Tiger Butter Candy

Prep/total time: 15 minutes

1/2 cup vanilla or white chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt vanilla chips and peanut butter; stir until smooth. Pour into loaf pans coated with cooking spray. In another microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Drizzle over first layer. Freeze for 5-10 minutes; break into pieces. Yield: 6 ounces. (enough for two people)

Oreo Truffles

Since it’s the holiday season, I’ll post a recipe that I love to make for the holidays! Most of you may already know it, but for those that don’t, it’s very simple and delicious.

• 1 pkg of Oreo Cookies (any flavor, I use the mint flavored ones for Christmas)
• 1 – 8 oz pkg of cream cheese
• White/Chocolate Almond Bark
  

I put the Oreos in a food processor to get them crumbled really fine (I tried to use a blender once & it does not work). I dump the processed Oreos and cream cheese into a big bowl and mix together (with hands/spoon). To make the rolling process easier, I put the mix into the fridge for a little while (~30 min) so they’re not so gooey, then take it out and roll the mix into little/big balls. Mine get bigger as I get tired of rolling. You can then choose to refrigerate the balls to dip them later on, or go ahead and melt your bark and dip them and let them dry on wax paper. To make them look fancy I’ll use the opposite color I dipped them in and dip the tip of a fork in it and kind of sling the bark over the truffles (may be a little messy). ENJOY!

yummy banana pudding!

banana pudding recipe from church in Gainesville, Fl

2 bags of Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies
6-8 bananas
2 cups milk
1 (5 oz box) instant french vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz) pk cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz) container of frozen whipped topping thawed OR equal amt sweetened whipping cream

Line bottom of dish (9x13) with one bag of cookies.
Layer the bananas on top of those.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well with mixer.
In another bowl combine cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix til smooth.
Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.
Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with remaining cookies.
refridgerate until ready to serve!

Yummy Chicken Enchiladas

12 Flour Tortillas
2 pkgs precooked fajita chicken strips
1 pkg shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can diced green chilies
1 can cream of chicken
8-10 oz sour cream
garlic salt to taste

Chop chicken strips into small pieces and brown on the stove. Add small amount of water and the package of taco seasoning and cook a few more minutes. Fill each tortilla with the chicken and a small amount of cheese. Line the tortillas in a 9 by 13 pan. Mix cream of chicken, sour cream, green chilies, and garlic salt in separate bowl. (I put a small amount of the sauce mix on the bottom of the pan so that they tortillas don't get crispy when baking.) Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top, and bake @ 350' for 20-25 minutes.
I also like to add a few jalapenos on the top of the cheese for extra heat and to make it look pretty!!

Mexican Fiesta Salad Pizza

I got this recipe from Pampered Chef. its a good, simple dinner. Enjoy! amber
(I halfed the pizza for Eric and I)

Mexican Fiesta Salad Pizza

Ingredients:
2 pkgs (8 oz/235 g each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 1/4 lb (750 g) 93% lean ground beef
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) medium thick and chunky salsa
1 envelope (1 oz/35 g) taco seasoning mix
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 cup (250 mL) sour cream
2 cups (500 mL) thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz/60 g)
1/4 cup (50 mL) pitted ripe olives, coarsely chopped
Additional salsa (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange 14 of the triangles in a circle on lightly floured round baking stone with wide ends even with edge of baking stone and points toward the center. Place the remaining two triangles in the center, pinching seams to seal. Roll dough to create a smooth surface. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.
2. In (12-in./30 cm) Skillet, cook ground turkey over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking turkey into crumbles using Mix 'N Chop; drain if necessary.
3. Combine salsa, seasoning mix and garlic in medium bowl; mix well. Add to turkey in Skillet; toss to coat. Spread sour cream over crust. Spoon turkey mixture over sour cream. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese and olives. Serve immediately with additional salsa, if desired.

Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken

I made this one last night, and it is easy and yummy, bit kinda spicy. You could use less red pepper flakes if you don't like spicy.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey
4 Tbsp. frozen OJ concentrate
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper
cilantro, chopped
green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. In a skillet, heat butter in olive oil over medium heat, add chicken, salt, and pepper to taste, and brown for several minutes on each side.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine honey, OJ, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
3. Add honey mix to chicken, then cook for several more minutes, coating the chicken with sauce.
4. When serving, spoon sauce over chicken, and garnish with cilantro and green onions. Don't skip on the garnish, because it really adds a lot to the taste.

I served it with boiled squash and asparagus.

Peach Cobbler

A number of years ago I decided to learn to make peach cobbler. My main goal was to make it good, no matter how many calories were in it! So, the second time I made it I took it to a church potluck. After dinner one of the men declared, "Whoever made this peach cobbler is going to be my next wife." Mark replied, "She comes with four kids!!!"

CRUST
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t salt
3/4 cup Crisco

Cut with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle iced water 1 T at a time, stirring mixture with a fork after each addition, until dough begins to stick together. It usually take 6 - 8 T. Use hands very little as heat from hands will melt shortening, to form into a ball. Roll out 1/3 of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a knife or pastry cutter to cut into 1" wide, long strips. Lattice these strips in 13 x 9 dish and bake at 350 until lightly browned.

While this is baking, warm the following in a medium saucepan:

FRUIT
6 cups peeled, sliced peaches (fresh or frozen) a little more or a little less won't matter.
water to almost cover peaches
2 T lemon juice
1 C sugar
1/2 t vanilla
2 shakes of cinnamon

Taste this after it becomes hot. DON'T BOIL. Make sure it is sweet enough as some peaches will be tart and need a little more sugar. Roll remaining crust on floured surface and cut into 1" wide, long strips.

Remove bottom crust from oven. Pour peaches over crust. Dot 1 thinly sliced stick of butter on top of peaches. Lattice crust over peaches and butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over top. Bake 350 for about 1 hour or until as brown as you like your cobbler.

Really Easy Salsa

I know we've had other salsa recipes on here, but I wanted to share this really easy one!!

4 cans of Rotel
1 handful of chopped cilantro
1 chopped jalapeno (you can leave the seeds in if you want it really hot)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt (as much as you think it needs)
Splash of lime juice

I throw all these ingredients in the blender and liquify mine (if you like your salsa chunkier you could just mix these ingredients in a bowl.) Let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and serve it up!!

Enjoy!

Corn Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 cups corn kernels (thawed-out frozen corn)
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper (seeded)
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and serve.

I think it tastes best when it’s a little cold, or room temperature, but not heated.

If you've ever had the corn salsa at Chipotle, this tastes almost exactly like it. It's not exactly the type of salsa that you dip chips in, because it doesn't really stick to the chips, but it's great served on burritos. When I make this salsa, it's when I'm serving giant build-your-own-burritos, like at Chipotle or Freebirds. I grill chicken and/or steak, or I buy pre-cooked fajita meat, buy the giant tortillas, heat up a can of black beans (you can use refried or whatever beans you like), make instant rice (white or mexican), make some guacamole, make or buy some salsa, buy some sour cream and grated cheese, and have all those things in separate bowls where people can pick and choose what they want. You could also have diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, etc. Anything Mexican that you like. It's a lot of little things to get ready, but it's not hard, especially if you don't make it all from scratch. I really like making the regular and corn salsa from scratch, but I take shortcuts on everything else. If Clint's not around to grill the meat for me, I just buy that pre-cooked, pre-seasoned fajita meat from Wal-mart, and it's actually pretty good. All you do is heat it up in a skillet for a few minutes.

Enjoy Burrito Night!

Recipe with no name!

We have multiple names for this dish at our house. The person I got the recipe from called it "Chicken Chili". I've called it "Mexican Chicken". Jeremy calls it "That chicken thing in the crock-pot." Regardless, this is a crock-pot recipe for some kind of chicken dish..... :)

Ingredients:
4 frozen chicken breasts
1 can of kidney beans
2 cans of mexican corn
2 cans of rotel or 2 cans of diced tomatoes (depends on how "zesty" you want it)
tortilla chips
sour cream
fresh cilantro
grated cheddar cheese
chili powder
salt and pepper

I cook this in my crock pot, on low, all day while I'm at school. (roughly- 7:30 am to 4:30 pm)
Dump kidney beans, corn, and tomatoes (rotel) in crock pot. Place frozen chicken on top. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and chili powder on top. Let this cook all day.
When I come home and the chicken has cooked all day I take it out of the pot and shred and dice the chicken. It makes it more manageable when you are serving it. When you put the chicken back in the crock pot add 2 cups or so of crushed up tortilla chips. It seems to thicken up the "chili."
To serve: Place tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl. Spoon desired amount of "chicken chili" on top. Top the chicken with shredded cheese, sour cream and fresh cilantro. Sometimes I will also cook plain white rice and serve the chicken on top of that instead of tortilla chips---it just your preference.
It's also one of those meals that tastes great as a left-over. We usually eat off it for 2 or 3 days.
Enjoy! (And let me know what name you think suits this dish!!!)

Hungry Girl

I do wish I could cook more often...right now I'm trying to eat healthy with limited time in the kitchen. YIKES! I found a resource that I love...Hungry Girl. She has a daily e-mail and website with neat ideas, receipes, reviews, etc. I've found some really great products because of her.

If you are interested the website is http://www.hungry-girl.com/.

Easy Salsa

We LOVE chips and salsa at our house, and this recipe is good and easy - you just throw it all in the blender.

Ingredients

• 1 Can Tomatoes and Green Chilies (Rotel)
• 1 Can Whole Tomatoes, including the juice (14.5 oz. can)
• 1 fresh jalapeno (or you can used a couple of tablespoons of canned jalapeno)
• 1/4 cup Yellow Onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic, to taste, or you can used minced garlic from a jar, or garlic salt if you're really desperate
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. Cumin
• 1/4 tsp. Sugar
• Little bit of lime juice
• Cilantro—I use half of a big bunch because we really like it, but you may want to use less if you don’t like a strong cilantro taste.

These are all approximated measurements - I don't measure my ingredients most of the time, so it tastes a little different every time.

Directions:

In food processor or blender, place jalapeno, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Blend for just a few seconds. (I use a blender for a smooth texture, but if you like chunky, use a food processor or hand chopper). Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar, cumin, and a splash of lime juice. Process all ingredients until well blended. You can serve right away, but a couple of hours of chilling will improve the flavor. It’s even better the next day.

Note: You can use fresh tomatoes if you have them, but I would still add the can of Rotel, or at least some green chilies. You can also cook the tomatoes for a roasted taste. Place a few fresh tomatoes in a foil-lined casserole dish and cook on 400 for 45 minutes to an hour. I leave the skin on, but I cut out the stem part out before roasting. The skin will turn a little black, but that’s good. You can also roast the onions and garlic if you want.

Seasoned Fried Tilapia

Disclaimer: This recipe is not healthy, easy, or neat. Well, it's not hard, but frying for me is always a challenge, trying to get the breading just right without it falling off or getting burned. But this tastes so good!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 tilapia or other fish fillet (Usually I buy the frozen tilapia filets at Wal-mart, but I've used fresh bass)
• 2 tablespoons fish seasoning, such as a combination of dried herbs like oregano, basil, thyme, and paprika
• 1/2 cup flour seasoned with a little sea salt (or regular salt)
• 1 egg, beaten
• olive oil - enough to cover the bottom of your skillet
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (you can use more if you like garlic)
• 1 small shallot or other onion, finely minced

Directions:
Season the fish pieces on all sides very well with the fish seasonings. Then dip into the flour, and then into the beaten egg, and then back into the flour. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook for just a minute. Quickly add the coated fish and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. The onion and garlic will stick to the breading of the fish, and it is SO TASTY!

