Blueberry Smoothie

A couple weeks ago we went blueberry picking and got this recipe for a smoothie. We tried it this morning and it was delicious!!




2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
1 ripe banana
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup orange juice
ice (we added this ourselves to make the smoothie a little more thick - so just add as much as you want or feel free to leave it out)

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Enjoy!

Yummy Sugar Free Snack

I found this idea on Sparkpeople and tried it today. It was so good.

• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 chocolate, sugar free pudding snack pack
• 1 very large dollop of lite whipped topping

= about 200 calories. I love it! I also added strawberries and raspberries, but think it would have been better just with the above ingredients.

Cream of Tomato and Artichoke Soup

I know what you are thinking, we should not be having soup in the summer, but it's been cold enough here to do so.

I found this recipe blog and tried this soup. It was yummy. I hope to be a little more on top of it in a few weeks and get some new recipes to ya!

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas Sheet Cake

Melt:
2 TBSP cocoa
2 cubes margarine
1 cup water

Prepare:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. soda

Pour hot mixture into dry ingredients

Add:
1/2 cup sour milk (to make sour milk - do milk less 1 TBSP vinegar)
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Bake in large sheetcake pan at 350 for 18-20 minutes

Frosting:
1 square margarine
4 TBSP cocoa
6 TBSP milk
4-5 cups confectioners sugar

When cake is done, layer a bag of miniature marshmallows over top and put back in oven till marshmallows start to brown. Take out and let cool. Spread frosting over top. Enjoy!

Blintz Pancakes

It is finals week for my husband. That means I am not going to be seeing him. Dinner is going to be fast and easy. This recipe is one that my kids love. Honestly, who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?

Blintz Pancakes:

1 C. flour
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 C. sour cream
1 C. small-curd cottage cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten

topping of your choice: strawberry or blueberry syrup or jam are our favorite.

Combine the dry ingredients.
add everything else.
mix until combined.
I use a 1/4 C. measuring cup to scoop and pour on a greased hot griddle.
Turn when edges are set.

These are REALLY good and super easy!

Make them.

You'll be glad.

I got this recipe from "Taste of Home: Good Food Kids Love". Santa put it in my stocking.

Chicken Italiano

This is one of mine and my husband's favorite recipes. It's super easy and so yummy! It's our favorite meal to make on Sundays because it's a crock pot recipe. When we get home from church dinner is practically done! My kind of cookin!!!

Chicken Italiano (crock pot recipe)

Ingredients:
- 4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (I usually put mine in frozen)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 8oz cream cheese (I either use the fat free or 1/3 less fat)
- 1 package dry italian dressing mix
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 can mushrooms, drained (this is optional. If you're like us and love mushrooms, try putting in fresh cut ones. It's yummy!)

Directions:
Place chicken in the crock pot. Mix together the water and dry italian dressing mix. Pour over chicken. Mix together (I use an electric hand held mixer) cream cheese and cream of chicken soup. Fold in mushrooms. Pour over chicken (this mixture doesn't really pour because it's so thick, but it will liquefy as it cooks). Place crock pot on high for 4 hours. Before serving, shred the chicken with a fork or knife. Best served over rice.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares

I dedicate this post to my cousins, who have asked for this recipe long ago and I was a slacker and never passed it on. I have made these for 2 baby showers and they were a hit. My mom found them and they are from this website.

This is one of those recipes you have to go slow and read all the directions carefully. I had trouble my first batch and then my second was decent. My third and fourth I made simultaneously with ease with the new love of my life, my food processor. It is a very rich dessert - really not one of those you can eat a huge piece of. Delish - enjoy!

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares
Adapted from Gourmet, December 2003

Time: 9 3/4 hr (includes chilling) (45 minutes active time)
Makes 64 (1-inch) petits fours

Ingredients:

For crust
3 1/2 oz graham crackers, crumbled (1cup)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For filling
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-oz envelope, will just about half of envelope)
1/4 cup whole milk
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup dulce de leche (12 1/2 oz) (recipe follows)

For glaze
3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), coarsely chopped
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Directions:

Make crust: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of foil (crisscrossed), leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

Finely grind crackers with sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor. With motor running, add butter, blending until combined. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of baking pan. Bake 10 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.

Make filling: Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small bowl and let stand 2 minutes to soften. Beat together cream cheese, eggs, salt, and gelatin mixture in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, then stir in dulce de leche gently but thoroughly. Pour filling over crust, smoothing top, then bake in a hot water bath (I was able to fit mine in a 9×13-inch baking pan) in oven until center is just set, about 45 minutes. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 2 hours. Chill, covered, at least 6 hours.

Glaze cake within 2 hours of serving: Heat all glaze ingredients in a double boiler or a small metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth, then pour over cheesecake, tilting baking pan to coat top evenly. Chill, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Lift cheesecake from pan using foil overhang and cut into 1-inch squares with a thin knife, wiping off knife after each cut. (Don’t skip this step! A clean knife is essential for uber-neat squares.)

Note: Cheesecake (without glaze) can be chilled up to 3 days.

Dulce de Leche (Milk Caramel)

Pour 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk into top of double-boiler pan; cover. Place over boiling water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 50 minutes, or until thick and light caramel-colored.

Remove from heat. Whisk until smooth.

Wheat Rolls and Orange Rolls

In honor of Carrie C. giving up white sugar and flour, I am posting a wheat roll recipe. :) I made these Cloverleaf Honey-Wheat Rolls Sunday and they turned out great. I think they would be great for kids because they use whole wheat flour and they are cloverleaf shaped so kids can pull them apart easily. I hope you like them. Go Carrie, Go!! You're my hero!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=344092

Also, if you are feeling a little less healthy and don't have the will power of Mrs. Chilton, I made these orange rolls for Easter dinner and they were yummy. They use reduced fat sour cream as a butter subsitute so they aren't too bad -just a lot of sugar. And really, what's so wrong with that? :)

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=701088

The best pancakes

Don't let the name fool you, even though these are slighltly healthier than regular old pancakes, they taste so good!

Hearty Pancakes

1 cup all purpose white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Combine dry ingredients. Stir in egg, buttermilk, and butter. Pour batter 1/3 cup full onto lightly greased hot griddle. If using electric griddle temp approx 340 degrees.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Melt buttermilk and butter together, add sugar, bring to a boil. TAKE OFF HEAT, add vanilla.

Enchiladas galore

Here are a few Mexican recipes I have found and loved as of late:
Maniladas

• 1 (8-ounce) package manicotti shells
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup sour cream

For the Tomatillo sauce:

• 1 pound tomatillos, quartered
• 1 small red onion, quartered
• 1 jalapeno, halved
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cheese sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups heavy cream, room temperature
• 2 cups grated fontina cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Boil manicotti in salted water for 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water and set pasta aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat and mix in chicken, tomatoes, cilantro and sour cream. Set aside.

To make the Tomatillo Sauce:

Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeno and garlic in a baking dish. Toss with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatillos turn golden around the edges and are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and blend ingredients together until smooth. Use reserved pasta water to thin sauce, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To make the cheese sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add cheese and nutmeg and stir until melted. Season sauce with salt, to taste.

To assemble: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Stuff manicotti tubes with chicken mixture and assemble in a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top. Bake 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Drizzle tomatillo sauce on Maniladas before serving.

My notes: I actually just did enchiladas because my manicotti shells kept falling apart and also I just used monterey jack cheese because it was much cheaper than fontina. I also put a little cream in the salsa because it was too spicy for me. Delish - my new favorite chicken enchiladas:

Kaye Briggs' Chicken Enchiladas:
These are super easy and there are two ways to do them. The first:
Stir together:

• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 1 tub of sour cream
• 1 can of diced green chiles, drained.
• 1 lb. chicken (I'm guessing, I usually use 2 breasts)

• plenty of cheese

Fill tortillas with mix above mixture and with cheese. Put in greased 9x13 pan and top with remaining sauce and more cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and bubbly.

Next version is new and improved of the last version:
Stir together:

• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 tub of sour cream
• 1 can of diced green chiles, drained
• 1/2 of rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1-1 1/2 cups of chicken broth.
• lime juice and cilantro (optional)

Fill tortillas with above mixture and shredded cheese Top with remaining sauce and plenty of cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and bubbly. Yum!

Roasted Shrimp & Orzo

It's about time. This is my first post. I feel bad that I haven't posted any recipes thus far. All I can say is I have 2 excuses, I'm too busy and I don't have any good enough recipes to share. But I was shown this recipe by a friend and thought I'd share it with you. It's very flavorful and light. It gets me excited for summer. It's a good recipe to bring to a luncheon. So here it goes...
Roasted Shrimp & Orzo (from Barefoot Contessa)

Salt
Olive Oil (I used EVOO)
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta. I used one box of it.)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 3 lemons)
Black Pepper
2 lbs shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/2 cup minced scallions (green onions)
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill (they were out of fresh dill at the store so I used dried dill but make sure to use a lot less if you're using dry dill)
1 cup chopped fresh parsley (I again used dried parsley)
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
3/4 lb feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the orzo and boil for 9-11 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Pour over hot pasta and stir well.
Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast for 5-6 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook.
Add the shrimp to the orzo and then the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, and onion. Toss well. Add the feta cheese and stir carefully (my husband doesn't like feta cheese too much so I left it out and sprinkle it on my portion when I eat it). Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

This recipe is super easy and very yummy and refreshing!

Soup's On!

Three-Onion Soup with Cheese-Smothered Toast

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large yellow or Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 leeks (white part only), rinsed well an chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4-6 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan rind
• Reserved bread from bread bowls or 4 slices sourdough baguette, French or Italian bread, about 1-inch thick and lightly toasted
• sliced Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, sugar, and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the broth, bay leaves, thyme, parmesan rind, salt, and pepper, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler. Top each bread slice with a slice of cheese. Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof bowls and place a cheese-topped bread slice in the center of each bowl. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese melts, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.

MY NOTES: So, I saw this on Robin Miller's Quick Fix on the Food Network, but it called for wine. Then I checked her book out of the library and found one without, but it only called for 4 cups broth and the other one had 6 cups. I thought it could have used more broth honestly, so 6 cups for me next time. (Make a double batch and freeze up to 3 months)

Also, I don't have "ovenproof bowls" so I just toasted my bread, same effect. The parmesan rind is optional - I didn't have one and it tasted fab. We LOVED this and we used swiss cheese, but I really want to try it with the Gruyer. And the cheese is the most expensive thing to buy - everything else is under $5! Same with this next recipe-

Italian Pork & Beans

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. EVOO
• 1/3 lb chunk of Pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 2 celery ribs with leafy tops finely chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cans white beans drained
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• crusty bread for mopping

Heat EVOO in skillet over medium heat. Cook pancetta (or ANY meat, I've used chicken, sausage, ground beef, bacon, turkey bacon, anything you like) for five minutes, until crisp. Add veggies, garlic, and bay leaf and cook for five more minutes. Add white bean, season with S&P, then stir in stock and tomato sauce and heat through. Remove bay leaf and serve. So easy, love it from Rachel Ray.

Flamin' Chicken Chili

No picture, but a favorite among EVERYONE who tries it. I love it because you can buy all the ingredients and put it in your pantry and it's fantastic to just throw together without having to go to the store.

• 1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and cubed.
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1-26 oz. cream of chicken soup
• 1-4 1/2 oz. can mild diced green chilies, drained
• 1-10 oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
• 1-16 oz. can ranch style beans, drained.
• Cilantro and lime juice to taste. (fresh lime is worth it, 1-2 limes)

Combine and heat through.

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies - Thin Mints

My husband and I made these Thin Mints Saturday night and they are soooo good! They don't take long and there are only 4 ingredients. The recipe says it makes about 2 dozen, but I guess it depends on what size bag of chocolate chips you get because we went through a sleeve and a quarter of Ritz crackers. It also says 1-2 tsp of peppermint extract - we used 1.5 tsp.

Support the Girl Scouts, but if you're short on cash, this is a great substitute.

Texas Sheet Cake

Sorry Tricia this is late - I just remembered :( Not the best picture, but this was Texas Sheet Cake. I know Cara has a recipe so if she wants to post hers too I'd love to try her recipe sometime and have a cake-off!


Combine dry ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Melt 1 cup water, 2 sticks margarine, and 5 Tbs cocoa.

Combine all ingredients, plus:

• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (I usually just use my cream or milk and put 1-2 tsp of lemon juice and let it stand for five minutes and it will curdle)

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or so - just watch and when toothpick or knife comes out clean, your cake is done.

Frosting: the key is to make the frosting while your cake is in the oven and put the frosting on the hot cake as soon as you take the cake out of the oven.
Melt 1 stick margarine and 4 Tbs. cocoa together.
Add to 1 tsp vanilla and 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. Add cream until it reaches the desired consistency.

Spread frosting on hot cake and let stand until ready to serve. If the cake stands until cooled, just heat each piece you serve for a few seconds in the microwave and the frosting soaks into the cake. Besides that, any cake that requires 3 sticks of margarine or butter is a good cake recipe, right? You can bake this in a 9x13 pan or on a cookie sheet for brownies. My mom used to do cut it on a cookie sheet and put it in saran wrap and freeze them. It was a fantastic after school snack.