Green Bean Casserole over Rice

Is Green Bean Casserole one of your favorite foods to eat at Thanksgiving? Well, then you've got to try this kicked-up version for dinner. I must say that this recipe is truly my own creation. And it has been a great, quick fix meal idea for when you're trying to squeeze in dinner. I also need to add that this was one of my recipes demonstrated in my cooking class. So if you never bothered to attend one, then you've just scored yourself a recipe. For those of you who know, I only gave out the copy of the recipe to those in attendance. It was too much for me to keep up on who needs what recipe and so on... My kids have their quirks about this recipe though. So get this: Kaylee has to have it with the green beans plain and set aside before going in the sauce, she likes the sauce to be separated from the rice. Kason won't touch the green beans or the sauce. He wants me to leave some plain ground beef set aside for him. So that he can have the rice and ground beef separate. And Jaynee will eat it all except for the green beans. She used to like them, but has since changed her mind. So in some shape or form my family will eat this recipe. You may also use fresh green beans in place of canned. Just pre-cook them to your liking and cut into bite size pieces before adding to the sauce. I also use the fried onions straight from the can. I never toast them because they are actually crunchier without the toasting process. But always do what you think your family will like.

Green Bean Casserole over Rice

Cooked rice
1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 can green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 tbls. soy sauce
1 soup can of milk
1 can of French's fried onions

Prepare and cook rice while the sauce is being made.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, drain off fat and keep ground beef in the skillet. Pour in green beans and soy sauce and heat till warmed. Add in can of soup and milk. Stir to thoroughly combine and heat till sauce begins to bubble. Remove from heat and pour sauce over cooked rice. Top each serving with French's fried onions for a nice crunchy topping and extra flavor. Serve with a side of garlic bread or dinner rolls.

Note about photo: I guess I was in a hurry to eat because I forgot to add the fried onions before taking the picture.

90-minute Cinnamon Rolls

For those of you who are completely stunned by the fact that you can actually make cinnamon rolls in 90 minutes, you can pick your jaw up off the floor now. Because it's true! I've made this recipe only twice, but it turns out everytime. I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com and it was submitted by user "goofydebbie". The photo isn't even mine either. But with over 275 reviews, I knew I had to try it. The frosting recipe is mine because it didn't come with one. All the photos submitted for this recipe showed a thin, glossy glaze over the tops of them. But for me, I like to see and taste my frosting. So I made one that was a thicker consistency. It doesn't take much for powdered sugar to break down so add your liquid a little at a time. Also, I made them using the cupcake liners, but I prefer using a 9x13 baking dish instead. Just make the dish is well greased. And as for the 90-minute "claim", I believe that is pretty correct. I also think that the more you make it, the more it will actually be done in 90 minutes. So give them a whirl...or should I say SWIRL?

90-minute Cinnamon Rolls

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine.

Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm with frosting.

Frosting:
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 teas. vanilla extract
1 or 2 tbls. milk (depending on consistency)

In a small bowl add first two ingredients. Then add milk 1 tbls. at a time depending on how thick you want your frosting. Spread over semi-warm cinnamon rolls and serve.

Soft Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookies

This is a recipe I found in the latest edition of the Food & Family magazine from Kraft. If you have never received this FREE magazine before you need to go to http://www.kraftfoods.com/ and sign up for it. It is mailed out at least 4 times a year. I highly recommend it! What company mails out a magazine filled with tons of recipes for free to it's customers? No one but Kraft!

Soft Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookies

1 pkg. devil's food cake mix
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (1/2 a block)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer or mix using a stand mixer on low for 2 mins. Beat on medium for additional 2 minutes.

Shape into 1 inch balls or use small cookie scoop. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Flatten each ball using the tines of a fork in a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle tops with sugar.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set. Cool 2 minutes before removing to wire cooling racks. Then cool completely before serving. Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

NOTE: try using the chuncky style peanut butter for more texture and color.

