Tomato & Chicken Penne

With permission from Gooseberry Patch I’m bringing you another recipe from their brand new book

Rush Hour Recipes!

The review of the book is on my main blog.

Ingredients:

16 oz. package of Penne Pasta, uncooked

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tsp. garlic, chopped

28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained ( I used the ones with the jalapeño's in it!)

1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped or 1 tsp. dried basil

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

8 oz package shredded mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté for one minute. Stir in tomatoes and basil; continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add chicken to skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until heated through. Transfer mixture in skillet to a large serving bowl; toss with pasta and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

This was a hit with my family. EVERYONE loved it!

Apple Crisp!

Since I’ve been off sugar I haven’t had anything really sweet, but today I wanted a little something so I threw this together and it was delicious. Gluten free and diabetics will love me for this one.

Ingredients:

6 apples (your choice) peeled and thinly sliced. I used Gala.

1/4 butter, melted

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup Coconut Crystals or sugar, but the Coconut Crystals are better for you and low glycemic.

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup Oatmeal ( use gluten free if you have allergies), not quick cooking.

1/2 cup brown rice flour, (you can use regular white or wheat flour)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Before you melt your butter, take it and butter the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish. Combine your butter and coconut oil in a small saucepan; heat just until melted. Meanwhile combine your coconut crystals and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons into your apples and stir to coat. Now place your apples into your butter pan. In the same bowl as your cinnamon and sugar mixture place your oatmeal, flour, and pecans. Stir to combine. Take your melted butter and coconut oil mixture and pour it over your oatmeal mixture and stir until it is coated and crumbly. Evenly distribute your crumb mixture on top of your apples. If you feel so inclined you may dot the top with a little more butter. I felt so inclined! Ha! Ha! Now bake it at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. This is delicious by itself but I’m sure vanilla ice cream would send it over the top!

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Menu 2011

This is what I will be serving this Thanksgiving. There aren’t as many people this year so I won’t be making as many pies. BUMMER! LOL!

We also have to take my hubby and son’s gluten sensitivities into consideration too.

DINNER:

Roasted Turkey that was brined first. (I’ve never brined before so I hope it goes well!)

Herbed Stuffing in the Slow Cooker

Creamed Corn

Roasted Brussels Sprouts ( I heard that even people that don’t like brussel sprouts liked this recipe and I’m counting on it. LOL!)

Kicked Up Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Dessert:

Pumpkin Pie (Made by my BFF)

Chocolate Cream Pie (I might have to make two.)

Apple Crisp

 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Green Breakfast Smoothie!

This is the smoothie I make after I work out in the morning. Since I’ve been off sugar it gives me that little special treat as well.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain or greek yogurt

1 organic apple cut into 4ths

1/2 cup of Old Fashioned Oatmeal

1 handful of baby spinach

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

4 ice cubes

Optional additions are

1 frozen banana or

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

If you find that you need it sweeter, you can use vanilla yogurt instead of the plain. Personally I’ve come to love it just the way it is.

Directions:

Place everything in the blender in order given and blend until smooth.

ENJOY!

Chicken, Broccoli, Rice Casserole with a Chipotle Cream Sauce!

Gee I don’t know, is the title long enough for you? I wasn’t sure what to call this after I realized it was scrumptious enough to post on my cooking blog. LOL! I just threw it together last night and everyone loved it. So for now that’s what we’re going to call it. I’ll take any other suggestions though. HA!

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked rice (I used Jasmine)

4 cups cooked chicken, chopped into pieces

2 cups of broccoli, chopped (I used frozen and let it thaw out enough to chop into bite size pieces.)

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cream Sauce:

2 TBS. Butter

1 TBS Olive Oil

1/3 cup of flour, (I used Brown Rice Flour because we are Gluten Free right now)

2 1/2 cups of milk (I used Rice Milk)

2 Chipotle Peppers, chopped fine

Salt to taste

Directions:

If your chicken and rice isn’t cooked yet, get that going. Meanwhile, let’s make that cream sauce.

In a medium sauce pan add your butter and olive oil and melt over medium heat. When melted, add your flour and whisk it together. (It should be pretty thick at this point) Slowly whisk in your milk and increase heat just a tad. At this point I don’t walk away, I whisk continuously until the sauce starts to thicken (approx. 5-10 minutes) When sauce is thickened to a creamy consistency, add your chopped chipotle peppers and stir to combine. Add salt to taste. Now set this aside.

In a bowl combine your cooked chicken, rice and broccoli. Spread this out into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle your mozzarella cheese on top. Now take your cream sauce and pour it all over and then take a spoon and spread it out evenly. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Take foil off during last 5 minutes of baking.

You’ll notice that I didn’t add any other seasonings to this. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to but I was in the middle of talking to a friend who had stopped by and completely forgot. BUT with that said, it tasted delicious just the way it was and made it that much easier.

Feeds 6-8

Let me know what you think!
ENJOY!

Join the Fresh Baked Blog Hop!

Gooseberry Patch is having a blog hop and you're invited. Just link up your favorite bread or muffin recipe below and feel free to share the blog hop on your blog too.

The Chipotle Pepper, What is it and what do you do with it?

Years ago I kept coming across recipes asking for chipotle peppers. I quickly avoided them, not knowing what the heck it was. I’m glad I finally looked into it because now I use them all the time.

First of all, What is a Chipotle Pepper?

The chipotle pepper is a dried or smoked jalapeño pepper. It naturally, resembles a jalapeño, but after the smoking process it tends to look brown and shriveled. It doesn’t lose much of its heat through the smoking process, so you not only get to enjoy that wonderful spiciness but the natural wood smoke taste. YUM!

Here’s the kind that I buy at the grocery store. They are located with the Mexican stuff.

Here’s one straight out of the can. See? Nice and brown and shriveled.

When I use them I like to chop them up really fine so that they are distributed throughout whatever it is I’m putting them in.

And then there is always plenty leftover to use in other recipes.

On this particular day I was using them in a cream sauce to cook with my chicken. It was FABULOUS! I also make a Chipotle Meatloaf that is my family’s favorite meatloaf recipe ever. A lot of times I’ll put them in my soups or casseroles. If you like spicy then you really need to give these a try.

Well I hope this helped curb your fear of the unknown. LOL!

HAVE A LOVELY DAY!

Cajun Oven Fries

Oh how we all loved this recipe.

This was the perfect accompaniment to the Brown Sugar Barbeque Sandwiches.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 TBS. olive oil

2 TBS. hot pepper sauce

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. paprika

4 potatoes, cut into wedges

salt and pepper to taste

Combine oil, hot cause and seasonings in a large bowl; toss with potatoes. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on an ungreased non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Serves 4.

This is one of the many super yummy recipes you’ll find in the new Gooseberry Patch Cookbook:

Now go check it out! YUM!

Gooseberry Patch as granted me permission to post this recipe in conjunction with my review of the cookbook on my main blog. All opinions are my own.

Brown Sugar Barbeque Sandwiches

I had the pleasure of reviewing the latest and greatest Gooseberry Patch cookbook

101 Hearty Recipes

This is one of the many recipes I have tried and that our family loved.

Ingredients:

1 c. water

3/4 c. catsup

2 TBS. brown sugar, packed

1 onion, chopped

2 TBS. mustard

1TBS. chili powder

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2lbs. lean ground beef

12 sandwich buns, split

In a large saucepan, mix all ingredients except beef and buns. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add uncooked beef; simmer for 30 minutes. Spoon onto buns.

Makes 12 servings

You can find this and many more yummy recipes in this cookbook!

Down-Home Taco Casserole

 

This was the recipe that got the most votes when I was doing my Gooseberry Patch book giveaway.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

10 3/4 oz. can tomato soup

1 c. salsa

1/2 c. milk

8 1/2 oz. can peas and carrots, drained (I used frozen)

7 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch squares

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except 1/2 cup cheese; spread in a 2-quart casserole dish sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray, Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; let stand until cheese melts. Makes 4 servings.

Because there are 5 of us I adjusted the measurements a little on my own and you can too. But this is the recipe straight out of the book. Everyone in the family really liked it. I’ll be making it again.

If you are still interested in the other recipes, you can find them in this Gooseberry Patch book:

ENJOY!

Easy Homemade Lemonade!

About 3 months ago I discovered this.

It’s 100% organic lemon juice!

With the price of lemons and the amount of juice you get out of one, this to me is a great deal. It’s $2.99 for 12.5 fl. oz. Not to mention it makes making lemonade a snap!

Here’s a recipe that I’ve been using.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method

1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

2  Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons. Serves 4-6.

This is such a special summertime treat! Enjoy!

Root Beer Float Cake

With permission from Gooseberry Patch I give you yet another YUMMY recipe. Enjoy!

Our family LOVED this cake. So simple and easy. I had to use a gluten free cake mix and adjust some measurements because of that but it still came out yummy. Below is the original recipe, no changes made.

Ingredients:

18-1/2 oz. pkg. white cake mix

2-1/4 oz. cup root beer, chilled and divided

1/4 c. oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 env. whipped topping mix ( I used heaving whipping cream)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix, 1-1/4 cups root beer, oil and eggs; beat until well blended. Pour into a greased 13”x9” baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes; cool completely. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat whipped topping mix and remaining root beer until soft peaks form; frost cake. Makes 24 servings.

