Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

I made this for Thanksgiving this year with a few misgivings--how could I give up the tried and true Cream of Mushroom and French Fried Onion casserole? Boy, was I glad I did. A friend said that this was the best green bean casserole they've ever had. I got the recipe and picture from allrecipes. I'll be making this for Christmas dinner too (on the Sunday after Christmas).

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup sour cream
3 (14.5 ounce) cans French style green beans, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers
1 tablespoon butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, and stir to coat.
Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Lean N Green Chili

I found this recipe off another food blog, Hot out of the Oven, and Shawn and I really liked it. I have a love/hate relationship with cumin. I can't stand how it smells-like dirty Mexico sweat or something, but it really works nice in this soup. The homemade tortilla strips are really simple and worth it-but you can always by the pre-made ones. The great thing about this soup is that it is low fat and calories, but high in flavor!!

8 (6 inch) corn tortillas, divided
2 tsp. vegetable oil, divided
1-2 medium Poblano Chile peppers or 1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 oz) can Green Chile enchilada sauce
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

To make to tortilla strips cut four tortillas into strips and toss with 1 tsp. (or a little more) oil. Spread in single layer on pan and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until crisp. Sprinkle with a little salt after removing from the oven.

For the soup, chop the chicken into small pieces and sprinkle with cumin. Put chicken in pan and cook for 5 minutes, or until done. Take chicken out of of pan and put in chopped pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook for three minutes and then add chicken back in, along with chicken broth, beans, and enchilada sauce. Take the remaining four tortillas and grate through a cheese grated into the soup. This is what acts as the thickener, making this soup much healthier! Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Sprinkle in cilantro and mix in. Serve with homemade tortilla strips and I think it would be good with a dollop of sour cream also!!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Here is another recipe from AllRecipes (Les, I thought of you while eating this-I think you would like it). It was cold-well, cold for Las Vegas weather and I wanted soup for dinner, but didn't want to go to the store so this is pretty basic and I had everything on hand. I did make a few changes from the original recipe to reduce the fat a little.

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, boneless chicken breasts, shredded
1 (4.5 oz) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup flour
6 T. butter (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup)
2 cups milk (the original recipe called for heavy cream)
I also added some veggies-onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and pepper.

In a large pot combine broth, water, and chicken. Bring to boil and stir in rice (not seasoning packet). Bring to boil again, cover, and remove from heat.

In pan over medium heat melt butter and add flour, salt, pepper and seasoning packet. Basically make a roux by reducing the heat to low and let it cook for a minute. Next, whisk in the milk a little at a time until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened 3-5 minutes.

Next, I sauteed some garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and peppers in a pot. When they were done I added all the veggies and the cream sauce to my big pot of rice, chicken, and broth. Mix it all together and cook about 10-15 minutes until heated through. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This recipes comes from Julie Benson, a great cook in my ward. It is quick and easy, and especially good. You could make this cake all fancy with icing, but powdered sugar also works.

1 yellow cake mix
1 instant vanilla pudding mix
8 oz. sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Mix all together and bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Her picture too!

Thanks to Jenn, I found a great recipe blog, My Kitchen Cafe. Her recipes are right up my alley... good, regular food. Not the frou-frou, pan-seared, herb encrusted, mess up your kitchen with a hundred pans, and your kids turn their noses up at it, stuff. I recently made her Honey Mustard Chicken and it's delicious. If my kids would have tried it they would have loved it, but they were in a mood that evening and nothing was going to please them (except Matt, all he wanted was cottage cheese). The chicken is not too sweet, not to mustardy, just yummy. So, enjoy.

Honey Mustard Chicken
from We Are Eating (apparently she got it from somewhere else too!)


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed and tenderized slightly (if they are overly thick, slice them in half)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
2 Tablespoons mustard (I used the basic yellow mustard since my husband is not a fan of Dijon mustard, but I bet it would be tasty with either)
1/4 teaspoon salt


Pre-heat oven to 350. Place chicken in shallow baking pan. In a small bowl, combine butter, honey, mustard and salt and whisk well. Pour over chicken. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, basting every 15 minutes.

I'm making the egg roll recipe on her blog this evening. I'll post it here if it's a winner!

Jam's Pumpkin Bars

I call this Jam's Pumpkin Bars because my sister Jamie gave me the recipe and she likes to make these.  They are delicious, especially during this time of year.

1 (15 oz). can Pumpkin Puree

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

Mix all wet ingredients together.

Then add...

2 cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 bag of chocolate chips (in my mind this is mandatory, but I guess you could leave it out)

Mix all together and spread on jelly roll (11x17) pan that is NOT greased, although I did line mine with wax paper (just a habit that I often do when making brownies or bars, it helps them come out of the pan easier).  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Cover with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup (1/2 cube) butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. milk

4 cups powdered sugar

Spread on bars when completely cool!

Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies

These are my favorite cookies. I wait all year for fresh cranberries to be stocked in the grocery store so I can start baking these. Even if you "think" you don't like cranberries try these. I know a lot of people do chocolate chips in their pumpkin cookies, these are better. And healthier, too :)

1 cup sugar
3/4 butter softened
1 egg
1 cup of Libby pure pumpkin
2 cups self rising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg
1 and 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries chopped


Preheat oven 350 degrees. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter together in a medium bowl, until light and fluffy. Add egg, mix well. Add pumpkin and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. Add to pumpkin mixture, mixing until just moist, using the electric mixer. Stir in cranberries. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy :)

Can't Leave Alone Bars

These are very similar to the Revel Bars Jenn posted. The main difference is that this recipe uses a boxed cake mix for the crust. They are really good and the chocolate is so gooey.

Ingredients:
1 package (18-1/4 oz. size) white cake mix (use chocolate if you're a chocoholic)
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 can (14-oz. size) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 T. cup butter, cubed
1 t. vanilla

In a bowl, combine the dry cake mix, eggs and oil. With floured hands, press 2/3 of the mixture into a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set remaining cake mixture aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the milk, chocolate chips and butter.

Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH for 45 seconds; stir. Microwave 45-60 seconds longer or until chips and butter are melted; stir until smooth. Add vanilla. Pour over crust.

Crumble remaining cake mixture over top. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting.

Creamy Tomato Soup and Bread Bowls

Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients

* 2 (15-ounce) containers, chicken or vegetable stock/broth (preferred brand: Kitchen Basics)
* 1 (28-ounce) can concentrated crushed tomatoes
* 1 cup heavy cream
* Coarse salt and black pepper and basil (I used a tablespoon but, used more or less based on your taste)
*One clove of garlic minced



Directions

Combine broth, tomatoes,basil and garlic in crockpot on high for4 to 6 hours. Stir in heavy cream, salt and pepper and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.With an immersion blender, puree soup. (I didn't have an immersion blender so I poured the crockpot contents into a blender a pureed)

Bread Bowl

I cheated on the bread bowls..

Ingredients

*Package of frozen bread loaves such as Rhodes (I brought the gentric with three 1 lb loaves)
*One egg beaten

Directions

I made 2 adult size bowls and 4 kid size bowls but, you can alter the size of the bowls to your needs.

Thaw 2 loaves. When dough is thawed but still cold divide the first loaf in 4 parts for kid bowls and second loaf into 2 parts. Form into ball and put on greased baking sheets, brush with egg. Let rise. I put mine in a 170 degree oven turned off for 2 hours. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cut of tops and hollow out in a bowl shape.

These could easily be made from scratch. Easily, if you know how to make bread from scratch, so not easy for me.

This is a new family favorite. My husband doesn't really like tomato soup but, he loved this.

Cake Balls

Easiest thing to make and they are really, really good. These would be especially good for Christmas treats. I found the recipe and picture at allrecipes.com. I've made them with cake and frosting from scratch and from the packaged stuff. We really like chocolate cake mixed with chocolate frosting dipped in white chocolate.

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (16 ounce) container prepared chocolate frosting
1 (3 ounce) bar chocolate flavored confectioners coating (I used much more than this, and I used the chocolate bark)

DIRECTIONS
Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using any of the recommended pan sizes. When cake is done, crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended. Melt chocolate coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Use a melon baller or small scoop to form balls of the chocolate cake mixture. Dip the balls in chocolate using a toothpick or fork to hold them. Place on waxed paper to set.

Lasagna Rolls

This is a great alternative to traditional lasagna and my kids love it.

Sauce:
2 T. unsalted butter
4 tsp. all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup whole milk (I used 2% and it was fine)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:
1 (15 ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeeze dry
1 cup plus 2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1-2 T. olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella

*spinach and prosciutto are optional.

To make the sauce you are basically just making a white sauce. Melt better over medium-low heat, add flour and whisk for about 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the milk and increase the heat to medium-high. Keep cooking and whisking the sauce until it is thick and smooth and then add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour the bechamel sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.

Preheat oven to 450. Boil Lasagna noodles until they are almost done (about 7-8 minutes). If they are too done they will just fall apart when rolling. When noodles are done lay out on baking sheet to prevent sticking and let the noddles cool.

Make Filling. Mix ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, egg, salt and pepper until blended.

Put three Tablespoons filling on each noodle and spread all over. Starting at one end roll noodle, jelly roll style, and place in bechamel sauce in pan (seam side down). Repeat with remaining noodles until done. Spoon 1 cup marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls and sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining 2 T. Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and cook until heated through and sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Take off foil and cook for 15 more minutes until cheese is nice and brown on top. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving!

Sesame Chicken

Okay Jenn, I thought I would give Sesame Chicken a try. This is actually my sister Jamie's recipe (maybe she should post something..right Jam). Shawn and I thought it was good.

Sauce:

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. toasted sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tsp. grated ginger root

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. sugar

Chicken:

1/2 cup flour

2 T. sesame sees

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup milk

cooking oil for frying

1 lb. skinless chicken thighs cut into small pieces (I used breasts)

Vegetables:

1 T. cooking oil

2 zucchini, cut into strips (I didn't have any zucchini and was so sad. This would have made a big difference)

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

6 green onions, cut into strips

(or you can just use a frozen bag or oriental veggies)

Directions:

Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

In large bowl combine flour, sesame sees, salt and cayenne. In a small bowl combine milk and egg. Add to dry ingredients and beat until smooth. In a wok heat 1/4 inch oil to 365 degrees. Dip chicken into coating and then add to oil. Fry until golden brown and cooked. Drain on paper towels. Cook all chicken and keep warm in oven.

Pour cooking oil for veggies in pan. Stir fry veggies for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in sauce and cook until thick and bubbly. Add chicken to mixture and stir. Serve with rice. ENJOY!

Mongolian Beef in a Crockpot!!

I got this recipe off http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/ and yes, it is good and even better that you cook it in the crockpot. We really liked the sauce!

--1 1/2 pounds flank steak
--3 cloves of garlic, minced
--4 sliced green onions--one is for garnish
--1 t dried minced onion (or 1/2 fresh onion, diced very small)
--1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce

--1/4 cup white wine
--1/4 cup cooking sherry

(but I didn't have either sherry or wine, so I just substituted 1/2 cup chicken broth and it tasted fine)
--1 T white wine vinegar

--1 t sesame oil
--1 t molasses
--1 t ginger
--1/4 t black pepper
--1 t red chili pepper flakes
--1/2 T peanut butter (if allergic, use black bean paste)
--3 T brown sugar
--1/4 cup cornstarch (to dredge meat--don't add to sauce mixture)

--slice your meat in thin strips and toss in a Ziploc bag with cornstarch.
--add all of the liquid and dried spices to your crockpot, and the peanut butter, and mix well. Add the garlic and three of the sliced green onions. If you are using fresh onion, add that now, too.
--put your meat on top, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Flank steak is thin and have very little fat, and will cook quickly. There isn't a lot of liquid in this dish, so if your crock tends to cook hot, please check it after 3 hours.

The meat is done when it is no longer pink and has reached desired tenderness. I cooked our meat in a 6qt oval Smart Pot and it was done after 4 hours on low.
Serve over steamed rice and and garnish with freshly sliced green onion.

Sesame Chicken

I'm going to try this Sesame Chicken recipe this week because I love sesame chicken. The only thing that I will do differently, is that I won't deep fry it. I'm going to prepare the chicken just like the way it's prepared in the Tiny Spicy Chicken that Jenn posted, but then I'll do the sesame sauce. Does that make sense?

If it looks like this and tastes like take-out, I'm going to be pretty happy. I'll let you know how it turns out.

It was okay, it wasn't fabulous like it was hyped up to be. The sauce was more red than the brown sauce of sesame chicken. It didn't really even taste like good sesame chicken. It was more like sweet and sour.

I'll keep searching for a good one.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger

A friend of mine made these and because they were so good, I decided to make them too. They were featured on Oprah. My friend's were a little different, but following the recipe produced an equally good, juicy, flavorful turkey burger balanced with tart apples and lemon, sweet chutney, and hot, smokey tabasco. I would definitely half the recipe, because I used about 2-1/2 lbs. of ground turkey and I got about 8 burgers. There's no way the full recipe would only make 8 patties. Oh, and I used half pure turkey breast, half regular ground turkey to keep the price of meat down.

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith apples , peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
1 lemon , juiced and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley , finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney , pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll. (I didn't make this, and the burgers were still good)

Cajun Chicken

Another Allrecipes classic recipe~Enjoy!

4 ounces linguine pasta
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced ( I didn't have any, but they would be a great addition)
1 green onion, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in a plastic bag. Shake to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter or margarine until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).
Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.

Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Quick Bread Tip

Just one quick tip that I learned the other day. When you make Banana Bread, or pumpkin or zucchini or whatever kind you can do this trick. Grease your pans and then coat them with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. It makes a delicious little Cinnamon/sugar crust on the bread. Delicious!

Lettuce Wraps

Again, I found this on allrecipes, but I tweaked it to my taste. Here's the original. This is mine with my changes.

16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves (I used iceberg because the other stuff looked gross)
1 pound lean ground pork
a little sesame oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce (at least 1 T. I probably used more)
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (again, I think I used more)
Asian chile pepper sauce (I used the hot sauce Jenn used in the spicy chicken)
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 carrot, julienned
2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground pork in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, carrots and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

Hidden Valley Ranch Pull-Apart Bread and Variation

This bread is really good, however when I went to make it this weekend, I realized that I only had enough to make one loaf but I had thawed out enough bread dough to make two. So, I improvised. To find the original bread recipe follow this link

Here's what I did differently.

1 packed dry Italian dressing mix
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 package cooked bacon bits (not the Bacos, but the real bacon bits that are packaged in a resealable bag)
1 pound/loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
2 T. oil

Measure oil into a large mixing bowl. Cut bread dough into 1 inch pieces. Add to oil and coat well. Add dressing mix, bacon, and cheese. Put into greased loaf pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with foil and return to oven to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (internal temperature should reach 190-195 degrees).

My husband liked it this way. He said it tasted like bread sticks. I think either version is good, but I liked the ranch bread better.

Ginger Chicken

I got this recipe from one of the other food blogs I read, Pimp My Dinner. It really was easy and pretty tasty so I thought I would share.

Chicken Breast (I used 3 skinless boneless breasts cut up into pieces)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

1 T. green onions, chopped

1 T. grated ginger

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. honey

1 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

Mix together all ingredients and let marinate with chicken for 1 hour. Cook chicken in skillet. {about half way through cooking I dumped in extra marinade and let it thicken into a sauce, this was great over the chicken and rice.} Serve chicken over rice. This marinade is really simple and you could cook the chicken many ways, even grilling would be great. It has a simple yet flavorful taste. I didn't have any green onions so I left those out, but this is a great go-to meal when you don't have a lot in the pantry!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

These really are great enchiladas. I love that they are a little different than the standard enchilada, a little spicy with a little sweet and we really liked them.

3/4 cup honey
lime juice (1-2 limes)
1 T. chili pwd.
1/2 tsp. garlic pwd.
1 tsp. cumin
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded
8-10 flour tortillas
monterey jack cheese, shredded

Sauce:
16 oz. green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Mix the first five ingredients and toss wiht the shredded chicken and let marinate for atleast 1/2 hour. {I just put those five ingredients with the cooked chicken in a Ziploc bag in the fridge in the morning and let it sit all day}. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and shredded cheese. Put tortillas in pan and cover with sauce and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until brown and crispy on top.

To make sauce: mix the remaining enchilada sauce with cream and any leftover marinade. I took a few liberties with the sauce. First, I didn't have any heavy cream, so I used 1/2 cup cream of chicken soup and 1/2 cup regular milk. That seemed to work, but really anything that will thicken up the sauce is good. Also, I didn't have any leftover marinade-my chicken sucked up all the yummy goodness, so I just added about 1 T. of honey and 1 T. lime juice to the sauce.

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

It is always fun to change things up a bit for breakfast and these muffins are delicious. I did make one change to the original recipe found at http://www.allrecipes.com, I changed the glaze to be more of a frosting because you just can't have too much sugar :). I just added powder sugar until it was the right consistency, but this would be just as good with the regular glaze. This also can be made in loaf pans.

3 eggs
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/8 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons butter, melted

Beat together the eggs, 2 1/2 cups white sugar and vegetable oil. Add in milk, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, vanilla, almond flavoring, and flour. Mix well. Bake in paper lined muffin cups (filled 3/4 full or 3 small greased loaf pans) at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes for muffins and 50-60 minutes for loaves. The tops should be browned and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Remove muffins as soon as you can while still warm/hot and dunk tops into glaze. Turn right side up and cool on a cookie rack. With loaves just pour the glaze evenly over the three loaves while still in pans. Let cool to a warm temp. and remove from pans. Yes, it is a little messy but it is really good.

To Make Glaze: In a saucepan over low heat, combine 3/4 cup sugar, orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring and 2 teaspoons melted butter. Warm in pan until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over loaf pans or dunk muffin tops into glaze when cooled to room temperature. (Omit the glaze altogether if you don't like the mess.)

Tiny Spicy Chicken

This recipe is a family favorite (even my brother Matt who is the pickiest eater in the world will eat it). It's almost like the real deal at a Chinese Restaurant!




3 lbs. chicken
2-4 eggs
cornstarch
garlic salt

Sauce:
2-3 tsp. chili sauce/sambal oelek (*see picture below*)
1 1 /2 cup sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tsp. soy sauce
3/4 cup chicken broth
6 T. brown sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
dash of salt

Cut up the chicken into bite size pieces and sprinkle with garlic salt and let it set for 30 minutes. Dip the chicken pieces into the eggs and then cornstarch. Brown chicken in oil, but don't cook all the way. Put in 9x13 pan. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Bake at 350 form 45-1 hour. Stir chicken at least twice while cooking. Serve with rice.


This is the sambal oelek, found in the Asian isle in most grocery stores. It my opinion, it is critical to creating a great sauce for this recipe. You can use as much or little as you like depending on how spicy you like it.

No Bake Double Good Dessert

I'm pretty sure this is the recipe that a friend brought over for lunch today. It's really, really good. I enjoyed the peanut butter, I even think that doing it mint flavor (replacing the peanut butter with cream cheese, adding mint extract and a few drops of green food coloring) instead of peanut butter would be good too. If it's not the recipe my friend used, I'll post the real recipe when I find it.

20 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Press crushed cookies into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan, reserving a few for decoration. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Stir in the peanut butter until well blended, then fold in the whipped topping. Spread over the crushed cookie base, sprinkle the remaining cookie chunks on top, and freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Thaw 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving. From allrecipes.com

Better Than Sex Cake

For a dessert to earn that name, it's got to be made of chocolate, but this was pretty good. My husband sure enjoyed it. I combined two recipes from allrecipes.com to get this version.

1 (18.25) lemon cake mix
1 can Mountain Dew
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
3/4 c. sugar
2 pkgs. vanilla pudding (would probably be good with white chocolate or lemon pudding too)
3 c. milk
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. flaked coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Prepare cake in 13x9 in pan replacing the water with Mountain Dew.

While the cake is baking, combine pineapple with juice and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until thick and syrupy, stirring occasionally. Pierce top of hot cake with fork at 1 inch intervals. Pour pineapple mixture over cake. Cool completely.

Beat pudding mix with milk until smooth. Spread pudding over cooled cake.
Whip cream until slightly thickened. Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla, and whip until soft peaks form. Spread over top of cake. Chill cake for 24 hours. Sprinkle with coconut and pecans just before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

To toast coconut, place coconut on a cookie sheet at bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Repeat with pecans, if desired.

Thai Chicken Pasta

Look at me posting a recipe! Jenn will be so proud. I haven't actually made this dish, but the couple we are living with made it the other night and IT'S DELICOUS. Enjoy

Sauce

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. chunky peanut butter

1/4 c. soy sauce

3 T brown sugar

2 T rice vinegar

2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger

2 tsp chili paste with garlic (2 makes it quite spicy,
maybe 1
to 1 1/2 tsp - however, we found a kind of sweet chili paste, almost like Hoisin sauce, and it was not too spicy)

4 garlic cloves minced




8 oz fettuccine

1 lb chicken breast

1 c. (2 inch) sliced green onions

1 c. shredded carrots (I buy the pre-shredded kind)



Combine first 8 ingredients in sauce pan. Cook until smooth, stirring frequently. Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes.
Add onions ad carrots. Continue cooking until pasta is done. Drain and place in large bowl.
Toss with peanut sauce and cooked cut up chicken.

Wendy's Frosty

This is a copycat recipe that I found on another food blog. This really tastes just like the frosty's at Wendy's. The texture is just a little different, but oh so close-it is totally worth (and not too bad for you either). This recipe is one large serving, so double or triple it.

1 cup skim milk (I used 2% because it is what I had)
3 T. sugar free/fat free instant chocolate dry pudding mix
2 heaping Tablespoons cool whip
8 or or ice cubes.

Put all in the mixer and then blend away!

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata (or pork piccata) is one of my favorite dishes. Shawn and I always order it when we go to the Cheesecake Factory, they have a delicious one. There are a couple of variations, but really it is pretty simple. I have simplified the sauce a little, but you can make it the original way if you want.

4 Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
2 eggs, beaten with 1 T. water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T. Capers

Flatten chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thick. This is really important to get a good crust and tender, moist chicken. Combine Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs. Dip breasts in eggs mixture and then in cheese and bread crumbs mixture. Put in fridge for about 15 minutes. Combine oil and butter in skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Saute chicken fillets for 5 minutes per side, or until brown and cooked.

I usually just make a simple sauce by adding the lemon juice into the pan drippings and then adding capers. But, to make the original sauce you add garlic or shallot to the pan drippings and saute for a few seconds. Next, add 1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock and fresh lemon slices. Simmer until sauce thickens (about 4 minutes). Add lemon juice and capers and simmer. Once sauce thickens remove from heat and add 2 T. butter until it melts. This sauce is a little thicker and richer, but I am lazy most of the time and think it tastes great either way.

*chicken cooked this way also is great cut up and served in salads, without the sauce!

Pineapple Ginger Fruit Salad

1 pineapple chunked into bite size pieces
2 kiwis thinly sliced
1 cup coconut
2 limes zested and juiced
1 inch piece of ginger root peeled
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Combine coconut with lime zest. Toast until golden brown

Put lime juice, water, sugar, and ginger in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let stand.

Arrange pineapple and kiwi on plate. Scatter coconut mixture over fruit. Drizzle with ginger syrup.

*I read some people added strawberries and Mandarin oranges.

Zucchini Fudge Cake

I found this recipe right after J.D. and I got married. It's delicious and moist and above all chocolaty. You can used a prepared chocolate fudge frosting (which is what I usually do) but I think the frosting from the Hershey's cake on here would be wonderful too. What a great way to sneak vegetables into your day!

1 cup butter, softened
2-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups shredded zucchini
3-1/2 cups prepared chocolate frosting

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in zucchini.
Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes (I had to bake it about 42 minutes--I don't know why) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Spread frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake. Yield: 12-14 servings.

Mexican Tinga

Jenn, I feel like you've been carrying this blog for a little while, and I thought that I might help out with this recipe.
I found this on allrecipes.com, but I changed it a little to fit our tastes. You can find the original recipe here. It's pretty simple, but I enjoyed it and will make it again. Here's my changes to it.

4 chicken breasts
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies.
1 onion, chopped
sour cream
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
tostada shells (you can fry your own corn tortillas in oil until crispy, that's what I did)

Season chicken with salt and pepper and a little cumin. Puree tomatoes and add to chicken. Add onion and cook on low for 6 hours, high for 4. When chicken is cooked, shred and return to crock pot.

To serve, put chicken on tostada, top with sour cream and what ever else you want. Like I said, it's pretty simple, but it's different and good.

Lemon Pie

This was a really easy pie that I made a few days ago. Shawn's first comment was, "wow, this is interesting", but then he told me he really liked it. I think this pie would be GREAT on a warm summers day! You could easily garnish this pie with whipped cream-that would be delicious, but I was just lazy.


3 egg yolks
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whipped cream
3 egg whites, beaten stiff
3 T. sugar
Vanilla Wafer Crumbs or Graham crackers crumbs

With a wire whisk, beat the egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar. Place mixture in to of a double boiler and cook slowly to make a custard, stirring continuously. Remove from heat when thickened, and let cool. Whip the cream, then beat the egg whites until stiff;fold in sugar and whipped cream. Fold this mixture into the cooled custard. Line a glass pie dish with vanilla wafer crumbs and fill with lemon custard. Freeze until firm and the slice and serve.

Chicken Alfredo and Rice Casserole

This recipe was a nice change to the typical chicken and rice casserole. I liked the Alfredo sauce added to the mix and this was very easy to put together!


1 10oz. bottle Alfredo pasta sauce
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cup cooked wild rice (or you could use white rice)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted red sweet peppers
1/4 cup silvered almonds, toasted (optional)
1 T. snipped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
2 T. butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl combine pasta sauce and milk. Stir in rice, chicken, peas, sweet peppers, nuts, and basil. Transfer to baking dish. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and stir. Combine the bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake, uncovered 20-25 minutes more or until heated through and crumbs are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine!

Amazing Creamy Lemon Bars

This is definitely my new favorite lemon bar recipe. I got it from a great food blog http://www.the-daily-bite.blogspot.com/. I love the creamy texture to this lemon bar.

Creamy Lemon Bars
20 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold real butter

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. flour

3 Tbsp grated lemon peel divided

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice-use FRESH!

1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Spray lightly with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a bowl, combine Nilla Wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and the brown sugar. Chop butter into small pieces and then cut into crumb mixture with a pastry blender. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.

While crust is cooking, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 2 Tbsp. flour, and baking powder; mix well. Blend in 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, and lemon juice and then pour mixture over crust.

Bake 30 to 35 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel just before cutting into squares to serve. Store leftover squares in refrigerator.

Sweet Rice and Spicy Cilantro Dressing

I have been searching for a copycat recipe for the sweet rice that Bajio's makes. They actually use fruit juice-probably pineapple, but I can't find their recipe anywhere. This is a close second. I served this tonight on tortillas with bean, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and a yummy new spicy cilantro-lime dressing (recipe below).

Sweet Rice
1 T. oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 1/3 cup white rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup sugar (you can add more or less depending on how sweet you like it)

Put a little oil in bottom of pan and saute chopped onion until translucent. Add the cilantro and saute for a minute more. Add the rice and cook until light brown-be careful not to burn. Combine the chicken broth and sugar so that the sugar dissolves (I actually put these two ingredients together in a Pyrex bowl and microwaved for a minute to make sure the sugar dissolved). Then stir the chicken broth mixture into rice. Bring to a boil and then cover the pan. Turn the heat down to low and let cook for 25-30 minutes, or until done. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Spicy Cilantro Dressing
tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 whole green onions, coarsely chopped
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Place lime juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro, green onions, and jalapeno peppers together in a blender or food processor. Process until well blended and smooth. Add sour cream and mayonnaise. Process again until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the container as necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Ranger Cookies

These are probably my #2 favorite cookie (right after chocolate chip). Thought I'd share.

Ranger Cookies

1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
2 c flour
2 c quick cooking rolled oats
2 c corn flakes
1 c flaked coconut
1 c milk chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine with soda, powder, salt, flour. Mix well. Stir in oats, flakes, coconut, and chocolate chips. Form into 1 inch balls. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes

Banana Bars

J.D. made these tonight. He got the recipe from a woman at work. Although he says that his frosting wasn't as good as hers, they were still really good. I'm a so-so fan of banana bread (I prefer zucchini) and these blow banana bread out of the water. I will definitely make these again when the bananas go brown.

1/2 c. butter
1-1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
2-3 bananas (mashed)
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in a jelly roll pan at 350 degrees for approx. 20-25 minutes.

Frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy; slowly add powdered sugar and vanilla.

Easy Chicken and Broccoli Lo Mein

I made this for dinner tonight and everyone seemed to like it. It was so fast and easy AND incorporated some veggies (I'll try anything to get my kids to eat healthy).
8 ounces long pasta, such as linguine
2/3 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup fresh button mushrooms (I didn't have any, but it would be a great addition)
1 T. peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen broccoli (I just used a few crowns of fresh broccoli that I steamed)
3 cloves fresh garlic
2 tsp. finely minced fresh ginger
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. rice vinegar
1 T. ketchup
1 tsp. dark sesame oil

Boil noodles until tender. Meanwhile cut chicken into bite size pieces. Heat oil in deep skillet and sauce chopped onion. Next add the chicken. Let that cook for a few minutes and then add the mushrooms, broccoli, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms release their liquid and the chicken is no longer pink.

Add the soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup (I thought this was a really odd ingredient for this recipe-but it worked), and sesame oil to the skillet and mix well. Remove the skillet from heat and add the drained, cooked pasta. Mix all together are serve immediately.

Asian Noodle Salad

Okay, another recipe from The Pioneer Woman cooks. It was really good. However, I warn you about making this for dinner--it makes a TON!! I had a 5 friends over and we didn't finish it. I even eliminated one of the ingredients and reduced the cabbages by about half and I still have leftovers. The dressing is good and I really like the addition of noodles in the salad. Mmmmm.

Asian Noodle Salad
adapted from Jamie Oliver

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled

1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage (I used regular cabbage, that's all they had)
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (if available)
1 small bag bean sprouts (this is what I left out, there just wasn't enough room)
3 sliced scallions
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers (I didn’t have a cucumber for the photos above, but they’re yummy in the salad)
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet (I didn't toast them, but wanted to)

DRESSING:

Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapeños, chopped (I accidentally left out, but it was still good)
More chopped cilantro—LOTS

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.
*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.

P.S. You might need some Gas-X or Beano with this meal.

Apple Dumplings

If you don't ever check out The Pioneer Woman Cooks, you should. I love her pictures and this particular recipe came out great!

Anyway, I made these apple dumplings for dessert yesterday and I was so surprised at them. They were so good!! I topped mine with cool-whip and J.D. with ice cream.

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon
1 small can Mountain Dew

Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Revel Bars

I have made these treats a few times in the past few weeks for friends, Home Teaching, and Playgroups and EVERY time the recipe is requested. So, I thought it would be a good idea to post it. This recipe involves a lot of butter and chocolate so I hope you enjoy!

Revel Bars

Crust: 1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
3 cups quick oats

Filing:
1 package chocolate chips (12 oz.)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream together butter and sugar for crust. Add in the eggs, vanilla, soda, and salt. Add in the flour and oats and mix well. The dough is really sticky. Press 2/3 of mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Next, melt the chocolate chips and butter together. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Pour over the crust and then pat the remaining crust flat with hangs and lay over the top of filing in pieces (or you can just crumble the remaining crust on top). Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

ENJOY!

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake

This is the absolute best chocolate cake. One hundred times better than anything mixed up from a box. I've made this several times and it's always turned out perfectly moist and oh, so good. You can always find this on the back of Hershey's cocoa powder.

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Sweet Salsa Chicken

I actually got this recipe of one of the food blogs that I read so I can't take credit, but it is good and pretty easy so I thought I would post it.

Sweet Salsa Chicken:

1 package Taco Seasoning

4 chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. oil1 cup salsa

1/4 cup apricot jam

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1 (15 oz.) can Black beans, drained and rinsed

Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces. In large skillet, heat oil; add chicken and taco seasoning. Cook until juices run clear. Add salsa, apricot jam, water, cilantro and lime juice. Bring to boil. Stir in beans, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

Sour Cream Salsa:

I didn't actually make this because I forgot the sour cream at the store, but I am sure it would be worth it when I make it again.

1 cup sour cream

2 tsp lime zest

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/3 cup Cilantro, chopped

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together and serve over chicken and rice.

Lime Cilantro Rice:

2-4 Tbsp butter

2 green onions peeled and minced

2 cups jasmine rice or long grain rice

grated zest of 2 limes

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro washed

4 cups hot chicken stock/broth

kosher salt and pepper to taste

Saute green onion in butter then add to all other ingredients in a 9x13 pan. Cover with foil. Cook at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until all liquid is gone and rice is soft. But, I was lazy and just put all the ingredients in the rice cooker. It turned out fine!~

Easy Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

8 oz. fettuccine or spaghetti, uncooked
2 cups fresh broccoli florets ( I think it needs more like 4 cups)
1/4 C. Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 2/3 c. milk
4 oz. Cream Cheese, cubed
1/4 c. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 2 min. of the pasta cooking time. Drain pasta mixture.

Meanwhile, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in milk, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and basil. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cook 1 to 2 min. or until sauce is well blended and heated through.

Add chicken mixture to pasta mixture; mix lightly. (Too much mixing causes broccoli to fall apart)

Makes 4 servings, 2 cups each

Flip Flop Cobbler

Dessert, to me, means chocolate. However, this is a really easy cobbler that's really good too. It's a debate in our house which is better--topped with ice cream or cool-whip.

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 (29 ounce) can sliced peaches, juice reserved
1/4 cup butter

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter or margarine with 1/2 cup sugar.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternately add these ingredients and the milk to the creamed mixture.

Spread batter in greased casserole dish or loaf pan. Top the batter with the fruit, and pour 1 cup of juice over the top of the fruit. Top the fruit with the other 1/2 cup of sugar. (Can omit sugar if the fruit is already sweet enough to your liking.)
Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Chicken Fiesta Soup

Finally I'm posting a recipe! I make this soup probably once or twice a month - it's easy and DELICIOUS. Here you go family and friends

Chicken Fiesta Soup

Ingredients

4 Boneless Skinless chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
1 Can (28 oz) enchilada sauce
1 Can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, drained (I usually use just plain old diced tomatoes, un-drained
– whatever I have really)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 can (4 oz each) chopped green chiles
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn (I usually double this because I love the corn)
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (sometimes I put it in and sometimes I don’t)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder (I usually put at least extra of both chili and cumin, but I’m a spice
freak)
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black epper


Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook for 8 hours (or less, you can kind of tell
when it’s done)
2. Garnish with chips, cheese, avocado, green onions – whatever you feel like.


Notes

I kind of fudge on some things here and there. I usually add whatever vegetables I have and whichever sound good; HOWEVER the zuchhini and squash really make this soup. It’s pretty hearty because of the enchilada sauce base – it even fills Max!

Market Street Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients:
3 large russet or baker potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (1/8")
1 1/2 cups smoked Gouda cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
salt and white pepper to taste (approximate 1/2 tsp. each)

Method:
Slice potatoes. Do not rinse! Mix sliced potatoes in a bowl with whpping cream, salt, pepper and cheese until everythng is incorporated.

Layer in a 9"x13" baking dish no more than 1" thick. Cover with foil and bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

Serve piping hot!

Zucchini Pasta

1 (8 ounce) package uncooked pasta shells
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 zucchini, chopped (I used two zucchinis because I like mine loaded)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 ounce diced roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons light cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta shells in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion and garlic until tender. Mix in the zucchini, and season with oregano, salt and pepper, and red pepper. Cook 10 minutes, until tender.

Stir the chicken broth into the skillet, and cook 5 minutes, until heated through. Mix in the chicken, roasted red peppers, and cream cheese, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Dump pasta into skillet with sauce and mix. Top with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

Philipine Chicken Adobo

I got this recipe out of a food network cookbook and we tried it for dinner tonight. Everyone really liked it. It is pretty simple and you can make it in under 30 minutes. I served it with rice and steamed veggies.

3 T. oil
8 skinless bone-in chicken thighs (but I used chicken breasts and it was fine)
1 tsp. salt, plus additional for seasoning
15 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 bay leaves
2 cups water
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. sugar
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 T. cornstarch mixed with 1 T. water

Heat large skillet over medium high. Add the oil to pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in skillet. Let it cook for about four minutes on that side, until it gets a little golden. Add in the garlic, bay leaves, water, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, 1 tsp. salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Bring to a boil and then turn stove down to a simmer and cook chicken for 25 minutes, uncovered. Turn the chicken occassionaly so both sides get cooked in sauce mixture.

Transfer the chicken to plate and add in the cornstarch and water mixture to make sauce thicker. Bring to a boil and then keep on simmer until desired thickness. Once sauce is thick, almost glaze like put chicken back in pan and coat chicken with the sauce. Serve chicken with the sauce drizzled on top (I added a few green onions on top also, but those were purely for look.)

Martha Stewart's Meatloaf

I admit that I'm not such a fan of meatloaf. I shun it. But the other day I was watching TV and someone was talking about how good Martha Stewart's meatloaf recipe was. Well, that started an urge, and for the first time in my whole nine married years, I made it. I was pleasantly surprised. This was actually enjoyable--even delicious. My kids ate it! J.D. said it was pretty good for meatloaf. So, maybe you might want to try it too. I used a combination of ground pork (not sausage) and ground sirloin--adapt the recipe as you see fit. I even love how it has vegetables in it.

4 slices white bread, torn into pieces
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into eighths
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (I used dried)
1 large egg
1 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add ground beef.

Place onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse until fine. Add to meat mixture, using hands to mix well. Add egg, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, salt, and pepper; use hands to combine thoroughly. Place in an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan.
Combine remaining 1/2 cup ketchup, remaining teaspoon dry mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl; stir until smooth.

Brush mixture over meatloaf; place in the oven with a baking pan set on the rack below to catch drippings. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 160 degrees, about 90 minutes. If top gets too dark, cover with foil, and continue baking.

Chicken Chimichangas with Green Sauce

Shawn and I really like Chimichangas, so I am always looking for a good recipe. This recipe is good, although I think next time I would add a little extra spice to the chicken mixture and maybe even dump in a little of the green sauce-but in general these were good. I know that you can bake them sprayed with cooking spray, but don't skimp and go all the way and deep fry them-so much better. The green sauce has a nice little lime kick!

2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles
5 pitted green olives
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning
1 pound shredded cooked chicken meat
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped green onion
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Pour the cream of chicken soup into a blender along with the green chiles, olives, jalapeno, and lime juice. Puree until smooth, then pour into a saucepan, and warm over medium-low heat while proceeding with the recipe.
In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and taco seasoning until well blended. Fold in the chicken. Evenly divide mixture among the 8 tortillas. Fold each tortilla into a rectanglular packet around the filling.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry 4 chimichangas at a time until golden brown, then drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
To serve, place a chimichanga on a plate, and ladle the warm sauce overtop. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and green onions. Finish with a dollop of sour cream.

Deluxe Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This is a jazzed up version of grilled cheese with tomatoes and basil. It is fun for a change. I usually serve it with soup. Also, great in the summertime when tomatoes are delicious for a lite lunch or dinner.

8 slices Italian bread (3/4 inch thich)
8 slices mozzarella cheese (or just use grated)
2 large plum tomoates, or whatever are your favorite
2 T. minced fresh basil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

On four slices of the bread layer cheese and tomatoes. Sprinkle with basil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Top with remaining bread.

In a small bowl combine the oil, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Brush over the outsides of each sandwich. Cook on a griddle until golden brown on each side.

Yield: 4 servings

Dutch Baby and Buttermilk Syrup

I made this for breakfast this morning (since there was a snow day, don't think I cook breakfast everyday). It was very good. The syrup is delicious and good on everything from pancakes, to french toast, to your husband--if you looking to spice things up.

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons butter

Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet inside oven and preheat oven to 475. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until light. Add milk and stir. Gradually whisk in flour and salt.

Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven heat to 425 degrees. Melt butter in hot skillet so that inside of skillet is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet and return skillet to oven.

Bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 12 minutes.

Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk or sour milk
1 t. baking soda
1+ t. vanilla

Melt butter in a 3 qt saucepan (the recipe foams, you'll need a bigger pan). When melted add sugar and buttermilk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat add soda and vanilla. Whisk until incorporated. Store unused portion for up to 2 weeks.

Chicken Soup with Mushrooms and Cavatappi

This is the absolute best soup you'll ever try. It is by far restaurant quality. I use dried shitake mushrooms (just put them in water and rehydrate them), cavatappi (cork screws) pasta, and kale. Serve it with some warm bread and you've got a great home cooked meal (of course it's very cozy for us that are buried under snow).

4 skinless chicken thighs (1-1/4 lbs.)
1 large (8 ounces) boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
4 ounces shiitake or white mushrooms, diced
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick diagonal pieces
2 garlic cloves, without skins
4 1/2-inch-thick slices fresh ginger
1 bay leaf
3 14-ounce cans chicken broth
1-1/2 cups cavatappi or elbow macaroni
1-1/2 cups chopped kale or Swiss chard

1. With a small, sharp knife, cut chicken thighs along the bone, removing as much thigh meat as possible. Reserve bones. Cut thigh and breast meat into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small Dutch oven. Cook thigh meat until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add remaining oil. Cook chicken breast until golden brown on all sides; transfer to another bowl.

3. Add mushrooms to Dutch oven and cook 5 minutes. Add to chicken breast. Add onion, carrots, garlic, ginger and bay leaf to Dutch oven; cook 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables soften. Stir in chicken broth, reserved thigh meat and bones. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes.

4. Remove garlic cloves, mash and return to broth. Add pasta, chicken breast, mushrooms and kale. Cover and simmer 5 to 8 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Discard bones. Makes 4 servings.

Homemade Oreo's

I made these cookies for playgroup the other day and this recipe was requested, so I thought I would post it. I make these alot, and they are fun because you can die the filling fun colors, ex. pink for baby girl shower, orange for halloween, etc.

1 package devils food cake mix
3/4 cup butter shortening (but I have substitute both real butter and margarine)
2 eggs

Mix above ingredients together. The dough is really sticky. Roll into small balls and place on an ungreased pan. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. They will set up a little after you take them out of the oven so the centers should still look soft and just barely starting to crack.

Make frosting and put a heaping spoonful on half the cookies and then top with the other half so they look like little sandwiches, or little oreos-Enjoy!

Frosting:
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Yummy Bean Dip

This is a family favorite of mine. As long as I can remember my mom has made this for any special occasion or family get together and we love it. It was a great addition to our superbowl party on Sunday. It is very similar to many seven layer bean dips, but there are a few personal touches.

-Mix two cans refried beans with one cup salsa. (Adding the salsa in make it so the beans aren't so stiff and makes it easier to scoop up. Plus adds a little extra flavor)

-Mix one cup sour cream, one cup mayo (or miracle whip if you are from my family), and one packet of taco seasoning.

-Mix 3 large avocadoes, garlic salt, lemon juice to taste, and 1/4 cup mayo for the guacamole layer. (but my husband likes to create his own guacomole recipe so we don't usually use this one-just use your favorite guacomole).

In a 9x13 pan layer the beans/salsa, mayo/sourcream/taco, guacamole and then cover with grated cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and olives (or anything else that you like).

This dip is really pretty feeling and can serve a large crowd easily.

Blue Cheese Green Onion Dip

A friend of mine from Dominica brought this recipe to a girls' night we had this week. It was really good. Maybe something to bring to your Super Bowl parties (if you're going to be doing that on Sunday like we are).

1 c mayonnaise
1 c sour cream
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 T dried parsley
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (I usually add a little more than 4 oz.)
garlic salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Serve with vegetables.

Tasty Chicken Nuggets

This coating can also be used on whole chicken breasts too, just bake a little longer. They taste much better than the frozen kind and don't take that long to make.

3 Chicken Breasts
1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese (the kind in the green can)
1 stick butter

Cut chicken breasts into chunks, pat dry. In a Ziploc bag crush Ritz crackers until fine crumbs. Add in dressing mix and parm cheese. Melt butter in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in butter and coat in crumb mixture. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown (about 20-30 minutes).

Tuxedo Brownie Cups

This is a pampered chef recipe and ever since my sister-in-law Jo brought these to a family party years ago they have been a staple at any family party.

1 brownie mix

1 8oz cream cheese

2 T. milk

2 oz. melted white chocolate

1 cup cool whip

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Make the brownie mix just as directed on the box and pour in a small muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. As soon as it comes out of the oven press down middles (I use a pampered chef tool, but you can use whatever you have). Let the brownies cool and then fill with filling and place a fruit on top. I love to use raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, but use whatever you like best.

Filling:

Cream 8oz. cream cheese with 2 T. milk. Melt white chocolate and mix in cool whip and powdered sugar. Mix all together.

(a friend of mine doesn't like chocolate so I tried making these chocolate free by using my sugar cookie recipe. I just made the dough and put a little in the bottom of the muffin tin and cooked them for about 10 minutes. I think they turned out okay and fun for a variety)

Caramel Pudding Cake

This is an yummy old fashion dessert. I usually prefer chocolate desserts but this one is up there on the scale of yummyness (that is not a real word)

Batter:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped,peeled apples (Red delicious, Gala...any of those are fine)
2 cups flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp baking pwder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
optional: 1 cup raisins and or 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Mix and boil together 4 cups water, 2 cups brown sugar and 4 Tbsp butter. Set aside and prepare batter.

Cream butter and sugar. Add chopped apples. Add dry ingredients and milk. Blend well and add all other ingredients. Spread batter into a greased 13x9x2 inch pan. Pour hot brown sugar and butter mixture over batter. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

This sometimes boils over and can be messy in oven so be prepared.

Cut in squares and serve cake on plate(make sure you put some of the yummy carmal sauce at the bottom of the pan on top of cake) and top with whipped cream.

You can serve this warm or cold. I like it a little warm so my whipped cream melts on top....delicious and kindof healthy (it has apples in it)!

Applebees Spinach Artichoke Dip

2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped ( I use the marinated ones)
1 8oz. package cream cheese
1 8oz. sour cream
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 8oz. shredded monteray jack cheese
1/2 white onion, chopped finely
1 stick butter
crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Saute onion in butter;add ingredients, mixing well and blending afer each addtion in this order:
spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, artichokes, pepper flakes, 3/4 cup monteray jack cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

Take off heat, put in microwave safe dish and top with remaining cheese.
cook in microwave 4-5 minutes, to melt cheese, if needed.

This recipie is delicious...just like Applesbees...
This is a fun appetizer but is best served warm.
You can serve it with tortia chips, pita chips, french bread, veggies or crackers.

Chicken and Dumplings

I just found a really good recipe for dumplings. They are very much like the ones at Cracker Barrel and better than the Bisquick kind (I detest Bisquick anyway). I made my own chicken and vegetable mix using canned chicken stock, chicken breasts and my choice of vegetables--chopped celery, chopped onion, and sliced carrots.

2 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1-1/4 t. salt
1 c milk

Mix together all ingredients. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Roll dough into about 1/4 to 1/2 in. thickness (you'll need to flour up the rolling surface and rolling pin pretty well). Cut into 1 in. x 2 in. strips. Drop into simmering stock. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. They will puff up and then as they cook turn into a dumpling consistency. If you want the full recipe click here