Recipe Thursday

I would really like to start Recipe Friday (or whatever day of the week) again. I need more new recipes. The amount of food I'm eating is ever growing, but the amount of recipes I use stays the same. Anyway, I present to you Oatmeal Pancakes for your eating enjoyment.

Oatmeal Pancakes

2 c. quick oats
½ c. flour
3 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 ½ c. buttermilk
2 large eggs (slightly beaten)
¼ c. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
add cinnamon, optional (I did)

Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and let sit for 20-30 minutes, covered. Cook slowly on a griddle at 325°, or a little lower. The pancakes are easier to flip if they are not very big. Spray griddle before each batch. Let the pancake cook through on one side and then flip.

And to go with those pancakes, here's some Coconut Syrup.

Coconut Syrup

7-8 tbs. butter
¾ c. buttermilk
1 c. sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up—just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the fizz to reduce before serving.

I made these for dinner last night and thought they were pretty good. Nate said they were like eating a bowl of oatmeal, except off of the griddle. I agree—they were really oatmeally. But they were filling and tasty. And Colin loved them. Feeding him oatmeal pancakes was much cleaner and easier than feeding him a bowl of oatmeal. I highly suggest making these for small children. Mine didn't taste so much like a bowl of oatmeal because of the yummy syrup. Nate didn't touch the syrup, but he doesn't like coconut so I didn't expect him to. I would tell you to try the syrup anyway, even if you don't like coconut because it was delicious and not too coconutty. Well, when I made it it was a little coconutty because I cut the recipe in half, all except for the coconut extract, but that was an accident. I guess that if you do want a little extra flavor go ahead and double up on the extract. It's very delicious. The recipe makes a lot, but they hold up well to refrigerating and reheating.

Recipe Tuesday—For Amy Edition

My friend Amy said she was actually using the recipes I had been posting and asked me to keep sharing. Per her request, here are some of the recipes I've tried lately.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

I ate an entire loaf of this today, and I don't even feel bad about it because it has so many healthy parts.

3 eggs

1 c. vegetable oil (I used 1/2 c. oil and 1/2 c. applesauce)

1 tbls. vanilla

2 c. sugar (I used a mix of white and brown)

2 c. shredded zucchini (I used a little more than that)

3 c. flour (I used 1 1/2 c. white and 1 1/2 c. wheat)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tbls. ground cinnamon

1 pint fresh blueberries (I've used frozen too, about 2 c.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 4 mini loaf pans. In a large bowl beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini loaf pans. Bake 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Blueberry Pie

I made this with a graham cracker crust, so my real-pie-crust-loving husband didn't love it as much. My graham-cracker-crust-loving brother thought the crust was the best part. I probably ate more than half of this dessert all by myself.

4 oz. cream cheese (I used more like 8)

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream, whipped (I used cool whip because that's what I had on hand, also it was fat free)

1 (9 inch) pastry shell, baked

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. cornstarch

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. lemon juice

3 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread into pastry shell. In a large saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until serving.

Recipe Sunday—Nate Ate Zucchini Edition

That's right. I prepared zucchini from our garden for dinner tonight and Nate ate it without complaint! Can I get an amen?! My brother, mother, son, and friend Paul each went back for more. Here's the recipe for anyone who is interested.

Zucchini Mozzarella Medley

3 c. sliced zucchini

1 c. sliced onion (I just sprinkled on a little onion powder because I didn't want to cut up any onion.)

1 clove garlic, minced (This was the first time I had ever actually had a clove of garlic in my house and minced it on my own. It was awesome.)

1 tbs. olive oil

1/2 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tomato, cut into 12 wedges (I just threw in some halved cherry tomatoes because that's what I had from the garden.)

4 oz. mozzarella (I just threw on some cheese, kind of a lot of cheese, because I thought Nate would like it better that way.)

Sauté vegetables and seasonings in oil in large skillet until crisp/tender (about 5 minutes). Gently stir in tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat. Serve after cheese melts.

I might make this again tomorrow. We kind of have a truckload of zucchinis. And did I mention that Nate actually ate some of this?

Recipe Friday

Zesty Italian Crock Pot Chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 pkgs. Zesty Italian dressing mix
2 c. water
2 tsp. parsley
6-8 chicken breasts cut into halves or smaller, if desired
2 pkgs. (8 oz.) room temperature cream cheese

Mix together soup, dressing mix, water, and parsley. Put in crock pot. Add chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours. One hour before serving add cream cheese. After it has melted a little while you can use a whisk to blend it. Cook for the last hour with the lid off. Serve over noodles and rice.

