Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

½ C shortening
1 C sugar
1 egg
½ C milk
1 tsp vanilla

1 ¾ C flour
½ tsp soda
½ tsp salt
½ C (or a little less) cocoa
½ C nuts (optional)

Mix together shortening, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla. Add the remaining dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cut large marshmallows in half. During last 2 minutes place marshmallow halves on top of each cookie and finish baking. Frost.

Frosting:
2-3 TBS butter
2 C powdered sugar mixed with ¼ C cocoa
Mix together with 1 tsp vanilla and dash of salt .
Add milk until desired consistency is reached.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake

My neighbor brought this to us after my twins were born, and I'm pretty sure I ate half of the cake myself. I don't have a picture, but trust me, this cake is yummy!

1 bag butterscotch morsels, divided
2 c. flour
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside. Stir together pumpkin, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl with a wire whisk; set aside. Microwave 1 c. butterscotch morsels on high for one minute; stir until melted. (Continue to microwave in 15-second intervals if necessary.) Add melted morsels to pumpkin mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in flour mixture. Spoon into greased bundt pan; bake at 350* for 40 - 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes; remove cake from pan and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with butterscotch sauce.

Butterscotch Sauce:

1/3 c. evaporated milk

Remaining butterscotch morsels

Heat evaporated milk over medium-high heat just to boiling; remove from heat. Add morsels; stir until smooth. Return to heat and bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature; stir before serving.

Cookie Cake

I don't know what this is really called; "Cookie Cake" is what my daughter calls it. All I know is that these cookie bars are SO. GOOD. My husband and I almost came to blows over who got the last one! (Sorry I don't have a picture.)

1 pkg. (18 oz.) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough*
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg

Spread 1/2 of the cookie dough on the bottom of a greased 9" pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and egg until smooth; pour over cookie dough. Top with remaining cookie dough and bake at 350* for 35 - 40 minutes or until middle layer is set. Slice into bars; store leftovers in refrigerator.

*I actually used my own chocolate chip cookie recipe instead of the prepared cookie dough

Teriyaki Chicken

Got this off of my friend Kelsey's blog. Both Doug and my mom (she was out here visiting) LOVED it.

Teriyaki Chicken

2-3 lbs cut up chicken
1 can evaporated milk
Wash and dry chicken. Place in shallow container. Cover with evaporated milk for 1 hour. (I didn't have it in the whole hour). Drain and then coat with flour. Brown in oil and drain. Place in large shallow baking pan, marinate in teriyaki sauce for 45 minutes turning once. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with rice and veggies.

Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
1 c sugar
1 T pineapple juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 ts. ground ginger

DELISH DELISH DELISH!!

Malibu Melt Wraps

This is a recipe I tried from the thisweekfordinner blog.

It was so easy and yummy we had it two night in a row

Grilled or Breaded Chicken

(I'll either buy some Tyson chicken strips or just grill some chicken breasts)
Swiss
Avocado
Romaine
Tomato
Honey Mustard

This is a wrap that they have at Tacone restaurants... I'm planning on using hot/warm chicken, heating the tortilla/warp on the stove and melting the swiss cheese on the wrap. Toss the romaine lettuce in the honey mustard, put it all together like a burrito.

(Adrienne Note)
I like to make this honey mustard recipe:
(from allrecipes.com)

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
  In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Store covered in the refrigerator.
  

Three-Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

This is a Healthy Choice recipe that I've had for a while, and it's not half bad. I think the only reason I don't make it more is because of the (small amount of) effort it takes to stuff the noodles. (sorry about the bad lighting -- I really need lessons from Steph or someone.)





8 Manicotti shells (cook, rinse and let stand in warm water)
1 3/4 c. pasta sauce
1 (10 oz) pkg chopped spinach -- defrosted and well-drained
1 c low-fat ricotta
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 T shredded parmesan
1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 c shredded mozarella

Put 3/4 c. sauce in 12x8 baking dish. Combine spinach, first 2 cheeses, egg, garlic and stuff 1/4 c mixture into each shell. Pour rest of sauce over the top and bake, covered on 400 for 15-20 min. Sprinkle with mozarella and bake uncovered 'til melted.

