Early in the week we tried 2 new slow cooker recipes. The ingredient lists looked fabulous, and making dessert in the crock pot was very intriguing. Because it was very chilly on Saturday it seemed the perfect time to try a new beef stew as well an apple pudding cake recipe. While both were good, they just weren't great. I have had so many better apple desserts (pie, crumble, crisp, bars) so this didn't earn keeper status. And the beef stew was fine, but definitely not better than our dutch oven beef stew that I make in the oven.
I thought that was going to be it for new recipes, but we have a church function tonight and I made some s'mores fudge to bring. Wow!!! This was easy, and delicious, and just perfect for a bake sale or for giving as gifts to friends and teachers at the holidays. Perhaps you should bookmark or pin the recipe for the upcoming holiday season.
One last thing from this week...we had roasted split chicken breasts one night and then made homemade chicken soup the next day. It was probably one of my best batches ever, and I think that was in due in large part to my whim of tossing in some homemade poultry seasoning into the stock! I am definitely going to do that again the next time I make soup!!
Let's see what next week brings...and Happy Halloween in advance!!!
Happy Cooking!
New Recipe
S'mores fudge
Friday, October 24, 2014
S'mores Fudge
Ingredients
* 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
* 1/4 cup butter
* 2 cups chocolate chips (360g)
* 3 to 4 whole graham cracker sheets, broken into pieced
* 2 cups mini marshmallows (120g or so)
Directions
1. Line a 11 x 7 (or even 9 x13) pan with aluminum foil or wax paper. Set aside.
2.Melt the chocolate chips, butter and milk in a pan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
3. Off the heat, add in half of the marshmallows. Let the mixture sit for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in the remaining marshmallows and graham crackers. Spread into the prepared pan.
5. Let the fudge set up and cool in the refrigerator for 4 hours and then cut into pieces. Store in the fridge.
Notes
So easy - I can definitely envision making this fudge to give away during the holiday season. And you can make it thick by putting it in an 8 x 8 pan, or thin if you put it in a 9 x 13 pan. My 11 x 7 pan seemed to be the perfect size - the fudge wasn't too thick or too thin. This fudge is scrumptious no matter what size pan you put it in!!! Enjoy!
Friday, October 17, 2014
October 17, 2014
It was a good week for recipes except we had one major flop - a dilly zucchini casserole. It had a great ingredients list, but ended up with very little flavor. It was a bust. I suppose that is what happens when you try out tons of new recipes all the time...some are good, some are amazing, and some are terrible.
We did have 4 recipes earn keeper status this week, though! We perfected that banana muffin from a week or two ago, and we found a fabulous peanut butter recipe! Ryan was out of town early in the week so the kids enjoyed a south of the border mac and cheese one night. And then late in the week Ryan and I loved a spicy tomato sauce with shrimp recipe! All in all we had quite a variety of keepers, and peppered the week with some favorite tried and true meals like salmon, hurry up ham, and leftovers night.
Not sure what is on tap for next week - I have a huge midterm so I don't anticipate being too adventurous in the kitchen until that is complete. Keep your fingers crossed for me for the test, and then hopefully I'll find some time to try out a new recipe or 2!
Happy Cooking!
New Recipes
Homemade Peanut Butter
South of the border mac and cheese
Banana muffins
Spicy Tomato Sauce with Shrimp
We did have 4 recipes earn keeper status this week, though! We perfected that banana muffin from a week or two ago, and we found a fabulous peanut butter recipe! Ryan was out of town early in the week so the kids enjoyed a south of the border mac and cheese one night. And then late in the week Ryan and I loved a spicy tomato sauce with shrimp recipe! All in all we had quite a variety of keepers, and peppered the week with some favorite tried and true meals like salmon, hurry up ham, and leftovers night.
Not sure what is on tap for next week - I have a huge midterm so I don't anticipate being too adventurous in the kitchen until that is complete. Keep your fingers crossed for me for the test, and then hopefully I'll find some time to try out a new recipe or 2!
Happy Cooking!
New Recipes
Homemade Peanut Butter
South of the border mac and cheese
Banana muffins
Spicy Tomato Sauce with Shrimp
Homemade Peanut Butter
Ingredients
* 10 oz roasted peanuts
* 2/3 tsp kosher salt
* 1 tsp honey
* 1 tbsp peanut oil
Directions
1. In your food processor or blender combine the peanuts, salt and honey until crumbly. Add in the peanut oil and process until you reach the smooth consistency you prefer.
2. Store in the fridge, and use as you would any other peanut butter.
Notes
Oh my word! Talk about delicious!!!! I've tried a few peanut butter recipes before, but this is by far the best we've tried. My kids told me I should stop buying peanut butter and just make this from now on...that is a serious endorsement because my kids eat peanut butter almost every day! I had the ingredients on hand, so decided to give the recipe a whirl. I used dry roasted peanuts and that give it a fabulous flavor!