When I've made this I ususally cut the recipe in half and it still feeds Nate and I 3-ish times each. So basically it makes a lot. I've served it with wide egg noodles (of the no-yolk variety because I'm so health conscious :) ). Nate really likes this recipe and has actually requested that we have it for dinner. Wow! I like it because it's warm and delicious comfort food.

Recipe Friday

Today's recipe is brought to you by the letter C, for Colin, climb, cute, and crawl.

I haven't actually made this one yet, but I intend to. Also, I couldn't find the recipe I really wanted to post, so this one is just a backup.

Cool Lime Pie

1 pkg. (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

6 ounces limeade concentrate

4 drops green food coloring, optional

1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)

1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

mandarin oranges, optional

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add limeade and food coloring if desired. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Garnish with kiwi, remaining whipped topping, and oranges. 6-8 servings.

Oh, I meant to post this video last time, but I forgot, so here it is! Behold Colin in all his unclothed glory!

Recipe Friday

Italian Cheese Bread

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1 tbsp. quick-rise yeast

1 c. warm water

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/4 to 1/3 c. prepared Italian salad dressing

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

dash pepper

1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Combine water and oil; add to flour mixture. Add additional flour if needed to forma  soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Punch the dough down; place on a greased 12-in pizza pan and pat into a 12-in circle. Brush with salad dressing. Combine seasonings, sprinkle over top. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or untili golden brown. Serve warm.

Recipe Sunday, and other miscellaneous goings on

It's funny how as a first-time parent you wait and wait for your kid to reach certain milestones, but then as soon as he does, you wish he couldn't pull himself up on the coffee table or crawl through his own vomit. Those are two of Colin's favorite things to do. If only he threw up Pine-Sol instead of milk—then he could mop the floor for me as he scooted around the house. These days he's pretty much not content unless he's exploring something new, climbing up on it, and tasting it. 

Colin had a lot of fun playing with his crib mattress when it was on the floor earlier this week. We took it out so we could lower the bottom of the crib since he was pulling himself up and hanging over the edge.

On Monday night we went over to Caleb and Heather's for FHE. 

When I fixed Sara's red eyes, it kind of grayed them out, so now she looks like a robot.

The kids and Granny had fun playing on the floor with toys.

Rachel is so grown up these days, wearing her fancy skirt and dangly earrings, and texting her boyfriend on her cell phone. :)

Bryant gave the lesson on baby Moses. (There's a baby in the basket he's holding up.) Good job, Bry!

We had hot chocolate for a treat. Well, everyone else had hot chocolate for a treat. As soon as I went for mine, Colin did too and knocked the huge mug over. This picture doesn't quite do the mess justice. My leg was soaked all the way around to my bum, my shirt was soaked, Colin's legs were covered, and the table and floor were drenched. Thankfully Heather let me borrow a pair a pj pants and a shirt so I didn't have to remain in my chocolaty clothes. 

Colin wondered how pants taste, so he pulled himself up to the clothes basket to find out.

I really liked this picture. He kind of looks like a blue-western-bib-lion coming after me to eat me.

Colin's always enjoyed playing with the vents, but he likes it even more when the warm air comes out. He'll sit and play with them for quite a while.

I put him in the laundry basket with a blanket, and he snuggled right in and enjoyed being pushed around his room.

Awww. A boy and his dragon.

I was trying to get a cute picture of Colin in his other UTEP onesie to send to Hannah, but this is the best I got. Between the crazy eyes, the buckteeth, and the huge open mouth, he looked pretty deranged in all of the pictures.

On Saturday night Caleb and Heather's kids slept over while the parents went to dinner and the Jazz game. After her bath Li'l Miss Sara had fun going through her Kung Fu poses. Here she is doing Attack of the Monkey Fist.

When I started taking pictures of Sara, the other two girls decided they wanted in. Rachel told me, "This one will be cute."

Awww. Sisters. 

For dessert we had a fruit pizza. I made the crust and frosting and let the girls go crazy putting on the toppings. They made a beautiful pizza and it was delicious to eat! Yum!

Speaking of fruit pizza, here is our Recipe Friday recipe.

1 tube sugar cookie dough

8 oz cream cheese

1 jar marshmallow creme

cut up fruit of choice, we used kiwis, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries because that's what I had at home

Press cookie dough into bottom of a pan (I used a pan that was like half the size of a cookie sheet. I don't know the technical term for it. I suppose you could double the recipe and put it in a regular size cookie sheet.). Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until it is cooked. Cool completely. Mix cream cheese with marshmallow creme. Spread over cookie crust. Top with fruit. Eat.

After dessert the big kids had some popcorn and watched  a movie. Then it was off to bed...

...except for Li'l Miss Sara, who decided she just wanted a short nap and then to get up and play with me and Nate. 

