Sea Scallop Stir Fry

This was a quick and easy meal to cook up... We got back from the playground a little late and I thought supper as going to be late too, but I whipped it right up and we were actually still sitting down to eat at our normal time! :) The kids were super happy about this since they were STARVING... It had a great taste to eat and my kids ate it pretty well.



Sea Scallop Stir Fry
(recipe found at www.bettycrocker.com)

1 package oriental flavor ramen noodle soup mix
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
3/4 pound asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 pound sea scallops, cut in half
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce

Reserve seasoning packet from noodles. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package. While noodles are cooking, heat oil in wok or 12" skillet over high heat. Add asparagus, bell pepper, onion and garlic; stir fry 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender crisp. Add scallops; stir fry until white.

Mix contents of reserved seasoning packet, soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil and pepper sauce; stir into scallop mixture. Stir in noodles; heat through.

Caterpillar Cake

My son turned 4 and of course the cake baking had to come alive for something special! I usually ask them what they want and the hubs and I try to accommodate without having to buy a store bought cake. This year, I found this cute cake that I kind of coerced my son to want... He's pretty easy going and it all worked out! I got a lot of compliments on it, even though I am not the world's best decorator. I do think that it means a little bit more to make a homemade cake for my kids then to just run to the store so I guess I will try my best for as long as they let me! :)



Caterpillar Cake
(idea found in Parents magazine)

1 box cake mix (any flavor, but I used Funfetti)
1 16 ounce can vanilla frosting
green food coloring
yellow food coloring
1 marshmallow
2 blue m&m's
1 Golden Oreo Fun Stix (I couldn't find these at our store so I used Pirouette rolled wafers)
1/3 cup green m&m's

Grease and flour a standard Bundt pan. Prepare and bake the cake mix in the pan according to package directions. Let cool completely. Spoon 3/4 of the frosting into a medium bowl and add several drops of green food coloring. Blend well, adding a few more drops as needed to achieve the shade of green you prefer. Remove one heaping spoonful of the green frosting to another bowl and add a few extra drops of green food coloring to create a darker shade of green. Tint the remaining frosting yellow using several drops of yellow food coloring.

Cut the cake in half. Place one side on a large platter and put the other piece next to it to form an S. Using a serrated knife, trim one end of the S until slightly rounded. This will serve as the head. Ice the entire cake with green frosting. Using pastry bags or plastic bags with one corner snipped off, pipe yellow and dark green lines across the caterpillar.

Cut 2 1/2" thick rounds from the marshmallow. Put a dot of frosting on the back of 2 blue m&m's and press one into each marshmallow. Place these on the caterpillar for eyes. Break the oreo fun stix in half and push the 2 halves into the caterpillar just above the eyes. Use a dot of frosting to stick a green m&m on the end of each antenna. Line the base of the cake with green m&m's.

I made 2 of these cakes to accommodate our large family. The first one seemed a little thin on the frosting, so I would recommend buying an extra can just in case you need more. I don't like to be able to see the cake underneath when I am frosting something, but that might just be me! :)

Risotto Stuffed Portobellos

I love portobello mushrooms! This is a recipe that I found and we tried before and obviously forgot to blog about... It is worth repeating even if I had blogged about it! :) It takes a bit of prep work so be ready to chop away. It is worth it in the end... I love the meatiness of portobellos and risotto is so yummy even if it is a little time consuming to make! The kids were not too pleased with this dish - my 3 year old discovered how to not so secretly feed the dog a few pieces of his portobello! They liked the risotto part, just not the big huge mushroom part! :) Oh well, more for Josh and I!!



Risotto Stuffed Portobellos
(recipe found in Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup dry white wine or additional broth
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 green onions, finely chopped
4 large portobello mushrooms (4 inches)m, stems removed
cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

In small saucepan, heat broth and water and keep warm. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute celery, carrots and onion in oil until crisp tender. Add rice, shallots and garlic; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in wine. Cook and stir until the liquid is absorbed.

Add heated broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow liquid to absorb between additions. Cook until creamy and rice is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat; add parmesan cheese and green onions.

