Homemade Oreos

This is quite possibly one of the easiest recipes I make, and also one of the biggest hits. I made them for our ward Halloween/Trunk-or-Treat/Chili Cook Off last night and they were gone before we made it half-way through the line (seriously good ego boost). 

Bonus? My cousin loves them - one in each hand, some in his mouth, and still smiling. Hard to argue with that.P

Also I finally remembered to take pictures as I went! Yay! So here it is:

Homemade Oreos

Ingredients:

- Box of Devil's Food Cake cake mix (doesn't matter what kind)

- 1/3 cup of oil

- 2 eggs

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350° 

- Mix all of the ingredients together (sometimes I add a little extra oil if it's dry)

- Take small spoonfuls, roll them into a ball, and place on cookie sheet

- Bake for 8-10 min

- Let cool

- Frost one with canned frosting or homemade (whichever you prefer), then top with another making a cookie sandwich! 

             **I've made both and personally prefer canned, because it doesn't harden like homemade**

Hope you guys like it!

Loves, Jord

Frosted with orange frosting for Halloween of course.

 

The Best Fondue Dinner You'll Ever Have

Ok, so the title of this post may sound extreme.

But people-I'm serious. This is the best dinner* fondue you'll ever have.

Assuming you like Parmesan cheese, but really, who doesn't like Parmesan cheese? That's like not liking to sleep in. And frankly I just don't get those people! But then again I am one of those people who grabs a handful of shredded Parmesan as a snack sometimes...)

So, like I said, assuming you are a normal sleeping-in-loving person you will love this fondue.

It's a family meal passed down from my darling Aunt, and I have to say it is one of my very favorite meals. So when I decided to celebrate the first ever annual Rau Fall Festival I knew that Parmesan Fondue just had to be the meal of choice. And boy, am I glad I did because my husband couldn't stop talking about how delicious it was.

So-do yourself a favor on these chilly fall evenings-make this fondue. You will not be disappointed.

Parmesan Fondue

1 1/2 Cup Milk
2 8oz packages of softened cream cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 Cup fresh Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients over low heat. Cook until thick, stirring frequently. DO NOT BOIL!!! You don't want the milk to curd. If you start to get black or brown dots in your fondue, your milk is curdling-don't panic, but stir faster, and simultaneously turn the heat down lower.

When thick transfer the fondue to fondue pot, or simply use the pot you cooked it in, although you may need to keep stirring it. I like to dip the following into the fondue:

Stew meat
Steamed broccoli and carrots
Fresh bread cubed

But go wild, and dip whatever you think would be good then come back here and let me know, because you better believe we'll be eating this at least three more times this fall.

Enjoy!




*I had to add the dinner, because lets get real here-nothing beats chocolate fondue.

Chinese Stirfry

Hi hi!!

Sorry it's been a little bit - registering for big tests and taking subbing days and starting more observation took up a little more time than I anticipated.

Anyway, this is a recipe that we sometimes make weekly. It doesn't take very much prep, uses things we almost always have, and Chase LOVES it. We actually got the recipe from his sister Chandra, and haven't changed it at all, except to double it sometimes.

Chandra's Chinese Stirfry
Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tsp. ginger
2 small-medium chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces*
1/2 bag of stir fry veggies

*Just depends on how much chicken you like in your stirfry. I tend to do more.

Directions:
If you're going to cook rice at the same time, make sure to start it in a pot or a rice cooker before you get going on the rest

Begin to cook the chicken in the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Mix up sauce ingredients while checking and turning the chicken as necessary. When the chicken is almost done add about 1/2 of the sauce you've just made.

Add the stirfry veggies, then the rest of the sauce and mix and make sure to cover everything with it. I usually let it simmer for a little bit to make sure to warm up the veggies.

Add salt to taste.

Serve over rice, as soon as it's ready.


This makes enough for both of us and then enough for Chase to take as leftovers the next day. He says they're great (and of course lets him add hot sauce so it's a huge hit there). Hope you both like it as much as we do!!

Love you both, and missing Diet Coke runs with you real bad.

Loves, Jord

Asian Quinoa Tuna Salad

Guys! Hi! I'm alive! I'm posting! Yay! I am so sorry I've been so MIA in the beginning weeks of this beautiful blog. Being homeless and finding housing, switching said housing at the last possible second and then moving into new said housing and doing school has proven to be quite the task! It has also meant lots of peanut butter and sodalicious for dinner and subsequently not being able to fit into my pants. Oops. I'll be a real human again soon enough.

Anyways, I digress.

Because I'm always running out the door in two seconds and have to take food with me to last all day, I've become a big fan of on the go meals. It's nice too, because I can make them healthy (goal--fit in aforementioned pants). SO. This was the yummiest salad I threw together with some things I had in my fridge/pantry and it turned out SO AWESOME. You must make this and take it to work. It is great and kept me full for a very long time.

The portion size is just for a one-person meal, but the amounts could be easily bumped up to feed tons of hungry humans. It's so easy and so yummy and versatile. If you don't have/don't like tuna, you could use chicken, any other kind of fish, anything you want, really!

