Salad Time - Crouton Recipe

Nothing better than buying fresh lettuce and veggies from your local farmers market and making a great big salad. Then to make that even better try making some croutons from fresh bread you purchased or made.

Garlic Croutons

4 cups bread cut into 1 inch cubes or whatever size you like
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tsp oil (I use olive oil)

Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I use a silicone mat). Toss together the bread cubes and spices. Toss in the oil until well distributed. Make sure bread is evenly moistened. Spread the bread cubes out evenly onto the baking sheet. Bake for 12-18 minutes making sure to toss them around a few times.

Where are my iced coffee drinkers?

Who loves Iced Coffee? Me!!!!! Years ago I found a recipe and fell in love with it and have made some small changes to it to please my taste buds.  Now it is time to share it with you.

Iced Vanilla Coffee
Serves 1
( recipe can be doubled, tripled etc)

2 teaspoons instant coffee (not prepared, just the granules)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (change to other flavors for a different taste)
1 teaspoon leftover coffee (I have never added)
2 teaspoons cold water
1 1/4 cups milk (whatever type you use)
chocolate shavings for garnishment (I have never used)

Put first 5 ingredients into a blender. Pulse blend until the ingredients are smooth and frothy.  Add teh cold milk and pulse until all is blended well.  Pour over a few ice cubes and add garnishments. Enjoy!

***I like the make this up in the evening and put in the refrigerator. Wake up in the morning, give a shake and pour over some ice. YUMMY!!! ENJOY!!!

Dairy Recipes

Homemade Buttermilk
(recipe yields 4 serevings)
1 cup whole milk
either 1 and 3/4 TBSP cream of tartar OR 1 TBSP white vinegar OR 1 TBSP lemon juice

Add together and let stand for approx 15 minutes at room temp. The milk should start to curdle. Stir well.

Fat Free Half & Half
1 1/3 cup dry nonfat dry milk powder
1/3 cup Fat Free coffeemate creamer (or any brand regular)
2 cups cold water

mix all together and blend with mixer or blender

Half & Half Substitute
7/8 cup milk
7/8 TBSP melted butter, cooled

Mix well

Evaporated Milk
1 cup plus 2 TBSP dry powdered milk
1/2 cup warm water

Whisk together all ingredients

Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup hot tap water
2 cups sugar
2 cups instant nonfat dry milk powder
6 TBSP melted margarine/butter

using a blender...add hot water, sugar, milk powder and margarine. Blend for a full minute. Mixture will be thin but will thicken after standing for approx a hour.  Makes enough to equal 2 cans.  Can be used right away or store in fridge for a week.

Sweetened Condensed Milk #2
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/4 cup sugar

Put in saucepan. Heat until sugar is completely dissolved and let cool. No evaporated milk? make your own by slowly simmering any quantity of milk in a pan until reduced by 60%.

Milk 
equal parts of evaporated milk to equal parts of water.

Hummingbird Nectar

Well today I brought out the hummingbird feeder to find the flowers needed to be repainted so I tackled that. Next was to find a recipe for hummingbird nectar and fill the feeder. I remembered my friend at sparing-change.blogspot.com had posted one last year so I hopped over to her blog and found it.


Hummingbird Nectar(4:1)

Ingredients:

Water
Sugar


Directions:

Heat water in microwave for 3-5 minutes or until hot
Add sugar
Stir until sugar has dissolved
Let nectar cool to room temperature
Fill feeder(s)
Store remaining nectar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks

Side Note:
It is not good for the hummingbird food to stay in the feeder for more than a week.  Otherwise, it tends to get moldy or cloudy.  For this reason, I make smaller batches of hummingbird nectar and refill the feeders more often.  Many times, I make 1 or 2 cups of nectar with ¼ cup or ½ cup of sugar.  Or, I make the full 4 cups and keep the extra nectar in a glass jar in the refrigerator so I can easily refill their feeders.

My note:
When you heat water in the microwave it loosens up cooked on food. After the water is finished, take a few minutes and wipe down the inside of your microwave.

Reuben made from leftover corned beef - now and later

The day after St. Patrick's day usually brings leftover corned beef. Usually I just reheat and eat it the same as the day before. Tonight however I tried my hand at making a Reuben. No exact recipe but this is how I made it.

Leftover corned beef sliced thinly across grain (I warmed mine up)
Sauerkraut- drained and warmed
Thousand island dressing
Swiss cheese
Rye or pumpernickel bread (I used a rye and pumpernickel marbled bread)

Butter one side of each slice of bread, lay one slice butter side down, spread on thousand island dressing to taste, add slice Swiss cheese, add corned beef, add sauerkraut and top with second slice of bread butter side up.

