Chocolate Covered Coconut Balls

Mom Rasmussen said these were really good and seeing how I love Mounds I am going to put these up for all to try along with me.

1 1/2 lbs. of powdered sugar
1 can condensed milk
1 pkg. flake coconut (14 oz)
1 cup chopped nuts (almonds would be good)
1 cube butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup parowax
2 pkgs chocolate chips (12 oz.)

Mix above ingredients and chill a few minutes. shape into balls (3/4 to 1 in. balls). Chill a few hours or over night.

Melt parowax with chocolate chips over hot (not boiling) water. Dip balls and drain. Let set and enjoy.

Home Made Stuffing

I got this recipe from Stewart's Aunt Sue when we eat there for Thanksgiving. I totally fell in love with it! It is so dang good.

3 cups boiling water
3 sticks butter melted
1 minced onion
1 1/2 to 2 loaves bread (white bread)
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 tsp. salt *if your butter is salted add less then given here
2 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage
3 Tbsp. parsley flakes
4 stalks celery diced

Mix all together. If too dry just add more water. You can then stuff turkey with it or you can bake in a baking pan. Bake until turkey is cooked through and if in its own pan cook at 350 degrees until tops of bread are golden brown.

Creamed Corn

I got this recipe from Stewart's Aunt Sue. It is so good you know its not a real vegetable side dish. My kids loved it!

2 packages (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. Salt
5 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I would probably omit this when I make it)

1.) Combine all ingredients except the butter, flour, and cheese in a large pan. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes. Watch it carefully so it dosen't scorch on the bottom of the pan.

2.) In a separate pan melt butter and add flour to make thickening. Slowly pour butter mixture into the corn mixture. Stir constantly and bring to a gentle boil.

3.)Pour into serving dish and enjoy.

*If you are adding the cheese then sprinkle on top and broil to brown the cheese and serve.

Do Ahead Strawberry Danish Bake

Okay so this was supposed to be an easy meal and it once was but I ended up creating my own thing and totally changing the recipe I started out with it. It was originally called "Blueberry Breakfast Bake". So bear with me I seem to complicate recipes as I make them my own. But honestly so dang good!!! An instant family favorite.

Casserole

8 slices white bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (I think I used 10 slices)
1 package cream cheese, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
8 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 small container of vanilla yogurt (6 oz.)

1.) Dice strawberries and put in a bowl and add the sugar and stir to coat. Set aside. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Spread half of the bread pieces evenly in baking dish. Top with cream cheese and then sprinkle with strawberries. Top with the remaining bread. Beat eggs, water, and yogurt together. Pour over bread.

2.) Covered with aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer then 24 hours.

3.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake in covered pan for 30 minutes. Then uncover it and bake for another 30 minutes. Serves slices drizzled with the special syrup.

Syrup

1 cube butter
1/2 buttermilk (if you don't have any on hand use milk with a few drops of vinegar instead)
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter add sugar, baking soda, buttermilk and heat to a boil stirring regularly. It becomes pretty foamy. Let it boil for one minute. Then remove from heat and add vanilla.

Do Ahead Chicken Manicotti

In my search for easy meals that would be good to use post baby I tried this one out. I thought this would be gross but we actually liked it; the kids more then Stew and I but for an easy do ahead meal this was pretty darn good. Of course I have changed it like I seem to always do to recipes, so feel free to do the same when you try it out. My kids thought it was great. They kept calling it pizza. Yeah, it was just that good. :)

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 and 1/2 pound chicken tenders - I chopped my chicken in small pieces so my kids wouldn't be as scared off by it; they have meat aversions. And I am pretty sure I used less thena pound
14 uncooked manicotti shells
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ( I used Italian blend pre-shreeded cheese)
*I added parmesean cheese

1.) Spread about one-third of sauce in ungreased 9 x 13 pan

2.) Sprinkle garlic salt and parmesean cheese on chicken. Insert chiken into uncooked manicotti shells. ( I didn't worry about putting a lot of chiken in mine and I used a knife to help me push the chicken in wihtout gettign my figners all gross with chicken juice and garlic salt) Palce shells in pan.

3.) Pour remaining sauce evenlt over shells, covering completely. Sprinkle with cheese.

4.) You can then either put it in the freezer for up to a month or put it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Cover with aluminum foil with both oppsions.

