Christmas Left-Overs Soup

There's a big ham bone in my refrigerator and a container of celery and carrot sticks from the crudites platter. What could I possibly make to use up these left overs?

Split Pea Soup.

Fortunately, I even have some split peas left from when I made bean soup jars for gifts.

I use the recipe from my awesome, red-plaid Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, found here, but I add a diced up potato in with the other veggies. I also toss in a handful or two of frozen green peas, when the soup is almost ready, to add color and texture to the soup.

I love the smell of soup on the stove. I can't wait until dinner!

Snowflake Marshmallows

The other day, I shared a link to a recipe for homemade Snowflake Marshmallows.

Well, last night, I made a batch and this morning, Little E and I punched out the shapes with metal mini cookie cutters.

We had such a nice time!

The older boys were outside, so it was just Little E and I. I would have taken pictures, but he likes to walk around in just his underwear, so I thought the better of it. (I also went out and bought him some long johns today.)

Anyway, I have some tips to share, in case you decide to try these yourself.

When you are spreading the marshmallow mixture in the pan with an offset spatula, spray the spatula with cooking spray first.

After the mixture is dried, sprinkle it with powdered sugar before cutting to keep stickiness to a minimum.

Also, instead of spraying your cutters with the cooking spray as the website recommends, dip them in powdered sugar instead. I found that worked much better.

I found that my marshmallow was sticking to the parchment, so before I cut any more shapes out, I picked up the parchment, flipped the whole thing over and peeled the paper off, scraping with the offset spatula. Then I sprinkled powdered sugar on my cookie sheet and placed the marshmallow on it. This way, when I cut the shapes, I did not have to peel each one off the paper.

I hope that makes sense.

Basically, the one important tip: dust everything with powdered sugar. I put some in a small sieve and just kept it nearby.

It was a sticky process, but the results were worth it. (And Little E had a blast cutting out the shapes with me - and eating the scraps!)

And imagine how nice it was for the boys to come in from sledding to a nice cup of hot cocoa with homemade snowflake marshmallows.

Quick, What's for Dinner?

This week's Works-for-me Wednesday was all about quick fixes for dinner.

We've all had days like this (if you haven't, then really, I don't want to hear about it): The day has been crazy, kids have too much homework, you have a sinus headache, laundry is piled high, you've been too busy to get to the store, 5:15 rolls around, and your in-home cook hasn't shown up yet.

That's when you remember that you don't have an in-home cook, and feeding that rag-tag bunch is somehow your responsibility.

[...]

What are the catch-all, quick-and-easy-dinners-that-still-manage-to-taste-decent that you keep on hand?

Now, I did not participate this week because I couldn't think of a recipe to share.

I am usually pretty good at sticking to my menu plan.

I am also pretty good at avoiding hectic days. When I know we have a lot going on, I try to pre-plan a crock pot meal or sandwiches.

Occasionally, I do find that I am not feeling well, or the kids are extra wild, the house is extra messy, and I am extra overwhelmed.

When that happens to me, I just throw in the chicken nuggets and frozen fries that I keep on hand. For Bob and I, I put the chicken nuggets on salads.

Which reminds me, for a quick Honey-Mustard Dressing in a pinch, or just because it is easy and yummy, just mix equal-ish parts of spicy brown mustard (deli mustard, or whatever you have), mayonnaise, and honey.

Finally, a good use for those Costco-sized jugs of honey I buy.

At any rate, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer, where you will find all of the links to the recipes that will save that hectic day from dinner-time disaster.

Menu Plan Monday

I know that I have not posted my menu plan for a while, but I am still doing menu planning.

This week Italian sausage, boneless chicken breast, and ground turkey are on sale, so I built my menu around those meats.

Monday: Baked ziti, salad, and French bread
Tuesday: Baked chicken breast, potatoes, veggies, and bread
Wednesday: Chicken pot pie made with leftover chicken
Thursday: Meat loaf, rice, and veggies
Friday: Tacos

See what's cooking. Check out Menu Plan Monday hosted by Organizing Junkie.

What To Do With Pumpkin

Remember the post, What To Do With Butternut Squash, where I shared a recipe for a slow cooker soup using butternut squash and an Indian spice blend called garam masala?

Of course, you do.

Well, last night I tried the recipe again using a pumpkin from my garden in place of the butternut squash.

Delish!

