Thursday, May 29, 2008

BBQ Cresent Pockets

  • 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast-cooked and shredded
  • 1/2 bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce
  • 2 cans crescent rolls
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Optional)
  1. Place 1 can of the cresent rolls on an ungreased 9x13 pan.
  2. Mix about 1/2 of a bottle (use as much as you desire) of your favorite BBQ sauce with the shredded chicken.
  3. Spread the BBQ chicken over the cresents .
  4. Then take the other can of cresents and spread over the top of the BBQ chicken mixture.
  5. Pinch down the edges all around.
  6. Bake on 350 degrees for about 10 - 15 minutes (until cresents are golden).

OPTIONAL: You can also add shredded cheese to the bbq chicken mixture, if desired.

Cheesy Chicken Rolls

All I can say is YUMMY-O!

  • 1 pkg (8ct) Crescent Rolls
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 2-3 chicken breasts ( cooked & cubed)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  1. Cook chicken till tender and cube.
  2. Heat soup, milk, & cheese in saucepan, stir till smooth.
  3. Unroll Crescent Rolls in to 8 triangles.
  4. Put 1 spoonful of chicken on each roll;.
  5. Roll from large end and seal.
  6. Pour soup mixture into 9x13 casserole dish.
  7. Place rolls filled with chicken on top of mixture.
  8. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min till brown.

Best served Hot! Serves 4.

Princess Peg's Scrumptious Butter Pecan Bars

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Butter Pecan Cake Mix
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg (I use egg substitute)

Mix the above ingredients just until combined. Press into a greased 9 x 13" baking pan, preferably glass.

1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese (I use light)
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs (or egg substitute)
1 lb. box powdered sugar (or 4 cups)

Mix the above with a mixer until light and fluffy, and pour over top of first mixture.

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Sprinkle pecans over top. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. The bottom should be golden and the top turning golden, as well. Allow bars to cool before cutting.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

You're Not Gonna Believe It Chocolate Cake


  • 1 box Dark Chocolate Cake Mix (or any flavor will do)
  • 1 very ripe banana, mashed well with a fork
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • Cooking spray for the ramekins

In big bowl add mashed banana, eggs, and water. Combine well with fork or whisk.
Stir in cake mix. Stir mixture vigorously until well mixed.
Pour into ramekins sprayed lightly with cooking spray until filled 2/3 full.

Every microwave is different - here are some guidelines:
For 2 ramekins: microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH (power strength 8 ) for 5 minutes
For 3-4 ramekins: 6 minutes
For 5-6 ramekins: 7 minutes

Check with toothpick to see if cake is done.

Mushy cake mix stuck to toothpick? Add another 30 seconds. Cake crumbs on toothpick? Done.

Makes about 8 ramekins

P.S. In case you don’t have ramekins, just pour in a 9×11-ish glass Pyrex pan until batter reaches half way up the sides. Microwave for 11 minutes medium-high, check for doneness (see above).

Keep weeds from sprouting with cornmeal. . .


Click here to read the article on LifeHacker.

Another person commented that: Just an FYI for those looking to kill weeds, in an environmentally friendly way - boiling water. Just pour 1/3 - 1/2 cup on each weed and it will be dead the next day. They're also much, much easier to pull out after the boiling.

HG's Summer's (Almost) Here Survival Guide!

Hungry Girl's Super Summer Swaps

HUNGRY GIRL'S TOP ATE FOR 5/24/08

TOP ATE Calorie-Saving Cooking Swaps!

1. Nonstick cooking spray instead of oil (for stovetop cooking)
2. Canned pumpkin instead of eggs & oil (for baking)
3. Light vanilla soymilk instead of milk or cream
4. Fat-free liquid egg substitute instead of eggs
5. No-sugar-added applesauce instead of butter
6. Ground-beef-style soy crumbles instead of ground beef
7. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granular) instead of sugar
8. Butternut squash instead of potatoes

Cleaning Tips

Thanks to a comment from awyatt02, I discovered a new cleaning tips site Tips.net.

Click here to read about the Top Five Household Cleaners.

Thanks awyatt02!

Friday, May 23, 2008

An AMAZING deal from Menu Planning Central!


Here's the scoop -you have heard a lot from us about Menu Planning Central, however Iunderstand that some of you are perhaps only looking for familyfriendly meals and maybe do not need the "all-inclusive" package. Therefore today I want to offer you a very special offer for ournFamily Friendly only service that you can find atwww.dinewithoutwhine.com/sale .


All you need to do is visit www.dinewithoutwhine.com/saleand click the yellow "join now" tab at the top. Choose thelifetime membership and use coupon code: 25EA which will give you the discount.


If you would like to purchase a gift subscription, you may do so byclicking on the Gift Subscriptions link at the bottom of the page. Choose the lifetime option and make sure to enter the coupon code 25EA.


