Easy Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 (1 oz) package of ranch dressing mix
2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheese
1lb bacon cooked and broken into small bits (I put the bacon in a large baggie and broke the pieces up with a rolling pin.)

Directions:
In a medium size bowl mash the cream cheese. Stir in the ranch dressing mix and the cheeses into the cream cheese. Shape the mixture into a ball. (It is a very large ball so I made 2 smaller balls). Cover the ball with the bacon bits. Refrigerate covered.

NOTES: The longer it refrigerates the better it tastes. Mine was in the fridge for 5 days before I served at the party. Also - I let the cheese ball sit out a few hours at room temperature before serving so it was nice and easy to cut.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

***This one will be making a regular appearance in our rotation! :) mmmm***

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

from yourhomebasedmom.com

6 Tbsp honey

5 Tbsp fresh lime juice (1-2 limes)

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

8 – 10 flour tortillas (depending on size)

1 lb of a Mexican blend cheese (monterey jack, colby, cheddar), shredded

1 large can of green enchilada sauce

Mix the honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder together with the shredded chicken. Allow it to sit for at least 1/2 hour or you could do it hours before and just cover and refrigerate.

Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place chicken and cheese into middle of a tortilla and spoon about 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce over it and roll up. Place seam down in the pan. Reserve about 1-2 cups of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Pour enchilada sauce over the top of rolled enchiladas (reserve a little bit to add after they are baked) and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

I served with Cilantro Lime Rice (like Chipotle's) that yourhomebasedmom.com suggested. Yum.

Fudge Cookie Bars

This recipe is from my second mom Nyla.

"Cookie" mixture:

1 c shortening

2 c brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

4 c quick oats

Chocolate mixture:

1 pkg chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Grease large cookie sheet.

Reserve 2 cups oatmeal mixture and press rest into bottom of cookie sheet.

Melt chocolate chips, and then combine with butter, salt, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk. Pour over crust. Sprinkle/lay reserved oatmeal mixture on top of chocolate. Bake for 15 minutes at 350*.

Lemon Cheese Bars

1 pkg yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 c vegetable oil

8 oz cream cheese

1/3 c sugar

1 tsp lemon extract

In a bowl, combine mix, one egg, and oil until crumbly. Sit aside 1 cup for topping. Press crumb mixture into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350* for 15 minutes.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, one egg, and extract. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.

Delicious Apple Pie

This is from Rosa Young. We made these for YW on Tuesday night. For each recipe we made 4 mini pies. And each girl got to take home 2 mini pies. We made a total of 24 mini pies in about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425*

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 3/4 + 1/8 C. Flour
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. Salt
3/4 C. Shortening
5 Tbsp. Water

Combine Flour, Salt, Shortening and Water. Toss mixture with fork to moisten. Create a ball. (Can use your hands to mix it better.) Wrap ball in plastic. Chill for 15 mins. in refrigerator before rolling.

Filling:
4 big apples (use your favorite) Core, Skin and Cut apples into bite size pieces
1/2 C. Butter
3 Tbsp. Flour
1/4 C. Water
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1 Tbsp. Vanilla

Melt Butter in a saucepan, add flour to create a paste. Stir well. Add water, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Stir. Add apples. Let simmer.
Roll out dough. Grease a 9" pie plate. Place dough in pie plate. Leave some dough to make a lattice for the top. Pour filling into pie plate. Roll out remaining dough and cut into thin strips and place on top of the pie (to make a lattice design).

Bake for 15 mins. at 425* and then for 35 minutes at 350* until apples are soft.
For golden crust, beat an egg and brush the egg on the crust.

Strawberry Pie Bars

Adapted from http://www.recipegirl.com/

CRUST:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoon brown sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

FILLING: the recipe came from this webpage

2 cups fresh strawberries, mashed

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar

2 cups strawberries, cut in to pieces

TOPPING:

3 cups quick-cooking oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled*

1. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a 15-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. With an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. At low speed, beat in the flour, spices and salt until a soft dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan and 1/2 inch up the side in an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and set. Let cool on a rack.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Add mashed strawberries and cook slowly for about 10 minutes until thickened. Let cool.

3. Prepare the topping: In a large bowl, mix the oats with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Using fingers (wash your hands and take off your rings first!), squeeze the butter into the oats & sugar and crumble together until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture into clumps.

4. Assemble the bars: Spread the strawberry filling over the crust. Scatter the crumbs on top, pressing them lightly into an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the topping is golden; rotate the pan halfway through baking, and keep an eye on it to make sure the top isn’t getting too browned. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting into 2-inch bars.

*It is important the butter is chilled otherwise the butter makes more of a paste than crumbs.

Makes 4 dozen bars

Autumn Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies taste and smell just like Autumn!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2-3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
1-1/2 cups chocolate-covered raisins (we tried it once with just chocolate chips and that was good too)

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in oats and raisins.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Flatten slightly.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Yield: 3 dozen. (I used my pampered chef scoop and it made more than three dozen.)

altered slightly from "Simple & Delicious" magazine

Cheesey Chicken Chowder

I got this recipe from Amy L and April H from church. It was a hit at my house!
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat and add vegetables and seasoning. Cover and simmer until tender. In another saucepan over med. low heat melt:

1/4 c. butter
add 1/3 c. flour and mix well.
Gradually add in 2 c. milk and cook until thickened over low heat.
Gradually add 2 c. grated cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
Add this to mixture to broth/veggie mixture along with
1 can of cream of chicken soup and
2 c. of diced cooked chicken.

Tara's Sausage dip

I think that this is Tara's sausage dip. Well, this is how I made it for the BYU game party.

1 log of Jimmy Dean ground sausage
2 blocks cream cheese, softened
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained

Brown the sausage. Drain. Add the cream cheese and can of tomatoes and green chilies. Heat until cheese is melted. Keep warm and serve with Frito chips or cubes of diced bread. (I kept it in a crock pot to stay warm.)

Veggie Cheeseball

1 block cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 small red pepper diced
1 small yellow pepper diced
3 stalks of green onions, chopped
1 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until blended well. Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and press cheese mixture into the lined bowl. Chill in fridge for 30 mins. Flip over onto a plate and remove plastic wrap. Eat with crackers. We like wheat thins!

Lemon Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

1 ½ C. sifted cake flour

1 ¾ C. sugar

14 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1 tea. Cream of tartar

Zest of one lemon

2 tea. Vanilla extract

¾ tea. Lemon oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sift flour into mixing bowl. Sift sugar into separate bowl and set both aside. In a copper or stainless steel bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks; add salt when whites are just foamy (add cream of tartar at this point if using a stainless steel bowl). Gently fold in sugar with a rubber spatula; fold in flour in two batched. Add lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon oil. When all is completely incorporated, transfer batter to angel food cake pan and smooth top. Bake until cake is pale brown in color and springs back when gently touched with finger, and when a skewer inserted in center comes out clean (approx. 1 hour). Cool upside down in pan. To serve, gently remove from pan, releasing sides with knife. Serves 10-12.

Frosting:

2 Cups. Whipping cream

½ pkg. lemon pudding

Serve with fresh fruit, especially nice with raspberries or strawberries. (FYI this is my official birthday cake, the one I asked for every year growing up...mmm)

Sticky Coconut Chicken

from My Kitchen Cafe

6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 cup canned coconut milk

1 TBSP mincd fresh ginger

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Marinade the chicken in coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour. Grill on barbeque.

Glaze:

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3 TBSP soy sauce

1 tsp red pepper flakes

While the chicken is grilling, bring the above ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 8-10 mnutes. Be patient because it takes a little while. But once it starts getting really thick, immediately take it off the heat! Glaze both sides of chicken the last few minutes of grilling and serve chicken over rice.

Sidenote: I used the extra coconut milk left in the can as part of the liquid in my rice. It was pretty good.

