Raspberry Pretzel JELL-O

After hearing that Jodi was making this for Thanksgiving TOO, I decided that we should post one of my family's favorite recipe. We have had it every Thanksgiving for about 8 years. Brooks doesn't like it because of his allergy to dairy, but the rest of us down it. This is for a casserole dish size. I would half it if you can't eat it all in one sitting. It's okay-ish the 2nd day for leftovers but after that, forget it.

2 cups crushed pretzels
3 T sugar
1/2 c. butter melted
Mix and press in the bottom of 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 for 5 minutes. Take out and cool. (HAVE TO cool it!!!)

1  8oz. of softened cream cheese
1 c. sugar
12 oz. cool whip
16 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
Mix and spread on top of pretzels. Make SURE it covers even in the corners. This is the middle layer and if you don't get it spread everywhere then the top layer will get down into the pretzels and change the consistency. Put in fridge and chill for at least 2 hours. I usually make this the night before. Mine (up to this step) is in the fridge right now like this.

6 oz. JELLO raspberry or strawberry
3 cups boiling water
10 oz. frozen raspberries
Mix JELLO in water until it is dissolved and add raspberries. Let it sit for a little bit to cool down before pouring this last layer on top. If it's too hot it will bore a hole right through the white layer. ;) Pour on top and put back in the fridge to chill until set and firm on top. (2-ish hours)

7-Up Biscuits

I love biscuits! I make them every week with our grits on Sunday. I've tried lots and lots of recipes and this one is my favorite. They are the lightest, fluffiest biscuits I have made. The only thing I don't love about it is that it calls for Bisquick and you cannot substitute flour for the Bisquick (it's disgusting if you do, I tried it). However, it's super simple. This is the full recipe, but I half it for Brons and I.

4 Cups Bisquick
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup 7-Up
1/4 Cup Butter - I don't use all the butter and it tastes fine

Preheat oven to 425 and melt 1-2 tablespoons butter in 9x13 dish while oven is heating up. 

Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7-Up together in mixing bowl. Roll out dough onto a floured or Bisquick covered surface. Cut biscuits out (I use a glass to cut them) and place them side-by-side in a 9x13 baking dish (if you half it, an 8x8 works great). Brush biscuits with remaining 1-2 tablespoons of butter. Bake for 15-18 mins. 

Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

It's no secret that we love tacos, fajitas and enchiladas around here. I probably make either tacos or fajitas once a week around here, that's how much we love them. And frankly, it's always an easy meal.  With that said, I found this enchilada recipe and I cannot tell you how unbelievably easy and tasty it is!! As soon as I saw that avocado was one of the main ingredients I was sold. This one is definitely going  to become a regular in my house. Plus, with the exception of one or two ingredients, I always have these ingredients on hand. 

Ingredients for the Enchilada Sauce

1 tablespoon butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp flour

1 cup chicken stock  - (I used chicken broth which is the same thing or you could do vegetable stock too)

2 teaspoons of cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (I omitted the cilantro, Gabe hates it) 

1 cup mild or medium salsa verde (depending on how hot you want it)

1/2 cup fat free sour cream (I just used regular)

Ingredients for the Enchiladas

3-4 cups cooked chicken breasts, chopped or shredded

2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

3 avocados, peeled and chopped

8 flour tortillas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In medium sauce pan, saute garlic in butter  for about 1 minute on Medium - High Heat. Stir in flour let it cook for about 2 more minutes.

 2. Next stir in the chicken broth, cumin, salt, pepper and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, salsa verde and cilantro until smooth (or at least as smooth as you can get.)

3. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Add about 1/2 cup sauce to the bottom of the pan. and spread out until bottom of the baking dish is evenly coated.

4. Lay out a tortilla and add chicken, shredded cheese, and avocado to the end of the tortilla and roll. Then place the rolled tortilla seam-side down and repeat until the pan is full. 

5. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Cover with 1 cup of cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.

*I usually just get medium size tortillas so our enchiladas where bigger and I only made 5 and still had leftovers. 

