Spinach Basil Pesto

This is your classic pesto sauce but, I've added spinach to it!  Mom wins again!  You ate your vegetables and you didn't even know it! 

3 cups packed basil leaves

1 cup packed spinach leaves

1 cup grated parmesan

3/4 cup of lightly toasted pine nuts

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients, except the oil, in the food processor.  Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped.  With the motor running, slowly pour the oil into the feed tube.  This recipe makes 2 cups of sauce.  Use immediately or freeze for up to a month.

Haynes Morning Quiche Cups

2 eggs

2 tbsp. of milk

1- 8 oz. pckg of chive and onion cream cheese, soften

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1- 10 oz. can of flakey refrigerated rolls

12 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon

Preheat oven to 375.

Beat cream cheese, milk and eggs until smooth. Stir in cheddar cheese, and set aside the whole mixture. Gently grease muffin cups, place one biscuit in each muffin cup and press in bottom and up the sides. Spoon in the egg mixture over biscuits, top with some bacon. Bake for 20-25 min. or until egg is fully cooked. I make a lot of these at one time and freeze them.... or you can eat them right out of the oven! 

Grilled Pound Cake with Berries

When we lived in Michigan (Kelli here) one of our favorite things to do was BBQ with our neighbors on hot summer nights. For me, this recipe is one of those dishes that brings back a lot great memories, spent with friends in our home. It's really simple, fresh and a perfect way to end any night spent around the camp fire with friends, making memories! 

1- Sara Lee Frozen Pound Cake (found in the freezer section at the market)

3 tbsp.- melted butter

1- tub of cool whip (or home made whipping cream)

1- small bowl of fresh blueberries

1- small bowl of fresh strawberries, sliced 

Take the cake out of the freeze and let it sit for 10 min. (don't let it thaw completely) then slice the cake, brush each slice lightly with butter and place on grill. Grill for 5-10 min. (do not cook the cake) just want to warm it through. Place cake on plate, top with cool whip and berries! Enjoy! 

Teriyaki Chicken (Samoan Style)

So this is probably not the official name of this chicken but, I call it this because for years this is how our Samoan friends marinated the chicken for our BBQ's.  A big thank you to the guys who cooked for us through out our single and childless years!  I've tried to recreate this marinade by memory.  Here is how I remember it.

12 boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 cups of soy sauce

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

1 cup of water

1 12oz. can of lite beer

1 lemon

3 green onions (chopped)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water and beer in large Tupperware dish.  Stir and let brown sugar dissolve.  Cut lemon and squeeze all the juice out of it.  Throw the lemon rind into the marinade mix.  Add chopped green onions, garlic and chicken.  This has to marinate a minimum of 5 hours.  Actually the longer this sits the better.  I like to start marinating the chicken the night before grilling.  This is always a crowd pleaser.  It makes great leftovers too!

Penne Caesar Salad with Chicken

2- bags of Caesar Salad (comes with dressing, croutons and cheese)

1- (16oz) box of Penne Pasta

3- Chicken Breast, cooked and chopped 

hand full of cherry tomatoes 

Cook Pasta according to box directions, when in strainer run cold water over pasta to stop the cooking process and to start cooling down the pasta. I grill our chicken, chop it up and put it in the refrigerator to cool down. Make the salad according to the package, add in a hand full of cherry tomatoes.  Once all the ingredients are cold I toss them all together and serve! This simple dinner (or lunch) is prefect for a hot day, it's lite, easy and healthy. I hope you will enjoy this meal as much as our family does. Enjoy! 

Sausage & Peppers

IT'S GAME TIME!!!

This is a family favorite for tailgating, dinner at the practice field or just a family BBQ!

6  Mild Italian Sausages

6 Colombo Rolls

1 Red Bell Pepper (sliced)

1 Green Bell Pepper (sliced)

1 Yellow Onion (sliced)

1 Jalapeno (thinly sliced)

1 - 16oz. bottle of Teriyaki Sauce (Soy Vay) 

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Grill the sausages.  While sausages are grilling saute onions, bell peppers and jalapeno in olive oil and salt & pepper (4 mins) on the stove top.  It's a nice mix of sweet & spicy.  If you don't like spicy, use only half the jalapeno or none at all.  Pour bottle of teriyaki sauce over the bell peppers and onions.  Boil together for 15 minutes.  Sausages should be done.  Put a sausage on a bun and using a slotted spoon, pour teriyaki pepper mix over the sausage and ENJOY!

Just a friendly FYI, If you happen to be the person in charge of bringing the food for tailgating and you forget a main ingredient like the teriyaki sauce.  You can use a bottle of beer to boil the peppers and onion mix.  It tastes just as good.  Although your friends will never let you forget the time you....

Watermelon Slices

These little watermelon slices are the cutes and perfect tiny treat for a hot summer afternoon. Super easy to make, very healthy and great for little ones. Enjoy!

12 limes

2 cups orange juice

1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 cup frozen whole strawberries (no sugar added), thawed

Stir together oj and yogurt, set aside. Process berries in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir into oj mixture. Hollow out lime haves (use a sharp knife). Spoon juice mixture into lime rinds. Sprinkle with semisweet chocolate mini morsels, and freeze 8 hours. Cut frozen lime halves in half to make wedges. 

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

I took this salad boating with us today!  We had a delicious lunch on the water!  It has a little bit of everything, carbs, protein, veggies and cheese.

Grill or broil 2 chicken breasts 

1 - 12 oz. box of rainbow corkscrew pasta

10 baby carrots (thinly sliced)

1/2 a red bell pepper (thinly sliced)

1/2 a green bell pepper (thinly sliced)

1/3 cup red onion (thinly sliced)

1 - 3.8 oz. can of sliced olives (drained)

4 oz. of garlic & herb feta cheese (crumbled)

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/3 to 1/2 cup of your favorite Italian salad dressing (I use use Ken's or Bernstein's)

Cook, cool and slice up chicken.  Make pasta according to the box, then rinse it and let it cool completely.  Mix together all the ingredients.  If you make it the night before serving (which I recommend), you may need to add a little more dressing the next day.  Use enough dressing to coat everything but not drown it.  Make sure this salad is cool and then serve.

Keep It Moovin Smoothie

This is a delicious smoothie I drink once a day!  I drink it in the morning for breakfast or for a snack after the gym.  It originally started off as a Dr. Oz shake but I have changed a few things to make it my own!

1/2 cup of Ice

1 cup of 100% Fruit Juice (no added sugar)

1/2 cup of Blueberries or Strawberries

1/2  a Banana

1 Tbsp. Pysllium Husk

1 Tbsp. Wheat Germ

1 Tbsp. Ground Flaxseed

1 Tbsp. Chia Seed

1 Tbsp. of Protein Powder

Mix all together in blender.  This smoothie becomes thicker the longer you let it stand.  And it really does keep things Moovin! 

Britton Broccoli Salad

This is my mother in-laws recipe!  It became an instant family favorite!  My kids and husband will eat broccoli if it has melted cheese on it OR if I make this salad.  I make the dressing first to give it time to blend.

Dressing

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 cup of mayo

Mix the first 2 ingredients first to let the sugar dissolve into the vinegar.  Whisk in the mayo.  Place in fridge while you make the rest of the salad.

Salad

4 bunches of broccoli, cleaned & chopped bite size

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup dried cranberries

6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup of sliced toasted almonds

Combine all the ingredients except the almonds.  Toss in the dressing. The dressing goes a long way so toss a little in at a time.  Sprinkle almonds on top OR leave almonds to the side.  The almonds can become soft sitting in the salad.  Make ahead and chill or serve right away.

Calling all Chocolate and Coffee Lovers!

Do I have a CAKE for you...................

For the record, this is the BEST cake I have ever ate! I found this recipe on another blog that I (Kelli) follow. Made it for the first time a few months back for my daughter's 3rd Birthday Party (omitted the coffee then) but then made it just the other night.... and YES, my friends, the BEST coffee/chocolate combination cake I have ever had!! Super easy to make! 

Hello, Chocolate Bliss Cake..... I love you

Heat oven to 350*.  Grease and flour cake pans.  Begin with dry ingredients.

1 3/4 Cup flour

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup brown sugar

3/4 Cup cocoa (Ghiradelli or Hershey's)

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Place the following into your mixer:

2 eggs

1 Cup buttermilk

1/2 Cup veggie oil

2 tsp. vanilla

1 Cup coffee (extra hot and freshly brewed)

Combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in mixer for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add dry ingredients into the mixer.  Bring coffee to extra hot in microwave and stir it into your batter.  It will be very runny. 

 Pour into pans.  Bake 30-35 mins or until knife comes out clean.  Cool upside down on racks.

FROSTING:

1/2 Cup cocoa (Ghiradelli or Hershey’s) 

2 2/3 Cup powdered sugar

6 Tbsp. softened butter

4-5 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix for several minutes.  I usually mix until the chocolate changes color from dark to light and whippy.  

Once your cake is cool to the touch, frost. I put frosting between the 2 layers of cake and top. Then add chocolate chips around the edges (Ghiradelli) and 6 or 7 Strawberries on top! So pretty!  Enjoy my friends.  Oh....Enjoy!

This was Addison's Birthday Cake-

Turkey Meatball Sub

This is a Turkey Meatball dinner idea.  Reheat meatballs in spaghetti sauce on the stove top.  Toast the roll a little so it doesn't get too soggy when you add the meatballs and sauce.  Place meatballs & sauce on the roll.  Top with mozzarella cheese.  Place sandwich open face on a cookie sheet to toast the bread and melt the cheese, low broil 3-5 mins.  It never fails that the kids practices are right in the middle of dinner time.  I feed the kids before practice and often I wait till after their practice to eat my dinner at which point it's 8pm and I'm beyond Starving!  This is not good thing!  

So along with napkins I wrap this sub in foil and take it to the field! 

Turkey Meatball Tortellini

This is a Turkey Meatball dinner idea.  I make this on evenings the kids have practices and we get home late. I reheat the Turkey Meatballs.  I cook the tortellini according to the package and I heat up a jar of the spaghetti sauce.  I throw it all together with some parmesan cheese on top and that's dinner!

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey

2 Tbsp. bread crumbs

1 egg white

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Take your rings off and use your hands to blend and smoosh this all together.

Roll into 1-2 inch balls and place on to a lightly greased baking sheet an inch apart.  A lot of times I use stoneware to cook on so my cooking time takes longer.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18 min.

Serve while hot or let them cool and freeze them for other meals at a later date.

Creamy Tomato-Basil Pasta with Shrimp

3 cups farfalle (bow-tie) pasta, uncooked

1/4 cup Kraft sun-dried tomato dressing, divided

1 lb. uncooked, peeled, tail off, deveined, medium size shrimp 

1 cup fat-free chicken broth

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 oz. neufchatel cheese (similar to cream cheese), cubed 

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

8 fresh basil leaves, cut in strips 

1) Cook pasta as directed on box. Meanwhile heat 2 tbsp. of dressing in lrg. skillet on med. heat. Add shrimp, cook 4-5 min. or until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp, cover and set aside.

2) Add remaining dressing, broth, garlic & pepper to skillet, heat through, then add cream cheese and stir 4-5 min. until cheese had fully melted. Stir in tomatoes and half the basil.

3) Drain pasta, add to skillet, stir in parmesan cheese, add shrimp and mix all together. Top your plate with the remaining basil and serve!

ENJOY!