Spritz mushrooms with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fill with risotto; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Place in a 13x9" baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and cheese is melted.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Wow... Wow... Wow!!! This was addicting! It was so yummy and SOOOO tasted like chocolate chip cookie dough that none of us could keep our hands out of it! I paired it with animal crackers and graham crackers, made a double batch and it was still completely gone in a couple of hours! Definitely a redo!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
(recipe found at becomingbetty.blogspot.com)

1 stick butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture starts to bubble. Remove from heat and add vanilla. In another bowl, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Pour in brown sugar mixture and mix until combined. Add chocolate chips. Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Serve with graham crackers, apple slices, animal crackers, pretzels...

Chicken and Artichoke French Bread Pizza

My one and only experience with artichokes is spinach and artichoke dip. Man, the yummiest appetizer in the world!! So, when I found this recipe I was curious to try it out. Oh man... talk about heavenly!! Do you see how much cheese is on this thing? How can it not be heavenly?? There was a lot of chopping and prep work, but oh so worth it!! Let me tell you - we had leftovers and my son has been asking to eat them for lunch for the past couple of days - that's how good it is! :)

The one complaint that I had was something that I did myself. I used miracle whip instead of mayo... I am usually a miracle whip girl and don't mind substituting it for mayo at all, but this time it was a mistake. I didn't like the sweet undertone taste that I kept having with each bite. I would definitely stick with the mayo.



Chicken and Artichoke French Bread Pizza
(recipe found at www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com)

1 loaf french bread
1/2 cup mayo
2 teaspoons garlic seasoning
2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup spinach, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1 tablespoons juice from marinated artichoke jar

In a small bowl, combine the mayo and garlic seasoning. Slice french bread open. Slather the mayo mixture all over. Place the bread on a cookie sheet and top with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese on each piece.

Evenly distribute the chicken, spinach, tomato, red onion and artichoke hearts over each bread half. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses. Drizzle artichoke juice over the top of each pizza. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and browned.

Sangria

One of my good friends (and my cousin's wife) had the chance to head to Florida this fall and had Sangria for the first time. She was head over heels in love at first sight!! We were getting together so I found this recipe to try while we were hanging out. It was good, but definitely had a bitter after taste to it. I thought that it might be the lime that is added but it might have also been the type of red wine that I used. We pushed through though and finished it off... :) Come on, it wasn't that bad! The hunt is still on for a Sangria that we can make that she loves as much as the one she had in Florida!



Sangria
(recipe found at http://www.meganscookin.com/)

1 bottle red wine, chilled
1 bottle white wine, chilled
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup rum (I used coconut flavored)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 orange; sliced into thin slices
1 lemon; sliced into thin slices
1 lime; sliced into thin slices
1 apple; cut into chunks
1 cup blueberries
1 cup grapes

In a small pan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Turn off heat and let cool. (I put mine in the freezer to speed up the process...) Put all fruit into a large pitcher or bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Place in fridge for a few hours to combine flavors. Serve cold!

Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Pie

This was a treat that I made for the hubs one night on his birthday weekend... yes, you heard me right - birthday weekend. He tries for a birthday month but I don't let him get away with that. He usually doesn't get a birthday weekend either, but he likes to think that he does! :) He is a big UFC fight fan and there was a fight the weekend of his birthday. So, we hooked up with some friends to watch the fight and eat some delicious pie! Definitely not a low cal treat...



Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Pie
(recipe found at http://www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/)

45 oreo cookies
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 half gallon cookies and cream ice cream, softened
1 cup hot fudge
1/2 of an 8 ounces container of cool whip
mini chocolate chips (optional)

Take out ice cream to soften before working with it. Put 30 oreos into food processor. Grind into fine crumbs and pour into small mixing bowl. Add melted butter and stir to combine. Press into a deep 9" pie plate.

Put remaining oreo cookies into food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Add to ice cream and fold. Spread ice cream out evenly over crust. Carefully spoon hot fudge onto the ice cream and spread around. Layer with cool whip. Cover and place in freezer for at least 4 hours.

Remove from freezer at least 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: My pie was a big old mess when I was in the process of making it - I knew it was going to happen, but I did it anyway. The fudge was too hot and there was too much ice cream underneath. This led to the ice cream melting and both the ice cream and fudge ran EVERYWHERE... So, I would recommend freezing that ice cream layer a bit before adding the fudge layer and letting the fudge cool a little bit before you pour it onto the ice cream... Don't worry - it still tasted fabulous!!

