Have to eat...

Jalapeno Ranch Dip

2009-10-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is a great refreshing mexican dip that is always a hit. We love it! It can be made spicier or not--it's up to you. :)

Jalapeno Ranch Dip

1 packet Ranch dip mix (regular or fiesta)
1 1 /2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. milk (or buttermilk)
jalapenos (from a jar)
fresh cilantro (a bunch of leaves to taste)

Put sour cream and milk into blender. Add the ranch packet, some jalapenos (amount depends on how much of a kick you want--I start with 5), and a handful of cilantro. Blend it all up and taste. It will get spicier as it sits. Dip tortilla chips in it and just try to stop. ;)

Sweet Texas Cornbread

2009-09-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

I never cared much for cornbread UNTIL I found this recipe. I love it so much. So easy and so yummy!

Sweet Texas Cornbread

½ c. butter, melted
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 can cream style corn
1 egg
1 heaping T. sugar

Melt butter in 8 X 8 pan (or a round cake pan or pie dish). Mix together egg, creamed corn, and cornbread mix. Add sugar and stir. Pour into pan and stir into butter, until just blended. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Ham Fried Rice

2009-09-14T12:05:00.001-07:00

This is a favorite in our house and it's easy to throw together. It's also great for using a variety of ingredients you might have leftover in your fridge from other meals as far as veggies--peas, corn, carrots, beans, diced ham, scrambled egg, etc. It can be made in bulk or small amounts.

Ham Fried Rice

Cook rice according to package directions. I use basmati rice and cook 2 c. rice with 3 1/2 c. water and a little butter thrown in there, too.

In a wok or large frying pan add a small amount of oil or butter and throw in:
1 onion, finely diced
3 carrots, sliced thinly or cut in small, bite size strips (again--you can use whatever veggies you want)
1 c. corn (frozen or drained from can)
1 c. peas (frozen is what I always use)
Sprinkle in your favorite oriental sauce--soy sauce, teryaki, etc.

Cook together until onion is clear, but don't let veggies get mushy. Then add 1 c. diced ham. Add rice to pan with veggies and mix together. Add more sauce to taste. Make a small well in the middle where you can see through to the bottom of the pan. Add 2-3 eggs and scramble. Mix everything together and let cook for a couple minutes and it is ready to go! Add more sauce according to taste. We always add a little more when it's on our own plates, too.

I've also made this with chicken pieces or pork or you can make it vegetarian. We like to serve the rice with egg rolls.

Potato Corn Chowder

2009-09-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last night I made some really yummy Potato Corn Chowder. I got the original recipe from my mother-in-law, who I think is a great cook, and I have tweeked it a little for my family. Here is my version. It makes quite a bit so cut it in half or else save it for leftovers if you don't need so much. It does not freeze well, though.

Potato Corn Chowder

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. butter
*In the bottom of the pot melt butter and add onion; cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for just a minute.

Add 6 cups water with 3 chicken boullion cubes or you can use chicken stock. Next add about 6 potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces. While the potatoes are cooking cut up:
1 head cauliflower, 2 bunches broccoli (you could also add carrots or beans--whatever your family like). Then throw in 2 cups frozen corn (or you could use 2 cans corn, either--oh, creamed corn is absolutely yummy to add into this, too. I didn't have any last night, though). Last I throw in 2 cups diced ham and let this all simmer together for a little while (you would not have to add meat if you don't want to). To season add salt and pepper to taste and if you have a favorite seasoning salt you could use that, too. To thicken this to a chowder I add a little milk and then stir together some flour and cold water (probably about 1/2 c flour and the same amount of water, maybe a little less) and stir it into the soup. Honestly, I just do it by site and feel and don't measure much. ;) If it's not thick enough add some more thickening.

Top with grated cheese, small scoup of sour cream, chopped green onions, bacon bits, etc--whatever you have!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-08-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the year long absence! A friend of mine :) told me I needed to put more recipes on here so here I am. Thanks for the encouragement!

I'm making my Grandma Johnson's Oatmeal Chocolate cookies today so I thought I'd share her recipe. My favorite thing to do is to freeze them and eat them cold. That's what she always did and had boxes of cookies she pulled out from the freezer for us to eat when we came to visit.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. white sugar
1 c. shortening
Cream together in mixer.

Add:
2 eggs
1 t. soda dissolved in 1 t. hot water

Then add:
2 c. flour
1/4 c. milk
2 c. oatmeal
1 t. vanilla

Mix well and then stir in 1 pkg. chocolate chips and 1/2 c. chopped nuts. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375º.

Bachita

2008-07-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

My dad brought this recipe home from Brazil, where he went on his mission for our church. It has always been a family favorite. It's basically a Brazilian smoothie, but not as thick and not as cold, unless you add the ice. The ice isn't an original ingredient, but I like it cold so I added it.

Bachita
2 very ripe bananas
1 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
3 T. sugar
Ice

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

Fruit Smoothies

2008-07-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

We love to make these smoothies any old time. They are yummy and refreshing and I like to hope they are healthy, too. :) They are something I just throw together so it's not very technical. Sorry!

Fruit Smoothies
Bananas (1-2, if you want)
about 1/2 cup or a little more of yogurt (usually vanilla, but any flavor will work!)
Frozen fruit (strawberries, peaches--my favorite combo, but you can use any frozen fruit)
About 2 cups of juice (we like the Dole blends like orange-peach-mango)

Blend all together until smooth. If it's too thick add more juice. YUM!

Gooey Butter Cake

2008-06-17T15:57:00.001-07:00

These are the most scrumptious cookie bars and I make them for everything. They look deceivingly like a lemon bar, but taste vastly different. You and everyone else will love these bars!

Gooey Butter Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1/2 c. butter
1 egg

Mix and spread into 9x13 pan.

8 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Beat together and pour over 1st layer. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm. Cut and serve when cooled.

Black Bean Avocado Dip

2008-06-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for this yummy recipe, Rebecca! I don't know what this is really called so I made up my own name, but it is my favorite dip right now! I made it for the elders Saturday night and they raved about it, too. So, here ya go. Sorry I didn't get a pic of this beautiful dip (next time!).

Black Bean Avocado Dip
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can corn
1 large tomato, chopped
2 avocados, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped

Mix all together.

Dressing:
1T red wine vinegar
4 T lime juice
2T olive oil1t salt
1/2 t pepper

Pour dressing over other stuff. Best when served chilled. Eat with tortilla chips or add to tacos, fajitas, etc. Enjoy!

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Creamy Honey Mustard Dip

2008-05-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

I tried this recipe last night and it was a huge hit. I really loved it and it was not very difficult. I saw it on the Food Network last week and wanted to try it so I found the recipe online. I am not a mustard fan, either, but this honey mustard is very good. I really enjoyed it.

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken
Cooking spray
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch wide strips
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray (I used a 9x13).
In a shallow dish, combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Place milk in a separate shallow dish. In a third shallow dish or resealable plastic bag, combine parmesan, oats, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Dip chicken into flour and turn to coat. Dip flour-coated chicken into milk and then transfer chicken to oat mixture. Turn to coat chicken (or shake bag) until well covered with oat mixture. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet and spray the surface with cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown and chicken is cooked through (I had to cook longer, but I had doubled the amount of chicken and used a baking dish so I don't think it cooked as quickly. I think a cookie sheet would have worked better--as it said).

Creamy Honey Mustard Dip
1/2 cup sour cream, regular or low-fat
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I just used French's because that's what I had)
2 teaspoons honey

Whisk all together in a bowl. Serve with the chicken strips.

Erin's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

2008-05-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Erin, thank you, thank you, thank you for this awesome cookie recipe!!! I hope you don't mind me posting it. :) It's the only one I use and it is just the best.

Brandon wanted to make chocolate chip cookies for FHE treat tonight so Ben took him to the store to get the chips (we only had 1/2 bag--totally not enough). They came home with butterscotch chips, swirl chips, mini M&Ms, and regular semi-sweet. LOL! Then they used the large Pampered Chef cookie scoop to make these wonderful chocolate concoctions. They were soo good! Hope you all enjoy!

Erin's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. real butter, softened

1 egg

2 1/4 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 pkg. chocolate chips (or whatever sounds good to you--m&ms, butterscotch, swirl, etc.--we put all of the about)

Mix sugars, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Add chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 8-10 min. (or longer depending on how large you make the cookies)

Banana Muffins

2008-05-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe for Banana Bread (no fat!) from my sister-in-law's mother (Annette Wells). This was the first time I tried it and I was super impressed. I always shy away from recipes like this thinking they will be bland, but these have so much flavor--yum! Instead of making bread I made mini muffins and of course, added chocolate chips, so my version is not completely no fat, but it's healthier than what I usually make. :)

Banana Muffins (no fat--unless you add the chocolate)

4 oz. applesauce (1/2 cup)--I used one of those little snack packs, cinnamon lite applesauce
1 c. brown sugar
3 bananas, mashed
3 eggs (may use "egg beaters")
2 c. wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. chopped nuts (I omitted this because of my kids)
chocolate chips (maybe 1 c.)

Mix applesauce, sugar, and bananas together until well blended. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour, soda, and salt and fold gently together. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips if using. For a loaf bake for 1 hour at 350. I baked mini muffins at 350 for about 14 minutes.

Fruit Dip

2008-05-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

Last summer I tasted this yummy dip at a friend's birthday party. It was the hit of the night!

Hoity-Toity Fruit Dip

1 pkg. of cream cheese
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
a bunch of toffee bits (in the baking isle)

Mix together, dip a strawberry in and wait for your taste buds to explode in joy! :)

Orange Julius

2008-05-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is my take on one of my favorite drinks. I actually like the Strawberry Julius best, but this is second! You could change the juice concentrate to another flavor if you would like.

Orange Julius

1/2 can orange juice concentrate
1 c. milk
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
10-12 ice cubes
3/4 c. water

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

Tangy Pork Chops (crock pot)

2008-05-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine several years ago. I love it. It's sort of a sweet and sour taste.
Tangy Pork Chops

4-6 boneless pork loin chops, 1/2” thick
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large green pepper, sliced
1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed or chopped tomatoes
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. cider vinegar
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. lemon juice 1 beef bouillon cube

Place chops in crock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add onions, celery, green pepper, and tomatoes. Combine ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and bouillon; pour over veggies. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Mix 2 T. cornstarch and 2 T. water until smooth and stir into sauce in crock pot. Cook on high for 30 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice.

Angel Lush with Pineapple

2008-05-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

I made this yummy cake last week for Sisters and Salads at my home and it was a hit! I had tons of requests for the recipe and here it is. I give all the credit to Kraft Foods! It takes no time at all and looks so pretty and tastes even better. Try it out! You will impress without the mess. ;)

Angel Lush Cake with Pineapple

1 pkg. (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1 prepared round angel food cake (10 oz.)
10 fresh strawberries

Mix dry pudding mix and pineapple in bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping. Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place bottom layer of cake onto serving plate and top with 1/3 of filling mixture. Repeat with the next 2 layers. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Top with fresh strawberries just before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge.

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

2008-05-08T20:34:00.001-07:00

I got this recipe from my Grandma Morris last summer when we were out in Utah visiting. I have changed it just a tad (cut the amount of crackers and butter in half) so it's pretty much the original recipe. I made this tonight and all 4 kiddos actually sat and ate it and liked it. That's a miracle in this house!!!

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Cook 1 box Chicken Rice-a-Roni (I used the Wal-Mart brand)
Boil 5-6 chicken breasts, pull apart with a fork (I made chicken enchiladas on Monday and made double the amount of chicken so I would have it ready for this recipe later this week--I stick the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot, still frozen, on low for the day until I'm ready to prepare)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 c. sour cream
*Mix together and put into casserole dish

1 pkg (column) of Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 c. melted butter (or a little less)
1 T. poppy seeds
*Sprinkle on top

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Ok, here we go!

2008-05-08T20:25:00.001-07:00

I've had several people tell me I should start posting my recipes so here you go. I'm going to devote an entire blog to it. We'll see how this goes!

I used to hate cooking and never knew what to cook. I wouldn't even try new recipes or make something I made often if I was missing even 1 ingredient. I have now branched out and like to change things up a little or even just make something up with what I've got. I have to say, I haven't done that too many times, but whatever it was seemed to be ok! However, it's kind of difficult to recreate the recipe if I want to.

I used to ask my dad how he would make certain dishes and he couldn't really tell me. He's a "throw it in the pan," "a little of this, a little of that" type of cook and I have really learned a lot from him. That's kind of what I do a lot of times as well, so I'll do my best to include accurate measurements, but don't be surprised if I just say "a couple big spoonfulls of this" or a "sprinkle of that."

Hope you find some recipes that interest you and I would love for you to try them and let me know what you think! We all have to eat...right?