Busy Moms Culinary Club

Lavender Shortbread

2012-01-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

The smell of lavender makes me think of my mother and grandmother. My mother because she has it growing in her front yard. My grandmother because when I was a child she would have us make little sachets from the lavender she grew in her yard.

Someone gave me lavender shortbread last summer. The taste, the smell. It brought me back to when I was a little girl at my grandmother's house making those sachets. You know I just had to make some myself.

I need to put my own scented lavender plant in my yard. In the mean time, I'll purchase dried lavender at Whole Foods. Not cheap, but worth it.

All you need to do is add 1 tablespoon dried or 2 tablespoon fresh lavender flowers to your favorite shortbread recipe.

If you don't have a shortbread recipe I recommend the one from America's Test Kitchen.

Then enjoy with a cup of tea with a friend.

I like this....alot!

2011-01-05T16:46:00.000-08:00

I really like this idea from The Inspired Room blog. Simple, easy, only five minutes each morning. I think taking five minutes each morning to do these four simple things will really help me get into a better routine for the day.

I need to do something to get back on track and get my house organized again. I'm way too busy with kids, school, volunteering, Girl Scouts, my photography business....YIKES taxes are coming up.......

What ideas do you have for helping a busy mom keep her life and house clean and organized? Leave a comment.

Granola Bars

2010-09-16T22:28:00.000-07:00

If you read my last post you know my family and I have been enjoying homemade granola. A friend of mine, and fellow BMCC member, shared this Granola Bar recipe with me. I just had to try it.

I just made them tonight for tomorrows Girl Scout meeting snack. We just had to taste. They are really good! I did not add the raisins as a request from my daughter (and husband), but I think they would be good. Here is another recipe that would be fun to experiment with.

I have a feeling I'll be making these again very soon.

Playgroup Granola Bars

allrecipes.com

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting or they will be too hard to cut.

ENJOY

Homemade Granola

2010-09-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

This past Summer we took a wonderful road trip. We stayed with family and friends along our two week adventure. One of the many benefits to staying with family and friends is the delicious meals they make. I must say we are blessed to have family and friends who are great in the kitchen!

One of our new family favorites is from our road trip, Maple-Nut Granola! Every time I make it I think of our wonderful friends (family really) who made it for us, our visit, and our road trip. I love how food keeps memories close to our hearts.

Maple-Nut Granola is wonderful for breakfast or a light lunch with Greek Yogurt and fruit. I also just like it with milk. My husband and daughters can't get enough. Good thing it only takes about 35 minutes to make (from start to finish).

Also try adding 1/4 cup dried blueberries and 1/4 cup raisins. Fresh blueberries are good too. Mmmm

Korean Glass Noodles - Jap Chae

2010-08-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

This was one of my husbands favorite dishes growing up. It's also one of my favorite dishes my mother-in-law makes.

You can imagine how excited I was when I found the recipe on the Steamy Kitchen blog.

Tonight was the big test. Nothing is as good as mom's, but I was hoping I would come close. My husbands reaction when he tried it? "It's perfect."

Thank you Steamy Kitchen! Thank you for helping me bring this wonderful Korean dish into our home. Not only for my husband, but for our two daughters.

NOTE: The only thing I didn't add was the spinach. I would like to try it with the spinach, but my mother-in-law didn't make it like that. I was going for "mom's" recipe.

Getting Back on Track

2010-08-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

Him: "Who's coming over?"
Her: "No one, why?"
Him: "You cleaned the bathroom."
Her: "I don't only clean the bathroom when someone comes over."

In my defense, it hadn't been that long since I cleaned the bathrooms.

I am reminded of this poem that I have on my refrigerator:

My Children

I hope my children

look back on today

and see parents

who had time to play.

Dusting and scrubbing can wait 'till tomorrow

for babies grow fast

we learn to our sorrow.

There will be years

for cleaning and cooking

but children grow up

when we are not looking.

So settle down cobwebs

and dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby

and babies don't keep.

Author: Unknown

Since I was cleaning my bathrooms today I printed my Motivated Mom's Chore List. When I stick to this chore list, my house stays clean and more organized. (I've got to stick to this chore list!) It also gets me to plan my weekly dinner menus, which makes life so much easier!

The Motivated Mom's Chore List is ON SALE right now, so it's a perfect time to try it out.

Is This Still Good?

2010-08-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

We have all asked that question as we pull something out of the fridge. Here are two great websites that will help you determine if you should eat it or toss it.

FoodSafety.gov

StillTasty.com

Oven Baked S'mores

2010-07-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

There is nothing else to say about this recipe than YUM!

This came from a parent at school. She made them for our teacher appreciation lunch. Let me tell you....the teachers appreciated these so much! I don't think they lasted past that first day.

Enjoy!

Oven Baked S'mores

12 double graham crackers, (5x2.5 inch)
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350˚F. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan, place graham crackers side by side to cover entire bottom of pan. Sprinkle marshmallows and chocolate chips evenly over crackers.

In heavy 2-quart saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and mixture begins to bubble around the edges (4 to 5 minutes). Pour evenly over crackers, marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely. Break into pieces (or cut into bars).

T's Pasta with an Italian Sausage Sauce

2010-05-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

I have made this "quick" sauce many, many times. This time I decided to add Italian sausage. It was a huge hit. During dinner, my 7 year old says to me, "Thank you for making dinner Mommy. Good job!" with a thumbs up. Gotta love that!

T's Pasta with an Italian Sausage Sauce

2-14.5 oz cans of Italian Seasoned diced tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
about 2 tablespoons fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper
3 links of Italian Sausage
1-14.5 oz box of multigrain pasta (I use Barilla Plus)

Take the Italian sausage out of it's casing. In a large pan, brown the Italian sausage. Remove from pan and set aside.

In that same large pan, heat Extra Virgin Olive Oil (maybe once or twice around the pan) over medium heat. Add garlic. Gently fry garlic until soft and fragrant.

Add tomatoes, with juice. Crush them as they are cooking until they are the consistency you like. Once it reaches a low boil, simmer for 25 minutes.

While tomatoes are cooking start a large pot of salted water for the pasta.

Add browned Italian sausage into tomatoe and garlic sauce. Add chopped Italian Parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for another few minutes, just to let everything incorporate.

Once your salted water is at a hard boil, add pasta. Cook just 1 or 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain your pasta and add it to the large pan of Italian sausage sauce. Cook on low, for a minute or so, while mixing sauce with pasta. You may also add a little grated or shredded Parmesan cheese at this point.

Serve with your choice of vegetable or salad.

Have The Kids Help. It Helps Them Too.

2010-04-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have asked my 1st and 3rd grade daughters to help me since they were walking. Grocery shopping, cleaning the house, folding laundry, making meals.....etc. However they can help, even in the littlest way. They are not only helping me, but I am teaching them at the same time. Always in a fun way.

Tonight, I was making the girls lunch for school tomorrow (a HUGE time saver in the morning, BTW) and also needed to add some things to the grocery list. My 1st grader needed something to do while my 3rd grader was doing some homework. Perfect! She is plenty old enough to add a few things to the grocery list.

applesauce
pizza
Kiki's milk
Daddy's milk

Great! I made lunches while she added to the grocery list. Nice job! (and yes, we buy about 3 different kinds of milk in our house.)

What did she learn while she was helping mama?

1. spelling
2. practiced her writing
3. thinking about what to add to the grocery list
4. organization

All that in about 5 to 8 minutes. I love teaching my kids!

Peeps Krispies Treats

2010-04-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe online and just had to share.

One of my most vivid childhood memories is seeing Peeps at my grandmother's house every Easter. Yellow Peeps lined up in their little boxes. Sitting there waiting to be eaten. I don't care for Peeps too much. My grandmother must love them. When I see Peeps I think of my grandmother and for that I love Peeps.

My daughters and I made these Peeps Krispies Treats to bring to my parents on Easter. They are colorful and sweeter than normal Rice Krispies Treats. I think they're going to be a hit.

Happy Easter

Chili with Chocolate (Slow Cooker/Crock Pot)

2010-02-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

I am trying to find some slow cooker/crock pot recipes that my family likes. I was going through this little grocery store cookbook with my two girls (7 and 8 years old), asking them which recipe sounded good to them. We got to this recipe and they both thought it sounded wonderful. What could be bad....it has chocolate in it!

I wasn't sure how they would like it. As long as it wasn't too spicy, I knew my 8 year old would like it. She likes chili. My 7 year old has never really eaten chili. Recently she has loved sloppy joes. The recipe only serves 4 so I thought it was pretty safe to try.

THEY LOVED IT!!!! Did you read that? LOVED IT! Both girls went back for seconds! I couldn't believe it. SCORE one for mom! This is a keeper!

Chili with Chocolate
Makes 4 servings

(When I made it, I cut down on the chili powder and did not add the hot pepper sauce.)

1 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 1/2 oz) chili beans in mild or spicy sauce, undrained (I used Ranchero Style Chili Beans)
2 tablespoons chili powder (I used 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon grated semisweet baking chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (I used about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I did not add this at all)

1. Brown ground beef, onion and 1 clove garlic inlarge nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to separate meat. Drain and discard fat.

2. Place meat mixture in slow cooker. Add tomatoes with juice, beans with sauce, chili powder, remaining 2 cloves garlic and chocolate; mix well.

3. Cover; cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours. Add cumin, salt, pepper and hot sauce during last hour of cooking.

Meat and Potatoes

2010-02-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

Mmmmmmm, roast beef! If you are a meat and potatoes person, this recipe from America's Test Kitchen is for you. You can go online to America's Test Kitchen website to download the full recipe. Which includes why they chose the cut of meat they did, but you will need to register with them to do so. I feel it's worth the trouble of registering because, unless you want to purchase their entire book, it's a great way to get just a few recipes from them. I did type up the basic recipe for you below.

As a side dish America's Test Kitchen made Mashed Potatoes and Root Vegetables. My husband and I love mashed potatoes. Our daughters on the other hand aren't big fans. They did like these. It's a great way to sneak in some vegetables in a meal. You can also go online to America's Test Kitchen to download this recipe (with specifics), but I did type the basic recipe below.

Slow-Roasted Beef
from America's Test Ktichen
from the Episode: Resurrecting the Roast Beef Dinner
(for the FULL recipe, please go to America's Test Kitchen website)

Serves 6 to 8

1 boneless eye-round roast (3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds) (see note in online recipe)
4 teaspoons kosher salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil plus 1 tablespoon
2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1. Sprinkle all sides of roast evenly with salt. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. pat roast dry with paper towels; rub with 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle al sides evenly with pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until starting to smoke. Sear roast until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until meat-probe thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 115 degrees for medium-rare, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours, or 125 degrees for medium, 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours.

3. Turn oven OFF; leave roast in oven, without opening door, until meat-probe thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 130 degrees for medium-rare or 140 degrees for medium, 30 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice meat crosswise as thinly as possible and serve.

Mashed Potatoes and Root Vegetables
from America's Test Ktichen
from the Episode: Resurrecting the Roast Beef Dinner
(for the FULL recipe, please go to America's Test Kitchen website)

Serves 4

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 ounces carrots, parsnips, turnips, or celery root, peeled; carrots or parsnips cut into 1/4-inch thick half-moons; turnips or celery root cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices; rinsed well in 3 to 4 changes of cold water and drained well

1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Table salt

3/4 cup half-and-half, warmed

3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Ground black pepper

1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add root vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter is browned and vegetables are dark brown and caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes. (If after 4 minutes vegetables have not started to brown, increase heat to medium-high.)

2. Add potatoes, broth, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Cook, covered, over low heat (broth simmer gently; do not boil), stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart easily when poked with fork and all liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 mintues. (If liquid does not gently simmer after a few minutes, increase heat to medium-low.) Remove pan from heat; remove lid and allow steam to escape for 2 minutes.

3. Gently mash potatoes and root vegetables in saucepan with potato masher (do not mash vegorously). Gently fold in warm half-and-half and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve immediately.

Room Temperature Eggs

2010-01-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

I was watching Ciao Italia on PBS and Mary Ann Esposito gave this great tip.

I often forget to take the eggs out to come up to room temperature before baking with them. If you also forget, Mary Ann Esposito suggests to put them in a bowl of warm water. They will warm up nicely.

Great tip! Thanks Mary Ann!

The Christ Child's Birthday Cake

2010-01-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

I know....I'm a little late, but I didn't make this until Christmas morning. Even if I had time to post it then, it would have been too late. So, I thought I would post it now then you will have it for next Christmas.

Growing up my aunt would make a birthday cake every Christmas. After all, that is what we are celebrating on Christmas, Jesus' birthday. At some point my aunt found this recipe. Now that I'm a mother and aunt I have continued the tradition.

This is a wonderful spice cake. Another alternative to the icing is to just sprinkle powdered sugar on the top before serving.

The Christ Child's Birthday Cake

Preheat oven to 350˚ F

3 1/3 cup flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves

Sift dry ingredients together twice and set aside.

Cream together in large bowl:
1 cup butter
1 2/3 cup white sugar

4 eggs
1 cup black walnuts (I can never find black walnuts. I just use regular)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup seeless blackberry jam

Add eggs to sugar and butter and beat for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle small amount of dry ingedients over walnuts and set aside.
Add buttermilk alternately with dry inredients to creamed mixture.
Stir just until well blended. Stir in blackberry jam. Add walnuts and mix well.

Grease a 10 inch Angel Food pan. Line pan with waxed paper, then grease waxed paper. Pour in mixture. Bake in preheated 350˚ oven for 1 1/2 hours. Cool thoroughly before icing.

Icing

Combine:
1 box brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 stick butter

Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute, then beat until thick enough to ice cake.

Wimpy Burgers

2010-01-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

First I would like to wish all of you out there a very Happy New Year! Since our family traditions usually revolve around food I thought I would share this New Years meal with all of you.

This is my step-dad's traditional New Years Eve dinner. We have been lucky enough to have it twice now. Thank you Papa!

Wimpy Burgers

• Ground Beef (the leanest you can find)
• French Bread Baguette
• Any burger condiments you like; mustard, ketchup, relish....etc

Slice your baguette into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Now just put a little bit of ground beef on each slice of baguette.

Put them in a jelly roll pan and broil them until done. Watch it very closely. They cook very fast. The bread and the meet will get brown on the edge. That is a good time to take them out of the oven. They will finish cooking for a few minutes on their own.

My step-dad serves his wimpy burgers with cheese fondue. Some wonderful french bread and a fruit to dip into the fondue.

Add a wonderful glass of wine or a beer and sit and enjoy this fun meal with some good friends and family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cashew-Lemon Shortbread Cookies

2009-12-25T12:36:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas and one of the many traditions we have is my two girls and I make cookies together.

This year I thought I would try a few new recipes. This one was a huge hit. For sure we will be making them again!

Cashew-Lemon Shortbread Cookies
from Santa's Favorite Cookies

1/2 cup roasted cashews
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
Additional sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Place cashews in food processor; process until finely ground. Add butter, sugar, lemon extract and vanilla; process until well blended. Add flour; process using on/off pulses until dough is well blended and begins to form a ball.

2. Shape dough into 1-1/2-inch balls; roll in additional sugar.

Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.

3. Bake 17 to 19 minutes or just until set and edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Beer Bread

2009-11-16T09:28:00.000-08:00

This is comfort food for me. My mom made this bread all the time when we were growing up. Yesterday she told me she was making it and I could taste it. She gave me the recipe over the phone and I just had to make it, right then.

You don't bake bread you say? Well, start! There is nothing like homemade bread. This bread is SO EASY! There really is NO EXCUSE! No kneading, no rising....just mix and bake. It's really THAT easy.

The only thing you need is cheap beer. You know the can you have left over from a party because someone liked this cheap beer (not dark beer) and now you'll have that can until the next party? That beer.

Beer Bread

12 oz of beer
3 1/2 cups self rising flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 350˚F. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a greased and floured bread pan. I like to line the pan with parchment paper to make removal easier. Bake for 1 hour. The bread will be a beautiful golden color and sound hollow. When it looks done....it's done.

If you do not have self rising flour on hand (which I didn't yesterday) you can make your own.
1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Make enough for the recipe above and you're set.

See, really no excuse.

Julie Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

2009-10-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

By now you have probably seen the wonderful movie, Julie and Julia. If you haven't you have got to see it. One suggestion, don't go on an empty stomach and don't eat a hot dog in the theater as you are watching this movie.

I loved learning more about Julia Child. How she got her start in cooking, her wonderfully romantic relationship with her husband and how she loved food and Paris.

In the movie they make Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. It just looks absolutly delicious in the movie I couldn't wait to try it. My husband has been telling me he was going to make this dish for me for years. Really, years. After taking him to see the movie my husband started thinking about Boeuf Bourguignon again.

My wonderful husband made me Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. It happen to be his birthday dinner. (yes he made his own birthday dinner. I'm a horrible wife) It was so delicious. I just can't describe it. I'm not a writer, I'm a photographer. So, the best way I know how...here is my description of this wonderful dish.

I highly recommend you make this dish. If you don't have the book, get it or borrow it!

Tortellini Soup

2009-10-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

or as we call it Tortellini Zuppa.

This is a family favorite in the Fall and Winter. I like to freeze the left overs in small individual containers. It's a very easy and fast.

Tortellini Soup
from Woman's Day Magazine 4 March 2003

Serves 4 as a main dish
Active: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Sprinkle the soup with finely shredded Parmesan cheese and accompany with crusty Italian bread.

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium ribs celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cans (14 oz each) fat-free- chicken broth
1 pkg (9 oz) refrigerated tortellini (I like to Italian Sausage, but the 3 cheese is good too.)
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed
1 bag (6 oz) fresh baby spinach
1/2 to 1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp pepper

Heat oil in a 4-qt saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in celery, carrot, onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Add broth and 2 cups water.

Bring to a boil; stir in tortellini and simmer as package directs. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat through.

Buon Appetito!

Tuna Salad

2009-10-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

This recipe brings many fond memories to mind. When my husband and I were first married we would visit our good friends in South Pasadena. Almost every visit TC would make this wonderful salad for us. Now when I make this salad I think of all the wonderful visits we had in South Pas.

We still see our wonderful friends, M & TC (who is a BMCC member, BTW), but they are no longer in South Pas.

Now when we visit with M and TC there are four little girls playing together. So many new memories we have and continue to make with them. All around food. Our visits have always and continue to be around wonderful meals.

Thank you TC and M for all those wonderful South Pas visits, and thank you for all the wonderful recipes you have given us over the years. This is one of many.

I made this salad yesterday for a school fundraiser meeting. It was such a hit I had to add it to the blog. I can't believe I hadn't added it before! I also made Harvest Cobb Salad and served a wonderful french bread along with it. It would also be nice for a light dinner.

Tuna Salad

2 cans (6 1/8 oz ea) Solid White Tuna
1 rib Celery, finely diced
1/3 cup peeled & finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons, dill pickle relish
1 hard cooked egg, peeled & coarsely grated or chopped
pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
about 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Gently flake tuna with a fork with out mashing. Mix remaining ingredients except mayonnaise and toss togther. Add just enough mayonnaise to moisten blend well.

Makes 2 large salads, 3-4 small salads or 4 sandwiches

ENJOY!

Sorry there is not picture. I thought for sure the recipe was on the blog already. I'll try and make it again soon and take a picture before it's all gone.

Camping Menu

2009-08-03T19:34:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago we went on a family camping trip. I thought it would be fun to post what our menu was for the few days we were there.

For dinner on our first night we made Kindergarten Jambalaya.
We make this a lot at home, but it was the absolute BEST at camp!

To help speed things up and make it easier at camp, I cut everything up ahead of time. All I needed to do was dump things in the pan to brown. Which is the key to this recipe. Make sure each item gets nice and brown. Then dump everything together.

I also pre-cooked the rice, we had with the Jambalaya, at home. It was about room temperature when we had it. Since the Jambalaya was hot it worked out fine.

Breakfast the next morning was pancakes and breakfast sausage. Again, I pre-measured everything so it was easy to put together at camp.

Lunch was hot dogs and fruit.

Dinner on our second night was steak, potatoes and asparagus. Oh my gosh was it good.
My husband par boiled the potatoes, at home, that he had cut into wedges. He seasoned them with EVOO, salt and pepper and put them in a zip top bag. At camp he then put them on the griddle pan to cook the rest of the way and brown.

He did the same thing with the asparagus.

The steak, ah the steak.
That he grilled on a fire. Well, the wood had turned into coals by the time he put the steak on. It was grilled to perfection!

We had our delicious dinner with a glass of Castle Rock Pino Noir. Now this is a meal!

For Breakfast on our last morning (we always make it easy), we had instant oatmeal. I know, everything else we had and then we end with instant oatmeal. Well, if you camp, you know it takes twice as long to clean up and we needed to have time to pack everything up.

Next camping trip our girls have asked to stay longer. They are such great campers, this won't be a problem. Where to go next year? I would like to try camping near the beach. I love the redwoods, but it something different would be fun.

Opening a Banana

2009-07-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

How do you open a banana? If you are like most people I know, you try to open it from the stem part. Sometimes it doesn't open nicely, the top gets smooshed, or you can't open it at all.

Check out this video on YouTube and you will learn how to
Open a Banana Like a Monkey!

Why am I just learning this?

Au Gratin Potatoes

2009-04-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry I don't have a picture of this. I forgot.

I wanted something different (besides mashed) to do with potatoes to go with our meatloaf. I looked through six of my cookbooks before I found this. Good old Betty Crocker.

It was a big hit. Everyone loved it. I will be making it again, for sure.

Au Gratin Potatoes

1979 printing of Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Serves 6

2 pounds potatoes (about 6 medium)

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded natural sharp Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs

Paprika

Wash potatoes remove eyes and cut into enough thin slices to measure about 4 cups.

Cook and stir onion in butter in 2-quart saucepan until onion is tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese. heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Place potatoes in ungreased 1-1/2-quart casserole. Pour cheese sauce on potatoes. Cook uncovered in 325˚ oven 1 hour 20 minutes or in 375˚ oven 1 hour.

Mix remaining cheese and the bread crumbs; sprinkle over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Cook uncovered until top is brown and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

This Weeks Menu

2009-03-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Monday - Make your own pizza.

I usually buy Mama Mary's individual size pre-cooked pizza crust and have everyone make their own pizza. Lately the store hasn't had the individual size. I've been buying the package with 2 medium size. I make one for myself and the girls make the other. We have plenty of left overs for lunch.

Tuesday - Deli Dinner

We make our own sandwiches. I usually have a few choices of lunch meat. I cut up some fruit. For a treat, sometimes I'll have chips.

Wednesday - Meatloaf, Green Beans, & Potatoes

This I will pull from the freezer. I have about 3 loaves left of the 10 lb batch my husband and I made. I love having meatloaf in the freezer.

Thursday - Jambalaya

Friday - Mini Shrimp Scampi & Angel Hair Pasta and green salad

I can't forget to buy the shrimp on Friday morning.

Saturday - Chicken Bolognese and green salad

My husband will have to enjoy this Sunday for lunch. Which will be even better actually.

Sunday - Left Overs

Now, all I need to do is go shopping.

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

2009-03-16T19:23:00.001-07:00

Sorry I don't have a picture, but I haven't made these yet. These are just too good not to post right now.

My daughters and I were lucky enough to have these at a friends house over the weekend. Delicious! Oh my gosh they were good. My daughters could NOT stop eating them. I don't think there was one single pancake left. When my friend told me there was cornmeal in the pancakes, I must admit, I was a little curious, but the cornmeal gives the pancakes a great texture and little crunch. Thanks MH for a wonderful meal!

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Martha Stewart

Makes about twenty-four 4-1/2 inch pancakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons sugar

2 large eggs, separated, whites beaten to soft peaks

3 cups buttermilk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

Preheat electric griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add egg yolks, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps; fold in egg whites.

Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Use a pastry brush to spread remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter on griddle. Wipe off excess.

Use a 2-ounce ladle, about 1/4 cup, and pour batter in pools two inches apart. When pancakes bubble on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2-1/2 minutes, flip. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1-1/2 minutes.

Place on plate in preheated oven until ready to serve.

NOTE: My friend uses half the buttermilk (1-1/2 cups). She has found it too runny otherwise. She also added smashed bananas. Very yummy addition.

Barbie Doll Cake

2009-02-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

I made a Barbie doll cake for my daughters birthday party. I thought I would share how I did it.

You can purchase special cake molds to make the skirt. I did not want to pay the $17, especially since I already have things at home I could use.

I used the Pampered Chef large batter bowl. It is the perfect shape. The only issue when using the Pampered Chef large batter bowl is baking the cake evenly. If you purchase the cake mold (sold at Michael's and other stores where they sell Wilton products) the mold comes with a heat-conducting rod. This rod helps your cake bake evenly.

Not having a heat-conducting rod, I looked for tips online. I found a great tip at allrecipes.com. Instead of baking my cream cheese pound cake at 350˚F for one hour I baked it at 250˚F for 2 hours. It worked out great. The cake baked very evenly.

The cake skirt you make will be a little short if you want to use a regular Barbie or Barbie type doll. You have a few choices. You can purchase a cake doll which is just the top half. Instead of legs there is a pick (which is what I did). Another option is to purchase a cheap barbie type doll at the dollar store and just rip the legs off.

I used buttercream frosting for my cake. I purchased it at Cake Works in Campbell. Since I was making a bride doll, I knew Cake Works would have pure white and it saved me some time not to make it myself. It was worth the trip.

I am just learning how to use a pastry bag and tips. I need more practice, but it was fun decorating this cake. This time I made the bodice of the dress with the frosting and the small flower tip. The first time I made a barbie cake I used fondant for the bodice. Either is fine. Just depends on what you are comfortable with and what look you want.

The look was complete with flowers and veil from my daughters Barbie.

I had a lot of fun making this cake for my daughters birthday party. The most important thing is my daughter loved it.

Easy Sticky Buns

2009-02-14T15:55:00.001-08:00

My friend, and fellow BMCC member, posted this recipe on her blog. I had to try it.

It is so good I had to post it.

This is a must try recipe!

Easy Sticky Buns (makes 12)

A Barefoot Contessa Recipe

12 tablespoons (1 & 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces

1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

For the Filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with half of the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll about 1/2 inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1-1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only. invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Herb & Cheese Chicken Tenders

2009-01-26T19:45:00.001-08:00

This recipe is from Rachel Ray. It's a fun dish to make with the kids. I like getting the kids involved in making dinner. (when I'm not in a hurry, or cranky) They will eat better when they help prepare the dinner. Especially if it's something new or something they don't really like to eat.

Tip

This one can be messy. Might I suggest using disposable rubber/latex gloves when coating the chicken tenders. It helps with cross contamination and its easy clean up, especially if you have the kids help. I like to keep a box under my kitchen sink.

Herb & Cheese Chicken Tenders

Light olive oil, for frying

1 & 1/2 pounds chicken tenders

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup water

BREADING

1 & 1/2 cups Italian-Style bread crumbs (eyeball it)

1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (2 to 3 handfuls)

6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, stripped & chopped (2 to 3 tablespoons)

6 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped (3 tablespoons)

2 handfuls chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Place a nonstick cookie sheet in oven with a foil liner.

Heat 1/2 inch oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Beat eggs with water in a second dish. In a third dish, combine the remaining ingredients. Coat chicken in flour, then egg, then breads and cheese mixture.

Add chicken to the skillet and cook until deeply golden on each side, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to hot cookie sheet already in oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Cook 5 or 6 tenders at a time in a single layer, adding additional oil if necessary. If chicken browns too quickly, lower heat slightly. Serve chicken hot or cold with green salad, or complete as a parmigiana (make pasta with a tomato sauce).

Banana Cookies

2009-01-26T16:26:00.000-08:00

So you have a few very ripe bananas sitting on your counter and you really don't want to make bread again. Try cookies. Yes, cookies. They are so good. Very cake like. I would like to try them in mini muffin molds.

My sister-in-law (and BMCC member) emailed us this recipe. Try them. They won't last long.

Banana Cookies

INGREDIENTS

· 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature

· 1 cup of sugar

· 1 egg, room temperature

· 1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)

· 1 teaspoon of baking soda

· 2 cups of flour

· pinch of salt

· 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

· 1 teaspoon of vanilla

· 1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg & vanilla and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookie

Jambalaya from Fun Friday

2009-01-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

On Friday mornings I help in my daughters Kindergarten class. They call it Fun Friday for a good reason. They do an art project and it's cooking day. Sound like a fun day to me!

Today's recipe was Jambalaya. Not authentic (not spicy and no shrimp), but so yummy I had to share. Especially since my daughter loved it!

The rule in Kindergarten is if the kids don't like it, they don't have to eat it. The teacher tells them, "I am not your mother and I am not your father." They do need to circle Yum or Yuk on the recipe sheet.

Here is Jambalaya a la Kindergarten

1 lb smoked sausage - sliced

1 lb ground beef

1 green pepper - chopped

1/2 cup green onion - chopped

5 cloves garlic - minced

1-28 oz can diced/chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

White Rice - cooked

Brown the ground beef. Brown the sausage. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice.

Serves 4-6

I've been told (I have never had Jambalaya) that you can add shrimp. If you would like it spicy, use spicy sausage and peppers. From what I understand it's a dump type recipe. If there is something you have on hand that sound good, dump it in.

Any other tips and tricks for making Jambalaya? Leave a comment. I would love to hear about other versions. This was so yummy!

2008-12-11T13:41:00.001-08:00

My sister-in-law (and BMCC member) shared this website with me and I HAD to spread the news!

You go onto RetailMeNot.com and type in an online store you would like to do some shopping. For example I entered "Hasbro" this morning. RetailMeNot.com will then list several coupon codes for that website. The first one on the list was a 25% off code. I was in the middle of ordering Santa gifts and proceeded to enter the discount code on my Hasbro order. BOOM! I got 25% off my order ($6.25 off!!!). I was so excited!

Thank you APG for that wonderful website!

Happy Shopping!

Don't Forget the Coupons

2008-11-22T19:47:00.001-08:00

This is not necessarily food related. It could be, but I just had to share this. It's one of those "duh!" moments for me.

I don't know about you, but I tend to forgot all those great coupons I get in the mail, at HOME. Not the best place for them. Especially if I'm trying to save money and lower my expenses.

I got this great idea from a few of my mom friends at my daughters school.

Collect all your coupons from the mail and newspaper and put them all in one of the large coupons/ads that folds up. Now get one of those large binder clips and clip it all together. Now you have a neat little packet of all your coupons. You can keep them in the car (so you don't forget them) or even in your purse.

These are my coupons for this week. I'm going to try this and see how much money I can save by actually USING my coupons.

A great big thanks to "the Cowgirl" and KF for the great idea!

This Weeks Menu

2008-11-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have changed my shopping day and the "start" of my week many times. It also depends on my husband's work schedule. Wednesday seems to be a good day to start our week these days.

Wednesday

Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Salt

Green Beans

Brown Rice

Thursday

Beef Bolognese

Green Salad

Friday

Meatloaf (pull from freezer)

Potatoes

Green Salad

Saturday

Chicken and Rice Casserole (bake half and freeze the other half)

Use leftover chicken from Wednesday (I put it in the freezer to make sure it would be okay.) {info. on freezing and refreezing foods}

Veggie

Sunday

Dinner at Nonna and Papa's - The easiest meal of the week. : )

Monday

Grilled Cheese and fruit

Tuesday

Deli dinner or Left Overs

Meatloaf

2008-11-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

A true comfort food. This is my mom and brother's recipe. My brother came up with the recipe and my mom added the Italian Sausage.

I need to warn you, it will make 8 to 11 loaves of meatloaf. Yes, you did read that correctly. It depends on how big you make each loaf. When I made this I made eleven 1-1/4 lb loaves. Put them in the freezer and take them out when you want an easy meal. My girls love this dinner!

Meatloaf

6 lbs of ground beef

4 lbs Sicilian Sweet Italian Sausage (take out of casing)

Put all the meat in a very large bowl.

1 loaf cheap white bread

3 cubes (1 tbsp) beef bouillon

Mix the bouillon with 1 quart hot water in a separate bowl. Tear up the bread and mush up in the bouillon water till very mushy. Put aside.

