Mrs. Yoder's Baked Beans

Next on the Memorial Day dinner was baked beans - again from my sister's mother in law. This is another super easy recipe. And the best part is - both the corn pudding and baked beans are baked in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. That just makes it even easier :)

Ingredients:
2 cans pork and beans
2 cans kidney beans, partially drained
2 cans baby lima beans, partially drained
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/8 c. vinegar
1/2 c. ketchup
1 1/2 tsp. mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire
6-8 pieces of bacon, fried and crumbled

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients into a 9x13 casserole dish.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or in a crockpot for 12 hours.

Yield: 9-12 servings

Source: Mrs. Yoder, my sister's mother in law

Mrs. Yoder's Corn Pudding

We did all of our Memorial Day stuff yesterday. The boy and I had my parents and my sister and her family over to his house. We grilled hot dogs and bbq chicken, as well as some vegetables. For the side dishes, I made corn pudding and baked beans. In a foil pan. So the pictures aren't pretty. This is a recipe from my sister's mother in law and it is one of my favorites. I could eat this everyday!

Ingredients:
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
2/3 stick butter, melted
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix
1 c. sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all in a 9x13 casserole dish.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

Yield: 9-12 servings

Source: Mrs. Yoder, my sister's mother in law

Potato Quiche

For some reason, when I saw this recipe, I wanted to make it almost immediately. I have no idea why. Because I don't really like quiche. I am picky about how I'll eat my eggs, and this is not the way I like them. I think maybe I was won over by the potato crust. I thought that was a really neat idea. Anyway, the boy said he loves quiche, so I figured, why not!? Even if I hate it, I can have a slice of cheese and be full. My main goal in cooking is to feed him! :)

So, I made quiche. The boy said it was bland. This definitely wasn't hard though, except for grating the swiss cheese, because, for the life of me, I could NOT find shredded swiss cheese in a bag. And I know that some people swear by grating their own cheese, but I don't see the value, quite honestly. I'm lazy like that though. I modified the recipe a bit because I don't eat ham, plus I added some spinach since we both like it and for the color. This was BY FAR one of the prettiest dishes I have ever made! That says a lot! If I can figure out what spices to add to it to give it a little more pizazz, it is something I would totally make for other people, or take to potlucks and stuff like that!

Ingredients:
2 c. shredded hash browns
3 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1 c. turkey bacon, chopped and cooked
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Spray a pie plate with non-stick spray. Press the potatoes into the pie plate and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are brown.

While that is baking, beat together eggs, milk and salt. Then stir in remaining ingredients.

Pour into the potato crust.

Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Source: Adapted from http://www.recipeshoebox.blogspot.com/

Cinco De Mayo Tacos with Margarita Slaw

Happy Cinco De Mayo!! In celebration, I made tacos! There was nothing extraordinary about the tacos - I did, however, make my own taco seasoning. Not only was it super easy, but I had all the ingredients on hand! To go with the tacos, I made Margarita Slaw instead of lettuce. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I am picky and like things the way I am used to them! The boy thought it was good though. I did leave the Tequila out - I don't really like Tequila and I didn't have any and I didn't want to buy a whole bottle for one shot. If I was making it for company, I would probably include it.

Anyways, I'm just now getting over a terrible cold and cough and we don't have any vacations or anything planned, so I am hoping to get back into the cooking groove! My boyfriend is hosting an annual boys golf tournament (including his dad) at his house in a few weeks, and I am hoping to make a whole bunch of snacks and goodies for them, so we that to look forward to! :)

Taco Seasoning

Ingredients:
2 tsp. minced onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (I used cayenne pepper instead)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Directions:
Combine all ingredients.

When ready to use, this is enough for 1 lb of meat. Add to meat and then add about 2/3 c. water.

Source: www.fabulousfoods.com

Margarita Slow

Ingredients:
12 oz. coleslaw mix
1/3 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. vegetable oil
Dash of sesame oil
3 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. lime zest
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 shot Tequila
Dash of Tabasco
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Place cabbage and cilantro in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except salt and pepper.

Pour over cabbage mixture and toss to coat.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve cold.

