Cornbread

I thought you might enjoy something to go with those yummy soups:

1 c. butter/margarine, melted
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. milk
3 eggs

Mix.

2 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder

Mix, but don't overdo it.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Soup Anyone?

With the winter season amongst us, what better way to warm up then to have a hot bowl of soup. Would everyone post their favorite soup recipe. Thanks and happy eating!!!

Caramel Popcorn

1 C butter
2 C brown sugar
1/2 C corn syrup
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 t vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn

preheat oven 250. Place popped popcorn in a large bowl, remove kernels. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat. Place in baking dish and bake in oven 1 hour; stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Karen's Chocolate Cake

Triple Chocolate Cake
1 pkg devil's food cake mix.... 18 1/4 ounces

1 pkg(4 serving size) chocolate instant pudding mix

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:

1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract.

Beat cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil and vanilla in a large bowl with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in choc. chips. Pour into greased and floured 12 cup bundt pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes then invert cake onto a wire rack. Cool completely. For glaze, mix sugar, milk and butter in small saucepan on medium heat. Stirring constantly on medium heat, bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat...stir in chocolate chips and pure vanilla until chips are melted. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

Chocolate Haystacks

These taste really good and are so easy!

1 cup BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks
1 cup butterscotch chips
2 cups chow mein noodles
2 cups Miniature Marshmallows
1/2 cup Salted Peanuts

MICROWAVE chocolate chunks and butterscotch chips in medium microwavable bowl on HIGH 2 to 3 minutes or until almost melted, stirring after 1-1/2 minutes. Stir until completely melted.
ADD remaining ingredients; stir until evenly coated.
DROP teaspoonfuls of the chocolate mixture onto large sheet of wax paper. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm.

Cheese Garlic Biscuits

I made these for part of dinner tonight and they were really yummy and super easy! That's my kind of recipe!

2 c biscuit
2/3 c milk
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Mix bisquick,milk and cheese until a soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Mix butter and garlic salt. Brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 12 biscuits.

A Taste of Thai

Well I am no cook =), but just wanted to let you know that the "Taste of Thai" products make some pretty descent Thai Food. I used their peanut sauce and added carrots, chopped peanuts, sprouts and green beans. Here's a pic:

P.S. We had Edamame and Egg drop soup as side dishes

Raspberry bars

This is the easiest dessert you will ever come by :), Karen

1 roll of refrigerated sugar cookies
1 bag of white chocolate chips
1 cup of raspberry jam, warm it
1 T veg. oil

soften the tube of refrig. sugar cookies to room temp. slice a hole in one end of the tube. Squeeze the dough into a 9 x 13 in. pan...press the dough to cover the ungreased pan. (flour your fingers a bit)
Evenly spread 1/2 the bag of white chocolate chips on the dough.
Bake this at 350 deg. for 15-17 min...to lightly browning.
Take out, pour the cup of jam over the white chips, smooth it out.
Bake another 10-12 min. til edges slightly brown
Mix remaining chips with oil, microwave 45 sec...stir til blended, drizzle at angles over the bars.
cool before serving...excellent!!

Another yumm pasta dish

Not bad, coming from an Atkins fan....two pasta posts in one day!!
Karen

Nutty Pasta (a great vegetarian entree)
8 oz Spinach Linguini
1/4 cup Olive Oil to cover pasta when cooked
1 Stick of butter
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 C each of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and chopped walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste
I/2 C Italian bread crumbs
1/2 - 3/4 C Fresh chopped parsley
8 oz cream cheese in 1 inch cubes,
Cook Liguini , mix with olive oil and set aside.Melt butter in a skillet, Mix in garlic and nuts and sauteMix in in bread crumbs - mixture should be slightly thickRemove from heat and mix into pasta, Add the fresh parsley and stir in the cream cheese.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese

Hi folks...
don't waste this yummy dish on kids :)

