Now, these were good. And so easy...I think everyone would like them. And easy to alter to suit your tastes. It's from the Gooseberry Patch Meals in Minutes cookbook. They have a whole dessert section called "Treats in a Twinkle" but this is the only one out of that chapter that sounded good to me. So anyway....
Oatmeal Raspberry Bars
18.5 oz pkg yellow cake mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats, uncooked
12 oz jar raspberry jam (here's where you could use whatever you wanted. I used seedless, and it was a 16 oz jar, but I just used all of it)
1 tbsp water (I didn't use this, see below)
For glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar & warm water....Combine powdered sugar with enough water to form desired consistency (I found this not at all helpful. I will tell you about how much water I used, which was 1/4 cup. I hate when they say anything "desired" or "to taste." If I knew all that stuff I wouldn't need their cookbook.)
Combine cake mix, butter, and oats in a large mixing bowl; press half firmly into the bottom of a greased (or Pam-sprayed) 9x13 baking dish. Set aside. Stir jam and water together (I presumed this was to make the jam easier to spread, and since I had seedless it was already pretty spread-able, so I didn't use the water); spread evenly over crust layer. Cover with remaining crumb mixture; pat firmly over the top (I didn't pat too firmly. I didn't want it to sink too much into the jam). Bake at 375 for 20 minutes; drizzle with glaze while warm. Cool; slice into bars to serve.
So, this was so easy to make and it tasted so good. Even Emma liked it, which is definitely a novelty for her to like anything knew. Not sure where this pickiness of hers comes from...anyhoo, I definitely recommend this one. Talk to you soon!!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Easy Veggie Soup with Easy Cheddar Biscuits
Notice a theme? Well, they're from 2 different cookbooks. The soup is from the cookbook Jessica gave me that I mentioned last week, the Gooseberry Patch one. The biscuits are from Kraft Food & Family. I had been saving the biscuit recipe until I was making something that would go good with biscuits. So last night I did both...
Easy Veggie Soup
1 lb ground beef, browned & drained
4 potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup pearled barley, uncooked
6 cups water
6 beef bouillon cubes
28 oz can tomato puree
1 tsp dried thyme
Combine all ingredients in lg stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, adding more water as needed during cooking time for desired consistency (I didn't add any more), until vegetables are tender. Makes 6-8 servings (translation=a whole heck of a lot of soup).
This was pretty good. I wouldn't say fabulous. I had A LOT left over, so last night when I met Mom I gave her a bunch of it, and we will have the leftovers today for lunch. All the kids ate it, even baby Nathan had some of the potatoes. So we'll count it as a hit, although it was nothing spectacular so I haven't decided if I'm adding it to my recipe file yet. Plus I hate peeling and cutting vegetables. And I didn't chop mine. Well, the onion I did. But the potatoes and carrots I sliced. Oh, and the barley. When I first got to Hannaford I looked in the organic aisle first because I wasn't sure they would have it anywhere else. And they had a one pound package for $2.99. So I put it in my cart in case I didn't find not-organic. Well, a few aisles over they had not-organic barley, from Maine, for 69 cents for 1 pound!! Can you even believe the price difference?? So I think you can guess which one I got. Pesticides rule. Anyway hopefully my mom will post what she thought of the soup after she eats it. And hopefully she'll be honest. After all, it's not about my feelings, it's about providing a service to inquiring minds. =)
Easy Cheddar Biscuits
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup milk
Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Cut in cold butter with two knives or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cheese. Add milk and stir until soft dough forms (I had to add just a teensy bit more milk to mine). On a lightly floured surface, knead dough 8-10 times. Shape into a 6 inch square. Cut into 9 pieces and place on greased baking sheet (I used my stoneware, so I didn't grease it. But it didn't stick). Bake @ 450 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
These biscuits were pretty easy, although not as easy as asking my mom to make them and eating them at her house. They didn't really taste from scratch, even though they clearly were. I'm on the fence about these, too. Well, that's where we're at for now. Talk to you guys soon!!!
Easy Veggie Soup
1 lb ground beef, browned & drained
4 potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup pearled barley, uncooked
6 cups water
6 beef bouillon cubes
28 oz can tomato puree
1 tsp dried thyme
Combine all ingredients in lg stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, adding more water as needed during cooking time for desired consistency (I didn't add any more), until vegetables are tender. Makes 6-8 servings (translation=a whole heck of a lot of soup).