Simple and Meaty Skillet Lasagna

3 (14.5 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
salt
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, these do not add spice, just flavor!
1 TBSP dried basil
1/2 TBSP dried oregano
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef (I used 1 lb. beef, no pork)
12 curly edged lasagna noodles, broken unto 1 inch pieces
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese (don't use fat-free!)

Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor until they are coursely ground and no large pieces remain.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until it is lightly browned and no longer pink, 5-6 minutes.

Scatter the broken lasagna noodles over the meat and then pour in the ground tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Stir in the basil and oregano. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in half the mozzarella and half the parmesan. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2-4 minutes. Serve.

Sausage and Spinach Penne Skillet Supper

This is my new favorite dinner. It was easy and tasted fantastic. Serves 6. You can always feed more by adding more pasta and water. From My Kitchen Cafe.

1 TBSP olive oil

1 pound Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed (I used mild pork sausage)

3 medium garlic cloves, minced finely

3 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine (I forgot to rinse, they tasted fine)

1/2 tsp salt

12 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) penne pasta

1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (I used toasted slivered almonds, the pine nuts are way too expensive!)

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and add in the sausage. Cook until lightly browned and no longer pink about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the water, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/2 tsp salt, then add in the pasta. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook at a strong simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has thickened, about 15-18 minutes (if you find the liquid is absorbing too quickly and the pasta is still undercooked, add a bit more water in small amounts until the pasta is cooked thoroughly).

Stir in the spinach a handful at a time, and cook until wilted. Off the heat, stir in the cheese and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Great leftovers!

Taco Mac n Cheese Casserole

This recipe was passed from person to person, but it came from my step-mom. I am not sure it has a name so I made up another one.

2 boxes Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese prepared as directed on package
1 pound ground beef (I am sure Turkey can be substituted)
1 package taco meat seasoning or 1/4 cup if you buy from Costco.
1 cup sour cream
salsa
Cheese
crumbled tortilla chips

Brown meat, drain and prepare taco meat according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350

Combine prepared mac and cheese with sour cream. Layer half the mac and cheese mixture, followed by all of the taco meat mixture. Top with remaining mac and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with a layer of salsa, then crushed up tortilla chips, topped with shredded cheese. The last three ingredients I didn't have measurements so I put enough salsa to cover, and then did the same with the chips and cheese.

Clan-erole

OK so maybe south of the border potato casserole is better but whatever...

• 3-4 chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite sized strips
• 3/4 cup diced bell peppers and onions
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack Cheese
• 3 green onions sliced
• 2 tomatoes seeded and finely diced
• 1 bag tater rounds (disk like tater tots)

Bake tater rounds as directed.

In a pan saute peppers and onion in 1 T butter until onions are slightly transparent. Add chicken cook for about 5 minutes. Add soup, sour cream, and spices stir.

Preheat oven to 350. Layer Tater rounds on bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded cheese on top. Pour all of the chicken mixture on top, followed by the remaining tater rounds. then remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted. Top with green onions and tomatoes if desired.

Dessert Party

I had a dessert party and collected some recipes from various locations. I thought i would post them all here! All pictures were take from the website that the recipe came from, I lack presentation!

Chewy, Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies form Annie's Eats

Cupcake Bites from Bakerella

Shortbread Cookies from The Pioneer Woman

Frosty Orange Creme Dessert from Make it and Love it

Oreo Truffles from Recipe Queens

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats from Annie's Eats

The following didn't have pictures so you have to deal with my amateur photography skills.
Toffee Dip served with Fuji Apples from Recipe Queens
Fluffy Fruit Dip from Cooks.com I served this with Strawberries. Sorry I forgot to rotate and am now being lazy!

Veggie Bars from Recipe Queens I couldn't find Salad confetti so I just used iceberg lettuce, bell peppers and green onions. I forgot about the tomatoes and cucumbers, oops!

I also served punch that was made from:

1 liter of sprite
1 container of frozen raspberry lemonade
some raspberries thrown in.

