Hamburger Lentil Soup

    This is a dish that is hearty, inexpensive, and delicious! It is one of my hubby’s favorites. It is also a good crockpot dish. You should try it while the weather is still wintery!

Hamburger Lentil Soup                                      
1 lb. ground beef
1 46 oz. can tomato juice (or puree about 3 cups of diced tomatoes, I use one jar of home-canned)
4 c. hot water
1 1/2 cups dried lentils (rinsed and sorted)
1 c carrots, chopped
1 c celery, chopped
1/2 c. onion, minced or use dried minced onion
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. minced green bell pepper (I’ve never added this)
1 tsp salt (don’t skimp, I think it needs the whole tsp)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 c brown sugar

Cook hamburger until browned.  Drain fat.  Add juice and water and bring to a boil.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil again.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or cook in a Crockpot all day on low or half a day on high.  Serves  8.

Source: Julie Roberts

Chicken Cordon Bleu

    Pinterest strikes again! This was a gem of a find. Delicious, and not too complicated, although it looks and tastes like it. My kids even gobbled it up! (Always a big endorsement around here).

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half (like you’re butterflying, but finish the cut)
  • 12 slices deli ham
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 6 slices Swiss or Provolone cheese
Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard (more if you like a strong mustard flavor)
  • ¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • Parsley, for garnish
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter; set aside.
  3. Lay all of the chicken breast halves in a single layer in the bottom of your baking dish. Top each breast with two slices of ham and 1 slice of cheese, so that the entire breast is covered. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
  4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (clear juices), the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are golden brown. You may want to broil the chicken for a minute or two to really brown the bread crumbs.
  5. While the chicken is cooking, melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux, cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk and chicken broth while whisking constantly, make sure there are no clumps. Whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Parmesan cheese, until the cheese is melted. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm.
  6. Remove chicken from oven, plate, and top with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. I added the parsley to the sauce itself.

Source: www.whitelightsonwednesday.com

Wrong Road

    I have a 10 year old son who is struggling with some big questions, one of which is, “Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” That is a difficult question to answer. I was so glad when I stumbled upon this short video because I think it answers the question well and it seemed to help him.
    This is a question that adults struggle with just as much. Especially when we feel we are doing all of the right things to get an answer.

Beef and Broccoli Pie

    My wonderful Mother-In-Law gave me a huge recipe book for Christmas a couple of years ago. I am slowly working my way through it because it is filled with recipes from some of the best cooks I know. We tried this one out last week and really liked it! It was easy to double the recipe and have one to freeze. Hope you like it as well!

Beef and Broccoli Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c chopped onion
2 T. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/4 c. milk
3 oz. soft cream cheese
1 beaten egg
10 oz. cooked chopped broccoli florets, drained
pastry for 2-9″ pies
4 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese

Directions:

    Brown beef and onion. Drain fat. Stir in flour, salt, garlic salt. Add milk and cream cheese. Cook until smooth and bubbly. Add a small amt of mixture to the egg to temper. Return egg mixture to skillet. Cook until thick (1-2 min). Stir in cooked broccoli. Line pie plate with half of pastry. Pour mixture inside, top with cheese. Cover with other pastry and seal edges. Perforate top and brush with milk. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Let stand 10 min before serving.

Source: Anne Judd

Black Bottom Coconut Bars

    Do you like Brownies? Do you like Coconut Macaroons? Then you will LOVE this dessert! These are wonderful, they don’t take a lot of ingredients, and they have a definite WOW factor at any gathering. I inevitably get asked for this recipe. Thank you Martha Stewart.

Ingredients

For Brownie Base

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

For Coconut Topping

  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (real really is best)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 package sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces), 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling

Directions

      For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang). Melt butter in large microwave safe bowl in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing topping. (Keep oven on).

 
    For coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling). Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 24 bars.
 
Source: Martha Stewart Everyday food

Italian Love Cake

    When I think about what cooking was like before the internet, I feel flabbergasted (and old) by how different my culinary experience is. When I went to college, I took my little 3×5 card file with a few of my favorite recipes that I hand copied from my Mother’s stash. Now you can find any recipe complete with reviews and ratings. Pinterest has also been a great source and that is where I found this little gem. Dare I say life-changing? I just might. This is an easy cake that looks and tastes very impressive! You can play with the flavors by changing the cake mix base, but Chocolate is still my favorite. The interesting thing about this cake is how the layers trade places while it cooks. A little bit of culinary magic.

