Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Tetrazzini Chicken


Another yummy way to have pasta. This recipe is from my mom :)
4 cups chicken pieces
½ lb spaghetti
3 TBL butter
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 ¼ cup chopped onion
4 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated (I've also used Mozz. cheese)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Sauté the onion and green pepper in the butter. Mix together all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until bubbly.

This recipe also freezes well. :)

Monday, February 23, 2009

Creamy Chicken


My mom use to make this dish often on Sunday afternoons. It's very easy...it still doesn't taste the same as my mom's always did, though.

Mix about 1 cup of flour with about 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Coat chicken in flour mixture. Do NOT use boneless, skinless...it doesn't taste good at all. Place the coated chicken in a 9x13 pan. Pour a pint of half and half over the chicken. Bake in oven at 350 for 1+ hours. I've found the longer it cooks the better...this last time it cooked for almost 2 hours and was much taster this time around. :)

Chili

I also took chili to our church party. I didn't really follow a "chili recipe"...just kind of added what I felt like :) Again, I forgot to take a picture before we walked out the door...but it must have been taste because it was gone :)

I started by browning two pounds of hamburger. Put it into the crockpot. I then added 2 cans of black beans (rinsed and drained), 2 cans of kidney beans (rinsed and drained), 2 cans of diced tomatoes, 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 cup of salsa, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, white pepper, garlic salt, and onion powder. Mix it all together and heat through. We would just check it and add a few more shakes of spices as we thought it needed more. It turned out very yummy. I love chili with melted cheese so of course I added to cheese to my bowl :)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Hawaiian Drop Cookies

Friday night we had a church party to attend. I brought these cookies that I use to make all the time (sorry...there's no picture...I forgot to take one before we left the house.)

¾ cup butter or margarine, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups oats, uncooked
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 ¾ cups M & M’s
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine oats, flour, baking powder, and baking soda; blend into creamed mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake 13-15 minutes.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Blueberry Waffles

When Daddy's away, the dinner menu tends to change. Tonight...yummy blueberry waffles w/ blueberries and whip cream on top served with scrambled eggs!

I just use the Krusteaz pancake mix and add water, tiny bit of oil, and blueberries (about 1/4 cup). Pour the batter into the waffle iron (which it's taken me a long time to figure out how not to have batter pouring out the sides!!!). After they're done, take them out and while they're hot, melt a bit of butter. Add blueberries on top and a dollop of whip cream. ENJOY!!! Also yummy with fresh strawberries!!!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Scones


One of our family favorites with spaghetti or lasagna is scones!!! This recipe is from my mom.

2 TBL yeast
½ cup warm water
1 egg
1 cup warm milk
2 TBL oil
1 tsp salt
2 TBL sugar
3 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Add egg. Add rest of ingredients. Let stand for at least 15 minutes. (Will be a soft, sticky dough.) Dough may be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To cook tear off golf ball size amount and stretch thin and fry in deep fat fryer for a few minutes each side. Drain on paper towels.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Tuna Casserole


This is my mom's recipe. I really don't like tuna much but I will eat this dish...
Boil noodles. Drain. In a 9x13 baking dish, combine noodles, tuna, 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (my mom only uses one can...but I add two...I don't like my pasta dry :), and grated cheese. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Taco Soup


This is another version of taco soup we like. This one is from my SIL, Hilary. It's yummy! The kids love to eat it (and all other mexican dishes) with tortilla chips.
1 lb lean ground beef (could use chicken or go meatless)
1 onion, diced (or 2 Tbsp dried minced onion)
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 can corn
1 cup salsa
1 – 15 oz can stewed, chopped tomatoes
Taco seasoning mix to taste

Preheat pan to sear ground beef as you cook and chop it with the diced onions. Drain and rinse beans. Add ingredients in the order given. Garnish with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Dill Dip


This is my favorite dip for veggie trays. It's also yummy with Ritz crackers or wavy potato chips. The key to get the best flavor for this dip is to be sure it gets chilled in the fridge before serving.

2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup mayo
1 TBL dill weed
1 tsp Bon Appetit
1 tsp lemon juice
1 TBL parsley

Mix all ingredients together. Let chill in refrigerator for approximately 1 hour before serving.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Teriyaki Chicken with Hot Rice


This recipe originally came from two different recipes in the 2003 Taste of Home Annual Recipes Book. I combined them together to make this dish...it's one of our favorites (at least when the kids don't realize there are cooked carrots in this dish :) I usually double the recipe.

2 TBL chicken broth
1 TBL soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp ground ginger
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tsp oil

In a resealable bag, combine 2 TBL broth, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and ginger; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Drain and discard marinade. In a small skillet, brown chicken cubes in oil until juices run clear.

