Red Velvet Fudge!

I LOVE holiday cooking! Josh laughs at me, though, because I love to make it and GIVE IT AWAY. Look at us: do we look like we need any sweets in the house? We taste some, then pass it on! And each year, I've always got new recipes to try. Yesterday we went to a Christmas party: what better time to try a new recipe? I made red velvet fudge yesterday, and it was such a hit, I made it again to take to our Life Group meeting tonight. I did have some trouble getting it out of the Christmas pan I used, but I won in the end. :) There's really no reason it's called red velvet fudge except the color - it does not taste like red velvet cake. Just FYI... :) But it is still pretty tasty.

Red Velvet Fudge

1 pkg. white chocolate chips (the smaller package, not the large one)

1 Tbsp. chocolate chips

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 small can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 tsp red food dye

1 tsp cocoa powder

Grease an 8" pan well, then set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, mix the white and chocolate chips along with the baking soda and salt, then add the sweetened condensed milk. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until melted and smooth. Mix in the cocoa, vanilla, and food dye. Pour into the greased pan and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Cut and store in airtight container in fridge.

  

Apple Water!

I can't believe it's been close to, what, a year since I've posted! I guess I should start my New Year's resolution early: to start posting new recipes! And I've got some pretty good ones, too. I just want to take some pictures of them before I post, so you can see how yummy they look! 

I do have one super-simple one that I'm going to post today. And when I say simple, I mean simple. It's really just flavored water. Why am I posting it? Well, because it's so simple I'm not sure anyone's really thought to do it. And also because today is Dec. 1! I am now HALF the size I was last Dec.! On the one hand, I'm really proud of that, but on the other hand, I think "Wow, how could I have been so huge?" But anyway, a lot of people have asked me how. Well, I started making this water this past week, and in that one week, it has helped me lost another 4 lbs. (I still had my cup of coffee in the morning, but then I drank only this for the rest of the day.) I'm not a huge fan of water, but I do like this! 

Apple Water

  1 apple, any flavor

1 cinnamon stick

water

Slice the apple and place it and the cinnamon stick in a pitcher. Fill the pitcher with water and ice (the ice isn't really necessary, but I think it helps keep the apple in when you're pouring lol). Let it sit in the fridge for a few minutes to allow the flavors to seep into the water. Then drink! You can refill the water up to 3 times before replacing the apple and cinnamon. Let me know what you guys think!

Zucchini Lasagna!

So since Josh has been diagnosed with diabetes, we've been slowly but surely trying to be healthier around here. I think he's most upset about having to cut back on bread - he says he can't stand low-carb bread. I think he's just going to have to get use to it! Anyway, one of his absolute favorite foods is lasagna. However, noodles are loaded with carbs, so that's on the no eat list. So last night, I tried a new recipe. I made lasagna with zucchini instead of lasagna noodles. The verdict? He likes it! PTL! (The boys wouldn't try it because it's green, but they're going to have to get use to it, too. Elijah is getting better about trying new food, at least. He sees Josh checking his blood each day, and Elijah sees that as a shot. So we just tell him if he's not careful with what he eats, he'll have to get a shot like that every day, too. LOL. Not nice, maybe, but it's working!)

Zucchini Lasagna

1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips and drained

1 jar spaghetti sauce

oregano 

Italian seasoning

16 oz. small curd cottage cheese

2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. In a small bowl, coming mozzarella, Parmesan, oregano, and Italian seasoning. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place a layer of zucchini strips in the baking dish. Spread some cottage cheese on it, then sprinkle with some of the cheese/seasoning mix. Spoon some spaghetti sauce over the cheese. Top with another layer of zucchini strips and continue with the previous layers, ending with cheese and a little sauce on top. Bake at 400 for 45 min. Enjoy!

Zucchini Muffins!

