Friday, October 28, 2011

Three-Cheese Pasta Bake


Photo from myrecipes.com

A fancy variation on mac and cheese!  This was obviously super cheesy and yummy...just look at it!


Three-Cheese Pasta Bake

Recipe from myrecipes.com


Ingredients

·                                 1 (16-ounce) package ziti
·                                 2 (10-ounce) containers refrigerated Alfredo sauce
·                                 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
·                                 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
·                                 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
·                                 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
·                                 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
·                                 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preparation

·                                 Prepare ziti according to package directions; drain and return to pot.
·                                 Stir together Alfredo sauce and sour cream; toss with ziti until evenly coated. Spoon half of mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
·                                 Stir together ricotta cheese and next 3 ingredients; spread evenly over pasta mixture in baking dish. Spoon remaining pasta mixture evenly over ricotta cheese layer; sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.
·                                 Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Brown Rice and Black Bean Casserole

We LOVED this casserole...hearty, full of yummy vegetables, and easy to make. Great for leftovers too. We will definitely be making this one again- it really was delicious.
image courtesy allrecipes.com
Brown Rice and Black Bean Casserole

1/3 cup brown rice
1 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/3 cup onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, chopped or thinly sliced
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I used 1/3 of the Costco rotisserie chicken)
1/2 to 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. cumin
Salt, to taste
Cayenne Pepper, to taste
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4 oz.) can green chilies
1/3 cup carrots, chopped small
2 cups shredded swiss cheese

Mix the rice and chicken broth in pot on stovetop, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a medium-sized casserole dish. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, chicken, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is heated through. In a large bowl, mix the rice, onion, zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, beans, chilies, carrots, and half of the swiss cheese. Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover casserole dish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Quick and Easy Orange Rolls

Photo from Yourhomebasedmom.com

This is the best recipe for a really quick, delicious roll.  If you have time make the real ones, but if you  need something quick and easy these are really good.  Oh, I did not use Orange Essential Oil, I just used orange juice concentrate and it worked great.


Quick and Easy Orange Rolls   



Recipe from Yourhomebasedmom.com

12 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed
grated rind of one orange
1/2 C sugar


Citrus Glaze:
1 C powdered sugar
1 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp orange juice
Mix together until smooth

Add in 2-3 drops Wild Orange Essential Oil or to desired taste (optional but oh so good!)
Thaw dough in the refrigerator over night or 2-3 hours prior to use. Cover with plastic wrap while thawing.
Grate orange rind and mix with sugar. Roll thawed roll in melted butter and then in sugar and rind mixture.
Place on greased cookie sheet or 9 x 13 pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow rolls to double in size – approximately 1 hour. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool 5 minutes and frost with citrus glaze while warm.
Enjoy!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Texas Sheet Cake

This recipe is another original from our sister's cookbook- submitted by Jessica. I've made it twice now and its amazing! It feeds a crowd and is great warm or cold- with or without ice cream. Plus, you should have most of these ingredients in your pantry/fridge. Next time you need a crowd-pleaser for a big crowd, put this one on your menu.
Texas Sheet Cake
Jessica Sedgwick

For the Cake:
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 cup butter
4 Tbs. cocoa
1 c. water
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix flour and sugar in large bowl. Mix butter, cocoa, and water in saucepan. Bring to boil. Turn off heat and stir into flour and sugar mixture. Add buttermilk, eggs, soda, salt, and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. Bake in greased jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cake from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips (see below) evenly over cake. Let stand about one minute- don't spread. Pour frosting evenly over all. Enjoy!

For the Frosting:
1 stick butter
4 Tbs. cocoa
6 Tbs. milk
1 lb. box powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 bag chocolate chips (use 1/2 milk or 1/2 semi-sweet, or 1 whole bag of each)

Melt all ingredients, except sugar and vanilla and barely bring to boil. Shut off heat and add sugar and vanilla. Consistency should be to pour, not spread over chocolate chips.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Chili Blanco

Pic courtesy of Google Images

We had a pot luck luncheon in my ward a couple weeks ago and one of the dishes there was this chili. The girl that made it said that her aunt makes it and wins all sorts of cook-offs with it. So, I asked for the recipe and gave it a whirl last night. And, it did not disappoint. It was so yummy and I loved the change up from regular, old tortilla soup. Just FYI, I had to change the recipe up a bit b/c she used dry beans and cooked it over the stove, but it still came out just as scrumptious!

Chili Blanco
adapted from Laura Shelley

3 cans Great Northern Beans
1 onion, diced
1 24-oz can chicken broth
2-3 small chicken breasts (I used frozen. If you use thawed ones, be sure to add more chicken broth)
1 (7 oz.) can chopped green chilies
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T dried oregano
3 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Put all ingredients in crockpot , except for the sour cream and cheese. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Add cheese and stir until all incorporated. Serve with chips, if desired. (You don't need to garnish with any more cheese or sour cream as there's already plenty!)


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Homemade Taco Seasoning

pic courtesy of allrecipes.com

Mmmmm. My taco seasoning was expired and I was craving tacos tonight. So, I got on allrecipes.com and searched for the highest rated homemade taco seasoning, mixed it up, and crossed my fingers. And, wow- let me tell you- I will never buy another packet of taco seasoning! The flavors were so much more defined and intense. I loved it and so did my family.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
from allrecipes.com
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I subbed cayenne pepper to bring down the heat)
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.
  2. Mix with approx. 2 pounds of meat, beans, or whatever your heart desires.

Brazilian Lemonade

Photo courtesy of Our Best Bites


My friend Andrea made this for us and it tastes so good!  The recipe sounds add--adding a whole lime into the blender--but trust me, this is so good and unique!  Tastes just like the drink from Tucano's!


Brazilian Lemonade
Recipe from Our Best Bites blog
4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)
1 c. sugar
6 c. cold water
6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.
Wash limes thoroughly with soap (I just use hand-dishwashing soap or regular hand soap); you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you’re using the WHOLE lime, baby. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.
Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.
Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk; DO NOT leave this step out unless you will die of a horrible sweetened condensed milk allergy because this is the secret ingredient! You may want to taste test it at this point; I used giant, thick-skinned limes tonight and didn’t test it and it came out a little bitter. If it’s bitter, just add some more sugar and maybe a little more milk.
Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don’t make this in advance (although you can cut the limes, mix the sugar water, and measure the sweetened condensed milk in advance). Serves 4, although I can pretty much guarantee you that people will want more; I usually plan on 1 1/2 servings at LEAST per person.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Never Fail Pie Crust


Photo from recipesfromhome-online.com


Even I didn't fail at this so it must truly be "never fail".  It made me get all kinds of flutters inside to make a pie crust.  Makes me feel like one of those perfect mothers from the 1950's...until I started yelling at my kids and realized I am totally from the 2000's!

Never Fail Pie Crust
From: Andrea Tanner
1 cup shortening
2 ¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Cut together shortening, flour and salt with a pastry cutter. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, water and vinegar. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and cut together.

Cheese and Veggie Twist

Dagmar's last...for a while. :) Enjoy!
Cheese and Veggie Twist
Dagmar Jewkes

2 large eggs
1/2 c. tomatoes
1/2 c. mushrooms
Shredded Cheese
1/4 c. green onions
Bacon, crumbled (optional)
2 cans reduced-fat crescent roll dough

Mix all ingredients except crescent dough. Season with salt and pepper. With the dough, separate all the triangles and fan them out in a ring, with the narrow sides on the inside of the ring, 1/2 overlapping, corners of the long side pointing out (so it looks like a sun or star). Spread mixture over the inner portion of the ring. Fold the outer tips over to the inside and push edges together. Cook at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Watch the dough so it doesn't burn- if necessary, cover dough with foil until inside of twist is thoroughly cooked.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Tortellini with Tomato-Zucchini Sauce

Here's a great, easy pasta for your weekly rotation...thanks again, Dagmar!
Tortellini with Tomato-Zucchini Sauce
Dagmar Jewkes

1 lb. cheese tortellini or cheese ravioli (refrigerated section of grocery store)
1 lb. zucchini, cubed or shredded
Salt
1 jar garlic, mushroom, or cheese pasta sauce
Cheese for sprinkling (parmesan or mozzarella)

Boil the tortellini and zucchini together with a hint of salt until fully cooked (or al-dente). Drain and place in serving dish. Add your jar of pasta sauce, toss, and sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Mexican Meatloaf

I knew I'd forget to post Dagmar's recipes every day. :) Here goes another one...enjoy!
Mexican Meatloaf
Dagmar Jewkes

1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
2 c. salsa
1/2 can tomato sauce, or diced tomatoes
1 pack stuffing mix for turkey or chicken
2 large eggs

Mix all ingredients together. Divide into a 12-muffin baking pan and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees- or until cooked through. Top with cheese or tomato sauce, if desired.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Broccoli Soup & Turkey Avocado Paninis


Broccoli Soup & Turkey Avocado Paninis
Dagmar Jewkes

For the Soup:
1 1/2 lbs. broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 bouillon cubes
1 quart water
2 cups milk
1/3 c. flour
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Cook the broccoli in the bouillon and water, stirring occassionally, until tender. Puree in blender with milk and flour (this will guarantee a smooth thickening of the soup). Put back in pan and cook slowly, until thickened. Add cheese until melted.

For the Paninis: (Makes 4 sandwiches)
4 slices of your favorite bread (or roll)
Mustard
Ranch dressing (light)
2 slices of cooked, crispy bacon
8-12 slices of turkey deli
1 avocado
Cheese

Spread a drop of ranch dressing and mustard on one side of bread. Cover with 1/2 slice of bacon. Add 2-3 slices of turkey, 4 thin slices of avocado (@1/4 avocado each), sprinkle cheese on top. Cook in oven at 375 degrees until desired browning occurs and cheese is melted.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Tomato and Avocado Salad

Thanks again to Dagmar for this one...sounds delicious!
Tomato and Avocado Salad
Dagmar Jewkes

3 tomatoes
1 large avocado
Bunch of cilantro
Garlic Salt
Lemon Juice
Green Onions or Regular diced onions (optional)

Dice vegetables and toss with seasonings to taste. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Doritos Chicken

Another Dagmar original...enjoy!
Doritos Chicken
Dagmar Jewkes

1-2 lbs. of chicken breasts, flattened
1 bag Doritos, crushed
Light Mayo (enough to dip the chicken in)
Salt, Pepper, Seasoned Salt, Garlic Salt (to liking)
Oil

Put the dry Doritos and mayo in separate bowls. Dip the chicken breasts in mayo and then season with desired seasonings. Dip chicken in Doritos and then press the chips into the chicken so they will stick. Lightly fry the chicken in a skillet until cooked through. Serve with salad or veggies.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Peanut Chicken

This is Dagmar's recipe...she sent me several to post so I'm going to do one each day (if I remember!). She's such a great cook and can throw things together on a whim, so I'm sure these recipes will be keepers. Here's the first one...
Peanut Chicken
Dagmar Jewkes

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2-1 cup water
Some lemon juice
2-3 Tbs. peanut butter
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, diced
Cooked rice
Broccoli

Let all ingredients (except rice and broccoli) marinate for 1 1/2 hours. Then cook in skillet until chicken is cooked entirely through. Serve with rice and broccoli.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Marcy's Barbeque Chicken Salad

Marcy's BBQ Chicken Salad
(Family size)
1 pound skinless, boneless Chicken breast*, brush with barbecue sauce and BBQ on the grill or in oven. Cut into bite-size pieces (2 cups cooked chicken)
8 cups mixed greens (Romaine with some spring mix is good)
1 red apple, core, cut in bite size pieces, leaving on the red peel
(toss with a little lemon juice to keep white)
1/2 cup corn kernels (frozen or defrosted – doesn’t matter)
1/2 cup spicy peanuts
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
1 cup tortilla thin strips, or slightly crushed reg. tortillas chips, blue or plain
1 cup dressing , ¾ cup ranch dressing mixed with
¼ cup *barbecue sauce
1 cup blue cheese or *shredded cheese, mix cheddar and jack
*if it’s a non-blue cheese group

Toss ingredients together except for dressing and chips. Let people serve themselves the amount of dressing they prefer. Serve chips to the side so don’t get soggy.
Serves 6-8 generously

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Microwave Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Photo from realmomkitchen.com


This sounds weird but it was really, really good and who doesn't love a really fast meal?  Definitely a keeper!


Microwave Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Recipe from realmomkitchen.com

  • 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or diced (this is about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 cup french fried onion, divided
  • 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
  • 1 pkg taco seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp dried cilantro or 3 Tbsp fresh
  • 2 (10 inch) flour tortillas (the big burrito sized ones)
  1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/2 cup of fried onions, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, and chopped cilantro. Mix until well combined combine.
  2. Cut up one of the tortilla into 1 inch pieces using a pizza wheel.  Add to the chicken mixture and stir until blended in.
  3. Place the  remaining tortilla into a 9 inch pie plate, this will create  the crust for your pie.  Spoon the mixture into the tortilla/crust.
  4. Place in microwave and microwave on high for about five minutes. Sprinkle the pie with the remaining cheese followed by the fried onions. Microwave for one minute more, or until cheese is melted. Keep in mind that microwave varies, so cooking time may vary too.  Makes 6 servings.