Edamame Succotash

Ironically I found this recipe in Southern Living Magazine while I was working out on the eliptical machine at the gym one day.  It looked easy and a great way to get a lot of different vegetables in one meal; and since I love edamame I couldn't resist trying it. 

I thought this was really yummy!  I ate it with string cheese as my lunch today and am eating it along side the cornflake chicken I made for dinner tonight.  It will probably also be in my lunch a couple of days this week!!  I omitted the mint because I didn't have any on hand.  Also, I was going to omit the butter to make it healthier, but you can totally taste it in the recipe so I would suggest keeping it in!

 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium-size orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium-size red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium-size yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (16-oz.) package frozen edamame, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 3 minutes or until tender. Add bell peppers and corn, and cook 5 more minutes or until tender.

2. Stir in chicken broth, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Stir in edamame; cook 3 minutes. Stir in butter until melted. Remove from heat, and stir in mint and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

This is another recipe from 30 Day Gourmet. Seriously, if you have not gotten one of their books yet and you like to pre-make and freeze meals, YOU NEED TO GET ONE. This recipe book has saved so much time in my life, and we have really enjoyed almost all of the recipes we've tried.


This one was so simple, and we all enjoyed it (Brian and Allison both had seconds...and although you can see the cottage cheese, they thought it was ricotta and ate it!) I will definitely make this one again!!

8 oz Small Shell Macaroni
1 sloppy joe mix envelope
1 1/2 c cooked ground beef or turkey
8 oz tomato sauce
6 oz tomato paste
1 c water
16 oz small curd cottage cheese
1 c shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)

Cook macaroni half the recommended time. Drain. Combine seasoning mix with the ground beef or turkey, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and 1 cup water. In sprayed 2-1/2 quart casserole dish or 8x8” baking dish, layer half the macaroni, half the cottage cheese and half the meat sauce; repeat. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
Freezing Directions:
Wrap dish in foil or place in 2-gallon freezer bag. If using freezer bags, freeze the combined pasta and meat sauce and keep the cottage cheese and cheddar cheese on hand to layer the casserole just before baking. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw (layer in casserole if necessary) and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until bubbling or place frozen casserole in oven and bake 1 hour 20 minutes.

Lasagna Roll Ups

This recipe came from the discussions page on Facebook from 30 Day gourmet. I basically took our regular lasagna recipe and put the filling into a precooked lasagna noodle and rolled it up. I baked it basically the same was as we do the lasagna too. We used to buy lasagna roll ups from Market Day but these are just as good and definitely less expensive! Brian liked these just as much as he does the lasagna, I enjoyed it too, but for somereason I like the pan of lasagna better (more noodles maybe?)

For the cheese filling:
In a large bowl mix first 7 ingredients until well blended. Set aside

For the meat/sauce filling:
In a medium bowl mix spaghetti sauce and cooked ground beef.

Cook a box of lasagna noodles according to the directions. When cooked and just slightly cooled (enough that you can handle them), lay the noodles out on a cutting board (or just use your counter, but it'll be a bit messy). Put a large spoonful of cheese mixture on a noodle and spread it out. Top w/meat sauce and spread over the cheese. Sprinkle some mozzarella ontop of the sauce and roll up the noodle starting at one end. Place all roll ups on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Flash freeze then bag meal size portions in a ziplock bag. (I individually wrapped all of mine in wax paper so they wouldn't stick).

When ready to bake, remove from freezer. Pour extra spaghetti sauce on the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x13 pan (we ended up using 2 meat loaf pans and put 3 roll ups in each). Layer rollups on top of sauce and top with more sauce. Cover and bake (yes they are still frozen at this point!) for 45 min. Uncover, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake an additional 15 min. Let stand 5 min before serving.

Little League Tostadas

If you haven't checked out Becoming Betty's Blog yet, you are missing out! She must be my kindered spirit and we must cook a lot of the same foods because everything she posts looks so fabulous to me! I came across several tostada recipes lately and planned on making chicken tostadas but we have taco meat on hand so this one sparked my interest.


I am the only one who at this this way...Brian and Allison just ate tostada shell w/meat and cheese. These were FABULOUS! YUM. I had a little bit of everything left over so I'm taking this tomorrow for lunch too. I won't be the cleanest eater though as these are a bit messy. Doesn't matter though, they are worth the mess. I was leary of the cabbage on this but loved it way more that I do lettuce!!!

1 lb. lean ground beef
taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
1 can green chilies
shredded cheese
tostada shells
shredded cabbage
cilantro
lime juice

Cook ground beef and add taco seasoning and a little water. (I also added some refried beans and picante sauce to our meat). In a separate saucepan, heat up beans and add green chilies and a little milk. Combine shredded cabbage with chopped cilantro (as much as you like) and some lime juice to taste (I also added a little salt). Layer on tostada shell: beans, meat, cheese, shredded cabbage mix. Top with favorite taco sauce. (I omitted)

Crockpot Sticky Chicken

I should have taken a picture of this still in the crockpot because then it still looked like an intact chicken. When I took it out of the crockpot it completely fell off the bones...ALL of the bones. This was the best shot I could get of it.

I've never cooked a whole chicken in a crockpot before but some of my friends (ahem, Paula!) cooks 4 crockpots full of chickens at one time! This was very easy! And I don't love rotisserie chickens because I think they dry out, but this one was very moist. I will definitely make this one again!!