This recipe I got from Hayley C. it was from memory and sounded good so hopefully I got it right!

New Food Website

Well this is probably not new but I just found it and I love all of the fresh new ideas. They even have some great restaurant copycat recipes under the budget section. Enjoy!
http://family.go.com/food/

Vampire Cookies

I know that the Cullen's don't have fangs ;) but I took these to a Twilight party anyways. They are actually kind of labor intensive, the dough is your typical sugar cookie recipe and hard to work with (for me, at least), and my recipe only made like 14 cookies. I would definitely double it. Or use your own sugar cookie recipe. But really, it is a novel idea, huh? I got this from Baking Bites.

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

approx 1/2 cup red jam

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and extracts. Add flour and salt to the bowl and mix them into the butter-sugar mixture at low speed until the dough is just combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 325.

Divide dough in half and keep the other portion in the fridge.

Roll out dough onto floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut 2 inch rounds.

Place rounds on baking sheet, put a tsp of jam on each of them and cover with another round of dough. Press edges down lightly clinching the edges down on the cookie sheet. Use a toothpick and poke two small holes, like a vampire bite, into the top of each cookie.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies are set.

Cool for 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dip a toothpick in some extra jam and re-insert in the "bite" holes you made before baking to emphasize them, if not already red. Draw a blood trickle down from one of the bites with the jam.

Cookies are best the day they are made.

Makes 2 dozen.

Texas Sheet Cake/ Crazy Cake

Cake
3 c. Flour
2 c. Sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. cocoa

Mix dry ingredients together.

1 c. oil
7 tsp. cider vinegar
7 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. water

Mix together and then add to dry ingredients. Combine until just moistened. Do not over mix.
Bake at 375* for 20-25 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting
1/2 c. butter/or margarine
2 Tbs. cocoa
1/4 c. milk

Heat ingredients together in a saucepan until a continuous boil while stirring. Remove from heat. Add..
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients and then pour over hot cake.(Just removed from the oven) Let cool. The frosting will stiffen when cools. Enjoy!

Brittany's Enchiladas

1 Can Costco Chicken (drained & shredded)

1 Can (16 oz) Refried Beans

Flour Tortillas (soft taco size)

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 Can (28oz) Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

Preheat Oven to 350*. Spray a 9x13 pan.

Place the shredded chicken and the refried beans in a sauce pan. Warm the chicken and the refried beans over the stove top until mixed well and warm. Spread a small amount of chicken & bean mixture onto tortilla. Top with a small amount of shredded cheeses. Roll up and place in 9x13 pan. Continue rolling up tortillas. (I can usually make 8 to 10 enchiladas). Open enchilada sauce and pour all over the enchiladas. Top with more shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with Rice & sour cream.

Note: If I want to make a few more enchiladas I will add more refried beans to the chicken.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Cheesy Garlic Breadslightly adapted from Robbie's Recipe Collection
2 cups shredded cheese - I used an Italian blend
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup butter - softened
2-3 cloves garlic - peeled, minced fine
1 loaf French bread – cut in half lengthwise
1 bunch green onions - root and green ends trimmed, chopped

In a bowl, stir together cheeses, mayonnaise, butter, and garlic until thoroughly mixed.Spread prepared mixture evenly over the cut side of each bread loaf half. Sprinkle onions evenly over cheese mixture.Place bread, spread side up, on a cookie sheet or aluminum foil, and then bake in a 350 degree oven for 7 minutes. Turn oven setting to broil and broil for 3 minutes.Break or slice bread into serving-size pieces and serve.

Paige's Honey Butter

*This recipe is from Favorite Family Recipes.

Tastes great on fresh wheat bread.

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey

Mix butter, eggs yolk, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add the honey while mixing.

Lemon Cake

This cake is amazing in flavor and very moist. I made it for myself as a gift for Mother's Day!! I also cooked it in a bundt pan and it was very similar to that one you can buy at Costco.

