Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Whole Wheat Pancakes

I am trying to incorporate more whole wheat into our diet.  :)  Here's one such attempt!  I would like to point out, that to make them taste good, there is WAY more sugar and way more oil than in my favorite "Classic Pancakes" recipe.....

Preheat: --
Category: Pancakes, breakfast, wheat

2 2/3 c. Whole wheat flour
2 T. Baking powder
1/4 c. + 1 T. Sugar
1 t. Salt
4 Eggs, beaten
2 2/3 c. Milk
1/4 c. + 1 T. Oil

Optional: Serve with:
Syrup
Jam
Butter

1.  Mix well.

2.  Preheat skillet.

3.  Pour batter (I like to use 3/4 c.) and wait for bubbles to form, pop, and NOT refill with batter.

4.  Flip and cook the bottom.  Serve hot.

Chicken Packets

I've gotten sick of our regular recipe list so went poking around for new recipes--can you tell? :)  This is specifically for prepping then quickly throwing things together during the month.

Preheat: 350*
Category: Chicken, freezeable

2 c. Chicken, chopped and cooked
1 (6-8 oz.) pkg. Cream cheese, softened
1 T. Chives, chopped
2 T. Milk
Salt
1/2 c. Seasoned croutons, crushed to crumbs (I plan on using bread crumbs.)
2 (8-oz.) pkgs. Refrigerated Crescent rolls (I plan on using my recipe for Calzone dough so I don't have to buy the refrigerated rolls.)
1/4 c. Butter, melted

1.  Mix (warm is best) Chicken, cream cheese, chives, milk and salt with hands.  If you're pre-making this part, store in a 1-quart freezer bag.

2.  Put crouton crumbs in another 1-quart bag, attaching it to the first.  Freeze the two bags for future use.

3.  Refrigerate Crescent rolls.

***
4.  Preheat oven and undo rolls to a rectangle shape.

5.  Place about 1/4 c. of chicken mixture into center of each rectangle.

6.  Fold dough over, pinching shut.

7.  Dip each packet in melted butter and coat with crumbs.

8.  Bake at 350* for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Duggar Tater Tot Casserole

I've made these a couple of times. I like that I can have everything sitting in my pantry and it's one of those things I can have for food storage that I can "whip" together when we're out of food. :)

Preheat: 350*
Category: Casserole, Tater tots, Potatoes, Duggar

1 lb. Ground turkey, cooked, seasoned, drained (I general use ground beef.)
2.5 lbs. Tater tots (Regular potatoes are okay, but I like the consistency of the tater tots better.)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1. Brown meat and place in casserole dish.  I have to use my 9x13 baking dish.

2. Cover with tots.

3.  Separately, mix soups and milk, then spread over the top of the tots.

4.  Bake at 350* for one hour.

Grilled Cheese Classic

I know everybody knows how to make grilled cheese, but if I didn't have this notecard in my recipe list, I would forget about this yummy basic. :)


Preheat: --
Category: Sandwich, Cheese

Per Sandwich:
2 slices Bread
Butter
Cheese, cut into thin slices, enough to cover the surface of a slice of bread

1. Preheat the pan to a medium-high heat.

2. Butter each slice of bread on one side. Place the butter side of one slice down on the hot pan, layer the cheese and put the top slice of bread on top, butter-side up.

3. Grill both sides of the sandwich until bread is golden brown and cheese has melted.

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard

I made this a while back when the kids were begging for chicken nuggets. I made their nuggets instead and they loved 'em! Then Daddy got home and happily finished off the rest. It was messy (with the milk and flour making a mess on my fingers--yuck!), but soooo good. Definitely something to make when you don't have little kid distractions though! And the honey mustard sauce is good, too. :)


Preheat: --
Category: Chicken, Fast Food Substitutes, Honey, Mustard

16-oz. Chicken breasts
1 c. Flour (I do 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup bread crumbs--mmmm!)
1/2 t. Salt
1/4 t. Pepper
3/4 c. Milk

HONEY MUSTARD We eat it with barbecue sauce, soooo...
1/2 c. Honey
1/4 c. Dijon mustard

1. Cut chicken into 1/2 x 2" strips.  We like chicken nuggets, so we cut our chicken accordingly.

2. Mix flour and salt & pepper. Dip chicken in milk, then in flour mixture, coating well. Set on wax paper.

3. Fry chicken in a skillet, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. I would drain the oil about half-way through and replace it with new oil.  Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, depending on my mood. :)

Crock pot Split Pea Soup

We've enjoyed this a couple of times, and it's perfect for our upcoming menu!


