I made cookies!!!!

Steven was told to bring a dessert for his family Christmas Day. I am super busy and didn't have time for anything fancy and didn't want to just bring something from Winn Dixie so I took a stab at cookies.

I am a very bad baker, normally, but I decided to try Land O Lakes recipe for Cinnamon Blossoms. I had everything needed and it sounded pretty easy. Plus, they came out really good!

Here is the recipe from their website. My changes are in bold.

Preparation time: 50 min LOL took me like 20 minutes
Baking time: 8 min

Yield: 5 dozen cookies opps, mine must have been too big, I think I got like 24

1		cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened I used unsalted
3/4		cup sugar
1		egg yolk
1		teaspoon vanilla
2		cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2		teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4		teaspoon salt
60		mini chocolate candy kisses I got the regular size with almonds

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, cinnamon and salt. Beat until well mixed.

Fit cookie press with desired template; fill with dough. Press dough, 1 inch apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. I didn't have a cookie press so I rolled mine into balls (apparently made them too big too)

Immediately place 1 candy in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

Okay, so the picture don't make this look very good but it is real easy and yummy!

Preheat oven to 375

1 lb Ground Turkey (I get the 93/7 one)
1/2 cp Italian Bread Crumbs
1 tsp Dried Oregano
3 slices Provolone Cheese
1 egg

Break up one piece of cheese. Mix together ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, oregano, cheese pieces. Divide the turkey into three sections (two about equal and one smaller). Take one of the larger sections and form a ball, flatten it out a big with an indent in the middle about the size of a slice of cheese and lay a piece of cheese in the indent. Cover with smaller section of turkey. Put the 3rd piece of cheese and cover with last section of turkey. Form into a nice round shape and make sure cheese is covered on sides with ground turkey.

Bake for approx 45 minutes.

Banana Bread with Pecans

They had some bananas on clearance at Winn Dixie so I decided to take a stab at Banana Bread. I ended up using aTyler Florence recipe on Food TV. Only difference was I used less butter but it was yummy. Steven is already asking me to make more.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt(I only used a pinch since I had salted butter)
  
• 4 overripe bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I used one stick of salted)
  
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.

Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve.

Classic Lasagna

I decided to make a lasagna so I went to google. Of course, when I saw the 3rd recipe was a Giada recipe I had to make it. Took a little while to prepare (make the tomato sauce first!) but it was pretty good (and I am not a lasagna person). The recipe is C&P from Food Network. Their picture is pretty than mine but I didn't want to steal it too.

Ingredients

Bechamel Sauce:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the lasagna
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk at room temperature
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, recipe follows
• Salt and white pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground chuck beef
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 1 pound lasagna sheets, cooked al dente
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bechamel sauce:

In a 2-quart pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter has completely melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add the nutmeg and tomato sauce. Stir until well combined and check for seasoning. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

In a saute pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, breaking any large lumps, until it is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish. Evenly spread a layer of all the ricotta mixture and then a layer of all the spinach. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread all the ground beef on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella cheese on top of the beef. Spread another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and top with remaining bechamel, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and top lasagna.

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place lasagna dish on top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for about 15 minutes.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Quick and Yummy Salad

So this isn't really a recipe but I have been in search of a quick and easy salad I could eat since that is way healthier than just looking around and eating the first junk I find.

A bowl full of spring mix or fresh spinach leaves (I get the bags of it) with purple onion, cold turkey pepperoni, feta cheese crumbles and topped with some ground peppercorn pepper and a little EVOO. Very quick, easy, and yummy!!

