Berry Cobbler

Recipe credit: http://cookthat1.blogspot.com/2014/03/berry-cobbler.html

Ingredients:
2 12oz bags of Frozen Berrys (mixed berries, blueberries, marionberry, huckleberry, peaches etc)
1 box of of White Cake (NO Pudding)
12oz of Diet 7-up or sprite or generic etc essentially clear soda

Directions:
Place the berries in a baking dish Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top of the berries (DO NOT STIR)
Sprinkle the soda on top of the mix (DO NOT STIR, this will give you the crust)
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Kitty Litter Cake

1 18.5 ounce pkg spice cake mix
1 18.5 ounce pkg white cake mix
2 4-serving pkg instant vanilla pudding (we used the cups of pudding premade)
1 12 ounce box vanilla wafer cookies, crushed
6 - 10 tootsie rolls
Confectioner's sugar
1 brand new kitty litter pan
1 brand new plastic kitty pooper scooper
green food coloring

Prepare the cakes and pudding according to package directions.

* crumble the baked cake into the kitty litter pan
* add pudding and mix with crumbled cake
* add a few drops of green food coloring to 1 cup vanilla cookie crumbs and set aside
* mix the rest of the vanilla cookie crumbs into the pan
* soften tootsie rolls by microwaving for 10 seconds, mold into kitty poop
* sprinkle the set aside green cookie mixture with the regular mixture on top of the cake
* place the molded and hardened tootsie kitty poop on the top of the cake.

(an added idea is to get fake flies and place them on the cake)

Skirlie

This is my very modern take on a traditional Scottish dish called skirlie. A basic skirlie is fat, oats, salt and pepper, from what I gather. It can be eaten alone, as a side dish, as a stuffing, etc.

2 Cups salted water for cooking oats

1 1/2 Cups oats of your choice, I like old fashioned oats best and I think instant oatmeal would be gross

3 Tablespoons butter

1/2 Onion, diced

1 Green bell pepper, diced

1 large package frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and chopped

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice, we like pepper jack

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and then add oats. Cook about 5 minutes, until water is absorbed. Keep on low once finished until everything else is cooked.

Melt butter in large pan, add onions and bell pepper. Cook till tender. Add spinach and stir. Push mixture to one half of pan. Add eggs, salt, and pepper. Once eggs are cooked turn heat to low and stir again, adding in the oats and cheese. Cook on low till the cheese is all melted.

This makes a substantial and filling breakfast for very little cost. It was a hit with the hubby and the two year old, so it's a home run in my book!

Minna's Mac N' Cheese

I got this from a good friend. It's so easy and really yummy.
Minna's Mac N' Cheese
Serves 4

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 onion, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 lb lil' smokies, chopped up
1 heaping tablespoon of butter or margerine + extra for greasing baking dish
1/2 lb macaroni (8 oz.) undercooked by 2-3 minutes
1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk
4 C shredded cheddar cheese (Tillamook!)

Put pot on to boil for pasta. Chop veggies and meat, a food processor makes this faster. Put butter in frying pan and heat it up. Shred cheese, food processor makes this faster too. Saute veggies and meat. Cook pasta-don't cook till al-dente because it has to finish cooking in the oven. While pasta and veggies are cooking, mix the soups and milk till lumps are gone. Drain pasta and add to frying pan after the veggies are done cooking. Mix. Add cheese and mix. Add mixture to greased baking dish. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Broccoli would be a good substitute for green pepper, if you're not into green pepper.

Fresh and Tasty

I made Redneck Caviar the other night and it was a hit. Here's a link to the recipe.

I recommend not adding the avocados to the actual bowl of the stuff if it's going to sit for a while just in case they start to brown. The acid in this dish will help it not to but I don't like to look at brown avocados so I just put the diced avocados in individual bowls and spooned the dip over it.

Italian Chicken and Pasta Salad

Italian Chicken:

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Italian dressing
2 chicken breasts

Directions:

Marinate chicken breasts in the dressing (you only need to just cover the breasts) for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place the chicken and marinate into a bake safe dish and pour the rest of the dressing on top of the chicken.
Bake chicken for about 45 minutes turning the chicken at least half way.


