Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce (0 Star)

This is another recipe from Cheeky Kitchen. Unfortunately, not one of the younger crowd approved, but I thought they were great. The only change that I made was to use milk instead of cream. While cream is far, far superior in flavor and texture, it is also far, far superior in caloric content, and we are counting calories around here, ya know? (Sniff, sniff.)



I did use Queso Fresco in this (a first for me) because Cheeky Kitchen highly recommended it, but I think I would actually prefer Monterrey Jack. The Queso Fresco was mild, but it didn't thrill me and it was pricier. So for next time...Monterrey Jack it will be.



Click here to view recipe.

Chicken Nuggets (2 Star)

These are chicken nuggets that hide a multitude of veggies and are made a super quick and easy way. My way was even easier than the recipe, courtesy of Cheeky Kitchen, but not nearly as cute. I'm not all that great at cute but I sure did want easy.

Half of my boys loved these, half were not so thrilled. But this is one of those recipes that can be changed a million ways to suit your tastes, so I think if I tweak the seasonings a little more next time I may get more likers.



The ratio of veggies and egg to chicken turned out a tad runny for me so I changed things up a bit. And I increased the recipe quite a bit and used what veggies I had on hand.

Chicken Nuggets

1/3 head medium green cabbage
1/2 head medium cauliflower
2 medium carrots
2 eggs
2 1/2 lbs. ground chicken
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 dashes liquid smoke
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
Salt & pepper to taste

Put the veggies and eggs in a blender. Blend until pureed. Pour puree into a large bowl. Add the ground chicken, sea salt, onion powder and liquid smoke. Mix together with a fork or hands until well mixed. Butter a large cookie sheet. Spread a layer of half of the bread crumbs onto the buttered pan and salt and pepper lightly. Drop spoonfuls of the chicken mixture on top of the bread crumbs and then carefully spread it with a spatula until the chicken mixture covers the pan in about a half inch layer. Sprinkle the remaining bread crumbs over the chicken layer. Salt and pepper the bread crumbs lightly. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or just until the chicken is cooked through. Cut into squares or diamonds using a pizza cutter and serve with ranch dressing or barbecue sauce.

For the original recipe, click here.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (3 Star)

This is my new favorite thing to make with overripe bananas. Funny thing is, my kids (especially the more picky ones), do not like bananas in baked goods and are not that crazy about peanut butter, either. However, this bread was a huge hit with my pickiest son. He almost refused to try it, but lucky for him, he did try (after several threats and pleadings). Strangely enough, my least picky boy didn't like this that much. Brandon and I love it. Banana, peanut butter, and chocolate is a tasty combination. And as far as quick breads go, this one is on the healthy side of the spectrum.





Click here for the recipe, courtesy of One Hot Stove blog.

Snickerdoodles (4 Star)

There are many perfectly good snickerdoodle recipes in this world. However, I happen to think that mine is pretty much the best.



You may be astonished at my brazen assertion. Either I am uneducated, inflammatory, or I'm right. Give them I try and find out which it is.



This recipe comes from my mother's recipe file and was labeled "Laur's Sugar Cookies". Thanks Aunt Laur! I grew up on these so maybe I am a little biased. Or maybe not.



Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream the butter and 1 cup sugar. Add egg, vanilla, cream of tartar, soda, and salt. Beat until creamy. Stir in the flour.

In a separate small bowl stir together 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll the dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

Yogurt Pancakes (4 Star)

Does anybody else out there like pancakes? I must say that I like them a lot, hot, crisp, and moist with butter and syrup. I think pumpkin pancakes still top my pancake world, but these are a very close second.

But beware of the yogurt syrup in this recipe because it is out of this world (pancake world?). The first time I made these pancakes I made the yogurt syrup to go with them but I didn't take pictures. The second time I made these pancakes, when I did take pictures, I did not make the syrup because most of my boys wanted regular maple syrup (a perfect example of how wacked out their taste buds are). And because the first time I made the yogurt syrup turned out to be a trial of my will-power (a losing one because all I wanted to do was to eat the syrup with a spoon--and "caramel" is actually a better word for this "syrup") it was in my own self interest that I not make it again very soon. What I am trying to say is; this yogurt syrup (caramel) is heavenly (or devilish, depending on your point of view).

Okay, back to the pancakes. I found this recipe on Favorite Family Recipes blog and because I altered it, I am posting it here. I made them whole wheat and omitted the 1/2 cup of butter (!!! My regular pancake recipe has no oil or butter in it and is fabulous so I didn't think these would need it either and they didn't. I imagine they are probably good with it, but they were awesome without and I definitely don't need that much butter inside me.)

Yogurt Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 - 3 cups plain yogurt (or 2 c. buttermilk)
1/2 - 1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a wire whisk until fairly smooth but don't over mix. There can still be some lumps. If it seems too thick, add milk a little at a time until it reaches a good "pancake batter" consistency. Cook on a hot, buttered griddle as you would any other pancake.

Yogurt Syrup

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup butter
3 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring first four ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and stir constantly for 5 minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla. Remove from stove and serve over pancakes, waffles or french toast. (The syrup will be thin-- this is normal. After it cools off a bit it thickens up. Store any extra syrup in the fridge for later use.)
**The baking soda will make it boil high so make sure you use a large pot.***

I did not alter the syrup recipe at all and let me just remind you; YUM.