Plate It & Post It

Amy at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 has started a new blog thing called "Plate It & Post It." Each week there will be a theme. You cook something that has to do with the theme, plate it, take a picture, and post it.

This week's theme is Family Favorites.

Our hands down favorite around here is homemade French bread and it really doesn't matter what I serve it with. But what goes better with French bread then spaghetti and meatballs, I ask.

My French bread recipe is here.

For meatballs, I wing it. I use ground turkey, some seasoned breadcrumbs (I would say around 1/2 cup), an egg, milk (around 1/4 cup, maybe), lots of diced onions, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and do not forget the Worcestershire sauce. You have to use Worcestershire sauce anytime you use ground turkey instead of ground beef. You have to. Seriously. It makes all the difference.

Shape into balls, brown the out sides in a frying pan, put into crock pot with a jar of sauce and cook for the usual amount of time that you cook raw meat in your slow-cooker. My slow-cooker seems to cook faster than the times given in most recipes, so just use your good judgment.

Serve with pasta and awesome French bread and your family will know that you really love them. Or at least, they will really love dinner.

Don't forget to stop over at the home of Plate It & Post It, In Pursuit of Proverbs 31, to see what others are serving up.

Menu Plan Monday

It's Menu Plan Monday again!

Last week, I did not have a chance to post my menu, but I am glad to be back this week. Menu planning is a great way to give yourself one less thing to worry about, and to keep your grocery budget under control.

Here's what we are having this week:

Monday: Sausage, Green Pepper, and Potato Skillet

Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs, with French bread

Wednesday: Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Casserole

Thursday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and peas

Friday: Chicken Alfredo, with Farfalle (which is just a fancy way of saying "bow ties")

Saturday: Leftovers or, if there are not enough, Baked Chicken Parmesan

See what's cooking around the blog-o-sphere. Visit Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.

I will be updating this post with the recipes later tonight soon.

What To Do With Butternut Squash

My neighbor Donna brought over some butternut squash that she grew in her garden. Not knowing what to do with it, I consulted my Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes.

Here's what I found:

Spiced Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup

1 cup dried lentils
2 1/2 cups butternut squash cubes -- (3/4-inch)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves -- minced
1 teaspoon garam masala
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1. Rinse and drain lentils. In a 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker place lentils, squash, onion, carrot and celery. Sprinkle garlic and garam masala over vegetables. Pour broth over all.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Ladle into bowls.

My house is now filled with the warm, earthy aroma of garam masala. Soon the smell of freshly baked Crusty Rolls will join the mix. Mmmmm.

Finding the garam masala was an adventure. I went to a grocery store with an international food aisle, thinking it would be there. No luck. I went to the customer service desk thinking that they must have some sort of computer system they could look in. No. They don't. They rely on disinterested part-time employees to know whether or not they have something in stock. Yeah, great business model.

I decided to pick up the spices to make it myself (Google will return several recipes). While in the spice aisle trying to understand how in the world cardamom can cost 14 bucks, I found that McCormick has a gourmet spices line, which includes garam masala.

McCormick, we love you.

Shaw's employee who told me not to bother looking in the regular spices aisle for an Indian spice blend because it would be in the Shop the World aisle if you had it, which you probably don't, not so much.

Menu Plan Monday

Hey, it's Menu Plan Monday again! Here's what we are having this week.

Monday: Lasagna with salad and French bread* (I had so much ricotta left over from the homemade ravioli, I decided to make lasagna!)

Tuesday: Improvised Crockpot Chicken with carrots and potatoes, leftover French bread

Wednesday: Pizza Swirls

Thursday: Burritos (with homemade flour tortillas)

Friday: Baked Rigatoni Cake** (the kids love this)

Saturday: Chicken Pot Pie

Sunday: Pasta w/meat sauce, salad and rolls or French bread

* We did not have French bread with the ravioli last week, so I decided to make it this week.
** I do not follow this recipe. I use a jar pasta sauce mixed with the cooked ground turkey.

Head on over to OrgJunkie for more Menu Plan Monday!

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday

It's Menu Plan Monday again. Thank you all for your warm welcome last week!

Not only did I stick to my menu for the week, but on Saturday, which I left open, I was left feeling kind of flustered about what to make for dinner because I loved having the plan so much!

So, I am joyfully back again this week with another menu!

(Read full post)

We are having a lot of "junk" food because we have a booked schedule this week every evening M-Th, so I needed foods that will travel, if needed. (Ugh, I hate booked schedules!)

