Twist on No Bake Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1/3 cup Nutella
1/3 cup flax seeds
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
Waxed paper
Directions
In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, nutella, flax seeds, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.
Devour!!!

Tater Tot Casserole

This is the best version I've come up with so far!

1 can crm of mushroom soup
1lb ground beef
1 can pinto beans (omit beef and do 2 cans beans for vegetarians or cheaper dinner)
1 can of mushrooms
1/2 small bag frozen corn
Small white onion chopped
4oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic chopped
Adobe
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
9x12 pan greased

Oven at 450 - brown meat- season with italian and adobe seasonings, sweat onion and garlic in pan at end of browning( doesn't need to cook through).

Put meat mix in pan with soup, beans, and mushrooms - mix.

Top with tater tots, sprinkle with garlic powder, and the cheese.

Bake 25 minutes and enjoy!!!

Lighten Up a Decadent Breakfast

This pregnant lady loves french toast right now. I first had this bake at a bridal shower and fell in love. Here is the original Paula Deen recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-french-toast-casserole-with-maple-syrup-recipe2/index.html

And here is my version - next time I think I'll swap butter for margarine and a couple eggs for egg whites. Both the original and my tweak version are super yummy! If you can think of anymore calorie savers I'm all ears!!

 Ingredients

10 pieces of wheat bread torn in half 

4 large eggs

 3 cups skim milk

1 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Sprinkle nutmeg

Praline Topping:

1 stick butter chunked

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Arrange slices of bread in a non stick sprayed small casserole dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Prep praline topping- Chunk butter over bread (with egg mix poured on). Mix dry ingredients and sprinkle over the entire dish.

 Cover with foil or cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup if desired

Fantastic French Fries at Home

A tip I took from Rachel Ray took my fries from baked yummy to baked out of this world! Instead of using a sheet pan, bake them on a pizza stone! Crispy crunchy and done in 30 minutes!

These are just cut red potatoes with olive oil, kosher salt and Adobo. flipped them at 15 minutes and gobbled them up in roughly 2 minutes :)

I almost ate my DH's half.

Warning this will change the way you make french fries!!!

Hash Brown Bake

One of my dearest friends came over a few weekends ago for a slumber party. Since she is the Pugancious Vegetarian I wasn't about to serve meat for breakfast!

Intro a twist on my Mom/Grandmom's Hash Brown Bake:

1 26 oz frozen hash brown potates

1 stick margarine melted

1 can cream of mushroom soup (Non-Vegetarians can use cream of chicken)

80z of sour cream

16 oz of Shreded Cheddar Cheese

Onion powder

Adobo powder (optional)

Garlic Powder

Black Pepper

Mix together and cook at 350 uncovered for 1 hour. You can make the night before and pop in when you wake up (great for busy holiday mornings too)!

I served it with Maple flavored Morningstar Sausage. Enjoy!

Blondie Brownie Treat

I found a recipe for blondies and modified it a bit to make them easier and fudgier- not a crumb left a day later so definitely a hit!

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Vegetable oil- 1/4 cup or less

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees . Spray non stick spray in an 8x8 inch pan.
Mix all ingredients together, add vegetable oil as needed to make the batter moister (next time I think I'll try an egg white instead). Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes give or take your oven. Cool slightly. Cut and eat! Great out of the pan (demonstrated by the Hubby)!

Warm Fruit Treat

Grab your ingredients:

-Sliced Fruit (bananas and pears this time- apples are perfect too)

-Chocolate Chips handful (increase if day is bad, decrease if you need to fit in a dress in a few days)

-Brown Sugar sprinkle

-Butter/Margarine 1 tlb

-Nuts (Walnuts are my favorite)


Mix everything in an oven safe bowl and pop in a pre-heated oven (350) for 15 minutes or longer depending how brown you want it.

BECAREFUL this is SUPER hot but ooooooohhhh so yummy!! ENJOY :)

Quick, Easy, Cheap, Dinner Fix!

I needed a quick, easy, cheap, dinner fix the other night and came up with this yummy number!

Ingredients:

Suddenly Salad Mix- Classic

Vegetable Oil

Artichoke Hearts Canned

Chicken Breast (1 really big breast worked for us)

Adobe Seasoning

Italian Seasoning

Make the Suddenly Salad per instructions add a bit extra Vegetable Oil than called for. While doing that cook the chicken breast cut up into bite size chunks in a non stick pan with dashes of adobe & Italian seasoning, and the artichoke hearts (drained). Once cooked mix it all together!

ENJOY!

BEANS! The More the Merrier!

