Satisfying Crock pot Lasagna

Lasagna is such a wonderful comfort food. It is just so satisfying. Dustin loves pasta so one day during fall semester when I knew I wouldn't be home until late I decided I would try this Crock pot Lasagna recipe and see what became of it. It was delicious! Here was a little bit of the process:

The Ingredients

 1 medium onion, diced

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. ground beef

1 (29oz) can of tomato sauce

2 tomatoes, diced

1 pkg. Lasagna noodles, uncooked

16 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

Seasonings of choice: parsley, salt and pepper, oregano, etc.

1. Dice the onion and let it saute in a saucepan over medium heat with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Let the onion cook stirring occasionally until the onion becomes tender.

2. Add the ground beef and brown it. Drain the grease. I usually dab the meat with paper towels too so I get off as much of the grease as I can. Then add the seasonings, diced tomatoes, and the tomato sauce and let it come to a simmer over medium heat.

3. In a separate bowl combine the cottage cheese and shredded mozzarella cheeses together.

Now your layers are ready...

4. Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray and then spread about 1/4 of your meat sauce on the bottom of the crock pot. 

5. Now put a layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles on top of the sauce layer. You may need to break the lasagna noodles so they fit but don't worry if they overlap in places. 

6. Now add about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. 

7. Repeat these layers so you have 3 total layers and finish with adding the remaining 1/4 of the sauce on the top. 

8. Cook on low for about 4 hours and before serving take off the lid and let stand for at least 10 minutes. At this point, add a little bit of shredded mozzarella cheese to the top to melt and form the top.

Crock pot Lasagna!

Creamy Ranch Potatoes

I find that I can't ever use a bag of potatoes fast enough. I love potatoes so I when the ward was doing a potluck I knew exactly what I should do... Find a crock pot potato side dish recipe! This easy creamy potato recipe is delicious and great because I just left it in the crock pot on low and came home to have my side dish ready to go! These potatoes would go great with roast, chicken, or a pork chop main dish. Give them a try!

Creamy Ranch Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs potatoes, cut in about 1 inch square pieces

1 cup sour cream

3 tbsp ranch salad dressing mix (or just one little 1/16 oz packet)

1 (10 1/2 oz) can of cream of chicken soup

Parsley and extra ranch powder (optional for garnish)

1. Put the cut up potatoes in the crock pot.
2. In a separate bowl. mix the sour cream, ranch, and cream of chicken soup together.
3. Now put in over the potatoes in the crockpot.
4. Cover and cook on low for about 7 hours.
5. If you can, gently stir a few times during the 7 hours. If you would like, sprinkle some parsley or extra ranch powder on top for a little garnish. :)
6. Now they are ready to eat with your delicious dinner!

Fairy Rolls

For Thanksgiving this year I was able to make the rolls! I used my mother in law's KitchenAid to make them and it made the process super easy! For those who don't have a KitchenAid they are still super easy and taste light and fluffy... just as if a fairy had made them!  

AND... best part of all is they only take 10 steps to make. :)

Fairy Rolls

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups hot water

2 tbsp yeast

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1. Place the room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot water over the butter so it melts. 

2. Add the yeast and let it sit for 2-3 minutes.

3. Blend in the eggs.

4. Add in the sugar and the salt and blend together.

5. Add the flour and baking powder and work the mixture until a nice, fluffy dough forms.

6. Cover the dough and let rise until double in size.

7. After it has doubled, roll out on a floured surface (about a 1/2 in. thick) and cut dough into circles. (I used the ring from a Mason Jar).

8. Fold circles in 1/2 to make the shape of the roll and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. 

9. Let the rolls rise again. A few minutes before you are planning on sticking the rolls in Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

10. Bake the rolls at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. When you take them out brush them with a little butter and... there you have it! Delicious and fluffy rolls in only 10 steps!

Good Luck! Leave a comment if you have any questions!!