Beef and Lentil Soup

Giada De Laurentiis Beef and Lentil Soup from Family Dinners

I made this today because I wanted something different, it was good too. Changes I made are in parentheses. I was lazy and did put all of my veggies in the food processor instead of hand chopping. I am sure it would be a prettier soup if you could actually see the carrots and celery.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes (I had 2 .90 packs of lean stew beef)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped (I used the blender b/c Steven don't like carrots)
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
6 (14-ounce) cans beef broth (I had 2 boxes of beef broth, I think it was 64 oz total)
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice (I use 2 "regular" size cans)
2 cups (about 11 ounces) lentils, rinsed
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I used curley leaf)

Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add half of the beef and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oregano to the pot. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Return the beef and any accumulated juices from the bowl to the pot. Add the broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Add the lentils. Cover and continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes (Mine cooked about 1.5 hours). Stir in the parsley (I accidentally added this with the lentils). Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper.

EVOO Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

Pictures were taken when I made this dish again and didn't have the fresh egg noodles so I used regular. This actually could become a very healthy dish and eat without the pasta. The chicken and veggies themselves are very filling!!!

This is very different for me but it was really yummy!!!

I was in the produce section at Winn Dixie and saw fresh egg noodles (but they were long and wavy not fat like regular egg noodles) and decided to try them. Then I was passing the stir fry mixes and that sounded good I just didn't want the soy sauce so I created my own stir fry.

3 cleaned and cubed chicken breast
1 bag fresh egg noodles (will need a little over half)
1 bag baby carrots
1 green bell pepper (or whatever color you like)
1 head broccoli
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
EVOO
Salt, Black Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder

Heat EVOO (enough to cover bottom) in large pan. Put in 1 tablespoon garlic and carrots, cover and let sizzle about 10 minutes to get carrots soft.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta.

Slice onions into circles and bell pepper into strips. Break up broccoli.

Season cubed chicken with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic and onion powder. Add to pan. Let cook about 10 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through) then add rest of chopped veggies. Cook down about 6 minutes.

Drain pasta (only needs to cook about 5 minutes) and add to pot. Mix all together and let cook over high heat about 3 minutes. Mix the whole time. Serve.

Grilled Chicken on Flatout Bread

So, I was doing my regular weekly grocery shopping and looking for wraps and noticed these new Flatout Wraps. I didn't know what I would do with them but I love what I made tonight!

1 flatout wrap per person
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast per person
EVOO
Herbs de Provence
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Cheese (I used a mix of mozzarella, goat, and parm)'
Fresh spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 350. Preheat outside grill

Mix about 3/4 cup EVOO, herbs de Porvence, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powders together. Put about a tablespoon to the side then put chicken breast in to marinade. Let soak about 10 minutes.

While chicken is grilling, you can slowly pour a little left over marinade on each breast to keep it moist. When it is cooked, remove from grill and slice into thin slices.

Use a nonstick baking pan and place the flatbreads on it. Heat in oven about 2 minutes. Remove from oven, coat is marinade you put to the side. Cover in fresh spinach leaves, chicken, and cheeses (if using goat cheese, it is strong so don't use much). Put in oven on low broil until cheese is melted. Eat right away!

Italian Pasta Bake

This is very quick and easy if you have some marinara sauce already prepared and frozen.

All measurements approximate

16 oz marinara sauce
1.25 lbs ground sirloin
7 oz ritoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella
7 oz ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta

Brown ground sirloin in pot large enough to hold that plus sauce

Once meat is cooked, add sauce and mix together

Drain pasta and pour into a casserole dish (oven safe). Pour meat/sauce mix on top. Add ricotta and mix together well. Top with moxxarella cheese and bake approximately 20 minutes.

Creamy Spinach Spaghetti with Herb Chicken

I wasn't crazy about this dish I made up toinight but maybe someone else will like it :)

3 chicken breast
Fresh sprigs of lemon thyme, curly leaf parsley, oregano
Few slices of onion
1 box spaghetti
1.5 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup warm milk
1/2 box frozen spinach thawed and drained
Salt
Black Pepper
White Pepper
Nutmeg

Chicken:
Clean chicken and put in a sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle salt and black pepper and fresh herbs on top of chicken, top with onion. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about an hour.

Bring pot of salted water to boil for spaghetti. Cook until tender.

