Week of March 16

Monday - Indian Tacos

Here's the pint sized version and the adult version. Yum!

For dessert we had the Coldstone Cupcakes. Limited time only. They are pretty darn good. I still don't think they are worth all the money but I bought them for our anniversary so we splurged a little.

Tuesday - Cranberry Pork Tenderloin and mashed potatoes


1 pound pork tenderloin
1 can (16 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp cold water

Place the tenderloin in a 3-qt slow cooker. Combine the cranberry sauce, orange juice, sugars, and mustard; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove pork and keep warm. In a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir in cranberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with the pork.

It was good. The pictures show us eating a ton of sauce on our potatoes, well, that was before we decided the sauce was to sweet to eat that much of. I also made my own cranberry sauce because I have frozen cranberries and wasn't going to pay $1.69 for a can of cranberry sauce. So here's the recipe for that.

Cranberry Sauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 of a 12 ounce package fresh cranberries

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries, and cook until they start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, and transfer to a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Wednesday - Leftover Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

Thursday - Mushroom Cheese Bread

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 loaf unsliced French bread
We also added sausage

In a bowl, combine the mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, onion and sausage. Cut bread in half lengthwise; spread cheese mixture over cut sides. Broil 4 inches from the head for 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

This is really fast and easy to prepare. We use sausage in ours and of course add more cheese! If you do add the extra cheese don't adjust the mayo amount. I think the recipe calls for a little too much mayo. I wouldn't use as much mayo if I only had the called for 1 cup of cheese. We dip our cheese bread in pizza sauce.

Friday - Spaghetti

I have to have my spaghetti with fettuccine noodles. It's just a lot better that way!! The sauce is a recipe I just put together that night. It turned out really yummy! I liked it a lot! Jared even commented that he thought the sauce was really good that night.

1/3-1/2 pound ground meat
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can mushrooms, drained
2 cans tomato sauce
2 ounces cream cheese
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning

Cook ground meat and onion. Drain the grease. Add the tomato sauce, cream cheese, mushrooms and seasonings to taste. Cook until heated through and cream cheese has been blended in.

I would say the sauce recipe makes about 4 good sized servings.

Saturday - Stake Enrichment and then a birthday party so NO COOKING!! Yippee!

Sunday - Sweet Orange Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2" cubes
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup seasoned "Red Pepper" rice vinegar (can also use regular white vinegar to not make it spicy)
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons yellow onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a shallow bowl combine the cornstarch, garlic powder and black pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in cornstarch mixture and coat evenly.

Melt butter and pour in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and onion or green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 3o to 40 minutes basting (glazing the sauce over the chicken) frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side.

Be warned, this chicken takes some time to cook. I tried to hurry up the process by cooking the chicken the first time in a frying pan. It worked just fine but it still takes some time. Then I just placed all our chicken in a 9x9 pan (the chicken was still in a single layer) and poured enough glaze over the chicken to completely cover the chicken. This way I didn't have to be basting it frequently for 30 minutes! It turned out perfect. We thought it had enough sauce on the chicken already and so we didn't use the extra sauce. So if you aren't sauce people I would just make half the sauce recipe, that way you don't end up throwing half of it away like we did.

Then I have a cookie recipe that I made awhile back.

Praline Cookies

Makes 3 dozen

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if necessary
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl, using a electric mixer, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups light-brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until fully combined. Add dry ingredients, and beat on low speed until combined.

Drop batter in rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until firm and barely golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies from pan to wire rack.

In a small saucepan, combine remaining 1 cup light-brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add confectioners' sugar, and whisk until smooth. (If frosting thickens, thin with cream.) Place cookies on a cooling rack over a lined baking pan. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon praline mixture onto each cookie, decorate with pecans.

These cookies were good. The frosting/praline mixture is really really sweet. I'm sure I added more than a 1/2 tsp of the frosting to my cookies and it was way too much. Stick to the 1/2 tsp. Even though it doesn't seem like a lot, the frosting is really sweet and 1/2 tsp will be plenty. I had extra frosting and I even used more frosting than recommended. So you might only need 1/2 of the frosting recipe. You can try it and decide I guess.

This Week

I started out doing really good this week, I was determined to take a picture of everything we ate even if it was microwave pizza, well it only lasted 2 days, sorry.

Monday- Stir fry with Rice
I used some "ancho" green peppers that I had from sister Cundick's garden, they were a little spicy, it made it really good.


Tuesday- Egg Rolls with Rice
So I made a lot of rice. I like having leftovers to make fried rice the next day but we had this and of course with tonkatsu sauce.


Wednesday- Chicken Cutts with Rice
Rice again good thing we love it! We made this the easy man way..usually you get chicken tenders and dip them in egg then in bread crumbs fry them and place them on rice with tonkatsu sauce. We got out the dinosaur chicken nuggets warmed them up and walla chicken cutts the easy way.

Thursday- Curly Noodle Soup
The boys like theirs plan nothing in it. I put in hamburger, green onions, sometimes green pepper, but not this time, and top it of with sliced boiled eggs. Yummy and easy!

Friday- Chicken Fajitas
You know the normal way put the green and red pepper, onion, chicken, seasoning, and then wrap in tortilla with cheese, salsa, sour cream, and shredded lettuce. Nothing new.

Saturday- Date Night!
Kids had pizza, we had Texas Roadhouse!

Sunday- Dinner with Mom and Dad
Mom made pork chops with her shell noodle salad, and scalloped potatoes. I'm so lucky on Sunday's!

Week of March 2

It's been a crazy week! I wouldn't say that I haven't cooked much because I spent most of the week cooking, just not making dinner! I made 7 lasagnas and 5 french silk pies for a ward dinner this week so I apologize for our dinners being VERY simple!

Monday- Chicken Enchiladas

1 can refried beans

10 flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. sour cream

3 chicken breasts (cooked & shredded)

1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese

15 oz. enchilada sauce

2 c. cooked rice (cook w/ 1 tsp. chicken bouillon & 1/2 tsp. cumin)

Combine soup and sour cream; stir in chicken. Set aside. Spread 2 Tbsp. beans on each tortilla. Sprinkle a good helping of rice followed by 1/3 c. of chicken mixture down each tortilla. Top with 1 Tbsp. of cheeses and roll up. Place seam side down in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over tops;sprinkle with sliced green onions, sliced olives and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Tuesday- Nachos

Wednesday- Chicken Tetrazzini

8 oz. thin spaghetti

1/4 c. butter

1 c. sour cream

2 - 8 oz. cans sliced mushrooms (we did without these)

4 cooked and cubed chicken breasts

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 c. or more Monterey Jack cheese

Parmesan cheese

Break spaghetti into 3" pieces. Cook as directed on package. Combine all ingredients with cheese on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake covered in a 9 x 13 pan for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Thursday- Chili and Cornbread

Sis. Cundick's Chili

2 cans diced tomatoes (15 oz.)

3 cans chili (she always used Nalley's)

1 can kidney beans (okay, I confess, we did pinto beans instead so the kids would eat it)

1 onion, chopped

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

Mix all ingredients together in large saucepan. Heat. Add grated cheese to serve.

Sweet Cornbread

Yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines)

Cornbread mix (Marie Callendars)

Mix each box as per instructions on each box. Combine and bake with cake instructions. Serve with honey butter.

(I had this when the lady whose recipe this is made it and it was AMAZING...but I used the little pouch ,not a box since I couldn't find one, of cornbread mix and it wasn't enough so I'll get more details and edit this later. If anyone else has luck let me know!)

Friday- WARD DINNER (Lasagna, salad and French silk pie)

You already have the lasagna recipe! Sooo....

French Silk Pie

9 Tbsp. baking cocoa

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 - 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla (according to what you prefer)

3 eggs

1 - 9" prebaked pie crust (not deep dish)

Mix cocoa and oil until smooth. Beat in butter, sugar and vanilla, scraping sides well. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 5 minutes after EACH egg. Pour mixture into baked pie shell and chill. Very rich!

(If you can't stomach the idea of raw eggs, I've heard you can use Egg Beaters too, ie. pasturized eggs.)

Saturday- Fried chicken and Potato salad

I totally bought the chicken (it was Sadie's birthday party!) but I made cake so I'll share that recipe!

Homemade Chocolate Cake

3 c. all-purpose flour

2 c. sugar

1/3 c. baking cocoa

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 c. water

3/4 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. vinegar

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the water, oil, vanilla and vinegar; mix well. (Batter will be thin.) Pour into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely. **Recipe contains no eggs.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened

2 c. powdered sugar

1/3 c. baking cocoa

dash salt

3 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa, salt, milk and vanilla; mix well. Spread over cooled cake.

Week of Feb 23 - Finally!

Wow! This is a sad week! I didn't do much cooking! After having Jared gone for so long I just didn't get back into the cooking grove. It's back now but it's too late! Plus our computer got really really sick on Sunday (it just recovered today - after wiping it clean and reinstalling EVERYTHING!!) and my pictures are gone.
Monday - Fried Rice mom style

Tuesday - Lipton Noodles and chicken

Don't judge me - but when the hubby is away the wife will NOT cook!! Yippe!

Wednesday - Hamburger and potato salad

Thursday - Chicken and Pasta
That's what the recipe is called, weird.

8 oz of pasta - shells or bows
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/8 cup butter
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook chicken and red pepper in butter until chicken juices run clear. Stir in the soup, peas, milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat.

Friday - Pizza and for dessert Raspberry Brownie Dessert

1 package fudge brownie mix (13 x 9 pan size)
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 package (3.3 ounces) instant white chocolate pudding mix
1 can raspberry pie filling

Prepare and bake brownies according to the package directions. Use a 13 x 9 pan. Cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup cream and pudding mix; stir for 2 minutes or until very thick. In a small mixing bowl, beat remaining cream until stiff peaks form; fold into pudding. Spread over brownies; top with pie filling. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.

OK, I wouldn't beat 1 cup of cream into stiff peaks next time. I would probably just do about 1/2 cup or even 1/4 cup. The flavor of the pudding gets lost in the cream when you use the full 1 cup. We had some weird/yucky brownies which makes me sad - wish I would have used Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, anything but whatever I used!! Other than the brownies this was really yummy.

Saturday - Mac and Cheese

Sunday - Stir fry over rice

What we ate this week

Monday-Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup
Although I didn't make my own noodles like mom.

Tuesday-Chicken Rolls

Of course we all know you make chicken noodle soup next day is chicken rolls.

We like to put vegetables in ours, broccoli, red peppers, yellow peppers. Today was green peppers.

For some reason I always have crescent rolls left over so I made these, it's just pie filling with cream cheese (if I'm not in a hurry I mix the cream cheese with a little bit of powdered sugar).

Wednesday-Lasagna
Yup the best easiest lasagna, thanks Coralie.

Thursday-Tortilla Casserole

Trent found this recipe at work, he loves it.

1lb hamburger

1 onion (diced)

1 Sm can green chilies

1 Sm can spicy green chilies (optional)

1 can diced tomatoes with diced chilies

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 2lb brick Velveeta Cheese (cut into 1/4 in. slices)

1 pkg. 6-8 small corn tortillas (cut in quarters)

1 can pinto beans

Directions:

Brown hamburger with onions. In a 9x13 casserole dish layer: Tortilla pieces, hamburger mixture, pinto beans, Velveeta, green chilies, another layer of tortilla pieces. Mix in separate bowl can of tomatoes with green chilies and cream of chicken soup. Layer mixture on top of the tortilla pieces.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375* for 45 minutes or until Velveeta cheese has melted completely.

You can make this not hot, kinda hot, and cry your eyes out hot, depending on the amount of green chilies you use. If you use only one small can(normal) not hot,2 small cans(normal) kinda hot, and 1 small can(normal) and 1 small can(spicy) really hot!

We also like beans in our family and putting 2 cans of pinto beans actually made it a layer instead of little spots here and there.

Friday-Shiskibobs in a pan with noodle salad

Since we don't have grill I just cut up all my stuff like I would put on a shiskibob put marinade on it (tonkatsu sauce). Then I throw it in my pan and cook it all together. I usually make rice and eat it on top of that but this time I just made mom's noodle salad.

Saturday-Leftovers

Sunday-Great Grandma Murray's she made corn, roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, sweet pickles and ice cream for dessert. She so spoils us!

Week of Feb 9th

Monday-Taco Soup1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn

1 can Italian-diced tomatoes

1 lb. hamburger

1 pkt. taco seasoning

1 tsp. dry minced onions

1/3 c. noodles

1 c. water

sour cream, optional

Brown hamburger and drain. Add all other ingredients and simmer until noodles are tender. Serve with grated cheese and sour cream.

The original recipe doesn't have the onions, noodles or water so if you prefer, make it without them. We like noodles in our soup. We also eat this by scooping it up with tortillas chips. We all love it!

Tuesday- Buffalo Wings

2 parts packed brown sugar

1 part Franks Red Hot sauce

chicken wings

Bake chicken wings on a rack with a pan underneath at 400 degrees for around 1 hour. (Longer is better because they just get more crunchy.) Combine sugar and sauce and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Once wings are crunchy, dip each wing in the sauce and return to oven for just a few minutes until the sauce is carmelized. Repeat the dip and carmelize process again and enjoy!

Just a note, if the sauce is too hot for you, just add some more brown sugar. We usually use about 1 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. hot sauce for wings but we also use this sauce on hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, breaded chicken strips (they end up like sticky fingers) and for dipping french fries.

Wednesday- Riblets

Dry Rub:

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. paprika

2 Tbsp. black pepper

1/4 c. kosher salt

1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. white sugar

Spray foil with Pam. Cut ribs into portions. Rub both sides generously with rub. Baste favorite BBQ sauce over rub, leaving fatty side up (if using real ribs). Wrap each piece loosely and put on pan. refridgerate and marinate overnight. Cook at 275 degrees for 3 hrs. Preheat your grill and oil. Carefully take ribs out of foil packet with tongs and place fatty side down on grill. (For only a few minutes.) Baste meat side with sauce from foil then flip over. Remove and let set 5 min.

The first time we made these it was with baby back ribs and we grilled them just like the recipe said, but only marinated them for a few hours. They were falling apart as I tried to put them on the grill but that was the only problem! They were wonderful! This time we used riblets and didn't grill them but marinated them as directed. They were tender but seemed pretty peppery to me this time, but I'm not a pepper person. I'm wondering if marinating time had to do with the pepper coming out so much this time. So next time I'll probably reduce the amount of pepper AND the marinating time. Let me know how it goes for you all!

Thursday- Taquitos

These are from the box. =) Just thought I'd show you how we do them up. We spread refried beans on them, then add salsa, lettuce and cheese. Then we just pick them up and eat!

Friday- Pizza

What can I say, it was date night. =)

Saturday- Lasagna

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 lb. hot breakfast sausage (I used Jimmy Dean's)

2 cloves minced garlic

Two 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes

Two 6-oz. cans tomato paste

2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

2 Tbsp. dried basil

Salt

1/4 c. water

One 10-oz. pkg. lasagna noodles

3 c. lowfat cottage cheese

2 beaten eggs

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

1 lb. sliced mozzarella cheese

In a skillet, combine ground beef, sausage and minced garlic. Cook until brown, draining off half the fat. Pour in cans of tomatoes and tomato paste, dried parsly flakes, dried basil, 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 c. water. Mix together thoroughly and heat through.

Meanwhile, mix lowfat cottage cheese in a bowl with 2 beaten eggs. Add 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, 2 Tbsp. parsley flakes and 1 tsp. salt.

Set up your "assembly line": meat mixture, sliced mozzarella, cottage cheese and lasagna noodles. Lay four dry noodles in bottom of 9X13 pan, overlapping as you go. (This fills mine to brimming, so if you have a lasagna pan...use it!) Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Then lay 1/2 lb. of mozzarella cheese slices on top of the cottage cheese mixture. With a spoon, make a line through the middle of the meat mixture so you'll distribute it evenly. Spread a little less than half of the meat mixture over the mozzarella cheese slices. Spread it around until evenly distributed atop mozzarella.

Repeat the layering process. Four noodles, remaining cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella, and finish with the rest of the meat mixture. Top generously with parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check to make sure noodles are done. If not, bake another 15 min.

I got this recipe from thepioneerwoman.com and it is great! I've changed it slightly by not cooking my noodles but it is soooo easy to make this way that even my honey was able to make it for us this week!

Sunday- Leftovers

Menu for our week

So last week was a sorta weird week. We had some really different types of recipes. Hopefully the next time it's my turn the recipes will be a little more helpful for everyday use. And maybe a little more kid friendly. Anyway, here you go. I put my commentary in purple, the recipe titles in black and the recipe in white.

