Super Simple Granola

When Abby was formally diagnosed as allergic to tree nuts, our ability to buy store made granola become much more difficult. She loves granola in her soy-yogurt so we have been working on a recipe that will work for her needs. I was using a recipe from the Pioneer Woman that I liked but I decided to play around on my own and I have to say this recipe was a HIT! Abby and I sat and ate it by the handful. Best of all, it was SO SIMPLE!

Basic Granola

Ingredients

         3 cups rolled oats

         4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

         1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

         1/4 teaspoon salt

         1/3 cup honey

         1/4 cup coconut oil

         2 teaspoon vanilla extract

         1/2 cup raisins, craisins or dry fruit

         1/2 cup chopped nuts or seeds

Instructions:

1.   Pre-heat the oven to 300°F.

2.   Combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.

3.   In a separate microwavable bowl, combine the honey, oil, and vanilla and stir to combine. Microwave for approximately 30 seconds. Let cool for about a minute and then pour over the oat mixture, mixing well until the oats are evenly coated.

4.   Spread the mixture in a rimmed baking sheet that is well coated with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes, stir and continue baking until the granola is very light golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Make sure to mix the oats at the edges to the middle so they do not burn.

5.   Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool the granola about 20 minutes. You can give it a mix every five minutes or so as it will harden as it sits.

6.   Once cool, add whatever fruit, nuts or seeds you desire and toss to combine.

7.   Store granola in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks, if it lasts that long!

Yucca - Take 2

I love a culinary challenge. I am no Bobby Flay but I like to push myself out of my comfort zone in the kitchen. When I failed at my first round of Yucca, sent to me by Goya to test I was very disappointed. So I challenged myself to get it right on take two. Here is my second attempt:


Goya Yuca with Garlic Sauce

After failing at working on my own recipe I decided to start with something proven. This is recipe supplied by Goya that I adjusted slightly to our preferences.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag (24 oz.) frozen GOYA® Yuca
• ½ cup GOYA® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 cloves of minced fresh garlic
• 1 TB fresh, chopped oregano
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the yuca according to package directions. (This was as simple as boil and drain!)

2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, heat the olive oil. Once hot add the garlic cloves salt and oregano. Heat, stirring occasionally, until you just begin to smell garlic, about 5 minutes. (Do not allow liquid to simmer or garlic to brown.)

3. Serve!

The Verdict: This attempt was a much bigger success. I hope to take some bigger risks with it in the future. The kids liked it more than I expected. I think next time I will try something like yucca fries since it is more appealing to little ones.

Mojito Chicken with Cilantro Crema

For Valentine's Day my sweeties and I all went to dinner at Bahama Breeze. We chose somewhere family friendly as we had all three kids in tow. I ordered a grilled chicken with mashed potatoes and a cilantro cream sauce. It. Was. Delicious. Specifically that cilantro cream. I knew this would be my next recipe to tackle.

Step forward about a week and I received a box full of awesome ingredients to try. Goya foods is a line of foods I have bought in the past. I love their rice, beans and sauces. As a test chef I was working with Frozen Yucca, their Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Adobo Lite (a lower salt of the original seasoning). I decided I could marry these two and come up with something delicious.

Mojito Chicken with Cilantro Crema

Chicken Ingredients:

• 1 lb Boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
• 5 TB Goya Adobo Lite Seasoning
• 2 TB Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup of beer
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 2 TB cornstarch
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• 
  

Steps:

1. Set up a station to dredge the chicken. In one bowl I mixed the cornstarch, flour, 2 TB adobo seasoning and beer.  (Most people would probably want to use egg and milk but we cannot because of Abby's allergies.) In the other I combines the panko and the rest of the adobo seasoning. 
2. Dredge each piece of chicken in the batter mixture and then in the bread crumbs. Set aside. Sprinkle with extra adobo seasoning
3. In a large skillet (I used my new favorite cast iron pan) heat the olive oil to medium high heat. In batches brown each side of the breaded chicken. My tenderloins were thin so they were almost cooked through after browning. Place the chicken in a a baking dish in a 375 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until cooked through. 

