Tropical Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I think these are the kind of things that taste better than they look. I wasn't sure about them at first, but the mix is really yummy! The original recipe calls for a couple things I didn't add (shredded coconut and nuts), but I don't love either. It also says to put the mix on croissants, but I went for a healthier whole-wheat pita option. I think it was great that way! I was able to make 8 pita halves with some mix leftover (I probably could have done 10, but I ran out of pitas). This is easy, peasy, too!

Ingredients:

1 large can chicken (drained)

1 large can mandarin oranges (drained)

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

1 T. milk

1/2 cup mayo (I used lite and it worked great)

1/2 tea. garlic salt

1/2 tea. sugar

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl.

2. Mix well.

3. Serve on croissants (or in pita pockets!).

4. Or, save in the refrigerator until ready to put into sandwiches.

Crisp-and-Creamy Baked Chicken

So so yummy. Break out the Shake'N'Bake!

3-4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2-1 pouch Shake'N'Bake Extra Crispy

2 cups instant white rice, uncooked

1/2-1 can condensed cream of celery soup

1/4 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

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PREHEAT over to 400 degrees. Coat chicken with coating mix as directed on package; place in greased 9X9 baking dish.

BAKE 20 min or until chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile, cook rice as directed on package.

BEAT soup and milk with wire whisk until well blended. Pour evenly over chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 min. Serve with rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Calfornia Grilled Veggie Sandwich

I'm always on the lookout for good vegetarian recipes. This one is great. I've made it a couple of times now - including for my sister and my dinner co-op - and it has been thoroughly enjoyed every time!

I think the sauce really makes this sandwich what it is. The bread helps, too. This recipe is slightly adapted from a highly-rated one I got on All Recipes. The original calls for foccacia bread which I've tried and is good. I prefer (homemade) ciabatta because the flavor of the sauce and veggies really comes out that way. You can also swap veggies (add mushroom or eggplant) and cheeses (feta, provolone, Parmesan...) to suit your desires.

Ingredients:
Sauce -
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Sandwich -
1 T. olive oil
1 red bell peppers, sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
Good bread (foccacia, ciabatta, etc...)
Your choice of cheese (optional; I've used Parmesan and Provolone)

Directions:
1. In a bowl mix sauce ingredients (mayo, garlic, lemon juice); refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Preheat grill or broiler.
3. In a separate bowl, toss veggies with olive oil until all are coated.
4. Grill or broil, turning as necessary and watching carefully until veggies are done to your likely.
5. Assemble sandwich: put sauce on bread, top with veggies, add cheese (if desired).
6. Enjoy the vegetarian goodness!

Baked Oatmeal

Breakthrough! My 2-year-old ate oatmeal today! Granted, it wasn't the healthiest version of oatmeal, but he got eggs, heart-healthy oatmeal, and calories. It took some time to get him to try it, but he enjoyed it once he did! My husband also gave it rave reviews and he just took a little portion with him on the way to school. Give it a shot for a little variety in your morning breakfast! PS: I got the recipe from the My Kitchen Cafe website.

Ingredients:

6 cups oatmeal (you can use quick or rolled)

2 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup oil

2 cups milk

4 beaten eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.

3. Add wet ingredients and stir.

4. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.

5. Bake 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

6. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes to cool before cutting.

7. Serve with milk in a bowl, if desired.

Notes: I halved mine and put it in an 8x8. Mine also took about 15 minutes longer to get done in the middle, but my oven is crap. If you don't wait for it to cool a bit, it will come out in pieces, which is fine if you want to eat it like regular oatmeal in a bowl with milk. It's yummy either way!

Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

This is a super easy and quick recipe for those nights when you just don't have the energy to think about dinner. ;) All of my family enjoyed it.

Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onions

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

4 Tbsp. Zesty Italian Dressing
3/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

COOK pasta as directed on package.Meanwhile, brown meat with onions and garlic in large nonstick skillet. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and dressing. Bring to boil; cook on medium-low heat 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

DRAIN pasta; place in large bowl. Add meat sauce; mix lightly. Sprinkle with cheese.