For the original recipe, click here.

Pork Fried Rice (3 Star)

Pork Fried Rice is one of my old standby recipes. It is a great meal to get those loathsome veggies into the kiddos. Most of my kids like this and the veggies are so small that they are too difficult to pick out or even taste separately, so down the hatch they go. Fried rice takes some prep work but it comes together really fast like a stir fry. So have all the elements ready and waiting before the eats meet the heat. (Like my rhyme?)



This recipe is from my "Minute Meals" cookbook and supposedly only takes 20 minutes to make but it always takes me at least double that time. I think I'm just slow. I am including the recipe here with my changes (because, of course, I made some).

Pork Fried Rice

1 lb trimmed pork loin diced into 1/4 inch cubes (I have also used pork roasts or chops or ribs [all boneless] with great success here. But currently what I use is my homemade fried rice sausage.)
2 medium to large carrots, finely chopped
2 cups broccoli florets, finely chopped
3-4 Tablespoons chopped ginger root
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons prepared chili paste (I use Korean gochujang available in Asian markets)
1/2 cup chopped scallions
3-4 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons water
4-5 cups cooked rice (I use brown)
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Line all foods and condiments up in the order in which they will be added to the pan. Heat a large wok or heavy skillet over high heat. I don't have a wok and I find a 12 inch skillet too small so I use a large electric skillet.

Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and when hot add the pork. Cook until no longer pink, about three minutes. Stir the meat only occasionally so that it will caramelize and brown. Add the ginger and chili paste and stir fry for 30 seconds. Pour the pork mixture into a bowl and set aside. Place the pan back over high heat. If using my homemade fried rice sausage, just fry up the sausage, scrambled fashion, until browned. Omit the ginger and chili paste and proceed with pouring the meat into a bowl when finished cooking.

Add 3 more Tablespoons olive oil to the pan. When hot, add the carrots and broccoli and stir-fry until not quite tender, about 1 minute. Add the scallions, 1 Tablespoon of the soy sauce, and water and cook until it is almost evaporated, about 1 minute.

Add the rice, corn, peas, and pork to the pan, toss to mix, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with more soy sauce to taste. Add more oil or water around the edges if the rice sticks. Add the sesame oil and toss to combine. Mound the fried rice on a platter and serve.

This recipe makes a lot--around 12-13 one cup servings.

Curried Chicken Pasta Salad (0 Star)

Here is another Pioneer Woman recipe that I made recently--as in this summer. So I may or may not remember what changes I made. I did make changes in order to lower the fat/calorie content. I'm sure it would taste much better the way Pioneer Woman makes it, but we are reducing around here and we don't live on a ranch and burn that many calories every day. Brandon and I enjoyed this and it was fairly easy to make.

I am posting the recipe here with the changes I think I remember making.

Curried Chicken Pasta Salad

3 pounds Chicken, Cooked And Diced/shredded
6 ounces, weight Dry Pasta, Cooked And Drained (I used whole wheat--you know me)
4 whole Ribs Celery, Thinly Sliced - Leaves Included (use Interior Ribs)
¾ cup Golden Raisins
¾ cup Slivered Almonds
½ cup Mayonnaise
½ cup Plain Lowfat Yogurt
1+ Tablespoons milk--add enough to make dressing pancake batter consistency
3 Tablespoons Curry Powder, More Or Less To Taste
1 Tablespoon Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 cups red grapes, halved
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Boil chicken to cook and remove chicken from the broth. Boil pasta in chicken broth.

Dice/shred chicken. Drain pasta.

Mix together mayonnaise, plain lowfat yogurt, milk, curry powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until well combined.

Combine chicken, drained pasta, sliced celery, raisins, almonds, and grapes in a large bowl. Pour curry dressing over the top. Fold together with a rubber spatula. Make sure it’s all combined, then add more of whatever it needs. Make sure the sweet/savory balance is right for you.

Chill for several hours.

Click here to see Pioneer Woman's recipe.

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream (2 Star)

Wow, it has been a really long time since I've posted anything here and I am really sad about it! I've cooked plenty of things that I wish I had posted about and now I don't remember half of them. Some of them were really good, too. Waaaa. Well, I hope to get back to posting my recipes, and to begin with, here is something nice and sweet. I love peach season. Unfortunately it is pretty much over, at least for the Lemon Elbertas which are what I love the most. While I still had several boxes of peaches lying around, I made this crisp, courtesy of Pioneer Woman.



I was a little skeptical of the maple cream because I didn't think it would work out for me, and I thought it might not be as good as ice cream. But I was wrong. It did work out fabulously and it was incredible. In-cre-di-ble. Especially the next day. If you make this, I recommend making the cream a day ahead because it thickens up a lot. Unless you want it runnier. But I liked it thick and I would have loved to have just grabbed a spoon and eaten it all. However, since it is 144 calories for two tablespoons, I tried really hard not to do that, for personal reasons.



The only thing I changed about this recipe was that I used half white flour and half whole wheat in order to appease my conscience. I don't think it was noticeable at all and maybe you could even use all whole wheat in this recipe and still get a great flavor and texture.

Click here for the recipe.