Pat's Frito Salad

Pat makes this salad in the summer. Casey loves it. The kids really like it too, especially Diddy. He keeps asking me to make "that bean salad." It is super fast and yummy.

Green Pepper
Red Pepper
Yellow Pepper
Purple Onion
Frozen Corn
Black beans
Chili Fritos

Dice ingredients and toss in a bowl with mayo. Stir in Chili Fritos close to serving time, so they don't get soggy. I just try to add equal amounts of all the ingredients and I found a little mayo goes a long way. The family loves it. Thanks Pat!!  

Pat's New Year's Chicken Wings

There. NOW we won't be stuck at the beach and NOT have the exact recipe. These are obviously my family's FAVORITE wing recipe.


5 lbs. chicken wings
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. dry mustard
1/8 t. ginger
3/4 c. Marsala wine
1 c. soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic

Cook chicken on a baking sheet at 350 for 30 minutes. Make sauce and let it sit. Pour sauce over the chicken and cook for another 30 minutes. Then turn them over and cook 30 more minutes (1.5 hours total cooking)

Summer Pasta Salad

This is such a "girl" salad. We love it though. When my sis came to visit we downed a whole bowl. It just feels light. Plus, who doesn't want to eat something COLD then a hot meal sometimes on these hot days (I hear the west is having some KILLER heat!)

The trick is finding "mini" noodles. When I used regular-sized rotini it just soaked up ALL the dressing so I ended having to use 2 whole bottle or something. So in the store in the noodle section find a noodle that the box says "mini". They can be any shape.

- 1 box mini noodles
-cucumber, cut up
-celery cut up (you HAVE to have celery, the salad needs the crunch, even though I'm not a HUGE celery fan)
- red grapes, halved
-grilled chicken (cooked and chopped up...........we've done it w/o chicken before but w/ the meat it feels more 
maindish-y)
-One bottle of Poppyseed dressing.....like Briana's.....the one w/ the big peach on the front. (have another bottle on hand just in case you like it more wet. Every noodle is different so it's hard to say how much it will soak up or not)

You cook up the noodles, rinse, Let cool. And add everything else. It tastes best if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours (I make it during naptime). You can make the ratio however you want, I love a lot of grapes and cucumbers in it and Brooks prefers more meat. Whatever.
Cut up some watermelon to serve and you have a perfect light, summer meal.

Note: When I had Iris someone brought me this as a meal. I loved LOVED it that I asked her for the recipe. When she told me the dressing was just a bottle of salad dressing, I couldn't BELIEVE it!!! And when I've taken this to people they ask about the dressing because it's so good. Funny huh. Must mix w/ the other flavors of the food.....

Frozen Key Lime Pie - 4 Ingredients

Ingredients:

1       9inch graham cracker crust (or oreo)
1       can sweetened condensed milk
1       8oz container cool whip
1/2c  fresh or concentrate lime juice  

*You can add green food coloring to make it look more like a key lime pie 
**You can add a garnish to the top like lime slices, lime zest, chocolate shavings or cool whip

Mix condensed milk, cool whip and lime juice together. Add mixture to graham cracker crust. Freeze for at least 4 hours.

DELICIOUS!!

Aebleskivers & Butterscotch Syrup

I thought about not posting this, because you have to have a special type of pan to make these. They're a Danish breakfast pastry. However, they are so delicious I wanted to post it. Melissa makes these at Christmas time and fills them with jelly. I don't fill mine, but make a butterscotch syrup that my roommate made with them in college. Even if you don't get the pan and make the Aebleskivers, the syrup is so delicious! 

This is what the pan looks like to make them....it's called an Aebleskiver Pan.
   
Aebleskivers 
2 Cups flour
1 Teasppon salt
1 Teasppon baking soda
2 Cups buttermilk
3 Eggs - separated

**I don't buy buttermilk for this, put 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar in with the 2 cups of whatever milk you have and it thickens and curdles it to act as buttermilk.    

Sift together or whisk the flour, salt and baking soda. Add buttermilk and egg yolks. Beat egg whites until light and fluffly, forming soft peaks. Gently fold egg whites into batter.

Heat Aebleskiver pan on medium heat (fyi, it gets really hot and so I end up turning it down to medium-low heat after it initially heats up, about 10mins) Grease each cup thoroughly with spray oil and fill 2/3 full with batter. Cook approximately 1 to 1-1/2mins (per side) until golden brown, flip using a toothpick. 

OPTIONAL: Fill each cup only 1/3 full with batter place a small amount of fruit or jelly in each cup and cover with an additional 1/3 batter.

OPTIONAL: Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter, it's delicious.

Makes about 35-40.

Butterscotch Syrup
1-1/2 Cup sugar
1-1/2 cubes butter
3/4 Cups milk
1 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter in pan, then add sugar, milk and baking soda. Cook 7mins stirring constantly and barely boiling. Take off heat and add vanila. 

We like to dip our aebleskivers in the syrup and eat with our fingers!

I half this recipe a lot because it makes so much, then we save whats leftover and use it on pancakes or french toast.         

Won Ton Chicken Salad

Here you go Lins....

1 head romaine lettuce
1 head iceberg lettuce
3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1/2 pkg wontons fried and broken into pieces
1 small bag slivered almonds

Dressing:
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup SEASONED rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
4-6 green onions

Blend the ingredients for the dressing in blender until smooth and pour over salad RIGHT before serving.
(Case and I think the more green onion the more flavor it has, so I would do all 6 and I usually go about half to three fourths the way up the stem.) Also, I usually like to cook and shred the chicken the night before and sometimes I cook the wontons the night before and just break them up when I'm ready to use them. If I make this all at once, it feels like it takes forever! If I break it up, it feels like it was easy!!

My Version of Mexican Chicken

So we are towards the end of the month and that means our grocery budget for the month is all gone.....so it's time for me to get creative with what we've got.  I've heard of this Mexican chicken before and I remember my mom ordering it several times somewhere for dinner.  I didn't look it up, just used what I remember the chicken having, which somehow I had it all in my pantry/fridge.  I took some chicken breasts and sliced them in half (I always slice the chicken breasts in half because they cook faster and you can taste whatever is on it way better).  I only seasoned it with some garlic powder on both sides and into the oven they went.  When they where completely cooked, I brought them back out and added everything else.  First, I put a layer of cream cheese on top, then some salsa (as much as you like) and lastly shredded Mexican cheese....a lot.  Then, put it back in the oven to melt the cheese and done.  Gabe and I loved it and he wants me to make it again. I asked him if I should post it on here and he said for sure. So here it is! The best part was how easy is was to make and clean up. I just put some non stick aluminum foil on the baking pan and then threw it away.  All I had to clean was the pot I used to make the rice with corn to go with it.  It was really tasty and fun to eat. 

I know, I am horrible at posting recipes. They are just paragraphs trying to explain what to do instead of a real recipe.  The thing is pretty much everything I make is something I put together out of nowhere (like this chicken) or something that I have know for so long that I don't need to measure anything for it, I already know how the dish goes and just do everything by eye (is that even how you say it?). Sorry you guys! 

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1 bag spinach,

1 bunch green onion, chopped

6 oz honey-roasted peanuts

1 box bow-tie pasta, cooked 

6 oz craisins

1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

2 cans mandarin oranges

Dressing:

1 cup vegetable oil (I only put in 1/3 cup)

2/3 cup teriyaki sauce

2/3 cup vinegar

6 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix dressing ingredients together, pour over cooked pasta and chicken.  Marinate for 1-2 hours.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients before serving.

 

This is a fast and easy dish. I've done it without the chicken and served it as a side and it's delicious! You can do a bunch of variations on the ingredients and so it's easy to throw in what you have and will taste good without everything in it. Our favorite mix is the pasta with mandarin oranges, craisins, green onions and sunflower seeds.  

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes (from Pat)

6 large potatoes
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg

Cook potatoes. In a mixing bowl add all ingredients and beat well. Transfer to a 2 qt baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until heated through. May make the night before and refridgerate until ready to cook.

We love these potatoes. I love that you can make them the night before. My mom always asks me to make these when she's hosting lunches or dinner parties. Everyone always asks her for this recipe.

