Refreshed

I feel so good after a wonderful weekend of family, great inspirational messages and yes, yummy food. You seriously have to make those cinnamon rolls some time--and don't skip the pecans--they make everything better! Now it's back to real life and more recipes. Ryder has been begging for me to make Ratatouille for weeks, so I'll attempt it this week (not sure if Ryder realizes that Ratatouille is strictly veggies & sauce. ;). As well as another Risotto dish that I've been dying to try. I'm on a big Asparagus kick too (thank goodness! 2 years ago I wouldn't have TOUCHED asparagus...and now I love it!). Anyway, hope you enjoy your week!

*Monday: Leftover Soup & Southwestern Salad (I made this yesterday--since I was craving something fresh after eating WAY too many cinnamon rolls)--Chopped lettuce, black beans, chopped tomatoes & purple onion, avocados, salsa (instead of dressing) & a few tortilla chips sprinkled on top.

*Tuesday: Ratatouille Tart (anything made on puff pastry is good, right?) & corn on the cob--we had some last week for the first time in a while. Ellery ate 3 whole cobs, she's just like her Mommma. ;)

*Wednesday: Roasted Asparagus Risotto

*Thursday: Chicken & Bean Burrito Verde

*Friday: Fish & Baked Brown Rice (see recipe below) And I just may have to make a batch of these also... Lemon Sugar Cookies

*Saturday: Lighter Sesame Noodles

*Sunday: Leftovers

OVEN BROWN RICE

1 C brown Rice

¼ C butter

1 C beef broth

1 tsp garlic salt

2 C chicken broth

1 tsp seasoned salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a 2 quart casserole dish, mix together the ingredients. Bake uncovered for 60 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Finally...a post!

We're back from our adventures and ready to cook. Haven has been sleeping through the night for a while now which makes me want to do more of everything. I've even been trying to exercise regularly, but then I go and buy things like those Sea Salt Caramels from Costco (they are seriously SO good). So here are some (hopefully) healthy dinners to take us through this week.

*Monday: Vegetable Chowder Soup (see recipe below)--my Great Aunt made this for us when we were in Utah, and it was super yummy. Her recipe is a little confusing (and has TONS of cream), so with my own twist, we'll see how it turns out...

*Tuesday: Fettuccine with Leeks and White Beans & bread

*Wednesday: Red Snapper (or Salmon) with peppers & Brown Jasmine Rice (I LOVE this stuff. It is a combination of brown rice and the longer Jasmine grained rice...genius)

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Stuffed Chicken Divan (don't let "stuffed" scare you. This is a healthy version) & a green salad

*Saturday: General Conference weekend=Cinnamon Rolls & Ham and Spinach Frittata for breakfast! Dinner will most likely be easy...like this yummy Tuna & Pear Salad (neither Burke or I care at all for Gorgonzola, so I would probably use Feta instead)

*Sunday: Roast with veggies & these potatoes...can you tell this is our new favorite Sunday dinner?


VEGETABLE CHOWDER


-1 TBLSP chicken base
-2 c. half & half
-4 c. milk
-4 c. water
-2 c. sliced carrots
-4 c. diced potatoes
-2 c. diced celery
-1 TBLSP salt
-1 TBLSP Wocestershire sauce
-1 c. diced onions
-1/4 c. butter
-1 c. flour
-2 cups diced broccoli
-2 c. diced cauliflower

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large pot. Boil gently for about 45 minutes. In a separate pan, saute onions in butter (or you could use olive oil) until tender. Add the flour to coat onions. Add the cauliflower and broccoli until slightly softened. Combine all ingredients together, and simmer until all vegetables are well incorporated/cooked through.

sugar cookies and Sayonara!

I made some sugar cookies yesterday. They're already all gone. So I'm making more today! Don't worry, I gave most of them away. But since I'm Utah bound in less than 48 hours, I thought I needed some for the road. I still don't think I've found world's best recipe, but for now, here is the one I use (thanks to this lady). Don't these cookies make you think spring is just around the corner?!

LAVERNE'S SUGAR COOKIES

-1 c. shortening
-2 c. sugar
-3 eggs
-2 tsp vanilla
-1 tsp baking soda
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 1/4 tsp salt
-1 c. milk
-7-8 c. flour

Cream shortening and sugar well. Add eggs and vanilla (I like to add a dash of almond flavoring as well). Add flour, salt, baking powder and soda alternately with milk. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Chill for 3-4 hours.
Roll out dough thick. Cut with a cookie cutter. Bake cookies on a cookie sheet at 350* for about eight minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE!

SUGAR COOKIE GLAZE:

-1 c. confectioners sugar
-1 TBLSP light corn syrup
-2 TBLSP wather
-food coloring (if desired)

Stir first 3 ingredients together. Add food coloring (I like to add almond extract to this glaze as well). Dip the cooled cookies in the glaze and sprinkle with sugar/sprinkles. Let them sit until firm. Glaze needs to be stirred often or it will get stiff.

OR

BEST FROSTING:

-3 c. powdered sugar
-1/3 c. butter (softened)
-2-3 TBLSP milk
-1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer until creamy. Spread on top of cooled sugar cookies. *You guessed right, I normally add almond extract to the frosting as well. Let's just say almond flavor makes everything better...

*and p.s. I'll be gone for over 2 weeks! So in lou of copying my dinners every night (I won't be posting--but if you're really stuck, head on over to Cafe Rio...I'll be there ;), just go ahead and keep making some sugar cookies until I'm back!

repeat week.

Since we are leaving for Utah a week from today, and it has been requested that we "repeat meals" instead of trying new recipes this week, we are having some of our favorite dishes (even if we just had them last week. Take that as us Morins saying, "try this recipe! It's SO good!"). Here they are:

*Monday: Leftovers

*Tuesday: "White" Macaroni & Cheese & Steamed Broccoli

*Wednesday: Carmelized Onion and Lentil Soup (didn't end up making this last week, but really want to try it)

*Thursday: Chicken Tostadas (Oooo, they are good...and easy!)

*Friday: Eggplant and Mozzarella Melt - I promise--you LIKE Eggplant! ;)

*Saturday: SDSU vs. BYU game=veggies/hummus, homemade chips (Slice corn tortillas like a pizza, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Then bake in a 350* oven for about 15 minutes or until crispy)/guacamole or salsa

*Sunday: Pot Roast (slow-cooker) with red potatoes

Happy LOVE day!

*biscuits were made last Friday...and were super tasty!

Happy Valentine's Day! And the beginning of a great week...I can just feel it! Today will be filled with preschool Valentine's party, Doctor appointment, grocery shopping, decorating, and EATING! Here is our not too shabby menu for the week:

*Monday: All things heart/red. To continue our tradition, we'll have heart shaped pizzas. I think I'll shape the dough into individual hearts, and let everyone cover with their favorite toppings. Luckily, I have Trader Joe's to make my dough and delicious pizza sauce for me. We'll have things like pepperoni, tomatoes, peppers, ham, pineapple, onions, cheese, etc. to top.
For dessert we'll have molten chocolate cakes with Trader Joe's peppermint jojo's ice cream (any hopes of me losing this baby weight were ruined when I discovered this ice cream the other day...).

*Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Tostadas

*Wednesday: Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Simple Carmelized Onion and Lentil Soup & homemade bread

*Saturday: Game Day. We've had fun watching BYU games on Saturdays...and making it a party with "game food". Today I'll make more guacamole (it's a favorite around here), and possibly a fruit pizza (I'll use this recipe for the cookie crust). Don't you always need an excuse to make a fruit pizza? I do.

*Sunday: Slow-Cooker Pot Roast & these potatoes

February

It's February. I kind of love this month. Maybe it's just because I feel like so many people around me hate it and are always complaining about how cold/dark it is. Can you pity a month? Although I'm excited when I think of heading to the pool on a sunny day, I actually welcome the frigid, snowy air. So here's to a week of cooking cozy comfort meals...because whether you like it or not, it is freezing outside...

*For the rest of my life I will ALWAYS make chicken pot pie with a phyllo dough top...it is TOO good. And baking it in individual ramekins for the kids makes it look extra cute--and is a special treat for each child to have "their own"!

*Monday: Chicken Pot Pie

*Tuesday: Roasted Sweet Potato and Spinach Risotto (my Mom made this a couple weeks ago and I had a taste---SO DELICIOUS! I actually had a similar tasting dish at a nice restaurant a couple months ago...)

*Wednesday: Leftovers

*Thursday: Soy-Glazed Salmon with fluffy mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels Sprouts (I roast mine in the oven with a little olive oil/s&p until they are golden brown. You can also add some balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, etc. for some extra flavor.)

*Friday: Chili (I HAD to use this recipe after watching the video...who knew watching Jimmy Fallon cook could be so entertaining?!) & sweet potato biscuits (sweet potatoes 2 times in one week!)

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Spaghetti with red sauce & Bruschetta

Saucy Pepper Steak

I tried a new recipe last night and it was sooooo yummy (and pretty good for you too!).
Here it is:
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small onion, cut into strips
3 small mushrooms
1 lb. well-trimmed steak, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups hot cooked brown rice

Heat oil in large skillet. Add peppers and onions. Saute until soft then place in bowl and cover to keep warm. Add meat, garlic, black pepper, and mushrooms. Saute about 3 min. Add soy sauce; cook until meat is cooked through. Add barbecue sauce. Stir and add pepper mix and stir until coated with sauce. Serve over hot rice.