Pasta and White Beans in Light Tomato Sauce

I followed this recipe pretty closely. Although it is written for two. I doubled it, but there were lots of leftovers. I used less oil and one less clove of garlic. (It still wasn't very spicy. The sauce had a good kick to it though.)
Pasta and White Beans in Light Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp minced parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained (white kidney beans)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 oz pasta, your choice, freshly cooked

1. Heat oil in heavy, large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and saute until golden, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.
4. Add parsley, basil and oregano and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
5. Add beans and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Place freshly cooked pasta in bowl.
8. Pour sauce over and toss thoroughly.
9. Also nice with grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.

Gingerbread men (or bears)

Aaron made gingerbread men with the boys on Sunday. We couldn't find the right cookie cutter (although I found it yesterday morning - oops), so they opted for gingerbread bears. They were so yummy! This is straight from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, with one exception. We ran out of molasses, so he substituted corn syrup for half of it.

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 c. molasses
1 egg
1 Tbsp vinegar
2 1/2 c. flour

In a mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat till combined, scraping bowl. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vinegar till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 3 hours or till easy to handle (Aaron waiting an hour, I think).
Grease a cookie sheet, set aside. On a lightly floured surface roll half of dough at a time to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter cut into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 5-6 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

* for larger cutouts (4 1/2 - 6 inch) roll dough to 1/4 inch thick and bake 6 -8 minutes.

Cheddar Cheese ball

I made this in anticipation of a Thanksgiving pot luck - which didn't happen, so we ate it with our Thanksgiving leftovers. The basis of the recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens, but we've changed it to our tastes.

1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese.
3 oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
dash of bottled hot pepper sauce (or more if you like it)
1/3 c. finely chopped walnuts
assorted crackers

Bring the cheeses and margarine to room temperature. Add milk, green onion, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce. Beat till combined. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours.
Shape mixture into a ball, roll in nuts. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve with crackers.

Pumpkin pie

I had to alter a few recipes to get this one since I didn't have any evaporated milk. It still turned out pretty good.

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) can pumpkin
• cup milk
• 1 unbaked single pie crust

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

I also put foil around the crust edge for the first 25 minutes to prevent burning.

Tomato Basil Pasta

This was quick and easy and I made a few changes (recipe reflects my version - original is in the link). I didn't have enough tomatoes and it would have been better with more. I sauteed the onions because I was worried the kids wouldn't eat it if it was too strong. Timothy didn't eat much. David liked it but didn't want the onions or the feta (he thought that was what made it spicy). Aaron and I loved it. My fresh basil is pretty much dead so I added some dried basil too. I reduced the onion, oil and feta cheese and used 12 oz instead of 10 oz because I had a 12 oz box - why not?

Tomato Basil Pasta

• 12 ounces dry rotini pasta
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 6 leaves fresh basil, torn
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Saute onion in a little olive oil.
   
3. Combine olive oil, garlic, onion, tomatoes and basil; let sit at room temperature.
4. Toss warm pasta with Parmesan and feta. Stir in tomato mixture and sprinkle on salt and pepper. You can add more Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately.

Mushroom Sauce Baked Pork Chops

This was pretty easy. I only used 4 pork chops, but kept everything else basically the same (who wants to use 2/3 of a can of soup?!). I reduced the salt, but kept the pepper the same and garlic powder was "to taste" anyway. I guess I only used one onion too. I thought it was really good, but I did have to bake the potatoes about 10 minutes longer (after removing the pork chops). And my potatoes were pretty thin.

Mushroom Sauce Baked Pork Chops

• 6 pork chops
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• garlic powder to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 2 quart baking dish.
2. Rub pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add chops, and brown on both sides. Remove from skillet. Place onions in skillet, and cook until browned. Pour in mushroom soup and milk; stir until blended. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Arrange sliced potatoes evenly in prepared baking dish. Arrange chops on top of potatoes. Pour soup mixture over chops.
4. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and bake 30 minutes more, or until potatoes are tender.

Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies

This is from the Mrs. Field's Best Ever Cookie Book (200 recipes!!!) David and I made these and then shared them at my Primary meeting.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. (packed) light brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
2 stick (1 c.) salted butter (I used margarine and a dash of salt)
2 large eggs
2 tap. vanilla extract
12 oz raisins (I used only 1 1/2 cups)
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 300 F
In medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Mix well with wire whisk (I never do this). set aside.
Blend sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add butter and mix until grainy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until smooth.
Add the flour mixture, raisins, and chocolate chips. Blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Drop by rounded tablespoons into ungreased baking sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes. Transfer cookies immediately to a flat surface using a spatula.

After the first batch I upped the temp to 325 and baked for 20 minutes. Much better. Less gooey, and lightly brown.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

I can't believe I haven't posted this one yet. I thought I'd made this in that last 8 months. I first got the recipe from my MIL's ward cookbook. I have since seen it (and variations) elsewhere. It is really simple and fast if you think ahead. I halve the recipe, which is easy except for the half packet. I've also included my changes within the directions.

4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 10.5 oz cans cream of chicken soup
1 packet Italian dressing mix

Place chicken in bottom of crockpot (I cut into smaller chunks so it cooks faster and thoroughly). pour soup over top. Cut cream cheese into small pieces and scatter over top. Sprinkle dressing packet over top. Cook on high for 45 minutes, stir, then on low for 6-7 hours (or on medium for 3-4 hours). Serve over hot rice or hot cooked noodles.

Cinnamon muffins

This recipe came from my MIL's ward cookbook (submitted by Nedra C*). They were so good! I didn't have nuts, but yummy anyway!

1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. pecans (optional)

In a large bowl, stir the first six ingredients together. In a small bowl, beat the egg, milk and oil together. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and stir only enough to moisten the flour. Don't beat - the batter should not be smooth (optional fold in nuts). Line muffin tins with baking cups or grease. Fill each one 2/3 full with batter. Makes about 12. Bake at 400 F for 18-22 minutes.

Sorry no picture!

Tex-Mex Rotelle

I found this on the back of the rotelle pasta package. It was good with a few modifications. It called for 1/2 tsp. salt (I thought it had enough sodium already so I didn't add it) and 1/2 c. water (but I thought it would have been too juicy so omitted that as well) Quick and easy!

1 (16 oz) pkg. rotelle
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 pkg. (1.25 oz) taco seasoning
1 28 oz. can diced, peeled tomatoes in juice
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook rotelle according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown meat until most of the pink is gone, breaking it into small pieces. Stir in taco seasoning, and tomatoes with juice. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and place in large bowl, Add sauce to coat. Sprinkle cheese over each serving.

I just added the cheese to the whole dish and mixed it in until it melted. Lots of leftovers! Oh and I didn't have a full pkg of rotelle, so I did some farfalle (bowtie) pasta as well.

Stovetop Chicken

I got this recipe from an enrichment back at Wymount. Vanessa C* brought this recipe.

1 6oz box stuffing
4-5 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 c. sour cream
1 2/3 c. hot water (or chicken broth)

Mix hot water and stuffing in a bowl. Set aside. Place chicken breast in a 9x13 pan. mix sour cream and soup together in a bowl. Pour over the chicken. Fluff the stuffing with a fork and then distribute evenly over the tip of the soup mixture. Bake in the oven at 350 F for 30 minutes.
Note: You can use as few as 1 chicken breast (I use 2 for my family of 4), cut into bite sized pieces. Also chicken cooks better (faster) if it is in either strips of pieces, but baking whole works well too, just takes longer.
I also add veggies to the stuffing mix. 1/2 c. chopped celery, 1/2 c. chopped onion and a couple of mushrooms if I have them. Saute in 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine then add water. Bring to a boil cover for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in stuffing mix. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. (These instructions are usually on the box under "stovetop directions".
Also I didn't have a cream of chicken soup last night, but I did have cream of mushroom and it worked just fine. Sorry I didn't take a picture.

Whipped Butternut Squash

Fall is time for yummy squash! At least it is for me. I know that Aaron doesn't like squash, but I he knows better than to say so when I am introducing a new food to the kids. So he politely took some, and ate it with no complaints. I thought the kids would like it especially when David saw the squash and was so excited because he knew what it was (from the Winnie the Pooh video). But apparently their dislike for it is inherited. Even though Aaron didn't voice his dislike, the kids wouldn't eat it. David literally gagged down 5 bites so he could have seconds of his dinner.
I, on the other hand thought it was delicious. I needed to bake it a little longer. There were still some big chunks that didn't get soft enough to whip. But I thought it was very good and creamy. I only had one squash and so I halved the rest of the ingredients. I used real butter, but fat free sour cream. I added 1 Tbsp brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon. If you like squash, you'll like this recipe. It's not my picture, but mine looked like that - right down to the type of bowl!

Whipped Butternut Squash

• 2 butternut squash, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup light sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place squash halves cut side down in a medium baking dish with enough water to cover. Cover, and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until tender.
3. Scoop squash from skin into a medium bowl, and mix with margarine and light sour cream. Whip until smooth. Season with salt and pepper

Caramel Apple Dip

Tara B. had a great recipe for this. I don't know if this is it, but it's pretty close, and so yummy. I halved it and cut up a couple of apples for snack today. We didn't finish it off (apparently I liked it more than the kids), so I'm glad I didn't make much, or I'd be eating way too much!

16 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup water
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, melt caramels with water, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in caramel mixture. Serve immediately.