Chocolate Eclair Dessert

A friend served this dessert at her house last week, and it is so yummy and easy that you need to go make it for yourself!  :-)

Since Oliver is finished with school, he was more than happy to help me make it while his younger sister and brother were napping. :-)

First, cover the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish with a layer of graham crackers.

Measure 3 cups of milk.

Pour the milk in a mixing bowl. 

 Whisk the milk with 2 packages of instant vanilla pudding.

Fold in a container of Cool Whip. The Cool Whip was definitely his favorite part!

Pour half of the pudding/Cool Whip on top of the layer of graham crackers. Add another layer of graham crackers, and pour the rest of the pudding mixture on top. Then add one more layer of graham crackers.  

While this is going on, place a can of chocolate frosting in the microwave (take the foil off first!) and heat it on high for 1 minute. 

The only mishap was when I wasn't checking on the frosting in the microwave like I should have, and apparently it boiled over. Oliver proudly told his friend the next day, "My mom did a science experiment in the microwave! She melted a can of frosting and it exploded!" Ha ha ha. 

Take whatever frosting you have left over after it "exploded" in the microwave, and pour it on the top layer of graham crackers.  

Cover it and set it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Super easy, and yummy!

Chocolate Eclair Dessert
(recipe from All Recipes)

2 sleeves of graham crackers
2 (3 oz) packages of instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups of milk
1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip, thawed
1 (16 oz) container of chocolate frosting

Line the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish with graham crackers. 

Combine pudding mix and milk, then fold in the Cool Whip. Spoon half of the pudding mixture onto the layer of graham crackers. Add another layer of graham crackers, then spoon on the rest of the pudding mix. 

Top with one more layer of graham crackers.

Melt the frosting in the microwave for 1 minute (OR LESS!!!). Pour frosting on top of the top layer of graham crackers.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Enjoy! 

Spicy Shrimp Pasta

Here's a recipe I found the other day that is 1) delicious, 2) easy, 3) not too unhealthy, and 4) perfect for my Le Creuset. It actually tastes a lot like shrimp version of chicken spaghetti! SO yummy!

Spicy Shrimp Pasta (adapted from Kevin & Amanda)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb frozen, pre-cooked cocktail shrimp, thawed, rinsed, and patted dry

2 cups diced onion
4 tbsp minced garlic
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (10 oz) cans Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
1 cup whole milk
16 oz whole wheat pasta
1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

Preheat the broiler in your oven. 

Add olive oil to an oven-safe pot over medium high heat. Add shrimp and onions and cook until onion is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes longer.

Add broth, Ro-Tel tomatoes, whole milk, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until pasta is tender.

Remove pot from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.

You can eat it right away if you and your kids are starving, but if you can wait 10-15 minutes, the sauce will thicken and it will be even creamier. Enjoy!

Lemon Pound Cake

If you've ever had the lemon loaf from Starbucks, you will like this recipe!  Not only does it taste almost like their cake, it's also very easy to make. And it tastes even better a few days later, after the glaze has really soaked into the cake. YUM. 

(Recipe from Picky Palate)

Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix

4.3 oz cook-and-serve or instant lemon pudding mix (I only found cook-and-serve at my store)

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup skim milk

4 large eggs

8 oz light sour cream

6 tbsp lemon juice

Icing:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3-4 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.

Mix all ingredients together, pour equal amount into each loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until done.

To make icing, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice and stir until it's smooth and creamy. Drizzle onto the warm cakes and enjoy!

Pork and Sausage Jambalaya

I found this recipe in a cooking magazine a couple of months ago, and it's quickly become one of our staple recipes. I don't remember which magazine it was or who even supplied the recipe -- I took a picture of the recipe with my phone, and printed it when I got home! It's not the best jambalaya I've ever had (that award goes to Big Ed's jambalaya at Milldale Baptist Church), but it is very good and it does taste like an authentic Louisiana recipe. :-)  (And, as an added bonus, it takes about half the time to cook as Big Ed's recipe.) 

