6/28/10 Menu

Another busy week - but thank goodness for a cold front that will be bringing us a break from 90 degree heat!

And thank goodness for my crock pot!

I think the crock pot is typically thought of as something to use in the winter - to make cozy soups and stews. But I love my crock pot even in the summer - especially because I don't have to heat up the oven!

Monday - Date night at Richard's Brick Oven Pizza! (Thanks to my SIL, Bree, for the review!)
Tuesday - pulled pork BBQ, baked beans, cottage cheese
Wednesday - eat out after church
Thursday - crock pot roasted chicken, corn pudding, salad
Friday - ham steaks, green beans, scalloped potatoes, brownies
Saturday - spaghetti and meatballs, creamed spinach, lemon cake

Recipe I will highlight this week: lemon cake.

Love Me

Cherry Pie

Hope, Levi's fiance, has a cherry tree in her family's yard. It is a bing cherry tree if I am not mistaken.

The cherries are wonderfully plump, juicy, and tart - and I was the proud recipient of a zip lock bag full of them the other night!

They are absolutely tasty! I can eat them straight off the tree - but they are even better in a pie!

This is a recipe from the cookbook Mother made for me, my sister, and my sister-in-law. Cherries aside, it is the almond extract that makes the pie!

2 cans of tart cherries/or 4 cups of fresh, pitted tart cherries
2 1/2 Tbsp. tapioca (quick cooking)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 drops of red food coloring (if using canned tart cherries)
1 1/4 cup sugar (I usually use less - you know the whole sugar diabetes thing)
1 Tbsp. margarine

If using canned cherries, drain cherries reserving a small amount of liquid. Add tapioca, salt, almond extract, lemon juice and food coloring. If using fresh cherries add those ingredients to a small amount of water, or squeeze a few extra cherries to make juice.

Add cherries and 1 cup (or less) sugar. Mix and let stand while making pie crust.

Fill pie crust with cherry mixture. Dot with margarine. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

*Note: My mom makes this pie with a double pastry crust and makes a lattice top. She can do this because her pie crust is always impeccable and never burns.

I, on the other hand, usually make all my pies into cobblers. No fluting involved.

Love Me

Swiss Steak Supper

We still have a lot of venison in the freezer - and Joel is already talking about the upcoming hunting season!

We better start eating!

1 1/2 pounds beef top round steak (I am using venison. We are out of flank steak so I am using tenderloin)
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1 Tbsp. canola oil
3 med. potatoes
1 1/2 cups fresh baby carrots
1 med. onion, sliced
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes
1 jar (12 ounces) home-style beef gravy
1 Tbsp. minced parsley

Cut steak into six serving piece sizes. If using flank or round steak flatten to 1/4 in. thickness. Because tenderloin is so tender, I did not flatten it. Rub with seasoned salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown beef in oil on both sides, drain.

Cut each potato into eight wedges. Unless you use the B grade red potatoes like I do which are already smaller. In a slow cooker, layer the potatoes, carrots, beef and onion. Combine tomatoes and gravy; pour over the top. Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

*Recipe from Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook (revisions made)

Love Me

Slow-cooked pork tacos

We loved pulled pork around here! And this tasty twist on pulled pork helped spice up supper.

1 boneless pork sirloin roast (2 pounds)
1 1/2 cups salsa verde
1 med. onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Dash hot pepper sauce

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Shred the pork with two forks.

1. Serve on flour tortillas, warmed. Place about 1/2 cup pork mixture down center of each tortilla. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.

2. Serve on corn tortilla, fried. Place about 1/3 cup pork mixture down center of each tortilla. Serve with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese and sour cream.

*Recipe from Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook (revisions made)

Love Me

Jambalaya

Considering we live in the Ohio Valley, we don't eat seafood that often. I prefer eating seafood when vacationing on the coast - which doesn't happen very often.

Also, I have a slight shell fish allergy. I guess it is slight because shrimp merely makes my throat feel scratchy and a little funny - I have yet to break out in hives or quit breathing.

Despite all of that, we are having jambalaya for supper tonight. Brian and the boys LOVE shrimp - well not Joel so much. But Joel doesn't really LOVE any food.

I take that back - Joel loves biscuits and sausage gravy. But it is too hot to heat the oven up.

Anyway . . .

It will be a late night supper - Megan works until 8pm, Levi has class until 9pm and Joel has an 8pm basketball game.

But the kitchen is clean (refrigerator too!) and the jambalaya is simmering in the crock pot.

Now if I could only find the Benadryl. lol

1 pound Polish sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) beef broth
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups cooked rice

In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine the first 12 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is no longer pink.

Stir in shrimp and rice. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through.

12 servings of low carb (12 g) high protein (18 g) hearty goodness.

*Recipe from Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook (revisions made)

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6/21/10 Menu

It seems like the summer is getting busier and busier. I hate that it is already the end of June!

I am pledging to sloooooowwwww down! If not in deed then at least in spirit.

I am going to take time to have a cup of coffee in the morning and enjoy flipping through cookbooks - instead of being so caught up in rushing around.

We are in the last few months of being together - the 5 of us! I am going to take advantage of EVERY moment.

With crazy work and school schedules, our family time is limited and precious. Thank goodness for my crock pot! Who cares if we don't eat supper until 9 pm! At least we are eating supper together!

Monday - Breast Center Support Group Cookout (take cole slaw)
Tuesday - Jambalaya, flavored snack crackers
Wednesday - slow cooker pork tacos (grab and go before church)
Thursday - cheese ravioli with chunky tomato marinara, salad, garlic bread
Friday - swiss steak supper, lime blue berry tiramisu

Recipes I will highlight this week: jambalaya, slow cooker pork tacos, and swiss steak supper.

Love Me

Lime Blueberry Tiramisu

This is a Paula Deen recipe - so you KNOW it's good!

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 (8 oz.) containers mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
3 (3 oz.) packages lady fingers
1 (6 oz.) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1 (21 oz.) can blueberry pie filling

In a large bowl, beat cream with an electric mixer at medium speed until thickened. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Gently stir in cheese until combined, set aside.

Split ladyfingers in half. Line a 13x9 baking dish with ladyfingers, cut sides up. Brush ladyfingers with limeade concentrate. Spoon half of cheese mixture over ladyfingers. Top with half of blueberry pie filling. Repeat procedure with remaining ladyfingers, limeade, cheese mixture, and pie filling. Cover and chill 8 hours. Cut into squares to serve.

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6/14/10 Menu

Not a real exciting menu week here at Farmer's Daughter Cooks. The summer is heating up both literally and figuratively.

The boys are excited about the church's men's camping trip this Friday. They should have a blast making pee rocks, having shooting competitions, and swapping stories.

My plans for Friday night include a birthday party and a late night movie. Maybe some ice cream too!

Monday - homemade bean burritos, chili cheese fritos
Tuesday - super easy salsa chicken, rice
Wednesday - chicken nuggets and applesauce before church
Thursday - BBQ chicken in the crock pot, scalloped potatoes, green beans
Friday - boys' camping trip/birthday party at my parents
Saturday - lemon poppy seed muffins (breakfast)

Recipe I will highlight this week: blueberry tiramisu.

Love Me

Cinnamon Fruit Biscuits

I love jelly filled donuts - but I am confident that eating just one jelly filled donut would be the death of me.

When passing the bakery at the grocery store, this is a risk that is at times tempting.



While not the same, these little numbers are pretty tasty and were quite the hit at our house.

1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup margarine
2 tubes of refrigerator biscuits
jam/jelly of choice

Melt margarine in small bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar.

Dip each biscuit in melted margarine and then coat in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on ungreased pan or pizza stone.

Make a small indentation in each biscuit. Fill this with jam/jelly of choice.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Love Me

Chicken Hot Dish

Necessity is truly the mother of invention.

I am not so sure about the MacGyver thing.

Anyway . . .

My necessity - a filling supper made from what I have on hand to be cooked while I am gone.

My invention - Chicken Hot Dish in the crock pot!

3 chicken breasts (uncooked), chunked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 cups frozen hash browns
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen spinach
1 cup Velveeta, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

In large bowl, mix frozen hash browns and soups. Add frozen spinach; mix well. Stir in cubed chicken and cubed Velveeta.

Pour mixture into sprayed crock pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours - or until chicken is tender.

Allow to cool slightly. Will set up some as it cools. Serve over biscuits if desired.

Love Me

Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfaits

Cool, refreshing pudding makes a perfect summer-time dessert. Add in peanut butter and nothing could be better!

2 Tbsp. peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
2 Tbsp. plus 2 cups cold fat-free milk, divided
1 cup plus 6 Tbsp. light Cool Whip, divided
1 package (1.4 oz.) sugar free instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
3 Tbsp. finely chopped salted peanuts

In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter and 2 Tbsp. milk. Fold in 1 cup Cool Whip and set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk remaining milk with the pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.

Spoon half of the pudding into six parfait glasses or dessert dishes. Layer with reserved peanut butter mixture and remaining pudding. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Just before serving, garnish each parfait with 1 Tbsp. Cool Whip and chopped peanuts.

Love Me

6/7/10 Menu

I started my new summer work schedule this week, and I am loving it.

I have never been a fan of working on Monday mornings - there's always too much mess from the weekend to clean up. But since the breast clinic moved from Tuesday afternoon to Monday afternoon - I now have Monday morning to get the house in shape for the week and plan the week's menu!

Tuesdays are now a full day at home for projects! This Tuesday - tackling Brian's office!

Monday - sloppy joes, baked beans, cottage cheese, pasta salad
Tuesday - turkey manhattan, corn on the cob, strawberries with pie crust
Wednesday - California pizza before church
Thursday - super simple baked chicken, layered Mexican dip and chips, chocolate peanut butter parfaits
Friday - hamburgers on the grill, chips, fruit salad
Saturday - cinnamon fruit biscuits (breakfast) chicken hot dish (supper)

Recipes I will highlight this week: California pizza, chocolate peanut butter parfaits, cinnamon fruit biscuits, and chicken hot dish.

Love Me

5/31/10 Menu

Just keeping it real.

Another busy week has meant suppers consist of chicken patty sandwiches,
late night bowls of cereal, and unfortunately McDonald's to go.

Nothing worthy of blogging about.
But . . . there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Hopefully back to a regular supper schedule
and tasty recipes in the near future.