No-Bake Cookies

Kaleigh had to bring cookies to the Trunk or Treat at the church tonight. I wasn't up for a big cookie project, so I looked around in our "untried recipe box" for something that would be quick and easy. And I found this recipe. I know, I know... I'm the last mother standing that has not made these cookies. I am ashamed at my lack of adhering to the code of mothers... but, let me say that I'm 99% positive that MY mother never made these cookies!

No-Bake Cookies

from the Arizona Republic

1/2 c peanut butter

2 2/3 c uncooked quick oats

1 stick unsalted butter

1 3/4 c granulated sugar

1/4 c cocoa

1/2 c low-fat milk

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Measure out the peanut butter and oats and set aside.

Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sugar, coca, milk and salt. Raise the heat to medium-high. Stir until well-combined, then continue to stir frequently until the mixture comes to a boil, about 4 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and boil the mixture for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until completely incorporated. Stir in the oats until completely mixed.

Use a cookie dough scoop to drop the cookie mixture onto wax paper. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until firm, about 30 minutes.

Makes 30 cookies.

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Notes: I used salted butter so I left out the pinch of salt. It seemed to take the cookies closer to an hour to set.

Verdict: Everyone loved them! Well... Phil didn't try them. He hates peanut butter.

15 Min Chicken Parmesan Risotto

(I would never have guessed that photographing food would be harder than photographing kids!)

Kaleigh selected this recipe earlier this week. She looked it over and said, "it says tomatoes are optional... we aren't putting them in this!" My first thought was... "15 minutes??? For real??"


15 Minute Chicken Parmesan Risotto
from Campbell Soup Company



1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 large tomato (optional)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)
2 c. Minute white rice, uncooked


Heat 1 T oil in skillet. Add chicken; cook until lightly browned. While chicken is cooking, chop tomato.


Add soup, milk, Parmesan cheese, and seasoning; stir. Heat to a boil.


Stir in rice and tomato; cover. Cook on low heat 5 minutes or until cooked through. Stir.


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Notes: I think we should rename this 20 Min Chicken. But really... 20 min??? Awesome! We didn't have any Italian seasoning, so we added a bit of oregano, which was great! This was very creamy and filling! And it stayed warm for a very long time once plated. (Plated?? Sounds like I might watch too much Top Chef.)

Verdict: Kaleigh wasn't home to help prepare this recipe, so the tomato went in. Halfway through the dinner Kendall said... "the best part of this dinner is the yummy tomatoes. I love them!" Kaleigh hand picked out any sign of tomatoes from her serving.

I guess if you are a food snob, or cooking for a food snob, you won't like this recipe because of the can of cream of chicken soup... but it was a casserole that was well received by all the children at our house, so we will definitely make it again.

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

Way to go Ashton!! I'm so excited to try this recipe!! Just last week I added the recipe to our "untried recipe box" and was so hopeful that it would be a yummy dinner for our family!

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

from Good Housekeeping Magazine Oct 2009

1 c. corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn)

1 tsp. vegetable oil

3 skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves (1 lb.)

Salt and pepper

1 T barbecue sauce

2 limes

1/4 c. light ranch dressing

2 hearts romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped (6 1/2 c.)

3/4 c loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 sm. jicama (10 to 12 oz.), peeled and cut into 1/4-in. chunks (2 c.)

1 can (15 to 15.5 oz) pink or pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 ripe med. tomato, chopped

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 c. crushed tortilla chips

In microwave-safe small bowl, place corn and 2 T water; cover with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on High 1 minute; drain and refrigerate.

Brush large ridged grill pan with oil; heat on medium until hot. With flat side of meat mallet, pound chicken (placed between 2 sheets plastic wrap) to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper to season both sides. Working in batches if necessary, cook chicken 12 to 14 minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with tip of knife, turning over once. Transfer to cutting board; brush with barbecue sauce. Cool slightly; cut into 1-inch chunks.

Into small bowl, from 1 lime, squeeze 1 T juice. Cut remaining lime into 4 wedges and reserve. With fork, whisk dressing into lime juice. In large bowl, toss lettuce and cilantro with half of lime dressing until evenly coated; place on serving platter. Top lettuce with jicama, beans, tomato, cheese, chips and chicken. Drizzle remaining dressing all over, and serve with reserved lime wedges.

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Notes:

Verdict:

French Onion Rice

Kendall was able to independently make this side dish for our dinner tonight. Easy as could be. I like the idea of adding a recipe to our family's dinner options that the kids can completely do on their own! I was hopeful that everyone would like this one!


French Onion Rice
from Judy Vance (a family friend)


1 C uncooked rice (not Minute)
1 can (10 oz) French Onion Soup (liquid)
1 can water
1 stick butter


Melt the butter in a 1 1/2 quart dish.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.


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Notes: This looks seriously nasty when you mix it all together. Seriously nasty! But... after baking for an hour it looked like a regular rice side dish!



Verdict: Very yummy! Very easy! The only person to not like this was Paige. She asked for a double serving of broccoli instead!

Easy Bruschetta Snacks

This recipe from our "untried recipe box" was selected by Keegan. When we got home from church today he asked if I would make it. Um... you need to help me buddy!

So, we made this very easy snack to tide us over until dinner! It was so easy and so yummy.

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Easy Bruschetta Snacks

(Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest entry posted in AZ Republic)

6 tsps. olive oil

4 1/2 tsps. sesame seeds

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 can (6oz) pitted ripe olives, drained

1 cup finely chopped tomato

3/4 cup grated Parmesan and Romano cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush large cookie sheet with 1 tsp. of the oil; sprinkle evenly with 2 tsps. sesame seeds. Unroll dough; place over sesame seeds, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Press to form 15 by 12-inch rectangle.

Brush dough with 2 tsps. of the oil; sprinkle evenly with remaining sesame seeds. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in food processor bowl with metal blade or in blender container, combine olives and remaining 3 tsps. olive oil. Process until olives are finely chopped.

Spread olive mixture over partially baked crust. Top with tomato and cheese. Bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Cut into rectangles. Serve warm. Makes 15 servings.

NOTES: I did not have any olives so we skipped that part. I just added a little more olive oil over the partially baked crust before adding the tomatoes and cheese. Also, we added some basil with the tomatoes.

VERDICT: Everyone, but Kaleigh, LOVED it! Kaleigh doesn't like tomatoes so her vote doesn't really count!

To Die for Crockpot Roast

To Die for Crock pot Roast

1 beef roast, any kind, size to fit your crock pot

1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

1 pkg. brown gravy mix

1 pkg. Italian dressing mix

1/2 Cup or more water

Place roast in crock pot. Mix all 3 envelopes together and sprinkle on top of roast. Pour 1/2 cup warm water in bottom of crock pot, cook on low for 6 - 7 hours.

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Verdict:

I picked out this recipe from our "untried recipe box." I decided to give it a shot with the Spicery Rolls for our Sunday dinner. My family was very well fed this Sabbath day!!

YUMMY!!! The only bummer??? With all of those 'mixes' on this roast, it was very high in sodium...

Still... we won't be having this every week, but it is a great way to make a delicious roast! I'm not sure where I got this recipe... it was on a half sheet of paper, like it was a hand-out. Maybe from my mom's ward???

Spicery Rolls

Spicery Rolls
from the Spicery Restaurant

1 1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup additional water (tap)
6 oz. evaporated milk
1/4 cup yeast (6 pkgs)
9 1/8 cup flour

Pour boiling water over butter. Add salt and sugar. Stir well. When butter is melted, add additional water. Stir in evaporated milk and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes. Slowly add flour til dough forms Turn out and knead 8 - 10 minutes. Cover and let rise until double. Punch down. Let rise again until double. Punch down. Form into dinner size rolls. Let rise until double. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

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I cannot tell you how many times I have read this recipe. Punch, let it rise, punch, let it rise. Oh man... I was freakin' out!

I was telling a friend of mine about how stressed out I was to be trying a recipe that calls for yeast! I don't do yeast. And I was scared. This friend... who reads this blog said... "Are you more afraid of the dentist, or yeast?" Ha ha!! Too funny. But... I don't know the answer to that question.

Truthfully... I'm more afraid of the dentist.

So, I finally tackled this very stressful project on Sunday afternoon. And when my dough started to rise... I called the family in to see it! NO.ONE.WAS.IMPRESSED. Kaleigh actually said... "it is just dough mom!" Whatever!! I was thrilled. And let me add... punching the dough was fun!

The rolls were delicious!! Yummy!!! And I will definitely make them again! Yeast still stresses me out a little... but I don't feel like I have "yeast-phobia" anymore.

Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Bars

from Janna, my cousin

4 eggs

1 Cup oil

1 Cup brown sugar

1 can (16oz) pumpkin

1 Cup sugar

2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp EACH of ginger, nutmeg and cloves

Mix oil and sugars together until well blended. Add eggs. Add pumpkin. Sift together dry ingredients and gradually add into pumpkin mixture. Pour into a greased and floured 15x10x2 pan. Bake at 350 degree for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese

1 - 2 T. milk

3 - 4 Cups powdered sugar

3 T margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

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The other night Kaleigh mentioned that she hadn't selected a recipe from our "untried recipe box" and that she would like a turn. She was thrilled to have picked out a recipe for something that she likes.

Verdict:

Absolutely a keeper!!! EVERYONE loved it. But I'm not surprised. My cousin Janna is a great cook!

Homemade Heath Bars

Homemade Heath Bars

saltine crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups chocolate chips

Line a cookie sheet with saltine crackers. Melt butter and brown sugar, stirring continuously. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top, spreading as the chocolate chips start to melt.

Let cool. Cut and serve

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Kendall selected this recipe from the "untried recipe box." When I looked at the recipe and saw that it only called for four ingredients... all things that we have in our pantry, I was very intrigued. And almost everyone liked them. Phil, Kaleigh and Paige didn't. Phil and Kaleigh said they could not love a dessert with saltines in them. Seriously, you can't tell that they are saltines.