Mocha Brownies

If you are a coffee lover, these are for you!! I made these when we had friends over and paired them with some mint chocolate chip ice cream... HEAV-EN!!! (At least for my sister in law and I, who love coffee!) The were so fudgy, filled with coffee flavor and gone in 2 seconds! We must have talked about the taste and texture of them the whole time we were devouring them - I think I caught our husbands rolling their eyes a few times (in between plays of the Twins game)...



Mocha Brownies
(recipe found at delishh.com)

3/4 cups sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 piece unsweetened chocolate (1 square)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cups whole milk (I used skim)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup cold espresso or cold strong coffee

Heat oven to 350. Mix together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Melt square of unsweetened chocolate and butter in the microwave. Mix together milk and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients, alternating between chocolate mixture and milk mixture. Combine. Pour into greased 8x8 pan.

Combine brown sugar, the 1/2 cup additional sugar and cocoa powder. Sprinkle over cake batter. Pour cold coffee over top. Do not stir. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Homemade Spicy Refried Beans

We love mexican at our house! Since the hubs is from Arizona he is a little more particular about his mexican - he whines that it isn't that authentic when we go places in Minnesota... Shocking that we don't have authentic tasting mexican in Minnesota! :) When we go while we are in Arizona one of my favorite sides is refried beans. So, when I found this recipe and it looked a little healthier then refried beans usually are (when they are all cooked up with lard...), I wanted to try it! Of course Josh ended up not being home the night that we had it, so he can't weigh in on how good or bad they were, but my dad and I thought they were pretty dang good!! We had them as a side dish to my cheesy chicken enchiladas!

Big warning attached to this recipe - these really are spicy!! I mean, this is not just part of the title - they are making your mouth burn spicy! I took a taste when I had them ready and realized immediately that these were not going to go over well with the kids and I was right on! Brody took the one bite that I gave them all and drank all of his milk in one gulp... Beau took a bite and spit his back out and Bella proceeded to grab her tongue for the next five minutes. Although the reactions were amusing, I didn't make them have anymore...

So, the moral of this warning is - you might want to tame it down a bit if you don't like spicy foods... I cut the red crushed pepper in half and it was still this spicy. I liked it, but if I was going to make it again for the kids I would tone it down a lot more.



Homemade Spicy Refried Beans
(recipe found at thepioneerwoman.com)

2 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
3 quarts water for cooking the beans, plus 1 cup for mashing the beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
shredded cheddar cheese, to serve

Rinse the dried beans in water, making sure to get rid of any dirt that might be hanging out. Add the beans to a large pot and cover with water. (Make sure there is about 4 inches of water above the dried beans, they will soak up a lot of water.) Bring water to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook beans for 2 1/2 hours.

Once the beans are cooked, drain the excess water and set aside. In a large skillet add the olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the onions along with the red pepper flakes, paprika and cayenne pepper for about 5 minutes. Add the drained beans and 1 cup of water. Using an immersion blender (or I used a hand mixer), lightly blend the beans until they have a consistency of mashed potatoes. Season with salt as needed. Serve with cheddar cheese.

Weekly Line Up - 6/18-6/24

Our town celebration is this weekend and I can't wait!! It isn't as big as it used to be - we don't have the traveling carnival that comes to town anymore, but there is still fun to be had. There is just something about walking up and down our small town streets, chatting with people that you see all the time or sometimes don't usually see, eating a loaded baked potato from the church potato booth, watching my kids play some of the same kiddie games that I used to play and enjoying a small town parade that just makes me love my hometown!! Can you tell I am a little excited?? I love sharing this with my kids...

So, this weekend is a little crazy and we will be eating all the "stand" foods, but to make it even more wild we are throwing our youngest son's dedication in there. That means making sure the house is clean, the fridge is stocked and the yard is mowed. How are we going to fit all that in? :) Somehow we manage to do it though and still have fun doing it!