Cilantro Crema Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sour cream (we used soy)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup soy creamer
• 1/3 lime, juiced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Whisk the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over chicken. 

The Verdict: A definite thumbs up! The chicken was delicious and even the kids loved the seasoning.

A word about yucca. The recipe was supposed to read Mojito Chicken with Cilantro Crema with Yucca. I planned to boil the yucca, season with adobo and drizzle with the cream. However, it didn't come out right. It was very bland and needed work. It is obvious this is a new ingredient for me. Thankfully I was sent two bags so I can get back to the drawing board on that one. Stay tuned... 

Lettuce Wraps

It's been a while since I posted a recipe but I have been working on one for a while now and wanted to share. One of my absolute favorite splurges is PF Chang's Lettuce Wrap. They are by no means a health food, but they are fairly low in carbs which is what I watch the most for myself. I have been tweaking this recipe and trying to get it just right and I am SO CLOSE!

Copy Cat Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 11/2 TB Olive Oil (separated)
• 1 Pound Ground Chicken
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• Half of a large onion, diced fine
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 TB soy sauce
• 1 TB rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 8-oz can of water chestnuts, diced
• Lettuce leaves, I used a head of Bib Lettuce

Instructions:

1. Heat large pan to medium high heat and add 1TB olive oil. Cook the ground chicken until completely browned. Make sure to crumble the chicken as fine as you can. 
2. Drain any fat from the cooking. 
3. Add 1/2 TB olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, then add back the ground chicken. Lower heat to medium and add the remaining ingredients. Cook about 2-3 minutes until well combined. 
4. Serve on lettuce leaves and wrap like a taco!

One of the great things about this recipe is it is dairy, egg, gluten and nut free! Here is my issue (and I am welcoming suggestions)... it is lacking a hint of sweetness. I've tried a few things but nothing seems to add the sweet undertone and keep the asian flavor profile.  Suggestions?!?

I also wanted to note that I bought Kikkoman Soy Sauce, Hoisin, Rice Wine Vinegar and water chestnuts and all were gluten free. I like to have a go-to gluten free meal for when friends with allergies come to visit. This could be a a meal or a snack! I was very impressed with the Kikkoman brand and the quality of the ingredients. 

Inspired Blogging Post #3 - Favorite Recipe

The next prompt from "The List" is 3. Your favourite recipe, even if you’re the worst cook in the world.

This one is so fun for me. Most of you realize that I spend a good portion of my life working away in my little kitchen. I like to play with recipes, make my own and perfect family recipes for sport. Nothing makes me happier than a well planned meal that makes every member of my family smile. Choosing my favorite recipes is WAY harder than I would think. However, one stands out.

My favorite recipes is my Two-Day Scratch Made Chicken Rice soup. The reason it is my favorite is way more involved than simple flavor or taste. When my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma a couple years back I initially felt helpless. There was so little I could do to help him get better. Feel helpless is NOT something I handle well. After wracking my brain for days I figured out how I could exert control over a situation that was so out of my control. I would cook. I would cook and bake and make sure that my Dad was nourished with organic and healthy foods. I would make sure he didn't lose too much weight. And I would make foods he could eat (initially he had tumors in his lymph system so he had trouble swallowing).

Out of this insane need to cook and bake I spent hours and hours and hours baking him healthy sweets, making every kind of soup I could think of and learning to pressure can so he never ran out. I think it may have bordered on insane at times but it was my contribution. So this is it, my favorite recipe. I got the inspiration from the Crock Pot 365 Blog (which I adore) and did a lot of tweaking.

Two-Day Scratch Made Chicken Rice Soup

Ingredients

For Broth:

• Whole Rotisserie Cooked Chicken 
• Approximately 8 cups of water
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk

For Soup:

• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice (I prefer Lundberg's brand) 
•  1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 cup of chopped or julienned carrots (the matchstick variety work great)
• 2 tsp sage
• 2 TB balsamic vinegar (yup, you read that right!)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Pick as much of the meat off the chicken and place in a bag in the fridge). In a crock pot place the carcass, 1/2 an onion, carrot and celery stalk. Cover with water and put lid on securely. Cook on low 10-12 hours or high 4-6 hours. * You will want to do this step either the day before you plan to serve the soup or early in the morning (and use the high crock pot setting). 
2. With a strainer over a bowl ladle the contents of the broth into the strainer. This will ensure that all bones are removed from the broth. Put the strained broth back into the crock pot. You can discard the carcass and veggies but I like to make sure no good chicken has gone to waste first. 
3. Chop the refrigerated chicken and add to broth. Add bouillon,  rice, onion, celery, carrots, vinegar and spices. Stir well and cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours. 
4. Enjoy with a nice loaf of bread or soup crackers!

Have I said how much I love this soup?!? And yes, I do realize I have posted this recipe before. It is so wonderful I just have to share it again. 

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

I might have never tried this recipe. That is until my Mom handed me a very ripe avocado and said "I really don't want this to go to waste". Was that a challenge? Probably not but I took it as one. I thought about guacamole but that didn't hit the spot. Avocado burgers? Not on meatless Monday. :D

Then it came to me. I had seen a segment on (I believe) Rachel Ray on making chocolate mousse from avocado's. I scoured the internet but couldn't find that particular recipe. So I took a little from one recipe and a little more from another and dessert was a go.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse



by Kristen Fescoe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: NONE!




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Ingredients (serves 4)

2-3 Ripe Avocado's
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TB vanilla soy milk

Optional:


Fruit for topping
Grated dark chocolate




Instructions

1. Half the avocado and remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado and place into blender or food processor

2. Add the cocoa powder, honey, vanilla and milk

3. Begin on low and move to high. Blend until smooth and creamy. You can add more milk to thin it down.

4. Check the flavor and add more honey or vanilla according to your taste.

5. Place the mousse into a plastic bag and cut the tip of the bag. Pipe the mousse into a bowl.

6. If desired arrange fruit and grated chocolate.

7. Enjoy!


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Jambalaya

This week I decided to take my first stab at making jambalaya. Brian and I ate it on our honeymoon and  I remember how much he loved it. I have always meant to make it but never got around to it. When I started my monthly meal planning I made sure to get it on the list. I decided to wing it and cater it to our taste and overall it was a success.

First Stab Jambalaya

• 1 lb Crumbled Sausage (I used original Jimmy Dean... didn't want too much heat)
• 1 lb Pre-Cooked Rotisserie Chicken, chopped. 
• 12 ounces shrimp cooked in Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 each red, green and yellow pepper, diced. 
• 1 yellow onion, diced. 
• 1 large garden tomato, diced OR 1 can diced tomato with juice
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 Box Yellow Rice, cooked. I used Zatarain's. 
• 1 tsp tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 small can of chicken broth
• Creole seasoning (I remember loving Emeril's so I used his recipe. I did tweak the measurements though):
• 1 TB paprika
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Onion Salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme

1. In a skillet cook the sausage until brown. Set aside. 
2. In same skillet heat olive oil and saute peppers and onions until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.                   
3. If you use a garden tomato you will want to core, skin and dice it. Then add it to the peppers and onions. Otherwise simply add the canned tomatoes with juice. 
4. At this point I used my microwave to cook the rice. In a container I combined the sausage and chicken. (I held off on the shrimp until I was ready to serve) Once the rice was done I combined it with the veggies and put it all in the fridge.  I like to do as much prep as I can ahead of time and be ready to go at dinner time. (5 o'clock in my house can be painful!)
5. When I was ready to prep dinner I pulled my mixture out of the fridge and put it in the biggest skillet I have. At the same time I boiled the shrimp in old bay and after they pinked up I strained them and threw them in the mix. 
6. In a bowl I mixed the broth, worcestershire, tabasco and creole seasoning. Whisk it together and pour over rice mix. Cook the mixture for about 10-15 minutes at medium heat until all of the liquid is absorbed.                                     
7. Enjoy! (You could make it extra beautiful and garnish with extra tomato, fresh oregano or parsley on top.)

Squash and Zucchini 3 ways

One of our summer favorites is the combination of summer squash and zucchini. You can grow it at home and it's super easy to cook. We recently decided we were tired of our usual ways of prepping them so we started trying some new recipes. The first one we tried was a definite keeper:

Squash and Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium squash
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan 
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/8 tsp sea salt 
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• Cracked Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 and lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray
2. Cut the squash and zucchini in 1/4 to 1/2" rounds. We liked our thinner so they were crunchier.
3. In a bowl mix the veggies with olive oil. 
4. In a separate dish mix the bread crumbs, spices and parmesan. 
5. Coat each round with the bread crumb mix and place on the baking sheet. 
6. Bake until browned for about 30 minutes. 

* This is our new favorite way to make it! We do 1/4 of them with no parmesan for Abby making them vegan. 

Squash Casserole

• 4-6 cups summer squash and zucchini cut to 1" pieces
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups crushed ritz crackers
• 3TB butter, melted
• 1/8 tsp salt
• black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Saute the squash and zucchini in olive oil at low-medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until soft. 
3. Once soft strain veggies in a colander and use paper towel or clean thin towel to collect extra moisture. 
4. In a large skillet saute the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 -3 minutes. Add veggies back to pan and add remaining ingredients except crackers and butter. 
5. Place mixture into a buttered 13 x 9" dish and top with crackers. Drizzle with butter. 
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes. 

** This is my old favorite but hard to make this one work for Abby. 

Grilled Squash and Zucchini

• 4-6 cups summer squash and zucchini cut to 1" pieces
• 1 green and 1 red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion cut into chunks
• 1 pound of beef or chicken cut into 1-2" chunks. 
• 1 bottle lite italian salad dressing
• skewers soaked in water for 20 minutes
• 2 large plastic bags 

1.  In a ziploc bag place veggies with about 1/2 bottle of salad dressing
2. In second bag place meat in other 1/2 of salad dressing. Let marinate 8 hours or overnight
3. Put you veggies on separate skewers from your meat. 
4. Grill over medium high heat until veggies are charred and cooked through. 
5. Cook meat thoroughly and check to make sure your internal temperature is correct. (At least 145 for beef and 165 for chicken). 

** This is the perfect summer easy meal. Serve with a caprese salad and some bread and voila... dinner party!

Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken

A couple weeks back I was feeling the cooking slump and decided it was time to take some action. I had chicken, I had peppers and I had nothing inspiring me. So I hit the cubbards and found some pineapple in a can. And voila... dinner!

I started with a basic recipe I've had in my binder for some time. I did a little tweeking and made it my own. 

Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless organic chicken tenderloin
• Stop light pepper (red, yellow, green) cut to strips. I used about half of each.  
• Half a red onion
• 20 ounce can of pineapple chunks with the juice
• 2 TB Sesame Oil (optional)
• 1/3 cup Rice Wine Vinegar (I am sure you could use apple cider or another sweet vinegar)
• 1/4 brown sugar
• 2 TB soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water

Steps:

1. Dump everything in the crock pot.  
2. Turn it on. (Low, 8-10 hours, high 4-6)
3. Simple, right?!? 

It was delivious. We ate ours over brown rice and it was lovely. It was a little soupy for my taste so next time I am skipping the water. 

Note: When I cooked this recipe a tiny crab appeared in my kitchen... so be on the lookout for that!