Note: If possible, use a big enough skillet to fry all of the fish at once. If you have to do it in batches, the onions and garlic that stay in the pan get overdone and turn black.
Serves 2-3

Cowboy Cornbread Hash

1 - 1.5 lb ground beef
1 can pinto beans (15-16 oz)
1 can whole kernel corn (15-16 oz)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 pkg cornbread mix
salt
pepper
2 TBSP Worchestershire sauce (or a little more)

Brown meat in iron skillet--or any skillet that can go into the oven. Drain. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain corn and beans and add to meat along with Worchestershire and tomato sauce. Mix cornbread according to package directions. Pour over meat mixture and bake according to cornbread package directions.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

Ok, here's what I made last night for supper. It is SO easy, it's ridiculous. And it is a huge hit in my family... complete with leftovers for lunch the next day. I am a stickler for having a veggie with each supper I make, so I force David and myself to eat some green beans or broccoli or something on the side. But what I really just want is chips and salsa!

Needed:

1 lb ground beef or turkey (I use turkey and it is just as good)
2-ish cups of grated cheddar
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can of corn
1 package of Sweet Yellow Cornbread and the ingredients to go in it (usually milk and egg)

Brown the meat, having seasoned it however you like (garlic, salt, pepper, etc). I like to put in some red pepper flakes with the meat to give it extra spice, or chopped jalapenos. Drain the meat. Add the can of Rotel, drain and add the can of corn. Pour meat/tomato/corn mixture into a greased 13X9 pan. Top the meat mixture with the cheese. Mix the cornbread according to the directions on the package and pour over the cheese. It never looks like there will be enough cornbread, but there is. If it doesn't ooze (sorry, that word sounds gross but I can't think of another one...) down into the meat a little bit because the cheese is so yummily taking up room, kinda smush it with your spoon. Bake according to the directions on the cornbread package.

Dressed up chocolate cake...

The girls and I wanted to make a chocolate cake a few weeks ago and realized we didn't have everything we needed to make icing, so here's what we did. While the cake was baking, we made some chocolate cook & serve pudding (1 package). When we took the cake out, we poured the pudding on top. We then crushed some Oreos and spread those over the top. We put it in the refrigerator till after supper and then topped it with fresh whipped cream. The longer it lasts, the moister it gets. Y'all take care!

Homemade chicken/ ham cheesy pockets

Okay, I tried this today for lunch, and everybody ate it good, so here it is. It was so easy.

You'll need:

1 big can of chicken (cooked)
1 cup of diced ham
1 - 1 1/4 cups cheddar jack cheese (depends on how cheesy you want it.)
2 things of crescent rolls (I used fresh bread dough, but I think the crescent rolls would be real good. I don't think one package would be enough for all the mixture.)

2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup diced onions and peppers (optional)

Mix the chicken, ham, cheese, butter, and onions/peppers together.
Unroll the crescent rolls.
Spoon the mixture onto the rolls and fold them over it, pinching the sides up good. It doesn't take much of the mixture for each one.
Place the pockets on a cookie sheet.
Cook at 350 degrees until the rolls are done.

You could also add broccoli to this, but you would need to steam it first. There you have it!

Chicken Salad

4 cups of diced chicken (or two cans of chicken cubed, looks like tuna but it's CHICKEN)

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup of mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 tsp of salt

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Combine the chicken, pecans, green onions and celery in large bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir into the chicken mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I serve with fresh croissants or Healthy Nut Bread and slices of tomato.

You can also try to mix in green chillies, green olives to put a different spin on the whole thing. Jeff likes it when I do it this way instead of celery and pecans and mix in few jalapenos.

I prefer the way above but I also squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon to give it an extra kick or pour 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar to make it not as dry.

I figure both or our ways are subject to individual preference so that is why I just listed the basics above.

Turkey Spinanch Lasagna

What You Need:

1 lb ground turkey (can sub ground beef if you want to die of a heart attack!)

