Vacation Recovery

Whew... I just returned home from a fantastic vacation to Utah to visit family. Since I haven't been shopping yet, dinner is going to be an easy one. Most of the ingredients for this delicious taco soup, should be in your pantry. (I hope they are in mine!!) Enjoy!



Emily's Corner Taco Soup



4 C water
4 chicken bouillon cubes (or 4 tsp bouillon granules)
1 can Black Beans, drained
1 can Corn, drained
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
2 C cooked and shredded chicken (you can use canned chicken if you are really in a hurry)
2 T dried onion (or fresh if you prefer)
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1 cooked rice *hint: When you cook rice for a meal make 1-2 cups extra. Place 1 cup of cooked rice in a Ziploc bag and place in the freezer. When you need rice quickly, grab the bag out of the freezer, pop it in the microwave for a few minutes and Wallah, you have rice fit for a meal.

1 C cheddar cheese, grated


1. Boil water, add bouillon and allow to dissolve.
2. Turn to Med. low heat and add all remaining ingredients except the cheese. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.
3. Add cheese, stir until melted.
4. Serve with sour cream and corn bread.



Corn Bread


1 C flour
1 C cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/8 C milk
1 egg
1/4 C vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients together. Combine milk, egg and oil in a separate bowl.
3. Add milk mixture to dry mixture and stir just until moist.
4. Pour in a 8x8 glass baking dish that has been well greased.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake!

She Wears Flowers

My friend just started selling her adorable girls clothing on Etsy. I absolutaly LOVE everything on her site and wish I could buy it all!!

Check her stuff out at She Wears Flowers.

While you are at it, check out Brittni Schroder Photography- she took the beautiful pictures of the clothing.

You-Crack-Me-Up Cookies

I love chocolate! My husband knows that if he is ever in the dog-house, he only needs to bribe me with Lindor Truffles, or Ferrero Roche, or even just Peanut butter M&M's and he's off the hook.

Today I thought I'd try these chocolate cookies. They are chocolaty and sugary and just small enough that you need at least 3! (Although I would probably need 3 no matter how big they were...)

You-Crack-Me-Up Cookies

1/3 C vegetable oil

1 1/2 C sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg + 1 egg white

1 2/3 C flour

1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C powdered sugar

1- Preheat oven to 350.

2- Combine oil, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until well blended. Add egg and egg white. Beat again until well blended. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt with a spoon. The mixture will be pretty thick.

3- Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl or a plastic bad.

4- Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in the powdered sugar until covered. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

5- Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when lightly touched. Be sure to not overcook. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes then transfer to cookie racks to cool completely.

Happy Valentine's Day

This week my kids and I have had a great time making lots of Valentines Treats. Here are a few that we tried...
- Cupids Cups from Kraft Foods
- Heart Shaped Pretzels (We added red food coloring to ours to make them look pink)
- Glazed Brownie Hearts

To celebrate Valentine's Day I made my husband a candlelight dinner complete with romantic music & sparkling cider. We had a great time enjoying a quiet dinner, just the two of us (a rarity around our place!)

Our Menu:
Wedge Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing
French Bread with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
Chicken Amore
Chocolate Raspberry Parfait
Sparkling Cider

Chicken Amore

6-8 Chicken tenders
1/4 lb angel hair pasta, cooked al dente
1 packet dry Alfredo Sauce Mix
1 T Olive oil
1 T butter
1 C milk
1/2 C water
1 C tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 C roasted red peppers (found in a jar marinated in olive oil)
1 T capers, drained
1 T onion salt,
1 T Italian Seasoning
1/2 T garlic powder (or chopped garlic if you like a stronger garlic flavor)
Lawry's Herb & Garlic Marinade
Mozzarella cheese, grated

1- Marinate chicken for at least 4 hours in Herb & Garlic Marinade
2- Heat olive oil in skillet on Medium heat. Add chicken. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until the juices run clear. Transfer from pan to plate tented with tinfoil to keep chicken warm.
3- Add 1 T butter to chicken drippings in skillet. Allow to melt. Meanwhile, whisk together Alfredo mix, milk and water until there are no lumps in it. Add to butter in skillet and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat.
4- Add tomatoes, pepper, capers and spices. Simmer on low 5 minutes to allow sauce to thicken up a bit. Add cooked pasta and stir to coat.
5- Serve by plating pasta, top with chicken and a generous serving of grated mozzarella.

