Wednesdays Wonderful Recipe- ON Wednesday this time

Sorry I didn't post last week.....and I'm saying that to no one because I'm pretty sure all of you (the 1 or 2 of you) that read my blog just read it when there is an updated title in your readers and you don't actually keep checking each day to see if I have a new post nor do you expect me to post in a timely manner. (Thank you for that!)

This week I am sharing one of my favorite Pioneer Woman recipes: The Only Casserole Marlboro Man Will Eat aka Chicken Spaghetti.

I know some of you already make this but it is what is for dinner tonight in the Behunin house and I haven't had time to try any new recipes to share with you. The one thing I do differently than PW is to use a cut up rotisserie chicken and canned low sodium broth instead of boiling my own chicken and using the homemade broth. It is mostly because of time constraints and ease of use.

Try it one night with a loaf of crusty bread and a side of steamed broccoli and you have a meal even the pickiest of Marlboro Men will love!

Wednesday's Wonderful Recipe-on Friday

So I'm a couple of days late in getting this post up. So what? I thought about it a few times on Wednesday and could have gotten a recipe up pretty quickly....but decided to take care of my kids instead.

They both had a Frenectomy done at the dentist's office on Wednesday morning. We gave them a Kiddie Cocktail to make them relax and numbed their upper lips and the awesome dentist used a very tiny laser to cut the extra skin they had connecting their upper lip to their upper gum line. It was keeping their front teeth from growing together, causing a Letterman like gap that could have made dental life harder as they grow older.

Since they couldn't eat anything but soft foods for the rest of the day, they were lucky and got pudding for lunch and shakes for dinner on Wednesday but for lunch on Thursday Colin was starving and needed a little more than junk. He asked me to make some Egg Drop Soup like I did last summer when he had his tonsils removed. 

Egg Drop Soup for Two-Tasty Kitchen

I loved that he asked me to make it! It is a simple, basic recipe and totally adaptable to your family's tastes. If I have some, I add a 1/2 cup of frozen peas and carrots to the original recipe but I also double and triple the recipe since Colin loves it so much. I also 1/2 the amount of egg it calls for, since I'm not very good at streaming the eggs into the broth and I don't want to end up with Scrambled Egg Soup.

Try it next time someone is sick, or as a starter to your next Chinese food meal. Enjoy!

Wednesday's Wonderful Recipe

I know I haven't posted in a week....but we are trying to fit as much FUN into the last few weeks of summer as we can! We spent a day at my parent's having a "Grandkids Day" where all 4 of the grandkids just played in Granny's backyard. It was a lot of fun and really nice to just SIT and let the kids hang out. We spend a morning at a friends pool and we have lots of other fun stuff planned in the days to come! (I might even be able to take a few pics to share)

For now, I'm going to share my favorite cake recipe with you. It is my favorite because it is pretty simple to make (well, I think it is), and it is HOMEMADE FROM SCRATCH. No cake mix required.

Dr Pepper Chocolate Cake 

Everyone loves how rich and moist this cake is, and it is easy to take to a potluck. A 9x13 pan and a spatula and everyone can serve themselves. OR you can always plate it at a fancy dinner party (like I have those) and garnish with a few fresh raspberries on top. Sorry I don't have any pictures, I haven't made it in a while...maybe that will be next week's LL dessert!

ENJOY!

I'm a blogger- reviving my Wednesday's Wonderful Recipe posts!

I haven't shared a recipe in a long, long, long time. Since Christmas, I think. I DO still cook. I DO still take a potluck item to LL once a week. AND I DO want to share a recipe with you. And I AM going to start sharing a recipe every Wednesday. Again.

My husband's favorite dip for chips is French Onion. He loves mixing a carton of sour cream with an Onion Soup Mix packet and going to town with some potato chips (usually Pringles plain). I, on the other hand, find the soup mix to be too salty. So I did some Googling and found an onion dip recipe that I LOVE, my husband LOVES and all of my friends LOVE too. Alton Brown sure knows how to break down recipes and make things simple but delicious.

Alton Brown's Onion Dip From Scratch

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I use butter)
• 1 1/2 cups diced onions(I do 1/2 diced, 1/2 sliced)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving. 

This dip is soo good with regular potato chips, Fritos and even as a dip for a sliced baguette. I have EVEN used the little bit we've had leftover as a spread for sandwiches (go ahead, try it that way....it makes a GREAT turkey sandwich).

I'm a homemaker having some fun making Christmas Treats!

I like to make treats for my family and friends through the month of December to show them I care (as do most people). I have my "usuals": Oreo Truffles, Spritz cookies & Sugar Cookies and each year I do a few new things. Last year it was Peppermint Bark (so easy to make, but I left it in the garage fridge and we forgot about it), Vanilla Wafer Pops (they didn't work out well for me...my fault entirely) and Rice Krispie Balls (a throwback to my childhood).

This year I've tried TWO new recipes that aren't too bad. Through a couple of friends (Hi Katie! Hi Barbi!), I found a local (and by local I mean on the WEST side of the Salt Lake Valley) food blogger that shares her family friendly recipes at Jamie Cooks It Up. LOVE her! Most of her recipes that I've tried, work! And they are ones that I can make while Colin is doing Homework and the kids will eat them! I've used my Kitchen Aid way more often since reading her blog, and I've made bread (not something I ever thought I'd do).

I tried her Sweet Cherry Candy Cane cookies and her White Chocolate Popcorn. YUM!

The Sweet Cherry Candy cane cookies didn't work out as candy canes (the dough was too crumby- again, my fault!) but we rolled the dough into balls and they turned out! The colors are Christmasy and Lilly loved helping me roll the cookie dough. And she loves eating them.

The White Chocolate Popcorn was SO easy to make once I figured out how many cups of popcorn are in a bag of microwave popcorn AND how much un-popped popcorn would make the same amount of air popped popcorn. (BTW- there are approx. 12 cups in a microwave bag, and 1/3 cup un-popped kernels make 12 cups air popped popcorn). I didn't add the peanuts (we don't eat nuts in our family) and to one batch I added 1/2 cup dried cranberries. It looks so pretty and is a perfect item to give as a gift. Like Jamie says, make some up, put it in a cute bag and you've got something yummy to give to a friend. 

Now that I've tried the new recipes and added them to my recipe box, it is time to make my traditional treats. Oreo Truffles are up first, hopefully followed by homemade sugar cookies for the kids to decorate (gonna try PW's recipe this year). Hope your Holiday baking is successful!

 

I'm a Mom keeping my kids busy this summer.

And by keeping them busy, I'm having a hard time keeping up with my blogging. As you all can tell. We've had birthdays and Father's Day and water slide days and park days and....well you get the picture. Now it is July and I should get it together. Doesn't mean I will.

Do you want a short recap of the last month or so? Well, who cares....I'm gonna give you one anyway.

Lilly and I both got a year older. We celebrated Lilly's birthday with a Purplicious party at my sister's clubhouse, and I celebrated mine by having a girls night at the Roller Derby. Yes, I said Roller Derby. The Salt City Derby Girls had a double Bout the night of my birthday, and we had a blast. But NO we did NOT don roller skates and join them. Although I am tempted.

Father's Day came and Seth finally got his new grill. It is the coolest thing....a gas grill and a charcoal grill all in one. Needless to say, we've been grilling a lot since then. Gonna smoke some salmon on a cedar plank soon....YUM!

I've still been going to Zumba, a little. Things got hectic, but I'm going when I can. I'm still trying to eat healthier and grilling is helping with that, but some days it is SO hard to make sure fruits and veggies are a part of every meal. I'm gonna stick with it, and get better though, I promise.

