Delicious Chicken Casserole

Made by Alyssa Stanley after Brecken’s birth. So yummy that Taeya & Megan each had thirds!

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, bone-in chicken breast halves
• 2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 6 ounces sour cream
• 2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups crushed buttery round crackers
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring to a boil the chicken breasts, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and enough water to cover. Cover, reduce heat to medium low; simmer for 35 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup liquid. Cool chicken, remove meat from bones, and cut into bite-size pieces.
3. In a large bowl, stir together sour cream, soup, broth, celery salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in cooked rice and chicken. Spoon mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish. In a resealable bag, shake together crushed crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle crackers over the top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Notes from Alyssa: Here is the recipe. I am glad you liked it. It is my favorite. I subbed a roasted chicken for the chicken breasts just to make it faster and then just use chicken broth for the liquid. I also do 1 can of cream of mushroom and 1 can of cream of chicken.
**Recipe can be found on Allrecipes.com

Satay Chicken Pasta Salad

This is a Pampered Chef recipe which I originally tasted at one of their cooking shows. It is a great main dish for summer because of all the fresh veggies available, but really yummy anytime. It's a good potluck dish, too.

8 oz. uncooked bowtie pasta (I've also subbed penne or angel hair)
1 cup Asian vinaigrette salad dressing (I especially like Ken's brand)
2 Tbsp. Pampered Chef Asian seasoning mix (or 1 1-in. piece peeled fresh gingerroot, finely grated; 2 garlic cloves, pressed; 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper)
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil
3 cups diced cooked chicken (about 1 lb.)
Add'l chopped peanuts, if desired

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold running water. Transfer to large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, for dressing, combine vinaigrette, seasoning mix (or gingerroot, garlic and cayenne) and peanut butter in small bowl. Whisk well and set aside.

3. Cut carrots into julienne strips. Cut bell pepper lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips. Cut carrot and pepper strips crosswise into 1-in. pieces. Finely chop peanuts and basil.

4. Add chicken, carrots, bell pepper, peanuts, basil and dressing to pasta; mix well. Garnish with add'l chopped peanuts if desired.

If I have shelled edamame on hand, I'll throw that in (cooked) as well. Everyone in my family likes this, even my 3 and 1 year old daughters!

White Pizza

Yum! Something a little different, and incredibly fast.

1 prepared pizza crust
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, divided
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
pepperoni slices if desired
seasonsed salt to taste

Place pizza crust on a lightly greased pizza pan or baking stone; bake at 425 degrees until dough rises, about 3-5 minutes. Spread garlic over crust; sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheeses. Arrange tomato and pepperoni slices on top; sprinkle with remaining cheese and seasoned salt. Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes.

No-Knead Parmesan-Garlic Bread

This recipe makes a beautiful, tasty loaf of bread (or two!). Great presentation and guaranteed to be enjoyed by all. Although it does take some time to make because of the rise time, it's really not very difficult to make. Try it for dinner with a great Italian meal.

Place oven rack below center of oven. Warm oven briefly.

Scald 1 cup of milk.

1 package active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

1 cup lukewarm milk from above (scalded then cooled)

¼ cup softened margarine or butter

¼ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ teaspoon salt

4-4 ½ cups all purpose flour

Parmesan-garlic filling:

          ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

          ½ cup margarine/butter softened

          3 tablespoons parsley flakes (I usually use just under 3 Tbsp)

          ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, margarine, sugar, eggs and salt. Stir in a cup of flour. Stir in remaining flour. Continue stirring scraping dough from side of the bowl, until soft sticky dough forms. Cover, let rise in a warm place until double, about one hour. (Dough is ready if indention remains when touched.) Stir down dough by beating about 25 strokes. Turn dough onto well floured surface; roll or pat in rectangle 18x12 inches. Spread Parmesan-garlic filling evenly over dough. Cut dough into 3 strips 18x4 inches. (I often make 2 smaller loaves because it makes one really HUGE loaf if not made into two and I have a hard time putting it on one cookie sheet.) Roll each strip into rope, pinch edges and ends to seal. Place ropes diagonally and close on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Braid ropes gently and loosely. Do not stretch. Pinch ends to fasten. Tuck under securely. Cover, let rise until 1 ½ times original size about 30 minutes. Mix one egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water, brush over braid. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional). Place oven rack below the center of the oven if it is not already there. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25-30 minutes until braid is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. If braid is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.

Chicken Bryan-Carrabba's Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

This meal is delicious! Very fancy looking when prepared and other meats can be substituted for the chicken. The first time I had this was with pork chops and it was amazing then as well. 

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

Servings Size

• 
  
  0
  

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt, to taste

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Olive Oil

4 ounces goat cheese

6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2-4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

4 teaspoons onions, minced

8 tablespoons butter, divided

6 tablespoons white wine

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon's worth)

Directions:

1. Brush chicken on both sides with olive oil, season to taste with Kosher salt and cracked pepper.
2. Grill chicken until done (internal temp of 165F) - prepare lemon butter sauce while chicken is grilling.
3. Saute onion and garlic in 2 Tbps butter until soft and fragrant.
4. Add white wine and lemon juice, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes to reduce.
5. Add remaining 6 Tbsp butter, a little at a time, until it melts and mixture is emulsified.
6. Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil, heat until hot (but do not overheat or sauce may break).
7. Top nearly-done chicken breasts with 2 oz each of the goat cheese until cheese warms and softens.
8. To serve, spoon lemon butter sauce over chicken breasts.
9. Enjoy! I serve this dish with pasta tossed in butter or olive oil (the delicious lemon butter sauce will perfect it), garlic mashed potatoes and a green salad -- yummmm!

One tip I saw on the original link was to substitute white wine for the second half of the butter to help make it a bit healthier. It will save lots of calories. I have not tried this substitute as I haven't yet made this dish myself but I'm sure I'll give it a shot when I make it.

Oven-baked Spanish Tortilla

Can be served hot or cold for any meal. Traditionally served in small cubes as Tapas with beer.

Oven-baked Spanish Tortilla – Tortilla Español al Horno
modified from: http://spanish-food.suite101.com/article.cfm/traditional_spanish_omelette

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb onion (about 2 medium onions), chopped
• 2 1/2 lbs potato (about 8 medium potatoes), peeled & thinly sliced
• 10 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 tsp salt
• 1 1/3 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.


2. Boil potatoes until not quite soft (about 7 min) and drain.


3. Heat olive oil in frying pan and fry onion until tender. Add garlic and saute a few more minutes.


4. Let potatoes, onion, and garlic cool slightly.


5. In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together. Add the cooled onion/garlic mixture and stir.


6. Mix egg mixture into the potatoes.


7. Grease a 9 x 11-inch dish fairly liberally with oil.


8. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking-dish and flatten the top surface of the mix – no peaks wanted!


9. Bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes until its golden brown - make sure its set in the center using a sharp knife to test it. When ready remove from the oven and leave it cool to cool and set a little more. (about 5 minutes)


10. Loosen the edges with a knife and serve.

Stuffed Bleu Cheese Potatoes

I discovered this wonderful food blog the other day called "Our Best Bites." When I started looking through the website, I was very impressed by the type of recipes they posted. They not only look great but appear relatively simple to make. I just found the website last week and have already made two of the recipes. I was going to use the blue cheese in this recipe but when I went to the store, the Gorgonzola was a better deal so I used it instead and they turned out delicious!! I often take about 10 baked potatoes and make a big batch of twice baked potatoes that I freeze for side dishes later. They take just a minute to reheat in the microwave or I can throw them in the oven with my main course if I have the time. I will definitely be switching my twice baked potatoes recipe to this recipe though! They were worth every calorie! 

