Category Archives: Make Ahead of Time

December 2, 2010 · 11:13 am

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

The only thing tricky about this recipe is that you have to plan ahead a little bit. If you plan on eating it for breakfast, do the prep work at night. If you are going to have breakfast for dinner, do the prep work in the morning.

Ingredients:
Butter or Cooking Spray
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Half and Half
¾ cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

Instructions:
Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.

Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.

Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

We had this with scrambled eggs and sausages for dinner.

What did the family think? They thought it was super duper yummy because it is and it makes your house smell fantastic.

from thepioneerwoman.com

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

December 1, 2010 · 10:44 am

Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken

Since MommaCook’s was put on a temporary hiatus, I got this wonderful recipe suggestion from one of my dearest friends, Christie. She made this recipe up all by herself. Easy Crockpot recipes are great when your kitchen is in total disrepair. 🙂

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breasts (shred when done cooking)
1 can chicken broth
1 jar salsa verde
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
2 cups frozen corn
1 small package frozen spinach
Crushed tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Put chicken, chicken broth, salsa verde, black beans, red pepper flakes, cumin and chili powder in CrockPot.

Cook on high for three hours. Add spinach and corn and cook for an additional hour.

Serve in bowls topped with crushed tortilla chips and cheddar cheese.

Did I change anything? I didn’t use the corn…hubby isn’t a big fan of corn in Mexican food. Also, due to time constraints, I added the spinach at the beginning of the cooking which worked out fine, but it definitely looked like overcooked spinach. I also defrosted the spinach before I put it in the Crockpot which might have been part of the problem.

What did the family think? The boys ate it, but were a bit turned off by the color of my overcooked spinach. Hubby and I liked it though.

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Filed under Chicken, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Mexican, Super Easy to Make

October 20, 2010 · 9:42 am

Onion Potato Gratin

In an attempt to get my children to eat a potato in a form other than a french fry…

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
3/4 pound onions, thinly sliced
1 cup (packed) grated Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz)
8 Tbsp (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz)
2/3 cup whipping cream

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (unless preparing in advance).
Combine potatoes and sliced onions in heavy large saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Bring water to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 3 minutes. Drain potato onion mixture well.

Arrange half of potato-onion mixture in 11×7 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle mixture with 1/3 cup Gruyere cheese and then 2 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese.

Arrange remaining potato-onion mixture atop cheeses. Pour cream over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup of Gruyere and 6 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese.

(Can be prepared 8 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate.)

Bake gratin uncovered in 400°F oven until cream thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Broil gratin until top is golden, about 2 minutes.

Did I change anything? I couldn’t find any Yukon Gold potatoes, so I just used another kind. I don’t think it’s super important that you use that variety. I love that you can prepare it ahead of time and pop it in the oven when you are ready. That’s what I did and it worked out perfectly.

What did the family think? Three out of four’s not bad. These are really, really good and we all loved them except for our youngest who just has to get over his fear of new foods. Once he’s seen these on his plate a few times he’ll probably be fine with them.

from Simply Recipes

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Make Ahead of Time, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

October 19, 2010 · 9:51 am

Crock Pot Enchiladas

A very basic recipe that with a little tweaking can turn into something yummy…

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 corn tortillas
1 can (19 oz) enchilada sauce
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Garnish: lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, fresh cilantro and crushed tortilla chips

Instructions:
Brown ground beef and drain. Add onion and garlic; cook over medium heat until tender and transparent. Add salt and pepper.

Place 2 tortillas in bottom of crockpot. Place a third of the following in layers over the tortillas: meat, corn, sauce, cheese, and beans. Repeat tortillas and other layers two times. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Serve with sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, cilantro and crushed tortilla chips.

Did I change anything? The only thing I changed is that the original recipe called for corn. Hubby doesn’t like corn in his enchiladas, so I left them out. I left out of the olives too. What I wish I would have done is add some black beans and then garnish it with some fresh cilantro and and crushed tortilla chips to add something to the texture of the dish.

What did the family think? I am giving you the new and improved recipe…what I wish I would have made. The version I made was SO basic. It was good, but not the best. Everyone ate it though. I think you will enjoy this version much more.

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Filed under Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Mexican

August 25, 2010 · 10:37 pm

Chicken Souvlaki (Greek Chicken)

As I said in a precious posting, we went to a Greek festival this weekend. Hubby and I got the requisite gyro, but our oldest decided to get some chicken souvlaki. He liked it so much that hubby went and got some for himself. I didn’t manage to get a bite since they both wolfed theirs down, so I decided to make my own.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T garlic, chopped
1 T dried oregano
Cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes (garnish)

Instructions:
Cut chicken into bits that can be thread onto a kabob. Put chicken strips in a large mixing bowl.

Combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk them together. Pour mixture into bowl with the chicken and stir to coat the chicken.

Place bowl in the refrigerator to marinate for eight or more hours. Stir mixture every once in a while to make sure all chicken pieces are getting marinated.

When you are ready to grill the chicken….First, drain the chicken. Then thread the chicken onto the skewers, folding each piece of chicken as you put it on the kabob so the chicken won’t spin around.

Spray the grill with non-stick spray and heat grill to medium-high.

Grill kabobs for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.

