Cinnamon Rolls

I promised co-workers that I would bring in homemade cinnamon rolls one Saturday that we all were working. Well, needless to say I keep my promises! I searched my Better Homes and Gardens 14th Edition Cookbook. A little time consuming, but well worth it. Here you go, its the recipe I used for them. Let's just say, they were a hit.


Ingredients

Dough:
4 cups all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons from a jar)
1 cup milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

Middle:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter

Icing:
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons cream or half and half (I used about 1 1/2 TB of water)

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups floor and yeast. In a small saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter and salt until just warm about 125F. Add to flour mixture along with eggs, beat with a electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Turn up the speed to high and beat for another 3 minutes. Use then a spoon to stir in remaining 2 cups of flour. Turn out dough on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Shape into a ball and put in a lightly greased bowl and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours in a warm place or until doubled in size. During this time I make the middle by combining all the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. I stuck it in the fridge to wait. After the dough rises, punch down and divide in half. Cover and let rest another 10 minutes. After it has rested flatten out into 2 rectangles that equal about 12 inches by 8 inches. Rough guess is alright. Sprinkle filling all over the dough except for 1 inch from the long side. Start rolling from the long side. Pinch dough to seal seams then slice into 12 pieces, about an inch big. Arrange in 8x8 pan that has been rubbed with butter. You will need 2 pans for this recipe if you do it in that size pan. I just used a 9x13 and it worked fine. Cover again and let rise again for about 30 minutes. Cook in oven at 375F for about 22 minutes or until golden brown. Make the icing now. Allow to cool slightly and then drizzle your yummy icing. Enjoy!

Menu 11/15-11/20

This week will be interesting because hubby is working all but Thursday and Friday. And I am heading down south to his aunt's house to help set up Christmas on Friday and staying thru the weekend. I'm so excited! It will be the first time I have been able to help set up. I have enjoyed the open house and am ready to help! You can check out her site Christmas Notebook to see what she does. Also get some more menu ideas at Orgjunkie.

Monday - Own our own, I'll probably just eat some soup and A will eat a pizza

Tuesday - I'm going to a friends house for dinner and A will be on his own

Wednesday - Chicken Pot Pie Stew. I will get this done! I have had it on the plan for way too long

Thursday - homemade pizza

Friday - on the road with Mom in law to head to Aunt Rhonda's!

Saturday - Aunt Rhonda's house

Freezer day 11/10/10

Oh how I love cooking! I am so thankful God has blessed me with the skills to cook and make yummy food. I have been cooking all morning. I got up at 8:30am this morning because I slept in and it was yummy too. My two favorite things are sleeping and cooking. I had made my list of things I was going to make. This past weekend I went to Sam's and Meijer's to get stuff to prepare.

Food to make:
lasagna roll ups
spaghetti sauce
cannelloni
meatballs
pizza pasta casserole
BBQ
pizza dough
enchilada sauce
fake egg mcmuffins

Here are some pictures of what I have done so far today.

Menu 11/8-11/13

Things have started to quiet down in our house. Which is nice, but life is still busy busy. Work is really stressful for me right now. I'm doing my best and that's all I can do. Plus my treasures are not of the earth, but of Heaven above! Amen! And one way I destress is to cook. And let me tell you it is a great stress relief! As always be sure to check out more at Orgjunkie.com

Monday - Crockpot Pineapple Chicken let me tell you, that I am posting this after I made it. I think I need to remember to watch it and not just leave it in the crockpot all day because mine did not look at all like the picture :(

Tuesday - tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Debating to try to make some homemade soup or just use the can in the pantry. Will decide then :)

Wednesday - Frozen pizza. The only reason is because I'm doing my OAMC this day. My plan will be posted on Wednesday :)

Thursday - enchiladas, my way

Friday - slow cooker pot pie stew. I will make this this week!

Saturday - a fish dish of some sort. at least I'm hoping.

Horseshoes

Horseshoes
My all time favorite thing to get at little hole in the wall diners are horseshoes because they are amazing. Plus they are like a heart attack waiting to happen. They are just so yummy. This was my first attempt at them and they will be repeated, but probably not as big I as did these. Still so yummy.



Ingredients

2 slices white bread toasted
2 hamburger patties cooked thru
fries
melted cheese sauce

Cook fries until nice and hot and yummy and according to their package. Cook hamburger patties until done to your satisfaction. Toast the bread and place on plate. Then add hamburger patties, then fries then drown with cheese sauce. Enjoy!

Sausage & Egg Souffle

Sausage and Egg Souffle

This is one of my favorite dad recipes. My dad would make this for us for breakfast. He mostly did it on Saturdays but sometimes we would get it for Christmas which was awesome! This is one recipe that I can eat and drink OJ at the same time and it reminds me of growing up. I love that my dad still makes it sometimes and I can run down to their house and eat some leftovers. It does take some prep time and an overnight in the fridge, but worth every minute of waiting.



Ingredients

1 pound ground sausage
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
6 slices of white bread cubed
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Crumble and brown sausage. Set aside to cool. Mix eggs, milk, salt and dry mustard in large bowl. Fold in bread, sausage and cheese. Pour mixture into 9x13 pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes and Enjoy!

Menu 11/1 - 11/6

Last week still was such a whirlwind. I didn't get anything done, but I was able to help out my parents with my brother. Thank God that he is doing so much better from his accident. God was truly looking over him and his guardian angel is definitely battered. On the plus side I was able to get to Lawnmower Taco even tho I hadn't planned for it because I had everything on hand. I took it down to my parents and we all enjoyed it. I didn't get any pictures because I didn't have my camera at my parents house, but I will be making it again and will post. The only things going on this week are Andrew working till close on Monday and Tuesday and I work until 7p on Wednesday and Thursday and all day Saturday.

Monday - lasagna roll ups from the freezer

Tuesday - sausage and egg souffle *will post this recipe soon*

Wednesday - chicken cordon blue roll *will have to post this once I find the site for it*

Thursday - veggie soup and sandwiches

Friday - pizza with homemade crust

Saturday - horseshoes *I'm going to attempt this and will post what I do later*

As alwasy feel free to enjoy and check out Orgjunkie.com for more ideas!

Menu 10/25-10/30

This weekend was a crazy weekend. I didn't get to go shopping at all like I had hoped for groceries. Saturday I was out and about at the farmers market and then I picked up my friend's kids to take them to the non scary night of the Haunted Trail. And then Sunday it was such a whirlwind. I got home from church to find my mom and dad both had called me to tell me my brother was in a car accident. So I played driver for my dad as we drove back and forth. It was a very long day. So this week I'm going to be making some simple stuff in hopes that I find time to go grocery shopping. If not, we'll be eating homemade bread and ketchup sandwiches :) You can check out more at Orgjunkie.com

Monday - frozen tortilleni (I have to take dad home from work and have therapy)

Tuesday - chicken legs in the crockpot with cream of chicken soup and rice *hopefully I can go to the store tonight*

Wednesday - spaghetti

Thursday - veggie soup with homemade bread

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - depends on if we are home or somewhere else.

Kittencal's Italian Melt in Your Mouth Meatballs

This post is more of a review of the recipe. I don't have pictures of the meatballs themselves because they are in the previous post as my meatball sub :) LOVE this recipe. You can find it here at Food.com.

I must say I was a little concerned about making them at first only because I never knew what it would take to make homemade meatballs. I found the one that seemed easy and had ingredients that I could pronounce. This fit the cake! The instructions were so easy! I made mine by baking them like a suggestion at the end of the directions instead of simmering them in sauce. Much easier if you ask me. The other changes I made were I used garlic powder instead of minced garlic. I omitted the oregano only because I didn't have any. And I only used 1 teaspoon of the seasoned salt. And I made my own breadcrumbs with my food processor. Needless to say after all that work I am never buying frozen ones again! I will make more of these as they were so easy! I am going to see how some of the leftover ones fair when I freeze them. I'll update when I use them next and we'll see how they taste. So the following is what I used and did, but feel free to use the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons dried parsley

In large bowl combine all ingredients. I used my hands to mix. Shape into small meatballs and place on baking sheet. Cook at 350F for 25 minutes or until cooked through. Enjoy!


****UPDATE*****
The frozen ones were just as delicious as the fresh out of the oven! I will be making these come my next freezer food day!

Meatball Subs

Meatball Subs

First of all let me tell you that this was the MOST amazing thing I have made in a while. I must give credit where credit is due tho. My meatballs were made from this recipe. And wow...this was amazing! These were probably the best meatballs ever! I love them! This was my first attempt at them and so I did what was suggested by baking them instead of just simmering them in sauce because I was hungry.

Ingredients

Meatballs (I used the recipe from my comments)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
hoagie or sub buns (I used bratwurst buns from Wal-Mart)
shredded mozzarella cheese

Add the meatballs to the spaghetti sauce and allow to cook until warmed all the way thru. I would suggest if you use frozen that you cook them until they are done. Could be during the day in the crockpot or however you want. Spoon meatballs and sauce into your buns. Garnish with cheese. Enjoy!

Lentil and Sausage Soup

Sausage and Lentil Soup

I found this on one of the sites I frequent and can't for the life of me think where it was from now. I just know that on the bottom of my print out it says BHG.com and I guess that's where it came from :) It ended up quite yummy. I didn't have any crackers but they would have tasted yummy.

Ingredients

2-14 oz cans low sodium chicken broth (I used a 32 oz box from Dollar Tree)
1 1/2 cup water (Just added a cup since I had extra chicken broth)
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (I just used dried)
1 /8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Omitted this)
2 cloves garlic minced (or smushed in my case)
6 oz cooked smoked sausage quartered and sliced (I used the little cocktail wieners and sliced them up)

In a large sauce pan combine chicken broth, water, lentils, celery, carrot, onion, dried thyme, cayenne pepper and garlic. Bring to boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in sausage and fresh thyme if using. Heat through. Enjoy!

Posting for Menu Plan Monday from Orgjunkie.com. Go see her site for more awesome menus!

This past week's menu worked out fairly well except my calzones looked bad and didn't cook right, and Friday I tried to make the homemade pizza dough in my bread maker and came home to flour in the bread maker :( And it was such a bad day that we just ended up having egg salad sandwiches. Saturday we went out to eat with our friends at Applebee's for the 1/2 price appetizers after 9pm! So we are going to get back on track with our menu. I've made it a goal of mine to stay under $75/week for groceries. So far it didn't work when I went to Sam's :)

Monday - Lentil and Sausage Soup *Attempting again

Tuesday - Meatball Subs *new recipe, will post after making

Wednesday - Turkey, mashed taters and gravy

Thursday - CrockPot Chicken Pot Pie Stew *new recipe, will post after making

Friday - Spaghetti and garlic bread

Saturday - homemade pizza or calzones.

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup
I must admit that I was a little worried when I tried this recipe. Only because I don't know how to cut butternut squash and haven't had butternut squash recently. It came from the Farmer's Market and Prairierthfarm, whom I have begun to love! They are doing a crop share/CSA next year and hopefully I got signed up for it! I send in my form Monday and I cross my fingers/pray that I get it. Again, the only problem I had with this was the I don't know how to cut butternut squash! I think I thoroughly killed it. Either way, it tasted great! I added crackers because I like really chunky soups and this one isn't.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2/3 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
2/3 cup diced onion
4 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1 medium squash)
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme (I used dried)
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large soup pot. Add carrot, celery and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent (usually 3-4 minutes). Add squash and thyme. Stir to combine with vegetables. Stir in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender (about 30 minutes). Let the soup cool for 15 minutes or so and then use a blender or really good food processor to puree soup. It should be a nice smooth consistency, but not runny (I used my hand blender and blended it in the pot).

Menu 9/27-10/02

I've decided to link up to OrgJunkie.com to share my menu. First time posting so I better get this right :) I'm so super excited to be posting on here. I'm going to try my hardest to make it every week with linking up my menu. And if not I'll apologize for a long time. Plus this will help me get back on track.

Monday - Hamburger Helper Strognaff

Tuesday - butternut squash soup*new recipe to follow soon*

Wednesday - homemade calzones with bread maker pizza dough

Thursday - Freezer food - lasagna rollups

Friday - lentil and sausage soup *new recipe to follow soon*

Saturday - homemade pizza with bread maker pizza dough


Enjoy!

9/20-9/25 Menu

Man, I said I was going to do this yesterday and I didn't get to. I was running around like a crazy person after work. Therapy, taking Simon my baby kitten to Grandma's so he could get to the vet in the morning to get his surgery done! Thankfully I had my dinner already for me to pop in the oven when I got home. Andrew works till close all week except Thursday which he has off and Friday he works till 7pm. So I have done dinners that will reheat nicely and will hopefully be something he'll eat :) I also plan on making some extra food items this week when I find time at night to stock up the freezer again as well as get some healthy snacks. We'll see how that goes :)

Monday - Freezer Food - Taco Lasagna

Tuesday - Veggie Soup with Vegan Herb Crackers

Wednesday - Sticky Chicken in crockpot. I'm going to be subbing chicken breasts for the whole chicken

Thursday - Home made pizza

Friday - Freezer Food - Lasagna Rollups

Saturday - Mom's chili with cornbread.

Menu 9/13-9/18

Man, I'm terrible at this. Need to work on posting this on MONDAY like I'm supposed to. Oh well. At least it is getting posted. I'm watching 2 of my friend's kids this week. One of them has juvenile diabetes and has to be monitored for his carb in take. I slightly adjusted what I would normally make just because it is easier to count carbs when you have a box that tells you :-D


Monday - Freezer Food, Pizza Pasta Casserole (I came home late)

Tuesday - Andrew works late and I went to our neighbors for small group

Wednesday - chicken nuggets and green beans *kids over starting tonight thru Saturday*

Thursday - hot dogs and peas

Friday - eat out, not sure where, I'm letting the kids choose since it will be 4 of us

Saturday - breakfast: eggs, bacon and toast, lunch: pizza, dinner: grilled hamburgers/cheeseburgers and corn.

snacks: granola bars, yogurt, fruit cups, cereal.

Menu Plan 9/6-9/11

I meant to do this yesterday, but sort of forgot :) Got busy with doing other things such as mowing and washing dishes. Silly life got in the way of the internet! I'm actually going to start posting these on here because I figured hopefully someone will see them one day. I got the idea from my husband's aunt Rhonda, who is awesome. And she got the idea from Orgjunkie.com SO thru word of mouth so to speak I bring you menus! I work till 7pm on Wednesday and Thursday. And Andrew works till 9:15pm both of those days. Plus we both work on Saturday.

Monday - Eat over at Mom and Dad's house. I made the chicken, she made baked beans and homemade applesauce. Yum!

Tuesday - Crock pot homemade chicken noodle soup. I made it up basically but added my friends egg noodle recipe at the end. It is still cooking so I'll let you know how it tastes.

Wednesday - Spinach stuffed shells. My friend has been impressed with my freezer cooking that she decided to do some too! However, didn't like this recipe so she gave me one to try.

Thursday - egg salad on homemade bread.


Friday - grilled cheese on homemade bread with tomato soup. I'm hoping it's cool enough to enjoy


Saturday - mini Thanksgiving: Crockpot turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and homemade rolls.

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

Broccoli Chicken Casserole
The first time I made this Andrew was out and I had all the ingredients and thought why not. Well it turned out that we both liked it. It is easy to make and I really love how it comes together.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup water
1 box chicken stuffing mix
2 cups cooked cubed chicken (I tend to boil my chicken and then chop up)
1 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 can broccoli cheese soup
1 can cheese soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In small saucepan bring water to boil. Stir in stuffing mix, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile layer chicken and broccoli in 11x7 pan. Top with soups. When stuffing is done spoon over top of soup and then sprinkle with cheese. If you are me, add more cheese if needed. Bake uncovered 350F for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Enjoy!

Lasagna Pizza

Lasagna Pizza
Be forewarned this is NOT an easy recipe. However the result is good! I wanted to make it for a quick dish one night and that was a mistake. It takes a while. I even cheated and used just regular pizza dough instead of the "hot roll mix" only because I couldn't find it.

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1 envelope spaghetti sauce, divided
1 hot roll mix
1 cup warm water
1 12oz carton cottage cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. Stir in the tomato sauce water and 3 tablespoons spaghetti sauce mix. Heat through. In a large bowl combine all packets in the hot roll mix and add 1 cup of warm water just until dough pulls away from edges of bowl. Add remaining spaghetti sauce mix. Roll into 7x12 rectangle and move to pan, build up the edges slightly. Spread cottage cheese over dough, top with meat mixture and Parmesan. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Ham & Cheese Pasta

Ham & Cheese Pasta
This was something I found in my mom's recipes and thought I'd try it out sometime. I have had it written down for years and finally in Arizona I made it. It actually is pretty yummy. It is got some weird ingredients so I apologize up front. But really it makes a good meal. And in the picture I used ham from the deli I had them slice thick and cubed myself.

