Baked Penne

Okay, this is a little later than I wanted to post, BUT I had to make it again tonite! I didn't measure ANYTHING when I made it for the membership class Sunday,(and I had a super fussy baby that needed my attention...) so I thought I better make it again so I can put down the amounts! :)



Bring your pasta to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. I wouldn't do it much longer, you could even do it for 7. Remember, you will be baking it for an hour, so if you cook it til it is really soft, by the time you are ready to eat it, it will be mushy!


Put pasta back in pan and start to add everything else!


Add tomato sauce


Add the sour cream... (I usually stir after I've added the sour cream)


Add the shredded cheddar cheese, oregano, garlic salt, chili powder and stir


This is the fun part, where you try it to make sure you have just the right amount of spices in it! :)


Place in pan, I used an 8x8 stone.


Then add MORE cheese! You could add more than I did, but I have to be careful with the milk/cheese products for certain members in my family! :)
Cover with foil and place in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.


Yummy!!!



Baked Penne

1 16oz box penne pasta (cooked and drained)
1 lb hamburger or turkey (or you can omit this if you want)
15 oz and 8oz can of tomato sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp oregano
3-4 tsp garlic salt
3-4 tsp chili powder

Cook and drain the penne pasta, put bake in pan. Add hamburger/turkey, (only if you want to add it), both cans tomato sauce, sour cream, cheese, oregano, garlic salt and chili powder. Mix all together. Place in a baking dish, top with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour.

* I don't always add the meat, I don't always have it...
You can add more or less tomato sauce, just depends on how "saucy" you want it.
You could use different kinds of cheese as well. I just usually always have the cheddar on hand, so that's what I used.
You can add more or less of the spices...
If you want it more spicy you could add red chili pepper.
Also, you may want to only add half the spices, then taste it after it's all mixed together. If you think it needs more, then add the rest or more if you want. I don't usually measure out the spices, I just dump, then try it and see if it needs more. So, if you don't like spicy or garlic things, just do half of what it calls for! :)
I like to serve this with my cheesy garlic biscuits, YUMMY!!! :P

Candy Bar Cake

This was a HUGE hit at the membership class! I must admit, I tried it and LOVED it too!!! :) It really doesn't take very long to make!


I didn't take any pictures while mixing up the cake mix, you don't really do much anything different, just add sour cream and an extra egg... I know, sour cream, but it was soooo good and SUPER moist!

After cakes are baked, cool them for 10 minutes in pan, then flip out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Cut each cake in half.


Place on layer of cake on plate and add some icing...




The first layer of candy I used was twix... Cut in half, then chop it all up! Sprinkle on top of icing.



Place another cake layer on top of the candy covered icing, then spread icing all over the top of that cake!


Next candy I used was Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...



Another cake layer, and then, yep, you guessed it, more icing!



Next layer I used Snicker's bars! YUMMY!!!!!!!



Add the last cake layer and the last little bit of icing!



Add the Hershey's on the top.


Candy Bar Cake

1 package (18 1/4 oz) devil's food cake mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3 containers (16 oz) white frosting
1 Butterfinger candy bar
1 Snickers candy bar
1 Heath candy bar
4 Hershey's candy bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
Beat cake mix, sour cream, eggs, vegetable oil and water together. Spread batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.
Cut each layer in half. Place one cake layer on plate, spread with prepared white icing/frosting. Add cut up butterfinger candy bar. Repeat each layer with the different candy bars.
Break the Hershey's bar into pieces, stand pieces around edge. Or any design you wish.

*This was super easy and very tasty!!!
You can use any kind of candy bar... I used twix, reese's peanut butter cups, and snickers bar. Then the hershey bar on top.
I also cut the top part of the cakes to even them out...
I love this because it looks like it could be an expensive cake from your bakery, but it really isn't! You can make it pretty cheap!!! :)
Enjoy!!!

Whew!

