Chicken Pot Pie

YUM! Really yum! This was such a tasty recipe. I am utterly delighted! I was going to bring my parents some but I think I will just make them their own. I think they'll enjoy it immensely (especially if I add the peas that I omitted because we dont like peas in this house). It had the wonderful thick sauce that I love and a nice crispy crust. I think I might add a bit more flour next time just to get it a tad bit thicker and hopefully it will hold together a bit better.

I think this one is a keeper!

Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted slightly from The Girl Who Ate Everything



1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas (I omitted these because neither of us are big fans of peas)
1/2 cup sliced celery (These were omitted because I thought I had celery and didnt.)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
32 oz. carton chicken broth for boiling(reserve 1 3/4 cups chicken broth for sauce)
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts (I used one in a tin for the bottom crust and a rollout crust for the top)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In a pot, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add the carton of chicken broth to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain (reserving 1 3/4 cup chicken broth for filling) and set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and combine with the chicken, carrots, peas, and celery mixture. Here you can add more chicken broth if you like depending how runny you want your filling.

Place the chicken filling in bottom crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Bars

My gosh I love lemon! My mom used to tell the story about when I was little and we went out to eat they would have me in my high chair with a plate full of lemons and I was happy as can be. I still love lemons!

Today I made Lemon Bars and they are sooo good I want to devour the whole pan! I'm not going to though. I'm going to take some to work and munch the rest! heh.

Another happy thing is that I have a new camera!! My dear friend Dawn over at Eat, Play, Live, got a new camera and was kind enough to give me her old one since I have been having such camera drama lately. Thank you, Dawny!! (Now I just have to learn how to take good pics! *LOL*)

Anyway, on to the yumminess! I found this recipe via Bakerella who always has the best darn treats on her site! Be sure to check her out and I guarantee you are going to get a massive sugar craving.



Lemon Bars

Found via Bakerella

Crust:
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar (plus more for dusting)

Topping:
1 1/2 cup plain sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan.

To make crust:

* In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner's sugar
* Cut in butter until combined and crumbly. (I got to use my new pastry blender! YAY!)
* Press mixture into bottom of pan.
* Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:

* While crust is baking, prepare topping.
* In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
* Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice.
* Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
* Bake for 20-25 minutes.
* When cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and refrigerate.
* Cut into bars and enjoy them cold! (I had one warm and it was delish!)

"Healthified" Mexican Pasta Skillet

I'm actually blogging about dinner soon after dinner and not days after. Go me! Tonights dinner was quite easy and very good. I have decided that I need to get medium salsa for recipes and just keep my hot for chips and such. Maybe I'm getting to old for "hot" salsa. *LOL* I found this recipe via Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie's menu last week. This is a great recipe for work nights it was so quick and easy.

"Healthified" Mexican Pasta Skillet

Found and adapted from Eat Better America

1 lb extra-lean (at least 93%) ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 jar (16 oz) Muir Glen® organic mild salsa (I used Pace Hot Picante Sauce and I think next time I will use med or even mild.)
1 cup Muir Glen® organic tomato sauce (from 15-oz can)
1 1/2 cups water (I actually used 2 1/2 cups water and it came out perfectly)
2 cups uncooked regular or multigrain elbow macaroni
1 cup Green Giant® Niblets® frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese (2 oz)

In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain.

Stir in salsa, tomato sauce and water. Heat to boiling. Stir in macaroni and corn. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender.

Sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Information (info is calculated with beef instead of turkey)
1 Serving: Calories 370 (Calories from Fat 60); Total Fat 6g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 45mg; Sodium 650mg; Total Carbohydrate 53g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 5g); Protein 25g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 15%; Calcium 8%; Iron 20% Exchanges: 3 1/2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 Lean Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 3 1/2 MyPyramid Servings: 2 oz-equivalents Grains, 2 oz-equivalents Meat & Beans
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Chicken Fried Steak

mMm. Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, steamed corn, biscuits, and iced tea. Really. Makes your mouth water just thinking about it doesnt it? My gosh I was so full after that meal I thought The Hermit was going to have to roll me to bed. That's just a happiness comfort meal right there! While I was browsing some food blogs I stumbled across a post over at The Finer Things in Life about Chicken Fried Steak and decided I was just going to have to make that for dinner. I'm glad I did. The Hermit made a point of saying he liked it too (without me even asking! *astonished*)

Chicken Fried Steak

found via The Finer Things in Life

1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 package chicken fries or round steak (if using round steak, cut into serving-size pieces and tenderize with meat mallet or fork)
1-2 cups flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
splash of milk

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Combine the eggs and milk. Pie plates work great for the flour and eggs.

