EATZ

Cakesters

2009-02-26T14:32:00.001-08:00

INGREDIENTS:

1 Devil's Food Cake mix
2 Eggs
3/4 C. Shortening

DIRECTIONS:

Mix cake mixes, eggs, shortening.
Roll in prune-size balls.
Bake at 350 degrees on cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet.

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 stick butter

Sloppy Joe's

2007-11-12T16:47:00.001-08:00

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 hamburger buns

DIRECTIONS

Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. I like to use a potato masher to even out the lumps. Add onion and celery, cover the pan, and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes. Drain off any grease.
Stir the tomato soup (undiluted), ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture. Season with salt and garlic powder. Heat to a simmer over low heat, and cook until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom.
Spoon the hot beef mixture onto buns, which may be toasted first, and serve.

I have not actually used this recipe, but it got very good reviews. I am a Manwich girl myself, grew up on it, and now so have my kids. I just felt like I needed to add a real recipe if someone wanted one. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Hot Cocoa

2007-11-12T09:37:00.001-08:00

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS

Blend cocoa and sugar in a small bowl. In a medium saucepan, heat milk to scalding.
Mix about 1/3 cup of the hot milk into the cocoa-sugar mixture, then pour cocoa mixture into hot milk in the saucepan; stir until well blended.
Add Vanilla and marshmallows or Whip Cream.

Pumpkin Cookies

2007-11-08T15:06:00.001-08:00

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup raisins (I didn't add these)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla then stir in the pumpkin puree. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until well blended. Mix in raisins. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

I did add nuts and chocolate chips also. Yummy!

Minestrone

2007-09-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

4 Slices Bacon
1 cup Chopped Onion
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/3 pound Ground Beef
1 cup minced Celery
1 cup cubed Carrots
2 cups Tomato Puree
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced Tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can Beef broth
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French Onion soup
5 cups Water
1/4 cup Red Wine
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Dried Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup chopped Zucchini
2 cups Spinach, rinsed and sliced
1 (15 ounce) can Garbanzo Beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped Parsley
1/2 Box Elbow Macaroni

DIRECTIONS

In a large stock pot, cook bacon and drain off fat. Add onion, garlic, and beef. When onions are translucent, add celery, carrot, pureed tomatoes, whole tomatoes, broth, condensed soup, water, wine, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in zucchini, spinach, pasta, garbanzo beans and parsley. Cook for at least 20 minutes, but the longer you let it simmer, the better! Serve with fresh Parmesan or Mozzarella.
While soup is cooking, cook noodles.

I liked it with Mozzarella the best, and definitely serve with Garlic or French Bread. I also would have loved to have some croutons, or bread crumbs...

Garlic & Butter Noodles

2007-09-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

I actually cheated on this one, we just used the Noodle Roni Butter & Garlic flavor, and I grilled chicken to put on top of it. Besides that, it is pretty self explanatory... Noodles with butter and garlic!

Spaghetti with a Twist

2007-09-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Obviously just your regular Spaghetti recipe, with a spoonful of Ricotta Cheese. If you don't like Ricotta, you won't like this, but if you've never tried it, just do it. It's yummy. It reminds me of when I was a little girl, my mom used to do this all the time.

Hot Dog & Beans

2007-08-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 or 2 Hot Dogs

2 Slices of Bread

Pork & Beans

Cheddar or American Cheese

Directions

Cut hot dogs lengthwise, and place on top of bread.
Cover with beans, then cheese.
Microwave for 1- 2 minutes.

I know it looks weird, but I grew up with it. Obviously if you don't like hot dogs, or beans, you probably won't like this. But if you do, give it a try, it is yummy! Only Buffy and Coper will eat it with me, but hey 2 out of 4 ain't bad!

Creamy Tomato Penne

2007-08-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

3/4 teaspoon white sugar

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn.
Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper.
Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.
Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter.
Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.

I also grilled chicken again to add to it. Everyone liked it, my sauce didn't thicken as much as I had hoped, but I really rushed through because everyone was hungry.

Pancakes

2007-08-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup shortening, melted

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the egg, milk and shortening; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes; cook until the second side is golden brown.

Obviously you can just use your favorite mix also, I prefer the Krusteaz Buttermilk mix over any others I have used. I do this a lot for dinner, it is fast and easy, and everyone likes pancakes!