2 large garlic cloves, crushed or 2 large spoonfuls of minced garlic from a jar

1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (I use Bertolli Marinara or Ragu works)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 (12 ounce) container of cottage cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

8 lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 (10 ounce) package of spinach, thawed and drained (make sure you get all the juice out otherwise it is super gross after cooked!)

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Brown ground turkey (or beef) with garlic in large skillet over medium heat. I add pepper and salt to taste during this time as well. Drain the meat and put back in skillet to add spaghetti sauce.

Combine egg, cottage cheese, and pepper.

Spread 1/2 of meat sauce in a 12 x9x 2 inch baking dish. Top with half each of uncooked noodles, cottage cheese mixture, spinach, meat sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, and cover with foil.

Cook for 50 minutes, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cook uncovered 10 more minutes

Let stand 10 minutes before serving

Give yourself a full hour and a half to prepare this dish. (30 minutes prep, one hour to cook)

Serves: 6

Choco-Holic Cake

For all you chocolate lovers out there, here is a cake I tried recently and it was a huge hit with my friends at school. The best thing about it is that it is relatively easy.

CHOCO-HOLIC CAKE

CAKE
1 chocolate cake mix of your choice (I used Pillsbury Chocolate)
1 small pkg. chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans and toasted them a little first.)
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

GLAZE
2 oz. piece of Nestle Toll House Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar (it will be a small block)
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 Tblsp. butter
1-3 Tblsp. water (I had to use more to make it easier to drizzle.)
1 tsp. vanilla

FOR CAKE:

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-inch Bundt pan or other tube pan. (I use the Crisco with Pillsbury flour spray. It takes less time. Just make sure you coat the entire pan.)

COMBINE cake mix, pudding mix, milk, sour cream and eggs in large mixer bowl. Beat on low speed just until blended. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in morsels and nuts. Pour into prepared baking pan.

BAKE for 55 to 65 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean.

COOL in pan for 20 minutes. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely.

FOR GLAZE:

MELT baking bar and butter in small heavy-duty saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar alternately with water until desired consistency in reached. Stir in vanilla extract.

POUR glaze over cake. (I sprinkled some chopped toasted pecans on top just for looks.)

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

I made this last night for supper, and it is one of my favorite, easy, down-home cooking recipes. Some people don't really like meatloaf, but have said they like this one. Just FYI. :)

Needed:
1 lb ground beef (can use 1 and half, but cook a little longer)
3/4 c bread crumbs (I like the italian style)
1 chopped onion (I use minced onion sometimes too)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 of 8oz can tomato Sauce
1 egg

Mix above ingredients and form into a loaf.

Sauce:
1 1/2 can of tomato sauce
3 Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce

Mix together and pour over loaf. There will be TONS of sauce, so I rarely use it all. But it keeps the meatloaf from getting dry.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes. (1 1/2 hours if more than 1 lb of beef)

Labels

I love this idea and am excited to get to post! I will post recipes soon, but I have a suggestion about organizing. Can we all use the "labels for this post" option? I think you can put in more than one word, such as "chicken, healthy, etc..." That way we can pull up recipes later based on ingredients or cooking methods.

Rosemary Balsamic Chicken with Brown Butter and Balsamic Ravioli

I am so excited to get to be an author! I love to cook and I love to eat. I can't wait to try out some of the recipes I have been seeing. I have been out of town all week and away from my recipes. Here is a new favorite one that my sister-in-law made for me a couple of weeks ago. It is actually a Rachel Ray recipe. Some of her stuff is made with really random stuff, but most of this stuff is pretty common and you might already have it on hand. It is great!

Chicken:

4-6 Chicken Breasts
2 T. Balsamic Vinegar (BV)
2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
3 stems Rosemary stripped and chopped
Salt and course black pepper
4 Garlic Gloves chopped or some minced garlic in a jar

Coat the chicken in the BV and EVOO. Season chicken with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Cook the chicken on a skillet and give it a nice brown coating. It cooks up really nicely. You might want the slice the chicken up so it cooks faster and it makes the presentation nice.

While the chicken is cooking you can get the ravioli ready.

Ravioli:

1 package 12-16 ounces (I love the Burtolli brand they have regular and whole wheat. It is kept in the refrigerated section usually.) Any flavor you like.
3 T. butter or more if you like more sauce
2 T. Balsamic Vinegar
2 Handfuls grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
parsley for a little extra color

Cook the ravioli as the package directs. In a small saucepan melt the butter. Once the butter is melted you can add the Balsamic Vinegar to it and mix it up. Once the chicken is cooked you can mix the ravioli with the sauce let it sit and reduce for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese and parsley.

This is one of those meals that doesn't involve to much time and energy but tastes amazing. If you have any questions let me know. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Can't wait to post more! Thanks Rachel!

Strawberry banana trifle

First, what a neat idea! I get in a rut, meal-wise, so it'll be fun to try the others. I'm not sure how many quality recipes I have to share, but this is one of my very favorite desserts. One, because I like how it tastes, and two, because it is pretty much impossible to mess up. And, it is incredibly flexible. I remember when Shad and I were engaged, we were invited to eat with friends from church, and I told them I would bring the dessert. Well, I had to work a little late that day, and ran out of time to make this the normal quick way, so I ran by the store and got pudding handi-packs. Shad still makes fun of me for rushing to get all those handi-packs dumped in the dish. So, he knew what he was getting into concerning food. You'll need:

either a fresh-baked or store-bought yellow or vanilla cake

2 pints of strawberries (thawed or freshly sliced) and bananas, too, if you want them

banana pudding (1 box will do) I use the cook'n serve kind for this, but the other will work, too. I just think it tastes extra good when it starts out warm with the strawberries and cake.

either Cool Whip or whipping cream (My mother-in-law always uses the real stuff, so I do, too, now, and I think it's a little better.)

After your cake is done or you get back from buying it, cut it into small squares and place half of it in the bottom of a deep serving bowl. Clear glass ones are real pretty for this.

Next, spoon half the strawberries on top of the cake. I don't add any sugar to the strawberries because everything else will sweeten them up a little.

Then, spread half your pudding on top of that. I like to make my pudding while the cake is baking, so it's still warm when I pour it over the strawberries and cake. You can add banana slices if you want, as well.

Repeat those layers and top very generously with the whipped cream.

The longer this lasts, the moister everything becomes. It makes a big enough dessert for about 10 people. If you go with a pre-baked cake, instant pudding, and Cool Whip, you're looking at a real quick dessert, too.

Chicken Pasta with Tarragon Cream Sauce

This is a favorite of mine that I picked up when I was in Belgium. Soooo good, but not that healthy for you. The tarragon adds a unique flavor, almost minty.


Ingredients:

16oz pasta (I prefer bowtie, penne, or spirals. So much easier than dealing with the long stuff.)
4 chicken breasts
8oz sliced mushrooms (Optional)
1 pint heavy whipping cream (At least)
2 cups shredded swiss or parmesan cheese
4Tbsp Margarine/Butter
Tarragon-fresh or dry
Garlic salt-to taste
Salt-to taste


Directions:


Cook pasta according to directions, drain. Cook and cube chicken, (or buy the already cooked chicken slices for convenience.) In a big saucepan melt the butter, add mushrooms, saute until tender, adding garlic salt. Add heavy cream, bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid burning. After cream is boiling, reduce to med-high, and start adding cheese (the swiss has a stronger flavor, so if you don't like it use parmesan) a little at a time, making sure it's melted before adding more. The sauce will thicken. You may not need both cups. Fold the chicken into the mushroom cream sauce, then add tarragon to taste-at least 2 Tbsp (for dry spices you can use less.) Put pasta back in the pot that you cooked it in over heat, add chicken mixture, stir it all up, adding more cheese or cream if necessary. Serve. You can garnish with fresh, diced tomato.


(You can play around with how soupy you want your cream sauce. I like it to be pretty thick so it sticks to everything.)

