Country Blessings: Tasty Tuesday

Showing posts with label Tasty Tuesday. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Tasty Tuesday: Buttermilk Pancakes

I recently shared a couple posts about making homemade baking mix and making your own buttermilk. In this post, I will combine those two ingredients into one of the best tasting pancake recipes you will ever try! These are by far some of the best pancakes we have ever had, they are so fluffy and tasty! I double this recipe for our family of 6.

Ingredients:
2 cups baking mix (or Biquick)
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg

Directions:
Stir all the ingredients together. Pour 1/4 cup scoopfuls on heated griddle or skillet and cook until edges are dry. Turn and cook until golden. Serve with your favorite pancake toppings!

Blessings,

Linked up with:
Raising Homemakers
Far Above Rubies
The Better Mom
Teach Me Tuesdays
Titus 2sday
Women Living Well
A Delightful Home
Raising Arrows
The Modest Mom
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Baking Mix (Bisquick)

Since I prefer making my meals from scratch, I don't often buy mixes like Bisquick anymore. Most of the time I don't mind, but once in a while I miss the ease of using it, especially in the morning when making pancakes or waffles. Recently I came across a recipe for homemade baking mix, so I thought I would give it a try. It works wonderfully! As easy and as tasty as recipes using Bisquick! I made up a huge batch of this and am storing it in the freezer so it is all ready to go when I need it.

Ingredients:
5 cups flour, all-purpose or whole wheat (I use my freshly ground soft white whole wheat and it works great!)
1/4 cup baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar or sucanat
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup butter

Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture is fine crumbles. You can use it in any recipe that calls for Bisquick or baking mix. It can be stored at room temp for up to 2 months or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Blessings,

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Buttermilk

Buttermilk is super easy to make at home. Even easier than homemade yogurt, but similar in that you need to culture the milk. First you will need some buttermilk culture. You can order some from places like Cultures for Health or go the easy way like me. I just buy some cultured buttermilk from the store.

If you start with the cultures you will need to follow the directions your receive for your first batch. After you have some cultured buttermilk, you can use some of that to make future batches. Place about 1/2 cup of the cultured buttermilk in a quart jar and fill the rest of the way with milk. Put a lid on and give it a gentle shake. Then let it sit at room temp for 24 hours. Store in the fridge.

Here's a jar of half used buttermilk that I currently have in my fridge.

The culture kits at Cultures for Health say that some can be used again up to 8 times and some indefinitely. I have found that using buttermilk from the store usually only works for 4-5 times for me, but I usually am buttermilked out by then and need a break from finding recipes to use it in anyway. :) Someday I may need to invest in the starter kit and keep it going though.

Blessings,

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Tasy Tuesday ~ Blueberry Honey Scones

I am normally not a huge fan of scones, I think they are just a little too dry. But these blueberry honey ones are amazing! The kids loved them and were begging for more the first time I made them. Since then, I have doubled the recipe so we can have more! They are also really quick to make in the morning since they taste best fresh, but can be made the night before.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut-up
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 egg

GLAZE
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 375ºF. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until butter is the size of blueberries. Stir in blueberries and lemon peel. Stir 1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup yogurt and egg in small bowl until smooth. Using fork, stir into flour mixture until moistened. On lightly floured surface, pat dough to 1-inch thickness. I usually shape into a circle or square (2 if doubled) and cut into triangles or squares. You could also use a biscuit cutter to make circle shaped scones. Place on baking sheet. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes.
Stir 2 tablespoons yogurt and 1 teaspoon honey in small bowl. Slowly stir in powdered sugar. Spoon over warm scones and let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Blessings,

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Tasty Tuesday: Cinnamon Popcorn

We love popcorn around here. It is a favorite snack for movie night, but really it is good anytime. A while back I found a recipe for cinnamon popcorn and the kids have been begging for it ever since! I do a lot of reading aloud to the kids and one of the frustrating parts about that is getting the kids to mostly stay quiet and still enough so everyone can hear. Well, putting a bowl of popcorn in front of them usually does the trick! :) If you have a stove top popper, those work the best for this recipe, but you could probably use just a regular pan on the stove also. I don't think you would be able to make this with an air popper. If you like kettle corn, you will love this because I think they taste very similar!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut oil (butter would probably work too, but I haven't tried it)
1/2 popcorn
1/8 cup sugar
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
salt

Directions:
Put oil and 2 kernels of popcorn in your pan on medium heat. (If using a regular pan, keep a lid on while popping or you will have popcorn everywhere!) Once the 2 kernels pop, add remaining ingredients except salt. Stir until all kernels have popped and then sprinkle on desired amount of salt. Enjoy!

