Tip of the day.....

DON'T throw away your stale bread! MAKE BREADCRUMBS

RECIPE HERE

http://yumeeemama.blogspot.com/2011/11/homemade-breadcrumbs.html


YUMEEE

Dawn

Pork Marsala and faux lemon herb risotto

This is something I threw together for a quick meal and it is BEYOND YUMEEE!!!!


MARSALA

4 THIN cut pork chops
2 turns of a pan of olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup whole button mushrooms or 1 small can
2 1/2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup HOLLAND HOUSE Marsala Wine

RISOTTO

1/2 pint Brown Rice from the Japanese restaurant
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 capfuls ofLemon juice
2 tbsp Italian seasonings
2 tbsp garlic powder


Risotto
Put brown rice in a small pot
Add chicken broth
Add Lemon juice
I don't usually measure seasonings but its about 2 tbsps of each. I sprinkle an ample amount to cover the surface of what I am cooking.
Mix and heat through
Lower heat to LO and stir occasionally


Pork

Add oil to the pan
Preheat the pan so when you put the pork into the pan you hear a sizzle
Brown each side and remove to plate
Add 1/2 tbsp butter to pan
Add Mushrooms and saute until soft
Remove from pan and add to pork plate
Add the rest of the butter and the flour to the pan
Melt the butter and mix the flour through.
Cook until a caramel color
Whisk in Marsala Wine
Bring to a slow boil to thicken
Add back the pork and mushrooms
Simmer COVERED for 6-8 mins

Serve with rice and Veg of choice --Broccoli goes well

ENJOY!!!

YUMEEE

Dawn

New Year Resolution

OK i am not so great at the tip of the DAY, or week sometimes! The holidays made the days get away.

SORRY--My New Year's Resolution is to be more organized and that includes keeping up with the tip of the day!

What is YOUR resolution?

Yumeee

Dawn

tip of the day....

Keep nuts in the freezer so they don't go rancid.

Tip of the day.....

OK I already screwed up the tip of the day but forgetting to post the last 3 days :)



puree food and put into ice cube trays to store.

Examples:

butternut squash

mango


Yumeeemama

Chocolate.....

I have been trying to figure out what to bring to the family Christmas party when I found my double boiler in the storage closet. Chocolate dipped anything is SUPER easy to make.

Use a double boiler (you can make your own with a small pot and a larger metal bowl)

Add a small amount of water in the bottom pot of boiler. (Mine is small so 1/4-1/2 cup is MORE than enough.

Place top pot of bowl on bottom pot

Add MINI chocolate chips

Melt over LOW heat stirring occasionally

When Chocolate is smooth, let the dipping begin....

I dipped strawberries this morning --as a test run for Christmas --and mini pretzels --as a test run :)

ENJOY!!!

YUMEEE


Dawn

Tip of the day.....

Shop Rite has a mini egg pan on the shelves next to the eggs. It makes the BEST egg ever--no breaking since it is non stick and small.

dreamy short ribs

Check out this rich looking sauce to go with the ribs!

I made these last night and OMG!!!

1 lb short ribs bone in
1/2 cup flour
S/P
1/4-1/2 can of tomato paste (large can of paste)
olive oil
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 zucchini cut into 1/2 inch rounds (can use 2 if you want more veg)
1 carrots cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 onion julienned
15-20 springs of fresh thyme
1/2 cup Merlot or other red wine you like to drink
1 box of beef stock

Pour 2 turns of the pan of olive oil
Add chopped garlic
add onions, zucchini and carrots
add 5 sprigs thyme
saute tender CRISP
Set aside in a bowl

Pour 3 turns of the pan of olive oil
salt and pepper flour AND ribs
dip ribs in flour on all sides
place meat side down in pan when oil is hot
brown all sides then set aside


Add Wine
add tomato paste
whisk together scraping meat bits from pan
add 5 sprigs of thyme
Add Beef stock
whisk together
add 5 sprigs of thyme
Put ribs back into pan meat side down
I also added thyme on top of the ribs but that is up to you if you like thyme or not)
Cover and put on Low/simmer for 2 hours

After an hour and a half check liquid level, if it is too low add more stock to cover ribs 3/4 way. Cover and cook another 30-45 mins until meat is tender.

Add veg in at last 10 mins You want them to still be tender crisp at serving

I served over mashed potatoes and made sure I put some of the decadent sauce over them.

Enjoy!!!

YUMEEEE

Dawn

Easy peasy lemon squeezy chicken

2 tsp olive oil
1 lb thin sliced chicken breast
S/P
1/4 cup flour
2 pats of butter
1/4 cup white wine
1 can of chicken stock
2 tbsp thyme


Prepare chicken with salt pepper and sprinkle of thyme.
Put Olive oil in pan and brown the chicken breasts, remove from pan and set aside
Make a rue ( put 2 pats of butter and flour into pan and cook until it is a caramel color)
Add white wine and whisk with rue and bits of chicken from bottom of pan
Add broth and salt pepper and thyme to taste
Add chicken back into pan and simmer for 7 mins

Serve over Brown rice.

I made brown rice made with chicken broth and when it was finished I added thyme pepper and 2 tsp of butter and mixed it together.

Enjoy!!!

YUMEEE

Dawn

Butternut squash ravioli

2 cups of butternut squash roasted and cubed
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 julienned onion
1 pat of butter
1/4 cup of almonds or cashews
1 pkg wonton wrappers


Sauce

1/4 cup flour
2 pats of butter
1 cup chicken broth
salt pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp thyme
1/4 cup white wine

Ravioli

put butter in pan
saute garlic and onions to tender crisp
add squash, onion/garlic mix, nutmeg and nuts to blender and puree

put 1tsp of puree inside of each wonton and wet edges of wonton with water
then fold over into triangles and press down edges--water will seal them


Cook like a regular ravioli


Sauce

Make a rue---

put the butter in the pan and add flour--cook the flour until it is a LIGHT caramel color.
Whisk 1/4 cup wine with the rue
simmer 3 minutes
add chicken broth
add S/P/Thyme
add cheese
boil to thicken
When it is desired thickness remove from burner

Serve over the ravioli and garnish with some crushed nuts.

Serve with salad and bread

Enjoy!!!

YUMEEE


Dawn

Super easy guacamole

2 avocados
1 plum tomato
1/4 onion
5 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 tsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste


Cut avocado in half lengthwise
Use knife to stab pit and twist it to remove
use knife tip to score large cubes in the avocado flesh
use a spoon to scoop out the flesh but putting the spoon in between flesh and skin
use a fork to mash to desired consistency--can leave it chunky or make it smooth

Dice onion, tomato in small dice
add to avocado, add lime juice and cilantro

Mix

ENJOY!!!

YUMEEE

Dawn

One pot chicken and rice

made this on the fly this morning with the left over ground chicken from the empanadas.

1/2-1 lb of ground chicken
1/4 onion diced
2 tsp chopped garlic
olive oil
1 can mild pepper infused diced tomatoes
(or regular tomatoes with 1 small diced jalopeno
1/2 cup white wine (i used Pinot Grigio)
2 cups BROWN minute rice (ok you can use white but Brown is healthier for you)
1 can of chicken broth

Brown ground chicken with onions and garlic in a turn or two of olive oil
pour in white wine and simmer about 3 mins to cook out the alcohol
add can of mild tomatoes (tomatoes and jalopeno if cant find the premixed can)
mix
add brown rice
add chicken broth
Cover and cook for 10 mins

DONE--Serve with salad and nice crusty bread

Enjoy!

YUMEEE

Dawn

Empanadas

ok here is what I came up with for empanadas.


I looked up a basic flour recipe for the dough.


The recipe below if from About.com

Every empanada recipe starts with the dough. Here is a simple empanada dough made with flour, salt, water, egg, vinegar and shortening.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients:

3 cups flour (plus a little more for kneading)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 tablespoons shortening

Preparation:
1. In a bowl, beat the water, egg, egg white and vinegar together. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the 3 cups of flour and salt.

3. Cut the shortening into the flour mix with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the liquid ingredients from the first bowl into the center.

4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.

6. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours.

Tip: If you want to keep the dough longer than 24 hours, you can freeze it.

Servings: Makes approximately 10 six-inch empanadas.


Here is the filling I came up with.

1/2 tsp butter
1 small diced onion
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 lb ground chicken
3 tsp thyme
1 tsp powdered garlic
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg

add butter onions and chopped garlic to pan. Saute to translucent

add ground chicken and all seasonings and brown.

remove from pan.

Dip

I made this dip for the side but decided it may taste great mixed in the meat so I made half the meat plain and half mixed in with the dip and it was YUMEEE.

1 small jalepeno pepper with seeds diced
1/4 small onion diced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tsp spicy mustard
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

mix in simmer 5 mins

split mix if you choose to mix it with meat and double the recipe if you want to mix it AND
dip it.

After you take the dough from the fridge, break it into small balls--you can get about 10 if you make larger rounds I made some smaller for Sophia and some larger for me so I got 13. Use the rolling pin to roll them into small round somewhat thin circles.

Spray coolie sheet with olive oil pam.

Put one tsp or so of filling in each , I also added colby jack cheese--which is what I had on hand but a nice gyuere would be nice in this too. I also mix some of the meat with the dip.

Fold over the pocket and as sophia said she made russian skirts on the empandas.

Place them on cookie sheet and use an egg wash to brush over the pockets.

sprinkle thyme over wet pockets and place in oven

bake on 450 for 8 mins then FLIP

bake other side for 3-5 mins for brown color on the other side.

Enjoy!!

YUMEEE

Dawn

homemade breadcrumbs

ok this could not be any easier--save money and reduce waste.

I ALWAYS have bread that goes stale when I buy a nice loaf of Italian bread since there are only 2 of us. I always threw away the stale bread BUT there are ways to reduce waste and use that stale bread.

First, Look for the recipe for homemade croutons--uses stale bread to make them.

Second--Make your own Breadcrumbs!!

Put the bread in smaller chunks in a food processor, add the seasoning you want to season them with and grind to a fine crumb.

Use them as you would store bought crumbs.

This way you can also control the salt and other seasonings to your liking.

Enjoy!!

YUMEEE

Dawn

cool and easy cinnamon rolls

http://circle-b-kitchen.squarespace.com/food-and-recipes/2011/6/2/cinnamon-toast-rolls.html

/great ideas BUT can someone give me time to do it?

https://www.manilla.com/lp/su-selfimprovement/?vXFf&utm_source=stumbleupon&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=self_improvement_F&vQZf

interesting

http://www.hybridmom.com/10-foods-every-dieter-should-eat

What to do with a butternut squash 1....

I have a butternut squash that is rather large for 2 people so I thought about what to do to make multiple meals.
The first recipe is an adaptation from Aarti party coconut soup.


1 butternut squash
2 empire apples
olive oil
garlic powder
salt
pepper
stock of choice
cinnamon
nutmeg
heavy cream
creamed spinach--optional
homemade crouton --optional

Butter nut squash and Apple soup

Roast 1 medium to large butternut squash 45-60 mins on 325 degrees--until fork
tender
sprinkle squash with olive oil and sprinkle on garlic powder, cinnamon and nutmeg

Roast apple with squash for 15 mins.
sprinkle apple with same seasonings

Remove from oven and allow to cool 15-20 mins.

put squash and apples into blender with chicken (or vege stock if you prefer) stock and blend until smooth.

Put into a pot, salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 mins. Gently add cream. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or I served it with a dollop of creamed spinach and homemade croutons.

YUMEEE!!

Honey Mustard Chicken and Apple Pineapple chutney

OMG this was SUPER YUMEEE!!

4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded thin
1 tbsp honey mustard for each side of breast

Chutney

1 chunky chopped empire apple
1/2 can of pineapple chunks with juice
1/2 diced red onion

rub mustard all over chicken
Put 2 tbsp oils in a pan heat and add chicken
brown and cook chicken remove from pan

add another 2 tbsp oil to browned pan and add apples and onions
cook about 4 or 5 mins then add pineapple and 1/2 can of the juice
cover and simmer for about 6-8 mins

Serve with brown rice or mac and cheese

Enjoy!!

YUMEEE

Dawn

String beans and potatoes

I learned how to make this from my very Italian neighbor growing up--she was like my little Italian grandma!

1/2 lb fresh string beans (cleaned)
6 slices of bacon
3 medium sized potatoes
salt/pepper to taste
2tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 large can crushed tomatoes (save the other half to make vodka sauce another day-YUMEEE) OR one small can of petite diced tomatoes
1/4 julienned onion
2 tbsp olive oil




In a pot cook potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices or quartered in lightly salted water --cook to slightly undercooked so they don't fall apart

put the bacon slices on top of each other and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

brown the bacon in a Deep pan or gravy pot until tender crisp then remove from pan

add 1 tbsp olive oil-string beans and onion and saute with 1 tbsp Italian seasoning and sprinkle of salt and pepper

Add bacon back to pot

Add crushed tomatoes (the mix should not be completely drenched in sauce so add a little bit at a time to your desired amount.)

Add remaining salt pepper and Italian seasoning, fold it into the beans and onions

Fold potatoes when tender crisp


Simmer for 30 mins. Add more seasoning to taste.

ENJOY

YUMEEE

Dawn

Breakfast oatmeal cookies

These couldn't have been any easier to make.

Mash 3/4 of a medium size banana in bowl
add 1 of the presold applesauce cups
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 dashes of nutmeg
3 dashes of Cinnamon
2 tbsp of honey
1/2 tsp baking powder
mix together until the mixture is completely wet

mix in crasins or mini choco chips or raisins

fold mixture

bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 mins

Enjoy

YUMEEE

Dawn

Veg Lasagna

put 1 tblsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp butter in a saute pan and melt
small chop:
1 SMALL zucchini
1 SMALL yellow squash
1/4 MED onion
1 handful of grated carrots
2 tbsp chopped garlic
saute until tender crisp

in a bowl:

Mix 1/2 large container of ricotta cheese
2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs
and saute mix
MIX and set aside


SAUCE:

Sauce is red sauce without meat. Gravy has meat.

1 large can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
5 basil leaves

simmer for 1 hour to meld flavors


Layering:

put a layer of sauce on bottom of a baking pan
put first layer of BARILLA no boil lasagna noodles
cover the noodles with a layer of cheese mix
put a heap of shredded mozzarella cheese and spread out to thin layer
slice roma tomatoes in thin circles and layer them on top of cheese (use as many or few as you want)
put another layer of noodles, then sauce, then cheese, then Mozzarella, then tomatoes, then another layer of noodles.

I can only fit two layers in my baking dish--layer as high as you can.

On the top put a thick layer of sauce a few more basil leaves and sprinkle of Mozz cheese.

Bake 30 mins on 325 degrees.

I served with salad and bread.

ENJOY!!

YUMEEE

Dawn

Strawberry/blackberry/banana smoothie

YUMEEE to my TUMEEE!!!!

1/2 cup each of blackberries and strawberries fresh of frozen work
1 banana cut in thirds
6 ice cubes
2 tbsp splenda
1 cup orange juice --may need more

add all into blender. Start with ice crusher button then liquify.

There will be seeds from the blackberries--it you cant deal with seeds, leave them out or replace with another fruit or be adventurous and add veggies!

Enjoy!!

YUMEEE

DAWN

Apple Cucumber salad

OMG--YUMEEE


I made this to go with steak tonight for dinner!

Cut one cucumber in half lengthwise and the into half moons as thin or thick as you like.

Cut one apple into chucks equal to the size of the half moons.

small dice a 1/4 onion

add 2 tbsp thyme

drizzle olive oil over salad

add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar.

sprinkle blue cheese crumbles in salad.

YUMEEE!!

Enjoy!

Dawn

Yumeee Gumbo

We went out to eat and the restaurant had Jambalaya. It was so delicious I decided I wanted to make some this week. First, I researched the difference between Jambalaya and Gumbo because though it was labeled as Jambalaya, I thought it was Gumbo. I was indeed correct. Jambalaya has only andouille sausage while Gumbo has a variety of meats.

Here is what I came up with:


olive oil and 1/2 stick butter

3-4 tbs chopped garlic

1/2 bag frozen okra

1 onion julliened

1 lb stewing beef --cut into bite size pieces

1/4 cup flour- i use whole wheat flour

4 tbs thyme

1tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

1 can of whole tomatoes--WITH liquid--chopped into quarters

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup water

3 medium sized andouille sausage

one dozen medium shrimp

hot sauce to taste

2-4 cups of brown rice

The prep was done on the stove but I simmered in the crock pot after that.


In a large pot put 1 tsp oil and 1 tsp butter

heat oil and melt butter then add onions and okra

add one tbsp thyme

saute until tender crisp

put into crock pot

add 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup flour-- melt and incorporate until a chocolate brown color and consistency,

add beef and brown

add one tbsp thyme

Put beef into crock pot

in large pot-add stock and scrape the piece from the bottom of the pan with a whisk

add water

add tomatoes

add 1 tbsp thyme, salt and pepper

add liquids to crock pot

add last of thyme

Stir and cook for 4 hours in crock pot on low

take off lid and add sausage and shrimp

Cook another 30 mins-- take out gumbo for children or people who do not like spicy and then add hot sauce to taste to the remainder. I used about 1/4 cup and added more to my bowl.

Serve with rice and salad.

I made Cucumber and apple salad--cut large chunks of gala apples and cucumbers, add 2 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar.

very refreshing to the spice of the gumbo

YUMEEE

Enjoy,

Dawn

Sausage and Peppers

1 package of sweet sausage
1 package of hot sausage ( if you dont like spicy, leave these out)
3 tbs chopped garlic
olive oil
1 medium onion
1/4 each of red yellow and green bell peppers -- more if you like peppers, i don't LOVE peppers.
1 large can tomato sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp italian seasoning

in a skillet brown the sausage on all sides in 2 turns of the pan olive oil. (will not be cooked through)
remove sausage to crock pot
2 more turns of oil
add chopped garlic, onions julliened as well as peppers julliened in thin slices. Thick if you like peppers.
saute to crisp tender
remove to crock pot
pour in tomato sauce and sprinkle a layer of garlic powder and italian seasoning over sauce.
stir cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Can serve with spaghetti or eat on sandwiches.

Enjoy!!!

YUMEEE

Dawn

Shrimp Alfredo MY WAY

I attempted alfredo once before and it was terrible but I was determined to try it again and this time it was INCREDIBLE.

2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour (i use wheat flour for anything and everything)
1-2 cups chicken broth
salt pepper garlic and tarragon --a sprinkle of each to taste
1 cup fresh grated parm cheese
1 doz-2 doz shrimp
1/2 bag MINI ravioli (boiled separate)


melt butter in saucepan
add flour
combine with butter and "cook" until it is a golden brown color.
add broth (adding more or less for preference)
whisk together
allow to low boil
when it is thickened and low boiling, add cheese.
put in shrimp -I used precooked shrimp so they just had to heat through for a minute.
add ravioli and toss with sauce and shrimp

Serve with garlic bread and salad


YUMEEE

Enjoy!!

Dawn

Herb chicken breast

I just posted a snack but couldn't wait on this recipe...

Dinner tonight is herbed chicken breast and I CAN'T wait for it to be finished cooking.

I mixed a tsp or garlic powder, 2 tsps thyme into 1/4 softened butter.

I trimmed open a pocket by cutting away the skin from the breast then I put two slices inside of the breast itself.

I took the butter on my hand and spread it inside of the pocket and outside on the skin.

I then sprinkled Paprika on the top of the skin.

bake 45-55 mins ( until moist but not pink) on 350 degree oven.

I crisp the skin on 450 for 3-5 mins.

ok, 20 mins left--my mouth is watering!

Yumeee

ENJOY!!!

Dawn

super yumeee Guacamole and salsa....

It costs a fortune to buy guacamole and salsa premade at the store and its cheap and super easy to make yourself!!

Guacamole

Cut one avocado in half lengthwise.

Pull out seed by gently whacking it with a knife and pulling it out.

Use the knife to cut lengthwise and across making small cubes inside of the avocado.

Use the knife to separate the flesh from the skin into a bowl.

do the same with the other side.

SMALL dice a 1/8 onion and add to avocado.

add 3-4 sprigs of fresh cilantro.

diced 1/2 plum tomato or use 1/2 tsp tomato paste add to avocado.

add 1/2 tsp lemon or lime juice.

mash avocado with fork until its desired texture. I like mild chuckiness.


Salsa

small dice 1/4 onion

dice 3 plum tomatoes

add 3-4 sprigs of cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

extras--you can make it super chucky and add corn kernals and diced pepper. To make it hotter add 1/2-1 small chili pepper (poblano or pepperocini)

Mix together, chill and serve with tortilla chips.

YUMEEE

Enjoy this healthy and delicious snack!


Dawn

Mango Passionfruit chicken burgers

I have come to love chicken burgers and have been trying them in a variety of ways. This is the newest:


1lb ground chicken
1 small onion or 1/2 a medium diced small
2 tbsp Thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup od DelMonte Mango and Passionfruit cup diced up
mix all ingredients together
form 4 patties

You know what's coming next! Cook them on the Forman Grill. :)

I made a new sauce to go with this because I wanted a little heat with my sweet.

BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup
1 small jalopeno pepper diced
1/2 cup Del Monte mango passionfruit cup diced
1 tsp black pepper
2 turns of a pan of balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingredients in a small sauce pot boil and LOW cook for 10 minutes.

I serve on potato rolls with a fabulous salad and corn on the cob for the season!

Enjoy!

YUMEEE!!!!

Dawn

Pineapple Chicken Burgers with Onion Balsamic bbq sauce

Made this last night and OMG I never cease to amaze myself! lol

1 lb ground chicken
1/2 can pineapple tidbits cut in half
1/2 onion chopped finely
5 sprigs of fresh thyme -leaves only

mix together.
You know I love my Forman Grill so I grill them until browned.

Onion balsamic BBQ sauce

other 1/2 onion
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1tbsp worcheshire sauce
1/2 pat butter

Put butter and onion in small pot
cook until tender
add ketchup, worcheshire and vinegar
boil then turn heat to low and simmer for 10 mins.

Serve on kaiser rolls with corn on the cob and rice pilaf



YUMEEE


ENJOY!!!
DAWN

on the fly chicken dinner

Laying here in bed thinking of what i can do in the crock pot tomorrow. I came up with this.

4 chicken thighs, bone in
4 or 5 sprigs of thyme
garlic powder to sprinkle
salt
pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 can diced tomatoes

Sear thighs in pan with salt garlic and pepper on them
move to crock pot, add thyme, tomatoes and broth

12 hrs high or 6 hrs low.

cant wait to taste it tomorrow

Serve with butter egg noodles.

YUMEEE

ENJOY

Dawn

irish potatoes

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com

Prep Time:
20 Min
Ready In:
30 Min

Servings (Help)
US Metric Calculate


Original Recipe Yield 5 dozen

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 4 cups confectioners' sugar
* 2 1/2 cups flaked coconut
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar; beat until smooth. Using your hands if necessary, mix in the coconut. Roll into balls or potato shapes, and roll in the cinnamon. Place onto a cookie sheet and chill to set. If desired, roll potatoes in cinnamon again for darker color.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 59 | Total Fat: 2.3g | Cholesterol: 4mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database
Nutritional Information
Irish Potato Candy

Servings Per Recipe: 60

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 59

* Total Fat: 2.3g
* Cholesterol: 4mg
* Sodium: 20mg
* Total Carbs: 9.7g
* Dietary Fiber: 0.4g
* Protein: 0.3g


ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Copyright 2011 Allrecipes.com


I cut the recipe in half. still worked

YUMEEE

Enjoy

Dawn

Parm Risotto

I made risotto from scratch for the first time. It is SOOOOOO delicious.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup risotto (not precooked)
1/2 medium onion
1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
2-3 cups chicken stock --use veggie stock if you dont do meat
1/4 cup FRESHLY grated Locatelli Parm cheese

1 tsp butter (optional)


add oil to pot.

add risotto and saute to light brown color

add garlic and onions saute for 1-2 mins

add 2 cups stock stir and cook covered about 35 mins

check FREQUENTLY

Add more stock as needed if pot gets dry

After 35 mins add the cheese and stir in to melt.

cook until rice is tender--mine cooked about 45 mins total.

I did not add butter but many people like the taste of butter added at the end when serving.

Enjoy!!

YUMEEE

Dawn

Pistachio crusted Tilapia

ok i have not yet made this but it came to mind last night and I want to make it tonight for dinner.

Pistachio crusted tilapia and lemon artichoke risotto

1 cup unsalted pistachios
2 egg whites
4 pieces of tilapia
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs


use a food processor to crush pistachios and blend them with panko crumbs.
beat egg whites
make an assembly line to "bread" the fish.
dip tilapia in egg whites then coat with pistachio and panko mixture.

bake in oven for 8-10 mins until tilapia is firm yet flaky.


Risotto

This is a spin on Rachel Ray's recipe

1 tsp olive oil
1 cup risotto
small jar of artichoke hearts
lemon--grated rind and juiced
1/2 medium onion minced
1 tsp thyme
2 cups of stock --- i like chicken but u can use vegetable stock.

toast risotto, add onion and thyme and lemon rind, in olive oil

when toasted, add stock and lemon juice.
cook about 15 mins, taste for seasoning. Add salt pepper and more thyme as necessary. then add artichokes for the last 5 or 6 mins.
mix gently

I will also serve this with broccoli. Let me know what you think

YUMEEE!

Enjoy

Dawn

i could be the author of this, its so true to heart!

Thanks Eileen.

I could be the author of this, its so true to heart. Thalli wrote this in such a respectful and thoughtful way. I had intended to be a lawyer when I grew up. Throughout middle school and freshman and sophomore year of high school when you asked me what i wanted to be, the answer was a lawyer.
Once in high school they offered cosmetology classes and then I decided I wanted to be a hair stylist. I started working in salons and quickly realized, this wasn't for me, even though I was good at it. I started going to community college with no idea in which direction I was going. One day I went with my roommate to Camden to a Dr. appt. I waited in the car for her and while I sat there, I saw the most magnificent painting--on a wall of a building across the street. I sat there and thought to myself, "I can help children with this talent get into the correct venue for making art by becoming a teacher!"
I went back to my counselor at school and told her my epiphany. She then recommended some volunteer experiences at Camden schools. I was a teacher's helper in a classroom for 2 semesters. The first teacher asked me to sit one on one with a little boy who in retrospect must have been dyslexic. She wanted me to help him with scrambled spelling words. I sat with him and explained to him what they were and how to unscramble them. When we finished the first one, this child looked at me and said,"WOW, I GET IT."
Well from that moment in time, I was hooked. I always loved kids and this drove the nail in that I was MEANT to teach.

I have since been teaching 15 yrs and my life is now exactly what Thalli describes in the following diary. I am in awe that she has survived 35 yrs and can not imagine myself teaching another 20 yrs to match her. Please enjoy and UNDERSTAND the life of a teacher today.

Thanks,

Dawn








Sat Feb 26, 2011 at 12:18 PM EST
I Don't Want to be a Teacher Any More
by thalli1









I’ve always been a teacher. Even before I received my teaching credentials 34 years ago, I was the one who Mr. Wells asked to help Kim Hull learn how to do his story problems. I always knew I’d become a real teacher some day because Kim told me I was the first one who ever explained it to him in a way he could actually understand.
Now, I wasn’t ever one of “those who can’t, who teach,” and I always knew it. My high-school guidance counselors had advised me not to go into education because I would be “wasting my brain.” They suggested that due to my 98th percentile math scores, I should go into engineering. But I was undaunted, because I knew that in reality I already was a teacher. I just needed to go to school to get a piece of paper to make it official so I could get paid for it. I was very clearly told that I wasn’t making the best financial choice that I could, but that didn’t matter in the least—I was out to change the world—one student at a time.
I finished college in three years, and began teaching third grade in 1976 at the age of 21, and I’ve never looked back. I found what all who become teachers know, that being a teacher is so much more than a job. It’s always been my passion, my mission, even my identity.
Being a great teacher came naturally to me. Now that doesn’t mean it’s ever been an easy job. I’ve always found it exhausting, challenging, frustrating, and very rewarding—in other words, a perfect job for somebody who needs their brain to be challenged in ways they could never imagine. I went from being able to focus on only one or two things at a time, to being able to easily manage twenty or thirty on-going projects or ideas. Over the years I’ve improved my creativity, flexibility, problem solving skills, and sense of humor.
I’ve taught grades three through six, and felt very lucky that I never felt I was in a rut. I knew people who got burned out, but it honestly never happened to me. I knew I was very blessed to find the perfect occupation. I’ve changed how I do things in my classroom many times, incorporating new ideas, trying new things, always learning, always changing, and loving every minute of it. I’ve always been told in every way that I’m a great teacher, but I honestly didn’t need to be told, because I could feel it. That is, until recently.







Things started to change in education in Oregon about ten or fifteen years ago with a number of tax measures that created huge budget cuts. I noticed programs such a band, art, and drug-abuse prevention being cut for lack of funds along with enrichment programs, swimming class, and all kinds of little things that we used to offer that could no longer be afforded. Class sizes began to grow, and my class size averages went from the low to high twenties and then eventually into the thirties.
All these things were sad and annoying, but they didn’t change how I felt about my job in the least. I just worked harder to make my lessons even more creative, and added in as much enrichment as I possibly could on my own to make up for the cuts. I spent thousands of dollars out of my own pocket to buy materials my school could no longer afford to buy. I wasn’t about to let a little thing like budget cuts stop me from my mission. The first time we cut school days in Oregon, and I had to take a several thousand dollar pay cut in the middle of a school year, it was a definite setback, but I never really thought it would become the norm.
As my class sizes increased, so did the needs of my students. Normally when I would teach something, I would have a handful of students who didn’t get it. I rarely had kids I couldn’t get to make progress. But as the classes got bigger, that began to change. More students with special needs were being mainstreamed into my classroom. I was getting kids in class who had been in America less than six months who spoke no English, with very little help or support. I crazily began to take all kinds of classes, do research on how to reach kids with autism, ADD, emotional disturbances, limited English proficiency—you name it, I studied the best ways to overcome disadvantages. I’ve always had a never-say-die attitude, so I worked my butt off to reach everyone in this increasingly diverse classroom with fewer and fewer resources.
I also began to notice that lots of things that never had been my job before were suddenly added to my list of responsibilities. A silly example, but very time consuming, was janitorial work. Due to limited resources and constant budget cuts, I now had to devote my time to things like cleaning my own classroom, doing clerical work that used to be done for me by the front office, planning my curriculum instead of just my lessons, so many things I began to have trouble keeping up. One year I started a list I called “Jobs Other People Gave Me,” but after adding 57 things to my list in less than a single year, I decided that it wasn’t really healthy for me to continue the list.
Now mind you, that through all of this I still actually loved closing my door and teaching. I continued telling myself that I had wanted a challenge, although at times I privately admitted to myself that maybe I would have liked a little less of a challenge. But I still loved my job, I still got glowing reports from principals, parents, and especially kids. That was what sustained me as things began to change.
When No Child Left Behind came into effect, it didn’t affect me that much at first. My class averages were always above where they needed to be, and I was still having good results, so I didn’t really worry about it much. Philosophically, I knew I didn’t agree with focusing so much on test scores, but I could still keep my students’ scores where they needed to be by focusing on what my experience as a teacher had taught me was best. I pretty much just worked on reaching each kid, pushing, encouraging, helping, inspiring, prodding, and let the test scores take care of themselves. I believed that great teaching overcame the over-emphasis on test scores, so I concentrated on great teaching instead.
One thing that did bother me during that time was that it became acceptable to bash teachers, schools, and education in the media. I wasn’t hearing it personally, but I didn’t like the way people were so ready to berate my passion. Maybe because I was hearing good things on a personal level, I didn’t worry too much about it. I just closed my door and taught my kids.
Then the past few years a few of the buildings in our district didn’t meet their AYP (adequate yearly progress.) The district began to look for ways to help these building to succeed. The focus on test scores escalated to a crazy level. The teachers in one of the elementary buildings in my district were told they could no longer teach anything besides reading, math, and science because those were the subjects that were tested. Our building wasn’t ever told that specifically, but it was understood that we were to focus on practices that would improve our students’ test-taking skills.
The district decided to implement required core instructional materials that were mandated to everyone. Suddenly, the creativity of the job was being removed. They wanted everybody to teach the same materials, the same way. I’ve never been one to buck the system, so I began to wrack my brain for how to use these new materials and still keep the lessons interesting for my students.
At the same time, class sizes and special needs were growing. The behavior classroom was closed and its students were mainstreamed into the regular classroom. I tried to become an expert on dealing with anger issues. I tried to learn how to help fifth graders with severe disabilities, limited mobility, and cognitive levels of very young children, all in my regular classroom now filled with 30-35 students. My job became an even greater challenge than it had always been before, but still my attitude was to think “bring it on!” I just couldn’t fathom the idea that my natural teaching ability wasn’t exactly what was needed to solve any and all challenges that came my way.
Never once in the past 34 years of teaching did I ever want to quit. I even told my husband that if we won the lottery, I’d keep teaching. My students would just have all their own computers, art supplies galore, and any book we wanted to read as a class.
So now I’m into my 35th year of teaching. Last July my district had offered a $20,000 bonus to any teacher who could retire, in order to save money. It struck me as odd that they’d want to get rid of experienced teachers. I didn’t take it because I felt I’m not ready to retire. It’s been such a big part of me forever, and I’m not ready to give it up yet. Besides I’m only 55, and even though I’ve been teaching so long, I’m just barely old enough to retire.
But then one Thursday, on the eighth day of my 35th year of teaching, I suddenly thought for the very first time ever, “I don’t want to be a teacher anymore.” It’s so weird how it just came over me like that. I don’t know if it’s like the challenges in Survivor where they keep adding water until the bucket finally tips over and the slow leak of problems finally made my bucket tip over. Or maybe this is how it happens for all older teachers.
It wasn’t a single thing that gave me this feeling. I’m hoping it doesn’t last. Maybe it was the severely autistic boy who showed up at my door the first day with no notice, but I don’t really think so. Maybe it was the rigid schedule the principal passed out for everybody to be doing the same subject at the same time of day, or the new basal reader we have to use that we aren’t allowed to call a basal reader. Maybe it’s the look in my student’s eyes when we’re reading the newly required dry textbook when I’m used to wild and crazy discussions about amazing novels.
Maybe it’s that for the first time, our school didn’t meet AYP because two few English Language Developing students in the entire school didn’t pass their reading benchmarks.
When I heard this, I instantly thought of the two English Language Learners in my class who hadn’t passed their reading tests last year and how unfair I thought it was that they even counted on our test scores when they came to our school in January and were absent at least twice a week from that point on. I was wondering how I could possibly have gotten them to benchmark level in three days a week for three months. I was thinking how if only those two students hadn’t counted on our scores, we would’ve met AYP as a school. When I mentioned it to my principal, she just said there are no excuses. We aren’t allowed to have any excuses. We have to get kids to the level they need to be no matter what the circumstances. I thought of the little boy I had with an IQ of 87 who could barely read. I thought of the little girl in a wheelchair who’d had 23 operations on tumors on her body in her eleven years, and the girl who moved from Mexico straight into my class and learned to speak English before my eyes, but couldn’t pass the state test. Somehow it doesn’t feel like making excuses to acknowledge that they had good reason not to pass their benchmarks.
Maybe it was the e-mail I got saying that the department of education in Oregon has raised the cut scores again this year by six or seven points per grade level, even though they just raised them a couple of years ago. I found out that if they would have used these new cut scores last year, over half of the students in grades 3-8 who passed their benchmarks wouldn’t have passed. That led to a realization that as a school we have very little chance of meeting our adequate yearly progress this year, but of course I’m not allowed to say that because there are no excuses. It’s hard not to feel discouraged.
Maybe it was one of the two parents who contacted me in the first few days of school to tell me that their child doesn’t particularly love my program this year. I’m so not used to that. I’ve always had kids achieving highly and loving my class. I’m just not sure how I can use the mandated materials in the required time periods, focusing on the required skills and still get kids to really love it.
Maybe it’s the fact that I lost a third of my retirement when they reformed our Public Employee Retirement System a few years back and now I keep reading about how they want to slash it even more because of the greedy teacher unions and how this is the main reason for the budget problems in our state.
Maybe it’s that I haven’t gotten a real raise in a really really long time, or that we had to cut eight days again this year to solve our state’s budget problems. So I’m taking a big hit again, and nobody seems to notice or care.
Anyway, whatever the reason, for the first time in 34 years it hit me, I don’t want to be a teacher any more. I want to sit on a rocking chair on my porch and drink tea instead. Maybe if they offer $20,000 for me to retire next year, I’ll take it. It’s so weird because never in my wildest imagination did I think I’d feel this way. I wonder if I’ll still feel this way when I close my classroom door tomorrow. I sure hope not because it makes me really sad.

poached eggs

ok I recently discovered eggs benedict and fell in love. I thought it is simple enough to make myself until I tried to make the egg. I looked online for directions on how to make a poached egg and my dad told me how to do it BUT they never came out cooked in the white part and runny in the middle. I am very particular about eggs. This morning I made poached eggs to go on top of Mt Monseure for breakfast and they were PERFECT!! It actually happened by mistake but a perfected egg came of it.

I boiled water (about 2 cups) in a small pot. Once the water was at a small boil, I realized I didnt put my eggs in yet. I put them in and waited three mins then checked them and they were PERFECT. I was so excited.

Oh, and a mt monseure is ham and swiss on good bread and toasted under the broiler with an egg on top--i like poached but you can fry an egg too.

YUMEEE

Enjoy!

Dawn

AND THE WINNER IS......

We had very low entries but I am glad we had people participate and the winner EILEEN GOSSER! Congrats! We will see you for dinner next week to autograph and give you the book.

Dawn

vodka cream sauce

Penne in Vodka Cream Sauce

I LOVE this recipe and it couldn't be any easier to make!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium onion chopped

2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup vodka

1 large can of crushed tomatoes (or you can crush your own tomatoes in the blender.)

2 tsp + sugar (I use splenda)

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 cup half and half

1/2 cup parm cheese


Put 1 tbsp olive oil in a pot and add onions

Cook until tender crisp and add garlic

cook a minute or 2 until fragrant

add Vodka and cook off alcohol for about 2 minutes

add tomatoes, Italian seasoning and sugar-- more or less to your taste, I like it a little sweeter.

Mix and cook 20 mins

add half and half and parm cheese and cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve over pasta and with crusty bread and salad.

YUMEEE!!

Enjoy

Dawn

Game day dip

THose who know me, know I LOVE dip nights for dinner. Here is a dip I had at a friends that could be used for Game day tomorrow.

I had this at a friend's house once and its super easy and YUMEEE

brown 1 lb ground beef
Put beef, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 jar of salsa in a crockpot and heat.

Serve in the crockpot to keep it warm and serve with tortilla chips!

Enjoy.

Dawn

chicken burgers

I made quick chicken burgers for dinner tonight


1 lb ground chicken

1/2 gala apple small dice

1/4 onion small dice

mix together

and you guessed it--grill it on the forman grill!

YUMEEE!!

Enjoy

Dawn

Tarragon chicken

This couldn't be easier to make.

You all know I LOVE my Forman grill. I grill the chicken with garlic, salt, pepper and tarragon on it.

In a pan I put a dab of butter and a little flour to make a rue. (if you are scared of the rue, u can use a bit of corn starch at the end.

add a tsp of minced garlic and saute to the side of the rue.

mix together and add 1 heaping tbsp of tarragon.

Add about 2 cups of chicken stock and allow to boil.


It should thicken from the rue.

Turn heat down to simmer.


add the chicken and simmer for 10 mins. I also add another sprinkle of tarragon in the sauce.

I serve it with brown rice, a veg. and of COURSE APPLESAUCE!!


YUMEEE!

Enjoy

Dawn

Berry Cobbler

This was super duper easy to make and oh so YUMEEE!!!!

I put about a 1/2 cup whole blueberries, 1/2 cup blackberries and 1/2 cup strawberries in a pan.

I added about a 1/2 inch of water to the pan.

I sprinkled splenda over the top of the berries in a thin layer.

I added 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

I brought them to a boil and transferred into a baking pan.

DUMPLINGS

I put about a cup of whole wheat flour in a bowl added 2 turns of a salt grinder, 2 tsps of sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder.
Add water enough to make a thick batter.

Mix with hands. Grab small balls of batter and drop on top of the berries.

Bake 25 mins on 400.

Served over butter pecan ice cream.

YUMEEE

Enjoy!

Dawn

Tilapia

Fish scares me! I do not like to cook it usually bc it does not ever come out tasting like anything but I tried baking tilapia last week and it was super yumeee and super easy!!!

Place tilapia in baking pan

sprinkle with thyme and garlic powder

Thinly slice tomatoes and place on top

bake until white and flaky

I served it with rice pilaf and apple sauce

YUMEEE

Enjoy

Dawn

HOW TO ENTER BOOK GIVEAWAY

I will be giving away a copy of My Darling Teddy Bear on February 15th.

This book was written by myself and my daughter. It is an entertaining book about a little girl and her cat Teddy. Teddy loves ice cream and gets into some mischief when the ice cream truck comes to the house. Sophia, his little girl, shows him love and compassion when she figures out what he has been up to.



More copies of the book can be purchased at

www.xlibris.com/MyDarlingTeddyBear.html



To enter to win:

Follow us on twitter @mimimama72 (1 entry)

Follow us on facebook My Darling Teddy Bear (1 entry)

Like yumeeemama by clicking the like button in the comments (1 entry)

Share Yumeeemama via twitter (2 entries)

Share Yumeeemama via Facebook (2 entries)

Retweet the following on twitter. (1 entry)

RT @mimimama72 CHILDREN'S BOOK GIVEAWAY Visit http://yumeeemama.blogspot.com for details.

MOST IMPORTANTLY-- You MUST leave a comment telling me which entries you have completed.

All entries will be entered into random.org to pick the winner.

GOOD LUCK.

DAWN

Portion control

ok I am at my HEAVIEST weight ever and I DON'T like it! What to do? What to do? Well, I dislike exercise--ALOT and I LOVE food--ALOT. I have decided to make a small change to try and challenge this battle of the bulge.

I have taken to eating on my daughter's elmo plate instead of a regular size dinner plate. It does look like a full plate with the food on it and I am getting half the food when I still clean my plate (as i am sure most of us were told to do growing up). I will start weigh ins in the morning and keep you posted on how its working for me.
Wish me luck and anyone who is on the same train as me, feel free to join me. Losing weight is ALWAYS better with a buddy, or 2 or 5 or more!


Thanks

Dawn

Quick Chicken and Rice

This was SUPER easy to make with a little help from premade foods.

1-2 boneless chicken breast for each person
garlic powder
thyme
1-2 boil in bags brown rice
frozen veggies of choice
1 small jar of carbonara sauce ( I used William Sonoma)


My BEST FRIEND is the George Forman Grill!

sprinkle a coating of garlic powder and thyme on each side of the chicken

I grilled the chicken on my grill until it had a nice brown color.

Boil rice per package directions and add thyme into the cooking water

When rice is 1/2 cooked add frozen veg to water and watch for a bright green color (I used broccoli)

Heat sauce in microwave for desired temperature.

Serve with applesauce.

Super fast, super yumeee, with a little help from prepackaged friends!

ENJOY!

Dawn

NEEDED....

Do you live in the southern New Jersey/Philadelphia area?



Do you want your daughter to learn Spanish in a fun environment?



Do you want your child to have the building blocks for a second language?



We need Girls to enter our LAS NINAS class in Cherry Hill, NJ.



Las Niñas now in Cherry Hill!


claudia krusch
CK Translations
Greetings!

We are so proud to share the exciting news that we will be offering Las Niñas classes now in Cherry Hill on Saturdays, 1:30pm at Mathnasium! New topics, new classes home assignments and more on our girl theme Spanish Classes! We will bake cookies, make bracelets, dress dolls and more! All that for our special rate of $ 15.00 per class, two children in the same family will pay only $ 25.00 per class! Only 7 children per class! Ages 4-6.Hurry to reserve your spot @ claudia@cktranslations.com.

Saludos muy atentos,

Claudia Krusch

Vote for YumeeeMama

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GIVEAWAY SCOUT

Who doesn't love free stuff--check out the giveaway widget for giveaways.

Children's book giveaway -how to enter

I will be giving away a copy of My Darling Teddy Bear on February 15th.

This book was written by myself and my daughter. It is an entertaining book about a little girl and her cat Teddy. Teddy loves ice cream and gets into some mischief when the ice cream truck comes to the house. Sophia, his little girl, shows him love and compassion when she figures out what he has been up to.



More copies of the book can be purchased at

www.xlibris.com/MyDarlingTeddyBear.html



To enter to win:

Follow us on twitter @mimimama72 (1 entry)

Follow us on facebook My Darling Teddy Bear (1 entry)

Like yumeeemama by clicking the like button in the comments (1 entry)

Share Yumeeemama via twitter (2 entries)

Share Yumeeemama via Facebook (2 entries)

Retweet the following on twitter. (1 entry)

RT @mimimama72 CHILDREN'S BOOK GIVEAWAY Visit http://yumeeemama.blogspot.com for details.



All entries will be entered into random.org to pick the winner.

GOOD LUCK.

DAWN

like me?

FEBRUARY BOOK GIVEAWAY

I will be giving away a copy of My Darling Teddy Bear on February 15th.

This book was written by myself and my daughter. It is an entertaining book about a little girl and her cat Teddy. Teddy loves ice cream and gets into some mischief when the ice cream truck comes to the house. Sophia, his little girl, shows him love and compassion when she figures out what he has been up to.



More copies of the book can be purchased at

EPIC MICKEY

for Wii...

I entered a contest --you know I LOVE my contests-- you can enter to win too. Check out the site.

http://www.nycsinglemom.com/2011/01/10/disney-epic-mickey-for-nitendo-wii-giveaway/#comment-1744

Good Luck

Dawn