Goodbye to the Pink

It was fun turning my blog pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, but today I'm changing over to a template that's a little more "me". I'm sure there will be tweaking and modifications in the days to come, but so far, I'm happy with my new look!

Linkage: Kraft 1 Bag, 5 Dinners

Mandy at Biblical Homemaking planned her menu this week using this neat site from Kraft: One Bag, Five Dinners. I'd never seen this site before, but I really like it. It gives you an entire week of dinner menus made from one bag of groceries. Like Mandy, I'd be making a few substitutions and using generics, but overall, some of those menus look really good. I'm sure you'll be seeing some of these meals on my menus soon!


P.S. This blog is PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Menu Plan Monday 10/29

Yep, I'm actually posting this on Sunday... I don't know if I'll have time later tonight or tommorow! ;)

NOTES FROM LAST WEEK: I wound up creating my own Ham & Hash Brown Casserole recipe instead of using the one I'd picked out-- I posted my version here. The Crockpot Beef & Noodles would have been boring as written, but with added onions, celery, and mushrooms, it was OK. And I didn't get to make the Pizza Casserole... I'll save that one for another time.

Here's this week's plan:

• SUNDAY: *new recipe* Sausage Melts and hash brown potatoes
  
• MONDAY: *new recipe* Quickie Chicken and Noodles with biscuits and peas (I got a bag of homemade noodles last week at the local turkey farm... they will be perfect for this!)
  
• TUESDAY~ Trick or Treat Night: Chef's Salads with Spicy Chicken Strips; Tortilla Soup (here's my recipe) in the crockpot; and maybe some of our favorite corn bread
  
• WEDNESDAY: Zesty Italian Roast (including potatoes and onions) with green beans
• THURSDAY: Roast Turkey Breast, Stuffing, Gravy, Corn, Pumpkin Pie
  
• FRIDAY: *One of my favorites*: Ham, Potatoes, and Green Beans in the Crockpot
• SATURDAY: Eating out-- family party.

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie
to share your menu or see what others are eating this week!


P.S. This blog is PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month! It's been fun being pink, but I'll be changing to a new template later this week. :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my favorite fall cookies! I got this recipe off the internet a few years ago, unfortunately I don't remember the original source. I'm making a batch this morning to take to my daughter's preschool program.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 (15oz.) can pumpkin
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsps cinnamon (I use a little more)
• 4 tsps baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 tsp of milk
• 1 12oz. bag of chocolate chips
  
• Preheat oven to 375. Mix pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk mixture and set aside. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; after sifting combine with pumpkin mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet & bake for 10-15 minutes.
  
  This blog is PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Crockpot Ham & Hash Browns- my way

I had a couple of different recipes for ham/hash brown casseroles that I was considering yesterday. Then I decided it would simplify things if I just threw something into my crockpot. I didn't have a recipe for exactly what I wanted, so this is what I came up with:

Amy's Crockpot Ham & Hash Browns

1 28oz bag diced hash browns with peppers & onions
1 1-lb. package diced ham (fully cooked)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp. garlic pepper
1 tsp. onion powder

Stir everything together in crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

That's it! It was easy to throw together. It could have used some more seasoning, or maybe some more chopped onions... but at any rate, it was good comfort food. My husband had ketchup on his (ick!) and then topped it with jalapeno peppers.

This blog is PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Menu Plan Monday 10/22

NOTES FROM LAST WEEK: We enjoyed the Crockpot Cajun Chicken Pasta, but I changed the recipe a bit to spice it up.

Here's this week's plan:

• SUNDAY: We had a family favorite: Copycat Beef Meximelts and my Layered Ranch Taco Dip (Yes, I've become addicted to these Meximelts. I think I've made them four times in the last month!)
• MONDAY: *new recipe* Deluxe Potato Ham Bake, Steamed Broccoli, Crescent Rolls, Applesauce
• TUESDAY: Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Green/Yellow Beans
• WEDNESDAY: *new recipe* Impossible Pizza Pie and tossed salad
• THURSDAY: *new recipe* Crockpot Beef & Noodles (I plan to tweak this a bit, adding onions and mushrooms.) and Green Beans
• FRIDAY: BBQ ribettes and corn
• SATURDAY: I always leave Saturdays open.

