Cherry Enchiladas

The original recipe came HERE from allrecipes.com.

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
8 oz cream cheese + 1/3 c powdered sugar
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
2 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon crushed sliced almonds

Directions
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Whip together cream cheese and powdered sugar and spread evenly among tortillas. Place a few spoonfuls of cherry pie filling in each tortilla and roll up. Place in baking dish with seam side down. Combine the water, butter and 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the 'enchiladas' making sure to coat the tops completely. The mixture will be watery. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon and almonds in a small bowl or cup; sprinkle over the top of the enchiladas.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until outside edges of the tortillas are golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve with whip cream.

Notes: These do not work as well with whole wheat tortillas for some reason but they are still good. I have made these with other types of pie filling- I think the cherry pie filling is a little too sweet but then the apple pie filling didn't have quite enough apples in it. Blueberry is also good.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Blueberry Crumb Cake
Ingredients
½ sticks Butter
1 Tablespoon (additional) Butter
¾ cups Sugar
1 whole Egg
½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 cups All-purpose Flour
2-¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
¾ cups Whole Milk
2 cups Fresh Blueberries

FOR THE TOPPING:
¾ sticks Butter
½ cups Sugar
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
½ cups Flour
¼ teaspoons Salt

Combine flour, baking powder, and a salt. Stir and set aside.

Cream 1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter with cinnamon and sugar. Add egg and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until totally incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Pour in batter.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients and cut together using two knives or a pastry cutter. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut into squares and serve with softened butter.

Notes: For the cake part, I tried to use as little butter as possible. I ended up using 3 Tablespoons butter and substituting applesauce for the remaining butter (3/8 cup) and it was still very moist. I also substituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour.

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

8 oz lasagna noodles

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

1 c sour cream

3 c diced, cooked chicken

2 c mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions, drain.

Mix soups, Parmesan cheese, sour cream, and chicken.

Put 1/4 of creamy chicken mixture in a greased 9x13 pan.

Alternate layers for 1/3 noodles, chicken mixture, and mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes.

Notes: I don't like cream of mushroom soup so I just used two cream of chicken soups. Also, I added two heads of steamed broccoli to my chicken mixture and it was fantastic. You could also add mushrooms to it, or spinach for more color.

Ezekial Bread

Ezekial Bread
Ingredients
• 2 1/2 cups wheat berries
• 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
• 1/2 cup barley
• 1/2 cup millet
• 1/4 cup dry lentils
• 2 tablespoons dry white beans
• 2 tablespoons dry kidney beans
• 2 tablespoons dried pinto beans
• 4 cups warm water
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions
1. Measure the water, honey, olive oil, and yeast into a large bowl. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir all of the grains and beans together until well mixed. Grind in a flour mill. Add fresh milled flour and salt to the yeast mixture; stir until well mixed, about 10 minutes. The dough is more like batter bread. Pour dough into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans (or 5 mini loaf pans).

3. Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until dough has reached top of the pan.

4. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees (it will be shorter for the mini loaves- I think it was about half an hour), or until loaves are golden brown.

Notes: I gave away most of this bread and everyone loved them! The bread is very hearty and has a great flavor, very moist.

Kale Salad

This is currently my favorite dinner. The first night I made it I accidentally grabbed the chinese 5 spice instead of the sesame seeds. Not recommended. :-)

Massaged Kale Salad



Ingredients:
About 3-4 generous cups washed and chopped kale

1/4-1/2 avocado

2 tbsp olive oil (or as needed)

Juice of 1/3 of a lemon

1 small tomato, chopped

½ large carrot, grated

A few slices of red and yellow pepper chopped into bite sized pieces

a little red onion finely sliced

Sea salt

Pepper

Directions:
Pour 2 tbsp (more/less if needed) olive oil over kale, and sprinkle with sea salt as desired. With clean hands, “massage” the kale so that all of the oil is coating it and it begins to “wilt.” Throw in the avocado and massage it, too, so that the whole bowl of kale becomes well coated with oil and avocado.

Sprinkle on lemon juice as desired, and throw in tomato, carrots, and any other veggies you desire! Top with sesame seeds if you like.

Applesauce Muffins

Applesauce Muffins

Ingredients

1 C margarine, softened

2 c sugar

2 eggs

2 c applesauce

2 t baking soda

4 C flour

1 T cinnamon

1 T allspice

2 T vanilla.

Heat applesauce and add baking soda. Add allspice, cinnamon, and vanilla. In alternating increments, add margarine and flour.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes 24 muffins.

Notes: I made this with whole wheat and they were extremely moist. These also freeze very well and you can half easily.

Butterfinger Dessert

Butterfinger Dessert

*This recipe has been in my family for a long time- we love it! It is a great summer dessert because its cold and light.

Crust
4 crushed butterfingers
1 C crushed saltine crackers
1 C crushed graham crackers
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sugar

Filling
3 (3oz) packages instant vanilla pudding (not cook n serve)
2 C cold milk
4 C vanilla ice cream (softened, about half a "box")

Topping
1 9 oz. cool whip

Melt the butter and mix remaining crust ingredients until moistened. Reserve 1 c for topping and press the remaining into a 9X13 pan.

Beat the pudding and milk. Add ice cream and beat to smooth. Pour over crust and level.

Cover filling layer with cool whip. Sprinkle reserved 1 c of crust over the top. Serve chilled.

*Notes- I ommit the 1/2 c sugar in the crust and it is still plenty sweet. You can also use nutter butters instead of butterfingers in this dessert.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (about half a lemon)
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus up to 1 tablespoon for topping the muffins

2 large eggs
4 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 cup milk

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Fold the flour and milk in gently until barely combined. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.

Notes: I used whole wheat flour on this and substituted applesauce for half of the butter. They were extremely moist! Careful not to overbake if you do use applesauce. My kids devoured these for breakfast!!

Peanut/Rice Bowl

I successfully made a dinner that Craig said was "to die for". Here it is:

Peanut/Rice Bowl (serves two)

1 1/2 c. cooked rice
1 c. peas
2 carrots julienned
2 scrambled eggs
1/4 c. peanut sauce (recipe below)
peanuts
scallions

Pile all ingredients into a bowl.

Recipe for peanut sauce.

1/2 tsp oil
1 clove minced garlic
2 tsp fresh ginger (or a couple of dashes dried)
1/2 tsp chili paste (I just used 1/2 tsp chili powder
½ c. lowfat coconut milk
3 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter
1 ½ tsp sugar (if I didn’t have unsweetened peanut butter, I’d probably omit the sugar)
1 ½ tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
sriracha

1. warm oil in small saucepan over medium-low heat

2. sauté garlic and ginger 3 minutes

3. add chili then coconut milk. Bring to a boil.

4. add peanut butter and mix well. Then add sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and fish sauce. Simmer 5 minutes.

5. squeeze in lime then add sriracha to taste.

Spinach Stuffed Pork Loin

I apologize for the poor pictures. Photography is not my speciality. Also, I didn't have any kitchen string so I used toothpicks to hold it together.

Spinach stuffed porkloin

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
4 slices swiss cheese
2 cups fresh spinach
2 thin slices deli ham (1/2 ounce each)

Directions
Cut a lengthwise slit down the center of the tenderloin to within 1/2 in. of bottom. Open tenderloin so it lies flat. On each half, make another lengthwise slit down the center to within 1/2 in. of bottom.

Cover porkloin with plastic wrap and flatten to 1/4" thick.

Salt and pepper porkloin and sprinkle with half of the garlic powder.

Layer with the cheese, spinach and ham. Press down gently.

Roll up jelly-roll style and tie with kitchen string.

Sprinkle with remaining salt, garlic powder and pepper.

Place on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake about 25 minutes at 425° (thermometer reads 160°).

Notes: Salt very lightly, most porktenderloin is already salty. I only had shredded swiss, so that's what we used. A little bit messier but I think the cheese was distributed more evenly. We had leftover Easter ham, so that is the ham I used but still thinly sliced. This is a great easy recipe but looks so gourmet!

English Muffins

Have you ever made your own English Muffins? They are super easy and off the griddle they are amazing! You can even make your own sausage egg muffins for breakfast. Yum!



English Muffins
Yields: 18 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/4 cup melted shortening
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled (about an hour).

3. Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.

4. Heat greased griddle to 350 degrees. Cook muffins on griddle about 10 minutes on each side. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage. To use, split and toast.

Notes: I will make a double batch and freeze them. They freeze well and don't dry out. Forget the stove top heating of the milk- just micro-blast it. He he... Be prepared for a messy griddle to clean. I also have done half whole-wheat and there were two things- first, they dry out a lot faster than white so be prepared to either freeze more right away, or eat lots. Second- the wheat does take longer to rise.

Baby Food

Baby food- SO EASY.

I thought this would be an appropriate place to share a baby food trick I learned with baby #1. Thanks to an amazing, very frugal, sister-in-law, this came about.

First, boil your vegetables or fruits until they are soft (peel first unless keeping the peel). I've done peaches, pears, plums, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, and peas. Maybe more but I can't think of any more right now.

Next, puree. No big chunks. The peas are a bit harder and take a bit longer in your processor.

Place into ice cube trays and freeze. After about 6 hours or when they are frozen solid, break them out and place them into ziplocs for long-term storage. You can freeze them up to 6 months.

Then, the night before I'll decide the menu, take them out of the ziplocs, and put them into small rubbermaid containers. They last 2-3 days in the fridge. At the beginning they eat one cube size. My baby now (At 8 months) eats 2-3 per meal.

This is so easy and you can do a months' worth of food in only a couple of hours. Also, it saves you SO much $$$!!!

Also, they make great fillers- throw a couple sweet potato cubes in your spaghetti sauce or some apples into your brownies (in place of oil). Yum!

Sour Cream Waffles

Don't they look fabulous? They are! I found the original recipe from Heidi Swanson's website 101 cookbooks HERE.


Sour Cream Waffles

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
Maple syrup or jam, for serving

Heat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Lightly oil the grids. Meanwhile whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine and make a well in the center. Whisk the melted butter, milk, sour cream, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined and pour into the well. Whisk just until smooth; do not over mix.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of each quadrant of the waffle iron and close the iron. Cook until the waffle is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve the waffles hot, with the syrup passed on the side.

Makes twelve 4-inch waffles.

Notes: My only problem with this recipe was the butter- I'm not a big butter fan. I made these three times- the first time I followed the recipe perfectly. Next, half the butter (which was also fabulous and no real difference in texture). Thirdly, I omitted most of the butter. I actually did 2T butter and 1/4 cup applesauce instead. They turned out well, very moist. I also did one cup whole-wheat flour and 3/4 c all purpose on the last two attempts and whole-wheat works great.

Tomato Pie

Super yummy though my kids thought it was a bit strong in the spices so you could easily cut back on those a little, I suggest not too much though. :) I based this recipe from here !

Tomato Pie

Ingredients
• 1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust
• 6 large Roma tomatoes, peeled and sliced (don't drain)
• 3 Tbs dried basil
• 1 ½ Tbs dried minced onion
• ½ pound bacon - cooked, drained, and chopped
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ fresh red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Mix tomatoes, basil, bacon, garlic powder, oregano, and red bell pepper in a bowl, place inside pie crust. Then in the bowl mix cheese with mayonnaise. Place cheese mixture over top of pie. Cover loosely with aluminum foil tent.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil from top of pie and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold.


Basic Pie Crust --super easy!

Ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening, chilled
• 3 tablespoons ice water
Directions
1. Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.
2. Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
3. Roll out dough, and put in a pie plate. Fill with desired filling and bake.

Guacamole

Guacamole

3 Avocados
1 Diced Roma Tomato
2 Heaping Tablespoons Salsa
1/8th Cup Sour Cream or a heaping spoon full
Juice of Half Lemon
1 Teaspoon Garlic Granules
½ Teaspoon Salt
Pepper

Use fork to mash and smash the avacodoes until they are the texture you like it. Add remaining ingredients. Chill and serve.

Notes: Test flavors and tweak until you like it- if it needs more garlic add it, if it needs more twang squeeze in more lemon. Excellent with Chicken Tacos or plain with corn chips! ENJOY!!

Fruit Dip & Vegetable Dip

I am combining posts on this one. Neither dip photographed well so we get words.

Zesty Vegetable Dip
12 oz cottage cheese
1/2 c sour cream
2 T taco seasoning
1 4 oz can green chilies

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until well blended. Chill at least 8 hours.

Strawberry Fruit Dip
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
8 oz strawberry yogurt
1 12 oz package frozen strawberries (I pulsed these in the food processor so there were small chunks.).

Mix well. Chill and serve w/ fresh fruit.

Foil Wrapped Dinners

Foil Wrapped Dinners

(before hitting the oven)

Finished product


Foil Wrapped Dinners
1 - 1 1/2 lbs beef
1 10 oz package frozen green peas
4 medium carrots
8 cherry tomatoes
4 med potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope onion soup mix

1) Mix together can of cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix.
2) Place 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped potato, and 1/4 of meat down on a square of aluminum foil.
3)Place 1/4 of mushroom soup/onion soup mixture over the top of the meat.
4)top with peas & tomatoes
5) Wrap securely in foil & place on a baking sheet.
6) Bake 35-45 minutes @ 450 degrees until meet is tender.

Notes: This is an extremely versatile dinner. You can use any kind of meat you want- pork, beef, or chicken. I actually used pork in these pictures. You can add or omit any vegetables you want- for one of my kids, there was no peas, one wanted extra carrots and one wanted broccoli. Also, I put chopped onions and mushrooms in my husbands. Also, you can change up the flavors of the soup- we actually like the cream of celery soup the best. And of course I always add pepper.

