Thursday, November 1, 2012
Eggplant Parmesan
Posted by Our Little Corner at 2:42 PM 1 comments
Monday, October 29, 2012
Spinach Tortellini in a Creamy Lemon Sauce
For this recipe, you need tortellini, which are little pastas that come with cheese or veggies stuffed inside. If you've never worked with them before, they are wonderful. They can be found in the dry pasta aisle. If you've got access to a WinCo foods, they can be found with the bulk items, which is much cheaper than buying a pre-packaged bag by the dry pasta.
12 oz. Tortellini
4 oz. bacon (about 4 strips)
3 cloves garlic
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped onion
2 T. flour
2 C. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. red pepper (optional)
1 medium lemon
2 C. roughly chopped, packed spinach
1 C. Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 C. Parmesan cheese, grated
Cooke tortellini according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bacon in a skillet and cook until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings and discard the rest. Add garlic and onion to pan and saute 1-3 minutes. Add flour and stir with a whisk to make a roux. Slowly add milk and continue to stir until smooth. Add salt, peppers, basil and bring to a simmer
While sauce is simmering, zest the lemon to produce 2 tsp. zest. Cut the lemon in half and juice. Add zest and 1 T. juice to the sauce and simmer additional 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat. Drain tortellini and add the bacon and sauce to the pasta. Then add the spinach and cheese. Place in a 9X9 baking dish and bake (covered) for 25-30 minutes. You can reserve some of the cheese to place on top, if desired. Let sit approx. 10 minutes before serving.
Posted by Our Little Corner at 8:13 AM 0 comments
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Cream of Mushroom Soup
2-3 cups roughly chopped mushrooms
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 cups chicken stock (or two chicken bullion cubes with 2 cups of water)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. black pepper (or a little more to taste, I'm not a huge fan of pepper)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. flour
3 T. water
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and saute about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, dissolve the flour in the water. Stir into soup until it thickens. Add the milk and cream. Stir for a few minutes to blend and thicken. We've made this with the chicken meatballs below and it's a nice combination.
Posted by Our Little Corner at 11:58 AM 0 comments
Labels: soup
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Chicken Feta Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken
1 egg
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1/2 a medium onion
1/2 cup loosely packed spinach
1 cup (approx) Feta Cheese
Mince the onion, garlic and mushrooms. If you have a food processor or a good blender, throw them in and make them into a paste. Finely chop the spinach. Mix the meat, egg and bread crumbs. Add the mushroom, garlic, onion and spinach and mix well. Take a bit of the meat mixture and flatten. Put a few feta crumbles in the middle and form into a ball (about golf ball sized). Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes.
Posted by Our Little Corner at 11:20 AM 0 comments
Labels: chicken
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Sweet&Simple Granola
Posted by Brooke at 12:23 PM 0 comments
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Cinnamon Baked French Toast
This is a recipe from The Pioneer Woman, however I have always had a beef with her blog. The first thing I look for in recipe is "what do I need to make this" If you have ever read her blog you know why am have a beef. The ingredients are all the way at the bottom and that would not be a huge deal if she didn't photograph every step along the way, all 52 of them. But as frustrated as I get, I keep going back because dang, can that chick cook! If you need to know what 8 eggs cracked in a bowl looks like, or which line is the 1 cup mark on you measuring cup, well here is her link..... Otherwise here is the good old fashion delicious recipe.
FRENCH TOAST
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
3/4 cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
Topping
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
Fresh Fruit (optional)
Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.
Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and but into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.
When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from fridge and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you're using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.
Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.
I just might make this all too often. My favorite part is that you make it ahead of time so there is no messing up the kitchen first thing in the morning.
Posted by Mrs.Mayne at 11:49 AM 1 comments
Labels: breakfast
Friday, July 13, 2012
Sweet Tooth Fairy-- Black and White Chocolate Cupcakes
Posted by Nichole Bruce at 8:46 AM 1 comments
Friday, June 15, 2012
Freezer meals
I have a request can you guys post your favorite freezer meal recipes? I am in a rut and looking for motivation!
Posted by bevans at 8:36 PM 0 comments
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Pasta Primavera with Italian Turkey Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked farfalle pasta
- 1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 small zucchini, chopped
- 2 small yellow squash, chopped
- 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 20 leaves fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place farfalle in pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente; drain.
- Place sausage in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until evenly brown; set aside. Heat 1/4 cup oil in skillet. Stir in garlic and onion, and cook until tender. Mix in zucchini, squash, tomatoes, bell pepper and basil. Dissolve bouillon in the mixture. Season with red pepper. Stir in remaining oil. Continue cooking 10 minutes.
- Mix pasta, sausage and cheese into skillet. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until heated through.
Posted by Carrie at 1:53 PM 0 comments
Monday, April 23, 2012
Not your average Tuna Casserole
My {99.9% of the time fabulous cook of a} mother used to make a tuna casserole that was NASTY. It had peas and potato chips it and I am sure it was often hid in my napkin. My friends mom on the other hand made one that I could not get enough of. It is easy, kid friendly, cheap and I can always keep the ingredients on hand. My kids love it as well and it can be made ahead of time and frozen for later, just under cook the noodles a little bit.
3 Cups of Cooked Curly Egg Noodles
1 Can of Cream of Celery Soup
1/2 Cup of Milk
1/2 Cup of Mayo
1 teaspoon of Salt
1/2 of a Small Onion-Chopped
1 Cup of Cheese-Divided
Put onions in a bowl, cover with water and saran wrap, microwave for one minute. Mix milk, mayo, salt, tuna, soup, onions, noodles and half cheese. Pour into a casserole dish, top with cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 450.
Posted by Mrs.Mayne at 10:27 AM 0 comments
Labels: casserole, freezer meal
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Green Smoothie
I know others have posted recipes for these but sometimes it's good to mix it up a little. Especially if you're making them daily. Also, my measurements aren't exact because I measure more by my blender and everybody likes their smoothies different thicknesses.
Green Smoothies
-1 1/2 c juice or tang
-1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
-1/4 c oat groats or steel cut oats
-sprinkling of true lime (a crystallized lime that comes in a spice bottle) or 1 lime, squeezed
-4-8 oz plain homemade yogurt or greek yogurt
-two handfuls of spinach
Blend together then add:
-1 banana
-a few handfuls of frozen fruit (I like the costco bag w/strawberries, pineapple, mango, and papaya)
-handful of frozen or fresh grapes
-1 cup ice.
Serves: 1 adult & 2 children
Posted by [Stacia] at 10:41 PM 0 comments
Labels: breakfast, drink, fruit, healthy, kid friendly, smoothies
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Brown Rice
Posted by Carrie at 1:33 PM 2 comments
Labels: brown rice, healty, side dish
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Chicken Bowtie salad
As requested, this is what I brought to Lindseys last week.
This is the recipe halved, hence a few odd amounts, so you can double it is you are feeding an army.
3 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed
12 oz. Package of Bow tie Pasta-When I double it I do one package of bow tie and one package of colored curly noodles
1/2 Can of pineapple tidbits-save the juice
1 1/2 Cubed Apples-soak in the pineapple juice for 5 minutes or so to keep them from turning brown
1 Cup Water Chestnuts- coarsely chopped
1 Cup grapes-this is my favorite part so I usually do more
4 oz. Cashews-walnuts, pecan or almonds would be good too
1 Cup Chopped Celery
2 Diced Green Onions
4 oz. Coleslaw Dressing
4 oz. Mayonnaise
Combine all the ingredients and stir. Make it the day before and refrigerate over night. Before serving, stir and add more dressing if needed. I always add more, maybe even the same amount that went in before, 1/2 cup of each.
Posted by Mrs.Mayne at 11:50 AM 0 comments
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Ingredients
- 6 portions of lean ground turkey (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup water
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 cups low-fat marinara pasta sauce
6 portions spaghetti (about 12 oz uncooked)
1/4 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese
Directions
mix turkey, egg white, breadcrumbs, water, onion, garlic, parsley, basil and black pepper. mix thoroughly and then shape into 1 1/2 inch meatballs.
arrange on baking sheet and place under brouler for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occassionally until they are browned on all sides.
in a large saucepan, combine pasta sauce and cooked meatballs. Simmer over low heat until warmed thoroughly, about 20 minutes.
while the pasta sauce is simmering prepare spaghetti according to its package directions
Friday, March 9, 2012
Carly this ones for you...
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce:
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic (or 1 t. ready-to-use garlic)
1 onion, chopped (I only use 1/2 of a very small onion, I'm not much of a
chunky/onion-y person:)
1/2-1 lb ground beef (I only do 1/2 lb)
23 oz of tomato juice (so 1/2 of a large 46 oz can pictured)
2 cans of 6 oz tomato paste (or one 12 oz can--whatever is in your pantry:)
2 cans of 8 oz tomato sauce (or one 15 oz can)
1 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 bay leaf
~3 dried chili peppers
Combine olive oil, garlic and chopped onion and brown in frying pan. Add ground beef and cook until gray in color (do not brown.) Pour off excess fat.It will look like this:
Then add tomato products, and seasonings. I put in bay leaf and peppers at the very end. Cover and let simmer for abt an hour, flavor improves with slow cooking.
