Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie

I just found this recipe on Real Simple's website while I was looking up lunch ideas for me and Natalie. If this tastes ANYTHING like Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Cream Frappucino, I'm ALL.OVER.IT!!!

Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie

1 cup ice

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 tbsp honey

a pinch of ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend that bad boy til it's all frothy and full of goodness!!

PW's Sunrise Punch

I haven't made this yet. But you bet I'm gonna! Especially on days when I start school, and I've got to get me and the kids out the door. :)

Sunrise Punch recipe:
2 cups orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
Fill rest of blender with ice and blend

Lettuce Wraps

My good friend Jaclyn introduced me to these. :) It's just the recipe she uses off the back of a pack of Romaine Lettuce hearts, but I can't get enough of these! From what I can tell, they're nothing like the PF Changs recipe, but I don't mind... If you can put aside any first though of what cilantro pesto may taste like, I promise you will be addicted JUST.LIKE.ME. lol

Lettuce Wraps

1 head romaine lettuce hearts

2-3 chicken breasts - cooked and sliced (Or use a shredded rotisserie chicken)

1 bunch cilantro (you can use 1/2-3/4 of a bunch)

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 cloves garlic (minced)

Shredded cheese (optional)

1/2 cup oil (olive oil or vegetable oil)

1 avocado

2 roma tomatoes

1 bunch green onions, diced

salt and pepper

Combine garlic, cilantro, pine nuts and 1 tsp salt in a food processor and pulse until pesto is a creamy texture. (you should know what pesto looks like lol) Transfer to a bowl and whisk while adding oil. Bring to desired texture and add 1/4 cup chicken broth to thin if needed. Set aside. Slice tomatoes (strips or rounds), dice green onions and slice avocado into strips. Clean the lettuce and separate the leaves. Mix the chicken with the pesto. Top lettuce leaves with the chicken and toppings and EAT IT! lol Seriously ... I love these things.

Lemon Pancakes (with blueberry syrup)

Now... before you balk... let me just say - the combination of lemon and blueberries is ABSOLUTELY divine!! When I worked at the spa last year, the fancy shmancy restaurant had a cheesecake one night that was a lemon and blueberry combination with sweetened ricotta cheese... I thought I had died and gone to heaven! These pancakes are a good substitute... and might I recommend, instead of butter, a smidge of sweetened ricotta cheese! :) (I didn't get to make the blueberry syrup when I made these... didn't have the ingredients on hand)

Lemon Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 TBSP butter, melted

2 TBSP lemon zest

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice (from the same lemon you zested)

4 TBSP butter, divided (you use this for frying the pancakes and I needed more)

Fresh blueberry syrup - recipe in a minute

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (What this means for stand mixer users like me, use a glass measuring cup that holds 4 cups or more to mix the liquid part in, put the dry mixture into your stand mixer bowl.)

In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 TBSP of butter over medium heat. Spoon 2 TBSP of batter for each pancake into skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining butter and pancake batter.

Serve with warm Fresh Blueberry Syrup.... or if your kids don't want that.. regular syrup is just as yummy. :)

Fresh Blueberry Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

2 cups fresh blueberries

In a medium sauce pan, combine water, sugar, corn syrup and lemon juice over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved.

Add blueberries; cook for 15-20 minutes or until syrupy, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly before serving. Sweetened ricotta is as easy as mixing whole milk ricotta with some sugar and vanilla! :)

Sunrise Smoothie

This is from another of my magazines that I love - Simply Southern. I tend to pick up magazines that have recipes that I want to try and most of the time, they end up being some of my most favorite recipes. This one is for a smoothie that is used in a brunch sequence. Way good!

