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Author: Mary | Just Take A Bite

Black Bean Burrito Bake

We tried a recipe from my SIL last night for black bean burrito bake. This was super easy to make and really good!!! We all liked it. Rebecca helped me make it (that’s how easy it is) and she kept picking things out of the bowl to eat as we went. She LOVES beans…but they don’t always love her 😛  She absolutely loved the filling. She had that plain for dinner with her tortilla on the side instead of together. The filling would work well as a dip. I followed my SIL’s advice and added some of the cheese and salsa to the filling. And also added some chili powder, salt and garlic powder. I didn’t add the chile. We like flavor, but not heat. This comes together really quickly and is a filling, healthy, meatless meal (it would be good with shredded chicken too). I didn’t bother with the food processor. I just mashed the beans with a fork, so I could do everything in one bowl…mash, pour, mix. So easy and hardly any clean up. I easily got 5 burritos out of this. And had some extra for Rebecca to eat plain. I didn’t quite add a full can of black beans. I did add a few pinto beans (Rebecca handles those better). A great recipe! I’m looking forward to having the leftovers for dinner tonight! I served it with sour cream, salsa and avocado. These are quite filling. One burrito was enough for me for a meal.

Black Bean Burrito Bake

1 (7oz.) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (I didn’t add this)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 (15oz.) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided (I used 1/2 can for mashing and 1/4 can + 1/4 can pinto beans whole)
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas (I used 5 and could have probably done 6; I used whole wheat) (use corn tortillas or other GF tortillas to make this GF)
Cooking spray
1 cup bottled salsa (I added about 3/4 cup to the filling…some homemade (mild) and some organic corn and black bean (medium) and then served more on the side)
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used some MJ and some reduced fat cheddar…I added some to the filling and some on top)
(I also added about 1 tsp. chili powder and a little sprinkle of garlic powder and salt)

Preheat oven to 350°. Remove one chile from can. Chop chile. Reserve remaining adobo sauce and chiles for another use. Combine sour cream and chile in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes. (I skipped this.)  Place half of beans in a food processor; process until finely chopped (I just mashed them with a fork). Add chopped beans, remaining beans, and corn to sour cream mixture (I added the whole beans, corn, salsa, cheese, seasoning and plain sour cream to the mashed beans…only used one bowl).

Spoon 1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread salsa over tortillas (I didn’t do this…gets a bit messy); sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated (I baked 20 min. covered and then about 10 min. uncovered).

Crockpot Cream of Tomato Soup

I’ve been wanting to make tomato soup for quite a while now. While searching for recipes I came across this one on Perfect Entertaining. It sounded simple and good. And it was! Justin and I both really liked it (and Justin has only had tomato soup once or twice in his life!). It went well with grilled cheese. I didn’t follow the directions completely. I didn’t saute the carrots and onions…they get plenty soft during cooking to puree them, so why waste the time? And I used canned tomatoes instead of fresh (a huge time saver…and much better quality tomatoes at this time of year). It still turned out great. This made a very big batch. I decided to remove some of the soup and put it in a sauce pan (enough for our dinner) and then add the cream to that. I froze the rest in smaller containers. Now I have 7 containers of homemade tomato soup on hand! No more boughten canned soup 🙂  I bet it would be good to can this, but I don’t have time right now. But maybe when I run out of my current stock I’ll try that. Overall a great recipe.

Crockpot Cream of Tomato Soup

(This cream of tomato soup is rich and hearty and very delicious. It can be used as a substitute for canned tomato soup with excellent results and cannot be beat when served with grilled cheese sandwiches. Mix and match any of the suggested herbs and spices for a marvelous soup. For a traditional blend we use 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, 1 tablespoon oregano, and 1 tablespoon basil.)

2 Tbsp. olive oil (I didn’t add this)
1 large chopped onion
3 crushed garlic cloves
2 minced carrots (I just did a rough chop into slices)
2 pounds peeled and diced tomatoes (reserve and add all juices) (I used 1 large can of diced tomatoes and 1 large can of crushed tomatoes)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. sugar (I added a little more than this)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
2-4 Tbsp. freshly chopped herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, savory, chervil, Italian parsley, mint, lavender) or 1-2 tsp. dried herbs or spices (Italian spices, basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, cumin, curry powder, nutmeg) (I used dried Italian seasoning and garlic powder)
1 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk…what we had on hand)

Combine the oil, onion, garlic, and carrot in the crockpot. Cook on high, stirring frequently, until the onion softens. (This can also be done in a skillet.) (I skipped this step.) Add the remaining ingredients except for the herbs and spices and cream. Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours (I cooked mine on high for about 7 hours). Add the herbs and adjust seasoning. Cool slightly and puree in small batches (I used an immersion blender). Return to the crockpot and add the cream. Reheat until piping hot, or else cool and chill before serving.

Butternut Squash Soup

I tried a new squash soup for dinner last night. I’ve had some cream cheese in the fridge for a while that I wanted to use up. And I was also trying to use up some squash. I did some searching on All Recipes and came across this recipe. I didn’t follow the recipe completely…ok, not much at all, mostly just the idea of adding cream cheese. We got home later than we had hoped from shopping yesterday so I totally skipped the onions (I’m sure they would be good/add great flavor). And I used squash that I had already cooked (from freezer). So there really wasn’t much to it in terms of cooking. Basically  just throw everything in the pan, heat, blend, serve. It turned out great! Justin and I both really liked it. Rebecca didn’t try it since dinner was running late. I gave her pb and j. And for some reason lately she does not like squash at all so I doubt she would have liked it anyway. Definitely a keeper recipe. The cream cheese adds a unique creaminess to it. I never would have thought of adding that. I’ll post the original recipe and what I did. I didn’t actually measure anything, just added what looked/tasted right. I didn’t get very good pics since I was in a rush.

Butternut Squash Soup

6 Tbsp. chopped onion (I skipped this)
4 Tbsp. margarine (I skipped this)
6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (I used a combo of mooregold and butternut squash that I had already baked/mashed…maybe 3 cups?)
3 cups water (I used about 1 1/2 cups)
4 cubes chicken bouillon (I used a few teaspoons of organic chicken better than bouillon)
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (I skipped this and added some garlic powder, paprika and salt)
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (I used about 2/3 of one (8 oz.) pkg., softened)

In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender. Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender. (I skipped all of this and just put the squash, seasoning, water, BTB and cream cheese in a pan and heated).

Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil. (I used an immersion blender right in the pan).

Homemade Wheat Thins

Rebecca and I were housebound yesterday since we both have colds. We didn’t visit my grandparents as planned…don’t want to get them sick! And Justin had his first class of the semester, which means no Daddy around all day. So, Rebecca and I had an entire day of just the two of us, stuck in the house with nothing to do! It was a long day 😛  I hadn’t intended to do any more baking this week, but I needed some kind of project to fill our afternoon. I did a quick search of the recipes I’ve had on hold for a while and decided to try homemade Wheat Thins. I got the recipe from Pete Bakes. They sounded very easy. And they were! And so good!! I love Wheat Thins. A salty cracker with a hint of sweetness 🙂  But I don’t buy them anymore. I gave up all that processed junk a while ago. I have to say, these really do taste like Wheat Thins. Seriously. I have to experiment with getting them the right thickness/doneness. Mine were a little too thick I think. And the ones on the edges of the pan got darker than the ones in the middle. But the flavor is spot on. Definitely something I’ll be making again and again and again 🙂  As I put them in the cupboard yesterday I realized I currently have homemade graham crackers, vanilla wafers and wheat thins on hand. Not bad 🙂

Homemade Wheat Thins

1 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup white whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter (at room temperature)
2/3 cup milk
salt (or other dried herbs and seasoning) for sprinkling

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter and mix until you have a coarse meal.

Slowly blend in the milk just until you have a dough that will hold together. Divide the dough into 2 pieces for rolling.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and roll over lightly with the rolling pin again. Cut the dough into 2×2 inch squares. Poke each square several times with a fork.

Transfer squares to an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 325 F for 20-25 minutes, until crackers are golden brown.

Whole Grain Wheat Bread

I finally tried my stand mixer yesterday!! I have to say, I felt like I was cheating, like I wasn’t really baking. I didn’t have to do any work 😛  At the same time it was nice for it to be easy for once. I made a loaf of whole grain wheat bread. It’s a recipe that came with my mixer. Pretty simple. And very good. I realized yesterday morning that I didn’t have enough whole wheat flour in the house for it. But I had a whole bag of white whole wheat flour. So I used that instead. Still turned out fine. And I followed their instructions for shaping a loaf of bread. I had never done that before (roll out the dough, roll it up, tuck in ends). That worked well too. And I got to try my new french rolling pin. Love it! And Rebecca had fun helping with it too. I only made a half recipe (1 loaf).

Whole Grain Wheat Bread

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, divided
2 cups warm water (105 – 115 deg. F)
2 pkgs. active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp.)
5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
3/4 cup powdered milk
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil (I used canola)

Dissole 1 Tbsp. brown sugar in water in small bowl. Add yeast and let mixture stand.

Place 4 cups flour, powdered milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and salt in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 15 seconds. Continuing on Speed 2, gradually add yeast mixture and oil to flour mixture and mix about 1 1/2 min. longer. Stop and scrape bowl if necessary.

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 min. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 min. longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Place in greased 8 1/2×4 1/2×2 1/2 in loaf pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 400 deg. F for 15 min. Reduce oven temp to 350 deg. F and bake 30 min. longer. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Homemade Whole Wheat Vanilla Wafers

In my ongoing efforts to make the  majority of our food (including snacks) from scratch I tried a new recipe yesterday for whole wheat vanilla wafers. I got the recipe from Heavenly Homemakers. I used to eat just about as many vanilla wafers as I did graham crackers 😛  I lived on them for a while. Then realized how much junk was in them and haven’t had any in a long time. So I was excited to find this recipe.


These are super easy to make! Very quick prep. And they are very good. They don’t taste exactly like a vanilla wafer…a little on the buttery side. But they are good.

Whole Wheat Vanilla Wafers
makes ~55 cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sucanat or brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter and sucanat together. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put nickel size mounds on the parchment paper. I just used a cookie scoop and made little mounds.

Bake at 325° for fifteen minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cookies sit inside for a half hour or so to crisp.

Pumpkin Pasta

I tried a new recipe last night for our New Year’s dinner. I’ve been  meaning to try this pasta for a long time. I was hesitant since it’s a pumpkin recipe…and meatless. But no worries now, it was great!! All 3 of us loved it. I was surprised by how much I liked it. Quite a mix of spices, but they really work well together. Definitely a keeper recipe.

I got the recipe from Katelyn’s Food. The original recipe calls for cauliflower added to the pasta. I don’t have any cauliflower right now. So I just made the pasta and served a mix of home grown veggies on the side (beans, corn, zucchini). It still worked great. I served it with a mix of nuts to sprinkle on top for some crunch and protein(cashews, walnuts and pecans). Yum!!

Pumpkin Pasta

8 oz whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used a little more than this…and could have even added more)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup Chicken broth or liquid of choice
1 head of cauliflower cut into florets, or 1 16 oz bag of frozen cauliflower, thawed
2 tsp. sage (I didn’t add this since I don’t have any, and I don’t see it in the directions :P)
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Bring water a to a boil. Cook pasta as directed

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower. Stir to coat with oil. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Once pasta is cooked, drain & return to stock pot. The cauliflower should be done soon. Once the cauliflower is done, pour into the pasta. Add pumpkin puree, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground pepper, salt and parmesan. Stir to combine. Serve warm.

Turtle Cheesecake

I am in charge of dessert for my extended family Christmas party this year. One of the things I decided to make is turtle cheesecake. I LOVE cheesecake (chocolate covered is my favorite). This is a recipe I got from a Philadelphia cream cheese box years ago. I’ve made it once before for a work Christmas party for Justin. Let’s just say I don’t think any other dessert was even touched before this was gone 🙂  That’s how good it is. Oreos, cream cheese, caramel, pecans…mmmm. It’s in the oven right now. I’ll add pics later when it’s done.

Ultimate Turtle Cheesecake

2 cups Oreo Chocolate Cookie crumbs (I used my food processor to make the cookies into crumbs…first time trying that…wow, that is so much easier and works so much better than doing it by hand 🙂
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 bag (14 oz.) caramels
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pecan pieces
3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 eggs
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate (2 oz.)

Mix cookie crumbs and better. Press onto bottom and 2″ up sides of a 9″ springform pan. Place caramels and milk in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 3 min., until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Pour 1/2 of the caramel mixture into cruts. Refrigerate 10 min. Set remaining caramel aside for later use in topping.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over caramel mixture in crust.

Bake at 325 for 65 min. to 70 min. or until center is almost set.**  Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool before removing side of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or over night.

Top with remaining caramel mixture and pecans just before serving. Melt chocolate as directed on package. Drizzle over cheesecake. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator. Makes 16 servings.

**Normally when I make cheesecake I put tinfoil underneath the pan and around the outside. Then I put it in a large pan and add water. Since this recipe did not say to do either I didn’t this time. Well, part way through baking I noticed a smell and smoke in the kitchen. Some of the butter from the crust was dripping down in the oven. So, a tip…use the foil or at least a baking pan underneath so you don’t end up with a mess.

Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Fruit


We are having our family Christmas celebration today. I decided to make a pork roast instead of ham since we’ll be eating ham at all of our other parties. This is a Betty Crocker recipe I found shortly after I got married. Every time I make it everyone loves it. Plus it’s super simple! That’s always good. I already put it in the crockpot this morning. It will be so tender by dinner time tonight. I’ll update with pics of the finished product later. For now I have pics of the roast just after putting it in the crockpot.

Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Fruit

1 medium onion, sliced
1 pork boneless loin roast (2 lbs.)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) dried fruit, chopped or 1 1/2 cups raisins (I used a combo of raisins and home dried apples, peaches and pears)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Put onion in crockpot. Place pork on onion. Top with fruit. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over fruit. Cook on low 7-9 hours (until pork is tender).

Thin Pork Chops

I made another pork chop recipe last night that I got from my MIL. It’s really more of a concept than a recipe. The recipe is for thin pork chops, but you could use any cut. I used center cut. Justin and Rebecca loved it 🙂  I ate leftover beef…needs to be used up, and I wanted enough pork left for Justin’s lunch. I served the pork chops and gravy over brown rice.

Thin Pork Chops
1 Tbsp. EVOO
2-4 pork chops

salt, pepper, seasoning salt to taste
1 cup water

Gravy
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup cold water

Heat EVOO in large skillet. Season chops. Brown chops on both sides – about 5 min. per side. Add 1/2 – 1 cup water to the pan. Cover. Cook over low heat for 1 hour. You may need to add water while it’s cooking if it all evaporates.

Remove chops from pan. Keep warm. Mix flour and cold water. Add a little at a time to the water in the pan, cooking until desired thickness…about 1 minute. Add extra water to thin the gravy/make more. Add extra flour/water mixture to make thicker.

Serve pork chops and gravy over rice or mashed potatoes.