Who could refuse this face? So she stayed up with us until Caleb and Heather got home and then went to sleep in her own bed. 

And last but not least we have a short hello from the Utah Cousins to the Iowa Cousins. 

I know it sounds like I was forcing them at gunpoint to recite this, but I really wasn't. They told me what they wanted to say, and then they said it for the camera in their hostage video voices.

Recipe Friday

Red Lobster-style Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

Nate and I like these biscuits quite a bit. They're a quick alternative to rolls, which are delicious but time consuming. And they're a little bit classier than regular ol' baking powder biscuits. We eat them with soup and stuff. 

2 c. Jiffy or Bisquick mix

2/3 c. milk

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 400. Mix Jiffy mix, milk, cheese, and garlic powder into a sticky dough. Drop by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter and mix with garlic salt. Coat biscuits with garlic butter as soon as you take them out of the oven while they're still on the pan. 

Recipe Friday

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a Nathan-ized version of a recipe I originally got from his sister Lenna. Nate doesn't like sour cream, and he doesn't like them to be too soupy. I like to use my food storage chicken or turkey when I make these, so that's why it says "cans" of meat. I suppose you could use a couple of chicken breasts and be just fine.

2 cans of chicken or turkey chunks, drained (I really like the stuff I've gotten from the family cannery. I say "or turkey" because Nate wasn't able to tell a difference when I used the other meat.)

1/2 c. salsa (I think I usually use more. I kind of adhere to the just dump some in method of cooking. The same goes for basically all of the other ingredients listed here.)

1 small can diced green chiles

1/4 c. diced tomatoes

1/4 c. diced olives

2 c. shredded cheese

1 tsp. chili powder

1 pkg. tortillas

1 can green enchilada sauce

Lenna's recipe also calls for 1-2 c. sour cream and a can of cream of chicken soup

Mix ingredients and spoon into tortillas. Place a small amount of enchilada sauce in bottom of 9 X 13 dish so enchiladas don't stick. Roll tortillas and place on sauce. Top with the rest of the green sauce and some shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Recipe Friday

My Recipe for Orange Julius

Put the following in a blender. Then blend.

Some orange juice concentrate

Some ice cubes

Some milk

Some vanilla

Some sugar

If you want to be extra classy, you can add any or all of the following:

Some strawberries

Some bananas

Some raspberries

Some other type of fruit that sounds good to you

Recipe Friday

Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

Sorry if you're getting sick of all the spinach recipes, but it's a handy veggie to have on hand, and it's one of the only green things Nate will eat, so boo on you. I liked the recipe because it was tasty like lasagna but without all the layering and cooking time.

12 lasagna noodles

2 eggs, beaten slightly

2 1/2 c. ricotta cheese

2 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (recipe says 10 ounces but the bags I buy come in 16 ounces, so that's what I used)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. nutmeg (didn't have this)

1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 375. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheeses, spinach, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Drain noodles. Spread 1/3 c. cheese mixture over each noodle. Carefully roll up. Pour 1 c. sauce into an ungreased 9X13 dish. Place roll-ups seam side down over sauce. Top with remaining sauce. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serves 6.

Recipe Friday

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained (I used the Italian flavored petite diced kind)
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside. Place chicken (I brown my chicken first) in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with the basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture. Bake 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

This recipe came courtesy of the Stove Top box. It was pretty good.

Recipe Friday, Saturday Edition

Spinach Ravioli Bake

I made this for lunch/dinner today, and I think it's a winner. It was easy to put together, and it really dressed up the plain ravioli. Nate said, "It's better than regular ravioli. I'd eat it again." Talk about rave reviews...

2 c. spaghetti sauce
1 pkg. (25 ounces) frozen Italian sausage ravioli or ravioli of your choice
2 c. (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pkg. (10 ounces, but I used 16) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Place 1 c. sauce in a greased shallow 2 quart baking dish. Top with half of the ravioli, mozzarella, spinach, and parmesan. Repeat layers. (If I were to make this again I would probably put the sauce, ravioli, cheese, all the spinach, and then ravioli, sauce, and cheese. The spinach on the top got a little toasted doing it the way the recipe said.) Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Recipe Friday

Parmesan Ham Pasta

Nate got a ham for Christmas from work, and we cooked it last night for dinner. Since we have leftovers, this is what I'm making for dinner. Here's hoping it's good!

16 oz. bow tie pasta

2 c. cubed fully cooked ham

1 can 4 oz. mushroom pieces (I will be omitting this ingredient)

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. milk

1 pkg. 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute ham and mushrooms in butter. Stir in flour and salt until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Stir in spinach and cheese. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Drain pasta; stir into the ham mixture.

