Best Corn Chowder I’ve Ever Made

I was having a craving for corn chowder a while back so I headed to my pantry and started looking to see what I had to make it. This recipe is what I came up with. My husband loved it and so did I. Our DD loved it too. It was  super easy to make and didn’t take very long. Quick and easy is what I like when it comes to cooking daily meals

Ingredients for 6-8 servings:
2-14 3/4oz. cans Del Monte sweet creamed corn
2 cups Organic low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup 1/2 & 1/2
1 medium onion chopped
10 slices bacon cooked and crumbled (I used Trader Joes fully cooked apple smoked bacon).
2 Lbs. Organic klamath pearl potatoes cut into bite-size chunks (skin on) I also got these at TJ’s
Pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Chop and dice the potatoes and onions. In a large stock pot cook bacon. (This only took a minute with the pre-cooked bacon). Remove bacon and set on paper towels. Leave a tsp. of bacon grease in the pot. I did not have to drain any. Add the onions and potatoes. Saute for two minutes. Add the cream corn and vegetable broth. Cook on simmer for approximately 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. When the potatoes are tender add the crumbled bacon, 1/2 & 1/2, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Gently simmer for another 10 minutes. Oh boy I almost forgot. I used a potato masher inside the pot to make the soup thick and chunky. I did not want it pureed.

I think this was so tasty because… The potatoes did not get mushy. Leaving the peel on made it easier. Using pre-cooked bacon was a big time saver. The ingredient list was short. It was done in less than 30 minutes, and my husband raved about it.

It is not low-cal, but I did not care it was too good. Add a simple green salad and you are set with a delicious lunch or dinner. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Easy Bake Pumpkin Cake

This easy recipe will fill the house with the sweet smell of cinnamon and spice. It’s perfect for potlucks, and family gatherings. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for a few days. Serve with whip cream or vanilla ice cream.

I came up with this recipe, or should say modified, because I did not have a yellow cake mix. I was going to make the well known “Dump Cake” with cherry pie filling, but didn’t have the right ingredients. So, I looked through my pantry and came up with something kind of like it, but in my opinion much better than my original thought. I also thought this would be perfect for this time of year. I love  pumpkin, and spice.

I wish I would’ve thought about taking pictures of this before I was into making it. I also stopped everyone from taking a bite long enough after serving it, so I could snap some pictures with my iPhone. They all laughed at me, but hey, who cares. I thought, yikes I have to make this into a blog post. I know all you other bloggers out there know what I’m talking about.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. – Trader Joes Pumpkin Bread Mix (or your favorite brand)
• 5 oz. evaporated milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 30 oz. Can Pumpkin Pie Mix
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13in glass baking pan with Pam or butter. Mix pumpkin mix, evaporated milk, & eggs in bowl. Pour mixture into baking pan. Sprinkle ½ of bread mix over pumpkin mixture. Run knife through mixture in a zigzag to combine some of the bread mixture into the pumpkin mix. Then, add remaining bread mix to top.

Sprinkle pecans and spices evenly over surface, and then drizzle butter over mixture. Bake for 40min. or until toothpick comes out clean. Keep an eye on your cake; it can burn easily in last few minutes. Let cool for 2 hours, then refrigerate or serve.

This recipe takes 5-10 minutes to prepare. Then, sit back, relax, and enjoy the wonderful smells coming from your kitchen as this cake bakes in the oven.

I hope you enjoy as much as my family did.

Bon Appetit!

Easy Chocolate Pretzel Stix – Perfect for Gifts

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Make a Perfect Holiday Treat……..

I love making homemade gifts and goodies around the holidays. For me it is something I look forward to each year. These pretzels sticks are so EASY to make and they are very tasty. This is a perfect treat to make with the kids. Even very young children can help and it only requires a few tools and ingredients.

You can switch things up by changing the color or type of topping you use. For instance I made some for 4th of July, see here, or you could use pink or blue for a baby shower. The possibilities are endless.

