Vanilla No Bake Cookies

Seeing as how 1.  I had to make a dessert that night, 2. I didn't want to go to the store, 3. I didn't have any chocolate chips, and 4. Brooklyn is allergic to peanuts, I decided to try these.

So glad I did!  Well, sorta.  I can't stop eating them.  That doesn't help with losing my 30 pounds of baby weight.  But they are delicious.

They are basically the same thing (same steps) for making chocolate no-bakes, just a few different ingredients.

Vanilla Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

2 c. sugar

3/4 c. butter 

2/3 c. milk

1 (3.4 oz.) box instant vanilla flavor pudding mix

3 1/2 c. quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large pan, mix together the sugar, butter and the milk. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add in the pudding mix, oats and vanilla. Let stand 5 minutes. Drop by tablespoon onto wax paper and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

Rating:  5.0 stars!  I think this is my first official 5 star rating.  They're that good.

Turkey Stuffed Anaheim Peppers

Yes, peppers again.  I got 12 Anaheim chile peppers in my basket this week.  Had to do something with them.  And I had to make dinner for a new mom.  (In retrospect, this was not a great choice.  I wasn't aware of how spicy these peppers are.  And spice doesn't always go well with newborns.  Oops).  I found several recipes on Pinterest for these kinds of peppers and finally settled on this one.

Mine definitely did not turn out as pretty as the ones in the recipe, but were mighty tasty, albeit spicy.  I suffered through about half of one of the peppers and then wimped out and ate only the inside of the other half.  I can't take spice to save my life.

Ingredients:

1/3

cup boiling water

2

tablespoons uncooked bulgur (What the heck is this?  I looked it up, tried to find it at the store, gave up after 2 minutes, used brown rice instead).

1/3

cup frozen (thawed) whole kernel corn

1/3

cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

1/2

teaspoon chopped fresh jalapeño pepper (Didn't have this and frankly, didn't want to buy it.  And let's be honest, I was afraid of the spice).

1

teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon marjoram leaves (I used non-fresh).

1/4

teaspoon garlic powder

2

cans (4 ounces each) roasted whole chile peppers or 4 fresh Anaheim chilies, roasted and peeled*  (Roasted and peeled my own.  That took awhile...  Found the directions online somewhere.  Frankly, washed them, then broiled them for about 10 minutes, flipping them every 2-3 minutes.  The skins turned a brownish-black cover and I continued until about 60% of the pepper was scorched.  Then I put them immediately into a gallon sized baggie and let them sweat.  The directions said to leave them for about 10-15 minutes.  I left them about 2 hours because it was my nap time.  Don't judge me, I just had a baby.  When I woke up, I easily peeled the skins off.  They were ready!)

1/4

cup reduced-sodium salsa

1/4

cup plain fat-free yogurt (I didn't use this, it seemed too weird).

• 1Heat oven to 350°. Spray square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches, with cooking spray.
• 2Cook rice. Stir in corn, 1/4 cup of the cheese, the jalapeño pepper, marjoram and garlic powder.
• 
  
• 3Slice chilies along one side; remove ribs and seeds. Drain well. Stuff about 1/4 cup filling into each chile. (I overfilled my chiles and couldn't flip them upside down without a disaster.  I left them facing up and used a toothpick to hold the chiles together.)  Place seam side down in baking dish. Top with salsa and remaining cheese.
• 4Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until hot. (Just before serving, spoon yogurt over chilies, if using).

Overall, rating 3.5 stars.  Too spicy for me, the inside was delicious!

Healthy Banana Bread

Once again, trying to use up my produce from my Bountiful Basket, but trying to stay healthy.  So I made this healthy banana bread.

I decided to double the recipe so I could share with some friends (and use up these bananas!)  Since I only have one bread pan, I made half the batter in muffin tins and made banana muffins.  So delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 mashed overripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and/or muffin tins.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake bread in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. 
4. Bake muffins in same oven for 15-20 minutes.  

Rating:  3.8 stars.  In terms of health food, absolutely delicious.  Compared to banana chocolate chip bread?  Not so good.  Worth making when looking for a healthy alternative.  But won't necessarily satisfy that sweet tooth.

Almond Tomato Spread

I keep seeing all this hype about almonds, how healthy they are, and all the health benefits.  And since I have this incredible surplus of tomatoes (Thank you Bountiful Basket), I decided to try this.  And so glad I did!  Even though Callen gave Brooklyn some and she had an allergic reaction... oh boy.  Found the recipe here.  And so glad I did!

Tomato Almond Spread

3/4 cup almonds
~14 ounces crushed tomatoes (I used fresh tomatoes, diced up into little chunks)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil

What To Do

1  In a skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds until they are slightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently, and watch them so they don’t burn. Let the almonds cool slightly. (You can skip this step in a pinch, but toasting the almonds helps to enhance their flavor.)

