Sheet Pan Veggies and Sausage

This is very simple and you can add and take away whatever you want really.

10-12 Baby Carrots
2 Red Potatoes
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Squash
2 Bell Pepper, any color
1 Head of Broccoli
1/2 Onion
16 oz Smoked Sausage (I always use Eckrich) precooked

1/2 Tbs Dried Basil
1/2 Tbs Dried Oregano
1/2 Tbs Dried Parsley
1/2 Tbs Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp Paprika
Salt & Pepper
1/3 C Parmesan
3-4 Tbs Olive Oil


Preheat oven to 400. Line sheet pan with tin foil.
Prep the veggies by cutting them into small pieces so they all cook evenly. Slice the carrots in half. Chop the potato into bite size pieces. Chop zucchini and squash into bite pieces or slice thinly. Slice pepper and onion into medium pieces. Separate broccoli into small pieces, Place all veggies on pan.
Slice sausage into thick coins. Add them to the pan.
In a small bowl combine all spices and the oil. Amount of oil depends on how many veggies you have. Add salt and pepper. Stir it all together. Pour oil mixture over veggies and sausage. Mix it so it evenly coats everything on the pan. Put in oven for 15 minutes. Remove and toss veggie mixture. Put back in the oven for 10 more minutes or until all veggies are tender. Top with parmesan cheese.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

10-16 oz Spinach
3/4-1 lb Fried bacon crumbled
1 C roasted slivered almonds
1 C Strawberries cubed

Dressing
1 Tbs Cider Vinegar
1/4 C Sugar
1/3 C Oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs red onion

Cook your bacon and crumble. I like my almonds candied so I will do that next. I just look up a simple recipe on the internet. If not, regular slivered almonds are fine. Put spinach in a salad bowl. Add bacon crumbles, almonds, and cubed strawberries.

For the dressing, put all ingredients into a food processor and chop until the onion is completely incorporated.

Dutch Oven Molten Lava Cake

Just make sure the cake is cooked through, then it is done. It is not as thick as a molten lava cake you make in your oven.

1 Chocolate cake mix prepared to package

2 1/4 C Hot coffee or water

2/3 C Coco Powder

1 C Brown Sugar

1 C Sugar

Prepare charcoal briquettes so they are ready when you are done preparing. You will need roughly 25-30. I personally covered my dutch oven in tin foil so it was easy clean up. Prepare the cake mix as instructed on the box. Pour cake mix into the dutch oven. Combine coco powder, brown sugar, and sugar together. Pour this dry mixture over your cake. There will be a lot of it.  Then pour the hot water or coffee over the sugar mixture. Put the lid on your dutch oven. Put 8-10 briquettes on the bottom of your dutch oven. Then place 16-20 briquettes on the top of your dutch oven. (We did a 12 inch and a 10 inch dutch oven. Use more briquettes for the larger dutch oven.) Cook the cake for 55 minutes. Remove from heat if completely cooked and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

Italian Sausage Tortellini Pasta

I know Amy has a pasta up here that is very similar to this one, and I have tried it and liked it. This is the one that we really love so I am putting it here so I can always find it. They are very similar recipes.

1 Tbs oil
2 C diced onions
1 lb mild Italian Sausage (I use Johnsonville the sausage links)
3 cloves garlic minced
3/4 C chicken broth
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 C heavy cream
9 oz tortellini
salt and pepper
2 C spinach

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Squeeze the sausage from the casing. All you do is squish at one end and it will come out. You can make them into small meatballs or I just chop them up into small pieces. Cook the sausage until it is browned. Reduce to low heat and add the garlic. Then add the broth, tomatoes, cream and tortellini to the pan. Stir in to combine. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Cover pan and reduce heat. Let it simmer for 15 minutes or until the tortellini are cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from heat and eat.

Pork Carnitas

The longer this cooks the more tender the meat gets. It is delicious! We love eating street taco pork carnitas.


2 1/2 lbs pork shoulder (or pork butt)
1 Tbs lime juice
2 tsp coarse sea salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
garlic salt

Cut the pork into smaller chunks and remove any excess fat. Place pork in the crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients minus garlic salt together in a bowl then coat the meat with the spices. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. When tender, shred the meat. Salt the pork with garlic salt as desired. Serve pork carnitas on corn tortillas with any toppings. We eat it with onions, cilantro, lime juice, and guacamole.

Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado Salad

Such a good, refreshing, fresh salad.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 C chopped tomatoes
1 Cucumber
2 Avocados
4 oz feta cheese - cubed
2 Tbs minced red onion
1 handful parsley or cilantro depending on preference - minced about 2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp olive oil (I only had avocado oil and it worked great)
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar and it was delicious)
8 twists of black pepper
a dash of lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Chop tomatoes into medium dice. Peel and dice cucumbers. Scoop out avocado and dice. Add tomato, avocado, onion, cucumber and minced parsley or cilantro to a bowl. Whisk together oil, vinegar, black pepper and dash of lemon juice. Pour over salad and gently toss.

Original recipe HERE.

King Cake

King Cake

(as given to Kathleen Stancliffe from Althea Marino)

3 packs yeast                                                                                                 350° - 20 minutes

2 cups very warm water

1 cup butter (2 sticks) – I use real butter – almost melted

½ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

4 eggs

7 – 8 cups flour (divided)

Combine 2 cups of the flour, sugar and salt in LARGE mixing bowl.  Soften butter in microwave to ALMOST melted stage and add VERY warm water and butter to the flour/sugar/salt mixture.  Stir with wire whisk.  Add 3 packs yeast (add it dry) and stir until dissolved.  Add 1 egg at a time, mixing well after each one.  Add 2 more cups of flour.  Exchange wire whisk for spoon here (and rinse off whisk immediately to avoid hard, dried-on flour junk!).  Add enough more flour to make dough easy to handle (I usually add about 2 ½ more cups), and then dump out onto floured counter and knead until flexible, but not hard.  Rinse out bowl, dry, and then oil it lightly with vegetable oil.  Put dough in bowl, cover with towel and let rise until it reaches the top of the bowl (sometimes this takes an hour; sometimes it takes 2 or 3 depending on how warm your house is!).  Punch down dough (kids love to help with this part!), and let rest for about 10 minutes. 

Brown sugar/cinnamon filling:

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon to your taste (should taste more like cinnamon than brown sugar).  Store in zip lock bag to keep from getting hard. 

Cherry/Apple/Strawberry/Blueberry/Raspberry/Blackberry filling

1 can cherry pie filling (blended for 2 seconds in food processor) – not too long because you still want pieces of the fruit – my daughter tried blackberry and said it was delicious, but didn’t enjoy the seeds!  I have recently (08) tried freezer jam (needs to be frozen when used) instead of canned pie filling, and have enjoyed the fresher taste that brings (especially the strawberry).  I have a friend who uses lemon pie filling and it’s their favorite.  I’ve not tried it yet. 

Continuing . . . . .

Melt another stick of butter completely and stir well.  Divide dough into 2 equal amounts.  Roll out dough (this is tricky – use your sixth sense!  - if it’s too thin it will tear; if it’s too thick, it won’t cook thoroughly).  Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the rolled out dough into 3 pieces lengthwise.  Using a pastry brush, “paint” melted butter on the 3 cut pieces. 

For the brown sugar-cinnamon variety, generously sprinkle the brown-sugar mixture down the middle of each cut piece and spread just a little, then pat down and sprinkle a little bit of flour over the top.  For the cherry or other fruit variety, spoon the briefly blended pie filling down the middle of each of the 3 cut strips.  Spread slightly, but not too close to the edge.  Be careful not to overfill because it tends to leak out when rising/baking.  With the cherry and apple filling, I sprinkle some of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture on top of the filling and then sprinkle a little flour on the top of that as well.  Fold the short ends over just slightly and then fold the long ends in a tri-fold (like folding a letter) from the top down to the middle and then the bottom up and over the top.  Bring the 3 pieces close together (don’t be afraid of the dough!).  Pick it up and gently swing it back down to the counter, giving it a little bit of a stretching as you do.  Begin braiding in the middle; work to one end then go back to the middle and braid to the other end.  Carefully place on huge cookie sheet, shape into oval or circle and pinch the ends together where they meet.  Cover and let rise again.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (I always set the timer for 12 minutes and monitor until it’s done).  When cool, tuck small plastic baby wherever you want!  Cool completely before frosting.  I frost a small section at a time so the frosting won’t dry out before sprinkling the sugar on top.  Alternate the colored sugar (purple, green, yellow).  I usually get each color on twice per cake.  Enjoy! 

Frosting:

Soften 1 stick of butter.  Add powdered sugar and milk alternately. Add about a teaspoon or two of vanilla (to taste) and a pinch of salt. It usually takes ½ - ¾ of a 2-lb bag of powdered sugar.  Stir to desired consistency.

Variation:

I use a cream cheese frosting for the cherry-filled and blueberry-filled (or any kind you choose) king cake.  Blend a package of room-temperature cream cheese with a half stick of butter, softened.  Add powdered sugar a little bit at a time until the right consistency.  I do not use vanilla or milk for this frosting unless it becomes a little too thick.

Colored Sugars:

Pour 1 cup of granulated sugar each into 3 ziplock bags. Add several drops of food coloring to get the desired color of sugar (the traditional Mardi Gras colors are purple/yellow/green); squeeze out air, zip bag and squish sugar until drops are mixed in with the sugar. Add more as needed.

Chicken Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 C Chopped onion

1/2/ C chopped celery
1 C sliced carrots

4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

1 (14.5 oz) can veggie broth (I did without this and added this much more chicken broth)

1/2 lb chopped cooked chicken breast (I doubled this once and added a whole rotisserie chicken, so I think half of one would suffice)

1 1/2 C egg noodles (I added about 2 C, I like more noodles in mine)

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp Montreal chicken

2 bay leafs

salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

At the bottom of a large pot, melt butter. Cook onion, celery, and carrots in butter until just tender, about 5 minutes. Pour in broths, chicken, noodles, basil, oregano, thyme, Montreal chicken, bay leafs, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving. 

I tweaked this a bit, but all the changes are listed above. For the original recipe, go HERE.

Country Style Pork Ribs

4 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
1 Tbs Steak Seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp Seasoned salt
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1 1/2 C BBQ Sauce
1/4 C Water

Combine the steak seasoning, garlic salt,  and chili powder together. Spray the bottom of the crock pot and put half of the ribs in. Rub the ribs with half of the seasoning mixture. Then lay the rest of the ribs on top of the other ribs. Rub the top layer with seasoning mixture. Pour the water into the side of the crock pot so you do not wash off any of the seasoning. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
When the ribs are done, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet and put the ribs on the sheet. Drizzle the BBQ sauce over the ribs. Put pan into oven for 10 minutes or until the sauce is hot and sticky. 

Quinoa Enchilada Bake

This recipe is so versatile. You can add things or take things out. Originally it does not call for meat, so you can make this a meatless dish, just take out the meat and taco seasoning.
**The enchilada sauce you can add as much or as little as you want. My friend adds 20 oz of enchilada sauce where I accidentally made it once without any and it still tasted good.**


1 C Quinoa
2 C water
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
taco seasoning
1 can mild enchilada sauce**
1 4.5 oz chopped green chiles, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese, divided
3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 avocado diced
1 tomato diced

Add quinoa in a pot with the 2 C of water. Cook Quinoa according to package.
Meanwhile cook ground meat in a pan and add taco seasoning.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, meat, enchilada sauce, green chiles, corn, black beans, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir in 1/2 C of cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
Spread mixture into a baking/casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese. Put in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Serve with fresh avocado and tomato on top.

Copycat Chili's Fajitas

This is mom's recipe and I don't know how it hasn't made it to the blog yet, because I always go looking for it here.

Marinade
1/4 C lime juice
2 Tbs olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. liquid hickory smoke
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Ingredients
1 lb. Chicken breast, or skirt steak
1 Tbs. Oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 Tbs. water
1/2 tsp. lime juice
dash of salt & pepper
1 large Spanish onion
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
Tortillas

Toppings (Optional)
Pico de gallo
Sour Cream
Cheese
Guacamole

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a large zip lock bag add chicken or steak. (I usually cut my meat into strips before marinading.) Marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight (preferred).

Combine water, soy sauce, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Grill meat over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Pour our marinade.
Cut meat into thin strips (if not already done) set aside and keep warm.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat cook onion and peppers in the remaining oil until browned. Remove from heat; pour reserved liquid mixture(What you combined at the beginning) over onions and pepper. Toss meat, onions, and peppers together.

Serve with warm tortillas, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Serves 6

Prep and cook time about 40 mins. depending on how fast you cut (leave time to marinate meat for at least a half hour)

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Marinade:

2 lbs. chicken breasts cut into pieces

1/4 C Greek Yogurt

3 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (I only had avocado oil and it worked great)

1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp Oregano

Tzatziki Sauce:

1 1/2 C Greek Yogurt

2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar)

1-2 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Fresh dill, diced

3 garlic cloves, finely diced

1 Cucumber, grated and squeezed to drain

Greek Salad

3 Tomatoes, Diced

2 Cucumbers, peeled and diced

1/4 C red onion, diced

2 Tbsp Fresh parsley, diced

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Feta Cheese

4-6 Pita bread

INSTRUCTIONS

Place chicken, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano in a bag and let marinate at least 30 mins, preferably 2-4 hours or overnight.

Make the Tzatziki sauce, stir together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, dill, and garlic. Grate and squeeze the cucumber to remove excess water. Stir in grated cucumber and taste for seasonings. 

Greek Salad: Place tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper in bowl. Stir to coat. Season to taste. 

Cook chicken on grill or skillet, however you prefer.

Place chicken in pita bread. You can warm the pita bread to make it more pliable. Top with tzatziki sauce, greek salad and feta if desired.

Chicken or Turkey Pot Stickers

Chicken/Turkey Pot Stickers
adapted from Weight Watchers

1 Tbsp chili sauce
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp ginger, minced
pinch of cayenne (optional)
1/2 lb ground chicken or turkey, cooked
1/2 cup cabbage, finely shredded (or coleslaw mix)
1 green onion, minced
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water.
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/8 tsp pepper
20 wonton wraps*
peanut oil
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

In a small bowl, mix together chili sauce, cilantro, teriyaki sauce, vinegar, ginger, and cayenne.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cabbage, green onion, soy sauce, dissolved cornstarch, mustard and pepper.

Make sure to keep the wonton wraps covered so they do not dry out. Spoon 2 tsp of filling onto the center of a wonton wrap. Moisten edges with water and fold diagonally into a triangle. Make sure the edges are sealed. Repeat with remaining wonton wraps and filling. Cover wontons with plastic wrap or a damp towel after they have been made.

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet. Place wontons in skillet without touching each other. Fry until golden brown, then turn and fry on the other side until golden brown. Serve, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and sauce on the side.

*Wonton wraps can typically be found in the produce refrigerated section or with the organic foods. I typically get my wonton wraps from a local Asian/international market. The wraps from the Asian market are usually thinner and easier to work with. The wraps found in the grocery store are thicker.

Moroni Chicken

Moroni Chicken

2 cups Sprite
1 cup oil
1 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. horseradish

1 lbs chicken, breasts or thighs

Combine marinade in a zip lock bag. Add chicken. Marinade over night, or at least 3-4 hours, in the fridge. Grill.

Orange Chicken

I use the same chicken from the pineapple chicken recipe, but I will post it here.

Chicken Marinade
1-2 Chicken Breasts
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Egg
1/4 tsp. Pepper

Later add
3 Tbsp Flour
3 Tbsp Cornstarch

Oil to Fry

Sauce
1 Tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Chili flakes
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
1/4 C Sugar
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Orange Juice
1/4 C White Vinegar
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Water
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
 Optional 1/4 tsp ginger (add with garlic) & 1 tsp Sesame oil for the top

Cut chicken into small bite size pieces and put into ziplock bag with the marinade ingredients. Mix it around with your fingers on the outside of the bag. Refrigerate and let marinade for at least 2 hours. When you are ready to cook add the flour and cornstarch to the bag. Mix it again. This will make a thick batter.

Heat up oil in pan or wok to fry the chicken pieces. Heat the chicken pieces until they are golden brown about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken.

In another pot, add 1 Tbsp oil and let it get warm. Then add the garlic and chili flakes. Cook for 30 seconds stirring the pot. Add the sugar and brown sugar and stir them in. Then add the orange juice. Allow the sugars to begin to dissolve in the liquid. Stir occasionally. Add in vinegar and soy sauce and stir. Then in a different bowl add the water and cornstarch together and whisk to combine. Then add the mixture to the pot of ingredients. Cook the sauce until it thickens and resembles a thickness of maple syrup. Serve on top of your chicken.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

This recipe has you add food coloring to make it look authentic, but we didn't do that.

1/2 C Water
1/4 C White Vinegar
1/2 C Sugar
1/8 C Corn Starch + 1/8 C Water
Red food coloring (optional)

In a saucepan add water, white vinegar, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. In a separate bowl mix together the corn starch and water and whisk until combined. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan. Whisk all ingredients together. (Add food coloring if preferred) Reduce to a simmer and cook until it has thickened, about 5 minutes.

Pork Egg Rolls

Just made this for dinner with Pad Thai. It was delicious and pretty easy. I buy a brand of egg roll wrappers from Smith's that I am absolutely in love with!

1/2 a head of green cabbage shredded (about 3 cups)
1/2 C carrot shredded
1 clove Garlic chopped (About 1 Tbs of chopped garlic)
1/2 C Green Onions (Green part of the onion is advised)
1/2-1 lb Ground Pork (I used the whole pound and it was delicious! Original recipe only calls for 1/2)
2 Tbs Soy Sauce mixed with 1 Tbs Water
Salt & Pepper to tastse
Oil for frying
1 package of egg roll or wonton wrappers


Chop up the cabbage, onion, and carrot and put in a bowl together. Cook the pork in a skillet on medium-high heat. Break up large pieces and cook through until it is thoroughly cooked. Drain excess grease. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Remove meat from skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet, add a tablespoon of oil and add in the garlic. Then add in the cabbage, onion, and carrot. Saute the veggies for 5-7 minutes or until they are softened. Add the pork back to the skillet. Then add the soy sauce and water mixture to the skillet. Mix all ingredient together.
Remove from heat and let cool to begin filling the wrappers.

Lay an egg roll wrapper out in a diamond shape with the point toward you. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of filling to the lower center part of the wrapper. Then roll up the point over the filling. Fold in the sides tightly and continue rolling until you get to the top point. Rub the top point of the wrapper with water to seal it to itself. Pull egg rolls in heated oil. Cook for a few minutes or until the wrappers are hard. I held the egg rolls up over the oil and let them drip off before putting them on a plate covered with a paper towel. Eat with sweet and sour sauce (On the blog and super simple)

Baked Chicken Breast

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (I had avocado oil)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pound chicken breasts lightly so they are of even thickness. (I didn't pound mine, just stuck the meat thermometer in the thickest part and set the alarm for 165 degrees F.)

Pour olive oil in a 13" x 9" baking dish. Lightly dredge the chicken through to coat it, then place chicken breasts side by side in the dish. 

In a small bowl, whisk the other ingredients. Sprinkle seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken and rub it in with your hands. Make sure chicken breasts aren't overlapping. 

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 mins, 160-170 degrees F or until juices run clear. 

Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 mins. while juices settle before slicing.

Pineapple Chicken

I just made this tonight and we both loved it! The pineapple sauce is actually not too powerful, which is what Dexter likes. The chicken is the best part and I would eat it with any Chinese sauce recipe. Seriously I loved the chicken so much! This is for the unrefined palette.

Chicken Marinade
2 Chicken Breasts (Or 1 Large Chicken Breast)
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 egg
1/4 tsp. pepper

Later add
3 Tbsp Flour
3 Tbsp Cornstarch

Oil to fry the chicken

Sauce
1 C Pineapple Juice
1 C Pineapple Chunks (I just used the whole can of Pineapple chunks juice and all)
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Water + 1 Tbsp Cornstarch

Cut chicken into small bite size pieces and put into a ziplock bag. Add the soy sauce, oil, egg, and pepper. Close the bag and mix the chicken pieces around with your fingers. Refrigerate and let marinade for at least 2 hours. When you are ready to cook the chicken add the flour and cornstarch. Mix the bag again. This will make a thick batter for the chicken.

Heat up oil in pan/pot to fry the chicken pieces. Heat chicken pieces until golden brown, flipping as needed. Remove chicken. You can dab the chicken with a paper towel to remove excess oil.

In a saucepan add pineapple juice and pineapples and bring to a boil. Add brown sugar and soy sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl mix the water and cornstarch, then add it to the pineapple juice. Stir until the sauce thickens. Add the chicken into the sauce and mix. You can eat over rice. We just ate rice as a side because it was not a ton of sauce.

7 Layer Bars

These are delicious and a very simple dessert. This is a recipe for a 9x13 pan, but honestly you can just add as much or as little as you want of each ingredient. My friend always makes it in a cookie sheet and so she just adds more ingredients and does two cans of sweetened condensed milk.

Most variations use butterscotch chips or a different flavored chip and nuts. I never have these so this is the recipe I use.

1/2 C Butter (1 Stick)
1 1/2 C Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 C Milk Chocolate Chips
1 C White Chocolate Chips
1 C Shredded Coconut
1 (14 oz) Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

Variations:
1 C Butterscotch Chips instead of White Chocolate Chips
1 C Pecans or Walnuts
(If doing in a cookie sheet increase measurements and add 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in microwave. Crush Graham Crackers. In a 9x13 greased pan put graham crackers and melted butter. Mix so they are incorporated, then flatten it evenly on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the milk chocolate chips over the graham cracker crust. Then add the milk chocolate chips. Next sprinkle on the coconut. (This is where you would add nuts if you would like them.) Lastly, pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the whole pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown. (If the edges are golden brown, but middle is not, it will harden once you take it out of the oven.) Let them cool. Then cut up and eat!

"Huevos Rancheros" Tostadas

So this isn't technically huevos rancheros, because it doesn't have the huevos rancheros sauce. I heard it called this and now I don't know what else to call it. But it is good. We eat it for dinner.

Tostadas

1 Can of Refried Beans

Cheddar Cheese

Fried Eggs (One egg for as many tostadas as you want.)

Cilantro

Tomatoes Diced

Lettuce Shredded

Avocado Salsa

2 Medium tomatillos, husked 

1/2 jalapeno sliced and seeded (If you like some heat.)

1 Avacado

1/4 C Cilantro

1/2 of a lime juice

salt

For the salsa, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend together until it is mostly combined. You can leave chunks or you can blend it till it is nice and smooth.

Fry eggs in a pan. We usually cook them over easy or over medium, so the yolk is still runny. While the eggs are cooking pull out your tostadas. Warm up the refried beans in the microwave. You can make each tostada on everyone's individual plates. Spread a layer of refried bean on the tostada. Sprinkle some cheese on top of the beans. Place a small amount of lettuce on top. Then place the fried egg on top. You can add diced tomatoes and cilantro. Don't forget to add the avocado salsa. It is so good!

Crunch Wrap Supreme

This is a pretty simple dinner, but so delicious!

Big flour tortillas (Burrito style are best)
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
Sour Cream
Nacho Cheese (You can buy or make your own. I've done both and they are both delicious!)
Tostadas (If you don't have this, you can use tortilla chips.)
Tomatoes Diced
Lettuce Shredded

Salsa or Hot Sauce Optional for spreading on it while you eat.

First cook your beef. Then add the taco seasoning. While the beef is cooking, dice the tomato and lettuce. Get all the rest of your ingredients out on the table. Once the beef is cooked you will assemble the wrap. Lay a tortilla flat. In the middle of the tortilla spread some sour cream around, leaving about 1-2 inches around the tortilla without anything on it. Then spread nacho cheese sauce. Next add the meat on top of the sour cream and queso. Add tomatoes and lettuce as desired. Lastly put the tostada on top of all the other ingredients. (I put the tostada last so that it hopefully hold the other ingredients in as you fold and flip. Now fold the sides of the tortilla to the middle. Do this all the way around the tortilla. Even with burrito tortillas, the burrito will not cover it completely. You can cook it as it is, OR we double wrap ours. So we lay another tortilla down, flip the wrap onto the tortilla so the open side is down on the new tortilla. Then fold the sides of the tortilla to the middle.

Now you can use a panini press to cook the wrap. Before we had a panini press I would just heat up two pans. I would put the wrap in one pan and place the other hot pan on the top of the wrap. Let it cook until the tortilla is a little crispy.

Hopefully this makes sense and you enjoy!

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

I made this the other day with things that I needed to get rid of so it was a gamble if it was going to be good. It was surprisingly delicious! Dexter said he thought it was pretty good too which is amazing for a pasta meal. Remember this recipe was what I needed to get rid of so the measurements might not be perfect, you could add or take away anything you liked.

You can add some cooked chicken to make it a more hearty meal.

1-2 Tbs. Butter
1-2 Tomatoes diced (You could use sun-dried tomatoes I am sure they would be great!)
8 oz Mushrooms
1 Tbs. Minced Garlic
1/2 of an 8 oz Jar of Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (I used Classico brand, but really as much of this as you want it is the sauce.)
1/2-1 C Milk (Depending on how saucy and liquid you want it.)
1/4 tsp. Salt/Pepper
8 Oz Penne Pasta

Cook pasta according to package.
Meanwhile, heat butter on a skillet until melted, then add mushrooms. Let the mushrooms saute for about 2 minutes then add the diced tomato and garlic. Cook this mixture until the mushrooms are softened to your liking. Add the jar of sun dried tomato pesto, milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring until everything is combined. Remove from heat. Combine the cooked pasta and sauce. Enjoy!

Easy Gooey Cornbread

Easy Gooey Cornbread

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg
1 can creamed corn
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in 9x13 pan heating in the oven. In a medium bowl, mix together corn muffin mix, egg, corn, and sugar. Once butter is melted and bubbly, pour in cornbread batter and mix the butter in slightly. Do not completely mix in the butter. There will still be some butter around the sides. This will make the edges crispy. Bake for 45 mins or until golden brown on top. 

Cottage Cheese Jello Salad

Cottage Cheese Jello Salad

20 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained
2 (3 oz) packages strawberry jello
24 oz cottage cheese
16 oz cool whip

Combine cool whip and jello. Fold in cottage cheese and pineapple. Serve chilled.

Pretzel Jello Salad

Pretzel Jello Salad

Crust:
2 c. crushed pretzels
1/2 c. melted butter
3 Tbsp. sugar

Mix sugar and melted butter together. Spread pretzels on bottom of a 9x13 pan. Pour butter and sugar mixture over pretzels. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Stir after 4 minutes and after you take it out of the over. Make sure the pretzels are spread evenly over bottom of the pan.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1 c. sugar
12 oz cool whip

Soften cream cheese then blend in cool whip and sugar. Spread over cooled pretzels. Refrigerate to cool. 

Topping:

2 (3 oz) packages instant raspberry jello
2 (10 oz) packaged frozen raspberries, or strawberries
2 c. water

Dissolve jello in boiling water and add frozen raspberries. When partially set, pour over cream cheese layer  Refrigerate until set.

Blueberry Jello Salad

Blueberry Jello Salad

2 packages raspberry jello, dissolved in 2 c. hot water
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
1 can blueberries, save juice
1 medium sized can crushed pineapple, save juices
1 c. whipped cream

Drain and save juice (1 1/2c) from blueberries and pineapple. Add water if not enough. Pour dissolved jello into a 9x13 glass pan. Dissolve cream cheese in hot jello. Breaking apart with a fork, leaving small pieces in the jello. Add reserved juice. Partially chill. Then add fruit and fold in whipped cream. Let sit in fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.

Rice-A-Roni Salad

Rice-A-Roni Salad

2 c. cooked, cubed chicken or 1 can chicken
1 c. mayo
1-2 roma tomatoes, diced
1-2 stalks celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 box Chicken Rice-A-Roni
3-4 green onions, chopped

Prepare Rice-A-Roni as directed on package. Place in bowl and chill. Add the rest of the ingredients to chilled rice. Chill the salad again before serving.

*You can also add a little bit of curry powder to the mayo to give your salad a little extra kick of flavor.

Three Bag Salad

Three Bag Salad

1 bag romaine lettuce
1 bag baby spinach
1 bag coleslaw mix
craisens
honey roasted peanuts
green onions

Dressing
1/2 Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing
1/2 Brianna's Asiago Caesar Dressing

From Allison Karren

Black Bean Avocado Salsa

Black Bean Avocado Salsa

 6 roma tomatoes, diced
3 avocados, diced
1 can white sweet corn (Save drained juice and set aside)
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 green onions, chopped

Mix all of the above together. Save the juice from the corn for the dressing.

Dressing:
1 dry package Good Seasonings Italian salad dressing mix
2 Tbsp. oil
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. saved corn juice, add water if  there isn't enough juice

Mix dressing ingredients together and pour over first mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.

Sticky Buns-Pull Apart Monkey Bread

Sticky Buns

12 Rhodes Rolls, partially thawed*
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 (3 oz) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding

Prepare the night before you want to serve these. Grease a bundt pan. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Cook until everything is melted and combined. Cut the partially thawed rolls into quarters, or sixths. Place half the cut up rolls in the pan. Pour 1/2 of the melted sugar mixture over top. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the pudding packet. Add remaining cut up rolls. Pour remaining 1/2 of melted sugar mixture on top and sprinkle with the last 1/2 of the pudding packet. Let raise over night on the counter with a cookie sheet underneath to catch anything that might drip. In the morning, bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

*You want the rolls thawed just enough that you can cut them with kitchen scissors, but not all the way thawed. They will continue to thaw and raise over night.

Mansion Chocolate Silk Pie

Mansion Chocolate Silk Pie

9" Oreo pie crust
16 large or 1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows
1/2 c. milk (2%)
1 large milk chocolate bar (9.75 oz)
1 c. chilled cream, whipped

optional toppings:
shaved chocolate
whipped cream
cherries

In sauce pan over medium heat melt marshmallows, milk and chocolate together, stirring constantly. Chill until thickened, but not set. Fold in whipped cream. Fold into pie crust and top with chocolate shavings, whipped cream and cherries. Chill.

Toffee Butter Crunch

Toffee Butter Crunch

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. pecans or almonds, toasted and finely chopped (optional)

Line a cookie sheet or large pan with foil. Butter sides of 2 quart sauce pan. In the saucepan melt butter. Add sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook on medium-high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling at a moderate steady rate, stirring frequently until 290°. Adjust heat as necessary to maintain boil. Watch carefully at 280° to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and pour into prepared pan. Spread quickly. Let candy stand 1-2 minutes until set then sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let stand 1-2 minutes longer. Spread the melted chocolate with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with nuts. Chill for 20 minutes or until firm. Remove from the pan, break into pieces. Store in an air tight container in fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Recipe from Jen Rigby

Salisbury Steaks

This is a simple dinner that you can make quickly.

Salisbury Steaks
1 lb ground beef
1/3 C Italian Bread Crumbs
2 tsp Ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder

Gravy
2 Brown Gravy Mix Packets
2 C Water
1 tsp Ketchup
1/2 tsp Worcestershire

Combine everything for he Salisbury Steaks in a big bowl. Mix the ingredients together with your hands until they are all incorporated. Split the meat mixture into 4 equal size chunks and form into patties. Heat some oil in a skillet on medium heat (This is only a little bit of oil so that the patties don't stick to my pan. If you have a good pan that is nonstick you don't need to do this.) Cook the patties on both sides until it is complete cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan whisk together the gravy mix and water until well blended. Then add ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Heat the gravy to a boil then let simmer while you cook the patties. Once the gravy is a little thick, pour the gravy over the patties and let it simmer with the patties.

We always eat our steaks with mashed potatoes. A simple dinner and quick to make.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

I seem to always make the same pork chops over and over again. I found this recipe and was pretty impressed. We ate them over mashed potatoes.

4 Pork Chops
3/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbs Butter
1 1/2 C Chicken or Beef Broth
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

In a bowl melt the butter. Then add the broth, poultry seasoning, and salt. Pour mixture into the slow cooker. Add onions and garlic. Then place the pork chops in the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
We served ours with mashed potatoes or you can do veggies.

Chicken Pita Pockets

Just made these the other night and we loved them! The sauce on the top just make it amazing!
The chicken is cooked in the crock pot, but the juices are used to make the sauce. Totally worth it!

1/2 of an onion, sliced
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 lb chicken breast
1 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Pita Pockets
1/2 C plain yogurt

Toppings (as much or little as you want)
1 tomato
1/2 c cucumber
1 C chopped lettuce
1 avocado

In slow cooker, combine onion, garlic, chicken, lemon pepper, and oregano. Add in the chicken and mix the seasoning to coat the chicken. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours.

Heat the pita pockets according to the package. Remove chicken from slow cooker and place on cutting board. Dice chicken into bite size pieces. Cut up all the toppings. Add toppings and chicken together in a bowl. (I added it all except the avocado, I just added that in as we ate.) In a different bowl, stir the yogurt and the onion juice from the slow cooker together. Spoon chicken mixture into pita pockets. Drizzle sauce over the top.

Mexican Quiche

I remember I found this in the Friend magazine and tried it. I just recently made it again. It was a nice alternative to tacos. It was delicious and easy.

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 C water
1 package taco seasoning
1 can (15oz) black beans, drained
4 eggs
3/4 C milk
1 1/4 C biscuit mix
1 C sour cream
(These next ingredients you can have as much or as little as you want for the topping.)
2 1/2 C chopped lettuce
2/3 C chopped tomato
1/4 C chopped green pepper
1/2 C sliced olives, drained
2 C grated cheese

Brown the beef, drain off the grease. Stir in the water, taco seasoning and black beans. (I often do not add water with my taco seasoning.) Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread meat mix evenly in a greased 9x13 pan. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Blend in the biscuit mix. Then slowly pour the biscuit mixture over the meat mixture. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Cool for 5 minutes. Spread the sour cream over the top. Layer the lettuce, tomato, peppers, and cheese on top.

Artichoke Dip

Seriously this is the best artichoke dip I have tasted! It is so good that my coworker made the recipe x10 to feed our whole staff and it was gone so quickly!

1 lb. fresh spinach, stems removed
1/4 C unsalted butter (I use salted all the time)
1/4 C diced yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 C flour
1 C half and half
1 C heavy cream
1 fresh lemon, juiced
1 (6-7 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
Salt and Pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper (I believe I left this out)
1 C provolone cheese grated
1 C mozzarella cheese grated
1/2 C provolone, mozzarella, parmesan cheese mixed on top

Preheat oven to 400.

Blanch the spinach in a medium to large pot of water and cool under cold running water. Squeeze spinach to remove as much water as possible. Chop and set aside.

In a medium sauce pot, melt butter and saute onion over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute for 1 more minute. Add flour to make light roux and cook for another 2 minutes. Add half and half along with the heavy cream to the roux mixture. Bring sauce to a boil stirring constantly. Mixture should be thick and creamy. Adjust with half and half if necessary.

Add salt and pepper, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. Add cheese, chopped spinach, and artichokes. Mix briefly and place sauce in a 9 inch lightly greased baking dish. Top with cheese mixture and bake until brown and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with pita chips, french bread or whatever you like.

Baked Salmon

Although I do not like fish, I did eat about half of one of these when my friend made us dinner. Dexter really liked it though and I have made it for him since.

1 tsp. Minced garlic
6 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried parsley
2 salmon fillets

Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients except fish. Cover the fillets in the marinade for at least 1 hour in the fridge, turning occasionally.
Place fillets in aluminum foil. Cover the fillets with the marinade. Fold the aluminum around the fillets so they are sealed tight. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 375 or until easily flaked with fork.

Italian Chicken

4 Frozen Chicken Breasts (I usually cut mine into chunks.)
1 envelop dry Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 8 oz Cream Cheese

Optional: 1 hour before eating add 1 can of water and 1 cup of rice to the crock pot.

Put all ingredients into the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Cabbage Ramen Salad

This salad is best made beforehand about 3-4 hours for the flavors to really soak in.
Salad

3 C Green Cabbage (about half the cabbage)
3 C Purple Cabbage
1 C Shredded Carrots
2 Green Onions
1 Ramen Noodle (broken to smaller pieces)

Dressing

6 Tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
4 Tbs. Sugar
1/4 C Oil
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper

Mix cabbage, carrots, onions, and broken noodles together. Sprinkle with ramen seasoning (I usually use chicken flavor, but I believe any will work) Mix all ingredients for the dressing and pour onto cabbage. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Best if made and let sit in fridge for 3-4 hours.

Apple Crisp

Crisp Topping
1 C Cold Butter
1 C Brown Sugar
1 C Flour
1 C Oatmeal
1/4 tsp. baking powder

In a large bowl, mix everything together. Mix until the butter is broken up and crumbly.

Filling
6-8 Fresh Apples Peeled & Sliced
1/2 C Sugar
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together.

Spray a 9x13 pan. Put apple filling in the pan. Crumble the butter mixture over the apple filling. Bake at 350 for 25-25 minutes or until golden brown. For fresh apples it might take 45 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

I usually do 2 chicken breasts and cut the breast in half then flatten them. Then it makes 4 total. If you want more, the original recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts, so I assume the inside mixture would be enough.
ALSO, I like my bacon not chewy. So before I wrap the bacon around the chicken, I usually cook it in the microwave a little bit so it is a little cooked before I wrap it and bake it.

2-4 Chicken Breasts
4-8 Pieces of Bacon
8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
2 Green Onions
Salt/Pepper
Garlic Powder


Preheat oven to 350. Mix the cream cheese, green onions, garlic powder, and salt/pepper together. Use a meat tenderizer to flatten the chicken breasts. (This is where I cut my chicken breasts in half, then flatten them.) Put a big dollop of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of the chicken breast. Roll the chicken up. (If you like crispier bacon, microwave the pieces of bacon to your liking.) Place two pieces of bacon criss-crossed under the rolled chicken. Wrap the bacon around the chicken (almost in an X) and secure it with toothpicks. Repeat with all the chicken breasts. Put in a 9x13 pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.