Measoning

I love to cook.  Unfortunately, with my work schedule the way it is, I only find the time to make dinner on the weekends.  During the week, the kids eat leftovers, and then kind of fend for themselves with cereal, sandwiches, and frozen pizzas.

On the weekends, I really do try and put forth effort into making a nutritious, delicious meal.  I cook a lot of chicken.  In fact, last weekend was the first time in a really long time that I cooked beef.  I made a delicious London Broil, with potatoes, corn, and cheese biscuits.  The problem with cooking chicken all the time is finding different ways to prepare it.  I usually buy bottled seasonings, and kind of stir fry the chicken with it in a little bit of olive oil.  It always turns out pretty good, but I would love to buy individual spices and make a blend of my own, I just don't know enough about them to know which would taste well with which.  Did that just make sense?

If you use a blend of your own seasonings, you should submit it to Measoning.com.  This site allows users to submit their spice recipes, and they pick the best ones and post them on their site. Others can go and rate the recipes, and then Measoning.com picks the best recipe and has it bottled and sold for one month.  (the winner will receive royalties) After four months, they will pick the best recipe those four recipes sold and make it an official Measoning, with the winner receiving royalties.

If you do submit a recipe, make sure you come back here and tell me.  I really want to try them all!

Cooking

 I love food.  I love eating it and preparing it, especially when I do it with the kids.  It's fun to teach them things and then see them do them on their own.  Of course, there are still tons of things that I, myself, do not know how to do.  When we had cable, I used to watch the food channels all the time.  I loved watching the chefs take the simplest of ingredients and make a beautiful meal out of them.

We eat a lot of chicken in my house, not only because it is good for us, but because we all love it.  I have a couple of different ways I prepare it, and the kids favorites are my Parmesan crusted chicken fillets and my barbecue chicken with pineapples.  Both are pretty simple to make, and don't take very long to cook.

On the weekends, I like to put a little effort into what I make, and I am always looking online for Free Recipes.  Presentation wise, my food never comes out looking like the pictures, but it tastes good, most of the time.  Ryan has shown an interest in cooking, and during the summer, he used to cook lunch for the girls every day.  Some days it was mac and cheese with peas and tuna (a personal favorite of theirs) and other days it was burgers and fries.  If he wasn't so set on becoming a mechanic when he graduates from college I would definitely suggest culinary school to him.  

For now, though, I'll stick to trying new recipes while he checks the oil in my car.  That is, if I remember to ask him to.

I Love Cooking With Organic Olive Oil

I have been trying really hard to cook better meals for the kids and I since my husband left.  I used to cook this Parmesan chicken recipe, but you have to fry it in a shallow pan, so I have stopped making it.  It was also Bob's favorite meal, so that makes it easier to not make it.  When I was making it, I used a blend of canola and olive oils to fry with.  I would have used just the olive oil, but that stuff is a tad expensive.

I want to start using more organic foods, but they can be expensive, too.  I know the fruits and vegetables that are grown organically are healthier than those that are not.  I have seen organic olive oil in the grocery store, but I have yet to buy some.  I have two big bottles of regular extra virgin olive oil that I need to use before I buy the organic stuff.

I need to find some new recipes, too.  I cook a lot of chicken, and preparing it the same way every time gets boring.  Do any of you have a recipe for chicken that is healthy and tasty?  I prefer simple recipes, but I am willing to try anything once.

This Chicken Parmigiana Recipe Sounds Delicious

We eat a lot of chicken around here, mostly because I like it, but also because it is easy to prepare and healthy for us.  The only problem I run into is finding different ways to prepare it.  The kids have their favorites, and I love making them what they love.  But some nights, I just want to do something easy.  I found this chicken parmigiana recipe and it sounds fairly straightforward.  

Check it out:

Ingredients

• 6 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 C. Italian bread crumbs
• 1 C. parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 C. milk
• 8 oz. flour

Directions
Dip chicken breasts into flour. Mix egg and milk Together. Dip chicken breasts into egg mixture. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together. Bread chicken breasts. Deep fry to a dark golden brown. Microwave for 6 minutes until done. Serve on spaghetti noodles with you favorite sauce and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

The only thing I am unsure of is microwaving the chicken after it is breaded.  I would think that doing so would take away some of the crispness.   When I try out this recipe, I will probably pound the chicken thin so that it will cook through while being fried. 

I actually make a version of this using only parmesan cheese, and I shallow fry the chicken in a olive oil and canola oil mixture.  I have never served it over spaghetti, though.  I need to remember to do that next time.

Sausage Balls

 The other day, Junior asked me to make sausage balls.  I have never made them before, but I know they are pretty simple to do.  I have all the ingredients, but I'm not sure about the ratio.  I searched online for Cooking Recipes, and found this recipe that looks beyond simple to use.  (the video of the guy making them was pretty funny, too)  It's just 2 cups of biscuit mix and 10 ounces of cheese for every pound of sausage.  Simple, right?  The only thing I will do differently is bake them in a dish with sides, just to make sure the grease from the sausage doesn't run over.

I really like this site, and will use it the next time I need a recipe.  I wish I knew about it last year when I was searching for a Ginger Bread recipe.   The one I ended up using broke my mixer!

Would You Watch Me Cook?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Haagen Dazs. All opinions are 100% mine.
I just heard about a new online talk show called Passion Profiles, which is hosted by ET Canada's Cheryl Hickey.  This is a "talk-show that takes a unique and rare glimpse at the authentic and demanding passions that define some of Canada's finest Chefs, Designers and Musicians. The viewer will be intrigued, inspired and entertained."  Sounds interesting, right?  The first episode will feature Food Network TV stars Anna and Michael Olson, and air on July 28, 2010. 

I would love to be featured on a show like this.  I may not be the world's best cook, but I find it fun cooking for my family, and staying on budget.  Or should I say, trying to stay on budget.  One of my favorite things to make is a London broil stir fry.  It is super easy, and feeds my family for a couple of meals.

The first thing I do is cut a London Broil into thin strips, and then into bite sized pieces.  Once that is done, I fry some mushrooms.  I love using fresh mushrooms, but I didn't have any at the time, so I used a jar of mushrooms.  Fry them in a little olive oil until they are brown and yummy looking.

While those are browning up, I put the broccoli in a microwave safe dish, and cook until they are tender.  Junior likes his broccoli a little more done than I do, so I make sure I cook it all the way before adding it to the pan.

When the mushrooms are brown, I add the London Broil to the pan, and let it brown up all around.  I usually have to cover the pan for a few minutes to get the beef cooked through.

While that is cooking, I mix the sauce.  I use Kikkoman's Broccoli-Beef stir fry mix, and it is delicious.  I usually use two packets, because I am cooking the entire London Broil.

Once the beef is done, I add the broccoli and the sauce.  I let this cook together while I get the noodles boiled. 

Once the egg noodles are done ( I like no yolks, and I use the entire package) I add them to the pan, and mix everything all together.

Now, picture me cooking this in front of a camera.  You'd watch that, wouldn't you?

Yeah, me neither.  I am going to leave the cooking to the professionals, and watch Passion Profiles.

My New Pans

A couple of weeks ago, I asked all of you for advice on what I should order for myself from CSNStores.  I wanted to get something for myself, not the house or the kids.  I finally decided to buy myself a new purse.  Do you want to see it?

 my stove is not cracked...it's the handles reflection

Pretty cool, right?  I know, I know.  I totally caved and bought something for the house instead of a purse.  I just could not pass up this Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick 10" and 12" Omelet Combo Set.  The set cost $49.95, with free shipping.  I have been needing a new nonstick pan for a while.  I have a really nice skillet that I love, but it's not nonstick.  The only nonstick I have is one I have had for about 6 years, and the coating is peeling off.  So when I saw these pans, I knew I had to have them.  The first thing I made was grilled cheese for me and Brandi.

These pans have a ton of features:

• Nonstick surface makes cleanup easy and promotes low-fat and non-fat cooking
• Versatile vessel shape that accommodates several different cooking techniques
• Thick, wide bottom for quick, even heating with little or no oils
• Sloping sides allow food to glide freely from the pan to your plate
• Long handle stays cool on the stove top for hours of comfortable cooking
• Oven safe up to 450 degrees 

 Check out those sloping sides...Kasi's eggs slid right out of the pan onto her plate.  I love that they are oven safe, because one of my favorite things to do with a pork loin is rub it with spices, pan sear it on all sides, and then pop it in the oven to cook.  It comes out so yummy!

These pans are super easy to clean, too.  I have used them several times already, and being the great housekeeper that I am, I left the big one sitting overnight after I cooked BBQ sausage in it.  I was anticipating having to scrub it clean, but that was not the case.

I am really happy with my decision to get these pans.  Maybe next time I will get something for myself.

But probably not.

*CSNStores send me this product free of charge to review.  Trust me, though,  The opinions above are my own.

I Need New Pots

I have pots that are about 15 years old.  They are Teflon covered; or at least they used to be.  The bottoms of all of them are peeling up and flaking, but I just can not bear to throw them away.  I don't use them anymore, but my mom gave them to me when I got married, so they have sentimental meaning.  I know, I'm a little nuts.

I do have pots that I use everyday that are no-coated.  These work well for most things, but sometimes I really need a non-stick pot.  I have had my eye on a set from Rachael Ray, but they are pretty expensive.  I looked for Cooking.com coupons, and found a few coupons I can choose from.  I just need to figure out which coupon saves me the most money.   (I am not good at math, so it's hard for me to figure out if I save more money using a coupon for 10% off, or one for free shipping.  This is where Junior comes in very handy)

I love the Silicone handles on the pots and lids.  They are even oven safe up to 400 degrees.  The glass lids make it easier to see what the food you are cooking is doing, and this is a good thing, especially for me.  I have a tendency to remove the lids off pots too frequently while checking the food inside, and I know this messes with the temperature inside the pot.  I want to be a better cook, and I think having good pots will help me get there.

Now if I can just convince myself to throw away the old ones.

Beef Stew With Rice

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am the queen of easy meals. I really do enjoy cooking, but doing full meals every day is sometimes a little overwhelming. I always have a few "safety items" in my pantry for those days that I just don't feel like cooking. I am sure we all have things like spaghetti sauce and mac and cheese stashed somewhere, because these are things the kids love, and they are easy to make.

My kids favorite easy meal is Dinty Moore stew with rice. All I do is open a can of stew, and throw it in a pot. I heat it on medium low (so it doesn't burn on the bottom) while I boil water for rice. I use the ten minute rice, so that means within fifteen minutes I have supper on the table. It really doesn't get much easier than that.

You can find lots more recipes that you can make using hormel products by visiting their recipe section. There is one recipe in particular that I can not wait to try. It's called Valley Fresh Chicken and Broccoli Casserole. It looks really simple to make because it uses canned chicken, and it sounds delicious. I am a big fan of canned chicken. It is what I use when I make chicken salad. And my chicken salad is yummy. Just ask my kids.

I am looking forward to seeing how many of these recipes my kids will eat, because using these tasty products will definitely make dinner preparation easier.

Springpad

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Springpad. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love finding recipes online. This is a new thing for me, because it is only recently that I have decided to try new things. I am a creature of habit, and that held true for my food as well. I was scared to try new things, and one day I realized that I might be missing out.

Turns out I was.

Now that I am trying new recipes, I need a place to keep track of it all. This is where Springpad comes in. In a nutshell, Springpad is a free online personal organizer. I recently opened an account with them, and am feeling my way around the sight. From what I see so far, when I find a recipe I like online, I can add it to my profile. This is great because I am known for trying a recipe, loving it, and then when I want to use it again, I can not find it. Having all of my favorites in one place will make it so much easier. I can even upload pictures of the dishes I make, which is pretty cool. I mean, you all know how much I love taking pictures. Oh, and I can also make a weekly meal plan, and create my shopping list at the same time. How cool is that?

Right now, Springpad is giving you the chance to win $100. All you have to do is check out their bloggers favorite recipes, and when you add the ones you like to your recipe box, you are entered to win the money. It's that simple. You should Check out Springpad and enter the contest. I am going to be adding lots of recipes to my recipe box, so I should have a good chance of winning that money.

Semi-Homemade With Jennifer Lynn

I'm no Sandra Lee, but I stumbled upon a yummy fake out bbq sauce, and it is sooo good.

