Cornbread topped Salmon

In one bowl, combine:
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix, plus other ingredients required for making corn muffins on the box
1/4 cup diced onion
1 jar pimentos
dash of thyme
dash of celery seed
dash of black pepper

In another bowl, combine:

1 can of salmon (pull off skin but you can leave the bones, when cooked you don't notice them)

2 cans cream of mushroom

1/4 cup milk

In a baking dish, pour salmon mixture on the bottom, then cornbread mixture on top.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

PW's meatloaf & Tina's potato bake

Meatloaf

Ingredients
■Meatloaf:
■1 cup Whole Milk
■6 slices White Bread
■2 pounds Ground Beef
■1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
■¼ teaspoons Seasoned Salt
■¾ teaspoons Salt
■Freshly Ground Black Pepper
■⅓ cups Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
■4 whole Eggs Beaten
■10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
■Sauce:
■1-½ cup Ketchup
■⅓ cups Brown Sugar
■1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
■Tabasco To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Tina's Potato Bake:
In a large bowl, mix:
1 package of frozen hash browns
1 can cream of chicken
1 stick melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar
Bake at 350 for 45 min, sprinkle extra cheese on top

Chicken Cacciatore

In your slow cooker, combine one regular size can of diced tomatoes, 8 oz can tomato sauce, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/4 cup white wine or water, 1 t oregano, dash of salt and pepper, 1 small can of mushrooms.
Stir will and add 1/2 chicken, cut into pieces.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve over pasta.

Top Ramen Stir Fry

This was one of my own creations. Didn't turn out great, but worth another try.
Cook 3 packages of top ramen, without seasoning packets.
Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, fry 2 chicken breasts, cubed, in sesame oil. Add to noodles. Steam a variety of veggies (I used the "stir fry veggies" frozen bag from Costco.) Add to noodles and stir well with 1/2 jar of peanut sauce, 1/4 cup peanut butter, and 1/4 cup soy sauce.

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
2 T cornstarch
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
3 cloves of garlic minced
3/4 cup of orange marmalade
4 green onions, chopped
6-8 chicken thighs
peanuts
hot rice

Stir all ingredients except rice, peanuts, and chicken in your slow cooker. Add chicken and stir until covered in the sauce. Cook for 8 hours on low. Serve over rice with peanuts sprinkled on top.

Nacho chicken and rice wraps

Ingredients
2 cans Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 cup water
2 cups salsa
1 1/4 cups uncooked regular long-grain white rice
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
10 flour tortillas

Directions
1.Stir the soup, water, picante sauce, rice and chicken in a 4-quart slow cooker.
2.Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until chicken is cooked through.
3.Spoon about 1 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Fold the tortilla around the filling.

Spaghetti Squash

Wash spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake 1t 375 for 35 minutes, or until the rind is a little soft. Scoop out the insides by running a fork back and forth. It really does come out looking just like spaghetti.

While the squash is cooking, chop up 4 or 5 pieces of bacon in little pieces and cook in a big skillet.

Place the cooked squash in the cooked bacon and stir together.

Serve with parmesan cheese on top.

Onion Pie

I put this recipe over on my family blog a while back, but it makes more sense to be over here. It was one of my Grandma's recipes, and is just a simple, yet very flavorful, quiche.
1- baked pie shell
8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 can (3 1/2 oz) fried onions

Mix the eggs, sour cream, salt and worcesterererershire sauce. Stir in the bacon and the cheese. Pour into the pie shell and top with the dried onions. Make at 325 degree for approx 50 minutes, or until knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Cover with foil if the onions start looking too dark.)

Homemade BBQ Sauce

This is the BBQ sauce my mom always made for us:

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt (or less)

2 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 ½ cups water (or beef broth)

Tuna Melt Casserole

You will need:

1 batch of homemade croutons

1 cup grated cheese

dash of pepper

1/2 t curry powder

1 egg

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup minced onion

1 7-oz can tuna

Spread croutons evenly in a greased, square casserole dish

Wisk together all other ingredients (except cheese) and pour over croutons

Top with cheese and bake at 400 for 30 min

Homemade Croutons

Cube 4-5 slices of bread. I used a variety of white/brown. In a saucepan, melt 2 T butter and 2 T olive oil. Sprinkle "italian seasoning" combo over the top. Mix well until bread is coated.
Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 10-15 min.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

3/4 cup (185 grams) peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Beat in the peanut butter. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Fold in the chopped peanuts, if using. (If the batter is too soft to form into balls, place in the refrigerator for about an hour or until firm.)

Roll the batter into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, placing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, using the tines of the fork that has been dipped in white granulated sugar, make a crisscross pattern.

Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, for about a week. Freeze for longer storage.

Makes about 40 cookies.

Golden Chicken with Noodles

Ingredients :
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard or regular mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
8 large carrots, thickly sliced
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 cups hot cooked egg noodles

Directions
1.Stir the soup, water, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder and carrots in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
2.Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with the noodles.

I cut the recipe in half for our family and it turned out very well!

Caramel French Toast

We had this for Beatrix's birthday dinner. I thought it was already on the blog, so I missed taking a picture of it, though. The recipe calls for two layers of sandwich bread. I thought we were going out the morning of B's birthday, so I was going to pick up another loaf, however when we woke up to lots and lots of snow we stayed home. But then when it was time to make up the casserole and I didn't have enough bread, I dug through the freezer and only found some hotdogs buns. So I opened them up and placed flat for one layer, and it actually turned out really well. I think the extra fluff helped. So, long story short, use fluffy bread, like Texas Toast, for best results.

Stir together and bring to boil over a medium heat, then pour into the bottom of a 9x13:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbl light corn syrup

Top with 6 slices of bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Top with 6 more pieces of bread and another layer of cinnamon sugar.

Beat together and pour over bread:
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla

Refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking, then bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes at 350.

The caramel sauce is on the bottom, so when you serve it try to flip each piece upside down onto the plate.

Beef Stroganoff from scratch!!

You will need:

1 lb ground beef

2 T veg oil

1/2 onion

1 cup mushrooms (optional for Oshels)

2 cloves of garlic

2 T flour

2 cups milk

1/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup sour cream

4 oz cream cheese

1 package of pasta

Brown 1 lb of ground beef with chopped onion, set aside in large bowl.

In 2 T of veg oil, saute 1 cup sliced mushrooms. Add these to the meat and onions in the bowl.

Again in same skillet, Brown 2 T butter with 2 cloves minced garlic. Add 2 T flour and wisk until lumps are gone.

Slowly add 2 cups milk, wisking. Once smooth and bubbly, add 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/3 cup sour cream, and 4 oz cream cheese. Mix well.

Pour sauce into bowl.

Add 1 package of bow-tie pasta or egg noodles, cooked.

Stir entire mixture together.

This one was very good!!!

Double layer chocolate cream pie

(This is meant to be in a round pie plate, but mine was in use, so I made it in a square 9X9, which worked fine, too.)

1 crust of your choice.
(I used a regular pie crust, but a graham crust or Oreo crust would both work well, too.)

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Tbl milk
1 Tbl sugar
1 tub Cool Whip, thawed
2 cups milk
2 packages (4 serving size) instant chocolate pudding

Mix cream cheese with milk and sugar with a wisk until smooth. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of cool whip. Spread onto bottom of crust.

Beat milk and pudding until well mixed. (It will be really thick.) Stir in remaining cool whip. Spread over cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Praline Yams

I made these for Thanksgiving. The texture is like a fluffy mashed potato, but they taste almost like pumpkin pie. All 6 of us ate them, which really says something!

1 lg can yams (Canned, I know.... but it turned out great)
2 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T melted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves

Topping:
Pecan halves
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Drain yams. In the mixer, beat yams until smooth. Continue beating, adding one egg at a time, then the brown sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Beat until light and fluffy.

Place in a casserole dish. Arrange pecans on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar and drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Slow Cooker Ham and Cheese Melt

In a large mixing bowl combine:

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 1/2 cups of milk

8 slices of bread, cubed

1 stick of melted butter

In another bowl, combine:

1 can, cream of chicken

1/2 cup milk

In your greased slow-cooker, LAYER:

half of the bread mixture

6 slices of rolled up deli ham

1/2 of the soup mixture

1 cup of grated swiss cheese

the other half of the bread mixture

the other half of the soup mixture

another cup of grated swiss

Cook for 4-5 hours at the LOW setting

Pumpkin Cookies

4 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups canned pumpkin

• Cream shortening and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in pumpkin.
• Combine dry ingredients and blend into wet ingredients.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. (They don't spread, so you can put them pretty close.)
• Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes, until lightly colored.
• Cool and then drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze.

Cheese ball

This is one of Mom's recipes. I must admit, I've never made one before today, only enjoyed eating them in the past. But it is super simple to make.

8 oz cheddar cheese, grated (room temp)
8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled (room temp)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Chopped walnuts
Parsley flakes

Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl, using hands. Shape into 3 balls. Roll in walnuts and parsley. Wrap in plastic wrap until ready to serve. Make a few days ahead of time for the flavors to blend.