Ingredients
8 oz uncooked medium pasta shells
1 lb processed cheese, cubed (Velveeta works best)
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons of ketchup
1 Tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 cups fully cooked cubed ham
1 (8oz) package frozen peas

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl combine cheese and milk cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir, heat 1-2 minutes longer or until smooth, stirring twice. Stir in ketchup and horseradish until blended. Drain pasta and place in large bowl stir in the ham, peas, and cheese sauce, Transfer to 2 quart baking dish cover and bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Pizza Hamburgers

Pizza Hamburgers
I was bored with just plain hamburgers so I just whipped these up. I figured it would combine the yumminess of grilled hamburgers with pizza. And boy was I right. They are quite easy and tasty

Ingredients
1 pound hamburger
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
hamburger buns

Pour about 1/4 of the jar of spaghetti sauce into the hamburger and mix up. If it is too watery you can use some bread crumbs to make it hold together, mine never had that problem. Shape into patties and then grill the patties until reaching 160F. While they are grilling you can toast your hamburger buns with a little of spray butter on them. After the hamburgers are done to assemble place hamburger on bottom bun, add about a tablespoon of sauce on top of the hamburger and sprinkle with cheese. Place top of bun and Enjoy!

Stromboli

Stromboli
I grew up having Stromboli in high school in which it was so yummy it was one of the few days I actually at lunch in high school. Other days it was me eating a sack lunch. So I found a recipe online and modified it just a bit, but other than that it is pretty simple and good.

Ingredients
1 tube pizza crust
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
pepperoni slices
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 teaspoons basil
2 cups Spaghetti sauce

Mix the olive oil and basil together and set aside. Unroll the pizza crust and cut in half. You want to make sure you have about equal squares. (Good luck because mine never come out that way ;)) Brush on the olive oil/basil mixture on the crust. The put half of the cheese on one half of one square. Then add pepperoni. Fold over on top of itself to make a little packet. Proceed with other square same way. Brush whatever remaining olive oil/basil mixture on top. If you don't have any that is fine. Bake 350F for about 15-20 minutes or until crust looks nice and golden. Serve with spaghetti sauce on top or side. Enjoy!

*Variation I have done is added ground beef instead of pepperoni which makes it more like high school for me.

Shredded BBQ Pork

Shredded BBQ Pork
This is such an easy recipe and the great part is leftovers!

Ingredients
2 pounds pork loin, or any other cut of pork you want
2 bottles of BBQ sauce, any flavor any kind
hamburger buns

In a crock pot place the pork in the bottom. DO not add any extra water or anything like that. Cook on low for 8 hours or until meat starts to fall apart. Then remove from crock pot and using 2 forks shred the meat. As you get off shreds place them back into the crock pot. After all the meat is shredded put in your bottles of BBQ sauce. Stir to coat all the meat. Allow to warm up for about 15 minutes. Scoop onto hamburger buns and Enjoy!

Veggie Ham Wreath

Veggie Ham Wreath
This was taken from Taste of Home. I made it for a going away party we were having for some friends at church in Arizona. And man it was a hit! It was prefect. I did adapt it my way because I do that.
Ingredients
2 crescent roll tubes
8 oz garden veggie cream cheese
1/3 cup diced ham
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet yellow pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh broccoli florets
6 grape tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon chopped red onion

Take rolls out of cans but do not unroll. Cut each can into 8 slices to make what looks like a cinnamon roll. Place all of the rolls on a pizza pan in the shape of a circle. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F. Take out of oven and allow to cool a little. During this time is when I cut my veggies up. Makes life easy. Then after it has cooled spread cream cheese on top then sprinkle veggies and ham on top using the tomatoes last to be the final garnish. You can move this to another serving tray if you like, but if you are me I just leave it on the pizza pan and then serve other veggies with the dip in the middle of the wreath. Enjoy!

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

I was really craving Mexican food the other day and well didn't want to go to our restaurant that we normally go to because I didn't want to spend the money. So instead I made these up. I didn't follow a recipe other than what I thought sounded good. and so here you have it! And feel free to change beans if you would like. I just had the red beans on hand. I'm sure black beans would be awesome just the same.

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

1 can red beans, drained
1 can RoTel Diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 can enchilada sauce (I think my can was 14 oz or something)
4 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, finely shredded
2 cups cheddar cheese, finely shredded
6 tortilla shells, burrito sized

Mix red beans and RoTel diced tomatoes and green chilies in a bowl. Heat for about 20 seconds in the microwave the tortilla shells to make them roll easy. Scoop about 2 heaping tablespoons of the bean and tomato mixture onto the shell and sprinkle about the same amount of Mexican blend cheese. Roll up and place into a 9x13 pan. Continue with remaining tortillas. On top, sprinkle all the remaining Mexican blend cheese and all off the other cheese on top of the shells. Spoon or pour enchilada sauce on top. You may have a little extra beans and tomato mixture and if so, pour that on top too. Don't waste anything! Bake in 350F oven for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Taco Lasagna

Taco Lasagna
I realized I never have uploaded this and seriously is the best thing ever! I love that I can make extra too and freeze it. Plus with a little taco sauce it goes great. Plus it reheats if you have leftovers the next day into delicious goodness.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef, browned
1/2 cup chopped onion (I tend to omit)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
1 14.5 oz can black beans, drained
1 16 oz can refried beans
6 flour tortillas
3 cups Mexican blend cheese (may add more if needed)

Brown beef and onions together. Drain mixture. Add tomatoes and black beans then sprinkle on taco seasoning. You may add a bit of water it if seems dry, but the tomatoes should have enough in them. Allow to simmer as you start the layers. In a 9x13 pan lay 2 shells (this is where I make 2 9x9s and only use 1 on the bottom) on the bottom of the pan. Then add some refried beans to the bottom. Then add some of the beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Repeat those steps with shells, beans, meat, cheese. Then the final layer will be the tortillas and then cheese on top. Allow to bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F. If freezing cover with aluminum foil. Allow to thaw during the day and then cook for 40-45 minutes or until middle is not cold. Enjoy!

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Spinach Strawberry Salad

This is a very light refreshing salad to have in the summer. I actually got this recipe from my mom who got it from a co-worker from her school. It is very good. I'm thinking that this will make all of us all feel better after eating all the goodies posted earlier!

Ingredients
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons seasame seeds
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 large bag baby spinach, remove stems
1 pound strawberries sliced

Mix first 8 ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk. Then place aside and remove stems of spinach and slice strawberries. Place spinach and strawberries in serving bowl and toss to mix together. Serve salad and dressing separately to allow for less wilting of the spinach. Enjoy!

Mini Cheesecakes

Mini Cheesecakes
I stumbled across this recipe one day when I was trying to think of a way for everyone to enjoy their own favorite topping with cheesecake and not have a messy pie to cut. And TADA! We have mini! The best part is that you can buy the toppings and double this recipe and you have a winner at a potluck. I don't usually, but feel free!

Ingredients
12 vanilla wafers
2 8oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Line muffin pan with foil liners. Preheat oven to 325F. Place one wafer in each liner. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and mix well. Pour (or spoon) over wafers filling about 3/4s full. Bake for 25 minutes or until the middle looks set. Remove from pans and chill until eating. Some ideas for toppings: Chocolate syrup, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, nuts, caramel...whatever you please. Enjoy!

Stuffed Crust Pizza

This delightful dish is super easy when you buy pre-made crust, which is what I usually do because it is easy. Husband loves this when I make it. It is definitely not for the lactose intolerant or those who don't like cheese. You can make this as a round pizza, but I tend to make it as a rectangle only because it is how the crust works out. And feel free to add or subtract ingredients for the toppings. This is just how we make it.

Ingredients

2 tubes refrigerated pizza crust
10 string cheese pieces
half jar of pizza sauce
4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
pepperoni slices

Pre heat oven to temperature listed on pizza crust. Roll out onto 9x13 jelly roll pan. Make sure at least an inch is hanging over all the edges. Use the string cheese to line the edge of the pan. You may need to cut one in half, or add a half here or there depending on how your cheese looks. Then fold pizza crust over the cheese. Spread your sauce over the bottom, top with cheese and then pepperoni. Then cook for 18 minutes or until cheese is browned on top. Enjoy!