Smoky Mac and Cheese
1/2# each, mild Italian Sausage, and lean ground beef
3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (12 oz)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream Substitute evap. non fat milk, for lower fat recipe
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
8 oz smoked Cheddar cheese, shredded (in my deli case, it is Hoffmans smoked Cheddar)
2cans (14.5 oz each) Muir Glen® organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, well drained Natural food aisle...it matters, these have a smoky flavor)
1/4 cup sliced green onions (4 medium)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
Preparation Directions
1. Cook and drain fat from meats.
Cook and drain macaroni as directed on box. Return to saucepan; keep warm.
2.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 2-quart saucepan, heat cream, mustard, salt and red pepper to boiling. Reduce heat; stir in Cheddar cheese with wire whisk until smooth. Pour sauce over macaroni. Stir in tomatoes and onions. Pour into baking dish. In small bowl, stir together Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs; stir in oil. Sprinkle over top of macaroni mixture.
3.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are bubbly and top is golden brown.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 18-23 min.
Success Tip:
Be sure to use whipping cream when making the sauce for this decadent mac 'n cheese. Milk or half-and-half are more likely to curdle when combined with acidic ingredients like tomatoes, unless you use NF evap milk, which doesn't curdle, or non fat half and half (what is that stuff)

Apple Dip

Beware!!! This dip is addicting!!!

2 pkg cream cheese
1 TB vanilla
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp milk
1/2 bag heath bits

Slightly soften cream cheese and whip until smooth. Add vanilla, brown sugar, milk, and mix. Add heath bits and mix. Great with any kind of apples!

Out of this World Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay so I know everyone has their favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe but this is my fav!

1 c crisco
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 TB vanilla
2 tsp hot water
4 1/2 c flour
1 pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, crisco, and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla, and hot water. Mix dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture. Mix well and then add chocolate chips. Drop on a ungreased cookie sheet and cook for 7-10 minutes.

Baked Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Pears

I normally don't like sweet potatoes but I love them in this recipe!!!

2 cans 15 oz sweet potatoes, drained
1 can 15 oz pears, drained
1/3 c chopped pecans
1/3 c brown sugar
3 T plus 1/2 cup flour
2 eggs beaten
1 c Italian bread crumbs
1 T McCormick chicken herb seasoning
4 pork chops 3/4 inch thick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 8-inch square baking dish, combine pears and sweet potatoes. In a small bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar, 3 TB flour and the butter to make a paste. Crumble mixture over pears and sweet potatoes and set aside.

Spray roasting rack then place on baking pan. Place eggs in a bowl. Place 1/2 cup flour on another bowl. Mix bread crumbs and herb seasoning and place in another bowl. Dredge pork chops into flour, then egg mixture, and last bread crumbs. Arrange chops on rack in prepared pan and coat lightly with cooking spray.

Bake chops alongside sweet potatoes and pears for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Black Bean Soup

This is so good and so easy. We just started a dinner group in our ward so if there are good recipes I'll pass them along.

1 cup jarred tomato salsa (plus extra for garnish)
2 15 1/2ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth

Optional Toppings
sour cream
cheese
tortilla chips
lime

Heat the salsa in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently for about 5 min. Stir in beans and broth, then heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 min. Cool slightly then spoon half the soup in to a food processor or blender and puree. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan and heat through. Serve with sour cream, tortilla strips, salsa, and lime.

Serves 4

Pastrami & Swiss on Rye

We ordered this at Schlotzsky's Deli & decided to make it ourself. It's just a simple sandwich that's really tasty!

Ingredients:
rye bread
turkey pastrami
sliced swiss cheese
spicy brown mustard

You just broil on high in your oven, only bread first (2 slices). Then put on the cheese & meat each on their own slice of bread, broil. Put the mustard on & combine both slices. You only need to broil for maybe 2 minutes each time.

White Chicken Chili

I just tried this new recipe out tonight, very good, but very spicy (& I like spicy stuff)!!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
1.Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2.Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

Changes coming

I will be gone for about a month to California and then to Idaho. When I get back I hope to organize the recipes into categories so they will be easier to find. I will also add some yummy recipes that I've been excited to post. See you all then!

Fusilli with Spinach and Asiago Cheese

1 pound fusilli pasta (that's the curly kind)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 mince garlic clove
1 bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped (big pieces)
8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (I just used the cheap Kraft)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
(I added chicken that had been cooked in Fat Free Italian dressing and cubed - I always have some in my freezer so it didn't add any time)

Brink a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite (8-10 minutes). Drain pasta but keep 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Meanwhile, microwave precooked chicken (or cook chicken). Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Turn down heat to medium and add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach wilts (just a bit) - about two minutes. Add cooked pasta and chicken and toss. Add the cheeses, salt, pepper and the pasta cooking liquid. Stir and serve. Yummy.

