Food For Thought #1

I LOVE chinese take out containers. Is it crazy that they are a necessity at my house? I use them for everything! They come in basically 3 sizes, I use the smallest ones for the kids snacks. They love them! They close, they have handles and they are perfect for the car, church, park...you name it, they are great. Also When I am taking food to people, I use the bigger ones and they are fabulous. Whenever I go visting teaching they are perfect to put cookies in! Try them, you won't be able to live without them!

4th of July

I know it's October, but just had to share my fun twist on fruit pizza, Americana style!

Italian Sodas

So my most favorite drink ever, has got to be the Italian soda. I don't know why, but it's comfort food (or in this case...drink) for me! You can get italian soda syrups pretty much anywhere. I know Wal-mart, Sam's Club and any food service place will have the syrup's. Occasionally I see them at TJ Maxx and Ross.
Recipe
fill a glass with ice, pour in lemon-lime soda about 3/4 of the way full. Add 1/4 C. Heavy Whipping Cream, and 1/4 C. Syrup. Top with reddi-whip topping and that's it! Enjoy!

Fruit Pizza

Semi homemade, or made from scratch this recipe is a winner EVERYTIME! I sometimes use a shortbread crust recipe and that works great.

Crust
2 pkgs. refrigerated Sugar cookie crust, or make your own, just use a sugar cookie recipe!
1 container Cool Whip
1pkg. Cream Cheese
2 C. Powder Sugar
Misc Fruit, sliced - Strawberries, Kiwi, Banana, leave whole raspberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges
Press both packages of sugar cookies into bottom of cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for about 10-12 minutes. Let it golden. Let crust cool. Mix together cream cheese, cool whip, powder sugar with hand mixer. Spread evenly on crust and top with fruit! It's as simple as that! Sometimes I drizzle chocolate or a lemon curd over it to make it pretty!

Cafe Rio Shredded Pork and Tomatillo ranch dressing

This is for Cafe Rio Pork Tacos (AMAZING! SERIOUSLY!)

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch
1 C. Mayo
1 C. Cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tomatillos - peel off paper, chop
1/3-1/2 cups buttermilk, to consistency you want
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Put in Blender or Food Processor and mix.

Shredded Cafe Rio Pork
3 lbs. Pork
16 oz. bottle of chunky salsa (blended in blender so chunks are gone)
1 Can Coke (yes, I mean a can of soda)
1-1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
Place pork in crock pot. Fill with water until about half the pork is sticking out of the water. Cook on High for 5 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together sauce ingredients and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low until ready to serve.

Homemade tortillas
3C. Flour
1/2 C. veggie or olive oil
1 & 1/8 C. luke warm water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Mix all ingredients and knead. if too hard to knead, add a little water but if too sticky add a little more flour. Let stand for about 10 minutes. Makes 12 small balls. Flatten each by rolling them out and then cook them in frying pan.**you can have 2 frying pans gong at once so they cook faster.

Spinach Salad with feta and mandarin oranges

This recipe is from my new cookbook called "The biggest loser family cookbook." I've been trying to change the way that I cook for my family without losing all the fun and taste. I really like this cookbook because it tells me how many calories for each meal and the author really knows what she's talking about. I have learned a lot and the meals are some of our favorites now!

This calls for:

14 cups loosely packed spinach leaves, stems removed

1 (10 1/2)can unsweetened mandarin oranges in juice, drained (about 1 cup)

1 1/2 ounces finely crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

1/2 cup red onion slivers

6 tablespoons light balsamic vinaigrette ( I just use 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil and 1 Tab. Balsamic Vinegar per serving)

4 chicken breasts (cooked with salt,pepper, and garlic is how I like mine)

In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, oranges, feta, and onion. Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture and toss. Divide the salad among 4 dinner plates or large salad bowls. Top each with Chicken. Serve.

Per Serving: 240 calories, 31 g protin, 17 g carb, 6 g fat(2 g saturated, 68 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 469 g sodium.

Don't forget to add the diet cola for a special treat:)

Spring Cookin'

McKay and I love cooking on the grill. The taste is AMAZING and it a great way to cook if you're wanting to look fabulous in that swimsuit this summer. The Spring and Fall are our favorite times to grill because it's not to hot. McKay choose to go with the charcoal grill. I'm glad that he did because the flavors are great but it is more work. (thanks sweetheart) If you're wanting to do a lot of Kebabs I would recommend getting a metal set they sell just about anywhere. Look for great deals cause Father's Day will be coming up soon. That's when I got McKay's and we love them.

I decided that we would just "wing it" for mothers day and just cook what we had in the house. After church we decided a bbq would be fun. So my brain started going and I had some red onion, shrimp, green & red pepper....that would make a pretty kebab. We also had some hamburger and hot dogs that we cooked up as well. Hamburgers and hot dogs are good to just cook up for leftovers. I wouldn't recommended it for steaks though. They just don't taste "as good".

