Do You Know What the Color Tie Tags on Bread Mean?

I didn't know the different colored tie tags on bread actually meant something.  I just thought they were for decoration.   :)

The color actually designates the day of the week on which the loaf was baked.

(I guess they don't bake bread on Wednesday and Sundays)


An easy way to remember this - the color run is in alphabetical order.  So the earlier they appear in the alphabet, the earlier in the week the bread was baked.  Monday = (B)lue, Tuesday = (G)reen, etc.

From what I read on this, it's not a universal thing and varies by region and bread company, so it's always best to go by the "sell date" or the "squeeze test."

I just thought this was interesting and wanted to pass it along.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

We used some leftover Unbelievable Chicken and made a chicken spinach salad with this dressing. Yummmmmm!

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing 
Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 1/2 cup raspberry wine vinegar (or 1/2 cup raspberry preserves + 1/4 cup red wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, oregano and pepper in a jar with a lid.  Shake well and serve.

Notes & Suggestions:

I couldn't find the raspberry wine vinegar at my grocery store, so I substituted it with 1/2 cup raspberry preserves plus 1/4 cup red wine vinegar.  You could also use fresh raspberries and puree them in a blender with the red wine vinegar.  

I also added a little extra oil because the dressing was a little too thick.

Unbelievable Chicken

This chicken definitely lives up to it's name.  So juicy and tender!


Unbelievable Chicken

Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12-16 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. coarse ground mustard
• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lime, juiced (about 2 tbsp. juice)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1 tbsp. juice)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 6 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustards, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper.  Whisk in the olive oil.  
2. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken.  Place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
3. Grill over medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes per side.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Discard marinade.  

Notes & Suggestions:

The longer you marinate the chicken the better.  I usually try to marinate it overnight, but sometimes I only have time to marinate for a few hours.  It still turns out great!

I use whole grain mustard instead of the coarse ground mustard since it's what I usually have on hand.

Make sure you use fresh lime and lemon juice.  The bottled stuff is very concentrated and may be too overpowering.   

This chicken is also great on top of salads.  We usually use the leftovers to make a big chicken salad for dinner the following night.  

Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars

I was looking for a quick dessert to take for a family dinner, so I decided to try these bars.  Everyone loved them!  They are buttery, moist, crunchy and sweet.  It's hard to believe they take very little effort and only a few ingredients.


Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
Makes 9 bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup raspberry (or your favorite flavor) jam or preserves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and oats.  Using your hands or a pastry cutter, work in the butter to form a crumbly mixture.  Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.  
3. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge.  Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top and lightly press into the jam.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly brown.  Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Notes & Directions:

I doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 glass baking pan.  Good thing I did because they were gone in no time!  

I added 1 tsp. of lemon zest to the raspberry preserves to enhance the flavor.  I baked these for 35 minutes and they came out perfect.  

Next time, I think I will use more than 2 cups of the mixture for the crust because I had way more than I needed for the topping.  

If you're using cold jam, warm it up in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.  It will be easier to spread.  

Make sure you don't spread the jam too close to the edge of the pan.  It will spread as it bakes and it might melt over the edge and be hard to get out of the pan.  Also, it takes a little time to work in the butter to the sugar/flour mixture.  But this is key to the bars not coming out too crumbly.  

You could top these with nuts or drizzle with white chocolate.  

These are also great for breakfast and go great with coffee.

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

This is one of our favorite go-to recipes.  It's great served with garlic bread and a salad.

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

Inspired by this recipe on Kraftfoods.com

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
• 1 package (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 package (10 oz.) of fresh sliced mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
• 4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook pasta as directed on package.  One minute before the pasta is done, add the spinach to the boiling water.  
3. While pasta is cooking, saute the chicken in 1 tbsp. olive oil a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.  Remove and place in a bowl.  
4. Add the onions, red pepper and mushrooms to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  
5. Add the chicken back in the pan with the vegetables.  Stir in spaghetti sauce and cream cheese.  Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes or until the cream cheese has melted.  
6. Drain the pasta mixture and return to pan.  Add the chicken mixture and stir until combined.  
7. Spoon into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
8. Bake 20 minutes.

Notes & Suggestions:

In order to same some time, you can use leftover Perfect Roasted Chicken or pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken from your grocery store.  Just pick the chicken off the bones and use 2 - 2 1/2 cups of the shredded chicken in place of the chicken breasts.  I do this with a lot of casserole dishes to make it faster and easier.  Make sure you season whatever chicken you use.  Otherwise, it will be bland.  

For a healthier version, you can use whole grain or whole wheat pasta, Neufchatel cheese (low-fat cream cheese), and 2% mozzarella cheese.  

Sloppy Joes

Kids big and small love sloppy joes.  I discovered this recipe a few years ago and will never go back to the canned stuff.  This makes a great weeknight meal because it's quick and easy.

Sloppy Joes

Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 - 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tsp. yellow mustard
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 tsp. brown sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the beef, onion and bell pepper.  Drain off any liquid.
2. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, garlic powder and brown sugar and mix thoroughly.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve on hamburger buns.

Notes & Suggestions:

I usually need to add a little water to the sloppy joes while they're simmering because they tend to thicken up. If you like them really sloppy, you may want to double the sauce.

It's also great with cheese on it (as shown in the photo).  

Another variation you can try is to reduce the ketchup to 1/2 cup, omit the brown sugar and add 1/4 cup barbecue sauce.   

You can also double the recipe and freeze the extra for a quick lunch or dinner.  Fill up the cups in a muffin pan and freeze.  Once frozen, pop them out and store them in a Ziploc in the freezer.  Each one is a perfect single serving.

Perfect Roasted Chicken

Up until a couple of years ago, I had never roasted a chicken in my life.  It seemed a bit intimidating, but I followed this recipe and it actually ended up being really easy.  I was so impressed with the results!  It doesn't involve a whole lot of prep and you end up with a whole meal in one pan.  The oven does all the work for you. Now I make this at least once a month.  So simple and delicious!


Perfect Roast Chicken

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
Serves: 6 - 8

Ingredients:

• 1 (5 to 6 pound) whole chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 4 carrots, cut into 1/2" chunks
• 8 red potatoes, quartered
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp. flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 425 degrees.
2. Remove the giblets from the chicken and discard.  Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.  
3. Place the vegetables in the bottom of a roasting pan or large glass baking dish.  Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. 
4. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.  Place the lemon halves, bunch of thyme and all the garlic inside the chicken.  
5. Brush the outside of the chicken with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.  
6. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hour.  Spoon 2 tbsp. of the pan drippings into a small cup.  Cover the chicken with foil while you prepare the gravy.
7. Add the chicken stock to a pan and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes.  Combine the flour with the 2 tbsp. of pan drippings.  Whisk the mixture into the chicken broth.  Boil for a few minutes until thickened.  
8. Slice the chicken and serve with gravy and vegetables.

Notes & Suggestions:

When I first started making this recipe, all I had was my mom's old turkey roasting pan.  So I used it a couple of times and noticed that my veggies kept burning.  So I started using a large glass baking dish instead, and I waited to add the veggies to the pan after the chicken had roasted for 1/2 hour.  That seemed to solve my burning problem.  

Make sure you season the chicken and the veggies well.  Along with salt and pepper, I also use Emeril's Chicken Rub (you can find it in the spice aisle of your store).  

A variation of this recipe I make every now and then involves adding bacon on top of the chicken while it roasts.  After you coat the chicken with melted butter and season it, cover it with slices of bacon.  I usually use 5-6 slices.  After the chicken roasts for 45 minutes, remove the bacon (otherwise it will burn) and continue roasting for another 45 minutes.  Great flavor and very juicy!

You can also roast the chicken (without the veggies), take the meat off the bone, freeze it and use it in casseroles (such as Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake).  

Red Skinned Potato Salad

You can't have a summer BBQ without potato salad.  The bacon is what makes this soooo good.


Red Skinned Potato Salad

Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 1 hour
Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds red potatoes
• 6 eggs
• 1 pound bacon
• 1 onion, finely chopped, or 3 green onions
• 2-3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set in the refrigerator to cool.
2. Place eggs in a small pot and cover with cold water.  Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and cover.  Let the eggs stand in the hot water for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from the hot water, cool, peel & chop.
3. Place bacon in a larget skillet and cook over medium heat until brown and crispy.  Drain and crumble.
4. Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving the skins on.  Put in a large bowl and add the eggs, bacon, onion and celery.  Add the mayo and salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes & Suggestions:

I decided to cut the potatoes before boiling them.  I'm terrible about overcooking potatoes when I make potato salad, so I boiled them for 10 minutes and they were perfect.  Tender, but still just a little firm so they hold together.  

Make sure your bacon is crispy.  Otherwise it will get soggy in the potato salad.  We had leftovers the next day, and the bacon was still nice and crispy.  

The great thing about this recipe is that you customize however you want.  I added a big squirt of mustard, just to give it a little tang.  You can also add in some shredded cheddar cheese, relish or chopped pickles, or reduce some of the mayo and add in some sour cream.  

This does take some time to prep, but the good thing is that it can be made way ahead of time.  Plus it's so worth the time!

A Tip on Freezing Bacon

My husband and I love bacon, but we only seem to eat it on the weekends for breakfast or for the occasional BLT for dinner.  I usually buy a 1 1/2 lb. package of bacon, and it doesn't take it long to go bad once it's opened.  So I found a handy way to freeze it.

Roll up each piece of bacon (like a pinwheel) and put them on a cookie sheet.  Put the cookie sheet in the freezer, then once the bacon is frozen, put it in a resealable plastic freezer bag.  That way you can grab however many pieces you need out of the bag, defrost them in the microwave and you're good to go.

Oh, and don't forget to label your bag with the date. According to www.foodsafety.gov, bacon only last 1 month in the freezer, but I've kept it twice as long as that and it was perfectly fine.

Fluffy Pancakes

This is the best pancake recipe!  Light and fluffy pancakes with the perfect texture.


Fluffy Pancakes
Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Makes 6 pancakes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk + 2 tbsp. vinegar)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:

1. If using buttermilk, go to step 2.  If using milk, combine milk & vinegar in a medium bowl.  Set aside for 5 minutes to "sour."
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.  
3. Whisk egg, melted butter and vanilla into buttermilk (or "soured" milk).
4. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk just until all lumps are gone.  Be sure not to overmix.  Let batter sit while skillet/griddle is heating up.  
5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat (or a griddle to 350 degrees) and coat with cooking spray.  Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto skillet or griddle.  Cook until bubbles appear, then flip and cook until browned on the other side.  

Notes & Suggestions:

We absolutely love these pancakes!  I rarely have buttermilk on hand so I make the "soured" milk.  I was a little apprehensive the first time I tried it, but it doesn't make anything taste sour at all so don't worry.  It's just a way of making buttermilk if you don't have any.  

The batter comes out pretty thick, so we usually add 2 tbsp. of extra milk (or buttermilk) to thin it out and make it easier to pour.  

Once you make the batter, let it sit while your skillet/griddle is heating up, and resist the urge to stir it again.  It gets a little foamy as it sits and that's what gives the pancakes their fluffy texture.

We usually serve these with a maple butter syrup.  We just mix 1 tbsp. of melted butter with 1/4 cup maple syrup.  But these would also be great with strawberries and whipped cream or any other kind of fruit topping. Yum!!!