What kind of cook are you?

You Are an Excellent Cook

You're a top cook, but you weren't born that way. It's taken a lot of practice, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of learning. It's likely that you have what it takes to be a top chef, should you have the desire...

Are You A Good Cook?

Spaghetti Sauce: FIF Sauce Edition

Well, true to my pattern lately, I'm a day late for the Favorite Ingredient Friday: Sauces Edition. Oh well, I'll share my spaghetti sauce recipe anyway! ;) This is a recipe that has evolved over time in my kitchen, geared to not be too garlic-y for my DH, and also not have too much meat for me. (I actually prefer meatless sauces, but DH has to have meat in his.)

Amy's Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

1 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
1 large onion, chopped and cooked with the beef
2 small cans sliced mushrooms
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 (14 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 tablespoons dried Italian Seasoning

1 tablespoon Garlic Pepper
1 tablespoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and simmer on low all day.

This sauce works great with any kind of pasta you have on hand.

Soup's On ~ Recipe Swap

Life as Mom did a recipe swap yesterday for soup recipes. I'm a day late, but I'm sharing one anyway because I love soups. I love a lot of different kinds- potato, french onion, and broccoli cheddar are some of my favorites. Here's one I make regularly- I've shared this recipe before, but, it's one that we all love and I think it's worth sharing again! :)

Amy's I-Don't-Feel-Like-Cooking Version of Tortilla Soup:

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 1 can diced tomatoes/ chili peppers (AKA:Rotel- but I buy the store brand)
• 1/2 cup salsa (guess-timated amount)~
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• several shakes of dried cilantro
• two shakes of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 large can precooked, chopped chicken or turkey

Put that all together in a crockpot and let it simmer on low for a couple of hours. I usually do this around lunchtime and serve it for supper, so it probably cooks around 3-4 hours. Top it with shredded cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips.... yum!

Check out Life as Mom for more great soup recipes!

FIF: Broccoli Cornbread

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 (8 1/2 ounce) package Jiffy corn muffin mix

Preheat oven to 400. Thaw and drain broccoli. Combine first six ingredients. Stir muffin mix into first mixture with a fork. Pour into a 13" x 9"pan that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes , or until done when tested with a toothpick.

This cornbread is moist and dense, best eaten with a fork. I always make it along with some sort of creamy soup, like potato soup or corn chowder.

Check out Favorite Ingredients Friday for more great bread recipes!

Menu Plan Monday 4/14

Another week with DH home on vacation and me working some weird hours.... I think I've got it all worked out, though. :)

NOTE FROM LAST WEEK: Kim's Pork Loin with Apples in the Crockpot recipe was wonderful. DH requested it again soon, which is a high compliment from someone who isn't all that crazy about pork. :) Thanks, Kim!

MONDAY: cheddarwurst, my smashed red potatoes (recipe to follow this entry), peas

TUESDAY: eating out :)

WEDNESDAY: *new recipe* crockpot chicken & stuffing, steamed broccoli

THURSDAY: *new recipe* pizza potatoes in the crockpot, salad (New recipe from a friend... if it's good, I'll type it up and post it later this week!)

FRIDAY: our favorite beef enchiladas, stewed tomatoes

Share your own menu and see what others are eating this week at Menu Plan Monday!

Secret Ingredient Tuesday- potatoes

I found a fun food meme-- Secret Ingredient Tuesday-- but it looks like it hasn't been updates in a while, so I don't know if it's still going or not. The mission each week is to post five recipes with the secret ingredient. I'll go ahead and play along with the last posted secret ingredient, which is POTATOES.... one of my favorite foods!

Some of my favorite potato dishes:

~My own recipe for Potato Soup, posted on RecipeZaar

~From my menu this week- a family favorite, Jolean's Smoked Sausage & Cheesy Potatoes Casserole

~The recipe I always use for homemade baked fries: Cajun Roast Potatoes

~An easy side dish: Parslied Potatoes: Cube desired amount of potatoes and boil on stovetop until tender. Drain and immediately stir in one-half to a full stick of butter. Sprinkle generously with dried parsley. Stir and serve hot.

Another favorite potato dish is Ranch Potatoes- I've made this one so often that I know the recipe by heart. :)

RANCH POTATOES

4-6 baking potatoes, sliced

1 large onion, diced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 small bottle ranch salad dressing

Place potatoes and onion slices in a large pot, cover with water, and boil until tender. Drain water. In a round glass casserole dish layer about half of the potatoes/onions, cover with a thin layer of ranch dressing, then a layer of cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Sometimes I also garnish the top with dried chives.

Saturday Special questions

Since this week's Saturday Special is food-themed, I thought I'd post it here on my cooking blog. If you've just come for the Saturday Special, you can check out my main blog HERE.

~It's Dinner Time~
1. Standard Oven or Microwave?: Both! I use the microwave daily, sometimes just to defrost meat, sometimes to cook things. I use the oven about every other day.
2. Fry or Bake?: Bake. I rarely fry things anymore, though once in a while there's nothing better than a fried pork chop.
3. Cooking or Fast Food Meals? Why?: Again, both. I love to cook, but some days, we're on the run. Also, we're Taco Bell regulars. I can make several copycat versions of their food (these copycat Beef Meximelts are awesome) but since there's a Taco Bell about a mile away, we zip through there on a regular basis.
4. Sit Down or On The Run Dinners?: Lately, it seems like they've all been on the run. But next week we'll have some big schedule changes in our house, so I'm looking forward to a lot more sit-down family dinners. :)

Check out more Saturday Special answers HERE!

The best sugar cookie icing (WFMW)

I have looked this recipe up twice in the last two days, so I thought I'd post it here for safekeeping. This is the best icing-- it dries hard and shiny, which is great for decorated cookies that you're transporting to Christmas parties. Enjoy!

SUGAR COOKIE ICING:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk (keep adding spoonfuls until it's the right consistancy)
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract *This is the key to this recipe!
Optional: food coloring

Beat together the powdered sugar and the milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick to work with, add a touch more corn syrup. Add in food coloring if desired. Use icing to paint cookies, or, my favorite method-- dip the cookie tops into bowls of colored icing. Let dry at room temperature- when dry cookies may be stacked for storage.

P.S. I decided to link this recipe up with the Works for Me Wednesday Christmas Edition, because I think it's a great recipe and very handy this time of year. Visit my main blog, Tiny Blessings, for my other WFMW tip regarding cards (what NOT to do) and having Christmas unwrapping supplies at the ready.

Which celebrity chef would you be?

Which Celebrity Chef are You?

You are PAULA DEEN! You are all about getting back to your roots! It ain't about bein' fancy or low-fat, it's about FAMILY, FRIENDS and FUN! Paula's Home Cooking would be THE IDEAL SET for you!

How do you compare? Take this test! | Tests from Testriffic

I saw this cute quiz over on Nikki's blog and just had to take it. And you know what? I think it's accurate... I LOVE Paula, and I've always thought that I probably cook more like her than I do any other famous chef. Anyways, it's a funny quiz... go and see who you'd be!