English Toffee

Here is a treat sure to impress and perfect for the holidays! It has very few ingredients and is easy to make! Growing up my mom always made this during Christmas time along with lots of other goodies to hand out to neighbors and friends. It is definitely a favorite!

English Toffee

1 C sugar

2 TBS water

1/2 lbs ( 2 sticks) real butter

2 C chocolate chips

1/2 C chopped nuts

Combine first three ingredients in sauce pan. Stir on high until amber color (dark yellow turning brown). If you don't cook it long enough it will be sugary and grainy. I always cook it a little longer than I think it needs because I start to get a little panicked that it is going to burn and take it off too early so let it keep cooking until it is a really nice amber color!!

Pour onto cookie sheet. Spread smooth. Immediately put chocolate on, let melt and spread evenly on top of the toffee.

Sprinkle nuts on, I usually leave some without nuts because I prefer it that way. Let it set. When cool break into pieces by putting knife in straight up and bringing knife down.

Freezer Cooking: Chicken

First off, I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while and that my posts have been scarce. My life has been pretty crazy, but hopefully I can keep up with the blog a little better in the future!

So I did my first ever freezer cooking day a few weeks ago! It has made sticking to my menu SO much easier!

I bought 20lbs of chicken breast and made all chicken meals, I thought it'd be better for me if I focused on one main thing.

I spent the night before cutting all of the fat and nasty stuff off and stuck it all into 2 gallon size freezer bags. That always takes me forever because I'm so picky about getting every little thing off, so I wanted to get it done so I could just focus on cooking the next day.

Everything I bought:

20 lbs Chicken

1 lb Bacon

25-30 thin slices of ham

flour tortillas (10 pack)

sour cream

Chicken Bouillon

1 head of broccoli

1 can of Green enchilada sauce

I had a some stuff already I'll try to remember all of it so you aren't missing something if you want to make these same meals

Basic Ingredients for bread- Bread flour, sugar, rapid rise yeast, salt

Provolone cheese - at least 6 slices

Shredded Cheddar cheese (for enchiladas and a little bit for the stromboli)

Cream Cheese

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese (or just Parmesan)

Mr. Yoshida's Marinade (or any other Teryaki sauce/marinade)

Cajun seasoning

Dry Italian dressing mix packet

Butter (about a stick and a half should be enough)

salt and pepper

Milk

Freezer bags- I have a lot of qt sized so I mostly used those, probably 12-15 of them, plus 6 gallon sized ones and a few regular storage bags for the pizza ingredients that go inside the gallon bags)

Here is what I finished with:

2 Chicken Alfredo Pizza Kits

4 Stromboli

3 meals of stuffed chicken for Cordon Bleu

2 bags of cubed (raw) chicken to use for Orange Chicken

3 bags of marinated chicken tenders (Italian, Cajun, and Teriyaki)

2 dishes of chicken enchiladas

I also had 4 bags of plain shredded chicken to use for other random meals

So far we've tried the Stromboli and chicken Alfredo pizza... YUMMY! I also used both of the bags of cubed chicken for orange chicken... I love that stuff!!

I put 8 lbs in the crock pot on low and let that cook for 5 hours or so, flipping pieces around ever 1.5 hrs.

Find the 6 largest chicken breasts, stuff with ham and cheese, rub salt and pepper on the outsides and put 2 in each freezer bag.

Cut the rest of the breasts into tenders and cubes.

I put 7-9 tenders (I cut them kinda too small on accident) into each bag (total of 3 bags). One with Mr. Yoshida's marinade, one with an Italian dressing packet mixed with 2 TBS butter, and the last with some Cajun seasoning mixed with 2 TBS butter... we'll see how those turn out I've never tried this before!

For the cubes just cut it into 1-2 inch cubes and do 1-2lbs in each bag.

When Chicken in the crock pot is done take out and put directly into the kitchen aid with a whisk attachment (I do a few breasts at a time) and turn it on high for 7-10 seconds, until it is all shredded. Pour into a big bowl.

Mix up 6 batches of pizza dough, separate and put 2 balls directly into freezer bags and freeze. I used the Pantry Secrets Bread Recipe that can be purchased here but I can't share... sorry! A basic Pizza dough recipe will work!

I made up a cream of chicken sauce to go in the enchiladas and Stromboli so I mixed that up as follows:

6 TBS butter

7-8 TBS flour

1 1/2 C Chicken broth (I used water mixed with bouillon)

3 C Milk

a dash of salt (only if needed mine was pretty salty from the chicken bouillon)

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan, using a wire whisk, mix in the flour until it is thickened but not clumping, you need to put enough though so that it will thicken up enough with all of the liquid you are going to add. Let it brown over med-high heat (you want it browned just slightly... don't burn it! ). Whisk in the Chicken broth (have the milk ready also) slowly but consistently, giving it time to thicken up but before it has the chance to clump up you want to keep pouring. When you've used up the broth start with the milk, same thing keep pouring it in until it stops clumping and it is a nice consistency, you want it thick like gravy. Taste it and add a little salt if needed.

Set aside to use later.

Wash and cut the broccoli put a little water in the bottom of a container and steam it in the microwave for 2 minutes, until mostly done. Divide it into 4 equal amounts.

Roll out one of the dough balls into approx. 10x12. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Put a handful (don't need a lot) of shredded chicken in a strip down the middle, topped with 3-4 pieces of ham, you can break it up a little to make it easier to eat. Then put some broccoli in with a handful of shredded cheese. Last ladle some of the cream of chicken sauce over it. take the ends and fold them in and fold one side over and bring the other side all the way over and seal as best as you can. Put it seam side down on a large cookie sheet. Repeat that 3 more times with the other Stromboli. Use 2 separate cookie sheets because you don't want them to touch at all... I put all of mine on the same one and it was a disaster trying to separate them to freeze.. luckily I salvaged them but learn from my mistake and make sure they aren't touching when you bake them!

Cut 3 large slits in the top (see picture above) and bake them for 15 minutes or so... until the bread is pretty much done, let them cool, then freeze separately in gallon size freezer bags. (I took mine out and let it thaw for like 2 hours then baked it at 350 until the middle was warm... it took a while like 30 minutes or so and the bread got a little hard but it was still really good!)

While those are cooking you can start on the pizza kits by making Alfredo sauce, pretty much the same technique as the sauce we just made but different ingredients. Divide it between 2 bags and put into a gallon size bag to start the pizza kit.

Put enough mozzarella for one pizza into a bag x2 and mix in some Parmesan/Romano. Put 8 slices of uncooked bacon into 2 little Ziploc (4 in each) and add to the gallon bags.

Put some shredded chicken (I put a big handful in each) into 2 Ziplocs and add that to the bag and then your pizza kits are ready for the freezer!

Lastly do the chicken enchiladas. I just did 2 8x8 pans with 5 enchiladas each!

If you have shredded chicken leftover put 1-2 cups in freezer bags to add into casseroles or tacos!!

Aunt Heidi's Rolls

These Rolls are so yummy, growing up we had them with every thanksgiving dinner that I can remember (and it was a good thing because my whole thanksgiving dinner was rolls and chocolate fluff… oh the sad sad life of a picky eater!!)

Aunt Heidi's Rolls

¼ C. Softened butter

¼ C. Sugar

1 TBS salt

3 C. hot water

2 eggs

8 C. bread flour

2 TBS rapid rise yeast

6 more TBS butter for the pan

With the rapid rise yeast you don't need to let it proof, you can just add it with the dry ingredients. Mix all of the ingredients together, cover and let it rise for one hour. Punch down the dough, separate it into 24 balls, then smooth out each ball. Melt butter on a baking sheet. Dip the top in butter and put it seam side down on a 9x13 baking sheet 4 across and 6 down. Let it rise for 20 more minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook for about 10 minutes, until they start to get golden. I always tear open the roll in the middle to make sure they are done… and I get to eat one piping hot straight from the oven, YUM!!