Beef and Broccoli

I have to share a couple of my new FAVORITE blogs! As you know, I have been rethinking my blog and it's focus and in the course of doing this I have been researching other blogs out there that I can relate to. In my search I came across the following ah-mazing bloggers:

A Cozy Kitchen

Edible Perspective

Table for Two

Never Homemaker


You can see the obviously common theme here. :D Anyway... I stumbled across Table for Two when I did a quick google search for an Asian Beef recipe. I have some angus beef and wanted to try something new. I found her Take Out, Fake Out Beef and Broccoli Recipe.  We made a few adjustments to suit our family and it is DELICIOUS! I actually want to make it again tonight. :D (Too bad we filled our red meat quote for the month... one or two meals max. ;D)

Crock Pot Beef with Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, angus beef strips 

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce (we have a dark soy sauce from Wegmans that was perfect)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil (the original recipe called for 1 tbsp but we upped the ante)

1 tsp jarred crushed garlic

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. peanut butter

2 cups of washed broccoli crowns

Cooked Brown Rice

Instructions:

1. Add the beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic to the crock pot and stir. 
2. Add beef to the liquid and toss to coat.
3. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 5 hours.
4. When done, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch, peanut butter and cooking liquid to create a thickener, pour into crockpot, stir to mix well. 
5. Add the broccoli crowns and toss to coat.
6. Cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to thicken up the sauce.
7. Serve over rice.

Best Ribs Ever

Recently my Mom had an extra pack of pork ribs and offered them up for us for dinner. I've been working on a recipe for ribs and jumped at the chance to try my hand again. We've tried crock potting and we've tried the grill. They were both good but not great. This time we went for low and slow in the oven. 

Low and Slow BBQ Ribs

• 2 lbs pork ribs (we were given boneless but bone in tends to be moister)
• BBQ seasoning
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• BBQ Sauce (you will need about 1.5 cups)

Preheat your oven to 250. 

1.     Drizzle olive oil over both sides of your rib rack
2. The next step will vary depending upon your taste. We had two small racks so one I  coated with olive oil, salt and pepper (for the kids) and the other I coated with olive oil and BBQ seasoning. The hubby and I like a little kick. If you like it milder stick to salt and pepper.            

Spaghetti Casserole (Taco's?)

While I try to avoid carbs as much as possible pasta is one of my kids favorite meals. For some reason when I make pasta (specifically spaghetti) I tend to make enough for about 10 people instead of 4. So this means leftovers. While no one in my house minds this (except me) I can't bear plain spaghetti twice in one week. So we came up with a slight variation. 

Spaghetti Casserole

• When you have leftover spaghetti and sauce you will mix the sauce and noodles and store overnight. 
• This recipe works best with plenty of chunky veggies. If your sauce was thin go ahead and add some sauteed onion, peppers, garlic, mushrooms, or whatever else your family likes. 
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Coat a 13 x 9" pan with cooking spray. 
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Place pasta, sauce and veggies (pre-mixed) into pan. Top with parmesan then mozzarella. 
4. Cover with tin foil. 
5. Bake covered at 350 for 25 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. 

* Something about the baking process makes the leftover spaghetti taste even better the second time. 

** And the weird kicker... my kiddo's take their spaghetti and put it into a taco shell. Anyone who has seen iCarly knows what this is all about! 

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Last week we had a cold, blustery day that called out for something hearty and home cooked. I had some bottom round beef in the fridge and settled on beef stew. Typically beef stew in our house involves throwing some beef, frozen veggies, broth and tomatoes in the crock pot and leaving it go. I wanted to be a little more sophisticated with this dish so here is what I came up with:



Classic Crock Pot Beef Stew

• 1-2 pounds bottom round, fat trimmed and cut to 2" cubes
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp each salt, pepper and garlic powder
• Olive Oil
• 1 large onion, chopped (or pearl onions)
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes, don't drain the juice
• 1 cup vegetable or tomato juice (I used a small can of V8)
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 pound baby red potatoes, quartered
• 2 cups baby carrots (go for the organic, the taste is WAY better)
• 2 cans beef broth
• 1 TB salt
• 1 TB dry thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn

1. In a bowl mix the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the beef to the flour mix and coat. 
2. Heat a skillet with about 3 TB olive oil. Brown the meat in batches (don't overcrowd the pan). Make sure each piece is nice and brown. (Add more olive oil throughout the cooking process.)
3. Transfer cooked beef to the crock pot. 
4. Add the onion to the skillet and saute until tender. Transfer to the crock pot. 
5. Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape any stuck on bits of yumminess. 
6. Add the remaining ingredients to the crock pot, cover and cook on low 7-9 hours or high for 4 hours. 
7. Add the peas and corn for the last 30 minutes of cooking. 

