Healthy Brownies?

When I am at the gym I generally watch 'Live with Regis and Kelly' while running on the treadmill or doing the elliptical. Yesterday they had Jessica Seinfeld on the show. She was promoting her new cookbook about deceiving your children hiding veggies in food that your kids actually will eat. She shared a recipe for brownies that are made with carrots and spinach. I haven't actually tried this recipe, though I do plan on doing so. I just found it to be interesting and wanted to share.

Jessica Seinfeld's Brownies (click for recipe).

I'll let you know how they taste after I make them.

Bibimbap

This recipe was in the "Relish" Magazine that sometimes comes in our local newspaper. We had this at a friend's house a few weeks ago and the kids loved it as well as the adults. It takes a little bit of work, but it is not too bad. If you get the butcher to cut your meat for you it will be faster. It is very yummy.

Bibimbap (click for the recipe)

I doubled this recipe to feed my family of 6. It calls for rice wine, which I could not find at Walmart. I did a little checking on line and you can substitute apple juice or white grape juice for the rice wine.

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal cookies

I cut this recipe out of Woman's Day magazine several years ago. It is a favorite at our house.

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granlated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup each flour and quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup golden rasins (I've never used raisins, blech!)

1. Heat oven to 350. Have cookie sheets ready.
2. In a large bowl with mixer on medium speed, beat butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add sugars, baking powder and baking soda; beat until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well blended. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour and oats just until well blended. Stir in raisins.
3. Roll level measuring Tbsps dough into 1 1/4-in. balls. Place 1 1/2 in. apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with tines of a fork, making crisscross design.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipes I've borrowed from other blogs

I have found a few really yummy recipes from other blogs. I thought I would pass on these great recipes to you!

Deanne at "Fragile Flower" has shared several great recipes on her blog. You can find two of them here. The Chicken Lasagna Florentine is one of my family's new favorites!! I do leave out the salt that it calls for when I make it.

Speaking of lasagna, Carronin posted a great recipe for her famous lasagna awhile back. It is very yummmmmy!

I found this recipe for Hawaiian Chicken Bake at "My so called perfect life". I love the combination of pineapple and stuffing. Mmmmmm. It is also really easy to make and I do love easy!

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as my family has.

Hearty Six-Can Chili

This is a recipe that came with my Pampered Chef can opener, which I love by the way. I also love this recipe. We like to eat it with tortilla chips and cheese, or with corn bread fresh from the oven.

Hearty Six-Can Chili
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans (15 1/2 oz. each) chili beans in sauce, undrained
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon chili powder

1. Cook hamburger and onion in large pan until meat is no longer pink. Drain, if necessary.
2. Add remaining ingredients to beef mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer covered, over low heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Makes 8 servings.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

This is another recipe I got from the Kraft Foods Magazine. I've also seen it printed on the back of a Stove top box. It is very yummy and very easy!!!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (5 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup hot water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place tomatoes with their liquid in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, 1/2 cup hot water and the garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.
2. Place chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with basil and cheese. Top with the prepared stuffing.
3. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Makes 5 servings.

Beefy Tomato Soup

Fall is in the air at our house. We didn't even get in the 50's today. That means it is soup weather!
I've had this recipe for years. It is quick and easy and the kids love it.

Beefy Tomato Soup
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large can tomato juice
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 tsp. chili powder

In a large saucepan cook beef until no longer pink, drain. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 15-20minutes or until macaroni is tender.

Taco Twist Soup

The original recipe was meatless, but I usually add 1 pound lean hamburger to it.

Taco Twist Soup
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons olive or canola oil
3 cups beef broth or vegetable broth
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
1-1/2 cups picante sauce
1 cup uncooked spiral pasta
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, picante sauce, pasta, green pepper and seasonings. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with cheese and sour cream.

Ham and Cheese Stuff 'n Puff

I wish that I could claim this recipe as my own, but I can't. I get rave reviews everytime I make it which is usually for book club. I doubled it when I made it for a baby shower last Saturday and again it was a hit. I got this recipe from a Kraft Foods magazine, but it can be found on-line here.

Ham and Cheese Stuff'n Puff
Prep Time: 5 min

Total Time: 1 hr 10 min

Makes: 6 servings

5 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
9 oz. (1-1/2 [6-oz.] pkg.) OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham, chopped
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Beat eggs, milk and sour cream in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add broccoli, dry stuffing mix, ham and 1/2 cup of the cheese; mix lightly.
POUR mixture into 2-qt. baking dish or 9-inch pie plate; cover loosely with foil.
BAKE 1 hour. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted and mixture is cooked through.

White Texas Sheet Cake

I got this recipe from my mother in law. She is an awesome cook, sadly I can't compare. Hubby is sweet about telling me otherwise. :)

White Texas Sheet Cake
Preheat oven to 375.
Bring to boil:
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup water

Remove from heat and mix with:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. soda
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup sour cream
Pour into greased pan and bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before frosting.

Frosting:
Bring to boil:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup milk
add:
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Mix well and pour on cake. Sprinkle with 1 cup chopped nuts if desired.

Chicken Rolls

Chicken Rolls are one of those recipes that look and taste like you spent hours in the kitchen when you really didn't.

Chicken Rolls

1lb. chicken, cooked and diced

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls

2 pkg. chicken gravy mix

Preheat oven according to directions on crescent roll package. Mix diced chicken and softened cream cheese together. Place small amount (about a tablespoon) of mixture on one crescent roll. Roll up and place on large baking sheet. Continue until all rolls are used. Bake rolls for about 15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and cooked through. While baking chicken rolls make gravy according to package directions. I usually have left over chicken/cream cheese mixture - I add that to the gravy. Pour gravy over individual chicken rolls and serve.

Baked Spaghetti

This was a recipe that my mom used to make. It makes a lot so quite often we would take it to church functions. I make this a lot when I am taking dinner to someone. Makes one for them and one for my family. Or you can bake one and freeze one for a later time.

Baked Spaghetti
1lb. spaghetti noodles
4 lb. ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
4 cans cream of tomato soup
1 qt. milk
1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Pre-heat oven to 350. Cook spaghetti. While spaghetti is cooking, brown the hamburger with green pepper and onion. Drain off fat. Mix soups and milk and 2 cups cheese and add to the hamburger. Divide cooked spaghetti evenly between two 13x9 inch casserole dishes. Pour meat mixture on top then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake for an hour or until heated through.

Easy Fruit Salad

Easy Fruit Salad
20 oz. can pineapple chunks
14 oz. can fruit cocktail
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 box lemon pudding

Combine all ingredients including juice from pineapple and fruit cocktail. Mix well and let chill before serving.

Cowboy Cookies

I got this recipe from Desert book. It was mentioned in the book Almost Sisters. Very yummy!

Cowboy Cookies
1 cup shortening (butter flavor Crisco is yummy)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 to 2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups oatmeal (or more if the dough seems too wet; should be old fashioned kind)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup coconut (not the flaked kind)
1 pkg Nestle's chocolate hunks (chocolate chips work good too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs, both at the same time. Beat well. Add soda, salt, baking powder to flour, then add it all to creamed mixture. Add vanilla. Beating by hand, add nuts, oatmeal, coconut, and chocolate. Drop by teaspoonsful onto a greased (or Teflon) baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes a lot of cookies, depending on how big you want them.

Winter White Chili

I found this recipe in the cookbook, Favorite Brand Name One-Dish Recipes and Secrets of Slow Cooking. I picked this cookbook up real cheap at a school fundraiser when the twins were in preschool. I have tried only a few of the recipes, but my family LOVES this one.


Winter White Chili
1/2 pound boneless pork loin or 2 boneless pork chops, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 (16-ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16-ounce) can chick-peas, drained and rinsed [I've used white kidney beans too]
1 (16-ounce) can white kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2 -ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin*
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

In 4-quart saucepan, saute pork and onion in oil over medium-high heat until onion is soft and pork is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. We like to eat it with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Yummmy!

*In my opinion this ingredient is what gives this recipe it's great flavor. If you don't have some I highly recommend that you get some. Just my opinion though. :D