Wedge Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

1 head Iceberg lettuce
Purple grapes ,halved
Dried Cranberries
Cucumber ,thinly sliced
Tomato, thinly sliced

Cut two wedge shapes out of the iceberg lettuce. Place on a plate already drizzled with dressing. Surround with halved grapes, dried cranberries, cucumbers and tomatoes. Drizzle with additional dressing and sprinkle with your favorite cheese.

Dressing:

In a blender mix:
1/2 C red wine vinegar
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 T minced onion
2 tsp poppy seeds
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C strawberries, fresh or frozen ( I have also been known to substitue strawberry jam in a pinch!)

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

www.nataliedee.com

Have you ever put together the perfect meal in a crock pot, complete with an expensive roast and equally expensive vegetables, then gone to work. You come home expecting a delicious, ready-to-eat meal, and instead you smell..... nothing. You forgot to PLUG IN the crock pot. So instead of savoring a tender roast and sweet vegetables, you feed them to the garbage disposal and eat Cheerios and Moose Tracks Ice cream. How depressing!

Yes, I have to admit this has happened to me, on more than one occasion. So before you walk out the door, check to see that your crock pot is securely plugged in and the knob is turned to the 'On" position!

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 small chicken breasts pounded flat (or two large ones -fillet in half and avoid all that pounding)
4 thick slices ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 C Sour Cream
1/2 C milk
1/2 C bread crumbs
1 T Italian seasoning

1- Place flattened chicken breasts flat down on a plate. Place 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese on top of each breast. Fold the chicken breast into thirds, rolling the ham and cheese in the middle of the chicken. Secure with two toothpicks. (I find that if I always use two, I always know how many to look for before I eat it)

2- Place chicken toothpick side up in the bottom of a crock pot. Meanwhile mix Cream of chicken soup, sour cream and milk in a bowl. Pour the mixture into the crock pot so the chicken breasts are almost covered. If you have any sauce left save in the fridge for later.

3- Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Italian Seasoning. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours.

4- Remove Chicken Cordon Bleu's from crock pot and pour sauce into a gravy dish to serve over the top, or on mashed potatoes. You may want to strain the sauce to remove any bits of chicken that fell off. Also, if you had any sauce left from earlier, warm it in a saucepan before adding to the remaining sauce.

Enjoy!

A few good deals

- Free Pampers Sample

Check out the sample of Pampers new Pampers Dry Max. It looks like the sample includes 3 newly redesigned Pampers Cruisers, and you can pick up some great coupons as well. And as an added bonus if your sample has the Team USA logo on it, you win a year supply of diapers.

http://www.pampers.com/



- Magic Bullet to Go Giveaway with "Stretching A Buck"

Check out the Stretching a Buck blog for a chance to win a Magic Bullet to Go. My parents have one of the original Magic Bullets and it was a great little blender, perfect for Quesadilla filling, guacamole, salsa, pesto, and even chocolate milk.



www.stretchingabuckblog.com/2010/01/giveaway-magic-bullet-to-go.html

Asian Chicken Stir-fry

This is one of my favorite speedy meals! It is perfect for the nights when you aren't sure what to cook. I usually have everything in my pantry and the Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing has become a staple in my fridge- it is great on everything!

Oh, and I must give credit where credit is due.... I got this recipe from Kraft foods.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/

8 oz. angel hair pasta, uncooked

2 cups broccoli florets

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1 C. Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (I like the lite)

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1/4 - 1/2 tsp each; ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper

Sesame Seeds

1- Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time.

2- Coat a skillet with cooking spray. Heat on Medium- high heat. Add chicken, cook 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook 1 minute while stirring.

3- Drain pasta and broccoli and place in a large bowl. Add chicken mixture. Toss lightly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or 1/3 c chopped peanuts.