About 5 years ago the most complicated homemade meals I made were grilled cheese sandwiches or spaghetti. My husband and I were young newlyweds and even though we lived together a year still hadn't ventured outside of the box- literally. We ate a lot of processed foods- Banquet, On-Cor, Homestyle, Stouffers, and more. We also ate A LOT of fast food- didn't help that my husband worked for a major fast food chain.
It wasn't until I had my first child and he started eating table foods that I realized I needed to change how I did things. I very slowly started cooking and baking. However, if a recipe had a lot of ingredients, I immediately ran for the hills and wouldn't try it. Sometime around when I was pregnant with my second son or around the time he was born, things started to change again. No longer were those recipes with tons of ingredients scary. Once I separated out the spices-- which by this point I had accumulated a variety-- the lists weren't so big and bad anymore. After the first trimester ended with my daughter and I had avoided cooking for weeks due to bad morning sickness and sensitivity to smells- especially chicken (I had hide in the bedroom!), my cooking resumed full force. I had missed it!
Now 5 years later, we rarely eat fast food. It is seen as a treat rather than bad meal planning on my part. It is also something we reserve for the difficult days where being a mom to three takes a huge toll and I am just barely keeping the house from falling apart. The only boxes you might find are Kraft Mac and Cheese (because for some reason my homemade stuff isn't good enough for the kids plus it's easier for the hubby). You'll find the freezer filled with ground beef, chicken breasts, french fries, and frozen vegetables instead of pizza rolls, chicken tenders, salisbury steaks (unless it is the homemade variety which I have yet to freeze), etc. Occasionally some ice cream and homemade pancakes. Actually has pumpkin puree and homemade chicken nuggets in it right now!
Don't be afraid to take that step out of your comfort zone. Look a recipe over and separate out what is all spices and what are the main ingredients. A recipe might have 3 main ingredients and the rest are spices. You might come to realize just like I did that a lot of recipes aren't scary or difficult after all.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
Another Pinterest recipe that was suggested to me and looked good so I figured why not? This is the link to the original: http://rita-may-recipes.blogspot.com/2011/11/crock-pot-cream-cheese-chicken-chile.html
This recipe is very spicy so the next time I do this I plan to only do half the amount of the cumin and chili powder originally called for in the recipe. My kids and I don't like spicy much- them less than me. I also made my own ranch dressing mix: http://selfreliancebyjamie.blogspot.com/2011/08/tis-seasonings.html. You would use three tablespoons to equal one prepackaged mix. We served over rice.
Print This Recipe
2 chicken breasts, still frozen
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can corn kernels, do not drain
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 T cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t onion powder
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
_________
Put the chicken in the crock pot.
Top with the tomatoes, corn,
the drained and rinsed beans,
ranch dressing, cumin, onion and chili powders,
stir to combine then top with the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring one or twice
to blend in the cheese.
Shred the chicken into large pieces
and serve over rice.
Can also serve in tortillas or taco shells.
(Serves 4)
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This recipe is very spicy so the next time I do this I plan to only do half the amount of the cumin and chili powder originally called for in the recipe. My kids and I don't like spicy much- them less than me. I also made my own ranch dressing mix: http://selfreliancebyjamie.blogspot.com/2011/08/tis-seasonings.html. You would use three tablespoons to equal one prepackaged mix. We served over rice.
Print This Recipe
2 chicken breasts, still frozen
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can corn kernels, do not drain
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 T cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t onion powder
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
_________
Put the chicken in the crock pot.
Top with the tomatoes, corn,
the drained and rinsed beans,
ranch dressing, cumin, onion and chili powders,
stir to combine then top with the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring one or twice
to blend in the cheese.
Shred the chicken into large pieces
and serve over rice.
Can also serve in tortillas or taco shells.
(Serves 4)
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Monday, December 17, 2012
Fiesta Chicken Casserole
So I was browsing Pinterest and stumbled across this recipe. It has chicken, it has cheese, and some pasta. All things I love so of course I have to give it a try. It didn't link back to the original source so I can't give credit, but here is the recipe. Pretty easy! I used mild cheddar because I missed the part where I needed the pepper jack cheese blend. It is a little spicy so I think next time I will leave the green chilies out and just use the Rotel. My kids do not like spicy at all.
Print this Recipe
Fiesta Chicken Casserole:
2 cups chicken breast grilled & cubed
2 cups medium shell pasta cooked
2 cups cheddar/jack cheese blend
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel
1 can green chilies
1/2 cup of milk
Cover with cheese salt and pepper to taste! Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Print this Recipe
Fiesta Chicken Casserole:
2 cups chicken breast grilled & cubed
2 cups medium shell pasta cooked
2 cups cheddar/jack cheese blend
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel
1 can green chilies
1/2 cup of milk
Cover with cheese salt and pepper to taste! Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Crispy Cheddar Chicken
It has been awhile since I have done a new recipe! Okay, I may have, but I either forgot or didn't like them so I didn't bother posting.
I stumbled across: http://jamiecooksitup.net/2011/10/crispy-cheddar-chicken/ on Pinterest. Looks delicious just from the pictures.
A few things I would change from the original recipe. I didn't have grated cheddar cheese so this time I used shredded. In the future, I would use grated parmesan since I always have it on hand. I would also start with 1 cup of grated cheese and 1/2 sleeve of crackers. Maybe even use 1 cup Panko bread crumbs instead.
Also when I made the sauce, the butter just seemed to sit as an oil on the surface so I could probably omit that step. Stay tuned in the future for when I do my revamped version of this. In my opinion, it is a hybrid of Parmesan Oven Fried Chicken and Cheesy Chicken Crescent rolls.
Print this Recipe
Here is the recipe:
Chicken:
4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/2 C milk
3 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 t dried parsley
Sauce:
1 14 ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 T sour cream
2 T butter
1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks.
2. In a small food processor grind up the ritz crackers.
3. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.
4. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk then the cheese and finally the cracker crumbs.
5. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan.
6. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.
7. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.
8. Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken.
Enjoy!
I stumbled across: http://jamiecooksitup.net/2011/10/crispy-cheddar-chicken/ on Pinterest. Looks delicious just from the pictures.
A few things I would change from the original recipe. I didn't have grated cheddar cheese so this time I used shredded. In the future, I would use grated parmesan since I always have it on hand. I would also start with 1 cup of grated cheese and 1/2 sleeve of crackers. Maybe even use 1 cup Panko bread crumbs instead.
Also when I made the sauce, the butter just seemed to sit as an oil on the surface so I could probably omit that step. Stay tuned in the future for when I do my revamped version of this. In my opinion, it is a hybrid of Parmesan Oven Fried Chicken and Cheesy Chicken Crescent rolls.
Print this Recipe
Here is the recipe:
Chicken:
4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/2 C milk
3 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 t dried parsley
Sauce:
1 14 ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 T sour cream
2 T butter
1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks.
2. In a small food processor grind up the ritz crackers.
3. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.
4. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk then the cheese and finally the cracker crumbs.
5. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan.
6. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.
7. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.
8. Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken.
Enjoy!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Hearty Chili Mac
This is a recipe from the Crock Pot: Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook. I tweaked a few things.
Tools that make this recipe easier/quicker for me (not necessary to do recipe):
The Pampered Chef Manual Food Processor
The PC Garlic Press
The PC Mix N' Chop
Printable Version
1 pound ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup chopped onion (I use just one whole onion)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups cooked macaroni
OPTIONAL: This is a change I made myself. I prefer a juicy chili mac so I like to add 1/2-1 can of tomato sauce- the small cans.
ORIGINAL: Brown beef in skillet over medium high heat. Drain fat and transfer beef to slow cooker. Add tomatoes, onion, chili powder, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; mix well. Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Stir in macaroni. Cover and cook for another hour. Serve.
ALTERNATE: Continue to cook on the stove in either the skillet if large enough or transfer to a pot. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve.
Or as the case was tonight I let it continue to cook on LOW for two hours on the stove since we were busy.
Tools that make this recipe easier/quicker for me (not necessary to do recipe):
The Pampered Chef Manual Food Processor
The PC Garlic Press
The PC Mix N' Chop
Printable Version
1 pound ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup chopped onion (I use just one whole onion)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups cooked macaroni
OPTIONAL: This is a change I made myself. I prefer a juicy chili mac so I like to add 1/2-1 can of tomato sauce- the small cans.
ORIGINAL: Brown beef in skillet over medium high heat. Drain fat and transfer beef to slow cooker. Add tomatoes, onion, chili powder, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; mix well. Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Stir in macaroni. Cover and cook for another hour. Serve.
ALTERNATE: Continue to cook on the stove in either the skillet if large enough or transfer to a pot. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve.
