This is from my friend Ashley who is great at cheap and easy meals....
1 head of broccoli
1 box of pasta
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
1. bring broccoli to boil
2. add pasta to water and broccoli
3. when pasta is finished,drain
4. add parmesan cheese and olive oil
Everyone in my family gobbled it up, and it was soooo easy.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Fried Rice
Paula’s Fried Rice
(Taught to her by her mother, Lora Dee Christensen)
Ingredients:
Rice (cooked ahead and refrigerated) the amount is totally dependent on how much you want! (2 cups rice cooked in four cups of water)
Bacon (I use the grease to sauté the vegetables in, so how many slices, again, depends on how much you
want to make!) (4-6 slices bacon)
Vegetables:
Onion, chopped into small pieces (one medium onion)
Celery, sliced at an angle thinly (two stalks celery)
Broccoli, broken into very small pieces (can be microwaved ahead and placed into the mix at the very end of the process if it is easier for you) (half cup broccoli pieces)
Green pepper (or any other color pepper!), cut into small pieces one green pepper
Carrots, grated (1 cup grated carrot)
Frozen peas (I don’t always use these, but they add a nice touch!), take them out of the freezer shortly before you are going to use them so that they don’t totally thaw out.
Meat, can be ham, chicken, turkey, shrimp, pork…… (1 cup meat OR MORE!)
Eggs, scrambled (2-4 scrambled eggs)
Soy sauce (2-4 Tablespoons)
Pepper
Canola oil
Instructions:
1) Cook the rice the night or morning before you are going to make the fried rice, if possible. This
is not necessary; it just makes the texture of the rice better in the fried rice. It will just be kind
of “mushy” if you don’t, but will still taste good!
2) Prepare the vegetables ahead of time. This is also not necessary, but makes the process MUCH more enjoyable!!! I usually get out a bunch of plastic bags and do all the vegetables ahead and have them ready earlier in the day to facilitate being able to make the rice quickly and without being frustrated later!
3) Fry the bacon to “crispy” but no further! Watch carefully so that the grease doesn’t get too cooked, because you are going to use the grease to sauté the vegetables in.
4) While the bacon is frying, cut up the meat into the size pieces you want to have in your rice.
5) When bacon is finished, take out the bacon and set aside for later use.
6) Sauté onions, celery, broccoli and green peppers until soft to degree you like them (probably about five minutes).
7) While vegetables sauté, scramble eggs in separate pan, set aside with bacon pieces.
8) Also while vegetables sauté, cut up the cooked bacon into small pieces.
9) When vegetables are done, throw in the rice and meat. Cook until rice and meat are warm. Add the grated carrot and partially thawed peas. Cook until peas are just warm. Add the scrambled eggs. Add soy sauce and pepper to taste.
If the rice is dry, add some canola oil until moist to taste…a very little at a time!
CONGRATULATE YOURSELF!!!
ENJOY!!!!
(Taught to her by her mother, Lora Dee Christensen)
Ingredients:
Rice (cooked ahead and refrigerated) the amount is totally dependent on how much you want! (2 cups rice cooked in four cups of water)
Bacon (I use the grease to sauté the vegetables in, so how many slices, again, depends on how much you
want to make!) (4-6 slices bacon)
Vegetables:
Onion, chopped into small pieces (one medium onion)
Celery, sliced at an angle thinly (two stalks celery)
Broccoli, broken into very small pieces (can be microwaved ahead and placed into the mix at the very end of the process if it is easier for you) (half cup broccoli pieces)
Green pepper (or any other color pepper!), cut into small pieces one green pepper
Carrots, grated (1 cup grated carrot)
Frozen peas (I don’t always use these, but they add a nice touch!), take them out of the freezer shortly before you are going to use them so that they don’t totally thaw out.
Meat, can be ham, chicken, turkey, shrimp, pork…… (1 cup meat OR MORE!)
Eggs, scrambled (2-4 scrambled eggs)
Soy sauce (2-4 Tablespoons)
Pepper
Canola oil
Instructions:
1) Cook the rice the night or morning before you are going to make the fried rice, if possible. This
is not necessary; it just makes the texture of the rice better in the fried rice. It will just be kind
of “mushy” if you don’t, but will still taste good!
2) Prepare the vegetables ahead of time. This is also not necessary, but makes the process MUCH more enjoyable!!! I usually get out a bunch of plastic bags and do all the vegetables ahead and have them ready earlier in the day to facilitate being able to make the rice quickly and without being frustrated later!
3) Fry the bacon to “crispy” but no further! Watch carefully so that the grease doesn’t get too cooked, because you are going to use the grease to sauté the vegetables in.
4) While the bacon is frying, cut up the meat into the size pieces you want to have in your rice.
5) When bacon is finished, take out the bacon and set aside for later use.
6) Sauté onions, celery, broccoli and green peppers until soft to degree you like them (probably about five minutes).
7) While vegetables sauté, scramble eggs in separate pan, set aside with bacon pieces.
8) Also while vegetables sauté, cut up the cooked bacon into small pieces.
9) When vegetables are done, throw in the rice and meat. Cook until rice and meat are warm. Add the grated carrot and partially thawed peas. Cook until peas are just warm. Add the scrambled eggs. Add soy sauce and pepper to taste.
If the rice is dry, add some canola oil until moist to taste…a very little at a time!
CONGRATULATE YOURSELF!!!
ENJOY!!!!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Smore Cookie Bars
If you are trying to stay away from sugar these days DO NOT MAKE THESE...I reapeat...DO NOT MAKE THESE.
They are our family's new addiction. Uh-oh
Smore Cookie Bar
1 c. butter, softened
1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 c. flour
2 c. mini marshmallows
1 ½ c. chocolate chips
5 graham crackers, broken
Grease 9x13 pan. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Fold in marshmallows, chips and crackers. Spread into pan.
Bake 350 for 25 minutes.
Cool. Cut into bite size bars.
They are our family's new addiction. Uh-oh
Smore Cookie Bar
1 c. butter, softened
1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 c. flour
2 c. mini marshmallows
1 ½ c. chocolate chips
5 graham crackers, broken
Grease 9x13 pan. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Fold in marshmallows, chips and crackers. Spread into pan.
Bake 350 for 25 minutes.
Cool. Cut into bite size bars.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tilapia with Mango Avacado Salsa
As you can tell, Danny and I love fresh tasting, flavorful meals. Made this one with the remaining tilapia in the freezer and ingredients I had from my bi-weekly fresh produce box (along with some past experience at making mango salsas). Fresh, healthy, and delicious! Danny rated it a 10!
3 servings:
Ingredients:
3 Tilapia fillets
sea salt
Fresh ground pepper (we love the peppercorn medley grinder you can find in the store)
lemon pepper
cumin
Salsa:
1 mango
1 avacado
1 tomato
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
juice of 1/2 or 1 lime
1/8-1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I just eyeballed it, but that's probably how much I used)
cumin
salt
Start by preparing the mango avacado salsa. Chop the mango, avacado, and tomato into small pieces. Put them together in a bowl with the diced red onion, seeded and diced jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro. Sprinkle some salt and cumin on top. Mix gently (so you don't mash the avacado). Let sit at least a half hour while cooking the fish for the flavors to combine.
Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray generously with Pam. Lay thawed tilapia fillets on sheet. Season with sea salt, pepper, and a little lemon pepper and cumin. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the tilapia is still moist but flakes with a fork. Top each fillet with a generous heaping of mango avacado salsa, and enjoy!
P.S. That mango salsa would be delicious with chips or probably on other types of seafood or chicken. Yum!
3 servings:
Ingredients:
3 Tilapia fillets
sea salt
Fresh ground pepper (we love the peppercorn medley grinder you can find in the store)
lemon pepper
cumin
Salsa:
1 mango
1 avacado
1 tomato
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
juice of 1/2 or 1 lime
1/8-1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I just eyeballed it, but that's probably how much I used)
cumin
salt
Start by preparing the mango avacado salsa. Chop the mango, avacado, and tomato into small pieces. Put them together in a bowl with the diced red onion, seeded and diced jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro. Sprinkle some salt and cumin on top. Mix gently (so you don't mash the avacado). Let sit at least a half hour while cooking the fish for the flavors to combine.
Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray generously with Pam. Lay thawed tilapia fillets on sheet. Season with sea salt, pepper, and a little lemon pepper and cumin. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the tilapia is still moist but flakes with a fork. Top each fillet with a generous heaping of mango avacado salsa, and enjoy!
P.S. That mango salsa would be delicious with chips or probably on other types of seafood or chicken. Yum!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Double Chocolate Cookies
We let Skylar choose some cookies to make in honor of her getting six stitches in her forehead today. She did a dang good job! Mom says she has a new favorite cookie, and I may have to agree with her. These cookies are delicious. I had to modify the recipe according to what we had on hand, and here is exactly what we did.
Double Chocolate Cookies (a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips)
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips
1 C all purpose flour
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Divide the bag of chocolate chips in half. Melt half of them in the microwave at level 7 heat, however you do this in your microwave. I plug 1:00 in my microwave and push "power level," hit 7 and then push start. Then I stir the chocolate chips and repeat the process in 10-15 second segments until the chocolate is smooth.
Set the chocolate aside. Mix butter with sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to mix well. Add melted chocolate, stir.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until well mixed. Mix in remaining chocolate chips. let dough sit for 45 minutes in order to let melted chocolate cool in the dough. While you are waiting, preheat the oven to 350. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. They will harden a little while cooling so do not over cook. Let cool for at least five minutes and enjoy!
Hope you like these as much as we did!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Mint Brownies
CHOCOLATE LOVER’S FAVORITE MINT BROWNIES
From “A Pinch of Salt Lake” Cookbook
Family favorite
(Used to be Justin’s “specialty”)—he’s not here to make them anymore—sob,sob,sob!!!!
Brownies:
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
4 1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate
Or
¾ cup cocoa mixed into ¼ cup melted margarine or butter
2 ½ cups sifted flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup broken walnuts or pecans
Mint frosting:
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
Few drops pink or green food coloring
Glaze topping:
6 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325o. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, and butter until fluffily. Beat in eggs until well blended; then add melted chocolate. Sift flour, measure, sift again with dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture along with vanilla and nuts. Spread in a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch baking pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until no imprint is left when touched with finger. Do not over bake.
Mix all frosting ingredients until creamy and spread on brownies. Refrigerate 1 hour. Combine butter and chocolate chips in top of double boiler; add vanilla and blend thoroughly. Pour gently over pin or green frosting and spread by tipping pan; refrigerate.
From “A Pinch of Salt Lake” Cookbook
Family favorite
(Used to be Justin’s “specialty”)—he’s not here to make them anymore—sob,sob,sob!!!!
Brownies:
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
4 1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate
Or
¾ cup cocoa mixed into ¼ cup melted margarine or butter
2 ½ cups sifted flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup broken walnuts or pecans
Mint frosting:
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
Few drops pink or green food coloring
Glaze topping:
6 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325o. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, and butter until fluffily. Beat in eggs until well blended; then add melted chocolate. Sift flour, measure, sift again with dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture along with vanilla and nuts. Spread in a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch baking pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until no imprint is left when touched with finger. Do not over bake.
Mix all frosting ingredients until creamy and spread on brownies. Refrigerate 1 hour. Combine butter and chocolate chips in top of double boiler; add vanilla and blend thoroughly. Pour gently over pin or green frosting and spread by tipping pan; refrigerate.
Summer Chicken and Veggie Pasta
Hey sistas, here is an easy meal that I just came up with tonight, and that Danny and I loved! We get one of those fresh produce boxes every other week, and had a bunch of veggies I needed to use up before they went bad. I love meals with lots of veggies incorporated into the main dish, so looked at what I had in the fridge, freezer, and pantry, put it all together, and ended up really liking it!
Ingredients:
1 box Pasta Roni, fettucini flavored (and the water, milk, and butter for preparing it)
6 chicken tenders
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
rosemary
basil
italian seasoning
parsley
olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 minced garlic cloves
few handfulls fresh spinach
1 zucchini
1 yellow summer squash
Couple dashes red pepper flakes
2 tomatoes, chopped
Season the chicken generously with sea salt, ground pepper, and rosemary, and bake at 375 for 18 minutes (or until done). Begin cooking the Pasta Roni as directed with the water, milk, and butter. Also add basil, rosemary, and a little Italian seasoning to the pasta mix. While cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet. Saute garlic, green onions, and spinach for a few minutes until spinach is slightly wilted. Set aside in a bowl. In the skillet now saute the zucchini and summer squash with the red pepper flakes for a few minutes until softened. Add the spinach mixture and tomatoes. the chicken is done, cut it into thin slices and add that and then the finished pasta roni. Mix it all together in the skillet, and enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 box Pasta Roni, fettucini flavored (and the water, milk, and butter for preparing it)
6 chicken tenders
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
rosemary
basil
italian seasoning
parsley
olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 minced garlic cloves
few handfulls fresh spinach
1 zucchini
1 yellow summer squash
Couple dashes red pepper flakes
2 tomatoes, chopped
Season the chicken generously with sea salt, ground pepper, and rosemary, and bake at 375 for 18 minutes (or until done). Begin cooking the Pasta Roni as directed with the water, milk, and butter. Also add basil, rosemary, and a little Italian seasoning to the pasta mix. While cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet. Saute garlic, green onions, and spinach for a few minutes until spinach is slightly wilted. Set aside in a bowl. In the skillet now saute the zucchini and summer squash with the red pepper flakes for a few minutes until softened. Add the spinach mixture and tomatoes. the chicken is done, cut it into thin slices and add that and then the finished pasta roni. Mix it all together in the skillet, and enjoy!
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