One of our favorite meals

We had chicken with honey, hash brown casserole and steamed broccoli. Kinsey loves my chicken tenders dipped in honey. It's one of the easiest things I make and she eats them with no complaint. I take chicken tenders and roll them in bread crumbs seasoned with citrus grill seasoning. I put them on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Then I drizzle a little olive oil over each one and bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Turn over half way through cooking. Serve with a little honey drizzled over each tender.

The hash brown casserole is from the back of a package of Surefine Southern Style Hash Brown Potatoes (small squares).

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE

butter
2 pounds (32oz) southern style hash browns
1 cup milk
salt
pepper
1 cup shredded cheese

1. preheat oven to 350F
2. butter 9X13 baking dish and spread hash browns in dish
3. pour milk over potatoes and season with salt and pepper
4. bake for 40 minutes or until potatoes are done and milk is absorbed. (If potatoes were defrosted before cooking, cut baking time to 20 minutes)
5. cover with 1 cup shredded cheese
6. bake for 10 minutes longer or until cheese melts.

Great kids recipe

At the daycare I work at I make the menus and cook the food. Pizza dippers were on the menu but I didn't feel like making the same old thing I always make--biscuits rolled out with olive oil, garlic, and cheese on top. They are sliced in strips and dipped in pizza sauce. I saw this idea on another blog but cannot remember where it was. After some research I found some other variations.

PIZZA CUPS

1 can refrigerator biscuits (not flaky)
pizza sauce (spaghetti sauce)
cheese
any additional toppings you would like

Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray. Press a biscuit in each cup so that it goes up the sides and leaves a depression in the middle. Put about a tablespoon of sauce in each cup and sprinkle with cheese--you could add your additional topping before the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until biscuits are done.

The kids loved them! I also read that you could use the filling for tacos, sloppy joes, or even BBQ. This would an easy thing for the kids to make and help with. They could press the biscuits in place and even add the filling. Make sure they wash their hands and have an adult put them in and out of the oven.

How about a recipe since this is supposed to be a cooking blog?

I found a new recipe that I've been wanting to try for a week or so. It smells wonderful in my house right now. I put everything in the slow cooker at lunch time and now it's a heady combination of tomato, onion, bell pepper, and garlic....yummmm! Here's the recipe for Swiss Steak I found by Paula Dean

Swiss Steak

1 round steak (approximately 1 1/2 pounds), see note
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, cut into strips
1 medium bell pepper, cut into strips

Cut steak into serving-size pieces. Season, to taste, with garlic powder and salt and pepper. Dust meat with flour. In heavy skillet, brown both sides of meat in vegetable oil. Transfer to Dutch oven. Combine garlic, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and 1 tomato-can measure of water. Pour over steak and simmer over low heat until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours adding water, if necessary to keep meat partially covered. Season, to taste, with additional salt and pepper.

Hint: Cook this in a slow-cooker, according to manufacturers instructions, on low for a most fabulous dinner. Low heat on a slow cooker is about 200 degrees F and high heat on a slow cooker is about 300 degrees F. (I PUT IT IN THE SLOW COOKER FOR 4 HOURS ON HIGH. YOU COULD DO IT 8 HOURS ON LOW)

Note: to ensure tenderness, it is necessary to have the butcher run the round steak through a cuber. (I BOUGHT CUBE STEAK)

You'll never buy frosting in a can again

Awhile back I made a cake then realized I didn't have any frosting for it--which is a sin in my house. I grabbed my Cake Mix Doctor cookbook and browsed through all the recipes they had and was getting discouraged because I didn't have some of the items needed for most of the recipes. I finally came across this one and had everything I needed. I made it and Neal has now declared that I'm not allowed to use frosting in a can any more because this is so good...lol! It's a basic buttercream frosting except that it's chocolate...yummmm! For Neal's birthday I made a chocolate cake with this frosting. He loved it.

FLUFFY CHOCOLATE FROSTING

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature (very important)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted, plus additional if needed
1/3 cup whole milk, plus additional if needed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Place the butter and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is soft and well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Place the confectioners sugar, 1/3 cup milk, vanilla, and salt in the bowl, and beat with the mixer on low speed until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more milk if the frosting is too thick or confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the frosting is too thin.

2. Use the frosting to frost the cake or cupcakes of your choice.

****I looked and the basic buttercream recipe has 3/4 cup more confectioners sugar, no cocoa powder or salt. Follow the directions for above. I would think it would make a beige/white frosting.

I really like the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook. I've made several recipes out of it. It's nice to start with the basic cake mix and add to it. Most of the recipes call for adding buttermilk or sour cream which makes the cakes super moist. When my local grocery has cake mixes on sale ($.69 or 2/$1) I stock up. I always have a mix on hand for those last minute cupcakes or cake you need for something. You can also make cookies out of a cake mix. I used to have a basic recipe but don't know what I've done with it. I wonder if Mama still has it?
Anyways, give this recipe a try next time you need chocolate frosting!

Magic Bullet tested

Well I pulled out my Magic Bullet system tonight and gave it a whirl. I decided to try a fruit smoothie....YUMMMM! I put a container of vanilla yogurt, 5 frozen strawberries, about 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and 1/2 a banana. I also added a little milk to thin it out. After whizzing it for about 10 seconds I had a delicious fruit smoothie. I can see myself doing this in the mornings to drink while I'm getting ready. It would be an easy way to add in a fruit and dairy serving every day.
I've read through the recipe book and found a few recipes I want to try. I'll update when I try them.

How do I find all these recipes?

I love browsing through cookbooks. I have a vast collection of books to look through but of course the fastest way now days it to just look it up on the internet. I find most of my recipes that way but I still love to read cookbooks. Have you ever read one of Paula Deens cookbooks? They have the cutest stories to go with the recipes. My favorite cookbooks to read are the older ones from the 1950's. There are tips on how to make your man happy and have a happy household. It makes me laugh to think about doing those things now. My how times have changed.

I found this very basic recipe for chicken tortilla soup and have made it my own. I have added legumes and corn to it for the added fiber. I also added tomato paste to give it more flavor.

EASY CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP--JAZZED UP

2 cans of chicken broth OR 1 can of chicken broth + 1 can water
1 cup of cooked, cubed lean boneless chicken
1/2 can Ro-Tel diced tomato & green chili ***
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 15 oz can chick peas or any bean
1/2 10 oz bag frozen corn or 1 can corn
chili powder to taste
garlic power to taste
shredded low fat cheese
sliced avocado
homemade totilla strips (recipe included)

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, combine all ingredients except last 3. Simmer about 10 minutes. Serve soup hot over tortilla strips with shredded cheese and avacodo on top.

***I use the whole can and sometimes add extra green chilis. If you want more heat, you could add jalepeno.

HOMEMADE TORTILLA STRIPS

slice corn tortillas into thin strips. Spray with non-stick spray and place on cookie sheet in preheated 375 degree oven until crisp.

I have not been in a cooking mood

I haven't been in a cooking mood lately. We usually grill in the evenings but it has been raining so I have had to cook in the house. I do this all winter and it doesn't bother me but during the summer I would so rather cook outside. Last night I made chicken fried steak with cream gravy, mashed potatoes, and corn....not the healthiest meal. I really need to get us all back to eating healthier. Neal and I both have gained weight in the last few months. He had to go back up a size in work pants and I have been avoiding some of my shorts. I guess I will pull out my new Betty Crocker's Healthy New Choices cookbook and find some recipes to try. I also need to get the exercise stuff back out and start doing Pilates and Yoga again. I love doing them and feel so much better afterwards, it's just finding the motivation to get started.