tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75053842347614494042024-02-21T03:17:27.594-05:00Every Free Chance Recipe ReviewsThis is a blog about the recipes that I try out for my husband and my two boys. I'll tell you if I liked it, if I'll cook it again, and if I would recommend it to you.EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-12113965429490980302012-11-08T15:05:00.001-05:002012-11-08T15:06:21.661-05:00Pumpkin Streusel Bread<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">This recipe is from my favorite cookbook...say it with me...The Best of Cooking Light!</span></span><br />
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<div class="recipeDetails" style="background-color: white; margin-top: -15px;">
<ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Topping:</b></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/4 cup</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">chopped pecans</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 2 tbsps</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sugar</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1 1/2 tbsps</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <i>(I like using butter better than the margarine. The margarine makes the top kind of wet during the baking making you a bit unsure as to whether the bread is done. It tastes fine in the end but I prefer the butter.)</i></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/4 tsp</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ground cinnamon</span></li>
<li class="subheading hasDeal cboxElement" style="float: none; margin: 1.8em 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Bread:</b></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 2 cups</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">all-purpose flour</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/2 cup</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sugar</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/2 cup</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">raisins</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1 tsp</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">baking soda</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1 tsp</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/2 tsp</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ground cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/2 tsp</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ground cloves</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/2 tsp</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ground nutmeg</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1 cup</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">canned pumpkin</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/2 cup</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">plain low-fat yogurt</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/2 cup</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">honey</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1/4 cup</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vegetable oil</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1 tsp</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vanilla extract</span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 2 </span><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">large eggs</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="name" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cooking spray</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<h3 style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Preparation:</span></h3>
<ol itemprop="instructions" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Preheat oven to 350°.</span></li>
<li style="float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- To prepare topping, combine first 4 ingredients until crumbly. Set the mixture aside.</span></li>
<li style="float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- To prepare bread, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 7 ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine the pumpkin and next 5 ingredients (pumpkin through eggs) in a bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with topping. </span></li>
<li style="float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.cookinglight.com/" style="cursor: pointer;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><b><span itemprop="author">Cooking Light</span></b></i></a> <br clear="none" /><span itemprop="published">NOVEMBER 2000</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span itemprop="published">Here is what it looks like:</span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I love this recipe! It is easy to throw together and it takes so good!!! It is very moist and flavorful.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Absolutely.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes, I will. I have already made it about 10 times. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-80388885522151519132012-09-09T18:42:00.003-04:002012-09-09T18:42:51.783-04:00Cole SlawI found this recipe in my Cooking Light <i>Way to Cook</i> cookbook. I have modified the original recipe a bit.<br />
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Here is the original recipe:<br />
- 4 cups packaged cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw<br />
- 3 tbsps fat-free mayonnaise<br />
- 1 1/2 tsps sugar<br />
- 1/2 tsp celery seeds<br />
- 1 1/2 tsps cider vinegar<br />
- 1/8 tsp salt<br />
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All you do is mix all of the above ingredients together and serve it.<br />
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Here is my modified version:<br />
- a package of broccoli slaw mix<br />
- 3-4 tbsps light mayo<br />
- 1 1/2 tsps sugar<br />
- 1/2 tsp celery seeds<br />
- 1 1/2 tsps cider vinegar<br />
- salt to taste<br />
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Mix it all up and you're done! Here is a picture of my coleslaw!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybvgTqkdPNowSAiojCwGoReUCSmasS0abb2ULRzt8CBjiS0YiszJ3YvVoz6fDgpN-kUgfx7lVfSjSX3FZCAqBgNMcGPBJHGcRLsAeRHIrF7HHKAxyarR2g1ieRLtZaFyOHU6CbRP-uw9z/s1600/002+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybvgTqkdPNowSAiojCwGoReUCSmasS0abb2ULRzt8CBjiS0YiszJ3YvVoz6fDgpN-kUgfx7lVfSjSX3FZCAqBgNMcGPBJHGcRLsAeRHIrF7HHKAxyarR2g1ieRLtZaFyOHU6CbRP-uw9z/s320/002+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I love this recipe!!!! My 4 year old son loves this cole slaw, too! It is so easy to make and is good the next day or so as well.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Absolutely! Make it! </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Many, many times!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-9903578757560865332012-07-13T20:31:00.002-04:002012-07-13T20:31:39.281-04:00Easy Banana BreadI found this fantastic and super simple recipe in my trusty, Best of Cooking Light cookbook. (Where else, right?) This banana bread is so quick and simple to mix together, it takes mere minutes!<br />
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Here's the recipe <i>(The italicized portions are my changes and findings after making this recipe quite a few times.)</i>:<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas) </span><i style="background-color: white;">(however, I found that using 3 bananas makes the bread moister!)</i><br />
- 2/3 cup sugar<br />
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil<br />
- 1 large egg white<br />
- 1 large egg<br />
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour<br />
- 1 1/4 tsps cream of tartar<br />
- 3/4 tsp baking soda<br />
- 1/2 tsp salt<br />
- cooking spray<br />
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Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350<br />
Step 2: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth<br />
