D ~ Week 10 ~ Asparagus

I went shopping on Sunday and spied Asparagus on sale! 


Monday after work I had a hankerin for some, so I rinsed & peeled & snapped off the ends. 


I put them on a stoneware pan, cranked the oven up to 350, put them on the pan and then poured some olive oil on top, sprinkled some montreal seasoning and rosemary and baked until they were tender.

MMMmmmm it was sooo good! So good I had to make more.... and then a few hours later I made the last of them! Delicious!

D ~ Week 9 ~ Chicken & Rice Bake

Normally people make the Chicken & Rice Broccoli Bake... but it's just me and I'm not partial to broccoli so I left that out and in the store for someone else to enjoy! :) 


Ingredients:
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can of water
Boneless/Skinless Chicken breasts
1 Cup of Rice


Mix cream of chicken soup and water in a baking dish. I added powdered onion and garlic for more flavor! Dump your rice in the dish. Place chicken breasts in then cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until chicken is done, rice is cooked and it is no longer soupy! :) Then enjoy!

I had a wild hair and fried up some funyons and threw those on top too.

C :: Week 5 :: Coconut Banana Bread w/ Lime Glaze

This is the recipe I made this week.  And it was super duper good!  I loved it, and all the people I shared it with loved it too! :)  I'm adding it to my lists of recipes!

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

Best Quick Bread. This recipe originally appeared on the cover of our September 2003 issue and remains one of our best banana breads. --Recipe by Jean Patterson (September 2003)

• YIELD: 1 loaf, 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)
• COURSE: Breads

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.

-- From my recipes.com

C :: Week 4 :: Texas Sheet Cake!

Hey y'all.  This is a recipe I've been wanting to make for quite a while!


Here it is from the Pioneer Woman ::

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• _____
• FOR FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1-3/4 stick Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Note: I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

It was such a good cake.  I just wish it didn't use so much butter.  But that's okay.  And next time I would totally use a jelly roll pan, not a cookie sheet - it needs the higher sides. :)

D ~ Week 8 ~ Apple Upside Down Cake

Finally getting caught up! I made apple upside down cake.


Ingredients: 


6 small apples
1/4 c butter
1/2 c Brown Sugar
Spice Cake Mix (make according to box directions)

Cinnamon
Ginger


Cut up apples, I cut them up as if I would use them for apple pie. Melt butter in a 9x13 pan. Spread apples out in the pan over the butter. Sprinkle brown sugar over the apples. Mix cake mix as you would normally make it. Then add extra cinnamon and ginger. Dump cake mix over the apples. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.









Oooh! Look I peeled an apple in one peel!






Pretty Fantastic!

 What? No brown sugar? No problem... Take the amount of sugar needed and make sure you have some brown sugar.

Dump molasses in to the sugar.

 But not too much!

 Then  mix well.

 Ooo fresh brown sugar!

And I have no idea how it tastes... you'll just have to make it yourself to see!

D~ Week 7 ~ Egg Brunch CrockPot Casserole

Last night I decided to try making breakfast in the crock pot. I found this recipe on Pinterest. I changed it a little to my preferences. But it turned out pretty okay. I took it to the parents house this morning to share... the brother really liked it, mom thought it was good, and dad... well he wasn't too into it. 


Ingredients:
1 bag hash browns (I used hash browns o'brien)
10 eggs
1 c milk
6 -8 slices bacon, cooked & cut up
1 1/2 - 2 C shredded cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Spray a crock pot with non stick spray. Dump half the bag of hash browns in the bottom of crock pot. Spread about half the cheese onto the  hash browns. Then layer half the cut up bacon on top of the cheese. Dump the rest of the hash browns in the crock pot. Top with remaining cheese and bacon. Whip up the eggs and milk. Add a little pepper if desired to the eggs. Then pour the eggs in the crock pot. Turn on low and go to sleep! Wake up in 7 1/2 to 8 hours to breakfast ready! 







Next time I think I'll try sausage in the mix to give it some more flavor! 

D ~ Week 6 ~ Pork Roast

So... I had a bad week and missed making anything last week. Tonight I'm making a pork roast. This is the best! Another family recipe passed down from my Grandma Renate and is a family favorite! :) 


Ingredients (for every 2lbs of pork)...
2+/- bayleaf
12 allspice whole
8 pepper corns
1 T dried onion
1/2 tomato, diced (I used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes)
a little salt
1 C water

In a crockpot or roaster, put the pork in then add the other ingredients on top. Bake in a 275 degree oven for 2 - 3 hours. or in a crock pot on low for 3 -4 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check for done.

*M*WEEK*5* Guacamole

G-U-A-C-A-M-O-L-E. When I hear guacamole, I think of Rhett and Link.
My mom has been begging for guacamole, so I finally made her some. I got my recipe from all recipes.com
except I didn't add all the ingredients that the recipe called for.

• 3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.