Trading Spices

Lemon Squares!

2011-08-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Lemon Squares
..........................................
1 can eaglebrand milk
12 graham crackers
½ cup lemon juice {fresh/bottled or mixed}
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup lemon icing

Blend condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon rind until thick. Layer bottom of a 9 X 9 inch pan with graham crackers. Pour a layer of milk mixture over top. Continue layering milk mixture and graham crackers.
Top with lemon icing.

Lemon Icing
..........................................
1/4 cup soft butter
1 cup icing sugar
1- 2 tsp lemon juice
1-2 cups icing sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk

..........................................
Cream 1/4 cup butter with 1 cup icing sugar. Gradually beat in 1 - 2 tsp lemon juice to taste.
Beat in remaining icing sugar. If needed, add milk until desired consistency.
Add a few drops of yellow food coloring and mix until blended.

Reciepe from http://rebeccacooper.blogspot.com

SOOO Yummy & easy No baking required!

Homemade Macaroni & CHeese

2011-08-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

1 1/2 cup elbow noodles
3 tabl butter
1/4 chopped onion (optional)
2 tabl Flour
1/2 tea. salt
pepper
2 c Milk
2 c Sharp american cheese
more salt

Cool noodles till done.In saucepan add butter & flour & salt & peper.Add milk cook until thickened ( I wisk all of this)then add butter it calls for cubed cheese but shredded works just as well.stir until cheese is smooth texture, then dump noodles in cassarole dish and pour cheese mixture ontop & stir, if I have left over cheese i sprinkle ontop of noodles.Bake uncovered 30 min at 350!

Wayne's Beef Macaroni and Cheese on the Food Network

2011-08-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Jason made this tonight and it was amazing! Best part was it took less than 30 minutes!! It's Paula Dean's recipe so you know it's delish.

Wayne's Beef Macaroni and Cheese on the Food Network

Lemon Chricken Breast

2011-07-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Sophie gave me this reciepe and WE ALL LOVED IT!!!!! AMAZING!!!! You dont have to do this first step, but I did not sure it is needed for next time. and we used Drumstick chicken and it tasted AWESOME!!!
Slightly brown the chicken breasts first in olive oil then set aside and do rest!
Serve with brown rice and grilled asparagus or broccoli or some other vegetable.

Ina Garten Lemon Chicken Breasts

Ingredients
1/4 cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 bone in chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 lemon

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos & Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch Dressing

2011-07-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
ignore directions on the packet
1C mayo
1/2 C milk
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend ‘er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

$6 Dollar Cookies...

2011-07-07T15:48:00.001-07:00

1 Devils food cake mix
1 sm pkg. instant Choch pudding
2 eggs
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1/2 bag mini M&Ms

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add eggs, waer, and oil mix until well blended, stir in M&Ms. Bake at 350 for 13 minutes. Remove from oven and wait 2 minutes & then transfer to Paper towel to Cool.. NOT on a cookie rack (They will fall through)!! Make 2 dozen cookies & AMAZING!!!

burrito Pie

2011-05-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

2lbs ground beef
1 med. onion
2 cloves garlic
2 cans pinto beans
1 bottle taco sauce ( I used enchalada sauce)
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies (undrained)
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can (3.8 oz) chopped olives
12 flour tortias (8 in.) halved
4 c. shredded cheese

Cook your meat & drain fat.. add all ingredients except tortias & cheese and bring to a boil 20 min or until thickened. bake in a cassarole dish and layer ripping tortias then layer with meat & cheese for total of 2 layers bake at 350 for 20 min covered, then uncover and cook 10 to 15 min then enjoy!!!! Seriously was THE BEST!!!! SOOO way good!!!

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken!

2011-04-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Picture & reciepe from ( A Year of Slowcooking)!!!

INGREDIENTS
--1 can cream-of-something soup
--1/2 cup chicken broth
--frozen chicken pieces
--packet of Italian salad dressing mix
--2 cloves minced garlic
--block of cream cheese (to add later)

Put everything except for the cream cheese into the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and begins to shred. Shred the chicken with two large forks, and mix in the block of cream cheese. Switch the crock to high and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fully melted.
Serve over pasta. I served with french bread & sorn & peaches...YUM!!! The kids LOVED it, great for leftovers, SOOO FAST & EASY!!!!!

Neena's home made mexican Hamburger Helper

2011-03-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not one for measuring things so you'll have to eyeball what looks like enough for your family.
Since being pregnant I've been craving Hamburger Helper but David would never let me get it because it's so high in sodium. At the grocery store I saw the box for the mexican flavored one and decided to make my own.

What you will need:
bow tie pasta
Hunts Diced tomatoes (I used 2 cans)
Pace Picante Sauce (I used half a bottle)
1 lb hamburger meat
Tortilla chips

I didn't add cheese to it but you can if you want.

Brown the meat in a skillet with a little bit of Olive Oil
cook the pasta like you normally would

put in a oven safe casserole dish the diced tomatoes, Pace and cooked hamburger meat
When the pasta is done throw that in there too

put in the oven for 20 minutes at 325
after 20 minutes add some crushed up tortilla chips and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Banana Muffins

2011-02-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

3 large ripe bananas mashed
1 cup sugar or honey
1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Grease muffins tins or use liners. Preheat oven
to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients and spoon into
muffins tins. Bake for approx. 20 min.
( You can add different things to your liking, raisins,
nuts, chocolate chips, etc.)

Pesto Chicken

2011-01-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Green Bell Pepper cut into strips
1 lime halved
1 tbls. minced Garlic
Olive Oil
"Classico" Dried Tomato Basil Pesto
Shredded Ilalian Blend cheese (if desired)

Drizzle olive oil in frying pan and saute' peppers and
Garlic until soft. Add chicken turning to brown a couple of
minutes on each side. Coat chicken with Pesto on top then
drizzle with lime juice. Put rest of juice in the bottom of
pan while chicken is cooking. Cook with lid on until chicken
is cooked through.7-10 minutes. Last minute top with italian shredded cheese.
I let stand for 5 minutes to let the juices gather. The meat is more tender this way.
This is so easy and yummy!!!!

Pot Roast

2011-01-02T14:04:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:
1 Pot roast
Package of Dry ranch seasoning
Lawry's season salt
1 medium onion sliced
2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking pan 9X14 with aluminum foil big enough to cover
the roast. Pour a 1/4 cup water in the bottom. Season both sides
of roast with the Lawry's season salt. Sprinkle 1/2 of the pkg.
of dry ranch seasoning on top. Layer the garlic, then the rosemary,
and lastly the sun dried tomatoes on top. Layer the onions around
the roast. (If you have other veggies you can put those around too!)
Bake at 350 for a couple of hours depending on the size of your roast.
I like to baste it throughout cooking to make it extra moist. Let stand for
15 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes and a nice vegetable.

2 week Menu :)

2010-06-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

Friday- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
SO Easy! bonelesss chickbreast
can salsa
Dump chicken & salsa in crockpot cook on low all day.heatup tortias and top w/ cheese & tomaotes.

Saturday- Sloppy joes

Sunday-Fish tacos

MOnday-Beef stew w/ mushrooms toped with garlic mashed potatoes.

Tuesday-Sweet & sour chicken w/ Chineses rice

Wendsday- Free Range Porkchops and fried potaotes

Thursday-Taco Salad
Taco Salad-fry up hamburger meat and I put a can of chopped green chilies for flavor and chopped onions.add hamburger meat to Chopped lettuce,a can of kidney beans not cooked and rinsed, add a can of olives, dice a tomato.to eat get nacho cheese Doritos and crumble up add on top of lettuce mixture sprinkle cheese on top, and add some ranch and enjoy!Sounds weird but is amazing great recipe from my in laws.

Friday-leftovers

Saturday-Chicken fried steaks w/ mashed poatoes & gravy

Sunday-Layered mexican chicken rice Bake

MOnday- leftovers

Tuesday- pot roast

wends.- BBQ CHeesburgers w/ jack cheese, avacodos, roasted peppers

ENJOY =)

Chicken Ceaser Salad Sandwiches

2010-05-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

YuM is ALL I can Say!!

This a fast & fabulouse meal and I think slightly heathy :)

This was my first time Buying & cooking (free Range Chickens) Which tasted fabulouse!! DONT BE AFRAID TO BUY ORGANIC MEAT!!!!!

Heres the reciepe:
Ceasar Salad Dressing
" lettuce (Yes I did buy the package kind)
Bread from the bakery (I used Sourdough)
Pancheta
Some kind of good $$ cheeses (I used a itialian mozzerella)
olives
Grilled chicken

SOO EASY! Grill chicken and season however...Mix salad add olives & dressing & chicken.Heat up Pancheta & bread in oven like 12 minutes throw chees on so it kind of melts and add salad. ENJOY:)

Spring Chicken Salad

2010-05-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
1/2 pound small red-skinned potatoes, CHopped & Add TONS of Salt
2 Handfulls chopped green onion
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 romaine hearts, torn
1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded
(I just grilled up a few pieces of Chicken)
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise sliced
4 radishes, cut into wedges (I did NOT add these)
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced (Or these I have a picky Hubby)

Directions
Place the potatoes in a small pot and cover with water. Season with salt, cover and boil until fork-tender, Drain and cool.

Meanwhile, pulse (I just put them in my kitchen aid & mixed it up) the chives, vinegar, yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse to make a thick dressing.

Toss the romaine, potatoes, chicken, cucumber, radishes and bell pepper with the dressing in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

I also added a chopped tomato..and I bought the allready cooked & chopped bacon and added that as well.It was SOO good.Even my parents loved it too!!

Recipe Courtesy Food Network Magazine! Photograph by Antonis Achilleos
Enjoy :)

Banana Nut Bread

2010-04-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have pretty much tried every banana nut bread recipe out there but here is one that I have done a few times, it's a couple recipes put into one and I LOVE it! It stays moist for days (not that it lasts that long in our house) and my kids devour it so I know it's good :)

1 3/4 C. flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (I do just a little less than that)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 C. & 2 Tablespoons white sugar

1/2 C. chopped pecans (I use walnuts too)

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons sour cream ( this is what makes it so moist)

1 C. mashed bananas (2 reg. sized bananas is what I use)

1/2 C. Vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 8x4 in. loaf pans, or 3 mini loaf pans. Set aside.

2.Cream sugar and eggs together, add oil, vanilla, sour cream, until blended. Add bananas and mix until creamy.

3.Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to wet ingredients until all creamy and delicious! Add nuts, but this is optional.

4.Bake for 45-55 minutes in regular loaf pans, about 25 minutes for mini loaf pans. Cool 10 minutes or so before removing from pans.

Enjoy!!

** Instead of greasing and flouring my loaf pans I grease and then do sugar and cinnamon! It makes it kinda crunchy on the outside and it's just that much better!!

** I also never sift my dry ingredients, I know I should but I never do and it turns out great.

Eggs Florentine Casserole

2010-04-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

I also made this for my Easter brunch this past weekend!I LOVED this so much!!!!It was so very easy too. I got the recipe from The Pioneer woman cook website again too & her picture too,I was running around like a mad woman to get my own picture!

The recipe: I kinda changed mine up a bit.

18 eggs
1 package spinach
2 packaegs of cassarole cheese
1 pkg. hashbrowns
2 packages of sausage (make pattys)
green oinion

fry up your hasbrowns and season the heack out of them.cook your sausage (you can use any meat) make pattys with them.get a cassarole dish put all hasbrowns down, then place all the sausage ontop.In a bown mix all eggs 1/2 the cheese & spinach, onece its all mixed together pour ontop of of sausage.Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes covered w foil.Then tope w remaing cheese take foil offand cook till cheese is melted.Its soooo dang good!!!!

The Best Spinach Salad.EVER.

2010-04-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

First I got this receipe from The Pioneer Woman Cook

picture is from The Pioneer Woamn Cook to!Go check our her AWESOME recipes & ideas she takes step by step pictures of it all to!!Here is her recipe.I made this for our Easter Brunch IT WAS SOO good!!!I later took it to my parents for Easter dinner and we finished off there!You gotta make this super easy and so good!
Ingredients
3 whole Eggs
7 slices Thick Cut, Peppered Bacon
1 whole Red Onion, Small
1 package Mushrooms, White Button
8 ounces, weight Baby Spinach, Washed Dried And Stems Removed
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 teaspoons Sugar
½ teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1 dash Salt

Preparation Instructions
Cook eggs: cover with water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and allow to sit in water for 20 minutes. Drain off water and add ice on top of eggs.
Fry bacon until crispy/chewy. Remove to a paper towel.
Remove 3 tablespoons grease and set aside.
Add 2 add’l tablespoons of grease to a separate skillet over medium heat.
Slice red onions very thinly, then add to skillet. Cook slowly until onions are caramelized and reduced. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Slice mushrooms and add them to the same skillet. Cook slowly until caramelized and brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Chop bacon.
Peel and slice eggs.
Make hot bacon dressing: Add 3 tablespoons bacon grease, vinegar, sugar, and Dijon to a small saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk mixture together and heat thoroughly.
Add spinach to a large bowl. Arrange onions, mushrooms, and bacon on top. Pour hot dressing over the top; toss to combine.
Arrange eggs over the top and serve.

2 week menu!

2010-03-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have read on a few blogs that tell you if you make a 2 week menu / grocery tripe you will save $$$!!!I have been doing this for the past month 1/2....and its true, On this menu I was able to buy 18 dinner meals and keep it at $150!So give it a try & leave a comment if u have a way or meals to save on $$$$!!!!!!They are ALL fast meals & easy & inexpensive.I think the hardest part of it all is coming of with meals hopefully this will give u some ideas.

2 week Menu:

Friday 19th- Sausage & Rice a roni w/ brocoli.
I bought the smoked sausage (The kind u use on the BBQ) cut it up cook your rice add cooked brocoli & sausage and we add soy sauce too.

Sat.20th- Pigs-N-Blanket....I threw in some frozen french fries & made one Kraft mac n cheese. (VERY SIMPLE)

Sun.21st-Hamburger helper I throw in a can of corn & a slice of homemade bread & butter.

MOn. 22nd-Spaghetti & garlic bread. I make my own sauce 1 can tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste & minced garlic.And I use sausage instead of hamburger meat.YUM!

Tues.23rd-Shepards pie...1 can corn, green beans, macarroni noodles, mashed potatoes, hamburger meat, 1 can cream of mushroom, and cheese.Mix ALL together except potatoes top mixture with potatoes and cheese & bake till cheese is melted.

wed. 24th Sloppy joes & tatertots & green beans.

Thurs. 25th Cheesy CHicken Corcon Blue Rice Cassarole & homemade bread & butter.

CHeck out this cute website with this receipe & tons others HERE
Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Rice Casserole

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
½ lb diced ham
2 Cups cooked shredded chicken breast
4 Tablespoons butter
¼ Cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
14 oz can chicken broth
3 Cups cooked rice of choice (I used white long grain)
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup shredded mozzarella or swiss cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil into a large 5 qt rimmed skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ham and chicken. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Melt butter then stir in flour, salt and pepper until combined. Slowly stir in chicken broth until well combined. Stir in cooked rice then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cover the dish with foil the last 10 minutes for oozing cheese.

Fri-26th-LEFTOVERS!!!

Sat. 27th- Quick tatertot bake.

SUN- 28th- Drumstick chicken ( Crockpot) Pull off all the fat cook on low dump all chicken in crockpot and add BBQ sauce we LOVE the Stubbs brand.I put it in after breakfast & its ready when we get home from church I make fried potatoes and have a veggie fast and amazing!The chicken will just fall off the bone.

Mon.29th- Beef Straganoff

Tues. 30th- Meatloaf & baked potatoes.

Weds. 31st- LEFTOVERS

Thurs.1st Stuffed porkchops with mashed potatoes

Frid.2nd-DATE NIGHT

Sat.3rd Families house / picnic.

Sun. EASTER Eggs benidict & hashbrowns.

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Chinese Rice

2010-03-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

First, I am giving credit to where credit is due....MY frined from High School has a wonderful blog HERE and thi is where I got this FABULOUS Meal Idea.IT WAS SERIOUSLY AMAZING!!!!Not only is any meal I can get everyone in my family to eat it & LOVE it a HUGE sucess, but it tasted SOOO stinkin good you gotta try it!And go to this wonderful blog and let them know you LOVED it too! :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken:
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
3/4 C Sugar
3/4 C Vinegar
1/4 C Chicken Stock
4 tbs Ketchup
1 tbs Soy Sauce
Dash Salt

Directions: Cut chicken into small cubes. Dip in beaten egg and then cornstarch. Brown lightly on both sides. In a pot, add sugar, vinegar, chicken stock, ketchup, soy sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil (until sugar is melted). Put chicken in a square, glass pan. Pour sauce over the top. Sprinkle LIGHTLY with garlic salt. Cover with tin foil. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour.

Chinese Rice:
2 tbs Olive Oil
3 Large Carrots chopped
3 Large Celery sticks chopped
1/2 an Onion Chopped
1/2 a package of bacon chopped
4 eggs
2 cups of Rice

Directions: While Rice cooks... put olive oil in large frying pan on low to medium heat (depending on your stove), add carrots, celery, and onions. Let cook until done. (Add a little soy sauce to them and other seasonings that you like...I do salt, pepper and a little garlic salt). When they are done, set them aside and fry the small bits of bacon. When bacon is done add it to the veggie mix. Then beat the eggs and scramble them in the pan (so they get the yummy bacon flavor). When the eggs are done mix it all together in a bowl. Fry the rice in the same pan...and then add the whole mix together.

White bread dough....Cinnamon Rolls & Navajo Tacos

2010-03-11T08:59:00.001-08:00

Ok so I made more bread yesterday. and while that was rising and made more and plit the dough in 1/2 the 1st I got the rolling pin out and rolled it all out, and covered the dough with butter,brown sugar, reg. sugar, cinnamon.then rolled it up and cut about 15 cinnamon rolls out onto a greased pan, I got a picture of before they had risen then after they were cooked and frosted.

The frosting I put 2 teaspoons of vanilla, about a tablespoon of milk, tablespoon of butter and a few cups of powdered sugar just mix and keep adding until it is the thickened you want, mine was a little runny but it harden perfect on the cinnamon rolls.These were AMAZING & super easy. I let them rise and baked them for about 17 minutes so they were still soft. ENJOY!

With the other half I rolled into a ball, and let it rise and made Navajo tacos.Just fry hamburger meat up and put onions, green chilies and lots of seasoning in there and then pull about a roll size of dough and gently stretch fry them up only a few minutes on each side.Serve with refried beans, cheese, sour cream, lettuce tomato it all.And then if you eat the meat Navajo tacos...You get one with butter & jelly on it, or butter & Honey MmMm...SOOO good!

White Bread

2010-03-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

White bread
2 packages active dry yeast
2 3/4 c luke warm water (I put warm water like I put in the babies bottles)
1/2 c nonfat DRY milk
2 TBL Sugar
1 TBL Salt
1/3 c Cooking Oil
7 to 7 1/2 c flour

You seriously HAVE to have a kitchen aid!I am borrowing my moms right now I am BEGGING my husband for one! Sprinkle yeast on the warm water, mix till yeast is desolved.Add dry milk, sugar, salt, oil & 3 cups of flour and have the mixter on LOW speed until smooth (about 3 minutes). Gradually add the remaing flour.Cover & set aside for 15 minutes.I keep my oven on at 300 while gettting the dough to rise, it helps it rise faster.Knead on a floured surface until smooth, just a few minutes.Divide dough in half and shape each of them into loaf shapes, with the folds on the bottom.grease pans, cover and let rise to about 1 hour to a 1 1/2 hour!
and then bake at 400 degrees for 20 -30 minutes until crust is golden brown.And let cool in pan for a few minutes and rub the bread down with butter and then take out of pan and let cool on rack. ENJOY!!! :)

"Chip" Cookies

2010-02-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from Twice remembered and had to try it out cause she said they were PERFECT. Well they are pretty darn close I must say and I can't keep them on the wax paper long enough to cool down! Here is her recipe...
{Perfect White Chocolate Chip Cookies}
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons hot water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups white chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

I used semi sweet chocolate chips cause it's all I had and they were delicious! I also added about a 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon(I always add Cinnamon to all my cookies) and I baked mine for 11 minutes instead of 10. Go check out the full directions and her recommendations here.

Homemade Stew

2010-02-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

MmMm...We had this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious!I cook mine in the crock pot all day so it can just absorb flavors all day & cook nice & slow.

2 cans stwed tomatoes empty, and fill each can with water to get All tomato juice.
1 can corn
1 can green beans
2 packages stew meat (we like alot of meat)
1 onion
4 -5 red potatoes
carrots

I brown my meat an dsprinkle flour over meat while frying,add lots of S&P and I put some steak seasoning on it too tonight.put all other veggies in crockpot and dump meat in once its been browned.I cooked on high today and served it with some rolls warm out of the oven MmMm..soooo soooo good. :)

Moist Chocolate Cake & Choccolate Butter frosting

2010-02-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

SOOO Wonderful!!!
1 c butter
1 c Water
3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
2 c flour
1 tea baking soda
1/2 tea salt
2 c sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/2 c milk
1 tea vanilla

In sm sauce pan bring butter & water to boil.Remove from heat.Place baking choch.in sm bowl in microwave for 1 min. add to butter & water.In separate bowl stir flour & baking soda.Pour choc. ingredients in & beat well.In another bowl cream sugar, & eggs.stir in milk & vanilla (beat well) Combine mixture and put into cake pan.Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.Let cool then frost.

Chocolate Butter Frosting
1/2 c butter
1/2 c milk
2 (1 ounce)square unsweetened baking choch., melted
3 1/2 c powdered sugar
In small sauce pan bring butter & milk to a boil.remove from heat all melted choc., powdered Sugar & vanilla.Beat until smooth.
ENJOY:)

weekly menu!

2010-01-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

Wend. Potato soup bowls.
Recipe:2 cups potatoes I add a ton more.
2 cups water (I just put enough to cover the potatoes)
carrots
celery
chopped oion or put minced
Chicken boulion cubes (3)
1/4 c.butter
1/4 flour
1 pint half & half
2 ounces swiss cheese
2 ounces cheddar cheese
Cook veggies in water& boulion until tender.Melt butter in another pan, add flour& half & half to thicken, stir in cheese untill melted then add to veggie mixture add more flour to thicken if needed.BUy bread bowls cut center out & pour soup & enjoy!

Thurd.Chicken enchalada Casarole
Grill up some chicken (or use canned chicken and heat up & season well) then shredd all chicken add a can of diced green chilies & a can of green chili sauce mix well.Get cassarole dish rip up tortias and layer with chicken & cheese.

Friday: fried Chicken & cheesy mixed veggies.
1 head cauliflowers cut
1 pound fresh peas
3 carrots diced
1/2 pound boiling oions
3 c. milk
2 teas salt
4 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup cheddar cheese
Steam all veggies until half done, put in a baking dish, combine remaining ingredients & pour over the veggies sprinkle with paprika.Bake uncovered at 350 until tender.

Saturday:Chimichangas
Cook roast in crockpot all day.when done shredd and add a can of green chili sauce & can of diced green chilies.put into tortias w/ cheese & fri up.MmMm...Soo good makes some spanish rice with it and its fabulous!

Oatmeal Cookies

2010-01-25T11:58:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from Ellee who I believe got it from her sister Kadee. They are one of my favorites, you must try!

2 1/2 sticks butter (softened)
3/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C. flour
1 Tbs. baking soda
1 Tbs. salt (I use half of that)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 C. uncooked quick oats
1 C. chocolate chips

*Mix butter and sugars until fluffy, mix in egg and vanilla.
In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to sugar mixture, mix well. Add oats and chocolate chips.
*Cook at 375 for 8-9 minutes.

Sweet potato fries

2010-01-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe here, and I was very impressed! For more details and a dip that goes with it, check out the web site.

FYI:- One serving is 3 weight watchers points

- These fit into phase 2 of the South Beach Diet

- A serving has 147 calories, 5 g of fat, and 4 grams of fiber.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t coriander

1 t kosher salt

1 t parsley

fresh ground pepper (to taste)

**I also put 1/2 t. chili powder for a little spice, but they are awesome without.

*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray.

Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape and size. It's important that all of the pieces are evenly sized to ensure even cooking. So toss any irregular pieces aside (or eat them in another dish).

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. If you've got more than a pound of sweet potatoes, add a little extra olive oil. They should all be glistening, just eyeball it.Then sprinkle on all of the herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated.Place the fries on the baking sheet. It's very important that they are not touching, but can place them pretty close together.If you end up needing more than one cookie sheet make sure they are spaced more than one rack apart in your oven to prevent steaming. Also, rotate the pans when you take them out to flip.

Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Don't open the oven door, not even for a peak! Let them do their thing.After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries.. Be careful because at this point they're quite soft.Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown.

**I actually put mine in for the second 15 min. and then turned my oven on Broil for the last 5 min. to get them crunchy, they were still pretty soft. I am in love with these and can't wait to make them again!!

Pumpkin Bars

2009-11-20T21:14:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
Bars:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Icing:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Potatoes with Peppers and Onions

2009-11-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

I go tthis recipe from Rachel Ray...I do NOT like her but this reipe was soo easy and SUPER Delicis....ENJOY :)

Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 Italian mild green pepper, cubanelle, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse salt and pepper
2 cups shredded Parmesan, available in tubs near deli -- make sure to get shredded cheese, not grated
4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 plum Roma tomatoes or small, vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then thinly slice -- chiffonade
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut fingerling potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on thickness of fingerlings -- thin, small fingerlings may also be left hole, larger potatoes should be quartered to speed cooking process. If you are using small red potatoes, halve or quarter them in the same way.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Combine with peppers and onions, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Coat the potatoes, peppers and onions with extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat vegetables in a thin layer, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in the oven and roast 20 to 22 minutes, until potatoes are just tender and peppers and onions are crisp at edges. Toss mixture with tongs, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a serving dish and peel the foil off the cookie sheet and discard for super-quick clean up!

While potatoes cook, prepare chicken. Roll out a 2-foot piece of waxed paper or foil near the stove top. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat -- your pan must be very hot when the chicken is added. Pile the shredded cheese on the work surface created with the waxed paper or foil. Season your chicken breasts with black pepper but no salt; the cheese will add enough salt to the taste of the dish. Press the breasts firmly into the cheese. Coat both sides of breasts with as much cheese as possible. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Set breasts into the skillet and cook 7 minutes on each side, until cheese forms an even, golden casing around the tender chicken breasts.

While chicken cooks, combine chopped tomatoes with basil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Drain off any excess oil from chicken as you remove it from the skillet. Top chicken with big spoonfuls of raw sauce and serve with potatoes, peppers and onions.

Pumpkin Waffles

2009-10-17T12:40:00.001-07:00

My friend just had these waffles at a church event and told me they were amazing and the perfect fall breakfast.

The woman who made them was nice enough to post the recipe online, and you can find it

HERE

She includes a recipe for orange butter. That just sounds too good not to try!

Recipe Blogs

2009-10-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

I follow a blog called One She Two She, and today they posted a list of some of the best recipe blogs.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Zucchini Brownies

2009-10-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1.2 cups sugar
Cream together

Add
2 cups flour (unsifted)
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
chopped nuts if desired
bake in a 9" X 13" greased pan at 350 degrees
fir 20-25 minutes, This is really like a really
moist chocolate cake!!!

Texas Sheet Cake Tip

2009-09-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

I just spent four hours working alongside one of the greatest ladies of all time. And she told me that she puts Cinnamon in the frosting for her Texas Sheet Cake. All it took was one bite to win me over, but that doesn't mean I didn't take more than one bite.

Spanish Chicken and Rice

2009-07-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

This recipe found in Real Simple magazine.

Serves:4

1 Tbls. Olive Oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces
Kosher Salt and Pepper
1 Medium Bell Pepper, sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Cup dry white wine (I use vinegar plus water)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, including liquid
1 Cup long-grain white rice
1 Cup frozen peas (I omit these)
1/4 Cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until golden brown, 2 minutes per side.

Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, tomatoes and their liquid, rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Stir the peas into the rice and chicken and cook, covered, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Spoon the chicken and rice onto individual plates and sprinkle with the parsley.

Serve with chopped pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives, if desired.

Graham Crackers and Frosting

2009-07-24T07:40:00.001-07:00

My son eats sooo much!

I run out of snacks for the kids in no time, and instead of trying to buy more and more (gotta keep in the budget), I've decided to find and try recipes for things I would normally buy.
For months, I've been following "Edible Happiness" written by a woman named Angie. Her precursor to "Edible Happiness" is "Eat To Health" which is where I found this recipe for Graham Crackers. I was a little wary at first, but after trying them, I don't ever want to buy graham crackers again! They were so good!

Graham Crackers

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup oat flour (made by putting your oatmeal in blender until smooth)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons honey
Sift flours and add soda into mixing bowl. Heat butter, honey, and milk until melted. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
Place dough in a greased cookie sheet. Roll out dough until even and smooth.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes
She uses soy milk, but I didn't. I actually had oatmeal flour on hand because when Danny bought me a wheat grinder for Christmas two year ago, I didn't have any wheat to grind. So I ground up some oatmeal. It took forever. I think I'll go with the blender method next time! Before putting them in the oven, I "scored" where I wanted to cut them. When they came out, I immediately cut them where my score marks were. As they cooled, they hardened and were harder to cut, so I was glad I cut when I did.

They seemed a little crumbly right at first, but after they cooled off, they weren't at all.

Growing up, my mom always made us graham crackers with frosting. So I did the same last night. But the graham crackers were good enough on their own! We didn't use hardly any of the frosting.

Decorator's Frosting

2/3 C. Shortening
4 C. sifted Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 Tablespoons milk
Food Coloring

I a medium mixing bowl, cream shortening. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk for desired consistency; beat until smooth and well blended. Thin with a few drops of milk, if necessary.

Be really careful with the milk. Start by adding hardly any and slowly build up. A little bit will go a long way.

And I never sift anything. Ever.

Also, when a recipe is posted, remember to label it at the bottom of the "Compose" box. That way, it will show up on the sidebar with the rest of the recipes in it's category. All of these recipes are too amazing to be buried in the archives!!

Lazy cake

2009-07-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ok. So I may be way behind on this piece of information. I'm sure you'll all be rolling your eyes at me like "yeah Neena, we already knew that, nice of you to finally catch up!" but I need to share it because I'll burst at the seams if I don't.

Need to bake a cake? Don't have eggs? Ran out of milk?
have a can of sprite?

1 box of cake mix + 1 can of sprite = 1 deliciously moist cake.

taste just like the normal thing and only a little bit worse for you!

Stuffed Bell Peppers.

2009-07-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

Stuffed Bell Peppers:

4 Green Bell Peppers (CUt tops off and pull seeds out) Boil until tender.

a package of hamburger meat.I add a small can of green chilies, some minced oions and S &P. (cook until meat is brown)

White rice. I cook enough for about 4 people.

When meat is browned I add a can of stewed tomatoes, add your rice to meat and cook together and then add the tobasco sauce I can't make it to spicy for my two little guys.once thats well blened.Pull the peppers out and stuff with the rice & hamburger mixture, I add lots of cheese to top it.Then cook in oven until cheese is melted.And ENJOY!!

Yellow Squash Bread

2009-07-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

2 cups shredded yellow crookneck squash
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 cup white corn meal
2 cups flour
1 teasppon dried dill
1 small green onion with greens dice
1 small mild pepper ( I used serrano) diced
2 tablespoons ranch dressing
1/4 tsp garlic salt
dash pepper
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two loaf pans with Bakers Joy. Or just grease and flour.

Combine all wet ingredients first. Add sugar. Mix well. Add flour and corn meal to make a little mountain and then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until well blended but not too long. It is the same theory as over mixing muffins. They won't be as fluffy. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 50 min. Each oven is different so watch your loafs. After removing from oven remove from pans and cool on a rack.
This is amazing with any kind of beans!!! Love you all! MaMa Deets

Grandma's Homemade Cheesecake

2009-07-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

2 packages cream cheese, softened
1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
1/4 C. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix above ingredients together.

Crust:
1 package graham crackers
1/2 C. Melted Butter or Marj.
1/4 C (give or take) Sugar

Crush graham crackers. Add sugar and Marj.
Press graham cracker crust into a pie tin. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
Pour cream cheese mixture into graham cracker crust.
Refrigerate until set.
Serve.
Top with fruit.

When I made it, I tripled the recipe and made a 9 x 13 casserole size. Which was a good thing and a bad thing.
I ate a lot of it.
And now I'm doing Pilates to make up for it.

