Two-Ingredient Cake and Tortellini Pasta Salad

     Whenever I'm invited over to someone's house for dinner, I like to bring something.  Nothing crazy but something to participate in the meal.  Every year for Thanksgiving, we go to Tory's grandma's house.  This year I brought my Super Saltines (look under "in the kitchen" for the recipe!), pasta salad, and pumpkin cake.  I really tried to make some healthier options to offset all of the other extra delicious and fattening foods.  Let's just say I got an "A" in my attempt to be healthy this holiday effort :).  These recipes are great for everyday meals as well.

Two-Ingredient Cakes
Ingredients:
Spice Cake mix
Can of pumpkin puree

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the two ingredients together using a hand mixer.  The batter will be very thick!  Spread into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.  To check, I stick a knife in the center.  If it pulls out clean and with no problem, it's done!  Let the cake cool before transferring or cutting.  You could make an icing or simply flurry with powdered sugar.  I left mine plain and they were still excellent!

I have also made a blueberry cake with the "two-ingredient trick."  Mix Angel Food cake mix and a can of blueberry pie filling.  I did the same oven temperature and baking time.  Very delicious!  I want to try some other combinations.  This is a great alternative to sugary calorie-filled sweets.  It's also very easy!

Tortellini Pasta Salad (the original recipe is found at bettycrocker.com)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoons of canola or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, dried parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1/2 box of grape tomatoes, halved
1 9 oz. package of tortellini

Directions:
With this recipe, it's fun to play with the colors of your veggies and the filling of your pasta.  For today's pasta salad, I used a yellow pepper and chicken and prosciutto tortellini.  Any kind and color works the same.
First, cook the pasta according to the package directions.  While that's going, heat oil in a saute pan.  Cook peppers until tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir in zucchini, tomatoes, and seasonings.  Cook another 3-4 minutes, so that all vegetables are tender and warmed through.  Combine vegetables and pasta.  Viola!  Easy and tasty, every time :).

Super Saltines

     Everyone loves a good crunchy snack (or at least they should).  Whether it's sweet, savory, or salty, the best foods make a sound when you bite.  For "snacky" people like me, saltine crackers are on the bottom of that food list.  Although they have the desired crunch and saltiness, saltines are tasteless and dry otherwise.  But, at the same time, they're cheap, easy to find, and a much healthier option to chips and other fried snacks.  Here is a recipe to help satisfy the snack-lover in us all (and help cut down on the grease and fat).

Super Saltines

Ingredients: 

Two sleeves of unsalted saltine crackers

1/2 package of ranch seasoning

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  In a small bowl whisk together oil and seasonings.  In a large bowl (I use my large soup pot :) ), combine crackers and oil mixture.  With clean hands, gently stir so that each cracker gets some seasoning.  Spread crackers out on a cookie sheet (you may need two) in a single layer.  Bake for 15 minutes.  After 10 minutes, I check and shake the cookie sheet a little to make sure the crackers aren't burning.  Let these cool after baking, then move into an air tight container.  Enjoy!

     This recipe is great for variations and playing with different flavors (just like those weird chip flavors!).  You will always need the saltines and the oil, but everything can be substituted.  I have tried a chili powder, salt, and lime (juice and zest) version.  They were delicious and a perfect pair with Mexican chicken chili.  I'm thinking that a Montreal Steak seasoning would be excellent also.

Slow Cooker Chicken Salsa Tacos...updated 4/28/2014

     Everybody loves a simple crock pot meal!  Everybody also loves tacos (or they should!).  This recipe is so simple and can be updated and altered for a variety of different meals.  The concept is to cook chicken breast in the crock pot with whatever sauce and/or seasoning.  That's it!  Below is the chicken salsa taco recipe.  Like I said, you can substitute different sauces and flavors.

Chicken Salsa Tacos
Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 jar of salsa...I prefer Tostitos Mild
Taco sized tortillas
Taco toppings....sour cream, cheese, olives, corn, black beans, etc.  I usually just use whatever is in the pantry.