Pizza Pasta Casserole

I love this recipe because it is easy and it makes great freezer food! Actually the original recipe is for 2 9x13 pans and well that is way too much food for hubby and I so we break it down into 4 9x9 pans. Much easier plus it gives us more days of food from the freezer. I will give you a heads up, when you pull it out of the freezer make sure you let it thaw for at least 8 hours. And then it will cook better.

Ingredients
1 pkg spiral noodles (rotini)
2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 28oz jars of spaghetti sauce (any flavor will do fine)
6 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
pepperoni slices

Cook noodles as directed on the package. While that is cooking brown ground beef and add chopped onion. Cook until no longer pink and drain if needed. Stir in sauce and noodles when they are cooked. Place mixture into pans *This is where you put it in either 2 9x13s or 4 9x9s* Sprinkle with cheese equally between pans, then add as many pepperoni slices to cover the top. To cook one now cook at 350F for about 30 minutes just to melt cheese and make pepperoni a little crisp. For after freezing, make sure to thaw for at least 8 hours and then cook at 350F for about 45 minutes to make sure it is cooked all the way through and warm.

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan

After a bit of a hiatus due to moving across the country from Arizona to Illinois. I bring you another yummy dish. This is my version of Chicken Parmesan only because I think it is better :) I sort of adapted based on another, but it was easier my way.

Ingredients

4 Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless (I use more if I am feeding more)
3/4 cup of Italian Bread crumbs (this is a guessimate)
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce (doesn't matter flavor)
parmesan, shredded or shaved, to cover

Put the bread crumbs in a bowl and dredge the breasts in the crumbs. Make sure to get all sides of the breast. Place breasts in 9x9 baking pan and then top with cheese slices. Then spread jar of spaghetti sauce on top. You don't have to use all if it, but I highly recommend it because it makes it really juicy that way. Then use enough parmesan to cover the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through at 350F. Enjoy!

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting

At work we were having a goodie day for St. Patrick's Day and well, I figured I'd best bring some good dessert. And so I searched and found this. It really is quite tasty! The only downside I found is that it is darn hard to find little things of Guinness and Baileys!

Ingredients

Cupcake:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup Guinness stout
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
4 cups confectioners sugar
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream
1 tablespoon milk
green sprinkles

Pre heat oven to 350F and line cupcake pan with paper liners. This will make 24 cupcakes. In a sauce pan heat butter, Guinness, cocoa, and brown sugar, whisking often to get it smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp. Then in a large bowl sift together salt, flour, white sugar and baking soda. I just stir them all with a spoon. Using a mixer (hand or stand) beat Guinness mixture in with the flour mixture for 1 minute. Then add eggs and sour cream and mix until smooth. Bake for 20-22 minutes depending on your oven and make sure they are finished all the way thru. While it is baking, clean your bowl out and then start frosting. Cream the butter with your mixer until light and fluffy. Add salt and sugar slowly. Continue to add until all sugar is mixed with butter. Then add milk and Bailey's until it is a good spreadable consistency. Spread the frosting on cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with sprinkles, and Enjoy!

Lasagna Roll ups

Every so often I get the kick to do Once A Month Cooking (OAMC). And this was a recipe I stumbled across. It is sooooo good. It takes time to make but the best part is that you can get leftovers to freeze! I tend to get 3 batches for Andrew and I out of the noodle box. But if you have more in your family you can always see how many you need. Again, be warned it takes some prep time, but in the end you will be thankful you did it!

Ingredients

1 box Lasagna noodles (you want the kind you boil)
6 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
3 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Drain noodles and place on wax paper. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of mix onto the noodle and roll up. You want to make sure you have enough mix on there that it covers the noodle, but doesn't seep out when you roll it up. Then you can either freeze on a cookie sheet for an hour and then put in baggies for later use or you can put the fresh rolled up lasagna in a 9x9 and cover with spaghetti sauce. Bake at 375F for 40 minutes covered with foil. I tend to add more mozzarella cheese on top because we love cheese. If you freeze and then want to cook later, just be sure to defrost and thaw the roll ups and then repeat same cooking directions. Enjoy!

