Loaded Baked Potato Chowder

This is the recipe that was demonstrated at the recent Pampered Chef Party I hosted in January.  It is super easy to make and doesn't take more than 30 minutes start-to-finish since you make it using the microwave.  I mention a few Pampered Chef tools in the directions but you don't need them to make this recipe.  This filling, quick chowder is perfect on a cold night to warm your family up in a hurry!

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Loaded Baked Potato Chowder
Recipe courtesy of Pampered Chef

Ingredients

• 3 large baking potatoes (roughly 2 1/2 pounds)
• 3 1/2 cups milk, divided
• 4 ounces cream cheese (you can omit this if you want to make a lighter version)
• 2 T butter
• 2-3 green onions, sliced
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (4 ounces give or take...we did way more!)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (I added this amount but think it needs a little more next time I make it)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Optional toppings: chopped bacon, sour cream

Directions

1. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise.  Place in a microwave safe dish that has a lid (you can use the Deep Covered Baker or Rock and Crok here if you have them).  Pour 1/2 cup milk over potatoes.  Microwave on HIGH for 11 minutes and test potatoes for doneness by sticking them with a fork!  If they need more time, rotate potatoes from top to bottom, or outside of dish to inside and cook on HIGH another 8-11 minutes.  Coarsely mash potatoes (with the Mix'N chop if you have it).
2. Whisk cream cheese until smooth.  Add remaining 3 cups milk whisking until smooth.  Add mixture to potatoes.  Microwave on HIGH 3-5 minutes or until hot.  
3. Remove from microwave.  Ladle chowder into bowls and top with green onion, chopped bacon and shredded cheese.

Note: I cooked one pound of bacon in the oven (375 for 40 minutes for crispy bacon) two days before I made this recipe and then used the bacon in three different meals - twice for breakfast and then this dinner meal.  Now that I have two children and have found that the dinner hour can be uber stressful so I try to cook once and then use that material several times if possible.  Case in point - the bacon for this recipe.  I also do this often with ground beef.

Beefy-Cheesy-Au Gratin potato casserole

Disclaimer: A relative dropped this super yummy casserole by when we were adjusting to life after bringing Katherine home from the hospital.  I am making it tonight for the first time but I promise you won't be disappointed!  It's easy to assemble and would be great for a quick, protein packed weeknight meal.

Beefy-Cheesy-Au Gratin potato Casserole
Whatcha Making Wednesdays

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 box Au Gratin potatoes
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups shredded cheddar

Directions

1. Brown hamburger.  You can add diced onions if you want.  Drain fat.  Add salt and pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon of oregano.
2. Sprinkle potatoes in bottom of a 2-quart baking dish, or a 9x13 pan.
3. Sprinkle cheese that came with potatoes over the bottom layer.
4. Distribute ground beef and then tomatoes over the pan.
5. Add 1 can of water over top.
6. Sprinkle cheese.
7. Cook uncovered for 25 minutes at 425 degrees.

Naughty Cornbread

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Naughty Cornbread
(Tammie Zimmerman)

Tis' the season to make chili  and cornbread, is it not? I love chili and I love cornbread and I especially love the recipe I am sharing today.  I saw it on a friend's Instagram so I will give her credit but I'm sure there are other variation out there.

Ingredients
-1 recipe cornbread (I use my mom's recipe but you can use a box mix as well.)
-1 yellow cake mix

I apologize for the super long grocery list. Hehe.

Directions

Mix the cornbread recipe with the yellow cake mix recipe.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Test it just like a cake for doneness by sticking a toothpick and making sure it comes out clean.


This recipe is definitely more cake than bread but I promise you'll never go back to regular cornbread again!  Never!  Enjoy:)

Carroty Mac-n-Cheese

Katherine was a bear to try and teach to breast feed.  She would cry for up to an hour before latching on, if she even did that.  Stubborn?  I'd say so, just like her father. ;)  That said I still wanted to breast feed her so I turned to pumping as the next best option.  With Katherine at 5-months old I am still pumping four times a day and supplementing with formula as needed.  All this to say that I often times have long periods of time with nothing to do but stare off into space - at least when I pump before my bambinos wake up in the morning and after they go to bed at night.  I quickly tired of Facebook and checking email so I began reading recipes in search of new, yummy and fairly quick dishes to make.  Weelicious provided a link to this recipe on a list of their favorites from 2011 and it has proven a fast favorite with the two and under crowd in our house.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Whatcha Making Wednesdays: Carroty Mac and Cheese
(Three Many Cooks)
Makes 6 servings