Source: www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride

Braised Chicken

I made this last week for dinner, and let me tell you, if I had known it was going to take so freaking long, I wouldn't have made it! Or maybe just saved it for a weekend when I had more time! I guess I underestimated the time it would take for all the chopping. Anyways, this wasn't bad. The boy loved all the vegetables, but the chicken was just regular chicken. If I make this again, I think I might marinate the chicken for a few hours, instead of just brushing it on. I will say this - this was a very pretty dish (the picture doesn't do it justice). I just love food with lots of colors!

Ingredients:
3 chicken legs (I used chicken breasts)
3 garlic cloves
3 tomatoes
2 bell peppers (I used one red and one orange)
1 large onion
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika powder
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. oil
Chili pepper (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Wash and slice 2 bell peppers into strips. Cut an onion in half and slice it up. Slice a medium to large red chili pepper. Wash and dice 3 tomatoes.

Grate or mince garlic cloves. Place garlic in a small bowl. Add oil and spices. Whisk.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1-2 tbsp. oil in a skillet and brown the chicken. Transfer the chicken to an oven dish. Brush with half the marinade. Spread peppers and onions around the chicken and place a few slices underneath and on top. Lightly brush the vegetables with remaining marinade. Add the diced tomatoes. Pour 1/2 c. chicken broth over the vegetables (but not over the chicken so you don't disturb the seasonings).

Bake for 1 hours. After 30 minutes, flip over the vegetables and spoon some of the juices over the chicken. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Yield: 3-4 servings

Source: www.thepioneerwoman.com/cooking

Turkey Day Casserole

Thanksgiving is my VERY favorite holiday. I could eat Thanksgiving food all year long and never get tired of it. So, when I was flipping through a cookbook and saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. I know the picture isn't exceptionally appetizing, but I couldn't figure out a way to make it look pretty.

This wasn't bad. It wasn't nearly as good as I was hoping. Of course, I think it would be better with actual Thanksgiving leftovers. And not all of my stuffing cooked. If I had it to do over, I would actually cook the stuffing first, and then put it in. Also, the recipe called for whole berry cranberry sauce, but I like the jellied kind, so that's what I used.

Ingredients:
1 24 oz. container mashed potatoes
1 lb. ground turkey
1 6 oz. box of stuffing
1 16 oz. can cranberry sauce
2 12 oz. jars of turkey gravy
2 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Microwave the mashed potatoes for 1 minute. Stir and set aside.

In a skillet, cook the turkey, drain and set aside.

Spread stuffing mix in the bottom of a 2.5 qt. dish. Top with cranberry sauce, then turkey, then 1 jar of gravy and then potatoes.

Dot with butter.

Bake 30-40 minutes.

Serve with gravy.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: "Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes"

Clean Out The Fridge Fajitas

First of all, I know this picture is awful. I had actually already taken a bite out of the other side before I went "Oh crap! I forgot to take a picture!" Oops!

I didn't really have a dinner plan tonight, but I knew I was feeding the boy. So, I pulled out all the leftover STUFF from the last couple weeks and made fajitas. It was actually pretty good. I always feel kind of proud of myself when I can throw something together like this and it turns out well! I didn't really measure anything, I just kind of threw stuff in, so everything is approximate. :)

Ingredients:
Cooked chicken - I used 3 small leftover chicken breasts
1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
1/2 packet fajita seasoning
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. black beans
chili powder to taste
tortillas, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, etc.

Directions:
In a skillet, throw everything in and heat/stir until blended and heated through.

Serve on tortillas with whatever toppings you have. As you can see, I smothered my fajita with leftover queso. I could drink that stuff through a straw.

Baked Potato Soup

I hope everyone hates this soup. By the time I got to dicing potato number 3, I wanted to quit. I wanted to throw away the other potatoes. I hope I never have to cut up potatoes again. So, logically, if everyone hates it, I won't EVER have to make it again and therefor, never have to dice up potatoes again.

Quite honestly, it isn't that bad. It's a little bland, but I think you could dress it up with cheese, bacon, sour cream, etc. and it would be great. When I was looking for this recipe, I was purposely looking for something that it didn't have a lot of extra stuff. My sister is pregnant and she keeps saying that baked potato soup sounds good. And I know that, like me, she is picky about her baked potato soup. We don't like big chunks of potato, we don't like onions in it. I know you are totally wishing you had kids just like us.

Ingredients:
6 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion (I used onion powder)
5 c. chicken stock
1 15 oz. can evaporated milk (I only had a 12 oz. can)
1/4 c. butter (I love butter, so I used a little extra)
salt & pepper

Directions:
Place potatoes, onions (or onion powder) and chicken stock in crockpot.