Chicken Pot Pie

If this recipe doesn't say "comfort food" than I don't know what does. For me and my family this is one type of food we don't make very often. I think because I forget it's an option. My friend, Julie made pot pie one night using another recipe and it made me realize I hadn't made one in a long time. So with my search engine in tow, I went looking for a recipe. I went to my trusty and loyal Allrecipes.com site and found this recipe that had over 1,400 reviews. After making this I can totally see why. For any of you reading this right now... let me just tell you... this is an awesome recipe! There was only one flaw to the recipe and that was it needed a can of cream of chicken soup (undiluted) to it. The sauce was too thin and clear for what I think a chicken pot pie should look like. I think of a chicken pot pie sauce being thick and creamy. So I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. My kids had their quirks about it though: Kaylee removed the peas and the carrots, Kason removed the peas and Jaynee removed the carrots. Not so bad, right? Oh, and the recipe called for 1/2 cup of celery. We didn't have that (nor did I want it in there anyway) so I added some diced potato to it instead. I will give you the recipe with those options. And the pie crusts are the ones that come rolled up in the refrigerated section. Don't skimp on the brand...buy the brand name...they taste better. I also used my Pampered Chef 2 inch deep dish pie plate for this recipe. You could probably half the recipe and use a regular pie plate instead. Or use some other deep, round casserole dish instead. If you have any questions, please email me.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 lb. skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup sliced celery and/or 1 large diced potato
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teas. salt
1/4 teas. black pepper
1 teas. garlic powder
1 (14oz) can of chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 (9 inch) unbaked, refrigerated pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a saucepan, combine cubed chicken, sliced carrots, celery and diced potato. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In the same saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Using a whisk, slowly stir in chicken broth and milk and stir constantly as sauce begins to thicken. Add in can of soup. Add in chicken mixture and thoroughly combine. Set aside.

To prepare pie plate, line bottom with 1 softened pie crust. Add in frozen peas to the chicken mixture just before pourly the mixture into the pie plate. Pour in chicken mixture. Line the top with the other pie crust. Cut off excess, seal the edges and crimp. Poke several holes on top of the crust to prevent the build up of steam while baking. Place pot pie in preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and top is golden brown. If pie starts to turn brown quickly, lay a piece of tin foil (shiny side up) over the top of it to prevent the crust from burning. After baking, remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Chicken & Broccoli casserole

Hmmm...doesn't this look yummy? Look at that nice white sauce and toasted parmesan cheese on top. Are you getting lost in deliciousness? Hmmm...

Let me first off say that when I came upon this recipe from another website I was very intrigued by the list of ingredients and of course the photo. So I decided to give this a try the other night. As I was putting this recipe together, I noticed the sauce was going to be this rich and thick sauce. And definately not a very healthy one I might add. But everything in moderation, right? And the recipe had several steps to it. I continued to plug along and after several pans, bowls, etc... and some oven time we finally had dinner. Let me just say, we ate mouthfuls of white sauce richness that night. We all loved the flavor of it, but it was too thick. I also discovered that it made quite a bit so we had plenty of leftovers the next night. Which may not be the case with some larger families. For us I ended up diluting the sauce with some milk and boiling a pot of spaghetti to go along with it. I mixed up the spaghetti with the sauce and served it with some toasted garlic bread. So I believe this recipe fits perfectly under the "cook once, serve twice" concept. I also need to mention that the recipe I'm posting here isn't the actual recipe I made on this night. I'm giving you the revised version with the more practical way of making it. And of course, you can subsitute any of the ingredients for fat-free or low-fat versions.
Chicken & Broccoli casserole

3 quarts water
3 cups chopped broccoli
4-5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tbls. butter or margarine
1/4 c. flour
2 cups milk
1/4 teas. salt
1/4 teas. ground pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 teas. worchestershire sauce
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 - 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 - 1 cup crushed butter crackers

Preheat oven to 400 (F) degrees.

Cut broccoli into small florets and set aside. Cube chicken into 1 inch pieces and set aside. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Place broccoli into water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove quickly and set aside. Keep water boiling and place cubed chicken into the water. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Do not over cook or chicken will become rubbery. Remove from water and set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, worchestershire sauce, soup and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

In a large sauce pan or deep skillet. Melt butter or margarine. Using a whisk, stir in flour and whisk until flour is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Slowly pour in milk and continue to whisk until it reaches a thick consistency. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour into the sauce the mayonnaise mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Fold in broccoli and chicken and stir to completely coat. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and top with crushed crackers and grated parmesan. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until sauce is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with a side salad. Store leftovers in fridge.

