Momma Chefs

WIngers Sticky FIngers

2011-06-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

I love Wingers!! So when I saw this recipe for Wingers Amazing Sauce I had to try it!! IT was so good!!!! IT tasted so much like the sauce from Wingers and it was so easy to make!!

*I am typing with one hand which it taking forever so instead of typing out the recipe I am just going to link it to the site where I got it from :)

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2009/01/just-like-wingers-sticky-fingers-and.html

Great Evaporated Milk Substitute if find you're without it

2011-04-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

I just learned something today and I'm ecstatic about it. I planned on making cornbread for dinner, but I realized I didn't have any evaporated milk. I hate it when I don't have ONE thing. Anyway, I looked up a substitute online and found this:

2/3 c. non-fat dry milk powder

3/4 c. water

Mix together and use in place of evaporated milk.

It's GREAT. I actually have a huge box in my pantry of dry milk that I haven't used. Great thing is I won't have to go out and buy any evaporated milk! Yippee!! Had it share it with y'all.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes and Apple Syrup

2011-04-05T12:34:00.001-07:00

This pancake recipe comes from the Our Best Bites blog. I wish I could put into words how much I LOVE these pancakes! I've made them multiple times now, and have been blown away each time. They smell so good while they're cooking, I'm always tempted to just eat them straight off the griddle! I love how fluffy they are. I love how they have a slight sweet taste. I love how I can premake batches by mixing together the dry ingredients, and then throw them together quickly in the morning. I love that they are whole wheat and healthy. I love how you cannot tell that they are whole wheat. In my book, these are the perfect pancakes!

See how fluffy they are?!

They just puff right up on the griddle

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

*Makes about 10 large pancakes*

3/4 c whole wheat flour

3/4 c all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

(If desired, mix dry ingredients together and store in a ziploc bag. Then mix together with remainder of ingredients in the morning)

1 1/2 c low fat buttermilk (Have you been converted to buttermilk yet? I sure have! Regular milk just doesn't cut it!)

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp oil

1 large egg

1 large egg white

In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix. (I always have to add a little milk to the batter to get it to my desired consistency). Heat a non stick griddle to medium heat. Cook pancakes. (I'm assuming we all know how to cook pancakes, so I won't go into a lot of detail here.) Delicious!

I found this recipe for apple syrup randomly online somewhere. It is very yummy! I like that it has simple ingredients and is a healthier alternative to the sugar, additive-laden syrup from the store. (Not to say I don't like the store version; just trying to be a tad bit healthier on occasion:)) This made our house smell like fall, which I loved! But I also loved that it didn't taste like eating wassail on my pancakes. It was a light, subtle apple taste. Very good! Apple Syrup

1 c granulated sugar

2 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice *

2 cups apple cider or juice

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup butter

*I didn't have pumpkin pie spice, and almost had a heart attack when I saw how much it cost at the store- 7 bucks for lik 4 tsp?!! So I checked out the ingredients in pumpkin pie spice: allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon. That's it. So I skipped the pumpkin pie spice and just seasoned to taste with the much cheaper spices that I already had on hand. Turned out perfect!

Mix dry ingredients in a medium saucepan. Add juices and bring to a boil. Boil one minute, stirring constantly. Off heat, add butter and stir until combined. This stores great in the fridge! Just reheat before serving.

Happy breakfast, everyone!

Snicker doodles

2011-04-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

My little girl LOVES to make cookies! These by far are her favorite to make because I roll them in balls and she gets to roll them in the cinnamon/sugar mixture all by herself :) I like to make these cuz they are so delicious!!

*1 1/2 C Sugar

*1/2 C butter-softened

*1/2 C shortening

*2 Eggs

*2 3/4 C Flour

*2 t. cream of tarter

*1 t baking soda

*1/4 t salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar, butter, shortening, and eggs. Stir in flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, and salt. Shape dough into balls. Mix 2 t. cinnamon and 2 T sugar. Roll balls in mixture to coat. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 (soft) to 10 (crunchy) minutes! Enjoy!!

LOVE!!!!

2011-03-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Every one should purchase this little gem!!

I LOVE it!!

There are delicious recipes... Pictures... and fun baking tips!

I promise you won't be disappointed!!

Chicken Chilaquiles

2011-02-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

I stole this recipe fromSandra Lee on her Semi-Homemade website. I love the recipes since they're geared toward making things easier on you! None of that made by scratch stuff, although sometimes that's good too. And I know....another mexican one. Trapper LOVES Mexican, so I'm always looking for a new things to do, and we really liked this one.

Nonstick cooking spray

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (or regular olive oil)

2 cups chopped yellow onions

2 packages (6 ounces each) refrigerated oven-roasted diced chicken, Tyson (I just used a 13 ounce can of already cooked and chopped chicken from Costco)

1 can (4 ounce) diced green chiles

2 jars (16 ounces each) medium-hot green salsa (I accidentally bought green sauce, so I ended up using 1/4 cup of regular salsa, cause that's all i had and a few teaspoons of the green sauce......so even if you don't have the right stuff, it still tastes good.)

4 cups tortilla chips, crumbled

2 cups grated 4 cheese mexican cheese blend

4 to 6 eggs

2 tbsp butter, cut into 4 to 6 pieces

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1 container (8 ounce) sour cream

2 tsp. lime juice, ReaLime or just buy a fresh lime from produce and squeeze all the juice out of it

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large heavy ovenproof skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add 1 1/2 c. of the onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until onions begin to soften. Add chicken and chiles; cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in salsa. Simmer 3 minutes or just until heated through. Stir in chips. Transfer chicken mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and make shallow indentations for the eggs. Crack and egg into each indentation and place a piece of butter on the egg.
3. Bake about 10 minutes or just until cheese is melted and eggs are set. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup onions and cilantro. Stir together sour cream and lime juice and serve on the side. We also ate it with more tortilla chips.

Total time is about 30 minutes.

Orange Julius

2011-02-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

This is one of me and trav favorite treats!! After we put the kids to bed we love to make this, pop some popcorn, and watch a movie!!