Bananas Foster

2007-08-11T20:44:00.001-07:00

Crepes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 easpoon vanilla

3 eggs

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Sift together flour, sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together with an electric mixer. Beat in flour mixture until smooth; stir in melted butter.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

We put vanilla ice cream inside, then top with bananas, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, & whip cream. Cooper also added strawberries (that is the small picture). Super delicious. Let me know if you enjoy them!!!

Liz also has a gluten free recipe that you can find here.

Four Cheese Pasta

2007-08-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan combine whipping cream and butter. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until butter melts. Gradually stir in grated Parmesan cheese, grated mozzarella cheese, grated provolone cheese, and grated Romano cheese. Reduce heat to low, and continue to stir just until all cheese is melted.
Serve immediately, sauce will thicken upon standing.

I added some grilled chicken, and I really liked that. I would have loved to mix broccoli in it, but not all of my kids are broccoli eaters, so we served it on the side with corn, and the corn was really good mixed in.

Soft Tacos / Fajitas

2007-08-07T17:54:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

Shredded Chicken (I used rotisserie chicken from Costco) or Steak

Onions

Butter

Tortillas ( I use the ones you have to cook, yummy!)

Seasoning (I used Lawry's, Salt, Pepper, and some Steak Seasoning)

Anything else you want to add

Directions

Saute onions in butter. After about 3 minutes, add meat to mixture.
Cook tortillas
Make your soft tacos/fajitas
Enjoy!

Obviously this is pretty simple, but I realized that most of what I make isn't really recipe stuff. So I am posting everything, even if it is Hamburger Helper, because maybe it is something that you had not thought of and it might help you plan your menus. So hopefully now that school is back in, I should be more regular.

2007-07-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

The easiest Pies in the World!

2007-06-05T13:16:00.001-07:00

Chocolate Pie

Ingredients

1 large tub Cool Whip

1 brick Cream Cheese

1 small box Instant Chocolate Pudding

1 Pie Crust

Milk (for pudding instructions)

1 & 1/2 cups Sugar (not necessary, just if you want it sweeter)

Directions

Prepare pudding per instructions on box, put in fridge.
Mix cream cheese and 1/2 of Cool whip and sugar.
Fill bottom of pie crust, then put pudding on top of that. Then top with Cool Whip.

You can garnish with chocolate shavings, chocolate chips, whatever. You can also use whatever kind of crust you want. Super easy, super yummy!

Strawberry Pie

Ingredients

2 boxes Strawberries

1 tub Strawberry Glaze

1 large tub Cool Whip

1 brick of Cream Cheese

1 & 1/2 cups Sugar (not necessary, just if you want it sweeter)

1 Pie Crust

Directions

Cut & clean strawberries, then pour glaze over with 1/2 cup sugar. Put in fridge.
Mix part of Cool whip, cream cheese, and remaining sugar.
Fill bottom of Pie Crust, then top with strawberries. Serve chilled, with a scoop of Cool Whip on top.

So fast, and sooo refreshing. I make them both usually, so I make the cream cheese/Cool whip mixture all at once. When you make both, you usually have something to please everyone you are feeding!

Cinnamon Streusel Cake

2007-05-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

Ingredients for Cake

Yellow cake or Butter cake Mix
4 large Eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Sugar

Ingredients for Filling

2 tbl Brown Sugar
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 cup chopped Pecans
2 tbl of Cake mix

Ingredients for Glaze

1 cup Powdered Sugar
2-3 tbl Milk
1 tsp Vanilla

Directions

Combine ingredients for filling in small bowl, and set aside.
Combine all ingredients, and mix.
Pour 2/3 of batter into greased pan.
Make a layer with the filling.
Cover with remaining cake batter, and bake @375 for 45-55 minutes.
When cake is almost done, make glaze. Pour on cake after it has cooled for 10 minutes or so.

Chinese Noodle Chicken

2007-05-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Chicken

Chinese Noodles

Snow Peas

Carrots

Water Chestnuts

Rice

Teriyaki Sauce

Onions

Directions

Brown chicken with onions, and a little sauce. When juices run clear, add other vegetables. Add more sauce, and let steam.
Cook noodles, and rice.
When noodles are done, add to chicken & vegetables. Pour rest of sauce in, and heat till simmering.
Serve over rice.

There are some Chinese Noodles that you don't have to cook, you can just put them in and let them steam, and they will soften on their own. So if you can find those, it eliminates a step. Obviously you can add any other vegetables you'd like. The sauce we used tonight was Veri Veri Teriyaki, and everyone seemed to like it (except me, but I am way too picky when it comes to Asian food). I thought I'd break out of my box a little, frustration sets in again, but hopefully it will turn out better next time ;)

My Favorite Green Salad

2007-05-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Salad Mix, or lettuce

Avacado

Broccoli Cole Slaw Mix

Honey Roasted Almonds

Good Seasons Italian Dressing (I like the packet, and make it myself)

Directions

Put together and mix with dressing.

