What's cookin', Baby?

This is what is cooking and I am loving it!
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/homemade-baby-food-recipes-intro.htm

Another great reference is the book, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. See it here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=superbaby+food

To babies!

Stuffed Pasta

This is a variation on lasagna (mine always turns out too runny, so I love this one). It freezes well.

1 12 oz. pkg. jumbo shells
1 lb. ground beef
28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
4 c. cottage or ricotta cheese (I like it better with cottage)
2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 T chopped fresh parsley
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper.

Heat oven to 375. Cook pasta as directed; drain. Brown hamburger and add to 3/4 of the spaghetti sauce. Pour sauce mixture into bottom of a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix cheeses, eggs and seasonings. Fill each cooked shell with about 2 T cheese mixture. Lay on top of hamburger/sauce mixture. Drizzle remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. Cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 8-10 servings.

Freezer tips and tricks

I use freezer meals at our house all the time I found a few tips and tricks from various magazines, and books I thought I’d pass along:

• Assign a full day to do freezer meals with a friend. Make a large batch of a couple recipes and then divvy them up at the end of the day. Then you have a stock of freezer meals you can defrost when you have a busy day, or give them to friend in need, they have really helped me out. Plus you can buy in bulk and save a bunch.

• Line 9x9 pans with heavy-duty foil, fill with the dinner, once frozen pop them out of the dish with the foil and place the dinner/casserole in a labeled gallon freezer bag. This prevents freezer burn and conserves space and dishes. On day you plan on serving put them back into the dish to defrost and then bake.

• Albertsons has “The Ultimate Meat Sale” quite frequently, ads come out on Tuesdays and you can stock up on the meat and find recipes that use those meats.

• With meats you can grill, I throw the marinate in before I freeze them.

• Remember the less air in your meal the better and wrap them tight, no one likes freezer burn.

• Label everything with a sharpie marker; include what it is, when you made it and how to cook it!

• Keep a list of meals you have outside of your freezer so you can keep a variety in stock without having to dig and dig.

• If you completely chill the item before you freeze it, it taste much better. Plus it doesn’t defrost your frozen food already in your freezer.

• Spices tend to get more intense if you freeze it. (Helpful if you are trying to make kid friendly items.)

• If you freeze spaghetti sauce, chilis, soups or anything else not requiring a form use a bag. Freeze them flat and then store upright like books in the freezer. They are much easier to get to. And they are much faster to defrost too. This also works well with meats, the more flat the better.

• In the winter take advantage of the cold and freeze you meals outside overnight and then place in the freezer. This is a great tip if you want to freeze your items flat.

• Always undercook noodles dishes, as they are become very soft when reheated.

• Make your own Rhodes dough, I double my bread recipe every time I make bread and then I throw the extra bread/rolls on a cookie sheet directly into the freezer, as soon as they are shaped and before they rise. When they are frozen I pop them off the cookie sheet and put them in a freezer bag, perfect for Sundays.

Lasagna

This is still my favorite recipe to freeze.

Please note: I've included two amounts the first amount is for one 9x13 recipe, but at the end of each ingredient in the ( ) is the amount for 8 9x9 pans which you can freeze.

1 lb ground Italian sausage (6lbs)
1 clove garlic (6)
1 TBSP crushed dried basil (1 average bottle or 1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP)
1 1/2 tsp salt (3 TBSP)
2 cups stewed tomatoes (1 #10 can)
2 6 oz tomato paste (3/4 of #10 can of tomato sauce and 4 12 oz cans of paste)
1 lb grated mozzarella cheese (6 lbs)
10 oz lasagna noodles (60 oz)
3 cups cottage cheese (18 cups)
1/2 cup grated parmesan (3 cups)
2 TBSP parsley (3/4 cup)
2 eggs beaten (12)
1/2 tsp pepper (1 TBSP)

1. Brown sausage and drain fat.
2. Add garlic, basil, salt, tomatoes and tomato paste.
3. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
4. Boil noodles as directed. (If freezing slightly under cook the noodles)
5. Combine cottage cheese, parmesan, parsley, eggs and pepper.
6. Place a layer of noodles in a 13 x 9 pan (or 9x9's)
7. Spread a layer of cottage cheese on top, then some meat sauce, and then layer of mozzarella.
8. Repeat layers once or twice more.
9. Bake for 30 minutes. (or chill and then freeze, thaw before baking and extending baking time to 45 minutes.)
   

Snicker bar Cheesecake

This recipe comes from Julie Wheeler

When Mary told me about her neighbor’s Snicker Bar Cheesecake I Went straight to the Internet to find the recipe. This is an awesome recipe! You can even trade out the Snicker Bars for any other kind of candy bar.

1 ½ Cups of Oreo Cookie Crumbs
5 Tablespoons of Melted Butter
3- 8oz Packages of Cream Cheese, Softened
1 Cup of Sugar
4 Eggs
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
1 Cup of Heavy Cream
Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping
3 Cups of Chopped up Snicker Snack Size Candy Bars (about 50)

Preheat your oven to 325*. In a small bowl mix together the cookie crumbs and butter. Press the crumbs into the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan. In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Gradually add 1 egg at a time to the mixture and blend until smooth. Add the vanilla and heavy cream to the mixture and mix well for 4-5 minutes or until mixture has thickened. Fold in 2 cups of the Snicker bars into the batter. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cheesecake is almost set but the center still jiggles. Let the cake cool at room temperature and pour remaining cup of Snicker bars on top. Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4-5 hour before serving. Before serving run a knife around the edge of pan and remove cake. Then heat hot fudge in microwave and drizzle over cake before serving.

Chicken and Dressing Casserole

4-5 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
4-5 Slices of Swiss Cheese
2 cans cream of mushroom Soup
1 package of Stuffing Mix
1 stick of Butter Melted

Preheat your oven to 350. Place chicken breasts in a single layer on lightly sprayed baking dish. Top the chicken with the Swiss Cheese. Spread cream of mushroom soup over the cheese. Sprinkle the stuffing mix over the soup. Then Drizzle the butter over the stuffing mix. Bake the chicken for 50 minutes or until the juices of the chicken run clear.

Recipe from Julie Wheeler

Best Brown Sugar Apple Pie you will Ever eat!

1 double crust refrigerated
8 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
1/2 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into little pieces
Glaze: Milk and granulated sugar

1. If you have not already, prepare the crust and refrigerate for at least one hour, or until firm enough to roll.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger portion of pastry into a 13 1/2 inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Place in pie shell, trim edges and refrigerate. Now is a good time to preheat oven to 400F.

3. Pie shell is chilling in the refrigerator, make the filling. Combine the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Mix well. I like to use my hands and really get into it. Set aside while you roll the top pastry. Lightly surface round.

4. Once the top is rolled out, pull the pie shell out of the fridge and fill it with the apple mixture. Smooth the apples with your hands. Dot the top of the pie with butter, dropping the pieces here and there over the apples. (I forget this step sometimes and the pie is still amazing)

5. Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell with a wet finger or pastry brush. (I used my fingers) Invert the top pastry over the filling, center it, fold over the edges and seal the pie. Trim if needed before. Then pinch the edge and make it pretty. Make several 2 inch long slits in the top pastry at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. Lightly brush the top pastry with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

6. Place the pie directly on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and place it on a covered with aluminum foil cookie sheet. Reduce the oven temp to 375F. Put back in the oven and cook for another 30 mins. When the pie is done, you should be able to see the juices bubbling up onto the crust.

7. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and let cool for at least an hour if you can wait before slicing. IF you wait until it is room temp the pie will slice and look like a piece you would see in a magazine. Beautiful and it tastes really good as well.

Best Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
***optional 1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans

Prep bread loaf pan with whatever you prefer. Pam, butter etc.
In a medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg: give it a mix with a fork and set aside.
In another bowl mix sugar, shredded zucchini, oil and egg.
Add the dry mix to the wet just until moistened.
Bake at 350 degrees for 66 minuets on center rack.
Cool completely and enjoy! Use foil to store or Ziploc to freeze
.

I doubled the recipe this last time and made two mini loaves and one large loaf. I also substituted green zucchini for yellow squash. Wonderful.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Have you been wondering what to do with the green tomatoes from your garden. Well I have and so I tried this, to my surprise it was easy and tasty

5 large green tomatoes
1/2 Cup bread crumb
2 eggs
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup cornmeal
vegetable oil for frying

directions:
Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.

Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium size bowl. Scoop flour on to a plate. Mex cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.

In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5 depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

Soups?

Does anyone have any good fall-ish soup recipes to share? I am throwing a baby shower for my sister next month, and I want to do a 3-soup buffet.

Veggie Pasta

Ever have those days when it's 5:30 and you still don't know what to cook? Recently, I discovered something super easy and very healthy that fits the bill! It's literally a last minute throw together meal!

Any veggies in your fridge
pasta
olive oil
parmesan cheese

1. Look in your fridge and pull out all the veggies that need to be eaten before they go bad. Cut them up and sautee them with a little bit of olive oil just until they are soft. (I like my carrots soft, so my squash is usually super soft, but that's okay)
2. While sauteeing the veggies, boil pasta. Drain and mix with about 1-2 tsp. oil so they don't stick together.
3. Mix veggies and noodles. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the top. In about 15 minutes, you have a super healthy meal for the family, and you've used up your vegetables!

Note: I love to add tomatoes to my veggie pasta, but don't sautee them. I just mix them in at the end.

Fruit dip

1 pkg cream cheese
1 bottle marshmallow creme
1-2 Tbls orange juice concentrate

Mix and enjoy! Yum!

An Apple a Day.

We've all heard the old adage "An Apple a day keeps the doctor away". Since fall is apple season I thought it would be fun to see your favorite ways to use apples. If you have an apple recipe submit it and we can all enjoy the fruit of the season a little more this year. This a favorite recipe of I ran across a few years back.

Pinwheel Apple Dumplings
Sauce:
2 c sugar
2c water
1/4 c butter or margarine
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

combine in saucepan and boil for 5 min

Dough:
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
cut in 3/4 c Shortening
add 2/3 c milk

Filling:
3 cups shredded peeled apples
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Make sauce and bring to boil. Make dough by mixing flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in 3/4 cup shortening. Add 2/3 cup milk and mix till combined. Knead dough slightly then roll in a rectangle 1/2 in thick. Combine filling ingredients then spread over dough. Roll up like cinnamon rolls and cut into 1 inch slices*. Place in greased 9x13 pan. Pour sauce over top of rolls then back at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

*an easy way to cut is to get a long piece of string or dental floss. Grab one end in each hand the slide under the dough. Cross your hands pulling the strings through the dough.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

12+ oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
16 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1-2 cans artichoke hearts, drained & chopped

3, 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 T. butter
1 T. garlic, chopped
1/2+ c. milk
salt & pepper to taste

Thaw & drain spinach. Mix top three ingredients. Blend remaining ingredients until milkshake consistency. Mix together all ingredients, bake at 300 for 20+ minutes or place in crock pot. Serve with tortilla chips.