Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap

Welcome friends, newbies, followers, and readers! It's time for more weekly recipe swapping fun. Feel free to share any and all family favorites here until 11 PM Sunday evening (EST).

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If you'd like to participate, simply write up your post and leave the link here with MckLinky. Please remember to mention my name and link to my blog within your posts as well. And feel free to grab the Colleen's Kitchen button above for your posts and/or sidebar. Thanks for joining in!

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We are most definitely a family of breakfast lovers. And so it seems that "Breakfast For Dinner" has become a once-a-week dinnertime staple here at our house. Everyone eats well, it's fun, and I have a wealth of breakfast-themed family favorites to draw from.

I actually added this one to the mix a few weeks ago when I was looking to use up some slightly tired apples, the last of the bread, and the dregs of apple cider. It was a huge and tasty hit. I hope your family will enjoy it too ...

Apple Cinnamon French Toast
(based on a recipe from Recipezaar)

French Toast:

4 eggs
1 cup milk
3 T sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup apple juice or apple cider
12 slices day-old bread


Sauce:

2 tsp. butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 -1 tsp. cinnamon
2-3 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced


For the toast: Mix all ingredients except bread. Spray a skillet with Pam and heat to medium-high. Dip bread in batter to coat and place in skillet. Cook until browned, flip, and cook other side.

For the sauce: Melt butter and sugar in saucepan. Add water, cinnamon, and apples. Cook on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender. Serve on top of toast.

(click here for printable recipe)



:: If you'd like to take a peek at more recipe links, click here ::

Have a wonderful weekend!

Something's Afoot ...

Any guesses?

Check back this weekend for the scoop...

In the meantime, I'll see you all back here on Friday for our weekly Recipe Swap. I hope you'll join in and share a favorite or two. Dinnertime is starting to feel very predictable around here and I'd love to have a few new wintertime favorites to try ...

Have a lovely day, my friends! I'll see you all back here soon.

::: Menu Plan Monday :::

Here's what's on tap at our house this week ... if all goes according to plan:

Breakfast Staples:

• Autumn Oatmeal
• Healthy Pumpkin-Banana Muffins
• Cereal and fruit
• Homemade Granola Bars
• Yogurt parfaits with homemade granola
• English Muffins with Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam or Nutella



Dinnertime:

• Chicken Divan with Rice
• Vegetable Beef Soup with whole wheat bread sticks
• Slow Simmered Spaghetti with Meatballs, salad, and Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread
• Crock Pot Creamy Chicken with whole wheat noodles, and veggies
• Breakfast Dinner: sausage, fruit, and Golden Delight Pancakes
• Soup and Paninis
• No Fuss Night

Thanks for stopping by today! If you're looking for more menu planning inspiration, click here.

Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap

Welcome friends, newbies, followers, and readers! It's time for more weekly recipe swapping fun. Feel free to share any and all family favorites here until 11 PM Sunday evening (EST).

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

If you'd like to participate, simply write up your post and leave the link here with MckLinky. Please remember to mention my name and link to my blog within your posts as well. And feel free to grab the Colleen's Kitchen button above for your posts and/or sidebar. Thanks for joining in!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup
(based on a recipe from Recipezaar)

16 1/2 ounces turkey meatballs
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
garlic salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup small pasta


Thaw meatballs in the microwave for about 1 minute on defrost and then quarter them. Place in slow cooker with the remaining ingredients (except pasta) and cook all day (6-7 hours) on low. Add pasta during the last hour of cooking.

(click here for printable recipe)

:: If you'd like to take a peek at more recipe links, click here ::

One Sweet Swap

Julie (Country Girl At Heart) and I recently decided to do a little swap with each other. (And I'm so glad we did!) She was hoping for some snowman and wintertime bowl fillers and I was in desperate need of an everyday table runner.

So ... I made Julie some of these (as well as a collection of personalized Valentine picks and bowl fillers):

And Julie sent me these wonderful hand mades:

I am thrilled ... and already looking forward to our next sweet swap. Thanks again, Julie! You're simply the best, my friend...

Tutorial Tuesday: Salt Dough Valentine Picks

If you're looking for something that's simple-to-make and yet just a little different for Valentine's Day, you might want to give these sweet little salt dough picks a try.

You will need:

mixing bowl
spoon
measuring cup

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup warm water

cookie cutters
Wilton cookie sticks (not lollipop sticks)
rolling pin
freezer paper/aluminum foil
baking sheets

craft paints
paint pen (optional)
paint brushes
paper towels

spray poly
adhesive spray
clear glitter (optional)



Mix flour and salt together, combining well. Add warm water and stir (I use my hands) to form a slightly stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead several times until smooth.



Roll dough to desired thickness (I like mine to be a little on the thicker side for this particular project) and cut out a variety of heart and/or flower shapes. I like to have some larger hearts and a selection of tiny hearts/flowers to work with.






Take each larger heart and gently place it face down on your cookie sheet (so that the back is facing up). Gently press the cookie stick into place, being careful not to tear through the dough or push the stick all the way through to the other side.







Cut out a thin square of dough and wet the edges with some water and an old paint brush. Gently press into place to cover the top part of the stick.







Gently turn your picks right side up and arrange them on your baking sheet. As always, these items can be placed fairly close together because the salt dough will not spread as it bakes.

If you would like to embellish these larger heart bases, take your smaller hearts or flowers and wet them a bit with water and an old paint brush. Brush a little water onto your heart base and gently pat the smaller decorative cut-outs into place.






Bake the picks for about an hour at 300º, checking on them occasionally. If your dough is particularly thick, they may require some additional baking time. Allow them to cool before painting.






Base coat your picks as desired and add secondary colors when the base coat is completely dry.

Don't forget to paint the backs as well.

You can add words and details with a paint pen.

If you prefer an aged and muted look, dab on some slightly diluted brown craft paint and wipe it off until you achieve the desired effect. The cookie sticks can also be aged this way.







When your painted details have dried, seal the picks with some spray poly and allow them to dry again. You can also use some spray adhesive and clear glitter if you like.







When your picks are dry and ready to arrange, you can display them however you wish. In a basket with some Spanish moss. Tucked into a wreath. Arranged in a pitcher or jar. The possibilities are endless ...

Enjoy!

::: Menu Plan Monday :::

Sometimes the best laid plans ... change. Though last week's menu plan was a good one, some of our dinnertime fare was swapped out for freezer finds and go-to pantry staples. It was just one of those weeks. Which is completely okay with me. All's well that ends well, I say. Especially when I'm able to get a jump-start on this week's offerings in the bargain. And I'm always happy to get some extra mileage out of leftovers. Especially when no one can tell that they are, in fact, left over.

Thanks for stopping by today. If you're looking for more menu planning inspiration, click here.

Breakfast Staples:

• Autumn Oatmeal
• Healthy Pumpkin-Banana Muffins (from last week's marathon baking)
• Cranberry English Muffins with Maple Butter
• Cereal and fruit
• Yogurt parfaits with homemade granola



Dinnertime:

• Chicken Pot Pie (made with leftover roaster chicken)
• Vegetable Beef Soup (new recipe!) with whole wheat bread sticks
• Chicken Quesadillas (made with leftover taco chicken)
• Make-Your-Own Calzone Night
• Breakfast Dinner: Golden Delight Pancakes
• Soup and Sandwiches
• No Fuss Night

Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap

Welcome friends, newbies, followers, and readers! It's time for more weekly recipe swapping fun. Feel free to share any and all family favorites here until 11 PM Sunday evening (EST).

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

{If you'd like to join in, simply write up your post and leave the link here with MckLinky. Please remember to mention my name and link to my blog within your posts as well. And feel free to grab the Colleen's Kitchen button above for your posts and/or sidebar. The more, the merrier.
I imagine, as always, we'll have a selection of recipes that run the gamut from light and healthy to sweet and sinful. Which is just as it should be. A little something for everyone to enjoy ...}

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This week, I thought I'd share a few tips and recipes to help you get the most out of a roasted chicken dinner. I'm always amazed by the multitude of meals a four to five pound chicken yields ... with just a little bit of extra effort and planning. And for pennies per serving to boot!


1.) On Sunday, I roasted a chicken using this new-to-us recipe, but you can prepare your bird any way you like:

Best Rapid-Roast Chicken

(based on a recipe from Recipezaar)

whole chicken (4-5 lbs.)

2 T olive oil
2 T melted butter
1 1/2 T lemon juice

1 1/2 T seasoning salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes

1 whole lemon (poked with a fork) or onions and celery

Rinse chicken with cold water and pat dry. Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. In a small bowl, combine oil, butter, and lemon juice. Brush mixture onto chicken. Set aside. Mix spices together in a separate bowl and rub onto chicken skin. (The spice mixture can also be rubbed on the inside of chicken if desired.) Place whole lemon or celery and onions inside cavity and tie legs together using cooking string. Allow to marinate in fridge for 45 minutes to six hours.

Preheat oven to 450º. Pour a small amount of water into baking dish and place in oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 400º and continue roasting for 40 minutes to an hour -- until juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 175º- 180º F. (I often cover the chicken with foil part way through baking so it doesn't get too dark.)

When the chicken is done roasting, remove from oven and allow to rest (covered) for 10-15 minutes before carving.

(click here for printable recipe)

2.) When dinner was over, I sliced and set aside as much meat off the bird as I could. Then I fired up my trusty crock pot and put the chicken carcass and extra pan juices, onions and celery inside. I poured a small can of chicken broth over the chicken and added enough water to cover the carcass. I then let it burble away for about three hours. At that point, I removed the carcass and let everything cool off for a bit. Then I picked the remaining meat and set it aside to be labeled and frozen for later. The vegetables were skimmed off and thrown out, leaving about 6 cups of flavorful stock to pack away.


3.) On Monday, I used the meat I sliced prior to boiling the carcass for this new crock pot soup. I was also able to use the 6 cups of stock -- which made for a delicious, homemade-tasting soup:

Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

4.) The remaining chicken is packaged and labeled in the freezer. I'll be using it for Chicken Pot Pie next week.

5.) Have you counted up the meals and servings yet? One chicken dinner + One huge pot of soup + One good-sized Chicken Pot Pie = The initial whole chicken investment of $4.67. It's the kind of cooking that makes me feel good because its hearty, tasty, plentiful, and budget-friendly.


I hope you'll enjoy stretching your dinner dollars too! Have a lovely long weekend and be sure to visit again...

:: If you'd like to take a peek at more recipe links, click here ::

Whatcha Working on Wednesday

Though I don't really decorate for Valentine's Day, it's always nice to have a few whimsical reminders tucked in here and there come February. Especially for the kids.

And now that I have a few new Valentine's-inspired cookie cutters in hand, my mind is whirling with project possibilities. Some edible. Some not so much. I promise to share ... eventually.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at one little project that's in the works this week -- with just a little wax-dipping left to go:

Salt Dough Sweethearts

If you're in the mood for a little more Whatcha Working on Wednesday inspiration, check in with Leslie.


Thanks, as always, for dropping by ... Stay warm!

::: Menu Plan Monday :::

Welcome friends, followers, readers, and newbies! It's menu-planning time once again. Can you believe it? Another Monday is upon us...

And I can already see that it's going to be a busy baking week here in Mid Coast Maine. My poor bananas are crying out to be used up, along with a couple of apples and carrots that have nearly seen better days.

My baking cabinet also has a few odds and ends left over from the Christmas baking rush. So it's time to make (and freeze) a load of muffins and breads. I know I'll thank myself later for the extra effort this week. And with a few easy and/or crock pot style dinners planned, I'll have a bit of extra time to get ahead. That's the plan anyway. We'll see how it all plays out.

I also need to inventory my cupboards and freezers for forgotten gems, but that's a whole other story...

I hope you'll find something new to enjoy this week or perhaps be reminded of an old favorite you haven't made in awhile. Thanks, as always, for dropping by. I hope you'll be back soon...

::: For more menu-style inspiration, click here :::

Breakfast Staples:

• Whole Wheat English Muffins with Nutella
• Cereal, yogurt, and fruit
• Trail Mix, yogurt, and fruit
• Homemade Muffins: PB Oatmeal, Morning Glory and/or Banana Chocolate Chip


Dinnertime:

Monday: Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (new recipe -- using Sunday's Roasted Chicken leftovers!) and Honey Wheat Outback Bread

Tuesday: Mini Frittatas, toast/muffins, and fruit salad

Wednesday: Taco Night

Thursday: Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup (new recipe!) with Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Friday: Paninis and leftover soup

Saturday: Make-Your-Own Calzone Night (more chicken/freezer leftovers) with veggies and dip

Sunday: Baked Ham Dinner

Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap

Welcome friends and readers! It's time for the recipe swapping fun to resume ...

If you'd like to join in, simply write up your post and leave the link here with MckLinky. Please remember to mention my name and link to my blog within your posts as well. And feel free to grab the Colleen's Kitchen button above for your posts and/or sidebar. The more, the merrier.

You're welcome to share any and all new or old family favorites. I imagine, as always, we'll have a selection of recipes that run the gamut from light and healthy to sweet and sinful. Which is just as it should be. A little something for everyone to enjoy ...

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We've had the pleasure of trying out a few new-to-us recipes recently, thanks in part to some fun Christmas gifts and just a little bit of extra together time. About fourteen days of it, in fact. Oh my!

Here's our latest go-to muffin. It's delicious, easy-to-make, and made from pantry staples that are pretty much always on hand. We enjoyed these with a bit of our remaining Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam. Perfect for a quick snack or alongside some fruit, cereal, and yogurt at breakfast time.

::: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins :::
(adapted from Paula Deen's Cookbook for the Lunch-Box Set)

1 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4-1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp. vinegar

Preheat oven to 375º. Spray muffin cups with Pam. Measure milk and add vinegar. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix first seven ingredients together. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, eggs, and soured milk until smooth. Mix gently into dry ingredients and fill muffin cups with 1/3 cup measure. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

(click here for printable recipe)

:: If you'd like to take a peek at more recipe links, click here ::

Thanks, as always, for visiting! Have a lovely wintertime weekend and come back soon...

Whatcha Working on Wednesday

Though it was lovely to have our tree and other treasured Christmastime decorations around us last month, it feels equally gratifying to pare down, put away, and regroup now that the holiday hustle and bustle is over. A few twinkling and whimsical touches remain -- of course -- simply because we need something special to admire now that we're settled in for the long Maine winter ahead:



















Even the kitchen is back to rights, for the most part ... though it's still on the waiting list for a much-needed make-over. One of these days, we're going to work some budget-friendly magic with paint, creativity, and good old-fashioned sweat equity. Until then, I'll remain grateful for soft lighting. And the handful of small steps we've taken to make this space the most it can be for now.














And so, my friends, that's some of what's been keeping me busy here this week amid all of the snowing and blowing. If you'd like to see what everyone else is up to, go on over to Leslie's and take a peek.

I'll be back on Friday for the inaugural edition of Colleen's Kitchen Weekly Recipe Swap. So get those recipes ready, enjoy the rest of your week, and pop back in then ...

Tutorial Tuesday: Sparkly Snowmen Salt Dough Bowl Fillers

I don't know about you, but I absolutely adore snowmen. Especially when wintertime rolls around and I feel the need to do some after-Christmas decorating. The kind of decorating that can be enjoyed for the long haul that is wintertime in Maine.

And so this simple little project was born ... after looking out the window at all of our rapidly accumulating and sparkly snow this past weekend. I hope you'll enjoy the tutorial. And I would love to see your finished products if you have the chance to sit down and make some too.


You will need:

mixing bowl
spoon
measuring cup

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup warm water

cookie cutters
rolling pin
freezer paper/aluminum foil
baking sheets

craft paints
paint brushes
paper towels

spray poly
adhesive spray
clear glitter






Mix flour and salt together, combining well. Add warm water and stir (I use my hands) to form a slightly stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead several times until smooth. Return to bowl and cover tightly if not using right away.







When you're ready to start making your bowl fillers, roll out a small piece of dough on a lightly floured surface. I like mine to be a bit on the thick side, but you can experiment and make yours as thick/thin as you like.







Use a circular cookie cutter/biscuit cutter or small glass to cut out your shapes. You can re-roll the used dough once or twice, but if it starts to crack, move on to a fresh ball of dough.







When you've cut out all of your circles, use a knife to cut them in half, making a collection of crescent-shaped snowmen faces-to-be.






The next step involves making and attaching the carrot noses. Roll just a small pinch of dough between your fingers until it looks like a carrot. Dip a paintbrush in water and wet the back of the carrot. (You may also want to brush a little water on the part of the crescent where the two pieces of dough will attach.) Press the carrot onto the crescent and pat gently to secure. You can mold the carrot slightly to change its shape if you wish.







When the snowmen faces are ready, arrange them on your cookie sheets and bake at 300º for 45-60 minutes. Keep an eye on them toward the end so they don't get too brown or crispy. I often arrange them on top of a piece of foil -- which I re-use later for the painting and sealing steps. Your cut-outs can be fairly close together as they will not spread.







Set your snowmen aside to cool after baking. You can let them sit out and harden for a day or so if they need it, or you can paint them as soon as they are cool to the touch.







Now the fun and creativity begins! Base coat your snowmen with whatever version of white strikes your fancy. I used Buttermilk and Bleached Sand.





When the base coat is dry, take a small brush and carefully paint the noses orange. If you like rosy cheeks like I do, dab a bit of pink paint on with a stencil brush. Set aside to dry.







Give your snowmen some personality with eyes, mouths, and varying facial expressions. Use black paint and a fine paintbrush or toothpick for this step. Set aside to dry and then seal with spray poly if you like the bright white, clean-looking tones.






If you prefer an aged or slightly dirtier looking snowman, dilute some brown craft paint with water and then dab it on and wipe it off until you achieve the desired effect.







When the poly is dry, spray each snowman lightly with adhesive and sprinkle with glitter. Tap off any excess.

And then find those sparkly little snowmen a wintertime home.

Have fun, be creative, and be sure to share your creations. As I said, I'd love to see them!

Thanks so much for stopping by ...