¼ cup thinly sliced celery
3 TBL chopped onion
2 TBL margarine
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 medium carrot, halved & thinly sliced
½ cup uncooked long grain rice
¼ tsp salt
dash pepper
1 TBL parsley

In a saucepan, sauté celery and onion in butter. Add broth, carrot, rice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in chicken cubes and parsley. Cover and simmer 5-10 minutes longer or until rice and vegetables are tender.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole


A few weeks back I was in charge of the art center at preschool. As I was spreading out the newspapers, I ran across this recipe and gave it a try.

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Bread crumbs (I used the italian bread crumbs that I buy in the can at costco)
2 lbs. skinless chicken breasts, cut into chuncks
oil
8 oz. swiss cheese, cubed (I used shredded mozzarella since it's what I had...next time I would use the swiss just to get a better taste)
8 oz. ham, diced
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk egg and 1/2 cup milk. Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then in crumbs, coating well. Heat oil in skillet. Brown chicken until golden. Place chicken in a baking dish. Add Swiss cheese and ham. Mix mushroom soup with milk; mix well and pour over all. Bake about 30 minutes or until tender and bubbly.
JR LOVED this dish...which is a feat in itself! Dave & I were just okay with this dish...I was hoping for more flavor...that's while I'll use the swiss cheese next time since mozzarella just doesn't have much flavor when it's melted.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Triple Layer Peanut Butter Brownies



This recipe came from my sister...she found it in a "Food & Family" magazine...
1 pkg. brownie mix, prepared in a 13x 9 inch pan (I used my mom's brownie recipe)
1 cup of cold milk
1 pkg. Jello Vanilla Flavor instant pudding & pie filling (I personally use "bulk" pudding so I added about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of pudding powder)
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip whipped topping (do not thaw)
3 squares Baker's semi-sweet baking chips (I used about 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup of Planter dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I didn't use these since my son refuses to eat anything w/ nuts he can see)

Whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 min. while brownies are cooling. Add peanut butter and sugar; mix well. Cover and refrigerate pudding mixture until brownies are completely cooled. Spread pudding mixture over brownies. Microwave whipped topping and chocolate on high 1 min., stirring every 30 sec. spread over pudding; sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate 1 hr. refrigerate leftovers.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Mom's Brownies

My sister reminded me today of my mom's yummy brownie recipe...

2 cubes margarine
2 cups sugar
3 TBL cocoa
Melt butter. Add sugar and cocoa.

4 beaten eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
Grease pan and cook for 20-30 minutes on 350 degrees.

I usually just frost with chocolate frosting...yummy! Other times I'll frost with a thin layer of chocolate frosting, top w/ marshmallows and cook it for about 3-5 minutes until the marshmallows are brown but not burnt. Today I actually used it as a base for a "triple layer peanut butter brownies" which I'll share tomorrow :)

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Chicken Parmesan


Here's a tasty dish that I made the other night. The recipe came from Natalie. I changed the recipe just a bit because of what I had on hand already...
4 chicken breasts (actually I had thighs...accidentally grabbed the wrong bag at Costco last trip)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 TBL canola oil
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together egg and milk. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, garlic powder, and paprika. Dip chicken into egg/milk mixture and then cover in breadcrumb mixture. Heat oil in skillet and brown chicken for about 7 minutes on each side. Place browned chicken in 9x13 pan. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Add sauce over chicken and then add shredded cheese. Bake for another 30 minutes.

This was a very taste dish that would have been perfect served with pasta noodles. We had just had pasta so I served with a baked potato on the side.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Indoor S'mores


This recipe comes from my CIL...apparently, my aunt makes this often when they visit. My kids LOVED it...what isn't too love about sugar, though?!?! :)
2/3 cup corn syrup
2 TBL butter
2 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet but I could see it would be a little yummier w/ milk chocolate)
1 tsp vanilla
1 box Golden Grahams Cereal (about 8 cups)
3 cups mini marshmallows (I used the colored marshmallows because that's all I had in the cupboard that wasn't stuck together)

Heat up the first three ingredients until just boiling. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal and mix until everything in coated. Fold in marshmallows one cup at a time. Press into a greased 9x13 pan.

February menu

1. Chicken Parmesan
2. Sloppy Joes
3. Spaghetti
4. Sweet & Sour Chicken
5. Taco Soup
6. Stuffed Meatballs
7. Tostados
8. Strognaff
9. Taco Trimmed Tators
10. Teriyaki Chicken w/ Hot Rice
11. Tuna Casserole
12. Tator Tot Casserole
13. White Chicken Pizza
14. Steak
15. Taco Salad
16. Cheesy Chicken Strips
17. Fajitas
18. Baked Potato Bar
19. College Casserole
20. Porcupine Meatballs
21. Cream Chicken
22. Salmon
23. Salisbury Steaks
24. Tetarzzini Chicken
25. Crockpot Chicken Dinner
26. Tacos
27. Salmon Loaf
28. Honey-lime Grilled Chicken
I'll add links to the recipes when I have a bit more time or as I make them :) Happy February!