Tortellini with Leeks and Cream

From Simple Vegetarian Pleasures: This sauce is very simple and elegant. You don't need much cheese or any other additions because the wonderful flavor of leeks carries the dish. ::I really like it because it's very easy to make and not too rich:: Serves 3-4

2 large leeks
1 TB unsalted butter
1/2 C. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lb. frozen cheese tortellini
1 TB grated Paremesan cheese

1. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile slice the roots off the leeks, plus all but 2 in. of green tops. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise. Under cold running water rinse the leeks, thumbing through all the leaves to dislodge any hidden dirt. Do this thoroughly to rid them of all their dirt. Thinly slice the leeks. You can use the light green tops, but discard any dark green tops. You should get about 2 1/2 C. sliced leeks.
3. Melt the butter over med. heat in a large skillet. Add the leeks and saute until tender, about 10 min. Stir frequently, and keep an eye on the leeks so they don't get at all brown.
4. Pour in the cream, salt and pepper. Heat just until it boils, then turn the heat very low to keep the sauce warm.
5. Drop the tortellini in the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 5 min. Drain in a colander, then mix into the sauce along with the Parmesan cheese. Toss and serve.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

I made this yesterday when all of my family were here to celebrate my birthday. Everybody said they loved it. So, unless they were just being nice because it was my birthday, it must be good. I only got to taste the dregs of what my sister left in her bowl when she realized that I hadn't gotten any, but what I tasted was really good! It's a spicy dish. I didn't even try to make my kids taste it.
So this is what I did different because of ingredient limitations: I didn't have ground chicken so I diced up some chicken breasts into small pieces. I used a can of diced tomatoes and just cut them up into smaller pieces. And, we didn't do the cheese - just the chips.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 ribs celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
• 1 can stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
• 1 sack whole grain tortilla chips, lightly crushed
• 3/4 pound Maytag Blue cheese, crumbled
• A handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Place a large pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the ground chicken and break it up, lightly browning it for 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, paprika and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7-8 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and the stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes to the chili and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes more to let the flavors come together.

While the chili is simmering, pre-heat the broiler.

Spread the chips out on a cookie sheet. Top with the crumbled blue cheese and transfer to the oven to melt the cheese, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Top each serving of Buffalo Chicken Chili with a few blue cheese chips.

This was found on Rachael Ray's website.

King Ranch Casserole

I saw this recipe on the Today Show. King Ranch Casserole. I made it last night and it was sooo yummy. My kids SAID that they liked it but it was too spicy. I probably shouldn't have put the Rotel in because I knew that they wouldn't like it but I couldn't help myself. I really like it spicy! Next time I will probably just put in some diced tomatoes. Geoff and I ate way more than our share.
FYI - I didn't put in the jalapeños or cilantro (I'm allergic to cilantro) and instead of Fritos I added more of the toasted corn tortillas crushed up on top. Also, I didn't have any cream so I used canned evaporated milk and it turned out great.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 2 onions, chopped fine

• 2 jalapeño chiles, seeds and ribs removed, then minced

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 2 (10-ounce) cans Ro-Tel tomatoes

• 5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 11/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

• 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)

• Salt and pepper

• 2 1/4 cups Fritos corn chips, crushed

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Lay the tortillas on two baking sheets, lightly coat both sides with cooking spray, and bake until slightly crisp and browned, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly, then break into bite-sized pieces. Using potholders, adjust the top oven rack to the middle position.

2. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, chiles, and cumin until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice and cook until most of liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Add the cream and broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Off the heat, add the cilantro and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Scatter half of the tortilla pieces in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish set over a rimmed baking sheet. Spoon half of the filling evenly over the tortillas. Scatter the remaining tortilla pieces over the filling, then top with the remaining filling.

4. Bake until the filling is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the Fritos evenly over the top and bake until the Fritos are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool the casserole 10 minutes. Serve.

Things you can do ahead of time: The casserole can be assembled through step 3 and refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 1 day. When ready to bake, remove the plastic, cover the casserole with foil, and bake until the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with the crushed Fritos, and proceed as directed with the rest of step 4.

Too Many Babas Soup

Click here to read the story behind the name! This will take you to my personal blog.

Too Many Babas Soup

3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 cups water
6 cubes bouillon (I used a mix of vegetable and chicken)
left-over ham
1 pound baby carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cans white beans
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. sweet basil
2 bay leaves

Mince the garlic. Chop the onion. Saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil. Add in the water and other ingredients except the beans. Put over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, then add beans. My ham was in chunks so I pulled that out and chopped it into bite sized pieces as well. Baba Edis also added cabbage which I would have gladly added if I had had it in my refrigerator.

Breadsticks

1 1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour

Add yeast to water and let dissolve. Add honey and salt. Add enough flour that you can knead it gently. Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece between your hands into a long breadstick and place on a greased baking sheet. Brush melted butter over the breadsticks and allow them to raise for 15 to 20 minute. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. After they bake, I usually brush them again with butter and sprinkle garlic powder and Parmesan cheese on top.

Steph's caramel corn

7-8 C. popped popcorn (or 1 bag of microwave popcorn)
1/4 C. packed brown sugar
6 TB. butter
3 TB. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla

In medium saucepan, mix brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook & stir over medium heat 'til mixture boils. Continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, without stirring, for 5 min. more.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour mixture over popcorn (in baking dish), stir gently to coat. Bake in 300 degree oven for 15 min. Stir mixture; bake 5 min. more. Let cool, stirring occasionally so it won't stick to the pan.

This recipe is actually from Better Homes and Garden's cookbook but Steph found that we could decrease the brown sugar by a third and it was still really yummy. So the original recipe says 3/4 C. brown sugar; if you want to do that. But I swear, 1/4 C. works perfectly.
If you are planning on sharing this caramel corn with ANYONE besides yourself, you might want to double it. I tripled it and put it in a roasting pan. It was so good that I had to hide it from myself out in my VAN while I made dinner.

Cream of Tomato Soup

I made this soup earlier in the week. (We've kind of been in the mood for soup - can you tell?) I have to say it was DELICIOUS! 3 out of my 4 kids loved it and all 4 ate it. Geoff doesn't really care for tomato soup but had 3 bowls of this stuff! I found it on AllRecipes.com. After I cooked the onions and flour, I added some of the tomato juice and then pureed it in the food processor so there wouldn't be any 'chunks' (the key to getting my kids to eat it). Then I continued on with the recipe. Super easy. Super fast. Super yummy.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 quart tomato juice
• salt to taste
• 2 cups milk

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, saute onions in butter until translucent. Remove from the heat. Stir in the flour so that no lumps remain, then slowly whisk in the tomato juice. Return to the heat and add salt to taste. Cook until just boiling but turn off the heat before it boils. Let cool 10 minutes then slowly stir in milk. Serve immediately.

Taco Soup

I made this tonight for dinner and it turned out really good. I didn't have any ground beef so I cut up some chicken breast instead. We topped it with cheese and I cut up some flour tortillas, sprayed them with cooking spray, sprinkled them with salt and put them in the oven for 10 minutes at 375*. I got the soup recipe from this blog.

1 pound ground beef
1 onion chopped
4 cups tomato juice (I use the whole big can from Safeway, then I have enough for leftovers)
1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes

In pan, over medium high heat, combine ground beef and onions. Saute until beef is cooked. Add other ingredients and heat through, but don't boil.

Get Some Inspiration

On the left you might have noticed that I added a couple of links to recipe sites that I frequent. I LOVE Allrecipes.com. I love that I can read reviews and then decide if I think it's worth it. I also like that I can use the advanced search option and look up recipes by ingredients that I have on hand. This is where a lot of the recipes that I have posted have come from. Also, I have a link to "The Pioneer Woman Cooks". I love her site! I love the step by step photos and she has a great sense of humor. She makes funny little comments the whole time she's explaining what to do! She really cracks me up! Not to mention, everything she makes looks absolutely delicious!!

If you have a site or two that you use on a regular basis and is pretty reliable for yummy recipes, post a comment here with the web address and I'll add it to our list.

I'm also waiting to hear back from the administrators of a couple of other recipe blogs like ours for permission to add their links to our page.

Poll is Closed!

The poll is closed. 6 people liked the new one 2 people liked the old one better. I guess we'll keep the new one! Thanks everybody!!

Chewy Granola Bars

FYI, these granola bars are NOT chewy if you overcook them. Oops. I think they're still pretty darn good but also, fyi, Caleb says they make him want to throw up. Just giving you some fair warning.

1/2 C. butter or marg. softened
1 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. sugar
2 TB. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 C. flour (I'll bet you could use whole wheat flour instead)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. quick oats
1 1/4 C. crispy rice cereal
1 C. chopped nuts
optional: 1 C. raisins and/or semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add honey, vanilla, and egg; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture. Stir in oats, cereal, and nuts. Add raisins or chips if desired. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min. or until the top is lightly browned. Cool completely and slice into 24 bars.

Veggie Pizza

Lemon Herb Chicken - Crockpot

Honey Cashew Green Beans

French Dip Sandwiches

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Chicken Pillows

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Caramel Rolls

This recipe is almost exactly like the one I posted (Christmas Morning Sticky Buns) But have used the instant pudding. It tastes fine to me but I don't know if there would be a difference. Somebody get on that taste test, would ya'?

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Realization

I just realized that the cute recipe cards that I posted can't really be labeled. I will go in and post them in their own post so I can label them so they will be easier to look up.

Welcome!

Welcome, Roxie!! Wow! Thanks for all of the recipes! I have to tell you, girlas, our family has had the privilege of partaking some of these and we have never been disappointed! Some that come to mind are: Rich's Godfather....Spaghetti Sauce, Sopapilla Sin, Better than Sex Apple Dumplings (yum!), Rich's Macaroni Salad, and our family's favorite Buttermilk Pie (even Aspen has learned to make it because she loves it so much). All very delicious!! Thanks again, Rox!

Corn Casserole

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can well drained whole kernel corn
1 (15 oz.) can cream style corn
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 stick margarine, melted
1 c. sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a well greased 9X13 inch baking dish. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until center is firm.

Pizza Pasta

Ingredients:
8 oz. rotini pasta
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 (28 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
4 ounces sliced pepperoni sausage
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef with onion until beef is brown. Drain. Combine beef mixture with spaghetti sauce, pepperoni and cooked pasta and pour into a 9X13 inch baking dish. Top with mozzarella.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden.

Simple stroganoff

Ingredients:
1 8 oz. pkg. egg noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare egg noodles according to package.
In large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5-10 minutes or until browned. Drain fat, add soup and garlic powder. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and combine meat mixture with egg noodles. Add sour cream, stir well, season with salt & pepper to taste.

Buttermilk Pie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup Bisquick
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" pie plate. Beat all ingredients until smooth - about 1 minute with an electric mixer. Pour into pie plate. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, approx. 30-40 minutes. Cool about 10 minutes then serve warm.

Sausage Balls

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork sausage
2 cups Bisquick
1 lb. Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine sausage, Bisquick and cheese. Form into walnut size balls and place on baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, until golden brown.

Sopapilla Sin

Ingredients:
2 cans crescent rolls
2 blocks cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 stick butter
Cinnamon
Sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9X13 dish, roll out 1 can of crescent rolls. In a bowl, cream together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Smooth over rolls. Roll out next can of rolls on top of cream layer. Pour 1 stick of melted butter over the top. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Tea Cakes

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. soda

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, then flour. Dissolve soda in buttermilk and add to mixture. Stir well. Place teaspoon of cookie dough on cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes at 425 degrees.

Resurrection Cookies

These are Easter story cookies - to be made the evening before Easter

Ingredients and supplies:
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
wax paper
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp vinegar into a mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30
Add egg whites to vengar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27
So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16
Beat with a mixer on high spped for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that hte color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3
Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:65-66
Put cookies in oven, turn oven off and tape oven shut. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 & 22
GO TO BED!
On Easter morning open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9

HE HAS RISEN!

Monster Cookies

As you can tell by the ingredients this recipe makes a ton of cookies.

Ingredients:
1 dozen eggs
2 lb. brown sugar
4 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 lb. margarine
3 lbs. crunchy peanut butter
1 lb. chocolate chips
1 lb. M&M's
18 cups oats
8 tsp. baking soda

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, sugars, corn syrup and margarine until well mixed. Stir in peanut butter and mix; add chocolate chips and M&M's and stir gently. Mix soda into oats; then add this to the mixture. Place on cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.

Fruit Pizza

Ingredients:
1 pkg. refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cool whip
1 can crushed pineapple
fresh fruit (whatever you like, i.e. kiwi, stawberries, bananas, etc.)
chopped pecans

Directions:
Slice cookie dough in 1/8 inch pieces. Place on pizza pan and pat out to form crust and bake at 350 until done and let cool.
Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and cool whip. Spread over cooled crust. Spread drained pineapple over cream cheese mixture. Layer sliced fruit and sprinkle with pecans.

Tip: To keep fruit from turning dark, mix 1/2 cup apricot preserves with a little water to thin and dip fruit before putting on pizza.

Better Than Sex Apple Dumplin's

Ingredients:
2 sticks real butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 granny smith apples, peeled & cored
10 oz. Mountain Dew

Directions:
Melt butter, cinnamon and sugar together. Set aside. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Place 1 apple slice in each crescent roll and roll up. Place in 13X9 pan. Pour sugar mixture over. Pour Mountain Dew in between rows of dumplin's, not directly on top of them. Bake @350 degrees for 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Cheesy Potatoes

Ingredients:
32 oz. package of Hashbrowns
1 can chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 stick margarine
2 T. minced onion
12 ozs. Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Mix soup, sour cream, margarine, onion and cheese. Layer potatoes and mixture alternately. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until bubbly in center.

Open Faced Cheeseburgers

This recipe make a LOT, it is very easy to cut it in half, which I would recommend, unless you're taking them to a party. These also freeze well. Just re-heat for about 15 minutes. Keep on hand for emergencies and/or unexpected guests.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. pork sausage (use whatever you like, hot or mild)
2 loaves cocktail rye bread
2 lbs. Velveeta

Directions:
Cook ground beef and sausage in heavy pot until done; drain off excess grease. Stir in cheese and continue heating on low setting until cheese is melted. Spread evenly on rye bread and place in oven at 350 degrees until brown (about 15-20 minutes).

Easy Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
1 can crescent rolls
1 lb. sausage
16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk

Directions:
Cook sausage and drain. Spray 9X13 pan with Pam. Press crescent rolls into pan and crumble sausage over top. Cover with cheese. Beat eggs and milk together and pour over cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Bake @ 350 for about 20 minutes.

Kids' "Coffee"

Here's a recipe for the kids to have morning "coffee" with the adults.

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp. margarine
2 tsp. sugar
cinnamon & nutmeg to taste

Directions:
Mix milk, sugar and margarine; heat in microwave. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Taco Salad

Taco Salad

Ingredients:
4 diced tomatoes
1 head lettuce, chopped
1 diced onion
1 lb. Ground beef
1 can ranch style beans
1 lrg bag taco or nacho flavored Doritos, crushed
10 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated
Thousand Island Dressing

Directions:
Brown ground beef and drain. Add beans and cook until warm. Mix together tomatoes, lettuce, onion, Doritos and cheese. Add meat and bean mixture. Add dressing and toss.

Tip: When making this for my family, I just set out all of the ingredients and let them make it however they want, that way they can also choose a different dressing if they don't like Thousand Island.

Simple Lasagna

Even though this recipe is simple, it still takes about 2 hours to make since it has to cook for 1 hour. So it's easy to put together, but you have to start 2 hours before you want to serve it, which doesn't qualify for quick.

Simple Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 container (15 oz.) part skim ricotta cheese
2 ½ cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 lb. Ground beef
1 cup water
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Brown ground beef and drain, set aside. Mix ricotta cheese, 1 ¼ cups of the mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, parsley and egg until well blended; set aside. Pour spaghetti sauce into meat in skillet. Pour water into empty sauce jar; cover and shake well. Pour into skillet; stir until well mixed. Place 1 cup of meat sauce on bottom of 13X9-inch baking dish. (This will keep the noodles from sticking to the pan.) Layer 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup meat sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 ¼ cups mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with greased aluminum foil. (Spraying the foil with cooking spray prevents the cheese from sticking when you peel it off.) Bake 45 min. or until cooked through. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 min. or until bubbling. Let stand 15 min. before cutting for easier serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Rich's Macaroni Salad

This is another of my hubby's creations.

Macaroni Salad
Rich Beishline

Ingredients:
2 cups Macaroni noodles (Uncooked)
4 Boiled Eggs
1 cup Helmanns Mayonnaise
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Pepper
1 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Directions:
Cook macaroni and eggs. Drain noodles well. Peel and chop eggs. Mix mayonnaise, salt, pepper, parsley, and onion into a dressing mixture.
Toss noodle and egg with dressing mixture and chill. Yields 6 servings.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon margarine
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers, drained (or you can use Rotel)
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
In a small bowl mix the soup and sour cream; set aside.
Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and chili powder, and sauté until tender. Stir in the chicken, chili peppers, and 2 tablespoons of the soup mixture. Cook and stir until heated through.
Spread ½ cup of the soup mixture in a 9X13 inch baking dish. Spoon about ¼ cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas, and place, seam-side-down, in the baking dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture on top, and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Apple Pie Wedges

My 12 year old son, Daniel, also loves to cook and this was one of his first and favorite recipes.

Apple Pie Wedges

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup apple butter
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon apple pie spice
½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy.
Add egg yolk and apple butter; mix well. Add flour, cinnamon, apple pie spice and vanilla; beat at low speed until well blended.
Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 6-inch disc on waxed paper. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325F. invert 1 disc of dough into ungreased 9 inch round pie plate.
Press dough into plate with lightly floured hand covering plate completely.
Flute edges using handle of wooden spoon. Deeply score into 8 wedges.
Prick surface using tines of fork. Repeat steps with remaining disc of dough and another pie plate.
Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack; cool completely. Cut into wedges.
Yields 16 wedges.

Tip: Serve these tasty cookies warm with a big scoop of vanilla or cinnamon-flavored ice cream.

Rich's Godfather Spaghetti Marinara Mushroom Sauce

My hubby Rich loves to cook and this is his homemade Spaghetti Sauce. As you can probably tell he typed up the recipe.

Godfather Spaghetti Marinara/Mushroom Sauce
Rich Beishline

Here’s a recipe offer you can’t refuse!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 small can diced mushrooms (can use 1 cup fresh if desired)
1 small onion chopped finely
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 table spoon Italian seasoning
2 large cans Tomato Paste
3/4 cup red wine (Reunitee Lambrusco) (Optional for Baptists)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large cans Tomato Sauce
1 large can diced Tomatoes

Directions:
Heat oil in large frying pan (DO NOT BURN OIL). Add 1 small can diced
Mushrooms, small onion chopped finely, Italian seasoning. Sauté mixture
until onions cook soft. Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, and wine. Sauté until mixture cooks down to thick paste. Transfer to 4 quart pan and stir in
tomato sauce, sugar and diced tomatoes. Simmer (DO NOT BOIL) over
low heat for ½ hour. Yields 8 servings.

Play Italian Opera and serve with your favorite style of pasta.

Seven Layer Dip

This dip is a hit at any party. Serve with any kind of tortilla chip.

Seven Layer Dip

INGREDIENTS:
· 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
· 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
· 4 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend
· 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
· 1 cup guacamole
· 1 cup salsa
· 1 (6 ounce) can black olives, chopped
· 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
· 1/2 cup chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Set aside to drain and cool to room temperature.
2. Spread the beans into the bottom of a 9x13 inch serving dish that is about 1 1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of beans. Sprinkle beef on top of cheese. Spread sour cream very slowly on top of beef. Spread guacamole on top of sour cream. Pour salsa over guacamole and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle black olives, tomatoes, and green onions on top.
3. You can serve this dish immediately, or refrigerate it over night and serve cold. I think it tastes better at room temperature.

Santa Fe Soup

This soup is REALLY quick and easy. I love it on a cold day.

Santa Fe Soup

1 – 1 ½ lbs Ground Beef
Dried onion bits
1 can Corn
1 can Rotel Tomatoes
1 can Stewed Tomatoes
1 can Ranch Style Beans
4 oz. Velveeta cheese

Brown ground beef and onion bits and drain. In a large saucepan combine corn, Rotel Tomatoes, Stewed Tomatoes and Ranch Style beans (do not drain). When ground beef and onion bits are done add it to the tomato mixture. Cut Velveeta into pieces and add to mixture. When cheese is melted, soup is ready.

Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff

Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff

1 Lb. Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
16 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
1 package onion dip mix
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
16 oz fat free sour cream
Fat Free Pam Spray
2 ounces dry (1 cup cooked) egg noodles (if desired)

Pam the inside of your crock-pot. Add 1 lb frozen chicken breast. Mix together sour cream, onion mix and cream of mushroom soup, pour on the top of chicken breast. Top mixture with fresh mushrooms, cover and cook on low in crock-pot for 7-8 hours. Yields 6 servings. Serve over egg noodles if desired.

Crockpot Bean Pot

This recipe is kind of like chili, but it has a little bit of a sweet taste to it.

Bean Pot

1 ½ - 2 lb. Ground Beef
1 purple onion, sliced
2 16 oz. Cans of Pork and Beans
1 Can Kidney Beans
1 Can Pinto Beans
1 Can Chili Beans
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Ketchup
1 Can of mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 lb. Bacon (optional)
2 pkgs. String mozzarella sticks

Brown ground beef, salt and drain. Pour all of the beans in a strainer over a bowl; pour the beans in the crock-pot. Measure the liquid that is in the bowl, pour half of it in the crock-pot, and throw the rest away. Stir in the brown sugar, ketchup, mushrooms and bacon. Cook on high for 2 hours. Tear the mozzarella sticks into strips and add them to the pot, continue cooking on high for 2 more hours.
Total cooking time in crock-pot is 4 hours on high.

10 Minute Cheesy Mexican Rice

Hi Girls! I'm new to this blog, Steph invited me. This is my first recipe to submit so I just wanted to let you know up front that I am really into quick, easy recipes with as little ingredients as possible. In other words I really hate to cook, so the easier the better. So here is my first one, I usually serve this with my chicken enchiladas...enjoy!

10 Minute Cheesy Mexican Rice

1 can (10 ½ oz.) condensed chicken broth (1 1/3 cups)
1 cup Salsa
2 Cups Minute White Rice, uncooked
4 oz. Velveeta Cheese, cut up

Mix broth and salsa in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Add rice and Velveeta; stir. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir until Velveeta is melted. Yields 4 servings.

After School Snack ideas

Hey there, my kids love to eat apples with peanut butter. Also, sometimes they have a tortilla with shredded cheese on it. Just nuke it in the microwave for like 20 sec. and then roll it up so all the cheese will melt. I also have a recipe for homemade granola bars. I haven't made it in years, though. I'll make them today and then if they taste good, I'll post the recipe ASAP. Gotta run to the store for ingredients, though!

Cute Recipe Cards - Yummy Recipes!

So, I have come across this really cute, totally creative lady who has a blog (I'll save you the boring details of how) and she has posted these super cute recipe cards with some really yummy looking recipes! I asked her permission to post them here. So, try them out and let us know how they turned out! Here's a link to her blog if you want to check it out. Thanks, Brooke!!

After School Snacks

OK ladies!
I'm some ideas for after school snacks. Homemade ones. The kids are getting bored with microwave popcorn and fruit. I never buy chips and almost never buy pre-packaged goodies so I need something fairly healthy and homemade! I know you can do it!! Help me out hear.

Christmas Morning Sticky Buns

These are the infamous rolls that I made Christmas morning that caught my oven on fire. I promise that if you put them in a big enough pan and make sure you've cleaned the oven in the last 6 months then you'll be just fine!

Yield: 12 servings
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pkg Frozen roll dough (25 oz)
1 1/2 pkg Butterscotch or vanilla instant pudding mix
3/4 cups Butter or margarine; melted
3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Procedure:
1. Sprinkle pecans in the bottom of a buttered 12-cup bundt pan. Arrange dough balls
in pan and sprinkle with dry pudding mix. Stir together butter, brown sugar and
cinnamon and pour over rolls. Cover, and chill 8 hours.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Invert onto a serving
plate and serve immediately. Yield - 8 servings.


Now that you've read that, THIS is what I do. I actually split one box of pudding between 2 SMALL bundt pans and put about 20 rolls in each. (After this year's disaster, I would suggest that you use REGULAR sized bundt pans!) The butter, sugar, and cinnamon I double and split that between the two bundt pans. I cooked it for 30 minutes both times that I made it and there were doughy rolls. Cook it longer. I don't care how long. Just keep an eye on it.

Another note: you don't have to let these 'rise'. The overnight chill expands them enough. They can go straight from the fridge to the oven. Good luck!