Everything's Coming Up Green

Archive for the ‘Baking/Cooking’ Category

   I spent the day baking for the freezer yesterday. This was quite the undertaking for me. You see, when I decided to spend the day baking I forgot that the very same weekend I had our churches women’s conference starting Friday night. I also had laundry and diapers that HAD to be washed. I chose to move forward anyway since I didn’t know when I would be able to dedicate an entire day to baking again and we were in great need of breakfast/snack items. I did however pair down my ambitions. I am still new to cooking/baking for the freezer so I’m very good at streamlining yet. I still hope to make Runzas this coming week. Here is a list of what I accomplished this week:

2 Batches of Cranberry bread (8 mini loafs)

2 Batches of Pumpkin muffins

Triple batch of Choc Chip Cookie Dough (to be frozen in individual balls)

2lbs of Taco meat (one pound went into the freezer, one went for dinner tonight)

That was all for this time around. Next month I will plan better and not double book myself leaving me more time to bake and cook without having to stop and get ready to go somewhere.

I am linking up to Freezer Cookng Day!

  What I am about to share with you holds the distinct possibility of changing your life forever. You will never look at food the same way again. I am going to reveal the simple ingredients for a cracker spread that will make you the star of each and every party you bring it to.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Spread

1 pkg of softened Cream Cheese

1 8.75oz can of crushed Pineapple

2 Scallion stems green and white part.

Drain pineapple and slice scallions. Add to cream cheese in a bowl and blend. Serve with crackers.

Yes it is that easy and yes the pineapple and the scallions are amazing together.

Sorry no picture again. I am scatter brained these days and forgot to take a picture when I brought it to a party this weekend. I will say that it was a big hit and it ran out fast. So if you are going to a party with more than a couple of people you may want to double the recipe!

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday!

I have a confession. I am perfectly capable of following a recipe; it’s just that most of the time I sort of throw things together. Take this amazing deliciousness for example.

My mom sent me home with leftovers from dinner-rice, smoked chicken and veggies. I decided to use the rice and chicken. I added a can of Rotel tomatoes and three slices of Velveeta cheese (like ¾ of an inch thick). I threw it in the microwave for several minutes until the cheese had melted. Stir it up and serve with taco chips. It made enough for Joel and I plus lunch for Joel the next day. There was plenty of kick from the tomatoes, so if you increase the quantity you could probably stick with one can of Rotel, unless you like it spicy!

This was a huge hit with the hubby. We’ll see how well it turns out next time. The smoked chicken gave it a distinct flavor that I don’t know if I will be able to replicate. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesdays!

During my Cooking for the freezer day I made a delicious batch of Mostaccioli Bake. I thought that I would share my “recipe” for this favorite family dish. I use recipe loosely since I sort of throw everything together.

I use a 9×9 pan. There are only three of us and this leaves us with enough leftovers for lunch the next day. You’ll want to increase this depending on you’re the size of your family. My husband likes his pasta on the dry side, not a lot of sauce. I will also note that I don’t use a lot of meat in our meals. I use ½ a pound, you may want to use a whole pound.

Mostaccioli Bake

½ Jar of your favorite Spaghetti Sauce

½ lb Browned hamburger

1 pkg of cooked Penne Pasta

1 cup Mozzarella Shredded Cheese

Stir together sauce, hamburger, and past, then dump into the 9×9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 Min. Add shredded cheese and bake for an additional 5 min. Take out and cool. Eat and Enjoy!

Despite the challenge I faced Monday morning (Darling Emma wet through her diaper and ended up in bed with us, which she doesn’t do so well at. Ultimately hubby took the bedding off and put a blanket down so she could finish off the night in her own bed and we could get some sleep), I managed to accomplish everything on my to do list for the day. Surprisingly I woke up quite energized and ready to start the day. We had breakfast and headed out to the farm to get my baking and cooking on. I got there and started right away. What did I get accomplished on Monday?

2-Meals worth of Mostaccioli Bake

2-Pans of Shepherd’s Pie

4-Mini Cranberry Bread Loafs

1-Dz Blueberry Muffins

The blueberry muffins didn’t make it to the freezer so I am planning on making 2 dz more this weekend to freeze. I think my husband would like it if I baked more often. I’m going to have to work on that.