A Recipe Lost To The Blogosphere...And A Note

I recently posted this recipe, as those that faithfully check my blog will attest...however for some reason it has been lost and not saved. So, I thought that I should post it again.

BROCCOLI HAM RING

INGREDIENTS:
4 Oz. Ham; chopped (1 C.)
1/4 Lb. Broccoli; chopped (1 C.)
1/4 C. Onion; chopped
1/4 C. Fresh Parsley; snipped
1 1/2 C. (6 oz.0 Shredded Swiss or Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
2 Pkg. (8 oz. each) Refrigerated Crescent Rolls

Preheat oven to 350. Coarsely chop the Ham, Broccoli and Onion; place in 2 Quart Batter Bowl. Snip Parsley. Add Parsley, Cheese, Mustard, and Lemon Juice to Ham mixture; mix well. To assemble ring, unroll Crescent Dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle on Large Round Stone with wide ends of triangles overlapping in the center and points toward the outside. (There should be a 5-inch diameter opening in center of stone) Using medium Stainless Steel Scoop, scoop Ham mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle. Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at center of ring. (Fillling will not be completely covered) Bake 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown.

You could also change up this recipe and add Chicken, Green or Red Peppers...pretty much make it into anything you'd like!

With it being Memorial Day weekend, I want to say a HUGE THANK-YOU to all of our Service Men an Women, both actively serving and retired. Also thanks to all of those that serve here at home to keep us all safe in the wonderful US of A!!! Thanks to all Firefighters, Police Officers and EMS workers who put their lives on the lines daily to protect the citizens of the US and their rights. Without all of you, we would not have the freedoms that we do. THANK-YOU from the bottom of this girls heart.

I am going to be MIA of sorts for the next week or so...that is, that I won't be doing much cooking of new recipes to post, there is a lot going on around here for the next week. I do promise that if I run across a recipe that sounds good that I will post, but otherwise it will be pretty silent over in this girls world. But, in the meantime, I hope that you will check out my friend Natasha's Blog! http://www.commoncentssaver.blogspot.com She is determined to help everyone out there learn how to effectively use coupons and save the MOST amount of money possible. She really is an EXTREME COUPONER, except she's not as as extreme as some of those crazy people on the TLC show! She posts deals at stores such as Meijer, CVS, Rite-Aid and the likes and she even tells you the purchases she made and how much money she saved! :-) Oh, and gives you some cool websites you can visit to get some free coupons to clip. Anything over the excess of what she and her family need, she donates to local churches and charities to help them out. Most of the time these are items that she's gotten FREE with coupons or for pennies! Her hope is that more people will do the same thing and pay-it-forward. I have used coupons for a long time and I LOVE to save money...her site has given me a few new ideas. I'm getting better at it! I went to Meijer yesterday and had an Mperks coupon for $2 off 20 Yoplait Yogurt and then I had 2 coupons for $0.60 off of 8 and $0.40 off of 6, I was able to combine them all, and since the yogurt was $0.60 each, I was able to get almost 10 yogurts for FREE! So, please check out her site it is quite helpful!

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!!!!

Following Along The Chicken Theme

I know that I promised on Facebook last night that I would post this recipe....but the Bro was on the computer FOREVER last night and I just got too tired waiting for him to vacate. I am beginning to wonder what is up with this weather, and whether or not we will EVER see Spring/Summer here in West Michigan? I am really not liking the nice, warm, sunny days one day and the COLD, rainy, dreary days the next...somethings got to give here soon or I'm going to go crazy! (Well, more so than I already am! haha)

This week has been/is an extremely busy week for me, and it's only half over. I had appointments to go to yesterday and again today. Today's took longer than I had hoped/planned on, and as a result I missed out on the opportunity to have breakfast with a friend from High School and her kiddos. She called me this morning to let me know she was going to be in town for an appointment and we thought we might be able to meet up if our schedules would work out...unfortunately it didn't...mine went longer and her kiddos just couldn't wait! Sorry N. hopefully it will work in the future!!! I was able to meet up with my Mom and oldest niece F. at Breton Village though, and that was really nice. Gramma took F. to Pooh's Corner Bookstore as a nice surprise and I was able to surprise my niece there! She came running up to me with a Princess Book in hand and said, "Aunt Melissa, I'm so happy to see you!" That just made my day...well that and the HUGE hug that she gave me! We sat and read Cinderella and another one about Princesses while Gramma perused the bookstore. Then it was time for them to leave to go and pick up W. from school, and I was able to meet up with my cousin V. and have a nice lunch at the Cherie Inn on Cherry Street in GR. Thanks for hanging out today V., it was great to catch-up!!! LOVE spending time with my family!

The recipe that I'm going to share is what I made for supper last night! It received rave reviews from Brother J., and I will definitely make it again! It is a Lasagna...and for those that know me well, you know that I don't praticularly care for lasagna. But this one is different, it doesn't use and Ricotta/Cottage Cheese and it has Chicken instead of Beef in it. I will post the recipe as it is and then tell you what I added to it. You know that I RARELY follow a recipe exactly!

CREAMY CHICKEN LASAGNA

INGREDIENTS:
 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

6 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 cube chicken bouillon

1/4 C. Hot Water

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Meanwhile, place the chicken in a saucepan with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from saucepan, and shred. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dissolve the bouillon cube in hot water. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the bouillon, cream cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with the chicken mixture, and top with 3 lasagna noodles; repeat. Top with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven.               

***NOTE*** Here's what I did.

INGREDIENTS:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

6 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese; shredded

1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

1/2 Large Onion; chopped

1 Medium Red Bell Pepper; chopped

2 Containers Fresh Mushrooms

2 C. Fresh Spinach

I followed all directions above; except for the ones with the boullion cube and water. I mixed the Chicken with Cream Cheese, 1 C. Mozzarella Cheese and 1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese. I followed the layers, but added 1/2 the Onion, Red Pepper, Mushrooms and Spinach before placing the noodles on top. I then repeated the layers as directed. I topped with the Sauce, remaining Mozzarella Cheese and Parmesan Cheese before baking.

Here's how mine turned out:

It was really tasty. And I think that it would have been just too plain without the additional items I added in. The Spinach even cooked up nicely in it! I hope that you will give it a try and let me know how you liked it!

Do You LOVE Asparagus As Much As I Do?

I LOOOVVVEEE asparagus! I was so thrilled to find bunches and bunches of FRESH Michigan grown asparagus at the Farmer's Market this past weekend. I just had to get some...I wasn't quite sure how I was going to cook it up, or what I was going to serve it with...I just knew that I had to have some of this yummy stuff.

Tonight I made supper to bring over to my Brother and Sister-in-laws house as they recently had their third baby (A BOY!) and my Mom is there this week helping with the two little girls. I thought that it would be nice to make life easy on them and just have a meal brought in! I made them Inside-Out Chicken Pot Pie and also brought over some of the asparagus, as I know that my Mom loves it as well. I must admit that I did have a bit of an ulterior motive for being so nice...that was to spend a little snuggle time with the newest addition over there...It was SO worth it! :-)

So, without further a-do here is what you need for this simple side dish:

BALSAMIC BAKED ASPARAGUS

INGREDIENTS:
1 Bunch Asparagus
2 1/2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Place Asparagus on a cookie sheet; Spray with Cooking Spray (YES spray the Asparagus as well). Place cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes; or until tender. While baking; place the Butter in a small saucepan and melt...you will want to "brown" the butter a bit to add a little extra flavor (that is to overcook it a bit; scald if you will), add the Balsamic Vinegar and the Worcestershire Sauce; stir. Take tray out of the oven and sprinkle with Salt and Pepper and then pour the Butter Mixture over the top. Serve.

My Mom tried a piece right after we arrived with it, and the look on her face said it all!!! She said that it was fantastic and that she could eat the whole plate by itself. Not too bad for a first time recipe I'm thinking! I really enjoyed it as well. I hope that you will give it a try and let me know what you think of it!

Sorry, I've Been MIA!

I have been properly repirmanded, my friends! Today, on Facebook, one of my friends who is also a loyal reader commented on my wall that it's been a week since I've posted....She told me that she reads my blog before she goes to bed at night and that I really needed to post again. I have been planning on posting all day today, so that was good timing! Thanks K. for keeping me on my toes!!! Sometimes I just need a little nudge....

It's really not that I haven't been cooking, it's more the fact that I've just been making some of the things that I have already posted. Well...that and it's now much warmer outside and when that happens we utilize our grill here A LOT more than we do in the winter/colder months. There is just something about food off the grill that just tastes so YUMMY!

I also became an Aunt again, for the 3rd time late last Saturday night! My brother and sister-in-law welcomed their 3rd baby! They are the parents of my two adorable nieces, and have now added and equally adorable baby boy!!! I went and visited him in the hospital on Sunday and got in a little snuggle time...can't wait until I get to hold him again! He is SO stinkin' cute...yes, yes, I know that I might just be a tad bit biased...but I don't care!!!! He was born 2 days before his big sisters 5th Birthday, and he and Mommy were able to return home on Monday to help her celebrate. Aunt Melissa offered to make her a Birthday Cake, seeing as how both Mom & Dad had been busy and this might help them not have to be too busy with Birthday preparations. I made the Strawberry Cake that I previously posted...and I sprayed on some bright PINK frosting for good measure. I also made some Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce for them...just like our Gramma makes. I can't believe that F. is 5 already...she needs to quit growing so fast! I really enjoy spending time with her and W. and laughing, playing and having a good time. I wouldn't trade being an Aunt for ANYTHING in the world...especially when they tell me..."I love you to the stars and back!"

Tonight is no exception for using the grill. I went to the Big-Top Market just up the street from our house and bought some tasty Brats. This store is known for them. They hand-make a variety of different flavors. My favorite is the Pineapple Brat!

Here are the tasty characters in tonights supper:

The two on the left are: Jalapeno/Cheddar--In the middle: Pineapple--Two on the Right are Loaded Baked Potato

We will also be enjoying some Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce. I called my Gramma B. (My Mom's Mother) up about a month ago and asked her for this recipe. We L O V E Rhubarb over here and I'm always looking for new things to do with it. Just tasting this treat again reminds me of my childhood. When we would visit my Grandparents house, Gramma would always send some of this home with our family. I'm so happy to be able to make it on my own now. Thanks Gramma!

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB SAUCE

The great thing about this recipe is you can make a large or a small batch. Just scale back the ingredients for a smaller batch.

INGREDIENTS:

8 C. Rhubarb; washed and sliced

1 1/4 C. Sugar

1 Large Container Frozen Strawberries (thawed)

1 Box (6 oz) Strawberry Jello

Put enough water in the bottom of a stock-pot to just cover the bottom of pot. Place Rhubarb in pot and cook on stove-top until the Rhubarb resembles mush. Stir in the sugar (add more to desired taste...but not too much as Jello adds sweetness). Add the Frozen Strawberries and stir. Add the Jello and stir. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating. (If you like it a little more runny, use less Jello. Mine is a medium thickness)

Here's how mine turned out:

So, I apologize for being MIA, but I hope that this post makes up for it a little bit! 





My Friends Beg For These!!! (Worth the Re-post)

These are the simplest things to make, and I'm not sure where Pioneer Woman got the recipe from...but I thank her immensely for having shared it with all of us! It really and truly rocks!!!! These buggers are a hit whenever I bring them anywhere, and I have one friend who says that we are only friends on the days that I will make these and bring them when we all get together! ;-) Wow, I feel SO loved!!!!! Every once in a while I will make them, but now that this particular "friend" might be moving I guess I will have to be nice and make them again before he leaves...especially after the next part of this story...you tell me what you think?!?

Here is a pre-cursor to what happened:

Can you guess what I did?

I 'attempted' to make Apple Dumplings last night to take with to our friend N's house after evening service at church. I say 'attempted' because I had to have the bro finish the process for me. I am proud to say though that not one drop of blood contaminated any of the food! I thought that it would be best to post this picture and not the more gory ones...See, I can be nice once in a while! ;-) My disclaimer on my Facebook status today reads something like this: "I would like to let everyone know that the Pampered Chef Apple Wedger is indeed EXTREMELY sharp & given the opportunity, it will take a large chunk out of your appendages!!!! I learned this first hand last night while making Apple Dumplings to take to a friends house. OUCH!!!!! My thumb is missing a HUGE chunk & is now wrapped up all safe & sound, & I am now up-to-date on my Tetanus! Woohoo (insert sarcasm here)" I highly recommend that if you own one of these:

that you excercise EXTREME caution when using it, or you could do the same thing that I did! I'm lucky that we have a friend that is a Doctor. He is the one that I was making the dessert for...mainly because he is the one that begs for them so often! He was kind enough to take a look at it (would've needed stitches if I hadn't sheared the skin all the way off), and told me that it was a pretty deep cut (took 3 hours to fully stop bleeding). So, now it's bandaged and I've had a Tetanus shot. Now I just have to keep it clean and dry. But MAN does this sucker hurt!!!! Not to mention that it's my left thumb and I'm left-handed...something about Murphy's Law here, right?!?

Anyway, I've posted this recipe before but thought I'd share it again!

APPLE DUMPLINGS

INGREDIENTS:

3 whole Granny Smith Apples
3 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ C. Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 greased pan. You will have to squeeze all of them in! Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Make sure each one has some of this yummy goodness on it! Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan and down the center of each row. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

The bro did a wonderful job of finishing them, and everyone enjoyed them! I hope that you'll give them a try as well...but only at your own risk as they are VERY addicting! You've been warned! :-)



If You Like Enchilada's & You Like Pizza...You Will LOVE This!

I think that the title of this post says it all! I've been looking at this recipe for a long time and trying to decide if I would like it or not. Well, finally, last night I decided that I just needed to make it and give it a try. I LOVED it and so did the brother!!!! He told me that I wasn't allowed to have anymore because he would scarf up the leftovers today! That's a success in my book. ;-)

The best part was that this recipe only took me about 15 minutes total to prepare and then it was just the baking time on top of that! You really can't beat that at all. Of course, I did make some revisions to this recipe because there were certain ingredients I didn't have/couldn't find in the store.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PIZZA

INGREDIENTS:
1 Pkg. (13.8 oz.) Refrigerated Pizza Crust
1/2 Medium Onion
1 Jalapeno Pepper (I omitted)
8 oz. Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese OR Marble Cheese Blend (about 2 C.); divided
2 C. Diced Cooked Chicken Breast (I used 2 large cans of Chicken Breast, so it was shredded a little)
1/2 C. Mild Green Taco Sauce (couldn't find Green so I used Original)
3 Garlic Cloves; pressed
1/2 C. Grape Tomatoes (I used more because we LOVE tomatoes)
1/2 C. Loosely packed Fresh Cilantro (I omitted because we are not huge fans of cilantro)

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly brush large jelly-roll pan with oil. Unroll dough onto bottom of pan and gently stretch and press dough to cover bottom. Bake 12-14 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Meanwhile, coarsely chop Onion and Jalapeno. Grate Cheese. Combine the Onion, Jalapeno, 1/2 C. of the Cheese, Chicken, Taco Sauce & Pressed Garlic; mix well. Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle 1 C. of the Cheese evenly over crust; top with Chicken Mixture and remaining Cheese. Bake 6-7 minute or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove pan from oven. Slice tomatoes lengthwise into quarters (I sliced in half and placed on top before baking the 6-7 minutes). Coarsely chop Cilantro. Sprinkle Tomatoes and Cilantro over pizza. Cut pizza into 12 rectangles.

Here's how mine looked:

Like I said, this was super simple to make and it packed a lot of flavor! I hope that you will give it a try as well!

A Wonderful Supper Was Had At Our House Tonight!

The sun didn't shine much today...that makes me sad. :-( I am glad that I haven't planted my flowers yet, as I brought them in the house last night and we are expected to get frost here for the next few nights. So I guess they will live on my kitchen table for a few days, I don't mind though because the Pansy's are so pretty! They will look even better when they are put into the flowerbed though! :-) I also have 3 little baby Tomato plants hanging out on the table as well. These are courtesy of my friend E. VT!!!! She was so nice and shared some of the many plants that she had with others...she isn't sure what kind of tomatoes they will produce. I'm excited to see what kind of tomatoes will grow from these tiny plants!

