Tea Cakes

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla extract, beating until blended. Combine flour, soda, and salt; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Divide dough in half; wrap each portion in plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour. Roll half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, and place 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown; let stand on baking sheet 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I halved it.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! In the picture, these cookies looked really firm and crisp, almost like gingersnaps. Mine turned out to be very cake-like. I happened to like them like that. One thing I did not like about making this recipe was the dough. It was so. sticky. I hate working with sticky dough. Even after chilling it for over an hour it was still really hard to work with. But considering the end result was very yummy, it was worth it. I know these cookies don't have a lot of unusual ingredients or anything but I still liked the flavor - even more than sugar cookies which I feel are sort of a "plain" cookie. I do recommend making these.  

Spinach Minestrone

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

In a saucepan coated with nonstick cooking spray, saute onion and garlic until tender. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, carrots, macaroni and oregano. Cook until vegetables and macaroni are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach, bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand for 5-10 minutes.

One cup serving equals 143 calories, 109 mg sodium, 2 mg cholesterol, 26 gm carbohydrate, 8 gm protein, 1 gm fat.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I'll definitely make this again. Sorry there is no picture to go with the recipe. It was a fantastic soup and the best part is my 18-month old loved it. I love recipes that are so healthy that my kids will eat! Highly recommend this one!  

Venison Stew

From: Taste of Home


Ingredients:
2 Tbsp cooking oil
2 lbs venison stew meat
3 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 cups water
7 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 lb carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup AP flour
1/4 cup cold water

Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Brown meat. Add onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper and water. Simmer, covered, 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until meat is tender. Add potatoes and carrots. Continues to cook until vegetables are tender, about 30-45 minutes. Mix flour and cold water; stir into stew. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add browning sauce if desired. Remove bay leaf.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Stephen dislikes onions, so I substituted onion powder instead of actual onions. Yes, the recipe actually says 1 tablespoon of salt. I used red potatoes and didn't peel them.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Okay, seriously, new favorite stew recipe! I have made stew beef before, and pot roast, and more pot roast, and I've always felt like there was something missing from these recipes. This was a big hit with all four members of the family and boy, did it go great with my new crescent roll recipe! Sorry for the bad picture, it doesn't do it justice - I promise!

Butter Crescent Rolls

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
2 1/4-oz envelopes active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, softened

Combine yeast and warm water in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Combine yeast mixture, sugar, and next 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; add 2 cups flour, stirring well. Gradually stir in remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead 3 or 4 times. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down, and divide into thirds; shape each portion into a ball. Roll each ball into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface; spread with softened butter. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge, starting with wide end; place rolls, point side down, on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 20 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden. Brush the rolls with additional melted butter, if desired.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I did use bread machine yeast (quick-rise) so feel free to substitute that if you like!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Oh man, thumbs up!! I make crescent rolls in the bread machine frequently but I've had this recipe in my "queue" for ages and I just wanted to try it. Honestly, I probably won't use my bread machine recipe ever again. These were SO. GOOD. I know they don't look professional but they were big and thick and YUMMY! I barely snapped this picture of the three remaining (from the 15 or so I'd made so far!) before my hubby gobbled them down! Seriously great recipe and easy enough for anyone to do!

Pasta Primavera

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
2 cups broccoli florets
1 can condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup, undiluted
1 large carrot, julienned
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cups cooked spaghetti 

In a large saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in spaghetti; heat through.

One serving prepared with low-fat soup, skim milk and nonfat cheese:
238 calories
425 mg sodium
8 mg cholesterol
43 g carbohydrate
11 g protein
2 g fat
3 g fiber

 

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Neutral. I'm not a huge fan of the taste of Parmesan cheese, so this was a little too much for me. BUT, it is super easy, and actually my kids have chowed down on it so it can't really get any better than that. I would have liked this a lot except for the Parmesan, so I would recommend it for others to try. I actually liked this recipe better.

