The PERFECT Burger!

I don’t know about your neck of the woods but here in mine… IT HAS BEEN HOT! 

I’ve always said that I much prefer the cold to the heat.  I’m pretty much a bear in reverse.  Hibernation happens during the summer months for me.  Otherwise I turn into the Wicked Witch of the West. 

Seriously…

Don’t ask Anthony about the Lagoon incident.  It was reeeaaaally hot that day.  The end.

So anyway, the nights have been nice lately.  A little thunderstorm rolls in, cools things off a bit, don’t have to worry about watering the lawn or the pathetic garden.  And then it’s hot again. 

But I really didn’t mean for this post to be about the weather.  Let’s talk burgers!

Anthony has perfected the art of burger grilling.  He is the burger master!  The king!  It all started when we kept seeing pins on Pinterest with these delectable burgers.  We’d look at the recipe and think… hmmm, we should try that someday. 

And then one day we did.  There was no looking back from there. 

So, although I couldn’t even begin to tell you which one was ‘the one’ that we actually went for (they were all so similar), I can tell you that Anthony has got this down to a science.  No true measurements or anything just one of those “to taste” recipes, really.  And of course his secret ingredient… BACON! 

And so, for your viewing (and tasting) pleasure, I present to you…. THE PERFECT BURGER!!

And some Sun Chips but really, you could switch that out for whatever… totally optional. ;)

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Ground Beef (he likes to use 85/15)
• Mozzarella and/or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
• Seasoning salt
• BBQ Sauce (Anthony swears it has to be Jack Daniels Original No. 7)
• Bacon, cooked 3/4 of the way and chopped
• Bacon Grease

Make sure the grill isn’t too hot.  These need to cook fairly slow so that the inside is done at the same time as the outside.  You don’t want these babies to burn!  Nothing worse than having the outside charcoaled and the inside still red. 

Cook bacon about 3/4 of the way.  Not to the point of crispy.  Chop into small pieces.  OH and save the GREASE!  Anthony swears by this!

For every pound of ground beef you’ll add approximately 1/4 to 1/2 lb. bacon, 4-8 oz. cheese (whichever kind you prefer), 1 or 2 Tablespoons Seasoning Salt, and 1/2 to 3/4 of a bottle of BBQ sauce.  Then get your hands in there and just mix it all up!  It’s a messy process. 

Form into patties.  One pound makes exactly 7 burgers for us.  This is just the right amount for my family.  The burgers are thick!  Form a deep well in the middle, this is important! 

Once burgers are on the grill pour bacon grease into the well. 

Flip when that side is done (after a few minutes) and continue cooking on the other side.  Obviously, right?  (You never know… there are people that sue McDonald’s for having hot coffee… don’t most people prefer it that way?  Just sayin’.)

These burgers are so tender they literally fall apart in your mouth!  I think it’s the slow cooking that does it.  OH MAN!  They are GOOOOOD! 

Seriously, go make them.  Enjoy!

Chicken Fajitas

The other day I realized that I hadn’t made chicken fajitas for way too long.  They are seriously amazing and my whole family LOVES them!  It’s now on our regular rotation for dinner… again.  (Forgive the picture.  I didn’t stage it.  Just took a pic last minute :))

 

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/3 c. lemon juice (or juice of 1 fresh lemon)
• 1 large onion, diced
• salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp.)
• 2 tsp. chili powder (or more if you prefer, we keep it right at 2)
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 c. cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 green pepper, cut into strips
• tortillas

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, onion, salt, chili powder, oregano, and thyme in a large frying pan.  Cook over medium heat until onion is tender but still has a bit of a crunch.  Add garlic.  Add chicken and cover to cook for about 10-15 minutes. 

Add peppers and toss until they are still crisp but tender.  You don’t want them to be mushy.

Serve on warmed tortillas with your choice of garnishments:  cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa

Recipe source:  The Diet Rebel’s Cookbook

Cheater Chili

Beans intimidate me.  Not because they cause gas, though that should scare me enough to keep them out of our meals considering a certain somebody that I live with.  I won’t mention names.  I’ll just say it’s one of my husbands ;).

But seriously, I have never soaked a bean in my life.  I prefer canned.  My mom tells me it’s not a big deal but for a Brooke like me, it is.  Soaking beans makes me nervous.  What if I mess up?  It’s part of the perfectionist in me.  Something I am working on in 2013.  Because I know that if I mess up it’s not the end of the world but somehow I can’t bring myself to try something that I think I will be horrible at.  Negative self-talk.  That’s all it is.  Bad!

So, I don’t make chili often.  In fact, I’ve only ever tried one other recipe (another cheater version) before this one.  And it was pretty good but after trying this one I’ll never turn back!  We all loved it!

Make it, you’ll like it…

• 2 large cans (28 oz.) chili beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 – 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 28 oz. tomato juice
• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (I used green)
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 2 T. chili powder (I used heaping Tablespoons)
• 1 T. red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion and bell pepper in a little olive or vegetable oil until fragrant.  Add the ground beef and brown.  In a large pot combine all ingredients together and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, uncovered.  Garnish with sour cream and cheese if desired. 

 

Pinterest Challenge: Day 5–Cranberry Chicken Crescents

Yes, I’m a couple days behind.  Forgive me!

Well, a couple of days ago my kids and I were at home wondering what the heck we were going to eat for dinner.  It was one of those days that we had practically nothing in the house, a trip to the grocery store was MORE than overdue, and Mom (that’s me) refused to take all the kids to the store so…. we had to do some serious scrounging to figure out what we were going to eat. 

Never mind the fact that we had already done the scrimping and scrounging for lunch.  It was time to do it again.

The only thing we knew we could have for sure was corn on the cob.  We have some awesome friends/neighbors who left to go out of town for 12 days and they were worried about the produce in the fridge going bad.  And we were the lucky recipients of their food!  Woohoo! 

So, the search was on for the main course.  So glad there is Pinterest in my time of need!  First I searched my own boards but for every recipe I found that might work I was always missing a few key ingredients.  I finally resorted to the Search Bar (it still counts for my Pinterest challenge, right?).  I had crescent rolls in my fridge and a couple of cans of chicken.  I searched for ‘Chicken Crescents’ and a whole bunch of things came up. 

Then I saw one for Cranberry Chicken Crescents.  PERFECT!!  I had a can of cranberry sauce downstairs in our storage room. 

This was probably the simplest of simple recipes.  First preheat your oven to the temperature noted on your 2 cans of refrigerated crescent rolls (if you’re afraid of opening the tube {like I am} your kids will be happy to do it for you ;)).  Mix together 2 cans of chicken (drained) and a can of cranberry sauce (whole or jellied).  Put a large spoonful into each crescent, roll, and bake for amount of time noted on package. 

TADA!  Now you’ve got what makes for a GREAT… lunch.  Except that we had it for dinner and everyone loved them!  I was surprised.  Even Anthony (who claims to hate cranberries) loved it! 

 

Thai Chicken Pizza

Papa Murphy’s is one of my family’s favorite pizza places.  Not too long ago, they had a ‘limited time only’ pizza… Thai Chicken Pizza.  On a whim one night, just for kicks and giggles, I bought it not really knowing what I was buying. 

WE LOVED IT! 

It quickly became Anthony’s very favorite pizza and we bought it several times over the course of a month or two… and just like that it was gone. 

It seemed like such an easy pizza to make that I thought What the heck, let’s try it on our own.  And then of course, the very next day I got a flyer in the mail saying that Papa Murphy’s is carrying it again.  Isn’t that how it always works?  But it doesn’t matter because ours was every bit as good!  Plus, they have it on an extremely thin crust and I prefer mine to be just a bit thicker. 

Thai Chicken Pizza

• your favorite pizza dough
• Chili Sauce (I got mine at Costco)
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled & cut into small pieces
• green onions, sliced
• Mozzarella Cheese
• thinly sliced Zucchini
• cornmeal

Preheat oven to 425*.  Roll your dough to whatever size pizza pan you are using.  Remember if you are using a pizza stone, allow it to preheat in the oven.  Once the dough is rolled, sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on the stone or pan and set dough on top.

Put up to 1/2 c. chili sauce on the dough as your pizza sauce.  Spread evenly almost to edges with a spoon.  Sprinkle red pepper flakes to taste.  It’s supposed to be a little spicy but not TOO spicy.  Spread chicken and green onions (I used only the green part) over the pizza. Sprinkle with cheese to taste.

Slice a zucchini as thinly as possible and place on pizza. 

Bake for 12-18 minutes. 