4 medium baking potatoes
½ Cup sour cream
1 oz (1/4 cup) crumbled bleu cheese (or Gorgonzola)
¼ Cup milk or buttermilk
4 Tbs real butter, cut into chunks
¾ tsp salt
Dash pepper
½ t garlic powder
8 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (I used crumbled bacon bits from the salad section)
Grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry potatoes. Rub them lightly with a bit of shortening or vegetable oil (helps crisp the skin) and place directly on oven rack, or a cookie sheet. Bake for one hour or until potatoes are done.
2. Remove potatoes and let cool just a bit. Cut an opening on the top and hollow out each potato, OR cut each potato in half (as shown in photos) to make 8 servings. You may want to hold them with a potholder as they will still be hot!3. Scoop out the insides and place in a bowl. Mash, and add butter, sour cream, bleu cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic. Beat with a hand mixer until fluffy. Carefully spoon mixture back into potato shells. Place in a baking dish.

Return to hot oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.
4. Remove and sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese over each potato bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Original recipe found here:

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/03/stuffed-bleu-cheese-potatoes.html

These were just a little on the soft side. I might cut back a little on the milk next time so they're not quite so mushy. Also, I usually bake my potatoes and don't have time to make the recipe while they're still warm. I often don't make them until they've completely cooled and have never had a problem. 

Chicken Ranch Pizza

I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I love Little Ceasars Chicken Garlic Pizza and wanted to make one just like it - well, this came pretty close! It was my second time making a Pizza, and first time making Pizza dough - it was easy and I'll be making this again and again.

Chicken Ranch Pizza

Ingredients:
3 chicken thighs, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
Italian seasoning (about 1 tsp.)
1/3 – ½ cup Ranch dressing
2 Roma or 1 large tomato, diced
½ red onion, sliced
½ lb. cheese, Mozerella or Monterey Jack
and whatever other toppings you like!

Saute chopped chicken thighs in olive oil with 3 minced garlic cloves & Italian seasoning.

Make the crust and spread it out on a cookie sheet with sides.

Mix Ranch dressing with 3 minced garlic cloves, spread onto the crust. Add toppings: cooked chicken, tomatos, red onion, etc. Top with shredded cheese.

Quick & Easy Pizza Crust
4 ½ cups flour
1 ¾ tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¾ cup ice cold water
Mix in bread machine for 7 minutes.
Makes 2 rectangle-cookie-sheet sized pizzas.
Make sure you make the crust thin as this dough does not work with a thick crust! If we only want one pizza, we put the other half rolled in flour into a zip lock bag. It can be refrigerated for about a week or frozen and later thawed.

Baking Pizza Tips
When the oven is at temp, place pizza in the center of the middle rack to allow for maximum air circulation around the pan. A simple cheese and pepperoni pizza prepared in a 12" diameter pizza pan will bake evenly and thoroughly in a 450° F oven on the middle rack in only 12 min.

Adding more toppings to the pizza adds more moisture and mass to cook through. For example, a deluxe pizza with four or five different toppings generally requires a longer baking time at a lower temperature, perhaps 325° F to 350° F for 25 to 35 minutes.

1) The cheese has melted on top and is beginning to brown,
2) The crust edge has browned, from a medium to a golden brown, and,
3) Carefully lift the edge of the pizza to inspect its bottom - should be evenly browned.

(Baking tips from: http://pizzaware.com/howtomakepizza7.htm)

Fiery Volcanos

This is from my mom's kitchen, I don't know where she got it. But it's good! And easy to make. I often serve this to company.

Fiery Volcanos
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups rice
1 lb. ground beef
¼ cup onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 15oz. can pineapple tidbits
1 4oz. can mushroom pieces
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
2 TBSP. vinegar
1 TBSP. cornstarch


Directions:
Prepare rice.

Brown and drain ground beef. When meat is half cooked, add the onion. Then add the salt, pepper, pineapple, mushrooms, tomato sauce & vinegar.

Remove ½ cup of the broth and wisk in the cornstarch. Return it to the pan and bring to a boil to thicken. To serve, spoon over rice “volcanos”.

Scrambled Egg Breakfast Enchiladas

Scrambled Egg Breakfast Enchiladas
recipe from: http://hubpages.com/hub/Scrambled-Egg-Breakfast-Enchiladas-A-10-Minute-Recipe-for-a-Great-Mexican-Breakfast

(This recipe is for one, multiply the recipe as needed.)
3 eggs whisked in a bowl with a pinch of salt
3 corn tortillas
A spicy and smooth tomato based salsa (A red chili sauce would also work here)
A bit of grated mild to medium cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey jack or other mild cheese
Sour cream
A few thin slices of white onion and cilantro sprigs (if you have any)

Heat 2 pans on the stove, both at medium. One pan should be a non stick fry pan suitable for scrambling eggs – the other needs to be a very heavy flat surfaced fry pan or skillet, suitable for dry frying the tortillas. Cast iron or something of a similar heft will shine here.

When the pans have pre heated, add a splash of oil to the non stick fry pan, and scramble your eggs. Remove the pan from the heat before the eggs are entirely cooked, as they will continue to set after you add them to the tortillas. Take them off about 30 seconds before they would look like you would want to eat them and place in a bowl off the heat.

Once your eggs are waiting at the side, take your corn tortillas and dip them to completely cover them in the spicy tomato salsa. Add another scant splash of oil to your heavy cast iron like pan, and place both tortillas face down beside each other to sear.

Let the tortillas cook for about 1 minute (checking to see that they are not burning) and then flip them over. Once you have flipped them, pile your eggs onto the tortillas, dividing evenly, and then cover the eggs with a bit of grated cheese. After another minute or so, fold the tortillas over the eggs (Don't bother trying to roll them up, just fold them like mounded quesadillas) and then move to a serving plate. The tortillas should be very softened and the sauce should be browning up and crisping in places.

The tortillas may stick a bit, but don’t worry about it. Use a heavy metal spatula and just scrape them firmly off the pan. They will look fine on the plate.

Top your finished enchiladas with sour cream and more spicy salsa and place cilantro leaves and thin slices of crispy onion over the sour cream. These are great with refried beans on the side, but quite substantial enough without them if you don't have any handy.

Georgia's notes: I made this for the first time this morning. I used a mild red enchilada sauce. As I was in a hurry, I forgot the sour cream etc. on top, but it was still quite good. The top two tortillas in the package didn't hold together very well (as is often the case) but the second two turned out looking better. I'll be making this for breakfast the rest of the week! A nice change from fried eggs & toast every morning. :)

Sarah's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the best cookies ever. The key is to add just the right amount of flour and take them out of the oven at the right time.

1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place sugar, brown sugar and margarine in bowl and mix. Then add eggs and vanilla and mix.

Gradually add baking soda, salt and flour to the sugar mixture and beat until mixed well. Add chocolate chips and mix briefly.

Drop onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Take out of oven when outside of cookie is just turning brown (the middle will look slightly undercooked) Let sit on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes then cool on wire racks.

Boston Cream Pie

This recipe makes a beautiful and very tasty cake. It looks like it could be difficult to make but it really doesn't take very long and is not hard to make. The most difficult part is slicing the cake in half and moving the top off and back on without breaking it. Try it for a special occasion! Makes a great birthday cake. This recipe can be made and eaten immediately although I think it's best after it's been chilled for awhile so the chocolate on the top is hard and cold.

From the kitchen of Laurie Reynolds from Lee Hake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cake
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cups milk
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Split cake to make two layers. Fill bottom layer with cream filling. Place top layer on cream and spread the chocolate glaze over pie. Refrigerate.
Grease and flour 9 inch cake pan. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Beat batter on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed scraping bowl occasionally for 3 minutes. Pour into pan and bake until a wooden toothpick comes out clean, approximately 35 minutes. Cool on cake rack.

Cream center
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cup milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch salt in quart pan. Stir in milk gradually. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mix thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute stirring constantly to avoid burning. Stir at least half of hot mix into egg yolks very gradually. Blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil another 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and cool to room temperature.


Chocolate Glaze
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
3 Tbsp margarine or butter
1 cup powdered sugar
¾ tsp vanilla
Approx. 2 Tbsp hot water

Melt chocolate and margarine over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla. Stir in water 1 Tbsp at a time until right consistency.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I found this recipe easy to make and it turned out great! Not as tasty as a cream cheese frosting but it was a good frosting. I love peppermint frosting and I'm sure you can replace the vanilla with peppermint.

This recipe is used at a bakery although I'm not sure where online I originally found this recipe.

The vanilla buttercream we use at the bakery is technically not a buttercream but actually an old-fashioned confectioners’ sugar and butter frosting. Be sure to beat the icing for the amount of time called for in the recipe to achieve the desired creamy texture.
Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes*

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

*Note:
If you are icing a 3-layer cake, use the following recipe proportions:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
8 to 10 cups confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Restaurant Styled Salsa

From the blog of The Pioneer Woman. This salsa takes minutes to make and is sooo good! Guaranteed to be devoured if you have a party. I think it tastes best chilled so make a day or a few hours ahead of time.

Ingredients
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups chopped Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• ½ whole Lime Juice
Preparation Instructions
Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I found this recipe while blog hopping and copied it down and made it for dinner. It was wonderful and everything you think of when you want a pulled pork sandwich. Enjoy!

2 ½ - 3 lbs. pork shoulder or pork butt
¾ cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. red wine or cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
½ tsp. liquid smoke, optional
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

Sandwich rolls

Place roast inside crock pot. Combine all remaining ingredients (except rolls) and pour over meat. Cook on low heat for 8-9 hours. Shred meat (discarding fat and bones) and return to sauce. Serve on sandwich rolls with Barbecue Table Mop.

You can easily double this recipe. The cooking time might need to be lengthened.


Barbecue Table Mop

1 cup hickory flavored bottled barbecue sauce
¾ cup ketchup
1/3 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes about 2 cups sauce.

Treasure Island Chicken “Orange Chicken”

We had dinner at our friend’s, Annette & Brian’s, home and Annette made this dish for us. Both Phil and I had seconds. It was a simple meal but it was very good.

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts (I’d recommend cutting them in half)
½ stick of butter
3 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1 ½ cup orange juice

Directions
Place the chicken breasts in a greased shallow “stove to table” baking dish. Brush with melted butter or margarine. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt ½ stick of butter. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a small bowl, mix, add to butter. Stirring constantly, add orange juice. Cook slowly until thick and smooth. Pour over chicken and bake 40 minutes longer. Serve over rice.

Homemade Hummus

Hummus
This recipe is originally from MckMama's Blog.

1 16 oz can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)
The liquid from said can of chickpeas (I personally use just a little of the liquid so it's not too runny)
4 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime if you want to get crazy)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 crushed garlic cloves (I often use one)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Variations: I made this without the Tahini. Only used 2-4 T of liquid from chickpeas. Tasted great when finished. Might try some cumin powder next time.

This tastes amazing with homemade pitas. I'll try to post that recipe soon.

Mango Lassi

This is my version of a mango lassi. A mango lassi is a delicious Indian drink and can be found on the menu of most Indian restaurants. Some blend the ice into the drink, some just add ice to the drink but I always prefer mine blended.

1 1/2 cups diced fresh mango (2-3 mangoes)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
Scant 1/4 cup sugar (or less depending on preference)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (optional)
1/2 cup-2 cups ice cubes
In a blender, combine the mango, orange juice, and sugar. Once well-blended, add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Bread

This bread is a tried and true good zucchini bread recipe. It tastes delicious and is very moist. It's my all-time favorite zucchini bread recipe and was found on allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Yields: 24 servings

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (or chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Megan’s notes: When I make this, I substitute pureed vegetables for about 3/4 of the oil and it was great. You can’t taste the veggies but it makes it much healthier. (Pureed veggies consist of: sweet potatoes, tomatoes, squash and carrots blended smooth in my blender)

Cheesecake Factory Buffalo Blasts

These are wonderful appetizers. My husband loves to eat them and even loves to make them. It’s his “show-off” recipe and it is just as good as I remember from the Cheesecake Factory.

2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup buffalo-style hot sauce
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
24 wonton wrappers
oil (for frying, peanut suggested)

NOTE: all amounts are suggested; feel free to adjust to your personal preference.

Put about a tsp into the center of a small wonton, seal edges using a little water. Keep covered until all wontons are done. You can make these with the large wontons as well. Just add more filling.

Heat oil to about 325 degrees F.

Fry wontons, a few at a time, until lightly brown and crisp.

Serve with bleu cheese or ranch salad dressing/dip.

NOTE: The filling can be made the day ahead and refrigerated, and the flavor intensifies.

Almost Too Much Chocolate Cake

This is a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com. It's super easy to make and tastes delicious. It calls for a bundt pan and it tastes great made that way without frosting. However, my favorite way to make this cake is in two cake pans. I then frost the cake with homemade peppermint frosting. It's so delicious this way as it's such a moist cake and the peppermint and chocolate just go so well together.

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil (I usually use applesauce)
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate. If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Alterations:
There are times when I don't have the exact ingredients and need to alter the recipe a little. I always use a chocolate cake mix of some sort whether or not it's a devil's food cake. If I don't have chocolate pudding, I've used vanilla before. Also, I've used white chocolate chips when I run out of semi-sweet chocolate chips. It's always turned out great!

Banana Bread

This recipe is from the home of one of my 5th grade students. It was one of the best banana bread recipes I've ever had. I usually omit the nuts and add chocolate chips instead. Do whatever works best for you though!!

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine or butter
2 eggs
1 ½ cups of ripe bananas (4)
1/3 cup water
¼ teaspoon of baking powder
1 baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped nuts (I always use chocolate chips instead of the nuts)

Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom only of loaf pan.

Mix sugar and butter in bowl. Stir in eggs until blended. Add bananas and water; beat for 30 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients except nuts until just moistened; stir in nuts. Pour into pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes; cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

I often double this recipe and make one large loaf and two small loafs that way I have one or two to freeze or give away.

Chicken Fajitas

I love fajitas, but have never tried to make them before. I found these recipes on about.com and the fajitas tasted fantastic.

---

Fajita Seasoning Mix
source:http://busycooks.about.com/od/homemademixes/r/fajitaseasonmix.htm

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2-1/2 tsp. crushed chicken bouillon cube
• 1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. cumin

Preparation:
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into small glass or plastic container, seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place.
Makes the equivalent of 3 packets of commercial or purchased Fajita Seasoning Mix.

---

Chicken Fajitas
source: http://busycooks.about.com/od/chickenbreastrecipes/r/chickenfajitas.htm

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 3 Tbsp. Fajita Seasoning Mix
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 6 flour tortillas

Preparation:
Cut chicken into thin strips. Cut green pepper into strips. Heat oil in large skillet and add chicken. Cook and stir over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Then add three tablespoons of the Fajita Seasoning Mix, water, green pepper and onion. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir over medium heat until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and grated cheese in warmed tortillas.

Crepes

We just made these for a delicious summertime treat. It was a perfect ending to a great day!

This crepe recipe is from my Vita-mix cookbook. It is so quick and easy to make and can be made in any blender.

4 eggs
1 cup skim evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon sugar or other sweetener
1 cup flour

Blend. Pour a small amount into lightly greased pan. Move pan around so it spreads the crepe mixture thin. Cook for a minute until it dries out enough to flip. Flip and cook until slightly browned. Remove and fill with your favorite toppings.

For a sweet crepe, I love homemade whipping cream and fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries) or whatever you like.

TIP: I also use this crepe recipe to make manicotti. It is delicious and cuts down on prep time because you can put a spoonful of filling in and roll it up rather than having to stuff the pasta shells with the cheese.

Pampered Chef Lemon Blueberry Trifle

1 frozen prepared pound cake (16 oz)
2 lemons
1 1/2 cups milk
1 container (8oz) sour cream
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
2 packages (3.4 oz each) lemon instant pudding and pie filling
1 pint fresh blueberries (about 2 cups) (or 1 can blueberry pie filling)
1 square (1oz) white chocolate for baking

1. Cut pound cake into 1-inch cubes; place in large colander or bowl. Using a lemon Zester, make several lengthwise scores in one lemon, top to bottom; slice into 6 slices. Cut each slice in half and set aside for garnish. Zest remaining lemon using short strokes; set aside. Juice lemon. Sprinkle lemon juice over pound cake; toss. (I feel like this step is unnecessary as the lemon zest is overpowered by the lemon pudding. I leave it out of the next step as well)

2. In a bowl, combine milk, sour cream, half of the whipped topping and reserved lemon zest; whisk until smooth. Add pudding mix; whisk until mixture begins to thicken.

3. Set aside 12 blueberries for garnish. To assemble trifle, place 1/3 of the cake cubes into bottom of chilled trifle bowl or clear glass bowl. Top with 1/3 of the blueberries. Grate 1/4 of the chocolate over blueberries. Top with of the pudding mixture, pressing lightly. Repeat layers 2 more times, reserving the remaining grated chocolate for garnish. Spread remaining pudding over entire top of trifle, creating a smooth surface.

4. If desired, decorate top with whipped topping by piping 12 rosettes around edge of bowl. Place one lemon slice between rosettes and one reserved blueberry on each rosette. Or, spread remaining whipped topping over top. Place lemon slices and blueberries on top. Grate remaining chocolate in center. Chill until serving.

Yield: 10 large servings or 20 sample servings

Agua de Sandia (Watermelon Water)

I found this traditional Mexican recipe in a magazine, where the author described how the second half of her watermelon usually sits in her fridge, leaking everywhere, until it goes bad. This totally describes our family's use of watermelon, too! So I was very excited to try this recipe that uses up lots of it. I had actually had something similar on a trip to Belize once, and loved it. If it's not watermelon season, you can also try other types of chopped fruit such as mango, cantaloupe, strawberries or grapes. We've only used watermelon, and it is so refreshing on hot summer days.

2 cups diced watermelon
3 cups water, divided
sugar to taste (up to 1/8 cup)

Puree watermelon and 2 cups water in a blender until very smooth. Pour into a pitcher. Stir in remaining water and sweeten if desired with sugar. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Chill at least 1 hour, pour over ice and serve.

I altered the amounts a little bit, because if you don't dilute it as much, you don't need to add as much sugar. My adjustments are: 3 cups watermelon, 1 1/2 cups water (total), 1 Tbs. sugar.

Laurie's BBQ Sauce

This is the BBQ sauce I grew up on. It's my all-time favorite. It's the perfect blend of seasonings and tastes SO good on the grill with BBQ Chicken. It smells a little strong of vinegar while it's cooking but doesn't taste like it when you eat it. Try it tonight!

I have doubled the original recipe because it will save in the fridge for a few weeks and then I don’t have to make it again for a while before I use it up! I usually just pour it into a canning jar and stick it in the fridge. This recipe is super easy to make and will only take about 5 minutes of prep and 20 minutes to cook. Store in a quart canning jar in the fridge.

If you're cooking for a crowd, throw your chicken pieces into a large roasting pan with about 1 cup of BBQ sauce and pre-bake until cooked through. Then, throw on the grill and baste with fresh BBQ sauce until it caramelizes. This ensures your chicken is thoroughly cooked and it only takes about 10 minutes of grill time depending on how much chicken you are cooking.

Laurie's BBQ Sauce:
Sauté until brown:
½ cup chopped onion in 2 Tbsp bacon drippings or other fat

Add and simmer for 20 minutes:
1 cup water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup brown sugar
2 cups catsup
1 tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp pepper
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground ginger

Quick and Easy Pizza

I wouldn’t say we have a great crust recipe but it’s a super fast and easy recipe to make. We throw this together all the time. For awhile, we made this pizza every Sunday right after church. Our favorite way to make our pizza is with Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ sauce, chopped cooked chicken, mozzarella and gouda cheese. Everyone loves this pizza but it’s more in the ingredients than the crust. I’ll also include our red sauce recipe as it’s easy and quick as well. The dough makes 2 large pizzas or 3-4 medium/small pizzas. Make sure you make the crust thin as this dough does not work with a thick crust! If we only want one pizza, we put the other half rolled in flour into a zip lock bag. It can be refrigerated for about a week or frozen and later thawed.


7 Minute Pizza Dough
4 ½ cups flour
1 ¾ tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
¼ cup olive oil (optional)-we always use it
1 ¾ cup ice cold water

Mix in bread machine for 7 minutes. Makes 2-4 pizzas depending upon size.


Pizza Sauce
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
A little less than one tablespoon oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp garlic (crushed/powdered) We usually use crushed

We cook our large pizzas in the oven at 425 degrees F for between 15-18 minutes

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

Ingredients:

4 tenderized round steaks
1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup light canola or olive oil
2-3 eggs scrambled
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour

For Gravy:

3 T light olive oil
1 cup whole milk
3 T flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix 1/2 cup flour, bread crumbs and steak seasonings in a wide shallow bowl (or pie plate). Heat 1/2 cup oil in 10 inch frying pan till almost smoking. While oil heats, dredge steaks in crumb mixture, then eggs, and back into crumbs. Fry till steaks are stiff, about 6-7 minutes. Keep warm in 200 degrees oven and make gravy.

To Make Gravy:

Mix the remaining oil and drippings in pan with flour in a saucepan and whisk till smooth. Cook this mixture (roux) over medium heat until it looks grainy and becomes slightly golden in color, a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Add pepper and salt and mix well. Add cold milk, stir, and return the pan to the heat, and increase heat to high. Whisk until mixture come to a boil and thickens. Add hot water to thin, if gravy is too thick. Remove from heat to prevent scorching. The gravy should be as thick as pancake batter. Pour over chicken fried steak and serve immediately. Goes well with mashed potatoes.


This is one of my favorite meals and is easy to make in about 20 minutes.

Kung Pao Chicken

3-4 servings

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. light sesame oil or vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. green onions, chopped with tops
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 - 1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger (or fresh grated if preferred)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tsp. sugar
1/3 cup dry roasted (or lightly salted) peanuts
4 cups cooked rice, hot

1. Combine chicken and cornstarch in small bowl, toss to coat.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet or wok on medium heat
3. Add chicken
4. Stir fry 5-7 min. or until no longer pink in center
5. Remove from skillet and keep warm
6. Add onions, garlic, red pepper and ginger to skillet
7. Stir fry 15 seconds
8. Remove from heat
9. Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in small bowl; stir well
10. Add vinegar mixture to skillet
11. Return chicken to skillet, stir until well coated
12. Stir in nuts
13. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally
14. Serve over hot rice.

This was one of the first Asian dishes I made besides stir fry. It's a good one to start with as it uses ingredients you most likely have in your cupboards. I also like it because it's so easy to adjust the flavors and heat to your liking. Thanks to my friends Kathryn and Chris for sharing it with me!

Easy Enchilada Cassarole

I went to a goodbye party for some friends tonight and someone brought this dish. It was gone quickly and I asked the lady who brought it how to make it. Here's the recipe:

Meat Layer:
Mix together and cook in a sauce pan.
Ground beef
1 can red enchilada sauce
1/2 jar salsa



Layer corn tortillas in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add a layer of meat mixture and a layer of cheese. Repeat with the same three layers. Top with cilantro. Bake for about 30 minutes.

This was delicious and super easy. I'm planning on making two smaller pans of this and freezing one for later.

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

From Martha Stewart Living, Feb. 2009 edition.

Prep time. 5 minutes. Total time. 50 min. Serves 4.

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if you don't want it spicy)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole chidken (4 lbs), quartered, skin on
1 lemon, quartered

Place a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack of oven, and preheat oven to 450. Mix spices, 2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper and the oil in a small bowl. Rub spice paste all over chicken.

Carefully arrange chicken in a single layer on hot sheet, and arrange lemon wedges around chicken. Bake until chicken registers 165 on an instand-read thermometer and juices run clear, 30-35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with pan juices and roasted lemon wedges on the side.

I made this the other night and it was delicious. I used chicken breasts because my husband prefers his meat without bones. I would recommend using a whole chicken as the breasts ended up a little on the dry side at such a high temp. I used frozen breasts and had a hard time getting the rub to cover only 3-4 breasts. I would probably water the paste down just a little more next time. This would have been even better with some sort of gravy but I loved the flavors and my house still smells wonderful two days later.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have to give credit for this one to my friend Courtney who put it in our Mothers of Preschoolers newsletter. A great recipe for busy moms of picky kids! It makes a LOT...I'd estimate 8-10 servings. It freezes really well.

4 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 pkg. frozen chopped broccoli (NOT florets)
1 cup chopped raw onion (I leave this out for my onion-phobic hubby and it's still yummy)
1/2 large bag frozen cube-style hash browns
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 lb. Velveeta, cubed

Optional:
1 bag frozen crinkle cut carrots
sauteed sliced mushrooms

Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water in a large pot. When dissolved, add broccoli, onion, carrots and hash browns. Boil 5 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat to medium, add cream of chicken soup and Velveeta. Cook until cheese is melted. Add mushrooms, cook until heated through.

For thicker soup cook 15 min. on low. For thinner soup add up to 2 cups water.

Banana Crumb Muffins

I altered this recipe based on some of the comments shared, as well as my desire to include a little bit of "healthy" to the muffins (whole wheat flour).  They turn out so fluffy & yummy!  Even my husband, who doesn't like bananas or banana recipes, likes these muffins.  Enjoy!

Banana Crumb Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
TOPPING:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly grease, spray with cooking spray, or line with muffin papers, 12 regular muffin cups.

In a large bowl, mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.  In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugars, egg, oil and vanilla.  Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp flour and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Pumpkin Flax Muffins

Delicious, and deceptively healthy!

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soymilk or milk
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Whisk the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine the next 8 ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until moistened. Fold in the blueberries and walnuts. Spoon the batter evenly into 12 muffin cups coated with nonstick cooking spray.. Bake at 375 for 25-28 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes, then remove to wire rack.

A couple changes I made:
* For those at high altitude, I decreased the baking soda to 1 tsp and the baking powder to 3/4 tsp which was just right.
* I didn't have canned pumpkin on hand and can't seem to find it in stores this time of year. I had some sweet potato puree on hand, and used an equivalent amount.
* I didn't have blueberries on hand either, but substituted shredded carrot, which made the muffins so moist.

Flatbread Tacos with Ranch Sour Cream

These are a little different from the same old tacos or burritos. My husband raved about them! It is from Taste of Home magazine.


1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 teaspoons ranch salad dressing mix
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 tube (16.3 ounces) large refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
Optional toppings: sliced ripe olives and shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese

1. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, dressing mix and lemon juice; chill until serving.

2. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning and pepper sauce; heat through.

3. Meanwhile, roll out each biscuit into a 6-in. circle. In a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook each biscuit for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown; keep warm. (I use my electric griddle and do several at once - much faster!)

4. To serve, spread each flatbread with 2 tablespoons ranch sour cream; top each with 2/3 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle with toppings if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Peak Pancake

From Susie Demers

2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Powdered sugar
Fresh berries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in 9 inch glass pie pan* and melt butter in oven. In blender or food processor, combine milk, flour, eggs, salt and vanilla and process until smooth. Remove pan from oven and increase temperature to 425 degrees. Pour batter into pie pan and return to oven. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce temp to 325 degrees and bake another 8-10 minutes. Invert on serving platter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with fresh fruit or cooked fruit sauce.

*I tried it in a bundt pan because I thought it would be beautiful to have the ring shape. The bundt pan did not work out so well. It stuck horribly so I ended up with a pile of peak pancake instead of a nice round shape.

Winter Chopped Salad

Our friend, Dina Jones, brought this salad to our Harvest Party a week ago. I enjoyed it SO much and have been thinking about it ever since I ate it, wanting more! Yes, it's THAT good! The recipe is from the book, Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington. This would be a great dish to take to a party, serve your family for dinner or as a first course at a big family dinner. The flavors mesh so well together and the dressing is subtle but delicious. This salad makes quite a bit so you might need to adjust the size if you have a smaller group to feed.

Serves 6 as a first course or 8 as a main course (I think it really serves much more than that!)

Ingredients:

Dressing:
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper


1 head radicchio, cored and finely chopped (the red lettuce)
2 heads romaine lettuce, light green and white leaves only, finely chopped
1 1/4 pounds cooked chicken breasts, skin & bones removed and cut into 1-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup candied pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup crumbled blue or fresh goat cheese
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1. Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, honey, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings.

2. Place the radicchio, romaine, chicken, apple, cranberries, nuts and cheese in a large salad bowl.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with pepper (if desired) and serve.

Advance preparation:
Make the dressing up to 2 days ahead, cover, and keep at room temperature. Whisk well before using. Make the salad up to 4 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate.

The Clever Cook Could:
* Substitute 3 cups diced cooked turkey for the chicken
* Add 6 strips of bacon, fried until crisp and crumbled.
* Omit the chicken and serve the salad as a first course
* If you're not a fan of chopped salad, tear the leaves into bite-size pieces instead of finely chopping them.

The Simplest Roast Turkey

If you would like a GOOD, simple and FAST Turkey recipe for the holidays, please try the one below. It makes one of the tastiest, juiciest turkey's that I've ever had and it only takes 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours to cook!!

From Gourmet Magazine (found by Laurie Reynolds)

1 turkey, 14-16 pounds
2 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp black pepper

Note: You must start with a clean oven or be sure. If you don't have a clean oven the fire alarm will let you know when the turkey is really getting there! If you don’t want to hear “from the turkey” then clean your oven before beginning!

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Mix salt and pepper in small bowl and sprinkle it evenly in turkey cavities and all over skin. Fold neck skin under body and, if desired secure with metal skewer, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with kitchen string.
Put turkey on rack in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of each thigh (close but not touching bone) registers 170 degrees, 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours. Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into the roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter and let stand 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 180 degrees. Cut off and discard string from turkey.
Makes 8-10 servings. (I have used larger turkeys up to 20 pounds and they turned out fine, just adjust cooking time and watch temp.)

Grilled Baked Potatoes

I love baked potatoes but hate how long they take to cook. I came across this recipe at kraftfoods.com and loved it. Grilling them makes the skins so crispy and flavorful.


4 baking potatoes (2 lb.)
1 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup Real Bacon Bits


HEAT grill to medium-high heat.
PIERCE potatoes with fork or small sharp knife. Rub with oil; sprinkle with salt.
MICROWAVE potatoes on microwaveable plate on HIGH 8 min. or until tender, turning after 4 min. Place on greased grate of grill. (you can also wrap them individually in foil before grilling, but the skins will be less crispy)
GRILL 12 to 15 min. or until potatoes are crisp and lightly browned, turning occasionally. Split potatoes. Serve topped with remaining ingredients.

An-Jell-o Food Cake

This is a family favorite on my husband's side, and he always asks for it for birthdays. It is super easy so I never complain!

1 angel food cake, baked (store-bought is just fine!)
1 3 oz. pkg Jell-o (we always use strawberry but other flavors would be great too)
1 8 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed

Slice cake in half horizontally. Fold Jell-o mix into cool whip until blended. Spread 1/3 of the Cool Whip mixture over bottom layer of cake, cover with top layer. Frost top and sides with remaining Cool Whip mixture. Better if refrigerated a couple hours but can also be eaten immediately. Garnish with fresh berries, if desired.

Garlic Cheese Spread

I just had to ask my sister for this recipe again because I misplaced mine. If you love cheese and garlic, you will LOVE this!! It is a delicious cheese spread and great for parties and entertaining.

1/2 lb parmesan, block
1/2 lb Asiago cheese, block
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil (you can lessen this a little)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Remove any rind from the cheeses and chop the cheeses into rough 1 inch chunks. Place in food processor with the garlic, oregano and red pepper. Pulse until reduced to the size of fine pea gravel. Stir in the olive oil and black pepper and pulse again. Cover and let stand at room temp for at least 4 hours before serving.

You can refridgerate this but it is best served at room temperature because the olive oil tends to solidify in the fridge. Serve with triskets or sliced breads.

Chicken Parmesan

Marinade:
3 chicken breasts
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp chives
1/2 tsp rosemary (crush if possible)
1/8 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp lemon juice
3 T mayonnaise
3 T mustard (Dijon or regular)

Breaded Topping:
1 T parsley
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Combine chicken and marinade in one bag. Mix well. Mix breaded topping in seperate bag. Can freeze at this point if you'd like to save it for a future meal. When you're ready to cook, coat chicken in breaded topping. Lay in pre-greased baking dish and spray heavily with cooking spray oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and a vegetable dish.

Creamy Chicken Hot Dish

From Joy Zeller

2 celery ribs, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 T butter or margarine
1 to 1 1/2 cups real mayonnaise
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup crushed potato chips

In a small skillet, saute celery and onion in butter. Place in a bowl; add the mayo, soup, peas, lemon. Stir in chicken and rice. Transfer to a greased 7x11 in baking dish (or two smaller dishes). Sprinkle with potato chips. Bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes until heated through.

Beef Burgundy

From Katie Laven

2 lbs stew meat
1 cup burgundy wine
1 pkg onion soup mix
2 cans golden mushroom soup

Cook all day in slow cooker
30 minutes before serving, add 8 oz sour cream

Slow ‘n’ Easy Barbecued Chicken

From Joy Zeller

¼ cup water
3 T brown sugar
3 T white vinegar
3 T ketchup
2 T butter
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground mustard
½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 broiler/fryer chicken 2 ½ - 3 lbs, cut up and skin removed.

After cooking:
4 tsp cornstarch
1 T cold water

In a small saucepan, combine the first 11 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Place the chicken in a 3 qt slow cooker. Top with sauce. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until juices run clear.

Remove chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Strain cooking juices and skim fat. Transfer to a saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth then stir into juices. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Spoon some of the sauce over chicken and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Yield: 4 servings.

Italian Styled Pork Chops

From the Kitchen of Megan Camp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together: (All of these are approximates. Do what looks right to you.)
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder or crushed garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 cup parmesan cheese

Pork chops (as many as you're planning on serving. The mixture above will make enough for about 3-6 pork chops)

Wash and pat dry pork chops. *Dip in flour mixture and fry for 2-3 minutes in a skillet with a little oil. I always sprinkle a little more flour mixture onto the pork chops once they’re in the pan. Flip and fry on the other side.

Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and place pork chops on cookie sheet. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture over top of each pork chop. Put about 1 tablespoon of grated Italian cheese and parmesan cheese on top of each pork chop. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and meat is done. The pork chops should be moist, tender and full of flavor. Serve with applesauce if desired.

*If you’d like, you can dip the pork chops in a beaten egg before placing in the flour mixture. I tend to skip this step and it still works out great.

Easy Artichoke Pizza

This is from Pampered Chef, and reminds me of artichoke dip on a pizza. I thought I was taking a bit of risk making it since it's a little different from typical pizza, but my husband and I both loved it. It is another dish I am sharing with our cooking group. I made the topping, froze it in a ziploc, froze the remaining cheese and Italian seasoning separately, and am giving each person a frozen Boboli crust to top when they're ready to eat it.

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped (be sure they're not marinated, as that will add a little more flavor than necessary)
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided (shredded works fine as well)
zest of 1 lemon, finely chopped, or 1-3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup mayo
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 pkg. refrigerated pizza crust (which I don't really like, so I used a Boboli crust instead)
2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (I'm just leaving these out of the portions for our cooking group, as they don't freeze well)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 425. Combine artichokes, olives, 1/4 cup cheese, lemon zest, mayo and garlic, mix well.

If using refrigerated crust, unroll and shape/roll with rolling pin into a circle. Spread artichoke mixture evenly over crust to within 1/2 inch of edge. Cut tomato slices in half; arrange over pizza. Sprinkle with seasoning mix and remaining cheese.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Remove from oven; let stand 10 min. Yield 16 servings.

Baked Jambalaya

This is one of the dishes I am bringing to this month's cooking co-op that Megan has mentioned previously. I checked out the book Once a Month Cooking from the library to get some more recipes that freeze well. This came from there.

3 Tbsp. real bacon bits

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 Tbsp. green onions, chopped (tastes fine without)

1/2 pound cooked kielbasa, sliced

1/2 pound cooked diced ham

1/2 tsp. dried thyme (I added more)

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 14.5 oz. can beef broth

1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice

Mix together in a large mixing bowl all ingredients except rice. If freezing, pour into freezer bag, label and freeze. To prepare, thaw, add rice, and place in greased 9x13" baking dish. Cover and bake at 375 for 1 hour or until rice is tender. Uncover and stir before serving. Makes 8-10 servings.

Daniel's Multi-Grain Dinner Rolls

My brother-in-law created this dinner roll recipe when my sister was diagnosed with gestational diabetes last week. This recipe is low-glycemic, high fiber. I haven't tried them, but Daniel is a very good cook and chose to post his recipe online (see the post here), so I think it is safe to assume that they're good!

Daniel’s Multi-Grain Dinner Rolls

Makes approximately a dozen rolls

¾ cup warm water
1 packet yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
½ cup unbleached flour
½ cup rye flour
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg, beaten

Mix the water, yeast, sugar and unbleached flour. Let this mixture sit in a warm environment for about 20 minutes, until it becomes light and frothy. (This is the proofing sponge.) Add the remaining ingredients and mix well, then knead for ten minutes or so. Let rise for about an hour. Split dough into twelve equal parts, then split each of those parts into three. Roll each part into a little ball, and place three balls side-by-side into each cavity of a muffin pan. Let rise for at least another 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400° F, and bake for 15 minutes.

Approximate nutrition information per roll:
140 calories
3.6 g fat
87 mg cholesterol
220 mg sodium
19 g total carbohydrate
2.5 g dietary fiber
1.1 g sugars
5.8 g protein

Banana Crumb Muffins

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, but made some alterations based on some of the reviewer suggestions. I'm listing the recipe as I made it:

MUFFINS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (can make muffins with just 1-1/2 cups regular flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
TOPPING:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp cold butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 12 regular-size muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, oil and vanilla. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tbsp flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle topping over muffins and pat lightly.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Spicy Chicken Tomato Soup

This recipe was on a friend's blog, and I adjusted it just a little to suit the time I had and my family's tastes. I'll give you the recipe I made (since that's what I KNOW tasted good!) and give her alterations as optional.

2 cans chicken broth (or 4 cups made from bouillon)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked & cubed
2 cups frozen corn
1 8oz can tomato sauce (or 6oz can tomato paste if you want more tomato flavor)
1 10oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 med onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin (or 1-2 tsp if you like things HOT)
1/2 tsp chili powder (or 1 tsp for more heat)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Tortilla chips
Sour cream

Combine all ingredients except for tortilla chips and sour cream in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serve with tortilla chips and/or sour cream.

(Her original recipe had this mixture cooked in a slow cooker on low for 4 hours and served over rice. I would imagine cooking it that long might make it thicker, and therefore a better option for serving over rice. I didn't have that kind of time, and I think I like this tortilla soup better. I'm sure either way would be delicious!)

Optional recipe for homemade tortilla strips:
4 white corn tortillas (6 inches), cut into 1/4" strips
Place tortilla strips on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes; turn. Bake 5 minutes longer.

Stacy's Brownies-Rich, homemade brownies

In college, I used to go to a Friday night Bible Study each week. One of the girls who came to the study was Stacy. Stacy frequently brought homemade quickbread or brownies. Both were super delicious and both would be gone within minutes usually. These brownies are super rich but also super delicious. If you want a special treat, make this recipe. I've never had better.

Stacy's Brownies
1 cup flour
2 cups sugar
9 tablespoons cocoa
pinch salt
3 eggs
1 cup melted butter
Mix all ingredients together
Add 1 bag chocolate chips
Bake 20-25 mins

Overnight Egg 'n Sausage Strata

I had this dish at one of our MOPS breakfasts and it was so yummy, I asked for the recipe. I just received it so here it is! This is the healthy version as it came from my friend, Cheryl. It includes her tips and changes. Obviously, it's a very flexible dish so make the changes you want!

4 cups slices of white bread, cubed (for a 9x13 I did about 2/3 of a loaf?)
8 eggs, slightly beaten
4 cups milk (low-fat)
2 cups grated cheese (2%, cheddar, Mexican cheese blend, mont jack, whatever - I think I only use 1 cup)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground dry mustard
1 roll Jimmy Dean sausage / reduced fat

Fry up sausage. Rinse in VERY HOT water using a collander, and then blot sausage inbetween paper towel layers. (this helps reduce fat even more)

In large bowl, mix eggs, milk, salt and mustard.

In greased 9x13 baking dish, sprinkle half of your bread cubes. Sprinkle a layer of sausage over cubes, and sprinkle with some cheese. Cover with the rest of your bread cubes and a little more cheese. Pour egg mixture over the bread cubes, trying to get all covered. Use a spoon to gently press down so all cubes soak up some liquid.

Refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes (it always takes longer than I expect due to altitude.)

Enjoy!

cheryl

ps......you may have to use less or more bread cubes.....I kind of don't really follow the recipe (smile!)......and sometimes make up more egg mixture if it doesn't look like I had enough. Good luck! Oh....original recipe calls for green peppers and scallions......but I left those out in case nursing / pregnant moms had problems with those!

Pork Pozole

1 can yellow or white hominy, drained

1 can Mexican-style diced tomatoes

1 can mild green enchilada sauce

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. ground cumin (I'm not a cumin fan and leave this out - still tastes great)

1 1/2 lbs. boneless pork loin

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 T. lime juice

tortilla chips, diced avocado and lime wedges (key limes are especially tasty here) - optional

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Top with pork, spooning hominy mixture over the meat. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

2. Place pork on a cutting board. Add cilantro and lime juice to the slow cooker. Coarsely chop pork; return to cooker. Stir well and heat through. Spoon into shallow bowls. Serve with chips, avocado and lime as garnish. Makes 6 servings.

This recipe is from Parents magazine and is a far cry from the authentic Mexican version - but much easier, and still tastes delicious. I like it because you can use various cuts of pork loin, which are often on sale and very affordable, but come out of the slow cooker very tender.

Easy Stromboli

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
2 eggs, separated
2 T. oil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 oz. pkg. sliced pepperoni
8 oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella
1 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Roll out bread dough into a 12x15" rectangle; set aside. Combine egg yolks, oil, and spices; spread over dough. Arrange pepperoni and cheeses on top. Roll up; place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush with egg whites; bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with warm garlic butter or pizza sauce for dipping. Makes 8 servings.

We all love this recipe, and have experimented with different toppings, such as chopped veggies, Italian sausage, and Hawaiian (ham and pineapple - although for that one I leave out the oregano). In my oven, the stromboli is done after about 25 minutes, so watch it carefully.

Also, the trickiest part about this recipe is sealing the edge of the bread dough to prevent the toppings leaking out. I've tried moistening the edges with water, pressing with a fork, etc. Anyone have any ideas for this, or should I just get used to it? :)

This is one of the dishes I'm bringing to the cooking co-op I do with Megan, where we assemble and freeze dinners for each other. For this purpose, I followed the above directions, including baking (as I didn't want to re-freeze unbaked dough). But I left it slightly underbaked, so it won't get too brown when we take it out of the freezer and bake it again. I wrapped the stromboli tightly in aluminum foil, followed by Glad Press 'n Seal, and froze it. Megan or Joy, feel free to leave feedback on how it turns out when you do bake it!

Senate Bean Soup

2 cups dried navy beans (1 lb)
12 cups water
1 ham bone, 2 pounds ham shanks or 2 pounds smoked pork hocks
2 1/2 cups mashed cooked potatoes (with milk and butter)
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup) (I left this out and increased the celery, and it was still full of flavor)
2 medium stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1. Heat beans and water to boiling in Dutch oven. Boil uncovered 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour.

2. Add ham bone. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 2 hours or until beans are tender

3. Stir in remaining ingredients. (The mashed potatoes won't really mix in at first, but after simmering they'll make the broth nicely smooth) Cover and simmer 1 hour.

4. Remove ham bone; remove ham from bone. Trim excess fat from ham; cut ham into 1/2-inch pieces. Stir ham into soup. Makes 12 servings, about 1 cup each.

I found this recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook, which says it is served in the US Senate cafeteria every day. It's a delicious way to use up leftover Easter ham. I had fully cooked ham on hand, so I used that, but didn't add it until step 3.

Sauerkraut Stew

This is a flexible stew that is apparently rather popular in Eastern Europe. I first had it at a restaurant in Old Salem, NC, and liked it so well that I looked up recipes online so I could make it for myself. This recipe is my own adaptation of several variations. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that nothing has to be measured exactly! I like to prepare it in a crock pot for convenience. This recipe is for a 5-6 quart crock pot.

Ingredients:
2 lbs meat (I used beef stew meat and kielbasa, but have also made it with beef and pork - any combination will work)
6 medium-large white potatoes
1 lb Carrots
1 lb Sauerkraut
Seasonings, to taste
3-4 cups water

Directions:
Cut the potatoes and carrots into bite-sized pieces and put into the crock pot. Spread sauerkraut over the carrots and potatoes. The sauerkraut can be drained and rinsed first, if preferred (I do not drain mine). Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and brown it briefly on the stove. Add meat to crock pot. Add seasonings, to taste (I used black pepper, celery salt, celery flakes, freeze-dried chives and a vegetable bullion cube). Pour water over the meat to draw some of the seasoning down into the vegetables. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hours. Stir and add water as necessary before serving. You can serve it with sour cream or prepared brown mustard for additional flavor and character.

Prep time is approximately 30 minutes.

Spicy Italian Beef (Sandwiches)

1 boneless beef roast (3-4 lbs)
1 jar (12 oz) peperoncini
1 can (14 1/2 oz) beef broth
1 can (12 oz) beer
1 pkg. (1 oz) Italian salad dressing mix
1 loaf French bread, sliced thick
10 slices provolone cheese (optional)

Trim fat from roast. Cut if necessary to fit in slow cooker, leaving meat in as many large pieces as possible. Place in slow cooker.

Drain peppers, remove stem ends and discard. Add peppers, broth, beer and dressing mix to slow cooker; do not stir. Cover; cook on low 8-10 hours.

Remove meat from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks. Return shredded meat to slow cooker; mix well. Serve on French bread, topped with cheese, if desired. Add add'l sauce and peppers if desired.

Beef Porcupine Meatballs

Another dinner-exchange recipe from my friend Katie.

8 oz pkg beef Rice-a-Roni, divided
1 lb ground beef
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 cups water
Prepared egg noodles

Combine Rice-a-Roni with beef and egg, setting aside seasoning packet from mix. Shape into small meatballs; brown on all sides in a skillet. Drain. Combine contents of seasoning packet with water; pour over meatballs. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Serve meatballs and sauce over cooked egg noodles. Makes 4-6 servings.

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken

Another dinner-exchange meal from Joy. Super easy and very tasty.

Cut chicken breasts in half and stuff with honey mustard and ham slices.
Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with crushed pretzels.*

Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

*To crush pretzels, place them in a baggie and roll over them with a rolling pin.

Chicken Enchiladas (These are SOOOO good!)

My friend's and I have started a dinner exchange where we get together and each cook two meals times three. When we're done, we each have 6 different meals to take home. Since many of the meals are on the larger side, we can often split the dishes and actually end up with more like 9-10 meals. The best part is, our families get to try new dishes that we've never had before and not only is it fun to get together to cook, but it's so much easier to make dinner on those days when I don't have time to make a full-meal.

The following recipe is from my friend, Joy. Both my husband and I enjoyed this dish so much and I will definitely be making it again (or maybe have Joy make it again). It is one of the best enchilada recipes I've ever tasted. It did freeze well but the tortilla's were a little softer than they would have been if it was made and cooked immediately.

Ingredients:
Chicken (recipe doesn't say how much. Adjust to how many it's going to feed).
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup onions
4 oz can green chili peppers
Milk
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 tsp cumin
1 can cream of mushroom or chicken
8 oz. sour cream
Flour tortillas (I think she used the medium size)

Brown in saucepan: 2 tbsp butter, onions, 1 tbsp green chilis

Mix in bowl: cream cheese, 1 tbsp milk, cumin, cooked onion mixture and cubed cooked chicken.
Spoon into flour tortillas, roll and place in greased baking dish.

Mix in seperate bowl: 1 cup milk, cream of chicken/mushroom soup, sour cream & the rest of 4 oz. can of green chili peppers.

Pour mixture over tortillas. Cover with foil and bake @ 350 for 35 minutes.

Uncover, sprinkle with cheese & cook for another 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.

Prawns in Coconut Milk

This is an Indian curry I was served by a Bengali friend in Bangladesh. It's a delicious curry and not very difficult to make.

1 1/2 lbs (750 g) large raw prawns
1 tablespoon ghee (butter) or oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 fresh red or green chilies, clit and seeded (optional)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
8 curry leaves
2 cups coconut milk
1 tsp salt
Lemon juice to taste

Wash prawns well. Shell and devein if liked, but some local cooks say the prawn should be in their shells, for they retain more flavor this way. (I would recommend shelling and deveining).
Heat ghee (butter/oil) and fry the oions, garlic and ginger until onions are soft but don't let them brown. Add chillies, turmeric and curry leaves and fry 1 minute longer. Add coconut milk and salt and stir while bringing to simmering point. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then add prawns and cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice to taste.

Dhal (Lentil Puree)

I went to Bangladesh for a month during college to help out at a school over there. While I was there, one of the Bengali teachers at the school had me and my host family over for dinner. She served us Prawns in Coconut Milk, rice and Dahl. If you're familiar with Indian food, you may know that Dahl is a staple of many Indian diets. It can be eaten as a main course or a side dish. I usually make it as a side dish with a curry & rice being our main dish. Dahl is delicious, healthy and very simple to make. My 14 month old loves it as a meal or a snack.

Here's the recipe as given to me from my Bengali friend:

Any type of lentils can be used for this, but red lentils or moong are the quickest cooking type and do not need soaking. (I was unable to find red lentils so I used green and they worked just fine).

250 grams lentils (This was about half of my 450 g bag)
1 1/2 tablespoons ghee (butter) or oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger (I've substituted powdered ginger but I'm sure fresh tastes much better)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 cups hot water
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala (see recipe on this site if you would like to make your own garam masala)

Wash lentils thoroughly, removing those that float on the surface. Drain well. Heat ghee (butter) and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is golden brown. Add turmeric and stir well. Add drained lentils and fry for a minute or two then add hot water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are half cooked. Add salt and garam masala, mix well and continue cooking until lentils are soft and the consistency is similar to porridge. If there is too much liquid, leave the lid off the pan to speed evaporation. Serve dhal plain or garnished with sliced onions, fried until deep golden brown. Eat with boiled rice, Indian breads or as a light meal by itself.

Dhal can be frozen and reheated well. It might get a bit mushier if reheated but it still tastes great. If reheating, add some water to the dish to rehydrate and so it won't burn while heating up.