Mini Burgers

This was awhile ago....but we had some dollar coin rolls left from when we had lunch with Ron's family sometime and before they went bad we decided to make some mini burgers.  They were quite tasty!!! :)

Catch up...

Here are some things we have made in the past month...or two....oops!

 Ron made manicotti one night...it was delicious.  I helped fill them though. :)

 We had corn and 5 cheese Texas Toast with it and some Wilhelm Red wine.  MMMM...so good!

 I made ham, broccoli, cauliflower, and cheese strombolis one night.

 Close up of the cheese oozing out!

 This is the trifle I made for our mother/daughter banquet.  Strawberry, banana, coconut cream!

This was the first sugar free (minus the chocolate and PB chips) trifle I made.  It was for Mother's Day with Ron's family.  It was banana with chocolate and peanut butter!  Not bad for sugar free...cake was just alittle dry.

So...that's what we've been eating!  haha

This week (didn't take a picture) I made stuffed cabbage rolls for the first time.  We had cabbage in teh freezer from growing it last year.  I was happy to get it out of the freezer.  They turned out pretty well considering it was the first time I made them.  The cabbage was a little chewy/crunchy since it was frozen.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I forgot...I made Chicken Cordon Bleu the other night...it was delicious.  I served it with white rice and steamed broccoli!  MMMM!

 

Recipe:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon gr black pepper

6 slices Swiss cheese

4 slices cooked ham

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 7x11 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness

Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper*

Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on top of each breast.  Roll up each breast, ans secure with a toothpick.  Place in baking dish and sprinkle chicken evenly with bread crumbs.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Remove from oven and place 1/2 cheese slice on top of each breast.  Return to oven for 3-5 minutes or until cheese has melted.  Remove toothpicks and serve immediately.

***I also used garlic powder and onion powder.  My bread crumbs were plain...no added salt that way...and actually b/c of the ham (I used deli ham) I didn't add salt...ham and Swiss are salty.  I only had 4 slices of Swiss and 8 slices of deli ham so I folded the cheese in half to put on top and inside I had some shredded provolone and mozzarella cheese blend that I used...which is also salty.

Happy Birthday Ron!

I'm so happy Ron's home today...for many reasons...but starting with the fact its his birthday CLOSELY followed by the nasty weather outside.  (I just took out the garbage and needed ice skates...asked Ron if he wanted to play ice hockey - yes, its THAT bad!)

Anywho...we'll make today our "cheat" day...  I made nachos for dinner which consisted of baked scoops, taco meat, mexican rice (homemade with black beans and salsa), cheese, lettuce, olives, salsa, and sour cream.  Here's Ron's plate of nachos:

When I asked what he wanted he wasn't sure what for dinner but asked for IBC Root Beer, Neopolitan Ice Cream, and a giant chocolate chip cookie.  So, the nice wife I am, stopped and got the root beer and ice cream on my way home.

I just took the cookie out of the oven...(already said I wasn't decorating...just putting the icing on it) and here's what we got...

I put it ALL on the stone....and was lucky it didn't run over... :)  This is made with Splenda though, so its a little better, right?

Its been a nice, quiet, relaxing night at home with Ron on his birthday.  I'm so thankful for the Christian man in my life...that I married my best friend!  Its never a dull moment around here with us and cherish every second we have together!  I know he doesn't see my blog but I'm still going to say it...

Happy Birthday Ron - I love you!!! :)

Deal of the week...

So, Jen always posts her deals of the week and what to look for. Even though you're back in PA, Jen, we still apparently don't shop at the same stores! :)

I only got ONE good deal this week...

Giant Eagle had Giant Eagle brand large eggs on sale - 5 for $5. Last week when I got their yogurt that was on sale I got a coupon for $2 off my next grocery purchase. When I got to the check out line, I asked the cashier if she saw or knew of any minimum purchase for the coupon. She didn't see one either...SO, I got FIVE DOZEN eggs for $3!!!!

Ron asked what we'll do with 5 dozen eggs....I told him not to worry about it. We're going to KY to visit friends in a couple weeks and I said I'd cook for those of us staying at Dave's (save money and be healthier)...so we'll take some then...3 guys and me...I'm sure we'll go through some eggs if they really let me cook! :)

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli with Rice and Orange & Banana Smoothies...

Tonight, Ron was home so he cooked...as I chopped the ingredients. I had cooked 3 chicken breasts - without salt/pepper - on Saturday and only ate one on my salad that night. So we used the 2 cooked pieces of chicken and made the following...with, of course, a few changes:



Velveeta Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bit-sized pieces
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
1/2 lb (8 oz) Velveeta cheese, cut up
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

Cook chicken until no longer pink.
Stir in broth, bring to boil.
Add rice, Velveeta, and broccoli, and cover.
Remove from heat. Let stand 10 min. Stir until Velveeta is completely melted and mixture is well blended.

OUR changes...
2 cooked chicken breasts - chopped - added to the broth and brought to a boil. We used a whole container of chicken broth (32 oz) and about 1 cup of water BECAUSE we didn't have instant rice and the liquid disappeared...Ron looked over the "instant" in the recipe - oops! Cooked until the rice was soft then added FRESH broccoli - let cook/simmer for a few minutes (5 maybe) and then added/stirred in Velveeta cheese.

OH MY was this yummy! We're guessing liquid from the FROZEN broccoli and instant rice made the difference with the liquid but it all depends on what you prefer.

THEN...I made Orange and Banana Smoothies. I made Ron one the other night and split it for us tonight. Here's the recipe:



Orange & Banana Smoothie:

1 cup cold milk
2 oranges, peeled
1 banana, peeled
1/4 c sugar
pinch of salt
8 oz yogurt
4 cubes of ice

Mix all in blender and serve.

I used 3 oranges tonight because the banana over powered the orange flavor. I used my Activia yogurt too (plain/vanilla). I didn't use the salt but Ron stated it could use some tonight.

We both don't like the pulp of the orange in it - Ron suggest straining it before putting in the ice. Since we're fortunate and have a ice dispenser on our fridge - I used the crushed ice to be nicer to my blender. Previously, I've put ice cubes in a plastic bag and crushed it with a hammer or throwing on the floor before putting in the blender.

That was our healthy meal for tonight! The chicken dish was nice and easy clean up too because it all goes into ONE PAN! YAY! :)

Let me know if you try either of these...fresh veggies and fresh fruits! YUM!!!

Cold weather = Soup weather!!!

Although it was a nice "warm" 40 some degrees yesterday...it went back down to a high of 17 today...and boy was it cold!

I accomplished a lot today...not all that was on my to-do list...but pretty close! I'm happy!

I had PLANNED to make Broccoli Cheese, Chicken and Rice, and Potato Soup today...but only accomplished 2 of the 3 before I got exhausted! That's a lot!!! (as well as doing dishes and laundry and preparing the next part at the same time and not starting until almost 4 b/c of other things...like visiting the Harpst Salon for a cut and highlight and getting groceries.)

I had a bowl of Broccoli Cheese and it was YUMMY! This was the EASIEST and FASTER soup I've made from scratch!!!!


I JUST finished the Chicken and Rice...it doesn't look as good...didn't try it since I had already eaten dinner...but next time, I'll still add more water then I did to start with...doesn't look like soup too much...huh?

Recipes (just for you Jen!:)):

Broccoli Cheese Soup:

4 heads of broccoli, chopped
16 oz Velveeta cheese, chopped (I used 16 oz of shredded cheddar cheese)
2 cups onions, chopped
4 cups water
2 cans cream of celery soup
2 cans cheddar cheese soup (I swear I've seen this before but couldn't find it at Walmart..used Campbell's Broccoli Cheese soup)
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Mix chopped broccoli and onions and 4 cups of water and boil. Allow mixture to boil for 5 minutes. Pour 2 cans of cream of celery, 1 can of cream of mushroom, and 2 cans of cheddar cheese soup into mixture. Stir and turn heat to low. Put chopped Velveeta cheese on top slowly while stirring.

I turned the heat off after the cheese was melted...but some of the onions were still a little crunchy when I ate it...so maybe cook a little longer unless you don't care. :)


Chicken and Rice Soup:

1 Chicken (it says a Hen is best split in half - I used 2 split breasts)
2 onions (mine were baseball size)
5 stalks of celery
salt & pepper
1 cup rice

Place chicken with bones into an 8 qt stock pot
Cover GENEROUSLY with water
Peel an onion and put into pot (it said to leave the root ball on...I didn't - I quartered and tossed in)
Add about a tablespoon of salt
Break 2 stalks of celery in half and toss in (I put all 5 in)
Boil for about 2 hours (I did 1 1/2 hrs) until the meat starts falling off the bone
Remove chicken from the pot
Force cool the stock in a sink full of ice water (not necessary until it looks like a alot of fat in broth)
Strain the stock
Discard bones and veggies (I kept the veggies)
Return stock to pot
Chop remaining onion and celery and add to stock
Remove bones, skin, and fat from chicken, chop to bitesize pieces and add to stock
Bring stock to a boil
Add about a cup of rice (I also at this point added 2 more cups of water...and there's still not much broth there)
Add fresh ground pepper (I just used black pepper...)
Soup is ready when rice is cooked.

If want Chicken Noodle - instead of the rice (obviously) cook all ingredients for about 1/2 hr and add the noodles you want and cook for 1 minutes LESS then suggested time.

The Chicken and Rice is a long recipe and such but it LOOKS good and SMELLS good...just not real "soupy"... hmmmm..