Here is a vegan friendly yummy mix of things you probably have hanging out in your pantry!
1 Can of Red Beans
1 Can of Cannellini Beans
1 Can of Black Beans
2 sprigs of Rosemary
1/4 Cup of minute Rice
1 Can of diced tomatoes
1 Cup of Frozen Shoepeg Corn (or regular corn)
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Nonstick Spray

Warm a pan on a stove top (leave on medium) spray with non stick spray. Drain almost all of the liquid out of the beans and tomatoes. Mix all the ingredients together. I add quite a bit of Italian season and a good old dash of garlic powder. Go easier if you want less spices.
Let cook with the top on the pan for 20 minutes or until the rice cooks. Remove the Rosemary sprigs and serve.
Enjoy!

Good Goulash Quick

Ingredients
3 Sausage cut into 1/2 in sections
1 lb ground meat (I use ground turkey or chicken)
Jar of Spaghetti Sauce
Italian seasoning
Garlic Powder
Adobe
1 lb whole wheat pasta
Shredded Cheese
Can of mushrooms
Chopped Onion
Olive Oil

Warm Oven to 350 degrees.
Put a bit of olive oil in a pan throw in onions, warm through
Add ground meat and sausage
Season with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and adobe
When almost browned add drained can of mushrooms
While that is working boil water and cook the pasta
Spray oven safe container with cooking spray
Put in cooked meat mixture and drained pasta
Mix in spaghetti sauce
Cover the top with cheese
Cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly

North Country Jelly

Crabapple Jelly is part of my childhood. My parents have a big tree in their back yard and my sister and I spent a lot of time throwing, eating, and all around enjoying the apples every year.
Here is an over-view of making jelly (detailed directions are in the pectin box)

Jelly is hard work I'm not going to lie but it is really fun too.
First go to town chopping up a bevy of crabapples. (plan a couple of hours to make this happen)

Measure it out and boil it down (Crabapples you need 5lbs of apples and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer.

Strain the fruit pulp through cheesecloth or a strainer. For this jelly you need 7 cups of juice (easier said then done, it's a lot of squishing).
Boil it up and add pectin, boil it again and add sugar (this one needs 9 cups). Boil it some more (1 min).
Laddle the mix into jars, cap and band. Drop into a boiling water bath that will cover the jars for 5 minutes.
Let it set and you've got jelly!

Zucchini Explosion!

Zucchini's never seem to travel in pairs, more than likely they arrive in bushels. My new found abundance of zucchini has arrived and what is a girl to do?
Make a killer veggish meal? Sure why not.
1 zucchinni sliced thickly
1 can of black beans
Rice
Garlic powder
Adobe
Seasame Oil
Olive Oil

Put olive oil in a pan throw in succhinni and black beans. Season and add seasame oil. Cook until tender and serve over rice. I ate with steamed dumplings and loved every bite!

Hawaiian Stirfry

Hawaiian Stirfry

This meal was based around some frozen dumplings I got at the Asian supermarket down the street.

Maybe to others an Asian supermarket is something you've always had access to. Well, I grew up in the woods, so this is the first time I've been able to attack one and wowie how cool!
Tonight dieing to try them I had to make something that would compliment intro the Hawaiian stirfry.
Can of Pineapple Chunks
Green Pepper cut into strips
Onion cut into strips
Mushrooms quartered
Ham Steak cut into strips
Almond Slices

Put a bit of vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan and throw in your ingredients. Sprinkle with garlic powder and adobo.

Steam those frozen dumplings if you have them and throw on some minute rice. Everything is already cooked or ok to eat raw so heat until the dumplings and or rice is done.
Serve with duck sauce. Takes about 15 minutes :)


Enjoy!!!!

BACON!

Now that I have your attention- do you need a quick appetizer that's cheap too?

Bacon wrapped pineapple to the rescue!
Canned Chunked Pineapple
Package of Bacon
Sweet and Sour Sauce
and or Sweet and Sour Duck Sauce
Toothpicks
Disposable pan (optional but when you are cleaning up you will thank me!)

Cut the bacon strips into 3 or 4 pieces (I do it as I go)
Wrap them around a chunk of pineapple

Stick a toothpick through it and put it in your pan

Keep going till you run out of pineapple and or bacon
Pour Sweet and Sour Sauce or a combo of sweet and sour and sweet and sour duck sauce over the top.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes
Broil for approx 10 (keep an eye on them you don't want them to burn)

When the bacon is crispy on top you are done! (the toothpicks will blacken a bit- there is nothing you can do to stop it, just go with it).



ENJOY! You are now the hero of the party for bringing these :)