A Healthy Peanut Butter Energy Bar Alternative

I make these and keep them in the fridge for my husband and I to use in place of an energy bar. When I am hungry right before I plan to work out to an exercise dvd or go for a long walk, I eat one of these.  They are very, very good.

Peanut Butter Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup oats, old fashioned or quick *
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup ground or milled flaxseed
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into bite-sized balls and store in the refrigerator.

Optional Ingredients:  flaked coconut, nuts, chia seeds, pumpkins seeds, chocolate chips.

* I used Bob's Red Mill 5 grain Rolled Hot Cereal.  It contains whole grain wheat, rye, barley, oats, triticale and flaxseed.  I was out of steel cut oats, otherwise I would have used them.  I also added 1 tablespoon of chia seeds.

Time for No Bake Cookies

I have had one of those summer colds that you get from going outside in the hot weather and then coming back inside into the air conditioning.  So in order to help keep my grandson Ryan healthy, I haven’t had him as much as I usually do.  I have spent the majority of the time resting on the couch in our living room and watching movies in between sleeping.  I have drunk enough water to drain a lake.  Lots of rest is the best medicine for when you are sick.  When I was working full time I would be sick twice as long as I didn't get enough sleep.  This is the best part about being home.  Even when I have Ryan, I can always take a nap when he is taking a nap if I feel I need the rest.

Today we are back to our normal schedule.  I put Ryan in the stroller and leashed up our dog, Molly and we walked my husband to work at 8:00 a.m.  Then we took a long walk and got back in time for Ryan to have his strained veggies.  Today’s choice was carrots.  Then there was a quick run to Wal-mart and around 10:00 we had play time.  I sit and play with Ryan on a quilt that I use just for him and we sit on the porch swing and enjoy the outside before it gets too hot.  Before long he was tired so I gave him a bottle and cuddled him to sleep.  He is now napping in his bed.  However, I have no idea if this is going to be a 1 hour or 3 hour nap.  So, I don’t depend on nap time being a time that I can get a lot done.  I just do little stuff.

With it being so hot outside, I hate to heat up the oven.  However, it is hard to go without having a few cookies on hand to eat with a cup of coffee.  It is during the summer that I rely on no bake recipes AND I also rely on making cookie dough ahead of time to freeze.  Sometimes I make no bake cookies and other times I take cookie dough out of the freezer and bake a few cookies in the early morning before the weather gets hot.  If you have the cookie dough ready to go, it saves so much time in the morning.

I have two basic no bake cookie recipes that we enjoy.  One calls for sugar and corn syrup which I know a lot of people are trying to avoid, but cookies have sugar and fat in them so if you are trying lose weight or lower your consumption of sugar, then don’t eat them.  For me, I would rather eat one cookie with all the bad stuff in it than 3 cookies made fat free and with a sugar substitute.  All things in moderation is my motto.

No Bake Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup margarine or butter

2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 cup milk

Pinch of salt

4 cups quick oats

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook the margarine, sugar, cocoa, milk and salt.  This means that as soon as it starts to boil, time it for 2 minutes.  Then stir in the vanilla and oatmeal.   Drop by tablespoons onto waxed paper or a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  Cool.

Cereal Bars

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

4 – 5 cups cornflakes

Melt the corn syrup and sugar together.  Bring to a boil.  Add peanut butter and stir well.  Pour over the cornflakes.  Stir.  Spread into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Let cool.  (You can add just about any kind of cereal to this instead of the cornflakes.)  Another option is to melt a bag of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup peanut butter and spread over the top.  I leave this off as the bars are good without the topping.

Oatmeal Muffins, and living with less sugar

My daughter in law gave me this recipe.  She suggests having one of these for breakfast with a hard boiled egg.  I agree.  These are very delicious and a healthy alternative to the sugary, almost cupcake like muffins, that are served a lot.

3 mashed bananas
1 cup low fat milk (can use almond milk if there is a good sale)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cup oats - quick or old fashioned
1 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix together, except the blueberries.  For the muffin cups, I line muffin tins with paper liners but you can grease the muffin cups if you don't have the paper liners.  Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full.  Then top the batter with some blueberries - I topped each muffin with 5 large blueberries.  

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  These muffins are very dense as they don't have added flour nor oil, shortening or butter.  The bananas sweeten them just right, at least for me, and I like a dense a muffin for breakfast.  If you find that you need these to be a little sweeter, you could sprinkle a very small smidgen of some sugar (raw or granulated) on top or a little honey after baking.  Also, you can add a little cinnamon to the batter.

