Monthly Archives: August 2011

August 31, 2011 · 8:12 am

Tomatoes and Cottage Cheese

I know this isn’t really a recipe, but it is comfort food to me. Every time I make this I am taken back to my grandma’s kitchen…with her old yellow linoleum floors that slope ever so slightly, her butter churn in the corner that sits next to the potato box and the colander full of tomatoes fresh from the garden. This is the perfect way (in my opinion) to get through some of those garden tomatoes you don’t know what to do with.

Ingredients:
1 small tomato
About 1 cup cottage cheese
A dash of salt (optional)
A pinch of pepper (optional)

Instructions:
Chop tomato into bite-sized pieces. Mix with the remainder of the ingredients in a bowl. Enjoy!

What did the family think? I am the only one who eats this in my house.

Where did this recipe come from? I got it from my grandma and she probably got it from her grandma.

photo from Foods We Love

Spinach and Cheese Manicotti

The boys have been asking me to make this for a while, so last night was the night. They lapped it up and asked for more…I love dinners like that. Another thing I love about this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time, stick it in the frig and then pop it in the oven when you are ready to bake it.

Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed completely & squeezed dry
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
15 ounces ricotta cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 box (12 to 14 shells) manicotti noodles
3 to 4 cups marinara sauce (1 jar + a little more)
1/2 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix spinach, cheeses, eggs, salt and pepper. Stir together until well blended.

Place about 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce in a 9×13-inch pan. Spread it around to cover the bottom.

Place the mixed filling into a plastic bag. You can use either a frosting piping bag or a gallon zip bag. Snip the corner, gather the top and squeeze the filling into the corner. Hold an uncooked manicotti shell in your hand and squeeze the filling inside the shell. Let it overflow on both sides. (Or you can use a spoon. Spoon it in with the spoon part of the spoon and stuff it in there with the handle…very messy…but it worked.) Place the filled shell into the sauce-lined pan. Repeat with remaining manicotti and fill the pan with the stuffed shells, until you run out of shells and filling. You should be able to fill 12 to 14 shells- if you run out of room in your pan, use a separate smaller pan to accommodate the extra.

Cover the pasta with marinara sauce, using about 2 1/2 cups of sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 cup Romano/Parmesan on top. At this point, you can cover with foil and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake, or you can cover with foil and place it in the oven immediately.

Bake, covered with foil, 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

What did the family think? Yum, yum and more yum.

Where did this recipe come from? Recipe Girl

photo from Recipe Girl

1 Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Make Ahead of Time, Not so Easy, Vegetarian

August 29, 2011 · 8:42 am

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Granola

This is my second attempt at homemade granola. The first recipe I tried was fantastic! I loved it, but I ate it all and wanted to try a new recipe, so I gave this one a whirl. This one is great too, but has a whole different taste than the first recipe I made. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweeteend
3 tablespoons flax seeds
1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup mixed nuts, chopped (I used almonds)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups mixed dried fruit (I used raisins)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the dried fruit. Stir well to incorporate.

Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the depth of goldenness youâ€™re looking for), stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and and cool completely, in its pan, on a wire wrack. Once the granola is cool, mix in the dried fruit.

Did I change anything? This recipe called for sesame seeds which I left out because I didn’t have any. I also didn’t put in as much fruit…I don’t like my granola to be too fruity. I put in about 3/4 cup raisins.

What did the family think? I had a bowl of it with some milk last night and loved it. I think it would also be good mixed in with some yogurt. Our youngest also had some last night. Surprisingly, he liked it, too.

Where did this recipe come from? Our Kitchen Sink

Photo by Me

1 Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Vegetarian

August 28, 2011 · 4:29 pm

Blueberry Smoothie

MommaCooks it starting to turn into the the smoothie/breakfast blog…we’ve been making a lot of smoothies around here this week. The boys had this one for a before bed snack last night and for breakfast this morning.

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 single-serving containers yogurt (we used blueberry one time and orange passion fruit the next)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup oatmeal

Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

What did the family think? Yum. (Except for all the blueberry pieces that got stuck in their teeth.)

Where did this recipe come from? The boys wanted smoothies and the cupboard was getting bare. I threw in the oatmeal because Jaime Oliver has a smoothie recipe that includes oatmeal.

photo from CCRecipe

2 Comments

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

August 27, 2011 · 8:22 am

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie

I have been working on finding some new, relatively quick and healthy breakfast recipes this past week since the school year will be starting in less than two weeks. It’s also important that they have some protein in them to keep my oldest’s belly full since I am pretty sure that he will be eating lunch pretty late this year. This recipe meets all of those criteria!

