Experimental Kitchens

Beans instead of Butter Experiment

2012-02-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

Since this website is all about experiments, I thought I would share my latest. I read that you could substitute white beans for butter in most baking. Interesting. I just happened to have some white beans in my cupboard!

There are apparently 2 ways of doing this.
Boil the beans until they are soft, then puree them and sub in cup for cup (1 cup butter = 1 cup beans)
or
Grind the beans into a flour, then sub in cup for cup, adding enough water to make it not dry. This is the way I tried. I've been wanting to use my wheat grinder for something other than wheat or popcorn.... (I did 1 cup bean flour and about 1/2 cup water)

I ground up my beans and then made my favorite oatmeal raisin cookies. I was completely put off by the smell. NASTY! And then I got up the courage to taste a little dough. I nearly threw the whole batch away. But since it was an experiment I figured I better see it through to the end. Maybe, just maybe they would taste better when cooked. (I was so disappointed at this point. Beans are so CHEAP compared to butter or margarine)

I baked 2 cookies in my toaster oven. After they cooled I bit, I tried on and let Storyteller have one. I was so surprised. It was ALMOST as good as the original. Storyteller didn't even know the difference!

There is an alternate way of using the bean flour that I found after the fact....

Boil 2.5 cups of water.
Remove from heat.
Whisk in 3/4 cup of bean flour. Return to heat, low-med for 2-3 min.

I have no idea how much this will make or how it might affect the taste/smell. I will definitely be trying beans instead of butter in some of my other favorites!
Now to go finish baking the cookies....

Coconut Nectarine Smoothie

2011-07-12T09:37:00.001-07:00

I may die this morning from the deliciousness of this smoothie. My goal is to drink a smoothie every morning upping my fruit intake. Coconut milk makes it that much better.

1 fresh nectarine
1/2-3/4 cup white grape and peach 100% fruit juice
1/4-1/2 cup coconut milk
1 scoop unflavoured protein powder
1 squirt of Agave nectar for a little extra sweetness
3 ice cubes

Blend until smooth. Hide so you can drink it without little munchkins begging for more than a teeny tiny taste! Serves 1.

Pan-fried Mashed Potatoes

2011-01-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

The other night I was making Mennonite sausage and pan-fried potatoes. We had to leave mid-preparation to go pick up my oldest daughter from a church activity. I threw a little water into the pan and left them on low heat in hopes that they would be cooked when I got back. Unfortunately, while the red potatoes were perfect, the russet potatoes had cooked down into a mess of mashed potatoes surrounding those perfect chunks...yuck.

While we were surveying the damage and trying to decided whether to start over or not, inspiration struck. We added some cream cheese (half a block) and mashed them up with some milk to make them smooth-ish and not dry. The peels made it difficult for them to be ultra-smooth but that was alright. We threw in some grated medium cheddar and let that melt in. The only thing that would have made it better would have been some bacon pieces. Yum!

(I was pan-frying my potatoes in some coconut oil with onions and garlic, and salt and pepper for seasoning.)

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

2010-08-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Tried this recipe out this week and loved it! I'll give you the original and then how I modified it the second time!

Original:
4 C dry oats
1 1/2 C flour
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 C(shy) oil or applesauce
4 eggs
1 1/2 C raisins etc

Dump all ingredients into large bowl. Stir by hand just until completely moistened and combined. Press into a greased 9x13 casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into individual bars.

My modifications:
Doubled the recipe and added some stuff:
(You're going to need a REALLY big bowl or mix it in two)
7 C dry oats
1 C red river cereal (just like Sunny Boy) uncooked
1 1/2 C graham crackers crushed
3 C whole wheat flour
2 Cu brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 C applesauce
1/2 C oil
6 eggs
oreo crumbs
mini marshmellows

Follow mixing and baking instructions. I baked this batch on cookie sheets and like it a lot better. I also used my pizza cutter to cut them right out of the oven and then let them cool completely - much easier to cut! I was trying for a s'more effect granola bar because my kidlets really like them and these have been a big hit with them! I store them in the fridge because they do get really soft when they warm up. I'm going to try cooking them an extra 5 minutes or so next time to see if that makes a difference. And I'm sure that they would taste fantastic with dried fruit or other variations...I just went with what I knew my kids would eat!
The doubled recipe yielded me about 52 bars.

BBQ pizza

2010-07-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

I really wanted pizza tonight, but I would have melted into a puddle if we had turned on the oven. So we used the BBQ. Never done that before.

Here's what we did.

Made my current favorite pizza dough, and then spread it onto a well greased and cornmeal sprinkled piece of tin foil. Actually I used a few pieces put together and rolled the edges to make it kind of like a pan.

Once the dough was on, we grilled it for about 5 minutes. Then took it off the heat and added the toppings. Put it back on the BBQ for 10 minutes.

Perfection!

The cheese was melted perfectly, the dough was crisp on the bottom but not burned. It was chewy but not doughy. I would probably only make it slightly thinner because that is my preference.

And my house isn't any hotter than when we started. Night Owl said we would never use the oven for pizza again....We'll see about that when it is -40 and I want pizza....

Crock pot Chicken Enchiladas

2010-06-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

Around here, we have been eating alot of PB and honey sandwiches. Suddenly I feel like we are super busy being pulled in too many directions and I don't have time to cook a good meal. Last night, as I was getting ready to go Visiting Teaching, I wondered if I could do chicken enchiladas in the crock pot. Then they would be warm when Night Owl got home and I had cooked up two giant chickens the day before so I had plenty of meat in the fridge.

Here's how I did it.

1 can mushroom soup and a tsp (ish) of chicken soup base. (If I had had cream of chicken soup, I would have used that)

1 can chilies

1 cup buttermilk (I had no sour cream...thought I would try it!)

Mix this together to create a sauce.

Spray the crock pot with Pam

Break tortilla shells up and put in bottom of pot. Layer the sauce and some cut up chicken, then cheese. Repeat layer.

Cover, turn on high until Daddy comes home.

The Verdict? Night Owl thought it was great. I thought it was a little strange. Seemed a little gelatinous to me. Not sure if it was from the white tortilla shells or what. Will give some to the kids for lunch today and see what they think. I will try it again with whole grain shells and see what kind of difference it makes. We love enchiladas 'round here and I need to use my crock pot more regularly.

Carrots & Cream Cheese

2010-05-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

P. was poking around in the fridge looking for something for lunch. She requested something that would go good with carrots in a roll-up (tortilla). I suggested cream cheese. She thought that sounded like a plan. So, we mixed a little Epicure Classic Vinaigrette mix with half a block of softened cream cheese (enough that it was mixed all the way through). We spread it over a whole wheat tortilla and then we grated a good size chunk of carrot over the cream cheese and spread it around. We rolled them up and ate them. They weren't half bad...and who am I to argue when my daughter wants a carrot sandwich for lunch?

Homemade Naan Bread

2010-03-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

So easy! Follow the directions on this webpage. Ours turned out wonderfully. I will have to remember to double the batch since my kids LOVE naan!

Pork chops and Rice

2010-03-09T05:25:00.001-08:00

We tried this "recipe" the other day and I thought I would share it here. With our review of it.

Brown 6-8 pork chops. (We used boneless)

Remove from pan.

Mix together

1cup chicken soup base

1/2 cup water,

2 Tbsp soy sauce

a shake of Epicure Teriyaki seasoning

1 cup rice

Throw into the pan. Place chops on top, cover and let cook until rice is done.

Chow down.

The verdict? It was way to salty. Had lots of flavor, but the soup base and soy sauce together was too much. Next time I will skip the soup mix. We also would double the rice mixture next time as there was not enough to feed our family.

The chops were tasty though. Not too dry, lots of flavor in them.

Will definitely experiment with this one again!

Baked Apple Pie Filling

2009-10-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

My mom came up with this and it is very tasty! I thought I would share it for her...

You know how when you make apple pie, the fruit always cooks down leaving you with a big space in your crusts? My mom tried something different for Thanksgiving and I loved it. She baked her pie filling in a roaster for a couple hours and then spooned it into prebaked tart shells.

Here's the recipe...

8 cups pared, chunked apples
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter

Mix all ingredients except butter in a bowl. Pour into a parchment lined medium roaster. Dot with butter and put lid on roaster. Bake at 325 for a couple hours...stirring occasionally. When apples are cooked, and syrup is thick, remove from oven and let cool. Store in the fridge or freezer.

When you want apple pie tarts, bake tart shells (do them a little dark) and then fill with pie filling. (Or if you want them right away, bake the tart shells while the pie filling cools and make them for dessert!) Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Double Coconut No-Bake Cookies

2009-09-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

When P. was a baby she had a lot of food intolerances. One of them was casein which is a protein found in milk. It is found in a lot of food actually and I had to be very careful of the foods I ate or I would be cleaning up projectile vomit. So fun...

One day I was really missing No-Bake Cookies (aka Chocolate Haystacks, Magic Oven Cookies etc.) and tried to figure out a way to make them sans dairy. I used coconut milk and they turned out great. (At that time I was having to use margarine without casein in it but since we are all milk friendly now in our house, we've gone back to using butter.)

We whipped up a batch yesterday and they were great but I boiled them for just a bit too long. They were just a bit on the grainy side instead of the creamy side.

Without further ado, here's the recipe...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut milk (make sure to combine it well before adding...coconut milk separates in the can...store the rest in the fridge.)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup coconut
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in a large pot. Add coconut milk and stir. Add cocoa and sugar; stir will. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When the boil starts (I usually look for bubbles coming up in two or three spots), begin timing. Boil mixture for 2.5 minutes, stirring constantly (Don't boil it longer and don't wait for a rolling boil to begin timing. It will be rolling when the time is up. If the syrup is boiled longer it will turn grainy.) Add oats, coconut and vanilla to the pot. Stir thoroughly. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto waxed paper and let harden. Store in an air-tight container.

And here's a picture...in case anyone was already feeling the munchies coming on...

Tropical Love Pizza

2009-06-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Yum! We created another dessert pizza around here tonight with the leftover Friday Night Pizza dough.

We pre-baked the crust (poking holes in it first with a fork). While the crust was baking I made pudding. I wanted coconut cream but didn't have any so we improvised with vanilla pudding, coconut flavouring and 1/2 cup of flaked coconut. When the crust had cooled slightly, we spread a fairly thick layer of pudding over it. We then scattered sliced kiwi, pineapple chunks and maraschino cherries over top. (If you like bananas, they would probably be good too.)

Super easy and pretty good. O. declared several times that she "LOVED THIS!" R. just ate the fruit and licked the pudding off but he doesn't seem to be much of a bread eater so that's par for the course. P. didn't even want to try it thanks to the cherries...silly girl!

