17 Monday Jun 2013
Posted in Freezer Cooking, Recipes
It doesn’t get more simple than this one.
Take a few uncooked chicken breasts, stick them in a freezer bag, and dump zesty Italian dressing over the top. I used about half a bottle for each bag.
Close the bags and return to the freezer.
When you’re ready to use them, thaw and bake like you normally would.
We eat a lot of salad with chopped chicken over the top, and they taste amazing with the Italian seasoning.
Hahaha…does this even count as a recipe? :)
13 Thursday Jun 2013
Posted in Freezer Cooking, Recipes
I was just about to write that this casserole was something I put together on a whim, when I realized that Heather and I made something similar at grandmas a few years back. She had clipped a recipe from a newspaper or something and asked us to try it during one of our visits. We thought it was good, and the kids didn’t gag, so it was considered a success.
We didn’t keep the recipe, but I think this casserole is pretty similar to the one we tried that day. I just took a gamble on whether it would freeze well, and it seems to have passed the test.
Pizza Casserole
Cook the noodles, then drain and cool while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, parmesan, and seasonings. Add in the cottage cheese.
Pour mixture over noodles and toss until coated.
Pour the noodles into a greased 9×13 pan (I split this recipe in half and used 2 8×8’s) and top with the red sauce.
Layer 1/2 of the pepperoni, then the mozzarella, and top with the rest of the pepperoni.
Bake for 20-30 minutes at 375.
Since most casserole dishes make far too much for my family, splitting them into two separate meals has been pretty awesome. Not only do we waste less, but it gives me a night off when I pull the other half out of the freezer. Love it.
Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime
11 Tuesday Jun 2013
Posted in Freezer Cooking, Recipes
One thing I discovered in the great freezer-cooking experiment was that muffins freezer really, really well. I think I made four different varieties over the course of the month, many of which are still in our freezer now.
These were the favorites, largely because the girls refused to eat some of the other varieties (obviously not everything was a success!).
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Combine the butter, milk, and eggs, and sugar, mixing well. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and oatmeal, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Bake in a greased muffin tin for 15-18 minutes at 400.
Yields approximately 36 muffins.
These freeze really well, thawed quickly, and taste great. They’re filling and not too sweet. You could easily cut this recipe in half, but I liked having quite a few to put in the freezer for something easy to serve with our morning eggs.
I usually take a few out when I get up and they’re ready to eat by the time the girls get dressed and ready for the day (which, to be honest, can sometimes take FOREVER, but that’s beside the point.)
Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime
06 Thursday Jun 2013
Posted in Freezer Cooking, Recipes
One of our favorite recipes from the great freezer cooking experiment in May was BBQ Meatballs. Honestly, this one really surprised me because I’m not a fan of BBQ sauce. I was always the irritating kid that asked my dad to leave off the sauce on one burger when he grilled (and he always obliged because he’s awesome like that), so I fully expected to not like these meatballs. I mainly gave them a shot because the husband likes meatballs and I very rarely make them for him.
Turns out they’re pretty stinkin good, and they’re incredibly easy.
Freezer-Friendly BBQ Meatballs
(adapted from this recipe)
3 lbs fresh ground beef (I use 90% lean)
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 cups oats
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Shape into 1-inch meatballs and lay on cookie sheet.
Freeze on cookie sheet for one hour, then separate into freezer bags and return to freezer.
To serve, thaw overnight in refrigerator, then bake in a greased baking pan for 18-20 minutes at 350.
Make BBQ sauce while meatballs are cooking.
BBQ Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1.5 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Turn heat down and simmer for two minutes, then pour over meatballs and bake for 10-20 minutes longer.
Serve over rice.
I was able to separate this recipe into four different meals for my family, so three went straight into the freezer for future use.
Love it!
Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime
03 Monday Jun 2013
Posted in Freezer Cooking
I’ve been interested in freezer cooking for years, ever since I was a teenager and saw some friends get together and make about a zillion meals in one day.
The group idea is awesome, but since I don’t really have anyone to do it with me down here, I finally decided to try it the way Crystal @ Moneysavingmom does: freezer cooking in an hour.
The basic idea is that you set a timer for an hour, cook away, and at the end of the designated time you have dinner plus several things to put away in the freezer.
I did this for the entire month of May, only cooked for the freezer about once a week, and let me tell ya, it was awesome.
We didn’t love all of the recipes I tried, but there were several real winners, which I’ll share over the next few weeks.
Since I was only cooking for an hour at a time I didn’t burn out or feel like I was spending my life in the kitchen, and right now my freezer is totally full of meals that I carried over from May.
The real bonus? I did a large monthly shopping trip, and only had to go to the store for milk, eggs, and produce at the beginning of each week. I LOVED not having to drag the girls out every Monday to shop. Awesome, awesome, awesome!
I’m looking forward to doing an hour of cooking each week to keep the freezer stocked. It’s made several of the dinners each week insanely easy – just pull out, thaw, stick it in the oven, and serve!
I’ll be back in a few days with one of our favorite recipes from the experiment: BBQ Meatballs!
23 Thursday May 2013
Posted in Recipes
Since I’ve developed an aversion to Death by Chocolate aka chocolate pudding-cool whip-brownie-toffee gut bomb, I wasn’t entirely sure if I would like how this concoction turned out.
Whoa buddy.
Let me tell ya, this stuff is the bomb.
And I don’t even care that much about Oreos.
I’m already planning to bring it for the next church potluck.
It’s good enough to almost make me wish for one, and I’m the queen of party poopers when it comes to potlucks. Ask anyone.
But enough about my failings.
On to the pudding.
I know it doesn’t look that spectacular.
