Creamy Bacon Parmesan Pasta

Just made this sauce on a whim and I want to write it down so I won't forget to make it again.  I served it over medium pasta shells, and it was a hit with everyone in the family! Start to finish, this takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.  Serves 6-8.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil or butter, or some mix of the two
• 1/4 c. chicken broth, then also 1 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. flour
• garlic salt
• salt
• pepper
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 10 thick slices of bacon-- the good thick, real stuff, not Oscar Mayer/whatever, chopped against the width/grain (so each piece of bacon in your sauce is roughly 1 inch long, but in thin slices, hope that makes sense-- I stacked the strips of bacon into one tall stack, and sliced down the stack, widthwise)
• 1 c. heavy cream 
• 1 1/2 c. whole milk
• Shaved parmesan/asiago/romano cheese to taste

Heat the oil/butter over med-high heat, with 1/4 c. chicken broth and add the chopped onion.  Lightly salt the onions.  Cook 3 minutes, or longer, until softened w/ good aroma.  (While the onions are sauteeing, put water in your pasta pot and start your water boiling.) Add in the bacon and garlic.  Cook approx. 5-8 minutes, still on med-high heat, until meaty part of bacon has turned bright red and is cooked, but not hardened.  Add in 1/2 tsp. salt, and as much flour as is necessary to soak up the oil/juices into the flour.  This will be similar to a roux, except your meat is already in there.  Make sure you scrape the bottom clean, to get up any flavorful bits and keep it from sticking.  Now, add your remaining chicken broth, stir in, and then add your cream, stirring occasionally.  Add in 1/2 tsp. garlic salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary.  Stir until thickened, then add in the whole milk, and wait for the sauce to thicken again.  (This whole thickening process can take anywhere from 1-3 minutes.)

Serve over the hot pasta of your choice, and use shaved parmesan/asiago/romano generously to garnish the top.  Enjoy!  (We just did!)

Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 3 1/2 pound pork shoulder, trimmed & cut into 4 pieces

In a 6-quart crock pot, mix all ingredients except pork.  Once combined, add pork, and turn to coat in sauce.  Cook on low 8-10 hours.  Remove pork and shred w/ two forks.  Return pork to crock pot & stir in sauce.  To serve, spoon 1/2 cup onto a sandwich bun.

SOUNDS GOOD!

Pancakes & Syrup

Here are my go-to from scratch recipes for pancakes and maple syrup.

• Homemade pancakes
• Homemade maple syrup (yes, it's fake, but overseas, it's a great pinch-hitter)

Kristy's Enchilada Sauce

This one is very non-specific, and I'm sorry about that. I just wrote down the basics when my friend made it several years ago, and I'm basically posting it here to remind myself.

• Sautee garlic & 1/2 onion in butter.
• Add: milk, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (is this the same as paprika? I can't remember...)

Use this to pour over whatever kinds of enchiladas you want.

For chicken enchiladas: Flour/Corn tortillas, each with shredded chicken & salsa inside.

Sesame Chicken

(Thanks to my friend Jamie for introducing us to this recipe!)

• 1 pound chicken, chopped
• Coat in 1 part flour/1 part cornstarch
• Fry on stovetop in small amount of oil
• Brown sesame seeds in pan in small amount of oil
• Mix together the following for sauce:
  

  - 1 c. water
  - 1 c. sugar
  - 1/4 c. vinegar
  - 4 Tbsp. soy sauce
  - 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

• Add to fried chicken pieces, and stir until thickened.
• Add sesame seeds, and serve over rice.

Fresh Pesto

(Great recipe for when you have an overabundance of basil leaves to use up!)

3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves

2 garlic cloves

3/4 c. fresh parsley

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. melted butter

1/3 c. parmesan

Salt to taste.

Process all ingredients in food processor or blender. Serve over freshly cooked pasta, top with parmesan cheese. You can freeze extra in baggies or ice cube trays for future use.

Lasagna Worth Making

This lasagna happens in several steps. Yes, it takes time to make lasagna... but I guarantee that this lasagna is worth making. Well, I think so anyway... and everyone I've ever served it to has said it's the best lasagna they've ever tasted. So give it a whirl, and tell me if you agree.

