Chicken Salsa Burritos

1-2 large chicken breasts
2 c. thick and chunky salsa
1 frozen box of spinach (9oz.)
1 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg of flour tortillas

Boil and shred chicken breast. Defrost spinach in microwave and then drain. Combine all the ingredients in a pot on the stove and heat until cheese is melted and mixture is warm. Fill tortillas with filling and serve warm. I have also added a can of black beans washed and drained along with some corn to make it go farther.

Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp Scampi

This is so good and relatively fast to make because both shrimp and angel hair cook quickly. Make it even quicker by buying already cooked shrimp. The end result isn't very saucy, but it's very flavorful.
You could use spaghetti or linguini instead if you have those, but I love angel hair. And you can find fish sauce in the asian/thai section of most grocery stores. I'll post another recipe or two that uses it later!


1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound medium (16-20) shrimp peeled, deveined, and split in ½ lengthwise 1 C seasoned flour, seasoned with
½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces (1/2 pkg) angel hair - cook/drain at the last minute
2 Tablespoons fresh herbs; basil, rosemary, marjoram, or parsley combined OR 1 tsp. dried of each
¼ cup clam juice or fish sauce (I used fish sauce)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup heavy cream (I used evaporated milk)
¼ cup romano cheese

Toss shrimp in seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour. Meanwhile, in medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp to the hot skillet, cook until lightly browned then turn over. Add garlic to the middle of the pan, when garlic begins to turn golden, pour lemon juice over garlic. Sprinkle in fresh herbs, then add clam juice and reduce by half. Add Worcestershire sauce, heavy cream, and cheeses. Heat through. Toss with Angel Hair and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes 3-4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes

Meatballs and Sauce

This one is a good variation from the regular Ragu or Prego or whatever. The grape jelly makes it a little darker than traditional sauce and the mixture has a somewhat sweet, rich flavor varied by the spaghetti sauce you choose.
1 26 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
6 oz V8 juice
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1/2 c grape jelly
1 15 oz can stewed or diced tomatoes
Approx. 1 lb. precooked, frozen meatballs (turkey or beef) *See recipe below*
photo from wholefoods.com

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker or large pan on stove. Cook on medium to medium-low heat until meatballs are hot. Turn down heat and simmer until ready to serve. Serve over noodles, rice, or on a toasted roll with provolone, mozzarella or your favorite cheese. Serves 4-6.

Easy Oven Meatballs
1 lb ground beef, 1 egg, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp. pepper and 1/2 cup milk. Mix it all together and make 1 1/2 inch balls. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375.

German Pancakes

One of our favorite breakfast recipes is German Pancakes! There are many different variations on this recipe, but this is the one we like best!



German Pancakes
6 eggs
2 T Sugar
1 t salt
1 C flour
1 C milk
4 T butter

Melt the butter in a 9x13 pan (You can also use 2 9" round cake pans). Mix remaining ingredients until well blended and there are no flour clumps- I usually make this one in my blender. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until edges are brown and bubbling up. Serve with syrup or powdered sugar.

Vanishing Lemon Cake

Vanishing Lemon Cake

Cake
1 box lemon cake mix
1 box lemon jello (3 oz)
1 c boiling water
3/4 c oil
4 eggs

Icing
2 C pwd sugar
3-5 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions
Dissolve jello in boiling water. Blend oil into jello mix and add cake mix. Add eggs and mix well. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Mix lemon juice and powdered sugar. Add just enough lemon juice until the mix is pourable. Poke holes w/ a fork into hot cake- the more holes, the better. Pour icing over while hot.

This cake is always gone in a day at our house! Enjoy!

Granola Bars

Here are some simple granola bars! Mmm... my kids devour them in less than a day. They are great for a breakfast or a snack. I found the original recipe at All Recipes but altered it a little bit. :)

These are my pictures! :)

Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
3/4 cup raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts (optional)
1/2 c coconut

3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or 1/4 c oil and 1/4 c applesauce- this is what I used and the bars are stay moist for longer)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes just until the bars begin to brown at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe comes from this website. I have to say I've only made this recipe in my bread machine (the dough only, baked in the oven) and it's turned out great. It just goes faster that way and I can do more while it's mixing/rising. I am on a search to find a quick whole wheat bread recipe but they are hard to come by. I've learned you can't cheat wheat when it comes to making bread. You have to let it rise! I skipped the first step of dissolving the yeast when using the bread machine, but if I was doing it by hand I wouldn't skip it. I like to know the yeast is going to rise and give it a head start.

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water*
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/2 cup orange juice
5 tablespoons melted butter (or oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar (honey is my preference)
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk (in addition to the other milk)
3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

* *Use 2 tablespoons less water in summer (or in a humid environment), 2 tablespoons more in winter (or in a dry climate).

1) Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with a pinch of sugar. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes, till it becomes puffy. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

2) Combine the yeast/water with the remaining ingredients, and mix and knead—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—until you've made a cohesive dough. If you're using a stand mixer, knead at low speed for about 7 minutes. Note that 100% whole wheat dough will never become smooth and supple like dough made with all-purpose flour; it'll feel more like clay under your hands, and may appear a bit rough.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow it to rise till it's expanded and looks somewhat puffy, about 60 to 90 minutes. Note that dough kneaded in a bread machine will rise faster and higher than bread kneaded in a mixer, which in turn will rise faster and higher than one kneaded by hand. So if you're kneading by hand, you may want to let the dough rise longer than 90 minutes.

4) Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan. (Some pans are actually 8"X4" so the loaf would be huge in those) Gently shape the dough into a smooth log, and settle it into the pan, smooth side up.

5) Tent the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaf to rise till it's crowned over the rim of the pan by about 3/4", about 75 minutes. Don't let it rise too high; it'll continue to rise as it bakes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

6) Bake the bread for 10 minutes. Lightly tent it with aluminum foil, (this step really helps it from overbrowning) and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer or it sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove it from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack.

7) Run a stick of butter over the top of the hot loaf, if desired, for a softer crust. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

Quick Donuts

Quick Donuts

Ingredients:
5 teaspoons yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour (more if dough is sticky)
oil for frying

Maple Glaze:2 tablespoons butter, softened2 tablespoons maple syrup or maple extractpowdered sugar (enough to make it the consistency you prefer)

Mix yeast, water and sugar. Wait until bubbles form in mixture. Add egg, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and flour. Mix to form dough. Knead dough for 1 minute. Roll out dough and cut donuts using donut cutter or large drinking glass. Allow to rise for 30 minutes on floured surface. Fry in oil until golden brown. Oil should be approximately 350°. Coat with maple glaze or any topping of your choice (chocolate, cinnamon sugar, etc.).

These are a great Sunday afternoon treat! Mmmmm!!!

Soft Pretzels

Soft Pretzels Ingredients
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 + cups flour

Dipping Solution
1/4 cup baking soda
1 1/2 cups hot water

melted butter

Directions
Dissolve yeast into warm water. Add sugar, then flour & mix well---do not knead as this toughens the dough. Mix just until combined well. Let rise until doubled, at least 20 minutes. Roll into long ropes. Twist into pretzel shapes, then dip into prepared dipping solution (baking soda dissolved in hot water). Place on well-greased cookie sheet and bake at 500°F for 4-6 minutes until golden brown. Dip face of pretzel into melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Our family LOVES these pretzels- they are as good as the soft pretzels you get at Sam's Club. Sorry, no pic right now but next time I make them I will post one! Also, you can subsititue whole wheat- I did about half and half and they were excellent. They did need a bit more time to rise but worked very well.

Shrimp Enchiladas

Shrimp Enchiladas



Shrimp Enchiladas
1/2 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup whipping cream (evaporated milk)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, divided (you can use half pepper-jack cheese for great results)
1/2 cup sour cream (plain yogurt)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup onion, chopped2 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped (1 can tomatoes, drained)
8 (9-inch) flour tortillas

Saute red pepper, onion and green pepper in 1/4 cup butter until crisp-tender. Add oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, cream and flour; blend well. Continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese; stir until melted. Add sour cream, stir to blend. Set aside.

In another skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Saute shrimp and 1/2 cup onion until shrimp are pink. Remove shrimp and chop; return to butter and onion. Add chopped tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture into each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of shrimp mixture. Roll up tightly. Arrange seam side down in a 9X13-inch glass baking dish. Spoon remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Taken from My Kitchen Cafe.

Thanks for the first recipe, Shannon! :)