Tasty Tuesday

I've had many requests for this recipe.  I'm not sure why I've never posted it until now.

Roast Sticky Chicken

1 large roasting chicken
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp paprika
4 tsp salt

Mix all the spices in a bowl.  Clean out the chicken and pat dry.  Rub spice into the chicken inside and out.  Place in a resealable bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight.  The next day remove from the bag and place a chopped, peeled onion inside.  Cook 6-8 hours in the crockpot.  It will literally fall apart when you take it out and its is so delicious!



Pork Tenderloin

1/2 cups olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
juice 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dry mustard
pepper to taste
garlic to taste
1 1lb pork tenderloin

Mix marinade ingredients together.  Marinade 3-4 hours.  Preheat oven to 350.  Sear tenderloin on stove 2-3 minutes per side.  Place in oven.  Cook 30-40 minutes.  I have also just put everything in the crockpot and cooked 5-6 hours.

Tasty Tuesday-some Breakfast casseroles

Okay, so I realize its Wednesday not Tuesday.  Sorry!! 

Here's some tried and true recipes that we use when we have a lot planned and don't have time to make a breakfast. 

Southwest Sausage Bake

6-10in. flour tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
4 cans (4oz) chopped green chilies, drained
1 lb pork sausage, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
10 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp each: salt, garlic salt, onion, salt, pepper, and ground cumin
2 medium tomatoes, sliced

In a greased  9x13 baking dish, layer 1/2 the tortilla strips, chilies, sausage, and cheese.  Repeat layers.  In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and seasonings.  Pour over cheese.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Remove 30 minutes before baking.  Bake uncovered for 50 minutes.  Arrange tomato slices over the top and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.  Serve with sour cream and salsa.



French Toast Bake (pioneer Woman recipe)

8 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. vanilla
1.5 lb loaf of sourdough bread

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces

Cube up the bread and place it in a greased 9x13 pan.  Mix all the other ingredients together and pour on top.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Mix topping ingredients together, cutting in the butter, until it is crumbly.  Put in a bag.

Take out of the fridge and sprinkle the topping on it.  Bake at 350 for one hour.

Tasty Tuesday

I'm trying to get back into posting several times a week so I'm restarting my Tasty Tuesday and Farming Friday posts this week.

So today, I'm sharing some crock pot recipes that we have tried and enjoyed the last few weeks!! Enjoy!

Chicken Taco Soup
1 lb cooked de-boned shredded chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 16 oz can of beans (kidney, pinto, black...the original recipe calls for two cans but my kids aren't huge fans of beans)
1 cup corn
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 14.5oz can rotel tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 packet of taco seasoning

Mix ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours, stirring several times.  Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream.



Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
2 lbs chicken, boneless, and skinless
1 cup salsa
1 cup petite diced canned tomatoes
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 cup onions, diced fine
3 Tbsp sour cream

Place chicken in crock pot.  Sprinkle taco seasoning over meat.  Layer other items and pour 1/2 cup water on top.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Shred meat and add back into crock pot with shredded cheese.  Stir and cook until cheese is melted.  Serve on tortillas with sour cream.


Crockpot Apple Butter
5 lbs peeled cored and finely chopped apples
4 cups sugar
2 tsps. cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt

Put ingredients in crock pot and stir until coated.  Cook on high 3 hours, stirring every 30-45 minutes.  Then turn to low and cook another 5.5-6 hrs, stirring every hour or so.  Place in food processor or blender and puree.  Can or refrigerate.

I'mmmmm mmmeeelllltttiiinnngggg

Well, okay, I'm not melting.  But all this snow is.  My yard looks like a lake and we won't mention the driveway.  I hit the gas pedal of the truck and pray that we make it through the mud to get to the street. 

Most of the snow is gone however, the drifts are still here.  Some of them are still almost two feet tall.  We're supposed to get rain today which will help with the driveway.....not.  Tomorrow is wintery weather with high wind.  Perhaps the wind will blow the water away?  At least we won't be in as much of a drought as we have been.  I'm praying that this summer we see showers otherwise we'll be in trouble.  Its been too dry for too many years here.

I thought I'd post some more soup recipes.  These are favorites of ours.  Soup weather is almost over here.......the kids are crying for more sandwiches.  The birds are starting to come out.  I'm going to hang some bird feeders from the trees in the front so that we can watch them while we're doing school.


Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
  XKick-up the flavor

  With Johnsonville Italian Sausage.

  

  
  

  Featured Sponsor
  
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (8 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

• In a 3-qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute the onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from the heat; blend in sour cream. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/4 quarts).

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 cup) equals 330 calories, 18 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 59 mg cholesterol, 1,027 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 15 g protein.

Originally published as Cheeseburger Soup in Taste of Home October/November 1996, p29 Recipe

 

 

Taco Soup

 

One pound ground beef browned and drained.

One large can of diced tomatoes

one can beans (any kind you wish: I use kidney or chili for spice)

one can corn

One package taco seasoning

 

Put all ingredients on a pot on the stove.  Heat up and simmer for about thirty minutes until all the flavors are mixed together well.  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and nacho chips.

 

 

Weekly review

School this week.....

Went really well.  We did end up taking a snow day when we had the ten inches fall.  The kids are still enjoying the snow and its only the second good snowfall we've gotten this year.  The public kids were out too, so I figured it was worth it to let them play.  Plus, I had a ton of homework to do.

The girls have moved out of space and onto other Earth Science topics.  In Tapestry of Grace, all the kids studied the Alamo this week.  Next week we're onto the Victorian era.


Our house.......

I'm so behind in cleaning and organizing. The big girls help alot, but this class has killed me this last eight weeks.  When we moved in, I threw stuff into the closets and started homeschooling right away.  Then I got sick and then it was Christmas.  The closets and my desk need a good over haul and I plan on spending the next two weeks doing that.  I also need to try to get the dining room painted and put kilz on the living room ceiling from that big stain from the water leak in the bathroom. 


Myself.......

This class was horrendous.  My first C and I don't really care.  I think I have a bad case of senioritis.  One more class and I'm all done!!  I plan on working hard to get a decent grade this last class.  I'm going to spend some of the two weeks off working on my notes and outline for my 25 page term paper that I have to write.  If I can get those done before class starts, it will be a little easier on me.

The littlest was up most of the night last night with an ear ache.  I went to bed after 2 am and she was restless all night long.  I sent the big girls to church and the rest of us are hanging out until they get back.   She was finally in a restful sleep so I didn't want to get her up.  In fact, its 10:30 and she just woke up.  I got to catch up on three episodes of Dallas last night while up with her.  I know, I know.....but its Dallas y'know?

I thought I would post two recipes that I've gotten off of pinterest that we just love.  My kids absolutely love this ham and potato soup.  They would lick the pot clean if I let them.  I don't add the carrots though.

Ham and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

7 c. diced potatoes (about 4 medium)
1 c. diced onion (about 1 medium)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 c. ham, diced
5. c. hot water
1 Knorr Chicken Bullion cube (extra large size that
makes 1 quart broth or 4 small cubes that make 1 cup each)
1 c. 2% milk
1/2 c. sour cream
Salt and Pepper to tasteDirections:

Add diced potatoes, onion, carrot, and ham to a crock pot. Dissolve chicken bullion in 5 cups hot water, then add this to the crock pot also. Cook on low 7 hours, or high 3 hours. Then add milk and sour cream. Stir and cook an additional 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes twelve 1-cup servings.

If you'd like a thicker soup, just before adding milk and sour cream, remove 2-3 cups of the potatoes and slightly mash, then return the mashed mixture to the crock pot.

Makes 12 Servings (About 1 Cup Per Serving


Bourbon STreet Chicken   **I added less red pepper flakes because it was too spicy for the kids

2 poundsboneless chicken breasts; cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoonolive oil; (1-2)

1 garlic clove; crushed

1/4 teaspoonginger

3/4 teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cupapple juice

1/3 cuplight brown sugar

2 tablespoonsketchup

1 tablespooncider vinegar

1/2 cupwater

1/3 cupsoy sauce

1 tablespooncornstarch; (if thick sauce desired)

 

Bourbon Chicken Preparation

Heat oil in a large skillet.
Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.
Remove chicken.
Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well blended and dissolved.
Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.
Serve over hot rice.



And I'm making these for lunch today:

Sweet Ham and Swiss Sliders

Ingredients

• 16 White Dinner Style Rolls, cut in half
• 24 slices Honey Ham
• 16 slices Swiss Cheese
• 1/4 C Mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 8 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/4 C brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. On a rimmed baking sheet place bottom half of dinner rolls and top with 1 1/2 slices of ham and 1 slice of swiss cheese. Spread about 1 tsp of mayonnaise on each top-half of roll and place on top of ham and cheese. You want the rolls to be snug together, kissing just a bit so the sauce can soak up into all of the nooks and crannies.
3. In a small bowl combine the mustard, melted butter, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and brown sugar. Mix until combined and evenly pour over the assembled rolls. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
4. Bake covered with foil for 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the tops are browned, and cheese is good and melted.

Recipes

I've had several requests on facebook for some chicken recipes so I'm posting them here.

Mexican Chicken
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg taco seasoning
monterey jack cheese slices
salsa
sour cream

Dust chicken with taco seasoning and place it in a baking pan.  Top each breast with a scoop of salsa.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  Add slice of cheese to top and bake until melted.  Serve over rice with a scoop of sour cream. 


Ranch Style Chicken
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Thick cut bacon
bacon grease
honey
dijon mustard
lemon juice
sharp cheddar cheese

Mix 1/2 cup dijon with 1/2 cup honey, and juice of 1/2 lemon.  Whisk until smooth.  Pound chicken to 1/2 or 3/4 inch thickness.  Add marinade to chicken and refrigerate 3-4 hours.  Fry bacon and reserve 1/4 cup of grease.  Clean skillet and then heat the reserved grease.  Cook chicken 1-2 minutes on each side.  Remove chicken to baking sheet.  bake at 400 for 10 minutes.  Add bacon and cheese and cook until cheese is melted.  This is a Pioneer Woman recipe.


Bourbon Chicken
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
brown sugar; seasoned to taste.

Combine olive oil and the next eight ingredients.  Place chicken in crock pot.  Pour sauce over chicken and cook until it falls apart.


Slow Cooked Lemon chicken
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp butter
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup water

Pat chicken dry w/paper towels  Combine the oregano, seasoned salt and pepper; rub over the chicken.  In a skillet over medium heat, brown the chicken in butter and then place in the crock pot.  Add water, lemon juice, garlic, and bouillon to skillet; bring to a boil.  Pour over the chicken.  Cover and cook 3-4 hours on low.  cook until meat juices run clear.  Serve over rice.  I sometimes make lemon rice to go with this dish.

Tasty Tuesday

Two new recipes for today!!

Harvest Apple Dip
8 oz softened cream cheese
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix together and beat until smooth.  Slice apples and splash with 7up or lemon juice to keep from browing.

Egg Casserole
1 lb sausage, browned and drained
6 slices bread-cubed
2 cups milk
4-6 eggs
1tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz cheddar cheese
1 small onion, chopped
ham-optional-1/3 lb thinly sliced and chopped

Spray 9x13 pan.  Mix all together and put into pan.  Refrigerate overnight or 8 hours.  Bake uncovered for 50 minutes to one hour.

Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Okay, I have no idea how to make a button and I'm too lazy to look right now, so this will have to do. 

This week I put a new chore schedule in place.  The three oldest each have a section of the camper to clean: my room and bath, the living room/kitchen, or the girls room/bath.  They will rotate each week.  Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday they are responsible for vacumming and any dusting that needs to be done in that area.  On opposite days they must clean the bathrooms and the person with the living area must wash the floor.  This takes them about 15-20 minutes each day. 

I also put forth a rotating schedule to help with making meals, washing dishes, and doing laundry. I've decided that the person helping with meals will be able to help menu plan and we will focus on one meal a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) that they will really do themselves, with my supervision.  That person will still help out with the other meals, but the focus will be on that one meal.  The goal is that after a few weeks rotation, they will be able to do an entire day's cooking with little supervision.  I'm hoping this will help out when the flu hits, as it always does.  Last year, the girls were awesome making breakfast (cereal) and lunch (sandwiches) when I got sick.  The nice thing is that because we're in the fifth wheel I'm close by to help out!

So, here's three recipes.  The first is from Pampered Chef.  This time I made it in the crock pot, I just put in on high for 3-4 hours until the potatoes were done.  Its always been a favorite here.

Double Potato Scallop

1 cup cooked ham, cubed

1 can condensed cream of potato soup

1/2 cup cool whip

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

4 large unpeeled potatoes, sliced thin

Mix all together.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.  Crush croutons on top and cook another 15-20 minutes or until done.

Taco Soup

1.5 lbs ground beef

1 envelope of taco seasoning

2 cans corn, drained

2 can chili beans, undrained

2 (14.5) oz cans diced tomatoes

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in taco seasoning, corn, beans, and tomatoes.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until heated through.  Serve with crushed chips and shredded cheese on top.

This taco soup recipe is great for lunches.  Its quick and easy and all my kids (except the picky eater) love it.

Pumpkin Spice Bars

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 can cream cheese frosting

In a mixing bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients.  Combine the rest and add to the pumpkin mixture until just combined.  Pour into a 15x10 pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until done.  Cool completely and frost.

Have a fantastic week everyone!!  We're off tomorrow to celebrate Little Miss Trouble's fourth birthday.  Next week we take our first break as my mom and cousin come into town!!  yeah!!  Haven't seen my mom in about 18 months!

Tasty Tuesday

Yes, I know I'm a day late with my recipe post.  On Sunday night, Bug-a-bug slipped and fell in the shower.  Now, the shower in the fifth wheel is smaller than a normal shower and she fell and hit the shelf.  Monday we took off from school cause daddy was home and she played outside.  Every now and then she'd complain about it so we gave her a little tylenol to help with the pain believing that she bruised it.

Yesterday was totally different.  She had to sit all day and do school.  By dinnertime, she was in tears.  After dinner, I took her to urgent care and found out that she has a fracture in her coccyx.  Poor thing!!

So, I'm posting two recipes today.  First, is a favorite around here for all of those apples you've been picking.

Harvest Apple Dip
8 oz softened cream cheese
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix together and beat until smooth.  Slice apples and splash with 7up or lemon juice to keep from browning.  We use red, green, and yellow apples for pretty coloring.

This next recipe I got from a friend of mine.  She makes it all the time and its become a family favorite here also.  Even though it has chicken in the name, there isn't any chicken.....don't ask, cause I have no idea why.

City Chicken
Boneless Pork Roast cubed
Eggs
Bread Crumbs
crisco
chicken broth
dry onion soup  mix

Cube pork.  Roll into egg and then bread crumbs.  Fry in crisco oil until browned on each side.  Put into a baking dish with soup mix and chicken broth.  The chicken broth should be added until it is halfway up the side of the pork, do not cover the pork.  Cover and cook at 350 for one hour.

Now, her original recipe calls for the pork to be skewed onto skewers but I'm too lazy and I can see the skewers being used as weapons, so I don't use them.  This is easy and very tasty. 

Have a great week!

Hello!

We've had an extremely busy last week. Our friends arrived from St. Louis for the chief pinning on Wednesday. We have enjoyed showing them around and visiting with them. Its been almost a year since we saw them in Japan and it will be longer before we see them again I'm afraid. I have lots of pictures to post, but need to do some fixing on the computer before I do that. I hope to be posting photos later tonight.

I have just found a wonderful website.

www.5dollardinners.com

I am desperately trying to limit our food budget, but with a family of seven, its just not possible. Two kiddos in diapers and a monster sized dog doesn't help the budget either. I currently spend about $200/week on groceries. I buy alot of fresh produce, which really adds up. I do not buy any frozen meals, boxed meals, or any processed meals. I prefer for us to eat fresh or frozen foods to learn to eat healthier. My current plan is to lower our budget at least $25/week, which will save us $100/month. Although, I have some food in the pantry, I do not have "a lot", nor do I have a huge stock in the freezer, which is why we are spending so much each week. I basically buy what we need.

One of the other things, I'm back to doing, is making fresh rolls/bread and homeade cookies, cakes, pies, and ice cream. I will be posting some recipes I'm been trying out and some old favorites. I have two to share right now.

The first is a fabulous roll recipe for your bread machine. My friend Kozison shared this recipe with me when we lived in Japan.

Maple Syrup Rolls

200cc Milk or Water at room temp
1 egg
4 TBSP Butter
4 TBSP Maple Syrup or pancake syrup
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
4 TBSP sugar

Put into the bread machine in the order listed above. Set for dough setting. When done, punch down dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into the number of rolls that you would like (I usually get 24). Wait 5 minutes and shape each piece of dough. Put them on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Spray a little water on each roll. Let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.

Spray with water again before baking. Bake in a preheated oven (350) for 12-18 minutes-until lightly browned (this will depend on your roll size)




The next recipe is from www.allrecipes.com I don't usually mark where I found them. Muffins are a huge favorite breakfast item here and the kids usually eat them with hard boiled eggs or yogurt.


Apple Pumpkin Muffins

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups finely chopped peeled apples

In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, pumpking and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apples. Fill paper lined muffin cups two thirds full. (I usually get 24)

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for five minutes before removing from pans to wire rack.

Side note: This recipe call for a streusel topping of cinnamon, sugar, and butter. I believe it has enough sugar already, so I don't do that. I usually sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.

Enjoy!