Grilled Chicken Panini

2009-06-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

Sandwich sized Foccacia bread (I used herb and cheese flavored)

grilled chicken breast, sliced

pesto

red and yellow peppers, sliced

mozzarella cheese

sliced mushrooms

Olive oil

Preheat Panini Grill. Cut the foccacia bread in half to make a sandwich and spread one side with pesto and drizzle a little olive oil on the other side. (note: if you really like pesto you can put pesto on both sides...) Load all the other ingredients between the bread and put into the grill and grill for approximately 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. You can experiment with just about any ingredients with a panini which is what makes them GREAT!!!!!! any cheese, meat, veggie combo works...this is what I happened to have on hand and the grilled chicken was leftover from a BBQ and was it EVER yummy. Bon Apetit!

Pizza a la Mode

2009-05-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Yum!

We had some extra dough from pizza night tonight. We also had some extra apples lying around. Soooooooo...

We spread the dough out (not too thick) and then generously spread butter over the dough.

Then we mixed cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkled that generously over the butter.

Then we peeled and sliced the apples and spread them generously over top of the cinnamon and sugar mixture. I had some slivered almonds lying around so we added those with the apples.

Then we took a bottle of caramel and poured it...yes you guessed it...generously over top of everything.

We baked it until the edges of the crust were turning golden brown and then served it warm with ice cream spread over top.

The melting ice cream and dripping cinnamon caramel sauce make it messy to eat with your fingers but it is worth it!

Ratatouille

2009-05-21T04:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you Disney for inspiring my kids to try this one.

2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried parsley
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt to taste
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 zucchini, sliced
1 onion (or onion powder)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped (I used a large can of diced tomatoes)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 9x13 pan with oil. Heat olive oil in fry pan. Saute garlic until lightly brown. Mix in parsley (and onion powder if using) and eggplant. Saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parm cheese. Spread zucchini on top. Lightly salt and add a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion with onion (if using...I didn't) mushrooms, bell pepper and tomatoes, covering each layer with salt and cheese.

I added a bit of mozzarella cheese to the top. Then lightly cover with tin foil and bake it for about 45 minutes. Then remove the foil and brown for about 15 minutes.

The verdict. I LOVED this. I was so stuffed from eating this. Screamer was sick so she didn't try any. The Boy ate 2 servings. Smarty managed to choke down a mushroom and a slice of zucchini while chanting in her head "I like this. I like this." Storyteller licked a veggie and nearly puked. Screamer did get a taste the next day while I eat the leftovers and seemed to really like it. Night Owl thought the leftovers were good, but a little soggy. (He didn't get any at supper as he worked late)
NExt time I won't bother with the eggplant. It didn't really add anything to it except a grey squishy "thing" in the bottom of the pan.

Tilapia "Tacos"

2009-05-20T18:07:00.001-07:00

(Sorry about the blank post for everyone on the email list...I hit Enter before I was even started!)

Tonight we had swimming lessons until 5:30. We were running a little late in the supper preparations department. We also had a lot of veggies still (new delivery tomorrow) that needed to get used up since we didn't do a lot of cooking over the May Long Weekend. Enter...Tilapia Tacos.

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (or more) zucchini (I halved and the quartered it and then sliced the quarters to make them go further)
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
1 red pepper (chopped)
minced garlic (plus about a tbsp Epicure Herb & Garlic dip mix)
lemon juice
3 tilapia fillets (deboned)
sundried tomato tortilla shells
baby spinach leaves
parmesan cheese

Cook up the vegetables in the olive oil until tender. Add the minced garlic and a good sprinkle of the Epicure Herb and Garlic Dip mix). Add a little lemon juice (I have a squirt top on mine and it was quite a few squirts.) You could remove the veggies now but I just pushed them to the side. Cook the tilapia in the pan until done. I then used a rubber spatula to break it up. Stir the fish into the veggie mixture. Soften a tortilla in the microwave for a couple of seconds. Spread a handful of baby spinach over the tortilla shell. Add a scoop or two of the fish mixture and then sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Roll it up...enjoy! (I really like the flavor of the veggies and fish but feel free to experiment with the seasoning if you find it a little bland! You could also go for a more Mexican seasoning - I didn't experiment that far tonight.)

O. loved these. She ate 2 and would have gone back for more if I hadn't told her Daddy needed some when he got home from work. I ate one that was bulging at the seams. P. ate most of hers and R. (as per usual) said "I - don't - like - it - mom!" before trying it and then destroyed it all over the table. Such is the taste of a two year old boy!

Sweet Potato Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

2009-05-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

I got my veggies today from my veggie people. They sent me white flesh sweet potatoes again instead of the orange flesh ones. Did you know that both are technically sweet potatoes? It's true (I've looked it up a couple times) - I called them the first time and said I would prefer to have the orange flesh sweet potatoes. The woman "corrected" me and told me I wanted yams. I thought "Fine - whatever - just make sure I get the orange ones so I can make fries out of them." Turns out that the people there are just as confused about what is what, and I ended up with what they call sweet potatoes. I was trying to find something to make with them since they turn brown so quick after you peel them and they don't crisp up nicely for fries. There was a recipe at allrecipes.com for Golden Yam Brownies. I thought I would try them...but then of course I altered them. I was already using "sweet potatoes " instead of yam so why not make some other changes.

Here's what we ended up with...P. watched me put in the grated sweet potato and decided ahead of time they would be gross. I used a little reverse-psychology on her and she ended up loving them. She can't wait until O. gets home so she can try another one. Here's what we did...

1/2 cup butter (melted)
1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour (I'll be using whole wheat next time)
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups peeled and finely shredded sweet potatoes (I used white remember - they turn brown quickly so keep the peeled sweet potato in cold water until you are ready to grate and then quickly add it to the batter)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the butter, applesauce, and brown sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat between additions. Add vanilla and stir again. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix by hand until combined. Add the grated sweet potato and fold in.

Spread in a parchment lined 9x13 pan. Bake for 30-33 minutes until cake* is done. Cool slightly and cover with cinnamon glaze. (Mix 2 tbsp butter, 1 cup icing sugar, 2 tbsp milk and 1+ tsp cinnamon.)

(*I can't in good faith call these a brownie anymore...they are much too cake-like for me thus the name change.)

Here's the consensus...

R. (age 2) "More Mom More!! MOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRREEEEEEE!"
P. (age 5) "These are so yummy! I knew I would love them!"
O. (age 6) "I want to eat 100 of those!"

Give them a try - get past the sweet potato - convince yourself it is grated apple. They are YUMMY!

Veggie Tuna Skillet Casserole

2009-05-14T06:12:00.001-07:00

Yummy! A nice change from traditional creamy tuna casserole and no bake time!

* 2 zucchini (10 inches long), sliced
* 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* handful of fresh spinach (more if you aren't trying to hide it from a suddenly picky 5 year old!)
* 1 red pepper, diced
* 796 ml/28 oz can diced tomatoes (I used the ones packed in puree instead of juice)
* 2 cans chunk tuna or use cooked tuna steak cut in pieces
* basil
* sun dried tomato and herb dip mix (Victorian Epicure brand)
* salt and pepper
* 2 cups vegetable shell pasta (made with vegetable puree)
* 1/2 cup grated cheese

Saute zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic and pepper in a little olive oil or water. When tender crisp, add spinach and stir until wilted. Add tomatoes, including juice or puree, and tuna. (The canned tuna was good but I think the bigger chunks of a cut up tuna steak would actually be more appealing.) Season with basil, dip mix and salt and pepper according to taste. Add pasta and some water if needed (the puree needed some) to help the shells cook. Cover and let simmer for a few minutes until shells are soft. Remove lid and simmer off any extra liquid. Sprinkle grated cheese over top and let melt. Serve with fresh vegetables or salad.

Veggie & Asiago Pizza

2009-04-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

Of course it is pizza night tonight and O. has declared this to be a winner pizza! We used a whole wheat flax dough as the base. Spread some olive oil on and then sprinkled some seasoning on it. (I like Classic Vinaigrette from Epicure.) Cover with a thin layer of grated parmesan cheese. Spread baby spinach leaves over the cheese. Sprinkle with some sliced fresh mushrooms, chopped fire roasted sweet red peppers and sundried tomatoes. Sprinkle Asiago & mozzarella cheese on. Bake at 425 degrees Farenheit on a pizza stone for 18 minutes or until crust is crisp and cheese is golden brown. YUM!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought I would share the trick I use for pizza stones and fresh made dough. My friend taught me to roll out the dough into a large circle and roll up a crust to make the dough the size you want for the base. I was still struggling to get the dough onto the pizza peel (wooden paddle) and then onto the hot pizza stone. The crust gets so crispy if you pre-heat the stone for awhile. Now, I use cooking spray on my counter, roll the dough and shape my crust. Pick up the whole thing and put it on my parchment paper lined pizza peel. Add toppings as desired and then slide the whole thing, parchment paper and all, onto the hot stone. It almost always works like a charm - just make sure your finished pizza base isn't bigger than the stone in your oven like mine was tonight! My crust rolled down onto the oven rack to bake! Oh well...

Pleasing Potato Pizza

2009-03-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Pleasing Potato Pizza

3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tube (10 oz) refrigerated pizza crust – you could probably use an already baked crust as well or a make your own and bake it, but I did use the Pillsbury kind.
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound sliced bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 ½ cups (6 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Sour cream, optional

Boil potatoes until very tender then mash with milk and salt until smooth.
Meanwhile, unroll the pizza crust onto an ungreased pan; flatten dough and build up edges slightly. Prick dough several times with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.
Spread mashed potatoes over crust.
In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until partially cooked but not crisp. Add onion and red pepper; cook until bacon is crisp and vegetables are tender. Drain well; sprinkle over potatoes. Top with cheeses.
Bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream if desired.

A good friend emailed this recipe to me awhile ago and I've been dying to try it out. Took it to a potluck last night and it was hit! I didn't put the peppers and onions on mine because Cliff doesn't like onions at all and isn't a fan of peppers on pizza. So even with just the bacon, cheese and potatoes it was great. All the guys loved it and I now have several wives requesting the recipe! Enjoy!

Jambalaya

2009-02-28T06:46:00.000-08:00

WARNING!!! This makes a LOT!!!

1 lb bacon...thick cut is great!
1 onion
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2-3 chicken breast cubed
shrimp as much as you like! I used LOTS!
diced ham
smoked sausage sliced
2 cups uncooked rice
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
2-3 cups beef broth
2-3 cups chicken broth
2-3 (or to taste) cajun seasoning
Fry bacon and drain
MAKE SURE YOU USE A BBBIIIGGG PAN!!!
Using a little of the bacon fat, fry up onions & peppers Remember this IS a southern recipe..they fry EVERYTHING in bacon fat! If you are not wanting the true southern experience, fry it in something else!
Add chicken
when chicken is cooked add ham, sausage and shrimp and mix
Add broth, tomatoes and spice and bring to boil..... season to taste!
Add rice and simmer about 20 minutes until rice is cooked. Keep and eye on it so it doesn't burn..or run out of liquid!
Add bacon when ready to serve!
ENJOY YA'LL!!!

I have a 12 inch wok that I used and it was full to the top...it was GONE!!! YIKES..I think it was a hit..what do you think???

Chicken Salad

2009-02-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

Surprise! My kids liked something that I thought they would HATE! I made food storage friendly chicken salad wraps and they were a hit. They all complained about the wheat berries, (except Screamer who can't talk yet) but ate them, so they couldn't have been that bad.

1 big can chicken breast
2ish Tbsp mayo
1/2 cup craisins
1/4 cup wheat berries
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together, slap onto a tortilla shell, top with lettuce or other veggies (if you want. I used spinach and romaine on mine) ENJOY.

Chocolate Milk

2009-02-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

I love chocolate milk. I hate paying so much for chocolate syrup to make chocolate milk. I also hate paying for an entire jug of chocolate milk because we tend to go overboard and drink the whole thing in one day (or meal).

I was searching for a recipe to make chocolate milk powder and surprisingly couldn't find one. I did manage to find a recipe for chocolate milk syrup. I whipped up a batch but found it wasn't sweet enough for us. The cocoa taste was overpowering and for me...chocolate milk is all about the sweet chocolate. We added a little extra sugar and it was a hit.

Here's the original recipe link - the actual recipe is down in the comments section and is the first comment so it is in the "last" position since comments are posted as most recent first.

Here is our recipe:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 & 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla

Mix first four ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Use a whisk to stir so that the cocoa becomes nice and smooth and not lumpy. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool and pour into a jar or a squeeze container. Store in the fridge. Add about 1-2 tbsp (or a squirt or two from the squeeze bottle) to a glass of cold milk - stir - ENJOY!

Daddy-O thinks this would also work over ice cream if you don't want to take the time to make Auntie K's Best Chocolate Fudge Sauce in the Universe recipe...but really who wouldn't want to take the time to do that??

Chocolate Chip cookies

2009-02-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

I actually did some experimenting today. I don't like to get really crazy cause if the food turns out nasty, then it is a waste of my hubby's hard earned money. So, I might stray a bit from the recipe, but not usually too far. But, today, we got a little crazy. Mostly by accident!

I took Gramma's recipe for Cowboy cookies and while mixing it, realized that I doubled the sugars, but not the butter. (I wasn't planning to double it) So, instead of adding more butter, I added applesauce. And while doing the flour, I added some whole wheat stuff and some flax. Just for kicks.

So here is the recipe as far as I can figure it.

1 cup margarine
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sweetened (homemade) applesauce
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4ish cups oatmeal
2ish cups white flour
2ish cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp ground flax
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
a few handfuls of chocolate chips

(Sorry for the not quite precise measurements....I cook by look and taste and feel. And it really isn't all that crazy from the recipe my Grandma used, but different enough.)

Mix everything together, adjust as necessary, bake a pan at 350 for about 10 minutes, adjust again if necessary. Wait for them to cool before allowing your kids to scarf them down. As I don't eat chocolate, I don't know if they were good, but I am assuming they were. 4 out of 4 kids liked them as asked for MORE AND MORE AND MORE. And although too puffy for Nightowl, he said they were good enough to share with friends.

Next time I am trying a recipe that uses beans instead of butter. Will let you know how it goes.

Shrimp and Kielbasa Gumbo

2009-02-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

Guys! I am so excited to have a real kitchen 'experiment' to share! So I bought this vegetable gumbo mix at the grocery store a while ago thinking I would find a good recipe for gumbo and whip some up sometime. I kept my eyes peeled whenever looking for any recipe and -never- came across any. I finally decided to open up the search specifically for a good gumbo recipe... any gumbo recipe... nothing! I couldn't find any! So I found a slightly similar recipe, grabbed a few ideas and key ingredients and got to experimenting. What I discovered was something truly, truly... ohhhh so truly delicious!

I'll do my best to remember:
1 pkg fresh, frozen, peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2-1 'ring' of Kielbasa sausage, cut in 1 in chunks, halved
1 pkg vegetable gumbo mix from grocery store (Okra! Mmm)
1 29-ish oz can of Italian Style Petite Diced Tomatoes
A bunch of sprinkles of Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (to taste)

Serve over rice! So simple, but seriously INCREDIBLY delicious tasting.

(Not familiar with gumbo? I know I wasn't until I moved to the south. It's a Louisiana traditional food. Learn more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumbo )

Enjoy! Seriously, you've got to try this!

Garlic Cheese Bread

2009-01-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

Daddy-O loved this one the other night when we made it with our pasta. I mixed 1/2 cup softened butter with 1 tbsp mayonnaise. Sprinkled in some Epicure Herb & Garlic dip mix and about 1/4-1/3 cup of grated Monterrey Jack cheese. Spread it on slices of thick-sliced bread and put under the broiler for a couple minutes until the cheese melts and the bread browns on the edges. (I put the bread on a rack on a cookie sheet.)

We ate too much of this one...that's for sure! It was SURE tasty though.

neat website

2009-01-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Although this isn't a recipe i have tried, there are recipes on this website I want to try. I thought someone else might want to check this out since we are all trying to save money in every area we can right?

http://www.5dollardinners.com/

And for those who don't live in the States, we can rename it $6.27 dinners. Catchy eh?

Apple Cinnamon CRAISIN Brie... ish

2009-01-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

So I didn't know what to call it, get off my back ;) And yes, the picture is sideways. All I can say is Mmmm Mmmm good!

1 piece of Brie Cheese- original (I use the pie-piece shaped ones... I don't think it matters though)
1/2 apple cut into small chunks
1/3-1/2 pkg Craisins (or other dried Cranberries)
Cinnamon to taste (Maybe 1 tsp?)
Sugar to taste (Maybe another tsp? I know, so helpful right?)
Small pkg sliced almonds or any other nuts you think would be good

Mix everything (except the brie) together in a bowl until the fruit and nuts are all coated with cinnamon sugary goodness (sometimes I add a little water to help it mix), slice the cheese in half and place in oven safe baking dish with the 'mixture' both in between and on top. Bake for 20 mins or until the cheese looks melted and delicious.

Serve with crackers and voila! The perfect appetizer for any occasion.

4 Cheese Creamy Veggie-zzini

2009-01-14T04:46:00.000-08:00

So Shauna's creamy veggie-zzini is one of my favorite things to make. So easy, so yummy. But somehow missing something. I tried adding chicken but that wasn't it. The other night, I added more cheese. 'Cause really, can you have too much? Didn't think so.
Here's what I did. I mixed feta into the mixture (once the sauce was thickened) and then threw some Parmesan on just to sweeten the deal. I also used only half the sauce as I find that it is too much for me.
The verdict? I loved it, my kids well, 2 outa 4 ain't bad. Night Owl seemed to like it too. Next time though, I will only add one or the other. While it was good, both were not needed. Can't give you measurements, cause I didn't bother measuring. Just add enough til it looks/tastes right. Enjoy!

Nacho Nacho Man - I wanna be a nacho man

2008-12-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

Sorry...I just had to put that in. I loved that commercial on TV years ago! (Although, I have to wonder why it isn't anywhere on Youtube...)

Last night we started with Leslie's Beef Nacho Casserole. I didn't feel like beef (which is sadly a regular thing around here...makes my stomach turn far too often!) Anyway, we went with chicken. I also didn't have time for a 45 minute bake time so we turned it into a much faster skillet version. Also added black beans...because...well...some of us love black beans. (How many 4 year olds do the dance of joy in walmart when you load the cart full of black beans??? "Black beans - Black beans - I love Black beans!!")

Original Recipe - Beef Nacho Casserole
1 tbsp oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1-1/2 cups chunky salsa
12 oz can kernal corn
3/4 cup mayonnaise type salad dressing
1 tbsp chili powder
2 cups crushed nacho chips
2 cups shredded monterey jack or colby cheese

In skillet, heat oil and saute beef until no longer pink. Remove from heat. Add salsa, corn, salad dressing, and chili powder. Mix well. Place beef mixture in a greased 2-1/2 quart casserole dish. Top beef mixture with nachos then cheese. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

New Recipe - Chicken Nacho Skillet Dinner
1 tbsp oil
3 small chicken breasts (about 1 lb chicken) cut into small pieces
1-1/2 cups chunky salsa
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 can kernal corn (we used the BIG one)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp taco seasoning
2 cups crushed nacho chips
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add salsa, mayonnaise, corn, beans and taco seasoning. Mix well. Heat through. (This is the part I will change once R. has some teeth - 20 months and 6 teeth all in the front...the kid is limiting my culinary delights here!) We added the crushed nacho chips and stirred them in so they would soften up nicely for R and his toothless life. Once he has molars, I will sprinkle the nachos and cheese on top without stirring and cover for a minute to let the cheese melt. Although the soggy chips weren't that bad. The kids loved it - even O. who claims to hate black beans. I had to finally hide a plate for dad so he wouldn't starve after he got home from work.

I think this would be great served with some shredded lettuce, cut tomatoes, guacamole etc etc...

Nadine would probably love a can of black olives with it too!

Cranberry-walnut oatmeal

2008-11-28T08:11:00.000-08:00

I loved this! oatmeal isn't a staple at our house, and the steel cuts oats, although better, still have the ability to make me gag. This was AWESOME. Even Story-teller and Smartie-pants ate a bit. The Boy didn't touch it, Screamer had as much as usual.

1 cup steel-cut oats
1/3 cup Craisins
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cup water
4 tsp chopped walnuts
4 tsp firmly packed brown sugar

In a saucepan, combine the oats, craisins, salt cinnamon and water. Bring to a boil on high, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered until the oats are tender, about 20 minutes. (Stir so it doesn't burn to the bottom)

Spoon the oatmeal into bowls and sprinkle with 1tsp nuts an 1 tsp sugar. serve immediately.

Note: I used pecans cause we don't keep walnuts in the house. Will try toasting them next time. Also, added a bit of milk, but only a bit.
Have some in the fridge to see how leftovers will be tomorrow. If they are still good, I will make a pot of this in the nights for the mornings!