I like leafy lettuce, so I normally use like the Hearts of Romaine salad, and then I usually add leafy lettuce I have at home. When I make the dressing, I like to use less oil than called for, that way you taste the flavor so much better. I think the almonds are the kicker, soooo yummy! Obviously you can add a billion other things, but this is my favorite combo, nice & simple!

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

2007-05-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

20 Red Potatoes

1 cup Sour Cream

3 Tbl Crushed Garlic

1/2 cup Milk

1 & 1/2 cubes Butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Boil water, then add whole potatoes.
When potatoes are soft, drain and put in to big bowl.
Add all other ingredients and mix.

White Tacos

2007-05-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Beef

1 large Onion, chopped

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can Evap Milk

1 large bag of Fritos

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1-2 cans Green Chiles (depending on how much you like green chiles)

Directions

Brown hamburger and onions together.
Add soup and milk, and bring to a boil.
Layer fritos in bottom of casserole dish.
Pour meat mixture over, and top with cheese.
Bake @ 325 for 10-15 minutes.

I like extra fritos, so after it is cooked, I always put some fresh ones on my plate before I serve myself. The good thing about this is it is so fast, seriously maybe a half hour from start to finish. Busy moms can't beat that!

Caprese (with a twist)

2007-05-21T12:55:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

Mozzarella

Tomatoes

Balsamic Vinegar

French Bread, or Toasted Bread

Directions

Chop Tomatoes and Cheese. Put in bowl, drizzle with Vinegar. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes. Serve on bread or toast.

I think it needed something green, but I didn't have any fresh Basil, or Bay Leaves, or Oregano. My mom poured in some Italian Seasoning, and it was fine, But I really wish I had something fresh in it. I love Caprese, but sometimes it is too much, so I thought this would be a yummy twist for an appetizer. I also thought it would be good in a salad, with a Vinegratte dressing.

Pina Colada Cupcakes

2007-05-18T17:36:00.001-07:00

(Pina Colada ones are in the middle)

Ingredients

Yellow Cake Mix

Oil (per instructions on box)

Eggs (per instructions)

Pina Colada Mix (in place of water)

Block of Cream Cheese

Whip Cream (either Cool Whip, or homemade)

Small can Crushed Pineapple

Shredded Coconut (toasted if you want)

Directions

Bake cake as directed on box, with Pina Colada mix instead of water.
Mix Cream Cheese, Whip Cream and Pineapple together. Refrigerate.
Spread over cake or cupcakes, then sprinkle with Coconut.

I just kind of made this up today, so we'll see how everyone likes it tonight. My mom makes a great Pina Colada Cake, but I couldn't find the recipe, so I just made it up as I went along. I'll let you know how it turns out! The other cupcakes are the ones from the recipe below.

Strawberry Cream Cake

2007-05-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

White cake mix

Heavy whipping cream- 1 quart

Sliced strawberries

Cream cheese

Sugar

Strawberries for decoration

Directions

Bake cake mix in a 9 x 13 pan according to directions. Cool.
Whip cream with a little sugar (to taste) and set aside.
Mix cream cheese until soft and fluffy.
Mix in about 1 cup of sliced strawberries and 2 T. of sugar and beat the cheese/strawberry mixture until very well blended.
Blend in about 2 cups of the whipped cream. Spread on cooled cake.
Top with remaining whipped cream and decorate with strawberries. Refrigerate.

You can also bake the cake in round cake pans and layer the cream cheese/strawberry mixture in between the cake layer. Or, split the cake and do 4 layers and frost with the sweetened whipped cream and decorate with berries. It would look really impressive, but not hard to make.

