Banana Ice Cream

Great as an after school snack, or a bedtime treat.

Fruit Salad

This is also a great after school snack, or late-night treat. I also use it as a side because it's so easy to make.

Zucchini Date Muffins

3/4 c. wheat or oat bran

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 egg slightly beaten

1/2 c. vanilla yogurt

1 Tbsp. honey

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 c. zucchini, grated

1/2 c. dates coarsely chopped

1 tsp. orange zest, grated

vanilla

dash of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 12 cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, yogurt, honey, and oil. Add zucchini, dates and orange zest and mix thoroughly. Add to the dry mixture, stirring till just moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until muffins are slightly browned. Remove from tin and cool on wire rack. Makes 12 muffins.

*I got this one off the back of the Stonyfield yogurt container. They have zucchini, dates, yogurt and honey (we also add pecans), plus they are low in fat and sugar. My kiddos love them.

My favorite Fish Tacos

You will need:

Corn Tortillas
Pam

Fresh Cod fillet (1-1 1/2 lbs)

Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper

Mayonnaise

1 lime
Cumin
Oregano
Ground Cayenne Pepper

Finely chopped cabbage (I buy angel hair coleslaw)

Pico de Gallo or tomatoes. (I hate tomatoes, so I don't add these)

Step One: Fish

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add your fish. Salt and Pepper one side. Flip it once and salt and pepper the other side. After both sides are seared, I turn my heat down and break it up as I cook it the rest of the way. Don't over cook.

Step Two: White sauce

Scoop 1/2 -1 cup of mayonnaise into a bowl. Cut your lime in half and squeeze all the juice in. Shake in oregano, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir it up and add more seasonings or mayo as needed.

Step Three: Heat tortillas

I heat a small frying pan on medium and then spray each tortilla on both sides with pam. Heat them just until soft, flipping once.

Step Four: Build and eat!

-Kammy Thompson

Chocolate Pretzels

After making your cake balls, you may have left-over chocolate. Just break out the bag of pretzels in the pantry and dip them. Set them on wax paper to set up.

Cake Balls

Mix and bake your favorite cake as per its own directions.

While it is still hot, crumble it in a bowl and stir in about 2 cups (or one tub) of your favorite frosting.

Using a cookie scoop, shape the cake and frosting mixture into balls. If you wet your hands slightly it will help them shap easier and keep your hands from getting so sticky.

Put the balls into the fridge or freezer to chill. They are easier to dip that way.

Melt a brick of almond bark in the microwave, stirring often until fully melted.

Dip each chilled cake ball into the chocolate and place on wax paper to dry.

Taste kind of like a Hostess Cupcake without the creme filling. Very tasty!

No Fail Rolls

This is the easiest recipe for rolls ever! And you can't mess them up!

1 cup milk or water
1 cube butter
Melt these together in the microwave.

1/2 cup hot water
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
Put this in a bowl and wait for it to activate or bloom. The longer you wait the better it works. I suggest at least 10 minutes.

3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour (I use 2 c. all-purpose and 2 c. whole wheat ground myself.)

In a large bowl with a lid, beat the eggs, sugar and salt, then add the milk butter and stir. Stir in one cup of flour and then the yeast mixture and then the rest of the flour one cup at a time. Mix well.

The dough is very sticky!

Place the lid on the bowl and put it in the refrigerator overnight or at least five hours.

Two to three hours before your meal, cut the dough in half. Roll 1/2 out on a well floured surface in a circle.

Using a pizza cutter make the dough into 16 pieces.

Roll each piece up beginning from the wide end to the poing so they look like a crescent roll.

Place each roll on a parchment covered cookie sheet. (I skip the parchment.)

Repeat with the other half.

Let the rolls rise to double their size. Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Apple Toffee French Toast

I was just thinking about how sad I am that lately I've been the only one posting recipes here. And then I found this lovely looking recipe in my inbox from my friend. Can't wait to try it. I'd love to have your favorite recipe too!!