We served our stew with crusty bread that I warmed in the oven, with olive oil and herbs as well as our favorite warm goat cheese recipe. I'll make sure to get that recipe out soon!

What's for dinner?

Something about a cold, rainy day screams big meal and a delicious dessert. We have had tons and tons of soup so I didn't want to make more soup. I had very little time so I settled on Chili and apple pie for dessert. (The pie was really prompted by the fact that we had a pie crust leftover from the holidays taking up space in my crowded freezer!)

Black Bean Chili

• Two cans of organic black beans (can obviously use kidney beans)
• 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
• 1 14 oz can diced tomato (if your "people" like heat add rotel or diced tomatoes with some zing)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 8 oz can tomato paste
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 small green pepper diced
• 2 TB chili powder
• 2 TB worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

1. Cook the ground turkey and drain any fat (I usually don't have too since it's so lean)
2. Put ground turkey in the crock pot
3. Drain and rinse the beans then place in crock pot
4. Put remaining ingredients in the crock pot. 
5. Cover and cook high 4-6 hours or low 8-10. 
6. You can add some cooked elbow macaroni before serving if you like. 

We serve ours with a little cheddar on top and the kids LOVE to scoop their chili with the Frito's scoops.  

Apple Pie Crumble

• 2 cans apple pie filling (we use two jars of our home canned apples)
• Single pie crust (I don't like to make my own!)
• Crumb topping
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup quick cook oatmeal
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Thaw the pie crust and poke holes throughout. 
2. Place the apples in the crust and spread them throughout the pie plate to make an even surface. 
3. Mix crumb mixture (keep in mind you want cold butter to make better crumbles)
• My secret crumb topping maker is Jack's baby food masher. 

It's the perfect crumb topping musher :D 

4. Top the pie with the crumbles.                        

5. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until the apples are bubbly and topping is browned. 

What's For Dinner

One of our favorite, favorite, favorite meals is BBQ Chicken. We actually call it Chicken Old Ladies on a bus. I found a great BBQ chicken recipe that told a story of the creator of the recipe overhearing two old ladies on a bus talking about recipes and they extracted the recipe from the conversation. We don't really use that exact recipe anymore but the name sure stuck!

"Chicken Old Ladies"

• 1-2 lbs Chicken drumsticks and/or thighs skin on
• Dry BBQ seasoning (you can easily make you own)
• Bottled BBQ sauce

1. Preheat your oven to 350
2. Line a 13 x 9 pan with tin foil (makes for easy cleanup)
3. Drizzle about 3 TB of bottled BBQ sauce on bottom of the pan
4. Coat the chicken with the dry BBQ seasoning. I usually use between 5-6 TB but use as much or little as you like. 
5. Place the chicken in the pan. 
6. Top with BBQ sauce.
7. Bake 350 for 45 minutes. Then turn up the heat to 375 and cook another 15 minutes. 

We almost always eat this with stuffing and green beans. Not sure why I felt compelled to share that part but the pairing is perfect. 

Such an easy meal!!!

The Easiest Dinner you should be making

We are not much for take out around here. It's a 50/50 split between being frugal and limitations by Abby's allergies. For the most part I am thankful to have reasons to not do take out often. However, there are many days where I would love to "phone in" dinner. One of our favorite easy go to's is homemade pizza. We use store bought crust, top and bake. Easy, popular and cheaper than take out.

When we were in Disney the resort we stayed at had a wide variety of dining options on site. Their pride and joy were the Tandoor ovens they used to bake chicken and fish and also make the mosy delicious Naan Bread I have ever had. When we got back I was craving the Naan bread but the store bought was nothing like the fresh baked. We decided to compromise and use store bought to make delicious Naan Pizza. It is outstanding and so, so simple!

Naan Pizza

• Naan Bread (any flavor you like is perfect)
• Pizza sauce (we use canned tomato sauce and "doctor" it with garlic salt, oregano and basil)
• Cheese (or soy cheese... or even no cheese in Abby's case)
• Toppings (green peppers, pepperoni, ham and pineapple, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, etc)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place naan on baking sheet. 
3. Top with pizza sauce (don't use too much) and spread
4. Add your cheese and toppings
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 

I definitely should have remembered an "after" picture since it is a pretty pizza. We also like to make an olive oil and herb dip for the crust. Just add a big drizzle of olive oil to a bowl with salt, pepper, garlic, basil and oregano and enjoy!

Ham and Corn Chowder

Now to the second installment of the Ham Soup Run of early 2013.

Ham and Corn Chowder

• 2 cans chicken broth
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 cans cream of celery soup (can use cream of chicken)
• 2 cans cream style corn
• 2 cans whole kernel corn 
• 1 cup dry mashed potato flakes
• 3 cups chopped ham
• Salt and pepper to taste (I LOVE white pepper in this recipe for a little extra kick)

1. Place all ingredients in your crock pot (6 quart) and cook on low 5-6 hours).
2. NOTE: At around 4 hours give your soup a stir to check for thickness. You can add as much as another 1 cup of mashed potato flakes to get the thickness you like. 

I don't can any cream or milk based soups so this one is a great freezer recipe. 

Soups, soups and more soups.

Similar to the rotisserie chicken soup rant of last month it's time for the latest installment. Ham! In our family The New Year means a yummy ham. I am not the world's biggest fan of ham but I do so love the soups that it brings!

This year it was:

1. Ham and bean soup
2. Ham and corn chowder and 
3. Cheesy Potato Soup *with ham

Ham and Bean Soup

• Ham bone with some meat attached
• 4 cans of whatever beans you like (I used 2 cans of Navy, 1 cannelini and 1 Kidney)
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can of petite diced tomato (with juice)
• 1 (12 ounce) can vegetable juice
• 3 cups Veggie Broth
• 2 TB Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 TB Dijon Mustard
• 3 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 TB parsley
• 3 TB lemon juice
• 7 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp sea salt

1. Place all ingredients in your crock pot. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. 
2. Remove ham bone and bay leaves. 
3. Skim your soup to pull out any pieces of fat or bone. 

*If you are canning you can at 10 psi, 80 minutes for pints and 90 min for quarts

Soups

As promised (better late than never!), the chicken rice soup recipe. Go grab those rotisserie chickens!

Chicken Rice Soup
(This is a two step process in our house)

Broth:

• Chicken or Turkey Carcass
• One skinned carrot
• One skinned and quartered onion
• One stalk of celery
• 8 cups of water

1. Place your ingredients in the crock pot and cook low overnight (about 8-10 
2. NOTE: make sure that you put enough water to cover most of the carcass (could be a little more than 8 cups) 

Soup:

• 1 cup Wild Rice (we LOVE the Lundberg brand)
• Chicken Bouillon cube
• One small onion, chopped
• 1 cup shredded or matchstick carrots 
• 2 tsp sage
• 2 TB Balsamic Vinegar

1. In the morning you will turn off the soup and allow to cool slightly. 
2. Drain the broth and set aside the chicken that has fallen off the carcass. 
3. You will need to get a little messy here... pick through the chicken and save all of the good meat. Discard the cooked carrot, onion, bones. 
4. Place the broth and chicken in the crock pot. Place the rice, bouillon, chopped onion, carrots and spices in the crock pot. If it seems "dry" you can add a little more chicken broth (from a can). 
5. Cover and cook on low for 6-10 hours.