I planted a garden this year... We had broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, and zucchini (I also planted peppers and eggplant, but they didn't do so well...). Our broccoli has come and gone, peaking actually when we were out of town. :( Our tomatoes have done pretty good - enough that I was able to make a big batch of salsa. (First attempt, well, it was a learning experience lol! I think it's a bit watery and not hot enough, but Josh likes it.) We had lettuce coming out our ears, and our beans have done well, too! But our zucchini! WOW. No exaggeration! They have been HUGE! From the one I cut today, I was able to make one zucchini lasagna (another first - I hope Josh likes it! Since he's been diagnosed with diabetes, we're all trying to eat healthier now), 1 dozen regular size muffins, and 2 dozen mini muffins. My kids usually eat anything in muffin form, so I figure it's worth a try!

Zucchini Muffins

1 c sugar 

1 c softened butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp all spice

1/2 tsp salt

2 c quick cooking oats

2 c DRAINED shredded zucchini (to drain, just dry with paper towels. Otherwise  very watery)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients until well blended. Add zucchini LAST. Spoon into sprayed muffin tins (makes 2 dozen regular size muffins) and bake in preheated oven 30-40 min., until golden on top. Enjoy! 

"Hunny" BBQ meatballs!

Again, another recipe from the shower. And again, INCREDIBLY simple! And pretty tasty! :)

Hunny BBQ Meatballs

1 pkg. frozen Homestyle Meatballs

1 bottle Honey BBQ sauce

Dump the meatballs in a slow cooker and pour the bbq sauce over top. Cover and cook on Low 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Enjoy! :)

Acorns!

My best friend's baby shower is tonight. I am so excited! Not just because she's my best friend, but she and her husband have struggled down a  l o n g  road to get here! Her nursery theme is Winnie the Pooh, so we just took that idea and used it for the shower as well. Hunny roasted peanuts, hunny bbq meatballs, Pooh bear cupcakes... you get the idea. So how about some acorn cookies, as well? SUPER easy, and pretty cute, too! :) 

1 pkg. MINI Nilla wafers (be warned - off size boxes of "bite size" vanilla wafers are not the same)
1 family size pkg. Hershey kisses
1 pkg. either butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips (I used Reeses peanut butter chips)
lg. tube of icing (the squirt kind) (any color - you see some green here because I used up all my "blue confetti" - the green was leftover from Isaiah's birthday)

Pretty simple: squirt a little icing on the back of a mini nilla wafer then stick the kiss on. On the top of the nilla wafer, squirt a little dot of icing and stick on the pb or butterscotch chip. And voila! An acorn! Enjoy! :)

Balsamic Roast!

So after many weeks (months?) of me not posting, I'm back! Anyone else ever find that life just gets in the way sometimes? :) It's always something! Now Josh is working on a kidney stone and Jonah has a double ear infection. But at least Jonah's on medication! And Josh's just has to work its way on out... So anyway, dinner tonight was a balsamic pot roast. My first time making it, a little experimentation, a little fun... Turned out pretty good! Josh actually said it was his favorite roast that I've made yet, and Isaiah ate about 4 helpings of it. (Elijah wouldn't even try it. But he's tired and crabby right now...) 

Balsamic Pot Roast

1 roast

2 Tbsp oil

1 beef bouillon cube 

1/2 c boiling water

8 oz. tomato sauce

3/4 c balsamic vinegar

2-3 onions, thickly sliced

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Then brown the roast on both sides. While roast is browning, mix together the bouillon, water, tomato sauce, and vinegar in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the onion in the slow cooker next, then place the roast on top. Spoon some of the sauce over the roast. Cover and cook low 6-8 hours. (If you're home, turn the roast a couple times while cooking. If not, no big deal!) Enjoy!

* Can also slice up some potatoes and carrots and toss them in, too.

Correction: ELIJAH LIKES THE ROAST!!! PTL!!! In our house, the rule is that it's fine if you don't like what I fix for dinner, but you have to at least try it before you get anything else. So Elijah knew that in order to get more mashed potatoes or a PBJ, he had to at least try it. And guess what? He likes it! Go figure. Lol. Although he doesn't want more because it's hard to chew, but he liked it! 

Pizza Crust!