I am finding that as I change our diet to one with less sugar, I need some time for my "taste buds" to adjust. I am giving this time.  Our diets are so laden with sugar that I think we forget what real food, such as the taste of oats, is really like.  But in saying that, I still plan to bake good ole fashioned cookies.  Instead of having 3 dozen on hand from a recipe, I will hold back 6 and give the rest to our friends and neighbors as a gift of hospitality.  

I will still have a treat that may have a lot of fat and sugar in it, but it will be 1 treat and I won't sit down and eat several.  

Chocolate Chiffon Cakes

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup raw or granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water
4 large egg whites
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the next 5 ingredients.  Slowly combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until incorporated and batter is smooth. 

Beat egg whites on medium until foamy.  Slowly add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and continue beating on high until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.  Using a rubber spatula fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it.  Fold in remaining whites.

Divide batter evenly among 8 - 6 oz. ungreased ramekins and bake for 15 minutes.  Let cakes cool completely before unmolding.

Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve with a few blueberries or raspberies.  

I found this recipe in a People magazine.  This is a delicious, sweetened just right cake.  

Chicken Fajita Soup and Taco Seasoning Mix

1 box of low fat/low sodium chicken broth (or 3 - 15 oz. cans)
1 to 2 packs of taco seasoning (recipe follows)
3 to 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 onion chopped
5 to 6 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cans of Rotel tomatoes with chilis (I used mild)
1 to 2 cans of low sodium black beans, rinsed
1 bag frozen corn
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Dump everything into a crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

I had a bowl of sharp cheddar that I lightly shredded, more like shaved thinly, to garnish on top of the soup.  I served this with some brown rice that you can add to the soup or eat on the side.  I also served a nice tossed salad.

Taco Seasoning Mix

1/4 cup dried minced onion
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon crushed dried red pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon round cumin

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.  Measure out 2 tablespoons of this mix to use a substitute for commercially prepared taco seasoning mixes.  This is a low sodium seasoning mix.

Healthy Meals Recipe No. 1

I had a request to post some of the recipes for healthy meals in hurry that I received when I attended a seminar that our local extension office sponsored.  The idea behind this workshop was that we can put healthy meals on the table even when we have a lot to do in our schedule.  These meals can be prepared and cooked right away or frozen for later use.

Here is Recipe No. 1 and it is for Broccoli Chicken Rice Casserole.

3/4 cup instant brown rice
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon margarine
1/3 cup dry soup mix (see recipe that follows)
1 1/4 cups water
1 - 16 oz. pkg. frozen broccoli florets or chopped broccoli
2 cups chopped cooked chicken *
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare the rice according to package directions.  In a Dutch oven or deep pan, cook onion in margarine over medium to low heat until golden.  Add dry cream soup mix to pan, stirring to mix well.  Stir in water.  Heat to boiling.  Cook and stir until thick.

Add frozen broccoli, cooked chicken and cooked rice.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is nearly heated through.  Add cheese and heat until melted.  Internal temperature should register 165 degrees.

* 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts makes about 2 2/3 cups chopped cooked chicken.

You can freeze this recipe after you assemble it.  To serve, thaw and reheat in the oven or on the stove.

This casserole was served to us for lunch and it was in a casserole dish and they had sprinkled the cheese on top and heated it in the oven (350 degrees preheated oven) until the center of the casserole reached the desired temperature.  This was served with canned apricots, tossed salad and brownies.  

To make the brownies they took a dark chocolate brownie mix and added 1 can of pumpkin to the dry mix and mixed well.  Then bake per the package directions.  Yes, just 2 ingredients.  When they were cool they sprinkled the top of the brownies with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar.  

I have to tell you that this casserole was delicious and filling.  I am sure that you could easily substitute leftover turkey for the chicken.  The brownies were very good and it was nice to have a chocolate fix.

Here is the recipe for the dry soup mix.  I have always wanted to try this recipe ever since I saw it in one of my Tightwad Gazette books, but I always worried that it wouldn't taste as good and would be a waste of money.  Well, I can attest that it was delicious in the casserole.  I plan to use it instead of the canned version as it is definitely healthier and I know what the ingredients are that go into the soup mix.  Nothing hard to pronounce in the ingredient list.