Ma Ma Deets Zucchini Bread

2009-07-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

There are a million zucchini bread recipies out there. All of them are good. I have been playing around with a bunch and kind of tweeked this to our taste. The sour cream makes it so moist that it almost melts in your mouth. I can't keep up with the family eating it! I like to use the sugar and cinnamon for dusting my pans but you can use flour instead if you don't want it that sweet. This is a great way to use all that zucchini in your garden.

If anyone has other zuchinni recipes let me know! I have it coming on in the garden now and I need to be baking baby!

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup wesson oil
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream (this is the secret ingredient)
3 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 loaf pans with oil and then dust them with a sugar and cinnamon combination-I do about a cup of white sugar and mix in 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Use it like you would the flour that you dust your baking pans with.
Mix sugar,oil, and zucchini. In separate bowl;, mix flour,salt,cinnamon,baking powder,and baking soda. Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add vanilla, then zucchini mixture to egg mixture. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; add sour cream last. If using nuts add at end after everything else is mixed. Divide batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from pans at once and cool on rack. Good to wrap in aluminum foil and freeze.
( You can add chocolate chips, raspberries, blueberries, raisins, or pecans )

Tip

2009-06-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

I watched on TV last night that if you put the white part of a green onion in a cup of water, that it will keep replenishing and you will always have green onions!
I don't know if this is true, but it would be fun to try! If anyone knows if this is true or false let me know. If not, you should try it with me;)

Lemons

2009-06-20T08:57:00.001-07:00

I just learned that if you microwave a lemon for 15 seconds, it makes it easier to juice.

Calling All Bread Masters

2009-05-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

Our Bishop challenged us to live on what we have for two weeks. Our two weeks will be up on Sunday, and we've done pretty well. I rationed eggs and milk and bread.

I did a really good job rationing bread. I did such a good job that it WENT MOLDY!

So I'm bakin' up three lovely loaves in the oven right now. But my homemade bread is only good for toast and French toast. It's delicious, but it's dry.

I need a bread recipe that will make sandwich-friendly bread.

Anyone? Anyone?

~Alicia

Chicken Turkey Rolls

2009-05-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

This one looks like you put forth a lot of effort but really you finished making it and sat back drinking your diet doctor pepper and reading Star Magazine for the last 20 minutes.

you will need:
thinly sliced -boneless skinless chicken breasts
oven roasted turkey slices
sliced provolone cheese
fresh basil leaves
tin foil
tooth picks

1) lay the chicken breasts on a plate on each chicken breast place a slice of turkey, a slice of provolone and 2 basil leaves on each

2) roll the chicken up and make sure you secure it with a toothpick so they stay put

3) cut off the excess cheese hanging out the side of the chicken otherwise you have a nice mess to clean up later

4) place each pinwheel in a baking dish and cover with tinfoil

5) bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees

I made David think I slaved over this really gorgeous looking meal so he would feel bad and offer to do the dishes.....just letting you know, they are still sitting on the counter and not a drop of water has touched them

ENJOY!

Jason's Chunky Salsa

2009-04-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

4 Lrg. tomatoes
1 Lrg. white onion
1 head of cilantro (chopped)
2 fresh green chilies
1 jalapeno
2 limes (juiced)
pinch of garlic salt (I am the one who puts this in, Jason says it doesn't need it)

*Dice everything, mix and eat!!
**You may want to seed the jalapeno depending on how much heat you want.

M n' M Penutbutter Cookies

2009-04-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

1. C. sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 C. butter
2 eggs
2 teasp. vanilla
2 1/2 C. flour
1 teasp. salt
1 teasp. soda
1 teasp.milk
1/2 C. peanut butter chips
1/4 C. m n' m (i used minis)

* Add sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk in mixer (or large bowl) Mix flour salt and soda in separate bowl, add slowly to sugar mixture. Add chips and Mn'M's, mix lightly.
* Bake at 375 for 7-9 min.
** I added a big tablespoon of peanut butter for extra taste, they were delicious!

Ranch House BBQ Muffins

2009-04-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Recipe from the "Western Horseman" courtesy of Stella Hughes

1 16 -oz. tubes of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 C. Ketchup
3 T. brown sugar
1 T. cider vinegar
1/2 teas. chili powder
1 C. Shredded cheese

Separate dough into ten biscuits. Flatten biscuits into five-inch circles. Press each biscuit into the bottom and up the sides of a greased muffin pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and chili powder. Add meat to the mixture and stir well. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture into each biscuit cup. Top with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for five minutes before serving.
Yields 10 muffins.

Sloppy Joe Remix

2009-04-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Again, this recipe comes from Geologist Chef Pec. Many thanks, good woman.

Pork-n-beans
Onions
Ketchup
Brown sugar
Worcestershire Sauce
Hot dogs (cut into bite-sized pieces)
Ground Beef (cooked)
Bacon (cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces)
Heat everything up in a pot OR place in casserole dish and bake 350* for 30 minutes or so.

Pec doesn't do this next part, but Danny and I do:
Spoon mixture onto hamburger buns.
Enjoy.

Egg Drop Soup, Cheater's Quick Version

2009-04-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Boil 5 C. Water
Add 5 chicken bullion cubes
Let boil for a few minutes.
Crack an egg into soup.
Break egg up with a fork as it cooks in the boiling soup.
Let cool, serve.

Breadsticks

2009-04-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix in large bowl:
1 1/2 C. Warm water
1/4 C. sugar
1 T. yeast
Let sit for ten minutes.

Mix topping together in separate smaller bowl:
1/4 C. Mayo (Miracle Whip works as well)
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese
1/4 C. Butter or Marj.
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic

Add 3 1/2 C. of flour to water, sugar, and yeast.
Grease a sheet cake pan.
Roll dough onto sheet cake pan.
Gently cut where pieces will be (score the breadsticks), but do not cut all the way through.
Spread topping over scored breadsticks.
Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top.
Place on the middle rack and bake for 9-10 minutes.

Family Menu

2009-04-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here's our menu for the next two weeks. Enjoy, chums.
Note: We have a butchered cow and half of a butchered pig in our freezer. Hence the brisket and steak and sausage. You can come over for dinner, but please leave your vegetarian friend at home. The Pioneer Woman has recipes galore for beef-eaters like us. Also, for the next two weeks, we are not trying to eat healthy. With a toddler and an infant on one side and graveyard shifts on the other, we're just basically trying to function. That being said, here ya go.

Thursday (that's today):
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: leftovers
Diner: leftovers
(We have lots of leftovers. Want some?)

Friday: Pull out brisket to thaw
Breakfast: Hot cereal
Lunch: Baked potatoes, salad
Dinner: Chicken and dumplings

Saturday: Marinate brisket
Breakfast: PW Good Morning Muffins
Lunch: Egg drop soup and breadsticks
Dinner: Ham, cooked carrots and mashed potatoes

Sunday: Marinate brisket
Breakfast: Biscuits and Gravy
Lunch: Snacks
Dinner: Grilled Steak and Potato Wedges

Monday: Cook Brisket
Breakfast: Eggs
Lunch: leftovers
dinner: Brisket

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Mac n' Cheese
Dinner: Sloppy Joe Remix

Wednesday:
Breakfast: French toast and bacon
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Nachos w/ leftover brisket meat

Thursday: Freeze remaining brisket meat
Breakfast: Breakfast burritos
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Ranch House BBQ Muffins

Friday: Pull steak and a roast out to thaw. Marinate steaks.
Breakfast: Muffins, Juice, Fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Danny's beef and ramen dish, using a chunk of the roast

Saturday:
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: A bum load of tater tots
Dinner: Steak -I've really got to use that steak up before we butcher on Monday!

Sunday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Snacks
Dinner: Pot Roast, Cornbread

Monday:
Breakfast: Eggs
Lunch: Ramen
Dinner: Baked chicken

Tuesday: Pull frozen brisket out to thaw
Breakfast: Biscuits and gravy
Lunch: Hot dogs
Dinner: Leftovers

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Eggs
Lunch: Meatballs and mashed potatoes
Dinner: Nachos with leftover brisket, feeding the missionaries

Thursday:
Breakfast: Cream of Wheat
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Casserole using brisket, mashed potatoes and cheese

Geologic Jambalaya

2009-04-11T23:22:00.000-07:00

My brother, Steve, is a geology major. Recently, his fellow classmates and he went on a field trip to the Grand Canyon where The One They Call Pec made this dish:

Jambalaya after Bright Angel Hike
Zatarran's Jambalaya rice mix
Kielbasa (Polish) sausage
Diced Tomatoes
Prepare rice according to directions

Which he (Steve) sent to me, and which I am now blogging to you. There's no exact measurements, just follow your heart. That's what I always do.

Guinness Cake

2009-04-01T09:59:00.001-07:00

David's birthday is in 2 weeks and I think this year I'm making a big celebration out of it. I'm going all Susie Homemaker on his ass and giving him a birthday he'll never forget (besides the one last year where he spent it sitting on the beach on our honeymoon). I found this recipe on Oprah.com and I thought it was something that everyone would like and it sticks with the theme. (I'm throwing him a party at an Irish pub.)
Now I know that the other ladies who participate in giving you these delicious recipes don't drink but if Oprah can have it then so can you! Plus the alcohol burns anyways. Why not make a cake any hard working husband can enjoy?
(Oprah says if you don't want to add the beer then substitute it for milk, it will still taste good)

Ingredients:Makes about 16 1-inch slices

16 tablespoons (1/2 pound) butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup Guinness® stout
6 eggs
8 ounces cream cheese , softened
1/2 cup butter , softened
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars. In another bowl, mix together the baking powder, spices, salt, flour and cocoa. At the very last moment, add the Guinness to the eggs. (Don't let it sit too long, or the alcohol will begin to cook the eggs!)Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and blend, then add half of the wet ingredients. Repeat this process until all the ingredients are combined.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°, and line the bottom of at least two 9-inch diameter cake pans with wax paper. (Use as many layers as you like for your own cake.) Divide the batter between pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack and peel off the wax paper. Let the layers cool completely before frosting.

In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until mixed, then beat in the sugar. Finally, add the vanilla.Place one cake layer, bottom side up, on a platter. Spread with frosting, then top with another layer, bottom side down. Repeat with each layer, then spread the remaining frosting smoothly over the top and sides of the cake

Cobbler

2009-03-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

You've probably heard of this recipe, but if you haven't you need to. It's simple and delicious. You can use any fruit you like; I grab a few cans of pie filling from the store when I don't have canned peaches on hand. Last night, I had canned peaches on hand.

1 Yellow Cake Mix
2 Cans Pie Filling
1 Cube of butter or Marj.

Dump pie filling into a 9x13 pan, spread evenly. Evenly spread dry cake mix on top of fruit. Coarsely chop butter and drop over dry cake mix until it looks something like this:

Bake it at 350 for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
After making your house smell amazing, your cobbler will come out looking something like this:

Make sure you don't put a fork next to it. You'll be sorry. I know I am.

Tips:
*Do not drain the pie filling. You'll hate yourself for seventy times seven years.
*This recipe can be chopped in half and made in a 9x9 using only one can of pie filling, but don't use half of a cake mix. You'll want to slit your wrists and do a hand stand in salt water. Dump the whole bag on there. Don't be shy.

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

2009-03-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve.

Verdict:
These were FABLOUS!!!WE made them with red potatoes and it was so good, best pork chops I have ever had, they were so good and juicy!ENJOY

Easy Lemonade (fun for kids)

2009-03-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on a kids sight, and Brayden and I made it and loved it! I got the lemons from my father in laws backyard, and am headed there for some more this week. I also froze juice so I can pull it out whenever we wanted some more. It's easy but perfect for this summer!

1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (i used a little more to make it stronger)
1/2 cup sugar
2 quarts water (8 cups)

Mix lemon juice and sugar together first, then add water and stir.
Serve over ice.

Easy Chicken & Dumplings

2009-03-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 C. Chicken broth (I used water plus bullion)
2 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 T. vegetable shortening
1 C. Milk
2 C. Milk, opt.

Coarsely cut chicken breast into chunks and cook through in a frying pan over med/high heat.
Pour chicken broth into a large sauce pot. Bring to boil, add cooked chicken pieces.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in vegetable shortening. Stir in 1 cup milk. Drop dough by teaspoonful into the boiling broth. Cover pot and cook slowly for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Add 2 cups milk at the end of cooking time and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Dear Muffin Makers-

2009-03-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

I've just gotten into baking muffins! They all seem to taste pretty good but they always come out so dry! I follow the directions exactly as they say and still they come out a little more chewy than they should be or a little too dry.
Does anyone know what I can do to make them soft and moist like they should be?? I'm racking my brain over here about it and I just can't seem to get the hang of it.
Thanks for all your help!

Bakin' Bacon

2009-03-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

My Aunt just gave me an awesome tip.

Instead of frying her bacon and having the smell of bacon stuck in her house and hair all day, she lays the strips out on a 4-sided baking sheet and bakes them at 350 for about 15-10 minutes, turning them and draining the grease every few minutes.

It works great!

For the Dogs! Ginger Banana Cake

2009-03-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

Saturday is Murray's 1st birthday and in celebration I am posting a cake that is safe and tasty for both dog and owner!

Ginger Banana Party Cake

Banana and ginger combine to make an aromatic cake that's not too sweet for dogs. Well chopped nuts make it a festive cake.

You will need:
2/3 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup softened butter
3 large eggs
3/4 cup water
2 cups Unbleached Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Beat together mashed banana and butter until creamy. Add eggs and water. Beat well. Stir in dry ingredients. Beat until smooth, Add nuts. Spoon batter evenly into oiled and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350° for about 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes, remove from pan, replace on rack and cool.

Banana & Mock-Choc Frosting:

2 cup mashed banana
1 tablespoon butter
6 tablespoon powdered carob
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoon unbleached flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Blend thoroughly and spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle with well-chopped pecans.

Teriyaki Chicken Pita Sandwhiches

2009-03-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

When I get home from work I am exhausted! So anything I can make with minimal effort is the best. That's why I love my crock pot...he lets me take a nap while he does all the work. If only the laundry had the same affection for me.

Remember that I cook for only 2 so my portions are smaller. You'll need to add more to accommodate your family.

I use:
1 BIG chicken breast (boneless)
Teriyaki chicken glaze ( I like the one with a hint of pineapple)
crock pot
pita bread
1 cucumber
shredded lettuce

Throw the frozen chicken breast in the crock pot with half (or whole depending on how you like it) a bottle of the teriyaki glaze in there with it. Put it on high and walk away. Take a nap, fold some laundry, watch some Big Love....

in 3 hours the chicken will be done. Take the chicken out and cut into thin strips on a plate. Cut cucumber pieces as well.
Use the crock pot sauce and spoon some onto your pita bread. Place the chicken and cucumbers in the middle. Put some shredded lettuce on and wam bam thank you ma'am you're done!
1 pita is usually pretty filling so you're not making a ton of food.

I served some white rice on the side.

Enjoy!

Fried Rice

2009-02-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

1 med. onion, diced
1 egg, well beaten
3 tbsp. butter
1 c. uncooked instant rice
Soy sauce

Melt butter. Saute onions until soft. Stir in egg briskly, cooking until egg is set. Cook instant rice according to directions, omitting butter and salt. When rice is cooked, stir it into skillet with onions and egg. Pour 1/3 cup water and 2 teaspoons soy sauce over rice. Stir and fry gently until water is gone. Add more soy sauce, if desired.

Chinese Marinade

2009-02-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. oil
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 c. pineapple juice
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Marinate 1 hour or longer. Great for chicken or beef.

Serve over rice.

BBQ Sandwiches

2009-02-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

So there isn't a recipe, but just an idea. I've been sick this week so cooking just isn't something I want to do! The other day I just threw a couple of frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot, and covered them in BBQ sauce. I let them cook a few hours(4-5 cause they were frozen) and then shredded them and put them in some hamburger buns. They were AMAZING! The boys loved them, and I literally did nothing. I love those dinners!

Curry Grilled Chicken

2009-02-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. vineger (i use apple cider)
1/3 C. ketchup
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard ( i use 1 t. reg. mustard)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4- boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or whatever you have;)

*Mix first 10 ingredients until well blended. Pour in a large resealable bag, add chicken. Seal and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
*Drain and discard marinade.
*Grill chicken , covered, over medium heat for 6 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear.
**Serves 4

Russian Chicken

2009-02-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

1-8oz. bottle Russian salad dressing
1-pkg. Lipton onion soup mix
1-teaspoon curry powder
2- Tablespoons apricot jam
6-boneless chicken breasts

*Mix dressing, curry powder and jam until well blended. Layer chicken in crock pot, pour dressing mixture over chicken. Sprinkle soup mix on top, cook in crock pot on high for 3 hours.

** I got this recipe from my mom, and it's so easy and yummy! I served with fresh green beans, and corn bread.

Apple Butter Pork Loins

2009-02-13T05:32:00.000-08:00

It's like a pork orgasm in your mouth....and yes, the double innuendo was intended.
Enjoy!

You will need-
2 (1/2 lb.) pork tenderloins
Seasoning salt to taste
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. season pork with seasoning salt and place them in a 9x13 in. baking dish. Pour apple juice all over them and cover dish with lid or aluminum foil.

3. Bake for 1 hour
While pork is roasting - mix together the apple butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon and cloves. After the hour, remove pork tenderloins from the oven and spread the apple butter mixture over them.

4. cover them and return to the oven for 2 hours or until fork tender.

Side dishes I would use: white rice, apple sauce or steamed veggies.

Alicia's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup w/ Egg Noodles

2009-02-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

This soup is perfect for cold weather and head colds. It simmers for a couple of hours, so it heats the house up really nicely. The measurements aren't exact -add or take away to your taste.

3 Quarts of Water
4 carrots, peeled
1 onion, quartered
4 Celery stalks with leaves
2 cloves minced garlic
6 bone-in chicken drumsticks (or other bone-in pieces)
Salt and Pepper
Whole cloves

Stud onion quarters with cloves. Combine above ingredients in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for two hours, adding more water as needed or desired.
In the meantime, make these easy egg noddles:
1 C. Flour
1 egg, beaten
1/6 C. Water
1/3 tsp. salt

Combine ingredients and knead until soft and smooth. Roll out as thinly as possible on floured surface. Cut into 1/4" pieces. Set aside to add to simmer brother later.

Once the chicken has simmered for two hours, remove all of the chicken pieces. Pull the meat from the bone, discarding the skins. Set aside.
Strain broth, if desired. I remove the vegetables, cut them up, and then return them to the soup. However, I do throw out most of the celery.
Add to the simmering broth:
3-5 chicken bullion cubes
2-3 Tbsp. Dry Ranch seasoning (more or less to your liking)
Homemade egg noodles
Let cook about ten minutes, or until noodles are soft. Add chicken and heat through.

Serve with cornbread or biscuits.

Easy Buttermilk Syrup

2009-02-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Darah,

I'm sorry that I left my soy milk in your fridge. You can use it in the place of milk for your cooking, and save yourself some real milk. When I was in college, my roommates wanted to make buttermilk syrup, but they didn't have buttermilk. Or regular milk. When they opened the fridge, all they could find was my soy milk. So they used it, and it turned out so good that it's all I use now.

Buttermilk Syrup

Melt 1 cube of butter (marj. works too)
Add 1/2 C. Soy Milk (regular milk works too)
And 1 Cup Sugar
Stir and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat.
Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
And 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Use a large pot because it foams.
Use with french toast, waffles, pancakes, scones, ect.

~Alicia

Roasted Red Potatoes w/ Bacon and Cheese

2009-01-27T14:54:00.005-08:00

Prep: 15 min. Total: 1hr. 10 min. Makes: 8 servings

1/2 C. ranch dressing
1/2 C. shredded Italian cheese (I always use a little more)
1/4 C. bacon bits ( real bacon is best)
2 lbs red potatoes , quartered
1 Tabl. chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teas. dried parsley)

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dressing, cheese, and bacon bits in large bowl. Add potatoes; toss lightly. Spoon into lightly greased 13x9 baking dish, cover with foil.
*Bake 40 min. Remove foil; bake an additional 15 min. or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

Panko Chicken

2009-01-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my first recipe to put on here. I'm excited and a little embarrassed that I'm choosing something so easy, but I am still learning and I love this recipe because there's no measuring involved. You can use however much or little you like. So here it is

You will need:

Ranch dressing
Panko Bread crumbs (found in the asian foods aisle of your grocery store)
2 large bowls (so you don't make a mess. A lesson I learned the hard way)
A cookie sheet or whatever you use in your oven to bake chicken
However many chicken breasts it takes to make your family full.

pour the ranch dressing into one of the large bowls.
pour the panko bread crumbs into the other bowl.
Take your chicken breast and dip them (slather them, throw them, make them swim so deep they are begging for you to let them surface so they can breath-whichever tickles your fancy) into the ranch.
then take each chicken breast out individually and place them in the bowl of the bread crumbs. Coat the chicken thoroughly and make sure you've left no space bare.
place each breast of chicken onto your baking sheet.
place chicken in the oven at 400 degree's for 30 minutes.
Take them out and enjoy!

I ussually serve this with rice, steamed vegetables and a glass of chilled white wine.
Enjoy!

Popcorn Balls

2009-01-23T05:53:00.000-08:00

2/3 cup white Karo syrup
1 sm pkg Jello
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter

Cook mixture at boiling until at the soft ball stage, ( forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water).
Pour over popcorn. and shape into balls. We like to do orange and raspberry near Halloween time.
(This recipe is from the Deets Family cookbook and was submitted by Aunt Charlotte.)

Chicken Soft Tacos

2009-01-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

This is my all time favorite meal! I could eat it twice a week. Leftover chicken is really good cold, the kids will just eat it with ranch! Love it!

1/3 C. olive oil
1/4 C. lime juice
4 cloves of garlic
1 Tbl. minced fresh parsley (or 1 teas. dried)
1 teas. ground cumin
1 teas. dried oregano
1/2 teas. salt
1/4 teas. pepper
4 skinless chicken breast halves (I've used just about any kind of chicken)
flour tortillas (soft taco size)

* Mix first eight ingredients together, cover chicken and let marinade in refrigerator for 8 hours. (I've done it for like 3 and it's still amazing)
* Grill chicken, uncovered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. Cut into strips, serve in tortillas with toppings of your choice.

** Toppings we use
sour cream
avocados
cilantro
cheese
tomato

Potato- Cheese Soup

2009-01-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Recipe:
2 potatoes peeled and cut into cubes (2 cups) I used like 12 small red potatoes UN peeled.
2 cups of water ( I just covered the potatoes)
1/2 chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tea.chicken bouillon granules (I used 3)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 flour
1 pint of half & half
Salt & pepper
2 ounces Swiss cheese shredded
2 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese shredded (I put a ton more cheese in too):)

Cook all veggies in water & and bouillon cubes until tender. Melt butter in pan and add flour.add half & half to thicken it. Stir in cheese until melted and add to cooked vegetables.Do not boil.(Serves 8)

I threw in some Roads Rolls with this to, it was perfect, it was also even better for left overs!!

Mexican Chicken Soup

2009-01-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
4 split(2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Olive oil
salt and pepper
2 cups chopped onions(about 2 reg.size onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 Lrg. cloves of garlic, minced
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2-4 jalapeno peppers, seeded, minced
1 teas. ground cumin
1 teas. ground coriander seed
1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6(6inch) fresh white corn tortillas

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
*Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a cookie sheet. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper(I also sprinkle chili powder) roast for 35-40 min, until done. When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, shred the meat, cove and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in large pot. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Cook over med-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the chicken stalk, tomatoes with puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cilantro if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2 then cut them crosswise into 1/2 inch strips and add to the soup. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 min. Add the shredded chicken, and season to taste. Serve the soup hot, topped with sliced avocados, a dollop of sour cream, and grated cheddar cheese.

***This is a recipe I found online. The first time I made it, it was good, but took me a while and I didn't like the leftovers. The next time I made it, I used leftover chicken that I had made, shredded and then froze(that was a HUGE time saver) I also left out the tortillas, and added potatoes to the soup! The tortillas weren't good the next day. The potatoes gave it the thickness it needed and then we ate the soup with flour tortillas on the side.

Jesse's Dish

2009-01-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

When I was in college, my roommate (Amber) was waiting for her missionary to come home. Before his mission, he would make her this dish that his mother taught him. After he left, she would make it for us. She gave me the recipe as a wedding gift because I loved it so much.

1 Can Chicken
1 Can Diced Tomatoes (14.5 oz.)
1 Can Diced Green chilies
1 Can Chicken and Rice Soup

Mix in saucepan. Bring to a boil.

While waiting, line a 9x13 baking dish with 1/2 bag of tortilla chips. Top with half of the soup mixture and about 1 1/2 cups of cheese (more or less to taste).

Repeat the layers, using the rest of the ingredients and top with 1 1/2 cups (more or less to taste) of cheese.

Bake at 250 for 20-25 minutes.

Pasta Salad

2009-01-18T09:34:00.000-08:00

This pasta salad is always a big hit! It's a huge recipe so you may want to cut it in half for just your family. All the measurements are (about) measurements. I usually just throw in a little of this, a little of that.

24 Oz. of any pasta (I used bowties here)

One 8 oz. pkg of cubed cheese(or more if you LOVE cheese)

One pkg grape tomatoes

6 or so green onion (chopped)

8-10 slices ham (cubed)

1 C. Mayo (I use miracle whip and it's delicious!)

1/4-1/3 C. Italian dressing

One can black olives (optional, I never put it in cause Jason doesn't like it)

* Boil noodles and rinse under cold water. Add mayo and salad dressing, mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix and eat! I usually make this ahead of time and put it in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours, but it is also good right away!

* It seems like a lot of dressing, but it can get dry when you put it in the fridge. Add a little at a time till you like it.

Cheerio Treats

2009-01-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

Here is a great fun and easy treat. You can make them for just about anything. Like: FHE, ward parties, family parties or just to eat at home...you get the picture. so here it is.

3 TBS of butter

1/2 Cup peanut butter

10 1/2 ounce package of mini marsh mellows

5 Cups Cheerios

Melt butter and peanut butter together, add marsh mellows,stir until melted. Remove from heat and add cheerios. put into a greased 9X13 pan. If you want thicker treats use smaller pan.

* do not over cook your marsh mellow mix. It will make them to hard and UN-enjoyable.

Valentine's Day Cookies

2009-01-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of posting our menus! And I will just as soon as I find it. But I have to warn you... our menu is drab. Nursing Mom can't have dairy, broccoli, or onions (potatoes, anyone?). In the meantime, here's a little something to help you prepare for one of my favorite holidays.

1 Box Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 Cube of Marg/Butter
2 Eggs
1/2 Pkg. of White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a large saucepan over med/high heat. Turn heat off. Add cake mix. Stir. Add eggs one at a time. Mix. Let cool (the dough will be very soft, but it will become more manageable as it cools). Let cool completely before adding chips (otherwise they melt. But even that can look kind of cool, I guess).

Drop in spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Be careful not to over bake! These are soo chewy and soft.

Cassy's family Menu for this week!

2009-01-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

So I thought it would be neat if we all shared our menu too, to also help with ideas to cook.SO here's our menu for the week.Recipes will follow:

Friday- Rib eye steaks, and fried potatoes & veggies.
Sat-BLT sandwiches & potato salad
Sun-Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes & corn
Mon-Stew and homemade rolls
Tues- Taco Salad
Wends-Homemade hamburgers & homemade fries
Thurs- Tacos

*Rib eye steaks:I season with Montreal steak seasoning, the more seasoning the better, minced onions S&P.cook on broil for about 10-12 min. each side.

*Potato Salad-package of bacon, 1 pound red potatoes un peeled, 1 green onion, a few boiled eggs,1/4 cup Real mayo, 1 tea. Dijon mustard, S&P.
Directions: cook bacon until crispy(I sometimes cook in microwave for less mess),drain the bacon juice in the water with your boiling potatoes, when potato's are done 15-2o min.let cool and chop in little bite- sized pieces.In a separate bowl mix mayo, mustard, s&p.Toss potatoes, onion, egg in dressing, add bacon.Enjoy!

*Fried Chicken- get one dish with flour Lots of S&p and I put seasoning salt in there as well and saltine crackers a package and crumble up well.get another dish with 3 eggs and milk.Dip chicken in egg really well, and then cover in the flour mixture, and add to grease & s&p again.

*stew-Stew meat cover in flour and fry up before adding to soup, 1 can stewed tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can tomato paste, add water to each can.then add corn, green beans, chopped potatoes, chopped carrots.let cook, you can also cook in the morning in crock pot!!and throw in some roads rolls.Its amazing in the winter!

*Taco Salad-fry up hamburger meat and I put a can of chopped green chilies for flavor and chopped onions.add hamburger meat to Chopped lettuce,a can of kidney beans not cooked and rinsed, add a can of olives, dice a tomato.to eat get nacho cheese Doritos and crumble up add on top of lettuce mixture sprinkle cheese on top, and add some ranch and enjoy!Sounds weird but is amazing great recipe from my in laws.

Super Easy Fajitas Thanks to the CrockPot

2009-01-16T07:26:00.000-08:00

The Ingredients.
--2 lbs of thin cut stir fry beef (you could use chicken)
--1 or 2 packets of fajita seasoning mix
--1 onion
--2 bell peppers (I used 1 red, 1 green)
--1/2 cup of water I add another 1/2 cup if I added 2 packets!

The Directions.

Dump your meat into the crock pot. It can be frozen or thawed. Cut the onion and the peppers in strips, and add to the crock. Add the seasoning and water. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or high for 6. The meat is done when it reaches desired tenderness. Serve with your favorite fajita fixens'. I love using corn tortias I just fry some up really quick, and add lots of chees and sour cream.So good we just made this earlier this week, I probably make this twice a month we ALL love it!Its so good and soo easy!ENJOY!

Chili

2009-01-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

I got this chili recipe from my mother in law, she uses elk but you can use any hamburger. It's my favorite chili recipe!

2-3 lbs ground elk ( you can use beef if you don't have or don't like elk)
2 cans chopped tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans great northern beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 med onion diced
1 pkg. chili seasoning (I also add extra chili powder for heat)

*Cook hamburger and onions together until brown. Add everything else, let simmer on low for up to 3 hours. I've ate mine after like 30 min. though, it tastes just as good!*I cooked all 3 lbs hamburger, but only used about 2 and zip locked the rest for tacos! I guess it just depends on how chunky, or meaty you like it!

Sunmaid Raisin Granola

2009-01-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

*Mom's recipe in her own words
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 tsp salt
1 cup shredded cocnut
1 can (14 ounces ) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup chopped nuts*
1 1/2 cup raisins (dried cranberries are GOOD)

Combine oats, coconut, wheat germ, nuts and salt in a large bowl. Stir in condensed milk; add oil and mix thoroughly. Spread mixture into foil-lined 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Bake in 300 F oven, stirring occasionally about 1 hour or until golden. Remove from oven and stir in raisins while still warm. Store in a tightly covered container. Makes about 8 cups.

* I use 1/2 cup of almonds, 1/2 cup of cashews and 1/2 cup of pecans or walnuts. If it's for my family to use for cereal, I chop the nuts - but if it's for trail mix for my cowboy type guys, I don't chop the nuts.

"Jason's Cookies"

2009-01-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

1 box chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. veggie oil
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1/4-1/3 c. toffee bar pieces

Throw it all in, mix it all up! Cook at 325, for 12-13 minutes on non-greased cookie sheet.
* These are Jason's favorite cookies, I always make them for his work and they are a huge hit!!!

Amish Baked Oatmeal

2009-01-12T17:12:00.000-08:00

1 1/2 C. Quick Cooking Oats
1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Milk
1/4 C. Butter, melted
1 Egg
1 tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine. Mix well. Spread in a greased 9x13. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Steak Marinade

2009-01-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

Straight from the ranch.

1/2 C. Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 C. Soy Sauce
1/4 C. Oil
1-1 1/2 T. Ketchup
1 Clove Garlic
1 Small White Oinion
Pepper

Combine. Pour over steak. Marinate overnight.

This makes one small batch (about four steaks). I usually double (if not triple) it because it's everyone's favorite and leftovers are appreciated.

Cheeseball (ish)

2009-01-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

1 pkg. Cream Cheese
3 (ish) chopped green onions
1/4 C. (ish) Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. (ish) Garlic Powder
1/3 C. (ish) diced Honey Ham (deli lunch meat works great)

Combine all ingredients with half of the ham. Roll into a ball. Roll ball in remaining ham.

Serve with crackers.
*If desired, roll ball in chopped pecans.

~Alicia