Mac N Cheese

We are having some friends over tonight and we are grilling brats and hot dogs and I have been trying to come up with a fun side dish to have with it and finally landed on a rich and creamy mac n cheese. This recipe looked great so after I make it I will post some pictures for you! Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients

* Butter, for greasing dish
* 12 ounces wide egg noodles
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 2 1/2 cups whole milk
* 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cups (packed) grated Fontina
* 3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan
* 3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella


Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.

Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Broccoli Chicken Divan - YUM!

Ingredients

* 1 pound chopped fresh broccoli - steamed
* 1 1/2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1/3 cup milk
* 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1 tablespoon butter, melted
* 2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Place the broccoli in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
3. Place the cooked broccoli in a 9 inch pie plate. Top with the chicken. In a bowl, mix the soup and milk, and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs, and sprinkle over the cheese.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly brown.

Swiss steak

This looks really involved but I promise it is not that bad and you will TOTALLY LOVE IT!

What you need:
2 pounds of tenderized round steak
1 large onion - thinly sliced
2 stalks of celery - diced
3 cloves are garlic - diced
1 large can of diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. oregano
2 C. beef broth
2 C of flour - or enough to dredge your beef in.
salt and pepper to taste

I used tenderized round steak - you will need 2 - 3 pounds of meat. Cut it into 4 oz. servings so it cooks even and gets really tender.
Take the meat -salt and pepper each side then dredge it in flour on both sides.

In a dutch oven - coat the bottom with veg. oil and heat to medium high heat. When the oil starts to sizzle - start cooking your meat - don't crowd the dish. After your first few pieces are done - set them on a plate and cook the meat until it is all cooked.

In the same pot - add one onion thinly slices, 3 cloves are garlic diced and 2 stalks of celery. saute this for about 2 -3 minutes.

Add 2 Tablespoons of Tomato paste until it is all blended.

Add 1 large can of diced tomatoes (I think it is 28 oz). 2 tsp. of oregano, 2 tsp. of paprika, and 2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire, and 2 Cups of beef broth. Add the meat back into the pot after you stir everything together. If it does not cover the meat add a little more beef broth.

Put in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

I serve this with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Boboli Pizza

100% whole wheat Boboli crust
lowfat mozzarella cheese
1 small can of pizza sauce
EVOO
Canadian bacon
Turkey Pepperoni
Mushrooms - canned or fresh - depends what you like.

Take the pizza crust out of the package and put on a flat cookie sheet that you can slide the pizza right onto the rack after you are done making it.

Drizzle 1 - 2 Tablespoons of EVOO onto your crust and rub it in with a napkin.
Add sauce - we like a lot of sauce but use what you like.
Add your mozzarella cheese - we also like cheese so we use about 1/2 - 3/4 of the bag.
cut up your canadian bacon and place turkey pepperoni on top of cheese. I put mushrooms on last and drizzle EVOO over the top.

Bake the pizza according to the Boboli Pizza crust - I think it is 450 degrees for 8 minutes. This pizza is SO yummy!

Chipped Beef

I know this may sound like a terrible meal but Jeremy's mom made it for him and it is really one of his favorites so I enjoy making it and eating it!

I usually double this or tripple this recipe so there is extra chipped beef for lunch the next day.

1/4 C. butter
1/4 C. flour
2 C. milk
2 pkg - 2 1/2 oz each of budding beef - cut into strips
4 slices of toasted bread.

Use a heavy pan - cook over medium heat.
melt butter in pan - add flour and wisk until smooth and bubbly. Slowly add in the milk whisking the whole time. I usually add salt and pepper at this point about 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. of pepper. Add in the strips of beef and heat until think and hot. Pour this over your toast and you have a yummy meal. I serve this with cooked carrots.

Poppyseed Chicken
2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts - cooked and cubed
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 - 16 oz. container of sour cream
2 Tablespoons of Poppyseeds
1 sleeve ritz crackers- crushed
white rice - prepare 8 servings for whole recipe.