So the recipe that I got the Kebab spice out of is called the barbecue bible. (i read it faithfully every day:)

1 Tablespoon Kosher or Sea Salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (break it into smaller pieces with hands)
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Kebabs are so easy that you can really do anything that you want to have on your Kabobs onto the skewers (I just used what I had in the house) When ready to cook, brush the kebabs on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle on the spice mixture. (McKay already had some Cajun spices that he had put together so he used that on the second batch LOVED IT!)
Grill for 3-6 mins on each side. During those 3-6 mins brush the Kabobs once or twice with additional oil and season liberally with the spice mixture.

So have fun with Kebabs and cooking on the grill. Think of things that you like and go with it. I go to Outback and I get the Chicken/Shrimp grillers. I learned though LA weight loss that this was a low calorie meal that I could have.....Well guess what is in it. Chicken/Shrimp, veggies, pineapple, all grilled over a bed of wild rice!!! It's AWESOME! And it tasted just like it! So get out there this weekend and do some grillin'!!

Mother's Day...what to get? Or make?

What do you get the person who has everything? TREATS! Here's some of my favorite treats to make! Make up a big plate of goodies, write a sweet card, and what mom wouldn't love that? Mail them if you have too! Let's start our plate with Toffee, Then add some No-Bakes, and some Homemade Oreo's and top it off with my favorite cookie, Brown Sugar Shortbread! Recipes Follow!

The Secret to English Toffee

Here's a great "no-candy thermometer needed" recipe for awesome toffee! Toffe does take some practice but hopefully this will be a foolproof recipe!
English Toffee
14 tablespoons (1 stick, plus 6 tablespoons) butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 chopped pecans
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dash salt
1 (6-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips or thin chocolate bars
Directions
Generously butter a cookie sheet.

Put a siclicone liner on cookie sheet or grease pan. spread chopped pecans evenly on sheet. Put butter, sugar, and water in a heavy pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a bubbling boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Take your jar of peanut butter out of the cupboard and turn it upside down. Stir the toffee every so often and when it gets to the same color as the peanut butter it's done cooking. Remove from heat add vanilla and salt. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread to 1/4-inch thickness. Cool slightly, top with chocolate chips or chocolate bars, and spread as it melts. Cool completely and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

COOKIES!

The BEST No bakes! This recipe makes a smaller batch!
2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Cocoa
1/2 C. Milk
1/4 C. Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 C. Chunky Peanut Butter
3 C. Quick Oats
Mix Sugar, cocoa, Milk, and butter over med-high heat until it boils. Remove from heat when mixture is boiling and all ingredients are well blended. Add vanilla, salt, peanut butter, and oats. Stir until fully mixed. Spoon out hot mixture onto sheets of foil. Wait to cool completely!


Homemade Oreos
These cookies are so fast and easy!
2 Devil Food cake mixes
4 eggs
2/3 cup veggie oil

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest

Mix all ingredients until dough forms. Scoop out with a cookie scooper or ice cream scooper onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Let cool. Frost one side of cookie and sandwich frosting with another cookie. Cream cheese frosting or Vanilla Buttercream is the best I think. Cream butter and cheese, add 2 c. sugar, mix, add remaining 2 c. sugar, add juice and zest. If too thin add more sugar. Substitute a capful of orange extract for orange juice!




Brown Sugar Shortbread
Shortbread
2 Sticks butter, room temperature
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 C. Flour

Topping
1 T. Butter
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips
4 oz. pecans, walnuts, or my choice...heath toffee bits

325*
Preheat oven, in a large bowl cream butter and sugar at medium speed. Scrape sides of bowl. Then add vanilla and flour blend thoroughly on low speed. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls, then form into logs 2 inches long and 1 inch wide.Place on ungreased cooke sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes or until they turn a light golden brown. Transfer to cool surface. For the topping Melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave safe bowl in 30 second incriments until melted. Don't do more than 30 seconds at a time or chocolate will burn. Dip top of Shortbread cookie into melted chocolate then into nuts or toffee pieces. Place on foil to cool.

Chocolate Strawberry Chocolate Cake

Bake at 350*
1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 C. Vegetable Oil
1 1/4 C. Water
1 C. Instant Chocolate pudding prepared (makes cake super moist!)
Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting (Recipe Below)
Fresh Strawberries
Powdered Sugar