Directions:
Season chicken with taco seasoning.  Lay the breasts flat in your crock pot.  Pour salsa over the top.  Move chicken around so that the sauce gets around and under all of the meat.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Once cooking in finished, shred chicken and stir around in the salsa.  Fill a tortilla or simply serve over yellow rice.  Always yummy!

     I use the same cooking technique for barbecue chicken.  Substitute mesquite barbecue seasoning for the taco seasoning and your favorite barbecue sauce for the salsa.  Pile on a Hawaiian roll or hamburger bun.  Viola!

**BONUS** Make chicken taco bowls by propping flour tortillas onto the back side of a muffin tin.  Bake until golden brown and crispy.  This will take around 10-15 minutes.  So yummy and fun!!!

Reader's Response letters

   Since my school has had issues with overall reading gains, the "Million Word" campaign and monthly reading goals have been the focus of our work.  As primary teachers, we always push our students towards reading success.  In an effort to track and motivate my students to independently read, I tried out several reader's response templates.
     At first, I had a simple book log and reader's response journal.  In the response log, student completed one question or activity per book read.  Each one focused on a different strategy or reading skill (visualizing, summarizing, compare and contrast, etc. )  I actually found that this was not rigorous enough for my third graders.  Some of my more advanced readers could finish the whole packet in a week or two.  I've attached the journal document I created if you would like to see and/or tweak for your classroom!

Reader's Response Journal

     As I was talking with another teacher, she shared a response letter that she had used in the past.  It is amazing!  Students read independently (a book on their level).  When they have finished, they write a friendly letter to me or my co-teacher.  They have a list of suggested response topic to choose from.  I've attached this topic list below.  I'm not sure where she got these from or if she created them, but it works perfectly and allows students to choose what they want to share about their reading.

Suggested Response Topics

  I also created a rubric to post for my readers to follow.  This is attached.  If they earn at least 3/4 points, based on this rubric, students receive a sticker.  After five reading response stickers, my third graders win a Book It! pizza coupon!  Although this program/routine got a slow start, the reading has really picked up!  My students really like to write the letters and ask all day long if they can work on them.

Response Rubric

Baked Lemon Garlic Tilapia with Spinach and Tomato Rice

     In my pursuit to find simple, fairly cheap, and healthy week day dinners, I have found that my two favorite proteins are chicken and tilapia.  Both are easy to find in any grocery store and both are easy to cook.  Fish is not as versatile as chicken but with simple ingredients it is a great week night dinner option.  Here's an easy recipe I came up with a while ago to incorporate tilapia in our weekly recipe rotation.  We have this dinner once a week!

     I also included a spinach and tomato brown rice side dish.  This recipe came from a cleanse we did and I only had certain ("clean") ingredients to work with.  Surprisingly, this recipe was amazing and became a regular, eve outside the dreaded cleanse.  :)

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

Ingredients:

Tilapia fillets, about 4 oz each (I buy the individually wrapped frozen fillets and thaw during the day)

Unsalted sweet cream stick butter, 1/2 tablespoon per fillet

Minced garlic, one teaspoon per fillet (You can use garlic powder but the fresh is much better)

Lemon juice, to taste (I use the bottled lemon juice, I would say you need the juice of one whole lemon)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lay your tilapia fillets out on a greased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle your salt and pepper first.  Squeeze lemon juice to cover the top of your fillets.  Spread the garlic over the top of each fillet.  I use my finger to make sure the garlic covers all of the fish and not just in one spot.  Place your butter pad in the center of each fillet.  Bake for about 20 minutes.  The fish is done when it flakes.  To check, I take a fork and scrape.

Before the oven...

Spinach and Tomato Brown Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup baby spinach, chopped

1 cup or one whole large tomato, diced (I prefer beefsteak tomatoes...Cherry or grape tomatoes are really good too)

2 cups cooked whole grain brown rice (Cook according to package...I always use low sodium, fat free chicken broth as my cooking liquid but you could use water)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

     While your rice is still warm from cooking, mix everything together!  That's it :)  I usually add some hot sauce, but that's up to you!

