I've Moved Blogs....

Hey, everyone!!! The Recipe Box has a new home!

Click here to go to my new blog.

Or visit: http://rachelsrecipebox.wordpress.com/

See you there!!!

--Rachel

Recipe: Maple Syrup Pancake Muffins

A few weekends ago Tony and I had our hearts set on a big breakfast of pancakes, home fries, and bacon...but then I ran across a recipe for Maple Syrup Pancake Muffins on Joy the Baker's blog. What? Too good to be true? We thought so, and had to make them right away!

The muffins were a moist, sweet bread good enough to eat alone. Once you add the maple syrup glaze, you're talking a whole different kind of good! The recipe mentions that you can add any other ingredients that you would typically put in pancakes. Next time: blueberries!

A perfect breakfast for a snowy morning

Empty plates and happy faces =)

Thank you, Joy the Baker! Click here to try her recipe.

Recipe: White Chili

Get out your grocery list, you're going to want to make this. I'll admit that I typically follow recipes exactly, I'm always afraid of adding too much of this or too little of that and ruining dinner -- but not this time! This time I read about 5 or 6 different recipes for white chili, mixed and matched the ingredients and spices that sounded best, and came up with this:

It looks delicious, I know... don't worry, it is.

A good base of green chile peppers, cannelini beans, ground turkey....

and plenty of spices.

Serve with tortilla chips, top with sour cream and jalapenos. These are a must, no questions asked, okay? Oh, you can add cheese too...if you want, but I didn't. Tony was in heaven and I wasn't far behind, we love this dish!

White Chili
The goods:
- 1 lb. ground turkey, 93/7
- 3 c. cannelini beans (canned or cooked from dry beans)
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chile peppers
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tbsp. cumin
- 3/4 tbsp. oregano (a weird measurement, I know...but you can eyeball it)
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (trust me, you want the cinnamon)
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (more or less depending on your taste)
- 3 c. chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste

The drill:
1) In a large pot over medium heat, saute garlic and turkey, about 10 minutes or until turkey is cooked through. Add the chile peppers and spices, saute about 5 more minutes.... this allows the spices to get all nice toasty, releasing the best flavor, before adding the liquids.
2) Add 2 1/2 cups of beans and chicken broth to the pot. Take 1/2 cup of beans, mash them well using a fork, add to pot -- this will give the soup a richer, more creamy consistency. Simmer on low for at least 30 minutes.
3) Don't forget what I said about the necessities: chips, jalapenos, sour cream.

...and go! Now hurry and make this before it's too warm outside!

Recipe: Mini Baked Omelet Cups

A perfectly portable, healthy, and easy breakfast - this recipe is awesome. Anything you can put into an omelet, you can bake into these cute omelet cups. Make a batch on Sunday night and reheat the leftovers to enjoy throughout the week.

The essentials: eggs, veggies, & cheese

Fresh baked


....and delicious.

Mini Baked Omelet Cups

- 4 cups steamed broccoli florets, chopped into small bits (or vegetable of your choice)*

- 1/2 red pepper, small dice (or vegetable of your choice)*

- 4 eggs

- 1 1/4 c. egg whites

- 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

- 1/4 c. grated cheese, your choice (I used a 4 cheese blend)

- salt and pepper, to taste

- cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and spoon vegetable mixture evenly into the muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, egg whites, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until well blended. Pour evenly over vegetables into the cups, until about 3/4 full. Top with grated cheese and bake until cooked, about 20 minutes.

Servings 6

*Note: I used broccoli and red pepper because I already had it on hand. The variations you can make are endless... give these others a try:

- spinach, tomato/sundried tomato, and feta cheese

- peppers, onions, black beans, pepper jack cheese... top with sour cream or salsa

- cooked sausage and onions (less healthy but definitely delicious)

Recipe: Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps

Enjoy these turkey taco lettuce wraps as a fun, healthy alternative to tacos. This recipe includes homemade taco seasoning which is much healthier than prepackaged mix from the grocery. You can control the amount of salt and are guaranteed to have no preservatives and no msg. I like to make a big batch of the seasoning to keep on hand for other dishes...it's so easy and will store the same as your other spices!