This recipe is from

Skillet Dinner

Here’s another recipe from Gooseberry Patch’s new book 101 Easy Everyday Recipes. Be sure to look for the giveaway on my main blog. Enjoy!

I love a recipe that is cooked all in one pan! Makes it so easy!

Ingredients:

1lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

14.5 oz. can beef broth

2/3 c. water

1 c. long-cooking rice, uncooked

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 green pepper, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 c. shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Directions:

Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat; drain. Stir in broth, water, rice and dry mustard; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Stir in green pepper and tomato; sprinkle cheese over top. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese melts.  Serves 4-6.

This recipe comes from:

Slow-Cooker Hashbrown Casserole

I’m getting ready for another giveaway on my main blog and Gooseberry Patch is generously letting me post the recipes that I’ve tried, to share with you.

This recipe woke me up in the middle of the night because it smelled so good cooking! So beware, you may lose sleep. LOL!

Ingredients:

32 oz. pkg. frozen shredded hashbrowns

1 lb. ground pork sausage, browned and drained ( I used homemade turkey sausage)

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1-1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (Try with Pepper Jack for an added kick)

1 doz. eggs, beaten

1 c. milk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Place 1/3 each of hashbrowns, sausage, onion, green pepper and cheese in a lightly greased slow cooker. Repeat layering 2 more times, ending with cheese. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together in a large bowl; pour over top. Cover and cook on low setting for 10 hours. Serves 8.

ENJOY!

Oh By the way. This recipe comes from this book that I’ll be giving away this week.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls! YUMMY!

You seriously would never know these were gluten free. They were so delicious. Even if I didn’t have to make them this way I probably would. They also seem to be a bit easier to make.

Enjoy!

 

4 Tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup whole cane sugar

1 cup coconut milk, slightly warmed (Note: Not coconut milk from the can. I use So Delicious Coconut Milk. It’s in the refrigerator section by the half gallon milks. However you could use regular milk.)

2 eggs

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1 1/2 cups arrowroot flour/starch (I actually combined the arrowroot with tapioca starch.)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)

4 teaspoons xanthan gun

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast

Filling

1/2 cup whole cane sugar

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Combine them in a small bowl.

Icing

3/4 cup powdered sugar (I put mine in a coffee grinder and grind it till really fine.)

1 teaspoon vanilla

milk for consistency

4 oz cream cheese (softened)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Add in the milk, coconut oil, eggs, , and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture, start on low and then beat on high until no lumps remain.  The dough should resemble a bread dough at this point, but will be slightly soft and wet.(Approx. 1 min.) You should be able to touch it with your fingers, leave an indentation, but not have it stick to you.

 

Lay 2 pieces of plastic wrap on your workspace making sure to overlap by a couple of inches. Place 1/2 of the dough onto it and cover with another layer of wrap. Roll the dough out between the layers of wrap with a rolling pin until it reaches about 12 inches by 12 inches square in size. Or in my case a nice roundish circle!  Take the top layer of wrap off.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar cinnamon mixture over the dough.

To roll, lift the edge of the wrap and help the dough roll over itself. Try to get it as tight as you can.

Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into eight even pieces and place into a buttered 9×13 pan;  Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Bake for 20 minutes.

While your rolls are cooling make your icing. Combine your sugar, vanilla, and milk; mix well. Add your softened cream cheese. If to thick add a bit more milk. This should be pourable icing.

Pour icing over cinnamon rolls while they are still hot.

ENJOY!

Chipotle Meatloaf

This is THE best meatloaf recipe I've ever made. I tweaked it to suit our tastes and found perfection. YUM!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1-7 oz. can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobe sauce

1/2 c. finely chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

1/2 c. regular oats

1/4 c. tomato sauce

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 large eggs

2 lbs. of ground turkey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare meat loaf, remove 1-2 chipotle chiles and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can; reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use. Finely chop chiles. Combine chile, adobo sauce, onion, through to the ground turkey in a large bowl, stirring to combine. Place turkey mixture in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

To prepare topping, combine 1/4 cup tomato sauce, ketchup, and hot sauce in a small bowl; brush mixture evenly over meat loaf. Cover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 160°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Goes well with garlic mashed potatoes and a salad.

Polka Dot Chowder!

Here is the latest recipe from the recently reviewed book

Click here to enter in that giveaway.

 

My kids really liked this and it’s kind of why I chose it. They love hot dogs so I knew they would eat it up. It reminds me of the corn chowder I make but with hot dogs added. Very kid friendly.

 

Ingredients:

16 oz. package of beef hot dogs, sliced ( I used organic hot dogs)

6 c. potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 onion, diced

2 15-1/4 oz cans of corn. (I used one regular and one cream style)

3 TBS butter

salt and pepper to taste

13 oz can evaporated milk

Directions:

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients except the evaporated milk. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 hours and 40 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk. (I ended up adding some half and half to it as well.) Cover and cook an additional 20 minutes before serving. Garnish portions with a sprinkle of seasoned salt, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

Enjoy!

