Sunday, June 21, 2009

Unmotivated But A New Dessert!

Obviously I have been completely unmotivated to keep up with this blog. Now that summer is here I want to spend my free time outside playing and eating watermelon! So, I am going to take the summer off. I will keep collecting new recipes so that once the fall starts, I have a variety of new ones to share. If anyone discovers any new good recipes in the next few months, send them my way. I am also thinking of making this a shared blog so that other people can post their favorite recipes. If you are interested in joining, let me know. Have a happy summer!!

I will leave you with my newest favorite summer dessert. This one came from my Sister-in-law, Chaliese and if you like orange creamcicles, you will love this!

Frosty Orange Cream Layered Dessert
2 cups orange sherbet
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. orange juice
8 oz. cool whip

Line a bread pan with tinfoil and spoon sherbet into the bottom of the pan. Put in freezer for 10 minutes. Beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth add the orange juice and mix well. Fold in the cool whip and place mixture on top of the orange sherbet. Cover and put in freezer for at least three hours or overnight. To serve, take out of pan and peel the foil away. Cut into slices. Serves 12.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Kielbasa Pasta

I tried the Tomato Basil Chicken, and just as I thought, it was tasty!
Today I am sharing a recipe concocted by my hubby. He always makes the best spaghetti. This is super easy and so, so yummy.

1 yellow or red onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 turkey Kielbasa, sliced
1 bottle Ragu sauce
2-3 cups Penne Pasta, cooked

Saute the onion and peppers until they are softened a little. Add the Kielbasa and saute until it starts to turn a little brown. Add the Ragu sauce and let simmer on low for about 15 minutes. Add the pasta and let heat through. Serve with some grated Parmesan and a slice of garlic bread!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Tomato Basil Chicken

For the first time since starting my little blog, I am sharing a recipe that I haven't tried yet! I was going to make it tonight, but I didn't have all of the ingredients and could not bring myself to dragging my three little ones to the store once again! I have a feeling that it is going to be tasty though. If someone gets around to trying it before I do, you'll have to let me know how it turns out.

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups plain yogurt
1 (10 oz) box Tomato-Basil Wheat Thins
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes

Chicken Sauce: 1 can cream of chicken & 1 cup milk

Rinse chicken breast halves and pat dry. Pour yogurt into a small dish. Crush crackers into fine crumbs. In a separate dish, blend cracker crumbs with Parmesan cheese and seasonings. Dip chicken breast halves into yogurt, coating both sides. Roll in crumbs until well coated. Place in greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until chicken is done. For sauce, combine soup and milk in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Serve over chicken.

Old English Trifle

I love strawberries and I love that they are on sale right now. This is a really beautiful and tasty dessert. If you want to impress someone without making a huge effort, you should give this one a try.

1 yellow cake mix
1 large (6 oz) package strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 oz) package frozen strawberries, semi-thawed
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 large (6 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding
2 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbs. sugar

First Layer: Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Bake in 2 well-greased round baking pans. After cake is cooled, break one round of cake into 2 to 3 inch pieces. (Reserve other cake round for another purpose or a second trifle.) Place cake pieces in the bottom of a large glass compote or bowl. In a saucepan, dissolve strawberry Jell-O in 2 cups boiling water. Cool. Refrigerate until thick and syrupy. Stir in semi-thawed strawberries. Pour over cake pieces. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm. Cover with fresh strawberry slices.

Second Layer: Prepare vanilla pudding according to package directions, but using only 2 cups of milk. Pour over strawberry Jell-O and sliced strawberries. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Third Layer: Whip cream until stiff. Stir in sugar. Spread over top of first two layers. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Mock Lasagna

If you can't already tell, I am a pasta lover. I think it's the 1/16 Italian in me!! This is a yummy lasagna that is a little different from the norm and it is quick and easy. Enjoy.

1 (8 oz) package softened cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1 lb. hamburger meat
1 cup shredded mozzarella/cheddar/or mixed cheese
12 oz. egg noodles or crinkly cut egg noodles
2 medium size cans of tomato sauce
1 medium size can of peeled, sliced tomatoes.

Brown hamburger meat; add garlic salt, basil, Italian seasoning, whatever you like in lasagna (or use a jar of Ragu). Drain hamburger meat and put in pan with tomato sauce and sliced tomatoes, put on medium heat and stir. While that heats up, put cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl and mix it up with a hand mixer until creamy- set aside. Also, start boiling egg noodles and preheat your oven to 400 degrees. When sauce and noodles are done, begin to layer in a casserole dish. Start with a layer of sauce, then noodles, then sour cream mixture then do another layer starting with noodles, then sauce and top it off with cheese. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Mexican Casserole

Another good and easy recipe. You can give it as little or as much kick as you like. My hubby likes me to add jalapenos.

