Brownie Mix

Sunday after dinner Mike naturally wanted some dessert. Being the lovely wife that I am, I told him, "You make it!" (Keep in mind, I had just spent my afternoon in the kitchen making our Sunday dinner.) He's a good sport so he starts looking for ingredients. Mike can make 3 things: Nutty Putty, brownies (from a mix), and frozen pizzas. For the Nutty Putty he needed Karo Syrup.. we were out. For the brownies he of course needed a brownie mix... we didn't have any. Since he didn't want frozen pizzas for dessert, we went without. So yesterday I made my own brownie mix. Of course I doubled the recipe to avoid any future sorrows. And I even turned some of it into somethig delicious for him!


Chocolate Brownie Mix

5 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 3/4 cups cocoa
1 cup dry milk

Combine ingredients. Store in an airtight container. Keeps at least 12 months if kept in a cool, dry place. Makes 3 batches of brownies.

For Brownies combine:

3 eggs
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 1/2 cups brownie mix

Mix unil smooth. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips if desired. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Allow to cool slightly before cutting. Serve warm.

Stuffed Peppers

We scored some delicious red bell peppers in our Bountiful Basket last Saturday plus that's one thing that I've actually been pulling out of my garden right now (finally!). So I've been loaded with peppers this week! I used some in my Mango salsa, I threw one in my pico de gallo and the rest I turned into stuffed peppers last night. They are quick and easy and they freeze very well for an easy lunch or dinner down the road. I doubled this recipe for that purpose.

Stuffed Peppers

6 large sweet bell peppers

1 recipe Seasoned Rice and Pasta

1 lb ground turkey, cooked (may substitute ground beef, or leave out for vegetarian)

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tomato, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Wash peppers and remove tops including stems and seeds. Combine cooked turkey, onion,  Seasoned Rice and Pasta, and tomato. Stuff each pepper with mixture. Place peppers in lightly greased large casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese all over each pepper. If lid doesnt fit snugly, cover tightly with aluminum foil. (If there is extra filling, you can add that to the bottom of the dish.) Bake covered for 40 minutes. Serve hot with a fresh garden salad.

To freeze: Cool. Wrap individually in heavy duty aluminum foil or place each one into a quart sized freezer bag; label and freeze.

To Serve: Unwrap stuffed peppers. Place in roasting pan. Heat at 350 for 25 minutes. Or unwrap and cook in microwave 3-5 minutes.

"Rice-A-Roni"

This is one of those things that I used to make a lot back in my single days. Tasty, simple & satisfying. For me anyway, I love rice... and I love pasta. So what could be better than a combination of the two, right? Here's a simple way to make your own. It ends up being much cheaper than the name-brand box (even when you get it on sale) and only slightly more work.

        Seasoned Rice And Pasta (similar to Rice-a-Roni)

1 cup thin spaghetti, broken into small pieces

(break it up in the bag by whacking it with a meat tenderizer)

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup white sauce mix

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

3 tsp chicken soup base or 3 cubes chicken bouillon

4 1/2 cups water

Heat oil in large heavy skillet over med-high heat. Add rice and broken spaghetti.

Cook and stir until pasta is browned. Add white sauce mix, Italian seasoning, soup base and water. Stir until well combined.

Allow mixture to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until liquid cooks away. Remove from heat. Allow to sit, covered, about 10 minutes.

Fluff with a fork before serving.

Mangoes! Mango Peach Salsa, Mango Smoothie

I don't like Mangoes... well... I used to not like mangoes. Turns out I've just been eating them wrong all these years. For example, I've just recently been using them in salsa... and smoothies! YUM! We had mangoes in our BB for a couple weeks in a row. The first week I made some pineapple mango salsa with one and froze the other. Last week I ended up with 3 mangoes in our basket. I turned two of them (plus the one I put into the freezer) into this delicious smoothie. Wow! yum, etc.. it's really good. Sorry no picture here.. I can never keep it in the glass long enough to snap one ;)

Pineapple Mango Smoothie

1 cup frozen mangoes
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 peach (not necessary to peel)
1 plum
1 banana
1 cup frozen cantaloupe
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
8 oz cold water

Place soft fruit on the bottom of the blender followed by frozen fruit. Add protein powder and water, blend and enjoy!

I like using about half frozen fruit and half fresh. This keeps me from having to add ice making the smoothie less potent (imo). It also makes it so I can use less liquid for it to blend properly. I've added other fruit to this also, like watermelon which was fantastic!

When I made my Pineapple Mango Salsa a little while back my dear husband told me "I think this needs more tomatoes" to which I responded, "That would make sense seeing as I didn't use any tomatoes in this!" So this one is for you Mike!

Peach Mango Salsa

1 mango
2 tomatoes
2 peaches
1/2 bunch cilantro (about 1 cup chopped)
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
1 large bell pepper
2 jalepenos (or banana peppers if you'd like to keep it mild)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Dice all vegetables and fruit. Add vinegar and salt if desired. Combine and enjoy!

Chili Verde (Not to be confused with green chili!)

In my bountiful basket last Saturday I got a whole bunch of yummy Chili peppers PLUS I finally have some tomatillos ready from the garden...

Of course this meant I had to make some of my world famous Chili Verde! (Okay, you got me.. it's not world famous, but it did win first prize in our neighborhood chili cookoff... so almost, right?) Most of my recipes are not this much trouble. This recipe is a bit of a process from start to finish, but there are some short cuts to quicken it up if necessary. For example, the first time I made this I used chilis from my freezer that I had already roasted and peeled. You can also used canned peppers and soup. It will still be good, but not as good. Overall, the work is worth it in my opinion. I usually make a HUGE batch so I have enough to enjoy for a few days. Last time I meant to put some in the freezer but we ate it all in just a few days. It's good on just about anything- Eggs for breakfast, nachos for lunch or smothered burritos for dinner.

Mike gets irritated when I call my Chili Verde recipe "green chili". I keep telling him that it means the same thing but the first time I made it, I called it Chili Verde- so..he insists I must always call it Chili Verde or I must be talking about a different recipe. I have another recipe that I dubbed "green chili" the first time I made it.

Chili Verde

2-3 lb pork loin roast cut into bite-sized chunks
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin, ground
1 tsp salt
1 bunch cilantro, washed & chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 large roasted jalepenos, chopped (you can use 2 [4 oz]cans instead)
8 med chili peppers- roasted, peeled and chopped (or 4-6 [4oz] cans)
5 cloves garlic UNpeeled
9 tomatillos, roasted
3 cups water
3 tsp chicken soup base or bouillon
2 tsp dried oregano
2 limes, juiced (or 1/4 cup lime juice)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
  or 1 1/2 cup white sauce mix

Cut pork into bite-sized chunks. Mix chili powder, cumin and salt in a small bowl. Coat pork pieces with seasoning mix then brown in a large heavy skillet. Do this in batches if necessary to be sure each piece browns well.

Add pork to large crockpot. Chop onion, cilantro and add to crockpot. Remove papery shell from tomatillos, wash and cut in half. Roast tomatillos with cut-side down. Roast peppers, tomatillos, and garlic by grilling at 500 F with the lid closed for 8-10 minutes or you can place them on a cookie sheet under a hot broiler for 8-10 minutes. (If grilling, place the smaller peppers, tomatillos and garlic in foil to prevent it from falling through the slats.) When peppers are done being roasted, place them in a plastic bag and seal to allow peppers to "sweat" for a few minutes.

Remove skins and seeds then place peppers, tomatillos, and peeled garlic into a food processor or blender. Pulse to chop finely or puree (whichever you prefer). Add pepper mixture to pork and onion.

Add water and chicken bouillon. Stir and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 7 hours. Add white sauce mix or cream soup and oregano. Stir until creamy. Keep on LOW or Keep Warm until ready to serve.

Serve over warm tortillas, use as a soup garnished with fresh chopped lettuce and tomato, use it to smother burritos, serve over nachos, ENJOY!

I just had to show off my yummy tomatoes from the garden. Look how red they are- all the way through! You just can't buy that at the supermarket. And in case you are wondering... yes. They tasted as good as they look! :)

Vegan Crepes (or food storage), Food Storage Pancakes

I haven't had to have as many "food storage" meals this month as I'd thought would be necessary. Part of that is because I've been "cleaning" my freezers by using up all the meals that I've had stashed away in there. I like to make a fresh batch of freezer meals before school starts so I need the extra room. This has also given me more time to work on things like the quilt I'm making for my bed and all my other projects without having to worry too much about dinner. I have had some food storage-type meals though.. mostly breakfasts. Here are some of the recipes:

Vegan Crepes

1 1/4 c. rice milk *

3/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 Tbsp sugar

Combine sugar, flour cornstarch and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add rice milk and mix until smooth.  Add oil and extract. Whisk vigorously until smooth. Drop by 1/4 cup into pre-heated hot pans. With the back of your spoon, spread batter around until very thin in the pan.

Cook each crepe about 10 seconds. Flip and cook an additional 5-10 seconds. Repeat. Serve warm with fresh fruit or syrup rolled into the center of each crepe.

*A note about milk in your food storage:

I like to keep rice milk in my food storage since it is shelf stable and good tasting (to me at least!). But you can use UHT milk (ultra high temperature) or evaporated milk as well. Or of course you can reconstitute some powdered milk and use that. My family can't stand the thought of drinking powdered milk so we buy a combination of UHT and rice milk for our food storage. The rice milk is for myself and my 3-year-old who has milk allergies and the UHT is for the rest of the family. The best price I've found for rice milk is at Costco where we buy it by the case for around $15/case. It's still about $5 per gallon though so it really comes in handy knowing how to make rice milk yourself.. which is ridiculously cheap. The UHT we usually get at Gossner's Dairy in Logan. It is usually about $3 per gallon and it actually tastes like milk so it's a great alternative to powdered.

 I do keep plenty of powdered milk in my food storage as well, though. It's great for baking and for my make-ahead mixes that I use so often. Not to mention it lasts a long time when kept correctly.

Food Storage Pancakes

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp dry powdered milk*

3/4 cup water

2 Tbsp oil

for the egg:

 1 tsp unflavored gelatin (like knox)

 3 Tbsp cold water

 2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp hot water

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a seperate smaller bowl make your "egg" by combining gelatin with cold water until dissolved. Add hot water, stir. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add oil, water and "egg". Stir until dry ingredients are moistened (about 30 seconds). Drop 1/4 cup at a time onto pre-heated griddle (med-high or about 375 F). Allow to cook until batter is bubbly and edges dry out. Flip and cook an additional 15-30 seconds until golden brown.

*to make this recipe vegan, omit the powdered milk and water and replace with 3/4 cup rice milk.

Vegas: Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

This last weekend I dragged my family along with me to Las Vegas so I could attend my baby brother's (and his wife's) baby shower. It was so much fun! and my cute sister-in-law-mom-to-be looks adorable with her pregnant belly.
Whenever we go to Vegas we always stay in a timeshare. I love this option because it's like a home away from home. There are bedrooms with doors that close, a full livingroom and even a kitchen! But really... the point of this post?

You'll have to excuse my plating as this meal doesn't look nearly as appetizing as it actually was... You'll just have to take my word for it. But this is the point: this meal was prepared in our room while on vacation! And before you all start cringing and thinking "that's exactly the point of going on vacation.. to not cook!" please just hear me out. Pictured above is Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole with a side of Cheesy mashed potates and steamed Summer squash. But guess what? With the exception of the squash, I cooked these in April! They've been all wrapped up in my freezer waiting for a special occasion to be enjoyed. This was so wonderful! I packed the freezer meal and side right into my ice chest (which saved me from having to buy ice-while the meal was defrosting it also helped keep the rest of the cooler cool). By the time we got to our room and unpacked, I just stuck dinner straight into the oven. It was finished in about an hour at 350. We went swimming at one of the resorts pools while we waited. Perfect! Not only did I not have to worry about finding a place to go out to eat when we got into town, but it also saved us MONEY. Not to mention giving us more time to relax and enjoy being on vacation!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

8 slices ham
8 slices Swiss cheese
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 c. parmesan cheese grated
½ pkg Stove Top stuffing (chicken)
    Or
    ¾ c bread crumbs (save the crumbs from slicing home-made bread)
1/4 c. melted butter

Sauce:

1 can cream of mushroom (or celery, chicken (or one of each if tripling)) soup
¼ c. milk
1/4 c. chunky bleu cheese dressing (optional)
1 sm. Can mushrooms (optional)
1 T parsley
½ tsp garlic or lemon pepper
1-2 Tbsp diced green onions (optional)

Place slices of ham separately in a casserole dish. Place Swiss cheese and then chicken on each slice of ham. Mix ingredients in sauce and pour over chicken. Sprinkle grated cheeses over sauce. Top with bread crumbs. Drizzle butter over bread crumbs. Bake covered at 350 for 50 minutes. Remove cover and bake 10 minutes more.

**For the freezer: Assemble as above except do not add bread crumbs and grated cheese: Add these after defrosting, before putting into the oven. I like to make at least three of these at a time especially when ham is on sale during the Holidays (Easter is coming up!) I buy a spiral sliced ham specifically for this recipe. One ham will easily make 3 casseroles plus plenty for other recipes. Also I just triple the sauce recipe instead of making single batches to save time. Keeps 3+ months.

***A cheap freezer container: line your pan with heavy duty foil before assembling casserole. Assemble then put in freezer-allow to freeze solid. Once frozen, remove foil lined casserole from pan and wrap again with heavy duty foil until it's sealed. Then put back into the freezer until you're ready to use. Once you're ready to use your casserole just unwrap the outer foil layer & pop it back into your original casserole dish.

Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes
(Makes 2 9x13 pans full)

10 large potatoes
6 Tbsp melted butter
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 cups sour cream
2 cups milk
½ cup finely chopped green onions
1 ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp garlic powder

Optional topping
1 ½ c dry bread crumbs
¼ cup melted butter
½ cup Parmesan cheese

Wash & peel potatoes and boil until tender. While potatoes are boiling, combine cream soups, milk, cheese, green onions, garlic and sour cream. Divide tender potatoes equally between two 9x13 inch pans. Fork mash the potatoes as you spread them out in the pan. Drizzle melted butter over potatoes and then ½ the cream sauce over each pan. Wrap one pan in heavy duty aluminum foil & freeze up to 3 months. Cook the other uncovered in 400 F oven for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are bubbly & slightly browned on top. To re-heat frozen potatoes, put frozen dish into cold oven (keep covered with foil). Turn oven to 350 and heat at least one hour. (you can leave it in the oven longer- up to 2 hours- the foil will keep it from burning) Remove foil and increase temperature to 400 and cook until browned on top (about 15-20 minutes). If using optional topping, don’t add until you increase temperature. Do not add before freezing or it will not get crispy.