Townhouse Chicken

This is not the greatest picture but I can't seem to figure out how to do great shots of food. Oh well. On to the recipe!

Townhouse Chicken

3-4 cooked chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz sour cream

(note: equal parts of sour cream and chick soup if you like it creamier)

1 pkg ritz crackers (off brand, okay), crumbled

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 T poppy seeds

2-3 cups cooked rice

1. Combine chicken, cream of chicken, and sour cream in a bowl.

2. Stir crumbled crackers into melted butter. Add poppy seeds.

3. Place rice on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread chicken mixture over rice and then sprinkle crackers on top.

4. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Notes: This meal re-heats very well. Also, you can omit the poppy seeds if you would like but the color is nice. I also added some minced onion to my chicken mixture and some pepper. This will serve 6-8 people. It makes quite a bit. Also, my pickiest eater asked for seconds.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am finally contributing to this blog!!!

There is no picture because I made these Sunday afternoon and then we had the missionaries over and so they were gone before I could think about taking a picture!! Next time I promise!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups chocolate chips, 2 Hershey's chocolate bars, chopped or M&M'S
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. In another large bowl stir together butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir chocolate chips and walnuts, if using, and stir to distribute evenly.

For cookies: Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets and bake about 10 minutes. Cool on a baking rack.

For bars: Pat dough into a greased 9 inch square baking pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into squares when cooled

Notes: These are so good!! I would only cook them for 9 minutes if you like them softer. We like them softer and mine were a little too hard at 10 minutes. Also, instead of using all that chocolate just use a lot of chocolate chips and that is fabulous too. Lastly, I left out the nuts. These are really easy and yummy. Enjoy!

Cute Ideas for Moms!

I haven't tried these out yet, but saw them at the Family Fun website (here) and couldn't resist sharing!

Butterfly Cheese Sandwich


Ingredients

1 pat butter or margarine
2 slices bread
2 slices cheese
Vegetables (such as celery, carrots, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper)





Directions

Melt butter in frying pan
Assemble the sandwich, as you would a normal grilled cheese sandwich, with the exception of putting the rounded tops of the bread at opposite ends. then grill.
Cut the sandwich in half so the rounded tops go out to the sides, cut out 2 small triangles from each side's middle to form each wing.
Place celery stick in the middle, with cherry tomato as head, carrots as antennae, and slice carrot or peppers to make spots on wings.
----------OR------------
**Put out the vegetables in bowls and let the kids decorate their very own butterfly!**


Strawberry Shortcake Snake

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (plus a little extra for berries)
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 quart strawberries
Whipped cream
M&Ms
Green fruit leather


Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the flour, 2 tbs confectioners' sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the margarine with pastry cutter. Once the dough is crumbly, slowly stir in the milk. Turn the dough onto a floured working surface and gently roll or pat the dough into a 1 inch thick rectangle (It should measure about 6 by 8 inches) for best results handle the dough as little as possible.
Slice the rectangle into 4 1 1/2-by 8-inch strips. Place the strips on an un-greased baking sheet, then mold and curve them into S-shapes to resemble snakes. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Transfer the baked shortcakes to a wire rack to cool.
Slice all but 4 of the berries lengthwise into a mixing bowl. Toss with the remaining confectioners' sugar.
Carefully slice the cooled shortcakes in half lengthwise, arrange the sliced strawberries on the bottom half of each one cover with shortcake top. "Frost" with whipped topping and sliced strawberries as scales. Add whole strawberry for head, dab small amount of whipped cream to hold M&ms in place for eyes, and add a fruit leather tongue. Serves 4!

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken chili

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken
2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans or navy beans
1 (15 ounce) can hominy or white corn
1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope taco seasoning
1 (4 1/2 ounce) can of chopped green chilies
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions
1.Place chicken in a 4 quart slow cooker.
2.Top with beans and corn.
3.In a medium bowl, combine taco seasoning, chiles, condensed soup, and chicken broth. Pour over top of ingredients in the crock pot.
4.Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
5. Before serving, stir gently to break up chicken, then stir in the sour cream.

Side note- the flavor of this chili was really good! I don't know that I will use the all the chicken broth it calls for because I thought it was a little salty. I would think if you used dry beans instead of canned beans you would want the chicken broth, but otherwise I am going to omit it next time.

*I know I got this recipe off the internet but I can't remember where. If you come across this and its your recipe, let me know and I will link it.

Avocado Chicken

I originally found this recipe at cooks.com (here) I changed it to fit my tastes, lifestyle and what I had in my kitchen. Sorry I don't have a picture, yet; next time I make this I will edit the post to add one OR if you make it feel free! :)

4 lg. whole chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
Pepper
Flour
1 cup Water
1/2 c. butter, divided
Chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. celery salt
1 avocado, mashed
1 1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese
(Optional Ingredients)
8 lg. mushrooms, chopped
2-3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped

In a fry pan melt 1/4 cup butter add 1/2 cup water; take your chicken breasts and rinse with water then lightly dust with flour. Cook thoroughly in fry pan with lid on. Once chicken is done remove and place in a lightly buttered glass baking pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in same skillet and saute onion, garlic and mushrooms (if desired) slowly until vegetables are cooked but not brown. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup water once heat to a slow simmer. Then stir in flour, celery salt, pepper.
Cook over low heat until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes (runny gravy consistency). In a separate bowl mix avocado, 1/2 cup cheese and tomato (if desired) Add avocado mixture to frying pan, blending well. Once the cheese melts spoon avocado mixture from fry pan onto each chicken breast and top with remaining grated cheese. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Makes 4-6 servings.

Leftover idea: Take any remaining chicken breasts and dice finely and mix in with any remaining avocado mixture and add little more cheese reheat until cheese is melted and enjoy with white corn chips! --My hubby and his buddies loved this for a snack during football games! And the guys never even realized they were eating leftovers ;) hehe don't tell ;)

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole



Ingredients:
1 lb sausage
1 pkg crescent rolls
1 c frozen hash browns, thawed
1 c grated cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1/4 c milk
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Press crescent rolls into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Brown sausage, drain, and put into the 9x13 on top of rolls. Add potatoes and cheese. In a small bowl, mix eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over the potatoes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Notes: You can do some of these things the night before. I measured out a cup of the hash browns and put them in my fridge over night. I also browned the sausage the night before and mixed up the egg mixture. Then, in the morning its a quick combine it all and throw it in. Also, I didn't have crescent rolls when I made this one but I had buttermilk biscuits. It did take 1 1/2 tubes to cover the 9x13 but it turned out well. Also, you can add whatever "extras" you like- I've added green peppers and onions to the sausage layer, you could add some zucchini, mushrooms, etc.

Sweet N Spicy Pork and Spanish Sweet Rice

I wasn't exactly sure how to take a picture of it, but here it is. We rolled it up in tortilla shells and ate it like tacos. It was delicious!



Sweet Pulled Pork

2 ½ lbs cooked pork roast, pulled (5 lb pre-cooked roast)
½ c brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons garlic powder (can add more)
2/3 c water
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t cumin (can add more for hotter)
2 teaspoons chili powder (to taste, can add more)

Rinse meat under hot tap water to remove fat. Mix all ingredients and simmer in crock pot for two hours. Serve on warm tortillas with lettuce, black or pinto beans, sour cream, rice, guacamole, and salsa.

Sweet Mexican Rice
1 t olive oil
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 T chopped cilantro (no stems)
1 1/3 c uncooked rice
3 c chicken broth (water & bullion)
¼ c sugar

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until rice is tender.

A couple of notes- I started my pork roast on low and cooked with just a small amount of water and rubbed with some garlic salt. I let it cook for about 6 hours on low in my crock pot. Then, about two hours before we were ready to eat, I shredded the pork and added spices.

Also, for the rice- I am not a huge cilantro fan, so I left it out. If you can make it in a rice cooker, great. If you can't though, make sure you bring it to a boil over med-high to high heat and then reduce your heat, cover, and simmer until tender. Otherwise, your rice will loose too much moisture and won't be completely tender.

Sweet Potato Chili

This is so good. I put in a little less of the spicy ingredients for my girls' sakes but it was still scrumpteous (sp). You wouldn't normally think about sweet potatoes in chili but it is really really good. I got it off of crockpot365.blogspot.com.

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and in 2-inch chunks
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 2/3 cup dried beans, soaked overnight and boiled briskly for 10 minutes)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes (whatever's on sale, mine had oregano and roasted garlic)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (if you don't have kosher, put in a little more than 1/4 t)
1 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice (not pictured. If you don't have any in the house, use water)

The Directions.

Use a 5-6 quart slow cooker. This is enough food to feed a family of 4 regular-sized, or 6 smallish people. Peel and chunk the sweet potato and add to the pot. Add diced onion. Follow with the red bell pepper, can of tomatoes, the beans, garlic, and seasonings. Pour in OJ and water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the onion is translucent and the sweet potato is fork-tender (if you want the sweet potato to get really squishy and disappear when stirred, cook longer).

Slow Cooker Tamale Pie

The original recipe you can find HERE at allrecipes.com. I had to alter it a little bit with ingredients that I had. This is my recipe:

1 pound ground beef, browned & drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn (drained)

1 can olives (chopped)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 can tomato sauce + 1 can water

1 Tablespoon chili powder
(Also, you could add one can green chilies for a bit more spice)

----

1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread/muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Place the hamburger through the chili powder in your slow cooker and mix slightly.

2. In a bowl, combine the corn bread mix with milk, egg, and butter, and stir until just mixed. Stir in the Cheddar cheese. Spoon the corn bread mixture over the beef mixture in the slow cooker.

3. Set the cooker to Low, cover, and cook until the corn bread topping is cooked through and set (4-5 hours, mine was closer to 4).

Top with cheese, salsa, sour cream, chilies, etc.

Enjoy!

Mexican Week

My husband (Craig) came up with an idea a couple of weeks ago to do themed meal plans—i.e.—Thai one week, Italian the next week, etc.

Last week was our first run through and the theme was “Mexican”. I kept forgetting to take pictures until after the food was already halfway eaten. Sorry.

We started off with tacos—boring but cheap and Craig loves ‘em. Then we had…

Chiles Rellenos. This was probably my favorite meal of the week. They were pretty time consuming, but TOTALLY worth the time.

Chiles Rellenos Recipe Courtesy of Ann Hazard

Recipe Ingredients:



6 Ancho, Pasilla or Anaheim Chiles - or - 27 oz. can Poblano Peppers or Mild Whole Green Chiles
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
1/4 cup Flour
6 Raw eggs (separated)
2 cups salsa verde
2 cups Homestyle Mexican Salsa
1 cup Corn oil
Salt

Recipe Instructions:

1. Rinse the chiles.
2. Preheat your oven to broil.
3. Place the chiles in a 9 x 14 baking dish and place on the top shelf of your oven.
4. Watch and listen closely. When the skins start to make popping sounds and to char and turn black in places, take the chiles out and flip them over. Be sure and use a potholder so you don't burn your hands!
5. When both sides are fairly evenly charred, remove them from the oven.
6. Wrap each chile in a moist paper towel or place in a sealed plastic bag to steam.
7. After a few minutes, check them. Once the skin comes off easily, peel each chile.
8. Cut a slit almost the full length of each chile. Make a small "t" across the top, by the stem. Pull out fibers and seeds (this is where the heat is) and replace with a slice of cheese. You can set these aside, for a few minutes or a few hours if you put them in the refrigerator.
9. Whip the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks have formed.
10. Heat the oil in a skillet until a drop of water sizzles when dropped into the pan.
11. Beat the egg yolks with one tablespoon flour and salt. Mix the yolks into egg whites and stir until you have a thick paste.
12. Roll the chiles in 1/4 cup flour and dip each one in the egg batter. Coat evenly. Fry, seam side down on both sides until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.
13. Meanwhile, heat the salsa in a medium saucepan (either one or some of each). Place one or two Rellenos on each plate and pour salsa over them. Serve them immediately!


Enchiladas. I used meat in some and also made a black bean variety which turned out well. I didn’t eat the chicken variety, but I heard they were good.

Ingredients:


1 whole chicken (makes 15 - 18 enchiladas) or
5-6 thighs (9 - 12 enchiladas)
Corn tortillas
vegetable oil
12 oz. of mild cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
enchilada sauce (recipe below)
sour cream optional
guacamole optional

Enchilada Sauce:

2 cups chicken broth
4 tsp. Gebhardt Chili Powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 heaping tsp. garlic powder (with no salt added)
3/4 tsp. salt
1 pinch ground cinnamon (less than 1/16 tsp.)
1/3 tsp. sugar
5 Tbs. cold water
5 Tbs. white flour


Directions:


In a 2 quart sauce pan add the chicken broth, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon and sugar (the sugar is a little secret to eliminate any bitter taste from the chili powder).
Use a whisk to mix everything well. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 3 minutes.
Whisk frequently to make sure all spices dissolve. This is important for flavor and a nice smooth sauce.
While the sauce is on a slow simmer/boil, add 5 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl.
With another whisk mix 1 tablespoon at a time of flour. Whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. If you have lumps here, you will definitely have lumps in your sauce.
After 3 minutes of cooking sauce, turn the heat up to high. Very slowly, pour the flour mixture into the boiling sauce. Here you must whisk the sauce vigorously while adding the flour to avoid lumps.
After all the flour is added, continue to whisk for one minute. You can turn the heat down to medium during this time. Just make sure the sauce is boiling.
Turn off the heat, this enchilada sauce recipe is done.
You will notice that as this sauce sits it will form a "skin" on the surface. This is normal and in fact the longer the sauce sits the thicker this skin becomes. All you have to do is peel the skin off and throw it away.

Enchilada instructions:

Rinse your chickens in cold water and place them in a pot and fill with water. You are going to boil the chicken for 1/2 hour.
Always test your chicken to make sure it is done. You don't want to see any red juices coming out of the chicken.
When done, remove the chicken to a dish to cool off.
When the chicken is cool enough to touch, you will debone the chicken. Discard the skin, bones, grisle, and any other parts you don't want to eat!
Try not to leave your chicken out at room temperature too long. You don't want to encourage bacterial growth.
Place your deboned chicken on a clean cutting board and cut the chicken into approximately 1 inch chunks. If you have ever considered buying one good knife for your kitchen, here is one I have been happy with. I use it all the time and love it. It's razor sharp and lightweight.
At this point you can start assembling your chicken enchiladas. If you want to keep your chicken warm just put it in a pot on the stove in the juice it was cooked in.
Heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat in a pan big enough to fit the tortillas in.


Assembly Time


When the oil is hot, take two tortillas with tongs and hold them in the oil until they bubble. The tortillas should bubble right away. If they don't, your oil is not hot enough.
Lift and dip the tortillas in and out of the oil 3 times fairly quickly.
The goal is to make the tortillas soft so they are easy to roll. If you leave them in the oil too long, the tortillas get stiff and are hard to roll. Toss those aside and try again. If you make these chicken enchilada recipes enough times, you will get good at it.
Now dip the tortillas in hot enchilada sauce to coat them. Transfer the coated tortillas to a plate or tray. The tortillas will be hot, so be careful.
You might want to wait 1 minute to let the tortillas cool.
Now add a large spoonful of chicken on top of the coated tortilla. Lay it right down the middle from end to end.
Grab one end of the tortilla (closest to you) and bring it over 3/4 of the way to the other end. Place your fingers on top near the chicken. Tuck and roll the enchilada over so that the opening is now on the bottom.
Pick up the enchilada and place it on a oven-proof dish. When you pick it up, make sure you grab the seam on the bottom with your fore fingers and let your pinky fingers cover the ends of the enchilada so the chicken doesn't fall out.
After a little practice you'll realize that making these chicken enchilada recipes is a breeze.
After you have placed your chicken enchiladas in the dish, use a ladle to spoon the enchilada sauce over the top of all the enchiladas. Spoon plenty of sauce to completely cover the enchiladas and the bottom of the dish.
Sprinkle grated mild cheddar cheese over the top of the chicken enchiladas. Use a much or as little as you desire.
Then sprinkle finely chopped yellow onions on top or not.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and place the chicken enchiladas in the oven. You don't need to cover them.
Since all of your ingredients are warm, you will only need to leave them in the oven a few minutes.
When you see that the cheese has completely melted and the sauce is bubbling around the edges, you know it's hot enough.
Take the chicken enchiladas out of the oven and serve immediately.

Guacamole. Hard (even for me) to screw up guacamole. Yummm.

Ingredients:



4 Hass avocados
2 home-grown or vine ripened tomatoes, sliced
1 whole chile ortega (canned)
1/8 cup finely chopped yellow onion
salt to taste
hot sauce to taste

Combine the tomatoes, chile, and onion on a cutting board and chop until the ingredients are fine. Scoop out the avocadoes and place in a bowl and add the tomatoe mixture. Mash with a potato masher. Add salt and hot sauce to taste.

Empanadas. Pretty good, but the dough was a bit dry. We slathered them with sour cream and salsa which fixed the problem.

Serves 8



FOR THE FILLING


2 pounds ground pork or beef
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 jalapeno chiles, minced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) tomatoes, diced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


FOR THE DOUGH


4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (do not beat until ready to bake)


Directions


1. Make the filling: In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, cook meat until no longer pink, breaking it up into small pieces, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add onion and jalapenos; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder and tomatoes. Cook over medium until mixture has thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in cilantro. Let cool.
3. Make the dough: In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Using your fingers, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add just enough cold water so dough comes together.
4. Form empanadas. If desired, freeze on a baking sheet until firm, 2 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic; freeze in plastic bags.
5. To bake fresh or frozen empanadas, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with egg wash, avoiding crimped edges. Bake until golden brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 30 to 40 minutes.


Tres Leches Cake. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Serves 8 to 10



FOR THE CAKE


4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
7 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whole milk
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
Whipped cream, for serving


Directions


1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
2. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until butter browns, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
3. Whisk egg whites, baking soda, and salt with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add yolks, and whisk until combined. Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar in a slow, steady stream, and mix until combined. Using a rubber spatula, quickly and gently fold butter mixture into egg mixture.
4. Combine flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sift 1/3 cup flour-cinnamon mixture over egg mixture, and gently fold to combine. Working quickly, sift remaining flour-cinnamon mixture over egg mixture in 2 additions, and gently fold to combine. Pour batter into prepared dish, and bake until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, whisk together the 3 milks in a medium bowl. Pour over cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Transfer cake in dish to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. (I only refigerated mine for about an hour.)

Up next—Italian week!

Grilled Pizza

Grilled Pizza! Mmm!!

Pizza Dough (By Rebecca T)

1 C hot water

1/2 c margarine

1 T yeast

2 1/2 c flour

1 t sugar

1 t salt

Melt margarine in hot water. Add yeast and sugar and sit for 5 minutes. Add flour and salt and knead well. Roll.

Place rolled dough on a hot grill 5 minutes (with grill cover). Turn dough over, remove from grill and put your toppings on the grilled side (do the cheese last). Return the dough to the grill for 5-7 minutes.

Or, place the dough in your pan or stone, place toppings on, and bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes.

*We grilled the pizza and I have a couple of recomendations. Next time, we will make smaller, personal pizzas as they are easier to turn and handle. Also, take the dough off the grill to do the toppings. When we removed the dough, we lifted one side and slid a large cutting board under it. Also, I substituted half whole wheat flour for white and added 1 tablespoon of Italian seasonings. Toppings we used were sausage, olives, onions, pineapple, green pepper, onions, zuchini. Also, I am not a sauce person so we omit the sauce from the pizza. Instead, I sprinkle it with a little bit of parmesan cheese and some basil, oregano, and garlic powder.

Enjoy!

If You Can't Stand The Heat...

Dear blog contributors,

Time to get serious.

If you can't stand the heat.... get OUT of the kitchen. (:

Let's see some of you hiding in the shadows post some recipes.

love, me

Lauri's Hamburger Buns

Lauri's Hamburger Buns

5 C flour

2 pkg yeast (2 T)

1 T salt

2 T butter at room temp

2 C warm water

Dissolve yeast in water. Add remaining ingredients. Knead 6-8 minutes. Let rise until double (about an hour). Shape into 12 balls. Place on a greased pan for 5 minutes. Flatten with the palm to 1" thick and about 4" diameter. Let raise until puffy (about 30 minutes). Brush bun with milk & sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

*The first time we made them, they were really bland. Of course I had to try it again and change some things. I did half whole wheat flour and half white flour and added 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed and 1 t garlic powder. I would make them this way again. My boys LOVEd them.

Orange Sweet Rolls

Sweet Roll Dough

1/2 c warm water

2 T yeast (Active dry)

dissolve yeast in water then add:

1 1/2 c warm milk

2 t salt

1/2 c shortening

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

3 1/2 c flour

Mix until smooth. Then add 3-4 c more flour. Knead 5 minutes. Round in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let raise in a warm place until doubled in size (About 1 1/2 - 2 hours). Punch down and bake to specifics.

* I use this dough also for cinnamon rolls, cream cheese rolls, and scones. It will make about 2 dozen scones. I also subsituted some whole wheat flour in the mix- about half of it. This makes the rising time a bit on the longer side.

Orange Rolls

3/4 c sugar

1/2 c butter (or margarine)- softened

2 T grated orange peel

Mix ingredients until smooth. Roll dough into a large rectangle and spread the filling onto the dough. Roll up jelly roll style and cut into rolls. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Mix glaze ingredients and spread over warm rolls.

Glaze:

1 c confectioners sugar

1 Tablespoon softened butter

4 t milk

1/2 t lemon extract (I used orange and it was good, too)

Enjoy! Store in a tightly sealed container. Also, wheat rolls will dry out more quickly than all-white- flour rolls.

Orange Pull Aparts

Orange Pull Aparts

Ingredients:

2 Pkg. Buttermilk Biscuits

1/2 C Butter (1 stick)

1/2 C Sugar
1/4 C Corn Syrup
1 Tablespoon TANG

Directions:
Heat last four ingredients in a saucepan until butter melts.

Pull biscuits apart and place in a greased round pan (bundt or angel cake).

Pour syrup over rolls. Bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes.

Turn pan over on large platter. Enjoy! :)

Its Working!

My oldest son and I were cooking something the other day.

"Mmm... doesn't that look delicious?"

"Yes, mom! It does!" He replied, "Aren't you going to take a picture of it?"