Monthly Archives: June 2010

June 20, 2010 · 11:43 pm

Peanut Butter Krispies

These are good as is…if you want to really go the extra mile, though, melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the top. Your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients:
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 T butter
10 1/2 oz. bag miniature marshmallows
6 c. Rice Krispy cereal
Cooking spray
3/4 c. peanut butter chips

Directions:
Combine the peanut butter and the butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds or until mixture melts. Add marshmallows and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until mixture melts stirring every 30 seconds. Add cereal and stir well. Pat cereal into a 13×9-inch baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.

Place peanut butter chips in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until chips begin to melt. Spoon melted chips into a small heavy duty Ziploc bag and seal it up. Snip a very tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Drizzle peanut butter chips over cereal mixture.

Did I change anything? The only thing I have done differently is that I have melted chocolate chips the same way the peanut butter chips were melted and added the chocolate drizzle in addition to the peanut butter chip drizzle. Yum!

What did the family think? I have never made these for my family. I have, however, made them for the neighbors at Christmas.

from Cooking Light

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

June 19, 2010 · 10:20 pm

Rhubarb Crumb Bars

I had never made anything with rhubarb before I made these. Oh my, it was good….put a little whipped cream on top. Yowsers!

Ingredients:
2 c. flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 1/4c. brown sugar
1/4 tspn. salt
1 c. butter (2 sticks) cut into slices
6 c. sliced rhubarb (about 2 lbs. before trimming)
1 1/2 c. white sugar
4 T corn starch
1/2 c. water
1 tspn. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heavily grease a 11 by 7-inch baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl combine: flour, oats, brown sugar and salt. Now add the pieces of butter. Using your fingers, mix the dry ingredients into the butter. Keep working it with your fingers until you have a pebbly-looking crumbs.

Reserve one cup of crumbs and put them to the side. Press the rest of the crumbs into the bottom of the baking dish to make a crust. Spread the sliced rhubarb over the crust.

In a small saucepan combine the white sugar and the cornstarch. Add the water and cook over medium heat making sure to continuously stir the mixture until it thickens up a little and becomes clear, about five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour this mixture over the rhubarb.

Sprinkle the reserved crumbles on top.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Then turn the oven down to 325 degrees and bake for another 40 minutes. Really watch it those last ten minutes or so to make sure the crumble on top doesn’t start to burn.

What did the family think? Apparently I am the only one who likes rhubarb in my house, so I shared this dessert with the neighbors. It is SOOOO good with whipped cream when it is still warm. The next day I had some straight from the pan at room temperature with a nice glass of ice cold milk.

from Catherine Newman

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Filed under Desserts

June 18, 2010 · 10:57 pm

Chicken and Chickpea Pilaf

I am a sucker for chickpeas…love’em.

Ingredients:
Rice (long-grained, brown, jasmine or basmati)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tspn. ground coriander
1 tspn. turmeric
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tspn. ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/3 c. golden raisins

Directions:
Cook rice according to directions on packaging.

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sprinkle with coriander and cumin. Cook chicken until it is thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining oil to the pan the chicken was in. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, basil leaves and turmeric. Cook until onions are tender. Then add chicken back to the pan. Add chickpeas and raisins and stir.

Serve chicken mixture on top of rice.

Did I change anything? The original recipe called for chicken thighs and a whole onion. We didn’t have chicken thighs and a whole onion would have been way too much. The original recipe called for saffron. I don’t have any saffron, so I added turmeric instead…similar effect and WAY cheaper. The original recipe called for long-grain rice. I had jasmine rice in the pantry, so that’s what I used. I figured it suited the dish, so I went with it.

What did the family think? Hubby and I thought it was okay, but we felt like it needed a sauce. The kids ate the raisins and the chicken out of it.

from iVillage

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June 17, 2010 · 9:26 pm

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

This dish was awesome. I think I am going to just start making the salsa part of this recipe to have with tortilla chips. Yummo!!!

Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
1/4 tspn. cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 T fresh lime juice
1 Haas avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

Directions:
In a small bowl combine 1 tspn. salt, 1/4 tspn. black pepper and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until done, about 8 to 10 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice. Set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into the onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Did I change anything? I ended making twice as much rub as the recipe above calls for. It wasn’t nearly enough for 4 chicken breasts. I also only used 1/2 of a red onion. The original recipe called for an entire red onion. I felt like 1/2 was almost too much.

What did the family think? Hubby and I could eat that avocado salsa all day long. Not only would it be scrumptious on its own, but it was fantastic on the chicken as well. The coolness of the avocado went along nicely with the spice of the chicken. The chicken was way too spicy for our oldest. The youngest loves spicy things, so he ate it even though he kept wiping off his tongue with his napkin.

We had this with leftover Spanish rice, watermelon and some tortilla chips.

from Everyday Food

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Mexican, Spicy

June 16, 2010 · 10:30 pm

Cajun Salmon Fillets

I found this recipe on-line. There were a few people who had commented that they thought this recipe would be better on a fish other than salmon. I listened to them and I think it was a mistake.

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tspn. paprika
3/4 tspn. pepper
1/2 tspn. dried mustard
1/2 tspn. dried oregano
1/2 tspn. chili powder
1 pinch cayenne
4 salmon fillets (single serving size)

Instructions:
Place salmon skin-side down on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.

Combine oil and spices and spread on top of salmon fillets.

