Waffle Cones

Waffle Cones

Adapted from: Ashlee Marie 

Ingredients:
1 C granulated sugar
4 lrg eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter melted
1 C all-purpose flour

Directions:
Mix everything well, it will be thick. (Sometimes I use oil instead of melted butter - because I'm cheap and it's so much easier. But it really does turn out better with melted butter.) 

Preaheat waffle cone maker. (We have a Williams Sonoma brand and we really like it.)
Scoop batter into machine, about 1/8th of a cup. (I use my 1/4 cup to scoop and usually add a bit more than 1/8 cup)
As soon as it's done (about 40-50 seconds depending on temp), and the light turns green pull out gently with a fork and either place in a bowl or wrap around the cone, set it aside to cool while you start the next one.

Crock Pot Chili

Crock Pot Chili
Source: Cooking Classy

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion , finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic , finely minced
2 (14.5) oz cans diced tomatoes with green chilies*
3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water or beef broth
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Serve topped with:
Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese , sour cream, chopped red or green onions, cilantro, roasted peppers, or hot sauce
Optionally serve with:
fresh cornbread or biscuits , baked russet potatoes, saltine crackers or tortilla chips

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large and deep non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add onion and saute 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Pour onions into a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker.
Return skillet to medium-high eat, add beef and cook stirring occasionally until beef has browned. Drain most of fat from beef, leaving about 2 Tbsp in with beef (this is optional, I think it ads flavor but you can drain it all if you'd prefer). Pour browned beef into slow cooker.
Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water or beef broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cocoa powder, sugar, coriander and season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Stir mixture, cover with lid and cook on low heat for 5 - 6 hours.
Stir in dark and light red kidney beans and allow to heat through, about 10 minutes (if you want the soup to have more liquid you can add in another 1/2 cup water or beef broth). Serve warm with desired toppings (I say the cheese and sour cream is a must, everything else is optional).
*If you don't like heat then you can use canned tomatoes without green chiles since they are a little spicy.

Garlic Red Potatoes

I've not really found a red potato side that we actually liked all that much. Turns out, we don't care for rosemary, and most recipes that have red potatoes also call for rosemary. Now that I've figured that out, I'm much happier with my results! I adapted this recipe using flavors that we do like and it was by far the best red-potato side dish I've ever made. I call that a blog-worthy success. (I also attribute the success to using butter instead of vegetable oil, which I almost always use because it's easier and less expensive - but the butter really did make it better.)

Garlic Red Potatoes

6 medium red potatoes
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Additional parmesan cheese to top.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, parmesan cheese, seasonings, and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle additional parmesan cheese over potatoes.
Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown and tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes more.

Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Chicken

In an attempt to help our kids appreciate healthy food, we frequently look up the physical benefits of the specific vegetable we are eating and summarize it for our kids. Every child knows that carrots help you see better, right? (you know, because of all that K12?) Broccoli has loads of health benefits, but at our house "Broccoli helps you run fast." (because of all the benefits to muscles and the cardiovascular system). And even though it's covered in bacon and cheese so it may not be truly "healthy", our kids always run races after finishing each and every bite of broccoli on their plates.

Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Chicken

Source: Adapted from Julia's Album

Ingredients:
8 chicken tenders
salt and pepper

garlic powder

seasoning salt
2 cups broccoli florets , blanched, chopped
3 strips bacon , cooked, chopped
1 cup Mozzarella cheese , shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese , shredded

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, when ready add broccoli and leave for about 2 minutes. 

Add chicken breasts to the casserole dish. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper, garlic powder, and seasoning salt.  Top with chopped and blanched broccoli florets.
Add chopped cooked bacon, shredded Mozzarella cheese, and shredded Cheddar cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 

1 Hour Breadsticks

1-Hour Breadsticks
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 cups flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted (for the baking sheet)
Dried herbs, garlic salt and grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
In an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together the water, yeast, sugar, salt and one cup of the flour
Continue adding the flour until the dough just clears the sides of the bowl; knead for about three minutes. It should be soft and slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers.
Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.

While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the melted butter onto large, rimmed baking sheet (about 11X17-inches).

On a lightly greased countertop, pat the dough into a long rectangle, about 16-inches by 7-inches or so. Cut the dough every 1-inch (more or less) into strips with a pizza cutter.
Twist each strip slightly and place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with dried herbs of choice, garlic salt and Parmesan cheese.

Let rise for 20 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes until golden.