Green Bean French Fries

My mom got us hooked on this tasty healthy snack. It's her version of healthy french fries and we love them now too. We make these some times in the afternoon for snack.

Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil. Spread frozen green beans on the pan. Roast them under the broiler till cooked and a little crispy. Spray again with olive oil (or toss in a bag with olive oil) and sprinkle with salt.

That's our version but my mom steams them in a skillet with a little water in the bottom covered just until they are tender but still crisp and not mushy. It's a different texture and we like them that way too. So, you might want to try both ways to see which you like best.

We always use the petite green beans.
No, we don't dip them in ketchup. We eat them plain.

Wassail

On another blog there has been discussion about what Wassal is? Is it the tradition of putting up your tree and decorating it or is it a beverage? I don't have a clue, but I do have a Wassail recipe and it's very yummy. Makes the whole house smell yummy. Spelled differently.
(no, the picture is not mine)

3/4 c sugar
3 c water
10-12 whole cloves
3 large cinnamon sticks (broken)

Boil for 10 min. covered. Turn off heat and let sit overnight.

When you are ready to serve:
add- 2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 gal. cider or apple juice

Bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Strain and serve.

Keeps for 2 weeks in fridge.

Costco Finds

Here are some old Costco finds but I still love them. =0)

Romaine Hearts (usually around $3 a package)

2 9in quiche (one is broccoli and one is mushroom)

Chicken Barbacoa (spell?)

Sesame Ginger Dressing (haven't seen that there in awhile)

Whole Wheat Tortellini and Ravioli

Artichoke Parmesan Dip

Carnitas

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Verde

I've been making Chicken Enchilada Verde the old fashioned way for several years and recently converted it to a crock pot version. The original recipe (or more like "method") I learned from a few different people. The first time I had them melt in my mouth was the time a Mexican family friend made them. I was determined to duplicate what she had done. I also figured that since I married someone of Mexican descent, I should know how to make at least one decent Mexican dish. So, between our friend's recipe, some Mexican cooking shows, and some tips from my mom, this is what I've come up with. It's one of my most asked for recipes.

We throw around the term "authentic" a lot as Americans so I won't go so far to say they are authentic, but I can say that they are more Mexican than many of the recipes that have been bestowed on me by well meaning Americans. I bravely served them once to my sister's new husband (he is from Mexico and they live there now) and he was kind enough to tell me they were good. I figure he's too nice to tell me otherwise. =0)

Oh, and no, I don't consider these healthy. =0)

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (or 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts)

1 package white tortillas (6-8 inch size)

6-8 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese (Jack works the best but in the pictures I had some colby and monterey jack on hand)

1 can green chili enchilada sauce (found in the Hispanic cooking section of most stores)

Seasoning (garlic, dried onion, salt, pepper, chili powder)

Cook your chicken over night in the crock pot on low. Sprinkle it with seasoning when you put it in. In the morning, let the chicken cool. By noon, shred it or chop it and begin layering the remaining ingredients. I cut my tortillas into long strips and then into squares. I begin with pouring a little sauce in the bottom of the crock to begin. Then tortilla, then chicken, then cheese, then more sauce (go easy on the sauce, just a drizzle each time. If you do too much sauce, they'll be soupy and you won't like it. You want it to mainly be tortilla, chicken, and cheese).

(in the pictures, I'm using left over chicken that was not seasoned when it was cooked. So, I seasoned each layer of chicken as I went. Sorry, I don't measure, just sprinkle it.)

Once you get to the rim, finish it off by topping it with more cheese.

Cook on low till dinner time. The reason I use the dried onion flakes is because sometimes it's not long enough to cook chopped onion through.

If you want to make a pan of these instead of in the crock pot. Pour some of the sauce into a skillet big enough to hold your tortillas. Put a tortilla into the sauce to warm it. This will make it pliable so that you can roll it without it tearing. Flip it once so that it's coated in the sauce then transfer it to a non-stick sprayed glass 9x13 pan. Laying the tortilla in the pan, fill it with the meat, cheese, seasons and roll it. Push it to the end of the pan and lay your next tortilla in the pan and repeat. By the time you get to the end and the pan is getting full, you lay the last tortilla over top all the rolled ones, fill it, roll it and tuck it into the last spot on the end. Top with cheese and a drizzle of sauce. Bake for about 20-30 min. @ 350.

Brownies

So, I've looked for a long time for a good homemade brownie recipe. I've tried a lot of different ones from people but they are always dry and crumbly, oh ya, and thin....I like them hooey gooey, and THICK! So, this friend of mine made us these incredible brownies and I asked her for her recipe. She said, "sure, I'll give you the recipe." She came over one day and went out to her car to get the recipe and when she came back in, she handed me a box mix. A box mix? This can't be! It was a Betty Crocker mix with frosting. I told her, "I don't remember there being frosting on them." Then she told me her secret. She takes them out of the oven and while they are still hot, she puts the frosting on (even though you're supposed to wait till they are cooled). That way, the frosting melts into the brownies.

So, when I went to the store to pick up a few more boxes, I noticed that they also come in "triple chocolate" and not just frosted. What I did was mix one box of each recipe together! They came out awesome! The triple chocolate ones have chunks of chocolate in them so you get the best of both worlds. I did just like she said and put the frosting on while they were still nice and warm. I got the best thick, gooey brownies. I was so happy. AND it was SO easy!

Healthy Granola Bars

Okay, they are healthy other than the butter. LOL. The pictures are of the apple cinnamon version below.

The base:
1 cup softened butter (unsalted real butter)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup honey
2 cups wheat germ

Mix together. (I mix mine in my kitchen aid mixer)
You can sprinkle with chopped nuts at this point and bake for 10 min. (you can also omit the nuts if you like)

Apple Bars: add to the above 1-2 peeled/cored/diced apples, 1/2-1 cup of old fashioned oats, and a heavy sprinkling of cinnamon. Mix well, press into a 9x13 sprayed pan. Spray the back of a spoon with oil or non-stick spray to press down the dough and prevent sticking. Optional to sprinkle sugar on top. Bake 350 for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Cool and slice into long bars. I wrap them individually in cling wrap.

Got the base of this recipe from my friend, Pam. =0)

Garlic Carrots

Every time I make these I get asked, "what's in those carrots? They're so good."



Well, only butter and garlic. Yup, that's it. I steam the carrots and then add butter and sprinkle them with garlic powder. You could make it more complicated if you wanted to by mincing fresh garlic cloves and sauteing them in butter and then drizzling them over the carrots. But why complicate something that's so easy? Right?

Crock Pot Roast

For a really simple dinner, I like to put a roast in the crock pot. (Yes, I get a lot of use out of my crock pot in the winter!) I buy inexpensive roast cuts like chuck roast.

Put it in the night before at around 9pm-10pm on LOW. I put the fat side down. You can trim any fat off of it if you want it leaner. I season mine with different things...usually a seasoning packet, like Knor

onion soup mix or these new marinade ones that I posted about earlier. You can season it however you like to. For this one I used Black Peppercorn which was a little strong and spicy so next time I'll use half the packet. It had great flavor though. Don't add any water. You don't have to. It will make it's own juices for you.

By morning it looks like this. Don't be deceived. It looks done but it's still tough.

By dinner time the meat will fall apart with just a fork. Now it's done. =0)

Keep in mind that it shrinks a lot. A 2 lb roast will feed a family of 4. If you are feeding 4 grown men though, you'll probably need about 6 lbs. LOL. =0)

Country Fried Potatoes

4-5 Yukon gold potatoes cubed

1 garlic clove

Lawry's Seasoning Salt

pepper to taste

3 chopped green onions

drizzle of olive oil

Wash and cube potatoes. Drizzle olive oil in skillet. Saute potatoes with minced garlic (you can substitute garlic powder). Sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper. Saute covered until potatoes are tender on medium heat. Then saute uncovered to get the outsides crispy on high heat.

Note* Yukon gold potatoes are the easiest potatoes to digest and also have a natural butter flavor to them. Olive oil and garlic are also healthy factors.

Chicken Burrito Filling

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 taco seasoning packet

1-2 can of beans (I used black beans)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 hand full cilantro chopped

Chop the chicken and saute in skillet with taco season packet mixed according the directions on the packet. (In the pictures I used leftover taco meat that was done in the crock pot previously).

