 8

Tomato Sauce
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (in juice)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried basil

Cheese Filling and Pasta
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
16 no-boil lasagna noodles (I use the Barilla brand - apparently they are supposed to be the most similar to homemade pasta and I love them, both in this and in lasagna)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes (if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan chese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs; set aside.

To assemble, pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish.

Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soupspoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. (You should be able to fit 8 manicotti in each row, allowing all 16 to fit in the dish). Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.

Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

The manicotti can be prepared right up until the baking step then covered with a sheet of parchment paper, wrapped in aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. (If frozen, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.) To bake, remove the parchment, replace the aluminum foil, and increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.blogspot.com)

Kelly's Oven Crispy Chicken

1 pound Chicken pieces ( breasts, thighs, legs, or even strips or nuggets if you like)

1 cup buttermilk or milk

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic salt

½ tsp paprika

(optional) 1Tbsp ground flax seed, 1Tbsp Wheat germ, 1 Tbsp Whole wheat flour ( I do all of these for extra nutrition)

1Tbsp melted butter.

Soak Chicken in buttermilk or milk for 30min, mix dry ingredients in large Ziploc, put chicken in one piece at a time to coat well. Place on cookie sheet and drizzle with butter. Bake at 400F for 15-35 min depending on size of chicken pieces. Flip once during cooking.

(Kelly’s tip_ take the butts of my bread and pulse them for a few seconds in my food processor or small chopper to make my breadcrumbs- it saves us from wasting the ends and I get to use my own yummy bread. My favorite is with Dave’s Killer Bread)

Korean Beef

This is actually Melissa L's recipe but we love it so much I had to share it.

1-2lb Tri tip sirloin-sliced thin across the grain

Marinate in:

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup soy sauce

3 tbsp sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 green onions, finely sliced.

Marinate for 30 min or 3 days- Grill until desired doneness (works best with wire basket because pieces are small)

Serve with rice and your favorite salad or veggie.

(tip- I slice it up as soon as I take it out of the grocery bag and marinate it then so it is ready when I am, that night or later in the week)

Meal Delivery?

I don't know about you but I stress over what to bring people when bringing a meal after baby, etc. What is your go-to dish that most anybody loves and you usually bring?

Carrot Souffle

I recently made this for a dinner I had and it got "rave" reviews!
You're kids WILL eat their carrots :)

It's straight from cooking light......with a little less sugar.


Ingredients
7 cups chopped carrot (about 2 pounds)
2/3 cup granulated sugar ( I used 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used rice)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook carrots in boiling water 15 minutes or until very tender; drain. Place carrot in a food processor; process until smooth. Add granulated sugar and next 7 ingredients (granulated sugar through eggs); pulse to combine.

Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until puffed and set. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 187 (25% from fat)
Fat: 5.1g (sat 2.5g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.5g)
Protein: 4.2g
Carbohydrate: 32.3g
Fiber: 3.5g
Cholesterol: 88mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 233mg
Calcium: 86mg