My Day Off!

Okay, so I have been a little busy with my children, so I didn't cook and we had a monster Hoagie instead.  Yeah!  Doesn't it look delicious?  Well, it was great!!

And the best thing was that I didn't have to do the dishes afterward either!!  YEAH!!!  What can get better than that???

Hawaiian Haystacks

Rice, cooked
1 Can Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
1/2 C. Milk, approx.
1 Can Chicken

Chinese Noodles
Maraschino Cherries
Pineapple Tidbits
Coconut
Olives
Mushrooms
Green Onions
Green Peppers
Mandarin Oranges
Slivered Almonds
Cashews

Mix together the Cream of Chicken Soup, Milk and Chicken and heat until warm.  Serve over Rice, then add any or all of the other ingredients that you would like.  You can also add anything else that you think might be good on it.  Enjoy!

My Note:  I absolutely love this recipe.  My sister -in-law  fixed it for me once and I absolutely love it.  Everyone can put whatever they want on theirs.  It sounds kinda weird, but it is really good.  My favorite parts of it are the Chinese Noodles, because it adds crunch, and the pineapple because of the flavor it adds.

HALLOWEEN RECIPE CONTEST!!

I am really excited to announce my first contest.  I am hosting a Halloween Recipe Contest. From October 1st through October 20th I am going to be highlighting at least one Halloween recipe everyday.

At that point I will narrow them down to the top 5 Halloween Recipes, and put those up for a vote.  I will let everyone Vote for their favorite Recipe until midnight (Pacific Time) on the 25th and the winner of the Best Halloween Recipe will be announced on the 26th of October.

The winner will receive a year subscription to the Taste of Home Magazine.  Each magazine is filled with many delicious recipes and recipe cards.  I have this and it is Great!  These are some great recipes and are really fun to try.  If we get a lot of recipes entered in the contest I might even give out some more prizes!  So the more recipe submissions the more winners there will be.

So... Start submitting your recipes TODAY!  The sooner I get the recipe the sooner I can highlight it.  You can Email Me the recipe.  Put Halloween Recipe in the subject line so I know the email has to do with the contest.  Also, make sure that you include your first name and blog address if you wish to get credit for the recipe.  You don't have to include your blog address if you don't want to or if you don't have one.  You can still enter and win, but if you do give me your blog address I will include a link to your blog when I post the recipe.

Good Luck to all, I am excited to see what kind of Halloween Recipes we come up with.  Remember, these can be anything from, scary treats, ideas of what to do with pumpkin seeds after carving the pumpkin, snacks to share at a Halloween Party, or anything that has to do with Halloween at all.  Be creative and see if you can win yourself a Recipe Subscription.

Clue:  I will be doing this for Thanksgiving and Christmas too, so get those recipes handy, but don't send them until I ask for them.

Deviled Eggs

Eggs

Mayonaise

Pickles (optional)

Paprika

Make hard boil eggs.  Then using a butter knife cut each egg in half lengthwise and scoop out the yoke with a spoon and put into a small bowl.  Add 1 or 2 of the egg white halves to the yolk bowl and mayonaise to desired texture.  Stir and smash all the egg yoke making sure the egg whites that were added are sufficiently smashed.  Add a few chopped pickles if desired.  Scoop a small amount of the yoke filling back into each egg white and sprinkle with paprika.

My Note:  When making these make sure you use my trick to get your egg yokes beautiful and the eggs easy to peel.  Click Here to get the trick.

In this picture I used the trick.  The little dings in the egg white are from my fingernails though, not from trying to get the egg shell off.  They come off beautifully. 

I'm a Member

I just got accepted as a member of the Foodie BlogRoll!  Yeah!  

I am excited to use all the benefits of being a member, especially the Foodie Joust.

Thanks for making me a member!!

