New Blog

New recipes being posted over at my new blog site:  feastonthisbaby.blogspot.com

blog address change

Just to let all you google readers know, I will be changing my blog address at the end of the week.  You will be able to find all my recipes at the new address:  feastonthisbaby.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Taco Soup

We've had lots of different taco soups, and I've played with different recipes. This one is Brian's all time favorite. I usually make corn bread as a side dish with this soup.

1 lb. hamburger, brown, drain, add salt and pepper
1 onion

Add: 1 quart tomatoes
1 can corn with juice
1 can kidney beans with juice
1 small can tomato sauce
1 pkg. Taco seasoning

Simmer for 15 minutes. I always serve with Fritos, grated cheese, and a dob of sour cream. You could also serve with avocados, but Brian and I don't really like them.

Shattered Crystal Ball Jello

October is a month of lots and lots of P.A.R.T.I.E.S. All of my husband's family was born in October, as well as my oldest daughter and my mom. So consequently we get together a lot in October, for food and fun and presents!

I was looking through my pictures of all of our parties this morning, and noticed that Isabel had taken a picture of this jello. My kids all loved it (my youngest in particular is a big fan of jello, so we make it a lot)! When I saw this picture, I figured I better put the recipe on here so next year when I go to make it I can find the recipe.

I think maybe I'll make this at Christmastime with red and green jello, and I suppose it can be made anytime of year with whatever color jello you want.

Recipe comes from Taste of Home magazine last year.

Ingredients:

2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) lime gelatin

6 cups boiling water, divided

2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) orange gelatin

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup cold water

1 1/2 c. white grape juice

1 carton (12 0z.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. In a bowl, dissolve the lime gelatin in 3 cups boiling water. Pour into an 8 in. square dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. In another bowl, dissolve orange gelatin in remaining boiling water. Pour into another 8 in. square dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until very firm.

2. In a small saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minutes. Add grape juice. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour into a large bowl; refrigerate for 45 minutes or until slightly thickened. Fold in whipped topping.

3. Cut green gelatin into 1/2 in. cubes and orange gelatin into 1 in. cubes. Set aside 8-10 cubes of each color for garnish. Place 2 cups whipped topping mixture in a bowl; fold in remaining green cubes. Spread into a 13 in. x 9 in. dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Fold remaining orange cubes into remaining whipped topping mixture; spread over bottom layer. Sprinkle with reserved green and orange gelatin cubes. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Cut into squares.

Ham Rolls

This is one of our family favorites. We always have them at family parties, Thanksgiving, and get-togethers. There are only 3 ingredients, so they are very easy to make. I like to make these ahead, put them in a tupperware in the freezer, and then I can pull them out and slice them quickly.

Ham Rolls

2-3 packages ham (thickly slicked rectangles)

2 packages cream cheese, softened

2-3 bunches of green onions

Lay ham out on cutting board, spread layer of cream cheese over ham, put green onion down center and roll lengthwise (so it makes a long skinny roll). Put in covered container and refrigerate overnight.) Slice into 1/2 inch sections and serve. Yummy!

Crunchy Corn Medley

I LOVE this dish. It tastes really fresh and healthy, and it's not too much work to make. Plus it keeps well in the fridge and you can eat it all week. It's got a tangy flavor because of the vinaigrette dressing.

2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can white or shoe peg corn, drained
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 jar diced pimientos, drained (I usually leave these out)
8 green onions, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl combine the first eight ingredients. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, oil, salt and pepper; whisk until sugar is dissolved. Pour over corn mixture; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Stir just before serving; serve with a slotted spoon.

Fresh Peach Pie

I got this recipe from one of my new neighbors down the street and it is delicious!

Fresh Peach Pie

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1/2 cube butter

yellow food coloring

1 tsp. vanilla

Cook the water, sugar, cornstarch, and butter over medium heat until thick and bubby. Cook to room temperature (I put it in the fridge to hurry it up while I baked my pie crust) and then add the food coloring and vanilla.

