Cooking and Baking, Oh My!

I have been on a roll lately with cooking and baking.  I have made a few things that I have never attempted before and am very proud of myself!  Namely, jam and granola bars.

Here are some of the treats that I have been working on.

Mom's Beef Stroganoff

This recipe surprised me.  I can't recall ever having a stroganoff that had tomato in it.  Apparently it's common but I have never made it this way.

Jason and I both really liked this. The boys wouldn't touch it (shocking) but they are picky.  Even though I try and try to get them to eat new foods.

I roasted up some broccoli (this is my absolute favorite vegetable right now by the way) and served this over rice.

Blackberry Crisp

With the bounty of berries from our picking adventures, I whipped up this blackberry crisp.  I doubled the recipe and am glad I did because even doubled, it didn't make very much.

I realized too late to take a picture so you get stuck with a half empty pan of blackberry crisp.  Oh man, this was good. That little hint of cinnamon really made a difference.  The tartness of the berries and the sweet of the topping.  Perfect dessert.  It didn't even need ice cream.

Coconut Cream Pie

I made this for Jason for Father's Day since it's his favorite dessert.  I love how easy it is.  No baking of the crust beforehand?  Check!  No cooking the filling on the stovetop?  SOLD!

I love how the link takes you to my old food blog where the very last post was Father's Day three years ago where I made the same pie.  Ha, I am predictable.

I cannot speak to how this pie tasted since I hate coconut cream pie.  Jason ate his topped with fresh whipped cream.  Aren't I a good wife to make this for him?

Chicken Fajitas

I followed the recipe above with a couple of modifications.  First, I pre-cut the chicken into strips (quicker cooking).  Second, I let the chicken marinate for a while.  Third, I didn't use a grill pan. I just used a screaming hot skillet to cook the chicken and veggies.  This was SO EASY and probably one of my most favorite meals I have made lately.

I really liked how filling these were for very little Points also.

Granola Bars

Oh.  Oh my.  These?  Amazing!  Forget store bought granola bars from now on.  I will be making these.  Not only do my kids love them, which is unheard of for them to try new things, I love them.  I love the versatility and options.  Don't want to use chocolate chips?  Use butterscotch chips.  Or dried fruit.  Or nuts. Or a combination of all of those.

The only thing I didn't do in this recipe was use organic ingredients.  Other than that, I followed it exactly (omitting the flax).  Sooooo good!

Jam

I have always wanted to make jam but have been too chicken to try thinking it would be hard.  Or time consuming.  Or both. It is SO NOT hard.

I used the Sure Jell recipe which comes inside the box of pectin. Yes, it uses a ton of sugar, but I would rather use real sugar and know where my jam is coming from.  Plus?  It made a ton and it cheaper this way rather than buying jam at the store.  I made both batches of jam during the boys' nap time.

My only complaint is that my jam is a but more runny than I would like.  It still tastes great though.  Just today the kids had some jam on waffles for breakfast instead of pancake syrup.  They love it too!

I made 4 pints of strawberry and 4 pints of blackberry.  We won't need to buy jam for a while!

Sauteed Kale

I haven't cooked kale before except to make kale chips.  I have been wanting to incorporate more greens into our diet and picked up some kale at the grocery store recently.  I served this with our chicken and potatoes.  Even Jason liked this which surprised me!  Next time I won't almost burn the house down though. I scorched the hell out of my favorite pan making this.

I have a bunch more recipes to post, but they are going to have to wait for another day!  How do chocolate chip muffins sound?  Or a yummy way to cook quinoa?