Baked Ziti

This is like the easiest recipe and honestly I don’t love it because the sauce is a little overwhelming for me… I’m more of an alfredo girl, which now that I think about it is a great idea for next time!! But if you are fine with tomato sauce then this is for you! As you can see from the picture mine is seriously lacking in the cheese department... the cheesier the better, we just ran out!

Baked Ziti

1 lb box ziti

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

8 oz mozzarella cheese

½ C. Parmesan cheese

See I told you… easy! Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain the pasta and pour back into the pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta(I blend my sauce so it is smooth… I hate chunks in my sauce, it is the reason I never ate sauce growing up!!). Mix until the pasta is evenly coated. I like to throw in a handful of mozzarella cheese and mix it in. Pour into a 9x13 cake pan… I like to use a glass Pyrex. Level it out and top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Reese's Cake

I found this recipe on Annie's Eats and HAD to try it because it pretty much looks AMAZING and guess what!??! IT WAS AMAZING!!

Haha seriously though it was sooo good, and definitely not as difficult as I thought it might be… I did use a box cake as my base for the cake so that helped!

Reese's Cake

1 Chocolate Cake mix

1 Instant Chocolate Pudding mix

4 Eggs

1 ¼ C. Water

½ C. Crisco or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Grease and flour two 9x2” round cake pans (you can also line the pans with a circle of parchment paper to keep it from sticking). Divide batter evenly into the 2 pans. Bake for 26-30 minutes or until the cakes feel springy to the touch and start to pull away from the sides of the pans. Place pans on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, run a knife along the edges and remove cakes from pans. Cool to room temperature.

Peanut Butter Frosting/Filling

1 C. Powdered Sugar

1 C. Creamy Peanut butter

5 TBS butter at room temperature

¼ tsp salt

1/3 C. Heavy Cream

*You will also need a 12oz bag of mini Reese’s cups

Mix the Powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium/low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you mix. Add the cream and beat on high until the mixture is light and smooth.

Chop the Reese’s Cups in half, I used about 12 for the bottom, 9 for the top then chopped 12 or so for the filling and topping.

Place one of the cake layers on the dish it will be served on OR you can get a circle cardboard wrapped in tin foil and frost it on that so you can move it easier later. Spread the Peanut Butter frosting on the top of the cake layer and sprinkle with chopped Reese’s Cups. Place the second cake layer on top of the first and frost the top and outside of the cake with the remaining peanut butter frosting. Decorate with the halved and chopped Reese’s cups.

Quinoa Pilaf

This is a healthier substitute for rice (it's not actually a grain) that is actually pretty good!! The texture is a little different than rice but not too bad!

I got this recipe from here.

Quinoa Pilaf

1 TBS olive oil

1/4 tsp onion powder (or 1/4 onion chopped... if you like that sort of thing!)

1 Cup quinoa

2 Cups water

2 tsp chicken bouillon

1/2 tsp parsley flakes

In a 10 inch skillet with a lit, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion powder and quinoa. Saute until the quinoa starts to brown (and if you are using an onion until it turns clear).

Add the water and chicken bouillon (or you could use 2 C. chicken broth) and parsley flakes and bring to a slight boil. Cover and reduce heat. Cook for 12 minutes, covered, until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff it with a fork, recover and allow it to steam for another 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed, and serve.

Granola Bars

I got this recipe from here

Granola Bars - Chocolate Chip

2 cups plain granola

4 TBS butter

1/2 C. Brown sugar

1/4 C. Honey

1 C. Rice Krispies

1 TBS Ground Flax Seed

1/2 C. Mini Chocolate Chips

Apple Berry

All ingredients listed above except for the chocolate chips

1/3 C. Craisins

3 TBS Dried apple Pieces

Mix the granola, rice krispies, and flax seed in a large bowl. Set aside.

