I hadn’t realized it has been so long since I posted. Life has been crazy busy the past few months. Unfortunately we have fallen back into some bad habits the past few months as well, and we have been eating out more than we should. I have made a promise to myself, though, to be a better wife and mother and get back to cooking for my family more.

I feel a little guilty posting this recipe; it was really tasty, but probably not really all that good for us. One of our favorite places to go eat is 5 Guys. We LOVE their burgers and fries (but if they just had cheese sauce that would make me that happiest fat girl alive!), except for Kyle. He hates hamburgers for the most part. He loves their hot dogs. He can pretty much inhale 2 of them before I can even finish 1/2 of my burger. Chili dogs, in general, are one of Barry’s all time favorite meals, so I took a bit of inspiration from 5 Guys hot dogs and my hubby’s love of chili dogs and created this dish the other night – grilled chili cheese dogs.

You need a good quality hot dog – we love Nathan’s, but they can be pricey. Split each dog right now the center, and open up flat (try not to cut the casing on the other side of the dog… it helps them stay together better). Place cut side down on a heated griddle. Cook for several minutes (it really doesn’t take long), then flip over. Once you have flipped, add cheese to the top of the dogs, then add the top sides of the bun. Place the bottom of the bun on the griddle as well to get it good and toasted. Serve with your favorite chili and condiments.

Like I said… not the healthiest dinner in the world, but it was quick and everyone loved it.

I have been researching/trying different biscuit recipes lately, too. I found one that we all really like – even Josh, the pickiest kid you have ever seen in the world! Here is the recipe for Southern Buttermilk Biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening ( I use shortening… the recipe suggests using it chilled, but I never do.)
2 T butter, chilled (this I do use cold – cut into smaller cubes)
3/4 cup buttermilk 

Preheat oven to 450-degrees.

Sift flour (I don’t own a sifter – I use my big metal-mesh strainer), then measure out needed amount. Add the rest of the dry ingredients. Using a pasty blender (or the best tools on the entire planet – your own two hands!) cut in the shortening and butter until it resembles course meal. Add buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Turn out onto a floured surface, kneading just a couple of times. Gently pat out  dough to 1/2-inch thickness, and cut out with a biscuit cutter. Place, touching, onto baking sheet: bake for 10-12 minutes.

The real key to yummy biscuits is in the handling of the dough – less is best. If you work the dough too much you will get tough biscuits. This is true from the blending in of the butter to the patting out and cutting the biscuits.

Ok – one last recipe to share! I had never, in all my life as a Southern girl, heard of chocolate gravy until about a month ago. I had NO idea what it was, and one of our teachers just could not believe it, so he made me some. Can I just say, OH.MY. GOODNESS!!! So yummy! So, for Valentine’s Day, I made my family heart shaped biscuits and chocolate gravy for breakfast. I thought I’d share the recipe for that yummy goodness as well:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 T butter
1 1/2 cups milk
2 T flour
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder

Mix all the dry ingredients in a heavy saucepan with a whisk; stir in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat with the mixture is thick like pudding. Add the butter, stirring until completely melted. Serve over biscuits.

Now, I’ve heard that some like this thin, and some like it thick, so the amount of time left on the heat will vary depending on how thick or thin you like it. I let it go until it was the consistency of gravy rather than pudding, and it was mighty tasty! Everyone loved it, except for Josh who refused to try it. He just couldn’t fathom putting anything chocolate on a biscuit (silly, silly boy… chocolate goes with anything! )

So, there are a few of the naughty things we have been eating lately. I know – we need to eat better! I’ll post some healthier things soon!

First of all, let me say that I LOVE pumpkin! Pumpkin breads, muffins, donuts, pies… you get the idea! Since we decorated pumpkins this year for Halloween instead of carving them and I couldn’t stand the thought of throwing away that many perfectly good pumpkins, I decided to make my own pumpkin puree. I got one pumpkin cut up, cooked and pureed, then my oven went on the fritz and the rest rotted while we waited to get it fixed. But, with that one batch of puree I started experimenting in the kitchen. I did pumpkin pancakes, and several versions of pumpkin muffins.

I thought that I would post the muffin recipe that we liked the best. I made it this morning for the kids (with canned pumpkin), and must say that they were yummy!

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree

Cream together butter and sugar; add eggs and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well again – batter will be very stiff. Thoroughly mix in pumpkin. This will help to thin out the batter some, but it will still be a stiffer batter than normal. Spoon half of the batter into greased muffin tins. Top with struesel made from 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 T. four, 2 t. cinnamon and 2 T cold butter. Then spoon remaining batter on top of that. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

I’ve never been a HUGE chili fan, but lately it has sounded so good to me. I’ve made 2 different big pots of chili in the past 5 days, so I decided to share what I made.