Here's my fine-tuned version of the recipe. :-)

Pork & Sausage Jambalaya
olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large green or red bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 lb smoked sausage, sliced (beef, pork, turkey, etc all work fine)
3 cups uncooked white rice (brown rice doesn't work that well, but is okay to use)
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cups diced cooked pork or chicken thighs (chicken breasts will be too dry)**

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil. Add onions, green or red pepper, and celery. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes. 

Add sausage to the pot, and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Add rice, paprika, red and black pepper, broth, tomatoes, and pork. Stir well, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 18-20 minutes or until rice is cooked.  Enjoy!

This is a really horrible picture, because it doesn't look appealing at all and actually looks kind of slimy, but trust me, it's GOOD. Try it for yourself!! 

**I usually cook the pork or chicken thighs in the crockpot the day before, so I don't have to deal with that extra step on the day that I'm making the recipe. I usually use 4 large boneless pork chops or 4 or 5 boneless chicken thighs, and cook them on high for 4 hours. Shred the meat when it's done, and set it in the fridge until you need to use it. 

Minestrone soup (crockpot recipe)

This has become one of my favorite recipes over the past month. I've already made it 3 times! It's yummy, full of vegetables, and everyone seems to like it.

Minestrone Soup (adapted from Taste of Home)

2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) low sodium chicken broth

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

2 cans (15 oz each) kidney beans, drained

1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained

8 oz water

2 or 3 small Italian squash or zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

1 or 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

2 tbsp dried minced chives

2 tbsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper

2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp dried basil

2-3 cups cooked whole wheat pasta

1 package (16 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

In a slow cooker, combine the first 14 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. 

About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the pasta, thawed spinach and peas. Enjoy!

Bonus pictures of the cute baby boy (who's not quite a baby anymore, but will always be the baby).

Pumpkin bread with cinnamon cream cheese topping

Mmm, I love fall baking, with the savory scents of cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon filling my house. It just makes you feel good inside to smell all of the yumminess baking in the oven.  :-)  

I made this pumpkin bread today and I ended up baking it for a little too long (recipe said to bake it for an hour and 10 minutes, but mine was done in about 40). It looked dry, so I made up a glaze to add a little bit of moisture and sweetness.  The result?  Super yummy, and reminds me a lot of carrot cake, but with less fat and calories. :-)  Yum!

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup canola oil

3 large eggs

1 16-oz can pumpkin (the plain kind, not the "pie mix" kind)

2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

butterscotch chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, oil, and applesauce, mix well. Add eggs and pumpkin, mix well. In a large bowl, combine flour, spices, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, stir and mix well. Divide the batter into the loaf pans. Sprinkle with butterscotch chips if desired.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until done. 

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Topping

*keep in mind that I didn't measure anything as I added it!

about 2 heaping tablespoons of whipped cream cheese (regular, not light or fat free)

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

dash of cinnamon

skim milk

Stir brown sugar and cream cheese together until they're well mixed. Add cinnamon, and stir. Add milk, a little bit at a time, until it's about the consistency of yogurt. Spread on the top of your still-warm pumpkin bread and enjoy!

Creamy Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes

I used to make a weekly dinner menu so I would always be prepared for dinner, but then the 3rd baby came along and . . . 1 year later I still haven't gotten back in the swing of menu planning. :-)  Since I'm usually scrounging at the last minute to find something for dinner, the other day I found the All Recipes Dinner Spinner app and downloaded it on my phone, and it's not only fun but I've made two yummy recipes from it! This is the first one -- Creamy Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes.

You'll need:

1 (12oz) package pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled (I used regular smoked chicken sausage and it was fine)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup diced onion

3 cloves garlic, minced (I used ~2 tbsp minced garlic)

(I also added ~2 cups of chopped fresh spinach)

1 (28oz) can Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped (I used 2 14oz cans of Italian-style diced tomatoes)

1/2 cup heavy cream (I used 1/2 cup whole milk)

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp minced fresh parsley (omitted)

Cook pasta, drain and set aside. Heat oil and saute onion and garlic.

After onion and garlic have caramelized, add sausage and cook on both sides until browned. Add spinach and cook a little bit longer, until it's wilted. 

Take a few minutes to play with the sweaty baby boy.  :-)

Stir in tomatoes, cream and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir cooked pasta into the sauce and heat through. 

Yum! Delicious, super easy, and it took about 20 minutes from start to finish. Everyone gobbled it up. I'm definitely making this again. :-)

Creamy chicken, rice, and veggie soup (crockpot recipe)

I made this for dinner yesterday and it was so yummy! Everyone gobbled it up and it was so easy.


1 lb bag of baby carrots
4 stalks celery, cleaned and sliced into 2 inch sections
1 medium onion, chopped
3 extra large chicken breasts, frozen
2 cans of low-sodium, low-fat cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of water
s&p to taste
~1 1/2 cup rice


Place the veggies in the crockpot first, then put the chicken on top. Add soup, water, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 8 hours (after 4 hours I stirred it a little bit to make sure the chicken was covered in liquid). Add the rice and stir thirty minutes before it's done. Enjoy! 

Spinach feta burgers

This is a yummy burger recipe that I found on a friend's blog. It's so easy to make and delicious. Not to mention, I like making hamburgers because it's easy to get most of the food prep done while the baby naps, and I can easily hold him on one hip while cooking the patties. It's the little things. ;-)

Here's the recipe:

1 lb lean ground meat (I used extra lean beef because my grocery store was out of ground turkey)

1 egg, slightly beaten

4-5 oz fresh spinach, finely chopped

3/4 cup low-fat feta, crumbled

1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp coarse ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Form into patties and either chill for later, or start cooking them in the skillet. I cooked mine about 8 minutes on each side (my patties were a little plump).

I served mine on whole wheat slider buns (the perfect size for kids!) with lettuce, tomato, and mustard, and with roasted baby gold potatoes and a salad on the side. Yum!

Hummus is yummus

My kids and I love to eat hummus. I started making my own when Oliver was a baby, mainly to save money since he ate so much of it! I started with a basic recipe but over time I've changed it to suit our tastes.

I recently found this smoked paprika at Costco, and it is so good! I love the way it smells, too. Such a nice, smoky aroma. And it adds such a nice flavor to the hummus.



Ingredients:
2 15oz cans of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
3/4 tsp salt, more or less
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 + 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp minced garlic
~1/4 cup water, more or less

Place all of the ingredients in your food processor.


Blend them up until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add more or less water, depending on the texture that you prefer.


This is a really good recipe for kids to help with, because they can dump the beans and spices in the food processor, help you squeeze the lemon, etc. And it only takes about 5 minutes from start to finish, and then they get to eat it right away! (You just might want to warn your little helpers that the food processor will be pretty loud.)




And voila! Yummy, homemade hummus that costs less than $2.00 for about 1 quart, and is a perfect dip for fresh veggies and whole wheat crackers. Or, if you're like my kids, you can also use it as a dip for strawberries, grapes, or blueberries. :-)

Salmon patties

Tonight for dinner, I made salmon patties using canned salmon. I've made fish patties before using frozen fillets, but it was pretty time consuming! Then the other day, a friend posted this recipe on her blog, and I decided to try it.

Now. I don't like canned fish. I grew up with my dad eating canned mackerel (and sardines, eww) a lot, and it just grosses me out. Plus, I remember a couple of times when I would open a can of tuna, and mixed in with the fish would also be some black specks that looked like crawfish eyeballs, and . . . . blecccch. Ewww. GROSS.

So I really didn't want to make fish patties using canned salmon, but I figured if my friend could do it, so could I. :-) I bought 2 cans from HEB, and then later in the week I bought an 8 pack of cans from Costco. I have to say, I like the Costco fish better. Actually, there was no comparison. The Costco fish was wonderful. It had a nice texture (a little firm, not mushy), almost odorless, no bones, and you could see the grain in the meat. The HEB fish was nas-tay. I will not buy it again. Not only was the silvery skin still on (EWWWW) but the meat was mushy, it smelled fishy, it was full of tiny little bones, and there were blobs of fat floating around in the can. It was so gross.

Eww.

Anyway. Back to the recipe!

You'll need:
15 oz of canned salmon, drained
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup potato flakes (we happened to have some of these! not sure how old they were, but I used them!)
1/4 onion, finely chopped (I omitted the onion)
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried dill weed (didn't have dill weed, so I used rosemary)
1/4 tsp celery salt (didn't have celery salt, I used basil)
1 tbsp lemon juice
s&p to taste
oliver oil

Carefully check the salmon and remove any bones. Combine all of the ingredients except olive oil, and mix well. Form the mixture into balls and press down into patties.



Heat the olive oil in a skillet, and cook the patties for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.



Since Oliver and Buttercup love to help in the kitchen, I'd had hopes of them helping me shape the mixture into balls and patties, but after seeing the HEB salmon they both high-tailed it out of the kitchen (not that I blame them, I felt the same way!). Fortunately, they both thought the cooked patties were much more appetizing! Good thing I made a double batch. :-)



I served it with roasted brussels sprouts and rice. Yummy!

Beef stew (slow cooker recipe)

I used to be too afraid to try to make stew. Something about it just seemed too . . . grown up, or out of my league for me to be able to make it. I don't know why! But I found this recipe in my Taste of Home Slow Cooker recipe book, and I've made it twice and I really like it! I'm proud to say that I feel like a competent stew-maker now. :-)

Beef Stew
2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed clean and quartered
2 pounds lean beef stew meat
4 medium carrots, sliced (I actually use several big handfuls of baby carrots, to save time)
2 medium onions, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce, or 1 6 ounce can tomato paste + 8 ounces of water
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the potatoes in the slow cooker first, then top with beef, carrots, onion and celery. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or until veggies and beef are tender.

Rosemary roasted chicken with potatoes

I found this McCormick recipe a few months ago, and I love it! It's healthy, delicious, and everyone requests second helpings when I make it.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp crushed rosemary leaves
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
6 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (I've made it with bone-in thighs, boneless thighs, and boneless breasts and it comes out the same every time, so use whatever you have)
1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium green bell pepper, sliced (optional)

Mix oil, all of the spices and salt in a large bowl. Add chicken, potatoes and peppers; toss to coat well. Cover bowl with foil and refrigerate for several hours.

Arrange chicken, potatoes and peppers in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Roast, uncovered, in preheated 425 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally.

Yum!

Chocolate mint cookies

I'm not the best cookie-baker, but I do like to make cookies (and eat the results). Yesterday I decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies using Andes mints pieces instead of chocolate chips, but I couldn't find my chocolate chip cookie recipe. So I experimented a little and came up with this really yummy recipe.

Warning: these cookies are very addictive!!!

Chocolate mint cookies
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag (12 oz, I think?) Andes mints pieces

Preheat oven to 375.
Cream sugars, vanilla, and butter together. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.


Then beat together until nice and creamy. Resist the urge to eat all of the cookie dough.


Stir in Andes mints, and drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

They taste like Thin Mints (the Girl Scout cookies) and I should have made a half batch because I can't stop eating them. So delicious. Enjoy!

More fun Fall stuff

A cool front blew in a couple of days ago, and the chilly weather always puts me in the mood for baking and making fun holiday-themed crafts.

But first, here's a cutie with a pumpkin!



I made pumpkin bread (using my recipe for banana bread), and also made pumpkin cookies based on this recipe from Oatmeal Mountain. I bought butterscotch chips to use, but the kids and I were at Walmart yesterday and I found these new M&Ms to use instead:


The M&Ms are good, but they're really, really sweet. Almost too sweet. They also didn't really taste like candy corn, so I'm not sure why they're called candy corn M&Ms?

Anyway, I smashed them up and used them in the cookies, and I really like the way they came out. I'm not a very good cookie-baker, but the cookies came out to be very light and very tasty.


The kids and I also made some cute crafts. Of course my hubby teases me that I like doing crafts more than the kids do, but I think they really liked these. :-)

The first one is a leaf/tree craft. You'll need leaves, pipe cleaners, and 2 toilet paper tubes (or 1 paper towel tube, cut in half). Poke several holes between the middle and top of the tube. Cut the pipe cleaners into thirds, then poke a pipe cleaner through the bottom of each leaf, then poke the other end through a hole in the tube.


Our leaves are all dry and brown thanks to the never-ending drought, so I plan to redo this craft if we ever get enough rain for the leaves to change colors!

We also made handprint spiders . . .





. . . and ghosts. Boo!