-from Kammy Thompson:

"MMMMM....good."

French Toast

8 Cups French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tart apples, peeled and chopped
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 sugar
1/4 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons vanilla (divided)
1/2 cup English toffee bits (next time I am adding a whole cup)
5 eggs (next time I'm going to do 6 or 7)
3/4 cup milk

Apple Syrup (to die for, in my opinion)

1 cup sugar
2 TBS cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups apple juice
2 TBS lemon juice
5 TBS butter


Grease a 9x13 baking pan, place half the bread cubes in, top with apple chunks. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugars, apple juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth; stir in toffee bits. Spread over apples. Top with the remaining bread cubes.

In another large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well blended; pour over bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the fridge 30 mi nutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

Syrup:

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple juice and lemon juice; heat to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute, then stir in butter. Serve over warm Apple Toffee French Toast.

Makes 8 servings.

Wild mushroom and basil pasta

I have one plant that is growing, and that is my basil!! Yay for basil. So I'm looking for any basil recipes. And since I always need pasta recipes, I was excited to try this one. I loved the addition of soy to this one. It was very tasty for dinner, and tasty the next day when I ate left overs cold for lunch. I found the recipe at food.com.

• fresh pasta, enough for 4
• 2 medium portabella mushrooms, in 1/4 inch thick slices
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, capped and quartered (button mushroom works too, go wild with your choice :-)
• 1/2 cup of packed fresh basil leaf
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• extra virgin olive oil (use the good quality one you've been saving)
• 1/2 cup sherry wine or 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 -2 teaspoon soy sauce
• shredded parmesan cheese
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. 1 For sauce, heat heavy skillet.
2. 2 Saute garlic cloves in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until coated and beginning to brown (about 1 minute).
3. 3 Add mushrooms and sautee until juices begin to emerge.
4. 4 Add wine or sherry (more or less depending on how juicy you want it to be) and soy sauce.
5. 5 Coat mushrooms and cook for another minute or so.
6. 6 Add basil and cook until leaves are slightly wilted.
7. 7 Remove garlic cloves.
8. 8 Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. 9 Toss cooked noodles with a little bit of olive oil (the amount depends on how juicy your mushroom mix is).
10. 10 Transfer to plates and top with mushrooms and grated parmesan.

Fancy Nancy Salad Cups

Sophie attended a "Fancy Nancy" party with her girls scout troop (and yes, it was the cutest thing ever!!). So we had to make something fancy for her to bring. I went to Gourmet Mom-on-the-go knowing she'd having something cute, and I was not dissapointed. You just take pizza dough (I had some premade on hand) cut it into rectagles, and stuff them into the bottom of a muffin pan. The cooked at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. The shape doesn't have to be exact, but I do wish I had thinned out the dough more. After we pulled out the cooked cups, we had to stab them with the end of the rolling pin to decrease the puffiness. (Does that even make sense??)

We stuffed our cups with salad materials we had on hand: romaine lettuce, apples, walnuts, and Italian dressing. I'm not sure that the girl scouts loved the salad (they had a lot of cupcakes to fill up on) but my kiddos loved eating their salad out of cups, and the cups themselves were tasty. Go to Gourmet Mom if you are interested; her sald cups are way cuter and she has a yummy salad recipe posted with it.

Churro Cupcakes

Um, these were really good. Really really good. I could claim that it's the churroness, but I now think it's just that any cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting are going to be fabulous (case in point, see the oreo cupcake recipe).

I got this recipe from the site Bakingdom. The author was a lot more ambitious and made homemade churros and Dulce De Leche Sauce. I skipped the churros and used store bought Dulce De Leche. Someday I think I'm going to try and make my own churro. You should check out the pics on Bakingdom, they look amazing. Here's the recipe from the site for the cupcakes and frosting.

Makes 18 cupcakes
Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 (1 stick) cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined then stir in the vanilla. Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mixture over the butter mixture and gently stir in until barely combined. Add half of the milk, mixing until just combined. Repeat these steps with the remaining flour mixture and milk, ending with the flour.Do not over mix.