Slow Cooker Recipe

Okay so this is my experiment recipe for this week.  It is called Slow Cooker Recipe and came from CookNChatter.  When I first saw this I thought "This sounds really interesting, I think it will turn out quite good."  Well, I don't know about that.  It was okay.  I think if maybe I adjusted the spices a little and got rid of the cranberry sauce then maybe it would be okay.  I made this yesterday for dinner and fed my family and my in-laws.  Out of my four girls only one would eat it, the other three didn't like it at all.  My Mother-In-Law thought it tasted Gourmet and quite liked it, My Father-In-Law and Husband thought it was okay, but not a do over and I have to say I agree with the last.  It was okay to try, it wasn't horrible, but I probably won't make it again.

Here is the recipe, I would love for you to try it and let me know what you think.  Maybe it's just that we don't have that much of a taste for cranberries, who knows, but I would love to see what others think about it.

1 lb. Beef Cubes
1 Can Beef Broth
1 Can Cranberry Sauce (can use jellied)
1 Onion Chopped
1 pkg. Sliced Mushrooms
1/4 tsp. Marjoram
1/4 tsp. Thyme
1/4 tsp. Rosemary
1/4 tsp. Garlic
1 Cinnamon Stick
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Brown Meat and Onion in a skillet and then place in the bottom of the Slow Cooker.  Add the rest of the ingredients, smashing the cranberry sauce if you are using the jellied type, and cook on Low for 6-8 hours.
If you want the sauce a little thicker, 1 hour before serving scoop out about 1/4 cup of broth and let it cool.  Then add 2 T. Wondra Flour and pour it back into the Crock Pot and cook for the last hour.
Serve over Noodles or Rice.

My Note:  I did thicken the sauce, but I just used regular Flour, I don't know what Wondra Flour is.  I also used whole cranberry sauce instead of the jellied type.

Again, let me know what you think on this recipe, I am sure that some of you might really like it, just like my Mother-In-Law.   I am trying another new recipe later this week.  This time it is going to be a side dish and it looks really good, so stay tuned for that one.

Cottage Cheese Salad

1 Small Box Jello
1 Large Carton Cottage Cheese
12 oz Cool Whip

Mix all together and refrigerate until ready to serve.  It is best if it is refrigerated at least a couple of hours before serving, but it isn't required.

Variations:  Fresh or Frozen or Canned Fruit of your choice.

My Note:  I like to use orange jello and add a can of mandarain oranges (drained of course).  Or raspberry jello with frozen raspberries is also really good.

Tip of the Week!

When you need to cut meat, especially into small pieces or slices, partially freeze the meat first.  This will make it easier to slice and make the slices more uniform and keep them looking nice.

Monkey Bread

1 pkg. Frozen Rhodes Rolls*
1 3oz. Box. Butterscotch Pudding, not instant
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 C. Chopped Nuts
1 Cube Butter

Grease bottom and sides of a bundt pan.  Arrange 24 rolls in the bottom.  Mix dry ingredients and nuts.  Sprinkle on top of rolls.
Put dabs of Butter on top.  Put greased aluminum foil over the top and let sit all night.  Bake 30-35 min. at 350 deg.  Put extra butter* on top.  Turn over on to serving dish and let the caramel mixture in pan drizzle over rolls.

* I didn't use Rhodes Rolls, I just used the store brand and I think they turned out just fine.  Also, where it says put extra butter on top, I just brushed the top of the Rolls a little with butter.  You don't have to do this.

Printable Coupons: Foster Farms and Welch's Juice

There are a few GREAT printable coupons available right now.
First off there is a $0.75 Foster Farms Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast. This is great because everyone always can use Chicken, and I usually don't find many for fresh poultry or meat. If you would like this coupons and you are on Internet Explorer go HERE. Of if you have Firefox go HERE.

Also there are a few Welch's Juice Coupons available as well Go HERE for Internet Explorer, and HERE for Firefox to get a $1.00 off of 1 46 oz or 64 oz Welch's Juice Product. Remember to press the back button after you print it to print a second one. Limit is 2 printed per computer.
There are also More Welch's Coupons from Coupons.com, and you can print 2 more there.  So a total of 4 coupons for the Welch's Juice.  Sounds pretty Great to me.

 Thanks, It's Hip to Save!:

Ribbles

Prep: 10 Min. Cook. 10 Min.
Yields: 12+ Servings

6 Eggs
2 Cups Water
6 C. Flour, approx.
Chicken Broth
2-3 tsp. Sage
Salt to Taste
Pepper to Taste
3 C. Chicken

Dough: Put Eggs and Water in a bowl and mix. Then add Flour until Right Consistency. You want it Very Sticky, but not runny.

Broth: In a large Pot combine Chicken Broth, Sage, Salt, Pepper and Chicken and bring to a boil. Drop or Cut dough off a knife into the Broth and cook for 10 min.

My Note: This is similar to Chicken and dumplings. The recipe came from the Mom of one of my Best Friend's from when I was growing up. It is really good and everyone always loves it. Thanks Sherry.

I like to add a lot of pepper to mine, but my family doesn't like it that much, so I now just add a little to the pot, and then spice my own bowl up with extra pepper.

Omelet

"WOW BABE!! You really out did yourself with the Omelet this morning." 
This is what my husband said after eating this omelet I made for him.  For those of you that know my husband you are probably laughing and thinking "he really said that?" So I have to say, no he didn't say the BABE part, I just threw that in because I thought it was funny.  But he really did rant and rave about this omelet.

2 Eggs
Salt to Taste
Pepper to Taste
Cheese
Desired Filling

In a small bowl beat eggs with salt and pepper. Pour into a small skillet, sprinkle with some shredded cheese, and cook on Medium-High heat until the top in bubbly and starting to dry.  Once it starts to get dry, add whatever you would like as a filling to one half of the omelet and then fold the other half on top of it and slide it off the skillet onto a plate.

Filling That I used:  I just went through the fridge and found things from left over dinners.  I used some potatoes and onions from the night that we had Stuffed Potatoes.  Then I got some sausage left over from Sausage and Eggs the morning before, I then found some Steak and threw that in as well.  I put them all in a large frying pan together will a little bit of garlic powder and quite a bit of Basil.  I think the Basil was the magic ingredient this time.  Then I just cooked long enough to get them warm.

Milk Sandwiches

1Slice of Bread
Peanut Butter
Jam
Milk

Make an open face peanut butter sandwich and then pour a little milk over the top.  Eat with a fork and enjoy.

Okay, I know that from the title you are probably thinking, "EWE, GROSS" but this was one of my favorite lunchtime meals growing up and I still enjoy one every once in a while with my kids.  I had my first one when I was about 5 or 6 years old and I was at my friend Amanda's house and her mom made them for us.  I was hooked ever since.

Just give it a try, or have your kids try it and see what they think.  Let me know how you and your kids enjoy this new lunch special.

Corn Dogs (or as my mom says Pronto Pups)

Yields: 8-10 Servings

Prep: 5 Min. Cook Time: approx. 10-15 Min.

1 pkg. Hot Dogs

1 C. Flour

1/2 C. Corn Meal

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Sugar

1 Egg

3/4 C. Milk, approx.

1/4 tsp. Salt

Oil to Fry in

Heat Oil in Fryer to 375 deg.*  Combine together Flour, Corn Meal, Baking Powder, Sugar, Egg, Salt, and Milk.  You don't need a mixer, I just use a fork to mix it.  Dry off the Hot Dogs with a Paper Towel and insert a wooden stick in one end.


Then using a spoon apply batter to all of the Hog Dog making sure it is all covered. Then Drop the Corn Dog in the hot oil and let it cook until golden brown.  Remove from the oil and place on a plate with some paper towels.  This will help attract the extra oil from the outside of the Corn Dogs.  Repeat with the rest and serve warm.


*If you don't have a fryer just use a large Saucepan that has a big enough diameter that will fit the hot dog plus the stick in it.  That is all I did until I bought my fryer.  To make sure the oil is hot enough in the pan, drop a small amount of batter in the oil.  If the batter sticks to the bottom of the pan, it isn't hot enough.   If it rises instantly to the top and is bubbling up around it, then it is hot enough to cook the corn dogs.