Stuffed Raspberry French Toast with Custard Sauce

Yummm... two raspberry posts in a row. :) I made this a few weeks ago for Sunday breakfast and by the time it was done cooking we were almost late for church so I didn't get a very good picture... I have a lot to improve with my blogging but hey I am having fun!  *If you look on the Kraft website you can see their beautiful picture and also a video of the recipe process. :)

Stuffed Raspberry French Toast with Custard Sauce

Recipe from kraftrecipes.com

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup  sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp.  ground cinnamon

2 whole eggs

2   egg whites

1-1/4 qt. (5 cups) fat-free milk, divided

1 loaf  French bread (16 oz.), ends trimmed, cut into 18 slices

1 pkg. (12 oz.) frozen unsweetened raspberries

1 pkg.  (3.4 oz.) Instant vanilla pudding

 *just a note:  the french bread they use is the long skinny loaf kind not the big fluffy kind you usually use to make garlic bread. I am sure both kinds would work, but you just won't be able to fit as much in the pan. I bought my long skinny loaf at Target.* 

 BEAT first 4 ingredients in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add whole eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, mixing well after each. Gradually beat in 2 cups milk.
 
ARRANGE 9 bread slices on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with half the berries and remaining bread slices. Pour cream cheese mixture over bread. Let stand 30 min.

*I recommend  flipping the french toast over after 15 min. so each side has a chance to soak. This will help it so that one side isn't soggy and the other dry. :) Also, if you feel you have a lot of excess egg mixture in the pan you may want to transfer your french toast to another pan before baking once again just to reduce the chance of the french toast being soggy. 

 

HEAT oven to 350°F. Bake French toast 40 min. or until golden brown. Meanwhile, bring remaining milk just to boil in saucepan; gradually add dry pudding mix, whisking until well blended. Remove from heat; let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, microwave remaining raspberries in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 15 to 20 sec. or until warmed.

 SPOON pudding over individual servings of French toast; top with berries.
 

 

**Here is another look at this delicious breakfast! So easy and delicious!**

Raspberry Cheesecake Cake Balls

Cake balls... what a brilliant invention! I love all of the creative culinary minds out in the world because they sure bring me happiness with their creations! I made this recipe for the ward Halloween Party and they were a hit! My costume was an apron and I was going to carry around these cake balls and say I was a baker... well the cake balls didn't last long enough so I simply wore an apron around. :) 

I try to post things on my blog that I think other people might want to make and that I have found aren't too complicated. I am trying to improve my blog and my next post is going to include more pictures throughout the process of making the recipe. So be on the lookout for the improvements!

This recipe is SUPER easy to make and delicious. I mean they are dipped in chocolate so you can't get much better than that. Without further ado here is the recipe!

Raspberry Cheesecake Cake Balls

 The cake:

1 box white cake mix

3 eggs 

1 tsp. raspberry extract

1 cup milk

* Mix together cake mix, eggs, raspberry extract, and milk. Batter will be thick. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 28-32 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely. Crumble cake into small pieces, placing crumbs in a large bowl. (I removed any brown parts of the cake before crumbling.)

Add:

 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup fresh raspberries, mashed. 

*(you can use frozen raspberries just thaw them and squeeze dry)*

* With the back of a spoon, mix together cake crumbles with other ingredients until a thick dough consistency forms. Shape into evenly sized cake balls and cool 1-2 hours in the refrigerator or 20 min. in the freezer. 

* Remove from the fridge or freezer and dip in white melting chocolate. (I added about 1 tbsp. shortening to the chocolate to make it thinner and easier to dip with.) Last of all, top with crushed graham crackers!

Here is the end product! Voila!

*I found this wonderful recipe in the cookbook *"101 Gourmet Cake Bites" by: Wendy Paul.* There are SO many fun cake bites recipes in the book for all occasions. If you like this recipe check out the cookbook!

Homemade Wendy's Frosty

Yummmmm.... that my friends is a Homemade Chocolate Frosty! Yay. what a wonderful idea. :) The best part of this is it only takes 3 ingredients to make and an ice cream maker.

Homemade Chocolate Frosty

1/2 gallon chocolate milk

7 oz sweetened condensed milk (1/2 of a normal can)

8 oz Cool Whip

In a mixing bowl add all three ingredients and mix together. Start ice cream maker and while it is churning add the ingredients in. Let the mixer do the work for about 20 minutes (until it is the consistency you like) and then eat your homemade frosty!

Here is Danielle enjoying her Homemade Chocolate Frosty. :) 

To die for Bread Pudding.

