Category Archives: Definitely Making it Again

January 19, 2011 · 9:15 am

Super Easy Crock Pot French Dip Sammies

My very dear friend, Candy, posted this on Facebook not too long ago and I thought I would give it a try. I had a feeling the boys would like it and I like anything that’s easy that involves provolone cheese.

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs beef brisket (use more or less depending on your family’s appetite)
1 can beef broth
1 packet of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
yellow or white onion, cut in wedges (totally optional–the flavor of the beef comes out just as good without this)
Italian Seasoning (totally optional, again)
Sliced bread, hoagie rolls, or other “bun” of choice
Provolone cheese (totally optional, again)

Instructions:
Spray inside of crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.

Take the Italian Seasoning (if you are using it) and sprinkle on all sides of the beef.

Place beef (fat side down) in crock pot.

Add onions, if you are using them.

Mix beef broth and soup mix by whisking a few times in a bowl.

Pour the combined beef broth/soup mix into crockpot with beef (& onions).

Cook on LOW setting for 8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. (This is much better when cooked SLOW and long rather than on high and for shorter amount of time, but I have done both. If you’re in a pinch for time, then go with the HIGH setting if you must!)

Once beef is done, simply slice or shred up, place in bread or bun of choice, top with cheese (we have also used shredded cheddar and have omitted cheese completely and it’s been fine!).

Ladle out au jus sauce from crock pot and put in a small bowl for each person.
Dip sandwich to your liking, eat, and enjoy!

Did I change anything? I left out the onions and I couldn’t find the exact right flavor of Lipton soup mix at the grocery store, so I used Beef and Mushroom instead.

What did the family think? Hubby was out of town, so he missed out. Our oldest loved it and so did I. Our youngest really liked it too, but he decided to dip his in catsup instead of au jus.

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

January 15, 2011 · 3:25 pm

Buttermilk Pancakes

These are so good. The secret? You have to shake the buttermilk first.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk (shake it first)
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs and buttermilk. Whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.

Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle/pan by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough.

Spray pan/griddle with cooking spray.

Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other.

When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

Did I change anything? The recipe called for butter in the batter, but I left it out (not on purpose), but they stilled turned out scrumptious!

What did the family think? Thumbs up all around! This recipe also made enough for leftovers, so we will be warming these up for breakfast again tomorrow!

from marthastewart.com

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

January 13, 2011 · 6:18 pm

Italian Wedding Soup

I got one of Rachel Ray’s cookbooks for Christmas a few years ago. This is one of my favorite soups. I know it has a lot of ingredients, but it’s really pretty easy. I love that the meatballs cook in the soup.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried pasta, rings, broken fettucini or ditalini
1 pound triple washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth.

When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir.

Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve.

Adjust your seasonings. Serve soup with crusty bread

What did the family think? We love anything with meatballs! 🙂

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Stew/Soup

January 11, 2011 · 8:49 am

Ravioli and Meatball Casserole

This takes a little while to bake, but it was perfect for last night. We were watching the BCS football game, so it baked while we watched. It was worth the wait, too. There was not one drop of this left…the whole family loved it.

Ingredients:
1 (26 ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
24 frozen cooked meatballs
1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated cheese ravioli
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 2 quart casserole mix pasta sauce and soup until smooth. Stir in meatballs and ravioli.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, let stand for 5 minutes to melt cheese before serving.

Did I change anything? The only thing I wish was different about this recipe is that it made more food. We all wanted more. 🙂

What did the family think? It was a hit!

from food.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Six Ingredients or Less

January 9, 2011 · 9:56 pm

Herbed Fish

This was quick and easy and tasty too.

Ingredients:
1 lb fish fillets, about 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1/2 flour
1/4 cup Italian crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Lemon

Instructions:
Cut fish into 4 serving pieces. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

In small shallow dish, mix flour, bread crumbs, basil and salt.

In another shallow dish, beat egg. Dip fish into egg, then coat with flour mixture.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook fish in oil 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until fish flakes easily with fork and is brown on both sides.

Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Did I change anything? I added the lemon juice part of the recipe and the recipe also said that your should used Bisquick instead of flour, but I didn’t have any Bisquick so I used flour. Also, I used sole. One pound of sole is a lot of sole. LOTS! Next time I will either get a thicker cut of fish or less sole.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it. Our oldest tried it, but was not impressed. The youngest stuck with fish sticks.

from Betty Crocker

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Lent

January 7, 2011 · 10:15 am

Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

It’s another Jessica Seinfeld recipe. I saw her make this one on Oprah, too. This recipe turns out looking so beautiful and it smells and tastes amazing.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (4 pounds)
1 Tbsp. and 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. crushed black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 pound carrots , cut into 3-inch sticks
1 pound parsnips , cut into 3-inch sticks
1 pound small red potatoes , halved

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400°. On a sheet pan, toss the carrots, parsnips and potatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, 4 sprigs rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken and season with the remaining salt and pepper, then rub with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Pierce the lemons several times with the tip of a paring knife and stuff, along with 2 sprigs of the rosemary, into the cavity of the chicken. Using cooking twine, tie the legs together.

