My Kind Of Guac

 I used to despise guacamole. 

 I had tried it a few times and always thought it was disgusting.

All the recipes I tried had mayonnaise in it.  And I am not a fan of Mayo.  I had no idea you could make it without?

Until I tried Moroni's guacamole.  Moroni is married to my cousin and BFF, Candice.  During one of our visits, Moroni said he was going to make guac for us.  I might have gagged in private.  And then I tried it.  

IT WAS DELICIOUS!

There was no Mayo taste.  It was creamy with plenty of yummy flavors.  And here is how he made it.

MY FAVORITE GUACAMOLE:

4 avocados

1 T. of lemon juice

4 T. of diced onions

salt and pepper to taste

Cut avocados in half and spoon out the green stuff.  Smash, smash, smash!  Dice onions.  Add onions, lemon juice and plenty of salt and pepper.  Stir and start DIPPING!

(he's made it with cilantro and lime juice before.  But I prefer it without.)

I know, it's not very elaborate.  But it's yummy and flavorful and I LOVE IT! 

  

Follower Friday: Chicken Pot Pie

Gosh, I love Friday. Even more today because when I woke up, it was snowing outside.  I'm so ready for Christmas and presents and lights and....food!  I have something REALLY exciting planned for the month of December so be sure to watch for it!

FOLLOWER FRIDAY goes to Sharon today.  I have A LOT of memories with my good friend Sharon.  We went to the same high school and by our senior year we were inseparable with her twin sister and our good friend Amy.  We went to games, dances, parties and had sleepovers together.  I love her dearly and think so highly of her!  Enjoy her recipe...

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I'm glad Tiffanie asked me to do this! She is pretty much awesome and can I just tell you when I heard she started a blog with all things food I wasn't one bit surprised. One of my favorite memories of Tiffanie was her love for muddy buddies in high school. I can't tell you how many times I saw or heard of that girl making a batch and still to this day I think of her when I encounter the chocolatey, powdered sugar goodness!

Hey, I'm Sharon. I am a wife to the greatest husband and a mom to the funnest little 14 month old while pregnant with my second little one. Currently I am an online full-time student while being a stay at home mom with my Kamden Wade. We live clear over in Maryland right now and I try to record all our life happenings and keep everyone updated on our little family blog Live Every Moment. So, this time of year I really get in the cooking mood. It's the atmosphere, the cooler temperatures, the fresh air and it just all gets to me. I crave the comfort food, you know the kind that probably isn't very healthy for you. However, I also crave fruit like crazy so I think I'm balancing it pretty good!

This year I am a full time online student and pregnant with my second child so we'll be honest, I haven't cooked as much as I would like but at least a couple times a week I hunker down and make one of those meals that take a little longer. I love cooking homemade because let's be honest, that just warms my soul. This chicken pot pie is one of our favorites around here. 

For this, sometimes I have gone crazy and made my own condensed soup but most the time I use the great store bought kind! It's fast and who doesn't need that in their life! Also, I'm not good at measuring. I throw things in and eye it all the time so there will be a lot of 2-3's or 1/2-1's in here. It's really easy to adjust to your taste preference though!

Here we go!

Chicken Pot Pie

Pastry for a two crust-pie

2-3 medium carrots (chopped)

3-4 stalks celery (chopped)

3 medium potatoes (chopped)

1/2 onion diced small (I use dehydrated and I use less)

3-4 chicken breasts cooked and diced

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2-1 cup of milk (Use less or more depending on how thick you like)

2-3 cloves garlic (I just use a spoonful of the stuff from my fridge)

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp basil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pastry for Two Crust 9" Pie (Betty Crocker Cookbook)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2/3 c plus 2 Tblsp shortening (I use butter)

4-6 Tblsp cold water  

*You can also just use a bag of frozen vegetables of your choice. We don't do peas like a lot of recipes call for but you can use whatever vegetables your little heart desires!

Alright, get all those vegetables chopped up (unless of course you got the bag of frozen veggies). 

 Put them on the stove to cook and soften up until they are fork or knife tender. While those are cooking you can start your pie crust. I make my own but you can easily use one from the store.

 Mix your flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in your shortening or butter using a pastry blender or two knives until in small particles. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with your fork until it starts to leave the sides of your bowl and add more water if necessary. Gather into two balls, one being a little bigger than the other to fit down in the depth of your pan and around the sides still. Betty Crocker says to refrigerate it for 45 minutes but as long as it's workable, I just refrigerate it until the filling is done. 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Drain the vegetables when they are tender, add your chicken, onion, soup, milk, garlic, and spices. I use dehydrated onions because I cry like a huge baby when I have to handle onions. If you are using fresh you might want to saute them with a little olive oil first to soften them up! Cook this on medium/low to get it all warmed up together.

 Roll out your bottom crust and lay in your pan, making sure it is tucked in the corners of your pan good. Cut off your excess with a knife and then add your filling. Roll our your top crust, lay it on top, and cut off the excess with your knife. I then go around the edges and tuck them the way my mom taught me how with pie crust.Do it however you please! Glaze with milk. Make pretty designs on top, go crazy, or just be lazy like me and cut slits in the top of your crust as well as poking with a fork. 

Put that lovely little thing in the oven and try to be patient for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and the crust is cooked!

I just served it with a little fruit salad because honestly, your have your meat, your veggies, and your crust all in that one dish!

 

Enjoy and eat to your heart's content!

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Have a great weekend!
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Stuffed Shells in a Crock Pot

It's Wednesday..  

How about a really easy dinner to for the middle of the week?  

I'm sure you'll love it!

I have this obsession with Marinara sauce.  We have some kind of marinara dish once a week.  Sorry husband. :)  Stuffed shells is one of my favorites!  It's easy and only takes about an hour prep and cook time.  However, one afternoon (true story) I had to run all of these errands and I wouldn't be home until five.  Now by five o'clock, dinner needs to be practically on the table.  There is no way my children or my stomach would last if I started dinner at five.  So I tried "stuffed shells in a crock pot."  And it totally worked!  Here it is:

 

Stuffed Shells 

(in a crock pot - I'll post my stuffed shell recipe in the oven later!)

one 1 lb of pasta (bigger is better for this recipe - penne, bowtie, etc. I'm sure you can actually use the jumbo shells like you would if you baked it, but I didn't have them at the time.  But you try, and tell me how it goes!)

one jar of marinara sauce (Ragu Tomato Garlic and Onion!)

one 8 oz. container of cottage cheese

16 oz of shredded mozarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. of oregano

1/2 tsp of garlic

one egg

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups of water

Crack an egg in a large bowl.  Beat.  Add three kinds of cheeses, and seasonings.  Mix together until well blended.  Cover the bottom of the crock pot with 1/2 cup of water.  Now layer!

1. 1/3 of the bag of pasta on the bottom

2. Top with 1/3 of the cheese mixture

3. Top with 1/3 of the sauce.

Repeat steps 1-3 until all ingredients are gone (should be three layers with sauce ontop.)  Sprinkle on more Parmesan cheese.  Take remaining 3/4 cup of water and pour in. 

Be sure to get the edges and middle. Cover.  Cook on high for 2-3 hours.  It cooks pretty fast so be sure to check it after two hours - and depending on how soft you like your pasta, you might want to cook it longer.

And then maybe add some yummy bread sticks to the meal.  Oooh, I have an awesome bread stick recipe.  That's coming too.

Beef Stew

I love homemade stew. 

I love having it simmer all day in your crock pot. 

 I love how the smell fills your house! 

I love how the longer it cooks, the better it tastes.

Do you get that I love it?
Here is my Mom's beef stew recipe - which I happily make!

Beef Stew

2 cups of diced roast beef (I use leftover from a pot roast)

5-6 potatoes peeled and cubed

2 carrots peeled and diced

1/4 cup diced onion

1 can of petite diced tomatoes

2 beef bouillon cubes

2 1/2 cups of water

1/2 tsp. of celery salt

1/2 tsp. of minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste
one brown gravy mix packet
2 T flour
1/2 cup of water (maybe more?)

Turn your crock pot on high and put in bouillon cubes and water.  Dice up EVERYTHING!

Open a can of petite diced tomatoes and pour it in - juice and all!

Add all the seasonings.  Stir.  Be sure all the vegetables are covered with water - add more if needed.  And then let it simmer on high for 6-8 hours.  The longer - the better! 

 A half hour before serving, combine 2 T flour, 1/2 cup water, and one gravy mix.  Stir together with a whisk and mix into crock pot.  After a half hour you have a hearty, thick, beef stew!

Follower Friday: Sour Cream Enchiladas

Happy Noevember!

How was your Halloween?

I'm already thinking about all the yummy things I want to make for Thanksgiving.  No lie.

So for today's Follower Friday we have....
SHALISHA

Shalisha is my ALL time favorite person in Logan, UT.

She was twin boys a few months older than my little boy.

Her and I think the same on practically every subject in life.

We both love food, dramatic TV series, and a good young adult book.

We were sisters in Heaven, I just know it!

She makes almost everything from scratch and bread all winter long.  She's my hero.

Enjoy her recipe!

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Hey everyone! I am so excited to be on Tiffs Blog. 
She is an amazing, loving friend and I dont know where or who I would be without her...

I cant wait to share this recipe with you all...

So I know that alot of you probably have a favorite recipe that your mom or dad used to make for you when you were growing up and when ever you make that recipe it makes you feel like being at home... well I have a couple but one of my all time favorites was SOUR CREAM ENCHILADAS so here it is...

Sour Cream Enchiladas

first off you will need the ingredients...

*1 cup of sour cream

*1 small (4oz) can of chopped green chilies

*1 (10.5oz) can of cream of chicken soup

*about 2 cups of mozzarella cheese
(or if you want you can use cheddar but I personally like the white stuff ;D)

*7 of your favorite flour tortillas (I personally like the kind you have to cook first)

* 2 small or 1 large chicken breast

* mushrooms (I like to use fresh mushrooms but you can use the canned)

*1 tsp garlic

ok now we make the food...

first I cook the chicken breast/s by chopping it/them into small pieces that i throw into a frying pan with a little olive oil and the garlic... cook on low until no longer pink...(sorry I didnt take of pic of the chicken :()

While the chicken is cooking whip together the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, & the green chillies

Then once the chicken is cooked and the sauce mixed, I start to put everything together (I almost forget this is when I preheat the oven to 350 degrees)

Put some chicken, mushrooms (until all gone), cheese and sauce (about 1 TBS) on to each tortilla...

Roll the tortillas like so

Place tortillas into a backing dish (I personally like my smaller dish better but if you want yours to be alittle more spread out and have a 9x13, then use it)

Spread the remaining sauce evenly over the top of your tortillas.

Add as much cheese on top as you want.

  Throw it into the oven for 45 mins.

After 45 mins it should come out golden brown on top with gooey cheesy yumminess inside.

Serve with rice and your favorite vegetable and ENJOY....

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Thanks Shalisha!  Have a good weekend everyone! 

AND...are you following this blog yet?  

 Have you grabbed a button or badge for your blog?!