Ladies? Anyone?

Anyone use these recipes? What are your opinions?

Beef and Brocolli Ramen

Ok, I made this one up myself, so be kind ;)

INGREDIENTS:
2 packs beef ramen
3/4 lb ground beef
1/2 package frozen brocolli
3 Tbsp. soy sauce (divided)
1/4 tsp ginger

DIRECTIONS:
-in a sauce pan, cook 2 packages of ramen as directed on package. Put one pack of beef seasoning to the side for ground beef. When ramen is done, drain, put back in pan and add 2 Tbsp of soy sauce
-in a seperate pan, on a medium heat, combine ground beef, brocolli, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, pack of beef seasoning and ginger. Cook beef until brown.
-combine both ramen and beef mixture and enjoy :)

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

This recipe makes 12 servings, so I cut everything in half!

1 lb farfalle pasta (I just used whatever pasta I had on hand)

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 lb white ceddar cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)... I used regular cheddar cheese because white cheddar is a bit pricier

1 package (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed

1/2 lb diced smoked ham

-Heat oven to 350. Coat a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cook pasta in lightly salted water following package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain.

-While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium size, heavy bottomed sauce pan (not nonstick) over medium heat. Stir in flour until well blended; cook 1 minute. Whisk in 1 cup milk and cook, whisking continuously, until smooth. Whisk in remaning 1 cup milk and continue to cook, whisking until thickened and smooth, about 5 min. Remove from heat; stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk in 2 cups of the cheese until smooth.

-In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, cheese sauce and 1 cup of the remaining cheese. Stir in the peas and ham. Pour into prepared baking dish. Scatter remaining 1 cup cheese evenly over the top.

-Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven; allow to cool 10 min. May be served warm or at room temperature.

Black & White Brownies

I burned my finger making these bad boys, so you all better love them! :)

Brownies:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cheescake batter:

1/3 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons milk

-Heat oven to 350. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil; set aside

-BROWNIE: In a medium bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt.

-In a large glass bowl, combine butter and chocolate. Microwave on HIGH for 1 min; stir until smooth. If necessary, continue to microwave in 15-second intervals to melt chocolate. (I had to mic mine for an extra minute!)

-Add SUGAR (I forgot the sugar so I had to go back and add it after I already put it in the pan, urgh) to chocolate mixture; stire to combine. Add eggs and vanilla; stir until smooth. Stire in flour mixture. Spoon into prepared pan; spread evenly.

-CHEESECAKE BATTER: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. On low speed (or by hand like I did) beat in flour, sugar and vanilla. Add milk; beat until smooth.

-With a spoon, make an indent in top of brownie batter. Fill indent with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture. Continue to make and fill indents over the top in uneven patter. Don't worry about the neatness!

-Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch and set. (I left mine in for an extra 7 minutes because it was still mushie.) Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Using foil, lift brownie from pan directly to the rack. Cool 2 hours before cutting. (I only let mine cool for an hour and a half and it fell apart a little.) Store airtight up to one week.

Upside-Down Deepdish Pizza

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (I used hot ground sausage).
1 jar pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can (11 oz) refridgerated pizza dough
any desired pizza toppings (the recipe suggested brocolli, but ew.)

-brown ground beef in skillet, drain. Season with salt and pepper (I used Italian Seasoning). Stire in sauce; bring to boil. Turn into baking dish.
-top with toppings; then cheese. Press dough over dish, sealing edges.
-bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until crust is golden. Let set for 10 minutes.

Side Note:
I thought it was a little too saucey... sooo, I'd either line the baking dish with dough as well before I put in sauce and beef or I wouldn't use as much sauce... Probably the first of the two though. OH, and please excuse my dirty oven. I had just finished using it ;)

Shrimp Burritos

I didn't take any pictures of this dish because, well, it looks like a plain old burrito. I thought taking a picture of it half eaten would be kinda gross too...