Make sure that you wipe the hot dog off with a paper towel.  It needs to be dry or the batter will not stick to the hot dog.

My Note:  These corn dogs are even better than store bought ones.   I made them for my In-Laws last night and they were surprised how much better they  tasted than store bought ones.  Also, when making the batter the Milk is about 3/4 C.  Just make sure the batter isn't so that thick that it is hard to spread on the Hot Dogs, but you don't want it so thin that it just falls off the Hot Dog either.

Free Kitchen Kids Cookbook!

I am reposting this because it is still available and I think it is a great deal.

I was just over at It's Hip to Save Blog and saw this great cookbook and thought it would be a great item.

So... If you would like a free Kitchen Kids cookbook then go over here and request one.

The cookbook should arrive in 6-8 weeks. I just requested mine and I am excited to receive it.
I did notice though that after I requested it that it said "Thank you for your request of the Kitchen Kids brochure. But right above it, it does say cookbook. You can also download it so you don't have to wait to receive it by mail.

Hope you get one, let me know.

I just received mine in the mail, and it is pretty neat.  Each recipe features a different kind of Wisconsin Cheese.  The recipes look really good and I am definitely going to try some.

Food Deals and Meal Suggestions 9/21-9/26

Here is a list of some of the food that is on sale at various locations and some ideas of meals to make with those deals. 

Starkist Tuna coupons are available from Red Plum.  There is a $.075 off 1 for a pouch of Sandwich Ready Starkist Tuna and a $1.00 off of 2 pouches of Starkist Tuna.   (If you don't see it use Zip Code 47140)
Walmart has the smallest pouches for 89 cents.
Albertson's has pouches on for 1.00.
Harris Teeter has them for about $1.59.  (They are also tripling coupons until Wed. of this week)

This Tuna would be really good for a good old fashioned Tuna Sandwich, or you can make my Tuna Bake recipe for dinner this week.  If you are going to make the Tuna Bake you will be glad to know that
Coupons.com has a coupon for $1.00 off of 2 for their Grands Biscuts that you can use in this recipe which would make it quite cheap.

There are also still some Yogurt Coupons on coupons.com that will go great with the Yogurt Parfait, and Fruit Crepes.

Go to Kroger and get:

• Pork Chops for $1.59 per pound and make Ranch Pork Chops.  
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts for  $5.99 per bag, and Asparagus for $1.77/lb., and you could make Garlic Bowtie Pasta.
• Cream Cheese $0.99 (when you buy ten participating items), Shrimp 4.99/lb., and you could make Seafood Alfredo.
• Chocolate Chips  for 1.99/bag (when you buy 10 participating items).  You can make Chocolate Chip Cookies or Amish Friendship Bread and add Chocolate Chips to it.
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (get 1 bag to make Garlic Bowtie Pasta and use the rest of the bag for this), Yellow, Orange and Red Peppers on Sale for 10 for $10 (you don't have to buy ten to get the deal) and make Chicken Fajitas, or Italian Chicken with Peppers.
  
• Ground Beef for $1.49/lb, Cheese at $1.49 (when you buy 10 participating items), and make Pizza, Hamburger Casserole, Layered Creamed Spinach Meatloaf or Taco Salad.  

There are tons of recipes that you could make with Ground Beef and $1.49/lb. is a great price for it.  So stock up, devide it into 1 or 2 lb. sections freeze some raw, for use in Meatloaf, or Meatballs later.  Brown the rest and put into Freezer bags to have on hand when you want to cook a quick last minute meal.  When I freeze mine, I brown them and then put 4 C. into a Quart sized Freezer Bag and label it with the date and 2 lbs. Beef.

I will keep looking for some more Grocery deals and update you soon.  Let me know if you find any to share.

Taste Of Home: 25 FREE Digital Cookbooks!

Taste of Home is offering up 25 cookbooks that are available to download for free.  Just go over here to choose which cookbooks you want to download.