Hurry! Coupon expires Tuesday May 27th and is only good on Lifetime Memberships.


If you have any questions please let me know.

ENJOY!

Christine Steendahl

"The Menu Mom"

Have you checked out Menu Planning Central yet? (with Bonus Chicken Nugget Recipe)


http://www.menuplanningcentral.com/articles/family-dinner.html


Baked Chicken Nuggets

  1. 2 egg whites
  2. 1 tablespoon water
  3. 1 cup plain dry bread crumbs
  4. 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  5. 1 teaspoon paprika
  6. 1 teaspoon tarragon or basil
  7. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  8. 1 teaspoon onions flakes
  9. 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken, cut into 2-inch squares


Dipping Sauce:

  1. 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  2. 1 tablespoon honey
  3. 1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard


1. Stir ingredients together.
2. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick vegetable cooking spray or use nonstick pan.
3. Combine egg whites and water.
4. Combine crumbs, mustard, paprika, tarragon, pepper, and onion in plastic bowl with secure cover.
5. Coat each piece of chicken with egg white and then place in crumb bowl. Do a few at a time, place cover on bowl and shake to coat with crumbs.
6. Place nuggets on baking sheet, Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Take Care,
Christine Steendahl
"The Menu Mom"


Grab your ultimate menu pack
www.MenuPlanningCentral.com/main.html


Thanks for reading!


If you know someone who could benefit from this, feel free to forward it to them!


Not a subscriber yet? Like what you’ve read? Sign up to get future issues delivered straight to you and to grab your free menu planning basics report.


http://www.MenuPlanningCentral.com
Until next time!
Christine Steendahl


www.MenuPlanningCentral.com
PO Box 37161, Rock Hill, SC 29732, USA

What's for Supper Tonight?

I am SO ready for a long weekend and wanted to make something quick and filling, so this is what we had. . .

1. Enchilada Dinner Kit
2. Queso
3. Tortilla Chips
4. All the trimmings

  • Cook the beef. Add seasoning packet and enchilada sauce to cooked beef. Heat through.
  • Pour 1 cup of beef mixture in the bottom of a small casserole dish. Layer tortilla shells on top of the beef (should take 2-2-1/2). Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
  • Repeat until all ingredients are gone. Cheese should be on top.
  • Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
  • Serve with queso, chips, lettuce, sour cream, etc. Use whatever you have in the fridge.

It was a simple meal that we really enjoyed tonight.

ach

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Recipes at Target?

Here's something I never expected. . .recipes at Target.com? Well, technically, it's supertarget.com.

Click here to see the site.

Are You a Cheapskate?

There’s nothing like a good tip that puts money back in your pocket. As an “Everyday Cheapskate” reader, you’ll improve your consumer savvy, learn dozens of ways to spend less and save more, and find words of encouragement as you pursue your financial goals. Just visit EverydayCheapskate.com, enter your email address, and receive daily tips, inspiration and a financial education—for free!

Do you clean with an Arm & Hammer?

Baking soda is a wonder cleaner. Inexpensive, (you can purchase this at most dollar stores or even grocery stores for less then $1), it makes for a frugal cleaning dream. Whether you are a pro at house cleaning or just cleaning your own, here are a few of the many cleaning uses of baking soda.
  • To keep drains clean, pour about one tablespoon of baking soda in the drain, and follow it with half a cup of vinegar (strained waste vinegar). Leave to bubble for a few minutes, then pour boiling water down the drain. Doing this every week or so you will prevent get blocked drains! If the drains are blocked already, this process will unblock them if you repeat it several times.
    Use in place of expensive cleaning products such as tile cleaners, sink cleaners.
  • Sprinkle on your carpets and rugs before vacuuming, in place of carpet deodorizer. This works wonders and leaves a nice fresh scent.
  • Keep a small open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb smells.
  • Remove baked-on stains with a paste of two parts baking soda, one part salt, and enough lemon juice to make a thick paste. Spread over the stain and leave to dry, and then wash off.
  • Use as a deodorant for kitty litter boxes.
  • Make an all-purpose cleaner by mixing 1/2 cup cloudy ammonia, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon sodium bicarbonate and 4 liters (1 gallon) of hot water. (If you double the amounts of everything except water you will have a strong enough cleaner to tackle the heaviest jobs. Make sure you wear gloves, and don't mix the solution with bleach.)
  • Hopefully that will give you some cleaning tips using Baking Soda. Stay tuned for more great frugal housecleaning tips.

Anyone interested in NO COOK MEALS?

WeightWatchers.com has an article about it.

Click Here to read all about it.

The Importance Of Family Dinner

I found this article about Family Dinner interesting.

Tell me what YOU think.

ChangeOne.com

Check out this site from Readers Digest.
They have a newsletter that can be delivered to your inbox.

What's Wrong With My Waffles?

Click Here to see How to Make Great Waffles.

The Cheesecake Factory White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake--Oh Yeah Baby!

OK. I know what you are thinking. This is not quick. It is not cheap. And it sure isn't fat-free. This is one of those special occasion recipes. . .enjoy!


Crust:
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs or 20 crumbled Oreo cookies (filling removed)
1/3 cup margarine, melted

Filling:
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/4 cup water
4 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 eggs
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Optional Garnish:
2 ounces shaved white chocolate
whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place a large pan or oven-safe skillet filled with about 1/2-inch of water into the oven while it preheats. This will be your water bath.

2. Combine the raspberry preserves with 1/4 cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes on high in your microwave. Stir until smooth. Strain to remove the raspberry seeds (toss 'em out), then let the strained preserves sit to cool, then put the bowl in the refrigerator until later.

3. Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (or crush 20 Oreo cookie wafers -- with the filling scraped out -- in a resealable plastic bag) into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done.

4. Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs.

5. Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 ounces of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust. Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface of the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese. Just a couple passes is fine, you don't want to blend the raspberry and cream cheese together too much. Pour the other half of the filling into the crust.

6. Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

7. Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 ounces of shaved white chocolate. To serve, slice the cheesecake into 12 equal portions. Apply a pile of canned whipped cream to the top of each slice and serve.

Makes 12 servings.

Vegeterian Recipes Here

EatingWell.com has a set of 25 Healthy Vegeterian Recipes here.

Menu Planning Central--FREE SAMPLE MENUS

Run, don't walk to this site.

"Real" recipes for busy families. Here's what the site says about it:

Would you like to see what each of our weekly menus look like? Take a look at the samples below. You'll find one week's worth of menus for each of our 3 mailers plus the categorized shopping list to go along with each.

Of course there's more than just the mailers to Menu Planning Central. Join us
here to see what it's all about - with our 14-day money back guarantee you are not risking anything by signing up and taking a look.

Family Fun's Recipe Finder

Quickly locate the best dishes for every season using their Recipe Finder.

AWESOME family friendly recipes here.

10 Ways to Conquer Your Reading Pile

Is your reading pile getting so high that you can barely see over it? If so, it's time to conquer that pile. Here are 10 simple ways to do so:

HIGHLIGHT IT. When reading newspapers and magazines, read with a highlighter. Quickly skim through the publication, scanning each page and highlighting all headlines that are of interest to you. Then, go back and read only those highlighted articles.

TEAR IT OUT. If you don't have time right now to read those articles that you highlight, you may want to tear out the pages and schedule a time to read them later on. This way, you don't have to go through the entire publication again to determine what it was that you wanted to read. Plus, you won't be saving unnecessary newspaper and magazine clutter.

USE INDEX CARDS. When reading a book, use an index card to remember sections that you would like to reference later or share with someone else. On your index card, write down the page number, the area of the page (T=Top, M=Middle, B=Bottom) and one or two words to help you remember what it was that interested you. It's a waste of time to have to look through the entire book again to find something.

SPEED READ. If you have an enormous volume of information that you need to keep up with, you may want to consider taking a speed reading class. Some local universities offer speed reading courses. Use the phone book and/or the Web to locate classes in your area. Or you can choose to do it on your own, either by buying a book or borrowing one from your library.

SCHEDULE TIME TO READ. Schedule a specific date and time to read. Possibly dedicate 15 minutes a day to read, and indicate this appointment on your calendar. Keep that appointment with yourself, just like any other. In doing so, reading will soon become part of your daily routine.

AVOID CLUTTER. Since newspapers contain current events, those that are more than a day or two old generally contain old news. Magazines have a 1-2 month shelf life. Recycle old issues, or donate them to your library.

CREATE A 'TO READ' FILE. Create a TO READ file folder or basket to store all of your reading material. It's much easier to determine how much it is that you have to read, when everything is stored in one location, instead of all over your office or home.

BE REALISTIC. If your TO READ pile is beginning to look like a mountain, then you may be trying to bite off more than you can chew. Most people are over-ambitious when it comes to deciding how much time they can realistically dedicate to reading. Don't allow your reading pile to go over the edge of your reading basket. If it does, then it's time to weed it out.

BRING IT WITH YOU. If you're planning on spending your day out, put your day's reading materials into a file folder. Then, whenever you have the opportunity during the day, your reading material will be easily accessible. Some opportune times to read are while waiting in someone's office for an appointment, while riding on the train or bus, or when waiting in line at a check out counter.

SET REALISTIC READING GOALS. If you're trying to get through a book, setting a goal of reading a chapter a day may help. If chapters are really long, set your goal by a certain number of pages. For instance, you may read 10 pages per day. Determine the date you'd like to finish the book or periodical, and then work backwards to determine how many pages you must read per day in order to meet your deadline.

Mary Hunt was on CBS News

Click here to see the clip.

For those who don't know the name, you can check out her site here.

Homemade Whole Wheat English Muffins

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoon margarine
  • 1 envelope active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 3 1/2 cups (about) all-purpose flour Cornmeal
  1. Scald (I wasn't sure how to scald milk, so I found out online) the milk and stir in the sugar, salt, and margarine. Cool to warm (105 - 110 degrees F).
  2. Measure one cup of warm (same temperature) water into a large warm bowl. Sprinkle with the yeast, then stir until yeast is dissolved.
  3. Stir in the milk mixture, then stir in the whole-wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour. Beat with a spoon until smooth. Add enough additional flour to make a stiff dough.
  4. Turn out onto a floured board and knead two to three minutes, or until the dough can be formed into a ball (note: dough may be sticky).
  5. Put the dough in a greased bowl, turning over to grease all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place one hour, or until doubled in bulk.
  6. Punch the dough down with lightly floured fingertips.
  7. Divide the dough in half. On a board heavily sprinkled with cornmeal, pat each half into a half-inch thickness. Cut with a three-inch cookie cutter and put about two inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
  8. Let rise in a warm place a half hour, or until doubled in bulk. Cook on a lightly greased medium-hot griddle or skillet until well-browned on both sides, about ten minutes on each side.
  9. Cool on racks.
  10. To serve, split muffins and toast.
  11. Makes about eighteen muffins.

Don't we all love Better Homes and Gardens?

and here's more reasons to love them:

30 Minutes or Less & Easy Suppers

Superfoods

Spring Desserts

EatingWell.com

Have you ever seen this site?

I have found several recipes here. They have a newsletter that you can subscribe to that comes straight to your inbox.

Check it out!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin & Asparagus with Peanut Dipping Sauce


I am not a fan of asparagus,
but this recipe sounds good to me. . .



Grilled Chicken with Chipotle-Peach Glaze

Click here for a scrumptious sounding recipe called
Grilled Chicken with Chipotle-Peach Glaze

Wednesday, May 14, 2008


After Reilly's K4 Program last night.
Allison, Reilly and Momma
Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Apple Roast Pork Sandwiches

  • 1 4 lb pork roast
  • 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup apple juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt

  1. Place roast in dish or pan barely larger than roast.
  2. Douse roast on all sides with Worcestershire sauce.
  3. Press brown sugar on sides and top of roast.
  4. Pour apple juice into the baking pan but not over roast.
  5. Cover tightly with extra heavy foil and lid.
  6. Place roast in preheated 400° oven.
  7. Immediately reduce heat to 275°.
  8. Bake for 5 hours.
  9. Remove and allow to cool enough to handle.
  10. Meat should pull apart easily.
  11. Shred meat and sprinkle with salt.
  12. Spoon onto warm onion rolls.
  13. Serve with sliced apples or applesauce.

Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-Fry

  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup light soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons white wine or orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons peeled grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 4 ounces snow peas
  • 1/2 cup drained whole baby corn
  • 1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
  • 4 scallions, cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces


DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend the water, soy sauce, wine, cornstarch, and ginger together in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large wok or deep skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Stir-fry garlic until softened, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and stir-fry until pink, about 3 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add broccoli to wok and stir-fry until bright green, about 2 minutes. Add bell peppers and snow peas; stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 1 minute more.

3. Return shrimp to wok. Add corn, water chestnuts, and scallions. Stir sauce mixture to combine and add to wok; stir-fry until sauce thickens and boils, about 1 minute.

Five-Cheese Stuffed Shells

  • 20 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
  • 2 cups cooked chopped spinach
  • 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
  • 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 4 slices reduced-fat provolone cheese, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Dash pepper
  • 1 jar (26 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish with vegetable cooking spray; set aside.

2. Cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain.

3. Meanwhile, combine spinach, cheeses, egg, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl; spoon into shells. Arrange in prepared baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over top.

4. Cover and bake 40 to 45 minutes or until heated through.

Chicken Tacos

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound ground chicken
1 tablespoon flour
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, undrained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 taco shells
2 ounces reduced-fat Monterery Jack cheese, coarsely grated (1/2 cup)
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2/3 cup prepared tomato salsa

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes, until softened. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground chicken. Cook chicken about 3 minutes, until lightly browned, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon and stirring frequently.

2. Sprinkle flour over chicken mixture and stir until blended. Stir in undrained chopped green chilies, chili powder, oregano, and salt; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Spoon chicken mixture into taco shells. Sprinkle each with grated cheese and top with shredded lettuce. Spoon salsa over lettuce and serve immediately.

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