Cookies and Cream Fudge

Ingredients
* 3 cups granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup butter
* 5 oz can evaporated milk (I used 2%)
* 1 package white chocolate chips
* 7 oz jar marshmallow cream
* 1 2/3 cup finely crushed chocolate cream cookies, divided
* 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil. 
2. Combine the sugar, butter and milk in a medium sized, heavy bottomed sauce pan.  Bring to  a full boil, then stir constantly for 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat.
3. Mix in the white chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, and 1 cup of the cookie crumbs.  Pour in the pan.  Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup of crumbs on the top of the fudge.
4. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until cool.  Remove the fudge and foil from the pan,cut into small squares.  Keep leftovers in the fridge.

Notes
The original recipe calls for bigger pieces of cookies on the top, but I found it easier to just process all the cookies at the same time and use some in the fudge and some on top, rather then making some super fine crumbs and some cookie pieces.  But, you can do it however you'd like!

Brown Rice Salad

Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cup long grain brown rice
* 2 tsp salt
* 2 tsp lime juice
* 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
* 2 tsp honey
* 2 garlic cloves, minced (or grated)
* 1 tsp grated lime zest
* juice of a lime (at least 2 tbsp)
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp pepper
* 1 cup of diced sweet peppers (red, yellow, green, orange)
* 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
* 1 avocado, halved, pitted and cut into small pieces
* 1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced
* 5 scallions, sliced thin
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Directions
1. To make the rice, bring 3 quarts of water to boil in a large pot.  Add the rice and the 2 tsp salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the rice is tender, about 27-30 minutes.  Drain the rice, then spread it out on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Drizzle the rice with 2 tsp of lime juice and then let it cool completely which should be about 15 minutes.
2. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, honey, garlic, lime zest, juice of one lime, cumin, salt and pepper.
3. Transfer the cooled rice to a large bowl.  Add the peppers, tomatoes, avocado, jalapeno and vinaigrette and mix well to combine.  Let is stand for 10 minutes.
4. Mix in the scallions and cilantro.  If desired, season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve at room temperature, or chill and serve cold.

Notes
This was great!!! Such bright flavors - very summery tasting!  I made this but served the tomatoes and avocado separately to meet the needs my family. Some of us love one but not the other, some don't like either.   Just easiest with a salad like this to put it together with all the communal ingredients and then pass the additional ones for people to include if desired.  Just a  note - for me, I liked the rice texture at 30 minutes, so begin to taste it at 27 minutes and see if you feel the rice is done.  If not, add a few minutes of additional time.

I shared this with a few friends, including a vegetarian, and they also loved it!  We agreed that you could swap the rice for quinoa and probably it would be a great dish as well. Give this salad a try soon!  And if you have leftovers and are having it the next day or so, refresh it with a little more fresh lime juice.  This will bring the salad back to life and won't weigh it down with additional olive oil.  Enjoy!

August 23, 2013

Our school year is already in full swing!  Picture day was today for the middle school (can you believe that...talk about getting right into it!), and Hannah has a soccer tournament this weekend!  Goodbye our summer of travel and leisure...hello calendar and commitments. 

We do our best to eat as a family every night possible, though sometimes it just doesn't work out.  But when we can't eat together we do always save a plate of our dinner for the missing family member to enjoy upon their return.  This week we made a new dinner that everyone enjoyed, was thrown together pretty quickly, and reheated nicely.  Skillet and chicken ravioli was a hit, though the boys preferred it without the parsley garnish.  An easy enough modification by passing the parsley around the table and each adding their own (or not) to their dinner plate.  The sauce was light and bright with the tomatoes and red wine vinegar, and we will definitely make this again.

Not sure what will be on the menu next week, but that is why I meal plan on Saturdays!  Wish me luck as my semester begins on Monday.  Time for me to hit the books!  My break was fantastic, but I am ready to get back to class.

Happy Cooking!

New Recipe
Skillet Chicken and Ravioli

Skillet Chicken and Ravioli

Ingredients
* 16-20 oz package of refrigerated mini cheese ravioli
* 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
* 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into small chunks
* salt and freshly group pepper
* 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
* 1.5 - 2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
* 2-3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
* 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 2-3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
* fresh basil or parsley for garnish

Directions
1. Cook the ravioli as directed, then drain and drizzle with the EVOO to prevent sticking.  Set aside.
2. While the ravioli is cooking, season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook until cooked through.  Transfer to  a plate and keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining tbsp olive oil in the pan.  Add the mushrooms and let them cook, undisturbed, until browned in spots, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Season with a pinch of salt and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 3 more minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, garlic and vinegar to the pan and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
5. Return the chicken to the pan, and the chicken broth and Parmesan cheese, bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is heated through.
6. Pour chicken and sauce over the ravioli, garnish with parsley or basil, and enjoy!