Ingredients:
1 can condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. seafood seasoning
1 lb. cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined. (to me, the end result was really saucy and next time I think I'll use 2 lbs of shrimp. Sage and I each only had one burrito and there was only enough left over for one more)
4 flour tortillas (10 inch). warmed.
1/2 cup shredded cheddar-monterey jack cheese
1 cup torn romaine lettuce, chopped

Directions:
-In a large skillet, combine the first six ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted and blended. Stir in shrimp; heat through. (only took about 10 minutes and the shrimp i used were still frozen.)
-Spoon 2/3 cup filling off center on each tortilla. Sprinkly each with 2 tbsp. cheese. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Serve with lettuce.

Yummy Sausage Pasta

I (sorta) made it up, so call it whatever you'd like. I took the Peasant Pasta recipe and changed it a bit.

Ingredients:
1/2 package hot sausage (i didn't use the links, i just used the ground up kind).
1/2 package mild sausage
1 green bell pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce with mushrooms (i don't think it had enough mushrooms, so next time i'd add more)
Italian seasoning, garlic powder, basil
Pasta of your choice

Directions:
-pour jar of spaghetti sauce in pan and heat at medium heat, add sliced bell pepper and mushrooms. Cover the sauce or else it will get messy! Add Italian seasoning to taste (I like lots!), and just a few dashes of garlic powder and dry basil.
-At the same time, cook pasta AND in a 10 inch pan cook sausage until brown, breaking it into smaller pieces.
-When sausage is finished cooking, drain juices and add it to the sauce. Mix together. You can add the pasta to the sauce or serve seperately.

Sorry Ladies!

Sorry I haven't been a recipe posting mad woman lately. We are suddenly on a MAJOR budget and I've been reduced to making hamburger helper on a daily basis. Darn it!! I'm gonna try somethin new tonight though, making it up myself. We will see how it turns out! Anyway, here is a super simple one for you.

BBQ Chicken:
Cut up a chicken breast (or how many ever you desire)
Put in slow cooker with 2 cups of BBQ sauce of your choice for either 4 hrs on high or 6-8 hrs on low.

We didn't have much in the pantry so I served it with rice and green beans.. Weird? ya Sage thought so too. But, I think it would be yummy on a hamburger bun, like a sloppy joe or something.

Happy Cookin!

Sugar-free Pineapple Yogurt Dip

Ingredients:
1 8-oz package reduced fat cream cheese
1 8-oz containter fat free yogurt
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained well
1/2 cup splenda granular

Directions:
Process cream cheese, yogurt, pineapple, and splenda in a food processor or blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides if needed. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Tuxedo Pasta

OK OK, I know I keep saying that each dish I make is our new favorite, but this one really is! Try it.

Ingredients:

1 package bowtie pasta

2 cups cooked chicken (I just went to fry's and got the entire cooked chicken they make there and tore off pieces)

1 med zucchini, sliced

1 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons chicken broth

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil OR 1 tablespoon dried basil

Directions:

-cook pasta

-in large skillet, saute chicken (since I got the precooked stuff, I didn't add it til the very end), zucchini, mushrooms, & red peppers in 2 tablespoons butter for 4-5 min or until veggies are tender. Add lemon juice and broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until heated through.

- drain pasta; add to skillet. Stir in parmesan, basil and remaining butter. (this is where I added chicken). Stir and serve immediately.

Italian Chicken

Ingredients:
4 to 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 stick of butter (melted)
garlic salt (no measurement given)
Italian bread crumbs (no measurement given)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
parsley (no measurement given)

Directions:
Well, the recipe I received wasn't very clear on a good portion of the directions so I'll tell you what I did. I'm not sure if it was correct, but it was stilly good!
-melt butter, combine with lemon juice
-beat chicken breast to flatten
-dip chicken breast in butter/lemon sauce and roll in bread crumbs. (i just filled a cereal bowl full of the crumbs and added a few shakes of parsley and garlic salt). Repeat, dip and roll.
-roll the chicken up and place it on a greased pan. (i just used a cookie sheet.)
-bake at 350 for 45 minutes
-sprinkly chicken breasts with parmesan cheese

serve with sides of your choice!

Meatball Pizza Subs

So I had a picture for this, but deleted it on accident. Woops.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup pizza sauce
4 submarine buns, split and toasted
1 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
20 slices pepperoni
1 package (12 oz) frozen fully cooked meatballs, thawed.

Directions:
-Spread 1/3 cup pizza sauce on bottom of each bun. Top each with 1/3 cup cheese, 5 slices of pepperoni, adn 3 meatballs. (I used small meatballs so put 5 on each bun instead of 3). Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Replace tops.
-wrap each sandwich in foil and back at 400 for about 10-12 minutes.

Cajun Shrimp and Rice

This yummy dish instantly became one of Sage's top 10s. It's like a gumbo or something.. anyway, delicious (and easy) either way!

Ingredients:
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can of chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 6 to 6 1/2 oz package long grain and wild rice mix
1/4 cup water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
1 lb cooked, shelled and deveined shrimp

directions:
-in a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker, combine tomatoes and their juices, chicken broth, bell pepper, rice mix with seasoning, water, garlic, onion, and cajun seasoning.
-cover, cook on low heat for 5 to 6 hrs or high heat for 3 to 3 1/2 hrs.
-stir shrimp into rice mixture. Cover; cook for 15 min longer on high heat.

SUUPPPPERRRRRRRR easy and yum yum yum. Enjoy!

Tortellini-Shrimp Caesar Salad

I made this yummy salad for my mom for her Mother's Day lunch. It got two thumbs up all the way around the table. Sorry the pictures aren't that great, it tastes better then it looks!

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen breaded shrimp

1 package (9 0z) refridgerated cheese tortellini

8 cups torn romaine lettuce

1 med tomato, chopped

1/2 cup creamy caesar dressing (i used a lite dressing, no one even noticed)

Directions:

-Prepare shrimp and tortellini according to package directions.

-In a large bowl, combine romaine and tomato; drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

-Drain tortellini; toss with salad

-Top with shrimp.

Super easy and super delicions. Enjoy!

To Do List - Cami

Recipes that I need to post…

Applebee’s Oriental Salad-AMAZING  right Mindy?

Strawberry Shortcake Jellies- Sounds weird but super delicious.

And Today Im making pizza with homemade dough, Ill let you know how it turns out, the dough actually rose this time so Im really excited… :)

I know Im missing something! Did I make another Italian dish followed by an episode of the Bachelor? Anyone remember what we made??

ps. and i know you girls have one too, put it up so we can help you.

Teriyaki Chicken

I got this recipe from Sage's mom. It's his favorite meal, so I had to try!!! It's really easy and quick


Ingredients for teriyaki sauce:
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

I used two chicken breasts and cut them into about 2 inch slices. The sauce about will be enough for one chicken breast, so double the recipe if you'll be makings two. Bring sauce to a boil, add chicken and bring to a boil again. Turn down to a simmer. Sage's mom uses full chicken thighs and simmers the chicken in the sauce for about 45 minutes. Two sliced chicken breasts only took about 25 minutes! Just keep checking. I made white rice and steamed a premade veggie pack that I got from Fresh and Easy. We had just enough left overs for one of us to eat it for lunch the next day.

Chicken Slenders

This is a healthy little twist on Chicken Tenders... no frying involved!

12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon mustard
2 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
dash black pepper

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 450. Cut chicken into 3x3/4 inch strips. In a shallow dish, combine egg, honey, and mustard. In another dish, stir together cornflake crumbs and pepper.
-dip chicken strips into egg mix; roll in crumb mix to coat. Arrange chicken strips on ungreased baking sheet.
-bake about 12 min, or until golden and chicken is not pink.

