Jello Cake

This is a super easy light tasting cake, and it's one that you can keep the ingredients on hand for at all times. This cake can be made with any flavor you desire - lemon cake with raspberry jello, white cake with strawberry jello, you decide!

• 1 box cake mix, and any ingredients the box calls for such as eggs and oil
• 1 small box jello
• 1 container Cool Whip
• berries (optional)

Bake cake according to box directions. When it is done, use a small round utensil like a skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Mix jello according to box directions. Pour jello over the cake. Let cake cool, then top with cool whip and berries.

Rolo Pecan Candies

My mom brought a box of these candies to my house for Christmas when Noelle was born, and I thought they were so great. I've seen them around a lot since then, and have also discovered one of my favorite candy bars, Take 5, which tastes a lot like these candies.

• 1 bag mini pretzels - I use the waffle style square ones
• 1 bag Rolo candies
• 1 bag pecan halves

Line baking sheets with foil. Place pretzels on foil. Top each pretzel with a Rolo. Bake at 250 degrees for 4 minutes or until candies are soft. (Candies will retain their shape.) Immediately place a pecan half on each candy and press down so candy fills pretzel. Cool slightly. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until set.

You can use other combinations of candy, as well. I've had these with Hershey's Hugs and a peanut m&m on top. Or if you are concerned about peanut allergy, putting another pretzel on top still tastes great.

A to Z Bread

Another recipe from the Nashville Mamas. I've made this bread recipe with bananas, zucchini, and squash, and they were all excellent. Some of the A-Z ingredients are a stretch, I think, but to each their own! Makes 2 normal loaves or 8 mini.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs*
• 1 cup oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups A-Z item (see list below)
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Sift dry ingredients and set aside.
Beat eggs in large bowl; add oil & sugar; cream well.
Add A-Z item and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients.
Mix well.
Add nuts.
Spoon into 2 greased loaf pans.
Bake at 325 for 1 hour (or until done).


*Sometimes, I substitute applesauce for eggs (1/4 c. for each egg) or I use egg replacement.


A-Z: Add one of the following or a mixture to equal two cups, except where indicated:

Apples -- grated
Applesauce
Apricots -- chopped
Bananas -- mashed
Carrots -- grated
Cherries -- pitted/chopped
Coconut -- fresh/ground
Dates - pitted/chopped
Eggplant -- ground
Figs -- finely chopped
Grapes -- seedless
Honey -- omit sugar!
Lemons -- use only 1/2 c. lemon juice
Marmalade -- omit 1 cup sugar
Mincemeat
Oranges -- chopped
Peaches -- fresh or canned/chopped
Peppermint -- use 1/2 cup
Pears -- chopped
Pineapple -- crushed & well-drained
Prunes -- chopped (1 cup only)
Pumpkin -- canned
Raisins
Raspberries
Rhubarb -- finely chopped
Strawberries -- fresh or frozen
Sweet Potato -- coarsely grated
Tapioca -- cooked
Tomatoes -- use 1/2 cup sugar only
Yams -- cooked or mashed
Yogurt -- plain or flavoured
Zucchini -- ground or grated, drained

Thai Pork Stew

I got this recipe from a Nashville mamas group I am a part of, and we love it! The sweet potatoes turn to complete mush, you'd never know they are the base of this meal. The recipe calls for pork tenderloin, but we normally use pork chops or steaks.

• 2 lbs. pork tenderloin - cut in 6 pieces
• 2 cups red bell pepper - julienned
• 1/4 cup soy or teriyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce (tuong of toi vietnam - with picture of rooster)
• 2 garlic cloves - minced
• 2-3 sweet potatoes - cut in thirds
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• cooked white rice
• green onions
• peanuts
• lime

Place pork through sweet potatoes in a slow cooker. Cover with lid and cook on low heat setting for 8 hours. Remove pork and coarsely chop. Add peanut butter to liquid in cooker and stir well. Add pork back in.

Serve stew over steamed white rice. Top with chopped green onions, peanuts and serve with lime wedges.

Bonus -- very freezer friendly!!

Wonderballs

I found this recipe on the website of someone who went to the same college I did, Meal Planning Mommies. I was excited to make them with Noelle, but she does not like to get her hands messy. So, I made them by myself, but it was still totally worth it! Now Andy and I make them together and sometimes we don't even share with Noelle.

• 1 Cup Peanut Butter
• 3/4 Cup Honey
• 1/2 Cup Milled Flax Seed
• 1/4 Cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 Cup of dried fruit like raisins or craisins
• 1/2 Cup of chocolate chips
• 2 Cups of Uncooked Oatmeal

In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter and honey. Add in oatmeal and flax seed, stir. Finally, stir in chocolate, chopped nuts, and dried fruit. Using a spoon or your hands, make cookie dough sized balls out of the mixture. I find it works best to squish it a bit to help it stay together better. Place the wonderballs into tupperware, stack with wax paper in between. Place them in your freezer, and take one out whenever you'd like a snack! You can also keep them in the refrigerator if you prefer them softer, but they will also be a little stickier that way.

Crock Pot Black Bean Soup

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable for vegetarian)
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 serrano chile or jalapeno, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• chopped fresh cilantro
• sour cream

Sort and wash beans; place in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain.

Combine beans, broth, onion, water, cumin, bay leaves, and chile in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low 10 hours. Discard bay leaves. Stir in lime juice and salt. Ladle into bowls, top with chopped cilantro and sour cream.

Fresh Blueberry Muffins

I made these this morning for my family, and they turned out so well! I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com - thanks Colleen, whoever you are! I only had a 6 muffin tin, so I put the rest of the batter in a little bread pan and that worked just as well. Makes 8 large muffins.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping (mix with fork, sprinkle over muffins before baking):

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400º. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture until it is just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup worcestershire
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp ground mustard
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• dash red pepper flakes
• pinch salt and pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped (we chop into big chunks to remove after cooking)
• 3 pounds pork tenderloin
• Hamburger buns
• BBQ Sauce (optional)

Combine all ingredients except onion and pork into crock pot. Whisk until well blended. Place pork and onions into mixture, coating both sides of meat. Cook for 8-10 hours on low or 6 hours on high. After meat is cooked, shred with forks inside the crock pot and stir into the sauce. Serve on hamburger buns or rolls, or by itself on a plate, with optional bbq sauce to top.

Panzanella Bread Salad

I first had this Italian peasant style dish at a picnic that Jaime and I attended. I was dubious of it at first because I didn't really care for raw tomatoes at that time but I tried it, and boy was I glad. It's everything that's good about Italian food, all in one simple salad. The hum of garlic, the zing of red wine vinegar, the smooth fruitiness of the extra virgin olive oil, and the herby goodness of basil. Hope you like it!

• One loaf of dense, crusty bread (Italian or French is best)
• 1/2 - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 - 1 cup red wine vinegar (balsamic vinegar can also be used)
• 1 pint container of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 10 mozzarella cheese sticks (fresh mozzarella can be used if you prefer)
• 1 bunch of basil (10 leaves or so)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Kosher salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper

1. Cube bread into 1 inch pieces. Allow to dry overnight, or dry in a 200° oven for an hour. You want the bread stale and tough, but not rock hard.


2. Cut, or tear, mozzarella into small pieces, less than bite size


3. Halve, or quarter the tomatoes, again you're shooting for smaller than bite size


4. Finely dice garlic


5. Cut basil into a chiffonade (stack the leaves, roll them lengthwise, then finely slice them). You should end up with long, thin, strings of basil.


6. Place bread into a large mixing bowl. You're going to use your hands to mix it up, so give yourself plenty of room


7. Pour 1/2 cup each of oil and vinegar over bread, allow to soak in.


8. Add garlic, basil, tomatoes, and cheese, stir with your hands. Once everything is well coated, start squeezing the bread. The goal is to treat the bread like a sponge so that it sucks up the juice from the tomatoes, as well as the oil and vinegar.


9. Add salt and pepper to taste, allow to sit for a few minutes.


10. Gauge the moisture level of the bread and add more oil and vinegar if need be. The bread should soak up all of the juice, but not be dripping. There should be no juice left in the bottom of the bowl.

A note...this salad can be made ahead but try to avoid refrigerating if possible. It's best served at room temperature