Tomatillo Soup

This is a recipe from my friend Krissa... I am trying it this week for the first time, it sounds so good I had to share it!!!

Tomatillo Soup

Saute in big pot approx 10-15 min:
1 large onion
2-3 garlic cloves
2 lbs Tomatillos (about 10)
2 Tablespoons Cumin

Add & Simmer:
6 Chicken Breast cooked & shredded
2 49 1/2oz Chicken Broth cans
2 16oz Fresh Salsa from deli
2 29oz cans Yellow Hominy (drained)
2 29oz cans White Hominy (drained)

Serve with:
Blue or White tortilla chips
Avocado
White Rice
Grated Cheese
Sour cream
Limes

Caramel Brownies!

These are awesome, they taste way better than this picture looks. They are easy and fabulous with vanilla ice cream.

1 pkg (14 oz) caramels
2/3 Cup evaporate milk
1 pkg German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1 pkg (6 oz) chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (optional)

Melt carmels in 1/3 cup evaporate milk. Set aside. Mix remaining milk, cake mix and melted butter with beaters. Press 1/2 of mixture in greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes.

Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips and spread melted caramel. Dot with remaining dough mixture.

Bake 15 minutes more. Cool and refridgerate.

Chicken Roll-Ups

This was a family favorite growing up, so kid friendly and easy to make. I made them tonight - definitely leftover worthy!

About 2 c. cooked chicken
2 8oz. containers cream cheese with chives
salt and pepper to taste
mushrooms (opt.)
green onions (opt.)
2 packages crescent rolls

Mix all ingredients, except for the crescent rolls, together and roll up in crescent rolls. Put in melted butter and then cover in crushed seasoned croutons.

Bake at 350 until golden brown. Serve with cream of chicken soup diluted with some milk. Serve over rice.

Cowboy Caviar

Thank the Drapers of Utah (known from Oklahoma) for this ever-popular appetizer. I enjoy getting creative with this side-dish, and it is sure to be a favorite whether served "As-Is" or embellished upon. Thanks.

Chops

Cutting Brownies

I read awhile ago on This Week For Dinner (link on the side), that if you use a plastic knife to cut brownies it is way easier. Last night i made brownies and it is SO TRUE! I cut them straight out of the oven so they were super hot and they cut no problem without all the gunk on my knife...if you know what i'm talking about. Anyways i had to share the tip. Go check out her post for more info (i also borrowed this picture from her site)

Deceptive Lasagna...

...with sweet potato and cauliflower.

Ok... here is another yummy healthy meal from that cookbook. Jenny, I will tell you my secret. I don't want to puree EVERYTHING. Somethings are too hard to puree like sweet potatoes and squash, so I buy some baby food. One Gerber baby food is exactly 1/2 a cup. For the cauliflower and everything else it is super easy, but baby food is a good alternative. :)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb lean ground turkey 

1 tsp salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tbsp flour

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp fat free sour cream

1/2 C sweet potato puree

1/2 C grated Parmesan

1 (26 ounce) or 2 (15 ounce) cans whole, peeled tomatoes, wiht their juice

1 small onion, chopped

1 C lowfat cottage cheese

1 large egg white

1/2 C cauliflower puree

1 (8 ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles 

2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Coat an 8x12 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. For the meat filling, brown turkey springk with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink, 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and half of the garlic, stir, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Off the heat, stir in the sour cream, sweet potato puree, and half (1/4 c) of the Parmesan cheese, set aside.

3. For the sauce, combine the tomatoes and juice. the onion, and the remaining garlic and Parmesan (1/4 c) in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or large measuring cup. Or use jarred sauce and just add Parmesan.

4. In the same blender or food processor, blend the cottage cheese, egg white, and cauliflower puree until smooth; set aside.

5. To assemble, spread 1 C of the tomato sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Layer about one-third of the noodles on top, covering the sauce completely. Spread the meat filling over them. Cover with another one third of the noodles and then spread all of the cottage cheese mixture over them.  Make another layer with the rest of the noodles and spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the top. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella.

6. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake until the cheese has melted and the noodles are cooked through, about 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes longer or until the top is bubble and browned.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Serve this with some french fries (or, better yet, garlic fries) and cole slaw, and you're good to go! While the recipe utilizes pork, beef would surely work equally as well (but maybe take the cloves out and substitute with garlic...just a suggestion).

4 lb. pork roast
2 onions, sliced, divided
1 onion, chopped
5 or 6 whole cloves
2 cups water
16 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
Salt and pepper

Place one sliced onion at the bottom of a crock pot that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Stud pork roast with cloves and season with salt and pepper. Place roast in slow cooker on top of the sliced onion. Cover with the second sliced onion and add enough water to fill crock pot two-thirds of the way. Cover and cook on low 8-12 hours. Remove roast. Remove and discard cloves, bone and fat, as well as any water, onions and grease remaining in the pot. Shred pork and return to crock pot. Mix in chopped onion and BBQ sauce and cover. Heat on high for an additional 1-3 hours. Serve on large, crusty buns.

"Deceptively Delicious" Pancakes

I got this great cookbook for Christmas called "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food". It is the coolest book because it actually has secret ingredients! We tried out the pancakes with hidden sweet potatoes and they were REALLY Good! Here is the recipe! Here is a picture of what the "cook's" looked like... and then a picture of mine! We had break fast this morning, and had a vegetable and two fruits while eating pancakes... a good way to start the new year!

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Sweet Potato Puree (Shh!!! Don't tell.)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional)

1 Cup pancake mix

Nonstick cooking spray

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

Pure maple syrup, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix the water, sweet potato puree, and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, if using.  Add the pancake mix and stir just to combine the batter-should be lumpy.

2. Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, and spoon the batter onto the griddle or pan, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.

3. Cook until bubbles form on top of the pancakes and the batter is set, 2 to 3 minutes.  Then use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook them until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes.