Chicken Tacos

Alright, I have found another great recipe. I found this one

on another blog that I love. {jandaandco.blogspot}

The lady is on the quest to drop a few pounds and is helping

her blogging friends with great ideas and recipes. I have

recently lost 15 pounds,

so this low calorie meal sounded perfect

to help keep the weight off!!!

These are only 300 calories for 2!!!!

The best part about these are the

whole family LOVES them!!!

Chicken Tacos

spray butter

white corn tortillas {must be corn}

fat free refried beans or black beans

low fat Mozzarella cheese

bag of Tyson Frozen grilled chicken {pre-cooked}

lettuce

tomatoes

fat free sour cream

green salsa from La Victoria {we used their salsa}

Use a skillet or a griddle and place on stove top

at medium heat. Spread a small layer like a table spoon of

either beans on your corn

tortillas. Spray the bottom of them with the

spray butter and place butter

side down on the skillet.

Add 1 T. of cheese to each tortilla

In the meantime warm the chicken in the microwave.

Once it is warm add it to the tortilla. Let it cook

until it starts to get crispy on the bottom.

Remove from the skillet and place on a plate.

Add your lettuce, chopped tomato, sour

cream and salsa.

So Yummy!!

Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes

I love new recipes!!

This time of year anything pumpkin is a winner.

I found this super yummy recipe idea on a

friend of a friends blog and had to try it.

{wendyshat.blogspot.com}

The whole family loves it!!

Huge hit, and super yummy!!

The whole house smelt incredible!!

3 T. melted butter

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3 T. brown sugar

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1 and 1/4 cups flour

In a medium bowl mix all of the wet ingredients

together and then the spices, followed by the flour.

Cook on a griddle like normal pancakes.

Top with warm syrup, and or whip topping.

Italian Baked Penne

Italian Baked Penne

1 package (16oz) penne rigate

1 package (1lb) ground mild Italian sausage

1 c. chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, crushed, or 1/2 garlic powder

1 package {8 oz} sliced fresh white mushrooms

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/2 t. Italian seasoning

1 can {14.5 oz} Italian style diced tomatoes

2 cans {14.5 oz} crushed tomatoes

3 c. fresh spinach, roughly chopped {optional}

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

1 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Bring water to boil in large pot of salted water.

Add penne pasta and cook until al dente, about

8 minutes. Drain and return to pan.

While pasta is cooking, heat large skillet over

medium-high heat. Add sausage, onion and garlic

and saute, until sausage is cooked through,

breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 10 minutes.

Add mushrooms and saute 3 minutes. Add pepper,

Italian seasoning and tomatoes to pan.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Combine sausage mixture to pasta, spinach, mozzarella

cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.

Pour into 13 X 9 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle

remaining 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese over.

Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted

and sauce is bubbling.

Peaches

I love Fall!!

The cool mornings, the warm afternoons, sweaters,

the bright wonderful colors all around. And of

course canning!! I have been canning for only

a few years, but from the first time I did it a I loved it!!

There is something so rewarding about the whole

process. From buying the fruit, washing it, peeling,

placing in jars and then pulling them out of the

hot boiling bath.

Perfection!

I get so caught up in how beautiful they look the

girls remind me of how great they taste!!

They taste like Fall!

Recipes

Meaty Noodle Casserole
1 pkg. {12 oz.} wide egg noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
3 T. chopped onion {I did 1/2 cup}
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 can {14 3/4 oz} cream style corn {I used regular corn}
1 can {14 3/4 oz} stewed tomatoes, cut up {I used Italian style}
1 can {10 3/4 oz} condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 C. chopped pimiento stuffed olives or black olives {I left them out}
2 T. minced fresh parsley {I used dried}
1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese {I had ours in a bowl to do your own}

~Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook the beef, pork sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no larger pink; drain. Add the corn, tomatoes, soup, olives and parsley; heat through.
~Drain pasta; stir into meat mixture. Transfer to a greased 13 in x 9 in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncovered; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Yield: 8 servings
After I cooked all the meat mixture and cooked the noodles and drained them I added everything to the noodles in my big noodle pan and mixed it all up, heated it through. I didn't put it in the oven.



