Potato-topped Beef Bowl

I thought this recipe looked interesting…kind of a modified Shepherd’s Pie, right? This was good. In fact, it was even better today for lunch! I will make this again, with a couple of tweaks. I will marinate the Quorn in something, maybe veggie stock, to give it a little more flavor. Also, I think the frozen veggies I used were a little freezer burned, so I will make sure the next veggies I use are not. Overall, this is something different and it’s good! We also enjoyed a salad with this.

rating: 8

Potato-topped Beef Bowl
(from the Dec. 2008 issue of Better Homes & Gardens)

1 pound ground beef (I used 1 pkg. Quorn Grounds)
1 16-ounce pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
1 8-ounce pkg. shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1/4 cup snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley (I used dried)
salt and ground black pepper
2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
2 tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat broiler. In extra-large skillet, brown beef over medium-high heat; drain off fat. Stir in frozen vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Stir in half the cheese, half the parsley, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.
2. Meanwhile, in large bowl combine 2 cups boiling water, potato flakes, and 1 tbsp of the butter. Stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
3. Divide beef mixture among 4 16-ounce broiler-safe dishes. Top with potatoes; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Broil 3 inches from heat for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted. Drizzle with melted butter; sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Vegetable Casserole

This is one of my favorite dishes that my mom makes. When she visited my house last Christmas, we made it together to take to my aunt’s house. Everyone there raved about it. This Christmas I decided to make it on my own and take it to my aunt’s again. I got the recipe from my mom, and when I was buying the ingredients, I, for some reason, decided to read the ingredients on the Cream of Celery soup. What do I see? CHICKEN FAT!! I had no idea! So- I decided to go to plan B- Cream of Mushroom soup. I couldn’t tell a difference in the taste, once I made this. This is a great addition to a pot-luck or just to your dinner. Try it!

rating: 9.5

Vegetable Casserole
(from my mom)

1 can French green beans, drained
1 can white shoe peg corn, drained
1 can Cream of mushroom soup (this originally calls for Cream of Celery soup)
1 8-ounce container of sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp or very sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 sleeve Ritz or Townhouse crackers
1/2 stick melted butter
small pack of slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In large bowl, mix together the green beans, corn, soup, sour cream, cheese, green pepper, onion, and celery. Put into a greased casserole dish.
3. Make topping: Put crackers in a large plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Add to that the melted butter. Crumble this on top of casserole. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until lightly brown on top.

Monkey Bread

This is what I make for breakfast every Christmas morning (I say every- for the last two!). It’s so easy, and it’s nice to serve with other stuff, or just have it on a plate and people can pinch off a piece every time they walk by. There’s no set amount of sugar or cinnamon to use- you just use whatever tastes good to you. It takes about 30 minutes to cook, so this can be cooking while you are opening gifts and then voila! Also, I add a sprinkling of chopped nuts to mine (walnuts I think). I think this theoretically makes it Gorilla Bread.

rating: 9

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,174,130183-253199,00.html

Oatmeal Kiss Cookies

These are the third kind of cookies that I made to give away to neighbors and clients, and they are my favorite! I am secretly happy that this recipe makes so many! I had a little tub of them leftover and I’ve been munching on them for days! They are so good! I think what makes them so good is the combination of nuts, oats, and that little bit of chocolate kiss you get in every bite. This will be the first cookie recipe I will go to whenever cookies need to be made!

rating: 9.5

Oatmeal Kiss Cookies
(from the magazine “Best Holiday Recipes- 2008″ by Taste of Home)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (I used vegetable shortening)
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped nuts
72 milk chocolate kisses

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in oats and nuts. Roll into 1″ balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie. Remove to wire racks.

makes about 6 dozen.

Frosted Peanut-Butter Cookies

This is an easy way to “dress up” a basic cookie mix. I bought a bag of dry peanut-butter cookie mix from Target. You are dressing them up by adding this yummy frosting on top. I chose to decorate them with both almonds and pecan halves. This is so easy and makes the cookies look like you spent alot of time on them (but you didn’t!).

rating: 8.5

Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies
(from the magazine”Best Holiday Recipes- 2008″ from Taste of Home)

1 package (17.5 ounces) peanut butter cookie mix
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup hot water
1 tsp vanilla extract
sliced almonds or pecan halves

1. In a large bowl, prepare cookie dough according to package directions. Shape into 1″ balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks.
3. For frosting, in a bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, water and vanilla. Spread over cookies; top with nuts.

makes about 2 dozen

Five-Layer Bars

I’ve been making cookies all weekend. I don’t normally make cookies unless I am having a specific craving for them. I am making 3 kinds of cookies to give to neighbors and my pet-sitting clients, and also for Toby’s holiday party at work. This is the first kind I made. And- I had to make them twice. The first attempt, I really don’t know what I was thinking. I sprayed a pan with Pam, then lined it with wax paper. OF COURSE the bars stuck to it! I couldn’t get them off the paper! So, I threw those away (but not before tasting them and deciding that they deserved another chance!). So I got out another glass dish and made them again. These are SUPER rich, but they are good! Toby said that we are going to get calls from everyone saying that they’ve suddenly been diagnosed with Diabetes from these. Don’t listen to him. These are super easy.

rating: 8

Five-Layer Bars
(from the Nov./Dec. issue of Food Network Magazine)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick salted butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Sprinkle pecans, chips and coconut on top. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the mixture and bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars.

makes about 36 bars

“Chicken” & Pasta in Peanut Sauce

Ok, I tweaked this recipe so much, I don’t think I actually made THIS! I didn’t have faux-chicken on hand, so I used the Morningstar Farms Meal Starters in “Steak” flavor instead. The peanut sauce was wayyyy too spicy for me. Toby loved it. I think maybe if I made my own peanut sauce, and could control the spicyness, I might make this again. With this we had some garlic bread sticks (which is basically all I ate!).

rating: 5

Chicken & Pasta in Peanut Sauce
(from the Dec. 2008 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine)

8 ounces thin spaghetti (I used angel hair)
1 bunch broccolini, cut into 2″ lengths (I used broccoli)
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips (I omitted)
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used Morningstar Farms Steak strips)
salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup bottled peanut sauce
crushed red pepper (optional)

1. In Dutch oven cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccolini and sweet pepper during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain. Return to Dutch oven and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, halve chicken breasts horizontally. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In extra-large skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes each side, or until no longer pink (170 degrees F). Transfer to cutting board. Slice chicken; add to pasta and vegetables. Add peanut sauce. Heat through. Pass crushed red pepper.

