Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup whole milk
8 oz. sour cream
1 box Stove Top stuffing for chicken
1 can chicken broth

Brown chicken in 1 T. of butter. Season with Montreal Steak Seasoning to taste.
Cook Stove Top according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for the water.
Mix sour cream, milk, and soup together. Add cooked chicken to soup mixture and place in bottom of casserole dish. Top with stuffing and bake 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Apple (or Peach) Crisp

3 Apples (peeled or unpeeled), sliced and core removed
**Place in bottom of baking dish, then sprinkle with:
1 T. lemon juice

Combine:
1/3 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon

Add:
6 T. melted butter to dry ingredients

Place oat topping on apples and bake 375 for 40 minutes.

SERVE WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM!! IT'S A REQUIREMENT!!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

(From Pioneer Woman Cooks!)

Fresh Jalapenos (I used 7...14 halves)
Cream cheese (4 oz. filled 14 halves)
Bacon (chopped in thirds)
Toothpicks

Chop jalapenos in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and membranes. Smear cream cheese in each half. Wrap with 1/3 slice of bacon and secure with toothpick.

Place on wire rack over baking sheet (to allow bacon grease to drain) and bake 375 for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is nicely browned.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

(From Mom)

1) 3/4 cup butter flavor Crisco
2) 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
3) 2 T. milk
4) 1 T. vanilla

5) 1 egg
6) 1 3/4 cup flour
7) 1 t. salt
8) 3/4 t. baking soda

9) 2 cups chocolate chips

Mix ingredients 1-4. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer. Add egg.
In separate bowl, mix ingredients 6-8. Add to cream mixture. Beat until smooth.
Stir in chocolate chips. Bake 8-10 at 375. *Place parchment paper on cookie sheet*

Fruit Pizza

(From Paula Deen)

Pizza Dough:
1 package store bought sugar cookie dough

Toppings:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
6 ounces fresh blueberries
6 ounces fresh raspberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Flatten cookie dough onto a 6-inch pizza pan. Bake until firm to touch, about 11 to 15 minutes. Cool. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar. Spread the baked cookie with the cream cheese mixture and decorate with sliced strawberries. In a small bowl, combine melted white chocolate with chocolate syrup. Top the pizza with remaining berries and chocolate mixture. Slice and serve immediately.

Stuffed Shells

(From Laurie Busch)

16 oz. mozzarella cheese
Large jar of spaghetti sauce
Large container cottage cheese
1 lb. mild sausage
2 eggs
2 T. parsley
1 t. basil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 box jumbo shells

Cook shells according to package instructions

Brown sausage, drain

In a large mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, sausage, half of the cheese

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Fill each shell with cottage cheese mixture. Place in pan.

Cover shells with spaghetti sauce and cover pan with foil. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Sprinkle shells with remaining cheese and serve.

Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler

2 lbs. fresh peaches, sliced
2/3 cup oats (not quick-cooking)
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Peaches in bottom
Mix rest of ingredients and pour over peaches
Cook on LOW for three hours
Serve with vanilla ice cream

Taco Salad

(From Laurie Busch)

1 lb. ground beef, seasoned with taco seasoning
1/2 cup cooked white rice
Tortilla chips
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Salsa
shredded iceberg lettuce
chopped green onions

Combine taco meat with cooked rice
Combine salsa and sour cream (1 to 1 ratio)
Mix ingredients according to preference

Taco Salad

(From Mom)

Iceberg lettuce
chopped tomato
green onions, chopped
1 lb. hamburger meat, browned and seasoned with 1 packet taco seasoning
Crumbled Nacho Cheese Doritos

Combine all ingredients and serve.

Meatloaf

(From Lexi Majoue)

Loaf:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1 large onion, chopped
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
little less than half the sauce (below)

Sauce:
4 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
6 T. vinegar
6 T. brown sugar
4 t. mustard
4 t. Worcestershire sauce

Form loaf, pour sauce over and bake (350 for 1 hr. 15 min.), basting often (every 15 minutes).

Black Bean Salad

(From Simply Recipes)

• (15 ounce) can of black beans, thoroughly rinsed, and drained (or 1 1/2 cup of freshly cooked black beans)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, defrosted (or fresh corn, parboiled, drained and cooled)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions or shallots
• 2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced, or 1 whole pickled jalapeño pepper, minced (not seeded)
• 3 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp lime juice (about the amount of juice from one lime)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar (to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Make sure to rinse and drain the beans, if you are using canned beans.

In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions, jalapeno chile peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, basil, lime juice and olive oil. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. (The sugar will help balance the acidity from the tomatoes and lime juice.) Chill before serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

Lumpia

(From Mom)

1 package egg roll wrapper
1/2 lb. hamburger, browned and drained
2 carrots, diced in food processor
1/2 onion, diced
green onions, sliced
bean sprouts, to taste
Soy sauce to taste
Garlic powder to taste

Mix all ingredients to desired taste.

Place filling diagonally on wrapper. Follow package directions for rolling. Seal edges with water.

Fry in oil over medium heat until golden.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 4 pt. fully ripe strawberries)

3 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

1 box SURE.JELL For Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes Premium Fruit Pectin

1 cup water

RINSE clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.

CRUSH strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 4 cups crushed strawberries into large bowl.

MIX sugar and pectin in large saucepan. Stir in water. Bring to boil on medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add strawberries; stir 1 minute or until well blended.

FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Chinese Chicken Salad

(From Mom)

1 cup Miracle Whip
4 T. soy sauce, divided
1/4 t. Tabasco
1 t. ground ginger
8 oz. Rotini
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 cup red or green bell peppers (or both:)
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Saute bell peppers and green onions in 2 T. soy sauce and garlic powder.

Mix Miracle Whip, 2 T. soy sauce, Tabasco and seasonings in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, mix lightly, refrigerate overnight.

Chili (Jeni's variation)

(From Lexi Majoue)

1-2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cans light red kidney beans, DO NOT DRAIN
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
2 cans Rotel
Salt, pepper, and Chili powder to taste

Brown beef and onions. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer until well cooked over medium heat. Best if cooked the day before and reheated before serving (lets the flavors blend). Or, brown meat and onions then combine all ingredients in slow cooker and simmer 10 hours on low.

Cornbread (Jeni's variation)

(From Lexi Majoue)

4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
8 oz. container sour cream
14 or 15 oz. can creamed corn
3 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/3 cup sugar

Beat eggs-add remaining ingredients. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Seven or Eight Layer Mexican Dip

1st layer: 1 can of refried beans, warmed on a skillet
2nd layer: 8 oz. of sour cream mixed with 1 packet of taco seasoning
3rd layer: Salsa
4th layer: Shredded Monterrey jack cheese
5th layer: Chopped tomatoes
6th layer: Chopped green onions
7th layer: Sliced black olives

Optional: Top with slices of avocado dipped in lemon juice (to preserve color)

Serve with tortilla chips

Chicken Spaghetti

(From Diane Hayes)

1 lb. chicken breasts, bone-in
8 oz. thin spaghetti, or any other pasta
1 lb. Velveeta
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
1 can Rotel

Boil chicken, reserving chicken water. Shred chicken.
Cook pasta in chicken water. Drain water to 1/2 inch above pasta.
Reduce heat to medium and add soups and cheese to pasta and water.
Stir until melted. Add Rotel and shredded chicken. Serve.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

(From Kraft Food and Family, Summer 2008, pg. 29)

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 small cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 cup salsa
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 T. chopped cilantro (or to taste)
1 t. cumin
1 cup of shredded cheddar-jack cheese
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
8 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. Heat large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir two min. Add chicken, 1/4 cup salsa, green chilies, cream cheese, cilantro and cumin; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; mix well.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam side down, in a 13x9 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 3/4 cup salsa and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top with chopped avocado and pico de gallo (below)

Pico de Gallo:
1 tomato, diced
1 medium onion, diced
Juice of one lemon (or lime...whatever you have)
Chopped cilantro to taste
Course salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and serve on meals or with tortilla chips.

Laurie's Chicken Pot Pie (Jeni's Variation)

(From Laurie Busch)

1/4 bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bit sized pieces
2 cups frozen, mixed veggies
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. velveeta, cut up
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
Montreal Steak seasoning

Preheat oven to 400. Heat dressing in large skillet. Add chicken and cook thoroughly. Stir in veggies, soup and velveeta. Sprinkle with desired amount of steak seasoning. Spoon into a 9" square, greased dish. Unfold pastry, place over mixture, tuck in edges. Press onto top of dish to seal. Brush with egg, cut slits to vent.

Place on baking sheet; Bake 30 minutes; Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Creamy Lemon Squares

(From Everyday Food)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 t. salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large egg yolks
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper.

Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix on low just until combined. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, 15-20 minutes.

Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven and bake until filling is set, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Refrigerate until filling is firm, about two hours or up to three days. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto work surface; cut into 16 squares and dust with powdered sugar.

Beef with Broccoli

(From Ikuko Patten)

1 lb. sirloin steak, cut against the grain into 1/8 inch slices
3-4 cups fresh broccoli (or frozen)
1/2 onion, sliced
Soy Sauce (dark Chinese is preferable)
Sugar
4 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
1 tsp. fresh ginger root, minced or grated (I've also used the tubed stuff in the produce section)
Cornstarch
Vegetable oil
Sesame oil
Garlic salt

Combine 2 T. soy sauce, 1 T. cornstarch, 1 T. sugar, 1 T. veggie oil, 1 t. sesame oil, 2 grated cloves of garlic, and 1 t. grated ginger root. Add beef slices and marinate 15 minutes.

Heat wok or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2 T. veggie oil. Add 1 minced clove of garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add broccoli pieces and garlic salt (to taste) and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add sliced onion and stir fry until tender. Place veggies on platter and return wok or skillet to stove. Add 1 T. oil and one clove of minced garlic to wok. Drain beef and add to wok, reserving marinade. Stir fry until pink is gone (don't over-cook...beef will be tough). Layer beef over veggies on platter. Once again, return wok to stove.

Combine 1 T. soy sauce, 1 t. sugar, 1 t. cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water (or homemade beef stock, if available) with left over sauce from marinade. Pour into wok and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Add all contents from platter back to wok and heat through. Serve immediately over white rice.

Chicken Fettucine Alfredo

(Emeril Lagasse, 2004)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Montreal Steak seasoning ("chicken" is out there, but "steak" is better)
1 lb. dried fettucine
6 T. unsalted butter
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley for garnish

Cook fettucine in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until tender. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, set over medium-high heat along with the reserved cooking liquid. Add the butter-cream mixture and hald of the Parmesan and toss to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and garnish with parsley. Add strips of cooked chicken seasoned with Montreal Steak seasoning, if desired. Serve immediately.

Spicy Red Beans and Rice

(From Southern Living)

1 1/2 lbs. dried red kidney beans (or 3 cans if you don't want to soak)
5 slices of bacon, chopped
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 lb. salt pork, quartered
6 garlic cloves minced
5 celery ribs, sliced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 (32 oz) containers chicken broth
1 t. salt
1 t. ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 t. black pepper

Place kidney beans in a Dutch oven. Cover with water 2 inches above beans and let soak 8 hours. Drain beans; rinse thoroughly and drain again.

Saute bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add smoked sausage and salt pork; saute 5 min. or until sausage is golden brown. Add garlic and next three ingredients; saute 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Stir in beans, broth, and next three ingredients. bring to a boil. Boil 15 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer stirring occasionally, 3 hours or until beans are tender. Remove salt pork before serving (sometimes I can only find "sliced" salt pork...just bind with kitchen twine for easy removal). Serve over rice.

Note: If using canned beans, after the "15 minute boil", transfer to a crock pot and cook on low 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours to let flavors combine without over-cooking beans.

Carrot Cake Supreme

Cake:

2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 C. sugar
3/4 C. vegetable oil
3/4 C. buttermilk
2 t. vanilla extract
2 C. grated carrots (I use my food processor to finely chop)
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 C. flaked coconut (plus more for sprinkling)
1 small package of chopped pecans (for sprinkling)
Buttermilk Glaze (see recipe at bottom)
Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe at bottom)

Grease two 9 inch round cakepans

Cut circles of wax paper or parchment paper to line on bottom of cake pans.

Grease and flour wax paper. Set aside.

Stir together first four ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and next 4 ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture to batter, beating at low speed until blended.

Stir in carrots, pineapple, and coconut. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Drizzle warm Buttermilk Glaze (see below) over cake layers and allow to cool on wire racks for 15 minutes.

Remove cakes from pans and transfer to a plate. Keep a layer of wax paper between layers so they don't stick and chill in refrigerator (or freezer) for a couple of hours.

Remove from fridge and seperate layers. Remove all wax paper. Place first layer on your cake plate. Spread a semi-thick layer of Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting (see below) on top of bottom layer. Place second layer on top of bottom layer (repeat previous steps if making a triple layer cake). Frost sides and top of cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut and chopped pecans.

Keep refrigerated.

Buttermilk Glaze:

1 C. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 C. buttermilk
1/2 C. (one stick) unsalted butter
1 T. light corn syrup
1 t. vanilla extract

Bring first five ingredients to a boil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Boil four minutes stirring constantly until glaze is golden. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly.

Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/2 (12 ounces) blocks of cream cheese, softened
3/4 C. butter (a stick and a half), softened
1 (16 ounce) package of powdered sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.


***The way I make it is how I entered it above. The original recipe is found in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.***