Chocolate Chip, Oats 'n Caramel Cookie Squares

1 roll {16.5 oz} Pillsbury refrigerated chocolate chip cookies {I use what is on sale}
1 C. quick-cooking oats
2/3 C. caramel topping
5 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
3/4 C chopped walnuts {I leave out}
1 bag {6 oz.} semisweet chocolate chips {1 cup}

~Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in oats. Reserve 1/2 cup of dough mixture for topping. In ungreased 9-inch square pan, press remaining dough mixture evenly in bottom to form crust. {I greased my pan}
~Bake 10- to 12 minutes or until dough puffs and appears dry.
~In small bowl, mix caramel topping, flour and vanilla until well blended. Sprinkle walnuts and chocolate chips evenly over crust. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture. Crumble reserved 1/2 cup dough mixture over caramel.
~Bake 20-25 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars. Cool completely, about 1 hour 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store in tightly covered.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

1 1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 C. butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 C. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt.
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips

~In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla just until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to brown sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
~Spread into a greased 13 in x 9 in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
Sometimes it can be hard to spread, I put a little flour on my spoon to help spread the mixture.

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

110 grams large shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tails attached
1 1/2 t. chopped fresh parsley
1T fresh lemon juice
1/2 clove minced garlic
1/4 t. dried oregano
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. ground black pepper
skewers

In a mixing bowl, mix together parsley, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper.  Pour marinade into a small resealable plastic bag with shrimp.  Seal, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.  Preheat grill for medium-low heat.  Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head.  Cook shrimp for 5 minutes per side, or until opaque.

After I marinade the shrimp I put then in a pan and heat them through.  They are amazing!!!



I love my crock pot!!

Nothing makes cooking easier then a crock pot!!

My wonderful husband got me a new one for Christmas.

It has a timer, a probe to check the temperature and

the best part is it will turn itself to warm once your meal has

reached the desired temperature!! I have always

loved my crock pot and now that I have started working

part-time I am falling deeper in love with my

crock pot!!

Apricot Chicken
(aka: Hawaiian Chicken)
1 Cup Apricot Jam
8 oz. Russian Dressing (Catalina will work if you can’t find Russian)
1 Pkg. Lipton onion soup mix
8 Chicken Breast (5-6 if you are using Sam’s clubs large defrosted-frozen breasts)
1 Can pineapple rings, drained (or fresh pineapple cut into rings if it is on sell)
Uncle Ben's Wild and long grain rice
Mix Jam, dressing, and soup mix together. Place chicken in crock pot, pour mixture over top. Place pineapple rings on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. (This was way to long, the chicken got over done) 1 hour prior to serving, shred chicken with fork and continue to cook in crock pot so that the chicken absorbs additional juices. Serve over a prepared batch of wild and long grain rice. Serve with a fruit salad or a fresh green salad.

Bread/Spudnut Enrichment Class

The field by the church was full this morning of

several deer in velvet.

What sight!!

6 bucks and 2 does.
This morning we had a bread/spud nut making class by Paula
Morgan, it was so fun. I have NEVER had success with yeast, so
I quit trying. My friend Jan taught me an easy way to make
really good cinnamon rolls with yeast, so I was excited to learn
how to make bread.

It wasn't has hard as I thought it was going to be, it was
nice being at the church with so many friends and learn
together. When one batch would need a little extra help
Paula was able to help and teach us how to "save" our
bread.
I have thrown out many batches of rolls even to the
point of throwing out the rolls and the recipe!
It was nice to hear that mine had turned out
"perfect," I just hope it's not beginners luck!!


These are only about 1/2 of all the spud nuts
we all made. It was great to learn, eat and
bring home to our families.

I feel better educated now and excited to

try again on my own to make

homemade rolls for my family.

Super yummy!

Almond Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 cup crushed Ritz crackers

3 Tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup almond slivers

Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix the soup and sour cream together and pour over the chicken. Mix the melted butter and crackers together and sprinkle over the chicken cream mixture. Sprinkle the almond slivers on top. Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350. Served with wild rice...yummy!

Huge hit with the girls!!