Chicken 'N Cheese Melts

I used up our leftover BBQ's meat from last night to make tonight's dinner (I had to go out, so I BBQ'd chiken and bacon, then served the option of salad or wraps or just meat - Little D's first pick). I left the bacon part out of this title, but yah - there was a little of that on these, too! We all enjoyed these little melts and they were super fast and easy to make. Maybe not the healthiest of meals, but it's a quick meal-option for those with busy lives (let's face it - who isn't busy these day?!). Enjoy!

Chicken 'N Cheese Melts

• 6 slices of bread
• 1 large chicken breast, cooked and sliced thin
• 3/4 cup (homemade) salsa
• 6 strips of bacon
• 1/4 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
• Montreal steak spice for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet (OR - if you are sure your cheese won't drip, you can cook these directly on your oven rack).
2. Place 6 slices of bread on rack, making sure they are all laying flat. Top each with a layer or sliced chicken (divide evenly between them). Spoon the salsa over the chicken, again dividing evenly b/w each. Rip each bacon strip in half, then place 2 halves on top of chicken/salsa. Sprinkle each with some shredded cheese and finally, some montreal steak spice.
3. Bake in oven for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted and bread is nicely toasted.
4. Remove, serve and ENJOY!

I'm back....

Maybe some of you noticed my temporary absence, maybe you didn't. Either way, I'm here to say I am back. It's been a VERY busy past week for me/us and I started questioning whether or not I have time to commit to this blog. I was also starting to feel that blogging was more of a chore, rather than something I wanted to do. All meal prep/planning that I did revolved around "what can I blog about". I felt like I was grasping for new recipes for all meals, and then making said meals, combined with then blogging about it, was putting me in a somber mood. I needed to walk away from blogging for a few days and make my decision on whether to continue or not. Well, combine my love for cooking and baking with some gentle encouragement from a few friends (and a serious guilty concious for feeling like a quitter) and you now get me back! I'm still only 10 recipes behind, so I think, and hope, I can accomplish my goal of 365 in 365. Happy Cooking everyone! Enjoy!

BBQ Tomato Trout

This week-end the family and I harvested a bunch more tomatoes and peppers from the garden. We made a big batch of tomato sauce, enjoyed it over pasta, and then canned the extra, with the exception of about a cup. The flavours in this sauce were wonderful. It cooked for about 3 hours, but yet still tasted super fresh. I thought I'd try it over a large rainbow trout filet, to see how it tasted. YUM! We all devoured this last night. I'm still trying to serve fish once per week, so new recipes are always welcome. This one will be repeated. I think any homemade tomato sauce (or *gasp* - jarred sauce :P ) would work with this. Super easy and super yummy. Served over rice with a veggie on the side makes for one healthy dinner!!! Enjoy!
BBQ Tomato Trout

• 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
• 1 lb rainbow trout filet(s)

1. Fire up your grill. Fold up the edges of a sheet of tin foil, to form a small (shallow) pan. Lightly grease.
2. Place trout on foil, skin side down. Pour tomato sauce over filet.
3. Set foil directly on grill and close the lid. Leave lid closed for about 8 minutes. Fish is done when it flakes easily with fork. Serve over rice and ENJOY!

Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am not the person who won an award with this recipe (unless you count my boys telling me how GREAT these are :). I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. It is their top rated choco chip cookie recipe. I was hesitant to try it, because of the addition of pudding in the batter. BUT - I gave it a chance and certainly am glad I did. I can't say I would use this as my go-to recipe (mostly because of the pudding), but that doesn't mean these weren't delicious. We added mini M&M's to the batter. I also made a half batch and tweaked it slightly. Enjoy!

Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cups butter, softened
• 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden brown. ENJOY!

Jalepeno Popper Dip

This dip is not healthy. Ha! But it's very good. And if you need to indulge your naughty-side, it's better to make something at home, than to go out or buy pre-packaged. We enjoyed this on cheese, cracker, grape, apple (and of course wine) night. We dipped multigrain baguette slices into it. YUM! I made the dip using jalepenos from our own garden. M doubted their spicy-ness. Biting into one to test it was a hard lesson for him to learn. hehehe. Enjoy!

Jalepeno Popper Dip

• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 jalepenos, diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease small baking dish.
2. In a med sized bowl, mix together all above ingredients. Transfer to baking dish and place in pre-heated oven. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before digging in. ENJOY!

**We used the leftovers on scrambled egg wraps - GREAT combo!!!**

Strawberry-Raspberry Cobbler

This was dessert for dinner tonight. So yummy. I love eating fruit in dessert. Always makes it easier to justify ;) Enjoy!

Strawberry-Raspberry Cobbler

• 1/2 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1 pint raspberries, rinsed
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease small baking dish.
2. Place strawberries and raspberries in greased baking dish. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp white sugar and lemon juice.
3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 3 tbsp sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, then stir in milk. Spoon or "glob" mixture on top of berries.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Let cool a few minutes before serving with ice cream or whip cream and ENJOY!

Simple, but Perfect, Mashed Potatoes

I've previously mentioned that I am not a huge fan of mashed potatoes. They rank near the bottom on how I like a potato served to me. However, since we just harvested a bunch of potatoes out of the garden, I wanted to try serving them a few different ways. Last night we had the hashbrown muffins, tonight was mashed. I stuck with the old method of preparing them and they were fantastic. I am so thankful for our garden. The boys and I have had a wonderful time "living off the land". What an experience! Enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes

• 5-6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil over high heat, and continue to boil until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes).
2. Drain potatoes in colander. While potatoes are draining, pour milk and butter into empty pot. Allow butter to fully melt and milk to warm. Add potatoes back to pot, sprinkle with salt, and mash until creamy and smooth. Serve with a little dollop of butter (or not!) and ENJOY!

Parmesan Hashbrown Mini Muffins

BFD again at our house (Breakfast For Dinner). We have some duck and quail eggs that need to be used up, so that was the reason for BFD today. On the week-end, we harvested the potatoes out of our garden, so I also wanted to include those in our meal. I didn't want the same old diced potato hashbrowns, so instead made these. Am I ever glad I did. DELICIOUS! These tasties will likely become a permanent menu item at our house. Yum! Enjoy!

Parmesan Hashbrown Mini Muffins

• 4 cups peeled and shredded potatoes, squeezed dry in a towel
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• s&p

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a mini muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients by gently tossing. Once fully combined, fill greased muffin tray with mixture. Push down with a spoon to pack the muffin cups tight.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until nicely browned on edges. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes, before gently loosening, removing and inverting "muffin" on plate. Serve and ENJOY!

Cheater Pizza

In a dinner rush but still want to eat homemade? Try cheater pizza. No waiting for dough to rise. Instead, grab a pack of greek pitas and use those as your crust. Make dinner fun by letting everyone create their own mini pizza! My boys love to help make pizza. This is always a hit in our house. Enjoy!

Cheater Pizza

• 1-2 cups homemade tomato sauce
• 1 package greek pitas (the non-pocket type)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• toppings of choice

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spread sauce on pitas, the top w/ cheese and toppings. Bake in preheated oven, directly on the rack OR on a cookie sheet (rack for crunchier crust), for 7-8 minutes.
3. Let cool a few minutes before slicing and serving. ENJOY!

**4 cheese is one of my favs - mozzarella, fontina, feta and parmesan!**

Salsa Salsa Salsa

It's salsa canning day here at out house. The boys and I harvested 8 lbs of tomatoes (a mixture of cherry, yellow pear, purple cherokee, yellow taxi, roma and green zebra). There are still plenty of tomatoes in the garden (those will be used for pasta sauce!). We also harvested some peppers (bell and jalepeno), along with plenty of cilantro. Unfortunately, we've already used up our onions, so those were purchased locally, along with the garlic. This salsa is perfect for our likings - a little spicy, heavy on the garlic, and fresh tasting! Enjoy!

