Monday, February 18, 2008

Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007

I found a great deal for students to upgrade to the new Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for only $59.95. The offer expires on April 30, 2007.

 

This is a real offer, not a joke. Microsoft explains the promotion:

http://www.microsoft.com/education/ultimatesteal.mspx.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Chicken Noodle Soup

  • 3- 1/2 cups of Swanson chicken broth
  • Generous dash ground black pepper
  • 1 medium carrot, sliced
  • 1 stalk celery, sliced
  • 1/2 cup uncooked extra wide egg noodles
  • 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
  1. Heat broth, pepper, carrot, and celery in 2 qt saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.
  2. Stir in noodles and chicken. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Reference:

Swanson Broth

Easy Pumpkin Cookies

  • 1 box spice cake mix
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 TSP pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until well blended. Drop by the teaspoonful onto cookie sheets; press down cookie batter with a fork, if desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Reference: 2008 Kroger's MyRecipes

Chicken & Rice Wonton Cups

This one sounds really good and easy.

  • 2 (12 oz) large chicken breasts, precooked and shredded
  • 3 stalks of celery, diced into small pieces
  • 1 (8 oz) pkg garden vegetable rice
  • 1 TBSP ginger spice blend
  • 1 green onion chopped
  • 2 cups mild cheddar cheese, divided in half
  • 1 red pepper, diced into small pieces
  • 1 TBSP lemon pepper
  • 1 pkg wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine first eight ingredients (reserve half of the cheese to sprinkle on top) in a large mixing bowl and toss until well mixed. Using a mini-muffin pan, place one wonton wrapper in each compartment. Spoon chicken and rice filling into each cup and sprinkle reserved cheese. Bake at 350 F for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Reference: From Kroger's MyRecipes 2008

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Looking for a way to use the pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin, well here is a great recipe I found from Kroger's myrecipes:

  • 2 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
  • Seeds from 1 large pumpkin rinsed and dried
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 250 F. Mix pumpkin seeds and oil in a medium bowl; spread seeds onto a cookie sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Bake for about 7 minutes or until light brown and crispy.

Variation:

  • Spicy: mix together 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/2 tsp hot sauce and drizzle over the seeds. Then sprinkle with a combination of 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin and 1 Tbsp chili powder.
  • Sweet: toss seeds in a mixture of 1 Tbsp melted better, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/8 tsp allspice

Sprinkle pumpkin seed on top of mixed green salads or eat as a snack.

Spinach-Chicken Breast Rolls

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lb. total)
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 a 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
  • 1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese, drained
  • 4 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
  • 1 1/4 cups light spaghetti sauce with garlic and herbs (half a 26 oz. jar)
  • 2 TBSP tomato paste
  • 6 oz. dried multigrain or whole wheat spaghetti, cooked according to package directions and drained (optional)

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place each chicken breast between plastic wrap; lightly pound with flat side of meat mallet to about 1/4 inch thickness.
  2. In bowl stir together egg white, spinach, cottage cheese, and half the mozzarella; spoon over chicken. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered about 25 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink and cheese is light brown. Let stand for 10 minutes. If desired, serve with spaghetti.

Serves 4

Reference: January 2008 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Free Microsoft E-books

For a limited time the following e-books are available via a free download from Microsoft Press:

 

Campbell's Beef Taco Skillet

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Makes 4 servings

 

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell's Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% or Less Sodium)
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 6 flour tortilla (6"), cut into 1" pieces
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
  1. Cook beef in 10" skillet until well browned, stirring to break up meat. Pour off fat.
  2. Stir in soup, salsa, water, and tortillas, Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir. Top with Cheese.

*Creamy Mexican Fiesta: Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream with soup.

*Ranchero Style: Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas & shredded Mexican cheese blend instead of Cheddar.

Reference: CampbellsKitchen.com

Tomato Basil Soup

  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 3/4 cup chopped carrot
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 cups tomato juice
  • 1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (14 1/2 oz) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
  • 1/2 (6 oz) can tomato paste (1/3 cup)
  • 1 TSP dried thyme, crushed
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • 3/4 cup Milk, Half-and-Half, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 TBSP sugar
  • 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
  • dairy sour cream (optional)
  • snipped fresh basil (optional)

In a large covered saucepan cook celery, carrot, onion, and garlic in hot oil over medium-low heat 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomato juice, 1 1/4 cups broth, undrained stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, and cayenne. Bring to boiling, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Cool slightly

Place half of the soup in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth. Repeat with remaining soup. Stir about 1 cup of the tomato mixture into the milk or half-and-half, if using (this helps prevent curdling). Return all of the soup to the pan. Stir in 3/4 cup chicken broth (if using instead of milk or cream) and sugar; heat through. Stir in basil. Top each serving with sour cream and snipped basil, if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings.

**If using milk or half-and-half, soup may look slightly curdled.

Nutrition info per serving: 106 cal., 3 g fat (2 g sat. fat), 2 mg chol., 632 mg sodium, 17 g carbo., 2 g fiber, 4 g pro.

Reference: February 2008 Country Home & Gardens Magazine

Slow-Simmered Pork & Pasta

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 7 hours on low or 3 1/2 hours on high, plus 30 minutes on high: let stand for 30 minutes

  • 2 TBSP Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 1/2 - 3 lb boneless pork shoulder
  • Salt & ground black pepper
  • 8 oz. pancetta, cut into large cubes
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 2 (28 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained, & cut up (reserving juice from 1 can)
  • 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
  • 1/4 TSP crushed red pepper, optional
  • 8 oz dried gemelli or penne pasta

In a large skilled heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season pork shoulder with salt & pepper & brown in hot oil on all sides for about 4 minutes on each side. Place in a 4-5 quart slow cooker; if necessary, cut meat to fit.

Add pancetta to same large skillet; cook over medium heat until golden brown for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion and garlic and cook until golden about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mixture to slow cooker. Stir tomatoes, reserved juice, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper, if using, into slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low heat setting for 7-8 hours or high heat setting for 3 1/2-4 hours.

Turn off slow cooker; let stand 30 minutes. Skim excess fat. Remove meat to a platter & using two forks, shred into medium pieces. Return meat to sauce in cooker. Cover; cook on high heat setting 30 minutes.

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir into pork mixture.

Reference: February 2006 Country Home & Gardens Magazine