Monday, February 19, 2018

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

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

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.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

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.