I still love good food.

 So sorry I never blog about it anymore.

This blog is always in the back of my mind. Like maybe if life ever slowed down for two and a half seconds, or if I somehow miraculously developed the skills to juggle everything that needs juggling, then I would really like to get back to posting. Ahem.

But when I hosted a girls' night in a couple weeks ago, I couldn't help but snap a few photos of the food. And what better forum for sharing them than my cooking blog?

Behold, the chocolate torte (garnished with summer berries and mint leaves from my garden. Oh my!):

I also saved some pizza dough from our dinner to make a few mini margherita pizzas. What beats fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella?

I hope you are still planning menus, shopping sales, and cooking up some delicious food for your family and friends. Good food helps to make for a good life.

When You Haven't Been to the Store in Awhile

I'm always in awe that all of you followers don't just give up on me already. Although meal planning is a priority, blogging about it doesn't always make the list.

I've made a New Year's resolution to cut down on the grocery budget. I've done well in the past, but I wanted to tighten things up even more for 2012. I read a great idea on Creative Stirrings about stretching your weekly grocery budget by shopping every 8 days on the amount you usually spend every 7. Well unfortunately I can only count on access to our car on one particular day of the week so I don't have a great chance to use this strategy. Instead, I plan in weeks here and there where I skip shopping and use only what we have on hand.

In case any of you try to stretch out your grocery trips on occasion, here are some meal ideas using items you probably have around.


From the archives:
Waffles
Pasta e Fagioli
Curried Honey Mustard Chicken and Rice
Macaroni and Cheese
Teriyaki Chicken
Chicken Cacciatore
Neapolitan Baked Ziti (better than lasagna, in my opinion)
Viva la Chicken
Chicken Parmigiana
Omelets
Asian Peanut Noodles
Mexican Haystacks
Parmesan Italian Chicken
Chicken Chili
Super Easy Bean Burritos
Tomato Soup

Week 44 Meal Plan

Here we are again!

Saturday
Leftover Chicken Noodle Soup, Grilled Cheese

Sunday
Sweet and Sour Pork, Rice, Edamame
Follow the Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe, replacing the chicken with pork.

Monday
Neapolitan Baked Ziti, Green Salad, Garlic Bread

Tuesday
Crunchy Honey Mustard Salmon, Mashed Potatoes, Green Salad

Wednesday
Ramen Egg Drop Soup

Thursday
Creamy Italian Chicken

Friday
French Toast, Hashbrowns, Fruit Smoothies

Week 43 Meal Plan

Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you are more excited about the holiday than I am. In a way, I feel that I am to Halloween what Scrooge is to Christmas. Ah well. We have a few decorations up and a pumpkin on our porch. And! I will have a darling Captain Hook and Peter Pan duo to take around on Monday night. Now that is something to look forward to!

I have so many new recipes posted this week! I hope you enjoy!

Saturday
Halloween Party- Chili Cookoff and Cornbread

Sunday
Halloween Feast at Grandma and Grandpa's

Monday- Happy Halloween (New Recipe!)
Dinner in a Pumpkin, green salad

Tuesday
Homemade Pizza, Broccoli, Cauliflower

Wednesday- New Recipe
Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles, Rolls

Thursday- New Recipe
Waffles, Homemade Syrup, Fruit, Hashbrowns

Friday
Palamino Pasta, Salad, Green Beans

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Here is an easy casserole for Halloween night. You can scrape out a little pumpkin and bake it inside the pumpkin, or just bake it in a casserole dish for ease. Either way, you'll get a nice savory dinner you can eat in a hurry (before the trick-or-treaters arrive, of course).

1 cup rice
1 lb ground beef
1 t salt
3/4 c celery, chopped
3/4 c onion, chopped
1/4 c soy
2 T brown sugar
1 (10 oz) can of cream of chicken
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, chopped

Cook rice; set aside. In a skillet, brown ground beef with salt, celery, and onion. Drain off any fat. Add remaining ingredients.
For a casserole, pour in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
For Dinner in a Pumpkin, pour into a small, scraped out pumpkin. Place pumpkin on a foil-lined pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles

This recipe came from my grandma. She taught my mom, and then my mom taught my sisters and me. I love, love, love the homemade noodles! They are irregular and homey, much more comforting than the boring, smooth noodles from the store. Since the noodles are a bit of a time investment, I feel like it's worth it to go all the way and make the whole soup from scratch. Don't you want to spend the day indoors cooking now that the weather is cooler, anyway?