Salted Caramel Lava Cake

From: Here

Ingredients:
4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate squares
4 oz butter (1 stick)
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Butter for greasing ramekins
6-8 caramel squares
Sea salt or rock salt
Cocoa powder for dusting ramekins (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter the ramekins. Dust with cocoa powder (optional). Cut each caramel square into a few smaller pieces and press some salt onto them and set aside. If you leave them whole they might not melt all the way through.
Microwave the chocolate squares and butter for one minute in a large bowl. The chocolate will not have completely melted at this point. Whisk till the chocolate and butter combine.
Add the sugar and mix it in.
Whisk in the eggs and incorporate.
Stir in the flour. Work the flour in gently to combine. 
Divide batter among the 4 ramekins.
Gently push the salted caramel bits into the batter covering them.
Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake between 10-14 minutes. The cake is ready when it has a domed appearance, the center is a little moist and the edges of the cake, dry and firm.                                                                                                                                                                                                        Remove from the oven, insert a knife and go around the cake, invert onto serving plates, garnish with salt and serve. 

 I do realize that looks like egg yolk inside the chocolate... it's not.


What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing. I have ramekins from a creme brulee kit so I was able to use those.

What I'll do differently next time:
I'm not sure...

Verdict:
Actually... neutral. I'm not a huge fan of baking chocolate - it's never quite sweet enough for me. I didn't put in enough caramel for my tastes (I'm addicted to caramel) so I would have liked more of that. Have you ever had one of the Betty Crocker Warm Delights? That's the taste I was expecting. If you don't eat these right away the caramel starts to harden and then it's all in your teeth and everything... it just didn't reach my expectations. But hey, if you try it and love it will you let me know? Maybe I can tweak this into a recipe I will love! :)

Olive Garden Breadsticks

From: Here

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp butter, softened
4-5 cups flour

Topping:
3 Tbsp butter, melted
sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

For the dough, pour the water into a stand mixer with the sugar and yeast, let that sit and froth for about 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, and 2 cups of flour. Mix the dough on low. Add the rest of the flour a half cup at a time, until dough scrapes the sides of the bowl clean. Mix the dough about 5 minutes on medium speed, until it's soft and easy to work with. Roll the dough out into a long log, spray a knife with cooking spray and cut the dough into 12-14 pieces. Roll those pieces into about 6 inch long snakes. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray, and lay the breadsticks out leaving about 2 inches between each one. Place them in the oven with the temperature turned to 170 degrees. Let them rise for about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size.( I have also let them sit at room temp until they are doubled in size and then bake them in the oven) Once risen, brush them with the 1 1/2 T of melted butter and sprinkle them with salt. Now preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. While they are baking combine the rest of the melted butter with 1/4 t garlic powder. When the breadsticks are golden brown, remove them from the oven and brush them with the butter/garlic mixture.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
???

Verdict:
Well, neutral, I think. Obviously mine don't even start to compare to the picture on the blog I got this recipe from. But the taste was good. They didn't taste like Olive Garden breadsticks, but still good. I think I am going to try this recipe again and see if I can perfect it. I would still recommend trying this recipe because they were good - I just had really high expectations!!

Baked Chicken Parmesan

From: Here

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 5-oz package garlic croutons

Coat the bottom of a 13x9 pan with the olive oil and garlic and red pepper flakes (optional). Put chicken breasts on top. Put marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle basil on top, then 4 oz mozzarella cheese, and sprinkle 2 oz parmesan on top. Sprinkle 5 oz croutons on top. Add 4 oz mozzarella cheese and 2 oz parmesan. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until chicken is done.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
I would cover it with foil the next time. After 40 minutes, my chicken still wasn't done but my croutons were burning. I covered it with foil and continued cooking it and they were fine, but I wish I had known that before this became a "blackened" dish.

Verdict:
Thumbs up. Stephen and I both agreed this was not the best chicken parmesan recipe EVER, but it certainly was easy to make, and I only had to buy the croutons, so it was cheap to make as well. I'll make it again in the future, but I will definitely be covering it for the first 30 minutes or so!

Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookies

From: Cooking Light

Ingredients:
5 oz all-purpose flour (about 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, soda, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg whites; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into 6 equal portions; place dough portions 2 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on pan; cool on a wire rack.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Maybe double the recipe!!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! These didn't really taste any different to me than most cookies but Stephen flipped over them. They had kind of a cake-like quality to them and they were really delicious. There are also freezer directions for these:

Wrap individually in heavy-duty plastic wrap and store in a zip-top plastic bag.

Old-Fashioned Jelly Roll

From: An old recipe e-newsletter

Ingredients:
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
8-10 oz raspberry jelly

Beat eggs until thick and lemon-colored, keeping the bowl in a pan of hot water. Beat in sugar gradually and remove from hot water. Add rind and juice. Fold in dry ingredients. Have a jellyroll pan lined with waxed paper ready. Pour in batter and spread to fit. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a dish towel coated with powdered sugar. Peel off the wax paper and trim edges of cake. Roll hot cake up in towel keeping the towel inside as you roll. Let cool. Carefully unroll cake. Spread with jelly and reroll without towel. Place on a platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used a triple berry preserve instead of just raspberry.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Neutral. Hunter (my 17-month old) ate almost an entire half by himself, so obviously he loved it. I thought it was fine, but it was a lot thinner and not as moist as some other rolls I've made, like the pumpkin one especially. I probably won't make it again, but it wasn't terrible.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

From: Great American Brand Name Cookbook

Ingredients:
3 cups unsifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/4 cup Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, beat sugar and shortening until fluffy; beat in eggs. Stir in dry ingredients, then lemon juice; mix well. Chill 2 hours. Shape into balls; roll in additional sugar. Place on greased baking sheets; flatten. Bake 8-10 minutes or until done.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Such a simple recipe and such delicious cookies. A bit more flavor than your average sugar cookies. I will definitely make these again!  

Brown Sugar Chicken

From: Here

Ingredients:
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves 
1 cup brown sugar  
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda  
2/3 cup vinegar (I used white) 
3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic 
2 T soy sauce 
1 tsp ground black pepper

Use a 4 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda.

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing except I used only 3 chicken breasts. By the way, I used Sprite.

What I'll do differently next time:
Make more!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! The whole family loved this, and the sauce is so yummy drizzled over rice, especially the next day. Please go to this fabulous girl's blog to see a picture of the chicken - mine turned out looking miserable and didn't do it justice. :)

Zucchini Chips

From: Here

Ingredients:
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/8 tsp black pepper
heaping 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cold milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese (if using) and black pepper. In separate bowl add flour, milk and vinegar.  Gently stir until combined but do not over stir. Dip zucchini slices in flour mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated zucchini slices on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping the slices over once halfway through cooking, or until browned and crisp.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Less Parmesan. I don't love the flavor of Parmesan.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Shocking fact: my husband ate more of these than anyone. I seriously can't believe that. That alone means I will be making these again in the future, because it is so. hard. to get him to try a new vegetable! Honestly, these looked totally disgusting when I was making them (it's that drippy whole wheat flour part) but they turned out really good. Perfect opportunity to use your homemade breadcrumbs! I do recommend these for a yummy side dish!

Taco Pasta

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
15 oz tomato sauce
8 oz shell macaroni, cooked and drained
4 oz chopped green chilies
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat. Drain and add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and chilies. Stir in cooked macaroni. Place in a 9x13 pan. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Basically just substituted what I already had at home: I used venison instead of beef, mushroom pasta sauce, whole wheat penne, and I chopped green peppers instead of using the chilies.


What I'll do differently next time:
I might use less of the taco seasoning in the future. It was a tad spicy for my kids.


Verdict:
Thumbs up! Even though it was a little spicy for my kids they still ate a bunch of this. I loved it and didn't think it was too spicy. I will definitely be making this again in the future!! What an easy recipe to throw together.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

From: Kelly

Ingredients:
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.
 

What I did differently from the recipe:
Used chicken breasts instead of thighs.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! I was worried about trying this recipe because of the amount of soy sauce. Hubby doesn't like soy sauce usually. But we ALL loved this recipe and there wasn't even a whole chicken breast left over! This will definitely be made again here in the future and I highly recommend it to you!