Double Thick Baked Potato-Cheese Soup

2 lbs. baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cans (10 1/2 oz each) condensed cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup

1 1/2 c. finely chopped green onions, divided

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

1 1/2 c. (6 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 c. (8 oz) sour cream

1 c. milk

black pepper

1. Combine potatoes, soup, 1 c. green onions, garlic powder and red pepper in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours.

2. Add cheese, sour cream, and milk; stir until cheese has completely melted. Cover; cook on HIGH 10 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. Garnish with remaining green onions. Makes 7 servings.

I have also added bacon to add a bit more flavor. This soup works great with some bread to scoop it up in.

M&M Kit Kat Cake

Ok, so this isn't at all related to dinner but it's cute and fun to make and I thought I would share my take on the M&M Kit Kat Cake! 

What you need:

2 Cake Mixes

Frosting (I will add the recipe I used) 

12 Kit Kat Bars

1 Large bag of M&Ms (medium might work if you don't snack on them)

1 piece of ribbon for bow, whatever color you would like

(I wanted a very chocolately cake so I make devil's food cake and used chocolate frosting but you could use any type of cake and frosting. For Leata's 7th birthday, she wants a pink, red and white one with white chocolate kit kats and a strawberry cake with vanilla frosting.)

Make the 4-9 inch cakes with the 2 cake mixes. 

While those are baking make the frosting if you are not using store bought. Homemade frosting works so much better though

The frosting I used:

(Double this recipe)

2 3/4 cups powdered sugar

8 TBSP unsweetened Cocoa Powder

5 TBSP Evaporated Milk

8 TBSP Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

Sift powdered Sugar and cocoa powder together in one bowl. 

Mix all other ingredients and then slowly add in the dry mixture. Beating until fluffy and airy. 

This is a rich frosting that spreads easily.

After the cakes cool completely, use three of the cakes with frosting between each layer and frost the sides and top. It doesn't need to look perfect. 

You will have a leftover cake that you won't use. Make it a smash cake or use the extra batter to make cupcakes or just have an extra layer in case one falls apart.

After the cake is frosted add the kit kats one at at time around the edges.

Separate the M&M and start on the outside with the color that you have the most of. In the case of the one pictured, I had  a lot of oranges. Then just go in to the center with another color and repeat colors when you have used all the colors you like. 

I piled icing with a large star tip in the empty space between the Kit Kats and the M&Ms and I also did around the bottom. After that is done, tie the ribbon around the Kit Kats. I added M&Ms around the bottom for the finishing touch!

Thanksgiving Blessings Snack Mix

Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia of Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation’s abundance.
Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.
Candy Corn: The sacrifices of the Pilgrims’ first winter. Food was so scarce that the settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.
Nuts or Seeds: Promise of a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.
Dried fruit: Harvest gifts from our bountiful land.
M&Ms: Sweet memories of those who came before us to lead us into a blessed future.
Hershey’s Kiss: The love of family and friends that sweeten our lives.

Cheesy Green Chili Crockpot Chicken

This is a super easy recipe and it's yummy!

You will need:

1 Can Cheddar Cheese Condensed Soup or Nacho Fiesta Cheese Condensed Soup
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 8 oz brick of cream cheese
1 small can of chopped green chilies
2 Tablespoons of Milk
About 1 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast (there is enough sauce to do up to about 1.5 lbs or so)

Mix soup, sour cream, green chilies and milk in a bowl and stir until mixed. Pour half in the bottom of crockpot (we use a crockpot liner, makes clean up easy) and then put the chicken on top and pour the rest of the sauce on the chicken. Cube the cream cheese and put it on top (or I softened it and mixed it in with everything else today and we will see how it turns out but I am sure it will be fine). Cook on low about 6-8 hours.
Pour over rice or egg noodles or wrap up in a warm tortilla for a yummy easy dinner.

I made this up after we tried one that had two cans of cheddar cheese soup, one can of cream of chicken and  just sprinkling the chicken with pepper and garlic powder so if you or you kids don't like chilies, that's another option.

The Udder Potatoes

I found a recipe in the latest issue of Scouting magazine that I just HAD to try. (We get this publication because James used to be the counselor in the bishopric who was over scouts and all the re-chartering stuff. There's not much in there of great interest to me.)
It's actually a dutch oven recipe, but I thought I could just tweak it a little and cook it in a regular oven. At the end of the page, the guy who'd submitted the recipe states, "I guarantee once your Scouts get a taste of this dish, if you ever ask them if they want scalloped or cheese potatoes again, they will all cry out, 'No! We want the udder ones!' "
My kids are lousy potato eaters, so how could I resist a recipe with such a guarantee??? Oh, and the submitter also said, "I should probably warn those who are health-food conscious that further reading of this column could be hazardous to your health. These potatoes are not low-calorie and definitely not low-fat." That being said, these potatoes turned out so yummy that my kids all liked them, and I ate nearly half the bowl in the first sitting. (Yikes!) So here is how I made it.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 32oz package frozen hash browns
1 green onion, chopped
sprinkling of seasoned salt
sprinkling of Greek seasoning
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons butter, cut into slices

While bacon is cooking, combine hash browns, onion, and seasonings in a casserole dish. Drain the fat from the bacon and add it to the mixture. Mix gently until evenly distributed.

Pour cream over potato mixture and place butter slices on top. Bake, covered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes, or until slightly browned on top.

After removing it from the oven, stir it again to distribute the cream in the bottom of the dish before serving.

Enjoy!!!

Freezer cooking, and 5 recipes

A while ago I mentioned freezer cooking and never did anything about it. So now here I am to tell the world about the wonders of freezer meals. The ones you make yourself, not the ones you find at the grocery store. These are a lot better.

What is it?

You cook several meals at a time and store them in the freezer, ready for dinner. You can do once a week cooking, once a month cooking, or twice a month cooking, or whatever. I was doing once a month cooking, but it is just too much for me to do on my own at one time. It's great if you can do it with a friend, but I decided it would be better for me to do twice-a-month cooking, usually on Saturdays.

Generally, you make enough of one recipe to last two or three meals, and freeze in meal-sized portions. Most meals will still require some preparation on “eating day,” such as cooking rice or pasta, or adding cheese.

Most of the recipes I use I have adapted into freezer meals myself. A lot of recipe books out there use a lot of high-fat, high-sodium, high-whatever ingredients that I try to avoid in general. I also personally don’t like some of their methods, since there are things that just shouldn’t be frozen*. My method requires a bit more work on eating day, but the vast majority is done on cooking day. I also utilize a lot of frozen vegetables—stock up on them when they’re on sale, and it cuts out a LOT of work, and it probably won’t be any more expensive than buying fresh vegetables.

Why?

Well, I started doing it because I was sick to death of spending my evenings cooking dinner and then cleaning up after it. Freezer cooking really cuts down on the amount of dishes to do every night. I also don’t have to rack my brains to figure out what to have for dinner every night, because I made the decision when I planned my menu. If dinner is already mostly ready, then it’s much less of a temptation to just go get a pizza or burgers for dinner.

How?

Take time to make a plan. I like to list each dish and specific things to do for each dish, preparation in one column and cooking in another. Then I can cross things off as I go. Make your shopping list the day before you go shopping.

Divide your work up into two or three days:
Day one: shopping
Day two: prep (chopping, preparing sauces, etc. Anything that isn’t cooking.)
Day three: cooking
I sometimes combine shopping and prep day. If you want, add a day four for cleaning. I for one am not ashamed to leave my dishes in the sink or on the counter til I can rest up, then attack them the next day.

*There are some things that just don’t freeze well, like pasta, cheese, rice, potatoes, etc. Pasta gets mushy, rice gets gummy, cheese (dairy in general, really) gets…just gross, and potatoes get mealy. It’s really best to wait until eating day to cook these things. Commercially frozen potatoes are ok.

These are the things that I made this past Saturday. They're divided up into two sections: cooking day and eating day. There may be additional ingredients listed under eating day. The ingredients listed under cooking day are really a doubled recipe. The ingredients listed under cooking day are a single recipe, since, at least when I do it, I make enough of one recipe for two meals, then thaw half at a time to eat. So the eating day ingredients are half of the cooking day ingredients. If that makes any sense.

Slow-cooked Pork Ribs
This recipe comes from a recipe for a pork loin roast. I used pork ribs cuz they're a lot cheaper and easier to cook.

Cooking day:
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper sauce
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into eighths
1 medium onion, cut into fourths
4 garlic cloves, crushed

Place pork ribs in large bowl. In blender, place orange juice, lime juice, cumin, red pepper sauce, allspice, pepper, onion, and garlic. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour over pork ribs; cover bowl. Refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Place in slow cooker with 1 cup water. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or high 3 to 4 hours.

Divide in half (including the remaining juices) and freeze.

Eating day
Thaw and heat. Make a gravy out of the liquid. It’ll be green, but it’ll be tasty. These are really good served with garlic mashed potatoes. Pineapple goes really well with it, too.


Chicken Taco Grande

Cooking day:
2 tablespoon oil
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/3 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup water
2 pkg (1 oz) taco seasoning mix or use this recipe

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes or until no longer pink in center, stirring frequently.
Add corn, bell pepper, onion water and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Heat until bubbly. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 to 15 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; divide in half and freeze.

Eating day (remember, this is for one half of the recipe above):
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
lettuce, tomato, whatever taco toppings you like.

Thaw one meal’s worth. Stir in cheese

Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles on sprayed cookie sheet with short sides of triangles toward center, overlapping into wreath shape and leaving 5-inch round opening in center. Lightly press short sides of dough to flatten slightly.

Spoon chicken filling onto widest part of dough. Pull end points of triangles over filling and tuck under dough to form ring. (Filling will be visible.)

Bake at 375°F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with taco toppings.

Cajun Burgers
For these, I used ground chicken that I ground with my KitchenAid food grinder attachment. They would be good with ground beef as well.

cooking day:
1 pound ground beef (or chicken, turkey)
1/2 cup diced pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Cook onion and pepper in skillet over medium heat until onion is translucent.

In a medium bowl, mix the ground beef, pepper, onion, bread crumbs, egg, green onions, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, and mustard. Form into 4 or 5 patties.

Cook on grill, or broil (what I did), 4-5 minutes per side, to internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Allow to cool, then freeze in meal-size portions. Tip: first, freeze on a pan lined with wax paper so the burger don’t stick together in a bag. Then put them in a plastic freezer bag.

Eating day:
Thaw. Heat in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until heated through. I suggest heating in an oven so that they don't get soggy. Then place a slice of cheese on each burger and broil until cheese on each burger melts. Serve on buns with burger fixings and bbq sauce.


Italian Soup

Cooking day:
1 lb ground beef, chicken, or turkey
1 1/2 cup chopped frozen carrots
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onion, quartered then halved
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon dried parsley
3 teaspoons dried basil
3 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoon salt

In medium skillet, cook beef, chicken, or turkey until browned through. Remove from skillet. Cook onion in olive oil until translucent. Stir in garlic and cook until tender (about 30 seconds).
Combine chicken, onion mixture, carrots, and spices; dive in half and freeze.

Eating day:
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 3/4 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ditalini pasta

Thaw. In med or large pot, combine meat mixture, tomato sauce, water, and beans. Heat until boiling, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.


Honey Chicken Stir-Fry

Cooking day:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
6 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable blend

Stir-fry chicken in 2 teaspoons oil. In small bowl, combine garlic, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Allow to cool. In two freezer bags, combine chicken, frozen vegetables (still frozen), and sauce. Freeze immediately, before vegetables thaw.

Eating day:
Thaw in skillet over medium heat. Bring liquid to a boil. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, until vegetables are done. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I combined a recipe for cottage cheesecake and pumpkin cheesecake to make this. It is exceedingly delicious. Mmmmmmmmmm. Also, I jacked the picture from allrecipes.com, so I can't take credit for it. As I was looking through pictures, though, I found one that had a praline sauce on top, and it looked really good. I think I'll have to try that next time. And, seriously, you can't tell that it uses cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. It's just delicious.


Graham cracker pie crust
2 cups 2% low-fat cottage cheese
2 eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Blend cottage cheese until smooth. For a denser cake, allow cheese to drain in coffee filter for a couple hours (or overnight), then continue.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a blender, combine cottage cheese, eggs, flour, vanilla, sugar and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour one cup of mixture into prepared crust. To remaining batter add pumpkin puree, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Blend well and pour over batter in crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until filling is firm. Allow to cool completely and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Perfect Brown Rice

I love using whole grains when I cook, but brown rice has always been difficult to get right. If you cook it like white rice and just steam it, it turns our really mushy and not really very appetizing. But I found this way to cook brown rice that makes it tender, not mushy. Anyway, I found the instructions here at saveur.com. Basically, you boil the rice like you would pasta for 20 minutes, then you drain it and let it steam in the remaining liquid for another 10 minutes. It works! The down side is, of course, that any of the "enriched" vitamins will go down the drain, but there's other ways to get your vitamins.

Check it out:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Perfect-Brown-Rice

Delicious Sloppy Joes

I love these sloppy joes. They're so easy and so delicious. I was really rather pleasantly surprised the first time I tried them. So much better than Manwich (I'm not knocking it--but these ARE better). The picture and original recipe came from Rachel Ray on foodnetwork.com.



1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin (or whatever—I used ground chicken thighs)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large red or green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, seasoning blend, vinegar, W sauce, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. In skillet, brown meat over medium high heat. Remove meat, and sauté onion and pepper until onions are translucent. Add meat and sauce mixture to skillet. Stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes, or until it reaches desired consistency. Serve on crusty rolls or hamburger buns.

Soaked Whole Grains--Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

Once upon a time I happened upon this web site. It expounds the benefits of soaking your whole grains before you use them, for nutritional benefit and what not. I don't know about nutritional benefits (if they really are all that), but I can say that it seems to improve the final texture and taste of the finished product. The short of the story is this: soak your whole grains in an acid medium for at least 12 hours before cooking with them. An acid medium can include cultured buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice, and vinegar (1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar per 1 cup of water). Heat the acid medium to bath-water temperature before adding it, then let it soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours. And leaving buttermilk out on the counter overnight is not going to make you sick. Anyway, you can find more details and recipes on the web site. Here's something that I tried this morning. Note: do remember that you have to start it the night before. I added blueberries as well, and topped them with strawberries. They were REALLY good. :)


Whole Wheat-Oatmeal-Banana Pancakes

1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups cultured buttermilk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 banana, mashed

Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour.

Combine the blended oats, whole wheat flour, and buttermilk. Allow so soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours.

Whisk together all-purpose flour, brown sugar, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Whisk together the egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Add to buttermilk mixture. Add dry flour mixture and stir just until moistened.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Broccoli Salad

I'm not a huge fan of raw broccoli or onions, but I really like this salad. Use any kind of nut or seed you like (sunflower seeds, cashews, here I used toasted walnuts). I love the colors in this salad, too. To make it healthier, replace half the mayo with lain low-fat yogurt and reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup or so. Still delicious. You could try turkey bacon, too, but I'm afraid that would take the deliciousness down a notch.


2 heads fresh broccoli
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup raisins or craisins
3/4 cup your favorite nuts of seeds
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Cut the broccoli into bite-size. Combine with the onion, bacon, raisins, your favorite nuts and mix well.

To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Chill for at least an hour. Stir into the salad and serve.

I only stirred in enough dressing to cover the salad, and I actually had quite a bit left over. I find that much more appealing than to have the broccoli swimming in dressing, but do what you want.

Pao de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread)

After my husband and I went to Tucanos (a Brazilian grill) we kept craving their cheese puff rolls. So we found this recipe to try, and it's pretty close. Evidently, to be really authentic to Brazil, you'd have to use Queijo Minas, but it's not available in the US. But Parmesan is pretty good, too. Some people say to use half Parmesan and half Mozzarella, but I haven't tried so I don't know. Do what you want! Also, you can find manioc flour (aka manioc starch, or tapioca starch/flour) in any Mexican or Asian food market, or probably also in the specialty food section of your grocery store, though it's probably cheaper at an Asian or Mexican market.


3 cups sweet manioc starch or sour manioc starch
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring the milk, salt, and oil to a boil. Remove from heat. Slowly add manioc starch, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed. Add the cheese and eggs. Knead until smooth.

Form into balls approximately 2-inches in diameter and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden brown (15-20 minutes).

Eat while hot.

P.S. Manioc flour is NOT like wheat flour. These rolls will not be light and fluffy, but have more of a rubbery, cheesy texture. It's delicious. Trust me.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Sorry I've been neglecting this blog for the past few months. Mostly, it's been too darn hot to cook much. I've started doing once-a-month cooking, too, which I'll post about later, if anyone's interested. But, anyway, a kind neighbor gave me some zucchini from her garden the other day, so I decided to make a little treat. The muffins are very moist and delicious. They're not overwhelmingly chocolaty, either, just a hint. A sneaky way to get some vegetables in the morning!


3 eggs
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar and oil. Add the applesauce, cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.

3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just moist.

4. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered.

Cake Mix Made With Melted Ice Cream

So, I got some Ben and Jerry's Flourless Chocolate Cake ice cream. It is the richest chocolate ice cream I have ever had. It is so yummy so I just took a very small scoop the other day right after I opened it (about 4 bites) and my sweet husband put the rest away for me, in the FRIDGE! lol
Needless to say, the next morning when I was surprised when I saw it there when I went to get the milk for Leata and Taylor's cereal. When I posted this on facebook as my status, Katherine so kindly posted a recipe for cake made with cake mix and melted ice cream. I left the ice cream in the fridge and hoped that I would get time to make the cake in the next few days.

Today, for Mother's Day, my mom, sister, brother, mother in law, father in law and sister in law all came for dinner. It was a great opportunity to make this cake.

The link Katherine sent was this: http://www.cakemixdoctor.com/recipes/what_kind/cakes/incredible_melted_ice_cream_ca_1.php

Serves 16
Preparation Time: 5 to 7 minutes
Baking Time: 38 to 42 minutes
Assembly Time: 10 minutes

vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
flour for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix (I use a chocolate cake mix)
2 cups melted ice cream, your choice of flavor (This cake was made with B&J's Flourless Chocolate Cake ice cream.)
3 large eggs

(I also added about 3/4 cup of chocolate chips)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

3. Place the cake mix, melted ice cream, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with the rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula.

4. Place the pan in the oven.

5. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 38 to 42 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a small rack, then invert it again onto a second rack so that the cake is right side up to complete cooling, 30 minutes more.

6. Meanwhile prepare the Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting, or another frosting that would go well with the flavor of the ice cream in the cake. Place the cake on a serving platter and frost the top of the cake with clean, smooth strokes.

This frosting was delicious and went well with the chocolaty theme!

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 large marshmallows
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

2. Place the marshmallows, butter, and milk in a medium-size heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir until the marshmallows are melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Pour the confectioners' sugar and cocoa mixture over the marshmallow mixture. Add the vanilla and stir until the frosting is smooth and satiny.

3. Use at once to frost the top of the cake of your choice.

Wow what a YUMMY chocolaty cake. If you are not a chocolate fan you could do whatever flavors you like but it was such a yummy moist cake! I really enjoyed the small, rich slice I had. A.J. assures me it was as yummy as I thought too! I might try it sometime with strawberry ice cream for a pink cake for my girls!

Applesauce Spice Cake

I made this as a "healthy" alternative for Lacey's birthday cake. It uses apple juice concentrate instead of refined sugar. Lacey liked it, except for the dates. I doused mine in caramel sauce and topped it with vanilla ice cream. It was pretty yummy that way, too.

3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 1/2 cups ground almonds (optional)
2 Macintosh apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 9 x 13 baking pan.

Beat the eggs until they drop like ribbons from the beaters. Continue beating and add the oil in a thin stream. Beat in the 1 cup applesauce and the 1 cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate then mix in the flour gradually until well blended. Add the baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground almonds, dates, and apples. Fold together until well mixed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F about 40 minutes or until the cake tests clean with a knife or toothpick. Cool completely before frosting.

Frog Eye Salad

I seriously could eat this all day. I'm pretty sure I have before.

1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons flour
1 3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
16 oz acini di pepe
1 (9 oz) container cool whip
2 (20 oz) cans pineapple tidbits (drained)
2 cans mandarin oranges
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 teaspoon oil
2 teaspoons salt.

In a small sauce pan, combine sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, egg yolks, flour, pineapple juice, and lemon juice. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cool completely. Meanwhile, Boil acini de pepe, oil, and slat for 10 to 20 minutes. Drain. Cool. Mix with sauce. Add fruit, marshmallows. Stir in cool whip. Allow to set in refrigerator overnight.

Bayou Chicken Pasta

This is originally an Emeril recipe, but I simplified it to something that I would actually make. Yummy! Pretty much any cajun or creole seasoning will work.

1 pound linguine
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons cajun or creole seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or evaporated milk
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
Parmesan cheese

Set a large 1-gallon stock pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Place the linguine in the pot and stir until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender, but with a bit of resistance (al dente), about 12 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and add the chicken to the pan. Sear the chicken until well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions to the pan and saute until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, remaining 1 tablespoon of seasoning, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, linguine and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add Parmesan and toss to blend. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Pie

One of our favorites--full of fresh fruit deliciousness.

2 cups water
1 package cook-n-serve vanilla pudding
1 package strawberry gelatin (sugar free, if desired)
4 cups Strawberries
graham cracker pie crust

Bring water and pudding mix to boil, take off stove, add pkg. jell-o and stir up. Let cool.

Clean and slice the fresh strawberries. Line the pie crust with strawberries. Pour cooled pudding mixture on top. Allow to set in refrigerator for at least one hour or until firm.

Egg-free Cornbread

I went looking for this recipe because I wanted cornbread, but I discovered that I had no eggs. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this recipe is. If you like your corn bread less sweet (as so many southerners do) just reduce the amount of sugar. I actually increased it from the original recipe (which called for 2 tablespoons) because my husband likes his cornbread sweet.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and the oil, and stir until just blended.
Spread the batter into a nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed 9-inch square baking dish, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serve hot.

Crockpot Pork Chops

My husband has requested that I make these again. That's a compliment!

8 pork chops (or fewer)
salt & pepper
2 onions, chopped (or dried onion)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (unless you don't have any)
1 green pepper, cut in strips (unless...)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour over the meat and veggies in a crockpot.
Cook on low for six hours.
YUM

Saturday's menu

Saturday we had the in-laws over for dinner, so I thought I'd share what we had, since I thought it turned out beautifully.

For the main dish, we had:

Italian Barbecued Chicken with Polenta
You can find the original recipe by Rachael Ray here. I've just taken out the polenta ingredients and instructions. I also used chicken tenders instead of bone-in chicken.

4 bone-in chicken thigh and leg or chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons grill seasoning
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 thick cut slices pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 to 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and grill seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the chicken a few minutes on each side to put some of it's flavor and drippings into the pan then transfer to oven and roast 15 minutes more or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, add 1 more tablespoon olive oil to the pan and cook pancetta or bacon, if using, until crisp. Add onions, garlic and rosemary, cook 5 minutes then add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock, reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer 5 minutes more.

For a side, we had mashed potatoes to which I added yogurt (in place of sour cream--you get the same result with a lot fewer calories), a teensy pat of butter, and some cajun seasoning from the grocery store.

And some broccoli and baby carrots, steamed for 10 minutes, then topped with mozzarella cheese and cajun seasoning and heated in the oven until the cheese was melty.

Also, some one hour rolls, recipe here.

Quick Cheese Bread

I made this the other day when I wanted bread to go with dinner but was short on time. I recommend using sharp cheddar cheese to add flavor. Yummy!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cheese. In another large bowl, beat together egg, milk and oil. Stir the flour/cheese mixture into the egg mixture, stirring until just moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

Hash Brown Potato Quiche

3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup cooked ham, chopped
1 cup (4 oz.) Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup green, yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 jalapeno chilli, finely chopped (optional)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Spread the potatoes on paper towels and press out any remaining moisture. Pat the potatoes over the bottom and up the side of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Drizzle the butter over the potatoes, making sure the edge is totally covered. Bake at 425* for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temp. to 350*.
Layer the ham, cheese, pepper, onion and jalapeno over the baked crust. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl until blended and pour over the prepared layers. Bake for 25 min or until a knife inserted in teh center comes out clean. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 8

Croissant Pizza

I made this recipe up myself when I was feeling lazy and hungry. It's easy and quick to make.

2 cans croissant rolls
traditional spaghetti sauce
pizza/special seasonings
cheese
pizza toppings

Unroll and split apart the croissant rolls and put on a large cookie sheet. Mix spaghetti sauce with the seasonings and put on each croissant. Add pizza toppings and cheese. (I have also made BBQ chicken and cheddar cheese as my pizza topping.) Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until dough is browned. Enjoy!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

These are some of my favorite pancakes. They're much more filling than regular pancakes, and a nice change from the norm.

The original recipe calls for 6 tablespoons of butter, but I usually just use a splash of vegetable oil or just leave it out altogether. I don't think it's necessary considering the cheese, especially when I'm just gonna smother it all in sugary syrup and fruity jam anyway.

1 cup cottage cheese
pinch of salt
6 tablespoon melted margarine (or cooking oil)
4 eggs
½ cup flour

In a bowl combine all ingredients well. Cook on a hot griddle. Sere with butter and syrup.

Makes about 12 small pancakes.

Also, the other day, I was lazy but wanted some of these, so I just added 1/2 cup cottage cheese to a my pancake mix, and it cooked up nicely. Not as good, of course, but good enough.

Key Lime Pie

This is my Nana's Recipe for Key Lime Pie and it is so yummy and so easy to make.

1 graham cracker pie crust (vanilla wafer pie crust works really well too!)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice (regular lime juice is fine too, whatever fresh limes you can find, taste best)
4 egg yolks
Green food coloring if you want it to be green and not yellow.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix sweetened condensed milk and lime juice well.
Add egg yolks and mix well. Then add food coloring if desired.

Pour mix into pie crust and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until filling s set. Let cool in the refrigerator for at least three hours.

Great served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo

This is seriously the yummiest chicken alfredo recipe I've found. I've even won an award for it at a Ward Cook-Off that was judged by the missionaries. I warn you though, this baby is full of calories!

Ingredients:

3 - 4 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into pieces

1 stick of butter

1 packet of Good Seasons Zesty Italian Mix (this can be found in the salad dressing section)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 cup of milk or water

1 box cream cheese

Set your crock pot to HIGH. Add chicken, butter and seasoning. Cook for 1 hour. Add soup, milk, and cream cheese. Cook for an additional 2 hours on HIGH. Serve over pasta.

White Pizza Dip

1 envelope Herb & Garlic Lipton Soup Mix
2 C sour cream
1 C ricotta cheese
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c chopped pepperoni (optional)
other pizza toppings also optional
1 loaf Italian bread sliced or cut into squares

1. Preheat oven to 350. In shallow 1 qt. casserole, combine soup mex, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 c mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
2. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c mozzarella cheese.
3. Bake - uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread.
Makes 3 cups

Cottage Cheesecake

This light cheesecake has a fraction of the calories but all the flavor of a cheesecake made from cream cheese. If you're really sensitive to textures, then you might think it a teensy bit grainy, but it wasn't enough to bother me one bit. I even ate it for breakfast this morning! :) I used 2% cottage cheese, but I read that there was no difference between that and 1% (I woulda used it but couldn't find it).

Graham cracker pie crust
2 cups cottage cheese
2 eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend cottage cheese until smooth. For a denser cake, allow cheese to drain in cheesecloth or coffee filter for a couple hours, then continue.
In a blender, combine cottage cheese, milk, eggs, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, sugar and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until filling is firm. Allow to cool completely.

Chicken Breast 4 Ways

Chicken breast is a staple of an American diet, right? At least it is at my house. It’s lean and versatile, and it’s yummy too! This past week I cooked a bunch of chicken breasts, then used the leftovers all week in three very different dishes. So here’s my original recipe, as well as three ways to use any leftover chicken.

If you know any more ways to use leftover chicken, please post, or email me at kaleth418+blog@gmail.com

Chicken Breasts With Herb Basting Sauce

I removed the skin and trimmed the fat first, then coated them in the basting sauce. I actually cooked this in my crock pot, on low for about 7 hours. They came out tender and juicy and flavorful, and the meat came right off the bone. Served up with steamed veggies and rolls. Delicious! You can do the same thing with boneless skinless chicken breasts. I used bone-in chicken breasts because they were way cheaper. When Lacey starts eating with us, though, I’ll probably stay away from them since it’s so easy to miss those little bones (not really an issue for the big people, but we don’t want to choke the little ones).

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 clove crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
4 bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425 F (350 if you're using boneless skinless).

In a bowl, prepare the basting sauce by combining olive oil, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.
Turn chicken breasts in sauce to coat thoroughly. Place skin side up in a shallow baking dish. Cover.

Roast at 425 (or 350) F, basting occasionally with pan drippings, for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove to warm platter, spoon pan juices over.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is sooo easy! And yummy. Use whatever amount of sauce, cheese, and chicken you like. The amounts listed are just suggestions--what I used.

Pre-baked pizza crust (see note)
1 red onion, sliced or chopped
1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
1 cups left-over chicken
2/3 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. Saute onion in a little oil until soft. Spread BBQ sauce on crust. Top with onions, chicken, and cheese. Bake until cheese is melty.

Note: There’s lots of things you could use for a crust. Really any bread product would work, including tortillas, sliced bread, French bread (sliced in half), rolls, hamburger buns, biscuits. You could use Pillsbury crescent rolls (rolled out and pinched together) or one of their refrigerated pizza crusts. Or make your own from scratch.

Chicken and Biscuits

This is a really quick and easy recipe for chicken and biscuits. It would be easier just to sub the chicken broth and cornstarch with a can of cream of chicken soup, but this way is dairy free and low fat, if those are concerns. If you want it creamy, you could add milk or cream.

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked chopped chicken
2 cups frozen vegetables (I used peas, carrots, corn, and potatoes)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup cold water

Combine everything together in a pot and cook until the vegetables are done, about 5 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch and water, and add to pot as you stir. Simmer until thickened. Serve over biscuits (recipe for drop biscuits here, or use frozen biscuits, canned biscuit dough, Bisquick, whatever).

Taco Chicken Soup

Sooooo easy and delicious.

1 cup cooked chopped chicken
3 cups water
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can white kidney (canellini) beans
1 (16-oz) can tomato sauce
1 (1.5 oz) envelope taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa

Toss everything in a pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

Yogurt in the CrockPot!

Yes, I made yogurt in my CrockPot, and I am most excited about it! Lacey and I eat a lot of yogurt, so this is a way to cut costs a little bit. I found the instructions here, but I thought I'd consolidate the information.

The process takes a while, but most of it is just waiting. It's really very very easy.

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon milk (homogenized and pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized)
1/2 cup live/active culture yogurt, as a starter
You will also need a thick bath towel and, of course, a slow cooker

Instructions:
1. Pour 1/2 gallon milk in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours
2. Unplug slow cooker, and let it sit covered for 3 hours.
3. After 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of milk, whisk in the live culture yogurt, and stir it back into the slow cooker.
4. Put the lid back on, keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel around for insulation.
5. Go to bed (or let it sit for 8 -12 hours). In the morning, it should have thickened (not as thick as what you buy at the store, but significantly thicker than the milk you started with).
6. Stir in whatever fruit and/or sweetener you like. Just keep in mind that as you stir, you may break down the proteins that make it thick, and it won't thicken up again.
7. It will be good in your refrigerator for about 7 days.

Some tips that were in the comments on the web site:

--The lower the fat content in your milk, the thinner your yogurt will be.

--Ways to thicken your yogurt. 1) Add a packet of non-flavored gelatin along with the live culture yogurt. 2) Add some NOT instant powdered milk (amounts between 2 tablespoons and 1/2 cup were all suggested). I assume that you either add it at the beginning or with the the live culture yogurt. I don't know, I haven't tried it. 3) Line a strainer with a double thickness of cheese cloth. Add the yogurt you just made and let the liquid drip out of it (I used a coffee filter, and it worked, but it was just a mess trying to get the yogurt off the filter, and I'm pretty sure that there were pieces of filter left over in my yogurt. I assume cheese cloth would still be messy but hopefully it won't leave pieces behind). This can take a couple hours or all day and night, depending on how much yogurt you use and how thick you want it.

--You can use 1/2 cup of the yogurt that you made as a starter 5 or 6 times until the cultures die. Then you'll probably need to start over again. One person said that the cultures in Yoplait are pretty weak and would die after maybe 2 batches.

Double Thick Baked Potato-Cheese Soup

Simple, delicious, and cheesy!

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cans (10 1/2 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom or chicken soup
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green onions, divided
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp, ground red pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup milk
Black pepper

Combine potatoes, soup, 1 c. green onions, garlic powder and red pepper in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours or on HIGH 4 hours. (I've found that it doesn't take this long.)

Add cheese, sour cream and milk; stir until cheese has completely melted. Cover; cook on HIGH 10 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. Garnish with remaining green onions. Makes 7 servings.

Tip: chopping onions

I hate chopping onions because they always set the tears a-flowin', then my eyes won't open and I try to chop blind, which is just dangerous.

So, I put onions in the freezer for 10 to 30 minutes before I chop them--and no tears. No fumes, no danger of chopping off my fingers. So, if you're like me and have to chop an onion with a box of kleenex, give this a try. Just don't leave the onion in the freezer too long, or it'll get too frozen to cut.

Yogurt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Delightful cookies! They use no eggs and about half the butter that my classic cookie recipe has--and they are just as delicious. Yum yum yum! I also use about half the amount of chocolate chips that this recipe calls for, but some people would think them scarce that way.

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar, and butter until light and fluffy. Stir in yogurt and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until incorporated, then mix in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges begin to brown. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

French Breakfast Muffins

What makes them French, I don't know. But they are yummy. I made them for breakfast this morning, and they were a hit. I used regular plain yogurt instead of butter in the muffins, and they still turned out delicious. They are not very sweet, so the cinnamon sugar on top is a must. I wanna try them with blueberries next, maybe with a little bit of almost flavor too.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir together egg, milk and 1/3 cup melted butter. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir until just moistened (batter may be lumpy). Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon. When muffins are finished baking, dip tops of muffins in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.

Drop Biscuits

I thought these biscuits were decent. They're really quick, literally 5 minutes from start to oven. I bake them in muffin tins so that they are shaped like actual biscuits. The best biscuits I've ever had are Pillsbury's frozen buttermilk biscuits, but when I don't feel like spending $4 for 12 biscuits, these are a decent alternative.

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until blended. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Feta-Topped Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1- 1/4 lb)
2 T balsamic viniagrette dressing
1 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t seasoned pepper
1 lg roma tomato, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 Set oven control to broil. Brush both sides of chicken breasts with dressing. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning and seasoned pepper. Place on rack in broiler pan.
2 Broil with tops 4 inches from heat about 10 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned. 4 servings

(I grilled the chicken. 7 - 8 minutes on each side. Top with the tomato and cheese after turning it)

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

Katherine, I'm so glad you invited me to contribute! I was just typing this recipe up to send it to you when I got the invite. I made it tonight and its SOOOOOOO good, and just stuffed with yummy veggies! It's from the Better Homes and Gardens ultimate casseroles magazine

8 oz bowtie pasta (I used garden rotini cause I didnt have bowties)
1 Tbs butter, or olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (8 oz)
1 14-oz jar quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 10-oz pkg frozen leaf or chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp paprika (opt)
1 tbs butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the 1 Tbs butter (or oil) over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 4 to 5 mins or until tender.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, crushed red pepper (if desired), and black pepper. Stir in cooked onion, chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach, dried tomatoes, and half of the Parmesan cheese. Stir in cooked pasta. (at this point I added a shredded carrot and a shredded zuccini) Transfer mixture to an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

Bake, covered, for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, paprika, and the remaining Parmesan cheese; stir in melted butter. Sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until mixture is heated through and crumbs are golden. Makes 6 to 8 servings (actually it completely fills a casserole dish. I got more than 8 servings out of that.)

Tangy Pork Chops

My picky husband loves this one. Add any other vegetables you like, too. I like to add carrots and celery.

4 thick cut boneless pork chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 medium chopped onions
1 large sliced green pepper
14-1/2 ounces stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper and add to crockpot. Add the chopped onions, green pepper, and stewed tomatoes. Mix ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and bouillon. Pour over vegetables. Cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours. Mix cornstarch and water and stir into liquid on high and cook another 30 minutes.

Philly Cheese Steak Wraps

2 cups frozen bell pepper stir-fry
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli cooked roast beef, cut into strips
1/2 cup purchased Italian salad dressing
7 (8 or 7 inch) tomato-basil flour tortillas
4 oz (1 cup) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

In a medium nonstick skillet, cook and stir pepper stir-fry over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until tender. Add beef and salad dressing; mix well. Cook until thoroughly heated.
Spoon beef mixture evenly down center of each tortilla. Sprinkle each with cheese. Roll up each tortilla.

Chicken Taco Crescent Ring

1 tablespoon oil
1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup water
1 (1.25 oz) taco seasoning mix
4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls

Heat oven to 375 F. Spray large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Add chicken; cook through, about 5, stirring freuquently. Add corn, bell pepper, water, and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Heat until bubbly. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 to 15 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Set aside.
Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles on sprayed cookie sheet with short sides of triangle toward center, overlapping into wreath shape and leaving 5-inch round opening in center. Lightly press short sides of dough to flatten slightly.
Spoon chicken filling onto widest part of dough. Pull end points of triangles over filling and tuck under dough to form ring (filling will be visible).
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine lettuce, tomato and olives; toss gently to mix.

One-hour Rolls

I have my good friend to thank for this one! I've made a few changes (the original recipe calls for 6 Tbsp of shortening) but I find that it works out just as well either way, and I don't have to measure out shortening if I use butter instead.

1 cup hot water

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 egg, well-beaten

3 1/2 cups flour (use bread flour for best results)

Combine water, salt, sugar, and shortening in sauce pan. Heat until shortening begins to melt.

Pour into large bowl and allow to cool until luke-warm.

Add yeast and egg, stirring after each. Add 1 cup flour and beat well. Add enough flour to make dough easy to handle and knead for 5 minutes.

Make into 18 rolls. Allow to rise until double (about one hour).

Brush tops with melted butter. Bake at 425º F for 12 minutes.

Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits

Ever wanted homemade cinnamon rolls in a hurry? These are yummy, quick, and easy!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup buttermilk

8 tablespoons butter (softened)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl and mix well. Stir in vegetable oil. Add buttermilk and stir until just blended

Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth. Roll dough into 15 x 8 inch rectangle

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly Grease 9-inch round baking pan.

Spread butter over dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter. Roll up rectangle from one long side. Pinch seam to seal.

Cut roll into 1 1/2 inch slices. Bake until lightly browned 15 to 20 minutes.