A New Blog

In case your interested I’ve started a blog to keep track of my favorite recipes.

 

http://cookinginmelskitchen.wordpress.com/

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

P.S. It's in it's early stages and I haven't had much time to work on it so the new blog is a little rough around the edges... :-)

I Love Target!!

Seriously I really do!! I think my love for Target could be considered an addiction. And sometimes I wonder if my frequent trips there cost me more money. Since I’m quite stingy with money(ask Mike) I’m going to say probably not. I like to go in, look around and keep a never ending wish list of things I’d like to have but probably will never buy. And sometimes all that browsing I do actually SAVES me money… Like realizing this week that One A Day men’s vitamins ($6.99 each) were buy 3 get a $5 gift card. That couldn’t be better because Target had $2.00 printable coupons on there website and I also had a $2 manufacturers  coupon and was able to print two more $2 manufacturers coupons. I also had a $1.00 coupon for a Aquafresh travel size toothpaste ($0.97 cents) which means I bought all of this…

Which totaled   $26.94 but only cost me $11.59 – A savings of $15.35!!

I look at it this way…

3 bottles of vitamins - $20.97 subtract $10.00 of coupons - $10.97 and if I take off the $5 gift card = $5.97 means I bought 3 bottles of vitamins for less that 1 normally costs!!

The Aquafresh was completely free… 

 

I just wish my trips to Target were always this productive!! :-)

Lentil Soup

How does one take a appetizing picture of lentil soup? Oh well… I know it can be done. I’ve seen pictures that looked awesome. This is not one of them. This is also the first time I’ve ever cooked with lentils. Mike’s initial reaction was “what is that?!” but he ended up enjoying the soup even though it doesn’t look appealing. I told him that he told me he’d eat it and he said “but I didn’t know it was going to look like that!”. :)

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup lentils, rinsed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon parsley

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup finely chopped carrot

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with chilies

12 ounces chicken sausage

Directions

In a large saucepan, sauté onion in oil until tender. Add the chicken broth, lentils, salt, pepper, parsley, cumin and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the carrots, celery, tomatoes and sausage; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Serve with whole wheat rolls.

Yield: 6 servings

Orange Cranberry Wheat Germ Muffins

I just made these this evening they were quite yummy. Granted it’s nothing like Panera Bread’s Orange Cranberry scone but way more healthier and better than nothing at all!! ;-) And I just realized I took of picture of the muffin I poked a hole in. Oh well…

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup raw wheat germ
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large eggs
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.
3. Combine brown sugar, oil, rind, juice, and eggs; stir with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 17 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched in center.

Since I made adjustments to the recipe you might want to check the original version out here.

Chicken Stir Fry

I recently ran across a recipe blog that I’ve fallen in love with. I think we have similar tastes and I plan to be making lots of her recipes. You don’t want to miss checking out melskitchencafe.com

One I’ve made twice already is Chicken Stir Fry. I made a few changes to the recipe, didn’t use any sesame oil/seeds or any fresh ginger. And I used all olive oil instead of canola. Plus most of my veggies were frozen not fresh. The only fresh veggie in the picture below was the red pepper. This is so yummy over brown rice!!

*Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pound (about 3) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks discarded
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into thin strips
1/4 teaspoon ginger
Hot cooked rice for serving

DIRECTIONS:
In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together 1 cup broth, 6 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1 tablespoon oil. In a large bowl, toss the cubed chicken with the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1 tablespoon oil.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Add the chicken mixture and brown the chicken until cooked through, flipping occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil. Set aside.

To the empty skillet add the broccoli and remaining 1/4 cup broth. Cover the skillet and cook until the broccoli begins to soften and turn bright green, about 2 minutes. Uncover the skillet and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add the bell pepper and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk the sauce in the liquid measuring cup to recombine and add to the skillet with the chicken and any accumulated juices. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is bubbly and thickened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the mixture with sesame seeds. Serve over hot, cooked rice.

I wonder if Dad’s realize…

That when they have kids, this is what they are signing up for??!!

I appreciate my Dad taking the time to come over go up and down that ladder multiple times to check out our siding… even if most of it wasn’t fixable…

Thanks Dad!!! :)

30 Days Of Thanks…

 

No I didn’t forget days 17-30. But life took over and blogging took a back seat as normal. Here’s more things I’m thankful for and I’m sure the list could go on and on and on…

I am thankful for…

17. Our jobs

18. Our church

19. Hot Chocolate

20. Evening devotions with Mike

21. Cameras/Photography

22. Cooking/Baking

23. Sunny Days

24. Uplifting Music

25. Ice Cream

26. Books

27. Holidays & spending time with family

28. Target

29. My Country & Freedom

30. Our new Espresso Machine