Chicken · Fruit · Salads

Sesame Chicken Noodle Salad

This is the second one I couldn’t wait to post.

8 oz uncooked angel hair pasta

2 cups cubed chicken breast

1 1/2 cups coleslaw mix

1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained

1 medium sweet red bell pepper, julienned or finely chopped

1 cup fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved

2/3 cup reduced-fat Asian toasted sesame salad dressing (can you believe I am actually posting a recipe that has the word “reduced fat”) I am so proud of me

1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts (I added about 1/2 cup, love the peanuts in this)

Cook pasta according to package directions and then set aside after draining to cool.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, coleslaw mix, oranges, red pepper, snap peas and green onions. Sprinkle with salt. Toss to combine.

Add pasta and dressing to chicken mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts. YUM….

Breads · Breakfast · Meats

Italian Brunch Torte

I had a hard time deciding which if the two new recipes that I found over the weekend, taken once again from Taste of Home. If you even just want a magazine that gives you pretty much nothing but good, down home, (boy do I sound like a real “hick” or what) food, Taste of Home is your go to magazine. The recipes are usually so simple with not a lot of ingredients that you wouldn’t have around the house or just easy pick up at the grocery store. So this first one is such a easy recipe that is perfect for those late Saturday or Sunday breakfast when you are wanting something besides a granola bar or bacon and eggs.

2 tubes (8 oz each) crescent rolls, divided

1 teas olive oil

1 pack (6 oz) fresh baby spinach

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

7 eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 teas Italian seasoning

1/4 teas pepper

1/2 lb thinly sliced ham

1/2 lb thinly sliced hard salami (opt) If you choose, just add another 1/2 lb of ham or turkey

1/2 lb sliced provolone cheese

2 jars (12 oz ea) roasted sweet red peppers, drained, sliced and patted dry

Preheat oven to 350. Place a greased 9″ springform pan on a double thickness of heavy duty foil (about 18″ square).

Securely wrap foil around the pan. Unroll one tube of crescent dough and separate into triangles. Press onto bottom of pan to form a crust, sealing seams well. Bake 10-15 min or until set.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add spinach and mushrooms; cook and stir until mushrooms are tender.

Drain on paper towels, blotting well. In a large bowl, whisk six eggs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper. (I added a little garlic powder)

Layer crust with half of the ham, salami, provolone cheese, red peppers and spinach mixture. Pour half of the egg mixture over the top. Repeat layers; top with the remaining mixture.

On a work surface, unroll and separate remaining dough into triangles. Press together to form a circle and seal seams; place dough over filling. Whisk remaining egg and brush over top of dough.

Bake, uncovered 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until thermometer reads 160 degrees. Cover loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning.

Carefully loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim from pan. Let stand for 20 min before serving.

Uncategorized

Mini Van Sightings

It is getting serious, my daughter has informed me that she has enrolled Caleb for yet another (yes, this will be his 3rd) week of vacation Bible School next week. The sleepy little town of Gilbert, AZ is now having the words “VBS is full….cannot accept anymore children)” put out on their church signs all over town.

When the church workers see a gray minivan driving into the parking lot, they quickly lock their doors and put up the “VBS is Full” sign on the door. So learn from Jodi’s experience, borrow your friends or families cars to go searching out churches VBS…..it might just save you a week of having your little darling at home with nothing to do. Since she has expired all the churches, she is moving on to the Y camps. She is having her van painted over the weekend.

Cakes · Chocolate

Chocolate Cherry Cola Cake

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Taken from the summer issue of Taste of Home, this cake got great reviews last night when I took it to a dinner party. Before leaving home, I ate 4 cupcakes I had made with some of the batter, just to try it out, of course. Because of the marshmallows and cherry coke, the cake is so moist and the chocolate flavor is amazing.

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallow, ( I had found chocolate mini ones, so I used those)

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teas baking soda

1 cup butter, cubed (so it melts quicker)

1 cup cherry-flavored coke

3 tables Hershey’s cocoa

2 eggs at room temp

1/2 cup buttermilk (if you don’t keep this on hand, make your own with plain milk and vinegar)

1 teas vanilla

Frosting:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow

2 tables cherry juice (recipe called for 2 tables frozen cherry-pomegranate juice concentrate, but my store didn’t have any so bought a can of sweet cherries in heavy syrup and used the syrup from that)

Fresh sweet cherries with stem for decor

Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom of two greased 9″ pans with parchment paper; grease paper also after they have been put in pan. Divide marshmallows between pans.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar and baking soda. In a small saucepan, combine the cubed butter, cola and cocoa. Bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until blended.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture, whisking constantly. Pour into prepared pans, dividing batter evenly. Marshmallows will float to the top.

Bake for 25-30 in or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 min and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting:  *(IF you want enough frosting to frost sides of cake, double the frosting ingredients)in a medium bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in marshmallow cream and juice on low speed just until blended. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread top with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining frosting.

Uncategorized

NBF (new blogger friends)

I am so excited. The past couple of weeks, a lady from Atlanta began to follow my blog and has commented several times on different postings from chocolatecastles.com. As I began to reply to her, she would send back more of her ideas that she posts on her blog.

She is one talented lady with great party theme ideas and after looking at some of the pictures that she posts, she does know how to throw a party. I ask her permission before telling all ya’ll (yes, I know, how hicky, but I haven’t got to say that in such a long time) about her blog and a couple of her ideas she has told me about.

Her name is Sue and she is a transplant from New Jersey. She quickly adapted to the southern way of entertaining and from looking at her blog, I dare say that you wouldn’t know that she wasn’t born right in the middle of Atlanta holding a glass of sweet tea, with her pinkie sticking straight out. You really need to check out her blog at :

Sue@www.rue-mouffetard.blogspot.com

She will be having a party for her neighborhood blogging friends in a couple of weeks and will be serving pink cookies with pink drinks. I had posted info about making the pink lemonade cookies, which you can find at WalMart in the cake mix isle (Pillsbury makes them) She then thought how cute these cookies would look with the fruit drink she makes, so she passed on this  drink idea to me. 

Pink Ladies 
Welches Strawberry or Raspberry punch and add sparkling water and fresh fruit. Dip the pretty glass in honey and then pink sprinkles. 

Just think how pretty your table will look, using pink or white linens and use pink and white polka dot (or striped) ribbon tied around napkins. A vase of pink flowers in the middle. If you don’t have a vase you want to use. Use pretty wrapping paper glued around an old can and set your flowers in the middle. Or use pink jelly beans in a large container and set your vase of flowers right in the middle of the jelly beans. Tie the same ribbon around the container. Very cheap to do and looks fab.

I’m very excited to have my new NBF; I can’t wait to see more party ideas she has up her sleeve. Thanks, Sue, you are a true Southern Belle. 

Daily Thoughts

VBS Is A Life Saver

photo-6My daughter called this morning on her way home from dropping Caleb, our 3 year old grandson off at Vacation Bible School. I asked her, ‘oh I thought he went last week to VBS” and she politely told me he did, but this was another one.  In the sweetest little voice she could muster, she remarked, “mom, don’t judge me”. Now, I began to think that maybe she was just wanting Caleb to have a definite idea of if he might want to be a preacher when he grew up and she was showing him what it would be like to be around the church all day, every day. But before I could begin to quote the Ten Commandments, she told me that she had signed him up for 4 different VBS’s this summer, as a way to keep her sanity. Now, I do admit that Caleb is rather, hum…how do I put this? a very “active child with a great and very active imagination” but I’ve got the feeling that Caleb is going to have the same reputation around Phoenix church’s as Randy does around our area Costco’s……don’t let him in.

While Randy eats Costco’s profits up walking around the store “snacking” on all the “free” samples, churches will be having teachers retire before their time. The positive outlook on his being taken from church to church this summer is the fact that by the time he is older, he will think that going to church is just the normal thing to do and maybe will realize that that is a better place to hang around, rather than the mall. Just a thought and a hope. Jodi then began to tell me how excited she is about a friend of hers calling and telling her about a VBS that is at night. I am jealous that I didn’t think of that when Jodi was growning up. I’m smiling thinking about all the “crafts” from all the VBS’s  that Jodi will be having to display around the house; the gold sprayed macaroni necklaces that she will have to wear to not hurt Caleb’s feelings, the popcicle stick house she will have to dust around, in order not to knock it down and my favorite, the potholder that is so thin, you get burned every time you use it.

