Green Well Salad

This salad is a MUST MAKE!  Last year I read Shana Niequist's book Bread and Wine and I posted a tiny little review here.  I have made this salad several times for friends and it is ALWAYS a hit.  Please invite some friends over and make this!  They will think you are a cook whether you are or are not!

(via: incourage.me)

Salad:

1 pound mixed greens 2 onions, thinly sliced 1 T butter 2 sliced pears 2 cups of red grapes, halved 1 cup dried cherries 1 cup walnuts, chopped 1 4 oz container crumbled goat cheese

Maple vinaigrette:

1T maple syrup 1T Dijion 1/4 c balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil Salt and Pepper to taste

Begin by caramelizing the onions. Slice them thinly and cook them on medium-low heat in a tablespoon of butter until rich, dark brown, about 45 min.

For the vinaigrette: add all of the ingredients to a mason jar and shake it up! Taste and adjust for seasoning.

For the salad: Toss the greens with half the vinaigrette, then add the rest of the ingredients, the rest of the dressing, and toss again.

If you like a more substantial main-course salad, add 2 cups or so of sliced cooked chicken. All I did to season my chicken was sprinkle these things on the chicken: sea salt, white pepper, black pepper, oregano, parsley and then bake.

Mermaid Punch

Saturday, we hosted my daughter's 4th Birthday at our house.  She dreamed for months about a mermaid party.  So on Saturday, we threw her a mermaid party!  This punch was a hit!  A perfect blend of color, foam, and taste.  My sister sent me a recipe for "Mermaid Punch" but I searched every store around me and COULD NOT find Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid packets.  Weirdest thing ever!  My mom saved the day and found Blue Hawaiian Punch.  So here is our rendition of Mermaid Punch.

1 Gallon of Blue Hawaiian Punch (cold)

1 can of frozen lemon lemonaid (thawed)

4 cups of cold water (use the lemonaid can to measure)

1 2-litter bottle of Sprite (cold)

1 1/2 gallon of pinnapple sherbert

I used a very large glass drink dispenser and mixed all of the ingredients together.

Next, scoop and add 1/2 of the pinnapple sherbet to the liquid.

Stir. Stir. Stir. You want the sherbert to make a "foam" in your Mermaid Punch.

I continued to add scoops of sherbert until I had almost used the entire 1/2 gallon.

Some recipes call for a scoop of sherbert in your cup and then pour the punch over but I knew that would be too much of a mess with little ones....so I just stirred the sherbet in.  And, it worked perfectly.

Mermaid Punch: Easy, Fun, and a perfect touch to your under the sea party!

Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Soup

This recipe was given to me by my friend Amanda.  I made it during one of our snow days but it would be perfect for a rainy day or the blast of winter that we are getting here late March.  Is anybody else ready for summer?  Somedays I feel like I am living the movie FROZEN not just watching it 10 times a day!!!!!

Cheeseburger Soup

1lb browned ground beef

1/2 onion sauteed (or more if you like)

2-3 cans of chicken broth

2 cans of sliced potatoes

2T of Italian seasoning

24 slices of white American cheese

1.  Sautee onion

2.  Combine broth, potatoes, and Italian seasoning in a large pot and bring to a boil for 10 min

3.  Add hamburger and onions to large pot

4.  Drop in 24 cheese slices (one by one)

5.  A pinch of flour to thicken to your liking.

YUMMY!

I didn't get any pictures of the finished product but I can tell you....

It was well loved around our table!

Thanks Amanda!

Chocolate Almond Bark

I tasted this yummy treat at my friend Michele's house.  

She gave me the recipe and I can not stop making this stuff.  

Here is what I use:

24 oz of semi sweet chocolates (I like more chocolate than almond)

12 oz of plain almonds

pinch of sea salt

I don't have a double broiler (so I make my own)

Glass mixing bowl on top of a pot of water.

(This has worked for me several times but I realize could be dangerous.

Please make sure there are no weak spots in your glass bowl before trying this)

Pour in chocolate chips

Pour in almonds

Toss it up

Add a pinch of sea salt

And start mixing.

You could melt the chocolate first if you like and then stir in everything else

Looking yummy

Here is what it should look like when all melted

Spoon it out onto a wax paper lined plate or cookie sheet.

Tope with a pinch of sea salt.

Place in the freezer

Take out of the freezer and break apart into desired pieces.

Makes for a yummy treat to share!

Sausage Tortellini Soup

Over Christmas break, my sister made this yummy soup.  