We had this with pita bread, leftover couscous salad, some watermelon and tzatziki sauce.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it!

from Kalyn’s Kitchen

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time

· 8:10 pm

Greek Salad

We went to a Greek Festival this past weekend, so there are going to be several Greek recipes on MommaCooks this week. I love Greek food; it’s so fresh and simple.

Ingredients:
Dressing
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T dried oregano
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl and let stand for about an hour so the flavors have time to mingle.

Salad
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (more or less to taste)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, together with the dressing and toss well. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

Did I change anything? I left out the Kalamata olive; they’re not my favorite.

What did the family think? Hubby and I loved this; it’s a perfect summer salad. The boys liked the feta.

from Wickedfood Cooking

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Filed under Chicken, Make Ahead of Time, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

August 5, 2010 · 2:25 pm

Frozen Lemonade Pie

A great dessert for a hot summer day…

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
7 T unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
2 cups heavy cream
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
6 oz. can frozen lemonade OR limeade concentrate (do not thaw)

Topping:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
2 tbspn. sugar
1 tbspn. fresh lemon juice

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs (you can either buy the crumbs or just put whole graham crackers in the food processor), the sugar and the melted butter. Press firmly and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for seven minutes. Let cool for about 15-20 minutes and then sick in the freezer to really cool it off.

Make the filling: In a cold large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, stir together the condensed milk and the concentrate. Gently fold the lemonade mixture into the whipped cream. Pour the filling into the crust and freeze overnight.

Make the topping: About an hour before you serve the pie, toss the berries in a medium bowl with the sugar and the lemon juice. Set aside until ready to serve.

Set the pie out for about 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Top each slice with berries.

Did I change anything? I didn’t make the berry part of the recipe because I knew that it would take us several days to get the whole pie eaten. Also, I used the lemon concentrate, not the lime although I think the lime would taste fantastic. Lastly, when I make this again next time, I am going to use a little less whipped cream and more concentrate.

What did the family think? I really like it and I think I would love it with the berries. The boys also love it. We even had a guest taster, my friend Christie, who gave it a thumbs up as well.


from Food Network

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Make Ahead of Time

August 1, 2010 · 9:43 pm

Creole Potato Salad

This is in the top two potato salads I have ever eaten. SO good! That little bottle of creole mustard makes ALL the difference.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. new potatoes (peel on or off, your choice) scrubbed clean and cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks
6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 T cider vinegar
1 tspn. sugar
1/2 cup Creole mustard
3/4 cup mayonnaise (more or less, however you like it)
Salt
Cajun seasoning, for garnish

Instructions:
Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water. If you need to hard boil the eggs, put those in there too and they can cook along with the potatoes. Bring to a boil, add about a tsp. of salt, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook about ten minutes and drain in a colander.

While potatoes are boiling, mix the sugar, vinegar, mayo and mustard in with the celery, peppers and onion in a large bowl.

While the potatoes are still warm, gently mixing them in with the dressing allowing the potatoes to soak in some of the flavor from the seasonings better.

Gently fold the chopped hard-boiled eggs into the mixture until well combined. Put the potato salad in the frig to cool for about an hour before serving.

Serve chilled and garnish with paprika or Cajun seasoning.

We had this with Polenta-Crusted Baked Chicken and watermelon.

Did I change anything? I didn’t, but if I were to make it again (which I will because it was awesome) I would only make half as much. This was a good amount if you were going to a potluck or something, but for a family of four, it was a bit much.

What did the family think? Hubby and I thought it was DIVINE! Kids didn’t think do, but I knew that when I was making it. This potato salad has some serious flavor. Make it, your family will thank you.

from Simply Recipes

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Make Ahead of Time, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

July 28, 2010 · 10:40 pm

Fresh Blueberry Sauce

This is a very tasty and very versatile sauce and a great way to use some of those summer blueberries…

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon

Instructions:
Wash blueberries, place in pan and crush them with the back of a spoon. Add sugar, lemon juice and salt to pan, mix well and bring blueberry mixture to a boil. Boil for one minute. Add vanilla and cinnamon, chill and serve over ice cream, waffles or pancakes.

What did the family think? Our oldest and I LOVE this is. It is so yummy and so easy to make. We first had it as a sample at our grocery store. Our favorite way to eat it is mixed with just a little bit of vanilla yogurt and then using a graham cracker to spoon it into our mouths. Summer goodness!

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Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 14, 2010 · 9:36 pm

Ice Cream

I found out about this recipe from a gal from church and this stuff is so good it will make you weep. It was our first attempt at making ice cream in our new ice cream maker, so we kept it simple and just made vanilla.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tspn. salt
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half and half
2 1/4 tspn. vanilla extract

Instructions:
In a heavy saucepan combine all of the ingredients except the vanilla. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the heat and cool quickly by placing the pan in a bowl filled with ice. Continue to stir the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to make the mixture into ice cream, pour it into your ice cream maker along with the vanilla and continue from there following the directions on your ice cream maker.

What did the family think? Heavens to Betsy this stuff is good!!! It is not for those watching their weight either…did you check out all the cream that goes into this? Yowsers! We had some after lunch today with just a few mini chocolate chips sprinkled in it and then tonight we went gangbusters and made ice cream sandwiches. We had some oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies that we used and then we rolled the sandwiches in mini-chocolate chips so they stuck to the ice cream. Too sweet for me, but the boys loved them.

from allrecipes.com via LeeAnn

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less