Farfalle Alfredo with Italian Chicken Sausage

Husband approved!!!

3 cups Farfalle (bow tie) noodles, uncooked

1 jar of your fav Alfredo sauce (we like Bertoli)

1 pkg of aidells Italian style smoked chicken sausage, cut in slices

Yum!!!

Salsa Chicken

 From Erin:

• Chicken breasts or chicken strips
• Raspberry Chipotle salsa

Place ingredients in a casserole dish and bake in oven, covered, for 30 min - 1 hour (until chicken is done) at 375F.

Serve with crescent rolls and corn (or whatever else you think sounds good with it).

Erin's Swiss Chicken

Thank you Erin!!

6 chicken breasts
6 slices of Swiss cheese
5 Tbs butter, divided
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup lemon juice or white wine
salt + pepper
2 Tbs flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup stuffing mix

1. Melt 2 Tbs butter on stove.  Stir in flour and add milk and then broth.  It will thicken, stir constantly.
2. Add juice (or wine), salt and pepper.
3. Lay chicken in a 9 x 13 dish.
4. Lay one slice of cheese on each chicken breast.
5. Pour sauce over chicken.
6. Mix 3 Tbs butter with stuffing, then pour over chicken.
7. Bake at 350F for one hour.  Cover with foil or lid for the first 50 minutes.

I'm Engaged!! Planning a Wedding is SO MUCH FUN!! :-)

Paul got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife a little over one month ago, and I was extremely honored and excited to say YES!!  (oh, happy day!)  Here is all we have accomplished for wedding planning in just this past month.  I am astonished at how incredibly smooth everything is falling into place!  I must admit, though, that I am not really picky when it comes to a lot of the details and we also are getting married in a big city so there are just lots of options around- even for a six month engagement.

Church:  St. Agnes Catholic Church
        The choice to get married in St. Agnes Church, for us, was an obvious one. It's the church we go to every weekend with his dad when Paul is in town, and Paul has a lot of history at this church which also has a school he attended growing up.  Paul's parents met at St. Agnes and got married there 55 years ago! 

Wedding Date:  July 7th, 2012
       Woohoo!!  Right in the middle of the super fun summer!!  Thank goodness the wedding and reception will all be indoors.  ;-)

Photographer:  Rachelle Kuntz (Sugar Snaps Photography)
       She was chosen even before our date, but she is a friend of ours and we have seen her awesome work and we have heard her amazingly awesome reviews from other friends who have used her.  I knew what months Paul and I were looking at for the wedding date and I checked her availability right away. 

Florist:  Erica Smail Carlisle (The KC Flower Girl)
         Also an awesome friend of ours and I have worked with her on several parties and know her work is amazing.  I totally trust her creativity and am super excited to have her do all our flowers!

Reception:  The Clubhouse on Baltimore
         Beautiful downtown Kansas City venue with tons of Kansas City history.  This place just happened to fall right into our hands.  Perfect.

The most exciting part is I get to marry Paul and be his wife for the rest of my life.  I am so blessed!!  :-)

Mom's Ramen Salad

This was one of our favorite dinners growing up.

1/2 chopped cabbage (napa)
4  green onions, sliced
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 pkg Ramen noodles and seasoning packet
3 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup oil
salt & pepper to taste
1lb baked chicken breast, sliced

Combine chopped cabbage and onions.  Toast almonds, sesame seeds and crumbled ramen noodles in oven (watch carefully).  Mix vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper and seasoning packet.  Combine everything just before serving.

Sara's Chicken Tortilla Soup

This delish recipe is from my seriously fun friend Sara.  She totally rocks. 

Chicken Tortillia Soup

1 smallish onion, chop and sweat

5-6 cloves garlic, chop and sweat

3-5 chicken breasts, diced and cooked (or cooked and shredded)

2 cans hot pinto beans (Ranch Style, black can)

2 can chicken broth

1 can kidney beans

1 large can diced green chilies

1 can corn

2 cans Mexican stew tomatoes (or something like Rotel wworks if you don't like large chucks of tomatoes, like me :))

1 pkg. dry Hidden Valley ranch seasoning

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Throw all can ingredients into a large stock pot.  Don't drain the cans.  Add the 2 dry pkg mixes.  Sweat the onion and garlic together and add to pot.  Cook chicken and then add to pot.  Cook until hot.  Add cilantro right before you serve.  Add any fun fixings you might want (a dollop of sour cream is my favorite!).

That's it, pretty simple. :) 

Diana's (5 can) Really Simple Chili

I named this one after my friend who gave me this delicious, easy recipe! :-)

1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can chopped tomatoes (with onions or jalapenos mixed in)
1 can tomato sauce

Add all ingredients to the pot.
Add a packet of McCormick chili seasoning or a few teaspoons of chili seasoning / powder.
Heat until hot and bubbling.
Serve with cheese/sour cream, tortilla chips, corn muffins, or soft flour tortillas.

Variations:  Add cooked ground beef, sausage, steak, pork or chicken to the pot for a delicious meaty dish!

Awesome Asparagus

Ok, here's the secret:
Take one bunch of asparagus and snap off the ends, throw away.  Fill a medium bowl (4 c measuring cup) with some water and place asparagus into water, snapped-end down. Cook in microwave for 3 minutes.  Remove and place asparagus in skillet on medium heat with evoo and salt and pepper sprinklings. Cover.  Cook to desired crispness/tenderness (~5-10 min).  When this has occurred, splash asparagus with soy sauce.  Remove from skillet and place on serving dish.  Serve immediately.  Yummy!!!  :-)

London Broil Steak or Salmon Marinade

This is from my dear friend Mary in Tulsa, OK.  She made it for us when I came down for a visit.  We had it on salmon.

Salmon or London Broil Steak (or whatever else you want to try it on)


2T Extra virgin Olive Oil

4T pure maple syrup

½” piece of fresh ginger, peeled & minced (I don’t think it tastes quite as good, but sometimes I use ½ tsp powdered ginger)

1/3 cup tamari sauce (you could use soy sauce, but I always use tamari)

3T Braggs Liquid Aminos (may have to find at a health food store, but lasts a long time...it’s a salt substitute)

1 large clove fresh garlic, minced
FYI:

1. This is for 2 lbs of London broil (serves 6), or for the salmon, maybe about 6 or so people. When I make the above recipe, I usually use make the whole recipe for about 4 people, then put the other half in the fridge to use another time. It keeps really well because of the salt type ingredients in the recipe.

2. For the London broil, marinade the steak about 2-8 hrs in the refrigerator, turning the meat often. Broil or grill the meat and I think it’s best if you leave it a little pink in the middle.

3. For the salmon, it doesn’t take near as long to marinade, but turn it a couple of times in the refrigerator. I usually broil salmon, and it takes approx. 6 mins per ½ inch. But it is wonderful grilled! The trick with the salmon is not to cook it too overdone.

Looking forward to Denver!!

Brook is one of my very best friends from KC, we have been BFF's since about the third month of 2007 which is almost as long as being in high school, which at least on one level can be considered an entire lifetime.  We lived less than a mile apart from each other when we met, in good ol' Lenexa Kansas.  Then we providentially moved across the state line into the same neighborhood on the same block at nearly the same time.  I enjoyed every single minute of getting to live across the street from this saint in-the-making.  Countless walks down Meyer Boulevard that would often snake into the adorable neighborhood side-streets, discovering that we have the same running pace and the same love/hate relationship with running, carpooling, carpooling, and even more carpooling all over this wonderful city, sharing our deepest thoughts, feelings and desires with each other.... these are just a few of the reasons I totally love this girl.   
 

Ahhhh, here's Brook in her element!!  I sure hope we'll get to see some of this action when I'm there!  I don't think you could find anyone in this whole country who doesn't like Colorado.  It's just an awesome state.  Brook, you pick 'em well!!  
   

 

And here we are back in good ol' Kansas City.  The quality of the people here just can't be beat.  We may not have mountains here in KC, but our hearts here are as big as mountains!  Hearts filled with honesty, kindness and generosity.  Brook always fits in here in KC, as well as in beautiful Colorado.  What a blessing!!





A cheerful glance brings joy to the heart; good news invigorates the bones.
~Proverbs 15:30   

Performance Painting

Mike getting everything set up in the living room, which was now an art studio.







Set up complete.








Mike mixing the paints. This performance was done on the last Saturday in July, and it was a small, intimate gathering at my house. There were about 10 of us total, including my boyfriend and his dad, and my roommate. Mike set the performance to music using a soundtrack he put together himself. The whole performance was beautiful and unforgettable.




This is the Blessed Virgin Mary, the image taken from Michelangelo's Pieta. The beauty of this image is that Mary's sorrow gives us hope. It's not just an image of a crying woman, it is the culmination of the greatest Love the world has ever known.




So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
~1 Corinthians 13:13

Cooking Chicken Breasts

• Skillet Method:  Rinse off the chicken breast, shake off excess water, lay on a plate.  Rub a spice on the piece of chicken, like cayenne pepper, and some salt.  Add some evoo to the skillet and turn heat up to med-high.  Add chicken to skillet with seasoned-side down, seasoning the plain side facing up.  Cook chicken 6-7 minutes per side.
• Oven Method:   Rinse off the chicken breast, shake off excess water, lay in a casserole dish.  Cover.  Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  Do something totally fun while your chicken is cooking, like take a shower.

BLT Dip

This recipe is out of the Pampered Chef cookbook.  I've made it once and it totally disappeared, it was so tasty!

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
0.5 cup ranch salad dressing
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced (about 0.75 cup)
6 bacon slices, crisply cooked, drained and chopped
0.5 cup finely chopped celery
2 Tbs finely chopped onion
1 tsp sugar
Lettuce leaves
French Bread, thinly sliced

1. Place cream cheese in a medium bowl.  Gradually stir in ranch dressing; mix well.
2. Remove seeds from tomato and dice.  Reserve one tablespoon for garnish.  Chop bacon, celery and onion.  Add tomato, bacon, celery, onion, and sugar to cream cheese mixture; mix well.  Cover, refrigerate at least 3 hours to allow flavors to blend.
3. To serve, line a chilled, small bowl with lettuce leaves.  Fill with dip.  Garnish with reserved tomato.  Serve with toasted French bread.

Yield: 20 servings (about 2.5 cups dip)

Monkey Bread

I remember making this when I was a kid.

3 cans biscuits
0.5 cup sugar
0.5 tsp cinnamon
0.75 cup sugar
0.75 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter

Cut biscuits into quarters.  Roll each quarter in a mixture of 0.5 cup sugar and 0.5 tsp cinnamon.  Drop in a greased bundt pan.  Mix the butter, 0.75 cup sugar and 0.75 tsp cinnamon in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Pour mixture over the biscuits.  Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes.  Let stand 5-10 minutes and then invert on a plate.

Peanut Blossoms (a.k.a. Star Cookies)

makes 48 cookies.

These cookies are The Ultimate family favorite.  They are a staple around the holidays.

1.75 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp salt  (did you know that a little salt added to sweet things actually accentuates the sweetness??)
0.5 cup sugar
0.5 cup packed brown sugar
0.5 cup shortening (go with the shortening instead of butter or marg. because the Crisco has less water content which causes a softer, fluffier cookie.  Butter makes a thinner, crispier cookie, which is not ideal for this recipe)
0.5 cup peanut butter
1 egg
2 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag of chocolate stars (Brachs makes them and they are usually located in the candy section of the grocery store. You may use Hershey's Kisses if you'd like, but then they wouldn't be called Star Cookies.)

Combine all ingredients except candy in a large mixing bowl.  Mix on lowest speed until dough forms.  Shape dough into balls, using a rounded teaspoon for each.  Roll balls in sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.  Top each cookie immediately with a star, press down firmly so cookie cracks around the edge.

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

I know, this sounds weird, but it is AMAZING!  It's so dark and rich and moist, that it needs no frosting.  You could dust it with some powdered sugar right before serving, though.  That's pretty.

Makes one 13x9 inch cake or two 9 inch round layers.

Have all ingredients at room temp.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan or two 9 inch round pans, or line the bottoms with wax or parchment paper.

Whisk together in a medium bowl:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp baking powder

Melt:
4oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Set aside.  Beat in a large bowl at medium-high speed until light, about 3 minutes:
3 large eggs
1.66 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the melted chocolate until smooth with:
0.75 cup mayonnaise

and beat into batter.  On low speed, add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with:
1.33 cups water

in 2 additions, beating until smooth.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan(s).
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.  Let the 13x9 cake cool on a rack in the pan, if desired, or cool and remove from the pan.
Dust with, if desired:
confectioner's sugar or cocoa.

Pimiento Cheese

This one is from The Joy of Cooking cookbook.  I've made it once, and it was awesome- it's perfect for a big party.  Serve it with fancy crackers and/or carrots and celery.

Combine in a medium bowl:
1 4oz jar chopped pimientos, drained
1 cup mayo or miracle whip
1 minced garlic clove
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp dry mustard
0.5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
0.25 tsp ground red pepper

Beat with a spoon or electric mixer at medium speed until blended.  Add:
2 cups grated Cheddar (8oz)
2 cups grated Colby (8oz)

Beat until the consistency of cottage cheese.

Makes about 4 cups.

Menu Ideas

• Baked Sweet Potatoes (or regular potatoes), Peas, Meat (pork chop, fish, steak, chicken)
• 5 can chili (w/ ground sausage, beef, or turkey, optional), Whole Wheat Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
• Spaghetti & Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread
• Taco Salad Night
• Ministrone Night
• Fiesta Dinner Salad served with Chicken or Pork Chops
• Quiche Night
• Sloppy Joes served on Whole Wheat Buns and Sweet Corn
• Lasagne served with Spinach Salad
• Oaty Cakes served with a variety of fresh fruit/berries and lean Sausage links or Bacon
• Taco Night served with Beans and fresh Black Bean/Corn/Cilantro Salsa
• London Broil Steak or Salmon served with steamed or grilled Asparagus and Baked Potato
• Pad Thai served with Noodles
• Fried (Brown) Rice served with Chicken, Pork or Beef with Baby Brocolli, Peas, Sliced Carrots

Oaty Cakes

These delicious, good-for-you pancakes are a staple here in the MCQ!!

These are very oaty and creamy inside! You’ll need to smoosh them down once you flip them!
1 cup quick oats + 1 cup plain greek yogurt… mix well.
stir in…
1 egg, 2 tbsp canola oil, 1/4 cup ww flour, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon… mix well.
Scoop onto HOT griddle (set on about medium heat), flip, smoosh, brown… serve with fresh berries, butter, and maple syrup.

Feel free to get creative with this recipe! Add into the mix chopped pecans or walnuts, diced apple, raisins.....
Makes 8 pancakes.
Yum! :-)

Fiesta Dinner Salad

This is very delicious, it's from miss Jean :-)
She says it is a complete little protein and veggie package.

4 cups cooked brown rice
1.5 red bell peppers, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cups frozen corn
2 cans black beans
6 green onions
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
chopped cilantro topping (optional)
Dressing:
1/3 cup evoo
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all in a large bowl. Can be served with baked chicken.
Adjust ingredients or amounts according to taste. Sasha thinks chopped up tomato outsides would be tasty in it. Brook says carrots would be yummy in it.
Enjoy cold!