Coleslaw

Yesterday I made coleslaw dressing.  It's way better the next day after the flavors have melded together.  Just as good, if not better, than store bought!  However, you can be like me and just buy a bag of coleslaw at the supermarket.

1/2 head coleslaw, coarsely shredded
1/2 green pepper, diced (optional)
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely shredded
1/2 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise, fat free
1/2 tsp mustard
1 tsp honey or sugar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp celery seed, optional
2 T milk

For colesaw: combine vegetables in a serving bowl.  For dressing: mix mayonnaise, mustard, honey, vinegar, salt, celery seed and milk together.  If too think, thin with more milk.  Add dressing to salad and toss well.

Source: Merrill, Jane P. and Karen M. Sunderland.  Set for Life.  "Creamy Coleslaw".  Salt Lake City, UT: Sunrise Publishers, 1995. 139.

Pumpkin "Poppers"

I didn't make these as poppers.  I made them more like "muffin tops" as I don't have a mini muffin tin.  I also had to adapt the spices, but it turned out just fine and very autumn-y. 

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon [I used 1 tsp]
1/2 tsp nutmeg [I used 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice]
1/2 tsp allspice [added 1/8 tsp ginger]
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk

For topping: 1 stick unsalted butter, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 T cinnamon

Grease muffin tin and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.  In a separate bowl, mix together oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk.  Slowly add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture until incorporated.  Fill muffin tins with batter (almost full with a mini muffin tin and 1/2 full with a normal muffin tin.)  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until baked through.  [I needed to add five minutes with my full sized muffin tin.]  Cool on a wire rack.  Once cool, you can dip the poppers melted butter and the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Source: "Tasty Tuesday: Pumpkin Poppers". Just the Little Things. 24. Oct 2011.

Chicken, Spinach, Egg Noodle Casserole

After a seven week hiatus from trying new recipes, I finally made something new to post.  I was very worried that the sauce wouldn't thicken up, and it really didn't get that thick, so I wonder if my roux (butter and flour) didn't thicken enough.  I added more flavorings to the sauce: Italian seasoning, black pepper, parsley and no-salt seasoning (with onion and garlic being the top two seasonings.)  I also added more spinach, less pasta and no breadcrumbs.  It reminded me of fettuccine Alfredo.

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (4 T for roux, 2 T for breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream
12 oz. egg noodles [I used 8 oz, measured on a scale]
5 oz. chopped baby spinach [I used 2 cups chopped spinach]
2 cups cooked cubed chicken or rotisserie chicken
4 slices sandwich bread
salt and black pepper
[Italian seasoning]
[Parsley]
[garlic/onion seasoning]

Boil water and cook egg noodles according to directions.  For sauce, melt 4 T. butter in a medium sauce pan until melted, whisk in flour until bubbly and thick (not brown.)  Slowly add the milk, let simmer and whisk until thickened.  Remove from heat, add the seasonings to taste and stir in the sour cream.  Mix the chopped spinach and chopped chicken into the sauce.  Combine with the drained noodles and pour into a 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle on bread crumbs (made from the 4 slices sandwich bread and 2 T butter.)  Add additional butter on top.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and the sauce is bubbly.  Cool for five minutes before serving.  [I covered the casserole with foil and let it bake for 20 minutes; however, I wonder if I needed to cover it at all even without breadcrumbs.]

Source: Real Simple Recipes.  "Chicken, Spinach, and Noodle Casserole".  27. March 2012.