Bacon Wrapped Chicken Shish Kabobs

I am stealing this from my mother-in-law.  It it wonderful.  We have made it over and over again. Leftover chicken it great on salads.  It is even great if you throw them in the freezer and pop in the microwave for a couple of minutes and throw on a salad.... Ok, now I am getting hungry.  Next time I make them I will have to snap a pic, but I wanted to put this out here so that I can find the recipe easy!

Shopping List:

~ 5 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless

~soy sauce       ~honey       ~cider vinegar       ~canola oil    ~bacon (regular sliced)

 ~pineapple (fresh or chunks in a can)            

 ~skewers (Soak in water ahead of time so they don’t catch fire on the grill.)

1.  Wash chicken and cut into chunks.

2.  Mix marinade ingredients in a gallon sized freezer bag.  (Not the kind with a slider!)

     1/2 cup soy sauce 

      1/2 cup cider vinegar

      4 Tbs honey

      4 Tbs oil (Recipe called for canola oil, but I just used vegetable oil.)

3.  Add chicken chunks and marinate in frig for at least 4 hours. I left it in for 6 hours...  

    You could even let it marinate it overnight.

4.  Assemble skewers:

     Chicken: Wrap each chicken chunk in 1/3 strip of bacon, using the skewer to secure the

                bacon strip. Alternate bacon/chicken pieces with a chunk of pineapple.   

                Discard the marinade!!!

5.  Grill chicken kabobs until juices run clear, and bacon is crisp.

Sandra's Apple Crisp

Sandra's Apple Crisp

Sandra made her Apple Crisp for us earlier this year and I have been thinking about it ever since.  The topping isn't your normal 'Crisp' oatmeal topping.  It was yummy!  I usually can take or leave any type of crisp or pie, but this one was really good! 

Ingredients:
1.5 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cin (or more... Sandra uses more)
1 stick melted butter
1/4 brown sugar to mix into fruit
 sliced apples to fill a 9 x 13 pan


Mix the brown sugar and some Cinnamon (eyeball it) into apples.  Spread into a 9 x 13 pan.

Mix flour, sugar salt and cinnamon together and set aside.  Beat the eggs.  Mix with flour mixture.  (May be kind of lumpy.)  Spread over fruit.  (Use a spoon and drop over.)  Poor butter over the top of dry mixture.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

*I'm going to try to make this using peaches.  I have a bunch of frozen peaches from this summer and I think that it will be great!***

Summer CSA

I have been waiting for today... my first CSA share from Visser Farms!  We just got back from picking it up and I can't resist 'documenting' our first batch of veggies :) 
We bought a half share this year, I was really nervous that this wouldn't be enough... but check out the amount of veggies that we got this week!  I think that this will be perfect!

asparagus, lettuce, rhubarb, tomatoes, green onions, red radishes, spinach, carrots and German Butterball potatoes

I won!

Ok, I see all these giveaways on blogs that I read and I have wondered how many people really win them... well I did!  I saw this post at Sarah's deals and decided to take the time to enter.  Then a few days later I got an e-mail in the mail that said I WON!  (Isn't it funny how simple little things like this can make your day :)  Today when we got home from running errands, I had this huge box on the front porch.   (Well, really  it was in another box, but when I opened it, this is what I saw!)   I had to quickly open it up to see what was inside it!  My 2 year old was so excited to see each think that was in the box!  Here is a run down:
1 tote, 3 cans of tomatoes (yay), a flash drive, a key chain, magnets and my two year old's favorite - the Car!    Have I said it yet that this package has made my day!

CSA preview

I'm so excited!  I have talked Chris into joining a CSA this summer. We are going to buy a half share from Visser Farms.  I bought a 'box' from there today so that I could see how it would work and so that I could talk to them.  Here is a peek at what we received today and I can't wait for the weather to get nice and we can start enjoying all of our great produce!  Why am I going this route?  Why don't I just buy what we need either at the store or the local farmers market?  There are a couple of reasons...

• I love veggies and want to try some that I normally wouldn't justify buying.
• We really want to be better about eating at home.  I think that by having the produce at home, I'll feel like I 'need' to use it and it will be an incentive to cook.
• I hope to create excitement for the girls about healthy food by exposing them to the farm and hopefully they will be excited to see what we will have each week in our box!

I really think that I should have been a farmer... I love this stuff!

BBQ Jalapenos

These things are my new favorites.  I could just make them and eat a batch of them myself! (Ops, don't tell... I did the other day!)  I saw them on a blog a while ago and then decided to make them this summer...  I LOVE them :)  I found the recipe on this blog.  I didn't change a thing, they are wonderful as they are!  One tip :   Don't buy the thick bacon because it takes to long to crisp up!

BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Jalapenos
20 fresh jalapenos, cut in half and seeded
2 blocks of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound bacon, cut into thirds
BBQ sauce
toothpicks
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Spread some of the cheese mixture in each jalapeno half. Wrap each piece with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Brush with BBQ sauce, and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bacon is nicely browned.

Chicken Potpies

This Recipe is from my cousin Laura.  I think that it is yummy!  Lexi says "I don't like chicken pot pie!  (makes 2 potpies 6 servings each …Laura feels like it is more like 3 or 4)


Ingredients:

4 cups cubed cooked chicken (I used 4 breasts boiled or 1 rotisserie chicken)

4 cups frozen cubed hash brown potatoes thawed

1 package (16 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained  (Laura put a green bean, wax bean and carrot mix and added a ton of corn…in total more than the 16 ounces) 

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 can condensed cream of onion soup, undiluted

1 cup milk

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated pie pastry



1. In a large bowl, combine the firs11 ingredients. Divide between two 9 in. deep dish pie plates. Roll out pastry to fit on top of each pie. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges. (I have no idea how to seal or flute edges so I just made sure it was pushed onto the pie plate) Cut slits in top or make decorative cutouts in pastry.

2. Cover and freeze one potpie for up to 3 months. Bake the remaining potpie at 400 Degrees for 35-40 minutes (I think that I had to cook over an hour-ish) or until golden brown.



To use frozen potpie: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking. Cover edges loosely with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; remove foil and bake 50-55 minutes longer or until golden brown.
 
Variations:  I made one w/ frozen puff pastry and it was great.  I then just froze the filling and the next time I made it I put it in a 9x13 (maybe an 11x8ish) pan and covered it w/ foil for about an hour and then opened a can of Grands biscuits, spaced them on top and bake the amount of time on the can.   This was great!  (My favorite :)  Lexi still says "I don't like Chicken Pot Pie" :)

Sour Cream Cookies

Yum.  These cookies are the best.  They have a cake like texture and you can't eat just one.  They are dangerous to have around and oh so easy to make!  They are out of Chris's grandma's cookbook. 

Ingredients:
3 Cups Sifted Flour (I have never shifted flour in my life, but feel free to do so if you would like :)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter (the recipe said oleo but...)
2 Eggs

1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Sift (or in my case mix :)  together the first found ingrediants.  Set aside.
Beat together the sugar and butter until creamy.  Add the eggs to the sugar misture and beat.  Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat.  Slowly add in the flour mixtrue and beat until smooth.  Refrigerate 2 hours or longer (I have made the w/out doin this step and it still works :).  Drop by tablespoon of dought.  Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with topping (1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon mixed together).  Bake at 375 for 10-12 min.  Enjoy :)

No Fail Sugar Cookies

My mom's always used a 'No Fail Sugar Cookie' recipe that is very close to this.  I found several recipes online that were very similar, but chose to use this one.  They turned out delish.  We used a powder sugar glaze and sprinkles.  What a fun afternoon with the girls, my mom, my grandma and Laura and Brody.  As my favorite coffee cup says "Life is Good"!

A very sturdy sugar cookie that is great for using intricate cookie cutters. Dough keeps its shape when baked.

• 6 cups flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring (I like almond myself)
• 1 tsp. salt

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.
• Chill for 1 to 2 hours (or see Hint below)
• Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges.

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/573087-No-Fail-Sugar-Cookies

Grandma's Wheat Bread

This bread is delish with cream cheese and strawberry jelly.  Yum... just writing this makes me want to make some.  My grandma used to make us a couple of loaves each time we went camping with my mom, brother, aunt and cousins.  My mom and aunt would feed us cereal and send us away to play and THEN pull out the homemade bread... we eventually caught on.  The bread didn't last as long after that!!!

This Recipe makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients:
1 pkg yeast
1/4 cup luke warm water + 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 TBS salt  (??? I really think that this should be tps, but I have to check)
2 TBS shortening (oil preferred)
2 cups hot milk
3 cups waterground whole wheat flour
3 cups plain flour, shifted

Directions:
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and sugar.  Set aside.  Combine molasses, honey, salt shortening and milk, mixing well.  When cool, add the yeast mixture.  Beat well.  Work into flour to make rather firm dough and knead on a lightly floured board until satiny.  Put into greased bowl, turning dought over to grease top.  Cover and set in warm place to rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
Work on floured board, then divide and shape each half into a loaf.  Put into well-greased bread pans (2).  Grease tops and cover.  Allow to rise until doubled.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until brown and crusty, then remove to rack to cool.

Fruit Cocktail Cake

Growing up, Grandma always had this dessert at every picnic!  It was a staple.  It is so yummy!  I love it.

