Jolene's Recipe Journal

My husband is very picky about his steak and my son has sensory issues coupled with a bad steak experience from a few years ago, so I searched through Pinterest and assessed my possibilities.  I've gotten my kid to eat chicken, pork and eggplant all by breading and baking/frying, so I mulled over the idea of country fried steak, but I am terrible at making gravy.   My friend Sue suggested steak fingers, and a quick google found me these on Allrecipes.

These were on the menu for Superbowl, but I ended up having so much other food I scrapped them.   My son and I threw them together last night and we really enjoyed them.  I only did a few hot dogs worth, and the rest as plain muffins.    

We're big football fans, but we're also big fans of football food. Sometimes I go with a theme, sometimes it's picnic style (my son's favorite), but always I have the same game plan-  make a lot of food that's good at room temp or easily reheatable so that I can sit and watch the game!      :) This week I stuck with some old favorites, pulled pork in the slowcooker (pork roast and bottle of Jack Daniels BBQ sauce on low 8 hours, shred, serve on rolls),  nachos (chips and cheese set up on plates so that plus cheese, crackers and fruit. I decided to treat myself to a few spicy dishes since there was plenty of options for the guys to eat.    Combed my to-try files and the first to go on the menu was Sweet and Spicy Jalapeno Poppers from Country Woman.    The chicken and bacon poppers use a mixture of brown sugar and Penzey's BBQ3000 spice mix, so I simply doubled it and dipped the jalapeno poppers first. I had to bake mine lon...

I was a little skeptical when I saw this recipe...  take a jelly sandwich, add deli meat and cheese and then dip and fry it up like french toast.   Oh-kay.    We're pretty much snowed in today and the guys wanted pork chops so I figured it was a good day to experiment with my own meal.    I didn't have raspberry jam, I used strawberry.   Not a huge Swiss cheese fan, so I used shredded mozzarella.    Next time I'd have some sliced on hand, would make it easier to flip the sandwich in the egg coating.      The flavors all meld together into something totally delicious.    Give it a try! Monte Cristo Sandwiches Print With Image Without Image Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal Ingredients 4 servings 1 large egg 3 large egg whites 1/4 cup low-fat milk 1 pinch ground nutmeg 8 teaspoons raspberry jam 8 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread 4 thin slices roasted deli turkey -- (about 4 ounces) 4 thin slices deli ham -- (about 4 ou...

Enjoy a warm bowl of  our Lemon Chicken Rice Soup! It's made with chunks of chicken, fresh carrots, rice and a lemony broth with pepper and parsley.

We gave up traveling for Thanksgiving the year I was pregnant with Jake, Tim prefers Stovetop stuffing, jarred gravy and canned cranberry sauce, so basically I can go all out for desserts.    I let them each pick (Tiramisu for Tim and pumpkin pie for Jake, reviews to follow) and I wanted chocolate pie.  

I have a million potato recipes. We like them all kinds of ways. I've done potatoes on the grill before, but always in a packet or a grill pan.  I saw this recipe on TOH while poking around one day and put it straight on the to-try list.    

  Starting the week off with a winner!   I saw Carol's review of this and was so excited to give it a try.    I used her changes for the baking powder/soda and omitted the nuts.    Keeping in mind my veggiephobes, I peeled the zucchini before I shredded it and it all but disappears in the finished bread.   I also cheated and tossed the cherries into the food processor and gave it a few pulses.     Lastly, I sprinkled the top with coarse sugar, Tim really likes the crunch it gives baked goods and so do I.  Couldn't locate my 8x4 pans, so had to use 9x5s.   It made 2 nice loaves.  Jake and Tim have already eaten half a loaf!  Thank you, Carol and thanks to Susie Ann! Cherry Vanilla Zucchini Bread Print With Image Without Image Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal Ingredients 2 eggs 1 c. canola or vegetable oil 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 c. grated zucchini 1/2...

Mom made us tons of popsicles growing up.   She poured juice into paper cups, stuck them in the freezer and then stuck sticks in them and let them freeze completely.  We thought she was a magician!  Now there are all kinds of popsicle molds, and I've owned several of them.    Puttering around amazon.com I ran across these molds by Tavolo, and I didn't hesitate, into my cart they went. I love that each pop can be removed from the tray and unmolded.  I love the base acts as a spill catcher.   I love the the size, they are going to be great for layered pops.     I got the molds last week and was searching for the perfect recipe to give it a try.   We went blueberry picking over the weekend and these sounded fantastic so Jake and I threw them together.    We only did the blueberry ones, but this would be great with any summer berry, watermelon, even cherry limeade.  ...

Zucchini bread can be so much more than just a sweet treat! This delicious savory Parmesan version is fantastic whether you enjoy it toasted or just as it is. It makes for a perfect snack or a tasty side dish that everyone will love! Another winner here.   Since I've got one confirmed veggiephobe and one recently reformed veggiephobe, I decided to go with summer squash instead of zucchini on this one, going with the "camo" factor.    I used granulated onion instead of grated.  

Had scheduled this Pizza Cake for April Fool's day after seeing it on the Taste of Home website but never got around to it.   Decided since today was the last day of April vacation, it would be a fun thing for Jake and I to do together.   Instead of round pans we baked it in a 13x9 according to the cake mix package directions. He spread the "sauce" out using an offset spatula. Next came the white chocolate "cheese".    Then the fruit roll up "pepperoni" rounds.   Jake said it needed "herbs" so we sprinkled the top with 2 kinds of green sprinkles at the end.    He was very pleased with how it came out and couldn't wait to fool Daddy with his creation! Pizza Cake Print With Image Without Image Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal Ingredients 18 ounce package yellow cake mix and ingredients to make cake 1 cup vanilla frosting Red liquid or paste food coloring 3 ounces white baking chocolate -- grated 2 strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups Green spri...

The last time I made Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes was when my son was finishing up 1st grade. He's all grown up but now I have a niece who loves to come visit and bake so I pulled this recipe out to make with her.  You can try and stand the cones up in a muffin tin, fill them and then carefully move them to the oven without tipping them all over or you can do what we did- I covered a 13x9 pan with foil and then cut out little Xs and had her gently place the cones into them. If you like making cake from scratch go ahead and do it, but we used a Devil's Food cake mix (15.25 oz) and made it according to the directions on the box. We did throw in a handful of mini chocolate chips because why not?   Rather than trying to pour or spoon the batter in I gave her a cookie scoop.  So much easier! Be careful not to overfill or they will overflow and look messy. They baked in about 15 minutes and then we let them cool completely. For the "ice cream" we placed canned vanilla frosting...

These delightful classic waffles are super simple to whip up! They’re wonderfully crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. They’re perfect topped with a pat of butter and drizzled with syrup, or you can enjoy them with your favorite seasonal fruit! Ok, the first step is admitting I have a problem.  Here goes! I, Jolene Martinelli, am addicted to waffles.   After years of frozen Eggos, and disappointingly flat icky homemade ones, I have finally found a waffle maker that churns out restaurant style and quality waffles.   I love my new waffle iron.  

I've been making this one since 2/2010, originally posted 9/2013.  Post has been updated with new text and photos.  Green beans are one of the few veggies my guys will eat without complaint so that means we eat them a lot. This is recipe from Taste of Home is one of our favorite ways to have them.  I love that it uses ingredients that I always have on hand. Since neither of them like heat, I hold the crushed red pepper flakes and add them to my portion.  My son tops his off with a little drizzle of honey.  It's such a simple dish that really lets the freshness of the beans shine through.  I've also made them with steam in bag frozen green beans when I can't get fresh ones, and it's still very good. Thank you so much to Gail O. for sharing her recipe!   Do you have an amazing recipe you'd like to submit to Taste of Home? Follow this link and learn how! Want to apply to be a Community Cook?  Check out the requirements and apply here. Lemo...