It's fall, and I'm craving warm soups. Jared and I liked this corn chowder I made.
3/4 C. water, divided
1 small onion
1/2 C. Chopped red bell pepper
1 can cream-style corn
16 oz. frozen corn
1 C. chopped, boiled potato (could use hash browns)
1 C. chopped, boiled carrots
1 can (12 oz.) Evaporated milk
3 Chicken bouillon cubes
1 T. fresh basil
3-5 strips fried bacon, chopped
*can use 8 oz. frozen peeled, cooked shrimp
Bring 1/4 C. water to boil in large saucepan. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook until tender. Add remaining water, corn, evaporated milk, bouillon, potatoes, carrots, and bacon. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low. Cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently. If you want shrimp, add now and cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with basil.
I received a gift last week. Another gadget for my little kitchen. A pretty brown package showed up on my doorstep and this is what was inside. For little ole me. Well Luci thought it was for her. Thanks Jacob! So, I couldn't wait to try it out. This is what we made that night. If you've ever had peanut sauce at a thai restaurant you probably fell in love. Well, I did. The sauce in this dish mixed with the veggies and noodles was awesome. Do you remember the scene in Ratatouille where they mix the cheese and the strawberry and fireworks go off in the background?? That's what it was like while we ate this dish.
Thai Peanut Noodles
What You’ll Need:
3 cloves garlic
½ c peanut butter
1/2 c soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar (or whatever you have)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ c olive oil
½ Tbsp sesame seed oil (optional)
¾-1 lb. angel hair pasta (or whatever you have)
½ green onions chopped
a bunch of cilantro
½ bell pepper julienned (a fancy word for thinly sliced)
a bunch of green beans
The Process:
Boil a medium sized pot of water. Boil green beans until al dente. Take green beans out, slice, and set aside. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente. In the meantime, throw garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and sesame seed oil in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.
Toss with pasta, peppers, onions, and green beans. Garnish with lots of cilantro!
Okay, you gotta try these! Jacob and I made them for Dad's birthday. They are what I call, totally a cheater dessert, but that makes them even better! Seriously I couldn't stop thinking about them for days. And the smell while they're in the oven is almost better than eating them. Dad said they were as good as he remembers his Mom making them :) I meant to get a picture of the 9x13 that we completely finished in less than 12 hours. Yeah. Do you believe me yet? Are you writing down the ingredients on your shopping list?...
Apple Dumplings Recipe and photo from pioneerwoman.com For in detail instructions click on the link.
Ingredients
2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda
Preparation Instructions
Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.
WARNING: Prepare this dish at your own risk. It is beyond imaginable.
Mix in a large bowl with hands. Make cookies about the size of a hamburger patty. Place only about 3 on a cookie sheet at a time. They don't call them Monster cookies for nothing! Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
***I only make half of the recipe at a time because it is just too much to deal with otherwise. Half the recipe makes about 2 dozen large cookies. These are hugely popular at bake sales we've had for scouts--probably due to their large size more than anything!!
Jared was also sorely disappointed I hadn't introduced him to these cookies much sooner than 13 years into our marriage!
This Alfredo sauce is a cinch! It's delicious and light too. You could really put anything on top of the pasta...blackened grilled chicken, sauteed onions and tomatoes, serve the pasta as a side dish...etc.
Guiltless Alfredo Sauce and Cajun Shrimp Slightly adapted from ourbestbites.com
Ingredients:
2 C low-fat milk 1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese 2 T flour 1 t salt 1 T butter 3 garlic cloves 1 C grated Parmesan cheese pinch of nutmeg
Toss milk, cream cheese, flour, salt, and nutmeg in a blender. Blend until smooth. Warm the butter in the pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sautee for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the milk mixture and stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes until it comes to a simmer. Now stir for a few minutes more. It will thicken as it cooks. Take the sauce off the heat and add the parmesan cheese. The sauce will thicken even more as it sits off the heat. So, don't cook it for too long.
For Shrimp:
Thaw the shrimp under running cold water. Coat in cajun seasoning, and sautee in warm oil. Place on top of the pasta and sprinkle parsley if desired.
Who knew there could be so many ways to eat oatmeal. I love oatmeal, but it's been hard for me to get it down on these hot muggy mornings. I got this idea (and the pretty picture) from allrecipes and used what I had to make a deliciously cold, smooth, and sweet treat. I promise you're kids will never know that there are oats in there. And there you have it, the perfect breakfast food hidden in a shake in seconds! Try it! Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Shake Makes about 2 servings
Blend these ingredients in the order listed:
1/2 c plain or vanilla yogurt 2/3 c milk or water 1 banana 1/2 c. + raw oats 10-14 frozen strawberries 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp honey (if desired)
