Garlic Bread Seasoning

Okay, this made the best garlic bread! We were all loving it. And then it made the best pizza sauce. I was so happy. I'm still in search of the best pizza crust recipe (preferably that uses some whole wheat) so if you have it, please share.

Garlic Bread Seasoning

1/2 c. powdered Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. parsley

Combine ingredients in a jar and shake.

Sprinkle on top of breadsticks or combine 1 1/2 Tbsp. seasoning with 1/4 c. of softened real butter and spread on a loaf of French bread (cut in 1/2 lengthwise). Wrap in foil and bake at 375 until butter’s melted. If you want, you could also pop it open-faced under the broiler for a few minutes so it gets brownish and crispy.

Pizza Sauce


1 6-oz. can tomato paste
6 oz. water (just use the empty tomato paste can)
3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
1 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Empty tomato paste into a bowl and add water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly until combined. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and allow to stand until ready to use. Covers two average-sized pizza; freezes extremely well.

Healthy Gummy Bears

Hey guys!  If you're like me you would like a healthy treat to give to your kiddos.  I have found it.  Don't be intimidated by the length of the post or the fact that you may not know what Mangosteen Juice.  The process is extremely fast and you can use cheap-o bananas to make them if you don't want to waste $$ on berries.  Lexi loves these little guys.  Seriously, give it a go. 

 http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/post/427647857511

Stir Fry

Stir fry was one of my staples during college. And, quite frankly, it still is. This has been my go-to stir fry recipe for a while, so I thought I'd share. It's so easy!

Whatever meat and/or vegetables you have (chicken, beef, carrots, onion, broccoli, squash of any sort, cabbage, peppers, pineapple, cauliflower, the more the better)
1 T cornstarch
1 T brown sugar
3/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c water
1/4 c soy sauce

Whisk together the sauce ingredients until smooth. Once your vegetables are tender, add the sauce. Let cook until thick. Serve over rice.

Chicken Enchiladas with avacado cream sauce

I found this recipe on interest and it is DELICIOUS!!

Ingredients

• • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• • 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• • 2 poblano peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced  ( I didn't have either of these peppers so I used a green bell pepper)
• • 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• • 8-10 flour tortillas
• • 4 cups shredded cooked chicken(rotisserie works best)
• • 2-3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
• • optional garnish: fresh cilantro, sour cream, and/or shredded cheese
• Avocado Cream Sauce Ingredients:
• • 2 Tbsp. butter
• • 2 Tbsp. flour
• • 2 cups chicken broth
• • ¾ cup sour cream
• • ½ tsp. cumin
• • ½ tsp. salt
• • ½ tsp. garlic powder
• • ¼ tsp. pepper
• • 2 California avocados, peeled and pitted
• • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• • juice of one lime

Instructions

1. First make the avocado cream sauce:
2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, salt, garlic powder and pepper, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps.
5. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Add avocados, cilantro and lime juice, and pulse until smooth and well-blended. (Be very careful blending hot liquids — the heat will expand! So be sure to remove the lid occasionally so that the heat can escape.)
6. Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.
7. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, poblano and jalapeno, and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are cooked and translucent.
8. Remove from heat.
9. To assemble the enchiladas, place a tortilla on a flat surface.
10. Spread a tablespoon or two of the avocado sauce down the middle of the tortilla. Then layer on some of the vegetable mixture, shredded chicken and cheese.
11. Carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish.
12. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
13. Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining avocado cream sauce, then cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through and begin to harden.
14. Remove from the oven, then serve individual enchiladas drizzled with the remainder of the avocado cream sauce. You can also garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream.

Yogurt

This isn't exactly a recipe, but I have to share. I've been making our own yogurt and we love it. It's probably not for everyone, but I thought I'd share in case someone wants to try. It's so easy really. And, it's way cheaper than buying yogurt. I love yogurt and I remember telling Dave once that when we're rich, I want to have yogurt all the time. Well, we must be rich now because we have yogurt all the time. All I do is heat 1/2 a gallon of milk to about 180 degrees (you'll need a thermometer) stirring the whole time so it doesn't burn. Then let it sit uncovered on the counter until it gets down to about 110 degrees. Set your oven to the lowest temperature you have to warm it up. Then stir in about 2-3 tablespoons of plain yogurt (buy some at the store the first time and then every time after that just use your already homemade stuff) to your milk. Turn your oven off, but turn the light of your oven on. This lets off just enough to heat to keep your milk mixture at about 110 degrees. Cover your soon to be yogurt and let it sit in that oven for 8-10 hours. The longer it sits, the thicker it will be but the tangier it will be. (Sometimes I just mix it up before bed and just let it sit there all night long.) Then put it in containers and put it in the fridge. I have never gotten mine to be super thick, but it still tastes great. I've read you can add powdered milk to your milk to make it thicker and give it more protein. I haven't tried it. If you do, let me know if it works. You can also strain it through a cheesecloth to make Greek yogurt, but I haven't done that either. So, to eat it, I have to add quite a bit of sugar to make it delicious (I think brown sugar is the best). We also add fruit if we want, or sprinkle granola on top, or add lemon juice and sugar to make lemon yogurt, or add jam, or put it in smoothies, or cook with it, or whatever you want. My boys love it and gobble it up. In fact Jasher doesn't even like to stir in his sugar anymore. He just lets it sit on top. But, one time another little boy was over and we had some yogurt so I gave him some. He took one bite, made a bit of a disgusted face and said, "We have better yogurt at my house." So, I guess it does take some getting used to...