We've had many days with friends, Movie MOMS, Book Club, Classic Fun Center days, and even a great lunch at an old friend's house (something I need to do more often.) I got to see a friend I hadn't seen for a while and I met an "imaginary friend" from FB. We saw Toy Story 3 (it is soo good, go see it!) and I saw Eclipse at an early fundraising showing (not a bad movie, but I went mostly for the time with friends). I finished a book I was supposed to read for April, read the book club book for June and started on the book for July. I wish I could find the time to read more, but as hard as I try there aren't enough hours in the day. I've recently joined Good Reads, and I put my bookshelf over on the right, if you are interested.

I know I should be using my camera more, but I haven't been feeling it. And with all the water things we've been doing, I don't dare bring my camera, in fear of breaking it. I have been happy, even though I haven't been participating in The Happiness Project and I've been trying to find some good You Capture shots and I know, I know, you'll have to take my word for it since there are no pictures to prove it.

So that is our month in a very large nutshell. I wish I had more to say, or could put into words what I think about some of the current events, but most of the time I can't even get my laundry done let alone wax intelligent about the goings on in the world. I know, boring life, but it is my life and right now I really AM just a Mom.

(Forgive the lack of links....I have most of them in posts somewhere. I just am too tired to link up.)

I'm a Mom still trying to get/eat healthy.

I'm still doing pretty good at working out, and eating well. I haven't stuck to a salad every day, but I've tried. Saturday we didn't have much in the house to eat, and no one wanted to go get take out, so I rummaged through the pantry and realized I had all the ingredients for a recipe my friend Katie has share with me a few times (first she just gave me the recipe, then she put it on our Facebook group page as a low fat/low calorie recipe).

This Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is very tasty! I topped mine with low fat cheese, light sour cream and 1/2 an avocado. But top yours with whatever you'd like! The recipe makes a lot, so it would be a great dinner for the whole family, or you can save it for lunches for yourself through the week (I'm having some after Zumba tonight!) Thanks for sharing Katie!

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 cans (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Mexican Diced Tomatoes, undrained (or plain diced tomatoes if you don't like spicey foods)

1 can (16 oz each) Rosarita® Fat-Free Refried Beans
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
2 cans (14 oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
Fried corn tortilla strips or chips, optional
Shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Place undrained tomatoes, beans, corn and broth in medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Stir until combined. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add chicken; heat until hot. Serve topped with tortilla strips and cheese, if desired.

For each 1 1/3 cup serving: 151 calories, 3 grams fat (1 g saturated), 3 grams fiber, 856 mg sodium, 16 grams protein, 34 mg cholesterol, 15 g carbs.

I'm a fun Mom too!

Or at least sometimes I am. I've tried to set aside some time to make Valentine's day treats with the kids, since well, Valentine's Day is in a week. We still have school Valentine's to put together (so simple this year, I had stickers made with a cute V-Day message and their names. Pick a treat, peel a sticker, stick it on, DONE!) and Valentine Treats for friends to make, but we are slowly getting through what I have planned since: Yesterday, we got a chance to make treats for my family. I subscribe to a food blog that suggested we make Valentine's Day Buttons, out of snap pretzels, candy melting disks, and M&Ms. So simple, and it was something the kids could help with! First you set out the pretzels, then you put a candy disk on each one. Slide them into the oven for 2 minutes, then before they cool off you gently push an M&M into each of the slightly melted candy disks. Once they cool, you can pop one into your mouth, or put them in a cute cellophane bag to give as a gift! I didn't take pics, it was a little crazy with the kids helping and all, but Colleen over at Souffle Bombay has the full recipe, and a cute pic of the finished product. Check it out, and maybe take a moment in the upcoming busy week, to make a treat with the kids!

I'm a master chef, sharing a dinner party worthy recipe.

OK, so those of you that read this blog on a regular basis, or those of you that know me at all, know I'm lying about the first part. I am NOT a master chef, I am just a little old (OK so not THAT old) housewife who loves to cook. And try cooking new things. The recipe I am going to share IS, however, worthy of serving at a dinner party. And it's pretty easy. Check out the recipe for Bacon Wrapped Chicken- here. Now that you've read the recipe these are the things I'm going to change the next time I make this for my family: 1) I'm going to pound the chicken a little flatter so the chicken is rolled up a bit more., 2) I think using Chive cream cheese spread will give it a bit more flavor and easier to roll, as well as using a thin spreading of it will make less ooze out while the chicken is cooking. 3) Use two pieces of bacon depending on what size chicken breasts you use. The more bacon, the better! 4) I think I am going to put the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up at least the top of the bacon...it needed just a bit more crunch. 5) Totally serve this with egg noodles, BUT it would also be great with boiled red potatoes (sauce served on top) or even mashed potatoes. This is a recipe I am going to use again, the whole family ate it willingly, and it was just as good as leftovers a few days later. Sorry there are no pics, I didn't have a chance to take any. Let me know if you try it!

I'm a Mom spending more time making Christmas "treats" for her kids.

This Christmas season I've been trying to spend more time making treats for and with my kids. Yes, I've taken shortcuts on a few of the treats, but the kids have loved them just the same. I don't know if I will make my Spritz cookies this year, but I am going to try to make a few new things to make up for it. In fact, I made something I've never made for my kids before. Caramel Corn. My Mom used to make it for us, or for neighbors for Christmas gifts. It would take her a long time to make it the way her Mom used to. She'd pop the popcorn, make the caramel, mix the two together and bake. She'd bake for like 15 minutes, then stir the caramel corn. Then she'd bake for 15 more minutes and stir again. That would go on for an hour or so, and in between breaking up fights between us kids, and trying to do other things around the house, it would take a lot of time. Time I just don't have right now. Time that would take away from the time I have been trying to spend on my son. Luckily I have a great friend that has an easy peasy way to make caramel corn (Thanks Holly!). She sent me the recipe, and it has taken me days to get the chance to make it. So I'm sharing the recipe with you, so you can make some easy yummy caramel corn for your kids, or maybe for just for you! Microwave Caramel Popcorn 1/2 C. Margarine 1 C. Brown Sugar 1/3 C. light Karo Syrup Dash of Salt 1 C. un-popped Popcorn 1 tsp. baking soda Air Pop popcorn into a large bowl. Cut margarine into 1 qt. microwave proof dish. Add brown sugar, Karo syrup, and salt. Cook on high for 5 minutes. Mixture will boil. Remove from microwave and stir in soda. The mixture will expand when the soda is added, so make sure you don't go for a tiny bowl. Pour mixture over plain air-popped popcorn. Stir until popcorn is evenly coated. I also like to add cashews and drizzle with melted chocolate if I'm feeling fancy. :) It was so easy to make this, and I was even really tempted to add a cup or so of M&M's to the popcorn for a little bit of a chocolate kick! Can't wait for my kids to try some!

I'm a cook with a suggestion.

Does anyone NOT have leftover turkey after Thanksgiving? We usually do, not a lot, but we have enough that doesn't get eaten some years. I know there are tons of recipes out there that give you an idea of what to do with that leftover turkey, but I want to put my 2 cents in. I found a really good recipe for Organic Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. One day I'd like to try it the Organic way, but good thing for me, it has instructions on how to make it non-organic. I used a rotisserie chicken, and the boxes of wild rice, so I don't think my veggies got cooked long enough, and they were a little crunchy. But other than that, it was easy to make and oh so good! I think it would be really good to use turkey instead of the chicken, as a new and different choice for using up the Thanksgiving leftovers!

I'm a cook that is going to start keeping buttermilk in her fridge at all times.

Quite a few of the great recipes Pioneer Woman has on her website call for buttermilk. Now I know some people consider that a staple in the "pantry" but I never have. (I also know people that like to drink it straight *shudder*, and that is totally a personal preference.) But from now on I'll make sure I keep some in my fridge. Once recipe I will make over and over again (as long as I keep the buttermilk in the fridge) are PW's Homemade Chicken Strips. They were so easy to make, and so yummy! I made them the night before Halloween, and the family ate them up! I should have made more since I craved them for lunch the next day, but they were great with my homemade french fries and BBQ sauce for dipping. (Next time I make them, I want to try PW's Homemade Ranch Dressing though, mmmmm) If you want something quick and easy to serve, try 'em!

I'm a cook looking forward to slow cooker season!

Slow Cooker season is upon us! I love smelling dinner simmering away in the slow cooker throughout the day after little effort from the cook (that is usually me!) The smells seem to scream "Fall is here". Recently as I was watching Good Things Utah, a local talk show, I saw a cooking segment by a local blogger (no, not dooce. Does she even cook?) who was is trying to use her slow cooker for 365 days. So I checked out her blog and 365 Days of Slow Cooking is pretty cool! She uses a star system to rate the recipes, and gives her and her family's opinion of the dish. It is pretty easy to navigate and fun to see what recipes she has tried. I decided to try a 4 star recipe Sweet and Spicy Ribs. We hadn't had any pork around here for a while, and I am sick of cooking pork chops when we do, so I adapted the recipe a bit. Not only did I half the recipe (6 lbs of ribs is a lot of food for 2 adults and 2 kids) but I used boneless pork country ribs instead of the beef. This was so yummy! It smelled divine all day long, and the sauce had just a tiny bit of kick! I think I will add more of the Cajun seasoning next time, to give it more of the spicy and less of the sweet. I served it with mashed potatoes with the sauce as gravy. The ribs fell apart as we ate them, no knife needed, and it would be fun to try a pork roast in the sauce for pulled pork sandwiches. I will make these quite a few times this winter, and I'm hoping to be able to cook the full recipe to share with friends as some point (that depends on if I decide to clean my house and invite people over or not). All in all a great recipe, worthy of the 4 stars Karen gave it! (It's the 10th day of NaBloPoMo and I'm still doing well....hope I can keep this up!)

I'm a Pioneer Woman fan too.

Well, you already knew that! Just in case I get home from Ree's book signing a little late, I'm posting this so I don't miss a day of NoBloPoMo. I'm so excited to get The Pioneer Woman's new cookbook, and have it signed and to see her in person! I hope to be able to meet her and get a pic with her and give her the surprise my friends and I got for her. I'll give you an update either later tonight, or tomorrow! Yee-Haw!

I'm a cook loving that soup weather is here!

Soup is one of my favorite things to make. It is easy to make, and one of the greatest comfort foods ever! I have a few no-fail soup recipes but this has become my family's favorite (OK, so Colin doesn't like it since he doesn't like potatoes). This recipe makes a TON of soup, so it is great for sharing whether with a family that has a new baby, or for a dinner party with friends. It is so yummy to serve with fresh grilled panini's or in a soup bowl. If you are vegetarian you can always use vegetable bouillion cubes and leave the ham out. If you try it let me know...I'd love to hear your take on this recipe! Potato Cheese Soup 6 cups potatoes diced 3 chicken boullion cubes 6 cups carrots diced 3/4 cup butter 1 onion chopped 3/4 cup flour 1 cup celery diced 1 quart half & half 16 oz velveeta diced ham (optional) Put vegetables in large stock pot. Add bullion cubes and enough water to cover. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add velveeta, stiring occasionally to melt cheese. In seperate pan melt butter and add flour to make a roux (add salt and pepper to taste). Slowly whisk in half & half, cook until thickened. Add white sauce to vegetables and cheese. Add ham and heat through.

I'm a Mom starting to get it together, a little.