Sauce:
Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly add warm milk mixing the whole time until sauce is thick, creamy, and lump free. Add a dash of salt, white pepper, and nutmeg (very little nutmeg) and stir.

Drain spaghetti and put back into pot. Add spinach and sauce, mix well.

Summer Chicken and Pasta

I made this up tonight I had chicken defrosted and didn't know what to do with it. Again, for the camera to use your imagination :)

2 boneless/skinless chicken breast
S&P
Spaghetti (I use 1/2 box organic)
About 1/4 cup chopped fresh curly leaf parsley
EVOO

Preheat grill. Season chicken breast with S&P and grill until cooked. While chicken is grilling heat up a pot of salted water and cook spaghetti. Drain and put into big bowl. When chicken is cooked, cut into strips and add to bowl of spaghetti. Put a drizzle (about 1 tablespoon) of EVOO and fresh parsley and toss all together. Add more S&P if needed. Serve and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

This was super quick for those hot summer days you don't have time or feel like standing over a stove top!

Potato and Beef Bake

No picture, well I took a picture but it really didn't look appetizing so I am not posting it LOL I made this up a few months ago but have only made it twice. It is really good though!

4 medium potatoes
1 cup Olive Oil
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
Balsamic Vinegar
1.25 lbs. lean ground beef
1 bag cheddar cheese
1/3 cup Diced Onion
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400
Peel and dice potatoes
Mix about 1 cup olive oil, drop of balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning in cup
Pour above mix into ziplock bag and add potatoes, shake well
Spread on baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes (until potatoes are soft)

While potatoes are baking brown ground beef with onion, salt, pepper

Once potatoes are done, mix everything together and put into casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake until cheese is melted and slightly brown.

*to make creamier, you can add a cheese sauce when mixing together before baking

Corn Casserole

No picture, but every time I have ever made this for a group I have had people ask for the recipe. So here it is, super simple! (My husband is actually the only one I know who don't like it LOL)

1 tablespoon melted butter
8 oz. fat free sour cream
15¼ oz corn drained, I use low sodium
15¼ oz cream corn, I use low sodium
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (which calls for 1 egg and ¾ cup milk I believe)

Mix all ingredients together in big casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

**To make for party, double everything and bake in aluminum cook n serve for approx. 1 hr 15 mins.

Chicken Marsala - Very different flavor!

Another Giada recipe, I promise I make my own recipes too but I have been in the mood to try different stuff lately. This one was from "Family Dinners"

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (I use two big chicken breast)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided (I didn't use this much, maybe 2 tbsp)
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (I didn't use any mushrooms)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine (I used rotini, I didn't have fettuccine)

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Mini Penne with Parm Chicken

Another Giada recipe from Everyday Pasta. This picture sucks but my Canon battery was dead so I had to use my old Kodak.

3 tbsp EVOO plus 1/2 cup
1 cup buttermilk
1.5 lbs chicken tenders (about 18)
1 lb penne pasta
1 1/4 grated parm cheese
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
Salt and BP
3 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I only use 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 500. Spray a baking pan with olive oil baking spray. Place buttermilk in a large bowl. Add chicken tenders, stir to coat, and let stand for 15-30 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite.

Stir the parm. cheese and bread crumbs together. Season with S&P. Remove chicken from buttermilk and dredge in mixture. Please on pan. Coat chicken with olive oil and cook until golden brown (about 12 minutes). Transfer to cutting board and cut into 1" pieces (I cut mine up in the beginning before soaking.

Mash garlic with 1 tsp of salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the vinegar and 1/2 cup of EVOO. Season with 1/4 tsp pepper.

Place drained pasta in a large serving bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, sprinkle with parsley, and top with chicken. Toss and serve.

Italian Turkey Meatballs

(Please excuse the messy table, I have been super busy between Oasis Homes and Cleaning Wizards)

I decided to do meatball subs tonight and I never made meatballs before so here is my little recipe that I made up. I love Italian food so I figured I would do an Italian Meatball.