Blessings,

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Tasty Tuesday: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Don't those look yummy?!? Well they are! I know it's not really pumpkin season anymore, but these are so yummy that I have to make them year round! This fall I cooked and pureed several of our pumpkins to put in the freezer just to make this recipe whenever I want. And the kids love them too! Since this recipe makes 2 dozen, I usually end up putting about 1/2 in the freezer for another day's breakfast.

Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
2 cups pureed pumpkin (or one 16 ounce can)
1 cup melted coconut oil (or butter)
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Add eggs, pumpkin and oil. Mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into muffin tins. You can use paper liners if you want, but I just spray them with a little cooking spray and they come out fine. Bake in a 400° oven for 16-22 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown. Makes 24.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Lately I've been trying to cook dinners that I can double or triple to be able to put some away in the freezer for an easy dinner another night. I found this Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole on Money Saving Mom and when I tried it we all loved it! And another bonus is that it makes enough for four dinners, one to eat and three in the freezer! (Unless you have lots of big eaters, then you might want to only do 3 or even 2 dinners with it.) When I am freezing dinners, I line a casserole dish with aluminum foil, put the food it, and freeze it. Once it is frozen, I take it out of the dish and wrap with more foil over the top and pop it back in the freezer. When I am ready to use it, I remove all the foil and put it back in the casserole dish I froze it in to thaw it out. This saves freezer space and that way I don't need to keep tons of casserole dishes around to keep stuff in the freezer. Or you can try it in bags like Money Saving Mom does.

Ingredients:
10 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
4 cups chopped broccoli, lightly steamed (can use frozen or fresh)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or 2 batches cream of mushroom soup)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (or 2 batches cream of chicken soup)
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Divide into four 8x8 or similarly sized casserole dishes. Sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese if you desire (and who doesn't desire more cheese?). Put three in the freezer and bake the fourth at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. To use the frozen ones, thaw in the fridge and bake as directed.

Blessings,

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Tasty Tuesday ~ Pollo Con Crema

Last week in our journey through Mexico, we tried out a few new Mexican dishes for dinner. This pollo con crema recipe was a huge hit with everyone! Most of us put it in a tortilla along with Spanish rice, but it was also really good just served over the rice.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 spicy pepper (jalapeno, serrano, etc), chopped (optional, or remove seeds depending on how spicy you would like it)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tsp cumin
2 cups chopped cooked chicken

Directions:
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the mushrooms, peppers, onion, and garlic until the vegetables are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables into a bowl. Melt butter over medium-high heat in the same skillet, and whisk in the flour. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the broth, bring to a simmer, and whisk until thickened. Reduce heat to low, and whisk in the cream, sour cream, ketchup, and cumin. Cover the skillet, and simmer until thick and the flavors have blended, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in the chicken and vegetables and heat through.
Enjoy!

Blessings,

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Tasty Tuesday ~ No Bake Chocolate Cookies

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe! Since I made these tasty cookies today, I thought I would share this easy recipe with you. These are so easy to whip up and even my kids love being able to help with them.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup baking cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick oats

Directions:
Combine the milk, butter ,cocoa, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute without stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and let cool. If they don't hold their shape very well, you can stir in an extra 1/2-1 cup of oats.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I used to use a lot of cans of cream soups. They are so easy to throw into a casserole to make it creamy and yummy! One time though, I was completely out of cream of mushroom soup but didn't discover that until after I had started making something. I needed something quick, so I got out my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook to see what I could use instead. It recommended making a thick white sauce and adding in mushrooms. After finding out how easy it was and how much healthier our dinners could be, I have almost completely quit using canned soups. I've also done a bit of experimenting to make cream of chicken and cream of celery soup with almost the same recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup of milk

Directions:
Saute mushrooms in the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in the milk and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.

For cream of celery, substitute 1/2 cup celery for the mushrooms. For cream of chicken, substitute chopped chicken for the mushrooms and 1/2 cup of chicken broth for 1/2 of the milk.

This will make about 1 can of condensed soup, but often I will triple or quadruple the amount and put the extra in jars in my fridge or freezer to save for later. It's not as easy as opening up a can of soup and dumping it in, but if I have some ready to go, then I only have to cook it up once in a while and the rest of the time it is just as easy as dumping it in! It is very tasty in Chicken Tetrazzini or Chicken Pot Pie!

