Homemade Alfredo Sauce

I have always bought jarred alfredo sauce. I just assumed that it was hard & expensive to make your own. 

I found a recipe and gave it a try. I should have tried it years ago! It's so much better than the store bought jarred alfredo sauce, and it is pretty easy! 

Homemade Alfredo Sauce 

1 stick butter

1 clove minced garlic

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 cup shredded parmesan or italian cheese blend

2 TBSP cream cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

In a saucepan over medium heat melt 1 stick butter, add the  clove of minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Then add in 1 pint heavy cream and  2 TBSP cream cheese and cook until bubbling, but do not boil.

Stir in 1 cup shredded italian cheese and mix until cheese is melted. Sprinkle in salt & pepper. 

Pour over your favorite noodles and enjoy!  

Crock-Pot Chicken Quesadillas

Another new EASY & YUMMY crock-pot recipe

Crock-Pot Chicken Quesadillas

4 Chicken Breasts(or chicken tenderloins){frozen is ok!}
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilles
1 pkg. cream cheese
2 cups "Mexican Cheese"
1 pack Tortilla Wraps
Sour Cream
Lettuce
Salsa
Fresh Diced Tomatoes
Butter


Spray inside of crock-pot with olive oil or cooking spray. Add chicken, can of tomatoes &  pkg. of cream cheese. Cook on low for 5-6 hours {as always my crock-pot thinks low means med/high so I turned it to "keep warm" after about 4hrs}During cooking (or after) Stir chicken mixture with a fork to shred chicken.
Heat up a skillet on med, add a tiny bit of butter or olive oil. Place 1 tortilla in hot pan, add chicken mixture to 1/2 of tortilla leaving about 0.5 in rim to avoid it all "spoo-ging"(is that a word?!) out. Add a handful of mexican cheese & fold tortilla over. Cook about 3 min on each side until you've got a pretty golden brown quesadilla.
Use a big knife or pizza cutter to slice into triangles. Serve with your favorite salsa, sour cream, lettuce, or tomatoes. Pour yourself a margarita & say Ole'!

Crock-Pot Beef Tips

Mmmm...tried this recipe out with the family this week & it was a big hit!
Even the picky hubby liked it!

Crock-Pot Beef Tips

aprox. 1 lb beef tips
1 can cond. mushroom soup
1 sm. can sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup beef broth
1 packet onion soup mix
salt & pepper to taste

Season beef with a lil' salt & pepper & place in crock-pot. Add can of soup { don't add the milk! },
broth, can of mushrooms, packet of onion soup mix, and stir. Cook on low heat for about 5-6 hrs.
FYI: My crock-pot is super hot & I ended up turning it down to keep warm after about 3 hrs.
Serve over white rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

zucchini bread

My family & I love zucchini bread so much it never lasts too long in the house.
I think it's time I made some. It's kid & picky husband friendly!
Here's a recipe that I originally got from
http://www.allrecipes.com/ & altered just a 'bit.

ENJOY!

This makes 2 loaves...

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups grated zucchini (Press grated zucchini in strainer to remove some of the moisture)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sift together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, baking powder.
3. Beat eggs. Add and mix well sugar, vanilla, and oil. Add zucchini to egg mixture. Add dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in nuts if desired. Pour into 2 ungreased loaf pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour.

Enough is Enough!

Well, day after day I am frustrated by getting dressed & ready because NOTHING fits me, or fits me right. I have gone up & up in pant sizes, and I've had enough! My confidence level has dropped as the number on the scale goes up. I don't love what I see in the mirror, and the thought of wearing a bathing suit makes me want to cringe. SO, enough is enough.

I am starting a healthy eating/living goal TODAY!

I'm not going to do a specific diet, rather a combination of counting my Weight Watchers points{since thanks to my Mom I have all the stuff : ) } and following the NO FAST FOOD{unless it's healthy} RULE. I will start at the gym on Thursday A.M. And I will be keeping a food diary.

I don't want to be stick skinny, and I don't expect to look like I did before I had my son. I just want to be happy, healthy, and comfortable in my own skin.

So here goes nothing...WISH ME LUCK! Hahaha...and self control!

Anybody else interested in dropping a few & getting healthy? Check out self.com-they have lots of diet/workout goals/plans. As well as different health calculators, an online food diary and when you sign up you get entered to WIN prizes. It's a great website & I recommend it!

Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite EASY recipes...

Taco Soup

This recipe came from a co-worker. She made this yummy Mexican soup for us at work get- togethers, and passed the recipe to me before moving away. We make it at work & home all the time. A twist on basic chili...

1 lb. ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes
2 can kidney beans
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can corn
1/2 can water
sour cream
shredded cheese
tortilla chips

Brown hamburger meat until fully cooked.{ YOU MAY DICE ONIONS, PEPPERS,etc & SAUTE WITH HAMBURGER MEAT FOR EXTRA YUM FACTOR} Add meat, kidney beans, tomatoes, corn and 1/2 can water (after you empty the kidney bean can-fill 1/2 way with water) & taco seasoning in a crock-pot or large pot. {You can add more water depending on how soupy you want it. Also, you can add more taco seasoning or even chili pepper/jalapeno depending on spicy you want it.}

Cook on low for a few hours or all day. This can cook on high until warm for a quick meal or let simmer on low in crock-pot all day-{best way!}
Serve into bowls & top with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream & shredded cheese. ENJOY!

This a very versatile recipe, get creative & add whatever you like best-in the soup or on top.


 Margaux's Famous Baked Ziti

This is one of my family's favorite meals!

1 lb. ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb. ziti noodles
sour cream
provolone cheese-sliced
mozzarella cheese-shredded
oregano
thyme
garlic salt
onion powder


Brown hamburger meat until done. Boil water & cook ziti noodles & drain according to the box. Drain hamburger meat & add back to pan. Add spaghetti sauce, oregano, thyme, garlic salt, onion powder to taste (& any other spices you like! I always jazz up my spaghetti sauce with lots of my faves) Let simmer until noodles are ready.

Layer in med-large baking dish-ziti noodles, sauce, provolone cheese slices, ziti noodles, sauce, even layer of sour cream-just scoop out & spread sour cream over sauce & noodles evenly with a spoon, ziti noodles, sauce, and mozzarella cheese until pan is full. (I usually end up with one layer of each cheese/sour cream but do it how you like)

Bake in 350 degree oven about 15-20 mins until cheeses are melted. Serve with salad, garlic bread & ENJOY! ( I have not tried it but I have heard this can be made, frozen & cooked later!)