Italian Love Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 package chocolate cake mix with all other ingredients to prepare according to package (most sites recommend Betty Crocker Brand)
  • 2 lbs. ricotta cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1  package instant chocolate pudding mix (5.1 oz.)
  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 8 oz. Cool Whip or other prepared whipped topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350*.F Spray a 9×13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a bowl, mix together cake mix according to the directions on the box. Set aside.
  3. In another bow, using a hand mixer, beat together the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
  4. *The following directions are correct. The layers switch during the baking time!
  5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Spread to fill the pan evenly. Once the cake batter is in place, carefully pour the cheese mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter. Spread to cover the cake batter.
  6. Bake the cake at 350* for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
  7. Once the cake is cool, stir the pudding mix and milk together with a whisk until combined. Carefully, fold the Cool Whip into the pudding until combined.
  8. Spread the pudding mixture over the top of the cooled cake. Cover the cake and refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. It tastes even better the next day.

Source: www.inspiredreamer.com

Turtle Cookies

 

Turtle Cookies
 
    These might be my new favorite cookie! They are soft, the caramel is gooey, and aren’t they pretty? The perfect holiday cookie. They were also not difficult at all and pretty foolproof, which is always a bonus!
 
Ingredients:
 
Cookie:
1 C. flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, softened
2/3 C. sugar
1 large egg, separated, plus one additional egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
1 1/4 c. finely chopped pecans
 
Caramel filling:
14 traditional caramels (I used Werther’s soft caramels)
3 Tbsp. cream
 
Chocolate Drizzle:
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate bar
1 tsp shortening
 
Directions:
 
Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on med-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and milk until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture just until incorporated. Do not overbeat. 
 
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
 
Whisk egg whites until fluffy (by hand). Place pecans in a separate bowl. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Dip in egg whites and then roll in pecans. Place on cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Use the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake at  350 until set, about 12 minutes.
 
For caramel filling: Microwave caramels and cream, stirring occasionally, until smooth and melted, about 1-2 minutes.
 
When cookies come out of the oven, gently re-press indentations. Fill with 1/2 tsp. caramel filling. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to wire wrack. 
 
Melt chocolate and shortening together in a plastic bag dipped in hot water. Cut tip off bag and drizzle over cooled cookies.
 
Yield: About 30 cookies. 
 
Source: America’s Test Kitchen
Cookie:
1 c. all-purpose flour

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1/3 c. cocoa powder

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1/4 tsp. salt

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8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 c. sugar
1 large egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white
2 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. pecans, finely chopped
 
 
Caramel Filling:
14 soft caramel candies (I used Kraft Traditional Caramels)
3 T. heavy cream
 
 
Chocolate Drizzle (optional):
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I used 2 squares of Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate)
1 tsp. shortening

 
 
 
Directions
Prepare the Cookies:  
1.  Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside.

2.  With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla; mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined.

3.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.

 
 
4.  Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy.  Place chopped pecans in another bowl.  Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, and then roll in pecans.  Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 12 minutes.

 
 
 
Prepare the Caramel Filling:  
6.  Microwave caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

7.  Once cookies are removed from the oven, gently re-press the indentations.  Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 
 
 
Prepare the Chocolate Drizzle (optional):  
8.  Place chocolate and shortening in a small zip-top plastic bag.  Set bag in a bowl of warm water to soften.  Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as needed.

9.  Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag.  Drizzle chocolate over the cooled Turtle Cookies.

Makes about 30 cookies.

 
Enjoy! 

Read more at http://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2012/09/insanely-delicious-turtle-cookies.html#vAFMPMioIaCqGHIJ.99

Cookie:
1 c. all-purpose flour

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1/3 c. cocoa powder

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1/4 tsp. salt

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8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 c. sugar
1 large egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white
2 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. pecans, finely chopped
 
 
Caramel Filling:
14 soft caramel candies (I used Kraft Traditional Caramels)
3 T. heavy cream
 
 
Chocolate Drizzle (optional):
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I used 2 squares of Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate)
1 tsp. shortening

 
 
 
Directions
Prepare the Cookies:  
1.  Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside.

2.  With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla; mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined.

3.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.

 
 
4.  Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy.  Place chopped pecans in another bowl.  Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, and then roll in pecans.  Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 12 minutes.

 
 
 
Prepare the Caramel Filling:  
6.  Microwave caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

7.  Once cookies are removed from the oven, gently re-press the indentations.  Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 
 
 
Prepare the Chocolate Drizzle (optional):  
8.  Place chocolate and shortening in a small zip-top plastic bag.  Set bag in a bowl of warm water to soften.  Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as needed.

9.  Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag.  Drizzle chocolate over the cooled Turtle Cookies.

Makes about 30 cookies.

 
Enjoy! 

Read more at http://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2012/09/insanely-delicious-turtle-cookies.html#vAFMPMioIaCqGHIJ.99

Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs


    Quinoa is such a popular grain these days, I decided to give it a try. And boy, is this the way to try it! These cakes are savory, hearty, satisfying, and bursting with flavor! My kids gobbled them up. This was also the first time I tried to poach an egg without a poaching pan, and it was a little bit exciting, like a delicious science experiment.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked Quinoa, at room temperature
2 large eggs, beaten
1/3 cup minced fresh chives
1/2 tsp coarse salt
2 green onions or large shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs plus more if needed

To make cakes:

Combine quinoa, eggs, chives, salt, onions, garlic, and parmesan. Gently add bread crumbs until incorporated. Form into 6 cakes, 3-4 inches each.

Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of  large saute pan over medium heat. Add patties, not touching. Cook about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Put on paper towels to drain. serve with additional salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, and top with poached egg. For instructions on how to poach an egg, see http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_poached_eggs/.

Notes: It is very important to thoroughly rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer for at least two minutes to remove the bitter coating. To cook it, boil 2 cups of water, add 1 cup rinsed quinoa, cover and simmer about 20 minutes. Fluff with fork. This makes 3 cups of cooked quinoa, so I just 1 1/2 times the recipe because these are so good!

Source: Annie’s Eats

Taco Soup

    I know many of you may already have a recipe for this. There are many variations, but this one is our favorite. It is super easy, quick, delicious, healthy, and economical. What more could you ask for in a recipe? My kids love it and it is even better as a leftover. I love soup season!

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained.
1 quart jar canned tomatoes or 48 oz. stewed tomatoes, blended
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can ranch style beans
1 can kidney beans
1-2 cups corn (canned or frozen)
1 packet taco seasoning

Sour cream, cheese, avocado, and chips for garnish.

Directions:

Brown beef in a large stock pot. Drain. To beef, add all other ingredients. Simmer 20 minutes or until ready to serve. Garnish as desired. (I told you it was easy!)

Source: Aubrey Adams

The Educated Woman

    We are taught in the LDS church that education is very important, both for men and for women. We are also taught that our primary responsibility as women is to our home and family life. I feel we are bombarded with mixed messages from many different sources that tell us that women should be able to have it all and have it all right now…a fulfilling and ambitious career, a PhD, and a family. As we know, the reality of it is that there is not enough time in our lives to have everything we think we should have right now. Something will suffer. One of the many balls we juggle will eventually fall.
    However, I do not share the world view of the housewife as a woman tied to screaming children with a load of laundry in one arm and a mop in the other (although some days that is definitely not far from the truth). The women I know who choose to stay home to raise their children are much more than that. They are largely educated women who choose to spend their time using that education to enrich their homes and create an atmosphere conducive to learning in their own children. What is more noble than that?

 “The meaning of education is often assumed to be somehow related to “going to school” or learning as an external experience, related only to acquiring knowledge or skills helpful toward work productivity in society. All too often, when a woman makes the conscious effort to become “educated,” she perceives her alternatives as the following: (1) to seek fulfillment outside her home, (2) to sacrifice her education in order to raise a family, or (3) to try to balance career and family in some “superwoman” fashion. But I submit that the education of a woman is much broader, comprehensive, and perhaps more personal. Let us begin by considering the term “education.” Education is seen here, in its most idealistic sense, as an unveiling of the natural thirst of the mind and soul, and subsequently their replenishment, refreshment, and expansion. Considered in its broadest sense, education may occur at school, at home, with family, at church, or even with an enlightening thought in a moment of solitude. Education is more than learning. It is a complex interactive teaching and learning process.” — Elaine Shaw
 
  I consider myself a stay-at-home mom, even though I work part time as a nurse doing a few night shifts a month. I am lucky to be able to use the education I received to contribute to the family income while not having to find childcare for my kids. I realize how lucky I am. I have also come to realize while my job can be challenging, it is not nearly as mentally and emotionally challenging/rewarding as raising children. I think it is easy to lose sight of that as women and to feel that what we are doing is unimportant or menial.
    I also have come to realize that being a stay-at-home mom in no way means that we must stop progressing and learning. What a wonderful world we live in where we have so much information at our fingertips! We can learn about anything we want to in our spare time. The moms I know are well-read, well-balanced, and happy. Isn’t that the goal?