1 yellow cake mix
1 small package Lemon jello
4 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup oil

Glaze:
Juice and zested rind of 2 lemons
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in greased and floured 9x13 pan according to directions on the cake box. While baking make glaze using wire whisk. Before the cake cools, poke with fork and pour glaze over.

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats

I got this recipe from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, Ghiradelli makes bittersweet chocolate chips.
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
one package of marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 cups Rice Krispies
20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
4-6 oz. white chocolate, chopped
finely chopped Oreos, for topping

Directions: Place bittersweet chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted. Set aside. Grease a 9×13″ pan.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until melted and well combined. Turn off heat and stir in the melted chocolate and the vanilla extract.

Gently stir in the Rice Krispies and coarsely chopped Oreos, and mix to coat evenly. Press the mixture into the prepared pan, leveling the top. (I like to use a piece of plastic wrap over my fingers and press it down with my hand.) Allow to cool completely.

Once cooled, cut into squares. Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, and stir until completely melted. Place the finely chopped Oreos in another bowl. Dip the top of each square into the white chocolate and then the finely chopped cookies. Set aside to cool and let the chocolate set completely.

Or spread melted whit chocolate over the top of the un-cut treats the sprinkle with cookie crumbs and lightly press down. Then cut and serve.

Store in an airtight container.

Chicken Enchilada with Green Sauce

Ingredients:
Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken breast
Large can green enchilada sauce
Tortillas
Shredded Cheese

Directions:
Boil chicken, I sprinkled with garlic salt cuz that's just how I am. When cooked chop up into chunks.

Pour a little sauce into bottom of baking dish. Pour about 1/2 the can into the chicken. Set remaining sauce aside.

On flour tortilla spread chicken mixture, top with cheese then roll up and place in baking dish. repeat until chicken is gone. Pour remaining sauce over the top, spread with spoon as needed. Top with cheese and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

I used 5 chicken breast (Costco package) 12 flour tortillas and baked it in a 9x13" pan and a big can of green enchilada sauce.

This recipe is from Cucina di Harwood

Cucumber Dill Sandwiches

I made this for book club and apparently it was a hit.

1 8oz package Cream Cheese

1/2 package of dry Italian seasoning mix (more or less to taste)

1/2 cup sour cream (more or less to desired consistency)

dill

cucumber sliced thin

French bread

Or homemade bread cooked in a bread tube.

Mix cream cheese, Italian seasoning and sour cream. This is kind of to your preference. You want it kind of thicker but still spreadable.

Slice bread to 1/4" thickness then scoop cream cheese mixture on top 1/2-1 Tablespoon. top with a cucumber slice then sprinkle a bit of Dill on top. Not too much as I hear dill is a very strong seasoning.

Mexican Lasagna

9 Lasagna noodles (Cooked and drained)
1 lb. Hamburger
1 clove garlic
1 can refried beans
1 can sliced olives (drained)
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes
Shredded cheese (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Mix..)

Brown hamburger meat with garlic. Drain. Mix olives, refried beans, and tomatoes with hamburger. Spray 9x13 pan. Layer with Noodles, meat mix and cheese (3x). Top with cheese. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until bubbly and brown on top.

Mexican Chicken

Preheat oven to 350*

Chicken, cooked and cubed (2 to 4 chicken breasts)

1 can Cream of Chicken
1 can Cream of Mushroom
1 can Cream of Celery
1 can Nacho Cheese (Fiesta, if you can find it)
1 can sliced olives (drained)
Warm the above ingredients on stove top until warm.

Flour tortillas
Shredded Cheese (mozzarella or Mexican mix)

Spray 9x13 pan. Put a little of the soup mixture on bottom of pan. Then layer tortillas, mixture and cheese over and over (3x), just like lasagna. Cook for 20 mins. or until warm.