Pasta Salad:
1 pkg of tri colored spiral pasta
Italian dressing
small can of sliced olives
1 cucumber
2 tomatoes
Feta cheese


Boil the pasta according to the package
Drain and rinse with cold water
Cut up the cucumber and tomatoes
Put olives in
Mix together
Add Italian dressing so everything is coated
add in the Feta cheese

When we served it we added a tad bit more Italian dressing to our liking and some Feta on the top.

Alice Springs Chicken

Ingredients

* 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1/2 " thick
* honey mustard (see below for how to make a delicious honey mustard)
* 6 slices bacon, sliced in half (we used bacon bits and cooked it with the mushrooms)
* 1/2 teaspoon McCormick's Season All
* 1 cup sliced mushrooms, drained
* 3 cups shredded colby or monterey jack cheese

Directions

1.

Rub chicken breast with Seasonal All and set aside to marinate for 1 hour.
2.

While the breast is marinating fry bacon crisp and drain.
3.

Sauté chicken breasts on medium heat in pan with just enough oil to prevent sticking.
4.

Cook on both sides until a slight golden color and cooked in the middle but not dry.
5.

Remove from pan and place in a 9 x 13 dish.
6.

Spread chicken breast with honey mustard, cover with a layer of mushrooms, three pieces of bacon and then sprinkle with shredded Colby/jack cheese, chicken should be covered with shredded cheese.
7.

Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes or until cheese melts.
8.

Sprinkle with parsley and extra honey mustard may be served on the side.



Honey Mustard Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup Grey Poupon mustard (no substitute)
* 1/2 cup honey

Directions

1.

-Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
2.

-Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving

Moroccan Style Meatballs and Couscous

Let me first say that I have no idea if Moroccans eat meatballs and that this is not authentic at all. I just love this Moroccan Place we like to eat at and can't afford to eat there often, so this is my way of having some of those flavors at home. Also, we are trying to eat less red meat, so I made them with ground turkey but I think these would taste great with ground beef also. Something to note, this is very very flavorful, it has a lot more spices in it than most people are accustomed too, at least in the US. It's not a familiar flavor unless you've had Moroccan food before, but we absolutely loved it. If you're unsure about it you could halve the spice ingredients the first time you make this dish.

Here's the recipe:

Meatballs
1 pack of ground turkey, around a 1-1 1/2 lbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 C or more of quick cooking oats or crushed crackers or breadcrumbs ( I used a combo of oats and crushed wheat ritz because we ran out of oats)
1 large onion very finely chopped or grated or substitute dry onions
1T paprika
1T cumin
1T turmeric (I actually used some McCormick's Curry blend because it has turmeric and that's all I had)
1T cinnamon
1t ginger
1/4C dry parsley or 1/2C fresh parsley

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Make small meatballs by using a tablespoon to get your meat out so that it stays a uniform size. Put on baking stone for best results, but you may also use a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes. It will take about 2 batches.

Sauce
1C tomato paste
5-6 cloves chopped garlic
1 can chopped tomato
1 red pepper (I didn't have this but it still turned out great)
1T paprika
1T turmeric
1T cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Make sauce while meatballs are in the oven. Saute garlic and add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Add water to make a slightly thick consistency. Bring to boil and simmer, adding more water if needed.

While the sauce is simmering up you can start your couscous. I just bought the quick boxed kind from the store. The chicken flavored kind is good with this. If you don't have couscous you can serve over pasta.

Serve the meatballs over the couscous and top with some sauce. Add a side of veggies for a balanced meal.

Red Beans and Rice

1lb. bag of dry red beans (I used light red) that have been sorted, rinsed, and soaked overnight and then drained and rinsed.
1 quart chicken stock (4 cups)
2 cups hot water
2 bay leaves
1 onion
2 stalks celery
1 green bell pepper
chopped up garlic to taste (I used about 6 cloves)
2T oil
1 package of smoked turkey sausage
2t cumin
2t paprika
cayenne pepper to taste (I used about 1t)
Dash of hot sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of liquid smoke(you can leave this out if you don't have it, but it's a nice flavor)
Dash of thyme
1/4 C or so of parsely
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked rice, I made about 5 cups and just added in as much of it as looked right for consistency.

Put your beans in a big pot(I used an 8qt stockpot) as this recipe makes about 4 quarts of food, you'll want room to stir. Add your bay leaves, half your diced onion, chicken stock, and hot water. Stir it up. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours with lid tipped and stir often.

While your beans are cooking, chop the rest of your veggies and the sausage. You can also cook up your rice. Saute your veggies and garlic in oil. Add that to your pot after the beans have been cooking about an hour. Cook sausage up so it's browned a bit and then add it to the pot. Remember to keep stirring. Add in all the spices now. Cook till beans and veggies are soft. When that's done you can add in the rice.

This can be served as a main dish or side dish.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Nom! is all that needs to be said about pumpkin pancakes. There were no leftovers.

I got the recipe from here.
PS I left out the ginger because I am not a fan.

Sweet and Spicy Stir Fry

Cut some poultry into bite sized pieces. (I used 2 turkey breasts that were moderately sized)

Dump about a 1/2C or so of cornstarch into a bowl and coat all the meat in it.

In a small bowl mix about a 1/3C of honey, a few tablespoons hot sauce, and a few tablespoons of soy sauce, set aside.

Heat a pan or wok with oil in it.

Add meat and brown it up then add the rest of your stir fry veggies and cook till all the veggies are tender and the meat is cooked through, about ten minutes. Before your stir fry is done add in the sauce, stir to coat everything and let it thicken up.

Serve over rice. Squeeze some juice from an orange over the top to give it a pop of flavor and you could throw some chopped nuts on top. Slivered almonds worked really nicely.

Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs

Set oven temp to 350 degrees.

Wash and then cut your spaghetti squash in half. Bake cut side down for 45 minutes @ 350 degrees.

While that is cooking you can assemble your meatballs. In a medium/large bowl put:

1/4-1/2 C breadcrumbs or instant oatmeal or crushed crackers (you get the idea)
1 egg
1 small onion grated
3 cloves minced garlic
3T ketchup
1/4C fresh parsley (I just threw in some dried parsley and guessed at how much)
1/4C parmesan & 1/4C ramano (I just used 1/2C parm)
1t salt
1/4t pepper
Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning to taste
1 lb turkey meat


Mix well and make in to smallish balls, I used a table spoon to grab up the meat each time to try and get a uniform size. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so and check to be sure the middle isn't pink.

Flip squash and then bake an additional 15 minutes or until flesh is tender. Use a fork to scrape out "spaghetti."


Top spaghetti squash with desired sauce. (tomato sauce, alfredo, or a simple olive oil and basil toss) Then put meat balls on top. Serve about 8 meatballs per person. Should serve about 4 people.

(I heated olive oil and garlic in a pan and cooked the spaghetti for about 5 more minutes, then I added basil and parsley. Once plated I sprinkled parm on top and then added the meatballs.)

Pumpkin spice bars

Oh my god, so yummy.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen - FoodNetwork






Ingredients
Bars:

* 4 eggs
* 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 15-ounce can pumpkin
* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

* 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Chicken Artichoke and Spinach Casserole.

Recipe courtesy of Reciple Zaar.com


SERVES 6 Preheat oven to 350*
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup butter
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 shallots, minced
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 cup heavy cream

* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

* 1 (5 ounce) package parmesan cheese, grated (I used shredded)
* 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used pre-packaged Purdue grilled chicken strips)

* 1 (14 ounce) can quartered artichokes, drained and chopped

* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 2 cups French bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
* 3 tablespoons butter, melted


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Lightly grease a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.
3. Add garlic and shallots, cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in wine and cook 3 minutes.
5. Stir in cream and simmer 5 minutes.
6. Add cream cheese and Parmesan cheese, stir until combined.
7. Stir in chicken, artichokes, spinach, salt and pepper.
8. Remove from heat and spoon into prepared casserole dish.
9. In a small bowl, combine the French bread cubes with the melted butter and toss until coated.
10. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.
11. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Smush Crackers

I made a variation on some crackers I made for Cameron a while back. I substituted 1 cup of oatmeal baby cereal for the called for 1 cup of all purpose flour. I also thinned out the dough. I did this because the last crackers, while good, didn't have the texture I wanted. They were the kind of teething biscuit that a baby can gnaw on forever and not get a bite off. That's great when you're afraid they'll choke but now I want crackers he can actually eat. These turned out puffy and crispy and good. I even had a few.