There are lots of great ideas in these cookbooks.  These are some that are available:

• Best Ever Desserts
• Turkey Day Your Day
• Prize Winning Recipes
• Halloween Party Favorites (great for the upcoming month)
• Best Holiday Recipes

There are many more, but I am not going to list all 25 kinds.  Just over on over to Taste of Home and see which ones you would like to download.

This will definitely help if you get caught in a cooking rut and want some new fresh ideas.

Thanks, It's Hip to Save!

Chicken Squares with Sauce

Chicken Squares
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 oz. cream cheese
lemon pepper (to taste)
2 cans crescent rolls
bread crumbs
butter

Combine chicken, cream cheese and lemon pepper. Unroll crescent rolls and place a large spoonful of chicken mixture in each crescent. Roll starting from the large end up to the small end and seal shut. Dip each roll in butter then in roll in bread crumbs to cover. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sauce
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk

Combine soup, sour cream and milk in medium saucepan; heat through. Pour over top of baked chicken squares.

Tip of the Week!

When beating egg whites, they should always be at room temperature.  Also, you need to make sure there is no yolk in the mix and that the bowl and beaters are clean and dry, or else the eggs won't beat up nearly as nicely.

Grilled Cheese and Pear Sandwiches

Bread
Pears, pealed and sliced
cheese
butter

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place buttered side of bread face down on a skillet. Top bread with cheese and pear slices. Cover with another slice of bread with the butter side facing up. Cook on each side until bread is toasted and cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Layered Creamed Spinach Meatloaf

1 TBS Olive Oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 lb. ground beef
2 large eggs
one 8 oz can tomato sauce
In a large skillet, heat oil and add onion. Cook on med-high heat for 5 min. Reduce heat to medium and cook until tender. Spoon half of onion into bowl. Add meat, eggs, 1/2 cups bread crumbs, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup cream and 3/4 tsp. salt. Mix just until blended.
To onion remaining in skillet, add spinach, nutmeg, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cream and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Layer 1/2 meat mixture on bottom of a 9x9 casserole dish. Then add spinach mixture in the middle with the rest of the meat mixture on top. Put one can tomato sauce on top. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Let meat loaf stand 10minutees to set juices.
*My Note: I usually don't have Romano cheese on hand, so I usually use Mozzarella or whatever kind I happen to have.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Okay, I had a reader want to make Amish Friendship Bread, but didn't have a "Starter" and didn't know how to get one, so I hunted down a recipe for Amish Friendship Bread Starter.  This Recipe is only for the starter, if you want to make the bread, you need to follow the instructions Here.

Just like when making the rest of the Amish Bread Recipe, do not use a Metal Bowl or Metal Spoon when making this starter.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.

 2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.

3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Poor into a Ziploc bag. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

Then follow the Amish Friendship Bread recipe for the rest of the instructions.

IKEA: Swedish Meatball Meal $1 (9/18-9/20)!

I was over at Hip 2 Save again and came across a pretty good deal. If you need a break from cooking this weekend, IKEA is offering up a Swedish Meatball Meal for only $1.00. This meal includes 10 meatballs, and mashed potatoes with a cream sauce. It sounds like a pretty good deal to me, for just $1.00 I might be looking for an IKEA store around here.

This deal is available September 18-20, so go get it this weekend.

To see the original post go to this link.
It's Hip to Save!: IKEA: Swedish Meatball Meal $1 (9/18-9/20)!

No Bake Cookies

2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Milk
1 Cube Butter
3 T. Cocoa
pinch Salt
1 t. Vanilla
3 C. Oats
1 C. Coconut

Mix Sugar, Milk, Butter, Cocoa and Salt in Saucepan and bring to boil for one minute.  Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper and cool.

Chicken Fajitas

1 each Green Pepper & Red Pepper, chopped
2 Onions, chopped
1 large can Diced Green Chiles
2 T. Butter
1/3 C. Chicken Broth*
Garlic Salt to taste
3 C. Cooked Chicken, diced

Saute Peppers, Onions and Chilies in Butter and Broth.  Cook until Liquid has dissolved and vegetables are cooked.  Add Garlic Salt and Chicken and toss lightly.  Put mixture into tortillas.  Add Sour Cream, Salsa, Tomatoes and Cheese.