Combine soup, sour cream, and poppyseeds. Mix in chicken. Put in 9 x 13 greased pan. Top with crushed crackers. Bake 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees or until hot and bubbly. Serve over or stir in rice. serves 8.

My favorite way to saute chicken -

In a heavy bottom pot - you want to turn the heat on Medium high to high. Let it heat up for about 4 - 5 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of EVOO then add the chicken to the pot. It will sizzle instantly - if it does not your pot is not hot enough. I cut my chicken into tiny pieces so they cook pretty fast I contantly move my chicken for about 4 -5 minutes and it is done. I love the brownness that my dutch oven adds to chicken when I saute it this way.

Menu for the week...

I just got done baking healthy pumpkin muffins with cinnamon chips and banana bread. This can be used as breakfast or dessert this week.

I will add pictures as I make the meals and add them into the recipe. I am worried if I don't do this now I may not get to it every day this week.




















Black Bean and Corn Salsa

For lunch Jeremy and I went to his co-workers house and I brought black bean and corn salsa - oh my goodness is this YUMMY and they thought so too. My friend Margo gave me this recipe. I always double this recipe because it is such a huge hit. I do not double the red wine vinegar because I like to taste the other stuff better. You may want to add more if you double it!
3 Roma tomatoes - diced
3 avocados - diced
1/2 purple onion - diced
1/4 C. cilantro - chopped
1 can shoe peg corn- drained
1 16oz. can black beans - drained and rinsed
4 Tablespoons of lime juice. - I always use 2 limes - even when I double this recipe I still just use 2 limes.
2 T. EVOO
2 T. Red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt, 1tsp pepper - or add to taste - I usually add a little more.

Mix this all together and serve with multi-grain chips - YUMMY!

An easy way to cut avocados - cut them length wise and twist open. Scoop out the meat from the non pit side. CAREFULLY push your knife into the pit and twist the pit out of the avocado and then scoop out the meat and dice up!

Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 jars pasta sauce
• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 lb. ground beef
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Brown ground beef and add pasta sauce, mushrooms and reserved cheeses.
   
4. In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. I refrigerate this for about 10 minutes so it is easier to stuff in the shells. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in a roasting pan - it never fits in a 9x13 dish for me.
   
5. Pour beef and pasta sauce mixture over stuffed shells.
6. Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

Best Banana Bread Recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon milk
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

Homemade Granola

What you need:
3T - EVOO
4 Cups slow cook oats
Put the 3 T EVOO in a large skillet and warm it up - pour the oats in and cook for about 5 minutes on medium until the oats start to toast - very light brown. I usually stir this a lot.

Pour the cooked oats on some wax paper

In the same skillet - still on medium
1 stick of butter
1/4 Cup honey
3/4 C brown sugar
Cook this together until bubbling - let bubble for about 3 minutes.

Add the oats back into the mixture above.
Also add in:
3/4 C. sliced almonds
3/4 C. dried fruit ( I use dried cherries and blueberries) - I usually add more then 3/4 C because we love it.

Stir until it is all mixed together and then cook on medium for 5 minutes.

Pour it out onto wax paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray - and spread it out evenly. It will take about an hour to dry and cool.

This granola is chewy and amazing over yogurt and fruit!

Amazing Spaghetti Sauce

I made the best spaghetti sauce tonight. This is my best friends Dad's recipe and I must say it did not disappoint! I doubled the recipe so I could have left overs and I am planning another pasta dish at the end of the week.

What you need: - This is the original recipe.
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion finely chopped
2 - 15 oz. cans of Contadina Extra think and Zesty tomato sauce
1 6oz can of Contadina tomato paste
1 handful of basil leaves - I used fresh. - 12 leaves
1 handful of Italian seasoning - about 2 Tablespoons
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. garlic salt
6 cloves of garlic
1 T. crushed red pepper
2 T. parsley flakes
1 pinch of sugar - no more!
3 T. EVOO
3 T. grated Parmesan


Brown the beef until fully cooked, add onion while browning.
Remove from the burner and add all the other ingredients, stir well and return to the burner on low. Let simmer for at least 1/2 hour stirring once in a while.
This will cover a pound of spaghetti so you can have left overs.