5.) If frozzen heat oven to 350 degrees and bake covered for about 1 1/2 hours until shells are tender. If refrigerated heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour covered.

Easy Meatball Subs

I made this one up today and we really enjoyed it. I am trying to increase my collection of easy meals to make post baby. I hope some of you try this and like it as much us. Seriously so good and about as easy as any meal can be.

1 pound frozen Italian Style Meatballs
1 or 1/2 finely diced bell pepper
1 jar marinara sauce (I really like Ragu's "Traditional" sauce)
fresh baked rolls or sub length bread
Shredded Cheddar Cheeses (or whatever you prefer)

Add meatballs, sauce, and bell pepper to a large pot. Cook on low heat letting it simmer for an hour or until meatballs are warmed through and flavors totally melded- putting a lid on will save you some serious stove top clean up. You can also cook it in a crock pot - cook on low until ready to eat at least two hours I would guess. Spoon meatballs and sauce on bread and top with cheese and then bite into a little bit of heaven! So easy and so yummy!!!

Spicy Peanut Chicken

This was a easy and yummy way to cook up a little Asian heaven on a weeknight.

1/4 cup chicken broth
1 TB. cornstarch
1 TB. sugar
2 TB. soy sauce
1 TB. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper *we thought it could use a little more but I would stick to the recipe if you or your family is sensitive to spice
1 TB. peanut oil
1 lb. chicken cut into small pieces
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1/3 cup peanuts
2 green onions thinly sliced

mix broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Set it aside. Heat frying pan with oil. Add chicken, garlic, and ginger --stir fry for about 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Add bell pepper and stir fry for 1 minute. Add sauce. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens. Remove form heat and sprinkle with peanuts and green onions. Serve with stir fry veggies and rice.

Mexican Cassarole

This is a Mormon type dish that is super easy and as yummy as it is fattening. I like to think of this as the Mexican equivalent of funeral potatoes.

1 can cream chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 can green chilies
1/2 medium or 1 small onion finely chopped
2 cups chicken cooked and cut or shredded into small pieces
12 CORN tortillas cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. grated cheddar cheese

In a 9x13 pan mix together the first five ingredients. Then add the chicken, tortillas, and salt and pepper to taste. Top with the cheese. Cover and refrigerate over night. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Tony Roma's Baked Potato Soup

1/2 medium brown or yellow onion chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 quart chicken broth
2 cups half and half
7 to 8 medium potatoes, baked until tender., peeled and cut into small cubes
Seasoning slat to taste
Garlic pepper taste
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Crumbled cooked bacon
Finely chopped green onions

In large soup pot, cook onion in butter over medium heat until tender. Blend in flour until smooth; cook for 1 minute, stirring. With wire whisk, slowly whisk in chicken broth and half and half stirring until smooth over medium heat. Add seasoning slat and garlic pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and add the potatoes. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve with bacon, cheese, and green onion sprinkled on top. A rich yummy soup the whole family will enjoy!

Spicy Peanut Soup

I am trying a bunch of soup recipes because I am sort in love with this cook book of mine that is all soup recipes. This one is great for those of you who enjoy a good curry or like Thai food. It isn't Thai and it isn't a curry but it is creamy yet spicy and totally DELICIOUS!!! I mean it. This soup is really good. Stewart had like five bowls. If you gear up to try it I hope you like it half as much as we do. I made some changes and I am just writing it as I did it. * Mine didn't look like that. It was thinner and the colors of the vegetables were really vibrant.

2 TB oil
1 large onion, minced
2 garlic gloves, crushed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper *it called for 1 teaspoon I used probably 2/3 teaspoon
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups finely chopped carrots
1 1/2 finely chopped potatoes
2-3 celery stalks sliced
3 3/4 cups chicken stock
6-7 TB crunchy peanut butter *would be totally fine with creamy too
2/3 cup whole corn kernels
salt and pepper to taste

1.) Heat oil in large pan. Add onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add cayenne pepper and garlic and cook for another minute.

2.) Add the red pepper, carrot, potatoes, and celery. Stir well and cook for 4 minutes longer. stirring occasionally.

3.) Add corn, chicken stock, and peanut butter, stirring until thoroughly combined.