*Can use water with a little Chicken Bouillon in it.

My Note:  I used a little bit of Yellow Pepper also, to add a little more color.  Also, I made mine with beef and Chicken.  I really like have some of both meats in there.

Garlic Bowtie Pasta

Okay, I am on an adventure.  I have decided to try at least 1 new recipe a week from someone else's Blog and then publish it here with my opinions.  The first one I am doing, I cooked today for dinner.  I got this recipe from Melanie over at www.melaniecooks.com.  She called it "Pasta Recipe with Chicken, Mushrooms and Asparagus."  Even though this title does tell a lot about the dish I decided to change it a bit and shorten the Recipe Title for my post.  But the good news is, this is all that I changed, and everyone in the family loved it.   So... Here it is:

1 lb. Pasta
1 lb. Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 lb. Mushrooms, Sliced
1 lb. Asparagus, trimmed and chopped
6 T. Olive Oil
6 Garlic Cloves, minced
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Heat a pot of Salted Water and bring to a boil.  Add Pasta and cook according to package directions, until tender.  Drain in a colander.

While the Pasta is cooking, heat 1 T. Oil in a large non-stick Skillet, over medium-high heat.  Add Mushrooms and Asparagus and cook, stirring periodically, for about 15 min., or until they are tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from the skillet and place in a bowl.

Heat another 1 T. of Oil in the Skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the Chicken and cook, stirrring, until no longer pink (about 5 min.).  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the Chicken and Mushroom/Asparagus mixture between two Skillets.  (Half of the Chicken in each pan and have of the Veggies in each pan).  This is done because everything will not fit into one pan, for you will later add the pasta.

Heat each Skillet over medium heat.  Push all the food in the skillets to the sides, making room in the center of the skillet.  Pour 2 T. of Oil in the center of each Skillet.  Add Garlic there and cook for 30 seconds.  Add Pasta, half in one pan and half in the other, and stir until everything is combined and the Pasta is coated in oil.


My Note:  As I said in the beginning, my whole family loved this.  I said earlier than I didn't change anything.  That is true, infact, I ALWAYS add more garlic than a recipe calls for, because I love garlic, and I didn't on this one and the Garlic was PERFECT!!  I did use some Bowtie Pasta and some Penne Pasta instead of all of one kind.
I highly recommend this recipe and I will be going over to MelanieCooks again for another recipe.  Thanks Melanie for the great recipe!!

Breadsticks

1 T. Yeast
1 T. Honey
1 C. Warm Water
1 T. Malted Milk Powder
1 tsp. Salt
4 scant Cups Flour
Melted Butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water, then add honey.  Add malted milk and salt to honey and yeast mixture.  Add flour gradually until dough pulls away from sides of bowl to form a ball.  Make into sticks or roll out and cut into sticks.  Pour melted butter over top.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and/or Parmesan cheese. Let sit for about 30 min.  Bake at 400 deg. for 10-15 min. until lightly browned.

My Note:  I like to use fresh garlic and spread it on top instead of the garlic salt.  I think the flavor is a lot better.  Also, instead of pouring butter on top I use a baster to apply it.
It is important to let the bread sticks sit that 30 min., because they will be way too thick and heavy if you don't.

Egg in a Frame

1 piece of Bread
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Butter

Butter a piece of Bread of each side.  Then using either the rip of a cup or a cookie cutter, cut a circle in the center of the bread.  Place the inside and outside of the bread separately on the skillet.  Crack and Egg and place in the middle of the Circle in the Bread.  Fry like you would a fried egg, turning once.

Spinach Lasagna

9 Lasagna Noodles, cooked and drained
6 Slices Provolone Cheese
3 C. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese


Meat Sauce
1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 lb. Italian Sausage
1 Onion
3 cans Tomato Sauce
1 6oz. can Tomato Paste
2 cloves Garlic
2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 oz. pkg. Fresh Sliced Mushrooms

Brown Beef, Sausage and Onion.  Then add the rest of the ingredients for the Meat Sauce and simmer for about 1/2 hour. 

