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Cheeseburger Macaroni

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I love recipes that I have all the ingredients to at all times, and this is one of those. This is definitely one of our family’s favorite meals. There is never any leftovers! It is an as “easy as it gets” recipe and so delicious!

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 -14.5 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes
3 cups beef broth
1 -3/4 cup water
1 box of elbow macaroni

Cheese Sauce:
4 TBSP. butter
4 TBSP. a.p. flour
1 -1/2 cups of milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Brown the ground beef and then drain off the grease. Stir in taco seasoning, tomatoes, beef broth, water, macaroni and stir well. Cooking on medium high heat. Continue to stir until it starts to bubble.  Then reduce the heat to simmer and cover the dish, cooking for about 12 minutes or until the macaroni noodles are done to your liking. 

Just as soon as you cover the macaroni, start your cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and then just before its completely melted add in your flour. Stir for about 2-3 minutes and then add the milk. Bring this to a boil, continuing to whisk the whole time. Remove from the heat and add the cheese and stir until melted. Salt and pepper.

When the macaroni mixture is ready, pour in the cheese sauce and stir well to incorporate it.

adapted from Kevinandamanda.com 

Prayer

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What is the purpose of prayer?
    We have struggled with infertility for years. It is a common challenge for many people, but that doesn’t make it any easier when you are faced with it yourself. Over the years, I have run the gamut of emotions ranging from disappointment, to anger, to resignation and defeat. Having children is a righteous desire, so why couldn’t we, who are trying to be good people and who would give children a loving home, have children easily? 
    I also had a difficult time knowing how to pray about it. On one hand, we are taught that if we are faithful, our prayers will be answered. On the other hand, we are taught that the purpose of prayer is to bring our will in line with God’s will. The two ideas seemed a little contradictory to me. I felt a little bit guilty praying for a child if it wasn’t God’s will for us. As I was sitting in Sunday School one day, the lesson was on prayer and the teacher referred us to the bible dictionary. What I read changed my perspective forever:
     “As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.”
    When I was able to view prayer as a form of work, I no longer felt guilty for praying for a child. It released a huge burden and I could pray without reserve while hoping that it was a blessing God was willing to grant. This lesson has helped me in every trial since and I hope it helps you as well. God wants to bless us, but we have to do our part.
   

Rainbow Green Smoothie

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We finally joined the green side of things and invested in a good blender.  Wow!  It makes a huge difference.  I am amazed at the smooth consistency.  I discovered though that there are limits to what my blender can do.  Unfortunately, it can’t turn un-tasty healthy things into pure deliciousness.   Because everything the demonstrators make at Costco tastes delicious, I expected to be able to throw in whatever I wanted (it sure seems like they do that) and have it come out tasting like mint chocolate chip ice cream.  But I learned the hard way that a little bit of kale goes a long way. 
After some experimentation,  I came up with a smoothie that I really like and that is chalk full of good stuff.
Ingredients:
1 cup of water
1 handful of kale
2 handfuls of spinach
1 handful of pineapple
1 mango
5-6 large frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana
3-5 carrots (depending on size)
1 nice chunk of squash 
1/2 an avacado
1 apple
1 orange
1 handful of almonds
1 TBSP each of hemp, sesame, chia, and flax seeds
Directions:
-Add into the blender in the order listed and blend until smooth (mine has a pre-set smoothie setting)
-You can add a little ice if you want it colder and definitely add ice if your strawberries and banana aren’t frozen.

What’s On Your Plate?

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Quite the catchy title for a food blog post, wouldn’t you say?  I placed this sign above my kitchen window.  I used to have a clock up there, but 6 months out of the year it was always an hour off!  Yeah, that’s right.  To change the time I would have to get up on a step stool and then stand on the sides of my kitchen sink.  Way too much trouble and probably a little dangerous.  Anyway, to make a long story just that much longer, my daughter brought this plaque home from babysitting at a friend’s house. She was de-junking before a move.  It had a metal plate on the front that had a quote on it but I thought it needed to be redesigned for my house.  My friend, Stacie, has a vinyl lettering business and I knew that would be the perfect way to give this thing new life.  I gave it to her and told her I would be trying to figure out what to put on it and since it would be in the kitchen I wanted something, well, kitchen-y.  She gave me some suggestions and offered “The Gathering Place,”  which I thought was really cool. 

One day Stacie and I were discussing the sign.  Thankfully, she had not started on it yet but was ready to get going on it since she had a baby boy joining the family any week and just wanted to get it done.  I told her I understood that because she had a lot on her PLATE.  Ka-ching!!  Stacie, let’s do “What’s On Your Plate?”  It totally fit in a kitchen setting, but also gave “food for thought.”  She loved that idea and has probably added it to her repertoire of quotes for her business.  I gave her permission to use it.  Haha…

So, what’s on your plate?  As women, we’ve “got it goin’ on” all the time.  Busy at home, busy at work, busy at church, busy in our communities, busy with our blogs, busy with our dogs.  BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!  (have you ever written a word so many times in a row that it looks wrong?  Yeah, that just happened.) 

We should all be “anxiously engaged” in the things that matter most in our lives, but we need to remember to balance our plate as we would balance food groups for a meal.  A little bit of this, a little bit of that, maybe just a little more of one thing, and then something sweet to top it off (chocolate has to go somewhere).  I won’t go into the details of what you or I have to manage or outline a plan to get it all together because today I have a full plate to take care of and I don’t have time.  However, if you will click on the Power of Moms button on this site or right here you will find out about a great way to get organized and get things off of your brain (plate) and into action.  It is called Mind Organization for Moms.  I am slowly building my M.O.M. system as we speak.  I need it.

Ratatouille

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For last week’s family movie night, we decided to watch Ratatouille AND make ratatouille for dinner. It was my first time making it.  My verdict: it’s tasty and healthy.  You can’t beat that!

Ingredients:

1 package ravioli or some kind of pasta (optional)  
Olive oil
2 diced onions
5 cloves minced garlic
1 diced yellow pepper
1 diced red pepper 
1 diced eggplant
1 diced zucchini 
1 can crushed tomatoes (I used the basil, oregano, and garlic flavored kind)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Instructions:

  1. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add in olive oil, then onions and garlic; cook until the onions are tender. Add in peppers, and cook until the peppers are tender. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Remove and keep warm.
  2. Heat another pan over high heat, add in more olive oil and saute the zucchini until tender. Remove from pan and add to the pan with the onions and peppers mixture.
  3. Return the pan to high heat, add in the remaining olive oil and saute the eggplant until browned and softened. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; add the onions, pepper, and zucchini mixture.  Mix everything together well and continue to simmer for 3 minutes.
  4. Serve over cooked ravioli/pasta (follow cooking instructions) and then top with parmesan cheese.







Recipe adapted from www.pastaprima.com  

Sweet Potato and Turkey Chili

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 This is chalk full of healthy veggies and protein.   It’s perfect for a cold day.  It was our favorite chili this winter.  The chili has a unique flavor and the sweet potatoes are the best part!  It makes a big batch and freezes well so it’s ideal for when you need to take a meal to someone else or are having guests over.


1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 diced large onion 
4 cloves minced garlic 
1 diced green bell pepper 
1 minced jalapeño
20 ounces ground turkey breast
2 teaspoons cumin
2  teaspoons kosher salt
½  teaspoon pepper
1  teaspoon oregano
1  teaspoon chili powder
2  teaspoons paprika
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 28 ounce can tomatoes (not drained)
3 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinced
32 ounces beef broth (one box/carton)
1 28 ounce can pumpkin puree (make sure you’re not using pumpkin pie filling 
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder


Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and saute onion, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeno for 5-10 minutes, until veggies are tender and fragrant.   Add turkey and cook until no longer pink.  Sprinkle in cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder and smoked paprika.   Add turkey mixture to slow cooker.



Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beans, broth, pumpkin and stir.  


Then add the cinnamon, and cocoa powder to slow cooker and mix it all together well.  Place lid on pot and cook for  4-6 hours on high, or 8-10 on low.   The chili is done when the sweet potatoes are soft.


When done, turn off heat and let chili sit with lid off for 10-15 minutes to thicken.  


Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

Easy 7-layer Bean Dip

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This is my go-to recipe when I need to bring a side dish to a gathering and don’t have a lot of time.  This dip is little different than traditional 7-layer dip but I always get requests for the recipe and compliments when I bring it.
The Seven Layers:
1 Can of Refried Beans
1 1/2 Cups Plain Yogurt
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
1 Bunch of Cilantro
1 Bunch Green Onions
3-4 Roma Tomatoes
Cheddar Cheese
Directions:
1-Spread the can of refried beans on the bottom of the serving dish.
2-Mix the packet of taco seasoning with the yogurt and spread on top of the beans.
3- Chop up the cilantro, tomatoes, and green onions and layer on top of the yogurt.
4-Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top of the veggies.
5-Serve with tortilla chips.
The dip is really easy but also very tasty!

To Truly Love….

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     In the past few weeks I have experienced so many waves of emotion!  Barrett and I decided to move across town to be closer to his work.  There are so many benefits to this, the least of which that we will see Barrett for about an hour more each day.  It was the right move but I did not want to do it!  We have moved about 18 times in our marriage and each time we have moved I have had family to help me, this time I did not.  Who would I ask to watch my kids? Who would help me pack, Who would help me unpack? We moved from a house with a huge yard, to a town house without one.  We moved from a quiet neighborhood, to an apartment complex.  We moved away from neighbors we knew to being next door to strangers.

    I worked really hard to have everything packed and prayed that people would show up to help Barrett load the truck.  I wasn’t prepared for what happened!   Enough men came that they had the truck loaded, moved to the new house, and unloaded in 2 1/2 hours!  A friend watched my children for several hours.  Two wonderful women stayed to help me unpack my kitchen. And, last but not least, we had several people offer to bring us dinner.  I felt such an amazing outpouring of love.  It is wonderful how service works, my heart grew to love so many in my ward from one day of service.  I feel a kinship towards them that I didn’t feel before.
 
    This is just another experience in my life that reminds me that serving others is truly loving.  Christ is the perfect example of this, in that his life was a service to the whole of mankind.  I am so grateful our church has taught us to serve and that no matter where I live, I will have others I can turn to.  I still miss my family but life on this side of the country just got better!

Fire Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

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Ingredients:
1-1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos 
Handful serrano chiles or your choice of chiles
1 onion chopped
3 garlic gloves
1 chicken bouillon cube
Water as needed
Directions:
Take the husks off the tomatillos and wash them.
Roast them in a frying pan until they are soft and start to brown and split open.

Roast the chiles until they are browned.

Add both to the blender along with the chopped onion, minced garlic, 1 chicken bouillon cube, and some water.  Start with 1/2 cup of water and add more as needed.

Puree in the blender until it reaches your desired consistency.
Serve with chips or on burritos and enjoy! 
Source: My brother’s girlfriend and some experimentation.

Maple, Cinnamon, and Orange Creme Brulee

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I had leftover heavy cream so it was the perfect excuse to experiment and try my hand at creme brulee.  Making creme brulee was easier than I thought.  This recipe uses pure maple syrup instead of refined sugar as the sweetener. 
Ingredients:
2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 Egg plus
3 Egg Yolks
7 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
1 Cinnamon Stick
Zest of 1 Orange
1-2 Tablespoons of Orange Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Sprinkle of Sugar for the Topping
4 (7 ounce) brulee ramekins
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
In a saucepan combine the heavy cream, 3 T maple syrup, cinnamon stick, orange zest, orange juice.  Whisk the ingredients together and bring to a boil in the saucepan.  After the cream has come to a boil, remove from the heat and let it cool.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and egg yolks, remaining maple syrup, and vanilla extract.  Slowly whisk the cream into the egg mixture until the two are well-combined.

Set the ramekins in a glass baking dish.  Add hot water so it goes half way up the ramekins.  This will prevent the eggs from cooking too fast.  Fill the ramekins with mixture.  Cook for 40-50 minutes making sure the custard is set and slightly jiggly but not liquid.  Let the creme brulee cool for an hour before serving.


The last step is to sprinkle sugar on the top of each custard.  You can either burn the sugar with a blow torch or broil it in the oven.

Serve and Enjoy!

Source: Cinnamon & Orange Recipe and Maple Syrup Recipe