Jan 10th-15th

My family is really getting into this Recipe Blog. Now that I've been taking pictures of things, they want me to try new and different things more often. Colton gets upset if I don't take a picture of HIS plate before eating, how cute!

SAUSAGE MUSHROOM ALFREDO

1 lb. Italian Sweet Sausage
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
4-5 TBS. butter
1/4 C. flour
1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
2 C. milk
1 C. shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 C. shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder



BEER ROCKS

2 LBS. Ground Hamburger
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt (or more according to taste)
1/3 head chopped cabbage
1 box Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix

Brown hamburger in large frying pan. Half way through cooking, add onions, salt & pepper. When completely cooked, throw in chopped cabbage and cover with lid. The steam will wilt the cabbage.
You do NOT want to fully cook the cabbage.
Prepare roll dough according to package. Knead the dough for the full amount of time given and then begin to roll out the dough. You want it the size of a large pizza; there about. Cut a square in the dough, about 2 in. wide and 3 in. in length. Put 2 spoonfuls of hamburger mix into the middle of the dough. Bring up the corners of the dough followed by the other sides. Pinch together to hold the meat in. Place on a cookie sheet with the pinched side down. It will look like a stuffed roll. Once they are all done, turn oven onto 350 degrees. Set cookie sheet ON TOP of the stove and let them rise for
approx. 25-30 min. Place in oven and bake for about 20-25 min., or
until golden brown.
We open them up and use a country gravy over the top. Sorry, the gravy is a secret family recipe. But use any package country gravy mix and it will do fine!!







Because I am behind on printing up my recipes, I no longer remember WHAT I cooked this week!)

Jan. 3rd - 9th

President Bush's Favorite Brownies

1 1/4 C. flour

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/2 C. (1 stick) butter

2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided)

3 eggs

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 C. sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt.

In large saucepan, melt butter and 1 cup chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, stir until well blended. Add sugar and mix well. Gently fold in flour mixture. Stir in remaining chocolate chips.

Spread into greased 11-by-9-inch pan. Bake in preheated oven 25 - 30 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean. Cool completely and cut into bars.

HAM & PINEAPPLE

We had LOTS of leftover ham and my husbands favorite way to eat it is with pineapple and a sauce. So here's the sauce recipe. I warm up the ham and then pour this over it and serve.

1 can pineapple juice
1/4 C. brown sugar
1 TBS. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 TBS cornstarch mixed with 3 tsp. water


MONTEREY IMITATION CLAM CHOWDER

1 1/2 Cube Butter (I know...A LOT!)
1 finely diced carrot

2 chopped potatoes
2 stalks chopped celery
1 med. onion diced
2 large cloves crushed fresh garlic
1 C. diced raw bacon (optional)
2 Pints heavy Whipping Cream
3-4 C. milk
2 C. 1/2 & 1/2
1 8 oz. bottle clam juice
4 cans chopped clams
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. white pepper
3 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 1/4 c. Flour

In a large (5 qrt.) pot, melt butter on Med. Hi; slowly add flour to create a rue. You want the flour to soak up the butter. (if you add too much flour, simply add more butter) Then begin adding your cream 1 C. at a time. Whisk it in to smooth out the flour paste. Begin adding ALL other ingredients except remainder flour. Bring to a slow boil for about 45 min. In a separate bowl, add the flour and a little milk or cream, use a fork to whisk this around until there are no lumps. Add to soup and stir it in. Let simmer for about another 45 min. stirring CONSTANTLY!!! The soup will thicken as it simmers. If you want it thicker, you can always add more flour!

CHICKEN CORDON BLUE RING

1 lb. chicken Breast tenders
1 lb. ham
1 C. shredded Swiss Cheese
1 C. mayonnaise
2 cans of Crescents

In a food processor, finely grind up both the chicken and ham. Pour into bowl and add cheese. Scoop the mayonnaise in and mix well. (If you have a pizza stone, this will work the best. Otherwise, use a regular pizza pan) Open both cans of crescents; you are going to lay them in a circle on your pizza pan with the tips pointing outward and the short straight edge on the inside. Each crescent needs to overlap just a little. Scoop about 1/8 C. of the ham & chicken mixture onto each crescent. Then take the points and fold them straight over so now the points are in the middle of the ring. Bake for 20-25 min.