Step 3: Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. <i>(Honestly, I just scoop the flour with the measuring cup and level it with a spoon. I don't know if lightly spooning it makes a difference or not...it is slightly messier.)</i> Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.<br />
Step 4: Add flour mixture to the banana mixture, stirring just until moist.<br />
Step 5: Spoon batter into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. <i>(Again, I don't spoon it in, I just pour it from the bowl and scrape it clean with the spatula.)</i><br />
Step 6: Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. <i>(My oven, and my mom's, took at least 45 minutes...if not longer, sometimes closer to 50 minutes. And, when the pick - I use a metal one - is inserted straight done in the center, it will come out clean at 40 minutes. However, if you insert it in at an angle near the top of the loaf, you will see that it is not done and kind of gooey.)</i><br />
Step 7: Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on rack. <i>(Another lesson I learned - WAIT THE 10 MINUTES!!!! I did not one time and the bottom of the loaf stayed in the pan. So, my advice is WAIT THE 10 MINUTES!)</i><br />
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Here's what it looks like:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJeizWCMVdU8ZBjOR7LKuuyj6zp2_sxg4kBNpq6JZzZIRR21CTIclxw_Os3KRA4aUqfqkk1ZkzHSEmK31mrK6u3vMcDrcIIY2bgrbBdiFB-zHyqltmw0OzfN2u37-WJwN_tZW98ZxWoS2h/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJeizWCMVdU8ZBjOR7LKuuyj6zp2_sxg4kBNpq6JZzZIRR21CTIclxw_Os3KRA4aUqfqkk1ZkzHSEmK31mrK6u3vMcDrcIIY2bgrbBdiFB-zHyqltmw0OzfN2u37-WJwN_tZW98ZxWoS2h/s320/023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I love this recipe! The bread is so yummy and moist. My kids love it. My husband love it. I love it (with some cream cheese on top!).</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Absolutely! Make it, you will not regret it. Also, this is a great recipe to have the kids help with...let them mash up the bananas with a potato masher. It is great fun!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I have also done a variation on this recipe...adding about a 1/2 bag of chocolate chips to it. YUM!</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes, I will!!!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-2677086925589372342012-05-02T12:02:00.000-04:002012-05-02T12:02:03.796-04:00Baked ZitiTonight I was in the mood for a pasta dish. I had ziti in my pantry, so I thought "Let's have baked ziti." I haven't made this before. I looked up a few different recipes and came up with this.<br />
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Here are the ingredients:<br />
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<ul>
<li> 1 1/2 lbs ziti, uncooked </li>
<li>1 jar favorite tomato sauce (I used Bertolli Marinara) </li>
<li>1 can diced tomatoes </li>
<li>1 15 oz container part-skim ricotta cheese </li>
<li>2 cups or so of shredded mozzarella </li>
<li>Parmesan cheese </li>
</ul>
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Here's what I did:<br />
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I cooked the pasta until it was just about done. A bit past al dente. Then, drained the pasta. I put the pasta back into the pot I cooked it in and added the sauce, diced tomatoes, ricotta and about a cup or so of shredded mozarella. Just stir this up until it is well mixed. I then poured the entire pasta mixture into a large baking dish that I had sprayed with cooking spray. Then, topped the pasta cheesy goodness with more mozarella and grated Parmesan cheese. I baked it at 350 for 25 minutes (or until the cheese is melted and looks yummy.)<br />
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Here's what it looked like:<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I did. It was quite tasty!</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would!</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> I will.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;">I think I will put more sauce in it the next time I make it though. And I will use a different sauce...still a marinara, just not the Bertolli that I used in this batch.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think! Or let me know if you do a variation on it...I'm always looking for new things to cook!!!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-4577581516969511762012-03-29T22:51:00.003-04:002012-03-29T22:51:33.828-04:00Corned Beef and Cabbage StewFor St. Patrick's Day, along with the <a href="http://everyfreechancerecipereviews.blogspot.com/2012/03/irish-soda-bread.html">Irish Soda Bread</a>, I make corned beef and cabbage stew. It is pretty easy to make and quite tasty.<br />
<br />
Here are the ingredients:<br />
<ul>
<li>corned beef brisket <i>(most supermarkets sell these with a seasoning packet in the bag.)</i></li>
<li>3 or 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
</li>
<li>carrots, chunked (<i>I usually use the baby cut carrots because that is what I have on hand and you don't have to peel them!)</i></li>
<li>a bag of parsnips, peeled and chunked</li>
<li>1 onion, cut into about 6 wedges</li>
<li>1 head of cabbage, sliced and chopped
</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here's what you do:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Place the brisket in a stockpot and cover with water, adding the seasoning packet and juices from the wrapping. Boil for about an hour and a half to two hours...until the meat is done.</li>
<li>Remove the brisket and strain the water into another stockpot. Into the water, add the potatoes and bring to a boil. </li>
<li>After about 20 minutes, add the carrots and parsnips. </li>
<ul>
<li>Meanwhile, slice the brisket and cut into bite-sized cubes. Add the meat to the pot of vegetables.</li>
</ul>
<li>Add the cabbage and onion and cook until the cabbage is tender.</li>
<li>Serve alone or with some bread. (<i>I made beer bread from Tastefully Simple. I used a Guinness in it! So tasty!!!) </i>And enjoy!</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcp8jnIdvuyWptsf6jFhjrgAdPmWtRcPqmuoAnmfhDk0_1sOLKOBz5eveAvgaU7do7WyJ8Qm4zxy3rnw2Aj2JHlN7jhatD-W2Ci2HyvxaQQ-JkQHdVwqkKTGEnnGH7WIO3EipRq0FPcdJ/s1600/056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcp8jnIdvuyWptsf6jFhjrgAdPmWtRcPqmuoAnmfhDk0_1sOLKOBz5eveAvgaU7do7WyJ8Qm4zxy3rnw2Aj2JHlN7jhatD-W2Ci2HyvxaQQ-JkQHdVwqkKTGEnnGH7WIO3EipRq0FPcdJ/s320/056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Every year I make it! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would recommend it. As I said, it is easy to make and feeds a lot. I love the flavors and </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">heartiness</span></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> of this stew. It's great for those sometimes cool March evenings. (Unlike this year when it was like 80 degrees!!!)</span></span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Next year at St. Patrick's Day! (I really should make it more often than that!)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-46967531338776176942012-03-20T22:30:00.002-04:002012-03-20T22:32:41.491-04:00Irish Soda BreadEvery year for the past 10-15 years, I have made Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day for my family. I love it and they seem to like it, too! So, here is my recipe.<br />
<br />
What you need:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>3 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li>2 tsps baking powder <i>(this is very important!!! do not use baking soda!!!! see pictures below)</i></li>
<li>1/2 tsp salt</li>
<li>1/2 cup white sugar</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups buttermilk</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
<li>2/3 cup golden raisins</li>
<li>1+ tbsp caraway seeds</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here's what you do:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>preheat the oven to 350</li>
