A Couple of Easy Dips

So, sorry I have been MIA lately!  We have been dealing with a round of random illnesses, but thank the Lord everyone is on the mend!  The 3 older kids have been dealing with upper respiratory infections and a couple of mild cases of chicken pox.  But, they are getting over it.  God spared our small town the devastation that many are dealing with as a tornado passed over us last night...that's how it appears at least.  Keep everyone in your prayers as many around the nation prepare to rebuild not only their houses, but lives!

But, before my battery dies, here are a couple of cool dips great for summer!  Make some for Memorial day!

Green Onion Dip

What you need:

1/2 c. mayo

3/4 c. sour cream (or plain yogurt or Greek yogurt)

2-3 green onions, chopped

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

Mix it all together and chill at least an hour.  Feel free to use low-fat or fat-free products.  Greek yogurt would be a good swap for the sour cream because its crazy high in protein!  Serve with potato chips.

Bacon & Tomato Dip

What you need:

1 c. mayo

1 c. sour cream

2 green onions, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

2-3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/2 package bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, divided

What you do:

Mix mayo and sour cream.  Add onions, salt & pepper, and 1/2 cup crumbled mayo.  Chill until ready to serve, at least an hour.  Before serving, stir in tomatoes and remaining bacon.  Garnish with crumbled bacon, tomatoes, and onions so everyone knows the yumminess it contains!  Serve with potato chips or snack crackers.  Tastes like a bacon & tomato sandwich!

Sausage & Mushroom Linguine

I made this for my "baby" sister's 29th birthday dinner *sniff sniff* and the hubs liked it so much he asked me to make it the next week!  It was so easy to throw together, but special enough to serve to guests.  Make some today...then spend 2 hours on the elliptical!

Ok, so it doesn't take a pretty picture, but don't knock it, its CRAZY TASTY!


Sausage & Mushroom Linguine


What you need:
1 pound Italian sausage (I used Jimmy Dean, remove casings if using links)
1/2 to 3/4 pound mushrooms, chopped or sliced
1/4 c. diced onion
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3/4 c. (or more) chicken broth
3/4 c. heavy cream


1 pound linguine
1 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 oz.)  Pass on the green can and get a block of the good stuff.  Its worth it for this dish!


What you do:
Brown sausage in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked sausage to a plate.  Add onions to sausage drippings and cook until the begin to soften, 3 or 4 minutes.  Add mushrooms, crushed red pepper and Italian seasoning to skillet.  Saute until mushrooms are tender and add garlic.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes more.  Add broth and cream and set aside.
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.  (note:  I didn't use the full pound of pasta.  I used about 3/4 a pound because we wanted it meatier, the choice is yours)  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Add sausage, mushroom mixture, and cheese.  Toss over medium heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta.  Steal a taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.  Add broth by 1/4 cupful if mixture seems dry.  Serve with a sprinkle of grated parm and listen to your guests oooohh and aaaaahh!

Egg Rollin'!

So, I got up with an odd hankerin' for egg rolls.  Hankerin'?  How do you spell that?  Is that even a word?  Any whoo!  I'd grabbed the stuff at Wally World over the weekend because I'd planned to make them for supper one night.  Whoops, now they are for lunch.  This is why menu planning doesn't work for me...I rarely stick to it all week!  So, here ya go, your very oen recipe for homemade egg rolls!  Don't be scared..they aren't as hard as you think!

What you need:
1 lb. ground beef, pork, turkey, or chicken
1 bag tri-color slaw mix...unless you'd like to chop this much cabbage and carrots.  If so, go for it!
3 green onions, sliced thin
1 clove garlic (or 2 small) finely minced, or grated
1/4 tsp. ginger...more if you like it a lot.
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce (optional)  
pinch to 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp cornstarch stirred into 1/4 c. water
1 package egg roll wrappers...usually found in produce section
oil for frying

What you do:
Brown and drain meat and set aside.  In same skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and stir-fry cabbage slaw until crisp tender.  Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute more.  Add ginger, red pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, and oyster sauce.  I recently discovered oyster sauce...even our Wal-mart sells it!  It isn't fishy like it sounds like it would be.  It makes Chinese dishes pretty crazy tasty!  Anyways, back to your regularly scheduled program....After you add all the sauces and seasonings and mix well, give it a taste and adjust seasonings to your family's taste.  Mix your cornstarch in water and add to mixture.  This helps it tighten up a little and hold together better.  Roll your egg rolls and lay on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper or parchment.  Cover with a slightly damp towel to prevent them from drying out as you roll.  Here and here are good step-by-step directions for rolling.  Heat oil in a deep fryer or about 2 inches in a heavy pan to 350.  That is supposedly the magic frying temperature.  Honestly, I don't have a thermometer and just king of know my stove.  I have to leave it halfway between high and medium high...but that may not help you on your stove!  Serve with sweet & sour sauce or extra soy sauce.  We like these as a main dish for supper with stir-fried veggies and plain or fried rice.  Mmmm!  Try it and come tell me how it was easier than you thought!
Tip:  I have never tried it, but many websites say you can bake them at 425.  Spray cookie sheet and place egg rolls seam side down and spray egg rolls with cooking spray and bake for 18-20 minutes.  You can also freeze and cook from frozen.

If you have any filling leftover, here is an idea to use it.  Cook a package of ramen noodles (any flavor) adding the seasoning to the boiling water.  Reheat egg roll filling and add noodles and about 1/4 c. of cooking liquid and toss together.  Add more of the noodle broth until you like the consistency of it.  It turns out kind of like a lo mein.  Or grab a fork and just eat the filling!  Mmmm!