4.) Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Tomato and Vermicelli Soup

There aren't many soups that you want to eat in the summer but this one is really a perfect summer soup. It is totally Fresh and Fantastic! We loved it. If you have a lot of tomatoes growing and you need new ways to use them up this is a good way to go. Even Stew who doesn't really like pasta, cilantro, tomatoes, and onions (which are all in this soup) said "this is really delicious".

2 TB olive
1/3 cup vermicelli * I used more like a cup broken into smaller pieces
1 onion, roughly chopped * use a small onion or half a larger one
1 garlic clove chopped
3 cups peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped tomatoes * I did not bother to peel or seed
1 quart chicken STOCK * I used Rachael Ray's Chicken STOCK, stock is different then chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 TB finely chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese served on the side

1.) Heat oil in a large soup pan. Add vermicelli and saute over medium high heat until golden brown: don't burn

2.) Remove the pan from heat and lift out the vermicelli and a draining spoon and drain on paper towel, set aside

3.) Puree the onion, garlic, and Tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. Return the pan to the heat when the oil is hot add the puree. Cook, stirring constantly for about five minutes.

4.) Then add the vermicelli, stock, sugar, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and cover the pan and simmer the soup until the vermicelli is tender.

5.) Serve with sprinkled cilantro and Parmesan cheese. And Enjoy!!!

Southern BBQ Brisket

This is a recipe my brother posted on my family's blog. He served his mission in Texas and thus loves Southern style meat. We tried it out tonight and really enjoyed it. It is a really great Sunday meal (start before you leave for church and let it cook all day sort of deal). I simply cut and pasted from my family's blog and then at the end I have added my thoughts and alterations.

"Since brisket is a tough piece of meat, you have to be careful how you prepare it, but by far our favorite way to cook it is braised in the oven into a type of oven bbq brisket—it kind of reminds me of Texas, but the whole family loves it, too, not just me. I got this recipe from the My Mother’s Southern Kitchen by James Villas—a book which Mom used to have until I stole it (and then Mom bought me a copy for Christmas, making me feel even worse for my theft. I think I returned it a couple of years later as part of the repentance process). It is a book worth buying if you like southern food--the paper bag chicken is really good, too.

Dry Rub

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

1 tbsp dry mustard

1 tbsp paprika

Cooking Liquid

1/4 c butter

1/2 c Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 c white vinegar * I would do half beef broth and half vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 or 2 tbsp Tabasco sauce* my brother uses Chipotle Tabasco sauce which adds a "wonderful smoky taste"

1tbsp liquid smoke* brother's addition not sure if you can even taste it though

1.) Mix the Dry rub, and apply liberally to all sides of the brisket. Don’t skimp. I usually use all of the rub on a 4-5 pound brisket. Sear all sides of the brisket in a hot pan with oil and/or butter until the meat is well browned.

2.) Mix the cooking liquid, bring to a boil, and simmer for five to ten minutes. Be sure to use enough Tabasco. It tends to mellow the vinegar and bring the other flavors together.

3.) Put brisket in a roasting or casserole pan, FAT SIDE UP, and pour the hot cooking liquid over the meat (make sure the meat is resting in the liquid). Cover the pan with heavy foil to keep as much of the liquid in as possible while cooking.

4.) Cook the brisket at 300 for FOUR hours, then remove the foil and cook for ANOTHER hour, adding water to the liquid if necessary, and basting the roast occasionally after removing the foil. You can also experiment by cooking the meat longer at lower heat, but 225 is about as low as I would go. It should be fork tender.

5.) After the roast is done, let it rest for around 15-20 minutes out of the liquid and covered, then trim most of the fat off of the brisket, and slice ACROSS THE GRAIN when ready to serve (if you do not slice across the grain, it will be pretty awful to chew).

Feel free to thicken the cooking liquid with some corn starch or flour and serve as a sauce on the side. I usually serve it with some lightly sautéed onion slices and some sandwich bread and the sauce to pour over it all. It tastes fantastic, and gives us up to four meals at $5-7 a meal. Because the brisket is so lean, it doesn't really shrink in cooking, so a 4-5 pound brisket is almost that much cooked meat--which means we usually have quite a bit left over for sandwiches or other meals later that week."

