Thursday, January 31, 2013

Fettuccine Alfredo

I got this recipe from "The Food Nanny rescues Dinner" book, I love her and her book.  

Alfredo Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
salt and ground black pepper

1 pound uncooked fettuccine

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Mix in the cream cheese.  Stir in the cream and garlic powder. Increase the heat and bring to a boil.  Decrease the heat and simmer, stirring often, while you cook the pasta.  If the sauce needs additional thickening (for example if you serve it as a dipping sauce for bread sticks) you may sprinkle in flour, 1 tsp at a time.  Cook and stir for desired consistency.

2. Cook the fettuccine according to package directions, drain.

3.  Stir the Parmesan cheese into the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Toss the sauce and the pasta in a large bowl and serve immediately.  Serve with tossed green salad and hot french bread or bread sticks.

Can add chunks of cooked chicken (stir fry bites of chicken in 1 tblsp olive oil until cooked and add to sauce)

Yummy!

For the nourishing of our souls:
One of my favorite things to do at the end of each day is to sing the song Have I done any good in the world today, have I helped anyone in need.  I review my day and try to see if I thought of someone else and did something for them (something as simple as rubbing their back or feet, smiling and being cheerful, helping with something important to them) and I remembered I saw this song on You Tube, I love it  listen to it here

Sunday, January 20, 2013

My Daily Green Smoothie

I took for granted that everyone knew what I drank in my green smoothie.  I have had a request to post it.  I got this from www.greensmoothiegirl.com, I love her, bought her book green smoothies and she has several other recipes, while I do not eat as healthy as her, she inspires me to want to eat better.  My green smoothie has more fruits than hers, but here is how I make mine:

My wonderful kids did get me a blendtec blender last year for Christmas, so I do use that:

3 cups cold filtered water (I just have a Brita pitcher in my fridge)
Fill the blender with spinach ( I am guessing 3 to 4 handfuls)
I add a couple leaves of collard greens
I add a couple leaves of kale
I pulse that, or blend until it is all blended down
I cut one apple (any kind of apple I have on hand, I do not peel it, I just cut the seeds out) and put apple pieces in
2 bananas
1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
1 to 2 Tblsp honey
1/2 of an avocado, no skins, optional if you have one on hand!

(you can add flax seed oil, coconut oil, and any other healthy additions you would like!)
(and lately I have added a tsp of mexican vanilla as well as the honey to flavor it so my little girl will drink it)

I push the smoothie button and it blends for about 35 seconds, but just blend til smooth!
I can usually fill 3 of my special 2 cup containers with lids.  Ideally you should drink 4 cups of this stuff a day, but I usually only get my 2 cups in , my goal is to drink a quart a day!
According to green smoothie book, 2 cups of this stuff is equal to 7 1/2  servings of fruits and veggies and 4 cups equals 15 servings of fruits and veggies!  Easy way to get your fruit and veggie in for the day.   It is yummy stuff and in green smoothie girl's book she has several other good drinks as well, I have tried her Pink Smoothie and liked that, but not everyone likes that one, it has cashews in it, yum!

And now for the nourishing of our souls:
Here is my favorite song, I may have shared it on another recipe, but whenever anyone feels they are struggling, turn up this song and sing as loud as you can, and you will feel better, you can find it here It is called Just hold on by Jesse Clark Funk

Friday, January 18, 2013

The best fluffy breadsticks ever!

Okay, I was looking for a good breadstick recipe and the ones I make are always flat so I got on YouTube to see a demonstration on how to make them more fluffy and I saw this recipe and made them and loved them, so here it is for you: you can find it here

This recipe makes 12 bread sticks but you can double the recipe easily

1 cup very warm water
1 pkg yeast (1 scant TBLSP)
3 TBLSP sugar
1 tsp salt
2 TBLSP vegetable oil
3 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water, then add all ingredients except flour and dissolve in water.

Only add about 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour, you will add the rest during kneading.
Knead for 6 to 8 min, add flour as needed to make dough
Dough will be a little sticky
Put in a bowl covered with a towel and let rise for one hour in warm place

(I made this in my Bosch or Kitchen Aid, so I just put all the flour in and let the machine do the kneading,then I pull it out of the bosch and put into a large tupperware bowl that had some oil in the bottom, and I rub the dough in the oil so it is covered on all sides and put the  tupperwarelid on and let dough rise in bowl)

After dough has risen, punch down and pull off a little ball size (the video said to pat dough down to 3/4 or 1 in and score into 10 or 12 breadsticks, then take each piece and roll into log shape) and place onto buttered cookie sheet.  However I found it easier to just pinch off a ball of dough and roll into the log shape.
Place all logs onto buttered cookie sheet
Place towel over the top and let rise for 45 min (can turn oven to 150 degrees and let them rise in warm oven)
Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake 10 to 13 min (every oven is different , so check breadsticks often)
When they are done, brush with real butter, sprinkle on garlic salt or garlic powder whichever you prefer, then can sprinkle with shredded cheese, and put back in oven for 1 or 2 min
Serve and Enjoy

These breadsticks were VERY YUMMY! I loved them
you can watch the video how to make them here:

And now for the nourishing of our souls:
D&C 6:33-34
"Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.
34-Therefore, fear not, little flock: do good; let earth and hell combine gainst you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

Awesome scriptures, I have truly experienced it first hand, if you truly are built upon the rock of the gospel, earth and hell cannot hurt you, and you will truly have peace, the peace that comes from knowing you do good, and you have the Lord on your side. 

Chicken Pot Pie Crumble

I just made this recipe the other night and I LOVED it! I will make it again and again.  You want to try it too?  It sounds complicated but it really wasn't , it all came together very quickly and easily.
I got it from one of my new favorite blogs  www.cookingclassy.com, I will link you to recipe here:

Chicken Pot Pie Crumble – My Favorite Pot Pie
Ingredients
  • 20 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 large)
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup peeled and diced carrots (about 2 large carrots)
  • 3/4 cup diced celery (about 2 large stalks)
  • 3/4 cup finely diced yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
  • 2/3 cup frozen peas
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • For the crumble:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder (use 1/2 tsp for a slightly stronger garlic flavor)
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1/4 cup butter, cold and diced into small cubes
  • 2 oz. finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup packed)
  • 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp heavy cream
Directions
  • Place chicken in a slow cooker, pour chicken broth over chicken. Cover with lid and cook on low heat about 5 - 6 hours until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from slow cooker, dice and set aside. Strain broth from slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and reserve broth (if you don't have a fine mesh strainer just try to remove the pieces of fat).
  • To prepare crumble
  • Preheat oven to 450 degree. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder and optional cayenne pepper. Using your finger tips, cut butter into mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Pour in heavy cream and mix just until combine. Break and drop mixture into 1 - 2-inch pieces onto a Silpat lined baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • To prepare filling
  • Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add diced carrots, onion and celery. Saute vegetables, stirring occasionally until lightly golden and tender, about 5 - 6 minutes. Pour vegetables into a bowl and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, melt butter in saucepan (I like to brown it a bit for and extra layer of flavor), then add in flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 20 seconds (it will be very thick). While stirring, slowly add in milk followed by reserved chicken broth, lemon juice, parsley, thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil, then slightly reduce heat and allow to cook about 1 minute longer until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove sauce from heat and add sauteed vegetables, frozen peas and diced chicken to sauce, then toss to evenly coat. Pour mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and sprinkle with baked crumble topping (mine fit perfectly in my pie dish but if yours is coming close to the top edge you may want to sit it on top of a cookie sheet to prevent spills in your oven). Bake in 400 degree oven until nicely golden brown, about 12 to 14 min.  Serve warm
This was really very very yummy, I loved it!

And now for the nourishing of our souls:

Another of my favorite scriptures:
D&C 6:16
"Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart"

and in D&C 6:20
". . . . .therefore treasure up these words in thy heart.  Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love"

ButterCream Frosting

This post is for my friend Shirlene (she was the best neighbor anyone could hope to have!) , she texted me and asked where is my recipe for just plain ol butter cream frosting, no cream cheese or other doo dads, so here it is!

Buttercream Frosting
this is from the C&H powder sugar box I believe

4 cups powder sugar
5 1/3 TBLSP butter (I melt mine in the microwave or use butter that is softened to room temp)
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla  (mexican vanilla if you have it!)

Just mix together with mixer, add more powder sugar if it is too runny or add more milk if it is too dry!

Enjoy!

For the nourishing of our souls:
Here is one of my favorite scriptures, mark it if you dont have it marked, it is found in D&C 6:36
"Look unto me in every thought: doubt not, fear not"

Truly, there is no need to doubt or fear in life when you have our Savior in every thought.  While life is hard, He gives you strength and courage.  When I am in doubt, He gives me hope.  When I fear things, I pray to Him and Trust in Him and remember that with God, nothing is impossible!  He gives me that calm feeling that everything is going to be okay, what more could you ask for than that?