Edited to add: Success! Nate said, "I'd eat it more than once." That means this is a good recipe.

Recipe Friday

Spinach Alfredo Sausage Lasagna

I really liked this lasagna. It seemed like a lot of work (probably because I don't make lasagna all that often), but it was tasty. Nate didn't care much for it, but that shouldn't surprise anyone. He was against having sausage in his lasagna. Weird. 

12 oz. lasagna noodles, cooked according to pkg directions

1 lb. pork sausage

10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained

17 oz. jar alfredo sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 egg

2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Brown and drain sausage. Add spinach, alfredo sauce, salt, and pepper. In separate bowl combine egg and all cheeses except mozzarella. Mix well. In ungreased 9X13 pan layer 1/3 sausage mix, 1/3 noodles, 1/3 cheese mix. Repeat 2 more times. Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Friday, Christmas Edition

This recipe comes from the new food storage cook book I got for Christmas. I haven't tried it yet, but I think I'm going to. It looks pretty simple.

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

2 c. wheat or white flour

1/2 - 3/4 c. water

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. oil

Mix ingredients together and knead well. Add small amount of water, if necessary. Let stand for 10 minutes. Knead and pat or slap into the shape of a thin pancake. Add more water or flour as needed. Cook on top of the stove in ungreased, heavy iron or non-stick skillet, turning to cook through, but do not burn. (Not burning it seems like a good tip. I'll have to remember that.)

Recipe Friday

This episode is brought to you by Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup

I can't remember if I've actually made this before or not.

Creamy Pesto Chicken & Bow Ties

3 c. uncooked bow tie pasta

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts cubed

1 can 10.75 oz. cream of chicken soup

1/2 c. pesto sauce

1/2 c. milk

Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain. Heat butter in skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned stirring often. Add soup, pesto sauce and milk. Bring to a boil. Cook over low heat 5 min. or until done. Stir in drained pasta and heat through.

Recipe Friday, Birthday Edition

biscuits & gravy

This is probably Nate's favorite breakfast. This recipe serves him and me with sometimes a little left over.

1/3 lb sausage

2 tbls butter or margarine

2 tbls flour

1 c milk

1 can of 10 biscuits from Wal-Mart (or make some from scratch, see if I care)

Preheat oven and start baking your biscuits. Brown sausage in a skillet. Remove sausage. In the same skillet melt butter and stir in flour until combined. Add milk and combine. Sauce will thicken as it cooks. It doesn't take too long. Add sausage back in when desired thickness is achieved. Salt and pepper to taste. Tear up biscuits however you see fit—some like them in halves, some in teensy bits. Pour gravy on top. Enjoy. 

(Can you tell I was just remembering this off the top of my head? Hopefully it's complete.)

Recipe Friday

crepes with cream cheese filling

This is actually a conglomerate of several recipes I found online. I had never made crepes before, so I had no idea what I was looking for. They turned out really good. I was pretty proud of myself.

Crepe Batter

2 eggs

1/4 c milk

2 tbl water

4 tbl flour

1/8 tsp salt

Whisk ingredients together. Heat and grease the pan, pour in a few tablespoons of batter, swirl around to just cover the bottom of the pan (you don't want them too thick is my understanding). In a minute or two flip it over. Wait another minute and you're done!

Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 c cool whip

1 1/4 c confectioners sugar

Sometimes I also add 1/2 tsp vanilla or some cinnamon or both. I really just make it up as I go.

Optional Toppings:
I put some frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries on the stove with a little sugar, water, and cornstarch to make a sauce. It was delicious. My family also enjoyed whipped cream and chocolate syrup too.

Fill crepes with cream cheese filling, roll up, top with extra cool whip or what-have-you, and enjoy!

Recipe Friday

Chocolate Eclair Bars

I got this recipe from Brad who got it from Rachelle Moss. It's one of my favorite desserts. I take it to baby/bridal showers and ward functions and such. Also, I can eat about half of the pan all by myself. Enjoy!

Crust:

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1 1/2 cups of water

1 1/2 cups of flour

6 eggs slightly beaten

Filling: 

8 ounces cream cheese

8 ounces cool whip

3 cups milk

3 tablespoons milk

2 packages vanilla pudding

hot fudge topping

Combine butter and water in a pan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour. Stir until it forms a ball. Add beaten eggs slowly. Stir until smooth. Spray large cookie sheet with oil. Spread dough out on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool completely.

Mix cream cheese with 3 tablespoons of milk until smooth. In another bowl, beat pudding and 3 cups of milk. Mix cream cheese in. Fold in cool whip. Spread over crust. Drizzle hot fudge topping over filling. Cut into squares or just dig in with your hands. Don't just dig in with your hands. Show some class.