Category Archives: things we like to eat

Christmas Decorations & Homemade Hot Chocolate

Posted in extras, the important stuff, things we like to eat by

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We finally put up Christmas decorations and lights a couple of days ago- it feels like Christmas around here!

christmas decorations collage

1./ Yes. It’s true. We put up a airplane themed Christmas tree. In our defense, it’s a really tiny tree.  2./You can’t really see it in this picture, but we have a silver guest bathroom. My dad just doesn’t get it- he says it looks like the inside of a tin can. 3./Isn’t this wreath unusual? It’s a boxwood wreath from Trader Joe’s.

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This is “skinny Santa”- he’s one of our favorite Christmas decorations. This year he’s stationed on our living room coffee table.

And now in the spirit of Christmas, here’s my new favorite recipe- homemade hot chocolate- it’s so delicious. I highly modified the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder box until I liked it.

The recipe below calls for two cups of milk, but it’s easily rich enough to add a bit more milk. So if you wanted to stretch it into two servings, that would totally work.

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Homemade Hot Chocolate

(makes one very large serving)

2 cups of milk

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/8 tsp. of cinnamon (scant)

1/2 tsp. of vanilla

1/8 tsp. of peppermint extract (optional)

 

Heat two cups of milk in small saucepan. While it heats, mix cocoa powder, sugar and cinnamon in small bowl and whisk into the milk. Add vanilla and peppermint extract (if desired), and heat mixture until hot, but not boiling. Pour into a mug and add marshmallows if you’d like.

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^^^My favorite big blue mug. It’s huge and holds the full two cups called for in the recipe.

Jordan

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

Posted in breakfast, the important stuff, things we like to eat by

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In case you are planning your Christmas menu, I thought now would be a great time to share this recipe with you.  I started making this recipe for our family probably 15 years ago.  With three small children wanting to open gifts and play with toys and two hungry adults wanting to enjoy a nice breakfast, this was the perfect solution.  I’m really not sure where I got the recipe, but we all love it.

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You make this dish the day/night before and put it in the refrigerator.  It is cooked the next day, so it is simple if you’re expecting guests or you are busy opening presents! We serve ours with cinnamon rolls and fruit.  This year I am going to make these shortcut cinnamon rolls.

I love to set the table for Christmas morning during the day on Christmas Eve, so everything is all set and looking festive on Christmas morning.

This past weekend we were going on a family hike before church on Sunday, so on Saturday I decided to make this dish.  It was weird because I normally ONLY make this dish on Christmas.  It was delicious and perfect to have ready when we got home from our hike and it made me wonder why I don’t make this recipe more often.

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Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

4 cups of shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
10 eggs
8 pieces of cooked bacon,chopped
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/3 milk
4or 5 green onions, chopped
Hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of additional shredded cheese for top of casserole

Mix all the ingredients together except the 1/2 cup of cheese. Pour into a greased 9×13″ pan. Top with the shredded cheese. Cover and put into refrigerator overnight. Let sit on counter for 5 to 10 minutes and then bake uncovered at 325* for about 45 minutes or until the eggs are cooked.

Cindy

Tuscan Bean Soup

Posted in main dishes, things we like to eat by

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I love soup and I love beans so this recipe is perfect in every way. I found the original recipe on The Pioneer Woman website, but I changed it dramatically. I just made this again the other day, and I think it might be one of my favorite soup recipes.

You can make it with sausage or not.  I did a batch for some friends that don’t eat meat, so I just left it out.  My friend sent me a text asking for the recipe yesterday, so I guess they liked it.  Yay!   With or without meat – this soup is delicious and the chopped kale gives it heartiness, plus kale is so good for you.  We served ours with a salad and some garlic bread.  Since it is freezing outside, soup would be a perfect dinner for tonight!

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Tuscan Bean Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage, optional

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 to 2 carrots, peel and cut into circles

1 – 6 ounce can of tomato paste

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp of Italian seasoning

6 cups of chicken broth, or vegetable broth if you prefer

1 – 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 – 14.5 ounce can of Italian diced tomatoes

4 – 14.5 ounce cans of white beans, I use Great Northern.  Drained and rinsed

1 large bunch of kale, rinsed and torn into small pieces

Fresh basil

Parmesan cheese

In large pot cook the Italian sausage.  Breaking it up as you cook it. Remove any excess of oil, if necessary.  I like to leave some to cook the veggies in.  Add onions and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add in carrots and continue to cook for a few more minutes.  Add tomato paste and stir and cook for a couple of minutes, getting up the yummy bits off the bottom of the pot.  Stir in red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning and then add the broth and let it cook for a few minutes.  While it is cooking, I start opening the cans of tomatoes and beans.  Don’t drain the tomatoes, but do drain the beans into a colander and rinse well.  Add the tomatoes and stir and then finally add the beans.  Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes or more.  Rinse the kale and tear into bite sized chunks.  You don’t want to leave the kale too large, since it doesn’t cook down too much and stays pretty hearty.    I wait until about 15 minutes before I am ready to eat to add the kale.  I like to have look nice a bright and green.  I sometimes add some fresh parsley at this time too and then just before serving I add fresh chopped basil.  I top with a bit of fresh Parmesan cheese.  Yum!

Cindy

Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls

Posted in breakfast, sweets, things we like to eat by

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I found this recipe on Iowa Girl Eats and decided to try it while we were on our Thanksgiving trip. We tripled the recipe and made some with the caramel bits and others without. I actually liked them without the caramel bits better.

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While this recipe is easier than making the dough from scratch, it took a bit to roll the dough out. It was well worth the efforts.

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Shortcut Cinnamon Roll

Ingredients:

16oz frozen bread loaf
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup caramel bits
1-1/2oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 Tablespoon butter, softened to room temperature
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoons milk (or more or less)

Directions:

Thaw bread dough using the refrigerator method indicated on the package (I let mine thaw in the fridge overnight.) Let dough come to room temperature for 25 minutes then lightly flour a clean, dry surface and roll dough into a 12×8″ rectangle. Combine sugars and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then spread melted butter over bread dough, and then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture on top. Sprinkle on caramel bits (if using) then roll dough into a log, pinch seams to close, trim ends off, and then cut into 8 equal slices.
Spray a 9″ round baking pan very well with nonstick spray then arrange slices inside. Cover with a tea towel sprayed with nonstick spray then let rise until doubled in size, 30-45 minutes, in a warm place (I placed the pan in a warm oven.) Preheat oven to 350* then place baking pan on a baking sheet and then bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth then slowly mix in powdered sugar. Add vanilla then beat to combine. Add milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until frosting reaches spreadable consistency. May need up to 2 teaspoons milk. Spread frosting on warm caramel cinnamon rolls then serve immediately.  Makes 8 rolls.

Cindy

Candied Pecans + The Most Delicious Salad Ever!

Posted in extras, salads, things we like to eat by

candied pecan and salad collage

We just got back yesterday from our annual Thanksgiving trip to Northern California. There was a lot of hunting and eating (in my mom’s words, “it’s a feeding frenzy”), so in short, the traditional festivities. It’s always such a fun trip spent celebrating with family.

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^^^The gorgeous Thanksgiving dinner table

The salad in the picture above was based on a salad that my mom had recently and loved. We looked for the required candied pecans at the store, but couldn’t find them- so we decided to make our own. We had absolutely no idea that they would be so simple and they turned out absolutely delicious!

Candied Pecans

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup of white sugar

Place both ingredients into a skillet and mix well.

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Heat on medium heat, stirring frequently until sugar caramelizes and the pecans get sort of crunchy. This should take about 10 minutes- but watch carefully! The sugar heats quickly and burns quickly.

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These were so yummy that we were eating them straight out of the bag.

Thanksgiving Salad

Mixed Greens- large box- I think it was about 16 ounces

finely sliced red onion, we used half

1 sliced pear

1 container of raspberries

1/2 cup of candied pecans

4 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese

1 bottle of balsamic vinaigrette- we make our own using Good Seasons Italian Mix, with balsamic vinegar and olive oil

In a large bowl, toss mixed greens with the dressing. Plate and layer on the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Cindy & Jordan