Sunrise Smoothie

2 1/4 cups orange juice (if you can find the Tropicana Valencia orange juice, I highly recommend it)

2 1/4 cups vanilla ice cream or frozen vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cups frozen strawberry sorbet (if you can't find strawberry sorbet like me, I resorted to using strawberry sorbet fruit pops... enough to equal 1 1/2 cups. lol)

Garnish with fresh strawberries if you'd like

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth... pour into glasses. It's not rocket science. lol

Cheese Grits

Let me first tell you ... anyone who has never had grits... PLEASE let this be your first recipe in trying them! These are simply DIVINE and it's so versatile... you can use them at breakfast or dinner! I know some of my friends have never had grits and thought they were supposed to be served sweetened.... although SOME people may like them that way, I assure you... Grits are a salty mash that for breakfast is awesome mixed with eggs and bacon and toast, and dinner, along side crab cakes or some other protein. This recipe calls for the brand Wade's Mill Stone Ground Grits... but regular old fashioned (slow cooking) grits work just as well.

Cheese Grits

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 tsp salt

1 cup grits (they NEED to be the slow cooking, old fashioned kind. NOT the quick cooking stuff)

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 cup warm heavy cream

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I'm a cheese lover, so obviously I use more... and it HAS to be sharp, in order to get the cheese taste. Mild cheddar is just that... too mild. Using the cheddar you grate yourself tastes MUCH better in this recipe)

4 TBSP unsalted butter

1 dash hot pepper sauce (tabasco) optional

1 pinch nutmeg, optional (I didn't add this)

In a medium saucepan, combine boiling water and salt over high heat. Combine grits and cold water and then slowly add to boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring every 3-4 minutes, for 20 minutes.

Add cream, cheese and butter, continue cooking until grits reach desired consistency. Season with hot pepper sauce and nutmeg, if desired.

You can look on the package of grits and change the liquid measurements according to the directions for 4 servings if you want to, and follow the rest of the recipe for the cream and cheese. I've done it both ways and if I'm remembering correctly, I don't think there was much difference in the measurements. Combining the grits with the cold water before adding them to the boiling water is what prevents lumps and keeps the mixture from spitting and burning you, which it will usually do if you add grits straight to the boiling water.

Chive and Onion mashed potatoes

To go with the Salisbury Steak... or any time really. Also from Paula. :)

Chive and Onion Mashed Potatoes (4 to 6 servings)

1 (24 oz) package frozen steam and mash potatoes

1/2 cup chive and onion cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

Cook potatoes according to package directions. Pour potatoes into a medium bowl; add cream cheese and butter. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes to desired consistency.

** Now... I didn't think it looked like it made very much... but I'm a mashed potato lover and my kids refuse to eat mashed potatoes. So if your clan is a mashed potato loving family, I would suggest doubling it. Also, I found it needed just a little half and half so it wasn't such a heavy consistency. I added some seasoning to it, as I didn't think the butter and cream cheese added enough flavor.

Meatloaf!

I wanted meatloaf one night... but didn't have time to wait for an hour for it to cook in the oven, so I combined a couple recipes to make a meatloaf on the stove. It turned out really well, I think. So in this one, I'm using Paula Deen's recipe for old fashioned meatloaf, and will include instructions for you to cook it in a skillet if you're pressed for time. :)

Basic Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef - I used 1 1/2 lbs

1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper - I HATE bell peppers, so I didn't use them
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes (without juice)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Topping:

1/3 cup ketchup

2 TBSP brown sugar

1 TBSP prepared mustard - I actually used the powdered mustard, I think it's like a tsp powdered mustard for a TBSP prepared mustard?

Worchestershire sauce.... cause no sauce is complete without it. Use how much you want.

Minced garlic

A dash of soy sauce

Mix all the meatloaf ingredients together. If you're going to bake it in the oven, preheat oven to 375 and shape into a loaf, then put in a baking dish. If you're going to cook it in a skillet, shape into 2 loaves.

Baking - cover with topping and bake for 1 hour

Skillet - place the 2 loafs in a big skillet on medium high heat. Brown the loaves in the hot skillet, then reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid. Simmer for 25 minutes or until meat is cooked through. (I recommend turning at least half way through) Spoon fat from the skillet, then pour topping over loaves. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or so.

And just because I LOVE Alton Brown, here's his recipe for Meatloaf. MMMMMMM

My Chicken Salad

I got this recipe from my good friend Brooke, who had it added to our ward's recipe cookbook.

Chicken Salad

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

grapes, cut in half

green onions, chopped

celery, chopped

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

6 oz package slivered almonds

Hidden Valley ranch dressing

mayonnaise

Combine all salad ingredients, then make a dressing using half ranch dressing and half mayonnaise. How much you need will depend on how much salad you have. You can make any variation of this you want... apples instead of grapes, walnuts instead of almonds, you can add curry, celery seed, garlic, red onions instead of green onions... the possibilities are endless! I like this best on halved croissants. :)

Chicken Nacho Bake

This one is a new recipe I found ... can't remember where I found it now, maybe Kraft magazine? I don't know... I made it the other night for me and the kids and I actually liked it a lot.

Chicken Nacho Bake

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (calls for halves, but use what you have)

1/2 cup chunky salsa

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

1/2 cup mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

**NOW** BEFORE you begin, may I recommend STRONGLY that you season or marinate your chicken breasts. I made the mistake of not doing so, and aside from the yummy toppings ON the chicken, the chicken itself had no flavor. Like Emeril says "I don't know about you, but where I come from, the water isn't flavored" .... same goes for chicken folks. Do your prep work on that chicken! lol

Place chicken on a foil covered baking sheet. (And can I mention how EASY this makes clean up after dinner!?!? HELLO MCFLY!!!) Slice 3 cuts on top of each chicken breast with sharp knife. Top each breast evenly with salsa, sour cream and tortilla chips. (I didn't measure how much I put on each one... I just topped them until it looked right) Bake 20 minutes, remove from oven. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

I served this with Yellow rice........ YUM YUM!

Spanish Rice

Now... I've heard this called a few different things.. Mexican Rice, Spanish Rice... Depending on your politically correctness depends on what you call it. lol Me.... I call it YUMMY DINNER!

Mexican Rice (Spanish Rice)

1 lb meat - this could be ground turkey or ground beef... heck, you could even use chicken if you really wanted.

1 cup rice

1 can mexican stewed tomatoes

1 can mild rotel

enough liquid to make 2 1/2 cups - this means drain the tomatoes into a glass measuring cup instead of draining them into the sink. Add enough water to equal 2 1/2 cups (you can add some salsa too)

2 beef bouillon cubes

garlic - as much or little as you want

onion - as much or little as you want

salt and pepper

Brown your meat in a big skillet that has a lid (and I add my garlic and onions to it when it's almost cooked through), drain the grease, then add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil (uncovered), stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. BAM!

***Leftover fun stuff***

This is yummy with some scrambled eggs as a breakfast burrito the next morning... or just a straight up burrito the next day. You could make a burrito with it for dinner if you really wanted to get crazy. Throw some cheese and sour cream on it... and YUM YUM!!!

Toscana Soup - MY WAY!

This is a version of Toscana Soup like you find at Olive Garden, except I've made some changes to it because I like it slightly different. Creamier, a different sausage and some heavier flavors.... cause that's how I roll!

Toscana Soup

1 lb sausage - Now, I like to use breakfast sausage. Others like to crumble italian sausage or slice it... do what you like.

3 large russet potatoes, sliced in half and then cut into 1/4 inch slices. - I like to peel most of mine.

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cans of chicken broth

1 quart water - for the equivalent-challenged, that's 4 cups.. lol

1 cup heavy cream

Cook sausage - crumbled, add onion and garlic when it's nearly cooked through. I like to cook the onions till they're almost transparent.

Meanwhile, combine chicken broth, water and potatoes and cook on medium heat until potatoes are cooked through... usually about 20 minutes or so, check doneness with a fork. Now ... depending on how you like the crispness of your kale in the soup .... if you like it softer, like me, add the kale now. Once the sausage has been drained of grease and cooled, add the sausage mixture to the soup. Add pepper to taste and simmer for 10 minutes. For you crunchy kale lovers, add the kale now. Add cream and heat through. Now... before you serve this, taste it, cause sometimes it's missing a little something. Salt it, pepper it, add more garlic... you'll know what it needs! YUM YUM!