<li>combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl</li>
<li>in a separate measuring cup or small bowl, beat the eggs with the butttermilk<i> (I use a large measuring cup. I pour in the milk then add the eggs. I use a whisk to beat these two together.) </i></li>
<ul>
<li>add this mixture to the flour mixture and mix with a spoon or spatula</li>
</ul>
<li>stir in the raisins and the caraway seeds</li>
<li>pour the dough onto a lightly floured board and shape the dough into a round loaf, adding flour if necessary</li>
<ul>
<li><i>This dough is very, very sticky!!! I usually use gloves because it is such a pain to wash off my hands. This last time I made this bread, I poured the dough directly into my pan and formed it there. It worked well. But, if this is your first time making this recipe, use the board and for the loaf before you put it in the pan.</i></li>
</ul>
<li>place the loaf in a greased (or cooking sprayed) and floured cast iron skillet</li>
<ul>
<li>sprinkle the top of the loaf with caraway seeds</li>
<li>use a knife to cut an "X" in the top of the loaf <i>(this is not necessary but looks pretty neat)</i></li>
</ul>
<li>bake for about 1 hour <i>(my new oven seems to cook a bit faster, so I started checking the bread after 45 minutes)</i> or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped</li>
</ul>
<div>
Cool the loaf on a cooling rack. Slice and serve with (or without) butter. <i>(I like it with butter!)</i></div>
</div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwoAwjMiCLymZ24yuMhAUDGVwRBx-grETB3BxWSfMY2Rlg1ug7wz5ZNhT0B3_Lda3I5-xNAdFsDPAOqKSFbXjL1d38aZNIc-AID-FaTuv44bD9AhF4C6tqX9NIdP24mVVCSHdGZbbTdaM/s1600/054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwoAwjMiCLymZ24yuMhAUDGVwRBx-grETB3BxWSfMY2Rlg1ug7wz5ZNhT0B3_Lda3I5-xNAdFsDPAOqKSFbXjL1d38aZNIc-AID-FaTuv44bD9AhF4C6tqX9NIdP24mVVCSHdGZbbTdaM/s320/054.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>made with baking powder</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMXDYQ8wipzrCpgZpEuXok_FnecksdFi3b84tFGdsvAu4IASg4iT_pLgO_Fm9JkwbUUYCRF9HBBsCpxKjkONrvV9yhZL7QdKdEKV5paKt_Wzp6lGj4w2eMQWvg1eC46LZ4Zqooxu84a4b/s1600/055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMXDYQ8wipzrCpgZpEuXok_FnecksdFi3b84tFGdsvAu4IASg4iT_pLgO_Fm9JkwbUUYCRF9HBBsCpxKjkONrvV9yhZL7QdKdEKV5paKt_Wzp6lGj4w2eMQWvg1eC46LZ4Zqooxu84a4b/s320/055.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>made with baking soda</i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<i>
</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You are probably wondering why I am showing you pictures of Irish Soda Bread made with and without baking powder. I am doing this so that you do not make the same mistake I did!!! The first loaf I made was done with baking soda...I don't know why but I made the mistake. As you can see from the pictures, the loaf came out much thinner and darker with the baking soda. The bread made with the baking soda also tasted different. It was drier and not as moist. It really wasn't that good. My husband thought it was fine...different, not as good, but fine. (He still ate it! He is so sweet!)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtL5AiRxsLPy0n1QR2vm5vUZkQ4BSibSZ47llhCWOdgcUuOdKQ7GrTZUs6hjlaI_pRy2I73a5-_w1c1OPViuGvCFhqp-5aoyuaqSprcyIFezNjrONmpqIomCwqfwKS4KYDWhGXZxloDvsF/s1600/062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtL5AiRxsLPy0n1QR2vm5vUZkQ4BSibSZ47llhCWOdgcUuOdKQ7GrTZUs6hjlaI_pRy2I73a5-_w1c1OPViuGvCFhqp-5aoyuaqSprcyIFezNjrONmpqIomCwqfwKS4KYDWhGXZxloDvsF/s320/062.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The lighter one is the one made correctly, with baking POWDER!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I always enjoy this recipe. It doesn't take much time to make and it is so delicious! </span></div>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would. This is an easy recipe - especially for those who have never made soda bread before. Just be sure to use baking POWDER!!!!</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Absolutely!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><br /></i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><br /></i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-51189619682721048632012-03-16T23:17:00.000-04:002012-03-16T23:17:51.585-04:00Bacon and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I needed a side dish to go along with the flank steak we made for dinner the other night. I love potatoes and my Cooking Light magazine had this recipe: <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/bacon-cheddar-mashed-potatoes-50400000119695/">Bacon and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes</a>.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="http://img4.myrecipes.com/i/recipes/ck/12/03/bacon-cheddar-mashed-potatoes-ck-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img4.myrecipes.com/i/recipes/ck/12/03/bacon-cheddar-mashed-potatoes-ck-l.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">These were so easy to make and took hardly any time to make them. I used more bacon slices than were called for...I mean, 2 slices, that's not enough! I mixed the bacon pieces in with the potatoes...not just put them on top! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>Did I enjoy it? </b>I really did. They were quite tasty and easy to make.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would. It was a quick side dish that went well with steak.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> I most definitely will.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-14838385382353980072012-03-10T18:15:00.001-05:002012-03-10T18:15:02.589-05:00Chicken Mini EmpanadasI wanted an appetizer for my son's first birthday party and I found <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/chicken-mini-empanadas-recipe/index.html">Chicken Mini Empanadas</a> in my December 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine.<br />
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I had some issues with this recipe. The filling was great and rather easy to make...very tasty! I could have just eaten the filling with a fork all by itself.<br />
<br />
However, the vessel was terrible!!! I used the premade refrigerated pie crust and cut the 3 inch circles to fill with the chicken mixture. I could not get the empanadas to fold nicely at all. I even tried making squares. It was not good. Here is a picture of the finished product.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbcWUzWZUSukvOKa4a4OIf9kb5eeUzAV4JD5sQ6-eLTgqkCkczJ-bql9HIYIcYe7YSD7jiP5wOQUWwJ5gSnbFgkELNm8itTMD18eMJOc6XMftP8NawUGDfCjXrl6-9mP-P1Wgu92CkC8W/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbcWUzWZUSukvOKa4a4OIf9kb5eeUzAV4JD5sQ6-eLTgqkCkczJ-bql9HIYIcYe7YSD7jiP5wOQUWwJ5gSnbFgkELNm8itTMD18eMJOc6XMftP8NawUGDfCjXrl6-9mP-P1Wgu92CkC8W/s320/014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LdNHhIvwu-z3m7a2gvaEd5WZu7xN2UmcBxS6vx3Y9HxmjG9NuLjfBo03heGI-x1ZG1g1UJaKoTTJbue00Uy6Ker-V8VfwI8wji7nQV9pe7zKBv0480RA_YyTMhTMka9UfchCZTmyG79k/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LdNHhIvwu-z3m7a2gvaEd5WZu7xN2UmcBxS6vx3Y9HxmjG9NuLjfBo03heGI-x1ZG1g1UJaKoTTJbue00Uy6Ker-V8VfwI8wji7nQV9pe7zKBv0480RA_YyTMhTMka9UfchCZTmyG79k/s320/015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next day (I had some filling left over), I tried making the empanadas with gyoza wrappers. The gyoza wrappers were much easier to fill and fold. I baked them in the oven but they did not look too pretty. I'm going to have to try to pan-fry them or broil them next time.<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I really like the filling. The pie crust vessel, not so much. The gyoza wrapper was better but I have to find a better way to cook it.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would because the filling was so good. But I warn you, the 3 inch pie crust round is too small. I would make it bigger.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> I will. I'll let you know if I come up with an easier way to wrap them up.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-27750037440984447612012-02-21T15:44:00.003-05:002012-02-21T15:44:35.494-05:00Oyster Cracker SnackWe had a neighborhood crawl over the weekend and our house was one of the stops. I made my <a href="http://everyfreechancerecipereviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/pepperoni-rolls.html">Pepperoni Rolls</a>, <a href="http://everyfreechancerecipereviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/mini-crab-cups.html">mini crab cups</a>, and these super easy, super tasty, super addictive oyster crackers.<br />
