Easy Breadsticks

Truly easy, fast, not too messy, and got the "you made these?" yummy response. Why was it that I thought breadsticks were too much work for dinner? Yum! Thanks, Angie.




1 T yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
2 T sugar
3 1/2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 stick butter (can use less or more)
parmesan cheese
garlic salt
dried herbs (basil, rosemary, parsley, oregano)

Mix yeast, warm water, and sugar together. Let sit until yeast activates (gets bubbly). Add flour and salt. Knead for 3 minutes (I do this all in my kitchenaid). Let rise for 10 minutes. Pres into a 12 x 7 pan. Melt butter and pour over dough. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and herbs (to your liking). Let rise 15 minutes. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

I had Jalapenos in my garden this year for salsa and ended up with quite a crop. The Pioneer Woman posted this recipe not to long ago and I've been dying to try them. My DH has a real thing for not liking anything hot or spicy and so I finally made a few of these just for me. They were delish!!! I must admit I did use turkey bacon as I have a thing against real bacon, but they were still super yummy and probably saved on a few calories. Try 'em! Yum!

Fresh jalapenos 2-3 inches in size
Cream cheese (softened)
Thin, regular bacon, sliced into thirds.

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane. Smear softened cream cheese into each half. Wrap with bacon and secure with toothpick (At this point you can freeze them, uncooked, in a ziploc bag for later use).

Bake on a pan with a rack in 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of a bite to it. Yum!

Chicken Spaghetti

I so love the Pioneer Woman! See her fun picture recipe here or just follow below.

2 cups cooked chicken
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1-4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained (I didn't have, but sure it would be good)
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into two" pieces (cooked in broth from boiled fryer, or water with chicken bullion...)
2 cups chicken broth (from boiled chicken or can, like I did)
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper (or none, zero, niltch for DH who hates spicy anything!)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 additional cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

I also added some of my freshly canned tomatoes, drained, and some garlic. Yum!

Cook 1 cut up fryer or chicken of preference and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to 6 months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil.) Yum!

Strawberry Bread

·       5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan

·       1 pint strawberries, rinsed, hulled, quartered, and mashed with a fork

·       1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

·       1 teaspoon baking soda

·       1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       1/4 teaspoon baking powder

·       1/4 teaspoon salt

·       1 cup sugar

·       2 large eggs

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. In a small saucepan, bring strawberries to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Set aside.

2.    In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with 1/3 cup water, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in reserved strawberries.

3.    Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour (tent with foil after 45 minutes if top is getting too dark). Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges; invert onto a rack. Reinvert; cool completely.

 It calls for fresh strawberries, but you can substitute thawed frozen berries. Softened cream cheese is a delicious spread.

Blueberry Pie

Courtesy of Pioneer Woman's mom.....

2 Pie Crusts
2-3 Pints Blueberries
Sugar
A dash or two of nutmeg
2-3 Tbsps Flour

In a large bowl place 2-3 pints of fresh blueberries. Coat them with regular white sugar, not too much, just enough to bring out the natural sweetness. Throw in a dash or two of nutmeg and a few Tablespoons of all purpose flour. If you would prefer a pie that is more juicy you can leave out the flour.

Pour the blueberries into a pie crust and top with 8-10 small pats of butter. Cover with a second pie crust. Press both edges together, tucking the dough under as needed, working all the way around the edge of the pie. While pinching the top and bottom crusts together, form the edge into a sort of lip, Then pinch the dough between your thumb and index finger all the way around the edge of the pie for a fluted look. Cut three or four slits in the top of the pie for ventilation.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 35-40 minutes.

Smothered Chicken

Absolutely scrumptious, pretty easy, and quick to pull together. Super Yum!!!! Stole it from my other food blog, Delectable Edibles

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t red pepper
1 T butter (or olive oil)
1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c shredded cheddar

Spray skillet with cooking spray; heat over med. heat. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings. Cook in skillet until done. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
Heat oil in skillet. Cook pepper, and onion about 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Stir in mushrooms and continue cooking until veggies are all done. Return chicken to skillet, spooning veggies over it. Sprinkle cheese over mixture and remove from heat. Cover and let stand until cheeses are melted. Mmmm... cheesy goodness!

Maple-Glazed Chicken Breasts with Pears

This sounds a little odd, but the combination of flavors is delicious

2 Tbs butter
1-2 onions, coarsely chopped
salt
ground black pepper
2 Bartlett pears (or other firm pears) peeled cored, and thickly sliced (I've also used canned in a pinch)
2 Tbs chopped fresh sage (or some dry to sprinkle)
4 chicken breast halves, skinless & boneless (about 3 lbs)
2 Tbs mustard (preferably grainy)
2 Tbs maple syrup (real maple syrup if you have it)

Set oven to 450 degrees

In a large skillet with an oven-proof handle (cast-iron works well), heat 1 Tbs of the butter. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until softened. Add the pears and cook for 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with the sage.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Remove the onion and pears from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining 1 Tbs butter and set the breasts in the pan top down. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until browned.

In a small bowl, combine the mustard and maple syrup. Turn the breasts skin side up. With the back of a spoon, spread the mustard mixture onto the top of the chicken. Return the onion and pears to the pan, tucking them under the breasts.

Place the skillet in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through and glazed on top. You can also cook pear mixture and brown the breasts in advance, then roast them together just before serving.

Ham & Garden Vegetable Stir-Fry

Sauce:
4 Tbs cold water
1 Tbs cornstarch
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbs orange juice
4 tsp sugar
Pepper
(Or just use Yoshida sauce (sp?...I've always just called it Yoshi sauce) that you can thicken a little with cornstarch which is super yummy!)

1-2 cups chopped ham (or it would also be good with cooked, chopped chicken)
Fresh or frozen vegetables (ie: carrots, onion, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash)

Combine water and cornstarch. Stir in soy sauce, orange juice, sugar and dash pepper; set aside).

If fresh beans, steam for 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and broccoli and steam for additional 2 minutes.

Pour oil into a wok or large skillet (add more oil as necessary during cooking). Preheat over medium-high heat. Add onion, ham and carrot; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add beans, cauliflower, broccoli, squash and zucchini. Stir fry 3-4 minutes or till vegetables are crisp-tender. Push vegetables from center of wok (or large pan). Stir sauce and add to the center of wok. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Stir to coat vegetables with sauce. Cook and stir 1 minute or till heated through. Serve over rice (I prefer the brown rice)

This meal is my personal favorite!

Quesadillas

Sadly, I think I may have experienced my 1st "real" Quesadilla this year and I am hooked! I crave them, well, a lot, and have loved experimenting with them. Especially using things from the garden. So although this is a no-brainer to most (except me who always thought a Quesadilla was a tortilla with sliced cheese, rolled up and popped in the microwave....hmmm), here is just a reminder of something yummy, easy, and different to try for a meal.

For this Quesadilla, I used the fresh tortillas that you brown yourself, topped with pre-shredded mexican cheese (gotta love those Smith's cheese specials), and then with pre-sauted zucchini and onion in a little bit of butter, and then a little more cheese to stick them together. Grill until a little crisp. Yum, yum, YUM.

I also just had one with some leftover grilled and seasoned chicken. Also supper yummy. Be creative. I actually like them plain, but most recommend serving them with salsa and sour cream and the like.

Check out some other fun ideas from the beloved Pioneer Woman.

Enjoy!

 Easy Orange Julius

“Simple, easy, fun, and delicious” Nikki Davis

½ a can of orange juice

½ cup of sugar

1 cup of water

1 cup of milk

½ tablespoon of vanilla

Ice

Mix all ingredients together, add any other fruit/drink mixes you want. Enjoy!

 

Moist Oatmeal Pancakes

“ Now, don't judge them before you try them.  Granted, they haven't had complete success with tasters, but everyone besides my husband have loved them and I've made them for many audiences.  So, try them.  They're actually pretty yummy!  And great for getting your family to eat oatmeal and rotate that food storage..” Sara Sandburg
Moist Oatmeal Pancakes

2 C quick-cooking oatmeal
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp baking powder2 eggs, well beaten
dash of salt
1/4 t cinnamon
Mix all ingredients; beat into thin batter.  Cook on greased griddle until done.  If batter is not thin enough to pour, add a little more milk.  I like them topped with apple sauce and powdered sugar, but whatever works.  Enjoy!

Zucchini Casserole

“Vegetable garden season and I love it!  This is actually super yummy.  I'm surprised every time I make it how much I like it.” Sara Sandburg

2 lbs zucchini, sliced/quartered (6-8 cups...I usually do 8ish)
1/4 cup chopped or sliced onions
1 can (10 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup shredded carrots1 pkg (8 oz) herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted
Cook zucchini and onion in boiling salted water for 5 minutes.  Drain.  Set aside.  Combine soup and sour cream.  Stir in carrots.  Fold in the drained squash and onion.  Combine stuffing mix and melted butter.  Spread half of stuffing on bottom of a baking dish.  Spoon vegetable mixture on top, and sprinkle remaining stuffing over vegetables.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, uncovered.  Makes 6 servings.