Thanks to Andi for turning me on to this recipe! http://www.cookingcache.com/crockpotroaststickychicken.shtml?rdid=rc1

4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper (I used 1/2 tsp and that was plenty spicy for us...and that wasn't even eating any of the skin!)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper (I omitted)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight. (Time saving tip: I first put this in a slow cook liner and then put in the ziplock bag over night. Then in the morning, I just had to stick the liner in the crockpot....no morning mess!)

When ready to cook chicken put the onions into the cavity (I put mine in when I cleaned it), put the bird into the crockpot and do not add any liquid (I added 1/4 c water). As the cooking process goes on it will produce it's own juices. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours and it will be falling off the bone tender.

Tangy BBQ Sandwiches

This recipe came from my Taste of Home Slow Cooker Favorites Cookbook. In the picture in the cookbook, this is served on a hamburger bun, but we toasted our french bread and I think it was a good idea! A hamburger bun would have ended up very soggy with this recipe.

Brian and I both gave this 4+ stars....super easy and yummy!

I made this at my last freezer cooking day so freezer directions are at the very bottom.


3 cups chopped celery (we omitted)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 to 4 pounds), trimmed and cut in half (mine was 2.5 lbs so I didn't cut in half)
14 to 18 hamburger buns, split (Use toasted french bread instead!!)

Directions
In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 12 ingredients. Add roast. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook 7-8 hours longer or until meat is tender.
Remove roast; cool. Shred meat and return to sauce; heat through. Using a slotted spoon, fill each bun with about 1/2 cup of meat mixture. Yield: 14-18 servings.

Tracy's Freezer Suggestions:
In a large ziplock bag I combine all of the ingredients except the roast and the hamburger buns (obviously!). I squished and shook the bag to combine all of the ingredients. Then I added the roast to the bag and froze. I took it out of the freezer 2 days before serving and let it thaw in the fridge. This morning I dumped the whole thing in the crockpot and cooked on low for 10 hours.

Quick and Easy Chicken and Rice

I was looking for an easy chicken recipe to make for dinner and came across this one on All Recipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-and-Easy-Chicken-and-Rice/Detail.aspx


The worst part of this recipe is that the chicken and rice both need to be precooked...but if you buy a rotisserie chicken, that would make this recipe so much simpler. I chose to poach some chicken tenders in chicken broth since I had extras in the freezer.

I LOVED this recipe. 4+ stars from me!! I sauteed the mushrooms separately since Brian is allergic to them and then just added them on top of mine. YUM! Allison took one look at it and quickly procliamed that it was "bisgusting." After much coaxing she eventually did eat it. She didn't love it, but she ate it. Brian was very leary of trying this one too. He thought it was going to have big chicken breasts/tenders on top instead of chopped up and mixed in. He said he'd eat it again though, so that's positive.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 chicken bouillon cubes, crumbled
2 cups milk
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (we omitted)
3 cups cooked Texmati® White or Brown Rice (I used Basmati rice since it was much cheaper!)
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Blend in flour and chicken bouillon cubes. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and mushrooms. Spread cooked Texmati Rice in buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish; spoon chicken mixture over rice. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, covered at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until casserole is hot and bubbly.

OK, made the cake balls...

I made the cakes balls today for part of Curt's birthday treats. I used yellow cake and 4/5 of the can of milk chocolate frosting. I dipped them in chocolate then. They were a hit...despite how terrible they look! I give it 5 stars regardless of the appearance...they are going to work with Curt tomorrow so I don't eat them all!

Potato Chip Chicken

I am always looking for variations for chicken recipes. I came across this one on the Betty Crocker website (http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/quick-n-crunchy-potato-chip-chicken/703fe479-0743-4db4-b1e9-c5d33ad8a1e2)



I wanted to make this healthier (how can you do that when it's coated in potato chips right?) so I baked it instead of frying it in oil. I don't think it made much of a difference. Next time I will also try baked chips.  My family loved this! Brian gave it 4 1/2 stars, I gave it 4 stars, and Allison gave it 5 stars.
 4 cups sour cream and onion-flavored potato chips, crushed (1 cup)
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 large egg (next time I would use 2 egg whites instead.)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if you are frying it)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)

1. In shallow bowl, mix crushed potato chips and parsley. In another shallow bowl, beat egg and Worcestershire sauce.
2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then coat with potato chip mixture.
3. If frying: Cook chicken in oil 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F)
If baking: Bake 25 minutes in a 370 degree oven (or until cooked all the way through)

Watermelon and Feta Salad

It looks odd right??? Yet a little intriguing?? That's what I thought too, so when I came across this recipe I knew I just had to try it. I found this in my Family Fun magazine (http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/try-a-surprising-salad-907310/) and immediately ripped it out.

It's weird. But it's surprisingly very good. I had it for breakfast and lunch, and I'll probably have it again for dinner! I'd give this a low 4 stars. I didn't have any fresh basil or mint so I just used a pinch of dried basil. I think the fresh basil would definitely make it a lot better...and prettier!!

Ingredients:
8 cups cubed watermelon
2 to 4 ounces cubed or crumbled feta
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil or mint

Instructions
Mix the watermelon and feta. Toss with a dressing made from the lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with slivered fresh basil or mint. Serves 8.