Almond Cream Cheese Icebox Cookies

These things are so good.  And egg free- so really feel free to eat the dough... all of it.  So good.

Easy one bowl recipe. Original recipe seen here at Better Homes and Gardens.  I'd love to say i tweaked this recipe but I haven't.  It's just that good on it's own. I did do it lazy style and did not toast the almonds put in.  I've also seen others who have used ground almonds instead of sliced- go crazy. 

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 3 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted and chopped (toasting optional)
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds, chopped 

In a bowl mix the butter and softened cream cheese until well blended. Add in the sugar, salt vanilla and almost extract.  Add in the flour a bit at a time blending with your mixer as long as possible.  If needed use a wooden spoon to mix in the rest. (note a spatula can work- but not well this stuff gets heavy and thick) Blend in the 3/4 up almonds (toasted if you want) 

Divide dough into two. Form into rolls and roll through the remaining sliced almonds.  Wrap in cling wrap. (I used press and seal).  Chill.  I place in the freezer for an hour.  Or use the fridge for 4-6 hours. 

Preheat oven to 350F 

Slice the rolls.  Note the original recipe serves 60.  I have no clue how- because their cookies do not appear that thin.  I got 24 out of my dough. 
Bake for 10-12 minutes until just browning on edges.  I need new cookie sheets.  Mine got a bit too brown on the bottom even though I used parchment paper to line the cookie sheet. 

Enjoy! 

Cheesey crescent pinwheels

Yummmm.  You can twist this recipe so many ways.  This was a "wow we're stuck at home in a blizzard and can't make the grocery store- what can I cook" sort of recipe.

Idea came from Pillsbury recipe.

1 package crescent roll
3tbs mayo (I used Miracle whip)
2-3 oz shredded cheese-
1/4 tsp Garlic

I did Parmesan and marble cheddar- because well that's what we had on hand.  You could go sweeter and use Cream cheese.  You could choose a stronger cheese for a more savory taste.  Add Bacon what ever.  I added in powdered garlic. The mayo gives it a nice zing. 

This made JUST enough to cover the crescent roll- you could make more filling in it.

Take the cheese, mayo and garlic and mix in a small bowl.  Lay out the crescent rolls- flat- the rolls will automatically break into two sections. pinch together the seams.  Spread the cheese mixture and roll up pinching the ends together. 

Slice each roll into 8 pieces place cut side down.

Yes my cutting sucks- I need real knives! but they still turn out pretty!

Cook at 350F for 10-15 minutes (keep an eye on em!)

Just a bit of parsley sprinkled over top

Boo pumpkins

I originally saw this idea on Pinterest which led me to this blog
http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.ca/

A late night shopping spree at the dollar store had me staring at foam pumpkins and remembering that post unfortunately dollar store pumpkins aren't as cute

painted white waiting for the black letters and tops

I painted each pumpkin white. I wish I had spray paint on hand but I didn't. Some simple kids acrylic paint I white two coats later. I traced the letters on then painted on with a paint pen. And some more acrylic paint for the stem

These will get a final spray with sealant only because my plan is to put them I my planters out front. Im hoping a small dowel through each one down into the dirt will keep them in place

Fried Roasted Garlic Cheese Potato Balls

You know those mashed potatoes sitting in the fridge? SURE we all know they are just as good reheated but want to make them even BETTER? This recipe is how.  Would be a great appetizers as well make ahead- and then just fry them up the day of.

Kids loved them.  I had to hide the rest in the fridge behind things so I would have some for today for me!
Inspiration recipe here

2 cups mashed potatoes
3/4 cup Gruyere Cheese
Roasted Garlic-2-3 Cloves 
2-3 Eggs
Panko and regular bread crumbs (about 3/4 cup total)
Salt
Oil to fry with 

Get your garlic roasting in the oven (Hint since i didn't need the oven for anything else I just used the toaster oven). I put a dab of butter in with the head of garlic- wrapped in aluminum foil and in at 400F until soft (room starts smelling I took it out. about 30-40minutes. Reasons to love roasted garlic- peels ooh so easy- no need to mince it just smashes right up!