I have many happy memories of coming home from school to see noodles drying on the counter. The house always smelled delicious from the broth my mom had simmering, often accompanied with fresh bread baking in the oven. When my mom stayed in all day to cook, she went all out! One day, my kids will be in school and I can't wait for them to come home to those delicious smells of home cooking.

The noodles have to be rolled out thin,

cut into strips,

cut into noodles,

and then left out to dry.
It's totally worth trying, at least once.

Homemade Noodles
from my grandma
2 eggs
3 T milk
1 t salt
3/4 t pepper
approximately 1 1/2 c flour

Beat egg with fork. Add milk, salt, and pepper. Gently stir in flour with a fork to make a dough. Roll onto a floured board until very thin (my mom said "paper thin"). Use plenty of flour to keep your dough from getting sticky. Cut into long strips about 2 1/2 inches wide. Stack strips and cut into noodles (1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inches). Separate noodles and spread out on waxed paper. Allow to dry all day. Dried noodles can be kept in an airtight container for a few days.

Chicken Noodle Soup
from my grandma and my mom

FOR BROTH:
1/2 onion
1 stalk celery
1 1/2 t chicken bouillon
3 chicken breasts

Put all ingredients in a large pot and add at least 12 cups of water. Add more water if needed to cover all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. Allow to cool. Remove chicken and set aside to chop. Strain broth and return to pot.

FOR SOUP:
1 pot of homemade broth
1 bay leaf
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 recipe homemade noodles
1/2 c frozen corn
1/2 c frozen peas
3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth, as needed
salt and pepper

Bring your homemade broth to a boil. Add bay leaf, potatoes, onion, celery, and carrots. Allow to come back to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Add noodles. Boil until veggies are tender and noodles are cooked through. Add corn, peas, and chicken. Heat through. Add any canned chicken broth as needed for taste or consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Enjoy!

Waffles

Ooh, I love these waffles! They are from an old family cookbook, and I only discovered them earlier this year. They taste so much more delicious than something from a box. I think the key is folding in the beaten egg whites. Anyway, try it for yourself, and tell me what you think!

My only regret when I make these waffles is that I only have one bowl for my Kitchenaid mixer. Since you have to beat the egg whites separately, you always end up needing two mixing bowls. It's not too big of a deal, but it would be nice to have two for the machine. When push comes to shove, I always choose to beat the whites with the mixer and the rest of the batter by hand.

And! When I make these for breakfast, the boys and I enjoy a hearty meal. Then I freeze the rest in three smaller separate portions for three future breakfasts. It's easy to fry a couple eggs and defrost the waffles for a yummy breakfast without the hard work!

Belgian Waffles
from Diane Priday
6 eggs, separated
1 t vanilla
6 T butter, melted
2 c milk
2 c flour
1 t salt

Beat egg whites until stiff; set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, beat egg yolks. Add vanilla and butter. Add milk. Combine flour and salt; gently stir in and then beat well. Fold egg whites into mixture. Spray waffle iron with cooking spray and bake waffles as usual. Top with strawberries, whipped cream and homemade syrup

Homemade Syrup

I can't do maple anymore.

This syrup is so, so, so delicious. I really don't think I can ever go back.

My very favorite syrup in the world is homemade buttermilk syrup. But since I never have buttermilk on hand (and I never see it on sale), I enjoy making this similar syrup instead. I always have the ingredients on hand, and it's so easy to whip up as I'm making pancakes or waffles for breakfast.

I pour all the extras in a glass bottle. I like my bottle because it has a lid and a spout. The syrup seems to keep in the fridge just fine for a week or two. I heat it in the microwave at 20 or 30 second intervals until warm and viscous. Then voila, delicious homemade syrup in seconds!

Homemade Syrup
1 stick real butter
1 c sugar
1 c milk
1 t vanilla

In a large pan, heat butter, sugar, and milk on medium high heat. Stir frequently once it comes to a boil. Boil until desired consistency. (The trick I use is to watch it boil up and then start to boil down. Just after it has started boiling down, I know it has thickened up a bit. I don't watch all that closely, though, and it seems to always work out one way or another.) Add vanilla. Remove from heat. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Week 42 Meal Plan

Well here we are again. Two consecutive weeks of posting! I feel like congratulating myself.

I have been going back and forth on what to make this week. Basically, I'm wondering if I should go super cheap (omelets, leftovers, etc), or if I should add a little meat here and there (pork roast, pulled pork sandwiches). Given the pork that has been on sale at Maceys and Costco recently, I think I'll work on using up some of that deliciousness-- while making sure my husband has good leftovers for his lunch. Delicious dinners and delicious lunches? Oh, how I love killing two birds with one stone.

On a completely different note, I have to apologize for not having any side dishes planned. You see, I've been using a food co-op (Bountiful Baskets) for our fruits and vegetables. I get lots of lovely fruits and vegetables, but I never know what I'm going to get until I pick up my basket on Saturday. I usually participate 2 or 3 times a month, filling in at the grocery store on the off weeks. Perhaps I'll get around to posting side dish ideas after I know what produce I'll have this week!

I'm looking forward to some easy meals this week. I'll make a pork roast on Monday, saving half to shred and make into sandwiches on Thursday. I'll cook extra chicken on Tuesday and save it to add to the peanut noodles on Friday. The spaghetti sauce is in the freezer, so that will be super easy to thaw. Plus I can make enough noodles on Wednesday to save for Friday's dinner.

Whew! Do you see all this super planning I've done to be prepared for a busy week?? How about we get down to business with the actual meal plan, eh? I've done WAY too much talking, after all.


Saturday
BBQ at our friends' house (We brought Twice Baked Potatoes. I'm not sure how we'll ever get through our bountiful potato harvest!)

Sunday- Trying something new!
Pasta e Fagioli, Homemade Rolls, Green Beans, Salad

Monday
Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes

Tuesday
Chicken Nachos, Salad, Corn

Wednesday
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Garlic Bread, Yellow Squash

Thursday
Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Twice Baked Potatoes, Celery and dip

Friday
Asian Peanut Noodles (with chicken), Edamame, Squash

Pasta e Fagioli

A friend of mine was recently rotating her food storage when she found she had a very large amount of tomato products that were going to expire in the next few months. Realizing she had more on her hands than she could get through with her family alone, she offered some of the cans to me. I happily accepted, and now I am trying to find ways to use a lot of tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes! This recipe was on the back of the Western Family can of crushed tomatoes. It caught my eye because it looked simple and right up my alley. I'm excited to try a new pasta recipe! (Shocking, I know.) I'll report once we've tried it..

*So we tried it! And we really liked it. We decided this tasted like SpaghettiOs, except way better. It was a huge hit with the kids, but it was also tasty for the adults. This would be delicious served with grilled cheese or garlic bread. It's nice and thick with plenty of noodles. Yum! I would love this on any chilly autumn night.

Pasta e Fagioli
from Western Family

1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 c onion, finely diced
2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 (14 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can Great Norther beans, not drained
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
2 c rotini pasta

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add garlic and onions to oil and cook until onions are golden brown and tender. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, pepper and parsley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add rotini to the pot and simmer until pasta is tender, approximately 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Week 41ish Meal Plan

Do you ever skip grocery shopping for a week?

Sometimes I do. Usually it's when there have been a lot of great stock-up deals throughout the month and I want to stay within my budget. Or sometimes I just skip shopping to give myself the challenge to eat more of the food we have in the pantry.

This week, I am shopping just for the basics because I have so much food sitting in the fridge. So much!! I will be able to make this ENTIRE menu only purchasing mozzarella cheese and milk. If I didn't have to buy diapers for the baby, I'd probably skip the store altogether and make do. Like I said. . . too much food in the fridge!


Saturday
Turkey Sandwiches, Twice Baked Potatoes, Carrot Sticks

Sunday
Macaroni and Cheese, Garlic Bread, Broccoli

Monday
Lime Chicken Soft Tacos, Corn, Salad

Tuesday- Here's a new recipe!
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Sauteed Zucchini with Italian Seasoning

Wednesday
Leftovers

Thursday
Bruschetta Chicken, Peas, Fruit Salad

Friday
Roasted Red Pepper Soup , Homemade Rolls

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

My mom makes a mean spaghetti sauce. And lucky for you? It's super easy, too.

Now that my littlest sister is the only one left at home with my parents, I LOVE when my mom makes spaghetti. Why? Leftovers, of course! My mom is wonderful, and she often comes with a bag full of goodies when she pops in for a visit. (Bag full of goodies means a super random sack of things only she can give me- books to borrow, clearance socks for my boys, a little treat, or a container of leftovers.) The best news about leftover spaghetti sauce is that it freezes really well for a night when you need a quick meal. Just put it in a quart jar and don't forget to leave a little space at the top for expansion.

