I finally made the time to sit down and make a meal plan for November!  (I've still got time, it's still October for a few more hours!)  The time spent to sit down made such a huge difference for us this Fall.  Life happens (which is why I have frozen pizzas on hand), but this give me a great framework to plan from and shop for!

I'm looking for some good crockpot recipes to add to my rotation.  If you have any that your family loves, I'd be thankful if you'd share it!

New School Year....This mom's getting her act together!

School starts tomorrow, and all of the fall activities just days after that.  My goal is to keep our family as organized as I can, so I'm trying to set ourselves up for success.   One of my biggest "ughs!" is planning dinner.  I don't mind the cooking, just the thinking about what to have and then figuring out if I have what I need to get it on the table.   I sat down and made a meal plan for September and October.  It took about 25 minutes or so, and viola!  Here's a peek...

Life happens, so I have some last minute staples...like frozen pizzas in the freezer!

I like the unscheduled life of summer, but it's time to get a daily routine for myself going again.  I came across a great challenge that focuses on exercise, daily devotions and healthy eating!  It starts 9/16 and I'm so excited!  For more info on Peak 313's 5 week challenge, check out http://peak313.com/featured/the-2nd-annual-living-and-active-challenge/

Happy New School Year!

Taquitos!

Taquitos!
This summer I had each of my daughters prepare dinner for our family.  We had quite the variety of recipes (which was great!) and it was nice to have new meals to put into the rotation.    One of the choices my daughter found online for taquitos.  I couldn't find the original recipe that she had so I found another one today and then tweaked it to accommodate the ingredients that I had in my pantry and fridge.  Feel free to experiment with what you have on hand!  I would have posted a picture, but there wasn't one left to photograph!

1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
2 tbsp taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
1/3 cup light cream cheese
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup of light sour cream
1 cup grated cheese
12 small flour tortillas (can also use corn tortillas)

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and break it up into crumbles as it cooks. Add the taco seasoning and cook the beef about 8 minutes until cooked through.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add salsa, sour cream, taco seasoning and cheese and stir to combine. Once the beef is browned, add the beef and combine well.

Place 2-3 tbsp of beef mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll it up as tight as you can. If your tortillas are cracking or breaking, you can microwave them for 10-20 seconds with a damp paper towel over top. Once rolled, place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

You can serve these with guacamole, sour cream or salsa.    The serving size is two taquitos per person which was very filling.  Put a salad on the table and you are good to go!

White Lasagna--YUM!

White Lasagne

This is a delicious make ahead dinner!    I put it together last night and then I just popped it in the oven when I got home from school this afternoon.  It was soooo good!!

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 can of evaporated milk

½ cup of milk
2 small containers of ricotta cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup (8oz.) sour cream

1 T diced garlic

1 cup chopped broccoli (I used fresh, but frozen would be fine too.)
2 cups cubed cooked ham
½ a box of uncooked lasagna noodles (Aprox. 16)

·         Combine the eggs, evaporated milk, regular milk, ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, sour cream, ham and broccoli into a mixing bowl.

·         Place 1/3 of the creamy ham mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

·         Cover with a layer of uncooked noodles on top of the ham mixture.

·         Repeat, creating two more layers. 

·         Cover the noodles with the remaining creamy ham sauce. Make sure that the noodles are not sticking out of the sauce. Push them down in so they're fully covered.  I added a layer of shredded cheddar cheese on top, but you could leave it out if you want.

·         Bake (covered) at 350 for 1 hour.  Let it rest for 15 before serving.

Brining a turkey--the only way to prepare it! (In my opinion!)

This recipe has been a Thanksgiving tradition in our house since 1999.  I was home on maternity leave, awaiting baby #2 who was due 2 weeks after Thanksgiving.  I had a lot of time to watch the food network and Alton Brown talked about brining a turkey.  I thought it was a great idea and my husband thought I was nuts to "test out" this recipe on Thanksgiving when we had 22 people coming to dinner!  I'm sure he was thinking PB&J was going to be the back up plan, but he humored me and got a 5 gallon bucket out for me to brine the turkey.  Turns out, it was the BEST turkey ever!!  Alton knew what he was talking about!  Now every year, Jess gets out the turkey bucket before I can even ask him to!  The leftover turkey is so moist and juicy and makes those day after sandwiches even better!  Here's the recipe:

Brine Solution:
1 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 gallon of vegetable stock (I've used chicken stock and even boullion cubes in a pinch!)
1/2 T pepper
1/2 T all spice
1/2 T ground ginger

• Combine the above and bring to a boil on the stove until the sugar and salt dissolve.   Let it cool to room temperature.  Combine the cooled brine solution and 1 gallon of ice water in a clean 5 gallon bucket.
• Place your thawed turkey breast side down  in the bucket and cover.  Keep in a cool area like the basement or garage, overnight.

The next morning:

• Heat oven to 500 degrees.
• Rinse turkey and place in roasting pan.  Pat dry.  
• Add the following into the cavity of the turkey: 
• 1 apple quartered
• 1/2 onion quartered
• rosemary and sage.

• Rub turkey with canola oil.  Form a double layer of aluminum foil to fit the turkey breast and set aside.  Put turkey into the oven, uncovered for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, cover breast with the foil and return to the oven with a reduced temperature of 350 degrees.  Roast until the turkey reaches an internal temp of 161 degrees.  A 14-16 pound turkey will take 2- 2 1/2 hours.  Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Enjoy!!

Desperate times....

So, I've taken a sabbatical from desserts....yesterday marked 10 weeks without any treats, candy, desserts etc.  I was baking apple pies yesterday, apple sauce and apple tarts to put in the freezer and I was more than tempted to have a piece, but I didn't.  However, I couldn't get the thought of the pie out of my mind so I created the following.....Apple Pie Popcorn.  Weird right?!!!!  But don't judge till you've tried it, because I think I've found a way for me to keep on the wagon and still have the "taste"!

Air-popped Popcorn sprayed with "I can't believe it's not butter"
a pinch of brown sugar...a.small, frugal pinch!
cinnamon-about a 1/2 teaspoon
salt- a generous pinch

All combined, it had the pie spice elements and it was really good!  It was certainly no apple pie, but it was something that I will add to my repetoire of snacks!

Apple Squares

Apple Squares

Living in Western New York, we are so fortunate to be able to pick some of the most delicious apples available!!  We pick a bunch....to enjoy as God made them, for applesauce, and in all sorts of desserts.  Apple Squares are one of my favorites.  It's quick to make, especially if you have an apple peeler/corer machine!  It does the tedious work for you!!

This is a super yummy recipe and it freezes really well, so I usually make a double batch....one for the family to enjoy now and one for the future!  (The second one to put in the freezer doesn't need to be baked ahead of time. However, you can freeze it if it's already baked!)

Crust/Topping
In a bowl combine 3/4 cup of melted butter, 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup rolled oats.
Combine all of the above --Reserve 1 Cup of the mixture--press the rest into a 9x13 pan that you've sprayed with cooking spray.

Filling
6 cups of apples peeled and sliced.  Place on the crust

In a sauce pan, combine 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, 1 t vanilla, 1/2 t cinnamon and 1/4 cup of flour. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly until it comes to a boil.  Pour over the apples.

Spread reserved crust over the apples and bake for 45 minutes.

**When I make the recipe, I double crust and apple portion and make only one batch of sauce...for me, it's sweet enough to cover two pans.  If you have a stronger sweet tooth, you may want to try the recipe as is the first time through.