ranch pasta salad

i'm sharing my 15 minute ranch pasta salad today.

combine all the ingredients in a large bowl & mix well. refrigerate & chill for an hour before serving.

this is an easy side dish to bring for a potluck, picnic or get together. and i'm taking this to our in-laws place for easter lunch later.

happy easter to all!

my homemade applesauce

all the healthy pancakes & muffins i cooked & baked always included applesauce. and i'm proud to say, i make my own applesauce. it's very easy to prepare and i'll show you how....

ingredients:

6 lbs gala apples (16 medium sized), cubed & washed

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp lemon juice

put all ingredients in a crockpot & cook on high for 2-4 hours. stir occasionally. [that's it!]

after the applesauce cools down, place it in quart size freezer bags [each contains 2 cups]. store in the freezer.

french toast

french toast was the very first breakfast that hubby cooked for me. he prefers it over pancakes because it's easier & faster to prepare. but this doesn't mean i cook it everyday though. this is our favorite brunch treat on a lazy weekend.

serve hot, top with fruits & drizzle with warm maple syrup. and of course, the beloved bacon on the side. no wonder hubby loves french toast.

applesauce oatmeal pancakes

my applesauce pancakes went through a much healthier revamp. i modified the original recipe that i read from mr. breakfast.

ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

3 tbsp wheat germ

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

dash of cinnamon & nutmeg (optional)

1/2 cup skim milk & 1/4 cup skim milk

3/4 cup applesauce

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

1 tbsp olive oil

1. soak oats in half a cup milk for 30 minutes.

2. in a bowl, mix flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. set aside.

3. in another bowl, stir egg, applesauce, 1/4 cup skim milk, vanilla, olive oil & oats.

4. fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture. blend well.

5. pour batter in a pan & cook at medium-high heat. ready to serve when it's golden brown.

for me, it's easier to cook in the electric griddle at 300F. also, i don't like adding sugar in the mix. instead, avery & i love red raspberry spread with our pancakes [maple syrup with fruits is also great].

cooking for two

tonight's dinner was by far the easiest & quickest to prepare. when i'm out & about with avery [& doing errands], this recipe comes in handy.

i start cooking before we leave the house. and by the time we get home, it's ready! serve over salad greens & couscous with veggies for a healthy meal.

adapted from money saving mom.

cooking for two

at least once or twice a month, i cook pasta with shrimp in white sauce. it's one of my "no muss, no fuss" dinners ready to serve in 30 minutes.

directions:

1. in a pan, saute onions & garlic with butter. add shrimp & mushrooms & cook for 3 minutes. season with salt & pepper.

2. stir in cream of mushroom, parmesan cheese, heavy cream & skim milk (pour more milk for a thinner sauce). sprinkle parsley, basil & oregano. cook until heated through. [for a healthy kick, i add veggies like carrots or broccoli].

3. meanwhile in a pot, cook pasta by following package directions. [after draining the pasta, i drizzle a little bit of olive oil].

dinner served. enjoy with warm crusty garlic bread. heaven!

and look at my little critic...she can't stop saying yummy, good & delicious while eating her "nonools".

cooking for two

one of hubby's favorite soup is chicken & dumplings. i've always wanted to cook this but making dumplings from scratch seems a little daunting for me. 

and then i came across this recipe from moms with crockpots. using refrigerated dough & the crockpot, made this soup very simple & easy to prepare.

the soup is very thick, so i added a couple cups of water to thin it out a bit.

this is definitely a keeper. we love it! hubby requested a second bowl & avery devoured everything in minutes.

cooking for two

well, winter came with a vengeance this week. one day, we had a low of -14F with -30F wind chills. insanely brrrrr!!! and to top it off, avery & i both have a cold. aside from the occasional sniffles, i feel better enough to prepare our dinner tonight.

ingredients:

1 medium sized onion grated
1 egg
1/8 cup dried parsley
3 tbsp ketchup
5 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 tbsp wheat germ
1/4 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
1lb ground beef

1. except for the ground beef, mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

2. add ground beef to the mixture [i hand mixed everything].

3. roll into 1 inch balls & line in a baking pan.

4. bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 350F.

this is originally a spaghetti & meatballs recipe that i found at the baked bree blog. [i'll try the marinara sauce next time for sure].

as for the little miss, she was already content eating the meatballs with ketchup.

cooking for two

every time i tell somebody that we go fishing, the next question is always: "how do you cook 'em?"

and here is my answer...beer-battered fish.

i start out by pouring half a can of a 12 oz beer in a bowl. then i whisk 6-7 tablespoons of flour. this is the tricky part. the batter should not be too thick or runny. i add more flour until i get the right consistency. mix in a teaspoon of cornstarch & season with salt, pepper, dried dill & garlic powder.

it is also good to add salt & pepper to the fish fillets.

in a heated medium pan, pour 1/4 cup of canola oil. when the oil is hot, dip each fillet in the beer batter.

fry for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.

surprisingly, hubby was the one who taught me this recipe. serve with tartar sauce & seasoned fries on the side. {very typical american dish}

this was all the fish that we caught from our last fishing trip for the season. i place them in freezer bags. for reheating, i wrap it in aluminum foil & bake for about 15 minutes at 300F. and to make it crispy, open the foil & broil for about 3 minutes at 450F.

cooking for two

summer may be officially over but im so happy to welcome indian summer! yes! this week we are blessed with perfect weather. lots of sun & temperatures in the mid 70s-80s. the whole month of september was cold. we even experienced freezing temperatures twice.

luckily, we still got a lot of tomatoes in our garden. so here is another quick dinner that i made using our tomatoes.

1 pound kielbasa sausage, thinly sliced

1 regular sized red & yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced

4-5 big boy tomatoes, diced & seeded

1 medium sized onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp unsalted butter

7 oz whole wheat penne rigate - about half of the package box {or use any pasta}

grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

salt & pepper to taste

in a non-stick heated pan with medium heat, fry the kielbasa with butter. {i like it a little extra brown}.

then mix in tomatoes, peppers, onion & garlic. cook on high heat for about 3-5 minutes & stir frequently. {i don't like my tomatoes runny & i like a little crunch in my peppers} season with salt & pepper. meanwhile, cook the penne according to package directions & drain.

before adding the kielbasa & veggies, i always drizzle olive oil or extra virgin oil over my pasta. {its healthy & keeps the pasta moist}. top with parmesan cheese. dinner served in 30 minutes!

my homemade tomato sauce

i mentioned in one of my posts last month that "i have efficiently & effectively used/saved/stored most of the tomatoes in our garden."

yes! and how? in 4 easy steps...

1. cut tomatoes {any size-it doesn't matter}.

2. bring to a boil in a large pot.

3. take the lid off & simmer for an hour {or more depending on the thickness of the sauce}.

 

4.let the sauce cool down & puree in a blender. place in freezer bags {fill the bags halfway-it will expand in the freezer}.

that's it! i have never bought canned tomatoes since i started doing this last year. fresh is definitely better & i can actually taste the difference.

cooking for two

my in-laws visited alaska in july & brought back some fresh salmon. i love, love salmon! i can eat it everyday & won't miss beef/pork/chicken. {is it obvious that i am a seafood lover?} on the other hand, hubby does not like salmon. so luckily, my baked salmon was enjoyed by our little one & myself.

1. thinly slice one lemon into circles & squeeze all over the salmon.

2. place the lemon in a baking pan & layer the salmon on top.

3. season with salt, pepper, garlic powder & drizzle with olive oil.

4. bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes at 350F.

ta-da! last minute, i added cherry tomatoes.

i usually eat couscous with fish. this whole salmon was my lunch for three straight days!

{no water = no plates because the plumber was working on our water pump}

baked tomatoes

tomatoes...fresh from the vine. it's taking over our whole garden.

but i'm not panicking!

last year, i have efficiently & effectively used/saved/stored most of the tomatoes in our garden. i'm doing the same thing this year & ill share it in the next couple of weeks.

for now, we are simply enjoying baked cherry tomatoes everyday.

{i can't remember eating this much fresh tomatoes in my life}.

cut tomatoes in half & line in a baking sheet.

bake in a preheated oven at 450F for 10-15 minutes. {broiling is another option}

viola! baking makes it sweeter & it just melts in your mouth. yum-o!

perfect side dish, snack, salad...the possibilities are endless.