Mix the butter, brown sugar, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add to the dry ingredients and add in your fruit or chocolate chips and mix until it is evenly coated. Press into a parchment lined baking sheet and let it chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Lift parchment paper out of pan, set on the counter and I used our plastic pizza cutter to shape the bars. I had issues with my chocolate chips melting and getting all over my hands as I pressed it, so maybe just let it cool a little before adding the chocolate chips ?? I'll try it next time and see how it goes. I keep mine in the freezer and eat them hard (frozen) or you can let them thaw and they are chewy! So easy and delicious!

Homemade Granola

I made this to make granola bars (recipe will be coming soon!) and it was actually really good just eating it plain! And the best part is how simple it is to make!

I used this recipe and changed it up a little.

Granola

4 C. Rolled Oats

2oz bag Sliced Almonds (Abt. 2/3 Cup), crushed

2 TBS Flour

2 TBS Ground flax seed

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C. Brown sugar

2 TBS water

1/4 C. Vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

Crush the almonds so they are in small pieces. In a large bowl mix the rolled oats, almonds, flour, flax seed, and salt. In a small bowl mix the brown sugar and water until the sugar is somewhat dissolved. Add the vegetable oil and vanilla. Pour the sugar mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until it is well incorporated. Spread on a 9x13 cookie sheet (you can line with parchment paper for easy cleanup) and bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees, take out and stir. If you would like to add dehydrated fruit then add it now. Then bake for an additional 12 minutes. Let it cool. It will store for about 10 days. Or you could store it in the fridge or freezer and it will last 2+ weeks.

Strawberry Banana Green Smoothie

Ok so we are TRYING to eat healthier... this has never been one of my strong points! So I was trying to figure out how to get more fruits and veggies in our day and I came across green smoothies. I thought it could be the solution (I love smoothies!), but I was VERY suspicious of the claims that you couldn't even taste the greens.

Well I went for it and it was delicious! I noticed the smell was a little different (might have been in my head :P) but it tasted just like a strawberry banana smoothie. My daughter drank it all up and cried for more! :)

I'm no expert but here is what I did, It made enough for about 2 big smoothies

Strawberry Banana Green Smoothie

1 1/2 - 2 C. Spinach

1 Banana

1 C. frozen Strawberries

1 C. lemonade (or juice of a lemon and water)

1 TBS Ground flax seed

1 tsp. Honey or Agave Nector

2 oz g3 (you can find that here on my website, it is a juice with lots of benefits)

1/2 C. Ice

Put the lemonade (or water) in the blender with the spinach and blend until smooth. Add the banana, strawberries, and g3, blend until strawberries are broken up (my blender had a little bit of a hard time but i just turned it off then back on a few times) Add the flax seed, honey and ice and blend until it is the consistency you want. Drink it all up and feel healthy! :)

Coffe Cake

This was amazing! I just love food that I can thoroughly enjoy!

I used this recipe, but instead of the brown sugar icing I did a streusel topping.

Coffee Cake

1/2 C. packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 (18.5 oz) box white or yellow cake mix (I used white)

1 (6 oz) package vanilla pudding mix

1 C. sour cream (or you can use plain yogurt)

3/4 C. hot water

4 eggs

1/3 C. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 C mini chocolate chips

Streusel Topping

1/4 C, flour

1/2 C. brown sugar

6 TBS cold butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl, mix well and set aside. In a large bowl combine the cake mix,pudding mix, sour cream and hot water and mix well. It should be thick. Beat in the eggs, oil and vanilla extract until it is smooth.

Grease and lightly flour a 9x13 baking pan.

Pour half of the mixture into the pan. Sprinkle all of the brown sugar and cinnamon over the batter, then sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Carefully spread the remaining batter over the top of it all. With a bitter knife swirl the cake and brown sugar mixture.

For the streusel mix the cinnamon, brown sugar, flour, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until it is well incorporated and is in little clumps/crumble.

Sprinkle the top with your streusel mix.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chicken Taquitos

Taquitos are pretty expensive to buy but you can make double the amount (or triple depending on how cheap you can get the chicken!!) for the same price! I made a bunch of these for my husband to bring to work, I made a huge batch of chicken (like 6lbs of chicken breast). I didn't really use exact measurements so you just kinda do it to taste but I'll write down what I did and if you have any questions let me know!

