Pea + Peanut Salad

This is one of those "you have to try it before you decide" recipes. It sounds weird; I was skeptical at first as well. But once I tried it, I was sold. It's sweet and crunchy, savory and creamy, all at the same time.

Pea & Peanut Salad

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 lb frozen peas, thawed
1 lb Spanish or cocktail peanuts

In a bowl, combine everything except the peas and peanuts. Mix well. Gently stir in the peas and peanuts, ensuring everything is coated well. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars - a nice, different side dish. I served it with smoked sausage and noodles. As a bonus, my two-year old scarfed it down!

Iced Coffee

You know how some things just taste better when they are not homemade? That's how I've long felt about iced coffee. It just tasted better when I bought it vs. made it at home. I tried brewing super-strong coffee, buying instant coffee, using my Keurig, using a French press, etc.

But that was before I learned about cold-brewing coffee. The secret is so simple - letting the coffee grounds brew in cold water overnight. That's it. That is the secret to iced coffee at home. You and your fat wallet can thank me later.

Iced Coffee Concentrate

10 oz coarse ground coffee
4 L water

Dump the coffee grounds into a large container (I used a Pampered Chef pitcher.) Add water. Put in fridge overnight (at least 8 hours).

The next morning, give yourself an hour. Pour the coffee water through a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth.  Stir with a spoon to help it through. I cleaned the kitchen and did some other chores as the coffee slowly made its way into the new pitcher. I went through about 4 or 5 coffee filters along the way as they clogged up.

But it was worth it. I now have 4 L of iced coffee concentrate that will keep in the fridge for up to a month. I used it to make a Vietnamese iced coffee this afternoon, which is just iced coffee concentrate, ice cubes, and a few tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk. YUM

Rating: 5 out of 5. Perfectly tasty.

Banana Bread French Toast Souffle

In an effort to eat some meatless meals and reduce our grocery bill, eggs and bread were on the menu. There were no complaints in my house about this one!

Banana Bread French Toast Souffle

10 cups cubed bread - I used 1/2 of a loaf of banana bread I made earlier this week and standard cheapy white sandwich bread
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup real maple syrup
6 eggs
1.5 cups milk (or cream or half-n-half - I just happened to have milk in the house)
1 t. vanilla
4 T. brown sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter a 9x13 pan. Do not use spray; butter makes the casserole fluff up like a souffle. Dump in bread cubes.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, and syrup. Microwave for 1 min and mix together. Pour over bread cubes.

In same bowl, mix together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour over cream cheese mixture on bread crumbs.

Let stand for 15 min. Or refrigerate as long as overnight. (If you refrigerate, be sure to let it sit out at room temp for a while before baking.)

Sprinkle brown sugar over top. This is definitely not necesary but certainly very yummy as it kind of caramelizes on top.
Bake for 30 min covered. Remove foil and bake for additional 15 min.

Serve with fresh fruit, bacon or sausage (which I realize makes it not a meatless meal, but that's ok), and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Fluff

Amy will testify that this Peanut Butter Fluff, or Fluff as she calls it, is the best thing since sliced bread. It's amazingly easy to make, it makes a great frosting for fudge brownies or just eat it with pretzels or graham cracker sticks like we love to do. This is a staple for get togethers. It's sinfully delicious.

Peanut Butter Fluff

Ingredients:

1 tub of Marshmallow Fluff
1 c. Jif Creamy Peanut Butter (heaping)
1/4 c. milk

In a large bowl, mix ingredients with mixer until fluffy. Serve with graham cracker sticks or pretzels. Try not to eat the whole bowl, I dare you.

Rating: Fluff speaks for itself, but for this blogs sake I give it a 10!

Flourless Peanut Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are delicious. I have never made a flourless cookie before. They are so quick and easy.

Flourless Peanut Chocolate Chip Cookies
(courtesy of Martha Stewart Everyday magazine)

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg (lightly beaten)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 large egg (lightly beaten), 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined. Stir in 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts. With moistened hands, roll dough, about 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, into balls. Place 2 inches apart on two baking sheets. Bake until cookies are golden and puffed, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Cheesy Jalapeno Dip

This cheesy dip has a slight kick! It's great for pot lucks and parties!

Cheesy Jalapeno Dip

Ingredients:
1 c. Hellman's Mayo
1 c. sour cream
2 1/2 c. finely shredded cheddar cheese
5 jalapeno peppers, chopped into small pieces
1 medium onion-finely chopped
5 dashes of Red Hot
2 small cloves of garlic-pressed

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Served great with tortilla chips, crackers, pita chips or bagel chips.

Chicken Enchiladas

These are spicy, cheesy and delicious. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 c. sour cream
4 tsp. chili powder
2 c. cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
2 c. Colby jack shredded cheese
1 c. Pace Medium Picante Sauce
5-6 tortilla shells

In a large bowl combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder. In a small bowl combine 1/2 of chicken soup mixture, add chicken and 1 c. cheese. Mix well. Divide the Chicken mixture evenly between the 5-6 tortillas. Toll and place in a 9x13 pan. Spread the remaining chicken soup mixture over the rolled shells. Sprinkle 1 c. shredded cheese over shells. Cover with foil and bake @ 350 for 40-45 minutes. Serve with rice and corn cake.

Crock Pot Lasagna

This recipe is courtesy of Bob Evans:

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Bob Evans Sausage
1/2 lb. lean hamburger
2-24 oz jars of pasta sauce (I used Prego)
12 oz. Ricotta cheese (I substituted 2 c. Provolone)
2 cups Mozzarella
1 cup uncooked lasagna noodles broken into small pieces
1 tsp. parsley

Brown sausage and hamburger in a large skillet. Spray crock pot with non stick cooking spray. In a large crock pot, mix pasta sauce, sausage, hamburger, ricotta (or Provolone), 1 c. of the mozzarella, parsley and uncooked noodles. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until pasta is tender. 5 minutes before serving, sprinkle the remaining 1 c. mozzarella on top and cover.

Meal rating: 4 out of 5. Kevin really liked it, but it's a bit meaty for my liking. If you like meaty lasagna, than you should be happy with the outcome.

Homemade Taco Salad Bowls

These homemade bowls are quick and easy.

Makes Mexi-night even more delicious!

Ingredients:

3 large tortilla shells
3 arms length pieces of foil
Pam cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Loosely ball foil into softball sized balls. On a large cookie sheet, spray the tops of the balls with Pam cooking spray. Center the tortillas over the foil balls and gently press down in the center to prevent them from rolling. Spray the tortillas with a light coating of Pam before placing in the over. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Ideas for serving:

• Fill with lettuce, taco seasoned meat, cheese and ranch dressing for a delicious taco salad.
• While warm, lightly coat with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Drizzle chocolate over the bowl and service with a scoop of ice cream. Drizzle extra cinnamon, sugar and chocolate on the ice cream and top with whipped cream and a cherry. Yum!
• Fill with steak, sauteed onions and peppers for a great steak bowl

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. And don't let Kim fool you - she's as busy as I am! Anyhow, here's one of our favorite dinners. Definitely "WOW, that's yummy!"

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

2-3 lb. beef roast - (I've used both flank steak and chuck roast with success)

1 pkt. italian dressing seasoning

1/2 jar pepperocini with juice (I like sliced)

Sub/hot dog buns

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Rub seasoning all over beef roast. Place in slow cooker that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour pepperocini with juice over top. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred beef with two forks. Drain excess liquid if desired.

Toast sub buns. Top with shredded beef and mozzarella cheese and broil until cheese melts. And ENJOY!

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5. Easy and tasty - no doubt about it!

Our first guest contributor - Crystal!

I must say, I find it ironic that our first guest contributor is Crystal. Don't get me wrong - Crystal is a great friend, a wonderful mother, and an all-around good person. However, I think she'd be the first to tell you, she's not a cook. So, for her to share this recipe with me, it must be worthy of posting.

There's only one other thing that I know Crystal likes to make, and I encourage everyone to beg her to share her infamous baked chicken recipe - you'll definitely love it! C'mon Crystal - please????

Toddler-Approved Chicken Nuggets
(Recipe courtesy of Huggies Baby Network)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (plain or Italian)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. Combine chicken, melted margarine, and Worcestershire in a 1 quart freezer bag. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a second freezer bag.

Tape the two bags together. Label and freeze.

To prepare for serving, thaw and remove the chicken pieces from the marinade. Shake them in the bread crumb bag to coat, a few at a time.

Preheat oven to 450. Arrange chicken on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 7-9 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5. Quick, easy, and fairly healthy. And no fighting with toddlers - they'll actually eat this one!

Yummiest Potatoes EVER. (And that ain't no lie)

I am a big fan of The Pioneer Woman, so it's no surprise that my favorite potato dish is courtesy of Ree. My dear friend Tiffany was in town this weekend, and we liked them so much, we made them two nights in a row!

I'd highly recommend making enough for leftovers. They warm up great. We even turned them into hash for breakfast Sunday morning!

Crash Hot Potatoes

(adapted from here)

2-3 lbs. new potatoes

Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes. While potatoes are cooking, heat oven to 450 F. Drizzle a large cookie sheet with olive oil.

Boil potatoes until fork-tender.

Drain potatoes and place on cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a glass or a potato masher, gently smash each potato flat. Drizzle with more olive oil, and then generously sprinkle on the seasoned salt.

Bake for 25 min or until potatoes get brown and crispy on the edges.

Rating: 5 out of 5. No doubts about it!

Yummified Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

This super easy recipe is from our Slow Cooker Cook Book.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

4 green bell peppers (fresh from the garden!!!!)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
3/4 c. medium salsa
1/2 c. corn
1/2 c. chopped green onions with tops
1/3 c. uncooked long grain rice
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
sour cream (optional)

Cut thin slice off top of each bell pepper. Carefully remove seeds, leaving pepper whole. Combine remaining ingredients except sour cream in a medium bowl. Spoon filling evenly into each pepper. Place peppers in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

I did not add the black beans just because I do not like them. We also used cheddar cheese rather than pepper jack because I was not making a special trip to the store for cheese. I did add a few dashes of hot sauce to take it up a notch.

Meal Rating: 4 1/4 out of 5 stars. They were good, but the pepper was too soft. We cooked these for 5 1/2 hours. Next time, we will only cook them 4 hours. This recipe is a keeper.

Yumminess in sandwich form - Monte Cristo

This is not a typical Monte Cristo; since I don't really care for turkey, I opted to double the ham. Whatever you add on the inside is up to you, but the batter for this is just about perfect!

Enjoy!


Amy's Monte Cristo
(adapted from here)

INGREDIENTS

oil for frying
2/3 cup water
1 egg
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 slices white bread
4 slices Swiss cheese (I used mozzarella as that's what we had!)
8 slices ham
4 T. honey mustard dressing
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting, optional

DIRECTIONS
Heat 1-2 inches of oil in high-sided frying pan.

While oil is heating, whisk together the egg and water. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk until smooth.

Assemble sandwiches by spreading honey mustard on 4 of the slices of bread. Place one slice of ham on one slice of bread, a slice of ham on another, then sandwich them with the cheese in the middle. Cut sandwiches in halves.

Dip each sandwich half in the batter so that all sides are coated. Deep fry in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5. Quick, easy, cheap, and while not at all healthy, totally tasty!