Apple Crisp

I made this apple crisp from allrecipes.com for dessert last night. It was really really good.

Apple Crisp II


recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: Diane Kester
Photo By: [jessica]
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Servings: 12
"This large 9x13-inch crisp is made hearty with cooking oats mixed into its sweet crumbly topping. Underneath are all the lovely things that compliment apples -cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. Serve warm with rum raisin ice cream or a big dollop of freshly whipped cream."
Ingredients:
10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored
and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water


1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.
3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Cheesy Potatoes and Rolls

My husbands family has a tradition of having ham, cheesy potatoes and rolls for Christmas dinner. Now it's our tradition too. These recipes are my mother-in-laws and they are delicious!

60 Minute Rolls (makes 2 dozen)

3 ½ to 4 ½ c. flour

3 T. sugar

1 t. salt

2 pkgs. Yeast (or 2 tablespoons)

1 c. milk

½ c. water

¼ c. margarine or butter

In a large bowl thoroughly mix 1 ½ c. flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved yeast. Combine milk, water, and margarine or butter in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees F.). Margarine does not need to melt. Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add ½ c. flour and beat at high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; place bowl in pan of water at about 98 degrees F. Let rise 15 minutes. (If you are not in a hurry, you can skip this step and just let it rise about 45 minutes or so on its own). Turn dough out onto floured board. Divide in half and shape into whatever shapes you want and put on greased pans. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft about 15 minutes. Bake at 400 about 12 minutes or until done. Brush with melted butter, remove from baking sheets, and cool on wire racks.

Au Gratin Potatoes

Boil 6-8 medium potatoes—cool, peel and cube.

Mix together the following:

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

¼ c. chives or finely minced onion tops (optional)

1 cube margarine or butter

1 pint sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

Heat until cheese melts and fold into potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until bubbly.

(Sometimes I cut the margarine in half and use real sour cream (not low fat or non-fat)) I think the real sour cream is better for this recipe.

Sausage Egg Casserole

I made this casserole for Christmas breakfast. It was SO good. I wish I would have made it the night before like the recipe suggests, because it took a little bit of time to put together, but it was so worth it! Next time I will make it the night before. I also made the Country breakfast casserole and Jalapeno cheese grits which are oldies but goodies. The 2 casseroles are from allrecipes.com and the grits are from Bobby Flay's wife on the Food Network.

Sausage Egg Casserole


recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: KNITWIT
Photo By: Sheri O.
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

Ready In: 9 Hours 40 Minutes
Servings: 12
"Assemble the ingredients the night before, and bake this casserole in the morning. Stand back and wait for the compliments. I've made it with fat free cottage cheese, egg substitute, and reduced fat sausage; the taste is still wonderful!"
Ingredients:
3/4 pound ground pork sausage
1 tablespoon butter
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
10 eggs, beaten
1 (16 ounce) container low-fat cottage
cheese
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers,
drained

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
Directions:
1. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside. Melt butter in skillet, and cook and stir the green onions and mushrooms until tender.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, cottage cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and chiles. Stir in the sausage, green onions, and mushrooms. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the melted butter. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
5. Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Country Breakfast Casserole
Submitted by: Kristin
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 50 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 MinutesYields: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) package
breakfast sausage
1 chopped green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar
cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten (I usually add 2-3 extra eggs)
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 (2.64 ounce) package
country gravy mix
6 slices bread, cut into 1 inch
cubes (I used shredded frozen hashbrowns instead of bread)
2 tablespoons melted butter
(optional)
paprika to taste (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 11x8 (I use 9 x 13) inch baking dish.
2.
Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.
3.
Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle melted butter over bread, and sprinkle with paprika.
4.
Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.

Jalapeno Cheese Grits

Recipe courtesy Stephanie March (Bobby Flay's wife)





Ingredients

* 2 cups quick-cooking grits
* 2 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar
* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
* 3 large eggs, well beaten
* 2 jalapenos, finely diced
* 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles
* Garlic salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the grits according to the directions on the back of the package. Remove from the heat and add next 6 ingredients (Cheddar through chilies). Stir well and season with garlic salt, to taste. Pour into a buttered 9-inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Creamed corn with bacon

We had this as a side dish for Christmas Eve. It's my family tradition to have tamales and green chili soup on Christmas Eve. Matt and I were watching the Food Network and saw this recipe & Matt said wow, that looks good, so I surprised him and made it to go along with our tamales. This corn was really good. Next time I will cut back on the lime and cilantro though. It was a little over powering. I still think nothing beats the Rudy's like cream corn in a previous post, but if you were making Mexican food this corn would be a perfect addition to the menu.

Creamed Corn with Bacon

Recipe courtesy Michael Symon

Prep Time:
25 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
55 min


Serves:
4 to 6 servings as a side dish

Ingredients
Corncob stock:

* 5 shucked ears corn (kernels removed and reserved*)
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/2 onion peeled and quartered
* 1 tablespoon whole coriander seed
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 quarts water

Corn saute:

* 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 pound thick-cut bacon cut into lardoons
* 1 cup diced yellow onion
* 1 clove garlic minced
* *Reserved corn kernels
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups reserved corncob stock
* 1/2 cup creme fraiche
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
* 1 lime, zested

For the stock:
Directions

Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a lively simmer and cook to reduce liquid to 2 cups, approximately 30 minutes. Strain and reserve, keeping stock warm.
To finish the corn:

Begin heating a large saucepan, and glaze bottom with the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the lardons and cook over medium heat, rendering the fat and browning the pieces, stirring as needed. Add the onion and sweat, about 45 seconds. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, another 30 seconds. Add the corn and salt, continuing to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the reserved corncob stock and bring to a simmer, cooking until the liquid reduces to approximately 2/3 cup. Add the creme fraiche and simmer 3 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the butter and stir. Remove pan from heat; stir in cilantro and lime zest. Check for seasoning and serve.

Kristin's Pretzel Hugs

My friend Kristin brought these delicious little bites to a party last week. I had to make them immediately! They were a big hit at the party. Everyone kept asking how she made them. They looks like they've been dipped in chocolate and then drizzled. Then Kristin said she used Hershey's Hugs to make them!

You just lay out the pretzels on wax paper. Put a hug on each pretzel. Put it in the oven for a VERY short time, just until they start melting and then take them out and drop 2 M&M's on top and press it down gently and then stick them in the freezer for about 5 mins. SOO good, so fast and so easy! Thanks Kristin!

Chili & Soup

We had some friends over for a Gingerbread house making party on Saturday night. I made some chili and soup to eat while we built the houses. I made the simple chili I usually make and then my friend Tracy's SUPER yummy potato corn chowder.

Kerstin's super easy chili

Brown 2 lbs of ground beef with 1 large diced onion. Add 3 cans of chili style tomatoes, 1 can drained black beans, 1 can drained kidney beans, 3 large cans ranch style beans, 4-6 T of Fiesta brand easy chili seasoning mix. Let simmer for about 30 mins.

Tracy & Bryan Glatt's Corn Chowder

Large soup pot

Canola Oil

Thick slice of salt pork (or 5 slices of thick bacon)

1 large onion –chopped

3 cans of cream style corn

6 large potatoes – cooked and cut to bite-size (Tracy doesn't cook them beforehand and neither do I. Just dice them and let them slowly cook in the soup.)

5 ½ cups of canned milk – (2 cans of Carnation evaporated milk) measure each can in a 2 cup measuring cup - fill with water to make each can measures 2 cups, the last cup & ½ is water.

5# Hormel ham – cut to bite size pieces (you can reheat so ham is hot when you add to the chowder)

Salt & Pepper to taste





First prepare potatoes, cook until tender. While potatoes are cooking, I start the chowder - Cook salt pork, canola oil and onions in soup size pot, on med-high heat, cook till onions are lightly browned (do not cook too high or onions will burn). Remove salt pork or bacon, leaving drippings. Add creamed corn, heating until bubbly. Add milk. Add potatoes. Add ham, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil then let simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes. Serve with crescent rolls, corn bread or jalapeño bread.

1-50 point Choco Chip Muffins!

I finally got around to cooking our enormous Halloween pumpkin, so I decided to make pumpkin muffins. I make 2 different recipes. 1 my mother-in-law sent me from Our Best Bites that she tried when my sister-in-law Laura made them when she was visiting her and another one I always love to make from the Lion House Pumpkin bread recipe. I just added chocolate chips to the Lion House recipe and cut down the cooking time. The one from Our Best Bites is suppose to be 1 weight watchers point per muffin without the choco chips. I'm guessing the Lion House recipe is about 50 points per muffin!

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Our Best Bites

2 spice cake mixes (Duncan Hines, although not pictured, is the best for this recipe)
1 30-oz. can pumpkin
1 12-oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Okay, super-tricky here. Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mixes and pumpkin. Add in chocolate chips.


Spoon mixture into lined muffin tins. This can make as many as 48 muffins or as few as 36, just depending on how full the tins are filled. These really don't rise very much, so you can fill the tins pretty full. If aesthetics are a concern, keep in mind that how they look going into the oven is very much what they will look like coming out of the oven. So a cookie scoop works great to keep things on the prettier side.
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.

Lion House Pumpkin Bread
1 1/3 C Veg oil
5 eggs
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 pkg (6 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 C nuts

Grease pans. Mix well oil, eggs, pumpkin, beat well. Seperate bowl: sift flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in pudding and nuts. Pour into pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Makes two loaves.

Ribs & more

Matt has some co-workers over for dinner on Thursday, so I decided to attempt ribs for the first time. Very risky, because bad ribs are...bad! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. They were SOO easy and SOOOO good. The only thing I changed in the recipe is that I marinated the ribs in the foil with a dry rub on them for 8 hours and then the bbq sauce on them for 4 hours before baking them for 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees. Then I opened the foil and put more bbq sauce on them and cooked them uncovered for 10 minutes at 450 degrees to carmelize some sauce on the top of them. I served the ribs with baked beans, macaroni & cheese, cream corn, Pioneer Woman's famous texas sheet cake and my families favorite poppy seed cake. It was all very tasty!

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake
Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.


Pat's Baked Beans (I used black beans, kidney beans, great northern beans, pinto beans and baked beans)

6 slices bacon
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (16 ounce) can great Northern beans,
drained
1 (16 ounce) can baked beans
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings, crumble and set aside in a large bowl. Cook the onion and garlic in the reserved drippings until onion is tender; drain excess grease and transfer to the bowl with the bacon.
3. To the bacon and onions add pinto beans, northern beans, baked beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans. Stir in ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and black pepper. Mix well and transfer to a 9x12 inch casserole dish.
4. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Macaroni & Cheese
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked.
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 9-inch round or square baking pan.2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. Reserve ¼ cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. 3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.Yield: 6 to 8 servings.


Cream Corn Like No Other
Submitted by: DIANA YOCKEY
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 260 members Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 15 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen
corn kernels, thawed
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a skillet over medium heat, combine the corn, cream, salt, sugar, pepper and butter. Whisk together the milk and flour, and stir into the corn mixture. Cook stirring over medium heat until the mixture is thickened, and corn is cooked through. Remove from heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Serve hot.

BBQ ribs

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds pork baby back ribs (make sure to remove the silver skin, kind of a thin layer of skin against the bone side of the ribs)
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays original bbq sauce)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum foil big enough to enclose each portion of ribs. Spray each piece of foil with vegetable cooking spray. Rub the ribs with the rub mixture (see below). Put them in the fridge overnight. First thing in the morning brush the ribs liberally with barbeque sauce and wrap them back up and put them back in the fridge until you're ready to cook them.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
3. Bake ribs wrapped tightly in the foil at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from foil and add more sauce, if desired.

This is what I used for the rub: 1/4c. brown sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp. paprika, 1 Tbsp. salt, 1 1/2 Tbsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder.

POPPY SEED CAKE

1 pkg. yellow cake 1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1/2 c water 1/2 c orange juice

1/2 c oil 5 eggs

2 t poppy seeds 1 T almond extract

Mix 5 min at medium speed. Bake in a sugar and cinnamon coated bunt pan. Bake 45 min at 350. Cool and drizzle with a mixture of powdered sugar, butter, and almond extract.

Adam's Spankin' good chili!

I named this chili myself. My friend Adam (more commonly known as Spanky) gave me this recipe for chili that he won the Rackspace chili contest with. It's delicious!!

I adjusted things a little to lower the heat level, so here's what Adam did followed by the little adjustments I made:

Adam's Spankin' good chili!

1/2 pound Peppered bacon-Dice it up along with a whole white/yellow onion (your choice, I did white), about 5-6 big cloves of garlic and three good sized Serrano peppers seeded. Cook bacon about half way and then add onion, garlic, peppers diced and a couple of bay leaves. Sauté till onion is clear in color. Add the beef. I did 3 lbs. I did 2 lbs of 80/20 and 1 lb of 70/30. I then added 9 T (that's right, table!) of Fiesta Quick Chili seasoning and about 1 T of crushed red pepper seeds. Cooked till all was brown and let simmer for about 30 minutes. I then added 1 can of tomato paste, 1 can rotel, 1 can diced tomato and 1 can of kidney beans rinsed. Then 2 cans of ranch style beans. You know the ones with the black label. MMMMMM! I then let that simmer for about an hour on low. Serve it with cheese and red onion diced! BAM! The next thing you know, 1st place. I didn't drain any grease. You can.

My adjustments:

I did the peppered bacon (it gives the chili a very smoky peppery flavor), white onion, 6 big cloves of garlic minced, 1 good sized serrano pepper seeded and diced (instead of 3), the 3 lbs of meat Adam suggested, 9 T of Fiesta brand chili seasoning, 1 small can of tomato paste, 2 cans mild rotel, 1 can diced tomato, 2 cans rinsed kidney beans, 2 cans ranch style beans. I cooked everything just as he outlined. YUM!

Pound Cake

I made this pound cake from allrecipes.com last night for dessert. It was really good. I did 2 loaf pans instead of 1 big pan. It still took about 90 mins to cook. I served it with vanilla pudding, whipped cream & mixed strawberries and peaches on top.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake



Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
3 cups sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened

6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and cream cheese. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and baking powder; mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing. Cake ages and freezes well.

Cheese Bread

My sister-in-law Laura has passed along many many awesome recipes and this is another awesome one she sent me this week. I made it for dinner tonight. SOOO good. & I love a good recipe that I don't have to let rise! I will be making this many more times. Laura said she freezes it in slices so she can just reheat a couple slices at a time. She found the recipe on My Kitchen Cafe, one of my favorite cooking blogs.

http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2009/03/simple-and-delicious-cheese-bread.html

Simple and Delicious Cheese Bread
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

**If the toothpick comes out with what looks like uncooked batter after testing the bread for doneness, try again in a different spot since the toothpick may have hit a pocket of cheese the first time. You definitely don't want to overbake the bread or it will be dry. According to the original recipe, the texture of the bread improves as it cools, so if you can, resist the urge to slice the bread while it is still very hot. I can attest that this leftover cheese bread makes excellent toast. Use a toaster oven or baking sheet in a 425-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes (a conventional toaster can be messy because the pockets of cheese will melt and burn).**

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded on large holes of box grater (about 1 cup)
3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4-5 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 1/4 cups whole milk (2% milk may be substituted but don't use skim milk)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 5 by 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese evenly in bottom of pan.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper to combine. Using a rubber spatula, mix in cheddar cheese cubes, breaking up clumps, until cheese is coated with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, egg, and sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined (the batter will be heavy and thick). Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; spread to sides of pan and level surface with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over surface.

Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; invert loaf from pan and continue to cool until warm, about 45 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

NOTE: I suggest putting a sheet pan under the loaf of bread. The cheese oozed out of mine while cooking & got on the bottom of my oven.

Chicken a la Sheena

I made this last week for my friend Trenda's baby shower & got some requests for the recipe, so here it is! I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture.

This has been a favorite recipe in my family for several years since my mom got it from a friend. It's a super easy, really tasty dish that serves a lot of people.

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM ALA SHEENA JOYCE


(British Friend in Maryland and changed by Torie)

This is a recipe you change and develop as you go along.


In bottom of crock place:

2 ½ pound of raw chicken tenders

2 cans sliced or mushroom pieces (Or fresh sautéed)

In a bowl mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.

3 jars Classico Tomato Alfredo sauce

2 cups sour cream

1 cup milk

fresh garlic several cloves (I used about 5 cloves) and salt a pepper (3 packages of linguini)

Four snipped sun dried tomatoes (Kerstin used ½ a bag-too much if cooked all day

She cooked it seven hours, 4-5 hours is how the recipe reads, but they sauté the chicken first.

Peanut Butter Everywhere!

My sister-in-law Heather and I were asked to help with a primary activity next month where they're going to be making FHE packets. They asked us to come up with a little recipe book of FHE treats and to demonstrate how to make one of the treats. I saw the Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls on My Kitchen Cafe's blog awhile ago and had it tagged to try. I thought they would be a good option since we don't have any peanut allergies in our ward. Then I also remember my sister-in-law Holley telling me about some peanut butter balls she makes for her friends all the time when I was in Seattle last. Holley's a great great cook. I decided to try both of them yesterday. They were both really really really good. & they're both good food storage recipes. Holley's are definitely much less labor intensive.

Holley's Peanut Butter Balls (the chocolate covered ones)

1 c of Peanut Butter
1 c of powdered sugar
1 c rice krispies
1 T of butter
1 t vanilla
Mix all together (I add a little more powdered sugar if it seems too wet to roll into balls)
roll into balls...fairly small ones but you can do them whatever size
Melt Chocolate chips in a double boiler? not sure what that's called but I just put a metal bowl on top of a pot of simmering water.
I usually use about 2 cups of ch chips and then add 1 t of vegetable oil (I used chocolate almond bark coating) and dip the balls in to coat and then put on wax paper on a plate and put in the freezer or fridge. they are so yummy!

Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls
adapted from Michelle N.

Makes about 120 balls.

2 cups honey
6 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) (I used half & half)
3 cups rice krispies
1½ cups grape nuts
3/4 cup applesauce
2 cups coconut
3 cups crushed cereal (I used crushed corn flakes)
1½ cups chocolate or butterscotch chips - or substitute dried fruit, like raisins (I did some chocolate and some craisins)
5-8 tablespoons powdered milk
4 cups crushed mini-wheat cereal

Mix all but last two ingredients and mix until well combined. Add powdered milk, like flour, to make a soft, cookie-like dough. Form into 1” ball and roll in crushed mini-wheats. A scoop works very well for this. Refrigerate or freeze.

Banana-Cream Cheesecake

I saw this recipe in the Kraft recipe magazine that comes free in the mail occasionally. I tried it a couple of Sunday's ago. It was really easy and tasty. I didn't have a white cake mix, so I used a lemon one. It just made it a little extra lemony.

Banana-Cream Cheesecake
- kraft.com
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/banana-cream-cheesecake-111264.aspx


1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix, divided
4 eggs, divided
3 Tbsp. oil
2/3 cup packed brown sugar, divided
2 bananas, sliced
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

HEAT oven to 300ºF. Reserve 1 cup dry cake mix. Mix remaining cake mix with 1 egg, oil and 1/3 cup sugar with mixer. (Mixture will be crumbly.) Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of greased 13x9-inch baking pan; top with bananas.

BEAT cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer. Add reserved cake mix, remaining eggs and lemon juice; beat 1 min. Blend in milk. (Batter will be very thin.) Pour into crust.

BAKE 45 to 50 to min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Top with COOL WHIP. Refrigerate leftovers.

Caramel Bars & Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I took these to my young women's class for 2 birthdays last week. I got the idea for the peanut butter cup cookies from a woman in my ward that made them a couple of weeks ago. For those you just use your favorite peanut butter cookie dough and put a heaping tablespoon of the dough in a mini cupcake pan. Then cook them according to cookie directions and when they come out of the oven and are still hot put a peanut butter cup in the middle. They're really good.

I found the caramel bars on allrecipes.com. They are seriously good good & easy.

Caramel Bars

- allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 32 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
* 5 tablespoons heavy cream
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup rolled oats
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup butter, melted
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the caramels and heavy cream, stirring occasionally until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well blended. Press Half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Reserve the rest.
3. Bake the crust for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour the caramel mixture over the top and then crumble the remaining crust mixture over everything.
4. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly toasted. Cut into squares while it is still warm.

Penne Rustica

I took dinner to a family last week and decided to try this recipe from yourhomebasedmom (see my side bar). It was very tasty. Not a healthy dish by any means, but good. I saved some of it in my fridge to reheat for my family later on in the week. I don't think this is a great make ahead dinner because it's cream based, so when you reheat it it makes it a little too oily. The flavor is great though. Just needs to be eaten right when it's made.

Penne Rustica
Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)
½ pack thick bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta
2 large red bell peppers- diced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream.Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields one 8×8 and two 9×13 casserole dishes.
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Honey Lime Enchiladas

My sister-in-law Laura sent me this recipe a long long time ago to try & then I kept seeing it on various blogs with everyone saying how amazing it is. I finally got around to trying this last Sunday. I loved them. You have to like sweet/heat combo to like them though. Matt is not so big on the sweet/heat combo, so he said he would like them better with a lot less honey. Next time I will cut the honey by at least half. They were really really good though. & super easy!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
from Brittany at The Sisters' Cafe

http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2008/03/honey-lime-enchiladas.html

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (to lighten them up, I have substituted sour cream with good results)

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

I LOVE Lion House's pumpkin bread recipe. It's SO SO good. I was at my friend Cristina's a few weeks ago and she was making pumpkin chocolate chip muffins from a recipe she just got from a friend. The muffins were really good & I wondered how close the recipe was to the Lion House bread recipe. Well...they're the EXACT same recipe except the muffins have choco chips in them. Bread or cupcakes, they're both SOOO good.

Lion House Pumpkin Bread
1 1/3 C Veg oil
5 eggs
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 pkg (6 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 C nuts (I don't add)

Grease pans. Mix well oil, eggs, pumpkin, beat well. Seperate bowl: sift flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in pudding and nuts. Pour into pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Makes two loaves.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

I tried this for dinner last week. It was simple and really tasty. Not the most amazing casserole I've ever had, but good & I will make it again.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake
Submitted by Melanie @ allrecipes.com

2 Packages reduced sodium Stuffing mix
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 lb sliced deli ham, cut into 1 inch stips
1 cup swiss cheese shredded
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
2 cups cooked chicken ( I used shredded--but I think cubed would be better)

Prepare stuffing mixes according to directions on box. Meanwhile in a bowl, combine soup and milk. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper. Layer with ham, swiss cheese and 1 cups of cheddar cheese, soup mixture ans stuffing. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. At this point you can freeze. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer

Carmel Popcorn

My sister-in-law Laura gave me this recipe. IT'S SERIOUSLY GOOD STUFF! The whole family enjoyed it. Madeline calls it sticky popcorn. It's a gooey carmel corn which is the way I like it.

Best Ever Caramel Popcorn

1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
2 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Bring to full boil. Boil 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over popcorn. I use about 1 1/2-2 batches of air-popped popcorn (I used 2 bags of microwave popcorn)

Egg Casserole and Jalapeno Grits

I made this for breakfast one of the days my family was here for my brothers wedding. I made half the grits with no peppers for those that don't like hot and the other half with peppers. The egg dish is one of my favorite egg casseroles. The gravy mix adds tons of flavor.

Country Breakfast Casserole
Submitted by: Kristin
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 50 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 MinutesYields: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) package
breakfast sausage
1 chopped green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar
cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten (I usually add 2-3 extra eggs)
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 (2.64 ounce) package
country gravy mix
6 slices bread, cut into 1 inch
cubes (I used shredded frozen hashbrowns instead of bread)
2 tablespoons melted butter
(optional)
paprika to taste (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 11x8 (I use 9 x 13) inch baking dish.
2.
Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.
3.
Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle melted butter over bread, and sprinkle with paprika.
4.
Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.

Jalapeno Cheese Grits

Recipe courtesy Stephanie March (Bobby Flay's wife)





Ingredients

* 2 cups quick-cooking grits
* 2 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar
* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
* 3 large eggs, well beaten
* 2 jalapenos, finely diced
* 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles
* Garlic salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the grits according to the directions on the back of the package. Remove from the heat and add next 6 ingredients (Cheddar through chilies). Stir well and season with garlic salt, to taste. Pour into a buttered 9-inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Cinnamon Rolls

I don't think it gets much better than a homemade cinnamon roll. I use my cousin Stefani's roll recipe.

