Sunday Dinner

Mexican Lasagna tomorrow...

Layer: Tortillas, Shredded Chicken, Black Beans, Sauce, Cheese and repeat...

Brooke's Green Soup

Okay so last night I went to Enrichment and you seriously never know what to expect as far as dinner there so you have to eat a little with the kids before you come and then you can taste it if it looks good...Well our ward has some pretty good little chefs I must say and there were four soups to choose from and a sandwhich bar...healthy and contemporary I must say...My friend Brooke made this green soup that looked really good...I tryed and loved, asked her what was in it and that's what we had tonight...Thank you Brooke!

Ingredients (what I used)

Saute:

Olive Oil (twice around the pan)

Chopped Chicken (Whole cooked chicken from the Grocery store)

Onion (Red onion)

Clove or so of Chopped Garlic (Garlic Salt)

Salt and Pepper

Add and let simmer for 20 min or so:

1-2 cans of Black Beans

1 can of Salsa Verde

1-2 cans of chicken stock

1-2 c of frozen corn (I added to recipe)

Handful of chopped cilantro (Didn't have on hand so used Parsley instead)

Serve with toppings along side:

Sour Cream

Cheese

Crushed tortilla chips

Chopped tomatoes

Avacado slices

Thanks again Brooke

Mile High Meatloaf

Cheesecake Factory used to serve a Mile High Meatloaf that Josh would order from time to time...now they have the Factory Meatloaf...bor-ring! So here is my take on the much cooler version...and I learned the Smashed Potatoes and pan gravy from Rachael Ray...and although this meatloaf was a store bought one the best Meatloaf ever is one from Rachael Ray

Layers include:

Toasted French Bread

Slice of Meatloaf

Mashed Potatoes

Pan Gravy

Onion Rings

to top it off

Cinnamon Rolls

This is as close to baking as I will get...Actually I did make semi-homemade cinnamon rolls in Tahoe and they were pretty darn good, right Tami? I used those freezer bread dough loaves...I'll post that later for the 'Bakers'...

These were just the Grand's Cinnabon cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury...I followed the directions by placing them in a circle cake pan and then made this little fun mixture to add on top then baked....

3 spoonfuls of brown sugar

1 small bag of chopped pecans...or whatever nut you like or raisins would be good too...

mix together then top onto rolls and press it down then add about a 1/2 tbsp of butter to each roll on top so it will melt onto the mixture and the brown sugar will carmelize...

Then I served with a dab of the frosting along side to dip as you please!

Pour and Serve

Pancakes...On the market Bisquick has come out wih a new way to overcharge us but also has given us a new idea to make pancakes without the mess, so thank you Bisquick...

Just add mix and water to a jug at home, shake and pour...Cleanest pancakes yet! I shake the pancake mix first before I add water to break up any clumps...

Cookware I Heart...

My Stir Fry Wok $7.99 from Ikea...

This little thing goes over your frying pans so oil and junk will not splatter all over your stove, kitchen and clothes...Foil works great too though! In fact I always use Foil with things like bacon, egg rolls and anything that will cause some serious arm burns...I can attest, let me tell you...

I use this little cast iron grill to grill hamburgers and steak indoors...The high sides are great for catching the juices...Just put foil over it to prevent splatters and over smoking the house, oh and maybe put the stove fan on too...

I use this thing for grilling veggies, chicken or fish and any kind of kabobs...foods with not a lot of juices...covering is sometimes needed too...

My Pampered Chef Stoneware is great not only for Cookies (which I never bake - that's Josh's deal) but for my Pizzas! Or prepackaged Pilsbury Rolls and such! They NEVER Burn!!!

Something Like this to Broil my Garlic Bread...I use the baking pan that came out of my old Toaster Oven cause it had a little wire rack with it like this one...

And there you have my favorite cooking items...

Kitchen Knives

Straight from foodnetwork.com

There are only three knives that are crucial in a kitchen: a chef's knife, a paring knife and a serrated knife. Any other knives are a luxury-they can make cooking easier and more enjoyable, but are unnecessary.

A chef's knife (sometimes called a cook's knife) is the most important knife to have in your kitchen. It has a wide blade between six and ten inches long and is used primarily for chopping, though it can be used for anything you want to do.

A paring knife looks like a miniature chef's knife, with a blade ranging from two to four inches long. It's good for delicate tasks where a larger blade would get in the way. Paring knives are ideal for peeling onions, coring tomatoes or trimming vegetables.

A serrated knife is used for bread, tomatoes and even meat. Serrated knives are most useful on foods that have one texture on the outside and another inside, like a hard-crusted bread or a tomato. Choose a longer serrated knife to minimize the amount of sawing necessary.

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These are my Knives...

This is my Chef's Knife that sharpens each time you take it out of it's sleeve...very cool...Pampered Chef...

This is the set we received as a wedding gift from Josh's Uncle Duke and Aunt Jan who are by the way excellent with cooking and entertaining...sad to say at the time I had no clue how great these knives were but have grown to love them....Thank you Uncle Duke and Aunt Jan I don't think I ever properly thanked you then...but I absolutely love these Knives...