*1/2 can orange juice concentrate
*1/2 c sugar
*about a dozen ice cubes
*1 t vanilla
*2 C milk

Blend all together and enjoy!

"Speedy Salsa-Chicken Quesadillas"

2011-01-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

I love KRAFT. I find some of the greatest little recipes in their magazines or on their website. This is one that I use if I have tortillas or chopped-up chicken from leftovers. It takes only 30 minutes.

1/2 c. salsa
2 tbsp. miracle whip dressing
1/2 tsp. chili powder
8 flour tortillas (6inch)
3 cooked small boneless skinless chicken breast haves, sliced (OR like me, I just use canned chicken.)
1 c. mexican style shredded four cheese (or any kind of cheese you like)

Combine salsa, dressing and chili power; spread evenly onto bottom halves of tortillas. Top with chicken and cheese.

Fold tortillas in half to enclse filling.

Cook in skillet (or griddle) sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until both sides are golden brown and cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into 3 wedges to serve. Top with sour cream, if desired.

Makes 4 servings, 6 wedges each.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-01-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

I can't make chocolate chip cookies. I just can't. I have accepted and lamented that fact long ago. They always turn out flat and hard and I just decided I couldn't handle the disappointment anymore, so I quit making them. Today, I got an insatiable craving for some good chocolate chip cookies, and for some reason decided to try again. I found this recipe at trusty old http://www.melskitchencafe.com/, and it claimed to be one of the best recipes out there. I scoffed and thought, yah, we'll see. So I whipped them together, put them in the oven, and crossed my fingers as I pulled them out. I was so surprised to see that I had actually achieved success!! They were thick, they were chewy, they were all they were promised to be and more! I was so excited and just HAD to post the recipe. If a chocolate chip cookie dummy like me can achieve instant greatness with this recipe, anyone can!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/8 c white flour

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

12 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly ( I used margarine- gasp!- and they turned out fine!)

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla

1-2 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions (they will be right on top of each other). Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chips.

Form dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake, reversing cookie sheets' positions halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 15-18 minutes. Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.

Candied Walnut Salad

2010-11-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

This salad Rocks. My. World. I decided I HAD to blog about it after I literally licked the bowl clean during dinner. Yah, it's that good. I love how all the different flavors blend together to make one incredibly delicious salad. And I know that you might be turned off by all the random, expensive ingredients- I know I was at first. But it actually came together for a lot cheaper than I would have thought. So there are no excuses- try it!! You will be so glad you did.

Thanks to http://www.ourbestbites.com/ for this recipe!

Candied Walnut Salad

2 heads of Romaine lettuce (can also do one head of romaine and one bag of spinach)

*Note* I actually only used one head, and thought it was plenty.

3/4 cup craisins

2 crisp apples, diced and tossed in a little bit of Orange Juice (to prevent browning and to add a hint of flavor)

2 oz blue cheese, crumbled finely (can also use feta or Gorgonzola)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup sugar

1 recipe Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette (see below)

Wash and chop lettuce.

To candy nuts- combine walnuts and sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly. After a few minutes, the sugar will start to look really fine. After a few more minutes, the sugar will start to liquify (be patient with this! It will work, it just takes time). Be vigilent about scraping all the sugar off the bottom of the pan so that it will coat the walnuts. Once the walnuts start to look golden brown, remove pan from heat. Stir occasionally as they cool. Remove from pan and let cool completely on greased wax paper.

When ready to serve salad, toss all ingredients together. Add dressing to salad and mix together

(it tastes better when it is mixed through then if it is drizzled on top, but the dressing will wilt any leftovers- leftovers weren't a problem at my house, though!)

Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 cup canola oil

Combine all ingredients, except oil, in a blender and blend on high. While blender is running, add oil in a steady stream. Store in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. Shake well before serving.

Easiest Beef Casserole Ever

2010-10-11T14:41:00.001-07:00

Ground Beef Casserole

1# hamburger 1 Tbsp diced onion

1 can veggie soup 2 1/2 C Water

1 can chili 1 Cup Minute Rice

Brown hamburger, drain. Put in casserole dish. Add soup, chili, and onion-- stir. Add rice (uncooked) and water-- stir.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, then top with cheese and bake for 5 minutes more.

That's it. I like this because kids like it and it doesn't make an overwhelming amount- good for a small family. Enjoy!

Yummy fudge sauce

2010-09-23T13:03:00.001-07:00

Hot fudge sundaes are probably one of the most amazing foods ever. Store bought fudge has nothing on this yummy sauce :)

Melt in a double boiler
*1/3 c. butter
*2 squares unsweetened chocolate

Add
*1 lg can evaporated milk
*3 c. sugar
*1 T corn syrup
*dash of salt

Stir and cook till it begins to thicken. Pour over a big bowl of vanilla ice cream and enjoy! It stores in the fridge for a while (if it lasts that long)

Enchilada casserole

2010-09-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

I was wondering about this recipe because the pork and beans sounded weird but it was so tasty!! It tastes good heated up for leftovers too!

*1 1/2 lbs ground beef
*1 quart tomato juice (I didn't have this much and used less and it was perfect. I wouldn't use the whole quart)
*1 packet of enchilada seasoning mix
*1 can pork and beans (weird I know but trust me on this)
*corn tortillas
*grated cheese

Brown ground beef in a large pan. Add enchilada seasoning mix, pork and beans, and tomato juice. In a 9x13 pan put a layer of corn tortillas. Put meat mixture on top then more tortillas then top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 min. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Best ever apple crisp

2010-09-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts ever!! I love this recipe because it is so easy and tastes so good!! I always eat it for breakfast the morning after I make it :)

*4 cups apples peeled and sliced
*1 t cinnamon
*1/2 c water (i usually do a little less)

Place sliced apples in a 8x8 square pan. Mix water and cinnamon together and pour over apples.

TOPPING:

*3/4 c flour
*1 cup sugar
*7 T butter (make sure you use real butter not margarine)

Cut together and sprinkle over the apples and bake at 350 for about an hour. This is the best when it is still warm with vanilla ice cream on it. This topping can be used on any kind of crisp (berries, peaches, etc).