Ricotta Cheese Muffins

I absolutely love the versatility of this muffin recipe. And don't you just love this model of a muffin in my photo? Talk about photogenic! This recipe has become an instant favorite in our household. My kids look forward to them almost every Saturday. We highly suggest the sugar streusel on top...yum! Whoa, getting sidetracked there. As I was saying... I love it's versatility. You can add grated lemon or orange rind to it to change the flavor up. Or even a teaspoon of your favorite jam in the middle of the batter. Which is very easy to do: layer some of the batter at the bottom of our muffin cup, put your jam on next and then some more batter on top, sprinkle the streusel over the top and bake. You can even add some cinnamon to the batter and streusel and have cinnamon and sugar muffins. How about some chocolate chips, fresh blueberries or chopped dried fruit? The possibilities are at your discretion. I hope that this basic muffin recipe will become a family favorite in your house as it has in ours.

Ricotta Cheese Muffins

Streusel:
3 tbls. white sugar
2 tbls. all-purpose flour
1 tbls. butter, melted

Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teas. baking powder
1 teas. baking soda
1/2 teas. salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teas. vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese
Optional: 1 tbls. grated lemon or orange rind
Optional: 1/2 teas. ground cinnamon
Optional: fruit preserves for layering

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Prepare muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

Combine and thoroughly mix streusel ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir using a whisk and set aside. In a small mixng bowl combine buttermilk, butter, vanilla, beaten egg and ricotta cheese. Stir liquid mixture using whisk. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in liquid mixture. Stirring just until moist. Fold in your optional ingredients at this point. Do not overmix. Some lumps are okay. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle about 1 teas. of sugar streusel over top and bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until a light golden brown. Remove muffins to a wire rack to cool. Makes 12-15 muffins.

Banana Cake

Monkeys will be jealous when they see you eating this cake (if you happen to be eating it in front of monkeys that is). I found this recipe through another site and after seeing it's reviews, I decided to try it. I was surprised by the recipe at first. For two reasons, one because the amounts were a little off to me. I noticed there was no egg and that the amount of flour would not be enough to keep the cake from being runny. I also notice that lemon juice was in the recipe and after seeing how the cake came out, I believe it was to help the bananas from turning brown when baked. I've never had a light colored banana bread before. And I believe that helped with it's color. Also, when making this, I wondered how the cake's density would turn out. If it would be more of a light cake or more of a dense banana bread. Let's just say it's BOTH! A pleasant perfect medium. So with my additions and adjustments, I came up with this recipe.

Banana Cake
1/2 cup shortening, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teas. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teas. baking soda
1/2 teas. baking powder
1/2 teas. salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teas. lemon juice
1 container of vanilla flavored frosting
Optional: 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until smooth. Add egg. Stir in milk and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in mashed banana, lemon juice and walnuts (if desired). Spread evenly into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting and cutting. Enjoy!

Grab your aprons...

...AND let's get cooking! I would personally like to welcome you to my new cooking and baking blog. After much encouragement, I decided to take the plunge and start a new blog just for my recipes. It's a good place to keep them and share them with my family, friends and anyone who wants to drop by for a recipe or two.

There are so many cooking blogs on the internet nowadays that I was really wondering what I could do that would make my blog different. I mean seriously... Well, what I came up with was....well, actually....I have nothing! Ha! No, really... I want to share with you lots of yummy recipes (with photos) that I've discovered over the years (including the ones I've demonstrated in my cooking classes), give you product reviews, educate you on different food ingredients (i.e. mushrooms, leeks, kale, etc...) and who knows what else...maybe an antic or two.

So I hope you'll come by and visit often and please pass this link onto any of your friends and family. As I won't be too concerned about the privacy of this blog just as long as it is respected and used only for it's purpose.

P.S. What do you call a pig that does karate? Answer: A PORK CHOP!