Holy Guacomole

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe and I can honestly say it is a HUGE HIT every time I make it.

What you need:
6 large avacados - chop into small pieces and mash just a little - we like chunky guacamole!
1/2 red onion - diced small
1 lime - squeeze over avocados - sometimes I even use 2 limes!
1 - 2 jalapenos - deseeded and diced super fine
1 big bunch of cilantro- chopped
salt to taste

combine all the ingredients and mash together with a fork until desired consistency.

Green Smoothie Challenge

I was reading my friends blog and it inspired me to get more fruits and veggies into our diet. And a fun way is to make green smoothies each morning. I was a little skeptical that I would taste the kale or spinach but I must say - IT IS AMAZING and you can't taste the veggies at all and neither will your kids!

What you need - a good blender. I am now saving up for a vita-mix (https://secure.vitamix.com/acb/stores/4/Vita-Mix-5200-P748C108.aspx) You can watch how they make a green smoothie on their site.

Ok - what you need FOOD wise:
I froze 2 bananas- already cut up
1 Cup of fresh pineapple - I even used the core because it has great vitamins in it.
1 whole orange peeled
1 C water and a big handful of ice
I blended this until it all came together and looked like a smoothie.
I then added 3 C. fresh spinach and blended again for about 1 - 2 minutes. You want a SMOOTH smoothie so make sure you blend it until it looks really smooth. I put my setting on Ice Crush to get it this way. This make 2 smoothies - about 12 - 16 oz. size.

You can use any fruit you like and any green leafy veggie you want. After my 2 big bags of spinach are gone I am going to buy some kale. Try changing up your fruits and veggies so your body doesn't get used to just one thing! Try green grapes, orange and strawberry with kale. Yum!

Enjoy and know you are getting a lot of fruits and veggies to jump start your day.

Baked Tilapia with Cucumber Dill Sauce

Baked Tilapia
I usually just buy the individually frozen Tilapia but if your market has fresh that is even better

What you need:
Tilapia fillets - I fix 2 per person.
EVOO
Salt
Pepper
Old Bay seasoning

Line a baking sheet with foil and use a little spray to make sure the fish will not stick.
Place the frozen Tilapia on the foil and drizzle some EVOO on it. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each fillet and then I use a generous amount of Old Bay to each fillet - you may like less on yours.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes - you will know it is done when it flakes with a fork.



Cucumber Dill sauce.
I usually have to make a sauce for chicken, fish and pork because my husband is not a huge fan of these meats. This is a yummy sauce and you can use it on a lot of different meats!

1 C. light Sour Cream
1 diced cucumber - if you like a lot of cucumber use the whole thing - I usually pick a medium size and use it all.
1 T. dill weed.

Mix all 3 together in a bowl - add some salt and pepper to taste and there you have a fun sauce for your fish!

Chocolate Berried treasure bars

One of my good friends is coming over tomorrow for lunch and I decided to make sauteed tilapia with a sour cream dill sauce and that yummy pesto bread but wanted to have something fun for dessert - so I found this great recipe. I hope you enjoy it.

Chocolate Berried Treasure Bars

• 2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup plain granola cereal
• 1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) Dark Chocolate Morsels, divided
• 1 1/3 cups (6-oz. pkg.) dried cranberries, blueberries and/or cherries - I used the dried triple berries from Trader Joe's.
  
• 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Melt butter in 13 x 9-inch baking pan in oven; remove from oven. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter. Stir well; press onto bottom of pan.
3. Layer granola, 1 1/4 cups morsels, dried fruit and almonds over graham cracker crust. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over almonds.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and bubbly around edge. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
5. Microwave remaining morsels in small, heavy-duty plastic bag on HIGH (100% power) for 30 to 45 seconds; knead. Cut tiny corner from bag and squeeze to drizzle over top of bar. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes or until chocolate is form. Cut into bars.