Stefani's White Bread
Pour:
1 1/2 c boiling water over
1 cube butter
After melted:
Add 1 c sugar
1/4 c yeast - yes you read it right! (I make sure the water has cooled down to a temp that won't kill the yeast before I add it.
1 t salt
5 oz can evaporated milk
4 c flour (start with 4 cups & adjust to a nice not too sticky not too dry bread dough)
Mix or knead together. Let double & punch down. Make into as many loaves, rolls or bread bowls as you want. Let rise again & bake at 350 until golden brown.

Once the dough has risen & you've punched it down, take 1/2 the dough and roll it out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Rub 1/2 stick melted butter all over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle 3/4 c packed brown sugar over the butter.

Cinnamon Roll Frosting:
1 stick butter melted
1 t cinnamon
1 bag powdered sugar
1/2 c warm milk +
Wisk the cinnamon and powdered sugar into the melted butter. Add milk & wisk. Add more milk if needed until you get to a nice medium thick consistency that will adhere well to the cinnamon roll. Spoon over the hot cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.

O'Henry Bars

I made these bars a few weeks ago. The recipe is from my Sister-in-law Laura's family cookbook. These are seriously good.

O'Henry Bars
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
8-10 cups rice krispies
6 oz. chocolate chips
6 oz. butterscotch chips

Melt butter. Add corn syrup and sugar. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Add rice krispies and mix well. Press mixture into large baking sheet (11X17). Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Continue microwaving for 30 second spurts until chips are melted. Spread chips on top of rice krispie mixture. Let chocolate set.

Brianna Bars

I took the liberty of naming these after my friend Brianna who introduced me to these delicious bars. She's made these for a few potlucks I've been to & everyone always wants the recipe. Yum!

Brianna Bars

1 package white cake mix
1/2 c plus 1/3 c peanut butter
1 egg
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 package chocolate chips
1 package reeses
walnuts

Mix cake mix, 1/2 c peanut butter & egg. Beat on low until crumbly.
Press into bottom of greased pan. Mix milk & 1/3 c peanut butter &
spread over crust. Top with chips & walnuts. Bake for 30-35 mins at
350.

Baked Coconut Shrimp

I made this a few days ago. It was yummy. I just took about 20 shrimp that were cleaned with the tail left on. I had a bowl of 1 beaten egg white and another bowl of 1 c shredded coconut, 2 T of corn starch and 1/4 t salt. I put all the shrimp in the egg white and mixed until coated. Then I put the shrimp one by one in the coconut mixture and put them all on a cookie sheet covered in foil with about 1 T olive oil covering the cookie sheet. Then I baked for about 8 minutes at 400 degrees. For the dipping sauce I mixed 1/4 c apricot simply fruit jam, 1/4 c mayo and a dash of curry powder. I served it with a mixed green salad and rice pilaf.

Young Women's Dinner

For mutual last night I taught the Beehives how to make a 3 course meal. We had bruchetta, aloha chicken with rice and peanut butter cup bars. It was delicious & a lot of fun.

Cheesecake Factory Bruschetta

1 1/2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes
3 tablespoons diced red onions
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash freshly ground black pepper
1/2 loaf French baguette or crusty Italian bread


Combine tomatoes, red onion, garlic and basil in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for one hour.

When ready to serve, preheat broiler and slice the baguette in 1-inch slices on a 45 degree angle to make 5 to 7 slices of bread.

Combine remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil with the garlic salt. Brush entire surface of both sides of each slice with olive oil mixture. Broil slices for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until surface starts to brown. Arrange bread like wheel spokes on serving plate. Spoon the chilled tomato in neatly onto bread slices where they meet at the center of the plate.

Aloha Chicken
- Schoen Family

2 c Aloha Soy Sauce (any Hawaiian brand soy sauce will work.
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (it really needs to be thighs)
1 c sugar
1 T garlic, minced
2 t ginger, minced

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 45 mins. I put mine in a crock pot on low for about 6-7 hours.

Reeses Peanut Butter Bars
- Lisa Hinson

two sticks softened butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup powdered milk (I would sift this, mine had some little milk chunks in it)
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups (or so) crunchy peanut butter

Spread in a 9x13 (or so) pan. It's thick, like playdough.

Melt in a pot a 24oz bag of Milk chocolate chips (not semi-sweet)
Spread over peanut butter mixture and refrigerate.
They need to get cold to "set", but they taste better (and cut easier) if they're room temperature.

Halibut in Cartoccio

I love Anne Burrell on the food network. She made this a couple of weeks ago. I didn't have parchment paper, so I used tin foil. I had to increase the cooking time to about 20 minutes. It was really simple, light & delicious. I served it with rice & salad.