Ms. Martha's Chicken

This blog was a great idea, Rachel! This will be lots of fun and a great resource, too! I am reminded of a great cooking night we shared back in 2001, when we were both living in the Dallas area. Obviously, neither of us had much cooking experience, since when the recipe for our Stuffed Chicken Breasts called for 10 cloves of garlic, we both agreed at the grocery store that it had to mean 10 bunches of garlic. We quickly learned that the cloves were part of the bunches. It just proves you learn best from your mistakes, and hey, we had plenty of garlic left over to last us both years! What a fun memory!

Ms. Martha's Chicken (I got this recipe from my best friend's mom, Ms. Martha)

Ingredients:
4-6 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Real Bacon Bits Pieces (not the hard, crunchy ones)
16 oz. Sour Cream
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and put in baking dish with the bacon pieces. Add salt and pepper.
Cook at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked throughout.
In in a bowl, combine the sour cream and soup.
When chicken is cooked, pour sour cream/soup mixture over the chicken and return to the oven for another 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Tastes great served over steamed rice.

This is a very easy recipe, and I think it tastes great and makes me feel like I've cooked a good homemade meal.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

OK, I don't know if this even counts as a recipe, but it's one of my new favorite easy meals to make. Any time we go to an Italian restaurant, Clint just asks for chicken pesto pasta, even if it's not on the menu, so I decided to try to make it. It uses the same pesto sauce that I buy for the chicken pesto pizza, and I use the same rotisserie chicken from Wal-mart, so I usually make this and the pizza in the same week. If you buy one of those chickens, which only cost about $4.50, it has more than enough meat for both recipes.

Ingredients: (All the ingredients are in the title of the recipe)

• ~2 cups cooked chicken - small pieces (I use Wal-mart rotisserie chicken)
• Pesto sauce (comes in a little green tub in the refrigerated pasta area next to the deli at Wal-mart)
• Angel hair pasta (or any kind of pasta you want to use)

Directions:

• Boil and drain pasta
• Add pesto (I use the whole container, but you could probably use less)
• Add chicken
• Mix and serve!

If you use a whole box of pasta and the whole container of pesto, I think this will serve about 6 people.

Note: Jodi tried this recipe, and she added a little bit of healthy stuff that made it even better. I tried it when I made it again, and it was great! Saute some finely diced zucchini in olive oil until it's soft, then add diced tomatoes at the end just to warm them up a little. Add this mix to the pasta and mix it in. Yum!

My Mom's Chicken and Rice

Ok, cooking is not really my game either, but I love it. When I have time.... Anyways, I have tons of recipes I will share, but I'll start with something easy and yummy... something that can be cooked for 2 or for a bunch.

Needed:
chicken (thawed breasts, pieces, etc.)
flour
minute rice
can(s) of Chicken&Rice soup
margarine
salt and pepper

Melt margarine in a flat baking dish, dip chicken in melted butter, then in flour. Then lay it back in butter dish, turn piece over, then salt and pepper each piece. Bake about 30 minutes at 400. Take chicken out of dish, cover bottom of dish in minute rice, stir to mix up the butter drippings, pour in can of soup and add maybe half a can of water, put chicken back. Bake about 30 minutes more. (If cooking for more than 2, using a bigger dish like a 9X13, then probably use more than one can of soup.)

This is one of David's favorites. And it's easy! I'll use green beans or broccoli or something green for a side dish and that is it!

Dinner TONIGHT

Thank you Rachel for putting this blog together! I wanted to share what I cooked tonight. It was one of those quick dinners that are always good to have around!

Ranch Pork Chops

6 boneless pork chops
1 package hidden valley ranch dressing mix
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Mix ranch dressing mix and pepper and rub onto pork chops. Put single layer of pork chops onto baking sheet or broiler pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Surprise Mash Potatoes
drop half a block of cream cheese into your mash potatoes, along with butter and grated cheddar and some minced garlic. I sprinkled some more cheese on top, covered with foil, and put back into oven for about 20 minutes. I put them back into the oven with the pork chops.

