Category Archives: Make Ahead of Time

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Granola

This is my second attempt at homemade granola. The first recipe I tried was fantastic! I loved it, but I ate it all and wanted to try a new recipe, so I gave this one a whirl. This one is great too, but has a whole different taste than the first recipe I made. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweeteend
3 tablespoons flax seeds
1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup mixed nuts, chopped (I used almonds)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups mixed dried fruit (I used raisins)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the dried fruit. Stir well to incorporate.

Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the depth of goldenness you’re looking for), stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and and cool completely, in its pan, on a wire wrack. Once the granola is cool, mix in the dried fruit.

Did I change anything? This recipe called for sesame seeds which I left out because I didn’t have any. I also didn’t put in as much fruit…I don’t like my granola to be too fruity. I put in about 3/4 cup raisins.

What did the family think? I had a bowl of it with some milk last night and loved it. I think it would also be good mixed in with some yogurt. Our youngest also had some last night. Surprisingly, he liked it, too.

Where did this recipe come from? Our Kitchen Sink

Photo by Me

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Vegetarian

Green Beans in Tomato Vinaigrette

I made these in the morning and let them marinate all day on the counter. They were SO good and went really well with the herbed chicken kabobs we had with them.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb. green beans, washed and trimmed
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced
6 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. each minced fresh basil and flat-leaf parsley
Salt to taste
1 lb. plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup minced red onion

Instructions:
Boil the beans for 5 minutes, then rinse quickly in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.

In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard and garlic. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the herbs and salt, whisking thoroughly. Add the vegetables and toss everything together.

Let the beans marinate, unchilled, for at least 2 hours. Serve at room temperature. (If you prepare them earlier in the day, go ahead and chill them. Just make sure to take them out of the refrigerator at least 2 hours before dinner. They are not very tasty cold.)

Did I change anything? I left out the red onion. I didn’t use as many tomatoes because I didn’t have enough. I didn’t use parsley because I don’t like fresh parsley.

What did the family think? Hubby and I LOVED these. They were so good. Our oldest tried them, but was not impressed. I am not sure if our youngest tried them, but I am guessing he didn’t.

Where did this recipe come from? Family Fun

photo from Epicurious

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Kicked Up Cole Slaw

I loved, loved, loved this cole slaw. It is still definitely cole slaw, with just a little more kick to it.

Ingredients:
1 bag of shredded slaw mix
2 carrots, shredded
1 red bell pepper, sliced very thin and cut in smaller pieces
2 green onions, sliced
2-3 ears grilled corn (kernels sliced off) or 1/2 cup frozen corn (defrosted) or canned
handful of chopped cilantro
1 cup chipotle or spicy ranch (I used Brianna’s Chipotle Cheddar dressing)
2 tablespoons mayo
a few splashes apple cider vinegar
fresh ground pepper

Instructions:
In large bowl combine ranch dressing, mayo, vinegar and black pepper.

Add vegetables (minus cilantro) and toss until fully dressed.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled. Toss in cilantro right before serving.

Did I change anything? I left out the carrots since there were carrots in the slaw mix I used. I also changed the original dressing. The creator of the recipe used Marie’s Chipotle Ranch, but I couldn’t find that.

What did the family think? I LOVED it! Hubby liked it, but wished I hadn’t put corn in it. The boys aren’t huge cole slaw fans…they have no idea what they’re missing.

Where did this recipe come from? Aggie’s Kitchen

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Salad, Side Dish, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

Bada Bing Pork Chops

When I saw the name of these pork chops I had to make them. Who doesn’t want to eat something with the name “bada bing” in it? 🙂

Ingredients:
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce
1 lime, juiced
6 bone-in pork chops

Instructions:
Mix together the Italian dressing, Worcestershire sauce, applesauce, hot pepper sauce, and lime juice in a bowl. Pour the marinade over the pork chops, and refrigerate in marinade for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate.

Remove the chops from the marinade, and pour marinade into a saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil over medium heat, and allow to boil for about 1 minute.

Place the pork chops onto the preheated grill, and grill until well browned and no longer pink in the middle, about 6 minutes per side, basting the chops occasionally with the marinade. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees. Allow the marinade baste to cook completely onto the chops.

Did I change anything? No, but I wish I had let them marinade longer. I forgot that I was supposed to be marinating them until late in the afternoon…I probably got three or four hours in.

What did the family think? These were super duper tasty. We don’t eat porkchops that often, so I was impressed that our youngest ate them, especially since we were out of catsup.

Where did this recipe come from? Allrecipes.com

photo from allrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Pork, Six Ingredients or Less

Whole Roasted Chicken in a CrockPot

I have been making this for years. It not only tastes great, but it will make your house smell deelish and it looks like you put a lot of work into it (which you didn’t because it is super easy and it cooked by itself in the CrockPot all day while you were eating bonbons and watching Oprah reruns hard at work).

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible)
1 cup chopped onion (optional)

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine the spices.

Remove any giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken with water and pat dry.

Rub spice mixture onto the chicken.

Add chicken to CrockPot. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make its own juices.

Cook on low 4-8 hours.

Did I change anything? I never have all of these spices on hand all at the same time. It doesn’t matter. Just use the ones you have. Also, the original recipe calls for adding some sliced onions on the bottom of the CrockPot before adding the chicken. I have never done that, so I left it out.

What did the family think? Everyone always eats it, even our youngest, as long as there is ketchup involved.

Where did the recipe come from? Food.com

photo from Google

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Super Easy to Make

Pasta Salad

Every once in a while Food Network Magazine will have a great recipe where they give you choices so you can assemble a salad, a pizza, a pasta dish, etc. to your liking. You can mix and match ingredients hundreds of different ways and get a yummy result every time. This month’s focus was pasta salad.
Here is the combo we tried:

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Fusilli pasta
1 cup hard boiled egg, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

For the dressing:
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add eggs, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and cheese. Stir to combine.

For the dressing: In a small pan over medium heat, cook garlic, red pepper flakes and olive oil for three minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour dressing over pasta salad. Toss. Chill for up to three hours.

We had this with cheeseburgers and fruit salad.

Did I change anything? I think next time I will make a little more dressing.

What did the family think? The kids weren’t super excited about it, but they ate it. Hubby and I liked it and it went really well with the cheeseburgers and fruit salad. This would make a great picnic dish, too.

Where did this recipe come from? Food Network Magazine, June 2011, pg. 79

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

French Toast Bake

I picked up this recipe recently at our grocery store knowing that eventually I would need it. This weekend both sets of grandparents were in town for our oldest child’s First Communion, so before church we had a Mother’s Day/First Communion brunch and this recipe was a huge hit.

Ingredients:
12 (1 inch) slices of day old French bread
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup-2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh

Instructions:
Arrange bread in a greased pan (about 13×9).

In a bowl mix eggs and milk. Then add 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Pour mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove bread from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Combine melted butter and remaining sugar and drizzle over top. Sprinkle with blueberries.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until set.

Did I change anything? The recipe called for 1 cup chopped pecans which I left out.

What did the family think? It was so tasty and the blueberries on it made it look pretty too. It was a great addition to our special feast.

Photo by Me

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Make Ahead of Time, Vegetarian

Mexican Tortilla Lasagna

It has come to my attention that there are some folks out there who would like for me to really make it super duper clear as to where I am getting all of these recipes from. Some of them are mine, some of them are not and I have always, from the beginning, noted where the recipe came from if it was not my own. However, I will begin, starting today, making it even more obvious where the recipes come from and adding a link if appropriate. MommaCooks has grown to be something more than I ever thought it would be, so I will just chalk this up to growing pains and get back in the kitchen. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped Italian plum tomatoes (2 medium)
1 cup julienne-cut zucchini
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 (10-oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 (8-oz.) container nonfat sour cream
1 teaspoon Taco Seasoning Mix
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, halved
6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray 13×9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Brown ground beef in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.

In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, zucchini, onions and beans; mix well. Stir in cooked ground beef. Reserve 1/3 cup enchilada sauce; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine remaining enchilada sauce, sour cream and taco seasoning mix.

Spoon 2 tablespoons enchilada sauce mixture in bottom of sprayed baking dish. Arrange 8 tortilla halves over sauce, overlapping as necessary. Spoon half of vegetable-bean mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheese. Spoon half of remaining sauce mixture over cheese. Repeat layers, reserving 1/2 cup cheese for top. Top with reserved 1/3 cup enchilada sauce.

Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 375°F. Bake casserole for 30 to 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Uncover; sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Did I change anything? I didn’t let it sit as long as the recipes says. I only put it in the frig for about 5 hours.

What did the family think? Sadly, I was the only one who liked it. Normally, I wouldn’t put a recipe on MommaCooks that was “a bomb”, but this one wasn’t. Honestly, I wasn’t home last night and had eaten before everyone else and I think someone thought it might be a wee bit easier to take the kids out rather than trying to get them to eat something that has zucchini in it. 🙂

Where did the recipe come from? I found this recipe at bettycrocker.com.

from Betty Crocker

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Filed under Make Ahead of Time, Mexican

Pearl Barley Hot Dish

I sort of made this dish up when I realized that the ingredients I had bought for another dish were not going to work…so it’s kind of a variation of the original dish. Also, I wanted to make something so I could use the pearl barley I had bought for another dish that never got made. If you don’t have any pearl barley or don’t want to give it a try, rice would work fine, too.

Ingredients:
1 cup Pearl Barley (soaked for 3 hours and then cooked at a boil for 15 minutes)
1 can tomato soup (not the condensed kind)
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs. hamburger or ground chicken or turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Cook barley and drain.

Brown hamburger with onion. Mix in other ingredients. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the tomato soup starts to thicken up a bit. (You don’t want it to be soupy.)

Did I change anything? The original recipe called for mushroom soup but I wasn’t sure if they meant cream of mushroom and then you were supposed to bake it. I don’t know, but once I started thinking about the recipe I realized it seemed kind of weird and I didn’t think it was going to work. Next time I make this I might add a little worcestershire sauce.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it except the youngest…do you see a pattern here???? His excuse this time was that he couldn’t eat it because of his new orthodontia. So he had strawberries and milk for dinner. At least it was healthy.

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Make Ahead of Time

West Caribbean Crock Pot Chicken

Liz, pianist and parent volunteer extraordinaire, was getting her kitchen remodeled and had to come up with some Crock Pot recipes because about the only thing functioning in her kitchen at any given time were the electrical outlets. This is one of her yummy creations…

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained
1 cup frozen chopped onions
1 cup frozen chopped green peppers (or frozen tri-color chopped bell peppers)
1/3 cup raisins
1 jar (8 oz) peanut satay sauce
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons diced garlic
1 can (15 oz) cut sweet potatoes, drained and sliced small (the plain kind, not the candied kind)

Ingredients:
Place cubed chicken breasts into 4-quart slow cooker. Add chickpeas, onions, peppers, and raisins.

In a large bowl, stir together satay sauce, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Pour into slow cooker and stir.

Cover and cook on HIGH setting for 3- 4 hours.

We had this served over couscous. Rice would work, too.

Stir in sweet potatoes. Cover and cook on LOW setting for an additional 1 hour.

Did I change anything? I didn’t have any garlic so I threw in some garlic powder instead.

What did the family think? This was really, really good. Hubby and I loved it. Our oldest was a little leery at first, but it turned out that he liked it. Our youngest protested the moment he saw it (which I knew he would) but quickly changed his tune when he realized that his brother was going to get to play video games after dinner with Dad and he wasn’t going to get to because he was still stuck at the dinner table.

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Stew/Soup, Super Easy to Make