Fill each muffin cup with 2 tablespoons of batter. Bake the cupcakes for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with one or two crumbs clinging to it. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then dip the top of each cupcake into the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture from the churros to coat it. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

To make the frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl. Add the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Stir int he cinnamon until thoroughly combined. then stir in the vanilla. Beat the mixture well, until light and fluffy, adding heavy cream, if needed

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I needed a side to go with the Spicy Shrimp and Mushroom Casserole recipe and this went perfectly. I found it on the site a couple cooks, which looks worth digging through for more yummy recipes. Especially since in their "about" section they talk about how they made a decision to reduce their meat intake.

I basically followed the recipe as shown below, except that I had a hard time getting my peppers to keep their shape. My mother-in-law came up with the idea of placing the peppers flat on the bottom of the casserole dish and just covering them with as much filling as I could.

So here is the recipe:

Serves 4

What You Need
4 poblano peppers
1 cup uncooked brown rice (or 4 cups of any cooked grain)
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 15 oz. can of black beans
1 1/2 cups frozen or canned corn kernels
3 green onions (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Cayenne to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Shredded cheese (we used a Mexican blend)
Chopped cilantro for serving (optional)

What To Do

1 Combine 1 cup uncooked rice with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer according to package instructions. (Or, prepare the rice or grain ahead of time.)

2 While the rice cooks, prepare the peppers: slice them in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Make sure to wear gloves! I learned this the hard way (don’t ask).

3 Place the peppers in a baking dish skin side up. Broil about 7 minutes, then flip the peppers and broil 7 minutes more.

4 Chop the 3 green onions (if using), and drain and rinse the black beans.

5 In a large microwave safe bowl, combine: beans, onions, 1 1/2 cups salsa, 1 1/2 cups corn, a bit of the shredded cheese, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, a couple dashes of cayenne (if you like it spicy!). Season with salt and pepper to taste. When the rice is finished, combine with the filling.
Note: Remember that quantities and ingredients are all to taste, so feel free to adjust as needed!

6 Heat the filling a few minutes in the microwave (or on the stove) until warm, depending on the heat of the rice.

7 Place the pepper halves skin side down in a baking dish, and spoon the filing into each half. Top with shredded cheese and broil until the cheese is melted, for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

8 If desired, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream.

Weekly Menu 7

The Menu

Broccoli Pie

Cheddar Baked Chicken

Herbed Sweet and Sour Chicken

Cheddar Beef Enchiladas

Pork Chops

Upside down Ravioli

Baked Mac and Cheese

The Shopping List

3 lb Ground Beef

7 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

4 Pork chops

3 Onions

1 Bag Baby Spinach

Garlic

1 3 oz Cream Cheese

Monterey Jack Cheese

Cheddar Cheese (5/6 Cups Grated)

1 8 oz Package Processed American

Parmesan Cheese

2 9 in Pie Crusts

Eggs

1 10 oz pkg Broccoli (frzn or fresh)

Italian Bread Crumbs

Crispy Rice Cereal

Rice

Butter Crackers (Ritz)

8 oz Package Elbow Macaroni

8 oz Jumbo Shells

1 Jar Tomato and Basil Sauce

1 Package Taco Seasoning

1 can Refried Beans

Tortilla (10)

1 Jar of Salsa

1 (10.75 oz) Can Cond Cream of Chicken Soup

Needed on hand:

Flour

Salt

Garlic Salt

Milk

Butter

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Olive Oil

Soy Sauce

Honey

White Vinegar

Dried Thyme

Paprika

Cayenne Pepper

Allspice

Dry Mustard

-submitted by somebody fabulous

Brocoli Pie

(6-8 servings)

1 lb ground beef

1/4 c chopped onion

2T flour

3/4t salt

1/4t garlic salt

1 1/4 c milk

1 3oz cream cheese, softened

1 beaten egg

1 10 oz pkg. chopped broccoli

Pastry for 2 crust, 9 in pie

4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, sliced ( about 12 slices)

1. Brown ground beef and onion in skillet.

2. Drain fat.

3. Stir in flour, salt, garlic salt.

4. Add milk and cream cheese - stir until bubbly and smooth.

5. Add some of hot mixture to beaten egg - return to skillet.

Cook and stir until thickened ( 1-2 minutes ).