Set oven to 425

1 Cup Rice Cereal (the baby kind)
1 Cup Oatmeal Cereal (the baby kind)
3 Tablespoons of oil
Ice Water.

I put the cereal and oil in a sandwich bag and mixed up. Then I added water a little at a time till I got the consistency I wanted. The dough could hold shapes but didn't need to be rolled out. Then I cut the corner off the baggie and squeezed out dollops of dough on to my baking stone. Then I just smushed each dollop till it was pretty thin and baked for 10-12 minutes until golden.

Chex Mix

Katie`s Signature Recipe: Spiced Nuts `n Chex Mix

Start to Finish: 15 Minutes

1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups Corn Chex cereal
2 cups Rice Chex cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 can (11.5 ounces) mixed nuts

1. In small bowl, mix sugar, chili powder and red pepper; set aside.
2. In large microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40
seconds or until melted. Stir in cereals and nuts until evenly coated. Stir in
sugar mixture until evenly coated.
3. Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes, until
mixture just begins to turn brown. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in
airtight container.

** I substituted a tasty bbq seasoning mix for the chili powder because I am not a chili powder fan. I also subbed part plain peanuts part honey roasted for the mixed nuts and it was really good.**

Something to note: I started to microwave it at the first 2 minute increment and by the time that was done it was burned in the middle. I scooped out the five or six pieces of charcoal and nuked it another 30 seconds before I decided that was good enough. It's plenty tasty w/out microwaving it for 6 minutes. My microwave is insane.

Shish-ka-bobs

Easy, Fun, Fast.


The prep time can be consuming, but cook time and eating time are quick and fun!

Now I don't really have any directions or ingredients to share other than:

Skewer sticks, Meat, Peppers, Onion, Pineapple, Marinades.

Soak skewers before use

Cut food in square shapes, stick on skewer and cook

Texas Brownies

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brownies:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup strong brewed coffee or water
1/4 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk (tip: if you don't have any, 2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice, pour milk until it hits 1/2 cup mark)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 tbsp dark cocoa
1/4 cup milk
3 1/2 cup unsifted powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla


Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar
2. In heavy saucepan, combine butter, shortening, coffee or water, and cocoa. Stir and heat to bowling.
3. Pour bowling mixture over the flour and sugar in the bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.
4. Mix well, using a wooden spoon or high speed on electric mixer.
5. Pour into a well buttered pan (17 1/2in x 11in)
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until brownies test done in the center.
7. While brownies bake, prepare the frosting. In saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, and milk. Heat to bowling, stirring.
8. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until frosting is smooth.
9. Pour warm frosting over brownings as soon as you take te out of the oven. Cool.

Chocolate Lovers Cake

Sorry pictures aren't the best. However it was delicious.




Cake Recipe courtesy of Food Network.com

Ingredients

* 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 cup boiling water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by rubbing with butter, sprinkling with flour and tapping out extra. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix together with a wooden spoon then set aside. In small bowl combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat well with hand mixer. Slowly add boiling water and mix. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and fold and stir until smooth. Pour batter into pans, dividing evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove cake from pans and cool on racks.

Frosting Recipe courtesy of Cooks.com


BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

3 tbsp. softened butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
2-3 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In small bowl, beat butter. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk; beat until smooth until a smooth spreading consistency is achieved. Blend in vanilla.

Simply fantastic

Sorry the pic isn't more glamorous. :)

This is thin spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, parsley, basil, and grape tomatoes. It's very simple and easy, but also tasty. Cameron had some too and he loved it and made lots of yummy noises. I'm not gonna lie, that makes me feel really good.

Make pasta according to box directions or to al dente. I salt the water and add a splash of olive oil so it doesn't stick together. Right before your pasta is done get a small pot and cover the bottom with olive oil. Put in a heaping teaspoon or two of garlic. Toast the garlic a little till it's a smidge of brown color and is aromatic. After you drain your pasta put it back in the hot pot and pour desired amount of oil and garlic over top. Toss. Add your tomatoes. It's better if they are sliced so you get the juices in there. Then add basil and parsley. I just put a layer over the top and toss again. After you plate it up make sure you add Parmesan, that really makes it super good. The tomatoes are a choking hazard for smaller babies, so I didn't give Cam any of those.