Food Friday: Roasted Asparagus or Green Beans

A few weeks ago I was helping my mom prepare dinner for a family gathering when she asked me to prepare the asparagus.  I made it the same way I always make it but none of my family had tried it that way before and everyone couldn't stop talking about how good it was.  I use the same concept for both asparagus and green beans and simply change the seasonings to match the meal.

Asparagus or green beans
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Seasonings to match meal (I almost always include a dash of garlic powder)

Put the vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Add salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings you desire.  Roast at 400 degrees for 15-30 minutes (depends on how much you are cooking).  I usually make this in my toaster oven and it takes a little less time.

Food Friday: The Unmotivated Edition

I'm sorry to say but I do not have a new recipe to post this week.  I've been extremely unmotivated in the kitchen lately and need some new recipes to get me going again.  

For this reason, for Food Friday this week I'm simply going to share with you my favorite recipe site - Food.com.  Many of you already know this site well, as it was formally known as Recipe Zaar.  They recently changed their name and it threw me for a loop a few weeks ago when I was looking for a new recipe.  It is still the same great site as before but with a few improvements.  


This is my favorite site because the reviews are usually great and the message boards have some great ideas.  And no, they did not pay me to say any of this.  I simply felt the need to share where I like to search.  

Now, I'm heading off to find me a new recipe to try for dinner tomorrow night.

Food Friday: BBQ Bacon Pork Chops

This is an easy dinner that can be made in the oven or on the grill.  It also has received my husband's approval which, as most of you know, is huge.

BBQ Bacon Pork Chops

Pork chops
BBQ sauce (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's)
Bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Brush BBQ sauce on both sides of pork chop then wrap bacon around the chop.  Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes, adding another layer of BBQ sauce half way through.  If you prefer a crisper bacon, broil a few minutes once pork chops are cooked through.

Food Friday: Fresh Strawberry Bread

I first discovered this recipe a few weeks ago when strawberries were on sale at rock bottom prices.  I knew it was a keeper when my non-strawberry liking 4 year old grabbed part of a loaf and started chowing down on it and telling me how much he liked it.  

One word of warning though, this needs to be made as a loaf and not as muffins.  I love putting quick bread recipes into muffin tins so I have quick and easy breakfast items on hand for my kids but when I tried it with this they did not hold up well as the bread is very moist.

Fresh Strawberry Bread
Originally from RecipeZaar

1 cup sliced strawberries
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten

1. In a bowl, place the sliced strawberries and 2 Tbsp sugar.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight to create a syrup from the berries.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Blend together flour, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil, vanilla, eggs, strawberry slices and their syrup.  Dump the strawberry mixture into the flour mixture and mix just until blended.

4. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan (9"x5") and bake for approximately 50 minutes. 
 

Food Friday: Garlic Vinegrette

This is an easy salad dressing that really dresses up a salad.  I usually make it for potlucks but I had some dressing leftover that I've been using all week and it is delicious.  The recipe is originally from the Weight Watchers' Simply the Best cookbook and they suggest serving it with mandarin oranges and almonds.

Garlic Vinegrette

2 Tbsp minced parsley
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced (I use a microplane grater instead)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp water


Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight fighting lid, cover, and shake.  Serves approximately 4.

Food Friday: "Ice Cream" Sandwich

We love to eat ice cream year round but especially in the summer.  This is a fake ice cream sandwich recipe that is easy and much healthier than the real thing.

"Ice Cream" Sandwich

1 graham cracker sheet, broke in half
Cool Whip (lite & fat free work great)
plastic wrap

Spread Cool Whip on half of a graham cracker, top with the other half, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy! 

Food Friday: Poppy Seed Bread

This is a quick and easy bread that makes two loaves.  I love it when a recipe makes more than one loaf because I can eat one now and freeze the other for later.  I would recommend waiting to ice the one you are freezing though.


Poppy Seed Bread
3 cups unsifted flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp each almond flavoring, butter flavoring, vanilla & poppy seed

Mix together.  Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans.  Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Icing
1/4 cups orange juice
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp almond flavoring
1 tsp butter flavoring
1 tsp vanilla

Food Friday: Tutti Fruiti Ice Cream

This is one of my favorite homemade ice cream recipes.  My kids like it too and they don't even realize they are getting a serving of fruit in while enjoying this treat.

Tutti Fruiti Ice Cream

4 ripe bananas
1 medium jar maraschino cherries
1 medium can crushed pineapple
2 cups sugar
2 can Pet mix
4 lemons
milk (can use skim)

Mash and chop bananas, cherries and pineapple.  Mix with sugar and Pet mix.  Add the juice of 4 lemons.  Add enough milk to make a gallon.  Freeze according to direction on ice cream maker.

