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Dark Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Dark Chocolate is my favorite. And sometimes you just NEED chocolate you know? When you have no sweets made, you make some. This is my version of No-Bakes. This makes a small batch.

Dark Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter

2 Tablespoons of Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa

1/4 cup natural crunchy peanut butter

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli  + 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (or for gluten-free use  1 ½ cups of oats)

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 ½ minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter, Muesli, oats, and vanilla. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper. Let cool if you can wait! These set up really fast.

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My Chicken Curry Recipe

I used to make Chicken Curry in huge batches and freeze them. Lately, I haven’t been making it very much. When I did my menu plan this month I included this recipe. I no longer need the big batches. Yes, it is sad and happy. I miss having all my kids around the table. I am happy for them that they have their own adventures, though. Today my table only included 4 of us. We enjoyed a time of sharing what we are each working on and talking about complex math problems.

So here is my take on Chicken Curry! A big batch of 8-10 servings. Some to freeze for later or some to have for tomorrow’s lunch.

Chicken Curry

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped green peppers

6 cups cooked chicken, chopped

2 Tablespoons of curry powder

salt to taste (1-1/2 teaspoons – 1 Tablespoon at my house)

1 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 cups  tomato sauce

4 cloves (not bulbs!) of garlic crushed or chopped finely

6-8 cups of cooked rice

Cook onion and green pepper in the oil until tender. Add the chicken. Sauté briefly. In a small bowl mix the salt and curry powder. Add tomato sauce and pour mixture over the chicken mixture. Mix. Heat a bit until hot and bubbly. Serve over rice.

Chicken Curry
Curry Chicken Skillet
Chicken Curry
Chicken Curry

Let me know what you think of this recipe. Please share your favorite curry recipe below or send me an email. I love to hear from you and I love to try new recipes.

 

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Chicken and Cabbage

Barbecued chicken
Chicken legs are on sale! So I bought some. I laid them out on a pan reversing each one to conserve space.  I brushed them with barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Rays) and baked them for about 15 minutes at 350°until they started to look like they were beginning to brown. Then I drained the liquid from the pan and turned the legs over and brushed that side with sauce. I baked them 15 minutes more and checked the temp. I want the chicken to reach 165°. After the chicken reaches 165° if the top does not look slightly browned, then I place it under the broiler for the last 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, I sliced a head of cabbage and placed it in an oiled pan. I drizzled it with olive oil and salt and pepper and baked it in the oven for about 40 minutes.

You could, of course, cook the legs by using only the broiler if you prefer but then you couldn’t cook the cabbage at the same time. You can bake them at the same time. I place the chicken on the bottom rack.

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Leftovers

There are many ways to save time and money on groceries. One way is to cook the right amount! And throw away less. I hate throwing food away! But sometimes even with the best of intentions, you will end up with leftovers. Or maybe you save money by cooking ahead and having “planned overs”. I do both.

Today I looked into my refrigerator and realized I had leftover white beans. I knew I had to make something with these or freeze them. I decided to make my version of White Bean Chili. I did not measure anything. I heated the beans and I stirred a couple of spoonfuls of Better Than Bouillon into them as well as two cans of chiles. I had a couple of chicken breasts which I quickly boiled on top of the stove and chopped in my little Ninja. I stirred it all together and voila’ White Bean Chili!

I would like to encourage you to be creative with your cooking as well as with your use of leftovers! In all my years I only remember one creation from leftovers that we had to throw away! So as Miss Frizzle would say, “take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” You may discover something great!

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Sunday Dinner

Do you remember Sunday dinners? Grandmother’s iron skillet and her home cooking perhaps? Your mom’s cooking? I have memories of meals at my grandmother’s house. My grandmother baked biscuits and cakes in an iron skillet! There was always a lot of food! I remember my mom and her sisters cooking together making homemade chicken pot pies for the freezer, homemade sausage, sauerkraut, and sometimes holiday meals. Home cooking whether it was simple or elaborate was celebrated and a part of every day!

Sometimes a smell can transport me to another time and place. Many memories are formed as we do normal everyday things. Or at least what used to be normal. Sharing in the necessary processes of life creates memories. Whether that is folding laundry together, snapping beans, cooking dinner together, doing dishes, canning, quilting, grocery shopping, clipping coupons, etc. There are many everyday tasks that need to be done and they are so much more fun when done together.

