Caramel Clumpies

Josh found this recipe on the Despicable Me blu-ray and thought it sounded good so we made them.

10 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
2 ½ cups rolled oats
7 oz chewy caramels, coarsely chopped

Directions: In a large bowl, beat together the butter and both sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla mixture and mix in well. Finally add the oats and caramels and stir. Chill dough for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350F. Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes just until brown but do not over-bake or they will lose their “clumpiness”. Slide parchment paper and cookies onto counter top to cool. Enjoy!

If you like oatmeal and caramel then you'll like these cookies :) I've eaten way too many already!

Chicken Pot Pie Crumble

I got this recipe from http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/

1 1/2 Lbs chicken
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
1/2 c. celery, chopped fine
salt and pepper (to taste)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 c. flour
1 c. milk
3/4 c. frozen peas

Crumble Topping:
2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
6 Tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 c. heavy cream

FOR THE CHICKEN: Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven over medium heat (If you don't have a dutch oven, just use a stock pot). Cook until chicken is just done (8 to 12 minutes). Transfer cooked chicken to large bowl. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve. Do not wash Dutch oven.

FOR THE TOPPING: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl. Sprinkle butter pieces over top of flour. Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in Parmesan. Add cream and stir until just combined. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces onto a baking sheet. Bake at 450-degrees until fragrant and starting to brown (10-13 minutes). Set aside.

FOR THE FILLING: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender (about 5 minutes). While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside.

Heat butter in empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer and stir until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir chicken-vegetable mixture and peas into sauce.

Pour mixture into 9x13 pan (or if you have small individual-sized oven-safe dishes, you can use those-- see picture above). Scatter crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake on rimmed baking at 400-degrees sheet until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned (about 12-15 minutes). Serve hot and enjoy!

We LOVED this recipe, it got the stamp of approval from Josh, Steph and even Zach! I omitted the celery and put in a few more carrots.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscano

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic puree
10 cups chicken stock
2 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
¼ of a bunch of kale

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
3. Add chicken bouillon and stock to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

Baked Ziti

I found this

foodblog when a friend of mine posted this recipe on FB.

I was a little skeptical when it didn't have much to it, but we had this tonight and I think it was a hit. It's filling and makes a large 9x13.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound dry ziti or mastaccioli pasta

2 cups onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 pound lean ground beef

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce**

6 ounces provolone cheese,

sliced16 ounces sour cream (fat-free is OK)

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente; drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion, garlic and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce; warm through.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil or spray a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Layer as follows:

1/2 of the ziti

Sour Cream

Provolone cheese

1/2 sauce mixture

remaining ziti

mozzarella cheese

remaining sauce mixture

Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.Allow to rest on counter for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!

**Be sure to buy a nice, flavorful sauce or it will be bland!

***Ashley's tweeks: Less chopped garlic, added garlic salt instead.

Omitted the onion and used onion powder.

Chicken Broccoli Supreme

I found this recipe on the Get off your Butt and Bake website. Yummy!! You have to make this!

I went out shopping so I printed this recipe off and handed it to Jeff to make and have ready when I got home:) Bless his heart. He said it went together quickly and was easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh broccoli. Break into pieces and steam for 2 minutes

3 cups cooked chicken breasts broken into small pieces

3 cups grated cheddar cheese divided

2 tubes Ritz Crackers

1 stick melted butter

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Sauce:

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 c COLD water

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups of the above cheddar cheese

Directions:

In greased 13x9 pan layer the broccoli and chicken, then set aside. In saucepan over medium heat combine the melted butter, cornstarch dissolved in water, chicken broth, seasonings, and milk. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened. Turn heat down to low and add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese. Stir until melted. Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top with 1 1/2 cups grated cheese.

Melt the butter and add the poppy seeds. Stir well. Crush the Ritz crackers in a large zip-lock bag with a rolling pin. Don't crush too small. Add crumbs to the melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

**This was SO super good! My kids gobbled it up in no time! The sauce is like a cheese sauce but not too liquidy or overwhelming. I left out the poppy seeds because they freak my kids out. I like this recipe because it is a casserole without cream of something soup!! It makes me feel like there is less sodium:) Also, if you used less cornstarch and didn't make the sauce so thick I bet it would make a good cheese sauce for potatoes or veggies.

Spinach and Rice Casserole

I got this yummy recipe from eatbetteramerica.com

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 medium carrots, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2/3 cup chopped celery
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups water
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 boxes (9 oz each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup diced cooked ham
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (3 oz)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water and soup; heat to boiling. Add spinach, rice, Italian seasoning and pepper; return to boiling. Remove from heat; stir in ham, 1/4 cup of the Cheddar cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Spread in baking dish. Cover with foil.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Let stand uncovered 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This recipe was delicious! I had two 12 oz packages of spinach that I used because it was what I had. I also omitted the celery(gross!). Plus my family is a cheesy family so I put on more than the recipe suggested.
The website also gave this tip...For this recipe, be sure to use instant brown rice. Regular brown rice requires a different amount of liquid and takes longer to cook.
However I have a ginormous bag of brown rice that I got from Costco that will go bad if we don't start eating it so I think next time I may attempt to use less water and use precooked brown rice, it may not turn out but its worth a shot.

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

(Give your beef a good coating of flour. Make sure your pan & oil are hot and brown those edges good!)

(This is what it looks like after all the ingredients are combined and ready for cooking)

YUM!! If I think back to my favorite dinners as a child my Grandma Liz's beef stew was one of the top five. She would make it on cold snowy days along with cheese biscuits. I remember the smell filling her house. I remember my Grandpa in his hoody sitting in his recliner saying it was a good day for stew and a fire as he would watch the snow falling in the morning. I remember setting the table with the stone colored bowls rimmed with a light brown stripe. I remember us girls fighting over who got the brown cup. I remember my Grandma never sitting down until everyone was served and ready to eat. I remember the feelings of comfort and love, especially on beef stew nights. I have searched high and low for a recipe that could even slightly compare to my Grandma's stew. She never had actual recipes for a lot of her famous dishes. This one was the most similar to the ingredients I remember her using. It's from the Get off your Butt and Bake website. Ingredients: 2 lbs. of stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes 1/2 cup flour 2 tablespoons of oil 1 bay leaf 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 onion chopped (optional) **I used onion flakes to taste instead so my kids wouldn't freak out. 2 beef bouillon cubes 1/2 tsp pepper 2 tsp salt 2 tsp sugar 6 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 cup celery, sliced (optional) **I love celery but she said you can use 1 tsp of Bon Appetit seasoning instead. 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 cups of water Directions: Coat meat with flour; set excess aside. (I didn't have excess. I used 1/2 cup to coat and 3/4 cup later to thicken) In large skillet heat oil. Brown meat on all sides. In crock pot, combine browned beef, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, onion, bouillon cubes, pepper, salt, and vegetables. Pour water over all of it. It will be almost to the top of your crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. After that time turn your crock pot to HIGH. Thicken with flour left over that has been dissolved in a small amount of warm water. (I just took out some of the broth from the crock pot and used that to dissolve the flour before adding it back to the stew) Cover and cook on high for 15-20 more minutes or until slightly thickened. Makes 6-8 servings. Serve with a green salad and bread.....or cheese biscuits! (My Grandma's stew was a little thicker than this recipe makes it. The flavor however was extremely close. YaY!! That is why I used more flour to try for the thicker broth. Next time I will be making it even thicker.)