Category Archives: Definitely Making it Again

Gameday Bean Dip

This is something I learned how to make in college. I would like to credit one of my roommates for introducing me to this, but neither one of them remembers making it. Oh well, it is good, cheap, warm and yummy and sometimes that is just the kind of dip you’re looking for.

Ingredients:
1 can refried beans
8 oz. jar Cheez Whiz
a few dashes of Tobasco sauce (to taste)
Tortilla chips

Instructions:
Put first two ingredients in a pot over medium heat. Stir. Take off heat when warmed through. Add Tobasco; stir again.

Serve with tortilla chips.

What did the family think? I used to make this for my step-dad all the time when I would come home from college. He LOVED it!

Where did this recipe come from? One of my lovely college roommates

photo from Wikipedia

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

Bean, Bacon and Blue Cheese Dip

Our local grocery store has the best samples EVER! Every weekend there is a different theme…everything from beer one weekend to cereal bars the next. I am not sure what the theme was the weekend this awesome little dip showed up on the sample counter, but I knew when I tasted it that I had to get the recipe and share it with all of you.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
15 oz can navy beans, drained
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
3 bacon slices, cooked, drained and crumbled, divided
Crackers, baguette slices or warm pita bread

Instructions:
Place onion, parley, thyme, salt, pepper, navy beans and garlic in a food processor fitted with a blade or a blender and process until smooth.

In a small bowl, combine beans, onion mixture, blue cheese and half of bacon. Mix well.

Top with remaining bacon and serve with crackers, baguette slices or warm pita bread.

What did the family think? They didn’t have any of the samples at the grocery store nor have they eaten the one that I made. I don’t have a lot of blue cheese fans in this house. They have no idea what they’re missing.

Where did this recipe come from? Our local grocer

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Vegetarian

Oatmeal Pancakes

This recipe is from The Biggest Loser. I have never personally watched the show, but it seems like they make some pretty good pancakes. 🙂

Ingredients:
6 egg whites
1 cup rolled oats, dry
1 cup cottage cheese
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.

Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.

For each pancake pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Flip when they start to bubble. Cook until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batches, spraying the griddle as needed.

We had these with eggs, sausage and fruit salad.

What did the family think? I thought these turned out great. I put a little extra cinnamon in them, so they were great with butter and syrup on them. Everyone else at the table gobbled them down, too.

Did I change anything? Just a teensy bit more cinnamon was added.

Where did this recipe come from? The Biggest Loser

photo from Goop

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

Cranberry Pork Chops

This turned out SO yummy…I loved the cranberries in this! I also thought this might make the perfect Valentine’s dinner with the pinkish/reddish cranberries.

Ingredients:
6 pork chops
2 cups frozen cranberries
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
water as needed

Instructions:
In a skillet, brown chops slowly in oil; drain.

Add cranberries, sugar, salt and pepper to chops with 1/2 cup water to start.

Bring to boil; reduce heat*. Simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes or until tender but not dry. Add water if necessary to keep chops from drying out.

*Note: It says reduce heat. That means DON’T LET IT BOIL OVER. I made this mistake and let me just say that the sugary cranberry mess left all over my cooktop was a bear to clean up. Sugar caramelizes…yep, it was bad. It smelled like burnt marshmallows.

We had this with risotto and buttery French green beans.

What did the family think? Everybody liked it!!!!

Where did this recipe come from? Allrecipes

photo from Bon Appetit

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Pork, Six Ingredients or Less

Beef Orzo Skillet

This is a cold-night-I-need-some-comfort-food kind of dish.

Ingredients:
½ tsp salt
1 lb ground beef, chicken or turkey
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounce) garlic, basil and onion diced tomatoes
1½ cups broth
1 tsp minced fresh oregano or ½ tsp crumbled dried oregano
¼ tsp pepper
8 ounces orzo pasta, dried (1 cup)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
½-¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Crumble beef into pan and cook, stirring often, until meat begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Reduce heat to medium, stir in onion, and continue to cook, stirring, until onion is soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Spoon off and discard excess fat.

Add garlic, tomatoes and their liquid, broth, oregano, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil then stir in pasta. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently until pasta is tender to bite, 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, squeeze as much liquid as possible from spinach. Stir spinach into pasta mixture just until heated through. Serve with cheese to add to taste.

What did the family think? I knew the spinach would throw the boys off (even though they eat it ALL OF THE TIME in salads) so they had orzo pasta with pasta sauce. Hubby and I liked this dish very much. I am very much looking forward to the leftovers for lunch.

Did I change anything? I like spinach as much as the next person, but I think this might have a had a little too much. Next time I will reduce the amount just a little bit. I also only put in 1/2 an onion. The original recipe called for a whole onion.

Where did this recipe come from? Cozi

photo from Cozi

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy

Vanilla Berry Granola Smoothie

I know your are thinking to yourself…goodness gracious, does she eat nothing but granola and smoothies? I know there’s been a lot of the two on MommaCooks lately, but aren’t granola and smoothies yummy? Wait, what if we could combine the two? Breakfast nirvana!

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup granola
4 tbsp wheat germ
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup FROZEN blueberries

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse on the ice crush option until the berries are mostly blended, then put on puree for about 2 minutes or until smooth.

What did the family think? I am the only one who has had this one so far, but I think they’ll like it. The kids have started having smoothies for their bedtime snack, so I might have to introduce this one tonight.

Did I change anything? No, but I think the next time I make this one I might add half a banana or maybe a whole banana so that it’s thicker.

Where did this recipe come from? SparkRecipes

photo from The Everyday Veggie

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

Ricotta Pancakes

I don’t know why, but it took me forever to learn how to make a pancake without either burning it or having it be soggy in the middle. I think it was a matter of realizing that I didn’t have to turn the heat up to max…pancakes cook slow and steady and take a little bit of patience and watching. I must have figured it out because these pancakes were scrumptious and I didn’t burn any of them.

Ingredients:
1 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine ricotta**, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Whisk in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat, and brush the surface with butter. Use a ladle or measuring scoop (we used a 1/3 cup measure) to pour batter onto the griddle. Cook pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip, cooking until both sides are golden brown.

**Sometimes foods like yogurt and ricotta form a little puddle on top when they are in their packaging. When spooning out the ricotta to make these pancakes, pour off that liquid first.

We had these with scrambled eggs and a fruit salad.

What did the family think? Everyone who was here for dinner last night LOVED them. (Hubs was out of town.)

Did I change anything? I was out of vanilla (STILL! I thought I had purchased some) so I used a teensy weensy bit of almond extract instead and it turn out great.

Where did this recipe come from? The Kitchn

Photo from Goop

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

Crunchy Homemade Granola

I have been trying a variety of homemade granolas over the past several months. I even got my hubby to start eating them (which was a mistake because now he’s eating all of my granola). Anyways, this one is super easy to make and turned out great.

Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup chopped walnuts or slivered almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water OR apple juice
1 (6-ounce) package dried fruit, such as raisins

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 300º.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, wheat germ, nuts, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the oil, honey, and water. Toss the mixture until the ingredients are well combined, then spread it evenly on a cookie sheet.

Bake the granola for 40 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes to keep the mixture from sticking.

Let it cool completely, then stir in the dried fruit.

What did the family think? I am the only person in our house who has tried this version so far, but I will attest to its yumminess.

Where did this recipe come from? Family Fun

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Vegetarian

Slow Roasted CrockPot Chicken

I have several roasted chicken recipes on this blog, but this one is a little different. First of all, anything with butter rubbed all over the top is going to be good and I love how it comes out all crispy and golden after being broiled in the oven for just a few minutes at the end.

Ingredients:
1 whole roasting chicken (3 1/2 – 4 1/2 pounds)
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes
4 whole peeled carrots, chopped
1 whole lemon (reserve zest)
4 Tablespoons room temperature butter
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Place onions, potatoes, and carrots in the bottom of the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper.

Clean and dry chicken. Zest lemon and reserve. Quarter lemon, and place in the cavity. Place chicken on top of vegetables.

In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the chicken with the butter mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook chicken on LOW for 4-8 hours. The cooking time depends on how large your chicken is. Cook until an internal temperature reaches 160 degrees in the leg and the juices run clear.

Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and place in an oven proof 9×13 pan. Brown the chicken under the broiler for 4 to 5 minutes or until the skin is brown and crispy.

What did the family think? 3/4 of us liked it. 1/4 of the family just doesn’t do chicken. Period. He tried it though (drowned in ketchup).

Did I change anything? I used dried herbs instead of fresh. It turned out great. I just didn’t use as much.

Where did this recipe come from? Tablespoon.com

photo from Tablespoon.com

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Super Easy to Make

Blueberry, Flax and Spinach Smoothie

STOP! Don’t give up on this smoothie just because it has spinach in it. I PROMISE you that you will not only not see the spinach once you get it all blended up, but you won’t taste it either and with a combo of all of these powerhouse foods in one smoothie you KNOW it’s going to be good for you. What else is awesome is that you can keep some frozen spinach and frozen blueberries on hand so that you can make this anytime. This is so good for you and it tastes good too. Try it, just once for me, pretty please.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk (soy, skim…whatever you’ve got)
1/2 cup fresh spinach (small handful, sub 1/8-1/4 cup frozen)
1 banana
1 teaspoon flax seed meal

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse on the ice crush option until the berries are mostly blended, then put on puree for about 2 minutes or until smooth.

What did the family think? I am the only one who has had this, but it was SO good! I know the boys will like it too if I don’t tell them about the spinach because who really wants to drink spinach.

Where did this recipe come from? Food.com

photo from Brandy Gerard

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