What's Cooking?

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2009-10-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks Nadja for this recipe! Travis has been craving these!

You can either make the meatballs yourself or I always just buy frozen meatballs and pour the sauce over the frozen meatballs.

Meatballs:
1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix ingredients to make meatballs. boil water and put meatballs in when they float to the top take them out and they are done.

sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp mustard
1/2 cup bbq sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix and heat. pour over meatballs and bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. serve with rice.

Hope you enjoy!

Brenda

2009-02-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

Pepper Jack Cheese ball
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 green bell pepper, minced
1 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, green bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt. Mix together and form mixture into a ball. Roll ball in cilantro and serve with your favorite crackers. Makes 10 servings

Cayenne Cheese Ball
2 (8 oz.) packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread
1 ¼ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 ¼ cup Shredded Pepper jack Cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives or green onions
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne) or to taste
1/4 cup slivered almonds to roll ball in
MIX cream cheese spread, cheeses, chives/onions, and red pepper until well blended; roll in almond slivers; cover. Refrigerate 1 hour. SERVE with crackers and cut-up fresh vegetable dippers, such as carrot sticks and celery sticks.

I haven't tried the pepper jack one, but I love the Cayenne pepper one! (Except I didn't put in the pepper... :-) It tasted great!) If someone tries the other one, let me know how hot it is...I am scared to try!
-Hav

2009-02-06T12:24:00.001-08:00

Tomato Basil Cream Sauce
1/4 c. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 mashed chicken bouillon cube (or 1 tsp. bouillon granules)
4 tsp. basil
2 tsp. fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. parmesan cheese

In saucepan, combine all ingredients except cream and cheese. Simmer for a few minutes, then add cream and cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Serve over cheese tortellini, and garnish with more parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired.

My recipe says this serves 4, but I think it is more like 8 servings worth. Maybe in the restaurant they use more sauce on the pasta than I do!
Tawnja

Chicken Florentine

2008-12-11T09:41:00.001-08:00

This recipe is SO easy and tastes delicious. Mike is a pretty picky eater, and he loves this one (Braiden also likes it...bonus!). I got this recipe off of http://bloggingitswhatsfordinner.blogspot.com. I just copied and pasted it here...the lady that posted it is pretty funny! Anyway, enjoy! -Tifferina

Chicken Florentine

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 jar Classico Traditional Sweet Basil spaghetti sauce

2 cups cream

1/2 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

grated Parmesan cheese

1 box/pkg of your favorite noodle

Preheat oven to 375*. Place chicken breasts in Ziploc bag and bang the heck out of them with a rolling pin to flatten them ... unless you have a cool meat tenderizer, in which case, I recommend one of those too. Place flattened chicken breasts in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle chicken liberally (fancy word for a lot) with garlic salt and pepper.In a separate dish, combine sauce, cream, and spinach. If you can't find the Classico sauce, just use your favorite spaghetti sauce. No sweat. Pour entire mixture over the chicken, which will be crammed into the 9x13 baking dish. Don't stress because the chicken is squished. It's okay. Once you've poured the sauce over the chicken and finished stressing about how the chicken is squished in the pan, bake it uncovered at 375* for about 35 minutes. When it comes out of the oven, stir the sauce around as best as you can to incorporate everything again, and then dump your grated cheese all over the top and allow the cheese to melt before serving. Serve over your favorite noodle. It's stupid easy, but is tastes like it is way more difficult to make. Bonus.**I made this dish for dinner on Friday and then invited our guinea pig friends over to eat it. I've taken the liberty of revising my made up recipe to maximize the flavors for the next time around. You're welcome. Oh, and this tastes 100x better than the picture looks too.

Spinach Dip

2008-12-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

1 10 oz pkg Frozen chopped Spinach
1 cup Mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg Knorr Vegetable soup mix
1 cup water chestnuts, chopped and drained

Thaw spinach; place on paper towel and press out moisture. Combine all ingredients, mix well. Cover and chill. Serve with French bread or raw vegetables.

Cornbread and Blacken Chicken

2008-10-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

Good Buttermilk Cornbread
INGREDIENTS

* 1/4 pound butter (notice pounds - not cups. Its about 1 stick of butter.)

* 2/3 cup white sugar

* 2 eggs

* 1 cup buttermilk

* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

* 1 cup cornmeal

* 1 cup all-purpose flour

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.

2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

* I took this from your cousin Katrina! Thanks ! It looks good and I'm going to have to try it.

BLACKEN CHICKEN

* I usually double this recipe depending on how much you need to make.

Ingredients:

*1/2 tsp salt

*1/2 tsp garlic powder

* 1/2 tsp paprika

*1/4 tsp onion powder

*1/4 tsp black powder

*1/4 tsp ground cumin

Chicken Breasts ( Usually fill up the whole pan)

Directions:

* Mix all seasoning in a bowl. Put butter in bottom of pan and put chicken in melted butter. Then put seasoning on the chicken and turn and do the same on the other side. It is so good. We had this with a baked potato and corn, So Good.... now it is spicy, but we love it.

Anyways enjoy!

Love

JOKAKAKOJU

Yogurt Salad

2008-08-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

1 lrg Vanilla Yogurt
1 lrg (6 oz) Vanilla Pudding
1 16 oz Cool Whip
1 bag Frozen Berries or Fresh Strawberries and a Banana

Mix together the yogurt and the pudding. Then add the cool whip. Cut up the fruit and fold it into the yogurt mixture.

Enjoy!!

Love,
Nadja

Mother Goose Popcorn

2008-06-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

2 Cups sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. water

Mix and stir over low heat. Boil 2 minutes. Pour over 3 batches of popcorn. Oh, and if you want to add food coloring, add it after boiling! Yummy and pretty too! Love, Karmen

Vegetable Chicken Pizza

2008-06-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

This recipe is a Weight Watchers recipe so it's nice and healthy, and really good too. Love, Nadja

1 can of Pillsbury Pizza dough (or one of the cheaper brands)
3 Tbsp fat free Sour Cream
1 1/2 Tbsp Rach Dressing mix (the powder stuff)
4 oz. cooked and chopped chicken breast
2 cups fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Roll out the dough on a cookie sheet. Mix the sour cream and the ranch dressin mix and spread it on top of the pizza dough. Chop the vegetables and put them on the pizza along with the chicken.
Bake it in the over for 15-18 min at 400 degrees. Makes 12 slices

I always just use whatever vegetables i have and I either buy the chicken cooked and chopped or just cook my own. It's pretty fast and easy and tastes delicious.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies

2008-06-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

(from “101 Things to do with a Cake Mix” by Stephanie Ashcraft)

After Ben passed his first test and another feller had passed his tests, a lady at work made these brownies for them. Ben wanted me to put the recipe on the blogspot. He said they are heaven.

1 (18 ounce) package chocolate cake mix (chocolate fudge, Devil’s Food, German chocolate or milk chocolate)
1/2 cup margarine
3 eggs
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 ounces powdered sugar, plus extra (to garnish)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Directions
In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix, melted margarine and one of the eggs; stir together and mix well. Stir in chopped nuts (if desired). Press mixture into a greased 9x13 inch pan.
In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, remaining two eggs, vanilla and powdered sugar. Pour over the chocolate mixture.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 40-50 minutes (until top is set and golden brown).
Allow to cool before cutting into bars. May sprinkle with extra powdered sugar and pecans before serving, if desired.

2008-06-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

Sweet Milk Dinner Rolls
These are yummy and easy to make! I got it from Taste of Home magazine (again). Love ya all!
-Hav

1 package (1/4 oz) (or 2 and 1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 TBS melted butter
1 tsp salt
4 to 5 cups flour

dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add sugar, butter, salt, and 3 cups of flour, beat until smooth.
Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Knead until elastic, about 6-8 minutes (I just use my mixer! I cheat, and it works fine). Let the dough rise (covered) in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and form into rolls. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 (this is WAY too long for my oven...so check them after 25ish) minutes or until golden brown. Romove from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yeild: 16 rolls.

Crock Pot Chicken Sandwiches

2008-06-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this recipe originally came from kraftfoods.com (again!), but I changed it around a little so that it could be a crock pot meal. It is simple to make and tastes delicious! -Tifferina

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders

1 onion **
1 cup Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Throw all above ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on "low" for about 6 hours. Shred the chicken with forks and put it back in the crock pot for 5 minutes to soak up some of the yummy barbecue flavor. Put it on sandwich bread, hoagie buns, or baguette bread and enjoy!

**I like the onion flavor, but I don't like to eat the onions. I sliced my onion into big rings and let them cook, and pulled them out right before I shredded up the chicken.

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Pie

2008-05-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is so yummy, and not very hard to make! I made it for Christmas, and it was a hit! -Havelah

Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
1-1/4 cups chopped pecans
1 cup caramel ice cream topping
Directions: In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg and vanilla until smooth. Spread into pastry shell; sprinkle with pecans. In a small bowl, whisk remaining eggs; gradually whisk in caramel topping until blended. Pour over pecans. Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned (loosely cover with foil after 20 minutes if pie browns too quickly). Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before slicing. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Crock-Pot-Chops

2008-05-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

2-3 lbs porkchops
1 or 2 boxes Stove Top Stuffing
1 can applie pie filling

Put pork chops in the bottom of the crock pot. Make up the boxes of stuffing and plop it on top of the pork chops. Pour pie filling over the top. Cook on low in crock pot for 6-8 hours. SO GOOD! If you like it runny, just use one box of stuffing. It sounds a bit odd, but my kids loved it! (I just didn't tell Brielle she was eating apples... :))

Love-
Gup

*Anyone lese have recipes that have less than 5 ingredients? Those are the BEST!!!!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2008-05-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is another way delicious recipe! It is super easy to throw in the oven in like ten minutes, and then just let it cook. We kind of changed the recipe a bit to make it with more noodles because it calls for a ton of milk, so I am putting our version on here.

4. cups uncooked elbow macaroni (or wheely kind or whatever!)
1 1/2 sticks of butter or margarine
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
5 cups milk (we usually do about 3 cups of milk and 2 cups of water. . .)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer macaroni, butter, and cheeses in the order given in a 9-by-13 dish. Pour milk over the top layer. Bake for one hour. Do not cover.

Yummy!!!! Love, Mindy

Tangy Alaska Halibut Bake

2008-05-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hello, Mindy here! So I don't know if this will even work because I don't know how to do this but we will see. My mom wanted me to post this on here. We didn't have any Ritz crackers, so we used cornflakes. Everyone in my family liked it and it was so good! But I didn't eat the onions. . . I just scraped them off.

Tangy Alaska Halibut Bake
2 lb. halibut fillet
1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. chopped green onions
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 c. crushed Ritz crackers (or cornflakes)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1/4 c. butter

Melt butter in a large frying pan. Add sliced onion and saute until onion is translucent then spread evenly over bottom of baking pan; set aside.

In a bowl mix together sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, and lemon juice. Arrange halibut over top of onions. Spread sour cream and mayonnaise mixture over the top of the halibut. Sprinkle with crushed Ritz crackers.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes (depending on thickness of fish). Enjoy!

Play Dough

2008-05-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have never made my own play dough before, but today we decided to give it a try. It was so smooth and soft. We loved it. -Nadja

2 cups flour
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 cups water
2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup cream of tartar

Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook over low/medium hear, continuously stirring, until play dough forms into a ball and is no longer sticky. Remove from pan and while hot, knead in food coloring. We also added glitter to make it extra cool.

Ours was a bit sticky, so next time we'll stir it a little bit longer. By the way, if you need a good work-out for your arms this is a good way to do it.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

2008-04-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I cheated a little because I just got this recipe off of Kraftfoods.com, but this is one I make quite often. We love it - it's got tons of flavor, and it's quick to make! Hope you enjoy. -Tiff

Prep Time:10 min
Total Time:40 min
Makes:6 servings

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Lower Sodium Stuffing Mix for Chicken
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.)
6 slices OSCAR MAYER Thin Sliced Smoked Ham
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 Tbsp. GREY POUPON Dijon Mustard
6 KRAFT DELI FRESH Swiss Cheese Slices
PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.
PLACE chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with ham. Mix soup and mustard; spoon over chicken. Top with prepared stuffing.
BAKE 25 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165°F). Top with cheese. Bake an additional 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Cindy's Dip

2008-04-24T11:42:00.001-07:00

1 can corn (drained)
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1-2 avocados
1-2 tomatoes
cilantro
lime juice (squeeze or pour some in to taste)

Stir it all together and serve with tortilla chips

Banana Berry Smoothie

2008-04-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time getting Laney to eat healthy things. So one thing that we try to make often and that everybody loves is this Berry Smoothie.

1 big banana
1 1/4 cups mixed berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries....anything you like. I normally buy the frozen bags of mixed berries.)
1 cup low fat or fat-free vanilla yogurt
3/4 milk

Put it all in a blender and mix it on high until the mixture is smooth. Pour in glasses and serve. Makes about 3 -4 cups.

Homemade Pizza

2008-04-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

We love making our own pizza at our house. This is the recipe that I use.

1 1/2 cups water
1 packet yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
7 cups flour

Mix it all and let it rise for 15 minutes. Roll it out into 2 pizzas and divide a can of pizza sauce on both of them. Cover with pizza and the toppings of your choice. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.