We love bread pudding at this Hanson home! I had a loaf of French Bread that was super dry and I thought, "what can I do with this?" and of course bread pudding was the first thing that came to my mind. I got this recipe from Paula Deen and all I have to say is YUMMM!! She knows what she is doing when it comes to bread pudding. To top off the pudding I found a different creamy sauce to drizzle on top. Well, that is enough talking... time to get started!

*As you can see this photo doesn't have the glaze on top but just imagine it in your mind and make sure you make it!

Paula Deen Bread Pudding

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups cubed French Bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl

Topping:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2 inch pan (I used the large rectangle Pyrex pan).

In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Pour it over the bread cubes and let it soak for about 10 minutes. 

In another small bowl, mix together and crumble the butter and brown sugar.  

Pour the bread  mixture in the greased pan and press it down with a fork so you make sure all the bread is soaked. Then sprinkle the brown sugar crumble evenly over the top of the bread. 

Bake for 35-45 minutes. or until set and the top springs back.

Now for the sauce:

1 cup milk

2 tbsp. butter

 1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. flour

dash of salt

Mix everything together and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside for a few minutes and then pour over your warm and delicious bread pudding!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Yummy! This recipe is delicious and simple. Enjoy. :)

The process:

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 (8 oz) container sour cream
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 10 Tortillas, warmed
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 green onion,diced
• 1 avocado, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, add soup, sour cream, salsa, and chili powder and mix well.

Take one cup of this mixture and mix with the cooked chicken and cheese.

Now take a tortilla and spread about 1/3 cup of mixture down the middle of the tortilla and roll up tightly with the edges on the bottom. Continue rolling enchiladas until you have run out of filling. Spread the leftover sauce on the top of the rolled enchiladas. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake @ 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Top with tomatoes, avocados, and onions. I served the enchiladas with some black beans and it was a great meal!  

Sweet Poppy seed Coleslaw

I just think this recipe is yummy! My grandma Judy has made it for me a couple times and always said how easy it was but I never did make it until today! I was trying to think of a delicious salad to make and this one came to mind. Grandma Judy was right, it is SUPER simple! So if you are looking for a healthy AND tasty salad that is easy and quick... try this!

Sweet Poppy seed Coleslaw

1 bag of Dole Classic Coleslaw Mix 

1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds

1 cup Craisins

Approx. 2/3 cup Poppy seed salad dressing. I used "Newman's Own"

Now for the simple part... put the coleslaw in a 2 1/2 quart mixing bowl, add the craisins and the almonds and mix. Then add the poppy seed dressing and mix until well blended. I just added a little bit of dressing at a time and stopped when I felt it was moist enough because some people like more/less dressing in their coleslaw. Then put the lid on the bowl and leave it in the fridge for about 30 minutes and it is ready to eat! Enjoy!!

Clam Chowder

Wow... it has been a while since I have posted a yummy recipe. Probably because of our move... it took me a week to finally make this recipe and now it has taken me over a month to finally finish posting it. Yummmm... and I am sure glad I finally made it. I have to give credit to my grandma Billie because this is her never fail recipe. So if you like clam chowder and you want a recipe you can't ruin... this is the one!

Clam Chowder  

1 cup onions, finely chopped

1 cup finely diced celery (I think I prefer less than that)

2 cups diced potatoes

2 cans (6 1/2 oz) snow clams with juice

2 cubes butter

3/4 cup flour

1 quart half and half

1 tsp salt

A couple dashes of pepper

  Drain the juice from the clams and pour over the vegetables in a small saucepan. Add enough water to cover the vegetables and simmer, covered, over medium heat until barely tender. 

In the meantime, melt butter in a large pot, add flour and blend forming a roux. Add cream and stir constantly until smooth and thick.

Last step: add undrained vegetables, clams, and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For me this was a little thick and so I added a little bit of water to thin it down while I was heating it. If you don't want to make it with all half and half you can substitute some of the half and half with 2% milk and I am sure the consistency and quality would be the same. Enjoy!

Orange Julius

Yummm... I guess I have been taking a walk down memory lane recently and made a lot of the recipes that I loved from my childhood. Orange Juliuses are so tasty! I really like this recipe too because there aren't any raw eggs or dry egg powder or anything like that... just yummy goodness!

Orange Julius

6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate, thawing

1 cup milk

1 cup water

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Around 18 ice cubes

 Ok, Now for the easy part. Add all of the ingredients together except the ice cubes and blend for a few seconds, then start adding the ice cubes one at a time through the top hole on the blender. When I made it my blender was a little too powerful and so you may have to turn it off and add a few at a time then close the lid. Let it blend for as long as it takes for it to be smooth.

BLT Dip

I think that dips are such a perfect summer snack. Now I know this isn't the healthiest dip you have ever eaten... but that is the nature of dip! You aren't going to eat the whole batch so don't get scared by the ingredients! It is just a creamy dip with some tasty bacon and tomato. :) And that is a good combination. If you really want to make it BLT dip then you can serve the dip on a platter with large leaves of lettuce on the bottom, but if you just want to eat it from the bowl like me, well then you can just call it BT dip! Enjoy!

BLT DIP

1 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

1 cup sour cream

About 8-10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 or 2 good tomatoes, diced.

Add the mayo and sour cream and stir until smooth. Add crumbled bacon and diced tomatoes. Stir together! Now the best part... eat with your favorite cracker. :) I usually like Wheat Thins or Ritz. 

*If you want to make a reduced fat/calorie version, use light Miracle Whip and fat-free or reduced-fat sour cream.

Delicious Fish and Brazilian Rice

I learned how to make rice in Brazil. They don't really use recipes so I had to adjust on how to learn how to make Brazilian recipes. And I don't know what it is about Brazilians but they make the best rice and it is delicious every time! They can make a delicious meal in their big rice pot adding a cut up whole chicken and vegetables. yummmm.... I still don't think I make it as good as they do but I sure try!

Brazilian Rice

2 cloves of garlic, minced.

1/2 onion, diced.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 cup of long grain rice

2 cups of water

Salt and pepper to taste
Add a shake of any kind of spices you like. I added a shake of garlic salt, pepper, and chili powder.

I use a medium sized pot and put the oil in the bottom of the pan and let it start warming up. Then add in the garlic and onion and give it a stir. Let the onion cook and soften for about a minute and add some salt and pepper. 

(Right now, in a separate cup start warming up your 2 cups of water in the microwave.)

 Now add the rice to the onions and get it all stirred together and let them cook together for another minute. Then add the hot water and stir it all together and turn the heat down to low so it can simmer. I cook my rice with the lid on. Let the rice simmer for about 30 minutes or until the water has all absorbed. If the rice is still crunchy add just a little bit more water and let the rice absorb it until your rice is light and fluffy. Now your rice is ready to go.
Like I said before Brazilians add a lot of things to their rice... if you want to add shredded carrots or beets while you are sauteing the onions feel free! I added some green onions and mixed them in at the end and they added a little color.

Delicious Fish

4 fish fillets, like tilapia
2 eggs, beaten and add a splash of milk
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, finely crushed
salt and pepper

In a medium skillet, add a little bit of oil, over medium high heat, so it covers the bottom of the pan. You don't need to add a ton because the oil is just to crisp the crackers and cook the fish quick. While the oil is heating up, dip the fish fillets in the egg mixture and get both sides covered. Then transfer and dip in the cracker mixture. Spread the crushed crackers over the spots where they don't stick. Now carefully put the fish in the skillet and let them start cooking for about 5 minutes on the first side. Carefully lift up the side of the fish and see if the crumbs have browned. When browned then flip and allow the other side to cook through. Then allow the fish to sit on some paper towels and serve with the rice! In the picture shown we finished off the meal with a bag of frozen cheesy vegetables that are a quick and easy finish! Enjoy! 

*If anyone ever has a question about a recipe... go ahead and let me know. I know sometimes I probably don't explain things completely clear. But I hope you all enjoy!*

Homemade Oreo's

This is another recipe my mom used to make when I was little and I would say they are one of my favorite cookies! I have tried different recipes and I am pretty sure this one is my favorite. I make cream cheese frosting for the middle but you could also make buttercream if you prefer.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

2 devil's food cake mixes

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup Crisco

1 cube butter

Mix all the ingredients together until smooth. It would be easiest with a Kitchen Aid mixer because it is kind of hard for a hand mixer to handle. Technically you could do it by hand but if you don't have a Kitchen Aid... like me... use a hand mixer to get it started and almost smooth and then try to finish it with a wooden spoon. 

