Mexi - Tortilla Casserole

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb ground pork (I used beef)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 c shredded cheese
2 c tortilla chips
1/2 c sour cream (I used plain yogurt)
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, drained
2 Tbsp minced cilantro

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Heat oil in large skillet over med heat.  Cook and stir onion 5 minutes or until tender.  Brown meat, stirring to seperate.  Drain fat.  Stir in tomatoes with juice, pregano, salt, cumin, and pepper.  Spoon into 11x7 inch casserole.  Sprinkle with cheese; arrange tortilla chips over cheese.  Bake 10-15 minutes or until cheese emlts.  Combine sour cream and chilies; mix until well blended.  Drop by tablespoonfulls onto baked casserole.  Sprinkle with cinlantro.  Makes 6 servings. 

Taken from Cooking for Kids Bible

Oatcake

Serves a family of 6-8  (For extra hungry teens, double this recipe)  taken from Pantry Principles

2 ½ c. Old Fashioned Oats
½ t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. honey
1 t. vanilla
½ c. any dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, raisins, chopped prunes, chopped apricots, etc.)
¼ c. chopped nuts (optional)

Soak oats in milk overnight.  Mix dry ingredients in another bowl.  Mix eggs, honey, and vanilla into oats.  Combine and mix everything until just barely moistened.  Pour into a buttered 9 inch round cake pan.   Bake in a 350F oven for 30-35 min. Test with a toothpick for doneness.

Hint: This recipe may be made through step 2 the night before. Cover and refrigerate wet ingredients. Cover dry ingredients.

Menu Feb 21-27

Sunday
  Breakfast:  Oatmeal
  Lunch: Leftovers or PBJ/H sandwiches
  Dinner:  Mexi-Tortilla Casserole

Monday
  Breakfast:  Oatcake
  Lunch:  Egg Salad Sandwiches
  Dinner:  Creamy Potato Soup
 
Tuesday
  Breakfast:  Cream of Wheat
  Lunch:  Bulgar Wheat
  Dinner:  PBJ/H Sanwiches

Wednesday
  Breakfast:  Bulgar Wheat
  Lunch:  Ramen Noodles w/veggies
  Dinner:  Lentil Chili

Thursday
  Breakfast:  Rice Cereal
  Lunch:  Nachos
  Dinner:  N/A -- we get to go to a dinner

Friday
  Breakfast:  Oats Groats
  Lunch:  Tuna Salad Sanwiches
  Dinner:  Pirate Stew

Saturday
  Breakfast:  Waffles
  Lunch:  Pizza
  Dinner:  Cheasy Vegetable Strata

as I make the recipes, I will post them :)

Silly Spaghetti Casserole

This dish was a HIT with the kids.  You can't tell, but those are stars that I cut out of an orange bell pepper with a small cookie cutter.  I got this recipe from one of my NEW cookbooks, Cooking for Kids Bible.

Nonstick cooking spray

8 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken in half

1/4 c finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 c cholesterol-free egg product (or 1 large egg)

3/4 lb lean ground beef/turkey/chicken

1/3 c chopped onion

2 c pasta sauce

1/2 (10 oz) pkg frozen cut spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 green, yellow, orange or red bell pepper, cored and seeded

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Spray 8-inch square baking dish (you can use a casserole dish too) with cooking spray.  Cook spaghetti according to pkg directions, omit salt and oil.  Drain.  Return spaghetti to saucepan; cool slightly.  Add Parmesan cheese and egg.  Toss until well mixed.  Place in prepared baking dish.  Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray.  Brown beef and onion in skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up meat.  Drain fat.  Stir in pasta sauce and spinach.  Spoon on top of spaghetti mixture.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Use small cookie cutter to cut decorative shapes from bell pepper.  Arrange on top of cheese.  Cover with foil.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until bubbling.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Cut into squares.  Makes 6 servings.

HOOTenanny

Don't let the name fool you.  There won't be any HOOTing going on in the house during or after consumption.  Also, you are probaly thinking, What in the world is Hootenanny?  Well, it is a cross between a pancake and french toast. Who would have thought that you would start out a breakfast (besides a shake or smoothie) in a blender?

First, pull out the blender and add...

1 c milk

1 c whole wheat flour

6 eggs

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp butter

Mix on HIGH till well blended,

and you get this...

Heat oven to 425*F.  When oven is preheated put an empty 9x13 cake pan on to heat, when hot add butter.  When butter is melted, pour in egg mixture, and This is what you will get...

Bake for 20 minutes, and you will get this...

Now, it is time to serve and eat.  Top with applesauce, jam, or syrup

this recipe came from Pantry Principles by Kathryn Louis

Breakfast Sundaes

For Valentine's Day, I thought that I would make a special breakfast for my family. So, here it is...

Homemade Granola

Blueberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Homemade Yogurt
Chopped Almonds

My kids loved it.  It is quick and simple and most of all, very healthy

Homemade Yogurt

3-3/4 c warm water
1 2/3 c instant nonfat dry milk
-- or you can use 4 c milk instead of the water and powdered milk--
2-4 Tbsp store bought, plain yogurt w/live cultures (read label to be sure there are live cultures)

In a large bowl, combine water and powdered milk.  Stir very well and let sit for a few minutes.  All powdered milk should be dissolved.  Heat milk over medium heat until it reaches 180*F.  This kills off any bacteria.  Remove from heat and stove and allow to cool to 110*F.  If the milk is any hotter, it will kill the yogurt cultures.  Add the store bought yogurt to the warm milk, stir well until yogurt is dissolved completely.  Carefully pour the mixture into a very clean, quart-sized canning jar.  Incubate the yogurt in the oven which is set to about 100*F -between warm and 200*F (my electric oven has a warming temp) for 6-8 hours or until set almost as thick as store bought yogurt.  Chill and eat. 