This was pretty good. I wouldn't say fabulous. I had A LOT left over, so last night when I met Mom I gave her a bunch of it, and we will have the leftovers today for lunch. All the kids ate it, even baby Nathan had some of the potatoes. So we'll count it as a hit, although it was nothing spectacular so I haven't decided if I'm adding it to my recipe file yet. Plus I hate peeling and cutting vegetables. And I didn't chop mine. Well, the onion I did. But the potatoes and carrots I sliced. Oh, and the barley. When I first got to Hannaford I looked in the organic aisle first because I wasn't sure they would have it anywhere else. And they had a one pound package for $2.99. So I put it in my cart in case I didn't find not-organic. Well, a few aisles over they had not-organic barley, from Maine, for 69 cents for 1 pound!! Can you even believe the price difference?? So I think you can guess which one I got. Pesticides rule. Anyway hopefully my mom will post what she thought of the soup after she eats it. And hopefully she'll be honest. After all, it's not about my feelings, it's about providing a service to inquiring minds. =)
Easy Cheddar Biscuits
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup milk
Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Cut in cold butter with two knives or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cheese. Add milk and stir until soft dough forms (I had to add just a teensy bit more milk to mine). On a lightly floured surface, knead dough 8-10 times. Shape into a 6 inch square. Cut into 9 pieces and place on greased baking sheet (I used my stoneware, so I didn't grease it. But it didn't stick). Bake @ 450 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
These biscuits were pretty easy, although not as easy as asking my mom to make them and eating them at her house. They didn't really taste from scratch, even though they clearly were. I'm on the fence about these, too. Well, that's where we're at for now. Talk to you guys soon!!!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Bacon Cheeseburger Roll Up
This is what we had on Friday...it's the last one I was planning to make from the Kraft Food & Family Spring 2007 mag. I really liked the sound of this one, unfortunately it was a let down. At least for me........
Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-Up
1 lb lean ground beef
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions (about 1 small)
8 oz velveeta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pkg (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
Preheat oven to 400. Cook ground beef, bacon, and onion in lg skillet on medium-high heat until ground beef is evenly browned. Drain; return meat mixture to skillet. Add Velveeta, cook until completely melted, stirring frequently (this took a very very long time. Probably because my cubes were more like 2 inch cubes). Remove from heat; set aside. Unroll pizza dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press into 15x8 inch rectangle (like I measured it. I totally eye-balled it). Top evenly with meat mixture. Roll up dough, starting at one of the long sides. Rearrange if necessary so that seam side is down on the baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown (mine only took like 17). Cut diagonally into 6 slices to serve.
I'm not sure what I didn't like about this. I am a huge fan of bacon, so it can't be that. Unless it was the dough I didn't like. There have been other Pillsbury dough products that I'm not crazy about, such as their rolls & biscuits. Actually the only things I do like of theirs are the cinnamon rolls & pie crusts. So maybe that was it. Anyway just something about it. Emma ate 3 bites, not bad. Sam ate all of his, and I gave him a lot without meaning to, not realizing how big the servings would be once they were cut up. Predictably, Steve lapped his up. He doesn't even like bacon. But he does like me.
Next week I am starting a cookbook Jessica gave me a while ago, at her baby shower. It has lots in it and I am looking forward to starting. I will be there a while, I think. I may mix in some of the Fall mag recipes that I just got from Food & Fam, since the Jessica cookbook doesn't have any desserts that I want to try. Anyway that's my story for now. Talk to you guys soon!!
Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-Up
1 lb lean ground beef
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions (about 1 small)
8 oz velveeta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pkg (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
Preheat oven to 400. Cook ground beef, bacon, and onion in lg skillet on medium-high heat until ground beef is evenly browned. Drain; return meat mixture to skillet. Add Velveeta, cook until completely melted, stirring frequently (this took a very very long time. Probably because my cubes were more like 2 inch cubes). Remove from heat; set aside. Unroll pizza dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press into 15x8 inch rectangle (like I measured it. I totally eye-balled it). Top evenly with meat mixture. Roll up dough, starting at one of the long sides. Rearrange if necessary so that seam side is down on the baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown (mine only took like 17). Cut diagonally into 6 slices to serve.
I'm not sure what I didn't like about this. I am a huge fan of bacon, so it can't be that. Unless it was the dough I didn't like. There have been other Pillsbury dough products that I'm not crazy about, such as their rolls & biscuits. Actually the only things I do like of theirs are the cinnamon rolls & pie crusts. So maybe that was it. Anyway just something about it. Emma ate 3 bites, not bad. Sam ate all of his, and I gave him a lot without meaning to, not realizing how big the servings would be once they were cut up. Predictably, Steve lapped his up. He doesn't even like bacon. But he does like me.
Next week I am starting a cookbook Jessica gave me a while ago, at her baby shower. It has lots in it and I am looking forward to starting. I will be there a while, I think. I may mix in some of the Fall mag recipes that I just got from Food & Fam, since the Jessica cookbook doesn't have any desserts that I want to try. Anyway that's my story for now. Talk to you guys soon!!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Sweet Citrus Chicken
Hello! This is what we had for dinner last night. It's from Kraft Food & Family Spring 2007 magazine. It was good. One more recipe in this one, then it's on to my next conquest...
Sweet Citrus Chicken
1 2/3 cups hot water
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken (I used the store brand, but I shouldn't have. I could definitely tell the difference)
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 400. Add hot water to stuffing mix; stir just until moistened, set aside. Place chicken in 13x9 baking dish. Mix juice, sugar, and butter until well blended, pour over chicken. Top w/ prepared stuffing. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (mine just took the 30 minutes). Makes 6 servings.
This was good. I think the OJ & brown sugar actually flavored the stuffing more than it did the chicken, but it was still good. Some of the stuffing on the bottom near the chicken was a bit soggy, so that wasn't too good there. But Sam said the stuffing was his favorite part. Emma was having an off day and didn't even want to eat her chicken, which she usually eats without complaint. But we made her. And Steve loved it and took the rest to work today for leftovers. I thought it was good, too. I have been using "good" a lot in this description, I am just realizing. Well that is because it was good, but not great. But I am going to keep this one because it just uses basic ingredients and will be good like near the end of the 2 weeks right before payday. Hope you have a great day and talk to you soon!!
Sweet Citrus Chicken
1 2/3 cups hot water
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken (I used the store brand, but I shouldn't have. I could definitely tell the difference)
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 400. Add hot water to stuffing mix; stir just until moistened, set aside. Place chicken in 13x9 baking dish. Mix juice, sugar, and butter until well blended, pour over chicken. Top w/ prepared stuffing. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (mine just took the 30 minutes). Makes 6 servings.
This was good. I think the OJ & brown sugar actually flavored the stuffing more than it did the chicken, but it was still good. Some of the stuffing on the bottom near the chicken was a bit soggy, so that wasn't too good there. But Sam said the stuffing was his favorite part. Emma was having an off day and didn't even want to eat her chicken, which she usually eats without complaint. But we made her. And Steve loved it and took the rest to work today for leftovers. I thought it was good, too. I have been using "good" a lot in this description, I am just realizing. Well that is because it was good, but not great. But I am going to keep this one because it just uses basic ingredients and will be good like near the end of the 2 weeks right before payday. Hope you have a great day and talk to you soon!!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
One-Pan Pork Roast with Parmesan Fries
Hi girls! Last night this is what we had. I doubled the recipe and gave half to the family we were making a meal for. It came out very tasty. I hope they liked it...I told her I was going to call and apologize if it was awful, but it was actually good. It's from the Kraft Food & Family Spring 2007 magazine.
One-Pan Pork Roast with Parmesan Fries
1 egg white, lightly beaten (I ran out of eggs this weekend so I used melted butter...probably way worse for you but very tasty)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic salt, divided
3 medium potatoes, cut into wedges
1 lb pork tenderloin
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 tbsp honey
Preheat oven to 425. Combine egg white (or melted butter), cheese, and 3/4 tsp of garlic salt. Add to potatoes, toss to coat. Spread onto large greased baking sheet (I didn't grease it since I used butter. I thought that was enough. It was.) Bake 15 minutes. Place meat on same baking sheet, next to potatoes, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp garlic salt. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine dressing and honey. Brush meat w/ dressing mixture. Continue baking 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked through (mine took like 25 minutes) and potatoes are tender, brushing meat occasionally w/ any remaining dressing mixture. Makes 4 servings (we had none left over, even with two little people).
Steve loved this. I asked him if it was "make again", and he said it was "make often." I told him pork tenderloin is too expensive to "make often." He said, well what about the potatoes. I said those were doable. The kids liked it, too (even Emma). So this one's a keeper. Talk to you guys soon!!
One-Pan Pork Roast with Parmesan Fries
1 egg white, lightly beaten (I ran out of eggs this weekend so I used melted butter...probably way worse for you but very tasty)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic salt, divided
3 medium potatoes, cut into wedges
1 lb pork tenderloin
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 tbsp honey
Preheat oven to 425. Combine egg white (or melted butter), cheese, and 3/4 tsp of garlic salt. Add to potatoes, toss to coat. Spread onto large greased baking sheet (I didn't grease it since I used butter. I thought that was enough. It was.) Bake 15 minutes. Place meat on same baking sheet, next to potatoes, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp garlic salt. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine dressing and honey. Brush meat w/ dressing mixture. Continue baking 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked through (mine took like 25 minutes) and potatoes are tender, brushing meat occasionally w/ any remaining dressing mixture. Makes 4 servings (we had none left over, even with two little people).
Steve loved this. I asked him if it was "make again", and he said it was "make often." I told him pork tenderloin is too expensive to "make often." He said, well what about the potatoes. I said those were doable. The kids liked it, too (even Emma). So this one's a keeper. Talk to you guys soon!!
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