Jessica over at Good (Cheap) Eats has started a new weekly link up called What’s On Your Plate where bloggers and even non-bloggers can share a recent meal.

I love the idea of this because I think you can learn a lot about a person from what they eat.

When I was a teacher I used to love to ask my students what they had for dinner. I was always surprised when they couldn’t remember. I don’t know about you, but I love food and cannot fathom not remembering what I ate the night before.

Last night we had one of my husband’s favorite meals, Shoyu Chicken.

Shoyu chicken is a Hawaiian recipe, shoyu being the Hawaiian word for soy sauce.

He was an Army brat and the last place his family was stationed before SC was Hawaii.

Shoyu chicken is made by mixing a sauce from 1 cup each of soy sauce, brown sugar, and ketchup along with 1/2 cup water and a tbsp of garlic powder.

You put chicken thighs in this mixture and boil until it is tender and then bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.

I always serve Shoyu Chicken with rice, steamed broccoli, and pineapple rings…Yumm!!

What did you have for dinner last night?

I would love to hear in the comments!

Post linked to: What’s On Your Plate over at Good (Cheap) Eats to see what others are eating.

My husband and I had our honeymoon at a State Resort Park in Kentucky.

If you’re ever looking for a great relaxing vacation spot, I highly recommend the state resort parks of Kentucky.

Anyway, it was during our honeymoon that I was introduced to Kentucky Derby Pie and I was instantly hooked!

In fact, I blame gaining about ten pounds during my honeymoon on that rich dessert. We at it every night after dinner, warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

I then found a recipe online and began to make this pie every year for Derby Day. We would have an assortment of foods to enjoy throughout the day as we watched the race on television.

And then we moved to Germany and my oven just did not make pies there. I think the altitude really did some wonky things with my pies and it became very discouraging.

So, this year I had one goal in mind for May 1, and that was to make pie for Derby Day!

But, of course, I couldn’t find the old recipe that I had used for years.

In searching for the perfect recipe, I think I happened on just that…the perfect recipe for the pie we enjoyed on our honeymoon almost ten years ago.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup pecan halves/pieces
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Mix ingredients in order given.

Pour into an unbaked 9″ pie crust.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This pie is super easy to make and believe me, your taste buds will thank you for it. You hips may not, but your taste buds will for sure!

Post linked to: Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

During our blizzard on Saturday, I decided that we all needed something fun to do together.

I’ve heard of people making a special snowy day treat out of snow before and that sounded like just the thing for us.

So, I went in search of a recipe for Snow Ice Cream…and I found that included ingredients that I had on hand!!

When MC got up from quiet time, I told her that we were going to make ice cream out of snow.

I expected her to be excited about it, but instead she just looked very unsure of my bright idea.

She was excited about helping out in the kitchen, though.

To make snow ice cream, you need 1 gallon of fresh snow, 1 cup of white sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, and approximately 2 cups of milk.

All we had to do was stir sugar and vanilla into the snow and then stir in enough milk to get to the right consistency.

And, of course, enjoy!

Linked to: Try and Tell at Mom Tried It and Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family

I mentioned in my menu plan Monday post that I am compiling a list of our favorite recipes to use in a regular menu rotation.

I thought it would be fun to share those favorite recipes with you as I have them.

Tonight we had Mexican Chicken. The recipe comes from an Old Country Store cookbook that I got from Cracker Barrel several years ago.

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

2 cans Cream of Chicken soup

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 c. chopped bell peppers

1 c. chopped onion

1/2 T. garlic powder

1/2 T. chili powder

1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 large bag regular flavor Doritos

Directions:

1. Chop Bell pepper and Onion

2. Boil chicken. Cut into small pieces.

3. Mix together soup, Rotel, bell peppers, onion, garlic, chili powder, and 1/2 c. cheese.

4. Spray a large pyrex pan (9 X 13) with cooking spray.

5. Line bottom of pan with 1/2 of crushed Doritos.

6. Place chicken pieces on top.

7. Pour in mixed ingredients.

8. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

9. Pour remaining Doritos and cheese over top and return to oven until cheese melts.

And here’s a tip…when crushing Doritos (or any bag of chips when using in a recipe), cut the corner off to release air for easier crushing!

I serve it topped with sour cream and it is so good!! Just be careful to buy mild Rotel if you’re serving to small children. The first time I made this, EA and MC were two years old and I made the mistake of buying hot Rotel and accidentally added too much chili powder…poor girls!

Making a list of reliable recipes to have on hand and adding this easy Mexican Chicken recipe to it really works for me!

Visit Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family for more tips and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for more tasty recipes!

Last week the kids and I made our own caramel apples using Kraft Caramels. I bought the caramels during our regular commissary trip on a whim.

It was a fun activity for the kids that tasted great, too!!

All it takes to do this is 5 apples that are washed and dried, 1 bag of Kraft Caramels, and 2 Tbsp. of water. We also coated the bottom of our apples in sprinkles.

I was sure that we had Halloween sprinkles around here, but of course I couldn’t find them, so I guess we don’t. We used stars and dinosaur sprinkles instead.

First we instered the popsicle sticks that were included in the bag of caramels into the apples. This was much easier than I thought it would be. After I showed EA and MC how to do it, they were able to do this step all on their own!