**Keep in mind this is an old family recipe so you can change it however you'd like--add more meat, more peppers depending on how spicey etc. I would def. use Hunts paste and sauce, it seems to turn out better. Also, my mom would let it simmer all day long sometimes and it turned out good. I only use this on spaghetti--I tried it in lasagna once and didn't love it. It freezes very well so after feeding my family I usually pour the rest into 3 different containers so I can use it for 3 more meals!
Posted by Brooke at 1:47 PM 0 comments
Snowy Buddies
Have you guys had these? Oh my, they are good! You just take the good old Chex Muddy Buddies recipe and exchange the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips, I like this brand that you can find at Macey's:
9 cups rice Chex cereal
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
In a small microwavable bowl, zap chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter for 1 minute; stir until smooth. Microwave about 30 seconds longer if needed. Stir in vanilla.
Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2 gal resealable platic bag.
Add powdered sugar. Seal bag;shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in fridge.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Cinnamon Roll Cake
I thought this looked like a good recipe if you ever have to host a brunch or something...(click on link below)
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Posted by Brooke at 8:49 PM 0 comments
Labels: dessert
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Pasta with tomato cream sauce
This one's for you Carly! I made this meal last week and everyone (including the baby) loved it!
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
Fresh Basil, Chopped
1-1/2 pound Fettuccine
Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)
Posted by {Jason and Elan} at 7:24 AM 0 comments
Friday, March 2, 2012
Spaghetti
I have a favor to ask all of you. My husband has claimed to not like spaghetti our entire married life. This has been very distressing to me because spaghetti is a wonderful meal for so many reasons (easy, cheap, good food storage, etc). Just recently, he has said he might like it if I found a good recipe for the sauce. Would any of you mind sharing your favorite spaghetti sauce? Do you make it homemade or do you have a favorite brand? I would love to be able to add spaghetti to our list of go-to meals!
Thanks!
Posted by Carly at 8:58 AM 2 comments
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Whole Grain Flour
Posted by Marianne at 12:30 PM 1 comments
Friday, February 17, 2012
Hot Fudge
Hot fudge is a current weakness of mine....just add it to the growing list.
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups white sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine butter, cocoa, sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Carefully pour hot mixture into a blender and blend for 2 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. Store in refrigerator.
Posted by Mrs.Mayne at 7:53 PM 0 comments
Labels: dessert
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Yogurt
A friend of mine introduced me to homemade yogurt. It's so easy and really good. I prefer it to store bought yogurt, but honestly it's pretty close. I tried to do the math to see how much it saves you, but it really depends on how much you pay for milk and powdered milk. I bought a gallon of milk for about $3 and a 10 cup container of powdered milk for about $10 and the total cost of the yogurt came to $0.04/oz. My favorite way to eat this is with Nichole's granola and fresh fruit.
Ingredients:
1 gallon whole* milk
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
4 cups powdered milk
Small** container plain yogurt
Bring approx. half of the milk and all of the sugar to a boil. Take off heat. Mix together the other half of the milk, vanilla, powdered milk, and yogurt. Pour the hot milk mixture into the cold milk mixture and stir. Pour into jars (I use mason jars). Put lids on the jars, then wrap each jar in a dish towel like you were wrapping a present. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, then turn off once it's heated. Put the towel-covered jars in the warm oven and leave overnight. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Makes 5 quarts.
*I've also used 2% milk before, it just makes the yogurt a little thinner.
**I just buy the smallest, cheapest container I can find. You can even use your own yogurt as a starter, I just always forget to save some!
Posted by Carly at 4:34 PM 0 comments
Labels: breakfast
Monday, January 23, 2012
Creamy Hot Chipotle Dip
Make this....you'll thank me. I had this at a party over Christmas, I don't have a picture, but I don't want to lose the recipe, so I'm putting it here.
1 cup sour cream
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 Tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 tsp. chicken flavored bullion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. lime juice
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2 qt. baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Combine sour cream, cream cheese, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, peppers and bullion. Bake 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and line and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until melted, about 2 minutes.
Posted by Our Little Corner at 12:46 PM 0 comments
Labels: appetizer
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Pretzel Jello Salad
This was my contribution to a few of the parties we went to this Christmas. Since it was a hit, I figured it was post worthy. It has been debated if it is a side dish or a dessert. To that I say, who cares, its just yummy.
Ingredients
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry or raspberry gelatin dessert mix
2 cups boiling water
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries or mixed berries
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.
In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.
To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.
Posted by Mrs.Mayne at 3:33 PM 0 comments