 

 

Crockpot Lasagna

Please tell me I’m not the only one who had no clue that lasagna could be made in a crockpot.  Anyone else? 

Not that it really would have mattered because I’ve only owned a crockpot for maybe a month or two.  It’s my new favorite kitchen appliance!  Who knew a simple crockpot could make dinner so simple?  Obviously not me or I would have bought one a looong time ago. 

When I heard that lasagna could be made in my new handy dandy kitchen device, I was elated.  Plus to hear that you don’t even have to cook the noodles ahead of time made me even more excited.  Maybe I was a bit skeptical thinking that the noodles wouldn’t turn out but guess what, they did!

I didn’t follow an exact recipe, I just made it the way that I normally do… simple but delicious!

 

You’ll need:

• 1 – 1 lb. package lasagna noodles
• 1 pound ground turkey or ground beef (I prefer turkey)
• cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (I had cottage on hand so we used that.)
• 1-2 jars of spaghetti sauce (I use traditional Prego)
• mozzarella cheese 
• spinach (optional)
• diced onion (optional)

Brown ground turkey or beef along with diced onion (optional).  Start by spraying inside of crockpot with non-stick spray.  I don’t know if it’s a necessity but I did it just in case.

Place just a tiny bit of sauce on the bottom of crockpot and spread it around.  Now place a layer of noodles, breaking them as needed to fit.  It doesn’t have to be pretty.  Spread a layer of cottage (or ricotta) cheese, spinach, meat, a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, sauce.  Repeat over and over until the noodles are gone.  We like our lasagna saucy so we used a lot more than 1 jar of sauce.

 

On the last layer of noodles, put a thin layer of sauce and a heavier layer of mozzarella.  There you have it!  Put the lid on your crockpot and set it on high for up to 4 hours.  Ours was done after about 3 1/2 hours.

 

Your crockpot may be a different size and/or shape than mine so you may have to modify for that. 

This fed eight people (3 adults, 5 kids) and we still had leftovers for 3-4 more servings. 

Fried Chicken… Paula Deen Style

Actually, she calls it Gussie’s Fried Chicken so I guess it’s more like Gussie style. 

I can’t believe I’m actually posting this because it goes completely against my New Year eating plan.  But I’m allowed a cheat meal (or seven) every week.  Food is my friend and I have very few enemies in that world. 

I discovered the magic of The Food Network several years ago and absolutely fell in love with Miss Paula Deen.  She’s funny, charming, beautiful, and man oh man that woman can COOK!  Haven’t met a recipe of hers I haven’t liked.  One time, she was making this fried chicken with a honey-pecan glaze and I was intrigued.  I had to make it and let me tell you, this recipe did NOT disappoint!  The whole family loves it!!

Gussie’s Fried Chicken 

• 1 whole chicken, cut up or boneless skinless chicken breast (I prefer the latter)
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• 2 cups self-rising flour (**see note at bottom for recipe if you don’t have this on hand)
• Oil for frying (or shortening)

Heat oil to 375* in large skillet or cast iron pan, enough to go up halfway on the chicken.  Beat eggs and pour into 9x13 pan if desired.  This makes the process easier.  Mix salt and pepper, garlic powder, and flour together in large bowl.  Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Dredge the chicken by first coating each piece in egg and then coating in flour mixture.  Place in hot oil and fry for about 10 minutes, flip and cook the second side for another 10 minutes.  

Very large pieces may need to be cooked a little longer. Drain chicken on paper towels and transfer to platter.

 

Honey-Pecan Glaze

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

To make the glaze, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Whisk in the honey, bring to a simmer and add pecans. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve over fried chicken. 

 

Self-Rising Flour (in case you don’t have it)

For every one cup of flour, add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. baking powder

Sweet & Sour Meatballs (aka Grape Jelly Meatballs)

If you are completely unfamiliar with grape jelly meatballs, you probably looked at the title of this recipe and grimaced.  Am I right? 

On the other hand, if you’ve ever experienced the delightfulness that IS grape jelly meatballs, then you just KNOW!! 

My grandma used to make these quite often for family get-togethers.  They were always the hit of the party and everyone always came back for seconds… and thirds.

 

Have I mentioned yet how easy they are to make?  Easy as pie!  Although I’ve never thought that pie was all that easy.  This is MUCH easier than that. 

Are you ready for your list of ingredients?  It’s so short that you won’t even need to write it down! 

