Project Pinterest - No Sugar Cookies

Two weeks ago I came across a recipe titled "No Sugar Oat Drops" and thought that sounded disgusting. 
A cookie without sugar?No thank you.
But since I'm trying my best to make healthier food choices I decided to at least give the recipe a read.And it didn't sound too bad!Coconuts, almonds and raisins won me over.
Now, keep in mind that these are out-of-the-box cookies.{Not from-a-box...out-of-the-box.}They are VERY thick and do not spread, so however big you form them is how big they will be.
Here are mine, uncooked on the baking sheet.{I used a medium biscuit cutter to shape them.}


And here are my {super badly photographed} baked cookies.
Do not let the poor lighting fool you...these bad boys were D. Licious!I deviated slightly from the original recipe and used what I had on hand.And bare in mind that 175C approximates to 350F.Also, the recipe says to bake for 20 minutes, but mine could have baked much longer...upwards of 35 to 40 as it bakes more like a quick bread than a cookie.
You can find the original recipe at Anja's Food 4 Thought  |  Repinned via DJ Hornsby



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Easiest Spaghetti Sauce Ever

Last night I wanted pasta.

But we didn't have spaghetti sauce.

And I was not about to pack up the kids to run to the store to buy some.

We did, however, have a variety of canned tomato products.
So, I hopped online to find the basic ingredients to throwing together a spaghetti sauce.

Guess what?!
We had that stuff!

I ended up with this yummy concoction:

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 12oz can roasted tomatoes, with juice
1 12oz can diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and onion, drained
1 can tomato paste (can't remember the ounces, but it was small)


In one medium sized pot, saute the onion in butter until translucent.
Toss in all tomato products.
Simmer for as long as you want...until everything is warmed through or 90 minutes!
(I cooked mine for about 20-30 minutes.)

I like my sauce thick and chunky and this one delivered on both.
I don't think I'll be using store bought spaghetti sauce again!

Makin' Taffy

Right before I went on "vacation" I found a great post on how to make your own taffy at Skip To My Lou. So, I made some last week!

It actually tasted pretty good - not Laughy Taffy good, but good enough.

***

If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can do what I did - rig up your digital probe thermometer to stay in one place, just above the bottom of the pot. As you can see, a binder clip worked for me. ;)


Getting the liquid to 250 degrees took for-ev-er.
It seriously took 20 minutes for the temp to go from 220 to 250.
Sheesh.


After mixing in my color and flavor, I poured it into my cookie sheet to cool.


Sorry I don't have pics of the taffy being pulled - kinda hard to take shots of that while you're the one doing it!

***

Here are a some "pointers" for you, should you decide to make some, too:

1. Allow plenty of time for this - it's not hard, but time consuming. From start (getting out my first ingredient) to finish (wrapping all the taffy) took about 2 hours. I did this all by myself, so it'd take you much less time if you have helpers.
   
2. Don't use cooking spray to grease your hands. Even if it is butter flavored. It makes the taffy taste a little...off. Just use regular butter, like the recipe says.
   
3. Be patient when pulling the taffy. It may not stick together and may become multiple strands of very sticky taffy at the beginning. Keep working and breathe deep. I found it helpful to twist as I pulled, so the strands merged together better.
   
4. Split the batch into several sections. I cut my batch into four parts. This made it much more manageable to pull.
5. Wrap them in the plastic liners from your cereal. It's basically waxed paper (except don't heat it, it'll melt), so go ahead and recycle those babies!! I cut it into rectangles and the taffy wrapped up nicely! I needed about 4 bags to wrap all the taffy from one batch.
   

Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom Garlic Pasta

In case you haven't had enough of spinach and mushrooms - or if you're like me and had leftovers from the quesadillas - then here's another recipe for you.
It tastes completely different, I promise.

Ingredients
2 cups pasta - any shape
1 - 2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
1/2 cup spinach, drained
1 cup mushrooms, fresh or canned
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp garlic powder*

*(Alternative: or you could use freshly minced garlic and butter to sauteed the mushrooms)


Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, saute your clean, sliced mushrooms. If using canned, skip this step.