Meanwhile shred your cheese, get your potatoes to room temperature. In a bowl place the cheese, roasted garlic cloves and fold in the mashed potatoes.  In a seperate bowl whip 2-3 eggs (For drenching) and in another bowl/plate mix the panko and regular bread crumbs.

Take about a tablespoon of mashed potatoes and roll into a ball. Drench in eggs, roll in bread crumbs and repeat so they are double breaded. I will fully admit the last few I got lazy and only breaded 1x- trust me do the 2x it is OH so worth the small amount of extra work.

Once you have them all rolled and breaded get some oil heated up in a sauce pan. I used just enough to cover the bottom. You could fill up with a couple inches of oil- but personally that just seemed wasteful. Place the balls in and rotate around so all sides are golden brown- 2-3 minutes total on average. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on a dish with paper towel to absorb extra oil.
Sprinkle with salt.

Serve sit back and enjoy all the adoration you deserve for these delicious bite fulls! 

Corn Salad

This is a tasty easy side dish.  Original recipe I based this off had roasted corn, which would work great if you were BBQ'ing at the time.  We didn't roast.

4 Cobs of corn
2 tomatoes
Cilantro (fresh or dried)
Hot Sauce (We used Siracha sauce)
1 Lime
Salt and Pepper

Cook your cobs of corn until they are al dente.  Ifyou wanted to roast them this is where you would then brush with olive oil and some salt and then roast for just a couple minutes.

Remove the kernels off of the cob and mix in the chopped tomatoes.  Juice the lime, add a dash of hot sauce to your taste and finish with Cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.

Voila easy and delicious!

Fall Wreath

Me and my daughter made a great christmas wreath a few years ago. I  got it into my head we need a fall one. Eventually like our christmas decorations for the front porch I want to build up a nice one for fall/halloween.

Inspiration for this wreath comes from here.

I wish I had been able to find some other colors of oraments.  But it's a bit early in the season to find much options.  Being in Canada our thanksgiving comes a fair bit further away from Christmas season! I like it so much this one may end up moving on to the back door and a new one made for the front door :)

Tips

•  use the plastic ornament balls- they don't break! 
• if this requires your first hot glue gun purchase- splurge- omg that $5 cheapo one from michaels does not work well.  Trust me it's worth splurging- you'll use it eventually again 
• try the dollar store for flowers and leaves 
• try to find a fairly round wreath to start with- guess what harder then you'd think! 

This is a 18' grape vine wreath for the base. You could use a evergreen base or a straw base.  This worked out cheapest for me and green wouldn't work color wise for my goal of a gold tone.

I'll admit- i couldn't find ANY ornaments this early in the year (michaels or walmart) well not in my el cheapo budget requirements.  So these are stolen directly from my christmas tree stash. We'll get some new fun ones for the tree.

I glued the large flowers down first.  Then started layering the ornaments around.  I removed the tops- to make it easier to glue. and often glue them together where touching to help stabilize and keep the spaces between less. 

Fill it up- and around the edges inside and outside. I used more flowers- because that's what i could find (vs lots of ornaments like the inspiration blog post)

Now take your leaves, the small flowers what ever you picked out for filling in the gaps and fill it on in.

Almost finished.

There's still a few gaps to fill in with leaves (need to go by some more).  And it is rounder in person- it' sorta leaning on a funny angle here. Really im super happy with how it turned out.  Different from the original one- but mine!

Turkey Walnut Meatloaf & Asparagus

Turkey Meatloaf.  This comes from an inspiration recipe here. I followed it pretty close- but I came home to not able to find my sage. Eek! So we tweaked
The walnut taste was not very apparent- my plan is to up the walnut content next time and to use sage as planned not rosemary! Paired it up with saute asparagus and parmesan mashed potatoes (we tossed some asiago cheese in those this time to add a bit different taste) 

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large carrot, grated- we used several smaller ones straight from our garden
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1 egg beaten- we used from our own chickens
• 1.5 pounds extra-lean ground turkey breast (99% fat-free)
• 1/2 tsp Parsley (Dried)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp Rosemary (dried) 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

 Preheat Oven to 350F
In a sauce pan heat oil and carrot, scallions and garlic until soft.
Chop until fine walnuts and bread (I toasted mine to make it easier) with a blender/processor.
In a bowl mix milk and the eggs. Add in turkey, an slowly gently mix in the  mixture from the sauce pan and the bread crumbs/nut mixture and any remaining ingredients..

