Spinach Artichoke Dip

 

Ingredients

1 can drained artichokes, chopped
1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
3 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. shredded mozzarella
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 to 1 t. garlic salt
something to dip with (I prefer Stacy's Pita Chips)

Preparation

Cook spinach according to package directions and drain.  Mix all of the ingredients together.  Pour mixture into a greased 1 quart baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  YUM!

- Sarah

Pineapple Casserole

So good!  This recipe was given to me by someone in college (I can't remember who) when I went to a Thanksgiving party with my Interior Design friends.  Some have scoffed, but be prepared to fall in love.

Photo from: http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/12098

Ingredients

1 (20 oz.) can chunk pineapple, drained (reserve 3 T of juice)
1/2 c. sugar
3 T flour
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 c. melted butter
15 crushed Ritz crackers

Preparation

Mix first 5 ingredients together (including pineapple juice).  Put mixture into a 1 quart casserole dish.  Toss Ritz cracker crumbs in melted butter.  Spread cracker mixture on top of casserole.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are bubbling.  It's good warm or cold.

- Sarah

Lasagna

Photo and Recipe from: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/lasagna/

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 medium sweet white onion, diced
• 1/2 large bell pepper (green, red, or yellow), seeds and veins removed, diced
• 1/2 lb dry lasagna noodles (requires 9 lasagna noodles - unbroken)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 28 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 28 oz can (16 oz) stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 6 oz can (3 oz) tomato paste
• 1 lb Ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese (large flat square slices)
• 3/4 lb freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Garlic Powder
• Oregano
• Italian Spice
• Salt
• Garlic Salt
• Parsley diced (fresh flat leaf preferred)
• 1 Garlic Cloves, minced
• White wine vinegar

Cooking Utensils

• Large skillet (for browning beef, onions, green pepper)
• 6 Qt pot (for noodles)
• 3 Qt pot (simmer sauce)
• 13" x 9" x 2" lasagna pan (preferably a stainless lasagna pan. Do Not Use Aluminum Pans - the aluminum will react with the acidic tomato sauce, leaching the aluminum and ruining the taste of your lasagna sauce.)
• Large colander (drain/blot beef, drain noodles)
• Large baking pan (to wash and cool noodles)
• Large slotted cooking spoon
• Large cooking spoon
• Paring knife

Method

1 Brown lean ground beef in skillet until lightly browned and cooked through. Put a few layers of paper towels in large bowl. With slotted spoon, remove browned beef from skillet draining off excess beef fat and put on top of blotting towels. After all the browned beef has been removed from the skillet, drain off and dispose of excess beef fat. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel. (If your ground beef is sufficiently lean, there won't be any excess fat to drain.)
Add diced green pepper and onion to skillet. Brown for a few minutes on medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add browned beef back to the skillet, lower the heat to low and continue to cook for 5 more minutes stirring frequently.
2 Transfer browned beef, green pepper and onions to 3 Qt. pot. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste. Open stewed tomatoes and dice, then add to 3 Qt. pot. Add oregano, parsley, Italian Spice Mix to taste, probably 2 teaspoons of each. Add a pinch of garlic powder and a pinch of garlic salt, to taste. Add a dash of white wine vinegar. Add sugar a tablespoon at a time, until desired level of sweetness, no more than 1/4 cup of sugar. Note that it is hard to follow a pure recipe when it comes to pasta sauce. One Italian spice mix is not like the other, nor is one can of tomato sauce not like the other. So you really do need to taste the sauce as you are adding the spices, sugar and vinegar.
Stir and allow sauce to simmer 15-45 minutes to thicken (do not scorch bottom, stir frequently). Remove from heat.
3 Cook lasagna noodles in 6 Qt. Pot per cooking directions (al dente). (Note noodles may be cooked in advance.) Stir often to prevent from sticking and be sure that water remains at a boil during the entire cooking to prevent noodles from sticking. I add Tbsp of salt to the water so the noodles are more flavorful. Drain in colander and place in a cool water filled pan to keep from drying out and sticking together.
4 In dry lasagna pan, ladle one cup of sauce and spread along the bottom of the pan. Apply a layer noodles 3 length wise (edges overlapping). Ladle in sauce sparingly into center trough of 3 noodles. Apply a layer of mozzarella cheese slices on top of lasagna sauce. Place ricotta cheese dollops every 2 inches in center of noodles on top of mozzarella cheese slices, sprinkle grated parmesan cheese in thin even layer on top of ricotta cheese. Apply second layer of noodles, topping again with sauce and cheese. Finish with another layer of noodles. If you have extra sauce and cheese you can spread that over the top. Tent lasagna pan with aluminum foil (not touching noodles or sauce). Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Note - Flavor improves for second service and may be reheated in convention or microwave. Leave aluminum tent on for storage (Do not allow aluminum to touch the sauce.)

Yield: Serves 8.

This sauce is really yummy and I think I might try it next time I want to make spaghetti sauce.

- Sarah

Sausage, Kale, and Bean Soup

I know.  How many soups can I post with kale and beans?  Well, they are all a bit different and yummy, so why not?  And this one is super easy and basic.  I don't have my own picture so here's one from the website:

Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Katie Stoddard

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Cajun smoked sausage, chopped (such as Conecuh)
• 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

• 6 cups coarsely chopped kale (about 8 ounces)
• 1 (16-ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed 

Preparation

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add smoked sausage to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the kale. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes or until the kale is tender. Stir in beans, and cook 1 minute or until soup is thoroughly heated.

- Sarah

Recipe from: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sausage-kale-bean-soup-10000000554709/

Crockpot Chicken and Sausage

Ingredients:

• 3 carrots, cut in 1/2 inch slices
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (15 oz.) cans navy beans, drained
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 lb. fully cooked Polish sausage or other smoked sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• cooked rice

Preparation:

In small saucepan, bring carrots, onions, and water to a boil. Simmer covered 5 minutes. Transfer to 3 1/2 to 4 quart crock pot. Stir in tomato paste, wine, and seasonings; add beans. Place chicken on top of bean mixture. Place sausage on top of chicken. Cover. Cook on low heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or high heat for 3 to 4 hours. Before serving, remove bay leaves and skim off fat.
Serve as a stew or with hot cooked rice. 4 to 6 servings.

-Sarah

*Recipe from: http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotchicken/r/bl1c6.htm

Beijing Wings

These delicious and easy wings came from the "Cook This, Not That" book that we love! A great alternative to fried and slathered wings (which are good on occasion!)

1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger (I have used fresh and dried in the past)
2 lbs chicken wings
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Sriracha (could use hot sauce)
Juixe of 1/2 lime

Combine the soy sauce, half the brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a bag. Add the wings and coat. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 450. Remove wings from the bag and lay out on a rimmed baking sheet with lightly oiled tin foil. Roast for 15 minutes until meat is firm and cooked through.

Heat the butter, sriracha, remaining brown sugar, and lime juice in a nonstick skillet. When the butter melts, add the wings and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce clings tightly to the chicken.

Enjoy!

~Lynn

Kale Chips

Some of you may have already had these before, but Kale Chips are an awesome, quick and healthy snack, side, or appetizer! A great alternative to potato chips.

Simply get some kale, rinse it off, tear off the leaves and place then on a nonstick baking pan.  Either sprinkle some olive oil or spray olive oil on to the leaves.  Toss them with a little salt and pepper and mix the olive oil into the leaves.  Here you can add whatever flavors you'd like: garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, etc etc.  You get the picture! Put. The baking sheet into a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, but watch them; you don't want them to burn!

As you'll see below, they shrink up so don't be afraid to add a lot at first.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Kale Soup

So...this weekend I needed to fix a nourishing meal that me and the hubs could enjoy.  Sweet boy would enjoy it too, I'm sure, but he's still nursing, so breast milk is as good as it gets these days!  Anyhow, me and Jay needed something warm and comforting and filling but not too heavy.  I searched around and found this - Vegetarian Kale Soup!  Yummers!!!  I whipped up a batch and it was delish!  In fact, I just finished it off for lunch today.  This is a tasty soup, so get your taste buds ready!  All the credit goes to allrecipes.com!  I don't have a picture of the food to accompany this post so I'll just post a pic of my little sweet boy instead. :-)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves

chopped

8 cups water

6 cubes vegetable bouillon (such as

Knorr)

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

6 white potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans

(drained if desired)

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons dried parsley (I only used 1 tablespoon though)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot; cook the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the water, vegetable bouillon, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Simmer soup on medium heat for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with a piece of cheese toast and a tall glass of milk!
~Priscilla

Pumpkin Cheesecake Monkey Bread

Hi friends,

Missing you dearly so hoping that with re-engaging our blog we'll feel closer than the miles between us.