Caribbean Rice & Beans

There’s one thing I have to say about last night’s dinner: Eh. I did not love this. It was ok, but I ate it just because that was all I made for dinner! Toby liked his. He added more Creole Seasoning to his, and said that’s what it needed. My modifications: I used 16 ounces of black-eyed peas instead of 10, I used Morningstar Farms Crumbles (fake hamburger) instead of the kielbasa (looked for fake sausage crumbles but couldn’t find any), I left out the jalapeno, was not able to find Jerk seasoning so I used Creole seasoning (not sure if they are the same thing- prob. not), used dried thyme instead of fresh, and I used Kale instead of the collard greens. So- not sure if I even MADE this recipe or not! But in any case…Toby liked it and would have it again, whereas I did not and would not.

rating: 4

Caribbean Rice & Beans
(from the Nov./Dec. issue of Food Network magazine)

10 ounces frozen black-eyed peas, thawed
kosher salt
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces turkey kielbasa (or other smoked sausage), thinly sliced (I used Morningstar Farms Crumbles)
1 large bunch scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
2 small ribs celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, slivered
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (I omitted)
2 tsp jerk seasoning (I used Creole seasoning)
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (I used a sprinkling of dried thyme)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice
2 bay leaves
4 cups stemmed and chopped collard greens (I think I used Kale)

1. Combine the black-eyed peas, 3 cups water and a pinch of salt in a small pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the kielbasa and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the scallion whites, celery, garlic, jalapeno, jerk seasoning and a generous pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables brown, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste turns brick red, about 2 more minutes. Add the rice, bay leaves and the black-eyed peas with their liquid to the skillet and bring to a boil; do not stir.
3. Add the collards; cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer undisturbed until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 50 minutes; set aside for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
4. Just before serving, add the scallion greens and fluff with a fork.

Skillet Vegetables on Cheese Toast

This recipe is also from Better Homes & Gardens magazine (I subscribe mainly for the recipes!). This was really easy to prepare- it’s a good recipe to make when you need a hot meal fast! Some tweaks that I made: I used sliced mushrooms instead of halved, and I added fresh baby spinach (what I had leftover from last night’s dinner). This was good! I liked it more than Toby did. He’s not a big fan of carrots, so he gave those to Liam (who ate them!). I thought about adding some quartered new potatoes, but they would take more time. Toby commented on the cheese. He said he wasn’t a big fan of goat cheese (this I did not know!). I think this is a nice kind of rustic meal. It’s just nice to eat some good veggies for a change! I think if I doctored this up with some different cheese and added more veggies Toby likes, he would like this more. Oh, and this didn’t fill him up. He had to eat some leftovers from the other night. Men!

rating: 8

Skillet Vegetables on Cheese Toast
(from the December 2008 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine)

8 slices crusty wheat bread
1/2 an 8-ounce pkg. peeled fresh whole baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1 8-ounce pkg. button mushrooms, halved
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, cut in thin wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
4 ounce soft goat cheese (Chevre)
fresh basil (optional)

1. Preheat broiler. Place bread on baking sheet; set aside.
2. In large skillet cook carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and onion in hot olive oil over medium-high heat 2-3 minutes, until vegetables just begin to brown. Add 2 tbsp water; cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring once. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, for cheese toast, lightly toast bread 3 inches from broiler heat for 1-2 minutes. Spread goat cheese on one side of each slice. Broil 3 inches from heat for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is softened.
4. On plates, top cheese toast with vegetables. Drizzle with additional olive oil; sprinkle with fresh basil

Tortellini Florentine Soup

First of all, let me say that Toby said tonight that this is one of his “favorite things that I’ve EVER made”, and also that it’s “top rate”. Wow! And you know what, this one is so EASY! Basically you are just combining stuff and voila~ soup! I couldn’t find the 9-ounce size of the pasta, so I had to buy a 20-ounce container of it. So my soup probably had a little more pasta than they intended it to! I did compensate and add more broth. For the chicken I used Quorn Tenders. I heated them up in a little pan until they got a little brown. This soup has so much going on, and somehow it all works together. It’s funny that this is one of Toby’s faves, and it takes little to no work. You want to have this every week? Sure! We enjoyed big bowls of this with some rolls.

rating: 9.5

Tortellini Florentine Soup
(from the latest issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine)

1 9-ounce pkg. refrigerated 3-cheese tortellini
2 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used veggie “Chicken” broth)
1 10-ounce container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce (I used regular Alfredo)
2 cups shredded deli-roasted chicken (I used Quorn Tenders)
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomato strips, drained
3 cups lightly packed packaged fresh baby spinach
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved or shredded (optional)

1. In 4-quart Dutch oven cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. In the same Dutch oven combine broth and Alfredo sauce. Stir in chicken and tomato strips. Heat just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

3. Add cooked tortellini and spinach to chicken mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes to heat through and wilt spinach. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.