Here is the menu:

Sunday: Baked Rigatoni Cake (my kids love this recipe from Martha Stewart Kids. Even little E will eat it and he never eats pasta with sauce), and breadsticks

Monday: Slow cooker Pineapple Chicken (I will make a variation of this recipe) - although, the recipe on Laura's blog looks good, too.

Tuesday: Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Sandwiches, with carrot and cucumber sticks

Wednesday: Pizza (with leftover sausage), with salad

Thursday: Homemade chicken nuggets and fries

Friday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas

Saturday: Homemade ravioli (This will be my first time making these, so it should be an adventure!), salad, and rolls or French bread


For more Menu Plan Monday, head on over to OrgJunkie!

My First Menu Plan Monday

I have seen Menu Plan Monday on some of the other blogs I read, but I never participated because ... well, because I didn't menu plan.

Recently, I decided that I needed to overhaul my food budget and start implementing some serious money-saving measures. One way was to buy food on sale in larger quantities and plan my meals from what was on sale or on hand from a previous week.

And, voila, menu planning appeared in my house!

So, here is my first Menu Plan Monday.

(Click here to read full post)

Sunday: Baked chicken drumsticks, carrots, homemade biscuits and gravy.

Monday: Chicken Pot Pie (made from left over drumstick meat and gravy)

Tuesday: Pasta and sauce, with salad and rolls

Wednesday: Pizza Swirls (see recipe below) and apple slices

Thursday: Tacos with homemade flour tortillas

Friday: BFD (Breakfast for Dinner) - Waffles, with a cooked apple-cinnamon topping, and sausage.

Saturday: Open until we decide what our plans are for the day.

Recipe: Pizza Swirls

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed (or homemade dough)
1/4 cup pasta sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped pepperoni
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons each grated Parmesan and shredded mozzarella for sprinkling on top.

~ Pre-heat oven to 450. Pray baking sheet with cooking spray.
~ Roll out bread dough to a 10-inch square on a floured surface.
~ Spread with pasta sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni.
~ Roll up jelly-roll style.
~ Cut into 10 rolls (like you would for cinnamon rolls).
~ Place on baking sheet and brush tops with oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella.
~Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Be sure and check out what's in other bloggers' menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

8 Things From My Kitchen

Proverbs31 from Bringing Good Home tagged me with a newly created meme: 8 Things From My Kitchen.

So, here are 8 things from my kitchen...

(Read full post)

1. We have no ready-to-eat food in our kitchen right now. Well, besides fruit. Ever since I went on a frugality kick, I stopped buying anything that is already made. The problem is that I haven't started making snacks and so forth ahead of time, so basically, I have had to cook a snack every day this week. (Yeah, I do know how foolish that is.) We made crackers, popcorn, cookies, soft pretzels, even a cake one day. The kids have never been so spoiled! This weekend, I am going to make homemade granola bars to last us the week. Maybe we will have popcorn a few days, too.

2. My kids love to cook. This has made #1 a lot easier because instead of having to make snacks and having to find something for them to do, I can keep them occupied with cooking projects.

3. I hate having the kids in the kitchen with me. Cooking is my relaxation. My craft. My "me time." And do you know how hard it is to cook with three boys in the kitchen to trip over? I used to ban them from the kitchen, but I have recently started to soften on this. One day The D was telling me that he really wants to learn to cook as well as I do, but he never will if I don't teach him. Smart boy. Compliments always go a long way in getting what we want. (I don't think he was manipulating me, though.)

4. My compromise is that I try to have cooking projects a few times a week that the kids can help with. It took a lot of practice before I got so I wasn't constantly fighting the urge to make them all get out, but they love being involved in doing something I love. As hard as it is, sometimes I even let them help with dinner. Sometimes.

5. I make sausage and pancakes (or occasionally waffles) every Saturday. This is a tradition that dates back to when I was a working single mom and the older boys were in day care. I felt like I never saw them, so we always had special customs like that. We stopped for a time, but then The D told Bob that he really missed the "big breakfast," so we started doing it again.

6. I love my Kitchen Aid mixer. It was a wedding gift from a relative who loves to cook. I was not into cooking then and I never used it for anything more than cookies or cake mix for the first few years. But then I started making bread with it. Oh man! I LOVE that thing. It does the mixing and the kneading. The ingredients go in and the dough comes out ready to go in a bowl to rise.

7. I love homemade bread. We all do. We will eat a whole loaf at one meal sometimes, though I try to encourage moderation.

8. My amazing husband cleans the kitchen every night. The real secret to why I can spend so much time baking and making things from scratch. No matter how much of a mess I make, he will clean it for me - joyfully. What a blessing! In his home growing up, his mom cooked and his dad cleaned the kitchen, so he naturally started doing this in our home. I try to clean up after myself when I cook, so he doesn't have to, but cleaning is not my strong suit - especially when I get called away to referee a scuffle between the boys or help Little E find a costume or action figure. So, every evening, my amazing husband cleans the kitchen and I wake up to a sparkling kitchen to mess up!

So, there are 8 things about my kitchen, though I am sure I could list many more.

There are not really any rules to this meme, which was just started last Sunday. Just list 8 things about your kitchen/cooking.

Now, to tag some people. Kate at I Think Therefore I Blog, Sprittibee, Amy at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31, and mjpuzzlemom at What a Crock. I was going to tag Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie, but proverbs31 already did when she tagged me.

The Lost Pasta Maker

Bob and I received a pasta maker as a wedding gift over five years ago and I just used it for the first time - yesterday!

I wanted to try my hand at making homemade crackers, so I went to Google to find a recipe. I found this post that suggests using a pasta maker to roll out the dough for the crackers.

I thought, I have a pasta maker. So, I dug it out.

I loved using that thing so much, I decided to make homemade noodles, too! (To go in homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.)

Wow! I think I am addicted!

This weekend I am going to make homemade pasta to go with the Chicken Parmesan I am making.

(Don't buy shredded mozzarella, though. Usually the blocks are much less expensive per pound. Plus, it tastes so much better!)

Recipe: Mandarin Chicken

I love playing around with making my own stir fry recipes. Last night, I made Mandarin Chicken. It was so good. I didn't measure the ingredients exactly, so I hope you like a little bit of this, a little bit of that recipes.

This recipe can be made with just chicken or with added vegetables, such as carrot, onion, and broccoli.

First, take skinless, boneless chicken breast and cut it into small pieces. Put flour into a plastic zipper bag, with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste. Add the chicken pieces in and shake to coat.

Heat some oil in a skillet. Add the coated chicken pieces and brown well on all sides.

Meanwhile, open a can of mandarin oranges. Drain juice into a measuring cup or bowl. Add to the juice some honey (around 2 - 3 tablespoons), a dash or two of soy sauce (to taste), and a few shakes of ground ginger (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon). Mix well.

If you are going to add vegetables, put them in the the meat and stir fry until tender-crisp. Add the juice/honey mixture and stir. After it boils, reduce the heat to a simmer. The flour from the meat will cause the sauce to thicken.

When everything is just about ready to eat, add in the mandarin orange segments and gently stir to warm through.

Serve over rice and enjoy!

Homemade Salad Dressing

I made homemade salad dressing last night for the first time. It was partly to save money and partly to avoid all of the additives that are in salad dressings these days.

I used this recipe, from the "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book."

Creamy French Dressing

3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Dash cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced (or pressed)
3/4 cup olive oil or salad oil

Combine everything, except the oil, in a bowl, blender, or food processor. Then, with mixer, blender, or food processor running, add the oil in a thin, slow stream.

I did it in a bowl and whisked while adding the oil. It works fine, but is kind of tiring because this process takes 2-3 minutes (it says that in the recipe).

Serve immediately or store covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Stir or shake well before using.

Per tablespoon:
Calories - 74
Fat - 8g
Taste - to die for!

Note: the Worcestershire sauce is optional, but who doesn't love Worcestershire sauce? :)

I thought it was a little oily, so I am going to play around with adding less oil. Maybe substituting for it with a little water. I also want to sub in maple syrup for the sugar, just for fun.

I'll let you know how it goes.

WFMW: Sixty-Minute Rolls

Have you ever planned on making homemade rolls to go with dinner, but you get home late, or some other calamity keeps you from getting the dough made in time?

That happens to me all of the time.

And when we are at the end of our grocery budget, sometimes the rolls are the only good thing about dinner. Or at least, they make a ho-hum dinner into something wonderful.

Well, I found a solution for that problem: Sixty-minute Rolls. From mix to eat these homemade yeast rolls take only 60 minutes, instead of the usual 2-3 hours.

This recipe is written for a KitchenAid stand mixer, but if you make your dough by hand, you just mix and knead as you usually would.

