Easy Crock-Pot Reuben

Crockpot Reuben

½ lb. corned beef (chopped)


1 – 16 oz. can sauerkraut (drained)

¾ cup thousand island dressing

1 – 8 oz. bag of shredded Swiss cheese

3 oz. cream cheese (I couldn’t find the small package, so I just used all of the regular size package – I think it was 7 or 8 oz. and it still turned out)



Melt in crockpot and serve with cocktail rye bread.

Double Lemon Delight

Small town, community event coming up? Or just in need of a comfort food, this fits the bill.

• Cook lemon pudding with two cups boiling water for 5 minutes
• Add lemon jello at let dissolve (stir); add an additional cup of cool water
• Allow to set slightly and add 8 oz of cool whip, mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple (make sure to drain the fruit)
• Refrigerate and enjoy!

This is AWESOME!  Just the right of amount of sweet with a little bit of tang. 

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Thank you Tracey Clavell for the amazing soup!
*********************

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP


• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Chopped onion (flavor to taste)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1 cup frozen whole kernal corn
• 1 T. chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (I usually put in more)
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 14 1/2 cans chicken broth
• 1 can diced peeled tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cans of condensed tomato soup, undiluted (I sometimes use 3 cans; I like tomato soup)
• Crushed tortilla chips
• Sour cream

Saute onion and garlic for a couple minutes in the oil. Place all ingredient except the last two into a pan on the stove; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with tortilla chips and sour cream.

Yields 8 servings. Enjoy!

Creamy White Bean and Vegetable Mash

I found this recipe in the most recent Whole Living magazine in an article about healthy Thanksgiving sides. Anything that uses white beans to up the creaminess ante is good in my book. And not that I was looking for any of these things, but this recipe is vegan, vegetarian and okay for those with special diets or allergies. Its also delicious.

Creamy White Bean and Vegetable Mash
Serves 6

2 T olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1-inch cubes
2 cups cooked white beans (1 16 oz can)
Coarse salt & pepper

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Cook onion, celery and carrot until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add potatoes and white beans and cover with water by 2 inches. Season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup of liquid.

Mash vegetables, adding reserved water to get the consistency you want. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with oil before serving.

This recipe is as delicious as regular mashed potatoes, but without the extra butter and milk. I dare say its actually more flavorful because of the first step. I used my immersion blender, which I'm sure added to the creamy consistency factor. It tasted like a side dish in a nice restaurant.

For those who care, the nutrition is pretty good too. One serving has 206 calories, 5 g fat (1g saturated), 0 cholesterol, 41 g carbs, 316 mg sodium, 9 g protein, 8 g fiber.

French Dip Sandwiches

This is the easiest recipe ever! 

I made this for Father's Day this weekend and it was a smashing success.

- Beef roast (we used an arm roast)
- Can of beer
- Lipton Onion Dry Mix Packet

Once the meat is cooked it literally "pulls apart" and is super moist/delicious.  I put the meat in hoagie buns with a piece of Swiss cheese on top.  You don't have to, but I put them in the oven to melt the cheese and toast the bread a little.  Then serve with the juice "au jour" sauce from the crockpot. 

Super easy and it got rave reviews.

Glazed Salmon Teriyaki

I can't take credit for this recipe--I had it at Laura's aunt's house a few weeks ago and then made it this past week. It is the best salmon I've ever made.

Glazed Salmon Teriyaki

4 salmon filets, about 6 ounces each
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup (packed) brown sugar
¼ cup dry sherry or Madeira wine (I used vanilla extract as a substitute)
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon peeled and minced ginger

Place salmon filets in a bowl (or large resealable plastic bag)

Combine remaining ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth; pour over fish.

Refrigerate 1 hour, covered if using a bowl. Turning once during the time.

Preheat oven to 450°. Remove fish from sauce and arrange skin side down in glass or ceramic dish or an aluminum foil lined pan.

Place remaining sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. Stir often so the sauce doesn’t stick and burn. Spoon over salmon and bake basting once, for 10-13 minutes. Bake time will depend on thickness and temperature of the fish.

Chicken and Mushroom Marsala from Smitten Kitchen

We have a sick kid at home and couldn't attend the dinner we were invited to last night. This left me to come up with a meal from ingredients we already had around the house. I love Smitten Kitchen and knew to expect greatness but this was even better than that. This was outstanding!

I should add that I didn't have Marsala so I substituted with some Pinot Noir. I would think you could use mostly any wine, red or white, and come up with a fabulous dish.

Give it a try!

alex’s chicken and mushroom marsala

Fresh Breakfast Sausage

Finally made this recipe from Everyday Food this morning. Really good and very fresh tasting. There's really no reason to buy frozen since this took maybe a minute to put together.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

We got almost 20 inches of snow over the weekend so on Monday and Tuesday, school was cancelled and I had my kindergartener home from school. We had some leftover granny smith apples from making applesauce over the weekend so I found this recipe for healthy-ish whole wheat apple muffins from Smitten Kitchen. They are really good!

Slow-Cooker Recipe: Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

I am trying to use what I have before we go away for Christmas and what I had were several cans of chickpeas left over from summer pasta salad recipes. I wasn't sure if we'd like this recipe but I like to try different things so I made this stew from The Kitchn last night and we really liked it. The cauliflower breaks up so you don't feel like you're eating big chunks of cauliflower if you're not a big fan, like me. The recipe makes a lot of soup and I had some for lunch today and it was just as good, if not better.

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
Everyday Food, November 2010
Makes 12

10 T (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
3 C all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 t coarse salt
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground allspice
1/3 C buttermilk
1 1/4 C pure pumpkin puree
3/4 C light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 C granulated sugar
2 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 C (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Heat over to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture and beat to combine.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

One Pan Chicken = Awesome

Yesterday, I was looking for an EASY and TASTY dinner option that did not require a trip to the grocery store.  Rachel Ray's "one pan chicken" fit the ticket.

Here's the original recipe. 

Here is what I did to make it "my own"...
Ingredients:
- 3 large boneless chicken breasts
- "Large" teaspoon of minced garlic
- Entire yellow onion (Barry requested more, but I think this was plenty)
- Handful of mini carrots (cut in 1/2) - wish I would have added more
- Handful of celery slices
- 5 yellow potatoes (sliced as Rachel Ray recommended)
- Thyme springs and ground thyme
- Olive oil
- Salt/Peppter

Directions - Just as Rachel recommended:

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425°. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan, rub with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the potatoes, carrots and parsnips with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the vegetables around the chicken and scatter 8 thyme sprigs on top. Roast until the vegetables are tender and the chicken juices run clear when a leg is pricked, about 40 minutes. Pick the leaves from the remaining 2 thyme sprigs and sprinkle on top.

This dinner was so easy to make, tasty and on the healthy side of things. A five star meal and one that I'll replicate in the future.

I'll also be checking out more options from Rachel Ray's website.

Halibut with Leeks

I cooked this recipe for Halibut and Leeks from the latest issue of Cooking Light last night. I haven't cooked much with leeks so I didn't know what to expect with them but it was a pleasant surprise that was quick and easy to cook.

Dutch Letter Bars

Dutch letters are a central Iowa specialty and treat. This recipe turns these pastries into a bar. Yum!

Dutch Letter Bars
1 cup butter

1 can almond paste
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (reserve egg white)
1½ cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Sliced almonds
Coarse sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Melt butter and mix in almond paste. Add in remaining ingredients and blend well. Spread in 9x13 pan. Brush w/ beaten egg white; sprinkle w/ almonds and sugar

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown

Lemony Orzo-Veggie Salad with Chicken

We tried this Lemony Orzo-Veggie Salad with Chicken from Cooking Light this weekend and it was a nice summery meal.

Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Saiad

I've made The Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad several times and it is so good. You can substitute whatever you have on hand for veggies and omit anything you don't have. Be warned that it makes a HUGE salad. Seriously HUGE. So unless you are having a gathering, you may want to use half the box of pasta and cut the veggie portions as well.

Photo courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

I made these this weekend and they were delicious!

Chocolate Nutella Cookies Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of Nutella
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Add the vanilla and mix for 10 seconds.

3 Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda (do not skip this step as sifting eliminates clumps of cocoa). Mix into the butter mixture on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides at least once to ensure even mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes.

4 Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.

Recipe found on Simply Recipes

Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil

Made this last night with big cherry tomatoes. Yum! Lots of fresh flavor, good way to use up basil and would be an easy entertaining side since it is served at room temp.

Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil
1 cup Texmati brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's brown rice)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup Champagne or rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon good olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ripe tomatoes, large-diced
1 cup packed basil leaves (1 large bunch), chopped

Bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil and add the rice and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Return to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Transfer the rice to a bowl.

Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, remaining teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pour over the rice. Add the tomatoes and basil. Mix well and check the seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

Herb Cooking in the Summertime?

Ladies-anyone out here!? We have a much beefed up herb garden this summer and I'm in need of some recipes. We've got:

• Basil
• Dill
• Lavender
• Thyme
• Parsley
• Chives
• Rosemary
• Spearmint
• Sage

I have plenty of uses for dill and basil (though I can always use more). Any awesome recipes or simple things to throw together using any of these?

Cold Drip Iced Coffee

I know this method was all in the news last year, but I just got around to trying it this weekend. This makes two weeks worth of concentrate and is significantly less bitter than hot brewed coffee poured over ice. And, its easy.

3/4 lb (1 12 oz bag) of good quality beans, coarsely ground

8 C cold water

Soak grounds in filtered or distilled water overnight in the fridge. Strain grounds through sieve or cheesecloth and store concentrate in a pitcher. To serve, pour into a tall glass filled with ice and top with water or milk.

A few notes from the InStyle article:

• Use micro-lot organic premium beans, grown in the shade for the best quality brew. I used beans from Cameron's.
• Using filtered water makes the coffee smooth and more flavorful, same goes for ice cubes.
• This type of coffee is much sweeter and less acidic

I'm buzzing from my cup this morning, the concentrate is much more concentrated than I realized. I could have added a lot more ice cubes! I added some mint leaves from our garden and used the grounds as mulch around our tomato and pepper plants.