Posted in Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite Five ingredient or less dishes.  Visit Rocks In My Dryer for lots more!

Quesadillas
I often put cheese on a tortilla and fold in half then warm in a pan.  Another way to make these (which the kids can do almost alone) is to lay a tortilla flat, sprinkle with cheese, lay another tortilla on top, place on a cookie sheet and put in the oven at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes.

These are great for using up leftovers.  Salsa, sour cream, chicken, and avocado are also great additions.

A few other Quesadilla combinations with 5 ingredients or less:

BBQ Chicken with Cheddar and Corn
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded roasted chicken
3 Tablespoons barbecue sauce
½ cup thawed frozen corn
2 green onions, thinly sliced
This should be enough to fill 4 10-inch or 6 8-inch tortillas.

Combine chicken with BBQ sauce.  Spread over half of tortilla.  Sprinkle corn, cheese, and green onions over chicken.  Fold empty tortilla half over the filling.  Bake in oven or skillet.    

Turkey with Brie and Cranberries
(I have not made this one, but it is on my to-do list)
8 oz brie cheese, rind cut off, sliced.
5 oz smoked turkey breast
½ cup dried cranberries

Divide ingredients evenly between 4 -10 inch quesadillas.
Bake in on a rimmed cookie sheet at 425 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes.. Rotate cookie sheets halfway through.  Watch carefully since Brie melts rather quickly.  When the cheese has melted and the tortilla is golden brown, they are ready. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.


Baked Parmesan Chicken Nuggets - Adapted from from Sue Gregg
This has 6 ingredients - but it is worth the extra effort

1 cup breadcrumbs (Put 1 slice of bread through your food processor to make breadcrumbs)
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts.
1 stick butter, melted
  
Mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt together (You can also  all together in a high powered blender or food processor if you are using 1 slice of bread to make the bread crumbs).

Slice chicken breasts into nugget sized pieces.  Dip pieces in butter.      

Roll in crumb mixture.

Lay in baking pan.

Bake uncovered at 350̊F  until tender, about 30 minutes.  Be sure to slice a piece before eating to make sure it is no longer pink!  Can also use this recipe for larger pieces of chicken.  They will take closer to 1 hour to cook.

Click here to see Sue Gregg’s original recipe

Chef’s Salad
Lettuce, tomatoes, sliced boiled eggs, carrots, mushrooms
Toss together and eat with your favorite salad dressing.

Easy Fried Rice
A few cups of cooked brown rice, frozen mixed veggies, scrambled egg, shredded chicken, soy sauce.  Heat first 4 ingredients in skillet.  Add soy sauce at the end.

High Protein Pancakes
1 c. cream style cottage cheese
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tbsp. vanilla

Blend at high speed in blender for 1 minute. Cook as you would regular pancakes. Turn when edges look dry.





   


  

Posted in Recipes

A few weeks ago I googled, "Best way to cook corn," and came across a wonderfully easy way to roast corn in the oven.

It is so simple and delicious I can't believe I haven't heard of it before.

All you have to do is place the corn (husks and all) on the oven rack.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes (until tender).  Remove from oven, peel off the husks and silk (which come off very easily), and eat!

This way of cooking corn enables you to prepare a large amount very simply.  My favorite part is that I don't have to bother with removing the silk threads before cooking.  They come off so easily this way, it is no trouble at all.

To see the original recipe from Food Network click here.  Read the reviews here.

Don't forget to visit Tammy's Recipes for more Kitchen Tips.

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Stephanie at Keeper of the home is hosting the Say NO to Kraft Dinner Recipe Carnival

Please visit her blog for more quick meal ideas and add yours!

Here are a few meals I make when time is tight or I just don’t feel like cooking:

1.  Quesadillas
I often put cheese on a tortilla and fold in half then warm in a pan.  Another way to make these (which the kids can do almost alone) is to lay a tortilla flat, sprinkle with cheese, lay another tortilla on top, place on a cookie sheet and put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes. 

These are great for using up leftovers.  Salsa, sour cream, chicken, and avocado are also great additions.

2.  Roasted Chicken and veggies.

Melt butter in an oven proof dish then place chicken breasts and chopped up vegetables in it.  Add a few chunks of butter to the top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.   This is also a good on to put in the crock pot.  If you cook on high you can put it in at lunch time and it will be ready by dinner.  Serve with gravy if desired.

3.  Smoothie and Toast or Sandwiches.

This is nice and quick and MUCH more nutritious than Kraft  Mac and Cheese!

Throw a banana, some berries, yogurt and milk in the blender and blend.  You can also add a scoop of god quality protein powder or soy lecithin for an extra nutritional boost.  Serve with toast and peanut butter or grilled cheese (made with real cheese not the processed kind).  We like to have grilled cheese and avocado sandwiches.

4.  Spaghetti

Cook up some spaghetti, pour in some marinara sauce and add a few extras if possible: cottage cheese, a few handfuls of spinach, mushrooms.

5.  English Muffin Pizza

Slice English Muffin in half.  Spread with tomato paste, sprinkle with Italian seasoning if available, top with grated cheese.  Place in oven at 350 and bake for about 10 minutes.  Also add other pizza toppings if you have them on hand.  These are also yummy spread with bbq sauce and topped with chicken and cheese.

Sorry if this is a little jumbled...I am running late!!!  I'll edit later, but wanted to get it up on time :)

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Green Tea Berry Smoothie

This recipe makes about 2 cups of smoothie. 
Berries and green tea are full of antioxidants and give this smoothie a refreshing taste.
It’s a great way to start your day or boost your afternoon.

5 frozen whole strawberries
½ cup frozen blackberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
½ cup brewed green tea, cooled to room temp.
1/4 cup plain yogurt
½ cup cranberry juice
2 Tbsp. Honey
           
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 

Feel free to tweak the ingredients to suit your taste.  It’s hard to mess it up - leave out or add other ingredients as you see fit :)

This recipe is based on one I found in the January 2008 issue of Sunset magazine.  It used soy milk instead of yoghurt and frozen cranberries instead of the juice.

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Posted in Recipes

Here goes....

One of the best ways to save money is to use what we already have....we often have leftover mashed potatoes. 

There was a time when I would throw them away...not any more.

Now I try to have leftovers.

Here are a few good uses for your mashed potatoes:
(links are in bold)

Mashed Potato Spinach Casserole - can make extra and freeze.  My family really enjoyed this one.

Potato and Corn fritters - mix mashed potato with corn kernels, an egg, a little onion, a little flour, and salt and pepper.  Shape into patties and cook in a skillet or bake in the oven.  You could add some shredded veggies also.

This recipe is similar to these Potato Pancakes


Pierogis - these are yummy.  Make extra to freeze.

Crisp Potato Pancakes

Shephard's Pie

Mashed Potato Soup

Gnocchi - Another good one to freeze.

Here is a simple recipe:
Serves 4
1 lb potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 oz butter, melted
salt and pepper
Extra Parmesan cheese for serving
Your favorite tomato pasta sauce

1.  Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes (Don’t over cook.)
2.  Drain thoroughly and mash until smooth.  Transfer to a large bowl.
3.  Add flour, Parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper.  Cut in with 2 flat bladed knives (as you would cut butter into flour when making pie crust).
4.  After the above ingredients are cut in well, use you hands to mix it up to a firm dough.
5.  Knead briefly on a floured surface.  Over-handling the dough will cause the Gnocchi to be tough.
6.  Roll about 1 ½ teaspoons of dough into an oval shape. Repeat until you have used all the dough.  Indent one side of the oval by using the back of a fork.
7.  Cook Gnocchi in rapidly boiling water for 3 - 5 minutes.  Gnocchi floats to the surface when cooked.  Unless you have a very large pot it is a good idea to boil the gnocchi in two batches.  It will cook in less time that way and won’t stick together.
8.  Drain well and serve warm with your favorite tomato pasta sauce.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Yum!

Posted in Recipes

This morning my son and I made this yummy Banana Oat Bran Bread

It is good and quite healthy. 

Click for here for the recipe

I reduced the sugar a little and it was still sweet.  I also used golden raisins instead of regular raisins.  The flavor is more mild and they are just like "sultanas" that we have in Australia.

Posted in Recipes

A yummy, light tasting dessert. Stores well in the freezer.  Thaws quickly.  Very good to keep on hand.

Strawberry Roll

Cake:
3 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
5 Tablespoons Water
1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Powdered Sugar

Line a warm jelly roll pan or bakers half sheet (18x13 inches) with wax paper . Grease the wax paper.

Set oven to 375 degrees.

Beat eggs until they appear light yellow. Add sugar and beat until thick. Add vanilla and water and beat until combined. Then beat in dry ingredients.

Pour onto prepared baking sheet and spread out with spatula or knife making sure the mixture is fairly even (no thin spots).

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Sprinkle a clean dish towel with powdered sugar. Turn cooked cake (top side down)onto towel and remove wax paper. Roll up the cake in the dish towel lengthwise and place in freezer for 15 minutes. Prepare the filling.

Filling:
1  8 oz. Cream cheese at room temp.
1 cup Sugar
½ stick Margarine
1 Tablespoon Light corn syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla
½ cup Fresh Strawberries, chopped

 Mix all ingredients together with blender or hand mixer. Carefully unroll cake and spread filling inside. Re-roll the cake and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Wrap again with foil. Freeze for 24 hours.

When ready to serve remove cake from freezer and let stand for 15 minutes at room temp. Then slice into 1 inch rounds. Serve with fresh strawberries and whipped cream or cool whip!

Posted in Recipes

Posted in Recipes

This is a delicious Mexican dish that I learned to make while at the Bible school.  One of our wonderful teachers had been a missionary in Mexico and was taught how to make it while she was there.

This recipe feeds a crowd....

It is also one of my husband's favorites

Tinga

12 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
1 quart chicken broth (sometimes I add a little more)
6 large onions, sliced
1 can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce ( you can purchase this at most grocery stores)
3 Cups ketchup
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup cooking oil
corn chips
sour cream
cheese, grated

Boil chicken, cool and shred. 
In a deep pot heat the oil and saute the onions and garlic until tender.
Chop the chipotle peppers and add to the  pot (also add the sauce from the can of peppers).  These are HOT don't rub your eyes after you touch them!  It is a good idea to chop them up with kitchen scissors while they are in the can.
Stir well.
Add ketchup.
Stir well.
Add chicken right away and stir.
Pour in broth.  Stir.
Turn to medium heat and simmer until almost boiling. 
Turn down to low and cook for about 1 hour.

Serve on top of corn chips.  Add sour cream and grated cheese on top and you are ready to eat! 

You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste.  I often add more garlic and broth.  Some people cut down on the onions.

When making it for my family I use:
3 chicken breasts
4 - 6 cups broth
1 onion
1 - 2 garlic cloves
1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 - 2 chipotle peppers
enough oil to cook the onions and garlic.

I'll try to take a picture on Thursday when I make this and post it for you.

Posted in Recipes

I have been meaning to share this recipe with all of you for a long time.  It is super easy and very yummy.  I make it every month for the church potluck.  So without further ado.....

Posted in Recipes

I love to cook!  It is like a hobby for me.  I have quite a few recipes and recipe books.  This morning it was time to clear them out, purge a few and organize the rest.  But how? 

Do you have a good system for organizing your recipes?  If you do, I’d love to hear it.

One idea is to use a large binder divided into sections.  Any recipe you print off can go in the appropriate section and you can also keep a list of recipes you enjoy from your cookbook with the book and page number listed.

But what about the recipe cards?  Whenever a friend shares a recipe they usually write it on a recipe card.  I have a nice recipe card box but have not used it yet.  I also have a small photo album that holds recipe cards perfectly. 

Here is a link with lots of ideas.
Recipe Organization from www.dollarstretcher.com

I want something simple that I will actually stick with.  Please tell me how you do it..
Thanks,
Stacy

Posted in Recipes

This morning I posted our menu plan for the week and a few people requested the recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Chicken.  I am unsure of copyright laws when it comes to recipes so decided to ask the author, Jonni McCoy.  She emailed me back and said "yes".  I am so grateful!  This is a favorite at our house.  Even the kids like it! 

The recipe comes from Jonni McCoy's book Miserly Meals.  Click here to visit her bookstore and order your own copy!  It has lots of great recipes, including an especially good one for brownies (the best ever - no kidding).  Her website is full of ideas for saving money too.


Honey Chicken
Serves 4
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hours

1 lb or 4 small chicken breasts
1/4 tsp. Curry powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ cup diced onion
3 T. Oil
1/4 cup honey
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. Powdered ginger
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp.  Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Paprika
½ cup water

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Toss well to coat the chicken evenly.  Place the mixture in a slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
If desired, serve over rice or orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
Cost per serving is 75 cents.

Posted in Recipes

I wanted to share two of my favorite recipes with you......

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 cup light corn syrup
½ cup sugar
4 oz. Butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ½ cup pecans
1 pie crust

Heat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine corn syrup, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla. Beat well.

Place chocolate chips in bottom of pie crust. Place pecans on top of the chocolate chips. Pour syrup over.

Place pie in the oven for 55 to 65 minutes or until a deep golden brown and filling is set.