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 eggs
2 cups drained fruit cocktail
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
brown sugar
chopped walnuts

Butter Sauce:
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 cup evaporated milk

Directions:
Cake:
Mix eggs, flour, fruit cocktail, sugar, baking soda and salt.   Pour in greased 13 x 9 inch pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and nuts.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  Serve w/ Butter Sauce.
Butter Sauce:
Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to boil.  Spoon over each serving of cake as you serve.  (Don't do ahead of time.)

Chili Sauce

My Grandma canned this when my mom was a kid. My Grandparents would serve it as a condiment to compliment there dinner. My mom used to make this when she was first married and when we were very young kids. She would brown some ground beef and mix it with the Chili Sauce and server over a baked potato. (We like to have a lot of Sauce to beef ratio.) I honestly don't really remember eating it as a kid, but last year when I was looking through a bunch of my mom's recipes, this stood out. Why, I don' t know, but it is delish! I love the vinegary (if that is a word) tang that it has. I really like it over mashed potatos. Last year I split a batch with my mom... This year I want to have at least a batch in my freezer! I think that I will have a batch and a half! It is a great way to use up any tomatoes that you may have left in your garden or it is easy to make if you have as many farm markets as we do around here! Can or freeze it and it is great year long!

1/2 bushel tomatoes
1 peck onions
2 green peppers
2 red peppers
1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 cups vinegar
4 cups brown sugar
7 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons cloves
2 teaspoons black pepper

Peel tomatoes. Rought chop the tomatoes, onions and peppers. Place all ingrediants in a hugh pot on the stove and simmer for a Long Time. (I don't have any exact times, but think in the amount of hours. You want it to cook down and the vinegar, sugar and spices to penitrate all of the veggies and the juices have cooked down. ) Can or freeze. Yum.

Buckeyes

Ok, I'm getting ready for Christmas this year. I plan on making a lot of cookies/candy. I love thinking back to growing up and having those memories of making cookies with my mom. I think that I'm going to 'organize' my recipes on here, especially since most of the ones that I want to do are tried and true! That way, when I'm ready to make the treats, I will have them all in one place!

Buckeyes

Ingrediants:
1 jar creamy peanut butter (1lb. 14 oz.)
2 lbs. confectioners sugar
1 lb. butter
2 (12oz.) pkgs semi-sweet morsels
3/4 slab of canning wax

Directions:
Melt butter. Pour into large mixing bowl. Add peanut butter and confectioners sugar. Mix with hands until smooth. Mixutre should not be too dry. Place waxed paper on cookie sheet. Make 1 inch balls out of mixture. Cool balls for hours. (I froze them overnight and they were easier to work with!)
Next day, Mext wax and chocolate bits in double boiler (I just used the microwave.) With toothpick, dip each ball into hot chocolate, almost to the top, leaving enought uncovered to resemble a buckeye. Keep balls cool while waiting to be dipped. If necessary, you can reheat the chocolate when it get down tot he bottom or cools. Keep candies refrigerated or frozen. To cover the toothpick hole, gently press the back side of a small spoon over the buckeye.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Amy and Syd are visiting for the weekend and Amy brought the stuff for Pumpkin Pancakes. I'm so excited! Yum. As she is making them, I'm typing out the recipe. Every year, Amy makes these pancakes for her 1st graders... and then she tells me about them... and then I'm jealous. This year we get some also :)

In a bowl
1. Add 2 cups of Bisquick:.
2. Add 1/2 cup of pumpkin.
3. Add 2 eggs.
4. Add 2 TBS of brown sugar.
5. Add one teaspoon of allspice.
6. Add 1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk.
7. Add 2 TBS of oil
8. Add 2 tsp of cinnamon.
9. Add 1 tsp of vanilla.
10. Mix all ingredients well.

If runny, add more Bisquick. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto a heated greased griddle. Cook until the edges are dry. Turn and cook until golden.

Summertime Bruchetta

*** Once again, this recipe was found on the Internet a few years back. I do not have the source though***

This is a great recipe for Bruchetta. I love it when I have basil in our 'garden' aka flowerbeds and I can make this with fresh ingredients.

Ingredients:

1. 4 plum tomatoes, diced
2. 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
3. 6 - 8 garlic cloves, finely minced
4. 1/4 cup basil, minced
5. 2 TBS Italian parsley, chopped
6. 1TBS olive oil
7. 1/2 TBS balsamic vinegar
8. 1 pinch crushed red pepper
9. 1/2 tsp salt/pepper
10. French Bread - sliced

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except for the french bread) and chill for 3 hours.

Before serving, grill Bread (I brush with a little olive oil first.) Top with the Bruchetta mixture.