Dry Soup Mix

2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sodium free dry chicken bouillon
2 tablespoon dried minced onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Place in a storage container and seal tightly.  Store in a cool dry place for up to six months.  Stir or shake well before each use.  To use as a substitute for 1 can of condensed soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of water.  Cook and stir on stove top until thickened.  This makes the soup in the condensed soup form as it would come out of the can.  

Variation on Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

Last week I posted a recipe for Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake.  Yesterday I came up with a variation on this to make another coffee cake for church today.  To the yellow cake mix I added 1 cup of sour cream, 4 eggs and 3/4 cup vegetable oil.  I mixed it for around 3 minutes on medium speed in my mixer.  Then I "layered" it with the Streusel as I did in the Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake recipe.  Bake the same and then when it is cool drizzle with a little confectioner sugar glaze.  Just take some confectioners sugar, add a little vanilla and thin with some milk. 

This was very, very good.  Give it a try.  I wonder what other variations I can come up with.  I'm thinking that I may add a layer of apple butter with streusel on top the next time.

Oh and by the way, yes I am still on a diet but I am enjoying treats in moderation.  (Hi Debs.)

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe

I made this last Saturday and took it to church for our Sunday School class to enjoy. This was very, very good and very easy to make.

For the cake:

1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 (16 oz.) can solid packed pumpkin puree
1/4 cup butter, softened

For the Streusel:

1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup quick oats OR 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the streusel ingredients and set aside. Blend the cake mix, eggs, pumpkin puree and butter. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour half of the cake batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel and spread the remaining batter over that. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the streusel. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

A Tale of Leftovers - Sloppy Joes

I recently made a rather large batch of Sloppy Joes for a group for lunch.  I knew I would have "planned: leftovers.  I have come to think of Sloppy Joe mixture as one of those versatile meals.  Here is my recipe for Sloppy Joes that I posted a while back.  This recipe makes a nice batch of Sloppy Joes that end up thickening as they simmer and are seasoned nicely.  When I make these, someone usually asks for the recipe.

After I have served these on the traditional buns, I freeze the leftovers for later use.  When I make homemade pizza, I dollop leftover Sloppy Joe mixture on top of the pizza sauce and then I top with colby jack cheese or a combination of mozzarella and cheddar.  For something a little more gourmet I add some diced onion on top and when the pizza comes out of the oven, top it with some sweet pickle slices.

Another leftover idea is to spread the meat mixture in a small pan and top with biscuit dough or another one of my favorites is to make meat tarts.  When I bake a pie crust I take the leftover crust dough and put it in a ziploc bag in the freezer.  I take some of the leftover pie crust and roll it out into small circles, put some of the Sloppy Joe mixture on one side of the pie crust circle and flip over the other half of the crust.  Brush a little water around the edges of the crust and seal with a fork.  Prick the top with a fork and then bake until the crust is brown and the meat mixture bubbles through the top.

You can sprinkle some cheese on the Sloppy Joe mixture before you encase it in the crust or sprinkle a little bit of cheddar cheese on the top crust before you put it in the oven.

Think of leftovers as an opportunity to be creative.

Sourdough Bread - The Busy Woman's Bread

If you want to save a lot of money and eat healthier, try baking your own bread.  I bake all of our bread, rolls, hamburger buns and even hot dog buns and I don’t use a bread machine either.  The main reason I make my own bread products is that I am able to make a better quality bread using such ingredients as whole wheat, flax seed and other whole grains.  The problem for me with bread making was in the timing of the rising, shaping and baking of the bread.  Now, I could overcome this with using a bread oven, but I have never had much luck with bread machines.  I would rather use my own hands to knead the bread and shape it. 

Recently I was given some sourdough starter and I have discovered that sourdough bread is the answer to fitting bread making into my busy schedule.  The timing from stirring to rising to baking is perfect because it takes a long time.   It is easy to fit this into anyone’s schedule.  

Sourdough bread takes longer to rise and in many cases the dough will need to rise all day.  You can easily mix it up and knead it in the morning, plop the dough into an oiled bowl and let it rise all day.  Then when you come home from work you simply plop the dough out onto an oiled surface, shape into loaves and let it go through the final rising and bake. 

I love the whole process as it fits into my schedule and I can provide my family with a wholesome bread.  I can mix it up and knead the dough in the morning and go about whatever I have planned for the day whether it is laundry, working a few hours at my library job or even being gone out of town for the day. 