If you're starting with uncooked chicken, then cook it however you'd like - I had some leftover baked chicken, so that's what I used. Once cooked, cube it.

Drain your pasta and add all ingredients: butter, garlic powder, mushrooms, spinach, sun dried tomatoes and chicken. Stir to incorporate. And that's it.

Depending on your tastes, you may want to add some salt and pepper.

Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas {From the Pantry}

Whoa, I can already hear many of you saying "yuck!" Just stay with me on this one, though, 'cause spinach, even out of a can, can taste good!

***

Although the Eat From the Pantry Challenge is over, I still find myself looking for those need-to-be-used ingredients for my lunches.

This particular day I remembered the can of spinach in the pantry and the handful of button mushrooms in the fridge - both of which needed to be used soon. We also had a package of tortillas and a block of cheese in the fridge.

So, I decided to make myself some spinach and mushroom quesadillas.

Ingredients
a few mushrooms - fresh or canned
spinach - frozen or canned
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 - 1 cup cheese, whatever variety and as much or little as you would like
2 tortillas
salsa for dipping


Directions
Clean (gently wipe away dirt with a slightly damp towel) and slice mushrooms. Saute in butter over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Drain spinach - squeeze out as much moisture as you can, ringing out in a towel works really well.

Layer your quesadilla: tortilla, some cheese, spinach and mushrooms, remaining cheese, tortilla.

Cook over medium heat until tortilla is crisp, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.

Cut and serve. I like mine dipped in salsa! I know, sounds odd - spinach and salsa - but it's oh so good!

Egg Casserole

This version of Egg Casserole if from my Step-Dad.
While it's certainly not healthy, it is delicious!
(Thanks for showing me how to make this, Kepler!)

Ingredients
12 eggs
5 slices bacon, diced
1/2 an onion, diced
2/3 cup bell peppers, diced
any other veggies you like: mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, etc.
1 cup shredded potatoes (these can be frozen hash browns, or you can grate your own. I grate my own, but if you do this be sure to rinse the shredded potatoes in water very well to rinse off all that starchiness! You'll taste it in the finished casserole if you don't.)
milk
1 cup cheese, shredded or sliced


Directions
In a large pot, over medium heat, cook bacon.

Remove bacon from pot, leaving the grease. (I know, but trust me, it turns out great!)

Saute onion and peppers in bacon grease until soft. Add shredded potatoes and stir. Cook for several minutes, until potatoes are slightly golden.

Meanwhile, whisk a dozen eggs with a splash of milk.

Once potatoes are cooked, add in eggs and stir.

Cover and cook for approx 10 minutes or until eggs are cooked through.

Top with cheese and cover until cheese is melted.

Pizza Boats {From the Pantry}

Here's one that you may or may not have heard of - Seth had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned this dish, so I thought I'd post it in case any of you have been missing out, too! ;)

We had several slices of bread-machine bread that desperately needed to be used. After a day or two, it gets too dry and makes terrible sandwiches. We also had a lot of leftover spaghetti meat sauce from the night before, as well as some shredded cheese that needed to be used.

Ingredients
Thick slices of bread (traditionally hot dog or hamburger buns are used)
Spaghetti or pizza sauce
Toppings: mushrooms, hamburger, pineapple, jalapenos, green peppers, etc, etc, etc.
Cheese (shredded, slices, doesn't really matter!)


Directions
Build just like a regular pizza: sauce, toppings, cheese

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

That's it! These are fairly crunchy, especially if you use a stale bread, as I did.

Chicken Wrap {From the Pantry}

Not only is this wrap delicious (and rivals those of McD's and Wendy's!), but it uses ingredients you already have, saves you money, plus it's easy!

What's not to like?!

Ingredients
1 boneless skinless chicken breast (or use your leftover chicken!)


approx 5 Club Crackers, mushed (any other cracker, bread crumbs or nothing would work, too!)
(these were from a baggie I had thrown in the diaper bag and were pretty much all crushed by the time I got them out, so I kept them thinking that one day those crumbs would come in handy! ;) )


a few Tbsp oil
(I used olive because that's what I have)

1 flour tortilla
(if you don't have tortillas, make your own! It's very easy and chances are good that you already have the ingredients on hand!)