Creamy "Veggie-zzini"

2008-11-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

It was a meatless night tonight. P wanted spaghetti. I wanted a little something more since I knew red sauce wasn't going to be an option. I decided to make a vegetarian version of Chicken Tetrazzini. I added a few extras to make it a little more creamy...

Here goes...

8 oz box whole wheat spaghetti
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained OR sliced fresh mushrooms
1/3 cup margarine
6 tbsp flour
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
dried minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese

Break the noodles in half and boil them until tender. Drain and set aside.

While the noodles are boiling, saute the peppers, celery, onion and mushrooms. I just used a little "juice" from the mushrooms to saute the veggies in rather than oil. Cook until tender.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. (I used the same one I boiled the noodles in - that way it would be big enough!) Add the flour and mix until smooth. Add the chicken broth, sour cream, cream cheese and milk and stir until smooth and thick. Season with some dried minced garlic and salt and pepper. (I used just under 1/2 tsp but next time I will add just a bit more garlic.) Pour the veggies and spaghetti noodles into the pan and mix them thoroughly. Pour them into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until heated through.

The family gave this RAVE reviews and it will be going down in our book of family favorites.

ENJOY!

Hearty Breakfast

2008-11-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

O. eats Cheerios every morning. I have nothing against Cheerios except for the fact that they just don't fill her little tummy up. She eats between 4-6 bowls every morning. Add P. & R. and you get a box of Cheerios from Costco not lasting even a week! The new deal is that she can have a bowl of Cheerios AFTER she eats something else if she is still hungry. So I have been trying all sorts of ideas for breakfast (and they were pretty darn tasty!) but nothing is so quick and easy as cereal. Until today...we made granola. I've made it before with a couple different recipes but today we tried combining 2 recipes and made a HUGE batch. I just snuck a taste and it is pretty good. I figure that with a little yogurt and some fruit that Cheerios might be a thing of the past! (At least til she is bored and only wants those again!) I'm hoping the fact that O & P helped make it will keep them interested in it longer!

5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
4 cups quick oats
1 cup bran
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup oil
1 cup honey

We added the dry ingredients to a large roaster and stirred it up. The girls could hardly wait to do that! After it was sufficiently stirred we added the oil and honey to a measuring cup. We heated it in the microwave and poured it over top. We stirred again and then started the baking process. 350 degree oven. Stir it every 10-15 minutes. I did mine for about 45 minutes to get it all nicely toasted. You want to keep an eye on it though to make sure it doesn't burn. Burnt granola will not replace Cheerios ever! Let it cool completely and then store it in an airtight container. (The best part of granola is you can add whatever strikes your fancy. I recommend waiting for the granola to cool before adding dried fruit - or do what we do and add it into each bowl so everyone gets a little every day!)

Meteorite Soup!

2008-11-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you Shauna for the invite to this awesome blog! I have been CRAVING a good chowder/potato soup but couldn't find a great recipe. So, I combined some of Leslie's, some out of a book, and a little of my own thinking and this is what I came up with:

Meteorite Soup (Also known as Creamy Potato Soup) - I had to call it Meteorite Soup for Zane to eat it - and he really like it. Which is like a 10 on any scale since my kids are soooo picky!

Ingredients:
3-4 potatoes cubed (I used 4 medium potatoes)
2 C Italian Sausage (or your own favorite)
1/4 C to 1/2 C of onion flakes (or real onion if you prefer)
2 C heavy cream substitute - 1 C low fat cottage cheese blended with 3 Tbsp skim milk powder
makes 1 cup (thanks Leslie it worked great!)
2 C powdered skim milk prepared as per instructions
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 C water
salt and pepper to taste
1 C grated cheddar cheese

To Prepare:
Combine sausage and onion flakes and cook on medium heat while you cube the potatoes. Add the potatoes and water and let it simmer on medium while you mix up the cream substitute. (If you don't want to substitute the low fat option you need 4 C of rich milk) Add cream mixture and blend the flour with the powdered milk when preparing. Add milk. Add salt and pepper. Let everything simmer together until the potatoes are cooked and tender. Stir frequently or the cream mixture will burn on the bottom. The flour and the starch from the potatoes act as a great thickener and you should end up with a really nice, thick, creamy sauce filled with "meteorites"! I topped each bowl with a little bit of cheddar cheese but you can leave that out if you want.
I'd estimate that it makes 10 -12 cups of actual soup. I didn't really measure it out. (About 1/2 of my regular stock pot)
Hope you enjoy it - I know we did!

Mom's Tropical Fruit Salad

2008-11-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

I'm making this tonight to go with supper at Kathy's and thought I would share one of Mom's experiments in the kitchen. We love it around our house.

1 Costco size can of Tropical Fruit Cocktail
1 bottle mandarin oranges

1/2 cup Jello Cheesecake mix
3/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
2 envelopes Dream Whip
2 cups milk

Drain fruit really well. In a large bowl mix the next four ingredients with an electric mixer. It will be thick. Add the fruit and stir to coat. You can add mini-marshmallows too if you want; we usually leave them out.

Super yummy!

Chicken Supper Squares

2008-10-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

I got the idea for this from my cousin's Sloppy Joe Squares recipe. Tonight's efforts turned out okay. My family liked them but it wasn't the WOW WOW WOW I was looking for. Next time I am going to add some salad dressing mix (the dry stuff) to the cream cheese to give it a little more oomph! Maybe ranch...or Caesar...I'll probably leave the Feta and red peppers out and maybe add some real bacon bits when I do that.

Oh and I am going to apologize right now. I love to cook and I love to try new things but I don't very often stop to measure. My measurements are usually guesses after the fact. I suppose that just encourages you to be a little experimental in the kitchen. Start by adding a small amount and then add til the flavor pleases you. That's about all I can tell you. I'll maybe try to do better but then that would take all the fun out of it for me. Sorry!

What we used:
2 pkgs Pillsbury Crescent Roll Dough
olive oil
dried herbs
baby spinach leaves
feta cheese
2-3 cups chopped cooked chicken
6-8 oz softened cream cheese
2 tbsp milk
dried onion
chopped red pepper
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained

What we did:
Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper (with some overlapping the ends) and then spray it with Pam. Open a package of crescent rolls and press them into the bottom of the pan (don't break it into triangles). Make sure you pinch those seams shut. At this point, I spread a little olive oil and herbs on. You could leave this out if you want. (I used a pasta blend from Epicure.) Spread baby spinach leaves all over the dough - cover it well. (I add spinach leaves to a lot of my cooking. If you don't like them, leave them out. Personally I think they are great and most of my family does too so I add them.) I sprinkled a little feta on top of the leaves because I LOVE spinach and feta together.

In a mixing bowl, I combined the cooked chicken, softened cream cheese and a little milk. Mix it until it is smooth and not too thick. Add some dried onions and the vegetables. Mix and then spread over the spinach.

Unroll the second package of dough. Press onto the chicken mixture to make a top crust. It is hard to pinch the seams but do your best here. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 18 -20 minutes. The top crust will be evenly golden brown. Let it cool for a couple of minutes and then remove it from the pan with the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.

Heavy Cream

2008-10-25T04:27:00.000-07:00

I was making Zuppa Tuscana last night (will post that one later) and the recipe called for heavy cream. Since I am desperately trying to drop these last 20, I didn't want all the fat and calories that would entail. I found a substitute that I want to share.

1 C of low fat cottage cheese
3T non fat milk powder

Blend until smooth in a blender.

I added a bit of water as it was too thick to blend....it was GREAT! I used fat free cottage cheese. Once it was mixed and in the soup, you would never have known what it was before.

Mom's Apple Crisp

2008-10-24T04:52:00.000-07:00

So simple. So yummy. Would make a great breakfast! (It's got apples and Oatmeal!!)

Enough apples to fill a 9x13 pan, peeled, cored and sliced

1 C flour
1 C oats
1.5 C brown sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon
2/3 C margarine

Grease the pan, dump in the apples. Blend remaining ingredients until crumbly (like pie crust mix). Spread on top of the apples and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. (Until fruit is soft)

To make it even better and completely inappropriate for breakfast, add caramel sauce to the apples before topping with the crumble.
Kids ranked it---completely GROSS!!
What do they know?

Meal in a Pumpkin

2008-10-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to try something like this since I was a teenager. And last night, I finally did. It was pretty good and easy enough the kids were able to help make it. Not that they ate it...well, so long as there was nothing ORANGE in it they did, but seriously, the 3 older ones used magnifying glasses just to make sure it was safe. Screamer loved it and ate 2 bowls.

1 lb ground beef
onion, chopped (or epicure 3 onion dip mix)

2 T soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar*
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of celery or mushroom soup
1.5 C cooked brown rice**
1 medium sized pumpkin

Cut a tapered top cap and removed the guts of the pumpkin. (Save the seeds for planting as Storygirl would say, or for roasting)
Saute onion in oil, brown the beef.
Add say sauce and brown sugar. Drain excess liquid
Mix in remaining stuff and then dump into the pumpkin. Top with the cap.
(I read a few different recipes and some said to paint the outside with veg oil--I'm not sure why--this recipe didn't say to, but I did anyway. My pumpkin turned out really nice looking!! So do it if you want)
Bake on a cookie sheet for 1-1.5 hours. (I only did it for an hour and some of the pumpkin wasn't soft enough for my liking)
*I found this was too sweet. I will add way less sugar next time
**I used uncooked brown minute rice and it was great!

Orange & Green Spaghetti

2008-10-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

O. hates red sauce in all forms. We have to try new things with our pizzas and pastas around here or she refuses to eat. Tonight we made spaghetti - and it was a hit! O. ate two servings and was devastated when Daddy claimed the remainder for his lunch at work tomorrow.

What we used:
*3 chicken breasts
* half of a very large carrot
* a sprinkle of dried minced garlic
* half a tsp or so of lemon juice
* 2 cups sliced mushroom pieces
* 3-4 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
* half a jar of Alfredo sauce plus another half jar of milk
* whole wheat spaghetti, cooked
* Parmesan cheese

How we did it:
Cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Cook them thoroughly in a frying pan with a little water. Add a smallish sprinkle of minced garlic and a small squirt of lemon juice. Grate the carrot into the pan. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until tender. Add a few handfuls of baby spinach leaves and cook them until wilted. Mix the Alfredo sauce with the milk and pour over the mixture in the frying pan. Heat through. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Yum! Serve with a tossed salad and you have a quick and easy supper!

(You could probably use a whole bottle of Alfredo if you have it - I actually prefer the "watered down" sauce so we only use half bottles at a time.)