Dec. 13- 18th

OK...CALL ME A SLACKER!! I have not been as diligent about keeping up with my recipes as I should have been. Please tell me your life gets hectic and that sometimes it's all you can do just to shower and get dressed! Two of my boys had birthdays over the past week and we were busy celebrating them. PLUS....I haven't done a ton of new and fun cooking, just a lot of easy boring stuff.
After watching Julie & Julia, I decided that I needed to get back to my blog PRONTO. Like her, I wonder if anyone really reads this or tries these recipes. I have one thing though that Julie didn't have.....CHILDREN!!! She was diligent and posted daily and tried new recipes for an entire year. Sorry folks, I can't commit to that. Doing so would also commit me to the looney bin!! SO, for those that have been waiting....(ARE there any that have been waiting??) I give you my weeks recipes!! :)


BAKED POTATO SOUP

6 C. water
3-4 chicken Boullion cubes
8-10 chopped red potatoes
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 PT 1/2 & 1/2
3 C. milk
1 TBS. dried parsley (fresh if you want)
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese
1-2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
6 strips crisp bacon

Add water, bouillion, onions and potatoes to pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are half way cooked. Add all other ingredients except bacon. Simmer soup until cheese is melted and potatoes are soft; but don't let them fall apart! Serve and top with crispy bacon.

BBQ PORK NACHOS
Cooked a small pork roast last night and shredded it. Now have all this WONDERFUL meat to do so many things with. Tonight we are doing BBQ Nachos. Here's how it goes! Line plate with tortilla chips, spread shredded pork over, pour on BBQ sauce, top with shredded cheddar cheese OR use cheese queso and then warm up in the microwave. EASY RIGHT?? My husband likes this as a meal AND a late night snack!

SPLIT PEA SOUP IN CROCK POT

2 c. DRIED split peas
1 C. chopped onion
1 C. chopped celery & greens
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can chicken broth
2 C. water
3-4 ham hocks
2-3 C. chopped cooked ham

Place each ingredient in a crock pot except for chopped ham. DO NOT MIX. Place lid on and cook on low 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Remove ham hocks the last hour and replace with the cooked ham. Mix in well and add salt if needed. The natural salt from the ham hocks should add plenty.

BAKED PARMESAN CHICKEN

5-8 Chicken thighs with skin
Keebler Club crackers
1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese
1-2 TBS. Garlic Salt
4 TBS. melted butter
2 C. Buttermilk

Crush crackers in a ziplock bag. Pour into bowl and add Parmesan Cheese and garlic salt. In separate bowl, pour milk and set aside. (If you don't have Buttermilk, pour 2C. milk in bowl with2 tsp. lemon juice and let sit for 5 min. WHALA....homemade Buttermilk) Preheat oven to 400 deg. Dip chicken in milk, then dip into cracker crumb mixture and coat well. Place in a glass dish. Drizzle melted butter over chicken and place in oven to bake for approx 45 min. or until juices run clear.


HONEY ROLLS
(With permission from my friend Angela, I give you the EASIEST ROLL RECIPE EVER! YES, you CAN make rolls)

1/4 C. really warm water
2 TBS. yeast (NOT those little Red Star Packets from the Store...BUY A BAG OF YEAST!!)
1 tsp. honey
MIX THESE FIRST AND SET ASIDE

1 3/4 C. milk heated until warm
ADD:
1/2 butter and melt
THEN ADD
2 large eggs
1/3 C. honey 3 tsp. salt
MIX WELL THEN ADD TO MIXING BOWL WITH YEAST MIXTURE

Mix in 6 1/2 C. flour 1 C. at a time. Dough should be slightly sticky to the touch but will not stick to your finger. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise until doubled. Tear off pieces of the dough and shape into a ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size. Bake at 400 for 15-18 min. Remove and spread homemade honey butter over top or just plane butter. SEE, YOU CAN DO THIS!!

STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

1 box large shells
1 lb. ground sweet sausage
2 lb. Ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
2 C. shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Boil shells until slightly firm. DO NOT OVER COOK THESE; they will finish cooking in the oven!
Cook sausage and set aside. In a bowl, combine the Ricotta cheese, garlic salt, sausage and egg. Mix well and then spoon into the shells. Pour 1 C. of sauce in the bottom of an 11x13 dish. Place shells in dish. You will need to place these close together so they stand up. top off with the sauce and bake at 350 for 25 min. Sprinkle shredded cheese over and bake additional 8 min. Remove and serve.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
My husbands favorite thing at Thanksgiving is the sweet potatoes with the melted marshmallows. Personally, I've NEVER like that. In fact, I don't even like sweet potatoes!!! Until I tried this recipe! I thought it was FABULOUS and prefer making this around the Holidays instead!

4 cups sweet potato, cubed (or use 2 large cans sweet potatoes DRAINED)
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
4 TBS. butter softened
1/2 C. evaporated milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

TOPPING:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
3 TBS. butter
1/2 C. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash. (OR Drain canned sweet potatoes and mash well) In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish.In medium bowl, mix the sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Nov. 16th -21st

CHINESE LEMON CHICKEN

Ingredients:
2 1/2lbs boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” cubes)
Marinade-
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
Batter-
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch white pepper
1 Tbs. milk
oil (for frying)
Sauce-
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup chicken broth
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt
3 slices of lemon (peeled)
2 tablespoons oil
yellow food coloring (optional)

Step 1: Place cut chicken breast pieces into a bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Step 2: To make the batter – beat 2 large eggs with 1/4 cup of cornstarch, a pinch of white pepper and baking powder. Coat the chicken with the batter.
Step 3: Heat deep fryer to 350 degrees and deep-fry in batches until chicken is fully cooked. Drain on paper towels and set aside. You can also cook the chicken using a wok if you don’t have a deep fryer.
Step 4: Now, to make the lemon sauce – combine 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon salt (if using food coloring you can add it now). Mix until well combined and add 3 slices of lemon to the sauce mixture.
Step 5: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok and stir in the lemon sauce mixture and heat until well mixed and sauce becomes clear. Remove lemon slices and pour the sauce over the chicken and mix. Best served with rice.


AMY'S POUND CAKE

1 1/2 C. Butter
3 C. sugar
6 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 3/4 C. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
3/4 C. milk


In a large mixing bowl cream butter, add the sugar and mix well. Beat in eggs and vanilla on med. speed. In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Alternately add flour and milk to butter batter. Once batter is mixed well, pour into a greased and flour bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve with fresh strawberries or French Vanilla ice cream.


CHEATERS VERSION OF CHICKEN BROCCOLI ALFREDO

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken
1 small bag frozen broccoli florets cooked
2 boxes Pasta Roni Fetuccini Alfredo

Cut up chicken in 1" cubes and cook until done. Cook broccoli according to preference. Prepare pasta according to directions on back of box. Add chicken and broccoli the last 3 min. of cooking.



TASTY TURKEY MEATBALLS

I can HONESTLY say that I made this recipe up! It was simple and QUICK, just what I like!

2 rolls of Jenni-O Ground Turkey
1 roll Ground Pork Sausage
2 eggs
1 package turkey flavored stuffing
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Mix Turkey, Sausage, Stuffing and eggs together. With and ice cream scooper, scoop out meat and form into a ball. Place in 11x13 casserole dish. Once meatballs are done, if you have meat leftover, use it to add to the smaller size meatballs. This recipe will make 24 good sized meatballs. Place in oven and bake at 375 for 45 min. Remove dish from oven, pour jar of sauce over meatballs and sprinkle cheese on top. Place back in oven for additional 10 m in.


BROILED GARLIC ASPARAGUS

When I make this, I usually have to tell my boys "No more Asparagus until you eat the REST of your dinner." I know, sounds wrong huh!

1 lb. fresh Asparagus
3-4 Tbs. melted butter
Garlic Salt

Lay Asparagus evenly on a cookies sheet. Drizzle melted butter over and sprinkle generously with Garlic Salt. (I prefer the Lawreys Garlic Salt to all others) Place top oven rack on top setting and set oven to broil. Place asparagus in oven for3-4 min. Turn Asparagus over and return to oven for additional 3-4 min. Remove and serve. DELICIOUS!!


PUMPKIN SPICE RICE KRISPIE TREATS

Had a crazy idea and went with it, turned out pretty good! At Halloween time, Hershey Kisses came out with flavored Kisses, I bought the Pumpkin Spice one. While making the "normal" Rice Krispie Treats, I also melted the Kisses with the Marshmallows. They came out with a very subtle hint of pumpkin spice, perfect for Thanksgiving time! Experiment and try another flavor for your family!! My husband thought the idea sounded gross, then ate half the tray when they were done!!


KIDS RECIPE: TATER DOGS

2 cooked hot dogs
2 servings instant mashed potatoes
2 Tbs. shredded cheddar cheese

Quick and easy recipe my 6 year old LOVES to help make. Cut hot dogs length ways. Lay on plate open faced. (cut side up) Spread mashed potatoes over top and sprinkle with cheese. Place in microwave for a few seconds until cheese is melted. Serve and eat

Nov. 8th - 13th

Okay, so I'm back home and enjoying getting back to my regular routine. First things first, what do I have in my freezer and pantry that I can make for meals and what do I need to go shopping for? The rest of this week will be meals with stuff I already have. A few items might need to be purchased though.

CHICKEN ALFREDO SOUP

This is another favorite of my boys. (Not my husband though, he can't eat broccoli so I usually make it on a night when he has to work!)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken (I like the thighs for this one)
6 C. water
8 oz. angel hair pasta
6 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
1/2 onion diced
3 C. milk
3 C. 1/2 & 1/2 (For thicker soup use real cream)
1 1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese
1 package frozen broccoli florets cooked
2 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. pepper

Cut up chicken and cook ahead of time. Set aside. In large soup pot over Med-Hi heat, pour in water& bouillon cubes and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add onions and pasta; cook for 2 min. Add milk, cream, seasonings & chicken. Mix well and let heat up for approx. 5 min. Add cheese and broccoli. Let simmer until cheese is fully melted, about 15 min. Serve immediately but be sure to have spoons and forks to eat this with! French bread on the side goes great!


HAM & BEAN SOUP

1 1/2 lb. dried Navy Beans
7-8 C. water
1 pkg. Ham Hocks
1/2 onion chopped
2 celery stalks finely chopped (optional)
1 Tbs. salt (approx.)
2 C. chopped cooked ham
2 tsp. pepper

Pour beans in a dish and pick out any rocks or broken pieces. Pour into large soup pot with water. Add onions and Ham Hocks and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to Med. heat and let boil for approx 5 hours. In the middle of the boiling time, add seasonings. (Add the salt slowly and taste for preference) The last hour, add the cooked ham. If you have dogs, they will love the Ham hocks. These are mainly just for flavoring, NOT TO EAT!!


MEATLOAF

There are A LOT of recipes for this out there and after reading several of them, I kind of combined a few and came up with my own recipe! The boys love it so I kept it!

1 1/2 lb. ground hamburger
1 1/2 lb. ground pork sausage
1 package stuffing mix (I use the cornbread flavor)
2 eggs
1 small onion chopped
2/3 C. BBQ sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 C. ketchup
4-5 slices raw bacon

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, place hamburger, sausage, stuffing, onions and eggs. mix together will with your hands. Add in BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Mix again. Shape into a casserole dish. Spread ketchup over top and lay bacon over. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour. DRAIN ALL GREASE WHEN DONE!!


BANANA PUDDING DESSERT

1 5 OZ. packet French Vanilla Pudding Mix
3 C. milk
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Small container Cool Whip
3-4 Bananas sliced
Vanilla Wafers

Mix pudding, milk and Condensed Milk. Once thick, FOLD in Cool whip. In 11x13 in. casserole dish, line bottom with vanilla wafers. Place sliced bananas on top. Pour pudding mix over bananas and place in fridge to set. Just before serving, Place more Vanilla Wafers around edge of dish or crumble over top.

Nov. 1st -7th

This will be a short week for me since I am leaving for California for my mothers wedding. Might do some cooking there though, if it's anything worth sharing, I'll post it! HAPPY NOVEMBER!!

CHICKEN STEW

1 lb. boneless/skinless thighs
3 C. chicken stock
3 C. water
1/2 C. chopped celery
1 C. chopped carrots
1 C. diced red potatoes
1/2 onion chopped
3 crushed cloves garlic
1/2 TBS. Poultry Seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
sprinkle of rosemary & celery salt (optional)
1 C. pearl barley (NOT THE INSTANT!!)


Place ALL ingredients in a crock pot on LOW for 5 hours. The barley needs at LEAST that long to cook in a crock pot. Turn off and shred chicken. This is a yummy recipe that you can add whatever veggies you like.

Halloween Recipes!!

I wanted to share some of my favorite holiday recipes that we enjoy at our house.

EASY CARAMEL

Thanks to my girlfriend Angela, this is a memorized recipe that we have found many uses for lately!

1 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. white sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1 small can sweetened condensed milk

Pour ALL ingredients in a saucepan and place on MED. heat. Let fully melt and simmer stirring constantly. (lower heat if boil is too hard) The longer it boils, the darker and chewier it will be. Use the candy ball method to test. Place small bowl of water nest to the pan. With the spoon you are using to stir, drip a little into the water. If the caramel forms a ball and is firm, it is done. If you want it firmer, keep boiling and test again.

We have used this recipe over popcorn, dipping apples or just pour into a greased cookie sheet and let set. Cut into squares and enjoy as caramel pieces!

CARAMEL APPLES

Use above caramel recipe. We then melt chocolate and white chocolate almond bark to dip the caramel apples in and coat with our favorite candy toppings. Crushed heath bar, crushed Oreos, chopped nuts, cinnamon and sugar, mini M&M's, etc...


WITCHES FINGERS

This was a new one this year and it was a lot of fun!

1 bag pretzel sticks
1 C. Peanut Butter
2/3 C - 1 C. powdered milk
2 Tbs. honey
1 pkg. slivered almonds

In a mixing bowl, mix together peanut butter, powdered milk and honey. Add more milk to make mixture more doughy. Once fully mixed, take about 2 tsp. dough and shape around a pretzel stick to look like a finger. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Place a slivered almond at the tip for a fingernail. Use a toothpick to draw lines for knuckles.


BLOOD CUBES

Use a DARK type of fruit punch or Cranberry Juice. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. (For extra fun, you can put in gummi worms too) Before you serve these, you'll want to take them out and let them begin to defrost a little to a slushy stage. Place cubes in a glass of Sprite and watch the color dissolve, it looks like blood swirling in water!


APPLE BITES

Slice 2 apples red or green, spread one side of each apple with some peanut butter. Place 2 small marshmallows on each apple. (peanut butter side) Put 2 slices together with skin side facing you, should look like a mouth with teeth.