Easy Homemade Tomato Soup and Pepperoni and Cheese Quesadillas

     With winter on its way, I've been looking for some great and easy soup recipes.  Soup is great for those bone-chilly nights when you don't want to move. Here's a recipe that I actually came up with last year.  It's very easy and always delicious!

Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
One 18 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
One 18 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 large onion, diced
One tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 box of chicken broth (I prefer reduced sodium)
Dried basil, to taste
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Olive oil and margarine (for softening onion and garlic)

Directions:
In a large soup pot, heat about a tablespoon each of oil and margarine.  Cook diced onion until softened and fragrant.  Add minced garlic for about one minute...be careful not to burn.  Add both cans of tomato and stir so that everything is mixed well.  Bring to a boil then add the broth.  Continue to stir and boil.  Add dried basil and crushed red pepper to taste.  I added 2 tablespoons of basil and 1 teaspoon of pepper.  Be careful because the red pepper can get very spicy.  You can leave this out if you don't like any heat at all.  Allow soup to simmer covered for about ten minutes.  Here's where I make the quesadillas (recipe follows)!

After soup has simmered, stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.  I use an immersion blender to smooth things out.  I don't do too much because I like my soup to have chunks of tomato, but it's your preference.  Taste here, then add salt and pepper.  Most times I don't actually add any salt because the cheeses and broth are enough.  Serve in a deep bowl and prepare for "hot soup belly!"

Pepperoni and Cheese Quesadillas
Ingredients: 
Whole wheat flour tortillas, taco size
1/2 cup of turkey pepperoni, sliced into strips
Italian blend shredded cheese (amount depends on how cheesy you want the quesadillas to be)
Dried oregano
Canola oil spray

Directions:
Preheat a sprayed skillet on medium high heat.  Sprinkle cheese, oregano, and pepperonis on one half of each tortilla.  Fold in half and press down.  Cook one quesadilla at a time on the skillet.  Flip after about one minute per side.  Allow to cool then cut into thirds for easy dipping!

Anniversary Special:Bacon-wrapped beef fillets and Macaroni and Cheese

     This year for our anniversary, Tory and I wanted to do something special but on a budget...and on a week night.  We, conveniently, had a home visit last week from a salesperson for Oceans 6 (http://www.oceans6.net/) and we bought a six pack of frozen filet mignon.  This was perfect!
      So I did some research on Food Network.  I found a recipe for bacon wrapped grilled filet.  I kept looking and found a recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese.  I've copied and pasted the original recipes and added my notes in italics. 
    It was so delicious! I love that we can cook together, watch a movie, and stay home in pajamas. It was perfect and I look forward to many more nights like this =)

Bacon Wrapped Filet...by Paula Dean

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) bottle zesty Italian salad dressing
2 beef tenderloin fillets, 1 1/2 -2 inches thick
2 slices bacon
2 tablespoons steak sauce (recommended: Lea and Perrins Steak Sauce)
2 teaspoons water
Directions
Pour the salad dressing into a shallow pan, place the steaks in the pan and let them marinate for 3 to 4 hours. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. Wrap a strip of bacon around each steak, securing it with a toothpick or kitchen twine. Grill the steaks over hot coals for about 8 minutes per side (5 minutes per side for rare). Baste with a mixture of steak sauce and water. For perfect steaks, turn them only once.  We have a small electric grill, so the time was a little longer.  It took about 12-15 minutes per side.  

Macaroni and Cheese...by Tyler Florence

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat pasta)
4 cups milk (I used fat free)
2 or 3 sprigs thyme
4 cloves garlic, smashed and divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar (I used mild cheddar)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Leaves from 1/4 bunch fresh thyme (I used dried thyme)
Directions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small saucepan heat the milk with the thyme sprigs and 2 garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps from forming. Strain the solids out of the milk and whisk it into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth. Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
While that bakes, heat a saute pan. Add the bacon, render the fat and cook until crispy. Add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, scatter the bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoking bacon mixture on each spoonful.

The complete meal!  Grilled filet, homemade mac and cheese, and baked sweet potato fries.