Grilled Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

This is what we had for dinner the other night . . . hamburgers and hot dogs. Doesn't that look soooo good. :) Add a little 60 degree weather and it makes for a perfect meal.

ps. They are just the store bought patties, nothing fancy, I promise.
pss. I realized that yes, this is a recipe blog, but sometimes people (like myself) enjoy a good reminder of what we can have for dinner. So when I post no-brainer meals like this, it is mostly for my own reference in the future. For you too, but mostly for me.

Breakfast Burrito

I think the favorite meal of the day at our house is breakfast. We really don't stray a lot from our regular menu either. I think this is pretty self-explanatory, but just in case . . .

Grill up your favorite breakfast meat like sausage or bacon or leftover pork roast or steak. Fry 2 eggs over hard and season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile grill tortilla and add cheese and GREEN Tabasco sauce. When cheese is nice and melty top with meat and eggs. Yummy!

We have also used hashbrowns, country gravy, leftover Cheesy Potatoes (soooo good), fresh salsa, etc. Not all of them at once though, well . . . maybe once or twice we did that. :)

Thai Ramen Noodles

I don't know about most of you, but growing up I ate A LOT of ramen noodles. I still eat A LOT of ramen noodles. They are so good, I can't help it. :) One way my dad would change things up for us was to turn our ordinary ramen into Thai ramen. I love it, my husband hates it.

Make ramen as directed, but while noodles are cooking add:

chicken flavor packet
1 T sugar
1 T fish sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

to bowl of your choice. While draining noodles, make sure to save some water. Pour in bowl and stir. Yum! I have to say though, I have NEVER measured this, so . . . . good luck. I am guessing on the measurements.

Chicken Courdon Bleu

This meal is starting to become a Valentine's Day tradition in our household. I should mix it up, but both my hubby and I love it so much I stay with what I know. :) With hubby's schedule being as it is, he often has to work on Vday. So we usually have a nice dinner after the crazy kiddos are in bed. It's nice . . . sigh. Uninterrupted meals, adult conversation, and sometimes watching TV without background noise, I digress. :) This is so yummy, I usually double it so I can eat the leftovers the next day for lunch. For this you will need:

4-5 chicken breasts
deli ham
swiss cheese
rosemary
thyme
salt and pepper
1/2 stick butter
corn flakes

With your favorite meat mallot, some saran wrap, and a cutting board pound the chicken until pretty thin. Thin enough to easily roll, but not too thin so that it falls apart. I like to lay saran wrap on top of the cutting board, then put the chicken, then another layer of wrap. Makes it easier clean up and not as slippery.

Then layer the rest of the ingredients. First ham, then swiss, then your herbs and seasonings.
Starting at one end, roll the chicken to the other end. Then coat the chicken in melted butter and then liberally roll the buttery chicken in crushed corn flakes.

Tightly roll and secure with a good 'ole toothpick and placed in greased casserole dish.

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through.

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 C sour cream
1 tsp -3 T lemon juice

Combine all and heat through until bubbly. I like to add more lemon juice because I think that is what makes the sauce, but you decide. Pour sauce all over chicken and enjoy!

I served this with Cheesy Potatoes and steamed broccoli or asparagus.

Recipe courtesy of my Momma

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

This is my favorite treat around Valentine's Day . . . Chocolate Covered Strawberries! It just so happens to be my girls favorite too because they can do it all by themselves.All you need for these beauties is a bag of Semi-Sweet chocolate chips, a carton of strawberries, and your favorite toppings.

Double boil chocolate and then dip washed berries. Then sprinkle with sprinkles, dip in nuts, or drizzle with white chocolate. So yummy.

Grandma Carol's Waffles

My wonderful, amazing, and inspiring Grandma passed away last week. She was such an inspiration to me. She AMAZED me every time we would visit because she could whip up a meal in a heartbeat and sometimes out of literally nothing. She was an amazing cook and she always encouraged me to cook because it was such a reward to cook for the people you love. I am starting to believe that this is true. She will be greatly missed, but I am so glad that I was able to snag some of her recipes from her. :)
The morning of her funeral, which I couldn't attend, I made her waffles. She would make these for us every single time we were there. She would get up at 5 and just wait for people to wake up and make them a fresh waffle. I have always LOVED this recipe and it makes me think of her every time I make them. Enjoy!

2 C flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 C buttermilk*
1 C oil
4 eggs, divided

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Divide eggs and beat egg whites until you have stiff peaks. In a different bowl mix the egg yolks, buttermilk, and oil. Beat egg mixture into dry mixture and carefully fold in egg whites.

Cook in your favorite waffle maker. Sometimes I double the recipe and freeze the leftovers for easy toaster waffles on quick mornings.

*Gma told me that is you don't have buttermilk, you can use regular milk, but add 1 T of lemon juice for every cup of milk.

Grandma I love and miss you more than you know, although you probably do know, but anyways . . . I love you the mostest!

Salsa

I have never made salsa before this and I have to say this stuff was DANG good! All we used was this:

Plus a couple of other things like:
1 lb Roma tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
1 jalapeno (seeds optional, we used them)
1/4 C fresh, diced cilantro

We diced tomatoes and then put them in the processor to finish up. Then in a medium sized bowl add remaining ingredients + seasoning packet. Give it a stir and voila it's ready to serve. I thought that it got better overnight in the fridge.

Porcupine Meatballs

I absolutely LOVE meatballs, but it's hard to find a recipe that the whole family loves. This recipe is fairly good but I can never seem to keep the meatballs to stay in ball form. :) They just crumble and I end up stirring and browning it like hamburger instead. Any meatball suggestions out there?

Meatball or ground beef, they were pretty darn good anyways though.

1 lb ground beef
2 T finely diced onion
1/4 uncooked rice
1 slightly beaten egg
salt and pepper
1/4 C tomato soup

Combine all and shape in about 20 small balls. Place meatballs in skillet.

Then mix:
1 C tomato soup
1/2 C water
1 teaspoon soy sauce

And pour over meat balls. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 40 minutes. Stir often. The stirring is when my meatballs turns to mush. Any suggestions.

I served these over angel hair pasta, but it is also good served with egg noodles tossed in olive oil and garlic.

Recipe courtesy of Deseret Recipes

Toastada's

I am the only 0ne in my family that enjoys this meal, but I don't seem to care because I think it's so good and yummy. There are couple of switches that I made to the recipe though and I will point them out.

Corn Relish:
2 limes, juiced
10 oz. corn kernels
2 green onions
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
avacado . . . add just before serving ( I USED guacamole instead)
I ADDED: 2 T fresh cilantro

In the morning make the corn relish so it can sit in the fridge all day. Combine all ingredients, minus the avacado, in bowl and give it a good toss. I like to leave my limes in to soak all day just because.
Before serving:
Dice 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (optional: toss with one minced jalapeno or I USED the Rol-Tel diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro)
8 oz Monterey Jack, shredded
1 C black beans (I ADDED 1/2 lb ground beef and half packet of taco seasoning)
toastadas (big round tortilla chips), corn tortillas, OR flour tortillas (I USED fried corn tortillas because I LOATHE hard shells)


For a flour tortilla option:
Brush tortilla with oil, top with beans, tomaters, and cheese. Bake 10 minutes at 475 or until golden and crispy.

Serve with corn relish and sour cream. Yummy!

Recipe courtesy of Tiffany H.

Pretzels

This recipe was so much fun for girls and I to make on Saturday. I LOVE nacho cheese and just happened to buy a big bulk can of it from Sam's Club so I was trying to find ways to use it. So we made pretzels!
2 pkgs yeast
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 tsp salt
2 T sugar
4 C flour
1 egg beaten
kosher salt

Mix yeast and water in large mixing bowl. Than add salt, sugar, and flour. I used freshly ground wheat flour but white is just as awesome. Knead in mixer until smooth and elastic.

On oiled surface roll dough into snakes, then shape as desired. Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise until doubled in size. I was REALLY impatient and didn't let them rise, I should have though.
Then brush beaten egg onto each pretzel and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes. I let mine bake for only 12 and it was PLENTY long enough the bottoms were burnt.

You could also leave some pretzels unsalted and after they are done baking brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Game Day Guacamole

I hate to say it, but I had NEVER made guacamole before. After reading tips on how to make it I made up my own version and I have to say . . . it was DAAANNGG good. This is what I did:2 avocados
3 T Rol-Tel diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro
1 T diced cilantro
1 tsp lemon juice
1/3 of lime, juiced
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

I first mashed the avacados with a fork. Then added everything else, gave it a good stir, and devoured the whole batch. Lucky for me my family doesn't really like it so I got to eat the whole thing . Hmmmm . . . maybe that isn't good.

French Toast

I didn't stick to my menu last night . . . big suprise. So this is what we REALLY had for dinner last night: French toast!Just in case you are wondering this is what I put in mine, here is my but I never measure so . . . there ya go. :)

In a bowl I whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Then I liberally dunk HOMEMADE bread or texas toast in the batter. French toast is ALWAYS better with homemade bread. I promise.

That is all. Comment below and teach me how to bake bread!!!

Teach me how . . . to bake bread

My awesome friend Jade has a segment on her blog called "Tell me how . . . " and I think I am going to copy her idea because I have learned so much from her posts! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right?

I received a wheat grinder from my awesome husband for Christmas and I have been trying to find the PERFECT bread recipe. So . . . Teach me how to bake bread. I am curious to know what your favorite ingredients and tips are. I will post my recipe below and please critique it and give me tips! Teach me!

My questions:
What type of honey do people use?
-I have been using clover honey and it seems to work just fine, but is there a better honey I should be using?
What else can I use to give it more substance?
What does freezing do to it? I have never tried it.
How do you know for sure that it is done?
Is doughy better?
Is there a certain temperature it needs to be at?
Glass pyrex loaf pan or dark nonstick pan? (The loafs pictured below were made with one glass pan and one nonstick. The glass pan is in the back. Ideas?)Wheat Bread

2 1/2 C warm water
2 TB yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 olive oil
1/4 honey
2 T wheat gluten
5 C+ fresh ground wheat flour
1 T salt
1/4 C flax

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water and let sit until bubbly. Add oil, honey, gluten, and 4 C of flour. Mix. Add salt, flax, and remaining flour. I usually use white flour for the last cup. Continue to add flour until dough clings to hook and comes away from the sides. Knead additional 3-5 minutes.

Oil hands and counter with olive oil and break dough into 2 halves and shape into loafs. I like to throw the dough against the counter and I don't know why, but it seems to work for me. I saw my friend do that once and she makes good bread. ha ha:)

Place dough in greased loaf pans, cover with towel, and let rise until desired height.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. I heard once that the bread is done once it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Is this true?

*** I will start adding these teach me how posts from time to time. I am hoping for some good feedback and if I don't I won't post them, so COMMENT and let me know your thoughts!*****

Chicken Stir Fry

I always thought that stir-fry implied some complicated recipe involving many steps, but I have found this to be untrue! Yeah! I am sure there are some really yummy actual homemade stir fry recipes out there, but I am a fan of quick and easy so here is mine:4-5 chicken tenders, diced OR 1 can of chicken
1 package frozen stir fry veggies
your favorite stir fry sauce

Dice chicken. Place in pan coated with olive oil and add your favorite sauce. Mine is this:
Cook in sauce until chicken is cooked through. Then add package of frozen veggies and add a little more sauce depending on how "juicy" you want it. Then let simmer until veggies are soft.

Voila! Super easy. I served this with white rice and these egg rolls:
I found those in the frozen section at Sam's Club. Enjoy!

Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
1/2 diced onion
1 can kidney beans
1 carton spicy V8 tomato juice
1 C or can of corn
desired spices (like chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic, etc.)

Brown hamburger with onions. At this point you can either transfer to a stock pot or the crock pot. I always pick the crock pot. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 3-4 hours on low.

Top with sour cream, Frito's, salsa, green onions, grated cheese.

Sooooo goood.

Japanese Salad / Chinese Chicken Salad

I'm back . . . aren't you so happy? I knew you would be. We had people from the ward bringing us meals for the last 2 weeks so I guess I have to start cooking again darn it. :)

This is my all time salad for any occasion!
Stir fry 3-4 diced chicken breasts(never used canned, I promise you won't be dissapointed) in:
3 T soy sauce
2 T lemon juice
1 T fresh minced garlic
1 T oil
1 T fish sauce
1 packet chicken ramen noodle seasoning

Cook and set aside.

In a large bowl combine:
1 package ramen noodles, crushed and uncooked
2 T slivered almonds
1/2 cabbage, chopped
2 diced green onions
2 T toasted sesame seeds

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Add chicken to salad and set aside.

For the dressing:
1 T sugar
1/2 vegi oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 T vinegar

Combine and pour over salad. Toss well and let refrigerate at least 3 hours. Give it a good toss before serving.