Here's another recipe that sounds just plain gross. But you'll have to trust me - it was actually pretty good! Elijah & Josh both ate it, too, without complaining! So it's definitely something to at least consider. You ready? Here it is: Cauliflower Pizza Crust. I found the recipe on pinterest, and since we're trying to eat healthier, I thought I'd give it a try. I decided to modify it just a tad and see what happens. I'm glad I tried it! It was a bit time consuming, but that's just because you have to grate the cauliflower, and it didn't really like my grater. So make the crust, then add your own sauce, cheese, and toppings! When we make our own pizza, we always have half cheese and then half whatever Josh & I want (tonight Josh wanted onion, tomato, and mushroom). So seriously, give it a try! It's a great way to sneak some veggies in!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

1 12 oz. pkg. frozen cauliflower with garlic
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley

Preheat oven to 450. Cook the cauliflower, drain, then shred. Mix the cauliflower, mozzarella, and egg. Grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet, and evenly spread the cauliflower mix on it. Evenly sprinkle the herbs over top. Cook at 450 for 15 min. or until golden.

Then just pour pizza sauce on it and top with cheese and your choice of toppings. Broil until golden and cheese melted. (Only a couple minutes.) Enjoy!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta!

I actually did really well with juicing last week. Now let's just see if I can keep it off! So my goal is to find good, healthy (or at least semi-healthy...) meals that my family will eat. Josh & Isaiah's favorite pizza at Cici's is the spinach alfredo pizza. And Isaiah, Josh & I all love spinach artichoke dips (Elijah use to love them, too, when he was younger. Sigh.) So I figured this had to be something most of us would like, right? I just pulled it out of the oven and had a bite - it's really good! I found this recipe on Pinterest, but I did modify it a bit. I thought it was really good! Elijah wouldn't touch it, but who's surprised about that? Isaiah enjoyed it, and Jonah enjoyed the tiny little bites I gave him, too. I think Josh will, too, but he's still at work. Anyway, here's the recipe! (I should have cooked mine a little longer, until it was golden, but with hungry boys, I didn't wait...)

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

14 oz. orecchietta pasta
1 Tbsp oil
1 small chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 c sour cream
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp savory
1 tsp lemon juice
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
13.5 oz. can artichoke hearts, rinsed & finely chopped
1 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to the directions on the package. Reserve 1/4 c of the pasta water before draining the pasta; set aside. Heat oil in a skillet & cook onions 8-10 min., until tender. Add garlic and cook another minute. In a large bowl, mix sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan, lemon juice, onions, garlic, celery seed, and savory. Add the pasta and mix. Stir in spinach, artichokes, 1/4 c of reserved pasta water, salt, pepper, and 1/2 c mozzarella. Place in greased 3 qt. baking dish & top with remaining mozzarella. Place in oven and cook at 350 until golden brown on top, about 15 min. Enjoy!


I have made this again since posting this, and I added a jar of alfredo sauce. It was DELICIOUS! Even Elijah said he liked it! :) I know it makes the calorie count jump up, but it was pretty tasty! :)

Ratatouille!

Dinner tonight is the Garlic Ranch Chicken. And one of Josh's favorite side dishes is ratatouille! (If you want to get your kids to eat it, maybe try watching the Pixar movie Ratatouille before dinner?) When making this, I've always left out the eggplant. No, I had never tried it, but something about it just seemed repulsive to me. However, at my friend Megan's house, she made pizza out of eggplant! I'm always encouraging Elijah to try new things, and I really don't like being a hypocrite. So I tried it. And guess what? It was good! (I'll try to have the recipe for that on here before too long...) I do not have any eggplant right now, but that's because I'm just cooking for Josh & the boys, and I know they won't eat it. (I have to admit, this week, I've jumped on the juicing bandwagon lol.) Anyway, here's the recipe for Ratatouille. (For anyone who's trying to watch their weight by counting calories, there are 120 calories per cup... 12g carbs.)

Ratatouille

1 unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2 in. slices
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, cut into fourths
1/4 c veg. oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Stir all ingredients together in a skillet and cook over medium heat 12-15 min., stirring occasionally. Heat until zucchini is tender. Enjoy! :)