This week's menu!

I've completely stopped doing this but I am going to try to get back to it.

Thursday: FFY (I have class all night)
Friday: Soup and Grilled Cheese
Saturday: Girls Night! Beef Enchiladas, Chips with Salsa and Queso, Spanish Rice
Sunday: Ribs in the Crock pot, Broccoli, Cornbread
Monday: Horseshoes
Tuesday: Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup
Wednesday Hamburger Helper, Green Beans, Cheddar Biscuits (Matt's cooking!)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Matt loves to get broccoli cheese soup at Panera. I also am a fan of the combination so when I saw this recipe on Carrie's blog, I starred it. Let me say, this is a wonderful broccoli cheese soup recipe. I added more cheese than called for and it turned out perfectly. Next time I may even double the recipe so we will have leftovers.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
Source: Carrie's Sweet Life originally from Emeril Lagasse
Ingredients:
3 tbs of unsalted butter and 2 tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 c of yellow onions or sliced leeks (I used 1 tbs onion powder)
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of ground pepper
Pinch of nutmeg (I omitted)
1/2 tsp of chopped garlic (I used garlic powder)
1/2 tsp of chopped fresh thyme or 1/8 tsp of dried (I omitted)
3 tbs of flour
3 c of low-sodium chicken broth
1 (16 oz) package frozen broccoli, thawed
1/2 c of heavy cream
1 1/4 c of shredded medium Cheddar (I used 2 c)

Directions:
In a medium pot, melt 3 tbs of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook until soft about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme. Stir frequently for 20 seconds while it cooks. Add the flour and stir until thoroughly mixed for about 3 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth while whisking constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened for about 5 minutes.

Add the broccoli and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

Add the cream and barely bring to a simmer. Then add the cheese and lower heat till the cheese is melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter. Stir until it is mixed thoroughly.

Chicken Salad

There's this little restaurant in downtown Springfield that Matt and I like to go to for lunch. It's called the Feed Store and its specialty (in my opinion) is chicken salad. It is the best chicken salad I have ever tasted, hands down. I love it. I only get it about once a month though because it is a little pricey. I sure do look forward to that once a month trip though.

I decided that I wanted to try to make my own chicken salad. I don't know much about it so I winged it. I think I did a pretty good job. It's not as good at chicken salad form the Feed Store but Matt really enjoyed it so I consider it a keeper.


Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
1/2 c Mayo or miracle whip
2-3 tbs sweet relish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Season chicken breast with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked.

Let cool. Shred with fork or in food processor until desired consistency is reached. (I did this in a food processor because I like the chicken pieces to be really really small.

In a bowl, mix chicken, mayo, and relish together. Salt and pepper to taste.

Rich, Fudgy Brownies

There's not much better than a rich, fudgy brownie warm from the oven. Yum! I took the recipe for these brownies right out of my Big Red Cookbook from Betty Crocker. This is a cookbook that all cooks must have. It's one of the two (in addition to the original Better Homes and Garden Cookbook) that my mom gave me when I moved out on my own for the first time. This recipe calls for unsweetend baking chocolate. I didn't have enough (and didn't want to deal with it) so I substituted a mixture of cocoa and butter. For 1 oz of unsweet baking chocolate you substitute 3 tbs cocoa plus 1 tbs melted butter (or oil).

Chocolate Brownies
Source: The Big Red Cookbook from Betty Crocker
Ingredients:
2/3 c butter or stick margarine
5 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, cut into pieces (I used 15 tbs cocoa plus 5 tbs melted butter)
1 3/4 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 c flour
1 c chopped walnuts (I omitted)
Chocolate buttercream frosting (I omitted)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of square baking dish with shortening.

Melt butter and chocolate together in microwave, following package directions. Cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat sugar, vanilla, and eggs in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in flour until just blended. Stir in nuts. Spread in pan.

Bake about 40 minutes. I bake until toothpick comes out mostly clean (I like super fudgy brownies and they continue to cook a bit in the pan when out of the oven). Cool completely before frosting. If you don't want frosting, cool until easily cut and go ahead and dig in to warm deliciousness!

Sweet Dinner "Rolls"

While these didn't look very good, they tasted great! I made the mistake of putting them in a pan that way WAY too small for them. Next time I will use a bigger pan and I imagine they will look more like a normal dinner roll. I got this recipe from Carrie's blog.

Sweet Dinner Rolls

Source: Carrie's Sweet Life originally from Amber's Delectable Delights

Ingredients:

1/2 c water
1/2 c warm milk
1 egg
1/3 c butter, softened
1/3 c white sugar
1 tsp salt
3 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1/4 c butter, softened (for topping rolls)

Directions:

Place water and milk in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute or until liquids reach (110 degrees F/45 degrees C). Pour liquids into mixer bowl; add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add in yeast and let set for 10-20 minutes to proof (the mixture will be foamy).

Attach the bowl to the mixer and mix on low speed adding the salt, 1/3 cup butter and egg. Once well mixed add in the flour 1/4 cup at a time. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook. With the mixer; knead the dough for 5-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into desired shape. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour. (You can place a bowl of very hot tap water in the bottom of your stove and place the rolls on the rack above it). Gently brush the tops of the rolls with half of the remaining softened butter.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake the rolls for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Upon removing the rolls from the oven brush them with remaining softened butter once again.

Stuffed Buffalo Chicken

Matt loves buffalo chicken. When I say loves I mean LOVES. A lot. So when I saw this on Carrie's blog in my google reader, I starred it and saved it for a day I wanted to tell Matt how much I loved him. It worked because he really enjoyed this dish. If you are a buffalo chicken fan you NEED to try this recipe! Oh, and trust me, it's easier than the name makes it sound.



Stuffed Buffalo Chicken
Source: Carrie's Sweet Life originally from Love Deliciousness
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 c Blue Cheese crumbles (I replaced with shredded colby jack cheese)
3/4 c Ranch Dressing
1/2 c Franks Red Hot
1/2 c Panko Bread Crumbs
1/3 c shredded colby jack cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking dish with Pam.

Mix ranch dressing and franks red hot, marinate chicken for desired amount of time. I did for about 35 minutes.

Cut slit in the side of chicken breast and stuff with blue cheese crumbles.

Dip into franks/dressing mixture then dip in bread crumbs.

Bake in prepared pan for 35 minutes. Turn oven up to 400 and top with shredded cheese.

Bake until done through.

Light(er) Onion Rings

Along with the fish sticks I made onions rings which are also from Melissa's blog . These are really good if you are looking for a lighter version of fried onion rings. But, alas, they just aren't quite the same. Yes, I will make them again, but I do still love the deep fried ones in all their fatty glory.


Baked Onion Rings
Source: Delicious Meliscious originally from Cooking Light
Ingredients:
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin (I omitted)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/3 c. milk
2 Large Vidalia or sweet onions, cut into (1/4-inch-thick) slices
Breadcrumbs
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450

Combine everything except the breadcrumbs & onions in a large bowl. Dredge the onion rings in flour/milk mixture. Then coat with the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.

Place the onion rings in a single layer on a baking sheets (with a few small sprays of cooking spray). Lightly spray the onion rings with cooking spray. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.

Fish Sticks

I love fish sticks. But since I am making an extra effort to stay away from really processed foods I haven't had any in a long time. When I saw this recipe by Melissa, I immediately starred it in my google reader. This was a really yummy recipe that was fairly easy to make. We will definitely be having them again.

Homemade Fish Sticks

Source: Delicious Meliscious originally from Everyday Food

Ingredients:

1 large egg

salt

pepper

2 c panko

1 tbs

Old Bay Seasoning (I used McCormick seas food seasoning)

2 tbs olive oil

1 lb tilapia fillets

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees with racks in the middle of the oven.

Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil.

Cut tilapia fillets in half lengthwise, and then again the other direction. You now have 4 sticks per fillet.

Crack egg into shallow bowl, lightly beat with fork. Season with salt and pepper.

In another shallow bowl, combine panko, Old Bay, and olive oil.

Dip each tilapia stick into egg, shaking off the excess; then into panko mixture, pressing mixture so that it sticks.

Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes, until panko is lightly browned and fish is cooked through.

Cinnamon Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls. Almost as much as ice cream. I have been wanting to make some for a while now but they are fairly time intensive so I have been pushing it off. When I found this recipe in the Delicious Meliscious blog, I knew I had to finally stop putting it off and just make the darn things.

This was a really good recipe. There are only a couple things I will do differently next time. First, I will use more cinnamon because I love the cinnamon flavor and I just didn't use enough. Second, I will make sure I roll the dough out even thinner than I did so that the cinnamon sugar mixture is distributed more evenly. Other than that, these rolls are a keeper!


Cinnamon Rolls
Source: Delicious Meliscious originally from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:
2 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil (I used 1 stick vegetable spread melted)
1 c sugar, divided
1 pkg active dry yeast
4 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter
cinnamon to taste

Directions:
Mix milk, vegetable oil, and 1/2 c of sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Remove from heat and let it cool 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in yeast. Let this sit for a minute and then add 4 cups of flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for at least an hour.

Add 1/2 c flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir mixture together. (I made the rolls up to this point the night before and stuck the dough in a covered bowl in the fridge until morning)

Sprinkle surface generously with flour and roll the dough into a thin rectangular shape. Brush 1/2 cup melted butter on top, then sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar over the butter, and finish with cinnamon.

