Candy Cane Bark

This is a staple Christmas baking recipe. It's the only time that I actually like peppermint.

Ingredients

• Crushed candy cane, about 1 cup
• 2 pounds white chocolate

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate. 
2. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces.

Toffee Crackle Cookies

This recipe came from Better Homes and Garden's 100 Best Cookies magazine. It was really good and I'll definitely make them again.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chocolate-covered toffee pieces
• granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in toffee pieces. 
2. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar until 1/4 inch thick.
3. Bake in preheated oven about 20 minutes or until edges are firm but not brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack;; cool. Makes about 48 cookies. Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Source: Better Homes and Garden's 100 Best Cookies magazine

Toffee Pretzel Bark

Mom found this recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker. It was a really easy but really good recipe. It's a great filler for trays for other people.


Ingredients

• 14 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ¾ cup broken pretzel pieces, divided
• ¾ cup Heath toffee pieces, divided
• 7 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. In a double boiler or in a microwave on low power, melt the semi-sweet chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in ½ cup of the pretzel pieces and ½ cup of the toffee pieces. Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Melt the white chocolate in the same manner as you did the semi-sweet chocolate, stirring until completely smooth. Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate on top of the hardened semi-sweet chocolate layer. Sprinkle with the remaining pretzel pieces and toffee, using your palm to lightly press them into the white chocolate. Return the pan to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
4. Use a sharp knife to cut the bark into pieces. (I usually just press the tip of the knife into the bark and let it break into pieces/shards.) Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Peanut Brittle

I know that Peanut Brittle has been around forever. But can you believe that this is the first year I've even tried it? I thought it would be a good treat to fill trays for other people. The recipe was easy and good. It calls for raw peanuts which get cooked as the sugar cooks. Since I used already roasted peanuts, I didn't add them until the sugar was just about to 300 degrees.


Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup peanuts
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
3. Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Candy Coated Pretzels

Mom and I usually make chocolate covered pretzels but this year she found this recipe for candy coated pretzels from All Recipes and let me just say, it made me happy. I loved these!! We ended up using just under a whole bag of pretzels and there were some pieces that had extra caramel coating....YUM! This will be a frequently used recipe in our house!


Ingredients

• 1 (20 ounce) package miniature pretzel twists
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. Arrange pretzels in a single layer baking sheet.
2. Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Do not stir once the sugar syrup begins to boil. Heat to 244 degrees F (117 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a firm but pliable ball.
3. Pour hot mixture over pretzels; toss to coat evenly.
4. Bake pretzels in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Stir; continue to bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and break into individual pieces. Cool on wire rack or parchment paper.

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies

Since we were making so many cookies, I decided I wanted to find one recipe that was just different and fun. I found this recipe on the Sweets Life blog. I've heard of sweet recipes calling for bacon and always thought it was interesting but I never tried them. Matt loved these cookies and they went over really well at his office. He'd love it if I made some more. It's such an easy recipe too, hardly any ingredients.


Ingredients

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked, cooled, and diced

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium high heat, fry bacon until cooked through. Allow to cool and then dice into small pieces. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two baking sheets and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and sugars until well mixed. Add egg and baking soda, mixing for another two minutes. Fold in bacon, reserving a small handful of pieces for topping.
3. Roll dough into small balls and roll in granulated sugar. Using a fork, create a criss-cross pattern on each cookie. Top each cookie with a few reserved bacon pieces. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets with 2-3 inches between (they spread a bit).
4. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool on a baking sheet. 

Source: The Sweets Life

Twix Blondies

My mom found this recipe for us from Cookies and Cups.  I love Twix and I love Blondies so when she told me about this recipe I knew we'd have to make it. It was DELICIOUS!!!!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 2 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cup AP flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 30 mini Twix bars coarsely chopped + 9 mini Twix reserved for garnish more finely chopped
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat to 350. Grease 9x13 baking pan
2. In medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, whisking together.
3. In mixing bowl combine butter and brown sugar on low speed until smooth.
4. Add eggs one at a time continuing on low speed.
5. Slowly add the the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined.
6. Add the coarsely chopped Twix and chocolate chips stirring with wooden spoon.
7. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake approx 25-30 minutes until they are set.
8. Toothpick will come out slightly gooey.  Be careful not to overcook.

Source: Cookies and Cups

Brownie Covered Oreos

I found this recipe on Picky Palate. They are the cutest cookies and such a great idea! They were so easy to make and everyone loved them! I made these twice. The first time I used the Holiday Oreos and then I used Double Stuffed Oreos and everyone loved the Double Stuffed Oreos the best.


Ingredients

• 1 Brownie mix
• 1 package of Oreos
• White chocolate, melted for drizzling
• White Non-pariels sprinkles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 or whatever your box of brownies calls for (my box called for 325).
2. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Leave in mixing bowl. Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in bottom of cupcake tins that have been generously sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through (doesn’t take long). As soon as you remove, take a plastic knife and run along edges, (this is VERY important so you get the cookie out with brownies not stuck to pan :)
4. Let cool for 5 minutes, remove drizzle with melted white chocolate or the Wilton White icing pen, sprinkle with nonpariels and EAT! Enjoy :) Makes entire package of Oreos.

Source: Picky Palate

Annual Christmas Baking Extravaganza

Every Christmas, my mom and I get together and bake ALL day!  We make so many cookies and treats. It's tradition in our family to bake cookies for our husbands to take to work. My grandma did it, my mom did it, and now it's my turn. Here's all we made:

• Brownie covered Oreos
• Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
• Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies
• Toffee Crackle Cookies
• Snickerdoodles
• Hot Cocoa Cookies
• Twix Blondies
• Pretzel ToffeeBark
• Candy Coated Pretzels
• Cake Batter Bark
• Peppermint Bark
• Peanut Brittle

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
This was my mom's recipe. We've made this so much growing up and I've always loved it, especially with the butterscotch chips.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 package (4 serving size) JELL-O Brand Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
• 1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Mix flour with baking soda.
2. Combine butter, the sugars, and pudding mix in large mixer bowl; beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour micture; then stir in oats and butterscotch chips. (Batter will be stiff.) 
3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen.

Parmesan Chicken and Rice

I was trying to come up with something a little healthier and I found this recipe on MyRecipes. Instead of instant rice, I made brown rice separately and added it at the end. I also added asparagus. The only problem I had was with the asparagus. I added it before adding the chicken but by the end it had overcooked. Next time I'll add it later in the cooking. Otherwise this was really good and I'll definitely be making it again.

I know I've forgotten to post pictures. I actually meant to take a picture of this meal. But...as I was cleaning my knife, it slipped and I got cut. So, I kinda didn't think about taking a picture after that.

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1/2  cup  chopped onion
• 1  teaspoon  bottled minced garlic
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 1  (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3/4  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2  cup  dry white wine
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  cup  uncooked instant rice
• 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add chicken and asparagus; sauté 4 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned. Add wine, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.
2. Stir in rice, cheese, and parsley.

Source: MyRecipes.com

Baked Ziti

I had some friends over for dinner the other night. I figured making a pasta dish would be easy, filling, and good. I've seen this recipe for Baked Ziti on All Recipes and wanted to try it for awhile. The only thing I changed from the original recipe was that I layered pasta, sauce, and then cheese instead of pasta, cheese, and then sauce. I wanted to the pasta to have plenty of sauce so it wouldn't dry out. This was delicious! It was cheesy and creamy and so good! A little side note, I used penne pasta instead of ziti because it's what I had.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry ziti pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Chicken Souvlaki Pita Pockets

I came across this recipe on Cooking Light and it looked delicious. I love Greek food. It ended up being so good, especially the yogurt sauce!  Yum!  While cooking I realized I didn't have oregano but I had Italian seasoning so I used it. Not the best, oregano is definitely the way to go. But the yogurt sauce covered up the basil so it was alright. I didn't use peppers and I also added lettuce to the pita pockets. The only other thing I would add in the future is feta!  The yogurt sauce is best when made in advance so the flavors can really meld. So good!

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil, divided
• 1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2  cups  vertically sliced onion (about 1 medium)
• 2  teaspoons  bottled minced garlic
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/2  cup  grated English cucumber
• 1/4  cup  2% Greek-style yogurt
• 1/4  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 1  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pita pockets
• 2  plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded lettuce

Directions

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until done. Remove from pan.
2. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add chicken, garlic, and oregano; cook 30 seconds.
3. Combine cucumber and next 6 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon salt). Serve chicken mixture with yogurt sauce, warmed pita, lettuce and tomato slices.

Source: Cooking Light

Zesty Tilapia with Mushrooms

After eating too much for Thanksgiving, Matt and I decided to eat light and healthier this week. Tonight I wanted to find a somewhat healthy tilapia recipe. I ended up using this recipe from All Recipes but changed it up a little bit. I didn't have green onions and used baby bellas instead of porcini mushrooms. I sauteed them together first with a little butter. Then once the fish was done I added them back to the pan with a splash of white wine.  It was delicious!! I served this with roasted lemon asparagus. This may be one of my favorite ways to cook tilapia now.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1/2 small onion diced (or 1/4 large onion)
• 2 tablespoons butter plus more for cooking onions and mushrooms
• 2 fillets tilapia
• kosher salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 limes, juiced
• splash of white wine

Directions

1. Melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion until tender. Add mushrooms and cook until softened.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place tilapia in the skillet, and season with kosher salt and pepper. Sprinkle with 1/2 the lemon zest. Pour half the lime juice over the tilapia, and continue cooking 5 minutes.
3. Flip the tilapia, and season with kosher salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining lemon zest, and cover with remaining lime juice. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.
4. Stir remaining butter, onions, mushrooms, and splash of white wine into the skillet. 

Source: Allrecipes.com

Hot Cocoa Cookies

When I found this recipe on How Sweet It Is blog, I knew I had to try it! Just the name made my mouth water! Who doesn't love hot chocolate and marshmallows? And in cookie form? Yum!

These are amazing! They were as good if not better than I had expected. The recipe was really easy to make. The dough is very sticky so make sure to refrigerate it before rolling into balls and baking.




Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup marshmallow fluff
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Stir in marshmallow fluff.
3. Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove, and roll into 1 1/2-inch balls.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Make sure cookies are fully cooked, because they will be very sticky from the marshmallows. Allow cookies to cool completely, even sticking them in the fridge for 15 minutes before removing from the baking sheet with a spatula. Be patient and gently remove cookies – let sit another 30 minutes.

Source: How Sweet It Is

I had to include this image from How Sweet It Is
because it is what made me want to make these in the first place!

Homemade Ornaments

I'm making a little cooking related Christmas tree for my kitchen and decided it needed something baked on it. I decided to use a simple applesauce and cinnamon recipe which I knew would smell delicious. I got little star cookie cutters. I wanted gingerbread men but couldn't find them small enough. I think they turned out cute and they smell really good.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup applesauce (may need more or less)
• 1/2 cup cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine cinnamon and applesauce. Add applesauce slowly. You may need more or less than 1/2 cup. You want it to resemble dough that can be rolled out.
2. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Use toothpicks to make holes for hanging. Place shapes on cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 150-175 for 1 1/2-2 hours. My oven only went to 170 so I baked at 170 for 1 1/2 hours. You can flip halfway if they start to curl upwards. You could also set the ornaments out for over 24 hours to dry instead of baking them.