2010 NEW YEARS RESOLUTION

Just a note, my goal for this New Year is to not ONLY post my menu each week, but to add pictures of my creations. So this will mean that I will post my menu the following week to ensure that my recipe not only came out right, but it looked pretty and tasted fantastic by those I have fed. I'm getting serious about this can you tell? Everything I post is being double copied over into my file and put in a cook book for my extended family. My husband thinks once it is done I should try and sell it. We'll see!!

NEW YEARS BASH AND HOLIDAY TREATS!!

It has become a family tradition that we throw a New Years Eve or Day bash with friends over. There's lots of kids, noise, games, laughter and most of all....FOOD!!! Here are some of our favorite things to have. I'm sure most of them you know so I won't put a recipe with everything, just those that might be a little new or unusual.
Have a GREAT night and or day and remember to be safe. Make realistic goals for the New Year, that's my motto. ("What's a motto....nothin', what's a motto with you?")

BBQ Weenies
7 layer dip
7 layer salad
Teriyaki wings OR
honey Lime Wings
Chicken Salad Won Tons
Deviled Eggs
Spinach Dip & Veggies
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Cheese Ball & Crackers
Ham & Rolls


7 LAYER SALAD

If you have a Trifle bowl, it is best prepared in that
Layer 1- lettuce
layer 2 - Thawed peas
layer 3 - Mayonnaise spread over first 2
layer 4 - Chopped boiled eggs
layer 5 - Chopped tomatoes (I don't like tomatoes so I substitute green onions)
layer 6 - Crumbled cooked bacon
layer 7 - Grated Cheddar Cheese

TERIYAKI WINGS

One LARGE package of Wings
1 bottle Yoshida Gourmet Sauce

Place wings and 1/2 bottle of sauce in a crock pot on High for 3 hours. (Note, if you enjoy this sauce, you can purchase a LARGE bottle of it at Sam's Club for about $8)

CHICKEN SALAD WON TONS
If you have a favorite recipe for Chicken salad, use it. Other wise try the following.
Boil chicken the night before and place in fridge. Next morning, chop or shred chicken. Mix with the following.

1/2 C. chopped celery
1/2 C. chopped green onions
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
Mayonnaise (Amount is up to your own preference.)

If you have a SMALL cupcake pan, it works best. Place a single won ton wrapper in the cup cake holder. DO not fold down or trip, it will automatically make a small bowl. Bake them at 350 for about10 min. or until lightly browned. Cool and fill with your chicken salad.

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries

MICROWAVE PEANUT BRITTLE

1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 pinch salt (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Grease a baking sheet, and set aside. In a glass bowl, combine peanuts, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook in microwave for 6 to 7 minutes on High (700 W); mixture should be bubbly and peanuts browned. Stir in butter and vanilla; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.
2. Quickly stir in baking soda, just until mixture is foamy. Pour immediately onto greased baking sheet. Let cool 15 minutes, or until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

1/2 C. Softened BUTTER (1 stick)
2 C. Creamy Peanut Butter
3 C. Sifted Confectioner's Sugar
1 ENTIRE PACKAGE Chocolate Almond Bark

Place Almond Bark in med. sauce pan on LOW, repeat....LOW!!! Meanwhile, mix your Peanut Butter and Butter together. Once creamed, add in Powdered Sugar 1 C. at a time. Mixture should be thick. Once chocolate is fully melted, roll peanut butter mix into a small ball, walnut shape. Dip into chocolate. Use a spoon to roll it around to ensure fully covered. (Now is a good time to turn off your stove so the chocolate doesn't get too hot and begin to burn! If while rolling your chocolate gets lumpy, it is burning. Add a LITTLE bit of plain shortening to get the smooth texture back.) Place peanut butter ball on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Once sheet is full, place balls in the freezer for about 2 min. These will last longer IN THE FREEZER, unless of coarse you just CAN'T stay away from them like my family! Take one out, let sit for a couple minutes and it's perfect! If while rolling, the peanut butter mixture gets gooey; place in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm back up.

Dec. 27 - Jan. 2nd 2010

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL & FILLING Christmas. The week of Christmas I didn't do a whole lot of cooking, mainly because I was busy doing other stuff to get READY for Christmas. It was a few nights of grilled sandwiches, hot dogs and what not.
I was HOPING to have some leftovers from my in laws for this weekend, but we all ate too much and didn't even get that! So, here's what I will HOPEFULLY be cooking this week!

MUSHROOM CHICKEN

1.5 lb. Chicken thighs
1 large can + 1 reg. can Cream
of Mushroom Soup
1 can Evaporated Milk
1/2 C. reg. milk
1/2 lb. (or more) fresh sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 C. Whit wine (optional)

Place all ingredients in a crock pot on high for 3-3 1/2 hours. Serve over rice.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN & SHRIMP

It has always been a family tradition while growing up that on Christmas Eve, we went out for Chinese. It is a tradition I love to carry on....but the wallet doesn't always cooperate. So, I have learned to improvise.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 lb. small frozen shrimp (already cooked kind is easier)
2 C. shredded cabbage
1/2 onion sliced
1 C. shredded carrots
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms sliced
1 jar Kikkoman Teriyaki Glaze
2 Tbs. oil
1/2 C. Brown Sugar

Dice chicken into bite size pieces and place in a bowl. (you can marinade this for a while in a mixture of Soy Sauce, Sesame oil, a little Ground ginger and some Garlic powder) In a large frying pan or Wok, pour in oil and coat sides. Once heated on Med. Hi, pour in chicken and cook through; set aside. In same pan, add in all your veggies and saute on Med. heat. You don't want to FULLY cook these, you still want them a little crunchy. When done, place in a separate bowl. Add chicken back to pan and pour in your frozen shrimp. Place a lid on. The water from the frozen shrimp will create a thin sauce on the bottom of your pan. DO NOT OVERCOOK THESE SHRIMP. Add in the entire bottle of Teriyaki Glaze. Pour a little water in the bottle, shake it around to get remaining sauce out and pour into the pan as well. Toss meat and shrimp well to fully coat. Add in your brown sugar to sweeten. (add more according to own taste) If the sauce is too thin, thicken it up with a cornstarch and water mixture. Pour into separate bowl and serve with veggies over rice. (Yeah, we are a big rice eating family!)


SAUSAGE & SPINACH QUICHE

8 oz. mild sausage
1 C. torn fresh spinach
3 eggs, beaten
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 c. half and half
1 pie shell

Arrange pie shell in your pie dish and set aside. Cook sausage and drain grease. (You can also run warm water over the cooked sausage to get rid of extra grease) Place sausage, spinach and cheese in a bowl. Add eggs and half and half. Mix well and pour into pie shell and bake at 375 for 45 min. Serve immediately.


HAM & FUNEREAL POTATOES
For those of you who are not of the LDS religion, this might sound like a foreign dish. But like every church, it's one of those famous "Church recipes" that has been around for years!! Whenever there was a funeral, these potatoes were sure to be there for the luncheon for the family. Thus the name became "Funeral potatoes." In our house, we put just a little twist on it though.

1 bag frozen hash browns
1 large can Cream of mushroom soup
1 C. sour cream
1 C. milk
1 small chopped onion (Saute a little before you add in if you like)
1 tsp. pepper
1-2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, mix together soup, sour cream, onions and pepper. Mix in half the cheese and then fold in the frozen hash browns. Try to coat as evenly as possible. Pour into an 11x13 casserole dish and bake at 350 for approx. 45 min. Top off with remaining cheese the last 4 min.
THE WOOD TWIST: When we have leftover ham, I chop that up and add it into these potatoes. It's a complete meal and we just add a salad on the side. My boys inhale it like no tomorrow!

CHICKEN K-SO

My sister laughed at me when I told her the title of this one. She says I'm such a "white girl." This is an honest to goodness made up recipe and it turned out GREAT!!

6-7 Boneless Skinless chicken Breasts
1/2 can chicken broth
1 C. Tostito Queso cheese dip

Place ALL ingredients in a crock pot and cook oh high for 3-3 1/2 hours. (For me, it was cooking while we were at church, done by the time we got home!) Remove chicken and shred completely. Pour some of the cheese sauce from crock pot over the top. We used this and made soft tacos with it. Try eating it with Tortilla chips too....it's YUMMY!!!