Notes
This can easily be made with tortellini, or use interesting filled ravioli and leave out the chicken.  I was only able to get medium size ravioli and we all wished they had been smaller.  Dinner is so much more fun when part of the meal is "mini"!  This reheated well for lunch later in the week, too!

August 16, 2013

We did get some of that freezer cooking done this week, glad to be able to check something off my "to do" list!  In addition to restocking some basics, I also took an inventory of what is in there so it will be easy to meal plan each week.  Do you do that?  It is so helpful for me to have an idea each week of what we are going to eat.  Even when there aren't tons of activities, classes and meetings planned in a given week I find comfort in knowing what we are going to cook.  For me it makes the 4 o'clock hour a little smoother because I don't have the "what's for dinner" question hanging over my head.  

This week the only recipe that earned keeper status was my Aunt Helen's peach cobbler.  The kids and I had it for the first time when we traveling up the east coast, and my oh my, it was delicious!!! It is very straightforward, and the peaches are the shining stars.  The peaches out here have been great the past few weeks so it was a great time for us to make it at home.  I made a slight alteration using my own version of Bisquick for the biscuit topping, and took the easy way out by dropping the dough onto the cobbler instead of rolling it out, but we loved it.  The peach flavor is fantastic, and when paired with vanilla ice cream it really was divine.  So cheers to Aunt Helen for sharing this recipe - it has been a long time favorite of her boys, and now my kids are enormous fans of it as well!

Happy Cooking!

New Recipe
Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients
* 1 cup sugar
* 4 tbsp flour
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 3 cups fresh peaches, in chunks or slices
* 1 cup DIY Bisquick
* 1 tbsp sugar
* 1.5 tbsp melted butter
* 1/4 cup milk

Note: 1/2 recipe of Bisquick Shortcake (recipe below) can replace final 4 ingredients from above

Bisquick Shortcake ingredients
* 2 cups Bisquick
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 3 tbsp melted shortening
* 1/2 cup milk

Directions
1. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Blend this with the fresh peaches.
2. Pour the peaches into a greased 8x8 casserole or utility dish
3. Mix the final four ingredients together.  Chunk off pieces and "plop" it onto the fruit.  Don't worry about gaps, the dough will expand.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 F, or until lightly golden brown.  Serve hot, with ice cream or fresh whipped cream, if desired!

Notes
We had my Aunt Helen's famous peach cobbler while traveling the US this summer.  It was a hit with the kids, and who doesn't love a fabulous fruit dessert!  The original recipe calls to roll the shortcake dough into the shape of the dish you are using, and place it over the fruit and prick it with a fork.  I decided it would be easier and more rustic to just put heaps of biscuit dough on the fruit.  It turned out great this way, but the original method was delicious as well! I have only made it with my DIY Bisquick, so if you have that on hand for making waffles, use some for this dessert and you won't be disappointed!

August 9, 2013

We are back from vacation!  After driving over 3,300 we are back home, and back to the kitchen.  It was a fabulous trip, and now that it is August, school is on our minds.  The kids head back August 21, and my classes begin August 26, and preschool begins the Thursday after Labor Day.  It will be time to hit the books before we know it.

Given that we got back in the middle of this week, we only really tried out some new dishes for dinner one night.  While traveling home one night in the hotel the kids were watching Food Network and saw a Pioneer Woman program.  They thought her potatoes looked amazing, so we tried those this week, and they were unanimously voted to keeper status.  To go along with them we grilled boneless pork chops.  We tried a new method, so while it isn't a true recipe, it is worth documenting.  The chops were keepers with beautiful grill marks and were extremely moist and juicy.  We will definitely grill them again using the same method.

We did have a non keeper recipe this week.  Peanut butter brownies.  The final product tasted pretty good, but they didn't get fully cooked through even though I continued to add additional time, and you should have seen my kitchen!  So many bowls and utensils... we are definitely not going to make these again.

With school on the horizon it is time to stock the freezer with lunch box cookies and easy weeknight meals.  Is there anything you like to make and have on hand to make your weeknights run smoother?

Happy cooking!

New Recipes
Easy Grilled Boneless Pork Chops
Pioneer Woman Potatoes