Garden Salsa for Canning

• 8 lbs ripe tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 bell peppers
• 2 jalepeno peppers
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 small can (156 ml) tomato paste
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• lemon juice

1. Cut tomatoes into quaters. Scoop out the seeds, then place in a food processor. Process seeded tomatoes for 10 seconds (you'll likely have to do this a few times, depending how big your bowl is).
2. Dump processed tomatoes into a large pot. Turn onto med heat.
3. Cut onion and pepper into small chunks (remove seeds from peppers). Add to bowl of food processor. Smash garlic, remove skin, and cut each clove in half. Add that to bowl of processor as well, then process for 10 seconds, scrape sides of bowl, then process for another 10 seconds. Dump pepper/onion/garlic mixture into pot with tomatoes and stir well. Once mixture comes to a boil, turn heat to med-low.
4. Scoop 1/2 cup of the mixture into a small bowl and add tomato paste to bowl. Whisk together until smooth, then dump back in pot.
5. Finely chop cilantro leaves, then add to pot. Also add sugar, salt, and cumin and stir well. Let salsa simmer for 2 hours.
6. In the meantime, prepare jars, lids and rings for canning (ie. sterilize as per manufactuers directions). Get water bath ready for canning.
7. Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice to bottom of each sterilized jar, then fill with salsa, leaving about 2 cm headroom. Clean rim, place lid on top, and screw ring on until hand-tight. Place filled jars in water bath, ensuring water is at least 1" above top of jar.
8. Bring waterbath to a boil. Once boiling, set your time for 20 minutes.
9. Remove jars from waterbath after 20 minutes, and gently set on a towel on the counter. Check to ensure jars seal (should be anywhere from 1 minute to 1 hour). Leave on counter overnight, before labelling and placing in pantry. ENJOY!

French Toast II

Okay, another french toast recipe. This one is a bit fluffier. The secret is in the flour. I picked that tip up from allrecipes.com (surprise!). I combined that with Alton Brown's recipe and this was the result. We enjoyed it alongside some breakfast sausages and copious amounts of maple syrup and whip cream (and of course fruit to even things out ;) Enjoy!

French Toast II

• 1/4 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 3 free range eggs
• 2 tbsp honey, warmed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 10 slices of bread
• cinnamon for spinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a cooling rack on a cookie sheet and set aside.
2. Measure flour into a large bowl and slowly whisk in cream and milk. Whisk in eggs, honey and salt.
3. Melt butter in frypan over med-high heat. Dip bread into egg mixture, allowing to soak for 30 seconds on each side.
4. Place saturated bread into buttered fry pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Spinkle with a little cinnamon before flipping.
5. Transfer browned bread to rack on cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 5 minutes. Serve warm and ENJOY!

Cranberry Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

The boys and I just baked 3 dozen cookies. I wanted to make some for Dylan's snacktime at school. His first request was chocolate chip, but I prefered to make something withOUT chocolate, so this was our comprimise. They both love cranberries and coconut is a great addition to anything. These cookies beat out pre-packaged cookies any day! Enjoy!

Cranberry Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Once fluffy, add egg and vanilla and continue to cream for 2 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda and baking powder. Add dry mixture to creamed mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in coconut and cranberries.
4. Form cookie dough into small (loose) golf-ball sized lumps, and drop onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until JUST starting to lightly brown (don't overbake or they will go hard!).
5. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack or your tummy! ENJOY!

Guacamole Chicken Sammies

I made these for dinner tonight. FOR SURE will make them again. YUM! Make your crockpot your best friend. On those days when take-out would be oh-so-convenient, home-cooked would be tastier and healthier, so use your imagination (or my blog!) and create a just-as-quick-and-easy-meal to enjoy after work. I literally spent 2 minutes this morning putting the chicken in the crock pot, and then another 10 minutes (maybe) throwing the sammies together. Crock pot cooking really is THAT easy! Enjoy!

Guacamole Chicken Sammies

• 4-6 chicken thighs (depending on size and how many people you need to feed)
• 1 cup of your favourite marinade OR 3/4 cup BBQ sauce mixed with 1/4 cup water (*I used a bottle of General Tso marinade I had kicking around. All natural from the health food store. It was okay tasting, so I didn't try to save the drippings....you just want a little flavour on the chicken and moist meat....the rest of the sandwich will speak for itself)
• s&p
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• Fresh Buns
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1/2 cup Cilantro Mayo (see recipe on here)
• 1/2 cup Guacamole (you can make my recipe for guacamole in no time)

1. Place chicken thighs in crock pot. Pour marinade/bbq sauce over top, then sprinkle with s&p and brown sugar. Set on low and leave to cook for about 8 hours.
2. Carfeully remove chicken from crock pot and shred. Set aside.
3. Slice buns in half. Spread mayo on one half, and guacamole on the other. Top the mayo a good scoop of shredded chicken, followed by a tomato slice, then top the sammie with the guacamole bun. Serve and ENJOY!