Banana Bread (From Pat)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter
4 egg whites
3 bananas
3 tsp milk
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.
Case likes to refridgerate it overnight and eat it cold. My kids like it warm.

Peach Cinnamon Syrup

Our favorite day to have the Elders over to eat is on Sundays since we always have breakfast for dinner. Anyway, last night we had them over and I made this syrup recipe that a friend gave me a while back. They LOVED it. I've always liked it and so do MOST of my kids (Emerson doesn't eat cooked fruit). Brooks said it was too sweet a while back so I had modified the recipe a little to the below. If you WANT it more sweet, you can always add more sugar. It also keeps well in the fridge for a while. It's just something fun to offer when you have a bunch of fruit syrups, fruit, whipped cream and stuff to put on pancakes/french toast/waffles.

1 large can of peaches (if you don't have a large can do 2 small ones)
1/3 c. sugar
2 T butter
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
dash of nutmeg
1 T cornstarch mixed w/ 2 T water

I like putting the peaches in the pan first and mashing them up a little bit. I don't like a WHOLE peach on my french toast.....so I mash them into little pieces. Then add everything else into the saucepan and put on med-med/high heat until it bubbles. Stir so it doesn't get stuck on the bottom, but you don't have to stir the whole time. It will thicken the longer you keep it on, so just keep it on until you like the consistency.
Note: I used 2 cans of peaches last night in LITE syrup. The original recipe caused for the good syrupy kind with full sugar. I've tasted both and don't notice much of a difference. I guess it's up to you.
Enjoy.

Pat's Salad

I'm sure Pat is thinking, "Is this my salad?" but that's what it's labeled in my recipe book as. This is a salad that my kids love and is a guest-pleaser when coupled w/ some grilled chicken or whatever. I just remember when we were home one time Pat saying that Gabe always asked for it. Who knows if that's still the case (because we all know how often we go home. hahaha)

1 head romaine lettuce
1 bunch of spinach
1 bunch green onions
1/2 box of COOKED bowtie pasta, drained (and cooled is better)

Dressing:
1/2 c. oil
2/3 c. soy sauce
2/3 c. vinegar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t pepper
6 T sugar
Shake WELL and make before hand.

Add to salad and mix. SUPER tasty. It doesn't taste that good for left-overs though w/ all the wilting lettuce/spinach, so if it's just for your family then maybe half it.

Pulled-Out-of-my-Sleeve-Potatoes

Like the name? Well it's true, I just came up with these today and they where a hit! So I felt like cooking potatoes for dinner tonight but really didn't want it to be just regular mashed potatoes like it usually is around here. And please, if you can think of a better name for these, you are more than welcome to change the name, really. So grab as many potatoes you need to feed your gang and peel them.  Then, slice them up as thinly as possible, or as you would like. To speed up the process and not have them take too long getting cooked in the oven, I boiled up the sliced potatoes but kept an eye close to them so they wouldn't get too soft and fall into pieces.  I drained the potatoes and placed them back in the pot.  On a mixing bowl, I mixed  a little bit of milk with sour cream.  Now the trick is to make sure it's not runny, so you'll be adding way more sour cream than milk, but don't want it to be as thick as the sour cream already is....make sense?  Add the mixture to the potatoes. Stir it in until the potatoes are all covered in it. Pass the potatoes to a cooking pan (where you would normally make lasagna, pasta, etc.) and spread them out as much as you can.  Lastly, just add as much shredded cheese as you'd like with as many bacon bits as you'd like on top and stick those in the oven until the cheese is melted and done! We loved them and I'm excited to make them again.

P.S. Sorry Lins, I read on the recipe you posted below you can't eat dairy while feeding Elle.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
Recipe adapted from: Baby Center
Taken from Six Sisters' Stuff Blog

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would be fine too)
Salt and pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (could also use olive oil or canola oil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional - doesn't really add heat, just adds more flavor)
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds

Directions:
Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.

*You can also sprinkle more red pepper flakes on top if you want more heat.