Starting with the wide end, roll the dough tightly. With a sharp knife, cut into 1 inch slices. Place in a greased pan and let rest 20-30 minutes. Bake at 400* for 15-18 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Source: Delicious Meliscious
(I halved this recipe and still have MUCH more than enough frosting)
Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese
4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c butter
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Frost warm rolls.

Chocolate Ice Cream

I love ice cream. All ice cream. At any time I can it. Even when it is below zero outside like it has been here for the past two days. Yes, I'm crazy. But, I just love the stuff SO much. I decided to try my hand at making it. I've shied away from it in the past because I don't have an ice cream maker. I don't really want one. I feel that I wouldn't use it enough to justify having to store it. Maybe one day when I have my dream house with the HUGE pantry.

I got the basic for this recipe from allrecipes.com. It comes from a recipe for rocky road but I figured I'd just make regular chocolate ice since that is the base for rocky road. I changed the recipe up a bit to suit my needs but let me tell you, it is SO good!



Recipe modified from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c unsweet cocoa powder
1 c heavy cream
2 c 2% milk
1 tbs vanilla extract

Directions:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine condensed milk and cocoa powder until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Stir in cream, milk, and vanilla.

Pour into a container suitable for the freezer that has a lid. Preferably glass or stainless steel.

At this point you can place the mixture in your ice cream maker if you have one and follow the manufacturer's directions. If not, follow the directions below:

Cool in refrigerator until cold. Stir and cover. Place in freezer for about 45 minutes. Stir, making sure to break up all ice crystals. Put back in freezer. Repeat process until soft set. Leave in freezer until ready to serve.

Oreo Truffles

Yum, yum, yum! There are no other words for these little balls of joy. The recipe for these floated around the What's Cooking board on The Nest for a long time this past holiday season. I finally got around to making them and I'm sad I waited so long! These are a very simple little treat to make and I'm sure it will be a crowd pleaser. So, make them now!

Ingredients:
1 package Oreos
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk OR 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 lb chocolate almond bark

Directions:
Crush Oreos.

Mix Oreos together with milk or cream cheese in large bowl. Place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes or until easy to handle.

While Oreo mixture is chilling, line baking sheet with foil or waxed paper.

Roll Oreo mixture into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet. Refrigerate for about an hour.

Melt almond bark in microwave for one minute. Stir. Keep melting in 15 second increments, stirring in between each, until completely melted.

Dip Oreo balls in melted almond bark. Place on baking sheet to harden. Decorate as desired.

To Store:
When using sweetened condensed milk, truffles may be stored in a covered dish at room temperature.

When using cream cheese, truffles must be stored in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ok, I know what you're thinking. Tuna noodle casserole? Ewwww! Well, just bear with me on this one.

When I was a kid, I loved Tuna Noodle Casserole. Now that I'm an adult, all the globity gloop that is cream of whatever soup makes me a little queasy. So, I've been on the hunt for something like a tuna bake that is flavorful and not boxed. Imagine my surprise when I saw this recipe while looking through old posts on one of my favorite blogs Joelen's Culinary Adventures.

This recipe is a very yummy way to eat tuna without the mess of cream of whatever soups. I followed the recipe *almost* to a T. Next time, I will make some adjustments to fit our tastes. I will omit the Dijon mustard and mayo and add a bit more salt and pepper. I will also probably thaw out the peas and carrots as the carrots took a long time to cook through when frozen. Other than that, I will keep it just as I made it last night!

Ingredients:
2 tbs butter
1 small chopped onion
1 tbs minced garlic
8 oz thinly sliced mushrooms (I omitted)
1 1/2 tbs flour
1 1/2 c evaporated milk
1 chicken bouillon cube (I omitted)
1 1/2 c frozen peas & carrots mix
3 (6oz) cans tuna, drained (I used two)
1 tbs mayonnaise
1 tbs Dijon mustard
garlic powder
onion powder
salt and pepper
2 cups croutons, crushed
1 cup shredded cheese, divided (I used 2 cups :D)
2 cups dried elbow macaroni, cooked

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onions, garlic and mushroom & brown. Add flour & cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add milk and stir. Add bullion cube & dissolve. Add peas/carrots, tuna, mayo & mustard. Add seasonings to taste. Fold in cooked macaroni. Stir in 1/2 of cheese.

Place in greased casserole dish. Top with crushed croutons and remaining cheese.

Bake 15-20 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Who doesn't love a good chocolate chip cookie? I don't know a single person who doesn't. They are the classic baked good. There are so many versions out there though that it might take someone a while to find that perfect one.

Today I was craving chocolate chip cookies. I decided to make my favorite recipe in bar form. I'm so glad I did. They are so yummy and leave the apartment smelling just a good.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars:
Source: My Brain but originally from Nestle Toll House

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 c chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350*

Grease the bottom of a 15x10 in jelly roll pan.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Cream together butter, the sugars, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.

Slowly add in dry ingredients until well mixed.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Bake about 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool in pan on wire rack.

Loaded Potato Soup

I don't know about you but I love O'Charley's loaded potato soup. It is amazing and I have to get a cup every time I go there. That soup and the rolls are really the only reason we go there. When I saw this soup, I though it looked much like the soup from the restaurant so I had to give it a try. I was not disappointed! Next time, the only things that we will do differently is fry up a whole batch of bacon to throw in there and maybe add some more cheese. Otherwise, this soup was perfect. Since I don't have a dutch oven, I just made this entire soup on the stove with a regular heavy duty pot.

Loaded Potato Soup

Source: Cook Like a Champion originally from Cooking Light
Ingredients:
4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 c all-purpose flour
6 c 2% reduced-fat milk
1 c reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 c reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 c chopped green onions, divided
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Cracked black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400*
Pierce potatoes with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, until tender.

Cool potatoes. Peel and coarsely mash.

Place flour in a large heavy duty pot. Gradually add milk, stirring with wire whisk until well blended.

Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, about 8 minutes.

Add potatoes, 3/4 c cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts.

Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 c onions.

Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until well heated. Do not boil.

Serve topped with crumbled bacon, remaining cheese and onions. Garnish with cracked pepper.

Red Velvet Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting

I love red velvet cake. So much so that our entire wedding cake was red velvet with cream cheese filling. The one tiny bite we had during the cutting was amazing. Fortunately (or unfortunately) everyone else thought so too so we didn't have any left over. I'm really hoping our 1-year anniversary top layer freezes well and still tastes as good.

As part of my 99 Things to Do in 2009 I wanted to make my own red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting from scratch. So, I did. I made cupcakes so I could take leftovers to work. I used a recipe I had starred in my google reader from Amber's Delectable Delights. Amber took this recipe from Annie's Eats. I filled the cupcakes with a bit of cream cheese frosting before frosting them and it was oh so yummy.

This is a very good red velvet cake recipe although, I prefer a richer flavor. I may add a bit more cocoa powder next time. The frosting did not come out quite right for me. It was too runny for the cupcakes (although it would probably work well with an actual layered cake) as I like fluffy frosting for my cupcakes. No matter how much powdered sugar I added, I couldn't get it to stiffen up. Oh well, it tasted good.



Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Source: Amber's Delectable Delights originally from Annie's Eats
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp white vinegar
2 1/2 c cake flour (I used 2 1/2 c - 5tbs all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
5/8 ounce bottle red food coloring

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*

Line bottom of 24 cupcake wells with paper liners.

Cream together the eggs, sugar, oil, and vinegar.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and cocoa together.

Add the flour mixture to the creamed ingredients while beating.

Slowly add the buttermilk.

While still beating add the vanilla and food coloring.

Pour equal amounts in to prepared cupcake wells (about 1 1/2 large cookie scoops). Bake for about 12-15 minutes until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from cupcake pan to cool on wire rack.

To fill cupcakes, spoon frosting into cake decoarting bag with a round tip. Push tip into top of cupcake and fill to desired fullness. Frost the tops of the cupcakes to cover hole.

For the Frosting
Ingredients:
12 oz cream cheese , softened
7 1/2 tbs butter softened
2 tbs sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c powdered sugar

Directions:
Mix cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla on medium speed until until well combined.

Add powdered sugar and mix until fluffy.

Lil' Smokies and Taco Roll Ups

I apologize for my lack of posting lately. A combination of being busy and being lazy has kept me away from my blog. But, I didn't stop cooking!

For New Year's Eve we had a pajama party game night with friends. We all brought snacks and a game. It was a wonderful time!

I made the classic lil' smokies in the crock pot and a new recipe, taco roll ups. The lil' smokies were perfect, just as they always are. The taco roll-ups were just ok in my opinion. My husband and brother-in-law liked them though. I think they need a little something extra, like tomatoes and lettuce or something.



Lil' Smokies (I doubled the recipe because we all like there so much)
Source: My Brain
Ingredients:
1 package (15-16 oz.) lil' smokies
1 jar (12 oz.) chili sauce
1 jar (12 oz.) grape jelly

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Mix well. Cook on low heat for about 3-4 hours until heated through.



Taco Roll Ups
Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 c sour cream
2 c finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c picante sauce
2 tbs taco seasoning
8 (10 in.) flour tortillas

Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth; stir in the cheddar cheese, picante sauce, and taco seasoning. Spread over tortillas; roll up jelly-roll style. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. For best flavor, refrigerate over night Just before serving, cut into 1 in. pieces.