• Meatballs (I buy the big bag at Costco [Italian Style] but if you prefer, you could make your own)
• 1 jar of grape jelly (NOT jam)
• 1 jar of chili sauce (usually found by the ketchup in the store)

Normally, I make this with Heinz brand of chili sauce (I think it’s 16 oz.) but I saw a larger bottle of another brand at Costco.  We used half of it and a whole 32 oz. jar of jelly.  Worked just great!  (you could adjust it to your taste)

Stick all the contents in a crockpot or heat over the stove until meatballs are heated clear through.  Stir occasionally. 

Are you still baffled by the idea that grape jelly and meatballs can go together?  They do, just trust me on this.

Everyone will love them!  And if they don’t, they’re nuts.  

German Pancakes

You probably already have a German pancake recipe.  And no, I’m not going to give you any new spin on it. 

Truth is, this is your basic recipe for German pancakes but I thought I’d post it just. in. case….

You never know, there may be one person out there that has NEVER had German pancakes and doesn’t have a recipe for them either. 

This is my emergency go-to recipe for dinner.  Yes, I know it’s a breakfast food.

I’ve only made them for breakfast… once.  That’s right, one measly time! 

They’re perfectly acceptable for dinner, right? 

I say yes!

Next to spaghetti, this is the thing I most often go for when I haven’t been to the store and we’re in dire need. 

My kids LOVE it when we’re in need… they go ballistic whenever this is served. 

Weird.

 

German Pancakes

6 T. butter (not margarine)

6 eggs

1 c. milk

1 c. flour (whole wheat or white both work)

1/8 – 1/4 c. sugar (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 400*.  Cut butter into cubes and melt in 9x13 pan in the heated oven. 



Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together until blended (you can also blend it in a blender). 

Once butter is melted, pour batter into the pan and let bake for about 20 minutes.  It will grow to gargantuan proportions.  Kids love to watch it grow!  But….

DO NOT BE FOOLED!!  When you first pull this out of the oven, you’ll think you could feed an army.  Not so, my friends, not so.  It shrivels up to almost nothing after a few minutes of being out of the oven.  I always have to make 2 pans of it to feed my family.  Serve hot with maple syrup.  Or you could make it more savory by omitting the sugar and adding cooked breakfast sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms… the possibilities are endless!!



So easy, so yummy! 



 

 

Perfect French Toast

Alright, I have found THE French Toast of all French Toasts… for real!  Yes, the recipe seems pretty ordinary at first glance but I am telling you, it isn’t.  Anthony wasn’t thrilled with the idea of having French Toast for breakfast during conference weekend but trust me, he was singin’ a different tune once he took a bite.  He said, “This isn’t how I remember French Toast.  This is really good!” 

Enough said…



I adapted this from Alton Brown’s recipe.  Let’s make some, shall we?

• 1 c. whole milk or half and half


• 3 large eggs


• 2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds


• 1/4 tsp. salt


• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon


• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg


• 1 tsp. vanilla


• 8 slices of thick bread (I used 8 grain bread from Costco, LOVE that stuff)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together all ingredients (minus the bread).  Pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for several seconds on each side.  Set on cooling rack set up over a baking sheet.  Allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Cook over medium-low heat in non-stick pan or use a flat griddle set to 350 degrees (Allow to heat up to temp before cooking).  Cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan or griddle and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 5 minutes. Serve immediately with maple syrup, powdered sugar, jam, fruit or whatever else you may desire. 

Black Bean Enchiladas

I used to have a delicious recipe for Black Bean Enchiladas.  Used to.  Can’t find it. 

But darnitall, we had already planned to have them for General Conference weekend.  It’s like a two day holiday, twice a year, for us Mormon folks.  Well, for some of us, anyway.  And holidays mean food!  Yummy food. 

Black Bean Enchiladas are definitely considered yummy food.  So, when I realized that the recipe was missing from my recipe binder, I was determined to recall the recipe from the dusty filing cabinets of my mind.  I say dusty because, let’s face it, I’m not sure how often they are actually used.  And even if they are used, I don’t have time to dust them.  ;)

I can’t say it was a complete success (recalling the recipe) because I don’t remember the exact measurements but after making my own version, I think I like these better!

I really hope you will like them, too.  And hey, they’re vegetarian (LeShel)!  And they’re clean (if you use whole grain tortillas). 

{Before it’s baked}



{After it’s been baked}



Black Bean Enchiladas

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 can refried beans

1 can black beans

1/2 cup – 1 cup salsa

1 can chopped green chilies

lots of cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar)

1 can red enchilada sauce (or make your own)

1 pkg. tortillas

 

Heat cream cheese and refried beans in microwave or on stove until soft enough to stir together. 

Stir in black beans, salsa, chilies, and large handful of cheese. 

Spoon filling into center of tortillas and roll like you would for any other enchilada recipe placing seam side down in a 9x13 pan sprayed with non-stick spray.  I usually get 8-10 enchiladas, depending on how much filling I put on the tortillas.

Pour the entire can of enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. 

Top with cheese. 

Place in preheated 350* oven for about 20 minutes. 

 

My family LOVES these!  Serve with Mexican style rice (and a vegetable, of course) and you’ve got dinner!!  Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Frito Pie (Great Game Day Meal!)

This is something that Anthony introduced me to a few years ago.  I had never heard of such a thing but I guess he used to eat it on his mission.  It’s a great cheat meal…. for those of us trying to eat well.  So easy, so yummy.  Or it’s just a great meal.  Period!

Make a small (or large) pile of Fritos on your plate or bowl.



Add shredded lettuce.



Layer on some chili (We like Stagg, warmed up of course).



Top it with cheese.



And now for a dollop of sour cream. 



It doesn’t get any easier than that!

“And in the mornin’, I’m makin’ waffles!”

That’s what Donkey says to Shrek when he decides to make himself at home in Shrek’s swamp….. in case you were wondering about the title. 

And now I have a confession.  I have never, ever, in my entire life, made these waffles. 



I have, however, eaten them many, many, many times and I am in love with them.  Someone that lives with me makes them every Saturday morning.  Can you guess who? 

No, it’s not Anthony.  He makes the bacon to go with these waffles.  I have a phobia of making bacon.  It always splatters at me and I want to cry.  So, I finally told Anthony that if he wants bacon, he’ll have to make it himself! 

I’m so glad he wants bacon… because I want it too.  I just don’t want to make it.  Plus, he’s got it down!  He makes perfect bacon!

Back to the waffles… it’s K that makes them. 

She loves making waffles and pancakes.  But she didn’t master the art of pancake making until just recently.  Waffles were the first step and she’s got it down to a science.  Boy am I glad she likes making waffles because I sure enjoy eating them… along with the bacon.  Smother the waffles in pure maple syrup and it’s heaven! 

I admit, I was skeptical of the whole wheat thing at first but truly, they are very good.  

This recipe comes from a book I got when I bought my K-Tec Blender so I don’t really know what to call it.  The K-Tec Blender Cookbook?  So if you want to blend up the batter, be my guest.  K just makes it old fashioned style…. a big ol’ bowl.  She always triples the recipe for our family though.  Below is a single batch.

Whole Wheat Waffles

3/4 c. milk

1 egg

1 T. oil

1 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 T. sugar

Mix all ingredients together and VOILA!  Make waffles. 

 

 

Fabulous Taco Soup!

IT’S FALL!!  Or close enough in my book. 

Fall is my very favorite season.  Love Fall!  Any other Fall lovers out there?  It could be Fall all year and I would be happy as a peach.  Does that saying ever make you wonder how happy peaches really are?  I know, totally random.  Anthony would say that was a ‘Brooke thought’. 

Anyway, I love Fall for the weather, the cooler temperatures, the smells {yes, Fall has a smell}, the crunchy leaves, holidays and most importantly…. the FOOD! 

Pumpkin… pies, bars, cinnamon rolls, cheesecakes, and so much more!  And then there’s the Thanksgiving smorgasbord, caramel apples, and SOUP! 

Soup is by far my favorite dinner meal in the Fall and Winter months.  Haven’t met a soup I don’t like.  Well, I take that back.  But I love MOST soups.  We don’t love pumpkin soup at our house though.  Pumpkin is fabulous in any other form. 

I keep bringing up pumpkins but this recipe has nothing to do with pumpkins.  Sorry about that!

This recipe for Taco soup is the best ever, promise.  I absolutely love it, along with the rest of my family.  I am asked for this recipe just about every time I make it for company.  And the best part is that it’s the simplest thing you could ever make.  So easy, but so delicious!  And it’s ready in about 30 minutes.  Awesome, right?  One thing that makes this so easy is that you don’t drain anything.  Not the corn, the beans, the tomatoes… nothin’!  Just open the can and dump it in.

Oh!  And it’s a healthy recipe, too!

So, without further ado, here it is…



 

Fabulous Taco Soup

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb. hamburger or ground turkey

1 can kidney beans

2 cans of corn

1 large can tomatoes

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 packet taco seasoning {I use homemade taco seasoning to avoid MSG}

 

Saute your onion for just a couple minutes in a skillet with about 2 T. canola or olive oil.  Add hamburger or turkey and cook until no longer pink.  Drain.  Pour into large pot.

Open the cans… beans, corn, and tomatoes … DO NOT DRAIN!  Dump into the pot with hamburger or turkey.  Add tomato sauce as well.  Stir and add taco seasoning.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes. 

Garnish with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. 

ENJOY!

Sesame Noodles with Jerk Chicken

This is a recipe I discovered while signed up for the services at Deals to Meals.  It's a great service that shows you how to save money at the grocery store without coupons.  I don't know about you but the idea of coupons, for me, sounds wonderful.  However, the reality is, it takes up a lot of time and energy that, quite frankly, I just don't have.  Besides, with our new found style of eating, there just really aren't a lot of coupons out there for the types of things we eat now.  Most of them are for highly processed and highly sugared foods.  Not all, but most.  Is that fair enough to say? 

I don't get the newspaper anyway so I don't get the inserts unless I ask my grandpa to save his for me.  He's perfectly willing to do so but I have found the services at Deals to Meals to fit my needs just right.  Besides the list of groceries on sale at a store you choose, she also gives you a whole menu for dinners, desserts, and other things for the week.  You should check them out.  They aren't available in every state but it is growing.  And the cost is very minimal.   

I tried this recipe for the first time about a year ago and I absolutely fell in love with the flavors!  Anthony, however, really liked the noodle part but wasn't such a fan of the jerk chicken flavor.  When I made it again a couple of weeks ago, he decided he liked it only after he had already grilled himself a boring piece of plain chicken.  He tried my jerk chicken just for good measure and really liked it.  Crazy guy!  So then I was forced to split my delicious chicken with the jerk husband.  OH wait!  Let me try that again... that came out wrong.  I happily split my delicious jerk chicken with my handsome husband who decided he really liked it.  That's better!  And just for the record, I don't really think my husband is a jerk.  It was just my lame attempt at being funny.  

Jerk Chicken
Marinate as many pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts as you think you will need in the following for about 1-4 hours:

Juice of 2 limes
1/2 c. orange juice
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 t. allspice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Grill chicken when it is done marinating.  (We always grill it but you can prepare it in a crock pot until ready to shred if you want.)

Noodles:
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 clove of garlic, grated
3 T. peanut butter
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
a dash or two of hot sauce
2 T. canola oil
2 T. honey
3 T. Sucanat (or brown sugar in a pinch)
1 can of pineapple chunks, drained (or 1/2 of a fresh pineapple)
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1/2 bag slaw salad mix (last time we made this I didn't have any so I just thinly cut some green cabbage and threw in some spinach leaves.  We actually liked it best this way)
Green onions, sliced small
Sesame seeds

Cook spaghetti according to directions.  While pasta cooks, heat chicken broth in small saucepan.  Once warm, add ginger, garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, hot sauce, canola oil, and honey.  Whisk into broth. 

In large bowl, combine peppers, pineapple and salad mix.  Add drained pasta to the bowl and toss to combine.  Pour sauce over noodles and toss again.  Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. 

You can either shred chicken and combine it with pasta mixture or eat the chicken on the side.  We like it both ways. 

The great thing about this recipe is that it's completely clean as long as you use Sucanat, peanut butter with only peanuts (maybe some salt), and whole grain pasta.  But either way, it's still not a terrible dish! 

Sesame Chicken

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of this recipe (or the next one I will post).  Anthony was still at work when I prepared them and since I didn't have my camera back, I was dependent on his phone for pics at the time.  But I promise to take pics the next time I make them and replace this text with pics.  And I will definitely be making them again, they were soooo good!  

Oh, and by the way... I HAVE MY CAMERA BACK!!

This was one of the first recipes I looked at in my collection of recipes and thought, I can totally clean that up!  It would be no problem.  Simple modifications and VOILA!  A clean recipe.  Mind you, this recipe does have sugar, clean sugar, but sugar.  The best kind of clean recipe would not have sugar at all, at least not for dinner, but I knew this would be a cinch to clean up so I went with it. 

My kids and Anthony absolutely loved this dish.  They thought it was divine and I got a good chuckle out of it because it really was so simple.  

Sesame Chicken
4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
3 T. whole wheat flour
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. water
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. canola or olive oil
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. white pepper

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Beat egg in a small mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients.  Place in bowl with lid or gallon size zipper bag with chicken pieces.  Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. 


1/2 c. Sucanat (stands for Sugar Cane Natural)**
1/4 c. agave nectar
1 c. chicken broth
3/4 c. vinegar
1 T low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced 
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. cornstarch

Combine all above ingredients except water and cornstarch.  (combine water and cornstarch in a separate bowl and set aside for now).  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Once boiling, add cornstarch and water mixture.  Stir constantly until thickened.  Remove from heat but keep warm. 

canola or olive oil
2 T sesame seeds

Fry chicken pieces in small amount of oil either in skillet or wok until done.  Once cooked, pour warm sauce over chicken.  Stir to coat and place in serving dish.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

**Note:  Sucanat is basically sugar in a whole, dehydrated form.  It still has the molasses and is not refined, minimally processed.  It's also sometimes called "dehydrated cane juice". 
 
Recipe Source:  Adapted from Worldwide Ward Cookbook:  Mom's Best Recipes

Sloppy Joes

We had sloppy joe's last night for dinner and they were goooooood!  I have several cookbooks in my cupboard above the stove, just ask my husband.  It drives him nuts!  Not only cookbooks but pieces of paper that I've either printed recipes on or written recipes on.  They're always sticking out and falling out all over the place.  But there are certain books and recipes that I turn to over and over again.  One of those being my ward cookbook.  And, lucky me, I just got a new one!  Can't wait to dive into it and find new treasures.  The sloppy joe recipe I'm about to share is from the old one, however.  It's a gem, I tell you.  Hope you love it as much as we do. 

1 lb hamburger
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. green pepper
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 can tomato soup
1/4 c. ketchup
1 T. vinegar
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger with onions, peppers, and celery.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Serve on your favorite bun. 

We like to put shredded cheese on it as well.  This recipe freezes really well.  Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Bread

I just made this bread last night to go along with our "Great Pumpkin Slaughter" (pics and stories to come--no pics of the bread, sorry). It came from none other than my ward cookbook. Anthony really didn't want pumpkin chocolate chip bread, he thinks the chocolate chips ruin it. Who is that man? How can chocolate ruin anything? He's a weirdy I tell ya. One time I was watching the Food Network and they had chocolate covered bacon. Sounds strange but I figure, I love bacon and I looooove chocolate so, why not? Haven't tried it yet but someday. Wouldn't that be interesting to set a plate of bacon next to your chocolate fountain and see what people's reactions would be. Hmmmm, food for thought, no pun intended.

But there I go, babbling again. Let's talk about the bread.

It was quite good and not too strong on the pumpkin flavor. I actually have to agree that chocolate chips would have been strange in this particular recipe. The flavor really was subtle. When I think of pumpkin choc. chip, I think of the rich pumpkin flavor. So, here it is.

3 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. cooking oil
2/3 c. water
2 c. pumpkin

Combine all ingredients together. (It doesn't specify order so I just did the traditional combining of wet and dry ingredients separately then combining them together.) Pour into greased loaf pans--2 large and 1 small. (I don't have a small one so I just poured the excess into my 2 large pans) Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

I'm thinking of trying this with a few substitutions. Maybe try a little bit of oat flour. What do you think? Or maybe even wheat flour, eek! Could be scary! I'll let you know when I try it.

Cranberry Chicken

I got this recipe while living in South Carolina. I don't know where the recipe originated but I know it is so good. One of my family's favorites! Even my husband likes it and he doesn't like cranberries. Me? I have an obsession with them! And with only 4 ingredients it's super simple.

1 can of jellied cranberry sauce
1 packet dry onion soup mix (i.e. Lipton)
1 small bottle of Italian salad dressing
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a blender. Pour over chicken breasts and cook either in crockpot for a few hours or just in a baking dish in the oven preheated to 375 degrees for about an hour. Serve with rice and of course a veggie of your choice. So yummy!