Asian Quinoa Tuna Salad

1/4 cup cooked quinoa
3 oz (about 1/3 of a can) of tuna
1/3 cup shredded carrots (I didn't have any so I just chopped baby carrots)
1 red bell pepper
1 cup fresh baby spinach
Newman's Own Asian Sesame Dressing

Cook your quinoa of choice in chicken broth according to package instructions. I like chicken broth because it adds more flavor. Once cooked and cooled, add tuna, quinoa, carrots, bell peppers and spinach together in a bowl. Add dressing, mix and enjoy!


P.S. (Here's a better picture when it's not in work tupperware :) )

Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta with Bacon

I was looking for something to make that got veggies into the meal so that Chase wouldn't keep asking me to eat them as a side - then I found this recipe and we LOVE it.

I do need to give some warning though that this will use a lot of dishes. And probably all of your burners. You'll either need it to be cooked in segments or have someone help you.

Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta with Bacon
Ingredients:
1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. of olive oil
Seasoning for chicken (whatever you normally like)
12 oz. penne pasta
1 lb. of asparagus, chopped into 2 in. segments, steamed
1 1/2 Tbsp of butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 3/4 cup of milk (I used 1%)**
1/4 cup of cream**
3 oz of Neufchatel cheese (you can find it by the cream cheese)
1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
4-5 slices of bacon, cooked and cut or crumbled into small pieces

**If you want it a little creamier then add more cream, and less milk to add up to 2 cups**

Directions:
Make sure to steam the asparagus and cook the bacon before you've started the rest of this. This is why I always make Chase help me/use all of the burners because I run out of time and need to do it all at once.

Season the chicken on one side. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add in chicken seasoned side down once the oil is hot. Season other side. Cook chicken all the way through, rotating as needed. Once chicken is cooked transfer it to a plate and let cool for a couple minutes then cut into bite-size pieces.

Cook pasta at the same time - make sure to save 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining - you'll use this later!

In a large skillet melt the butter. Add in minced garlic so it sautés a little bit (just until you can start to smell the garlic). Whisk in the flour and let it cook for about a minute. While whisking, slowly add in milk and cream. Whisking keeps clumps from forming. Once it reaches a boil and thickens turn the heat down to medium-low, add Neufchatel cheese and parmesan cheese until the cheeses are melted.

Add in the rest of the ingredients in order: pasta, chicken, asparagus, and bacon until it's all evenly coated. Add in the pasta water until it helps the sauce thicken as the pasta helps soak up the water. Serve immediately.


This made pretty good leftovers - although you have to eat it within a few days for the asparagus to stay good. It was great to make when we had another couple over for dinner.

Tastes even better than it looks promise.

                                     

Here are the dishes just from cooking if a visual helps haha. Definitely worth it though!

Loves, Jord

Recipe adapted from here. 

Fish Tacos

While camping in northern California last week we went fishing in the ocean with my professional fisherman brother-in-law. I am proud to report that I caught my very first fish- a giant rock fish! Nate then caught 4, and I caught another, meaning we brought home over 12 filets of fish. Now, I'd say that's a successful fishing trip!

However, I'd never really cooked fish before. (except once last month and it turned out... fishy....)

So Friday we decided to brave the new, and master the art of the ever popular Fish Taco.

And, we were pretty darn successful if I do say so myself.

Delicious Fish Tacos

2 lb fish (we used rock fish, original recipe said Talapia)
2 eggs whisked
2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. canola oil
Vegetable oil
Tortillas

Cube the rinsed fish, and coat the cubes with the whisked egg (make sure each piece is completely coated, in order for the panko to stick). In a big ziplock bag combine the bread crumbs, paprika, thyme, oregano, salt and canola oil. (we also threw in a small amount of parmesan cheese-because why not?) Add the egg-coated fish, seal the bag, and shake to your hearts content. Each portion of fish should be coated in the mixture. Fry the fish cubes, a few at a time, in vegetable oil in a skillet on the stove. Fish and coating will turn a golden brown when done. Remove fish, and cook until all your fish portions have been cooked.

Serve on warm tortillas with pico de gallo, and cilantro lime rice.

Recipe adapted from here. 


Pico de Gallo

For the pico we were lucky enough to use tomatoes from our garden, and jalepenos from the local farmers market. I may be a little biased here, but this is a great recipe for any fresh tomatoes you have lying around!

3 large Roma tomatoes (chopped)
1 cup onion (chopped)
2 Jalepeno peppers (chopped)
1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 of a fresh lime (juiced)

Chop. Chop. Chop. I removed the seeds from the jalepenos- but if you like more of a kick leave them in! Once everything is chopped combine it into a bowl, and stir it all together. Add pepper to taste. Chill the pico before serving.

Note: The pico gets even better after a day. Keep it in the fridge and see what I mean!

Recipe adapted from here. 


Cilantro Lime Rice

I've made this rice a couple times now, and every time it's a hit!