Layered Jello Salad

1 large box strawberry jello
2 cups hot water
2 boxes frozen strawberries, sliced
3 bananas, sliced
1 can crushed pineapple
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 carton sour cream

Dissolve jello in hot water. Stir in the frozen strawberries, sliced bananas, crushed pineapple, and lemon juice. Pour 1/3 into a nice dish. Place in refrigerator and let congeal (may take an our or longer). Once somewhat firm, take out and spread half of the sour cream over. Then place another 1/3 of jello mixture on top. Place in refrigerator again. Once firm enough take out and spread with the rest of the sour cream. Pour remaining jello mixture over the top and return to refrigerator. Once the Jello has set it is ready to eat. I usually make this one a day ahead so I am not stressing out about the jello setting fast enough!

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After my Menu Plan Monday post a few people asked what Truck Driving Spaghetti was.  I thought I’d share the recipe - we really like it. I learned it from a wonderful lady in Texas.
Truck Driving Spaghetti Sauce
This is a thick, sweet spaghetti sauce.  It can be made in huge amounts to serve to lots of people.  It freezes well.
1 lb.  Ground beef
1 green onion, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1/4 tsp.  Garlic powder
16 oz.  Chopped tomatoes (sometimes I add more)
6 oz. Can tomato paste
1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp.  Sugar
1 Tbsp.  Dried basil
Brown the meat, add onion and green pepper.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add remainder of ingredients.  Lower heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes to an hour.  Serve over spaghetti.
Crockpot BBQ Chicken
Reformingmama asked me for my Crockpot BBQ chicken recipe.  It is very simple.  All you need to do is place 4 chicken breasts in the crockpot and pour a bottle of BBQ sauce over them.  Then turn it on low for about 6 hours or high for 3.  I often put the chicken breasts in frozen.  Last week when there was about an hour and a half to go I dumped a bag of frozen broccoli in there.  It gave the broccoli a nice flavor.  There you have it! Very easy!  I serve the chicken breasts whole with vegies.

Posted in Recipes

Every now and then I get the urge to try a new recipe that is really fancy and a little difficult.  I do love cooking! 

 

It is fun to try these out at the Potluck since you may be able to get away without anyone knowing you made it if it is really bad! (Which some of mine have been) I went a little crazy for yesterday's Potluck and made a Black Forest Cake.  My husband said it was probably 2000 calories a bite.  I wouldn't be surprised - the frosting alone was made with 3 sticks of butter and a bag of dark chocolate chips!

Here are a few pictures of it.  It is by far the best looking cake I have ever made...I was dancing around the kitchen I was so excited!  (Do you think I am nuts now?)

 

Here is what it looked like before frosting:

   

 

Now for the recipe:

Black Forest Cake

6 1/2 oz (200g) unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cups self raising flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk (make your own by adding a teaspoon of vinegar to vitamin D milk)
1/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cups cream, whipped
14 0z (425 g) can pitted cherries, drained (I couldn't find these - I used cherry pie filling and used a fork to get the cherries out with as little of the "sauce" as possible)
chocolate curls, for decoration (I used a peeler on a bar of dark chocolate - the warmer the chocolate, the better the peels i.e hold in your hand for a few seconds to warm up then peel)
Chocolate frosting:

10oz (300g) dark chocolate chips
12 oz (375g) unsalted butter, softened

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
2.  Grease a 9 inch  (23 cm) cake pan
3.  Cream butter and sugar in a small bowl with electric beaters.
4.  Add the egg gradually, beating thoroughly after each addition.
5.  Add the vanilla and beat until combined.
6.  Transfer mixture to large bowl.  Fold in the sifted flours, cocoa, coffee and soda alternately with the combined buttermilk and milk. Stir ujntil just combined and smooth.
7.  Pour mixture into cake pan and  smooth the top.  Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8.  Leave cake in pan for 20 minutes.  Then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
9.  For chocolate frosting:

     Bring a pan of water to boiling.  Remove from heat.  Place chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl and place bowl over pan of water (be sure bowl is not touching the water).  Let sit and stir occasionally until chocolate has melted.
     Beat butter in a small bowl until light and creamy.  Add the chocolate.  Beat for 1 minute, or until mixture is smooth and glossy.
10.  Cut cake into 3 horizontal layers.  Place first layer on serving plate and spread evenly with half the whipped cream and top with half the cherries.  Add next layer of cake followed by the rest of the cream and cherries.  Place last layer on top.
11.  Spead chocolate frosting oven entire cake - be generous, there is a lot!
12.  Use a piping bag to pipe swirls around the rim with remaining frosting. 
13.  Decorate with chocolate curls.
NOTE:  This cake and its filling are best assembled and eaten on the day that it is made. (I made the cake and sliced it into 3 layers the night before, wrapping in plastic wrap to keep moist.  Whipped the cream and assembled cake in the morning)

Recipe adapted from, The Essential Baking Cookbook, Murdoch Books, page 82