Breakfast Cookies

So we aren't exactly morning people around here. We tend to be night owls so my house is typically not up and going before 8. (Just one more reason homeschooling works so well for us!) The kids are not big breakfast eaters. They are happy with a pb&j or a granola bar and milk! These breakfast cookies are yummy and while not a total healthfood, they are still better than Pop tarts! (Which my kids love and beg for at the grocery store...and I cave to once every few months!) Here are two different recipes I have made:


Cheerios Breakfast Cookies
What you need:
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or a combination
1 c. old fashioned or quick cooking oats (but not instant)
1 c. raisins
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 c. Cheerios toasted oat cereal


What you do:
Heat oven to 375. Cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Add in water, egg, and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour(s), salt, soda, and oats. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well. Stir in raisins. Gently stir in cereal.
Drop dough by 1/4 c. full 4 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to about 1 inch thick. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cookies to cool for about 5 minutes before removing. This is important to prevent them from breaking up. Store loosely covered. I kept them in a big ziploc in the freezer and would pull out a few and let them thaw loosely covered on the counter over night.


Breakfast Cookies from April 2010 Home Life magazine
What you need:
1 c. butter softened
1/2 c. honey
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 c. quick cooking oats
1 c. Grape Nuts cereal
1 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)


What you do:
Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, honey, and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and beat again. In a seperate bowl combine flour, salt, soda, and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Stir in oats, coconut, raisins, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets and bake 10-12 minute or until golden brown around the edges.
Tip: Store cookies in freezer and remove as needed. Thaw at room temperature over night or in the microwave about 10 seconds.

Give these a try for busy weekday mornings!

White Bean Dip

I have several recipes posted under notes in my profile on Facebook, so I am going to be working on moving them over here. I'll try to go back and add pictures as I make them.

A while ago I wound up with an odd abundance of canned beans in my pantry, so I started looking for ways to use them. This is a tasty alternative to standard bean dip.

White Bean Dip

What you need:
1 can white beans, I used cannellini because they blend up so creamy.
1/4 c. ranch salad dressing, yep, just the bottled kind
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
various dippers, corn chips, crackers, pita chips, veggies, etc.

What you do:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor except the parsley. Blend until nearly smooth. Add parsley and continue blending until smooth. I learned adding the parsley at the beginning can give the dip kind of a green hue, but doesn't affect the taste of course. Serve with chips, crackers veggies, etc. to dip. Pita chips are especially good, as are mutligrain tortilla chips. Even my sister, who doesn't like beans, likes this dip! Mmmm, now I want some!

Cinco de Mayo! Taquito Time!

Seems like a good day to get this party started! Wait, what is Cinco de Mayo anyways?? Well, besides the 5th of May. Let me go Google........ahhh, it commemorates the Mexican militia's victory over the French in 1862. So there's a little FYI if you didn't know. And if you did, well give yourself a cookie.
So in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I decided maybe I should make some Mexican food for supper tonight. Well, probably more Tex-Mex, but yummy just the same! I am still trying to get the hang of taking pictures of food so bear with me! These were surprisingly easy and so yummy! The fam loved them...even the kids! My big girl helped me with them, so that made her a lot more willing to try them. Rumor has it they freeze well...maybe I'll make extra and try that next time!

See, what's up with this picture??? I need some pointers! Anyways, here's how you make them!

Baked Chicken Taquitos...or are they Flautas??
What you need:
4 oz. cream cheese (half a block)
1/4 c. salsa...any flavor you like, red or green
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
dash of cayenne pepper (if you're into that sort of thing)
1/4 c. diced onion
1 c. shredded cheese, Mexican blend, cheddar, jack, or pepper jack, whatever floats your boat
2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
flour tortillas (I used 6, but mine were big)
vegetable or canola oil

What you do:

Sauté onions in a little oil over medium heat until translucent. Throw cream cheese in a bowl and nuke on 50% power for 30 seconds or so to get it good and squishy. Add salsa, onions, and spices. Mix until creamy. Add chicken and cheese and stir. Taste for salt and spices. Add a little more if you think it needs it. Spoon about 3 good tablespoons down the center of tortillas and roll tightly. Place seam side down on a sprayed cookie sheet, or use a silpat or parchment paper. If that filling leaks out, it could be messy! Brush each taquito with oil so it gets nice and crispy. Nonstick spray would probably work too. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until they start to get golden brown. Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, cheese dip...something yummy to dip them in!

How did I get here?

What on earth am I doing here??? Its been suggested I should write a cookbook...lol! Or open a restaurant....ROFL! Or....have my own cooking show...where are people coming up with this stuff??? I surely do not have time for any of that...truthfully, I doubt I have time to keep up with a blog, but we'll see how this goes. I love, love, love cooking! I am sure my passion fare exceeds my ability, but here I am just the same.

I have 4 kids (so far, lol) ages 5 years to 2 months and it seems I spend most of my day in the kitchen! Around the table is where we have meals, hold school, read books, play games, and Thomas the Train makes countless laps! I say "No you don't need a snack now, Momma's cookin'!" many times a day because as soon as it's meal time my kids attack like a pack of starving wolves and I have to threaten to beat them off with a wooden spoon so I can get supper done....ok, maybe not, just kidding....a little bit!

So, I am going to be sharing some of our family's favorite recipes....along with those the kids won't touch with a ten foot pole. On those nights Spaghetti-O's and pb&j reign supreme.

Pull up a chair and chat while I cook...just try to ignore the toddler climbing up your lap, 3 year old train conductor driving by, baby fussing in the swing, and kindergartener grumbling over math facts!