So far so good, for the most part, on my small “new years” goals.

I haven’t been following the New Years Grand Plan exactly but major headway has been made in the organizing department so I feel okay about it. In the end it will all be checked off, even if not in the order of the plan.

I’ve been cooking a real dinner 3-4 times a week which is a big change. Jacob couldn’t be happier. His love language is FOOD! It’s nice because he likes anything I make, even if I don’t particularly! It’s been easy to try at least one new recipe a week. I tend to try recipes my friends recommend, especially if they include an appetizing photo. Here are a couple of the recipes we’ve had lately and enjoyed.

- Honey Sauced Chicken recipe shared by Amy on Facebook. This was incredibly easy. We made it spur of the moment and didn’t have time to use the crockpot. The sauce didn’t get very thick in the oven (like it looks like in the picture) but it still tasted amazing. Next time I’d definitely make it in the crockpot.

- Potato and Corn Chowder from Angie’s cooking blog. Getting all the ingredients ready (cooking the bacon, peeling/cooking/cubing the potatoes, thawing the corn, etc.) was the only part that I didn’t like about this recipe. And that’s just because the one place I’m not good at multitasking is the kitchen. It was tasty though, Jacob loved it, and we had lots of leftovers which I appreciate. Jacob eat a lot, you know, so if there’s even any leftovers after dinner it’s an accomplishment.

- Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas also from Angie’s cooking blog. These were pretty quick to make and the flavor was surprising. It was very sweet, which I wasn’t expecting. I don’t like things too spicy but I next time I think I’d make this a tad spicier. I added chopped onions and some canned green chiles to the chicken because I had some leftover in the fridge. Again, Jacob raved about this dinner. We think the chicken/sauce mixture would be perfect in a homemade Cafe Rio type salad, too. So we’ll try that sometime.

- Savory Crescent Chicken Rolls recipe from Mom (and Grammy). I had a craving for this the other day and had Mom send me the recipe. I looked some recipes up online but none of them were the same as my mom’s. This is such an easy dinner and very satisfying. Here’s her recipe. And at her suggestion we added some green chiles and we loved it.

Savory Crescent Chicken Rolls
Preheat oven to 350.
Blend 3 oz softened cream cheese, 2 T melted butter or milk, till smooth.
Add 2 c cooked, cubed chicken, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 2 T milk (optional), 1 T. chopped onion;mix well.
Separate 8 oz can crescent rolls into 4 rectables, seal perforations.
Spoon 1/2 c. chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle; pull 4 corners of dough to center; seal.
Brush tops with 1 T. melted butter; dip in 3/4 c. crushed seasoned croutons.
Bake til golden, 20-25 min.

And I can’t wait! I’m completely finished with all student teaching related duties TOMORROW and I can hardly wait. I haven’t written much about it but it’s been one of the most trying experience of my life. I’ve had to deal with a lot of unpleasant situations that have really torn me down. But tomorrow it’s all done.

But to tide you all over until I have time to make a fun post with pictures and such, here as some recipes (as promised.)

Banana-Chocolate Bread (from America’s Test Kitchen)

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (minus 2 Tablespoons) sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well (1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted buter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups walnuts, toasted (optional)
2 1/2 ounces (a heaping 1/2 cup) of chocolate (the recipe calls for grated bittersweet, we just used chocolate chips!)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla together in a seperate bowl. Gently fold the banana mixture into the flour mixtrue with a ruibber spatula until just combined. Fold in the nuts (if using) Fold in the chocolate. Do not overmix; the batter will look thick and chunky.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, about 55 minutes.

4. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.

It really is delicious! Hope you all enjoy it! Yum!

I’m pretty much a domestic goddess these days. Well, most days Jacob cooks, but when I DO cook, I’m quite the chef. Let me share my cooking creations from this past Sunday.

We started off the day with some delicious sourdough french toast.

This recipe from America’s Test Kitchen is absolutely delicious! Especially with sourdough bread!

French Toast

8 slices bread
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Arrange the bread on a wire rack set over a backing sheet and bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes.

2. While the bread is till in the over, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and whisk it together with the milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour the batter into a large shallow dish.

3. Transfer 2 pieces of the bread from the oven into the batter and soak both sides, about 3o seconds per side. Meanwhile, melt 1 more tablespoon of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over the medium heat until beginning to brown, swirling to coat the pan. Remove the bread from the batter allowing excess batter to drip back into the dish, and lay in the hot skillet. Cook until godlen brown on both sides, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the French toast to the wire rack and keep warm int he oven. Repeat with the remaining butter, bread, and batter.

(And there’s a note at the bottom about combating soggy French toast, “In the end, we found that adding flour to the batter, although a bit odd, was a highly successful solution. It lends a crispness to the French toast that milk and egg alone cannot provide.”)

For dinner I made kabobs, potato salad, oil and vinegar slaw, corn on the cob and Toll House pie.

Doesn’t the table look beautiful? A fun thing to note is how much of our table was given to us by our loved ones! The placemats and napkins were from my mom, the plates from a family Jacob knows, the glasses from my Dad’s sisters, the serving tray and pitcher from my Aunt Nette and Aunt Claire, the pyrex bowls from my Aunt Linda, the napkin rings from Jacob’s sister… It was fun to think of all them as we looked at our beautiful table!

The kabob and potato salad recipes were from the Kraft Food and Family mag.

Sweet BBQ Chicken Kabobs

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups pineapple chunks (about 1/2 cored peeled pineapple)
1 each red and green pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Using 8 long wooden skewers (two, side-by-side, for each kabob) thread chicken alternately with peppers and pineapple onto skeweres, to create 4 kabobs.

Mix barbecue sauce and juice; brush onto kabobs.

Grill kabobs 8 to 10 minutes or until chicekn is cooked through, brushing occasionally with remaining sauce.

Makes 4 servings, 1 kabob each.

We forgot to buy skewers so we used straightened (and cleaned!) metal hangers! And we don’t have a grill so we used the George Forman. Still tasted great!

Creamy Potato Salad Made Over

1 lb red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into chunks
1/4 cup Kraft Light Zesty Italian Dressing
1/3 cup Miracle Whip
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Cook potatoes in boiling water 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Rinse potatoes with cold water until cooled; drain again.

Mix dressings and mustard in large bowl. Add potatoes, egg and onions; mix lightly. Cover.

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Makes 4 servings, 3/4 cup each.

Oil & Vinegar Slaw (this recipe is from Rachael Ray)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil (eyeball it)
1 sack (16 oz) shredded cabbage mix
Salt and pepper

Mix vinegar and sugar. Add cabbage to dressing and season with salt and pepper. Toss with fingers to combine. Adjust seasoning. Let stand 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve.

And last but not least, I made this yummy dessert, recipe from the Essential Mormon Celebrations cookbook.

Toll House Pie

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (I used coconut)
1 pie crust (I used a graham cracker crust, yummy!)
Whipped cream, sweetened
Ice cream, if desired

Combine sugars in a large bowl; add melted butter, eggs, and flour. Beat until well mixed. Batter will be thin. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Place in a 9-inch pie crust (may use a frozen crust). Place on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Top with whipped cream to serve. Makes 6 servings.

Jacob loved everything (especially the pie.) Look at my happy husband!

We’re off on our road trip tomorrow. See ya next week!