December 17, 2010 · 10:57 pm

Eggnog Cookies

I don’t like eggnog, but I do like these very festive cookies.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup eggnog
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1 T ground nutmeg

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer to form a grainy paste. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat at a medium speed until smooth.

Add the flour mixture and beat at a low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, 1 inch apart.

Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn lightly brown.

What did the family think? I am not sure if the family has tried any yet, since most of them went to school for the teachers, but I tasted one (or two) and they are really good. They were especially good right out of the oven with a nice cold glass of milk. 🙂

from Mrs. Fields’ Cookie Book

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Filed under After School Snacks, Desserts, Easy, Vegetarian

December 11, 2010 · 9:44 am

Roasted Butternut Squash

I love Trader Joe’s! They have pre-packaged already chopped up squash, so all I had to do was add some olive oil, salt and pepper and throw it in the oven. Voila!

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, or sage, (optional)
honey or maple syrup, for drizzling (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Slice the stem off of the top of the squash and remove the bottom. With a strong vegetable peeler, remove and discard the squash’s skin.

Cut the squash in half down the middle. Remove and discard the seeds.

Slice the flesh into 1/4-inch dice and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Liberally drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. If desired, sprinkle with the herbs and drizzle with the honey or syrup. Toss to combine.

Roast for about 15-20 minutes.

We had this with fish and a fruit salad.

Did I change anything? I didn’t add any of the optional ingredients. We just had it with olive oil, salt and pepper.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked it. Our oldest liked the pieces that hadn’t gotten too mushy. (Some of the pieces were smaller than others, thus they cooked faster.) Our youngest had a bite or two.

from yumsugar.com

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Filed under Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

December 8, 2010 · 10:34 pm

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage

I never buy squash because I think it’s going to be a pain in the tush to cook, but this was actually pretty easy.

Ingredients:
1 small spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 links hot Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey; 1 1/2 pounds)
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions:
Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Put the squash, cut-side up, in a large microwave-safe bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave until tender, about 20 minutes. BE CAREFUL when you take off the plastic. There will be some HOT steam that comes out. Scoop out the flesh into a colander (use a towel to hold the squash) and shred with 2 forks.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium heat. Grill the sausages, turning, until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to brown, about 4 more minutes. Toss in the squash and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the sausages and sprinkle with parmesan.

Did I change anything? I left out the red peppers and I served this with spaghetti sauce, just like I would regular spaghetti.

What did the family think? Everybody ate it! I was a little unsure if our youngest would like it. I knew he would either love it because it’s “spaghetti” or hate it because it’s “squash”. He loved it!

from Food Network

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Filed under Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian

December 7, 2010 · 9:02 pm

Haricots Verts with Shaved Parmesan

In an attempt to get my children to eat some greens other than salad…

Ingredients:
3/4 pound ready-to-cook haricots verts
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Place the haricots verts in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and drain, if necessary.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and lemon juice. Pour over the haricots verts and toss to coat.

Serve immediately with shaved parmesan and freshly ground pepper.

Did I change anything? I left out the pepper because I forgot it and I didn’t have any parmesan that I could shave, I just had the regular kind in a can. It worked just fine. Also, I didn’t microwave the green beans, I cooked them on the stove.

What did the family think? No one liked this but me, which quite frankly, I am surprised by. Parmesan makes everything taste better…right? Both hubby and our oldest said they would have rather had their green beans plain. Crazy boys.

from Food Network

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Filed under Easy, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

December 6, 2010 · 9:44 pm

Slow-Cooker Ham with Turnips and Apples

This sounded like the perfect cold weather meal, so I thought I would give it a try. Our youngest had also just read the Russian folk tale “The Turnip” in class, so I thought it was fitting since he had never actually seen a turnip before.

Ingredients:
2 Granny Smith apples, diced (with skin)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
4 sprigs thyme
8 large sprigs parsley
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 4-to-5-pound smoked picnic ham (pork shoulder)
1 pound medium turnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups dry white wine
1 pound frozen chopped winter greens (such as turnip greens, kale or spinach), thawed

Instructions:
Put the apples, garlic, thyme, parsley, pickling spice and brown sugar in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Add the ham and surround it with the turnips. Pour in the wine and 2 cups water. Cover and cook on low, 7 hours.