Cook on low for 9 hours (or high for 5 or so).

Mash potatoes with a potato masher (which I don't have, so I used my immersion blender).

Add milk, butter and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Serve.

Yield: a freaking lot of soup. 6 potatoes worth.

Source: www.dinnersforayear.blogspot.com

Italian Spinach Chicken

My boyfriend loves spinach. And since he is on a diet, I have been trying to find healthy (or healthier) meals to make. When I saw this one, I added it to my list because it looked really REALLY easy and delicious. And it was. The boy loved it. This will become one of my standard dinners probably, especially for weeknights because it is easy and only took a half hour or so (not counting marinating). I tried to serve this with roasted baby carrots with balsamic vinegar and rosemary. They kind of didn't turn out as planned. So instead, I served burned baby carrots with balsamic vinegar and rosemary. Close enough. Roasted, burned. Same thing. They didn't taste bad. Well, not really bad anyway.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast halves
8 tbsp. Italian dressing, divided
6 c. fresh baby spinach
salt
2 slices Provolone cheese

Directions:
Please 6 tbsp. dressing in a plastic bag and add chicken. Marinate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350.

Drain and discard marinade.

In a skillet, brown chicken. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, saute spinach, remaining dressing and salt.

Place chicken in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Top with spinach and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 18-22 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings

Source: Taste of Home's "Cooking for 2" magazine, Spring 2009

Roasted Red Pepper and Black Bean Soup

I saw this recipe a month or so ago and immediately bookmarked it. I have been wanting to make it for awhile now. I modified it a bit because I didn't have any dried black beans. It was pretty good. I would definitely make some changes next time. I would use a whole jar of roasted red peppers instead of just part of it. I would use more jalapeno peppers (I didn't have any chipotle peppers in adobe). I also didn't use the entire cup of parsley, because I don't really like parsley. It also needs a bit more salt. So, basically, don't follow my recipe. Use the original! Still, I'm pretty impressed with myself.

Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, drained
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced (this was a first!)
8 oz. roasted red peppers, chopped
1 big spoonful of chopped jalapeno peppers
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. parsley
salt
2 c. chicken broth

Directions:
In a soup pot, heat olive oil. dd onion and garlic and cook until tender.

Stir in red peppers, jalapeno peppers, oregano, parsley and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and blend.

Stir in beans and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for one hour.

Remove to blender or use an immersion blender to puree soup.

Yield: 2 main dish servings

Source: www.agoodappetite.blogspot.com

How To Host a Superbowl Party On 24 Hours Notice

So, if you read my last post, you know that I had to host a Superbowl party on 24 hours notice. Now, let me preface this by saying - I am NOT spontaneous. I am a planner. I love to plan and organize actually. Spontaneity doesn't do anything for me. So, I was a little panicky. After we had a plan, I calmed down, but it was still kinda stressful. BUT, all in all, everything turned out great. The food was good and the boys were happy. So, here's the menu:

- Party Meatballs
- Ranch Bread Bowl with Veggies
- Pizza Squares
- Buffalo Chicken Dip in a Bread Bowl
- Veggie Tray (No picture)
- Chips and Salsa (No picture)
- Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Oreo Pie (courtesy of some unknown friend of my sisters! No picture - sorry!)
- Gooey Butter Bars

And, here are the recipes:

First, we have party meatballs. My mom actually made these for a Christmas Eve party and had frozen the leftovers. Being the mooch that I am, I just took them out of her freezer and reheated them in the crockpot. So, no recipe. But basically you put meatballs, spaghetti sauce and grape jelly in a crockpot and just go!
Next, we have a bread bowl with ranch dressing and vegetables. This is one of the easiest party dishes you can ever make. It looks like it took more time than it did, and the serving bowl is edible. I used a sourdough bread bowl, filled it with ranch, and put it on a plate with veggies and the bread from the bowl!

I also made pizza squares. You can find the recipe here. This picture is SO much better!

I also made buffalo chicken dip and put that in a bread bowl too. This is one of my most favorite recipes and it is so easy. I could seriously just munch on it ALL day. Sorry the picture is blurry. I don't know what happened.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. cooked chicken

2 c. blue cheese dressing (I don't measure, I just used a whole bottle)

1/2 c. Tabasco sauce (I used hot wing sauce)

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Dump everything in the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Cook on high 1-2 hours, until cheese is melted.

Source: www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

I also made buffalo chicken wings. I used the same method as my Asian Chicken Wings from last week, but these turned out so much better! All the guys loved them!

Ingredients:

4 lbs. chicken wings

2 bottles buffalo wing sauce

Directions:

Marinate wings in 1 1/2 bottles of sauce, preferably overnight.

Dump on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour-ish at 350, basting with remaining sauce.

When the outsides are crispy, put the hot wings in a bowl or on a serving plate and drizzle with the rest of the sauce.

And now for the icing on the cake - Gooey Butter Bars! These are super rich, but they are so good! I was eating the dough and the mix before I even got them into the oven! Seriously, go make these.

Ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix

3 eggs

2 sticks butter

1 package cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 box powdered sugar

Directions:

Combine cake mix, one egg and melted butter. Pat into a greased 9x13 cake pan.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Spread over cake batter.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. Do NOT overbake - it is supposed to be gooey inside!!

Source: Paula Deen

So, that's that. We actually ended up with very few leftovers, which is good. So, after all that, I won't be cooking tonight. Maybe just soup and grilled cheese or a chicken salad sandwich. Something easy!!

Shrimp With Sugar Snap Peas

This is actually from Saturday night, but I have been a tad busy. The boy decided at 5 pm on Saturday that he wanted to have a superbowl party. Yeah, seriously. So, follow up post on that next.

Amidst all the panic, I still made dinner. I have had my eye on this recipe for awhile. First of all, it looked really simple. Second, my boyfriend loves sugar snap peas. I served this with teriyaki rice. It was easy to make. However, it wasn't super flavorful. If I make it again, I will add some more spice - maybe some cajun seasoning, or some teriyaki sauce or something. It just needed a little more oomph.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tbsp. butter
8 oz. fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed and strings removed
1 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 lb. raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel
2 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add peas and garlic. Cover and cook, shaking pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

Add shrimp, lemon peel and lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until shrimp are opaque throughout (about 4 minutes).

Season with pepper and serve immediately.

Source: Woman's Day Magazine

Overnight Chicken Bake

Again, I apologize for the picture. I know it is awful. The food, on the other hand, was pretty good. This was super easy to make - you just have to plan ahead because it sits in the fridge overnight. Basically, it tasted like chicken pot pie, except with bread crumbs on top. If I make this again, I will probably use biscuits or crescent rolls on top instead.

Ingredients:
2 c. cooked chicken
1 package frozen mixed veggies (I used peas and carrots)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 c. water
1 c. shredded cheese
1 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. breadcrumbs

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except for butter and breadcrumbs in a 2 quart casserole dish. NOTE: do not put water in first and then frozen vegetables. They will freeze in one big layer and it makes it hard to mix. Yeah, you would think this is a pretty duh thing. But, I still did it.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter and mix with breadcrumbs. Spread over the top.

Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes.

Source: www.kevinandamanda.com

Oh. My. God.

Holy cow!! Everybody go out RIGHT NOW and buy an Orka Steamer. Seriously. This has just become my new favorite kitchen appliance. Appliance? First of all, I know the picture sucks. I am having camera issues.

I had been eying the Orka Steamers for quite awhile, and after Christmas, they went on sale on Amazon, so I went ahead and got one. Unfortunately, with all the hoopla of the last couple of weeks, I haven't had a chance to try it. Until now. No boy tonight, so I wanted to do something simple. And I was freezing, so I wanted something hot. And I didn't want any leftovers

Cue Orka Steamer! I had some chicken breasts in the freezer (note: I probably shouldn't have used year old chicken, but it was still pretty good!). The chicken isn't very pretty, but it is good! The vegetables turned out beautifully - I was afraid they would get all smushy. But no! They were soft inside but also crisp! So, I kind of made this up as I went, because the box only had like, 3 recipes. Does anybody have an Orka Steamer? Do you have any tried and true recipes for it?

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast
1 Serving Veggies (I used green beans, carrots and tomatoes)
1 tbsp (ish) EVOO
Italian Dressing
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Place everything in the steamer.

Drizzle with EVOO and salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle with Italian Dressing.

Cook in microwave 7 minutes (this is according to Orka's instructions for a frozen chicken breast).

Told you it was easy :)