I buy a big container of plain yogurt, use the 2-4 Tbps and then freeze the rest of the yogurt (I use ice cube trays - 1 Tbsp for each cube).  Once they are frozen, I remove and put into a freezer bag and store in the freezer.  When I am ready to make some more yogurt, I pull out the cubes and let them thaw while I am heating the milk.

Homemade Granola

1/2 c butter (1 stick)
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c water
4 c rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375*F.  In large 4 qt pot, melt the butter and sugar in the water.  Stir well and let simmer for a few minutes.  Remove from heat add the oats into the pot, making sure the oats get evenly coated.  Spread the Granola out on a cookie sheet (one with sides).  Bake it for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool, then break into small pieces.  To store, put it into an airtight container or a gallon sized Ziplock bag.  You can add nuts, dried fruit or some cinnamon to it if you like as well.  Great for breakfast or snack

Kitchen Helps

clip art taken from Sassyarts

I was browsing online yesterday to see if I can get some ideas on how to re-organize my recipes and cute ways to do them. While browsing a sight, I found this cute template for a Pie Chart from Martha Stewart. While on her site, I also found these cute charts for Cooks Helper. Now, I am not really a fan of hers, but I do glean off some of her ideas

East Peasy Veggie Spuds

This is an oldie but goodie in my house.

4 potatoes

1 bag frozen veggie medley

1 can cream of celery,cheese, or broccoli soup

1/8-1/4 c milk

cheese to taste

Clean and scrub the spuds. Pierce them and then throw them into the microwave to cook. While they are cooking away in the microwave; get a medium sauce pan and throw in the veggies, add the soup, and milk. Stir it all together. Once everything is warm, toss in some cheese, stir until it has completely melted. Once the spuds are done, split them open and top with the veggie sauce. you can top with bacon bits if you like. This is a very filling meal in itself.

Spanish Rice

3 c cooked brown rice
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 Serrano pepper, chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
4 oz tomato sauce

Lightly brown onion, peppers, and garlic in oil. Add all other ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Fajitas

Once again, this recipe was taken from Pantry Principles.

Fajitas

8-12 oz chicken breasts, sliced thin

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 limes, juice and zest (reserve)

2 bell peppers, sliced

1 onion, sliced (I minced mine)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground ancho chili (I used regular chili powder)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 c orange juice

1 Serrano pepper

8-12 whole wheat or corn tortillas

Marinade chicken, peppers, onion, garlic, chili, spices, lime zest, and orange juice. Stir-fry, sprinkle lime juice all over and serve. Warm tortillas in a hot oven wrapped in foil for 10-15 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese, spinach, sour cream, salsa, etc.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

This one is soooooo good. It tastes just like Hershey's Chocolate Syrup. I got this recipe from Hillbilly Housewife.

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup tap water

2 cups sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Find a 2 quart saucepan. In it, mix the cocoa and water with a wire whisk or fork. Heat the chocolate water over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and boil for a full 3 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat.

Blender Mayonnaise

1 c veggie oil
1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp prepared mustard (I used dry powdered mustard)
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg or 2 egg yolks

In a blender, combine egg or egg yolks, mustard, salt, vinegar/lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp of the oil. Blend for 30 seconds. With blender still running, slowly drizzle (this is the crucial step) remaining oil into mixture until all the oil is used and mixture is thick. Taste and adjust seasoning. Makes 1 cup.

I purposely ran out of Mayonnaise and needed some, so I made my own... I can't remember where I got this recipe from, but it sure is yummy.

Shirley's Bread

Ok, here is a SUPERly Delicious good bread recipe. This recipe came from a friend of mine's mom. I am sooo endebted to her for this recipe.

This recipe make 6 large loaves or 8 medium loaves

1/3 c dry yeast

1/3 c sugar

1 1/2 c warm water

7 1/4 c hot water

3 Tbsp salt

1 c oil

1 c honey

1/2 c gluten flour

1/2 c flax seed flour

1/2 c seven grain cereal

20 c whole wheat flour (approx)

Mix suage into the 1 1/2 c warm water. Mix yeast into sugar mixture. Let stand 10-15 minutes. While yeast is standing, combine hot water and 10 1/2 c of wheat flour into bread mixer. Mix on low speed until well blended. Add salt, oil. and honey. Continue to mix until well blended. Add flax seed flour, seven grain cereal, and the gluten flour to mix and blend. Add prepared yeast to mixture and blend thoroughly. Add approximately 9 more cupd of wheat flour to mixture or until dough begins to clean the sides of the bowl and is the consistancy of cookie dough. Knead for 10 minutes on low spead. Spray 6 bread pans with cooking spray. Divide into 6 equal portions. MOld into loaves and place in pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for approximately 1/2 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 26 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pans. Put on rack to cool.

Pasta Alla Cece

This is another recipe from Pantry Principles. Once again, I forgot to get a picture of it, sorry.

4 c cooked garbanzo/lima beans

1 can artichoke hearts, quartered

1 can black olives, quartered (I used sliced)

1 Tbsp capers (optional)

2 Tbps olive oil

2 tsp red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

plenty of fresh ground pepper

salt to taste

1 c chicken broth

32 oz. crushed tomatoes (I used diced)

1/2 c chopped parsley

1/4 c fresh basil, chopped

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

Start a pot water boiling add the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, saute the garlic and red peppers in the olive oil. Add the beans, thyme, salt and pepper continuing to saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the broth, artichokes, olives, capers, and tomatoes. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir in the parsely and top with Parmesan cheese. (I left them seperate, just for my kids sake... I did want them to eat and not turn up their noses).