You can get fancy with this recipe if you want. Do you prefer Italian sausage to ground beef? Well then go ahead and swap it out. Do you have a ton of garden veggies you're dying to use? Feel free to grate in extra carrot or even some zucchini or squash. Add extra onion if you prefer. It's pretty hard to mess this up.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
from my mom :)

16 oz spaghetti

1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef (preferably 93% lean)
1 carrot, peeled
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 T dry basil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
2 T butter

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain.

In a large pan, saute onion in a little cooking spray until translucent. Add beef and cook until brown and crumbly. Grate in carrot and cook for a minute. Add tomato sauce, basil, salt, and nutmeg. Simmer sauce on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in butter and remove from heat.

Pass Parmesan cheese with pasta and sauce at the table, if desired.

Well Hello There

Missed me these last 11 months?

Holy moly, the time has flown by. I could detail all the converging circumstances that made this blog fall off my to do list, but it's all just water under the bridge at this point if you ask me. Suffice it to say that moving, being called to undertake a lot of responsibility at church, having a baby, and supporting my husband in full time work and school has been a bit time consuming. I feel like I've finally found a balance in life (and a few spare minutes, too, I hope).

So while I can't guarantee I am ready to put up weekly meal plans, grocery lists, and all new recipes, I am excited to interact with this blog after such a long break. Will you be patient while I figure it all out again?

Thanks!
Rachelle

Week 40 Grocery List

This week I will be price matching at WalMart.

Ingredients for Week 40 Dinners
I will be purchasing:
1 red bell pepper ($.50- Buy Low)
1 head lettuce (Organic Romaine lettuce- $.99 Sunflower Farmers Market)
1 c cauliflower crowns ($.89/lb- Reams)
green onions
3 potatoes
fresh parsley (optional)
1 head garlic
cilantro
milk (1 gallon- $1.99- Kohlers)
mozzarella cheese (Tillamook 2 lb block- $4.99- Maceys)
jarred red peppers

I will be using from my pantry:
2 c broccoli
5 chicken breasts
2 lbs pork
8-10 tortillas
1 onion
1/2 c sour cream
cheese (about 16 oz of cheddar and Colby Jack)
Parmesan cheese
frozen edamame
frozen corn
rice
1 lb ziti pasta
1 lb linguini pasta
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, crushed, diced, or whole
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14 oz) can refried beans
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 (14 oz) can black beans
2-3 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles (optional)
teriyaki sauce
Ranch dressing
bacon bits
dry Ranch salad dressing mix
salsa
lime juice
hot sauce
peanut buter
butter
oil
olive oil
sesame oil
flour
brown sugar
salt pepper
minced onion
garlic powder
chili powder
cumin
basil
bay leaf
nutmeg

I will also be purchasing these deals:
fuji apples ($.79/lb- Buy Low)
1 lb mini carrots ($.79- Fresh Market)
10 (7 oz) Keebler crackers ($1.99- Fresh Market, then use mail in rebate for $10 back)
(15 oz) Progresso Italian breadcrumbs ($.88 with Maceys in-ad coupon)
8-10 ct. Nestle hot cocoa mix ($.69 with Maceys in-ad coupon)

Week 40 Meal Plan

So sorry about the lack of posting last week. Man, oh man, my life has gotten extremely more complicated lately. I'm trying to balance it all, but sometimes I just run out of time! Here is this week's meal plan.

Wednesday
Leftovers

Thursday
Cream of Broccoli Soup, Toast

Friday- Trying something new!
Anniversary Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Salad

Saturday
Go Out

Sunday
Pork Enchiladas, Rice and Beans, Corn
(Follow the Pork Burrito recipe, but after rolling the meat in the tortillas, place in a pan with an extra can or two of green enchilada sauce. Top with cheese as desired and bake at 350 until bubbly.)

Monday
Neapolitan Baked Ziti, Green Salad, Peas

Tuesday- Trying something new!
Americanized Thai Pasta, Edamame

Anniversary Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Salad

When my husband and I were dating, he would always try to do sweet things for me. Ok, he still does that, but he happens to do it a little more skillfully these days. Once upon a time, I had to stay late at school studying, and since he lived just off campus, I asked if I could take a quick study break to see him and eat some dinner. He offered to make some food, and I asked for something quick and easy, like pb&j. When I arrived at his apartment, I was surprised to find he had tried a new chicken recipe from AllRecipes in hopes of spoiling me with an exciting dinner.

He had logically chosen a recipe with extremely high ratings. But since his bachelor apartment wasn't fully stocked with all of the ingredients called for in the recipe, he had made a few substitutions of his own. In the end, you probably guessed that the chicken was a bit of a disaster. We laughed at how his time would have been better spent making sandwiches.

