My German Roots

Okay, so I don't REALLY have German roots. But with a Grandfather who went to Germany on his mission I have had my fair share of exposure to German foods. A classic staple in our house? Bratwurst (sausage) and sauerkraut! Talk about inexpensive - this meal could feed an entire family for, at most, $10. All you need to do is fry up a couple of these:

And serve them with some of this:

And dip in some of this:

And you are good to go!

SOOOO TASTY!!!!!!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

We are BIG fans of enchiladas at our house and I was really excited to try this one out. Jake loved it a lot and it has been linked on so many blog lists that it is almost a sure fire hit wherever you take it! Not too hard with basic ingredients, but takes a bit longer to make because of the needed time for marinating. The picture and recipe are from the wonderful blog: http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/. Enjoy!

HONEY LIME ENCHILADAS
From The Sister's Cafe

6 Tb honey
4.5 Tb lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded
flour tortillas
colby or monterey jack cheese, shredded
10 oz. can green enchilada sauce

Mix first 4 ingredients together and toss with shredded chicken. Let it "marinate" for at least a half hour. Pour some green enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 10x10 casserole dish or 9x13 pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Pour the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle with more cheese. (When using a 9x13 I like to use 1 1/2 10 oz. cans) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (Put it under the broiler at the end to make the cheese brown and crispy on the top.)

*NOTE: I used a mixture of monterey jack and cheeder cheese, and 2 full cans of the enchilada sauce (one on top, one on bottom). It was great! Also, when marinating make sure that the air cannot get to your chicken or it will dry out. I put mine in a ziploc bag and sucked the air out of it - chicken was nice and moist!

Classic Repeat - General Tso's Chicken!

I love Chinese food and I love this meal! It is SOOOO good!

http://shaylaskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/general-tsos-chicken.html

Personal English Muffin Pizzas

This recipe is a classic from my family! What easier way to feed a family than with a bag of English muffins, a bowl of pizza sauce, and whatever ingredients they personally want? These are so simple and quick that you will find it difficult to ever want to make pizza crust again! Unfortunately the picture is not mine. I got it from this cute blog: http://iheartfood4thought.wordpress.com/.

PERSONAL ENGLISH MUFFIN PIZZAS

1 bag English Muffins
Any pizza toppings you and your family likes

SAUCE
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1/4 tsp. Ground sweet basil
1/4 tsp. Oregano
1 1/2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. Garlic powder

Mix all sauce ingredients together and spread on top of English muffins. Top with any pizza ingredient you can fathom. Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes or until cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Classic Repeat - Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta!

It is fun to try out new recipes, but sometimes I just want a quick, tried and true recipe to throw together for dinner. And this one happens to be one of my personal favorites. A couple of things about this dish: I said before to not use spaghetti noodles, but it turns out that you can! It is a fun new way to have the noodles instead of in the classic marinara sauce. Also, I am pretty sure it is important to NOT use sour cream substitutes (IMO). It made our pasta REALLY thick this time. And lastly, if you want to splash just a bit of lemon juice in there it adds a nice flavor! :-)

http://shaylaskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/12/chicken-cordon-bleu-pasta.html

Perfect Pancakes

Sometimes I don't want to make anything elaborate or fancy. Sometimes it is just nice to go back to the basics. So when I need a quick breakfast for my family - these are excellent! They were a hit with everyone, including the baby who munched on her "baby pancake." Basic ingredients + very little time to prepare = the perfect recipe!

PERFECT PANCAKES
From: Crisco® Collection
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 25 minutes
Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups milk
5 tablespoons Crisco® vegetable oil

Directions:

Stir the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat the egg, milk and 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl with a fork or whisk. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet or a griddle over medium-high heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook for 1 minute or until bubbles form on the pancake surface and the edges are dry. Turn and cook until golden. Remove the pancakes from the skillet and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding additional oil as needed.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with maple syrup, fruit syrup or honey, sliced fruit or fresh berries.

Tip: You can keep the pancakes warm in a 200°F. oven in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

WELCOME BACK TO ME!!!!! Hurray!!!! I am so excited to be back to cooking and eating! It turns out that I do not have celiac, just gastritis, and it is now under control and I can go back to eating like a normal person! So to celebrate - here is a new recipe! I love to make breakfast when Jake has the day off. We eat breakfast together and it is so much fun to talk and eat, and give bits to the little chirping bird that is our daughter. I am not an egg yolk fan so this recipe was not quite my cup of tea. Next time I will DEFINITELY break the yolks or do egg whites only. But the rest of the meal was quite tasty and we will make it again! I got this recipe from a blog called Annie's Eats.

BACON, EGG, AND TOAST CUPS

Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon
6 slices of bread
Shredded cheese
6 eggs
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease 6 wells of a muffin pan with butter. In a frying pan, cook bacon about 3-5 minutes, until partially cooked but not completely crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Cut out rounds of bread (I used a 3.5-inch round cookie cutter, but a drinking glass would be fine.) Press the bread rounds into the greased muffin wells. Curl a piece of bacon around the periphery of each piece of bread, positioning it between the bread and the muffin tin to help keep it in position. Sprinkle a small amount of shredded cheese in the center of each piece of bread. One at a time, crack an egg, removing about half of the white, and dropping the remaining white and yolk over each piece of bread, being careful not to break the yolks. Once all the bread pieces have been topped with eggs, bake until eggs are cooked through to your liking (about 6-10 minutes) and bacon is crispy. Run a knife around the edge of each muffin well and pop the egg cups out. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.