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Here's how you do it:<br />
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Whisk together in a large bowl,<br />
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<ul>
<li>1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing powder mix</li>
<li>1/2 tbsp dried dill</li>
<li>1/4 tsp of lemon pepper seasoning</li>
<ul>
<li><i>If you do not have lemon pepper seasoning - which I did not when I made this batch of crackers - you can use black pepper and some lemon juice (just a splash, not too much).</i></li>
</ul>
<li>1/4 tsp garlic powder</li>
<li>3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil</li>
</ul>
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Once the above is whisked together, add a 12-16 oz bag of oyster crackers. Mix gently, coating all of the crackers. Spread the crackers onto a cookie sheet in an even layer. </div>
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Bake at 250 for about 20 minutes. Give the crackers a stir after 10 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Then eat and try to stop yourself from eating the whole batch in one sitting!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhDrq0oo-9ehJ2XN78Vy6U3xbxBSzCwfFQXcCEGLgW6XuIz3ao0oZc8v54mSxdr8H7rHYhVSPYO9KVnrhEFJCREq_qN5zSnL0l9ZWkp7G6g2iOKd1E7rr-3zil5MmdHsFg6zJorxK8lZB/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhDrq0oo-9ehJ2XN78Vy6U3xbxBSzCwfFQXcCEGLgW6XuIz3ao0oZc8v54mSxdr8H7rHYhVSPYO9KVnrhEFJCREq_qN5zSnL0l9ZWkp7G6g2iOKd1E7rr-3zil5MmdHsFg6zJorxK8lZB/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I did so much! This a favorite snack of mine. You can eat them alone or add them to soup. Yum Yum Yum!</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Absolutely. So easy and quick to make with delicious results!</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> I sure will!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-29281127021863012902012-02-20T15:27:00.005-05:002012-02-20T18:18:18.501-05:00Mini Crab Cups<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mini-crab-cups-50400000108379/">Mini Crab Cups</a> for two events recently...my son's 1st birthday party and our neighborhood crawl. I found this recipe in my December 2010 edition of Cooking Light Magazine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They looked easy. What I liked about this recipe was that I could make the filling ahead of time...up to a day. That made party prep a lot easier. Also, I made the cups earlier in the day as well. Moments before the birthday party, I filled the cups with the crab mixture and we were good to go. For the neighborhood crawl, w<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">e filled these cups about an hour before our guests were due to arrive as we were the second house on the crawl and the cups were still crispy when our guests left that evening a few hours later.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a picture of how my Mini Crab Cups came out!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzlTwQ_sJEXH96yNVNu3VWjXaNVJdYy7NBbDrDtzkBVfYgl1__pC4nbadjy_hNKoPMm74vS1XX_bdAIM59mWJkDI44svbWzBQV6xXRW0JzSjak0LBE_EZpdlLVRjEcMptORc2Wdp4rerw/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzlTwQ_sJEXH96yNVNu3VWjXaNVJdYy7NBbDrDtzkBVfYgl1__pC4nbadjy_hNKoPMm74vS1XX_bdAIM59mWJkDI44svbWzBQV6xXRW0JzSjak0LBE_EZpdlLVRjEcMptORc2Wdp4rerw/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJocbw9kkqAm2KQpP9CLaDitZZYtHbtMCdQQJa1tqT-Rt977YvVmXdvKniHe0Z2eYyhMtUJ0kBNuYO048vz5hunpR-wIkW0Ircp7X9q2ktiLNL0unkYRClCQannXxpBn_lmQEsS58ny2o/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJocbw9kkqAm2KQpP9CLaDitZZYtHbtMCdQQJa1tqT-Rt977YvVmXdvKniHe0Z2eYyhMtUJ0kBNuYO048vz5hunpR-wIkW0Ircp7X9q2ktiLNL0unkYRClCQannXxpBn_lmQEsS58ny2o/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I really did enjoy these cups. They were very easy to make and so tasty. The cilantro and lime really made it refreshing. The jalapeno did not add a lot of heat. </span></span></span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would. I thought it was an ideal appetizer to make. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> I will. They were a great party appetizer.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, or if you have had it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-66313009824458537192012-02-13T14:38:00.003-05:002012-02-13T14:38:47.553-05:00Valentine's Day Sugar CookiesToday, I made sugar cookies for my son's preschool class. They are having a Valentine's Day party tomorrow.<br />
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I used the same recipe I used at Christmas - <a href="http://everyfreechancerecipereviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/grandmas-sugar-cookies.html">Grandma's Sugar Cookies</a>. But instead of using Christmas cookie cutters, I used a heart-shaped cutter. And here is how they turned out!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y-uvANySmMwMYohjqm1Dl_m3FXD594rnZ-S6FEh9gi5b1IoNXTPiY6TqxbDtGq2T9rARwwNIBzEGdjg4SXDZAdvkXhMKleof6Eg0ab3He2fpndH-1Qz_3LDq_CBahQjeCzLF1NeLG8oJ/s1600/Valentine's+Day+Cookies+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y-uvANySmMwMYohjqm1Dl_m3FXD594rnZ-S6FEh9gi5b1IoNXTPiY6TqxbDtGq2T9rARwwNIBzEGdjg4SXDZAdvkXhMKleof6Eg0ab3He2fpndH-1Qz_3LDq_CBahQjeCzLF1NeLG8oJ/s320/Valentine's+Day+Cookies+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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These were a lot of fun to make because my 3 1/2 year son and my mom helped out. </div>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-68645592251363048792012-02-11T23:05:00.002-05:002012-02-12T18:24:05.647-05:00A Valentine's Day Dinner for Two - Surf & Turf<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">For Valentine's Day, the husband and I decided to cook ourselves a romantic dinner. Our local grocery store was offering a surf & turf - two lobster tails and two New York Strip steak. YUM! (We had this last Valentine's Day and decided to do it again this year.)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">For the steak, we prepared it our favorite way...nice and simple. </span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">All I did was drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil on the steak. Then, I sprinkled it with a good amount of coarse sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Because we have about 3 inches of snow or more and it is in the low 20s outside, we grilled the steak on a grill pan on the stove. It turned out quite tasty!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">For the lobster tails, we split them with scissors and gently pulled the meat from the shell. Leave the meat attached to the base (narrow end) of the tail. Baste the tails in the following: 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsps lemon juice, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsps salt. Wisk together and brush all sides of the tails. Broil the tails, meat side down for 4-5 minutes. Baste again and flip them over. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. Repeat until the tails are cooked. (The meat will be opaque and firm to the touch.)