Cheese Sauce

3 Eggs
2 T. Parsley
24 oz. Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1 8 oz. Carton Ricotta Cheese
1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese
1 10 oz. pkg. Frozen Spinach, thawed and well drained

Combine Cheese Sauce Ingredients together in medium bowl.


In greased 9x13 pan layer in the following order:

1. 1 C. Meat Sauce
2. 3 Lasagna Noodles
3. 2 C. Cheese Sauce
4. 1 C. Mozzarella Cheese
5. 3 Lasagna Noodles
6. 2 C. Meat Sauce
7. 6 Slices of Provolone Cheese
8. Remaining Cheese Sauce
9. 1 C. Mozzarella Cheese
10. 3 Lasagna Noodles
11. Remaining Meat Sauce
12. 1 C. Mozzarella Cheese

Cover and bake at 375 deg. for 50 min.  Remove cover and bake for an additional 20 min.  Remove from oven and  let stand for 15 min. before cutting.

My Note:  This is my favorite Lasagna Recipe.  It is great when served with a loaf of Garlic Bread or Homemade Breadsticks.

Tip of the Week!

Always have your essential ingredients on hand.  I always make sure I have an extra container of Flour, Sugar, Oil, Salt, Pepper, Milk, Eggs and a few others always on hand.  Whatever you use frequently make sure you always have an extra container on hand, so that if the one you are using runs out while you are cooking, you don't have to run to the store and get another one.

Rice Krispie Treats

1 Cube Butter
1 Large Package Marshmellows
1 Box Rice Krispies
1 Cup Coconut
Chocolate Chips

On Medium-High heat partially melt butter in the bottom of large pot.  Then use the butter to butter all the sides of the pan.  This will keep the treat from sticking to the side as bad.  Then add Marshmellows and melt until they are almost all the way melted, stirring constantly.  Don't cook too long, because that will cause the treats to be hard.  Remove from heat and add Rice Krispies and coconut.  Stir until evenly coated.  Press half of the treats into a cookies sheet.  Sprinkle some Chocolate Chips on top and then spread the rest of the Rice Krispies on top of that.  Press to make sure they are all solid together.


My Note:  This is always a hit at every function we have ever taken them to.  Adults and Children alike love these.  As far as the size of box to use, it is kinda up to you.  I bought the 18 oz. box because it was cheaper, I then just added Rice Krispies until it looked like a good amount.  I ended up using about 3/4 of the box.  A 12-13 oz. Box should be perfect.  If you add too many, they will be hard.

Salsa

6-8 Tomatoes
1 Green Pepper
1 Bundle Green Onions
1 Can Olives
1 Can Black Eyed Peas
1-2 Cans Black Beans
1 Can of Corn
1 Bunch Cilantro*
2-3 Avocados
1 Lime
1-2 Packages of Italian Dressing Mix, Dry
Salt to Taste

Chop Tomatoes, Onions, Green Pepper and Olives and combine in a large bowl.  Chop the avocado and put in a separate small bowl and squeeze the juice from half of the lime over it.  Rinse and Drain Black Beans, Black Eyed Peas, and Corn and add to the large bowl.  Then put avocado mix into the large bowl and stir.  Chop the Cilantro into small pieces and add to large bowl.  Add the juice from the other half of lime, Italian Seasoning Mix and Salt to Taste.  Stir until evenly coated.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Adding half of the lime juice to the avocados before adding them to the rest of the mixture will help keep the avocados from turning brown as quickly.

*I always use fresh Cilantro because I like the taste of it better, but my Aunt uses dried cilantro and it still turns out good.

My Notes: As far as the Black Beans and Black Eyed Peas go, you can add more or less depending on your own taste.  I personally add 1 can of Black Eyed Peas and 1 1/2 Cans of Black Beans.  My Mom uses one of each and my Aunt uses just 2 cans of Black Beans.  It is all up to you.