Chicken Taquitos

40-50 Corn tortillas

5 or 6lbs Shredded chicken breast

1 can Cream of chicken soup

Onion powder

Garlic salt

Chili powder (quite a bit)

Cumin

Sat

Pepper

Cayenne powder

Oil for frying

Serve with Guacamole, sour cream, and/or salsa

Mix the chicken with the cream of chicken soup, it should still be pretty dry. Add all of the seasoning to taste and mix it all up until it is evenly incorporated. Get the corn tortillas wet with a little water then microwave them for 15 seconds so they wont break when you roll them up (I did 5-10 at a time just make sure to brush a little water on each of them). Heat oil in a skillet, I just put a couple inches of oil on the bottom so I didn't really deep fry them, but just rolled them in the oil and it worked out pretty good. Fill the tortillas with the chicken mixture and using tongs put them into the oil. I set them in the oil so the flap was facing down so it wouldn't come unrolled then using the tongs I rolled them until each side was crisp. To make the process faster I recruited my hubby to fry them while I made them! They don't stay rolled up very well before frying so you can make one then fry it, make one fry it, and so on... but it is much easier with a second person!

Peanut Butter Bars

Here is another great recipe from my Aunt Karen! And another semi-homemade dessert!

Every time I make these they remind me of my little brother Jake because he always wanted them for his birthday when we were growing up!

Peanut Butter Bars

1 yellow cake mix

3/4 C. Rolled or quick oats (I use quick oats, rolled oats will give it more texture)

1/2 C. melted margarine

1/4 C. Peanut Butter

1 egg

Frosting

1/2 C. peanut

1/2 can Chocolate Frosting

Combine all of the ingredients and mix until it all comes together, it will be a very thick mixture. Press evenly into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let it cool completely, mix the frosting and peanut butter and frost the cooled bars.

I just love things that are fast and easy, but still so yummy!

Orange Chicken- Veggies

Veggies to go with your Orange Chicken

Zucchini

Matchstick Carrots

Broccoli

And of course you can add your favorites, I just really love this combo!

Just cut the zucchini into 2-3 inch pieces, then cut it into 1/2 inch thick strips, these cook a bit faster so I just steamed them for a few minutes. The carrots took the longest so just let them cook until they are mostly soft. I like the zucchini and carrots to be kind of al dente and the broccoli to be cooked through so for the broccoli just steam it until it is bright green. Serve with orange chicken over rice!

Here is the recipe for the Orange Chicken, it is one of those meals that I thoroughly enjoy every time!!

Pasta Salad

This is a very basic pasta salad recipe that I grew up with.

Pasta Salad

1 bottle of Italian dressing

1 box Tricolor rotini pasta

Mini pepperoni (or full sized quartered)

1 can olives, halved

Cheddar cheese chunks

Cook the pasta as directed and let it cool. Cut Olives in half, cut small cubes of cheese, and cut pepperoni in fourths (unless you get the mini ones). Put all ingredients except the cheese in a bowl and mix it up. You can put the cheese in or just put it into a small container until right before serving so it doesn't get soggy. Let it chill in the fridge for an hour or so before serving.

Semi-Homemade Mini Cinnamon Rolls

These were so fast and easy and they were really good!

I got the idea from here

I was searching for something to bring to a potluck and I had a Pillsbury French bread in a can in my fridge so I popped it open, unrolled it and made these mini cinnamon rolls!!

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

1 package Pillsbury french bread, unrolled

butter

cinnamon

sugar

Just roll out the french bread dough and roll it out so it is pretty long so you can get a bunch of small rolls. Cover it with butter and sprinkle it with sugar and lots of cinnamon! Roll it up lengthwise and using a thread cut slits evenly apart depending on how tall you want them, I just made little ones. Cook them at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (not sure on the time, sorry) until they start to get a tad golden on top. Drizzle with butter cream glaze and enjoy!!

