Cinnamon Bread

Like cinnamon rolls? Then this bread is a no-brainer! Tastes super yummy, makes your house smell fabulous, and can be eaten at for a few days (if it lasts that long!). I had to look at a few stores to find the cinnamon chips. They are by Hershey's, and I found them at Albertson's. Worth the hunt...let me tell ya!



Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup cinnamon chips
Cinnamon sugar mix, for topping

In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the milk, butter, and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until smooth. Cover and let mixture rest at room temperature for 1 hour, then stir in the baking powder and cinnamon chips.

Set oven at 350.

Spoon the batter into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a rack to cool completely. Wait until bread cools to slice.

**And because I love my mixer...here she is in all her glory, helping me out in the kitchen ;)

Heaven in a pan

Actually, these are called Chocolate-peanut butter mallow bars. But that's a mouthful. And they really are heaven in a pan!! They are even better than brownies. Try them.



Ingredients:

1 pkg devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup cold milk, divided
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 7oz jar Jet-Puffed marshmallow creme
1/2 cup planters salted peanuts
4-6 squares Baker's semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 350. Mix dry cake mix, butter and 1/3 cup milk until blended. Press 2/3 onto bottom of a 9/13 pan. Bake 12-14 minutes until almost set. Cool for 3 min. Mix peanut butter and remaining milk. Spread onto cake. Top with spoonfuls of marshmallow creme and remaining cake mixture. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate; pres gently into cake mixture to make a flat surface.
Bake 18 min. Cool before cutting into bars.

The BEST $4.00 I ever spent!

Ok, so my new found technique is to parooze the sale ads, see what meat is on sale, and then search for recipes using those meats. This week, whole chickens were on sale. Little did I know how much I was actually going to get out of that one little chicken! I made Beer Butt Chicken for dinner. Then I picked off all of the remaining meat and made Chicken Salad. Then I boiled the carcass with some herbs and veggies I had laying around and made chicken stock! Holy Moly! Like I said...best $4 I ever spent!!

Beer Butt Chicken

1 12 oz can beer
1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs)
1 large onion, sliced
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste
1 (14.5 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
4 red potatoes, sliced


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking dish. Pour out half the beer from the can, spray the can with cooking spray, and set it upright in the center of the baking sheet. Loosen the skin over the breast of the chicken, and insert an onion slice, and 1 rosemary sprig under the skin of each side of the breast. Place about half the onion, cracked garlic cloves, and 2 sprigs of rosemary into the cavity of the chicken. Spray the outside of the chicken with cooking oil spray, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to taste. Place the chicken onto the beer can in an upright position, with the can inserted into the cavity of the chicken. Pour the chicken broth into the baking dish, and place the rest of the sliced onion and the potatoes into the broth. Roast about 1 1/2 hours. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing.


Chicken Salad

Chicken pieces removed from whole chicken
Mayo or Miracle Whip to desired consistency
Sliced celery
Sliced black olives
salt & pepper
Dill (I use dried)

Combine and refrigerate overnight. There is no exact measurements, since this depends on how much chicken you have leftover.




Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass
1 large onion, quartered
1 carrot, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 bay leafs
2 sprigs rosemary
salt
pepper
6-8 cups water

Combine everything in a large pot, bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer, cover and let cook for 2 hours. Strain through a fine strainer or line yours with a cheese cloth to get out all small bits. Allow fat to come to the top and skim it off with a spoon. Allow stock to get to room temp before placing it in the fridge. Make some yummy soup for dinner tomorrow!!

Owl Cupcakes!

I saw these on a fellow foodie's blog and gave them a try!! I won't bother reposting the recipe, since she did it so well, but I did take a shortcut; she made her own frosting and I used store-bought. Call me lazy...but they were still a HUGE hit!




Ingredients:

Storebought cake mix
Chocolate frosting
Oreo cookies, divided, only using side with frosting
Brown M&M's or Reeses Pieces
Candy corn

Bake cupcakes as directed, frost and assemble!

Chicken Hashbrown Casserole

This is another one of those times when I needed to scrounge through and see what I could make with what I had on hand. This is when I love using allrecipes.com. If you click on the ingredients link, you can type in a few main things you have on hand and it'll give you recipes including those ingredients. I changed this one around a tad, and it was really good!




Ingredients:

1 2lb pkg frozen hash browns, thawed
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 cup melted butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz container sour cream
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except french fried onions and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Bake covered in a 3 qt casserole dish for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine french fried onions and cheese. Uncover and top with onion/cheese mix and bake 10 more minutes.

**I made fried eggs to serve on top of this, and it was a really yummy combination, but you can skip that if you'd like.

Sausage Hashbrown Bake

I made this for our friends who came over for a playdate one morning last week. Delicious and easy!




Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork sausage
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 of a 10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup french onion dip
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
salt & pepper
15 oz shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. In a large bowl, combine 3/4 of the cheese, and the next 7 ingredients. Fold in potatoes. Spread half of the potatoe mixture into a 2 qt baking dish, top with the sausage and cover with remaining potatoe mix. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake 5 minutes more until heated through.

Banana Pancakes

Another great idea for using up those over ripe bananas! I also read online that you can freeze the bananas until you are ready to use them. So now I have a few in there just waiting for the mood to strike to make banana bread again!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 tbs white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk, oil, banana, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be lumpy. Spray a griddle with cooking spray and use aprox 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.

These were amazing. I didn't take a picture, you all know what pancakes look like. I tweaked this recipe from it's original version, using only 1 banana instead of 2 because I thought it would be too mushy. After eating them I know I was right, they were soft, but would've been way too mushy with one more banana. I also added the vanilla and cinnamon - I like those flavors. You could also add nuts!

Chicken Parmesan

One of my very favorites! I had planned on making Sloppy Joes this night, but my husband said he didn't feel like sloppy joes...so I scrounged around for what other ingredients I had on hand and sure enough, I had everything I needed for Chicken Parmesan. And it was AWESOME!

Ingredients:

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
3 chicken breasts, sliced into about 4 strips
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup jarred spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded italian cheese blend(You can buy the preshredded in the store, or combine what you have. I had shredded mozzarella, fontina and parmesan so that's what I used)
1 tsp dried basil (optional)

Heat oven to 375
Place bread crumbs and egg into shallow dishes. Dredge chicken in egg, then bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a saute pan over med-high. Cook chicken strips in batches about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a large baking dish. Spoon spaghetti sauce over chicken in dish. Top with cheese blend, and sprinkle with basil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of your strips.

I serves spaghetti along side this. It was excellent. Photo coming soon!

Slow Cooker Lasagne

Two of my favorite things: my slow cooker and Italian food. Enough said.



Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
1 7 oz pkg mozzerarella cheese shredded
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tbs chopped fresh italian parsley
6 lasagne noodles, uncooked

Brown meat in skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Combine ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 tbs parmesan, egg and parsley in a bowl. Spoon 1 cup meat mixture into slow cooker, top with layer of lasagne noodles, broken to fit. Top noodles with half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with 2 cups meat sauce, then noodles, remaining cheese mixture, then remaining meat mixture. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Sprinkle top with remaining cheeses and cover again for 10 more minutes.

**Two more of my favorite things; a messy child and a clean plate!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Admittedly, I am not much of a baker; I make a huge mess and use way too many dishes. I prefer cooking. And, though I know it is not normal, I do not have much of a sweet tooth. Ice cream is my guilty pleasure, and I actually don't like chocolate; a fact which causes my mother to often claim I am not her child. I rarely bake, because then I end up giving too much of it to the kids so that it won't go to waste, so I usually don't bake sweet treats. At birthday parties, I always pass on the cake. However, tomorrow there is a bake sale at church to raise money for a ministry that I participate in where we go to Mexico and build houses for needy families. So I made my favorite sweet treat. I love white chocolate.



Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped macadamia nuts (**after eating these, I feel I would have been okay with just 1 cup of nuts...there were alot in each cookie. Your choice.)
2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Beat together melted butter and sugars. Beat in the egg, then the egg yolk, then the vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until just combined. Stir in the chips and nuts gently. Scoop by large tablespoonfull onto lined baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes until edges are golden and centers are not quite set.





**I used my melon baller to drop cookies onto baking sheet, so I don't have to push the dough off the spoon with my fingers and also makes the cookies all the exact same size (which helps with even baking!). I also line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Much easier cleanup and a much softer cookie!

Kitchen Must-Haves

Since Christmas is coming up, I thought I'd review some of my favorite kitchen tools - things I use often and feel are VERY worth every penny. So if you are lacking any of the following and would like to change that...read the reviews, and add them to your list!

Slow-Cooker

I have raved about mine many times here. A slow cooker is a mother's best friend; working or stay-at-home. A slow cooker require minimal effort but provides a maximum result. If you don't have one, I highly suggest you get one!


Food Processor

Before I bought one, I never really thought I needed one, didn't think I'd use it much, but found one on sale and decided to grab it. Now I don't think I could survive without it! It is amazing for making dips, soups, dough, and the grater attachment it comes with has saved me tons of elbow grease and money! I despise shredding cheese for some reason, but I also refuse to pay 25% more to buy it pre-shredded from the store. It's too expensive, doesn't melt the same, and generally is a waste. Using the grater attachment, I am able to buy a big block of cheese for much less, cut it into 4 squares, shove it down the top of the food processor, and it is grated in seconds! I dump it into a food storage bag and don't have to think about it again til I have to buy some more. Awesome!

Imersion Blender

Makes for a much easier time making soups. You won't have to pour in batches into your blender. It's soup season people. This is a perfect stocking-stuffer!

A GOOD knife

Cutting onions/meat/potatoes/pretty much anything with one of your steak knifes you got in a kit for your wedding is just painful. Get one or two sharp, good quality knives. Make your life much easier.

Rice Cooker

I am no good at figuring out rice in a saucepan for whatever reason. It always takes too long to cook. A rice cooker turns off when the rice is done, based on a weight measurement inside. My rice cooker is amazing.

Kitchenaid Mixer

The grand master of all kitchen tools. They are expensive, I know. But they are so worth it! No stainding next to a bowl and mixing, no need to knead dough...need I say more? I always bake as presents for Christmas, only because I have my Kitchenaid Mixer. Otherwise the neighbors would get craft projects from my kids. I am sure they prefer cookies!

This week

Keep your eyes open for: Slow-Cooker Lasagne, Potato-Bacon Torte and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies!

Happy cooking!

Roasted Tomato Soup

Vine ripe tomatoes were on sale this week for .99 cents a pound. So of course I grabbed a ton and then realized there's no way I'll eat that many before they go bad! This recipe called for a total of 2 1/2 lbs of tomatoes of all kinds, but I used all vine ripe since thats what I have.



Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs fresh tomatoes (mix of whichever kinds you like)
6 cloves peeled garlic
2 small yellow onions sliced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450

Wash, core and cut tomatoes into halves. (*I cored mine with my potato peeler/apple corer). Spread tomatoes, garlic cloves, and onions onto baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove roasted tomato mix and transfer to a large stock pot. And 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves and butter. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Chop basil leaves and add to pot. Use immersion blender to puree until smooth (*If you don't have one of those nifty tools, you can pour the soup in batches into your blender). Return heat to low and add cream and remaining stock if soup needs to be thinned. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

***Just as I was making this my husband needed me to bring him something to his work that he forgot, so we ate lunch with him. I left to soup to get room temp, poured it into a freezer bag and am going to freeze it for future use. It is fall afterall...I'm sure one day it will cool down and start to feel like soup weather!

Tex-Mex Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

This is another Rachael Ray recipe. I highly reccommend getting her magazine, it has some really fabulous stuff in there. These are excellent. Messy to make, but worth it!



Ingredients:

4 cups vegetable oil
2 tbs chili powder
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tbs poultry seasoning
2 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
2 lbs chicken, cut into tenders*
Salt and pepper

In large skillet, heat oil over med-high. In a large bowl, combine all spices. Pour half of the spice mixture into another large bowl. Pour buttermilk into one bowl, and flour into the other. Stir to mix spices in. Dip chicken tender into buttermilk, then flour, then buttermilk again, then flour again (makes for a crispy crust!). Add the strips to the oil and cook 3-4 min per side. Sprinkle with salt immediately after removing from oil. Serve with ranch for kids, and ranch/louisiana hot sauce mixture (like Franks Red Hot) for the adults.

