September Recap

Really, October 1st is tomorrow?! Wow.  This month flew by. 

{Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteaks… yum!}

One blog-related highlight for me, has been seeing a wonderful {and growing!} community participating in Friday Favorite Finds.  If you haven’t checked it out – go here to see yummy recipes people found all over the blogworld this week.

I love this linky for two reasons: (1) It helps me find great recipes that I missed during the week, and (2) It spreads link love to fellow bloggers by sharing their yummy recipes more widely. 

During September, I shared a few of our fall favorite recipes … pumpkin, apple, maple – some of my favorite flavors.

Here are my top 5 refers this for September {THANK YOU!}:

Organizing Junkie
Tammy’s recipes
Life as a Mom
Eat at Home
Amy’s Finer Things

And, my top 5 most viewed recipes from September:

Apple Pockets

Spiced Country Applesauce

Apple Honey Tea

Crockpot Ziti

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

My favorite recipe I shared during September was our family favorite – Apple Pie!  This recipe is very special to me because it is passed down from both sides of my family.  Every slice reminds me of my grandmas.  Just as every bite of this Stanley Scramble reminds me of my grandfather. 

I’m looking forward to October – more yummy fall foods, and a fun series coming your way all about learning to and starting to cook from scratch! 

Thanks for reading along. 

Friday Favorite Finds #78

Happy Friday, Friends!  Can you believe it’s another Friday?  Days are moving so quickly, it seems – do you feel that way too? 

If you are new around here, Fridays we share all the delicious, drool-inducing, recipes we have found throughout the week that made our “to try” lists.
Hence the name, Friday Favorite Finds! 

I’ll show you mine below (all linked through Pinterest – are you there?),
and then you can link your finds up below!

A few yummy finds from this week include:

Italian Grilled Sandwiches
{It may be fall… but we are not done grilling yet!}

 

 

 

Source: pocketchangegourmet.com via FindingJoyInMyKitchen on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oatmeal Pumpkin Smoothie
{Two of my favorites in one glass. oh, my}

 

 

 

 

Source: skinnytaste.com via FindingJoyInMyKitchen on Pinterest

Pumpkin Monkey Bread
{yes please!  a monkey bread made with a veggie & w/o a pudding mix has to get some healthy points, right?}

Source: sugarcrafter.net via FindingJoyInMyKitchen on Pinterest

Apple Cider Baked Doughnuts
{Loving these}

 

 

 

 

Source: lemondropsfoodie.blogspot.com via FindingJoyInMyKitchen on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crispy Potato Bake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{This just looks like fun}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: lynnskitchenadventures.com via FindingJoyInMyKitchen on Pinterest

 
If you were featured, feel free to grab the button below!

Can’t wait to see your finds from this week – link up your post of the recipes you found this week.  Please link up to a post containing your list of recipes to try -- do not link up individual recipes please, save those for other linkys.  Be sure to leave a link back here to Finding Joy in My Kitchen.

Zucchini Waffles

Yep. Another zucchini recipe.  I wish I could promise this will be the last one, but I can’t.  We’re still eating zucchini and loving it. 

And, these waffles were wonderful.  I got tired of waiting for my waffle maker after a while and ended up making the remaining batter into pancakes – and they were quite delicious too. 

Zucchini Waffles – Adapted from Life as a Mom & Perfect Pantry

Ingredients

• 2 C white whole wheat flour
• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 1/8 C sugar
• 1 1/2 T baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 1/2 C buttermilk
• ~1/2 C milk 
• 1 T olive oil 
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup shredded zucchini

In a large bowl, mix together the 2 C white whole wheat flour, 1 C whole wheat flour, 1/8 C sugar, 1 1/2 T baking powder, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. cinnamon. 

Grate ~1 C of zucchini, and set aside until later. 

In a second bowl, combine the 2 1/2 C buttermilk, 1/2 C milk, 2 eggs, and 1 T olive oil.  Stir well. 

Add in the shredded zucchini to the liquid ingredients.  Stir until incorporated. 

Combine the buttermilk mixture with the blended flour and spice mix. 

Mix until a batter has been formed.  If it appears too thick, add additional milk or buttermilk until your desired thickness is reached.  The consistency of the batter will vary based on the grind of your whole wheat flours. 

Spray your waffle maker with a cooking spray.  Then, ladle in the recommended amount of batter for your waffle maker.  Cook according to directions.   

If your waffle maker has a “whole wheat” setting, or gives you the option of turning down the temperature, I recommend using that setting.  Cooking waffles made with a high percentage of whole wheat achieves better results when cooked slower at a lower temperature for a longer time. 