I decided to make a Pampered Chef recipe tonight for supper. I've had this before, but J. has not and I thought that he would enjoy it. What would he do without a sister that cooks?!?!? He is spoiled, that's for sure! LOL This recipe is super simple and so easy to make. I will post it as Pampered Chef has written it and at the end will put in some alterations and other ways to make it for those that don't have all the fancy PC items! I hope that you will give this one a try.

BARBECUE PORK SHEPHERD'S PIE

The characters:

INGREDIENTS:
2 Large Russet Potaotes (about 1 Lb.); peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 Garlic Cloves; peeled; divided
1 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese; divided
2 Tbsp. Milk
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. Salt; divided
1 Can (14.5 oz.) Petite Diced Tomatoes; undrained
3/4 C. Ketchup
3 Tbsp. Pampered Chef Smoky Barbecue Rub; divided
1 1/4 Lb. Pork Tenderloin
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 Medium Onion; finely chopped
2 Medium Carrots; peeled and finely diced
1 1/2 C. Frozen Peas; thawed

Preheat oven to 400. Combine Potatoes, two of the Garlic Cloves, and enough water to cover in Large Micro-Cooker. Microwave, covered, on High 13-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain. Add 1/2 C. of the Cheese, Milk, Butter and 1/2 tsp. Salt. Mash until smooth. Set aside. Meanwhile, combine Tomatoes, Ketchup, 2 Tbsp. Barbecue Rub and remaining Garlic pressed with Garlic Press in Small Batter Bowl; stir. Trim fat, and silver skin from Pork Tenderloin. Slice pork in half lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise. Combine Pork, remaining Salt, remaining Barbecue Rub and Black Pepper in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well. Heat oil in (12 inch) Skillet over medium high heat 1-3 or until shimmering. Add Pork. Cook without stirring 3-5 minutes or until browned on one side. Add Onion and Carrots; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until carrots begin to soften. Stir in Tomato mixture; bring to a simmer. Remove skillet from heat; sprinkle with peas. Scoop potatoes evenly over peas using Medium Scoop; flatten slightly. Place skillet in oven; bake, uncovered, 10-12 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Carefully remove from oven using Oven Mitts. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; cover and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

***NOTE***If you don't have a skillet that is oven safe you may tranfer all ingredients to and oven safe dish before adding potatoes and peas. If you do not have the Pampered Chef's Smoky Barbecue Rub you may substitute 3/4 C. Barbecue Sauce for the Ketchup and the Barbecue Rub. You could also use Carrots that are already cut into thin strips.

Here's how mine turned out:

Sorry for the poor picture quality. I used a little more cheese, since we love cheese over here. I hope that you will give this recipe a try!

Sunday Dinner

I made this recipe for dinner on Sunday, and I will DEFINITELY make some revisions the next time that I make it. I think that it might have to do with the Ground Beef that I used, and also the type of pan that I baked it in. I made two of these at the same time, and when I'm ready to thaw out and bake the next one I will use a different pan and see how it goes.

In any event, I want to share this recipe with you because despite my mishaps (hey, it's good to know what others did wrong to avoid doing it yourself!) it really was a pretty good dinner. I wouldn't give it 5 stars or a glowing recommendation or anything, but it is a pretty easy one to make.

EASY MEATLOAF

The silent cast:

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 Lb. Ground Beef (I highly recommend getting the VERY lean meat so that there is less grease)
1 Egg
1 Onion; chopped
1 C. Milk
1 C. Dried Bread Crumbs or Cracker Crumbs
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Prepared Mustard
1/3 C. Ketchup

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine the Beef, Egg, Onion, Milk, and Bread Crumbs/Cracker Crumbs. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 5x9 loaf pan, OR form into a loaf and place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. (I will use the 9x13 next time) In a separate small bowl, combine the Brown Sugard, Mustard, and Ketchup. Mix well and pour over the meatloaf. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

The finished product: