Fair Drop Cookies

4 ½ cups flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 tsp. Salt

1 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup sugar

1 cup cooking oil

2 eggs

2 tsp. Almond extract

In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium low speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar and sugar. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add oil, eggs, and almond extract and beat just until combined. Mix in dry ingredients. Cover and chill dough about 30 minutes. To shape cookies, roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls. The dough will be soft. Arrange balls on ungreased cookie sheets. With the bottom of a glass, dipped in sugar, gently flatten the balls to about ¼ inch thickness (not to thin). Bake in 350 oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cook on wire rack.

Frost with almond sugar frosting:

FROSTING:

½ cup butter

½ tsp. Almond extract

½ tsp. Vanilla extract

2 ½ to 3 ½ cups powdered sugar

3 Tblsp. Cream or milk

Crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the extracts. Alternately add the powdered sugar and cream or milk. Beat until smooth. Spread on cooled cookies and sprinkle the chopped candy over the frosting.

*We actually found that if you take the cookie and dip it upside down into the candy, it is much easier than to sprinkle it on top. Also, these are meant to be smaller cookies, not sugar cookie size.

Fall Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Servings: 4-6 good size bowls.

Ingredients

28 oz. chicken broth

1 butternut squash, baked at 350 degrees for 1 hr., scraped out of skin and pureed.

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. garlic

1 T. canola oil

1 c. carrots, chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. oregano

2 T. honey

1/4 tsp. cumin

Directions

Heat oil over medium heat in a stockpot. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft but not brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the pureed butternut squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and add cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano, honey, and cumin. Serve topped with Sour Cream.

*This is actually a recipe that I made up! I have made it twice now to verify my measurements and that I really did like it. I actually made this with my little 14 month old daughter in mind. I wanted to find a way to get her to eat her squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes that she used to eat so well and she didn't seem to care for anymore. This definitely worked! It is a sweeter soup with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey added to it so it is one that both kids and adults like.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 leek, thinly sliced, or 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper
• fresh chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, cook leek or onions in butter over medium-low heat until tender. Add flour and stir until well incorporated. Add chicken broth, chopped asparagus, and parsley. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.
Carefully, working with about 1 to 2 cups at a time, blend or process until smooth; return to the saucepan and add cream. Heat through. Add a dash of pepper and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.

*This is a very simple and yummy soup. It says that it makes 4 servings but in my opinion, those are small servings so I would definitely double the recipe if you are wanting to serve more than 3 people with this. Also, I didn't think that it called for enough chicken broth so I added some extra (actually beef broth I had) to the chicken broth and just a bit more cream. Definitely a keeper on those cold nights. Because this is a cream soup, it isn't as filling as one that has some substance inside of it, I would recommend serving this with bread or biscuits to help fill you up.

Empanadas

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 c. bell pepper, chopped

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 pkg. refrigerated pie crust

1 egg, beaten

Salsa

Shredded lettuce

Shredded cheese

Sour Cream

Chopped Tomatoes

Directions

Brown meat with onion, garlic, red onion, and green pepper. (Drain fat.) Add taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 5 minutes. Unfold one pie crust. Place on nonstick cookie sheet. Place half the meat mixture on one side of pastry crust to within one inch of edge. Dampen edges with a finger dipped in water. Fold crust over filling and press edges together with a fork to seal. Cut slits in top of crust to allow steam to vent. Brush tops with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or golden brown. Cut empanada into four wedges and serve with lettuce, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream.

*This was a very fun and good take on the empanada. My husband and I think that it tastes like a tostada kind of. Because there are 2 pie crusts in a box, I baked one with half of the filling and saved the other half and pie crust for another night. Instead of using water to seal the edges, I actually use the egg that is already beaten for the top and use a brush to brush it on.

Chicken Roll-Ups

Ingredients

3 oz. cream cheese

2 T. melted butter

1/3 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. Ranch

1 can crescent rolls

1 T chopped onion

1/4 tsp. salt

1 large can cooked chicken

1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Fine Bread crumbs or crushed chips.

Gravy:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. sour cream

Directions

Mix everything, except crescent rolls and bread crumbs, in a large bowl. Unroll crescent rolls onto a baking sheet and put a spoonful of the mixture in the middle of each roll. Fold up the ends of each roll and seal the best you can. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

For Gravy, heat the 3 ingredients together in a sauce pan. Serve drizzled over roll-ups

*This is good recipe and I think it is kind of fun for kids. I know my daughter really liked these when I made them. Instead of using canned chicken, I actually boiled a chicken breast and shredded it. And instead of sprinkling the top with bread crumbs, I roll the entire roll-up in the bread crumbs.

Ritz Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)

Ritz crackers, crushed

1/2 c. melted butter

1 c. Ranch

1/2 c. melted butter (to drizzle)

Directions

In bowl, mix 1/2 cup melted butter and Ranch. Dip thawed chicken in mixture until coated well. Next, dip chicken into the crushed crackers and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

*This recipe is from my friend Sara Hunsaker and it is so yummy. I made this last week and my husband basically drooled over it :) For the ranch dressing, I made the ranch from the packet and I think that was a huge part of the flavor, so I do recommend doing that. Also, we like ours a bit crispy so we cooked ours about 10-15 minutes longer.

Bajio Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients:

2 Lbs. frozen medium shrimp
1/2 Cup butter
1 Cup honey
2 Tablespoons seasoned salt or lemon pepper

Mango Salsa

1 Mango
1/2 Cup red onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons Cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 Lime's juice
1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

Thaw shrimp and cut in half. Melt butter and stir in honey and seasoned salt/lemon pepper. Heat about half of sauce in pan until bubbly, then add shrimp. Cook until shrimp is pink in color.

Mango salsa- peel and dice mango, chop cilantro and onion. Add everything to bowl and toss.

Heat up tortillas in a skillet on both sides. Add cheese, lettuce, mango salsa and shrimp.

*I needed something quick for dinner the other night because I forgot to thaw any meat. I pulled out some shrimp and decided to try shrimp tacos. James grabbed a few things at the store on his way home and we were able to get this made in a very short period of time. I have actually never had Bajio's tacos, but I know that people who have had them rave about them and my husband was no exception. He loved these just as much and was very excited that I made them for him. Definitely a keeper in our shrimp recipe pile (which seems to get bigger and bigger every week).

Glazed Meat Loaf

Ingredients

1/2 c catsup

1/3 c firmly-packed brown sugar

1/4 c lemon juice

1 tsp dry mustard

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 1/2 c fresh bread crumbs (3 slices)

1/4 c finely-chopped onion

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp instant beef bouillon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, combine catsup, sugar, 1 T lemon juice, and mustard. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and 1/3 c catsup mixture; mix well.