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie

to share your menu or see what others are eating this week!

This blog is PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Menu Plan Monday 10/15

NOTES: Normally I start out with notes from last week, but I don't have any, because last week I was recovering from a minor surgery and I hardly cooked at all, let alone made any sort of menu plan. We ate a lot of fast food and "heat and eat" kinds of things... not good for the waistline or the budget! But, it's a new week, so here's my plan:

SUNDAY: We had turkey-bacon wraps (turkey, bacon, cheese, and ranch dressing in a tortilla) along with this *new recipe*: Hearty Cream of Tomato Basil Soup. The soup was wonderful- I'll definitely be making it again!

MONDAY: Easy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches (made from chicken patties) and *new recipe* Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Stewed Tomatoes

TUESDAY: Cottage Pie and Biscuits or Cornbread

Cottage Pie
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 packet of brown gravy mix
4 cups mashed potatoes, prepared (I use instant or leftovers)
1 can green beans, drained
Optional: 1 small can mushroom pieces- add in with green beans if desired

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet, drain well. Combine gravy mix with amount of water specified on package. Add gravy to beef and onions, and simmer until thickened. Spray a casserole dish (I use a glass pie plate) with non-stick cooking spray, and spread meat mixture in the bottom of the dish. Top with green beans, then mashed potatoes. (Sometimes I sprinkle the top with shredded cheddar cheese.) Bake casserole at 350 for 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

WEDNESDAY: *new recipe*: Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Pasta and Peas

THURSDAY: Steak Fajitas with all the fixins' and corn

FRIDAY: Lasagna (frozen), Garlic Bread, Steamed Broccoli

SATURDAY: I always leave Saturdays open.

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie

to share your menu or see what others are eating this week!


P.S. This blog turned PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Review: Annie Chun's Noodle Express

I should not be allowed in grocery aisles when I'm hungry... I'm sure you all can relate. So anyways, today DD and I ran to Target for a few things before lunch. Well, on impulse, I decided to try one of these Annie Chun's Noodle Express Spicy Szechuan noodle bowls for my lunch.

All I can say is... WOW. It was SO good! The noodles are already cooked, and you just stir in the sauce and toppings and then microwave it for one minute. I was really impressed with the flavor and quality of this instant meal.

And yes, $2.99 is more than I would usually spend on a lunch at home, but it's cheaper than eating out at most fast food places, which is what I probably would have been tempted to do otherwise. I calculated the WW points, and the entire tray was six points, which is also less than most fast food choices. Another neat thing... the tray that the meal is in is biodegradable and decomposes in the soil-- check this out.

So, all in all, I'm giving this instant meal a thumbs-up rating, and I'll definitely be trying more of their products in the future.

P.S. I was in no way compensated for this review... I just like to share good products when I find them! :)

This blog is PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Have you done your breast self-exam this month?

FYI... update :)

I updated the post below (Oriental Chicken Recipe) to include the answers to the questions in the comment section.


P.S. In case you missed the announcement at the top, this blog is PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Oriental Baked Chicken

I am still alive, LOL... just not cooking this week following my surgery last week. Tonight, though, I'm hungry for this Oriental Baked Chicken that we just tried two weeks ago for the first time. I'm going to pop it in the crockpot this afternoon for about four hours and see how that works out rather than baking it in the oven.

Oriental Baked Chicken

1 can tomato soup
3 tablespoons vinegar (I use red wine vinegar.)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb chicken parts (The original recipe calls for two pounds, but one pound of chicken tenders is plenty to feed my family and have lots of extra yummy sauce for our rice.)

Combine all except chicken. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and arrange chicken pieces. Cover with sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes, or until juices run clear.

UPDATED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS: It worked OK in the crockpot, but I definitely like it better baked. The sauce stayed very thin... it probably could have been thickened with cornstarch, but I didn't try that. The baked version gets my vote. And no, I don't add water chesnuts to my rice, but I'm sure you could! :)

The sauce is great served over rice. Last time I served this with rice, spring mixed veggies, and pineapple chunks-- and I'll probably do the same tonight! :)


P.S. In case you missed the announcement at the top, this blog is PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month!