2 cups whole wheat macaroni
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrot (about 8 small)
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400° F and grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven.
2. Cook macaroni according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water; add carrot 3 minutes before pasta is finished cooking; drain well.
3. While pasta is hot, stir in all but 1/2 cup of the cheddar and the butter. In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, salt, mustard powder, and pepper. Fold mixture into the pasta.
4. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and the parmesan over the top. Bake until the casserole is firm to the touch and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

What Else?(from Three Many Cooks)

• If you’re grating your cheddar cheese in the food processor, you don’t have to wash out the machine before grating the carrots. Or vice versa.
• This is one of those macaroni and cheeses with an eggy custard base that puffs as it cooks, and is cut into squares to serve, like a casserole, as opposed to that gooey, creamy, stove-top béchamel sauce version. I know that some people have strong opinions about proper mac and cheese (I’m an equal opportunist myself), but thought I’d let you know what you’re getting.
• You can vary the cheese to give this rather plain (if tasty) dish more personality. Gruyère, aged Cheddar, pecorino, and aged Gouda will all add a sophisticated allure that will raise it above mere kids’ food.

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas

Whatcha Making Wednesdays: Crock Pot Beef Carnitas

(Eat.Live.Run)

This recipe is seriously awesome.  One of the best crock pot recipes I've ever tried and definitely a new favorite BEEF recipe of mine!  My friend Lauren shared it with my sister and I  and we ended up making it for my parent's joint birthday lunch in September.  It obviously is now making regular appearances in the Wright household.  Try it, you won't regret it!

Ingredients:

2 lbs flank steak (I want to try this with a top round steak aka London broil....I have a few in my freezer that need a destination!)

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

for spice rub---

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

for serving---

corn tortillas

avocado slices

cilantro

your favorite salsa

limes

Directions:

1.       Mix together all spices in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over your flank steak---be generous here! Then, place your steak at the bottom of your crock pot.

2.       Cover the steak with the chopped onions, bell peppers and jalapeno pepper. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours.

3.       After 8 hours, remove meat from crock pot and shred with a fork. It should be incredibly easy to shred. You can either stick the shredded meat back in the pot for another hour or serve as is.

4.       To serve, heat your corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some carnitas on a tortilla then top with salsa, avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

5.       Enjoy with a margarita for best result.

Time:

active time--10 min

total time---8 hours

Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
Kindly adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 12 whole Dinner Rolls Or Small Sandwich Buns (I used Rhodes frozen dinner rolls and "made" my own!  The sandwiches turned out to be more like sliders.)
• 1 pound Thinly Shaved Roast Beef Or Ham (or Both!)
• 1 pound Cheese (Provolone, Swiss, Mozzarella, Even Cheez Whiz...I used slices of whatever I had and needed to use up in my fridge)
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 3 Tablespoons Grated Onion (or 1 Tbsp Dried Onion Flakes))
• 1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Spicy Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Horseradish Mayo Or Straight Prepared Horseradish
•  Dash Of Worcestershire
•  Optional Dressing Ingredients: Sriracha, Hot Sauce, Dried Onion Flakes Instead Of Fresh, Garlic Powder, Pepper, Etc.)

Preparation Instructions

1. Slice rolls in half. Mix together mayo, grated onion, poppy seeds, spicy mustard, horseradish, and Worcestershire. Taste it and adjust ingredients however you wish.
2. To assemble, generously spread dressing on top and bottom buns. Lay on roast beef or ham, then one or two slices of cheese (I cut them to fit the small buns.) I ended up using a small slice of provolone and cheddar.  I liked the ooey gooey mess they produced together.
3. Wrap each sandwich in a foil square, and either keep in the fridge or bake right away. To bake the sandwiches, put them on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The buns should be slightly crusty and the cheese should be melted.

HB and I made a test run of these bad boys the night before Kelly got off shift.  HB seriously devoured his and I may have devoured the three on my plate too!  I ended up making another batch of freezer rolls for round number two the next night when Kelly was home.  I made enough for dinner one night and then had some extra in the fridge because my husband is a snacker.  He loves to come in from working outside and grab a quick snack and head back outside - these fit the bill perfectly!

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Blueberry Crumb Bars

I adapted this recipe from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen.  I realize I just dropped her name like we're BFF's.  We're not.  She doesn't even know who I am.  But I definitely know who she is - I have been reading her blog for years (seriously).  I love most every recipe I try and rarely adapt them.  But this recipe wasn't sweet enough for me upon my first try.  I think that's my pregnancy talking though because I have had some serious cravings for sweets while pregnant with baby Wright #2.  I also just really like brown sugar so that is where I changed things up.  These blueberry bars are heavy on the crumb topping (just the way I like them) and could honestly be served as a sweet side to a breakfast or brunch or  you could easily add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make them a dessert.  Whatever your preference though, enjoy!

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar (1/2 white, 1/2 brown), 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. (This took an extra 10 to 15 minutes in my oven.) Cool completely before cutting into squares.  These store really nicely in the fridge too!

Green Chile Cornbread

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Green Chile Cornbread

A few of my favorite recipes come from my mother-in-law and this recipe is included in that group.  If you've ever had a spoonbread you'll think it similar to this.  I love it when I ask my MIL to write down a recipe for me - she kind of laughs and then starts estimating what the portion size of the ingredients list is.  She always uses a little of this, and a little of that, so her recipes are very adaptable.  In my opinion this makes a tasty, quick side dish for Mexican food or any type of grilled meat.  Plus it is very kiddo friendly - HB loves this and when I served it last week he utilized his newly acquired skill of pointing and grunting "oohh."

Mix the following ingredients together and baked at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  (I realize that is a huge span of time but it is largely variable depending on how deep your dish is.  The shallower your pan, the shorter the time and vice versa.)

2 cans cream style corn
1 can diced greeen chiles (or 1/3 cup if you roast your own)
1 t baking powder
3/4 t garlic salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 - 1 cup corn meal
1 cup (or a good handful) of cheddar cheese
2 eggs

Meatballs

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Comfort Meatballs

For some reason I took a small hiatus from cooking much while Kelly was home on vacation this past month.  One would think I might cook more since he was home more; not true this time though.  We've had a lot going on in our home life with various family members and each situation took a huge toll on this pregnant mama.  Emotionally and physically.  I finally felt up to getting my hands dirty in the kitchen again last week so I made Pioneer Woman's Comfort Meatballs.  I've paged past this recipe in her first cookbook many a time, but never had I been interested until now. I had my doubts about how satisfying the meatballs would be because as you will read in a moment, the ingredient list is fairly simple.  However, PW did not let us down this time. 

Meatball Ingredients
(I changed the original amounts listed in the cookbook because I wanted to use two pounds of ground beef instead of 1 1/2)
-2 pounds ground beef
-1 cup quick oats
-1 1/3 cups milk
-4 T very finely minced onion
-2 teaspoons salt
-Plenty of ground black pepper

4 T canola oil
1/2 cup flour

Sauce
-1 1/3 cup ketchup
-2 1/2 T sugar
-4 T distilled white vinegar
-2 1/3 T Worcestershire sauce
-4 to 6 T minced onion

1. Combine ground beef and oats.  Pour in milk, diced onion, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine - or use your hands like I did! And unless you want to eat super dense, tough meatballs you'll want to use a gentle hand.  Roll the meat mixture into tablespoon size balls and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes - or as long as you need to feed your baby, change diapers, and put out any other "fires" among your children.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the canola oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  (I like using a dutch oven type pot because it helps contain the oil splatters better and makes for a quicker clean up.) Dredge the meatballs in flour and then brown them in batches until light brown.  Place browned meatballs in a baking dish such as a 9x13 baking pan or a rimmed baking sheet.

3.  Stir together the sauce ingredients and spoon the sauce evenly over the meatballs.  Bake for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly and hot.

PW's last step told me to feed this to ravenous nursing mothers because this is the same recipe for meatballs that she craved when she was nursing her children.  So...all my friends who live close enough to make me dinner, don't forget I'm about to have a baby in 2 1/2 weeks! 

Salsa!

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Homemade Salsa

My hubby goes back to work today after a month of vacation...tear, sigh, pout.  He is a firefighter and typically requests vacation for the majority of the month of April so he can lamb out our flock of 40 ewes.  I am grateful that he has such awesome benefits, vacation time being just one of them, and am especially thankful for the time he had at home for the past month.  Seriously though, where did the time go?  The month started off with a quick trip to Montana for my grandmother's memorial service and has since flown by as we celebrated our son's first birthday and made 50 gallons of homemade ice cream for various events (hubby re-built a 1 1/2 horse John Deere engine to churn 5 gallons at a time).  Today's WMW post is in honor of hubby - he makes great homemade salsa for guys at the fire station and here at our casa too!

Mix the following ingredients using a blender:
2 14 oz. cans of stewed tomatoes
1 small can of El Pato
1 bunch of cilantro (I included a picture of cilantro fresh from our garden - it is growing out of control!!)
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
garlic salt to taste

I like my salsa on the smoother side so I tend to blend the mixture too long for hubby's taste.  He likes it chunkier so sometimes he uses sliced, stewed tomatoes or you could even use a petite diced tomato and then just rough chop the veggies and give it all a good stir in a bowl.  Enjoy!

Beef Taco Bake

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Beef Taco Bake

I love making tacos with ground beef!  Using an affordable cut of beef to make something tasty and quick is pretty close to success in my book!  This recipe came from Cook's Country magazine originally but I have included a few adaptations below.  Feel free to get your creativity going because tacos are so easy to change up based on what you like.

2 10-ounce cans of Ro-Tel tomatoes (drain and reserve 1/2 cup juice)
1 16-ounce can refried beans
1 T hot sauce (we like Cholula)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (I never actually measure cheese, I just kind of throw it on until it looks good!)
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
10 taco shells
3 scallions or green onions, sliced thin

1. Heat oven to 475 degrees. Combine half of tomatoes, beans, hot sauce and cilantro in bowl. Spread evenly in 13 by 9 baking dish.  Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.  (Katy's note: This tends to make your tacos soggy so I prefer to just spread the beans in half the dish so they can still be heated up in the oven but not result in soggy bottomed tacos.

2. Cook beef over medium-high heat until no longer ink.  Pour off fat (reduce the fat!!) then stir in taco seasoning, remaining tomatoes, and reserved tomato juice. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened and nearly dry, about 5 minutes.

3. Spoon beef mixture and cheese into each taco shell.  Arrange tacos upright next to bean mixture, cover with foil and bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes.  Remove foil, top with remaining cheese and bake until cheese is melted, about another 4 minutes.  Sprinkle with extra cilantro and green onions and serve!

Note: covering the tacos with foil in the last step helps keep them from burning since the oven is at such a high heat.  It is also important to note that you sometimes burn the tacos when your almost 1-year old son stands up without holding onto something and walks across the kitchen and then you forget about dinner in the oven while you celebrate with him and shower him with kisses.  I made this note in my head for next time so hubby and I don't have to eat black tacos:)

Cream cheese meltaways with lemon glaze

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Cream Cheese Meltaways with Lemon Glaze
Recipe from: either Southern Living or Cooking Light

I don't know about you, but lemon is one of my favorite tastes when spring rolls around.  Hubby planted a lemon tree in our front yard long before it was "ours" and I can now enjoy the fruits of his labor almost year round as we juice the lemons and freeze the concentrate for lemonade and baking.  I've been meaning to try this recipe for a few years now but it's always one of those recipes that I am missing an ingredient for.  I had everything yesterday though and so the baking commenced.  The cookies themselves were okay but the lemon glaze is what made them for me!

Cookies:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine flour, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in large bowl by mixing on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Make sure not to handle the dough too much while forming the balls or they will become heavy and dense. 
4. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until bottoms of cookie are brown.  Cool completely on wire racks.
5. To prepare galze: combine remaining powdered sugar with lemon juice, whisking until smooth.  Dip tops of cookies in glaze; let cookies stand 30 minutes or until glaze is set.

Yield: approximately 36 cookies

I had extra glaze leftover so I am going to use it to glaze a lemon bread today!  Yum:)

Meatloaf & Time Saver Tips

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Meatloaf

I don't know about you but I LOVE meatloaf!  My mom developed my affinity for this gourmet delight and I still aspire to make meatloaf as well as her.  I have already posted one meatloaf recipe this year so I am only going to share that I made meatloaf last night and we had it again for lunch today.  (Side bar: HB also loves meatloaf.  He tore up lunch today - most of the meatloaf on his plate actually ended up and STAYED in his mouth as opposed to on my floor.  You gotta love helping a 10 month old learn to eat.)  I did try a different recipe out of a new cookbook that I have and it turned out fairly well.  A tad on the salty side but sometimes I go little crazy when adding salt and pepper.

As Baby Girl's due date looms on the horizon (11 1/2 weeks left...) I am starting to try to make and freeze a few meals that will make my transition from a household of 4 to 5 a tad less stressful.  I am not going out of my way to do this, but while making freezer friendly meals I try to double the recipe so we can eat one now and freeze one for later.  My gracious hubby helped me actually triple a lasagna recipe two weeks ago so we could eat one, freeze one and deliver one to a couple in Buckeye who just had their first baby.  Tripling the recipe sounded easy until I looked at the pile of dishes we had to do but in the end I was glad we did it all at once.  On this note of saving time, I ended up tripling my meatloaf recipe last night so we could do the same thing: eat one, freeze one and well, freeze a second one.  The cookbook I used suggested a variation of using the meatloaf for bell pepper stuffing and I thought that was brilliant.  So now I have two more meals frozen and ready to go post delivery of Baby Girl.

I am looking for your suggestions friends - what are some of your freezer friendly meals and time saving tips in the kitchen? 

Bruschetta

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Bruschetta

My sweet hubby volunteered to make me dinner during Valentine's week - I appreciated having a night off from dinner prep but I also enjoyed his thoughtfulness as I enter my third trimester.  His menu included steak, corn on the cob and bruschetta.  He made it from memory based on what he helped make at the fire station previously, and since I'm already bragging, I'll have to admit that it was pretty darn good!  I love, love, loved the bruschetta he made (with Brandy's help) and snacked on it for two days after dinner that night.  If you're looking for a quick and easy appetizer or  even want to serve it as a side dish like we did, bruschetta is the way to go!

Hubby didn't follow a formal recipe - but I wanted to share this with you anyway because it was so delicious and I love that he made it for me!  Here's an approximate recipe based on my observations:

1. Toast french bread - either use a griddle or do this in the oven.  Brush bread with butter first.  To save on time, buy the french bread already cut up like hubby did!

2. Dice tomatoes and fresh, minced garlic.  Crumble feta cheese over mixture.  Add a dash of white vinegar, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Top toasted bread with tomato mixture.

If you're looking for some type of specific quantities, this Taste of Home recipe is fairly similar (with the exception of the vinegar).  And this Black Peppercorn recipe is also similar but uses lemon juice instead of vinegar for a splash of acidity.

What is your "go to" appetizer that you like to make at home?

Sticky Buns

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Sticky Buns

I had the best intentions of getting this posted Wednesday but other things came up.  Like a hungry baby, crying baby, a teenager who needed taking to youth group and dishes that did not get done until last night because HB throws a huge fit if not allowed to climb into the dishwasher.  I shouldn't be surprised that these same distractions occur on a daily basis but some weeks seem to be full of such things and few things go as planned.  With that said though, I am delighted to share this recipe with you; the main reason being that I typically fail at recipes involving yeast.  (Case in point: my parmeson herb rolls two weeks ago resembled hockey pocks more than rolls.  Seriously.  Ask my husband.  He is still laughing.)  However, this recipe seemed to be a success plus my husband LOVES any type of morning delight such as these sticky buns.  The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks American Bistro.  The recipes tend to have numerous ingredients but every one that I have tried has been phenomenal.

Enjoy the recipe below!  Oh, and I plan on making these Giant Cinnamon Twists for hubby on Valentine's Day.  I would love to try your favorite recipe for morning treats - please share a link or email!

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups milk (do not use nonfat)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs

Filling
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping
3/4 cup firmly packed brwn sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons corn syrup
3/4 cup chopped pecans

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (I think you could use 4 here and still have more than enough)

Directions
(If you're like me, you'll want to complete steps 1-3 the night before so you can let the yeast work it's magic overnight!)

1-In a bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour with yeast.  In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk, sugar, butter and salt, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted.  Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.

2-Add the lukewarm milk mixture to the flour mixture along with the eggs.  Using a mixer, beat on low speed for 30 seconds.  Increase speed to high and beat for 3 minutes.  Stir in as much of the remaining 3 cups flour as possible.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in the remaining flour for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough is soft.

3-Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning the ball once to coat.  Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise overnight (or at least 2 hours).

(Go to sleep...dream of yumminess in the morning.  Make sure to wake up in time enough to let the dough rise once more in the morning.)

4-Prepare the filling.  Combine all filling ingredients in a food processor (if you have one) and pulse until the pecans are finely chopped.  Set aside and butter a 9 by 13 baking dish.

5-Prepare the topping.  Combine the brown sugar, melted butter and corn syrup in a bowl.  Spread the mixture in the bottom of prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle pecans over top.

6-Punch dough down and knead again on a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough in half and shape each into a ball.  Place the 2 balls back into the greased bowl, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.

7-On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough into a 10 by 12 inch rectangle.  Spread with 2-3 tablespoons of the room temperature butter.  Sprinkle half the filling mixture over the rectangle.  Starting with the short side, roll up the rectangle like a jelly roll and brush water on the end to help seal the seam.  Make the second roll the same way.

8-Slice each roll crosswise into 6 pieces.  Arrange all 12 pieces in the prepared baking dish.  Cover loosely with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.  Turn oven on to 350 degrees F.

9-Bake the rolls for 22-25 minutes, or until light brown.  Remove baking dish from oven, place wax paper over the rolls, and invert the baking dish to release the buns and topping.  Serve warm!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Buffalo sauce
• shredded chicken (I use one can – it’s easy!)
• 2 tb butter
• 1/2 cup franks hot sauce (adjust amount based on amount of heat you like)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Melt butter in pan...then stir in sauce, sugar, vinegar and heat through...add your shredded chicken.



White sauce
• 2 tb greek plain yogurt or sour cream
• 2 tb mayo
• salt and garlic powder

Stir all together and set aside.

1. Preheat oven to 400. Pre-bake crust if needed.
2. Spread a layer of the white sauce on the pizza crust of your choice.
3. Top with buffalo chicken mixture.
4. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and chopped red onion.
5. Bake about 10 minutes.

Brandy and I actually had this for dinner earlier this week while Hubby was on shift.  He's more of a ham and sausage kind of pizza guy so we made this for our girls night (plus HB)!

Whatcha having for leftovers Wednesday?

It's only the second Wednesday of 2013 that I've attempted to post a recipe for "Whatcha having for dinner Wednesday" and I have already switched things up by asking what you're having for leftovers!  I love leftovers.  I can't help it.  In part it's my frugal nature that draws me to eating the same thing over and over until there are no more leftovers to be had.  I'm grateful that my hubby tolerates my creative meal mixing as I attempt to utilize leftovers in a variety of ways.  I also love a meal that gets better as leftovers.  You know, when the seasonings really have a chance to meld and harmonize?

In an attempt to clean out our fridge and stretch our grocery budget a bit we had leftovers tonight.  My sweet friend Licia kept HB on Monday so I could rest, run errands, etc. and made us dinner as well.  In fact, she made so much that we had her yummy meal on Monday and tonight - it was a shredded pork mix with black beans and kidney beans.  Yummy!  We made our own version of Chipotle's burrito bowl tonight complete with rice, the shredded pork mix and an array of salsas and toppings.

I'd love to hear your tips and tricks on stretching your grocery budget or how you creatively incorporate leftovers into a second meal or three.  Happy Wednesday!

Mini Diner Meatloaf

I've perused a few new blogs and enjoyed their various posts - I really liked one who posted "Whatcha Making" for dinner Wednesdays.  I thought I'd see if I could actually blog a few of my recipes weekly especially after the craziness of the holidays has subsided.  Today's recipes come from Cowboy Boot and Baby Booties.

My mom made an awesome meatloaf which I loved as a kid, both on the night it was originally served and cold the next day on a sandwich with mayo and onions.  The same holds true for my family - we love meatloaf!  I am excited about trying a new recipe and hope to cut down on some of the chaos that tends to happen around 5pm by making these during HB's afternoon nap and then popping them in the fridge until it is time to bake them later tonight.

Whatcha Making Wednesdays: Mini Diner Meatloaf
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots (I've never tried meatloaf with carrots, but I'm thinking this is a great way to include another veggie in my family's diet!)
1 tsp dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1.5 pounds ground beef
1 cup finely crushed fat free saltine crackers (about 20)
2 T mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 12 cup muffin pan and set aside.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Add chopped onion, carrot, oregano, and garlic.  Saute 2-3 minutes.
3.  Combine onion mixture with 1/2 cup ketchup and remaining ingredients.
4.  Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups.  (I am going to pop this into the fridge at this point.)
5.  Top each meatloaf "muffin" with 2 tsp of ketchup and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Grandma Lucy's Corn Fritters
4 ears sweet corn, cooked (or 3 cups frozen)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 T bacon drippings or veggie oil

Cut kernels from corn and place in medium bowl; stir in eggs and milk.  Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in small bowl.  Stir into corn mixture and mix gently.

Heat bacon drippings or oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls and cook until lightly browned turning to other side.  Serve with butter.  Makes about 1 dozen.

So, whatcha making for dinner tonight?