Note: I adjusted my taco seasoning from the recipe by cutting the salt down to 1/2 tsp. I added 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, and 1/2 tsp onion powder. It was perfect...and pretty.

Lettuce Wrap

I thought they were too messy so I turned mine into taco salad....so delicious!

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps

• 1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 small onion, minced (I left out the onion, Tony hates it...hence, the onion powder. Shhh!)
  
• 2 tbsp bell pepper, minced (I used 1/2 of a red pepper)
  
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 8 large lettuce leaves from Iceberg lettuce
  

Brown turkey in a large skillet. When no longer pink add dry seasoning and mix well. Add onion, pepper, water and tomato sauce and cover. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

Wash and dry the lettuce. Place meat in the center of leaf and top with tomatoes, cheese and salsa or other toppings.

Servings: 4

Recipe: The perfect weekend morning

Who doesn't love the weekend? The best part: cooking breakfast with Tony! Breakfast is my favorite meal but sadly I refuse to get up early enough to eat more than yogurt or instant oatmeal during the week. I eat breakfast at my desk pretty much everyday so sitting down to enjoy a "real" breakfast is such a treat....a luxury, really.

The ritual: wake up without an alarm, spend extra time playing with the pup, play some good tunes in the background, and then...get busy cooking.

Sit down to breakfast and enjoy the morning sunlight...a recipe for the perfect weekend morning.

Begley loves the weekends too!

Happy weekend!
Rachel

Recipe: Turkey Sausage, Kale, & White Bean Soup

A hearty, satisfying, and healthy soup that is perfect for the recent blast of cold weather! The soup starts with homemade turkey sausage- it's easier than you think to make your own! Making your own sausage allows you to have control over the seasoning and amount of fat, you can adjust the seasoning to suit your own taste. I served our soup with homemade pita chips.


Turkey Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

-1.25 lb homemade turkey sausage (recipe follows)
- 2 tsp olive oil
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/2 bunch kale- rinsed, leaves removed from the ribs & rough chopped
-1 cup cannellini or other white bean - drained & rinsed
-4 cups fat free chicken stock
-2 cups water
-1 small pinch dried red pepper flakes (optional
-salt and pepper to taste

-Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium sized pot. Add sausage meat, breaking it up with a spatula into large chunks.
-When completely cooked, add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes (careful not to let the garlic burn).
-Add the water, stock, beans and red pepper flakes and stir thoroughly. Simmer on low for 10 minutes, covered.
-Throw in kale and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes, covered. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Servings: 4 - Serving Size: 2 cups - Calories: 253

Homemade Turkey Sausage

-1.25 lb 93% lean ground turkey
-1 clove garlic, crushed
-1/2 tsp sweet paprika
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/8 tsp dried thyme
-1/8 tsp dried oregano leaves
-1/8 tsp dried marjoram
-1/4 tsp dried fennel

-Combine turkey, garlic and spices and mix well using hands. Use as desired.

Servings:4 - Calories:140

Here we go again....

Now that life has quieted down, I'm ready to get this blog back into gear.

When I stopped posting we were in the middle of working on our house....it's always a work in progress but we've made some pretty great strides since June. We were also knee-deep in wedding plans. We tied the knot on October 18th. Here's the proof: We went to Chicago for a week after the wedding:

(my first trip to Chicago. I'm short.)

....and that about sums things up.

I've been baking cakes:

...and cooking other things. Sometimes I post my photos on allrecipes.com, and sometimes I even win the daily photo contest (woohoo!)

1st place on 8-7-09
1st & 2nd place on 9-16-09
Not technically a win but my photo was featured on recipe of the day, 12-11-09

And the latest, 1st place on 2-13-10

And now we're here:

Happily married, happily settled into our house.

So like I said, I'm ready to get this blog back into shape. A few different things this time around:

1) Less adding to the list of "recipes to make" and more adding to the list of "been there, made that." I have to quit filing away recipes for the future and actually make them!

2) Every recipe I make will feature my own photos (I'll mark them with my blog name).

3) More about crafting, including fun tutorials.

and....go!

Oh my, I almost forgot another update, I'm in the Etsy business now! You can see my shop, TheCommonThread, here. I vowed I would learn to sew as a new year resolution, bought a sewing machine on January 1, and opened up my shop a couple of weeks later!!! Take a look:

..and now we're finished with the updates.

Recipe: Sugar Cookie Icing

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I didn't get to make any homemade sweets today, we were on the road home from our weekend getaway to the Smoky Mountains....but:

Here are some photos of sweet sugar cookies that I made last year in honor of Valentine's Day. You've got to try this recipe for icing, it's foolproof and easy to create professional looking cookies. Have fun!!

Louisville cookies for Tony

Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
  
• assorted food coloring

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Free Printable Recipe Cards

I love recipe cards (big surprise, right?) and these are adorable...not only are they adorable but you can print them out for free (!!!) from Vale Design. There are a few other designs on the site but these are my favorite. Click here to print yours!

Recipe: Basil Chicken Burgers with Pesto Mayo

Here is another recipe from the same Family Fun Magazine. This recipe looks great and we're always looking for new burger recipes. We're currently stuck on turkey burgers (I'm sure you could make this recipe with ground turkey too) but we'll be testing this one out soon. I love basil and could eat pesto everyday so this one is on the "to make soon" list!

Recipe can be found online here

Basil Chicken Burgers

For the burgers:
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar or 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pesto (store-bought or your favorite recipe)
Oil for brushing the burgers
6 burger rolls
Lettuce
Sliced tomatoes

For the Pesto Mayonnaise:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pesto

1. Line a medium-size baking sheet with plastic wrap and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, cheese, salt, and pepper, gently tossing the mixture with your hands or a large fork, until evenly blended. 2. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and pesto, then add it to the ground chicken mixture and combine until evenly blended. Shape the meat into six 1/2-inch-thick patties, placing each one on the lined baking sheet as you go. Cover the burgers with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes to firm them. (Note: The patties will be softer than traditional hamburgers.) 3. While the meat is chilling, prepare the grill and make the Pesto Mayonnaise (just combine the ingredients in a small bowl). Then brush one side of each of the burgers with a little oil and place them on the grill, oiled side down. Lightly brush oil on the other side of the burgers and cook them for 5 minutes on each side, turning once, or until the meat is no longer pink inside. 4. Serve the burgers on the rolls, dressed with the lettuce, tomatoes, and Pesto Mayonnaise. Makes 6 burgers

Original Collector: Me

Recipe: Fiesta Fajitas and Fresh Pineapple Salsa

I found this recipe while I was waiting in a doctors office with some clients, it's from Family Fun Magazine and it's delicious!!! We've already made this twice and each time it's been excellent! I'm not too sure about the Pineapple Salsa - it's okay but we chose not to make it the second time around, I definitely prefer regular ol' tomato salsa.

I served the dish with grilled corn, salsa, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and avocado... Yum!

Fiesta Fajitas
For the marinade:
1/3 cup canned pineapple juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the fajitas:
2 pork tenderloins (about 2 pounds), trimmed of silver skin
2 large red onions, cut into 1-inch-thick slices and threaded lollipop-style on skewers
2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into quarters
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into quarters
Olive oil for brushing
8 flour tortillas, wrapped in foil

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag, then add the tenderloins and toss them to coat. Place the sealed bag in the refrigerator and allow the tenderloins to marinate for at least an hour, but preferably overnight. 2. Prepare the grill for cooking. Brush the onion skewers and bell peppers with olive oil. Grill the vegetables until they are soft, about 20 minutes, and the tenderloins, turning them occasionally, until the centers register 145°, also about 20 minutes. Transfer all the food to a baking sheet and allow the tenderloins to rest for 5 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, remove the onion slices from the skewers. Chop them and the bell peppers, then arrange the vegetables on one side of a large serving platter. Slice the tenderloins into strips, then arrange them beside the vegetables. 4. Heat the foil-wrapped tortillas on the coolest part of the grill, turning them several times until they are warmed through. Serve the grilled vegetables, tenderloin strips, and tortillas with small bowls of the Fresh Pineapple Salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Serves 8.

Nutritional Information

Per serving (1 fajita made with a tortilla, 1/8 of the meat and vegetables, and 2 tablespoons of salsa):Calories 304Total Fat 6 g (9% DV) Saturated Fat 1 g (6% DV) Cholesterol 74 mg (25% DV) Sodium 459 mg (19% DV) Total Carbohydrate 33 g (11% DV) Fiber 2 g (6% DV) Sugars 4 gProtein 29 g (58% DV) Vitamin C (90% DV)

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

2 cups fresh pineapple, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or less for a milder taste)
Salt

1. Place all of the ingredients but the salt in a blender or food processor and pulse until the ingredients are mixed but still chunky. 2. Transfer the salsa to a bowl, salt it to taste, then cover and refrigerate it until ready to serve. Makes 2 cups.
Nutritional Information

Per serving (1/4 cup):Calories 20Total Fat 0 g (0% DV) Saturated Fat 0 g (0% DV) Cholesterol 0 mg (0% DV) Sodium 148 mg (6% DV) Total Carbohydrate 6 g (2% DV) Fiber 0.2 g (1% DV) Sugars 3 gProtein 0.3 g (1% DV)

Original Collector: Me

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Our DIY Save the Dates

I've been hanging on to these photos for quite some time but now, I'm finally ready to show them off. These are mine and Tony's save the date cards. I designed everything myself, with my tiny bit of design knowledge...all using Paint and Microsoft Word. I chose the color scheme and design around our October wedding, played around with the wording and fonts and there you have it!

I bought card stock from Michael's and Hobby Lobby and ordered the envelopes online. The envelopes are made out of recycled brown paper bags which were an excellent touch and nod to our wedding style (at least I thought so!) A regular printer, paper cutter and glue finished them off...oh, and quite a few hours of assembling!

Our invitations will match this design but we've yet to start production on those - they will be even more complex and time consuming!

Did I mention we made the cards into magnets?

Though the cards and invitations are a pretty big thing to undertake, I'm very thankful that we did it. It's pretty special to hand make each invitation using your own design....oh, and we saved a TON of money by making our own (that never hurts!)

Recipe: Blueberry Cream Pie

I ran across this recipe and happened to have all of the ingredients on hand so I made it right away. It's super light and so easy to make that a toddler (or even Tony) could do it! I made it while my sister was in town and it got both her and Tony's seal of approval.

You can make this with raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or anything else you can come up with by simply substituting the blueberry yogurt for another flavor to match your fresh fruit.

Photo and Recipe from Gina's Recipes

(forgot to take my own photo!)

Blueberry Cream Pie
9-inch ready made reduced fat graham cracker pie crust
8 oz fat free cool whip
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 (5.3 oz) containers fat free blueberry yogurt

Combine cool whip, berries, and yogurt into a bowl. Pour into pie crust and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour (or freeze). Garnish top with extra blueberries and keep chilled until serving. YIELD: 8 Servings

Per serving: 196 calories

Original Collector: Me

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Recipes: Chipotle Chicken Kebabs, Sweet-n-Spicy Grilled Pineapple, Southwestern Black Bean Salad

Next to the Asian chicken, this was my second favorite meal. These recipes are pretty simple and the meal was an all around hit. I love how colorful the meal plated up but the chicken and pineapple are by far the stars of the show!

We used leftover chicken kebabs in pita and hummus sandwiches for the next couple of days. The pineapple was a great breakfast and the black bean salad would have been excellent leftover for lunch served with some tortilla chips.

Chipotle Chicken Kebabs

1/2 c. plain fat-free yogurt

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Cooking spray

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour into a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag, and toss to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 1 to 2 hours, turning bag occasionally. 2. Prepare grill. 3. Thread chicken onto 4 (10-inch) metal skewers; place on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 11 minutes or until done, turning once. YIELD: 4 servings.

Note: If using wooden skewers, soak them in water 30 minutes before grilling.

Per Serving: Cal 206; Fat 2.3g; Pro 40.7g; Carb 3.4g; Fib .2g

Sweet-n-Spicy Grilled Pineapple

1 peeled and cored pineapple

1 1/2 tbs pineapple juice

3 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles

Cooking spray

1. Prepare grill. 2. Cut pineapple into 8 slices. Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, and adobo sauce in small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Blot excess moisture from each pineapple slice with paper towels. Brush 1 side of each slice with brown sugar mixture. 3. Place pineapple slices, brushed sides down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 3 minutes or until browned; brush with remaining brown sugar mixture, turn, and grill3 minutes. YIELD: 4 servings

Per Serving: Cal 87; Fat .2g, Pro .6g, Carb 22.7g, Fib 2g

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

9 oz frozen corn, thawed

1 tomato, chopped

1 small hass avocado, diced

1/4 c. red onion, chopped

1 scallion, chopped

1 lime, juice of

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp fresh cilantro

salt and fresh pepper

Combine beans, corn, tomato, onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix with lime juice and olive oil. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Add avocado just before serving. YIELD: 12 (1/2 cup) servings

Per Serving: 106 Calories

Original Collector: Me

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Recipe: Grilled Sesame-Ginger Chicken

This is by far my favorite recipe so far.....absolutely delicious!!! This was so good we may be eating it at least once each week for a while! The recipe could not be easier and it was quick too! I served the chicken with cooked rice and salad.

Grilled Sesame-Ginger Chicken

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger *
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
Sliced green onions (optional)

1. Prepare grill. 2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.** 3. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet (this step is not so important.) 4. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done, basting occasionally with sesame seed mixture. Place on a serving platter; garnish with green onions, if desired. Serve immediately. YIELD: 4 servings

* definitely use fresh ginger, the taste can't be beat
**I would make extra sauce to drizzle over your rice!

Per Serving: Cal 236; Fat 3.1g; Pro 40.2g; Carb 9.9g; Fib 0.4g

Original Collector: Me

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Recipe: Honey-Dijon Salmon with Pecans

This was my second time cooking fish and I have to admit that I liked the Spicy Tilapia much better. The salmon seemed a little strong to me but the glaze was excellent and it was extremely easy to cook. Again, Tony liked the recipe more than me but maybe he's just not as picky! I served the salmon with wild rice, salad, and cantaloupe. Yum!!


Honey-Dijon Salmon with Pecans

2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
6 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp finely chopped pecans

1. Preheat broiler. 2. Combine honey and mustard in a bowl, stirring well. 3. Place fish, skin side down, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Brush honey mustard over the fish; sprinkle with pecans. *** Broil 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. (*Ours took a little less time because we had smaller fillets. YIELD: 6 servings

***When I topped the fish with the pecans and put it under the broiler, it quickly burnt the pecans and set off the smoke detectors! This has to be a misprint in the recipe, I'd top the fish with pecans after it has cooked (Hence, no pecans on my fish =( ! )

Per Serving: Cal 316; Fat 14.8g; Pro 36.5g; Carb 7.2g; Fib .3g

Original Collector: Me

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Recipe: Stuffed Peppers

I made this healthy version of Stuffed Peppers because Tony loves them. Served with a salad, this was a pretty hearty meal. Tony enjoyed these a lot more than I did but overall, I can't complain....plus, they are super easy to make.

(The cheese was the best part!)

Stuffed Peppers

2 large green bell peppers (about 10 ounces each)

3/4 lb ground sirloin

1/4 c. chopped onion

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 (8.8 - ounce) package precooked whole-grain brown rice (such as Uncle Ben's)

1 cup tomato-basil pasta sauce (such as Classico)

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place bell pepper halves, cut sides up, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Microwave at HIGH 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. (*We cooked these in the oven to soften, not the microwave.)

2. While bell peppers cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef and onion until browned, stirring to crumble beef. Drain, if necessary; return to pan. Stir in dried Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, brown rice, and pasta sauce. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until warm, stirring occasionally.

3. Fill bell pepper halves with beef mixture; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Microwave at HIGH 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts. (*Again, we finished these off in the oven, not the microwave.) YIELD: 4 servings

Per Serving: Cal 312; Fat 9.8g, Pro 27.4g; Carb 29.9g; Fib 4.1g

Original Collector: Me

Tuesday, July 14, 2009