Ranch dressing

Shredded cheese

Lettuce

{Alternatives to add: An in-season tomato or a couple strips of cucumber would be really good in this! You could also use different cheese and lettuce varieties, an Italian dressing, etc.}


Directions
Heat oil in a small pan, over medium heat.

Trim excess fat from chicken and cut into strips.
(if your chicken breast is thick, you can pound it into submission flatter with a mallet or use your fist to reduce cook time - hey, it's yummy and theraputic!)

Cook chicken until done. Approx 6 minutes on each side.


Now assemble your wrap!
Pour or spread ranch dressing on tortilla.
I just squirted mine on there, but the next time I'll spread a thin layer all over the tortilla.



Add cheese and lettuce
I added the cheese first, so it would stick to the ranch. ;)



Top with chicken strips and roll up!



Now enjoy your awesome wrap while reveling in the knowledge that you just saved some money!

Mac & Cheese {From the Pantry}

Another recipe adapted from what we have on hand.

The kids wanted mac & cheese for dinner, and usually we have the boxed version in the cupboard, but we're currently out. And since it is Eat From The Pantry month, I used what we had.

Ingredients

Pasta from two boxes of Cheeseburger Helper,
(reserving the sauce packets for a later date.)


some Velveeta we had in the fridge,


and some sharp cheddar cheese, also from the fridge.


1/4 cup milk


Directions
I cooked the pasta as usual, cut and shredded the cheeses, threw them into the cooked and drained pasta, added some milk and left until the cheeses had melted.

Verdict
The kids gobbled this up! I tasted it, but thought it lacked flavor - maybe a bit of the cheeseburger mix from the Helper box would help it along.

Kung Pao Chicken {From the Pantry}

(this photo was taken of the leftovers the next day and is missing all the red bell peppers because we ate all of them the night before.)

This is a 'from the pantry" style recipe!

I found this recipe for Kung Pao Chicken on AllRecipes.com. It sounded good and looked like it called for ingredients that I already had on hand. After further inspection, and a bit of impatience, I decided to wing it, with the found recipe as a general guide.

Here's what I ended up doing, using only items I had in the pantry or fridge!

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (would also be good with steak)
1-2 Tbsp oil (vegetable, olive, sesame - whatever you have - or you can even omit the oil and use water instead)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (or soy sauce with brown sugar would work, too)
2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli
1 bell pepper (I used red), cut into whatever shape you wish (I did strips)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 clove garlic, minced (totally optional, I couldn't tell it was in there)
1/2 - 1 cup water
{alternatives to add: water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, carrots, onions, baby corn thingies, the list goes on - just check your fridge/pantry!}


Directions
Heat oil (or water) and teriyaki sauce in large pan over med-high heat.

Throw in broccoli and bell peppers. (or whatever veggie you're using that will require the most cooking time.) Cover and let steam for 5-10 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients: mushrooms, jalapenos, garlic, chicken. Cover and cook approx 7 -10 minutes more. (Feel free to add more teriyaki sauce and/or water to the mix. I add anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup of water with the teriyaki sauce, depending on how much longer the food needs to steam.)

Serve over rice or noodles, eat it by itself or throw it in a tortilla!!! Now we're gettin' crazy! ;)


Verdict
Seth The Picky and I both really liked this. It was quite spicy, but then again, it's supposed to be! If you don't want the spice, simply omit the jalapeno and you'll be good to go.
I think this recipe will find it's way back into our menu on a regular basis!

Cinnamon Rolls in the Making

I couldn't take all the blog posts about cinnamon rolls anymore!!!
I broke down and made some - the PW's way even.
I have to say that it was nice to not knead any dough.
And then I overcooked them.
...nothing a little frosting can't take care of! ;)

Move Over Thin Mints!

Mmmm, don't those look yummy?! They are!

My friend Erica posted a recipe for these here. She uses wafer cookies - I think if you can find the chocolate ones she talks about these would be a perfect match and you'd have a good shot at selling the girl scouts these cookies when they come knocking on your door! (ok, maybe not - they don't knock on doors. You'd have to go to Walmart.) 

Be sure to heed her mint portioning advice!!!

Kraft has a similar recipe using Ritz instead of wafers. And Ritz is what I have coming out my ears right now. I was a little worried that the salt would be too strong - I'm not a big fan of the sweet/salty mixes like chocolate covered pretzels. Just sweet for me, please! - But, they turned out pretty darn good!

If you're a fan of thin mints, this is a must try recipe.

And it'll also save you a fortune by not buying overpriced cookies.

And if you have Wheat Thins to use up, as I also have coming out my ears, try my other friend Jenn's recipe!

(Disclaimer: I'm not opposed in any way to helping great organizations like Girl and Boy Scouts. I just don't don't think it's necessary to pay a small fortune to do so.)

Monthly Menu Plan - November

Yep, you read that right - I made a monthly menu plan!

I figured instead of spending time each week to come up with our dinner menu, I'd take a little extra time and make a plan for the whole month. It really didn't take too much longer to do. I decided how many dishes of each type (beef, chicken, etc) we'd have throughout the month, so finding recipes was a little easier. We also have approx two "leftover" nights per week. And I think this will help me with grocery shopping and finding the best price on whatever we'll need, since I know the list weeks ahead of time.

So, without further ado, I give you our menu plan:
(sides will be determined later)

Monday, Oct 26th: Cheesy Potato Soup
Tuesday, Oct 27th: Seth's Hash
Wednesday, Oct 28th: Easy Taco Pizza
Thursday, Oct 29th: leftovers
Friday, Oct 30th: Roast
Saturday, Oct 31st: Date Night - going out to eat?
Sunday, Nov 1st: Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Tropical Fruit Salsa and rice

Monday, Nov 2nd: leftovers
Tuesday, Nov 3rd: Oven Fried Chicken
Wednesday, Nov 4th: Cabbage Soup
Thursday, Nov 5th: leftovers
Friday, Nov 6th: Steak & grilled veggies
Saturday, Nov 7th: BBQ pork
Sunday, Nov 8th: Seth's Tacos (the best in the world!)

Monday, Nov 9th: Onion Chicken
Tuesday, Nov 10th: Chili
Wednesday, Nov 11th: leftovers
Thursday, Nov 12th: Egg Casserole
Friday, Nov 13th: Slow Cooker Chicken & Noodles
Saturday, Nov 14th: leftovers
Sunday, Nov 15th: Irish Beef Stew with Guinness Stout

Monday, Nov 16th: leftovers
Tuesday, Nov 17th: Smoky Mac & Cheese
Wednesday, Nov 18th: CrockPot Pasta Fagioli
Thursday, Nov 19th: Garlic Chicken
Friday, Nov 20th: leftovers
Saturday, Nov 21st: wedding, which means I don't have to cook!
Sunday, Nov 22nd: Roast

Monday, Nov 23rd - Saturday, Nov 28th: leftovers to clean out the fridge & meals with family, which means I don't have to cook!
Sunday, Nov 29th: Cowboy Stew

For a thousand more recipes and hundreds more menu plans, check out I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Easy Beef Enchiladas

Easy Beef Enchiladas

(yield: 6 enchiladas)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups leftover taco meat filling (or you can season your ground beef any way you'd like - or don't even use beef, use chicken or just cheese!)
1 cup cheddar cheese
homemade tortillas (very quick and very easy! one batch makes about 6 tortillas.)
1/2 cup enchilada sauce (use canned or make some from scratch)


Directions:
Make your tortillas (or use store bought, but I highly recommend making your own!).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Fill tortillas with 1/4 cup beef and 1/8 cup cheese.
Roll up and place crease side down into baking dish.
Once you have all enchiladas rolled and in dish, cover with 1/2 cup enchilada sauce and top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Tzatziki

This is the tenth and final recipe in the "Too Many Cucumbers?!" series.

