The Perfect Brownies (super easy too!) aka "Hershey's Best Brownies"

We LOVE these brownies at our house and it's kind of dangerous how easy they are to whip up.  Takes only 1 bowl and a few minutes and you're on your way to fudgey, chocolatey brownie heaven...

Ingredients:
-1 cup (2 cubes) of  Butter (Olive Oil & Coconut Oil both work too!)
-2 cups of Sugar
-2 tsp Vanilla
-4 Eggs
-3/4 cup Cocoa
-1 cup Flour
-1/2 tsp Baking Powder
-1/4 tsp Salt

Directions:
1-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2- Grease a 9x13" pan and set aside.
3-Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl.
4- Stir in each of the rest of the ingredients by hand until everything is well mixed.
5-Pour into the greased pan and spread it out evenly.  The batter will be thick.

6-Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.)

7-Let them cool for about 10 minutes (if you can wait that long and enjoy!)

**There are a lot of awesome things you can do with these brownies.  One of our favorites is to sprinkle chocolate chips over the top right after the come out of the oven and leave them for 5 minutes or so and then when they are melted spread them over the brownies like a lovely ganache or frosting.  Super easy and delicious.

My Mom’s Whole Wheat Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour (or half white, half wheat)

1 Tbs Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

1 egg

1 cup Milk

1 cup Water

1 Tbs Oil

1-In a big bowl combine all of the dry ingredients, mix well and set aside.

2-In another bowl mix the egg, milk, water and oil.

3-Combine the 2 bowls and mix only until combined (it will still be lumpy.)

4-Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat (about 350 degrees.) Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. (A soup ladle works great for this!)

6-cook until bubbles appear on the surface like this...


7-Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

-This recipe makes 10 to 12 pancakes so I cook up all of the batter and freeze or refrigerate the extra pancakes to eat later.  To reheat just microwave the pancake for 30 seconds to a minute.

-I love these pancakes with almond butter and or applesauce.

Bacon cooked in the oven

My favorite way to cook bacon is to bake it in the oven.  So much easier, turns out perfect and easy to clean up. (from http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/breakfastcookery/ht/bacon.htm)

1-Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later.

2-Arrange the bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. (Try not to stretch the slices out. Just gently drape the bacon across the pan.) Close the oven door. Turn the oven on to 400°F. Walk away.

3- Come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.

4- Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb any excess fat.

Perfect to use on BLT's!

BLT (or BLTA) Sandwiches

10 strips of Bacon (2 per person)

10 slices of bread per person (2 per person)

1 head of Lettuce (I like Romaine)

2 Tomatoes, sliced

1 Avocado (optional)

Mayo, mustard and anything else you like on your sandwich

My favorite way to cook bacon is to bake it in the oven.  So much easier, turns out perfect and easy to clean up. (from http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/breakfastcookery/ht/bacon.htm)

1-Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later.

2-Arrange the bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. (Try not to stretch the slices out. Just gently drape the bacon across the pan.) Close the oven door. Turn the oven on to 400°F. Walk away.

3- Come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.

4- Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb any excess fat.

Have everyone build their sandwich however they like it.  I serve this with salad.

Beef Stroganoff (in the crock pot)

Ingredients:

1 lb of beef stew meat, cubed, frozen or not (usually package at the store all cut up like this)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup (10.75 oz)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 oz. (1/2 a bar) of cream cheese or ½ cup sour cream

Egg noodles, or any kind of pasta noodles or rice

1-Put everything BUT the cream cheese or sour cream  and egg noodles into the Crock Pot.  You do not even have to brown the stew meat!

2-Mix together.  

3-Cook on High for 5 hours or on Low for 8 hours.

4-When you are close to serving dinner, prepare about a half bag of noodles according to the package directions.  Mix in the cream cheese or sour cream about 20 minutes before serving.

5-Top the noodles with the beef stroganoff and enjoy.  We love this with peas or broccoli on the side.

Adapted from: http://www.thefrugalfoodiemama.com/2013/01/slow-cooker-beer-stroganoff.html#.U4ZI9PldUSF

BBQ Chicken and Potatoes

This one is so easy and basic it doesn't really require a recipe but I've been requested to put it on the blog so readers can keep track of the groceries needed for this meal for their monthly meal plan.

5 chicken thighs, boneless skinless (can be frozen or not, can use any chicken)

½ cup Bottled BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray’s)

5 potatoes

1-Wash the potatoes, poke them with a fork and set them on the middle rack in the oven.  Turn the oven to 350 degrees.

2-Place the chicken in a 9x13” pan and pour the BBQ sauce over the top.  Place the pan next to the potatoes in the oven.

3-Bake for 30 minutes if chicken is not frozen and potatoes are smaller, or up to 60 minutes if chicken is frozen and potatoes are larger. (If you’re doing larger potatoes with non frozen chicken you can microwave the potatoes for 3-6 minutes and then put them in the oven to finish baking.)

Sweet and Sour Apricot Chicken-SO easy!

1 cup Apricot or Apricot-Pineapple Jam (Peach works too)

1 cup Catalina Salad Dressing (or Russian or  French)

1 envelope dry onion soup mix (like Lipton)

3-5 lbs chicken (breasts, bone-in/boneless, thighs, tenders etc. frozen or not)

*The amount of chicken you use is very flexible.  If you use less, you’ll just have lots of sauce, and if you use more- you’ll have less sauce to spoon over rice, but there’s plenty to cook that much chicken.

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

2-Place the chicken in a 9x13”  pan.

3-Put the jam, Catalina dressing, cider vinegar, and  the onion soup packet in a bowl and stir to combine and pour over the chicken.

4-Bake for 45 minutes (if not frozen and 60 minutes if frozen.) Eat over rice.

This is a great, super easy, yummy recipe. I'm working on a "real food"/unprocessed version that I'll be posting on the website soon.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1 cup Mayonnaise (some people like ½ c mayo, ½ c sour cream or even sub the mayo with greek yogurt)

⅓ cup Milk (and more as needed to get the right consistency)

1 teaspoon Dried Chives

1 teaspoon Dried Parsley

1 teaspoon Dried Dill Weed

½  teaspoon  Garlic Powder

½ teaspoon Dried Onion flakes (or Onion Powder)

¼  teaspoon Salt

¼  teaspoon black pepper

1-Mix everything together really well.  (I put everything in a jar or “Blender Bottle” and shake it like crazy.

2- Refrigerate it for an hour if possible before you enjoy it.

3- Add more milk as needed to make it thin enough to pour.

Delicious Whole Wheat Waffles

Makes 12 Waffles

2 ½ cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 Tablespoons Baking Powder

4 Eggs

2 cups Milk

1 cup Oil or Melted Butter

2 teaspoons Vanilla

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1-Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.

2-Mix wet ingredients together well ((if using melted coconut oil or butter add it after step 3.)

3-Combine the 2 bowls and mix only until combined (it will still be lumpy.)

4-Cook in a waffle iron

-For extra fluffy waffles you can start by separating the eggs, adding the yolks to the other wet ingredients and beating the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and save them until the end to gently fold into the batter.

Inspired by the Better Homes and Garden’s recipe for waffles

Slow Cooker Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

1 (30 oz) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

1 lb ground sausage browned and drained

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

12 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1-Spray a 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray (you cannot make this recipe in a smaller crock pot because it won't fit). Layer 1/2 of the potatoes on the bottom of slow cooker.

2-Top with half of the sausage, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, onions, green peppers, and red peppers. Repeat the layers again.

3-Beat eggs, milk, and salt and pepper in large bowl with a wire whisk until well blended. Pour egg mixture evenly over potato-sausage mixture.

4-Cook on low setting for 8 hours or on high setting for 4 hours or until eggs are set.

5-Top with green onions, salsa, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado- whatever you like!

Recipe slightly adapted from Jimmy Dean and http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/03/slow-cooker-sausage-breakfast-casserole.html

3 minute oatmeal

1 cup of oats (Old Fashioned or quick)

2 cups of water (I do a little less)

1-Put in a microwave safe mixing bowl and stir a little.

2-Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.  

3-Enjoy with milk, fruit, a little honey-whatever you like!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Makes about 2 quarts (about 8 servings)

• 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
• 1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ½ bay leaf
• ½ cup flour
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup butter
• 2 cups half and half, warmed (or skim milk if you’re trying to cut some calories)
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

1.  Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3.  About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper.  Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don’t be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

4.  Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Stove-Top Version

• 3 cups diced tomatoes with juice (you can use canned)
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 Tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 4 Tbsp fresh basil or 1 Tbsp dried
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups half and half, warmed (if you want you can use whole milk, evaporated milk instead…or even skim if you want to skinny it up)
• 1 tsp salt

1.  Heat oil in 4 quart soup pot.  Add celery, onions and carrots.  Saute 5 minutes.  Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, and chicken broth.  Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender (15 minutes).

2.  While soup simmers, prepare a roux.  Melt butter over low heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes.  Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup.  Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth.  Add back into soup pot.

3.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until soup begins to thicken.  Add Parmesan cheese and whisk to blend.  Stir warmed half and half, salt and pepper.  Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

from http://utah.todaysmama.com/2012/03/20/tomato-basil-parmesan-soup-in-the-slow-cooker-or-on-the-stove-top/

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or other meat cut into strips

2 Tbsp oil

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 sm can green chilies

1 medium onion, sliced

1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I use half a green and half a red)

12 flour tortillas

Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole - if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.

2. In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt

3. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.

4. Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.

5. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

(Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen at http://realmomkitchen.com/9318/oven-baked-chicken-fajitas/)

Pork or Beef Soft Tacos

Ingredients

1 (2.5 lb) pork roast (can use beef roast too)

1 3/4 cups beef broth

Juice of 1 lime

1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 Tbsp cumin

1/2 Tbsp onion powder or dried onions

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Place roast in a slow cooker along with beef broth.

2. Squeeze lime juice over roast.

3. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

4. Sprinkle spices over roast.

5. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

6. In the crock pot use two forks or kitchen shears to shred removing any fat.

7. Return meat to crock pot and cook for 30 minutes more.

8. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove beef from slow cooker and serve in your favorite Mexican dish.

Recipe by Real Mom Kitchen at http://realmomkitchen.com/10379/mexican-shredded-beef/

Spaghetti (sauce can be made in the crock pot)

-2 15 oz can diced tomatoes

-1 15oz can of tomato sauce

-1 chopped onion (or 2 T dried onions)

-2 T chopped garlic or (1 T garlic powder)

-1 T Oregano

-1 T honey (or sugar)

-1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey or ground sausage

-salt & pepper to taste

The Directions for crock pot

1-Add the thawed (or frozen) ground beef or turkey to the crock pot. Dump in all the cans of tomatoes, and break the ground meat up with a large spoon. Stir in the spices.

2-Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

3-When done cooking, break up the ground meat a bit more and salt to taste.

4-Serve right away with some prepared pasta, or package for freezing.

Angel Chicken Pasta (crock pot or oven)

-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs (I use frozen) -1/4 cup butter 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad                   dressing mix 1 cup apple juice (water works in a pinch) 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed GOLDEN MUSHROOM soup (not cream of mushroom!) 4 ounces cream cheese 1 pound angel hair pasta or any pasta you like

Crock Pot directions

1-Place the chicken in crock pot.

2-Add butter, Italian salad dressing mix, can of soup, & apple juice (or water) Not the cream cheese yet over the chicken.

3-Cook on low in the crock pot for 4-5 hours.

4- Add the cream cheese and cook it for another 30 minutes to let the cream cheese melt and stir it all together.

4-Eat over cooked angel hair pasta or other noodles or rice.

Oven directions

1-Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2-In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in apple juice and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil.  3-Arrange chicken in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over.

4-Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. 5-Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.