What I did with it. I skimmed off the fat from the liquid and then I sauted an onion in 2 Tbsp butter. When it was soft and caramelized I added 1 tsp liquid smoke and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce. When that was incorporated I added 3 tbsp flour. I mixed that in well with the onions and let the flour brown a bit. I then slowly added about 1/3 of the broth stirring constantly as I did so. I let it simmer until it was thicker. It was so tart and little too salty so I added some whole milk to it which cooled the strong flavors well. I served the brisket with the dipping sauce on the side. I also had potatoes, a great salad, and a side of green beans. I plan on using the left over meat to do sandwiches like my brother suggested. It think it will be great! (yeah I shredded it and then baked some French bread and put cheese on top and had my gravy type sauce on the side and it was divine! So dang good!

This has a really tart taste due to the large amount of vinegar in the cooking liquid. Next time I make it I will do half beef broth and half vinegar. I wouldn't totally eliminate the vinegar because I think it helps tenderize the beef and gives it a little something that other roasts don't have.

Crusty Mexican Chicken

This looked fun and new for me and really yummy. Stew and I really enjoyed it. It isn't the easiest chicken dish I have ever made but I was excited to try it out so it wasn't a pain for me to make it. Plus seeing Stewart love it made it worth all the work.

I made a few changes to the original recipe. I will put an * by the things that our my additions. Please feel free to change the recipe to your taste as well!!! :)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 TB lime juice
1 TB honey
1 tsp salt *
2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
1 can (14 oz.) stewed tomatoes with onions and mild chilies
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 large garlic peeled
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 TB lime juice*
dash of salt*
1 cup shredded jack or cheddar cheese

1.) pat chicken dry. In a shallow bowl stir together the lime, honey, and 1 tsp salt. place tortilla chips in a bag. Turn each chicken piece in honey mixture to coat; then drop into chips and shale to coat. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 475 degrees until done about 15 minutes.

2.) meanwhile, in a blender combine whole can of tomatoes and their juice, cilantro, garlic, oregano, lime, and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into a sauce pan and heat over high heat. Boil until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups. Reduce heat and keep warm.

3.) Sprinkle chicken with cheese and continue to bake until cheese is melted.

4.) to serve spoon warm salsa on plate and then place the chicken on top.

Sunday Dinner!

This is a recipe I recently tried from my old stakes Relief Society cook book. We really liked it. I thought it was a great Sunday casserole. Hence I changed the name...

Stuffing and Swiss Cheese Sunday Casserole

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 slices swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup milk
1 pkg. chicken stuffing
5-6 TB. melted butter

Place chicken in 9 x 13 pan. Mix the cream of chicken soup with the milk and set aside. Cover with swiss cheese and then pour the thinned soup over the chicken and cheese. Sprinkle the stuffing on top. Drizzle the butter over stuffing. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. Take foil off for the last 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Hello people who look at this blog! I am sorry I have died to the world of food, but no worries I am slowly making a recovery. :O) This recipe makes it in my blog because it is the only new thing I have tried lately and because I really liked it.

This is why I think it is a winner:
-my kids get veggies in a kid friendly way
- had a slight creamy taste
- it's a whole meal in one dish
- was different then your average chicken noodle
- easy, most time spent is with chopping

My notes on this recipe: I used way less herbs. I did dashes, not tsp. I didn't add the salt. It is thick, Stewart asked if we needed forks when he set the table. :O) I used cream of mushroom too because I only had one can of cream of chicken - you wouldn't even know it tasted great. I used less chicken, less money if I didn't add it and my kids wont eat it. I think I might add more water if I added it all. Please know that when you cook you do what you would like. In my book recipes are only spring boards from which you can explore and customize to your taste.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

8 cups Water
2 T. Chicken Bouillon
2 can cream of chicken soup
1 sm. Onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups Carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cup Peas, frozen
3 cup Chicken, cooked and shopped into small pieces
one large stalk celery chopped
1/2 tsp Thyme leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Parsley flakes
1/4 Basil
1/8 tsp Oregano
1 (12 oz.) pkg. Egg noodles, any type - I like no yolks, healthier

Mix water, bouillon and cream of chicken soup together in large soup pot. Then add everything else. Cook until noodles are done and then remove from heat and let sit for 10 - 15 minutes to thicken and cool. EAT!!! I put rolls in the oven while it thickened. Timing was perfect.