Wow, I did it! :) Wasn't too sure if it was all gonna get done or not!!! But I made it! :)

I made the chocolate chip cookies on Friday. Then Saturday I finished the desserts. Yes, I said desserts. I made 2 different kinds, but I made each one twice. I wanted to make sure there would be enough! Pastor told me at first there were gonna be about 50 people, then he told me closer to 40. So I HAD to make sure there was enough dessert!!!! ;)

I also made pizza last nite for supper! I am not really sure what I was thinking, making all the desserts, just getting them done at 5, my little eating machine needed to eat at 5, I had to roll out the pizza dough, get it in the oven, make 2 calzones... I had pizza on my menu and really wanted to follow through with it! I was super excited to try the recipe I found since I haven't found a good one yet! Found out some secrets as well... (will share those when I post the recipe!)

So I got the pizza and calzones in the oven, fed my little eating machine, we ate and it was edible, it was really good infact! :) Then we gave 2 of the kiddos showers, back downstairs, movie in, the littlest then got a bath, got them all a snack, got 2 boxes of pasta cooked, then had to put the munchkins to bed, another 2 boxes of pasta made, fed the eating machine and got into the computer for a little, watched a movie, then bed... Except, I wasn't able to sleep, not because I wasn't tired, but because a certain little bubby decided he wasn't feeling so hot! He had a fever, then it broke, then he got it again... This happened about 4 times last nite, every time I was just about to go to sleep, he would wake up again! I think I got about 2 hours of sleep! I ended up on the couch and just held him all nite! Poor little guy! Not sure if he is teething, or is in the beginning stages of getting sick! :( I wanted to be up by 6 (that's usually when he eats...), get in the shower and get crackin on the rest of the pasta! I wanted to be done in PLENTY of time, that way I wouldn't feel like I was being rushed! Well.... My little guy woke up at 7:15 to eat, (I actually got one solid hour of sleep! WHOO HOO) fed him, laid there, out of it... Realized what time it was, almost 8,YIKES!!! Still needed to get a shower, feed the others, and get myself looking half way alive after the shower, and finish the food! Oh boy, a little bit of panic struck me, but then I am like, I can do this! God give me the strength! Boy He did! I didn't really freak out or panic about the time, just got it all done! I wasn't even running around like my head was cut off! :)

I seriously wasn't stressing about getting it all done, thanks God for the calm nerves!!! :) My hubby wasn't going to go to prayer meeting this morn, but I told him to go, then he took one of the munchkins, so it was fine! :)

I did let the girls watch some Mickey Mouse this morning since it was on! I know, bad mommy! But I REALLY wanted to get the food all done and not worry about them fighting! :) My little guy was still pretty cranky and tired, but he sat and watched it!

My hubby called after they were done and asked if he needed to come home and help, but I said I was getting it all together, so no worries!

I wanted to be at the church by 10:15, but I got there at 10:30, so I guess not to bad! :)

Got everything in the kitchen, then realized that the pans were a little bit bigger than I thought, or the oven was smaller than I thought! I could only get 2 pans in at a time, I had 3 pans... So I was like oh boy, now what? Ok, put those 2 in now, the one pan was still a tad warm from me cooking the pasta this morning, so put the 2 cold ones in, got them out at 11:45, put the other one in, and it was all good! :)

Now I need to get cracking and get these recipes on on blog! :) I haven't been doing so hot this week on getting a new one everyday! Opps... Been a crazy week! Will TRY to do better next week! I am going to TRY and post ONE new recipe everyday, except Saturday and Sunday. I wanted to put some type of scripture with some thoughts on Sundays, but forget about it on Saturday nite and don't have the energy to do much on Sundays... Will try and do better at that! :) That's my goal, will see if it happens!

So be on the look-out this week for the recipes of the food I fixed today for membership class!

As tired as I am, mostly because of being awake half the nite, I had a BLAST! I LOVE cooking and helping out! I LOVED doing the breakfast bar at JCFC and am glad that I can help out now at the Garage! Next membership class may have even more people, BRING IT ON!!!!!! :)

Fish Sticks

Okay, so those of you that know me, know I HATE and I do mean H-A-T-E fish!!! I've tried it, but just don't like it! So for me to have a fish recipe up here, ya know I am cooking it for my hubby and munchkins!!!

Which they all LOVED!!!! It is messy and took some work, but I guess it was worth it! :)


I made these especially for my hubby, he has endured some recipes that were not his fav, so I made something for him, because I am nice and sweet and loving like that! :)



I used 2 different types of fish, Cod and Haddock. I cheated and got the frozen fillets, they were on sale, so I used those instead of getting the fresh from the counter.


Place some flour in a bowl/plate


Parmesan cheese...


Add the bread crumbs with the cheese. You can make your own bread crumbs, but I totally cheated and bought these! (ok, so my hubby bought them for me because I forgot to pick them up!)


Mix it together...


Cut your fish into "sticks"


Drop the fish into the flour



Drop the flour covered fish into the beaten eggs




Drop the flour, egg covered piece of fish into the bread crumb and Parmesan cheese mixture...



Your hands get a TAD bit messy!!!


Finished product!


Fish Sticks

1/4 cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 pounds white fish fillets, such as haddock, cod, or pollack
1 cup bread crumbs (you can decide if you want to make them or use store bought)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the fish fillets into "sticks". Make them whatever size you want, but try to make them all the same size.
Put the flour in a bowl/plate, and beat the eggs and place those in a different bowl/plate. Mix the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs together in a separate bowl/plate.
Place the fish in the flour and roll around to coat. Then place the flour coated fish in the beaten egg. Roll it around to coat, then place the fish stick into the Parmesan cheese and bread crumb mixture. Roll around to coat. Place it on a cookie/baking sheet pan/stone.
Bake for 10-15 minutes turning once until golden brown on the outside. (you can also fry these in some oil until golden brown)
Serve with tartar sauce.

*I really didn't measure the cheese or bread crumbs, so I may have had more.
I cooked mine for 15-20 minutes.
If you fry them, fry a few at a time and make sure you turn them over half way through cooking.
I also served this with spaghetti sauce. You could serve it with salsa as well.

I always make my own tartar sauce... Here's how I make it...
Miracle whip or mayo
Relish, we use sweet, but you could use dill if that's what you like

Mix it up and serve!

*I don't measure this, I just guess, but here's a pic to help! :)

Butternut Squash Soup

When we still lived in Iowa, my hubby and I had the privilege of getting to go to 801 and Grand. It is a Steak House and oh my goodness, YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!! The steaks we got just melted in your mouth! And the desserts were pretty amazing too! :)

Anyways, my hubby got butternut squash soup as an appetizer and he told me he had it one other time. He really liked it, I am thinking, ok, I can make that, right? Well, I never tried his, so I wasn't sure what it really was supposed to taste like! I took 2 different recipes and put some other things in it on my own to make this soup. I tried it and was like, I am not sure if this is right or not? But my hubby really liked it! It was pretty good! I think next time I make it, I will have some steaks to go with it! We just ate it with bread!


Chop up the squash, carrots and onion and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 20-30 minutes...

I added some sugar, cinnamon, chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, turmeric before I brought it to a boil.

When it's soft, take half of the pot and put in blender, blend it up, put the other half in there, blend it until nice and smooth, add the milk and let it warm back up, and ENJOY!!!!


Butternut Squash Soup

2 butternut squash, cubed
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 medium red onion, sliced and cut up
14oz chicken broth
1 - 2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle/dash of turmeric
4 oz cream cheese
milk
3 to 4 teaspoons sugar

Combine the butternut, carrot, onion, chicken broth, water, cinnamon, salt and pepper, turmeric, and sugar in pan. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat and cover and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes. Just until veggies are nice and tender.
Put 4oz cream cheese in blender, dump half of the pan into the blender. Blend until smooth. Remove that, then dump in the other half and blend until smooth. Put it all back in the pan and add just enough milk to make it the consistency you want it. Add less for a nice and thick soup, add more, for a thinner soup.

*To make it easier to cut the squash, place in microwave for a minute or until the outside is slightly warm. It will be easier to cut!
Don't add more than 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. I think I added in between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon!
I probably added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk.
Enjoy!!!