Dips:
1/4 cup dijon + 1 tsp honey = honey mustard (sage thought there was too much dijon and not enough honey in this one)
1/4 cup ketchup + pinch chili powder = ketchup with a kick
1/2 cup sour cream + lime + cilantro + zesty sour cream
1/2 cup mayo + 1 tsp dried dill + 1 tsp garlic powder = spiced mayo.

I only tried the first dip, so i'm not sure how the others taste. I served this with salad and steamed red potatoes that I cut in half. Yum. I used the leftovers to top a salad for lunch the next day! It makes tons too, so you'll have PLENTY of leftovers if you're just cooking for two. I think I got this recipe out of a magazine... Shape or Fitness or something. Sorry no picture!

Homemade meal anyone?

We've been gone for a while, some of us were even without internet...not sure if that's changed either, but enough with the excuses.

We've done quite a few cooking nights that have gone unpublished so if you have a reciepe that you'd like me to post, I'd love to! It's just nice being able to go on here and find the reciepes all ready to go. 

ALSO if you follow this blog and have an amazing reciepe that you'd like to share, send it over! And take a picture if possible. We'd love to have a healthy collection. So let me know!

Cami.

Forgive Me Monkey Bread

So Im posting this for my dear friend Brookie because her internet isnt working… I took her camera and did a horrible job at returning it and posting this blog, sorry Brooke! So the story behind the name of this lov-e-ly treat is that when ever my husband eats it he tells me…. “Seriously hun, if you ever make me really really mad, just make this and it will be like nothing even happened!” So as you can see, this is amazing so try it and you are guaranteed to LOVE it.

Monkey Bread

Im guessing this is eye balled because there isnt measurments on the paper she gave me…

-2 Cans Homestyle Pillsbury Rolls ( cut into pieces and also mixed in below mixture)

-Butter (when we did it we put chuncks of it), Brown Sugar & Cinnamon mixture. (and she mixed it all together with her hands)

*Bake at 350 until golden brown (Shouldnt be too gooey because the sauce will make it extra gooey)

  Homemade YUMMY Icing

-1 Cup Soft Butter, 3-5 Cups Powdered Sugar (depends on the thickness you want) 1Tbsp pure vanilla, 1/2 Cup Whipping Cream, 1/2 tsp cinnamon

*slowly heat and mix with whisk until smooth. Then poor over Monkey Bread and enjoy deliciousness!

 

Peek-a-boo Mindy.

CAFE RIO!!!!

The Cafe Rio Burritos turned out really good I think. I hope everyone enjoyed them! I loved having everyone in my casa. Alrighty, here are the recipes.

P.S The pics don't look so good. Ha Ha. But you remember what it tasted like.

Sweet Pork

5-6 pound pork roast

1 Tbl cumin

1 cup brown sugar

20 oz coke

12 oz red taco sauce

Place roast in crock pot and fill it halfway up with water. Cook on low 11-12 hours.

Take liquid out. Add all ingredients and cook for another 4 hours.

Take roast out and shred, put back in crock pot and cook for 2 more hours.

Rice

6 cups water

4 tsp chicken bouyons (4 bouyons)

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

1 tsp cumin

1 can green chiles

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbl butter

1/2 medium onion

3 cups rice (uncooked/long grain)

Bring water to a boil

Add all ingredients and cook for 30 min or until rice is soft.

Tamatio Dressing

1 package of buttermilk ranch dressing

3 tamatios (green mexican syle tomato)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup chopped cilantro

3 cloves garlic

1/8 tsp cyan pepper(optional)

Consistency is best when mixed in a blender or food processor

Other toppings:

Black Beans

Lettuce

Tortillas

Monday Night Dinner

Ladies,
Dinner will be at my apartment this Monday. I am trying to get the recipe for the Cafe Rio salad. Hopefully it will happen. I hope to see you all there. Husbands are invited! My address is 3225 E Baseline Rd # 2012. Please call me if you need directions. 928-243-8272.