1 package corn tortillas
1 lb. hamburger
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 large can red enchilada sauce
1 small can chopped green chilies
1/2 cup milk
grated mexican blend cheese

Brown the meat and add everything but the tortillas and cheese. Layer tortillas on the bottom of a 9x13, layer with 1/2 of the meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat the layering once more, ending with cheese. Bake at 300 for 20-30 minutes.

Strawberry Salad

It's strawberry time! This is a recipe I got from my sis. It is so quick and easy but so scrumptious. We had the missionaries over for dinner last night and they loved it!

1 large (16 oz) cool whip
1 large Dannon vanilla yogurt
2 boxes instant coconut (or vanilla) pudding
fresh strawberries, washed and sliced (to taste)

I made it with light cool whip, light yogurt, and sugar free pudding and it was yummy! Also, this makes a pretty big salad, you can downsize if you want.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Long Time No Recipes

Where does the time go? I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I had posted a recipe. Thanks to those of you who keep checking faithfully. Check out the two recipes below. You won't be disappointed! My grandmother passed away so I am going to Utah until next week. Hope you all have a good weekend.

Spinach and Feta Pasta

This is a recipe that I got off of this website. Check it out if you get a chance. All of their recipes look amazing and this one was yummy, quick and low fat.

8 oz. penne pasta
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
3 c. fresh spinach (you don't have to chop it)
1 onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
A handful of mushrooms, chopped (we don't like mushrooms so I left them out and it was still good.)
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to package directions. In the meantime, heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook until tender. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add tomatoes, heat through, and then add drained pasta and crumbled feta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve; you can crumble a little extra feta on top if you feel the urge!

Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies

For those peanut butter lovers out there this is something I came up with after combining two of my favorite recipes. I have to say, they are quite tasty!

1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 tsp. soda
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. peanut butter

Cream shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in peanut butter and sift dry ingredients. Mix well. Make 1 inch balls, place on cookie sheet and press down with fork or fingers. Bake at 350 for 8-10 min.

Frosting:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
8 Tbs (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 Tbs. milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Place the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl or mixer. Beat on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat on low speed until the sugar is well combined, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, one minute more. Spread over cooled peanut butter cookies. (This frosting can also be used on cakes. Try it on a chocolate cake!)

After I frosted my cookies I stuck a few miniature Hershey's bars in a ziploc bag and melted them in the microwave for one minute. I squished the bag to make sure the chocolate was nice and melted and then I cut the corner of the bag and squeezed the chocolate in a zigzag pattern over the cookies. Not only did it make them look pretty but it gave them that extra chocolate flavor that is so divine with peanut butter.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Turtle Bars

I made these for the first time last week and they were soooo yummy!

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
60 craft caramels (I used two bags of the caramel bits. You can find them by the choclate chips.)
1 c. chopped nuts
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk
3/4 c. melted margarine
1 (12 oz) package chocolate chips

Melt caramels with 1/2 c. evaporated milk. Mix cake mix with one cup of evaporated milk, margarine and nuts. Pour half of the batter in a 9x13 buttered pan and bake for 15 min. at 350. Remove from oven and spread caramel mixture over layer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the caramel and spread balance of cake mix over the top. Bake 20 minutes longer.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Almond Chicken Salad

Sooo good!

1 large can white chicken meat or 2 chicken breasts boiled and cut into small pieces
1 stock of celery, chopped
1 Tbs. lemon juice
Mayonnaise to taste (about 1/2 cup)
pepper to taste
sliced almonds to taste
chopped green onions to taste
red grapes to taste
Mix everything together and serve on crescent rolls, pita bread or dollar rolls.

Taco Salad

This is my favorite taco salad recipe. I got it from my friend Jen Hale in Rexburg. It is really easy and super yummy!

1 bag of lettuce
1 tomato
green onions (to taste)
1 can of Kidney Beans
1 cup cheddar cheese
crushed tortilla chips
1 lb. hamburger
1 package taco seasoning
Thousand Island dressing

Brown the hamburger and add taco seasoning. Dump the lettuce, tomato, green onion, drained kidney beans, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips into a bowl. Add the meat and about 1/2 the bottle of Thousand Island. Toss and Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Lemon Feta Chicken

8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 oz. crumbled feta
1 Tbs. dried oregano leaves
3 Tbs. chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken in a 9x13 nonstick baking dish and drizzle with half of the lemon juice. Sprinkle with half of the oregano and all of the pepper. Top with feta cheese and green onions. Drizzle with the remaining lemon juice and oregano. Bake, covered for 45 min. to 1 hour, or until done.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Weekends are for Splurging

This is neither low fat nor low calorie but super easy to make and so so yummy!

Best Ever Brownies

1 brownie mix
3 large Symphony bars with toffee and almonds

Mix brownies according to package directions. Pour half of the batter in a 9x13 and layer with whole symphony bars. Spread the rest of the batter on top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until done.

And The Winners Are . . .