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

2010-09-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe at Our Best Bites. It's one of those recipes where you think, "Why didn't I think of that?" The recipe is so simple, and yet so delicious.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls (Ranch, Chicken and Bacon style)

1 roll pizza dough (can use refrigerated/frozen or make your own)

1 packet ranch dressing mix

2 TB parmesan cheese

1 TB olive oil or melted butter

Cheddar cheese, cubed (can substitute other cheese)

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded

3/4 cup mayo

3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to recommended temperature on pizza dough (usually about 400-425).

Take 1 tsp of ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 TB parmesan. Set aside. Combine remaining ranch mix with milk and mayo and place in fridge to chill.

Roll out pizza dough into a large square, about 12inches by 8 inches. Use a pizza cutter to cut it into about 24 squares. In each square, place some chicken, bacon, and cheese.

When toppings are placed, pick up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings, forming a ball. Place the completed rolls seam side down in a greased casserole dish. Brush with melted butter or oil and top with parmesan/ranch mixture ( I also added italian seasoning to mine).

The cooking time depends on the type of dough you are using but is usually about 10-20 minutes. Check the rolls after 10. They're done when they are golden brown on top.

Dip rolls in ranch dressing.

DELICIOUS!!

You can do this with other pizza ingredients, too. You could do pepperoni and cheese and sprinkle italian seasoning on top of the rolls and dip in marinara. Endless possibilities. Enjoy!

Cafe Rio style sweet pork salad

2010-08-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone has their own version of how to make this. I just wanted to post mine because I think it's the best:)

My sister in law, Brittany, introduced me to the best possible way to make sweet pork. Brown sugar and salsa. Yep, that's it! Throw it in the crock pot with some pork and 8 hours later, you have the most delicous pork you'll ever have! It's great on rolls, in tacos or burritos, or on a yummy salad.

Now, about the Cilantro Lime Rice, I swear to you I could eat this every day for the rest of my life. It is THAT yummy! We've eaten it plain for lunch or as a side with a variety of dinners, but it wasn't until I paired it with the pork that I realized how absolutely amazing it truly could be!

Try this! I KNOW you'll like it!

Sweet Pork Brittany Pickett recipe

2c brown sugar
2c picante sauce (this is just a kind of salsa)
3 lb pork roast

Place roast in crockpot. Mix salsa and brown sugar and pour over roast. Cook on low all day (about 8 hours). You will know when the pork is done- it literally falls apart.

*Note: I didn't want to make 3 lbs worth, so I bought bone-in pork chops instead and used enough to make 1.5 lbs so that I could halve the recipe(I think you could find 1.5lb roasts, too). It worked perfectly!

Cilantro Lime Rice

1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c white rice
2 c water
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
juice and zest of 1 lime

Saute onions in heated oil. Add garlic and rice. Cook 1-2 min. Add water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until tender- about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and mix with cilantro, lime juice and zest. Delicious!!

Chicken in a cream basil sauce

2010-07-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

I made this for dinner the other night and it was so good!! It was so creamy and delicious and think everybody needs to try it!

*4 boneless chicken breasts (I cut mine into strips)
*1 cup milk
*1 cup chicken broth
*2 cups heavy whipping cream
*1 cup Italian bread crumbs
*1/4 cup butter (I used a little more)
*1/2-1 c Parmesan cheese
*1 t. dried basil
*1/8 t pepper

Place milk and bread crumbs in two separate shallow containers. Dip chicken in milk then cover with bread crumbs. melt butter in a skillet and brown chicken in butter on both sides and cook till chicken is done. Remove chicken and cover with foil to keep it warm.
Add chicken broth to pan and stir to loosen up all the yummy stuff in the pan. Stir in cream, basil, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.
*I wanted a thicker sauce so I mixed a little bit of cornstarch with water and mixed it in at the end. I served this over pasta noodles and it was super yummy!

PINK LEMONADE CUPCAKES

2010-06-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

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I borrowed this recipe from a friend (Rachel Meyders), sometime ago, and just recently had the time to try it out. It was so yummy and so easy...I wanted to share the wealth! It really does taste like pink lemonade in cupcake form!
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First, prepare a box of lemon cake mix...
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...and bake according to the directions on the box.
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Now, for the really yummy part (that my friend just experimented with until she got right):

Frosting

3 (large) cups of powdered sugar
3 Tbsp pink lemonade concentrate
1 stick of butter
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
red food coloring

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Finally, frost and enjoy!

My own personal tip: The more frosting the better!
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Pizza Rolls

2010-06-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

We made this for dinner tonight and even though it tasted just like normal pizza it was a fun new way to eat it! These don't look super fancy because I had a cute little 2 year old helping but they still tasted yummy! It was a huge hit with our little girl and I'm sure it would be with any little kid!

PIZZA CRUST:

*2 C. flour

*1 T yeast

*1/4 t salt

*1 C. warm water

*1 T oil

Stir flour, yeast, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add warm water and oil and beat until smooth. Add more flour till dough pulls away from sides of the bowl. Mix for 5 min and let stand for about 10 min.

Roll out dough into large rectangle and top with cheese and whatever pizza toppings you like. Do not put sauce on the dough or it will be super hard to roll up! Roll up like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls then cut into rolls. Put on greased pan and let raise 10-20 min then bake at 350 for about 10-15 min. Dip into warm pizza sauce and enjoy!

Green Chile Enchiladas

2010-06-10T11:06:00.001-07:00

Another recipe from melskitchencafe.com. These enchiladas were very yummy!

Filling:

3 cups chicken, cooked and diced

1 pkg cream cheese

2 cans green chiles (I only used one, and thought it was fine)

1 can northern white beans

Sauce:

2 TB butter

1/2 cup onion, diced

2 TB flour

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 can green enchilda sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups monterey jack cheese

8 medium flour tortillas

handful of chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Mix together all the ingredients for the filling. Set aside.

In a med size skillet, melt butter and saute onion until soft and translucent. Sprinkle flour over top and cook until onions are coated. Slowly add the chicken broth and milk. As you add the liquids, the sauce will become less clumpy. Season with salt and pepper and cook until thick- abou 5 minutes. Add sour cream and enchilada sauce.

Assemble enchiladas by placing 1/4 cup filling in the center of a tortilla and sprinkle with some cheese, then roll up and place seam side down in a 9x13 pan. When all enchiladas are filled and in, pour sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 25-30min, or until warmed all the way through and sauce is bubbly. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Evil Chicken Dinner

2010-06-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

This was super yummy but not very healthy :)

*1 lb Bacon cut into bit size pieces
*1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts.
*3 T. chili powder
*1 Cup Brown Sugar
*Up to 1/2 Cup water
*cooked white rice

In a large pan cook bacon over med high heat until nearly done. (Do not drain). Stir in chicken and chili powder and cook till chicken and bacon are all the way cooked. Add brown sugar and cook till sugar dissolves and sauce begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes. Add water if needed to thin the sauce. Serve over hot rice!

**So the recipe says not to drain the grease but I thought it was a little greasy so next time I'm going to drain about 1/2 the grease to see how it turns out.

Catalina Taco Salad

2010-05-31T06:35:00.000-07:00

Easy and fun for the family! Trapper and I REALLY liked it. It takes only 20 minutes and it serves up to 6. Not ideal for just two people 'cause it's not that great as leftovers.

1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 c. Catalina dressing, divided
2 Tbsp. Chili powder
8 cups of torn iceberg lettuce
1 c. broke tortilla chips (we used nacho cheese doritos and it added more flavor)
3/4 c. shredded cheese
1/2 c. chopped red onions (I hate onions, so we omitted that part)
1 tomato, chopped (I recommend using fresh.....ours were a little older and slimier...)
1 avocado, chopped

Brown meat in skillet; drain. Stir in 1/4 c. dressing and chili powder; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.

Cover platter with lettuce; top with chips, meat mixture, cheese, onions, tomatoes and avocados.

Drizzle with remaining dressing.

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

2010-04-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've been CrAvInG a yummy gyro. I'm totally missing the Grecian Key in Pocatello. So I gave this recipe a try and it turned out pretty good! The softwrap bread was delicious!!!! So soft and perfect. The chicken was really good too. The sauce wasn't what I was hoping- but who can compare to the Grecian Key? It all turned out really good, though. I'm totally adding it to my fave recipes!

Marinade for chicken

4 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 Tb)

2 tsp red wine vinegar (I used what I had and it was still great!)

2 TB extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping TB plain yogurt (I used leftover Greek yogurt from the tzatziki sauce)

1 TB dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed

Marinade chicken for about an hour in refrigerator

Tzatziki sauce

1 6 oz container Greek yogurt (I used Yoplait)

1/4 shredded cucumber

2 TB red onion, finely chopped

1 tsp dried dill

2 tsp lemon juice

Mix ingredients and let refrigerate for a few hours so the flavors can meld

Soft wrap bread

this is a long recipe so I'll just post the link. Enjoy! http://http//www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/08/soft-wrap-bread.html

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

2010-04-13T19:05:00.001-07:00

I got this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe http://www.melskitchencafe.com/ (I LOVE that website, by the way.) It was absolutely delicious, and tasted healthy and hearty. Greg and Hunter both loved it. I was so pleasantly surprised to see Hunter glady eating broccoli!

2 slices white bread

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

4 TB melted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

Use blender or food processor to make bread crumbs. Set aside.

2 lbs broccoli (about 3-4 medium heads) florets cut in 1 inch pieces, stalks diced

1 onion, chopped

2 TB butter

1 1/4 c rice

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cup half and half

1 tsp salt

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I didn't have this so I just used regular pepper)

Cook broccoli florets in a bowl, covered, in microwave for 2-3 min, or until bright green and tender (no need to add water). Set aside.

Melt butter in large pot. Cook stems and onion until soft- about 8-10 minutes. Add rice. Cook til translucent, about 1 min, stirring constantly. Add broth, half and half, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 20-25 min, until rice is tender. Add remaining ingredients.

Pour into a buttered 9x13 in pan. Sprinkl with bread crumbs. Cook in middle rack of preheate 400 oven. Cook for 15 min, until sauce is bubbly and top is golden brown. YUM!

Chex Muddy Buddies

2010-04-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

If you have never made this snack, now is the time! This is my new favorite "sweet tooth" snack. Enjoy!

cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex®, Wheat Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)

cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2

cup peanut butter

1/4

cup butter or margarine

teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2

cups powdered sugar

1.	Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2.	In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3.	Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Super Easy chicken, pea, bacon pasta

2010-04-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pastas that is so easy to make and easy for the kids to eat.

Ingredients:

*Frozen peas small package (16 oz.)

*3-4 chicken breasts

*turkey bacon (1 package) or you can use your fav. bacon

*whole wheat medium size shells or you can use reg. white shells

*shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

Chop up the bacon into bite size pieces -cook on griddle.

Cook chicken breasts in separate pan -only add salt so you don't over power the pasta.

Cook peas in separate pan (at the same time as you are cooking everything else)

Cook pasta according to directions on box

-Everything should be cooking at the same time so when it is all done (about 15 mins.) you can add it all together

When everything is done cooking, add it into the pot of drained pasta and stir. Serve immediately -sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top of the served pasta.

SO YUMMY!!!!!

Weight Watchers Recipe

2010-04-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Baked Macaroni and cheese with Brocolli

POINTS^® value | 5

Servings | 8
Preparation Time | 15 min
Cooking Time | 45 min
Level of Difficulty | Moderate

2 spray(s) cooking spray
12 oz uncooked pasta, gemelli or other twisted pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/8 tsp table salt, for pasta cooking water
10 oz broccoli, small florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 tsp butter
1/3 cup(s) fresh bread crumbs
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 1/2 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup(s) onion(s), diced
1 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp-variety
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a shallow 2-quart baking dishwith cooking spray.
Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling wateraccording to package directions, adding broccoli to water 3 minutes before pasta will be done; drain pasta and broccoli and return to pot.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer crumbs to a small bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and set aside.
In same saucepan (wipe clean if necessary), whisk together milk and flour until blended; add onion. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar cheese, mustard, salt, pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Pour over cooked, drained pasta and broccoli; toss to mix and coat.
Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle top evenly with bread crumbs. Bake until bubbly at edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Divide into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

This tastes really yummy served with some french bread and a yummy salad.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-02-09T12:52:00.001-08:00

I was just preparing this for dinner tonight and thought I'd post it! This is really easy and very delicious- just the kind of recipes I love:)

Ingredients:

1 cube butter or margarine
1/2 c flour
3 cans chicken broth
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can evaporated milk
1 little can of chilies
1 medium size can of mild enchilada sauce
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
Cheese
Sour cream
Tortilla chips

Melt butter in crock pot. Slowly stir in flour- forms a thick paste. Add remaining ingredients. Cook in crock pot on low for 4-5 hours. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips if desired.