**Chris and I like to reduce about a 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and drizzle over the bruchetta before eating.

WARNING - You will smell like garlic :) Very garlicky!

Cheddar and Beer Soup

I love to make soup. It was about a weekly thing this winter and I haven't made it in a while, so while I was grocery shopping tonight (while being extremely hungry), I thought of my Cheese soup and decided that was what I was going to have! This soup is very easy and usually I have everything in the house for it. It is great when I have extra carrots and celery that I need to use up. I usually buy them and then forget to use them! Chris and I both agree that it is better the next day, but I can tell you that I'm enjoying my bowl of soup right now! I did get this recipe off the Internet somewhere, but I didn't write down the website :(

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 6 cups chicken stock (I have used broth and soup base also... it always tastes good.)
• 1/2 lb Cheddar cheese, grated (I like sharp)
• 1/2 cup flour
• dash Tabasco sauce, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can (12 oz) beer

Preparation:

Saute onion and celery until soft and transparent. Saute the diced carrots until tender but still a little crisp. Place sauteed vegetables in a large stockpot or Dutch oven; add chicken stock. Place over medium heat. Combine Cheddar cheese with flour; stir mixture slowly into hot broth. Add Tabasco, dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to simmer. Add beer; heat through and serve. Yum!

Wow, I haven't posted anything since April. I'm going to have to get a move on it! Does being pregnant and tired count as an excuse? I hope so :) I will try to add something new this week!

Stuffed Peppers

Ok, I admit it. I'm addicted to reading recipes... cookbooks, online, magazines... you name it... I could spend hours reading it. I recently purchased Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2004. We tried the recipe for Stuffed Peppers. It was great and very easy to make. Chris and I even ate leftovers... that says a lot!

Ingredients:

1 (3 1/2 oz) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice

4 red bell peppers

3/4 pound ground sirloin (I used ground turkey)

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 ground allspice (I didn't have any in the house and it was still yummy w/o it!)

2 cups bottled tomato-and-basil pasta sauce, divided

1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup dry red wine

Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450

2. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Set aside.

3. While rice cooks, cut tops off bell peppers, reserve tops. Discard seeds and membranes. Place peppers, cut sides down, in an 8-inch square baking dish, cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender. Cool.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and next 5 ingredients, cook 4 minutes or until beef is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from heat. Add rice, 1/2 cup pasta sauce, and cheese to beef mixture stirring to combine.

5. While beef cooks, combine 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce and wine in a small saucepan, bring to a boil.

6. Spoon about 3/4 cup beef mixture into each pepper. Place peppers in a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, add wine mixture to dish. Cover with foil.

7. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Uncover, bake an additional 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve peppers with sauce. Garnish with pepper tops. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed pepper and 1/2 cup sauce)

Nutritional Information:

Calories 347

Fat 7.9g

Fiber 4.6g

Uncle Tom's Bread (Challah)

Uncle Tom's bread is a staple. It always goes over great at any and all events. He worked for days to make sure that Ryan and Sandra had a lot of loaves for there wedding.

Ingreadiants:
1 cup warm water (100 degrees - less than 130 degrees)
1 package instant dry yeast
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
4 cups flour
1 egg (beaten to brush on challah)
Poppy or sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

Mix warm water and yeast together with wooden spoon. Add sugar, salt, oil and egg - mix well. Slowly incorporate the flour, mixing well until all flour is absorbed. Cover and let stand for 1 1/2 hours in a warm place.

Divide dough into 3 equal pieces and gently roll into 3 long strips (approximately 14 inches). Braid strips together, gently tucking under ends. (Dough may also be shaped into 2 smaller challahs). Cover with towel and let rise again in a warm place (1 to 2 hours); or you may bake at this point if you are short of time.

Before baking, brush challah with beaten egg and, if desired, sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

(**Uncle Tom orginally got this message our of the Grand Rapids Press. It was titled 'Judy Selig's Challah Bread'. I will alway think of it as Uncle Tom's bread.)

Green Bean Casserole with Mozzarella Cheese

These beans were served at Chris' cousin Keegan's graduation party. I loved them and had to get the recipe!

Ingrediants:
2 cans drained French cut green beans
8 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons grated onion (Really great the onion - I tried powder and it wasn't the same!)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup crushed corn flakes, tossed with a few teaspoons of butter

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium low heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and sugar; blend well and continue cooking and stirring until bubbly. Stir in sour cream and cook over low heat for about 1 minute. Spread beans over the botton of a buttered casserole (11x7x2 inch baking dish) Sprinkle shredded cheese over green beans then pour sauce evenly over; top with buttered corn flake crumbs. Bake green bean casserole at 400 degees for 20 minutes...Enjoy!