Chicken Pot Pie

One of the best!
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed...( I like to fry mine up with evoo, kosher salt, lemon pepper and crushed basil leaves. I cooked it up, set it aside then added it at the very last since I'm not a huge fan of boiled chicken).
1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup frozen green peas
*Or use 16oz bag of frozen carrots and peas. Much easier.

1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
32 oz. carton chicken broth for boiling(reserve 1 3/4 cups chicken broth for sauce)
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)

In a pot, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add the carton of chicken broth to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain (reserving 1 3/4 cup chicken broth for filling) and set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and combine with the chicken, carrots, peas, and celery mixture. Here you can add more chicken broth if you like depending how runny you want your filling.

Place the chicken filling in bottom crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes:

*I like to slightly bake the bottom crust before filling the pie so it isn't soggy. Just bake for 5-6 minutes at 425 degrees.

Chicken Salad Sandwhiches

This might just be the best chicken salad recipe I have ever tasted.
Pioneer woman has done it again...I did change the recipe up just a little bit, more to my liking.

I will post a picture later:

4 chicken breasts shredded
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1.5 cups grapes halved
1/2 c mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
small handful of dill
1.5 TBS lemon juice
1.5 TBS brown sugar
kosher salt and pepper to taste
3/4 c slivered almonds
Mix chicken, celery, onions, grapes and almonds together. Mix the rest of the ingredients in another bowl until well combined, add to the chicken mixture. Refrigerate for a couple of hours then serve on croissants . Yummy!

BBQ Chicken Pineapple Quesadillas
from The Pioneer Woman*


flour tortillas
fresh pineapple, sliced and grilled
grilled barbecue chicken, sliced
grated Monterey jack cheese ( I used about 16 oz to make 5)
your favorite BBQ sauce
jalapenos, sliced (optional)

sour cream
BBQ sauce
cilantro

Cut up pineapple by cutting of top and bottom. Quartering, and then halving each quarter. Then slice of the outer rind. If you need to, go HERE for lovely step by step directions on cutting pineapple.

Grill pineapple until tender and it gets a lovely golden color (if grilling there should be grill marks).Then slice in tiny chunks.

Season to taste your chicken breasts. Grill up. Slather in your favorite sauce.

Slice up chicken. Grate cheese. Slice jalapeno.

Assemble quesadillas by layering cheese on top of one tortilla. Followed by chicken, pineapple, and jalapenos.

Cook in a skillet over dry heat until toasted on either side and the inside is ooey gooey.

Slice up, pizza style. Serve with sour cream, extra BBQ sauce and some fresh cilantro.

You can send me your "thank you's" after you wipe off your mouth.

White Chocolate and butterscotch chip cookies

I have wanted to try this recipe for awhile now, and guess what...SOOOO GOOOD!

1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter softened
1/2 c oil
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups of flour
1/2 bag butterscotch chips
1/2 bag white chocolate chips

Cream together sugars, butter and oil. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Add dry ingredients as well as vanilla and almond extract. Mix in chips. Bake at 350 for 7 -10 minutes.

lil luna blog

Sliders

I got this recipe from one of my favorite food blogs...Just another day in paradise. I must confess, I also stole the picture from her website, mine did not do this burger justice =) SO GOOD!

Banzai Sliders
makes about 10


ingredients

1/2 lb ground chuck

1/2 lb ground sirloin

*or 1 lb of the same, your choice

salt

pepper

can of sliced pineapple

small slices of cheddar cheese

shredded lettuce

sliced tomato

mayo

King Hawaiian rolls

teriyaki sauce this is my go-to teriyaki recipe, I use if for TONS of things:
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce *this is edited 6/24/11...I originally first put SUGAR...OOPS...that would be SUPER sweet. Thanks to the catcher of the mistake!!!
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat on med high heat till boiling. Turn down to let simmer for about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly. Pour sauce into a large enough rubbermaid type container. Put in the fridge and let chill for 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile make hamburger patties. Mix hamburger and salt and pepper to taste. Form patties just larger than the diameter of your rolls.

Once the marinade has cooled, put the hamburger patties in one air tight container and the sliced pineapple in another. Pour the marinade over each, with a smaller amount going over the pineapple. Put everything in the fridge and let marinate for anywhere from 1-4 hours.

When time is up, grill the pineapple and also the patties.

Split and toast the rolls.

Assemble by stacking the patty, the cheese, the pineapple, tomato slice, and shredded lettuce.

