Monday, March 5, 2012

Her Price is Much Higher than Jewels

What woman wouldn't want her husband to think her as more valuable than jewels, precious gems? Priceless! Rare! Beautiful! What does it take to become worth that much to your loved ones?
While I embark upon this journey to become more like the Proverbs 31 woman, I am doing a bit of "research." I am currently reading Beautiful in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George. She walks through each verse of Proverbs 31:10-31. Her book is convicting, challenging, empowering and encouraging. I am going to try to share my thoughts on each chapter as I go through her book. I am currently on the second chapter, which describes Her value. She points out ways that we as women can add sparkle and brighten up our own life, as well as the lives around us. She suggests that we can bring value to those around us by:
Growing in practical skills - managing a home. Her suggestions include homemaking, money management, and time management. This is an area where I am striving to be better. I am working on doing a better job taking care of our house (dishes, laundry, cleaning, etc.). I know Jim appreciates the meals that I cook and trying to make sure the pantry and fridge are well stocked. I do enjoy taking care of my home and those in it but there's always room for improvement. I am doing a much better job of making dinner most nights (for the past two weeks I've made dinner EVERY night). I'm trying to be budget and health conscious when we go to the grocery store and am making a very diligent effort to buy fewer processed foods (making a healthier version from scratch). I love to cook and am having fun exploring new recipes. Laundry is an area that I don't feel too much struggle in, we have a good system, and we always have clean clothes to wear. However, I generally fail abysmally at dishes and keeping the kitchen clean! Because I love to cook, something is always dirty! I try to catch up and some days I do great, but a lot of the time there is always a pile of dishes to do. Definitely an area where I can try harder.
Elizabeth also mentions money management as a way to add value. This is an area where I feel we're doing a decent job (Jim and I feel this is a team effort). Jim and I always do our budget together every month. We know how much we spend and loosely follow Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover plan. We have no debt other than our mortgage and are working on saving. Jim is definitely the saver in the family, and I am the spender. I have learned a lot about money being married to him, particularly to be more aware of how much we're spending. We are pretty content with our financial position, however, we're trying to figure out if we can make our budget work with me being a full-time stay-at-home mom (I currently work from home which can be exhausting and difficult with a very active 10 month old!). I read a lot of articles, blogs, books, etc. on how to manage money, retirement planning, budgeting, etc. I hope that I can add value by thinking of creative ways to tweak our budget or helping figure out investments/savings (Jim doesn't like to read so he trusts me to summarize what I've read).
Lastly, in this section, Elizabeth mentions time management. This is an area where I feel I could use help. Some days, I manage to workout, clean, take care of household chores, play with my baby girl, work, and cook dinner. Other days, I feel like I've wasted the entire time on the internet (I could argue that some of that time is productive as I find new recipes, learn about how to raise kids, and read financial articles but I think Jim would disagree). I lack discipline. Elizabeth George is also the author of a book titled Life Management for Busy Women. This book is on my list to re-read. Hopefully I'll get some good ideas on how to be more productive.
In this chapter on value, Elizabeth points out not only growing in practical skills but also growing in emotional stability. I feel I've written enough for now so I will have to revisit this topic some other time.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Slow Cooker Chicken



Ah, the ease of a dinner cooked in a crockpot. Turn it on before work and dinner is done when you get home! Love it! Here are two different recipes for slow cooker chicken.  The first is the super simple version; the second requires browning the chicken drumsticks before putting in the crockpot so it's more time intensive but the seasoning is more flavorful!

Slow Cooker Chicken

Ingredients:
6-8 drumsticks
seasonings of choice
2 potatoes (I only use 1 because hubby won't eat them)
1 large carrot

Directions:
Spray the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray.  Dice the potatoes and carrot and place in the bottom of the pot.  I toss them with some Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Then set the chicken on top of the bed of potatoes/carrots and coat with Italian seasoning and/or Montreal chicken seasoning.  No broth or water needed, the juice from the chicken keeps it moist.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.


Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup all purpose spice rub (see below)
8 drumsticks
3 potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup carrots
1 cup green beans
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth

All purpose Spice Rub
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Mix all ingredients for spice rub together in a small bowl. Mix with the flour. Turn chicken in flour mixture until thoroughly coated, pat off excess flour and reserve flour mixture. Boil potatoes in several quarts of lightly salted water for 5 minutes, drain and place in bottom of slow cooker. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on all sides, about 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate and set aside. Add a little more oil to skillet, add veggies and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add reserved seasoned flour and stir until vegetable are coated. Add wine and bring to a boil. Add chicken broth and simmer until slightly thickened; pour into slow cooker. Arrange chicken over vegetables. Cover cooker and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Remove to a serving platter.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies


One of my favorite treats!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour (plus some for high altitude)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (I add more)
2 large eggs
1 bag chocolate chips or mixture of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together. Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on pan, remove to wire racks to cook completely.

Zucchini Bread


This makes a great breakfast or snack! I love to keep it around (I always try to freeze a loaf!).

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
3 eggs, well beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups grated zucchini

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*. Mix together eggs, vanilla, and oil. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Then add the grated zucchini. Pour batter into greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour.

Baked Ziti


Jim's favorite food (other than chicken nuggets) is Italian: spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan, chicken fettucini alfredo, etc. So we had to try a baked ziti recipe (we used egg noodles instead). It was great! We will definitely be adding this to our main dinner rotations.

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:
1 bag of Egg Noodles
1 extra large can of tomato sauce (can buy pre-made spaghetti sauce, I usually just use a can of tomato sauce and add Italian seasonings)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, Italian cheese, provolone, parmesan or combination of all
1 1/2 lbs hamburger meat

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*. Brown the meat & drain. Also, cook the noodles and drain. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 casserole dish. Layer half the noodles and then half the meat, half of the sauce and half of the cheese. Then layer the rest of the noodles, the meat, the sauce, and the cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes so that it can settle.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing


Red Velvet is my favorite kind of cake! These cupcakes are delicious! My aunt used to make these for me every year for my birthday. Now, I try to continue the tradition and make them for myself :)

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
1 oz. bottle red food coloring.
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons cocoa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vinegar, and food coloring and beat well. Measure out buttermilk and add vanilla. Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa. Add alternately dry mixture with buttermilk mixture to the butter/sugar mixture. Always begin and end with DRY ingredients when adding alternately with wet ingredients. Pour into greased and floured pans. Bake 8" round cake pans for 30-35 minutes. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-6 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Cream butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Sift and add powdered sugar until it reaches desired consistency. Spread on cooled cake/cupcakes.

Hamburger Casserole


This simple dish is one of Jim's favorites. It's the ultimate in comfort food. Pair with some steamed veggies and dinner is done!
Hamburger Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups water (we use 1 cup water, 1/2 cup milk to make it a bit creamier)
1 cup rice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Brown the hamburger meat, season with salt and pepper. Put soup in casserole dish and add water. Add rice and hamburger meat. We like to sprinkle with a handful of colby jack cheese too! Bake at 375* for 1 hour.

Donut Muffins


Jim grew up eating these for breakfast so I was quite pleased to stumble across the recipe several years ago. They are amazing! Cinnamon-sugar goodness!

Donut Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted

Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*. In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well at the center of dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat egg slightly, add milk and butter. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Grease muffin cups. Fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile, combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush tops of muffins with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

** For a variation on the topping, try this yummy glazed version:


Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.  When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze or brush with glaze and allow to harden.  Enjoy!

By: Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Andes Mint Cupcakes


Jim is obsessed with chocolate and mint desserts! This was his Valentine's treat. They were really good. I like how fudgy the cupcake was!

Andes Mint Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Chocolate Mint Filling:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (or creme de menthe)
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Mint Buttercream:
1 cup (2 sticks, 16 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
32 ounces powdered sugar (about 7 cups)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons peppermint extract (or creme de menthe)
Green food coloring

30 Andes mints for garnish

Directions:

For the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups with paper baking cups. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; using an electric stand mixer, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. The batter will be on the thinner side. Fill the muffin cups 1/2 full and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. This recipe makes about 30 cupcakes. So you may need to bake the cupcakes in installments if you only have 1 or 2 muffin tins. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack, after removing them from the muffin tin.

For the mint filling, while the cupcakes are baking, place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir. Repeat the process until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract and powdered sugar, whisking until smooth. Let the mixture cool to room temperature (but don’t let it get too stiff) and pour it into a squeeze bottle or a ziploc bag.

When the cupcakes are cool, insert the tip of the squeeze bottle into the center of the cupcake and press gently to fill the middle of the cupcake with the mint ganache.

For the frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the heavy cream and peppermint and vanilla extracts. Beat until light and fluffy. Add green food coloring until the color you like is achieved.

Frost the cooled, filled cupcakes with frosting (using a large star tip) or simply spread the frosting in a large dollop with a butter knife or flat spatula. Garnish with an unwrapped Andes mint and a drizzle of leftover ganache (make sure the ganache is completely cool or it will melt the frosting when you drizzle it on top of the cupcake). Refrigerate until serving.