Grill til desired doneness.

Later

Slice corned beef thin and add to small freezer bag with slice Swiss cheese.
Take sauerkraut and put in small freezer bag.
Take 2 slices bread, wrap in saran wrap,and add to a small freezer bag.

Take all the small bags and add to a larger freezer bag. Label bag with date and Reuben and put in freezer for another day.

I did this for one sandwich but you could do as many as you like.

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots with Horseradish Cream

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Horseradish Cream

Corned beef- trim excess fat off
Baby red potatoes
Baby carrots
Cabbage

Trim excess fat from corned beef and put in crock pot. Add seasoning packet that comes with it. Then add your potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover items. Cook 8-10 hrs on low.

Cut cabbage into four wedges and put in pot. Take broth from crockpot and add to cabbage and cook until desired tenderness.

 
Horseradish Cream (recipe from Gina at Skinnytaste.com)

1 tbsp prepared grated horseradish
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and add to top of sliced corned beef.

Island Spiced Salmon and Asparagus

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 salmon fillet (2pounds)

In small bowl combine the first five ingredients. Mix well. Rub over flesh side of fillet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Place skin side down in a 13x9x2 baking coated with nonstick cooking spray(I use olive oil spray).

Lay asparagus in pan and spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle garlic powder on top.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Homemade Crispy Chicken Strips

My new favorite way to make chicken strips

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup mashed potato flakes
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs
Garlic powder to taste
Paprika to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions

Cut chicken into 1-in. strips. In a shallow bowl, combine the potato flakes, seasonings and bread crumbs. Dip chicken in egg, then in potato mixture. Fry in oil. I used a deep fryer but you could use a skillet. Make sure you drain the grease from them after cooking.

E2 French Toast

What a satisfying breakfast. No need for butter just drizzle a little pure all natural maple syrup over all and enjoy!

E2 French Toast

Serving 1

Milk substitute of choice - 2 ounces ( I use Almond Breeze unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk)
Vanilla - 1 teaspoon ( make sure you are using real and pure vanilla, I use Spice Islands)
cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
Bread ( whole grain)- 3 slices ( I use Ezekiel)
Banana - 4 ounces
Pure maple syrup (optional)

Combine banana, milk substitute, cinnamon and vanilla in a shallow bowl.

Dip bread slices in mixture until fully coated on both sides. Cook in a nonstick skillet on medium high heat for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

E2 Black Beans and Rice

This dish is so colorful, tasty and filling! A perfect dinner for a Meatless Monday!


E2 Black Beans and Rice

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 1 ½ C water or vegetable stock
1 T Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1 t chili powder
2 – 3 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained
1 C corn fresh, frozen or canned
Red, yellow, or green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
3 C cooked E2 Brown Rice
Salsa 
Heat the beans with water or stock, Bragg’s and chili powder. Place the chopped vegetables and cilantro in individual bowls. To serve, place several big spoonfuls of brown rice onto large plates and ladle beans on top. Add generous handfuls of chopped vegetables, cilantro, and avocado on top of the beans. Add salsa or tamari to taste.

Serves 3 – 4

From “The Engine 2 Diet”

Hooters Buffalo Wings

I made these today and let me tell you...they are great! I have added my own notes at the end.f


Hooters Buffalo Wings

 By Todd Wilbur

Total Time: 27 mins
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 12 mins


Ingredients:

Servings: 2

¼ cup butter
¼ cup louisiana hot sauce
1 dash pepper , Ground
1 dash garlic powder
½ cup flour
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
10 chicken wings
bleu cheese salad dressing
celery
vegetable oil , for frying

Directions:


Combine the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small bowl.

If the wings are frozen, be sure to defrost and dry them.

Put the wings into a large bowl and sprinkle the flour mixture over them, coating each wing evenly.

Put the wings in the refrigerator for 60 to 90 minutes. (This will help the breading to stick to the wings when fried.)

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees.

You want just enough oil to cover the wings entirely -- an inch or so deep at least. Combine the butter, hot sauce, ground pepper, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat until the butter is melted and the ingredients are well blended.

Put all the wings into the hot oil and fry them for 10 to 15 minutes or until some parts of the wings begin to turn dark brown.

Remove the wings from the oil to a paper towel to drain.

But don't let them sit too long, because you want to serve the wings hot. Quickly put the wings into a large bowl.

Add the hot sauce and stir, coating all the wings evenly.

You could also use a large plastic container with a lid for this.

Put all the wings inside the container, add the sauce, put on the lid, then shake. Serve with Bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks on the side.


*I used Franks hot sauce, after covering wings in flour mixture I let them sit in the refrigerator for 4 hours, and I served with Ranch. Next time I will let the wings sit a little longer in the sauce instead of just covering them and shaking in a covered bowl.