So... my suggestion... don't tell any picky eaters what is in this treat. AND, trim the edges that still look like saltines before serving them!

Oh - and they are very rich!!! I cut them into one-inch square serving sizes which was perfect.

This recipe was a huge surprise. So easy, so quick and so yummy!

Chicken Macaroni Casserole

Chicken Macaroni Casserole

(Clipped from a Taste of Home magazine)

2 T butter

1/4 Cup flour

2 Cup light cream

1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth, divided

3/4 pound process American cheese, cubed (Velveeta)

14 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

3 Cup cubed cooked chicken

1 jar (2 oz) diced pimientos, drained

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until combined. Add cream and 1 1/2 Cup broth all at once, stir until smooth. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat; add the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in macaroni, chicken, pimientos, salt and pepper. Add additional broth if needed. Pour into a 3-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until heated through.

Yield: 6-8 servings

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Ashton selected this recipe from our "untried recipe box" one night last week. She was very excited to try it. I was nervous... processed cheese??? Umm... ok? We'll try it...

Verdict: Everybody LOVED it! Loved it!!! Surprised me, but it was so easy and an easy recipe to assign young children tasks to help! When we went around the table to vote the young girls all gave it two thumbs up! So, I would rate this a very child friendly recipe!

I'm loving this "untried recipe box" experiment that we are doing! We are finding new recipes that the family likes which will make dinner planning much easier... plus, the kids are thoroughly enjoying trying new things AND helping in the kitchen!

However... Kendall pulled a recipe tonight and I'm a little nervous. It is for Spicery Rolls. (There is a darling little restaurant in downtown Glendale, called the Spicery, that has the most amazing homemade rolls!) This recipe calls for YEAST. And I'm very afraid of yeast. I have very little experience baking with yeast, because the few times I've used it (in breads) have been certified, Class-A DISASTERS!!! Cross your fingers!! Hopefully we'll try it on Sunday!

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes

6 cups cooked farfalle (bow tie) pasta
2 TBS - 1/2 cup butter
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
1 T dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
3 cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, hydrated and drained
4 T grated Romano cheese

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan. Add garlic cloves and cook until garlic browns. Add the cream of chicken soup and milk, stirring until smooth. Stir in the dried parsley, salt, and ground fresh pepper. Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken pieces and sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Mix in grated Romano cheese. Toss cooked and drained pasta with chicken sauce. Serve warm.

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Notes: my family went over-the-top CRAZY for this!!! Our friend Audrey mentioned making it on her blog. Her friend had made her this yummy dinner when Audrey's super-adorable baby was born in January! I printed the recipe yesterday and put it in our "untried recipe box" and Paige selected it today. We decided to give it a try tonight and we are so glad that we did!!

I did not use fresh garlic. I can only imagine how yummy that would have been... but I didn't have any on hand and forgot to add it to the grocery list this afternoon. It was great with garlic salt, but I will definitely try fresh garlic next time! Also, I doubled the recipe because I was feeding my family (8 of us, not counting Bradley) plus Keegan's friend. I could have gotten away with not doubling it, but am so glad that I did. This is going to be a great leftover lunch!

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

1/3 cup margarine, softened
3 Tbs brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup solid-pack pumpkin
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 C buttermilk
1 cup quick-cooking oats

In a mixing bowl, cream margarine and sugar. Beat in eggs and pumpkin. Combine the dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in oats. Pour into an 8x4x2" loaf pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 75 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan ten minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 1 loaf

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Sydney picked this recipe from our "untried recipe box" and everyone was excited to give it a try. The verdict: Sydney, Paige, Ashton and Kendall liked it. Phil, Kaleigh, Keegan and me... not so much! However, we did put huge dollops of Cool Whip on our slices and it was pretty yummy! But... this is our first "fail" and the recipe did not make it into our regular recipe box!

Choco-Mint Bars

Last night Sydney randomly picked another recipe out of our "untried recipes box." She selected "Choco Mint Bars." This is proving to be a fun tradition! We made these this afternoon, after a wonderful Conference day and had a blast!! Sydney commented that baking is so much fun!

Choco-Mint Bars

(recipe was on a scratch paper... I googled it and found a very similar one on recipezaar.com.)

Makes one 9x13 pan

Cake

1 c sugar

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

16 oz. can Hershey Syrup

4 beaten eggs

1 t. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and syrup. Fold in the flour; pour into 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Mint Filling

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 t. peppermint extract

1 T. milk

2 drops green food coloring

Spread mint mix on cooled cake. Refrigerate.

Glaze

1 cup chocolate chips

6 t. butter

Melt chips with butter. Place in refrigerator to cool. When cool, but still spreadable, spread over mint layer. Refrigerate.

Notes: This was a widely approved dessert! Everyone, except for Kaleigh, indicated this was a HIT! Kaleigh said she just simply doesn't like mint anything! Super easy, and so yummy!!!