This recipe is the perfect fall sweet treat.  May not be the healthiest dessert, but it sure is tasty!

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
4 cans (7.5 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (sold in a 4-pack)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 package (3 oz) cream cheeseDirections
  * Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 6-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.
  * In large food-storage plastic bag, mix granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
  * Separate each can of dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters, adding biscuit pieces to bag and shaking as you go. When pieces are coated, arrange in pan. (If you run out of mixture, remove dough pieces from bag and add 1 to 2 more tablespoons granulated sugar to bag.)
  * In 1-quart saucepan, heat brown sugar, butter, pumpkin and cream cheese over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Beat mixture with whisk until mostly smooth (there may be some tiny pieces of cream cheese, but that’s okay). Pour mixture over biscuit pieces in pan. Place pan on cookie sheet to catch any spills.
  * Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 2 minutes. Place heatproof plate upside down in the pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Store in refrigerator.

-Pillsbury.com

Coconutty Fruit Salad

Ingredients


6 oranges, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 apple, cut into bit-sized pieces
2 bananas, sliced
1 large can pineapple chunks, drained (save some juice)
1 large jar maraschino cherries, drained
1/2-1 cup sweetened coconut
orange juice (optional)


Preparation


Mix all ingredients together.  You may use the orange peels to squeeze extra orange juice into the salad or you might add orange juice or some left over pineapple juice.  You need something acidic to keep the bananas from browning and it also adds a nice flavor.

-Sarah

TURKEY STROGANOFF

I always forget to take pictures, but I'll try to get one of my leftovers. This was a simple and pretty tasty meal.

1/4 package egg noodles
1 Tbs. each butter and olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey
5 or so mini sweet peppers (yellow, red, and orange)
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 Tbs.sweet paprika -- i used regular
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. marjarom
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup sour cream
chopped parsley for garnish



Directions:
Cook noodles till al dente about 6 minutes. While cooking noodles, brown turkey in butter and olive oil. Once brown add chopped peppers, garlic, and seasonings. Cook for about 4-5 minutes then add chicken stock and sour cream. Bring back to boil and then simmer for a couple minutes. Add cooked noodles and stir allowing noodles to soak up some of the "sauce". Garnish with parsley. Done in about 20 minutes or less!!

xoxo Kristen

"The Zone" Kale and Bean Soup with Turkey Sausage

Ingredients:
18 ounces low-fat smoked turkey sausage kielbasa, sliced
4 teaspoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1 ½ cups onion, chopped
4 cups fresh kale chopped
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups white kidney beans (or any other cooked beans)
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste


Instructions:
Slice sausage into half-moon, bite-sized slices. In a large pot, heat olive oil then add garlic and onion. Sauté these ingredients until soft. Add kale and sauté until wilted. Add 3 cups of the broth, sliced sausage, and 1 1/2 cups of the beans, tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Use a blender to mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Mix into soup to thicken. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. 


This recipe makes about four 3-block servings in "the Zone".


http://drsears.com/ZoneLiving/Recipes/RecipeArchive/tabid/92/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16013/Kale-and-Bean-Soup-with-Turkey-Sausage.aspx


- Sarah

Molasses Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup margarine, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted margarine, 1 cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.

- Sarah

*http://allrecipes.com/recipe/molasses-cookies/detail.aspx           

Baked Potato Soup

...with a side of Jeffrey!

Ingredients

• 3 bacon strips, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Minced fresh parsley

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

*Recipe from www.allrecipes.com          

-Sarah

Apple, Goat Cheese, and Pecan Pizza

Last week I made a delicious pizza from the September issue of Cooking Light.  This was a delicious, healthy and different pizza with a twist on taste.  Try it out! It calls for storebought pizza dough, but I made a quick homeade whole wheat crust.