Cilantro Mayo

This mayonnaise is the perfect addition to sandwiches, burgers, fish, wraps, etc. It is so fresh and yummy! Enjoy!

Cilantro Mayo

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• s&p to taste

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and season as needed. ENJOY!

A few meal ideas...

This week-end has been a fun-filled one. We enjoyed the sites of Toronto, took in some dirt-track car racing and smashing, sat by the campfire, etc. And we were busy in the kitchen, too. Today I baked a loaf of bread, to pair with some fresh pasta for dinner. The boys and I picked about 2 dozen tomatoes (or more) and roasted them in the oven. We served this over fresh, home-made pasta. Such a great dinner! Last night we had individual filet mignons. We found a meat counter at the market that sells regular sized ones AND mini ones. It was fun to each have our own steak! We all had a different side-dish to go with our steak. I had a salad which tops my current go-to salad/lunch choices list. It's super easy to make - just the right combo of ingredients is what makes it so good. A shout out to my Mom for the idea! I had another salad for lunch, using up the leftover steak. I added some fresh applewood-smoked cheese from the market and it was delish! So today's "recipe" is a few different meal ideas. Take a trip to your local market and make mealtime fun. You are bound to find something new, unique, and certainly delicious! Enjoy!

*The first recipe is for pasta using a duck egg, instead of a chicken egg. It also differs from my original pasta recipe, in that it doesn't use oil.

Duck Egg Pasta

• 1 cup white flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large duck egg
• 1-3 tbsp water

1. Pour flour onto counter and make a well in the centre. Sprinkle with a little salt, then crack egg into well. Break the yolk with your finger and stir. Begin to combine the flour with the egg and knead to form a stiff dough. Add water as needed. You don't want your dough too moist, but certainly not dry.
2. Knead for about 5 minutes, then set dough aside to rest.
3. Roll out pasta to desired thickness, cut into strips, cook in boiling water until al dente (approx 3 minutes), top with homemade sauce, serve and ENJOY!


*This salad is really tasty! I always buy organic romaine hearts and slice them into about 1/2" strips, starting at the top of the heart down to about 2" from the bottom. I wash them, dry them, then store them in a ziplock bag in my crisper. That way I can have a salad anytime I want.

Feta and Rice Wine Salad

• Romaine hearts, washed and cut into bite-sized pcs
• 1-2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved or quatered
• 1-2 tbsp chopped bell pepper
• few splashes of seasoned rice wine vinegar

1. Place lettuce on large plate or in salad bowl. Top with feta, tomatoes and peppers, then splash a bit of seasoned rice wine vinegar on top. A little goes a long way. Serve and ENJOY!


*This salad is a great way to use up leftover steak meat. Since I used filet mignon, I got to enjoy the added bonus of bacon with my sald, too!

Steak Caesar Salad

• Romaine lettuce, washed and sliced
• Few dollops caesar salad dressing
• squirt fresh lemon juice
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 tbsp diced applewood smoked cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced steak meat (cooked)

1. Assemble all ingredients on a plate and ENJOY!

Parmesan and Chili Popcorn

This may sound like a weird combination, but it's quite tasty! M and I have been enjoying popcorn like this for years. Remember to try and avoid microwave popcorn (see my blog post on homemade popcorn from March). Enjoy!

Parmesan and Chili Popcorn

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup popping kernels
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 tsp chili powder

1. Pop popcorn using desired method (ie. brown bag in microwave, stovetop, etc), then place in large bowl.
2. Drizzle melted butter over popped pocorn and toss to evenly coat. Add parm cheese and chili powder, and gently toss again, until evenly coated. Serve and ENJOY!

Sausage and Black Bean Soup

Had some sausage in the fridge and didn't know how to prepare them. With the cooler weather this week, I was inspired to make soup. This recipe used up (yet again) more tomatoes from the garden. It was thrown together quickly, yet tasted GREAT! Enjoy!

Sausage and Black Bean Soup

• splash EVOO
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 med-lg tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 1/2 cups organic beef broth
• 2 sausage links, cooked and cut into bite-sized pcs
• cilantro for garnish

1. Directions later.......

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another way to use the flour blend recipe (posted today). If you don't want to use the flour blend, you can still make these whole wheat choco chip cookies. They are delicious! You would never know they differ from a regular chocolate chip cookie. And the extra whole grains make them healthy - right?!?! Enjoy!

p.s. this recipe is NOT from Sneaky Chef, but rather inspired by allrecipes. The Sneaky chef called for white bean puree. I'm not sure I am THAT adventurous with my baking!?

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups Flour Blend (or - use 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup AP flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (or grease).
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until smooth (at 2-3 minutes). Stir in vanilla and egg.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour blend, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the blend flour mixture into creamed mixture. Try not to over-stir. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Drop cookie dough by round spoonfuls, or roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until just browning on edges. Allow to cool on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack for cooling completely (*TIP FROM HEALTHY MOMMA - I like to put my cookies away slightly warm.....that way they will stay moist and not go crunchy! Just leave the container slightly open for about 30 minutes, so the moisture can escape.) Serve and ENJOY!

Corn (and Veggie) Muffins

Okay, sticking with the theme of sneaky chef today! Here's their recipe for "Complete Corn Muffins". I modified it slightly, since my puree was a bit different than called for. I took their tip and added a few chocolate chips on top (which the boys placed on themselves) as a luring method to get my boys to eat these! It worked and they were gobbled up. Big D can expect these as his snack at school tomorrow! Enjoy!

Corn (and Veggie) Muffins

• 1/2 cup Flour Blend (see previous recipe OR use 1/4 cup each AP flour and whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sneaky puree (see recipe from Sept 7th)
• optional toppings - chocolate chips, shredded cheese, etc

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease muffin tin (I used a mini muffin tin).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour blend, cornmeal, baking powder and soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, oil and puree until well combined.
3. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until flour is moistened.
4. Scoop batter into muffin cups until just about full. Top with chocolate chips or cheese (or nothing). Bake big muffins for 22-24 minutes, mini muffins for 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
5. Let cool, serve and ENJOY!

Flour Blend

Here's a recipe straight from the Sneaky Chef. You can substitute this flour blend in recipes that call for AP (or whole wheat) flour. The addition of the wheat germ adds extra nutrients and fibre. Once mixed, store this blend in a sealed jar or bag.

Flour Blend

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup wheat germ

1. Whisk together flours and wheat germ in a bowl. Place in storage container, add to recipes and ENJOY!

Sneaky Pasta Sauce

So my first attempt at sneaking some extra veggies in went relatively well. I didn't mind the taste, Big D inhaled his pasta, Little D was impartial, but M caught on instantly that something was off and gagged slightly when he discovered the addition to be carrots. He's not a fan of cooked ones IN something. A little parm cheese helped and he ate his meal right up. So this is the recipe for the sauce. It uses leftover sauce from last night's chicken, with the addition of my first sneaky puree. Enjoy!

Sneaky Pasta Sauce

• 1 lb penne noodles, cooked
• 2 1/2 cups Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce (see recipe from Sept 6th - OR use any homemade tomato sauce)
• 1 cup Carrot and Cauliflower puree (see previous post)
• 1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
• s&p (optional)

1. In a large pot, stir together tomato sauce and puree. Heat over med heat until just starting to boil. Add in cooked penne noodles and heat an additional 2 minutes.
2. Serve pasta on a large plate, top with some parm cheese and s&p if desired, pair with bread, salad, and/or wine and ENJOY!