Serve warm with maple syrup, or with apple topping. 

Linked to: Full Plate Thursday, Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, These Chicks Cooked, PinterTest Kitchen

Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteaks

Frog Prince and I don’t eat a whole lot of red meat.  But, we do love a good Philly Cheesesteak sandwich every once and a while.  This time, I tried our go-to recipe using chicken and we loved the result. 

Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches – Adapted from Crockpot Lady

Ingredients

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken tenders (or chop chicken breasts into small strips)
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 1 C beef broth
• 1/8 C soy sauce
• 1 T minced garlic
• salt & pepper, as desired
• 4-6 hoagie buns {we love Italian Herb Rolls}
• 4-6 slices of Provolone or another type of cheese

Directions

Begin by placing the boneless, skinless chicken tenders into the bottom of the crockpot.

Layer on top of that the sliced onion, and sliced bell peppers. 

Add in the minced garlic. 

Drizzle the soy sauce and beef broth over the meat & veggies. 

Season with salt & pepper, as needed.  I often just use pepper here. 

Cover, and cook on low for ~8 hours until the chicken reaches 160 degrees.

Slice the hoagie buns in half & turn your oven or toaster oven to broil.

Place cheese slices on half of the hoagie bun. 

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken tenders (about 1/sandwich) to the bun, along with the pepper and onion mix. 

Toast under the broiler for ~1 minute, watching carefully to make sure your sandwiches don’t burn.  Just toast long enough to get the cheese all melty. 

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Linked to: What’s on Your Plate? Cast Party Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked

Apple Cinnamon Rice Krispie Treats

Over the weekend, I needed a quick dessert.  I had all the ingredients to make rice krispie treats, but desired to make something with a fall flavor. 

These went together in a pinch and we enjoyed them a great deal.  That’s the polite way of saying half the pan was gone within an hour! 

Try them … they are a great and simple fall recipe. 

Apple Cinnamon Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients

• 3 T butter
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 bag mini marshmallows
• 6 C brown rice krispies
• 1/2 C dried apples, finely chopped

Prepare a 9x13 glass baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. 

Begin by melting the 3 T butter in a large sauce pan.

Stir in the spices.  Feel free to add more/less to taste. 

Add in the marshmallows, reduce heat to med-low and stir until they are melted. 

Stir in the dried apple pieces. 

Carefully, and quickly, spread the rice krispie marshmallow goodness into the greased 9x13 baking dish.  If needed, spray your spatula with olive oil spray to help wrangle those sticky krispies into their place. 

Allow the rice krispie treats to cool to room temperature before diving in.

If you don’t devour them immediately, cover and store on the counter for about a week. 

But, they won’t last that long!

Linked to: tasty tuesday, totally tasty tuesday, tasty tuesday 2. tempt my tummy tuesday, recipe sharing monday, URS

Kitchen Tip: Covering dishes in the oven

One of our favorite ways to reduce our use of consumable goods is by skipping the tin foil when we cover our oven dishes. 

Not only is is better for the environment, it’s much less fuss than pulling out the box, wrapping the dish and getting it to sit on the pan just right. 

Placing a cookie sheet over the baking pan is so simple and easy to do, and I love that.  Saving me a few seconds and less hassle in the kitchen is a plus.  

Do you do this too? 

Linked to: Kitchen Tip Tuesday

Menu Plan–Sept. 25

Our menu plan went pretty well last week – we enjoyed:
{Click on any photo to see that recipe; you can see the recipe title, by rolling your mouse over the photos}

This week, we’re taking advantage of garden produce (zucchini, tomatoes, peppers) and warmer weather to enjoy some of our favorites!

Sunday
Zucchini Waffles {new}
Roasted Garden Veggie Lasagna, Olive Garden Bread Sticks
Crustless Apple Pie with Ice Cream
{Make Wheat Buttermilk Bread for sandwiches}

Monday
Pumpkin Muffins
Grilled Balsamic Garlic Chicken {new}, wild rice, zucchini & pepper salad {new}

Tuesday
Granola with applesauce
Italian Sausage Spinach Penne, leftover bread sticks
{make dessert for Bible study}

Wednesday
Granola with applesauce
Leftovers
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies {new}

Thursday {Crockpot}
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread
Crockpot Chicken Spinach Soup, No-Knead Focaccia Bread

Friday
Leftover bread and/or muffins
Baked Vegetable Sandwiches, oven fries

Saturday
Garden Veggie Quiche
Grilled Pizza!

Snacks
Applesauce
Apple Chips
Zucchini Chips
Popcorn
Yogurt

Find more great menus at OrgJunkie’s Menu Plan Monday!