Layer peeled and sliced peaches in the bottom of a baked pie crust (about 3 peaches). Cover with filling and top with remaining peaches (probably about 3 more). Chill 1 hour and serve with whipped cream. Filling makes enough for one pie. Recipe doubles well.

Sweet Strawberry Bread

I saw this recipe for strawberry bread on the sisters cafe blog, and think it sounds like such a fun thing to have at a brunch, baby shower, etc.

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

1 c. canola oil

2 c. fresh strawberries, cut small

Mix flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Add eggs, sugar, oil. Mix until moist, carefully add strawberries. Batter will be thick. Spoon into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove. I made 2 small bread loaves, but I think you could probably make 1 regular sized bread loaf with this amount of batter. (It really is more of a batter consistency than a bread dough. It reminded me of making banana bread.)

Either my oven cooks really hot or their cooktime is a little off, because I took mine out at 45 minutes and feel like it was over cooked. I think I'll take mine out at 30 minutes next time.

We just bought a new house a month ago and I'm trying to get used to new ovens. These definitely cook differently than my old one.

Granny Kay's Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Bring first three ingredients to a boil, then add can of milk. Stir constantly. When it reaches a soft-ball stage, add 1 tsp. vanilla and remove from heat.

Pour over popcorn. Note to self: I think today I made 4 batches of popcorn, and it made enough caramel for one large bowl and large square tupperware perfectly.

Chow Mein Haystacks

2 bags small chow mein noodles

3/4 c. peanut butter

1 bag butterscotch chips

1 c. marshmallows

Melt the peanut butter over medium heat, then add butterscotch chips. Remove from heat and add chow mein noodles. Then after that is thoroughly mixed and it's cooled a bit, add marshmallows.

***Do NOT add marshmallows while sauce is still hot or it will just melt the marshmallows.

Spoon onto waxed paper.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Before

After Another great one from here.

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Honey Lime Enchiladas

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1/4 lbs. pork or chicken, cooked and shredded

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Sauce:

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. lime juice

1 Tbs. chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

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2 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce

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equal parts mixed together of:

shredded mozzarella cheese

shredded cheddar cheese

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flour tortillas

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Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded meat. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

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Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

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Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

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I served it tonight with spanish rice and black bean salsa.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2 cans black beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can shoepeg or white corn, drained

diced jalapenos

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/4 c. diced red onion

1 bunch cilantro, diced

3 Tbs. redwine vinegar

1 cup salsa

salt and pepper

Drain beans, corn, and tomatoes. Mix together. Add cilantro 1-2 hours before serving. Keep chilled.

I don't think you can go wrong with this one. It's a pleaser.

Banana Bread for Joey

My middle child, Joey, is about as funny as they come. And he is sharp as a tack--he remembers random things forever. About a year ago, my friend Christiana had made some banana bread and had offered Joey a piece. He loved it, and he still talks about it every time her name comes up. And whenever we see her, he asks her if she has any banana bread.

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So on the first day of school I made sure to have some banana bread waiting for him when he got home. I was worried that I overcooked it, but Joey gobbled up all three pieces, then ate 3 more so I guess it was okay!

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This is the recipe that I used. It will make either 1 larger loaf or 2 small loaves. I made 2. If you make 1 I think you should cook it a little longer.

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Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs--cream together
3 very very ripe bananas
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

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Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Chek if done by putting toothpick in the middle--if it comes out clean it's done.

Granary Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbs. yeast

3 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup molasses

1 Tbs. salt

1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats

1 1/2 c. wheat germ

1/2 c. soy flour (I forgot to buy this so I just added an extra halt cup of wheat flour)

4 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2 c. white flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, honey, molasses, salt, oats, cracked wheat, wheat germ, and soy flour. Beat well. Gradually add whole wheat and white flours to form stiff dough. Knead till smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl; cover and let rise till double in bulk. Punch down, divide into thirds, and mold into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans.

*At this point I had the idea to brush the tops with water and add some oats before I cooked the bread. It made it look pretty, and they toasted in the oven, giving it a nice added flavor.

Let rise till double. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 3 loaves.

From the cookbook Christmas Recipes from the Lion House

Menu Plan

Sunday: Spaghetti Chicken, Granary Bread from Lion House cookbook

Monday: Lasagna

Tuesday: Chicken Amandine

Wednesday: Dance Convention, dinner at the drive-through on the way home

Thursday: First Day of School!!!! Chicken Ranch Crockpot Dinner, Banana Bread

Friday: Happy Anniversary to us! 13 years!!!

Saturday: Leftover buffet

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Step One:

Step Two:

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 Tbsp. marg.--room temperature

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup heavy cream or milk

Mix first five ingredients in a bowl and mix on medium low speed until creamy. Add the cream or milk and then beat on high speed until light and smooth.

Step Three:

Step Four:

Step Five:

Thank you for sharing this recipe Barefoot Contessa! I love your show!

Chicken Cream Cheese Soup

Found the recipe here. Lovin those sisters.

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I made this tonight for dinner because I came across the recipe, and noticed I had all of the ingredients already in my refrigerator. I need to put a big *STAR* by this one because my husband went crazy over this soup. He kept telling me how good it was all night, and he even said that "I outdid myself with this one." I thought it was good, but not that amazing.

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1 lb. chicken (breasts or combination)

1 onion, diced

1-2 Tbs. butter

2 handfuls baby carrots (about 2 cups sliced small)

4-5 potatoes, diced small

1 cup milk

1/4 c. flour

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

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1. Put chicken in pot and cover with water; boil until cooked. Take chicken out of water but keep the broth. When chicken is cool, shred.

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2. Saute onion in butter. Put onion in pot and add carrots and potatoes. Add 3-4 cups of broth or enough to cover vegetables. Add bouillon cubes or soup base for flavor. (I add 4 bouillion cubes.) Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are tender.

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3. Mix flour with milk and add to soup. Soften cream cheese in microwave then add to soup in little pieces and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Brownies for a Crowd

Recipe copied from The Sisters' Cafe

3 cups sugar
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp cocoa (Dutch is darker)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups melted butter
5 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour

Mix together and spread on a buttered cookie sheet (standard stainless steel). Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Be sure to not overcook. Frost


Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
3 1/2 tsp cocoa
6 TBsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Powdered Sugar--I have never measured. I just add until I get the consistency I want. If it becomes too thick I just add a little more milk.


Boil together, remove from heat and add powdered sugar. You can add nuts into the frosting or sprinkle on top if you would like.

Shown here with large sugar granules (can get at Roberts).

Lemonade Pie

If you've known me very long I'm sure I've made this for you. I've been making this since we were newlyweds, and it's always been one of my favorites. It's super easy, and chances are you probably have all of the ingredients in your house right now. If so, go make this! It's yummy!

Filling:

1 can lemonade concentrate (12 oz.)
2 qt. vanilla ice cream

Crust:

1 c. small graham cracker crumbs
1 stick melted margarine
3 Tbs. powdered sugar

Mix ingredients of crust together and line bottom of pan with crust. no need to grease pan. In separate bowl mix softened ice cream w/ unfrozen lemonade concentrate. Dump that on top of the crust. Fills 2 pie sized pans or 1 cake pan.

Andes Mint Cookies

1 Devil's food cake mix
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
1 pkg. Andes Mints, broken up

Combine all ingredients. Scoop onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

So easy and so delicious. I love everything mint!

Kalua Pork and Cabbage

(not my picture, from google images)

This was our favorite thing to order when we were in Kauai. When we got home and I was missing the Hawaiian sun, I found this recipe to comfort me. :) It's soooo good, and soooo easy. And my husband loves it when I make this for him. Serve with a big scoop of sticky rice. Yum!

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. pork butt or shoulder

1/4 c. of liquid smoke

1/4 c. sea salt

1 small head of green cabbage

Directions:

Rub the sea salt and liquid smoke all over the pork butt in your crock pot. Fill with enough water to cover the pork and let cook in crock pot until you can easily shred the pork. Reserve about 1-2 cups of the liquid in the crock pot.

Julienne the cabbage into 1/8 inch strips. Saute the cabbage and pork for about 5 minutes (don't brown the cabbage.) Add the reserved liquid and cover to cook on low until the cabbage is wilted but still green. Serves 8-10.

Alternate cooking method: Sometimes instead of cooking it in the crock pot I roast it in the oven (double wrapped in tin foil) at 250 for 5-6 hours.

Chicken Amandine

From Mique's Tried and Trues. If you haven't been to her site, you should check it out. I love her recipes.

Ingredients

3 cups cubed, cooked chicken

1 can cream of chicken, celery, or mushroom soup

1 can water chestnuts, sliced and drained

1/4 c. chopped green onions

2/3 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. sour cream

1 pkg. crescent roll dough

2/3 c. shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 c. slivered almonds

2-4 Tbs. melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Combine the first eight ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Pour into an ungreased 12 x 8 baking dish. Unroll the crescent roll dough into long rectangles. Place over the hot chicken mixture. Combine remaining ingredients and spread over the dough. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serves 4-6.

My favorite lasagna

(image from google images)

1 1/2 lb. ground beef, browned

28 oz. Prego Sauce-traditional (of course you can use any kind, but this is my favorite)

8 lasagna noodles, cooked

1 c. sour cream

3 heaping Tbs. ricotta cheese (I use way more than this, I love it so I just keep throwing more on!)

1 lb. grated Jack cheese

Layer-

sauce/meat (1/2 of it)

4 noodles

Sour cream and ricotta cheese

1/2 jack cheese

Repeat.

Bake at 350 for 48-50 minutes.

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken breasts

garlic powder (or 1 fresh garlic clove, minced)

onion powder

1 can cream of chicken

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Saute chicken breasts in garlic and onion powder. When fully cooked, remove and shred, then return to pan. Add cream of chicken, evaporated milk, and parmesan cheese.

Serve over spaghetti.

Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels (or half pretzels half graham crackers--which is what we prefer)

1 c. sugar, divided

1 cube margarine, melted

1 8 oz. cube cream cheese (softened)

1 8 oz. tub cool whip or 1 cup whipping cream (it will double to 2 cups)

1 large 6 oz. box raspberry jello

2 c. boiling water

1 bag frozen raspberries

Crust:

1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels (like I mentioned, I like to do half graham crackers here)

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c (1 cube) margarine, melted

Combine above ingredients and press into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake 350 for 8 minutes, then allow to cool.

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

8 oz. cool whip or 1 cup whipping cream prepared (Cook whip is faster, whipping cream is better)

Blend together, spread on crust, and refrigerate.

Raspberry Topping:

6 oz. raspberry jello

2 cups boiling water

1 bag raspberries

Combine jello and water until dissolved, add raspberries and stir. Pour over cream filling and refrigerate.

Sprite Potatoes

from Kariann

1 medium onion
1/2 lb. bacon, chopped


Cook in large skillet until onion is translucent and bacon is starting to crisp.

Then add:

5-6 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (can use food processor to slice the potatoes and carrots)
9-10 baby carrots

Stir and season with:

Season salt
onion salt
garlic salt
salt
pepper

Add:

1-2 cans sprite, enough to just cover the potatoes

Cover and bring to a boil, simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender and most of the liquid has reduced.

Cover generously with grated colby jack cheese or cheddar cheese and let melt (about 3-5 more minutes).

Can add a little more sprite to keep them from drying out before the potatoes and carrots are all the way done. We also leave a little liquid in the bottom when we put the cheese on so it's not too dry.

(Shown here with ham and swiss braid)

Israeli Inspired Pita Sandwich with Yogurt Sauce

From Christine Hansen

We had this served to us at beautiful visiting teaching conference about the Ten Virgins. I think this will be fun to make around Christmas time. We have a tradition on Christmas Eve where we dress up and have a shepherd's dinner.

Yogurt Sauce (make first, to allow flavors to blend)

1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 c. finely chopped, seeded cucumber (I just shredded it)
2 T. finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. sugar

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Best if made at least an hour ahead to allow flavors to blend.

Pita Filling

1 lb. lean ground beef, browned with onion, salt and pepper
2 cups cooked barley (or whatever ratio you like).
1 cup beef broth
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin

Barley is a great meat stretcher! Use pearl barley, available in bags near the dried beans. Cook it like rice, using 2 cups of water for 1 cup barley. I used my rice cooker but the stove top will work well too. Can freeze any leftovers--add to soup, etc.

Combine beef and barley, warm on the stove with 1 cup beef broth (or more if it seems dry). You can use bouillion and water as well. This will help moisten it and allow the spices to permeate the mixture. Add oregano, garlic powder, cumin. Simmer 30 minutes or so.

Serve with:

pita bread (best price and quality at costco)
chopped cucumbers
fresh chopped tomatoes
sliced onions or green onions
yogurt sauce
hummus

Side of red grapes.

Navajo Tacos

This recipe serves 10

Navajo Fry Bread

4-5 cups flour

3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup instant milk

2 cups water

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in water. Knead dough lightly, cover and let rest 15 minutes. Heat 1 " vegetable oil in a 10 " skillet. Pinch off dough in small amounts and pat dough into thin 8" circles. In the hot oil, quickly brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

Filling

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3/4 tsp. garlic salt

1 can pinto beans

Brown ground beef and onion, drain. Add beans and garlic salt. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

Toppings

grated cheese

salsa

lettuce

tomato

onion

sour cream

green onion

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Potato Soup (I know it's August but Brian wants me to make it for him)

Tuesday: Navajo tacos and honey butter scones

Wednesday: Ham and Swiss Braid, Spinach Salad

Thursday: French Toast and Bacon

Friday: Boating all day, drive-through on the way home

Saturday: Leftovers/clean out the fridge

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:
Angel Hair pasta with alfredo sauce
Garlic bread
Green salad
peanut butter cookies (FHE treat)


Tuesday:
Greek Chicken Pitas


Wednesday:
Pizza


Thursday:
Hawaiian Haystacks


Friday:
Date Night! The honey better take me out.

Greek Chicken Stuffed Pitas

From Tasty Sensations

Read entire recipe before preparing! It's delicious and the leftovers are just as good!

Package of Whole Wheat Pitas (or use white)
6 chicken breasts
1/8 c. olive oil
1/8 c. lemon juice
1 clove smashed garlic
dash of Mrs. dash
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano

Marinate chicken in sauce overnight (or in fridge all day). Bake for 25 min. or until juices run clear at 350.While chicken is baking, prepare Greek Salad:

Greek Salad
Peel & seed 1 small cucumber, dice to small pieces
Dice 2 large tomatoes
3 stalks of finely chopped green onion
Mix in bowl w/ 1/8 c. balsamic vinegar and 1/4 c. crumbled feta


When chicken is done, cut into cubes or slices and stuff inside pita with Greek Salad.Top with Tzatziki Sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce:
1 container of plain yogurt
1/2 finely shredded cucumber (drain juice)
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. of crushed garlic

Mix well and chill in fridge.

The Greek Salad is also great alone or served with french bread like a bruschetta.

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. oreos
1 pkg. cream cheese
dipping chocolate or chocolate bark

Crush all the Oreos in blender, food processor, etc. Then mix with the pkg. of cream cheese.

Roll them into nickel sized balls (they will nearly double in size).

Put on wax paper and put in freezer for 1/2 hour.

Then dip in melted chocolate. Put back into freezer to harden.

Remove from freezer 1/2 hour before serving.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

I got this recipe from Christie Gardiner who got it from Julie Beck (LDS Relief Society General President) who was my one of her young women leaders in my ward growing up.

Warm slowly in sauce pan till sugar dissolves:
1 c sugar
1 c light karo
Dash salt

After warm add:
2 C creamy peanut butter
Take off of stove and add:
4 C rice krispies
Dump on ungreased cookie sheet.

Frosting:
Melt together
½ Cup butter
½ Cup Brown Sugar

Remove from heat and add 2 TBS Milk and 1 tsp Vanilla. QUICKLY stir in 2 ½ cups powdered sugar with a wire wisk. Pour over top and spread. Cool and Cut. Makes 4 dozen.

Oven-Barbecued Chicken

Vegetable oil
3-4 lbs. chicken
3 Tbs. butter or margarine
1/2 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. ketchup
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. vinegar
3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Heat oil in large skillet; brown chicken on all sides. Drain; transfer chicken to a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. In a saucepan, melt butter; saute onion until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until juices run clear, basting occasionally.

From Debbie Rhoads

Salsa Chicken Tacos

1 lb. chicken, cooked and diced
salsa

Stir in salsa picante to cover chicken. Simmer 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Fill warmed tortillas and put whatever you like in it; cheese, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, lettuce, etc.

From Karen Hunt

Rustic Peasant Pasta

This recipe makes 2 9 x 13 pans--make one for dinner and freeze the other (I do this big batch because the ricotta cheese and spinach come in packages too large for one pan and if I don't make it now--it goes to waste)

500 g package of your favorite pasta (penne, radiatori, fusili, farfalle or shell are good)
1-1 1/2 lbs. of lean ground beef or ground pork (I use 1/2 and 1/2)
3-5 cloves fresh garlic minced
25-30 oz. package of Ricotta cheese (I use low fat)
1/2 c. fresh Parmesan cheese
3-4 cups of cottage cheese
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 lb. 13 oz. bottle of pasta sauce (or use your own if you are ambitious*)
mozzarella cheese
any veggies you like (I use mushrooms and 1 package of fresh spinach)

Boil pasta (salt the water and use a TBSP of olive oil to keep from boiling over). Drain pasta and set aside. While the pasta is boiling, brown the ground meat. In the last minute add the garlic and salt to taste. Add your veggies to the meat and cook until tender (I just wilt the spinach-it wilts WAY down in size). Cool the meat/veggie mixture while you combine the ricotta, cottage and parmesan cheeses and the mayo. Add the cooled meat to the cheese mixture. Layer in the 9 x 13 pans starting with a thin layer of sauce. Split the pasta into the 2 pans. Cover the pasta with the cheese/meat mixture split between the 2 pans. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake for 1/2 hour at 350 until heated through and all bubbly. If you are using the frozen pasta--leave in the fridge overnight and then cook it for 45 minutes (or until hot in the middle).

*An easy pasta sauce can be made by taking a large basket of grape tomatoes washed and put in a roasting pan. Coat the tomatoes with sea salt and fresh minced garlic. Roast in the over uncovered (about 400) until the tomatoes lose shape. Mash them up with a potato masher and you are good to go.

Recipe from Rachelle Stubbs

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Tyson's (or other) chicken fajita strips (you can buy these pre-cooked in the frozen section)
Mexican cheese blend
1 pt. sour cream
2 can cream of chicken soup
1 pack flour tortillas
(green chilis optional)

Heat up (thaw) chicken strips until soft. Cut up into little pieces. Mix with cheese. Mix sour cream and soup together. Put a thin layer spread into bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Roll chicken mixture into tortillas and place in pan. Cover with sauce mixture. Green chilis on top are optional.

This recipe is so versatile. You can adjust how much chicken and cheese and tortillas you use depending on how many you need to make!

Recipe from Melissa Willie

Smothered Home Fries with Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 c sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 Tbs. poppy seeds

Cook in 365 degree oven 11 minutes for mini muffins, 14 minutes for regular muffins. The pans need to be heavily greased.

Smothered Home Fries

*Peel potatoes and cut into about 3/4 inch dice
*Put in a sauce pan, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil.
*Simmer potatoes for about ten minutes or until slightly soft.
*Drain potatoes and toss in a skillet with 1 Tbs. vegetable oil on medium high heat. Add a generous amount of barbecue seasoning, chicken seasoning, or any spice mix you like.
*Fry and toss potatoes in the skillet for 5 to 7 minutes until all sides are somewhat crisp and starting to turn golden.
*Drain on a paper towel if you need to then put in a large dish or plate.
*Top potatoes with cheese, scrambled eggs, sour cream, green onions, and bacon.

Serve with fresh fruit and Almond Poppy Seed Muffins. No one will leave the table hungry.

Recipes from Mindy Lines

Kauai Chicken

8 small chicken breasts (I used one package of tenderloins)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs. hoisin sauce (in the oriental section in grocery store in a jar)
1 clove garlic, minced

1. Rinse and dry chicken. Arrange slightly apart in a shallow-rimmed baking pan or casserole dish.

2. Stir sauce ingredients together and pour 1/2 over chicken.

3. Bake @400 degrees for 20 min. Turn chicken over and top with remaining sauce. Return to over and continue to bake until meat is done (Approximately 15 minutes.) (If cooking larger pieces of meat, turn heat down and cook for longer).

4. Serve with rice. Pour drippings from pan over the rice for flavor.

Grasshopper Pie

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1 pkg. (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix

2 3/4 cups whipped topping, divided

1 package mint Andes candies, chopped, divided

1 chocolate crumb crust

1/4 tsp. mint extract

2 drops green food coloring

In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in 3/4 cup whipped topping. Fold in 3/4 cup candies. Spoon into crust. In another bowl, combine extract and remaining whipped topping; add food coloring if desired. Spread over pudding layer; sprinkle with remaining candies. Cover and regrigerate for 4 hours or until set.

Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Soup

(recipe and picture from Family Fun)

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup sliced celery
3/4 cup chopped carrots
2 cups quartered baby red potatoes
1 cup chopped yellow squash
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 teaspoons thyme
2 cups light cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish if desired
2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper and mix until smooth. Gradually add the broth, then turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, potatoes, squash, corn, and thyme. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Add the cream, Parmesan, and chicken. Heat the soup for an additional 10 minutes, but do not let it boil.

3. To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl and sprinkle it with more Parmesan, if desired. Makes about 15 cups.

**My friend Michelle made this for us today and it was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. She served it with Rhodes bake and serve rolls. I can't wait to make it!

Taco Ring

I think I got this recipe from a Pampered Chef party many years ago. I only used one package of crescent rolls because my kids are being picky and I knew they wouldn't eat very much of it. Usually I use 2 packages and the ring is twice as big. Oh well, this is the basic idea anyway.

Take 1 package of Pilsbury cresent rolls, remove from package, and separate the pieces. Then lay them out on a baking stone so that the points face outward.

Top with refried beans, pre-cooked ground beef, and grated cheddar cheese. Fold the dough over and seal.

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes until golden brown.

I serve this with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream. Whatever you usually put on a taco works. When I am feeding adults and don't have picky children that cry about sour cream, I take the sour cream and put it in a tube with a fluted end, and squeeze a pretty dollop onto each section of the cresent so it has little white "flowers" all around the ring.

But since I had lots of picky crying children tonight, I made it extra plain and we just added what we wanted afterwards.