Porch Popcorn!

I thought it would be fun to actually  have it sitting out on the porch to cool. LOL!

Here is another recipe from the recently reviewed copy of

Click here for your chance to win a copy of this cookbook.

 

This recipe was good. The kids especially loved it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. melting chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips)

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

12 to 16 cups of salted popped popcorn

1-1/2 cups salted peanuts

1-1/2 cups of crispy rice cereal

Directions:

Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. (I cooked it over low heat on the stove.) Microwave on high for one minute;stir. Add peanut butter; microwave an additional one to 2 minutes, until chocolate is completely melted. Stir mixture until creamy. Place popcorn in a large bowl or roasting pan; drizzle half the chocolate mixture over popcorn and stir. Sprinkle in peanuts and cereal, stirring to mix well. Pour remaining chocolate mixture over all; stir gently to coat. Spread onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Put on a cool porch or in the refrigerator until chocolate is hardened. Break up any large pieces before serving. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 16 to 20 cups.

ENJOY!

Ham and Gruyere Egg Cups!

Gooseberry Patch has once again said I could post the recipes that I tried while reviewing their new book Mom’s Best Recipes.

This recipe was so easy and so yummy.

Ingredients:

12 Thin Slices Deli Ham (I used Applegate Smoked Turkey)

3/4 shredded Gruyere Cheese

1 dozen eggs

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup half and half

2 TBS. grated Parmesan cheese

 

Directions:

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray. Line each muffin cup with a slice of ham folded in half. Top each ham slice with one tablespoon Gruyere cheese, and egg cracked into the cup, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, one tablespoon half and half and 1/2 teaspoon Parmesan cheese. Place muffin tin on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, until eggs are set. Allow baked eggs to cook for several minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Makes one dozen.

Now you don’t have to make 12 if there are only 2 of you. Just adjust the recipe to suit your needs and enjoy!

No Cook Date Balls!

I have always wanted to dabble with whole foods so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.

It comes out of the soon to be released 

Gooseberry Patch has given me permission to post the recipes that I have tried in my reviewing the book. You will have a chance to win a copy before it ever hits the stands on my main blog. So keep an eye out for that.

NO COOK DATE BALLS!

1 cup dates

1/4 c. plus 1 TBS raisins

1/4 c. walnuts

1/4 c. almonds

1/8 c. cashews

7/8 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients together in a food processor. Process to desired consistency. If too dry, add a little water, one teaspoon at a time. Roll mixture into one inch balls. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until serving time. Makes 1-1 1/2 dozen.

I have to tell you that we ALL loved these.  My 17 year old, my 8 year old and my 5 year old. 

What a great way for them to get some fiber!

ENJOY!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies!

When Gooseberry Patch asked me to be an Early Bird Book Reviewer I jumped at the chance. 

I have 2 books that I am in the process of reviewing and they have given me permission to post the recipes that I have tried.

This is the book that this recipe came out of.

Not yet released but you will have a chance to win one soon on my main blog so keep an eye out.

The recipe I chose had me curious. It contains no flour so for this GF family that was intriguing.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies!

Ingredients:

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Favorite jam or jelly

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except preserves; mix until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Make a criss-cross pattern with a fork on top of the cookies.(I skipped this step. I used my thumb to make an indent into the cookies.) Carefully spoon jam into holes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-11 minutes. Allow to cook 2 minutes on baking sheets; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 3 dozen. (I got about 2 dozen. I must have made them big. LOL!)

Big thumbs up from me and all the kids! (Dad wasn't home yet!)

ENJOY!

Menu Plan Monday January 17th

It has been ages since I posted a Menu Plan. That's probably because I haven't made one in ages. My hubby works weird shifts sometimes and meals were basically thrown together and often repeated every week. BUT he is on a normal shift for at least the next 3 months so I got on the ball and started planning my menu. 

MONDAY- Chipotle Meatloaf w/mashed potatoes and salad

TUESDAY- Coconut Curried Shrimp w/ jasmine rice and brocolli

WEDNESDAY- Dump Soup (It's a soup that I created out of desperation but it's DELICIOUS!)

THURSDAY- Chicken Marsala w/baked potato and brocolli

FRIDAY- Gluten Free Pizza (2 family members have sensitivities to gluten so we've had to alter our diet a tad.)
SATURDAY-  Turkey Chili with jalapeno cornbread

I raided my Cooking Light Cookbook for a few of these recipes. I've already made the Chipotle Meatloaf before and it's FABULOUS. I of course tweaked to suit our needs and will be posting the recipe here soon.
Be sure to check out other Menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEK!