Chinese-Style Sponge Cake

Ideal for kids as it's not super sweet and it pairs wonderfully with fresh fruit. Use diced or sliced strawberries, peaches, and/or berries. Frost with barely-sweetened whipped cream.

This cake is great for making strawberry shortcake too.


Ingredients: 

3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar (if you don't want to buy some, it's cool. You can always use regular sugar. If you have a small blender, you can turn regular sugar into superfine sugar by blending it for a minute)
6 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pint of heavy whipping cream
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar

diced or sliced fresh fruit

butter and cake flour for pans
parchment paper
cake pan(s)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350˚ F. Butter the bottom and sides of your cake pan. Cut out a piece of parchment paper to fit on the bottom of your pan. Then butter the paper. Coat the bottom and sides with a thin layer of cake flour.

2. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the sugar with the egg yolks and beat until thick and pale yellow. Stir in the vanilla extract.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they are starting to form peaks. Then slowly add in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, a little bit at a time. Continue to beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

4. Spoon half of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture and fold them together gently, to minimize volume loss. Fold in the flour in small increments. Fold in the milk and oil. Gently fold in the remaining egg white mixture.

5. Pour the batter into your cake pan(s). Gently tap the sides to evenly distribute the batter and release any air bubbles.

6. Bake for 20ish minutes or until the top is just barely turning light brown. If you're using a dark or non-stick pan, then you may need to cook for a little longer. If you're using a glass or light aluminum pan, then cook for a little less time. I cooked my cake in a 12x12 shiny, aluminum pan and it was perfect in exactly 15 minutes. Watch the cake carefully.

7. As the cake cools, it will shrink a little bit. So when you pull it out of the oven, run a knife along the edges of your pan to make sure the cake will shrink evenly on all sides. Leave the cake in the pan to cool completely before removing it and peeling off the parchment paper.

8. This step is optional, but it will help if your cake ends up a little dry. Prepare some simple syrup by mixing 1/4 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar and just barely bring it to a boil. Then let it cool. Once it's cool, brush the simple syrup over the cake.

9. The whipped cream frosting I made was super simple. Mix 1 pint of whipping cream with 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat until the whipped cream is thick and spreadable.

10. Assemble your cake layers putting a layer of whipped cream and fruit in the middle. Then frost your whole cake with the rest of your whipped cream. Decorate with more fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

I found this from skinnytaste.com... LOVEEEEEEE

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups (1 medium) zucchini, shredded
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Romano cheese (or parmesan)
• 3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and fresh pepper
• olive oil non-stick spray

Directions:

Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightlyspray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add oil when hot then saute garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper and saute about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, addmozzarella cheese and mix to combine.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 3 tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spraywith oil spray.

Bake 25 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Serving size is listed as one, but if you are having this as a low carb meal with a salad, I suggest you have two.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

SO much better than any pita I've bought at the supermarket! For this recipe I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer and a pizza stone. But it can still easily be done if you don't have either. The mixing can be done by hand and you can cook the pitas on a grill pan or right on the oven racks.

Ingredients:
2¼ tsp. instant yeast (1 packet)
1 tbsp. honey
1¼ cups warm water (105˚-115˚ F), divided
1½ cups bread flour, divided
1½ cups whole wheat flour, divided
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Cornmeal, for sprinkling

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer*, combine the yeast, honey and ½ cup of the water. I found this easiest to combine if I stirred in the honey first, then added the yeast. Stir gently to blend. Whisk ¼ cup of the bread flour and ¼ cup of the whole wheat flour into the yeast mixture until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap and return the bowl to the mixer stand, fitted with the dough hook. Add in the remaining ¾ cup of warm water, 1¼ cups bread flour, 1¼ cups whole wheat flour, olive oil and salt. Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the ball of dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let it rise in a warm draft-free place, about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.

Place an oven rack in the middle position. Place a baking stone in the oven (if using) and preheat to 500˚ F.

Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten one ball at a time into a disk, then stretch out into a 6½-7 inch circle. Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet or other work surface lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Once all the rounds have been shaped, loosely cover with clean kitchen towels. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.

Transfer 4 pitas, 1 at a time, onto the baking surface. (Note: These can be baked on a baking stone or directly on the oven racks. I use a pizza stone, but either method is fine.) Bake 2 minutes, until puffed and pale golden. Gently flip the pitas over using tongs and bake 1 minute more. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining pitas. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

*As always, anything mixed in a stand mixer can be mixed by hand.

Turkey & Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

approx 24 jumbo pasta shells

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus ½ teaspoon

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus ¼ teaspoon

1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped (canned artichokes work okay too, just make sure they are brined and not marinated)

1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese

¾ cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves (don't use dry basil, use fresh. It makes a difference)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce, recipe follows

1 ½ cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Arrabbiata Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 ounces sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped (bacon works okay too)

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups jarred or fresh marinara sauce

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta. Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)

Arrabbiata Sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the Pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. if you're using bacon, skip the olive oil and drain most of the fat first. Then add some olive oil. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Grilled Scallops with Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients:

-1lb angel hair pasta

-1lb bay scallops (or 16 sea scallops)

-6 cloves garlic, minced

-1/2 cp flat leaf parsley, chopped

-1/4 cp extra virgin olive oil

-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

-1/2 dry white wine

-zest & juice of 1 lemon

-5 tbsp cold unsealed butter

-salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

-cook pasta according to box to al dente (when done, reserve a cup of starchy water before draining)

-in a bowl, combine the garlic, salt & pepper and olive oil

-in another bowl, toss scallops in half of the oil mixture (above), toss to coat then grill (in a pan) 2-3 minutes until firm and opaque

-in large skillet, cook other half of the oil mixture with the pepper flakes until the garlic browns.

-add wine, cook for 2 minutes

-add lemon zest & juice, cook 2 minutes

-add butter, cook until melted

-add scallops and drained pasta, combine together, add salt & pepper to taste (add starchy water if needed)

Serve Hot

This dish is quite popular in our house. We've used it for dinner guests as well and it always goes over well (except with very picky eaters). It is referred to simply as "the pasta" and that says a lot considering I make quite a few pasta dishes :)

Hope you try and hope you like.

(Crockpot) Creamy Ranch Chicken

In an effort to save $$$ this week, we did an entire menu with boneless, skinless chicken breast, which can get pretty boring pretty quickly so this was very easy and came out pretty tasty. DH actually said: "delicious"

3-4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dessing seasoning

Cook on high 5-6 hours (closer to 5)

I served with white rice and broccoli, but you can use any sides.

(Crockpot) Chicken & Dumplings

Slow-Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

adapted from Bubble Crumb

Ingredients:

1lb of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (3-5)

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 cans (10.5oz) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can (14oz) Chicken Broth

1 medium White Onion, diced

4 Large Flaky Refrigerator Biscuits

Place chicken in crock pot and top with butter. Add cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and diced onions. Cook on High for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken from crock pot and use a fork to shred. Return chicken to the crock pot. Cut each uncooked biscuit into 9 pieces and stir into the chicken mixture. Continue to cook on High for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes about 6-8 servings.

--I got this from (where else???) Pinterest. DH surprisingly liked it. He's no big on soup as a meal. He's more of a protein, vegetable, starch guy (sometimes just the protein and starch). I did like the way it came out, it was super easy, but a little too onion-y for me. So next time I'm either going to use less onion or only use onion powder. I also cooked it on low for 10 hours (from when I went to work to when DH got home).

Stuffed French Toast Strata with Apple Cider Syrup

My stepmom found this recipe many years ago.  It's super easy to make and sooo yummy (works great for a dessert too).   It's now a tradition to make it every year for Christmas morning.  Yum!

Stuffed French Toast Strata

1 1-pound loaf unsliced French bread

1 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed

8 eggs

2½ c. milk, light cream or half & half

6 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

¼ c. maple syrup

• Cut French bread loaf into cubes. (You should have about 12 cups of bread cubes.)
• Grease a 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
• To assemble, in the prepared baking dish place half of the bread cubes.  Top with cream cheese cubes, and then with the remaining bread cubes.
• In a blender container or a mixing bowl with a rotary beater, mix together the eggs, milk, melted butter or margarine, and maple syrup until well combined.
• Pour egg mixture evenly over bread and cheese cubes.  Using a spatula, slightly press layers down to moisten.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
• Remove plastic wrap from baking dish.  Bake in 325° oven for 35-40 minutes or till the center appears set and the edges are lightly golden.  Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with Apple Cider Syrup.

Apple Cider Syrup

½ c. sugar

4 tsp cornstarch

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 c apple cider or apple juice

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

• In a small saucepan stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.  Then stir in the apple cider/juice and lemon juice.
• Cook and stir the mixture of medium heat till mixture is thickened and bubbly. 
• Then cook and stir for 2 minutes more.
• Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the butter or margarine till melted.

Shells with Crispy Pancetta & Spinach

*This is a Giada recipe, hope you ladies like...

Shells:
1 (12 oz) package of jumbo shell pasta
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 lb thick-cut pancetta cut into 3/4 in cubes
2 boxes frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 (15 oz) container whole milk ricotta
1 cp grated asiago cheese ((((I used parmesan))))
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Sauce:
1 tblsp butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cp cream
2 cps grated asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cp ((((again, used parmesan)))
1/4 cp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

preheat oven to 375

shells: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8-10 minutes. Drain pasta.
Warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, add pancetta and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Add (to the bowl) the spinach, ricotta, asiago, pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tblsp of the spinach mixture each and place in a large buttered baking dish.

sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cps asiago, parsley and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour over the shells, top with remaining asiago. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Dakota Smashed Pea and Barley Soup

This is from the CPK cookbook and apparently, Cari thinks it's amazing. I'll have to give it a try... which should be interesting since I don't like peas. :-)

Ingredients:

1 pound dried split peas, sorted and rinsed
1/2 cup Pearl Barley
2 quarts water
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tbls soy sauce
1 tbls chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tbls dried)
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp rubbed dried sage
Large pinch of ground cumin
1.5 cups diced carrots
2/3 cup minced onion
1/3 cup diced celery
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion greens (green onions, just the green parts not the white parts)

In a large pot or saucepan, combine the first 10 ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the carrots, celery, and onions. Simmer until veggies are tender, 20-30 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Ladle into bowls and garnish with scallion greens...enjoy!

Thomas Keller's Roasted Chicken, our version

DH and I make this chicken maybe once a month and it is SO yummy, and relatively simple to do. It's our variation on chef Thomas Keller's simple roasted chicken.

First we brine the chicken. This adds a lot of great flavor to the chicken. Here is Cook's Illustrated's info on brining and how it works.

Brine:

1 two to three pound whole chicken, thawed

2 cups filtered water

1 cup Kosher salt

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

ice and more filtered water

Remove your thawed chicken from the package and take out the giblets from the cavity (if there are any). Mix all of the brine ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove, stirring occasionally. You want the sugar and salt to be mostly dissolved. Pour the brine mixture into a large container that is big enough to completely submerge the chicken in the brine. Don't add your chicken while the brine is still hot! Add a few handfuls of of ice to the brine to cool it down. Once the brine is cool, place the chicken in the container. Add more filtered water until it comes just above the chicken. Wiggle the chicken a little bit making sure some brine gets into the cavity. Cover and place in the fridge for at least a few hours. Don't let your chicken brine for much longer than 8 to 10 hours as it can become too salty.

I usually brine the chicken around lunchtime so we can eat around 7 or 8pm.

Ingredients:

Your brined whole chicken

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 yellow onion

4 medium red potatoes

A couple handfuls of baby carrots
(you can do any kind of veggies you like with chicken, zucchini, squash, etc.)

Preheat the over to 450 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse it in the sink. Pat it dry... both inside the cavity and out, with lots and lots of paper towels. You want it to be as dry as possible. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Sprinkle salt and pepper into the cavity, then truss the bird. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. It helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a prettier roasted bird. Don't know how to truss a chicken? Here's a video.

Now, rain salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). Season to taste with pepper.

Roughly chop the onion. Wash the potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes. Pour the onion, potatoes and baby carrots into a roasting pan, evenly covering the bottom. Place the chicken on top. The juices from the chicken will add flavor & fat to the veggies. When the oven is at temperature, place the roasting pan in the oven. Roast until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. We usually use a probe thermometer that stays in the bird and dings when the bird reaches a desired temperature. If your bird starts to brown on top a little too soon or too much, loosely covering it with aluminum foil can slow the browning process.

Remove it from the oven and baste the chicken in the juices. Remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a cutting board to rest for 15 minutes. Don't remove the thermometer probe yet! Put the pan with the veggies back in the oven for a few minutes until they turn whatever desired brown-ness you'd like.

After the chicken has rested, remove the thermometer probe (if you used one), carve and serve.

It's yummy all by itself, but we usually add a dijon mustard to our plates. I love the sweet/hot mustard from Trader Joe's. I like to serve it with with a simple tossed salad and a dry white or rosé wine.

Here's the one we made the other night:

Albondiga Soup by Karina T. Toledo

Albondiga Soup by Karina T. Toledo

Ingridients:

1 lb ground beef

3 Stems of Parsley (chopped)

2 tomatillos (green tomatoes) peeled

4 tomatoes

2 small pieces Onion

2 cloves Garlic

Can of Chipotle sauce (optional if you like a little spice)

1/4 cup of cooked rice

1 cube of Knorr chicken flavoring

salt

3 eggs (hard boiled and cut in 4 pieces each)

Steps:

1. Blend together 2 tomatillos and parsley with a small piece of onion (small) and one garlic clove. Add about 2-3 tbs of water (so that it can blend better)

2. In a bowl add mixture (step 1) with ground beef and cooked rice

3. In a small sauce pan boil 4 tomatoes, then blend the tomatoes with the other small piece for onion and remaining garlic clove and a 1/2 cup of water.

4. In a big soup pan add the mixture (from step 3) let it simmer, add 1/2-1 cup of water (depending on how thick you want the soup). Let it simmer for 5 mins. then add the cube of chicken flavoring and salt to taste (you can add 1/2-1 tbs of chipotle sauce if you want to make it spicy)

5. Roll ground beef into meatballs insert a piece of the hard boiled egg in the center. Once you have roll all the meatballs add them to the sauce pan and let it simmer for 10-15 mins.

Spinach chicken casserole

I know a lot of the ladies had asked me to share this one. I didn't measure out the chx, just used 2 chx breast. We also didn't use tomatoes since DH hates them, and added in some extra spinach. I was surprised at the lack of creamy-ness from the cream cheese, but it was still pretty good. A bit on the onion-y side, so if you're not a huge fan, you could always cut the amount of onion in half, or use none at all and just get the flavor from the CC. Oh, and as a calorie saver, I omitted the mozzarella cheese on the top:

8 oz uncooked rigatoni

1 T olive oil

1 c chopped onion

1 (10 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed

3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts

1 (14 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained

1 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese

½ t salt, ½ t pepper

1½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare rigatoni according to pkg directions. Spread oil on bottom of 11x17 in baking dish; add onion in a single layer. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to large bowl, set aside.

Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Stir in rigatoni, spinach, chicken, & next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into dish & sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes; uncover & bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.


Source: http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/2010/06/chicken-spinach-pasta-bake.html

Crockpot Pulled BBQ Chicken

Possibly the easiest and tastiest chicken dinner EVER!!

Spray your crock pot with Pam.
Add:
3-4 frozen or thawed chicken breasts (sometimes the frozen breasts make for even more tender and juicy chicken)
Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to your tastes. Add other spices if you want too!
Add 1/2 thinly sliced red onion (or yellow onion or none at all)
Add one bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Take lid off and pull chicken with 2 forks. Cook another 1 hour at least or more if you want.
Add more BBQ sauce if you like it extra saucy ;-)
Serve plain or on hard sandwich rolls. Great with salad and cornbread!

Kielbasa & Lentil Soup

Kielbasa Soup

1 lb lentils

8 cups water

1 large can tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 ½ to 2 lbs kielbasa

8 slices bacon

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup sliced carrots

1 med. onion, sliced

Wash lentils, combine with water, tomatoes, bay leaves, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil.  Add kielbasa, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in large skillet, fry 8 slices bacon, diced, until limp.  Remove all but 1 tbsp fat from skillet.  Add celery, carrots and onion.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Add to lentils and continue to simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours until lentils are tender.

Remove kielbasa, slice, and return to soup. Serve.

*When I made this recently, I used a food processor and ground up the carrots, celery, and onion (we don't do chunks of veggies well in this house).  It made the soup thicker too.

*This recipe also freezes well.  I like to portion it in freezer bags and freeze flat.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is copied and pasted directly from allrecipes (my favorite food site). The only changes I made were to omit the 1/2 cup nuts and put in 1 cup chocolate chips =)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 2 medium bananas, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Quick Pastitsio

Here's the delicious-sounding recipe that Tracy shared. I'm going to try it next week.

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

cooking spray

1 lb ground sirloin

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups fat-free milk

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

1 (3 ounce) package fat-free cream cheese

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat broiler.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove beef from pan; drain. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add beef; sprinkle with salt. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in milk, tomatoes and cream cheeses, stirring until smooth; bring to a simmer. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in pasta.

Spoon pasta mixture into a 13x9 inch broiler-safe baking dish coasted with cooking spray. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top. Broil 4 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with parsley.

Awesome & Easy Corn Casserole

This is from AllRecipes.com and it's become a staple for any family get-togther. It's ridiculously easy to make and never, ever leaves any leftovers. It's just THAT good. I have a photo somewhere, I just need to find it.

This recipe is for a 9x9 baking dish. If it's just you and your hubby, then the 9x9 dish will be perfect. But if it's going to be 6 or more people, then double it with a 13x9 pan.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 (8.5 ounce) package dry cornbread mix

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14.75 ounce) can creamed corn

1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (175 celsius) and lightly grease a 9x9 baking dish.

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

S'more Please!!

Hi! I'm Christy also known as clipscomb1987 :) I want to start off by saying that I am totally addicted to pinterest and most of my inspiration for cooking I find on that website! Here are two recipes I made for my friends daughters 7th birthday camp out party this weekend.

S'more Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar

Add:
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Beat thoroughly

Add:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips, or one giant Hershey bar, chopped
1 cup mini marshmallows
Stir to incorporate

Put a "dab" of cookie dough on the center of the Graham cracker.

Bake at 350 degrees for no longer then 11 minutes, any longer and the Graham cracker will burn. When done baking quickly transfer to your wire rack. Yields 4 dozen

S'more Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:
3 cups marshmallows
1 (heaping) tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup graham crackers, broken into course pieces
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Butter 8x8 pan. In large (microwave safe) bowl, place the marshmallows butter and vanilla in the microwave until the marshmallows begin to soften (this only took 30 seconds for me, depends on your microwave) Mix with a spatula and microwave for another 30 seconds or until marshmallows are completely melted. Add the Graham cracker chunks in, then add in chocolate chips and combine (I let my rice krispie's cool a little bit after mixing in the graham crackers so the chocolate chips wouldn't melt, just 2 minutes or so)

Press mixture into the prepared pan. Allow to cool and devour!

♥ Christy


S'more Cookie Source: http://fahrenheit350.blogspot.com/2009/08/rain-or-shine.html
S'more Rice Krispies Source: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/se28099more-rice-krispie-squares/