OK - so I'm finally making a contribution! This is a recipe that I am using all the time these days. You would be surprised just how easy and versatile this recipe is. Plain yogurt can often be substituted for sour cream in recipes. Mix it with fruit, make smoothies - there's just all kinds of stuff you can do!

Traditional Yogurt

3 1/2 cups milk (I just make powdered milk - great way to use the food storage and your taste buds won't know the difference - really!)
1/4 - 1/2 cup powdered milk (in addition to what you may have just used - this makes the yogurt thicker)

Place in a microwave safe bowl (I use my 1.5 quart pyrex casserole), place in microwave and bring to a boil. This takes 10-12 minutes. This is to get rid of any possibility of undesirable bacteria. After the milk has come to a boil let the milk cool to 115 - 120 F.

In a small bowl place a couple of heaping tablespoons of live culture yogurt - doesn't have to be fancy, just make sure that the yogurt says, "live culture yogurt," on the container. I've used the kids stuff in the tubes before to start my yogurt! Pour a little of the warm milk in with the yogurt and mix, then return to the main container. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and incubate for 6-8 hours at 110-115 F. The longer you incubate, the more sour tasting the yogurt will be. After the yogurt has reached the desired thickness, store in the refridgerator.

Incubation: You do not need to have anything fancy to incubate your yogurt. Basically, you need a source of heat (very low heat) and insulation. I use a heating pad on the lowest setting inside my insulated carrying case for my 9 x 13 pyrex pan. I've heard of people putting the yogurt inside the oven with the oven light on (just don't forget it's in there and turn on the oven!). I've also heard of people using a cooler with a heating pad inside.

Orange Julius

1 (6 ounce) can orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk (do not use skim milk)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 T sugar
8 ice cubes


Place all ingredients except for the ice cubes into a blender.
Add the ice cubes one by one until smooth. If you have a Bosch then just throw in all the ice cubes.
Serve immediately-- enjoy!

Orange Rage

Okay so I was REALLY upset when I found out that they don't have any Jamba Juice's in the Fort. So I purchased the book Jamba Juice Power and it has a lot of amazing smoothies. Here's one of my favs.

Orange Rage
1 cup orange juice
1 small banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 container of vanilla yogurt
6-7 ice cubes

Blend together. If you would like to use fresh strawberries, then use 1 cup of nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt instead of the container of yogurt.

Chinese Pepper Steak

This is my favorite Asian dish to make, it's so good! It's been passed down from my husband's family & no one really ever wrote it down, so the instructions are just from my experience in making it. Hopefully the way I wrote it, isn't too confusing!

Ingredients:
1 ½ pds. steak, cut into thin strips
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 med. onion, diced
2 C. diced celery
6 T. soy sauce
3 t. salt
1 T. ground ginger
2 C. beef broth
2 T. sugar
3 T. corn starch
hot cooked white rice (desired amount)

Start cooking desired amount of rice. Cook steak in skillet, until browned. Cook peppers, onions & celery in separate skillet with a little veg. oil, until tender yet crisp. Make sauce in a large pot by mixing together soy sauce, salt, ginger, broth, sugar, & corn starch. Stir frequently over med-high heat on stove-top until sauce thickens. Stir vegetables & steak into sauce over low heat. Serve over hot rice. My husband's family puts fresh tomatoes cut into thin strips on top.

Porcupine Meatballs

Here's a ground beef recipe I got from my husband's family. It's one of our favorites. It's kind of a spin-off of meatloaf & mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:
1 pd. ground beef
1 egg
1 t. salt
¼ t. pepper
¼ cup uncooked white rice
2 cans Campbell's condensed tomato soup
1 empty soup can filled with water
hot cooked mashed potatoes

Pre-heat oven to 400°. In medium bowl mix together beef, egg, salt, pepper, & rice. Use entire meat mixture to form meatballs, place next to each other in bottom of 9x13 casserole dish. Mix 2 cans tomato soup & 1 can water, pour over meatballs in dish. Meatballs should be immersed in liquid. Cover with foil, bake @ 400° for 1 hour. Uncover & serve over mashed potatoes. Great as leftovers.

Chimichangas

2 lb. rump roast
1 ½ cup water
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp vinegar
2 T chili powder
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pepper
1 small can of green chilis diced
1 can red enchilada sauce

flour tortillas, cheddar cheese

1.Put roast in crock pot. Mix dry ingredients and rub on roast. Cook on low until tender. (about 6-8 hours) 2. When meat is cooked, roll up in tortillas with cheese and meat and fry in a deep pan with vegetable oil until golden brown. 3. Top with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce and crock pot sauce(opt.). I've also made this without frying the tortillas and it's still really good.

Round Steak Sauerbraten

OK, in response to Susie, I will finally post a recipe. I just haven't felt a whole lot like cooking, Arby's 5 for 5 is about the extent of things....

I don't cook a lot of red meat, but this is one of my favs. It's actually super easy. My mom cooks it all the time.

1.5 lb round steak
1 env. brown gravy mix
1T dried minced onion
2T wine vinegar
1t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t ground ginger
1 or more bay leaves
1T brown sugar
Hot buttered noodles (wide egg noodles)

Cut meat into 1" cubes. Brown meat in hot oil. Remove meat from skillet and add gravy mix and 2 cups water. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Stir in remainder ingredients (except noodles) add 1/2t salt and 1/4t pepper. Add meat back in. Put into casserole dish, cover and bake at 350, for 1.5 hours. Remove Bay leaf and serve on noodles.

My additions: I usually double or triple recipe (usually a 3 lb. steak) and I stick it in a crock pot all day til the meat is super tender. Sometimes the gravy needs to be thickened, in which case you can use cornstarch or flour, or however you like to thicken things. This also freezes well, makes great leftovers and most Elders like it. Enjoy!

Ground Beef? Steaks? Red Meat?

I'm loving everyone's recipes! What a great website. I cook a lot of chicken and don't have very many recipes for red meat. I can't wait to try the ones on the site, but are there any more out there??? :)

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

3 c. romaine lettuce- chopped
1 c. red cabbage- sliced thinly
1 c. napa cabbage- chopped
1/2 c. carrot- julienne or shredded
1 green onion- chopped
1 T. sliced almonds
1/3 c. chow mein noodles

Dressing:
3 T. honey
1 1/2 T. rice wine vinegar
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 t. Grey Poupon mustard
1/8 t. sesame oil

Chicken:
1 egg mixed with 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. flour mixed with 1/2 c. corn flake crumbs, salt & pepper

Dip chicken in milk/egg mixture. Dip/cover with flour/corn flake mixture. Deep fry each side of chicken until golden brown - or - use pre made chicken breasts (tastes good with broiled chicken breasts for lower fat content!)

Slice chicken into strips, toss with salad and top with dressing. Enjoy!

Spinach Tortellini Salad

1 bag fresh spinach
1 bag frozen tortellini, cooked
pepperoni slices, halved
olives (I like to half mine)
½ onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
mozzarella cheese (however much you like
parmesan cheese (to taste)
ranch dressing, I just coat the tortellini and then mix them all in the salad, it is usually just right.

Just mix this all together, I always get great comments on this one!!!

Pumpkin Bread

3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
(Mix above together)
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 cup oil
2 cups pumpkin (1 15 oz can)
(Mix in Mixer)
Combine and pour into greased bread pan. Bake at 350 for one hour. Cupcakes 25 min. Makes 4 loaves.

Crazy Quilt Pie

Coconut Pie

2 c. milk
4 eggs
½ cup flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
½ t. salt
1t. vanilla

Place all ingredients into a blender. Turn the blender on medium speed and count to 10. Pour into 9” deep pie pan. During the baking process the flour drops to form the crust and the remaining ingredients form the filling.

Bake at 350 for 34 min.

Easy BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

I love this one when I want leftovers for sandwiches later. It's so easy!


Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts
1 Bottle BBQ sauce

· Pour BBQ sauce over chicken and cook on low 6-8 hours.
· Take out chicken and shred, put back in crock and mix until well coated and soaked. Serve on sandwich bread.