Add to ground beef mixture:

8 eggs (beaten)

12 oz French Fried Onion Rings

1-1/2 cup or so grated Parmesan cheese

about 1 cup chopped parsley

Add the bread/bouillon mixture and combine everything really good with your hands. Make sure all is mixed thoroughly.

Take out whatever you want for tonight's dinner and freeze the rest. I divide it up into 2 pound packages in zip lock bags.

I freeform the meatloaf on a tray in a roasting pan so the fat drips to the bottom instead of soaking into the meat.

Bake 2 pounds at 350˚ F for about 1 hour, 15 minutes.

If you put some potatoes in the oven to bake at the same time, all you have to do is make a salad or vegetable and dinner is done.

Question Regarding Freezing Casseroles

2008-11-03T15:37:00.001-08:00

Can you help one of our members? Here is her question:

I read an article about time management and it mentioned cooking
two casseroles at once. Then freeze one for a later date. Sounds like
a good time saver to me!

The question is, what casseroles can you freeze and for how long? I thought it was a good question for the BMCC. All of us are busy :). Sharing recipes that can be made 2 at a time with one frozen for an easy meal later on would be cool!

If you have some ideas regarding freezing casseroles, please leave a comment.

Thank you for sharing!

Find the Star in an Apple

2008-10-26T19:49:00.001-07:00

Did you know there is a star in every apple? There is. This is something really fun to do with the kids.

Just cut an apple in half - not from top to bottom, but from side to side (as shown above). Inside is the star.

Do you do stamping art with food items? This would be one to try. I bet you would get a cool star inside a circle if you stamped this. I'm going to have to try that.

Sliders/Mini Burgers

2008-10-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

For a long time the only way I could get my older daughter (CK) to eat a hamburger was at McDonald's. I couldn't even get my younger daughter (O) to try any hamburger - McDonald's or otherwise. Something about the ground meat. Then both girls had Papa's Whimpies last winter in Lake Tahoe. They loved them. I even made them at home.

Over the Easter break the girls had some Sliders. O could not eat them fast enough. I was amazed. CK also loved them. Just make food mini and the kids love it. Too funny.

I started to make them at home. I would just cut a regular burger into quarters. The girls still loved them, but I wanted mini buns. I just couldn't find any....until now.

I pulled a package of Hawaiian Rolls out of the freezer. They were the perfect size. They were sweet, but they worked.

At the store today, I bought some Hawaiian Savory Rolls. Perfect! I can't wait to make them this week for dinner. (This image is from Hawaiian Rolls website)

They are so easy to make and so fast. They only takes a few minutes on each side. We cooked them on the griddle pan right on the stove. It worked out perfect. We toasted the mini buns. Topped with our favorite burger toppings. Tatter Tots or French Fries and a veggie - You're set.

Cupcakes

2008-10-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

It's official. I have spoiled my daughters.

My older daughter will turn 7 years old tomorrow. A few days ago I told her I would bring cupcakes to her class. I mentioned I was going to just buy them at Nob Hill. Just make life a little easier.

"You have to make them!" she tells me. What? Yep...she expects homemade cupcakes. Store bought will not be acceptable. I've bought them before for parties. I do usually make mini double chocolate muffins for her class. This year, she wanted homemade cupcakes with frosting. Okay, how can I say no. It's her birthday.

I made Chocolate Sheet Cake, from Joy of Cooking, into cupcakes. I've made this cake before. It's easy and so good. Just as easy to make it into cupcakes. It made 24 regular size cupcakes. I made Whipped Cream Frosting to top them off. The girls added sprinkles.

Worth Re-Posting

2008-10-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

Michael Chiarello's Chicken Bolognese. It's our family favorite - by far! I posted the link to this recipe in 2005, but thought I would re-post it. This time with an image. I've been wanting to add images, but get caught up in making and eating the dinner and forget to take a picture.

Like I said the first time I posted this recipe. It's not a hard dish to make, but it does take time and you need to be at the stove pretty much the entire time. Which can be hard with children who don't let you cook dinner.

My suggestion is to make it on a weekend and get your husband to be your sous chef (to prep everything and your mis en place all set). That takes about 20 to 30 minutes (with no interruptions). Once your husband tastes this pasta dish he'll be happy to be your sous chef anytime you want to make it again. My husband jumps at the chance to get all my mis en place set if I tell him I'm making Chicken Bolognese. (Although he also likes doing it.)

Once your mis en place is set it will take 45 minutes to make the Chicken Bolognese sauce. I've timed it. I've got it down.

All four of us love this pasta dish! The girls even have seconds and thirds. It's so good. It's hard to stop eating it. It's even better the next day!

Tips:

Substitute the ground chicken for ground beef and white wine for red. Now you've got Beef Bolognese. Also good.

I have found packaged ground chicken in the meat department with the other chicken. If your grocery store doesn't have it and you don't have a meat grinder (attachment for Kitchen Aid Mixer), just ask the butcher in your meat department. They should grind some for you.

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

2008-10-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a great 2 serving meal from my cousin and fellow BMCC member.

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS:

2 large corn tortillas (like Mission Super Size)

1 slice fat-free cheddar cheese, cut in half

2/3 cup enchilada sauce

1/3 cup fat-free refried beans

1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 tbsp. taco sauce

1/2 tsp. taco seasoning mix, dry

Optional toppings: fat-free sour cream, chopped scallions

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a pan sprayed with nonstick spray, cook onions over medium heat until they begin to brown (about 2 minutes). In a small dish, combine the onions with the refried beans, taco sauce, and taco seasoning. Mix well. Spray a small baking dish with nonstick spray. Heat tortillas in the microwave until slightly warm. Lay the tortillas on a clean, dry surface, and then spread about 2 tbsp. of the enchilada sauce onto each one. Place one half of the cheese slice on each tortilla. Then, evenly distribute the bean mixture into the center of each tortilla. Wrap the tortillas up tightly, and place them in the baking dish seam side down. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes (until the enchiladas are hot). Remove dish from the oven, sprinkle shredded cheese over the enchiladas, and then return it to the oven for about 5 minutes (until the cheese is nice and melty). Plate those babies and, if you like, top with some of the optional ingredients. Enjoy!

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 enchilada (half of recipe) • Calories: 187 • Fat: 2g • Sodium: 976mg Carbs: 29g • Fiber: 4g • Sugars: 5g • Protein: 12g • POINTS® value 3*

Broccoli Soup

2008-10-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a very great sounding recipe from my cousin and fellow BMCC member. I think it would be good on a cold winter's day.

Okay after watching an episode of kitchen nightmares in which Chef Ramsey is trying to teach someone how to make proper broccoli soup I decided to give it a try...and the whole family loves it.

I take two bunches of organic broccoli

3 or 4 stalks of celery (organic always if you can find it)

one onion

Chop it all up...wash and boil in enough water to cover until soft.

Drain but make sure to save the liquid.

Puree veggies in a food processor or blender adding back some of the liquid to get a good soup consistency.

Season to taste with salt and garnish with a bit of shredded cheese on top.

We also like oyster crackers with it too....yum!

Easy Beef Stroganoff

2008-10-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Another great recipe from one of our members. Enjoy

Easy Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. hamburger

1 medium onion diced

1 clove garlic minced

1- 10-1/2 oz. can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 Cup Sour cream

2 Tblsp. Catsup

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Noodles - Cooked in salted boiling water

Saute onions in a little olive oil till they are soft. Add meat and

garlic and cook till meat is done. Combine remaining ingredients

except sourcream and noodles and add to meat. Heat through. Then mix

in sourcream and heat but do not boil.

Serve over noodles. I mix the noodles and the meat mixture all

together in the pot.

Healthy Tip

2008-09-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

I do our school newsletter. If I need a filler I add in a "Healthy Tip of the Month." My tips come from Raising Healthy Eaters, 100 Tips for Parents by Henry Legere, M.D.

This is a great little book. It's easy and fast to read. You don't even have to read the entire book, you can just go through and read which tips sound good to you at the time. Here is one I feel very strongly about.

Tip 26 - Even if your kids are picky eaters, don’t cook separate meals.

There are many things you can do to encourage your children to enjoy their meals, but one thing you should not do is prepare different meals for them. Your children will not allow themselves to starve, so don’t worry if they skip the occasional meal or if they just pick at some of your dishes. You’re not a waitress, and your kitchen isn’t Denny’s, so don’t feel that you have to whip up a separate meal for each of your kids. Let’s face it: most parents don’t have the time or the energy to prepare a separate meal for each member of the family, and you shouldn’t feel obliged to.

There are some things that you can do, however, to encourage your children to eat with the family. Include your kids in a weekly or monthly menu planning, but don’t allow them to engineer each meal around their one or two favorite foods. You should be aware of your children’s favorite dishes and do your best to incorporate them into your menu at least every other week. For typical meals, incorporate familiar and acceptable dishes, but keep in mind that children still need to be exposed to new types of foods. Remember, kids may reject a food more than ten times and then come to like it, so persevere.

Cooking Class in Florence, Italy

2008-09-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

I was just watching Samantha Brown's Weekend in Florence on the Travel Channel. What a wonderful weekend trip! If I had the money, I'd book the trip right now.

When I do book the trip I would love to take a cooking class in Florence. Faith Willinger is an American who has lived in Italy for the past 25 years. She now has one day cooking classes in Florence. How wonderful is that?

There are two different classes, "Lessons in Lunch" and a full hands-on Market-to-Table session. I have no idea what the cost is. I can't find that on the website. Once my trip is planned I'll inquire about the cost.

On Faith Willinger's website there is also a recipe page. It looks like she might change the recipe. There is only one listed. It sounds delicious. I'll have to try it. She also has pages about her pantry, traveling, and photos. It's worth checking out.

Buon appetito!

Salad with Apples, Dried Cranberries and Goat Cheese

2008-09-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

One of our BMCC members altered a Cook's Illustrated salad recipe. I've had this altered version several times at our members home. It's a very tasty salad.

One thing I also like about this salad is if your kids don't go for lettuce there are still good things in here they can pick out.

Salad with Apples, Dried Cranberries and Goat Cheese

serves 6

14 cups hearty mixed greens, washed and dried

Goat Cheese

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped coarse and toasted

1 cup dried cranberries (can also use dried cherries)

2 medium Granny Smith apples

Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon finely minced shallot

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

ground black pepper

Combine vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt, and sugar in small bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil; season to taste with pepper. Toss with greens.

Quarter and core apples and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices. Toss greens, walnuts, cranberries, apple slices, and goat cheese together.

Hint: Use less greens, apples, walnuts, cranberries and goat cheese (just enough for your family) and save the remaining vinaigrette for next time.

Polpette with Mozzarella and Tomato

2008-09-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

...or Italian meat patties. This is something my grandmother would make when my mom was a little girl. I haven't made it in a while. It's very good.

The recipe is from The Italian Kitchen by Gabriella Mariotti.

