A Note to You, Funfetti, and Meatballs!

My reasons for starting and maintaining this blog are purely selfish...

 

I don't have too many 'vices' (though, Joey might think differently ;-)), and my schedule these days doesn't allow for sufficient time to exercise... But I have to do something to vent....

 

So I write.

 

Writing is such a release for me! I'm an emotional and introspective person by nature but have also learned that the best way for me to explore and understand my thoughts and feelings is to write them out.

 

When I started On Loan From Heaven, it was just for me. To be completely honest, I don't remember how people even started reading it! When I open blogger and see the hundreds of people who read each post, I'm completely overwhelmed that that many people find my thoughts good enough to take time out of their day to read!

 

I guess that means I think too much ;-)

 

I'm honored.... and completely humbled! Your comments and emails and messages mean more to me than you know! When you share your own story with me, I'm honored that you trust me with it... and I pray for each of you! When you share a status or post, we get excited that you're helping us tell the the story that God is writing for us.

 

Our family has grown exponentially through this blog.... and we are grateful for every one of you!

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

I realized the other day that I haven't posted any recipes lately and I have some super fun one's to share!!

 

We hosted our first Super Bowl party last weekend and since it fell on Joey's birthday, we had lots of reasons to celebrate and spend time with some amazing friends.... we had a blast!

 

In prepping for our party, I relied fully on Pinterest... doesn't everyone!?

 

What would I do without Pinterest?!

 

My clothes wouldn't match.

 

My haircut would be outdated.

 

Our house would be a disorganized mess (wait.... still have work to do on that one ;-)).

 

And my family would starve. For real.

 

 

I found two recipes, in particular, that people still comment on a week after the party! I thought I'd share them with you :-)

 

 

The first is Funfetti Chex-Mix. Yes... you read that right. Two of the most delicious snacks combined to make one super easy,  super addicting, and incredibly dangerous treat! Keep this in mind for ANY party.... and it would be especially fun for a class party for kids (I'm thinking Valentine's Day)!

 

Funfetti Chex-Mix

 

Ingredients:

5 Cups Rice Chex cereal

10oz. (5 squares) white chocolate coating (aka; Almond Bark)

1.5 Cups Funfetti cake mix

1/2 Cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vegetable shortening (I had this on hand but did not use it)

 

 

Directions: 

1) Melt coating (almond bark) according to package directions (add vegetable shortening to thin, if needed... I didn't need it).

 

2) Pour the cereal into a LARGE bowl and drizzle the melted coating over the cereal. Mix gently with a large spatula.

 

3) Dump cake mix and powdered sugar onto the cereal and mix gently until all cereal is evenly coated.

 

4) Optional (but highly suggested by me ;-)): While your Funfetti Chex-Mix is still damp from the coating, sprinkle your favorite, colorful sprinkles into the mixture to add some fun color!

 

Warning.... This treat is HIGHLY addicting!!

 

 

 

CrockPot Hawaiian Meatballs

 

Ingredients:

32oz package of precooked, frozen meatballs (I used a Sam's Club size bag, tho)

13.5oz can of unsweetened pineapple chunks (save juice and set aside)

1 large green pepper, diced

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2/3 cup white vinegar

2Tbsp. soy sauce

 

Directions:
Place meatballs in crock pot and top with green pepper and drained pineapple chunks. In a separate bowl, mix reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and soy sauce. Pour sauce over meatballs, pineapple and green peppers. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through.

* Serve over rice or noodles or serve straight out of CrockPot with toothpicks!*

 

 

SO YUMMY and such a big hit!

 

 



An Adoption Break.... I Need New Recipes!!

I need an adoption break! No blogs, no discussions about being patient and growing stronger... I need some new recipes! I am AWFUL at thinking outside of the box.. I don't have any sea food recipes, very few creative pasta recipes, and zero appetizer recipes.

Unacceptable.

Will you share with me??

Pretty please? :-)

Link up to an old recipe post or a new one... I can't wait to try something new!
(If you don't have a blog but have a recipe to share, leave it in the comments! If your fav recipe comes from another website, just link to that site!)

PS. I also need a good pizza dough recipe... :-)



My FAV Summer Recipe!

If I swore, I'd swear that I posted this recipe before but now I can't find it... and it's a MUST for your summer recipe collection! Here it is....

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salad~

* 1 package cole-slaw mix

* 1/2 cup toasted almonds

* 1/2 cup green onions

* 3 Tbsp. sesame seeds (optional)

* 1 can mandarin oranges

* 1 package dry Ramen noodles- chicken flavor, crushed (save flavor packet for dressing)

* 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (optional)

Dressing~

* 4 and 1/4 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar

* 3 Tbsp. sugar

* 1/2 cup oil

* salt & pepper to taste

* Flavor packet from Ramen Noodles

~ Mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl

~ Mix all dressing ingredients in another, smaller bowl

~ Top salad with dressing

ENJOY!

I don't have a picture but trust me.... you'll LOVE it on a hot summer day! AND... the leftovers are amazing ;-)

For more awesome summer recipes, check out The Beautiful Mess Photography blog... and consider entering one of your own to WIN a Nikon camera, too!

Easter Candy Overload!

If you're anything like me, you hit the after-Easter candy sales and stocked up on some Cadbury Mini Eggs ;-) Well even if you didn't, I wanted to share this YUMMY Cadbury Egg cookie recipe that my brother's girlfriend, Dana sent me.... she's just one more girl after my own heart!

Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies

* 1 cup {2 sticks} butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 eggs
* 2 and a 1/4 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1- 10 oz bag Cadbury mini eggs

Directions: 

~ Heat over to 375

~ Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with mixer until creamy

~ Add eggs; beat well

~ Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt and gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended

~ Crush up Cadbury mini eggs by placing them in a Ziploc bag and beating with a rolling pin

~ Stir in Cadbury pieces

~ Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

~ Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

~ Thanks, Day! Love you!

White Chicken Chili

I know I've posted this before but I just made my Mom and Dad's White Chicken Chili for the first time last night and it was a HUGE hit! If you haven't tried it yet, you should.... you'll love it :-)

White Chicken Chili

* 8 Chicken breast halves (boneless, skinless), cooked & chopped

(I used a shredded Rotisserie chicken but Daddy said he used 4 cans of cubed chicken and loved how it turned out)

* 4 cans (15 oz) Great Northern Beans

* 2 medium onions, finely chopped

* 6 cloves minced garlic

* 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

* 9 oz. chopped green chili's

* 2 tsp. cumin

* 1 tsp. oregano

* 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

* 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

* 3 cups chicken broth

* 3 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese

~ Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender

~ Stir in green chili's and remaining spices

~ Add chicken, beans, and broth

~ Simmer 30 minutes

~ Turn off heat, stir in cheese

~ Serve topped with a bit of shredded cheese and/ or a dollop of sour cream

~ Freezes well!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Here's a GREAT recipe my mom sent me a few months ago. I made it when we had friends over for dinner and it was a huge hit!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

* 4 to 6 pieces chicken breast halves, skinned and boned
*  4 to 6 pieces Swiss cheese
*  4 to 6 pieces thin ham slices
*  1 can cream of chicken soup plus 2/3 c. milk
*  1/2 pkg. Pepperidge Farm fine seasoned stuffing (not cubes)
 * 1/2 stick butter

~ Mix soup and milk in bowl with whisk. Set aside.

~In a 9 x 13 inch pan, roll ham slices; top with chicken pieces.

~ Top with Swiss cheese slices.

~ Pour soup mixture over all.
~ Combine stuffing with softened butter in bowl

~  Sprinkle over top.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Cover with foil last half hour if getting to brown.

Enjoy!

Freezable Recipes: Mom & Dad's White Chicken Chili

Mom and Dad's White Chicken Chili

* 8 Chicken breast halves (boneless, skinless), cooked & chopped

(Daddy said he used 4 cans of cubed chicken and loved how it turned out)

* 4 cans (15 oz) Great Northern Beans

* 2 medium onions, finely chopped

* 6 cloves minced garlic

* 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

* 9 oz. chopped green chili's

* 2 tsp. cumin

* 1 tsp. oregano

* 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

* 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

* 3 cups chicken broth

* 3 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese

~ Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender

~ Stir in green chili's and remaining spices

~ Add chicken, beans, and broth

~ Simmer 30 minutes

~ Turn off heat, stir in cheese

~ Serve topped with a bit of shredded cheese and/ or a dollop of sour cream

~ Freezes well!

** Thanks Mom & Dad!!

Freezable Recipes: Megan's Chicken Tetrazzini

Megan's Chicken Tetrazzini 

* 1 (16 oz) package vermicelli (or spagehetti noodles of any kind)
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 4 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
* 1 can cream of mushroom soup
* 1 can cream of celery soup
* 1 can cream of chicken soup
* 1 (8oz) container of sour cream
* 1 (6oz) jar of sliced mushrooms, drained
* 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

~ Cook the noodles according to the pkg. drain and return to pot, toss with chicken broth.
~ Stir together chicken and next 8 ingredients, add the noodles and toss well.

 ~ Spoon mixture into 2 11x7 baking dishes, sprinkle with cheese.
~ Bake at 350 for 30 min.

** Thanks Megan!!

Freezable Recipes: Sara's Pepperoni Casserole

Sara's Pepperoni Casserole

* 1 box of rigatoni
* 1 jar of sauce
* 1 bag of mozzarella cheese
* Pepperoni

~ Cook rigatoni
~ Layer in casserole dish pasta,sauce, pepperoni and then cheese.
~ Bake 30 minutes uncovered.

** Thanks Sara!!

Freezable Recipes: Ashley's Pasta e Fagioli

Ashley's Pasta e Fagioli

* 2 tbsp. butter, divided
* 1 (20 oz.) package sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
* 1/2 large (or 1 medium) onion, finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 carrots, thinly sliced
* 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
* 2 cans of black beans
* 48-64 oz. reduced-sodium beef broth (depending on how much liquid you would like)
* 1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
* 2 tsp. dried parsley
* 1/2 tsp. dried basil
* 1 tsp. salt
* 4 oz. small dry pasta (such as ditalini)

~Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat. 

~ Add the sausage to the pot and brown, crumbling as it cooks. 

~ Once the sausage is browned, remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon and discard any excess grease.

~ Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pot. 

~ Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery, and saute over medium heat until vegetables are soft, 8-10 minutes. 

~ Return the sausage to the pot, add the can of diced tomatoes with juices, stir briefly, and simmer for 10 minutes.

~ Add the beans, beef broth and tomato sauce to the pot. 

~ Add in all of the seasonings, stir well, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. 

~ Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer at least 30 minutes.

~ Add the dry pasta and continue to simmer on low for another 35-45 minutes. 

~ Freeze or serve :-)

** Thanks Ashley!!

Freezable Recipes: Megan's BBQ Sandwiches

Megan's BBQ Sandwiches

* Large boston pork butt

* 1 cup of Coke

* 1 cup of BBQ sauce

~ Place the pork butt in the crock pot for about 4 hours on high

~ Remove pork and shred into pieces

~ Remove all juice from the crock pot and place shredded meat back in

~ Pour Coke and BBQ sauce over the shredded pork

(You can also double the Coke and BBQ sauce for a larger pork butt)

~ Remove and serve on hamburger buns

~ Freeze or eat... hamburger buns freeze well, too!

** Thanks Megan!!

Freezable Recipes: Megan's Chicken Pan Pie

Megan's Chicken Pan Pie

* 3-4 chicken breasts

* 1 can cream of chicken soup

* 1 bag of frozen mix vegetables

* 1 cup milk

* 1 box of stovetop stuffing mix.

* Optional: shredded cheese

~ Cook the chicken breasts in the crock pot for 3 hours on high

~ Shred with a fork after 2 hours

~ While chicken is cooking, cook the vegetables according to package directions

~ In a large bowl, combine chicken, vegetables, cream of chicken soup, and milk (and salt and pepper to taste.)

~ Spray the bottom of the 2 pans/dishes and pour half of the mixture in each (you will freeze one)

(Optional: Cover both dishes with shredded cheese)

~  Make the Stovetop mix according to package directions and cover each dish lightly with the stuffing

~ Bake one of the dishes on 350 for 30 minutes and freeze the other

**Thanks Megan!!

Freezable Recipes: Jessie's Homemade Tomato Sauce

Jessie's Homemade Tomato Sauce

* Sausage, ground beef, or chicken slices

* 29 ounce can of Hunt's tomato sauce

* 2- 6 oz. cans of Hunt's tomato paste

* 6 oz. can of water

* 1 onion

* 1tsp. garlic

* 1 bay leaf

~ Brown/ cook sausage, beef, or chicken with onion and garlic

~ Add paste, sauce, water and bay leaf.

~ Simmer on low for a couple hours (sounds like a great sauce for the crock pot!)

~ Double the recipe and freeze leftovers to use on pasta dishes or remove the meat and use it in yummy sandwiches!

** Thanks Jessie!!

Preparing Our Home... and our Bellies!!

Hi Friends! Happy Monday... or something :-)

One thing we did during our wait to bring Hannah home was make double meals and freeze one of them for later. It was SO helpful in those first few weeks home with her to have yummy meals ready to go. I also found it easy to help out when a friend or family member needed a meal, too!

History is repeating itself in our wait to bring home our next baby(ies) and while our hearts are MORE than ready to bring home the rest of our family, we are making preparations in our home, too! The nursery is ready, the closet is full of diapers and clothes and now it's our freezers turn...

I'm working on a HUGE blog post that consists of (hopefully) dozens of meals that freeze well. My hope is that everyone who is waiting for their sweet baby (through adoption OR pregnancy!!) or maybe just needs freezeable meal ideas for a Meals for Mom's-type of program will have one stop to make (here :-)) to find lots and lots of easy ideas.

Here's where you come in :-)

Will you email me one favorite recipe that you know can freeze well? And while you're at it, if you have any tricks to keep meals fresh while frozen (great containers, labeling methods, etc), pass them along, too!

I'll collect recipes for the next 6 days and will post them all next Monday. We'll keep adding to it and eventually have the longest, most helpful blog post ever :-)

onloanfromheaven@yahoo.com

(Frozen meals meant that we got to spend much more time loving on and snuggling with this sweet baby-girl in her first few weeks home!) 

White House Turkey

This is another family favorite! Easy to make & SOOOO yummy! It's named after President Nixon's favorite dish...

White House Turkey

* 1 lb. frozen broccoli

* Turkey or chicken slices or cubes

(I use a Rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey)

* 1/2 cup Mayo

* 1 can cream of mushroom soup

* 1 tsp. curry

* 1 tsp. lemon juice

* 1 box stuffing mix

* 4 Tbsp. butter

~ Layer broccoli on the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with sliced turkey or chicken.

~ Mix mayo, cream of mushroom soup, curry & lemon juice and pour over broccoli and meat.

~ Top with the box of stuffing mix and sprinkle melted butter on top.

~ Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes!

** I've added a new label to my recipes. If it's one that I find freezes well, it'll have the labels "Recipe and also "Freezable"**

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

Yeah, I know. Sounds disgusting.... just stay with me.

My dear friend and fellow adoptive Mom over at Sophie's Hope posted on her Facebook this morning that she was making something delicious for dinner in her crock pot. Since I'm addmittedly a stalker, I didn't leave a comment but read through the half dozen comments people made and found out that she got her recipe from a blog called CrockPot365... ChaChing! This is my dream-blog come true, people and I just have to share the wealth :-)

One commenter mentioned a Cream Cheese Chicken recipe she got off of this blog and it sounded SO gross that I had to see what was in it... and now it's in MY crock pot! It got RAVING reviews and looks so weird that I had to try it.... and let me tell you, my mouth has been watering ALL afternoon! I can't wait until dinner!!! (So the truth is, I haven't actually HAD this dish yet but if if it tastes anything close to how it smells, it will be FABULOUS!)

Now, I'm not a meal planner but I'm working on it (ok, not really). I'm the mom who runs to the store at 4pm because I only have half of the ingredients for the recipe I JUST decided to make (AMEN?!? Anyone?). Needless-to-say, I didn't find this gem of a recipe until 1pm today but I just happened to have EVERY INGREDIENT! It's a miracle! All that to say...here it is:

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

* 2 cups cream of mushroom soup (i just used 2 cans)

* Frozen chicken breasts (enough to feed the people you are cooking for)

* 2 T. Italian Seasoning

* 1/2 tsp. celery seed

* 1/2 tsp. onion powder

* 1 T. sugar

* 1/4 tsp. pepper

* 1 tsp. salt

* 1 tsp. minced garlic

* 1 block of cream cheese (to add later)

~ Put all ingredients (except cream cheese) in the crock pot... even the frozen chicken

~ Cook on low for 6 hours (I started late today so I cooked it on high for 4 hours)

~ Shred chicken with a fork

~ Mix in softened cream cheese and cook on high for another 30 minutes.

~ Serve over pasta

That's it!! We're eating in about an hour so I'll let you know if it stinks... regardless, it smells SO good :-)

** Update: This was a HUGE hit with me, Joey, and Hannah! I'll definately make it again but next time I'll plan to use one can of cream of mushroom and maybe half or 3/4 of the cream cheese... and add canned mushrooms. Not sure why, it just sounds good :-)

Really Easy Egg Casserole

I've had some requests for more easy recipes so I'll switch it up a little and share a breakfast dish!

I'll be honest... breakfast casseroles intimidate me. Well, since we're being honest, anything having to do with cooking intimidates me. I'm getting better. I think. You better ask Joey.... wait, on second thought, maybe you shouldn't (he might share the meatloaf picture with you :-/)

Anyway :-) My Mom makes this Egg Casserole for Thanksgiving and Christmas morning and it's a huge hit every year. I had to bring a hot dish to Bible study  brunch a couple weeks ago and immediately called my Mom for this recipe and was shocked when it ended up being so easy! I would have started making this years ago, had I known. There wasn't even one piece left after brunch!

Egg Casserole

4 eggs

1 cup Mayo (I used fat-free)

4 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk (I used fat-free)

2 cups ham or sausage, chopped

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (I used low-fat)

2/3 cups green onions

* Beat eggs until fluffy

* Add Mayo, flour, and milk beating well after each addition

* Stir in remaining ingredients

* Bake in greased 9X13 pan at 350 until firm

* Let set a few minutes before serving

Enjoy!! As always, let me know if you try it!

Home-made Chicken Noodle Soup... I NEVER thought I'd see the day!!

It's been a while so I thought I would share what I'm making for dinner tonight. Believe me, I never imagined the day would come where I would attempt to make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup... Pretty sure the better half of me didn't either :-) HA! My fabulous neighbor made this for us right after my Tonsillectomy last year (nope... I definately don't recommend that!) and it's hands down, way better than Campbells (which is pretty good, in my opinion).

Chicken Noodle Soup

(It looks intimidating but stick with me... it's super easy!)

* Pull chicken off bones and set aside.

Broth:

1- Rotisserie Chicken (well, that's what I used anyway 'cause it cut out a million steps)

3-1/5 quarts water

3- chicken bouillon cubes

1- peeled onion

2- tsp. Italian seasoning

1- tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

3-tsp. minced garlic

4- bay leaves

* Add bouillon, onion, seasonings, garlic, bay leaves, and bouillon cubes to water and boil for 20 minutes.

* Remove leaves and onion and throw them away.

Ingredients:

2- cups sliced carrots

2- cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops

2- bags of Reames frozen egg noodles

3- Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

1/3- cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4- half and half or heavy cream

Salt & pepper to taste

*Add carrots to boiling broth and cook for 3 minutes.

* Add celery and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes.

*Add egg noodles and cook according to package directions.

* When noodles are done, add shredded rotisserie chicken, parsley, cheese, cream (or half and half) and cook for another 2 minutes.

* EAT! :-) This makes LOTS of soup and it shares well or freezes well, too!

( If you're watching calories, you can leave out the cheese and cream)



Philadelphia Double Chocolate Cheesecake

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

We hope everyone had a very merry Christmas that was full of fun, food, and lots of family! Ours sure was :-) (Emphasis on the 'food'!!) I thought I would let you know what I'm working on tonight... It doesn't take a chocolate lover to covet this dessert!

Philadelphia Double Chocolate Cheesecake

24 crushed Oreo cookies
2 Tbsp. melted butter
4 packages softened Cream Cheese
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla
8 ounces semi-sweet melted chocolate chips
4 eggs
1/2 cup blue-berries
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar

** optional: 1/4 cup Hazelnut-flavored liqueur added to the melted chocolate

* Pre-heat over to 325 degrees
* Mix cookie crumbs and butter and press into the base of a spring-form pan- Bake 10 minutes
* Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour & vanilla
* Add melted chocolate chips, mix well
* Add eggs one at a time, mixing on medium until each one is blended
* Pour mixture over crust
* Bake 45 minutes or until center is set
* Cool completely and refrigerate 4 hours
* Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with berries

I'm making this for our huge family dinner tomorrow night so I'll be sure to report back on how everyone likes it... but since I know my family well, I know it'll be a hit! :-)

Jambalaya

I'm actually making Chicken Tacos for dinner tonight but I have to share this recipe for Jambalaya with you! Here it is:

Vegetarian Jambalaya (keep reading if you're not Vegetarian... we aren't either and this is a FAMILY favorite!)

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

1 large chopped onion

1 medium chopped bell pepper

2 chopped garlic clove (I've used minced garlic and it worked fine)

1 cup uncooked long grain rice

1 can vegetable broth

1 frozen corn

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 can drained and rinsed black eyed peas

1 can stewed tomatoes- drained

** Optional: 1-2 links cooked sausage

- Heat oil, cook onion, pepper, garlic for 3-5 minutes

- Stir in rice, cook 3-5 minutes until rice is brown

- Stir in broth. Boil and simmer 15 minutes

- Stir in all remaining ingredients, cover & simmer 5-10 minutes

** Stir in cooked sausage**

This dish has become a family favorite across states for us... colorful, filling, and so healthy. UH.MA.ZING! :-)

So! Try this and let me know what you think... I know you'll love it!