Remove the ham from the slow cooker. Add the greens to the cooker and stir to combine with the liquid. Return the ham to the cooker, cover and cook on high 30 minutes.

Slice the ham and serve with the turnips, apples and greens.

What did the family think? This was not as good as I had hoped, but I didn’t buy the right kind of meat. Ugh! (This isn’t the first time I’ve messed up a pork dish by buying the wrong cut of meat.) I don’t think I have EVER cooked a turnip in my life, but I found that the ones that I had cut up the smallest were cooked just right, but the larger chunks weren’t as tasty. So, make sure you cute them up into fairly small chunks. Hubby liked it, but wasn’t too fond of the turnips. The kids actually ate the pork, but steered clear of the turnips.

from Food Network

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Filed under Pork

December 5, 2010 · 9:25 pm

Cat Cora’s Southern Cornbread

I FINALLY got a chance to look through my November issue of Food Network magazine last night. I am always looking for a new cornbread recipe, so I thought I would give this one a try.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk (shake before measuring)
2 large eggs

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and position a rack in the middle. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan.

Melt the butter in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish in three 15-second intervals on high or in a small pan on the stove. Set it aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and the eggs. Add the melted butter. Add the flour-cornmeal mixture and stir just until combined. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until the cornbread just begins to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 23 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

We had this with chili and some grapes.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it and decided it was much better than the last time I made homemade cornbread. I grew up eating Jiffy cornbread, which is fine and certainly inexpensive, but cornbread is so easy I really would prefer to make my own. Also, everyone decided this cornbread is really moist, so if you like your cornbread dry and crumbly, this is NOT the cornbread for you.

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

December 4, 2010 · 9:02 pm

Maple Teriyaki Salmon

I hate it when I get ready to cook something and I get the recipe out and realize I was supposed to have been marinating it for the last three hours, but dinner needs to be on the table in an hour. That happened to me this evening, so I tweaked this recipe a little and it still came out great.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 (8 ounce) salmon fillets

Instructions:
Spray cooking pan with cooking spray.

Put salmon in pan and then add the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to a boil. Cover pan with lid and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about ten minutes or until fish is cooked through.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it. It was very flavorful and tender.

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less

· 8:53 pm

Roasted Herbed Potatoes

These are pretty easy and super yummy…

Ingredients:
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.

Roast for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

Did I change anything? I left out the dill…not a huge dill fan.

What did the family think? Hubby and I loved them. Our oldest is sick and didn’t eat dinner, but he would have really liked them and our youngest acted like he was going to die if he had to eat them.

from allrecipes.com

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

December 2, 2010 · 11:13 am

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

The only thing tricky about this recipe is that you have to plan ahead a little bit. If you plan on eating it for breakfast, do the prep work at night. If you are going to have breakfast for dinner, do the prep work in the morning.

Ingredients:
Butter or Cooking Spray
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Half and Half
¾ cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

Instructions:
Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.

Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.

Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

We had this with scrambled eggs and sausages for dinner.

What did the family think? They thought it was super duper yummy because it is and it makes your house smell fantastic.

from thepioneerwoman.com

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

December 1, 2010 · 10:44 am

Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken

Since MommaCook’s was put on a temporary hiatus, I got this wonderful recipe suggestion from one of my dearest friends, Christie. She made this recipe up all by herself. Easy Crockpot recipes are great when your kitchen is in total disrepair. 🙂

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breasts (shred when done cooking)
1 can chicken broth
1 jar salsa verde
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
2 cups frozen corn
1 small package frozen spinach
Crushed tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Put chicken, chicken broth, salsa verde, black beans, red pepper flakes, cumin and chili powder in CrockPot.

Cook on high for three hours. Add spinach and corn and cook for an additional hour.

Serve in bowls topped with crushed tortilla chips and cheddar cheese.

Did I change anything? I didn’t use the corn…hubby isn’t a big fan of corn in Mexican food. Also, due to time constraints, I added the spinach at the beginning of the cooking which worked out fine, but it definitely looked like overcooked spinach. I also defrosted the spinach before I put it in the Crockpot which might have been part of the problem.

What did the family think? The boys ate it, but were a bit turned off by the color of my overcooked spinach. Hubby and I liked it though.

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Filed under Chicken, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Mexican, Super Easy to Make