I make a killer bbq chicken. It's so easy, yet so good. I just dice up chicken breasts, fry them, unbreaded, in a little olive oil, and when they are cooked through I add bbq sauce.

Normally, I just dump some store bought bbq sauce, honey, and brown sugar into the pan and mix it until it covers the chicken. That's it.

Well, the other night, Junior didn't want the bbq sauce on his chicken, so I made it separately. I put the store bought sauce, honey, and brown sugar in a little pot, and boiled it all together, stirring it with a whisk occasionally.

Holy cow....it got so thick and yummy! I wish I had measured how much of each I put in, because I will be doing this from now on whenever we use bbq sauce.

Jenn Cooks

I love blogging. I really do. I love the friends that I've made and the people I otherwise never would have met. I don't know if all of you know that I currently have three blogs; this one, my craft blog, and a blog about me, with very little kid stuff and a lot of complaining about how life can be rough most days. I do favor this blog, though, and it is the one I update the most.

I decided today while cooking supper that I needed a new blog, all about cooking. I had one a few years ago, when I was new to blogging, and it didn't last long because no one ever read it. Now that I have followers, and I know how to network my blogs a little, I thought I would give it another try.

Say hello to Jenn Cooks.
I made this free website, and you can visit it at jenncooks.hpage.com. Now, those of you who know me, know that I am technologically challenged. I was a little worried about setting up this new blog, but it was so easy. I followed the step by step directions, and it took about five minutes. Seriously, it was that easy. I have to go back and check out all the different features, because it is a lot different than Blogger, which I am used to. I like that this new site has buttons across the top to take you to different pages. I am headed back over there now; I just wanted you guys to be the first to know about it. Give me a day or two, though, before anything worth reading will be posted over there.

See you soon!

I'm No Iron Chef

I am so hungry. With Brandi being sick, I haven't really cooked this week. Sure, I made a beef and macaroni casserole last night, and steak three nights ago, but other than that, it has been a kind of "fend for yourself" week. Tonight we are having left over casserole, or at least the kids and Junior are. I have a bad habit of cooking things the rest of the family likes, but that I won't eat. It's a good thing I like salads and lean cuisines.

Don't get me wrong, I love to cook. I also love to watch cooking shows. The Food Network is on all the time in my house. One of my favorite shows is Iron Chef America. I remember one time the secret ingredient was kobe beef . This is where I get educated, because I had never heard of kobe beef before. It was great watching what the chefs came up with. I think one of them even served the beef raw, which I thought you couldn't do. See, I learned something.

Watching that show makes me want to go out and Buy Steaks so that I can try my hand at some of the things they make. I know, most of the dishes they come up with are extremely complicated. But I can try and come up with some of the same flavor combinations. Some days I dream of going to culinary school. I think I would be good at it, although I would rather follow someone else's recipe than come up with my own. If you were to slap some USDA prime
in front of me, I couldn't come up with five different ways to prepare it. Heck, I probably couldn't come up with three ways to cook it.

I think that proves I'm no Iron Chef.

The Butcher, The Baker, And The Pasta Maker

Right now, I wish I lived in Canada. I want to go live near Carrie, and enjoy the cooler weather that she is experiencing right now. I could also go live by Tammy. She lives in the middle of nowhere (her own words) and I would really enjoy that.

The biggest reason, though, is because I want to win a kitchen makeover. All my Canadian friends can enter the Maple Leaf Market contest to win a $32,000 kitchen makeover. All they have to do is enter their email address every day until December 15, 2009, and they are entered to win. They can also win one of twelve Frigidaire® fridges. This contest is going on to celebrate the launch of Maple Leaf Market's new website.

I took it upon myself to check out their website, and I have to tell you, it is chock full of awesome information. I checked in with The Butcher, and found helpful cooking tips and recipes.

The Baker also had a lot of useful information. One thing I found interesting is that she recommends leaving your bread on the counter, not in the fridge. My mom keeps hers in the fridge, thinking it will keep longer. According to the baker, bread in the fridge goes stale faster. I am definitely going to have to pass that along to my mom.

Then there is the Pasta Maker. I read through her FAQ's and found a few tidbits of wisdom. I love cooking, most days, and love trying new recipes. This website has great sounding recipes, and I am looking forward to trying some of them.

And to all my Canadian friends? Good luck in the kitchen makeover contest. I hope one of you wins!

Cooking On Vacation? Sounds Like Fun To Me!

I love to cook. I especially love trying new recipes, and then watching my family enjoy what I have made. Recently, my girls have started showing an interest, too. Ryan has always loved cooking, and he knows how to make quite a few things. In fact, he can probably cook more than I could when I first got married. I am teaching the girls now, and they are so happy when they get to join me in the kitchen. Brandi has become an expert egg cracker, and Kasi loves to measure. She's not the best egg cracker, but if you know Kasi, bless her heart, you know why.

Imagine how excited I was when I found out about the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel 's Cooking School Weekend. For a really reasonable price, Junior and I can spend the weekend of October 16th learning how to cook with the hotel's chef, Chef Nathan Read. The first night we arrive, we can enjoy a wine tasting reception, and then the following morning, we can learn how to make the appetizers served the night before. How fun does that sound? I would thoroughly enjoy learning from a professional chef.

That night, we can enjoy a lavish four-course dinner paired with appropriate wines, and then learn how to make it the following morning. Really, how cool does this sound? I wish I could talk Junior into going, because I think he would enjoy watching me make a fool out of myself, trying to pretend that I know what I am doing. I may be able to make meatballs and barbecue chicken, but I have so much more to learn.

And this weekend sounds like the perfect way for me to learn.

Chopped

I have a new favorite show.

I will admit to being a sucker for a good reality cooking show. Top Chef, Iron Chef, and now Chopped.

Four chefs start the show, and each is given a basket of mystery ingredients to make an appetizer. One of the dishes is "chopped", and the three remaining chefs get another basket to make a main dish. Another dish is "chopped", and the two remaining chefs get a final basket, and they make a dessert.

Right now, past winners are competing to see whole is the best. I don't think I explained how fun this show is to watch. Check it out for yourself.

Thrifty Meals

Money has been tight around here for the past month or so. This means what little money I have for groceries has to be spent wisely. I have been getting creative, and making a lot of casserole type dishes that stretch out the little meat I have.

Last night I used a london broil I got on sale for under $3 and made beef and broccoli over egg noodles with mushrooms. I think all together the meal cost about $10, and it made enough to feed the five of us twice. (we are having leftovers tonight) I also used a whole grain egg noodle for the first time, and I have to say, with the stir fry sauce, it didn't taste bad at all.

I made that chicken pot pie last week, and I made a cheesy beefy macaroni casserole a few nights ago, and both of those lasted for two meals too. I like cooking once and having enough for two nights.

What I want to know, though, is what you do to stretch your grocery money, and what thrifty meals you love to cook?

My Meatballs

I want to thank Rebecca and Wanda for offering me their meatball recipes on my last post. They both looked so yummy! I really want to try both recipes, but this time I used Wanda's recipe. Rebecca's recipe called for a dutch oven, and I had no idea what that is! Thankfully, she explained it to me, so next time I am trying her recipe.

Here is Wanda's recipe:

1- pound ground beef (1/2 pork and 1/2 beef)
1- cup of Italian Bread Crumbs
3/4 Cup of Grated Italian Cheese
1- Clove garlic cut up small
2- eggs beaten
salt and pepper to your taste

Mix all together, add about three tablespoons of water to mixture to make it soft. Mix well. Form into small balls and fry in olive oil until nice and brown. About ten or fifteen minutes on each side.

I did change just a few minor things. I only had beef, so that's all I used. I added parsley and oregano, because I had regular, not Italian, breadcrumbs. I had thee pounds of meat, so I tripled the recipe, and ended up adding a cup of milk, instead of the water. I also baked the meatballs, instead of frying them. Here is what it looked like before we mixed it all together:
Here's my helper, who was not at all happy that she had to get her hands dirty.

Here's the finished product! They look yummy, don't they?

I can honestly say they tasted as yummy as they look! Thanks again Wanda for this delicious recipe!

Meatballs

I am going to make meatballs tomorrow, and I am looking for a new recipe. I usually just throw the ingredients into the bowl without measuring, and they come out pretty good.

Now I want to find a recipe for AWESOME meatballs. Do you have one to share with me? Do you have a favorite website you go to for your recipes?