So moms, if you are going crazy this summer already wondering what to do with the little ones, get that church directory out and enroll them in every VBS you can find. It is a great babysitter and it is free and who knows, they might just actually learn about some of life’s important facts, that God is real and that He loves each and every one of the little darlings, no matter how many VBS’s they attend…….and that’s the truth. Saint Caleb called me when he got home today and told me.

Uncategorized

FYI Butter Tips

Just finished baking the pink lemonade cookies I posted a few minutes ago and am including a picture of them. I ended up rolling the tops in colored sugar to add “sparkle”. Just wanted to mention that any time you are using any type of box mix to begin a recipe, always use unsalted butter as your shortening when it calls for oil or butter. Because prepared mixes already have so much salt in them, using salted butter will just add more of a salty taste. Image

Cookies

Pink Lemonmade Cookies

This summer, Pillsbury brought a whole new line of cookie mixes. They now have Orangesicle, Pink Lemonade and Key Lime Cookie (and cupcake) mixes. My fav is the orange and pink lemonade. Beceause the recipe on the box calls for butter, it tasted like homemade pink lemonade sugar cookies. Soft and oh so yummy. Go to the store right now and pick up a few boxes before they disappear from the shelves. You will be so glad you did.

Box of pink lemonade cookie mix

1 stick of melted unsalted butter

1 egg

Set oven to 375. Combine cookie mix with butter and egg in bowl. Mix until soft dough is formed. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet 2″ apart.

Bake for 8-10 min or until edges are light brown. Allow to cool for 2 min before removing from cookie sheet. Store cookies in airtight container.

Daily Thoughts · Starches · Vegetables

Easy & Quick & Delisious & Cheap Pasta Primivera (you are probably getting the idea by now)

Last night I fed Mr. Meat & Potato Guy, this really good made up at the last minute, Pasta Primvera.   You can put it in the crock pot or oven and go off and forget about it for a few hours. He actually liked it and said how good it was. So thought I would pass it on.

I chopped up the left over veggies that I had on hand, onion, celery, zucchini, fresh spinach and carrots. Sauted them in about 2 tables olive oil until the onion was clear. Tossed them in a oven proof pan and added a can of fresh tomatoes (14.5 oz), 1 can of tomato sauce (15 oz), 2 cans of water and a package of McCormick Spaghetti extra thick  spaghetti seasoning package. Added about 1 teas more of garlic powder and 1 teas more Italian seasoning. Stirred, covered pan with lid and baked it for 3 hours at 325. Came out thick and smelled divine. Cooked some spaghetti and wa-la, tossed some freshed shaved parmesan over the top, baked some Pepperidge Farm garlic toast while the noodles were cooking and had a great dinner. Don’t be afraid to use up the veggies in your fridge for things like this. The kids (or your meat loving hubby) won’t even know that there are veggies in the sauce. When I have V-8 on hand, I use that as part of the sauce as it gives extra nutrition and that way, you don’t feel so guilty when you have chocolate cake or key lime pie for dessert, because, “look at all the veggies I just ate and how healthy I must be now that I have had such a huge amount of healthy food?”

Desserts · Fruit

Blackberry-Peach Cobbler Bars

I am a cobbler junkie. When I saw this in the new Southern Living, I had to try it. Think about these bars with homemade peach ice cream this summer. Wow, what a combo….

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

4 eggs

1 tables vanilla

1 teas baking powder

3/4 teas salt

3 1/4 cups flour

3 (6 oz) packages fresh blackberries (about 4 cups)

4 cups peeled and sliced fresh firm ripe peaches

3 tables bourbon (opt)

1 cup roasted glazed pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Beat first 2 ingredients and 1 cup of the sugar at medium speed with mixer, until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Stir together baking powder, salt and 3 cups flour. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Spread three-fourths of batter in a greased and floured 13×9 pan; sprinkle with blackberries.

Stir together remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour in a medium bowl; add peaches and bourbon* (if you are omitting bourbon, use either whipping cream or orange juice), stirring to coat. Spoon mixture over blackberries.

Stir pecans into remaining batter; dollop over peach mixture.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until golden and bubbly. Cool completely on a wire each. Cut into bars.