Sneaky Puree

I was recently at the library with my boys and we were perusing the cookbook section. We were searching for kid friendly cookbooks, when I stumbled across The Sneaky Chef. I have heard of this before but never paid too much attention, since my boys are generally pretty good at eating their veggies. I did of course instantly think of the blog, so grabbed the book and gave it a quick once over. The first section has a bunch of different purees you can make, each sorted by colours. These various purees are called for in the next section, as additions to the recipes. I took a look at what we had on hand and made a puree of my own (I didn't go with similar coloured veggies, as you'll see). It reminded me of my babyfood making days! Tonight I added this puree to our pasta sauce, and reserved the rest in the fridge. Watch for it in some upcoming recipes. Perhaps you need a little help getting veggies in your kids', or even husband's, tummies. Sneaking them might just be the answer ;) Enjoy!

Carrot and Cauliflower Puree

• 4 cups cauliflower florets
• 4 cups chopped carrots, peeled
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Steam cauliflower and carrots until tender. Place in food processor, add lemon juice and water, then puree until completley smooth. Add to receipe or eat as is! ENJOY!

Fresh Tomato and Basil Chicken

Here's another way to use up those garden tomatoes! I made this sauce using 4 different kinds of tomatoes. So fresh and so yummy! Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato and Basil Chicken

• 6 large tomatoes, quatered
• 10 basil leaves, ripped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• s&p
• 2-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil casserole dish.
2. Place all ingredients except chicken into food processor. Process for 20 seconds. Transfer sauce to a resealable container. Chill until ready to use (you can make this sauce ahead of time).
3. Lay chicken breasts in casserole dish. Top each breast with 1/3 cup of the sauce. Reserve any extra sauce in the fridge (and use tomorrow on top of pasta for a quick dinner!).
4. Bake chicken in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.
5. Serve over pasta or rice and ENJOY!

Oat 'n Bran Raspberry Muffins

Today I was feeling inspired to make some healthy snack options for the boys. I decided to make muffins, and chose raspberry, since all the boys in this house love baked goods with raspberries. M really likes berry bran, so I took a recipe for regular raspberry muffins and modified it to be "healthier". Not only are these muffins healthy, they are REALLY tasty, too! Enjoy!

Jenno's Oat 'n Bran Raspberry Muffins

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• 1/4 cup spelt bran
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper cups, or lightly grease.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except raspberries, until well combined. Stir in raspberries at the end. Gently break the raspberries while stirring/mixing them into batter.
3. Scoop batter into muffin tray, filling each cup 3/4 of the way. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until toothpick in centre comes out clean.
4. Let cool slightly, serve and ENJOY!

Spent Grain Dog Biscuits

Yup - you read that right! I wasn't sure whether I should post this recipe or not. And I'm still not sure if I will count it towards my 365, but for now, here it is on the blog. I made these biscuits today, following a day of brewing at our house. M made an all grain (versus malt extract) batch, so we needed to find a use for the leftovers. Spent grain is a "byproduct of beer brewing consisting of the residue of malt and grain which remains in the mash-kettle after the mashing and lautering process". It is a good protein source for animals, and we recently heard it can be (happlily) consumed by dogs (For those who don't know, we have 2 golden retrievers). We found this recipe on a homebrew website. Believe it or not, we all tried these after they were baked and they are actually pretty good! I wouldn't eat them as a cookie myself, but the girls have no troubles gobbling them up. We all have to eat, animals included, so here's my healthy take on dog treats (don't even get me started on how to feed your pet in a more healthy fashion....trust me, you don't want to hear THAT rant ;). Enjoy?!

Spent Grain Dog Biscuits

• 4 cups spent grains
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup peanut butter (I think I might add 1.5 cups next time)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until well combined. Take a small handful of the mixture and form into a rectangle, roughly 1" x 2" x 1/4", and place on parchment paper. Do this about 40 times, or until all mixture is used up.
3. Bake in preheated over for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn oven temp down to 225 degrees (F). Bake an additional 2 hours, or until biscuits are hard and dry.
4. Store in air-tight bag, serve to your canine friends and watch them ENJOY!

Pictures

I try my best to get a picture of everything I make. I sometimes forget, but for the most part remember. I just uploaded a bunch of old pictures I found on the camera. Between that and 2 extra recipes yesterday, I am quite pleased with myself. ha! :)

It's the last day of the final long week-end of the summer. Go ahead and indulge. And enjoy every second of it! Happy Eating! Enjoy!