The caramels were melted with water in a medium saucepan. You could also melt them in a microwaveable bowl with just 1 Tbsp. of water.

Then comes the fun part!

We dipped the apples in caramel. I let each of the children, even Will, take turns with this.

Then we scraped the bottoms and dipped them in the sprinkles.

They were placed on wax paper coated with cooking spray on a cookie sheet and refrigerated until we were ready to eat them.

And eat them we did!!! Yumm!

This post is being linked to Tackle It Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom, Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace. Stop by all of these sites for great tackles and delicious recipes!

Monday - Cheeseburger Macaroni, Salad, Corn, Rolls

Tuesday - Crock Pot BBQ Pork Chops, Vegetable, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls

Wednesday - Chicken and Sausage Pileaux (recipe below), Green Beans, Macaroni and Cheese

Thursday - leftovers

Friday - Ham & Cheddar Cheese Loaf, Baked Fries, Salad

Saturday - open

Sunday - Brunch

Chicken and Sausage pileaux is a “specialty” of the lowcountry of South Carolina where I grew up. We probably had it on a weekly basis. I don’t have it that much now, but it reminds me of home whenever I cook it.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs. chicken thighs or whole cut-up chicken
Smoked Sausage, cut up into wheels
Onion, diced (I add this, my dad hates them, so it wasn’t in the original)
2 cups rice
Salt and Pepper

Boil the chicken and allow it to cool. Pull the beat off the bone, if using bone-in chicken.

Reserve the broth. You will need 4 1/4 c. liquid. You can use it all from the broth for a greasier pileaux, or dilute with water.

Whil ethe chicken is cooling, saute the onion in olive oil.

Put broth/water in large dutch oven. Add the chicken, onion, and sausage to the pot. Bring to a boil.

Add the rice. Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and cover.

Cook on low setting for 45 minutes to an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This makes a ton…usually enough for at least two days.

Visit Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie for more menu planning ideas!

On Tuesday night I made my favorite recipe for chili. Of course, it’s a crock pot recipe (how else is good chili made??) so it made quite a bit. I was planning to have leftovers saved so that we would enjoy it all over again on Wednesday night.

Well, I must have underestimated either the size of my family or the goodness of this chili because there wasn’t enough for family leftovers. This perplexed me for a while and I just could not figure out what to have for dinner. I tend to get a little disoriented when my plans don’t work out. I thought we could have some for lunch and make something totally new for dinner, but I wasn’t happy with that. I really wanted chili again for dinner.

As I was on the way out the door for the commissary it dawned on me….not quite enough chili leftovers would make perfect chili dogs!! HELLO??? Why did it take me so long to figure out that obvious solution??

We usually don’t have chili dogs because I’m not a huge fan of canned chili and I never remember to buy or have extra ground beef on hand to make my own chili. Last night’s dinner was a hit, especially with my husband! I think I’ll plan on chili dogs the day after a good pot of chili from now on.

Here’s the recipe for the chili that started it all:

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef (or chuck)
2 (16 oz) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 medium onions, chopped
green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2-3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cumin
salt as desired

Brown ground beef and drain fat.

Mix the ground beef and the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot.

Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

Enjoy! And then have chili dogs the next day!

Visit Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom to see other great beef recipes this week!

I tend to associate certain foods, especially fruits, with seasons. The fruits that I look forward to having in Fall are apples (early fall), pumpkin for the entire season, and pecans (for late fall). I also prefer using fresh fruits in my baking and cooking, but it’s not always possible when I decide to make a recipe for a last minute dessert. I know, I should just plan better and not have “last minute” desserts. But, sometimes the sweet tooth calls and I have to answer!

For those times, I like to keep a couple of cans of fruit around.

On Tuesday night, we had a couple over for dinner that Keith was doing pre-marital counseling with. We had a great time. I had a homecooked dinner planned for them of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, sauted green beans, and rolls. I hadn’t planned on a dessert because it was such a busy day I didn’t think there would be time.

But Tuesday afternoon I decided to go ahead and put a dessert together for them. I hate not to serve dessert to dinner guests.

So, I turned to a favorite recipe for apple crisp using canned applie pie filling that I had on hand. It is a lot like a fruit cobbler.

Here’s the recipe. Unfortunately it was eaten so quickly that I didn’t get a picture for you…sorry. But, it browned up very nicely and was a delicious fall dessert.

Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 cans apple pie filling
cinnamon

Put 2 cans of apple pie filling in bottom of pyrex dish.

Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Add 1 unbeaten egg to mix and mix gently with a fork to make it crumbly. Sprinkle over the apples.

Pour a stick of melted butter over mix and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes until brown.

We also topped it with vanilla ice cream….Yum!

This Fall recipe is being shared with the Fall Favorite Foods edition of the Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom, which is a part of this week’s Fall Festival. If you haven’t already, check out the great gatherings of autumn inspiration:

* How do you Feather your Nest for Fall?
* What does your family do for fun during Fall?
* Share a special Fall tradition.

Each hostess is offering a great giveaway in conjunction with her theme. And you can participate at any time during the week!

So, what’s your favorite fall food? You can share it through the comment section or by leaving the link to your post on Life as Mom. Everyone who participates will be eligible for a random drawing of The Autumn Book by Susan Branch. Enter prior to 8 pm PST, Sunday night.