Sunday - Hamburgers and tater tots.
Don't forget to season your hamburgers with McCormick Montreal steak seasoning! It makes them super yummy.

Monday - Sweet Potato Soup and Sauteed Mushrooms
5 scallions
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 cups leftover mashed sweet potatoes
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound mushrooms, thickly sliced

1. Mince the scallions and keep the white and green portions separate.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the broth, scallion whites, 1 clove of the garlic and the curry powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the sweet potatoes and lemon zest, and stir until well combined. Stir in the Parmesan. For a smooth, cream-style soup, puree the mixture in a blender (or use an immersion blender). Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed (this will depend on how the mashed potatoes were seasoned to begin with).
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 cloves garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook until the mushrooms are softened, about 6 minutes.
5. Serve the soup in shallow bowls with some sautéed mushrooms on top. Garnish the mushrooms with some of the minced scallion greens.

Makes 6 servings

We had a leftover sweet potato from Thanksgiving that was growing and needed to be eaten so we made this soup. It was actually really good. I think it was better than the tomato soup I made later in the week.

Strawberries and Creme for dessert!
12-16 (more or less depending on the size) large strawberries
4 oz. cold heavy cream
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2-4 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar (make is as sweet as you like)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
a little vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar with an electric mixer. Add the heavy cream. Continue beating until the mixture thickens. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Place in the fridge for several hours, or overnight.

Oh man this is yummy! Jared just wanted to eat the creme, forget the strawberries! Either way it's delicious!

Tuesday - BBQ Chicken Sandwich

2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. mustard
4 kaiser rolls

In a medium saucepan, combine chicken, barbecue sauce, onion and mustard; cook over mediu heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon chicken mixture into rolls and enjoy.

Super simple and really good.

Chocolate-Pecan Truffles

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup whipping cream

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

Place chocolate and cream in small saucepan; cook on low heat until chocolate is completely melted, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add chocolate mixture, mixing well after each addition; cover. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Shape chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls, using melon baller or teaspoon; roll in pecans. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Serve in paper liners.

These were yummy. Just another random Valentine's Day treat I made.

Wednesday - Roasted Tomato Soup, bread and salad.

6 cups (3 pints) cherry tomatoes
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream

1. Heat the oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them in a single layer. Roast the tomatoes until they are shriveled with brown spots, about 35 to 45 minutes.
2. In a large pot, heat the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the broth and the roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.
3. Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it's smooth. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream. Without letting the soup boil, warm it over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Our grocery store had a super deal on cherry tomatoes and I this recipe sounded really good so I went ahead and made it. The soup was good but for all that work I would rather just open up a can and enjoy.

Thursday - Salad with pork

Just a salad with pork slices on top. Mmm...salad is good!!!

Friday - Tuna Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 can tuna
1 cup grated cheese (any kind will do)
1 Tbsp salt and pepper to taste
3 cups cooked pasta (I use egg noodles)
I also add vegetables. I don't know how much but some days I put in peas and carrots other days I put in broccoli.

Combine all ingredients. Pour into a 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with extra cheese the last 15 minutes of baking.

It's a lot creamier than the tuna casserole recipe in the family cookbook. We like it!

Saturday - Leftovers

Honey-Soy Glazed Chicken

This recipe got mixed reviews at our house...well sort of. I absolutely LOVED the chicken and the hubby thought it was ok. I really like sweet chicken so that's probably why I liked it so much.

Honey-Soy Glazed Chicken

• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 8 skinless chicken drumsticks (about 3 pounds total)
• coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a shallow roasting pan or 9-by-13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, mix together honey, soy sauce, and 1/3 cup water. Add chicken, and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken and honey mixture to prepared roasting pan.

2. Bake chicken, basting with juices from edges of pan every 10 minutes, until well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of drumstick (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve chicken drizzled with pan juices.

It's a really easy recipe. I don't have a thermometer so I just poked the chicken until juices ran clear. I might add a little garlic to the glaze next time just to give it a little more flavor.

Turtle Brownies

These brownies are super yummy! We made the brownies with the homemade caramel topping and I'd have to say wow! YUMMY!