These pictures are the graham cracker and first few ingredients then after the sweet and condensed milk. I will take another picture after it is done. I hope it is as good as it sounds!

Chicken Nuggets for kids or adults

These chicken nuggets are healthy and kids love them.

What you need:
1 pound of chicken breasts cut up or you can use chicken tenders cut in half.
1 cup of Fiber One Original bran cereal
1 tsp. of dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 C. skim milk
1 T. EVOO

Heat oven to 450. Spray bottom of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray - or you can coat it with a little EVOO.
Place cereal in a gallon zip lock bag and finely crush with a rolling pin or put the cereal in your food processor and finely crush it.
In a little bowl mix together cereal, basil, salt and pepper.
In a different shallow bowl, place milk.

Dip chicken pieces into milk then roll in the cereal mixture and place in your pan.

Drizzle EVOO over the chicken and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes. When juices run clear or chicken is no longer pink your chicken is ready to eat.

This is an easy and quick recipe and there is no guilt over feeding your kids chicken nuggets.

You can serve this with mashed cauliflower "potatoes".

Steam a head of cauliflower - and place in your food processor.
mix in a little salt, pepper, butter, and a couple tablespoons of skim milk and process until you get your desired consistency. You can use a little bit of instant potato flakes to improve the texture if you need.
Your kids may not even notice a difference!

Chalupas - crock pot recipe!

This is such an easy recipe and it feeds a lot of people!

What you will need:
1. 3 lb - pork tenderloin roast - I use 2 of the 1 1/2 pound roasts that are pre-packaged from my grocery store but if you can buy a fresh one that would be great too.
2. 1 lb bag of pinto beans - you will need to soak these overnight then rinse them in the morning. Don't forget to put the beans in the crock pot to cook all day!
3. 2 - 3 garlic cloves - chopped
4. 2 T. chili powder
5. 1 T. cumin - ground
6. 1 T. salt
7. 1 tsp. of oregano
8. 1 small can of chopped green chiles -I usually use 2 cans.

Put all the ingredients in a crock pot and fill with water (enough to cover all your food).

I usually put this on before I leave for work and it is ready by dinner. - let this cook on LOW for at least 6 hours. After 6 hours take out the bones (if your roast had bones) and shred your roast then return the shredded meat to the crock pot. Continue cooking with lid OFF for another half hour. This allows it to thicken a little.

Serve the chalupa meat over a bed of Frito's or in a tortilla. Add shredded cheese, chopped onions, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, salsa and sour cream.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! It is a staple in our house and it freezes GREAT so you can enjoy chalupas whenever you want!

Yummy Pesto and Tomato bread

Jeremy and I went on vacation a couple of weeks ago and we had this AMAZING appetizer and I tried to copy it. If I would have had baby spinach I would have added a little bit and very thinly sliced red onion to this bread. But it was great as is!

Pesto -

3 C. basil leaves

1/2 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 cloves garlic

dash of salt

dash of pepper

I put this all into a food processor and let it all blend together until it forms a sauce consistency.

Cut your Italian loaf of bread in a diagonal. Place on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven (400 degrees) for 5 minutes - flip bread and repeat.

Spread pesto sauce on bread then drizzle with EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar. Place a very thinly sliced piece of tomato on top of that and bake for another 5 minutes.

Take out your amazing bread and top it with goat cheese - I used the garlic and basil flavored kind but I like the plain goat cheese just as well. My husband likes fresh mozzarella on his. I think you could use any soft cheese you like but if you are wondering what goat cheese tastes like - TRY IT - it is amazing! It is creamy and works amazing with this recipe.

Remember - buy local and organic whenever possible! Taste the difference.

I am just a girl on a journey of finding myself, a few good friends, and a relationship with my King.