2  In the bowl of a good processor, combine the almonds with the tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, 1 tablespoonpaprika, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoonred pepper flakes. Process until the nuts are finely ground.

3  Scrape down the bowl. Then with the processor running, add the 1/4 cup olive oil in a steady stream until a paste forms.

Serve with crackers or bread.

 Rating:  4.9 stars!  Absolutely amazing!

Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers

Without further ado...  here's the recipe.

Chicken ‘n’ Veggie Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground chicken (When I read the recipe, I just saw chicken.  So when I went to make this, I didn't have ground chicken.  So I just boiled some chicken breasts and chopped it into little chunks.  It worked breat!)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (Didn't use this.  Callen hates onions).
• 1/2 c chopped mushrooms
• 1 packet Knorr vegetable soup mix
• 1/2 c. marinara sauce
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 c. salsa
• 2 – 4 large bell peppers (I only had 2 peppers, so I made 2).

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Mix chicken through salsa in a bowl
• Cut off tops of peppers and remove the insides
• Fill peppers with chicken mixture and bake for 40 minutes to an hour, until chicken mixture is fully cooked
• Enjoy as is, or top with ketchup or hot sauce

*Note: You may cook any leftover chicken filling in a loaf pan and enjoy it as a chicken meatloaf.   (I did this and had an amazing and healthy lunch a few days later!)

Rating:  4.0 stars (maybe I just don't like peppers, but I would rather just eat the inside all day long then eat it with the pepper).

Smothered Burritos

Tonight's dinner was simple.  Smothered burritos.  I love me a good crock pot recipe.  Something easy to make.  Especially now with two children.  (Seriously, who knew having TWO kids would be so difficult!  Being outnumbered is seriously a joke!)  This recipe was perfect.  It took maybe 2 minutes to throw in the crockpot this morning and maybe 15 minutes of prep this afternoon for a delicious dinner.  And it was even something my 2 year old would eat!

I took some stew meat and threw it in the crockpot.  Then pour over 2 10 ounce cans of mild enchilada sauce.  I added 2 tablespoons of beef bouillon (or you can use two bouillon cubes).  Cook on low for 7 hours.

When it was almost done, I heated up a can of refried beans and cooked my tortillas (seriously, after trying the cook yourself tortillas, I will never got back to buying ready to eat tortillas.  Look in the refrigerator section of your grocery store for these, they're amazing), and grated some cheese (that I then to had to fight off my two year old from.  She loves her cheese).

Then simply build the burritos.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat, put in the tortilla.  Spoon some beans over the top, then roll them up.  Once they're all in the pan, spoon over sauce from the crockpot and sprinkle, I mean smother, with cheese.  (Brooklyn's favorite part).  Broil for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese and your'e done!  Delicious and hopefully somewhat nutritious.  (I did use low sodium beans, that helps, right?)

Ready to eat!

Rating:  4.1 stars.  Next time I would probably add a little spice to the meat.  If I got a big chunk of meat, it didn't have a ton of flavor.

Roasted Potatoes

Sometimes I get in a rut.  I find a good way to make something and then just do the same thing over and over again.  I know it's going to be good, so why try something else that might not be good?  I do the same thing when I go out to eat.  I order the same thing all the time because I know it's good.  I have loved getting a bountiful basket each week because it forces me out of my comfort zone.  I have to try new things because otherwise I wear myself out on the same old-same old.

Welcome, potatoes.  I love mashed potatoes.  I could probably happily eat them every meal.  Well, maybe at least every day.  But Callen tends to wear out on things faster than me.  So I had to find a new potato recipe.  Found one here.  Loved it.

Basically, you slice the potatoes into wedges.  Coat them in olive oil, then sprinkle them with a mixture of bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.  The recipe called for spices, I chose to use garlic salt (a staple in this house).  Then you bake them!  That's it!  I love easy and I love me some potatoes wedges.

(I was worried that the crumbs mess on the pan would burn and cause a huge disaster later, but it ended up being not a big deal...)

Rating?  4.9 stars.  Almost perfect.  (Especially since I successfully made them without burning them!)

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

I just had a baby.  So I haven't been cooking.  Hence the lack of recipes.  I've had meals delivered, cooked by my mom and I have about a week's worth of meals I previously made and froze in my freezer.  So we're covered for a bit.  We got some delicious dinners delivered last week.  Callen especially loved this one and asked me to get the recipe.  So this recipe comes from Mistie.  I didn't take any pictures since I didn't cook it, but it is definitely one that needs to be remembered.

Rating:  4.8 stars.

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
• Salt and Black Pepper
• 1 pound Penne Rigate (noodles - i used the "bows")
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, halved horizontally 
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp flour
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 6 cups milk
• 10 oz. mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone Cheese (i used an italian blend)
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If your going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.
2. while pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Halve each chicken breast lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque. Set aside the chicken on a plate. 
3. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
4. In a 5 quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, graually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
5. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top.
• If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie.
6. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling , about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.