Food Friday: Fruit Salad

It doesn't get much easier than this recipe but it is something I rarely think to make as a side dish. My mother-in-law always has it on hand and the kids gobble it up so I need to remember to make it more often.
 
Fruit Salad 
1 can mixed fruit in light syrup
1 small can mandarin oranges – drained
Additional sliced fruit as desired
Sweet n Low or Splenda – if desired

Mix all ingredients and add half a packet of Sweet n Low or Splenda if it is not sweet enough. We tend to add bananas and any other fruit that happens to be in season at the time. This time of years berries make a great addition.

Kool-Aid Cake

This is a fun cake because you can change the color and the flavor to match the season or your child's favorite color.  My son likes to make these as cupcakes.

Kool-Aid Cake

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs 
1 cup milk
1 packet Kool-Aid - any flavor

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the dry ingredients, including Kool-Aid.  Add wet ingredients.  Stir until well blended.  Pour into 8" or 9" square pan or muffin tins.  Bake 50-60 minutes for cake, 20-25 minutes for cupcakes or 12-15 minutes for mini cupcakes.

Food Friday: Diet Coke Cake

This is a fairly well known recipe but I run into people all the time who have never heard of it so I thought I would post it.  You can use any combination of cake mix and soda flavors and these make good cupcakes too.

Diet Coke Cake

1 box cake mix
1 can of Diet Coke

Mix cake mix and soda (I usually use just a bit less than a full can), pour into pan and cook according to directions on the box.  Ice with your favorite icing, powdered sugar, or fresh fruit.

Food Friday: Meatloaf (Makes 2)

I mentioned last week that I have a meatloaf recipe that makes two meatloaves and I wanted to share it with you today.  This recipe came from a friend.  She brought this to a Sunday School potluck and my husband really liked it.  At that point I knew I had to get the recipe because he rarely tries something new and likes it.  I usually serve one for dinner and freeze the rest for another day.  I've also been known to freeze it in individual slices so that I have a quick meal ready for the kids.

Meatloaf

3 lbs hamburger (the leaner the better)
2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
2 tsp pepper (more or less to taste)
2 Tbsp dried minced onion
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 slices of bread, crumbled

Mix all ingredients together with your hands, then split in half to make two loaves.  Form the loaves in a 13x9 pan.  Make them as flat as possible or the middle will not cook but the edges will be dried out.  Top with sauce.

Sauce

3/4 cup ketchup
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worstershire sauce
2 Tbsp mustard

Mix all together and spread over meatloaves.  Cover pan with foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes to an hour.

I like to make a little extra sauce and use for dipping.  Kids seem to enjoy dipping and this is a great dip to have on hand.

Food Friday: Filling the Freezer

This weekend Money Saving Mom and Life As Mom are hosting another freezer cooking day.  I haven't participated the last few months because life has just been too crazy.  I could easily have benefited from having the food in my freezer but there simply was not time to cook.  This month I planned to participate and I had a list of items to fix ready to go but we received some news last night that have changed what I'm cooking this time. My husband found out last night that as soon as he graduates in two weeks he will be traveling for most of the next month and a half.  When he is home, he will be working nights and weekends at his second job.  We are extremely thankful for the income but wish we had a bit more time to recover from school before life happening.

In view of this news, I've changed up a bit what I am going to cook.  You have heard me lament for years now how picky of an eater my husband is.  I get discouraged trying new recipes because he rarely ever likes them, yet I would try a new recipe everyday if I could as I love to experiment in the kitchen.  This month, I'm going to make some of the stuff I want to eat and freeze it in two person portions.  This way I have quick meals for when I'm home alone with the kids and I get a new variety of food to try.  Here is what I hope to make, spread out over the next few days:

French Toast Sticks - made using Cola Bread
Hashbrowns
Rice
Banana Bread
Quiche in a Bag - using leftover turkey and all the veggies I like (my husband isn't a veggie fan)
Quick Cheese Biscuits
Ground Beef and Chicken (cooked for quick and easy meals later)
1-2 casseroles to be determined

Food Friday: Fiber One Crunchy Fudge Cookies

I first made these cookies when I was expecting our second child and wanted a few things in the freezer for when he arrived.  They are delicious and I almost always have some on hand for those days when nothing but chocolate will satisfy me.  I can pull one or two out of the freezer, microwave for a few seconds, and I have an instant treat with easy portion control.  Fiber One often goes on sale so this is a fairly frugal treat too.

Fiber One Crunchy Fudge Cookies

1 box Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix
2 cups Fiber One original bran cereal
2 Tbsp mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 tsp ground cinammon
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.  In large bowl, mix ingredients with spoon.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes until set.  Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack.  Cool completely.  Store in tightly covered container.  Freeze up to 2 months if desired.

Make about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.  One cookie is 70 calories and 1g of fat.

Food Friday: Tom's Favorite Pasta Dish

If you will remember, my husband is super picky when it comes to food.  The author of this recipe said her husband loves it so I figured if it was man approved I had a good start already.  My husband wound up liking it but asked to have some meat in it.  Now, when I make it I add a little leftover chicken, pork, or ground beef to keep him happy. And by the way, Tom is not my husband but rather the recipe author's husband.

Tom's Favorite Pasta Dish

• 1 (1 lb)  penne pasta, cooked and drained (or any tube shaped pasta)
• 1 (16 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes with seasonings
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• cheddar cheese, for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together all ingredients and pour into casserole dish.
3. Pour as much cheese as you like on top.
4. Cook for about 25 minute or till edges are brown and bubbly.
5. I don't really have an exact recipe since I usually just use my 8x8 dish for it.

Food Friday: Grilled Hamburgers

We love to grill hamburgers and I always get compliments on them when I serve them to guests.  I have one secret weapon that makes them taste delicious with hardly any work - Emeril's Essence. You can make it yourself or buy it at the store.  Sprinkle some Essence on your meat and then mix it in with your hands.  The seasoning makes them taste like you fussed.

A great tip I learned from Rachael Ray for dividing out burgers is to take a pound of meat and score it into fourths then patty out your meat.  This way they are fairly close to the same size and will cook more evenly.

Food Friday: Carrot Cake

This is my mom's carrot cake recipe and what I compare all carrot cake's too.  It does not have nuts or fruit in it, just the way I think carrot cake should be.  We have tried making the frosting a bit healthier by using reduced fat cream cheese but it came out a bit runny.  My advice is to stick with the full fat and enjoy this as an occasional treat.  It makes a great dessert for Easter too.

Carrot Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups corn oil
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda


Mix dry ingredients together.  Add carrots, then add oil, eggs, and vanilla - blend well.  Bake in three 9" cake pans for 30 minutes or one 9x13" pan for 40 minutes.


Frosting


1 box powdered sugar
1 8 oz block cream cheese
1 stick butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla


Cream the cream cheese and butter.  Add sugar and vanilla.  Blend well.  Add milk if necessary to spread. 

 

Food Friday: Cream Cheese Mints

When I got married and everyone was planning my showers they always asked what kind of cake or pastry I wanted.  My response was always that I would take any kind of cake as long as there were cream cheese mints.  These are one my favorite sweets although I usually only make them for wedding and baby showers.  You can purchase molds at any of the big box craft stores and shape the mints according to the occassion.  They can also be made ahead of time and stored in the refridgerator.

Cream Cheese Mints
Recipe from RecipeZaar


1 small package cream cheese (3 oz)
2-3 drops peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
granulated sugar


Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.  Knead for 10 minutes.  Roll small balls into granulated sugar and then press into mold.  Makes approximately 30 mints.

Food Friday: Meatloaf

This is an easy recipe for the crockpot.  Since we are a small family, I usually cut the recipe by 1/3.  When I do this, I use 1 lb beef and leave out the other half pound of meat (turkey), use 1 egg and 1 egg white, and cut all other ingredients by 1/3.  Also, my husband isn't a big liquid smoke fan so I usually leave it out.

Meatloaf
(from Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly)

1/2 lb extra-lean ground beef
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 eggs
2/3 cup dry quick oats
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2-1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp dry mustard
1 cup ketchup, divided

1. Mix beef, turkey, and chopped onion thoroughly.
2. Combine with eggs, oats, dry soup mix, liquid smoke, mustard, and all but 2 Tbsp of ketchup.
3. Shape into loaf and place in slow cooker sprayed with non-fat cooking spray.  Top with remaining ketchup.
4. Cover.  Cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-6 hours.

Serves 8
Ideal cooker size - 3 or 4 quarts

Food Friday: Poppy Seed Chicken

This is an easy recipe to make and I've been told it freezes well.


Poppy Seed Chicken

3 whole chicken breasts
1 8oz carton sour cream
1 T poppy seeds
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 stick margarine
1 package saltine crackers (about 24 crackers)


Boil chicken in salted water until tender.  Remove from bone and cut into bite sized pieces.  In a large mixing bowl, blend together chicken, sour cream, poppy seeds and soup.  Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Mix together melted butter and crushed cracker crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.  Baked uncovered for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Serves 6-8.