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">We served this with a romaine salad topped with tomatoes, carrots, green olives, and green onions. I made a Parmesan vinaigrette. The recipe was from my Joy of Cooking book. Whisk together in a small bowl: 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns (lightly crushed - I used a mortar and pestle for the crushing), 1 garlic clove (minced), salt and pepper to taste. To this, stream in 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil while whisking. You can make the dressing in advance, just store it in the refrigerator. However, i</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">f you make the dressing ahead of time, be sure to whisk it prior to dressing the salad. It tends to separate as it sits. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>Did I enjoy it? </b>Yes, we really did. This was a relatively light meal packed with flavor. The tails and steak were cooked perfectly and didn't need any additions. The tails didn't even need melted butter, that is how delicious and delicate they were. The salad was refreshing and the dressing was not heavy. However, I don't think I will use the whole peppercorns in the dressing next time. If you bit into one of them, it was a bit strong. I'm just going to use some cracked pepper (pepper mill) instead.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Absolutely! It was a romantic meal...the most romantic part was cooking it together. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes, we will. Hopefully before next Valentine's Day.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-13089052249630930242012-02-05T16:41:00.000-05:002012-02-13T08:44:36.433-05:00Beef Vegetable Soup<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">We are continuing with the soup dinners for awhile. Today, my Husband helped me make my beef vegetable soup recipe. This soup is so easy and, if you make enough, will last for a week in the fridge.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">First, in a large stock pot, add a large bottle or can of tomato juice. Fill that bottle/can with water and add to the pot. Use at least one box of beef broth. Fill that box with water and add it to the pot. Depending on how large your stock pot is, you may want to add another box of broth or can of juice plus water. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">To the liquid, add an English cut </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">shoulder </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">roast. (These are good for soup. And pulled roast beef sandwiches, but that is a recipe for another day.) Trim the fat from the meat and cut into large chunks. Also add an onion or two, cut into quarters, and a few ribs of celery. Throw in some salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the meat is done. The meat should pull apart rather easily. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">When the meat is cooked, pull out the meat, onion, and celery. You may need to strain the broth. Discard the onion and celery. Taste the broth...it may or may not need more salt and pepper.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Shred the meat with a fork and add it back to the broth. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Add some chopped potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes. Then, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">add a two pound package of frozen cut vegetables and a package of frozen soup vegetables. I also add extra corn, green beans, and carrots. (Canned or fresh or frozen...whatever you have on hand at the time.) Basically, add whatever vegetables you like in soup and however many as you want!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, and that vegetables are to your liking.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Serve with bread or some shaved Parmesan cheese or all by itself.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfO9MrkjmKx97r4FanD8J_p414U_K3_qEq0grtKyHj4kwN2hyphenhyphenAezEoCg7TzCDO_SGsxjTO5PL7MmFdtgJjHq5fPUdeSdd-pC7ns3sIqAiEBYifgfOxrxASg7ReC_R4PNYuxIREse2ckwd/s1600/vegetable+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfO9MrkjmKx97r4FanD8J_p414U_K3_qEq0grtKyHj4kwN2hyphenhyphenAezEoCg7TzCDO_SGsxjTO5PL7MmFdtgJjHq5fPUdeSdd-pC7ns3sIqAiEBYifgfOxrxASg7ReC_R4PNYuxIREse2ckwd/s320/vegetable+soup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Did I enjoy it? </b>I always enjoy this soup. It has a great flavor to it and, really, what is better than a steaming bowl of beef and veggies in a warm, tasty broth.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Yes, I would.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes. We've already made this soup one other time this year.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think! Or if you make a variation, let me know what you did! I'm always looking for ways to improve my recipes!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-8758486703080277872012-01-28T23:16:00.002-05:002012-01-28T23:19:21.179-05:00Chicken Noodle Soup<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I am currently recovering from carpal tunnel surgery and cannot use my hand at the moment. However, my mom made my family some super tasty homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from a combination of her recipe and mine. It was so good...I want to share it with you. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">In a large stockpot, combine: 4 chicken thighs (with skin and bone), 3 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless), 2 boxes of chicken broth, 4 boxes of water (fill the broth boxes with water), 3 ribs of celery, 1 onion (quartered), a sprig or 2 of parsley, and 2 tbsps chicken base. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour and a half to 2 hours. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">In the meantime, you can chop </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">into bite-sized cubes</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">about 3 or 4 potatoes and about a cup of baby cut carrots. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">After the soup has simmered for the hour and a half to 2 hours, using a mesh strainer, strain the broth into another stockpot. Then, strain it again into the original stockpot you cooked the broth in. Taste the broth. It should be pretty flavorful. However, if it isn't to your liking, add more chicken base.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Add the potatoes and carrots to the broth. Cut up the chicken. Be sure to use the yummy thigh meat. (Removing the thigh meat from the skin and bone takes some time and is quite messy but soooo worth it!) Add chicken and some chopped fresh parsley. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">In a separate pot, cook your noodles for the soup. This batch of soup, we made egg noodles. I have also used farfalle (bow-ties). When done, drain noodles and add to chicken soup.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Serve and enjoy!!!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Did I enjoy it? </b>I really did. Chicken soup is so good when you are sick, recuperating, or just wanting to be cozy on a cold winter night.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes, I would.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Absolutely!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-5176754464680244362012-01-23T22:46:00.003-05:002012-02-09T08:38:07.745-05:00Tomato-Basil Soup<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Tonight was another soup night for my husband and I. I made one of our absolute favorite recipes from...you guessed it!...The Best of Cooking Light cookbook. (I know, I know...I should just change the name of this blog to 'Why I love Cooking Light.') Anyway...I made <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tomato-basil-soup-10000000225897/">Tomato-Basil Soup</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="http://img4.myrecipes.com/i/recipes/ck/00/07/tomato-soup-ck-225897-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://img4.myrecipes.com/i/recipes/ck/00/07/tomato-soup-ck-225897-l.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">This is a very easy recipe to make. The one change I made to it was to use an immersion blender instead of transferring the hot tomato and juice mixture to a traditional blender. The immersion blender - which I received as a Christmas gift a few years ago from my sister-in-law and her husband for this soup alone (yes, that is the only reason I asked for it and the only thing I have used it for thus far) - makes the soup so good and so much easier to make. No transferring it, no unnecessary mess. Easy.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Usually, when we have a garden in the summer, we will boil and peel our excess ripe tomatoes and freeze them. Then, I use those tomatoes in this soup in the winter. However, I did not have fresh tomatoes this time around. I used canned peeled tomatoes and the soup was almost as good! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>Did I enjoy it? </b>Absolutely positively, YES! It is very fresh tasting and easy to make. We serve it with sourdough bread. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Yes, I would!!!</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Most definitely!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-54266740038707359952012-01-19T22:36:00.002-05:002012-01-19T22:36:13.674-05:00Spicy Mulligatawny<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I wanted soup on this cold, wintry night. So, I went to my trusty The Best of Cooking Light cookbook (surprising, I know) and I found this recipe, </span><a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-mulligatawny-10000000231618/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Spicy Mulligatawny</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">. It looked good and I had most of the ingredients on hand - YAY!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">This was an easy soup to assemble. You can chop all of the ingredients before hand - earlier in the day even - and have it ready to put together. You could probably even mix the five dry ingredients together before hand so that all you would have to do is dump it in when it is time.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The ingredients were easy to find. I found the curry powder, ground ginger, and mango chutney in the ethnic section of my local grocery store. This grocery store also sells the brand Badia spices which are a lot cheaper (like a fourth of the price) than the name brand counterpart that everyone knows. Badia is found in the ethnic section of this grocery store as well. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The only change I made was I used a 32 oz box of broth as opposed to the two 14.5 oz cans. A little more broth. I don't think it made a big difference...the soup was still a nice, thicker consistency.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>Did I enjoy it? </b>Yes. Yes, I did. It was sooooo tasty. It was also spicier than I had expected but it was good spicy. My husband thought it was spicy but that it could have been spicier. Too each his own. I think he would have liked it if I had used a spicy mango chutney instead of the sweet chutney. I liked the sweet chutney and I think it would have been too much heat. Again, to each his own.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Each step smelled so good. The sauteing of the apples, onions, carrot, celery, and pepper was delightful. Then that smell changed and got better when the dry ingredients went in. And, oh my, the rest was heavenly. It made me look forward to eating it. That's how good it smelled.</span></span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Yes, I would especially if you like spicy food.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes, I will!!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-49100744825803921912012-01-16T19:38:00.003-05:002012-01-16T19:38:28.514-05:00Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Tonight, I didn't feel like cooking soup. I felt like cooking though. So, I found this - <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/maple-mustard-glazed-chicken-50400000118599/">Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken</a> - in my January/February 2012 issue of Cooking Light Magazine. The picture looked tasty.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">It was fairly easy to make. The ingredients were simple enough. The stone ground mustard was probably the most difficult thing to find...I had to search in the mustard section for a few minutes before I found a small jar of it. I used the syrup I had on hand, a reduced calorie light syrup. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I served it with rice (sushi rice) and edamame. (I didn't have any other vegetables on hand that I felt like cooking.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>Did I enjoy it? </b>I did but my husband liked it more than I did. I was expecting it to be sweeter, but it wasn't. And I expected more garlic flavor, but there wasn't that much garlic taste. My three year old son ate it and seemed to enjoy it. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Yes, especially if you are tired of the same old chicken recipes. It is something different.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes because my husband really liked it. I would like to try the glaze on pork. That may be good as well. Hmmmmmm.....</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-57603863095238677932012-01-08T19:55:00.000-05:002012-01-09T12:47:57.402-05:00Wedding Soup<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">In an effort to eat a bit more healthily...and not eat so much...the husband and I are eating a lot of soup. So, tonight I made wedding soup. I cannot remember where I got the recipe or from whom - it may have been a cousin. Here it is:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">In a large stock pot, combine:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">2 boxes chicken broth</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">3 boxes water (I fill the broth boxes up with water)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">4 chicken wings or thighs (I usually use thighs - bone in, skin on)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Cook for 40 minutes to an hour. Add 2 tbsp chicken base. <i>If you do not have or cannot find chicken base, you can use chicken bullion for the flavoring. I've used bullion in the past and it does work, just not as well.</i> Cook for a half an hour. Taste the broth at this point, add more base if it is needed or desired.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Remove the chicken from the broth, strip the wings/thighs from the bones and skin, cut it up into small, bite-size chunks/pieces.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Prepare the egg mixture.</span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">2 eggs, beat with a fork or a whisk</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1/4 tsp onion powder</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1/2 tsp parsley</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">beat or whisk together</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">add grated Parmesan cheese to the mixture and whisk</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">add enough to make it thick</span></span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Prepare the little meatballs.</span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1/2 - 1 lb ground meat (I use the 92% lean ground beef.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1 egg</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1/4 - 1/2 cup bread crumbs</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">2 tbsp milk</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1/4 - 1/2 tsp onion powder</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1/2 - 1 tsp parsley</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">mix above</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">roll into little tiny meatballs</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">do not precook!</span></span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Bring the broth to a boil, turn down the heat. Slowly pour in the egg mixture. Cook for 10 minutes. Cut through egg mixture with a spoon after the 10 minutes have elapsed.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Add to the broth and egg mixture:</span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">the cut up chicken</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">chopped carrots (However many you want. I usually use about a cup of the baby cut carrots and cut those into thirds.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">3/4 cup small pasta (I use the little pasta balls. You can use any kind of little pasta that you would like...orzo, small shells, etc...just use however much you want. You do not want to overload the soup with pasta.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">spinach (1 package of frozen, chopped spinach - thawed and drained.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">little meatballs </span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Cook soup until the meatballs are cooked through. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Serve and enjoy!</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>Did I enjoy it? </b>I did and so did my husband.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it?</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> I would. As I said, it is tasty and relatively easy - just a bit time consuming when rolling the meatballs and cutting the chicken. I had forgotten how easy it was. The last time I made this soup was about seven years ago. (I kind of forgot about it. Oops!)</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes, I will. And sooner than seven years from now!!! Probably in a few weeks or so. =)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-49826058141793045072011-12-22T19:30:00.000-05:002011-12-22T19:30:12.929-05:00Chicken EnchiladasI love this recipe. It is so good and rather easy to make.<br />
<br />
I first made this recipe because I found it on the back of a tub of Philadelphia Santa Fe Cooking Creme. The recipe can also be found here, <a href="http://www.kraftbrands.com/philly/recipes/Pages/Recipe-Detail.aspx?recipeId=121713#category=821&subcategory=">Easy Chicken Enchiladas</a>. I usually boil the chicken earlier in the day and shred it, then store it in the fridge until I'm ready to cook the rest of dinner. I also chop the onion and peppers earlier in the day. That way all I have to do is cook when it is close to dinner time.<br />
<br />
I've decided to try some variations on this recipe. The second time I made this recipe I added mushrooms to it. I liked the mushrooms, the husband did not...he didn't like the texture. This time when I made the enchiladas, I added green peppers. Very tasty...don't over-cook them in the skillet, leave them crunchy. The peppers add good texture to the enchiladas. And color. The tomatoes and peppers reminded me of Christmas...so it was a festive pre-Christmas meal!<br />
<br />
When I add the remaining cooking creme to the top of the enchiladas, I always add extra shredded cheese. I bake them longer than the recipe says so that the outside gets crispier and not soggy.<br />
<br />
<b>Did I enjoy it? </b>Yes.<br />
<br />
<b>Would I recommend it? </b>Yes.<br />
<br />
<b>Will I make it again? </b>Absolutely. And I was thinking while making this batch, I wonder what they would taste like with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Hmmmmmmmm...I'll have to try that some time!<br />
<br />
If you make it, let me know what you think!EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-61227321421489542692011-12-20T16:12:00.003-05:002011-12-20T16:29:22.726-05:00Bruschetta<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">At least once every two weeks, we have this easy bruschetta as our dinner. It is an adaption of a recipe that we tried a few years ago. Anyway...here is the bruschetta recipe:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">- diced tomatoes (I use vine rip or roma tomatoes.)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">- chopped basil (I used fresh regular basil and lemon basil. The lemon basil adds a brightness to the mix. I've tried it with dried basil and it works but not as well.)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">- balsamic vinegar</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">- salt</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Use as much or as little of the above ingredients. Mix it all together. We serve it over sliced sourdough or roasted garlic bread. (Thicker baguette-style bread works best.) Usually we put some spray butter and shredded Mexican or Parmesan cheese on the bread and broil it first. Then serve it with the bruschetta. YUM. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Total time to make this...less than 15 minutes (if you are a pretty quick chopper and you buy the bread presliced.)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">You can make the mix in advance. I like to make it earlier in the day. It gives the ingredients a chance to mix and get all tasty.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>Did I enjoy it? </b>Yes. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Absolutely.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes...like I said, we make this often. You could also use it as an appetizer if you don't want it as a meal. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-42074479945981194702011-12-18T19:08:00.001-05:002011-12-18T19:08:17.154-05:00Cranberry Upside-Down CakeI made dessert for my husband's family Christmas this year. I wanted something different than the usual apple pie or other pie. As I perused my Cooking Light magazines, I found this recipe - <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cranberry-upside-down-cake-10000001932681/">Cranberry Upside-Down Cake</a>. It looked interesting. And, as I have liked almost every recipe I have ever tried from Cooking Light, I thought "why not?!"<br />
<br />
It was fairly easy to make. But I couldn't get the brown sugar and butter to coat the bottom of my cake pan. I did the best I could and it turned out alright in the end.<br />
<br />
The cake was on the light side and the cranberry-brown sugar topping was very tasty. The cake looked pretty, too. I put it on one of my Christmas platters. The cake was yellow with the red/brown top.<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I did.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would. Especially as a cake to take somewhere. It's different and good.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> I will. Definitely a few more times for the holidays.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-31927183889680155612011-12-17T19:31:00.000-05:002012-02-20T15:36:06.546-05:00Chocolate Peppermint StarsFor Christmas this year, I decided to try some new cookie recipes. I found this recipe, <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2006/12/chocolate_peppermint_stars">Chocolate Peppermint Stars</a>, while looking through my back issues of Bon Appetit magazine.<br />
<br />
The dough was very easy to mix up. However, waiting for the dough to chill...especially between cuttings...was rather time consuming. The baking time is quite long, about 25 minutes per tray of cookies.<br />
<br />
Because I started these cookies around 8:00 p.m., I did not decorate them the same night. I stored them in a Ziplock bag until the next day.<br />
<br />
For the chocolate drizzle, I used semi-sweet morsels. I microwaved them. But they did not get the thinner consistency that I had hoped for. So I went on the trusty internet and found that if you add vegetable shortening (Crisco) to the chocolate when you microwave it, it will get thinner and easier to drizzle. <i>That's a tip to keep! </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
