Green Beans

I am really lucky to have a husband that does like vegetables.  He doesn't like the weird ones that I like (artichokes, brussel sprouts, asparagus) but he likes the basics.  So to jazz up green beans I took a cue from PF Changs.

After I have steamed them in the microwave (I buy the beans in a bag ready to steam) I simply saute them in soy sauce and garlic for a few minutes.  If you like a little heat you could add red pepper flakes.  Julia also likes to eat these green beans....we are still working on getting her to eat broccoli.

Grilled Chicken

Cliff and I are a huge fan of grilled chicken.  I am especially a fan of him grilling chicken as I get to just worry about the side dishes.  We found at Costco a yummy sauce/marinade called Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce.  We only bought one bottle because we wanted to make sure we liked it before buying a million bottles.  It is soooooo good!  We are going to buy more bottles when we go back to Costco because it will be just our luck that they will stop selling it.  I highly recommend that y'all take a peek at your Costco to see if they carry it.  You won't be disappointed.

Granola Bars

I am a huge fan of granola bars especially if they have chocolate in them.  Carianne made some for the kids when I was over visiting her and lucky for me I got to take some home.  They were super yummy!  I love that I know exactly what is in the granola bars and can pronounce all the ingredients.  And you can even modify the ingredients to add stuff that you like.

4 1/2 c. rolled oats

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. honey

1/3 c. brown sugar, packed

1-2 c. mini chocolate chips

1/2-1 c. craisins

Bake at 325 degrees in a lightly greased 9x13 pan for 18-22 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes.

Carianne never measure her chocolate chips or craisins.  She just sprinkles them in until it looks good.  She also recommends cutting the bars a few minutes after you remove them from the oven.  Then after they have cooled for about 15 minutes she takes them out of the pan.  She would love to add coconut and nuts to hers(I agree!) but Jared isn't a big fan of those ingredients.  Guess we will just have to make a special batch for us Carianne!  :)

Blueberry Coffee Cake-ish

Love the title of this recipe submitted by my sister-n-law Stephanie.  It looks pretty easy to make which is definitely a plus and it is even possible to keep the items on hand for when you are looking for something sweet in a hurry.

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (12 ounce) can buttermilk biscuits

1/2 c.  (1 stick) butter, melted

1 c. quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Generously grease a 9-inch square baking dish.  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well with a fork.  Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits.  Cut each biscuit into quarters, dip each piece in melted butter, and coat with brown sugar mixture.  Arrange in a single layer in baking dish.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the oats.

Combine blueberries and sugar in a bow and toss to coat.  Spoon over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup oats.  Drizzle remaining melted butter on top.  Baker for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and center is done.  Cool for 20 minutes...and enjoy!

*an added bonus is to top it with some whipped cream...DELICIOUS!

Holiday Wassail

3 qt. hot water

1- 6 oz. can frozen orange juice

1-6 oz. can frozen pineapple juice

1-6 oz. can frozen lemonade

2 cups sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

Combine sugar and water; boil until sugar is dissolved.  Add frozen juices.  Place cinnamon sticks in double layer of cheese cloth and tie (or you can add sticks directly to mixture, just strain before serving.)  Bring to boil again after adding cinnamon sticks.  Then simmer for several hours.  

I have Torrie Nicholas to thank for this yummy holiday drink recipe.  I probably ask her for it every year.  I like to make it in my crock pot at school so I have a nice hot drink in between music classes.  My student aides always like it as well.

Pastel de Tres Leches

My ingredients for the cake.

Julia found a "stool" to help her in the pantry.

My cakes cooling. I decided to make two cakes. If they were yummy I planned to send some with Cliff to work along with some strawberries. However, they called him and said that if he didn't want to come in that night he didn't have to! I love the Buellton office. This would have never happened in the San Jose office. Check out my strawberries below! They were so pretty.

My finished cake complete with strawberry on top. I forgot to thaw the cool whip so I had to wait until the next day to assemble the cake. Carianne, does it look similar to your cake?

1 paquete (18.75 onzas) de harina preparada para pastel blanco

1 lata (12 onzas) de leche evaporado

1/2 taza de leche condensada azucarada

1 envase (8 onzas) de crema agria

1 cucharadita de extracto de vanilla

1 envase (8 onzas) de crema batida congelada, descongelada

1/4 taza de almendras naturales rebanadas, picadas

1/4 cucharadita de Canela

Fresa (opcional)

Okay, now for the ingredients in English! You didn't know you were getting a Spanish lesson, did you?

Cake of Three Milks

1 package white cake mix

1 can evaporated milk (12oz.)

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 container of sour creme (8oz.)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed (8oz.)

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Strawberries (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray pan with nonstick cooking spray. Make cake as per directions on box and whisk together. Spoon batter into pan and bake 35-40 minutes. Cool cake completely. Using a serrated bread knife gently slice crown from the top of cake to expose interior of cake. (Discard trimmings......into your mouth!) Combine evaporated milk, sour creme, condensed milk and vanilla in bowl and whisk until well blended. Slowly pour over cake. Sprinkle cinnamon lightly over cake then spread whipped topping over the cake. Carianne uses a half a bag of sliced almonds and sprinkles them over the whipped topping. Use the sliced strawberries to garnish. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Submitted by Carianne Perry

Luckily I had my iPhone with me today so I could look up the email Carianne sent with and buy the ingredients for this cake. I'm making it tomorrow! It sounds super easy and yummy.

Broccoli Salad

This recipe is from Carianne.  I made it for a bridal shower and it was easy to make and didn't require a lot of ingredients.  If you aren't a fan of raw broccoli then this may not be the salad for you.  I like to make it in smaller batches and nibble on it all week. I omit the onion as I am not a fan of onions.

Broccoli Salad

4-5 c. Broccoli, chopped

1/2 Red onion, chopped

1/2 c. Cheddar Cheese, grated

1/2 lb. Bacon, fried and chopped

Dressing:

1 c. Miracle Whip

2 Tbsp. Vinegar

6 Tbsp. Sugar

Directions:

Mix broccoli, red onion, cheese and bacon together.  Toss in dressing and refridgerate.

Prep time: 15 minutes (takes me a bit longer because I am a slow chopper)

Cook Time: None

Category: Salads

Servings: 4

I'm hungry....

Hello Everyone!  I am looking for tried and true recipes.  Carianne used to post recipes on her website but now she is just using BlogSpot and I no longer get to check her site for new recipes.  I'm not even sure if anyone would actually be interested or even have the time to send me recipes but it never hurts to try, right? So please send me your recipes and I'll post them on my blog for all to share.  I might eventually have them printed into a book.  I think it will be such a cute book with recipes from people I know.  If you have pics of you cooking the actual meal or of the meal itself send those as well.  I'm looking for recipes that will feed a family of four.  There are only three in my family right now but it is always nice to have leftovers the next day for lunch.  Send recipes and/or pics to snappelina@aol.com

Here's to happy tummies!