{Here is the recipe link she shared with me.}

 lb of sausage

1 can of Evaporated Milk

6 Chicken Bouillon Cubes 

4 cups water

1 bag of Cheese Tortellini 

1 tbsp Parsley

1 tbsp Oregano

salt & pepper to taste

Parmesan Cheese

1.  Cook sausage and drain

2.  Bring 4 cups of water to a boil 

(I actually think 5-6 would be better for more broth)

3.  Add six chicken bullion cubes to boil water and dissolve

4.  Turn heat to medium and add evaporated milk, seasonings, and sausage

5.  Simmer for 15 minutes

6.  Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions

7.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

8.  ENJOY!

This was such a yummy dinner.  The pickiest of my children ate it and loved it!

And the baby....he fussed until I pureed some up for him, too!

Join me next week for....

                      Valentine

Projects

{recipes, gifts, kid crafts, Valentine canvas art}

Honey Lemon Water

I posted this photo to Instagram a few days ago and I have had several people ask me for the recipe.  A life long friend of mine shared this information with me back at Christmas and I enjoyed a cup with her during an afternoon of catch up.  Here is the original link she sent me for Lemon Water and I add honey.

I love coffee but I am also nursing a baby right now so I really do try and limit my intake for his sake.  A few weeks ago I was wanting to drink coffee only and no water.  Do you ever go through phases that water just seems yuck?  I came to the conclusion what I really wanted was a cup of something warm to hold in my hands and sip on.....

So here is how I enjoy it.....

1.  Boil water on the stove

2.  Pour into a cup

3.  Squeeze 1/2 a lemon into the cup

4.  Pour some honey into the cup (I'm not good at measuring things....just add to your liking)

5.  Swirl it around with a spoon

6.  ENJOY!

Do It Yourself: HomeMade Popcorn

What do you do when...

1.  You have no instant popcorn in the pantry

&

2.  You can't find the cord to your popcorn popper

.....You improvise

Our kids have been really sick.  There are some yucky, nasty viruses out there right now.  We have taken it slow and they have not eaten much lately.  Their one request the other night was popcorn, hot chocolate and The Polar Express.  These kids love Christmas 

{but then again.... who doesn't?}

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

So here is how I made 

Do It Yourself: Homemade Popcorn

4 T of canola oil into a large pot

1 cup of kernels

pinch of sea salt

Pour canola oil into large pot.

Pour kernels into large pot.  It is important that the oil be COLD when you add the kernels.  Make sure all kernels are laying against the bottom of the pan and not piled on top of one another.

Turn stove on medium. 

Grab a lid.  When those kernels start popping you are gonna need something to keep them contained.

You may have to move the pot back and forth on the stove top to ensure that you evenly distribute heat and get all of the kernels popped.

Just like instant....when the kernels slow in popping....you are done.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

They did enjoy hot chocolate {but it was instant}.  

And The Polar Express....they loved it like it was the first time they had seen it!

Have you entered for a chance to win the November Giveaway?

Click on this post to enter.

You have until Friday.

Pumpkin Muffins

We have made this recipe so many times lately.  It is a quick easy breakfast, snack or dessert.  My kids love these pumpkin muffins.  One of my friends shared this "Weight Watchers" friendly recipe with me and they are FABULOUS.

1 box of Spice Cake (whatever brand you like)
1 16oz can of pumpkin
1 cup of water

Mix it all together.  Pour it into muffin tins. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 and ENJOY!

Muffin Tin Lunches

Muffin Tin Lunches are something that I learned from LifeRearranged just a few weeks ago.  I have been linking The Teal Egg Instagram photos to her InstaFriday posts.  If you aren't following Teal Egg on Instagram, I would love for you to join me: TheTealEgg

I tried Muffin Tin Lunches last week with my kids because it was sluggish day around here {the day between my work days} and I needed to go to the grocery store.

So here is the skinny:

1.  Grab a muffin tin
2.  Fill it with whatever you have in the fridge or the pantry
3.  Put it on the table
4.  And watch your kids devour

Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air for me.  I never once had to say, "eat your lunch"!  They ate almost everything and even things they don't necessarily like they tried.  This muffin tin contained: dried cherries, raisins, grapes, croutons, pretzels, peanut butter, carrots, tomatoes, shredded cheese, cheese crackers, almonds, canadian bacon.

I will definitely be utilizing Muffin Tin Lunches again!  I would say our first attempt was a HUGE success.  Anything to give a mommy of three 3 and under a break!

Steak Recipe

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A few months ago we purchased meat from a company that services our neighborhood.  It was a great idea knowing that we would soon have a newborn in our house and grabbing meat out of the freezer would be convenient.

We have a cut of beef (Round Steak) that I really did not know how to fix.  I knew that my husband would not eat Salisbury Steak.  I had to search for someway to cook this meat and use it.  I looked up steak recipes on allrecipes.com

I settled on this one.....