BBQ Chicken Salad

BBQ Chicken Salad

ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce for marinating the chicken

1 head romaine lettuce
1 head green leaf lettuce

corn-black bean mixture:


1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
1/2 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2-2/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
salt & pepper to taste

dressing:

2/3 cup mayonnaise1/3 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/3 cup BBQ sauce


extra sauce for grilling chicken


Marinate chicken for 4 hours. At the same time, make your corn-black bean mixture. Mix the first five corn-black bean ingredients in a bowl. Then stir in the beans and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let set in the refrigerator the same time as the chicken.


Combine all the ingredients for the dressing by either whisking vigorously or in a blender. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When chicken is done marinating, grill. Brush with extra BBQ sauce.

Once chicken is done, let rest for five minutes. Then slice.

Combine lettuce and corn-black bean mixture. Then lay chicken over the top. Drizzle with dressing.
recipe from
just another day in paradise

Blonde Rocky Road

Blonde Rocky Road

1 12 oz bag butterscotch chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter ( cut into tbsp size pieces)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups mini marshmellows (divided)
3/4 cup salted peanuts (divided)

Line an 8x8 pan with foil and set aside. In a large microwavable bowl, combine butterscotch chips, butter and peanut butter. Microwave until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla salt, 2 cups marshmellows and 1/2 cut peanuts. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining marshmellows and peanuts. Press the top down lightly with your hands so that the marshmellows and peanuts on top won't fall off when you cut the fudge. Chill until set...15 min in the freezer or 1 hour in the fridge. Cut into pieces.

from: Piece of Cake

Smoked Sausage and Corn Frittata

Cooking Spray
4 oz smoked turkey sausage, quartered lengthwise and diced
1 1/2 cups shoepeg white corn
1 lg egg
4 lg egg whites
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1. Heat a med nonstick skillet over med heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage; saute 4 mins or until browned. Stir in corn. Reduce heat to med low.
2. Combine egg and egg whites in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Drizzle evenly over sausage mixture. Cover and cook 8 mins or until almost set. Remove pan from heat; sprinkle evenly with cheese and 1 1/2 tsp cilantro. Cover and let stand 2 mins. Sprinkle with the rest of the cilantro. Cut into wedges.

Skillet- Grilled Ham with Pineapple Glaze

Cooking spray
1 1pound sliced (about 1/2 inch) ham
2 cups fresh pineapple cut into bite sizes pieces
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tbs butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1. Heat a large skillet. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ham; cook 3 to 4 mins on each side or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm
2. Combine pineapple, syrup and curry powder; toss well
3. Melt butter in pan over medium heat; add pineapple mixture. Cook 4 minutes or until pineapple is tender. Add brown sugar; cook 1 min or until sugar melts. Serve glazed pineapple over ham

Mongolian Beef

1 (1pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut into thin slices
butter flavored cooking spray
1/3 c hoisin sauce
2 tbsp water
2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
4 green onions
1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Coat steak with cooking spray. Cook steak for 3 minutes or until browned and liquid has almost evaporated.
2. While steak cooks, combine hoisin sauce and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Cut onions crosswise into 1 inch pieces. Add sauce mixture and onions to the meat. Cook 1-2 mins or until sauces is slightly reduced. Don't over cook.

Southwest Enchilada Bake

Please forgive me for the next couple recipes. They are worth sharing, but I forgot to take pictures. John was out of town and the kids were NUTS...in fact I felt like a chicken with my head cut off trying to run a hundred different direction. This was really good and also freezer worthy.
This recipe comes from the Taste of Home magazine.

15 corn tortillas
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lg onion
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 can enchilada sauce ( I used green enchilada sauce because I like it better)
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1.Cut tortillas into eighths; set aside. Cook the beef, onions, jalapeno and garlic over medium heat until no longer pink ( I sprinkled a little kosher salt on this mixture as it cooked) Drain. Stir in the black eyed peas, soups, tomatoes, enchilada sauce. Heat through.

2. Spread 2 2/3 cups meat mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with 2 cups cut tortillas. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and Bake at 350 for 20- 25 minutes, Or let it cool and freeze to use later.

Berry Puff Pancake

Yes I know the picture is sideways...not caring =) I tried 5 times to get it to post upright, in my pictures its upright but when I post it, its not. So I am about ready to throw the computer out the window. Instead I will just share this amazing Berry Puff Pancake recipe. I learned how to make this one at the Taste of Home Cooking Show.

1 Tbsp butter

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

Berry Topping

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh sliced strawberries

1/3 cup orange marmalade

2 tbsp confectioners' sugar

1. Place the butter in a 9 inch pie plate; Place in a 400 degree oven for 4-5 minutes or until melted. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. In another bowl combine the flour and salt; whisk in egg mixture until smooth.

2. Pour into prepared pie plate. Bake for 15-20 mins or until sides are crisp and golder brown.

3. In a large bowl, gently combine the berries and the marmalade. Sprinkle pancake with confectioners' sugar; fill with berry mixture. Serve immediately.

* I cheated a little bit =) I used a bag of frozen mixed berries that I got from Walmart. The produce didn't look all that great and was super expensive so this was a good alternate.Be aware that this pancake will grow as it cooks and will actually look like it wants to jump out of the pan but this is all normal =) Also I had to double this recipe for my family.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

3oz of cream cheese

1/4 c green salsa

1 T lime juice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp minced garlic

3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp green onions (sliced)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 c grated pepper jack cheese

small corn tortillas

kosher salt

cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 20-30 seconds. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese. Heat tortillas in the microwave one at a time for 20-30 seconds this will make it so that you can roll them without them cracking. Place 2-3 tsp of mixture on the lower 3rd of the tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch for the edge. Roll as tight as you can and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle kosher salt on top. Place the pan in the over and bake for 20 mins or until crisp and ends get golden brown. You can for sure use flour tortillas but I really love the taste of the corn.

We dipped these in the jalapeno yogurt you get from Costco or my kids loved dipping them in mango salsa. Super Yummy!

Butterscotch Cookies

2 sticks of butter

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter, sugar and egg, add vanilla. Add flour, cinnamon, ginger, soda and salt. Mix well. Use a small scoop or roll into balls. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

I made these for Bryson's Scout group and they were a HUGE hit!

The last few recipes that I have posted have come from a cookbook called Fresh Food Fast! Sorry I forgot to mention that earlier. I like to take a recipe and change it up a little. I will always put what the recipe calls for and then what I did to change it up just a little bit. You can do the same...don't be scared =)

Slow-Cooker Beef Pot Roast

All I can say is YUM!

1 8oz package presliced mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

cooking spray

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp ketchup

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

2lbs boneless pot roast

1. Place mushrooms and bell pepper in a crock pot coated with cooking spray.

2. Combine ketchup and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until blended.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium to high heat. Coat pan and roast with cooking spray. Cook 3 mins on each side or until browned. ( I sprinkled some kosher salt over the roast) Place roast over veggies in cooker; pour ketchup mixture over roast. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. reduce heat to low; cook 6 to 7 hours or until roast is very tender- I cooked this on high for 6 hours and it was amazing. Serve veggies and sauce over roast.

Chicken Tortilla Pie

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
1/4 c fresh salsa * recipe below
1 cup spicy black bean dip ~ I just used low fat refried black beans and put a little garlic salt in them
4 (8inch) mulitgrain flour tortillas~ I used white corn tortillas
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded monterey jack cheese

1. Preheat oven 450
2. Combine chicken and salsa in a medium bowl
3. Spread 1/4 cup black beans dip over each tortilla. Top each evenly with chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese. Stack tortillas in bottom of a 9 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 for 10 min or until heated and cheese melts.

Fresh Salsa
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp red onion
2 tbsp green pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, stir gently.

blogger is buggin

I just noticed that my post are not posting how I type them. I am kind of annoyed! I'm sorry that the recipes are not in "list" order which makes it harder to read. I will see if I can fix it, but I refuse to retype all of them.

Bow Thai Pasta

This recipe is from by bff Becky. We served this at a baby shower...yummy!

1 1/2 lbs. bow tie pasta
2-3 tsp crushed red pepper ( I used 1.5 tsp because my kids aren't huge fans of really spicy)
6 tsp canola oil
3/4 cup sesame oil
9 TBS honey
7 1/2 TBS soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup green onions, chopped
To taste: Honey roasted peanuts and sesame seeds
1. Cook pasta and drain
2. Combine red pepper and oils together and heat on stove for 2 mins, then add honey, soy sauce and salt.
3. Combine mixture with cooked pasta and let marinate in the fridge overnight.
4. Before serving add cilantro, green onions, peanuts and sesame seeds.

Orange Beef and Broccoli

This is SOOOO good!
1 (12oz) broccoli florets
1/3 cup beef broth
1/3 cup orange marmalade
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB cornstarch
1 (1lb) flank steak, trimmed and cut into think slices
cooking spray

1. Cook broccoli according to package- I used fresh and just steamed it
2. While broccoli is cooking, combine broth, marmalade and soy sauce in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk; set aside
3. Place cornstarch in a bowl. Dredge steak in cornstarch
4. heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak saute 5 mins or until browned on all sides. Add broth mixture; cook 1 min or until think. Stir in broccoli. Serve immediately and over rice...again we used brown rice.