Last Christmas my SIL, Dawn, made some wonderful White Chili, and she was kind enough to pass the recipe on. One of my co-workers, Sharon, also passed on a recipe that she uses for White Chili. Both of them sounded very good, so I combined them into one recipe. I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken, and it was yummy!!

In a large dutch oven, sautee the following in olive oil:
1 large onion – chopped
2 or 3 cloves of garlic – minced
1 can (4-ounce size)  
Add:
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic pepper
1 TBSP chili powder
Cayenne pepper to taste
3 TBSP fresh lime juice
2 cans great northern beans, undrained
1 can white shoepeg corn, drained
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
Shredded Chicken (I didn’t measure how much… just put enough in until I was happy with it! )

Simmer all together for 30 minutes… serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.

Tonight I tried my hand at traditional chili. I didn’t have a recipe to follow… just kind of made it up as I went along.

1 pound hamburger
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minded
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1 TBSP chili powder
Salt/Pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp garlic pepper
2 cans pinto beans, undrained
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2 TBSP tomato paste

Brown hamburger, onion and garlic. Drain fat; add red pepper and seasonings. Cook to soften pepper. Add beans and tomatoes, simmer together on low for 30 minutes. Serve with corn chips, sour cream and cheese.

When I was little, my favorite holiday activity was making sugar cookies. Mom would make the dough and roll it out, and I would cut and decorate them. Mom would buy these silver candy balls to decorate with, and I loved using them on bells… something about “Silver Bells” just made the holiday perfect! I’m sad to say that as an adult I don’t really enjoy making sugar cookies now… probably because I am now the one who has to roll out the dough! My girls, though, enjoy every step of the process, and I am very happy to enjoy their labors.

I thought I would post the recipe that Megan used to make her yummy sugar cookies on Sunday. This recipe comes from a family friend, and was included in a ward cookbook that my sister gave me as a wedding present. It’s the best sugar cookie recipe that I’ve ever tried, and the cookies are so moist!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1 C butter/margarine
2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 C sour cream
1 t vanilla
1/2 t baking soda
4 t baking powder
6 C flour
1/2 t salt

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well; mix in sour cream and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients together, and slowly add to dry ingredients, mixing well. Roll out dough fairly think (1/4 to 1/2 inch). Bake at 35o for 12 – 15 minutes. Frost when cool.

Enjoy!!

It’s been a while since I posted here. Life has been very busy and I find myself falling back into old and bad habits… grabbing dinner on the way from one activity to another. But tonight I decided to actually cook, and I’m so glad that I did! With the weather being damp and a bit chilly, I decided to make a big pot of beef stew and some cheddar biscuits to go with it. My family usually are not big stew/soup eaters, and the last time I attempted to make stew it was thrown out (even I thought is was bad!), so any time that anyone gets a hankering for beef stew, it’s Dinty Moore to the rescue. I went to Fayetteville, though, on Saturday and ran over to Gerald’s to stock up on meat. The stew meat looked good so I decided to give homemade stew another try… and I’m glad I did. Even the kiddos loved it this time around! I researched some recipes online, and then combined a couple of them to suit my taste. Here is what I came up with:

2 lbs stew beef
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Flour for dredging
2 tsp salt
8 sprigs thyme, or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 C beef stock
2 C water
4 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/4 C cornstarch
1/4 C beef stock
Salt/Pepper to taste

Heat oil in large Dutch oven. Season beef, then dredge in flour. Shake off excess flour, and add to oil. Add chopped onions and salt; cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Add 2 1/2 C stock, water, herbs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add vegetables and cook for 30 minutes more. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 C of stock; stir until smooth. Add to stew and bring to boil, boiling for one minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I have just enough left overs for my lunch tomorrow… can’t wait!

I also found a great recipe for cheddar biscuits – an “almost” knock-off of Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits. I made these tonight as well to go along with the stew, and they were a huge hit.

For the biscuits:
1 3/4 C flour
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp shortening, at room temperature
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter ( I only had salted on hand, so I used that), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 ounces grated yellow cheddar cheese
3/4 C milk

For the Garlic Butter:
3 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425; mist a baking sheet with cooking spray. To make the biscuits, pulse flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse until combined. Add the butter, and pulse 4 0r 5 times, or until the butter is pea-sized. Add the cheese and pulse 2 or 3 times. Pour in the milk and pulse until the mixture is moistened and forms a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough. Drop by large tablespoons onto the greased baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Meanwhile, melt the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add parsley. Brush biscuits with garlic butter and serve warm.
*I don’t have a food processor, so I just used those good ‘ole tools on the end of my arms to mix it all together. I skipped the kneading, though, since dough was already formed in the bowl.

The biscuits disappeared very quickly, and overall the meal was a great hit. The kids were even asking me to make it again some time! Guess we found a new winter-time treat!

Made these for dinner tonight… and they were yummy!! Not a quick meal, mainly because my grill only has one hot spot, so it took a while to cook enough for our family, but worth the time. Next time I do these it will be on a weekend, or on another night when I have more time.

I went grocery shopping yesterday in the middle of the day, mind you… the last time I will get to do that this summer. Soon it will have to be squeezed in between soccer practices, games, youth activities and catching up on house cleaning. As silly as this may sound, it is one of those little things that I miss the most while working.

I must confess that I had a hard time coming up with our menu this time around. I sat for a whole day watching food network to come up with some new dinner ideas. I did manage to find something that looked yummy, and we are excited to try it in a few days. So… here it is… the menu for the next two weeks of “freedom” as the kids are calling it!

Homemade Pizza
Mexican Lasagna
Spaghetti
Calzones (Barry had some calzone from Mellow Mushroom a few weeks ago and asked me to make some for dinner one night. He wants green olives in his, so I think we will be doing individual ones!)
Sweet and Sour Chicken Skewers – recipe can be found here
Manicotti
Tacos
Breakfast – I am really craving some sausage gravy and biscuits!
Burgers/hot dogs
Cheesesteak Sandwiches
Chinese Sundaes
Salads
Meatball Subs

The cheesesteak recipe is a pretty easy recipe. I saw the recipe done on some food network show, but once again, I had to make it a bit easier for us. Here is the recipe:
Sliced Onions (I used one small onion)
Roasted Red Pepper - to taste (I think these are a great kitchen staple! I love red peppers, but they can be a bit more pricey than green ones. One jar of roasted red peppers runs about $2.50 at Wal-Mart, and you can get several meals out of one jar. Plus, they taste even better roasted!)
Tyson Steak Strips (I used 2 bags)
Cheese
Sub rolls

Saute onions and peppers together in olive oil, add steak strips. When heated thoroughly and onions are tender, pile it onto sub rolls. Cover in cheese, then wrap in aluminum foil. Put in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted. YUMMY!!

I’ll post the recipe for Mexican Lasagna soon!

With all of our summer running now over, it’s time to head back to the kitchen and start cooking again! Barry took care of himself with freezer-fare while I was gone, and I think he is happy to have some home-cooked meals once again. I had to sit down the other day and actually start thinking about a menu again, and I must confess that I didn’t enjoy that a whole lot! It’s been kind of nice to not worry about things for a while! Anyway…. here is my lame-o menu for the next week.

Spaghetti
Panini’s (Barry’s new favorite meal. He requested these for Father’s Day, and I was happy to make them for him. I might actually try to grill these this time like they are really supposed to be cooked.)
Fajitas
Mini Corn Dogs (just discovered this recipe, and had fun making them!)
Grilled Fish
Roast
Ribs
Sausage and Potatoes

While I was trying to come up with my menu the other night, I searched foodnetwork.com to see what I could find. This recipe caught my attention, and I decided that I would try it. I admit that I didn’t follow this recipe exactly (do I ever?!); I used the general idea and substituted cresent rolls for homemade dough. I cut the hot dogs in half and used some skewers that I had on hand. I unrolled the cresent rolls into one large square, then pushed together the seams. I then cut the dough into strips, and wrapped those around the hotdogs. Bake in a 375-degree oven until the cresent rolls are browned. I served with fruit kabobs, and they seemed to be a hit!

I also came up with another recipe last week that I thought I would share. My boys (all 3!) love hot and spicy. I had some boneless, skinless chicken breast thawed out, and so I thought that I would make them some buffalo chicken strips. I cut the chicken down to size, then covered it in hot sauce. I let that sit for about 30 minutes to an hour, then poured in some buttermilk. Once chicken is coated with buttermilk, dredge in flour, seasoned with Cajun spices (I used Weber Kick’n Chicken). Fry in hot oil until chicken is cooked through. The boys loved them, but Barry and I decided that next time we should bake them to cut down on the fat.

So… does anyone have any fun recipes to share? I’m looking to expand my collection, so please share!!

So, I haven’t really had to worry about cooking much for the past month since we’ve been out of town. It’s been a nice break. I won’t have to worry much about it for the next few weeks, either, as we continue our vacation. I guess that I should use this time to come up with some new recipes, but I have to admit… I love NOT even thinking about it for a while!

I’ve been a bit busy, and haven’t posted in a while. Next week is going to be really busy packing and getting ready for the trip, so I came up with a simple menu.

Chinese Sundaes
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Burgers
Homemade Pizzas
Fajitas
Breakfast

I usually get a whole chicken, and get several meals out of it, but it can be time consuming to either bake or stew the chicken. This week I am making it easy on myself and grabbed a rotisserie chicken from the deli. I will use the extra meat to make chicken salad for sandwiches on the trip.

I also grabbed frozen meatballs for the spaghetti. They are yummy and save time, too!

Won’t be posting for a while, since I will gone. Hopefully I will be able to find a lot of new recipes to blog about!!