Chocolate Heath Bar Muffins

Don't be alarmed by the muffins part of it. They are actually completely and utterly horrible for you :) I made these for a goodie day at work because I felt like something new. And oh my goodness! Who would have guessed these were completely amazing!? They are pretty easy and really yummy.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 Heath Bars, crushed (I tend to like this part)

Pre heat oven to 400F. Line 12 muffin tins (may need a few more if you have extra batter). In a large bowl beat milk, oil and eggs. Add in flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until just combined. Fold in Heath bar bits. Fill muffin pan liners to the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes depending on how hot your oven gets. Enjoy!

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

This is one of my favorite things to bring to a party where I have to bring an appetizer. Only because it feels more like dessert! I usually make the cinnamon chips myself too and that is included in this recipe for you. Be warned, it will be gone by the end of the night!

Ingredients

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced
8 oz raspberries
1 pound strawberries diced
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
3 Tablespoons fruit preserves (any flavor, I like cherry or apricot)

Chips
10 Flour tortillas
spray butter
cinnamon/sugar mix

In a large bowl mix all the fruit, sugars and preserves. Cover and let chill for at least an hour. While it is doing that you can make the chips. Preheat oven to 350F. Cut tortillas into wedges. Place on a baking sheet. Spray with butter and sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake for 9 minutes and then allow to cool. Enjoy!

American Style Vanilla Biscotti (adapted my way)

I'm a sucker for easy and when I read that this only took 7 ingredients I figured it would be simple! But man, it took time! When I first made it I burned my forearms on the oven, the second time I burned my thumb, third time's a charm! No burns! :) But this is such an easy recipe. Just make sure you have at least an hour plus to make. I just took a picture of the recipe as is, but I have added many items to it as suggested in the end. Also I usually make 2 batches so that the oven can be used during the cooling stage.

Ingredients

6 Tablespoons butter, room temp
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I usually do the 2)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour

Extras to add in: Dried fruit, raisins, chocolate chips or nuts of some kind.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Tear off a good size piece of parchment paper to line a 15 x 11 jelly roll pan. Then in a medium size bowl beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and baking powder until smooth and creamy. This does take a few minutes, but it will come. Beat in eggs, it will look curdled and that is ok. Then add flour and mix until smooth. Dough is sticky. At this time if you want to add extras you can. Now plop the dough on your parchment paper and form a log. The log should be about an inch high and can be as long as need be. Place in oven and allow to cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes has passed, remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. After it has cooled cut into logs and then cut logs in half. Place back into the oven for another 15 minutes. When finished allow to cool and then enjoy with a nice hot cup of tea!

Fruit Pizza

This was a very simple delicious pretty dessert. It does take some time to make in the sense that takes a bit to cut the apples ;) You can use any type of fruit. This is what is from the book, but when some fruits aren't in season it makes for even more fun to try different ones.


Fruit Pizza

Ingredients
1 roll sugar cookie dough
1 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups halved fresh strawberries
1 medium peach, thinly sliced
1 small banana, sliced
1 small apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Let dough stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften. Press onto an un-greased 14-in. pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; set aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk, orange peel and remaining sugar until blended. In a small bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form; fold into cream cheese mixture. Spread over crust. Arrange fruit over filling; spread with reserved glaze. Refrigerate until chilled.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe was given to me by my mother. It was and still is my most favorite type of cookie. I love making them because they make my house smell wonderful!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients
1 Cup Crisco (or shortening)
1 Cup brown sugar (I use light brown)
1 Cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla (I use imitation)
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour (I use all-purpose)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2-3 cups Oatmeal (I use the quick instant ones)
1 bag chocolate chips (doesn't matter size)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix Crisco, sugars, vanilla and eggs all together in a big bowl. In a separate smaller bowl mix flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add dry mixture to wet mixture in small batches, stir together. Then fold in oats and chocolate chips. You will want to bake them for 11-13 minutes depending on your oven. Then allow to cool. Enjoy!

The New Beginning

Welcome to Sarah's Sweets!

I was inspired by a movie, Julie and Julia. Yes I'm a dork. But I have been baking/cooking for some time now and thought perhaps I can share with you my trials and see what you think. I've been posting photos on my Facebook, but now I'll share with the rest of the world now :) I won't always bake sweets, but I will have one every so often for you.

So to begin this sweet post, I give you...Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!