Next roll into balls I made them about tablespoon size. Then bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and take out to cool on a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 cube butter or margarine

1 tsp vanilla

1 package of cream cheese

Beat the cream cheese and butter, with a hand mixer, together in a large mixing bowl until softened and smooth. Next add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue to blend until smooth. 

FINALLY, take one cooled chocolate cookie and frost it as generously as you like and simple top it with another cookie! yummm... you have a homemade oreo!

Mom's Caramel Rolls

My dear mom always made these delicious caramel rolls on special occasions for our breakfast. I love them! They are SO good! I was craving them so I finally went out and got me a bundt pan. :) I went to two stores and couldn't find one so I figured well, if they don't have it at Wal-mart then I guess I will give up... but I lucked out and they had a cute green one there! And the next morning we had a delicious breakfast!

 

Caramel Rolls

18-20 frozen Rhodes rolls

1 small box Jell-O Cook and Serve Butterscotch pudding

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 stick of melted butter

Now here is the simple process... Spray your bundt pan with some cooking spray and then add the frozen rolls. Sprinkle all of the ingredients on the rolls. I did them one at a time and tried to get it on them evenly. Then melt your stick of butter and drizzle it over the mixture! voila! Then put some plastic wrap over them and let them just sit at room temperature overnight. They will raise a LOT. Mine were about to come out of the pan! :) yummm... Then just wake up the next morning, take off the plastic wrap, and put in the preheated oven set at 350 degrees. Leave them in for about 30-40 minutes then take them out and invert the pan and all the delicious caramel sauce will drizzle over your delicious breakfast! Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

I am always looking for ways to add beans in my diet. After eating rice and beans seriously everyday in Brazil I miss them every once in a while. Yummm... I can't wait for the day to go back and have some of the basic but delicious foods they serve down there. Brazilian food is simply delicious. Well, this bean recipe is not Brazilian... but it does have beans. Dustin and I ate it for supper last night and Dustin said it was one of the best soups he has ever eaten. So... there ya go, this soup is good! I looked at a few recipes and kind of made my own. Some had cilantro, but I don't really like cilantro, one had corn, so I added corn, etc... So when you make it go ahead and make it how you want!

White Chicken Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil (or any oil you have)

1/2 an onion, diced. I used a white onion.

2 chicken breasts, diced or shredded. 

(A rotisserie chicken would make this meal really quick because you could just shred the chicken and it would be delicious.)

1 can of corn

2 cans of Great Northern Beans, make sure you drain and rinse them

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced. 

1 (4oz) can of green chilies

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Add salt and pepper to taste. I have salt/pepper grinders and they give food lots of flavor.

4 cups of chicken broth. You can make this with bouillon or buy a box.

1 lime, juiced.

Then just add whatever toppings you want on the top. I added some diced green onions, diced avocado, shredded Mozzarella cheese, and sour cream.

Now for the process. Add the tablespoon of oil to a large/deep pot and let it start warming over medium heat. When it is nice and warm add the diced onion and let it cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the chicken and let it start cooking. I cut my chicken into small pieces so they would cook faster and then it would be easier to eat. After the chicken turns white add the garlic in and give it a stir so it is all coated. Then add the beans and corn and mix it all together. Now add the spices, the cumin and oregano, and get it all mixed in. Now add the chicken broth and let it come to a simmer and let the soup simmer for about 25 minutes so the chicken broth can reduce down. During this time you can add the lime juice and stir it in with the broth. After about 25 minutes this soup will be so delicious and full of flavor! Dish it out and add your toppings. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Caramel Syrup!

This stuff is DELICIOUS! I am so serious. Yummm... if you want something delicious to dip your french toast sticks in... this is perfect... if you want something to drizzle over ice cream or pancakes or anything that needs a good sweet syrup/sauce, then... Try this! I remember the first time I tried it... and yes in that moment I was hooked. I have since seen other variations of the syrup/sauce and this one I like the best of all. Enjoy!

