Hope you enjoyed following along!

I am sorry for the lack of posts the last few months.  My life has changed from a quiet stay at home mother, to a busy stay at home mother.  With our new house, one child in school now, and a very very busy toddler it never ends.  I no longer have time to share awesome recipes but will continue to cook.  Please feel free to follow me on pinterest or facebook to keep up with what I am cooking.  You all should be able to access my recipes still, if I do this right!

Fried Rice

Life as a Lofthouse (Food Blog):Fried Rice was a perfect recipe for fried rice.  This recipe will allow you to add what vegetables or meat you would like.  It worked perfect for some leftover rice we had in the fridge and made a whole new dinner alongside a chicken dish.

The kids approved and next time I make it when Mr.Picky is home I am sure he will as well.  The flavor with the sesame oil is spot on and although it seems like a lot of soy sauce the dish is not salty at all.  Enjoy this new side dish to all your favorites.  If you haven’t tried sweet and sour chicken yet, this is the perfect thing to pair with it.

Fried Rice:

• 3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)
• 3 Tablespoons sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1/2-1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
• 1/2-1 cup carrots, chopped and steamed lightly or frozen (thawed)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 3-4 Tablespoons soy sauce

Over medium heat, heat oil and add in carrots, peas, onions, and garlic.  Cook until just tender.

Reduce heat to low and push vegetables to the side.  Pour eggs in the opposite side and fry until scrambled.

Add in the rice and soy sauce and mix all together.
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Fresh Rhubarb Pie Recipe

Mr.Picky was in need of a rhubarb pie, so I went to my favorite recipe Fresh Rhubarb Pie Recipe – Allrecipes.com.  This tastes like a million bucks and always turns out perfect.  If you have crust already made it takes maybe 10 minutes to put together.

I love the tartness of rhubarb against a flaky crust and a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Ice cream is not my favorite but some dessert require ice cream and this is one of them.  Rhubarb is one of my favorite vegetables and I can’t wait to try a bunch of new savory recipes I came across.

Rhubarb Pie:

• 1 recipe of a 9 inch double crust, I would recommend my never fail pie crust recipe
• 4-5 cups rhubarb, chopped
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 Tbs flour
• 1 Tbs butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out first pie crust and place in a 9 inch pie plate.

Combine sugar and flour, and sprinkle the bottom crust with 1/4 of the mixture.

Add the chopped rhubarb and sprinkle evenly with the remaining sugar and flour mixture.

Dot the pie with small pieces of butter and cover with top crust.  Slice a few 2-3 inch marks on top of crust for steam to escape.

Place pie on lowest rack of oven, and bake for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat on oven to 350 degrees and continue baking for 40-45 minutes.

Serve warm or cold with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Cheesesteaks

I had never eaten a Philly cheesesteak before I made Cheesesteaks | the little kitchen.  This recipe was so easy and tasted like you slaved in the kitchen.  There is a little prep work but once that is done, the recipe comes together in minutes.  Enjoy a quick and hearty sandwich for dinner.

The unique thing about this recipe is the going into the oven when it is complete.  Heating through in the oven brings the sandwich to another level.  The link above has great step by step photos if you need some good visuals.

• 4 hoagie rolls
• 1/2-1 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms (if you want them), thinly sliced
• 1.25-1.5 rib eye steak, thinly sliced and then chopped finely
• 8 pieces of Muenster cheese or provolone or a combo of the two
• 3 Tbs butter
• salt and pepper

First prep all vegetables and meat  slices as listed.  Place each hoagie in an open position on a sheet of foil, so it is ready to be filled.

If using mushrooms you can simply sauté them on their own or with the onions and peppers if you like the combo.  Using 1 Tbs butter sauté over medium/high heat in a non stick skillet all the vegetables.  Cook 5-8 minutes until golden, once cooked season with salt and pepper.  Remove vegetables and place on a plate to the side.

Wipe out the pan and add 1 Tbs butter and half the meat over medium heat, season with salt and pepper.  Saute the meat for 1-2 minutes add in half the vegetables back in and mix the two together.

Divide this mixture in to two sections and top with cheese until melted.  Slide off each cheese covered section into a roll.  And repeat with remaining meat and vegetables until all hoagies have been filled.

Now tightly wrap each hoagie roll up almost squashing it.  Place in a 250 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.  If reheating leftovers leave the foil on and store in a plastic bag.  Reheat at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
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Tex-Mex Cheese Ball

This cute post The Perfect Fall Cheese Ball – Family Fresh Meals caught my eye and I pinned it on Pinterest.  Unfortunately I didn’t get around to making it until December and no longer was a pumpkin cheese ball necessary.  I am more than glad I made this Tex-Mex Cheese Ball.  It was a huge hit for my birthday and all my company enjoyed it.

I made the cheese ball the day before to save some time the next day at the party.  I even crushed my Doritos and kept them in a sealed bag to just roll and go the next day.  As I was making it we had a few extra friends visiting us and helping me with the cooking.  One of the little girls told me it was going to be “the hit of the party” it was so good.

Making half the recipe next time would probably work.  Even with my large crowd we ended up with a bunch of leftovers.  Although we ate it for snack the next few days.  We also used the leftovers to spread inside some chicken quesadillas which turned out great.

• 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 cup shredded cheese (I used mexican blend)
• 3 Tbs onions, minced
• 3 Tbs salsa, your favorite kind
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 cup nacho cheese chips, crushed

In a stand mixer combine all ingredients but the chips.  Mix until creamy and combined.

Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter and scoop the mixture into a mound in the center.

Wrap up the ball tightly and chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

When ready to serve roll in the crushed chips.

We served ours with tortilla chips and wheat crackers.  Celery and carrots would also be very good.

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Sticky Chicken Tenders

After coming acoss Perfect chicken tenders recipe | DearCrissy.com they looked so good I needed to try them.  Love any new chicken dish I can get my hands on.  The family loved these and they could accompany many side dishes.  I miss read the directions and over cooked the chicken slightly but will fix that next time. The flavor was wonderful though.

Sticky Chicken Tender:

• 1 lb. chicken breast, sliced into chicken tenders
• 1 cup italian dressing, your favorite
• juice of 1 lime
• 4 tsp honey

Place all ingredients but chicken in a plastic bag, smash-up in bag to mix liquid.  Add in the chicken and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.

Add liquid and chicken to a skillet over medium heat.  Continue to cook until sauce is reduced and brown, about 30 minutes.  Make sure they do not burn and stir often.  Toss the chicken in any remaining glaze before serving.

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Crock Pot Italian Chicken

Crock pot Italian chicken turned out so flavorful.  Thanks to Hunk of Meat Monday: Crock Pot Italian Chicken  I had a quick meal on a busy day.  Wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the meat but I quickly put it in the crock pot and left the house.

When I returned home, I simple pulled the chicken out and shredded it then returned it to the pot.  I then gave my family the option of having it as a sandwich, quesadilla, or atop a salad.  We all tried it a different way.  I ate it on a salad for three days in a row it was so good.  This was not to spicy for the kids because there are no seeds left in the peppers.

I am still searching for a substitute for an Italian seasoning package.  I hate to use those packets of seasoning.  They do taste so good and are quick.  Need a healthier option will keep you posted.

• 2 lbs. of chicken, mixture of breasts and boneless skinless thighs works great
• 1 package of italian seasoning/dressing mixture
• up to a 12 oz. jar of mild pepper rings or seed and slice whole ones, plus 2-4 Tbs of juice from jar

Place chicken in slow cooker.

Sprinkle with seasoning and top with peppers.  Add a bit of juice from the pepper jar.

Turn the crock pot to low and cook on low for about 8 hours.  Around hour 7 you can remove the chicken shred and return to the pot.

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Breakfast Crescent Pizza

So I was searching in the fridge for something different for breakfast.  I came up with plenty of eggs and half a kielbasa sausage.  Then I noticed a rolls of crescent rolls, which are usually bought for a purpose and I was surprised to see it in the fridge.  This is how I came up with breakfast crescent pizza.

Keep in mind anything would really work for your toppings.  Scrambled eggs are the base and I would choose some great meat or sautéed vegetables on top.

• crescent rolls
• scrambled eggs
• grated cheese
• bacon, sausage, or ham, cooked and chopped
• mushrooms, spinach,onions,zucchini,bell pepper, etc., chopped and sautéed until tender

Start by rolling out the crescent roll into rectangles.  Each can would make 4 large rectangles.  If you tried this with triangles you wouldn’t be able to fit very many toppings on.]

Bake the rectangles according to directions minus 1-2 minutes.

Meanwhile scramble eggs, cook or brown meat, and sauté your vegetables.

Remove the crescent rolls from the oven.  Top with eggs, vegetables, meat, and a bit of grated cheese to lock it all in.

Place back in oven for 1-2 more minutes until cheese is melted.

I ate mine with salsa on top or some might like ketchup!

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Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Came across this recipe from Recipes Straight from the Kowboys Home: “Big Mac” Meatloaf.  Big Mac meatloaf sounded right up Mr.Picky’s alley.  The recipe turned out nice and moist, not sure about tasting like a big mac.  It definitely tasted like a cheeseburger.  Cheeseburger meatloaf is not your average meatloaf and was a great change.

The technique was really interesting and I am going to run wild with it.  I can’t wait to stuff all kinds of fillings into meatloaf.  I would serve this as cheeseburgers to company by just slicing and serving on buns.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf:

• 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup thousand island dressing
• 2/3 cup cracker or bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup sweet relish
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all but the cheese and mix well until evenly combined.

Divide the meat mixture in half.  Spread each half flat in to a rectangle on a piece of wax paper.

Sprinkle the cheese even between the two flat rectangles.

Roll each sheet of meat as if making cinnamon rolls, from the long end to long end.

Place the rolls side by side in a 9 x 13″ baking dish.

Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove from oven and top with a bit of ketchup and some more cheese if desired.

Continue to bake another 15 minutes or so.
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Morning Glory Muffins

I love muffins and quick breads, muffins are even better on the go.  Unfortunately muffins are usually loaded with fat and sugar.  After reading a mix of morning glory muffin recipes I figured my recipe out.  I actually forgot about this recipe from a few years ago.  Until my Grandma gave me a large bag of carrots from the garden, I knew I would use some for baking and this recipe popped into my head.

This recipe uses two fruits and two vegetables and just a bit of sugar. The kids love these muffins and the possibilities are endless.  You could add in raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips for a real treat.  Don’t worry if you don’t have some of the fruit and vegetables substitute out for your favorite or more of another.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs flaxseed meal
• 1 Tbs cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 banana, mashed well
• 1 1/2 cup carrot, grated
• 1 cup zucchini, grated
• 1 cup apple, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup orange juice or apple juice

Whisk or sift together flours, baking powder,baking soda,sugar,salt, cinnamon and flaxseed meal.

In a mixer or large bowl combine eggs, vanilla, all fruits, and juices. Add in the dry mixture until just combined. Scoop evenly into lightly greased muffin tins, about 18 regular muffins.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Cool and enjoy!

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