Dredge the steak first in flour, then the eggs, then in flour again. Place in hot skillet.

Cook on one side for 5-10 minutes. The juices will come up through the flour. Flip it over. Cook for another 5-10 minutes on the other side.

Place cooked steak on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the oil.

Chicken Corn Chowder

The weather here has been a bit insane lately. One day it's in the upper 80s and the next it's almost (if not) freezing. It was one of the cold days I decided to make some Chowder. Chicken and Corn. How could I resist??

I liked the recipe but felt like it was missing something. I'm not sure what that something was though. I would like to try it again sometime.

Chicken Corn Chowder

found via Myrecipes

1 tablespoon butter
6 green onions
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen corn kernels, thawed and divided
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove green tops from green onions. Chop green onion tops; set aside. Thinly slice white portion of each onion. Add sliced onions to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in chicken, salt, pepper, 1 package of corn, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

While mixture simmers, combine the remaining corn and milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add milk mixture to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle 2 cups chowder into each of 4 soup bowls; sprinkle evenly with green onion tops. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Orange (sorta) Chicken

Once again, Sandra at Full Bellies, Happy Kids posted a recipe I had to try. This time it was a very yummy and easy orange chicken. I was a little leary since there isnt actually any orange in the recipe but my goodness it was soooo good! I served mine with brown rice and even had great leftovers for lunch the next day.

This one is going in my Paula Deen book that Dawn at Eat, Play, Live gave me for my birthday.

Orange Chicken

3 lbs. Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of cornstarch
4 beaten eggs with a little milk
oil

Sauce:
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of soy sauce

Beat 4 eggs together and add a little milk. Mix cornstarch, flour and garlic powder together. Dip chicken pieces in the flour then egg. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

Place chicken in casserole dish.

Sauce:
Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are blended.

Pour sauce over chicken

Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. (There wasnt actually a baking temp listed so I baked mine at 350 for 35 min and it turned out perfectly)

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Michelle over at Big Black Dogs tweeted about this recipe the other day and I had to try it. I am so glad I did! They were wonderful! I snuck some into the hospital for my Dad and for my Mom. Dad couldnt have one but Mom did and she said it was really good too. The Hermit liked them. They got YAYs all around! The only thing I might do different is put in more strawberries. I was worried I would put in too many and it would be mushy so I didnt put in enough or my dice was too small. Y'all be sure to check out Big Black Dogs blog because she has lots of VERY yummy recipes (and you can see just how pretty these cupcakes are!)!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp Instant Pink Lemonade Mix
4 large strawberries, carefully diced

Makes 9-10 regular sized cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 10 muffin cups with baking cups and set aside.

Cream butter, sugar and lemonade mix until fluffy. Add vanilla, soda, salt and eggs yolks. Mix in buttermilk and gradually add flour.

Clean berries and remove the stem. With a very sharp knife slice the berries and then dice into 1/4" pieces careful to not crush the berries. If the berries are crushed and then added to the cupcakes, there will be too much moisture and your cupcakes will not bake properly.

Fill each baking cup with about a TBL of batter. Then sprinkle in each cup 5-6 pieces of fresh strawberry. Then add more batter per cup filling each to about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a test straw can be cleanly removed.


Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from Sprinkle's Cupcakes

8 ounces cold cream cheese
1 stick butter, firm but not cold
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. Add vanilla.

Panko Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Dressing

This was so very tasty. Even The Hermit liked them a lot. I definitely like a panko crust much better then just a bread crumbs crust. This was also VERY easy to make so it's for a weekday meal.

I found the recipe while browsing the What's for Dinner? blog. Cynthia has a lot of really great recipes and I'll definitely be back to visit lots!

Panko Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Dressing

adapted very slightly from original

Makes 2 servings

PORK
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (omitted because I was out)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 large egg white
1/3 cup panko
2 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1 teaspoon canola oil
cooking spray

DRESSING
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonaise
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder


To prepare pork, preheat oven to 450°.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine soy sauce and egg white in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour mixture; dip in egg mixture. Dredge in panko. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 1 minute on each side. Place pork on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 6 minutes or until done.

To prepare dressing, combine onions and the remaining ingredients. Serve dressing with pork.

Spicy Honey Chicken

Yum yum yum! I <3 chicken! Especially spicy chicken and this one is spicy sweet! I think next time I'll use breasts instead of thighs though. I found this via Home Based Mom so be sure to check it out (and all the other yummy recipes)

Spicy Honey Chicken

Rub:

2 t Garlic Powder
2 t Chili Powder
1 t Salt
1 t Ground Cumin
1 t paprika
1/4-1/2 t Cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it)

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Glaze:
6 T Honey
2 t Cider Vinegar

Combine first 6 ingredients (all the spices) in bowl and mix well. Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Toss chicken with spice rub to coat all sides well. Brush grill surface lightly with oil. Grill chicken a few minutes on each side, until cooked through.
Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well until combined. Brush mixture on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling. Now because the glaze is sugar-based, you’ll want to turn the heat down so it doesn’t burn, but let it cook for a few minutes to caramelize. You can also cook this under the broiler if you don’t have a BBQ or the weather is bad.

S'more Cookie Bars

Who doesnt love s'mores? That's one of my favorite things about camping is sitting around the campfire with your marshmallow on a stick (mine normally caught fire) then squishing it with a chocolate bar and graham crackers. Always a happy treat!

Well I live in the city with not a lot of time for camping so this was a great recipe to stumble across over at Lovin' From the Oven! The cookies are rich and yummy and remind me of being a kid camping at the lake!

S'mores Cookie Bars

Found via Lovin' From the Oven

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Beef Lo Mein

OMG soooo good. Serious yum! I found this tasty asian morsel in the blog The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch (along with a ton of other recipes that look REALLY good). Be sure to go check out her blog!

Ron (I think I need to come up with a netname for him!) wasnt a fan but I really enjoyed it! heh I enjoyed it so much I had two bowlfuls! Eeek!

Beef Lo Mein

Found via The Life and Loves and Grumpy's Honeybunch

1/2 lb fresh lo mein noodles or spaghetti (I used spaghetti)
3/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup sake or rice wine (I finally got to use the sake a friend bought me a few years ago when he visited!)
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1-1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Asian (dark) sesame oil
1 Tablespoon canola oil
3/4 lb beef top round, trimmed of all visibile fat, cut into thin strips
1/2 lb white mushrooms, sliced
3 scallions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced

Cook the noodles or spaghetti according to package directions; drain and set aside. Combine the broth, sake or rice wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl. set aside. (NOTE: Do not confuse rice wine with rice wine vinegar. It is not the same).

Heat a nonstick wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in 2 teaspoons of the canola oil, then add the beef. Stir-fry until just cooked through, 3-4 minutes; transfer to a plate. Swirl in the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil, then add the mushrooms, scallions, and garlic. Stir-fry until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 2 minutes Stir in the beef and noodles. Cook, tossing frequently, until heated through, about 1 minute

Per serving: 1 cup = 1 serving, 290 calories, 6g fat, 442 mg sodium, 2g fiber
WW Points: 6

Boston Brown Bread

Well I wasnt quite sure what to think of this. I thought it would be like the bread you get at The Outback, which I LOVE. It wasnt. That's not to say it wasnt good. It's a heavy bread and was great with our porkchops the other day. Especially when honey butter is spread over a warm piece. I dont know that I'll make this alot because I do have other breads I enjoy more but I will make it again.

Boston Brown Bread

found via All Recipes

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan, knocking out excess flour.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and brown sugar. Mix in molasses and buttermilk until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake for one hour, or until done. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, and then remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

Smothered Pork Chops

Ok so they werent really smothered. I was uber tired and Ron isnt a fan of cream gravy anyway. Nice breading though, not to mention it was a quick fix.

Smothered Pork Chops

found via Tyler Florence on Food Network

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

mMm Manicotti!

Ok seriously, stuffing chicken tenders into manicotti shells is gross! It was worth it though because this manicotti was yummilicious! I've never had manicotti before and figured I'd try something easy so I wouldnt be grumpy if it turned out bad. Well not as grumpy at least.

I found this recipe via the blog Full Bellies, Happy Kids. Y'all should visit. She has tons of great recipes! My tummy was very happy with this recipe and Ron's was too!

Easy Chicken Manicotti

1 jar (26 to 30 ounces) tomato pasta sauce (any variety) I used Ragu Onion and Garlic
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
14 uncooked manicotti shells (8 ounces)
1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

Heat oven to 350 F. Spread about one-third of the pasta sauce in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches.

Sprinkle garlic salt on chicken. Insert chicken into uncooked manicotti shells, stuffing from each end of shell to fill if necessary. Place shells on pasta sauce in dish.

Pour remaining pasta sauce evenly over shells, covering completely. Sprinkle with olives and cheese.

Cover and bake about 1 1/2 hours or until shells are tender.

Pineappley Goodness and Chicken that........

Ron's favorite cake is a Pineapple Upside Down cake and when I stumbled across this recipe for one over at No Special Effects I knew I'd make it for him.

Wow! Uber yum! I'm not going to post the recipe here because I followed exactly how it was originally posted but here's the link : Pineapple Upside Down Cake. The directions are laid out in a way that even a beginning baker could follow them and it was just fun to make!