Hamburger Tacos

Made these "tacos" tonight and they were great. All the yumminess of a burger, but the added goodness of lots of fresh veggies. Plus, the soft taco shell is more diet friendly than a hamburger bun. I will definitely make these again! Enjoy!

Hamburgery Tacos

• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• s&p
• 10 small tortilla shells
• 1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese
• shredded lettuce
• 2 cups tomato relish (see recipe)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Spicy Mayo (see recipe)

1. Fire up the BBQ. Divide beef into 15 pieces, forming each into a hamburger patty. Sprinkle with s&p, then grill until meat is cooked to desired doneness.
2. Lay tortilla shell flat, then (in the middle of the shell) top with cheese, lettuce, tomato relish and avocado. Place 1.5 patties, broken into pcs, on top, then finally dollop meat with mayo.
3. Form into a taco, serve and ENJOY!

Spicy Mayo

Watch for an upcoming recipe for homemade mayo. It's on my list of things to attempt to make myself (as you can tell recently, I have a slight love for it!). Anyway, this spicy mayo was made with plain old Hellman's. It was a GREAT topping for our Hamburger Tacos (see recipe). Enjoy!

Chipotle Mayo

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice

1. Place all indregients in a small bowl and stir well. Serve and ENJOY!

Fresh Tomato Relish

Right now we have tons and tons of tomatoes ready for picking and eating. I wouldn't be lying by saying that there are a good 100 tomatoes outside right now ready, or close to it. We have been enjoying them with every meal, so it's always nice to mix things up. Today I decided to make Hamburger Tacos (recipe to follow), but instead of traditional salsa, I wanted to make a tomato relish to top them with. Here is the recipe I came up with. It's quick to make and VERY fresh tasting! Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato Relish

• 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (I used a variety of roma, yellow taxi and cherry)
• 2 tbsp diced onion
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• s&p
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)
• splash white wine vinegar (I think my splash was about 1 - 1 1/2 tsp)
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro (too much will give it a pico de gallo taste....you just want a little to add to the fresh taste of the tomatoes...you could use parsley here instead)

1. In a med size bowl, place chopped tomatoes and let sit 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir gently, then drain liquid, wait another 5 minutes, and repeat.
2. Gently stir in remaining ingredients. Taste and season according to personal taste buds. Serve and ENJOY!

Cranberry and Seed Bars

It's almost back to school time. I am having a hard time believing my baby boy will be starting SK in less than a week. He is growing up so fast. Fortunately for us, I don't have to worry about packing a lunch for him this year (he will be going everyday, half days). But I know many of you will be packing lunches and snacks for your kiddos, so here's a recipe you can use to make your own VERY healthy granola bars. The recipe came from Canadian Family magazine and originally called for goji berries, but we only had cranberries on hand - and they worked! Enjoy!

Cranberry Granola Bars

• 2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ground flax
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup cranberries (or goji berries)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 free range egg
• 1/2 cup canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x9-inch pan. (Original recipe called for 9x4-inch loaf pan, but I am not sure how that would work, since this recipe makes a lot! My 9x9 pan was pretty full!)
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, sugar, flax, sesame seeds, cranberries, cinnamon, flour and salt. In another bowl, whisk together honey, egg and oil.
3. Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix well. Pat the mixture evenly into greased pan.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into bars. ENJOY!

**I'll be honest about this recipe.....I can't say I love these. They are "okay". I made these AS printed in the recipe/magazine. My slight distaste for them could be from the fact that I don't really like honey. Perhaps maple syrup would be a better taste for me?! I also think toasting the sesame seeds might make them taste a bit better. However, one of the boys really enjoys them (the other not as much). After a few, I know I won't want any more of them for a long time.....**

The Halfway Point...

Well, here we are - 6 months into this blog, which means the halfway mark. I meant to blog about this yesterday, but I was out of town for a few days. As of right now, I am about a dozen recipes behind. Not bad (not good, either). Those will hopefully be easy to make up soon.

I am still enjoying doing this. And I'd love to know if any/all of you still enjoy reading these recipes!? If you are out there, please make this the time you post a comment. Let me know your thoughts, request and/or share a recipe, or just say hello! I'd love to hear from any followers! (Even if you comment annonymously!)

Until my next recipe, Happy Cooking and Even Happier Eating!