Strawberry-White Chocolate Muffins

From: Betty Crocker website

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup white baking chips
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup raspberries (I substituted strawberries)

Heat oven to 400. Grease bottoms of muffin tin or place baking cups in each muffin cup. Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except raspberries just until moistened. Gently stir in raspberries. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Substituted strawberries because I had some I needed to use. Also, instead of using baking chips I used chocolate chips. They melt faster but the taste is the same.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Ooh, these looked and smelled delicious and definitely lived up to that. The combination of strawberries and white chocolate is just divine, but it's not overwhelmingly sweet either. I love muffins anyway, so I'm always glad to add a new muffin recipe! Do take note - I know my strawberries melted into mush in the muffin tins so I kept thinking the bottoms of the muffins weren't cooking. But I did mine about 18 minutes and taste tested a couple just to be sure (ahem) and they were definitely done all the way through. So don't fear that, just tear open one or two to be sure but then have faith! (Oh, please pay no attention to the bad picture, it doesn't do justice!)

Strawberry White-Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup white baking chips
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup raspberries (I substituted strawberries)

Heat oven to 400. Grease bottoms of muffin tin or place baking cups in each muffin cup. Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except raspberries just until moistened. Gently stir in raspberries. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

Tomato And Cheese Pasta

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked small tube pasta

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 can (14 ½ oz) Italian diced tomatoes

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a small saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain pasta; stir into saucepan.

Transfer to a greased 1-qt baking dish. Top with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

What I did differently from the recipe:

Well, I used the pasta I had on hand, and I needed to use some of my fresh tomatoes so I made my own diced tomatoes instead of using canned. That's about it though!

What I'll do differently next time:

I'm not sure what I'd do differently. I'd try to tone down the juice from the tomatoes though. There was too much juice in the final product, I thought - probably my fault.

Verdict:

Neutral. It definitely wasn't bad, but there was nothing about it that stood out. I wouldn't make this again unless I figured out something to add to it. Maybe some sausage or tofu? That actually sounds good...

Tomato and Cheese Pasta

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked small tube pasta

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 can (14 ½ oz) Italian diced tomatoes

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a small saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain pasta; stir into saucepan.

Transfer to a greased 1-qt baking dish. Top with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Help!!

I need some feedback... after I post on my computer the whole recipe looks like this:

1 1/2 tbsp cookie dough 1 tsp salt 1 cup milk

instead of:

1 1/2 tbsp cookie dough

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk

I have to format my entire post in html every time which takes three times longer than just typing it out. But if it's only showing up like this on my computer (I'm using Firefox by the way) then I'll stop posting in html and just post like normal.

So... any feedback? Does it make sense what I'm asking?

Oatmeal S'more Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

What I did differently from the recipe:

I ran out of chocolate chips so I used some chocolate chips and some white chocolate chips. Of course that didn't make any difference.

What I'll do differently next time:

Either cut it in half or even a quarter!!!

Verdict:

Thumbs up! Honestly, when they were first made I was not that impressed with them. Within a couple of hours of them coming out of the oven they were already yummier than at first. These were such an easy, straight-forward recipe. Would be great for church functions or parties especially. It makes a TON - I only used about half my dough and it probably made 3 dozen.

Oatmeal S'more Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

Moo Goo Gai Pan

From: A Chinese e-cookbook

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves, skinned, boned and sliced