Well, a few days ago I got an email from AllRecipes with that very same recipe as the Recipe of the Day. My husband and I vowed that we would have to try it (with all the right ingredients this time!) to see what all the five-star fuss was about.

So, without further ado, here's the recipe for Anniversary Chicken, from AllRecipes.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup teriyaki basting sauce
• 1/4 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1-1/2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 (3 ounce) can bacon bits
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
3. Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Americanized Thai Pasta, Edamame

I have been dying to try this Thai Pasta recipe from CreativeStirrings for months now, but somehow I hadn't ever gotten around to it. I have almost all of the ingredients in my fridge at the moment, so I thought I better get with it and make it!

You can find the original post for this recipe here at the Creative Stirrings blog, along with another creative and delicious-looking recipe for burritos if you want to try this sauce two different ways.

I am opting to only make the pasta, so I have modified the recipe by cutting out the extra sauce ingredients for the burritos. But man, check out the presentation on the burritos!


Americanized Thai Pasta
from Creative Stirrings

1/4 (1.0 oz.) dry package of Ranch® Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 bunch of cilantro
3.75 oz (a little less than 1/2 cup) jarred red peppers, drained and patted dry with a paper towel
1 tablespoon regular salsa
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce or more!

Combine the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Add the following in the blender:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon black pepper or more!
Additional hot sauce would also be good

Blend until smooth. Then, pour into a small saucepan or microwave safe bowl and set aside while you prepare the following:
16 oz. linguine pasta, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups chopped and cooked chicken
1 red pepper, sliced

Stir the chicken into the sauce and heat through. Place noodles on individual serving plates and top with the sauce and red pepper slices. Serve immediately.

Disappointment

Remember how excited I was to try this Penne Rustica copy cat recipe?

Well, I think all of the reviewers online are either crazy or have never actually been to Macaroni Grill.

This dish looked a lot like Penne Rustica. It had penne pasta, chicken, shrimp, and cured pork (though Macaroni Grill uses proscuitto, not bacon) in a creamy sauce, so I can see where people might draw conclusions on their similarity. But seriously, the sauce did not taste one bit like Macaroni Grill's. Sorry, guys, but my pregnant taste buds are quite discerning.

I was pretty disappointed to spend so much time, money, and calories when the whole thing didn't come out right. My husband loved it and ate much more than he should have, but I was just left wishing for the right flavor. Ah well, maybe that means we'll have to actually go out for it sometime!

Sorry to anyone who tried it expecting a clone of the original. I feel your pain.

Week 39 Meal Plan

This morning I dreamed I was eating penne rustica.

You know, the rich, delicious baked pasta dish from Macaroni Grill?

In my dream, I could taste the delicious creamy sauce-- I mean I could literally taste it! So when I woke up this morning, I decided I had no choice but to find a copycat recipe and try it. The penne rustica recipe in this week's meal plan has nothing to do with what's on sale and everything to do with my pregnancy cravings.

Enjoy Halloween this week! But don't eat too much candy, or you will have absolutely no room in your calorie counting for the penne rustica. Just saying...

Wednesday
Leftovers

Thursday- New Recipe!
Copycat Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica, Green Salad, Peas

Friday
Go Out

Saturday
We've got a church Halloween party before the trick-or-treaters come.

Sunday
Monster Mash- easy themed dinner that's not too spooky for the little ones.

Monday
Lime Chicken Soft Tacos, Corn, Green Salad

Tuesday- New Recipe!
Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder, Cornbread

Monster Mash

I am not the biggest fan of Halloween.

I love seeing little kids dressed up. Opportunities for being creative and using a little imagination are a great part of celebrating Halloween. And I think pumpkin carving makes a great family tradition. But that's about it. Beyond a couple things, I can't really drum up a lot of love for Halloween.

I guess I don't really understand why we need to have a holiday to celebrate all things gruesome and horrifying.

So when I want to do a little Halloween-themed dinner that my son will enjoy, I don't want to include any dark or gory stuff. I'm just not into food that looks like brains or guts. I thought we could do a simple Monster Mash that wouldn't take too much preparation.

I'm using ideas from MyCreativeStirrings.com for inspiration!

Witch's Brew (apple cider served out of a cauldron)
Cyclops Appetizers
Eight-Legged Monster Hotdogs (served with chili for the adults)
Mashed Potatoes (just because it's a Monster Mash)
Fruit and Candy Monsters for dessert (It would be fun to make these together.)