In shallow baking dish, shape into loaf. Bake 1 hour; pour off fat. Pour remaining catsup mixture over loaf; bake 10 minutes longer.

*When I think of meatloaf I think of a poor man's food or something... or I picture a Christmas Story :) This recipe I got from my aunt Gina and we LOVE it! It is so good, so wipe away any thoughts you have of meatloaf and try this one!

I actually don't use fresh bread crumbs, I use just the package bread crumbs and I don't put the beef bouillon in (just haven't bought any)

Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients

3 c zucchini (grated & drained)

2 c flour

1 1/2 c sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp soda

3 T cocoa

1/2 c oil

2 tsp vanilla

Frosting

6 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c margarine

2 c confectioners sugar

1/4 c milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Mix everything together except zucchini (this will appear very dry, don't worry, it is supposed to be that way). Once everything is mixed together, add zucchini. Pour into a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let sit and cool for a few minutes. Spread with frosting.

*This is actually more like a cake than a brownie (very moist) but it is very good. I actually baked it in a 9x13 pan instead of a cookie sheet and I only put a small of amount of frosting on the top (I made it more like a glaze and put a small spread across it, I don't like a heavy frosting on my brownies).

Zucchini Bread

Servings: 2 loafs

Ingredients

3 eggs beaten

1 c oil

2 c sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

3 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3 c flour

1/2 c nuts or chocolate chips

Directions

Mix in the order given. Pour into greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hr.

Winger's Sticky Fingers (Kopykat Recipe)

Servings: 2-4 Ingredients: 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup ketchup 1 Tbls. honey 2 tsp. hot sauce (more or less as desired) 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar 12 - 16 oz. box frozen breaded chicken tenders

Directions: -In a saucepan over low heat, combine all ingredients, except chicken. Warm sauce, stirring occasionally, while you cook the chicken. -Prepare chicken as directed on package in the oven. -Toss chicken in sauce and remove with a slotted spoon to a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. -Bake in a 350 degree oven for 5 - 7 minutes, or until sauce thickens and becomes sticky. -Serve chicken with remaining sauce on the side for dipping. *James and I love these at Winger's so I love being able to make some very similar to it at home. I actually chose to just put a 1/3 cup of Ketchup in just to keep the 1/3 consistent through the recipe. I also add a little extra sugar & hot sauce. We like these dipped in Ranch like they serve at Wingers.

Coconut Chicken Strips

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1/2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 T. milk

1 c. chopped pecans

1 c. coconut

1/3 c. butter, melted

Sauce:

1/2 c. orange marmalade

1 T. cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

2 T. chili sauce

Mix all ingredients together.

Directions

Cut chicken breasts into strips. Mix together the flour and salt. Separately mix together the eggs and milk. Lastly mix together separately the pecans, cornflakes, and coconut. Dip the chicken in first, the flour/salt mixture second, the egg/milk mixture, and finally the cornaflake mixture. In a 15"x10" pan, put 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Place the chicken in the pan and then drizzle the remaining butter over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Serve with sauce.

*I have been making this recipe for a couple of years and we love it in our house. James and I both like the outside a bit crispy, so we cook it for about 20-25 minutes.

Copykat "Bajio" Sweet Rice

Servings: 6-8

Approximate Time: 50 minutes with prep and cook time.

Ingredients:

1/2-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 of a white onion, chopped (add more or less to your taste)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 1/3 cups white rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/4-1/2 cup white sugar

Directions:

Put a little oil in bottom of pan (maybe about 1/2-1 tablespoon).
Saute chopped onion until transluecent. Add the chopped cinlantro (no big stems) and saute a minute more. Add the rice, cooking until it is light brown (being careful not to burn).
Combine the chicken broth and sugar, letting sugar disolve. Then stir into rice until combined. Bring to a boil. Cover and let cook on low, med-low until rice is done, about 25-30 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

* I needed to make a dinner for my family the other night which was 13 people. I decided to make chimichangas but had some vegetarians in the group so I needed to come up with another way to them without the meat for those who didn't eat meat. I found this recipe online and if you have ever eaten at Bajio and had their sweet rice, it is so good. I decided to do beans and sweet rice in them for the vegetarians and was very impressed with the rice. I actually decided to add it to mine and I love it! I think I will have to make this rice everytime now. It is great as a side dish also. I posted the chimichanga recipe a while ago that you can pull up if you would like to maket them.

Greek Shrimp Scampi

Servings: 4

Approximate Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil

5 garlic cloves (minced)

1/2 c parsley (chopped)

1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz.)

1 1/2 lbs precooked large shrimp

1 c herbed feta cheese (crumbled)

1/2 c fresh basil (chopped)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

4 c spaghetti cooked

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Heat oil in saucepan. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add tomatoes and 1/2 c parsley. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimp and basil and pour into 9 X 13 baking pan. Sprinkle cheese over top and bake in oven 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve over pasta topped with remaining parsley. Salt and pepper to taste.

*Sorry to those who don't like seafood, we eat a lot of seafood so I do a lot of things with shrimp. This is actually a recipe that you could easily take out the shrimp and add some veggies or do some olives and artichokes. I did not have fresh basil or parsley so I just used dried (don't use the amount that it calls for when doing this, when using dried, you can use a lot less.) I had crumbled feta cheese, but it was not herbed, so I added some italian seasoning and some basil to it and that seemed to work well. This was really quite easy and it was pretty darn good.

SUPER EASY Chocolate Pudding Raspberry Pie

Ingredients:

1 pie crust (bought from the store and baked)

1 (3 oz.) box of instant chocolate pudding

1 c. milk

1 container of raspberries

1 small carton of whipping cream, whipped & mixed with a bit of sugar and vanilla

Directions:

Bake pie crust according to directions and let cool. Mix chocolate pudding and milk together, beat for about 2 minutes or until thick and smooth. Take 1 cup of whipping cream and fold into chocolate mixture until completely blended together. Take half of chocolate mixture and put in pie crust. Spread raspberries on top of chocolate mixture, leaving a few out for a topping. Spread the rest of chocolate mixture on top of raspberries and top it off with the rest of the whipped cream and raspberries.

*I decided one day to create this pie and I absolutely love it!!! How can you go wrong with chocolate and raspberries :) This is not a fancy pie at all, but it sure puts a smile on my face when I eat it.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz. cold cream cheese (straight from refrigerator)

5 T. softened butter

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar.

1/4 c. fresh raspberries, mashed and strained to get rid of seeds.

Directions:

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until combined. Sift powdered sugar and gradually add to mixture while mixing. Add mashed and strained raspberries to mixture. Spread over favorite cake or sugar cookie.

* I found the foundation of this recipe and decided to turn it into a raspberry frosting. you could use any fruit that can be mashed and strained easily. I was actually looking for a way to add a food coloring to the frosting for the cupcakes I was making for my baby's first birthday and my husband suggested the raspberries in the fridge. It turned out so yummy! (and pink :) Definitely make sure that you follow the instructions with the cold cream cheese and the softened butter. If you don't, it ends up being a runny frosting and doesn't stick really great. Also, if you wash your raspberries before, try and dry them off the best you can. It will also get runny if you add that little bit of extra water to it.

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. olive oil

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

3 cloves garlic (crushed)

2 T. prepared mustard

1 1/2 T. lemon juice

1 1/2 T. lime juice

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Mix the above ingredients in an airtight container. Add thawed chicken breasts that have been thinly sliced. marinate for 3 to 6 hours or overnight. Grill until desired doneness.

* This is a recipe that has been handed around my husband's family. It is such a great BBQ recipe to use. I made 12 pieces of chicken breast yesterday and I tripled the recipe. One recipe is probably good for 4 to 6 normal sized chicken breasts.

Grape Salad

Ingredients:

2 lb. green grapes

2 lb. red grapes

8 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 c. white sugar

1 t. vanilla

brown sugar

pecans

Directions:

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, white sugar, and vanilla. Fold in grapes: sprinkle brown sugar and pecans over top, but do not stir in. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, stir to mix in brown sugar and pecans.

* This is the best summer fruit salad! Anytime I need to make something for a large group, I make this. I have made it on the spur of the moment where I haven't planned in advance to have it refrigerate overnight and it still tastes good, but it definitely tastes better if you do refrigerate over night. I made this yesterday for my baby's birthday party and my husband asked me as I was mixing everything in to add some more brown sugar to it, I did and everyone said that it was the best it had ever been. I also don't use pecans when I make it because I have family members who HATE nuts in anything and when I make it for a potluck dish, I am always worried about allergies people may have.

Fresh Peach Pie

Ingredients:

2 c. boiling water

1/2 c. cold water

2 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. + 2 T. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

1 (3 0z.) pkg. Orange Jello

1/4 c. lemon juice

Directions:

Mix cold water, sugar, cornstarch and salt together to make a paste. Add boiling water and cook until thick. Add jello; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and add lemon, mix and chill. Three cups sliced fresh peaches per pie. Mix 1/3 of filling with 3 cups peaches per pie. Pour in baked pie shell and serve soon after. Top with whipping cream. Makes 3 pies.

* I love homemade fresh peach pie! I have been making this recipe for a few years now and I just made it for the first time in a long time yesterday for my baby's first birthday party (she got cupcakes). I got this recipe from my husband's, best-friend's mom. It is such a yummy recipe!

BLT Salad

Ingredients

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

2 lg. tomatoes, chopped (or whole cherry tomatoes)

1 c. seasoned croutons

Dressing:

3/4 C mayonnaise

1/4 C milk

3/4 t. garlic powder

1/8 t. black pepper

salt to taste

Directions

Mix dressing ingredients in blender. Place lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, and croutons in bowl. Toss with dressing and serve.

*This recipe is from my sister Steffany. I made this and it seriously tastes like a BLT sandwich, it is very good!

Honey-Orange marinated Salmon

Ingredients

1/3 C reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/4 C orange juice

1/4 C honey

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 T olive oil

1 T sherry or apple juice

1 T minced fresh ginger

1 lb salmon fillet

Directions

In a large resealable plastic bad, combine the first 7 ingredients. Add salmon. Seal bag and turn to coat: refrigerate for 1 hour, turning several times.

Line an 8 in. square baking dish with foil; coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Drain and discard marinade. Place salmon in prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

*I make a lot of seafood because my husband loves it and asks me to make it for him. I wanted to try something new so I found this recipe. I think it was very tasty! I did not have reduced sodium soy sauce so I used regular soy sauce and added a bit of water to it and it wasn't salty at all.

Teriyaki Shish Kabobs

Ingredients

1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 pounds boneless beef sirloin steak (1 1/2 inches thick), cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 fresh pineapple, trimmed and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 to 3 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 pound whole fresh mushrooms (medium size work best)
1/2 pound boiling onions, peeled
1 large green or sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions
1. Combine first five ingredients; toss with the beef. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Drain beef, reserving marinade.

3. Thread meat, pineapple, and vegetables alternately on long skewers. Grill over hot coals for 15 to 20 minutes, turning often, or until meat reaches desired doneness and vegetables are tender.

4. Simmer the marinade in a small saucepan over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove meat and vegetables from skewers; serve with marinade.

Serves: 6-8

* I made this for my husband's birthday bbq that we had on Monday night. I actually used chicken instead since that is what I had. I also used zuchinni, squash, tomatoes on it. This marinade is so yummy that I would recommend it on almost anything. Very easy to make and very tasty!

Grilled Garlic and Herb Shrimp

Ingredients

2 tsp. ground paprika

2 T fresh minced garlic

2 tsp. Italian seasoning blend

2 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 C olive oil

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp. dried basil leaves

2 T brown sugar, packed

2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

Whisk the paprika, garlic, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, basil, and brown sugar together in a bowl until thoroughly blended. Stir in the shrimp, and toss to evenly coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning once. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Lightly oil grill grate and place about 4 inches from heat source. Remove shrimp from marinade, drain excess and discard marinade. Place shrimp on preheated grill and cook, turning once, until opaque in the center, 5-6 minutes. Serve immediately.

*I made these also for my husbands birthday bbq and I couldn't seem to get myself to stop eating them. These were SO good! Sure to be a hit at any bbq or get together.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

1 large clove garlic

1 T coarse salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

2 T olive oil

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 wedges lemon, for garnish

Directions

Preheat grill for medium heat. In a small bowl, crush the garlic with the salt. Mix in cayenne pepper and paprika, and then stire in olive oil and lemon juice to form a paste. in a large bowl, toss shrimp with garlic paste until evenly coated. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side or until opaque. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

*This was very yummy, especially for those who like spicy food. It was a bit spicy for me but I am pregnant and a bit sensitive to it right now. I think I made almost 30 of these and they were eaten up at our BBQ. Very easy and very yummy.

Mongolian Beef

Approximate time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2 (I doubled the recipe and it fed 5)

• Ingredients
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 lb flank steak
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 large green onions

Directions

Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of oil in medium saucepan over med/low heat. Don't get the oil too hot or you'll get spatter hwen adding the other liquids. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch and apply a thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (or skillet). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for 2 minutes or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.

You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef will go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so it cooks evenly. After a couple of minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and place it on paper towels. Then pour the oil out of the wok.

Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions. cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.

Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.

* This tastes just like PF Chang's Mongolian Beef, it is so good and not really hard at all. I sliced the pieces to thick, I think they need to be fairly thin, just like you would find at PF Chang's. Also, we over cooked these a tad, so make sure to not over cook them. Well worth making for those of you who are Chinese food lovers like I am.

Santa Fe Tortilla Soup

Approximate Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Vegetable or corn oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tbsp-2 turns of the pot in a slow stream
3 ears corn on the cob or 2 ears fresh-frozen cobs, defrosted
1 red bell pepper, split and seeded
1 lb. chicken breasts tenders
1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
1 tsp cumin, 1/3 palm full
salt and pepper
1 small to medium zucchini, small dice
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 28 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3 c chicken stock
4 c blue corn tortilla chips, broken up into large pieces
1 c shredded cheddar or pepper Jack cheese
1/2 c sour cream
Optional Garnishes:
1/4 red raw onion, chopped
2 to 3 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
1 ripe avocado, diced and dressed with the juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium-high. Drizzle oil on corn and place on grill pan. Add red pepper to grill with corn. Char vegetables 10 minutes, total, turning occasionally. Remove to cool, 5 minutes. Remove charred skin from the pepper.

While vegetables cook, dice chicken. Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot soup pot. Add chicken to pot. Season with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Lightly brown the chicken. Add zucchini, onions, garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables with chicken 5 to 7 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock. Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.

Scrape corn off cob and add to soup. Chop grilled red pepper and stir into soup. Add chips to soup in handfuls and fold in. Serve soup immediately with scatter of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Top with any or all of the suggested garnishes.

* I actually changed this soup quite a bit, that is the nice thing about soup, you can adapt it to what you have in your cupboards. I had some leftover rottisserie chicken and corn on the cob that I used and I didn't have a red pepper or zucchini, so I added a can of black beans and some extra corn instead. I was very pleased with how it turned out and it was delicious with sour cream, cilantro, and avocado all on top as the garnish. I surprisingly had the chipotle peppers in my fridge from making the pressure cooker chili reccently.

Raspberry Tartlets

Approximate Time: 5 hours (with 4 hours refrigeration time)
Servings: 24 tartlets

Ingredients
2/3 C butter
5 egg yolks (about 1/3 cup)
1-3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C granulated sugar
1 T finely shredded orange peel
1 C Lemon Curd or Orange Curd (recipe follows) or purchased lemon or lime curd
2 C Raspberries
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Allow butter and egg yolks to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until light and pale, about 3 minutes. Add softened butter and orange peel. Beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in flour mixture just until combined. Divide Dough in half. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours or until firm enough to handle.
Lightly grease twenty-four 1 3/4 in. muffin tin; set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time until 1/4 in. thick. Using a 2 1/2 in. round cookie cutter, cut dough into 12 rounds rerolling as needed. Press a round into the bottom and up the sides of each prepared muffin cup. Repeat rolling and cutting with remaining half of dough.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 8-9 minutes or until lightly browned (dough will puff). Remove from oven. Immediately make an indentation so as to form a tart shell (use the rounded bottom of a measuring teaspoon). Cool slightly in pan. Carefully transfer tart shells to a wire rack and let cool. To serve, spoon a scant 1 tablespoon of Lemon Curd into each cooled tart shell. Arrange raspberries on top and dust tartlets with powdered sugar.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients
5 egg yolks
1 C sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1 stick butter, cut into pats and chilled

Directions
Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about 1 inch up the side. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium size metal bowl and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. measure citrus juice and if needed, add enough cold water to reach 1/2 cup. Add juice and zest to egg mixture and whisk smooth. Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place bowl on top of saucepan. (Bowl should be large enough to fit on top of saucepan without touching the water.) Whisk until thickened, approximately 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of a spoon. Remove promptly from hear and stir in butter a piece at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Remove to a clean container and cover by laying a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

*I went to a Relief Society cooking group last night where the theme was a Tea Party. These are the prettiest little dessert. They would be perfect for a baby shower or bridal shower. I was very impressed with how well these turned out and how great they looked!

Grilled Sweet Onions

Approximate Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4

Ingredients
4 large onions
4 tsp beef bouillon granules
4 T butter
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
4 tsp white wine or beef broth, optional

Directions
With a sharp knife, carefully remove a 1-in. core from the center of each onion. Cut each onion into four edges to within 1/2 in. of root end. Place each onion on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in. square). Place bouillon in the centers of onions; top with butter, thyme, salt and pepper. Drizzle with wine or broth if desired. Fold foil around onions and seal tightly. Prepare grill for indirect heat. Grill onions, covered, over indirect medium heat for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape.

*We made these yesterday for Mother's Day and they were SO good. They sound a bit interesting but they are WAY good! Family members who don't like onions even really liked these.

Flank Steak

Ingredients
1 Flank steak
1/2 C canola Oil
1/2 C Soy Sauce
1/4 C lemon juice
2 garlic cloves crushed
2-4 T dry minced onion

Directions
Mix all ingredients (except steak) together in a gallon size ziploc bag. Add steak and marinade over night. Cook on grill until desired doneness.

*This is the BEST flank steak recipe ever!!!! We got this recipe from my sister and her husband. For anyone who came to my baby's blessing, this is the meat that we had at that. My husband made it yesterday for Mother's Day and we were all reminded how INSANELY good this is....YUM!

Apple Chimi Cheesecake

Approximate Time: 2 hrs (with freezing time)

Servings: recipe says 4, I was able to make 10

Ingredients:
Cheesecake filling (favorite home-made recipe or instant package mix)
Apple pie filling
Pressed 10" flour tortillas
Cinnamon sugar
caramel topping
Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Prep cheesecake filling. Fold in desired amount of apple pie filling (recommend no more then equal to one-quarter of cheese cake mix). Warm tortilla slightly in microwave. Spatula mix onto tortilla in rectangle form, offset from the middle. Fold sides in first, bottom second, and roll to top. Ensure that it is sealed all the way around. Roll in wax paper and freeze.

When ready to prepare/serve, remove fully frozen chimi and fry immediately in 350 degree oil for approximately three to four-minutes. Remove from oil allow to drain. Roll in cinnamon sugar. Cut in half on an angle. Serve in a puddle of caramel and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

*This is a dessert that I used to get at Applebee's until they stopped making it. It doesn't taste quite the same, but it is still a good dessert. I made these for my whole family on Sunday so I was able to prepare this early in the day and just leave it in the freezer. I think I used a cheesecake pie filling which isn't as thick as a normal cheesecake, so I would probably make sure that you get the real cheesecake stuff. Also, I think the tortillas I got were smaller than 10" but I think they were the perfect size (soft taco size).

Szechuan Steak

Approximate Time: 30 minutes
servings: 4

Ingredients
1 lb steak (any kind) sliced thin, 1-2" long pieces
8 oz fresh sugar snap peas (2 cups)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C water
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/3 C cilantro chopped
2 T dry roasted peanuts (chopped)

Directions
Heat oil in wok or skillet. Add peas and stir fry 2 minutes. Remove to plate and add beef, garlic, and pepper. Stir fry until meat is brown. Combine soy sauce, water, sugar, and starch in a bowl. Return peas to pan and toss with meat. Add soy mixture and stir fry until thick. Remove from heat and serve over steamed rice. Top with cilantro and peanuts.

*This was a quick simple meal and quite good. It doesn't make as much sauce as I would like though so I think that I would double the recipe so that you could have sauce to pour onto the rice instead of it just being on the steak and peas.

Grilled Corn Salad

Ingredients

6 ears fresh corn, husked with silks removed 2 tablespoons canola oil Salt and pepper 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped 4 scallions, finely chopped 2 cups packed arugala

Lemon Dressing:

1 lemon, juiced
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Neelys Barbeque Seasoning, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat grill or broiler to medium heat.

Rub corn with 2 tablespoons of canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil corn for 7 minutes or until ears are lightly browned. Remove from grill and allow to cool. Remove the kernels form the cob and place in a large mixing bowl along with the cherry tomatoes, red pepper, scallions, and arugula.

In a small bowl, prepare dressing by whisking together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and Neelys Barbeque Seasoning, to taste.

Toss the salad with the dressing and serve at room temperature.

Neelys BBQ Seasoning:

1 1/2 cups paprika
3/4 cup sugar
3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir until combined. Keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

*I didn't have all of the ingredients for this so I had to improvise, but I still thought it was a good salad. I bet it would even be better if I had the right ingredients. Instead of grilling corn, I put frozen corn on a baking sheet and baked it for 15 minutes or so and that was simple and I thought it was good.

Homemade baby food

This post is for my sister-in-law Julie and any other moms out there that are interested in making there own Homemade baby food. The major pros of making your own baby food is for Health (knowing exactly what is going into your baby) and cost (it is much cheaper to make your own food). I have used the book Super Baby Food as a guide on knowing what foods to make at what age and learning about the ice cube tray freezing technique, but I felt like it was missing a way to prepare the food after it was frozen that wasn't using a microwave. I have come up with a way that I feel is a great way to make food and get it prepared to eat after it is frozen.

The supplies that you will more than likely need to go out and purchase that you may not already have is about 6 ice cube trays, small serving strainers, and ramekins (used normally for creme brulee). I have found that ramekins is the best thing to use because it distributes heat evenly while warming up food and when they are refrigerated and immediately put into boiling water, they don't crack like glass.
These strainers were purchased in this 3 set at Walmart for about $8-$9 and I love that you have an individual size.

After preparing which ever food of your choice, pour them into the ice cube trays, cover, and freeze.

After food is frozen, run hot water over the back side of the ice cube tray for about 10 seconds to loosen the cubes, then pop out or use a spoon to get it out. Store in labeled freezer bag until ready to serve.

My baby right now is almost 8 months and she is eating: Spinach, Pears, Peas, Carrots, Prunes, Mangoes, Rice Cereal (I do make my own homemade rice cereal), Sweet Potatoes, and Avocados.

My doctor told me to feed her Spinach and Prunes because she has struggled with constipation and it has worked GREAT at keeping her regular!

If anyone has any questions about how to make certain foods or about the process I use (shown further down), please feel free to ask!

Preparing food for baby after being frozen

First thing every morning when I get up, I decide what Brooklyn is going to eat for all 3 of her meals that day. I take out 3 ramekins and place 1 cube in each.
The 2 that are for lunch and dinner, I place in a plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator until that meal.

I boil water (I do not use a microwave to thaw or warm up the food, for more info on it, check out this website http://www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards.htm) and pour into a bowl. For anyone who has never seen one of these water boilers, this is a must have for every household! This is an electric boiler that you plug in and the water is boiled in a few short minutes. This makes warming up food much quicker that a teapot on the stove but you can most definitely use that instead. Breakfast always takes longer to thaw because the cube is still completely frozen, but lunch and dinner have thawed in the refrigerator that they basically just need to warm up.

Place the ramekin in the boiling water in the bowl and add anything else you would like to add to it (breast milk, formula, water). At this time I add banana to her rice cereal to sweeten it, so I use the little strainer to push a small amount through and make it very fine to mix with the cereal.

Stir everything in until you have the consistency that you would like and let sit for a few minutes to warm up. When is all warmed up, take the ramekin out of the bowl, wipe off the ramekin, grab a baby spoon, and it is ready to serve.

Here are some prunes pictured when they are ready to serve!

Marshmallow Flake Treats

Approximate Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1/3 c. butter
1 (10 oz.) pkg. Marshmallows
4 c. Corn Flakes
1 ½ tbsp. Butter
½ c. almonds, sliced
1 c. coconut

Directions
Brown (toast) lightly in frying pan the following ingredients: 1 ½ tbsp butter, almonds, coconut. Be careful not to burn coconut: it burns fast. Melt 1/3 cup butter and marshmallows over low heat. When melted remove from heat. Add toasted mixture and Corn Flakes to melted marshmallow mixture. Press into a buttered 13 x 9 inch pan. Frost with 1 cup melted chocolate chips.

* These are probably my favorite bars. I think they are the grown up version of a Rice Krispie Treat. I actually do prefer these without the chocolate. I love chocolate, but I think it over powers on these, try it both ways and decided for yourself.

Baby Food

I haven't posted much lately because I haven't been trying new recipes lately. I have really been focusing on making my own homemade baby food for my 7 month old daughter. I have really found some great ways to make her baby food and she has really loved what I have come up with. If anyone is interested in making their own homemade baby food, please let me know and I will get some info to you about it. I love knowing that what is going into my baby is healthy and has no preservatives in it. It actually ends up being more cost effective also to make your own baby food.

Meltaways

Ingredients:

1/3 to 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. cornstarch

1 c. butter, softened

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into 1" logs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove logs and cut into 1" cookies. Bake in 350* oven for 12-15 minutes until set. Cool.

Frosting:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

Beat frosting ingredients together until fluffy. Place frosting in a decorator tube fitted with a star tip. Frost the top of each cookie with a swirl of frosting.

*This recipe is from my neighbor Jackie Thomas. She made these the other night for a baby shower we threw, they are so yummy......the term "once you start, you can't stop" completely applies here. I will be throwing a baby shower in a month and I am definitely going to make these for that.

Honey-Teriyaki Chicken with Snap Peas on Cellophane Noodles

Approximate Time: 30 min
Servings: 4-5

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon liquid smoke seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted
8 ounces cellophane noodles, soaked in hot water until tender
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 cups snap peas, steamed

Directions
Coat a stove-top grill pan or griddle with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat to preheat.
In a shallow dish, whisk together soy sauce, honey, molasses, ginger, garlic, liquid smoke seasoning, and black pepper. Add chicken strips and turn to coat. Place chicken on hot grill and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until cooked through, turning once during cooking. Remove chicken from grill pan and roll in toasted sesame seeds.
Drain cellophane noodles and toss with cilantro and sesame oil. Serve chicken with noodles and snap peas.

"Bambino" Pizza Pocket

Approximate Time: 30 min
Servings: 12 Bambinos

Ingredients
2 Pillsbury pizza crusts
1 package pepperoni
1 package canadian bacon
pizza sauce
Mozerella cheese
Cheddar cheese
1 egg
cooking oil

Directions
Pour cooking oil into pan and heat up on medium-low heat for frying. Roll pizza dough out, cut out 4" circles. Crack egg into a bowl and beat lightly. Brush egg around the edges of each crust circle. In the center of half of the crust circles, layer pizza sauce, canadian bacon, cheeses, and pepperoni. Top it off with another circle, egg brushed edges facing down. Pinch the edges all the way around with fork. Place in oil and cook until golden brown.

*These are my family's favorite food from our home town of Rigby, ID. I came up with this recipe since they aren't close enough for me to eat whenever I want. This is something that kids love to eat. My family actually thought that the ones I made were better than the real thing. Since I just came up with the recipe myself, the directions may not be real clear so don't be afraid to ask me anything if you don't understand. Since we don't have a cutter for 4" circles, we just found a jar and cleaned it and just cut around it with a knife.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Approximate Time: 20 min
Servings: 1 12" pizza (feeds 2-3 adults)

Ingredients
1 Boboli italian pizza crust
1/3-1/2 c. barbeque sauce
1 c. shredded chicken
1 1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4-1/2 c. cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400. Boil chicken breast 10-15 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle, take out and shred. Place Boboli crust on baking sheet, top with bbq sauce, half of cheese, chicken, then other half of cheese. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.

*Last week I needed something quick to make, so I grabbed 2 boboli crusts from the freezer and all of the ingredients and put this together. On the second crust, I put the sauce that comes with the crust, prosciutto ham, & cheese for my step-dad since he doesn't like bbq sauce. This was so quick & easy and was really good. Great meal for kids.

Raspberry Brulee

Approximate Time: 30 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients
2 c. Fresh raspberries (I use strawberries if raspberries aren’t in season).
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. Cornstarch
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. skim milk
2 T sour cream
½ tsp. vanilla
4 tsp. Brown sugar

Directions
Rinse and drain raspberries. Divide between 4 six-ounce ramekins. Combine sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan; stir well. Add egg; stir well. Gradually add milk. Cook and stir over low heat about 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Add sour cream and vanilla; stir well. Spoon custard mixture over raspberries. Place ramekins on a baking sheet; sprinkle each with 1 tsp. Brown sugar. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat two minutes or until sugar melts (or with chef's torch). Serve warm.

*I have been making this dessert for a few years and I absolutely love it. This is a much healthier option to creme brulee and is very easy to make. I usually make this recipe and just use it in 2 ramekins so they are nice and full for James and me.

Creme Brulee

Approximate Time: 3 hrs 15 min (including prep, baking, and refrigeration time)
Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup vanilla sugar, divided (recipe follows)
6 large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Vanilla Bean
Ingredients
1 vanilla bean, whole or scraped
2 cups granulated sugar

Directions
If vanilla bean is whole, slice down side of bean with back of knife and scrape seeds into airtight container with the sugar. Bury bean in sugar and seal tightly with lid. Let sit for 1 to 2 weeks. Use as regular, granulated sugar.

*YUM, YUM, and did I say YUM!!! I am a HUGE fan of Creme Brulee, and I have always wanted to learn how to make it. I was quite surprised how simple it was and how much it tasted like any restaurant creme brulee I would order. I have 9 ramekins so I did 1 & 1/2 recipes. I only needed 7 but my next door neighbors let me borrow their chef's torch (to carmelize the top) so I took the extra 2 to them. You could actually stretch the recipe to 7 or 8 ramekins since it is quite alot for just 6. I love the fact that you can make it in advance also ( I made it before church and I pulled them out while we played a game to let them come up to room temperature and then torched it after the game). I highly recommend buying ramekins if you don't have them, I am constantly trying to find recipes to use in them so that they are worth having. Also, I found the vanilla beans at Costco. They come with quite a few but they last a really long time.

German Pancakes

Approximate Time: 35 min
Servings: 6 squares

Ingredients
1 c. milk
6 eggs
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 T. butter

Directions
Combine all ingredients except butter in a blender. Melt butter in 9 x 13- inch pan in 450 oven until hot and sizzling (be careful not to burn). Pour batter into pan of butter and bake for 25 minutes. Serve with powdered sugar and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

*James is usually in charge of making our big breakfasts, but this is one breakfast that I love to make. This is so easy and yummy. When it is just James and I, I will usually cut the recipe in half and use a smaller pan. If you have never had these before, well worth trying and while making them, don't be surprised when you see it rising in the oven, that is what it is supposed to do.

Chimichangas

Approximate Time: 30 min (after meat is cooked)
Servings: 4

Ingredients
2-3 c. beef or pork roast
1 onion
1 can green chilies
7 oz. green chili salsa

Directions
Cook roast in crock pot on low heat for about 6 hours. Drain meat, reserving juices. Cool meat, then shred. Place meat in a pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and green chilies. Add green chili salsa with a 1/4 cup or so of reserved juices. Cook a few minutes to heat through.

Warm flour tortillas and add a couple of tablespoons of meat mixture, along with cheese if desired. Fold the bottom edges of each tortilla up over filling. Fold both sides toward the center and roll into a cylinder. Secure rolled tortillas with a toothpick. Fry in hot oil about 2 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with shredded lettuce, green chili salsa, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream.

*This is a recipe that my step-dad asks me to make, he loves these. I usually use the whole roast and save half of the meat mixture and make them twice a week apart, or you could reserve half of the meat for another dish. It is great to save any reserved juices so you can add it to the meat when you reheat it to make the meat juicy again.

Judy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/2 c. crisco
1/2 c. butter
4 jumbo eggs or 5 regular eggs
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
4 1/2 c. flour
2 c. milk chocolate chips

Directions
HAND STIR shortening and butter together. Add white sugar and brown sugar, stir. Add eggs, stir. Add vanilla, stir. In a seperate bowl, mix flour, soda, and salt together. Stir in with main mixture. Add chocolate chips. Bake in a 350 oven for about 14-15 minutes.

*These are my mother-in-law Judy's cookies and they are the best chocolate chip cookies. James was craving these the other night so we got the recipe from her, I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it. She says the real secret to them is hand mixing it and not using a mixer. The batch is quite large, so we divide it up and put half of the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. I like my cookies well done so I cook them longer, James likes his gooey (or soft) so I found that 14-15 minutes was perfect for him.

Pressure Cooker Chili

Approximate Time: 1 1/2 hrs (with cutting meat)
Servings: 4

Ingredients
3 lb stew meat (pork is the best, it is more tender than beef)
2 tsp. Peanut oil
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 c. beef broth
1 16 oz. container of salsa
30 t0rtilla chips, crunched up
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
1 T. adobo sauce from peppers
1 T. tomato paste
1 T. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions
Place cut up meat in large mixing bowl and toss with peanut oil and salt. Heat 6 qt. pressure cooker and add meat and brown in 2-3 batches (all can't fit in one batch). Remove all meat and pour in broth, bring to a boil & stir (getting anything that may be on the bottom of the pan off.) Add brown meat into pressure cooker. Add salsa, chips, peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Lock lid in place until steam comes out, cook for 25 minutes.

*This recipe is one that we got from my father-in-law. He makes it when we go out. I made this for Christmas Eve dinner and then again for New Year's Eve dinner with my entire family and it was a big hit. This is quite spicy, so if you don't like spicy, you could try to make it with everything but the peppers (but still add the adobo sauce.) It's not your normal kind of chili, but it is SO GOOD!!!! We always double the recipe and eat as leftovers or serve it on top of egg breakfast burritos.

Strawberry Lemonade Punch

Ingredients
12 oz. lemonade, frozen concentrate
1 lb. strawberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen
4 c. cold water
2 liter lemon-lime soda, chilled

Directions
Puree strawberries and lemonade concentrate in blender on high speed until smooth. Pour into punch bowl. Add lemon-lime soda, water and ice as desired. Can also freeze for slush. (Freeze puree and water. Thaw slightly and mash. Add soda.)

*This is the punch that we made at my baby shower at my mom's house and also at my friend Michelle's baby shower. I like to make it the frozen way.

Pasta Salad from my Baby Shower

Ingredients
Dressing
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. canola oil
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. white vinegar
1 T. sugar
Salad
3 chicken breasts
12 oz. spiral pasta
1 c. cashews
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 pkg. torn spinach
1/3 c. green onions, chopped
Parmesan cheese

Directions
Make dressing. Cook chicken breasts. Cook pasta. Combine dressing, chicken, and pasta. Let marinade, overnight if possible. Before serving, add cashews, sunflower seeds, spinach, and onion. Sprinkle with cheese.

*This recipe is for Nikki and the many others who have asked for it. This is the pasta salad my mom made at my baby shower as well as Brooklyn's baby blessing. My mom is vegetarian so she omitted the chicken and replaced it with grape tomatoes, halved. She also makes an additional 1/2 of the dressing to add to the pasta just before serving (the pasta absorbs most of the dressing while marinating so it needs a bit more flavor). Instead of soy sauce, my mom uses Braggs Amino Acids which can be found at the health food store.

Wonton Salad

Ingredients
Fried Wontons, cut into strips
3 green onions, chopped
1 head lettuce, (iceberg), torn
Cooked shrimp or chicken (approx. 2 c.)
toasted sesame seeds

Mix salad ingredients and add dressing just before serving.

DRESSING:
4 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. salad oil
6 tbsp. white vinegar
Garlic salt to taste
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. sesame oil

Make dressing ahead

*I am actually posting this recipe because it is one of the few Wonton Salad Dressings I have found that doesn't call for MSG. I really try not to eat things with MSG in it. If you would like to learn more on MSG, please read this article that was sent to me. http://across.co.nz/MSGpoisoning.html

Chicken Noodle Soup

Approximate Time: 30 min
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock, recipe follows
8 ounces dried wide egg noodles
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions
Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Chicken Stock:
1 whole free-range chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), rinsed, giblets discarded
2 carrots, cut in large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in large chunks
2 large white onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 turnip, halved
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Place the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot over medium heat. Pour in only enough cold water to cover (about 3 quarts); too much will make the broth taste weak. Toss in the thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and allow it to slowly come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, partially covered, until the chicken is done. As it cooks, skim any impurities that rise to the surface; add a little more water if necessary to keep the chicken covered while simmering.
Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When its cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones; hand-shred the meat into a storage container.
Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Use the stock immediately or if you plan on storing it, place the pot in a sink full of ice water and stir to cool down the stock. Cover and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze.

* I needed to make a meal for my husband and my step-dad (who is the very simple eater), we had some left over chicken from a couple of nights ago so I thought I would try making this. I didn't want to spend the time or have the stuff to make homemade chicken stock, so I had half of the amount needed with Swanson's Chicken Stock that they have just recently come out with and the other half I just used chicken broth. It was a really easy and simple recipe and it was something that my step-dad really liked.

Mock Fried Ice Cream

Approximate Time: 40 min (with freezing)

Ingredients
1 qt. vanilla ice cream
2 c. flaked coconut
2 c. dry roasted peanuts (chopped)
4 chocolate covered toffee bars (chopped)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Spread coconut on baking sheet and bake 5-10 minutes until and golden. Let cool and crush lightly. Combine with nuts and candy pieces. With an ice cream scroop, form 3" balls of ice cream. Roll in nut mixture and place in freezer until firm. Serve topped with favorite topping.

*I actually used Corn Flakes instead of nuts (that seemed closer to what they use in restaurants to me). I made the mixture and just did a scoop every time I was in the mood for something sweet. This is something that is so quick and easy.

Streusel-Topped Banana Bread

Approximate Time: 40 min

Ingredients
1 ½ c. all purpose flour
1 c. mashed bananas (3 sm. overripe bananas)
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 c. sugar
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ c. butter, melted
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Streusel:
½ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. packed light brown sugar
¼ c. butter, softened
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 mini loaf pans. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in medium size bowl. Beat bananas, eggs, sugar and butter in large bowl until smooth. On low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture. Divide batter among prepared pans. For streusel: Mix flour, sugar, butter, nutmeg and cinnamon in bowl with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. If streusel is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil.

* James pretty much begs me to make this for him, it is his favorite. I made this just a few days ago and it doesn't last a day. I don't have 3 mini loaf pans, so I just use one large one and cook it for about an hour (check with toothpick). A good idea for this, if you have bananas that are becoming overripe, freeze them so you have them available whenever you want to make this. I do this (or my mom does this), when the bananas are thawed, they turn black and really mushy looking, this is ok! they are still fine to put in the bread and still have great flavor.

Old World Manicotti

Approximate Time: 35 min
Servings: 6

Ingredients
12 large manicotti shells
4 c. shredded mozzarella
Cheese, divided
2 c. ricotta cheese
½ c. grated parmesan or
Romano cheese
6 T chopped fresh basil or 2 T. dried basil
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce, divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on paper towels. For filling, in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta and fresh basil. Using a teaspoon, carefully stuff pasta shells with prepared cheese mixture.

Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately

*This is a recipe that I gave to my neighbors in Payson but it is such a quick and easy recipe that I am sure everyone would appreciate it. For the spaghetti sauce, I buy the Classico brand which has alot more flavors to choose from and is a much higher quality sauce than Prego or Ragu. I have found it is easier to use a fork to stuff the shells with.

Herbed Artichoke Cheese Tortellini

Approximate time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each)
Italian diced tomatoes
2 jars (6-1/2 ounces each)
marinated quartered artichoke hearts
2 packages (9 ounces each)
refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
2 to 4 tablespoons minced fresh or
2 to 4 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Drain tomatoes, reserving 2/3 cup juice; set aside. Drain artichokes, reserving 3/4 cup liquid; chop and set aside.
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onions, parsley, basil, garlic, oregano and pepper flakes in oil for 4-5 minutes or until onions are tender. Add the reserved tomatoes, tomato juice and artichoke liquid.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until slightly thickened. Drain tortellini; add to tomato mixture. Stir in the olives, salt and reserved artichokes; heat through. Sprinkle with parmesan.

*I actually dump all of the tomato juice from both cans of tomatoes in and I go to costco and buy their 2 package cheese tortellini and cut them apart and use one whole package for the dish and freeze the other one for the next time I make it ( they are located in the back by the cheeses and meats.)

Southwestern Corn Chowder

Approximate Time: 1 hr total
Servings: 6

Ingredients
2 pounds frozen corn kernels, thawed, and drizzled with olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
10 Roma tomatoes, rubbed with olive oil
1 medium red pepper, rubbed with olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 small yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups corn tortilla chips, chopped
Cumin
Chili powder
1 medium avocado, small diced, for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Put the oiled corn on a baking sheet and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Put the oiled tomatoes on another baking sheet and roast them both for 10 to 12 minutes until the tomato skin blisters and the corn is lightly browned. In a medium skillet, grill the red pepper over medium-high heat until it is black on each side. Put the tomatoes and the pepper in the refrigerator, and peel them when they have cooled.
Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic and saute. Add the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, roasted corn, peeled tomatoes, half-and-half, and 1 1/4 cups of the tortilla chip pieces and mix well. Pour this mixture in a food processor or blender* and puree until smooth. Strain the chowder, and then season it with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, to taste. Peel and dice the roasted red pepper. Serve the soup topped with diced avocado, red pepper, and the remaining tortilla chip pieces. Serve immediately.
*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

*I actually blended part of the red pepper in the soup, added some cilantro to it and topped the whole thing off with sour cream. I loved the flavor and texture of the avocados and I am normally a little bit iffy about avocados, so I do highly recommend putting it on top. I believe this recipe is from a restaurant in Park City called the Windy Ridge.

Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Marmellata

Approximate Time: 2 hrs. 15 min.
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients
Onion Marmellata:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large onions, thinly sliced (about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (or more to taste)
Pork Chops:
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 pork chops
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
For the onion marmellata, place a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the onions. Stir to combine and cook until starting to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to scrape up any brown bits. The onions should be a soft, jam-like consistency and a deep mahogany color.
Meanwhile, for the pork chops, combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Using your fingers, work all the ingredients together until well combined. Rub the herb mixture over the pork chops. Cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.
About 20 minutes before the onions are finished, remove the pork chops from the refrigerator. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Grill the pork chops to medium, about 7 minutes a side depending on thickness. To serve, spoon the onion marmellata over the pork chops. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

*I was surprised how incredibly good the onions were on these pork chops. I bought my pork chops at Costco, their pork chops are super thick which help them to be juicy and not dried out. Also, I used 4 onions like it called for and there was a ton left over, so you may want to cut the recipe down if you are only making 4 pork chops.

Blueberry and Mascarpone Turnovers

Approximate Time: 30 min
Servings: 12 turnovers

Ingredients
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries
2 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions
Special equipment: a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the cheese, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. Stir in the blueberries.
Using a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut the pie dough into 12 circles. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg. Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture in the center of the dough. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling and pinch the edges to seal. Using the tines of a fork, gently crimp the sealed edges. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
While the pastry is chilling: In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Fry the turnovers for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with sugar while still hot. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

*I didn't have the right size of cookie cutter so I used the smaller one I had & just made more of them. I served this with 3 turnovers in the bottom of the bowl forming a triangle & a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle of them. I'm not a big blueberry fan & I loved these with the ice cream and I thought they were quite easy to make.

I have made these again with cream cheese instead of the mascarpone cheese and it tastes just as good!

Intro of Homemade By Mom!

My husband James and I are living at my parents house. My mom is practically Vegan and my step-dad is the most simple eater I have ever met (he doesn't like sauce on anything, even his green salad, so it is pretty much meat and potatoes for him.)
Before we moved in with my parents, we lived in Payson, UT. Most of my neighbor's down there knew that I liked to try new things because at Christmas I would give recipe cards of my favorite recipes I had tried that year. After being pregnant and moving in with my parents, I kind of stopped doing it for a while.
This past week, my parents left for the Bahamas which left me in charge of all of the meals once again. I decided to pick back up where I left off and find some new recipes to try out on my husband (the vegan and simple eater were gone). I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed trying new things.
I decided to create this blog for 2 reasons: First, I wanted to share the recipes that I like with others and maybe if they see that I made it, then they will think that they can make it too. Second, if I travel, I love the idea of just getting on the internet and having my recipes there for me if I need them.
Because we aren't picky, I will be posting all kinds of recipes, even some for the picky or simple eaters. I find my recipes from all over; the internet, recipe books, magazines, t.v. shows, etc. I hope people will try new things and make a special effort to make more home cooked meals.
Also, if you have a recipe you think I might be interested in, I would love for you to share it.