Quinoa and Black Beans

I found this great recipe here. It was easy to make and no meat required. Aaron and I loved it!! It was a little too different for the kids.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Best Pasta Ever

I made a delicious pasta last night. It tasted almost like Bow-tie Festival that I get at Johnny Carino's, my favorite dish ever!! I could have also added some mushrooms and Gorgonzola cheese but I didn't have any. The cooking cream really had a great flavor. Each bite of this dish was sooo good.

Half a bag of egg noodles

2 chicken breast Grilled

8-12 slices of bacon

half an onion

3-4 large tomatoes

Garlic powder

Basil

1 Philadelphia cream cheese cooking creme original flavor

1/2 cup chicken broth

I grilled my breast in a George formen grill so I could use the chicken broth. While that was cooking I boiled some egg noodles, I will to try bow-ties next time though. Then I cut up the bacon, cooked it in a large frying pan. Then took it off and used the bacon grease to cook the onions till they are clear. I used pre-cooked bacon so there was not a ton of grease, just use enough to coat the pan. Then cut up tomatoes and add it to the onions. Add garlic powder and some basil, fresh would be best. Let the tomatoes cook for like 10mins so the juices run and they become very soft. It gives it a roasted tomato taste. Yummy! Then drain the pasta and put it all together in what you cooked the pasta in. Add the cream cheese and the chicken broth.

Country chicken supper

I have recipes that were in storage form Money Cook's Saver. Their recipes are pretty yummy. I made this last night and it was a big hit. Great for a cold winters day!

Ingredients- serves 6

3 bonless chicken breasts

2 TBLS oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 (14 oz) can of green bean

1(14 oz) can chopped tomatoes

1(14 oz) sliced carrots -I used frozen ones

1 large potato cut into cubes - I didn't have so I just did more rice

1 cup uncooked rice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup water

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1. Cut chicken int cubes. Heat oil in a skillet; add chicken and onions. Saute for a few minutes.

2. Add green bean, undrained tomatoes, carrots, potato, rice, salt and pepper. Mix gently.

3. Pour water over top. Cook, covered on medium -low heat for 20 mins or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.

4. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover till melted

Hot Coco Mix

So I ran out of hot coco mix and decided to try this recipe I found on Allrecipes.com. It turned out really good. I only had hazelnut creamer so I used that. I like that I can store the mix and don't have to use milk or the stove like regualr homemade a;so it is a way to use up my dry milk :) I converted the recipe to 1 serving which is the first on but the original is 45 servings. I also used only like 1/4 a cup not 1/3 but that's because I didn't have a big mug.

Ingredients- 1 serving=1/3 cup mix

• 3 tablespoons and 1-3/4 teaspoons dry milk powder
• 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1-3/4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-3/4 teaspoons powdered non-dairy creamer

Ingredients- 45 servings

• 10 cups dry milk powder
• 4 3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 cups powdered non-dairy creamer

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine milk powder, confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, and creamer. Stir till thoroughly combined. Store cocoa mixture in an airtight container. Makes about 15 cups mix, or enough for about 45 servings.
2. For 1 serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mixture in a coffee cup or mug, and add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Top with dollop of whipped cream or a few marshmallows, if desired.

Smothered Chicken

This is such a yummy dinner. My Friend B* made it up after going to Chili's and having something similar. I loved it so I made it my self and it was really easy and something totally different for me. I love chicken so this is a keeper!

2-6 Chicken breast

1-2 pks Ranch dressing mix

1 onion

1 green pepper (optional)

6-12oz Mushrooms

6- 12 oz Bacon

1 cup Cheese ( I use Pepper Jack)

Tapatio- Mexican hot sauce

Sprinkle Chicken with Ranch Mix. Put them on a pan and bake for 25-35 mins in the oven @ 400 Degrees or until done. Meanwhile saute onions, mushrooms, and bacon. When chicken is done sprinkle sauted veggies cheese and Tapatio over the chicken. Broil or bake till cheese has melted. Great with corn on the cob!!

Spanish Rice

• I found this recipe on allrecipes.com it Serves 8. I didn't think it was going to turn out Becasue I made mine with brown rice and the rice did not cook all the way. Although some really liked it that way. I will try white rice next time. The flavor was really good. I put half of a fresh chili pepper in, it was spicy but good!
• 
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 2 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1.Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute rice, onion, and bell pepper until rice is browned and onions are tender.

2.Stir in water and tomatoes. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

Fondant

This recipe is from about.com.

Marshmallow Fondant is an easy fondant made of marshmallows, water, and powdered sugar. It’s simple to make, and many prefer the taste over regular fondant, since it tastes like very sweet marshmallows. You can use marshmallow fondant as you would regular fondant, to cover cakes, form shapes, and make candy. Be warned that it tends to get sticky in moist places, so it doesn’t hold up as well as regular fondant when placed over frosting and refrigerated for days. This recipe yields 1.5 lbs of fondant, and can easily be halved or doubled.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
• 1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp water
• Food coloring or flavored extracts, optional

Preparation:

1. Dust your counter or a large cutting board with powdered sugar. Place the marshmallows and the water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, until the marshmallows are puffy and expanded.

2. Stir the marshmallows with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth. If some unmelted marshmallow pieces remain, return to the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the marshmallow mixture is entirely smooth and free of lumps. If you want colored or flavored fondant, you can add several drops of food coloring or extracts at this point and stir until incorporated. If you want to create multiple colors or flavors from one batch of fondant, do not add the colors or flavors now. Instead, refer to step 6 below for instructions.

3. Add the powdered sugar and begin to stir with the spatula. Stir until the sugar begins to incorporate and it becomes impossible to stir anymore.

4. Scrape the marshmallow-sugar mixture out onto the prepared work surface. It will be sticky and lumpy, with lots of sugar that has not been incorporated yet--this is normal. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and begin to knead the fondant mixture like bread dough, working the sugar into the marshmallow with your hands.

5. Continue to knead the fondant until it smoothes out and loses its stickiness. Add more sugar if necessary, but stop adding sugar once it is smooth--too much sugar will make it stiff and difficult to work with. Once the fondant is a smooth ball, it is ready to be used. You can now roll it out, shape it, or wrap it in cling wrap to use later. Well-wrapped fondant can be stored in a cool room or in the refrigerator, and needs to be kneaded until supple before later use.

6. If you want to add coloring or flavoring to your fondant, flatten it into a round disc. You might want to wear gloves to avoid getting food coloring on your hands during this step. Add your desired amount of coloring or flavoring to the center of the disc, and fold the disc over on itself so that the color or flavor is enclosed in the center of the fondant ball.

7. Begin to knead the ball of fondant just like you did before. As you work it, you will begin to see streaks of color coming through from the center. Continue to knead until the streaks are gone and the fondant is a uniform color. Your fondant is now ready to be used or stored as outlined above.