I drizzled, I sprinkled, I drizzled. Then I let them set up. The husband thought the cookies were quite tasty. He said that they weren't an overly sweet cookie and he enjoyed that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsxf0yfiJJ5p1JdfB80-_Z5NHYf9kG4pI4vF1u8AKlT9ujlj-xvMwOrrIsA-ggVE33-WZjeSIC4pEF7ha1eu_c9Xvg-7plnrzzWdVfbmsbJbSArpdzBF1_mxDH4hkzBjBTTu51zzioqcK/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsxf0yfiJJ5p1JdfB80-_Z5NHYf9kG4pI4vF1u8AKlT9ujlj-xvMwOrrIsA-ggVE33-WZjeSIC4pEF7ha1eu_c9Xvg-7plnrzzWdVfbmsbJbSArpdzBF1_mxDH4hkzBjBTTu51zzioqcK/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I did as did my husband. (My son did not have any because he does not like chocolate. Weird...I know.)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would. They are time-consuming but worth the effort.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> I will. Probably next Christmas.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-37107791016876024222011-12-16T23:45:00.003-05:002011-12-16T23:45:39.291-05:00Hot Sausage and Pasta in Vodka SauceThis is a concoction, recipe, that I threw together based on what I had on hand at the time.<br />
<br />
I took some hot sausage and baked them at 350 for about 30 minutes. Then slice it. I sauteed sliced mushrooms (buttons or portobellos) in some extra virgin olive oil. I then added the sausage and a jar of vodka sauce. Throw in some cooked penne or ziti and fresh basil. Serve with parmesan cheese.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Yes, we both did. I really like vodka sauce. It is kind of sweet and creamy. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Not as bite-y as marinara or tomato sauce. The hot sausage adds a zing and the basil adds that bit of freshness. </span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would. It's easy to make, too.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes, I will.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span><br />EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-14034958768599526302011-12-15T20:55:00.001-05:002011-12-15T20:55:19.853-05:00Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider and Breaded Pork ChopsI made <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/braised-kale-with-bacon-cider-10000000577156/">Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider</a> tonight with breaded pork chops. I found the kale recipe in my Cooking Through the Seasons cookbook by -- you guessed it -- Cooking Light. This recipe was very easy and came out wonderful. I added more bacon than the two slices that the recipe called for. (You can never have too much bacon in my opinion.) The apples added a nice sweetness to the dish along with the cider.<br />
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When I had picked the kale recipe, I thought long and hard about what to serve with it. We had already had chicken and steak recently. And fish didn't seem like something that would go well with the kale dish. So, I decided on pork chops. (We use boneless chops.) Usually we grill the pork chops that have been seasoned with either cumin and salt or with this one rub mix that we have. I wanted something different. I decided to bread them.<br />
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First, I dredged the chops in flour that was seasoned with salt and pepper. Then, I put them in egg. And I finished them off in a mixture of plain bread crumbs with a cheese seasoning mix that I had on hand. This cheese seasoning mix, according to the ingredient list, contained romano cheese, parsley, garlic salt, basil. <br />
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I cooked the pork chops in a skillet on the stove top in some extra virgin olive oil over a medium heat until they were done. I flipped them a few times. The crust was a nice golden brown and the chops were juicy. I was pleased with them.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Very much so as did my husband and my 3 year old son. My son really liked the apples in the kale. He liked the pork chops too so long as I took off the "brown stuff," the breading. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Yes, I would. It was pretty easy and the kale came out quite tasty. The pork chops were tasty, too. However, I thought they needed a bit more something...my husband thought they were great as is. So, I'll have to make it again and see how it goes. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes, I will make both of these again. I think I will try to make my own cheese seasoning blend instead of using one from a jar. (The jar was very good but after reading the ingredients, I think a fresh mixture along with Panko would be yummy.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span><br />EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7505384234761449404.post-44651901296462010232011-12-14T23:03:00.000-05:002011-12-14T23:03:17.711-05:00Grandma's Sugar CookiesI love making these cookies at Christmas and sometimes at Easter, too. They are so much fun to cut and decorate with my 3 year old son. (I've always enjoyed making these...even before I had kids.) My son liked using the cookie cutters and shaking the sprinkles on. And, of course, he loved eating the cookies!<br />
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Here are the ingredients for the cookies:<br />
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1/2 cup Crisco<br />
1/2 cup Oleo<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
2 tbsp milk<br />
2 tsp vanilla<br />
2 1/2 cup flour<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
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Here are the directions:<br />
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Mix all of the above ingredients together until well blended. You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer or, if you really want to, a spoon. Separate the batter into three balls and lightly flour them. Place them in the bowl and refrigerate over night for the best results. This helps when you roll them out the next day to make cut-outs.<br />
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The next day, roll out the dough...not too thin...and use cookie cutters or whatever you want. Bake the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 7-8 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.<br />
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Here are two options for decorating:<br />
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(1) Using a pastry brush, put some milk on the cookies and sprinkle with sugar prior to baking. When they come out of the oven, you are done. No more decorating needed. This is nice if you do not have the time to decorate with icing and sprinkles.<br />
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(2) Make a simple icing - powdered sugar and water, mix until it is a nice thick but spreadable consistency. Spread on cookies after they have cooled from the oven. Sprinkle with your favorite toppings before the icing dries. I like jimmies, colored sugar, the little multicolored balls. Whatever you find!<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Did I enjoy it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Yes. They are traditional sugar cookies and a recipe that has stood the test of time. This was my great-grandmother's recipe.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Would I recommend it? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Absolutely! Especially if you have kids who like to help you bake.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Will I make it again? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Yes, I will. Definitely next Christmas when I should have two helpers in the kitchen. Possibly at Easter, too. We'll have to see. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i>If you make it, let me know what you think!</i></span>EFC Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07994665857586993823noreply@blogger.com0