Blessings,

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tasty Tuesday: Easy Baked Spareribs

I tried out another pork recipe last week and it was almost as tasty as the pork chops I shared about before. The kids weren't too excited about them at first, but I told them ribs are supposed to be messy and they could eat them with their fingers and then they loved them! :)

Ingredients:

4 pound slab of pork spareribs
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the Barbecue Sauce:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Hot sauce to taste, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees . Line a large roasting pan with heavy duty foil. Sprinkle both sides of the spareribs liberally with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place seasoned ribs in the baking pan. Combine lemon juice, barbecue sauce, ketchup, balsamic vinegar, and hot sauce in a bowl. Stir vigorously until combined. (Makes about 3 cups of barbecue sauce.) Pour half of sauce into a separate container and set aside. Drizzle remaining sauce over the top of the ribs, covering all exposed areas. Cover pan with lid or foil. Bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until tender. Serve spareribs with reserved barbecue sauce. Optional: You can char the ribs on the grill or under the broiler before serving if you wish.

Enjoy!
Blessings,

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Easy Egg Casserole Muffins

I love having easy healthy breakfasts ready for my kids to eat in the morning. I recently made these easy egg muffins and everyone loved them. They are pretty versatile too because you could easily change up some of the ingredients to your liking. Ham or bacon to replace the sausage or some veggies thrown in would be pretty tasty too. If you have any left or if you double the recipe, these could also be thrown in the freezer for a really quick breakfast another day.

First you will need to cook and crumble 1 lb of sausage. I did this the night before to make it even easier in the morning. Then divide it up between 12 muffin tins.

Then you will need to beat together 8 eggs and 1/2 cup of milk. Carefully pour that evenly over the 12 muffins.

Finally, sprinkle the tops with grated cheese. (I used cheddar.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until eggs are set.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Linked up with:
Raising Homemakers
Far Above Rubies
The Better Mom
Teach Me Tuesdays
Titus 2sday
Women Living Well
A Delightful Home
Raising Arrows
Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Pure Modesty

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Tasty Tuesday: Slow Cooker Saucy Pork Chops

Last summer we raised a couple pigs for meat, so we have been enjoying all the pork in our freezer. Prior to this, though, I haven't cooked much with pork, so I have been on the look out for good recipes. I recently found this one for Saucy Pork Chops and it turned out so good! It is done in the crock pot so the chops are so tender they just fall apart. And using the crock pot is always nice so I don't have to worry about getting dinner together later in the afternoon when it seems like everyone gets a tad bit cranky. I will be making this one often!

Ingredients
4 bone-in pork loin chops (8 ounces each)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke, optional

Directions
Sprinkle pork chops with garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chops in oil on both sides; drain. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and Liquid Smoke if desired. Pour half of the sauce into a 3-qt. slow cooker. Top with pork chops and remaining sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender.

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tasty Tuesday: Baked Spaghetti

(Photo courtesy Allrecipes.com)

When I made this tasty casserole a while back, my kids gobbled it up! It is very cheesy and yummy! It makes quite a bit, so I actually divided it up between 2 8-inch square pans and popped one in the freezer to save for a quick easy meal another day. There was still plenty because most of us had seconds and there were still some leftovers!

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (26 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1.Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt; set aside.
2.In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti; add to egg mixture and toss to coat.
3.Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with half of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tasty Tuesday ~ Zucchini Salsa

Is it weird that I love standing in my pantry staring at my slowly filling shelves, planning where the next canning project will get lined up? Does anyone else do this? No? Well, I guess I am weird, but I love seeing my hard work lining the shelves and deciding where it should all go! Last week I had fun trying out a new canning recipe for zucchini salsa and it is pretty tasty! We always have loads of zucchini and so do most other people I know, making it hard to even give it away so I thought I would find something new to do with it this year. I've also done zucchini bread and butter pickles for the first time this year and they turned out pretty good too. Here is instructions for the salsa:
Ingredients

10 cups chopped zucchini (you can peel and/or shred it if you want, but really, who has time for that?)

4 chopped onions

2 chopped green peppers

2 chopped red peppers

8 chopped jalapeno peppers (I left the seeds in one and removed them from the rest and this produced a medium salsa, you can adjust according to your taste or leave out altogether)

1/4 cup pickling salt

1 tablespoon pickling salt

2 tablespoons dry mustard

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon cumin

2 cups white vinegar

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon pepper

5 cups chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons cornstarch

12 ounces tomato paste

Directions: In a large bowl combine: Zucchini, onions, green pepper, red pepper, jalapenos and the 1/4 cup salt. Mix together cover and let stand over night.