Butter Cream Glaze

2 TBS softened butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
dash of cream of tarter
1 C. powdered sugar
scalded milk or cream

I quartered the recipe for butter cream glaze that I used for these Cinnamon Rolls and added a little extra milk to make it more runny so I could drizzle it on. It wasn't really exact I just threw it together ... I just microwaved like 2 TBS of Milk until it was scalded and added it to the rest of the ingredients until it was the right consistency. You can add more powdered sugar if you add too much milk also.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My sister Shelby sent me this recipe. I guess my family eats most of the dough before any cookies actually get baked because it is so yummy, but it also makes good cookies! ;)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

~Katherine Lewis

1 Cup butter

1 1/2 Cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 Cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips (it calls for semi-sweet but I always like to use milk chocolate!)

Beat the butter and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in Chocolate Chips.

Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes (watch them closely, they are best just a little underdone so you don't want to overcook them!)

Italian Chicken Over Rice

Well I am back and hopefully I can get back into the swing of things!! If you are interested here is Brigham's Birth Story! It was quite the adventure bringing him into the world, I am so glad it is all behind me and we have little Brigham here with us!

It looks a little plain in the picture, but it is very flavorful!!

I got this recipe from my mom who got it from our friend RaLyn Heninger.

Chicken in the crock pot... SO moist and delicious!

Italian Chicken Over Rice

4 Chicken Breast

1 packet of dry Italian Dressing mix

1 stick of butter ( I usually only put 1/2 a stick)

1 can of cream of chicken soup

4 oz cream cheese

Rice

Put the chicken breasts, Italian Dressing mix and butter into the crockpot and cook it on low for 5-6 hours. If you don't have as long or forgot to pull the chicken out of the freezer you can cook it on high for 4 hours. If you are really short on time you can also make it in a pressure cooker but the crock pot on low is definitely the best in my opinion!

Once the chicken is cooked through take it out and shred it, you can leave it in somewhat larger chunks or shred it more fine, whatever you like. Put the shredded chicken back into the crock pot with the cream of chicken soup and cream cheese and let it cook for another 30 minutes.

After you put the chicken back in start your rice, ( you can also use noodles or just serve it in a pita... though I've never tried it that way, that is what the recipe says!) for us I make 1 cup of rice, add 2 cups of water and bring it up to a boil then turn it down to low and cook until all of the water is cooked out and the rice is soft. It usually takes about 20 minutes.

Menu Plan 4/18-4/24

Ok sorry... I'm a bit late on this one!! :)

Monday- Go out

Tuesday- Chicken Parmesan over spaghetti with steamed green beans

Breaded chicken breasts (from costco :P I'm a cheater), spaghetti, green beans, Parmesan cheese, red sauce

Wednesday- Omelettes with cheese and salami served with pineapple

eggs, milk, salt & pepper, shredded cheddar cheese, salami Pineapple

Thursday- Southwest chicken Wraps (from the freezer)

Friday- Fried bread with chips and salsa

Flour, salt, baking powder, shortening, chili meat, refried beans, cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, hot sauce, tortilla chips, salsa

Saturday- Tortellini, steamed zucchini, bread sticks

Tortellini, Alfredo sauce, zucchini, flour, yeast, sugar, salt, butter, garlic salt, Parmesan cheese

Sunday- Easter/Family Dinner - Potato Salad

Potatoes, boiled eggs, miracle whip, mustard, salt and pepper, onion salt

Meal Plan 4/11-4/17

Monday- Chicken Enchiladas with tortilla chips

Shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, green enchilada sauce, tortillas, cheddar cheese, chips

Tuesday- Leftovers

Wednesday- Pasta with Mozzarella, Garlic Bread, and steamed Zucchini

Pasta, butter, salt, Mozzarella, garlic bread (from freezer), zucchini

Thursday- Italian Chicken over rice with Broccoli

4 Chicken Breasts, Dry Italian dressing mix, cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, butter, rice, broccoli

Friday- Pizza and salad

Pizza (from freezer) salad, dressing, cheese, croutons

Saturday- Bean and Cheese Quesadillas with salad

Beans, Cheese, Tortillas, Butter, salad, dressing, cheese cubes, croutons

Sunday- Family Dinner- Chocolate Chip Cookies

Butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips

Beef and Potato Pot Pie

This was so delicious, I love the beef and potatoes combo and what better to do than put it into flaky pie crust?! YUM!

Beef and Potato Pot Pie

2 pie crusts

1 Cup Shredded Beef

3 medium Baking Potatoes, cubed

3 carrots, sliced

2 Cups beef gravy

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Make the pie crusts in advance, time enough to put them in the fridge for at least an hour before using them. I used some shredded beef that was in the freezer leftover from a roast. I also saved drippings (abt. 1 cup) from a roast I made and didn't need gravy for so I used that for the gravy you could just use beef broth or bouillon... just add 1 c. cold water with 1 TBS of cornstarch while it is boiling to thicken, add some beef bouillon to taste, pinch of garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots and boil in water for 10 minutes, until mostly cooked through and drain. R

oll out one of the crusts and place in the bottom of a pie plate. Pour a layer of gravy in then put in the beef, carrots and potatoes. Then pour the rest of the gravy over it.

Cover with the other pie crust, pinching the sides to seal. Cut 4 big slits in the top crust and brush with some butter. Put into the oven and let it cook for 45-50 minutes, until it is golden brown.

Meal Plan 4/4-4/10

Monday - Meaty Skillet lasagna with rolls and broccoli

Take out of freezer!

Tuesday – Breakfast for dinner – Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fruit

Pancake mix, eggs, milk, salt and pepper, peaches, pears

Wednesday - Biscuits and Gravy w/ Baked Chicken and veggies

Flour, shortening, salt, baking powder, milk, breaded chicken breasts, greed giant steamed veggies

Thursday - Pasta w/ mozzarella, crescents, veggies

Bowties, butter, salt, mozzarella cheese, Pillsbury crescents, California style veggies

Friday – Beef Stew pot pies?

Shredded beef, beef stock, corn starch, onion powder, garlic salt, s&p, Carrots, Potatoes, pie crust(butter, flour, salt, water)

Saturday - Chicken Enchiladas with Tortilla chips

Shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, greed enchilada sauce, tortillas, cheddar cheese, chips

Sunday - Family Dinner

Roasted Asparagus

I got this recipe off of Kitchen Boss, it looked so good I just had to make it! :) The original recipe can be found here.

Roasted Asparagus

1 lb medium stalk Asparagus

abt. 1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt

1/4 cup Bread Crumbs

Fresh Parmesan for Grating (I just used dried parm. and I'm sure it would be a lot better with fresh!)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a rack set in the middle. Rinse and pat dry the asparagus. One Spear at a time, snap off the bottoms of each stalk where it wants to break naturally. Lay the asparagus on a sheet pan with enough extra virgin olive oil just enough to coat and a generous pinch of salt and toss to coat. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly across the spears and put the tray in the oven to toast for 7-10 minutes, when the bread crumbs are golden brown. Grate Parmesan over the asparagus.

Menu Plan 3/14-3/20

Monday- Gnocchi w/ Alfredo, Asparagus and garlic bread Gnocchi, Alfredo sauce, Asparagus, E.V. Olive Oil, salt, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Garlic Bread

Tuesday- Crispy Southwest chicken Wraps w/ salad Chicken, Black Beans, Rice, Cilantro, lime, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, onion powder, tortillas, cheese, sour cream, cayenne pepper, spinach, Romaine Lettuce, dressing, croutons

Wednesday- Crepes w/ fruit dip filling and strawberries Flour, eggs, milk, water, salt, butter, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, cool whip, cream cheese, strawberries

Thursday- Irish Pasties w/ gravy and salad Pie crust-butter, flour, salt, water, shredded beef, potatoes, salt and pepper, beef drippings, corn starch, onion powder, garlic salt, beef bullion, salad, dressing