Or as the case was tonight I let it continue to cook on LOW for two hours on the stove since we were busy.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Banana Bread (or Muffins)- Egg and Milk Free
Another I found on All Recipes. At around 6 months old we discovered my youngest son had an egg (white and yolk) and milk allergy. He has outgrown his milk allergy and now tolerates eggs in baked goods, but will still break out in hives that has anything with egg that hasn't been cooked aggressively. He last broke out after french toast, but thankfully it was a minor reaction.
Printable Version
For muffins, bake for 20-30 minutes.
Printable Version
For muffins, bake for 20-30 minutes.
Directions
Haystack Cookies (Peanut Butter No Bakes)
This is a favorite family recipe and my aunt is the one who I originally obtained the recipe from. I have no idea how long it has been in our family, but it is well loved in our family....at least if you like peanut butter. My husband is not a fan. We call them Haystacks because we live in Iowa and lots of my family live in the country with horses or cattle or my aunt even had goats at one point.
Printable Version
3 1/3 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Milk
3/4 Cup Butter
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
4 1/4 cups of oatmeal
Cook first four ingredients until mixture boils for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and oatmeal. Mix well. Let cool until just warm. Use a spoon and just drop mixture on wax paper. Let it finish cooling and enjoy!
Printable Version
3 1/3 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Milk
3/4 Cup Butter
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
4 1/4 cups of oatmeal
Cook first four ingredients until mixture boils for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and oatmeal. Mix well. Let cool until just warm. Use a spoon and just drop mixture on wax paper. Let it finish cooling and enjoy!
Good, Old Fashioned Pancakes
This recipe is courtesy of All Recipes, but it is our favorite pancake recipe so far because we always have these ingredients on hand. I do plan to try a buttermilk recipe too, but this is easy peasy.
Printable Version
Printable Version
Directions
Salisbury Steaks with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, and Corn on the Cob
Tonight's dinner was Salisbury steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. My husband has been asking me for the last two weeks to make Salisbury steaks. We used to eat the On-Cor variety which he would prefer, but I am adamant in our transition to home cooked meals as they contain less preservatives, etc. than the prepackaged variety. He said he would take either so I made sure I had the ingredients I needed on my grocery list and penciled it to our meal plan for the week.
I use the recipe that the Pioneer Woman has on her blog. I've come to love her blog and she has made cooking seem so much easier. I still can't believe I put off cooking like this for so long. I've copied the recipe from her blog, but all credit goes to her! I've edited the recipe to accommodate the few changes I have made.
When I made this recipe tonight, I used only a pound of beef, but kept everything else the same. I diced my onions and I did use cornstarch to thicken the gravy a bit. Now I know for some it may seem like so many ingredients, but several of the ingredients are things that get used across several recipes and become kind of a household staple like salt and pepper. Breadcrumbs, dry mustard, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and corn starch are something I almost always have on hand unless I run out so I just have to get beef both, an onion, and ground beef. Even with the onion I usually buy several at a time and have in my fridge because we use onion often.
For the mashed potatoes, I simply peel and boil potatoes (no set amount usually 5-6-7 depending on size) and I boil them for about 20-25 minutes on high. I then add milk and butter and mash it all up. If you like thicker potatoes, probably less milk and butter. I like them creamy so it's probably 1/2-3/4 cup a milk (like I said I don't measure) and about half a stick of butter. It's one of the few things I just eyeball and don't do exact measurements. Add salt and pepper to taste. My husband prefers garlic salt.
For the corn on the cob, I simply finish husking the cobs and then boil them for about 10 minutes on high. Then I serve with butter.
No picture tonight as I didn't think of starting this blog until after I made dinner tonight, but the Pioneer Woman's blog as several pictures.
Printable Recipe
MEAT MIXTURE
GRAVY
I use the recipe that the Pioneer Woman has on her blog. I've come to love her blog and she has made cooking seem so much easier. I still can't believe I put off cooking like this for so long. I've copied the recipe from her blog, but all credit goes to her! I've edited the recipe to accommodate the few changes I have made.
When I made this recipe tonight, I used only a pound of beef, but kept everything else the same. I diced my onions and I did use cornstarch to thicken the gravy a bit. Now I know for some it may seem like so many ingredients, but several of the ingredients are things that get used across several recipes and become kind of a household staple like salt and pepper. Breadcrumbs, dry mustard, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and corn starch are something I almost always have on hand unless I run out so I just have to get beef both, an onion, and ground beef. Even with the onion I usually buy several at a time and have in my fridge because we use onion often.
For the mashed potatoes, I simply peel and boil potatoes (no set amount usually 5-6-7 depending on size) and I boil them for about 20-25 minutes on high. I then add milk and butter and mash it all up. If you like thicker potatoes, probably less milk and butter. I like them creamy so it's probably 1/2-3/4 cup a milk (like I said I don't measure) and about half a stick of butter. It's one of the few things I just eyeball and don't do exact measurements. Add salt and pepper to taste. My husband prefers garlic salt.
For the corn on the cob, I simply finish husking the cobs and then boil them for about 10 minutes on high. Then I serve with butter.
No picture tonight as I didn't think of starting this blog until after I made dinner tonight, but the Pioneer Woman's blog as several pictures.
Printable Recipe
MEAT MIXTURE
- 1-1/2 pound Lean Ground Beef
- 1/2 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
- 1 cube Beef Bouillon, Crumbed (or Powdered Beef Base)
- 4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
- Salt And Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, For Frying
- 1 Tablespoon Butter, For Frying
GRAVY
- 1 whole Onion, Halved And Thinly Sliced (or Diced If You Prefer)
- 2 cups Beef Broth
- 4 dashes Worcestershire (additional)
- 1 Tablespoon Ketchup (additional)
- 1 teaspoon Corn Starch Mixed With A Little Beef Broth To Make A Thin Paste
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
Preparation Instructions
Combine all the ingredients for the meat mixture and knead until all combined. Form into 4 to 6 oval patties, then make lines across the patties to give them a "steak" appearance.
Fry in a skillet with oil and butter over medium-high heat on both sides until no longer pink in the middle. Remove from the pan and pour off excess grease.
Reduce the heat to medium and add in the sliced onions. Stir and cook for several minutes, or until golden brown and somewhat soft. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire, and ketchup. Stir and cook to reduce.
OPTIONAL: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cornstarch/broth mixture to give the gravy a little gloss and to thicken it up a bit without lightening it (as flour would.)
**Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and more broth if needed for thinning.
Return the steaks to the gravy. Spoon gravy over the top and let them simmer and heat back up for a couple of minutes.
Welcome!
Hi there! So I've never been good at this blogging thing, but I am going to give it a shot again. Let me give you some background on me. I'm currently a stay at home mom, former veterinary technician, and also a self-employed pet sitter on an as needed basis. I have two boys and a little girl expected to arrive in August. My husband works full time as a Systems Analyst and will be returning to school to work on his Bachelor's degree come August as well.
When my husband and I first moved in together I didn't know much about cooking. A lot of our meals were frozen or came from boxes and a lot of fast food. I pretty much could make the easy meals -- spaghetti, grilled cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs, pancakes (using the mix), etc. It wasn't until my oldest son started eating meals that I decided to change how things were done. We ate fast food less, but still ate a lot of the boxed items- Homestyle Bakes, On-Cor Salisbury Steaks, Stouffers meals, Hamburger Helper, etc. I learned some new things to make myself, but I was still afraid by recipes that had a long recipe list. A few months ago after not being able to cook thanks to morning sickness and food aversion. I was ready to get back into the kitchen. We had eaten so much fast food and easy meals since cooking made me nauseous that I missed cooking. I vowed to cook more from scratch and meal plan on top of couponing to save money. So here we are. Most of our meals are mostly from scratch. I will share what recipes I use in this blogs, tips, and obstacles I have encountered while following recipes. So thanks for turning in and I hope I help a lot of other nervous cooks find their love for cooking!
When my husband and I first moved in together I didn't know much about cooking. A lot of our meals were frozen or came from boxes and a lot of fast food. I pretty much could make the easy meals -- spaghetti, grilled cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs, pancakes (using the mix), etc. It wasn't until my oldest son started eating meals that I decided to change how things were done. We ate fast food less, but still ate a lot of the boxed items- Homestyle Bakes, On-Cor Salisbury Steaks, Stouffers meals, Hamburger Helper, etc. I learned some new things to make myself, but I was still afraid by recipes that had a long recipe list. A few months ago after not being able to cook thanks to morning sickness and food aversion. I was ready to get back into the kitchen. We had eaten so much fast food and easy meals since cooking made me nauseous that I missed cooking. I vowed to cook more from scratch and meal plan on top of couponing to save money. So here we are. Most of our meals are mostly from scratch. I will share what recipes I use in this blogs, tips, and obstacles I have encountered while following recipes. So thanks for turning in and I hope I help a lot of other nervous cooks find their love for cooking!
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