Tuesday Dinner Friends Spaghetti Feed!

Another yummy meal that was a hit with all this week.  Our normal Tuesday night guest was not feeling well but my other friend was planning to come.  I made a double batch earlier in the morning so we had plenty to send home with our new guest and left overs for the next day. 

Of course I found some amazing recipes of Pinterest first off on my list was Old-Fashioned Spaghetti & Meatballs.  I’ve never cooked with bulgar wheat before so I picked it up in the bulk section and made it.  They turned out fabulous and easy to make.

I then found this amazing light bread that was easy to make with what I had on hand.  This Lighter Cheesy Garlic Bread was a no yeast bread that I mixed up and threw in the oven and served hot and yummy!

Dinner is served!

I made a yummy dessert then I remembered our guest doesn’t eat dessert. I know who doesn’t eat dessert, a smart person that is … Hmmm maybe I should have ate her and my helping … lol.  This Baked Apple Streusel was simple to make and I add a dolop of non fat whipped cream.

So there you have it another Tuesday Dinner meal .  On our menu tonight will be Crock-Pot Creamy Chicken Soup.

Feeding the Troops

For Christmas I used my bonus to buy Rick a new garage door with an opener.  Tonight he had some buddies come over to help him install and my Tuesday night dinner friend came over tonight instead of last night so I switched my meal plan up at the last minute.  I was pretty darn excited with what I came up with.

First off I saw this on my new obsession Pinterest and found a recipe for Cheesy Artichoke Bread.

Then I saw this Scooters Spaghetti that looked easy to do and how can I go wrong with friend onions on top?

And I had a bag of cranberries that I had to use up so my friend Google lead me to Apple-Cranberry crisp.

In a way I can’t wait for next week then I might be back on track.  For now some more recipes .  Hope you might enjoy one of them!

Anything special on your menu tonight?

Reworking Left Over Brisket w/Fresh Bread

Tuesday’s at our house is a fun time since we have company every Tuesday.  The boys have a friend to play with and a have an adult to talk to and bounce my crazy life and idea’s off of.  I like to find something new to make each time they come over.  I think we’ve never had the same recipe yet!

My dad loves to smoke meat, my favorite is the brisket he does.  My parents had a party at their house the other weekend he made an extra brisket for me to take home.  I like finding new ways to incorporate it into things.  I found this Leftover Brisket Ragu by Rachael Ray. I didn’t have the right type of noodles so I used whole wheat shell pasta.

I of course had to make some bread to go along with it.  I found this Onion Garlic Cheese Bread on All recipes.  I started the dough in the bread machine and then finished it up in the oven.  I baked mine a little too long since the top cheese got a little too dark, but it was still soft and yummy in the middle!

Happy Monday everyone, lot’s to do today I think I’m trying to swim to the top . So what is on your menu tonight?

Not your typical Burger or Brownie

More fun times here .  I made some great meals and happy that everyone like them!

First off, Rick’s fav meal is Chicken parm so when I came across a meal for it in a new way and lighter version I’m on it.  First I had to make the rolls for it to go.  Bread Machine Ciabatta Roll Recipe is where I start!

Then here comes the best part of this recipe is the burger part but NOT your regular recipe.  From my favorite site of course SkinnyTaste.com is Chicken Parmigiana Burger (now I only had chicken breast on hand so I used that instead of chicken patties).

We had a playdate/dinner at the cousin’s house so I whipped up some Cheesecake Topped Brownies.  Now I had the brillant idea to bake them up at the cousins house since I was running late.  That meant that I lost a HUGE amount on the carpet of my floor.  It wasn’t pretty but it did taste good … LOL.  YES I didn’t scoop up the spillage and put it back in I just had to wash my car out when I got home.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

TMTT ~ Breakfast, Dinner & Bread

Wow what a day Monday I woke up going set up and made my first call to find I didn't have a voice?? What the heck just happened there? I don't talk to anyone before I have to start work so no sounds came out of me until then and let's just say it wasn't a pleasant sound, I sounded like a cross between a frog and a man! I'm on the tea, orange juice and salt water diet! UGH let's hope it comes back by Tuesday so I'm not out another day of work, my checkbook can't handle two days of no work :(.

Now onto some yummy recipes! Saturday my dad took me and the boys out and we stopped to have breakfast and we had Eggs Benedict. I haven't had this in so long I had to go home and make it.

Eggs Benedict from Rachel Ray

(click the link to find a cool video how to poach and egg)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 ounces turkey Canadian bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 4 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 2 whole wheat English muffins, split and toasted

• DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 150°. Fill a large, deep skillet with enough salted water to reach a depth of

     1 inch and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes; drain.

     Reserve the skillet.
     

  2. Heat the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey bacon and cook, turning,

     until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon and the asparagus to an ovenproof dish

     and place in the oven to keep warm; reserve the skillet.
     

  3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook,

     stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook,

     whisking, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the 2 egg yolks,

     1 at a time. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce into a bowl.
     

  4. Fill the reserved skillet with enough water to reach a depth of 1 inch and

     bring to a boil. Crack the 4 whole eggs into the skillet and poach for 2 minutes for soft-set.
     

  5. Place an English muffin half on each of 4 plates. Divide the bacon among the

     muffins and top each with asparagus, a poached egg and some sauce. Season with pepper.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used whole wheat flour and added a little dijon mustard for the sauce.

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Next for dinner we have our staples here chicken and rice :).

Broccoli Chicken Casserole from Family Oven

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup dry stuffing mix
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 pound broccoli florets, cooked

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
   2. Boil chicken until tender and shred or cut into bite size pieces. Meanwhile, steam broccoli until crisp but tender.
   3. In a small bowl mix together the soup and mayonnaise. Set aside. In a 9x13 inch baking dish layer the chicken, broccoli, soup mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle dry stuffing mix over the top and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used brown rice and fresh broccoli in the steamer also we didn't have stuffing so I used bread crumbs.

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And we end with a yummy bread, I had 2 zucchini that had to be used up and it was time to feed the neighbors :). My weekly thing I do for them.

Zucchini Bread with Crumble Top from Recipe Tips

Ingredients:

-		3 eggs
-		1 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
-		2 cups sugar
-		3 cups grated zucchini
-		2 teaspoons vanilla
-		3 cups flour
-		1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-		3 teaspoons cinnamon
-		1 teaspoon baking soda
-		1/4 teaspoon baking powder
-		1 teaspoon salt
		TOPPING:
-		3/4 cup brown sugar
-		3/4 cup flour
-		3 tablespoons butter or margarine
-		2 teaspoons cinnamon
-		1/2 cup chopped pecans - chopped medium fine

Directions

• Grate zucchini. If using larger zucchini, cut out any large seed sections from the middle before grating. When the 3 cups are grated, set the zucchini aside.
• Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Mix all topping ingredients together. Mix butter into other ingredients using your fingers. When mixed, set aside.
• Add eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat together until slightly foamy.
• add the oil and sugar to the beaten eggs; beat with the mixer until well blended.
• Add the grated zucchini and vanilla; stir by hand until it is well mixed into the egg and sugar mixture.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir to mix evenly.
• Add the flour mixture to the egg and zucchini mixture; stir just until evenly mixed.
• Pour even amounts of the batter into the prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top of the batter in each pan. The crumble topping provides for a thick layer over the top of the loaves. If you do not want the topping that thick, don't add all of it.
• Place the loaves into the preheated oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Remove loaves from the oven and allow them to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before storing.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used my pan that has 4 and overflowed a bit next time I will just scrap the extra. I added a little pumpkin pie spice because I love it. I had extra of the crumble also, I should have to filled it so full made them hard to come out and I had to scrap two of the loaves. I also used half whole wheat flour. I also skipped the nuts.

MSM ~ Dinner & Some Yummy Desert!

First off I must apologize and thank you all for the beautiful comments and love I received. Today is our 7 year anniversary, as I said on Friday things have been rocky. We're working on things and I pray things will turn out, only time will tale. Life is funny it can send you some crazy curve balls that makes you do a recheck and make sure you do things differently. I can't say that we'll end with the rose color glasses but we'll figure it out as we go. Sorry if I haven't made it around to thank you, I've taken a little time off from the computer. Trying to be better on my end to spending more time sitting down with the fam :). HUGS, I'll be by soon.

Ok now onto why you come here on Mondays! FOOD yes I know you all are sitting on your edge of your seat waiting to see what new meal I've made. Well today I have to show a yummy dinner and of course some yummy desert or you could do like my neighbors husband and have the bread for dinner :).

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First off we show you a meal that at first I was a little unsure of. I've heard of waffles and chicken and thought it was odd but waffles and chili? I'm glad to say Paula Deans recipe is not a let down, you'll love it!!!

Cornmeal Waffles with Spicy Chili

Cornmeal Waffles and Spicy Chili

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• Spicy chili, recipe follows
• Shredded Cheddar, for garnish
• Sour cream, for garnish
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add milk, oil, and eggs; stirring until smooth. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron and bake in batches. Set aside and keep warm.

Serve with Spicy Chili. Garnish with shredded Cheddar, sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro.

Spicy Chili:

• 1 pound lean ground chuck
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 (15-ounce) cans ranch-style beans
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15-ounce) can niblet corn, drained
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown ground chuck, until beef is crumbly. Stir in onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.

Stir in beans, tomato sauce, corn, diced tomatoes, and green chiles. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

ALEXIS NOTES: I used half whole wheat flour and white flour it turned out great. I also used the ground beef I had in the freeze so it was more like under 2 lbs of ground beef. The boys like it a little meaty so it worked perfect. Also used light sour cream. Enjoy!

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Next I had some bananas that had to be used up and I wanted to make something new, yes I know I can never do the same recipe. I found this recipe and thought it was just perfect. I took a loaf over to the neighbors and let's just say my friend left and her husband ate the whole loaf for dinner .. hehe thankfully I had another loaf I brought over the next night so she could have a slice. On a sad note they are moving :( I may have to show up at their new house with baked goods.

Crumb Topped Cocoa Banana Bread by Thats My Home (click link)

Crumb Topped Cocoa Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash ground ginger
Dash ground mace
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 extra-ripe,
medium-size bananas)
Crumb Topping (recipe follows)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F . Grease bottom only of 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.

In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, baking powder, ginger and mace. Add eggs, oil and banana; stir with spoon just until all ingredients are well blended.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle topping evenly over top.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.

Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. (Loaf may be stored in refrigerator, well wrapped, for up to 1 week.) 1 loaf.

Crumb Topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In small bowl, blend all ingredients until fine crumbs form.

ALEXIS NOTES: I again switched out half whole wheat flour, I used 3 banana's and I didn't have mace so I skipped this part. I used my special pan that has 4 loafs and a special design on the bottom, gives a little special to the bread :). This is great with or with out butter. I think it was so moist you didn't even need to add the butter. You'll love this one, I will have to make it again.

I hope you enjoy and will try these out. Have a wonderful Monday I promise to stop by, I may be a little slower at coming around but I'll be there :).