salt and pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 Tbsp cornstarch

5 Tbsp corn oil

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

4 lb bok choy or chinese white cabbage, chopped

2 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp soy sauce

6 scallions, chopped

In a bowl, toss chicken with the salt and pepper, garlic and cornstarch mixture. Set aside. (Please note: This is the exact original recipe. I assume the "cornstarch mixture" would mean mixing together the 2 cups water and 1 Tbsp cornstarch to make a thickening agent. That's what I did anyway.) Heat 3 Tbsp of corn oil in a wok and stir in mushrooms, bok choy or cabbage, and sugar for 2 minutes. Cover and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from wok. Heat remaining corn oil in wok. Stir-fry chicken for 2 minutes over high heat. Add soy sauce and mix well. Cover and cook for about 6 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Mix in the cooked vegetables and scallions. Stir fry together for about 1 minute. Serve hot with rice.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I halved the chicken amount because I figured it would be just me eating it. I used vegetable oil instead of corn oil. I used a 4 oz can of mushrooms instead of 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms because while I like mushrooms, I don't love them. I used onions instead of scallions. I completely skipped the whole step about tossing the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and cornstarch so I added in all of those ingredients at the end. Oops.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! Oh my goodness. I've never even had moo goo gai pan in a restaurant, but when I saw this recipe I just knew I had to make it. I had bok choy and onions from our local food co-op so the only ingredient I had to buy was the mushrooms ($0.77). This was one of the best recipes I have ever had. I absolutely love the mix of these ingredients and the end results. It did take a little while to make but it was a very simple recipe.

Printable version:

Moo Goo Gai Pan:
Ingredients:
4 chicken breast halves, skinned, boned and sliced
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
5 Tbsp corn oil
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 lb bok choy or chinese white cabbage, chopped
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
6 scallions, chopped

In a bowl, toss chicken with the salt and pepper, garlic and cornstarch mixture. Set aside. (Please note: This is the exact original recipe. I assume the "cornstarch mixture" would mean mixing together the 2 cups water and 1 Tbsp cornstarch to make a thickening agent. That's what I did anyway.) Heat 3 Tbsp of corn oil in a wok and stir in mushrooms, bok choy or cabbage, and sugar for 2 minutes. Cover and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from wok. Heat remaining corn oil in wok. Stir-fry chicken for 2 minutes over high heat. Add soy sauce and mix well. Cover and cook for about 6 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Mix in the cooked vegetables and scallions. Stir fry together for about 1 minute. Serve hot with rice.

Creamy Chicken Florentine

From: Package of Philadelphia Cooking Creme

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup halved red pepper strips
1 package (6 oz) baby spinach leaves
1 tub (10 oz) Philadelphia savory garlic cooking creme
2 cups hot cooked penne pasta
2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)

Cook chicken and peppers in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is done.

Add spinach, cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until wilted. Drain all but one tablespoon liquid. Add cooking creme; cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in pasta; top with nuts if desired.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I know I didn't use as much spinach as the recipe called for. I used leftovers from our local food co-op that we get produce from and it was almost gone by the time I made this recipe. Also, I used garden vegetable spaghetti instead of the penne. Yum!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! What an easy and delicious recipe! I love recipes on the back of boxes. Brianna loved this recipe too, which only makes me more excited that I still have about a dozen of these cooking cremes that I got free from super doubles at Harris Teeter. Woot woot!

Oh, and trust me, the picture doesn't do it justice.

Printable version:

Creamy Chicken Florentine:

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup halved red pepper strips
1 package (6 oz) baby spinach leaves
1 tub (10 oz) Philadelphia savory garlic cooking creme
2 cups hot cooked penne pasta
2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)

Cook chicken and peppers in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is done.
Add spinach, cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until wilted. Drain all but one tablespoon liquid. Add cooking creme; cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in pasta; top with nuts if desired.

Chicken Parmesan

From: Campbells Quick and Easy Recipes

Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp parsley
4 cups hot cooked spaghetti




Dip chicken into egg. On waxed paper, coat chicken with crumbs. In 10-inch skillet over medium heat, in hot butter, cook chicken 10 minutes or until browned on both sides.



Remove; set aside. In same skillet, heat spaghetti sauce to boiling. Add chicken. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Cover; cook until cheese is melted. Serve with spaghetti.



What I did differently from the recipe:
I didn't make it with spaghetti because we had just had spaghetti. But we've had chicken parmesan with spaghetti before and it's delicious!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! This is my favorite chicken parmesan recipe and I've tried several. (Here, here, and here are some examples.) It was probably the easiest chicken parmesan recipe I've done and the fastest. It had less steps than most and it was really delicious! Definitely will make this again soon!!