Pudding Cookies with Applesauce

Pudding Cookies

1 cup butter (I used applesauce, since I can't have dairy while nursing Elle and will continue to use it...it was so delicious and made them so soft! 1:1 ratio, 1 cup butter=1 cup applesauce, works as oil substitute too!)

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla (I prefer Almond extract, so good)

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 small pkg instant pudding mix (chocolate or vanilla...pretty much whatever flavor you are going for)

3/4 cup chocolate chips, nuts, health bits (any fillings you like, do 3/4 cup of each filling)

Cream butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Stir flour, baking soda and pudding mix together. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Mix well. Add fillings. 

Bake 350 8-10mins (if you use applesauce bake 10-12mins)   

I had to post this, because I was so excited to find a cookie recipe and dairy substitute that turned out so delicious!     

Creamy White Chili

This is one of Casey's favorites. I only use one can of the chopped green chiles, but I cut up habeneros to put in Casey's because he likes a lot of kick!

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup sour cream (Fat Free or Light works great in this recipe)
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder (or fresh garlic, if using) in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips.
2. Slow Cooker Option: In a medium round slow cooker, place 1 pound chicken breasts (fresh or frozen) without cubing them. Add the chopped onion, garlic powder, beans, green chiles and all of the spices. Do not add the sour cream or whipping cream yet! Reduce the chicken broth to 12 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) and pour in over the other ingredients. Stir the mixture around a bit to incorporate the dry spices. Cook on low for 5-7 hours (if using frozen chicken you’ll cook on the longer end of that spectrum, fresh chicken will cook in less time). Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred in bite-size pieces. Stir back into the slow cooker. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and whipping cream until smooth. Whisk the cream mixture into the crockpot with the other ingredients. Let the soup cook until heated through. 
3. Serve with cilantro, shredded cheese, and/or tortilla chips.

Taken from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/09/creamy-white-chili.html

Chicken Tortellini Bake

16 ounce package of cheese tortellini (my advice is to use the fresh, not frozen, variety – the kind you find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store b/c they taste better and it cuts down on boiling time since the noodles aren’t completely dry)

1 tablespoon oil

2 cups (about 2 chicken breasts) chicken cut up into bite size pieces

3 green onions finely chopped, white and green parts

2 tablespoons flour

8 ounces (1 cup) chicken broth

8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms

3/4 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat with good results)

8 oz (2 cups) shredded Monterey jack cheese (to be honest, any combination of cheeses, like cheddar, mozzarella or monterey jack would be good)

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook tortellini for 2-3 minutes (this is if you use the “fresh” tortellini from the refrigerated section – and to be completely honest, next time I’m going to try not boiling it at all and letting it cook while it bakes in the oven). Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken for 1-2 minutes and add the fresh mushrooms and green onions, cooking until chicken is done and mushrooms are golden brown. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir until thickened. Mix in sour cream until mixture is creamy and slightly thickened.

Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray. Pour tortellini in bottom of 9X13 pan. Sprinkle half the cheese over tortellini. Put cooked chicken/sauce mixture on top and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

Bake covered with tin foil at 350 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes until bubbly and golden brown around the edges.

This was light, but filling. It was something different and everyone liked it.

Taken from Mels Kitchen Cafe

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/05/chicken-tortellini-bake.html

French Toast Bake

Ingredient
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
1 loaf Texas toast
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions
1. Melt butter in microwave & add brown sugar....stir till mixed.
2. Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of 9 x 13 pan....spread around
3. Beat eggs, milk, & vanilla
4. Lay single layer of Texas Toast in pan
5. Spoon 1/2 of egg mixture on bread layer
6. Add 2nd layer of Texas Toast
7. Spoon on remaining egg mixture
8. Cover & chill in fridge overnight
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
11. Serve with warm maple syrup

I made this a couple weeks ago and the kids loved it. They keep asking me to make it, but I tell them it's kind of a once or twice a year recipe. It's pretty sweet, but edible. We've tried a couple others that were just too sweet to eat. I also love that you make it the night before, so it's easy to pop in the oven before school.
Taken from When the Dinner Bell Rings
http://whenthedinnerbellrings.blogspot.com/2012/04/french-toast-bake.html

Guacamole

Get about 4 or 5 little avocados and wait till they get soft if they are too hard.  You cut them open and get all the avocado out into a mixing bowl and squeeze in half a lime, chop up some tomatoes (the smaller the pieces the better) and onions (optional), and add a little bit of salt and mix it all together until the avocado is smooth with as little chunks as possible.  After making it you can put it in the fridge for about 5 to 7 minutes to get it cold.  It is so refreshing and creamy!

Cream Cheese Lasagna

I also like to make lasagna with cream cheese.  It gives it a great taste.
I usually cook and season the meat with a Puerto Rican seasoning called Adobo Sazon Total (just in case you might find it).  That seasoning has lots of different spices in it and it is delicious on any chicken, meat, seafood, etc.
 put down the first layer of pasta and on top of that I put the cream cheese.  I put a LOT of it since it tends to thin out when it gets heated in the oven and the sauce tends to take over its taste.
On top of the cream cheese I put some sauce (I use Prego but any spaghetti/marinara sauce will do) and then the meat. 
The same thing with the next layer and on the last layer I put hardly any sauce on but tuns of shredded cheese and into the oven with some garlic bread.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Whenever I don't feel like cooking or am running sort of late I always turn to the same meal. 
I season some boneless and skinless chicken with lemon juice first and then on top some garlic salt and onion salt.
I put some olive oil on a pot and throw the chicken in there with the unseasoned side facing up to season it the same way. 
I cover it up and leave it cooking on medium. 
Once I see the chicken is looking white I quickly turn it over and cover it again.
 By leaving it covered while it cooks, it keeps the chicken really juicy and the lemon juice gives it a great flavor.  Not sour at all. You can add all the seasonings you want as long as you use lemon juice with is kind of the main ingredient.

Crock Pot Tacos and Salsa

I've made this before and my kids were okay-ish w/ it. Then we went to a FRIEND'S house and she served her homemade salsa and it made the WHOLE difference. Now they LOVE it.

frozen chicken breasts, 1/2 c. of salsa (if you want it spicey use medium or hot), can of black beans, can of white beans and a can of corn. Cook in crockpot on low all day or 4-5 hours on high.

Serve on warmed tortillas with cheese, avocados, lettuce, tomatoes, and the homemade salsa. (Recipe below......its to die for. I made it the first time 2 weeks ago and Brooks keeps downing it and I just eat it w/ a spoon!)

 

Blender Salsa
(But I use my food processor)
2 cans diced tomatoes (or fresh equivalent)--3 if want it milder
Juice of half a lemon/lime
1/2 purple onion chopped--or whatever onion you have
Few fresh garlic cloves or a teaspoon powder
Salt and pepper (I usually do the amount I would need on the tomatoes if I were to eat them plain)
Small bunch of cilantro chopped
1 jalapeño-cook in microwave in a ziplock Baggie for about a min til soft, the chop up (leave the seeds in it for it to be a bit spicier)

-pulse blend it all together 

French Dip Sandwiches

(Brooks' fav. meal from elementary school cafeteria)

Pat came one time and threw a potroast in the crock pot w/ Onion Soup mix and cooked it 6-8 hours on high. Then she got cool rolls and an "Au Jus" packet (by the gravy mixes) at the store and mixed it up. For some reason this is STILL a favorite around here and super easy.

Scones

Scones

This is actually Pat's recipe that Brooks remembers as a child. Not healthy because it's fried, but a family pleaser. It makes a TON so we usually make it whenever we have guests staying w/ us. We eat breakfast-for-dinner every Sunday night.

1qt. buttermilk (I use sour milk....1 T vinegar per every cup of milk)

2 T yeast

1/4 c. luke warm water

1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 T oil

1.5 t. salt

3 t. baking powder

1/2 t. soda

8 c. flour

Heat milk until warm. Soften yeast in warm water. In large bowl put buttermilk, sugar, eggs, oil, salt, baking powder, and soda and 4 cups of flour.

Add yeast and beat until smooth. Add remaining 4 cups flour and let rise until double. Punch down and put in fridge overnight (covered).

Next morning, roll out on floured surface, cut and put in oil. (frying oil is ready when you splash water on it and it starts to bubble....takes about 20 minutes. I usually put it on med heat)

Then serve w/ her Honey butter recipe:

1 stick butter, melted

1/4 t vanilla

1 egg yolk

1 cup honey

Stir well.

We usually serve w/ fruit on the side or sausage or whatever. Super yummy....and fattening.

Tostadas

Just get those flat corn tostada shells in the Mexican section of the store

Either make homemade refried beans or buy a few cans. Warm it up.

Put the beans on the shells, w/ cheese and set out toppings like mushrooms. lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, olives, green peppers, etc. for everyone to pile on.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

 

4 frozen chicken breasts

2 T butter

2 cream of chicken soup

1 onion finely cut

2 (10oz) packages of biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Put chicken, butter, soup and onion in crock pot and fill w/ enough water to cover. Cover and cook for 5-6 hours on High. 30 minutes before serving, place torn biscuits in slow cooker. Cook until dough is no longer raw in the center (30-40 min). 

I always cook peas/corn or whatever on the side in case they want to have veggies mixed it. It's simple, but like I said, they all eat it.

BEST EVER Pork Chops

Cumin Pork Chops

Marinade:

1/2 c. oil

1/4c. soy sauce

1/4 c. worchestershire

1 t. minced garlic

1 t. cumin

2 T br. sugar

salt/pepper

Puncture 6-10 pork chops and put in marinade 4-6 hours.

Grill

(I've used the Forman before and they turned out awesome, but the grill is BEYOND awesome). This is Brooks' fav marinade ever that I've done. (could use on chicken too, but we like pork chops w/ it better)

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces butter

4 ounces butter

4 green onions, sliced (white parts only)

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth

1 teaspoon prepared mustard 1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained 1/3 cup sour cream 1/3 cup white wine salt to taste ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1 6 ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup white wine

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Remove any fat and gristle from the roast and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef strips quickly, then push the beef strips off to one side. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef strips.
Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Heat briefly then salt and pepper to taste

Taken from Allrecipes
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beef-stroganoff-iii/detail.aspx

Jalepeno Popper Spread

Ingredients:

2 8oz packages cream cheese
1 cup mayo
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
2 oz canned, diced jalepeno peppers, drained
1 cup grated parmesean cheese


Directions:
1.Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

2.Microwave on High until hot, about 3 minutes.

Taken from Allrecipes
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jalapeno-popper-spread/detail.aspx

Stir Fry...Stir Fry....Stir Fry

15 Basic Stir-Fry Sauce Recipes

Instructions for all of these recipes … just combine the ingredients in a small bowl, stir well to combine, then add to your stir fry. Don’t miss the tips at the bottom of the recipe list, as well.
Lemon Stir-Fry Sauce – Great with seafood stir fries, such as shrimp and/or scallops, as well as chicken.
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar

• • •

Lemon Stir-Fry Sauce II – nice with chicken and seafood.
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 -3 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)
Optional: red pepper flakes

• • •

Soy Sesame Stir-Fry Sauce – good all-round Asian sauce, suitable for all proteins.
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tsp. rice wine vinegar
4 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
2 tsp. sugar

• • •

Basic Stir-Fry Sauce – good all-round sauce.
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup rice wine or rice vinegar
3 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

• • •

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry Sauce – great with chicken and pork.
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider or rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. hot red pepper flakes

• • •

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry Sauce II – great with chicken, pork, beef and shrimp.
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar or cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

• • •

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry Sauce III – great with chicken, pork, beef and shrimp.
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup pineapple juice (or addition 1/4 cup water)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

• • •

Hot and Sour Stir-Fry Sauce – good all-round sauce.
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. chile paste (sambal oleek)

• • •

Thai Stir-Fry Sauce – great with chicken or shrimp.
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce
3 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 to 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili
2 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

• • •

Peanut Stir-Fry Sauce – perfect for noodles or chicken.
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tsp. granulated sugar (less if not using natural peanut butter)
4 tsp. natural peanut butter
2 Tbsp. water
2 teaspoons Asian chili garlic paste
Combine all ingredients and heat in microwave for 20-30 seconds.

• • •

Orange Stir-Fry Sauce – nice with chicken and pork.
3/4 orange juice
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
2 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. Oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. Rice vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. Finely grated orange zest

• • •

Orange Stir-Fry Sauce II – nice with chicken and pork.
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tsp. brown sugar
1 green onion, finely chopped

• • •

Spicy Orange Stir-Fry Sauce – great with chicken!
3/4 cup orange juice
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. finely grated orange peel
1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. sesame oil
Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper, or to taste

• • •

Orange Sesame Szechuan Stir-Fry Sauce – nice with chicken.
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar or rice wine
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 fresh red chili, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or 1/2 tsp. sambal oleek)

• • •

Spicy Szechuan Stir-Fry Sauce – great all-round spicy stir fry sauce.
3-4 Tbsp. sodium-reduced soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine or rice vinegar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp.sesame oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. green onion, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. chili paste (sambal oleek or chili paste sauce with garlic)

• • •

Tips:

1. Some of these sauces already have cornstarch added but if they don’t, you can use this to thicken any sauce that you think is too thin. Simply combine 1 Tbsp. cornstarch with 3 Tbsp. water and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add a bit, stir and cook until sauce thickens. Add more as necessary.
2. Consider using low-sodium chicken broth and soy sauce to avoid an overly-salty finished dish.
3. Each of these sauces makes 1/2 – 1 cup of stir fry sauce. You may not need it all, depending on the amount of meat, noodles and/or vegetables you are stir frying. Add as necessary to make it as saucy as you like and thicken with the thickener above, if desired. Of course, you can also double the sauce if you’re making a lot of stir fry.
4. Some of these sauces already contain things like minced garlic, ginger, onion or chilis (or other heat) but if they don’t, be sure to consider adding some into your stir fry.
5. Everyone’s tastes are different so you will likely want to tweak the sauces to your tastes. If you print out the list, you can simply make notes as you go to develop your perfect sauce.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
• 2 stalks (to 3 Stalks) Celery, Chopped
• 3 whole Green Onions, Chopped
• 2 cups (to 3 Cups) Grapes, Halved
• ½ cups Mayonnaise
• ½ cups Plain Yogurt Or Sour Cream
• ½ cups Half-and-half
• A Small Handful Of Fresh Dill, Minced
• ½ cups Slivered Almonds
• 1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Brown Sugar
• Juice Of One Lemon
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Rinse chicken thoroughly and place in a large pot of water. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done (about 45 minutes to an hour). When you are ready, remove the chicken from the pot and place on a plate. With your fingers or a fork, pull all of the meat off the bones, chop into bite-sized chunks and set aside.
Chop all of your fruits and veggies and place them in a bowl with the chicken.
In another bowl mix mayonnaise, yogurt (or sour cream), lemon juice, brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste.
Add fresh herbs (dill, oregano, cilantro…whatever makes your skirt fly up) and if you’re feeling a bit brazen throw in a dash of cayenne pepper!
When the dressing tastes just right (you must taste test for appropriate saltiness especially), pour it over the chicken/veggie/fruit mixture and stir gently until everything is thoroughly mixed. If you are feeling naughty add a sprinkling of bacon bits.
Allow the salad to chill for several hours (or even overnight). Serve on a bed of lettuce or in a sandwich or heck, eat it straight out of the bowl with a serving spoon.
Try it soon – you’ll love it!

Taken from the Pioneer Woman
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/05/chicken-salad-the-way-i-like-it/

Susan's BBQ Chicken

1/2 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce
1/3 cup agave or honey
Dash of cayenne pepper (more if you want it hotter)
1/2 tsp of garlic 
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together. Dice up the uncooked chicken and throw it into a skillet with a little oil, once the chicken is almost cooked through throw the sauce in. When the chicken is cooked, turn the heat to low and let simmer until sauce thickens. **We like to make these into sandwiches.