Tasty Tuesday: Barley Casserole

Please don't run away just from the title of this recipe! 

Whew... if you're still here, we ate Barley Casserole last night. This was a first for us, and both of us (especially Javier) loved it! It's an extremely inexpensive recipe, and barley seems to be a super healthy food.

Ingredients:

3 T. butter

1 small onion, diced

1/2 small green pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 c. pearled barley (find this near the dried beans in the grocery store)

3 c. chicken broth, heated

salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt butter in saucepan, saute onion, pepper, and garlic until soft.

3. Spray ovenproof casserole with non-stick spray.

4. Transfer veggie mixture into casserole.

5. Add the barley, then heated broth, making sure to coat grains well.

6. Season to taste with salt & pepper and bake covered for 1 hour.

Be sure to check out Jen's blog for more from Tasty Tuesday!

Homemade Pizza

I'm always posting about making homemade pizza in my menu-planning posts, but I've yet to share our recipe. We've experimented with several crust recipes, but this one from my friend has become our staple. 

Whole Wheat Homemade Pizza Crust

1 package (or 1 Tbsp.) of dry active yeast

2/3 c warm water

Mix & let sit 5 minutes. Then add:

1 tsp. honey

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. cornmeal

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. all-purpose flour

Knead dough - if it's dry add a little bit of water.

Let it rise until it doubles (about 30-45 minutes).

Punch the dough & let it rest 10 minutes.

Flatten into crust.

*Our favorite way to flatten is to spray the pizza pan(s) with Pam, then flatten dough. I then usually lift up one side at a time & sprinkle a little cornmeal under the dough.

We then usually just use tomato puree for the sauce, and add whatever toppings we'd like! I keep pepperoni, onions, and peppers chopped up in the freezer for our pizzas.

One other delicious addition to the pizza is pesto. This is normally a bit pricey, but a friend shared her homemade pesto recipe with me that is unbelievably easy, good, and much cheaper!

Homemade Pesto

1 c. spinach

1 c. fresh basil (We're growing this this summer, but I believe you could also give it a try with dried basil.)

3 cloves garlic

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

1/8 c. olive oil

2 tsp. lemon juice

Put all ingredients in a food processor/blender & process until it's a smooth paste. Yumm!!

Please leave a comment if you try these recipes - especially if you like them! :) I'd love to get some feedback - what works well for you when you make homemade pizza? Since this is a staple for us I'm always open to tips/ideas/suggestions!

New Christmas Treat

I grew up in a family where we made the same Christmas cookies every year. Everyone had their own personal favorite, and it wasn't that hard to make just one more type of cookie. (Especially with 3 girls + mom who all liked to bake!)

Obviously, with just 2 of us I'm not doing much baking this year. We seem to be eating a ton of sweets as it is, thanks to generous neighbors and friends, and we'll be headed to my parents for Christmas. But, as I said, I love to bake! So, how to solve this problem? We're having a few friends over for a dessert drop-in - the perfect chance to see them during this season and to enjoy some homemade goodies. :)

So, I get to try this new recipe from my aunt that doesn't have a name to us yet:

Take two big Cheez-it crackers & spread peanut butter between them. Dip them in melted chocolate, then let harden on waxed paper. They taste a little bit like Butterfingers!

I just wanted to share this super simple, delicious recipe with y'all! (Even though I haven't made them yet, I did have a chance to try one. ) Hope you enjoy!!

A Favorite: Cheesy Ranch & Bacon Mashed Potatoes

While I can't commit to saying that this is our absolute favorite recipe (that would most likely be poppyseed chicken), this is definitely one of our favorites & maybe a little different for some of you! So, without further ado:

Cheesy Ranch and Bacon Mashed Potatoes
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 c. sour cream
1 3/4 c. milk
1 (22 oz.) pkg. frozen mashed potatoes
6 cooked & crumbled bacon slices
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Whisk together dressing mix, sour cream, and milk in a large glass bowl. Stir in frozen mashed potatoes. Microwave on high for 12 minutes - stirring every 4 minutes. Stir in the crumbled bacon & cheese.

Serves: 8

So easy but soo good! Hope you enjoy. :)

Easy Sour Cream Muffins

As I wrote about in my Menu Plan Monday (oops... Tuesday!) post, I plan on taking sour cream muffins to our community group's potluck dinner Wednesday. So, in case you'd like this super-easy, super-tasty recipe, here it is:

Sour Cream Muffins

2 c. self-rising flour
1/2 pint sour cream (8 oz.)
1.5 sticks melted margarine

Mix all ingredients together & put in ungreased small muffin tins. Bake @ 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. These also freeze really well!

(I have made them in large muffin tins - this works, but sometimes they're a little doughy in the center.)

New Recipe Fun: Grilled Veggie Sandwich

This recipe was found in an effort to use up a large amount of summer squash. It was INCREDIBLE and we have made it several times since. We couldn't believe how easy this is and how much flavor it has - it's quite surprising.

This recipe came from Allrecipes.com listed as the California Grilled Vegetable Sandwich. However, below I'm going to tell you how we make it - not too terribly different, but it allows you to use what you have on hand.


Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T lemon juice
olive oil
vegetables on hand - an assortment of squash, zucchini, onion, and different colored bell peppers all work
feta or mozzarella cheese
hoagie rolls or focaccia bread

1. Mix the mayo, garlic, and lemon juice. Set aside in refrigerator. This amount of mayo could fix up to 4 sandwiches - make more if you'd like.

2. Slice all vegetables - you have to eye how much depending on how many sandwiches you're fixing.

3. Preheat a pan with olive oil. Once hot, cook the vegetables until slightly brown (depending on which veggies you're using).

4. Spread the mayo mixture on open sides of the bread on a baking sheet, top with vegetables, then sprinkle with your choice of cheese (feta is best!). Broil in oven until cheese is slightly melting or bread is beginning to brown.

Enjoy!!