Crunchy Parmesan Chicken

This recipe is super easy and kid friendly... courtesy of Rachel Ray Everyday

1 cup cornflakes, lightly crushed
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
3 large eggs, beaten
Four 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 350*. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place the eggs in another shallow bowl. Coat each chicken breast with the cornflake mixture, then the eggs, then again wih the cornflake mixture; transfer to a wax-paper lined baking sheet.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden, about 2 minutes each side. Transfer to a clean baking sheet. Bake the chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve with the lemon wedges. (Jeff skipped the lemon, and loved it, but I love lemon, so I say, squeeze more on!).

Girl Scout Samoa Bars.

For the year round girl scout in you!

Cookie base:
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Working at low speed gradually add flour and salt until crumbly. Pour crumbly mixture into 9x13 pan lightly greased or lined with parchment paper and press into an even layer. Bake 20-25 minutes until base is set and edges are brown. Cool completely.

Topping:
3 c shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12 oz chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
10 oz dark or semi sweet chocolate (I used milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Note: You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if you’re looking for yet an easier way to finish these off. You won’t need quite as much chocolate as noted above, and you won’t quite get the Samoas look, but the results will still be tasty.

(If you are really want the original Samoa cookie, the recipe is found here. Both recipes were found on bakingbites.com)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipping Sauces for Fondue

These recipes were not served but I will be trying them shortly. They have my two favorite ingredients, chocolate and peanut butter.

The Original
8 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

Combine the chocolate and cream in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Heat until the chocolate is melted, stirring constantly or combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted stirring every 30-45 seconds. Be careful not to let the chocolate burn. Pour into a warm fondue pot. Add the peanut butter and stir gently until blended. Keep fondue warm over low heat.

Snickers Bar Fondue
8 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
2 teaspoons chunky peanut butter

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Heat until the chocolate is melted, stirring constantly or combine the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted stirring every 30-45 seconds. Be careful not to let the chocolate burn. Pour into a warm fondue pot. Add the caramel and peanut butter and stir gently until blended. Keep fondue warm over low heat.

NOTE: These recipes, along with the dipping sauces and meat styles are recipes curtesy of The Melting Pot Cook Book

Fondue Dipping Sauces

These are the dipping sauces that were made:

Ginger Soy Sauce
1 cup soy sauce
2 Tbls Chili Sauce
2 Tbls light brown sugar
½ t ginger
1 c fresh orange juice (2-3 oranges?)

Island Sauce
½ cup orange marmalade
Juice of ½ lime
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Herb and Butter Dipping Sauce
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 Tbls lemon juice
1 Tbls chopped fresh chives
1 Tbls fresh parsley
1 Tbls fresh tarragon
Hot red pepper sauce to taste (I think this could be optional)

Serve over heated element. We used a crockpot Dipper size.

I didn't make these sauces but I think you just mix together all the ingredients listed and serve on a side dish.

Meat Fondue

We had a Fondue party in honor of a gal turning thirty. It was lots of fun. Here were the three ways we cooked our meat.


The first is regular oil. Vegetable oil or peanut oil is recommended. For electric pots cook at 350.


Voodoo Cooking Style
5 1/2 cups water
juice from 1/2 orange
juice from 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped carot
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons blackened desasoning (Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic recommended) I ommited this ingredient.

Whisk the water, orange juice, lime juice, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper and blackened seasoning in a bowl until combined. Pour into a fondue pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until desired doneness.


Luau Cooking Style
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ginger
3 garlic cloves thinly sliced


Whisk the brth, pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a bowl until combined. Pour into a fondue pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until desired doneness.

Cookies

Sometimes you find a good recipe on the internet than you can't relocate it Here are some links to the above cookies. Nestle's White Chip Chocolate Cookies (right) and Hershey Kiss Cookies. Jeremy loved this dough! One thing I loved about the Kiss recipe that I had never seen before is that you put the kiss in the cookie after it is mostly done, then put it back in the oven for 2 minutes. The kiss still keeps its shape.

Fondue Recipe

I don't know the official name, but as it took my mother-in-law and I a while to find this in our time of need, it is going on the website so I will be able to locate it next time. Also, as a note, it says to cube all the cheese, but I shredded mine instead, it melted fabulously...

6 Tbs Butter
3 Tbs Flour
1/4 c Kirschwasser
1 c Whole Milk
3 oz Emmenthaler or any other type Swiss Cheese, cubed
3 oz Gruyere Cheese, cubed
3 oz Raclette Cheese, cubed
3 oz creamy Blue Cheese or Fontina, cubed (I used Fontina, it is more mild than the Blue)

Melt the butter in a heavy, large saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour. Constantly whisk for 1 minute or until the mixture is creamy and bubbling. Slowly whisk in the Kirshwasser. Whisk in the milk. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.

Slowly add all the cheese, stirring until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth (you may have to add more milk if it gets too thick).

Transfer to the fondue pot.

Now it says to serve with crusty french bread, torn into pieces and different veggies. My new theory, thanks to Tara, is serve with roasted red potatoes, brocolli, cauliflower and green beans... seriously to die for.

Three cheese chicken penne pasta bake

Also found at Kraftfoods

1-1/2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 jar (14-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It!

HEAT oven to 375ºF. Cook pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water for the last 1 min.

COOK and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 3 min. Add spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in Neufchatel cheese.

DRAIN pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. or 8-inch square baking dish.

BAKE 20 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min.

Broccoli Beef

1 1/4 lb round or sirloin steak, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup oil
2 cups water
1 med onion, cut into 1/4" slices
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 stalks broccoli, chopped
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3-4 tsp sugar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 med. tomato, cut into eighths

Heat oil in skillet. Add beef and cook, turning frequently, until brown. Stir in water, onion, garlic salt, and ginger. Heat to boiling and reduce heat. Add broccoli. Cover and simmer 12-15 minutes for round steak, 5-8 minutes for sirloin.

Blend cornstarch, sugar and soy sauce in small bowl; stir into beef mixture. Cover, cook over low heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Let boil for one minute longer while stirring. Reduce heat to low; place tomatoes on beef mixture and cover. Let cook-just until tomatoes are heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve with rice.

Chicken Marsala Pasta

3 chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 c Marsala cooking wine
1 c cream
1 c sliced olives
2 c sliced mushrooms
1 c chopped tomatoes
Parmesan cheese
linguine

Cook linguine. Meanwhile cook chicken in olive oil. Set aside. Cooke onions, mushrooms, and garlic in a little bit of olive oil until done. Combine with chicken. Add Marsala wine and cook about 5 min. Add olives and cream and cook down until sauce thickens. Add tomatoes and toss immediately with linguine and top with parmesan.

(This was absolutely delicious. It would be great also if you added seafood such as shrimp and scallops. I found my Marsala cooking wine at Safeway.)

Lasagna Roll-Ups

15oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2c shredded mozzarella
10oz frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1/2c sour cream
1/4c bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
12 lasagna noodles
15 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2c salsa
1/2c mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles. Lay out to dry. Combine first 7 ingredients to make filling. Spread 1/3c down each noodle leaving a tab at the end to make it stick. Roll up and place in 9x13 pan. Combine tomatoes and salsa and pour over noodles. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until heated through. Immediately sprinkle with 1/2c mozzarella and serve.

(I used fresh spinach and added into my water at the last minute of cooking time with my noodles. Worked fine. You could also just use a can of spaghetti sauce instead of the tomatoes and salsa.)

Simply Sensational Strawberry Shortcake.

Absolutely delicious and easy!

Found through Kraft Recipes

1-1/4 cups milk, divided

1/4 cup Sour Cream

3 Tbsp. sugar

2-1/4 cups all-purpose baking mix for biscuits

1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

4 cups sliced strawberries

1/3 cup sugar

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat 1/2 cup of the milk, the sour cream and 3 Tbsp. sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in baking mix until just moistened. Spread evenly into greased 9-inch round cake pan. Bake 12 to 15 min. or until top is golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

ADD remaining 3/4 cup milk to dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in half of the whipped topping. Toss strawberries with 1/3 cup sugar; set aside. Cut cake horizontally in half to make two layers.

PLACE bottom cake layer on serving plate; top with half of the strawberry mixture. Spread with pudding mixture; cover with top cake layer. Spread with remaining whipped topping; top with remaining strawberry mixture. Serve immediately. Store any leftover shortcake in refrigerator.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph

Soft Ginger Molasses Chews.

I haven't tried these yet, but the picture makes them look delicious!

image and recipe found here.

1 banana mashed
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/2 light brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour
1 TB baking soda
2 TB ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine banana, molasses, brown sugar, oil and eggs. Beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients and blend again until well combined. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto a large, ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 min. until the tops of the cookies are well crackled and just slightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

Yields: 34 cookies.

Classic Waffles.

I've made these several times now and will not go to any other recipe for waffles.

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Fluffy Pancakes.

1/2 cup flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp melted butter

Combine dry ingredients and then mix in all other ingredients until well combined.

These really are those fluffy pancakes and were very delicious!

Chipolte Chicken Salad

Salad:

Romaine Lettuce
2 boneless chicken breasts cooked and chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Avocado, diced
Red onion, thinly sliced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained

Dressing:

2/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp chipolte chili canned in adobo sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
juice from one lime

Mix dressing and toss with salad. Serve with tortilla chips on the side. Enjoy!

Creamy Tortilla Chip Casserole

This is an April Original. It was an after pregnancy flavor craving.

Ingredients
Frozen Chicken Breasts (I used about 10 Chicken breast tenders, enough to cover the chips)
2 cans cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Black Beans
1 can corn
1 cup sour Cream
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, divided
1 8oz can of diced green chilies
Tortilla Chips

Preheat Oven to 375, spray 9x13 pan with Pam

Cover bottom of pan with tortilla chips, then mush slightly. Place Chicken over chips.
In a bowl combine 1 cup of cheese (or more if you like) and remaining ingredients.
Cook for 45 minutes, the place another layer of chips topped with remaining cheese. You can even broil it for a minute or two to brown up the cheese. Serve with extra tortilla chips if desired.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This is a traditional side dish at the Cook family Thanksgiving dinner table.

Crust:
3 cups broken pretzels
1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tbs. sugar

Mix together and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 400* for 6 minutes. Let it cool.

1 cup sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 6-oz. strawberry jello
1 1/2 c boiling water
1 16-oz. pkg. strawberries, thawed and slightly smashed

Cream 1 cup sugar and cream cheese, fold in cool whip and spread on cooled down crust. Mix Jello and water, add strawberries. Cool and pour over cream cheese mixture. Chill before serving. Top with more Cool whip and strawberries when serving.

Chocolate chip oatmeal raisin Cookies

2 cups sugar
6 cups oatmeal
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 cups raisins
2 cups chocolate chips

Mix together the following and then add to the dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup milk

Stir well. Chill several hours or overnight. (Can skip this part and it still turns out great) Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375*F for 12-15 minutes.

Yield: 8 dozen
If you don't have time to bake them all, the dough can keep in the fridge for several days and you can make cookies on demand.

Tangy Meatball Subs

I made this one up as I had thawed some hamburger and wanted to try something new. Enjoy!!
(Picture courtesy of allrecipes.com)
Meatballs
1 pound ground meat
1 cup Italian bread crumbs/or crackers mashed with Italian seasoning
1 tsp. black ground pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 small onion, chopped fine
Mix all ingredients together with your hands and roll into 1-2 inch balls. Place on baking sheet covered with foil.(Helps with the clean up). Bake at 400*F for 15-20 minutes.

After the meatballs are baked place them all in a sauce pan with:

1 bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce

Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Then place on split hoagie buns. Top with:

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, split between 6 subs.

Place in oven on broil for about 3 minutes. WATCH IT OR IT WILL BURN!!!

Enjoy. Goes great with Doritos Nacho flavored chips and root beer floats.