Ron liked it so much that when I woke up this morning I saw he had eaten half of the cake while I slept. heh. That's a good thing!

On the other end of the cooking spectrum, the chicken & dumplings I made were horrible. The recipe called for entirely too much thyme, especially considering it was the only spice it used, so when you took a bite that was all you tasted. I was extremely disappointed but I am not giving up on that cookbook (Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2000.)

Tonight we are going out to The Melting Pot for our anniversary. I've been wanting to go there for eons and no one has wanted to go with me. I had joked that since I got him tickets to Cats that I got to pick the restaurant we went to next and voila, now we will be dining with fondue fantasticness tonight. YAY! I'll let y'all know how it was!

Better Than Sex Cake

Ok first off, this is not better than sex. No way no how. It is good though. VERY VERY rich. VERY VERY sweet. Not a good cake for diabetics. *LOL* I made this for a birthday spread for a co-worker. Everyone loved it to say the least. I had a tin full of crumbs to take home.

Better Than Sex Cake

16 servings (smaller pieces are better because this is such a rich cake)



1 (18 1/2 oz.) pkg. German chocolate cake mix
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 jar caramel sauce
12 oz. carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 Heath bars, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13x2 inch pan. Prepare cake mix as directed on package; pour into prepared pan. After 10 minutes of baking, sprinkle with chocolate chips. Continue baking until cake is done.

2. While cake is still hot, poke holes in it with handle of wooden spoon. Pour sweetened condensed milk over cake; let cool. Top with caramel sauce, then whipped topping. Sprinkle with candy bars. 12 to 16 servings.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 305 Calories; 13g Fat (37.8% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 7mg Cholesterol; 242mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Fat; 3 Other Carbohydrates.

Baked Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll

Dinner last night was really breakfast! Yummy omelet roll. The entire thing took about 25 minutes to make and it was really good.

Baked Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll



Recipe from Dine and Dish

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cooked ham, chopped or 9 slices of any deli ham
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Beat eggs and milk until fluffy.

Add flour, salt and pepper and beat or whisk until smooth.

Pour into a buttered or greased 9 x 13 baking dish or pan.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until eggs are just about set.

Sprinkle with chopped ham or lay slices of ham evenly on top. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Starting at short side, roll up omelet while still in pan.

Place seam side down on serving dish. Cut into slices.

Banana Coconut Muffins

I have been out trolling all the delicious food blogs again. Seriously there are some absolutely fantastic blogs out there! This recipe is one I snagged from A Cookie A Day.... I always seem to end up with 1 or 2 bananas that are just well too ripe before I can eat them. Usually I just toss them or make banana bread but I really wanted to do something with these (other then banana bread!) and when I stumbled across this recipe I thought it was perfect!

Banana Coconut Muffins



1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 (3/4 cup) very ripe bananas, mashed
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Special equipment: a muffin tin with 8 (1/2-cup) muffin cups; paper liners (I used mini muffin tins to help lower the calorie content and make cute little snacks for my co-workers.)


1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin cups with liners.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.

3. Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes (I cooked the minis for 12 minutes). Transfer muffins to a rack and cool slightly.

Nutritional Info (calculated for mini muffins not fullsized):
Calories: 53
Fat: 2g
Sod: 26g
Carb: 8g
Prot: 1g

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a new favorite baking site. Joy the Baker. I want to try every darn recipe she has on her site! They all look so wonderful!

I did try her Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and, yes, they were excellant! (and yes I know my pics still suck. No camera! *sob* Having to use my Blackberry for now.)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter- crunchy or smooth, but not natural
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips, whatever kind you have on hand
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies

1. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350 degrees F . Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

3. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chocolate chips. You’ll have a soft a pliable dough.

4. Pour the 1/2 cup sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls and drop the balls, a couple at a time, into the sugar. Roll the balls around in the sugar to coat them, then place on the backing sheet, leaving 2 inches between them. Dip the tines of the fork in the sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction- you should have a flattened rough of dough with crisscross indentations.

5. Bake the dough for 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back at the midway point. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and still be a little soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool to room temperature.

6. Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 135
Fat: 8g
Sod: 63g
Carb: 16g
Prot: 2g

Cheesecake Brownies

Easy peasy recipe!! My boss at work wanted me to make these and how could I say no when it was such a simple recipe!



Cheesecake Brownies

Original Recipe

* 1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
* 1 egg
* 1/3 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the brownie mix as directed by manufacturer. Preheat oven to temperature indicated on box. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Swirl together using a knife or skewer.
3. Bake according to manufacturer's instructions. Brownies will be done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan, then cut into bars and serve.