Transfer to a loaf pan and cook until 155F in center or around 45-50 minutes.

While this was cooking and we got the potatoes boiling we got the asparagus started.

Did you know easy way to tip them is to just hold each end and bend.  They magically will snap where the woody area starts (If you think it through really this makes total sense).
Place a small amount of butter in sauce pan, I added some minced garlic (1 clove) as well.  Saute until the tenderness you prefer. Remove from heat- add parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Delicious meal folks!

Pastry wrapped stuffed chicken

Ok folks this was another winner with the kids. And pretty easy to do.

Original inspiration recipe is here.

4oz Cream Cheese
1 tbsp Scallion
Parsley
Salt& Pepper
Garlic
Chicken Breasts (3-4)
1 can crescent roll or frozen puff pastry sheets
1 egg 

Mix cream cheese, scallion, some parsley and garlic. You can do any combination of flavors here. My next time I'm going to try some Ranch dip mix. The cream cheese flavor is strong- so go hard on those seasonings!
Slice a deep slit in the Chicken (Note my chicken breasts look horrible as I accidentally got bone in breasts :( ) and stuff with the cream cheese mix. 
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place stuffing side down on your pastry sheets. IF needed roll them out a bit and squish them together to make bigger sheets.

Mix up the egg in a bowl and brush edges of the pastry to help it stick and roll upcovering the chicken.  Baste remaining egg lightly over top.

Cook for 400F for about 30 minutes- watch to make sure the bottom doesn't get burnt.

We served with mixed veggies.

Curry coconut tomato chicken

We had a bunch of fresh Tomato's to use up from the garden so this is my twist on a recipe.  You can substitute the Fresh tomato's for tomato sauce.

The tomatos gave a lot of liquid to the recipe- you may want to watch the curry powder if you go with a tomato sauce instead.

2 large tomatoes - processed in a food blender
3 cloves garlic -minced
2tbsp Curry powder
1 can (Small) coconut milk
3 breasts chicken cut into 1" pieces

I like to give the chicken a bit of a sear- then added the tomato sauce and all other ingredients.

Serve over rice. If you substitute Tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes it would probably go well over pasta as well.

Fast and easy made a solid 4 servings (and some left overs) in under 30 minutes (including prep!)

Kids ate it up!

Wicked Thai Soup

This soup became a favorite of mine this year.  They serve it at the University and it became a total addiction.  Normally I'm not one for HOT but this one has just the right amount of kick.  Kids loved it!

Original inspiration recipe here

I had trouble in this wasteland of the prairies finding some of the ingredients so we had to tweak.  This is how we made it.  I may tweak more next time- but it turned out great!

My daughter helped make this- and did all the prep (IE chopping and dicing) so pieces are quite large- I would suggest chopping everything smaller.

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (a standard size tray package)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into small dice
• 2 Tbsp. Gourmet Garden™ Lemon Grass herb paste (the stuff in the tube or the real thing, if you can find it)
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup half and half (10%) cream
• 1/2 cup red curry sauce (Or red curry paste and 1/2 cup coconut milk) I used Presidents Choice Brand
• 1 1/2 tsp. Siracha sauce
• 2-3 Tbsp. tomato paste (to taste)
• 2 cups cooked rice (long grain white or brown rice or try a mix of long grain with wild rice for some added texture)

Start off by getting your rice going.  Also chop/dice/etc all the onons, mushrooms, chicken.
1tbsp oil into a sauce pan (or like i did- right into my soup pot!) and saute until soft.  Remove and place on a plate to hold until they get added later.  Onions into the pan/pot and saute until soft.  Add thec hicken and 4 cups chicken sauce.  Simmer for several minutes until chicken is almost cooked.  Add back the mushrooms, the half and half, tomato paste and curry sauce.  Add Siracha sauce to taste.  Add the rice. It should have your lips tingling but not running to the kitchen for some more milk :)

Let simmer a few more minutes to meld the flavors.  Serve and enjoy!

Easy Peasy Philly Chicken Dish

Last minute supper madness today.  We got delayed at the grocery store so grabbed some Philly Cream Cheese Sauce (Creamy Garlic)

I knew I had chicken breasts in the freezer, and some frozen Veggies.  In my head I also had some tomato based pasta sauce.  Reality showed me I didn't.

2 Chicken Breasts
2 cups frozen mixed veggies (This mix had peppers, sugar peas, asparagus, spinach)
1 container Philly Cooking Sauce- Savory Garlic
(If i had it 1/2 cup tomato based pasta sauce)
Pasta (what ever kind ya got around) 

I started the chicken breasts in the sauce pan.  At same time I got the pasta cooking in a separate pot.  When chicken is close to cooked I add 1/3 the Cooking sauce and frozen veggies.  Drain pasta and set aside when done.

When chicken is cooked and veggies are warm add the pasta and remaining Philly Cooking Sauce

And that's it! Like i said above i think it would be killer to be 1/2 a container Philly cooking sauce and 1/2 -1cup red Pasta Sauce.

Tex Mex Chicken Salad

We love chicken salad around here so versatile. Put it on lettuce- or slap it in a wrap, or like I did tonight- paired up with homemade bread!

You can vary up the veggies in it and change up the amounts of things to your preference.  Celery, tomatoes etc would all work great in this.

Inspiration recipe here

2 chicken breasts cooked
1/2 cup low fat Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1/4 cup low fat Sour Cream
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1-2 Sweet Peppers
2 Scallions
Large can Kernel Corn rinsed and drained
1 Cup or small can Black Beans rinsed and drained


Cook the breasts ahead and set aside to let cool.  You could also use precooked chicken or the left overs from a roasted chicken!

In a medium bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, cumin and chili powder.   Mix well. Chop remaining ingredients and add to the bowl.  Cube the chicken and add to the mix.  Tastes best if chilled for a couple hours.

Serve on its own, in tacos, wraps or on bread.
Delicious!

Ranch Pork Chops and Parmesan Garlic Potatoes

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while.  The original inspiration recipe is here.  That said i think next time i'm not going to make them in the crock pot- but in a sauce pan... or maybe in the oven.  Since we had to turn it on anyway.  This was my first time trying to roast garlic too- success!

Crock Pot Pork Chop Portion:
Our crock pot uses a probe to measure temperature- but it worked out to approximately 2.5-3 hours on high.

1 can ready to serve cream of chicken soup
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
4-6 pork chops.  (We used bone in and fairly thick- but thinner boneless would work well too)

Potatoes:

First roast a bulb of garlic: oven at 350F lightly wrap the garlic in tinfoil and roast for 45 minutes- 1 hour.  let cool for 15 minutes and then peel the skins off and mash.  I used 12 cloves total (about one bulb)

4lbs potatoes cubed skins on
roasted garlic
1 cup parmesan- shaved or grated- fresh is best
Milk (approx 1 cup)
5 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes until soft. Drain. Now you have the option hand mashing or transferring to your stand mixer and mixing there. Mash and add in the butter and milk until the consistancey you want.  Add in the Parmesan and mix until well distributed.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the pork chop over a bed of potatoes.  Garnish with parsley

Cheddar Biscuits (aka Red Lobster Yumminess)

I don't eat seafood.  But Red Lobster has been a family favorite restaurant and I'm always happy to go along- to eat the biscuits.  well no more- now we're making them at home. 

2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup Milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar (Personally I'll be using more cheese next time)

2tbsp melted butter
2tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Really these can't get ANY easier.  Mix the Bisquick, garlic powder and cheese. Add milk and mix.  It gets sticky.  Drop onto a non stick cookie sheet (mine's seen better days- so I lined with foil first).  I made 6 jumbo biscuits. You could get 12 out of this easy.  Cook for about 10 minutes @ 400F.  Keep an eye on them- even making huge ones mine were done in 10 minutes.