(You can also cook the chicken with the rest of the ingredients. Just cook in crock pot all day- about 8-9 hours)

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

2010-02-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

1 bag (1 lb.) frozen vegetables, thawed, drained

1 cup diced cooked chicken

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup Original Bisquick mix

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1. HEAT oven 400 degrees F.

In ungreased 2-quart casserole dish mix veggies, chicken, and soup until blended.

2. STIR remaining ingredients in medium bowl with wire whisk of fork until blended. Pour over chicken mixture.

3. BAKE uncovered about 30 mins. or until crust is golden brown.

Yields: 6 servings

This was pretty yummy, but we OD on it, so I am done with it for now. I served it with white rice which the kids really liked. :)

S'more Cupcakes..

2010-01-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

The Batter:: 1 cup room temp butter, 2 cups of sugar, 6 eggs at room temperature, 2 cups of milk, 2 cups of flour, 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt.

1) Beat the butter until well creamed about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and mix for about 3 min.

2) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about 30 sec after each one.

3) Put the graham crackers in a plastic bag, food processor, or blender, and crush into small crumbs.

4) Sift together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add about 1/4th of the powder mixture to the creamed mixture, then add some of the milk. Continue adding in a dry-wet-dry-wet-dry order ending with dry. Continue until just combined.

5) Scoop into cupcake liners and bake for 15-18 min until toothpick comes out clean.

FYI~ Batter will be thick~

Once cooled use a 1/4 teaspoon and scoop a hole into the center of each cupcake.

The Filling: 12 oz bag of chocolate chips, 1/4 cup chocolate syrup, 1/2 cup of milk
Place in a pot and melt all together. Then fill each center with chocolate filling

The Topping: 3 large egg whites, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

In a large metal bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup of water, sugar,egg whites, and salt. Set bowl over a pot of simmering water, and mix with electric hand mixer at low speed. Gradually increase speed to high. Beat until stiff peaks form about 5 min.

Remove from heat and add vanilla. Beat for about 2 min until cool

Put a dallop in each cupcake.

These are a delicious treat. They were pretty simple and ultra delicious.

I toasted each with a lighter, it gave it that over the fire taste..

Creamy Chicken over Rice (haystack style)

2010-01-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

I am finally contributing my first recipe to the blog!

If you have ever had anything called "Hawaiian haystacks", this is sort of a spin on that.

5-6 chicken breasts (frozen or thawed) in crock pot, cover with water.

2 packets of Italian seasoning (dry seasoning packets used to make Italian salad dressing); stir into water.

Turn crock pot on high for 2 hours or so.
Take chicken out and shred after cooked.
Set aside 3/4 of the brothy water from the crock pot.

Add the following to the remaining 1/4 water in the crock pot and whisk:

1 1/2 C. sour cream

1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese

2 cans cream of mushroom

Put shredded chicken back in the crock pot; slowly add brothy water back in until at desired consistency. (I didn't even need to add any water, because it was already liquidy and creamy and wasn't too thick.)

Serve over rice.

Toppings:

Pineapple chunks
Cheese
Chow Mein Noodles

Before yesterday, I didn't like to make rice because I can never make it as fluffy as I would like.
I finally bought a rice cooker ($13.88 at Wal-Mart that I can use to steam veggies also) and it made the most beautiful rice ever! I know rice can be pretty healthy and now I might actually make it a little more often!

Enjoy!

Lemon Cream Pasta with Chicken

2010-01-05T20:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I kid you not when I say that this pasta is absolutely DIVINE! It may just be the BEST PASTA I HAVE EVER HAD!! It is creamy, cheesy, lemony, and completely delicious. And it was very easy to prepare. This is definitely my new favorite recipe!

Courtesy of mykitchencafe.blogspot.com and allrecipes.com

3 cups cubed Lemon Garlic Chicken (see below)
1 ts garlic powder
1/2 ts black pepper
4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1/2 c lemon juice
1 (16oz.) pkg rigatoni
2 c heavy cream
2 ts lemon zest
1/2 c parmesan

In large saucepan, season chicken broth with garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 min.
Stir cooked chicken into cooked pasta, along with cream, parmesan cheese, and lemon zest. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Let stand 5 minutes off heat. Stir well before serving.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

3 Tb lemon juice
3 Tb olive oil
1 ts minced garlic
1 ts salt
1/4 ts pepper
1/2 ts oregano

Mix all ingredients and put in a ziploc bag. Marinade chicken overnight. Or, if cut into small piece, 5-6 hrs. Cook in a frying pan or grill before adding to pasta.

Raspberry lemon bars

2009-12-31T12:15:00.000-08:00

These are super yummy!! I think raspberry and lemon taste amazing together!

CRUST:
3 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. Baking soda
1/2 t. grated lemon peel
1 c. butter
1 egg-slightly beaten

FILLING:
1 pkg. frozen raspberries (12 oz)
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/4 c. water
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. grated lemon peel
1/2 t. vanilla

ICING:
1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
1-2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. butter-softened

Heat oven to 350. Mix flour, 1 1/2 c. sugar, baking soda, and lemon peel. Cut in butter and egg. Reserve 2 c. of this crust mixture. Press remaining crust mixture into an ungreased jelly roll size pan and bake for 8 min.
Meanwhile in a med. saucepan combine filling ingredients and cook over med-high heat till raspberries are defrosted and filling it thickened, stirring often.
Spread filling over crust. Sprinkle reserved flour mixture over filling. Bake for another 15-20 min. or until golden brown. Cool.
In a small bowl combine icing ingredients. Stir until smooth and drizzle over bars. Enjoy
*make sure you cool completely before icing and cutting!

Floating hamburgers

2009-12-31T12:12:00.000-08:00

1 lb. burger
1 t. onion powder
1 bread slice-crumbled
1 egg-beaten
1/8 c. milk
salt and pepper

SAUCE:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water

Mix everything except for sauce and form into mini hamburgers. Brown in frying pan and place in baking dish. Mix soup and water together and pour over top of burgers. Cover pan and bake at 350 for about an hour. Serve over rice. This is a super easy yummy dinner!!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

2009-12-28T10:46:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

~1 cup of butter softened

~1 cup powdered sugar

~1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

~2 egg yolks

~16 drops of green food coloring

~2 1/2 cups flour

~1/2 tsp baking powder

~1/4 tsp salt

~3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

~3 Tbsp Whipping Cream

~3 Tbsp butter

~18 Andes Mints, cut diagonally in half

Preheat oven to 350* and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl beat 1 cup of butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg yolks and food coloring until well mixed

On low speed add the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Shape into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Using the end of a wooden spoon, press a deep well into the center of each cookie

Bake about 10 min. or until set

reshape wells if needed

cool completely

Melt the chocolate chips, whipping cream, and 3 tbsp of butter until smooth

Fill each well with chocolate mix

Garnish with the Andes mints.

Enjoy....

Sesame Chicken

2009-12-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

1 lb. chicken tenderloins
flour
oil
salt & pepper
2-3 eggs

Heat oil in saute pan. Cut chicken into bitesize chunks (or whatever size you prefer). Mix flour with salt & pepper. Dip chicken in eggs and coat in flour. Brown chicken in hot oil. Place in 9x13 baking dish.

1 t. ginger root(finely chopped)
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. oil
1 clove garlic
sesame seeds (optional)

Brint to boil the ginger root, soy sauce, garlic, honey & oil in pan. Pour over chicken. Top with sesame seeds. Bake at 350` for 20 minutes.
Serve with rice & veggies.

This is a family favorite and super easy to make. If the ginger seems a little stong don't add quite as much. Enjoy!!!

Dutch Oven Bread

2009-12-09T10:23:00.001-08:00

This was so much fun to make! I was given the recipe by our neighbor and it sounded easy and fun, so I decided to give it a try. It was super easy and the results were fantastic! The bread looks so amazing, like something you would purchase at a bakery. And the bread was absolutely delicious!

Mix:

3 c flour

1/4 tsp yeast

1/2 TBS salt

Add:

1 1/2 c water (max. Can add less)

1 TBS vinegar

Will be very sticky and "shaggy". Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 12-18 hours (yep! That's right! Put it in a corner in your kitchen and forget about it)

Knead into a ball, place on parchment paper, dust with flour, cover with plastic wrap, let rise 2 hours.

Heat oven 450. Put in dutch oven with lid. Let it preheat with the oven. (do this toward the end of the 2 hr rising time)

Cut X into top of ball. Quickly place bread, parchment paper and all, in dutch oven.

Bake with lid on for 30 min.

Bake another 20-30 min with lid off.

Enjoy!!

Bread Bowls and Potato Chowder

2009-12-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like soup in bread bowls to warm up cold winter nights! I attempted to make my own the other night and they turned out absolutely delicious! They were sturdy enough for lots of soup and didn't get soggy. And the taste was delicious! I tried a new soup recipe, too. It was the perfect soup for breadbowls! It was super easy, too, since it uses the crockpot.

The recipes are from two cooking blogs that I follow. Here are the links:

http://realmomkitchen.com/214/happy-new-year-and-crockpot-potato-chowder/

http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-favorite-bread-bowls.html
I made the Italian bread bowls

Caramels

2009-11-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

I love baking around the holidays (or anytime for that matter) but making candy always reminds me of Thanksgiving and Christmas!! Be prepared for lots of candy recipes on here the next few weeks :)

*1 Cup sugar
*3/4 C. Karo Syrup
*1 C. Cream
*4 T. Butter
*1/2 t. vanilla

Bring to boil sugar, syrup, butter, 1/2 the cream. When boiling vigorously add the rest of the cream slowly so not to stop the boiling. Cook to 235 degrees (soft ball stage). Add vanilla. Stir well and pour into buttered loaf pan. Cool till cold, cut and wrap!

Peppered Meatballs

2009-11-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

picture by Taste of Home

Another Taste of Home recipe that is a favorite at our house. I serve the meatballs over pasta. Delish!

1/2 c sour cream

2 ts parmesan cheese

2 to 3 ts pepper (2 is plenty for me!)

1 ts salt

1 ts dry bread crumbs

1/2 t garlic powder

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

Sauce:

1 c sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 ts dill weed

1/2 ts sugar

1/2 ts pepper

1/4 ts garlic powder

In a large bowl, combine the sour cream and parmesan cheese. Add pepper, salt, bread crumbs, and garlic powder. Crumble meat ovr mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minuts or until no longer pink; drain.

Transfer meatballs to a slowcooker. Combine the sauce ingredients; pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on high for 2 hour or until heated through.

Pasta Crab Casserole

2009-11-04T13:38:00.001-08:00

Photo by Taste of Home

This is absolutely delicious! The flavors are so wonderful together. It was this dish that made me decide I do in fact like crab. This is a regular at our house. A must try!!

8 ounces uncooked spiral pasta

2 large onions, chopped

1/2 pound FRESH mushrooms, sliced (fresh is KEY! Don't use the canned junk)

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup butter (Don't try to use less butter and use real butter if you can. It is so much better!)

2 pkgs (8 ounces each) imitation crabmeat, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

2 ts salt

1 1/2 ts dried basil

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute the onions, mushrooms, green pepper and garlic in butter until crisp-tender. Remove from the heat. Drain pasta; add to the vegetable mixture. Stir in the crab, sour cream, salt and basil.

Transfer to a greased 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

*This makes a lot so you can divide it into two 8-inch dishes and cover and freeze one for up to a month. To use the frozen casserole, thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from refrgerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bakeat 350 for 55-60 minutes or until heated through. We never have a problem finishing off the 9x13 dish though because it really is delicious!*

Candy corn cookies

2009-10-30T13:13:00.001-07:00

These cookies are so much fun to make! And sure taste good too!!

*white melting chocolate

*regular melting chocolate

*your favorite sugar cookie recipe

*orange food coloring

Make you favorite sugar cookie recipe and dye it orange. Cute out cookies in a candy corn shape. Just to let you know I didn't have a candy corn cookie cutter and couldn't find one so we just rolled out the dough, used a big bowl to cut out a big circle, and then used a pizza cutter and cut it into 8 pieces (like a pizza). Worked pretty good! Cook the cookies and let them cool. Melt the white chocolate and dip the bottom third of each cookie in the chocolate. Let that dry then dip the top third in milk chocolate. Let dry and enjoy!

Snake pizza

2009-10-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

I made this the other day for Travis for lunch :) I am too lazy to type it all up so here is a link to the recipe

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/snake-bites-recipe/index.html

But here are the changes we made to make it a pizza. We used pizza sauce instead of the mustard, pepperoni in place of the lunch meat, and we just used cheddar/mozzarella cheese. We used a cut up pepperoni for the tongue and black olives for the eyes! It sure was tasty!

Mummy dogs

2009-10-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

How cute are these! We are actually making these tonight for dinner so I got this pic off of 'our best bites' blog!

*1 package crescent rolls

*hot dogs

*sliced cheese

Place cheese on hot dogs and wrap thin slices of crescent rolls around hot dogs. Cook according to directions on crescent rolls. (Yes these are just pigs in a blanket with a Halloween twist!)

Jello Blood worms :)

2009-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

I love the holidays and making food that goes with each holiday! So this week I heve been busy making all sorts of fun (and sometimes gross looking) Halloween treats. Enjoy!

*one 6 oz package of ras. jello

*3 packages of unflavored jello

*3 cups boiling water

*3/4 c. whipping cream

*15-20 drops green food coloring

*100 plastic straws

Combine gelatins in a bowl and add boiling water. Stir until well mixed. Place in fridge till lukewarm (about 20 min). While that is cooling place rubber band around straws loosly to hold them together. PLaces straws in an enpty cleaned out milk jug or any tall container. Blend food coloring and cream to the jello mixture and pour into the container, filling the straws. Chill at least 8 hours.

To get the worms out pull straws out of container and run under hot tap water for a couple seconds (its easiest to only do 3-4 at a time). Starting at the empty end push the worms out, they should slide out pretty easy. Lay worms on a wax paper lined baking sheet and chill for an hour or up to two days. Enjoy!!

Black Bean Salsa

2009-10-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

I am so addicted to this stuff!! In fact I just made some today and just thinking of it makes my mouth water!

*1 can black beans-drained and rinsed
*1 can corn-drained
*3-4 tomatoes-diced
*1-2 avocados-diced
*1 jalapeno-take out seeds and cut into small pieces
*about half a bunch of cilantro-chopped
*Italian dressing-Just do it to taste but I usually use about 3/4 of a small (8 oz I think) bottle

Just mix all together and eat with tortilla chips (or just with a spoon if you are like me) ;P

Check this out!

2009-10-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

Delicious...
Baked....
Mouthwatering goodness.....

Doesn't this stuff look amazing.....

http://picky-palate.com

Enjoy.....

The Ultimate Chocolate Layered Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Birthday Cake!

2009-10-15T19:57:00.001-07:00

The Ultimate Chocolate Layered Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Birthday Cake!

Posted using ShareThis

Best Mashed Potatoes Ever!!

2009-10-14T17:54:00.001-07:00

I've never been great at making mashed potatoes. I'm always looking to try new recipes to see if I can find a good go-to mashed potatoes recipe. My search has ended! These mashed potatoes were easy, creamy, and delicious! Definitely a must try!

1 1/2 lbs peeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
2 TB butter
1/2 ts garlic salt
1/4 ts pepper
1/4 c milk

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water for 15 minutes until tender. Drain; add remaining ingredients. Beat on medium-high with mixe until smooth. Serves 4.

No Meat Enchiladas

2009-10-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorites! It has a yummy, healthy taste with a little bit of a kick. It is really pretty easy too. I wish I could take credit for the recipe, but I borrowed it from my good friend Amanda Grimmer who served this for dinner when we were over one Sunday night.

1 c. instant rice
1 c. water
1 can black beans not drained
1 can corn drained
1 chopped tomato
1 green pepper diced
1 bottle of salsa
shredded cheese
About 10 tortillas

Combine rice and water. Microwave for 5 minutes. Add black beans, corn, green peppers, and tomato to rice mixture. Pour half of salsa on bottom of 9x13 pan to cover. Fill tortillas with mixture, roll, and put in pan. Repeat until pan is full. Pour rest of salsa on top of the rolled tortillas. Top with lots of grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes until warm through and cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Dinner in a Pumpkin

2009-10-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is a fun seasonal meal to have. We have it at our house every Halloween. I always thought itwas so cool to eat dinner from a pumkin when I was younger. Okay so I still think it's cool:)

1 sm to med size pumpkin

1 onion, chopped

2 Tb vegetable oil

1 1/2 to 2 lbs ground beef

2 Tb soy sauce

2 Tb brown sugar

1 can slied mushrooms, drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cps cooked rice

Cut off thetop of the pumpkin and thoroughly clean ot seeds and pulp. Paint a face on pumpkin with permanent marker. Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tener. Add meat and brown. Drain drippings. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and soup. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked rice. Spoon mixure into cleaned pumpkin shell. Replace pumpkin in top and place entire pumpkin, with filling, on a baking sheet. Bake 1 hour or until meat of pumpkin is tender.

*Scrape off inside of pumpkin when dishing up meal. Delicious!!*

Chicken Divan

2009-10-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

This has been my favorite dinner for as long as I can remember. I would always ask for this meal on my birthday every year, and now that I'm the one doing the cooking, I love it because it is easy and delicious! This is definitely a regular on our menu.