6. Cook broccoli, drain and add to skillet.

7. Prepare pastry - line pie pan with bottom half.

8. Pour meat mixture into pie shell. Arrange sliced cheese on top to cover.

9. Add top crust into pie shell. Arrange sliced cheese on top to cover.

10. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

-somebody fabulous

Cheddar Baked Chicken

( 6 servings )

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup crispy rice cereal

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut in half

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a medium baking dish with 1/4 cup melted butter.

2. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and milk. In a third bowl, mix the cheese, bread crumbs, cereal. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour mixture, dip in the egg mixture, then press in the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle 2 tablespoons butter evenly over chicken.

3. Bake 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until coating is golden brown and chicken juices run clear.

-somebody fabulous

Herbed Sweet and Sour Chicken

( 4 servings )

2/3 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

1 1/3 cups water

6 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons soy sauce

6 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons ground paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

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

2. Mix rice and water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

3. In a medium bowl, blend the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, and vinegar. Mix in the thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, allspice, and black pepper.

4. Place chicken breasts in a medium baking dish, and coat with the olive oil mixture.

5. Place chicken in the preheated oven, and, basting occasionally with the olive oil mixture, cook 30 minutes, or until no longer pink and juices run clear. Serve over the rice with remaining olive oil mixture

-somebody fabulous

Cheddar Beef Enchilada

Cheddar Beef Enchilada ( 6 servings )

1 pound ground beef

1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning

1 cup water

2 cups cooked rice

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

10 (8 inch) flour tortillas

1 (16 ounce) jar salsa

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1.In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in rice. Cook and stir until liquid is evaporated. Spread about 2 tablespoons of refried beans, 1/4 cup beef mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese down the center of each tortilla; roll up. Place seam side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dishes.

2.Combine salsa and soup; pour down the center of enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake one casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Cover and freeze remaining casserole for up to 3 months.

-from somebody fabulous

Cracker crusted pork chops

( 4 servings )

1 cup crushed butter crackers

garlic salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1 egg, beaten

4 pork chops

1/2 cup butter

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

2. In a shallow bowl combine crushed crackers, garlic salt and pepper; mix well. In a separate bowl beat eggs.

3. Dip your pork chops in the egg batter and then in the cracker mixture. Place the pork chops in a casserole dish. Place chunks of the butter around the pork chops. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

-from somebody fabulous

Upside Down Ravioli

( 4-6 servings)

8oz Jumbo Shells

1lb ground beef

2T EVOO

1 bag baby spinach, chopped

1 c finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 t salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

1 egg

1/4 c Parmesan cheese

1 jar tomato and basil sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook jumbo shells according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.

3. While pasta is cooking, cook ground beef in large skillet over medium high heat for 4 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain grease. Stir in oil, spinach, onion and garlic; add some of the reserved pasta water until blended, adding more water as needed; continue cooking 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add seasonings and blend well. Let mixture cool. Stir in eggs and parmesan cheese.

4. Pour 1 cup of Tomato and Basil sauce into13x9 baking dish.

5. Fill jumbo shells with meat mixture; place in dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells; cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

from somebody fabulous

Baked Mac and Cheese

( 6 servings )

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 (8 ounce) package processed American cheese, cut into strips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion for 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk, salt, mustard and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture boils and thickens.

3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

4. To the milk mixture add the Cheddar and American cheeses; stir until cheese melts. Combine macaroni and cheese sauce in a 2 quart baking dish; mix well.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

-from somebody fabulous