Nestle the chicken among the vegetables and put in the oven—with the chicken’s legs toward the back of the oven. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature reaches 175° in the thickest part of the thigh), 55 to 60 minutes.

Carve and serve with the roasted vegetables.

Did I change anything? Yes, I cooked the chicken at 450 degrees for the first ten minutes to give the skin a crunchy finish, then I lowered the temperature to 375 degrees for the rest of the cooking time. You want to make sure you cook the chicken for about 20 minutes per pound. I had a six pound roaster, so I cooked it for about two hours. I did not put the veggies in with the chicken until about the last hour and I left out the parsnips and added big chunks of onion. (I LOVE roasted onions.) I didn’t tie his legs up either and it turned out just fine. Also, after you take the chicken out of the oven, let it rest for about 15 minutes before you start carving it.

What did the family think? The boys were not thrilled with the roasted veggies but they liked the chicken. The carrots where my absolute favorite part of the whole meal. They were SO good. Hubby liked it, too, but he had to have it reheated since he got home late, so it just wasn’t the same.

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It

January 5, 2011 · 7:18 pm

Creamy Cole Slaw from Bobby Flay

I made this tonight to go with the chicken we had (that recipe to come later). Hubby ate one bite, looked up and asked me if made this. I was a little hesitant to answer because I didn’t know if that meant this is really bad and I don’t want to offend you by saying I hate or this is so awesomely good I didn’t even know you knew how to make cole slaw like this. Luckily, it was the latter.

Ingredients:
1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
2 large carrots, finely shredded
3/4 cup best-quality mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons grated Spanish onion
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons celery salt
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning; add more salt, pepper, or sugar if desired.

Did I change anything? I left out the onion. I also used a bag of broccoli slaw instead of shredding the carrots and the cabbage. Since the pre-made slaws come in different size packages, I would make the dressing and then add the cabbage mixture to the dressing slowly, stirring it, to make sure you get the cabbage to dressing ratio that you like. Also, I made this a few hours ahead of time so that all of the flavors had time to mix together. I think coleslaw always tastes better when it’s had time to sit for awhile.

What did the family think? Hubby and I thought is was super yummy. The kids ate it, but cole slaw isn’t their favorite.

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Salad, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

January 3, 2011 · 9:30 pm

Cake Mix Cookies

I was looking for a recipe for easy cookies…yep, doesn’t get much easier than these.

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package vanilla flavored cake mix
2 egg yolks
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat egg yolks and margarine together until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cake mix while beating with an electric mixer. Mixture should be stiff. If it is sticky to the touch, refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Form teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls, and dip tops in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes for soft cookies, and for 13 minutes for crispy cookies.

Did I change anything? I didn’t this time, but I got to thinking that if you can use vanilla cake mix, why couldn’t you use chocolate cake mix or carrot cake mix or whatever cake mix you wanted to use? I bet these would be SUPER tasty with chocolate cake mix.

What did the family think? We had these as our New Year’s Eve dinner dessert with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It makes quite a few, so we are still eating them along with the leftover ice cream. Everybody loves them!

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

January 1, 2011 · 1:39 pm

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

I usually steer clear of any recipe that requires yeast and/or a rolling pin, but a gal from our church in Kansas said these were easy, and you know what…she was right! Thanks, LeeAnn!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Instructions:
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened butter.

Roll out dough into a 12×9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with butter/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal.

Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm.

Did I change anything? I added some icing to them after they had cooled a little. (recipe below) I think next time I will bake them in a greased glass pie dish instead of the muffin tin. The muffin tin was fine, but it’s going to be a bear to clean.

What did the family think? These were an awesome addition to our New Year’s morning brunch.

Icing
Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk (add more milk if it’s too thick)

Instructions:
Pour both ingredients into a bowl and stir. Add more milk if needed. Drizzle icing over cinnamon rolls with a spoon.

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

December 25, 2010 · 10:02 pm

Chocolate Cornflake Cookies

Yep, just like the butterscotch ones only with chocolate. These are super yummy, too!

Ingredients:
1 package chocolate chips (11 oz.)
3/4 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts
3 cups corn flakes cereal

Instructions:
Melt the chocolate chips in a large microwaveable bowl for about 90 seconds or until chips are melted.

Pour in peanuts and cereal and stir until everything is coated with chocolate.

Line countertops with wax or parchment paper. Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto wax/parchment paper and let cool for about 15 minutes.

What did the family think? Yum, yum, super yum and yum again. 😉

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian