Simple & Sweet Sugar Cookies

DH and I have had the conversation recently about sugar cookies.  They're his favorite.  We've been together for over 13 years and this is the first I've heard of it.  You learn something new every day, right?  I've got to admit I love his classic style because I'm all about "doctoring" up everything to the max... you know like triple chocolate fudge and chocolate chips and Oreos AND almonds in my ice cream ;)  The man loves himself a simple sugar cookie with a sugary crust.  Ahh, I'm in love. In honor of his recent birthday, I decided I'd try to make him these.  I have never made homemade sugar cookies, thinking they'd be really hard to make.  We've been settling for the slice and bake variety.  Which albeit are good, but have some weird ingredients.  Yeah. These have sugar, butter, flour, eggs, vanilla, baking soda & the weirdest thing... cream of tartar ;)  I think he about died when he tasted the first one hot out of the oven.  Crunchy from being rolled in sugar and a sweet buttery vanilla flavor... Swoon.  Birthday score for me! This recipe makes A TON.  I got 46 medium sized cookies to be exact.  So... I made 20 and froze the rest for my very own homemade version of the slice and bake variety!  Disclaimer:  I don't have pictures of steps along the way in case these didn't turn out.  The original recipe calls for a stand mixer and mixing "just so" and I didn't have time last night to do all that.  Well, folks, I'm glad to say you don't have to!  These turn out FABULOUS with a little elbow grease!! YAY!

Happy Birthday!

One year ago today I started OurGreeneHome with this post and this post!

And 2013 is proving to be just as exciting!!

Check out our new Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/OurGreeneHome1

Hop on over and "Like" our page - this week we're talking about what freezer friendly meals look like in Our Greene Home.

Thank you for your year of support!  Cheers to many more :)

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Happy New Year!  Here's a great recipe to start off 2013 in a healthy way!!  I'll cut right to the chase...

I was pleasantly surprised by this deceivingly cheesy treat.  The whole dish has just 8 ounces of cheese.  Yes.  Just 8 ounces!  The butternut squash gave the dish it's traditional yellow-orange color and a mildly sweet, fresh taste. This meal looks like a heavy, cheesy macaroni dish, but it's light enough that you'll want to eat the entire pan full.  Yes.  It's on the menu this week too!  It's just that good.

Blueberry Yogurt Muffins (eggless recipe!)

Houston, we have a problem. There's only 1 egg in the house and I want to make cookies and muffins, both requiring eggs.  I found this recipe and googled "egg substitutions".  Turns out, you can use 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce in place of an egg (about 1 individual applesauce cup!)  Yippee!! My eggless blueberry yogurt muffins were a surprise hit!  I couldn't believe how great they turned out.  I used greek yogurt in them to give them a little more protein punch.  I'm telling you - they're a must-try!

Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches: Freezer Friendly!

Hello August!  Where did July go?  In honor of "Back to School" month, here is a quick, easy, and freezer friendly breakfast option for those busy mornings. I've mentioned that I'm on a quest for better, quicker, healthier breakfasts.  I found this one and have been meaning to try it for quite some time.  I fiiiinnnnaaalllllly made time this week and boy, they didn't disappoint!  These little egg (and anything else you want to put in them :) cups are made in the oven in muffin tins.  It does make a little bit of a mess, but it makes mornings SO much easier - it's worth it!

Freezer Cooking first: Teriyaki Chicken

I'm taking a meal to a sweet family with a new addition.  Build your own tacos to be exact.  You know, meat, taco shells and all the fixin's.  I decided I would take them something to stick in their freezer too.  I mentioned this website in an earlier post and pulled it out finally to use this weekend.  The recipe makes two bags {read: batches} and was oober easy to throw together. For two batches: medium - large bag of carrots (I used 3 large handfuls of carrots for each bag) red onion cut into large chunks 2 large cans pineapple, undrained 4 garlic cloves (I used a heaping teaspoon of garlic for each bag - I was running low!) 4 chicken breasts (I added an extra  small chicken breast to her bag since it was going for a family of 4, not including precious baby :)) 1 cup teriyaki sauce 2 gallon sized freezer bags Directions Prepare your two bags.  First, write directions on the bag. (Add 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce {or water} to crock pot. Cook high for 4 or low for 8.  Serve over rice.) Then split the ingredients into each bag.  Shake it up.  Remove as much air as possible. Seal.  Put in the freezer.   To use from the freezer:  Remove from freezer the night before you want to use.  Let it thaw in the refrigerator over night.  Then prepare in the crockpot. Hers is ready to be delivered to her today.  I kept it in the refrigerator so that she could decide whether she wanted to place it in the freezer or not. Mine has found a home in the freezer for future use! The Verdict To be determined...  I'll let you know how it tastes! As far as ease of preparation, I'm super stoked at how easy it was! I've never made a complete crockpot meal to stick in the freezer before.  The lady from the blog swears by it and freezer prepares her meals a month in advance.  Wouldn't it be nice to have that much freezer space! Stay tuned!

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

I don't know about you, but cauliflower has never been one of my favorites. Because... well... it's just blah.  Plain.  No flavor.  Boring.  You get it, don't you?  Well, let me tell you what - this roasted garlic cauliflower is perfectly roasted and perfectly garlicy with a hint of lemon.  Mmmm.  This will become one of our staple sides.  I hope it does for you too!

Apple and Cheese Quesadilla

I'm on the search for different quick and easy breakfasts.  We always fall back to the same two things: scrambled eggs or peanut butter, banana, and honey english muffins. We're always looking for a healthy alternative to quick and easy.  It's just hard to find something with a good balance of protein and fiber to keep you fuller longer.  Funny that I hardly ever ate breakfast growing up and now I can't live without it.  Amazing what your body gets used to! Enter apple and cheese quesadillas.  They're that easy. Ingredients grated cheese, to your desired amount - I used about a 1/4 cup 1/2 - 3/4 apple, peeled and sliced 2 whole wheat tortillas 1) Grate some cheese (I used Vermont sharp cheddar) and slice a peeled apple (I used something called a "Crisper" - it was green like a Granny Smith, but wasn't as tart. 2) In a dry pan (or you can butter it) place a whole wheat tortilla.  Place a layer of cheese and apples down.  Add a top tortilla. 3) Cook until both sides are toasted lightly brown and the cheese is melted. 4) Cut into 6 wedges with a pizza cutter.  (Sorry no pictures.  It was a hectic morning when I made these.)  Enjoy! The Verdict My DH and I split one of these along with a fruit smoothie I made the same morning.  The problem is I also had to make his lunch and didn't allow enough time to do all three and take pictures.  That's why it was hectic.  Next time I'll know! But I loved this breakfast quesadilla.  It was something different.  The apples were cut thin enough that they got a little soft but still retained a bite.  And the salty sharp cheese was a nice complement to the sweet, tart apple.  I can say, for the first time in a while, this breakfast paired with the smoothie kept me full all the way until lunch.  Usually I get hungry again around 10 (eating breakfast around 7:30), but not this time.  I made it all the way until 11:30.  I will make these again!  And I can't wait to try one out for Little One.  I think he'll like it too.

Chicken Tetrazzini

On tonight's menu: Freezer friendly cooking #2

Chicken Tetrazzini 

from Martha Stewart online

Coarse salt and ground pepper

6 tablespoons butter

1 lb white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick (you can buy them washed, trimmed, and sliced at the grocery store!)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk (I used 2%)

1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup dry white wine

3 cups grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 lb linguine, broken in half

1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, mead shredded (about 4 cups)

1 package (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed and drained

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Hello late night munchies.  I am so blessed to have married a man who supports my munchies habit.  This time, he suggested it.  We were watching tv and they said something about jalapeño poppers.  DH said "I'd like some jalapeño poppers, cheese sticks, wings, something."  My ears perked up.  "Where's the computer? Let me see what I can find."  My first google of 'mozzarella cheese sticks with string cheese' lead me to these little puppies.  We made them and ate them in the span of 10 minutes.  Yep, they were that good.

I tried to get a good picture of the ooze, but my measly camera wouldn't focus on it.  It was the right amount of goody ooziness.  Mmmm...  be still my heart.

Crockpot Shrimp Stir-fry

Holy Moly, what a week.  I've missed you guys!  Sorry I didn't post, like, at all.  Yeah, super sorry.  We're still trying to recover from no sleep with baby.  He's fiiiiiiinnnalllly on a better schedule.  Yep, between 10 and 11 at night he's down.  And that's WAY better than the 2, 3, or 4 am play-fests we used to have. I pretty much laid around and tried to rest last week.  I felt like I had a newborn again.  My husband and I were staying up late even after the baby was asleep, just to hear the silence.  Well, and a little Super Mario - just like the old days - for Wii was played until 12 or 1:00.  We're to the LAST castle, round 2.  We've already beat the game once and we're about to beat it again.  Ahhh, the old days.  My DH and I have finally realized that we need some more sleep.  Ha.

So, needless to say, last week I didn't make it to the grocery store.  My kitchen sink was overflowing with dishes.  We ate out more times than I'd like to admit.  And one day I had the exact same salad for lunch AND dinner.  It did, however, make me realize how much I like the new schedule on the fridge.  It makes everything run like a smooth operation.  Tomorrow, we're headed to the grocery store!  Annnnnnd, we're baaaaaack.

Crockpot Potato Soup

Dinner!  

Grilled turkey and cheese {stilton with cranberries, oh. my. heavens} sandwiches and potato soup.  

It is snowy today, so it is a take-it-easy kind of day.  Always my favorite.  This originally was on the menu for Friday night, but I decided to fix it today... with a twist!  I turned a recipe from my mother-in-law into a crockpot version.  I'll give you both so you can decide how you want to fix it.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Be still my heart.

These things are fabulous!  Not too sweet ... annnnd they have oats and dark chocolate chips, so it makes them healthy, right??  Please join in the collective chorus "Yeeessss" :)

No, seriously, I was looking for something for desert tonight.  I wanted something good.  {Insert: hands-on-hips-staring-at-pantry-while-whining look here}

I did a google search that lead me to these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  They are devine! Not too sweet, not too heavy.  They certainly hit the spot!  This is the first time I've ever made homemade cookies by myself.  I looooooove looooove love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  I love the oatmeal part of oatmeal raisin, but hate the warm raisins.  This is the perfect complement.

Clean out the Fridge Frittata

Monday morning and I was browsing the web looking for something good to eat.  I have a banana which has seen better days and I was looking for an easy way to use it up.  Found a banana chocolate chip muffin recipe I want to try soon.  It looked devine!   But, I did stumble across this recipe on the allrecipes.com website:

A lightbulb went off because I also had Italian sausage in the fridge too that I had frozen and then subsequently thawed.  Hmmm... it was almost 10:30 a.m. at the time so I decided to make my own version of the Italian sausage frittata.  I used the recipe as a guide for how to cook it since I'd never made a frittata before.  I was excited because this was a stovetop version. Usually with frittatas have to be started on the stovetop and finished off in the stove, but I don't have an oven proof skillet.  This was ideal!  And the best part is, you can add any ingredient you have on hand.  I had a zucchini that I had bought for some recipe this week, but had forgotten it in the fridge.   I also had about a half an onion left and a small red pepper.  Oh yeah, and the eggs were getting close to expiration too.  As you can see, this is the perfect "use it up" recipe, hence the name: "Clean out the fridge frittata" :)

So, here's the recipe:

Clean out the Fridge Frittata

1 zucchini, diced small

1/2 onion, diced small

1 small bell pepper, diced small

1/2 lb (2 links) Italian sausage

6 eggs (4 eggs, 2 egg whites), beaten well

1/2 tablespoon butter

Shredded cheese, to serve

Add zucchini, onion, and bell pepper to a skillet with the butter and cook until zucchini is softened.  Add the Italian sausage, break up into bite size pieces, and cook through.  Add the eggs and stir to combine egg with vegetables and sausage. Cover and cook through on medium-low heat, until eggs are set, about 12 - 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cut into wedges and serve.

I realized I had a bell pepper I could use after I'd cooked the onion and zucchini for a bit, so I added the pepper when I added in the sausage.   It worked out just fine.

The original recipe said to cover it and I had to make do :)  A glass cutting board worked well.  A word of caution: when you remove the cutting board watch for steam and hot water that has condensed on top.

My skillet was a little large and I didn't have enough eggs to get a pretty form, thus the jagged edges of egg around the edge.  A smaller skillet would work much better and provide for a fluffier egg and better presentation.

I added cheese to the top and cut it into wedges to serve.

The verdict:

You can add any combination of veggies and/or meats to make this delicious frittata. It would be fun with some funky cheese on top or in it.  I can't tell you how super easy it was to make and how delicious it is. It's even better the next day, I found.  It made a great breakfast this morning!  Next time, I would probably make the sausage first and wipe out some of the grease before adding the veggies and eggs.  But this way was yummy too, maybe just not the absolute healthiest it could be :)  Add a salad and make it a dinner - add some fruit and make it a breakfast or brunch.  It is an easy, go-to, clean out the fridge kind of recipe that I will definitely be trying again!

Asparagus Risotto

Oh my.  Yeah, that's all I can say.  It was THE BEST yet!

On tonight's menu: Asparagus Risotto
Family Circle Magazine, 2006

1 quart chicken broth

1 lb. asparagus

3 Tbsp. butter, divided

1 med. onion, chopped

1½ cups Arborio rice

1½ cups dry white wine

Zest of one lemon

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Trim ends of asparagus, and cut into 1½” pieces. Toss asparagus into simmering chicken stock for about 3 minutes. Remove asparagus to a bowl; reduce heat under broth to med-low.

In another large saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp. butter. Cook onion in butter until soft. Add rice and stir to coat with butter, about 2 minutes, until fragrant and slightly translucent.

Add wine to rice, and cook until almost all liquid is evaporated. Add a small ladle (about ½ cup) of warm broth to rice, stirring until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth and stirring until it’s absorbed until a creamy sauce is formed in rice. This should take about 20 minutes and you should have about 1 cup of broth left over. Add remaining broth, 1/3 cup at a time, until absorbed.

Taste rice. If almost done, stir in remaining 1 Tbsp. butter and lemon zest. (if not, add 1/3 to ½ cup water and continue stirring and cooking, about 3 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and asparagus, heat 1-2 minutes. Add a couple Tbsp. water if risotto is too thick. Serve w/ additional parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

And yes, I made a few substitutions ;) 

I warmed the carton of reduced sodium Swanson's Chicken Broth and cooked the onion in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter on medium low heat.  This is when my mouth began to water. There's just something d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s about the smell of cooking onion in butter.  Yum.

After the onions were soft, I added the rice and tossed it in the butter and let it toast a bit.  

 Then, because I'm chicken - I removed the pan from the gas stove and added the wine.  And this is where the substituting began :)  The recipe called for dry white wine.  I didn't have any.  Just the sweet Moscato wine in small bottles.  So, I measured out the wine, found that it was a cup, and then just added water to make up the remaining half cup needed.  Now, I know what it means to have "layers of flavor" and to "only cook with wine you'd drink" because you could taste a subtle hint of the wine in the background when it was done.

I cooked the rice, adding the warm stock and stirring.  And yes, it did take close to 20 minutes.  I added the remaining butter and lemon zest after I quickly tasted the rice to make sure it was close to done.

I cooked the asparagus earlier this evening when I was making some baby food.  Instead of cooking it in the stock, like the recipe called for, I steamed them for 5 minutes then shocked them in cold water.  Since the  asparagus and leftover salmon were a little cold, I added them to the pan when I had one ladle of stock left - earlier than what the recipe called for. It turned out just fine.

I served the risotto with a sprinkle of shredded parmesan and pepper. 

I can't begin to tell you how great this recipe is.  It was soooo good.  It is a definite keeper.  I will also be looking for other 'mix-ins' for the risotto.  Making it was a lot easier than I thought it would be and well worth the effort.  You can easily make this vegetarian by using vege stock and skipping the salmon. 

I can't wait to have lunch tomorrow because leftover dinner is on the menu!!

Vegetable Couscous Salad

The picture looked so good in the magazine and I already had some couscous that I had bought in the pantry hoping that I would be adventurous enough to try it one day.  You know the kind that usually gets thrown away years after its expiration date when you finally clean out the deep dark corners of your pantry?  Trouble is... I bought the wrong kind of couscous.  I had intended to buy the small fluffy kind, not the pearly 'mushy' kind.  Grrr.  I was just looking for one that said it had no flavoring.  It was hard to tell from the picture on the box because there was nothing you could visually compare the product to.  But, note to self, don't get couscous that says "PEARL" on the box.  Blerg.

As soon as I opened the box today, though, I knew.  This kind is too big.  And sure enough, it has flavors reminiscent of that awful oatmeal I tried to make Sunday morning.  I'm just not an oatmeal girl.  I think it's because I don't like mushy cereal.  Yep, I won't talk to you while I'm eating my cereal because it gets soggy too quickly.  Just ask DH, or my mom.  I inhale it.  She had to call me back one night because I had just poured a bowl of cereal.   Kinda sad you won't talk to your own mom over eating the cereal.  This was after my DH had answered my cell too.  I didn't even talk to her to tell her I had just poured a bowl and to call back in 5.  Bless her heart.  Thanks for still loving me mom!  But, I digress...

Here's the recipe:

from Martha Stewart Everyday Food September 2011 issue


1 cup couscous
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, torn
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice


Cook couscous according to package instructions.  In a medium bowl combine all other ingredients.  Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.  (To store, refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days).  Serves 4.

I boiled the couscous according to package directions. It actually took 2 minutes less than what the package called for.

Meanwhile I chopped all the veges.  And I added an extra half of a tomato since mine were kinda small.

Then, after letting the couscous stand covered for 5 minutes I joined it with the other ingredients in the bowl.  I added the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

 Notice how mine turned out (above) and what the magazine article looked like (below).

The Verdict:
It was bland, so I added some salt and pepper and another squeeze of half a lemon. Now it's a little salty and lemony.  Hmmm... better luck next time?  I will definitely try this recipe again when I have the smaller couscous.  Side note: I let it set for a while and the flavors seemed to meld together some.

I had hopes that it would be a good lunch for tomorrow with some chicken maybe.  We'll have to see about that.  Maybe it will be better tomorrow!

Mac & Cheese 2 ways

Holy Cow! This was the first time I've successfully attempted to make macaroni and cheese other than the Velveeta kind.  And it was d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s.  Wowzers.

It's from the Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine November 2011 issue.  It was the first time I had bought and used whole milk and boy was it good.  I'm sorry I don't have great step-by-step pictures, but this was before I started the blog.  It was the first 'real' meal I made under my New Year's Resolution to try one new recipe a week!

I did learn some valuable lessons.

1 - The recipe made A TON.  Good to feed a small army or to have plenty of leftovers.  The article also gave great round 2 recipes for the leftovers.  Yummy!  So, if you're just interested in the mac-n-cheese, halve the recipe.  You'll be thankful you did.

2 - When it says whisk constantly while you're pouring in the milk into your roux slowly, it means it.  I didn't use a good enough pouring container and ended up spilling milk (no tears involved :)) all over the stove.  So, I had to stop whisking and just pour the rest of the milk in quickly.  The first time around the mac-n-cheese sauce was a little grainy, not velvety smooth.  This graininess seemed to resolve itself in the Round 2 recipe later on in the week.

The Round 2 recipe was more delicious than the first.  I was so hesitant to use the mac-n-cheese because it called for ALL of the reserved 4 cups.  What if it was nasty?  I would have just wasted it ALL.  But, thankfully, it wasn't.  DOUBLE WOWZERS.  It was smack-yo-mama good.  My husband and I ate it for 2 meals and licked our plates clean.

Not the healthiest meals, but a good start to cooking nonetheless.  It's always a good ego booster to start by making a new recipe that actually turns out.  I can't tell you how many I've tried along the way that were complete and total failures.  Blergh.

I feel some substituting coming on!  What a great recipe to try out different cheeses and milks. Look for this recipe to make another appearance in the future.  It is a favorite!

Oh, and on Sunday night, DH and I made grilled cheeses with the ends of the shredded cheese from the mac-n-cheese night.  I am notorious for taking off a knuckle or two, so we had a few ends of cheese left and all my knuckles :)  A great way to use up leftover cheese and the sandwiches were delicious dunked into some good old fashioned Campbells Tomato Soup.

Where it all began

My maternal Grandma makes delicious home cooked Sunday 'dinners'.  For those of you not from the south, this is not referring to the 6:00 p.m. meal, but rather the one in the middle of the day :)   

We did not go home this Thanksgiving like we have done in year's past so I tried my hand at some of my grandma's recipes.  She was so gracious enough to give me a cookbook when I got married with some of my favorite recipes that she makes.  Like with most grandmas I know, there's one small problem... she doesn't measure a thing and knows it's 'right' by the look of it.  Hmmm.... As you can probably suspect, my Thanksgiving meal didn't turn out 'Just Like Grandma's' because I made them based on her recipes and not by the bountiful knowledge of years and years of experience she has perfecting these recipes.  When people asked how it went, my response was "Well, it wasn't horrible."  Haha!  Well, it wasn't.  But it sure wasn't Grandma's cooking.  The macaroni was a little dry, hers is moist and creamy.  The meatballs had a little too much vinegar, hers are crisp and wonderful.  The one thing that did turn out just. right. were her candy coated pecans.  I used a combination of pecans and walnuts and when I tasted hers at Christmas, mine were just the same!  Regardless of the fact that my meal wasn't as good as hers, it was still worth the attempt just so I could tell her I tried.  Her face lit up with pleasure and delight. She has passed down great treasures and memories to me.  Quite the gift.  Free to her, but priceless to me!

Now, where does my habitual substitution-savy come from?  Why, my paternal Grandma of course!  A woman raising four kids on a meager teacher's salary had to stretch the buck.  My grandpa's slogan "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" was how they ran their house.  If she didn't have a certain ingredient, she would substitute what she did have.  My dear paternal Grandma is no longer with us, so when I got married my aunts and uncles came together and made a scrapbook of some of her favorite and most used recipes.   She didn't have fancy recipe cards, just simple notecards where she jotted down the ingredients.  My favorite ones are the cards that have the recipes, but way down in the 'how-to' section she often would tell us what she substituted with or what makes an equally great substitution.  Some of my favorite memories of her are when I used to stand on a stool beside her in their small kitchen and cook with her in the summer time.  Her kitchen was never big, but it was full of love.  An equally great memory, Jesus' birthday cake.  Every Christmas she would have a birthday cake that she would adorn with candles and we would all sing Happy Birthday to.  What a great way to remind us all the true meaning of the magical holiday.  Although all I have are memories now, rest assure her legacy remains.  No matter how big my kitchen may be, there's always room to cook with love.

And so my passion began.  I want to build up my skills, test out my grandma's tried and true recipes, and try new creations and remember where to find the recipes later on, so that I can share these special moments with my children and grandchildren.  Food brings us back to the happy times and makes us all family.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

On tonight's menu: Turkey Sloppy Joes 
Taste of Home: Casseroles, Slow Cooker & Soups, Copyright 2008

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Healthy Request Tomato Soup
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 hamburger buns, split


In a large saucepan coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook the turkey, onion, celery and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary.  Stir in the soup, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and pepper.
Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.  Serve on buns.
Yield: 8 servings


I must admit I'm always on the lookout for something new to do with ground turkey.  We don't eat a lot of ground beef - honestly I've never even cooked it myself.  Our substitute is turkey.  The 99% fat free lean ground turkey breast.  It's more expensive, but worth it in the end.  I always am trying to stretch it out and do multiple things with it.

So, in my new cookbook from my grandparents for Christmas I came across this recipe.
Ground turkey -- check --
Crockpot -- check --
Easy enough -- check --

Here it goes:

And it starts off with a bang.  Of course, I have a stash of red peppers and no green peppers to use in the fridge.  So, true to form, substitution starts early in this recipe.  I also didn't feel like measuring out 1/2 cup celery or 1/4 cup green (red) pepper, so I again, just threw some in :) {Or maybe it was a time issue: Insert suspiciously-quiet-baby-in-the-living-room-so-I-keep-going-back-and-forth-from-kitchen-to-living-room-to-check here} It ended up being 2 stalks celery and 1 small red pepper.  Instead of using non-stick cooking spray, I poured in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Then put in the turkey.

And cooked until turkey was no longer pink.  Now, in hindsight, I would have cut the veges up smaller and broken up the turkey into smaller pieces.  I think it might be a little hard to eat on a bun.

I poured in the ketchup, soup, mustard, and brown sugar.  And who really measures pepper?  I few grinds from the pepper mill were used here.

I put it in the crockpot.

And the final product:

All nice and bubbly and I guess the word 'sloppy' suits it :)

The verdict: 

It doesn't look like the picture in the cookbook.  I'm assuming they didn't use the 99% fat free turkey.  Most people don't.  And it tastes reminiscent of sweet and sour pork.  But, I think that may have to do with the fact that red peppers are sweeter than their green counterparts.  And I probably used more than it called for.   I'll definitely try this recipe again.  Next time, I'll cut up the veges smaller and break the meat into smaller chunks.  It would be delicious served over rice.  Tonight we'll try it on some hamburger buns!

New Year, New Calendar, New Idea

So this was the starting step to my new found fire to get this blog up and rolling.  Last week, I started a food calendar.  To keep me sane and to use up the food we had in the fridge, to be quite honest.  However, it has become a wonderful tool for both myself and my husband.  He can easily fix his own food for lunch, if needed, based on lunch and snack ideas presented.  And with a baby, I don't have to think "What's for dinner?" and waste energy - figuratively and literally - standing in front of an open fridge or staring aimlessly in front of the pantry.  I've discovered that the 'mommy brain' is a true and valid feature of my new life.  I don't remember stuff like I used to.  Thusly, a LOT of food went to waste, especially perishable fruits and veges.

Our New Year's Resolution is to eat better.  I must admit, with a baby and a nice Italian joint that delivers, we have let our eating habits go.  I've always loved dabbling in food and my dear husband is good to at least try everything I fix.  Yes, everything.  Did I mention how incredibly supportive he is?  There have been things that have not been great at all.  There was that one time... warm tuna mac, corn in the corn bread.  Who knew?  I would agree with him, that the warm tuna was less than appealing - and don't mess with good ol' mac and cheese.  I'm excited to say though, that his ham, mustard, and cheddar cheese sandwich days have come around to the (my) dark side {insert only slightly-evil laugh here} and he now enjoys coffee BLACK and blue cheese.  I'm proud.  Even if he will never understand the non-pregnancy appeal to mustard and cold mac and cheese or Texas Pete on just about anything.  But I digress...

Back from that incredibly long, but poignant tangent... ah hum... Our New Year's Resolution, well not even a resolution because we never keep those.  But after the yummy delicious indulgence of all sorts of family Holiday cooking, we decided we just couldn't eat like that forever and needed better on a normal, everyday routine. My goal is to cook more at home and eat processed foods less.  I'm starting to think of cooking for not just my husband, but my family now.  I'd like to be able to feed my son what I cook for us.  Well, this requires more natural, wholesome ingredients.  I envision baking cookies with him when he gets older and involving him in dinner making whenever I can.  My goal - lofty as it may be now, did I mention he's only 7 months old - is to offer a variety of foods and get an inquisitive young foodie in return.  What fun to share an adventurous spirit and love for food with my family.

So, while I feel like "WHY AM I STAYING HOME?  BLERG." I now realize that I have this amazing opportunity to do all the creative things I've always wanted to do.  Take cooking classes?  Photography lessons?  Paint?  Yard sale?  Flea Market search?  So if I make money at it, great.  But if not, I've always done the most important thing...

Helped to make my family healthy and happy.


This is my gift to them.