Frozen Hot Chocolate

Have you ever tried Dairy Queen's Frozen Hot Chocolate? It is one of my favorite treats and, in my experience, it's always available even if it's not on their menu. Full disclosure - this recipe isn't as good as Dairy Queen's. I just can't duplicate that perfectly delicious chocolaty taste. But I did my best and, after several mediocre attempts, came up with a sufficient and surprisingly easy substitute. Plus, I can make this recipe 8-10 times for the price of one DQ serving!

1 c. crushed ice
1/2 c. chocolate milk*
1 packet Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix**

Combine ingredients and blend until ice is broken down to almost a milkshake consistency (there will still be tiny beads of ice). I use an immersion blender, but a regular blender should work just as well. Recipe can easily be doubled.

*I use the premade chocolate milk from the store. I tried chocolate almond milk and didn't like it quite as much. I haven't tried any of the powdered versions like Nestle, etc.

**I tried other brands and flavors of Hot Cocoa and Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate was always our favorite. But use what you have on hand. A different brand isn't a good enough reason to miss out on this yummy treat!

Chicken Gnocchi Soup - Easy Version

We LOVE gnocchi soup! It is definitely a favorite around here. But the recipe I originally used takes forever to make so we didn't eat it nearly as often as we would have liked. This version of the recipe is a game changer - it literally takes at least 30 minutes off the prep time - and is every bit as good! You really can't go wrong either way, but this one is my current go-to. Yum! (Originally found here.)

2-3 chicken breasts grilled using Perfect Chicken recipe*, diced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 white onion, diced (yellow or red onion is fine, too)

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 cups chicken broth (4 bouillon cubes + 4 c. water works fine)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp thyme

1/4 cup flour

16 oz. potato gnocchi (I literally buy this at Dollar Tree)

2 cups half and half

1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery, onions, garlic, and carrots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.

Add salt, pepper, thyme and flour. Stir to coat veggies. Add chicken broth and stir well. Add chicken. Bring to a boil, then gently stir in gnocchi. Boil for 3-4 minutes more, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes** to finish cooking gnocchi. (**Or cook the gnocchi in a separate pan according to package directions before adding to other ingredients. Then you can skip the last 10 minutes of cooking time.) 

Stir in half and half and spinach and cook another 1-2 minutes until spinach is tender. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve alone or with homemade bread, breadsticks or rolls.

*You can substitute a 12.5 oz. can of chicken breast if you don't have time to make Perfect Chicken. Or make it without the chicken. I did that once on accident and no one noticed! Or just cook the chicken however you like!

Swig Sugar Cookies {Copycat Recipe}

I don't live anywhere near a Swig. I don't think I've ever eaten one of their sugar cookies. But when a young friend requested pink frosted sugar cookies, I made these and they were a hit! I found the recipe here, and altered it a little to come up with what you see below. 

1 c. salted butter (2 cubes)
260 g. sugar (about 1 1/4 cup)
97 g. powdered sugar (about 3/4 cup)
56 g. canola oil (1/4 cup)
59 g. water (1/4 cup)
1 egg
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar (or angel cream)
630 g. flour (just over 4 1/2 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside. 

2. Cream together butter, sugar, powdered sugar, oil, water and egg until light and fluffy. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. 

3. Using a cookie scoop (mine is small with a 4 tsp. capacity), scoop cookie dough balls onto lined baking sheet, 12-18 per sheet. Using a flat, heavy bottomed glass, dip the bottom of the glass in sugar then gently flatten the dough balls so they are 1/2 to 2/3 inch thick. Edges will look rough. Bake 10-11 minutes in preheated oven. Cookies should be slightly puffed, but no brown edges. (Centers will be soft, edges cooked.)

4. Cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack (or a piece of foil on the counter or whatever). Frost when completely cool. If not eating the same day, frosted cookies can be frozen and eaten at your convenience. 

FROSTING:
1/2 c. salted butter, softened (1 cube)
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
360 g. powdered sugar (3 cups)
1 drop red food coloring

Mix butter, milk, vanilla, almond extract, and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in food coloring (one drop of red makes the perfect soft pink). Frost cookies when completely cool. 

(Makes about 60 cookies, about 135 calories each)

Banana Muffins

My sister-in-law, Brenda, made these for us when we were in Oregon last summer. They are really good and yummy and moist. Sadie loved them! Fortunately, they are super easy to make.

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
3 mashed bananas
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice

Mix sugar, oil, egg, and bananas. Stir in dry ingredients. Fill muffin cups (maybe 2/3 full?) and bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes.