Preheat: --
Category: Soup, Peas, Crockpot, Ham

1 16-oz. pkg. Dried split peas, rinsed
2 c. Ham, diced
3 Carrots, chunky-cut
1 med. Onion, diced
2 stalks Celery, chunky-cut
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Bay Leaf
1 T. Seasoning salt
1/2 t. Pepper
1 1/2 quarts hot water (4 cups = 1 quart, so 6 cups)

1. Layer ingredients in crockpot in the order presented.

2. Pour in water--DON'T STIR.

3. Cover and cook: 4-5 hours on HIGH or 8-10 hours on LOW.

4. Remove bay leaf before serving while hot.

Egg/Cheese/Muffin

This is a VERY easy dinner. It's definitely a "sometimes" food.


Preheat: --
Category: Eggs, Breakfast

Per person:
1 English muffin
1-2 Eggs
1 super-thin slice Sharp cheddar cheese
Butter or mayo

1. Toast English muffin. Pan fry the eggs, breaking the yolks with the spatula.

2. Spread either butter OR mayonnaise on one side of the muffin as soon as it's out of the toaster. Add slice of cheese right away so it can melt.

3. When eggs are fried, fold them so they fit on the muffin and assemble the sandwich. Serve hot.

Jana Glass' Marinara Sauce

I swear I posted this before, but I can't find it!! So if this is a repeat post, I apologize. I saw a picture of this on Jana's blog, and it looks AMAZING. I can't wait to make it this week!

Preheat: --
Category: Tomatoes, sauce, Marinara

2 T. Oil
3/4 c. Onion, minced (1 med. onion)
1 T. Parsley, chopped
1 lg. clove Garlic, minced
4 c. Fresh tomato purée (about 10 Roma tomatoes; Jana likes to use Romas, obviously)
1-2 T. Basil
1 t. Salt
Celery (optional)
1 t. Sugar (optional)

1. Sauté onions until transluscent over medium heat.

2. Add parsley, garlic and cook for about 1 minute.

3. Add tomatoes, basil, salt

4. Simmer until sauce-like consistency. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

I've been looking for a good, simple, easy recipe for Mac & Cheese and this is it. I'm reviewing Jessica Seinfeld's book where you sneak vegetables into kid-friendly recipes... Once I get throuh that I'll have another, more healthy, Mac & Cheese, I hope! :)


Preheat: 400*
Category: Cheese, Pasta

1 lb. Shell macaroni
3/4 t. Salt
Pepper
4 c. Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (4c. is about 1 lb.)
2 T. Butter, melted
4 c. Milk

1. Cook shells until al dente and drain well.


2. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and layer ingredients three times each:

Layer 1: Shells
Layer 2: Mix: Cheese, Salt & Pepper, Milk, Butter

Duggar's Three-Bean Chili

This is delicious (I always say that, I know, ha!)! And I love that it's crockpot.

Preheat: --
Category: Chili, Beans, Crockpot

2/3 c. Pinto beans, dry
2/3 c. Great northern beans, dry
2/3 c. Small red or Kidney beans, dry
1 clove Garlic
3 t. Chili powder
1 t. Oregano
2 t. Salt
1 lg can whole tomatoes (I used diced and I would definitely drain them next time!)
1 T. Apple cider vinegar
1 T. Soy sauce
4 c. Water (I ALWAYS have to add an extra cup, for a total of 5 cups.)

1 lb. Ground beef, cooked
Chips/Fritos
Sour Cream
Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Combine, cook 8 hours on HIGH. I can't always time the 8 hours right, so I like to put my chili on the night before after the kids go to bed (by 9PM or so) and let it cook on LOW until lunchtime--and it's sooo delicious!  (You'll see in the pictures that I add 3 stalks of chopped-up celery to my chili.)

We really don't like those whole tomatoes.......
This is what it looks like in the crockpot before adding the water!  Mmmm, good.


2. Add 1 lb. cooked ground beef just before serving.

3. Serve with Fritos, Sour cream and Cheddar cheese. I haven't ever used the Fritos. We buy the huge box of restaurant-style corn tortilla chips from Sam's Club. :)

Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan

This has been on my list of recipes to try for a while--it sounds soooo good! We're having it in a couple of nights, so had to post the recipe!

Preheat: 400*
Category: Chicken

1 1/4 lb. Chicken breast
1 Egg, slightly beaten
3/4 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 jar (26-28 oz.) Spaghetti sauce
1 c. Mozzarella, shredded

1. Dip chicken in egg, then in crumbs, coating well.

2. Arrange in a 13x9 baking dish.

3. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

4. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken and top with cheese.

5. Bake another 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

6. Serve with hot, cooked pasta. I think we'll do spaghetti noodles? :)

Broiled Fish

This is a staple among basic recipes. :)


Preheat: Broiler
Category: Fish, Broiler

Fish
Butter
Salt & Pepper
Paprika

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Place fish on greased, unheated rack of broiler pan. Tuck under any thin edges.

3. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with paprika.

4. Broil 4 inches from heat for 4-6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness. If 1" or thicker, turn fish 1/2-way through broiling.

It is soooooooo good this way! We're having broiled catfish tomorrow night. :)