Easiest Doughnuts EVER!

I am not kidding when I say this was the EASIEST recipe for doughnuts. I have been making doughnuts for a long time and always hate all the work that goes into them. These not only were quick and simple, but they look awesome. I don't think I have ever made a doughnut that actually looks like a doughnut! We loved them!

Quick and Easy Doughnuts

Ingredients:

biscuit dough—ready to use or from scratch
small circle cutter—I used a lid from my water bottle
1/2 cup (or more) cooking oil—vegetable or canola
tongs
paper towels

Directions:

Open the biscuit can and spread all the rolls out. Then using a small circle cutter, press out a donut hole right in the middle.

Then get your pan to medium heat with 1/2 cup oil. Depending on how many you make, you will need more oil. You want enough oil to cover half of the donut when cooking, and so that they can float a little off the bottom. Place 3-4 doughy donuts into the pan and leave until the bottom is golden brown. They cook fast! Then turn them over and cook another minute or so. Using tongs, place the cooked donut on paper towels to drain and cool slightly.

You can then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, or make this yummy chocolate glaze.


Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions
Combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted. Turn off heat, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Place the mixture over a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients
2 slices whole wheat bread, torn
4 T fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 15 0z can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 t taco seasoning
1 egg
Place torn bread in a food processor bowl or blender container. Cover and process or blend until bread becomes crumbs.
Transfer crumbs to a large bowl and set aside.
Next, process or blend cilantro and garlic until finely chopped. Add beans and seasoning. Process or blend until beans are coarsely chopped and mixture begins to pull away from the sides.
Add mixture to the breadcrumbs in the bowl.
Add egg, mix well and shape into four 1/2 in thick patties.
Grill patties on a lightly greased rack or an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until patties are heated through, turning once. (I cooked mine on my George Foreman.)
Place the black bean burger on a bed of coleslaw and top with tomatoes, guacamole, and limejuice. I served it with cheese quesadillas. You can also put it on a bun to make it more burger-like.
Serve with healthy coleslaw

gee whiz...

For those of us who must be blogging morons (which I guess is only me), could you please explain how to edit a post that is already there (to add a picture for instance.) Is it possible that it won't let me edit something that Shelli posted? I can't find an "edit" or "add picture" or "change date" option anywhere on any of the existing posts.

Love, Amy

Fresno Tacos

This is one of our favorites and one of the only recipes where my kids will eat cooked cabbage.

1 lb. ground beef
6 cloves of garlic (more or less to taste)
1 can (15 oz.) diced new potatoes (drained)
2-3 C. cabbage (sliced to preference)
white corn tortillas
grated cheese
cooking oil

Brown the ground beef and garlic together until brown. Then add the diced new potatoes and cabbage to ground beef and toss together. Cover and simmer on medium low for about 15 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked to your preference. While the ground beef is simmering, heat the oil and fry the corn tortillas to where they are slightly stiff but still bendable. Serve with cheese.

*This recipe calls for a lot of garlic. You can choose how much you like. I usually add more. You can add more cabbage to bulk up the meal. I drain my tortillas on paper towels before serving. For less fat don't fry the tortillas but warm them in a moist paper towel in the microwave. Mark and I are big Cholula hot sauce fans and I think it tastes really good on it. The photos show 1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef.

Apricot Chicken

This is not the greatest photo, sorry. I am not a photographer.

1 c apricot jam
1 c Catalina dressing
1 pkg. onion soup mix
chicken
Combine ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for 1-1 ½ hours. Serve with rice.
This almost taste like a sweet and sour chicken. It is sooo good!

I made this again tonight, and Ryan told me that it is one of his favorite meals. I didn't really want to have my oven on for an hour and a half, so I tried it in the crockpot. It worked great in the crockpot, but both Ryan and I thought that it was a little better baked in the oven. I served it as breasts(or tenders) last time I made it, but since it was in the crockpot it became shredded. It seemed a little more dry than I remember it being last time I made it. It was still good and I will probably do it this way again while the weather is warm so that my house doesn't get too hot.

30 Minute Breadsticks OR No-Fail Deep Dish Pizza Crust

I got this from Julie, but I have made it a couple of times.
http://everydayfoodstorage.net/2008/09/21/2-for-1-breadsticks-or-pizza-in-under-30-minutes-from-one-easy-recipe/food-storage-recipes
(If it is too thick for your family, you can either half the recipe or put one full recipe onto two cookie sheets)
2 1/2 C. Medium Hot Water
5 tsp. SAF Instant Yeast*
2 Tbsp. Sugar
3 Tbsp. Oil
1 tsp. Salt
6 C. Flour (you can do half all-purpose and half white wheat or 100% whole wheat)
1 to 2 Cubes of Butter
Directions:
1. Pour medium hot water in mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to dissolve.2. Add sugar, salt, and oil. Gradually add approximately 6 cups of flour.
3. Melt 1-2 cubes butter on cookie sheet in oven as it is heating to 400 degrees and melt in oven. 4. Place dough on cookie sheet and press to fill pan, make sure butter gets on top of the dough.
5. Allow to double in size (About 10-15 minutes)
6. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until desired browning is accomplished.
7. Cut into strips or top with favorite pizza toppings.

*When using regular yeast change amount to 2 Tbsp.

When I made these I used half of the dough for a pizza crust and the other half for bread sticks. It was plenty for both. If you are just doing a pizza crust I would recommend halving the recipe, but I don't know how that will turn out. I haven't tried it yet. I used half wheat flour and half all-pupose. I also only used one stick of butter total-1/3 for the pizza crust and 2/3 for the bread sticks. There is a how to video online. They are really easy to make.


These are the breadsticks and crust while rising. I put garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and parsley on the bread sticks before baking.

BBQ chicken pizza before baking.

Finished breadsticks in the pan.

Crockpot Bacon Chicken

boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 (8oz) sour cream
4-5 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
Put chicken and bacon into crockpot. Mix soup and sour cream together and pour over chicken. Cook on low 7-8 hours, high for 3-4. Right before serving I add peas and mushrooms. Serve over pasta.

Ghost Chili

1lb boneless chicken, chopped into bite size pieces
1 onion, diced
1 T oil
1 1/2 t garlic powder
14oz can chicken broth
1 can chopped green chilis
2 15oz cans Great Northern beans drained and rinsed
1 t salt
1 t cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t black pepper
Brown chicken and onion in oil until chicken is cooked and onion is tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Before serving, stir in 1 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of whipping cream.(I used regular milk. I also thickened it just a little with cornstarch)
I served it with corn bread muffins, but it would also be good with bread sticks.

Everyone in my family loves this. Even Addelyn likes it!

Moist Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 ½ c shortening
1 ½ c brown sugar (packed)
1 ½ c sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
4 c oatmeal (quick)
1 lb chocolate chips
2 cups of nuts (optional)Cream shortening sugar and eggs. Add vanilla and dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly and then add oatmeal, nuts and chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 min.

Pancake or Waffle Mix

3 ½ c flour (can be all white or half and half with wheat flour)
¼ c sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Mix all together. Can be stored for up to 3 months. I use this mix all the time. I either just store the mix in a container in the pantry or I make up a whole bunch of waffles or pancakes and put them in the freezer. They can then go from the freezer to the toaster to warm up.

Pancakes
1 cup of mix
1 egg
1 T melted butter
1 c milk
¼ tsp vanilla

Waffles
1 cup of mix
1 egg
1 T melted butter
¾ c milk¼ tsp vanilla

Honey-Glazed Chinese Chicken

½ c Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade &Sauce
¼ c Hoisin Sauce
¼ c honey
2 1/2 lb Chicken drumsticks
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Combine first 3 ingredients: pour over chicken in large plastic food storage bag. Press air out of bag: close top securely. Turn bag over several times to coat all pieces well. Refridgerate 2 hours or overnight, turning bag over occasionally. Bake chicken in 350 degree oven 1 hour, turning pieces over and basting with pan juices once. Sprinkle on green onion before serving.

*This is one of our favorite recipes! I do not use drumsticks. I use thighs, but you can use chicken breasts. I like that the thighs aren't as dry. I also cook this in the crockpot. I have never done it the oven like the recipe does. Just mix your ingredients and pour over chicken in crockpot. low 6-8 hours. high 4-5. I have never used the green onions either. Serve with rice. SO YUMMY!!!

Easy BBQ Crockpot Ribs(or Chicken)

I like to use country style ribs(or chicken) for this.
Put meat in the Crockpot pour a bottle of your favorite over the top.
Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 6-8 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes or rice or shred it and put it on buns.
Told you it was easy!

Simple Lasagna

1 container (15 oz) part skim ricotta cheese. (I use a 16 oz. container of low fat cottage cheese)
2-½ cups mozzarella cheese, divided
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
¼ cup chopped parsley (I use a couple T of dried parsley)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 lb ground beef(or chicken), cooked
1 cup water
12 lasagna noodles
Preheat oven to 350. Mix ricotta cheese, 1 ¼ cup of mozzarella, ¼ Parmesan, parsley and egg until well blended. Set aside. Pour spaghetti sauce into meat in skillet. Pour water into empty sauce jar and shake well. Pour into skillet, stir until well mixed. Place 1 cup of meat sauce on bottom of the 9x13 dish(prevents noodles from sticking to the pan) Layer 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of ricotta cheese mixture and 1 c of meat sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times. Tops with remaining 3 noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover tightly with greased aluminum foil. Bake 45 min or until cooked through. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 min. Let stand 15 min before cutting.

Baked Potato Soup

1T butter
¼ c chopped onion
¼ c chopped celery
1 can (14 ½ oz) chicken broth
1 ¼ c milk
2 med baking potatoes, baked and cut into cubes
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
¾ cheddar cheese, shredded
2 T green onion slices
¼ c sour cream
Melt butter in saucepan. Add onion and celery cook until crisp-tender. Add broth, milk, potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Slightly crush potatoes with back of spoon. Reduce heat to med-low, simmer 5 min, stirring frequently.
Save 2 T each of bacon, cheese and 1 T green onion for topping. Add remaining bacon, cheese, and onion to soup just before serving. Cook until cheese is melted.
Top with bacon, cheese, onion, and sour cream.
I usually don't use baked potatoes. I just peel, chopped and then boil potatoes. When they are soft I drain and then kind of mash them up. Then I put them in the soup. I also us a lot more potato than the recipe calls for.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread

3 c flour
2 c sugar
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
½ c unsweetened applesauce
½ veg. oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 c shredded zucchini
1 c chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup choc. chips
In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, beat eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini, nuts and Choc. chips. Divide batter between two greased9x5x3 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 55-60 min or until toothpick inserted near the center comes our clean. Cool for 10 min before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Cheesy Sausage Zucchini Casserole

¾ cup uncooked white rice
1½ c water
1 pound pork sausage
¼ c chopped onion
1 c diced fresh tomato
4 c cubed zucchini
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (8 oz) package of shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Combine the rice and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 min. until tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 325.
Cook sausage and onion in a large skillet over med heat, stirring until evenly browned. Drain excess grease. Stir in zucchini and tomatoes, and cook until tender. Stir in rice, mushrooms, and half of cheese. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper. Spread in 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake uncovered until cheese is bubbly, about 20 min.

Zucchini Herb Casserole

1/3 c uncooked long grain white rice
2/3 c water
2 T veg. oil
1 ½ pounds zucchini, cubed
1 c sliced green onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ¼ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp basil
½ tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp dried oregano
1-½ cups chopped tomato
2 c shredded cheese
Combine the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 min, until rice is tender.
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a shallow 1-½ quart casserole dish.
Heat the oil in a skillet over med heat and cook the zucchini, onions, and garlic 5 min or until tender. Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano. Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes and 1 cup of cheese. Continue to cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 20 min. or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

4 C flour
2 c sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 (16 oz) can solid pack pumpkin
1 c veg. oil
2 eggs
2 T milk
2tsp vanilla
2 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped walnuts

In mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add pumpkin, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla: beat on medium speed until well mixed. Stir in Choc. chips, and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. bake 375 for 13-14 min or until edges begin to brown. Cool for 2 min. remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Butter Frosting

4 T butter
2 1/3 c powdered sugar
milk
¾ tsp vanilla
for chocolate frosting add 3 T cocoaPut butter in bowl and beat with electric mixer until fluffy. Add about half the powdered sugar. Beat in 1 T milk and the vanilla. Slowly add in the rest of the powdered sugar. Add more milk if needed. Add food coloring if desired. This makes enough frosting to ice half of a cake mix, so I usually double it.

Sugar Cookies

1 c butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla
3 c flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ c sour cream
Cream butter and sugar together, then slowly add eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together, then add dry mixture to the wet mixture along with the sour cream, mix until smooth.
Chill 2-3 hours.Roll out to ¼-1/3 inch thick depending on your preference and cut into shapes. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 min or until golden brown on bottom and let cool.

Barbecued Pulled Chicken Sandwiches(this could also be made with country style ribs)

1 8-ounce can reduced-sodium tomato sauce (I used regular)
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Stir tomato sauce, chiles, vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground chipotle and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker until smooth. Add chicken, onion and garlic; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low until the chicken can be pulled apart, about 5 hours.Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with a fork. Return the chicken to the sauce, stir well and serve.
You can use breasts instead of thighs but if you use thighs it will not be as dry.

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

Oriental Dressing
3 T honey
1 ½ T rice wine vinegar (I have never used rice wine vinegar. I have used regular-use less, cider and rice though)
¼ c mayonnaise
1 tsp grey poupon Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp sesame oil (I have never used this either)

Salad
1 egg
½ c milk
½ c flour
½ c corn flake crumbs
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
chicken
2-4 c veg. oil for frying
3 c chopped romaine lettuce
1 c red cabbage
1 c napa cabbage (I usually just buy shredded cabbage and use that only)
½ carrot julienned or shredded (There is carrot in the shredded cabbage that I buy)
1 green onion chopped
1 T sliced almonds
1/3 c chow mien noodles

Preheat oil in deep fryer or deep pan over med heat.
Blend together all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl.
In a small, shallow bowl beat egg, add milk and mix well.
In another bowl combine flour with corn flake crumbs, salt and pepper.
Cut chicken breast into 4 or 5 long strips. Dip each strip of chicken first into egg mixture then into flour mixture.
Fry each chicken finger for 5 min or until coating has darkened to brown.
Prepare salad by tossing the chopped romaine with the chopped cabbage. Sprinkle sliced green onion, almonds and chow mien noodles on top of salad. Cut chicken into bit sized chunks and put on salad. Top with dressing.
The last time I made this I used ShakenBake on my chicken instead of frying it. It was a lot easier and it still tasted great!

Fish Tacos (or Chicken)

Marinade
6 T red dried chilies Sauce
3 T olive oil
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp cumin
2 cloves
1 dry bay leaf salt to taste
Mix everything put on fish and let sit for 1 hour
Bake at 350 until fish flakes or chicken is done
Sauce
1 ¾ c mayo
2 T water
2 T white vinegar
1 fresh jalapeno pepper no seeds
1 garlic clove
½ cup cilantro (whole)
¼ tsp pepper
Put ingredients for sauce in blender or food processor.
Serve with Pico de Gallo, purple and white cabbage and limes.

Snickerdoodles

1 c shortening
1 ½ c sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ c flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
½ tsp saltChill dough. Roll into balls. Roll balls in mixture of 2 T sugar and 1 T cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 8-10 min.

Zesty Chicken Pasta

1 ob boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped
½ c House Italian Salad Dressing
2 c broccoli
1 small onion thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper chopped
1 T parsley
8 oz pasta cooked and drained
¼ parmesan cheese
Cook and stir chicken in 1/4salad dressing on med.-high heat until no longer pink. Add broccoli, onion, pepper, and parsley. Cook until tender. Toss with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with cheese.
Sometimes I use a bag of frozen veggies with broccoli, cauliflower, squash, and carrots or something like that. Then it is even easier.

Italian Summer Chicken

4 chicken breast
¾ c flour
2 T olive oil
5 oz chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts
½ tsp dill weed
1 ½ c green beans
2 T lemon juiceDip chicken in flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook in oil over medium heat-about 2 min per side. Add chicken broth, artichoke and dill weed. Cover, reduce hear and cook for 5 min. Turn breasts over and add green beans and lemon juice. Turn heat high about 1 min until sauce thickens. Serve over pasta.

Baked Salmon(or chicken) with Tomatoes, Spinach, and Mushrooms

4 Salmon fillets (4 oz each)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 med. tomato chopped
1/3 cup sun dried tomato vinaigrette dressing.Place salmon fillets skin side down in a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Mix remaining ingredients until well blended spoon over salmon. Bake at 375 for 20-25 min or until salmon flakes with a fork.

Easy Zucchini Casserole

Sliced desired amount of zucchini and spread evenly in a lightly greased casserole dish(use cooking spray) Cover with grated mozzarella. Pour can of spaghetti sauce over zucchini. Cover with favorite prepared stuffing or breadcrumbs. Bake at 400 for 15 minute. Can also add chicken or ground beef to the zucchini.

Angel Hair Pasta Salad

cook,rinse and drain 12 oz angel hair or vermicelli
add 1T season salt
3 T lemon juice
4 T oil
soak overnight
Add 1 c green pepper
½ c chopped onion
1 c olives
4 oz pimento
1 ½ c mayorefrigerate for 2 hours

Chicken Rolls

1 can of croissant rolls (Grand's or other brand)
1 package of cream cheese softened
1can of chicken (or 2 chicken breasts shredded)
½ cube of butter, softened (I never use that much)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of milkMix chicken, butter, and cream cheese together. Place a spoonful of mixture in unrolled croissant. Wrap up corners to form a "puff." Place on a baking sheet and cook according to croissant package. Make gravy with soup and milk. Serve with rice.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Hatch's green chili sauce
1 can Hatch's red enchilada sauce
6 small chicken breasts cooked and shredded
shredded cheddar cheeseMix soup and sauces together. Save about 1/3 to pour over the top. Add chicken to 2/3 of the sauce mixture. Roll chicken mixture and shredded cheese into flour tortillas and place in a 9x13 pan. Top with remaining sauce mixture and shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for30-45 min or until bubbly.

No Cream Creamy Broccoli Soup

2 med. carrots, peeled, chopped
1 med. onion chopped
2 celery stocks chopped
3 T oil
2 cans (14 ½ oz each) chicken broth
2 cups water
2 small bunches of fresh broccoli trimmed into 3 inch lengths
½ cup minute rice
2 cups milk
¼ grated Parmesan cheeseCook and stir carrots, onions, and celery in oil in large saucepan on med-high for 3 min. Add chick broth and water, stir. Bring to a boil. Stir in broccoli and rice. Reduce heat to med-low. Simmer 10-15 min or until veggies are tender. Stir frequently. Add soup in batches to blender or food processor. Blend until pureed-return to pot. Add milk and cheese. Cook until heated.

Pumpkin Pancakes

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Pancakes/Detail.aspx
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Zucchini Soup

8-10 cups of cut-up zucchini
½ lb bacon
1 can chicken broth
½ tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp pepper
2 medium onionsCut up zucchini, fry bacon until crisp, remove. Cook onions in pan until transparent. Combine zucchini, bacon, onions, and remaining ingredients in large pot. Cook until zucchini is tender, adding water if needed. Allow to cool. Put everything in a blender and blend till smooth. Heat for serving. Top with croutons and Parmesan cheese. Leave out bacon to make vegetarian.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

¾ cup of hot chocolate mix
3 cup ice
1 cup milk
Blend together and serve immediately

Mexican Rice

1 cup of rice
1 T oil
½ tsp onion powder
1 chicken bouillon cube
2/3 T tomato sauce (I just use a little bit of ketchup, I think that it is only for color anyway!)
½ tsp salt or to taste
3 cups chicken broth (I usually don't have chicken broth so I use three cups of water and 3-4 bouillon cubes)Brown the rice in oil until light brown. Add remaining ingredients and stir occasionally until broth comes to a boil. Cover and simmer about 20 min. or until rice is tender.

Creamy Cooker Chicken

1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 cups sour cream
10 ¾ oz can cream of mushroom soup
boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 7 oz can of mushroom bits and pieces, drained
Combine soup mix, sour cream, mushrooms and mushroom soup in slow cooker. Add chicken, pushing it down so it is covered in sauce. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Healthy Coleslaw

3 cups green cabbage,
thinly sliced1 carrot, grated
1 t rice vinegar
1 t olive oil
1/4 c chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl, add cabbage and carrots(I used the precut cabbage and carrot mix from the store, much easier). In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil and cilantro. Toss dressing with cabbage and carrots and salt and pepper to taste. I also used more vinegar. I thought that it needed to be a little stronger.

Chicken Parmesan

chicken breasts or (6-8 chicken tenders)
1 can spaghetti sauce
1 package Shake-N-Bake
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Thaw chicken if frozen, rinse then cover in Shake-N-Bake. Bake as indicated on Shake-N-Bake box with about 10 minutes left to cook spoon some spaghetti sauce on top of each piece of chicken then sprinkle cheese over each piece of chicken. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve on spaghetti noodles with the remaining spaghetti sauce as needed.
*If you do not have Shake-N-Bake it is really good without it as well, you can also use breadcrumbs too.

Chicken Goodness

1 pkg Stove Top stuffing for Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I usually use 6-8 chicken tenders)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1. Stir stuffing crumbs, 1 1/2 cups hot water and 1/4 cup butter until moistened. Set aside
2. Place chicken in 12x8 inch baking dish. Mix soup and sour cream. Pour over chicken. Top with stuffing
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Chicken enchiladas

4 chicken breasts boiled and shredded
1 can of red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese10-12 (6 inch) corn or flour tortillas
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Add 1/2 cup sauce and 1 cup cheese to shredded chicken
Spread 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of baking dish
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of chicken down center of each tortilla
Roll up and place seam-side down in baking dish
Top with remaining sauce and cheese
Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted
I like to add black beans and Rice-A-Roni Mexican Rice to the chicken as well. Cook the rice first.

Taco Soup

You can make this vegetarian style without the beef and it is still really good. Just add the taco seasoning to the bean/corn/tomato mixture
1 lb ground beef
taco seasoning
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 can white beans
1 can corn (or I use frozen and it's yummy)
I can tomato sauce
I can diced tomatoes
I can water (optional)
brown ground beef, then add taco seasoning. In crock pot add beans, corn, tomatoes, mix then add meat mixture. I cook it for at least a couple hours on low in crock pot. Serve with sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips.

Beef Stew: (or chicken stew or just pick out the beef

1lb stew meat browned
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 cans of waterpotatoes (I usually do about 3 big potatoes or 4 smaller ones)
carrots (just one of the small bags of the baby carrots works)
peas (one package of frozen peas is usually good)
1 onion chopped or sliced however you want to cut is great
Cook on low in crockpot and enjoy!

Easy-Peasy Lettuce Wraps

shredded cooked chicken breasts
sautéed chopped onion
green peppers if I have them, I usually don't
stir fry sauce (or another Chinese sauce, I used to get general chau or something like that but stir fry sauce is easier to find)
crushed red pepper if you want it spicier (the stir fry sauce isn't spicy like general chau's, so I add a little for trev)
a little soy sauce
sometimes I add some of the cooked white rice to make the chicken go further sometimes we throw some almonds or Chinese noodles in for a little crunch
wrap in lettuce

Chicken-Artichoke Pitas

1 Onion
1 green pepper
6-8 sliced artichoke hearts
as much diced chicken as you want
pitas (the flatbread kind that fold like a taco are WAY better than the dried up pocket kind)Sauté onions and green pepper until almost tender. Add diced chicken. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Add artichoke hearts and heat until warm. Eat in a pita. Put cheese on it if you want. (A lot of people don't like artichoke hearts, but this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE and I would feel bad leaving it out)This is really good in the summer with squash or zucchini instead of green peppers.

Little Italy Chicken Pitas with Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette

http://ppkitchens.blogspot.com/2008/06/little-italy-chicken-pitas-with-sun.html
Ingredients
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil (from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes)
1 tablespoon chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 cup chopped tomato (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese (who has Asiago cheese? I use whatever I have, Parmesan or even mozzarella.)
pitas (the flatbread kind that fold like a taco are WAY better than the dried up pocket kind)
3 cups mixed baby greens
Preparation:Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl (I always chop the sun-dried tomatoes REALLY tiny because they are kind of gross to get a big chunk of). Stir in chicken, tomato, and cheese. Line each pita with 1/2 cup greens. Top with chicken mixture and drizzle with some of the dressing. Fold your pita.

Éclair in a pan

ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
3 cups whipped cream,
1 box of instant pudding
directions1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 glass pan. In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Spread into the bottom of pan.Mix pudding with 1 cup milk (a cup less than it calls for), and then mix with 2 cups of the cool whip.After éclair is done cooking, let cool completely. Then layer with pudding mixture, and top with cool whip. Drizzle with chocolate/caramel/or both.

Mom's Banana Nut Bread

2/3 c. Shortening
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 1/2 c. flour
2t. baking powder
1t. soda
1t. salt
2 c. mashed bananas (at least. the more you add the better!)
1 c. walnuts (optional)
Cream shortening sugar and eggs. Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Alternate adding mashed bananas and dry ingredients until well blended. Add nuts if desired. Fill bread pan 2/3 full. (Amy's special touch: Sprinkle batter with brown sugar before baking to make a sugary crust). Bake 350 for 45-50 min.

Apple Pockets

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Apple-Pockets
2¼ cup all purpose flour, divided
1 package (1/4 ounce) quick rise yeast
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
2/3 cup of water
1/4 cup butter
Filling
4 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (2-3 medium)
1/3 cup sugar
2 T flour
1/2 t ground cinnamon
Topping
1/4 cup milk
4 t sugarDirections: In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt. In a saucepan, heat the water and butter to 120°-130°. Add to the dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into four portions. Roll each portion into an 8-in. square. Cut into four 4-in. squares. Cut apple slices into thirds; toss with sugar, flour and cinnamon. Place 1/4 cup filling on each square; bring up the corners up over the filling and pinch to seal. Secure with a toothpick if needed. Place 3 in. apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Brush with milk; sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Discard toothpicks. Yield: 16 servings.
Can also be filled with a meat mixture and served as a main dish.

Chili

1 med. onion, diced
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, with juice
2 cans chili beans, with juice
1 can pinto beans, with juice
3 cans chopped tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained
1 t pepper
1 T salt
1 T cumin
2 t chili powder
1 t basil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb browned ground beef (It’s good without the meat too)
Combine all ingredients and simmer for 1 hour. Serve over Frito chips or tortilla chips with cheese on top a bit of sour cream.

Brownies

2 cups sugar
1-½ cups flour
4 eggs
½ cup + 2Tablespoons cocoa
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients and stir until mixed well. Bake in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan for 30 – 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Terrific Lasagna

1 lb. hamburger (you can use chicken or use zucchini and fresh spinach for veggie lasagna)
1 bottle/can spaghetti sauce (28 – 32 ounces)
24-ounce small curd cottage cheese
1 lb. Monterey jack cheese shredded
one box wide lasagna noodles

Brown hamburger. Remove excess fat from the hamburger. Pour enough spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan to cover the bottom. Pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce into the browned hamburger. Cover the spaghetti sauce in the pan with a layer of uncooked noodles. Pour half of the meat mixture over the noodles and spread evenly. Then evenly spread the entire carton of cottage cheese over the meat mixture. Then evenly distribute the shredded cheese over the cottage cheese. Add another layer of uncooked noodles, and then the rest of the meat mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Potatoes AuGratin

1 package frozen, shredded hash browns
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 – 2 cups cheddar cheese
salt to taste
Combine all ingredients and stir together. Put potato mixture in a 9x13 inch or round casserole dish. Cover with tin foil or lid. Bake at 350° for 1 – 1-½ hours. Can top with corn flakes or bread crumbs then cook, uncovered for the last 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Frito Chili Dip

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
1 can “no beans” chili
1 small can chopped olives
Melt in microwave and mix together. Serve with Fritos.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Rice Krispy Rolls

1 cup Light Karo Syrup
1 cup sugar
Stir
Bring to boil and remove from heat.

Add to sugar mixture:
1 cup peanut butter (stir until melted)
5 – 6 cups rice krispies (stir until completely coated with peanut butter and sugar mixture)
Spread evenly on a large cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap and sprayed with cooking spray
Melt one package of milk chocolate chips in the microwave (about 3 minutes on power level 5 – then stir until completely melted)
Spread over rice krispies
Roll lengthwise until the rice krispies look like a log
Refrigerate for 1 – 1½ hoursCut the log like a loaf of bread. Eat. And Enjoy!!!!!

Lauren's Delicious Fudge

3 cups milk chocolate chips
1 can of sweet and condensed milk
pinch of salt (I just use 1/4 tsp)

Melt all of these together in a saucepan on low.
Once melted remove from heat and add 1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla
Line 8x8 square pan with wax paper; pour into pan and let chill for at least 2 hours.

Ginger Black Bean Pasta

Chicken breasts
One bunch fresh broccoli cut into small florets
One bunch fresh green onions cut into small pieces
One can black beans, drained and rinsed
One pound package of spaghetti

Marinade:
One bunch fresh broccoli cut into small florets ¼ cup soy sauce
One bunch fresh green onions cut into small pieces ¼ cup olive oil
One can black beans, drained and rinsed ¼ cup sugar
One pound package of spaghetti ¼ t garlic powder
grated fresh ginger root

Cut chicken into chunks and marinade for eight hours. Cook chicken over medium heat in large wok-type pan to avoid boiling off marinade. When chicken is cooked, add broccoli and green onions to brown. Add black beans. Add cooked spaghetti and mix.
We also added frozen green beans and frozen peas. We cooked the green beans and added the peas when we added the black beans.

Spinach and Chicken with Proscuitto and Provolone

Chicken breasts
Fresh, washed spinach (lots of it – it cooks down)
Salt
Pepper
Prociutto ham, sliced (you buy this vacuum packed in the deli)
Provolone cheese, sliced
Fresh tomatoes, sliced
Sage
Olive oil
Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Layer with spinach and then chicken. Lightly salt and pepper chicken. Place a piece of ham on each chicken breast and then a piece of cheese on top of the ham. Then place a slice or two of tomato on each breast. Drizzle with olive oil (not too much), and sprinkle with sage, salt, and pepper. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 for one hour or until chicken is cooked through.

Asparagus Chicken

Sauce
¾ cup water
½ cup soy sauce
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ t. garlic
1/8 t. ginger
1 t. lemon juice
Simmer for 2 minutes

Chicken breasts
Asparagus Swiss cheese

Place chicken breast in a casserole dish and pour sauce over top and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour and even overnight.Discard juice until you have about 1/8 inch on the bottom and cover with tin foil. Cook chicken at 375° for 30 minutes till chicken is almost done. In the meantime, wash and steam enough asparagus – 4 to every chicken breast. Place 4 spears of asparagus on each breast and lay one slice of Swiss cheese on top of each breast of chicken. Return to oven uncovered and cook for 10 more minutes till cheese is melted and chicken juices run clear.

Oatmeal Waffles

1 egg
1 ½ cup oats
¾ cup milk
4 Tbsp. margarine, melted
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
Mix all wet ingredients together. Then add the dry and mix well. Let batter sit for 15 minutes so the oats soak up the liquid.

Crepes

4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon sugar
¼ cup melted butter2-¼ cup flour

German Pancakes

6 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cube butter/margarine
Melt one cube butter/margarine in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Mix eggs, flour, milk, and salt together well. Pour egg mixture into pan with melted butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes until they are crawling up the sides of the pan.