The next day rinse, drain well and put into a large pot (or 2 if you don't have a really big one like me) then add mustard, garlic, cumin, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper flakes, remaining salt, cornstarch, nutmeg, pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour into sterilized jars, add lids and rings, and water bath jars for 15 minutes. Remove from water and listen for that magic pop, pop, pop of sealing jars!

This makes about 12 pints, but I put a lot of mine in 1/2 pints because we don't eat that much at once.

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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Tasty Tuesday ~ Homemade Vanilla

Did you know you could make your own vanilla? It's really easy. The hardest part is buying the vodka that you will need. But if you send your hubby, then there is no hard part. ;) All you need is vodka and vanilla beans. The amount of both will determine how strong your vanilla is. This is the first time that I've tried it and I used a bottle of vodka (750 mL) and put in seven vanilla beans which is all that I could fit in the bottle. You will need to slice open the beans length wise before you put them in.

Then just shake it up and put it in a dark place for 4-6 months. You should shake it up every once in a while. Then after you have patiently waited for what seems like forever, strain your vanilla through a coffee filter in a colander and then you are ready to go! Mine turned out a little on the weak side compared to the pure vanilla that I bought from Costco, so next time I will probably use a few more beans and put it all in a bigger jar. If you make it really strong (like 20 beans in 750mL) then you will only need to use about 1/2 of what the recipe calls for. If you like using real vanilla, this will save you a ton of money because real vanilla is pricey!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Tasty Tuesday - 5 Minute Ice Cream

I recently found this easy soft serve ice cream recipe that only takes 5 minutes to make so I tried it with the kids yesterday and it was so simple and fun!

Ingredients
1 cup Half and Half (Twin Brook Creamery is the best!)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup salt
Ice

Put the half and half, vanilla, and sugar in a small ziploc plastic bag, close, and mix together. Put the salt and enough ice to fill it half way in a larger ziploc bag. Place the small bag inside the bigger bag with the ice and close. Shake, toss, play catch, have your kids jump on the trampoline with the bag, do whatever you want to shake it up for a few minutes, then remove the bag of ice cream and enjoy! We made 3 of the small bags of ice cream so each of the kids could have their own and they loved it!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Tasty Tuesday ~ Chicken Alfredo

I LOVE alfredo, especially the chicken alfredo from the Olive Garden. I've tried a few recipes in the past, and none have come close to theirs, but I finally found a really, really good one. Too bad my hubby doesn't like it so much. (Actually that is probably good, so I don't make it too often, it's not exactly low fat.)

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked noodles
2 cups cooked cubed chicken (turkey works well also)
2 cups cream
1/2 cup butter
1 clove of garlic
2 Tbsp plain yogurt or cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium saucepan, start water heating to boil your noodles. In a small saucepan stir together cream, butter, garlic, and yogurt or cream cheese. Bring to a boil and turn down heat and simmer about 2 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Continue to simmer about 15 minutes until it gets thicker. Meanwhile, add your noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the directions. Drain noodles and add chicken. When sauce is done, pour over noodles and stir. Heat over low until hot. Try not to eat the whole pan full by yourself.

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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Tasty Tuesday ~ Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I made this pot pie last night and it was so easy and really tasty!

Ingredients:
2 cups diced cooked chicken

1 medium onion chopped
4-5 cups mixed veggies (I used a mixture of home canned and frozen beans, carrots, and corn)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or thick white sauce with a can of mushrooms added)
1 can cream of celery soup (or white sauce)
1/2 c. chicken broth
Crust:
1 cup of milk
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup of self-rising flour (or 1 cup all purpose flour plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt)

Place chicken and onion in a large greased casserole dish. Mix soups (or white sauces), broth, and veggies and pour over the chicken. Mix milk, mayo, and flour and spread evenly on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Tasty Tuesday ~ Peanut Butter Honey Fudge

Sweetie had lots of fun making Peanut Butter Fudge with me since it is so easy that she could do it almost all by herself! I had recently seen this recipe on Heavenly Homemakers and thought it looked really simple and delicious, so we tried it out. It doesn't really taste much like fudge, but it is chocolaty (is that a word??) and delicious!

1 cup peanut butter (creamy or smooth)
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt all together in a small sauce pan, stirring until combined. Pour into a 8x8 square dish and chill until firm. We store it in the refrigerator to keep it firm also. Enjoy!

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