Chicken, cooked and diced
Broccoli, steamed
Sauce:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise ( I usually do half mayo and half sour cream b/c I don't like that strong of a mayo flavor)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 T lemon juice
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

In 9x13 in. pan, layer chicken and broccoli. Pour sauce over. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min.
Serve over cooked rice.

Tried the Zucchini Casserole--Success!

2009-10-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I made the Italian Zucchini Casserole that Carlin posted awhile back. It was great! I haven't had zucchini a lot and I'm no fan of vegetables, but it was REALLY good. I halfed it thinking it was going to be too much for me and Trapper, but I think I should've just made the full amount 'cause I was only able to have one helping. I had to save enough for Trapper to take to lunch tomorrow. Anyway, it was even a great hit with Jackson! He ate it and enjoyed it! That definitely got points with me. Next time though, I'll probably add some olives and even some chicken just to give it a little more substance. And some garlic bread too. That would've made it perfect!

Orange Chicken

2009-09-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

This is from a blog that I LOVE- real mom kitchen. I was really excited to try it because I love orange chicken. It was a hit!! It turned out delicious! Here's a link to the recipe

http://realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/07/orange-chicken.html

I didn't add red pepper flakes and I used appe cider vinegar and ginger spice-because that's what I had. It was great!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

2009-09-27T12:06:00.001-07:00

This is the perfect recipe for the fall weather. It makes a lot of cookies--around 4 dozen, so it's great for sharing with friends and neighbors.

3 c. sugar
3 c. canned pumpkin
1 1/2 c. shortening
3 tbsp. orange peel
6 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sugar, pumpkin, shortening, and orange peel. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Frosting
Mix together:
3 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. margarine
1 tbs. milk
(optional--3 oz. cream cheese) It's amazing with the cream cheese. I would definitely recommend adding it in.

Just to let you know

2009-09-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

Heyeverybody! I just wanted to let everybody know I added the label gadget to the side to make things easier to find. So when you are writing a post be sure to add labels (such as main dish, chicken, dessert, salad, side dish, etc). I think this will even make our amazing website even cooler :)

Roasted Corn and Chicken Tostada

2009-09-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the chicken tostada recipe from Special K! It's only 480 calories and sooo good. You can add more of the stuff you want more on your tostada.

Ingredients:
1 (7-inch) whole wheat flour tortilla or flour tortilla
Nonstick cooking spray
1/3 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon fat-free sour cream

Directions:
Lightly coat both sides of tortilla with cooking spray. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 400° F about 10 minutes or until crisp.
Meanwhile, in small nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray cook corn over medium-high heat for 1 to 3 minutes or until beginning to brown, stirring frequently. Remove from skillet. Set aside.
In same small skillet heat oil. Add chicken, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in salsa, beans and corn. Heat through.
Place tortilla on serving plate. Top with lettuce, chicken mixture, cheese and sour cream. Serve immediately

Brown Consomme Rice

2009-09-21T13:46:00.001-07:00

*1 Cup uncooked long grain rice (not instant)

*1/2 cube butter

*2 cans of beef consomme

Saute rice in butter till it just starts to brown. Put in baking dish along with beef consomme plus enough water to make 3 cups of liquid. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Easy Sunday Roast

2009-09-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Travis and I LOVE this roast. It is so easy and makes the perfect Sunday meal!

*Beef Roast
*1 packet of brown gravy mix
*1 packet of ranch dressing mix
*1 packet of italian dressing mix

Mix the three packets together and rub over a roast. Add a little bit of water and cook on low all day. Halfway through add potatoes, celery, onions, or anything else you like.

Creamy Tomato Soup

2009-09-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

This tomato soup is SO good! Greg call it lasagna soup because that is what it tastes like. I make a salad and garlic bread for dipping and it is a delicious meal!

1 medium onion, chopped
2 TB butter
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (10.75 ounces each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 1/2 cups milk
1 ts sugar
1/2 to 1 ts dried basil
1/2 to 1 ts paprika
1/8 to 1/4 ts garlic powder
1 package cream cheese, cubed

In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, soup, milk, sugar, basil, paprika and garlic powde. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cream cheese; stir until melted. Serve immediately

Quick Three-Bean Chili

2009-09-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

I love chili and this is an easy one to make. I found it in a baby magazine for moms who have no time. It takes only 30 minutes total to make. It makes 6 servings, so if that's too much, you can freeze the rest and it still tastes great a week later!

1 lb. extra lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can each (15 to 16 oz) black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1 tbsp. chili powder
1-2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. beef or chicken flavor instant bouillon
Light sour cream (optional)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Chips (optional)

Cook beef, onion, and garlic in large saucepan over medium-high heat until beef is no longer pink.

Stir in tomatoes and juice, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, water, chili powder, cumin, and bouillon. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream and cheese and tortilla chips or fritos chips.

Italian Zucchini Casserole

2009-09-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook. I was looking for a way to use up all that garden zucchini I had. This recipe is delicious! Bonus: I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned ones and used up some garden tomatoes too! We really enjoyed this recipe- hopefully you will, too.

Prep: 35 min Bake: 30 min

3 medium zucchini, sliced (about 6 1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained (if using real tomatoes, add some water)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups stuffing mix
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
3/4 c mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook zucchini in 1 Tb oil 5-6 mnutes of until tender; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the onion and garlic in remaining oil for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; gently stir in zucchini.

Transfer to a greased 9x13 in dish. Top with stuffing mix(I poured a little water over the top of the stuffing); sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 min. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 6-8 servings

WELCOME!!

2009-09-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the momma chef blog! This blog was created for all of us cooking moms who desire something delicious without spending loads of time! I love getting favorite recipes from other people- their tried and true favorites. I know that they'll be good and that they won't call for random ingredients that I've never even heard of. It's nice to mix it up too, instead of just always having our usual dinners.

So share your favorite recipes with us! Main courses, desserts, appetizers. . . we want it all! Hopefully we can make each other's lives a little bit easier- and a lot yummier!