Lasagna Worth Making

Sauce Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1-2 yellow onions

olive oil

1 garlic head

5-8 large tomatoes (or 28 oz. in cans)

6 oz. tomato paste

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped basil)

1 bay leaf

2 cups water

1. Chop up your onions and garlic. Onions can be diced... garlic needs to be minced.
2. Sautee your onions in olive oil in the frying pan, just enough to coat the onions. Once softened, add in your beef and brown the meat.
3. While meat is browning, chop up your tomatoes.
4. Once meat is browned, add in everything else on the list above: (garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, red pepper flakes, sugar, basil, bay leaf, and water). Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to lowest setting. Simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Sauce will reduce and thicken.

While sauce is cooking, make the following:

Ricotta cheese filling:

8-10 ounces ricotta cheese (leave undrained)

2 large eggs, beaten

whole milk (maybe)

parsley (if you have it)

• Combine ricotta cheese with 2 beaten eggs. If thick, add a Tbsp or so of milk until it is a smooshable consistency. That's right, I said smooshable.
• If you have parsley, add in about 1 tsp of parsley. Fresh is even better. If not, don't sweat it!

Also, you'll need 1 box lasagna noodles (specifically, you'll need 12 noodles), 1 cup of water and roughly 1 pound shredded mozzerella or meltable white cheese (for those here in Turkey with me, I like the white cheese found at Bim... it comes in 1 kilo blocks, and has a mountain scene on the package. It's the best cheese I've found for general use like this).

Once the sauce is ready, you'll want to have all your ingredients around your 9 x 13 baking dish. To make your lasagna, do the following:

• First, take a serving spoon-ful of the liquidy sauce at the top of the sauce pan, and use it to coat the bottom of the baking dish. This will serve as your greasing of the pan.
• Then, you'll want to proceed in the following order, repeating yourself 4 times (so for each layer, you'll want to use approximately 1/4th of whatever ingredient you're pulling from.):

1. Lasagna noodles-- 3 across
2. Ricotta cheese-- use approximately one heaping forkful on each noodle. Then use your fork to smash down and spread across the noodles. It won't cover it, and that's fine, just get it to where it's evened out throughout the pan, across the noodles.
3. Sauce-- A few serving-spoon-fuls across the cheese mixture. Try to spread it out, but remember to just use about 1/4th of the sauce for each layer. It should almost cover the layer below. (This is where you get to be Madam Chef. If things look a bit dry, use some of that 1 cup of water to just pour over this layer. We want the noodles to fully cook, and so you can just add a splash of water here or there as needed in this layer. Have confidence in yourself... it won't likely mess up either way!)
4. Shredded cheese. Use slightly less than 1/4th of the cheese for each layer, so that you can completely cover the dish on the top layer.

That's it.

Then stick it in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is nice and browned, and the sauce is no longer liquidy. This is one of my prized recipes, for company, and just for enjoyment by our family as well. I hope you enjoy it too.

P.S. - this meal is easily doubled and you can serve one to your family, and take another to a friend who just had a baby, just had surgery, etc. Lasagna is a classic meal for those circumstances, but homemade is even more of a treat!

Cream Sauce (to serve over steak)

We don't eat steak often, but when we do, I like to serve it with this cream sauce. It's easy enough to make, and it's made at the very last minute, once you have juice from the steaks to add in.

1 minced garlic head (yes, the whole head)

1 & 1/2 c. water w/ 1 beef boullion cube, and 1 chicken bouillion cube (or broths can be used in place of these ingredients)

5 Tbsp brandy (we never have, and thus never use, this part... I use pan drippings for this liquid)

1/4 c. heavy cream

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Instructions:

Remove steaks from pan, and put on plate (tent them with foil so they will remain hot while you whip up this sauce).

Reserve a Tbsp. or more of pan drippings from the steaks, and briefly sautee the garlic, less than 30 seconds. Add the water w/ boullions, and simmer about 5 mins. Stir together and add cream. Add in 1 Tbsp butter at a time, whisking to thicken. Then, remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve over steaks.

Cream Sauce for Ikea Meatballs

This recipe uses a few simple ingredients and perfectly compliments the frozen Ikea meatballs. Plus, the kids loved it! Success!

Quick, Easy, and Delicious: Bowtie Lasagna

Here's another recipe via Pioneer Woman:

Billed as a "16-Minute Meal", BOWTIE LASAGNA lives up to the 16 minute promise. Even overseas! :)

Here are the things I changed:

*Because we don't have pre-made jars of marinara sauce available to us here (except at extremely high prices!!!), here's what I did to make the sauce: Instead of dumping in a jar of pre-made marinara sauce, I added an entire garlic head worth of chopped garlic (I like garlic!), and then added in about 1 & 1/2 cups of tomato paste, 1 & 1/2 cups of water, 10 leaves of chopped fresh basil, 1 & 1/2 Tbsp sugar, and garlic salt, pepper, and salt to taste. So, essentially, I made my own marinara sauce in the dish.

*In place of the sour cream, I used ranch dressing. This isn't an overseas change, just a personal preference. It worked great.

This is a yummy, easy recipe!

Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Pie

I made this recipe this afternoon, for my oldest son's 8th birthday celebration. YUM! Can't wait to eat it--


(1) Make graham cracker crust... (or buy one)-- I use a graham crackery-cookie we can find here, mix it up with about 1/2 cup of butter + a few Tbsp sugar and let that set for a crust.
(2) Make fudge sauce-- (I used the fudge sauce called for in this recipe)

• Combine & heat the following over medium heat until boiling: 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, dash of salt, 1/2 cup water, and 60 g. chopped chocolate (2 bakers' squares)
• Add 1/2 cup half & half (I used 1/4 cup cream, 1/4 cup milk), & 1 tsp vanilla. Blend until smooth and thickened.

(3) Add half of that fudge sauce to the bottom of the pie shell, and put in freezer until slightly hardened, about 30 minutes.
(4) Add 1 Liter (or 1 quart-- or 1/4 gallon) of softened chocolate ice cream on top of the fudge sauce-covered pie crust and spread across the dish.
(5) Freeze until ice cream is harder, then sprinkle the top with cropped candy bars of your choice. The pie could stay in freezer like this for at least several days.
(6) Just before serving, drizzle remaining fudge sauce over each slice.

Hawaiian Chicken-- easy and tasty!

(from a friend)

Last week I enjoyed this recipe at a baby shower... it was so good we all begged our friend to share the recipe, and here it is:

Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken
6 chicken breasts, halved
1 -1 1/4 cups barbecue sauce (depends how you like it)
1/3 cup soy sauce (I used 1/4 cup)
15 oz. crushed pineapple with juice (i pureed some chunks)
1 onion chopped
1 large green pepper chopped

Place chicken in greased 13/9 inch pan (can be a little bigger, chicken was crowded but cooked fine)
Mix sauce and pour over top, and cover.
Bake at 350 for one hour


She served it over rice and it was excellent! There was plenty of sauce to flavor the rice.

Cheesecake Factory's Louisiana Chicken Pasta

YUM! Made this last night (From RecipeZaar), and it is a GREAT imitation of my favorite dish at Cheesecake Factory (this is one of those meals that I can't help but re-order each time I go because I know it's just so good and don't want to risk having a so-so meal when I can eat this awesome flavorful meal!).

Louisiana Chicken Pasta: SERVES 5 -7

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small yellow pepper (chopped)
• 1 small red bell pepper (chopped)
• 3/4 small onion (chopped)
• 3 whole garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 pints whipping cream
• 1 cup chicken broth (used 1 c. water + 1 chicken boullion cube)
  
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil (thinly sliced)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used 1/4 c. since it's expensive here)
  
• 1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta (I used penne)
  
• 1 cup mushroom (sliced) (optional)
  

Directions

1. Start your water boiling as you start making the sauce... and cook pasta like normal.
2. At the same time, let your breaded chicken breasts (thin-cut if possible to be most authentic) cook in the oven until crispy.
   
3. On stovetop, for sauce: melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add yellow and red bell peppers, mushrooms if desired, and onion to same skillet,until crisp-tender, about 4 minute.
5. Add garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and saute 3 minutes.
6. Add whipping cream and chicken stock.
7. Simmer until sauce re-heats and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
8. Add basil and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to sauce, stirring to incorporate.
9. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, simmer; sauce will reduce and thicken.
10. Serve pasta generously covered with sauce and peppers, place thin-cut breaded chicken on top and eat! DELICIOUS!
    

*** Note: If you want to make your own chicken breasts to use for this recipe, there are instructions in the recipe linked, or you can see my recipe here and bread with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs with whatever spices you desire.

Homemade Ranch-- this is so easy!

For years, I've used the Hidden Valley Ranch packets, never knowing I could make my own (better tasting!) ranch from scratch for super easy.

MIX THE FOLLOWING:

• 1 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 14-20 fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp dried dill (fresh is even tastier)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  
• salt & pepper to taste

Refrigerate and eat! YUM!

A Unique & Tasty Pasta Sauce

Pioneer Woman's Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce really is delish.

I've made it twice so far, and I have one alteration to suggest:

*** After sauteing the onions and garlic in the olive oil, throw them in the blender along with the pureed roasted red peppers.

Get it all nice and itty bitty. THEN put it back in the saucepan, add the cream, and pour over pasta. YUM. We roast the red peppers on a metal grate right over our gas burners and follow the rest of her instructions, and it works smashingly. This is delicious enough to just enjoy as a main dish, or you can add in chicken along with it; either way.

ENJOY!

Pizza Chicken Pasta

The other day I tried a delicious recipe from my favorite cookbook-- the Family Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen. It goes a little somethin' like this:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Make up about 1 cup (or a little more if you like) of pizza/marinara style sauce. Mine is usually composed of this:

• 1/2 cup tomato paste
  
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 1/2-1 tsp basil
• 1/2-1 tsp sugar
• add garlic salt, onion salt, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Spread that on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Take 3/4 - 1 cup of parmesan cheese and put it in a bowl. Season chicken breasts (we did chicken breast cutlets cut pretty thin and it was tasty!) with salt & pepper, then roll until coated in the parmesan cheese. Place chicken on top of sauce and put in the oven for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, layer pepperoni on top of the chicken and sauce, and cover it all up with a generous layer of mozzerella cheese. Bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and everything looks all scrumptious.

Promptly serve over pasta. Mmm, mmm, MMMM!

"Embarrassingly Easy Recipes" from some friends...

... feel free to try these. I'm just copying and pasting them here so I can revisit them later. All of the instructions, etc, are my friends' words (not mine). The prompt for all these recipes was someone asking for "embarrassingly easy recipes that get rave reviews", and I just pulled out the ones that sound good for the things that our family likes. Enjoy!

And let me know if you try any of these, how they work for you and your family!


Peanut Butter Cookies ~from Michelle
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Just mix it together and drop by the spoonful on a cookie sheet. I stick them in at 350 for about 14 minutes.


Italian Chicken Bake ~from Nancy
Cut up several medium potatoes into wedges (I use one per person)
Sprinkle with salt & pepper
Slice one onion and layer over potatoes
Slice one green pepper and layer over onions. (I sometimes use one red, one green for color.)
Pour one large can crushed tomatoes over this.
Top with chicken thighs (one per person or more)
Brush olive oil over chicken thighs, salt & pepper skin.
Slice into 1" pieces one pound italian sausage and wedge between chicken.
Bake at 375 until chicken is crispy...about an hour and 10 minutes.

I serve this with bread and salad, and can make it for four or forty!! It's really very flavorful!

Salsa Chicken ~ From Monica
Brown cut up chicken breasts in a little bit of oil in a skillet. Add a LARGE jar (28 oz) of salsa. Simmer for about 10 min. Serve over pasta. YUM!

Pasta with broccoli and chicken ~From Tanya
Bake three chicken breasts with a little garlic salt
Boil 3 cups of rotini
Steam 2 cups of broccoli
Saute a cup of mushrooms in butter.

Cube chicken and toss together with mushroom, broccoli and pasta. Drizzle a little butter on top and season with garlic salt. Quick and very good.


GARLIC CHICKEN- My picky 10 year old's favorite! ~From bearcreek
Need: Whole chicken, cut up. Ovenproof skillet with lid.

Coat w/olive oil.
Salt and pepper.
Brown both sides.
Meanwhile, peel 10 cloves garlic, 10 shallots.
Cut shallots in half.
Get some rosemary, thyme, and maybe some Italian parlsey from garden (or fridge) wash it.

Tuck herbs, shallots, and garlic in and around chicken.
Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil over chicken.
Put in oven at 350 with lid on for 1 and 1/2 hours.
Done. Total time in front of stove: 10 minutes.
So many possibilities to go with this delicious garlic sauce, use your imaginations. Great on bread!!!


Easy Chicken Divan ~From Jennifer
cooked chicken breast
cut up broccoli
1 can Campbell's healthy request Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Campbell's healthy request Cream of Mushroom soup
Parmesan cheese

Layer chicken breast and broccoli in a lightly greased 9x13 pan (chicken then broccoli works best, IMO). Mix the soup and 1/4-1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese and spread over the broccoli. If you like more sauce you can add another can of soup. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top covering the soup pretty well (it makes a pretty golden-brown topping). Bake at 350 for about 1/3-3/4 hour or until it's bubbly. Serve with steamed rice. mmmmm


Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball ~From Julie

In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 pkg. cream cheese (softened), 1/2 C. butter, softened, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla. Gradually add 3/4 C. confectioners sugar and 2 T. brown sugar. Stir in 3/4 C. mini chocolate chips. Cover and chill for 1 hour (or I do it overnight). Shape in ball and you can then roll in 3/4 C. finely chopped pecans. Serve with chocolate or regular graham crackers.


Chicken Without a Name ~From Tonya
I always get compliments on this chicken and it's super easy

Put your chicken pieces on your baking pan or cookie sheet. Top each piece with a spoonful of brown sugar and kind of spread it around with the spoon (make sure you don't stick it back into the brown sugar package!) or your fingers. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt and pepper. Bake like you normally would chicken pieces and that's it.


Presto Pralines
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine [Note: I usually use all butter, but you do need to use at least 1 stick real butter]
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
12 whole graham crackers [fits perfectly in a 15x10 pan; if your pan is a bit smaller, use what will fit]

Spray jelly roll-type pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with the graham crackers (if they break in half, don't worry -- you may have to break some of them to fit anyway)

In a heavy 2-quart or larger sauce pan, combine butter and brown sugar; cover over low heat, uncovered, until butter is melted. Raise heat to medium and bring mixture to boil. Once it has reached a boil, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low and cook for 1 more minute more, stirring constantly, until butter and brown sugar are well combined.

Remove from heat, stir in pecans, then spoon mixture over graham crackers. (Don't worry if crackers are not completely covered; the mixture will spread during baking).

Bake uncovered for 8 minutes. While still warm, cut or break them into halves (or smaller). Let cool completely; store in airtight tin. 24+ cookies.

(No doubt about it, this is an artery clogger, but you'll hear moans when people start eating these. And the recipe looks more complicated written down -- it's very easy and fast)


Taco Goulash ~from CrochetMama
Brown 1 lb. lean ground beef with onion (fresh, frozen, or dehydrated - amount is your preference). Then add: 15 oz. can rinsed black beans, 14-1/2 oz can diced tomatoes (with liquid), 1-2 Cups frozen corn, 1/4 Cup (or 1 pkg.) taco seasoning, and 3/4 Cup water. Heat through . . . then serve on chips, salad, tortillas (your choice!) - and top with grated cheddar cheese.


chocolate chip muffins made w/pumpkin: ~from Liesl
1 cake mix, any flavor (chocolate is the BEST; spice is great too)
1 can pumpkin (16oz)
1 cup chocolate chips

mix it all together, and bake at 350* according to which type pan - we have made muffins, a 13x9, and layers too.


Hot Dill Dip ~rodalena
Heat oven to 350.

Take one block of cream cheese and place on 2 triangles of refrigerator cresent rolls. Sprinkle the top of the cream cheese with dill weed. Cover the top of the cream cheese block with 2 more triangles of dough. Pinch the sides and top and bottom together to seal the cream cheese inside the rolls. Spread one egg yolk over the top, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite crackers or dipping veggies.

Believe me, it won't have time to cool down.


Easy Homemade (thus no additives or preservatives) Chicken Fingers: ~sourceofjoy

Mix: 1 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups corn flake crumbs(they can be bought this way), 2 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. paprika and 3/4 tsp. coarse pepper.

In another bowl mix 2 eggs (beaten), and 1/4 cup buttermilk.

Cut up ~ 3 lb. chicken breasts into strips. Add chicken to egg mixture and stir till moistened. Add chicken to dry mixture, a few at a time, coat and place onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet(this way clean up is a cinch, chicken doesn't stick to parchment paper and cookie sheet doesn't get baked on hard to clean grime on it). Melt some butter and dot over the chicken strips. Bake at 425F for about 12-15 min. Serves ~8.


Cola Roast, from Fix It and Forget It Cookbook...it just doesn't get any better, or easier, than this! ~shared by Rachel

Ingredients: Roast beef (I've used many different ones but my favorites are the sirloin tip roasts.
1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix
1 can Coke (not diet)

Put roast in crock pot. Put soup mix over roast. Pour Coke over all of it. Cook until done! It is SOOOO good, and so tender. I get asked about this every time I serve it to guests.


Baked Creamy Chicken ~From Jill
Put chicken, breasts, cut up pieces or bonelesss in a casserole dish. Top with 2 -3 cans of Golden Mushroom Soup, cover and bake for about an hour till chicken is done. Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes. The gravy is awesome. You may want to add a bit of water if it seems to thick. I usually uncover the last 15 minutes or so.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole ~From Kristy
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 bag nacho cheese Doritos (store brand works, too)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup enchilada sauce
shredded cheese

Mix chicken with crushed chips and add remaining ingredients. Add more broth or enchilada sauce for more moisture. Place into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.


Easy Crockpot Chicken ~From Reese
Place thawed boneless chicken in CP, pour over one can of chicken broth, sprinkle with one envelope dry Italian dressing mix (I use Good Seasons). Cook on low all day (10 hours or so). You can cook some noodles in the broth and it's very tasty.


French Bread recipe if you have a Bosch kitchen machine. ~From Toni
5 cups of flour
1 tbls. Yeast
1 tbls. Olive oil
2 ½ cups of warm water (might need a bit more depending on the humidity in your house)
1 tbls. Salt
Throw it all in the Bosch and mix until the dough cleans the sides. Mix for 2 minutes on low and then put in greased bowl. Let rise for at least 2 hours but all day is great too. Shape into whatever shape loaves you want, cover and let rise until they are the size you want and then bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. I have discovered that if I throw in a few ice cubes in the bottom of the oven when I put the loaves in, it makes the crust even better!
If you want pretty loaves, after you remove the loaves from the oven, brush with a mixture of water and egg white for shiny loaves.


Easy Stuffed Manacotti ~From Bean
1 lb. ground meat
1 onion (fresh or frozen)
1 pkg. manacotti shells
1 lg. jar spaghetti sauce
12 mozzarella cheese sticks (string cheese)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the manacotti shells according to the directions. Brown the ground meat with the onion and drain. Mix in the sauce. Cover the bottom of a 9x12 baker with some of the meat sauce mixture. Stuff each manacotti shell with one cheese stick and arrange them in the pan. Cover with the rest of the meat sauce. Bake at 350 until bubbly and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top ten minutes before done.

This is so yummy and I never, never make lasagna anymore!


Sante Fe Chicken ~From Kathy
Place 4-6 boneless chicken breast in crockpot. cover with 1-2 cans of black beans, some frozen corn and salsa. Cook on low all day or high 4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, shred chicken, it will be tender and shred easily. Then cube 8 oz of cream cheese and put into crock pot. Stir and let cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve over rice or on tortillas.


Dip for Apple Slices ~From HSisfun
8oz cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped peanuts

Beat together 1st 3 ingredients & stir in other 2 ingredients. Sit down w/a big bowl of sliced apples and devour only as much as your tummy can manage. :-)


Chicken rice (as my dc call it) ~From Jennie
1 cup whole grain rice
2 cups water
(or if you use more rice, you can do 1 /2 to 3 of water...0
1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
1Tbsp dried Parsley
S/P to taste
1 whole chicken

Put all in a big pot with the chicken on top. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer for an hour. that's it. Add a veggie and it's a meal. The chicken does not brown, but it falls off the bone.


Roasted Garlic ~From Jael
Take a whole, unpeeled head of garlic and slice off the top (the pointy end) to reveal most of the individual cloves. Wrap the head in aluminum foil, leaving the top open and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the exposed cloves. Close up the foil so that it is well sealed, and roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. (I use the toaster oven when I do just 1 or 2.) You will know when it is done by the smell, and when it is squishy and soft. A sprinkle of salt will enhance the flavor. Just serve this with an excellent french bread, you can squeeze each clove and spread it with a knife. It is easy, delicious, and so good for you!


PASTA W/ LEFTOVERS ~From Meghan

1. Make pasta according to directions, any shape. Mix with 1 small can chopped tomatoes and 1 jar spaghetti sauce. Stir in generous amount of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. My kids love this! Additions: cooked hamburger or chicken or Italian sausage, sauteed veggies (onions, peppers, zucchini are great with this). I think this is what we are having for supper tonight, actually.
2. Another quick pasta dish -- cook chicken breasts in boiling water until just done and tender, remove meat and use chicken broth to cook pasta. Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces while pasta cooks. Drain pasta, add pasta and chicken back to pot, stir in a can of chopped tomatoes and a jar of spaghetti sauce and if desired, cooked veggies of whatever kind. I call it chicken cacciatore but it's not authentic; still, my family loves this.
3. If you have leftover spaghetti, sauced or plain, make a spaghetti omelet (or you can cook up some just for this). Heat oil or margarine in a large nonstick pan. Saute spaghetti until heated through and add scrambled eggs (I usually do 2 per person, we have a family of five). You can add herbs and spices to this or leave plain. After omelet is dry on bottom, carefully cut into wedges with plastic spatula (so you don't scratch pan) and flip each wedge (this takes practice to get this so it's not totally messy). I usually top with cheese, cover pan with foil, and let melt. Often I will top the whole thing with some jarred spaghetti sauce and then put mozzarella on top and heat on lower heat until melted and bubbly.

EASY FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES ~From Cherie
A Good Roast
1 Can Beef Consomme
1 Can Beef Broth
1 Can French Onion Soup

Put in Crockpot on low and cook for 6-8 hours until roast is good and tender. Remove roast from juices and shred. Place on French bread and use broth as a dipping sauce. YUMMM!!


Beef Tips and Rice ~From Anne
Beef tips (or stew meat or leftover roast is good also)
1 can french onion soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Put all in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.




And that's all, folks. Good list, methinks. :)

A (fairly new) Family Favorite: Stuffed Chicken Breasts

As Kelly Kapoor would say, these are "a-MAZ-ing!" This is one of our favorite meals... it seems very gourmet and combines some different-than-normal (for us at least) flavors, and gives us some variety while still using fairly basic and easy-to-find ingredients.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

1. Pound out and flatten chicken breasts.
2. Combine the following: 4 oz. goat cheese (or other flavorful soft white cheese), 4 oz. cream cheese, chopped garlic cloves (as many as you like-- it calls for one but I usually do 2 or 3 fat cloves), 1-2 Tbsp Rosemary or Thyme (depending on how much you like those flavors), and salt and pepper (about 1/4 tsp. each).
3. Roll into log rolls and roll the chicken breasts around the rolls, and place in greased dish, seam down.
4. In same bowl as remaining filling, add and mix in the following: 3/4 c. mayo, 2-3 Tbsp honey mustard or dijon mustard, and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Spoon this mixture over the chicken breasts.
5. If desired, top with breadcrumbs. (My recipe calls for this, but we rarely do it. It's good either way).

Bake @ 425 for 30 minutes.

It's delicious over rice.

I also like putting baked potatoes in, setting the timer for one hour, and getting started making these. About the time the timer is at 30-35 minutes, I have the whole dish ready to go in (that's with little ones interrupting), and can add it in on a rack above of the already-hot baked potatoes, and it all bakes up beautifully.

The sauce is extra delicious as another flavor with baked potatoes or rice. This tastes like a really fancy meal, but is very easy to do. We have it about once a month now. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

From Scratch BBQ Sauce

Just found this recipe, called "Kathryn Dupuee's BBQ Sauce", given to me by a friend who also lives overseas. This should be particularly helpful for those of us who live abroad and can't just run down to the grocery store and grab any variety of BBQ Sauce we want.

1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. chopped onion

Saute slowly until onions are transparent, not brown.

3/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. water
3 Tbsp. worchestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. of brown sugar (fyi, I use the same amount of sugar and tint it with molasses to substitute for brown sugar since we can't get it here, and it works great!)
2 Tbsp. mustard (American-style, prepared-- not the spice)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4-1/3 c. lemon juice (fresh is best)

Saute over low heat until thickened.


My friend says this is absolutely delicious, and it sounds easy-peasy. I hope to make it soon. Enjoy!

Make-Your-Own Seasoning Mixes

Here are a few from-scratch seasoning mixes I picked up from an online friend:

Chili Seasoning
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp season salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Add 1 Tbsp seaoning to 1/2-1lb browned ground beef. (add 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can beans and you've got chili)

Taco Seasoning
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder/salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp sugar

Add to 1 lb (or so) browned ground meat along with 2/3 c water.

Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1 Tbsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp celery salt
2 Tbsp salt

Mix together. Store in a tightly sealed container.

To use:
1/4 c white vinegar
2/3 c canola oil
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp mix