The PW's Sandwich #1

She calls this Marlboro Man's sandwich. I made it the other night and MAN OH MAN. I'll be posting quite a few of her recipes on my blog because we love them and you will too. You can always go to her website and see them there, but to make it easy so you don't have to search them out, you can look here too. lol :D

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

2 to 3 lbs cube steak that's been extra tenderized
1 large onion or 2 small onions
**sliced mushrooms** (I added these)
4 french/deli rolls
2 sticks of butter... (oh yeah. BUTTER.)
Seasoned Salt
1/2 cup worchestershire sauce (or more)
Tabasco sauce

Slice the onions and cook in 1/4 stick of butter until soft and brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Slice cube steak into 1/2 inch slices, cutting against the grain. Season with seasoned salt.
In the same skillet melt 2 tbsp butter over high heat until it starts to brown. Add the seasoned cube steak in a single layer and cook until brown, then flip and cook until brown. (The recipe says about a minute on each side, but it took much longer than that for me.)
Add at least 1/2 cup of worchestershire sauce and some shakes of Tabasco. (I added 3 and it had a kick. I will only do 2 next time) Add another 2 tbsp of butter and add the cooked onions. Stir to combine.
Half and butter your rolls and brown them on a skillet. Lay the bottom half on your plate, cover with meat mixture (I added some provolone cheese here) and top with other half.

MmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMM! Ryan LOVED this sandwich .. and so did I. Kids probably won't like it so much, especially the younger ones, but this is a great adult sandwich.

Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

Rachel Ray recipe! This is a good one for kids too.

2 tbsp EVOO
1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped
salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound macaroni elbows or corkscrew shaped pasta twirls
2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in the produce dept.
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
3 cups WHOLE milk (it's important it's whole milk or the sauce won't set up right)
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups yellow sharp cheddar
1 tbsp prepared Dijon mustard

Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni.

Heat a medium pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add EVOO and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5-7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve.

To boiling pasta water, add past and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 more minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.

White pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne pepper and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and broth and raise heat to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes.

Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to the pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli. Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a large serving platter (if you want to) and serve.

YUM-O! lol

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

Got this version from a friend a while back. I like using this recipe cause it's much quicker and it tastes really good!

chicken - boiled then shredded *time saving tip* Get a roasted chicken from the store and shred it! Already cooked!
2 cans cream of chicken soup *variation* you can also use 1 can of cream of celery and 1 can of cream of chicken
1/2 can milk (or use 1/2 cup sour cream)
cheddar cheese
stove top stuffing - prepared

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix chicken and soup. Top with cheese, then stuffing. Bake for about 15-30 minutes, just until warm.

Italian Turkey Burgers

I got this recipe off the internet, I think from allrecipes.com

1 lb ground turkey
2 tbsp finely diced onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp plain bread crumbs
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Mix together all ingredients except oil. Form into 4 patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, when wisps of smoke rise, add the patties. Cook burgers until brown, about 4-6 minutes on each side or to an internal temperature of 180 degrees.

These are SO good and taste fabulous with a provolone cheese and toasted bun. MMMM

AuGratin Soup

Got this one off the side of a potato sides box and added my own changes

1 pkg AuGratin potatoes
1 can chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
carrots - sliced (as many as you'd like)
celery - sliced (as many as you'd like)
onion - diced (if desired)
1/2 cup half and half OR heavy whipping cream

Mix ingredients up to the cream (you'll add that when soup is done). Simmer 25-30 minutes then remove from heat. Add cream and stir.

*I like to sautee my celery and onion a little before adding them to the soup. I like the celery to be a little crunchy. I use butter, celery seed and garlic for my sautee.*