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my new favorite cookies -- I know they are nothing special, but I've been on a subconcious search for a good recipe for probably years now. Whenever I need a good oatmeal cookie I try random recipes from my books and they always turn out not the way I'd hoped. Well these fulfilled my every hope -- and even though I AM a firm believer in raisins in my oatmeal cookies -- I'm loving the chocolate lately. Can't claim it though -- I got it off of Allrecipes. There were suggesteions for modifications and I followed them and they turned out great!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (i used almost 1/2 c. more)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (i used a whole teaspoon)
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts (not for me!)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Cream Puffs

This is a pie filling that I love to fill my cream puffs with

Cream Puffs

½ C butter or margarine
1 C flour
4 eggs

In pan combine butter, 1 C water and 1/8 tsp salt. Boil. Add flour at once stirring vigorously. Cook and stir till mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating with spoon after each addition till smooth. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons 3 inches apart on greased baking sheet. (for parties I like to make mini ones) Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes or till golden. Cool on wire rack. Split puffs, remove any soft dough and fill. Place tops over filling.

PB Filling:

4 oz cream cheese
1 C powdered sugar
½ C peanut butter
1 (8 oz) carton Cool Whip, thawed

Whip cheese till fluffy and soft. Beat in sugar and peanut butter. Fold in Cool Whip.

After filling cream puffs melt (I microwave) semi-sweet choc chips and a bit of shortening in a ziploc bag. Drizzle over top.

Twice Baked Potatoes

My cousin Emily inspired me to create some twice-baked potatoes -- and she never even knew it! My daughter scarfed them up and wanted more.
Bake the potatoes until tender. Cut in half when they are cool enough to handle. Scoop out the insides and whip with:
Milk
Butter
Sour Cream (I used some leftover ranch/sour cream dip)
Salt and Pepper
Green Onions
Bacon Bits
Top with cheese. (I used mozarella but it would've been prettier with cheddar)
Bake another 15 min to warm and brown.

BLT Pizza

Ryan made this for lunch today. We didn't have the usual pizza toppings but we always love tomatoes so he just used whatever else we could find. It's just my normal pizza crust recipe that I posted before, but this was a really yummy variation. At first we thought this might have been overcooked -- but it really was so good this crispy. Guess it's a matter of taste.

Use my pizza crust recipe.

Your favorite spaghetti sauce.
Real bacon bits
Mozerella cheese
Sliced fresh tomatoes
Green onions
(not shown) top with shredded lettuce (and ranch if desired)

Cheeseburger Buns

OK...I'm attempting to get this going again. I miss all the new recipes to try!

This is a recipe I found in Taste of Home

2 pkgs (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast
½ C warm water
¾ C warm milk
¼ sugar
¼ shortening
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3½ to 4 C flour
1½ lbs ground beef
¼ C chopped onion
salt and pepper
garlic powder
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
8 slices American cheese, quartered

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, sugar, shortening, egg, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. In a skillet, cook beef, onion, salt, pepper and garlic till done; drain. Stir in tomato sauce. Remove from heat; set aside. Punch dough down; divide into 16 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out and stretch each piece into a 5-inch circle. Top each circle with two pieces of cheese and about 3 TBS beef mixture. Bring dough over filling to center; pinch edges to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes. Bake at 400 for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 sandwiches.

(Cooks note. The first time I made this I felt like it needed a little more zing. So I added some brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and some vinegar (about 1 TBS each) to make it a little more bbq-y. or I think just adding some bbq sauce would work too. I also prefer the taste of cheddar cut off the block to the cheese slices. Just a couple of variations to think about. )

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

This recipe is quick, easy, and delish! My husband has been out of town and my 18 month old and I have eaten this the past the past three nights. My son LOVES it. I steamed some zucchini and mixed it in tonight. It was great!

Published on Rachael Ray Show (http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/)

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Let the kids help with dinner tonight!

Ingredients
1 pound pasta cavatappi or orecchiette (I used corkscrew)
Salt
2 pints grape tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, grated
A few drizzles of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Freshly ground black pepper
20 leaves fresh basil, roughly chopped or torn (I used dried)
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Preparation

Preheat oven 425°F.

Place a large pot filled with water over high heat and bring up to a boil to cook the pasta. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta, and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve about a 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.

While the water is coming up to a boil to cook the pasta, place the tomatoes on a cookie and grate the garlic over them. Drizzle with some EVOO and season with some salt and pepper. Transfer cookie sheet to the oven and roast tomatoes for 8-10 minutes or until the tomatoes start to burst. Remove from the oven, discard the garlic cloves (I left the garlic in) and transfer roasted tomatoes to a large serving bowl. Add the reserved pasta water and, with a potato masher or a fork, lightly smash the tomatoes. This is a great job for a K.H. (kid helper)!

Add basil, drained pasta and Parmigiano cheese and toss to coat.

Toss to combine, taste and re-season with some salt and pepper then serve.

Yields 4 servings

Veggie Pizza

OK so I know most of you are probably familiar with this

recipe but it was so pretty I had to take a picture.

2 pkgs refrigerated crescent rolls

Spread and flatten on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 until golden brown.

Filling:
2 pkg cream cheese
1 C mayonnaise
1 pkg dry ranch dressing

Mix together till smooth and the spread over cooked and cooled crust. Sprinkle with a little seasoning salt. (opt) Top with any vegetable you like. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, cheese. Very easy to make in advance. Keep refrigerated.

Soft Pretzels

Ryan and I wanted to bake something together for a little date-night at home and this was a fun process. You can be really creative with toppings too -- think of all they put on bagels -- anything's game.

stir together:
3 c. flour
1 T. sugar
2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
2 t. yeast
add:
2 T. soft butter
1 c. warm milk

knead until smooth (will be a weird dough at first), cover in greased bowl until doubled.
boil large pan of water -- add 1-2 t. baking soda to the water for pretzel chewiness if you want
shape the pretzels (if you're not sure how there are online picture intructions)
can let rise, but not required
slip into boiling water- just until they float
bake on greased pan at 400 for 10-15 min.

(before baking you can brush with an egg-wash for a golden-brown crisp and then put on course salt or cinnamon and sugar mixture. we skipped the egg wash and brushed melted butter on hot pretzels and sprinkled with cin/sugar. we also made a yummy cheese dip (below).)

nacho cheese sauce (from adrienne's kitchen)
8 oz. Velveeta
3 oz. cream cheese
1-2 T. milk
melt in microwave - stirring frequently
makes 1 1/2 cups
(we only made a tiny bit -- a little goes a long way)

Sesame Ginger Chicken Kabobs

4 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1 teaspoon ground ginger

chopped green onion, to taste (i usually used 1-2)

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

Mix soy sauce, honey, sesame seeds, green onion and ginger in a ziploc bag. Add chicken. Marinate for 3-6 hours. Soak sticks in water to prevent burning. Place chicken chunks on sticks and place on grill. Cook till chicken is done.
We like to grill pineapple on separate sticks because it cooks more even and goes well with the chicken.

Pineapple Meatballs

First, I must give credit for these delectable meatballs to my dear friend in Utah - Rochelle. Thanks for such a great recipe.

3/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs
2 T. milk
2 large eggs, fork beaten
3/4 c. finely chopped onion
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. ground ginger
1 1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

Stir first eight ingredients together well in bowl. Add ground beef. Mix well. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place in crock pot.

Sauce:

Canned crushed pineapple, with juice (14 oz.)
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white vinegar
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. water
Put first four sauce ingredients into saucepan on medium. Stir. Bring to a boil. Stir cornstarch and water together in a small cup. Stir into boiling mixture until slightly thickened. Pour over meatballs. Cover. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve over rice. Makes about 36 meatballs.

DELICOUS!

Blackened Chicken Alfredo

This is one of our favorites, and it's so simple! (I used chicken tenders and spaghetti noodles this time becuase that's what we had. I probably should have sliced the tenders first, as they look highly unappetizing.) Anyway, I serve this with broccoli, which is good mixed in with everything, too.

2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
Mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg. (8oz.) cream cheese
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. milk
12 oz. fettuccini noodles
4 chicken breasts
Chili powder
Garlic salt
Coarsely ground pepper
Season-All seasoning

Preheat grill. Blacken chicken with spices; grill until cooked through. Meanwhile, saute onion, garlic, and mushrooms in a little olive oil until soft. Combine cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and milk in a saucepan; add vegetables and cook until thickened and bubbly (add milk or flour to reach desired consistency). Slice chicken crosswise and serve over sauce and noodles.

Tomato Feta Salad

I turn into a Food Network junkie during the summer when there is nothing else on TV. This looked so good when I saw it made that I had to try it. I made over the weekend when my parents were visiting. We all enjoyed it! I cut the recipe in half since it makes so much.

Tomato Feta Salad
Copyright 2006, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved
Show:
Barefoot Contessa
Episode:
Job Well Done

4 pints grape tomatoes, red or mixed colors

1 1/2 cups small-diced red onion (2 onions)

1/4 cup good white wine vinegar

6 tablespoons good olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 1/2 pounds feta cheese

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley and toss well. Dice the feta in 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes, crumbling it as little as possible. Gently fold it into the salad and serve at room temperature.

Serves 12

Home-made buns

so I know a burger isn't a novel idea, but we wanted to BBQ some burgers and didn't have any buns so I just used my favorite breadstick recipe and 25 min. later we had hot fresh buns! I liked the breadstick recipe because it made them kind of chewy instead of so light and airy like the store-bought ones.

Marla's Breadsticks

1 T. yeast

4 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 T. honey or sugar

1 T. malted milk (can leave out)

Soften yeast in warm water, then add flour, sugar, salt and milk. Mix and knead for about 5 min. Shape into breadsticks (or buns) (i think these would also make good bread bowls) Bake at 425 (i baked at 410 for the buns) for about 20 min or until golden brown.

Chicken Stuffing Bake

I just realize this picture doesn't look too appetizing and we all know it's all in the presentation -- but at least it gives you an idea. Today we wanted something yummy for lunch and didn't have many fresh ingredients or anything thawed on hand, so we decided to make something completely from the pantry. This is what we came up with:

1 (9.5 oz) can chicken breast

1 can green beans

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 box Stovetop stuffing (made)

layer this in a 9 in pie pan in that order, then bake at 350 for 20-25 min (till the stuffing is dry but not tooooo crispy) it's a taste of thanksgiving that's super easy!!!

Cavatiney

This is so easy and really good! The recipe serves about eight, so I split it into two small casseroles and froze one for later.

1/2 bag medium egg noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
1 jar pizza sauce
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 lb. pepperoni slices
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Garlic powder

Boil noodles according to package directions; meanwhile, brown ground beef and sausage together and drain. Combine noodles and meats in a large bowl; add pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce, stirring to combine. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish; top with a layer of pepperoni slices. Top with cheeses and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until cheeses melt.

Strawberry Country Cake

Strawberry Country Cake
Copyright, 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All rights reserved
Show: Barefoot Contessa
Episode: Elegant and Easy

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the filling for each cake:
1 cup (1/2 pint) heavy cream, chilled
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans. Then line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans.

Cream the butter and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.

Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature. If using 1 cake, wrap the second well and freeze.

To make the filling for one cake, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.

I made this for a party that my husband had at work today. He says that it was a huge hit. He says that the cake was delicious. I'm sure that you could use a mix if you were short on time or ingredients.

Tater-tot Casserole

This is one of our family's favorites. Doug LOVES LOVES LoVEs it.

1 pkg. tatar-tots (since there is just the two of us I usually use 1/2 the bag)
1 - 2 lbs. ground beef (again, since there is just the two of us - I use 1 lb.)
1 can green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
A handful of shredded cheese (I like cheddar or colby - something with color.)

Brown the meat - season it the way you like. While you are browning the meat, cook the tater-tots according to instructions. When finished layer in dish (9x13, 8x8 - whatever works) tater-tots on bottom, followed by meat, some cheese, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, the rest of the tater-tots and the rest of the cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

No picture this time - but trust me - this is good stuff.

Pineapple Coconut Almost Heaven Cake

1 pkg yellow cake mix

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple

1 small pkg vanilla instant pudding

2 c. cold milk

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1 (12 oz) tub cool whip (I only used 8 oz)

1 (7 oz) pkg flaked coconut (I only used half)

Make cake as directed in 13x9 pan. When cake comes out of oven, prick all over with a fork and pour pineapple and juice over warm cake. Blend pudding with milk, beat and add cream cheese until smooth. Spread on cake. Top with Cool Whip. Sprinkle with coconut.

I had never tried this before but my mom and sister LOVE it -- so I made it for the missionaries and now I have a whole pan leftover. Anyone for a taste? It's very resfreshing for the summer.

pizza crust

Kal - I just have to say that I *love* your pizza crust recipe. I made it again tonight - but this time I did the traditional pizza. We both love, love, love the crust! thanks again.

My favorite Smoothie base

So - I'm totally into smoothies. I drink them almost every day...and thought I'd share what I put in them:

1 and 1/2 c. vanilla soy milk (I usually go with Silk Lite)

1 banana

1 - 2 packets Splenda

Okay - so that's the "base". To that you can add a host of other things such as:

strawberries, peaches, mixed berries, pineapple, coconut, mango, etc. I seriously stock up on frozen fruit {available in your local grocer's FREEZER section. :)} If you are really feeling health conscious - throw in a tablespoon of wheat germ; you can't even taste it.

Be sure to blend, blend, blend. I'm not a fan of chunks in my smoothies - so you've gotta blend real well.

Today's smoothie (see picture) was made with about 1 and 1/2 cups strawberries and it was DELISH. Enjoy.

Confetti Cornbread Salad

This salad looks and sounds a little interesting but it tastes really good. It makes a large bowl so I make it for potlucks or company.

1 box Jiffy Cornbread (prepared as directed on box)
10 slices bacon (crumbled)
2 cans Pinto Beans (drained)
1 can Black Beans (drained)
2 cans corn (drained)
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped ( I use roma)
½ cup green onions, chopped
2 cups cheese, grated
cilantro (opt.)

Dressing
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 packet dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

Mix all of the above ingredients. Crumble the cornbread with your hands into fine grain. Add the dressing last and mix.

Olive Garden Salad and Dressing

I made this for some women that came over to my house and it was a HIT!

Olive Garden Salad Mix - CopyCat

1 bag American Blend Dole Salad
4-5 slices Red Onion
4-6 Black Olives
2-4 Banana Peppers
1/2 cup Croutons
1 small Tomato quartered
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Olive Garden Salad Dressing (see recipe below)

Chill one salad bowl in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Place bag of salad in bowl. Place on top of lettuce red onion, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, and croutons. Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like, and add plenty of Olive Garden Salad Dressing on top.

Olive Garden Salad Dressing - CopyCat
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup White Vinegar
1 tsp. Vegetable Oil2 Tbsp.
Corn Syrup2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. Romano Cheese
1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt - or one clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Parsley Flakes
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
Sugar (optional)
Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little to tart for your own personal tastes please add a little extra sugar.

Chewy Apple Squares

¼ C margarine
½ C brown sugar
½ C white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Melt margarine. Beat in sugars, egg, and vanilla.

Stir in:
1 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ C chopped tart apple
¼ - ½ C chopped walnuts

Spread in greased 8x8 pan. Sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon/sugar. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
These are yummy alone but I like to add ice cream and caramel for company.

Red Chicken Enchiladas

2-3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded

8 oz package cream cheese

1 C salsa (I like Pace Picante, medium)

Mix together. Spread on flour tortilla shells. Roll.

(I usually use 2 normal size chicken breasts and it will make about 8 saucy enchiladas)

1 can Rosarita enchilada sauce (10 oz)

1 small can tomato sauce

Mix together and pour a little in bottom of 9x13 dish. Pour the rest over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 375 for 15 minutes or till hot and bubbly. Can serve with lettuce.

Sweet 'n' sour chicken

Preheat oven to 325.

Ingredients:

1/2 to 1 pound uncooked chicken, cut into chunks. (I think 3 large chicken breasts work great!)

1 t. garlic salt

1/2 t. black pepper

1 beaten egg

4-6 T. cornstarch

Sweet and Sour Sauce

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. vinegar

1/2 c. chicken broth

3 1/2 T ketchup

1 T soy sauce

----------------------------

1 bell pepper

1 onion

1/2 can pineapple chunks.

----------------------------

Directions

In medium bowl, combine garlic salt, pepper, egg and cornstarch. Coat chicken pieces in this mixture and brown chicken in skillet with 1 T. oil.

In separate bowl, mix sugar, vinegar, chicken stock, ketchup and soy sauce until well blended. Pour into 9x13 pan. Add browned chicken and veggies to pan and stir slightly to coat chicken. Bake for 1 hour, turning chicken halfway through cooking time. Add pineapple when there are only five minutes left until finished.

Fruit 'n' Nut Tossed Salad

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil

2 T. plus 2 t. sugar

2 T. white vinegar

1 T. parsley

1/4 t. salt

dash hot pepper sauce

whisk and refrigerate.

Salad:

toast 1 c. pecan halves in 2 T. butter in a skillet for a couple min. then sprinkle with 4 T. sugar and cook a couple more min. pour onto a greased, foil-lined baking sheet to cool.

4 c. torn,fresh spinach

4 c. torn romaine

1 can manderine oranges, drained

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 c sliced fresh strawberries

4 green onions, shopped

just before serving, drizzle with dressing, toss to coat and top with pecans.

makes 8-10 servings

i got this recipe from taste of home -- but i just used bagged salad (although i'm sure it would've been way better with the kind it calls for), and i didn't have any hot sauce so i used a (very small) dash of my garlic chile sauce. it still was yummy. you'll come to know that i am the queen of improvising in recipes. i don't like to have to wait to make something until i go buy all the special ingredients. also: funny how the pictures in the recipe book looked way better than the one i took.

Beef Taco Skillet

One of Matt's favorite, SUPER EASY AND SUPER GOOD!

1 lb ground beef
1 can (10 ¾ oz) tomato soup
1 c chunky salsa
½ c water
8 flour tortillas (8 inch) cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Brown beef, strain off fat. Add soup, salsa, water, tortillas and half of the cheese. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 5 minutes or until hot. Top with remaining cheese.

Yields 4

Tostada Pizza

We love the tostada pizza at California Pizza Kitchen and this was our best duplication with what ingredients we had on hand.

My favorite bean dip:

3 cans of beans -- any kind you like (black, ranch, kidney, whatever) undrained
1 can corn - drained
chopped tomatoes
1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing -- made up

this is good with tortilla chips or pita chips, but -- since it makes a lot -- I always just make it w/ one can of beans(black) and 1/2 - 1 whole can corn and just poured some light Italian dressing from the bottle. ('cause I didn't have any mix)

Tostada pizza:

make the crust -- and i like to put a little olive oil down on the pan and then cornmeal. spread crust with ranch dressing and a little motzerella cheese and bake til done. then top with however much bean dip it takes, choped lettuce (pre-tossed w/ ranch if you like) and some more motz cheese if desired, and crumbled-up tortilla chips. avacado is good on it too.

My favorite Pizza Crust Recipe: (obtained from a '70's "how to make the best pizza crust video" -- must be credible)

Soak for 7 min:
1 T. yeast
1 3/4 c. warm water
pinch sugar

add:
1/8 c. sugar
1 T. oil
1/2 T. salt
2 c. flour

mix on high with mixer for 5 min. or so -- it will be soupy
stir in 2-3 c. more flour (only as much as it needs) and knead 8-10 min
let rest in oil-coated bowl, covered, for 10 min.
shape, top , bake 15-20 min at 425 til bottom of crust is done. makes 2, 15" crusts.

Super deLISHious Turkey Burgers

These are so yummy!

2 lbs. ground turkey
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained.
1 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
2 T. worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients together. Make burger patties. Grill. Then make up your burgers however you normally would. We *love* ours on ciabatta rolls. Super delish.

(This makes about 6 man-size burgers.)

PS - I was going to take a picture tonight of these - but we had the missionaries over for dinner and I thought that would be kind of weird. Will take picture of my next creation. ;)

*Edited to add picture (yeah, we had leftovers tonight. ;))

Flank Steak/Tri-tip marinade

This is my favorite marinade for flank steak and Tri-tip. It's easy and delicious! I usually double it for Tri-tip.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Teaspoon garlic salt
small handful of fresh parsley

Mix everything in a small bowl. Pour over meat in ziplock bag at least 6 hours prior to grilling.

Welcome!

Yay! I'm so excited to get this blog started! I know that for me it is sometimes so hard to come up with something new to cook. Hopefully we can contribute to this frequently and also comment on recipes if we made them and liked them, etc. Pictures would be great too. I am imagining that taking pictures of food is much more challenging than taking pictures of people, but it would be fun to see what things look like. If you don't want to take the pictures - no big deal. So - welcome to the Come Hungry! blog.

La Madeleine's Tomato-Basil Soup

This recipe is so good. When I made it I cut it down by 1/4. This recipe is for a serving of 8. Now I don't usually like tomato soup, but this is so good. I didn't have fresh basil leaves, so I used just basil seasoning. And if you don't have heavy cream, you could use milk. DELICIOUS! (Sadie liked it too, which says a lot)

Ingredients:
4 cups tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped, or canned whole tomatoes, crushed
4 cups tomato juice OR part tomato juice and part vegetable or chicken stock
14 washed fresh basil leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 pound sweet, unsalted butterSalt to taste
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions:
Combine tomatoes, juice/and or stock in saucepan. Simmer 30 minutes. Puree, along with the basil leaves, in small batches, in blender, food processor (or better yet, one of those handy hand-held food blenders, right in the cooking pan). Return to saucepan and add cream and butter, while stirring, over low heat. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with your favorite bread. Optional: Sprinkle with cheese.

Pink Stuff

This is a great "kids" recipe. Got it from my mother-in-law Terry! So yummy!

PINK STUFF

Need :
2 boxes of Rasberry (sp?) Jell-o (no Sugar-free stuff)
2 Rasberry Yogurts
2 tubs of Cool Whip (regular size)

Mix Jello using Jello directions, and refridgerate. When almost set (approx 2-3 hours depending on your fridge temp.) Use hand mixer to blend in yogurt and cool whip. Then put back in fridge for 3-4 hours.

Whenever I make this, I make it the night before, so it is good and set.

Garnish with a couple of rasberries and mint leaves.

So yummy and SWEET! Enjoy!