Sixty-Minute Rolls

1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour

Place milk, sugar, salt, and butter in a small sauce pan and heat until butter just begins to melt. Stir to melt butter and dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to lukewarm.

Meanwhile, in warmed mixer bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

Add the milk mixture and 4 1/2 cups of flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer and mix on Speed 2 for 1 minute.

Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, continuing on Speed 2, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl.

Knead on Speed 2 for 2 more minutes. Dough will be smooth and elastic, and slightly sticky to the touch.

Place dough in greased bowl and allow to rise, covered, in warm, draft-free place for 15 minutes.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Shape as desired into 24 rolls. (Suggestion: roll into balls and place in greased muffin cups. Optionally: Cut the tops in half, then quarters, to make a criss-cross pattern on the top.)

Cover and let rise for 15 minutes in a slightly warmed oven. (Tip: Set the oven to 400-degrees and set a timer for 1 minute. Shut off oven when timer goes off and it will be the perfect temp for rising dough.)

Bake at 425-degrees for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove immediately and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Be sure to head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more Works-for-Me Wednesday tips.

How to Make Homemade Jam

I was just looking at what Google searches lead people to this site, and I found that the majority recently were people looking for how to make homemade jam because of this post I did a couple of weeks ago.

I did not explain how to in that post, I just said that I made some, but here is how.

Buy a pack of pectin and read the directions. Seriously. It's all in there. How to make every type of jam or jelly you could want to make. Even hot pepper jelly. Yuck. What is that used for?

According to the pectin I used, Sure-Jell, different brands require different recipes in order to achieve the best results. If that is true, you are best off buying the pectin and reading the recipes in there anyway.

I made black raspberry jam and it required 5 cups of crushed berries (2 full quarts of berries), 6 1/2 cups of sugar, and a box of pectin. I did not use the optional 1/2 teaspoon of butter or margarine to reduce foaming because, well, eew. That just sounded gross to me. But, then again, I am kind of crazy like that.

Actually, here is the recipe from the Sure-Jell website.

They have tons of tips and stuff on the site, too.

So, there you have it. Even though homemade jam is like the best tasting thing in the world, and making it yourself seems intimidating, it is really very, very simple, even for a first-timer, especially if you have cooking skills, or even crafting skills.

Go on, jump right in and have some fun.

And if you make the black raspberry, do try it on vanilla ice cream. It is awesome!

My jam

Homemade Jam

I made my first homemade jam yesterday!

My mother took the kids and I to pick blueberries and raspberries, and she surprised me with a box of jelly jars. (I already had a box of pectin that she bought me earlier this summer when I had mentioned that I wanted to make jam sometime.)

In the afternoon, the kids and I made black raspberry jam. It came out great.

I was a little worried because I don't have a canner, so I had to use the inversion method and I wasn't sure if it would work. I did get a seal on the jars, though, so it seems fine to me.

The USDA advises against using the inversion method because it can lead to mold growth or spoilage, due to a weaker seal, but I doubt we will have it around for that long.

We had a little left over, so I put it into the fridge in a jar and had it last night on some vanilla ice cream. Yum!

We were able to get 7 full jars, but I plan to give some of them to my mother as a thank you for buying me the supplies.

Now I need to buy a boiling water canner, so I can put up some more jams and some of the tomatoes from my garden, when they come in.

Little E was pretty proud of making our own jam. He loves PB&J sandwiches. When he came out this morning and saw the jars he said, with excitement, "Remember that we picked berries and make our own jelly yesterday?"

Tea Chef

I just came a cross this site that combines two of my favorite things: cooking and tea - TeaChef.

Each month, they hold contests for the best tea recipe, featuring a different tea each month. Here are the recipes.

Pretty neat. I'll have to try some of them out.

Homemade Granola Bars

Here's one more for the recipe box. Lately, I have been making these homemade granola bars for my kids (and myself). They are very good and are not full of junk like some store-bought brands are.

I also like the fact that they are high in fiber and I control the sugar content.

Here is the recipe I use, but I encourage you to try other ideas.

Granola Bars

1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups oats
1 1/4 cups oat bran
1 1/4 cups wheat bran
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional, but so yummy)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease a 9x13 pan (or thereabouts). In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients. Stir in the rest. Press mixture evenly and well into the pan. Bake 15-20 minutes, until light brown. Once fully cooled, cut into 24 bars. Enjoy!

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