My Mom's Cranberry Salad

Not the most original name, but I'm not feeling super-creative today. :) My family always had this in lieu of more "traditional" cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's tangy, but also really sweet. You can cut the sugar back to 1 cup to reduce the sweetness, if you prefer.



My Mom's Cranberry Salad



1 bag frozen cranberries, chopped in blender

1 can crushed pineapple

2 cups sugar

1 container Cool Whip (you could make 2 cups of real whipped cream)

1 package marshmallows

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)



Combine cranberries, pineapple, and sugar in bowl. Let sit one hour. Pour into colander, and let drain over bowl (covered) for two hours (I usually leave it overnight). In a larger bowl, combine Cool Whip and marshmallows. Fold in cranberry mixture and nuts (if using). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

Can I just say, "Yummmmmmy"! These were so good that even my brother-in-law, Jordan (who hates sweet potatoes) went back for seconds! Everyone raved. I found the recipe at ourbestbites.blogspot.com.

4 c. mashed sweet potatoes (roast potatoes in oven at 400 degrees for 40 min - 1 hour)
6 T. butter, melted
6 T. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all together and spread in 9x13 inch pan.

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top. The topping can be doubled. I did!

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. coconut flakes
1/2 stick butter

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. I didn't take pictures but you can check out our best bites for pictures of theirs.

PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Recipe from FHE on Sunday. I did not used reduced-fat butter or cream cheese. Recipe says it serves 24....must be awfully small servings!


Crust:
1 pkg (18-1/4 oz) yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 c reduced-fat butter, melted

Filling:
1 pkg (8 oz) reduced-fat cream cheese
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c reduced fat butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Additional powdered sugar, optional

1. In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, egg and butter on low speed until combined. Press into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.

2. In another large bowl, beat cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the butter, eggs egg whites and vanilla; beat on low until combined. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Pour over crust.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Chill until serving. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Alfredo Chicken Pot Pie

I was experimenting with this, but it turned out yummy.

Alfredo Chicken Pot Pie

Pie crusts- top and bottom
2 cups cooked,diced chicken breast
2 cups mixed veggies (I used peas and carrots, but you can use what ever.)
1 roasted red bell pepper -diced
approx 1 1/2 cup alfredo sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Combine Chicken, veggies and sauce. Prepare bottom pie crust in 9in pie dish. Fill with chicken mixture. Cover with top pie crust and crimp the edges. Cut slits on top crust. Bake for 40-45 mins or until crust is golden brown.

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Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

I have made this a few times and we love it at our house. For our family it is a great "make once, eat twice recipe". It makes 2 9x9 pans. You just eat one and freeze the other. I found the recipe on My Kitchen Cafe.



Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage
Adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes with juice, lightly crushed with hands (or crushed tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni
10 ounces baby spinach (I double the amount of spinach - fresh or frozen)
12 ounces smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 ounces fontina (or mozzarella) cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 2 ounces coarsely grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute.

Stir in tomatoes and oregano; cook until tomatoes are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted. Drain, and return contents to pot.

Add tomato sauce, sausage, and cubed fontina to pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between two shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dishes. Top with grated fontina and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

You can freeze half and cook from frozen at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until browned and edges are crisp.

Sweet Potato Fries

Jordan and Janell brought over a grocery bag full of sweet potatoes the other night. Emmalin and I have been in sweet potato heaven ever since! She and I both LOVE them. Emmalin devours these fries. They're pretty tasty! Stay tuned for more sweet potato recipes!

1 lb. sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Mix oil with seasonings. Stir in sweet potatoes and coat evenly. Spread out on baking sheet in single layer. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring around every 10 minutes.

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Wild Rice Soup

I found this recipe last year on Picky Palate, and we all loved it! My kids don't even complain about the veggies in it (though Adam eats around the onions). This makes a big pot of soup, but I'm not sure exactly how much it serves.