Brownies:

3 ounces (90 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) (170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 large eggs

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Caramel Topping:

40 Kraft caramels (10 ounces) (280 grams), unwrapped

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

2 cups (200 grams) pecan halves

Or

Homemade Caramel Topping:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (120 ml) light corn syrup

5 tablespoons water

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups (200 grams) pecan halves

Ganache Topping:

2 ounces (55 grams) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) rectangular baking pan.

Brownies: Melt the chopped chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and set aside while you make the brownie batter. I just melted it in the microwave. Everything was fine.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugars until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract and then the melted chocolate mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and, on low speed, beat in the flour and salt. Hand mixing works just as good too.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or just until the brownies are barely firm to the touch. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

Caramel: Place the unwrapped caramels and cream in a saucepan and melt, over low heat (stirring frequently), until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the toasted pecans, making sure all the pecans are coated with caramel. Spread the caramel topping evenly over the still warm brownies and let cool to room temperature. Then cover and refrigerate brownies for about an hour or until the brownies are firm.

If making Homemade Caramel Topping: In a three quart heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Once it boils, stop stirring, and cook the mixture until it turns a golden caramel color, about 10 - 12 minutes. (Swirl the pan as needed so the caramel cooks evenly.) Remove from heat and carefully add the cream and vanilla (the mixture will sputter and steam so be careful). Stir in the pecans and immediately pour over the still warm brownie layer, spreading evenly. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate brownies for about an hour or until the brownies are firm.

Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat (alternatively, heat the cream in the microwave). Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth.

Remove the brownies from the refrigerator and, using a fork, drizzle the Ganache over the brownies in a zigzag pattern. Cover and refrigerate until the chocolate is set. Using a sharp knife, cut the brownies into 48 bars.

Store, covered, in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days, or in the freezer for longer storage.

Makes about 48 brownies.

Pecan Sticky Buns

Ok so don't those look yummy?! I'll tell you what! They are so yummy!

So I kinda took two recipes and mixed them to get what I wanted so hopefully this will make sense. I also only made a 8x8 pan full of sticky buns rather than a 9x13 so again you'll have to bear with me as I try to make sense of it all. I guess I'm not very good at sticking exactly to a recipe. But that's ok cause we get some yummy food out of my craziness!

For the dough:

• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar]
• 1/2 cup warm milk
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

For the filling:

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar I probably used double this
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon I probably used like 5 tablespoons! Jared LOVES cinnamon!
  
• 1/2 cup chopped pecan nuts
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the glaze: (for a 9x13 pan - I halved it for my recipe cause I used a 8x8 pan)

• 1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups pecan halves

To make the dough, dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Set aside for about 5 minutes until foamy. Meanwhile, mix warm milk, butter, remaining sugar, and salt, and stir until dissolved.

Put flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast, warm milk mixture, and the egg, and stir to make a dough. Knead for 10 minutes on a lightly floured board, incorporating more flour as necessary, until the dough is soft, silky, and pliable. Form into a ball. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat the dough all over. Cover and leave to rise until twice its original size. This will take about 2 hours. At this point, the dough can be left overnight in the fridge, ready to use the next morning. When well risen, punch down the dough, then leave to rest for 10 minutes. Prepare filling by mixing the sugar, cinnamon, and nuts in a small bowl.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle measuring about 12 x 9 inches. Brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, pressing it in slightly. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll, starting at one long side. Using a sharp knife, or floss cause that's the easy way, cut the roll across into 12 equal slices.

Butter your pan. For glaze, beat brown sugar, butter, honey, corn syrup, and water in medium bowl to blend. Spread glaze in bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle pecans over the glaze.

Place 12 rounds, cut side down, in pan, spacing evenly. Cover. Let buns rise in warm area until almost doubled, about 1 hour. I could only fit 9 rounds into my 8x8 pan. They were spaced evenly but very close to each other so I was a little scared they wouldn't cook where they were touching but they did. I made the extra rounds I had into just plain old pecan cinnamon rolls with frosting. Yum! We enjoyed two different types of rolls and I only had to make one recipe!

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake buns until deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Run small knife around pan sides to loosen sticky buns. Turn hot buns out onto platter. Cool about 30 minutes and serve. I only cooked mine for 20 minutes. So make sure you know your oven.