Things have been going pretty good here in the Behunin household the last little bit. The bathroom is almost totally usable, Colin is doing well in school, Lilly is potty trained, Seth's finger is healing as well as can be expected, and I am starting to get organized for the Holidays. Tonight I am taking dinner to a friend that recently had a baby. I had a hard time deciding what to take her, since everyone takes a lasagna, or pasta, and the weather went from "fallish" to "Winter" in 3.5 seconds. I googled "Meals to take to a friend" or something like that, and came up with the menu below: Potato Cheese Soup- I'll share my recipe next week! Semi-Homemade Parker house Rolls- Rhodes Bake-N-Serv ROCK! Easy Apple Crisp- Yummy dessert find the recipe here. This might be my new go-to meal to take to a friend that needs it. At least for the winter. What is YOUR favorite meal to take to someone?

I'm a cook thinking Pumpkin is Halloweenish, right?

So I suck at taking the time to write posts. And obviously I suck at writing titles for posts too. Maybe I should take a class...there's got to be one out there somewhere! Here is your "weekly" food post: Make Pioneer Woman's Moist Pumpkin Spice Muffins. So yummy. So easy. And very Halloweenish, or Fally if you prefer. (Yes, I totally just made up a few words there, at least I didn't use Halloweenie. That is my favorite word to describe the Halloween season. Halloweenie.) I made these for Book Club last week and they were a hit. Even though I over baked the first batch (tricky new oven) they were still good. So make them. Great recipe for fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving and such.

I'm a Mom gearing up for Halloween with treats!

I know all of you know about Tip Junkie. I have Laurie's button down there on the right side of my blog. She has featured some fun ideas for Halloween Food, and I hope she features more! At the end of September, she had a link to T.Matthews Fine Art for E.L. Fudge Ghosts. They look so cute, so easy to make, and it is something the kids can help with (at least with the placement of the eyes). I haven't made them yet, but I thought I'd share the link. Once the kids and I make them, I'll take pics.

I'm really starting to forget what day it is.

I KNOW it is Tuesday. I went to my monthly MOMS Club meeting this morning, and my daughter went to school. I KNEW this AM I needed to come up with a recipe for you guys (since I'm SLACKING on the whole PostSecret Sunday posts, as well as other posts too). But here it is almost 7:30 at night and I am just remembering to share a recipe with you. *sigh* I am starting to feel a little creative as fall approaches (I say approaches because yesterday it was 90 degrees, today was warm but windy, and tomorrow is supposed to crap weather). And I have pulled a few recipes out of my saved files to try. For the MOMS Club meeting today I whipped up (and I DO mean whipped up) a recipe I found on a blog called Stephanies Kitchen. I found her right about the time she had a baby, and so I haven't shared her site with you yet, because she's been on leave. I made Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites. They were soo good, sooo easy to make, yes they weren't the healthiest choice (I wasn't trying to derail any one's diets, I promise) but I thought they might be a good thing to make for Christmas. So try them out, and check out Stephanie's blog, there are some fun recipes on there. Let me know what you think once you make them! And I'll be sharing some other fun recipes in the weeks to come, as long as I remember that it is Tuesday. (Just so you know, I am going to start paying homage to Dooce, by writing words in all caps when I want to emphasize them. There are some nutso people out there that seem to think it is their right to send her emails telling her how to write. Whatever, ass hats, get a life!)

I'm a Mom sharing more girly food!

I found a great recipe for Fresh Strawberry Dressing that The Table Runner served on a chicken salad at a bridal shower this summer. I made the recipe and served it to some MOMS Club friends, and they loved it! It was soo yummy, and was great on the salad I made (mixed greens, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese on the side) but I wanted the recipe of the salad Cristie made for the bridal shower. So I asked, and she gave it to me. Well, she posted it on her blog. I tried the chicken part of the Citrus Chicken Salad was soo good! It is totally chick food and a great recipe for a spring or summer get together. One tip: even though it says you can marinate the chicken overnight, I don't recommend it. The fresh juices cooked parts of the chicken, so next time I make it I will only marinate it for 4 hours or so. I am also going to try the salad with it, it looks sooo good! I guess I'm going to have to have a "girl's only" party soon, huh?