Hawaiian Hot Dog Heaven

Ok so the official name is Sweet-and-Sour Hot Dog Stir Fry, but I like my name better.

This is a made-from-scratch recipe from "Family Feasts for $75 a Week"

You will need:

6 hot dogs (can substitute chicken breast cubes)

1 can mandarin oranges

1 can pineapple chunks

1 red pepper, chopped

Sauce ingredients:

juice from the two fruit cans

2-3 T corn starch

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c vinegar

Saute the hot dogs (cut into "coins") in 1 T sesame oil. Meanwhile, whisk together sauce ingredients. Pour sauce over hot dogs and stir until it thickens. Add pineapple and red pepper and simmer 5 min. Just before serving, gently stir in oranges.

This one was good, but not the best thing I've ever tasted. It was nice to try something different, and it's very economical!

Monkey Milk

Seth loves to make smoothies, and this is always a favorite. Adjust portions as needed.

1 banana (frozen works best if you have any ripes ones you've thrown in the freezer)
Milk (maybe 3/4 cup per banana)
Spoonful of Quik chocolate powder

Blend and enjoy by your monkeys!

Chili Casserole

Yeah, I forgot to take a picture.

1 bag Fritos - dump in 9x13 pan and crush with a cup. This makes the crust.

Pour the rest of the ingredients evenly onto the crust:

• 2-3 cans chili. I used 3 different varieties. Was a little heavy on the chili - if you want to taste the Fritos more, use 2 cans.
• 1 small can corn, drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups grated cheese.

Bake at 375 for 40ish minutes.

Possible toppings: sour cream, avocado, fresh tomatoes, romaine lettuce (for a more of a salad feel).

I'm told that this freezes really well, too.

Indian Curry

This one is adapted from a recipe from "Family Feasts for $75 a week."

You will need:

4 frozen chicken thighs, cubed

1/2 onion, minced

1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1-2 T curry powder

1 t black pepper

dash of salt

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

cornstarch/water mix

In large frying pan, saute chicken and all veggies in 3 T melted butter for a few minutes

Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approx 20 min or until veggies are soft. Use cornstarch mixture to thicken sauce.

Serve over hot rice!

Creamy Chicken and Rosemary Potatoes

For the potatoes:

Peel one russet potato per person, chop into small cubes

In a mixing bowl add 2 T of olive oil to potatoes

Add 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Add "several shakes" of rosemary and a "dash" of tyme

Mix well and spread evenly in a greased baking dish

For the chicken:

Mix one can cream of chicken with 1/2 can of milk. Wisk until blended.

Pour soup mixture over raw chicken pieces in glass baking dish

For both:

Bake at 350 for one hour

Asian Noodle Salad

I'm not a fan of cilantro, so when I make this again I will probably put in less. I added cooked chicken cubes (chilled) which made it a main dish. FYI-- the proportions listed make a VERY large salad!
Other than that, this one is DELISH!!!!!!!!!!!!


■SALAD INGREDIENTS:
■1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
■½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
■½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
■½ bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
■1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
■1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
■1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
■1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
■Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
■3 whole Scallions, Sliced
■3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced
■1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews, Lightly Toasted In Skillet
■_____
■FOR THE DRESSING:
■1 whole Lime, Juiced
■8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
■8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
■2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
■⅓ cups Brown Sugar
■3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
■2 cloves Garlic Chopped
■2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped
■Chopped Cilantro

Simple, Perfect Enchiladas

This is another favorite recipe from the "Pioneer Woman." I made them last week. They're not so kid-friendly, but great for a small size adult dinner party. The homemade touches on the sauce again make a big difference in the taste.

Ingredients
■FOR THE SAUCE:
■1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
■1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
■1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
■2 cups Chicken Broth
■½ teaspoons Salt
■½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
■2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
■_____
■FOR THE MEAT:
■1-½ pound Ground Beef
■1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
■2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
■½ teaspoons Salt
■_____
■FOR THE TORTILLAS:
■10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
■½ cups Canola Oil
■_____
■TO ASSEMBLE:
■3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
■½ cups Chopped Black Olives
■1 cup Chopped Green Onions
■½ cups Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions
Step #1 – The Sauce
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Step #2 – The Meat
Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Step #3 – Tortillas
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Step #4 – Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Chicken Spaghetti

This recipe comes from one of my favorites, "The Pioneer Woman," whose recipes, stories, and life advice are well worth the read. I enjoy both her cookbook and her blog. This recipe is one of her staples and it's delicious! I like the PW's recipes because they aren't completely from scratch (too much work) but they have a lot of home-cooked touches that make a difference in the taste. For example, for this recipe you boil the chicken and pull it off the bone. Then use the broth for part of the sauce. It's so much better than canned broth and pre-frozen chicken breasts. Oh yes, and it's cheaper that way too!

Anyway, here's how to make chicken spaghetti:

Ingredients
■2 cups Cooked Chicken
■3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
■2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
■2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
■¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
■¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
■1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
■2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
■1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
■⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
■Salt And Pepper, to taste
■1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese


Preparation Instructions
Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Tropical Fruit Pizza

My cousin Teresa has a delicious fruit pizza recipe that I usually make with berries and kiwi. Yesterday I didn't have any luck finding good looking fresh fruit, though, so I changed the recipe a little to use tropical flavors.

Toppings:
1 20 oz can pineapple-drain and reserve juice
1 can mandarin oranges

Crust
Mix:
1 cube butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg

Add:
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp soda

Pat into greased pizza pan. (Or I used a cookie sheet since I wanted to try it on stoneware.)
Bake 350 for 12-14 minutes, or until golden.
Let cool.

Filling
Mix and then spread on pastry:
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbl pineapple juice

Arrange fruit on top.

Glaze
Combine and boil 1 minute, then drizzle over pizza.
3/4 pineapple juice
1 Tbl Cornstarch

Sprinkle coconut over the top.

Store in the fridge.

Buffalo Rice

This was SO good! The flavors of hot sauce and blue cheese into the creamy rice. Mmmm. We ate it as a side dish, but I could easily eat it as a main dish with some celery and carrot sticks on the side to put out the fire between bites.

6 cups water
kosher salt
1 cup long grain white rice
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
4 Tbl butter
3 TBL hot sauce - we used Marie Sharps Habenero
5 oz blue cheese crumbles

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add a big pinch of salt. Add rice. Turn heat down, cover, and cook 15-17 minutes, or until rice is tender. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water, and then drain the rice.

While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet. Cook the chicken 3-5 minutes, until just cooked through. Add the hot sauce and stir to coat evenly.

Stir together rice, reserved cooking water, blue cheese and chicken. Mix enough to melt the cheese.

Cheesy chicken and noodles

Jill gave me a fun cookbook full of things to make with top ramen for my birthday, and this recipe is based on something out of there. The ramen noodles were tasty, but I think angel hair or macaroni or any noodle would work just as well.

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (good place for leftovers)
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 Tbl butter
2 cans cream of whatever (I used celery)
1 cup milk
2 packages chicken ramen noodles
2 cups cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan melt the butter and saute the onions. Add soup, milk and 1 of the ramen seasoning packets. Stir until smooth.

Meanwhile, boil ramen noodles and drain.

In a big bowl, stir together noodles, cheese and sauce until cheese is melted. Pour into a casserole and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Banana Bundt Bread

I was looking for something fun to do with ripe bananas, and this recipe was a winner. Nathanael isn't a big banana fan, but he found this recipe "a very acceptable use of bananas."

1 cube butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 T sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Grease a bundt pan, and coat sides (like you would flour a pan) with sugar.
2. Cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in banana and sour cream.
3. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to banana mixture.
4. Spoon half of batter into the bundt pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and remaining 2T sugar. Add other half of batter.
5. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness, keeping in mind the gooey chocolate layer.
6. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate.

Peach Pie

Every fall my mom and I buy a box of yummy peaches from our favorite fruit stand in Nampa. After sampling a few (or a lot!) we then make a bunch of peach pies to have in the freezer for winter. Yesterday we were able to get 4 done.... Use your favorite pie crust recipe and here is a great recipe for the peach filling:

Mix together
6 cups of peaches - peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp lemon
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour

Before placing the top crust in place, tab little bits of butter on the peach mixture
Once the pie is finished we cover then in plastic wrap and tin foil.

Lentil Soup

1 1/4 cups dried lentils (pick through for any rocks, and then rinse in a strainer)
1 cup water
1 box broth (I used beef)
2 carrots - chopped
1 celery stalk - chopped
1 onion - chopped
1/2 cup salsa

Put everything into a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until lentils are done, stirring every 10 minutes or so. My cookbook said about 40 minutes, but mine took closer to an hour.

Serve with a scoop of green herb sauce on top.

Linguine with green herb sauce

We had this for dinner tonight, along with a loaf of turtle bread. All 6 of us cleaned our bowls. Hear my jaw drop? Everyone ate it. Short of having cheese and crackers, I can't think of another dinner that would ever fit this bill.