Chicken Crescent Wraps

This was suggested by a young lady in our ward as a quick and easy recipe. It was TASTY and the kids loved it! I am all about easy! The measurements were given to me vaguely, so I tried to represent them the best I could. I am not a good "measurer"...I like to add my "own creative ideas" (from Better Off Dead...anyone?)

2 (8 count) pkgs. refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 t. garlic salt
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 roll Ritz butter crackers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, and garlic salt. Set aside. Unroll crescent rolls and use a rolling pin to flatten. Spread mixture on thick end of crescent roll. Put chicken on top of mixture and roll.

Put rolls in a greased 9x13 pan. Crush the crackers and sprinkle on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If desired, drizzle prepared cream of chicken soup on top before serving.

Serves 4-6 people.

Mint Brownies

I got this recipe from my friend Jen. She makes the best chocolate mint desserts.

Bottom Section:
1 box of 9x13 brownie mix

Follow directions on the box and let them cool.


Middle Section:
2 C powdered sugar
5 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup butter
2 T milk
couple drops of green food coloring

Mix all ingredients and frost cooled brownies. Chill 30 minutes.

Chocolate Top:
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T crisco
2 T butter
1 tsp peppermint extract

Melt the first 3 ingredients in microwave for 1-2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Quickly stir in peppermint at the end and frost third layer. Cool again 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Jalapeno Poppers

8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz canned jalapenos (1/4 of jar=mild, 1/3 of jar=medium, 1/2 of jar hot, and anything else is smokin').
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
20 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil for frying

In bowl, combine the cream cheese, jalapeno, and Parmesan cheese. Place wonton on flat surface. Dip fingers in water and moisten the edges of the wonton. Then put about a Tablespoon of mixture into wrapper. Fold wonton diagonally and seal with fingers. In a deep skillet heat oil until hot but not smoking. Fry the wontons about 30 seconds per side or until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain oil. Serve immediately.

Lemon Cheesecake Bars

I musthave something for cream cheese, very yummy.

1 package lemon cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg

Mix together with fork until dough forms. Pat into a 9X13 pan.

1 can lemon frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (NOT fat free)
2 eggs

Blend frosting and cream cheese until smooth. Remove 1 cup and set aside. Add two eggs to remaining frosting/cream cheese mixture. Beat 3-5 minutes. Spread over cake mix in pan.

Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Top should be evenly browned. Frost with remaining frosting.

Best served chilled.

Cream Cheese Squares

I had a friend bring these to a get together and everyone ate them up. They are really Easy!

2 tubes crescent rolls2 8-oz. pckgs.
cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
sugar/cinnamon combination

Line the bottom of a pan with a layer of the crescent rolls (you will have to do some stretching usually!). In a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Spread cream cheese mixture on top of crescent rolls. Put another layer of crescent rolls on top of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake at 375 for 20-25 min. You can eat them warm or they are yummy cold from the fridge.

Pizza Bread

This is really easy. I just use a wooden spoon and then my hands. Cameron (my 5yr old) loves to help me with this one.

2 TBSP yeast
3 c flour (plus 3-4 cups)
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 c oil (I use olive oil)
1 egg
2 c water

Combine the above ingredients and mix well. (I mix the yeast water and sugar first.) Add the 3-4 cups more flour to make a soft dough. Knead 5 minutes. Let rise 2 hours (until doubled). Punch down and divide into 12 balls (+/-) of dough. On lightly floured surface, roll each ball into about 11x6" rectangle. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and top with pepperoni. Roll up like a jelly roll and pinch the ends closed. (If you're going to freeze this is the time to do it. Wrap up in plastic wrap and then foil to keep fresh. Pull out and let thaw before you are going to do second rise.) Place on baking sheet and let rise 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Serve with sauce. YUMMY!

Filling (Mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and if you want to add anything else that's not moist you can.)

-Emily, this is Lori Thorderson's recipe.

French Dip with Italian Attitude

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray's website. I've made it for company a couple times and it has always been a hit. It's very easy and very tasty! Serves 4-6 people.

1 wide baguette or french bread
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 small onion, chopped
2 large clove garlic, divided, 1 chopped, 1 crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef stock or broth
1 tsp. rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 pound sliced roast beef
6 slices provolone cheese

Slice baguette open lengthwise so that you have 2 books. Transfer the bread to a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown, 8-10 minutes, or toast under the broiler but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn! Once the bread is toasted, rub cut side with the crushed clove of garlic then drizzle it with a little EVOO and cover it with parmesan cheese.

While the bread is toasting, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add onion, chopped garlic, tomato paste and rosemary, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook until the onions start to get soft about 2-3 minutes. Add beef stock, bring up to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes to let the flavors come together.

Using tongs swish a few slices of roast beef at a time through the hot broth then transfer to the cheesy garlic bread. Once all the roast beef has been mounded on the bread, top with provolone slices and transfer to the broiler or oven to melt the cheese for a few minutes. Remove and slice. Put remaining sauce in bowls and dip sandwich. YUMMY!

Corn Salsa

I absolutely love this salsa!!! I enjoy eating it with tortilla chips but other people eat it as a side dish or as a topping to chicken, etc.

1 can corn, drained,
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed,
5 medium tomatoes,
1/4 bunch cilantro leaves chopped,
3 green onions,
2 avocados diced,
2 limes squeezed over all
Salt and Pepper to taste

Banana Nut Bars

*I am pretty sure I got this recipe from Steph, so kind of cheating, but I made these yesterday and they are so freaking good!

Makes 10.5 X 15.5 inch jelly roll pan
Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes

Cream together until fluffy
1 1/2 C sugar
3/4 C shortening

Add and beat until very light and fluffy
3 eggs

Meanwhile, mix together dry ingredients
2 1/4 C flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

In still another bowl, mix together wet ingredients
1/2 C milk
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 med very ripe bananas, mashed

Alternating wet and dry ingredients, add to the creamed sugar, shortening and egg mixture. Stir until blended after each addition.

After all additions, beat on medium speed two minutes

At the end, mix in:
3/4 C coarsely chopped walnuts

BANANA FROSTING
3 Tbsp soft butter
3 C powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 med ripe banana, mashed

Beat until smooth and very creamy. Add milk or cream or more powdered sugar to get the right consistancy.

Chicken Paprikash

Hungarian dishes are a must around here and this is one of our favs.

4-6 chicken breasts
2 TB oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 t paprika
1 can chicken broth
1 1/2 cup sour cream
2 heaping TB flour

In a skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat about 15 minutes or till lightly browned, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.
Add onion and paprika to skillet adding more oil if necessary; cook onion until tender. Return chicken and it's juices to skillet, turning chicken to coat in paprika mixture. Add broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 40 minutes or until chicken is tender. Transfer chicken to plate.
In a bowl mix sour cream and flour together. Add sour cream mixture to pan juices and cook until thickened over medium heat.
Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve with buttered penne noodles and your favorite veggies.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados
3 Tbls. lime juice
1/2 large tomato, stemmed and finely chopped
1/2 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp. coarse salt, such as kosher salt
Freshly cracked pepper

Using a sharp knife, cut the avocados in half. Remove the pits. Scoop the flesh into a medium-sized bowl and roughly crush with a potato masher or fork. Stir in lime juice.
Chop the tomato as finely as possible. Scrape the tomato flesh and juice into the bowl with the avocados.
Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper and stir to mix.
Press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the guacamole. Let sit for about 1/2 hour at room temperature and then adjust the seasonings. You may want to add more jalapeno pepper, lime juice, salt or pepper. Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips for dipping.

A great recipe from my friend Tami.

No Bake Cookies

2 cups sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup milk
3 cups oatmeal
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 cup coconut

Combine sugar, butter and milk in saucepan. Boil for 1 minute. Add oatmeal, cocoa, and coconut and mix. Drop spoonfuls on wax paper and let harden. Yummy

Chicken Burritos

4 frozen chicken breasts (you don’t even have to thaw them beforehand but I do anyway)
1 15 oz. can of corn (undrained)
1 15 oz. can of black beans (rinse)
1 16. oz. jar of salsa

Place all four ingredients in the crock pot for 5-6 hours on low (until chicken is cooked enough to shred easily). Shred chicken and stir all ingredients together. Place in soft flour tortillas and add cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, rice and any other toppings you prefer.