Quinoa Spinach Stew

From: A Fork in the Trail cookbook

Recipe:

Hot Mama Grade: TBD 

Hot Mama Notes: TBD

I didn't realize I was almost out of quinoa when I chose to make this recipe. Oops! So I only have about a half cup of quinoa instead of 3/4c, since that is what I had. Also, I lost a bit more through a too-large sieve (oops! :/). 

Moroccan Chicken

Recipe from: A Fork in the Trail cookbook

Recipe:

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: This stew is DELICIOUS! I will definitely be making it again! I used half a large white onion, and a large yellow squash along with a regular sized zucchini. I think my yam was on the small side, but you get what you from the grocery store. I used two carrots. I used slightly less than the entire can of chick peas (I ended up eating some, ha!). I omitted the cayenne pepper. I had no saffron, so I used an 1/8 teaspoon of each of the following: turmeric, cardamom, smoked paprika, and regular paprika. I don't know what it was supposed to fate like exactly, but it came out amazing! 😁❤️ Everything else is per the recipe. I will be dehydrating one serving, but the rest we will eat! 😁😊

Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies

Originally from:

https://winealittlecookalot.com/lavender-sea-salt-chocolate-chunk-cookies/?ssp_iabi=1684036059138#mv-creation-69-jtr

Ingredients:

¾ cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature, 1.5 sticks

¾ cup Light Brown Sugar, packed

¼ cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg, at room temperature

2 tsp Vanilla extract

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 tsp Cornstarch

1 tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Salt

2 tsp Dried Lavender Buds

1 ½ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks, or chocolate chips

Course Sea Salt, for sprinkling

Instructions:

In a large bowl with hand mixer or in stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and lavender. Add to the wet ingredients, and beat on low until combined.

Add in the chocolate chunks and mix to combine evenly.

Cover dough with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Roll dough into about 1" balls using your hands. Space about 2" apart on the baking sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges. Immediately sprinkle with sea salt once removed from oven before cooling.

Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

*Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature or stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Hot Mama Notes: I tasted one of these cookies when a coworker gave me one. SO GOOD!! I promptly asked her for the recipe link - yum! I used the full package of milk chocolate chips (2 cups) from Nestle because why not?? 🍫😂😋😍 I put the dough in the fridge for 1 hour because I couldn't bear to wait any longer!! 🤣🤣 I might have used slightly more butter as I put 2 sticks of frozen butter outside to thaw in the 115F heat left it out a little too long. Ha! It is room temperature all right! 🤣 So it might be closer to 1.75c butter. Ish. I got my lavender from Amazon as frys didn't have any.

These cookies are very lavender-y! I like them but I'm not sure I will make them again. The kids were unimpressed. They didn't hate the lavender, but didn't love it, either. The sea salt is nice with the lavender. Chilling the dough really allows the cookiea to keep their shape which is nice. I baked them about 11.5 minutes per batch and also did the salt then wait 5 minutes before taking them off of the pan. 

Green Chicken Enchiladas Amped Up veggie syle

Originally from a compilation of the following:

https://thewholecook.com/easy-chicken-enchiladas/#wprm-recipe-container-33292

https://eatthegains.com/red-chicken-enchiladas/#recipe

Ingredients 

28 oz can Las Palmas green enchilada sauce 

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion 

1 cup diced bell pepper

1 cup diced zucchini 

~3 large chicken breasts, shredded 

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

4 oz can green chiles

6 oz cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 cup green salsa 

10 large flour tortillas

2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar or other

Instructions 

Cook chicken in crockpot with green enchilada sauce until cooked. Remove chicken from sauce and shred. Put some amount of enchilada sauce into the separated shredded chicken to moisten it, but not enough to make it watery. 

Chop vegetables and sautéed in olive oil until soft. Remove from heat.  

Preheat oven to 350F.

Add cream cheese and beans to the sautéed vegetables and mix well until the cream cheese melts. Add in chicken, salsa, and spices; mix well. Add 1 cup of cheese and mix well. 

Moisten paper towels and cover the tortillas. Microwave for 30 seconds, flip over and microwave for an additional 15 to 30 seconds until Tortillas and soft and pliable (to prevent breaking during assembly). 

Put 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into a 13x9x2 pan. 

Assemble enchiladas by putting a heaping 1/3 cup of chicken mixture (or more) in the center seam of a fold tortilla and roll. Place the roll seam side down in the pan. Repeat until pan is full. 

Pour remaining enchilada sauce over all of the rolled enchiladas so that all rolls are covered by sauce. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese over the top. 

Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes.  At ten minutes, uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove and serve hot.  All cheese should be melted. 

Hot Mama Grade:

Hot Mama Notes: My vegetables were prechopped and frozen, so they were ready to go. 

I created this enchilada recipe because I wanted more vegetables, not only meat and cheese. I have also successfully used sour cream in the past, but decided to try the cream cheese since I had it, and I want to see if it is creamier. 

Other reference recipes, listed:

https://eatthegains.com/red-chicken-enchiladas/#recipe

ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce *
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion (120 grams)
• 1 1/2 cups diced bell pepper (180 grams/about 1 medium-large)
• 1 cup diced zucchini (100 grams)
• 3 cups shredded chicken (340 grams/about 1 pound raw & then cooked)*
• 1/2 heaping cup greek yogurt (5 ounces – I used 0% fat)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 10 corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheese (2.5 ounces – I used a mix of cheddar and Monterey jack)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• optional toppings: cilantro, avocado, jalapenos, greek yogurt/sour cream…

instructions

Make enchilada sauce. If needed, make homemade enchilada sauce. You can also use your favorite store-bought kind.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour 3 tablespoons of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish, spreading out the sauce evenly.

Make veggie and chicken mixture. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil, and let it get hot. Add onion and some salt and pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened. Then add your peppers and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Finally, add your zucchini and saute for 3-4 more minutes. Turn off the heat and add your shredded chicken, greek yogurt, 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, chili powder, dried oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Warm your tortillas. Take a dishcloth or a few paper towels and dampen them with water. Wrap around the tortillas to fully cover them. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds, flip, and then another 15-20 seconds until warm. Your tortillas need to be warmed through and pliable when rolling as you don't want them to break.

Roll enchiladas. Take 1/3 heaping cup of the chicken and veggie mixture and place it on one side of your warmed tortilla. Carefully roll, trying to make sure the filling stays inside. Place seam-side down in your baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Pour the remaining sauce over top the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and let them bake for a final 5 minutes.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Originally from: https://alexandracooks.com/2020/12/17/chocolate-sugar-cookies/

Ingredients 

2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (43 g) cocoa powder, see notes above

1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda

1/2 to 1 teaspoon (3 – 6 g) sea salt, see notes above (I use 6 g)

16 tablespoons (226 g) softened butter

1.5 cups (300 g) dark brown sugar

1 egg (50 g)

1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract

granulated sugar for rolling, 1/4 to 1/2 cup (50 to 100 g) 

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350ºF.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients. Set aside.

Put the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the mixer once or twice, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Turn off the mixer, add the egg and vanilla, and beat until the egg is thoroughly incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until no flour is visible, stopping to scrape down the mixer once during the process.

Pour the granulated sugar into a small bowl. Portion out the dough using a 2-tablespoon scoop or measure or a scale — each portion should weigh 50 grams. You should have about 16 to 18 balls total. Roll each portion between your hands to form a ball; then roll in the sugar — coat each ball as generously as you are able to in the sugar. Transfer 6 balls to the prepared sheet. Bake for 12 minutes; remove from heat and allow cookies to cool completely on the sheet pan. Repeat this process, baking 6 cookies at a time.

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. 

blackberry peach cobbler

Hot Mama Grade: B-

Hot Mama Notes: This recipe came highly recommended so I was really looking forward to eating it, but it wasn't that good. The peaches by themselves were better. It is also a very expensive recipe having to buy all the fresh fruit. I would rather eat the fresh fruit by itself. The dump cake recipe works better. This really tastes like cake mix. I would not make it again.

Tater Tot Casserole

From my sister

Hot Mama Grade: A 

Hot Mama Notes: Not sure if I have this recipe in my blog so I decided to add it. This one is a winner that we have made for years. For many years I made it with ground turkey, but now I am back to beef. But any ground meat is good (except sausage which is too overpowering). I also double the recipe. I never use cream if mushroom. I usually use cream of celery or sometimes cream of asparagus. I don't use as much cheese as directed, either, as it is it necessary. Such a great recipe. The kids love it!