*Found this on the Kraft website.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

I had Brian make me these pancakes for Mother's Day and then I was craving them again over the weekend so I thought I'd post the recipe. I changed it only slightly from the original recipe via You Got Served. I think regular maple syrup kind of ruins these, but that's the way Brian likes them. I've tried them with regular and lemon glazes (powdered sugar and milk), but they're good on their own too!

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Flour (try whole wheat, for extra benefits!)
1 tea. Baking Powder
1/2 tea. Salt
3 T Sugar
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese (I used part-skim)
Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat griddle or skillet to medium heat.

2. Combine dry ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl whisk the wet ingredients.

4. Whisk the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.

5. Add lemon juice and zest.

6. Pour approximately 1/4 c batter on griddle or skillet. (I let them cook slowly.)

7. Cook pancakes until golden brown, flipping once.

Apple Muffins

This is a great recipe if you have apples that are getting old and you don't know what to do with them!

Sift together:
2 cups all purpose flour (you could also use 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup white flour, or 2/3 cup oat flour and 1-1/3 cup white flour. Grind 1 cup oatmeal in a blender for oat flour)
1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

Stir in:
1/2 cup finely chopped apple

In another bowl, combine:
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil

Add liquid to dry ingredients; stir. Fill 12 muffin cups.

Mix 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Coat 1 cup sliced apple with the above sugar mixture. Press apple slices into batter in cups. Bake at 400 F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Vegetarian Baked Ziti

I made this yesterday for a get-together at my house and it was a hit!

Sorry I had no time to get a pic of it.

Enjoy!

1 large egg, beaten

1 tbs garlic powder (or to taste)

1 tbs oregano

1 tbs black pepper

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

16 oz. cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

12 oz. grated mozzarella cheese

16-24 oz. spaghetti sauce

1lb ziti prepared as per box directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Spray bottom and sides of casserole dish with Pam or other oil spray.

Spread about 2 tbs of sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.

Layer 1/2 of the ziti, cheese mixture, sauce. Repeat.

Top with remaining sauce and some grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake covered with aluminum foil until bubbly on the sides, about 40 minutes.

Serves 6-8

Red River Beef Stroganoff

A couple of years ago, I was on the hunt for a Stroganoff recipe that did not call for Cream of Mushroom soup (I can't handle that stuff!). I found this recipe on AllRecipes, slightly altered it and fell in love. The basil gives it a really nice flavor. I have only ever made it with venison, but I'm sure it's delicious either way. 

Red River Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs. sirloin steak (or venison), cut into strips

1/4 c. all purpose flour

1/4 c. butter

1 onion, chopped

1 can beef broth

1 small jar mushrooms

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 T. Worchestershire sauce

1 c. sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked rice or egg noodles

Melt half of butter in large skillet over medium heat; add onions and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. While onions cook, put the flour in a bowl, add salt and pepper, and dredge meat in the flour. When onions are translucent, remove from pan and set aside. Place the remaining butter in the skillet and add the meat, browning on all sides. Then add the broth, mushrooms, basil, Worchestershire sauce and onions. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream just before serving. Serve over white rice or egg noodles.

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

I made these sugar cookies for Valentine's Day and I really, really like them! I do, however, love cream cheese. You do have to refrigerate them - and that can be a turn-off to some people - but I think they are well worth it! You should give them a try!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp (use real butter...I had to use 1/4 cup of salted butter, and it turned out fine)
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract (I omitted this b/c I didn't have any)
4 cups flour (I may have added up to an extra 1/2 cup)
1 tsp. baking powder

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, cream cheese, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg. Beat until smooth.
2. Stir in flour and baking powder until well blended.
3. Chill the dough 8 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/3 at a time to 1/8 inch thickness, refrigerating remaining dough until ready to use.
6. Cut dough into desired shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters.
7. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
8. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven (mine needed to go a bit longer), or until light and golden brown.
9. Cool cookies completely before frosting.