The pork chop recipe is a great recipe when you are cooking for small group.

ENJOY!

Simple Roast in the crock pot

Hey Rachel! Thanks for inviting me! I have to admit that cookin' is not my game....but I do play it simple and manage to feed my family without too many gags. :) Here is one of my very favs from a pal.

Simple Crock Pot Roast

1 oven Roast (sirloin is always nice if you got the cash...honestly I dont know much about meat...so I choose the one that says "oven roast" at the store).
1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix
1 packet of Brown Gravy Mix
1 packet of Italian Dressing Mix
(choose the smallest size packet for all these)
1 cup of water (or more if you want)
---I usually add carrots and cut up potatoes

Place the meat in the crock pot, dump in all the other ingredients. (Some mix the powders before dumping them in....whatever). Turn on low all day.

Mmmmm...you will love this and love how easy it is!

Melanie Cagle Jones (Daniel Jones' wife)

Chicken Pesto Pizza

One of my all time favorite meals is Chicken Pesto Pizza from EZ's in San Antonio. Since we don't have an EZ's here in Paris, a couple of weeks ago I decided to try to recreate it, and it turned out pretty good.

Ingredients:

• ~1.5 cups small pieces of cooked chicken (I buy the rotisserie chicken from the Wal-mart deli and shred it by hand, but you could cook your own)
• Pizza crust (Pillsbury roll-out crust is good, or my Wal-mart has some small round pizza crusts in the deli section that don't have to be pre-baked.)
• Pesto sauce (also from the Wal-mart deli area, by the refrigerated pasta. It comes in a small plastic tub, and the label is green. I'll try to find out the brand later.)
• ~2 Tbsp. Pine nuts
• Shredded Cheese (I bought the Parmesan blend that has Parmesan, Fontina, Asiago, and Romano)
• 2 Roma tomatoes, very thinly sliced

Directions

• If you bought the Pillsbury or similar pizza crust, it needs to be cooked part of the way before you put on the toppings, so cook it about 8-9 minutes or whatever the package directions say. If you bought crust that does not need to be pre-cooked, go straigt to the next step.
• Spread a thin layer of pesto on the crust.
• Add chicken, sprinkle pine nuts and cheese, and place tomato slices on pizza to your liking.
• Bake at 400-ish until crust is light brown and cheese is melted (6-10 minutes)

Sorry the directions are sort of vague. I didn't pay attention to brands or amounts, but when I make it again, I'll try to pay attention and come back and add those details. If you use the Wal-mart rotisserie chicken, you'll have a ton of meat left over for another meal.

Welcome!

I’ve decided to set up a blog for friends and family to share recipes! I’m not much of a cook, but my Granny used to tell me that if you can read, you can cook. This is true if you can find good recipes! So I’m always looking for new good recipes, and I know I have several friends that do the same, so I thought this would be an easy way to share them. (I stole the idea from my friend, Myra.)

If you are related to me, you should feel morally obligated to share any family recipes or other good recipes. If you are not related to me, you should just feel inclined to share any good recipes you’ve tried. I like trying new recipes out of cookbooks, but you never know if they will be as good as they sound. Ask my sister-in-law Maurine about her mayonnaise enchiladas. Mmmmm… I also occasionally like to experiment, but that doesn’t always turn out well. Clint still likes to remind me about the rosemary squash fiasco. If I’m going to spend the time and money to cook, I’d prefer to try a recipe that someone I know has tried and can vouch for.

I’ve already invited a few people to be authors, which means that they can post their own recipes any time. If you’d like to be an author, let me know. The more, the merrier. If you don’t want to be an author, but you want to share a recipe at some time, you can email it to me or just leave it in a comment and I’ll post it on the main page.

So welcome to our cooking blog and let’s share some recipes!

Note: To be an author, you have to set up a Blogger or gmail account if you don't have one already. But it’s easy and I don’t think they will send you any annoying emails.