This recipe makes about 2/3 cup of peanut butter.
South of the Border Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
* 2 1/2 cups rotini pasta
* 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
* 1 can cheddar cheese soup (10oz)
* 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
* 2 tsp chili powder
* 1 can tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
* 8 green onions, sliced
Directions
1. Cook the rotini in boiling water as directed on the package, probably 8 minutes. Drain.
2. Spray the inside of your slow cooker with non-stick spray. Mix the pasta, milk, soup, cheddar cheese and chili powder together. Pour in the slow cooker.
3. Cook on high for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring after 30 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and green onions, and mix. Heat for another 10-15 minutes.
5. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Not a glamorous meal, but an easy to put together twist on mac and cheese. My older kids and I loved the flavors of this dish, and you could even use a spicy cheese like pepper jack instead of cheddar if you wanted to add even more heat. But we enjoyed it just like this - we hope you will, too!
Banana Muffins
Ingredients
* 3 cups AP flour
* 1 tbsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 10 tbsp butter, softened
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups plain vanilla yogurt
* 4 ripe bananas, mashed very well (at least 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana)
* 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Directions
1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients and the yogurt, going back and forth3 times, until all is incorporated. Do not overmix - only mix until there are little to no streaks of flour remaining.
5. Fold in the bananas, and then if using, fold in the walnuts.
5. Divide the batter into greased muffin tins, filling almost to the top.
6. Bake at 425 F for the first 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes (a toothpick inserted into a muffin should come out clean).
Notes
We finally got this right! We previously had used vanilla yogurt, but that began to overpower the banana flavor. We added an additional banana, and swapped out nutmeg for cinnamon. When we made these we left some batter without walnuts, and then added them into the remaining. I definitely prefer the muffins with the walnuts, but the kids prefer without, so this was a great compromise! I hope you enjoy these! (These are definitely best the the first day or 2, so freeze some if you aren't going to eat them all right away, or make a half batch! The recipe as written about made 17 muffins for me.)
* 3 cups AP flour
* 1 tbsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 10 tbsp butter, softened
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups plain vanilla yogurt
* 4 ripe bananas, mashed very well (at least 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana)
* 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Directions
1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients and the yogurt, going back and forth3 times, until all is incorporated. Do not overmix - only mix until there are little to no streaks of flour remaining.
5. Fold in the bananas, and then if using, fold in the walnuts.
5. Divide the batter into greased muffin tins, filling almost to the top.
6. Bake at 425 F for the first 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes (a toothpick inserted into a muffin should come out clean).
Notes
We finally got this right! We previously had used vanilla yogurt, but that began to overpower the banana flavor. We added an additional banana, and swapped out nutmeg for cinnamon. When we made these we left some batter without walnuts, and then added them into the remaining. I definitely prefer the muffins with the walnuts, but the kids prefer without, so this was a great compromise! I hope you enjoy these! (These are definitely best the the first day or 2, so freeze some if you aren't going to eat them all right away, or make a half batch! The recipe as written about made 17 muffins for me.)
Spicy Tomato Sauce with Shrimp
Ingredients
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 3 tbsp olive oil
* 1 1/2 lbs of uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 cup tomato juice
* 1 cup tomato sauce
* 1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp pepper
* 4 tsp corn starch
* 1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
* 2 tbsp minced fresh basil
* pasta, rice or zoodles of your choice, cooked as directed
Directions
1. In a large nonstick skillet saute the garlic in oil until tender. Then cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the pan and keep warm.
2. Add the tomato juice, tomato sauce, pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the oil and garlic in the pan. Stir and and combine well.
3. Mix the corn starch with the wine (or chicken broth). Stir this mixture into the tomato sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes. Add the basil to the sauce and let the cook for 1 minutes. Stir the shrimp and any accumulated juice back into the sauce and cook until the shrimp are fully warmed through again.
4. Serve the shrimp and sauce over pasta, rice or zoodles! Enjoy!
Notes
Wow - super yummy! I had mine over zoodles (spiralized zucchini), and Ryan had his over angel hair. We both really enjoyed this. I saved the leftover sauce and made fresh zoodles to use with the sauce for lunch. And the I also used the sauce on my pizza for dinner. Can you tell I loved it??? Give it a try and let me know how you enjoy it!
For the tomato juice, I actually used 11 oz instead of 8 oz, because I had small cans of tomato juice and each can is 5.5 oz. So if you also have those little cans, feel free to add the extra to the sauce - it won't hurt it!
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