EVOO
1.3 lbs lean ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 cp Italian Bread Crumbs
1/4 cp grated parm cheese
1 tsp. each of S&P
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 cups of your favorite sauce (I use the mariana from below)

Drizzle a little EVOO in the bottom of a pan (just enough to coat) or spray with EVOO NonStick spray. Combine ingredients 2-6 in a bowl. Once combined, form balls and put into pan with EVOO. Let cook about 15 minutes (turning as needed). Add sauce, making sure to coat all meatballs. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes or until meatballs are done.

Serve on top of spaghetti or on sub rolls. When serving on sub rolls, I add slices of provolone cheese.

The steamed broccoli is super easy. I literally only steam the broccoli for about 6 minutes. I love my fresh veggies when they are hot but still have a crunch to them. I just put a tad bit of butter with a little S&P to season.

Penne with Beef and Arugula

First, I LOVE this dish. It is from "Everyday Pasta" by Giada De Laurentiis.

Here is the recipe from page 182 (my changes next to it). I make this for two.

2 New York Strip Steaks about 8 oz each (I use one pack of Stir Fry Strips or one Top Sirlion)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1 garlic clove, minced (I have also used garlic powder)
3/4 cup plus 3 tbsp EVOO
1 lb penne pasta (I use 1/2 box of the organic penne from Winn Dixie)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I only use one little dash of it)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (if you use dry, use less)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (if you use dry, use less)
2 cups chopped arugula (I ended up planting this-cool weather plant-b/c I couldn't find it anywhere. You can use fresh spinach instead but the arugula makes this dish!)

(This is edited a bit, not directly from her book)
Season steak with S&P, herbs de Provence, and garlic. Heat 3 tbsp EVOO in pan. Cook steak for about 7 minutes per side. Turn off heat and leave in pan covered.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain.

In a small bowl, wisk EVOO, balsamic vinegar, parsley, basil, dijion mustard, 1/2 tsp S&P together.

If you use pre-cut strips of steak, add pasta and sauce to pan with chopped arugula. Toss together and serve. If a whole steak, cut steak in slices the put back into pan and mix all ingredients together.

According to her book, this is also a good party good served at room temp.

Forget to take a picture!

We made homemade pizza last night (and it was yummy) but I was starving and forget to take the picture (I can see this happening often). But I will post the recipe anyway.

Premade 5 Grain Pizza Crust (I got it from Organic Planet)
Homemade marinara Sauce (don't know how much, I have the thin rubbermaid container that fits a sandwich filled)
Lots of cheese (I mix the Italian Blend and Goat Cheese)
Turkey pep.

Thats it, simple and yummy. Only needed to bake for 10 minutes then I broiled on high for about 2 minutes.

Tonight, I am just doing grilled chicken sandwiches on wheat with fries so there won't be a picture (or recipe) of that either. I have the girls coming to sleep over tonight and Saturday night and I have alot to do tomorrow.

Marinara Sauce

I started this blog because I am always sending my newly tried recipes, those that come out good of course, to my mom. Anyway, I figured I could start this blog and if she (or anyone else) tries them, you can let me know what you think (by leaving a comment at the end of that recipe)! It will take a while to get going because I am going to include a picture with each recipe. And, in the past, it wasn't a habit of mine to take pictures at dinner LOL


I have plenty of recipes I would love to post but I am going to try and include a picture with each one. Some I have made up, some are from cookbooks (which I will let you know) and others are from cookbooks or other people and edited a bit.

Well, I am cooking chicken parmesan tonight and there is nothing special about chicken but I made my own marinara sauce. I use this sauce anytime I need a red sauce so mostly pasta or homemade pizza.

Marinara Sauce

½ cup EVOO

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 celery stalks, chopped

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

2 – 28 cans crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

4 leaves fresh basil

1 tbsp fresh curly parsley

¼ tsp fresh oregano

Heat EVOO in pot, add onion, garlic, celery. Let cook down about 10 minutes. Add rest of ingredients. Let cook at least 30 minutes. Freezes well.