Thyme-Rubbed Steaks with Sauteed Mushrooms

I mainly chose this recipe because I had all of the ingredients in my cabinet and fridge.  These days I do not make little trips to the store for ingredients.  With three kids in tote, I try and get everything I need in one shopping trip.  Sometimes two.  

2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp grond black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 lb steak cut 3/4 in thick (your choice of cut)
1 (8oz) package of sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup minced shalot
2 T butter
2 T red wine
1T vegetable oil 
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme. Sprinkle onto each side of the steaks, pressing in so it adheres. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots; cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, and cook for a few more minutes, until tender. Stir in the red wine, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
3. Heat the oil in a separate skillet over medium-high heat. Fry steaks for 5 to 7 minutes per side, or to your desired degree of doneness. Remove to a plate and let rest for a few minutes. Top with mushrooms and serve.

Here is how it turned out in our house.  And, everyone loved it!  SCORE!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Orzo Chicken Salad

This is a great light Spring/Summer salad that my ENTIRE family devoured 

(and if you know my husband....that is saying ALOT)!  

I found this in a Publix Family Style Magazine and decided to try it out.

Orzo Chicken Salad

2/3 cup dried whole wheat orzo pasta

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

2 cups shredded baked chicken

1 cup grape tomatoes

1/4 cup cilantro

1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

In a medium sauce pan, cook 2/3 cup dried whole wheat or regular orzo pasta 

according to package directions, adding 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels 

during the last 1 minute of cooking, drain.

Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well.  

In a large bowl, combine orzo mixture, 2 cups shredded baked chicken, 

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved, and 1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro. 

 Sprinkle with 1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese. 

 Cover and chill for 2-24 hours.  

To serve drizzle with Avocado Lime Dressing (recipe below)

Avocado Lime Dressing

In a blender combine:

 1 small avocado

 1/3 cup of water 

1/2 tsp finely shredded lime peel

1/4 cup lime juice

4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

 1/4 tsp salt

*Cover and chill for 2-24 hours*


This wraps up a great week of recipes. 
 I would love for you to share in the comment section below your favorite recipes. 
 I am always on the look out for new things to make for dinner.



Next week's post will be full of bargain buys/deals
 and steals that I have recently encountered.  
Hope you will join in and share as well.


May your Weekend Be FULL of SUNSHINE!
HAPPY WEEKEND!

Crock Pot Chicken and Chicken Stock

I love buying whole chicken and utilizing almost everything I bought.  It is a great way to save money. I bake whole chickens in my crock pot a lot but a few weeks ago one of my friends told me about making chicken stock.

I went to this website link and followed the directions (well I cooked mine in the crock a little longer than over night) but it turned out great!  I have 42 oz of stock in my fridge right now and 3 more 42 oz containers in my deep freeze.  I hope you will take some time to check the link above to 100 Days of Real Food Blog.

I love to use chicken stock to flavor green beans, rice, soups, and corn.  There are TONS of uses for chicken stock.  Hope you find this as helpful, time saving, and inexpensive as I did!

Oatmeal Bake

This recipe was given to me by my sweet friend Holly, who is a much better cook than me! 

 I had this Oatmeal Bake at her house one morning and could not get enough.  

My kids LOVE this stuff!

Oatmeal Bake

3 cups of oats

1 3/4 cups of buttermilk (you can substitute with 3/4 cup yogurt and 1 cup water)

1/2 cup of coconut oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar, maple syrup of honey

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup shredded coconut (this gets left out in our house)

1/2 cup chocolate chips mixed in batter plus 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top before putting in oven

Soak oats and yogurt covered on kitchen counter overnight.  I
n the morning, beat oil, sugar and eggs until glossy.  
Add baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla, beat.  
Stir in oats and chocolate chips.  
Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 min.

You can add anything to this recipe: chopped apples, raisins, pecans, bananas, 

dried cranberries, white chocolate, etc....

Two of My Favorite Party Drinks

We will just call this the week of recipes since I seemed to start it out that way on Sunday.  Below are two of my favorite party drinks.  They were both served at one of my wedding showers and the Front Porch Tea was a hit at our wedding reception.  Hope you try them out for yourself!

Coffee Punch

1 Cup of Instant Coffee

1 1/2 cups of Sugar

3 Cups of Cold Water

1/2 Gallon of Blue Bell Vanilla Ice Cream (or your favorite brand)

1/2 Cup of Cocoa

1/2 Cup of Boiling Water

1 Tsp of Vanilla

1 Quart of Whipping Cream whipped

Combine coffee granules, cocoa, sugar, and boiling water. Blend until smooth.  

Stir in cold water, vanilla and milk.  

Fold in whipping cream and ice cream (ice cream must be thawed prior) 

and whipping cream.

