Cheesy Florentine Bake

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

From: Sandhills Children's Center cookbook

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh strawberries
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Wash and slice berries. Drain. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Combine dry ingredients. Stir into butter mixture just until moistened. Fold in berries. Top with chopped walnuts and sugar if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! These were really easy to make and they tasted incredible when they were just out of the oven. I will say they weren't nearly as good the next day. But I ate three within ten minutes when they were first made, and both the kids were cramming them down their throats, so it's safe to say they were a hit here!


 

Chicken and Rice Soup

From: A Pinterest Pin 

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery ribs, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cooked chicken
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup rice, cooked
2-3 cups water

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Saute the celery and onion for about five minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients into the pot and heat through. Can be frozen for up to two months.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! The instructions didn't say when to add the carrots, so I added them with the garlic and cooked them a bit longer with some broth from when I boiled the chicken. This was a very easy, quick recipe to make, and quite tasty! A "comfort food" as my parents would say!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

From: http://randomthoughtsandthrills.blogspot.com/2012/01/recipe-tomato-basil-parmesan-soup.html

Ingredients:
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed (I would go with only a cup and a half though)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper


1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I love a good tomato soup and this one has a great flavor and is super easy to make! It's on my list to make again for sure! 

Homemade 3 Musketeers

From: http://monstermama-monstermama.blogspot.com/2011/03/3-musketeer-bars-minis-of-course.html

 
Ingredients:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 8-oz tub of Cool Whip (thawed)
2 cups chocolate coating wafer melts (I got them at Michaels)

Line a 8" square pan with wax paper. In medium bowl, melt choc chips in microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir and return to microwave  for 30 more seconds at 50% power. If chocolate is still not melted completely - continue heating it at 10 second intervals at 50% until smooth. Let it cool a bit so you don't melt everything into a sludge.
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat your melted chocolate for 30 seconds. Add the Cool Whip to melted chocolate and beat just until combined and fluffy -30-60 seconds. Spread evenly into prepared 8x8' pan. Place in freezer for about 30 minutes (overnight might even be better). Remove from freezer, remove candy from pan and cut into squares. Return back to freezer. I worked in small doses so I could keep them hard and easier to work with.
Melt candy wafers in microwave following package directions. Take out frozen squares and dip into melted chocolate. Place on baking tray lined with wax paper. Allow chocolate to set up in refrigerator or freezer. Store in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.

These are gluten free!

Verdict: Thumbs up! Incredible! What an awesome snack and they tasted great for days afterwards - I can't believe they lasted that long! They satisfied my sweet tooth for sure! I will be making these more often!

Taco Bake

From: "On the Wild Side" cookbook

Ingredients:
1 lb deer burger
2 packages dried taco mix (I used just one)
1/2 cup water
1 jar salsa
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups Bisquick
1 Tbsp sugar
Milk
Shredded cheese (colby, monterey jack are suggested; I used mozzarella)

Brown the venison, add 1/2 taco mix and water, simmer for about ten minutes. Place in a greased casserole dish, top with some shredded cheese.

In a bowl, mix the Bisquick, sugar, the rest of the taco seasoning and enough milk to make a medium batter. Dot on top of the meat mixture (we spread ours all over the top). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until crust is done and lightly brown. When done, let sit for five minutes. Top with salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, more cheese, and dot with sour cream. Cut and serve. 

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Hunter chose this recipe, which meant he had to help make it (so did Bri, once she found out Hunter was involved!) It was really easy for kids to help with, if you're comfortable with them being around the stove. I totally forgot to top the casserole with anything, but when I took this to my parent's house my mom had tomatoes and a peach/mango salsa that we topped it with. It was amazing! I loved how easy this was to make, and since I could eat tacos every day, I really loved it.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

From: Stuffed Pepper Soup - Cooking Classy

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
  
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small yellow onion chopped (1 cup)
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (a little over 1/2 of a medium)
• 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5) can beef broth
• 2 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup uncooked long grain white or brown rice
• Cheddar or mozzarella cheese, for serving (optional) 

• In a large pot heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat, once hot add beef to pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally while breaking up beef, until browned. Drain beef and pour onto a plate lined with paper towels, set aside.
• Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in pot then add onions, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and saute 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Pour in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth and add parsley, basil, oregano and cooked beef, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring just to a light boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
• While soup simmers, prepare rice according to directions listed on package, then once soup is done simmering stir in desired amount of cooked rice into soup*. Serve warm topped with optional cheese and garnish with fresh parsley.
• *For a thinner soup don't add all of the rice and for a thicker heartier soup add it all. Also, if you plan on having it for leftovers the next day then don't add the rice to the pot of soup, just add it to each individual bowl, then reserve the rice in a separate container in refrigerator to add to the soup the next day (otherwise it would turn into mush). 

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was a really delicious, easy soup to make. We added cheddar cheese and some crackers on top and it gave it a bit of a chili flavor. I will definitely be making this again!