By: Mel's Kitchen Cafe


Healthy Chicken Nuggets


We LOVE chicken nuggets. Just about anywhere we go out to eat, Jim orders chicken nuggets if possible. However, they are expensive at the grocery store and I was sure I could find a better way to make them. I have tried three nugget recipes over the past three weeks and this one is the winner! I like that they are baked and not fried. The crust was still crunchy. The Italian bread crumbs add some flavor. And they make a great finger food for kids too!

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients:

16 oz (2 large) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bit sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp panko
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
olive oil spray

Directions: Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray. Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese in another.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then put in the bowl with the olive oil and mix well so the olive oil evenly coats all of the chicken. Put a few chunks of chicken at a time into the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray then bake 8 - 10 minutes. Turnover then cook another 4 - 5 minutes or until cooked though.

By: Chef In Training

Stovetop Mac & Cheese


Stovetop Mac & Cheese

I have been on a quest for the past few years to learn to make good homemade mac & cheese. Jim does not like the baked versions (texture thing with creamy cheese and crunchy top) so I've been trying stovetop recipes. I think we've gone through 5-6 recipes and every time, it's "that was okay".  This recipe is perfect!  It is so rich and creamy.  Another plus is that it uses one skillet!  I think we finally found a keeper!

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups water
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
12 ounces elbow macaroni
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 cups shredded cheese, we use Colby jack
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
ground black pepper to taste
*original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard and 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, I haven't tried it with those yet because Jim doesn't like either of them. 

Directions:
Bring water, 1 cup of evaporated milk, macaroni and salt to a simmer in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat.  Cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender and the liquid has thickened, 9-12 minutes.  Whisk the remaining evaporated milk, cornstarch, and paprika together in a small bowl, then stir into the skillet.  Continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Off the heat, stir in the cheese, one handful at a time.  Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately. 


By: Mel's Kitchen Cafe


So, here is another version we also like.  I found this recipe for mini mac & cheese appetizers and love the base!  My favorite thing about this recipe is that I always have the ingredients on hand.  I have to be intentional with the first recipe about keeping the pantry stocked with evaporated milk.  So, this is my recipe to use when we're out of that.  It's still delicious!

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
4 oz. Colby jack cheese
4 oz. American cheese (deli sliced, chopped)
1/4 cup parmesan
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:
Cook the macaroni in salted water until al dente.  In separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 2 minutes.  Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until boiling, about 5 minutes.  Add the cheeses and paprika.  Fold in the macaroni. 
We like to have this with homemade chicken nuggets! 

For the mini mac & cheese appetizer
Take base above and fold in an egg yolk before adding the macaroni.  Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Spoon macaroni into muffin cups (about 1 rounded tablespoon each) and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake at 425* for 10 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes. 


By: Food and Wine

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken


Jim and I love chicken cordon bleu! We used to buy those pre-packaged chicken cordon bleu and chicken stuffed with broccoli and cheese from the grocery store. I decided a few years ago that I could learn to make chicken cordon bleu and it was fantastic (I will upload that recipe later this week). I saw this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it. It's very good!

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 large egg
3/4 cup panko
1/4 Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 cups broccoli floret, cooked, chopped small (I use frozen, already chopped)
3 slices provolone
salt
spray oil
toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine egg and a little salt. Beat with a fork to make an egg wash. Set aside. Fill a second bowl with breadcrumbs.
Pound chicken breasts to make cutlets (about 1/4" thick). Place a slice of cheese in the center of the chicken and top with a little broccoli. Wrap chicken around to completely cover cheese, using toothpicks to secure.
Dip chicken into egg wash, then breadcrumbs. Spray cookie sheet with oil and place chicken on cookie sheet. Lightly spray chicken with oil and bake about 25 minutes, until cooked. Top with 1/2 slice of provolone and put in oven until melted, about 2-3 minutes.

By: Skinny Taste

Pizza Bites


We tried these for dinner a couple of weeks ago and they were really good! The topping adds a lot of flavor. These would make a great finger food for parties or a fun dinner for kids!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 roll refrigerated pizza dough
2 Tbl. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbl. olive oil or melted butter
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
Mozzarella cheese, diced or grated
Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.
Marinara/pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:
Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package (usually it's 400 degrees).
Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.
Place cheese and desired toppings on each square (Note that you're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough- it's for dipping after). You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind.
When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).
Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter and then sprinkle with the garlic, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese (I mixed all of these together and then sprinkled on top).
Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them!

Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

By: Six Sister's Stuff