McDonalds Sweet Tea

My daughter was in love with McDonalds Sweet Tea and then she was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and put on a special diet which restricts her from eating white sugar, white flour, high fructose corn syrup, white flour, artificial anything etc... Needless to say the tea was cut from her diet. Well, that's until I found a recipe for it on topsecretrecipes.com.

Yes I know how to make sweet tea and I must say it's pretty good but apparently it doesn't taste like McDonalds. So I set out to find a recipe that I could tweak to fit her diet guidelines.

Mcdonald's Sweet Tea

3 Lipton tea bags - standard size
2 qts water
1 cup sugar

Bring water to a rapid boil, remove from heat, add tea bags, and cover and let set for 1 hour. Add to pitcher and add sugar. Mix well.

*please note that I use decaf tea bags and instead of white sugar I use Sugar in the Raw.

Needless to say my daughter is very pleased with the results.

Goulash

Ok, so no official recipe for this and it tasted great but the texture wasn't what I was trying to accomplish. My boyfriend wanted me to make this and told me what went in it like ground beef, tomatoes, macaroni noodles, and that he wanted lots of garlic. Apparently, there wasn't enough garlic because he added more even though I showered it in minced garlic, garlic salt and garlic powder. He also said it reminded him more of spaghetti with elbow noodles. Can someone help me out here? I will share the recipe I used without exact measurements because I didn't measure anything and then I would love if you would share your favorite Goulash recipe.

1 lb ground beef
28 oz can stewed tomatoes
can tomato paste
water
garlic salt
garlic powder
minced garlic
chili powder
elbow macaroni

Pal's Peanut Butter Bones

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup skim milk
1 cup natural peanut butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk. Add wet mixture to dry, and mix well. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on a rack then store in an airtight container.

There are no preservatives in these so I freeze them and only keep out a handful at a time to keep them from going bad.

Cheese Filled Manicotti

14 pieces (8oz) manicotti
3 1/2 cup ricotta Cheese ( 2-15oz)
2 cups (8oz) shredded mozzerella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 eggs
2 Tablespoon parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (14oz) spaghetti sauce

Hat oven to 350. Cook pasta, drain and lay flat on foil on waxed paper. Stir ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, eggs, parsley, and seasonings. Spoon into pasta. Place into pan, pour sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheeses.Cover with foil and bake 35 mins.

Garlic Knots

By the time I remembered to take pictures, there was only 1 left. LOL

1 tube refrigerator biscuits - cut into fourths and roll into fingers and make a knot.

Bake approx 7 minutes.

Combine:
1/2 cup oil ( I used Tastefully Simple Roasted Garlic infused oil)
1 tsp basil, oregano, and parsley
2 cloves garlic minced (omitted this)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp accent (optional) (didn't use)
pinch of salt and pepper

While knots are hot from the oven, put into mixture and turn frequently until covered and serve.

*NOTE - This was originally how I made them. Now I buy the smaller tubes and cut them in 1/2. I  make my knots roll them in mixture and then bake.

Strawberries in Custard Sauce

Another recipe courtesy of Joanna Lund's Family and Friends Cookbook

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1 (4-serving) pkg Jell-O sugar free instant vanilla pudding

2/3 cup non dry milk powder

1 3/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Spoon 3/4 cup strawberries into 4 dessert dishes. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients and water. Mix well using a wire whisk. Blend in vanilla extract. Spoon a ful 1/2 cup custard sauce over each dish of strawberries. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.

*NOTE - I found that you could probably get by with making this for 6 people with the same amounts as it was quite a bit for each serving.

Hamburger Seasoning

1 tablespoon paprika 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Combine the paprika, salt, pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper in an airtight container; seal. Shake to combine. Store in a cool, dry place between uses. Add desired amount to hamburger meat, and I add some A-1. Mix well and shape into patties.

Strawberry Smoothie

I freeze any fruit that I have leftover that is on the verge of going bad.  This morning the kids grabbed out some strawberries I had frozen and asked for a smoothie. A very tasty, quick and good for you breakfast! No exact recipe or measurements needed. I threw in some strawberries, some milk and a little splenda..blended it until smooth and voila!

Basil Tomato Soup

2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
18 fresh basil leaves, minced ( I used dried)
1 teaspoon sugar (I used 1 tbsp Splenda)
1 cup whipping cream ( I used nonfat milk but would be creamier with the cream)
1/2 cup butter or margarine ( I used 2 tbsp.)

In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream and butter. Cook until butter is melted.

Recipe from allrecipes


*NOTE - I also added pepper, garlic and garlic salt all to taste.