1 cup and 1 tsp white long grain rice
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 tsp butter or margarine
2 tsp sugar
1Tbs fresh lime juice
3 Tbs cilantro (chopped)

Add rice, chicken broth, water, garlic and butter to a rice cooker. Cook until tender. Once rice is done cooking fluff the rice with lime juice, cilantro and sugar. This rice is a must for any taco night, but the lime works especially well the fish tacos.

Recipe adapted from here. 


Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Bread

Hi!

So I had been craving something sweet for a few days, but cookies weren't quite doing it for me, but I also wasn't patient enough to make something difficult. Then I found this recipe in my pins and decided I'd give it a try. Oh. My. Gosh. It's so, so good. I made it for us to have after dinner last night and loved it, then had it again for breakfast this morning and it was just as good - if not better. So I thought it would be a good one to share.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

Ingredients:

Bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg - lightly beaten
1 cup milk (I used 1% because that's what was in the fridge)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup sour cream

Cinnamon Swirl/Topping:
1/3 cup granulated sugar**
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons water

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

**Funny story... We ran out of sugar partway through this recipe (probably too much Kool-Aid recently) so I finished off our sugar, then filled up the rest of the measuring cup (probably 1/4 of it) with brown sugar and I think it tasted great!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° and spray the loaf pan with cooking spray.

Mix dry ingredients for bread in a medium bowl. In a small bowl combine and stir wet ingredients (starting with the egg so you can beat it a little). Combine these two bowls and stir with a spoon (no mixer necessary!). Pour into bread pan.

In another small bowl combine the ingredients for the cinnamon topping. Using your spoon drop spoonfuls of the mixture evenly over the bread. Use a knife to swirl it on the top - the deeper you put the knife in the bread mixture the deeper the cinnamon will bake in - totally personal preference!

Bake for 40 minutes (our oven cooks everything fast so feel free to add time if you need to), or until you can do the toothpick test and get a clean one.

Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Now we get to make the glaze!

Pour powdered sugar into a ziploc bag, then add milk. Zip it up and mix with your hands, making sure there aren't any pockets of powdered sugar left. Set aside.

Remove bread from pan and let it cool completely (I put it on the plate I wanted to frost it on at this point). When it's cool, cut a corner off of the bag and drizzle the glaze topping all over the top of the bread.

This was super easy to make, we both loved it, and it made my kitchen smell amazing. Definitely will be making this one again soon!

Loves, Jord

Recipe adapted from here. 

Creamy Tomato Soup

So I had been craving Zupa's - but we don't have that down here. I also ended up with some extra heavy cream from a different recipe I had made and hated to waste it. So instead I looked up a couple recipes, adapted them to fit what we would like and came up with this.

Chase has already asked me to make it twice since and said it might be the most satisfying thing I've ever made - not sure if it gets better than that, and it took care of my Zupa's craving :)

Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 can of family sized Campbell's Tomato Soup

1 can(^) of milk

Small can of diced/crushed tomatoes (I like the ones with basil)

1/2 - 1 Cup of heavy cream

Directions:

In a large pot over medium heat pour in the tomato soup, and the can of milk. Pour in tomatoes and use an immersion blender to blend them to a smooth consistency (or blend in a blender, then pour in). Add cream to desired creaminess - I lean towards the full cup. Stir occasionally until it reaches desired heat.

Serve with grilled cheese, sliced baguette, oyster crackers, shredded cheese, whatever sounds good to you!

Leftovers were great the next couple of days and it was also really easy to make enough for friends coming over for dinner!

Love you both!

Loves, Jord

Chicken Salad Sandwhiches

A couple months back I hit  recipe rut. I'd made Nate my "standard" meals. The Chicken Roll Ups, the Stroganoff, etc. I was desperate. Plus, it was getting pretty hot-and who wants to really cook in the middle of a hot summer.

Luckily at about that time Natalie sent me an e-mail full of recipes. It was heaven sent.

The first recipe I made from the e-mail was called Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwiches-and we LOVED it! It was an easy, delicious, quick recipe.

And since I love you two so dearly-he it is:

Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwiches 

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken (I usually boil 2 or 3 breasts, then shred it in my Kitchen Aid)
1 cup diced celery (2-3 stalks)
1 1/2 cups chopped grapes (I cut the grapes in half, or quarters)
3 Tbs finely grated Parmesan cheese
Bread (I use Costco Croissants)

Dressing
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple juice
3 Tbs honey
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp onion powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


In a large bowl mix together chicken, celery, grapes and Parmesan. In a separate bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients until well mixed. Stir dressing over bowl with chicken, and toss to coat. Serve on bread or croissants.

Left overs store great in the fridge! The original recipe called for pecans and dried cranberries (instead of grapes) but we really decided to just make it our own. It's a pretty adaptable recipe-so feel free to make it your own. I seriously debate throwing coconut in it every time (I'm coconut obsessed!).

Let me know if you like it! Love you both!

xoxo

Nicole




Recipe adapted from here.