Saturday - Boy Scout Booth Hamburgers!
Sunday - Ham It Up Primavera, Fruit Salad, Ezekiel Bread
Monday - Hot Dogs and Baked Beans
Tuesday - 3 month picture day for Braxton - we get to eat out!
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Penne with Peppers and Sausage
Friday - Camping... I still have to figure out that menu! :)

Honey Oatmeal Bread

I liked the idea of this bread because it sounded pretty healthy, hearty and tasty... It was pretty good, but I definitely liked my whole wheat bread recipe better! I am really fussy about the crusty of my breads. I don't like anything that is even a little tough to chew and this one was like this. Now, if that is something that is my fault in the way that I am making my breads, I don't know... But, since the whole wheat bread didn't turn out that way I'm going to go with the idea that it isn't my fault and it is just the recipe! :)



Honey Oatmeal Bread
(recipe found at the pioneerwoman.com)

4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter
2 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 whole egg

In a medium bowl, heat the butter and honey until the butter is melted. Add water (mixture should be warm - 110-120 degrees). Stir in the yeast and let sit until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine salt, 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose flour. With mixer on low, gradually blend liquid into dry ingredients until just blended. Increase the speed to medium, beat for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl. Gradually beat in egg and 1 cup of whole wheat flour to make a thick batter. Continue beating for 2 more minutes. Stir in oats, 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose flour. Knead until smooth and elastic. Use more flour if dough is too sticky.

Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch the dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; cover with the bowl and let rise for 15 minutes. Shape into two loaves and let rise for 1 hour in greased 9x5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Fruit Salad

I just found my new favorite summer side salad - heck, I might make this all year long!! It is so yummy and not too unhealthy for you either... I mean, fruit, yogurt? So what if it has a tub of cool whip and a box of pudding mix? It is so creamy and delicious and then the tart of the berries.... YUMMY!!



Fruit Salad
(recipe found at http://www.becomingbetty.blogspot.com/)

2 small bags frozen mixed berries
1 tub cool whip
1 large container vanilla yogurt
1 small package cheesecake pudding mix

Pour berries into a large bowl. Add cool whip and yogurt and sprinkle in pudding mix. Stir until well combined. Chill before serving.

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

I'm not a huge oatmeal fan... I think that plain oatmeal is boring and everytime that I eat it, I feel like I am just choking it down. The instant packets seem so small that I always make a couple and then I feel like I am eating way too much... So, when I found this recipe I wanted to try it, just to see if there was something different that I could do to oatmeal to make me enjoy it - since it is supposed to be such a healthy, stick to your ribs sort of meal...

This recipe was fabulous!! To paraphrase the 3 bears and their incident with a blondie... "it wasn't too runny or too thick, it was just right!" Try it, you might start to like oatmeal too! :)




Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

(recipe found at http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/)



2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced

Optional Toppings:
brown sugar
raisins
dried cranberries
chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Coat an 8x8" baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, applesauce, butter, egg whites and vanilla.

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until combined. Gently stir in diced apples. Pour oatmeal mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until oatmeal is golden brown and set. Remove from oven and serve warm. Add additional toppings to baked oatmeal, if desired.

Servings: 4
Points: 4

Vanilla Cupcakes with Glossy Chocolate Frosting and Secret Recipe Club

I am part of a club - shhh... it's a secret club! To find out more about this secret recipe club click here. This was my first assignment and the minute that I saw these pretty things I knew that I had to try them... I started to rack my brain to figure out what I could use them for, cause you all know that I can't have too many sweets sitting around my house or they will be gone! G-o-n-e, gone!! Seriously - look at that glossy frosting, isn't it just so pretty? So, these babies were made up for my son's Kindergarten teacher and classroom para (and of course a few for us!)

Vanilla Cupcakes with Glossy Chocolate Frosting
(original recipe found here)

Cupcakes:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt (omit if you are using salted butter)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
salt (omit if using salted butter)

Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 and position rack in center. Prepare a 12 cup muffin tin by placing the cupcake liners in it. Sift dry ingredients together. Cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat for 1 minute after each addition.

With mixer running, add flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with flour. Spoon batter into cupcake liners, about 2/3rd's full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. **Watch your time... I baked mine for 20 minutes and they got a little too done and were a little dry. Remove from muffin tin and let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the sugar and cocoa. Gradually stir in the cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring until everything is mixed well, smooth and hot,but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and a pinch or two of salt, to taste. Set aside to cool. Dip the cupcake upside down into the frosting and let the excess drip off. Place cupcake on a rack to let frosting set.

This frosting was ROCKING on ice cream later! Ria had mentioned that she halved the frosting recipe and still had enough... I'm not good at listening to what others say all the time, so I still made a full batch and found that she was right! :) But I put the remainder to good use! I'm actually thinking of trying the frosting recipe and adding a little bit of peanut butter to it.... That could have wonderful potential! :)

Make sure you stop by and check out the other recipes Ria has to offer at her blog home! Find it here! Enjoy!!

Weekly Line Up - 6/11-6/17

Sorry - the post was ready to post, but I was not! :) It's been a crazy weekend - the hubs has been gone a lot and he was actually home for a day so it was all about the family for about 36 hours... Now he's gone again and me and the kids are back into our summer routine (which is run, run and run some more!)

Saturday - brats and *sweet potato fries
Sunday - eggs and toast
Monday - grilled cheese
Tuesday - *chicken and artichoke french bread pizza
Wednesday - tacos
Thursday - *deluxe cheeseburger melt
Friday - *black bean burgers

* New Recipes

Scrambled Eggs and Cheese Pizza

I'm working on eating healthier with my family and shedding the rest of that baby weight, so I am busting out my weight watchers recipes... Now, if it doesn't taste good, I just can't keep up eating right, so you know I won't be posting something that tastes like cardboard! I used my own crust for this pizza and you can find the recipe for it here. I also doubled the toppings because my pizza stone is bigger then the 13" that they call for in the recipe. It was super tasty and hit the spot with my family! I served it with a side of fruit for a light and healthy meal.



Scrambled Eggs and Cheese Pizza
(recipe found at www.weightwatchers.com)

1 tablespoon all purpose flour
16 ounces frozen pizza crust dough, thawed
1 serving cooking spray
1 1/2 cup fat free egg substitute
1/2 cup fat free skim milk
1/2 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
2 ounces ham, lean only, diced

Preheat oven to 375. Sprinkle flour on a clean, flat surface and roll out pizza dough into a 13" circle; lay dough on a baking sheet or stone. Build up edges of dough to make a crust and then prick dough generously with tines of a fork; bake until light brown, about 15 minutes.

While crust is baking, coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Beat egg substitute and milk together in a large bowl; pour into skillet and scramble. Place scrambled eggs on pizza crust and sprinkle with cheese and ham; bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.

Points Value: 5 per slice (if you don't double the toppings!)

Dijon Mustard Chicken Marinade

Warning - if you don't like mustard, this recipe is not for you! It was pretty tasty and the chicken turned out so moist, even though I was the one grilling it... I am trying to conquer my grilling fears - usually I pull out those recipes when I know that the hubs will be home, but lately I have been working it on my own. Not too shabby tonight, if I do say so myself...

The kids chowed down, but they probably aren't my toughest critics - so I guess I will go with my own opinion on this recipe and say that it was easy enough to make, I usually have all the ingredients on hand and I could throw it together quickly to dress up chicken... This was another Nourishing Hearts meal, so I just popped it out of the freezer this morning and only had to heat up some sides before we ran out the door tonight! I love that!!



Dijon Mustard Chicken Marinade
(recipe from Nourishing Hearts)

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup oil

Mix mustard, pepper, vinegar and oil together in gallon size freezer bag. Add chicken and massage into the meat to cover. Freeze at this point if desired.

To serve: let thaw completely. Grill until done.

Poppy Chow

I found this tasty little treat over at The Tasty Kitchen... This is a website that one of my friends turned me on too and I have it bookmarked as a favorite now. I love that it is a collection from so many different people and you can find so many different ideas there!!

I made this for the boys' teachers for the last day of school to say thanks for putting up, I mean teaching my kids for this past year! They are truly special people who helped the boys have a great and wonderful year...

As I was making it, I realized that I really needed to double the recipe. Not because it didn't make enough for them... because I was eating it as fast as I was making it! It is so good. I love puppy chow, but never have chex cereal on hand. Popcorn is a staple at our house, as well as the rest of the ingredients. Super easy to make and ready in no time! :) ENJOY...