The names were very systematically drawn out of a bowl by Noah and Drew! Congratulations to my good friend Kathryn North and my sweet cousin Shasta Knight. I hope you enjoy your little goodies. Shas- I need your address. You can email it to me at miffywolford@gmail.com A big thanks to everyone who participated. We'll do another one soon! Have a good day.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

White Bean Chili

This is a recipe I got from my friend, Elisa. We made it last night and it was tasty. Just don't expect it to taste anything like regular chili!

2 breasts of chicken, cooked and diced
3 cans Great Northern Beans
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
2 cans diced green chilies
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (you decide how spicy you want it)
1/4 tsp. salt

Pour beans into the bottom of a slow cooker and mash slightly with a potato masher, stir in the broth and then add everything else. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serve with sour cream and sliced avocado. Serves 6

Nutrition info (per serving): 377 calories, 5 grams of fat, 12 grams of fiber

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

If you love tacos and you love pasta, you've got to give this one a try! I promise, it makes a good combo.

10 jumbo dried pasta shells, prepared according to package directions, rinsed, and drained.
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 c. water
1 can fat free refried beans
1 c. shredded lowfat cheddar cheese
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa of your choice
1/4 c. sliced green onions
sour cream (optional)

Cook beef in a large skillet until brown. Add seasoning mix and water; cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add beans and 3/4 c. cheese; mix well. Spread 1/2 c. salsa over the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Fill pasta shells with beef mixture; place shells in baking pan, filled side up. Spoon remaining salsa over shells. Preheat oven to 350. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with green onions and remaining cheese. Serve with sour cream.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Drawing

I thought it would be fun to kick off the new year with a drawing. Nothing big, but who doesn't like free stuff?! So, if you make a comment on this post your name will be entered into the drawing and this is what you will get if your name is chosen:

A set of Valentine rubber spatulas, a bag of Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips, and a liquid measuring cup for measuring ounces, teaspoons and tablespoons (I didn't realize how much I used this little number until mine got broken). It is a must for any kitchen! I've got two sets of everything, so I will draw two names. I will draw the names in a week - January 29. You can get it just in time to whip up something yummy for your special Valentine!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Sorry I've Been a Slacker

I thought January would be so dull with plenty of time to kill but life continues to be busy. I think it's the whole having three kids thing! One day, I think I've got it down and the next day I feel back to square one! To make up for it, I am going to post several delicious recipes. Also, I am going to do another drawing. I will post it tomorrow so be prepared!

Slow Cooker Lasagna
1 pound ground beef (uncooked)
1 small onion
1 medium garlic clove, minced
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
15 oz. canned tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
6 dry lasagna noodles
1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet until beef is no longer pink. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, and 1 cup of mozzarella
Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheet in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with the beef mixture. Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and let sit until cheese melts and lasagne firms up.
Yields: 6 servings

Healthier alternative: use part skim ricotta and mozzarella and extra lean ground beef.

Barbeque Chicken Pizza - One of my favorites!
2 cups cooked chicken breast or 1 (8 oz) can chicken meat
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks green onion
1/2 small green pepper
1 block (8 oz) mozzarella cheese, shredded

Roll out your favorite pizza crust, Mix chicken, barbeque sauce, ranch dressing, and garlic. Spread mixture evenly over crust. Cover pizza with half of the mozzarella cheese. Chop green pepper and onion and sprinkle on pizza. Add remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Healthier alternative: use fat free ranch and part skim mozzarella.

Raspberry Pretzel Salad
2 cups pretzel sticks, crushed
3/4 c. melted butter
3 Tbs. sugar
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
1 (12 oz) cool whip
1/3 c. sugar
1 large Raspberry Jell-O mix
4 cups boiling water
2 cups frozen raspberries

Mix together first three ingredients and pat into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13. Bake at 400 for 8 minutes. Let cool.
Mix together cream cheese, cool whip and sugar until nice and creamy. Put on top of cooled crust.
Mix large raspberry Jell-O, 4 c. boiling water, and 2 cups frozen raspberries. Let thicken a little in the refrigerator and pour over cream cheese. Let sit in fridge for a couple of hours until firm.

Lower calorie alternative: Decrease amount of butter to 1/2 c., use a sugar substitute, use light or fat free cool whip and light or fat free cream cheese, and sugar free Jell-O.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Happy New Year!

I'm back! Sorry about my sebatical from recipe sharing. I'm ready to start the year off right with some new, healthy recipes. One of my resolutions this year is to eat healthier so I am trying to make my recipes lower in fat and higher in fiber. Fruits and vegetables, here I come! The recipe I am sharing today is actually from Weight Watchers. It is one of my favorite rice recipes and makes a great side dish to grilled or baked chicken.

Brown Rice Salad with Black Beans and Corn
1 cup instant brown rice
15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp. cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 tsp. (or less) pickled, minced, jalapeno pepper
1 tsp. lime zest, finely grated
1/4 tsp. table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 medium lime quartered

Cook rice according to direcions. While rice is still warm, stir in remaining ingredients. Serve with lime wedges.