Friday- Burritos Tortillas, beans, cheese, sour cream, hot sauce

Saturday- Leftovers

Sunday- Family Dinner

Menu Plan 3/7-3/13

Monday- Fettuccine with Alfredo Sauce, Zucchini, Garlic Bread

Fettuccine, Alfredo Sauce (I am just using store bought due to lack of energy, but if you want to make your own it is delish!), Steamed Zucchini (have you tried it pan fried in butter?... YUM!), Garlic bread

Tuesday- German Pancakes w/ fruit (didn't get around to it last week)

Eggs, milk, flour, salt, butter, peaches, pears, syrup, powdered sugar

Wednesday- Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

Beans, Cheese, Tortillas, Butter

Thursday- Orange Chicken w/ rice and veggies (going to try to come up w/ an easy version!)

Shredded Chicken, Rice, Green Beans, Zucchini, Carrots, Broccoli, orange sauce (I found some Panda Express Orange Sauce at the grocery store... not at good as homemade, but much less effort for a preggo me!)

Friday- Leftovers

Saturday- Chicken Enchiladas with Tortilla Chips

Shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, green enchilada sauce, tortillas, cheddar cheese, chips

Sunday- Family Dinner

Hobo Dinners

This is a really simple meal that is really good and has lots of veggies!

1lb ground beef (I use less b/c I don't like a ton of meat in mine)

1 can french style green beans

1 c. frozen white corn or 1 can corn

3 or 4 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 or 3 potatoes, peeled and sliced/cubed

onion powder

garlic salt

salt and pepper

2 TBS butter

Get 2 big pieces of tin foil ( like 16 in.) divide meat and veggies onto each one. For my hubby I shape the ground beef into a patty and for me I break it into small pieces and just mix it all in with the veggies. I usually boil the potatoes and carrots for a few minutes because they take while to cook otherwise. Put a TBS of butter in each one. Salt, pepper and flavor w/ just a little bit of onion powder and garlic salt. You don't want too put to much and I usually just add some salt afterwards cuz you can always add more, but you can't take it out!! :) fold the tin foil over so it is sealed and place on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven at 475 degrees for 10 minutes then flip and cook it for an additional 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are all soft and the meat is cooked through!

Menu Plan 2/28-3/6

Monday- Friends- Bring bean dip and chips

Beans, Cheese, Sour Cream, Franks Hot Sauce, Tortilla chips

Tuesday- Hubby has Night Duty, Probably just cold cereal

Wednesday- Grilled cheese Sandwiches and Roasted Asparagus

Bread, butter, cheddar cheese, canned soup, asparagus, e.v. olive oil, salt, italian bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese

Thursday- Tortellini with crescent rolls and steamed zucchini

Frozen Tortellini, sauce, pillsbury crescent rolls, zucchini, butter, salt and pepper (if you'd like to make your own crescent rolls try these)

Friday- Hobo Dinners (I will try to post this! Super easy and yummy!)

Ground Beef, green beans, potatoes, carrots, corn, butter, salt and pepper

Saturday- German Pancakes with Fruit

eggs, milk, flour, salt, butter, peaches, pears

Sunday- Family Dinner

My menu plans are a lot different these days, but if you are looking for some really simple dinner ideas, quick and easy dinners are all I am doing these days (and probably for the next few months!) I thought I'd post my weekly menus and when I can I will post a recipe if I don't have it on my blog yet! Slowly but surely I'll get better. Sorry my blog is pretty lame, but hopefully you'll enjoy the recipes already on here and I can't wait to start cooking and sharing again!

My Story

Sorry that I dropped off the face of the planet!!! :) If you'd like to read my story I wrote about what is going on and why I have been gone for so long here on my family blog. It isn't written well because I still am having a hard time thinking straight and it's hard for me to put a sentence together. The bad news is I'm still not cooking (hopefully soon!!) but the good news is, I am pregnant with a little boy and the sickness will be over at some point. Then I will be able to get back to cooking and blogging! :)