Polpette with Mozzarella and Tomato

serves 6

1/2 slice white bread, crust removed

3 tablespoons milk

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup dried break crumbs

vegetable oil, for frying

2 beefsteak or other tomatoes, sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 6 slices

6 canned anchovy fillets, drained and cut in half lengthwise (you could leave this out. we love it)

salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Put the bread and milk into a small saucepan and heat very gently until the bread absorbs all the milk. Transfer the bread to a bowl, mash it to a pulp and let cool.

Put the ground beef in a bowl with the bread mixture, the egg and seasoning. Mix well, then shape the mixture into six patties. Sprinkle the bread crumbs onto a plate and dredge the patties, coating them thoroughly.

Heat above 1/4 inch oil in a large frying pan. Add the patties and fry for 2 minutes on each side, until brown. Transfer to a greased ovenproof dish, in a single layer.

Lay a slice of tomato on top of each patty, sprinkle with oregano and season with salt and pepper. Place a mozzarella slice on top of each. Arrange two strips of anchovy, placed in a cross, on top of each slice of cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the patties are cooked through. Serve hot, straight from the dish.

Homemade Poptarts

2008-09-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun recipe from my cousin. She had a home daycare for years so she has lots of fun recipes. This is not only fun to make with the kids, but you know what is going into them.

Homemade Poptarts

one batch of pie dough (homemade for store bought)

homemade or store bought jam

Roll out pie dough.

Cut into shapes and spread jam on them.

Leave a half inch or so around the edge without the jam.

Cover with another piece of the same size and shape dough.

Crimp the edges with a fork and poke vent holes.

Bake until the pie dough is done.

Store in a re-sealable bag.

Pumpkin Muffins

2008-09-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when I start thinking of Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bread--anything pumpkin. Here is a great muffin recipe I got from my cousin, who is a BMCC member.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 box of spice cake mix

1 small can pumpkin

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/2 to 2/3 cup cinnamon chips (or 1/2 to 2/3 cup raisins)

Mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes

Fill muffin cups.

Bake at 350˚ - mini muffins bake for 12 minutes or regular muffins for 18 minutes.

Pork Loin in the Crock Pot

2008-09-12T13:51:00.001-07:00

Here is another recipe from the BMCC email archives. As winter approaches I know many of you like to use the crock pot. I've heard rave reviews about his recipe.

Pork Loin or Short Ribs in the Crock Pot

Just put pork loin or short ribs (no bones and very little fat) I use the leanest cuts available. I've done this dish with chicken too and it is just as good.

Add:

1 can of condensed golden mushroom soup

2 - 3 cubed peeled potatoes (you can use sweet, regular, or both)

1/2 chopped onion

baby carrots

3/4 cup water

Put all of this in a crock pot (potatoes on bottom) on low for 6-8 hours. The meat will fall apart when done. I usually serve this with green beans or peas.

If you want to make this on the stove top, which is good too, brown the meat and onions first and then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

NOTE from another BMCC member on this recipe: Check your crock pot settings. Mine has only low and high. A dish like this = LOW 10-12 hours, HIGH 5-6 hours.

Kauai Chicken

2008-09-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have two friends who have started "Functional and Fabulous Recipe Friday." I thought I would join in and take this opportunity to add all those recipes from the BMCC emails to the blog. There are so many fabulous recipes the group has shared over the years. I really want them on the blog.

Here is one of the first recipes one of our members shared way back at the beginning in 2003. I've had this dish at her house. It's wonderful.

Kauai Chicken

An Easy Standby

8 chicken thighs

Sauce:

1/4 cup EACH white and brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce

1 minced garlic clove.

Coat thighs in shallow pan with half of sauce mixture, bake uncovered for 25 minutes at 400˚. Turn chicken, and remaining sauce, bake another 15 minutes.

Two Yolks in One Egg

2008-09-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

One of our members posted this on her blog. I thought it was a good one to post here.

"Does anyone know, when baking and using eggs if you get two yolks in your egg whether that still counts as one egg or two?? I have been working through a dozen extra large "cage free brown eggs" and just about every one of them so far has had two yolks in each shell!"

First of all, WOW, that is some chicken!

Here is what I found on the web on answerbag.com. Sounds good to me.

"A double-yolker is usually a jumbo, which is a third larger than a medium and 20% larger than a large, which most recipes are based on. If it's an old recipe, count it as one and a half, but eggs are usually added for the consistency of the whites--yolks just add color, richness, and flavor."

Any other ideas....leave a comment.

Lowering Your Grocery Bill

2008-09-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

Here is some tips on lowering your grocery bill that the BMCC shared in some emails in 2005. I thought it should be on the blog. I hope you are able to get some ideas.

• knowing what your family eats and what they won't.

• Certain things are cheaper at Costco, like meat, bread, eggs and milk

• Keep a food journal that tracks prices of foods you regularly eat

• One thing I practice, that I enjoy is getting the grocery store ads and going over what menu I could do with all the sale items.

• I also look at the ads to stock up on what is a good deal, like cereal or juice. (this is where the journal comes in handy)

• I almost never buy cleaning products, paper products, or baggies or foil at the grocery store. Once a month I will go to Walmart or Target to get those. The price differences are huge

• for my weekly menu I try to have at least one dinner that leads to the next, like pork cutlets one night and fried rice the next (I use the left over pork from the day before) or BBQ chicken one night and BBQ chicken pizza the next. There are lots of meals that use small amounts of meat, like stir-fries, casseroles, pasta dishes, and soups

• A great book and website is "Miserly Moms" by Jonni McCoy. She has some great tips. (there is also a website. The link is in our favorites list to the right.)

• Another tip, I got from my single mom, is I always use cloth napkins, real plates and flatware. No paper or plastic. It's a waste of money. I can wash cloth napkins and dishes and stainless flatware. People think it's fancy, but I'm really being cheap. It's amazing what just getting rid of paper napkins will do

• Find a friend, relative or neighbor who has fruit trees. Offer to pick the fruit and take some home with you. They usually have more than they can eat. My girls LOVE doing that and then I get a bunch of free food. My mother-in-law has 2 apple trees (among other things). I make tons of apple sauce. It's so good. Better than store bought and MUCH cheaper.

• Plant a garden. You don’t need a lot of space. One or two nice size planter boxes work great. Things like tomatoes and lettuce are easy to grow and so good from the garden. Make sure you plant things your kids will want to eat. Some type of window screen on top if you have birds or critters that you need to keep out. If you have an onion or garlic that has sprouted in your kitchen, put the entire thing in the ground or in a pot. The greens will grow and you can use them to flavor all your dishes when you don't have the onion or the garlic. Also good in salad.

Freezer Tips

2008-08-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

I thought we could all use a tip from my great aunt and uncle. They have some great freezer tips I had to post. My cousin has written about them on her blog. Read Waste Not, Want Not. on Windshield Rosary's blog.

Motivated Moms

2008-08-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, and fellow BMCC member, discovered Motivated Moms. What a find indeed MM! I printed out a sample page to try it. I have only used it today and already love it.

Motivated Moms is a chore list - for the entire year! It's great. Someone has typed me up a chore list. It includes all the little things, that I put off. You do a little cleaning each day. (What a concept. I've heard about doing this. I love that someone has made the list for me.) It's totally worth the $4 (on sale right now!). Even $8 at regular price is a deal for this great chore planner.

There are different formats. You can get a weekly list or a daily list with space for appointments, notes, and your menu. Both versions come with or without Bible Readings. You can also get either version in 8 1/2 x 11 sheets or half size sheets. I just have to figure out what format works for me and I'm ordering one!

Go to Motivated Moms and click on the "Order" button. If you want to view what the different versions look like go to the very bottom of the page and click on the sample links.

I'm so excited to get my house organized!

Nob Hill/Raleys—Getting More from Your Grocery Store

2008-07-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

My primary grocery store is Nob Hill. I love my Nob Hill. They have the best produce, know me by name, know my girls, and go out of their way to help me find something I'm looking for.

My sister-in-law, and BMCC member, is an even bigger fan. Here is her tip:

"I am a fan of Nob Hill/Raleys and especially their “Extra” magazine. I am on their mailing list and get coupons for free groceries every week. That’s a good deal too, but what I’m really jazzed about is their website that has 25 recipes you can make with a rotisserie chicken. BTW Their chickens are WAAY better than Safeway and are great if you can’t get the Costco one.

And do get the Extra magazine. I can’t tell you how many recipes that have wowed my family. You have access to all the recipes online too."

Thanks GG! I've signed up for Nob Hill's email coupons! I can't wait to get extra savings. We love there rotisserie chickens too. It will be fun to try some of their recipes.

If you have a tip to share please email me or leave your tip in the comments of my entries.

Fresh Tomato-Basil Caprese Kabobs

2008-07-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

This was the other appetizer I made for our potluck. It was easy and fun to make. Even the kids loved them.

Fresh Tomato-Basil Caprese Kabobs

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Start to Finish: 1 hour 30 minutes

Makes: 34 Kabobs

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil or lemon basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pint red cherry tomatoes

1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes

2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cubed

1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed

34 (6 inch) bamboo skewers

Fresh basil leaves, if desired

1 In large bowl, mix oil, lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper, using wire whisk. Add tomatoes, zucchini and cheese. Cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

2 Drain vegetables, reserving olive oil mixture. Thread skewers alternately with tomatoes, zucchini and cheese; top with basil leaf. Serve kabobs with reserved olive oil mixture.

When I made this the grocery store didn't have yellow cherry tomatoes. I just bought 2 pints of the red cherry tomatoes and put one cherry tomatoe at each end.

Virtually any skewer-able vegetable will work in this recipe. Try red, green or yellow bell pepper pieces or fresh pea pods.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft); No change

Per Kabob: Calories 60; Total Fat 4.5g; Sodium 90mg; Dietary Fiber Og

Caramelized Onion Puffs

2008-07-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I found in a Pillsbury grocery store cookbook. You know the little cookbooks at the check out stand. I love those little books. I have dozens of them.

Anyway, we had a potluck get-together with friends and I was scheduled to bring some appetizers. I didn't want to just bring chips and dip. I wanted to bring something different. Here is one of the two dishes I brought. It was very easy to make and everyone loved it.

Caramelized Onion Puffs

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Start to Finish: 50 minutes

Makes: 24 Appetizers

2 Tablespoons butter

3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper sauce (I used Tabasco)

3/4 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese (3 oz)

1 can (80z) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 Heat oven to 400˚F. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; add bell pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and golden brown. Remove from heat.

2 In medium bowl, beat eggs. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper sauce. Stir in cooked onion and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Spoon mixture evenly into mini muffin cups.

3 Unroll dough into 1 large rectangle; press perforations and edges to seal. Using a 1-1/2 inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut dough into small rounds. Place dough round on top of onion mixture. Top with remaining cheese.