Jeff's Chili

Jeff is a great cook and we have certain favorite meals that are always made by him. Hamburgers, biscuits, fish tacos, and waffles immediately come to mind. Yum!! Here's his latest and greatest contribution. It's delish!

1 pound stew meat or rib eye steak
1 onion, chopped
1 packet Kinder's chili seasoning, "woodfired chili" flavor
32 oz. Spicy V8 juice (or use regular V8 for a more mild chili)
2-3 cans Bush's chili beans

Saute the onion in a little bit of oil. Cut up meat and add to onions. Season with steak seasoning or salt and pepper. Cook until meat is done, then add chili seasoning, beans and V8.

Cilantro Lime Rice

This rice is so yummy with Cafe Rio style sweet pork tacos. I don't make it every time we have them, but I miss it when I don't. It's super easy, so if you have the ingredients, whip some up and enjoy on your tacos or as a side. 

1 cup white rice

2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add rice. Cover and cook until done (about 14 minutes). Add in lime juice and cilantro. Stir to incorporate and fluff with fork. That's all there is to it! Enjoy :)

Cafe Rio inspired Green Sauce

I love this green sauce on Cafe Rio style sweet pork tacos. It's just the perfect finishing touch. I started with a recipe for Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing by Our Best Bites, but I've altered a few of the amounts and ingredients over time. This makes more than you need for a batch of the sweet pork, but I've learned that it actually freezes really well! Yay!! Then the next time you're craving sweet pork tacos, you don't have to make a new batch of sauce. :) 

1 pack (1 oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (honestly, I just use Aldi brand)
ignore directions on packet 
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup buttermilk or milk (I almost always use milk)
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro (or more!)
1/4 cup green salsa* (I often double this one!)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend it up really well. That's it. 

*I've used various types of green salsa. I've even made my own. Just look for one that has tomatillos as the main ingredient and isn't too hot (a little kick is fine). 

Cafe Rio Style Sweet Pork

We love Cafe Rio. There are a few restaurants we try to fit in every time we travel out west and Cafe Rio is definitely on that list. Their sweet pork tacos are especially delish when you add their yummy green sauce and some cilantro lime rice. I know it looks like a lot of work, but it's really not hard and we almost always have plenty of leftovers so I can freeze some for later or just enjoy sweet pork tacos for lunch the rest of the week. I found this recipe on a blog called The Recipe Society and it's a keeper for sure!

Put a 3-6 lb. pork roast in the crock pot and cover halfway up with water. Cook it overnight*. Discard water. Shred.

When the pork is shredded, combine:

12 ounces of salsa
1 can caffeine-free coke
2 cups brown sugar

Pour over the shredded pork in the crock pot and continue to cook for another 3-4 hours. 

Eat on a tortilla with cilantro lime rice (or just plain rice), black beans, cheese, lettuce, yummy green sauce, and/or whatever you like on your tacos. 

*The problem with cooking this overnight is that the pork is ready pretty early in the day. So sometimes I start the pork at 6 or 7am and cook it initially for 6-8 hours. Add on the extra 3-4 hours with the additional ingredients and you should be able to eat dinner by 6pm. 

Hard Boiled Eggs

This is not rocket science and I'm sure there are a thousand recipes out there for making hard boiled eggs, but this has been my go-to recipe for years, so I'll keep using it. I'm posting it here just to simplify things so I don't have to search for the cookbook* anymore. 

Place desired number of eggs in a saucepan; cover with water. (Water should be at least 2 inches above eggs.) Bring water rapidly to boiling; cover pan and remove it from heat. Let stand for 20 minutes. Cool eggs quickly by filling pan with cold water.

*From the book Where's Mom Now That I Need Her (1993).

Glazed Carrots

This recipe from Lil' Luna has changed my go-to veggie side dish from broccoli to carrots. These are so satisfying and easy to prepare. Yum!

16 oz. bag of baby-cut carrots

1/2 c. water

1 1/2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Bring carrots, water, butter and brown sugar to a boil in a pan over medium-high heat. Turn to low and simmer for approximately 6 minutes.

Here is where I sometimes venture off the directions for a bit. Not all baby-cut carrots are created equal. Sometimes they are thin and petite. In that case, skip this paragraph. The recipe, as written, will work just fine. But sometimes baby-cut carrots are short but very fat and will take longer to soften up. In that case, I cover the pan and simmer (on low or medium low) for an additional 6 minutes or so. Then remove the lid and continue on with the final phase. 

Turn back to high and cook until all the water is evaporated and carrots are tender, usually another 5-6 minutes. I like to stir occasionally to give every carrot a turn in the sweet glaze. Remove from heat. Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and enjoy!

According to Lil' Luna, this makes 4 servings (94 calories each).