Minestrone Soup

 I found some fun noodles at the store the other day and decided to make a minestrone soup with them in an effort to get my kids to eat vegetables.  My kids were so distracted by seahorses and octopus they didn't complain!

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups vegetable or beef broth
1 cup minced onion
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup cut green beans
1/2 cup diced carrots
4 tsp. minced garlic
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 cup noodle of your choice

       Put all the ingredients except the noodles in a large saucepan and cook simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the noodles and cook as long as the box says.  Enjoy!

Christmas Presents- Duffle Bags

I know I'm crazy, but I finished my kids' Christmas presents.... or at least one of them.  When I get an idea I have to act on it and it drives me crazy until its done.  There needs to be a word for the opposite of a procrastinator.  I'm that... obsessive compulsive maybe?

 My kids needed travel bags.  We watched some friends' kids over-night and they had their own duffel bags.  I thought, "my kids need this!"  So I found a pattern I like online here.

 I just changed the fabric to canvas.  I didn't like the laminated fabric idea.  They were super easy to make.  It was just a little tricky to find all the different notions and things like webbing.  That was SO hard to find!

 I used just normal cotton fabric on the lining inside and sewed on the zipper a different way than they show in the instructions because I thought my way was better and easier.  Just sew the zippers on to the fabric right sides together.  That tape stuff looked annoying.

 Then I sewed the kids toiletry bags and put a toothbrush holder inside.  WALA!  They are ready to travelling except they have to wait until Christmas.

Fruit Pizza for the Olympics

In honor of the opening ceremonies tonight we are having a Brazilian party with friends but I had to make my mom's fruit pizza recipe with the Olympic rings because its fun.  Couldn't tell from pictures if the right bottom ring was orange or yellow so I added both.  I have a bowl of fruit to add to pieces that are spare on fruit once its cut.  P.S. I never do the glaze.

Fruit Pizza

Make in a sheet cake pan

Crust-

2 c. flour

2 cubes margarine

4 Tbl. Powdered sugar

(add nuts if wanted)

          Combine and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Cool.

Cream-

8 oz. Cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

1 c. whipped whipping cream

         

Spread on top of crust.  Mix cheese and sugar, add to whip.  Arrange fruit (peaches, grapes, strawberries, kiwi, bananas, etc.)

Glaze-

½ c. sugar

¼ c. water

2 Tbl. Cornstarch

½ c. orange juice

½ c. lemon juice

         

Heat to a boil, and stir until it is thick and clear.  Cool in refrigerator.  Spoon over arranged fruit.

Dinosaur Egg Treats

My son's birthday party so we are in birthday party prep mode.  Our theme is dinosaurs.  I made him a pinata and today I made little dinosaur eggs with toy dinosaurs inside.

First wash your dinosaurs.

 I used Cocoa DinoBites cereal.

 Measure out 7 cups of cereal and take out some of the tiny marshmallows, about a cups worth.

 Melt 3 Tbsp of butter, a 10 ounce bag of marshmallows, and a Tablespoon of corn syrup together until the marshmallows are melted.

 Pour on the cereal and stir carefully to combine.

 Add in the marshmallows from the cereal.

 Spray vegetable oil spray on your hands or butter them and form the cereal into a ball around a toy dinosaur.  Wrap in plastic wrap.

Dinosaur Egg Treats

Ingredients:

6 cups of Puffed Rice Cereal or 7 cups of DynoBites cereal
10 ounce bag of marshmallows
3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. corn syrup (optional)

    Measure out the cereal into a bowl.  If you are using DynoBites take out about a cup of marshmallows to be used later.
    Melt the butter into a medium sized saucepan.  Add the marshmallows (and corn syrup if desired) and stir until smooth.  Pour onto the cereal and stir carefully.  Then add the reserved marshmallows and stir carefully.  Spray hands with vegetable oil spray or rub with batter.  Form into a ball around a toy dinosaurs.  Wrap in plastic wrap.

Mint Brownies

Fudge Mint Brownies

1 ½ c. margarine

3 c. sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

6 eggs

¾ c. cocoa

2 ¼ c. flour

1 c. nuts (optional)

Melt Margarine, stir in cocoa and sugar.  Cool, so its not too hot to add eggs.  Blend in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in vanilla, flour, and nuts.  Mix well.  Spread in jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool.

Mint Frosting:

3 c. powdered sugar

¼ c. margarine

½ tsp. peppermint extract

5 drops green food coloring

*I usually add a little milk

Mix all together and frost in thin layer on top of  brownies.

Fudge Frosting:

½ c. margarine

3 ½ Tbsp. cocoa

1/3 c. milk

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine margarine, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan, heat slowly and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add remaining ingredients, beat well and spread over mint layer while the fudge frosting is still warm.  Add chopped nuts if desired. 

Fourth of July Dessert- Danish Dessert

This is one of my most favorite desserts of all time.  It reminds me of my birthday which is on the Fourth of July.  

Danish Dessert

To make crumbs- mix together:

2 c. flour

1 c. brown sugar

1 cube soft margarine

1 c. chopped walnuts

Spread in 9x13 baking pan

       Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.  Stir several times.

Cream filling- whip together:

1 pint of cream (whipped)

1-8 oz. Pkg. Cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

         

Press about half of the crumbs into a pan, and then cool.  Fill with cheese mixture, cover with remaining crumbs.  Set in refrigerator.

Topping:

          Prepare 1 pkg. Danish Dessert and add 1 pkg. Frozen or frozen raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries. Spread over cheese layer, and refrigerate.

I like using raspberries or blackberries best.  You can use blueberries too.  I usually make the Danish Dessert first (the instructions for the fruit glaze) that way it has time to cool while you make everything else. 

To make this into a flag I reserved a 1/2 cup of the fruit sauce for the blueberries and added a small amount of dark blue gel food coloring. 

 Then the rest gets raspberries.

 I used the 9 x 13 pan I baked the crumbs in and layered 1/2 of the crumbs first.

 Then the cream (reserve about 1 cup).

 Then lay on the rest of the crumbs.

 The blueberries don't have much liquid in them on purpose.  Lay them out in a square in the upper right corner.

 Then carefully pour on the raspberries and spread them out to the corners.

 Then I piped on the rest of the whipped cream mixture in lines.  My kids were so thrilled!

Aunt Lorett'a Chicken

This was one of my favorite Sunday meals growing up.  

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts

6 thin ham slices

6 pieces of bacon (COOKED!)

Mix:

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

1 pint of sour cream

Do not forget to cook the bacon before you assemble the casserole!

Line the bottom of the pan with ham. Cook the bacon.  Wrap the chicken with strips of cooled bacon.  Place on top of the ham.  Pour on the mixture of cream of mushroom soup and sour cream.  Bake at 275 degrees for three hours.  You can cook it at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time.