4 Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and set in center. Cool 5 minutes; run knife around edge of each muffin cup. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tip: Try using Monterey Jack or mozzarella in place of the Cheddar cheese.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change

Per Appetizer: Calories 80; Total Fat 6g; Sodium 135mg; Dietary Fiber 0g

Meat and Potato Casserole

2008-07-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a recipe one of our members (SCJ) has shared. SCJ recently joined an organic co-op (in Florida) so she ends up with a bunch of food and not much creativity. In desperation SCJ called a friend, a foodie to the core. SCJ's friend gave her an easy recipe she made that very night.

Meat and Potato Casserole

1 large Yam (peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch wheels), you can substitute sweet potatoes or carrots

2 medium Potatoes (peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch wheels)

Pile these into a baking dish, drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, lightly salt and pepper

Bake at 400˚F for 30 minutes or until tender

While roasting the yams and potatoes, cook up a meat of your choice. I had ground turkey which I browned, drained, and set aside.

Once potatoes are tender, pull them out of oven (leave oven on), cover them with meat, pour 1 cup chicken broth over the casserole, cover with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Optional: add 1/2 tsp. Paprika or Chili Powder.

Bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Serve with a green veggie for a balanced meal.

Thanks SCJ for this yummy sounding recipe. I can't wait to try it.

Oatmeal Bar

2008-06-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

We are at The Lake with friends (a fellow BMCC member, actually) and just had a wonderful breakfast—an oatmeal bar. Fun, easy, healthy....what's not to like.

All you do is make a batch of old fashioned oatmeal and set out any type of toppings you want. This is what we had:

blueberries

bananas

raisins

brown sugar

milk

What a great breakfast for a crowd. The kids loved making their own breakfast.

TorteMeyerllini Salad

2008-06-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe from one of our members. I can't wait to try it. I love pasta salad and this sounds fabulous. Especially, like she says, on a hot summer night. I think I may need to try it in at the lake too! Sounds perfect.

***************

I have made this for years for work potlucks and family functions and I get asked time and again for the recipe - it's hilariously easy and this is really good with some fresh bread on hot summer nights when you don't feel like cooking!

TorteMeyerllini Salad

Cook a family size cheese tortellini package (such as Buitoni or
Safeway Select brand) according to package instructions.

In a large bowl, combine the following with the cooked tortellini:

Slightly less than half a pint of halved cherry or grape tomatoes
1 small can sliced black olives (drained)
1 can quartered artichoke hearts (NOT the kind in marinade)
About 1/2 cup or more of cubed mozzarella cheese (fresh mozz if consuming salad within a few hrs of making it, otherwise it falls apart once the dressing soaks in)
About a cup of steamed and cooled broccoli (steaming in those new Ziplok steamer microwave bags is awesome and a huge time saver)
Girard's Olde World Italian dressing (to taste - usually about 1/2+ bottle)

I put everything in a large tupperware bowl with a lid, and then give it a good shake. Refrigerate until ready to use. May need to add more dressing if it has been sitting for a bit. The addition of shredded roasted chicken would be good, or diced/cubed salami.

Enjoy!!

Menu from BMCC Blog Recipes

2008-06-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get back to planning my menus. I thought I would do something a little fun to start. I pulled recipes only from the BMCC blog to make my menu this week.

Some of these will be new recipes for my family. They are ones I've been wanting to try. They come recommended from the BMCC, so I'm sure they will be a hit.

Monday

*Chicken Wings

*Broccoli Cole Slaw Salad

Rice

Tuesday

*Chicken with Rosemary & Lemon Salt

Green Beans

French Bread or Rolls

Wednesday

*Easy Enchiladas (using left over chicken from Tuesday night)

Spanish Rice

Green Salad

Thursday

*Mini Shrimp Scampi & Angel Hair Pasta

Green Salad

Friday

Left Overs

Saturday

*Taco Ring

Sunday

Father's Day - We're having dinner with my brother and sister and their families.

* recipe from the BMCC blog

As I was planning my menu I realized we need more recipes on here. I will be going through all my old emails and adding recipes from the group. Really.

Magical & Sinfully Good Peanut Butter Cookies

2008-06-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law is in love...again. No not another man, nor a new baby, or another cat or dog. This time it's peanut butter cookies.

The recipe comes from a friend who recently shared a tasty plate with her. Here is the recipe. I can't wait to try them. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

All you need is

2 cups of creamy peanut butter

2 cups of sugar

2 eggs

That's it!!! They are magical and sinfully good.

Bake them at 350˚ for 10 minutes and enjoy.

Ice Cream Cake

2008-06-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

This is my sister-in-law's Ice Cream Cake. Easy, fast, yummy. What more do you want for a birthday cake?

You need about 24 ice cream sandwiches. Lay out one layer of them in a 9x13 pan. Next add your choice of caramel or chocolate fudge sauce. Then you can add anything from toasted almonds to cut up candy bars on top of the sauce. Add another layer of sandwiches and then cover the whole thing with whipped cream. You can get fancy and pipe stars or flowerettes along the edges.

Put in your freezer for a few hours of even the day before. Let thaw a tiny bit before serving for easy cutting.

Easy Enchiladas

2008-06-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Do you have left over chicken? Use it to make chicken enchiladas.

This is my sister’s recipe. Her husband and daughter love them. Enjoy.

Easy Enchiladas

9x13 Backing Dish
Small Soft Taco size tortilla's (both corn and flour are good)
1 can Enchilada sauce (mild Rosaria brand isn't spicy-mild is spicy with all other brands)
1 bag Mexican style pre-shredded cheese

Grease pan. Take tortilla shell fill with
pre-cooked chicken (break up into small pieces or
shred), ground beef, steak. Roll up - put in pan until
you fill pan. Open sauce pour over all the
enchiladas (doesn't have to cover perfectly)
Top with cheese. Heat in oven 20 to 25 min at 350˚ pre-heated
oven.

Corn Casserole

2008-06-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

My step-grandmother made this for Easter dinner. Everyone loved it. We all look forward to having it again.

Corn Casserole

1 can cream style corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cube butter, melted
1 c. sour cream
4 tbsp. chopped onions
2 large eggs
1 pkg. Jiffy Corn Bread Mix

Mix altogether and bake 45 min. at 350 degrees

Dream Dinners are a Dream

2008-06-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

I have not posted on this blog in so long. I'm so sorry. If anyone even reads this anymore. It's great to just look up recipes.

I have a friend who had told me about Dream Dinners about a year ago. I never got around to going. I did find one very close to me and was interested in trying it, but just never made the time. Lately, I haven't even been planning my weekly dinner menus. It's been horrible. I'm hoping to get back to that this Summer.

Anyway, I finally went to Dream Dinners and made about 10 meals. Well, 9 dinners and 1 dessert. We love them! The dinners are great. The girls have loved them and talk about easy! Oh my gosh! If you haven't heard of one of these places (there are several different companies - all the same idea) they're great. Look one up!

Basically what you do is go in or online and register for the meals you want to make. They usually will have some type of minimum they want you to purchase. For example I had to order at least 36 servings. Some meals are 3 servings some are 6 servings.

You go to the store at your scheduled day and time. Everything has been prepped and cut for you. All you do is follow the receipt and drop the ingredients in the zip-lock bags. The employees come around and clean up after you, help answer any questions and refill ingredients. Once you have a meal bagged up you put it on your shelf in the refrigerator. When you're done an employee will tell you "Go ahead and have some coffee and try our sample. I'll get all your meals into your cooler bag for you. Let me know when you are ready and I'll take it out to the car for you." Take it out to the car! Did you read that?! How fun is this?! I loved it!

It took me about an hour total. Including sitting and having my coffee and trying the dessert. YUM, BTW. I'm hooked. I'm ready to go back and make more meals. I still have several in my freezer, but when I'm low, I'm going back.

Chinese Coleslaw

2007-06-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Great summer salad. You can easily make this into a meal by adding a Roasted Chicken (skinned and shredded) from the deli.

1 pkg instant ramen soup - oriental flavor
1 Tbsp butter
16 oz bag coleslaw mix or 1 bag broccoli slaw mix
1 bunch green onions
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds

dressing:
1/4 cup each vegetable oil and toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp each sugar and balsamic vinegar
seasoning pkt from ramen soup

Break apart noodles from soup pkg - be careful not to grind them with hands. In small frying pan, melt butter - add noodles and cook, stirring until browned. Remove-set aside. Add sunflower seeds and almonds to pan. Cook stirring until lightly browned. Set aside. Add green onions to pan. Cook until limp.

Combine all dressing ingredients and stir (or shake). In a serving bowl combine all salad ingredients. Add dressing just before serving and toss.

Ice Pak/"Boo-Boo Bag"

2007-06-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is something that's good for everyone to keep in the freezer. You never know when your husband may come home from work (like mine did this morning) with horrible back pain or one of your children falls, bumps heads.....etc. It's easy and inexpensive. You could easily break this down into several small freezer bags to have "boo-boo bags" on hand for the kids. Sometimes that's all they need is a little "boo-boo bag."

ICE PAK
2-gallon size freezer zip lock bags

First bag add 4 cups of water and 1-1/2 cups of Rubbing Alcohol (no or as little air as possible)

Put the first bag into the second bag and put in the freezer for 24 hours. When it's cold it's not frozen hard and you're ready to heal any boo-boo Daddy size or child size. : )

Apple Crisp Oven Pancakes

2007-05-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

My mother made this for mother's day brunch yesterday. I had to share it. Everyone loved it.

Apple Crisp Oven Pancakes
from Deer Creek Inn
Chuck and Elaine Matroni, Innkeepers
Nevada City, CA

Topping mixture:
1/4 cup Bisquick mix
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used Date Sugar and it was delicious!!)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup oats
2 Tbsps soft butter
Mix and reserve.

Pancake mixture:
2 cups Bisquick mix
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 large fress egg
3/4 cup chunky applesauce (I used regular with NO sugar)

Grease jelly roll pan: 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1
Beat all ingredients with wire whisk or hand beater until well blended.
Pour batter into pan and sprinkle with oat mixture. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes,
or until
golden brown. Immediately cut into 2 or 3 inch squares and serve with warm maple
syrup.
Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy...

Harvest Cobb Salad

2006-08-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a great salad from one of our BMCC members. She copied this salad from a local restaurant (in Florida) and it has become a hit!! I agree, the dressing is the secret. It's the one with the peach on the label. ENJOY.

HARVEST COBB SALAD

The Basics:
lettuce - I use organic baby romaine
apples - organic fuji apples work great!
red seedless grapes - organic, when available, of course
feta cheese
Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing (this dressing is the secret!! I've been able to find it at SuperTarget, Walmart and most chain grocery stores around here)

Variations - you can add:
cranberries or raisins
pecans or walnuts
pepitos (green pumpkin seeds)
smoked turkey or chicken

Variations - you can try:
pears instead of apples
gorgonzola instead of feta
baby spinach instead of salad

Beef Bolognese

2006-08-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

I am going to make this for my in-laws tomorrow night and realized I had never put it up on the blog. This is a easy and a delicious pasta dish. It's one of our family favorites. Enjoy.

BEEF BOLOGNESE
A recipe from "The Italian Kitchen" by Gabriella Mariotti

This recipe makes enough sauce for 1 lb of pasta. Our favorite is Rotini.

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2/3 cup beef stock
12 ounces extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
14 ounce can chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes skinned and chopped
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp ground allspice
salt and ground black pepper

Cook the onion and garlic in the stock for 5 minutes or until all the stock is reduced.
Add the beef and cook quickly to brown, breaking up the meat with a fork.
Add the wine, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, rosemary and allspice,
bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.
Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Mix sauce with one pound of cooked pasta. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with a green salad or your choice of vegetable and a glass of red wine.

Cornbread

2006-02-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

Must be this rainy weather. The BMCC is in the mood for cornbread. It all started with one member coming home from Disneyland and asking for the Disneyland Cornbread recipe. Ask and you shall receive. Here are all the cornbread recipes I collected from that one inquiry. If I receive more I'll add them to the blog.

Let us know which is your favorite. They all sound wonderful.

Thanks BMCC! You're the best.

DISNEYLAND CORNBREAD
This recipe does not indicate what size baking pan is needed!

2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter (or margarine), softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tbs. baking powder
3/4 c. cornmeal
1 1/3 c. milk

Combine sugar, salt, shortening and vanilla and mix 5 min. Add eggs
one at a time and beat 3 min.

Mix flour, baking powder, and cornmeal.

Add half of flour mixture to sugar mixture.

Add half of milk to flour and sugar mixture and mix.
Add remainder of milk and flour mixture and beat to blend.

Bake at 400 ° for 20 minutes or golden brown. Enjoy while warm
with butter; honey-butter (mix 2 tablespoons honey with 1/2 stick
softened butter); or your favorite jam or jelly.

ORANGE CORN MUFFINS

1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tbs. grated orange peel

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another
bowl combine egg, milk, oil, and orange peel. Add to cornmeal
mixture, stirring just until moistened. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3
full. Bake at 425 ° for 13-15 minutes or until lightly brown.
Remove and serve warm. ****can substitute lemon peel ****can mix in
pecans Yields 12 muffins

CORN BREAD

2 boxes of "Jiffy" corn bread mix (made exactly per the box instructions)
add 1 can of cream-style corn to mix, bake as directed
(we use cup-cake pans and cup cakes cups). Yummmmmm!!!!!

BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD

1 cup flour
1 cup yellow, white or blue cornmeal
2 - 4 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup veg. oil

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees
In a large bowl whisk the dry ingredients. In another bowl mix the eggs, milk and oil. Add the wet to the dry and stir just enough to moisten most of it. You want lots of lumps! Pour into a greased 9 inch pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

*If you are feeling southern today, pre-heat the oven with a cast iron skillet with a tsp. or 2 of bacon fat. Pour the batter in the hot pan. This will give you a nice crust. Mmmm

***and then the next day for breakfast you crumble some of the bread up, add a few spoons of blackberry preserves and pour some cream or milk on it. I love cornbread.

Mini Shrimp Scampi & Angel Hair Pasta

2006-01-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe from Rachael Ray's new book "Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals for Kids."

It's fast, easy, and good. Both my girls even liked it. Now that's a keeper!

Mini Shrimp Scampi and Angel Hair Pasta
makes 4 servings

1 pound angel hair pasta
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 pound (300-count) baby shrimp
salt and freshly groundn pepper, to taste
1 cup chicken stock
4 to 5 blades chives, snipped with scissors
a handful of fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley leaves, chopped or snipped (2 tablespoons)

Put a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil; add salt. Cook pasta according ot package directions, to al dente.

Meanwhile, smash garlic cloves with a small pan; separate out the skins and throw them away.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add EVOO and butter. When butter has melted into oil, add crushed garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add shrimp; add salt and pepper. Cook shrimp until heated through, 2 or 3 minutes; add stock and raise up heat to bring to a boil. When liquid boils, remove pan from heat and drain pasta and add to the pan. Toss pasta with shrimp, sauce, and the snipped or chopped herbs. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce

2006-01-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful summer recipe. It's great to make when you recieve a bag of tomatoes from someones yard.
I wanted to add it to the blog before I forget. Yes, I am hoping spring and summer some soon.

Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce
from "The Italian Kitchen" by Gabriella Mariotti

Serves 4

4 large ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs such as: basil, marjoram, oregano, or parsley
(I use basil and parsley)
2/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb spaghetti

1. Skin the tomatoes by placing in boiling water for 1 minute--no longer or they will become mushy.
2. Lift out with a perforated spoon and plunge into a bowl of cold water. Peel off the skins, then dry the tomatoes on paper towels.
3. Halve the tomatoes and squeeze out the seeds. Chop into 1/4 inch cubes and mix with garlic, herbs, olive oil, and seasoning in a non-metallic bowl. Cover and allow the flavors to mellow for at least 30 minutes.
4. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water.
5. Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce. Cover with a lid and leave for 2-3 minutes, toss again, and serve immediately.

Broccoli with Cheese Topping

2006-01-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

from a BMCC member.

Thought you might like to try a recipe that my Mom
passed on to me. It is very delicious, and easy to
make, especially during the holidays.

Broccoli with Cheese Topping:

The swiss cheese topping, melts into the broccoli as
it heats in the oven.

1 bunch (2lbs) broccoli
salted water
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup real mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons grated onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard (I use dijon)

Wash broccoli, separate into spears, and trim off tough ends;
peel stems, if you wish. In a large frying pan with a tight
fitting lid, bring water to boiling;drop in broccoli. Bring
to boiling again;cover pan, reduce heat and cook 5
minutes longer, or until broccoli is just tender crisp when
pierced with a fork. Drain and arrange broccoli in a
heat proof platter or shallow baking dish (one you can
bring to the table) You can do this several hours ahead and let
stand at room temperature.

In a small bowl, combine cheese, mayo, onion, salt,
pepper, and mustard. Spoon cheese mixture evenly over the top
of the broccoli. Place dish, uncovered, in a 350 degree
oven until broccoli is hot and sauce is melted, about 15 minutes.

Serve at once. Makes 4-6 servings.

Oven-Roasted Green Beans

2006-01-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

from a BMCC member.

Our new Favorite Green Beans

Oven-Roasted Green Beans

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
4 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place a jelly-roll pan in oven for 10 minutes. Place beans in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Arrange green bean mixture in a single layer on preheated baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 8 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 37(39% from fat); FAT 1.6g (sat 0.2g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 1.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 29mg; SODIUM 196mg; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 0.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 5.5g

Carrot Cake

2006-01-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

from a BMCC member

My mom's carrot cake recipe ( I haven't made it yet, but I remember it as wonderful)

14 CARAT CAKE

2 cups flour
1 ½ cups oil
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 ½ tsp soda
2 cups grated raw carrot
1 ½ tsp salt
1 (8 ¾ oz) can crushed pineapple,
2 tsp cinnamon
well drained
2 cups sugar
½ cup chopped nuts

Mix together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix together sugar, oil and eggs and mix into dry ingredients. Stir in carrots, drained pineapple and nuts. Pour into greased and floured 13 x 9 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until top springs back when touched lightly with finger. Cool and then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

½ cup butter
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar

Combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add sugar gradually, beating vigorously.

Taco Ring

2006-01-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

Another recipe from a BMCC member.

Last night I faked something I saw at a Pampered Chef Party. It is a ring made out of pillsbury crescent rolls stuffed with taco seasoned ground beef. So I'll make up a recipe. I hope you can understand it!

Taco Ring
1 lb ground beef
taco seasoning packet
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream

Brown ground beef and season with taco seasoning according to packet. Cover a large cookie sheet or pizza pan with foil. Open and separate crescent rolls. Lay half the crescent rolls out on the pan in a circle with the points facing out. Take the second set of crescent rolls and overlap the first set, wide parts overlapping and points facing out. Put your cooked ground beef on the wide parts of the crescent rolls around the circle. Pull the points of the crescent rolls over the meat and into the center of the circle. It doesn't have to be perfect, and the dough doesn't need to cover all the meat. Bake at 350 for 15minutes or until it looks done.

Put the ring onto a serving plate. Pile the lettuce and tomatoes in the center of the ring. Serve with the rest of the toppings and anything else your family likes with tacos.

Hoisin Baby Back Ribs

2006-01-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

Another recipe from a BMCC member. If you want to add the Sake, you might need to go to a Japanese grocery store to buy it. That's where I bought mine.

Hoisin Baby Back Ribs (very yummy)

5 lbs baby back ribs
2 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced plus 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 cup sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1 clove garlic crushed
3 T sake
cilantro for garnish

Cut racks into individual ribs. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Add slices of ginger. Boil gently 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Drain ribs, discarding ginger. Combine sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, grated ginger, garlic and sake. Marinate the cooked ribs in this mixture 4-5 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat broiler. Place ribs in a roasting pan and broil 15 minutes, turning if necessary. Garnish with cilantro.

FYI: I don't put the sake in because I can't find it at the supermarket! And we usually barbque them instead of broiling. They only take a second because they're already cooked.

Mashed Potatoe Casserole

2006-01-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

This is from one of our BMCC members. Sounds good. I'll have to try it....especially for a holiday dinner.

This can be made ahead and stuck in the fridge, we have it at Christmas.

Mashed Potatoe Casserole

5 lbs of potatoes peeled and cooked
1/2 pint sour cream
1 8oz cream cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion salt
2 T butter

Mash potatoes and add all ingredients except butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Put in a greased 2 quart casserole (or 9x13). Dot with butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

2006-01-08T14:54:00.000-08:00

This is a dinner a friend (BMCC member) brought to me and my husband a week or so after my first daughter was born. We enjoyed it so much I got the recipe from her. We've been enjoying it ever since. It's a great use of that left over chicken. I'm sure you could make it with turkey too. I haven't tried it.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

2 cups cooked cubed chicken (six thighs with skin pulled off)
1 (6 oz) package Uncle Ben’s long grain wild rice
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup diced pimento
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Cook rice as directed on package. Set aside.
In a saucepan, saute onion in butter. then stir in flour, salt, and pepper.
Gradually stir in milk and broth. Cook and stir until thickened.
Take saucepan off heat.
Mix rice, sauce, and all other ingredients. Place in casserole dish.
Bake at 400° for 40 to 45 minutes

Broccoli Slaw/Cole Slaw Salad

2006-01-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

These are very good, easy, and something a little different than the usual cole slaw or green salad.

Broccoli Slaw
brocoli slaw (look for pre-washed bag)
just add dried cranberries,
unsalted sunflower seeds
and salad dressing(Brianna's Poppyseed dressing)

Broccoli Cole Slaw Salad
Broccoli Cole Slaw (pre-washed bag)
Pineapple chunks or slices
apples, sliced or diced

Raisins
Pears, sliced or diced

dressing: red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil-just a little to coat everything, or refrigerated cole slaw dressing

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2006-01-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

A recipe from Martin Yan, The Chinese Chef

This is SO super easy. It is easy to keep all of these ingredients on hand. It's part of the Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry recipe. It's also great with the chicken wings. My secret - I originally got the chicken wing recipe from the back of a sweet and Sour Sauce bottle. Since I found this recipe in my Martin Yan cookbook I haven't purchased a bottle of sweet and sour sauce since. It's too easy, MUCH better tasting and MUCH cheaper.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Combine
1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/3 cup water in saucepan

Stir in
6 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup orange Juice 1/4 teaspoon chili oil
3 tablespoons ketchup 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon shredded pickled ginger
1 tablespoon lime juice

Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Serve as dip.

Sweet & Sour Chicken Stir-Fry

2006-01-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

This is easy and so good. You could also use left over chicken. I never have, but I'm sure it would work fine. A great way to use up left overs!

Sweet & Sour Stir-Fry
A recipe from Woman’s Day, 6 April 1993

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 8 minutes Serves: 4

2 tablespoons cornstarch
12 oz boned and skinned chicken thighs, cut in 1 -inch chuncks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
8 oz fresh sugar-snap peas, trimmed (2 cups), or 1 box (9 oz) frozen sugar-snap peas
1 can (8 oz) sliced water chetnuts, drained
3/4 cup Sweet & Sour Sauce (recipe also in blog or bottled sweet-and-sour stir-fry sauce)
For garnish: sliced scallions (green onions)

1. Put cornstarch in a plastic food bag. Add chicken and toss to coat.
2. Heat oil in a large, preferably non-stick, skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown an all sides. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
3. Add bell pepper, snap peas, and water chestnuts to drippings in skillet. Stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
4. Pour in stir-fry sauce and return chicken to skillet. Stir to coat chicken and vegetables. Garnish with scallions.

For a change of pace:
•Leave out the water chestnuts and add almonds, peanuts or cashews.
•Add drained, canned pineapple chunks.
•Add 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper.

Blackberry Pie

2006-01-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

This is from the can of Oregon Blackberries - on the back of the label. It was very delicous and very easy. I made my own pie crust, but you could also buy a pre-made pie crust at the grocery store.

2 cans Blackberries (drained, reserve syrup from 1 can)
6 tablespoons sugar (more or less to taste)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tabelspoons lemon juice (optional)
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
Pastry for a double crust, 9-inch pie

Preheat oven to 400°F. Drain the berries and reserve the syrup from one can. Stir the blackberry syrup into the combined mixture of cornstarch and half of the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Gently stir in remaining sugar, blackberries and lemon juice. Let stand while preparing pastry.

Line a 9 inch pie pan with pastry and fill with fruit filling. Dot with butter. Adjust top crust on pie, cutting slits for steam to escape, and seal. Bake for 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown.

Note: I would also put a pan under the pie, just in case the filling bubbles out, like mine did. : )

Chicken Wings

2005-11-29T09:13:00.000-08:00

Another family favorite. The kids LOVE it! They will ask for this dinner. I love when the kids ask for a specific recipe.

Chicken Wings

1 package Chicken Drumettes (chicken wings)

Mix together:
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon each of
Onion Powder
Paprika

Pre-heat oven to 450°

Coat chicken wings (drumettes) in the soy sauce mixture. Greese a baking pan/casserole pan and place all the coated wings in the baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes on EACH side.

I serve them with rice and a salad or some type of vegetable. We also have seaweed sheets with it, but that'’s an asian thing. YUMMY!

This recipe can EASILY be doubled, tripled, whatever. For the four of us (2 adults, 2 kids) I double it and we have enough for a small lunch the next day. I have been purchasing the Costco Party Wings and what I do is fill a Pyrex baking pan and then double the above soy sauce mixture.

They also re-heat nicely for a party. I'’ve made them the night before and re-heated the day of the party. They are a BIG hit!

The great thing about this recipe is you can make it as spicy as you want. If want it spicy use HOT paprika instead. Sometimes I use half sweet and half hot paprika.

Chicken Bolognese

2005-11-29T09:06:00.000-08:00

Here is our family favorite! Another Michael Chirarello recipe. It takes some time, but it is worth every minute. Like I told Michael Chiarello when I met him, I can get my husband to do anything when I make this dinner.

If you don't have a meat grinder, ask your grocery store butcher if they can grind one pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs for you. Nob Hill has done it for me when I didn't want to take the time to grind the meat myself.

http://www.napastyle.com/catalog/search.cmd?keyword=chicken+bolgonese&keywordToSearch=chicken+bolognese&categoryId=716&parentCategoryId=716

Buon appetito!

Taco Soup (Chili Style)

2005-09-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

If you don't have a slow-cooker or just want a fast soup. Here is a great one. You can easily keep these ingredients on hand and make this at the last minute. YUM!

Can you tell fall is upon us? The weather (rain with thunder) today put me in the mood for soup. I don't know where this recipe original came from. It's from one of our BMCC members. It must be a Weight Watchers meal because it lists the points at the end of the recipe. In any case, it's good and my kids like it! It's a keeper!

Taco Soup (Chili Style)

1/2 lb. Lean ground meat
1 med. Chopped onion
3 cans beans (black, chili, Mexican, pinto, etc.)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomato (chopped)
1 - 7 oz. can green chilies (diced)
1 pkg. Frozen corn
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning mix
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix
1 c water

Brown meat & drain fat. Add onion and saute. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a slow boil over med. Heat.

Try serving with non fat sour cream.

1 ½ cups = 2 points

Slow-Cooker Minestrone

2005-09-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am pretty new with slow-cooker meals, but I can tell you I LOVE them! Cooking for a busy family doesn't get much easier than the slow-cooker (crock pot). If you don't have a slow-cooker and you work full time, my suggestion would be to get one with a timer. It might be more expensive, but they must have one on the market that you can set what time you want it to start cooking. I love mine, but I really have to be home to set it. I have found that most recipes only cook for 5 hours or so. This is not going to work if you leave your house in the morning at 7am and don't get home until 6pm. Unless I'm missing something.

Here is a great winter soup. Serve with some good french bread. It also freezes very well, so you don't have to worry about all those left overs. Save them for a night when you don't have dinner planned and don't feel like cooking. It's great to have something to pull out of the freezer!

Slow-Cooker Minestrone
from "Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook" by Dawn J. Ranch and Phyllis Pellman Good

3 cups water
1 1/2 lbs stewing meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
14.5 oz can tomatoes
2 tsp salt
10 oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables, or your choice of frozen vegetables
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 cup dry vermicelli (angel hair pasta)
1 tsp dried oregano
grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients except cheese in slow cooker. Stir well.

Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours, or on High 4-5 hours.

Top individual servings with Parmesan cheese.

Creamy Tomato Sauce

2005-09-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a family favorite from one of our members. I always like trying a family favorite. It's nice to know someone else with kids likes it.

Creamy Tomato Sauce

3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T butter or margarine
2 14-1/2 ounce cans of whole Italian style tomatoes, cut-up or 2 lbs ripe,
fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 t pepper
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 T snipped parsley
8 ounces pasta

Saute onion and garlic in butter. Stir in undrained tomatoes, sugar,salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Slowly add the cream, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 3 minutes then remove from heat and add parsley.

Serve sauce over cooked pasta.

This is one of our favorites. It's especially yummy if you put some cooked Italian sausage in at the end. About 3/4lb.

Strata

2005-09-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is my mother's Strata recipe. She also happens to be a BMCC member. We have always had it for breakfast or brunch, but another BMCC member makes a similiar dish for dinner. Sounds good to me! I LOVE breakfast for dinner!

STRATA

This is a great brunch dish. You can double or halve it easily. It’s my favorite for a large brunch party. It’s also good for dinner with fresh fruit or a salad.

6 to 9 slices bread (I use sliced sour French)
1 pound grated Monterey Jack cheese
10 eggs (beaten)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Use 13 x 9 pan. Serves 10 - 12.

Remove crust from bread if you like. I leave it on. Cut each slice into fourths and line bottom of casserole. Spread cheese on top of the bread. Mix together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over bread and cheese. Cover and put in refrigerator overnight.

Next day, take 4 Italian sausages out of their casings and cook meat in a pan. You can use ground beef or bacon or shrimp instead of you like. Put cooked meat on top of casserole. Bake 40 minutes or till set at 350 degrees. Let set 5 minutes before serving.

Salmon (Baked)

2005-09-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe from one of our members. I've had this at her house before. It's delicious! If you don't like Salmon (which I didn't the first time I had this) try it! It's very good. Not as fishy tasting as Salmon usually is. The best part, it's FAST and EASY. (We LOVE that!) It also has no added fat.

Salmon

Preheat oven to 425°

top Salmon with:
lemon juice
salt, pepper
chopped basil
dried dill
tomato slices (sliced somewhat thick)
and then lemon slices (sliced thin)

Wrap in parchment paper, folding the edges so you make a "sealed" bag.
Bake for 15-20 min at 425 degrees.

I have also made this and not used the tomato. Play with it. It's so yummy!

Good, bad, save, or eat?!

2005-09-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a great chart that will tell you how long food is good when stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/f01chart.html

I printed the list out and attached it to the inside of my pantry door. Great reference!

Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Salt

2005-09-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh!!! This chicken was SO easy and SO good!!!!! We all LOVED it!!!! You should have seen my daugher eating it! Since it was such a success, it will DEFINITELY go in our family favorites binder, I thought I would share it with all of you.

The recipe is from Michael Chiarello. You can print the recipe from his website.

Favorite Websites

2005-09-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the BMCC members favorite websites:

www.napastyle.com
www.foodtv.com
www.familyfun.com
www.aromathyme.com/kids.html
www.wildoats.com/app/cda/oat_cda.php?pt=RecipeCategory
www.recipegoldmine.com
www.cookingbynumbers.com
www.recipegal.com
www.miserlymoms.com

History of the BMCC

2005-09-12T10:44:00.001-07:00

Hello Moms (and Dads),

We do have one dad and we welcome more! The Busy Moms Culinary Club, or BMCC, is an email group I started with a few friends, in Nov. 2003, to exchange dinner recipe ideas and support each other as moms. We are all after new and often easy, fast dinners our family (and fussy children) will eat. Our BMCC has now grown from three busy moms to twenty-six and still growing. Our members come from all over the United States.

As the BMCC started to grow in numbers so did our purpose. We found that we not only needed dinner ideas but also a support group all around eating, grocery shopping, menu ideas, and our children. We became an email moms support group. Where if a mom needed any new idea, from a fun and fast dinner for her husband and kids to “how do I shop with my three kids?!”, she could email the BMCC and…“you’ve got mail”…she would have some ideas.

In this blog I am hoping to post all the recipes the BMCC has shared over the years. It will take a while, but I WILL do it. I will also be posting questions, problems and ideas that we have shared.

I hope you enjoy the BMCC blog.

Buon appetito!