BUTTERMILK CARAMEL SYRUP

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cube of real butter

2 tablespoons light Karo syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Start by using a large/deep pot because it will foam while it is cooking.  

Add the butter to the pan and let it melt on the bottom, then add all of the ingredients into the pot except the vanilla. 

On medium low heat let all of the ingredients come to a soft boil and let it stir pretty much continuously for about 7 minutes or until the syrup turns a golden brown color. At that point add the teaspoon of vanilla and stir it all together. 

Let it cool for a little bit and then you can put it in a container in the fridge to cool completely and it will set up and turn into a beautiful buttermilk caramel sauce! Then whenever you are ready to use some you can warm it up in the microwave or just use it cold. Yummmm... I think I will have some in the morning!

Coleslaw

I tried a recipe for cooked cabbage and I have tried brussel sprouts and I just wasn't too big of a fan but I wanted to try to eat some more cabbage in my diet so I decided trying coleslaw sounded like a good idea especially because Dustin likes coleslaw too. This recipe is supposed to be a KFC imitation but it seemed a little bit more juicy. Which is good because then you can just toss the coleslaw and not have the sauce be too thick and globby... so if you like that in a coleslaw then try this one!

KFC Coleslaw

8 cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head) 

1/4 cup diced carrot 

2 tablespoons minced onions 

1/3 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper 

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar 

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Finely slice/dice cabbage and carrots. Sit the cabbage on its side so you can finely slice it and then just grate the carrots. Or you could use a food processor to do it all. Then pour the cabbage mixture and stir in the minced onions. In a separate bowl blend together the rest of the ingredients until smooth to make the sauce. Pour the sauce over the cabbage mixture and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl and let it refrigerate several hours or overnight. Yummm...


Next recipe will be a Buttermilk Caramel Sauce that I made that is SO delicious... it is tasty on ice cream or waffles/french toast. I made it I just need to take a picture and get it posted so stay tune!

Red Pepper Chicken Crepes

I just made this recipe with what ingredients I had in my kitchen so feel free to add whatever sounds good to you. Savory crepes are simple and delicious, next time I think I will try making them with chicken and broccoli. It is a nice recipe to just make with what you have on hand. Enjoy! :)

Chicken Crepes

2 chicken breasts, diced

1/3 onion, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

Splash of oil

a couple shakes of garlic salt

a couple shakes of pepper

1 can of Cream of Chicken soup

1 cup or so of shredded cheese

One batch of the *Basic Crepes recipe*
I added some chopped avocado on top for a little garnish touch

In a medium skillet with a lid I start warming some olive oil. Then add the diced onion and red pepper and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the chicken, garlic salt, and pepper and give it a stir. Put the lid on and let it steam until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Then add the chicken soup and let it warm. Then put a couple spoonfuls of filling inside the middle of each crepe and sprinkle a pinch of cheese on top. Then roll up the crepe and do so with as many crepes as you want to make. *I made 7 big crepes with this recipe.* Then when all the crepes are filled put them in the oven at 300 degrees until the cheese is melted on top which takes about 7-10 minutes. Yummm...

German Pancakes!

German pancakes are delicious! I love the picture below because they turned out so funny. I have never seen german pancakes rise so much. I think these will be so much fun to make when my kids get older because it is so much fun to see what they will look like when they come out!

 Yummm... and they were delicious. We put some powdered sugar and strawberries on this batch but they are delicious with jam, fruit, syrup, cinnamon/sugar, or anything sweet!

GERMAN PANCAKES

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

6 tbsp. melted butter

PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees.

Beat eggs.
Add milk and blend. Add flour, salt, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9x13'' pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes.
Cut and serve with whatever delicious toppings you want! Yummm...

Festival of Colors Cupcakes

Dietetics has 3 main focuses: clinical nutrition, community nutrition, and food service. For one of our assignments in our food service class we did a "theme day" project. My group decided to have our theme day be a "Festival of Colors" and encourage everyone in attendance to eat colorful fruits and vegetables. We planned to decorate with bright colored table cloths and have a fruit bowl as the centerpiece. I was in charge of making the sample on the menu for the class to taste and I found a fun recipe for colorful cupcakes that fit perfectly with the theme.

Festival of Colors Cupcakes

1 cake mix

2 eggs

1 cup of yogurt or sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

Add all of the ingredients together and mix on low for about a minute then scrape the  bowl. On medium speed continue to blend until light and well blended about 2 more minutes. Divide the cake batter into different bowls so you can make different colors of batter. I made 5 colors but I think when I make these again I will just do four. You pick! Then I used some liquid (dripper) food coloring and some of the Wilton paste coloring. Both seemed to work just fine so just pick bright colors and color them all different. Then start putting a spoonful of each color in the cupcake liners and layer them. You can smooth out each layer by wetting your finger and smoothing it our or wetting the bottom of a spoon. This helps them stay separated. 

Then just bake according to the instructions on the package and they should come out looking like... THIS!

The lighting in our apartment isn't that great and neither is the camera... but these are super cute cupcakes! I got the idea from the blog "Ourbestbites.com". It is an amazing blog and I recommend that anyone reading check it out! :)

This is the view of  the cupcake that has been opened!

For the frosting I made a cream cheese/buttercream frosting:

1/2 package of light cream cheese

1/2 cube of butter

1lb. powdered sugar

1 cap of vanilla

I don't like frosting that is too sweet so I try not to add too much powdered sugar or I can't even eat it. So add as much as you feel to give the frosting the taste you prefer. Also, if you want to pipe the frosting on the cupcake you will need a large star tip and a frosting bag and then just squeeze the frosting out with consistent pressure in a swirling motion until you have covered the cupcake. Then top with bright colored sprinkles!

Crepes

Ok. this is my 5th post for the day and I saved the best for last. I don't know why but Crepes always seemed like they would be hard to make... I was very wrong! These are so easy to make and so much fun and delicious! I am super excited to try lots of different savory and sweet fillings in the future. If anyone has any questions about any of the recipes I have posted feel free to comment and I can explain the recipes a little bit more. Thanks!

All of the delicious crepes with whipped cream and strawberries were gone by the time I remembered to take a picture... so I just folded the crepes up so they weren't just laying flat on the plate. Hopefully that helps everyone see what they should kind of look like with thickness and doneness.

Basic Crepes

2 eggs

2 Tbs oil

3 Tbs sugar (don't add the sugar if you are making savory crepes)

1 cup flour

1 1/3 cups milk

 Combine the dry ingredients together with a whisk so the sugar is evenly distributed. Add the wet ingredients together in a 2 cup measuring cup and mix them until the eggs are well distributed then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Whisk together until there are no lumps. 

Add about 2 tsp of butter to a skillet and let it melt at about medium heat, then add about 1/4 cup of the batter to the bottom of the skillet and let it cook for like 30 seconds until you can put a spatula under the crepe and flip it over. Flip it over and let it cook on that side for another about 20 seconds. I knew they were done when they were slightly browned.

Now... about the fillings: we put some Reddi-Whip and diced up strawberries in some, Nutella was also delicious. I also know that other good topping ideas are: lightly brushed with butter and sprinkled with sugar and/or cinnamon, or a drizzle of syrup or jam. Just experiment!

*A delicious savory chicken mushroom crepe with asparagus is next on the list... so stay tuned!* 

Salsa Chicken and Asparagus wrapped in BACON!

According to Jim Gaffigan everything is better wrapped in bacon... so we wrapped some asparagus in bacon. I just cut some pieces of bacon in half and trimmed up some asparagus and wrapped it up! Cook it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. If you like your bacon crispier then you need to cook it in the over for about 7-10 minutes before you cook it with the asparagus or it won't be really crisp.

Salsa Chicken

2 chicken breasts if you are cooking for more... just add more.

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 green pepper, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 cups salsa

Put about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet that has a lid and let it warm up then add the minced garlic and give it a stir to let it start working its magic. I love garlic. Then add the chopped onion and green pepper mix it all together and put the lid on for like 3 minutes so they can soften. Then add the chicken to the mixture and press it down on both sides of the bottom of the pan so it can sear the sides and get the flavor cooking into the chicken. Then put the lid back on and let it cook for about 5 more minutes. Now you can put on the salsa and leave it to cook for about 5 more minutes. The best way to know it is done is to check it with a food thermometer. I recommend them because then you know you are safe against food borne illness but if you don't have one cut through the chicken to make sure it is white all the way through. Then serve the chicken with the sauce on top. Yummm...

Pigs in a Blanket

Yummm... these are really simple but I love Lit'l Smokies and one of my dietetics friends told me she made some pigs in a blanket with Lit'l Smokies so I had to try them. Yummm... we really liked them. All you need to do is buy some rolls that come those little tin cylinders that pop and almost give you a heart attack and some Lit'l Smokies (cheese is optional). Cut the rolls in a triangle so you can roll up the Lit'l Smokie inside you can put a little bit of cheese inside and that is good too. Then put them all rolled up on a baking sheet and bake according to the instructions for the roll. I used crescent rolls but any type would work. I think if you use the crescent rolls don't put cheese inside because crescent rolls are already a little greasy. Enjoy!

Banana Crumb Muffins

 I am President of the Student Dietetic Association at BYU so in the mornings I try to make muffins as a treat for the girls who wake up and come to the meetings and since we always have bananas that go ripe too fast I wanted to make banana muffins. This is a recipe I found online because I wanted to try a fun topping for them. I actually didn't try one but everyone said they were delicious!

Banana Crumb Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

Topping

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbs all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 Tbs butter, slightly softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 10 holes in a muffin tin or line with muffin cups. I usually lightly spray those too so they don't stick to the bottoms of the paper cups.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into muffin cups until about 2/3 full.
Topping: In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 Tbs flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles course cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
NUTRITION FACTS (per muffin): 263 kcals, 8 g fat, 40 mg cholesterol.

Delicious Bread Pudding

Dustin is a great husband because every time I make something he said it is one of his new "favorites." He has loved this recipe for bread pudding and I have kind of worked on perfecting it to the way I like it. From working at the BYU bakery I even came up with a caramel sauce that is super delicious. Enjoy!

DELICIOUS BREAD PUDDING

6-7 slices, day old bread

2 Tbs butter, melted

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break bread into small pieces and put them in a 8x8 square baking dish. Drizzle melted butter over bread. In a medium bowl combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread and lightly push down until the bread is covered and soaked in the mixture. 

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

For the caramel topping: it is very simple. In the bakery we buy bulk Hershey's caramel, but I don't need a 7 lb. tin can of caramel so I just melt some of those little plastic wrapped caramels and melt them with some cream until it is a good texture. yummm... then just drizzle it on top of a piece of the pudding and put a dollop of whipped cream with some cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on top for a garnish.

Caramel-chocolate Dipped Pretzels

Dustin and I have been wanting to make caramel/chocolate pretzels for months now. So today when he got home we finally branched out and had some fun.We used all sorts of fun toppings: mini m&m's, heath bits, and Ande's mints. yummm...  We didn't use a recipe or anything but I thought I would post some of our fun pictures. :)

I randomly got sick on Monday and then it progressively got worse until today I didn't even go to school. I can't even remember the last time I missed a day of school. So this brightened my day!

Getting started...

Well, this week has been busy to say the least so I have not been able to make my first delicious post. But... I have got started in the process. Today when I got back from class... completely burnt out... I started looking through some fun recipe books and I definitely got some good ideas of things I want to make. I plan on making some recipes like: chicken tikki masala-delicious Indian food, risotto-I have heard a lot about it but never tried it, a delicous recipe for roast that uses ranch!, crepes- they have always sounds like fun to make for breakfast and dessert, and curry. Yummm... doesn't that just sound delightful! 
Mom and Grandma... since you two are my only followers... I promise one day this month I will surprise you with a fun new scrumptious creation to try! 
Today I had an egg sandwich... but there is no saying what tomorrow might bring! So stay tuned...

My Passion.

I LOVE  to cook. It is definitely my favorite hobby. I am a Dietetics major. These two facts sometimes conflict with each other. Dietetics is a time consuming and intense major which means sometimes I can't cook the scrumptious creations that are filling my mind. yummm.... I decided this weekend that I am going to change that. And my new blog is the result! I am going to post all of the delicious and generally healthy recipes that I make. :) I am SO excited to do this. So... here I go! Stay tuned for what comes next...