April 4th - 10th

This was a trial recipe. If you've ever heard of porcupine meatballs, this is the same thing. Except you're just not rolling the meat into balls. I made two HUGE casserole dishes of this because I took dinner to a friend and her family so I more than doubled this recipe! I set a dish aside for my husband to take to work and had a girlfriend come over to eat with us. So between my girlfriend, my two boys and myself, there was only 1 serving left to put in the fridge. I'd say that was a hit!!

PORCUPINE CASSEROLE

2 lbs. ground hamburger or ground turkey
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 1/2 C. UNCOOKED rice
1 can tomato soup
1/4 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 C. water
Pineapple Rings (optional)

Cook ground meat, onions and peppers together. Once meat is done, drain all grease. Place in a large bowl. Mix in UNCOOKED rice. (DO NOT use minute rice) In separate bowl, mix together soup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and water. Pour over meat and rice mixture and mix well. Place in 9x11 casserole dish. cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour! (I placed the pineapple on the last 15 minutes and poured a little more sauce over it. This is totally optional.)



HONEY LIME CHICKEN WINGS

Are you a wing lover?? You'll LOVE these and probably end up licking the dish just to get more sauce!!

18 whole chicken wings, split
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (Or juice form 3-4 whole limes)
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

In a large bowl, mix together the honey, lime juice, lime peel, garlic, salt and ground black pepper. Place the flour in a plastic bag and shake the chicken wings in the flour to coat. In a large skillet, fry the chicken wings in hot, 1 inch deep oil until cooked through. Place the cooked wings in the honey/lime mixture and toss to coat well. Serve immediately.

March 29th - April 3rd.

CHICKEN DIVAN

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 C. Sour Cream OR Miracle Whip
1/2 C. milk
1 - 1 1/2 C. Grated Cheddar Cheese
2 c. cooked rice
Crushed Keebler Club Crackers or Corn Flakes-OPTIONAL


Dice chicken to bite size pieces. Spray frying pan with a little non stick spray and place chicken in pan. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Cook chicken till no longer ping. Add in frozen broccoli, soup, sour cream OR Miracle Whip and milk. Heat up on med-hi heat until it starts to bubble. Place cooked rice in a large bowl. Once chicken mixture begins to bubble, pour over rice and add grated cheese. Mix together well and place in a 11x13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 20- 25 min. (Add crushed crackers or corn flakes the last 10 min.)


SPICY CHEESEBURGER SOUP

I got this from one of my favorite magazines, Taste of Home. My boys loved this soup! We don't like spicy so I omitted the jalapeno, but if your family has the mouth for spicy...GO FOR IT!!!

• 1-1/2 cups water
• 2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
• 2 small carrots, grated
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
• 2-1/2 cups milk, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces process American cheese, cubed
• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

• In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Stir in beef and 2 cups of milk; heat through. Combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Add cayenne if desired. Top with bacon just before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings (about 2 quarts).

FANCY RAMEN

I'm almost embarrassed to print this; however, my 7 year old begged me because he loves it! So Colton, this one is for you baby!!

• 1 pkg. Ramen (any flavor!!)
• diced ham or shredded cooked chicken
• chopped bell peppers
• diced green onions
• sliced cooked eggs
• Sesame Seed oil

Cook Ramen according to directions. (Like ANYONE needs to read directions for Ramen!!) Once it's done, let the kids add whatever they want to the noodles. Great way to get some veggies in with that boring package of noodles!!

APRIL FOOLS DINNER

I didn't go all out this year like I have in the past, but thought I would still share some of the fun things I have done. A lot of these you can find online and kids love them. Just make something DECENT for you on the side!!

FROG EYE SALAD

1 C. sugar
2 TBS. flour
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 C. pineapple juice
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBS. lemon juice
3 quarts water
1 TBS. oil
1 (16 oz) pkg. Acini Di Pepe pasta
2 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges
2 (20 oz.) cans pineapple tidbits DRAINED
1/2 jar Maraschino Cherries
1 (8 oz) container whipped topping
1 1/2 C. mini marshmallows
1 C. shredded coconut

In a sauce pan, combine sugar, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pineapple juice and eggs. Stir and cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat; add lemon juice and cool to room temperature.
Bring water to a boil, add oil, remaining salt and cook pasta until al dente. Rinse under cold water and drain.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, egg mixture, mandarin oranges, pineapple and whipped topping. Mix well and refrigerate overnight or until chilled. Before serving add marshmallows and coconut. Toss and serve.

GORILLA POOP
You've probably made these before! I have a neighbor that decided to give them a different name. So when I made them and told the kids I was making "Gorilla Poop" my kids grossed out; until they saw what it was! APRIL FOOLS!! (Thanks Jaydan!!)

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter OR Butterscotch chips

Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan. On medium heat, bring to a boil for one full minute.

Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter (optional), vanilla and oatmeal.

Drop by spoonful onto wax paper. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.