The same goes for the Italian Dressing.  I like the strong seasoning taste, so I put two packages in, just taste it after one and decide what you like best.

I usually don't put the corn in, just because I don't like canned corn much, but it is good either way.

It is easiest to Chop the Cilantro with kitchen shears, but if you don't have any then just slice away with a knife.

French Toast

4 Eggs*
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Milk
8 slices of Bread

In a Pie Plate beat eggs with a whisk or a fork.  Then add just a little pour of Milk, Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste and beat until well blended.  Dip each piece of bread in the mixture making sure to cover both sides of bread and then place on a hot skillet to cook.  Cook until golden brown turning once. 

Serving Suggestions:
Butter with Choice of Syrup
Butter and Powdered Sugar
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Peanut Butter and Powdered Sugar
Make an egg and use two pieces of french toast and make into an egg sandwich.
Any other way you like it.

* I have found that each Egg makes about 2 pieces of French Toast.

My Note:  I like to put more cinnamon then nutmeg in.  I used to only use cinnamon, but my husband made them one and added nutmeg, and I quite enjoyed it, so now I add a little to mine now too.  I have found that if I partially freeze my bread before making the French Toast, that the bread dips easier and doesn't make quite a big mess.  The bread doesn't fall apart as easily and it still cooks just perfectly. 

New $1/1 Gold 'N Plump Chicken Coupon

I was over again at It's Hip 2 Save website and there is another great deal posted over there.

Over at Coupons.com there is a coupon for Save $1 on any package of Gold 'N Plump All Natural Chicken. If you don't see the coupon try using zip code 55555. It is always good to find these great Chicken coupons, because Chicken is used in so many recipes. Including, Ramen Noodle Chicken, Chicken Dressing Casserole, Pesto Chicken, Italian Chicken and Peppers, and many more recipes that are found here, and other websites.

To see the original post you can click on the link below to take you directly to the Hip 2 Save post on this.

It's Hip to Save!: New $1/1 Gold 'N Plump Chicken Coupon + FREE Chicken at Associated Foods Stores!

Dinner Last Night!

 

Last Night I made my Ramen Noodle Chicken Dinner.  It was so fast and easy.  I just stuck the Chicken in the Crock Pot, straight from the Freezer and still frozen, at about 12:30 pm and then added all the rest of the ingredients as call for and put it on high.  I then left it alone and when we were ready to eat at 5:30 pm it was completely done.  Talk about easy, when I don't have to worry about thawing the Chicken beforehand or anything.  If you would like to try this go on over here.

I bet that if you have to go to work all day and want it to cook while you are gone you could do it on low all day, but I haven't tried this, so I don't know for sure.

Dump Cake

Prep: 5 min.  Bake approx. 40 min.

2 cans of Pie Filling
1 Box of Cake Mix, unprepared
1 1/2 Cubes of Butter

Preheat oven to 400 deg.  Put both cans of Pie Filling in the bottom on a greased 9x13 in. pan.  Dump the box of cake mix on top of the Pie Filling, and spread until pretty even.

Then melt the butter and pour over top of the cake mix, trying to cover as much of the cake mix as possible.

  Bake at 400 deg. until it starts to smell good, and is golden and bubbly.  This takes approximately 40 min.

My Note:  You can use any kind of pie filling or cake mix that you like.  The combinations on this are endless.  I usually like to use peaches, but have used several different kinds of fruit.  I have found when I make some of them, that it tastes a little bit better if I use 1 can of Fruit and 1 can of Pie Filling.  This makes it so it isn't quite so sweet.

Tip of the Day!

Keep cooking dishes that you use the most at waist level or close to it, then work higher and lower away from you so that the ones that you use the least are stored the highest and lowest.  This makes for easier access of your most commonly used items, and makes your cooking experience more quicker and less stressful making it more fun.

Cooking Tip of the Day!

If you want the shell on the Hard Boil Eggs to come off easier, after you boil them, immediately drain the hot water, then cover in cold water and cover with ice cubes, and let sit until they are cool.  This should make it so the shell comes off beautifully.