If you have never tried this, give it a try.  You will never go back to the normal bread recipes after trying this out.  The wheat bread is delicious and so much better for you because you know what goes into the recipe.  No more reading bread labels and wondering what all those funny ingredients are. 

Sourdough Starter

2 cups flour

2 cups water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 pkg. dry yeast

Dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of the water.  Whisk together the remaining warm water, flour and sugar.  Add the yeast mixture to this.  Cover with a cheese cloth.  Keep this mixture on your counter in a warm spot for at least 3 days.  This is to begin the fermentation process which you will notice by bubbles forming in the mixture.  It will rise and have a yeasty sour aroma.  The liquid may separate. Stir this mixture three times a day.  After three days, store your starter in the refrigerator and make sure you cover it.  I pour mine into a one quart Mason jar and put a lid on it.  You will need to feed and use your starter at least every 10 days.  I usually use it every week when I bake bread. 

Basic Wheat Sourdough Bread

The night before you plan on baking bread, you need to feed your starter.   Pour the entire contents of the Mason jar into a glass bowl.  To this starter mixture add ½ cup sugar, 1 cup warm water and 1 ½ cups good quality white flour.    Stir well and cover with a kitchen towel and let stand in a warm place until morning, around 8 hours.  Wash the Mason jar and lid.

In the morning, divide the starter.  Pour 1 ½ cups of the starter back into the Mason jar to use the next time.  Cover and store in the refrigerator.  To the remainder of the mixture that is in the bowl add:

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 ½ cups warm water

½ cup vegetable oil

5 cups flour (white or whole wheat or a mixture of the two)

Stir the sugar, salt, water and oil into the mixture.  Add the flour 1 cup at a time, mixing as you go.  Continue until you can’t stir it.  Then place the dough on a well floured table and start to knead it.  I try to knead it for around 10 minutes.  Then put the dough into an oiled bowl and let it sit until it reaches the top or doubles in size.  Depending on the temperature in your house this could take all day or 4 to 5 hours.  After it has risen, take the dough out of the bowl and put it an oiled surface.  Divide the dough into the size loaves you want.  I make mine into two loaves that I bake in well greased loaf pans.  Let the loaves rise.  This could take 2 hours or more.  Bake the loaves at 350 degrees for around 30 minutes.  

Variations:  You can add some flax seed to this along with other seeds or grains of your choosing. 

I keep one loaf out for our immediate use and freeze the other loaf.  You can use this recipe for rolls too.  

Crockpot Pulled Pork for a Very Hot Day

It is going to be in the 100's today - yes that is going to be the temperature. I have no idea what the heat index is going to be. That is even hot for Iowa. I wonder if the corn will start to pop in the fields. When it is hot, I definitely pull out the crockpot because who wants to add to the heat by warming up the stove or oven?

I came across this recipe a few years ago and it has become one of our favorites. Pork goes on sale here in Iowa quite often and when it does, I stock up. Back in March boneless pork roast was on sale for $1.79 a lb. so I bought 6 roasts. They averaged in the 3 to 4 lb. size. Last night I pulled one of those roasts out of the freezer to thaw as I am going to use it in one of our favorite crockpot recipes.

This recipe is for pulled pork sandwiches and it will be perfect for supper tonight. Here is the recipe:

1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, sliced (I use a yellow onion when I don't have Vidalia)
3 lbs. boneless pork roast, rinsed and patted dry
salt and pepper
1 cup barbeque sauce (bottled or homemade)
1/2 cup yellow mustard
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 lime, juiced (I have the bottled juice on hand just for this purpose)

The above recipe does not call for brown sugar, but I add about 2 tablespoons to cut the tang a little but that is entirely up to the cook. Just taste the sauce before pouring it over the pork and see if you think it needs it.

Place the sliced onions in the bottom of the crockpot. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker on top of the onions, fat side up.

In a medium bowl, stir together the barbeque sauce, mustard, tomato paste, chicken broth and lime juice. Pour over the pork. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove the pork and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Pull the pork with two forks or cut up with a knife and serve on buns.

I will have plenty of leftovers with this roast so I will freeze half of it for another day. I have even served this over noodles for a change of pace and everyone has loved it.

What else will I serve with the sandwiches? Watermelon of course, along with some coleslaw. Watermelon has been on sale here for $3.88 for a whole seedless watermelon. As for coleslaw, cabbage is always an inexpensive alternative for a salad.

A New Way with Pasta

Yesterday I decided to make what I refer to as goulash for supper. It is simply cooked macaroni with spaghetti sauce and ground beef topped with a little mozzarella and some parmesan cheese. Sometimes I use crushed canned tomatoes and some tomato sauce that I season with italian seasoning in place of the spaghetti sauce. Again, simple and frugal. 

I had some leftover spaghetti meat sauce that had been frozen waiting to be used. 

So what was the "new" about this dish? I cooked the macaroni and drained it well. Then I put a little oil in a skillet (and I mean about 1 tablespoon) and I coated the dish thoroughly. I dumped the drained macaroni into the skillet and proceeded to fry it until it was crisp. The key here is to be patient and let the heat do the work for you. When the bottom was nice and crispy I turned it over to cook the top and then broke it up so that each piece of macaroni had a chance to get crispy. 

I heated up the spaghetti meat sauce and then served the dish by simply placing the macaroni on each plate, topped with spaghetti sauce and sprinkled a little mozzarella on the top. I served this with a nice tossed salad of lettuce, yellow and red sweet peppers and carrots. Walmart had their day old French bread marked down so that rounded out the meal.

The crispy macaroni gave the whole dish a new flavor in that it was crispy and almost "popcorny" tasting. It was nice to have a crunch to the dish and it actually made me think of fried ravioli that you can get in a restaurant as an appetizer. 

I will definitely be doing this again. Best part - it was gobbled up and there were no leftovers.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this soup last week, and it was oh so good.  Also, what could be healthier than chicken breast, corn, beans and tomatoes?  It was yummy and had just the right spice to it. 

As I was making it, I realized that my counter was cluttered with cans so I definitely was filling up the recycling bin that evening.  Of course, this soup was even better the next day. 

I thought that I would make this during the summer, leave out the chicken and serve the soup chilled.  Here is the recipe:

2 - 14 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes
2 - 14 oz. cans corn, drained (reserve vegetable broth for homemade vegetable soup)
1 - 14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 14 oz. can chili beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 4 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained
2 - 14 oz. cans chicken broth
1 3/4 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 small bunch of green onions (about 8), sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 boneless, chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
6 to 8 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4 inch strips
Garnish:  shredded cheddar cheese

Add all the ingredients except chicken, tortillas and garnish to a heavy stockpot.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add chicken; heat 10 minutes. Toast tortilla strips in a 350 degree oven until crisp.  Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with tortilla strips and shredded cheese.  Serve and enjoy.

I made this recipe by combining a few different soup recipes.  You can always use 2 cans of black beans if you prefer, but I decided that I liked the color that comes from having two kinds of beans. Besides I had plenty of chili beans on hand but I only had 1 can of black beans.   

I also reserved about 1/3 of the second can of corn and used this in a Tex Mex tossed salad that I served with this meal.  Use a pizza cutter to cut the tortillas into strips when you toast those for the garnish.  I took the balance of the corn tortillas and sprinkled some of the cheese that I used for the garnish and I toasted these in the oven to serve on the side. 

You could add the cans of corn and not drain them, but the vegetable broth from a can of corn usually has a sweetness to it that I didn't want to put into this soup.  I prefer it in my homemade vegetable beef soup so I always pour the broth into a container that I keep in the freezer for soup fix ins.

Also, you don't have to use chicken breast meat, you could use diced turkey or leftover diced chicken - dark or white meat - it won't matter.  This was an easy supper meal for 5 people and we had enough for supper the next night. 

Sorry no pictures - forgot to take one but I promise that if you make this soup, you will have a very delicious and colorful meal to serve your family.

Chicken Mozzarella and Brownie Pudding

Here is what I am preparing for dinner tonight.  It is a simple recipe that everyone loves.

Chicken Mozzarella

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
Vegetable Oil
1 jar spaghetti sauce
grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Dip chicken in egg, then into the  bread crumbs to coat thoroughly.  In a large skillet, brown the chicken on both sides in the vegetable oil.  Drain on paper towels.

Pour 1 cup sauce in a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Place the chicken in the pan and top with the remaining sauce.  Sprinke with the cheeses.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Serves 8.

I will be serving the chicken over plain buttered pasta.  Side dishes will be steamed broccoli, garlic bread and a tossed salad. 

For dessert we are having brownie pudding.

Brownie Pudding

1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together the first 5 ingredients;  add milk, vegetable oil and vanilla; mix til smooth.  Pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch square pan.  Combine the remaining ingredients;  pour over batter.  Bake for about 40 minutes.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

A recipe and some good old fashioned cleaning advice

This is one of those recipes that makes a good "comfort" type side dish.  I'm sure most of you have heard of this one before, but I hadn't made it for awhile and served it last week when we had tacos.  It was a hit.

Corn Muffin Casserole

2 eggs
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 - 8 oz. container sour cream
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

Beat the eggs and add the cans of corn.  Make sure you drain the whole kernal corn.  Add the sour cream and melted butter.  Mix well.  Stir in the muffin mix. 

Grease an 8 x 8 inch casserole.  Bake at 350 degrees for between 45 and 55 minutes per your oven.  (We all know that our ovens are different.)

This is relatively inexpensive and it is moist and tasty.  I know some cooks that sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top, but we like ours without. 

I have a friend who recently doubled this recipe and poured it into her crockpot and cooked it on low for around 5 hours and it turned out perfect.  I haven't tried it yet, but it is worth a go.  The only change that I would make is whenever I make something like macaroni and cheese or stuffing in the crockpot, I lay a paper towel over the top of the crockpot and put the lid on the paper towel.  The paper towel does not touch the food, it is held in place by the lid.  The steam droplets rise to the top and are absorbed by the paper towel.  You may have to change the towel twice, but it works very well.

Now on to some good old fashioned cleaning advice.  Are you ready? Pick up as you go, clean up as you go and stop the mud at the door.  Then plan two - 3 hour sessions of cleaning each week.  This is the way that I am keeping my house clean and in order.  

First of all the "pick up as you go, clean as you go and stop the mud at the door" is something that my grandmother always proclaimed.  With only the 3 of us living in our home, it was easy to keep the place clean even without doing the pick up as you go, etc.  Now with the college students living with us and usually another 2 of their friends showing up during the day or at dinner time, I have changed the game plan. 

Please understand that the girls do clean up and pick up after themselves its just that things can get chaotic with other people coming and going during the day, more dishes being used and more people in the house.  Soo - I now value the pick up as you go, clean up as you go and stop the mud at the door. 

As for the stop the mud at the door -- I really had a problem there.  We have two dogs and our backyard has been a muddy mess since last fall.  We had a drought last year and our grass all but died which led to a backyard of mud.  Now that the snow is melting and we have some unusually warm days ahead of us, our dogs (and people) come into the house with muddy paws or shoes.  The large rug by the back door wasn't doing a good job so I went out yesterday and bought a cheap area rug for my kitchen floor.  I know, it isn't that pretty but it is functional and I need functional. 

Now when a large group of people come in the back door, they can move to the larger rug to wipe their feet and I can easily vacuum up the dirt later.  This is easier than constantly mopping a floor.  So it may not be pretty, but boy does it save me time. 

So I/we pick up as we go, clean as we go (bathrooms and countertops) and we stop the mud at the door.  Then I add to this two - 3 hour slots of cleaning or in some cases four cleaning slots of 1 and 1/2 hours (depending on when we have the time clean) to keep the rest of the house in order. 

I am a slob and a messy person but I want an orderly home.  My home isn't perfectly clean at all times, but it is orderly.  This is working for all of us.

Breakfast Casseroles - Another frugal meal

In our house we always seem to have a few slices of bread (usually the heels) left in a bread bag that end up drying out and no one wants to use them in a sandwich.  Now I use unwanted pieces of bread as seasoned bread crumbs, croutons and such, but my favorite thing to do with them is to use them in a breakfast casserole or Strata as some people call it.

I keep the ends of bread in a bag in the freezer and then when I have enough, it's time to make a breakfast casserole. 

Here is my original recipe that I got out of a church cookbook some 30 years ago. 

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

12 slices bread, cubed
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. cubed ham
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 stick margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Place 2/3 thirds of the bread cubes on the bottom of the pan.  Arrange the cheese and the ham over the top.  Pour the melted margarine over the remaining bread cubes.  Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.  Leave in refrigerator overnight.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Here is how I have made this casserole more versatile:

I reduce the amount of melted margarine to 1/4 cup and I also don't use near as much meat.  It's not necessary.

If I have no meat or cheese but a lot of bread, I make it into a French toast casserole.  Just sprinkle a bit of nutmeg and about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon into the egg batter.  Then sprinkle the top of the buttered cubes with cinnamon and sugar.  Bake as usual.  Serve with syrup.