*Save money and use whole chicken breasts and cut them into strips yourself. Buying pre-cut strips at the store is always more pricey

New look...

What do you think? I like the white I think, looks cleaner. But what do you think? Needs more color or you like it white? Recipes to be posted tomorrow!

On the menu this week...

Some old friends...

Taco Ring

Broccoli Beef

Creamy Pasta ***Made with Orzo pasta this time

And some newbies...

Tex Mex Buttermilk Chicken Tenders, Salisbury Steak, and Delicious Chicken Casserole

See you in the kitchen!

Velveeta tex-mex beef and potatoes

This is awesome. My kids ate 2 servings each. Perfect kid-friendly dinner that has enough flavor for mom and dad to enjoy too. Put down that Hamburger Helper box, this is so much better! I don't have a picture, sorry!! I'll make it again soon and post one, I promise!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 red pepper chopped (I used a half)
1 onion chopped
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
4 cups frozen Southern-Style hash browns
1 pkg (10oz) frozen corn
8oz Velveeta cheese, cubed

Heat oven to 350

Brown meat with peppers and onions. Drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Add potatoes, corn and velveeta, mix well. Spoon into a 13x9 baking dish; cover. Bake 20 min, stir. Uncover and bake 15 more min.

Fococcia Bread

I was in the mood for some fresh pizza bread yesterday so I put this together. The kids loved it. I had the BEST fococcia bread EVER when I was in Florence. I wish I could replicate it...I've never been able to. Guess I'll just have to go back there...



Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups warm water
2 envelopes dry yeast
1 tbs honey
3 tbs olive oil
4 cups flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp oregano

**I use my Kitchenaid mixer. Her name is Blanca. She is my best friend. You should definately get yourself a Blanca**

Combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let yeast disolve for a few minutes. Add 3 cups flour, then the salt and mix on med-low for 10 minutes. While mixing, add 1 more cup flour. When dough is combined and ready, turn it on a floured board and knead by hand about 6 times. Place dough in a bowl well oiled with olive oil, turn dough to cover with oil. Cover bowl with damp kitch towel. Allow to rest and rise at room temp for 30 min.

Preheat oven to 450.

Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Make a pizza and foccocia, 2 pizzas, save some for later...whatever you like. Roll dough to desired thickness and shape. Push dimples into dough and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with oregano and kisher salt. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Serve warm.

**If making pizza, top with your favorite toppings. Same cook time.

Banana Bread

Got old bananas?? Don't waste them!! Grab a pack of chopped pecans from the store and make this AWESOME bread...you're sure to have everything you need on hand.



Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 over ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Combine flour, baking soda and salt - set aside. Mash 2 bananas with a fork in a small bowl. Whip remaining bananas with sugar for 3 minutes. Then add butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat well, scrape down sides of bowl. Mix in dry ingredients until just incorporated, do not over mix.

Fold in nuts and mashed bananas. Pour batter into loaf pan, drop pan on counter a few times to remove air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour 15 min. Let rest for 10 min, remove to rack.

**I should name this One Day Banana Bread, because thats how long it lasts around here!

Carrot Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

All I can say is wow, you have to make these. If you like pumpkin, you will love these. And they were simple. Not the most diet friendly recipe, but what dessert is, really? Splurge on this one, you won't regret it!


Ingredients:

1 - 8oz pkg cream cheese softened
2 eggs
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs lemon juice
1 - 14oz pkg pumpkin quick bread and muffin mix (I used Pilsbury)
1 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins (I didn't add raisins, I don't like them)
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tbs butter, softened

Heat oven to 350. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 egg, sugar and lemon juice. Set aside. In a small bowl, set aside 1/2 cup of the bread mix for topping. Place rest of mix in large bowl. Add remaining egg, carrots, milk raisins and oil. Stir until well blended.
Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup of batter. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of cream cheese mixture over the top of each muffin.
Add pecans and butter to the reserved muffin mix. Mix with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the cream cheese in each muffin cup.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool, remove from pan and serve. YUMMY!!

PS - Isn't my picture great? I'm proud of myself on that one!