(This recipe is from Holly)

Barbecue Australian Meatloaf

2007-05-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Loaf

1 lb Ground Beef
1 lb Sausage stuffing (the meat inside the sausage)
1 cup fine Bread Crumbs
2 Onions, medium, chopped fine
1 tbl Curry Powder
1/2 cup Water
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tbl Parsley - chopped
1 Egg - beaten
1 tbl Crushed Garlic, or 1 Garlic Clove, crushed
1/2 cup Milk

Sauce

1 Onion, chopped very fine
1/4 cup Water
1/2 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Dry Red Wine OR Beef Stock
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbl Vinegar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 oz Butter

Directions

Loaf

Combine Meats, breadcrumbs, onions, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, curry and egg in large bowl. Mix well.
Mix milk and water together and add to meat mixture a little at a time until smooth but firm.
Shape into loaf and put into greased baking pan.
Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees

Sauce

Saute onions in butter until golden, then add all other ingredients.
Bring slowly to a boil, lower heat and simmer 10 - 15 minutes.
After loaf has cooked for 30 minutes, pour half of the sauce over the meat, return to oven and bake 45 minutes more, basting often with remaining sauce.
Serve loaf hot in thick slices with remaining sauce.

The sauce is also good with ribs or chicken.

I am not a meatloaf person, but I am trying to break out of my mold. This was actually really good, everyone ate it (except Andy, which I fully expected). Give it a try, I promise you won't be disappointed. I also didn't add the Curry powder, because I forgot, and it tasted fine, just so know.

Banana Nut Bread

2007-05-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Egg

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 Cups Flour

1 Cup Sugar

3 or 4 Ripe Bananas

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

1 tub Cream Cheese, optional (if added, add 1/4 cup more flour)

Directions

Cream butter and sugar together.
Add beaten egg, then mashed bananas.
Sift dry ingredients, then add to batter.
Stir in vanilla and nuts. Bake for 1 hour @ 325 degrees.

If you double, you can get 30 mini muffins, and 2 loafs out of the batch. It is impossible to screw this recipe up, and it is always delicious!

Beef Stroganoff

2007-05-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

2 - 3 pounds Beef (steak, top sirloin, roast, whatever you want)

1-2 tsp Crushed Garlic

1 large Onion, chopped

1-2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup

1 & 1/2 cups Sour Cream

1/2 stick of Butter

Rice (however many servings you need)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Slice meat ( I like bite size pieces, you can do strips also). Brown with butter for about 10 minutes on high, then add onions, garlic & soup. Cook over low heat, another 25-35 minutes.
Cook rice
Add sour cream to meat mixture just before serving.

This is one of Jon's favorite meals his mom would make, and I made it for the 1st time tonight. He was so happy, he kept asking what I did wrong though (because he knows it is not my favorite) I had to explain that I was just trying to be nice, plus I needed to make something that actually uses a recipe for this blog, because I have been really bad about it lately. I just realized that most of my meals aren't really recipe meals. I really did this one for Holly ;)

Baked Ziti

2007-05-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Baked Ziti

Ingredients

1 box of Ziti

1 jar of Spaghetti Sauce (store bought or homemade)

1 can Diced Tomatoes

1 Onion

Ground Beef

Parmesan Cheese (shredded)

Garlic (either fresh, or seasoning)

Salt & Pepper

Oregano, Basil, Parsley (if you have it)

Directions

Brown hamburger with onions, garlic, and any other seasonings you want. Start water to boil.
Add tomatoes and sauce to meat, and let simmer, while you are cooking pasta.
Drain pasta, and put in casserole dish. Cover with sauce. Season some more, and spread the Parmesan generously over the top. Cover with foil, and cook @ 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Chicken & Rice (onion flavored)

2007-04-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Chicken

Rice (however many servings you use for your family, I used 8)

3 packages Lipton Onion Soup mix

1 Large tub Sour cream, 1 small tub

1 cup flour

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Mix flour and 1 package soup mix together. Cover chicken with mixture, and brown in frying pan on both sides.
Cook rice, then mix in sour cream and remaining soup mix. Salt & Pepper.
Put rice in casserole dish, and put chicken on top. Cover with tin foil, and cook @ 350 until chicken is finished, about 30 - 45 minutes.

This is a meal I learned from my mother-in-law, but she always used pork chops, but I have a hard time with my pork chops being really dry, so I tried chicken tonight and it worked great!

Fried Chicken & Country Gravy

2007-04-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

Fried Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken ( I use the tenderloins from Costco)
2 cups Flour
2 tbl Lawry's Seasoning Salt
2 cups Bread Crumbs (I usually use Progresso Italian Style, because that's what I have in my kitchen)
1/2 stick of Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Mix flour, Lawry's, Bread Crumbs, salt and pepper together in bowl.
Melt butter in frying pan on medium heat.
Dip chicken in water, then coat with batter, and put in frying pan. I like it crispy, so I cook it on high for a few minutes at the end, so both sides get crunchy.

Country Gravy

Ingredients

4-6 tbl Flour
1-3 cups Milk (depends on how many people you are feeding)
Salt & Pepper
1 tsp Butter

Directions

In the pan you fried your chicken (with any leftover grease or breading pieces), melt your butter on medium and sprinkle the flour all over. Let the flour brown for a few minutes, and season with salt & pepper.
Turn heat up to high, and slowly whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring rather consistently. Then remove from heat. The gravy will thicken as it cools.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-04-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

(not so crazy about this picture,
but I wanted to show this cute cake
plate I painted the other night!)

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, melted

3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 cup Milk - Chocolate Morsels

1 cup chopped nuts

2 cups oats soaked in milk

Directions

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels, nuts and oatmeal.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until almost done. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Turkey Casserole

2007-04-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

Check out the steam coming
off the food, way cool!

Ingredients

pre-cooked Turkey Breast (my family usually uses a pound)

2 cans Cream of Celery

1 & 1/2 cans Cream of Chicken

1 chopped Onion

1 bag frozen Peas

2 boxes Stuffing

Directions

Cook peas, (I usually do this in the microwave, saves time), and stuffing (in the microwave too).
Cube Turkey.
Put Turkey, Onions, Peas, and Soup in casserole dish and mix well.
Cover with Stuffing, then cover with tin foil and cook @ 350 until bubbly. Usually about 30 minutes.

This was my dad's favorite meal, I made it for him the night before he passed away, so it took me a long time to make it again, but everyone loves it. It is so good the next day as leftovers, and I am not a leftover person! My kids were fighting last night over who got to take the leftovers to school for lunch today.

Fiesta Night ( my kids favorite)

2007-04-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Taco Salad (for Kristy)

Meat, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Avacado,
Cool Ranch, Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

Ground Beef

2 packets of Taco seasoning (I like McCormick's, it has a kick)

Chopped onions

Kidney Beans

Chopped Lettuce

Diced Tomatoes

Avacado

Sweet Corn

Shredded Cheese

Chips (Fritos, tortilla, or my personal favorite Cool Ranch Doritos)

Taco Shells

Tortillas

Refried Beans

Ranch Dressing

Salsa

Directions

Brown hamburger with onions, about half way through add seasoning and Kidney Beans, drain the beans first, but I always leave a little juice, it makes it more moist.
Assemble salad, tacos or burritos.

The best thing about this meal is everyone can make it however they like. Below are pictures of the different tacos in our family. Sometime they do the double decker with a tortilla on the outside. I am the only one who likes the salad. I usually mix some of the meat mixture in with the refried beans, that way my boys have to eat the kidney beans, and they always like it like that, but if I just put the meat mixture alone on, they freak out. Who knows?

Chloe's
Meat, Beans & Salsa

Buffy's
Meat, Beans, Salsa & Cheese

Cooper's
Meat, beans, Cheese & Avacados
(Matoes on the side)

Jon's
The Works

Strawberry Delight

2007-04-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Regular size can of Crushed Pineapple

Regular size tub of Cool Whip

Regular size tub of Cottage Cheese

Regular size box of Strawberry Jello

Directions

Drain pineapple. Then mix all ingredients together. Put in the fridge, and let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving, but it can be left in overnight.

This is so simple, and so yummy. Everytime I make it, it is gone. I usually double the recipe. You can also use any flavor of jello, but I like Strawberry the best!

Chicken Enchiladas

2007-04-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

6-8 Chicken breasts (depending on size)

1 Large Onion, or bag of frozen chopped onions

1 small tub of Sour Cream

2 cans Cream of Chicken soup

1 brick of Cream Cheese

Corn tortillas

Shredded Cheese

Can of diced Green Chiles

Can of Chicken Broth

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Cook chicken in skillet, with onions and a touch of butter. Season with salt & pepper. When it cools, shred it, or chop into small pieces.
Mix Cream of Chicken, Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, and Green Chiles together. Then add chicken and onions.
In a pan, lay a bottom layer of tortillas (pour some chicken broth on them), then chicken mixture, then cheese. Now start layers again, until you run out. I usually get 3 layers. I also put broth on each layer of tortillas, not soaking, but just wet enough to give it more moisture.
Cover with tinfoil, and bake @ 350 for 25-35 minutes, until bubbly.

You can also use canned shredded chicken, or it is really good with shredded rotisserie chicken, if you feel like shredding that. My family loves it served with corn, most of them mix it all up with the corn, and we always serve tortilla chips with it, it is best to scoop it up with!

P.S. I make these all the time for parties, or to take to someone. I always liked them, and then last year at our family Christmas Party, my brother-in-law (D), complimented me on them, so I know they must have be good, cause his wife is a fabulous cook. I felt really good about myself that night ;)

Spaghetti & Meatballs

2007-04-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

Meatballs

Ingredients

1 Pound lean ground beef

1 lrg Onion (or bag of frozen chopped onions)

2 eggs

3-5 pieces of bread

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Oregano, and Parsley Flakes to taste

Garlic powder to taste

Mash ingredients together, then roll into balls. You can either put them in a pan, and bake them @ 350 for 25-40 mintues, until done, or fry them in a pan on a low heat, until cooked all the way through. After they are cooked, I put them in my sauce and let simmer for a few hours before serving.

P.S. Kids love making meatballs, Cooper made them today, and had a ball!

Spaghetti Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large Onion
1 - 2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 large can Tomatoe Sauce
1 -2 cans Tomatoe Paste
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried parsley
8 leaves fresh basil leaves
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat; brown garlic lightly. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour in water and let it come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-3 hours stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to bottom of pan. If you aren't adding meatballs, add a piece of Italian Sausage, or ground beef for a meatier taste. The longer it simmers, the better!

The good thing about Spaghetti Sauce, is you can add anything you have at home. Sometimes I put in carrots, sometimes celery. If you like mushrooms, put them in, peppers... It is also great with fresh tomatoes. Also, if you don't have time to make sauce, get a good store bought one, then add a bunch of garlic, onions, cheese, tomatoes, whatever you have, to make it taste more homemade. That's what I did tonight, because I spent so much time watching Cooper make the meatballs! No one even noticed! ;)

Fruit Tarts

2007-04-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

So yummy, I look forward to Spring when there is fabulous fresh fruit, so I can make these. The best thing is even my kids love them, so it is a healthy sweet treat! When you are low on time, just use Sugar cookies from your Grocery store's bakery.

Sugar cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Beat together white and brown sugars, butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla and lemon extract to mix well.
Sift together nutmeg, flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt and soda. Add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture.
Drop tablespoonfuls of dough 2 1/2 inches apart onto greased baking sheet. With the back of the spoon, spread round and round making the outer edge of the cookies a little thicker than the center. Sprinkle generously with the reserved white sugar and place a fat raisin in the center of each cookie.
Bake about 10 minutes. For softer cookies, bake in hot oven (425 degrees F (220 degrees C)) for about 8 minutes or until no indentation remains when you touch the center of the cookie with your fingertip. Remove cookies and cool on racks.

Frosting

Ingredients

1 tub Cool Whip (fat free, or lowfat is fine)

1 brick Cream Cheese (fat free, or lowfat is fine)

1 1/2 cups Sugar (optional)

Mix together, and spread on cookie. It also makes a great fruit dip!

Now just put on whatever fruit you have or want.

Enjoy!!!

The Easiest Chicken Ever!

2007-04-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Buffy helped with dinner,
plus we were in a rush,
hence it does not look so pretty!

Ok, this is the actual recipe. After reading, scroll down to see what can be added or omitted.

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup crushed buttery round cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
ground black pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place eggs and cracker crumbs in two separate shallow bowls. Mix cracker crumbs with garlic salt and pepper. Dip chicken in the eggs, then dredge in the crumb mixture to coat.
Arrange coated chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place pieces of butter around the chicken.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

I have never dipped it in egg, I just always use water.
I have never added the garlic salt.
I only use one stick of butter, which is 1/2 cup I think. It's always perfect!

So today at about 4:00 I realized I hadn't even begun to think about dinner yet, so I pulled out the great frozen boneless chicken tenderloins from Costco, and know that I'll figure something out. Fast forward to 5:30, crap I still have to make dinner. Enter Buffy, "Mom will you make the yummy chicken with crackers and stuffing for dinner?" We were way short on Ritz, we only had about a half a sleeve, so I put the chicken (still pretty frozen) in the pan, sprinkled with bread crumbs, dumped some frozen chopped onions, s&p, then Buffy crushed the crackers, add stick of butter, cut into pieces. Cover and cook, 30 minutes later, delish! While that was happening, I popped Stove Top stuffing in the microwave, then veggies, Dinner is served! I love not having to think about it, it always tastes good! Now a little secret for the stuffing, add chopped apples, or grapes, or chopped celery or onions if you have them, and no one will know it's Stove Top! 10 minutes in the microwave, I'm serious, it is that easy! Empty plates all around the dinner table.