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons jelly/jam/preserves (we used blueberry)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 banana, sliced
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons wheat germ (if you have it)

Instructions:
Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.

What did the family think? Three of us tried it and we all liked it. My kids love PB & J so it was fun to be able to drink one and call it breakfast.

Where did this recipe come from? A local restaurant has these on their menu, so I have been wanting to make one at home for a while. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.

photo from The Feeding Family

1 Comment

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

August 25, 2011 · 8:44 am

Fruity Peanut Butter Breakfast Sushi

My oldest loves banana dogs and this is similar to that, but with a twist because you can call it sushi. 🙂 Your kids will love saying they’re having sushi for breakfast. This is also great because they’re getting fruit, grains and a protein all rolled into one tasty dish.

Ingredients:
1 slice of bread (crusts removed)
Peanut butter
1 banana (and some strawberries too if you have them)

Instructions:
Spread peanut butter on bread.

Place banana and thinly-sliced berries at one end of the bread.

Starting with the fruit side, roll into a tube, pressing gently.

Cut into about four pieces California Roll style.

What did the family think? Our oldest had this for breakfast yesterday with a fruity breakfast smoothie. He was a little skeptical at first, but it turned out he loved it.

Where did this recipe come from? Parents Magazine, November 2006, page 189

Photo by me

2 Comments

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

August 24, 2011 · 3:30 pm

Fruity Breakfast Smoothie

There is not an exact science as to how we make these, but they are pretty popular around here. Sometimes we have them with breakfast and sometimes they are just a healthy snack. Last night we had them for dessert.

Ingredients:
1 banana (about a 1/2 cup)
6 oz yogurt (your favorite flavor, we usually use strawberry or blueberry)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice

Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

What did the family think? I like these and so does our oldest. They are too fruity for my hubby and our youngest does like these, but usually opts for something else for breakfast instead.

Where did recipe come from? Me

Smoothie with Breakfast Sushi…that recipe’s coming tomorrow!
Photo by Me

Scrumptious Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

It has been a very, very, very long time since I have made these, but they are super duper good and someone asked me for the recipe recently, so I thought I would share it with you while I was at it.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour
1/4 cup hot water
1 teaspoon sugar
Coarse or kosher salt (optional)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cooking spray
Cinnamon sugar

Instructions:
Pour the lukewarm water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle on the yeast. Wait 5 minutes, then stir in the brown sugar, the 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 100 strokes.

Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to make a semifirm dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 7 to 8 minutes, dusting the surface with flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and roll it around to coat its entire surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place until the dough is nearly doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a large, heavy, shiny (not dark) baking sheet with cooking spray.

Turn the dough out onto a flour-dusted surface and knead for 1 minute. Divide the dough in half, placing half back in the bowl and re-covering it with plastic wrap.

Divide the other half of the dough into 3 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and let them rest for 5 minutes on a flour-dusted surface. Then roll each ball under your palms and outstretched fingers until it’s about 3 feet long and 1/2 inch thick.

Heat the oven to 450Â°.

Shape the ropes of dough by making a circle and twisting the ends. Fold the ends back over the circle and pinch the dough. After you finish shaping the pretzels, place them on the baking sheet, leaving as much space between them as possible.

Stir the hot water and sugar together in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the water mixture over the pretzels. Top them with a bit of coarse salt, if desired. (For other topping suggestions, see our tips below.) Set the pretzels aside for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels on the center oven rack until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking. Start shaping the other half of the dough into 3 more pretzels.

Place a sheet of plastic wrap or aluminum foil under a wire rack and transfer the baked pretzels to the rack. Using a pastry brush, apply melted butter liberally over the pretzels; this makes them soft and flavorful. Sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar mixture. Let the pretzels cool briefly, but enjoy them while they’re warm. Makes 6 pretzels.

What did the family think? I am not sure there were any left by the time my husband got home from work.

Where did this recipe come from? Family Fun Magazine, November 2006

photo from purplefoodie.com

Lemon Pepper Salmon

This is one of my favorite ways to make salmon. It is so easy and so good and is ready in a snap.

Ingredients:
1 lb. salmon
Lemon Pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle salmon with lemon pepper. I would say about 1-2 tsp. I put enough on to cover it fairly well, but not enough so that it looks like it’s coated in it.

Bake for about 20 minutes.

What did the family think? I have made this many, many times and it is a winner every time. (P.S. When I say it’s a winner, I mean hubby and I love it. The kids won’t touch it.)

Where did this recipe come from? I just made this one up myself.

Photo from mccormick.com