While baking melt the butter oregano and garlic salt.  When you remove the biscuits brush over the top of biscuits.

A perfect side for breakfast or supper!

Week Three Meal Plan

OK I'm learning my lesson- it's summer and I'm not cooking that much.  Between days at the lake, work and parents feeding us we're not needing a big meal each day on the plan.  So I have 4 recipes for this week. 

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops

Carlic Cheddar Biscuits (aka Red Lobster Numminess)

Tex Mex Chicken Salad

Wicket Thai Chicken Soup

Sweet Potato Quinoa Curry

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a couple weeks now which you'll know if you saw my last recipe list.  So I tweaked a bit to work with what I had in the pantry. It's been a busy month between traveling for dog shows, picking up last minute work and kids being gone with their dad we haven't been cooking as many meals. however my leftovers now are used up!

Inspiration recipe here

2 medium sweet potatos
1/2 large onion
1 tsp ginger paste
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup Quinoa
1 tbsp Olive oil
1/4 cup Butter (Or Ghee) 
1/4 cup Curry Powder
Pinch of salt
Dried Cranberries or Currants (optional)
Spinach (optional)

Cut the sweet potato into 1/2" cubes.  Personally I peeled it but you could scrub and cut with peel on. (Our chickens get our peels :) ).  Toss with olive oil and salt. Place in oven on a sheet at 475f
until cooked through and just starting to brown (15-20 minutes)

Meanwhile chop onion, place in sauce pan with butter, garlic and ginger. cook until soft. If needed add some of the broth to prevent sticking.

Prepare the quinoa - 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa- boil until water is mostly absorbed then remove from heat and cover letting steam until cooked tender.

Remove the sweet potato from the oven, add to the sauce pan with the onion. Add the cup of broth, curry powder and simmer for 10 minutes stirring to cover the sweet potato.  Add spinach (we were out! storm took out our garden worth) in the last couple minutes so it just wilts

Serve over the Quinoa and top with a sprinkle of cranberries (dried)

servings 4- although you may want to make more quinoa if it's to be for four people. We had sweet potato mixture left over fora couple more servings but were out of quinoa feeding 3 of us

Tropical Frozen Treats

My kids love making Popsicles.  I love pina colada's.  So this is what we made.
1can coconut milk
1 can pineapple (Crushed) and juice

I mixed it up with our immersion blender and then poured into our popsicle molds.

Suggestions: use strong juice to mix with the coconut milk. Otherwise the taste will be quite mellow- concentrated juice mixed with just some water not the correct amount.  Or like i did canned fruit with it's own juice.

 

No Bake Cake Batter Fudge

Kids are off to their dads, I'm home alone and it's miserable and rainy out.  When the kids are gone I try to avoid buying groceries and usually don't cook big meals just for me. A friend keeps commenting on cupcake posts on facebook and it got me craving.  So off to pinterest for something fast and easy and hopefully no bake. 

So here we are- original recipe from here

Off to the pantry I go- i have white cake batter but not yellow- and no sprinkles.  MMMMM I think white chocolate chips instead.  Nope kids ate those all gone! So this is a plain Jane version.

Microwavable bowl mix together
1 cup cake mix
1 cup powdered sugar
then add in
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter

Don't stir. Microwave until melted.  Original recipe said 2 minutes- that was too long for mine- i got a couple spots of carmalized butter/sugar out of it. Next time I'll just keep an eye

Stir until completely mixed, add in any add ins such as sprinkles - and stir only until distributed.  Spread into a greased container (This recipe worked well into a pie plate) and place in fridge to cool for about 1 hour.

mixed and ready to go in the fridge

Total time from start (as in got off the couch) until into the fridge- around 5 minutes :)

Servings: 8
WW Points: 6 (no add ins)

Sherry Strawberry "Jam" and Brie Grilled Cheese

Well I've been sitting on this recipe for a couple weeks as anyone who follows this blog will know.  Between being away from town camping, and then kids being gone we've been working through left overs and truthfully a fair bit of eating out. 

Kids are home for a week here and it's time to finish off the recipes from the last eating list.  So today I broke out this recipe and here we go:

Original Inspiration recipe here.

Strawberry Jam:
1 cup sherry (or Red wine)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup strawberries sliced
3 tbs Flour (cornstarch would be preferred!)

Put the Sherry (or Red wine), water and sugar into the pot.  Bring to a simmer for several minutes and then add teh sliced strawberries in. Simmer for a couple more minutes.  While this is going on create the slurry to thicken with mix the flour/cornstarch with just enough cold water to dilute it. First off- flour was NOT the plan.  Cornstarch is the original recipe calls for and what I planned for- until I discovered I am OUT of it.  OK really it possibly has never existed in my pantry.  SO a quick Google panic and I put flour in instead.  They say 2-3tb's for each tbs of corn starch.  So i used 6tbs but ended up only putting 1/2 of that in.  So in the end I only used the 3Tbs so that's what I've got in the recipe. Stir in and once it thickens up a bit remove from heat- pour into a container and place in fridge for a couple hours to set.

Of course after all that panic over not having cornstarch and the completion of the above i found gelatin in my pantry.  Color me embarrassed I guess that could have been an option too!

Creates 2cups- approximatly 16 (2 tbs/servings) servings
WW points/serving: 1!

For the sandwhich- fairly simple make just like a grilled cheese. We make our own bread often so this was standard white bread made via our bread maker. Butter the outside of the bread- place a slice of brie cheese on and then some jam- cook until melted and golden brown!

WW Points for 1 Sandwhich with 1 oz brie, 1tbs butter and 2tbs jam: 10

What would I change? The jam tastes good straight from the container- but a bit more sugar could be used. As well i think this would be TO DIE FOR with a big stronger cheese- especially cream cheese!

Mudroom Closet Make Over

Well I hate to admit but my mudroom closet was a sad story. We put some shelves in last year (it came with just a shelf around the top) and that helped but things were never organized from the original move in.  It's been the go to pile- something needs to move? toss it in the mud room closet!
My summer plan involves organizing and rearranging several key areas of the house this summer.  We don't have the cash to do major renovations- but simple organization is easily done on a budget.

I started with Home Depot- where I had priced out the best cheap containers. Two sizes $3.98 and $4.98! Can't beat that! They aren't the strongest- but they are clear- have a flip top lid and work.  Great for this kind of thing where we'll just be in and out of things a few times a year. The label maker came out and even though the boxes are clear they are labeled so even the kids can figure out (hopefully) where things go.

Before: note this is after I cleared out the floor- the closet is just about 3' deep and has shelves on both short ends and across the long side.

A lot of stuff hit the garbage bin, the donation bin and a few things moved to the shed (Horse stuff) where they really belonged.  But most of this did enter back in. Christmas Ornaments fit into 3 bins- 1 large and 2 'mini' and voila our after (Sorry you can't see the floor but it's pretty much empty.  There is one box (air mattress and pump) with my dog grooming dryer and my rolling container that has all the dog grooming stuff.  On the other side of the floor is winter boots that still fitthe kids for next year and the rolling frame for the air mattress.

What's that? There's shelf space- yes sir there is.  And floor space! it's great!

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Yes the next day in recipes was a bit late coming.  We've been off showing dogs and camping the last two weeks and the kids have been off at their dad's.  So I've been burning through left overs and doing some tent trailer cooking.  We're back home and now ready to get back onto our cooking.

Original inspiration for this recipe comes from here.  By the time I got to cooking this today we were short on a few ingredients so this is what i've tossed in the pot:

1 can Cream of Chicken Condensed
1 can Cream of Celery Condenced
3 medium potatoes peeled and sliced
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 chopped onion
3-4 breasts Chicken- deboned (we used 3)
2 packages Biscuit dough.

Place soups, potatoes, onion, celery, juice and chicken into crock pot and cook on high.  Our crock pot has a meat probe so we cooked until the chicken was almost done (about 4 hours).  Then tear up and put in the two packages of biscuits and cook until no longer raw on low (about 1 hour).

I'd add carrots in and some other crunchy veggies- broccoli would be good in this- to add some more color to the dish.  Kids loved it and everyone had seconds!
This will be great on this rainy day!

Servings: 8
WW Points: 11

Peanut Butter Banana French Toast

Ooh my all the kids gave this two thumbs up.
Original inspiration recipe here

8 Slices Bread
4 tbsp Peanut Butter (light)
2 Large bananas
2 large eggs
4tbsp Orange Juice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp Powdered sugar
Syrup 

Mix Eggs, orange juice, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl.  Slice bananas and create 4 PB banana sandwiches. Then it's just like making french toast.  Personally I like to pour my egg mixture on a plate- and find that easiest to dip my bread in.  Take the whole sandwich dip each side and then cook just like french toast in a pan-until the egg is golden. I use non stick pans so don't spread anything in it-but if your pan is not- use a pat of butter to prevent sticking.

Serve with syrup and powdered sugar. Delicious!!!

Servings: 4
WW Points: 11

Philly Cheese Steak- Sloppy Joe style

This was super easy to make.  Original inspiration here

1 pound ground beef (extra lean)
1/2 softball-sized onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 tablespooon Worcestershire sauce
1/1 cup beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper
8 dinner rolls- we used President choice's flat buns

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk 1%
1 cup provolone, shredded (light)

Brown meat, add pepper and onion, and cook until veggies start to soften. Add stock, steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Let simmer.

While cooking start the cheese sauce. Melt butter in a pot- mix in the flour.  Add milk and simmer until thickens slightly.  Add in cheese and remove from heat- stirring until melted.

We served it with the Quinoa mac and cheese from yesterday.  I think it would rock with sweet potato fries and some grilled veggies!

Servings: 8
WW Points: 8

Quinoa Mac and Cheese

Well yes- i was going to pair this up with the cheesesteaks- but I've been ditched by my son and me and my daughter are not that hungry- so we'll bump that to another day.  But we did make the Quinoa Mac and Cheese.

Original recipe here

Prep 15 minutes- Cooking 35
How I made it

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• good pinch of salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup 1% Milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese- Light
• 1/4 Cup Panko bread crumbs (optional)
• Vegetables of choice (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F 
 Cooked the Quinoa per normal in a pot (New for me we've never used it before- other then for the parrots!) One it's sitting and steaming prepare the other ingredients.  


Saute vegetables until soft.  


In a large bowl whisk eggs and milk. Fold in cooked Quinoa, salt, garlic, cheese (reserve some to sprinkle on top) and if chosen vegetables.  Spread onto a large greased cooking dish (9x13)
Top with remaining Cheese and if you choose Panko bread crumbs. 


Cook for 30-35 minutes @ 350F 

Makes an entree or a side dish.  Try different additions- hot sauce, sour cream, different types of cheese! 




Servings: 8 (Side portion size)
WW Points (not including any vegetables or toppings added) but does include Panko: 5

Meal Plan Week 2

Well as usual this is not a 'we'll eat this this day" type plan but the recipes that i'll have ingredients available to make over the next week or so.  When they get made tends to not change order- but we might miss making a meal.  We live out of town so trips into town and staying in town to save a second trip on a day happens a fair bit.

Day 1
Quinoa Mac & Cheese
Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Day 2
Peanut butter Banana French Toast
Sweet potato curry

Day 3 
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings  

Day 4
Red Wine and Brie Grilled Cheese

Day 5
Ranch pork chops and Potatos

Between left overs and staples on hand we should have meals for close to the week.

Recipes starting tomorrow after a trip into town for groceries!

I think we'll probably make some Popsicles this week too. Kids have been bugging for them.

Olive Garden Esque Alfredo

Oh this turned out really delicious! Will make again.  I went full fat this time with full whipping cream and butter.  Next time I will try it with a lighter cream and see how it results.  This did not thicken up much- I've seen recipes with a couple tbsp's of flour in it and that's an option too.

I paired it with fresh pasta delicous!

1 500ml Container whole cream
3/4 cup Shredded/ grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup butter
Garlic minced about 1 tsp
Parsley flakes

Melt in the pan stirring until mixed- then simmer for about 15 minutes stirring to prevent burning. Let cool a bit and serve over pasta.  Garnish with parsley and a bit more Parmesan

Servings: 8 (generous)
WW Points: 9 (Sauce only)

I look forward to trying to make this a bit healthier with my next attempts!

Jewelry Frames

I saw these on pinterest back around Christmas time.  In February I picked up the frames, chicken wire has been in the shed since we got the chicken coop but it still took us 5 minutes to get chicken wire on said frame.  So to not waste another 5 months before hanging them I got them up super fast and got my jewelry on them.  They don't work for everything- I need to get some S hooks so I can hang rings up on it too.  But the jewelry box is now much less cluttered and these really look great on the wall.

However I will say- when I first got them hung up there was an OMG I hate them moment.  Then I started placing Jewelry on them and now I really like them.

Yummmm Turkey Bugers- the fancy way

These turned out really delicious.  My mom is now on a low cholesterol diet and this was something she could have as well!

Recipe inspiration: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/mozzarella_stuffed_turkey_burgers.html

However I'm a bit lazy we did not make our own marinara sauce- which im sure would have made it way better- but I knew i wouldn't have time.  However it's BBQ season.
How I made them:

• 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 tablespoons basil
• 2 slices flat bread cut in half. 

Combined everything except the cheese, basil and flat bread.  Make 8 thin patties- place the cheese on top of one and cover with another.  There's no binder in these burgers and they do fall apart so handle with care.
We grilled on the burger and did take the time to oil the grill first- however these stuck like crazy so it did not seem to help at all. I do recommend grill with the lid down- they are quite thick and that helped get them cooking

 I took my store bought marinara sauce, heated up in a small pot while the burgers were grilling.  Toast the flat bread, pour on some marinara pop the burger on and top with a bit more sauce. We paired it up with a Caesar salad.
Servings: 4
WW Points: 5

Uh oh- are you wondering where our Olive Garden Alfredo recipe went? Well we didn't emd up making lunch- we spent too much time playing with the horses to make lunch.  Hoping to make it Monday or Tuesday.

French Toast yumminess

This is usually more then I pull out for breakfast- but so yummy.  Really this is brunch for us- we'll just have a snack at lunch time as we're having a BBQ this evening at the lake for DD's class year end party.

French Toast- sorry no big fancy recipe

• 6 slices bread (If I was really organized we would have had some home made ready to go) 
• 2 eggs (Fresh from our chicken coop in the back yard!) 
• 2 tbs milk

servings: 2
WW Points: 5

Fruit Topping

• 1 cup Fresh fruit (We used pineapple as we had a fresh one in the fridge)
• 2 tbs Butter
• 3 tbs Brown sugar 

Pretty easy- put in small sauce pan- cook on medium until fruit is softened. Takes place of the syrup!
Servings: 4
WW Points: 3

Taco night & Smoothies

Ok this isn't an exciting recipe- it' sorta recipe less if you want to get down to it. But our version of tacos. Missing tonight was fresh tomatoes- our garden needs to get going!

• 1lb ground beef 
• taco shells
• Light marble cheese shredded 
• romaine lettuce
• salsa
• light sour cream

On each taco there is 1tsp of sour cream and about 1tsp of cheese- i shread it super fine so it feels like more.  I admit these were so good I had two.
WW Points: 6/Taco (PS Two = 13 points!) 

Very Merry Berry Smoothies
Love my new Kitchen Aid immersion blender that my Mom and Dad got us this year. (It matches the mixer and toaster :) )

Easy recipe

• 3 cups berries
• 2 cups milk 
• 2 tsp Splenda
• a few drops of flavoring if you want- we put banana and coconut in

Tasty!!! It makes 3 cups- because those berries are frozen- there's lots of space between them to fill with milk.
WW Points:3
Servings: 3