Baked Beans

Welcome back to New Meal Mondays. Thank you for stopping by.
I think I finally have a baked bean recipe that I like. I have been trying for over a year with no success. It always seemed to bland. I realized I needed to use more flavors. This one worked. We enjoyed it this week with some macaroni salad and corn on the cob. It was really quite simple and the crockpot slow cooked it to combine all the flavors together.

I dumped 1 can of pork & beans and 1 (drained) can of red kidney beans into the crockpot, then started adding what I thought would work. Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, molasses, mustard, 1 Knorr chicken stock concentrate and some homemade dry onion soup mix my sister made for me. I then browned some breakfast sausage (what needed used up) and added it to the pot. I didn't measure just went by taste but if I had to guess I used around 1-2 Tbs for the Worcestershire, molasses and soup mix, then around 1/4 cup of mustard, ketchup and BBQ. Once I had everything mixed in, I let it cook about 3-4 hours in low.

Next time I am going to make it with ground beef and some bacon! What do you use in your baked beans? Please share I would love to try it next time.

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Pinterest Birthday Party, Part 2- The Food

For more ideas on this Pinterest birthday party go to part one and Heather's post.
Today I thought I would share all the Pinterest perfect food we enjoyed at this party and count it as a "New Meal Monday" post. Each guest was asked to bring a dish to share that they pinned or one they have been wanting to try (if they are not on pinterest). There was so much food, I didn't get pictures of it all. But here is some of the yumminess I did capture.

 And then there are these...

This is my first attempt at them and they may look good only because I hid the messy part of them in the cupcake liners! lol The first thing I did is search Pinterest under how to make cake pops My first tip: give yourself a couple days to make these so you don't rush any steps. My second tip: don't skip any steps. And my third tip: have at least double the melting chocolate than you think you will need. As I found out, what makes a cake pop look so good is 2 coats of chocolate, so back to the store I went!

I will admit this newbie to professional party planning may or may not have overbooked herself. I had this great opportunity the same weekend to publicly announce my new adventure at our local primary school's carnival. They let small businesses set a table to display their business for just $10. The response was awesome and I even got a special order that day. So worth my time!

So, because of the extra business activity I didn't use the made from scratch recipe that I had wanted to do. I also graciously accepted the help that was offered to bake the cakes from 3 boxed mixes for me. It saved me a step! Thank you Mr. Awesome! Once the cakes were done and my table all packed up I picked up these cakes all ready to go. We used 1 strawberry boxed cake and 1 white boxed cake and 1 lemon boxed cake colored turquoise! I don't have every step because I was new to this type of cake making and in a time crunch. So next time I will have a more step by step process for you.

The first thing I did when I got the crumbled cakes home is make up a batch of homemade cream cheese frosting. I will share in another post for you the recipe. Just mix in a little bit of frosting at a time. You want it to stick together but not be too mushy. Once you think you have it right (the only way you will know is to do this a few times). This first time I was just praying I did it right! Put them in the fridge for at least 4 hours. I needed them to turn out (no time for a back up plan) so I did overnight in the fridge.

They look so pretty and colorful! But just keep reading. lol!

The next morning is where it got interesting. And I only have the one picture because I was not enjoying this process.
Because it takes 2 coats of chocolate to make them look so nice I did all of the ones with out sticks in white chocolate to save time and money. (I originally wanted them 3 different colors). I also had to get them in the fridge as soon as the chocolate coat went on. The sticked ones I had in white chocolate for the first coat then colored for the second.
I had to do this crazy karate chopping action on my wrist to get the extra chocolate off the sticked pops. (That was one of the instructions I read up on. Tap your wrist not the stick or you will break the pop off the stick). Aside from all the steps to get them on the stick without them falling off they coated so much nicer than the ones without the sticks. I couldn't get a clean coat with the stickless ones.

Once all the pops were coated a second time, with the remaining  red and turquoise melted chocolate, I put each in a separate sandwhich bag, snipped of just a tiny corner and piped the swirls or dots on all the pops. Some I topped with sprinkles. 

 My honest feelings and thoughts during the cake pop making processes was "I don't like this, way too much work, and I am not impressed." I also may have swore off doing these ever again. Hahaha joke is on me because EVERYONE loved them including my husband, which totally surprised me. He said he loved the dense cake part. ...so I will be trying these again now that I know what to expect.

 Later this week I will share the final part of this party in some things we made for and during this event. For another perspective be sure to check out Heather's post. Thanks for stopping by!

Made from Scratch Spinach Dip

I enjoy a good spinach dip every now and again. I finally learned how to make it at my sisters house one day. While I was shopping at my favorite discount grocery store, I was in the seasoning section looking for any spinach dip packets that I might be able to get for a great price. They didn't have any however, they did have some dehydrated vegetable flakes and it gave me the idea to try to make the seasoning myself, so I purchased some.

Spinach Dip from scratch:
1/2 bag fresh spinach that has been frozen
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1-2 TBS ranch seasoning mix
1 can water chestnuts drained and chopped
1/2 cup dehydrated veggies
bread or veggies to dip with

I use fresh spinach that I have frozen. *If I remember-as soon as I take it out of the freezer, I crunch it up in the bag. It breaks up nicely, which means I can skip the chopping step later. Once I have crunched up my spinach I place it in a steamer basket and cover it for about 7 minutes.

Once it is finished steaming, I drain, allow to cool, then using a paper towel- squeeze the excess water out of the spinach. Then I mix it in with all of the other ingredients. If I can stand it, I will leave the spinach dip in the fridge for a few hours so the dehydrated veggies can soften.

I had my mom try it, she and I both agreed it tastes pretty close to the prepackaged seasoning mix. Yummo!

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6 Reasons you may like Potato Chip Casserole: New Meal Monday

Ok, so this is not a new recipe for me but maybe for you? I was feeling sentimental (missing my dad and grandmother). And Potato Chip Casserole sounded good for dinner. This is one my Grandma Lois used to make.

If you never have had this, you may like it for the following reasons:
1) You like potato chips
2) You like cheese in your casserole
3) You like tater tot casserole
4) You like tuna casserole
5) You like any casserole
6) You like comfort food

Ingredients:
Wavy or Ruffles original potato chips
1 can tuna drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can of evaporated milk (regular milk will work too)
grated cheese (I used rest of havarty and colby)
pepper

 In a baking dish mix tuna, canned soup, cheese (leave some to put on top), pepper and the milk. Once combined slowly add the potato chips- careful to break up chips but not crush them. It will look like this when ready for oven:

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbling. Then add remain cheese to the top and put back in oven to melt the cheese.

Enjoy! What is one of your comfort food recipes? Please share in the comments below.

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One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage & Pasta

This dish I have made 3 times now. It is becoming one of our favorites. It is versatile in that I have made it a little different each time and every time it comes out yummy! The original recipe I found on Pinterest which led me here for the complete instructions on how to make. Two things I have learned about my cooking: one I need to go ahead and spend the money needed for ingredients I wouldn't usually buy, in order for me to make something tasty for my family. The other is that I like not having to follow a recipe exactly. I am learning that I enjoy cooking when I can make it my own. So that is what I have done here. 

Ingredients I used were: avocado oil, smoked sausage, garlic seasoning salt, half a can of diced tomatoes, a scoop of roasted tomato cream cheese, about 1/2 a cup of creamy havarti cheese, 1/2 cup canned evaporated milk, 1 can chicken broth and about 8oz dry pasta. You can truly add any kind of cheese, milk and noodles. I have made with garlic flavored cheddar cheese, added sour cream, and used several different types of noodles too. I have found this to be a forgiving recipe...that's my kind of dish! But again if you want the recipe I originally used see it here

Now lets cook! First I swirled around my large pan some oil then added the sausage sliced up and sprinkled some seasoning on it. I lightly brown the sausage.

Once the sausage is ready I then add the can of chicken broth, milk, canned tomatoes and noodles. I give it a good stir, let the mixture come to a boil, then cover and turn down to cook around 12-15 min on low. I stir the mix every few minutes and re-cover (just because stuff tends to stick to the bottom of this pan)

Once the noodles are done I then add the cheeses and give it a good stir, and let it all melt in. 
Then it is time to enjoy. I serve it up usually with a salad. Yum! 

 What's for dinner tonight?

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Linking up at: Faith Filled Food For Moms

New Meal Monday: Baked Talapia and Yams

Baked Talapia and Yams

Hi friends. Thanks for stopping by! Ok, for the record, it is NOT easy to document your real life with the intentions to share later on your blog. And do you know why that is... well it is because real life happens. Case in point...things were going well. To start with I remembered to charge the batteries for the camera so I can take pictures as I go. I had everything I needed to try a new recipe, dinner was in the oven on time, etc. The phone rings its mom to tell me she is running behind at work and as she is speaking I spy on the refrigerator a post card. It was a reminder of a meeting I needed to attend that night. I search for the time on it, sure enough the meeting is a 7pm. I glance at the clock which reads 6:15. UGGG! I quickly get ready, let hubby know that it will be just him and our daughter eating together and run off to the meeting. The photo above is one that I took after I got back from the meeting and reheated for myself. But it was still yummy!

To start with about an hour before I needed to cook the talapia I started the yams. I love them baked with some butter and cinnamon on top. Dear hubby and sunshine like them same as always. Sweet with "juice" to pour over them. I have been experimenting with how to make these without using the canned yams. My problem with the fresh is how do I get the "liquid" that the can ones always come in. I grew up just straining the canned yams and fixing them once strained. Dear hubby grew up with the liquid going into the baking dish along with the canned yams and then once you add the butter and brown sugar it becomes this sweet "juice" in which to pour over the baked yams upon serving. I hope I am making sense. Anyways I want to make more fresh items but still cook them in a way that I know my family will eat them. So I have made what I think is close to what dear hubby grew up with.

I peel and cut up the yams and put them in the baking dish. I then take about 2 Tbs of butter and melt it then add that to about 1/2 cup of warm water. I then add some brown sugar (about 2 Tbs) and a few dashes of cinnamon. I don't really measure this because I am still experimenting. Then I bake them for about 45 minutes or so until the yams are soft. You could then add the marshmallows (but I didn't this time).  If anyone has an idea what I can use instead of water I would love for you to share in your comment.

 

A tip for baking whole yams: put foil under them, they leak when baking and make a mess. 

While the yams are in the oven I get started with the talapia:

For the talapia we tried a seasoning that dear husband brought home. It is a sweet rub from Traeger. The first thing I needed to do was to pat dry the fish. Then I drizzled olive oil in the pan and use a basting brush to coat the fillets. Then I coated them with the sweet rub.

I covered the fillets with foil and baked at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or so (I check often). Then I took the foil off the top and turned on the broiler to finish cooking the last five minutes.

Next week I hope to have a more finished meal to share....if real life works out like that!