Homemade Garlic Croutons

I bought some bread from Wegman's and decided to make croutons with about 1/2 of the loaf (it was a nice sourdough).
approx 3 Cups day old sourdough bread, cut into cubes
2-3 T olive oil (I used 3)
few shakes garlic powder
salt to taste
1 shake cayenne pepper (optional)
few shakes Italian Seasoning
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Toss all ingredients together. Place in oven uncovered and cook until croutons get nice and crispy (approx 25 minutes). Toss them every 10 minutes or so. These are so flavorful. I put them in caesar salad, but they would be great tossed in soup.

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

This was such a great soup, roasting the tomatoes gives the soup an intense tomato flavor, red pepper flakes give it a bit of a kick! I got the idea from a Bobby Flay recipe, but changed it completely to make it my own. Here is original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_10158,00.html

and here is mine:

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

10 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds removed

4 T olive oil, divided

garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

5 cloves of garlic, minced

tsp sugar

3 C vegetable stock

2 T basil, chiffonade, plus extra for garnish

1/2 C heavy cream

1/2 C fat free half and half

Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tomatoes in large baking dish and drizzle with 2 T olive oil. Shake garlic powder--one shake over the whole thing. Season with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 min (I did 30 min). until the tomatoes are soft.

Heat remaining olive oil over med and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices, stock, basil and sugar. Cook for 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender blend the soup until pureed (takes a while with the tomatoes), or put the soup in the blender in batches and once smooth, add cream and 1/2 and 1/2 and cook another minute or two. I added red pepper flakes for a kick and some more salt to taste. I ladled them into bowls and topped them with a bit of shredded cheddar and fresh basil, chopped.

Parmesan Dijon Chicken

I was looking for a new chicken recipe and I found one!!!! I got it from Erin's Eats. Seriously it is my new fave chicken recipe, so easy and so yummy that i was so sad for the last piece. This cooks up so yummy and crunchy. I made some changes which I highlighted.

Parmesan Dijon Chicken

1/4 c melted butter

2 T Dijon Mustard

3/4 C dry bread crumbs (I used Italian)

1/4 C parmesan cheese

6 boneless chicken breasts (I used 4)

Heat oven to 375 ( I did it to 400), Mix butter and mustard until well mixed, use whisk. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in large dish.

Dip chicken in butter mixture, coat all sides, coat in bread crumb mixture. Place in single layer on 13 x9 x2 pan. I used nonstick foil to line pan and sprayed the chicken with a bit of oil. Bake 25 minutes at 400 and check for doneness. so yuuM!

Sweet, Salty Frito Candy

This stuff is so great---Ultimate PMS snack!!! Thanks to Cookie Madness... http://www.cookiemadness.net/?p=703 I made a few adjustments that you can see in the recipe below.
2 and 1/4 C pretzels
1 and 1/4 C fritos
15 small peanut butter cups
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 C brown sugar
2 C milk chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 and line pan with non stick foil. Break up pretzels and fritos (I did this in large ziploc) and pour into pan. Unwrap pb cups and cut them into fourths. Dump them on top, scattered.


Place butter in saucepan and melt. Stir in brown sugar and bring to full boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring once or twice. Pour over Frito mixture and bake 8 minutes.


Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over hot candy, return to oven 1 minute. Spread chocolate over candy evenly. Cool at room temp until ready for fridge. Cool in fridge completely and break into pieces.

What-a- Melon Jello Gummy Bear Shots

OK, I am going to a girls night tomorrow and I wanted to bring a fun drink. Have not had jello shots in ages!!! So I thought that would be fun.






1 pkg (3oz) of Melon Fusion Jello
1 C boiling water
3/4 C Cold Vodka
1/2 C Cold Watermelon Pucker
Gummy Bears
3 oz paper cups (bathroom cups)

Pour boiling water over jello powder in glass pourable bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add vodka and pucker and stir. Pour into 3oz paper cups (only filling about an inch high). Drop a gummy bear or two into each one. Refrigerate for 4 hours. YUM!

Pasta Eggplant Bake

1 Eggplant, sliced into 1x2 inch slices (fairly thin)
Basting Oil (from Wegmans), or EVOO with garlic
salt to taste
2 C Whole Wheat Pasta
Prepared tomato sauce (I used Paesana Vodka Sauce from Costco) 5 slices low fat mozzerella cheese, sliced

Preheat oven to 450 F. Slice Eggplant and put in baking dish and toss with oil. Bake 15 minutes at 400 and then raise temp to 450 and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Stirring throughout cooking. While eggplant is cooking boil 2 C Pasta of your choice (we used whole wheat rotini). Cook pasta until done and drain. Mix with enough tomato sauce (or vodka sauce--highly recommended) to coat. Mix in eggplant. Layer sliced cheese over top until covered. Cover dish and bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees F. It is so yummy and pretty healthy.

yes these are my balls--PMS Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut Butter Balls that is! hahahah! I am PMSing in the worst way, and was craving peanut butter and something crunchy. I put this together because it was all of the things I was craving (besides the butter, which I just know goes in peanut butter balls). They were so good. here is my recipe, which I am mostly posting because I will never remember what I put in them.

PMS Peanut Butter Balls

1 C extra crunchy Jif

1/3 C shredded coconut

6 T butter (approx)

1 and 1/3 C powdered sugar (Confectioners sugar)

1 C graham cracker crumbs

Vanilla extract---just kept adding until it was the right consistency---maybe a tsp or so

Melt butter and then mix in KA mixer with peanut butter, coconut, sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Add vanilla and mix again (could add anything else you might be craving...chocolate chips, toffee bits, potato chips?!). Shape into balls and put in fridge (after you eat lots of the batter). Then eat up!