The last couple of years Americans have seen a change in the way we eat. In 2016 for the first time,  Americans spent more money eating out than on groceries and cooking and eating at home. Many things have contributed to this change from work schedules, extracurricular activities, rising costs of food and higher incomes.

There are several benefits to cooking and eating at home. It is healthier and more economical than other options. Eating out comes with a price tag! Restaurant food typically has more salt, saturated fat, calories and less fiber. It also costs more. Missing out on the experience of family mealtime is a big cost. I think it takes me more time to go out to eat than it does to get dinner on the table. With a little planning and some simple recipes, you can have dinner on the table in less than an hour. You can create a master shopping list and menu plan that will help you put together a healthy meal fast.

Whether you plan to eat at home or have last minute company to feed or get an unexpected snowfall in winter, having a plan to eat at home can be a blessing! I would like to encourage you to gather your family around the dinner table this week! Whether you just do Sunday dinner or one weeknight meal together, get started making memories with your family!

http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/06/americans-spend-more-on-restaurants-than-groceries.html

https://qz.com/706550/no-one-cooks-anymore/

 

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Italian Vegetable Casserole

What’s for dinner?

Tonight I decided to make a recipe I haven’t made in awhile. Italian Vegetable Casserole. Don’t let the ingredients scare you. This unseemly combination really has a surprising flavor much like lasagna without the gluten or noodles.

Italian Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients:

4 cups white beans, already cooked and drained or 2 cans of white beans (drained)

1 – 8 oz. bag of washed fresh spinach (3 cups) or 1 bag 20 oz.  frozen  spinach

1 clove garlic

1/2 onion chopped

3 carrots shredded

2 cups of spaghetti sauce (or 1 cup sauce and 1 cup paste plus 3/4 tsp. oregano, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper )

3 cups shredded jack cheese or mozzarella cheese

2 cups cottage cheese

Parmesan Cheese (approximately 1/2 cup) and some additional to sprinkle on at the table.

Preheat your oven to 375°. Saute garlic, onion, in  2 tsp. oil. Add carrots, and spinach, and cook 3-4 minutes. Stir in sauce.  Spread 1/2 beans in  9 X 13 casserole. Layer 1/2 cottage cheese, 1 cup cheese, and 1/2 vegetable mixture. Repeat, and end with the last cup of cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. To make and freeze for later. Cover with heavy foil and freeze. To eat now bake uncovered at 375° for 1 hour or until done. Let set a few minutes when it comes from the oven to set. Serves 6-8.

I used dry beans I had cooked in my crock pot. I forgot to drain my beans so my casserole was a bit soupy. I did serve it over some leftover rice. The flavor was wonderful.

Hints: I used my Ninja food chopper to chop the onions and carrots.

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Easy Chicken Pot Pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

In honor of Pi day, March 14, I made our favorite chicken pot pie. It is quick and easy to make and wonderful to eat.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
2-3 cups of chopped chicken (turkey, chicken breasts or even canned chicken)

20 oz. frozen mixed veggies

1-2 potatoes (optional)

1/2 onion (optional)

white sauce or two 10 oz. cans of cream soup

2 cups of self-rising flour

1 – 1 and 1/2 cups of milk

1 stick of butter or margarine

2 eggs

Filling:
2-3 cups chopped cooked chicken
20oz. frozen mixed veggies or fresh. I usually add a little onion and a potato or two to mine but you can omit if you wish
2 1/2 cups white sauce * or two 10 oz. cans cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
Crust:
2 cups self-rising flour. (I prefer Gold Medal)
1 – 1 1/2 cups milk
1 stick butter or margarine melted. I prefer butter.
2 eggs

The crust mixture will resemble pancake batter.
To prepare I  mix and pour the filling into a 13 X 9 pan. Mix and pour crust mix on the top.  Bake 350 for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until crust is done. It will be golden brown and the filling hot and bubbly. You may eat!

* White sauce recipe
On medium heat, I melt 1 stick of butter, margarine, or oil in a saucepan or skillet. (I prefer butter.)
Sprinkle with maybe about 6 tablespoons of flour (I usually don’t measure the flour). I stir until it is mixed in and I add salt and pepper to taste. Then I slowly pour in 2.5 cups of milk and stir as I add the milk. If it is too thick add a bit more milk or water and stir until it is ready. It will resemble a cream soup or white gravy consistency. I then use it in my pot pie.

 

Let me know if you make it and how you change it up to make it your own! Happy Cooking!

Reda