Halibut in Cartoccio
Ingredients

* 2 zucchini, green part only, julienned
* 1 small butternut squash, top part only, peeled and julienned
* 1 pint Brussels sprouts, leaves pulled apart
* 1 large leek, julienned
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon picked thyme leaves
* Kosher salt
* 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
* 4 slices lemon
* 2 cups dry white wine
* Special Equipment: Parchment paper

Directions

Fold 4 (9 by 13-inch) pieces of parchment paper in half and starting at the top of the fold, cut a large half circle from the paper. When the fold is opened it should be a full circle. It is okay if it is not a perfect circle-a heart shape is even better. Reserve.

In a bowl combine the zucchini, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and leeks. Toss generously with olive oil and season with the thyme leaves and salt. Oil and salt the halibut as well.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Open the parchment paper circles (or hearts) and brush the paper with olive oil leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.

Divide the seasoned vegetables between the 4 papers, placing them in the center just above the crease. Lay the fish fillets on top of the vegetables and place a lemon slice on top of each fish fillet. Fold the paper over the fish. Working from 1 end of the parchment to the other fold the bottom of the paper over the top to crease and seal the packets. The closure needs to be very secure so the steam will not escape during the cooking process. Before the package is completely sealed, carefully add 1/2 cup wine in each then seal. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes.

Remove the fish from the oven, place on serving dishes and serve immediately. Have each diner slice open their own parchment package so they can get the full effect of the burst of aromatic steam that will be released from the package.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I love the chicken lettuce wraps at Pei Wei. I found this version at RecipeZaar and decided to try it last night. They were really really good. I preferred them with the sauce, but Matt liked them without the sauce. I didn't use water chestnuts. They're not my favorite thing. I added some shredded carrot.

P. F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe #15865
This recipe is from Todd Wilbur and Top Secret Recipes
by Lali

25 min | 10 min prep

SERVES 2 -3

* 3 tablespoons oil
* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 1 cup water chestnut
* 2/3 cup mushroom
* 3 tablespoons chopped onions
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce (I used bib lettuce)

Special Sauce

* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons ketchup
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
* 1 tablespoon hot mustard (didn't have so I used a little dijon)
* 2 teaspoons water
* 1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce

* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5. Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
6. Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
7. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
8. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9. Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
10. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
11. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
12. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
13. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
14. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups".
16. Top with"Special Sauce".

Chicken Divan

This is my Neneie's recipe (my mom's mom). She was a great great cook. This is a family favorite. It's creamy and delicious. It's perfect served over rice.

CHICKEN DIVINE

Neenie

2 bunches of broccoli 6 cooked chicken breasts, sliced

1/4 c butter shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 c flour 2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c heavy cream--I use skim milk 1/2 t salt

pepper to taste

Cook broccoli until just done-still crisp.

Heat butter in a sauce pan and add flour stirring constantly, it will become thick, add broth all at once and stir and cook until it bubbles

add the cream, or milk, salt and pepper. Cook a few minutes.

In a 9 by 13 pan lay the broccoli and pour 1/2 the sauce on it.

Now layer the chicken over broccoli. Now add 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese to sauce, heat through and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 until heated through and broil until golden on top. 6-8 Servings.

Super easy peach cobbler

We had a friend over for dinner a couple of weeks ago and I wanted an easy peach cobbler recipe to make. This one was so so good. It was perfect. I calls for Peach pie filling, but I didn't have any, so I used 1 large can of peaches in heavy syrup and then I sliced 5 medium fresh peeled peaches into the can of peaches.

EASY PEACH COBBLER
from: cooks.com

2 cans peach pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans (I didn't add this)
2 tbsp. cinnamon/sugar

Spread pie filling evenly in bottom of 13x9 inch pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix completely covering fruit. Pour melted butter over entire cobbler. Sprinkle top with chopped pecans and cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Spinach Manicotti

My friend Jill's Manicotti is one of our family favorites. I made it last Sunday for dinner. I made a pan of Jill's version and then made a pan of Spinach Manicotti using Jill's filling and the sauce of the spinach enchiladas I posted right before this post. They were super good.

CHEESE FILLED MANICOTTI

Jill Sampson

1 pkg. Manicotti (8 oz)

15 oz ricotta or cottage cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg

1 T dried parsley

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/8 t. nutmeg

2 cups Spaghetti Sauce

Prepare pasta by package directions and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl:

Mix Ricotta and 1 1/2 c. mozzarella, 1/4 c parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, salt and pepper and nutmeg.

Spoon mixture into manicotti shells. Put a little of the spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9 by 13 inch pan, and then place each filled shell over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over shells, and remaining mozzarella cheese, and parmesan.

Bake 350 for 35 minutes uncovered. Makes 4 servings.

SAUCE:

I tablespoon butter 1/2 Small onion, minced

1/2 pound mushrooms, finely chopped 1/4 CUP white wine (apple juice)

1 tablespoon seasoned salt 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

I tablespoon garlic powder

8 ounces fresh spinach, washed and drained

I cup heavy cream



To make sauce: Heat butter in a large skillet, add onion and mush, rooms and sauté until softened. Add wine and cook until liquid has been absorbed, about 2 'minutes more. Meanwhile, in a blender, add the water, seasoned salt, chicken base and garlic powder and blend. Add spinach, a little at a time, and blend until mixture is smooth. Add pursed spinach mixture to skillet and stir to combine. Add heavy cream and bring mixture to a boil; simmer briefly until desired consistency is attained.

Salsalito's Spinach Enchiladas

One of my favorite tex-mex restaurants here is Salsalito's. A few years ago they had their spinach enchilada recipe in the newspaper. It's really good. It's super super super rich though, so be prepared. I think instead of using the filling outlined in the recipe next time I will use a chicken & cheese mixture or maybe a ground beef mixture. The spinach in the middle and on the outside was a little too rich, but still so good.

PINACH ENCHILADAS-Sasalito’s

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM

FILLING:

I tablespoon butter 1/2 small onion, minced

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped 1/4 cup white wine (or apple juice)

12 ounces fresh spinach, washed, drained and coarsely chopped Seasoned

salt, to taste

SAUCE:

I tablespoon butter 1/2 Small onion, minced

1/2 pound mushrooms, finely chopped 1/4 CUP white wine (apple juice)

3/4 c water

1 tablespoon seasoned salt 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

I tablespoon garlic powder

8 ounces fresh spinach, washed and drained

I cup heavy cream

TO FINISH:

Oil, for softening tortillas 12 corn tortillas

11/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

To make filling: Heat butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until soft and liquid has

evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes, Add Wine and cook for 2 minute, more. Add spinach and seasoned salt and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted and liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside. To make sauce: Heat butter in a large skillet, add onion and mush, rooms and sauté until softened. Add wine and cook until liquid has been absorbed, about 2 'minutes more. Meanwhile, in a blender, add the water, seasoned salt, chicken base and garlic powder and blend. Add spinach, a little at a time, and blend until mixture is smooth. Add pursed spinach mixture to skillet and stir to combine. Add heavy cream and bring mixture to a boil; simmer briefly until desired consistency is attained, To assemble and cook enchiladas: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a small pan and dip tortillas briefly in hot oil to soften; drain Well between paper towels. Divide filling events among the tortillas, fill and roll Place enchiladas seam side down in a heat. proof baking dish that is just large enough to hold them comfortably. Pour sauce over enchiladas, top with shredded cheese and bake in preheated oven 15-20 min. Makes 12 enchiladas (4-6 servings)

Baked Ziti

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Laura's family cookbook when we were in Seattle in June. Laura is a great cook & has passed on some really good recipes to me.

This recipe was so so easy and really really good. Matt loved it & for a meatless dish that's really saying something from him!

Baked Ziti
Renae Chambers

Directions: Cook 1 lb of tube pasta (only have the cooking time). Mix 15 oz ricotta, 1 c mozzarella and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese into the noodles & pour it into a 9 x 13 dish. Spread a bottle of pasta sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350. Then remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut

We had this for dinner this week. It was super super easy but looks like it took a lot of time & effort. It's from Alton Brown. On a side note, this calls for just a little bit of coconut milk & just so you don't have to open a whole can of milk look for powdered coconut milk in the grocery store. HEB has it here. I always keep it on hand for when I need small amounts. It tastes the same as canned coconut milk.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2003

Prep Time:
10 min
Inactive Prep Time:
10 min
Cook Time:
15 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients

* 5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) coarsely ground, roasted macadamia nuts
* 1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* Vegetable oil, for brushing foil
* 4 (6 to 8-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
* Kosher salt and pepper
* 2 tablespoons coconut milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the nuts, panko, flour, and butter. Set aside.

Place a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and brush it liberally with vegetable oil. Place the mahi mahi on the foil and sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper on both sides. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush each fillet with the coconut milk. Divide the nut mixture among the tops of the 4 fillets, patting the mixture to spread and adhere to the fillets. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Karokke

Karokke is the Japanese version of a potato croquette. When I was younger and we lived in Japan my friends and I use to go to a restaurant near our house and get Karokke and Chicken Katsu which is chicken breaded with panko crumbs and fried. I guess they have "chicken nuggets & fries" in many countries! ;) This recipe I found tastes just like the ones I ate in Japan. & if you're going to eat Karokke you HAVE to eat it will Bulldog sauce, as pictured.

Potato Korokke Recipe
http://japanesefood.about.com/od/potato/r/potatokorokke.htm

Ingredients:

* 4 medium potatoes
* 1/4 lb ground beef (I left the beef out)
* 1/2 onion, finely chopped
* 1 egg
* 1/2 tsp salt
* salt pepper to season
* vegetable oil for frying
* flour and panko (breadcrumb) for coating

Preparation:
Peel and cut potatoes into medium chunks. Boil potatoes until soften. Drain and mash potatoes while they are hot. Saute onion and beef in a medium skillet. Mix mashed potatoes and onion and beef in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let it cool. Make flat and oval-shaped patties. Coat each piece with flour. Dip in beaten egg, and coat with panko at last. Fry in 350 F oil until brown.
*Makes 4 servings