Lemon Pesto Chicken

Super easy recipe. Here's what the original recipe calls for:

1 T. oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup uncooked rice
2 cans chicken broth
1 T. lemon peel
1/2 T. pesto
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute chicken and garlic in oil. Stir in rice, broth, lemon, pesto & pepper. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes, or liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese just before serving.

K, now my variations:
I never have chicken broth, so I used water and bouillon cubes and made my own. I also never use a real lemon, I use lemon juice instead (still about a tablespoon, maybe a little more, depends on how lemon-y you want it). I also never use pesto, I just sprinkle some Italian Seasoning over the whole thing instead. I usually use real garlic, but I discovered I didn't have any this time, so I used garlic salt. This is really easy to make and it makes a TON. Cory and I both had generous helpings, and we've got enough leftovers for at least 3 more servings.

Shrimp and Tomato

Shrimp and Tomato

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Pound Shrimp
2-3 Garlic Cloves
1/4 Teaspoon Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 ( 14 to 15 ounce) can of Diced Tomato, drained
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Teaspoon  fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 Pound Capellini or Spaghetti

Heat Oil in a 12 inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook Shrimp and garlic with Oregano, salt, and peper, turning once, until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in Tomato. Add Cream and briskly simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in Lemon Juice.
Meanwhile cook Noodles until done. Drain.
Serve immediately, topped with Shrimp and  sauce.

Tomato Bacon Pomodoro

From Taste of Home Cooking School 50^th Anniversary Cookbook

(This recipe tasted great and was really pretty fast. See the changes I made at the end.)

1 package (19 to 25 ounces) frozen ravioli or tortellini

½ pound bacon, finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

½ medium onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes

5 tablespoons tomato paste

2/3 cup chicken broth

¼ teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until almost crisp. Add onion and garlic; cook until onions are tender. Stir in the tomatoes, paste, broth, basil, oregano, and parsley; simmer for 3 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked pasta. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Changes:

I used rotini pasta instead of tortellini because that was all I had – 12 ounces of rotini was enough.

Next time I will skip the olive oil, but don’t drain the bacon (needed for flavor).

I used a can of diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning – didn’t have crushed in that size. I think the added seasoning helped.

I used a 3 ounce package of tomato paste instead of measuring tablespoons.

Used dried parsley instead of fresh.

Didn’t need any salt or pepper.

4.5 out of 5 stars. Would probably have been better with tortellini, but it was really good. The amount of oil and grease seemed excessive, but it didn’t look it in the finished product.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

I adjusted a recipe from Parents magazine and made this last night. I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed ...

3 potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups frozen broccoli
2 cans vegetable broth (or about 3 cups)
dash of onion salt
3 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded

In medium saucepan, bring potatoes, broccoli, vegetable broth and onion salt to a boil. Drop heat to medium and simmer about 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Left cool about 5-10 minutes.

Blend soup with the cheese. I put about 1/3 of the mix in blender with 1/3 of the cheese and then kept layering until my blender was about 2/3 full, then I pureed. Add a little more mixture little by little until all is blended. (I mixed the last portion in unblended because I like some chunks.)

I didn't think my family would eat it because it looked like green glump, but my 2-year-old downed three bowls. We'll be making it again.

Yummy Cinnamon Rolls!!!

I LOVE Cinnamon rolls. I've always had trouble making them, but I made this recipe for breakfast this morning, and they turned out perfect!
This makes 1 dozen cinnamon rolls, and it can be doubled very easily.

1/2 C. Milk
1/4 C. Butter
1/2 C. Water
1 1/2 t. Active dry yeast
1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 t. Salt
1 Egg
1-2 t. Vanilla
3-4 C. Flour

Filling:
1 t. Cinnamon
1 C. Brown sugar
1/4 C. Butter softened

Frosting:
1 C. Powder sugar
4 oz. (1/2 pack) Cream cheese
1 1/2 t. Butter
1/2 t. Vanilla
1 1/2 T. Milk

1- Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, remove from heat. Mix in butter, stir until melted. Add water and cool to lukewarm.
2- In large bowl, combine milk mixture, with remaining ingredients, except flour. Stir in Flour 1/2 C. at a time. Dough will be slightly sticky. place on floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic. About 8 minutes. (If you have a kitchen aid mixer you can skip this part.)
3- Roll dough into a 12x9 in. rectangle. In a bowl stir together brown sugar and cinnamon. Butter dough, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up down. (To seal the seam you can use a little bit of water.)
4- Cut into 12 slices (Dental floss works the best.) Place rolls into a greased 13x9 in. pan. Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
5- Bake in oven about 20 min. or until golden brown on the tops.
6- Mix together ingredients for frosting, spread over warm cinnamon rolls and serve!

If you want to make these ahead you can place them in the fridge before letting them rise. Then when you are ready to cook them just let them sit and rise 60-90 min. before baking.

Chili

I love soup and now that fall is setting in we're eating one kind of soup or stew weekly if not more often.
Here is my Chili recipe. I kind of made it up so I don't have exact measurements and I didn't write it down so I'm hoping that my horrible memory will remember it...

1 lb. Ground beef cooked and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced green chilies
2 cans of beans (I used black and white kidney, any work.)
1 T. Chili powder
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. Cumin
1 t. Onion powder
1 t. Salt
1 t. Pepper

Mix all ingredients in a pot and heat through. This is great served with corn bread.
The spices are not exact measurements. I just guessed, so you'll have to do it all to taste.
You can also add about 2 T. liquid smoke to your chili if you want a smokey taste. It's found with the condiments.
You can use any meat you want, ground Turkey, chicken, beef chunks, whatever your preference.
Like I said I used a couple of different beans in my chili, but you can use any kind you like.
Enjoy!

Autumn Pork Chops

1 TBS vegetable oil
4-5 pork chops ( cut 3/4" thick)
1 CAN of cream of celery soup
1/2 CUP apple juice or water (I use apple juice)
2 TBS spicy brown mustard
1 TBS honey
generous DASH of pepper

1. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add chops and cook 10 minutes or until browned. Set aside, pour off fat.

2. Add soup, juice, mustard, honey and pepper. Bring to a boil and return the chops to the pan. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until chops are no longer pink.

We serve this over rice with some kind of veggie and salad on the side. Super good!

Gravy

I'm sure everyone in the world knows how to make gravy ... except for me. But in the odd chance someone else might also benefit from gravy recipes/instructions, if you are skilled in this area will you post something? THANKS!

Almond Chicken

I love this recipe. It is my husband's favorite and whenever we make it for anyone, they always ask for the recipe. Its much better than restaurant chinese food.

Almond Chicken

1. Cut chicken breast into bite size pieces (one big chicken breast will easily feed two people) and coat pieces in egg and then cornstarch mixed with a little garlic salt.

2. Pan fry in a small amount of vegetable oil until barely brown. Put pieces in casserole dish.

3. Mix the following sauce and put in the casserole dish with chicken. This amount of sauce will work for one chicken breast. You will likely have to double it for two.

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c chicken broth (I generally put 1/4 c water and a bullion cube undissolved and it will dissolve as it cooks)

1/2 c vinegar

4 Tbs Ketchup

1 Tbs Soy Sauce

4. Cover with sliced almonds.

5. Cover casserole dish with lid or aluminum foil. Cook in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Serve over rice.

Peach Custard Pie

This is a very yummy pie if you like fruit, and custard.(sorry this isn't the best picture. But I promise that it tastes really good.)


1 unbaked Pie crust

3/4 c. White sugar
2 T. flour
1/3 t. Salt
1 c. Sour cream
1 Egg
1 t. Vanilla
2 c. Sliced Peaches (I haven't tried it, but I'm sure that any fruit could work.)
-Topping-
1/3 c. Flour
1/3 c. Brown sugar
1 t. Cinnamon
1/4 c. Butter softened

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Prepare pie crust in pie dish, set aside.
-Whisk together sugar flour and salt. Beat in sour cream, eggs and vanilla
-Stir in peach/fruit mix together and pour into pie dish.
-Bake pie for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, continue baking until filling is set, approx. 30 minutes.
- Mix together ingredients for crumb topping until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over pie.
- Return oven temperate to 400 degrees. Place pie back in oven and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
-Remove and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Grammy's Chocolate Chip Cookies!

This is my grandmother's cookie recipe. She is much better at making them then I, but they are the best in the world.
This recipe makes I don't know how many cookies, around 5 dozen or so.
2 c. Shortening
2 C. Brown sugar
1 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
1 T. Vanilla
1 T. Milk
1 t. Baking soda
1 t. Salt
5 C. Flour
1 12 oz. Bag Chocolate Chips

Cream together shortening and sugars. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and milk. Mix dry ingredients together, then add gradually to sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
Bake in oven @ 350 degrees for 8 min.

Spaghetti Salad

1 lb. thin spaghetti
2 lg. tomatoes, diced
2 lg. cucumbers, diced
1 can black pitted olives, sliced
1 (18 oz.) bottle Italian dressing
1 jar McCormick salad supreme seasoning (do not substitute this seasoning)

Cook spaghetti; drain well and rinse with cold water. Mix spaghetti and vegetables. Add olives and salad dressing.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. mustard
1 T. honey
1 t. apple cider vinegar
2 green onions, chopped
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Mix mayonnaise, mustard, honey, vinegar and onions. Grill chicken breasts and brush with mixture.

My variation:
I used low-fat mayonnaise and it tasted fine. I also left out the green onions cause I don't like them. Some of the mixture kept falling of the chicken and making a mess on the grill... so next time we make this, I'm going to grill the chicken a little bit then brush on the mixture so it sticks better. Still, this was very, very tasty -- and very simple. I served it with brown rice and some veggies. It also tastes good warmed up, as leftovers.

Cookie dough ice cream

OK, this probably doesn't actually count as a recipe. Lately we've been addicted to cookie dough ice cream (especially the new Frosty's with cookie dough from Wendy's), but the budget doesn't allow for the frequent consumption we've been craving. The solution ... we make our own.

We tried just mixing actual cookie dough into ice cream, but the secret we've found is baking the cookies for half the time you're supposed to. This melts the chocolate chips into a deliciously gooey state and leaves you with ideal doughy cookies to break into pieces and mix into your ice cream.

We're whipping up new kinds of cookie dough every few days for this indulgence. Yummy.

OOPS

Sorry all about the ingredient amounts being cut off on the Coconut Cupcake recipe. I thought I had fixed and then I realized..It didn't work. So I think it will now!!

Jessica

Blackbottom Strawberry Pie

1 cooked deep dish pie crust

2/3 c. hot fudge topping

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

1 C. powdered sugar

3-4 C. Strawberries (quartered)

1/2 C. Strawberry pie glaze (i use the danish dessert mix)

1. Make crust as directed on box. Cool completely, about 15 min.

2. Spread fudge topping along the bottom of the crust and refrigerate for ONE HOUR.

3. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar. Medium speed until smooth. Carefully spread over fudge.

4.In a medium bowl, gently mix strawberries and glaze. Spoon over cream cheese and refrigerate until firm. (about 1 hour)

Optional- Top with Whipped Cream

This pie is DELICIOUS!

Coconut Cupcakes

So I've really been a slacker on posting anything, but I got this recipe on the web from a friend and they are amazing cupcakes. I don't really like coconut, but I loved these moist cupcakes!! They are anything but fat free, but hope you enjoy. Jessica C.

Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 extra-large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Dressing:
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 t dried mustard
1 t salt
1 1/2 T dried minced onion
1 cup canola oil
1 1/2 t. poppy seed

Mix ingredients. Let sit for 30 minutes, then shake well. Serve with baby spinach, sliced strawberries, thinly sliced red onions* and sliced almonds.

*I never add the onions cause I don't like them.

This dressing makes a good amount, but keeps well in the fridge. Just make sure to shake before drizzling over your salad. Yum!

Caesar Pasta Salad

This is one of our favorites and it is so versatile.

2-3 chicken breasts cooked and cubed or shredded
1/2 bag cooked pasta of choice. Bow tie works great
1/2 bottle caesar dressing
shredded lettuce of choice
Other vegetables of choice. We like shredded carrots, olives, corn, black beans...

Cook chicken & noodles. let cool. Once cool, place all ingredients in a bowl, including dressing, toss & enjoy. So easy and oh so good!

Salad recipes?

Once again, I'm looking for help. We've changed Monday Soup Night to Monday Salad Night for the warm summer months. So far we've enjoyed normal old lettuce with stuff on it salad. But does anyone have any killer salad recipes to share?

Whoops!

Haha DaniBB, here I thought I was doing you a favor, and then I saw you posted a very similar recipe very recently. Sorry ladies!

Cafe Rio Pork

I had this at friend's house a few months ago and called her for the recipe this past week. I've never lived in Utah, so I've escaped the "have to" of eating at Cafe Rio...and though I can't compare it to the real McCoy, I do know that this pork is delicious. We ate it in soft tacos with black beans, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and sour cream, then had some in quesadillas, and then some with salads before I froze the rest. And DaniBB, it freezes really well! Also, we don't eat very many spicy things, but this is certainly not spicy at all. If anything, it could only be described as sweet. You could easily add more chili powder to spice things up. Here's the recipe:

CAFE RIO PORK

1 pork roast (the one I used was about 3 lbs.)
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp. dehydrated, minced onions

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, then place roast on top. Cook on "low" for 6-8 hours, flipping the roast once, about halfway through cooking. One hour before serving, shred the pork, remove any bones, and stir in 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup red enchilada sauce. Allow to cook for remaining time, and serve warm.

Mexican Casserole

My son was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease so my cooking world has been turned upside down as I learn how to cook without wheat. Here is a recipe I've used a few times and it's always been a hit. It's great because you can substitute ingredients for whatever you have on hand and it still tastes great!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans drained (or whatever beans on hand)
1 can corn drained
1 packet Taco seasoning
2 cups cheddar cheese
10-12 white corn tortillas cut into strips
Sour Cream
Olives
Lettuce

Brown beef and add onions and pepper, cook until soft. Add seasoning and stir well. Add tomatoes, beans, and corn, let simmer for 5 minutes.

Cover bottom of 9X12 casserole dish with 1/2 of tortilla strips. Spoon half of hamburger mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle half of shredded cheese over top and repeat layers.

Cook 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serve with chopped olives, lettuce and sour cream.

Chicken Potato Casserole

This super simple and delicious recipe is perfect to freeze ahead of time, then thaw and bake on nights when you just can't face the kitchen.


Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes


Ingredients:
10 oz. can condensed reduced fat and sodium cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
3-1/2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1-1/2 cups frozen peppers and onions, thawed
1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups crushed potato chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, milk, chicken and 1-1/4 cups cheese. Spread three-quarters of this mixture in a greased 2-quart baking dish.
Sprinkle hash browns and peppers and onions over the top of the casserole and press down lightly, then top vegetables with remaining soup mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and potato chips.
Bake casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. 8 servings
To freeze, assemble casserole as directed, except do not thaw potatoes, peppers, or onions and do not sprinkle with potato chips. Wrap casserole in freezer wrap or heavy duty foil and freeze. Reserve potato chips in pantry. To thaw and bake, let thaw overnight in refrigerator. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes until bubbly. Then top with crushed potato chips and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

Recipes Needed... HELP!

I am due with a baby in 3 weeks. I was wondering if you guys have ideas for meal I can make and freeze. Preferably things that done have excecss tomatoes, onions, garlic or brocoli. Thanks!- Dani

Sweet Pork & Rice

,If you've ever been to Cafe Rio you'll love this. It's Soooooo easy!
6-8 servings

Sweet Pork:
1-2 lb. Pork tenderloin (you could use chicken or beef as well.)
1 C. Brown sugar
2 C. Salsa

Mix sugar & Salsa, pour over pork. Cook in crock pot for 8 hrs. on low. Remove pork, shred, and return to salsa. Serve with tortillas.
I don't have a crock pot, and I'm cheap when it comes to meat. I cooked pork chops, by boiling them in water until done. Then I shredded them. I mixed the salsa & sugar together, then I boiled it. I added the shredded pork and then let it simmer, covered for about 1 hr. It still turned out great.

Green Chile Rice:
1 C. Rice
2 C. Chicken broth
4 oz. diced green chiles
1/2 C. diced onion
1 t. Oregano
1/2 t. Salt
1-2 t. Cumin
Mix together and cook as usual.

I made these into burritos, layering rice, black beans and pork. Then I melted cheese ontop. They were so good.

Chocolate Oatmeal-Crispy No Bake Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Margarine
3 Tablespoons Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon Salt
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup Crispy Rice Cereal

Instructions:
1. Mix oatmeal and crispy rice cereal together in a bowl.
2. In a saucepan, bring sugar, margarine, cocoa, salt, and milk to a boil. Add vanilla and stir.
3. Add chocolate mixture to oatmeal mixture. Stir.
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet or wax paper. For less crumbly cookies, smash the cookie mixture against the side of the pan or bowl, or your hand (if cool enough to handle).
5. You can make balls with your hands (if cool). Let cool.

Makes about 90-100 small teaspoon sized cookies.
Note: Add a little more milk if it gets too crumbly and warm up for a small amount of time.

Oatmeal Cake

Oatmeal Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Boiled Water
1 cup Oatmeal
1/2 cup Margarine or Butter
2 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/3 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
Frosting:
1 cup Chopped Pecans
1 cup Coconut
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Milk (can be evaporated milk)
1/4 cup Margarine or Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Instructions:
Pour water over oats. Add margarine. Beat eggs and then add to oats. Add sugars. Mix. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Mix together.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
For frosting, heat all ingredients together in saucepan on stove. Pour over cake and broil in oven for a few minutes. Watch carefully.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This cookie recipe came from the Kraft Foods website. It is SO good!

Prep Time:

15 min

Total Time:

28 min

Makes:

About 2-1/2 doz. or 30 servings


Ingredients:
1 cup flour

1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. Beat butter, sugars and peanut butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until well blended after each addition. Stir in chocolate.

DROP heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE 10 to 12 min. or until lightly browned. Cool 1 min.; remove from baking sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Substitute

Substitute 1 cup BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks for the chopped chocolate squares.

Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup Butter
1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 cup Sugar
3 Eggs
3/4 teaspoon Vanilla
3/4 teaspoon Corn Syrup
1 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
2 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
4 1/2 cup Oatmeal
2 cup Flour
1/2 cup each kind of chip (butterscotch, chocolate, white)

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together. Drop onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.

Poor Man's Cookies

These are called poor man’s cookies because they contain no eggs, nuts, or milk. They are rich in taste though. They also taste better with a cup of chocolate chips or whatever else you'd like to add.

Ingredients:
2 cups Oatmeal
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 cup Hot Water
1/2 cup Shortening, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Water

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, combine oatmeal, brown sugar, sugar, flour, and salt. Combine baking soda and water and stir in oatmeal mixture. Stir well. Add shortening and vanilla. Add 2 Tablespoons water to help them stick together (a few Tablespoons more if needed) when you roll into walnut-sized balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes or until golden-brown. Makes about 36 cookies.

Quick Apple Crisp

4 medium tart cooking apples, peeled and sliced (4 cups)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened slightly
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, plus extra
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Ice Cream or Cream, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan with shortening. Spread apples in the pan. Sprinkle apples vanilla and extra cinnamon. In a medium bowl, cut butter into remaining ingredients (except ice cream) until well mixed; sprinkle over apples.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with ice cream.

I usually double the recipe for the topping and fill a 9x13 pan with apples to make a larger batch.

Neiman-Marcus Oatmeal Cookies

This the best cookie recipe. It is originally a chocolate chip recipe, but I substitute whatever I am feeling like and usually make the batch half of one mix in and half of another.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/4 cups blended oatmeal*
1 egg
5 oz Hershey chocolate bar, grated
6 oz chocolate chips
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

*Measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder.
Cream butter and both sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375. Yield is 2-3 dozen depending on how big you make the cookie.

I don't like chocolate, so I usually use white chocolate chips, coconut and pecans for a macadamia style cookie. The dough also freezes really well. I can fit a double batch in my Bosch bowl so I make all of it into dough balls and freeze half of them on a cookie sheet in the freezer, then put the balls into a freezer bag for quick cookies later on. They cook better if they can thaw a little first, or just don't cook them for quite as long without checking on them (they might need to be smashed down with a fork half-way through).

Wanted: Oatmeal recipes

I've got to start using all the oatmeal I have stockpiled. Does anyone have a great oatmeal cookie recipe (preferably one without raisins)? Or other recipes that include oatmeal?

Chicken on the BBQ

This is the easiest recipe ever (Jade, even you can make it!!)

You need:
chicken breasts
BBQ sauce (whatever brand you prefer)
Italian dressing

That's it. Oh, and a barbeque. Mix equal parts barbeque sauce and Italian dressing, and let the chicken marinade. We never have the forethought to let ours marinate for long... yesterday we let them marinate for about 20 minutes and then got really hungry and threw them on the bbq. I know it sounds like a random combination, but trust me, it's good. We served them with a baked potato and some rolls. Easy-smeasy ... and really yummy.

Perfect rice in the microwave

I've been wanting to get a rice cooker for ages now. After finding this recipe on a friend's blog, I'm so glad I never got around to it. This really works.

Take 2 white cups rice, 4 cups water and 2 teaspoons vinegar, put them in a microwave safe dish. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 20 minutes.

That's it. It's amazing. No really. Go try it.

German Pancakes and Orange Syrup

German Pancakes
5 Eggs
2/3 cup Flour sifted
2/3 cup Milk
2 Tbs Butter softened
1 Tbs Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt

Beat eggs until they are yellow.
Add the rest of the ingredients, beating the mixture until it is smooth.
Spray two 9 inch round pans with Pam.
Pour batter evenly into both.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
When they are done, they will be puffed up and slightly brown.

Orange Syrup
6 oz. (half a can) of frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
1 Stick of Butter
1 Cup of Sugar

Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then let boil for a minute or so to let the sauce thicken slightly.

Serve Orange Syrup over pancakes for a delicious meal.

Best Ever Mac & Cheese

This is not a super cheap meal, nor is it for those who are on a diet. But man is it GOOD!

Ingredients:
12 oz. Wide egg noodles
3 C. Whipping cream
1 1/2 C. Whole Milk
1 T. Flour
1/2 t. Salt
1/4 t. Black pepper
1/2 T. Italian seasoning
1-8 oz. Bag Italian 5 cheese blend
4 oz. Cooked diced ham (optional, and yes, you may add more or less.)

Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 in. pan, set aside. Cook noodles in salted water until tender, but still a little firm, approx. 5 min. Drain.
Whisk cream, milk, flour, and spices. Mix in Cheese 1/2 the bag of cheese. Add noodles until coated. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle noodles with ham and remaining cheese. Bake until cheese melts, and sauce bubbles, approx 15-20 min. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

I'm not kidding when I say that this is so good. My Grandma use to make this when we lived with her. 4 of us would finish off the entire pan. The leftovers are great to. I always like to add extra milk to the leftovers so that they are still juicy. Enjoy!

Squash, anyone?

With this pregnancy, I'm addicted to squash of all things. But despite its apparent simplicity, I have no idea how to make it.

Anyone have any nice and easy squash recipes/preparation tips? I'm talking all kinds of squash. And while you're at it, I'll take any other veggie side dish recipes.

Tomato Bisque Soup

I snagged this recipe from another recipe blog I watch, and I have to share because it is just SO good. It comes from a caterer, and makes a fairly large batch (maybe 8 servings or more), but I just freeze individual servings in plastic bags and use them for a quick lunch with a grilled cheese or quesadilla.

Tomato Bisque Soup

1/2 c onion, diced
1/2 c butter, divided
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 t dill weed
1 t oregano
1 t basil
5 c canned crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz can) tomato paste
4 c chicken stock or broth (2 cans)
2 T flour
2 t salt
1/2 t white pepper
4 t honey
1 1/4 c heavy cream
2/3 c half & half

In a large pot, melt 6 T butter. Saute onions, garlic, and herbs on medium low for about 5 minutes, until onion is SOFT and translucent. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken stock and heat to simmer. In a separate small saucepan, make a roux with the flour and remaining 2 T butter, whisking constantly over medium heat for 3 minutes, without browning. Add roux to stock, whisking to blend. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil to thicken, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes. Add honey, cream, and half & half.

Peanut Butter Fingers

Remember back in elementary school, when the cafeteria people actually cooked? Not just warmed up pre-packaged meals, but actually made things from scratch? I always looked forward to tacos ... and peanut butter fingers. Apparently peanut butter fingers are a 'western' thing, because no one out here on the east coast has ever heard of them. And no, they're not a Mormon thing either, since no one in my ward had heard of them either. So, without further adue, here's the recipe, as received from someone who worked in a Davis County School District cafeteria (back when they actually cooked...)

Peanut Butter Fingers

Cream together:

¾ cup margarine (I use butter)

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

Then mix in:

2 eggs

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup peanut butter

Mix then add:

2 cups flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Mix then add:

2 cups quick oatmeal

Spread on a greased cookie sheet (17x13)

Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes. Don’t over bake, they will look slightly underdone when you take them out. While they are still warm, spread a layer of peanut butter on top. Let cool then top with chocolate icing.

Chocolate Icing

½ cube butter

1/6 cup milk (half of a 1/3 measuring cup)

2 T. cocoa

Approximately ½ bag of powdered sugar

Melt butter and milk on stove, then remove from heat and beat in cocoa and powdered sugar (I use an electric mixer). Spread on peanut butter fingers.

*this icing recipe works really well for a chocolate sheet cake – just double it*

Super easy fettucine alfredo sauce

Super Easy Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:
½ cup whipping cream
½ cube butter
1 cup sour cream
4 oz. cream cheese
(I always add some grated parmesan cheese and some garlic salt to taste)

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil then turn down the heat and cook for 5 more minutes on low heat. Add cooked chicken cubes, if desired. Serve over cooked fettuccine noodles.

Blueberry Muffins

My ward is putting together a cookbook, so I've typed up a few of my recipes. I figured I'd post them on the blog, since that what the blog is for! So you'll be getting a few recipes from me in the days to come.

First up, blueberry muffins. This is the best recipe I've ever found, hands down.

Ingredients:
2 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
3 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. milk
Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add all wet ingredints at the same time and stir. Add blueberries last. Put in muffin cups and bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until muffins are done.

Sticky Buns

Have some old bananas but not all the ingredients for banana bread? Make some Sticky Buns.

1 stick of butter, melted
brown sugar
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups Bisquick

Mix bananas and Bisquick until it becomes a sticky mixture. Pour melted butter in bottom of cupcake holder. Add spoonful of brown sugar. Drop Bisquick banana mixture in each mixture to half full. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Best eaten warm.

Consider the first time you make this a pleasant experiment, and subsequent times you can adjust the amount of butter/brown sugar to your liking. When I make it, I get about 12 Sticky Buns, but you can easily stretch it to more.

Jamba Juice Raspberry Refresher

Got this recipe from a former employee. I'm sad they don't have this anymore...

1 1/4 Cups raspberry juice
2 scoops raspberry sherbet
1 cup ice
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup strawberries

Blend to desired consistency

Edit: To make it more healthy, use 1/2 -1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt in place of the sherbet

Any suggestions?

I'm buying myself a Magic Bullet and I want to start making smoothies for myself (mostly for breakfast). I'm really trying to eat better, and I could use more fruit in my diet. So if anyone has a favorite smoothie recipe, please share. Thanks!

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins
1 cup corn meal
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup evaporated milk or buttermilk (non fat/low fat)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt (non fat)
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1-2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, wheat germ and baking powder in large bowl.
Combine milk, vegetable oil, yogurt, egg and egg white in small bowl, stir until blended.
Add to corn meal mixture, stirring just until moistened.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes for 12 muffins or about 25 minutes for 6 or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes, remove to wire rack to cool slightly.


**** I made these yesterday and I LOVED them, but when everyone else in the house tried them, they weren't as thrilled. They liked them just not as much as I did. I think it was the texture. I used 1/2 white 1/2 wheat flour. from recipezaar.com

Sixty Minute Rolls

2 pkgs. yeast
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. warm milk
1/3 c. soft butter
2 eggs
4 1/2 c. flour

Mix all ingredients except flour. Mix well, then add half flour. Mix well, add the rest of the flour. Knead; place in greased jellyroll pan. Shape dough into rolls. Raise for 10 minutes. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes. yummy yummy!

Shepards Pie

1 Lb. Hamburger
1/2 Cup Onions (chopped)
1/4 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Can Tomato Soup
1 Can Green Beans or Corn
2-4 Lrg. Potatoes (cooked and mashed)
1 1/2 Cups Grated Cheese

Brown hamburger and onions. Drain. Put hamburger, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, soup and veggies into a bowl. Mix and pour into a greased 9x13 dish. Mash potatoes and spread over the top. Cook for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle cheese over potatoes. Put back in the oven for about 5 mins or until cheese is melted.

Fritatta

I'm a big fan of breakfast for dinner, we probably have it once a week. I was going to make omelets last night but the thought of making several was not appealing. Thus, the glorified omelet, or fritatta!

5 or 6 eggs
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup shredded Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Whatever you'd normally put in an omelet. This is what I had on hand:
Diced ham as much as you like
1 Green onion stalk diced
1 small tomato diced and seeded
handful of spinach chopped
Butter

Whip eggs and milk in a large bowl, add half of the cheese and salt and pepper to taste. In large oven safe skillet melt butter (or just use cooking spray). Add ham and vegetables to skillet and saute until soft. Pour egg mixture over top. Let the eggs cook until mostly set, top will still be wet. Make sure to lift the edges and let the egg run under to cook. Once it's almost set sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and put under broiler in oven for about 2 minutes to finish the cooking and to melt the cheese.
Cut into wedges and serve with hashbrown potatoes and fruit! It turned out really yummy, even my 2 year old was eating spinach!

Chili

Here is a recipe that I got from my aunt. It is really good.

1 lb. Ground beef
1 Tbs. Chili powder
1/8 tsp. Garlic powder
1 1/2 C. chopped onion
1 can Kidney beans
1 can Tomato soup
1 Tbs. Vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Lrg Garlic clove
1 Tbs. Brown sugar

Brown hamburger and onions, drain. Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally. This is enough for about 4-6 people. When I make this for my family I usually have to double or even triple the recipe because of how much everyone likes it.

I don't put the garlic clove in and if I am cooking for people that don't like onions I reduce how much I use and chopped the onion really small. Then they can't even tell it's in there. Also, if you want this to be more spicy add more chili powder.

Basic chili

Jade, this one's for you -- I don't like to have "stuff" in my chili, so when I make it, it's very basic and very simple.

You'll need:
Kidney (red) beans
Water
Ground beef
Tomato sauce
Chili seasoning
Cumin

That's it. Since Cory likes "stuff" in his, I sometimes cook some peppers and add those to his chili, along with some stewed tomatoes. Ick.

Cook the beans -- this can be done in a crockpot or on the stove. The last time I made chili, I cooked them in my crockpot for a few hours, turned it off, and let them sit in the water overnight while I was sleeping. The next day, I turned the crockpot back on high, browned the hamburger meat (and I always use garlic salt), dumped it into the crock pot, added a couple of cans of tomato sauce, and some chili powder. I had a little packet of chili seasoning left (you get it in the isle with all the other packets, like taco seasoning). I didn't think it was enough, so I added some chili powder (found in the spice isle), and some cumin seasoning. I let it cook a couple hours, until everything was heated through. It tasted pretty good, if I say so myself.

Easy, easy, easy. I know you can do it :)

Wanted: Chili Recipes

I’ve got a chili cook-off coming up and I’ve never made homemade chili before. Anyone have any good recipes? Particularly any where I can omit the tomatoes, onions and other icky stuff like that and it's still recognizable as chili? If so, would you post them for everyone to see?

White Bread

White Bread

350 for 35 minutes

Combine 1 Tbsp. yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Set Aside.

2 1/2 cups water

6 cups flour (doesn't matter what kind)

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup oil

1 Tbsp. salt

Mix water, 3 cups flour, honey, oil and salt. Add yeast mixture and

rest of flour (as little as possible).

Knead 10-15 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover and rise till

doubled (appr. 30 minutes). Place in greased pan, cover and rise.

Bake.

Makes 3 small loaves.

Nauvoo Bread

Yum!

Nauvoo Bread

5 Cups Hot Water

½ Cup Potato Flakes

½ Cup sugar

1 Cup powdered milk

2 T. Salt

½ Cup oil or shortening

2 T. Yeast

10-14 Cups Flour

Combine hot water, shortening, potato flakes, powdered milk, and sugar. Stir to dissolve shortening. When temperature is tepid, add yeast. Mix in 5 cups of flour and the salt Stir to smooth sponge. Add flour to make a smooth and elastic dough. Let rise until double, about 45 minutes, punch down and let rise again. Shape into loaves, let rise. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes.

Two Cake Awesomeness

So I don't know what it's really called. But I love this cake.

You'll need:
White cake mix (and all the stuff required to make it -- eggs, oil, water, whatever)
8 oz Cool Whip
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
2 packages strawberry Danish Dessert (sold in the same aisle as the Jell-O products)

Prepare the cake batter as directed, and split the batter into two 9x13 pans. Bake for about half the time directed on the box. (I always check it a few minutes early because often I don't split it as evenly as I'd thought and one is done a lot sooner than the other.)

Let the cake cool. You can throw it in the fridge for about 30 minutes, or just leave out for a while. Depends on if you're in a hurry.

Mix the Cool Whip, cream cheese (softened, of course) and powdered sugar. Spread evenly over each cooled cake.

Stir both packages of Danish Dessert in 3 1/2 cups of water. Microwave on high for about 12 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Pour on top of the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate immediately.

(You can add a layer of bananas or strawberries or something between the cream cheese and the Danish Dessert, but I like it just plain.)

It won't take long to set up, but I like to make the cake the night before just so I'm not rushed. The cake will stay fresh in your fridge for more than a week, but I promise you'll eat it all long before then. This is PERFECT for a church function or something where you have to feed lots of people because it makes two cakes.

I DARE you to not love this cake.