Bobby Flay's Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Bobby Flay recently did a Thanksgiving throwdown with Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. Bobby made a Pumpkin Bread-Bread Pudding with Vanilla Creme Anglaise and a caramel apple sauce. As soon as I heard about it I knew I had to make it. There are actually 2 different recipes online, one on Bobby's website and one on Food Network. I mainly used the Food Network recipe but did the apple cider sauce from Bobby's website.

There are a lot of different components for this recipe. First, you have to make the pumpkin bread, cut it into chunks and toast it, make the custard for the pudding, the creme anglaise, and the caramel apple cider sauce. It's not difficult, it's just a lot of work. The end result though is delicious!  For the pumpkin bread, I didn't use bourbon and just used vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean. For the Caramel Apple Cider Sauce, I made two batches because my first one didn't turn out too well. I didn't have enough white sugar, only 1 3/4 cup so the remaining 1/4 cup I used dark brown sugar. YUM! It really made it good!  All of the components combined made this a really good dessert! Everyone loved it.

I can't believe I forgot to take a picture!!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 cup pure canned pumpkin puree
• Pumpkin Bread, toasted and cubed, recipe follows
• Vanilla Creme Anglaise, recipe follows
• Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the cream, milk, vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Whisk together the yolks, sugar, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture until combined. Strain the custard into a clean bowl.
3. Scatter the pumpkin bread cubes in a buttered 9 by 13-inch baking glass baking dish. Pour the custard over the bread, pressing down on the bread to totally submerge it in the custard. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow the bread to soak up some of the custard.
4. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan and pour hot tap water into the roasting pan until it comes half way up the sides of the glass dish. Bake until the sides are slightly puffed and the center jiggles slightly, about 1 hour.
5. Remove from the oven and water bath and cool on a baking rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
6. Spoon some of the Vanilla Creme Anglaise into a shallow bowl, top with some of the bread pudding and drizzle with the Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce. Bread pudding is best served warm.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 8 ounces (scant 1 cup) canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl.
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 4 tablespoons softened butter, sugar, and oil at high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times.
4. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just incorporated. At low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and water and mix until just combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60 to 75 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a baking rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely.
5. Once the bread is cool, slice in half lengthwise, and then slice each half into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread the cubes on a large baking sheet and bake in a 325 degree oven until lightly toasted, turning once, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

Vanilla Creme Anglaise

Ingredients

• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup pure cane sugar

Directions

1. Bring the half-and-half and vanilla to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
2. Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until at the pale ribbon stage. Slowly whisk in the hot half-and-half, return the mixture to the pot, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Strain into a bowl and set over an ice bath. Stir until chilled. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Apple Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup apple cider

Directions

1. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and turned a deep amber color, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cream and apple cider. Return to the stove over high heat and cook until combines, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

Pumpkin Pillows

I came across this recipe for Iced Pumpkin Cookies from Betty Crocker several years ago and have made them many times. Everyone seems to go crazy over them. They are so soft! My friend named them Pumpkin Pillows. The recipe calls for raisins but I never add them. The only thing I do differently is add pumpkin pie spice to the icing. I've seen some recipes recently for pumpkin cookies iced with caramel icing or even brown sugar icing. I'd love to give those a try. It kills me to used canned icing when I'm sure there's a better recipe out there!


Ingredients

• 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheets). Lightly grease or spray cookie sheet.
   In large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin and butter with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute.
2. On cookie sheet, drop dough by generous tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until set and light golden brown around edges. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Frost with frosting. Store loosely covered.

Buckeyes

Most people who know me know that I love the Ohio State Buckeyes! I like to make sweet treats for my neighbors every so often. Seeing as how Thanksgiving is in a couple of days, I figured now would be a great time for another plate of goodies. This coming week is the Ohio State and Michigan game and my neighbor just so happens to be a Michigan fan. So, I thought it would be funny to make him buckeyes. I used a recipe from All Recipes. I used milk chocolate instead of semi sweet and added the powdered sugar slowly. I didn't end up using about a 1/4 cup of it either. This was very good!


Ingredients

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoon shortening

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar with hands to form a smooth stiff dough. Shape into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball. Place on prepared pan, and refrigerate.
3. Melt shortening and chocolate together in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat.
4. Remove balls from refrigerator. Insert a wooden toothpick into a ball, and dip into melted chocolate. Return to wax paper, chocolate side down, and remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining balls. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.

Lemon Dill Tilapia with Asparagus

I was looking online for a recipe for tilapia packets. I wanted something quick and easy and I wanted to have asparagus with it. I found this recipe from Hungry Girl and made just a couple of changes to it, added dill and white wine. The fish had great flavor. It could have used a bit more lemon and salt. I'd make it again though because it was good and very easy to make, great for a weeknight meal.


Ingredients

• 2 tilapia filets
• 1 bunch of asparagus stalks, tough ends removed
• 1 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon choppsed fresh dill
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• spash of white wine (I didn't measure, but probably 2 Tablespoons, divided)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix together butter, parsley, dill, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Lay out 2 large pieces of heavy-duty foil. Line up the stalks side by side in the center of the foil. Lay the fish on top of the asparagus.
4. Spread butter mixture evenly over the fish, and top with lemon slices. Juice the remaining lemon over the fish. Add a splash of white wine. Fold and seal the top and bottom edges of the foil, and then the side edges, to create a well-sealed packet.
5. Place packet on a baking sheet, and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, until asparagus is tender and fish is cooked through.
6. Allow packet to cool for a few minutes, and then cut to release steam before opening it entirely. (Careful -- steam will be hot.) Arrange fish and asparagus on a plate (use the lemon slices as a pretty garnish), admire, and eat!