Combine cake mix, oil, water, eggs. Mix until well combined. Fold in Chocolate pudding. Grease with shortening then lightly flour two 8-inch circle pans, pour batter into both pans, distributing batter equaly. Cook for 30-34 minutes. I cook mine for 31 min. and that works perfectly for my oven. Set cakes on counter to cool for about 10-15 mins. Take butter knife and loosen edges. Cakes need to be somewhat cooled before removing them from pans. Place cooling rack against cake pans, turn both rack and cake over so cake is resting on rack. Cool thouroughly on rack. Cakes are great made the night before and stored in an airtight container. Make Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting. (Recipe Below) Take a small amount of frosting and put it on center of cake board or cake stand. This will keep the cake from slipping while decorating. Once cooled, take the cakes turning it right side up and place it on cake board or stand. Remove crowns from cakes center so that the tops of the cakes are flat. To Tort the cakes place one hand on top of cake and slide knife evenly through cake to divide it into two equal layers. Carefully remove top layer and set aside. Spread some of the Chocolate Butter Cream frosting on bottom layer evenly, replace top layer. Frost top layer with frosting. Take 2nd cakes bottom and place on top. Frost and then top with final layer. Frost top and sides of cake. Layer strawberries in a ring around edge of cake and dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting
1/3 C. Butter
4 C. Powdered Sugar
1/2 C. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 C. Milk
1 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

In mixing bowl beat butter and cocoa until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the sugar, beat well. Slowly beat in 1/4 C. Milk and vanilla. Add rest of sugar. Add more milk if too thick and more powdered sugar if too thin!



Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

Chocolate Pan-Crepes

So this is kind of a semi-homemade quick fix breakfast! I love Krusteaz Pancake mix because all you have to add is water and it's great for food storage. I like thin pancakes, almost crepe thin! So I took my pancake mix and thinned it down so I could do a rolled filling and fast!
Serves 4
2 Cups Krusteaz Pancake Mix
2 Cups Water (equal parts, so if you use 1 1/2 C. mix use same amount of water)
1/2 C. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Sugar and Cinnamon
Vanilla Yogurt
Fresh Cut Strawberries
Honey or Maple Syrup
Powdered Sugar

Combine Pancake mix and water, not thin enough, add more water, too thin add more mix. Add cocoa. You want these pretty thin and crepe like. Cook one side until bubbles form and do not pop, flip to other side. Take cooked pan-crepe and spread butter, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar, follow with a layer of vanilla yogurt, strawberries, and drizzle with either honey or maple syrup. Rollup and top with more fresh strawberries, a drizzle of the syrup or honey, and dust with powdered sugar!

Baked Penne Lasagna

1lb. Penne Pasta
1lb. Hamburger
1/2 of a sweet onion
2 tsp. garlic minced
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 C. Parslery chopped plus about 2 T. chopped
1 C. Cottage/Ricotta Cheese
1 egg
1/2 lemon squeezed juice
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
2 C. Mozzarella Cheese

Bring water in pot to boil, add penne pasta, cook about 11 min. until Al dente, Meanwhile brown hamburger, add onion and garlic, when hamburger is cooked through, add tomato sauce, and 1/2 C. parsley. In a mixing bowl mix cottage cheese, 2 T. parsley, egg, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. In bakeware layer half of the pasta, then half of the cottage cheese mixture, than half of the meat sauce and then 1 C. of the Mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with other halves in same order, topping with the Mozzarealla. Heat oven to 400* you want it to get a crust. Cheese should golden but don't burn. About 10 min. Just watch it!

Easy Shrimp Tacos with Sweet Rice

Sweet Rice
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 1/3 C. Rice
4 cups chicken broth, very important
1/2 cup sugar

Heat butter in pan, add onion and cook until translucent add cilantro and cook an additional minute. Stir in the rice, saute until brown, be careful not to let it burn. Add broth, then sugar to rice mixture, stir rice once, Cover and let simmer until a small amount of water is left. Take off heat and keep covered until ready to serve.

8 Corn Tortillas
1lb. Uncooked, easy peel shrimp
1 T. Butter
1T. EVOO
1 mango or bag of frozen chopped mango
1/2 of a red onion
1/2 C. Cilantro
12 Cherry tomatoes Halved
Juice from 1 lime
Lime Zest
Bag of pre-shredded cabbage
1 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
In a bowl combine mango chopped into cubes, add chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, tomato halves and a pinch of salt. Zest lime and add to salsa, squeeze juice from one lime over the mix and stir.






Heat tortillas in microwave for 30 seconds, they need to be warm so they don't crack. Put frozen shrimp in colander and rinse. Peel and remove tails from uncooked shrimip.


Heat Butter and EVOO in pan, mixing the fats.
Add a single layer of shrimp to pan and cook for about 45 seconds, on each side over med-high heat, I set mine to a 6. Don't get to many shrimp in the pan or it will start to boil or steam it. After it turns pink and browns and carmalizes on one side, turn to cook on other side. It cooks really fast.

Take tortilla and do a layer of shrimp, then a layer of shredded cabbage, followed by the mango salsa, and top with shredded cheese. Add a dollop of sour cream, or make it healthy and use plain yogurt. That's what I have in the picture. Serve with a side of the sweet rice, or add the sweet rice as a layer to your tacos! Enjoy!