Belgian Waffles

 Ellie is bound and determined that weekends are for yummy breakfasts.  We have been trying out a lot of recipes lately and have decided that Belgian Waffles are one of the best.  We usually make these on snowy days when you just need an extra warm hug.  They make Ellie and everyone happy.

2 1/4 C. Flour

1 T Baking Powder

3 T Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Large Eggs

1/2 C. Canola Oil

2 C. Milk\

1 tsp Vanilla

Preheat your waffle iron, In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Add egg yokes, (put egg whites in a small bowl to whisk) Canola oil, milk, and vanilla. In a small bowl beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.  Now mix the other ingredients until there are no lumps.  Fold in egg whites.  Use a scooper or measuring cup to pour the batter into the skillet.  Do according to the manufacturer's directions.  Serve immediately with butter, syrup, powdered sugar, Nutella, whip cream, and strawberries.  There are so many possibilities.  We hope you enjoy!

Basil Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sticks

I heard about this on the radio and thought I might give it a whirl.  It has fast become one of our family favorites.  It is always a good quick meal, especially on a cold night.

Campbells Tomato Soup
1 tsp fresh Basil
Cheddar cheese shredded and sliced
Sliced bread

Cook the tomato soup and basil according to the directions on the can.

Butter top side of the bread place the buttered side on the grill.  Put on your desired amount of cheese.  Butter another piece of bread and place the butter side away from the cheese.  Cook at 350 on a griddle.  Flip after 1-3 min. depending on how toasted you want the bread.  Put shredded cheese on the griddle about the size of your bread surface.  Put the grilled sandwich on top.  Cook for 30 sec or until crispy.  Add more cheese to the griddle and do the same on the other side.  Cut your sandwich into strips and serve with the soup.  Enjoy

Almond Sugar Cookie Bars

My cute neighbor made these delicious cookies for me.  I took one bite and knew that I was not going to be sharing them with my family.  I hid these delectable morsels and ate every single on.  Once they were gone I knew that I had to have more.  Thank goodness that she was willing to give me her recipe.  They are as good as any sugar cookie but so, so much easier to make.  You can thank me for this recipe later. :)

1 1/2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter softened
1 8ounce package of cream cheese softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp baking powder
3 1/4 Cups flour

Cream sugar, butter, and cream cheese.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add vanilla and almond.  Mix.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Press dough into cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until very light brown.  Cool to frost.

Frosting

3 Cups
1/4 Cup milk
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1 Tablespoon almond extract
Dash of salt

mix butter, milk, and almond extract.  Add powdered sugar till spreading consistency is right.  Frost cooled cookies.  Enjoy!

Mango and coconut rice

Again Carl and my mom were in a creative mood and so we needed something tasty to go with our Tilapia.  They came up with a mango and coconut rice that is to die for.  It was amazing and I could eat it as a dessert it tasted so good.  

1 tsp salt
2/3 C water
14 ounces coconut milk
1 1/2 long grain rice
1 T Olive Oil
1 mango peeled and cubed.

Heat the oil add the rice, stir to coat then add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer on medium low heat for 20 minutes.  (I just did mine in my rice cooker and put all the ingredients in and then added the water to the fill line.  This worked just fine.)  Serve and Enjoy!

Grilled Tilapia with Capers

I truly have neglected this blog for way to long.  I feel bad because my one fan has been waiting since April to get a new recipe.  I have felt the pressure and finally my ducks are in a row, the stars are aligned, my baby is asleep, my other three are at school, and my spunky 4 year old is safely swimming in the bath.  It is perfect time to get a blog post done.  I must hurry though because before long life will be CRAZY again.

 My mom had us over for dinner and made a new recipe. Grilled Tilapia with capers.  It was heavenly.  Her and my Uncle Carl decided to try something new.  Apparently Carl really wanted tilapia with capers so my mom got on her trusty computer and together they came up with a fabulous dinner.  We also had mango and coconut rice.  The two went together so well.  They make me laugh when they work together.  They still act silly even at their age.  They tease each other like brother and sister do.  I am glad Carl was there so that mom would try something so different.  It is one of my new favorite dishes.  

4 Tilapia fillet
3 T Olive Oil
1 lemon finely zested
2 lemons juiced
1/2 C dry white wine
1 shallot thinly sliced
Splash of heavy cream
1 stick of butter cut in cubes
1/4 C Fresh Parsley
1/4 C drained capers
black pepper
salt


Heat grill to high.  Brush fish on both sides with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook 3-4 minutes per side or until lightly golden brown and slightly charred. 

Combine shallots, lemon juice and zest, white wine in a small sauce pan on high heat.  Cook until reduced by half.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Whisk together the cream, butter, and wine mixture in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Add the parsley and capers.  Stir.  Serve over the Tilapia.  Enjoy!

Southwest Chicken Taco's

 Last year I went to a ladies weekend getaway and the first night there the girls in charge of dinner served these chicken taco's.  They are delish.  I absolutely fell in love with them and knew I needed to make these for my family.   I was a bit nervous to ask my cute neighbor Nikki for the recipe because I thought it might just be really complicated.  Was I wrong!   It is the simplest recipe and it tastes amazing.  Plus, my entire family loves it.  My seven year old had two.  Even the picky eater ate hers all gone. 

 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can Mexican Style Stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine all the ingredients into the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours.  After it is finished cooking shred the chicken with a fork.  It serves a family of 6. 

Seriously could this recipe be any easier.  We serve this taco style of course.  You can do any ingredients you want.  Here are some we do. 

cheddar cheese
pico
guacamole
lettuce
black beans
corn
Tortilla

Put it all together and Enjoy.

Basil Chicken with Coconut Curry Sauce: Pinterest 5 stars

Here is another Pinterest recipe I found from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. We love Indian food so when I came upon this I thought I better try it out. I thought for sure it would be good but not restaurant good. It is totally restaurant good. My whole family loved this meal. My hubby can't stop raving over it. Very, very delish.

INGREDIENTS:
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons curry powder (McCormick yellow not red)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 medium red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (by seeding the jalapeno you lose most of the spice/heat but retain great flavor)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 cups hot cooked rice
DIRECTIONS:
Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place in medium bowl. Stir together curry, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and chili powder. Sprinkle over chicken, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
In a large nonstick frying pan, stir onion, basil, garlic and peppers in hot oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add chicken and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 5-6 minutes until no longer pink.
Combine coconut milk and cornstarch and whisk well to combine. Carefully add to skillet, whisking vigorously. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in ginger. Cook and stir for another minute. Serve over hot rice.  Serves 4-6 Enjoy

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is a recipe that comes from my moms kitchen. She really has the best recipes so whenever I go to her recipe book I know that I will pull out a good one. This recipe is a bit time consuming but well worth the effort. This is a HUGE family favorite. Even the little ladies like it. (I do serve theirs without the sauce)

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 pound chicken cut in bite size pieces
mix dry ingredients then mix with water and oil to make a batter. Dip the chicken pieces in batter. Fry in small amount of canola oil.

Sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 T corn starch
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drain but reserve liquid
1/4 cup vinegar
2 T ketchup
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced

In 2 quart sauce pan mix sugar and cornstarch. Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure one cup. Stir syrup mixture, vinegar, and ketchup into cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir constantly until it boils and thickens. Stir in pineapple, onions, green pepper, and celery. Cook until tender. Add chicken and serve over rice. Enjoy

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan : A pinterest recipe(2 stars)

Chicken Parmesan is one of my husbands favorite meals.  So when I came across a crock pot recipe I thought bonus.  Turns out this one wasn't really a hit in the Snow household.  First off, we like Chicken Parmesan to be crispy.  This is so NOT the case with this one.  The taste was fine but the lack of crispiness was missed immensely.  I am kind of bummed to say this one was a flop.  Now, in a pinch I just might make it again just because it was so easy..  I will just tell my family it is chicken marinara or something like that.  Try it for yourself though and if you liked it please tell me what I did wrong.  ;)   Go check out her site and see if she has better tips than I found.  If you are to repin this pin it from her site please.

CROCK POT CHICKEN PARMESAN
recipe from: Siggy Spice

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t kosher salt
1 TBSP olive oil
1 egg, beaten
sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
favorite jarred marinara sauce

Spread the 1 TBSP of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert.
Beat the egg with a fork in a separate bowl.
Mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the Parmesan cheese in another separate dish.
Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings.
Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crockpot.
Layer 2-3 slices or 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese on top, depending on how much cheese you like.
Cover chicken and cheese with entire jar of marinara sauce.

Close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4.
Serve with your favorite pasta.


Enjoy!

Cheesy Enchilada Stack: Pinterest Recipe (5 stars)

I have decided to start making things that I see on Pinterest.  This way I can know if the recipe is worth pinning or not.  I recently pinned this little dish and thought it looked great but wondered how it would taste and how the family would like it.  Turns out this one was a HUGE success.  It really is very tasty.  The site that I got this recipe from looks to have a lot of great recipes.  The site is Chef in Training.  If you are going to pin this please pin it from her site since it is her recipe. 

CHEESY ENCHILADA STACK 

1 lb. Lean ground beef

2 (10 oz) can Red Enchilada Sauce (Our favorite is the Old El Paso brand)

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas

1 (8 oz) bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 (16 oz) can refried beans 

2 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies

1 bunch green onions

Cook the beef in a skillet over MED-HIGH heat until well browned. Drain off fat.

Stir 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in the skillet with the beef.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Place 1 tortilla onto the baking sheet.  Top with 1/3 of the beef mixture and 1/4 cup cheese.

Top with 1 tortilla, half the refried beans, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, 1 can drained green chilies, and 1/4 cup cheese.

Repeat the layers one more time.

Top with 1 tortilla, remaining beef mixture and 1/4 cup cheese.

Top with remaining tortilla.  Cover the stack with aluminum foil.

Bake at 400 F for 40 minutes or until the filling is hot.  Uncover the stack and top with remaining enchilada sauce, cheese and green onion.

Bake 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Cut the stack into 6 wedges.

Enjoy!