Inside Out Lasagna

I love lasagna but it always makes so much! Of course I could half a recipe or freeze half, but I never think of that. I found this recipe for Inside Out Lasagna from Eating Well and it looked really good. I made just a couple of changes. I used about half of the spinach, added ground beef and italian spices. Growing up, I loved my mom's lasagna and she used cottage cheese instead of ricotta and I have to say I still really enjoy cottage cheese in lasagna. So instead of the ricotta I used cottage cheese and I also added some mozzarella cheese. It turned out really good, nice and cheesy! I'd make it again. I'm not sure it's any easier than lasagna but it's definitely good to change things up a bit.


Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole-wheat rotini or fusilli
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 Tablespoon italian seasoning (I didn't measure this, just eyeballed it.)
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup mozzerella cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft.
3. Add ground beef and brown.
4. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 4 to 6 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, spinach, tomato paste, and italian seasoning. Increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring once halfway through, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes. Mix in cottage cheese.
6. Toss the sauce with the pasta. Top with mozzerella cheese and gently mix in.

Deviled Eggs

My friend had her baby shower today. She had a lot of people helping with the food, but I wanted to help too! So I made deviled eggs and pumpkin bars. I love deviled eggs but I'm kind of picky with them. I don't like relish or anything chunky in them and I don't like them to be too mustardy. This recipe, which I found on All Recipes, is really good. I add just a little extra mayonnaise to my liking and cut the salt down a bit. I make mine in the food processor and then use a piping bag to fill the eggs.

Ingredients

• 6 hard-cooked eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or more to taste)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Paprika

Directions

1. Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard and salt; mix well. Stuff or pipe into egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate until serving.

40 Clove Garlic Chicken & Roasted Butternut Squash

I've seen several recipes for 40 clove garlic chicken, from A Year of Slow Cooking and Crepes of Wrath. They both look so good but the thought of 40 cloves of garlic scared me. I decided to give it a try, kind of did a combination of the two recipes. I paired it with roasted butternut squash with agave and balsamic vinegar glaze from Kalyn's Kitchen. The chicken was great! I used boned chicken breasts but took the skin off. It cooked for about 6 hours and I think any longer would have dried the chicken out. It probably wouldn't have been dry if I kept the skin on or used dark meat. The squash was okay. I cooked it for almost 40 minutes and it still didn't seem done. The flavor was good but not amazing. Maybe I just should have kept it in a little bit longer. I actually had some of the chicken today with the Cottage Potatoes from earlier in the week. They worked really well together!


Slow Cooker 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds chicken (I used 4 pounds of bone-in chicken breasts with the skin removed.)
• 1 large onion (or 2 bitties, like I used), sliced
• 1/4-1/2 cup white wine (I didn't measure, just put a couple of splashes in.)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 40 cloves of garlic, peeled but still whole (about 3 bulbs of garlic)

Directions

1. Place onion slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert. Add white wine
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into slow cooker, on top of the onion.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6.

Agave Balsamic Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 buttercup squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 T Agave Nectar (preferably amber variety)
• 2 T good quality balsamic vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray roasting pan with non-stick spray or olive oil.
2. In a bowl, mix together agave nectar and balsamic vinegar. Add butternut squash and toss to coat. Lay squash in single layer on roasting pan.
3. Roast squash 30 minutes, or until squash pierces easily with a fork and is lightly browned. Stir part way through.
4. Grind black pepper and sea salt over squash and serve hot.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf and Cottage Potatoes

It's been chilly lately which had me craving some comfort food. I haven't had meatloaf in years so I decided to find a yummy recipe. After some searching, I finally decided to try this recipe from All Recipes. I was originally thinking of doing a side of scalloped potatoes but when I found Paula Deen's Cottage Potatoes I knew I had to give them a try.

The meatloaf was really good. I might saute the onions before adding them to the meat next time. The recipe has you put the glaze on the bottom of the pan and the meat on top. I actually put 2 slices of bread in the pan, then the meat, and the glaze on top. I added the sliced bread because I heard they soak up any grease. I added ground mustard and Worcestershire sauce to the glaze and decreased the brown sugar to 1/4 cup. It was pretty sweet still so I'm glad I cut it down. Half a cup would have been way too sweet.

The potatoes were really good and easy too! I sauteed the onions before adding them to the potatoes, which was a good decision. I also had some white cheddar cheese which I grated and added to the top. It was good with the cheese but it would have been just as good without. Delicious!!! I will definitely be making these again.


Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 cup finely seasoned bread crumbs
• slices of bread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.
2. Place bread slices at bottom of pan. (I used 2 pieces.)
3. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard. Set aside
4. In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the bread slices. Cover with ketchup mixture.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.

Paula Deen's Cottage Potatoes

Ingredients

• 3 large Idaho potatoes
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 onion, diced
• Salt and pepper
• Paprika
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Scrub the potatoes, slice them, and put in a pot with water to cover. Boil the potatoes until tender, then drain and mash them with 2 tablespoons of the butter.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute onion until tender.
4. Add the cottage cheese, onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture gently, and then put in a greased casserole. Dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add the cheese after 20 minutes of cooking.

Chicken, Apple Gravy, Rice Pilaf, & Green Beans

I came across this Rachel Ray recipe the other day. The apple cider in it really intrigued me, especially since it's fall. I knew I'd have to give it a try. I didn't cook the green beans the way she said to. I figured it'd be easier to just toss them in a pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and garlic and roast at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. I also didn't add the peas to the rice because I don't like them. However, the rest of the rice recipe I kept the same and the rice was delicious! I will definitely make that again. In the future, though, I'd probably do brown rice. The gravy was really good. My butter got a little browned because my pan was too warm when I added it. But it was still very good. I will definitely make this recipe again.



Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1-1/2 cups long-grain white rice
• 3-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the rice and toast until light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the cheese.
2. While the rice cooks, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until the juices run clear, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the apple cider and 1 cup chicken broth and cook until slightly thickened; season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
4. Pour the apple gravy over the chicken and serve the rice and green beans alongside.

CrockPot Tex Mex Pot Roast

There's a wonderful blog called A Year of Slow Cooking. Stephanie challenged herself in 2008 to use her crockpot everyday for a year. Since I've been trying to find more recipes for the crockpot, her blog has been my go-to site. I found this recipe for Tex Mex Pot Roast. It turned out really good! It was so easy, practically zero prep work but the result was wonderful. The only change I made to it was added a little onion and garlic powder. Also, instead of adding canned corn I used frozen corn. Stephanie served her's on top of a baked potato, so I did the same. It was a great way to eat it. We had a decent amount of leftover. I wonder how it would freeze. Thoughts?


Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 (15-ounce) can chili beans, undrained
• 1 1/4 cups frozen corn
• 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel (tomatoes and chiles), undrained

Directions

1. Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Add your meat to the slow cooker. Add the chipotle chile powder, garlic powder, onion powder, corn, and all the canned ingredients.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 6.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

I've been trying to find more slow cooker recipes lately. Everytime I look at All Recipes, I find this recipe and put it on my list to try and then never try it. So finally I decided it was time to give it a try. It's almost more like a mexican chili than it is a soup. Maybe I should have added more liquids. But I liked it being thick. I used chicken broth instead of beer because some of the reviews said the beer gave it a weird aftertaste. I topped it with sour cream, cheese, and a little lime juice which was delicious. The only thing missing was fresh cilantro. I also served it with some buttered and toasted whole wheat french bread because I didn't have tortilla chips. Both Matt and I agreed it probably would have been nice to have a few chips.


Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• lime juice

Directions

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, garlic powder, and cumin and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup to shred. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, lime juice, and a dollop of sour cream.

French Onion Steak with Gruyere Sauce & Green Beans

My mom gave me a cookbook recently, Rachel Ray's Big Orange Book. While looking through it I found this recipe and it make my mouth water it looked so good! I had to give it a try. I did my green beans a little differently than her recipe. I roasted them instead of boiling them and then sauteing them. It just seemed like less work. She also has you broil the steak after only seasoning it with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I decided to also add Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. I meant to add garlic powder too but forgot. This meal was so good!! The steak was delicious, the sauce amazing, and the green beans were also very good. It wasn't a very difficult meal to make. It would be perfect for company.


French Onion Steak with Gruyere Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus additional
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon ground dry thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Flank Steak (about 2 to 3 pounds, one that is large enough for 4 people)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese

Directions

1. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO and 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter is melted, add the sliced onions, bay leaf, thyme, salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes, or until melted down, brown and sweet.
2. While the onions are cooking, place steak on a broiler pan and generously coat it with EVOO, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Broil under the broiler for 15 minutes, turning once for medium. When done, remove and let the steak rest to let the juices return to the center of the meat, about 5 minutes. (I didn't let mine rest long enough apparently...I had juices everywhere!)
3. In a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add flour to the melted butter and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in chicken stock and milk and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let it come up to a bubble and thicken then turn off the heat. Add the cheese and stir in a figure-eight motion until mixed.
4. Slice the steak and place on a platter. Pile the onions on top and pour the cheese sauce over the top.

Roasted Green Beans

Ingredients

• 1 bag of fresh green beans, trimmed (I think it was about a pound)
• 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Zest from one lemon
• Juice from one lemon

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 9x13 pan, toss green beans with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. I line my pan with foil for easy cleanup. Spread green beans evenly across pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes.
3. When green beans are finished, remove them from the oven and squeeze lemon juice over top. Toss and serve.

Raspberry Balsamic Chicken with Shallots

I found this recipe on Eating Well and thought it sounded delicious. It was very easy to make and definitely pretty good. My only complaint was that I only had 1 small shallot. It definitely could have used more. The flavor of this was really good and Matt really enjoyed it. I'll be making this again!

I served this with asparagus that I roasted at 425 for about 15 minutes with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. It's kind of a staple side dish in our house because it's so good and so easy!


Ingredients

• 3/4 cup seedless all-fruit raspberry jam
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts (I used a pound of chicken tenderloins)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots, (2-3 large)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

Directions

1. Combine jam and vinegar in a small pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring often, until the jam is dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in salt and pepper and let cool slightly. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce. Place chicken breasts and the rest of the sauce in a large sealable plastic bag. Seal and shake gently to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and thyme and cook, stirring often, until the shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade). Add the chicken to the pan and cook until just beginning to brown, 2 minutes on each side. Add the reserved raspberry sauce; stir to melt the jam and coat the chicken. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center, 6 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Mediterranean Tilapia with Corn, Tomato, & Feta Saute

Matt and I went to Disney's Food and Wine Festival a couple of weekends ago. At the festival, I had a Greek salad that was so fresh and delicious that I've been craving it ever since. In the salad was the typical, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, feta, and kalamata olives. I never thought I liked olives but in this salad they were good. So I decided to test my new found like for olives by making a meal with olives.

On All Recipes, I found a Mediterranean Flounder recipe and I just used tilapia instead. I wanted to make a side dish different from our norm. I found a Tomato and Corn Saute recipe from Eating Well and decided I wanted to add feta since the fish is Mediterranean. While Matt loved the fish, I decided I didn't in fact like olives or capers and therefore was not a big fan of the dish. Now, the corn on the other hand, that was tasty! I ended up taking all the mediterranean topping off the fish and just ate it with the corn.

Mediterranean Tilapia

Ingredients

• 1/2 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pinch Italian seasoning
• 2 Tablespoons white wine
• 12 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tilapia fillets
• 3 leaves fresh basil, torn
• 1/4 cup feta

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute onion until tender. Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir in tomatoes, and cook until tender. Mix in wine, olives, capers, lemon juice, and 1/2 the basil. Reduce heat, blend in Parmesan cheese, and cook until the mixture is reduced to a thick sauce, about 15 minutes.
3. Place tilapia in a shallow baking dish. Bake for 7 minutes. Cover with the sauce, and top with remaining basil leaves and feta cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Corn, Tomato, and Feta Saute

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• Corn Kernals from 3-4 ears of corn
• 1 medium or 2 small shallots, diced
• 1 pound tomatoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Feta

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add corn and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Turn heat to low and stir in tomatoes, basil, feta, and salt until heated through.

Slowcooker Creamy Turkey Dinner

I have been trying to find more recipes to use my Crock-pot lately. I found a wonderful blog with TONS of slow-cooker recipes, A Year of Slow Cooking. The one thing about slow-cooking is that a lot of recipes I have found are not healthy and we try, as much as possible to eat on the healthier side. When I found this recipe, it looked really good and didn't use Cream of ________ soup. It smelled AMAZING while it was cooking. I could tell it was going to be pretty runny, so I decided to make some brown rice to serve with it. The flavor was great! The only thing I did differently than the recipe was added a little more balsamic vinegar while I was cooking. If you haven't been able to tell, I love balsamic vinegar! I'm pretty sure we never make turkey unless it's Christmas or Thanksgiving. This was a nice change from our norm and I will definitely be making it again.

The photo did not do this dish justice. Sorry!

Ingredients

• 3pounds turkey breast, cut in chunks
  3/4 cup beef broth
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used about 12 ounces)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley (unless you have fresh, then use about 1/4 cup at the very end)
• 3/4 cup half and half or heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cup frozen green beans

Directions

1. Use a 4 quart slow cooker. Put the turkey into the bottom of your cooker, and pour on the beef broth and balsamic vinegar. Add onion, mushrooms, and dried parsley. Stir a bit to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for about 4. If you only have a 6-quart slow cooker, this will cook much faster, unless you increase the quantities. Remember that slow cookers work the best when they're at least 2/3 of the way full.
2. If you are going to use a 6-quart, check after 4-5 hours on low, or 2-3 on high.
3. If you'd like the turkey super tender and shreddy, cook for a longer period of time on low.
4. Stir in the heavy cream and green beans. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes, or until beans are thawed and heated through. Serve over cooked pasta.

Cincinnati Chili

When my family lived up north, we always ate Skyline chili. After moving here, I decided I had to learn how to make it myself. I looked up several recipes and finally settled on this on from All Recipes. I've made it several times now. It's really good, but it's not the typical chili most people think of. I usually serve it "3-way" which is spaghetti, chili, and cheddar cheese. But you could also add onion to make it 4 way. I cut the original recipe in half. Also the original recipe calls you to saute the beef and onion. However, the real way of make Cincinnati Chili is by boiling the beef and you don't add onion unless you want it raw at the end, the 4-way.


Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1/4 (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 1/2 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Add beef and beef broth to a pot. Bring to a boil and boil until the beef is cooked through. While boiling, stir often. You want the beef to be very small bits not large chunks.
2. Add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, chocolate, beef broth, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and red pepper. Stir to mix well. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove bay leaf. Serve now over hot, drained spaghetti, topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Or, you can refrigerate it overnight. Reheat gently over medium heat.

First Attempt at Persian Food

My friend, Naji, and her mom make the BEST Persian food! I cannot get enough and there's never been anything I've tried that I haven't liked. I finally decided to give it a try myself. Naji taught me how to make Persian rice with Saffron, beef kabobs called Koobideh Kabob, and a yogurt sauce with cucumbers. While the flavors were great, and for a first try I did pretty good, it definitely wasn't as good as what Naji and her mom make. I like to cook and I'd like to say I'm decent at it, however, rice always gives me a problem so I was nervous about Persian rice. You steam it. Well, I burnt the bottom layer and so when I pulled the lid off, it smelled like smoke. If you just use the top layer, it was alright and didn't taste like smoke. I guess practice makes perfect. The yogurt was good, hard to ruin that. Although, Naji's mom makes her own yogurt which of course is much better. The beef got a little too dark on one side but still tasted great. I just had a hard time flipping it. Oh well, I'll get it or try another cooking method next time. For a first try, I did good. I'll definitely keep trying though. Oh....and I can't BELIEVE I forgot to take a picture!!! Sorry!

I also did some research online before cooking. I found a couple of great websites and Persian cooking blogs which ended up being great resources for the meal. Here's what I found:

Family Spice: This shows different ways of cooking the kabobs.
Tumeric & Saffron Persian cooking blog
My Persian Kitchen Persian cooking blog - There's a great blog on making Persian rice.
Javane's Kitchen Persian cooking blog
I also borrowed a book from Naji called A Taste of Persia.

The recipes below are from Naji. I wrote things down and some of it is from memory. I may have remembered something wrong.

Yogurt and Cucumber (Mast-O-Khiar)
Ingredients

• 2 cups yogurt
• 1 large seedless cucumber, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Persian Rice (Polow)

Ingredients

• 3 cups Basmati Rice (1 cup per person, plus 1 extra cup)
• canola oil
• pinch of saffron
• salt

Directions

1. Place rice in a large bowl. Wash rice several times until water is clear. Soak rice in water for at least an hour or even overnight.
2. Boil a large pot of water. Add rice. Dump enough water out so that the water level is about 2 inches above the rice. Bring the water back to a boil and allow it to boil for roughly 7 minutes. The rice should be al dente, soft but still have a little firmness. Drain the rice. (One blog said to have about 3 cups of water per cup of rice.)
3. Add a little oil to the pan and return the rice to the pan. Put a little hole in the center of the rice to allow steam to come through. Add 1/2 cup of water to the rice. Cover the lid with a towel and put the lid on the pot. Cook on low (about 3 or 4) for around 30 minutes.
4. When the rice is finished cooking, heat a few spoonfuls of oil and spoon on rice. 
5. Boil a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup) and add ground saffron. Cover for several minutes. Add about a cup of the cooked rice to the saffron water and stir. You can either add this rice to the rest of the pot and stir it in, or put the white rice on a platter and put the yellow rice on top.

Ground Beef Kabob (Koobideh Kabob)

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground beef 
• 1 egg
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 1 teaspoon Ground Kabob Seasoning
•  salt and pepper
• Canola Oil (about 1 Tablespoon)
• 1  tomato cut into segments

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium to medium high and add canola oil. 
3. Add beef mixture and form one large patty. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. You want each side to be dark brown but not too dark. 
4. To flip, put the lid on the pan, flip the beef so it's on the lid, and then slide the beef from the lid to the pan. Be careful with this step so you don't burn yourself. You should probably do this over the sink.
5. Once flipped, return to heat. Score the beef into long thin rectangles. Add the tomatoes to the top of the beef. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the bottom side is dark brown. Remove the kabobs from the skillet and serve.

Spicy Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

It's fall, even though it doesn't feel like it in Florida! I've been wanting to make a pumpkin bundt cake for awhile. After looking at several recipes, I finally decided to combine a couple of recipes. The cake recipe is from Martha Stewart and the glaze was found on Heather's Dish. Reviews about the cake on Martha's website said it didn't need a glaze so I debated adding it. However, I'm glad I did. The cake was very spicy. The glaze was delicious and complimented it well, I thought. It was a little thin though, maybe because I used half & half instead of heavy cream or maybe I didn't let it cook long enough. My bundt cake pans must be smaller than normal. This recipe made enough for two cakes, which just meant our neighbors got a little surprise!

Spicy Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray, for pan
• 4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for dusting
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk (or substitue just under 1 cup milk + 1 Tablespoon Vinegar and let rest for 5 minutes)
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 14-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. Dust with flour, and tap out excess.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
3. Beat butter and brown sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat until just combined. Add pumpkin puree, and beat until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake cake until golden and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Carefully turn cake onto rack too cool completely. Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (I used half & half because it's what I had)

Directions

1. In a saucepan combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat and stir until all sugar is dissolved.  When cake is finished baking, poke holes in the top with a toothpick.  Pour glaze over the cake, making sure to cover all surfaces.  Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

Lemon and Dill Orzo Pasta with Chicken

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. This was SO good! It was really easy to make and had great flavor. This will definitely be filed as a recipe to make again. I didn't have fresh dill so I used dried dill. I'm sure it would have been even better with fresh. I think I could have added a little more lemon juice and I added even more dill after cooking. The only thing I didn't love about it was that it was pretty monochromatic with the exception of a few green flakes. I wonder what it would be like to add asparagus or something else to bring in color. The leftovers are just as good if not even better because the flavors have melded even more.


Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound orzo
• 2 cups crumbled feta (4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a saucepan, bring broth, 3/4 cup water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil.
3. In a 3-quart baking dish, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice. Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, 40 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

Baked Tilapia with Spinach and Roasted Potatoes

I originally was planning on making a spinach and tomato pasta today and just have a baked seasoned tilapia and potato dish last night. But then I found a recipe for lemon and chicken orzo pasta that I just have to make tonight. So I found a recipe on About.com and used the ingredients I planned on using for the pasta dish for my tilapia. It ended up being an easy and delicious meal. The fish calls for Creole Seasoning, which I didn't have. So I made my own with a recipe from All Recipes. The recipe used white and black pepper, I only had black. I also used just over 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning instead of the oregano, basil, and thyme.


Baked Tilapia and Fresh Spinach
2 Servings


Ingredients

• 2 Tilapia filets
• cooking spray
• 4-6 ounces fresh spinach
• 2 Tablespoons chicken broth
• 1/4 of an onion, chopped
• 1 clove of Garlic, chopped
• 5-6 Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper
• Creole Seasoning (recipe below)
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Feta

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil and sautee the onion and garlic until tender. Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Add spinach and cook for about 30 seconds until just slightly wilted. It will continue to wilt in the oven.
3. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and add the spinach mixture.
4. Sprinkle spinach with salt and pepper and onion powder; add the chicken broth. Sprinkle tilapia filets lightly with salt, pepper, and Creole seasonings. Arrange the filets over the spinach and sprinkle with chopped tomato. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. After about 15-20 minutes of baking, add feta.

Creole Seasoning
Recipe yields about 1 Tablespoon.

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon, heaping, Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, Italian Seasoning, black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt. Store in an airtight container.

Roasted Red Potatoes
2 Servings


Ingredients

• 6 red potatoes, washed and cut into 4 quarters
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, about 1 Tablespoon
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon onion flakes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine red potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion flakes.
3. Spray a square baking pan (or line pan with foil). Add poatoes.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I love fall, especially fall produce. I've tried a lot of the winter squashes, but for some reason, I've never made acorn squash. I found this recipe from Taste of Home and decided to give it a try. It called for rubbed sage which I could have sworn I had. Once I started cooking, I realized I didn't have it so I just used italian seasoning. I thought it turned out good. It's not a difficult recipe to make but it does take a little time. First you have to bake the squash for about an hour, then prep the filling, and then bake the whole thing. Perhaps you could just microwave the squash for a bit until tender to save time. Regardless, I'd probably make this again.



Ingredients

• 2 small (or 1 medium) acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage (I used Italian Seasoning)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Invert squash in an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. Add water and cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, cook beef, onion and celery over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the flour, salt and sage until blended. Add milk. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in rice.
3. Transfer squash to a baking sheet. Fill cavity with meat mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese and bake 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings.