*This will make a lot.  Have a huge punch bowl ready or several plastic pitchers*

Front Porch Tea

1 cup sugar

2 cups of boiling water

2 family sized tea bags

8 cups of water (not boiled)

1 12oz can of frozen Minute Maid Lemonade Concentrate

1TBS pure vanilla extract

1 TBS pure almond extract

Peach Slices

Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 2 cups of boiling water to make syrup.  Set aside

Add 2 Family Sized tea bags to 2 cups of boiling water and steep for 5 minutes

In a large pitcher (1 gallon) mix sugar syrup, 2 cups of brewed tea and 8 additional cups of water.

Mix in 1 12oz can of frozen Minute Maid Lemonade Concentrate (thawed)

Add 1 TBS of pure vanilla extract and 1 TBS of pure almond extract.

Stir well and chill in refrigerator.

Serve over ice and garnish with fresh peach slices if desired.

*Makes 14 8oz servings*

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

My Favorite Crock Pot Discoveries

I use the Crock Pot a lot!  My work days are 12 hour shifts plus one hour commutes to and from.  It is important to me that my family has a hot healthy meal even on the nights that I don't get to eat with them.

I also use the Crock Pot on days that I don't work.  It saves me from having to rush home to put dinner on if we are out.  It saves me from heating up my entire house.  It usually means I have less clean up after dinner.

I have an oval Crock and a round Crock made by Rival.  They are nothing fancy.  They are both 8-10 years old but they work great!

Here are a few things I do in the Crock Pot that help save me TIME!

• Baked Sweet Potatoes: Wash them and put them on HIGH in your Crock for 4-5 hours. (You might have to experiment with your crock as every one will heat differently)  No foil needed!  They come out soft and beautiful.  

• Baked Potatoes: Wash them and put them on HIGH in your Crock for 4-5 hours.  (You might have to experiment with your crock as every one will heat differently)  No foil needed!  They come out soft and beautiful.  

• Spaghetti Sauce: Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes in Thick Puree with Basil, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 cup of water, 1 T sea salt, 2 T Olive Oil, 4 T dried Italian Seasoning, 3 cloves of minced garlic.  Put it all in the Crock and simmer on low all night or all day!  (Add cooked ground beef or sausage if you like).

• Crock Pot Lasagna: Line bottom of Crock with no-boil noodles (may have to break them up to fit the shape of your crock).  Then layer your favorite ingredients: Ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, spaghetti sauce, no-boil noodles....and so on.  Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours.

• Baked Chicken: Put a whole chicken in the Crock.  Season with garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, and onion powder.  Put a few pats of real butter under the chicken skin for extra flavor.  Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours.

• Chicken Pot Pie: 2 cups of shredded baked chicken, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of peas and carrots, 16 oz of sour cream.  Mix all together and put in crock.  Top with crushed crackers (I have used Ritz and Saltines: both are great).  Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours.

• BBQ Pork:  Pork Roast or Loin of your choice.  Pour one bottle of BBQ sauce, 1 cup of Zesty Italian dressing, and 1 T of Liquid Smoke into the crock on top of the Pork.  Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours.  Shred for BBQ tacos, BBQ sandwiches, or pair with your favorite sides.

• White Chicken Chili: 2 cups of chopped/shredded baked chicken, 4 cans of Northern Beans, 2 small cans of chopped green chilies, 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of water, 2 T of cumin, and 1 T of sea salt.  Cook on High 4-5 hours or Low for 6-8 hours.  Ladle into bowls and top with shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

Pretty much...I put any recipe in the Crock Pot!  I'm serious.  I have yet to try a cake or brownies in my Crock but hope to soon.  There are some great Crock Pot FB pages, websites and good old fashioned recipe books out there.  

If you have a crock pot recipes you love, please share!

Happy Crocking!

Valentine Treats: Cheese Cake Tarts

Here is recipe that I L.O.V.E.  One of our life-long family friends makes these for various different occasions and I think they would work nicely for any Valentine Party/Celebration.

Here is what you need:

2 pkg of 8oz cream cheese (softened)

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

1 Teaspoon of vanilla

Vanilla Wafers

1 can of strawberry pie filling (you could use cherry or blueberry too)

1 package of foil cupcake liners

Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth

 Place cup cake liners in muffin tin. 

 Place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cup cake liner. 

Pour mixture into cup cake liners (almost to the top)

Bake at 350 for 15 min 

Here is what they should look like when they are done

Cool and top with a spoonful of pie filling

*These should be refrigerated when not eating*

Cute, sweet and if you are in my mom's group you are going to get to enjoy these treats on Thursday night. 

 That is....if I don't eat them all before then!