3/4 cup Green Herb Sauce
12 oz linguine (I used the entire 16oz box, but the sauce was spread a little thin.)
Toasted pine nuts
Parmesan Cheese

Cook the linguine and drain. Toss with green herb sauce. Top with pine nuts and cheese. Enjoy!

Green Herb Sauce

This sauce is SO good, and much healthier than regular pesto. The only trouble is one ingredient, but if you just get past that and make it, it is SO delicious!

1 cup fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup soft tofu (find it in the produce section)
1/3 cup chopped chives
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped (or two big spoonfuls of the pre-minced jar stuff)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 tsp salt

Put everything into a food processor and blend it up. You'll have to stop a time or two to scrape down the edges, and then just keep blending until smooth.

Serve within an hour, or keeps in the fridge for 2 days.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

These were good, and a fun change to regular burgers, but could have used a little more zip. Maybe pepperjack instead of mozzarella cheese next time?

1 1/4# ground turkey
1/2 cup roasted red peppers **Directions on how to do your own at the bottom
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste

1. Divide turkey into 4 sections. Make two equal patties out of each section.
2. Sprinkle one patty with 1/4 of the peppers and 1/4 of the cheese and top with another patty. Squish the edges to seal. (I did this poorly and mine leaked.) Repeat for all 4 burgers.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Grill or broil. (I broiled, took about 5 minutes per side. Flipping was tricky, be sure to grease whatever you cook it on.)

How to make your own roasted red peppers: (Thanks Marla!)
Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Cook peppers at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turn and cook another 20 or so, until black edged and look done. Put in a bowl and cover with saran wrap. After they cool down a bit it is easy to peel the skins off and take out the seeds.

Recipe organization

I think I finally found a way to organize my recipes that I like, so I thought I would share.

I'll start with how to print recipes off the blog without all the extra stuff. (Maybe this is obvious, but I didn't know how to do it at first.) Highlight what you want to print. Sometimes I just to the recipe, sometimes I do the picture as well. Then go to File - Print - (the print window should pop up now) and then choose PRINT SELECTION. Now when you print you will get only the recipe.

I put all my printouts and any magazine clippings into clear sheet protectors. Next I alphabetized and put them into a 3 ring binder.

Finally I made a quick spreadsheet listing all the recipes by name and then by type. I printed two copies, sorted each way.

Now it is easy to find what I need! When I add new recipes to the binder I just jot the title onto my spreadsheet, and once it starts looking too busy I fix them on the computer and print out a new one.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

1. Cube and cook in a skillet 2 or 3 chicken breasts. (This would also be a great spot for leftover chicken from a rotisserie.)
2. Stir in one can cream of chicken soup and generous 1/2 cup of pesto.
3. Toss int some cooked pasta. (I used a package of tri-colored rotini because I thought it would help hide the green pesto, and it worked. Zachary even ate it.)
4. Top with parmesan cheese.

I had a few of these cold today before I warmed some up for lunch, and it was also excellent cold.

Easy Mexican Chicken Soup

I've thrown this soup together a few times now, and it's quite tasty... and VERY easy. It takes about 10-15 minutes, and most of that is cutting up the chicken. Very versatile.

Ingredients:
Chicken (I use Costco roasted) cubed/shredded- use as much or as little as you want
Chicken stock- usually I use three cans, which I think is the same as one big box
Cilantro- handful coarsely chopped
Jalapeno- chopped. I use the whole thing, but I like it spicy!
Salsa- about a half cup (more or less for spiciness)
Tabasco- if you want it, a few dashes
Salt- to taste
Corn- optional, but it adds a nice sweetness.
Onion, chopped- I've used it, this time I didn't have one handy.

Since everything is already cooked, just throw everything into a pot. When I used the onion, I did saute it for a few minutes before adding the broth. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes. DONE!
I like to garnish with cheese and sour cream. Avocado if I have it. I like it really spicy... that's what the sour cream is for!

So, I suppose this isn't as much of an exact recipe, but an idea to grow from. It's yummy. Enjoy

S'mores Brownies

Bake brownies according to directions.
When they come out of the oven, top with mini-marshmallows and graham cracker bits and pieces.
Broil for around a minute, but watch carefully.
Enjoy!

Crispy Chicken

In one bowl, combine 2 eggs and 1/2 cup milk. In a second bowl, gently crush 3 cups of cornflakes and add a dash of salt and pepper. You can also had onion powder/flakes if you want. Dip pieces of raw chicken in egg batter first, then flakes. Bake at 350 for one hour.