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia with Lemon Asparagus

I've seen this recipe for Parmesan Tilapia on All Recipes and wanted to try it but just haven't. Then I saw it on Annie's Eats and decided it's time to give it a try. I also did the lemon asparagus from the same post. The whole meal was delicious! Matt said the fish tasted like he was eating at Red Lobster. The topping was really good but very rich. Even though there's some mayo, butter, and cheese in the sauce, All Recipes says that there are only 200 calories. I don't know if that is true or not. I only used 1 T of a low fat mayo and then 2 T butter. We will definitely make this again. It was not only delicious, but also very easy to make.


Broiled Parmesan Tilapia
Ingredients

• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. butter, softened
• 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. dried basil
• 1/8 tsp. celery seed
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
  
• 1/8 tsp. onion salt
  
• ground black pepper, to taste
  
• 1 lb. tilapia fillets

Directions

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion salt and celery seed. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon
Ingredients

• 1 lb. asparagus
• 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• ½ lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 450°F.
2. Snap off the tough stem ends from the asparagus spears and discard. Arrange the spears in a baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest. Brush the asparagus evenly with the oil, turning the spears to coat well, and season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange the lemon wedges around the asparagus.
4. Bake until the asparagus is tender and just turning golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a warmed serving platter and drizzle with the pan juices.

Balsamic Chicken Pasta

I love balsamic vinegar so when planning this week's meals, I searched for a chicken recipe than used it. This recipe was on All Recipes. I made a couple of changes. I used rigatoni pasta instead of penne just because that's what I had, added some parmesan cheese, and onion. The original recipe called for raw tomatoes, and cold olive oil and balsamic vinegar to be added to the warm chicken and pasta. Instead, while the pasta and chicken were cooking, I sauteed the onion and then added the oil, vinegar, tomatoes, and basil so they'd be warm. It turned out to be pretty good. I wonder what it'd be like with feta instead of parmesan.



Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ounce fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Mince garlic cloves in food processor or blender. Add 1/3 of the basil leaves to the processor, and chop until fine. Pour in 1/2 cup of olive oil, and continue to process until mixture turns light yellow with flecks of basil. Add the balsamic vinegar; process just until combined. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Marinate chicken for 2 hours, or up to overnight, turning occasionally.
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
3. Brown chicken in a large skillet over high heat, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large baking dish, and place in the oven until cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chicken from oven, slice into 1/4 inch strips, and return to baking dish to absorb cooking juices. Keep warm.
4. While chicken is baking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Boil the pasta until cooked through, but still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well. Stir the chicken and the juices from the baking dish into the hot pasta.
5. Thinly slice the remaining basil leaves.
6. Saute onions in 1 Tablespoon of oil.
7. Add remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes until ingredients are warmed through. Add the chicken, pasta, and cheese; toss to combine.

Burrito Bowls

I love Chipotle's burrito bowls. Awhile back I found the recipe for the rice, my favorite part, from Chiptole Fan. In the past I have made my own rice, beans, salsa, guacamole, and meat. While REALLY good it takes awhile. This time I made rice, chicken and beans and bought the rest of the ingredients. I usually use canned black beans but decided to try using a bag of beans. They turned out really good and I had LOTS of leftovers that I froze.The rice is great, as always, and the chicken was also really good.

Cilantro Lime Rice
Recipe from Chipotle Fan
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup white basmati rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Lime
• Butter

Directions

1. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. 
2. Fluff rice with a fork. Stir in cilantro.

Black Beans
Recipe adapted from Eating Well

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried beans, such as cannellini beans, black beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, great northern beans or pinto beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 cups boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
•  Cayenne Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Soak beans in enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches for 6 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, use the quick-soak method: Place beans in a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.)
2. Drain the beans and place them in a slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Pour in boiling water. Cook, covered, on high until beans are tender, 2 to 3 1/2 hours. Add salt and cayenne pepper, cover, and cook for 15 minutes more.

Chili Lime Chicken Marinade
Recipe from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice. Season with chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce, and stir to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour. 

*Note: The Rouse House, I tried responding to your comment but it never published. I updated the recipes. For the rice, I added the cilantro after the rice is finished cooking. For the marinade I used a pound of chicken. I hope you like it if you try it!

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp and Asparagus

This recipe came from Eating Well. The original recipe also had peas and red peppers but I only used the asparagus. Instead of adding the shrimp and asparagus to the pasta while it was boiling, I sauteed them seperately. I also added a shallot. I bought pine nuts, but later realized I forgot to add them. Oops! The sauce was really good. The raw garlic really gave it a bite. I think, though, that next time I'd add less raw garlic to the sauce and saute it with the shallots, asparagus, and shrimp instead.


Ingredients

• 6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
• 1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain well.
2. Sautee shallots and asparagus. After a few minutes, add the shrimp and cook until pink and cooked through.
3. Mash garlic and salt in a large bowl until a paste forms. Whisk in yogurt, parsley, lemon juice, oil and pepper. Add the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts (if using).

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I've been wanting to use my slow-cooker more. I just want to choose recipes that are at least somewhat healthy - and don't include cream of something soup. This recipe was simple and good. If you have any good slow cooker recipes, please pass them on!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 3 potatoes, diced
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions

1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
2. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Pumpkin Bars

This is another dessert I made for my friend's baby shower.  It's so easy but so good. Everyone seemed to love this dessert too, in fact I had several recipe requests.

Ingredients

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg

• 1 (29 oz) can pumpkin
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (I made my own. Recipe below.)

• 1/4 cup butter, chilled
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly greese a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Set aside 1 cup of cake mix. Combine remaining cake mix with melted butter and 1 egg and mix until well blended. Spread mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, milk, 3 eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well and pour this mixture over cake mix mixture in baking dish.
4. In a small bowl with a pastry blender, or in a food processor, combine chilled butter and white sugar with reserved 1 cup of cake mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinklie over pumpkin mixture. 
5. Bake 45-50 minutes until top is golden.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

1. In a small bowl mix together the ingredients. Store in an airtight container.