Grilled Ham, Muenster, and Spinach Sandwhiches

Sorry its blurry my camera sucks..but you get the idea:
8 sliced crusty Chicago-style bread toasted
8oz thinly sliced deli ham
4 (1oz) sliced muenster cheese
2 cups fresh baby spinach

1. Layer each of 4 bread slices with 2 oz ham, 1 slice muenster cheese, 1/2 cup baby spinach and 1 bread slice.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Coat sandwiches with cooking spray; add to pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned and cheese melts.

Southwestern Chicken and White Bean Soup

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 TB taco seasoning
Cooking spray
2 (14oz) cans fat free chicken broth
1 (16oz) can cannellini beans
1/2 cup green salsa light sour cream (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Combine chicken and taco seasoning; toss well until coated. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken; saute 2 min or until chicken is lightly browned. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
2. Place beans in a small bowl; mash until only a few whole beans remain. Add beans and salsa to pan, stirring well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thick. Serve with sour cream and cilantro, if desired.

BBQ-Stuffed Potatoes

4 (6oz) baking potatoes
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 green onions, finely chopped and divided
1 1/3 cup shredded chicken add enough of your favorite BBQ sauce to coat chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Bake the potatoes in the microwave until tender.
2. While potatoes are cooking combine sour cream and 2 TB onions; set aside.
3. Place chicken in a microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and put into the microwave until heated.
4. Slice the potatoes lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, the other side; fluff with a fork. Top each potato evenly with chicken, sour cream mixture, cheese and remaining onions.

Strawberry-Banana Pudding

1 3.4 oz package instant vanilla or banana pudding
1 cup fat free milk
1 8oz container light cool whip
3 ripe bananas, diced
1 1/2 cups mini vanilla wafers, divided
2 cups strawberries, sliced

1. Combine pudding mix and milk in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Fold cool whip into pudding mixture. Fold in bananas. Layer 3/4 cup cookies into the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish. Spread half of the pudding mixture over cookies. Repeat procedure with remaining cookies and pudding mixture. Top with strawberries. Serve immediately, or cover and chill.

BLT Salad

This is a HUGE hit!

Dressing:

Juice of 1 lemon or 3 TB of lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

Salad:

2 heads romaine lettuce

4 oz bacon, cooked and diced- I used turkey bacon

2 cups grape tomatoes cut in half

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Homemade Croutons:

Dense french bread

butter

garlic salt

Slice bread about 1 inch thick. Spread with butter and sprinkle with a little garlic salt.

Lay the slices on a cookie sheet and broil until lightly browned. For crispier croutons, broil both sides. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

1 egg

1 onion chopped

1 cup crushed saltine crackers

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup water

1 TB white vinegar

1/2 cup ketchup

2 TB cornstarch

1 cup brown sugar

2 TB soy sauce

1. In a large bowl, combine beef, egg, onion, cracker crumbs, salt and pepper. Roll into meatballs about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in size

2. In large skillet over medium heat, saute the meatballs in a little olive oil until browned on all sides.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, vinegar, ketchup, cornstarch, sugar, and soy sauce. Pour over the meatballs,and allow sauce to thicken. Continue to heat until the sauce just starts to bubble.

4. Serve over rice ...we love brown rice.

IHOP Buttermilk Pancakes

Do you ever feel the urge to eat IHOP pancakes but don't really want to go out. Well here ya go folks...IHOP Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe! It's to die for. We like these for breakfast, lunch and dinner hahah!

1 1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup cooking oil

Mix all together with a blender and drop by spoonfuls onto griddle. Flip until done.
Makes 8 to 10 pancakes

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos

These are seriously a family favorite. The kids even love love love them.

1 1/2 lbs chicken shredded

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 lime, juiced

1 tsp white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs cilantro, chopped

10 flour tortillas

1 tomato, diced

1/4 cup or more cheddar cheese

salsa

1 green pepper

1 small onion

Sour cream

1. Cook and shred chicken.

2. In a bowl combine red wine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, pepper, salt, green onions, garlic and cilantro. Stir until well mixed.

3.Pour over shredded chicken; mix and let sit for 15 minutes. Put in a skillet with just a splash of olive oil. Heat through.

4. Thinly slice green pepper and onion. Saute together in olive oil until tender.

5. Heat tortillas. Place desired amount of chicken on tortilla shell. Top with green peppers, onions, cheese, tomato, salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!

Pasta with the Works

Pasta with the Works!
If you want a recipe that is super easy,fast and yummy...here it is.

1/2 cup pepperoni cut in half ( I added just a little bit more)
1 medium green pepper cut in strips. ( I chopped them into small pieces so the kids didn't notice them as much
2 cups Prego roasted garlic and herb sauce
1/3 cup olives cut in half add more if you would like
3 cups corkscrew pasta; cooked and drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the pasta, sauce, pepperoni, peppers, olives and mozzarella cheese in a sauce pot over medium heat until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stir often.

2. Serve with Parmesan cheese

Campbell's Kitchen

Buttermilk Brownies

If you haven't figured out by now I'm a huge sweets fanatic. These were AWESOME!

Buttermilk Brownies

3/4 cup butter

4oz of cocoa

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 T vanilla

1/2 c buttermilk

1 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 cups either chocolate chip, peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips.

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Melt butter and stir in cocoa. When mixture is smooth immediately stir in sugar, stir until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and buttermilk. Add the flour

3. Our into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 28-33 mins or until toothpick inserted into the middles comes out with just a few fudgy crumbs. Let cool.

Recipe from: oopesy daisy website: I changed a couple of things because I am not a fan of semi-sweet chocolate, or brownies that are too crazy chocolaty. If you want her full recipe go to oopesy-daisy.blogspot.com. Lots of great ideas and cute craft projects.

Lemon Squares

Sorry this picture didn't turn out very well but it tastes excellent.

2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1/2 c powdered sugar
Mix flour, butter and powdered sugar in a bowl. Press into a 9x13 pan, build up 1/2 the edge . Bake for 20 mins

In a lg bowl beat together
5 eggs
2 cups sugar
4 tsp lemon zest
5 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
beat until fluffy about 3 min. Pour over hot crust and bake for 25 mins or until no indentations remain. cool then cut.

I got this recipe from my sweet Aunt Jana. These are sure to please!

Spinach Salad

This is one of our favorite salads. It's a good way to get your kids to each spinach!

There are no set measurements for this recipe. You just have to eyeball how much you want of each item

Spinach
toasted almonds, place almonds in a frying pan with a couple TBS of white sugar and a couple dashes of cinnamon. Cook until sugar melts and coats the almonds. Put on a plate to cool.
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Dried blueberries or fresh strawberries, sliced
Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl and top with poppy seed dressing.

Garlic Bread

1 loaf french bread
1/2 cube of butter, you can add more if you would like
4 cloves of garlic
Parmesan cheese

Cut bread loaf in half. In a small pot add your butter and grate garlic into the butter. Simmer for 5 to 7 mins. Brush hot butter over the bread. Sprinkle with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. Place on the rack of the oven on broil and toast until brown.


This recipe is from my Aunt Mona's Italian friend Elaine.

American Lasagna

I tried out this new recipe I found. We usually make lasagna with cottage cheese, but I thought I would try something different. It ended up being super good.

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped,

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbs chopped fresh basil

1 tsp dried oregano

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 29oz can diced tomatoes

2- 6 oz cans tomato paste

12 dry lasagna noodles

2 eggs, beaten

1 pint pint ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 TBS dried parsley

1 tsp salt

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a skillet brown meat, onion and garlic. Drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 mins stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles cook for 5 to 8 mins or until al dente. Drain and let noodles dry. In a medium bowl mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1 tsp salt. Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 shredded cheese and 1/3 of sauce. Repeat until all the noodles are gone. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 30 min.

Ham Stir Fry

Because of Christmas I had a lot of ham left over so I decided to use it in a stir fry and it turned out yummy.

I just added some of our favorite veggies like sugar snap peas, zucchini, carrots, broccoli and whatever else you need to use up =) Heat about 2 tbs olive oil in a wok add 1 clove of chopped garlic cook all the veggies until tender. You can add a little chicken broth if the pan gets too dry.

In a smaller bowl mix and set aside:

2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 TBS soy sauce
3 TBS brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground ginger

When vegetables are done stir the broth mixture and add it to the veggies. Add your strips of ham. You can use chicken or beef with this also. Cook for another couple of mins. Serve over angel hair pasta or rice.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

I have tried so many different cookie recipes it's kind of embarrassing. Well let me just tell you...this is the best one thus far =)

2 1/2 cups of flour...I used just a tad more so they would be more fluffy

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter softened

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips...I added half milk chocolate and half butterscotch

the recipe doesn't call for this but I added about 1 cup of rolled oats as well.

Preheat oven to 375. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter with brown sugar and white sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs (one at a time)

mix on low speed until well incorporated. Gradually blend dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto UNGREASED cookie sheet. Bake for 10 mins.