recipes
Hershey bar pie
Jun 14th
- Image by mhiguera via Flickr
Hershey Bar Pie
This is one of the absolute easiest pies I’ve ever made. I remember it as a very young child. It’s also one of those I could make as a newlywed that knew how to make absolutely nothing and still look somewhat impressive!!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 big almond Hershey bar, melted
1 large Cool Whip
1 Chocolate Crumb Pie Crust
Here’s what you’ll do:
Mix melted Hershey Bar and Cool Whip together in a bowl. Pour in a pie crust. Let set a few hours in fridge to “set”.
And yep, it’s that easy folks!!
I told you I was impressive – ha!
Do you make a Hershey Bar pie? Do you prefer Almonds or some other flavor??
- Post linked to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday.
Healthified favorites
Jun 7th
Image by Darice via Flickr
Health-ified Family Favorites
Recently I’ve been playing around with some of my family’s favorite recipes. That sounds dangerous right? If the recipes are their favorites, why mess with them – right? Well yes, logic would reason that way but I’m trying to health-ify (did I make that up?) some of their favorites.
The first one I started with was Chicken Casserole.
The Before Ingredients:
- Shredded Chicken – generally 1lb (more or less depending on preferences)
- Sour Cream – 1 8oz / small container
- Cream of Chicken Soup – 1 can
- Ritz Crackers – 1 sleeve
- Butter – 1 stick
The After Ingredients:
- Shredded Chicken – Free Range
- Organic Greek Yogurt – Great substitution for Sour Cream
- Home Made Cream of Chicken – I used this recipe from $5 Dinners
- Ritz Crackers – Is there a substitution for Ritz Crackers?! Those things are so delicious I’m just not sure if that’s possible!
- Butter – Used 1/2 the Butter & Replace with Real Butter
Here’s what you do:
1. Cook & Shred Chicken.
2. Mix Greek Yogurt & Homemade Cream of Chicken.
3. Pour Yogurt/Cream mixture over shredded chicken (in baking pan)
4. Crush & pour Ritz Crackers over mixture.
5. Melt butter & pour over crackers.
6. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.
And the Result - It was a hit!! This is one of Evan & my husband’s all time favorites! Evan still asked for seconds with the “health-ified” version and my husband said he wouldn’t have noticed the difference if I hadn’t told him. And even since he knew the difference, he still loved it!
So one health-ified recipe down, several more to go!
What are some of your tricks to make your family favorites healthier?
- Post linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, and Mouthwatering Mondays.
Top ten tuesday … recipes i want right now
May 17th
Recipes I’m Craving …
And I’m not even pregnant!!
But I am in a baking mood tonight!! Which could be good but when you’re officially (re-officially) on a mission to lose some weight, staying out of the kitchen is a better idea. So maybe I’ll tempt you instead:)
The Top Ten Recipes I’m wanting to make this very second:
1. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownie Cups
2. Congo Bars by Bakerella – I remember loving Congo Bars as a kid. I haven’t had them in such a long time!
3. Macaroni & Cheese by The Pioneer Woman – I’ve cut out all cheese at this stage of my diet! A necessary evil for me – seriously. Oh how I would love a good batch of baked Macaroni & Cheese!
4. Skillet Enchiladas by Amy’s Finer Things – Mexican is my absolute favorite!! But seriously. You can’t have Mexican dishes without cheese. Amy tweeted this post today and mad my mouth water!
5. Buffalo Bleu Cheese Hamburgers by Once a Month Mom – Actually any hamburger will do, but this one sounded yummy since the day Tricia started tweeting about it. Maybe soon!
6. Chocolate-Strawberry Trifle by My Blessed Life – I just saw this in my facebook feed from Myra. And now I want it. Yes. I. Am. Weak.
7. Most Heavenly Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie by This Week for Dinner – Seriously. If you love peanut butter & chocolate (hello Reece’s) this sounds right up your alley – like it is mine!!
8. Thank You Betty by Bakerella – I have no idea what the real name of this recipe is, but I thank Betty!! And Staci for making it for us in Florida last summer. Rich – yes! Yum – oh yes!
9. My Family’s Broccoli Casserole Recipe – I could eat this thing hot, luke warm or just plain cold – it’s that good.
10. Vanilla Bean Buttercream Icing by Cookie Mondays – And I’ll go ahead and have the cupcake part too! I have never heard of this icing before!! But I love the ice-cream!
- Post linked to Top Ten Tuesday at ohAmanda.
Lemon poppy seed muffins …
Feb 23rd
I just made these for the first time this morning. They’ve already been “approved” by Megan, Evan & myself … not to bad!!
The base of this recipe came from The Biggest Loser Cookbook, but I tweaked a couple of things for a variety of different reasons.
Here’s w
hat you’ll need:
1 cup whole wheat flour (yep, if you saw me on Twitter this morning I was asking how/if this was different than Whole Grain Oat Flour. I couldn’t find Whole Grain Oat Flour at Kroger or Publix, so I just went with it & used my regular old whole wheat flour instead … seemed ok!)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup organic yogurt (I used vanilla)
3 large egg whites
1/3 cup honey (yep, that’s important … the first batch I made I forgot to pour this in the bowl … that batch went in the garbage!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Here’s what you’ll do:
Preheat oven 350. Coat 20 cups of a mini-muffin tin with spray (I’m not a fan of sprays so I use this).
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sift (or just mix together like I did!).
In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, egg whites, honey, vanilla & lemon extracts with a sturdy wisk until well mixed.
Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the lemon peel and poppy seeds. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test! Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Then remove the muffins to the rack.
Per muffin: 41 calories, 1 g protein, 8 g carbs, 64mg of sodium
A simple valentine
Feb 11th
Call me silly but I’m really not that into Valentine’s. I could care less if my husband sends me a dozen roses, buys me a Hallmark Card or a box of Russell Stover’s Chocolates. Now if he wants to combine all that money for a trip to Charming Charlie or even Target … well, that’d be ok!
I do however, enjoy making Valentine’s Day fun for Evan and Megan. Although I honestly don’t do much right now. I think that tradition will grow & become more fun as they grow. Last year I celebrated a Frugal Valentine. And I even cam up with a list of things I wanted to do for this year. But here we are and I haven’t done any.
Honestly, this year, I think I’m in a Simple Valentine kind of mood.
Yesterday, Evan and I attempted to make “M&M Cookies in a Jar” for his teachers at school. I know I’m not much of a cook, but honestly – these shouldn’t be that hard. Right?? I mean I’m not even cooking!!
I quickly realized a funnel was a must. But I didn’t have one. I improvised with paper, but it still left things a tad messy!!
Evan was anything but nice & neat while pouring the sugar & flour in the jar.
But the M&M’s? He guarded those things as if his life depended on it … I’ve raised him well!! Never let an M&M go to waste!!
So I’m pretty certain our final product should have turned out a lot cuter than this?
You think I can play that whole “Evan made it all by himself card”???
The great thing about this gift is that you just might have all the ingredients already at home – you can check the recipe here. And even better, I was able to extend my Frugal Valentine over into this year. I score one bag of M&M’s from the Kroger Clearance section … Breast Cancer Awareness Month may be over, but the M&M’s sure do look Valentine-ish to me!
So, it may be a Friday Fail in the since that I can even make a simple “Cookie in the Jar” gift look horrible! But an inexpensive, simple Valentine is definitely a Finer Thing!
Now I’m off to try and cutesy these things up a bit!!
- Post linked to Finer Things Friday at Amy’s Finer Things.
- Post linked to Friday Fail at My Blessed Life.
- Post linked to Frugal Fridays at Life As Mom.
Butternut squash fries
Jan 20th
Butternut Squash Fries
I said last week that I have recently become a big fan of Butternut Squash. It’s so sweet & yummy to my taste buds, I just love it!! I could honestly just cut it up, bake it till it becomes tender & enjoy!! As you already know, I do like it as a Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese.
But, I also really, really like it as Butternut Squash “Fries”. I got this recipe from the Biggest Loser Cookbook. And it’s husband AND kiddo approved!!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 large butternut squash
1/2 teaspoon EVOO
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Here’s what you’ll do:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Cut both ends off the squash. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the rind from the squash until you’ve peeled away the pale orange outside layers. Discard the rind. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scrape out the seeds & discard them. Cut 8oz (about 2 cups) of ’sticks’. (Refrigerate the remaining squash for another recipe).
Place the squash sticks in a medium mixing bowl. Add the oil, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Toss to coat. Transfer the squash to a baking sheet so the sticks are in a single layer and do not touch.
Bake, turning the squash about every 5 minutes for 22-25 minutes, or until the outsides are crisp and the insides are tender when tested with a fork. Serve immediately.
ALL this makes just one serving at 133 calories, 3 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat (trace saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber & 302 mg sodium
I like the “goodness” better than regular old potato fries and I like the taste better than sweet potato fries (and actually even better than white potato fries too!!), so that’s it Works for Me.
- Butternut Squash Fries is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.
Butternut squash
Jan 15th
This past fall I was introduced to Butternut Squash.
You know, the usual. “Hi I’m Mandi”. “Hi I’m Butternut Squash” … what that doesn’t happen to you?!?
The November 2009 issue of Parents Magazine had a really yummy-sounding recipe for Baked Macaroni & Cheese. However it included Butternut Squash (we hadn’t met at this time). The picture looked yummy so I thought I’d give it a try.
Butternut Squash
Here’s what you’ll need:
2 cups butternut squash cut into cubs
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour (again, I used whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups reduced fat milk
1 3/4 cups low-fat white cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
Here’s what you’ll do: (Once I figured out how to cut that big Squash in half, I was in business!!!)
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Toss squash with oil and salt on a foil-lined tray.
Bake for 20 minutes or until tended, set aside (or eat a few … this is when I officially became a fan of Butternut Squash … yummy!!)
Yummy!
Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions call for; drain and place in a bowl with squash.
Meanwhile, melt butter over low heat.
Whisk in flour, cook for 2 minutes
Slowly whisk in milk.
Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer.
Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese & stir until melted.
Stir cheese sauce into pasta & squash.
Season with Salt & Pepper.
Spoon into a greased casserole dish (or individual servings). Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes until cheese on top is melted & browned.
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
I thought it was delicious. My husband thought it was delicious. The kids … not so much!! Instead, Evan kept asking for “the other macaroni”. As in the 3-minute, highly processed & fake cheese junk!!!! I worked my tail off to make some yummy, nutritious Mac & Cheese & that’s what he wants … oh brother!!!
Post linked to Finer Things Friday … because Butternut Squash is now one of my finer things!
Coca-Cola Salad
Jun 19th
I suppose I should start this one with brutal honesty – I don’t think I’ve ever actually tried this recipe that I’m about to give out! I realize that’s not very fair. I mean who really wants to try a recipe if the person giving it to you has never tried it herself??
But I wanted to participate in the Vanderbilt’s Wife Family Recipe carnival, so I pulled out my trusty Family Recipe Cookbook and started flipping the pages. Being an Atlanta girl, anything with Coca-Cola in it sparks my interest. Plus it’s a fruit salad so with temps reaching triple digits this weekend, I figured a chilled salad recipe was much more appropriate than the Brunswick Stew recipe that I started to share!!! And, my grandmother gave me the recipe … I trust her, so I’ll go out on a limb & say that you can trust me:).
So, enough rambling – here’s a Coca-Cola Salad the way my “Mama-Lou” makes made it!
Here’s what you’ll need:
2 pkg. cherry gelatin
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1 can pitted cherries
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 c. hot water
1 can Coca-Cola (and absolutely NO substitutions in my neck of the woods!!)
Here’s what you do:
Pour hot water over gelatin & stir well. Add pineapple, cherries, and pecans. Pour in Coca-Cola & stir well. Refrigerate overnight & serve chilled.
Hope you enjoy … and if you do, let me know so I’ll give it a try!!!
For more Family Recipe Fridays or to link up to your own, visit The Vanderbilt Wife.
The Chili Recipe … that you've been 'waiting' for!
Aug 28th
To finish my post from last night … I prefer a hearty chili with lots of veggies, so if that’s not your cup of stew then you may not especially like this one.
1 lb ground beef, 1 medium onion (chopped), 1 medium green pepper (chopped), 2-3 teaspoons of ground cumin &/or 1 packet of chili seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Mexican stewed tomatoes, 1 can (15-3/4 ounces) chili beans in gravy, 1 can (15-3/4 ounces) kidney beans, 1 cup/can of corn, 1 small can of tomato sauce (optional … just depends on what consistency you prefer)
Cook beef until the meat is browned. Drain. While meat is cooking, cook vegetables & seasoning in separate pot over medium heat. After meat is done, add to vegetables. Cover & simmer until everything’s tender. Pep usually steps in for additional seasoning at this point!!
I prefer to serve topped with fritos, cheese & sour cream!
How do you like your chili?? Any good chili recipes to share???
Football Season has Begun!
Aug 27th
Granted, it’s only pre-season but does that really matter to most men around the country!?! The title of this post may appear that I’m excited about football season beginning … and I’m not upset, but excited is probably a little strong. I would say ‘impartial’. The things I love most about the start of football season having absolutely nothing to do with football - it’s simply that fall is just around the corner! Leaves changing colors & then falling, the crispness in the air … since temps have been 100+ here in the ATL recently, fall being just around the corner is a beautiful thing!!!
Now don’t get me wrong, I also love to watch a good game of football, but between college & pro our TV will be consumed by football between now & the SuperBowl. I think the main difference between me & a true football watcher (ok ‘main’ is definitely strong …. probably more like ‘one’ difference) that I watch to either pull for my team (Go Falcons … Go Dawgs) or pull for a ‘good story’ (I’m a sucker for good Bob Costas type stories)! If it’s not my team, a playoff game, or a good story then I’m fine with some old mediocre television show or just “browsing” the web!
My other favorite thing about football … is the food!!! It means I can officially start making chili – yum, yum. I’m too tired to put forth the effort of posting my favorite chili recipe tonight, so I’ll leave that as a teaser for tomorrow’s post (I know all five of my readers will come back for that tomorrow … scratch that & make it four since one isn’t a fan of meat 
!