Poppy Chow
(recipe found at thepioneerwoman.com)

9 cups air popped popcorn - (I used my stir crazy)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cups peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In microwave or double boil, melt chocolate, peanut butter and butter until melted. Stir in vanilla. Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture over popcorn. Stir gently until evenly coated. Add powdered sugar and stir until each piece is covered. Spread out on cookie sheets to set chocolate. Store in airtight container.

Salmon Grilled in Foil

I believe, as far as I can remember, that this is the first time that I have ever had salmon. It had a slightly more fishy taste then I like, but once I got past that, this recipe was pretty good. My brother was over for supper and he went back for seconds on everything and was pretty impressed with the salmon especially! 2 thumbs up from him and the hubs!!



Salmon Grilled in Foil
(recipe found in Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)

4 salmon fillets (4 ounces each)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, cut into rings
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Place salmon, skin side down, on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Combine the garlic powder, lemon pepper, curry and salt; sprinkle over salmon. Top with onion and tomatoes. Fold foil over fish and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes ro until fish flakes easily with a fork. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape.

Refried Bean Roll Ups

This was a quick and easy meal that I made for lunch one Sunday before we headed out to the ball field. It was delicious and a twist on the normal tacos... This definitely made more then I was expecting, as it said that it served only 4. So, I doubled it and I now have refried bean mix coming out my ears! :)

Refried Bean Roll Ups
(recipe found at http://www.bettycrocker.com/)

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 package flour tortillas for burritos
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Mix beans, salsa and chili powder in 1 quart saucepan. Heat over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warm. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the bean mixture onto center of each tortilla; spread slightly. Top with lettuce and cheese. Fold over sides and ends of tortillas. Serve with additional salsa if desired.

Weekly Line Up - 6/4-6/10

Last week was a little crazy and we ended up in different places that I expected, so this week has a lot of roll over from last week. Can't wait to try these recipes so hopefully this week nothing comes up! :)

Friday - *Fantasy Chicken
Saturday - Eggs and Toast
Sunday - *Hubby's Favorite Crepes
Monday - *Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Tuesday - *Refried Bean Roll Ups
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - *Classic Cashew Beef
Friday - *Ham It Up Primavera

* New Recipes

Chocolate Revel Bars

Holy Shamoley!! These are some chocolatey goodness that you just better not pass up! They looked delish in the recipe that I found so I had to make them up... We had a wrestling banquet the other afternoon and that was the perfect excuse to bake and not eat the whole pan! :) They were everything that I hoped they would be and I was glad that I had other people helping me finish off the pan...

Sorry, no picture - the camera was in the car and by the time that I busted it out, the bars were gone!!

Chocolate Revel Bars
(recipe found at Baking Bites)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature, divided
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can) - no wonder mine were so delish, I just realized I used a whole can! :)
1 1/2 cups dark or bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup toasted and salted pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x9" square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and oatmeal. In a large bowl, cream together 7 tablespoons butter (reserve remaining tablespoon) with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Blend in flour mixture until well incorporated.

In a small, microwave safe bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup chocolate chips and reserved 1 tablespoon butter. Melt on high heat in 40 second intervals, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Take 1 1/2 cups of the cookie dough mixture and press it into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread the chocolate mixture evenly on top of the cookie layer. Stir remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips and toasted pecans into remaining cookie dough. Break dough into small chunks and sprinkle evenly over entire chocolate layer. Chocolate layer will be partially exposed. Bake for 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Cool completely in the pan before cutting.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

This is a quick and simple meal that is easy to pull together on a week night! We were headed out of the house right away and I wanted to feed everyone a healthy meal before we left. I threw most of this together during naps and just got the chicken ready right before serving! I also seperated out the chicken before I added the hot sauce. I wasn't sure if this would be too spicy for the kids, so I took out some of the chicken before adding the hot sauce... Delicious and simple!! The bread on the side is a whole wheat bread that is super yummy... Click here for the recipe!



Buffalo Chicken Salad
(recipe found in Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons louisiana style hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bunch romaine, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup fat free ranch salad dressing

In a large nonstick skillet, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the hot sauce, salt and pepper. In large bowl, combine the romaine, celery and carrots. Divide among four plates. Top with chicken. Serve with ranch dressing.