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Wild Rice Soup

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

4 large carrots, peeled and sliced

4 Cups fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 cans chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup (I use low-fat)

1 can cheddar cheese soup

¾ Cup milk or heavy cream (I use milk)

2 Cups cooked shredded chicken breast

1 Cup cooked wild rice (I normally do 2 because my kids really like it)

Pinches of salt and pepper to taste

Place oil into a large dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Saute onion and carrots 8-10 minutes or until softened. Stir in baby spinach and cook until slightly wilted. Stir in garlic for 1 minute then add chicken broth, soups, milk, chicken, salt and pepper. Heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until heated through.

Green Bean Casserole

Gage and Amberly had Thanksgiving Feasts at school today. My assignment for Amberly was easy -- plates and silverware. Gage's teacher asked me to bring green beans. I decided to make green bean casserole and found this recipe over at realmomkitchen. Honestly I didn't think the kids would touch it. It's green beans after all. I'm a fan, but these are 2nd graders we're talking about. Well...the kids loved it and I was named by Gage's peers, "The Best Green Bean Casserole Maker".

Picture snagged from realmomkitchen.blogspot.com 2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. sour cream
3 cans cut green beans, drained
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 (2.8 oz) can or 1 1/3 c. French's french fried onions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add flour and stir til smooth. Continue cooking and stirring for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add salt, sugar, and sour cream. Mix well. Add green beans and stir until coated. Pour into 2 1/2 quart pan (I used a 9x13). Sprinkle with cheese and then sprinkle with onion. Bake covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.

Chicken a la King

This was one of my favorite dishes growing up, and I usually make it on my birthday. There's absolutely nothing healthy about it, but it's total yummy comfort food. (Sorry about the completely un-appetizing picture... it tastes good. Really. :) )

Chicken a la King

Serves 6-8

1/2 cup butter
1 green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I leave this out)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups chicken broth

2 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey
Hot mashed potatoes, rice, or toast (We always do homemade mashed potatoes)

Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook bell pepper and mushrooms in butter, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper is crisp-tender.

Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk and broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken; cook until hot. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or toast.

Apple Crisp

Tonight for Relief Society we had a slow cooker pot luck. I decided to take my tried-and-true apple crisp recipe (from Tiffin) and make it in the slow cooker. It turned out really good.

Apple Crisp

8 large golden delicious apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup apple juice
juice from one lemon
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cups oatmeal (the original only uses 1/3 cup, but I like it with more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
cinnamon

Place apples in bottom of slow cooker. Mix juices together and pour over apples. In a large bowl combine sugars, flour, oatmeal and salt. Cut in butter and crumble over apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours. If you prefer a crunchier crumb topping, place uncovered crock on bottom rack of oven under the broiler for 5 minutes or so.

Oven directions: Place apples in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour juices over them. Add the crumb topping and cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Click here for printable version.

Caleb's Enchiladas

The other day I made Caleb's enchiladas. Mike loves them, especially since they make good leftovers. I was eating them for lunch too and Joss wanted to share with me. You can't tell from the picture, but Joss really likes enchiladas.

In case there is someone who doesn't know how to make these.

Bean Burros Enchilada Style

Flour Tortillas- burrito size
Refried beans
Cheese
Enchilada sauce

Wrap beans and cheese in tortillas. Bake in 350 degree oven for approx 10 mins.
Pour enchilada sauce over burros. Top with cheese. Bake an additional 10 mins.

I usually put sliced black olives on top before I bake them but it optional.

Sticky Coconut Chicken

Amanda showed me this recipe a while ago and I thought I would give it a try. It was so good. I think it had a little too much black pepper, but that was just me. Patrick thought it was just right. We also loved the rice with the coconut milk. Mmmmmmmmm...

Sticky Coconut Chicken
from MyKitchenCafe

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Marinade chicken in coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour (I let mine marinade four about four to five hours). Grill on barbecue.

Glaze:
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

While the chicken is grilling, bring above ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Be patient because it takes a little while. But once it starts getting really thick, immediately take it off the heat! Glaze both sides of chicken the last few minutes of grilling and serve chicken over rice.

Sidenote: I used the extra coconut milk left in the can as part of the liquid in my rice and it was unbelievable! It was very mildly sweet and paired so well with the chicken. Yum!