These sweet treats would be perfect to add to a holiday gift basket or to bring as a hostess gift.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Ingredients: Print Recipe

• 1 bag pretzel rods
• 10oz. bag chocolate chips
• 1 jar Fall Color Mix sprinkles

Tools/Supplies:

• Wax paper
• Cellophane Pretzel Bags
• Cookie Sheet
• 4 cup Pyrex or other microwavable dish.
• Butter Knife
• Small Plate

Directions:

Put a piece of wax paper on a rectangle baking tray. Use some sort of microwave safe container to melt the chips (deep enough to dip the pretzel rods). I used a 4-cup pyrex measuring cup. Pour the chocolate chips into the container. To melt the chips cook in microwave for 1-1/2minutes, stir with butter knife then cook another 30seconds and stir again. Take a pretzel stick and dip into melted chocolate to coat. I tilted the measuring cup to get the chocolate far enough up the pretzel. Holding the pretzel horizontal I twirled it until no more chocolate was dripping. Then, hold the pretzel over a plate and sprinkle with candy sprinkles or whatever you choose. Set the pretzel on wax paper and continue with the next one. Makes 12 pretzels.

***

Now all you have to do is to wait for hem to harden. It took a few hours sitting on the counter. Or, you could put them into the freezer for a few minutes.

When the chocolate gets firm you can

carefully slide them into the pretzel bags.

That’s it. They only take a few minutes. Perfect for you to make with the kids. They are very tasty. In fact I will share with you my little secret shh… I ate one for breakfast with my coffee and it was Yummy! Don’t tell

Bon Appetit,

Super Easy One-Dish ~ Chicken, Beans, and Rice

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever arrived home from work and thought Ugh! What am I going to make for dinner. It’s 9:00 pm and DH and I are starving, and the chicken is still slightly frozen.  Dinner  had to be simple and I wanted it to almost cook itself with little mess. We both had some work to finish up before dinner. Well, hubs and I went to the pantry, looked around, and this is what we came up with.

At first we thought just black beans and rice. Then we thought how about adding some cream corn. Well, actually I thought it was regular corn until I opened the can LOL. I thought, Lets give it a try and see how it turns out. To add some liquid we added the diced tomatoes, and for a little spice we added onion.

Here is the recipe we came up with. Basically you plop everything in the baking pan and forget it until it’s done.

Super Easy One-Dish Chicken, Beans, and Rice
Serves – 4

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
15-oz. can Black beans. Drain the liquid on the top leaving some
15-oz. can cream corn
15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 onion cut into chunks
cracked black pepper to taste
Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute to taste (a mix of common seasonings)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
4-6 cups of cooked jasmine rice or white rice
(I used TJ’s frozen Jasmine rice-1pkg for two people)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

I used a 13in. x 9 in. glass baking pan.

Sprinkle some 21 salute and cracked pepper on bottom of pan. Add just enough to season one side of chicken. Then place chicken thighs in pan on top of seasoning. Now sprinkle more seasoning on top of chicken. Pour black beans, cream corn, onion, and then diced tomatoes on top of the chicken.

Put into the oven and let cook until bubbly around 30 minutes. Give the pan a stir mixing up all the ingredients. Cook another 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add cheese on top and cook a bit more until it melts.

To Serve:
Place rice on plates and top with the chicken and bean mixture. How easy is that.
Top with a bit of sour cream and or avocado for an extra flavor bonus.

Both my husband and I thought this was a delicious dinner.

We were kind of surprised how yummy this was and how easy it was to make. Both of us were able to get our work done with little attention to our baking dinner. I know eating at 10pm is not recommended, but that is how it works at our house. We have late schedules.

We also ate this the next night using brown rice instead of the jasmine. The brown rice was also very very tasty. I was going to add a pic of the finished dish, but my food styling was not very good and it looked, well, let’s just say not very pretty

Print the Recipe

Bon Appetit

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Guest Post by: Maria Rainier

Sweet Potato Biscuits
My mother-in-law-of-sorts cooked these for me a few days ago, and I couldn’t resist asking for the recipe.  They’re a healthier and more farmers-market-friendly alternative to ordinary country biscuits.  For those of you looking for a seasonal side dish, I highly recommend having a go at these.

Ingredients

1 sweet potato or yam (at least 1 pound and up to 1.5)
1 1/3 cups gluten-free flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 stick chilled, unsalted butter (cut it into smaller cubes)
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup maple syrup
½ cup pecans (toast and chop them beforehand)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pierce the skin of the sweet potato with a fork or knife and microwave it until tender, about 5 minutes per side.  Cut the potato in half and, without burning your fingers, scoop out the flesh.  Let the potato cool.
Meanwhile, process the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and then add butter.  Once the mixture is consistent, add the potato flesh, buttermilk, and syrup and blend.  If you’ve already toasted and chopped up the nuts, add them into this mixture and blend again.
Take a pinch of flour and sprinkle it over the dough.  Work it into a square so you can cut into 16 biscuit-appropriate-sized pieces.  Put them onto the baking sheet you prepared earlier and bake about 18 to 22 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy with butter, syrup, or a nice cut of turkey!

 

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, researching various online programs and blogging about student life issues. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Friendship Tea ~ A Sweet Little Gift

Fall is quickly approaching which means all the holidays will be here soon. And with the holidays comes gift giving. September makes me want to get out my sewing machine, make cards, bake, and all that other crafty stuff. It just makes me feel good.

As I was feeling all crafty and creative I was also writing the Billy Gorilly Family Newsletter (If you like you can view newsletter here). I wanted to include Family Friendly recipes that the kids could help make, and would also be perfect for gift giving. As I was thinking, I remembered “Friendship Tea”.  My mother-in-law was the first one to share this recipe with me many years ago. I have fond memories of this special tea. She did not have much money, but she always gave very thoughtful loving gifts. I knew that this gift was from her heart, and her way of showing us how much she cared. I would be reminded of her love over and over until I finished the last bit of tea mix.

This recipe is easy to make and I’ve included a gift tag template

My husband also loves this tea. When I was taking pictures of the finished product my husband asked if he could have some, so I made him a cup of “Iced Friendship Tea” garnished with a slice of lemon. His response was “yum this is really good, can I have some more”. After 2 glasses of tea I did what any good wife would do and reminded him that this does have sugar, so drink accordingly.

Friendship Tea would be a perfect thoughtful little gift for your girlfriends, teacher, hostess, or just about anyone.

You can store the mix in clean recycled glass  jars, or purchase fancy jars. Just make sure the jars have airtight lids. I created gift tags (my gift to you) to adorn the jars, which include instructions on how to make the tea . Tie the tag to the jar with a ribbon and you are set to go.

Ingredients you will need: Print Recipe Card and Gift Tags
Tea Powder
Lemonade mix
Orangeade mix
Cinnamon & Clove
Containers to store mix
Printer for gift tags and recipe card (optional)

Mix ingredients in large bowl, then store in airtight containers. How easy is that!

Kids will have fun stirring the ingredients, learning how to measure, and about sharing with others.

Download and Print Recipe and Gift Tag Template

I hope you enjoy making this as much as I do.

Be well,

Beat the Heat with a Luscious Berry Parfait

Blueberries and Strawberries Yum!

This recipe is so easy to make you really don’t need a recipe.

Ingredients:

Fresh Blueberries
Fresh Stawberries (sliced)
Yogurt (any flavor) or Whip Cream

Directions:

1. Add a spoonful of whip cream or yogurt to the bottom of a clear glass cup or bowl.

2. Add a few blueberries

3. Add a spoonful of whip cream or yogurt

4. Add a few sliced strawberries

5. Repeat as many times as you like until your cup is full

Eat your yummy berry parfait.

Cool • Fresh • Easy

Have a wonderful day.

Tamara

Lunchbox and Body Friendly – Black, White, & Orange Salad

I thought I would share this very simple recipe with you. This is one of my favorite salads to take in my lunchbox. It’s perfect for packed lunches because it doesn’t get soggy. Today I had this salad with a 1/4 of baked sweet potato and some pork tenderloin. All were leftovers from the night before. I only took a picture of the salad, the rest of my lunch didn’t look quite as beautiful.

pic taken with my iphone

Black, White, and Orange Salad

1 small head of cauliflower
3 large carrots
1 can pitted black olives
2-3 Tbs. of your favorite Italian salad dressing ( I use Newman’s Own Olive Oil & Vinegar)

1. Wash carrots and cauliflower.
2. Cut veggies into bite size pieces, then put into a glass bowl.
3. Drain olives. Cut in half and add to the bowl.
4. Add salad dressing and mix thoroughly.

4-6 servings

That’s it. You can eat right away, but It gets much better if you let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

This is a perfect recipe for picnics, potlucks, or just to keep in the refrigerator for snacking. It’s an easy way for me to eat more vegetables.

print recipe

bon appétit

The Best Black Bean Chile

My recipe for the Best Black Bean Chile is not the best because it’s some fancy recipe. It is the best because I can make a delicious and nutritious meal using up bits of leftovers that would have been put in the compost bin. Here is my recipe from last nights dinner.

About 8 servings
Ingredients:
2-15oz. cans Organic Black beans – rinsed and drained
1-15oz. can of Organic White Kidney Beans – rinsed and drained
1-15oz. can of Organic diced tomatoes + a small bit of leftover tomatoes
1/2 cup leftover jarred Organic Spaghetti Sauce
3/4 cup diced celery – I salvaged the inner fresh parts of the celery.
2-Organic Carrots sliced – The poor lonely carrots in the bottom of the vegitable bin.
1-Diced onion
3-Organic Garlic Cloves minced (I love garlic)
1lb. Organic ground Turkey
2-Small boneless pork chops-Cut into small pieces (these were already cooked and in the freezer from leftovers).
2 Cups Organic Vegitable Broth – (Use more or less broth depending how soupy you want your chile)
1/4 cup Chile Powder
tsp. Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
A splash of Red Wine (I used Merlot)
1 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions: In a large heavy stock pot add the Olive oil. Saute the onion, celery, and garlic until tender. Add the turkey and cook until done. I did not need to drain the browned meat because it was very lean.

Turn the heat on the stove down to simmer or low. Now add the black beans, diced tomatoes, white beans, sliced carrots, diced pork chops (optional), and spaghetti sauce (optional). Add the Vegitable broth and wine – Amount depends on your taste. Thick chile add less, soupy chile add more.

Add the seasonings. Again the amounts are approximate. I never measure I go by the look and the taste. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

Serve with Organic Blue Corn Chips and a bit of shredded swiss or cheddar cheese. Add a very simple green salad and you have a very nutritious tasty meal.
Enjoy!

Tamara
billygorilly.com

If you have young children you might be interested in this.

Billy Gorilly has just released his summer library program  theme song. This is his 3rd song for the library reading program. This years 2009 theme is Be Creative at your Library.

Billy Gorilly’s song is titled what else “Be Creative at Your Library” it is a very catchy and fun. I know the kids are going to love it.

You can listen to the short version of “Be Creative at Your Library” by Billy Gorilly here.

The full version won’t be available for a few weeks when Billy Gorilly releases his newest CD Billy Gorilly:Rockin’ the SchoolHouse vol.1

Patriotic Pretzel Sticks_A Sweet Treat

I was at a party recently and one of the guest brought some chocolate covered pretzels with nuts. Everyone raved about how tasty they were and I agreed. I ate 2 of them, so much for self-control. When I started planning my upcomming newsletter I thought of these tasty treats. I did not have a recipe so I just decided to wing it. They are extremely easy to make, simple as 123. The pretzel snacks took less than 15minutes to make from start to finish (not counting waiting time for them to harden). These would be great for you to make for a kids party, BBQ, Memorial Day, July 4th, presidents day, or anytime.

Patriotic Pretzel Stick Recipe

Ingredients:
Just a little note: I used the brands listed below because I had the chips in the pantry, the Snyder pretzel rods had the fewest broken ones, and the Wilton patriotic sprinkles were on sale.

1 bag pretzel rods (Snyders)
10oz. bag white chocolate chips (trader Joes)
1 jar Patriotic Mix sprinkles (Wilton)
Wax paper

Directions:

Put a piece of wax paper on the kitchen counter or on a rectangle baking tray. Use some sort of microwave safe container to melt the chips (deep enough to dip the pretzel rods). I used a 4-cup pyrex measuring cup. Pour the white chocolate chips into the container. To melt the chips cook in microwave for 1-1/2minutes, stir with butter knife then cook another 30seconds and stir again. Take a pretzel stick and dip into melted chocolate to coat. I tilted the measuring cup to get the chocolate far enough up the pretzel. Holding the pretzel horizontal I twirled it until no more chocolate was dripping. Then, hold the pretzel over a plate and sprinkle with candy stars or whatever you choose. Set the pretzel on wax paper and continue with the next one. I made 12 pretzel stix with some leftover chocolate which I used for dipped strawberries.

Now all you have to do is wait until the chololate hardens. I had trouble being patient so I put them on a tray in the refrigerator for 5-minutes. This helped them harden. I waited another 30-minutes to put them into celophane wrappers. You could use saran wrap. I tied the ends of the wrappers with some patriotic ribbon for a finishing touch (watch out, Martha Stewart).

My husband came home from work and ate 2 of them giving them 5 out of 5 stars for goodness.

I can’t believe how easy these were to make. You must try these with the kids. Even very young children can help by sprinkling the candies on the pretzels. I know there are probably many other recipes out there for these treats, but this one worked very well for me. I hope this helps you make and enjoy your own homemade treats.

Bon Appetit,

Tamara