Apple, Goat Cheese, and Pecan Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) six-grain pizza crust
• Cooking spray
• 3 cups thinly sliced Fuji apple (about 8 ounces)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 450°.
• 2. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Arrange apple slices evenly over pizza crust; top with cheese. Sprinkle thyme evenly over cheese. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.
• 3. Combine oil and next 3 ingredients (through honey) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add arugula; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle pecans evenly over pizza; top with arugula mixture. Cut pizza into 6 wedges.

Enjoy!
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/apple-goat-cheese-pecan-pizza-50400000115789/

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pumpkin purée*
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (if you like nuts in your bread)

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Can easily double the recipe.

*Recipe from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pumpkin_bread/

- Sarah


**Apparently grocery stores only sell pumpkin during the fall season so it was really hard to find this time of year.  I had to go to Walmart; they, of course, had it.**

Pumpkin Pancakes with Bananas

My friend Ellen made these when we visited her a couple weeks ago - they were so good!

Ingredients


1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat, inspired by Ellen)
2 T sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 cup milk
6 T pumpkin puree
2 T melted butter
1 egg
1 chopped banana (my addition)


Preparation


In a medium bowl mix all dry ingredients together.  In a small bowl mix milk, pumpkin, butter and egg together. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients.  Melt some butter in a skillet and pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.  Drop banana pieces onto the poured pancakes before flipping.


These are really good and a refreshing twist to regular pancakes.  I added bananas because they make everything better!

*Recipe from http://www.marthastewart.com/271839/pumpkin-pancakes

- Sarah

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

Ingredients


nonstick cooking spray
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup lightly packed light-brown sugar
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. coarse salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (from 1 large zucchini)
1/3 cup mashed banana (from 1 large banana)
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 t. vanilla extract


Preparation


1. Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray (there was enough batter for about 15 muffins actually).  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add zucchini and banana and stir to combine.  In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined (do not overmix).


2. Divide batter among muffin cups.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.  Let muffins cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.  Store in air-tight container, up to 3 days, or freeze.

*Recipe from Everyday Food Issue 85.

- Sarah

Croque Madame

I had this sandwich several times while in France and it is delicious.  It is a Madame because it has an egg!  Get it?  A Croque Monsieur is the same thing but without the egg.  But I think the egg makes it delicious.

8 slices white or whole-wheat sourdough bread
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, sliced into 24-32 1/16-inch-thick slices
12 ounces smoked ham, such as Black Forest, sliced into 12-16 1/16-inch-thick slices
4 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Fleur de sel or kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

To assemble the sandwiches:
Set half of the slices of bread buttered side down, and cover them with the cheese slices, folding them back in toward the middle if they extend past the edges of the bread. Place 3 or 4 slices of the ham in an even layer over the cheese, and place the top slice of bread over the ham, buttered side up.
Grill the sandwiches in a two-sided grill or on a heavy-bottomed pan, using clarified butter and turning once. Place on serving plates.

To fry the eggs:
Crack two eggs into two separate bowls to check that the yolks aren’t broken. In 2 6-inch non-stick skillets, melt half of the butter over medium-high heat, until it starts to bubble. Pour 1 egg into each pan, being careful not to break the yolks. Add a teaspoon of water to each pan, sprinkle the eggs with fleur de sel, and cover the pans with lids. Cook the eggs for about 3 minutes for a soft-cooked egg and 5-6 minutes if you like your eggs firm. Wipe out the skillets, and fry the other 2 eggs in the remaining butter in the same manner. Center a fried egg over each of the grilled sandwiches and sprinkle with pepper.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Eat with a knife and fork!

*recipe from www.epicurious.com

- Sarah

Bean Salad

A summer favorite -- fresh and delicious.

Ingredients


1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cut green beans, drained and rinsed
half of a small red onion, sliced thin
2/3 cup white/cider vinegar
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar or 1/2 cup Splenda
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T Dill Weed


Mix all ingredients together and chill.


- Sarah