Sunday, June 3, 2012

Turtle Cookies - Grandma's Recipe

This is my Grandma Hoggan's cookie recipe. I've been eating these since I was a kid and always loved helping Grandma make them. They are so simple and quick to make.


Turtle Cookies

Preheat waffle iron to medium.

3/4 C Cocoa
2 Tbsp Crisco
1 C Butter

Mix and melt, and set aside

Beat 6 eggs
Add 2 ¼ C Sugar
Fold in 3C Flour, ½ Tsp Salt and 1 Tbsp Vanilla

Blend all together. Drop by teaspoon on Iron about 1” apart. Close iron, bake about 1 minute.

Frosting:
1 stick Margarine
6 Tbsp Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla
4 Tbsp Cocoa
1 lb Powdered Sugar

Bring to a boil margarine, cocoa and milk. Add sugar and vanilla

Breakfast Casserole

I'm all about making things that save me time. This casserole is GREAT! I cook it up the night before and then we can reheat it for breakfast for the next couple of days. I'm not a morning person and don't enjoy getting up and making a big breakfast.

This recipe can also be made the night before and put into the fridge and cooked in the morning instead of the night before. I have done that before too.

It's a very versatile recipe that you can make your own. Usually I just use what I have on hand as far as meat and veggies. You can make this your own very easily.

The original recipe (which I can't find now) was for a smaller batch then I make but I like it to feed both of us for more than two days. Since I no longer have the recipe this has become my own recipe that I've had to wing haha!


Breakfast Casserole

2 Dozen Eggs (24 Eggs)
2 Bags Frozen Hashbrowns
Cubed Ham, Diced Turkey Sausage, or Bacon (Or all 3)
2 Handfuls of Chopped Fresh Spinach
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Minced Garlic
Sea Salt
Chili Powder
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Milk

Directions:
1. Spray your 9x13 pan with Pam Olive Oil Spray (or whatever spray you use). Spread the hashbrowns in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with your desired spices. Spread a little cheese over the hashbrowns.

2. Dice up your chosen meat (I used ham and turkey sausage) and layer that on top of the hashbrowns.

3. Chop up your fresh spinach and layer that on top of the meat. I sprinkled a little sea salt on top of the spinach layer. **Here is where you'd add any other veggies that you want such as onions, peppers, zucchini, etc.**

4. Beat your eggs in a mixing bowl along with your seasonings and a little milk (roughly a 1/4 of a cup). Pour the eggs mixture over top of the layers you've just made in your pan. Make sure to pour it evenly over everything. Once that is done before you pop it in the oven sprinkle cheese on top and cover with foil.

5. Bake in the oven at 350*F for approx an hour. It takes awhile for the middle to cook. I checked it after 35 minutes and then every 15 minutes after that to make sure it was done. I took the foil off for the last 15 minutes of cooking.

IF you make a smaller batch of this I would cook it for 35 minutes and then check it. Better to add time then burn it.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this or ideas!

The Seasonings I used.
Hashbrowns in the bottom of the pan.
Diced Ham
Layer the diced ham on top of the hashbrowns.
Sliced Turkey Sausage
Layer the sliced sausage onto the ham.

Chopped fresh spinach
Layer the spinach on top of the meat.
Egg Mixture (Eggs, Minced Garlic & Seasonings)
Pour the egg mixture evenly over everything.
Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Finished Breakfast Casserole!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Pumpkin Granola

I made this over the Holidays - it makes the house smell SO good! It's really simple to make and is really good. You can use it as cereal, put on top of yogurt, snack on, etc. It would make a great gift if you wanted to baggie it up for the Holidays.


Pumpkin Granola
Yields: 4 Cups Granola
Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 40 Min

3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Pure (unsweetened) Pumpkin Puree
1/4 Cup Applesauce
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Dried Cranberries
1/2 Cup Almond Slices

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 325*F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a nonstick baking sheet.

2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl (oats through salt). Mix the wet ingredients (syrup through vanilla) in a smaller bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then stir in the cranberries and sliced almonds.

3. Spread the mixture out onto your baking sheet. Bake until golden - stirring halfway through baking - 20 minutes, then stir, then bake another 20 minutes. If it's not quite golden and crisp, bake 5 to 10 minutes more. It will get crisper as it cools. Let it cool and then store it in a covered container to nibble on for a couple of weeks.






Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oatmeal

I'm always looking for things that I can make ahead of time that we can eat for breakfast as I'm not a morning person. Chad loves oatmeal and peanut butter so this recipe was great. I made it for him and he took it fishing with him since it's in a jar. He loved it so I've made it a few times for him. I make two days worth at a time.


Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oatmeal
1 Serving


1/4 Cup Uncooked Old Fashioned Oats
1/3 Cup Skim Milk
1/4 Cup Low-Fat Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Dried Chia Seeds
1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter (May sub with PB2 - Powdered Peanut Butter)
1 Teaspoon Honey (Optional)
1/4 Cup Diced Ripe Banana (Approx. half a banana)

Directions:
In a half pint (1 cup) jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, peanut butter (or PB2), and honey. Put lid on jar and shake until well combined. I had to use a spoon after shaking to get the peanut butter and honey off the sides then I shook the jar again. Remove lid, add bananas and stir until mixed throughout. Return lid to jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled.


**This makes a small serving so I doubled it the first time so it was a complete meal for Chad. However, if you are dieting and don't eat big breakfasts then don't double it.

**You can buy the Chia Seeds anywhere. I got them at Walgreens.


Weight Watchers PointsPlus:
8 points with peanut butter and honey
6 points with PB2 in place of peanut butter and honey
5 points with PB2 and no honey 

Secret Fried Halibut

I had some halibut in the fridge and wanted to fry it but didn't want it to be an unhealthy fried fish SO I found this recipe which seemed pretty harmless. We ended up loving it. It's not too greasy.


Secret Fried Halibut
Prep Time: 10 Mins
Total Time: 35 Mins
Serves: 4-6


1 Medium Halibut Fillets (Approx. 3lbs)
2 Cups White Flour
1 Tablespoon Seasoning Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder or Salt
1 Pinch Onion Powder
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard (or to taste)
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil (or any oil you'd like to use)

Directions:
1. Cut halibut into portion size pieces and set aside.

2. In a gallon ziplock bag combine all dry ingredients; seal bag and shake to mix.

3. In small bowl combine mayonnaise and mustard; mix thoroughly (this is the secret ingredient).

4. Add some oil to the skillet over medium heat until oil begins to ripple. You will need to add more oil in small amounts at a time throughout cooking.

5. Add halibut a few pieces at a time to skillet until full. DO NOT OVERLAP FISH. Cook until just beginning to brown on the bottom side and flip. Once turned, lightly baste browned side of fish with mayonnaise mixture. Turn fish once more and repeat basting. The key to this step is to re brown basted sides of fish before removing from pan. The pieces should turn a deep brown (not black but close). That is when you know they are done.

6. Serve while still hot. (May be kept in warm oven until all fish is done).

**I didn't have seasoning salt so I just used sea salt and added other seasonings such as chili powder.

Pink Drink by Pink Method Diet

This smoothie is SO good yet healthy. We try to drink it every morning. It's a recipe I got from the P.I.N.K. Method Diet system.


Pink Drink (Smoothie)
Makes 1 Serving


1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Almond Milk, Hemp Milk or Rice Milk)
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1 Cup Strawberries (Fresh tastes the best)
Ice (I put in roughly two pieces per serving)

Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. We always double the recipe because we need two servings.

You can use a different berry if you'd like but we really love strawberries so that's all we've used.