That’s for several reasons:
a) I’m not that great of a photographer.
b) It’s really hard to take appetizing photos of layered pudding dishes. What? It is!
But it doesn’t ever matter, because once you taste this stuff, it’s like a party in your mouth.
And it’s killer-easy to make.
Cookies & Creme Pudding
1 pkg Oreos, crushed
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large pkg vanilla pudding (I used sugar-free)
3 cups milk
1 tub Cool Whip
Prepare the pudding as directed on the box, and let chill while you prepare the rest of the dessert.
Beat the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla together.
Carefully mix in Cool Whip, then add the pudding.
Layer pudding and cookies, alternating until gone.
Chill until ready to serve.
I fully expected to hate this because I knew the Oreos would get soggy after sitting for a few hours, but shockingly, the lack of crispness didn’t taste as horrible as I thought it would.
In fact, it was down-right delicious.
Bring on the potlucks.
Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime
06 Monday May 2013
Posted in Recipes
My plans to finish up several skirts this past weekend kind of got crushed with the whole being locked out of the house thing on Friday and the kidney stone/ER visit on Saturday, so they aren’t quite ready to post about yet.
But I do have a super delicious banana bread recipe to share. I loooove this banana bread; it’s dense and moist and coconut-y, and is the perfect way to use up the over-ripe bananas we always seem to have lying around.
Coconut Banana Bread
(found here)
Mix the oil and sugar together, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Stir in vanilla and almond extract.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Combine banana and coconut milk in another bowl.
Add to batter, alternating dry and wet ingredients until well mixed. Add in the coconut.
Pour batter into greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake for 1 hour at 350.
Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime
29 Monday Apr 2013
Posted in Recipes
So I’ve been following this girl for a while now, and as soon as I saw her recipe for pretzel pizza bites I knew I had to give them a try myself. I don’t even care that I’m a copycat, because her recipe is so awesome there was nothing to change about it. Plus she loves Star Wars so she’s pretty much my hero.
They turned out just as yummy as I imagined, although my photos don’t even come close to doing them justice. (If you want to be awed, just click over to the original post and prepare to drool. Her photos make you want to eat the screen.)
Pretzel Pizza Rolls
1 cup milk
1 TBSP yeast
3 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP butter, melted
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 TBSP Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fine salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/3 cup baking soda
3 cups warm water
Coarse salt
5 TBSP butter, melted
Warm the milk in the microwave for 1.5 minutes, stir in the yeast, and let sit for a couple of minutes. Add the butter and sugar, then the flour a little at a time. Add salt, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder and knead for 10 minutes.
Put in a greased bowl and let it rise until doubled in size (about an hour).
Combine the baking soda and warm water in a large bowl.
Divide dough in half and roll into a thick, long rope.
Flatten, top with cheese and pepperoni, then pinch the edges together, sealing completely (as much as possible).
Dunk the entire thing in the baking soda/water mixture for a couple of seconds, then slice into (small) pieces and place on greased baking sheet. My pieces turned out gigantic, so slice smaller than I did if you want them to be all pretty and stuff.
Sprinkle with the kosher salt and bake for 8-10 minutes at 400.
Brush melted butter right out of the oven and enjoy these puppies.
So, so good.
Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime
15 Monday Apr 2013
Posted in Recipes
I haven’t posted a recipe in a long time, and I’ve been meaning to post a killer blondie recipe FOREVER, so I figured it was about time to get it done.
I love bar recipes because they’re practically fool-proof (which is a good thing for fools like me) and they’re QUICK. Just throw the ingredients together and slap em in a pan.
This was the first blondie recipe I ever remember trying and I think I dug it out of some random cookbook that I probably don’t even own anymore, but boy are they GOOD.
Seriously.
I don’t think I’ve even made brownies since I discovered this recipe.
THAT good.
Brown Butter Blondies
In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until it browns (don’t let it burn!).
Let it cool for a few minutes, then mix together with the sugars.
Stir in the egg, vanilla, salt, flour, and coconut until well combined.
The original recipe called for chocolate chips, but I substituted M&M’s the first time around and now we’re hooked. I’ve used peanut, peanut butter, and most recently, coconut M&M’s (they were by FAR the best!).
So, add in the M&M’s.
Press into greased 9×9 pan and drop a few M&M’s on the top.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Let cool completely before slicing.
They’re the perfect balance between chewy and crunchy and gooey. I could probably eat the whole pan by myself.
Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime
28 Friday Dec 2012
Posted in Recipes
Tags
baking, chocolate peppermint cookies, chocolate sandwich cookies, holiday cookies, recipe, sandwich cookies with peppermint filling
So now that Christmas is over does that mean it’s too late to share chocolate and peppermint-laced goodies?
I hope not, because these babies are good.
And hey, it is still December, so go ahead and give em a try.
Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Peppermint Creme
COOKIES:
1 cup + 1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 TBSP butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir, and continue to melt in 30 second increments if needed, until smooth.
Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in small bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
Add in the sugar, scraping the sides as you beat together.
Add in the egg/vanilla and then the chocolate, mixing until well-incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients.
Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
Scoop out 1 TBSP, roll into ball and flatten slightly on greased baking sheet.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
While they’re cooling, make the peppermint filling.
Peppermint Creme Filling:
3/4 cup butter, at room temp
2.5 – 3 cups powdered sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP heavy cream
1/2 cup candy cane dust (about 8 candy canes, crushed)
Cream the butter, then add the sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream and beat together until creamy.
Add the peppermint.
Spread on cookie, top with another, and ENJOY!
These babies are super good, almost like a chewy peppermint-y brownie.
Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Lines Across My Face, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, The Southern Institute, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Vintage Wanna Bee, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Something Swanky, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, Crazy for Crust
Somewhere In The Middle 