Test Kitchen Recipes

Hot Hoagies and Chicken Enchilada Pasta

2009-12-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

My Kitchen Cafe - Chicken Enchilada Pasta

My Kitchen Cafe has brought me back to the food blog world. Now that I'm not pregnant any more I want to cook everything and try new things. I wish I would have taken my own pictures but both of these recipes were SO delicious. Olives were optional in each recipe and I used them in both recipes. I love olives so I would never leave them out. Please take it from me and go and try these recipes. I have two more recipes to try from My Kitchen Cafe so come back and see what else I have tried. Thanks for bringing me back to the food blog world My Kitchen Cafe.

Italian Tilapia

2009-03-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia loins

2 Tbs Olive oil

1/2 large onion (diced)

5 button mushrooms (sliced)

1-2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 Italian zucchini (sliced)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. dried basil

1 Tbs Olive oil

1 can Fire Roasted diced tomatoes

Sprinkling of Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375. In a 13X9 pan drizzle the 1 Tbs of Olive oil in the pan. Add in the tilapia loins. Salt and pepper fish. In a medium saucepan add the 2 Tbs of Olive oil, diced onions, mushrooms. Saute them for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and zucchini and saute in extra 2 minutes. Salt and pepper this. Next add the basil and Fire Roasted tomatoes. Spoon the mixture of ingredients onto the fish.

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes or until fish is flaky.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

The Results:

This is one of my concoctions on a night I couldn't think of anything to make. It was delicious. I love zucchini and mushrooms so they got thrown in the pot. My boys gobbled it up and my oldest son told me this is good chicken mom. He didn't care if it was fish or chicken as long as he could dip it in ranch. Whatever, he ate all his dinner. I served this with a side salad and some rice. Enjoy!

Award

2009-03-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

I received this award from Donna at My Tasty Treasures. Her food always looks good and her blog is hilarious. Go check it out. Thanks for the award Donna.

I am sending this on to:

Spryte's Place

Cooking This and That

Two Peas and Their Pod

These three all have awesome food blogs.

** I will have new recipes up shortly. It is just taking me sometime to get some things organized.

Tortellini Soup

2009-02-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1lb. Pork sausage

1-2 TBS Olive Oil

4 carrots (sliced)

2 celery stalks (sliced)

8 mushrooms(sliced)

1/2 large onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

salt and pepper

48 oz box Swanson broth

1 can Swanson broth

1/2 bag of Cheese Tortellini

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Cook the sausage until no longer pink. Drain and place on a paper towel.

In a medium to large stock pot saute the carrots, celery and onions for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic in for about 1 minute.

Add the Broth, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, diced tomatoes and water. Let this simmer on low for about 20-25 minutes. Add in the tortellini and let them cook for about 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

The Results:

This was a delicious quick soup. Soup is always good because you can throw anything you want into the pot. I don't think you can really go wrong. I topped the soup off with some Parmesan cheese and some crusty bread. It was tasty and filling.

Buttery Cinnamon Cake

2009-02-20T14:49:00.000-08:00

INGREDIENTS :

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat shortening, 1 1/3 cups white sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating for at least 1 minute after each egg. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove cake from pan while it is still warm, and poke holes around the top of the cake with a fork. Pour the warm cinnamon syrup into the holes and onto the top and sides of the cake.

To Make Cinnamon Syrup: In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup white sugar, butter, water, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Heat and stir until butter melts.

The Results:

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. I use it sometimes when I want a morning dessert. It is kind of like a coffee cake. It is super easy to make and tastes great right out of the oven. I ate this a couple morning with a cup of hot chocolate. YUM!

Colorful Kielbasa

2009-02-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound smoked kielbasa, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet, combine the soup, water and butter; bring to a boil. Add kielbasa and rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 18 minutes or until rice is almost tender. Stir in peas and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender and peas are heated through. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand until melted. Yield: 4-6 servings.

The Results:

This was definitely a quick dinner. I like things like this when I want dinner on the table quick and the kielbasa was on sale too.Plus for me. The only thing I did different was add some corn to it because I didn't have enough peas. Also if you don't like kielbasa I'm sure you could throw in some cooked or rotisserie chicken. I got this recipe out of my Taste of Home cookbook. Since I haven't posted so much lately I have lots of good recipes coming up. Hopefully it doesn't take me so long to post them though.

Coconut-Cranberry Chews

2009-02-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
About 1½ cups (¾ lb.) Challenge Butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups dried cranberries
1½ cups sweetened flaked dried coconut

Directions:
In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1½ cups butter, sugar, orange peel, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in egg, until well blended.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture, stir to mix, then beat on low speed until dough comes together, about 5 minutes (see notes). Mix in cranberries and coconut.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on buttered 12" x 15" baking sheets.

Bake in a 350°F regular or convection oven until cookie edges just begin to brown, 11 to 15 minutes (shorter baking time will yield a chewier cookie; longer baking time will yield a crispier cookie). If baking two sheets at once in one oven, switch their positions halfway through baking.

Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to racks to cool completely.

Yield: About 6 dozen cookies

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

NOTES: The mixture may look dry until it comes together as a dough. If its too crumbly to form into balls, the dough need to be mixed longer; it should be a smooth homogeneous mass.

The Results:

These turned out really good. They are definitely a sweet treat. I would also suggest that they are just barely even be golden brown before you take them out. If you leave them in for long they will just be a a hard cookie. I got the recipe from www.challengediary.com.

Baked Tilapia

2009-01-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
3 Tilapias

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Paprika

Directions:

Place tilapia in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Combine the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, butter, dill, salt and pepper; spoon over tilapia.

Cover and bake at 375° for 20 minutes.

Uncover; sprinkle with paprika.

Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Parmesan Green Onion Couscous

Ingredients:

1 box of Parmesan Couscous (Follow directions according to box)

1/2 cup green onions

Directions:

Make couscous according to box. When the couscous is done add a 1/2 cup of green onions.

The Results:

The results of this dinner was good. My husband liked it alot and I just thought it was good. I was a different dinner for us and I thought it was a success. My boys both gobbled up their dinner. So I guess it was good for them too. This recipe originally called for halibut but I didn't have halibut. I changed most of the recipe but got the idea out of my Taste of Home cookbook.

Baked Ziti

2009-01-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package dry ziti pasta
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 jars spaghetti sauce
2 bags mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped dried basil

Directions:
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 large skillet, brown beef over medium heat. Add onions saute until tender. Drain off fat and add spaghetti sauce. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a lightly sprayed 13X9 baking dish, place some of the sauce in the pan. Place half the pasta in. Add the spaghetti sauce and spread mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and sour cream on. Repeat layers till mozzarella cheese is on top.Sprinkle with basil.

Bake in preheated oven Covered for about 30 minutes or until cheese and sauce are bubbly.

The Results:

This was so simple to make. I've never made ziti with sour cream and thought I would give it a try. It gave the pasta a different kick then ricotta and was really good. I served this with salad and garlic bread. Oh and my pasta wasn't ziti but I can't remember what it is called. Any round noodle should work. Enjoy! :)

Oven Baked Potatoes and Award

2009-01-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

2-3 Tablespoons Olive oil

3 Baking potatoes (cubed)

1/2 onion (diced)

1/2 bell pepper (diced)

4 button mushrooms (sliced)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Cut baking potatoes in 4th. Boil them for 4-5 minutes. Drain. Dice potatoes into bite size pieces. In a 9X13 pan spray pan with cooking spray. Add the olive oil to coat the potatoes. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushroom Parmesan cheese, garlic , salt and pepper. Bake in oven at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Make sure your potatoes are fork tender before pulling out. Enjoy!

The Results:

These went perfect with the Beer Bratwurst. I just kind of started to throw things in the pan and ended up with this. I love potatoes and don't get to eat enough of them due to my husband and little boy aren't big fans. Who doesn't love potatoes? Weirdos! So I got to enjoy my potatoes and they were great. Hope you enjoy.

Lemonade Award : for a refreshing blog

Spryte from Spryte's Place gave me this award. I was so happy to see a comment from her the other day. I loved being able to look around her blog and see what i could start book marking to make. Go check her blog out.

So I'm going to pass this on to:

Priscilla Bakes

Two Peas and Their Pod

For the Love of Cooking

Ezra Pound Cake

Priscilla, Maria, Pam and Rebecca all have refreshing blogs. I look forward to seeing what new things they cook all the time. They all make delicious looking food.

Beef Stuffed (or not) Sopaipillas

2009-01-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup evaporated milk ( I just used milk)
1-1/2 teaspoons canola oil (I used vegetable oil)
Additional oil for frying

FILLING:
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

SAUCE:
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in water milk and oil with a fork until a ball forms. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Divide into four portions; roll each into a 6-1/2-in. circle.

In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry circles, one at a time, for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the salt, garlic powder and pepper.

In a large saucepan, combine the soup, broth, chilies and onion powder; cook for 10 minutes or until heated through. Cut a slit on one side of each sopaipilla; fill with 1/2 cup of meat mixture. Top with cheese. Serve with sauce. Yield: 4 servings.

The Results:

These were suppose to be stuffed with the ground beef but when I cut into the sopaipilla it split on top. Darn it! Oh well these were still good. They were like a fried bread taco. We have never had something like these so I thought they turned out pretty good for the first time. I figure if you fold it up like a taco they would be just as good if I had filled them. I got this recipe out of my Taste of Home 2002 recipe book.

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

2009-01-14T13:47:00.000-08:00

Hurry! Go and make these little muffins.

Ingredients:

by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean.

The Results:

These were the Best muffins ever. Seriously, I made these last night so we could have them for breakfast in the morning. We almost finished them all off. They will all by gone by tonight. I picked up some blueberries from the store yesterday. I knew I had to use them. So I went looking for the perfect recipe. Well I came on foodtv.com and typed in blueberry muffins. I have seen so many people into Barefoot Contessa recipes that I thought I would give it a try. Plus it had 5 stars. Ina's recipe didn't fail me. These will be made over and over again in my house. Everyone loved them. Hurry go and try this recipe. You can't go wrong.

Oh and my New Year's Resolution is to make some good food.

**My changes to the recipe were I didn't have unsalted butter so I just used my Imperial stick butter and I added only about a 1/4 teaspoon of salt instead of 1/2 tsp and it wasn't kosher salt it was plain ol' table salt.

Overnight Rolls and Award

2008-12-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 cold cup of water
2 pkgs. yeast ( or I used 4 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs (beaten)
7 1/2 cups flour

butter for the tops

Directions:
In a 6 quart pan bring 1 cup of water to a boil then add the 1 cup of butter, sugar and salt to the pan. Take it off the heat and add 1 cold cup of water. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. When the first mixture is luke warm you add the yeast mixture and eggs. Stir for a second. Then add the flour. Stir together. Cover pan and refrigerate over night.

Divide it into 3rds. Roll it out into a circle and cut with a pizza cutter into triangle for croissants or make whatever shape you want. Butter the rolls before you roll them up. Butter the baking sheets and butter the top of the rolls and let them rise for 4 hours.
Place them on baking sheets. 12 rolls per sheet. ( I got 15 next to each other this time)

Butter the tops of rolls when they come out too.

Now pop them in the oven for 400 * degrees for 10 minutes.

The Results:
So a while ago I posted these for Easter dinner. This time I made them for Thanksgiving. I changed a couple things this time. Last time I didn't butter the crescents before I rolls them up. I did this time and they turned out even better. They cooked to perfection and they were the best dang rolls I've had. Everyone raved about them and I was glad they turned out so good. They soaked up the gravy nicely. So here is a revisited recipe for these rolls. I love them and hope you try them.

So I received this award from Teresa over at A Blog About Food. She makes some delicious looking food. If you haven't heard about her blog please take a moment and go and check her blog out.

So I'm passing this on too.

Amanda's Cookin' and to
Prudence Pennywise

These are both really good food blogs.

Fish Tacos

2008-12-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

3 Tilapia Fillets
2 TBS Olive Oil
dash of salt and pepper
dash of paprika
dash of oregano

1/2 head of cabbage (shredded)
8 corn tortillas
2limes

Sauce:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (I didn't add this the cayenne gave it enough kick)
1 teaspoon minced capers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I would cut back to 1/2 tsp.)

Directions:

Drizzle fish with olive oil and add a dash of salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano on both sides of fish. Place fish in a medium heat skillet. Cook fish on both sides for 3 minutes or until fish is flaky.

To make white sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.

Cut up cabbage into thin slices. Slighty warm tortillas in skillet and serve with gucamole, lime and white sauce.

The Results:
I love fish tacos and I have had a billon fish tacos in my life so I would have to say that they were average. Growing up we went to Mexico probably 4 or 5 times a year. So when we would go we always had fish tacos. I just wish I could recreate that prefect fish taco. I was trying to make these healthy though so maybe that is why these were just average. I remember the fish was fried but I am trying to eat somewhat healthy. Oh well....these were good for a healthy taco but just average for the Best fish taco. I got the White Sauce recipe from allrecipes. Also be careful of the cayenne pepper. It made the white sauce pretty hot. I would cut back on it.

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

2008-12-11T15:33:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

20 Jumbo Shrimp

1 box Fettuccine noodles

Alfredo Sauce:

1 cup butter
3/4 pint heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 dash garlic salt
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring your water to a boil and add the fettuccine noodles. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain.

In a large pan put heavy whipping cream in and then add your butter and let your butter melt into the cream. Do this over low heat. Then add salt, pepper and garlic salt.

Stir in your cheeses over medium heat. Let the sauce thicken.

Then add your noodles and shrimp. Coat the noodles and shrimp with sauce. Serve hot.

The Results:

I love this alfredo sauce. The last time I made it though. I just used all Parmesan cheese. It was still good. This sauce is so easy to make and it is totally worth it. I found this alfredo sauce off of allrecipes.

Blog Award

2008-12-03T19:54:00.001-08:00

Well a little bit ago I got the Butterfly Award from Priscilla over at Priscilla Bakes. I love her blog. She makes some good looking food. I'm going to be trying out her Sour Cream Sugar Cookies soon. Please go and check out her totally awesome blog. You won't be disappointed. Well now I would like to pass on this award to some well deserving food bloggers.

Colleen over at Cooking This and That. I've been so excited to find a new food blog and I love checking out her blog to see what she cooked.

Lisa over at Jersey Girl Cooks. I look at her food blog every day. She is always cooking up something good.

Aggie over at Aggie's Kitchen . I just found Aggie's food blog too. I can't wait to try some of her delicious recipes.

HoneyB over at the Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Her food always looks good. I can't wait to try out the White Hot Spiced Chocolate.

Now please ladies go and pass this award on to some other great blogs.

Roasted Red Pepper Italian Dressing Chicken

2008-11-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
1/3 cup of Roasted Red Pepper Italian Dressing (Kraft)

Directions:
Place chicken in a round pie pan. Cover it with dressing. Let it sit for about an hour. Cook the chicken in the marinade.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Just make sure it is not longer pink in the middle.
I served with rice and a salad.

The Results:
I know this doesn't seem like much of a recipe but this was so good with this dressing that I had to share it with you. My chicken was not fully thawed out either. So I really just checked my chicken to see if it was pink. It was perfectly cooked too. We had a salad and some rice and this was really a QUICK and EASY meal. Use as many chicken breasts as you would like and just add more salad dressing on top. Make sure you cook it in the salad dressing though. Don't put it in another pan.

Apple Crisp

2008-11-20T22:12:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

4 medium tart apples

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 quick cooking or old fashioned oats

1/3 cup butter or stick margarine, softened

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

ice cream

caramel topping

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375. Grease bottom and sides if square pan, 8x8x2 inches, with shortening

2. Spread apples in pan. Mix remaining ingredients except ice cream; sprinkle over apples.

3. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with fork.

Serve warm with ice cream and caramel topping.

The Results:

This was sooooooo yummy. The recipe doesn't call for ice cream or caramel topping I added that. This dessert turned out so good. Just don't forget to serve it with ice cream and caramel. I got this recipe from my good ol' Betty Crocker recipe book. I have to say this recipe book comes in handy when I don't have the Internet.

Hope all you foodie bloggers are all doing good. We have just been moving. Can't wait to catch up.

I'M BACK

2008-11-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

I was moving and lost track of things. I will have a new recipe posted tonight though. A YUMMY Apple Crisp. I will see you all tonight after dinner.

Chili

2008-10-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of stew meat (I use round steak because it's lean) diced into chunks ( I used ground beef)
1-2 tsp olive oil (I didn't need to use olive oil )
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced (I used a green bell pepper)
1/2 jalapeno, diced (optional)
2 16 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 tsp cumin powder
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1 7 oz can of whole green chiles, diced (I used 2 4oz cans of diced green chilies)
2 15 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 16 oz kidney or black beans
2 16 oz can chili or pinto beans

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Once the pot is hot, add beef and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally then add onions, celery, pepper, garlic and jalapeno (if using). Sauté for about 3-4 minutes before adding tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chiles and beans. Add all spices and vinegar, stir and either cook covered on low heat on the stove top,on low in your crock pot; or at 250 degrees in the oven. Cook all day stirring throughout the day if you can. Don't forget to take out the bay leaf before serving. Enjoy!

The Results:

This was the best chili I have ever made. I used what I had on hand. I didn't have any stew meat so I just used some ground beef. I'm sure the stew meat would have been fantastic too. I thought it was perfectly spiced and some thought it was too spicy. You can definitely adjust the spice level to your taste. I loved this chili. This recipe is Pam's from For The Love of Cooking. If I could find my picture I made Honey Cornbread with this. It was yummy!

Sugar Cookies

2008-10-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1.In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3.Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

The Results:
I made these last night for our family party. They make about 2 dozen. They were simple and yummy! We decorated them with frosting and sprinkles. You should have saw my 3 years old cookie that he decorated. It was sky high with frosting and topped off with sprinkles. He ate it too quick to get a picture of it. I got the recipe from allrecipes and it would have made 60 cookies but I scaled it down to 15 and it made 2 dozen cookies for me. Just enough for not too many leftovers. They were perfect for our fun night. Isn't anything with sugar and then topped with sugar good?

Blogging Award

2008-10-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch gave me the Kreativ Blogger award and I was so surprised and excited to get it. Thanks! Check her blog out because she has some AWESOME recipes.

So I guess I will pass this award on:
"Mommy? I'm Hungry" Rachelle has a great food blog. She makes the food look so yummy with her pictures.
The Open Pantry: Emily's blog is a new one that I have recently discovered. She makes all her food look mouth watering.
For the Love of Cooking: Oh Pam I couldn't forget giving you a blog award. Everything you make is Creative so you definitely deserve this award. Pam's food is the best. I have tried many of her recipes and they were all FANTASTIC.
Two Peas and Their Pod: Maria makes good looking food. Is food good looking? I always check out her site to see what she is cookin' up next.
The Hungry Housewife: Leslie's food blog is one you will always go back to. It is always fun to see what she is making up next. Oh and you just have to see the Oreo Turkey's she made. So cute!
Range Warfare
Jan makes some good comfort food. Everything she makes feels like home.

Pumpkin Seeds

2008-10-20T13:45:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
Pumpkin seeds
2-3 Tbs Olive Oil
Generous amount of Salt
Dash of Pepper (optional)
Seasoned Salt (optional)

Directions:
Let your pumpkin seeds dry over night on a cooking sheet. Once dry add Olive Oil, salt and pepper and a little Seasoned salt. Mix this all together and Bake in oven at 250 for about an hour or until golden brown. All of the seasoning are up to you really. You can add what you like. ENJOY!

The Results:
I love pumpkin seeds. Every Halloween my Mom would keep the pumpkin seeds and toast them. So it reminds me of when I was a little girl. Now I am showing my boys.
You can adjust the seasonings to your taste. I would say salt is a must though and be generous with it.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-10-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
2/3 cup onion (chopped)
1/2 cup celery (chopped)
48 oz box chicken broth
2 cans chicken broth
2 chicken breast (cooked)(shredded)
2/3 cup of sea shell noodles
4 carrots (sliced)
1/2 tsp. basil (dried)
1/2 tsp. oregano (dried)
salt and pepper

Directions:
In a large pot heat Olive Oil. Add in the celery and onions and cook until tender (5-6 minutes). Pour in chicken broth and add the chicken , sea shell noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil for about 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to a simmer for about 25 minutes.

The Results:
This soup is so easy to make and it is so good. My boys were sick so I made some soup and it was good on the chilly day that it was. I love making soups when it is cold. ENJOY!

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

2008-10-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The Results:

I've made this recipe a couple times. I love pumpkin bread and this recipe is so easy and tastes so good. The only thing different I did was use two 9X5 loaf pans. I got the recipe from allrecipes. ENJOY!

Tuna Melt

2008-10-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

Blog Chef recipe

Ingredients:

2 (6 oz) cans solid white tuna (well drained)

¼ cup mayonnaise (or use more if desired)

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 large celery rib (finely chopped)

2 green onions (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon fresh parsley (finely chopped)

seasoning salt (to taste)

ground lemon pepper or black pepper (to taste)

4 slices French bread (or Italian or Sour Dough will work)

4 tomato slices

4 slices Swiss cheese (or shredded Swiss)

Butter or margarine (for cooking)

Directions:

Step 1: In a bowl combine tuna fish, mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery rib, green onions, and parsley. Add seasoning salt and lemon or black pepper to taste, and mix well.

Step 2: Compile the sandwich by layering a slice of bread, then the tuna mixture, some Swiss cheese, then tomato’s followed by more Swiss cheese. Butter a slice of bread and lay it on top of the sandwich (butter side up).

Step 3: Heat your skillet or griddle on medium heat. Place the sandwiches butter side down into your skillet. Lightly butter the slice of bread that’s facing upwards. Cook for a few minutes until nicely browned (watch them so they don’t burn) and with a metal spatula (use plastic if using a non-stick pan) flip sandwich over and cook on the other side until it’s browned. Remove from pan and serve immediately.

The Results:

I know this is such a simple sandwich and you could make a tuna melt however you want but I wanted to try it just how Blog Chef Bobby had made it. I thought this was a great sandwich and will definitely be making it again. Thanks for the yummy recipe Bobby.

Pancakes

2008-10-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 large egg

1 cup all purpose or whole wheat flour

3/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon granulated or packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Butter, stick margarine or shortening

Directions:

1. Beat egg in medium bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients except butter just until smooth. For thinner pancakes, stir in additional 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.

2. Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat or to 375 (To test griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles jump around, heat is just right.) Grease griddle with butter if necessary.

3. For each pancake, pour slightly less than 1/4 cup batter from cup or pitcher onto hot griddle. Cook pancake until bubbly on top, puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

The Results:

I changed some things about these pancakes. I added another teaspoon of sugar. I added 3 tablespoons more of milk. We like our pancakes thinner. At first they were too thick and didn't even bubble on top so I thinned it out. They turned out perfect and my husband loved them. I got the recipe out of my Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Beef and Barley Soup

2008-10-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 1/2lb beef stew meat
3 medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2/3 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2/3 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 cup mushrooms (quartered)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cans (14 oz each) beef broth (I think you need 4 cans of broth)
1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed

Directions:

1.Spray 5 to 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix all ingredients except peas.

2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 9-10 hours

3. Stir in peas. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes longer or until peas are tender.

The Results:

This soup was super good. My only recommendation would be to add an extra can of broth and to add more salt and a LITTLE more pepper. You just will have to taste it to your liking. I also added the mushrooms. Add if you want. You could add in potatoes too. Everything else was perfect. My husband wanted his topped with cheese. I thought it was good without. It was a quick and easy dinner. I got the recipe out of my little crockpot recipe book. ENJOY!

TRY IT....YOU'LL LIKE IT...... Brownies

2008-10-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm... Don't they look good?

Ingredients:

1 box of Brownie Mix (I used Krusteaz)

1 (15 oz) can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Put the brownie mix in a medium bowl. Drain and rinse the black beans and put it in the blender with the cup of water. Blend till it is all together. Add it to the brownie mix. Whisk it up. Spray pan. Then add to pan. I used an 11X7 inch pan but you can use whatever you want. Just follow the back of the brownie box as directed. I left my brownies in the oven for about 35-40 minutes. Just until the knife comes out clean. ENJOY!

The Results:

Don't let the black beans fool you. I made these brownies the other day for an activity. They could not believe what I was doing. My sister in law gave me this recipe after I had tried these at her house. I could not believe how moist and delicious they were. Hey I guess if you ever run out of eggs you always have a back up. You just have to try this though. You won't believe how good they are. I wouldn't lie to you. Go make them. Serve them up with some vanilla ice cream. YUM!

White Enchiladas

2008-10-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast meat (salt and pepper your chicken)

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
6 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1/4 cup milk (I used 1/3 cup)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking dish.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the green onion until tender (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the garlic powder, then stir in the green chiles, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Mix well. Reserve 3/4 of this sauce and set aside. To the remaining 1/4 of the sauce in the saucepan, add the chicken and 1/2 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese. Stir together.
Fill each flour tortilla with the chicken mixture and roll up. Place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl combine the reserved 3/4 of the sauce with the milk. Spoon this mixture over the rolled tortillas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

The Results:

This is a oldie but a goodie. I've posted it before but decided I wanted to add some new pictures. Also it was at the beginning of my blog and I thought it needed to make an apperance today. Anyways, I love these enchiladas. They are so good and a different change from the red and green sauce enchiladas. I know some of you don't use canned soups but you can always change that with whatever you use. Also you can use Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or Colby cheese. I've made it with Pepper Jack and I love it with Pepper Jack cheese but my 3 year old thinks it is too spicy when I use it. My mom use to make these when I was little and I did not like them but I guess when you get older your palate changes. This recipe is also on allrecipes. Enjoy!

Homemade Salsa

2008-10-01T16:00:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
10 fresh tomatoes
2-3 green onions
2-3 cloves of garlic
Handful of cilantro
2 jalapenos, seeded and deveined (unless you want it spicy)
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
Clean tomatoes, remove stem, then gently cut an X on the bottom of the tomatoes. Heat a large pot of water until boiling. Add the tomatoes and boil for 10-15 seconds. Remove from water and put into an ice bath. Once the tomatoes have cooled, gently peel off the skin.
NEXT.......
Place tomatoes, garlic, green onions, cilantro, jalapenos, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper in a food processor or blender. Puree until thoroughly mixed. Taste and re-season if necessary. Letting it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours lets the flavors combine and makes the salsa taste even better. Enjoy!

The Results:
I loved this salsa. I've never made homemade salsa and this was just so quick and easy and I will definitely be making it again. Loved, loved, loved it Pam from For The Love of Cooking. Thanks for the awesome recipe as usually. Also I put my ingredients in the blender and it worked just fine.

Hot Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

2008-09-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Pull all that good bread out and go feed it to the ducks.
Now fill them up
Of couse put cheese on top
Now wrap them all safe and tight.
Ohhh yeah!
I know my sandwiches are smoking. Hey like I say we couldn't wait to eat them any longer.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lean ground beef
salt and pepper
1/2 onion (chopped)
1/2 green bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 or 1 whole can of olives (depends on how many olives you want in it)
1 can tomato soup
1/4 cup ketcup
2 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
7 french sandwich rolls (I like Francisco roll)
2 cups of shredded cheese
7 sheets of tin foil

Directions:
Brown meat in skillet with onions and green bell peppers. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.
Scoop of the bread inside the rolls to make room for the meat mixture. Add the meat and cheese to the rolls and wrap them in foil.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

The Results:
I love these sandwiches. Maybe because my mom use to make something like this or maybe just cause they are quick and easy. I served them with celery sticks and called it dinner. ;) They are just too good not to try. The oven gives the rolls a little crisp and the cheese melts right on in. YUM!

Skor Cake

2008-09-19T09:11:00.001-07:00

Ingredient:

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix

1 (5.9 oz)box Chocolate Instant Jell-O Pudding

1 tub of Cool Whip

6 Skor bars (crushed)

Directions:

Start with making the Instant Chocolate Pudding (make according to directions on box)

Bake the Chocolate cake (according to directions). I used two 8-inch round pans. Once they are done let them cool down for about an hour on a wire rack.

Now start to assemble: I used a trifle dish. So I started with putting the cake in the bottom, then put the pudding on, whip cream and crushed Skor. Then repeat the layer. Cake, Pudding, Cool Whip and crushed Skor bar.

The Results:

This is not a fancy smancy dessert but it is oh so good. When my mother in law first made this I knew it was meant for me. It is all chocolate and is AWESOME. If you are a chocoholic this has your name written all over it.

Deep Dish Lasagna

2008-09-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I didn't clean up the picture. The sauce draining down the plate makes it more real, right?

So as you can tell by most of my pictures they are quick and in a hurry. With no background or anything. What can I say my family can not wait for the dinner. My husband sighs every time I break out the camera. We had company the night I made this lasagna and they asked "Why are you taking a picture of the food?" I just laughed because I know it looks kinda weird. Oh well, I do it for the viewing pleasures of you guys. I just wish my family didn't have to starve an extra 5 minutes longer.

INGREDIENTS :
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (I used half ground beef and half sausage)
2/3 cup chopped onions
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
3 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (10 ounce) package chopped spinach, thawed and squeeze dried
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage with the onions, garlic and 1/2 the parsley; drain. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, oregano, and basil; mix well. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes; stirring occasionally.
In a bowl, combine remaining parsley and Ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, eggs, garlic salt, and pepper; mix well.
In lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish, spread 2 cups sauce mix. Begin layering with 4 noodles, 1/2 cheese mix, 1/3 remaining sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat this layer again and the last layer will be noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Bake covered in a preheated oven at for 45 minutes. Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

The Results:
I made this for company a couple days ago. It was really good. I did change a couple things. I did half ground beef and half sausage and I added about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt to the sauce. Also you only need 10 noodles. Everything else was just perfect. Yummy! I served it with a salad and garlic bread. Also if you wanted just use your own spaghetti sauce. You can make it or pour it out of your favorite bottle of sauce. I won't judge you.:) I got this recipe from allrecipes.

Chicken,Rice and Black Bean Chimichanga

2008-09-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1/2 cup instant rice

1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)

2-3 Tbsp Pace Salsa

6 flour tortillas

2 Chicken breast (cooked and shredded)

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)

1 (6 oz) can of black olives

1/2 cup black beans (smashed)

1 can diced green chilies (*optional)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

In a small sauce pan cook your instant rice. Once it is done add in the Pace salsa.

Heat tortillas up in a large pan so they are easy to work with.

Start to assemble the chimichangas: black beans, shredded chicken, rice, cheese, olives and green chilies. Tuck and fold the tortilla so it is in the shape of a square. Make sure it isn't over filled. So be sparing when putting all your ingredients in the tortilla. So it will be able to fold.

Heat oil in a large skillet and fry the filled tortillas until both sides are browned. Place on paper towel when down. ENJOY!

Serve with guacamole, lettuce and tomatoes

The Results:

These were perfect for my first time chimichanga making. They went really good with the guacamole I made and I think that it is a must. Along with the lettuce and tomatoes. You could totally cut out the oil and just cook this in a skillet without oil. I just wanted the crunch on the tortilla. This was a tasty dish. YUM!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2008-09-15T13:07:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
1TBS Olive Oil
2-3 Chicken breasts (chopped into bite sized pieces) * I cut the pieces really tiny
1 medium onion (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 48 oz. box of swanson chicken broth (3lbs)
1 extra can of chicken broth
1 can corn
1 can of diced roasted green chilies
1/2 cup of salsa
1/2 cup of cooked rice
1 can diced tomatoes

Directions:
In a large stock pot put in olive oil & chicken pieces for about 5 minutes till they are cooked thru. Then add the onion & garlic & saute. Then add the chili powder & oregano. Then add everything else in except the cooked rice. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Then let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Add the rice (cooked) at the end.

The Results:
I made this recipe up a little while ago. I love this soup and it makes alot so I am able to eat it through the week for lunch. This is my husbands favorite and I really don't think you can mess it up. Perfect on a nice cold day. Go make it. Yum!
You can serve it with cornbread or some good ol' drop biscuits. On top we always put cheese. We have used Pepperjack cheese, sharp cheese. You can put sour cream on top or crushed tortilla chips. Whatever floats your boat.:)

*** I posted this on here a while ago and wanted to update the pictures. Best soup!**

My FIRST award

2008-09-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

I recieved the I love you this much award from Pam at For the Love of Cooking. Pam makes the BEST dishes and I'm always excited to see what is next.

I'm passing this award on to the following:

The Sister's over at The Sisters' Cafe. I love seeing what they are up to and making. Everything sounds delicious.

Julia at Dozen Flours. She makes some fabulous desserts that will make your mouth water.

Bobby at Blog Chef. I love the pictures and how he makes you want to hurry and go make it.

Apples and Butter.
Everything looks easy and tasty.

Jenny of course over at Picky Palate makes awesome things and they are all so creative.

Check out this websites and those that got the awards pass them on. :)

Baked Penne and Meatballs

2008-09-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Mushroom Marinara:

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
6 oz of button or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly ( I used canned mushrooms)
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes ( I used diced tomatoes and smashed them)
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed ( I didn't have any)
1 tsp white sugar (I didn't use sugar because I'm not a big sweet sauce fan)
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender; add the garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
7 button mushrooms, diced finely (I had to use canned mushrooms )
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/4 cup of Italian style breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed ( I didn't have any so I didn't use it.)
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp olive oil (for cooking)

Put the onions, garlic and mushrooms in a food processor to chop, otherwise chop them as small as you can. Combine all ingredients (except for olive oil) together gently. Form into small meatballs and set aside. Once the meatballs are prepared. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Cook the meatballs until golden brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and place the cooked meatballs in the mushroom marinara.

Penne pasta, prepared per instructions
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tbsp fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta per instructions and drain. Pour the pasta into the sauce with the meatballs. Add the fresh basil and cheese - reserving a bit for the top, then mix VERY gently. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

The Results:

This is sooo yummy! I had to improvise a little because I didn't have a couple things but it all turned out good. The meatballs were soooo prefect. My husband was wishing I was making meatball sandwiches though. Anyways, well once again I went to the best food bloggers page

http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/search/label/Beef and she never fails at providing good recipes for my family to enjoy.

Chicken Parmesan

2008-09-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 eggs - beaten
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
Cooking spray
1/2 cup low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
3 tbsp shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (I use shredded)
Dried basil
2 cups Spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Trim chicken breasts of all fat. Cut each breast into two pieces. Heat large pan on medium heat; coat the pan with cooking spray and olive oil. Add seasonings to beaten egg and mix. Dip chicken into eggs and then into bread crumbs. Add to pan & cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Make sure to spray the pan with cooking spray when you turn the chicken over. In large baking dish add 1 cup of spaghetti sauce and spread evenly over the bottom of the dish. Add chicken and top each piece with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the chicken, top with Parmesan and basil. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

The Results:

This was really good. I'm so glad that I've been able to test out some of Pam's recipes from For the Love of Cooking. Everything has been fantastic and I'm sure I will be back for more recipes from her food blog. I served this with Whole Wheat Spaghetti and garlic toast. YUM!

Recipes from http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Pork Chops with Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions and Feta Cheese

2008-08-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
5 thin cut pork chops, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
1 handful of red grape tomatoes
1 handful of yellow grape tomatoes
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbsp of feta cheese

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and a bit of salt then saute until golden brown and caramelized - about 15-20 minutes. Add minced garlic, stirring frequently for 60 seconds. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same skillet, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and season the chops. Make sure pan is nice and hot before adding pork. Cook for 2 minutes before turning over. Cook for additional 1-2 minutes to desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat to a serving platter. Make sure to let pork rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing so it stays nice and juicy.

In the same skillet add the grape tomatoes and onions to pan - add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3-4 minutes to cook the tomatoes slightly. Pour the tomatoes and onions on top of the pork, drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Top with feta cheese and fresh basil. Enjoy!

The Results:

I thought this was very good. The feta and fresh basil made it a very fresh dish. I think I got to much balsamic vinegar on mine. So next time I would just put a little on. But everything else was great. Thanks again Pam for the great recipes.

http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Baked Zucchini Sticks

2008-08-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini
2 eggs
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of dried basil
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil or wax paper - spray with cooking spray. Cut the zucchini into half lengthwise then into thick spears. Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and seasonings then mix thoroughly. Dip the spears into egg then bread crumbs and Parmesan mixture, making sure to coat evenly. Place on baking sheet and spray the top of each spear with cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes then turn the oven to broil and cook, watching carefully, until they become golden brown 45-60 seconds. Serve with marinara sauce or your favorite salad dressing. Enjoy!

The Results:

These were a perfect side to go with my Bleu Cheese Hamburgers. (That I didn't get a picture of.) It was nice that they weren't fried. They tasted just as good as fried zucchini. We ate the zucchini sticks with homemade ranch dressing and marinara sauce. My little boy ate 5 of these. They were easy to make and went perfect with the hamburger. Recipe is from http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/. Thanks Pam for the good recipes.

Pot Roast

2008-08-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2-3 lb round roast
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp of dried thyme
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of onion powder

Preheat oven to 275 degrees; Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. In a bowl, combine all seasonings & mix well. Rub the meat thoroughly with seasoning mixture until gone. Place in hot skillet & sear all sides of the beef.

Once seared add the following ingredients:

1/2 yellow sweet onion, chopped into large pieces
3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped (I use 5)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of beef broth
8-10 white button or cremini mushrooms
2 stalks of celery
1 bay leaf

Bake in the oven for 4-5 hours.

10 baby carrots (add 1 hour before the pot roast is done cooking)
10 baby red potatoes (add 1 hour before the pot roast is done cooking)

About an hour before the pot roast is done cooking, add the baby carrots & baby red potatoes (they'll be perfectly cooked - not soggy). Let pot roast sit on cutting board for a few minutes before slicing. Strain remaining sauce through a collander and into a bowl; return strained liquid to the Dutch oven. Separate the potatoes, carrots & mushrooms (onions if you wish) to the serving plate. Boil sauce down for 5 minutes (add some corn starch mixed with beef broth or water, if you want a thicker sauce) and drizzle over sliced pot roast. Serve with carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. Enjoy.

The Results:
This week I am making dinner from the recipe food blog For The Love of Cooking http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/. Everything I see on Pam's blog looks so good. The things I did different was use a Chuck Roast and I put everything into the crock pot to cook. I seared the roast with all the seasoning before I put it into the crock pot.I also made a gravy but didn't take a picture. I just put the broth left over after cooking in the crock pot into a pan and let it come to a boil and then added in the flour and water mixture and whisked together until you have gravy and season it to your taste. This pot roast was so good and tender. Perfect for a Sunday meal.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

2008-08-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a better picture because this was so good. But everyone was just too hungry to wait for a plated perfect picture.

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper or use Mrs. Dash original blend seasoning

Directions:
Grill, stove top or bake the chicken. I grilled it and it turned out great.

Ingredients:

10 ounces fettuccine pasta
1/2 cup butter

1 cup heavy cream
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley

Pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente, drain. In a large skillet melt the butter. After the butter is melted add the heavy cream and whisk for 2 minutes. Then add in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Whisk till it all comes together. Add the parsley and pepper. Enjoy!

The Results:

This was awesome. There are a couple things to know though. I used Imperial stick butter which is 65% vegetable oil spread. A lot of the Alfredo sauce recipe ask for unsalted butter. If you do choose to use unsalted butter put salt into your Alfredo sauce. If you choose to use butter with vegetable oil in it just use pepper. I served this to company and it was just so good. Who would have thunk that a couple little ingredients could be so good together. I will have a better picture for you next time. Also I would say that if you don't have heavy cream you could use 2% percent milk.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-08-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

The Results:

I made these cookies tonight. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com. These cookies were soft and chewy and perfect for a quick cookie. Next time I think I might try using parachment paper because the cookies kind of stuck to the cookie sheet. Really good cookies though and they are SUPER good with a tall glass of milk.

Pepita Crusted Cheddar Jack Southwest Chicken Mac

2008-08-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 pound dry elbow pasta noodles

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed

2 cups cooked shredded rotisserie chicken

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes with green chiles, mild version

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 cups whole milk

2 1/2 cups shredded medium Cheddar

2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack

1/2 cup shredded smoked Cheddar

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup plain panko bread crumbs

1 cup coarsely ground roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Directions:
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add dry elbow pasta to boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente, drain and reserve.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add chicken, cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper and tomatoes; saute for 3 to 4 more minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Remove from heat and whisk in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Place back on medium-high heat, slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil while continuously whisking. Reduce heat and stir in Cheddar, Monterey Jack, smoked Cheddar and cream cheese until melted and smooth.

Stir in cooked elbow noodles and chicken mixture. Pour mac and cheese mixture into a greased 3 quart casserole dish. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter and bread crumbs. Toss to coat and sprinkle crumbs and pepitas over top of mac and cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crumbs browned. Enjoy!

The Results:

Ok, so I really wanted to try something new. I really do get scared when I try something new because I hate to fail at something. I have made the chicken filler to this meal before and it was super good. I thought this mac and cheese was a total twist on mac and cheese and it was really good. It makes SOO much though. You would definitely have to feed a crowd with this. I got the recipe from http://pickypalate.blogspot.com/search/label/mac%20and%20cheese. I love trying out recipes from Jenny's blog. She makes everything look so good. It was creamy and a total comfort food. Thanks Jenny!

P.W. Chile Con Queso, Revved Up

2008-07-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

2lbs package of Velvetta Cheese

1lb package of Hot Breakfast Sausage (Jimmy Dean's)

1/2 large onion (chopped)

1 regular can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies)(either regular or hot)

1 7-oz can of diced green chilies

1 to 3 diced jalapeno peppers, according to preference

Directions:
Chop the onion and brown with the breakfast sausage. Drain excess fat so you won’t have a
coronary. Cut Velveeta into cubes and add to warm skillet. Add Rotel and green chilies, and stir
together over low heat until mixture is melted. Add finely diced jalapenos, stir together, and serve warm with tortilla chips. During serving, Queso needs to be kept warm, either in a fondue pot,chafing dish, or Crock Pot.
Queso can be frozen flat in Ziploc bags and reheated.

The Results:

I really liked this. I think the hot breakfast sausage gave it a good texture and taste. I would have added another jalapeno though. I just added one jalapeno. I'm sure I will make it again so next time I will probably add 2 jalapeno's maybe even the third one. I like hot stuff though. So taste it before you go throwing another one in. I did as Pioneer Woman said and I Ziploced the rest of the queso. Try this and check out P.W. website on how she did it step by step.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chile_con_queso/

Deluxe Pizza

2008-07-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

Pizza Toppings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Prego Marinara Sauce

small can olives

1 green bell pepper (chopped)

1/2 small onion (chopped)

Pepperoni

6 mushrooms (sliced)

2 cups Pizza Cheese Blend (Cheddar Cheese and Mozzerella)

Cornmeal

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 cup very warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbs yeast
3 Tbs oil
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt

Dissolve sugar in warm water then sprinkle yeast on top and float for 1 minute. Stir in yeast and proof (let it sit) for 10 minutes- yeast should foam. Stir in oil, salt and flour and knead for 10 minutes. Place dough in oiled bowl and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

How to put together:

Preheat oven to 400. If you have a pizza stone (they make the best pizzas), put it in the oven to preheat as well. Remove hot pizza stone from oven and sprinkle with corn meal. Roll or toss dough and place on stone. Once dough is on the pizza stone place the marinara around pizza. Then add on pepperoni, green bell peppers, onion, mushrooms and olives. Cover with Pizza Cheese Blend. (Cheddar cheese and Mozzerella) Bake 17-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown. (That time is for a pizza stone - if you are using a cookie sheet, it may be a shorter time.)

Skillet Noodle Lasagna

2008-07-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

Click on Skillet Noodle Lasagna to get the recipe.
The Results:
This really is quick, easy and good. Served with garlic french bread. I used sausage in this one and I made my own Spaghetti Sauce .But I have made this exactly how the recipe is before and it is just as good.

Biscuits and Gravy

2008-07-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Breakfast Sausage
Flour
Milk
Salt
Pepper
Canned Biscuits

Directions:
Here are the step by step directions: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/09/biscuits_and_gr/ or you can you the PDF recipe she has set up.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/recipes/biscuits-and-gravy.pdf

The Results:
My husband really liked this. I think next time I would use a Hot Breakfast Sausage though. Everything went really good together.

Peach Cobbler

2008-07-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

1 large can of peaches (drained) or 2 small cans

1 box of white cake mix

1 cup of sprite

1 stick of butter

cinnamon

The Directions:

Dump peaches in 9x9 pan. Next pour Sprite over the peaches. Add cake mix on top. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top.Slice the stick of butter and place pieces all over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

The Results:

This is super good. My sister in law made this for us last night. I have actually had this before except without the sprite. My mom just didn't dump out the juices from the peaches. So if you wanted instead of using Sprite just dump the peaches WITH the juices in. This is a quick and super easy dessert. Served with vanilla ice cream of course.

Chicken Pot Pie

2008-07-14T23:14:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Filling:

2-3 chicken breasts (cubed)
2 TBS butter
1 small onion (chopped)
2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 carrots (chopped)
2 celery sticks (chopped)
3 small red potatoes (boiled and chopped)
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
3/4 cup of milk
salt and pepper

Directions:
Boil the chicken for 20 minutes. Until done and no longer pink. Boil potatoes for 5-7 minutes. Take out and chop. Chop the carrots and celery. In a large pan put in a 2 TBS of butter. Saute carrots and celery until carrots are fork tender. Then add the onions and garlic in. Saute for 2 minutes. After that is all done. Add in the potatoes, corn, peas, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken and milk. Salt and pepper everything to taste.

Pie Crust

Ingredient:

One-Crust Pie (9-inch)
1 cup all purpose or unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
3-4 tablespoons cold water

Two-Crust Pie (9inch)
2 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
5 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Directions:
Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface.

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add your filling and then top with the crust. Put a couple knife slits in the top and Bake at 425 for 35 minutes or until golden brown. You can make 9 inch pie pans if you would like.

The Results:
This was Awesome. I made up the filling for the pot pie and I got the pie crust recipe for my Betty Crocker cookbook. This meal was yummy. With the leftover pie dough I did what my mom always did for us. I rolled it out and cut it up in strips and put cinnamon and sugar on it and put it in the oven for about 10 minutes. It was my sons dessert. I made a glaze to go with it out of powdered sugar and milk. So easy and he loved it. I loved this chicken pot pie and will probably be making it again soon. So easy and good.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

2008-06-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Creamy Ranch Chicken
adapted from Better Homes and Garden's Quick and Easy Recipes
start to finish: 20 minutes
serves about 4

6 slices bacon
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons ranch dry salad dressing mix
1 1/4 cups milk
3 cups dried medium noodles(I used bowtie noodles)
1 tablespoon finely shredded Parmesan cheese

**Also, I added mozzerella to the top and let it melt.

Directions:
1. Start your water for your pasta. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Cut bacon into narrow strips. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings.
3. In the same skillet, cook chicken in reserved drippings until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over chicken; stir well to coat the chicken. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in bacon.
4. Serve the chicken over the noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

The Results:

This was quick and easy. It was good but the mozzerella on top made it even better. I served this with a side of steamed broccoli. I got the recipe from www.stephanieskitchen.com.

Beer Can Chicken

2008-06-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

After
Before

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (4-5 pounds)
1 12 ounce can beer (room temperature)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed
Juice of 1 lemon

For Rub:
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Preparation:

Combine all rub ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
Remove giblets and the neck from chicken. Sprinkle all over with rub, including cavity. Open can of beer and discard half of it. Place, minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon juice, and pepper flakes in it. Make sure to pierce two more holes on the top of beer can. Place chicken on top of can.

Preheat grill. Place birds grill balanced by the beer cans. Grill over indirect medium heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until internal temperature of thigh is 180 degrees. Remove chicken when finished cooking and let sit (with beer can still intact), for 10 minutes before carving.

** Put potatoes, carrots or any other vegetable in the bottom of the pan with the chicken. Those were the best carrots I've ever had. I wish I would have put potatoes in with it.

The Results:

Awesome chicken. I put my chicken on the grill and covered it for about 1 1/2 hours. Depends really on how big your chicken is. Mine was 5lbs. I did use beer but you could also use Coke or Dr. Pepper. The chicken was super moist and the carrots I put on the bottom of the pan were so good. I put my chicken on a throw away foil pan. I also wadded up some foil and put it in the neck of the chicken to keep all the steam in. It was so moist and tender. It went perfect with my green beans and leftover roasted garlic mashed potatoes. I got the recipe from http://bbq.about.com/od/chickenrecipes/r/bl50727a.htm

Green Beans

2008-06-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
6 bacon strips, diced
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place beans in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. Saute onion in drippings until tender; remove with a slotted spoon. Drain beans; return to pan. Add onion, 1 tablespoon drippings, salt and pepper; heat through. Crumble the bacon. Add to the beans and toss. Serve immediately.

The Results:

These were so yummy! My mom makes these beans. She usually adds almonds or some other nut to them. I don't care for the almonds in them so I left them out. These were good the next day too. Good side dish.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2008-06-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

Yummy!

ROASTED GARLIC

Ingredients:

2 heads of garlic

Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2 Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.
3 Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.
4 Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

The Results:

This was good right out of the head of garlic. You can roast your own garlic and put it in a dip or on french bread or whatever. I got the method of how to do it off of http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001712roasted_garlic.php. It was so simple and easy. Went perfect with my roasted garlic mashed potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
7 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed ( I used red potatoes)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

*Added 1/4 cup of green onions (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place garlic cloves in a small baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, cover, and bake 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but firm. Drain, and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Place roasted garlic, milk, Parmesan cheese, and butter into the bowl with the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Beat to desired consistency with an electric mixer.

The Results: These are so good. They were so good with the whole dinner. I got the recipe from allrecipes. My husband thought this whole dinner was awesome.

Corn on the Cob

2008-06-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
4 ears of corn
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 garlic salt
sprinkle of salt
butter
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Once it is at a boil set the corn in for about 10-15 minutes. When it is done turn it off and cover the corn once you are ready to eat. When you are ready to eat pull the corn out and butter them. Sprinkle with chili powder, garlic salt and salt.

The Results:
I love corn on the cob. It always brings me back to when I was a little girl. I really just added what I wanted to the corn but usually it is salt and butter. The chili powder and garlic salt made it taste really good though.

Grilled Marinated Ribeye

2008-06-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup A-1 Sauce

1 teaspoon Johnny's Seasoning Salt (I used just lawry's seasoning salt)

4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped

*(reserve 1/4 cup of this marinade to brush on the ribeyes as they cook)

Directions:

Marinate the ribeyes in this mixture at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight in the fridge. A couple hours before grilling, remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them warm up to room temperature.

The Results:

Perfect ribeye. My husbands ribeye was medium rare and mine was a little more done. I let him enjoy the perfect ribeye. It was my Father's Day meal for him since he wasn't home on Father's Day. I got the recipe from http://www.smoker-cooking.com/marinated-ribeye-steaks.html.

Buttery Cooked Carrots

2008-06-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound baby carrots
1/4 cup margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Cook carrots in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain off most of the liquid, leaving bottom of pan covered with water. Set the carrots aside.
Stir margarine and brown sugar into the water. Simmer and stir until the margarine melts. Return carrots to the pot, and toss to coat. Cover, and let sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

The Results:

I got the recipe from allrecipes.com. I've never really liked carrots cooked. For some reason today they tasted really good. I enjoyed the sweet kick to them. I topped the carrots with parsley. I will definitely be snacking on these tomorrow.

CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE and HERSHEY'S PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE FROSTING

2008-06-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

3 eggs

1-2/3 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise

1-1/3 cups water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans*; set aside.

2. In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.

3. In large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise at low speed until blended. Alternately beat in flour mixture with water, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour into prepared pans.

4. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. On wire racks, cool 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely. Frost, if desired, or sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

*Or, prepare cake mix as above in 13 x 9-inch baking pan and bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine

2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

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

The Results:

The best chocolate cake. The mayo made the chocolate cake nice and moist and the frosting went perfectly with it. I put the frosting in the middle of the cake and some chopped up strawberries. On top of the cake after I frosted it I put toasted coconut. I just barely toasted it and stuff it on around the cake. You can really put whatever you want on the cake. It would have been good with just the frosting. I don't think you could really go wrong with this cake. YUMMY!

Green Chili Casserole

2008-06-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
12 corn tortillas
1 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 can of Cream of Mushroom
1 can of Cream of Chicken
1 small can green chilies (4 oz)
1/2 can corn
Cheddar cheese, grated
Directions:
In a large skillet cook ground beef and onions. Mix the rest of ingredients together and add to cooked ground beef and onions. Heat mixture through. In a 2 quart pan lay down the corn tortillas,the meat mixture, cheese, tortillas, meat mixture and 4 more tortillas. Top with cheese. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
The Results:
This may look like a mess but it was good. It was kinda like the white enchiladas that I had made except this was made with corn tortillas and it is a casserole. I thought this was a really good and quick meal.

BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2008-05-31T13:16:00.001-07:00

MAKE THIS!

This doesn't look all that hot but it was sooooo tasty. Notice I started to eat my sandwich before I realized I had to take a picture because it was so good.

Ingredients:

2 pieces of white bread (I use Country White Orowheat bread)

8 slices of sharp cheese ( I use Sharp Tillmook cheese)

leftover BBQ chicken

butter

Directions:

Place 4 slices of cheese down on your bread. Next add the BBQ chicken. Then add 4 more slices of cheese. Close the bread and butter the top. Get your skillet on medium and grill till done. WAHHLAAA! Enjoy!

The Results:
SOOOO GOOD! This was the perfect lunch. You could probably even add some red onion on to this. Perfecto!

BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

2008-05-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

3 Cups thinly sliced Green Leaf Lettuce

¼ Cup corn

¼ Cup black beans

8 grape tomatoes, halved

1 cooked grilled chicken breast

¼ Cup favorite BBQ Sauce

¼ Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ Cup prepared ranch dressing

1 heaping Tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:
1. Place lettuce into a salad bowl. Layer with corn, black beans and tomatoes. Dice cooked chicken breast and mix with BBQ sauce. Top over salad and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
2. Place ranch dressing and cilantro leaves into a small bowl to combine. Drizzle over salad and serve.

The Results:

I got this recipe from one of my favorite food blogs.http://www.pickypalate.blogspot.com/. Everything Jenny makes looks so good. So of course I had to try this. It was good. Right up my husbands alley. He loves salads. I like the salad better without the ranch dressing but you can do it however you like it. I also hadn't gone to the store for grape tomatoes so we just had roma tomatoes with it.

Cornbread Muffins

2008-05-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
1 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl, mix together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, oil and milk; stir gently to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

The Results:

I got this recipe from the back of the cornmeal box. These turned out pretty good and they went well with the soup.

Snickerdoodles

2008-05-22T00:12:00.000-07:00

Ok so here is the deal. I think when you start a food blog that you keep making recipes and all the other recipes get pushed to the back of the blog. So I have decided to post the first recipe I blogged about. These are the BEST cookies ever. My mom has the same recipe and I also saw the recipe off of allrecipes. I don't think you can make a snickerdoodle to many ways. You either use all butter, all shortening or half and half. These cookies are literally the best cookies though. Love them!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

The Results:

Only change one thing about this recipe and that is ONLY bake your cookies for 7 minutes. 7 1/2 minutes at the most. My cookies look like they aren't done but after I let them sit for about an hour they settle to PERFECTION.

Spanish Rice

2008-05-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups uncooked long grain rice

1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 cup onion (chopped)

3/4 cup tomato sauce

4 cups chicken broth (2 cans)

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup corn

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook stirring constantly until golden. While rice is cooking, add in with garlic salt and cumin.
Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the corn and salsa once done.

The Results:

I thought this was good. I kept looking up recipes for Spanish Rice and Mexican rice and some called for tomato sauce and some called for just salsa. I decided to do my own thing. I would have used fresh garlic but was out. You could even cook your rice in the chicken broth and then just add everything in once the rice is done. I don't think you could really go wrong with throwing stuff in to make a Spanish rice.

Kielbasa and Potatoes

2008-05-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 pound polska kielbasa (cut 1/2 inch)
5 medium new potatoes (sliced thin)
1 small onion (chopped)
1 can mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste
Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 and spray a 2 quart(11X7) baking dish.
Cut up the kielbasa, potatoes and onion. In your baking dish lay down your potatoes in a row and then your kielbasa and onions. Mix together in a small bowl the mushroom soup, milk, sour cream, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Pour this mixture over the potatoes and kielbasa. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and then top with cheese and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes. Just make sure your potatoes are fork tender.

The Results:
I always like this. I served it with corn because that's what my family likes. I like that this meal is a one pot dish. Instead of kielbasa you could use ham or ground beef.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2008-05-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

3 skinless boneless chicken breast
1 egg beaten
cornstarch
oil

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
*1/2 can diced pineapple
*1 green bell pepper

Directions:
Cut chicken in bite size pieces. Dip chicken into the egg, then roll in the cornstarch. Heat approx. 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Fry the chicken pieces until cooked and just browned. Mix all ingredients for sauce and pour over chicken in skillet. Cook 15-20 minutes. Serve over rice!!!

The Results:
This was so tasty. I couldn't have sweet and sour chicken without the pineapple and green bell pepper so I added it to the recipe and it was perfect. I got this recipe from
www. justmade.blogspot.com.

BBQ Shredded Chicken Sandwich and Red Potato Salad

2008-05-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts ( I put them in frozen)
1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce ( I used Tony Roma's bbq sauce, use whatever you want)
1/2 cup onions (chopped)

Directions:
Place the chicken breasts, BBQ sauce, onion in the cockpot on High for 4-5 hours. Shred the chicken with it is done. Serve on a hamburger buns with some cheese. :)
The Results:
This is always quick, easy and good.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound clean, scrubbed new red potatoes
3 eggs
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

* 1 tsp. mustard

* sprinkle of paprika

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and set in the refrigerator to cool.
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving skin on. Add to a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, onion and celery. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for an hour before serving.

The Results:

This was so yummy. I will make it again. I added a tsp of mustard just for an extra kick and I topped it with paprika. I got the recipe from allrecipes but changed it up a little. Don't forget to salt and pepper. That's always a must. :)

Mixed Up Tacos

2008-05-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

I wanted to show you what they looked like before I added on all the fixings.

So tonight I came home and couldn't think of anything to fix. So I went with all the quickest meals in my memory bank. TACOS! They are always quick. For some reason I decided to be brave and try to make up a recipe on my own. So here is an introduction to my new taco.

After

Ingredients:

1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 medium red potato (diced small)

1 carrot (cut down the middle and then sliced)

1/2 medium onion (chopped)

1/2 pound ground beef

1 1/2 tsps salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1 TBS Pace Salsa ( or whatever salsa you like)

Directions:

Add the EVOO to a medium saute pan. Add the potato, carrots and onion. Saute on medium-low for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Don't let them burn. If medium-low is to high turn it down to low. Once it is ready add in the ground beef, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and salsa. Cook for about 10 more minutes or until ground beef is done.

Slightly heat up some corn tortillas.

Serve with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and whatever else you want on your taco.:)

The Results:

I thought these turned out pretty good. You can sneak your veggies in it too. Isn't it nice when you can sneak them in?

Onion Rings to Die For

2008-04-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:
1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk, or as needed
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
seasoned salt to taste
1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt, and serve.

THE RESULTS:

I wish everyone could have tasted these. If you have a little bit of time. MAKE THESE. They were just as good maybe even better then any restaurant onion rings. I was kind of confused for a little bit of what to do with the left over flour then finally after I read the recipe again it says mix the flour mixture with the egg and milk. Anyways, so good. These are way past 5 stars. We dipped them in ranch dressing. Oh and I don't have a deep fryer I just used any ol' pan and added some veg. oil to it. Sprinkle on a little seasoning salt and waaa la. Finger lickin' good.:)I got the recipe from allrecipes.com.

Red Bell Pepper and Mushroom Hamburger

2008-04-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg (beaten)
2 tsp. Montreal Steak seasoning
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup onion (chopped really small)
1 1/2 TBS red bell pepper (chopped really small)
3 white mushrooms (chopped)
cheese
lettuce
tomato
ketchup
mustard
hamburger buns

Directions:
Add the first 6 ingredients together and make into patties. Place them on the grill for 7-10 minutes. Once they are done add everything onto your hamburger bun.

The Results:
These were good. The red bell pepper gave the hamburger a good taste. I think that next time I will saute up some onions and mushrooms on top.

Shrimp Scampi Saute with Tomatoes and Spinach

2008-04-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1/2 carton SeaPak Shrimp Scampi (frozen) ( I got this at Costco the shrimp are in garlic butter sauce)

1 bag (about 6-10 ounces)fresh baby spinach

1 can (14.5) diced tomatoes

1/2 of a 16 ounce package Linguine, cooked and drained (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook the shrimp in a 12 inch skillet for 6 minutes

Add the spinach and tomatoes. Cook and stir for about 5-6 minutes more or until the shrimp turn pink, and spinach wilts.

Add pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. Portion onto plates and top with sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Serve Immediately.

The Results:

I thought this was soooo good. I served this with the breadsticks left over the other day. It was super quick and easy. I picked this shrimp up the other day at Costco. I sampled it and thought that was good. So I bought some. I have served it with pasta and rice. I'm sure you can get shrimp scampi at the grocery store too. I got the recipe from the back of the SeaPak Shrimp Scampi box.

Spaghetti Sauce

2008-04-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (or you can use Italian sausage)

1 cup onions (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (4oz) can mushrooms

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsps. Italian dried seasons

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

dash salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large ( big enough for the sauce and meat) pan cook your ground beef until done. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Once the onions turn translucent add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, water, Italian dried seasons, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Cover.Turn it on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then turn it down to low heat for about 2 hours. Covered. ( You can let a little steam out.So the lid is just off a little.) Stirring sauce occasionally. The sauce will have a thick consistency once done.

The Results:

This is my own recipe for spaghetti sauce and my family loves it. A good sauce is always nice to have. Serve with spaghetti noodles and top with parmesan cheese. Also if you want this sauce to take less time only use about a 1/2 cup or less of water. Letting this sauce simmer for 2 hours makes it sooo good though.:)

Breadsticks

2008-04-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup warm water

1 Tablespoon yeast

2 Tablespoons sugar

3 ½ cup flour

½ tsp salt

Butter for pan

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and let it sit and bubble for a few minutes. Add the salt and flour. Knead for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. (I do all of this in my Bosch--any mixer would work great) Melt 3-4 Tbsp of butter and pour most of it onto a cookie sheet. Roll dough to cover cookie sheet. Cut to desired width, then twist or lay flat on cookie sheet. Brush remainder of butter on breadsticks and sprinkle with garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and parsley (or whatever seasonings you like). Raise for 10-20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. You can roll them out to fit a cookie sheet and they will be pufffy and soft. If you prefer a thinner, crunchy breadstick roll them out to fit a cookie sheet and a jelly roll pan. Either way they are great!

The Results:

These were super good and super easy. I got the recipe from http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/search/label/bread. I sprinkled garlic salt and parmesan on my breadsticks and only cooked mine for 17 minutes. I would suggest only cooking them till they are golden brown. These were tasty little breadsticks with my spaghetti.

Tasty Sensations: Cookbook Contest!

2008-04-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a good recipe blog with a cookbook contest.
Tasty Sensations: Cookbook Contest!

Grandma's Bran Muffins

2008-04-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

6 cups of Raisin Bran

5 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsps. salt

5 tsps. baking soda

1 cup of Raisins

Mix together all these ingredients in a LARGE bowl.

Then.....Add

1 cup of oil

4 eggs (beaten)

1 Quart buttermilk

1 small can of crushed pineapple (drained)

Directions:

Add the top 6 ingredients together and mix. Then add the next 4 ingredients to the bowl and mix. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning take it out of the fridge and spoon in the muffin mixture into muffin tins. Make sure to spray some non stick cooking spray in the muffin tins.

Bake 350 for 16-18 minutes

The Results:

These are the BEST Bran Muffins. I got this recipe from my sister-in-laws grandma.

Chicken a la King

2008-04-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2cup) (You could use a red bell pepper too.)
1/2 cup onion, chopped *
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms or (1 can 4 ounces of canned mushrooms)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas*
2 cups cut-up chicken or turkey ( you could even use a can of tuna)
1 jar (2 ounces)diced pimientos, drained
3 cups hot cooked rice or 12 triangles of toasted bread
* Added to the recipe

Directions:
1. Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook bell pepper,onion and mushrooms in butter, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper is crisp-tender.
2. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk and broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and pimientos; cook until hot. Serve over rice.

The Results:
This turned out good for a fast meal. I got the recipe out of the Betty Crocker cookbook. I didn't have any pimientos on hand so I didn't add them. I'm sure they would have been good with it though. I also added the onion and peas to the ingredients. I thought it needed it. :) This could also make a good chicken pot pie filling. Just buy or make 2 pie crusts. You could serve this over toast, rice or noodles. Whatever floats your boat.

Baked Penne Mozzarella with Sweet Italian Sausage

2008-04-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 lbs dry penne pasta
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 lbs Sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 package of fresh mushroom or 1 can of mushrooms
season with a little salt and pepper
1 jar Traditional Prego
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to directions, drain and set aside. Heat up a large pan and add the Italian Sausage , onion and garlic. Add the mushrooms to the pan once the sausage is cooked. Cook the mushroom with the sausage for just a little bit and season with a little salt and pepper. Next add the Prego to the Sausage mixture. Add the cooked penne to the sausage and prego sauce.
Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Add half of the pasta into the pan. Next put the cup of cottage cheese on top and 1 cup of mozzarella. Then top it off with the rest of the pasta and put the remaining mozzarella on top and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

The Results:
It turned out so good. I loved it. It is going to make GREAT leftovers for the next couple days. It makes a lot. I wish I could have made some bread sticks with it but I ran out of time. So it was served with a salad and we had some cut up strawberries for dessert. YUMMY!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

2008-04-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally. Spread melted chocolate over the crumb crust. Chill for about 5 minutes, then cut into bars before the chocolate is completely set, then chill until ready to serve.
The Results:
So yummy and they tasted like Reese's peanut butter cups.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2008-04-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

Before it went in the oven
After it came out.
All cut up and looking soooooo good.

Ingredients:

1 prepared pizza crust

1/2 cup bbq sauce, divided ( Any kind is good just pick your favorite bbq sauce. I used Tony Roma's famous bbq sauce.) ( Don't use more then a 1/2 cup or the crust will get soggy.)

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 1/2-2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

cornmeal

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. If you have a pizza stone (they make the best pizzas), put it in the oven to preheat as well. Toss shredded chicken with 1/4 c bbq sauce. Remove hot pizza stone from oven and sprinkle with corn meal. Roll or toss dough and place on stone. Spread remaining 1/4 c bbq sauce over dough. Arrange onion slices over sauce. Spread chicken over onions then top with cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. (That time is for a pizza stone - if you are using a cookie sheet, it may be a shorter time) Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and slice into 8 wedges.
In case you don't have a good pizza dough recipe, here is the one I like:

1 cup very warm water

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbs yeast

3 Tbs oil

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp salt

The Results:

Oh soooooo good. I loved this pizza. You can really do whatever pizza you want with this crust but I wanted to try the bbq pizza. I used a pizza stone. I got a pizza stone for my wedding 6 years ago and have NEVER used it till today. It made the BEST pizza. I only cooked mine for about 17 minutes. Make sure to check it. I think 20-25 minutes is way to long. I guess it depends on your oven.
* I got the recipe from one of the recipe blogs I contribute to http://justmade.blogspot.com/search/label/pizza

White Chocolate Coconut Cookies

2008-04-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups and 1/2 TSP of flour (sifted)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup coconut

Directions:
Put the sugar and brown sugar together and mix. Then add the shortening and mix that all together good. Then add the eggs and mix really good together. (Builds good muscles) Then sift in the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix, Mix, Mix. Then add the vanilla and mix again. Then add the oatmeal and chocolate chips and mix AGAIN. I swear all this mixing makes these the best. :)Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Until light golden brown. Let them sit on the rack for about a hour before eating. If you eat one before they will seem like they are not done. Just be patient.

The Results:

This is my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe except for milk chocolate chips I added white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of coconut. They were also very good. I'll add macadamia nuts next time.

Snicker Ravioli's

2008-04-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Cut up Snicker Ravioli

I forgot to take a picture of it cut open so the above picture is the picture Jenn took.

Just like The Macaroni Grill's Snicker Raviolis.

Ingredients:

won tons

cut up snickers

egg wash ( egg white with a couple drops of water)

Directions:

Put the snickers inside and to seal the won ton you put egg wash on the edges and throw it in bubbling hot canola oil and within 30 seconds it's ready! Sprinkle with powered sugar and serve with ice cream.

The Results:
I had some hot fudge left over but I was too impatient to put the hot fudge on. As soon as these bad boys were done we ate them up. I got the recipe from one of the recipe blogs I contribute to Food, Friends and Fun. This was yummy and easy.

Vegetable Soup

2008-04-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

10 cups of fat-free chicken broth, low sodium ( I would use just regular chicken broth next time.)

( I used a 48 oz box of broth, low sodium and 1 can of broth)

4 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes ( I used 3 red potatoes)

4 cups onions, quartered ( I used one large onion)

1 cup carrots, sliced 1 inch thick ( I used 3 carrots)

3 cups celery, sliced 1 inch thick ( I used 3 celery stalks)

2 cups zucchini, sliced 1 inch thick ( I used 2 zucchinis)

8 ounces tomato sauce, canned ( I used about 3/4 of the can)

2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3 cloves)

1/4 bunch fresh parsley, chopped ( I used dried parsley)

1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped ( I only used a couple leaves of cilantro)

dash black pepper

dash garlic salt

dash salt

* I added about 8 fresh mushrooms -quartered

Directions:

1. In large stockpot, combine the chicken broth, potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Add the zucchini,tomato sauce, garlic, parsley, and cilantro. Reduce hear to medium-low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the zucchini is just tender. Season to taste with black pepper and serve.

The Results:

This turned out really good. Topped the soup with parmesan. I served it with grilled cheese because hey I have a 3 year old to feed too. Surprisingly he ate the soup too. Just make sure to season and taste.

* I got this recipe out of our workout cookbook.

Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-03-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 cups and 1/2 TSP of flour (sifted)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup to 1 cup of chocolate chip ( all depends on how many chocolate chips you like.)

Directions:

Put the sugar and brown sugar together and mix. Then add the shortening and mix that all together good. Then add the eggs and mix really good together. (Builds good muscles) Then sift in the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix, Mix, Mix. Then add the vanilla and mix again. Then add the oatmeal and chocolate chips and mix AGAIN. I swear all this mixing makes these the best. :)Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Until light golden brown. Let them sit on the rack for about a hour before eating. If you eat one before they will seem like they are not done. Just be patient.

The Results:

The Best Chocolate Chip cookies. They are always chewy and never let me down. I have made these cookies since I was probably 8 years old. I was well known around the neighborhood for these cookies. I was also the only one that could make them ever turn out. The trick is to only leave them in for 8-10 minutes and take them out even though they don't look that done. They will be done after they sit for about a hour. YUMMY!

Quick Weeknight Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

2008-03-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Cup finely chopped onion

1 lb ground turkey breast

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic salt (I used Lawry’s)

1 12 oz bag of Broccoli Slaw (found it at Super Target, saw it at Sprouts also)

1 small can drained water chestnuts

½ Cup Yoshida’s Teriyaki Sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Approximately 15 Butter Lettuce leaves (you can also use iceberg lettuce leaves)
Directions:

1. Place oil into a large 5 qt skillet or other large pan over medium heat. When hot, add onion and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add ground turkey, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Brown and crumble until cooked through.
2. When turkey is cooked, stir in broccoli slaw, water chestnuts, teriyaki sauce and sesame oil. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Reduce heat to low until ready to serve. Serve spoonfuls inside lettuce leaves. Enjoy!

The Results:

This was good. I had never used broccoli slaw so I was interested in using it. I used iceberg lettuce. We had some watermelon when we were done. Dillon chose to have that fruit with dinner.

I got the recipe from http://www.pickypalate.blogspot.com/ Can you tell I love trying her recipes? :)

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

2008-03-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.
PLACE chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with the basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.
BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

The Results:
I love this dinner. It is so yummy and super easy to put together. I've heard people adding salt and pepper to the chicken and it is totally not needed. We obviously had a salad and a fruit salad along the side with it.
* I got the recipe from www.kraftfood.com

Sinful Sundae

2008-03-25T12:30:00.002-07:00

Love
Love
More Love
and Marriage.

So this is one of our favorite dessert. Inspired by Outback Steakhouse's Sydney Sinful Sundae. One night we were craving Outback's sundae and I said "Well geez I can make that." So I used my mom's hot fudge sauce recipe and toasted up some coconut and cut up some strawberries and wham bam here it is my Sinful Sundae. Oh and it is soooo good and with every bite you will just roll your eyes with delight.

Ingredients:

Hot Fudge Sauce (recipe below)

8 Strawberries ( cut up)

vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup of toasted coconut

Directions:

Put the ice cream in the bowl. Add the strawberries and toasted coconut. You toast the coconut in a pan for about 5 minutes. Making sure you don't toast it too much. Then add the YUMMY Hot Fudge sauce. Now Enjoy every bite.

The Results:

This is the BEST. Lip smacking GOOD.

Hot Fudge Sauce

2008-03-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

(The spoon should have a thick coating of chocolate on it after it is done. )

Ingredients:

1 Tbs butter

2 squares of unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

dash of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Turn the stove on low heat.

Put the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a saucepan and let them melt together. After they have melted together add the sugar and mix. Then add in the evaporated milk and mix together for about 5-8 minutes. STIR, STIR, STIR. You can NOT walk away from this because you do not want it to boil. Once it is all come together it should have a thick consistency. It is definitely worth the wait.

This is what it looks like done after it has sat for about 5 minutes.

The RESULTS:

This is the BEST Hot Fudge Sauce. We use to have this every Sunday after dinner. Love it!

Rolls

2008-03-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 cold cup of water

2 pkgs. yeast ( or I used 4 1/2 teaspoons)

1/2 cup warm water

4 eggs (beaten)

7 1/2 cups flour

butter for the tops

Directions:

In a 6 quart pan bring 1 cup of water to a boil then add the 1 cup of butter, sugar and salt to the pan. Take it off the heat and add 1 cold cup of water. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. When the first mixture is luke warm you add the yeast mixture and eggs. Stir for a second. Then add the flour. Stir together. Cover pan and refrigerate over night.

Divide it into 3rds. Roll it out into a circle and cut with a pizza cutter into triangle for croissants or make whatever shape you want. Butter the cookie sheets. Then let them rise for 4 hours and top with melted butter.

Place them on baking sheets. 12 rolls per sheet.

Now pop them in the oven for 400 * degrees for 10 minutes.

The Results:

YUMMY! These were so good. They are going to be perfect with Easter dinner.

* I got the recipe from my little sister.

Testing Something New

2008-03-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

Well the other day I picked up the Fire Roasted Tomato and Olive Oil Triscuits and I am totally addicted now. These are so good. Just thought I would share my love for these crackers with everyone. :)

Tempting Shredded Chicken Taquitos

2008-03-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
2 cups cooked, then shredded chicken breast
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
burrito size flour tortillas
Directions:
1. In 10-inch non stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken, 3 tablespoons cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper and tomatoes with green chilies; cook 5 minutes.
2. Place oil into large skillet over medium heat. Place about 2 large Tablespoons of chicken mixture into each tortilla. Tightly roll, securing ends with toothpicks. In batches, place taquitos into hot pan. Pan fry until nice and golden brown on each side. Remove, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to dry. Serve and enjoy!

The Results:
These were AWESOME. They were so yummy and even better with the gucamole that I made to go along with it. I served this with a salad.
* I put a little cheese in my taquitos but they didn't even need it.
* Also I only had about 1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken so they aren't as full as they should be.
* I got this recipe from http://pickypalate.blogspot.com/search/label/taquitos

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

2008-03-20T23:36:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 to 3 pounds cube steak (tenderized round steak that’s been extra-tenderized

1 large onion OR 2 small/medium onions

4 French/Deli rolls

Butter

Lawry’s Seasoned

Salt

Worcestershire Sauce

Tabasco
Directions:

-Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

-Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.

-Heat 2 TBSP butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown.

-Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.

-Add 1/2 (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 TBSP butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.

-Butter halved French rolls and brown on skillet.

-To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonfull of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!And go get on the Stairmaster. Now.

The Results:

**this is where I got the recipes http://thepioneerwomancooks.com/2007/06/marlboro_mans_f.html

** Oh My Goodness. I thought this sandwich was great. Not for those on a diet. But so good.

** I added mushrooms in with my onions and put monterey jack cheese on it. Don't put too much Tabasco sauce on either.

* I didn't get to take a picture because we ate it up too quick. It looks just like how my sandwich looked though.

Skillet Noodle Lasagna

2008-03-20T23:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1/2 pound wide egg noodles
1 container (1 pound) cottage cheese
1 package (10 ounces) frozen creamed spinach, thawed
1 jar (32 ounces) extra-meaty pasta sauce ( *Use whatever sauce you want)
1 package (8 ounces) shredded pizza cheese blend (mozzarella and cheddar)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Cook noodles for 8 minutes, following package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix together cottage cheese and spinach.
3. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce over bottom of large (12-inch) skillet. Evenly arrange one-third of cooked noodles over sauce. Spoon half of remaining sauce over noodles. Top with another third of noodles. Spread cottage cheese mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese blend over cottage cheese. Top with remaining noodles; spread with remaining sauce.
4. Cover skillet. Bring to rapid hard simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle remaining pizza cheese blend and grated Parmesan over top. Cover and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
The Results:
** This meal is so fast and easy. I got it out of Family Circle magazine in 2003. I use to make this all the time when I came home from work. It was quick, easy and good. I served it with a salad and garlic bread of course.

Mini Meatball Soup

2008-03-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 TBS. olive oil

2 carrots, peeled & chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

1 pound ground beef

1 egg beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

6 cups chicken stock or broth

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups dried pasta (rings,broken fettuccini, or other shape)

1 pound washed fresh spinach,coarsely chopped

** I top the soup with either mozzerella cheese or paramesan**

Directions:

In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery, onions, & bay leaves. Season with salt & pepper. Cover pot & cook veggies 5 - 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, & nutmeg. Uncover your soup pot & add broth & water to the pot. increase heat to high & bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit & start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth. When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup & stir. Cover & simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted in the soup, the soup is done & ready to serve. Adjust your seasonings.

The Results:

This soup is also so good. My husband loves it with mozzerella cheese in it. This is really tasty.

* from 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray

Caramel Popcorn

2008-03-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

3 or 4 bags of Natural favor popcorn (microwave) or air popped

2 1/4 cups of brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup karo (light)

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Melt butter in pan add rest of ingredients and stir together. Use temp. thermometer to soft ball stage (235-240 F*). Lay the popcorn down on a cookie sheet pan and take the kernels out. Spread the popcorn around and then spoon the caramel on once done. Butter up your hands and toss the caramel popcorn together. YUM-O

The Results:

I made this all through Christmas and even after Christmas. It is the best caramel popcorn ever. YUMMY!

Deep Dish All-American Pizza

2008-03-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Sauce:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Crust:
3 to 31/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 package RED STAR Active Dry Yeast or Quick Rise Yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm water
3 TBS oil
Toppings:
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup of olives
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven 425Cook and stir beef, onion and green pepper in skillet until meat is lightly browned: drain if necessary. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic salt, and black pepper. Simmer 15 minutes.In large mixer bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour yeast and salt: mix well. Add very warm water (120 to 130 F) and oil to flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened: beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a firm dough.Knead 3 to 5 minutes on floured surface. Lightly flour surface and roll dough into 16 inch circle or 15 X 11 inch rectangle. Place in greased 14 inch round deep dish pizza pan or 13 X 9 inch baking pan, pushing dough halfway up sides of pan. Cover; let rise in warm place about 15 minutes.Spread sauce over dough. Put mushroom on top of sauce and olives. Sprinkle with Cheese . Bake 20 -25 minutes until edge is crisp and golden brown and cheese melted.
The Results:
* I used a 13 X 9 inch baking dish.
* I also used mozzerella and cheddar cheese
* It looks like alot but it was really easy to put together
* Serve with a side salad
* I should have taken a picture of it on a plate but I didn't. It still was good.

Jimmy's Mexican Pizza

2008-03-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 green onions, chopped
2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup sour cream (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat 2 pie plates with non-stick cooking spray.Place beef, onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly browned. Drain off grease. Season the meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.Lay one tortilla in each pie plate, and cover with a layer of refried beans. Spread half of the seasoned ground beef over each one, and then cover with a second tortilla. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.Remove the plates from the oven, and let cool slightly. Spread half of the salsa over each top tortilla. Cover each pizza with half of the Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Place half of the tomatoes, half of the green onions, and half of the jalapeno slices onto each one.Return the pizzas to the oven, and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly before slicing each one into 4 pieces.
The Results:
** This was so good. Instead of jalapeno peppers I used roasted green chile peppers. It would have been good with jalapeno peppers though. Served it with guacamole, sour cream and lettuce. So yummy!
** I also added about 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of salsa to the ground beef mixture.
** I got this recipe off of allrecipes.com

Sausage Tortellini Soup

2008-03-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 pound of sausage (sweet sausage, pork sausage..whatever)
1 small onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of basil
1/2 teaspoon of parsley
48 oz box of chicken broth
1 cup of water
2 carrots (chopped)
3 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 can of diced tomatoes (drained)
a batch of spinach ( *you could also use zuchinni)
8oz frozen cheese tortellini
salt and pepper to taste
** Top with mozzerella or parmesan cheese**
Directions:
Cook the sausage, onion and garlic and drain off the grease. Add the oregano, basil and parsley. Then add the broth, water, carrots, celery and diced tomatoes. Bring all of this to a boil and add the tortellini and let it cook for 2 minutes and then add the spinach till wilted in soup. Now it's all ready to eat.

The Results:
**I made this up tonight so I hope it turns out good for you. It was good to us. Serve it with garlic bread and whatever else you want.:) It kinda taste like the mini meatball soup. They are both good though.

White and Black Bean Ranchero Chicken Chili with Cilantro Crema

2008-03-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ medium white onion, finely chopped
2 Anaheim chilies, finely chopped (or 4oz can diced green chilies)
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3 14oz cans chicken broth
2 15oz cans great northern white beans, drained
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
2 heaping Cups shredded cooked chicken breast
2 heaping Tablespoons ground cumin
2 Teaspoons dried Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix (Hidden Valley)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ Cup sour cream
¼ Cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
Directions:
1. Place olive oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute onions and chilies until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic for 1 minute. Stir in broth, beans, chicken, cumin, salt and pepper. Simmer on med-low for 20 minutes.
2. Place sour cream and cilantro leaves into a food processor or blender. Process until well combined. Serve chili with a dollop of Cilantro Crema on top. Enjoy!

The Results:
This was quick and easy. This was ok and the cilantro crema gave it a different taste. Would be good with cornbread. I served it with the cilantro crema, pepperjack and cheddar cheese. Also I added about a 1/2 cup of corn to the soup.

* I got the recipe from http://www.pickypalate.blogspot.com/

Oatmeal Carmelitas

2008-03-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour (I used Gold Medal)

2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups margarine or butter, softened (I used butter)

1 (12.5-oz.) jar (1 cup) caramel ice cream topping

3 tablespoons Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour (I used Gold Medal)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup Milk chocolate and 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I usually use Walnuts but omitted nuts this time)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F.Grease 13x9-inch pan.Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix at low speed until crumbly. Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of greased pan.Bake for 10 minutes or until light brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine caramel topping and 3 tablespoons flour; blend well.Remove partially baked crust from oven; sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts.Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.Return to oven; bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until filling is set.Cut into bars.

The Results:

I had less then 3/4 cup of caramel so they weren't as caramely as I would have liked. But they still turned out yummy. Now if I had a full cup of caramel they would have been awesome. Also I would bake them for 16 to 18 minutes. 19 minutes was just a little to long.

* I got the recipe from http://bakingblonde.blogspot.com/