It comes from greekfood.about.com

Tzatziki

(image taken by occhipiuverdi on flickr)

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces (2 cups) of thick Greek yogurt
• 4 to 10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of diced or grated cucumber (Kirby or "English")
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Preparation:

Prepare all ingredients in advance. Combine oil and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl. Fold the yogurt in slowly, making sure it mixes completely with the oil. Add the garlic, according to taste, and the cucumber. Stir until evenly distributed. Garnish with a bit of green and serve well chilled.

Yield: about 2 1/2 cups

Add mint or dill: Slight variations include 1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh dill and/or fresh mint. Tasty additions!

Menu Plan Monday: July 20th - 26th

Freezer/Pantry Clean-Out Edition!

I haven't made a menu plan for 2 months! I stopped when we knew we'd be moving. And we still have one month to go until that happens! So, my mission for the next month is to clear out as much of the freezer and pantry as possible, so we have less food to move.
Enter menu planning. It gives me a plan for the week.

Breakfasts:
omelets
rice pudding
Cheerios


Lunches:
DiGorno Flatbread Melt (free with coupon!)
lots of leftovers
pb sandwiches, mac & cheese, and/or grilled cheese for Breck (his "usuals")


Dinners:

Monday
Leftovers from this weekend

Tuesday
Chicken Enchiladas (with homemade tortillas!) and rice

Wednesday
Fettuccine with Spinach (except I'll be using spaghetti - it's what we have.)

Thursday
Leftovers

Friday
Egg Casserole

Saturday
Steak, grilled veggies (bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions)

Sunday
Leftovers


For a thousand more recipes and hundreds more menu plans, check out I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Cucumber Limeade

Recipe number seven from the "Too Many Cucumbers?!" series.

Cucumber Limeade


(photo by Brian W on flickr)

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
• Juice of 2-3 limes
• sugar syrup to taste (about 1/4 cup)
• club soda to taste
  
• ice

Directions

Put cucumber, lime juice and sugar syrup in blender. Strain the pulp out of the mixture and add to club soda. Serve over ice.

Crab Stuffed Cucumbers

Recipe number six from the "Too Many Cucumbers?!" series.

Crab Stuffed Cucumbers


(photo by cravinmaven on flickr)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (generous) shredded crabmeat (about 2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion (white and green parts)
• 3 tablespoons light sour cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped pink pickled ginger slices*
• 1/2 teaspoon minced jalapeño chili with seeds
• 1 English hothouse cucumber, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
• Fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions

Combine first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Using small melon baller, scoop out centers of cucumber leaving bottom shell intact. Fill centers and slightly mound crab mixture atop cucumber. Garnish each with cilantro sprig. Transfer to platter and serve.

recipe comes from Epicurious.com

or if you would prefer a pork stuffing: B's Cucumber Recipes

Fried Cucumbers

In honor of the upcoming Iowa State Fair (where everything is fried!), I give you
recipe number five from the "Too Many Cucumbers?!" series.

Fried Cucumbers


(photo taken by PixelFish on Flickr)

Ingredients:

• 4 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
• salt and pepper
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  

Directions:

Season cucumbers with salt and pepper. Dip slices first in egg and then in bread crumbs. Fry in vegetable oil. Brown on both sides, drain, and serve hot.
6 to 8 servings.

Southwest Cucumber Salad

Recipe number four from the "Too Many Cucumbers?!" series.


(I saw this in The Kansas City Star newspaper)

Southwest Cucumber Salad


(sorry for the terrible picture quality - the online paper version didn't have the pic so I scanned my newspaper!)

(Makes 16 servings)

Ingredients

2 cups diced cucumber (about 1 large), do not peel

1 cup diced tomatoes (about 2 medium)

1/2 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts (about 4 to 5)

1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (11-ounce) can Mexicorn, drained

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 lime, juiced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Combine cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, jalapeno, black beans and Mexicorn in a large mixing bowl; toss to combine. Gently stir in diced avocado.

Whisk together cider vinegar, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Add olive oil in a stream and continue whisking. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to combine.

Per( 1/2 -cup) serving: 71 calories (26 percent from fat), 3 grams total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 9 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 128 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.

Recipe developed for The Star by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.