Grill on BBQ about 15-20 minutes or until done or bake at 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees until done.

Remove skin prior to serving.

Did I change anything? Like I said before, I didn’t use salmon and I think I should have. Also, if/when I make this again, I will definitely grill it. I think the flavor the grill would give it would go really well with the spices.

What did the family think? I should have used the salmon. 🙂

We had this with black beans, spanish rice and strawberries.

from recipezaar.com

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent

June 15, 2010 · 10:26 pm

Green Pumpkinseed and Cranberry Crispy Bars

These are so delicious. They are like Rice Krispy treats for grown-ups. They are sweet, but then they also have the saltiness from the pumpkinseeds and the tartness from the cranberries.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 c. green pumpkin seeds (buy them from the bulk bins at your grocery store)
1/4 c. butter
8 oz. package of miniature marshmallows
1 tspn. vanilla extract
1/8 tspn. salt
5 c. Rice Krispies (you can use cereal made from brown rice too)
1 c. dried cranberries

Directions:
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pumpkin seeds and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until they start to brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool.

Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in marshmallows and cook until smooth, stirring constantly, about two minutes. Remove from heat and add salt and vanilla. Stir in seeds, cereal and cranberries.

Scrape mixture into prepared baking dish. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray and press cereal mixture evenly into prepared dish. Cool completely. Should make about 16 bars.

What did the family think? My family has never had these. Every time I make them it is for a present of some sort…to pass out to neighbors at Christmas, to give to the new neighbors across the street….you get the idea. People love to receive these because they are a twist on something they have had a zillion times. 🙂

from Cooking Light

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· 12:10 am

Pork Chops in Tangy Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce with Bacon Pea Polenta

Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
4 boneless pork chops
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped into 1 in. pieces
4 strips bacon, chopped
2 T white wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar
28 oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. milk
10 oz. frozen peas
1 c. quick-cooking polenta
1 c. parmesan

Instructions:
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 T olive oil. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper then sear them in the pan…about three-four minutes on each side. Remove the pork chops from the pan and set aside.

Add the scallions and the garlic to the pan the chops were in. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Next, add the vinegar, brown sugar and tomatoes to the pan. Bring the sauce to a bubble, return the pork chops to the pan, cover and cook for another ten minutes or until the pork chops are cooked through.

In a separate pot, add 1 T olive oil at medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from pot with a slotted spoon. Pour off all fat from the bacon leaving about 1 T of the fat in the pot. Add the chicken broth, milk and peas. Bring everything up to a bubble. Gradually add polenta while whisking. Whisk until the polenta is thick. Add parmesan and bacon to polenta.

Serve the polenta alongside the pork chops and top pork chops with tomato sauce.

Did I change anything? I didn’t add the peas. I am the only person in my family who will eat peas.

What did the family think? Hubby’s favorite part of this dish was the polenta with the bacon in it. It was good. Our oldest loved the polenta, too, but avoided the bacon. Our youngest agreed to eat the pork chops if he could have them with ketchup.


from Rachel Ray

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Filed under Pork

June 13, 2010 · 8:43 pm

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Strawberries are in abundance right now…you should give this a try and you don’t have to know how to can either. That’s why it’s called freezer jam, you stick it in the freezer instead of canning. I made two batches last year. I kept some for myself and gave the rest to neighbors. Your neighbors will thank you. 🙂 This recipes makes about eight 10-ounce jars.

Ingredients:
3 lbs. strawberries
1 cup apple juice
1/2 c. water
1 package No Sugar Needed Pectin
1 T lemon juice
1 c. honey

Directions:
Clean and stem berries. Mash berries in a bowl. You can use the back of a large spoon or a potato masher.

In a small saucepan, whisk together apple juice, water and pectin. Bring to a hard boil and boil for one minute.

Add lemon juice and honey to berries and stir well. Add in hot pectin mixture and stir well to make sure everything is combined.

Ladle into clean jars and screw on lids. Put them in the refrigerator for a few hours to set up and then transfer to freezer to store.

After opening one, make sure to eat it within a week.

from cuizoo.com

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Filed under Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

June 12, 2010 · 11:46 pm

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Bean Cookies

Do you see a trend here? Low fat/high fiber cookies that taste good…there’s nothing wrong with that!

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. Great Northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 T water
3 T butter, softened
1 c firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In blender, process oats until finely ground, but not powdery. In a bowl, combine with flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Pour beans into a separate bowl. Add water and use the back of a spoon the mash the beans until they are blended with the water into a paste. Add butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat well.

Beat in oat and flour mixture on low.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Drop batter (1 T at a time) onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake 15-17 minutes

Transfer to wire racks to cool.

from Epicurious.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

· 11:30 pm

Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

I made these tonight for my family. We have had these several times before and I have always hid the fact that they have black beans in them for fear of a revolt. Tonight though the kids watched me as I put the beans in with the brownie mix. They were a little confused at first, but they didn’t seem to mind that there were beans in their brownies when they were asking for seconds.

Ingredients:
1 box of brownie mix
15.5 oz. can black beans

Directions:
Preheat the oven to the temperature that is says on the brownie box.

Drain and rinse the beans.

Put the beans back in the can and fill the can to the top with water.

Dump the beans and water in a blender and puree.

In a large bowl, combine the beans and the brownie mix.

Pour mixture into an oiled 9×13 in baking dish.

Bake according to package directions.

What does the family think? They love them.

recipe from Weight Watchers

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian