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!

Amy's Monkey Bread

My friend, Amy Routt, made this for us one year when we spent New Year's with them in Arkansas. They are to die for! If you don't want them TOO sweet and gooey, you can decrease all the 3/4's to 1/2 but keep the number of biscuits the same. Everyone loves this monkey bread at my house on Christmas morning. Make sure it all gets eaten 'cause it doesn't keep well for leftovers.

2 cans of Jumbo sized biscuits

3/4 C. vanilla ice-cream, melted
OR
3/4 C. liquid coffee creamer...I like vanilla caramel or french vanilla

3/4 C. melted butter
3/4 C. sugar
3/4 C. brown sugar

Cut each biscuit into fourths and put all biscuits, uncooked, into large plastic ziploc bag with cinnamon sugar mixture. Shake bag to coat biscuits with cinnamon sugar and then dump all the biscuits in a greased 9x13 pan.

Melt butter and ice-cream in saucepan. (If using creamer in place of ice-cream, just melt butter alone).
Add sugars and creamer, if using, and heat and stir until all sugar is dissolved.
Pour over biscuits.

The instructions say to bake at 400 degrees for 15 min. I don't know if it's my oven or what...this does not work for me. At only 15 min. the biscuits in the middle of the pan are still doughy. Then I cook it longer and the biscuits on the outside edges get too done. I've tried cooking longer but at a lower temp. and this seems to work out better. You guys are just going to have to guess at it and keep a close watch.

Scotch Eggs

Last year our dear friends the Liwai's gave us some of these really delicious Scotch Eggs at Christmas time. This year these same dear friends will not be here for Christmas so we've decided to try our hand at making them. Now, Dottie gave me the recipe but of course I've misplaced it so I looked it up online. This is what I found:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb	Bulk pork sausage
12	Eggs, hard-cooked, peeled
1	Egg, beaten
1/2 c	Dry bread crumbs

---

Instructions:
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Divide sausage into 12 equal portions.
Shape into patties.
Wrap each patty completely around 1 hard- cooked egg.
Press edges to seal.
Dip sausage wrapped eggs in beaten egg;roll in bread crumbs until coated.
Place on a broiler pan (so the grease can run off).
Bake @ 450 degrees 30 minutes,until meat is browned and cooked.

FYI: many of the recipes that I found said that these were to be fried. I'm pretty sure the ones Dottie made were baked so I went with this one that is baked. Will let you know how it goes.

Update:
I found the recipe from Dottie. Here it is:

5 large boiled eggs
1 tube bulk sausage
1 large egg beaten
plain cracker crumbs

Peeled COOLED hard boiled eggs.
Cut sausage into 5 equal slices. Use 2 pieces of wax paper to flatten sausage pieces. Mold sausage around each egg.
Dip sausage covered eggs in beaten egg (and a bit of milk) and roll in crumbs.
Place eggs on a rack placed on a baking dish so the sausage grease will drip through.
Bake for 1 hour at 350*. Cool for 30 minutes.
Cut lengthwise into quarters. Sprinkle centers with paprika. Serve hot or cold.

Mint Brownies

You will be amazed at how much butter goes into these things!

You can use any brownie recipe you like for the brownie part. Here's the one I use:

Quick and Easy Fudgey Brownies

4 bars unsweetened baking chocolate (I always use cocoa and oil, 3 Tbsp. cocoa and 1 Tbsp. oil equal one bar baking chocolate)
3/4 cup butter
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 inch pan. In a large microwaveable bowl, place chocolate and butter. Microwave at high 1-2 minutes or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Add sugar; stir with spoon until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and nuts; stir until well blended. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool on wire rack.

Let brownies cool completely.

Mint Layer:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. peppermint flavoring
2 Tbsp. milk
green food coloring (4 drops)

(These are also fun to make for Valentines Day with pink mint layer!)

Mix ingredients in order. Put mixture on cooled brownies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Layer:

1 cup chocolate chips
6 Tbsp butter

Cool, then spread over mint layer.

Everybody Wants Seconds! LOL

2 cans creamed chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 - 2 tsp curry powder
1 - 2 cups grated cheese
2 lbs chicken or turkey
2 pkg frozen broccoli
bread crumbs

Mix first three ingredients together and set aside. Cook the broccoli. Line bottom of 13X9 inch baking dish with broccoli, then chicken and finally the mix that you made of the soup, mayo and curry. Top with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake 30 mins to an hour (until cheese is melted and crumbs are toasted).

Help with turkey leftovers!

OK, guys, surely you have great ideas for leftover turkey. I substitute it in recipes that call for cut up, cooked chicken but I'm running out of ideas already! Do you guys have any ideas?!?!

Make ahead rolls

Flour amount is a suggestion...not an absolute. You may need more or less depending.

3/4 cup whole milk
6 T Unsalted butter melted, plus 2 T for brushing (melted) on rolls before baking
6 T sugar
1 1/2 t salt
2 eggs (they work best at room temperature)
2 1/4 t instant (rapid rise) yeast
3 cups flour

1. Bring milk to boil, let stand off heat until skin forms on surface, about 3 - 5 minutes. Using soup spoon, skim off surface and discard. Transfer milk to bowl of standing mixer and add 6 Tablespoons melted butter, sugar, and salt; whisk to combine and let mixture cool. When mixture is just warm to the touch (90 -100 degrees), whisk in eggs and yeast until combined.
2. Add flour to bowl; using dough hook, mix on low speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-low and knead about 3 minutes longer; when pressed with finger, dough should feel tacky and moist but should not stick to finger. (If it is sticky add 1 T of flour at a time until not sticky) Continue to knead on medium-low until cohesive,elastic dough forms and nothing is sticking to bottom of mixer bowl. about 4 to 5 minutes longer.
3. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Knead dough by head 1 to 2 minutes. Spray medium bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to bowl and cover with plastic wrap that you have sprayed the top of so dough doesn't stick. Let rise for 2 to 3 hours.
4. Coat two 9 inch cake round pans with cooking spray; set aside. Divide dough in half and shape 8 rolls out of each half then place them in the two cake pans 8 in each cake pan). Cover cake pans with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with cooking spray, then cover pans securely with foil. Refrigerate at least 24 or up to 48 hours.
5. Remove foil (but not plastic wrap) and let rolls rise until rolls are pressing against each other about 6 to 7 hours. When they are double in volume, heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove plastic wrap. Brush rolls with 2 Tablespoons of melted butter; bake until deep golden, 14 to 18 minutes. Cool rolls in pans on wire rack about 3 minutes, then invert onto rack; re-invert rolls and cool 10 - 15 minutes. Serve warm!

White Chicken Chili

Zippy White Chili: SERVES 4

1 lb. cooked, cubed chicken
1 small onion, chopped
1 3/4 C. chicken broth
1 can (4 oz.) green chilies
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. minced fresh parsley or cilantro
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 can (15 oz.) white beans (any variety) rinsed and drained (or use dried beans, soaked and cooked)

In a saucepan, stir in chicken broth, chilies, garlic powder, oregano, cilantro, cayenne, and chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 30 min. Stir in beans and cook 10 min. more. Top with cheese and sour cream, if desired.

I always (at least) double this recipe. (Who wants to go to all that trouble to make homemade soup that only serves 4)!
You can get away with doubling the recipe without doubling the chicken. Also, I use as many fresh ingredients as possible (i.e., minced garlic instead of garlic powder, etc.) This is really one of the easiest soup recipes ever and tastes great!

Fantastic Cream Cheese Chicken - Crockpot

Place 4-6 chicken breasts in a crockpot (it doesn't even matter if they are still frozen-this recipe is so forgiving!) Sprinkle one package of Good Seasons Italian salad dressing mix (dry) over the top. Cook on low all day (6-8 hours) . One hour before serving, pour out the "chicken juice" that has formed and whisk it with one package of softened cream cheese and one can of cream of mushroom soup. Pour the mixture back in to the chicken in the crockpot and let it melt for an hour. Serve over rice or noodles.

2nd option: put the soup, cream cheese (cut it into chunks) and the Italian dressing mix in the blender or use my hand blender and add everything at the beginning with the chicken and cook it all day.

3rd option: this is what my husband made up today! Italian seasoning (not a dressing packet) added to chicken and cut up cream cheese and added it with the can of soup to the pot. Let it cook. It turned out really good. Next time we'll try the seasoning packet or ranch dressing packet.

By the way, I got this recipe from this blog: MBA recipes.

Anybody have White Chicken Chili?

I just made some white chili, but it was bland and so I added some ingredients to it. I'm not sure I like the results. It's the basil, I think, that does the whole thing in. Does anybody have a great recipe for this that they'd be willing to share?

Thanks!

Sausage and Roasted Potatoes

I noticed that all my recipes are baking recipes, so here is one that I love that isn't really baking although it is roasted! It is so easy and quick. I got it from Got2Go cookbook that Kathleen Hanna, the author, put in her book. I saw her at a group that I belong too. She has a lot of great quick recipes that are yummy and kid friendly. Here you go!

2-3 pounds of russet potatoes
1 lb of Italian sausage (I like a mix of hot and regular)
2 onions
2 green peppers
2 Tbls olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cut potatoes to be about 1 inch squares and put in a 13X9 baking pan. Cut up Italian sausage into half inch thick disks and add to pan. Cut up green peppers and onions to about 1 inch strips add to pan. Pour olive oil over top, then sprinkle salt and pepper and stir. Bake at 400* for about 50 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork (or fork tender). Make sure you stir it a couple of times during cooking to get an even roast throughout dish.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

These pancakes were DELICIOUS! My kids loved them and they were pretty healthy for them!


2 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed
2 c. nonfat milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 T. artificial sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
2 c. whole wheat flour

Directions

Mix bananas, milk, eggs, and vanilla in one bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Recipe makes about 15 average sized pancakes. Serve with sugar-free syrup or fresh fruit.

Number of Servings: 15


Click here for nutritional value from SparkPeople

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

1 egg
2/3 cup sugar
1 can (1-3/4 cups) mashed, plain pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup nonfat milk
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Position oven rack in center of oven.
Preheat oven to 400*F.
Place foil muffin cups in a 12-cup muffin pan; or spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Note: Do not use paper muffin cups; muffins will stick.
Cream egg and sugar with electric mixer until thickened, about 3 minutes.
Stir in pumpkin, vanilla, and milk until well-mixed.
Gently stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices until combined.
Do not over-mix.
Stir in walnuts.
Drop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling cups about 3/4 full.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in the middle of muffins comes out clean.


Number of Servings: 12

Click here for nutritional value from SparkPeople

Chicken Enchiladas?

So, I typed up this whole post about Shelley's chicken enchiladas and how yummy they were and how she would probably never have a chance to post them.... I typed out the recipe and posted it. Then found that she actually DID post it! But she didn't include a label...grrr...
Anyway, I use SparkPeople's recipes a lot and like to add my recipes to their site because it calculates the nutritional value. Soooo..... if you want the nutritional value of the enchiladas click on the link below.

Click here for nutritional value on SparkPeople

Hot Cocoa Mix

2 c. powdered milk
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. creamer
1/2 c. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients and keep in an airtight container. Add 1-2 Tbsp to heated water or milk.

Click here for nutritional value on SparkPeople

Three Bean Soup

There are a couple of foods that I think, at least hypothetically, I could live on. This is one of them. It is a thick and hearty soup with a bite. It tastes good with sour cream and grated cheese and tortillas on the side. I have a friend who took this recipe and uses it for tortilla chip dip.

1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced

Saute garlic in olive oil, then add:

2 cans (14 oz each) diced tomatoes
24 oz. bottled salsa (fresh is good too)
8 oz. tomato sauce
3 cubes beef bouillon
2 cans (15 oz each) black beans
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 can olives, drained and sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1-2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped finely

Heat through.

I sometimes modify by adding jalapeno and diced onion. I also like more beans and since I usually cook them up, it's easy to add more.

I just made a huge pot of this (see picture above, don't you love the effect the steam gives?) and I get it almost all to myself!!

Dutch Apple Pie

Ok, so I know I'm going a little overboard with the apple theme, but I LOVE this pie. It is so easy to make 'cause you don't have to make a traditional crust and it tastes like those dutch crumb donuts with apple filling. SOOOO yummy. The best part is that my family is not really into apple desserts so I get to eat them almost completely by myself! Enjoy!

Crumb mixture:
2 cups flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup quick oats

filling:
2/3 cup sugar
3 TB cornstarch
1 1/4 Cup water
3 cups diced, peeled tart apples
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine the first four ingredients; set aside 1 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into an ungreased 9 in. pie plate. Set aside.
For the filling, combine sugar, cornstarch and water in a saucepan until smooth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. (Use some judgment here. I like it kinda thick; and remember it will thicken a little more in the oven. If you like your apple pies runny, don't cook it for more than 1 minute).
Remove from heat; stir in apples and vanilla. Pour into crust; top with reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 for 40-45 min. or until crust is golden brown.

Little Italy Chicken Pitas

If you are looking for something new, this was a fast easy dinner, and really tasty! I just used dried basil, as I didn't have any fresh. I discovered I love Asiago cheese! (I guess that is why I've always loved the Asiago bagels).

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil
1 tablespoon chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup chopped tomato (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
6 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
3 cups mixed baby greens

Preparation: Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in chicken, tomato, cheese, and basil. Line each pita half with 1/4 cup greens. Divide chicken mixture evenly among pita halves.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 stuffed pita halves)

Backpacker Bars

I made these the other night with the help of Sariah and Elijah. If you have ever been to Chili's Restaurant and had their dessert called Paradise Pie (?? something like that), these taste just the same, you'd just add vanilla ice cream and fudge topping. YUMMY!

1 1/2 cups Golden Grahams cereal (I used generic)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons oats

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Crush cereal. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in flour, cereal, 3/4 cup oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in 3/4 cup of the walnuts and 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips.

2. Spread in ungreased 13 x 9 pan. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts and remaining chocolate chips and 2 Tablespoons oats.

3. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into bars.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

It is getting cold again, which puts me in the mood to have soup for dinner every night! Here is an easy one that is one of my favorites.

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
1 Cup chopped onion
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
6 Cups fat-free chicken broth
1/4 C uncooked white or brown rice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 (16 oz) Can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 Cups Chopped cooked chicken
1/2 Cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I don't like cilantro, so I just leave it out and it still tastes good)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 Cup copped seeded tomato
3/4 Cup diced peeled avocado
1 Tbl fresh lime juice
6 lime wedges

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic, and saute 3 min. Add broth, rice, cumin, and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in chicken, cilantro, pepper, and salt; simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.
2. Remove from heat, and stir in tomato, avocado, and juice. Serve with lime wedges. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 2/3 Cups soup and 1 lime wedge).

Apple Crumble

I love this recipe!


Filling
3 1/2 pounds ripe but firm apples, peeled and cored; cut into 1 inch cubes (about 6 1/2 cups prepared appless)
1/3 cup granulated brown sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
3-5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
Pinch table salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp apple cider or juice

Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon raw sugar for sprinkling over the top
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark), 1 3/4 ounces
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 6 pieces and very soft
1/2 cup roasted pecans (I used a little more than a half of a cup about 3/4 cup)


1. Adjust oven racks to lower and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees.2. FOR THE FILLING: Gently toss apples and sugar and other ingredients together in 8X8 pan; cook in oven for about 30 minutes, covered with foil. 3. FOR THE TOPPING: While apples are cooking, combine flour, sugars (reserving 1 tablespoon granulated sugar), and salt in workbowl of kitchen aide; drizzle vanilla over top. Combine mixture. Add butter and half of nuts; process until mixture clumps together into large, crumbly balls, pausing halfway through to scrape down sides of workbowl. Sprinkle remaining nuts over mixture and combine. Transfer mixture to parchment-lined baking sheet and spread (Don't push down just let it crumble) into even layer (mixture should break up into roughly 1/2-inch chunks with some smaller, loose bits). Bake on middle rack until chunks are lightly browned and firm, 18 to 22 minutes.4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Grasping edges of parchment paper (following "Transferring the Baked Crumble" illustrations 1 and 2 below), slide topping over apples and spread into even layer with spatula, packing down lightly and breaking up any very large pieces. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar over top and place on lower oven rack. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until well browned and fruit is bubbling around edges, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes; serve.

Pizza crust

My kids love to eat pizza! This crust is really good which is lucky because it's the first recipe I tried and I've stuck with it. It makes enough to cover the bottom of a large cookie sheet.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
1 T. yeast
1 cup water (more if needed)

Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the water and then add this mixture plus the oil to the flour. Stir and then knead until you have a smooth dough. Let rise for about 20 minutes. Roll out and prick with a fork.

I just use Prego spaghetti sauce on my pizza along with whatever toppings and cheeses I have on hand. I like to sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and then little garlic powder!

APPLE CRISP

Hey guys, I LOVE apple season in the Fall. It's so fun to be up north and experience it all over again. I have lots of apple dessert recipes so here's one I made last night:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
  
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and brown sugar. Cut butter into mixture until crumbly.
3. Take half of the mixture and pat it into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Cover crumb mixture with apple slices, then sprinkle apple slices with remaining crumb mixture and gently pat down.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender.
6. Serve warm with a scoop of ice-cream or even better the next day cold! Can you say, "Breakfast anyone?"
   

Chicken Enchiladas

1 tsp. salt
2 C. cubed chicken, cooked
1 can tomatoes and green chilies
garlic powder to taste

Simmer above until most of the liquid is gone. Soften 12 corn tortillas (my family prefers flour) in hot oil and blot out excess oil w/paper towels. Fill with chicken mixture and roll up in greased 9x13 pan. (At this point, enchiladas may be covered tightly and refrigerated for later).

Sauce:
2 C. half and half
3 tsp. instant chicken bouillon
1 1/2 C. grated monterey jack cheese

Dissolve together over LOW heat (cheese will curdle if heat is too high--if it does put it in a blender to get it smooth again).
Pour sauce over enchiladas. Sprinke another HALF CUP of monterey jack cheese over all and back at 350 for 15-20 min.

Addendum: I have no patience or time for rolling up enchiladas that may or may not hold their shape. SO, I make the whole thing like a casserole. Not as pretty but tastes exactly the same. I omit the part about soaking the tortillas in oil and I take them and cut them up or tear them up into bite size pieces. I mix this with the filling mixture and dump it into the pan. Then I pour the sauce over all and sprinkle with cheese.

What's for dinner? Help!

Hey guys, all the recipes are terrific! BUT I'm in a rut. I don't know what to make for dinner anymore. I need some new, normal, everyday dinner recipes. I am so sick of alternating between spaghetti, soup, chicken nuggets, pancakes, and macaroni and cheese. Oh yeah, and ramen noodle soup. Yes, I've sunk that low. HELP!

Yummy Salad

This doesn't have a name that I know of...so I don't know what to call it.
I got this from a college roommate; this is the only salad she can get her husband to eat. We've really enjoyed it as well.

LEMON DRESSING CHICKEN SALAD

DRESSING

2 large lemons, juiced

4 med-lg cloves of fresh garlic, chopped

1 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

fresh ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

SALAD
Romaine Lettuce

Bacon bits

Swiss cheese shredded

Croutons

Chicken if desired

Just puree all of the dressing in the blender and then pour it on.

The dressing makes enough for about 3 heads of lettuce. It stores in the fridge, but does coagulate. I usually set it out on the counter to warm when reusing.

Welcome

Also, a welcome to Cindi's sister and friend!!

FYI

Just a reminder: don't forget to label your posts. At the bottom of each post there is a place to include labels. When you do this it makes it easier to find previous posts. Don't forget to add your name as one of those labels.

"Crema" Italian Pasta

My brother-in-law lived in Italy for 2 years (serving as a missionary for our church) and has learned to make some very tasty pasta. Here is an easy one that is one of my favorites. He doesn't have a recipe...so I'm just guessing on the amounts from when I’ve made it; you could play with them a little bit to your liking.

2 T Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic-minced
3 t Chicken Base
1 T Fresh Basil (or 1 tsp dried)
Red Pepper Flakes or Ground Cayenne Pepper-season to taste
2 (14.5oz) Cans diced tomatoes
½ C Table Cream (such as Cacique Crema Mexicana)
Parmesan Cheese

Heat oil in pan-sauté garlic until browned. Add Chicken Base, Basil and Red Pepper Flakes. Pour in juice from tomatoes. Let simmer about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes. Continue to simmer to cook off moisture about 10 more minutes.
Turn off heat and stir in Crema. Serve over Penne Pasta. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Layered Ice Cream Cake

This past Saturday, May had her American Girl Club and Birthday party. It was a surprise and I wish I'd had the camera ready when she found out! She picked out her birthday cake in July. You might have seen it on the cover of Family Circle.
15 Oreo cookies
1 Tablespoon milk
8 to 9 ice cream sandwiches
1 pint mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 pint strawberry icecream
(or make your own mix of ice creams)
1 container (8 oz) whipped topping

1. Coat bottom and side of a 9 inch round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line side with waxed paper suing spray to hel adhere to pan. Trim paper to height of pan.
2. Finely crush 12 of the cookies in a food processor. Add milk; pulse just until mixture holds together. Set aside.
3. Unwrap 4 ice cream sandwiches. Working quickly, cut each in quarters. Stack them around the edge of the wax paper lined pan, up on the small end, packing them snugly together. Spoon cookie crumbs into center of pan; press firmly over bottom. Freeze 1 hr.
4. Remove all three flavors of ice cream from freezer and let soften for 15 minutes at room temperature. Transfre mint ice cream to a small bowl and stir until good but firm spreading consistency. Repeat with vanilla and strawberry. Remove pan from freezer. Spread mint ice cream on bottom, then top with vanilla and strawberry. Top with thawed whipped topping, swirling top decoratively. Crush remaining three cookies and sprinkle over cake. Return to freezer. Freeze overnight.
5. To serve, remove side of pan, then waxed paper. Cut into wedges
6. ENJOY!!

Fresh spinach salad

You can use fresh spinach or arugula...whichever you prefer or you can mix them together!

Fresh baby spinach and/or arugula
Fresh mozzarella, chunked (ya gotta use fresh; it looks weird, I know)
sun-dried tomatoes, small chunks
handful of pine nuts

Mix all together and serve with whatever vinaigrette dressing you prefer. I use balsamic vinaigrette.

Easy sandwich alternative

Two ideas for quick, easy sandwich alternatives:
1. Sliced french bread
2. Fresh mozzarella (although you could use "un"fresh mozzarella
3. Sliced ripe tomatoes
That's it. Just make a 'sandwich' with these ingredients OR I like to also make it open-faced and toast it in the toaster oven or broil in the oven. I remember eating this in Italy for a sack lunch years ago.

1. Sliced french bread
2. Sliced gouda cheese
3. pineapple rings
This one I had as a quick lunch in Germany. Toast open-faced in a toaster oven or broil. So easy! I get tired of eating sandwiches all the time.

My Friends Chicken Caesar Salad

1 head Romaine
1 small bag penne pasta , cooked
2 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup each fresh basil and parsley
cherry or grape tomatoes
plain crumbled feta cheese
Kens Steakhouse Caesar Dressing

*Combine all ingredients and pour on the dressing at serving time. Can be served as a side salad without the chicken.

Chewiest Brownies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line one 9x13 inch pan with greased parchment paper.
2. Melt the butter really well and then add the sugar, vanilla and eggs. In a seperate bowl mix the rest of the dry ingredients. Now mix the two together.
3. Spread mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

We got invited over to our friends the Beishline's for a good old fashioned Shed Raising! (Rich needed Geoff's help putting a shed together.) And I brought hot wings and these brownies. This was the first time I had made brownies from scratch (I was out of mixes). I may never use a mix again. These were absolutely delicious! I doubled the recipe and added a bag of chocolate chips to the mix.

Restaurant-Style Buffalo Chicken Wings

I made these for a family reunion on Saturday. They turned out very yummy! I actually fried them on Friday night (I read that you can bake them with really good results too) and then mixed up the sauce on Saturday morning and put the wings and sauce in a crockpot. I also used double the wings that it called for and multiplied the sauce recipe times 5 (because that's how much hot sauce I had). I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and read through all of the reviews. Many people suggested Frank's Hot Sauce so that is what I used. Click here for the recipe and reviews on their website.

INGREDIENTS

• oil for deep frying
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 1 dash ground black pepper
• 1 dash garlic powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 10 chicken wings

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.
2. In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.
3. Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.

Ellie Krieger's Kitchen Sink Cookies

I tweeked it a bit, but the recipe is mostly her's. Love her show!

2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup organic applesauce
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries
1/4 cup lightly toasted pecans
2 ounces dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks
Cooking spray
Combine butter, oil and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, stopping occasionally to scrape down bowl, until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add applesauce, egg white and vanilla and mix to combine. Add flour, oatmeal, salt and cinnamon and mix just until just combined. Add cherries, walnuts and chocolate and mix to combine.

Spray 1 baking sheet with cooking spray. Using 1 tablespoon cookie dough at a time, roll into balls and place 2-inches apart on baking sheet. Press cookies down with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly, as cookies will not spread as much as cookies with more butter. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned but still soft. Remove from oven and cool on racks.

Cook Time: 10 - 13 minutes at 350*

Hot Fudge Sauce

I learned this easy little recipe when I helped feed 3 or 4 hundred youth at youth conference one year. It is to die for!!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate (I actually use around 1/4 cup of chocolate chips - today I used dark chocolate chips! Yum!)
• one can of sweetened condensed milk

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan melt the butter on low/med.
2. Add the chocolate chips and stir until melted.
3. Add the milk and stir till heated. Voila!!

Very yummy on ice cream or on a spoon!

Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits

I'm not sure if this is a Southern thing or not but I grew up eating Chocolate 'Syrup' and Biscuits. My mom made the 'syrup' out of Nesquick. Though I loved it and have very fond memories of many a Sunday morning eating this with canned biscuits (baked of course), I have since been introduced to Chocolate 'Gravy' which I actually like better. (No offense, Mom.) This is a recipe I found that my family LOVES!

First, I make a double batch of biscuits from scratch. I just barely started doing this because I always thought that it was going to be too hard and time consuming. It's not. The biscuit recipe that I use is from a Special Olympics recipe book that I bought from my friend Dottie last year. The recipe has always turned out very yummy biscuits until today. I think I may have mixed the dough too much because the biscuits turned out a little flat (they still tasted good).

Just a note before you get started: I almost NEVER have buttermilk or self rising flour on hand. This is what I do. For buttermilk, I actually make up 3/4 cups of powdered milk and add 2 TBSP of lemon juice. For self-rising flour, I add 1 tsp. salt and 1 TBSP baking powder to 2 cups flour. These substitutions work great.

LIGHTER-THAN-AIR BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 c. butter or margarine, cut up
• 2 c. self-rising flour
• 3/4 c. butter milk
• butter or margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut butter or margarine into flour with a pastry blender until crumbly
2. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry mixture is moistened.
3. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times.
4. Pat or roll dough into 3/4 inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter.
5. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 425* for 12-14 minutes.
   
7. Brush biscuits with melted butter. Yields 7 biscuits.
   

CHOCOLATE GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add cocoa and flour; stir until a thick paste is formed. Stir in sugar and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick.

ENJOY!