Add beans (drained and rinsed) and can of tomatoes (drained). Add cilantro. Saute and stir. Serve in tortillas with toppings of your choice.

I got the idea for this recipe from my friend, Geneva years ago. I think it was a weight watchers recipe. I changed it up a bit.

Hand Prints

Remember the dough ornament recipe below? You can also make these with it. They are hand print plaques.



Make the dough ornament recipe. Use a large bowl to cut the circle for the plaque. Use a knife or medicine cup to cut the hole for the ribbon. Have your child press their hand into the dough. Bake the dough as instructed in the recipe. Once it is totally cooled, paint the whole thing (we used white). Once that is dry, paint your child's hand a color (we used pink for girl, blue for boy). Stamp their painted hand onto the print of their hand molded into the plaque. Spray with a clear glossy spray paint. Use a sharpie permanent marker to write their name and date. Tie with a bow for hanging. These make precious gifts and memories.

Great Grandma Clara's Coleslaw

This recipe is in honor of Thanksgiving yesterday. This is my great grandma Clara's recipe. Mom said she had her own restaurant and was a great cook. We've been having this coleslaw at family gatherings since before I was born and all through my life. It's a tradition on Thanksgiving. So, yesterday I started teaching my daughter how to make it. That's the 5th generation! =0) I took some great pictures for you but then my camera battery died and I lost the first half. So, I don't have pics to show you of how to chop the cabbage. Sorry about that. One more thing...people who don't like coleslaw, like this recipe. =0)

Ingredients-
2 heads of cabbage shredded or chopped small
1 bunch of chopped radishes
4-5 chopped celery stalks
1/2-1 chopped bell pepper (any color)
1 bunch green onion
(I like to dice all of these ingredients so that you get the texture of coleslaw as small as KFC-but this won't even compare to KFC coleslaw)

The Dressing-
1 2/3 c real mayo
1/4 c vinegar
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. celery seed
1/3 c sour cream
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp. pepper

After chopping all the ingredients (you may want to sharpen your knife before you start!), mix the dressing ingredients together. Then combine the dressing and the cabbage mixture, mixing well till the cabbage is well coated. This recipe makes a large batch, enough for about 20 ice cream scoop sized servings. It looks like more at first but the cabbage will begin to shrink down. You can also cut this recipe in half.

Keep refrigerated.
























It will shrink down as you mix it and it sits for a few minutes.

Chicken Tacos

I've been making our tacos in the crock pot for the last year. In the morning I throw in some frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts into the crock. Then I sprinkle it with a taco seasoning packet. I turn it on low and then just before dinner I shred the chicken with two forks. It works great and is super easy.

Tortellini Soup

Our kids love tortellini so I figured as far as soup goes, this would be one they would like...and they did.

Ingredients:

extra virgin olive oil

1 c chopped onion

1 c sliced carrots

1 c chopped celery

2 minced garlic cloves

1 can cream of chicken OR cream of mushroom/celery soup

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

6 c water

4 c chicken OR vegetable broth

1 bag frozen broccoli florets

10-15 oz. cheese tortellini

2 c cooked cubed/shredded chicken

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmesan

Saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in bottom of pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add can of soup, seasonings, water, and broth. Bring to a slow boil. Add chicken, broccoli, and tortellini. Cook till tortellini is cooked through. S and P to taste. Serve with parmesan on top.

To make extra healthy, use whole wheat tortellini.

You can enjoy this soup vegetarian by omitting the chicken, using cream of mushroom or celery soup, and using vegetable broth.

The base of this soup recipe was from my friend Jana. I changed it up a little bit.

Favorite Things - Flour Holder

I hope to feature one item or gadget a month that I find helpful or amazing in the kitchen. This one I just came across. Maybe I'm clueless and everyone already has these. I was telling a friend of mine a few months back about how frustrating it is to have to use flour out of a paper bag.



Well, here was the answer to my problems. This cool pouring tub fits one bag of flour or sugar and has a specially designed spout that sets inside of the open bag guiding all the flour/sugar into the pour spout! Incredible! When you pop the lid open all you see is the inside of your bag full of flour/sugar. It has two pour spout features, one is narrow and one is a big pop open lid. Great invention and I love it! Found mine at Wal-mart.