I substitute sausage, bacon, even chicken for the ham.  I have used swiss cheese with the bacon, co-jack cheese, muenster and so on.  Basically I take any cheese I have on hand and use it.  Also, I tend to take the bits of cheese I may have left from another recipe and freeze it for this use.   

I love quiche because you can use up bits and pieces of meat and cheese but with this breakfast casserole you can also use up one more item and that is bread.

The only problem you may have is that when you start to tweak the recipe you may want to keep track of what you put in, because if it turns out really, really good you're family will want you to repeat it. 

What's for Dinner Tonight? Fried Rice

I love fried rice and so does my family.  It is a great way to use up a small amount of leftover meat that isn't enough for another meal. 

My recipe is one of those this and that kind of recipes.  The basic recipe is as follows:

1 small onion chopped, about 1/4 cup
2 cups cooked rice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 eggs beaten

Cook and stir the onion in a little oil until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the cooked rice and soy sauce.  Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in eggs; cook and stir until eggs are done, 4 to 5 minutes longer.

Okay, this is the basic recipe.  I have in my freezer about 1/2 cup of frozen peas and in my fridge I have a carrot that is getting a little limp.  I also have a piece of grilled chicken this about 1/2 size of my palm and about 2 slices of a pork loin roast from last night's meal. 

I will add the peas and carrot along with sliced pieces of the chicken and pork to the rice concoction.  You can of course use leftover rice - be it brown or white - both work well. 

Another alternative would be to make soup or a casserole.  Just be careful that whatever you make from leftovers serves one additional meal and that you don't end up making a meal from leftovers that becomes another leftover meal, unless you need to do this.  Plan for those leftovers but don't go overboard. 

Super Easy Baked Cavatelli

I help with cooking the youth group meals each week and I wanted to share with you this simple and easy recipe for baked cavatelli.  This goes over so well with the youth group.  They really love it and I love making it because it is so easy.

Baked Cavatelli

2 cups UNCOOKED rotini pasta
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 - 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Italian Seasoning
1 - 8 oz. bag shredded mozzarella
Pepperoni pieces (optional)

Mix the UNCOOKED rotini pasta, ground beef, tomatoes and spaghetti sauce.  Add about 1/2 cup water.  Add pepperoni pieces if desired.  Pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Sprinkle with italian seasoning.  Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours.  Top with the cheese and bake another 15 minutes until cheese is melted and pasta is tender. 

I am making this on Sunday for our youth group and I will be donating the food from my pantry and freezer.  I need to put together 6 pans and here is what I am calculating this will cost per pan.

1 lb. Boxes of rotini pasta purchased @ 69 cents
Jars of spaghetti sauce @ 75 cents
Mozzarella cheese @ $1.00
Diced tomatoes @ 33 cents
1 lb. Hamburger purchased @ 80 cents (BIG sale in February of this year)

Add this up and you can see how little each pan will cost.  This is why I shop sales and use coupons, not only for myself but so that I can also save our church money. 

I will add to this day old loaves of italian bread purchased for around 90 cents each and we will have apple slices (apples already donated by someone) and ice cream (donated also).  The only thing the church will need to purchase will be 2 gallons of milk and the bread.  This will serve around 40 people. 

So, again, when you shop sales and get great deals, think about how you can donate some of those items perhaps to your church for meals or to a food pantry or other charity. 

Poppy Seed Bread and Plenty More

I found this recipe in an old church cookbook and gave it a try this weekend.  I take breakfast breads such as muffins, coffeecake, quick breads along with fresh fruit to church for some Adult Education classes.  Along with baking muffins for my DH's cross country team, this gives me the chance to try some new recipes.

I have some poppy seed bread recipes that start out with a cake mix but I don't always have a cake mix on hand.  Also, I wanted a recipe that wasn't lemon.  The amazing thing about this recipe was that I had the three flavorings in my cupboard.  It was truly delicious and moist and what was left after Sunday School was taken to the youth group and they finished it off. 

Poppy Seed Bread - Makes 2 loaves

3 cups flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk (I use powdered milk reconstituted in the water)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavoring

Combine the flour, sugar, poppy seeds and baking powder in a mixer bowl and mix well.  Add the milk, oil, eggs and the extracts and flavoring.  Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.  Spoon batter into two 5 x 9 inch greased and floured loaf pans.  (HINT:  I cut a piece of parchment paper to fit in the bottom only of the loaf pan and then I butter the paper.  This makes it so easy to get the bread out of the pan without tearing the bottom of the loaf.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Cool in pans for 5 minutes. 

I didn't do the next step as I wasn't sure how sticky it would make the tops of the loaves and I also thought the bread was sweet enough. For those who want to try it, here are the rest of the instructions.

Combine the following in a bowl and mix well:  3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring.  Drizzle over the tops of the loaves. 

I wasn't sure if the sugar would dissolve well enough and perhaps I will try this the next time but I will use powdered sugar instead of the granulated sugar.

Now as to what I have been up to:  DECLUTTERING!!  I have more to do, but that will have to wait for another week.  In the meantime I am leaving tomorrow for Kansas City to go to a church conference and will be back Friday evening.  I have been doing laundry and some cleaning in hopes that my home won't look like a disaster when I return. 

When my son asked what he and my DH were going to have to eat for dinner when I was gone, I simply said "your dad will take care of it."  No way was I going to spend time thinking about this.  My DH's response is that he will fire up the grill and they will have hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken.  I told both of them that there were plenty of things to eat from the freezer and my DH's reply was "we will be fine." 

My husband is the best.  He doesn't worry about meals when he is home alone as he is pretty self sufficient.  He isn't much of a cook but he can grill meat, make eggs, pancakes and French toast along with a few other things.

It is unusual for me to be gone for 3 days and I am looking forward to being with friends from church and to also make some new acquaintances. 

This morning's newspaper reported the high numbers of those living in poverty and also individuals receiving assistance from food banks.  I started thinking about what it would take to come up with 3 days' worth of groceries to give away.  I've thought about this for a long time as a possible "missions" project at our church.  I am pondering items to put into 2 brown paper bags or even one brown paper bag that would be enough food to make meals for 3 days for a family of four.  In the brown bag could be recipes and instructions of how to make those items into meals. 

These meals would definitely be low cost meals as we would want to be able to make up as many brown bags as possible.  I envision any meat being kept in a freezer in our church that we could drop into one of the bags when someone needed food. 

Food banks are being stretched to the limit and although several churches in our community provide 3 evening meals at the end of the month for anyone in our community, I keep wondering about what else we can do.  I worry especially about children during school vacations and holidays and for that matter weekends, when they are not receiving school breakfast and lunches.  No one should go hungry.

I'll be back blogging Friday or Saturday.  If anyone makes the poppy seed bread tell me how you like it.  Also remember that we are coming into the "holiday" season with Christmas only 3 months away.  Many of you may be like me looking for possible recipes for food gifts to give away.  This poppy seed bread fits the bill.

Recipes from my Bridal Shower

I want to share some family recipes with you.  These were given to me at my Bridal Shower almost 31 years ago.  They may not be healthy by today's standards, but they are delicious.

Broccoli Casserole

2 – 10 oz. pkgs. – frozen broccoli cuts
35 Ritz crackers
1/4 cup butter or margarine (more or less)
1/2 lb. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Partially cook the broccoli. Crush the crackers and mix the crumbs with the melted butter. Grease an 8 inch by 8 inch dish and put a layer of broccoli, cheese, crumbs and repeat. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes til the cheese is melted.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Cake:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Topping:

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together the butter (or margarine), sugar and eggs. Add the sour cream, vanilla, flour baking soda and baking powder. Mix together. Spread the batter in a greased 10 x 7 inch pan. For the topping, mix together the sugar and the cinnamon (can use half of this mixture and it will still work well). Pour topping mixture over coffee cake and stir into the batter (a little) with the end of a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Frozen Pickles

2 quarts sliced cucumbers (about 3)
1 onion, sliced
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar

Sprinkle the salt over the cucumbers and onions. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Heat the sugar with the vinegar and pour over the cucumbers and onions. Freeze.

Overnight Casserole

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 – 7 oz. package shell macaroni, uncooked
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups ham, turkey or chicken
2 cups milk
1/4 cup onion, chopped

Topping: Buttered Bread Crumbs

Mix all of the above together and pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Refrigerate overnight. Top with buttered bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. (I have made this recipe for church potlucks and I prefer to use 3 cans of cream of chicken soup.)

Cracker Spread

2 – 8 oz. packages lite cream cheese
1 – 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Mix all of the ingredients together and chill overnight.